Catholic Blog Review: "Spoken For" by MercyMe

Album: Spoken For
Artist: MercyMe
Rating: Great and Worth Many Listenings!
Written by: SH

A very kind friend purchased this album for me a few months ago, and I cannot seem to get it out of my CD player. The album is a few years old already, but maybe that's why it seems to have such a fresh sound. Lately, much of the music in the Christian Contemporary has been imitating more secular pop music. This means a lot of digital voice-overs and boy band style singing. This album, however, has just the right mix of good harmony, solid orchestration and, what is so important for a good album—timing. Some of the songs on the album, including the title track, and "Word of God Speak" were big hits for the band.

MercyMe avoids many of the pitfalls of the Contemporary Christian genre. Instead of being "bubble-gum music," or presenting a body of lyrics that is just Christian-like fluff, the band puts together a good message. The message is that the source of grace is God—not us. The band shows great musical sense in their blending of tracks. The album really feels like a concrete whole, and even though many tracks are good by themselves, this is one of those albums that really bears listening to from start to finish over and over.

In addition to this great album by MercyMe, it is worth mentioning a new online service for music that is completely free. http://www.radioblogclub.com is like a jukebox for your PC and requires no downloads and gives no popups. Just click the link and search for your favorite music then click on the title. The music library is not huge, but is has a great collection of Christian music. It is definitely worth a visit!

posted by: crossman at 21:36 | link | comments |
catholic blog review

PRAISE GOD!!!

I greet you today as Rev. Mr. Christopher J. Rossman!! By God's grace and the imposition of hands of Archbishop Joseph Naumann, I was ordained to the diaconate On Saturday, May 27th at about 11am. I will be posting photos of the ordination and even a short video clip of the imposition of hands in the next few days.

This week, I want to reflect on the ordination, my first homily, my first celebration of a sacrament (the baptism of my niece) and my thoughts on the ministry of deacon. Today, I want to relate the hours leading up to the ordination. I will save the blow-by-blow description of the ordination itself for the day I post the photos.

I thought it was rather odd that in the days before the ordination I felt somewhat disconnected and at times even dispassionate. I knew I was nervous about the ordination (I have epilepsy and had a seizure the Monday before the ordination - my seizures can be triggered by stress) but the disconnectedness confused me. Brandon Farrar, a diocesan brother and the deacon for the Mass, gave me some wonderful words of wisdom at the rehearsal that opened my eyes. In essence, he told me that Satan would be attacking me in subtle ways, especially as I drew ever-closer to my ordination. He assured me, however, that I should remember that God would protect me and to not let Satan distract me from my call.

When he spoke these words to me, I suddenly realized that the disconnectedness and dispassionate feelings I was having were not my own. I had been estatic about my upcoming ordination, as you - my readers - can attest to by my own blog entries. As soon as I realized that these feelings were not my own, I was able to call on God to come to my aid. Within minutes, these feelings had disappeared and I was again estatic and almost brimming over with excitement in anticipation of the ordination that next morning. I owe this to my diocesan brother, Brandon, who had obviously experienced similar trials on the eve of his diaconate ordination and blessedly sought to comfort and strengthen me as I was in the midst of these trials myself.

God bless Brandon!!! I will have the privledge of serving as the deacon for his priesthood ordination in just under 4 weeks. Pray for him and for all those who are preparing for ordination that God may protect them and that Satan's power be useless against them. I also ask you to offer a prayer of thanksgiving to God for my ordination. May God be blessed now and forever! Until next time...God bless.

posted by: crossman at 16:54 | link | comments |
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Random Ramblings: 2 days left

As the final preparations come together for the ordination Saturday, I find myself reflecting on the hundreds of people who contribute to my receiving Holy Orders. Dozens upon dozens of people at Holy Trinity, in the Chancery Offices, in my home parish and within the diocese are all giving 110% toward my ordination. It is an extremely humbling and yet uplifting experience. Each person is lending their talents to the ordination. All these varies pieces come together to make this ordination possible. The vast amount of planning and implementation alone is almost overwhelming.

