Could You Help My Friend Patty?

January 6, 2009 by Patrick Madrid
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My dear friend and sister in Christ, Patty Bonds, is a single mother who has had a very rough few years since she converted to the Catholic Church from Protestantism. Coming from a virulently anti-Catholic background (overcoming those religious prejudices was a gargantuan task in itself), when she became Catholic, some in her family simply turned their backs on her. But Patty loves the Truth more than mere human respect, and she has faithfully trusted in Christ’s promise to all who love Him:

“He who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and he who loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and he who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for my sake will find it” (Matthew 10:37-39).

Patty trusts in the Lord’s will for her life, even as she has struggled to overcome a series of difficult financial setbacks in recent months. She works for a relatively low-paying public service job in Arizona, which provides a modest income that one person could manage to live frugally on, but Patty has also been very generous in supporting other family members who have turned to her in their times of need, which means that she’s in a difficult spot right now with some pressing bills she really needs to pay. Among other things, her ancient used car just went kaput, and she needs to find a way to raise the money to get it repaired.

I know Patty personally. I can vouch for her. And I can assure you that any donation you can make to help her out, be it large or small, will help her get through this difficult time.

If you can help, please go to her blog and click the PayPal button on the right side to make a donation. $10, $20, $50, $100? No amount is too small, of course, and no amount is too large, either. If you’re in a position to be really generous with funds God has blessed you with, please do so and give what you can. Above all, please keep Patty in your prayers.

“The point is this: he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must do as he has made up his mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that you may always have enough of everything and may provide in abundance for every good work. As it is written, ‘He scatters abroad, he gives to the poor; his righteousness endures for ever.’

“He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your resources and increase the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way for great generosity, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God; for the rendering of this service not only supplies the wants of the saints but also overflows in many thanksgivings to God. Under the test of this service, you will glorify God by your obedience in acknowledging the gospel of Christ, and by the generosity of your contribution for them and for all others” (2 Corinthians 9:6-14)

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This Site (My Site) Is Under the Patronage and Protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary

January 5, 2009 by Patrick Madrid
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My thanks go out to Nancy at her Traditional Motherhood blog for finding and posting this glorious icon of Our Lady!

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Talk to Your Daughter Before the Beauty Industry Does

January 5, 2009 by Patrick Madrid
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Warning: Contains very suggestive, though not pornographic, images:

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A New Year's Message From the Religion of Peace

January 5, 2009 by Patrick Madrid
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Worth watching all the way through. And listen closely to what they’re saying:

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How Atheism Is Being Sold to Your Children

January 1, 2009 by Patrick Madrid
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David Kupelian, author of the best-selling The Marketing of Evil, offers a meaty analysis of how militant atheism is gaining ground — lots of ground — across the United States, particularly in our schools and universities.

One technique employed by atheists to discredit religion is to constantly equate the ongoing violence of Muslims around the world with “religion.” The fallacy runs along these lines: Muslims believe in God and are religious fanatics who murder people in the name of God and religion. Catholics, Protestants, and others also believe in God and are therefore also religious fanatics who [would if they felt they needed to] murder people in the name of God and religion.” That’s not a true categorical syllogism, but you get the idea.

Kupelian says:

“Remember, to atheists, Christianity, Judaism and Islam are all pretty much the same —dangerous monotheistic fairy tales that induce people to oppress and kill each other — the only difference being the particular myths, superstitions and rules they impose on followers based on each religion’s traditions and supposed ‘holy books.’

“Thus, the pathological fanaticism and hair-trigger violence exhibited by brainwashed jihadists around the world today are easily associated by atheists with all religions, especially when they call to mind abuses committed in past centuries — say, the Inquisition or the Salem witch trials – in the name of Christianity.

“Another major, if more long-term, factor contributing to the popularity of atheist books, Prager notes, is the ‘secular indoctrination of a generation,’ thanks to our de facto atheistic public school system:

“‘Unless one receives a strong religious grounding in a religious school and/or religious home, the average young person in the Western world is immersed in a secular cocoon. From elementary school through graduate school, only one way of looking at the world – the secular — is presented.

“‘The typical individual in the Western world receives as secular an indoctrination as the typical European received a religious one in the Middle Ages. I have taught college students and have found that their ignorance not only of the Bible but of the most elementary religious arguments and concepts — such as the truism that if there is no God, morality is subjective — is total. So the generation that has been secularly brainwashed is now buying books that reconfirm that brainwash – especially now, given the evil coming from religious people.’

“Finally, observes Prager, Christianity and Judaism have, with some notable exceptions, failed to effectively counter the ever-rising tide of atheistic secularism in the Western world. Pointing out that ‘it is virtually impossible to distinguish between a liberal Christian or Jew and a liberal secularist,’ he notes that all three ‘regard the human fetus as morally worthless; regard the man-woman definition of marriage as a form of bigotry; and come close to holding pacifist beliefs, to cite but a few examples.’

“Thus, with religious evil increasing in the world – thanks to Islam — and fewer and fewer people willing and able to confront it, Prager concludes ‘the case for atheism will seem even more compelling.’”

(read article)

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Lessons Learned in 2008

December 31, 2008 by Patrick Madrid
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I wish I had thought to write about this, but Elizabeth Foss has already done it, and more gracefully, insightfully, and interestingly than I could have. She’s coming at this from the perspective of a wife and mother, so her insights should be particularly relevant to you ladies, but I still found a lot there for my own personal reflection as a man. This is worth sharing with your network of friends and followers.

Lessons Learned

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Funny, Yes, But Also (Sometimes) True

December 30, 2008 by Patrick Madrid
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10 Municipal Bankruptcies in Coming Next Year?

December 30, 2008 by Patrick Madrid
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From the “how bad will it get?” file, comes this recent story from Bloomberg.com about the likelihood of a slew of cities and counties, especially in my home state of California (we’re expats living in Ohio now), going belly up. It’s already happened (e.g., Vallejo & Orange County), and what I worry about is the potential domino effect that can bring a lot of other things crashing down when a cascade of bankruptcies picks up momentum.

“The accountant who predicted the nation’s largest municipal bankruptcy says as many as 10 insolvencies will roil the $2.7 trillion U.S. market for state, county and city debt next year as public finances worsen amid calls for federal aid to state and local governments. . . . ” (read more)

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The Pornification of Our Generation

December 30, 2008 by Patrick Madrid
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My compliments to Matthew Archbold at Creative Minority Report for articulately verbalizing something my wife and I have groused about for a long time:

“So I took the kids out to the mall to shop for Mom two days before Christmas. I want them to know that Christmas is not just about receiving but giving as well.

“Now let me ask a weird hypothetical. If I showed up at the Mall wearing only briefs and say my wife showed up in a minuscule bra and panties we’d likely be dragged from the premises and arrested. And rightly so, especially if you’ve seen me in briefs. But no matter what, it’s bad, right? So why is it OK for some of these stores to have huge window displays of essentially naked people. I mean, are these store owners out of their minds. Walking by Abercrombie or Victoria’s Secret is essentially a walking tour of porn for children. Hey kids step on up and peer inside the sick twisted mind of adulthood where we view others as vessels of flesh waiting to be boarded and devoured. . . .” (read more)

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Yet Another Reason Why I Love Technology

December 30, 2008 by Patrick Madrid
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“Lectures in Dominican History,” given in to Dominican seminarians the 1980s by Father John Hinnebusch, O.P., are now available in a complete collection at i-Tunes. Check it out! (Because, for some reason, there is no permalink embedded on the blog I’m sending you to, be sure to scroll down to the post titled “Dominican History Podcast” to access the stuff I’m talking about.