Mattsapundit

St. Joseph doesn’t get a whole lot of attention, but he’s really a model of what a man should be. His story is woven into the Gospels. First, he’s a gentleman:

Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: when His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit.

And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man and not wanting to disgrace her, planned to send her away secretly.

He’s unwilling to associate himself with sin, but he will not embarrass a lady. Next, he remains open to the words of the Lord and he obeys those words:

But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.

“She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”

Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet:

“BEHOLD, THE VIRGIN SHALL BE WITH CHILD AND SHALL BEAR A SON, AND THEY SHALL CALL HIS NAME IMMANUEL,” which translated means, “GOD WITH US.”

And Joseph awoke from his sleep and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took Mary as his wife, but kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son; and he called His name Jesus.

Next, he was a law-abiding man. He lived in an occupied territory, but he respected the civil authority:

Now in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus, that a census be taken of all the inhabited earth.

This was the first census taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria.

And everyone was on his way to register for the census, each to his own city.

Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, in order to register along with Mary, who was engaged to him, and was with child.

This proved a good example to his son, who would later say:

“Render to Caesar the things which are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”

Joseph went to great lengths, literally, to protect his family:

So Joseph got up and took the Child and His mother while it was still night, and left for Egypt.

Next, Joseph did what was required of him by his religion:

And when the days for their purification according to the law of Moses were completed, they brought Him up to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “EVERY firstborn MALE THAT OPENS THE WOMB SHALL BE CALLED HOLY TO THE LORD”), and to offer a sacrifice according to what was said in the Law of the Lord, “A PAIR OF TURTLEDOVES OR TWO YOUNG PIGEONS.”

As a father, he kept up the family tradition with regard to his faith:

Now His parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. And when He became twelve, they went up there according to the custom of the Feast;

Joseph was a carpenter, and he probably taught his son the trade. Other than that, we don’t know much about his work, but that’s sort of the point. He labored quietly, and the Gospels suggest that he was pretty unremarkable. Just another craftsman and small business owner, working to take care of his family:

They were saying, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does He now say, ‘I have come down out of heaven’?”

Just an average Joe. He was tossed into situations way over his head — try raising the Son of God — but he kept plugging away, doing the best he could, with the grace of God. And he’s still hard at work in the real estate business.
I got thinking about this because of a prayer my mom sent me. I printed it out and hung it on my desk at work, and I say the prayer every day. Here it is:

Prayer to St. Joseph by Pope St. Pius X:

Glorious St. Joseph, model of all those who are devoted to labor, obtain for me the grace to work conscientiously, putting the call of duty above my natural inclinations;to work with gratitude and joy, considering it an honor to employ and develop, by means of labor, the gifts received from God, without recoiling before weariness or difficulties; to work, above all, with purity of intention, and with detachment from self, having always death before my eyes and the account which must render of time lost, of talents wasted, of good omitted, of vain complacency in success, so fatal to the work of God. All for Jesus, all for Mary, all after thy example, O Patriarch St, Joseph. Such shall be my watchword in life and death. Amen.

Amen. Back to work!

Matt Bramanti | September 7, 2006 at 4:23 pm
Posted to Personal, Religion

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Might be ‘offensive’ to 7th-century Islamofascist savages.
This is bullshit:

A five-year-old girl’s passport application was rejected because her photograph showed her bare shoulders.

Hannah Edwards’s mother, Jane, was told that the exposed skin might be considered offensive in a Muslim country.

This is the real threat from Muslim extremists. I’m not really worried that they’ll conquer the free world by force and chop off our leaders’ heads. Instead, they’ll capitalize on our fear of offending anyone, back that up with subtle threats at violence, and gradually erode our liberties in the name of “sensitivity.”

Screw that. Got any bare-shoulder pics? Send ‘em my way, and I’ll put up a montage here and at Lone Star Times.

Angelina sez: “Up yours, savages!”