I cannot possibly thank everyone who is involved in the ordination, but I can pray for them that God may grant their prayers and bless their hard work, dedication and service that make this possible. May God bless everyone who lends a hand, who attends the ordination and who offers prayers on my behalf. Until next time...God bless.

posted by: crossman at 13:03 | link | comments |
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Random Ramblings: 4 days left

Yesterday, I moved up to Holy Trinity in Kansas City where I will be for the summer and where I will be ordained Saturday.

As I touched base with the various staff members at Holy Trinity today, I began to realize the many things I will be involved with after my ordination. I will obviously serve as deacon at daily Mass and weekend Mass. I will often give homilies. I will be put on the baptism schedule and will baptize newborns every two or three weeks. I will preside over Adoration and Benediction within the parish. I will take the Eucharist to shut-ins and the elderly regularly. These are just the known activities and I am sure there will be many others that I don't even know about yet.

Even though I was at Holy Trinity both last summer and the summer before that, this will truly be a completely different experience for me. Until next time...God bless.

posted by: crossman at 20:15 | link | comments |
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Random Ramblings: 6 days left

With less than 6 days before my ordination, I thought I'd simply blog about my thoughts and insights each day until the ordination. My train of thought might not be the most organized in the world, hence the title Random Ramblings.

Last night, I served as acolyte at my home parish, Sacred Heart in Ottawa, KS. After the Mass, it suddenly occurred to me that this was my last Mass as an acolyte. When you are installed as an instituted reader, you begin the steps toward priesthood. When installed as an acolyte, you can still serve as a reader. When you are ordained as a deacon, however, your role completely changes. For starters, ordination imparts an indelible mark on your soul and ontologically changes one forever. Beyond that, however, you exercise your ministry as deacon in so many different ways. As a reader and an acolyte, you are limited to exercising your ministry in the liturgy. As a deacon, though, you not only exercise your ministry in liturgy, but also in the very way you live your life.

An ordained deacon is called to serve in charity to God's People each and every day, both within liturgy and in the greater community. A deacon expresses that indelible mark through his outward actions in service of others. In reflecting on this reality last night, I again came face to face with the immensity of my diaconate ordination. Until next time...God bless.

posted by: crossman at 15:00 | link | comments |
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Da Vinci Code movie: fable and flop

The Da Vinci Code movie is due to be released tomorrow and already it has caused quite a stir. Even those who have not read the book are aware of the anti-Catholic and anti-Christian nature of the content. While the assertations made in the book/movie are completely ficticious, the way in which these elements are presented tries to allude to their being deeply rooted in historic truth. Many will recognize the outlandish claims for what they are and yet there are those who will be convinced that Dan Brown has uncovered the evil truth of the Church. The movie challenges, among other things, the celibacy of Jesus, the divinity of Jesus, the role of Mary Magdalene and the validity of the bible. I want to briefly explore each of these so as to arm my readers with a little ammo against those who will challenge the Church and us, the members of its Body.

MISNOMERS:

· Jesus is not God; he was only a man but was deified by the emperor Constantine.

Christ's divinity is emphasized numerous times in the New Testament. Jesus, himself, when asked about Abraham says, ""Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM" (John 8:58). Referring to himself as I AM invokes the personal name of God found in the Old Testament (Ex. 3:14). Paul tells us that Jesus chose to be born in humble, human form even though he could have remained in equal glory with the Father, for he was "in the form of God" (Phil. 2:6).

· Mary Magdalene and Jesus were married, he got her pregnant, and the two had a daughter whose family line that is still present in Europe today. Furthermore, she is to be worshiped as a goddess.

