A few months ago, I added a calendar to this blog which highlights the days on which I have written a post. Although this comes standard for some blog software, it must be added for Blogger. I have been asked several times about how to this can be done. Thus, I have decided to write post on it which I can point to rather than having to keep copying and pasting the same email.
First, thanks to
Phil Ringnalda for the code for the calendar addin. He originally wrote the code to display on archive pages. I made a few changes which allow the current month's calendar to appear on the main page with days highlighted for when posts have been added to the blog in the current month. Adding this to your Blogger site is not difficult. Here are the steps:
1. The first step has the most amount of code, but it is really quite simple. For a copy of the code click
here (Right-click and select "Save As.." or the equivalent to save the file). Or you can copy it from this page. The JavaScript just needs to be copied in to the header section of your Blogger template which is between the tags <HEAD> and </HEAD>.
<script type="text/javascript" language="JavaScript">
/* you absolutely, positively must change the value for dateType below to match your
"Date Header Format" as set in your blog's Settings
if your date format is:
"Sunday, June 24, 2001" use 1
"6/24/2001" use 2
"6.24.2001" use 3
"20010624" use 4
"2001/06/24" use 5
"2001-06-24" use 6
"24.6.01" use 7
"June 24, 2001" use 8
"june 24, 2001" use 9
something else, change to one of those and use the right number! */
dateType = "1";
tableFontStyle = "10px Verdana";
tableFontColor = "#FFFFFF";
tableBackgroundStyle = "#808080";
tableBackgroundLinkStyle = "#ffff99";
tableTodayBackgroundStyle = "#abcabc";
// tableBorderStyle is the CSS style applied to the outside of the table,
// and around each cell
tableBorderStyle = "1px solid black";
tableTodayBorderStyle = "1px solid red";
// tableBorder is the ugly old HTML border attribute
tableBorder = "0";
/* Added Code
Defaults:*/
var this_month = getCurrentMonth();
var this_year = getCurrentYear();
var this_day = getFirstDayOfCurrentMonth();
month = 1;
day = 1;
year = 2005;
thisDate = this_day + ", " + this_month + " 1, " + this_year;
/* change the lowMonthNames if you use a non-English language and you use
one of the date styles
with the month name in the date, but be sure they are in lower case
(these are used for matching, not displaying */
lowMonthNames = new Array("january", "february", "march", "april", "may", _
"june", "july", "august", "september", "october", "november", "december");
// you can change the displayMonthNames and displayWeekdayNames to anything
// that suits you
displayMonthNames = new Array("January", "February", "March", "April", "May", _
"June", "July", "August", "September", "October", "November", "December");
displayWeekdayNames = new Array("Sun", "Mon", "Tue", "Wed", "Thu", "Fri", _
"Sat");
/* if you already do something with the body onload event (or want to later),
add a call to it in this function or put the "if (inArchives)
drawCalendar();" call in your existing onload function */
function doOnloadTasks(){
/*if (inArchives) {*/
drawCalendar();
/*}*/
}
// time to stop changing things, unless you are sure you know
// what you're doing!
