Lost

Have you seen it?
I don't know where I've put it.
Yes, it was just there a while ago,
I don't suppose you'd know?
It was supposed to be a present!
But, I don't think anyone wants mine...
Anyway, it's quite useless,
I might have dropped it a few times
and it broke into many pieces.
Yes, I've checked the Lost and Found,
but they didn't have it.
It's kinda red and round,
and slimy and empty.
It used to hold a sea before,
but now that's all gone.
I guess no one thinks it important anyway,
though I think I might need it.
I'm becoming quite cold and pale without it.
Are you sure,
you haven't seen it?

Cardinal Burke interviewed by CNS on Tradition.

Absolutely beautiful. Many thanks to Fr Z for the video!

My Love Affair with the Divine Office

I am...uh...'borrowing' this beautiful picture from Dr Taylor Marshall's blog Canterbury Tales to talk about the Divine Office today. This post was particularly inspired by the blog Medical Matins, which is a must read for all Medics! For all my busy Medic friends, I have written this post, especially with you in mind. I hope you will at least read through most of it!

I love the Divine Office, after Mass, it is the next thing that keeps me sane every day. Daily Mass thought me how to centre my life around Christ. Because of the fixed time of Mass, it really requires to plan your day around it, in a sense it becomes the centre of your life. Going to meet friends in town? Mass is at half past six, either meet before or after Mass. The Divine Office pushed that to a new level for me. They say you get the most graces when you say the hours in the times when they are supposed to be said (Thankfully, you can anticipate matins!). Thus, when you completely settle the entire day around praying, it is really special.

I cannot explain it, but you really get a lot of graces from praying the Office. For those who are unfamiliar with the Office, it is essential praying the entire set of Psalms. In the extraordinary form of the office (EF), you pray all 150 in a week, in the ordinary form of the office (OF), you pray 143 psalms across the span of a month. As you all know, I am your typical Catholic, I have never read the bible from cover to cover, and I would have never dreamed of reading all the psalms, let me repeat, all the ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY psalms. Yea, well, only through the grace of almighty God, I read it and continue to so every week. 

And not only that, Matins, which consists of 9 psalms arranged into three nocturnes with accompanying lessons means that if God willingly, this time time next year, I'd have read through most of the bible as well! Well, not in it's entirety, as they do skip verses, but it's amazing! Right now, I am reading through the soap opera of King David's life in the second book of Samuel. He's just done nasty things with Bethsheba and Prophet Nathan is banging on his door. You'll have to read the rest yourself, it's all very fiesty ;)

Back to the point, you really do get a lot of graces. God likes to give out graces to people who want to pray more. Having difficulty with your daily prayer, like me? He will shower you with strength. It seems long, but each just Office just flies by. Not to mention how much it keeps temptation at bay. 

For the Medic on the go, especially clinicals or doctors working, especially those who can't get to daily Mass, or find it hard to seek prayer during the day, or if you just need an escape into God's wonderful arms, the Office is the way to go. The various hours of the day punctuate the time, and will give you the strength to go on. Not to mention, the little hours are short, about 5 mins a piece. You can sneak them into your day at appropriate intervals. They are a booster of grace, if you will.

I said the Office only in the second semester of school, and it helped me to carry on during the long hours of study. You have no idea how many times through the day, when one stumbles upon an encouraging line, like psalm 56, 'Have mercy on me O God, have mercy on me, for upon You my soul has relied, /And in the shadow of Your wings I will trust, until the wickness passes by.' Not to mention all the lovely psalms of praise, like psalm 116, 'Praise the Lord all ye nations, etc'. Even if you can only find time to say compline, you will benefit greatly!

While it is only a devotion for us, the Divine Office is an obligation for all priests, and it sustains them. Here's a remark from a damned priest on the power of the divine office:

As far as I was concerned, I used to remember that I was a priest and, at the beginning, I used to exercise my Priesthood responsibly. And then, as time went by, I found that monotonous and, forgetting prayer, I also forgot about celibacy. I cut out prayer, firstly because I believed I was too busy, and then I used to take it up again occasionally, and then, finally, I abandoned it altogether. I used to think that those long prayers in the breviary were tedious and useless and, in the end, I lost the taste for prayer. 

