Wanna be a priest? (Busted Halo vs. Fr. John Corapi)

Although these two have vastly different conclusions, I appreciated both of their insights:

How I decided not to become a priest – by Max Lindenman on BustedHalo.com

Fr. John Corapi tells young men: "Answer the call!"

Tennessee mayor claims 'Muslim' Obama intentionally bumped Charlie Brown to censor Christian message

File this one under Critical Thinking FAIL.

Arlington, TN Mayor Russell Wisemantold his Facebook friends:

"Ok, so, this is total crap, we sit the kids down to watch 'The Charlie Brown Christmas Special' and our muslim president is there, what a load.....try to convince me that wasn't done on purpose. Ask the man if he believes that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and he will give you a 10 minute disertation (sic) about it....w...hen the answer should simply be 'yes'...."

Wow.

For anyone who missed it: KJMA's interview with Fr. John Corapi

VIDEO: Chris Rock rants about Tiger Woods news coverage

MTV Shows

I agree with Chris Rock. And I’d like to add that:

1) We should be thankful that Tiger Woods didn't hurt himself or anyone else.
2) We shouldn't be speculating about what caused the crash. And, as Catholics, we commit the sin of detraction if we spread scandalous news about people that is none of anyone's business – even if it's true.

Help keep Catholic radio on the air!

My friends over at the Guadalupe Radio Network are in the second day of their Christmas Gift-a-Thon today. If I wasn't here on vacation in California, I'd be in the studio with them begging for your cash, too (maybe).

Nobody (neither the stations nor the listeners) likes it when their shows are pre-empted by four days of shamelessly asking for donations, but it’s necessary to keep the stations afloat.

It costs a lot of money to keep a radio station on the air, so please consider helping them out! Most Catholic radio stations run with a skeleton staff and are just trying to break even and get their bills paid. Even if you can only give a little as $10 or $20 dollars, every bit helps to keep Catholic radio going on GRN.

The number to call and donate is (800) 476-3311. Tell them Dan Sealana begged you to call!


Listen the Guadalupe Radio Network online at http://tinyurl.com/kjmalive

Lino Rulli brings his 'Catholic Guy' show to Sin City!

My buddy Lino Rulli will broadcast his "Catholic Guy" radio show live from the "7 Deadly Sins Suite" in Las Vegas today from 4-7pm eastern on Sirius/XM’s Catholic Channel.

Lino has mentioned a few times over the years that he’d like to bring the show to Vegas, and now his fantasy has finally come true.

Last week on the show, Lino mentioned several Las Vegas Catholic landmarks that he’d like to visit during his trip to Sin City, including the Guardian Angel Cathedral.

It should be a fun week of shows. Lino will probably behave himself (for the most part) since Fr. Rob Keighron will be tagging along for the trip.

I'm proud of Lino for, once again, being an innovator in Catholic radio.

I support anyone in Catholic media who’s trying their best to spread the message of Jesus Christ and the Church He founded – especially guys like Lino who strive to put on a good quality show and aren't afraid to take risks.


"The Catholic Guy Show" with Lino Rulli airs Monday – Fridays from 4-7pm eastern time on the Sirius 159 and XM 117. If you don’t have satellite radio, you can sign up for a free on the Catholic Channel website.

The end of my Catholic radio 'career?'

KJMA radio in San Antonio now has one less goofball taking up space in their office.

By the way, my friends at KJMA and the Guadalupe Radio Network are starting their Christmas Gift-a-Thon today. If you appreciate Catholic radio and want to help keep it on the air, please send them over a few dollars! The number to call is (800) 476-3311. Tell 'em Dan sent you.

On Dec. 15, I need to email my religious order and let them know if I want to continue... Anyone have a coin?

I assume most of my family and friends wouldn’t be horrified if I decided to stop pursuing the priesthood. And those who would be disappointed if I didn’t go through with it would just have to get over it.

My family is very supportive of my vocation, no matter what it ends up being. They just want me to be happy and successful at whatever I do.

Not every guy in my position is so lucky.

I’ve known people who have practically held up their newborn baby boys in the air like The Lion King and promised God that their sons will be priests.



On the sad other end of the scale, I know people in religious life whose family tell them that their vocation is weird at best or the result of evil Catholic brainwashing at worst.

My dad told me that when he talks about my priest ambitions, people often ask, “When did your son know?” The accurate answer is: “He doesn’t.”

Like Fr. Corapi reminded me a couple weeks back, you never really know until “the bishop lays his hands on your head.”

One difficult lesson I’ve had to learn about vocation discernment is that it’s not all cut and dry. I’m still crossing my fingers for the day when Jesus appears to me in a dream as a friendly, bearded man and tells me exactly what to do with my life. But I’ve heard it doesn’t really work like that. Vocation discernment should start with love, and love most often is based on commitment rather than feelings.

Please pray for me while I’m home here in California. If you’re hardcore, maybe you could even do a little fasting. If you’re a raging alcoholic, go on a slightly less obnoxious, humiliating bender this weekend and offer it to God for me.

I need to trust that God will guide me to make the right decisions.

Special interview on KJMA Monday with Fr. John Corapi

We recorded this interview a couple weeks ago to promote Fr. Corapi's upcoming appearance in San Antonio.

