Making Movies for Christ

By 5 Comments

Online videos are popular right now. Did you see the Darth Vader Christmas carol or the one about the adults eating their kids’ Halloween candy?

Hilarious.

How about the Silent Monks Hallelujah Chorus or the elderly couple playing the piano?

Great videos, right?

According to Media Post, 184 million people watched more than 42 billion videos in October.

Online videos can reach millions, so as evangelizing Catholics we need to be in this medium.

There is an upward trend of online videos that deliver a powerful message. Did you see the one about what the nativity would be like if social networking was around at the time of our Lord’s birth? Very clever. Or did you see the short film about the good one man can achieve with just change for a dollar? I bet you could name ten more that you’ve watched and forwarded along for others to enjoy.

So why can’t a Catechesis video have the same effect?

I believe it can and it starts with your students.

What about assigning a video competition for your class (most computers come with a free copy of Windows Movie Maker or iMovie). Pick a theme about the Eucharist, their favorite saint or a moral dilemma. Not only can they get excited about this medium, but you know they will post it on facebook and show it to their group of friends. They would be evangelizing without even knowing it!

I would like to share a stop-motion video that I put together for my Catechesis class. This video was homemade with my nieces and nephews as the actors.

The assignment was to read C.S. Lewis’s Screwtape Letters and then rewrite one of the letters in a creative way. I chose to highlight some of the themes from Book 7 about distraction.

In an age where kids chat with their friends on facebook, watch their favorite shows on Hulu, play games instantly on their smart phones (and all at one time!) we miss God’s quiet whisper. This is an important message for today, but especially in this time of waiting for Christ’s birth.

It is my hope that this video will make people aware of how the devil can so subtly distract us from our path to God. I also hope that those who are multi-media users (me included) will learn how to use media in moderation and for the greater glory of God.

I would love to hear what you think of the video. Please leave me your feedback. Here is the youtube link: Seeking God in the Quiet

Read all posts by Filed Under: Catechetics, Culture, High School, Middle School, Music, Prayer, Scripture, Technology 5 Comments

The Pope’s 3 Wishes for Christmas

By Leave a Comment

 

I love that Pope Benedict XVI revealed what he wants for Christmas.  I’m not surprised that they are not material but spiritual things/wishes he desires.  They are worth reflecting on for a few moments:

1. ”My first wish, therefore, is that our gaze, that of our minds and our hearts, not rest only on the horizon of this world, on its material things, but that in some way, like this tree that tends upward, it be directed toward God. God never forgets us but He also asks that we don’t forget Him.”

2. “My second wish is that we recall that we also need a light to illumine the path of our lives and to give us hope, especially in this time in which we feel so greatly the weight of difficulties, of problems, of suffering, and it seems that we are enshrouded in a veil of darkness. But what light can truly illuminate our hearts and give us a firm and sure hope? It is the Child whom we contemplate on Christmas, in a poor and humble manger, because He is the Lord who draws near to each of us and asks that we receive Him anew in our lives, asks us to want Him, to trust in Him, to feel His presence, that He is accompanying us, sustaining us, and helping us.”

3. “This great tree is formed of many lights. My final wish is that each of us contribute something of that light to the spheres in which we live: our families, our jobs, our neighborhoods, towns, and cities.”

 

Source: Zenit.org

Read all posts by Filed Under: Culture Leave a Comment

What is Catholic fiction? by Karina Fabian

By 6 Comments

What is Catholic fiction?  This is a question we’ve bounced around in several of my Catholic writer’s groups, and the answer is never quite the same.

I think everyone can agree that just because a book has Catholic “trappings,” it does not have to be a considered a Catholic novel.  Dan Brown’s Da Vinci Code is a good example. For a story to be Catholic, then, it has to at least treat Catholicism positively.

For some writers, any book that supports our Catholic beliefs is Catholic, even if it doesn’t have the “dressings” or a rosary, a cathedral, a Mass…  Michelle Buckman, a best-selling author in the secular, Christian and Catholic fiction markets, considers her works Catholic in this way.  You will find the ideals of pro-life, reverence, and faithful devotion and even the idea of Confession.  However, to be acceptable to secular and Christian publishers, she had to remove the physical expressions of those ideals.  However, her two most recent books, Rachel’s Contrition and Death Panels, are very strongly Catholic.  The wonderful irony is, people feel “safe” enough with her other stories, that they took a chance on Rachel’s Contrition and made it an Amazon Best Seller in women’s fiction.