Matt Bramanti | August 14, 2006 at 10:32 am
Posted to International, Islamofascism, Photos, Religion, Stupidity, Travel

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A priest and a rabbi are having lunch, and the rabbi asks the priest if he could be promoted. Priest says “Yes, I could be elevated to bishop.”

Rabbi says, “Then what?”

Priest says, “Well, the Holy Father could make me a cardinal.”

Rabbi says, “Then what?”

Priest says, “I suppose I could be elected Pope.”

Rabbi says, “Then what?”

Priest says, “That’s as high as it goes. It’s not like I could get promoted to Messiah.”

Rabbi says, “One of our boys made it.”

Matt Bramanti | April 27, 2006 at 4:14 pm
Posted to Humor, Religion

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In the tradtion of my Gaelic forbears, I have been celebrating the Saint’s life since yesterday afternoon. Video clips — brought to you by the good people at Google Video — will be posted soon.

Until then, happy St. Patrick’s Day, lads!

Matt Bramanti | March 18, 2006 at 6:50 pm
Posted to Food & Drink, Friends, Holidays, Out and About, Personal, Religion

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This is sickening:

A Chinese court on Tuesday sentenced a Protestant minister, his wife and her brother to prison terms of up to three years for illegally printing Bibles and other Christian publications, one of their lawyers said.The conviction of house church minister Cai Zhuohua, 34, and his family by the Beijing People’s Intermediate Court came days before U.S. President George W. Bush arrives for a state visit.

It’s sad what the Chinese government pushes people to:

A fourth defendant, Hu Jinyun, Xiao Gaowen’s wife, was exempted from criminal punishment on charges of “secretly storing illegal goods” because she made contributions by informing against her sister-in-law, the lawyer quoted the verdict as saying.

Here’s my favorite part, though:

The prosecutor, in the bill of indictment, accused the defendants of illegally printing 200,000 copies of the Bible which were found in Cai’s warehouse but the verdict did not mention a figure.In July, Hong Kong’s Beijing-funded Ta Kung Pao newspaper quoted Ye Xiaowen, director of the State Bureau of Religious Affairs, as saying Cai illegally printed 40 million copies of the Bible and other Christian publications.

So the guy was able to subvert the Chinese with 99.5% success. Sweet.

Matt Bramanti | November 8, 2005 at 12:44 pm
Posted to International, Politics, Religion

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In the whole debate over evolution vs. creation, a third possibility has been widely overlooked: the notion that they’re not mutually exclusive. It’s always seemed perfectly plausible to me that God may have set evolution in motion, knowing where it would end up. Or maybe He gave evolution little divine nudges over millions of years.

I’ve just never bought into the idea that either evolution or “poof”-style creation tells the whole story. Rome isn’t buying it either:

The Vatican has issued a stout defence of Charles Darwin, voicing strong criticism of Christian fundamentalists who reject his theory of evolution and interpret the biblical account of creation literally.

Cardinal Paul Poupard, head of the Pontifical Council for Culture, said the Genesis description of how God created the universe and Darwin’s theory of evolution were “perfectly compatible” if the Bible were read correctly.

“The fundamentalists want to give a scientific meaning to words that had no scientific aim,” he said at a Vatican press conference. He said the real message in Genesis was that “the universe didn’t make itself and had a creator”.

This idea was part of theology, Cardinal Poupard emphasised, while the precise details of how creation and the development of the species came about belonged to a different realm – science. Cardinal Poupard said that it was important for Catholic believers to know how science saw things so as to “understand things better”.

Catholic readers might want to take a look at Fides et Ratio, Pope John Paul II’s 1998 encyclical dealing with the relationship between faith and reason.

Matt Bramanti | November 7, 2005 at 4:09 pm
Posted to Religion, Science

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Let’s take a spin around the Islamic world for a tour of its legal system.

From LGF:

In a new survey by a Turkish university, almost 40% said a woman who commits adultery deserves to be murdered.

More than 20% apparently thought the death penalty was too harsh, but cutting off noses or ears would be appropriate.

