Required Reading for Tomorrow's Feast

Our Lady of Guadalupe's Tug on Modernity: Charlotte Allen on the Image's Lasting Significance

- posted by Josue Andreas @ 1:52 PM: |

 
Archbiship Chaput Defiantly Says "Merry Christmas"

Denver archbishop: ‘scrub’ words ‘Happy Holidays’ from Catholic vocabulary

- posted by Josue Andreas @ 1:49 PM: |

 
Chinese Glamour

From Glamour Lives, in Chinese Films (NY Times reg. req'd.):

From left, Shu Qi, Zhang Ziyi and Gong Li. The actresses have helped restore a sense of glamour to the movie.

ONCE upon a time in Hollywood, the stars shone with a radiant glamour; in Chinese film they still do. In movies from Beijing to Hong Kong, actresses like Zhang Ziyi and actors like Tony Leung Chiu-wai fill the screen with heart-skipping beauty and charm....

These days no one does glamour better than Chinese filmmakers... Much as it was in old Hollywood, glamour in contemporary Chinese film is a device and a disguise, but it's also a luminous end in itself....

American screens are now awash in interchangeable blonds with hungry mouths and empty eyes, but in the 1930's and 1940's movie stars were divine, agleam with enchantment. By the end of the 1950's, glamour was as eroded as the studio system. No-holds-barred rock 'n' roll and foreign-language cinema did their part to kill glamour, as did Dr. Kinsey, by taking the mystery out of sex and leaving less and less to the imagination. By the time Marilyn Monroe laid down her peroxide head for good in 1962, glamour was a goner.

KS readers will know that I'm a bit of a film buff. This came about as a result of sharing an apartment with a bunch of film majors as an undergraduate. KS readers will also know that I'm no fan of the Red Chinese government. I am, however, a big fan of Chinese culture and of Chinese film. My attraction to the latter came about as a result of seeing Zhang Yimou's Da hong deng long gao gao gua (1991), aka "Raise the Red Lantern," in Buffalo's historic North Park Theatre in the early 1990's. Few films have left a stronger impression on me.

It's good to see that glamour* lives. While it defintely has potential to promote emptiness and vanity, at its beat, glamour is a celebration of beauty, class, and culture. As a Catholic, I'm no Puritan Calvinist and beauty does not repulse me.

I don't watch many current Holloywood films these days, but it seems that glamour is dead and buried. The current crop of actors and actresses seem crass and vile, as evidenced by the "clothes" that many of them wear to award ceremonies. They don't realize that not revealing is much more alluring than baring all for the public. A few stand out, though. Nicole Kidman, Naomi Watts, Denzel Washington, and George Clooney are four that come to mind as having something of the old Hollywood in them.

* The word "glamour" has a "Konglish" (English loanwords used incorrectly in Korean) meaning: big-breasted. This is, of course, not what I'm writing about.

- posted by Josue Andreas @ 10:32 AM: |

 
Day Eight

From Novena in Honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe:

With my heart full of the most sincere veneration, I prostrate myself before you, O Mother, to ask you to obtain for me the grace to fulfill the duties of my state in life with faithfulness and constancy.

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be.

From Novena en Honor de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe:

Oh Santísima Virgen de Guadalupe! Qué misteriosa y que acertada estuvo la mano del Artífice Supremo, bordando tu vestido con esa orla de oro finísimo que le sirve de guarnición.

Aludió sin duda a aquél finísimo oro de la caridad y amor de Dios con que fueron enriquecidas tus acciones. Y quién duda, Señora, que esa tu encendida caridad y amor de Dios estuvo siempre acompañada del amor al prójimo y que no, por verte triunfante en la patria celestial, te has olvidado de nosotros?

Abre el seno de tus piedades a quien es tan miserable; dale la mano a quien caído te invoca para levantarse; traete la gloria de haber encontrado en mí una miseria proporcionada, mas que todas, a tu compasión y misericordia. Amén.

Un Padrenuestro, un Ave María y un Gloria.

- posted by Josue Andreas @ 2:12 AM: |

 
How Happy Are You?

From South Korea 49th in Happiness Ranking:

- posted by Josue Andreas @ 1:59 AM: |

 
I am a Race-Traitor

At least it appears that Sam Francis would think so. Writing in an article entitled MORALITY NOT THE ONLY TARGET OF MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL AD, about the Nicolette Sheridan-Terrell Owens ad scandal, Mr. Francis says the following:

But the ad's message also was that interracial sex is normal and legitimate....

Breaking down the sexual barriers between the races is a major weapon of cultural destruction because it means the dissolution of the cultural boundaries that define breeding and the family, and ultimately, the transmission and survival of the culture itself.

I couldn't disagree more with this kind of hogwash.

Our word "culture" comes from the Latin colere, meaning to inhabit, to cultivate, to protect, to honor with worship. It is especially this last meaning that is most important.

My wife and I might be of different "races" and have different customs, but we hold the same Catholic Faith and are ultimately citizens of the same Universal Church. Thus, we will pass the same culture to our children. Being Catholic precedes being American or being Korean.