For my husband, Rob, and me, the definition of Catholic fiction is a little narrower.  We think Catholic fiction must both support and express Catholic beliefs materially.  This is the approach we took with Infinite Space, Infinite God I and II.  You’ll find Catholic characters and situations, the Church as an active entity, and faith as a force for good.  If you took the Catholic elements out, you would lose a vital part of the stories.

One thing we think is NOT a requirement is that the story preach Catholic beliefs.  This is a stickler for Rob and me, because we get very annoyed at stories that are more about the message than the characters or plot (even when we agree with the message).  In some ways, we think this sets Catholic fiction apart from a lot of Christian fiction–many Christian books are about the message.  This really, however, is more about the purpose of fiction.  Fiction tells a story, and the message or moral should come out naturally in the story.

If you have to lecture (even by having your characters lecture out loud or in thoughts) or you have to make your characters do things that are out of their character in order to put them in a situation that delivers your message, then you’ve sacrificed your fiction to message.  Write an essay, make an addendum, but give us the story and let the message shine through–or not–on its own.

The definition of Catholic fiction is going to vary by publisher, writer and reader.  Personally, I don’t think it should matter overmuch.  Fiction is about the story, and as a writer, I should not be concerned with whether my story is “Catholic” per se.  I should be concerned with telling the best story ever–whether it takes place in the Confessional or in the back booth of a bar.  As a reader, I want to be entertained, and if there’s a message to be found, let it come to me in the poignant moment of the hero’s tale and not in the fancy monologue he makes to the villain.

Those are the stories that not only earn the title “Catholic Fiction,” but also “Fiction to be Read Again.”

To enter to win a .pdf copy of Infinite Space Infinite God II, please leave a comment!

Here’s the trailer for Infinite Space Infinite God II!

Karina’s many sci-fi and fantasy genre books, plus her book on Catholic spirituality, can be purchased at Amazon.com.

For more information about her writing, workshops, and more, click here.

Read all posts by Filed Under: Book Reviews, Culture, General 6 Comments

Psychic Healing (not)

By 11 Comments

The other day I received a letter from a former doctor of mine. This was an obstetrician that I used to see years ago who decided to longer practice obstetrics, while I was pregnant with twins, due to the high cost of the malpractice insurance. He was a very nice man and I was sorry to lose him as a caregiver. This was five years ago and I look at it as providential since I have since found an amazing pro-life obstetrician who goes along with my crazy idea of having a large family.

The letter was more than a little disturbing. It was an announcement of a change in his practice, and in fact, of his whole viewpoint in the practice of medicine.  He was associating his new philosophy with that of Dr. Andrew Weil and the Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine. This is all fine and good. There is nothing against our faith in taking a whole body and mind approach to healing.  In the letter he indicated that his office would provide a variety of services and the names of the practitioners were listed on the side of the letterhead.  There was a nutritionist and several kinds of therapists for both mind and body and there at the end was a yoga instructor and a psychic healer.

Now, I was not considering going to this doctor, but had I been this would have been a huge red flag for me.  The yoga was annoying but you can’t seem to go anywhere any more without someone wanting to sign you up for a yoga class, but psychic healing?

Psychic healing is a practice by which a person who may or may not claim to have psychic ability, lays hands on the “patient” and unblocks their energy force and allows the force to flow freely through them promoting both physical and emotional healing.

Or something weird like that.

I generally unblock my energy force with coffee. It works and does not lead me into mortal sin.

Reiki is the most common and popular form of physic healing that is, scandalously, offered in many parishes and Catholic hospitals. Aura healing is also a physic healing practice that is popular and claims to cleanse your aura and unblock the energy flow to your chakras and allow negative energy to flow out.

Let me make this perfectly clear, your life source is your soul, if it is blocked with negativity that is called sin. If you want to be spiritually healed make a good confession and an earnest penance. There is also no such thing as an aura. There I have said it. No auras.