From The Scotsman:

Islamic militiamen stormed a video studio in Mogadishu where Bollywood films were being dubbed into Somali, destroying equipment and arresting employees.The gunmen, loyal to the Union of the Islamic Courts, smashed television monitors and escorted six members of staff from the studios in the Somali capital.

The courts consider watching films, listening to music and dancing un-Islamic.

From Dhimmi Watch:

Sharia Alert from Sudan, from the Sudan Tribune with thanks to Twostellas:

Oct 17, 2005 (KHARTOUM)— The Sudanese government has affirmed that it has reservations on some articles of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), particularly those which contradict Islam.

The minister of justice, Mohamed Ali al-Maradi, said in a press statement following his meeting with the special rapporteur on human rights in Sudan, Ms Sima Samar, that Sudan would not accept any article that contradicts the Islamic religion.

He added that women rights are guaranteed in all legislation and the constitution which enable women to assume public work and posts on equal footing with men.

Other than the extrajudicial mob executions, brutal punishments, crushing of dissent, lack of political rights for men and all rights for women, persecution of ethnic and religious minorities, and state-enforced mandatory religious observance, Sharia sounds pretty sweet.

Matt Bramanti | October 19, 2005 at 12:23 pm
Posted to International, Islamofascism, Religion

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Banjo Jones over at the Brazosport News has some interesting quotes from Astros third baseman Morgan Ensberg:

“The entire reason that I play baseball is so that I get a chance to speak about Christ. Because my job is high-profile doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s greater than any other job, but it puts me out in front of some people. I realize that I do all of this so that I can show more people what Christ has done.”

Like that game earlier this season when Morgan hit three out of the park.

“It was probably that day where I really took a step in my faith — not because I had found success in hitting three home runs and getting four hits, but more so in the fact that I knew that it wasn’t me. I knew that it was the Holy Spirit working.”

“No. 1 is I make sure that I’m always obedient to Him. I’m constantly praying. I just want Him to know that whatever His will is, is what I’m all about. We play 162 games. You’re bound to have some terrible games, and whenever there’s a time like that where you’re really struggling, I picture Christ’s face. I just picture myself looking right at Him and saying ‘Whatever you want.’”

Good for Morgan. He’s on the right side in this thing.

Matt Bramanti | October 10, 2005 at 9:48 am
Posted to Houston, Religion, Sports

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Illustrating their single-minded devotion to “editorial pages in their ideal state,” the Chronicle’s editorial board wrote an editorial on a complete non-story:

When several theaters, mostly in the South’s Bible Belt, refused to show the new film Volcanoes of the Deep for fear of religious protests, it triggered a burst of media coverage and gave the movie a boost it failed to generate on its own.

Houston’s Museum of Natural Science IMAX theater does not plan to run Volcanoes of the Deep, but a museum spokeswoman says creationism versus evolution is not the reason. Apparently, the film lacked the visual heft that IMAX devotees expect.

And? That’s it? No call for higher income taxes? No shot at Tom DeLay? No praise for some Bill White revenue grab? The folks at 801 Texas Avenue must be asleep at the switch!

Matt Bramanti | April 5, 2005 at 8:33 am
Posted to Houston, Media, Religion, Stupidity, Uncategorized

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The Holy Father, Pope John Paul II has died at the age of 84, after an extended illness. The pope passed away Saturday evening in his Vatican apartment, surrounded by close aides.

During his youth, then-Karol Wojtyla was a top student and athlete. Later, as the Third Reich swept through Eastern Europe, the young man resisted the imposition of Nazi culture by participating in an underground theater company, writing plays and composing poetry. Wojtyla pursed his religious studies despite ongoing arrests of seminarians by the German occupation.

After his ordination to the priesthood in 1946, Wojtyla became a parish priest and a professor of ethics and theology. In 1958 he was named the auxiliary bishop of Krakow. In 1963, Pope Paul VI elevated Wojtyla to archbishop of that diocese. Four years later, he became a cardinal. In 1978, Wojtyla participated in the conclave that elected Albino Luciani Pope John Paul I. After only 33 days in office, Pope John Paul I died.