When I cut out the breviary, I fell into the sin of impurity, and from that moment on, I had no more taste for saying the Mass. This was a chain reaction. When I fell into impurity this was the chain reaction - I no longer said the Mass devoutly because I was no longer in the state of grace. In this condition, the reading of the Bible and of the Gospel, in particular, and also the sight of God's commandments, became a reproach to me.

The above from the a transcript of the damned priest, Verdi-Garandieu, whom God allowed to speak during an exorcism to a give a warning of damnation. So, it's got a stamp of approval from a damned soul. I suppose that's not much in terms of accreditation, but the Saints also have much to say as well. See St Alphonsus of Liguori:

On the other hand, when one recites the Office with attention, what merit and what profit does one derive from it. What lights are then obtained from the divine words! With what holy maxims is the soul penetrated! How many acts of love, of confidence, of humility, of contrition, may one not make by merely paying attention to the verses that one recites! Above all, what beautiful prayers are found in each psalm! There is no doubt that, when recited with faith and fervor, they merit treasures of grace, according to the infallible promise made by our Lord that he would hear whoever prays to him : Ask, and it shall be given you.(Matt. 8:7) For every one that asketh, receiveth.(Luke 9:10)

My Affair with the Office
I first got started in the Office way back in 2009 when I bought an anglican breviary it was a translation of the 1955 Roman Breviary, so it was the EF office. During those days of tepid faith, I started clumsily with Compline. I loved it, especially the hymn, Te Lucis Ante Terminum, but unfortunately, a lack of mental stamina prevented me from overcoming the ribbon flipping and mountain of instructions. After a while, the saying of compline dropped out of my prayer routine.

It was only this year actually, after finding out all my friends were actually saying the office and so I thought, you know I'd better succumb to peer pressure like a good peer-pressure succumbing youth and jump on the bandwagon. I had, for sometime now, an app on my Ipod Touch, called Breviarum Meum, which allowed you to download the text of the EF Office into your phone for the week, which had both the Office in Latin and English.

See the none of this would have happened if I hadn't gotten into the habit of sleeping early and waking up at 3am to study. I just get more work done in the morning before heading off for morning Mass. I used to joke that me getting up so early was practice for saying Matins, which are usually sung at 4am in monastic communities. Unfortunately, God took too me seriously. I had originally started with Lauds, Vespers and Compline, each about 12 mins, and then I eventually, I felt that I had to add the little hours, Prime, Terce, Sext and None. The little hours are actually very short, and take about 5 mins each, with the exception of Prime (8 mins).

Before I knew it, I was toying with the idea of Matins...and BLAM! I'm waking up daily at 3am saying Matins every day at 4. And I loved it. Matins on normal days takes about 20 minutes to say, and on days with 3 nocturnes takes about 35 minutes. See what happens when you even joke about praying more?

All in all, if you're trying to squeeze in an hour of prayer a day, the Office is the way to go. It comes in delightful bite sized pieces. The aforementioned Dr Marshall has a really lovely piece on praying the Office. Read it here: http://cantuar.blogspot.sg/2010/12/how-to-pray-divine-office-in-latin.html. It is by far, the best article I have read on it yet. 

I've also never actually said the Office in the OF, also called the Liturgy of the Hours, before. I started with EF by coincidence and have just start with it. If you want to know more about the differences between the two, read the comments in the above link on Dr Marshall's blog. All I can say, having looked at the OF Office, is that is is a kind of Divine Office lite, though they have more readings of the church Fathers. Try out the online versions and see which one you like.

Anyway, don't let all this waking at 4am be an obstacle to your recitation of the office. I am a weird person after all. Now, that I am on holiday and am no longer waking up at 4am to pray Matins (which I miss doing), but I just start praying the Office in chronological order whenever I get up, which is between 10 and 1. I am a slob, I  know. I also used to be very scrupulous about not missing an hour within the proper time frame, it was a great fear actually. Thankfully, after chillin' with some deacons from the Fraternity, they taught me that you can just say the hours as time permits within the span of 24 hours. We were touring Dublin on foot, and they pretty much wiped out their breviaries whenever time permitted. Also, remember that as lay people, we are not obliged to say the breviary. 

