Tuesday Tech Talk: Daily Scripture

If you are looking for a good way to reflect on the daily readings I recommend subscribing to the Daily Word Google Group. The group is managed by Mike Harrison.

The Daily Word consists of a series of emails sent out a few days before the actual day of the readings. The readings and accompanying commentary are gathered from the Navarre Study Bible (NSB). The NSB is made up the RSV Catholic Edition and the Latin Vulgate. What makes the bible and the Daily Word great are the commentaries from Church Doctors and other saints. The NSB is published in the United States by Scepter Publishers and is available at most Catholic bookstores including Aquinas and More.

Saint Talk: Back to School

Most school districts and colleges across the United States, school started last week or in the coming week. My students reported to class last week. I started my own studies earlier in the month. Quite frankly I have found it difficult to balance the reading and writing requirements with my duties at work. Yesterday, while attempting to study at our local library, I had an epiphany - why not try praying before you study? I remembered a prayer book my mother gave me years ago when I went off for college. In it, was a wonderful prayer by Saint Thomas Aquinas (Church Doctor and genius) for studying. I have included the text below.

Prayer Before Study

Creator of all things, true source of light and wisdom, lofty origin of all being, graciously let a ray of your brilliance penetrate into the darkness of my understanding and take from me the double darkness in which I have been born, an obscurity of both sin and ignorance. Give me a sharp sense of understanding, a retentive memory, and the ability to grasp things correctly and fundamentally. Grant me the talent of being exact in my explanations, and the ability to express myself with thoroughness and charm. Point out the beginning, direct the progress, and help in completion; through Christ our Lord. Amen. 

Saint Thomas Aquinas

St. Monica: Patron of Mothers

Today we celebrate the feast day of St. Monica the patron of mothers. St. Monica was married to a pagan and had a son whose lifestyle would have competed with Charlie Sheen's today. Nevertheless, St. Monica prayed daily for the conversion of her husband and son. Eventually both converted to Catholicism. Her son, St. Augustine just happened to turn out to be one of the great saints of the Church.

For all those who suffer because a loved one has left the Church, ask St. Monica for her help and intercession. I know my mother invoked her intercession while I was lost in the dessert of self absorption. My mother prayed for nearly twenty years for my return to the Church.

I am sure other mothers (and fathers) have similar stories to share.

St. Monica pray for us and those we love, especially those searching for the truth. May they find the truth in He who is Truth.  Amen.

To learn more about St. Monica visit:

New Advent - St. Monica

ETWN -St. Monica

Epic Catholic TV Series Coming Soon to PBS

If the powerfully poignant preview is any indication, the upcoming PBS miniseries Catholicism: Journey into the Heart of the Faith will be worth watching and keying up on the DVR.  The 10-part program is hosted by Father Robert Barron of Word on Fire and is scheduled to air on several PBS stations across the US beginning this fall. The series will be preceded by the publication of the companion book in early September.


Brandon Vogt, writing on The Thin Veil blog, described the book as "simply the best book on Catholicism I've ever read." George Weigel, the Pope John Paul II biographer, called it "the most important media project in the history of the American Church."


If you can't wait to watch it on PBS, you can order the DVD's directly from the site below:

Catholicism - It's Your Story...

Tuesday Tech Talk: Olive Tree NAB

I discovered the Olive Tree bible software years ago when I used a Palm Pilot. Today Olive Tree has one of the most extensive collections of bible translations in multiple platforms, including Android, Blackberry and iPhone/iPod.

Olive Tree provides more than an e-reader bible. The software contains advanced search choices as well as the ability to make notes and bookmark placement. Additionally, the software has a copy feature which allows you to copy a verse and email it.  I have found this helpful in my personal meditation or when preparing a talk.

The setup is user friendly. Tapping the face of the device will open a "verse" tab which takes you to the table of contents. All of the books of the bible are listed in order and are organized by Old and New Testament. Each of the books is linked to a list of its chapters. Clicking on a particular chapter will take you to a list of verses. You can either click "go" which takes you to the beginning of a verse or you can choose your particular verse.

