And so it starts...

So, Gabe's sixth Little League season has officially kicked off.

I'm in charge of the concession stand, so I'll be down at the field WAY too much. But its for a good cause.

Here's Gabe in his new uniform. Go Cards!

Christmas Pics 2007

Here are some Christmas Pics my beautiful niece Meghan posted on flickr.

You can see more here: http://www.flickr.com/gp/22917079@N00/48ASy9

Here are just a few of them...

Me reading during my Father's Funeral.



Rett, me, Lily and Meghan
outside in the snow.


Lily and DC



Gabe in mid-snow ball fight.



DC post snow ball fight.

Matt Maher - LIVE!

Friday night most of my family, along with a healthy dose of my daughter's youth group friends and Espiritu Santo Lifeteen band members, trekked to St. Raphael's Catholic Church for a wonderful outdoor concert featuring my favorite Christian artist, Matt Maher, along with his mentor and fellow musician Tom Booth.

Matt and Tom on stage

They tailored their performance to be more contemplative and prayerful in honor of the Lenten season. These two very talented musicians, with only guitars and microphones at the ready, touched us with their words and music. They shared stories of their lives and offered numerous prayerful moments.

It was a wonderful night of music.

Cathy and Dea

To only add to the night was the ability to share it with some of the great friends and truly wonderful people that we have come to know and love at Espiritu Santo. I got to speak at length, for the first time, with Cathy, the leader of our Lifeteen band, only to find we had a lot in common. She is a beautiful person inside and out. We laughed a lot and were grateful for the faith community of which we had become a part.

The girls having fun

We marveled at how blessed we were to have such wonderful children who have so peacefully and willingly embraced their faith. We realized that it was beyond our own doing, but instead that of the Holy Spirit, which ignites the fires of faith within them. We are merely tenders of the fire, stoking it with example and direction and prayer.

Seeing my daughter, DC, with her friends, Tiffany, Mary, Kelli, the Larame's, among others... it was very touching. It reminded me when I was with my youth group as a teen, full of life and hope and ambition and a faith that was so incredibly pure. I envied her a bit.

As the songs played, Dea and I, arms wrapped around each other, stood behind the teens near the stage, singing loudly to the wonderful songs being performed.

My sister Mary, who had known Matt M. for years (as he roomed with her son, Matt Smith, for quite some time), had all of us make signs to hold up during the concert so he would know we were there. My son Gabe was right up front, waving signs along with his cousin Chaz. Other family members with signs were scattered about the crowd. Mary also had her son text message Matt M to give him a heads up that we would be attending. When he saw the signs he smiled and acknowledged us in the audience. The kids loved that!

Cathy's daughter, Tiffany, a serious Matt Maher fan, tried to convince me that I had adopted her so I could give her permission to marry Matt. She is such a funny, vibrant kid! She joked all night calling me Dad and saying she was Tiffany Bauer. She made me laugh quite a few times.

After the music and prayers Matt M and Tom were available to sign autographs, take pictures and sell CDs. Once the crowds had thinned out we made our way over to see Matt. I was touched that he remembered me (at Matt Smith's bachelor party I gave Matt M $50 because I had received copies of three of his CDs). When I saw him I jokingly told him I overpaid and wanted $5 bucks back.

Matt stiffing me the

$5.oo he owes me :)

He was very gracious and humble, as always, shaking hands and taking pictures with our youth group from Espiritu. It was a brief visit, but it was great to see him again. He is such a talented person! He is truly gifted and his music inspires me like no other. I am so impressed by his ability.

Matt and the ecstatic Tiffany "Bauer"

It was a nice end to an otherwise emotional day. We all left with our spirits renewed, our faith strengthened and our appreciation for the gifts we have been given amplified.

A fun, fun night.

Father's Burial

Well, the long process of burying my father finally came to a conclusion this weekend. This past Friday, the day after Valentine's Day, family and friends again gathered at Bay Pines Cemetery to wish my father a final farewell and place his ashes in the ground.

Upon arriving, spirits were high. Seeing distant family again and my father's co-workers from decades past was a blessing and many funny memories were shared.

As we drove to the actual location of the burial in this grand cemetery, my emotions were fine. I had come to a wonderful peace about my father's passing and had remained relatively sadness-free for the past month... that is until my wife notices the sailors dressed in their best whites, especially the one holding the horn to play taps.... that's when my emotions flooded back. It was difficult to keep from bursting into tears.