function getCurrentMonth() {
var months=new Array(13);
months[1]="January";
months[2]="February";
months[3]="March";
months[4]="April";
months[5]="May";
months[6]="June";
months[7]="July";
months[8]="August";
months[9]="September";
months[10]="October";
months[11]="November";
months[12]="December";
var time=new Date();
var this_month=months[time.getMonth() + 1];
return this_month;
}
function getFirstDayOfCurrentMonth () {
var days = new Array(8);
days[1]="Sunday";
days[2]="Monday";
days[3]="Tuesday";
days[4]="Wednesday";
days[5]="Thursday";
days[6]="Friday";
days[7]="Saturday";
var current_date=new Date();
current_date.setDate(1);
var this_day=days[current_date.getDay() + 1];
return this_day;
}
function getCurrentYear() {
var current_date=new Date();
var this_year=current_date.getYear();
if (this_year < 2000) {
this_year = this_year + 1900;
}
return this_year;
}
links = new Array();
inArchives = false;
if (location.href.indexOf("<$BlogArchiveFileName$>") > -1) _
inArchives = true;
function datesplitter(date, datetype){
switch(datetype){
case "1" :
date = date.substring(date.indexOf(",")+2);
year = date.substring(date.length-4);
day = date.substring(date.indexOf(" ")+1,date.indexOf(","));
wordMonth = date.substring(0,date.indexOf(" "));
wordMonth = wordMonth.toLowerCase();
for (i = 0; i < 12; i++){
if (lowMonthNames[i] == wordMonth){
month = i;
i = 12;
}
}
break;
case "2" :
year = date.substring(date.length-4);
month = date.substring(0,date.indexOf("/"))-1;
day = date.substring(date.indexOf("/")+1,date.lastIndexOf("/"));
break;
case "3" :
year = date.substring(date.length-4);
month = date.substring(0,date.indexOf("."))-1;
day = date.substring(date.indexOf(".")+1,date.lastIndexOf("."));
break;
case "4" :
year = date.substring(0,4);
month = date.substring(4,6);
if (month.charAt(0) == "0") month = month.substring(1);
month = month-1;
day = date.substring(6);
if (day.charAt(0) == "0") day = day.substring(1);
break;
case "5" :
year = date.substring(0,4);
month = date.substring(date.indexOf("/")+1,date.lastIndexOf("/"));
if (month.charAt(0) == "0") month = month.substring(1);
month = month-1;
day = date.substring(date.lastIndexOf("/")+1);
if (day.charAt(0) == "0") day = day.substring(1);
break;
case "6" :
year = date.substring(0,4);
month = date.substring(date.indexOf("-")+1,date.lastIndexOf("-"));
if (month.charAt(0) == "0") month = month.substring(1);
month = month-1;
day = date.substring(date.lastIndexOf("-")+1);
if (day.charAt(0) == "0") day = day.substring(1);
break;
case "7" :
year = date.substring(date.length-2);
if (year.charAt(0) == "0") year = year.charAt(1);
year = parseInt(year);
if (year < 50) year = 2000 + year; else year = 1900 + year;
month = date.substring(date.indexOf(".")+1,date.lastIndexOf("."))-1;
day = date.substring(0,date.indexOf("."));
break;
case "8" :
year = date.substring(date.length-4);
day = date.substring(date.indexOf(" ")+1,date.indexOf(","));
wordMonth = date.substring(0,date.indexOf(" "));
wordMonth = wordMonth.toLowerCase();
for (i = 0; i < 12; i++){
if (lowMonthNames[i] == wordMonth){
month = i;
i = 12;
}
}
break;
case "9" :
year = date.substring(date.length-4);
day = date.substring(date.indexOf(" ")+1,date.indexOf(","));
wordMonth = date.substring(0,date.indexOf(" "));
for (i = 0; i < 12; i++){
if (lowMonthNames[i] == wordMonth){
month = i;
i = 12;
}
}
break;
default :
year = 1980;
month = 1;
day = 1;
}
oDate = new Date(year, month, day);
return oDate;
}
function countDays(date){
// given a date object, return number of days in that month
monthcount = new Array ("31", "28", "31", "30", "31", "30", "31", "31", _
"30", "31", "30", "31");
year = date.getFullYear();
if (year % 4 == 0){
if (year % 100 == 0){
if (year % 400 == 0){
monthcount[1]++;
}
}
else {
monthcount[1]++;
}
}
return monthcount[date.getMonth()];
}
function drawCalendar(){
// Set a variable for today's month and year
todaysDate = new Date();
todaysMonth = todaysDate.getMonth() + 1;
todaysYear = getCurrentYear();
todaysMonthYear = todaysMonth + "" + todaysYear;
todaysFullDate = todaysDate.getDate();
if (todaysFullDate < 10) {
todaysFullDate = "0" + todaysFullDate;
}
if (todaysMonth < 10) {
