About the Author
Greg Willits
Greg & Jennifer Willits are the founders of Rosary Army and the creators of both That Catholic Show and the Rosary Army Catholic Program. The Willits' are popular speakers on a variety of Catholic topics. To invite them to speak at your event, contact CMG Booking.15 Responses to “Rosary Army #234 - Tough Topics”
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Hello Greg and Jennifer,
Good Question. When do we vocalize an opinion versus when should we let the irritating actions continue?
I’m on board with your comments about being careful not to label SQPN or Rosary Army as an extreme political group. The opinions we express on our own versus opinions we express while holding an organizational banner must occasionally be different.
I’m also on board with Zina’s comments about voting with your wallet when you have good options. Fortunately for people in the U.S. we have a multitude of good choices for food, beverage, petroleum (environmental spills), and clothing products (child labor factories in Asia).
We can also vote with our wallets on potential investments in companies (with poor labor practices) and industries (making harmful products).
These days, if there are things that bother me, I am more likely (at this point of my life) to express my irritation. That wasn’t always the case. I used to keep quiet much more often than I do now.
I’m coming to the conclusion if irritating behavior is not pointed out to the perpetrators, it’s a mistake. Many people will assume that irritating actions or their poor choices are “no big deal” and they can continue on doing the irritating behavior and anything else they please. I think that pendulum has swung too far in many areas. For example reading the paper in church or talking on the mobile phone while you are in line for the eucharist.
The biggest challenge and difficulty for me these days occurs when I express an opinion on irritating actions and/or behavior I observed and someone tells me that I don’t know enough to voice an opinion.
For the record, the feedback that has come my way suggesting I don’t know enough to comment was actually posted on the SQPN boards relating to observations I shared on Muslim extremists.
My comments resulted in the response that I don’t know enough about Islam to comment about Muslim extremists.
The caller that called in about the list you can buy online said that it’s expensive because it’s hard for them to print.
However, I heard that they ended up charging a fee to print those lists because, When the lists used to be free, Planned Parenthood had or hired someone to request many copies of them to try and put them out of business.
I would be very cautious where your money goes. Not because the Catholic Church says it’s bad, but to actually, for yourself know what your dollar is supporting and if it’s in line with your beliefs.
I agree that you guys are doing a wonderful job of having people view the Catholic Church in a new light. But I think it comes down to this.. We need to be educated. It doesn’t make any sense to just blindly believe in anything. I think you guys bringing up topics like this is good, because you aren’t telling everyone “NO, you can’t do it” you are explaining the reasons behind every thing. That also goes for NFP and chastity, and all areas that you guys discuss in your show. I think it is so great that you guys bring things up, don’t worry about offending anyone. We love you and Jesus and Mary are loving your work.
God Bless.
I’m wondering if you’d share your family recipe for carrot cake!
Yes I am with Barb! My wife and I love to cook with the kids and my daughter (7 years old) would love to make your version of Carrot Cake!…..
By the way I drink Blue Moon, not sure if they are on any list, but it’s tasty, Greg you should try it.
@Michael - Is Blue Moon the one often served with an orange slice? I’m not a big fan of orange-tinted beer (though I like lemon-tinted summer ales).
As far as the carrot cake recipe — Hmm. I’ll have to ask my mom
Cassie,
Yes, you are also right that one of the other reason is because supporter of PP almost ran LDI out of business by flooding them with orders. According to the reports I am getting it is harder and harder for LDI to do get their reports with the rising postage prices. Some people have gotten their reports 3 months late. Again people can read more about this organization on their website: http://www.fightpp.org
One thing that I try to do is go “carbon neutral” on my spending. If I MUST use the services of a company that supports PP, then I try to make a donation to a pro-life organization to offset the potential harm. Just as you would want a company to not pollute the environment at all, if they must you would like them to somehow offset their damage.
