Have You Seen This?
Awesome video for NFL Fantasy Football League Drafts. I don’t have time for fantasy football, but I’d want my team to be filled with all of these guys. About 6 mins.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M3Ij18ViQvw]
Man up!
Caritas in Veritate
I snagged this from Zenit.org. Pope BXVI’s words in this encyclical are a more-than-fitting follow up to my posts on love. Check it out.
Cardinal Bertone: Encyclical Not Just for Catholics
Based on Natural Law, Appeals to Atheists Too
ROME, JULY 28, 2009 (Zenit.org).- “Caritas in Veritate” is directed to believers and nonbelievers alike, since it is based on natural law, the Pope’s secretary of state affirmed today to the Italian Senate.
In a presentation which he discussed last week with the vacationing Benedict XVI, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone showed how the Holy Father was able to unite the themes found in the title of his third encyclical: “caritas” and “veritas,” love and truth.
“The Holy Father enables us to understand that these two fundamental realities are not extrinsic to man or imposed in the name of an ideology, but rather are deeply rooted in the human person,” Cardinal Bertone said. “This truth is not only vouched for in Biblical revelation, but can also be understood by every person of good will who uses his reason uprightly in reflecting upon himself.”
The secretary of state explained in this regard that the proposals the Pope makes in his encyclical are based on natural law, which, as the Catechism of the Catholic Church affirms, “expresses the original moral sense which enables man to discern by reason the good and the evil, the truth and the lie.”
In this sense, Cardinal Bertone linked the encyclical with the document recently published (so far only in French and Italian) by the International Theological Commission precisely on natural law. This document, which was begun under the direction of Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger when he was president of the commission, was explained by the Pope in his April 2008 discourse at the United Nations.
Human rights, he said on that occasion, “are based on the natural law inscribed on human hearts and present in different cultures and civilizations.”
“Removing human rights from this context would mean restricting their range and yielding to a relativistic conception, according to which the meaning and interpretation of rights could vary and their universality would be denied in the name of different cultural, political, social and even religious outlooks,” the Pontiff contended.
Cardinal Bertone explained at the Senate that the document from the theological commission “precisely illustrates how truth and love are essential exigencies for every person, deeply rooted in their being.”
“In his search for the moral good,” he added, “the human person harkens to what he is and becomes aware of the fundamental inclinations of his nature, which move the person toward the goods necessary for his moral fulfillment.”
Man, the cardinal continued, is therefore made to know “the truth in all of its fullness, that is, he is not limited to acquiring technical know-how so as to dominate material reality, but rather open to encounter the Transcendent and to fully live the interpersonal dimension of love, the principle not only of micro-relationships — relationships of friendship, family and groups — but also of macro-relationships — social, economic and political relations.”
“Precisely ‘veritas’ and ‘caritas’ indicate to us the demands of natural law that Benedict XVI presents as the fundamental criteria for reflection of a moral order on the current social-economic reality,” Cardinal Bertone affirmed. Thus, the “proposal of the encyclical is neither of an ideological character nor reserved for those who share faith in divine Revelation, but rather based on fundamental anthropological realities, as are, precisely, truth and charity.”
Your Very Best
I came across this video and wanted to post it. It sort of takes me back to two-a-days in high school and college and brings out a bit of that competitive spirit that seems to have been hiding deep inside me. The words of the coach ring true – he’s the encourager, the motivator, a little bit of intimidation, a person you don’t want to let down. The player wants to do the least he can do to get by on each task. The coach won’t let it happen. The same goes for us in our spiritual life. We need a coach to get on our case, to push us to our limits, to encourage us, to set higher goals for us than we think we can achieve. Keep going, you can do it.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAdpFcJ3BUI]
Man up!
How Does a Single Man Live Love?
I didn’t really speak to this in my previous post… how a single man lives love. I spoke about how a married man can live love and how he can show his wife love, but nothing specifically for a single man. Let’s dive in.