todaysFullDate = todaysFullDate + "0" + todaysMonth + todaysYear;
}else{
todaysFullDate = todaysFullDate + "" + todaysMonth + todaysYear;
}
// only executes in a DOM compliant browser
if (document.getElementById){
if (document.createElement){
// IE is just barely compliant, if you use a deprecated style of
// attribute setting
navigator.appVersion.indexOf("MSIE") > 0 ? isIE = true : isIE = false;
if (inArchives) {
calStart = realDate;
}else{
calStart = datesplitter(thisDate,dateType);
}
calStart.setDate(1);
dayCount = countDays(calStart);
leadblanks = calStart.getDay();
oTable = document.createElement("TABLE");
oTBody = document.createElement("TBODY");
oRow = document.createElement("TR");
oCell = document.createElement("TD");
if (isIE)
oCell.colSpan="7";
else
oCell.setAttribute("colspan", "7");
oDateLabel = document.createTextNode(displayMonthNames[calStart.getMonth()] _
+ " " + calStart.getFullYear());
oCell.appendChild(oDateLabel);
oRow.appendChild(oCell);
oTBody.appendChild(oRow);
oRow = document.createElement("TR");
for (i=0;i<7;i++){
oCell = document.createElement("TD");
oCell.style.border = tableBorderStyle;
oDay = document.createTextNode(displayWeekdayNames[i]);
oCell.appendChild(oDay);
oRow.appendChild(oCell);
}
oTBody.appendChild(oRow);
dayindex = 1;
while (dayindex <= dayCount){
this_index_month = calStart.getMonth() + 1;
if (this_index_month < 10) {
this_index_month = "0" + this_index_month;
}
this_index_day = dayindex;
if (dayindex < 10) {
this_index_day = "0" + dayindex;
}
this_index = calStart.getFullYear() + "" + this_index_month + "" + _
this_index_day;
this_index = this_index - 0;
oRow = document.createElement("TR");
for (i=0;i<leadblanks;i++){
oCell = document.createElement("TD");
oCell.style.border = tableBorderStyle;
if (isIE)
oSpace = document.createTextNode(" ");
else
{
oSpace = document.createTextNode("*");
oCell.style.color = tableBackgroundStyle;
}
oCell.appendChild(oSpace);
oRow.appendChild(oCell);
}
for (b=leadblanks;b<7;b++){
oCell = document.createElement("TD");
oCell.style.border = tableBorderStyle;
addLink = false;
thisLinkMonthYear = "00000";
this_index_month = calStart.getMonth() + 1;
if (this_index_month < 10) {
this_index_month = "0" + this_index_month;
}
this_index_day = dayindex;
if (dayindex < 10) {
this_index_day = "0" + dayindex;
}
this_index = calStart.getFullYear() + "" + this_index_month + "" + _
this_index_day;
this_index = this_index - 0;
if (links[this_index] != null){
thisLinkDate = new Date(links[this_index].slice(2) - 0);
thisLinkMonth = thisLinkDate.getMonth() + 1;
thisLinkYear = thisLinkDate.getFullYear();
thisLinkMonthYear = thisLinkMonth + "" + thisLinkYear;
if (inArchives) {
addLink = true;
}else{
if (todaysMonthYear == thisLinkMonthYear) {
addLink = true;
}else{
addLink = false;
}
}
}
thisFullDay = dayindex;
if (thisFullDay < 10) {
thisFullDay = "0" + thisFullDay;
}
if (todaysMonth < 10) {
thisFullDay = thisFullDay + "0" + todaysMonth + todaysYear;
}else{
thisFullDay = thisFullDay + todaysMonth + todaysYear;
}
// If a link is to be added
if (links[this_index] != null && addLink){
oLink = document.createElement("A");
if (isIE)
oLink.href=links[this_index];
else
oLink.setAttribute("href", links[this_index]);
oLinkText = document.createTextNode(dayindex);
oLink.appendChild(oLinkText);
oCell.appendChild(oLink);
oCell.style.background = tableBackgroundLinkStyle;
// Mark the current day of the month
if (inArchives == false && todaysFullDate == thisFullDay) {
oCell.style.border = tableTodayBorderStyle;
}
}
// If no link is to be added
else
if (dayindex <= dayCount){
oDayText = document.createTextNode(dayindex);
oCell.appendChild(oDayText);
// Mark the current day of the month
if (inArchives == false && todaysFullDate == thisFullDay) {
oCell.style.border = tableTodayBorderStyle;
}
}else{
if (isIE)
oSpace = document.createTextNode(" ");
else
{
oSpace = document.createTextNode("*");
oCell.style.color = tableBackgroundStyle;
}
oCell.appendChild(oSpace);
}
oRow.appendChild(oCell);
oTBody.appendChild(oRow);
dayindex++;
}
leadblanks = 0;
}
oTBody.style.font = tableFontStyle;
/* Added 16 May 2005 */
oTBody.style.color = tableFontColor;
oTBody.style.textAlign = "center";
