Busted Halo

Interview: Shawn Raymond, U.S. Public Service Academy

Brett Siddell — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 03:07:45 +0000

Shawn Raynond is co-founder of the U.S. Public Service Academy, which calls for the establishment of a public-service-oriented undergraduate school modeled on the U.S. military academies. A bill before congress earned bi-partisan support this past year, and The Academy has earned endorsements from more than 90 college presidents, including three former superintendents of West Point. [...]

Give It Your All

Brett Siddell — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 02:46:45 +0000

Thirty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time. The story from Scripture of the woman who gave all that she had reminds us that helping others isn’t about simply giving more money, but giving all that you can of yourself. What is important is that you give it your all. (Preached on Sunday, November 8th, 2009, 6:00pm, St. Malachy’s [...]

#220 Why is the New Testament usage of the term “apostle” so inconsistent?

Podcasts — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:52:44 +0000

Why is the New Testament usage of the term “apostle” so inconsistent? Fr. Dave has a cough, and we’re trying the new iTunes “enhanced” podcast format. Hope it works!

Are all of St. Paul’s letters really written by him??

Joe Paprocki — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 04:32:32 +0000

Question: Are all of St. Paul’s letters really written by him? Someone told me that some may have been speeches or other people’s materials? Today, if someone writes a piece of literature and attributes it to someone else, that’s considered a fraud. In biblical, times, however, it was both common and acceptable to write something that you believed captured the [...]

Busted Halo’s Digital Pilgrimage Video Blog

Brittany Janis — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 01:30:20 +0000

Check the map for Brittany, Samuel and Shiloh’s route! #13 Busted Halo cofounder Fr. Brett Hoover, CSP Fr. Brett fills us in on what he’s up to. #12 Meet Fr. Al Moser, CSP Father Al discusses what drew him to become a priest after serving in WWII. #11 Meet Jack Liu Jack shows Brittany around UC Berkeley’s campus and talks about [...]

When did statues of saints start appearing in Catholic churches, and how is this not idol worship?

Rachel Bundang — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 05:36:35 +0000

Christianity emerged from Judaism, which itself rejected figurative religious art as being too much like idol worship (see Ex 20:3). But once Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire under Constantine in the 4th century CE, it was not long before Roman practices of portraying and honoring the divine (their gods and emperors) [...]

Unholy Waterfront

Bill McGarvey — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 05:00:49 +0000

With a shock of sandy blonde hair that perpetually seems to be on the verge of revolt and a conversation style that is best described as a benign form of rapid-fire free association, it’s easy to picture Professor Jim Fisher, 52, as the young taxicab driving college dropout living in Hoboken, N.J., that he once [...]

Why doesn’t God seem to fulfill my human needs for intimacy?

Mike Hayes — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 05:08:59 +0000

My question: My Spiritual Director says that if I am in touch with Jesus and keep a regular and good relationship with Him (through personal prayer, Word of God, mass etc), I can receive all I need from Him i.e. all my needs can be satisfied from Him. However, I personally feel that there are some [...]

Busted Borders: Walter (Argentina)-Video 5

The Editors — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 04:50:56 +0000

In this video, Walter talks about his love for creating music. In video 4, Walter talks about how soccer has helped him cope with his immigration issues. In video 3, Walter talks about the difficulties of facing an uncertain future. In video 2, Walter talks more about how he did not know he was undocumented until he was [...]

Queen Sized

Tom Gibbons — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 04:23:40 +0000

This continues a series of entries that describes the time when I first entered seminary in the Fall of 2006. I know that this is going to sound dumb to some, but one of the things I had an issue with when I went to seminary is that I would be going back to a [...]

What is wrong with watching pornography?

Richard G. Malloy, SJ — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 04:40:02 +0000

Question: What is wrong with watching pornography? I’m not really hurting anybody, isn’t it better than having sex with someone else? The porn industry does hurt many people, specifically the men, women and children chewed up and spit out by an unscrupulous, to say the least, worldwide sex industry. The multi-billion dollar porn industry hurts not [...]