At nearly $20 this application is on the pricey side, but I think it's worth it. As of today, I could only find one other NAB Catholic bible (the current translation used for the readings) available. The other application produced by Just1Word was just released today and it is new NABRE translation. I hope to take a look at that application later. I would like to see Olive Tree add a daily meditation feature or one that automatically gives you the daily readings.

Who are the Knights of Columbus?

For years my perception of the Knights of Columbus was skewed. When I thought of the Knights, I thought of guys getting together in the KC Hall to drink beer, play billiards, cards or dominoes. Occasionally, they would host a fish fry or spaghetti dinner. Oh yeah, they also wore Captain Crunch hats. This is the totality of the view I formed as a teen Columbian Squire. It stayed with me for nearly twenty-five years.

Shortly after our parish completed construction of our new building, a group of men formed a new Knights of Columbus chapter. Those who joined at the very beginning had an opportunity to join as Charter Members. I knew many of these men and I respected them, but I could not get passed my old perceptions, so I did not join.

Months went by and I watched as this band of brothers began to form a bond. They were visibly involved in our parish community as agents of charity. An older parishioner needed a wheel chair ramp; they built it. Someone needed a hospital bed; they bought it. The list goes on.

Eventually, because of the efforts of the chapter's first Grand Knight, and the work they were doing, I joined. I have since seen this group continue to serve the parish and our local community with true acts of charity. They aren't just a group of free "handymen." They also lead several blood drives, support pro-life causes and support several seminarians. I have come to learn that the Knights live their motto: "in service to one, in service to all." I believe this goes to the heart of Pope Benedict XVI's encyclical, Deus Caritas Est.  It reminds me of the hymn that says, "they will know we are Christians by our love." See also John 13:35.

Archbishop Timothy Dolan recently wrote a much better tribute to the Knights than I could ever write.  Here is the link to his post:

The Gospel in the Digital Age: Alleluia! My Brother Knights

You should also consider reading Parish Priest: Father McGivney and American Catholicism, written about the life of Venerable Father Michael McGivney. The book is not only a biography on his life, but it is a wonderful history of the Knights of Columbus.

Ave Maria IPT Grad Program

If you have visited the blog this week, you have noticed a significant drop off in posts. First, let me apologize. Secondly, let me explain. I recently began pursuit of a Masters in Theological Studies through the Institute of Pastoral Theology at Ave Maria University. I just attended my first month of classes and I am still recovering from the intense weekend of learning.

We are blessed in the Fort Worth Diocese to have the faculty from Ave Maria fly into the DFW area once a month to instruct about twenty-five of us at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton's Formation Center. This is the first year the program is in Ft. Worth. We are studying Vatican II, the Foundations of Catholic Spirituality and the Old Testament. Our professors are Douglas Bushman, S.T.L. and David Twellman, D. Min., Th.M.

We meet one full weekend a month (for the next three years). We begin Friday night, meet all day Saturday and most of Sunday. The instruction is fast paced but full of rich orthodoxy. I learned more about Vatican II in one day than I had learned in my lifetime.

I can already tell I am going to make some life long friends with some of my classmates. I am looking forward to the continued studies and I hope to share some of what I learn here on this blog.  I also hope to get back on track posting this weekend. I will be back dating the Tuesday Tech Talk and I have also asked a few other Joe Catholics to write some posts in the future.

Thanks for your continued support.

Saint Talk: Patron of Comedians: St. Lawrence

Today the Church celebrates the feast day of St. Lawrence, a deacon martyred in the 3rd century, most likely in the year 258. St. Lawrence served under Pope St. Sixtus II who was also martyred days before St. Lawrence. According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, "St. Lawrence has been one of the most honoured martyrs of the Roman Church." In fact, Constantine the Great was the first to build an oratory over the saint's tomb.