I really hate when that happens, because of my short stamina for prayer.

Getting Started

My advice is to pray to God and ask Him for the grace to say the office, and then start with Compline. It is the sweetest and easier office to say, because it is nearly the same every day. Then add Lauds and Vespers. Don't worry about saying Lauds before dawn, just try and say it in the morning. Soon you'll be doing that Pringle thing where you can't stop popping and you'll find yourself saying all the little hours. And you know how the story goes from there.

It helps to start with an electronic form of the Office, because it has all the parts laid out for you in the right order. I.E. not ribbon flipping and confusion. Over time as you get used to it, go out and buy a set of Breviaries. The OF Office, also called the Liturgy of the Hours, comes in a 4 Volume set or a 1 Volume book called Christian Prayer. You should be able to get that from your Church bookstore, you can also order them from amazon or www.divineoffice.org, which also has the hours in English daily. That is a useful way to start. If you want it in Latin: http://www.almudi.org/Portals/0/docs/Breviario/fuentes/breviario.html. If you like to try the EF Office, the hours are available online here: www.divinumofficium.com. Unfortunately there is only one Latin-English Breviary available now, and that is by Baronius Press: www.baroniuspress.com. However, that is a rather dear breviary, but it is worth the price for something will last you over a decade and will be used every day.

For iPhone apps (which I think are available on android too):

OF Liturgy of the Hours:
http://www.ibreviary.com/

http://www.universalis.com/

EF Divine Office:

http://apps.liturgiaetmusica.com/

All the best, and drop me a note if you have any questions or if all goes well for you!

If Confirmation Class was Boot Camp.

ATTEN-HUT!

GOOD MORNING MAGGOTS!

I am Sergeant Mercurius O'Brien, and for the next few months, I am going to prepare you for confirmation.

Dooo-ooo YOU know what that is son? Confirmation, huh? I CAN'T HEAAAR YOU. That's right son, it's a sacrament. Anyone want to give a guest what a sacrament is? Nope? Not one? What are they teaching you in your catechism classes?

Right, now listen up. Confirmation is a sac-ra-ment. It is outward sign of inward grace, and in this particular sacrament, you, yes you baby face, you are going to be sealed with the Holy Spirit. Does anyone know why? No one?

*aside* Oh good Saints in heaven, we have plenty of work on our hands.

YOU are the CHURCH MILITANT. You are being prepared for SPIRITUAL WAR. Yes, son, SPI-RI-TUAL WAR. Didn't your teachers tell you that in class? That ongoing right now is a great war between them angels up above, and those devils down below? A war between heaven and earth for the our very souls?!

Yes, that's right Jones, a war. for. your. soul.

Now listen up, from this moment forward, YOU, are going to forget every single nambly-pambly thing that you have been told by your catechism teachers. This is a war, and when you die. YES, you will die eventually, but don't worry, Our Lord, Jesus Christ has already conquered death, you won't have to be afraid. But, when you die, there will be four last things that happen to you. You will. 1) die. 2) be Judged, 3) go to heaven, or 4) go to hell. Have I made myself clear? Good.

What's that, Verrelli? Your teacher doesn't believe in hell? She said you God will take everyone to heaven? WRONG. What's that? Speak up Verrelli! It isn't in the bible? Have you read it? Well you better get started. Now drop and give me three decades! YOU CALL THAT A DECADE? Why, my grandmother, God bless her soul, could say a decade better than you. God bless her soul, could say a decade better than you. Why, she was a saint, she could pray better than the entire camp put together!  Forty hours of exposition, she was there, all forty hours. On her knees. That's right her knees. On your feet, dirtbag.