Furthermore, there is nothing in the New Testament that states or implies that Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene. According to the New Testament, Mary of Magdala was a devout follower of Christ and one of the first witnesses of his Resurrection (cf. Matt. 28:1), but not his wife. There is no evidence in the New Testament or the writings of the Church Fathers that she was married to Jesus.

Jesus also said things that indicated that he wasn't married to anyone. He explained that some voluntarily refrain from marrying in order to be fully consecrated to God. He says that they "have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake" (Matt. 19:12). He portrays voluntary abstention from marriage as the highest form of consecration, and as the spiritual leader of the Christian movement, it would be strange for him to hold up such a standard if he himself did not meet it.

· The Bible was put together by a pagan Roman emperor.

The process by which the canon of Scripture was formed was largely complete by the time of Constantine and he made no contribution to it. No Bible scholar holds that Constantine played such a role in the development of Scripture.

· There is a secret society known as the Priory of Sion that still worships Mary Magdalene as a goddess and is trying to keep the truth alive.

The Priory of Sion was a club founded in 1956 by four young Frenchmen. There's no evidence for a Priory of Sion until the 1950s. In fact, the club is named not for Mt. Zoin in Jerusalem but a local mountain in France near where it was founded.

The pre-screenings of the movie by critics have been less than generous. Most of the critics called the movie boring, under-dramatic or simply poorly done. (see MSNBC or CNN) Nevertheless, there will be those who seeks to parade the 'facts' within the movie as Gospel truth, pardon the pun. With just a minimal amount of effort, however, the fiction or even science-fiction nature of the movie can be revealed. Until next time...God bless.

posted by: crossman at 20:51 | link | comments |
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Catholic Blog Review: The Cinderella Man

Title of Work: The Cinderella Man
Online Information: http://www.imdb.com 
MPAA: Rated PG-13
Written by: CM

The Cinderella Man:  On Christian Love and Suffering

“I have to believe that when things are bad I can change them,” says Russell Crow who plays boxer Jim Braddock in the motion picture “Cinderella Man.”  Yes, this movie is about fighting but not just “gut jabs” and “upper cuts.”  One also sees a spiritual battle against the overwhelming hardships of the human condition.  More so, the viewer gets the sense that such obstacles can be overcome.  The movie is set in the American depression era where the working-class man ekes out his existence by selling everything he has or hiring himself out at the New Jersey docks.  Amidst this troubled setting Jim Braddock and his family remain steadfast in faith and love.

Time and time again in this movie we see the Braddock family situation grow worse.  Jim loses his fighting license and breaks his hand preventing him from working at the docks.  Their bills become past due and they are barely able to keep food on the table.  One scene shows Jim Braddock lovingly sacrifice his meager portion of ham to his young daughter.  Later on we see Jim’s oldest son stealing from a butcher shop in attempt to provide for the family.  Though the family truly needed it, Jim accompanies his son to return the stolen goods.  In each situation the viewer asks himself the age-old question:  “Why do the just suffer?”  However, the perseverance of the Braddock family eventually pays off when Jim gets another chance in the ring.

The true test of fidelity and love is played out in the conflict between Jim and his wife Mae (Rene Zellweger).  Through the rest of the movie Jim fights his way all the way to the top where he sets himself up against one of the deadliest fighters in the world of boxing. His success incites a sense of hope and inspiration amongst his fellow workingmen.  Though his boxing has brought success, his wife Mae is more concerned about the life of her husband.  Several times Mae urges Jim not to take the fight dismissing it as a male “prove something to the world” complex.   As a result, Jim becomes torn between the concerns of his wife and his feeling the need to go through with the fight.  The conflict is finally resolved when Mae goes to the Church to pray and sees the entire community already at prayer.  In seeing this she realizes what an important symbol of hope her husband has become to the less fortunate.