What I found most interesting about St. Lawrence is that he is considered the patron of comedians. Apparently he was executed by being placed on a gridiron over coals of fire. While he was literally being cooked alive, he called to his persecutors, "I'm done on that side. Flip me over." If you click on the image above you will get a better view of this portrayal. One other funny note - St. Lawrence is also the patron of cooks.

May we call upon St. Lawrence to pray for us in times of adversity that we too may trust so much in the power of God that we can face anything with cheerfulness.

For further reading:

Catholic Encyclopedia: St. Lawrence

Catholic Online: St. Lawrence, Martyr

EWTN: St. Lawrence, Martyr and Deacon

Tuesday Tech Talk: Calibre

Today's Tuesday Tech Talk continues the discussion about e-books. If you have recently purchased or been given an iPad, Kindle, Nook or other e-reader, you may be wanting to download some of your Catholic reading onto them. If you will recall, last week I reviewed some of the Catholic publishers who have entered the digital age by providing some of their publications in e-book format. Before you go drop a lot of money on new books, make sure to read this post first.

You'd be surprised at the number of classic Catholic works that are available for FREE (and legal) on the Internet because they are in the public domain. This includes famous titles like Introduction to the Devout Life and Imitation of Christ. One problem I encountered early on was dealing with the multiple e-book formats and finding a copy compatible with my reader.

While trying to figure this out, I stumbled upon free software that converts most e-book formats into the format of your choice. It's called Calibre. Rather than going through the steps, I am providing a video tutorial below. You cannot convert DRM protected copies of books, but you can convert those that are open for sharing like the ones provided in the links below. One thing I like to use Calibre for is creating my own e-books. For example, if I find an article online that I want to read later, I can convert it into a PDF file and then use Calibre to convert it to an epub to read on my iPad.

Here are some ebook links:

The Thin Veil: Building a Catholic ebook Library on the Cheap

Free Catholic eBooks

E-Books for SQPN

Calibre video tutorial:

CatholiCon Expo 2011

CatholiCon Expo 2011 is being held in Houston, Texas August 26th-28th. The Expo "brings all of the traditional forms in which The Church communicates as well as the new forms of media that bring the Gospel to the emerging Digital Continent." 


Those attending the expo will be allowed to check out booths with the latest gadgets for social media, attend "How To" workshops and listen to guest speakers who are already leading the social media evangelization. Some of the keynote speakers include Father John Zuhlsdorf of the award winning Father Z's Blog - What Does Prayer Really Say? Also presenting is Matthew Warner who writes for the National Catholic Register.


I am proud to announce that Joe Catholic will be attending the expo. Additionally, we are hoping to acquire press credentials to blog and tweet from the site. 


Please keep us in prayer. One of the goals will also be to spend some one-on-one time with some of the more experienced bloggers and social media evangelists. If all goes well, I am hoping to come back with a major announcement about a new Joe Catholic endeavor.

Father John McCloskey on Spiritual Direction

Father John McCloskey was a guest on Catholic Answers Live radio show last Friday afternoon.  He spoke on the subject of spiritual direction. If you missed the show I am including a link to the Mp3 file. This will actually take you to my 4shared location. I have to admit I was having technical difficulty with directly embedding the audio onto the blog. I am working to fix that for future posts.

I thought it was more important to get the link out then wait and figure out what has changed with the embedding codes. Thank you for your patience.

Saint Talk: St. Dominic

Today we celebrated the feast of St. Dominic who founded the Order of Preachers best known as the Dominicans.  He founded the order in in the early 1200's and it was approved in 1216. The order's charism is that of preaching and to this day often make parish missions. St. Dominic, along with Bishop Diego de Acevedo, encounter and preached against the heresy of Albigensian. This heresy held that all things material were evil and denied the incarnation.