The immediate family sat in an outdoor pavilion near my father's plot as Father Pecchie spoke of his memories of my father and finalized the funeral that had started in North Carolina almost six weeks previously. Afterwards, the Navy sailors played taps, refolded the flag and handed it to my mother, thanking her for my father's service to his country.

It was very moving.

Afterwards we moved over to his plot and prayed while his ashes were placed into the ground. Then Dea, the kids and I circled his plot, held hands and prayed an Our Father, three Hail Mary's and a Glory Be, then thanked my father once more for his example and love.

We followed the burial with a celebration at my brother's house. Food was aplenty and Betty did a great job of organizing and hosting the event. The DVD I had made for my father was shown again and those who had not seen it before were greatly touched.

The rest of the time we spent sharing and laughing, remembering and simply loving each other... just as Dad would have liked.

My sister Mary joked that "only Dad would stretch out this thing so long just to stay the center of attention." I followed with "yeah, now three holidays are attached to him... Christmas, New Years and Valentines!"

We had a lot of laughs.

That night most of us attended a Matt Maher concert and the following night we again got together for one final meal together before we all headed back home.


I love my family. I am so blessed to be a part of it. Full of love and faith and compassion and caring... it's a gift. A gift started by my parents and an equal reflection of my mother and my father.

Their legacy will live on for generations.

Jesus as Pitchman... Yeah, That's a Bad Idea

This history of marketing is replete with really, really bad ideas executed to their horrendous conclusion.

Trivializing Jesus by using him as your pitchman is one such cataclysmic error in judgment.

Apparently, per Fox News.com, a Singapore company had the complete lack of insight to market their beauty aids with Jesus on every item under the logo "Looking Good for Jesus."

Yes, this is offensive, but also so blatantly in bad taste it's almost funny.

• There's the Virtuous Vanilla Lip Balm that offers to make you "Be Worthy" and "Be Noticed."
• The Repair Fit-It-Kit says you should "Get His Attention" and to "Redeem Your Reputation and More!"
• The Looking Good for Jesus purse has the slogan "Show Him the Money."
• Use the Trusty Mirror to "Look Your Sunday Best."
• And, my personal favorite, the Sparkle Cream helps you "Get Tight with Christ!"

How on God's great green Earth does a company get together in their little board room, mulling over how to increase sales and revel in glee when someone stands up and says "I got it! Jesus!"

Not only is that an apocalyptically bad idea, but to continue down that same bad path as to come up with slogans following the whole "Looking Good for Jesus" marketing campaign... amazing.

What's their next campaign? "Looking Bad for Buddah?" "Looking Thin for Thetas?" "Looking Athletic for Atheists?" "Looking Slim for Satan?"

I've seen a lot of bad marketing ideas come and go, but Looking Good for Jesus?

Wow... that'll be hard to top!

See for yourself.

Matt Maher is Coming to Town!

This Friday, February 15th, Matt Maher will be perfoming at St. Raphael's Catholic Church in St. Pete. Maher is the best and most talented Catholic rock musician ever. His words, lyrics and music are amazing. He's awesome.

So, if you can, come see the show. You won't regret it!

You can order tickets and parking passes on line HERE:

http://www.straphaelevents.com

See you there!

How to Fix Government Spending

A co-worker and I were discussing government waste and that they shouldn't ask for a dime more of our money until they've fixed how to spend the money we already pay them in taxes. Through this conversation we came up with a very simple way for every single American to become immediate watchdogs of government spending.

Profit Sharing.

At my company we receive profit sharing checks every six months. A small percentage of the overall profit of the company is paid to every employee. This effects our decisions and behavior in the workplace. If fellow employees see waste, you'll often hear someone say "stop wasting our profit sharing."

Well, how different would our nation be if every citizen over 18 years of age were to receive a profit sharing check for every time our tax income surpassed our tax expenditures. I'm certain people would become increasingly diligent not only on current government waste, but the passage of bills, entitlements or tariffs that would decrease our ability to "turn a profit."

Another simple way to make people see this waste is to no longer allow taxes to be automatically deducted from our paycheck. If people had to personally write a check for the amount of taxes they currently pay, they would immediately demand change. But, since we don't see money we don't feel its absence.

Just a few simple ideas that could change everything in a hurry.

Unfortunately, both ideas would move power from the politicians to the average citizen... so they'll never happen.

Advanced Catholicism 410 and the Future of Our Country

I go to mass every Sunday and I sincerely wonder how many of the people there really understand their faith. Most appear to have an historic, working knowledge of it, but so few "get it." I was one of the ignorant Catholic masses (no pun intended) about a decade ago, so I'm not casting stones. But our biggest failing as a faith is our ability to teach it effectively to the next generation.

