5 things other boxers can learn from Manny Pacquiao

Aside from invoking God in prayers before and after each fight, boxers can learn from the best boxer of our time... Manny Pacquiao.

Manny Pacquiao’s Guide to Repeatedly Punching a Guy in the Face, Like a Gentleman

First, be a renaissance man.
Manny Pacquiao, congressman of the Sarangani district of the Philippines, is also an actor and singer, as well as the only boxer ever to win titles in eight different weight divisions. On November 13, he added that eighth title when he beat Mexican super-welterweight Antonio Margarito.



Second, be much smaller than the other guy.
Pacquiao gave Margarito six inches in height and reach, and weighed in at 147 pounds compared to Margarito’s 160.

Third, be faster and tougher.
Pacquiao dominated the larger man with his speed and persistence. He landed more than 470 punches in the fight and opened cuts above and below Margarito’s right eye and below his left eye.

Fourth, be a gentleman.
What separates Pacquiao from other fighters, aside from his quickness and stamina, is his sportsmanship.

After the tenth round, Margarito had no offense left. He couldn’t even see. Pacquiao’s trainer told him to knock out Margarito, but Pacquiao refused. That refusal, according to FoxSports‘ Mark Kreigel, is just “more evidence of his greatness.”

Pacquaio spent the last few rounds hesitating and avoiding Margarito. He even asked the referee to stop the fight so Margarito wouldn’t suffer further injury. When the fight was over, reporters asked Pacquiao why he laid off. He replied, “Boxing was not for killing.”

Margarito went straight to the hospital, where doctors determined that he had a broken orbital bone that would require surgery. Pacquiao’s trainer Freddie Roach thinks the other fighter’s corner “should be arrested… Their job is to protect the fighter. They let him take a beating.”

Back home, Pacquiao’s fellow legislators were proud, not just of Pacquiao’s success, but of the manner in which he achieved it. Representative Elmer Panotes said, “Even in the ring, Manny showed a high level of sportsmanship and gentleness when he signaled the referee to stop the fight as soon as it became clear that Margarito has become helpless and could not fight squarely.”

Fifth, celebrate by putting on a show.
What was next for the Fightin’ Filipino Congressman? He spent a couple of days nursing injuries, and then he performed a concert at Harrah’s in Lake Tahoe. Even Muhammad Ali never did that.

[source: Michael Josephson]

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Pope Benedict XVI: "I invite you to become saints"

"What God wants most of all for each one of you is that you should become holy. He loves you much more than you could ever begin to imagine, and he wants the very best for you. And by far the best thing for you is to grow in holiness.

Perhaps some of you have never thought about this before. Perhaps some of you think being a saint is not for you. Let me explain what I mean. When we are young, we can usually think of people that we look up to, people we admire, people we want to be like. It could be someone we meet in our daily lives that we hold in great esteem. Or it could be someone famous. We live in a celebrity culture, and young people are often encouraged to model themselves on figures from the world of sport or entertainment. My question for you is this: what are the qualities you see in others that you would most like to have yourselves? What kind of person would you really like to be?

When I invite you to become saints, I am asking you not to be content with second best. I am asking you not to pursue one limited goal and ignore all the others. Having money makes it possible to be generous and to do good in the world, but on its own, it is not enough to make us happy. Being highly skilled in some activity or profession is good, but it will not satisfy us unless we aim for something greater still. It might make us famous, but it will not make us happy. Happiness is something we all want, but one of the great tragedies in this world is that so many people never find it, because they look for it in the wrong places. The key to it is very simple – true happiness is to be found in God. We need to have the courage to place our deepest hopes in God alone, not in money, in a career, in worldly success, or in our relationships with others, but in God. Only he can satisfy the deepest needs of our hearts.


Not only does God love us with a depth and an intensity that we can scarcely begin to comprehend, but he invites us to respond to that love. You all know what it is like when you meet someone interesting and attractive, and you want to be that person’s friend. You always hope they will find you interesting and attractive, and want to be your friend.

God wants your friendship. And once you enter into friendship with God, everything in your life begins to change. As you come to know him better, you find you want to reflect something of his infinite goodness in your own life. You are attracted to the practice of virtue. You begin to see greed and selfishness and all the other sins for what they really are, destructive and dangerous tendencies that cause deep suffering and do great damage, and you want to avoid falling into that trap yourselves. You begin to feel compassion for people in difficulties and you are eager to do something to help them. You want to come to the aid of the poor and the hungry, you want to comfort the sorrowful, you want to be kind and generous. And once these things begin to matter to you, you are well on the way to becoming saints.”