In the scene right before the final fight the viewer sees Mae visiting Jim in the locker room.  She expresses solidarity with Jim giving him the confidence to enter the fight.  She says:  “Maybe I understand, some, about having to fight. So you just remember who you are . . . you are the champion of my heart, James J. Braddock.”  Up to this point Mae had never watched a fight because as she says earlier in the movie:  “Every time you get hit, feels like I'm getting' hit too.”  The viewer gets the sense that Mae and Jim are truly united in their love for one another and that Jim could never have won the fight alone.

In the movie, “Cinderella Man” the family both fights together in the world and in the ring to bring a sense of hope to those who were lacking.  Such themes speak to today’s Catholic Christian as we seek to live out our faith in the world.  Though things in the world seem bad and evil we still are obliged to renew it in Christ.  More so, we have to believe that we can change it, that is to say we have to have hope.

posted by: crossman at 15:54 | link | comments |
catholic blog review

Finals are finally finished!!!!

Greetings! I have survived the torture of tests this past week. I had three tests on Wednesday: two oral finals and a written final. The first oral exam consisted of a series of fifteen questions, four of which were randomly chosen and we have to answer in depth. The second oral exam consisted of five questions and we had to answer two randomly chosen questions. Needless to say, this required an immense amount of preparation and study to accomplish. In addition, the written test consisted of eight essay questions, of which the professor chose five and we had to answer three on test day. The written test was at 10:30 am, the fifteen question oral test was at 1:15 pm and the five question oral test was at 2:30 pm. On Thursday, I had a 5-8 page paper due in which I was to write my proposal as to how to reunite the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church. Since I had spent Sat., Sun., Mon., & Tue., studying for the finals and Wed. taking the finals, I BEGAN writing my paper on Wed. evening and finished it about an hour before it was due. As a result, my brain has been non-functional since then.

On a pleasant note, I am back in Kansas for the summer. I am at my parents house for about a week before I move to Holy Trinity next Sunday. In the meantime, I am in the final stages of preparation for my ordination on May 27th. See my countdown clock to the left for the exact time left. As we draw closer to the ordination, I will continue to post nearly every day until May 23rd. The 24th - 30th I will not be posting for obvious reasons. BUT, when I begin posting again on May 31st or June 1st, I will give a blow-by-blow account of the ordination, the events surrounding it and will include many, many, many pictures.

Lastly, one of my readers emailed me and wanted to know how they could congratulate me or how they could send me congratulations cards. After considering this, I decided that giving out my address cannot be any worse than the dozens of pieces of junk mail we receive each month. So, with that said, you may email me congratulations at crossman@kenrick.edu or mail cards to: Chris Rossman, 1649 Oregon Rd., Princeton, KS 66078. I thank you in advance for all your support and well wishes. I ask you to pray for me and for the grace of God that I may serve His people with faith and love. Until next time...God bless.

posted by: crossman at 11:47 | link | comments (2) |
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Catholic Entertainers

After posting yesterday's first Catholic Blog Review article, I got to thinking about entertainment. Specifically, I began wondering how many current actors and actresses are Catholic. There are the obvious ones: Mel Gibson, Jim Caviezel, Martin Sheen, etc., yet in researching it on the internet today (rather than taking notes in class...) I found some very popular Catholic actors and actresses. Here are just a few surprising Catholic entertainers:

Alan Alda who is known famuously for playing Hawkeye on M*A*S*H
David Boreanaz played Angel on Buffy the Vampire Slayer series and his own series, Angel
Melissa Joan Hart who played Sabrina on Sabrina, the Teen Age Witch
Alyssa Milano plays Phoebe on the TV series Charmed
Steve Doocy who is the co-host of the FOX News Channel's Fox and Friends Morning show (he was also raised in KS)

I am curious if any of my readers knows of other current actors/actresses who are practicing Catholics and if you do, please post them in my comments section. I ask that you only post PRACTICING CATHOLICS...and by practicing I don't mean someone who was born to a Catholic family but who hasn't stepped in a church since First Communion.  Until next time...God bless.

posted by: crossman at 21:53 | link | comments |
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New Feature: Catholic Blog Review

This week has been a nightmare academically, so I apologize for my absence in the cyber-world. I will warn my readers, however, that next week is finals, so you may not see me for a few days again beginning Sunday.