On October 16, 1978, Wojtyla was elected pope, becoming the first non-Italian to serve as bishop of Rome in nearly 500 years. The pope did not have a coronation and eschewed the Papal Tiara, preferring instead to emphasize serving his flock. But his reach didn’t end at the boundaries of the Catholic world. He traveled to England and knelt in prayer with the Archbishop of Canterbury. He conferred with Orthodox leaders in Romania, marking the visit to an Orthodox country in nearly a millennium. In 2002, he visited the mostly Muslim nation of Azerbaijan, home to only 120 Catholics.

All told, John Paul II was the most-traveled pontiff in Church history, having visited more countries than all his predecessors combined. Among those journeys was his 2000 trip to Israel, part of his efforts to reach across the Jewish-Christian divide:

… [D]uring a visit to Yad Vashem, the Pope said, ”As bishop of Rome and successor of the Apostle Peter, I assure the Jewish people that the Catholic Church, motivated by the Gospel law of truth and love, and by no political considerations, is deeply saddened by the hatred, acts of persecution and displays of anti-Semitism directed against the Jews by Christians at any time and in any place.” He also met with Holocaust survivors, including several from Wadowice, his own home town in Poland and impressed Israelis with the warmth he showed toward them.

During his 26-year pontificate, the Holy Father was a staunch defender of traditional Church teachings. A landmark encyclical, Evangelium Vitae (The Gospel of Life), reaffirmed official Catholic opposition to abortion, euthanasia and capital punishment:

It is the proclamation that Jesus has a unique relationship with every person, which enables us to see in every human face the face of Christ. It is the call for a “sincere gift of self” as the fullest way to realize our personal freedom.

It also involves making clear all the consequences of this Gospel. These can be summed up as follows: human life, as a gift of God, is sacred and inviolable. For this reason procured abortion and euthanasia are absolutely unacceptable. Not only must human life not be taken, but it must be protected with loving concern. The meaning of life is found in giving and receiving love, and in this light human sexuality and procreation reach their true and full significance. Love also gives meaning to suffering and death; despite the mystery which surrounds them, they can become saving events. Respect for life requires that science and technology should always be at the service of man and his integral development. Society as a whole must respect, defend and promote the dignity of every human person, at every moment and in every condition of that person’s life.

The pope was targeted for assassination by the Soviet Union for his support of the Polish Solidarity movement, which led to the downfall of Communism in that nation:

The leader of the Solidarity labor union movement and Poland’s first freely elected post-communist president, Lech Walesa, said the pope was largely responsible for the fall of communism throughout Eastern Europe.

“The pope told me: ‘Do not be afraid, change the face of the globe,’ ” Walesa said in an interview with Poland’s TVN24 channel, describing a meeting with the pontiff during his visit to Poland in 1979, a year before the largest Solidarity strike and 10 years before the fall of the Berlin Wall.

“And, after that visit, the 10 or so people who were active in the anti-communist opposition expanded into 10 million people ready to protest, ready to strike, people who trusted that communism could be defeated,” Walesa said.

Al-Qaeda terrorists also unsuccessfully plotted his death:

Documents found in a block of flats in Karachi, Pakistan, used as a hideout by [Khalid Sheikh] Mohammed show that he visited the Philippines on a number of occasions to finalise details for the assassination attempt. Local Islamic militants would have been used to detonate explosives while the Pope was saying Mass.

In addition to the assassination attempts, the pope was weakened in recent years due to the onslaught of Parkinson’s disease, severe arthritis, and several cancer treatments.

The College of Cardinals has been summoned to Rome to prepare for the Conclave that will elect the Pope’s successor.

Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and may perpetual light shine upon him. May the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.