oTable.appendChild(oTBody);
if (isIE)
oTable.style.background = tableBackgroundStyle;
else
oTable.setAttribute("bgColor", tableBackgroundStyle);
oTable.border = tableBorder;
oTable.style.border = tableBorderStyle;
calendarSpot = document.getElementById("CalendarHere");
calendarSpot.appendChild(oTable);
}
}
}
// Function returns index value for links array
// based on date
function getIndex(thisDate) {
index_month = thisDate.getMonth() + 1;
if (index_month < 10) {
index_month = "0" + index_month;
}
index_day = thisDate.getDate();
if (index_day < 10) {
index_day = "0" + index_day;
}
index_num = thisDate.getFullYear() + "" + index_month + "" + index_day;
index_num = index_num - 0;
return index_num;
}
</script>
2. The second step is to set the date format in the JavaScript which you just copied. Look for the "Date Header Format" section of the code. Select the date format which is identical to the "Date Header Format' which you selected in Blogger (Settings | Formatting in Blogger). Select the appropriate format and modify the line
dateType = "1";
by setting dateType equal to correct number.
3. Also on the Settings page in Blogger, change the numer of posts displayed to a number which is high enough to display the maximum number of posts you would put out in a month. I have set this to around 35 because generally I will not post more than once a day in a given month.
4. 3. In your template, replace your <BlogDateHeader> to </BlogDateHeader> section with:
<BlogDateHeader>
<script type="text/javascript">
var postDate="<$BlogDateHeaderDate$>";
realDate = datesplitter(postDate,dateType);
anchorDate = realDate.valueOf();
index_num = getIndex(realDate);
links[index_num] = "#d" + anchorDate;
document.write("<a name='d" + anchorDate + "'></a>");
</script>
<$BlogDateHeaderDate$>
</BlogDateHeader>
5. Add the following to your template, in the place that you want the calendar to appear:
<span id="CalendarHere"><!-- tells the script where to put the calendar --></span>
6. Finally, change the <BODY> tag in your template to:
<BODY onload="doOnloadTasks();">
The way it works is that after the page is loaded, the doOnloadTasks script is run. This calls a number of scripts which start to write out the calendar for the current month as defined by the page. When you are on an archived page, it will display the calendar for the archived month. (Note, you must archive by month for the calendar to display correctly on archive pages. Change this setting on the Archiving page under Settings in Blogger.) As the calendar is written, it checks whether there is a post on the current page for the date the script is writing to the calendar. For days with posts, the day is change to a highlighted day.
Feel free to email me if you have any questions about how to get this to work.
Also, apparently there is a blog dedicated to describing
Blogger Template tricks.
Posted by David at
8:00 AM
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Comments (0)
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Link
Denver Bible school has a record enrollment
The Denver Biblical School, now in its 24th year of existence, hit record enrollment this year with 648 students enrolled in the 4-year program--311 of whom are starting their first year.
Tim Gray, the program's director told the Denver Catholic Register that "We have a high-quality program...The teachers are dynamic and unique...The program", he said, "not only makes the Bible come alive, but makes it relevant to the lives of people."
Rather than taking a theme based, or piece by piece approach to the scriptures, students travel through every book of the Bible, looking at their historical context and significance, and seeking to understand how the Word is still active today. Source
I became aware of this school when Tim Gray left his position at Christendom College to take over as the director of the program in Denver. I knew that it must be good program if he was going to head it up. I have really appreciated his work in Biblical studies which can be seen on several programs on EWTN. Also, I relied heavily on his book
Mission of the Messiah for a Bible study which I led on the Gospel of Luke.