Nationalism and ethnocentrism, of the type Mr. Francis espouses in his article, are both rather recent developments. They are not traditionalist or conservative ideas. They were the destruction of Christendom. The community of nation and language is a gift that shoud not be denied, but there are greater things.

Blessed Charles I, the last Austro-Hungarian Emperor, saw his empire not as a collection of various nations, but as a Christian family. The Church sees the Kindgom of God in much the same way.

- posted by Josue Andreas @ 1:33 AM: |

 
A Positive Sign in Mainline Protestantism

Re: From 'liberal' pews, a rising thirst for personal moral code

Culturally, but not theologically, I feel closer to Mainline Protestants than to Evangelicals. My parents belong to a very respectable Mainline congregation. I'm happy to see the changes the above article describes.

- posted by Josue Andreas @ 1:20 AM: |

 
Liturgical Abuses

Musings of an orthodox Korean Catholic... has been documenting liturgical abuses, here, here, and here.

Keep up the good work!

- posted by Josue Andreas @ 1:12 AM: |

 
Korea and the Immaculate Conception

From Both North and South consecrated to the Immaculate Virgin, says Bishop of Seoul:

In his homily, Archbishop Nicholas Cheong said that Pope Gregory XVI dedicated the Korean Catholic Church to the Immaculate Virgin in 1841 before the dogma was proclaimed. The entire nation owes much to Mary. The liberation of Korea from Japanese rule and the founding of the Republic took place on 15 August, the Solemnity of the Assumption, in 1945 and 1948 respectively....

The Archbishop then invited the faithful to ask the Immaculate Virgin for help “to anticipate as soon as possible the day when our faithful and our people in the North may live a more humane life while their own fundamental human rights are respected and to adequately accomplish our mission to bring the light of Christ to all people of our time.”

- posted by Josue Andreas @ 8:53 PM: |

 
DPRK Repression

Political dissidents risk the death penalty: The regime toughens penalties for crimes against the state because the number of dissidents is on the rise.

- posted by Josue Andreas @ 6:16 PM: |

 
Today's Memorial

Saint Juan Diego

Juan Diego Cuautlatoatzin was the visionary to whom the Virgin Mary appeared at Guadalupe on 9 December 1531.

- posted by Josue Andreas @ 11:21 AM: |

 
Day Seven

From Novena in Honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe:

O Lady of Guadalupe, we beg you that parents live a holy life and educate their children in a true Christian manner; that children obey and follow the directions of their parents; that all members of the family will pray and worship together. This I humbly ask of you, O Blessed Mother.

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be.

From Novena en Honor de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe:

Oh Santísima Virgen María de Guadalupe! Nada, nada veo en este hermosísimo retrato que no me lleve a conocer las altas perfecciones de que dotó el Señor a tu alma inocentísima.

Ese lienzo grosero y despreciable; ese pobre pero feliz ayate en que se ve estampada tu singular belleza, dan claro a conocer la profundísima humildad que le sirvió de cabeza y fundamento a tu asombrosa santidad.

No te desdeñaste de tomar la pobre tilma de Juan Diego, para que en ella estampase tu rostro, que es encanto de los ángeles, maravilla de los hombres y admiración de todo el universo. Pues, cómo no he de esperar yo de tu benignidad , que la miseria y pobreza de mi alma no sean embarazo para que estampes en ella tu imagen graciosísima?

Yo te ofrezco las telas de mi corazón. Tómalo, Señora, en tus manos y no lo dejéis jamás, pues mi deseo es que no se emplee en otra cosa que en amarte y amar a Dios. Amén.

Un Padrenuestro, un Ave María y un Gloria.

- posted by Josue Andreas @ 6:45 AM: |

 
A Newly Discovered Work by El Greco (Doménikos Theotokópoulos) — My Favorite Painter

From "Le baptême du Christ", du Greco:

Une toile du Greco découverte par hasard en Espagne dans
une vieille enveloppe a été acquise aux enchères mercredi
à Londres pour près de 800.000 livres (environ 1,1 million
d'euros) par la mairie d'Héraklion, la ville natale de l'artiste,
en Crète.

[For full story, see Une toile du Greco découverte par hasard vendue plus d'un million d'euros.]

- posted by Josue Andreas @ 11:24 PM: |

 
Persecution in Egypt

Christians deplore 'forced' conversions

UPDATE: Christians in Egyptian cathedral stone police to protest woman's alleged forced conversion to Islam

- posted by Josue Andreas @ 11:00 PM: |

 
Romanov News

Remains of Last Russian Czar Nicholas II Not Authentic — Japanese Researchers

- posted by Josue Andreas @ 10:56 PM: |

 
A Cleveland Paper Reviews a Korean Movie

From Brothers in Arms: Two Koreans go to war in the masterful epic Tae Guk Gi:

One hopes that Jerry Bruckheimer will attend and take copious notes -- foreign films often feature intellectual alternatives to homegrown cinema, but rare is the foreign blockbuster that can go toe-to-toe with the big American-studio action-franchise flicks and clobber them on their own terms.



Kang Je-gyu's epic stands
up to Hollywood's best.