That is huge! That allows for misinterpretation and ignorant and harmful dissidence within the faithful. And it's completely inexcusable.

At mass about a week ago our pastor, Father Bob, was mentioning how hard it used to be to get confirmed. It was more difficult because you actually had to know a lot more about the Catholic faith.

Having been trying to get my head around my faith for over 40 years now, I can tell you the bullet-point overview we get now for confirmation does absolutely nothing in preparing our youth to live their faith in high school and in college. The confirmation training offered now is a joke. We have lowered our standards so far that just having a workable knowledge of basic church concepts garners an okie-dokie from the church.

As I listened to Father's homily something occurred to me that could realistically change our nation.

If I were someone with the means, like Tom Monaghan, for example, I would offer a free college education for any confirmed Catholic high school student who could complete an intensive Catholic course that included volunteer hours, essays, a lot of reading and a lot of prayer. This course would be hard. I mean, really hard.

But if you completed it, on top of of your current school work, and you were able to get a B or higher on the final exam, you would get a college education for free.

What would this do? It would offer a college education to any confirmed Catholic with enough drive and passion to get it. That drive and passion would allow them to learn and deeply understand our Catholic faith. They would then take that understanding and faith into college and later, into the workforce.

Within a few decades these people would end up in positions of influence in society. Think of that. A society where many of the leaders of industry and politics would be well trained and, hopefully, extremely faithful Catholics. People who are proud of their faith and able to articulate it effectively to those who oppose anything even hinting at "religion."

In a few short decades it could effectively change the heart of our nation... and our faith community of the American Catholic Church as a whole.

Republicans Should Hope For Clinton to Win...

As a fairly conservative guy I can't tell you how disappointed I am that McCain looks to be the Republican Presidential Candidate. Here's a guy who's so proud about "crossing the aisle," but what that really means is that he becomes a Democrat-lite. Cooperation is one thing. Consistently voting opposite of your party is something else.

The average person calls that not having a moral compass.

And how can conservative voters forget immigration? McCain is the guy who was so out of touch with the American people that he penned, along with Lenin-wanna-be Ted Kennedy, a bill which allows just about every illegal law breaker to stay in the country for the small price of a couple of grand.

Don't get me wrong, I'm all for immigration... only the legal kind.

So, given that McCain is the Republican nominee (boy, it pains me to say that) I must then hope that Clinton is the Democratic nominee. Why?

What is McCain? An aged, war-hero, career politician. What's Obama? A young guy with a fresh take and the perceived "outsider" voicing the people's concerns. Sure, he's been a Senator for two years, but apparently it takes three years to be considered an insider.

Anyway, if Obama wins the Democratic nomination and faces McCain... well, it won't be pretty. Can you say "Kennedy vs. Nixon?" Could those two guys look and act and simply be more different? Young vibrant newcomer black guy against an old, stodgy, politically rudderless white guy who is visually the epitome of what a career, inefficient politician looks like.

At least with Clinton there's enough people that know from history that she's less than trustworthy and from personal taste that she's less than likable. At least McCain would have a shot against her. Granted, it would look like a campaign for president of the nursing home instead of the most powerful office in the U.S., but at least McCain could possibly, on a good day, possibly represent my conservative beliefs... maybe.

McCain against Obama, however... ha! Not a chance. Obama's campaign is so invigorated and excited and full of life. Nothing else comes close.

As I heard via email the other day, I believe I have come down with Electile Dysfunction, because I just can't get excited about anyone in this presidential race.

Ugh...

All options suck right now. I can't believe the remaining candidates are the best five people available in this U.S. that are willing to try and run the most powerful country in the world. Are we sure we've looked everywhere?

There's got to be an honest, law-abiding and upholding male or female with integrity out there, isn't there?

Oh, wait a minute, I'm talking about politics. Never mind.

I guess we'll just have to deal with the used car salesmen (and woman) that we're stuck picking from.

Tailgate Golf

Okay, things have been pretty solemn around this blog lately... appropriately so. However, I take after my father and, as my saintly mother likes to tell me in her Bostonian accent, I like "baaathroom humah."

If you are easily offended, I suggest you move on, as the last thing I want to do is offend. Or, you can react like my wife and simply call me an idiot.

If you dare continue then let me say, as someone who's a sucker for physical comedy and enjoys a fart joke like an immature 10 year old, I offer to you the following item...

Tailgate Golf (aka: Sag 'Nads).