It is really good to see this level of interest and enthusiasm being expressed by Catholics for Scripture. I believe that the school is simply tapping into the hunger that many Catholics have for deepening their faith and, in particular, understanding Scripture. This news demonstrates that apostolates like the Denver Biblical School are doing a great job of addressing the desire and the need Catholics have for understanding the most Catholic of all books--the Bible.
H/T:
The Catholic Report
Posted by David at
3:15 AM
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Comments (2)
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Link
Maybe it was just a bad connection
Based on part of an actual telephone conversation that took place just a few days after Hurricane Katrina ripped through the Gulf Coast. Both people call themselves Christians.
A. Can you believe what is going on in New Orleans?
B. No. It is unbelievable.
A. Those people. Wow. It is really hard to imagine.
B. Yeah. It is too bad this was not dealt with correctly from the start.
A. I know. What were they thinking?
B. Well, it is not too late now.
A. Oh no. They have to do something right now. They can just let this go on.
B. Yes. Well all it takes is for the governor or someone like that to give the order.
A. The governor?
B. Sure. She could just tell them to shoot on sight.
A. Shoot on sight?
B. How else are you going to deal with it. If they see someone who might just be causing problems, just shoot first, ask questions later.
A. Oh. I was thinking about all of those people without food or water.
B. Them? They had it coming to them. You know it's the "Big Easy".
A. Well, yeah it is called that...but no food and water for days. The kids, the sick, the elderly. It's just crazy down there. It is really hard to see those pictures. I keep thinking what if that were me?
B. It certainly wouldn't be me. They just didn't get ready. They are all, you know, lazy, and you know, too relaxed. As I said, it is the Big Easy down there for a reason. I mean I would have been all over this.
A. You are kidding, right?
B. About what?
A. What you just said.
B. No. Did I sound like I was kidding?
A. Well, no...but...Hey, I probably need to go.
B. OK. Talk to you later.
A. Bye.
B. Bye.
Posted by David at
2:45 AM
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Comments (0)
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Friday, September 16, 2005
Yesterday, September 15th, was the feast of our Lady of Sorrows. The feast recalls the spiritual martyrdom of our Lady. There are seven specific sorrows which are based on Scripture upon which devotion is focused:
1. The Prophecy of Simeon (Luke 2:22-35)
2. The Flight into Egypt (Matthew 2:19-23)
3. The Loss of Jesus in the Temple (Luke 2:41-52)
4. Mary meets Jesus Carrying the Cross
5. The Crucifixion (John 19:17, 25-27)
6. Mary Receives the Dead Body of Her Son
7. The Burial of Her Son and Closing of the Tomb (John 19:28-42)
It is easy to forget that part of God's plan for our lives is the allowance for suffering to occur. Most of the time we are not ready to accept suffering. Instead we rail against, blaming somebody, including God, for what we are experiencing.
Our Lady shows us the way to accept suffering. Because she was without sin, her suffering was not the kind that we often face, which is based on our own bad decisions. Instead, she experienced the suffering which was part of the Divine plan for her life. She had no control over what came her way. She could only control her response to the suffering.
Imagine her in the Temple with her 40-day old son Jesus. Joseph and she have brought him to the Temple in Jerusalem where they are met by Simeon who by the power of the Holy Spirit recognizes that Jesus is the Messiah. He prophesies about Jesus as the savior. Then he lets Mary know that she will suffer along with her Son.
Consider Mary and Joseph soon after Jesus' birth are commanded by an angel who appears to Joseph to fly to Egypt because Jesus' life is in danger. This was no small trip for Holy Family. They may not have known anyone in the Jewish community where they settled in Egypt. The trip itself had its own dangers because of robbers who would prey upon people traveling the trade routes.