- posted by Josue Andreas @ 10:51 PM: |

 
Churches Destroyed in Mosul

From the Catholic News Service Homepage:

MOSUL CHURCH HIT
Nuns survey damage at an Armenian-
Catholic church Dec. 8 after it and a
bishop's residence came under attack
by gunmen in the northern Iraqi city of
Mosul. The attacks fueled fears of
sectarian unrest. Numerous Christian
sites, especially churches, have been
targets of bombings in Iraq. (Reuters)

[See also Pope expresses concern for Iraqi Christians after two terror attacks.]

- posted by Josue Andreas @ 3:16 PM: |

 
John Lennon

Don't miss the comments of fellow Beatles-fan Serge of A conservative blog for peace on yesterday's anniversary of the murder of John Lennon: Who the secular world is commemorating today.

I was so caught up with trying to find out whether or not the Feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary was a Holy Day of Obligation (not to mention an 8:00 AM to 8:45 PM workday) that I forgot the secular significance of December 8th. I still remember that day as a ten-year-old when I learned the news from my mother before breakfast. I was already a Beatles fan, thanks largely to my parents' albums. The news stunned me.

Back to Serge's post: I agree with his insights, especially that the song "Imagine" was "an antichrist anthem whose truths were ripped off Christianity." Serge also notes that "the trouble with the 'Ballad of John and Yoko' is they were married to other people at the time." I've always found the glorification of cheap, selfish adultery, as if it were something beautiful and noble, whether in song or in movies like The English Patient, to be base and disgusting.

Still, John Lennon was a very talented singer and song-writer, one of the best of the Twentieth Century. His songs will be played and sung for decades, if not centuries, to come.

- posted by Josue Andreas @ 1:26 PM: |

 
A Great Korean Movie

A scene from "A Tale of Two Sisters"

Here's a review of a Janghwa, Hongryeon (2003), aka "A Tale of Two Sisters": 'Two Sisters' scares Western critics.

The movie is along the lines of The Others (2001) or The Sixth Sense (1999), except that the viewer (or at least this viewer) never fully figures out exactly what is going on. If you don't mind movies that leave some questions unanswered, you might enjoy this film. It opened world-wide last weekend.

For more information, read this list of 112 (and counting) External reviews for Janghwa, Hongryeon (2003). Or, for a preview of the film's eerieness, check out its official Korean website, 장화,홍련, or its American website by clicking on the poster below:

- posted by Josue Andreas @ 1:13 PM: |

 
Red Chinese Misinformation

Here is some of the misinformation found in Red Chinese high school textbooks, from Distortion of Historical Facts: China Makes Itself a Laughing Stock of the World:

1. The Korean War was triggered by the South's invasion of the North, an ally of China.

2. Japan was defeated in World War II largely as a result of Chinese resistance, not by the United States.

3. China has fought wars only in self-defense, never aggressively or in conquest.

- posted by Josue Andreas @ 10:56 AM: |

 
Yesterday's Solemnity

Pope commends Iraq and the world to the Immaculate's protection

Pope prays to the Immaculate Virgin for peace and the sacredness of life

- posted by Josue Andreas @ 10:53 AM: |

 
You Know You're a Liberal* When...

A friend sent me an email with the above title a few days ago. Here are the ones I found most interesting:

You believe the AIDS virus is spread by a lack of funding.

You are against capital punishment**, but for abortion on demand, in short you support protecting the guilty and killing the innocent.

You believe that the same public school teacher who can't teach 4th graders how to read is qualified to teach those same kids about sex.

You believe that gender roles are artificial but being gay is natural.

You believe there was no art before federal funding.

You believe that conservatives are racists, but that black people couldn't make it without your help.

You believe the only reason socialism hasn't worked properly anywhere it's been tried is because the right people haven't been in charge.

You believe that posting the "Ten Commandments" in schools will hurt the children, but putting "Heather Has Two Mommies" or "Ask Alice" (on the internet) won't.

You called Vietnam Veterans "baby killers" but think that allowing a woman to suck her baby into a sink is a constitutionally protected right.

You think trees have feelings, animals can conceptualize and the fetus is a blob of protoplasm.

You consider the Catholic bishops noble and idealistic when they oppose capital punishment and welfare cuts but dangerous fanatics trying to legislate their theology when they defend the right to life.

* I try not to use the word "liberal" because I find it too vague. Also, I reject the way it is used by the Rush Limbaughs and Ann Coulters of the world. In fact, there are many positive things associated with historic Liberalism. I also try to avoid the word "conservative" as used by the aforementioned pundits, who are really not conservative in my estimation. I prefer the word "progressive" to describe the kind of philosophy I oppose, because it carries with it the connotations of the positivism, exemplified by Marx, that sees humanity as "evolving" toward some future utopian paradise on earth.

** I part with many "conservatives" in being opposed to the death penalty in almost all cases. The death penalty, however, can never be equated with abortion in terms of heinousness.

- posted by Josue Andreas @ 10:12 AM: |

 
Dude!

Linguist Deciphers Uses of Word 'Dude'

- posted by Josue Andreas @ 10:11 AM: |

 
Day Six

From Novena in Honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe:

Mary, Mother of Vocations, multiply priestly vocations and fill the earth with religious houses which will be light and warmth for the world, safety in stormy nights. Beg your Son to send us many Holy priests and religious. This I humbly ask of you, O Mother.