Our new blog — Rendezvous with G-d

The Editors — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 05:00:42 +0000

In Rendezvous with G-d, twentysomething blogger and journalist Monica Rozenfeld explores what it actually means as a young Jewish woman in New York City to have a relationship with G-d. From sitting at dinner tables with the ultra-Orthodox, non-believers and everything in-between, Monica asks herself tough questions about religion and spirituality. What does it mean? [...]

Passion for New Evangelization

Brett Siddell — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 03:37:44 +0000

Friday of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time. Father Dave uses the story of the crafty steward, the actions of St. Paul, and the words of Pope John Paul II to re-inspire us to continue to evangelize in this new and constantly-evolving world. (Preached on Friday, November 6th, 2009, 12:15pm, St. Malachy’s Church, Broadway and 49th, [...]

Coming down from High Holidays

Monica Rozenfeld — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 18:52:38 +0000

Stand up. Sit down. I’m standing now for hours at a time – exhausted, and famished. Repeat. Repeat. In Hebrew and in English. Clop your heart for the following sins. I am clopping my heart to sins I did not commit or did not feel sorry for committing. Take time for the silent devotion. I [...]

What is happening in Medjugorje?

Ginny Kubitz Moyer — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 04:07:14 +0000

In June of 1981, six children and teenagers in the town of Medjugorje, Yugoslavia (now Bosnia-Herzegovina) reported having visions of the Virgin Mary. Over the years, they have allegedly received thousands of messages from Mary; some of the original visionaries still report daily apparitions. Medjugorje has grown into a large center of pilgrimage, attracting [...]

What Works: The Gratitude List

Phil Fox Rose — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 05:00:57 +0000

This is the last column to run before Thanksgiving, so I want to talk to you about gratitude. I could write a dozen columns about gratitude in various forms; for this column, I'm going to focus on one simple tool: the gratitude list.

When you find yourself feeling particularly ungrateful about your life — or your spiritual director or friend points out to you that you are — you can stop and remind yourself of all the things for which you can be grateful.

There are some obvious things. You often hear people say, "at least I've got my health." That might sound trite, but if you have ever experienced a serious loss of your own good health and then gotten it back, or if you or to someone close to you is deprived permanently of good health, you will know that good health is a great blessing. Another common item is family — partners, parents, children: whoever loves you unconditionally and gives you sustenance and support.

Not half full or half empty — just half full

Gratitude list items can also be seemingly trivial things — or at least things that might seem so to someone else. And many things can be seen as blessings or negatives. For example, I do not live with anyone else. I could focus on and feed feelings of loneliness. But I can also be grateful for the control I have over my environment and how easy it is to meditate and have silence when I want it. (Ask anyone with a big family about how precious that is!)

It's important, even though this is a list, to not fall into thinking of it as a two-sided ledger. It's not "I'm alone but at least I have peace and quiet." It's, "I can have peace and quiet whenever I want in my home."

It's not about seeing our world's cup as half full rather than half empty. Because the truth is everyone, and I mean everyone, has things they can be grateful for and things they can be ungrateful for. It's about paying attention to the part that's full. Who cares about what you don't have? Seriously. Think about that for a moment.

Focusing on what we don't have, on expectations of things that have not materialized for us, only leads to anxiety and self-pity. I'm not saying there is no place for wanting to create a more abundant life, but that's not the way. Paradoxically — as are most great spiritual principles — it is by being content with what we have that we are open to seeing clearly what is around us, and seeing new opportunities.

“THE VOICE OF GOD”

Tom Gibbons — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 04:18:28 +0000

This continues a series of entries that describes the time when I first entered seminary in the Fall of 2006. It’s probably appropriate that when I crawled downstairs during the early morning hours of Good Friday in April 2006, Jerry MacGuire was on. I’ve never known how quite to describe preceding two hours; some people [...]

How Do I Get My Kids To Like Church?

Brett Siddell — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 19:09:47 +0000

A listener calls in with what is probably a common question, but one not often easily resolved: How do I get my kids to like church? (Originally aired: 10/15/09)

Repent

Brett Siddell — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 18:46:09 +0000

Thursday of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time. Jesus reminds us in the Scriptures that yes we are all sinners, but with acknowledgement of that fact and sincere repentance we can enter God’s glory. (Preached on Thursday, November 5th, 2009, 12:15pm, St. Malachy’s Church, Broadway and 49th, Times Square, New York City.)