Young mothers can relate to the experience of losing a child even as Mary did when Jesus remained behind in the Temple when His family returned to Nazareth. How her heart must have been breaking as Joseph and she looked for Him over those three days. When He was found, He made it clear that God, His heavenly Father, was the One Who was leading His life. He remained subject to Joseph and Mary as part of God's plan, but He would always be about His Father's business.
After He has begun His ministry, Mary knew where it was all headed--Jesus' sacrifice for the sins of the world. That knowledge would not be enough to comfort her when she sees her Son carrying the cross upon which He would be crucified.
Mary stands at the foot of the cross watching helplessly as her Son is put to death. She knows that He does this of His own accord. He has laid down His life. However, despite this understanding, the sword of Simeon's prophecy must have made the deepest wound at this point.
After He has died, she holds the body of her Son. How can a mother ever be expected to hold the body of her child? Especially such a Son who, although He only desired to serve those He met, He was met with such hatred and jealousy that He was killed.
Finally, Mary sees her Son buried in a tomb. Quickly done because it is almost the Sabbath. The few people that are there were probably outnumbered by the Roman soldiers, His executioners. How difficult that must have been for her.
Mary understands suffering in a way that can only come from someone who has endured suffering and not sinned in response. She pondered, she prayed, and she persevered through what she experienced. She loved Jesus like no one else did. This was her Son to whom she had given birth. Yet she suffered as she saw all that He went through for her and for us.
It is good to have such feast days to remind us that God's plan for us includes plenty of suffering. He did not spare suffering for His own mother who never committed a sin. How much more should we expect to know suffering? Then also, we should know that we can ask Mary for her help to make it through suffering. She, along with Her Son, know the suffering we experience. Perhaps even just that knowledge alone can make our suffering more bearable.
Posted by David at
3:45 AM
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Monday, September 12, 2005
Remembering September 11th
September 11 means different things to many Americans. One of the things that I would never expect it to mean to someone would be indifference. However, even not long after that fateful day four years ago, my wife and I spoke with people who expressed no concern about what had happened in New York, Washington, and Pennsylvania. One person with whom we spoke said that it did not matter to him because he did not know anyone who had died. The man who said that has been involved in Christian ministry throughout his life. Another man was in New York City that day and left the city when everyone else evacuated. However, the whole event seemed not to have left any lasting impression on him. Others with whom we spoke really had nothing to say about 9/11. It just did not seem to have an impact on their lives.
We were stunned by these reactions, many of them from people who call themselves Christians. We simply could not grasp how such an event could have so little impact on people. This was an absolutely incredible and tragic event. It was a massive, foreign terrorist attack on U.S. soil. Even more to the point, men and women lost their lives in absolutely horrific ways. They had been trapped in buildings struck by airplanes. Others had jumped to their death from fiery floors high above the ground. Still others had been trapped on the planes used as missiles by the terrorists. What must they have been thinking moments before their death? Then there were those who died trying to save the lives of others. Firefighters, police workers, ordinary citizens died helping others. Death was all around in this event. Senseless death at the hands of evil men, and self-sacrificing death from men and women who gave their lives in order that someone else might live.
Therein, I think, lies the disconnect for many who are indifferent to the deaths of some of their fellow citizens. It is the reality of death. Death came to the United States on 9/11 in a way that many simply could not, or would not, face. It was sudden, it was immediate, and it was very difficult to understand. In the United States, we have not faced death this way. We have been immune to such terrorist attacks. And we are not very clear on what to do with death. Death is always over there in some other country. Now it was right here, right now. In addition, we have marginalized death. We have become desensitized to it. And we have no idea what it is about. As a result, we deal with it by disassociating ourselves from it.
One of the questions that is asked is where was God on September 11th? It is easy to answer that God was there in all of the people who did not die because of some "circumstance" that prevented them from facing death that day. It is also true that He was there with those who were facing death. That is the rub. God is the One Who gives us life and He is the One Who is there when we die. We do not want to think of God and death, except as God being the One Who will receive us after we die. Friends and family are there at death, but so too is God. He is not the author of death. However, He allows death. It is a mystery. There are no easy answers. However, because of God there is hope that death is not the end. As Mother Angelica once pointed out death is not the opposite of life. Death is a passage of life. It leads to another part of our life. By God's grace, it is a life with Him. Many people died on September 11, 2001. They should be remembered by those who knew them and those who may only know their names.