Sag 'Nads is a game in which you throw two golf balls tied to a string and try to have it wrap around one of the three cross bars. If you throw it on the top bar, its 2 pts. On the middle bar, its 1 pt, on the bottom bar, its 3 pts.


As we passed time up in NC this Christmas holiday we used Sag 'Nads to bring a much needed spark of "baaathroom humah" into an otherwise tense couple of weeks. As the golf balls wrapped around the crossbars, we couldn't help but name them and give them greater point values if certain elements fell into place.

For example:

A typical shot results in what was called the "Young Lad." No additional points here.


If your balls hung loosely around a crossbar, that's called the "Old Man." No point deduction or gain, but nothing to be proud of...


If you throw three "Old Men" that equals "The Lodge." Give yourself 2 extra points for consistency.

If two "Old Men" get wrapped around each other, that's called a "Turkish Prison." Again, not pretty, but worth 2 extra points.


If three "Old Men" get intertwined, you've reached the "Bath House." Uncomfortable to look at, but it gives you 5 extra points.


Now, if your balls are wrapped tightly, that's called a "Spitz." Give yourself an additional point.

If your balls are wrapped super-tight, that is what we call the "Louganis" and you can rack up an additional 2 points.

If you get three Spitz's or Louganis', then you have acquired a "Swim Team", so add 10 points to your total.


Now, if you miss the target completely, we called that a "Eunich." A "Eunich" = 0 points.

If you miss all three times, well, then you threw yourself "A Monestary." This means you're either really bad or fairly intoxicated. You must subtract 5 points.


Now, if you step too far back and hurl the balls high and far, you may have to endure the "Woody Woodpecker," where your balls get wrapped around a tree branch some fifty feet above your head. This will lead to frustration, angst and require 45 minutes of MacGyver-like skills to retrieve said balls. Avoid this at all cost. It's a buzz kill and a game-ender to be sure. Deduct 100 points.

So, there you have it. A little low brow humor to add some fun to a game that is actually quite enjoyable... Tailgate Golf.

Next time you're cookin' up some grub at the hind-end of your car or truck, kick off a game of Sag 'Nads. You'll have a good time.

But wear a cup.

Interview with an Exorcist (2006)

I've always been intrigued by the spiritual realm.

I remember hearing an interview with Father Malachi Martin who, when speaking about the real exorcism from which the movie The Exorcist was based, stated that our sins are on the "public record," so to speak, in the spiritual realm. He spoke about how they are available to the demons to use against the priest. And how, at the end of that one particular difficult exorcism that spawned a movie franchise, a small group of people in a small church nearby all saw the image of St. Michael the Arc Angel lifting his sword in victory after the mighty demon was finally purged from the child.

Stories like that have fascinated me. I've always figured the spiritual realm was much greater, much more complex and far more intricate than we could ever imagine in our small little brains.

And, personally, I have felt the tinge of harassment from an unwelcomed entity at one point in my life.

So, picking up the book Interview with an Exorcist, by Father Jose Antonio Fortea of Spain, was a really interesting and a sometimes disturbing read about the nature of demonic forces, their goals, how best to combat them and the limits of what they can and cannot do. The book is fashioned in the standard and efficient answer/question format where, over the course of 110 questions, Father Fortea gives real world insight into what's up the Devil's sleeve and ways in which we can avoid or combat the work of the evil minions.

Some of that information was quite surprising.

Father warns that Satan would like nothing better than to make us all non-believers in him. Some religions have actually disbanded exorcists completely. Nothing makes Satan happier. Fortunately, Pope Benedict XVI has recently requested that more exorcist be made available to confront evil within our society.

Reading this book was also therapeutic for me, as it forced me to face the disturbing memories of when I felt attacked by an evil presence. Thankfully, the mercy of God is great and through pure living and frequent prayer Satan is unable to beat us.

God will be victorious in the end. And if we can remain by His side we will always be protected.

Frenzy (1972)

When the studio system started to shatter and the counter-culture revolution no longer identified with the everyman (James Stewart) nor the dashing hero (Cary Grant), but instead wanted the anti-hero, Alfred Hitchcock was forced to make some adjustments.

In his second to last film, Frenzy, Hitch returned to his hometown (London) and used an exclusively British cast as he tackled the changing societal movie taste by introducing a good guy (Barry Foster) who's not very likable. He's a down-on-his-luck out-of-work bartender who's abrasive, a womanizer, smokes incessantly and, in classic early 70's style, looks like he needs a good shower and a haircut. He represents the "independent spirit."