#219 Why are some priests skipping the sign of Peace at Mass?

Podcasts — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 17:18:25 +0000

Fr. Dave and Brittany answer a question about germs stopping Peace at Mass, and Brittany shares about her recent experience of being sick. Church Search in Maryland and Coming Attractions!

What are the Dead Sea Scrolls?

Joe Paprocki — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 04:29:58 +0000

What are the Dead Sea Scrolls and what do they mean for Catholics and biblical scholarship? The Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered by a shepherd boy in 1947 in caves surrounding the northwest shore of the Dead Sea. These ancient scrolls turned out to be texts, written in Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic, that dated from the 1st and 2nd centuries [...]

Corny and Profound

Ginny Kubitz Moyer — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 05:00:19 +0000

For Christmas one year, when I was in high school, my grandpa gave me the video of The Sound of Music. I was thrilled: my favorite movie, the one I’d loved since childhood, was mine to watch at will. My cousin Mark, in his early twenties at the time, regarded my new tape with good-natured [...]

Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters

Tom Gibbons — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 22:59:12 +0000

This is the first in a series of entries that describes the time when I first entered seminary in September of 2006. “Now I know that rose trees never grow in New York City…” I find myself standing in front of the Carousel in Central Park in part because of a sleepless night six months [...]

Do you have to be a certain race in order to convert to Catholicism?

Rachel Bundang — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 05:34:43 +0000

Question: I am an African-American, and I was wondering whether it matters what race you are in order to be Catholic. Do you have to be a certain race in order to convert to Catholicism? Absolutely anyone may become a Catholic convert! I am sure you have heard of the apostle Paul’s take on this (Galatians [...]

Spiritual Seekers Adventure (on a Budget)

The Editors — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:40:38 +0000

BUSTED HALO® SPIRITUAL SEEKERS ADVENTURE 2010 Last year we had an enormous response to the Spiritual Seekers Adventure trips we were offering to the Camino in Spain as well as our arts & culture trip to Paris. Busted Halo® is happy to announce that we are offering these same journeys again for March 2010 at a [...]

Homily for Martin of Tours and Veterans Day

Tom Gibbons — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:22:44 +0000

From time to time, I will be including homilies I am currently giving at my pastoral assignment in Austin. Below is the one I gave today to commemorate the Feast Day of Martin of Tours as well as Veterans Day. 91 years ago in 1918, on the “eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh [...]

Should we use every means medically possible to keep an ill person alive?

Fr. Joe — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 04:44:40 +0000

Question: Should we use every means medically possible to keep an ill person alive? What is the Catholic teaching on this question? I reviewed some of the general principles that Catholics apply to the question of using medical technology to sustain or prolong a person’s life. Such questions are in the realm of the discipline of [...]

What is marriage prep like for those marrying non-Christians?

Thomas Ryan, CSP — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 04:01:14 +0000

Can you give me a brief description of how marriage prep works in the following situations where a Catholic is marrying a non-Christian? For example, a) Catholic marrying a Jew b) Catholic marrying a Muslim c) Catholic marrying a Buddhist What rituals can be performed for the wedding that encompasses both faiths but still be valid in the [...]

Busted Borders: Walter (Argentina)-Video 4

The Editors — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 05:00:42 +0000

In this video, Walter talks about how soccer has helped him cope with his immigration issues. In video 3, Walter talks about the difficulties of facing an uncertain future. In video 2, Walter talks more about how he did not know he was undocumented until he was applying for college. In video 1, Walter explains how he [...]

Come to Jesus Meeting

Brett Siddell — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 21:01:26 +0000

Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time. We are inspired today by the Scripture story of Bartimaeus, the blind man who ended up showing us the way, to Jesus. (Preached on Sunday, October 25th, 2009, 6:00pm, St. Malachy’s Church, Broadway and 49th, Times Square, New York City.)