What did the Lord mean when He said, "Do not judge, lest ye be judged"?

Sacred Music Vs. Secular Music In The Mass!

Beautiful video!

Akwaaba! My trip to Ghana, Africa

Three months ago, I received a host of vaccinations: Yellow fever, Malaria, Tetanus, Hepatitis B, and Typhoid. It sounds like I should have been admitted to the Center for Disease Control, but I wasn’t. I was just going to a third world country. This past Wednesday, I arrived from my first visit to Ghana, Africa. I was there for two weeks, and had the chance to experience the Ghanaian lifestyle. I will try to keep this blog, short and straight to the point. I will only outline my top three moments, and I will let the pictures tell the rest of the story.

A group of us from Holy Cross College stayed with the Brothers of the Congregation of Holy Cross in Ghana, Africa. Aside from the 100% humidity, my trip to Ghana showed me the meaning of joy and community. In retrospect, I wouldn’t exactly call my trip to Ghana, “fun”; it lies more along the lines of “inspiring”. There were many sad, thoughtful moments; moments you wish you could relive over and over again.

Firstly, my experience in Moree and Ekon, a typical African village with those wooden skeletal buildings, barefooted children, people carrying food supplies on their head, deteriorating homes, and lots of scarlet dust, flies, and sweat. This was no impoverished city in the U.S. There was no electricity, clean running water, or paved roads. However, through the impoverished circumstances, I was greeted by a lively and joyful swarm of Ghanaian children. There is something about seeing smiles of poor children that makes your soul soar to the galaxy of humility and hope. I realized when you encounter the poor, you not only lose apart of yourself, but you gain the most important part of yourself, that is to say, the understanding of the human experience. My encounter with the children at Moree and Ekon, showed me what it means to be human; a joyful person seeking to love upon every encounter. Secondly, I had the chance to teach at Cape Coast School for the Deaf and Blind. I didn’t even know sign language, and didn’t do anything to prepare for it. I was intimidated and scared that I would be the laughing stock in Ghana. Nevertheless, when I walked into my classroom, the sound barrier was immediately broken; I was greeted by thirty students who waved their hands above their heads in pure bliss and happiness. They taught me how to sign my name, the alphabet, numbers, colors, and basic greetings. It was such a rewarding experience. Thirdly, we went to Mass at St. Joseph’s Minor Basilica and Kumasi Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica. It was such a beautiful testimony of faith. I love being Catholic. What makes it so beautiful is the fact that it’s the same everywhere in the world. The readings are the same and the mass structure is the same commemorating Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross through the Holy Eucharist. My trip to Ghana was truly a remarkable experience. I hope you enjoyed reading about my short experience in Ghana. Enjoy the following pictures:

Class of 2011

Bachelor of Arts in Theology!

A Catholics response to Osama bin Laden's death

As I watch the media unfold about Osama bin Laden’s death, I realize there are conflicting emotions inside of me. Certainly, I want to avoid any polemics over whether or not it was right to kill Osama bin Laden. I also want to avoid critiquing the vague and ambiguous terms in president Obama’s speech: Justice and Freedom. I want to extend my deep gratitude for all of the soldiers who are fighting for our freedom-especially Michael Lorenz and Mario Perez. One last note, I did not lose any loved ones because of Osama, therefore, I have a great deal of difficulty even feeling like I have a right to talk about this subject.

I'm not exactly happy or excited that bin Laden is dead. My emotions are similar to what I feel after a very unpleasant task is done: a sort of relief. I am feeling uneasy about all of the celebration and rejoicing going on. For example, when I was walking back to my dorm room, I heard the jeers and cheers of my fellow college peers rejoicing at his death, “Eat that bin Laden.”It was hard for me to join in that triumphant and euphoric praise. For me, there was something disturbing about celebrating Divine Mercy Sunday (the tender compassion of God) and celebrating the death of a human being. For Catholics, I think it is important to remember that Divine Mercy Sunday is a testament of God’s tremendous love and mercy for all of humanity. Without a doubt, Osama committed much evil. He cultivated a society of hatred, massacred innocent people, and caused one of the deepest and darkest wounds in American history- 9/11. On the other hand, as Fr. Federico Lombardi, Vatican Spokesman: “Faced with the death of a man, a Christian never rejoices, but reflects on the serious responsibility of each and every one of us before God and before man, and hopes and commits himself so that no event be an opportunity for further growth of hatred, but for peace.” I believe as Christians, we must continue to foster a spirit of reflection and consideration.