His best friend (Jon Finch) is a hard working owner of a produce business who's charming, well dressed and well mannered. Of course, circa 1970, he's the bad guy. He represents "the man."

In Frenzy, our Oily Bartender is mistaken for a serial rapist while his well groomed best friend is actually the offender. We follow the Oily Bartender as he narrowly avoids capture and a good bath while, in classic Hitchcock form, struggles to prove his innocence.

Oily Bartender and Suave Best-Friend

The film is uneven at best. The main character is a horse's patootie and you just want him to be beaten into societal submission. What a jerk. Hitchcock works best when you are able to put yourself in the protagonist's shoes. The Oily Bartender may have touched the audiences at the time, but 30 years later he just looks and acts like a loser.

The one thing I love about Hitch's films, even the bad ones, is that there is always one scene or one shot that is so well done that it makes the entire film worth viewing. This is true in Frenzy in a scene where Suave Best-Friend must uncover a victim in order to recover incriminating evidence. The scene works so well because Hitch relies on no dialogue and masterful editing.

The rape scenes are very disturbing as well, as they should be, and shows Hitchcock exploring a more literal re-creation of violence.

I remember reading an interview with him about his film Torn Curtain where he discussed a lengthy scene where Paul Newman and another woman take five minutes and multiple weapons to subdue and eventually kill a KGB agent. When asked why he had it last so long he replied that the human survival instinct is very strong and it can sometimes take a long time to actually kill someone. He felt that the way movies handles such scenes (one gun shot or one punch and they're done) was unrealistic.

In Frenzy, Hitch makes rape uncomfortable. So, in that respect, he handles those scenes very well. I can only imagine what tortures he would put us through were he a filmmaker today.

Overall a disappointment, but with enough diamonds in the rough to make the viewing worth it, Frenzy is both an example of Hitchcock's strengths as well as the struggles he faced to remain relevant in a quickly changing counter-culture society.

Inside Islam: A Guide for Catholics (2006)

What is Islam? Who was Muhammad? When was Islam created? Is the Koran like the Bible? What does Islam share with Judaism and Christianity and what separates them?

Inside Islam: A Guide for Catholics, by Daniel Ali and Robert Spencer, is a quick read consisting of 100 common questions and answers regarding Islam, its impact in history, the world and other faiths. Ali and Spencer do a nice job of explaining the beliefs of Muslims and how they are either similar or different from Judaism and Christianity.

Did you know that Muslims believe Jesus was born of the Virgin Mary and that his second coming is part of the end times? Did you know that the Koran includes stories of Adam and Eve, Moses and Abraham? Yes, Islam shares the names and the stories, but the details and interpretations are sometimes very different.

According to the book, Muslims believe the Koran to be the direct word from Allah as dictated by the angel Gabriel to Muhammad. These words are not up for interpretation, merely obedience.

According to the book:

• Where Christians see God as a father figure, Muslims see Allah as a master.
• Where Christians believe heaven means spending eternity in God's presence, Muslims believe heaven means spending eternity in paradise, but not in Allah's presence.
• Where the Bible is consistent in it's messages and truths, the Koran allows for Allah to contradict previous statements or change his mind on various teachings.
• Where Christians believe in the Trinity, Muslims believe in Allah alone.
• Where Christians believe Jesus was the Son of God, Muslims believe he was only a prophet.

The book also states that Muslims believe that the original Old and New Testaments were in line with the Koran at their inception, but have since been altered to meet various devious goals, thereby nullifying their value as they are considered fiction.

Ali and Stevens go into greater detail into the history of the creation of the Koran, the holy traditions, Mecca, the role of women in Muslim society and so on. It is an informative and enlightening book. It gives me a much greater appreciation as to why some Muslims take their religion and wage war with the sword against unbelievers.

This is all new territory for me and this book is a great starting point for Catholics who want to begin to understand the Muslim faith and how it varies from our own teachings. I strongly recommend it for those of you interested in the subject matter.

Eucharistic Miracle (1999)

This miracle occured on November 7, 1999, at a Mass held in the minor Basilica of Lourdes. The Archbishop of Lyon, Cardinal Billé, was the celebrant. The concelebrant was the archbishop of France, Cardinal Jean-Marie Lustiger. The Mass was broadcast live on French television.

There were two large hosts on the altar. As you can see in the video, the top host rises up at the beginning of the consecration and levitates in place. The green of the priests' vestments can be seen between the hosts as evidence of the levitation.