Right, listen up maggots, you will, I repeat, you will go to hell if you live a life in a state of sin and a life contrary to the teachings of Holy Mother Church. If you support unnatural forms of marriage, or like to kill unborn children or not go for frequent confession. Do you have a problem with that son? Yes, you! The one in the tight pink shirt with the rainbow on it? Judgemental? Why.... clearly you haven't read the CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH. Lemme give you some advice son. You have one and only one soul, and there is only one way to heaven, God's way. Better decide what you want, His way, or the highway.

I've never seen a more sorry bunch of fools in my life. Well, don't worry, we will teach you. Yes, we will teach you everything that you need to know to fight the good fight. We will arm you against the devil. We will teach you how to fast, and to do penance and mortify yourself. Here, you will learn to grab the cross when you are in trouble. You will learn to assist in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. You will learn the teachings of Holy Mother Church as she kept them for two thousand years. You are here so we can turn you into a saint. IS THAT CLEAR?

Alright, I think you have too much energy. Let's go for a tour around camp. By tour, I mean run. After that you will turn in and polish your shoes for Mass.

Let's go, let's go, let's go. MOVE IT!

I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'VE BEEN TOLD,

THE CATH'LIC CHURCH IS BRAVE AND BOLD....

St Augustine Zhao Rong (and companions)

 

Today is the Feast of St Augustine Zhao Rong and companions, his companions being the many chinese catholics and catholics in China who were martyred since the 17th Century. He's a Chinese saint, so he, and you, get a special blogpost today! Yay!

Well, to tell you the truth, I also learnt the most about St Augustine Zhao Rong today during Mass, because the priest sadly decided to give a homily about him before Mass. I wonder why priests feel obliged only to do exegesis of the readings of the day during their homily in Mass? But, I think that will forever remain a mystery. Anyway!

Anyway, St Augustine ZR was a chinese soldier who lived in the 19th Century. Before being baptised he watched the martyrdom of Bishop St John Gabriel Taurin Dufresse, MEP, and later was ordained to the priesthood.

Soon after, he was arrested as well, and suffered the most grievous tortures before giving up his soul and receiving his crown of martyrdom in 1815.

The Church in China has been persecuted since it began, and that persecution goes on even now, especially with the Chinese government controlling the church and ordaining her own bishops. There is a underground movement in China, and to part of that movement loyal to Holy Mother Church doesn't bode well for those caught by the government. Pray for the Church in China!

Also, read more about St Augustine ZR's companions in this Catholic Culture article: http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?recnum=3159

Some thoughts on prayer.

Many people eschew prayer because it is a very difficult thing to do. One often has to force oneself to do it. Yes, it is true, that one does desire to do it, but at times, it certainly does feel like a chore before one starts. And then when you start, it seems to drag on forever, especially when one does a Holy Hour or starts reading Matins on days of first class feasts or even one starts the saying a rosary. I would bet that most Catholics, being the lukewarm king, would probably find that praying more than just the three necessary prayers (the Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory be.) would be an agony. I think Dr Peter Kreeft talks about this in one of his talks, though I can't find the one right now, but he concludes that it is necessary for believe that prayer be difficult, otherwise everyone get complacent.

But you know what, I welcome that feeling of prayer lasting forever. I want my conversation with God to last an eternity, I just want to spend all my time with Him. I know that I cannot do that now because I  am so attached to the material things of this world and that my heart is still attached to sin. The pain from this timeless striving for concentrating and continual focus is from these attachments, because one cannot be in the presence of the infinite God with stain of sin. One will burn, and that is why in death, should we be fortunate enough to attain heaven by God's great mercy, we go through purgatory to remove all the sin remaining in souls. I pray that He will cut asunder all those horrid bonds of unnecessary things and that my heart will become completely open to Him. And only then, when He can finally come into my heart, and close the door behind will I be able to experience Him without the chains of temporality. Then, I made silent, and listen completely to His sweet words.