Matt Bramanti | April 2, 2005 at 2:33 pm
Posted to International, Religion, Uncategorized

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As I’ve said before, His Holiness is one tough hombre, but he’s not doing so hot:

Pope John Paul II was expected to undergo a tracheotomy today to help his breathing, according to Italian news agencies.The news agencies ANSA and Apcom said doctors would perform a tracheotomy — a procedure in which a hole is made in the throat and a tube is inserted, Associated Press reported.

All we can do is pray.

UPDATE: Some medical experts are saying the pope may have bacterial pneumonia:

“It appears the pope is suffering from pneumonia, likely a bacterial pneumonia, a serious problem for a man of his age with Parkinson’s,” said Dr Barbara Paris, chairwoman of geriatrics and vice-chairwoman of Medicine at Maimonides Medical Centre in New York.

UPDATE: The half-hour surgery has been completed:

AGI said surgeons at Rome’s Gemelli hospital had performed a tracheotomy on the Pontiff, cutting a small opening into his neck and windpipe to allow air to flow directly into the lungs.It said the operation lasted 30 minutes, without citing any sources. There was no immediate comment from the Vatican but Church officials said a statement was due shortly.

UPDATE: The pope’s surgery was successful:

The Vatican issued a statement saying doctors at the Gemelli Polyclinic operated successfully on the pope after he gave his consent and that he will spend the night in his own room and not in intensive care.The procedure, in which a hole is made in the throat and a tube is inserted, was performed to help the pontiff with his breathing. It is not seen as threatening and usually is left in for two or three days. The Vatican said the pope’s tracheotomy took 30 minutes and was finished “in a positive way.”

Matt Bramanti | February 24, 2005 at 3:08 pm
Posted to International, Medicine, Religion

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During the Cold War, millions of American Catholics prayed for the conversion of Russia. Now, Christians are turning their attention to another Godless, communist nation:

Word has spread like wildfire of the Christian underground that helps fugitives to reach South Korea. People who lived in silent fear now dare to speak about escape. The regime has almost given up trying to stop them going, although it can savagely punish those caught and sent back.“Everybody knows there is a way out,” said a woman, who for obvious reasons cannot be identified but who spoke in front of several witnesses.

The regime is fighting to save itself from subversion. Its agents kidnapped Kim Dong-shik, a South Korean missionary, from the turbulent Chinese border town of Yanji in 2000. Last week the South Koreans demanded a new investigation: the clergyman has never been seen again.The secret police cannot staunch the word of the gospel. Two of our party turned out to be Christian businessmen who had come from China carrying wads of cash. Korean-language Bibles have been smuggled in by the hundreds.

Recently, we’ve seen an attempt on Kim Jong Il’s life, power struggles within the North Korean regime, and more publicity about the dictator’s personal excesses even as his people starve to death.

One day, the residents of that impoverished “workers’ paradise” will be free to worship. Let us pray that day comes soon.

Matt Bramanti | January 31, 2005 at 3:39 am
Posted to International, Religion

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Oliver Stone is blaming you ignorant redneck Bible-thumpers for the abject failure of his most recent movie:

Often-controversial director Oliver Stone has blamed the failure of his epic film Alexander on the “raging fundamentalism” in the U.S. South.The film, which stars Irish actor Colin Farrell in the story of the Macedonian conqueror Alexander the Great, was greeted with derisive reviews.

It was also a failure at the box office. Budgeted at roughly $150 million U.S., it has pulled in only $34 million so far.

“I was quite taken aback by the controversy and fierceness of the reviews about a character we don’t really know too much about,” Stone said before the film’s British premiere on Wednesday.

Ollie, I am not a fundamentalist. You know why your movie did so poorly?

Because it s u c k e d .

My favorite comment from a reviewer:

Watching Oliver Stone’s Alexander is like being strapped to a motion-simulator seat in an ancient history theme park. You can scream but you cannot escape.

Heh.

Matt Bramanti | January 6, 2005 at 7:52 pm
Posted to Politics, Religion, Stupidity, Uncategorized

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