Theology of the Body Presentation

I know when growing up that the way I interpreted human sexuality was that it was simply an animal instinct of our creation, but separate from the spiritual part of our lives. The two could not coexist easily. As a matter of fact, the more you could avoid your sexual nature the more holy you became. This left me scratching my head. Why would the Lord create such an incredibly strong instinct within us for the purpose of ignoring it or suppressing it? I never could make that work out in my head.

After attending an amazing presentation on Pope John Paul II's work The Theology of the Body this weekend, I was surprised to find out that those assumptions are not only wrong but in contradiction to Catholic teaching.

Huh?

It appears that I had fallen into the trap of confusing a puritan view on sexuality and lumping that in and replacing it as the Christian view on sexuality. This is simply not true.

Now, a title like The Theology of the Body sounds like a contradiction in terms, but what JP2 offers us is a connection between the martial sexual union and its purpose from the Creator. He delves into great detail how the sexual union between married couples is not simply a procreation animal instinct, but instead a small insight into the greater "infinite explosion of love" that awaits us when we enter heaven.

The material was presented by Christopher West, the foremost authority on "translating" JP2's scholarly work into something more digestible to the average person. The Theology of the Body is a complete paradigm shift in thought and takes a little while to really get your head around. Once it starts to settle in, however, you soon realize just how much it makes sense. How so many previously odd bible phrases suddenly come into sharp focus.

It is a teaching that everyone, especially Catholics, should understand. You treat your sexuality differently when you realize it's divine purpose. You show a much greater respect for the natural drive within you.

And you also get a much clearer understanding as to how and why Satan is attacking sexuality in today's aggressively pornographic society. As Mr. West said, "we are now treating fertility as a disease. You take a pill when your sick. Now we take a pill to avoid our own fertility as if it is something from which we should be cured."

From the first book in the Bible Satan has been at war with the womb of women and that attack continues unrelenting since then. As Mr. West so accurately stated, "The Devil has turned the womb into a tomb."

The presentation also more clearly explains why the Catholic Church is so adamant, and must remain so, in keeping the marital union defined as between a man and a woman. After all, when you understand how the marital union was created to reflect the marriage between Jesus and the Church, you quickly realize why such a redefinition could disrupt the divine intention of our Creator and confuse future generations as to the entire Christian foundation.

After 10 hours of information my head was swimming. It was a LOT to take in. And, as Mr. West stated, his presentation is only scratching the surface as to what JP2 revealed in his 136 letters regarding the subject.

For more information on Christopher West's schedule on current and future presentations, please check out his website at HERE. Mr. West layers in so many current cultural references, humor and wit that the 10 hours fly by.

The Theology of the Body should be mandatory for every Christian in the world.

It is that important. It is that powerful. It is that necessary.

Medjugorje: The Message (1989)

When I was in high-school I remember hearing about a small Yugoslavian village called Medjugorje where some kids my age were having visions of Mary. Soon there were videos being shown and scientific studies that showed it wasn't a hoax. Then there were pilgrims and more stories and it all created a great sense of something magical, heavenly actually occurring in our lifetime.

Sure, I had heard of Fatima and Lourdes and other Marian apparitions, but the Mother of Jesus appearing in my lifetime? Amazing.

So, here it is some twenty years later and I'm going to Mass at my mother's church in North Carolina and meet a guy named Wayne Weible who has been kind enough to donate some of his books on Medjugorje to the small church library. It turns out Wayne and his wife are parishioners there and are very nice people.

After heading back to my Mom's cabin and as I was packing my bags to head back home my Mom gives me a copy of Wayne's book. I cracked it open two days ago and found myself unable to put the book down.

The book is about Wayne's personal journey to discover the Marian apparitions in Medjugorje, his calling and its impact on his life. A Lutheran, Wayne watched a video tape on the goings on in Yugoslavia and was immediately called to investigate and tell the story of Mary's visions and messages there. Over the years the Lord leads Wayne to Medjugorje, then in a Communist country where atheism was the official religion and where religious items were confiscated at the border, where he investigated, met and was touched by the Marian apparitions. Over the years and subsequent returns to the small village Wayne became more and more involved with the key players there such as the local priests and even the visionaries themselves.

Wayne's story is compelling on it's own. But, what makes Wayne's book extraordinary are all of the stories that he relays from people he had met and were impacted by the events going on over there. His small, intimate story evolves into a worldwide spiritual tsunami that washes over the entire world with a reinvigorated faith in Jesus. Amazingly, by the end of the book you can actually comprehend the massive and uplifting impact this event and the messages relayed by the visionaries has effected Wayne, the people of the village and, eventually, the entire world.

