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1:58pm |
Scrobbled 5 songs on Last.fm. (Show Details)
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9:09pm |
Posted a tweet on Twitter.
New blog post: Daily Digest for 2009-03-28 http://tinyurl.com/dfplso
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9:09pm |
Posted a tweet on Twitter.
New blog post: Daily Digest for 2009-03-29 http://tinyurl.com/culgrk
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10:45pm |
Posted a tweet on Twitter.
New blog post: March 30 – Song II from Book I by Jan Kochanowski http://tinyurl.com/cx55rd
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11:42pm |
Posted a tweet on Twitter.
New blog post: 10 reasons I’m a National Catholic — Reason 1: We’re right http://tinyurl.com/dlxgzq
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The Holy Polish National Catholic Church is right in its faith, practice, and structure. The Church, guided by the Holy Spirit (John 20:22, Acts 1:5), teaches the truth about God, about Jesus Christ, about salvation, and about the means and methods by which mankind is to organize in an effort to reach eternal life. Beyond teacher, it is the visible society of all believers who join in common cause to acknowledge Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior; the community of all who endeavor to live as Jesus taught.
One can “believe” in a lot of things. You can “believe” that water is made from hydrogen and oxygen, that the sun will rise tomorrow, that your car will start in the morning, and that the school bus will arrive relatively timely. Each of those “beliefs” can be supported by evidence.
To be Catholic requires that you believe, not from evidence alone, but from faith, that the Church is the true community of believers formed by and established by Jesus Christ (Matthew 16:18). You must believe that the Church holds and teaches the truth given to it by Jesus Christ (John 16:12-13). You must believe that the Church guides you in the way of truth; that through its liturgy, prayer, teaching, and structure you become the person God intended you to be. You can call this position a belief in the infallibility of the Church — that the Church is truly right in what she teaches, in how she lives.
If I did not believe that the Polish National Catholic Church is right in all it prays and teaches then I am simply wasting my time. I could just as easily have joined a social club for companionship or for other good purposes. I know myself, I know my conscience, and I know my faith. I know that I am not wasting my time and that the Church is more than a club. The Church is the true guide to all that is good, to heaven, to all that Christ promised through the Church.
My declaration of faith is faith by regeneration. Through the Holy Spirit’s action I came to faith, and through that faith I have come to believe that all the Polish National Catholic Church prays and teaches is right, is in full accord with the teachings of Jesus, as well as the faith handed down through the Apostles.
Therefore, I believe that the Polish National Catholic Church is the true Church. It is the Divinely instituted society that teaches me, guides me, and trains me in all that is true and right — true and right by God’s standards! Through the Church’s way of life I will gain heaven because Jesus Christ gave the Church the graces necessary to carry out that mission.
As G. K. Chesterton wrote in The Catholic Church and Conversion:
But it is one thing to conclude that Catholicism is good and another to conclude that it is right. It is one thing to conclude that it is right and another to conclude that it is always right.
I am a National Catholic because by my faith journey, by my experience, by faith, and by regeneration I have come to believe that the Polish National Catholic Church is more than good, it is more than right, it is always right in what it teaches. It offers me, and all people, the fullness of sanctification and truth, the path to heaven.
The heart swells, when we look at this season:
Not long ago the forests were barren,
Snow was piled higher than a foot outside,
And on the river heavy carts could ride.Now a trim of leaves graces every tree,
The wild meadows blossomed beautifully;
The ice has gone and over clear waters
Sail along the ships and the carved cutters.Now the entire world is truly laughing:
The grain is up, the west wind is blowing,
The birds again are fitting out their nests
And burst into song before the dawn crests.But the root of a truly happy sense
Is when a man enjoys a clear conscience
And in his heart suffers no blemished spots;
Why should he feel ashamed of his own thoughts?No need to pour him wine and drink along,
Nor play the lute, nor lift the voice in song;
With water alone he will be happy,
As he truly feels free from all worry.But the one who’s gnawed by a hidden moth,
Will not delight in the rich dinner broth,
No song, nor even a voice will move him,
Everything goes past his ears with the wind.Good cheer, which no one can ever enthrall,
Even by putting rich silks on the wall,
Do not look down upon my twigged arbor,
And stay with me, if I’m drunk or sober.
Translated by Michal J. Mikos
Serce roście patrząc na te czasy!
Mało przed tym gołe były lasy,
Śnieg na ziemi wysszej łokcia leżał,
A po rzekach wóz nacięższy zbieżał.Teraz drzewa liście na się wzięły,
Polne łąki pięknie zakwitnęły;
Lody zeszły, a po czystej wodzie
Idą statki i ciosane łodzie.Teraz prawie świat się wszystek śmieje,
Zboża wstały, wiatr zachodny wieje;
Ptacy sobie gniazda omyślają,
A przede dniem śpiewać poczynają.Ale to grunt wesela prawego,
Kiedy człowiek sumnienia całego
Ani czuje w sercu żadnej wady,
Przeczby się miał wstydać swojej rady.Temu wina nie trzeba przylewać
Ani grać na lutni, ani śpiewać;
Będzie wesół, byś chciał, i o wodzie,
Bo się czuje prawie na swobodzie.Ale kogo gryzie mól zakryty,
Nie idzie mu w smak obiad obfity;
Żadna go pieśń, żadny głos nie ruszy,
Wszystko idzie na wiatr mimo uszy.Dobra myśli, której nie przywabi,
Choć kto ściany drogo ujedwabi,
Nie gardź moim chłodnikiem chruścianym;
A bądź ze mną, z trzeźwym i z pijanym!