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be.

From Novena en Honor de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe:

Oh Santísima Virgen María de Guadalupe! Que bien dice a tu soberanía ese tapete que la luna forma a tus sagradas plantas!

Hollaste con invicta planta las vanidades del mundo, y quedando superior a todo lo creado jamás padeciste el menguante de la mas ligera imperfección: antes de tu primer instante estuviste llena de gracia.

Miserable de mí, Señora, que no sabiéndome mantener en los propósitos que hago, no tengo estabilidad en la virtud y solo soy constante en mis viciosas costumbres.

Duélete de mí, Madre amorosa y tierna; ya que soy como la luna en mi inconstancia, sea como la luna que está a tus pies, esto es, firme siempre en tu devoción y amor, para no padecer los menguantes de la culpa. Haz que esté yo siempre a tus plantas por el amor y la devoción, y ya no temeré los menguantes del pecado sino que procuraré darme de lleno a mis obligaciones, detestando de corazón todo lo que es ofensa de mi Dios. Amén.

Un Padrenuestro, un Ave María y un Gloria.

- posted by Josue Andreas @ 6:36 AM: |

 
Mercy

From Advocates for Abandoned Babies Win Lottery:

CALIMESA, Calif. -- A couple who provide funerals for abandoned infants and helped inspire a California law to save unwanted newborns won a $27 million lottery jackpot -- and plan to use the money for their advocacy work.

God bless this couple! Burying the dead is one of the corporal acts of mercy, as listed below (from Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy):

* To feed the hungry;
* To give drink to the thirsty;
* To clothe the naked;
* To harbour the harbourless;
* To visit the sick;
* To ransom the captive;
* To bury the dead.

[link to article via Ruminations]

- posted by Josue Andreas @ 10:04 PM: |

 
The Glory that Was Rome

From Ancient Roman Rest Stop Discovered:

Underneath a German bus terminal, archaeologists have found the remains of a 2,000-year-old Roman roadside rest stop that included a chariot service station, gourmet restaurant and hotel with central heating.

- posted by Josue Andreas @ 6:12 PM: |

 
Vive le Québec libre!

Re: Things still looking up in New York: Bloc Quebecois leader sees opportunities for all in closer north-south, Quebec-New York relationship

Here is the homepage of Québec's independence party, in French only: Bloc Québécois.

- posted by Josue Andreas @ 5:49 PM: |

 
Hope?

North Korea Suggests Possible Peace Treaty

- posted by Josue Andreas @ 5:45 PM: |

 
Happy Chanukah!

Today is the first day of Chanukah. Here's a good read to learn what the holiday's about: What is Chanukah?

- posted by Josue Andreas @ 5:41 PM: |

 
Invasion Tunnel?

Conspiracy theorists say they can prove passage to S. Korea leads under DMZ

- posted by Josue Andreas @ 2:52 PM: |

 
Song Chang-Hoon's Story

CWA Hopes Adult Stem Cell 'Miracle' Opens Liberal Eyes

- posted by Josue Andreas @ 2:48 PM: |

 
Hometown Soldier Killed in Iraq

Re: Orchard Park Soldier Laid To Rest

David Roustum was from my hometown and graduated from the same high school that I did. If we were Korean, not only would we have the hometown-bond but he'd also be my hubae (후배 後輩), often translated as "junior." The relationship might be similar to two people who were members of the same fraternity at different times but who've never met.

More importantly, David Roustum was a Catholic (like 80% of people from the Buffalo area). Thus, he's my brother in the Faith. I'll pray for him and his family.

David Roustum, Requiescat in Pace

- posted by Josue Andreas @ 2:43 PM: |

 
Today's Feast of the Immaculate Conception

Re: Church celebrating today´s 150th anniversary of Marian dogma

Here's a photo of a Marian Shrine dedicated to the Immaculate Conception in my diocese of Daegu, from 성모당:

More information about this shrine can be found at this site: The Grotto of Our Lady in Daegu, South Korea, which is part of The Mary Page.

From this same source comes an excellent history of a dogma difficult* for Catholics and non-Catholics alike: Immaculate Conception Dogma.

* Here it is helpful to remember the words of John Henry Cardinal Newman: "Ten thousand difficulties do not make one doubt."

UPDATE: Reader Jason reminded me that today is a Holy Day of Obligation (shame on me for forgetting), so if you're Catholic, go to Mass.

SECOND UPDATE: Today is not a Holy Day of Obligation here in Korea, although it is in most other places. In Korea, there are four Holy Days of Obligation: Mary, Mother of God (January 1st), Easter Sunday (moveable), the Assumption of the Virgin Mary into Heaven (August 15th), and Christmas (December 25th). Thus, on these days, and every Sunday, A Catholic is required to attend Mass unless unable to do so. Still, it's a good idea to go to Mass today, although I am unable to do so.