Moreover, I am afraid this event will turn Catholic Americans to American Catholics. I am afraid this event will spawn a “you deserved it “or an “eye for an eye-tooth for a tooth” mentality. Simply put, such a spirit of rancorous and bitterness is not Catholic. We belong to a loving God that extends mercy to all of humanity. We pledge allegiance to a higher authority and a much greater Kingdom-Jesus Christ! I think it is important to remember that being a Christian is our only nationality, language and culture. At the end of the day, it is the only that thing that matters!

Thus, it’s interesting that Bin Laden was killed on Divine Mercy Sunday. Was this a way of God challenging Catholics to remain in a spirit of repentance and mercy? As Michael Denton said, “God’s mercy and love has no exceptions; as Christians our mercy and love are to have no exceptions”. Hence, Jesus told St. Faustina, “Let the greatest sinners place their trust in My mercy. They have the right before others to trust in the abyss of My mercy (Diary of St. Faustina, 1146).”Let us pray that we may given the grace to continue to promote the message of peace and life to all nations. Let us fellow Blessed John Paul II when he forgave his assassin. Let us also pray that bin Laden accepted the mercy of God at the time of his death. Besides we pray for people like him in our daily Rosary, “Oh my Jesus forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, lead all of those to heaven, especially for those in most need of thy mercy.”

Oh the places you'll go!

As I was finishing up my senior year in high school, I received a book from my youth minister, Kennya Gonzalez called, “Oh the places you’ll go!” by Dr. Seuss. This endearing book takes the reader into a brightly colored and fanciful adventure on learning about challenges that can be overcome. “Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting. So…get on your way”.

As I get closer to graduation, I am preparing myself for the next mountain in my life; Campus Ministry Internship at the University of Notre Dame. This year long position will provide me with the opportunity to grow personally, spiritually, professionally in the Church. However, there is one small but big problem; a two bed room house is provided, but that doesn’t include a meal plan- I do not know how to cook! I can’t ask mom dukes for help, because she doesn’t cook. I guess its back to the old school, chicken noodle soup with a soda on the side.What attracted me to applying for the internship at Campus Ministry is being able to prudently apply what I have learned in my bachelors’ degree in Theology to a pastoral context. Also, this will give me the opportunity to discern what exactly I want to do in the Catholic Church. As an intern, I will have the tasks of discovering possible areas of ministry, which include sacramental preparation, religious education, retreats, bible studies, catechist formation, prayer and liturgy planning.

If you know me, then you know, I will die for Mother Church. I have a tremendous passion for the lay apostolate, and I inspire to glorify God through my gifts and talents. Also, I have been waiting for an opportunity like this my entire life. I have been buried in Catholic books for the last four years, and I am sick of it. It’s time to start “Doing Theology”; I want to prepare people to live the sacramental life. I want to touch the hearts and minds of others, and I want to be a witness of Christ to the Notre Dame community.

Dr. Seuss says, “You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. / You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You're on your own, and you know what you know or in other words, “For I am the least of the apostles, not fit to be called an apostle, because I once persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me has not been ineffective. Indeed I have toiled harder than all of them; not I, however, but the grace of God that is with me” (1 Cor. 15:9). Or quite simply, “Did you hear about the rose that grew from a crack in the concrete?... Funny it seems, but by keeping its dreams, it learned to breathe fresh air. Long live the rose that grew from concrete”- Tupac (How did I go from Dr. Seuss, to St. Paul, to Tupac?) I am really excited to embark this new chapter in my life (Wow so cliché). Hopefully, it will help me develop the proper initial pastoral competence to help me grow as a future leader in the Church. Moreover, I hope this experience will help me achieve integration through Catholic theological reflection, professional campus ministry training, and maintaining the desire to build up the Notre Dame community. To sum it up, when you have found your vocation, you learn to become what you already are. And you will be the guy who'll decide where you'll go. /Oh the places you'll go. I will be working on the third floor of the Coleman-Morse Center or as the young people say nowadays-3rd flo'.

Feed your flock! This commercial is a disgrace