Perspectives of a Wanderer

I will make no qualms about it; I am in a high stress career (information technology) and am currently in an even higher stress job.  It is even worse now since they cut the staff and everyone is doing the work of two people (or even more people). Although the job pays well, I am wondering how long it will be before I completely burn out.

I am saying that, one must learn how to balance work and non-work in their life.  When a job takes up over well over half of the time you are awake (today, for instance, I worked over eleven hours instead of the normal eight and a half) it is time to take inventory of what is most important in your life.

Like I said, my job pays well and I do, for the most part, like it.  It is the best company, by far, that I have been with.  However, pay is not the first thing (it never has been) I look in a job.  What I look for is a challenge.  However, this is economy, it is not a challenge when more and more duties are piled on a person.  A balance is needed.

One thing that has been taking a beating the past couple of months is my spiritual and prayer life.  Usually I have barely enough time in the to do my Morning Prayers before I head off to work and it is even harder now since I am starting to do the older form of the Divine Office.  The same can be said for Evening Prayers, I get home and usually I only have a couple of hours before I head off to bed (One thing I try to do is get eight hour of sleep).   It seems I have little time for any more with other things I need to get done in the little time allotted.

I am hoping that work may return to some semblance of normalcy soon.  One of the major projects I was working on is finally in the final stages and I am ramping down on the time I need to spend on the other major project since the programming part of it is essentially complete.  At that time, I am hoping to spend more time on things I want and need to do.

I will state up front, I tend to gravitate towards the old when it comes to many things. Even when I buy things new, I look for things that look older than they are.

This is especially true when it come for Catholicism. I prefer the Extraordinary Form of the Mass (also known as the Latin Mass or Tridentine Mass) and have started looking into some of the older devotions and indulgences that have fallen to the wayside after Vatican II.

One thing that I have been hoping to explore is the older Divinum Officium, that is the Divine Office (or Liturgy of the Hours or Breviary), before it was drastically changed in the early 1970’s. Until recently, I thought I would have to wait until Baronius Press published the older version. That has changed since a link was posted to the older office on-line. I have been exploring it further and, to tell you the truth, I prefer it to the newer Divine Office except for one minor thing so far.

What I like about it is the length. It is much longer than the current Divine Office and more of the Psalter is said at each hour. This is especially true with Compline (or night prayer) since it only takes about five minutes in the current version.

I also like that the on-line, and the edition to be put out by Baronius, has the Latin side by side with the English. Currently, I am only doing the English until I improve my pronunciation and knowledge of Latin.

Another thing that I like is that the Intercessions in the Lauds and Vespers (Morning and Evening Prayer), just like the Old Mass, are not there as it is in the current versions of both. Although I see the power in intercessory prayer, I do not see it as an essential part of those prayers. I prefer to keep intercessory prayer separate, private, and have the ability to add customize them if needed.

The only thing I do not prefer is that you cannot always tell where the Readings in the Matins (now known at the Office Readings) which are outside of scripture come from. Yes, they are commentaries, but from where. In addition to knowing where the Second reading is from in the newer version, you also get a wider variety, it appears, than in the older version. This will take a little getting use to since I use the Office Readings, when I do them, as part of my additional Spiritual Reading. I will probably still use the newer Office Readings as part of my additional Spiritual Reading, probably as part of my Evening Prayers instead of Morning Prayers.

Essentially, I probably will be gradually making the move to the old Divine Office when possible and, most likely, completely when the printed version finally comes out. It also makes my more interested in exploring other Prayers and Devotions that have fallen into disuse in recent time. Hopefully, they will catch on with others and become commonplace again.

After completing “Is Man Meant for Urban Living?”and “Is Man Meant for Urban Living? (Part 2)“, I have started to stock of my own life.  Currently, I live in a suburb just outside of Detroit and have a job that, for the most part, I enjoy.  Saying that, I keep feeling that there is more that I could do by simplifying my life.

I am one of those who, although grew up in a housing plan, spent a lot of time in rural Western Pennsylvania since where we lived bordered on farm county.  Although I could not become a farmer by trade (and definitely not raise animals for food), I would love to find a plot of land somewhere and do enough growing to not have to buy the overpriced stuff at the supermarket.

Where to do it, it another thing all together.  Due to finding a parish that I finally feel comfortable in due to its orthodox Catholic Teaching and reverent Mass, I would prefer to stay in this area.  Another reason to stay in the area is that the priests that run the Confraternity of the Holy Guardian Angels are also stationed at my parish and one of them is my regular confessor.

What I will be looking for is about 10 to 20 acres that far enough out that I would have my  privacy but close enough to where I work and my parish.