During the reading of this book I felt myself changed as well.

I've always felt that the truth of Christ and the flame of the Holy Spirit is in us all and that, given the quiet and the focus, we would naturally be drawn to it. And, on some deep spiritual level, that truth is recognizable to us. We know it when we hear it or see it. We just know.

That book touched that inner truth within me. Mary's messages, in their simplistic beauty and divine effectiveness, make complete sense to me. I felt like my eyes had somehow been opened to some great, holy mystery to find the message so simple that I had looked passed it all this time.

Through the book Mary repeatedly puts our focus on her Son, Jesus and talks about peace, about inner peace and peace between brothers and sisters. As I read the book I realized that there is a big difference between contentment and peace. I believe we spend most of our time confusing the two, believing we are at peace when we are merely content.

By the end of this book I feel I had found an inner peace that I had not felt in a very long time. A peace that is deeper and real. A peace that derives from the truth.

It inspired me to check the web for the latest events on Medjugorje. It amazes me that the visions have continued for over 25 years now. Never has Marian visions lasted this long. There are videos online that can be seen here and various other websites such as www.medjugorje.org and www.medjugorje.net.

Interviews with the visionaries also put it all into a greater perspective. As one visionary says, "Never ask for what you want. Mary (and Jesus) knows this. Always pray for unbelievers." This is a great example of the simplistic, but important message. Jesus has already told us he will provide for our needs. So praying for that is redundant. But if all of the unbelievers become believers, well then there would be true and lasting peace.

This turns our prayers from being selfish to being selfless, which is the essence of following Jesus' example.

In the end, reading Medjugorje: The Message has filled a gap that had been in my spiritual life for quite some time. It's a great, inspiring and potentially life-altering read.

The Devil's Final Battle (2002)

The Third Secret of Fatima. Did we get the whole story?

That's the question The Devil's Final Battle by Father Paul Kramer tries to ask. The Fatima story is an amazing one. In 1917, just before the unleashing of World War I, three children in Portugal see a vision of Mary. They are told to tell the people to honor the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Tens of thousands hear of the children's visions and go to Portugal, seeing the miracle of the dancing sun.

The church responds favorably to the visions and messages. They institute the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Two of the children die very young. The third, their cousin Lucy, becomes a nun and continues to get visits from the Virgin Mary on occasion. Mary gives her insight into future events. About upcoming chastisements and apostasy in the church. She is given secrets to divulge to the church hierarchy. Secrets about the need to consecrate Russia to her Immaculate Heart in order to avoid a great chastisement. She tells them that God is unhappy with us and He will use Russia as a force of chastisement and the outcome will include the annihilation of entire nations.

The church does not consecrate Russia. The Russian revolution ensues. The official belief is in Russia now atheism. Russia takes over countries in the coming decades, changing borders, erasing nations.

And still the Church does nothing.

The Third Secret, the one that deals with attacks on the dogma of the Catholic Church and apostasy within its ranks are held, under orders of Mary, until 1960, when she wants them read to all the people.

But the Church does nothing.

Jacinta Marto (age 7), Lucias Santos (10)
and Francisco Marto (9) in Portugal, 1917.

Soon after 1960, Vatican II is instituted. The Church is impacted by new liberalism. Liberalism previous Popes had warned about. Apostasy creeps into the church structure. As foretold in Revelations, the dragon sweeps down a third of the stars from the sky... i.e., Satan effects a third of the priests in the church. Sister Lucy herself warned that the Devil will attach clergy specifically because corrupting a clergy's soul has the effect of corruption hundreds more.

Later, in 1981 Pope John Paul II "releases" the contents of Third Secret, explaining the symbolism and describes the slain "bishop in white" laying dead among the faithful as the attempted assassination on his life. And with that statement, the mysteries of the Third Secret are closed.

Or are they?

What about the contents related to the dogma that Sister Lucy started and revealed early on, but withheld the rest of the contents until later. She apparently delivered two items to the Church, a letter in a sealed envelope approximately 25 lines long that seems to be the words from Mary herself. And she also gave them a notebook of her visions, the including visions specific to the Third Secret that is four pages, about 60 or so lines, describing the vision, but not the Marian message behind it.

Thousands watch the Miracle of the Sun
at Fatima

It is concluded, in The Devil's Final Battle, that the Vatican released the information related to the four page visionary description, but has never released the Marian words itself, because none of the Vatican released information has to do with the attack on the dogma of the Catholic Church. And because numerous priests, bishops and cardinals who had seen the single page within the once-sealed envelope mentioned its contents and none of their comments are in line with an assassination attempt on a Pope.

