-
Shame
Last Tuesday night our Courage chaplain gave a very good talk about shame. He told us that we can fall into one of two extremes when it comes to shame: constructing our own moral order (i.e., rationalizing away our sins) in order to get rid of the feelings of shame, or allowing the feeling of…
-
The Horror of Sin
So last night my loneliness got the better of me, and I fell into masturbation and pornography. I really wish that I could learn that my sexuality is not to be used as a drug to alleviate any kind of negative feelings I may be having, including loneliness. But it’s just not sinking in fast…
-
Exhausted
Well, the title of this blog post pretty much sums up how I feel today: exhausted. Spiritually, emotionally, and physically exhausted. I’ve been feeling a little lonely and starved for attention over the past couple days, and that’s never a good thing. The devil always like to mess with me when I’m feeling that way.…
-
Some Thoughts About Vocations
For the past month or so, I’ve been giving a lot of thought to what my vocation may or may not be. Actually, my discernment started several years ago, shortly after my confirmation. It all began with a pretty powerful experience at Eucharistic adoration and confession one night. It was the first time that I…
-
So Long 2009, Hello 2010!
It’s about 4:00 p.m. on December 31, which means that there are about eight hours left in 2009. What a year this has been. I don’t think I can recall another year in my life that has been so difficult and yet held so much promise. I say this year has been difficult because my…
-
Reflections on the Feast of St. Stephen, Protomartyr
Today was the Feast of St. Stephen, the Church’s first martyr. I was really struck by the first reading from the Office of Readings today, which was a longer version of the first reading at today’s Mass. In this reading, we hear how St. Stephen is debating some men in the synagogue, and he’s saying…
-
What Are You Giving Jesus for Christmas?
The other night I was I watching EWTN and they were showing an old re-run of Mother Angelica’s show. During the program, Mother was asking the audience what they were giving Jesus for Christmas. Usually we don’t think about what we are going to give Jesus for Christmas, but we should, Mother said, because after…
-
N.M. Judge Upholds Ruling Against Photographers Who Refused to Work at Lesbian Commitment Ceremony
A judge in New Mexico on Dec. 18 upheld a ruling against two Christian photographers who refused to take pictures at a commitment ceremony that two lesbian women wanted to hold in 2006. Barring an appeal, the photographers, Elaine and Jon Huguenin, will have to pay one of the women more than $6,600 in attorney’s…
-
Can Sexual Orientation be Changed?
There’s a great deal of debate over whether a person’s sexual orientation can be changed. From my own experience, I can definitely tell you that my sexual orientation has been somewhat fluid. When I was a teenager, I was definitely interested in girls. My first sexual fantasies were about girls. But as I got older,…
-
Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles Elects Openly Gay Bishop
The Los Angeles Times has an interesting story on its Web site about the Rev. Canon Mary D. Glasspool, who clergy and lay leaders of the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles elevated to the rank of bishop on Dec. 5. According to the story, Rev. Glasspool has been in a homosexual relationship with another woman for…