It was awesome talking to Fr. Corapi. I hope a lot of you get to listen. If you don't live in the San Antonio area and can't get KJMA 89.7, you can listen online at http://tinyurl.com/kjmalive

VIDEO: The banned PETA anti-turkey ad

'Grace': PETA's Thanksgiving ad

According to PETA, this ad was rejected by NBC. I don't see what was so offensive about this ad that NBC couldn't play it. What happened to free speech?

For the last several months, I've actually been considering transitioning into a no-meat diet. It's mostly for selfish reasons (I'd like to lose weight) but I also don't like the idea of animals suffering.

"Oh! If we only knew how much we need the grace and help of God, we would never lose sight of Him..."

"... not even for a moment." –Br. Lawrence

(Via Catholicgirl Twitter)

Lady Gaga's 'Bad Romance' is my new favorite song (Yes, I know that's a little weird)

That's two Lady Gaga songs in a row that have become my temporary "favorite."

I didn’t really think much of Lady Gaga’s music when I first heard it. And I assume 29 year-old, heterosexual men living at a church in Texas and studying for the religious brotherhood or priesthood aren’t the usual demographic for her music.

I had to be careful about which YouTube clip of “Bad Romance” I embedded on this blog. Even if there weren’t people who actively monitor my online postings to see if there’s anything worth complaining to my religious superiors about, I still wouldn’t feel comfortable posting Lady Gaga’s raunchy videos here.

Now, if I tried to explain why I like this particular song so much, I’d have to write a much longer blog entry and give out way too much information.

Every now and then, I’m smart enough to show some restraint.

Sirius/XM Catholic Channnel now has a 'fan' page on Facebook

Check 'em out.

The channel celebrates their third birthday on December 4th.

A big thanks to The Catholic Channel and all the people spreading the message of Christ through Catholic media!

Catholic Campaign for Human Development responds to recent allegations

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops have responded to recent allegations against the Catholic Campaign For Human Development in a document entitled, FOR THE RECORD - The Truth About CCHD Funding.

To boycott or not to boycott? I say no.

But... umm... no one's really asking my opinion.

My special man-chat with Fr. John Corapi

I'll never wash this microphone again.

... and I also now have no more excuses. THE MAN himself told me what I should do.

VIDEO: Fr. Jonathan Morris talks aliens, holy water on Fox's "Red Eye"

Greg: "Whenever you have plans to do something as a priest, do you ever speed up mass just so you can get home?"

Fr. Jonathan: "Yes."


Aside from "Lost," this is totally my favorite show on TV.

AUDIO: U.S. Bishops fund groups "undermining Catholic values" and "working in opposition to Catholic teaching"

From the 11/13/09 edition of The World Over: Interview with Michael Hichborn from the American Life League and Rob Gasper from Bellarmine Veritas Ministry about recent criticisms of groups funded by the U.S. Bishops’ Catholic Campaign For Human Development.

ReformCCHDNow.com is calling for a boycott of next Sunday's second collection for the CCHD.

Will be home in CA in two weeks. Family and friends:Please prepare awkward priest/celibacy questions in advance.

I'M GOING BACK TO CALI... CALI... CALI...
I haven't been back home to California since I moved here to Texas in July of last year to join the religious order. I'm really looking forward to seeing my family and friends (and, also, RELAXING) for five weeks! I'm scheduled to start my Novitiate year when I get back to San Antonio after Christmas. Please pray for me and, if yous see me in California, don't be surprised if I pick your brain to help me think about my future. Can't wait to be home!



Other unrelated musings:

JUST WRONG
As embarrassing and unmanly as it may be, I have to say that Lady Gaga’s Paparazzi is my favorite song right now. It’s actually pretty sad if you pay attention -- both the lyrics and the fact that I like the song. ("Chase you down until you love me." Tried that before. Doesn’t work.) Wow, the next thing you know, I'll be reading Twilight...

I'M READING TWILIGHT
I never had any interest in seeing the movie. It may have a lot to do with the fact that I’m not a 13 year-old girl. And now I, a guy who usually doesn’t have the attention span to watch a YouTube video longer than two minutes, am reading the book. (I’m half-way through the first book.) A female friend of mine suggested that guys should read Twilight to learn about what girls want in a man. What I’ve learned: Girls want a man who is pale, can lift vans with ease, and only drinks animal blood.

PLANNED PARENTHOOD DIRECTOR QUITS AFTER SEEING ABORTION ULTRA-SOUND
This is a powerful story out of Texas which has received national news coverage in the last few days. Abby Johnson, who was the director of a Planned Parenthood abortion clinic, resigned her position after a disturbing experience of seeing an ultrasound of an abortion procedure. Abby now joins the 40 Days For Life prayer warriors who demonstrate in front of the clinic she used to run. She was interviewed last week on "Catholic Connection" with Teresa Tomeo, and revealed some disturbing details about her work at Planned Parenthood, including the pressure she received from higher-ups in the organization to push for more abortions to increase profits:




SPIRITURAL WARFARE THURSDAY @ BLUE STAR BREWING COMPANY
If you’re here in San Antonio, be sure to make it out to the last Theology on Tap session for this season Thursday night at Blue Star! Martha Fernandez-Sardina, the director of the Office for Evangelization for the Archdiocese of San Antonio, will be the guest speaker.

Happy Birthday, Flux Capacitor! (Born November 5th, 1955)

Without you, time travel would not be possible!

Theology on Tap with Archbishop Jose Gomez - 11/5, 7pm at Blue Star Brewing Company, San Antonio

Theology on Tap is focused for people in their 20s and 30s.

For more info: Myspace.com/TheologyOnTap