Writing about things I am passionate about, such as my faith, has always given me joy. Lately though the need, not the desire – the NEED, to write has begun to take on urgency in my life. Not just blogging about the random event or idea, but real, serious writing about things. Creative, essays, articles, blogs.

I don’t know if God is telling me something, or if I’ve just got a lot to say and work out for myself through writing. Could be both. Either way, I am going to make the attempt. I’ve had a hand in several blogs over the years where I’ve posted about wildly different stuff. Probably going to do that again too. Most of that won’t show up here, but I am toying with the idea of posting all of my Diaconal material over at www.DeaconTim.com. Nothing there at the moment, but there will be. Check it out every so often.

Check back here too. Hopefully there will be at least a post a day, but I’d say there’s going to be at least 2 or 3 a week. Considering how often I have been posting, that’s practically an explosion of verbosity.

Thanks and have a BLESSED day!

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This is about the over use and abuse of the sacrament, but it also explains perfectly why Deacons ought not to be able to do this sacrament as I have heard many suggest, both in class and on teh interwebz, as the Gormogons might say.

There has been some discussion in some circles that due to many deacons doing hospital ministry and the time crunch on priests that deacons ought to be able to anoint when visiting the sick. Sounds reasonable, except that it isn’t.

This article primarily covers the abuse of the sacrament that has been going on and why it’s an abuse. The, dare I say it, liberal application of the sacrament has reduced it to the status of superstition in many places and given much of the laity a faulty understanding of what it does.

The anointing doesn’t keep you from getting sick and isn’t intended to heal your physical body. It’s a spiritual effect in that it forgives sins and prepares one for meeting your maker. All related to the sacerdotal nature of the priesthood, not the service of the diaconate.

Now because of the wrong application of what came out of the Council we are presented with a situation where we have to re-educate people on what the Church really means and intends. And we need to do it in a way that will hopefully minimize the fallout. And there WILL be fallout.

“What do you mean I can’t be anointed because I have a hangnail that hurts a lot?!!?!?!?!”

Count on it. Of course that presumes that there will be much of movement to correct this in the first place.

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In these last four years, I have gained new brothers and sisters in my fellow candidates and their wives. We are a terribly close-knit group and already are making plans for regular get-togethers on a quarterly basis after ordination. God willing, this will be a habit we keep going for a long time.

Our group has lost 3 of the original 18 members from that first meeting so long ago. I still think about them sometimes and hope that they will come to the ordination if they can. We’ve also dealt with a lot of health issues, some life threatening. But so far, all have persevered and are with us still. I have no doubt that it is through the power of prayer to a great degree.

In once case, one of our group was in the hospital in a life or death situation and took a marked turn for the better while the entire class was downstairs in the chapel praying the Rosary. We’ve had many cases where a whole lot of praying was going on and healings followed.

We are all getting ready for our assignments, which should become finalized in the next few weeks. Some of us are staying in our current parishes and others are moving to new ones to fill the needs of the Archdiocese. We have just 1 more class plus our retreat to go, so pray for all of us and our wives as we get ready for this new phase in our lives.

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She stated that the best way to prevent abortion was to reduce unwanted pregnancies, which is best done through contraception according to her.

When reminded that her church, the Catholic Church, is against contraception, she openly admitted she knows and that it doesn’t matter. She also openly admitted that sometimes abortion is necessary and she doesn’t always agree with her Church or political party.

I leave it to canonists, and I am sure they will weigh in, but it seems like this is a public profession of such that could trigger a Canon 915 related denial of communion. Presuming that her Bishop has, or will, counsel the Senator and she refuses to publicly recant her pro-abortion positions, it would seem that would constitute obstinately manifesting in grave sin given her position as a member of the United States Senate.

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They are also running a Black Friday special. Looks like it’s mostly Protestant sources, but still worth checking out.

In the coming weeks I plan on posting about some of my favorite features in the Logos program.

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I am so geeked out about having this, that I am transferring all my data and regular apps to it. This will be my primary PC from here on out. Or at least for the foreseeable future. Expect more blogging for sure.

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He was abused in 1929. His mother, a non-Catholic believed him and pulled him from the Catholic school. His father and his family who were good friends with the priest in question, did not believe him. It tore apart his family and that’s what saddens this man the most.

This is a wonderful story to read. This man had something terrible happen to him and yet manages to come home again because one good priest countered the evil committed by another eight decades prior. Also, let us not forget that his dying wife, also estranged from the Church had requested Last Rites which started the ball rolling toward reunion. I don’t doubt she prayed for him after death as well.

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Go there. Read. I had a great post written about what being a deacon means, can mean and must mean to us and the Church. It really was a good piece of writing. I was even going to bring in Dignitatis Humane Personae, the declaration on religious freedom, because it speaks about the dignity of the human person right from the start. And the dignity of the human person is so imporant to all the faithful, but especially a deaon I believe.

Anyway, lost the post contents. Too depressed to re-attempt it right now.

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