- posted by Josue Andreas @ 9:00 AM: |

 
Martyrologium Romanum

Vatican publishes expanded calendar of saints

- posted by Josue Andreas @ 7:56 AM: |

 
Burn, Baby, Burn

[Photo]Security law fracas:

Demonstrations broke out yesterday at the National Assembly to protest the Uri Party's effort
to abolish the National Security Law. Debate on the law has been postponed.

UPDATE: From 김정일 국방위원장 사진 불태우는 보수단체:

【서울=로이터/뉴시스】4일 서울시청 광장에서 보수단체인 반핵반김
국민협의회가 김정일 국방위원장 사진을 불태우며 ''4대 악법 저지
범국민 궐기대회''를 열고 있다. 이들은 국가보안법 폐지와 사립학교법
개정에 반대하며 시위를 벌였다.

- posted by Josue Andreas @ 7:42 AM: |

 
Mosul Bombings

Bombs explode at two churches in Mosul

Patriarch Delly mourns the destruction of the most beautiful symbol of Iraq’s Chaldean Church

Grave and cowardly acts, says papal nuncio

Chaldean Bishop’s Palace and Catholic-Armenian Church attacked in Mosul

- posted by Josue Andreas @ 7:34 AM: |

 
Anti-Christian Violence in Iraq

From the Catholic News Agency's daily email:

Radical Muslims destroy two Christian Churches in Mosul

MOSUL, Iraq – The most important historic and artistic church of the Chaldean Catholic’s, the See of the Chaldean Bishop, was completley razed to the ground today by armed Muslim gunmen in Mosul, as was an Armenian Catholic church. Worshippers were evacuated by the gunmen before they bombed the churches. There were no casualties, Reuters reports.

Many of Iraq’s 750,000 strong Christian population live in Mosul, whose total population 1.2 million.

Christians, who make up 3% of Iraq’a population have been attacked several times in the past few months.

This is not the first time that churches have been targeted. Five Baghdad churches had been bombed on Oct. 16 at the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, and two Christians were killed in the bombings of two churches in Baghdad on Nov. 8.

Many of Iraq’a Christians, mostly Chaldean Catholics have fled Iraq for neighbouring Jordan and Syria in recent months owing to the systematic violence perpetrated against them from Mulsim extremists.

Muslim leaders have condemned the violence, trying to quell Christian fears that they are being routed from the country.

- posted by Josue Andreas @ 6:26 AM: |

 
Day Five

From Novena in Honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe:

O most holy Mother, I beg you to obtain for me pardon of all my sins, abundant graces to serve your Son more faithfully from now on, and lastly, the grace to praise Him with you forever in heaven.

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be.

From Novena en Honor de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe:

Oh Santísima Virgen María de Guadalupe! Qué otro vestido le correspondía a quien es un cielo por su hermosura, sino uno todo lleno de estrellas?

Con qué podía adornarse una belleza toda celestial, sino con los brillos de unas virtudes tan lucidas y tan resplandecientes como las tuyas?

Bendita mil veces la mano de aquel Dios que supo unir en tí hermosura tan peregrina con pureza tan realzada, y gala tan brillante y rica con humildad tan apacible. Yo quedo, Señora, absorto de hermosura tan amable, y quisiera que mis ojos se fijaran siempre en tí para que mi corazón no se dejara arrastrar en otro afecto que no sea el amor tuyo.

No podré lograr este deseo si esos resplandecientes astros con que estás adornada no infunden una ardiente y fervorosa caridad, para que ame de todo corazón y con todas mis fuerzas a mi Dios, y después de mi Dios a Tí, como objeto digno de que lo amemos todos. Amén.

Un Padrenuestro, un Ave María y un Gloria.

- posted by Josue Andreas @ 6:23 AM: |

 
Euthanasia

George Neumayr writes excellent article about the Dutch program to euthanize babies deemed defective: In Service to Inhumanity. In it, he describes what euthanasia really is:

Euthanasia isn't letting a patient die but killing a patient who isn't dying. It is an act of annoyance at a patient who isn't dying on the timetable those who want the patient to die would prefer.

- posted by Josue Andreas @ 6:09 AM: |

 
"Natalism"

The first three paragraphs of The New Red-Diaper Babies (NY Times reg. req'.d):

There is a little-known movement sweeping across the United States. The movement is "natalism."

All across the industrialized world, birthrates are falling - in Western Europe, in Canada and in many regions of the United States. People are marrying later and having fewer kids. But spread around this country, and concentrated in certain areas, the natalists defy these trends.

They are having three, four or more kids. Their personal identity is defined by parenthood. They are more spiritually, emotionally and physically invested in their homes than in any other sphere of life, having concluded that parenthood is the most enriching and elevating thing they can do. Very often they have sacrificed pleasures like sophisticated movies, restaurant dining and foreign travel, let alone competitive careers and disposable income, for the sake of their parental calling.

This trend is occuring in red states, while blue states continue to have falling birth rates. Natalists are not your classic Republican voters, however:

Politicians will try to pander to this group. They should know this is a spiritual movement, not a political one. The people who are having big families are explicitly rejecting materialistic incentives and hyperindividualism. It costs a middle-class family upward of $200,000 to raise a child. These people are saying money and ambition will not be their gods.