Practitioners of these “healing” methods are often certified by organizations that exist to promote New Age philosophies and occultism. You can usually become certified online and be out unblocking chakras for a large fee in a very short time indeed. As Catholics we would never consent to accept a sacrament from a minister or priest who received an online certification nor, as intelligent people, would we accept real medical treatment from a doctor who only completed an online course.  If that is the case then why would you entrust your mind and soul to someone who filled out a questionnaire online and now claims to be able to cleanse your mind and spirit? It makes no sense.

Catholics should shun these practices and complain loudly should they be offered by any parish or Catholic organization. In 2009 The US Conference of Catholic Bishops issued a statement preventing any use of or promotion of Reiki by  Catholic chaplains, retreat centers or health care facilities;

Reiki “finds no support either in the findings of natural science or in Christian belief,” the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops Committee on Doctrine said in six pages of guidelines. Moreover, practicing Reiki puts Catholics’ spiritual health in danger, the bishops said, by corrupting worship of God and turning religious devotion “in a false direction.”

“A Catholic who puts his or her trust in Reiki would be operating in the realm of superstition,” the bishops said, “the no-man’s-land that is neither faith nor science.”

If you want true spiritual healing seek out a faithful priest, a representative of Christ here on earth and ask him to hear your confession and give you absolution. The peace and love you will experience will bring grace to every part of your life and you won’t have to wonder what a chakra is.

Read all posts by Filed Under: Culture, General, New Age 11 Comments

The View from Our Cabin

By Leave a Comment

The lake. Our lake.

The lake that captures western sun and turns glassy waters pink like salmon as day draws dusky. That captures eastern sky with new day’s brightness, flourishing crystal waters as an orange never-used crayon. That dawns with possibility and newness. Each day, as if untouched.

The lake that sees summertime memory making. Whose permanence is landscape to our memories. The backdrop for so little, yet so much:  Horse shoe clinks. Badminton swishes. Dock jumping. Fledging friendships begun over sand castle architecture. Catching first fish. Rowing first boats. Grilling simple meals.

And yes, even the mosquito bites, the sunburns, the poison ivy, the late afternoon, sans-nap toddler, tantrum-ing and rife with wriggling, wet sandy bathing suit.

For memories, like life, we find, even here in this perfect haven, are punctuated with the good, the bad. Those light, airy, happy and those etched with tinges of sadness or regret. Because our yesterday and our today are not all sunshine and unicorns. Nor will our tomorrow be.

The lake that mirrors staggering old growth pines from island to shore. Alone. Unrippled. Undisturbed. Perfect. We dub it Tom Sawyer Island, our island in lake’s middle.

And even in the weeds, beauty. Rooted dozens of feet below surface in muddy, silty lake bottom. Lily – pad clustered flowers. Delicate mauves and lucent yellows. Pinks, radiant; greens, lush. Color brimming as we approach and admire up close in screeching, clunky rowboat. God’s gift to us, these nature’s decorations. These petals curving skyward. Giving homage, it seems, to the Lord. To the Author of creation.

And the summer sounds, the-unnoticeable-elsewhere-yet-intensified-here soundtrack of the lake. Whose continuous beat if set to metronome, would not falter:

Canoe and paddler rhythmically slicing glassy waters. A widening V disappearing, reappearing.

The insistent cicadas. Their shrill throbbing, near to hysteria, grabbing us, pressing into our consciousness, forcing us to notice. Louder, thicker. An awakening to the ever presence of God’s creatures. Even the insects we deem unappealing. These creatures, at the lake, our lake.

And above, azure skies hold chunky, ragged-edged clouds of pure white. Sailing, racing almost. Casting silhouettes of pine, of birch, of long necked Canada geese ashore.

Our lake is storybook. A storybook that is real. As real to us as deadlines, as commitments, as taxes, as ever present life, as eventual death.  And so, we create intermission in our lives, a schedule-less time out to touch this realness and live the lake’s story. Summer after summer.

With those who matter most. Living what matters most.

Even on days not idyllic, not picture perfect. When storms threaten and drizzle lingers. Days whose dawns hold sticky grey-ness and a promise of hazy dullness ahead. Whose afternoons hold a harsh word for which we eventually ask forgiveness or offer forgiveness. On these days too, especially on these days, it is a place where eternity is glimpsed.

A place whose stories will be lived and relived in many times and in many places: Southward on Interstate 87 as we wind homeward on the Saturday bookending our week.