In addition to being a contemporary of St. Francis, St. Dominic introduced the Rosary as a form of prayer after he received a vision from Our Blessed Mother. She gave him instructions how to pray it. This account was affirmed by Pope Leo XIII and later Pope Pius XI

Additional Reading:

Insight Scoop: St. Dominic and the Friars Preachers

EWTN: St. Dominic Founder of Friars Preachers

Catholic Pages: St. Dominic and the Rosary

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Feast of the Transfiguration

Today we celebrate the Feast of the Transfiguration of our Lord. The account of the transfiguration is documented in the gospels of Matthew (17:1-6), Mark (9:1-9) and Luke (9:28-36). According to EWTN and the Catholic Encyclopedia it marks the "culminating point of his public life." The three apostles who join him on the mountain - Peter, James and John - are also the same three who are present on the night he is taken in the garden.

The Transfiguration is the Fourth Luminous Mystery of the Rosary. Blessed John Paul II, who instituted the new mysteries, wrote that the transfiguration is an event which "strengthens the faith in the disciples' hearts, prepares them for the tragedy of the Cross and prefigures the glory of the Resurrection."

To learn more about the Transfiguration:

Insight Scoop The Ignatius Press Blog: The Transfiguration: Gospel to the Dead

Canterbury Tales by Marshall Taylor: The Metamorphosis of Jesus Christ

EWTN: Transfiguration

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Joe Catholic Affiliates with Aquinas & More

You may have noticed the new banner on the blog. Joe Catholic has now become an exclusive affiliate of Aquinas and More Catholic Goods. The Joe Catholic apostolate will receive a percentage of the sales made through the link on this blog. Henceforth, any Catholic media recommended on this site will have an accompanying link to the Aquinas and More Catholic Goods online store. This is similar to the Amazon links I used to provide, but now the links will be for a Catholic business.

Additionally, Joe Catholic has been approved as a Tiber River Reviewer. I will begin reviewing Catholic materials on this site. The reviews will continue to be honest and direct. In order to review the media, I will receive a complementary copy of the book, DVD, etc from Aquinas and More. It's my intention to donate those to the Joe Catholic lending library. I should make it clear that the complementary goods are provided so Catholic bloggers can provide sound input on Catholic goods being provided. This does not mean Joe Catholic will become a "yes man" for all the goods provided. If you check out the reviews you will see many of the other bloggers often write critical reviews. I intend to continue to maintain our high standard for the materials we recommend: must be loyal to the Church magesterium. Any book, CD, or DVD that fails to maintain that standard will be exposed as such and will be thrown away.

I urge you to make your Catholic books and gift purchases through our blog. Aquinas and More is committed to providing doctrinally sound products.  They are the largest Catholic store online. They are also a family owned business on the cutting edge of helping Catholic authors convert their works into digital formats.

Father John McCloskey on Catholic Answers

Father John McCloskey, author of Good News, Bad News: Evangelization, Conversion and The Crisis of Faith, will be taking calls during the second hour of Catholic Answers Live on Catholic Radio. Father McCloskey is the former director of the Catholic Information Center in Washington, D.C. The National Catholic Register described McCloskey as "one of the Church's most accomplished 'fishers of men.'" In fact, his spiritual direction was instrumental in the conversions of Judge Robert Bork, Robert Novak and Bernard Nathanson, an atheist who oversaw over 70,000 abortions.

I mention his appearance on Catholic Answers because Bishop Vann recommended spiritual direction as an integral part of spiritual growth.  I anticipate, based on the title of the show - Spiritual Direction and You - that Father McCloskey will speak on that subject. He is a proponent of spiritual reading as evidenced by his Catholic Lifetime Reading Plan.

Catholic Answers may be heard on your local Catholic radio station, streamed through their website,  through their mobile application and on their podcast.

Saint Talk: Patron of Priests: St. John Vianney

Today we celebrate the feast day of St. John Vianney, Cure d'Ars, who in 2009 was named the universal patron of all priests. The link above will take you to a previous post on the life of St. John Vianney and a list of additional resources to learn more about this humble saint including a prayer for our priests.

Please enjoy this video commentary made available by the Apostleship of Prayer. I am also recommending you add this website to your Catholic bookmarks.