Posted by David at
2:30 PM
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Thursday, September 08, 2005
In trying to understand the unbelievable loss of life and property caused by Hurricane Katrina, it seemed to me that there is one thing that is clear--disasters such as this help separate the wheat from the chaff. The fact is that thousands of people were left in dire straits by the storm. The question that this posed to each person was, "What are you going to do about it?"
Some people ignored the whole thing. Some people dragged their feet in responding. Some blamed the people who should have responded for not responding. Others blamed the victims. And then there were some who did something about it to actually help the people who were in such bad shape. Doing something, almost anything was far better than doing nothing or talking as if you were doing something when you were not doing anything at all.
It was horrible to see the footage of people who were stuck in the Superdome and the Convention center. They had been evacuated to a place that had nothing for them. For several days, these folks suffered in horrible conditions without food, water, or medical attention. Beside the misery of living in the hellish conditions in which they were living, it has been reported that rapes, murders, and suicides took place in the Superdome and the Convention center.
I thought about if my wife, our one-year-old daughter, and I were some of the people in the Superdome. What would our prospects be? We do not have food. We do not have water. The air-conditioning and plumbing are not working. The place is filled with people. There are infants and elderly. There are some that are sick. Some are even mentally ill. And these folks do not have any medicine. There is no way to contact anyone outside of where you are. There is no reliable source of information. You do not know how long you will be there. You have no idea if anyone really cares that you are there. What would I do?
After any time without food or water, I would go searching for food and water. You might want to call it looting. I would call it providing the basic necessities because there is no way that I would do nothing and watch my family dehydrate.
Of course, looting is wrong. But you need to put in perspective even what appears to be people simply taking advantage of a situation. Because of the storm, in a matter of hours, people found themselves in an absolutely desperate situation. Even if they were to survive the aftermath of the storm, what are their prospects? Most likely the job they had is gone because the business where they worked has been destroyed. They probably have lost their home or apartment. In other words, they do not have a job, a place to live, or any material goods. So some might have stolen simply because they figured they could use what they stole to get some cash.
And this is what I find the difference to be between what I called the wheat and the chaff. The chaff seems to be more interested in ignoring real needs, being defensive, and condemning people. For some reason, the magnitude of the situation which was presented by the hurricane victims just does not impact them. Although they might do something, when you really look at them, the chaff is not very interested in actually helping people to have their needs met.
The wheat is actually interested in helping people out. They talk about the problem and the people who need help. Then they pitch in and figure out a way to meet people's needs. They grasp the situation and act. They put things in context because they are really trying to view things from a personal point of view because people are truly important and they must be helped.
It is not so important what the wheat's motivation is. A person's motivation is more often than not simply God's business. The fact is that for whatever reason, food and water were being supplied by the wheat. At the end of the day, I thank God for the wheat because without wheat, you can not have your daily bread.
for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me. Matthew 25:35-36
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Tuesday, September 06, 2005
Providing Relief on the Ground
Over the past several days, Amy Welborn at
Open Book has been posting and providing links on the efforts to help victims of Hurricane Katrina by many folks who are in the Gulf Coast area. Of course, there has been much that has gone horribly wrong with regard to the evacuation and the relief efforts after the hurricane hit. These accounts provide the counter-balance to the problems on which is it so easy to focus. There are many who have shown great selflessness in helping their fellow man with acts of kindness and bravery.
Simply click
here and look through some of the posts from the past several days.
If anyone knows of any other stories or sites which are providing such stories, let me know.
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Saturday, September 03, 2005
There are, of course, numerous ways to provide financial donations to help all of those who have been affected by Hurricane Katrina. I would suggest, along with the
Red Cross, that folks consider the
Knights of Columbus. They have already pledged $2.5 million to be used for the following:
· $1.25 million to assist those displaced and made indefinitely homeless by Hurricane Katrina.
· $250,000 in immediate aid to Catholic Charities in affected areas.