On a Tuesday evening two years from now after baseball practice, over a spicy chili and crusty Italian bread dinner.

Over our Thanksgiving table a half dozen years from now, pumpkin pie and simmering cider fragrances wafting throughout dining room.

Or Christmas Eve a decade from now, tree adorned and memory-laden ornaments, pulled from cushioned boxes, admired once again, as my boys settle into home after an autumn away at college.

During tuxedo fittings for one son’s upcoming nuptials, two decades in the future. One will be groom; one, best man.

And perhaps as their own children, the same ages they are now, trick or treat together, flit around playgrounds together; perhaps even swim to our island or cast fishing lines together. On the lake. Our lake.

For we’ve found that our lake is the closest place to Heaven there is on Earth.

Read all posts by Filed Under: Culture, General Leave a Comment

I’m a Catechist, Not Kim Kardashian

By 1 Comment

I’m a catechist, not Kim Kardashian. I have no television shows, brand names or product lines to sell. The things I do and the things I say do not garner headlines, media attention, or hordes of paparazzi. I get to walk downtown without fanfare, bodyguards, or unwanted lustful ogling.

Even better, I get to talk to people about the passionate and relentless love of Jesus Christ… who loved me from the moment I was created in his image and likeness… and he does so even now… oh, so many years later. His love is so true that he’d die to be with me… regardless of my fortune, fashion, fame, or falling in or out of love. Even if no one ever hears of my name or accomplishments.

A catechist’s work is not about echoing their own name but the name of Jesus, and the things that he teaches.

And so, speaking as a catechist, if you ever read this, Kim Kardashian, I can only echo the truth I’ve come to know. I’m staking my life on it. So let me tell you what I know. Not that you asked, but just because it looks like things are kind of rough for you right now.

Every day I get a chance to breath freely, knowing that my heart can love without fear and pretense, and revel in an honest life that follows a purer love that is deeper than any I have ever known. And that, alone, is thrilling. It calls me ever higher toward unchanging truth, deep beauty, and unmistakable goodness. In short, it is everything my heart longs for. It makes me want to eliminate any obstacle that stands in between. And that drives me to a level of sweet intoxication not found by life in the fast lane.

What I’m really talking about is meeting Jesus and hearing him say your name differently than anyone else in the world. Knowing that He really loves you, knows your heart, and that his very own heart is aching for yours.

Kim, Jesus sees your true beauty, and when he sees you, he looks right through to your soul. And He wants to take you to the next level.

And isn’t that what you’ve always been striving for? The next level?

There’s only one kind of attention and over-exposure that leads to happiness… the long-term exposure to a boundless, covenanted, supernatural love that securely embraces the depths of the restlessness you cannot shake on your own.

From the looks of things, you’ve discovered that movement that propels you forward… to keep you hungry, to push the boundaries time and again… but your drive keeps missing the sacred target.

The truth about that pull inside you is that it is meant to lure you… to move your heart toward the One who will remake you into the woman you’ve yet to really dream you might be. The Designer of the Beautiful You had your happiness in mind all along.

Your restlessness is meant to bless you by leading you to Jesus.

But what of messy mistakes we’ve made? Well, from that perspective, you’re not unlike anybody else. The good news is that being rich and famous is irrelevant to the promise of such a love and redemption. It is offered freely to all of us, once we are willing to surrender our own self-centeredness and narcissism… and begin to take a step toward Jesus.

By turning toward Jesus, and admitting your restless heart has led you to places you’d rather not be, and to do things that you surely regret, well, then forgiveness can be yours. Then, a fall from grace can instead become a head first dive into the deeper graces that were destined to give your existence new meaning.

For most of us, this is precisely the moment when heaven breaks through to the hell we’ve managed to make for ourselves. The sense of self-preservation is strong amidst the chaos. The fight-or-flight instinct points to hope: The hope that you were made for more.

There really is more than we see. There really is a man named Jesus who is the healer and keeper of your heart. And he has hoped that you might reach for him. His love is profound and lasting. It never exploits a woman’s curves or nerve, her weaknesses or her strengths, her creativity or her know-how. Her dignity and the genius of her womanhood are far too precious for that.

The heart of Jesus is ready to transform yours, re-modeling your life from the inside out. But you’ve got choose Him. He has already chosen you.