Greg and Jennifer, I thank you both for bringing up some difficult topics. Being a good Catholic is not easy, and part of being a good Catholic is being informed about our faith. And then we must put our faith into practice in the real world. I think the Church is pretty clear on issues of life. The tricky part is how to be diplomatic and fair about it.
Check out lifeteen.com for Catholic Movie Review podcast.
Dear Greg & Jennifer Willits, i just want to say that I enjoyed your last 4 podcasts. It’s my first week listing to your Rosary Army and Daily Breakfast of Fr. Roderick (I have got a new MP3 player that supports auto podcast download). Before I always listened to Pray-as-you-go, but the combination with your ‘real live show’ is very refreshing.
Regards,
Ronald Marks from the Netherlands
Good show!
Well, I salute you (I think that’s the way in wich militia does it). I’ve been hearing you for at least a year. First, as a way to improve my listening skills, later just for fun, and currently for a spiritual need.
It was the “secrets of Harry Potter” podcast the one who hooked me, and what came later was that I started listening to you every week. I would love to hear you everyday, but for job reasons I’m not able to do it.
Here in Mexico city, and because the rush in which we’re living, there’s so little time to spend with the family, friends or even partners. In my case, I’m currently living with my fiancee (I know, it’s not very right), but life with her has made me aware of what God means for humanity, and how mankind has turn their heart from him.
Mexico is a way catholic country, but faith is being replaced slowly by the one in the money, and in other faiths that are not quite well stablish in their roots. Here we’re living a phenomena wich is called “massive faith migrations”, and that’s because youth is not well raised into our faith, and also because parents are loosing faith in Jesus and his words.
Let me tell you that even though this situation is something to be worry about, catholics keep tight to our faith finding new ways spread the word. We find that one common link for faith in the Lord is to have faith in Mary, the mother of our Lord. But in the heart of mexican people, Mary is named Guadalupe and she’s the one children name their mother, and adults call her for consolation and counsel. It’s kind of strange that Jesus, being our Lord, in Mexico is a little, just a little less important than his mother. In every Mexican (or that’s what you can hear everywhere you go in Mexico) there’s a special place for the “virgencita de Guadalupe” (Little virgin of Guadalupe). At least, this’ what holds back catholics into the faith.
Another thing, the rosary pray is something is loosing practice. I do pray the rosary, at least, once a week, but normally I do pray it every day, in Spanish (that’s my native tongue), in English (that’s the one I’m practicing all the time) and in Latin (maybe because I wanted to feel it to the bone), and now in Nahuatl (that’s the original tongue spoken by the first natives in Mexico, almost lost) and it sounds good, specially because Guadalupe spoke in that tongue the word of Jesus our Lord.
And because of the rush I mentionet before, attending to Sunday mass has become something incredibly difficult. We pay more attention to the soccer game of our children, to the shopping, to house improvements, to visiting grandparents, and stuff like that. In my case, I try to attend as much as I can, because my fiancee is not a truly beliver and doesn’t want to mess with religious stuff (that’s her point of view), but inside, I know she hasn’t let the Lord fill her needs. Nevermind, I love her anyway, and she loves me back.
Every time I hear you guys, I try to apply as much as I can every recomendation you give us, every piece of advise I could take from you I put it into action. I try to live my catholic reality, feeding myself up from your words.
Great to hear you, best podcast I ever heard before.
Jose.
P.S. Forgive me if my English isn’t that good as I would like it to be. I’ll do my best.
Jose,
Thanks for sharing with a longer post.
Keep the faith…and keep trying to persevere with your efforts to be a good example for your fiance despite the hectic schedule.
I also find it impressive that you can speak the Rosary in so many different languages.
Peace,
Jim
Hello Greg & Jennifer,
May God bless you for all your tireless effort and the blessings you gave to many in organizing the Catholic New Media Celebration! If you are tempted to dwell on the snags and disappointments - maybe this or that panel seemed a little flat, maybe some guy in the thirteenth row nodded off, maybe you hoped for a bigger turnout, whatever - know that my family was greatly blessed by your work.