· $1 million to help rebuild Catholic schools.
In addition, the Knights have agreed to match contributions offered in excess of $2.5 million which are made within 60 days of September 2. It should be noted that one hundred percent of these donations will be used for Hurricane Katrina relief. The donations are all tax-deductible.
If you would like to note your contribution in the blogsphere, complete the following steps:
1. Make a donation to a charity.
2. Go to
here and log your contribution.
For an update of the contributions logged, click
here.
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Thursday, September 01, 2005
Unbelievable: Hurricane Katrina's damage
I have not caught that much of the coverage of the catastrophe wrought by Hurricane Katrina, but what I have seen is unbelievable. The storm has devastated areas in a way that just cannot be described. It really gives one pause.
Native New Orleansian, Oswald Sobrino, who is living in Detroit, is posting his reflections on Hurricane Katrina. He comments on the parallels with the
Flood and the
lack of leadership in Louisiana to deal with such a catastrophe.
Meanwhile, we try to take in just how bad it really is. We pray, and we offer what assistance we can.
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Papal Prayer Intentions for September and the call to "Be apostles now, apostles of prayer!"
General - That the right to religious freedom may be respected by the government of all peoples.
Unfortunately in many parts of the world the basic human right to practice one’s religion is not recognized. People are persecuted for their religious beliefs. In other parts of the world any kind of religious belief or expression is laughed at and rejected as superstitious. At times, all religion is viewed with suspicion; religious people are perceived as fanatics and potential threats to peace and order. We join Pope Benedict in praying that governments will not hinder their people from living out their religious beliefs.
Missionary - That the proclamation of the Christian message in the new Churches may ensured through its insertion into the existing cultures.
Christianity is meant to transform the world. When it is lived out with authenticity, it changes individuals and societies. Pope Benedict wants us to pray this month that Christianity will be able, in those parts of the world where it has been newly planted, to have a real effect on the culture and society of the people. This doesn’t mean destroying an existing culture, but supporting all that is true, good, and beautiful about it, and transforming all that does not reverence human dignity.
The papal prayer intentions are promoted by the
Apostleship of Prayer which was started in 1844. At that time in France, Jesuit seminarians who were eager to join the missions work of the Church were urged to be apostles right there in the seminary by being apostles of prayer. They were encouraged to offer everything in union with the Sacred Heart of Jesus in order that His Kingdom would be spread to the hearts of many. One of the goals of this apostolate is to make known the needs of the Universal Church. One way that this is accomplished is by the promotion of the monthly Papal prayer intentions. By offering up prayers of petition for these intentions, the faithful are uniting themselves with Peter and through him to the Church as a whole.
I have found it a beautiful devotion to offer up my "prayers, works, joys, and sufferings" at the beginning of each day. The suggested prayer for making this
morning offering is:
O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary,
I offer You all my prayers, works, joys, and sufferings of this day
for all the intentions of Your Sacred Heart,
in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world,
in reparation for my sins,
for the intentions of all our associates,
and in particular for the intentions of the Holy Father.
The prayer allows me to focus my mind on my goal to be united with Christ through His mother Mary and in faithful obedience to the Holy Father. When I reflect on the prayer, I realize that it properly roots me in the Church which was founded by Christ, personified by His Mother, guided by the Successor to Peter, and sustained by the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.
It is in the mass where I can be truly united to Christ because it is here that I participate in His total giving of Himself. Through the grace which He gives through His Holy Sacrifice, which is re-presented constantly throughout the world, He seeks to draw all souls unto Himself.
Through His invitation, I am asked to contribute what I have which is prayer, works, joys, and sufferings. In His love, He uses these for the salvation of souls, including my own. Consequently, the smallest details of my daily life are part of this magnificent body of Christ. What I do and say has an impact upon the entire Church and by extension to the entire world. In this way, I, too, am able to serve as a missionary to people I might not ever know until, by God's grace, I would meet them in eternity. This is certainly something to think about when I start to grumble about the drudgery of daily life. That annoying task, done for Christ, is part of His plan for the salvation of souls.
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