I’m just a catechist. I’m not famous. You don’t have to take my word for it.

But Jesus is famous, and he’s got great credentials for turning the tailspins of life into opportunities for a fresh start. For over 2000 years people have known his name for a reason. What’s even better is that he already knows your name, Kim Kardashian. So you’re already partly there in getting to know him better.

Now, go take the relationship to the next level.

Read all posts by Filed Under: Culture, Evangelization, General 1 Comment

The Getty Guide to Imagery Series: a Goldmine for Educators

By Leave a Comment

We’re so fortunate to have a 2,000-year treasury of Christian art, and it would be a shame not to share it with our students, wouldn’t it? Art can point us towards a deeper understanding of Scripture or the life stories of the saints; it can move us emotionally in a way that words sometimes do not. You can pique kids’ curiosity and draw them into the story by sharing images with them.

Online, there are some terrific databases of images you can use in your class. Three of my favorites are:

  • Biblical Art on the WWW – searchable by topic, person, etc. Really cool set of images and links to images elsewhere
  • Olga’s Gallery – very comprehensive collection of images, often with annotation that can be helpful if you’re not familiar with the work or the artist
  • Web Gallery of Art – another very comprehensive collection, with links to the sites where the images are hosted.

While online sources are fabulous when you’re looking for a specific work of art, having books to flip through can give you a broader view of the life of a given saint or figure as portrayed in art. That’s why I absolutely love the Getty’s Guide to Imagery Series. I’ve reviewed two volumes of the series so far for Tiber River – Old Testament Figures in Art and Saints in Art. From the reviews:

Old Testament Figures in ArtWith its many notes as to recurring themes and connections to the New Testament, this would be terrific to have on hand for a Scripture class at any level, as it provides beautiful art to supplement a lecture or to examine in its own right. Each image is reproduced in full color and is grouped with similar pieces based on their correspondence to a particular event or figure in the Old Testament. Significant events in salvation history are presented in approximate chronological order, with notes as to the geographic location, relative time of their occurrence, Scriptural references, and the region where a particular image or event was most popular.

For example, the story of Abraham’s encounter with the king and priest Melchizedek is represented by two paintings, each with notes about the event prefiguring the Last Supper. The section on this event includes an explanation of the circumstances leading up to Abraham’s meeting Melchizedek, and points out that Salem is the ancient name for the city of Jerusalem. Each painting has multiple notes that point out significant figures and techniques used by the artist to create the work.
Read more about Old Testament Figures in Art at Tiber River

and

Saints in ArtThe images collected in Saints in Art are not intended to act as a hall of fame for the most widely venerated saints throughout the world, but rather serve to show us the symbols and stories associated with various aspects of Christian history. Each image is shown in full and vivid color, with notes around its perimeter that identify significant parts of the scene. We learn to look more closely at these works of art and to understand that there is meaning to every small detail, and to enjoy “decoding” similar images.

For religious educators, this book would be a great resource for discovering new and unusual facts about saints, and for sharing with students to help them remember what made each saint unique. Some graphic scenes of martyrdom and occasional nudity would mean that this isn’t a book you’d leave around for kids to page through, but there are many, many images that could be appreciated by even the youngest art aficionado. I think it’s great to use visuals like these in teaching and learning about our faith, because we can come to better appreciate beauty as well as having another way to remember important events in the life of a saint we’re studying.
Read more about Saints in Art at Tiber River.

It seems like they’re always coming out with new volumes in this series, and I can’t wait to add some of the other titles to my collection. I highly recommend that you check them out, too.

I wrote these reviews of Old Testament Figures in Art and Saints in Art for the Tiber River Blogger Review program, created by Aquinas and More Catholic Goods. For more information and to purchase, please visit Aquinas and More Catholic Goods, your source for Baptism Gifts and First Communion Gifts. Tiber River is the first Catholic book review site, started in 2000 to help you make informed decisions about Catholic book purchases. I receive free product samples as compensation for writing reviews for Tiber River.

Read all posts by Filed Under: Culture Tagged With: , , , , , Leave a Comment
Newer Posts »

Warning: call_user_func_array() [function.call-user-func-array]: First argument is expected to be a valid callback, 'wpfbogp_end_ob' was given in /home/amazing/public_html/wp-includes/plugin.php on line 405