Natalists resist the declining fertility trends not because of income, education or other socioeconomic characteristics. It's attitudes. People with larger families tend to attend religious services more often, and tend to have more traditional gender roles.

- posted by Josue Andreas @ 6:06 AM: |

 
The Feast of Saint Nicholas in Catholic Bavaria

From Entertainment Photos - Reuters:

A man dressed as Saint Nicholas and 20 people in traditional Bavarian
attire known as 'Buttenmandl' and 'Krampusse' at a parade in the southern
German town of Berchtesgaden December 6, 2004. Buttenmandl and
Krampusse consist of animal skins and masks attached to large cow-bells
used to make loud and frightening noises, and are worn by young single
men. They follow Saint Nicholas from house to house on December 5 and
6 each year to bring luck to the good and punish the idle.

Yesterday, December 6th, was the feast day of the saint popularly known as Santa Claus, pictured below:

Saint Nicholas of Myra

- posted by Josue Andreas @ 1:50 PM: |

 
Our Third Amendment Heritage

Antipathy to Militarism

- posted by Josue Andreas @ 1:50 PM: |

 
Reforming Korean Drinking Culture

Re: Knowing How to Drink Will Cause Less Intoxication

The Mediterranean approach to alcohol is the healthiest. Folks from colder climes like Korea and Northern Europe (or my hometown of Buffalo, NY) tend to abuse alcohol.

- posted by Josue Andreas @ 9:02 AM: |

 
New Korean Protestant Translations

From Lord's Prayer Gets Modern Re-Write:

The modern updates change the archaic, honorific and Chinese expressions and revise them into more colloquial language, eliminating or simplifying unclear vocabulary in the process to be less exclusionist.

The Korean versions of the Lord's Prayer and Apostles' Creed now in use were translated early in the 20th century when Protestantism first landed in the country, and contain Korean grammar and highbrow vernacular that prevailed at the time.

- posted by Josue Andreas @ 8:58 AM: |

 
Signs for Cautious Hope

Cracks in North Korean 'Stalinism'

- posted by Josue Andreas @ 7:59 AM: |

 
酒

China The Motherland Of Booze?

- posted by Josue Andreas @ 7:54 AM: |

 
Hometown Woman Killed in Iraq

Re: Soldier killed in Iraq was due home in January

Cari Anne Gasiewicz, Requiescat in Pace

- posted by Josue Andreas @ 7:47 AM: |

 
The Truth about Matthew Shepard's Murder

From Bauer: Shepard's Death No Hate Crime -- How Will Media Handle News?:

The beating death of Matthew Shepard was thought to be -- and was portrayed in the media as -- simply the result of the fact that he was homosexual. Now, however, it has been revealed that the young man was killed for refusing to pay drug dealers for his drugs.

- posted by Josue Andreas @ 7:38 AM: |

 
PJB on Ukraine

What Are We Up to – in Ukraine? by Patrick J. Buchanan

- posted by Josue Andreas @ 7:36 AM: |

 
A Good Site

Advent and Christmas: Prayers and Customs

- posted by Josue Andreas @ 7:30 AM: |

 
Today's Memorial

Saint Ambrose of Milan

One of the great moments in the history of the Church, and indeed of the world, was when Emperor Theodosius the Great did public penance before the Cathedral of Milan, where St. Ambrose was bishop. Less than a century after the Christians were suffering terrible persecuations, the Christian Bishop of Milan publicly upbraided the Emperor, who wanted to enter his church, for his massacre at Thessalonica, saying:

You do not reflect, it seems, O Emperor, on the guilt you have incurred by that great massacre; but now that your fury is appeased, do you not perceive the enormity of your crime? You must not be dazzled by the splendor of the purple you wear, and be led to forget the weakness of the body which it clothes. Your subjects, O Emperor, are of the same nature as yourself, and not only so, but are likewise your fellow servants; for there is one Lord and Ruler of all, and He is the maker of all creatures, whether princes or people. How would you look upon the temple of the one Lord of all? How could you lift up in prayer hands steeped in the blood of so unjust a massacre? Depart then, and do not by a second crime add to the guilt of the first.

After much reflection, the Emperor returned to the Saint, imploring forgiveness in the Sacrament of Reconciliation:

I beseech you, in consideration of the mercy of our common Lord, to unloose me from these bonds, and not to shut the door which is opened by the Lord to all that truly repent.

Saint Ambrose then "stipulated that the Emperor should prove his repentance by recalling his unjust decrees" and had the Emperor sign a document drawn up by the Saint himself to that effect. This is an account of what followed:

The Emperor, who was full of faith, now took courage to enter holy church where he prayed neither in a standing, nor in a kneeling posture, but throwing himself upon the ground. He tore his hair, struck his forehead, and shed torrents of tears, as he implored forgiveness of God. Ambrose restored him to favor, but forbade him to come inside the altar rail, ordering his deacon to say "The priests alone, O Emperor, are permitted to enter within the barriers by the altar. Retire then, and remain with the rest of the laity. A purple robe makes Emperors, but not priests. . ." Theodosius meekly obeyed, praising Ambrose for his spirit, and saying "Ambrose alone deserves the title of "bishop."

Thus, the State recognized a Power higher than itself.