That is what the mystics experienced, they opened their hearts so completely to Our Lord, that He was able to dwell completely in their hearts, and they completely set apart from the world, were in a completely connexion with God. I think about St Dominic Slavio, going into his first ecstasy, not realising the hours that had passed by, until St John Bosco tapped him gently on the shoulder. I remember what one very holy priest said about another mystic, St Bernardino of Siena,


'And we don't know to what extent he saint, because Brother Vincent who travelled with him on the same donkey, died just before him, and he was not allowed to say what he knew, because he was always in intimate union with God and often in ecstasy! That is the correct dynamic! God having access to the heart!'


Until my heart can truly commune with my Lord, I shall at least take some consolation in the short glimpse of eternity with my sweet Lord.

Marriage and Vocations Part II

Part II

In my last post, I wrote about the lack of understanding and following one’s vocation as one of the reasons for the decline of marriage. To continue on that train of thought, there are separate problems stop Catholic youth in Singapore from seriously considering Marriage as a vocation.

Feminist Mentality

The fallout of the revolutions left many scars in the world, the feminist revolution left us the feminist mentality. I find that the majority of my friends who come from good all girls schools in Singapore, especially one somewhere in central Singapore, tend to be groomed in it. The alien called feminism which grew up in the 60s has crawled and clawed its way into heads of many teachers who go onto fill all these girls with thoughts of all sorts of career-driven independence and girl power.

Feminism and the Feminist mentality

Now, if you are asking why I would write something so hateful and sexist, then you must put down your pitchfolks and lawyers and left me explain. See, all Feminism holds its roots in Marxism, see http://www.crisismagazine.com/2012/is-feminism-a-heresy. So therefore, at the heart (essence) of all Feminism is Socialism, and at the heart (essence) of Socialism is a atheistic utilitarian state. Socialism thinks that religion is all stupid and that no one takes their religion seriously. It’s all a joke to them.

Utilitarianism is a philosophy that can be summarised as ‘what ever the means for the greatest pleasure’. At the state level, the greatest ‘pleasure’ is material wealth, i.e. the greatest profit. Therefore, in order to reap the greatest profit, more people need to be added to the workforce, i.e. women. So, at the heart of feminism is this need to make profits for the state, hence the career driven philosophy of feminists.

While, people who have a feminist mentality are not themselves feminist, they still have this prevailing attitude, since it is essential to feminism. So girls, if you think that getting married at thirty, after establishing your career and rolling around in your bathtubs of greenbacks and ‘living the life’. Congratulations, you’ve just been oppressed by Fredreich Engels and Karl Marx, two men.

Having the Cake and Eating It

Another problem that arises from the prevailing feminist mentality is that often these girls are no longer taught to be feminine. This great independence that they are empowered with will be their end. After all, being too independent doesn’t allow one the charity to be served by others. My friend was recounting to me the other day of how when she first went to a co-ed school, she had a bit of a culture shock when boys offered to carry her things for her.

This of course, stems from the feminist (and of course from the Marxist) idea of egalitarianism, that all Men are equal in all attributes and abilities. This is of course sold to people in the oversimplified form of, ‘all men are equal, and therefore should have equal rights’.

Heh, that reminds of the time I was having dinner with this group of friends and this really pretty girl that I had a huge crush on at that time. She is a lovely girl and she hailed from one of those schools. Anyway, of course I made the mistake of telling my favourite anti-feminist joke that I like to tease the girls with. It goes something like:

‘All the great wars were caused by women.’

[Vexed look] ‘But, but, what about the world wars?!Or, the ware to tease the girls withlen of Troy, all these started because of a competion  and she hailed from one of those scho’

‘They weren’t great. Entire peoples were not eradicated.’

‘So what’s great then?’

‘Think about it. The Trojan War? Complete eradication of Troy by the Greeks, over who? Helen of Troy, all these started because of a completion by Artemis, Hera and Aphrodite.’

‘But that’s mythical!’

‘Or, what about that time Genghis Khan wiped out the Merkits for kidnapping his wife?’

Well, of course the point is, in a bit of teasing jocular manner, that men start wars over women because women are worth fighting for. Now, that I’ve ruined a perfectly good joke(well, at least I think it’s funny) by explaining it. I always get two reactions: the girls who are authentically feminine get the point immediately and tease back or smirk to themselves or the girls get all riled up and reactionary. I can’t say I don’t enjoy both reactions.