Tuesday Tech Talk: Catholic YouTube Channels

Joe Catholic recently launched its first YouTube video and we will be working on producing additional videos in the future. Therefore, today’s Tuesday Tech Talk will focus on using YouTube channels to learn more about Catholicism. YouTube is easily accessible on the Internet and even most smart phones come with a YouTube mobile app.

Catholic YouTube videos can be useful tools for adding emphasis to a talk you may be giving or for personal study. Additionally, you can follow some of your favorite Catholic programming through their YouTube channels. I subscribe to a few Catholic YouTube channels that automatically alert me when new content has been uploaded. I don’t spend hours watching all of them, but I will use the videos to enhance my study or even to include on this blog. For example, if Stacey and I are out shopping and I am sitting around waiting for her, I can watch a brief video to pass the time constructively.

You don’t have to have a YouTube account to watch the videos, but you will need one to subscribe to the channels. Here are the steps for setting up an account.

Here are some links to some of my favorite Catholic YouTube Channels:

Catholic Answers

EWTN

St. Josemaria Escrivá

Vatican

USCCB

Gut Check: Are You Living a Joe Catholic Life?

You a drifter? You... one of the crowd? You, who were born to be a leader! There is no room among us for the lukewarm. Humble yourself and Christ will set you aflame again with the fire of Love. (St. Josemaria Escriva, The Way, 16)

It’s gut check time. A few months have passed since the end of Lent. Still more time has elapsed since we made our January resolutions. As the summer heat wears us down, we have a tendency to slow down and slide back into our old habits.

The past week, I began reading Father Larry Richards' book, Be a Man!, which I hope to review on this blog once I have completed it. The experience of reading the book has been like a mini-retreat. It got me thinking about the state of my own walk and my adherence to my spiritual plan of life. As I was praying about this, my eyes turned to our logo (it’s my screensaver) and I realized that we can use the Joe Catholic logo to reflect on where we are in our daily walk.

Catechism of the Catholic Church
The CCC or the “big green book” reminds us to study our faith. We can’t share what we don’t know. We have to know our faith, so we can live it, share it and defend it. Spiritual reading must be a component of our daily spiritual plan. This site has a number of good links to books to read. Additionally, almost every post has at least one book recommendation. St. Josemaria said that “one hour of study is an hour of prayer” when offered to our Lord.

Bible
We must be men of the Word of God who became incarnate in Jesus Christ our Lord. We do this by going over the daily readings or some other organized reflection on scripture. I’m not saying we have to have scriptures memorized (although that may be useful at times), but generally know where important points are located. For example, we should all know that John 6 contains significant references to our Catholic beliefs about the Eucharist. St. Jerome said, “Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ.”

Rosary
We must be men of prayer. Prayer is the conversation we have with God. Without this communication we cannot have the intimate relationship he desires to have with each and every one of us. St. Teresa de Avila said, “Mental prayer is nothing else than an intimate friendship, a frequent heart-to-heart conversation with Him by whom we know ourselves to be loved.”

Toolbox
Think of the toolbox as representing our daily work lives. Reflecting on our work, we can ask ourselves whether we are "blossoming where we have been planted." In other words, do we approach our work as a means for sanctification or do we treat it like a grueling necessity or even as punishment? Our work lives and our spiritual lives are not intended to be separate. I’m not talking about being bible thumpers, but living our faith in the little things: being kind, doing good work, offering it up and even praying at meals. St. Josemaría said, “Work is man's original vocation. It is a blessing from God, and those who consider it a punishment are sadly mistaken. The Lord, who is the best of fathers, placed the first man in Paradise ut operaretur, so that he would work.” (Furrow, 482)

Hammer and Rule
Reminds of our role model, St. Joseph the original Joe Catholic. Call on him as a powerful intercessor. He is not only the patron of our little group, but of fathers, workers and the universal church. St. Bernard teaches us “there are some saints who have the power of protecting in certain specific circumstances; but Saint Joseph has been granted the power to help us in every kind of need, and to defend all who have recourse to him with pious dispositions."