Fathering With Intentionality: The Importance of Creating a Family Culture.

My family preferred “Aqua-Culture”

Have you ever met one of those families that just seem to have it all together? Maybe you knew such a family growing up and loved hanging out over at their house – there was such a great atmosphere there that you kind of felt like you were coming home whenever you stopped over.

The parents were happy. The kids were all well-adjusted and generally did the right thing. Everyone in the family seemed to genuinely love, respect, and care about each other. They all truly enjoyed each other’s company and had a blast doing things together.

Sure, they had problems and struggles like any other family, but they supported each other and rallied together to take care of whatever they were going through. Maybe you joked about them being so good it was creepy – perhaps they were perfect aliens from another planet — but you envied them nonetheless.

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Editor’s note: The above photo is a self-portrait I took of my family while we were on a shipwreck diving trip beneath the chilly but clear waters of Lake Superior. It’s actually a composite of two different photos, shot using a wide-angle lens with good, old-fashioned “film”.

To avoid obscuring anyone with my exhaust bubbles it was necessary for me to break the cardinal rule of SCUBA diving, which is, “Never hold your breath.”

Warning: Don’t try this at home!

Here’s another wreck diving pic, shot at a different location, about 60 feet below the surface of Lake Michigan:

People who fly on the airlines generally welcome FAA authority and regulation, so why do so many people have so much trouble accepting the divine authority and guidance of the Catholic Church?

by Doug Lawrence

The Federal Air Regulations, published by the U.S. Department of Transportation/FAA currently fill 1399 pages, and those regulations typically demand painstaking and detailed attention to virtually every part of the aviation experience.

Except perhaps for the regulations restricting the use of cell phones and electronic devices, which are essentially misunderstood and ridiculed by the general public, and some of the current TSA security procedures, which are often simply offensive … most people who fly on airliners actually welcome this very strict form of government regulation.

Why? Because widespread government regulation of aviation has resulted in a 99.999% safe commercial airline transportation environment … and that level of safety is a very good thing for government, industry, the airlines, and the flying public. After all … who, except for the very, very highly motivated … the desperate … or the suicidal … would buy an airline ticket if they had even a 5% chance of ending up dead?

Do some people still break the rules? Of course! Do some people still lobby for variations, and exemptions from those rules? Of course! Do some people still decry any form of government regulation, in spite of the aviation industry’s extraordinary safety record? Of course!

But one simple fact remains: The laws of gravity and inertia are consistent and inviolable, and no one can attempt to get around them, by any means, without eventually paying a terrible, and usually fatal price … especially if that particular  “rebel” happens to be an airline pilot, responsible for the care and safety of hundreds of “souls”. (Curiously, FAA flight plans typically inquire about not how many “people” are on board the aircraft … but how many “souls”.)

As a veteran pilot and a survivor of more than one crash, I can personally testify to all of the above. There’s also little doubt that people demand these regulations … and the government duly responds … out of fear.

Fear of death and injury. Fear of financial loss. Fear of political repercussions. Fear of the unknown.

So … why is it that people seem to have so much trouble accepting the authority and guidance of the Catholic Church … which receives its’ authority and wisdom from God, himself … and which routinely preaches and teaches divine precepts, for the common good of all … many of which are every bit as inviolable and absolute as the laws of physics?

For the record: The Catechism of the Catholic Church has only 823 pages, compared to FAA’s 1399.

It’s not about you, Bishop Zurek … or even about Father Pavone. It’s about saving babies!

Fr. Frank is the reason I am where I am today…emotionally and spiritually.  He has given me guidance and direction that I couldn’t find from anyone else.  I am not a particularly emotional person.  The first time I heard Fr. Frank speak at an event about clinic workers, I wept.  How could he see inside my heart?  How did he know my thoughts?  Because this is his life. He isn’t just in this for the children; he is in this for people like me, too…the wounded, the broken, the angry, the scarred.

I look at how abortion has crept into our Christian culture and see thousands of clergy who are scared to defend our unborn children.  And then I see Fr. Frank.  He is a man who is always ready to speak the truth.  A man who is always ready to stand up for what is right.  He is a man of courage.  I am proud to stand by him during this time of trial.

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Catholic common sense and the message of Fatima

Seen on the web…

Posted by Rich R:

I hear people getting so wound up about the Third Secret of Fatima, and focusing so much on a possible Chastisement that they neglect the guidance offered by Fatima.

It reminds me of when I tell my little boys to “clean their room, or else no Wii.” Their first response is not to start cleaning their room. It’s to nail down how long they will be without the Wii. “Is that just for today, Dad, or all week? Do we have to clean everything in the room?” IOW, they are not getting the point. The point is to clean their room and avoid the punishment. When someone focuses too much on determining the punishment, what they really are thinking is, “Is this punishment SO bad that I really need to change my behavior?” IOW, they don’t really want a change of heart.

I often think it regrettable that people are missing the call to repentance and reparation because they are so enamored with the mystery of the Third Secret.

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Autism and Catholic Sacraments

A reader wrote me this morning asking about how her daughter with autism could possibly make communion or be confirmed in the Catholic faith.  I’ve done quite a bit of research on this subject for a book I’m writing.

The good news is that there are quite a few resources available to you and your parish to help your child prepare for communion and confirmation.  The bad news is that those resources are not well-disseminated, so it may be up to you, the parent, to find and share them.

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