Well, okay I didn’t that night. She was sitting across me and when I started, my friend interjected and said, ‘You better not say that in front of B----‘, and I looked up to find to a black stare. Whoops. ):

But that brings me to my next point.

Authentic Feminity vs Feminism

The truth is that men and women have never had equal rights in the past, feminists got that part right. Men have always given women much more rights. The right to have doors opened for them, hats doffed in the presence, to carry their things, and buy them dinners and all sorts of other ceremonies. Men didn’t do this out of obligation, they did it out of love. They did it, not because the women couldn’t do it themselves, they knew they could, but they did it because they wanted to do it.

Think of that famous (if you watch cartoons) dialogue between Toph and Uncle Iroh. Toph, the blind earthbender is aggressively independent and refuses to be helped in anything. When Uncle Iroh begins to pour tea for her, she objects, to which he replies, ‘You sound like my nephew. Always thinking you need to do things on your own without anyone's support. There is nothing wrong with letting people who love you, help you. Not that I love you. I just met you.’

Such great wisdom from a 2D character. Of course it is possible to love someone you just met or haven’t met, when you see them through the lens of Christ.

The Church, the only great enemy and obstacle to Socialism, and number one promoter of women’s rights, has always understood that all persons are not equal in make, but equal in dignity. She teaches that God made people different, some to suffer in poverty, who are Christ’s special friends, because he denies them material attachments that they might easily find their way home to Him, and other blessed with wealth, that they may help the poor, and in their sacrifices, learn discipline and detachment and find their way home to Him.

Likewise, in the beginning, God ‘made them male and female.’ He made them different, with different characteristics and abilities, but equal in dignity. Remember the path to Heaven is the way of the cross, it is a denying of oneself for God’s will. He asked that women sacrifice their pride, in order that man be chivalrous, and to submit to their husbands, but He also mandated that husbands should love their wives as Christ loves His Church.

At the heart of Feminism, though Marxism is the Utilitarian principle, which is the greatest pleasure for the self. This is a ‘me’ generation. On the other hand, to be authentically feminine is to be centred around one’s vocation. That is to have Christ at centre of one’s heart. That is the key difference between femininity and feminism. Feminism calls women to be slaves to the state, making it money, and then indulge themselves in material things, before anything else. Marriage, family and children are commodities. Childrearing is seen as a ‘job’, one that does not bring any material profits. (I had a friend who asked why women weren’t being compensated for their national service). Christ calls women to be wives and mothers, to take up the joy of the duty of motherhood. That is to part take in His divine plan and to co-create with Him, little souls that may fill up Heaven.

Feminism seeks the benefit of one. Christ seeks the benefit of all.  Feminism desires of society, rights, Christ desires love. Choose wisely.

Tomorrow: The boys aren’t off the hook either! They are in a much worse state.

Marriage and Vocations

A few months ago, I was having dinner with a few catholic friends of mine of the same very old goat age on the verge of 24. We sat, three guys and three girls, at the table, and were talking about life. The conversation drifted onto the topic of family and children. The conversation (to the best of my memory) when something like this:

'No, I don't want to get married and have kids so early!'

'yea, me too'

'but, why not?' (me, the only stupid one in the group)

'I want to live my life! I don't want to settle down so young.'

It’s true, my friends do deserve to live their life. They just finished slaving for a very long degree and should have a chance too, or so we in the field lie to ourselves once school is over. That said, this is the prevalent mentality amongst so many of my young friends these days. If you compared this to life eighty years ago, the young people then who couldn’t wait to get married and have kids would be scandalized, and then they would layeth the smacketh-down as only a world war one veteran layeth. And then it would hurt.

It seems as though life is now all about just career and money and living my life first. So, this raises some hairy questions. Why don’t Catholic girls (and boys) want to get married young? What is this life that they want to live? And, how did that woman from the ‘30s knock you out with one punch?

What is this life they want to live?

The hairy question is really what this ‘life’ is and is it worth living? Is it the working life, fraught with many hair-raising corporate tales, all the while sitting in a cubicle? Nope.