This blog entry inaugurates a new series for my blog. Five seminarians and I (three of which will be ordained as deacons/priests in the next month) have decided to regularly review, from a Catholic perspective, a particular work of literature, a movie, a TV show, art, music, etc. We hope to provide a balanced Catholic view of various forms of entertainment in our world today. Our series, titled Catholic Blog Review, will be posted every other Wednesday. I have created an archive entry corresponding to the blog review in which you will be able to reference all the reviews.

I welcome feedback on this new endeavor. While the authors will not be identified by name (except me as I offer my neck on the chopping block – be kind), any feedback given will be forwarded to the writer. So, without any further ado, I present our first Catholic Blog Review article:

 

Title of Work: The Gospel of Judas
Available: Online
Cost: Free online
Written by: JM

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Just before Easter, a story broke that scholars had found the lost gospel of Judas. When it first broke, I remember stories in some media outlets reporting that this finding may challenge the Christian message. Needless to say, I was somewhat disturbed by these claims and printed off a copy of the gospel.

The Gospel of Judas tries to cast Judas in a positive light. It argues that Judas was the recipient of secret knowledge on the universe given to him by Christ Himself. This knowledge was given to Judas alone, which separated him from the twelve and was the reason why he betrayed him so that the others can continue to worship "their god." At the end, Jesus promises him that his knowledge will allow him to rule over the other apostles.

This work is important to us as believers in Christ, because those who do not believe in Him or do not believe in the bible as the only inspired word of God, will look at this text as proof of their beliefs, and then confront believers with their positions. Thus, we must be educated on these things and be prepared to refute them.

The work, firstly advances an ancient Church heresy of Gnosticism, which claims that one needs to know certain secret knowledge in order to be saved and if one does not, one will not be saved. This emphasis in the gospel of Jesus privately revealing to Judas things about the universe is directly out of the Gnostic tradition. Second, there is advanced an erroneous understanding into Christ’s personhood. As Catholics, we profess that Christ is fully human like us in all things but sin, and that he is at the same time fully divine. This text denies this, by having Jesus disappearing and reappearing. This is seen after His death, but this is because He has a glorified body. No canonical gospel, or any human being I know can simply disappear and reappear at will.

The work, though, affirms two items constitutive of Catholicism. First, in the first scene, it speaks about the Eucharist. The Eucharist is at the heart of the Catholic community, and the writers of the gospel knew it and used it as a way from the outset to advance their own agenda. Their inability to deny it attests to its validity. Second, the fact that Jesus predicts Judas’s betrayal and then Judas actually doing it for money is true. Not even a gospel purported to be written by Judas himself can deny this.

The text is certainly interesting to read to get a feel for an early Church version of The DaVinci Code. The text, while it can be dated to around 300 a.d. is historically and from a Catholic perspective false in its details on the life of Christ. If you have a half an hour, pick it up and read; I think you will find it an interesting spin on the traditional view of Christ’s life and teaching.

 

Thank you to our first author for this wonderful review of the Gospel of Judas, especially since we recently discussed it on the blog. I want thank all our Catholic Blog Review authors in advance for their preliminary work in helping to organize this endeavor. Each of these authors is busy with seminary, classes, preparation for ordinations, etc. and yet they graciously take time out of their schedule to help my readers to look at a small piece of our world through Catholic lenses. In appreciation of their hard work and dedication, I encourage and  welcome any feedback, comments or questions about this or any of our reviews. I also encourage any discussion on these reviews. Intriguing and lively discussion is one of the fruits the authors hope comes out of this series. Lastly, I would like your feedback on the whole concept of the Catholic Blog Review series. Until next time...God bless.

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posted by: crossman at 23:31 | link | comments |
catholic blog review