[The quotes above are from the Ancient History Sourcebook: Theodoret: St. Ambrose Humiliates Theodosius the Great. See also the Medieval Sourcebook: Ambrose to Theodosius I 390 [Letter 51].]

- posted by Josue Andreas @ 6:10 AM: |

 
Day Four

From Novena in Honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe:

Dearest Mother of Guadalupe, I beg you for a fortified will to imitate your divine Son's Charity, to always seek the good of others in need. Grant me this favor, I humbly ask of you.

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be.

From Novena en Honor de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe:

Oh Santísima María de Guadalupe! Si un ángel del cielo tiene por honra tan grande suya estar a tus pies y que en prueba de su gozo abre los brazos y extiende las alas para formar con ellas repisa a tu Majestad, qué deberé yo hacer para manifestar mi veneración a tu persona, no ya la cabeza, ni los brazos, sino mi corazón y mi alma para que santificándola con tus divinas plantas se haga trono digno de tu soberanía?

Dígnate, Señora, de admitir este obsequio; no lo desprecies por indigno a tu soberanía, pues el mérito que le falta por mi miseria y pobreza lo recompenso con la buena voluntad y deseo.
Entra a registrar mi corazón y verás que no lo mueven otras alas sino las del deseo de ser tuyo y el temor de ofender a tu Hijo divinísimo. Forma trono de mi corazón, y ya no se envilecerá dándole entrada a la culpa y haciéndose esclavo del demonio. Haz que no vivan en el sino Jesús y María. Amén.

Un Padrenuestro, un Ave María y un Gloria.

- posted by Josue Andreas @ 5:53 AM: |

 
"No Greater Love"

Re: A Hero's Courageous Sacrifice: Marine Sgt. Rafael Peralta saved the lives of five others in his unit by smothering the blast of a grenade in Iraq. (LA Times reg. req'd)

The above is truly an amazing and inspiring story. It should be required reading for nativists like Samuel Francis, author of DEER-HUNTER SLAYINGS: WHY IMMIGRANTS KILL.

Requiescat in Pace, Sgt. Peralta.

- posted by Josue Andreas @ 5:53 PM: |

 
Advent Singing

My favorite song this year is Ding Dong Merrily on High.

This song and other great Christmas songs with sound files can be found at NetStrider - Christmas Music, which is part of NetStrider - Music Files, a site containing Elizabethan Canzonets, Folksongs from the Appalachians and from England, Gershwin Piano Music, Rags by Scott Joplin, and much more.

- posted by Josue Andreas @ 5:38 PM: |

 
Conservative Catholic Maggie Gallagher on Ganja

A CONSTITUTIONAL CASE FOR MEDICAL MARIJUANA

- posted by Josue Andreas @ 5:29 PM: |

 
Descendants of Conversos

DNA Clears the Fog Over Latino Links to Judaism in New Mexico

- posted by Josue Andreas @ 4:12 PM: |

 
Jenkins Speaks

Deserter regrets 40 years in NKorea

- posted by Josue Andreas @ 4:05 PM: |

 
Advent Listening

Here are some excellent on-line radio stations to put one in the Advent mood, from Live365 Internet Radio (free reg. req'd):

A Blue Light Christmas

Choirboys and Trebles*

Christmas Broadband

Christmas Notes

ChristmasRadio.com

Holiday Moods

North Pole Radio

* my favorite

- posted by Josue Andreas @ 3:48 PM: |

 
Misa Pansori

From Catholic Mass Songs Gets 'Pansori' Treatment:

Songs traditionally performed during Catholic Mass will be recreated as tunes of traditional music and staged at the National Theater of Korea in Seoul.

The event, titled "Misa Pansori (Pansori for Catholic Mass)," will be performed by Wang Ki-chul, musician of "pansori (traditional narrative songs)," at 4 p.m. on Dec. 11 at the Dalorum Hall of the theater.

If I lived in Seoul, I'd check it out.

Pansori (판소리) is Korea's amazing operatic folk music. Pansori is quite minamalist in that it employs only a human voice and a drum, yet it is perhaps the most emotive music I've ever encountered. It is literally, as one reviewer said, "the art of noise" (see The Art of Noise - Korean folk music called pansori gains fans in Los Angeles, CA - Brief Article, an excellent introduction to the music).

Below is an image of a Pansori singer and drummer, from Traditionel Koreansk Musik og Dans:

I became a Pansori fan a few years before I came to Korea, as a result of the film Seopyeonje (1993). Here's a link to a Korean site about the music: 판소리 (PANSORI). And here's a link to a site on which you can hear some samples: PANSORI, Korean Traditional Singing.

[link to original article via the Santificarnos Crossblog]

- posted by Josue Andreas @ 10:30 AM: |

 
Anti-Child Sentiment

Singaporean Christine Goh, quoted in Asia's lovers are 'too tired for sex':

"I don't want kids.... To me, they're parasites. They're like mushrooms growing on trees, feeding on the host."

Sadly, Ms. Goh's feelings are not that uncommon, not only in Asia, but much of the "developed" world.