The book is an intriguing read and meticulously researched. It offers numerous well documented and disturbing attempts, specifically by European Masons and later Communists, to infiltrate and corrupt the Catholic Church from within.

It was written before Pope John Paul II's death and is very hard on a guy named Cardinal Ratzinger... who happens now to be Pope Benedict XVI. It contends that Mary came to those three children to keep us from our own weaknesses, to avoid liberal reinterpretation of the faith and which would eventually move up the Vatican food chain until major church changes would be put into place in contradiction to the Church's dogma.

When one thinks that the Church's action could have prevented the atheistic Marxist revolution in Russia... How would the world be different if Russia was, in 1917, instead converted to Catholicism?

How would the world be different if in the 1960s Vatican II had not been instituted?

What would the Church be like now if it had, as requested by Mary, read aloud the contents all of the secrets of Fatima, owning up to its own human frailty instead of protecting itself from its flaws, thereby leading to the current state of diminished vocations and the priest sex-abuse scandals.

How much better of a place would that world be like to live in?

The Devil's Final Battle is a thoroughly investigated book, but, to be honest, I don't have the knowledge to know if the assumptions put forth in the book are accurate or simply just a conspiracy theorist's interpretation. Taking it at face value, however, the book does make numerous valid and prayer-provoking points.

Above all it makes me wonder how things would have been different if the Church would have listened to the Mother of God through the voice of those three little children.

God is Clear

Here's a great story my niece Katie sent to me about a conversation she had with her daughter Sarah on the way to school...

On the way to Sarah's school this morning, we are listening to "Indescribable" by Chris Tomlin, and she is singing as loud as she can. Then I don't hear her anymore, so I turn back and she is staring up at the sun and smiling from ear to ear.

This was our conversation:

KT: "What are you doing Sarah?"
Sarah: "Smiling at God."
KT: "Do you see Him?"
Sarah: "No, he is clear, but he is there. Do you think Grampa is an angel with him now?"
KT: "Oh, I am sure he is."
Sarah: "Hi Grampa!"

When Jesus said we should have the faith of a child, it seems this is the type of the faith he was talking about.

National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets (2007)

Can you make a good action flick with little gun play, no body count and no sex that is both entertaining and educational? Before the original National Treasure, Hollywood would have said No. Now, they realize the answer is Yes and that Yes equals Money.

So, it is no surprise that Disney created the sequel to National Treasure called Book of Secrets. After stealing the Declaration of Independence to uncover a treasure the first film, this time, Ben Gates (Nicolas Cage) defends his family name against accusations that his ancestor was the architect to Lincoln's assassination.

The original cast returns, in addition to Ed Harris as "Joe Bad Guy" and Helen Mirren as Cage's mother who joins the fight to restore the Gates name. In short order Gates and his team fly to Paris, find entry to Buckingham Palace and the White House, hang with the President of the US, find a secret in the Library of Congress and scour behind the faces behind Mount Rushmore.

A lot happens in a short amount of time and if you suspend your disbelief you will find Book of Secrets a very enjoyable and quick moving family film. Cage, as always, is likable and believable. The rest of the cast funny and solid.

Take the kids, buy the popcorn, shut your brain off and enjoy the ride. Book of Secrets is a fun time at the cinema.

I Am Legend (2007)

Can a film about a man and his dog alone in an empty New York City ravaged by a mutated virus work? I Am Legend sure tries, but doesn't quite do it.

The problem isn't with Will Smith's performance as it is with the script. Attaching yourself emotionally to the main character is a critical component to a successful film experience. I never once felt I was in the shoes of Will Smith. Never.

Why not? Why did I feel emotionally attached to the lone-man-survivor Tom Hanks in Castaway and not to Smith in I Am Legend? Simply because Castaway takes you on the journey of figuring out how to survive on your own. I Am Legend skips that and plops you in the world after everyone is gone. Smith runs around in his car with his high-powered rifle hunting wild game. How do I connect with that out of the gate?

The volleyball in Castaway is replaced by a German shepherd in Legend. The hope brought by the picture of his wife in Castaway is replaced in Legend by nightmares about Smith's wife and children during the last days of New York City.

I'm not saying that I Am Legend should be Castaway in NYC, merely stating why the one film worked for me and the other didn't.

Smith's performance was wasted here. The end of the film is anti-climatic, the special effects not very believable and emotional attachment to the main character missing... combined this makes I Am Legend average at best.