Is it making more money then you know what to do with it finally filling your bathtub with ten dollar bills just so you can pretend you’re swimming in dough? Nope.

Is it jet setting across the world, thus draining the metaphorical bathtub of all that metaphorical dough? Well…still nope.

Bathing in money will give you paper cuts and will make you feel icky. Try the Blood of Christ instead, washes away even the deepest hardest to reach sin.

Sure, all these things are great and you will be seemingly content for a short period of time until you go back to your empty bathtub and return to your cubicle and have to start writing patient discharge summaries again. Then you look in the mirror at that old greyed figure, thinking about the drudgery of life and repeat the cycle, jaded and empty and thinking about how you lost your childhood in the university library.

Vocation

But there is help. You see, there is only one life worth living, and that is the life that God has planned for you. Every single one us has a vocation in life, and the journey’s end is the same: REACH HEAVEN. That is the only thing that will make us happy, to be with God in heaven, it is our destiny!

So huge an epiphany was this that in writing his Confessions, the doctor of the Church, St Augustine of Hippo wrote, ‘for Thou hast formed us for Thyself, and our hearts are restless till they find rest in Thee?'

Like that fluffy new-age analogy, there is a ‘God-shaped’ hole in your heart that only God can fill. To take that a Catholic step further, and it will only be completely filled in heaven, but until then, the Lord in His omniscience and great mercy decided to that He would give us respite from this insatiable loneliness that can only be filled by Himself by giving us the religious life and Holy Matrimony. Some very privileged souls are called to the religious life.

The majority of us are called to be married and then help God to make more souls and populate heaven! How much more exciting can that get!? Like OH MY BRONTOSAURUS, do you mean almighty God lets me, poor, wretched, sinful ME, partake in HIS creation of a new soul?! You should be excited too. Stop rolling your eyes at the screen. Let me explain.

Yes, yes, I know, it’s big news and you’re wondering, does this guy even know what he’s talking about?! Hello! Earth to David, babies are hard work, they whine, and poop, and cry and puke all over the place, then live with you for 18 to 25 years (depending on the culture) and spend the latter of half that trying to exclude you from their lives, while still siphoning precious greenbacks from your wallet. How is that supposed to make you happy?!

Let me explain.

That doesn't look so hard to raise.

True Living.

If, you believe that 1)we are all put into this world by God to return to God, 2) and that God has a divine plan for us, 3) and that God is all and only good and wants therefore the best for us, then you can only draw the conclusion that to live according to God’s given plan will bring us the most joy.

Christ has already promised, ‘My yoke is sweet and my burden easy’ (Matt 11:30). And what more can this very yoke be for each of us, but our very vocations? We can be sure that work will have to be done, and while dragging the plough, we will suffer from pain and inconvenience, but Christ right there next to us helping us. He drags us bit by bit to heaven. But, He can only do so if we have taken up His yoke, and together with Him, we pull the plough.

Therefore, the faster that one fully recognises what one’s vocation is, and works toward fulfilling it, then one will truly find true joy with all of life. Thus St Laurence while on the grill can quip to his executors, ‘this side is done, turn me over’ and Mother Teresa can live in abject poverty looking after the poor.

Therefore, if it was planned that you live in a house of screaming children, so that you may lead all of their beautiful little souls into heaven, as a means of sanctifying yourself, then you will be happy. I jest obviously, it’s not always a house of screaming kids, sometimes the house is silent because it’s on fire and the screaming is outside, mostly from the fire department.  I’m really not sure how to explain this to you, so just listen to what Jennifer Fulwiler has to say about career versus children: http://youtu.be/SNX0szzmekA?t=25m57s

Trust me, ask any mother or father whether it was worth having children and they will tell you, 'yes'.

The truth is, the path to eternal happiness is the cross. It is about suffering, and suffering isn’t a bad thing. God lets us suffer, so we are not longer attached to this world. In a weak narcissistic age like us, that means to facebook, twitter, camwhoring, and technology. When we no longer want the things of this world, we will want the things of heaven.

The Path to Heaven