[Let’s say that our single guy isn’t in a dating relationship, courtship or engagement.] He still follows the principles laid out in the Catechism (CCC 1822) about what charity is and he realizes that all he does should be out of love for God and love for neighbor. I think it’s easiest to understand this idea (of living love) if a single man lives life as a servant, with the intention of bringing glory to God. Essentially, a single man lives love the same way a married man does, he simply directs his love towards others differently; a married man has a wife and maybe children that he loves above all other humans – if you’re not a husband or a father you’ll understand what I mean if you become one.
Often times, the word love is distorted to mean something (only) having to do with romance and/or intimacy. Not true. Obviously, marital love tends towards romance/intimacy, but marital love should stem from the same foundation that God’s love (specifically, Christ’s love for us on the cross) does. This foundation is life-giving, selfless and sacrificial. It might be easier to get the distinction if we use the word charity in place of love. As we think about what a charity does (helps people, lends a tender hand, comforts, protects, continually thinks about the welfare of others, etc.) it might make it easier for us to understand what living charity means.
A verse to think about:
1 Corinthians 13:4-7 says: “Charity is patient and kind. It is not jealous, it does not boast. It is not arrogant or rude. Charity does not insist on its own way. It is not irritable or resentful. It does not rejoice in wrong, but rejoices in right. Charity bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”
If you’re a single man, are you always patient? In traffic, at work, in line at the grocery store? Are you arrogant or rude? Do you think more of yourself than others based off petty worldview mentalities? Are you irritable? Easily frustrated, constant mood swings or uncontrollable rage? Do you rejoice in others failures or struggles? Think about your life in connection with this verse.
Man up!
How Does a Man Live Love?
Recently, I was having a conversation with some friends about various topics. As we got into the conversation, somehow we got onto the topic of love. I said something to the effect of “… a husband needs to love his wife. He needs to live love.” One of my friends asked me, “How does a man live love?” He said, “We hear that all the time, but how does a guy actually do that? What does he have to do to live love?” It’s a valid question. Actually, it’s more than valid, it’s essential.
We’ve talked previously about love being the greatest of all the virtues. We’ve talked about love being a verb. Let’s put these together. If we possess the virtue of love (also referred to as charity), that means that we perform love 1. with ease 2. with joy 3. at every opportunity and 4. promptly. Once we possess the virtue of love, it’s second nature for us to perform. Notice that there is an action taking place – love is performed. Okay, so we’ve said that love is a virtue and that it requires an action. What is that action?
The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains it very clearly in paragraph 1822: “Charity is the theological virtue by which we love God above all things for His own sake, and our neighbor as ourselves for the love of God.” Love isn’t something intangible that happens to come along every once and awhile, love is for God and others.
As a husband, I can live out love by first loving God and then by loving my wife (for love of God). That means that I strive to do as God has done. This isn’t a sentence full of meaningless words. This means that all I do, everything I think and say, is geared towards and focused on God. The greatest example of how a man can live love is by looking to Christ on the cross. Self-sacrifice, service, humility, obedience. Do these things for your wife and you’ll be loving her.
Practical application: how can I sacrifice for my wife as a sign of love? The greatest gift, of laying your life down for a friend, isn’t necessarily what I’m hoping will happen here, but that’s the ultimate. Sacrifice can be as simple as letting her choose the restaurant you eat at, or what TV show to watch or which song to listen to on the radio. Putting your preferences last.
It’s possible, that for each guy, love means something just a little bit different. In the end, it comes down to loving God and loving others.
Man up!
Off To War
Just a quick note today to thank my brother for his service to our country. He’s headed off to fight the global war on terrorism for us. He leaves a wife and daughter at home for many months; Pray for him, her, their daughter and all service men and women in combat.
My brother is a 9+ year veteran of the Air Force, on his way to his third deployment. He flies one of the coolest aircraft ever made, the B-1 Bomber. Nicknamed “The Bone”, this plane has incredible flying capabilities, speed, agility and weapon-load capacity. It flies hard, high and fast.
Be thankful, today and everyday, that you live in the best country in the world. Be thankful, today and everyday, that we have men and women who are willing to step into harm’s way to protect our freedom and liberties. These are our heroes.
The Home of the Free, Because of the Brave.
Man up!
New Pro-Life Video
I just caught wind of this new video, Imagine Spot 3, from CatholicVote.com. Check it out.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxH7CUhHkug&feature=player_embedded]