I entered the church this past Easter after 30 years away, in no small part assisted by the positive and helpful influence of sqpn podcasts. Your work, and that of Dr. Paul’s Saintcast, Fr. Roderick’s Daily Breakfast, and others, demonstrated that I could join the Church without abandoning wit, laughter, sincerity, and intelligence (a popular assumption). My wife and children - still Protestant - attended and came away impressed; my seven year-old daughter now has a pink rosary and a length of twine to make her own, gifts from the friendliest couple from Natick, Massachusetts!
As for me, the midday mass was the highlight - what a true community we had as Dr. Paul read the Word, Fr. Jay and Fr. Seraphim and Fr. Chris prayed, Fr. Roderick homilized, and Fr. Leo offered the Blessed Sacrament! In that mass I felt for the first time not a distant listener, but a member of something blessed and true, part of a body bound together not just by technology or blogs or podcasts, but by love. In short, I came away not only excited about new media, but with a greater enthusiasm to love and serve our Lord. Thank you again for your work, and never grow weary in well-doing!
Yours in Him,
Jaime McGrath
Jim in Columbus, Ohio Jun 16th, 2008 wrote at 1:32 pm
“For the record, the feedback that has come my way suggesting I don’t know enough to comment was actually posted on the SQPN boards relating to observations I shared on Muslim extremists.
My comments resulted in the response that I don’t know enough about Islam to comment about Muslim extremists.”
________________________________________
Jim, For the “record” I looked back at the comments and did not see that quote or anything similar directed specifically toward yourself.
What I did see specifically in DB #490 was another posters comment and my comment following them, which was an observation about some posts(not about yours) that I have seen on the web regarding that area.
In God’s Peace,
Michael C
T** on May 29th, 2008 at 2:46 pm wrote:
“I am a born Catholic, lapsed and drawn back, largely down to Fr Roderick, I am proud of my faith and of the tolerance that I feel. I am from London, directly affected by the Islamic extremist bombs of July 7 2005. What made London stand out that day was the unity and support that we showed each other - values that we as Christians all strive to achieve daily were achieved without effort that day by ALL Londoners, British, asian, Muslim, Christian.
I feel that comments and feedback recently have been used as propaganda, people with an agenda, displaying language and attitude that I find damaging to our faith, damaging to our future. Muslim bashing is not good. Muslim children are no different to children from the roughest housing estates of south London or from the spoilt Brats of the mansions in Chelsea.”
Michael C May 30th, 2008 at 2:52 pm
“I tend to agree with T** although I think that peoples generalizing comments that bash Islam and/or Muslims tend to be from stereotypes and a lack of knowledge of Islam and the Quran. If you make a comment about Islam and/or the Middle East, especially to a Muslim it is essential that you have accurate information because if you are wrong then they would have no reason to believe whatever else you say, even if true.
Personally most all of the Muslims I have met are good fine peaceful people which we should also love as Jesus taught us. Many of them are not aware of how much Jesus is mentioned in the Quran and how much Mohammed revered Jesus’s teachings. And yes many are not aware of how much more there is to know by being a follower of Jesus but I suggest that instead of condemnation of Islam and/or Muslims, an easier path would be of love, friendship and a gradually sharing of the wisdom of Christ.
In the next week here or so I’ll write another comment on this discussion area with some quotes on Jesus from the Quran, maybe something on praying for Muslims and the story of a friend of mine who has made the long journey from a young militant Muslim in Beirut, Lebanon to being a Christian missionary and minister.”
Following up on my above comment, I have posted in the DB 490 comments section a couple of links relating to the work for Christ that my Lebanese former Muslim friend has done plus one of his short essays which have these captions:
* Former Muslim Brings Gospel to Chicagoland Muslims
* His Amazing Personal Testimony From Muslim Extremist to Follower of Jesus
* Islam and Christianity ~ by Hicham Chehab
http://sqpn.com/2008/05/30/daily-breakfast-490-grand-priest-auto/
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I’ve recently joined and wanted to introduce myself