- posted by Josue Andreas @ 10:10 AM: |

 
Bernard Kerik

New US Homeland Chief Fathered Daughter in Korea and "deserted her and her mother when he left the country in February 1976."

To his credit, he called the decision "a mistake I will always regret, and I pray to God that one day I can make it right."

- posted by Josue Andreas @ 9:29 AM: |

 
The Apostle of the East

One million devotees flock to St Francis Xavier's remains

- posted by Josue Andreas @ 7:39 AM: |

 
Day Three

From Novena in Honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe:

O Mary, whose Immaculate Heart was pierced by seven Swords of grief, help me to walk valiantly amid the sharp thorns strewn across my pathway. Obtain for me the strength to be a true imitator of you. This I humbly ask of you, my dear Mother.

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be.

From Novena en Honor de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe:

Oh Santísima Virgen María de Guadalupe! Qué puedo creer al verte cercada de los rayos del sol, sino que estás intimamente unida al Sol de la Divinidad, que no hay en tu casa ninguna cosa que no sea luz, que no sea gracia y que no sea santidad!

Qué puedo creer sino que estás anegada en el piélago de las divinas perfecciones y atributos, y que Dios te tiene siempre en su corazón! Sea para bien, Señora, tan alta felicidad.

Yo, entre tanto, arrebatado del gozo que ello me causa, me presento delante del trono de tu soberanía, suplicándote te dignes enviar uno de tus ardientes rayos hacia mi corazón: ilumina con su luz mi entendimiento; enciende con su luz mi voluntad; haz que acabe yo de persuadirme de que vivo engañado todo el tiempo que no empleo en amarte a tí y en amar a mi Dios: haz que acabe de persuadirme de que me engaño miserablemente cuando amo alguna cosa que no sea mi Dios y cuando no te amo a Tí por Dios. Amén.

Un Padrenuestro, un Ave María y un Gloria.

- posted by Josue Andreas @ 7:35 AM: |

 
The Phillippines

The Holy Father, quoted in Pope John Paul II "deeply saddened" by Philippines disaster:

"I ask the Almighty God to grant peace and consolation to the homeless, the suffering and those involved in the difficult task of relief."

- posted by Josue Andreas @ 10:24 PM: |

 
Iran

My maternal grandfather, Lloyd P. McCaskey (may he rest in peace), served in Iran during WWII. He also visited Jesusalem. There, my grandfather, a Methodist, followed the Via Dolorosa and bought a rosary, which I have hanging on the wall behind me and which I count as one of my family heirlooms.

Below is a quote from an editorial that recalls my grandfather's experience from the Iranian side, from [Karim Sadjadpour]Can U.S.-Iran relations be revived?:

During World War II, Allied soldiers occupied Iran, using the country as a way station to transport supplies from the Persian Gulf to the Soviet Union. This was Iran's first exposure to Americans. "They arrived in our country with a certain innocence," said the respected Iranian historian Kaveh Bayat, "and without any colonial pretenses."

The American supply train would regularly pass through my father's ancestral village, Arak, then a scenic oasis of green gardens and fruit orchards. "Whenever we heard the train coming," my father once told me, "all the young boys in the village would run as fast as we could through the apple orchard to greet the passing Americans. They would smile and wave and throw us whatever gifts they happened to have - playing cards, chewing gum, Lifesaver candies... For us they were like heroes from another world.

- posted by Josue Andreas @ 9:51 PM: |

 
Be Careful What You Say

Bus driver fired for stem cell remark

- posted by Josue Andreas @ 9:47 PM: |

 
It's Time for It's a Wonderful Life

A Wonderful Life: The Catholic Vision of Frank Capra

- posted by Josue Andreas @ 9:42 PM: |

 
Latin Lives

What Is a Dead Language Doing in the 21st Century?

- posted by Josue Andreas @ 9:35 PM: |

 
Day Two

From Novena in Honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe:

O Mary, conceived without Sin, I come to your throne of grace to share the fervent devotion of your faithful Mexican children who call to you under the glorious Aztec title of Guadalupe. Obtain for me a lively faith to do your Son's Holy Will always: May His will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven.

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be.

From Novena en Honor de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe:

Oh Santísima Virgen de Guadalupe! Que bien se conoce que eres Abogada nuestra en el tribunal de Dios, pues esas hermosísimas manos que jamás dejan de beneficiarnos las juntas ante el pecho en ademán de quien suplica y ruega, dándonos con esto a ver que desde el trono de gloria como Reina de Angeles y hombres haces también oficio de abogada, rogando y procurando a favor nuestro.

Con qué afectos de reconocimiento y gratitud podré pagar tanta fineza? Siendo que no hay en todo mi corazón suficiente caudal para pagarlo.

A tí recurro para que me enriquezcas con los dones preciosos de una caridad ardiente y fervorosa, de una humildad profunda y de una obediencia pronta al Señor.

Esfuerza tus súplicas, multiplica tus ruegos, y no ceses de pedir al Todopoderoso me haga suyo y me conceda ir a darte las gracias por el feliz éxito de tu intermediación en la gloria. Amén.

Un Padrenuestro, un Ave María y un Gloria.

- posted by Josue Andreas @ 8:58 AM: |