The plagues of Relativism, Materialism, and Liberalism (along with Socialism and Global Capitalism) are so rampant that they have desensitized most to the point where they are unable to recognize them for what they are and how they are rotting away society to a point where it is about to, if not already, implode.

A reminder of that came from a tweet from Catholic Vote:

BK gets gross. Critics Cringe at Ad for Burger King’s Latest Sandwich http://shar.es/53U3 HT @PattiArmstrong

The tweet referenced a Foxnews article not the new Burger King ad for their new sandwich.  With out getting too graphic, the ad borders on the filth a certain segment of the “entertainment” industry that is so rampant in these days.

It reminded me on how nothing seems to shock people anymore.  Just a couple of years ago, this ad would not even be considered.  Now, it almost gets a yawn.

This is what the societal plagues have done.  It makes perversion the norm and morality the perversion.   We must fight back against anyone who promotes this.

I, for one, am now boycotting Burger King until they pull the ad and apologize.  The same tactic worked on Ford and McDonalds, it will work here.

But we must not stop there.  We must shun all of the plagues.  Alternatives must be found to replace those who promote the perversions so rampant in society.  If it means going with out certain good until those alternative are found or created, so be it.

We must come together in solidarity as a community to build a society free of Relativism, Materialism, Liberalism, Socialism and Global Capitalism.

For those who know me, I attend the Extraordinary Form of the Mass also known as the Tridentine, Old, or Latin Mass.  As such, the readings are not the ones that most Catholics hear on on the same Sunday (yes, there are rare cases when some of the readings are the same).  Such was the case with the Gospel reading for this week:

While the people pressed upon him to hear the word of God, he was standing by the lake of Gennes’aret. And he saw two boats by the lake; but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. Getting into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, he asked him to put out a little from the land. And he sat down and taught the people from the boat. And when he had ceased speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.” And when they had done this, they enclosed a great shoal of fish; and as their nets were breaking, they beckoned to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” For he was astonished, and all that were with him, at the catch of fish which they had taken;  and so also were James and John, sons of Zeb’edee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; henceforth you will be catching men.” And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him. (Lk 5:1-11 RSV)

Although the term “fishers of nen” (Mt. 4:19 RSV) is replaced “catcher of men”, the meaning is the same.  However, what seems to be lost today is how this applies to all Catholics.  We are called, in various capacities, to be “fishers of men”.   This means we must live our lives in accordance with the teachings of Our Lord. Part of these teachings is to spread the Gospel.  How we do it is two-fold: Passive and Active.

The first way, the passive part, I have already mentioned.  That is: how we live our lives.  Living by example is one of the best ways of showing those who do not follow Our Lord in his fullness of the Catholic Church the true meaning of his teaching.  Sadly, many of us do not live in full accordance with the teachings of Our Lord.  This, does not mean that we should abandon those teaching as some would suggest.  No, we should always strive to amend our lives to live according to those teachings.

The second way, the active part, is more difficult and not for everyone (although it should be).  That is: preaching the Gospel.  No, I am not talking about joining the priesthood or a religious order.  I am talking about evangelization. Yes, what I am talking about can be considered proselytism, and you know what, you are right because it is. We must take the truth to the enemy and get in their faces. Of course, there are some things that must not do.  Those things include:

• Forcing people to convert
• Providing physical benefits in hopes that recipients will be open to listening
• Providing physical benefits only to those willing to listen
• Providing physical benefits only who convert

What we must do is preach the Truth to all, both those who are willing to listen and to those who are hardened to the Word of God.  We must use the public square as our pulpit at every chance we get.  Yes, there is a hostile atmosphere out there, but as Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; henceforth you will be catching men.“  We must be fearless in this.  We must bring everyone possible to the full Truth of the Catholic Church.

Yes, why do we? For me, I see it in about almost everything I do.

For instance, I seem to put off my Morning and Evening Prayers until the last moment and then I either rush through them or do not do them at all.  If it were not for iBreviary on my iPhone, I would probably work not do them more often.

Is it that we are too busy in this, ever increasing, busy, relativistic, and materialistic world that we live in?  That may be part of it, but there has always been procrastination.

The reason I bring this up is that I belong to a Distributism Forum that has been setting up socio-economic communities based on Distributism.  For those who do not know what Distributism is:

Distributism is an socio-economic philosophy originated by certain Roman Catholic to apply Catholic Social and Moral teachings of Catholic Church (especially papal encyclicals Rerum Novarum and Quadragesimo Anno).  According to distributism, the ownership of the means of production should be spread as widely as possible among the general populace, rather than being centralized under the control of the state (indirect socialism) or a few large businesses or wealthy private individuals (capitalism). Distributism holds that, while socialism allows no individuals to own productive property and capitalism allows only a few to own it, distributism itself seeks to ensure that most people will become owners of productive property.

We have been discussing how and where these communities should be set up, but it has not gone any further than that.  It seem we are procrastinating.  Why?  Is it the fear of the unknown?  Uncertainty of the chance of success? Or, is it something else?

All I know is that, the way things are going with today’s society, we better get stared before society, as a whole, implodes around us.

You have heard stories about how a book, or books, has changed a person’s life. Well, for me, I had yet to find such a book until recently.

In early February, I went on my annual silent retreat with the Confraternity of the Holy Guardian Angels. During one of the conferences, the book The Twelve Steps to Holiness and Salvation by St. Alphonsus Liguori was recommended as a book to read. I did purchase the book and I would have to say, even though I have two chapters to go, it was one of the best books I have read on how you direct your life towards God.

Each of the twelve steps has its own chapter and St Alphonsus goes into each in detail on how each is to be used to bring yourself closer to God.  Those Chapters are:

1. Faith
2. Hope
3. Love of God
4. Love for our Neighbor
5. Poverty
6. Chastity
7. Obedience
8. Meekness and Humility
9. Mortification
10. Recollection
11. Prayer
12. Self-Denial and Love of the Cross

Some of the instructions in the book are hard to accept in this day and age, but they must be adhered to if one is to achieve a level of holiness that will lead to eternal life.

Like I said above, I have two more chapters to go but I plan placing the book on my regular reading schedule as reinforcement of its instructions.

I now have one of those books and am searching for others. Do you have yours?

I mean, the majority of use were not properly catechized  and, other than some of the basic tenets, we now very little about the teachings of Catholic Church.

There is a rich history of writings that go unread due our hectic lives.  I recently picked up a book The Catholic Lifetime Reading Plan by the late Fr. John A Hardon S.J. to give me some additional Catholic writings (at least a couple hundred) and authors.

Even that source is only the “tip of the iceberg” when it comes to the writings of the Catholic Church.  It does not even touch the official documents (like encyclicals) of the Catholic Church other than the Catechism and a few other documents.

To really know the Catholic Faith, we explore these writings.

As for myself, I am making a reading plan that will include both titles mentioned in Fr. Hardon’s book and the official documents of Catholic Church.  I am going to begin with the Social Teachings of the Church and work out from there.  Yes, it is a daunting task, but it will keep me out of trouble (or maybe get me in more trouble, who knows).

In a word, yes.

We live in a world where clutter and noise is the rule rather than the exception.  And the sad thing is, we do not even recognize it.  Between work, family, and other activities, we do not have time for what is really important and that is God.

Did this clutter and noise creep up on us?  The answer is yes and no.  It started centuries ago.  The protestant revolt, industrial revolution, and socialism/liberalism have all marginalized God leaving gaping holes that need to be filled.   However, that is a topic for another post.Even with the events mentioned, life was still slow enough to have time for God.

It has only been in the past couple of decades that the pace of life has pick up to such a pace that we no longer have enough time to do all the tasks we think we have to do and this is what has pushed God to the shadows.  The world’s gods now are relativism, liberalism, and materialism.

This must not be the case.  We must take a long look at our lives and see what is necessary and what is not.  We must look back and see what we lost and how we can recover what was lost.  By renoucing relativism, liberalism, and materialism can we get back to what is important and that is God.

Now, I am not saying that we should take a vow of poverty, but we should do without things we absolutely do not need.   We do not need an Escalade, a 50 inch plasma tv, and designer clothes to make us happy.  Our happiness must come from God.

We are now in another Lenten Season and many are talking about what they are giving up. I prefer to talk about what I will be adding instead of subtracting.

For me, I will hopefully be doing some the following:

1. Increasing my prayer life.  Currently, I have been limiting it to  Lauds, Vespers, and Compline in the Liturgy of the Hours plus a few other prays.  I plan of adding the Office Readings, and a number of additional prayers each day.  What yet I have not selected, but it will be a different set of prayers, along with the Rosary each day.
2. Make at least two holy hours a week.  I have been remiss on this and need to start fulfilling my promise to do this.
3. Going to confession more frequently, not when it is necessary.
4. Attend Weekday Mass at least once a week.
5. Look into the various indulgences and avail myself of them.
6. Increase my spiritual reading.  I have a backlog of both that I have and want to get.  Lent is a good time to decrease that backlog.

These are just the top six on my list.  There are others, but these are a good start.