--Pope Benedict XVI [source: Whispers in the Loggia/via Deacon's Bench]
Greeting to Catholic Pupils of the United Kingdom
St Mary's College, Twickenham
17 September 2010

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Chilean miners miracle story

“There are actually 34 of us,” the nineteen-year-old miner wrote in a letter sent up from the mine on Tuesday, "because God has never left us down here." - was quoted by one of the 33 Chilean miners trapped. Here is the full amazing story behind this now famous quote:

Jimmy Sanchez, one of the 33 Chilean miners who have been trapped for over two months in the San Jose copper-gold mine in the Atacama Desert, would like to make one small correction to all the stories about life in the mine:

“There are actually 34 of us,” the nineteen-year-old miner wrote in a letter sent up from the mine on Tuesday, "because God has never left us down here."

Amid reports of squabbling on the surface among families of the trapped miners, some say things are much calmer underground as everyone prepares for this week’s attempt to bring them back up. The men have worked hard to keep their spirits buoyant during the ordeal, organizing themselves into a community and dividing up their living-room-sized space. Early on, they set aside a space to pray daily, and religious groups have converged on the mine to serve the miner’s spiritual needs. Once a supply line was established, Seventh-Day Adventists sent down mini-Bibles with magnifying glasses; the Jesus Film Project loaded 33 MP3 players with an audio adaptation of the famous JESUS film. A crucifix was sent down in August, and it's said that miners also requested statues of Mary and the saints. The miners signed a flag which was presented to Pope Benedict this weekend.

Christian leaders of various denominations have come to the San Jose mine; the Guardian is rather bemused by all the activity, describing a “surge in religious fervor” as the rescue operation takes shape.

Baptist Press reports that two miners have “made professions of faith” since their entombment started. Pastors are also ministering to the families of the miners, who have camped out nearby.

“In the midst of this catastrophe, God is in control, and it is the Lord who has kept their family members alive," says Marcelo Leiva, pastor of Vallenar Baptist Church in Vallenar, Chile.

The miners are also thinking a lot about their family lives. Esteban Rojas, who never had a church wedding with his wife Jessica Yanez, has proposed again after 25 years. Others have decided to end their “empty” marriages. Miner Johnny Barrios has two women waiting for him topside, both of whom came to the San Jose mine to pray for his return. "Johnny doesn't want to come up," a psychologist working with the minters quipped in the Guardian.

As the hours tick away toward the expected rescue, the families holding vigil at San Jose are far from the only ones praying for the safe and speedy rescue of the 33 men. Spirits are so high that the miners are fighting among themselves about who will be the last to ascend—too many men are volunteering to stay down till the end. They’ve also contacted a lawyer to work out a deal by which they can share profits equally from the story.

Whatever happens when he and his compatriots stand in sunlight once again, Jimmy Sanchez wants to hold on to the lessons he’s learned in the past few months.

“God wanted me to stay here, I don't know, maybe so I change from now on,” Sanchez wrote.”I have thought and I'll change a lot. I have suffered too much and don't want to suffer any more. In the hard moments I was thankful of God because I got a daughter. I expect than when my turn arrives everything will be OK. Hugs for everyone."

Pictured above is a statue of St. Lawrence, patron of miners (and chefs). The statue -- complete with dalmatic, miner's helmet, and lamp -- was carried to the site of the Chile mine accident in August, shortly after the 33 men became trapped. The rescue operation was subsequently dubbed "Operation San Lorenzo."
[Via Deacon's Bench]

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A charming attorney was a Protestant turned Catholic now considers a religious life

Tara Clemens

Anchorage attorney considers the cloistered monastery

Former Protestant takes next step in discerning her vocation

By PATRICIA COLL FREEMAN / CatholicAnchor.org

Many find it hard to fathom why a woman would ever think of trading in a good job and the prospect of marriage and family for a life of poverty, chastity and obedience.

Tara Clemens of Anchorage, Alaska is doing just that.

It’s all the more surprising because Clemens was raised Evangelical Protestant. Plus, she’s a highly-educated attorney who already offers extraordinary service as a lay person in the Catholic Church.

So why leave all the world has to offer for a nun’s habit and the silence of a cloistered monastery?

Because it might be what God wants, explained the 31-year-old Clemens.

She regularly prays, “Lord, what is it that you want of me? Tell me what it is, and I will do it.”

That prayer is part of a journey to discern God’s call for her life. Taking time to discern one’s vocation is something she believes everyone should do.

“God calls everyone,” she said in an interview with the Catholic Anchor — to marriage, the single state or maybe even the religious life.

CALLED TO BE CATHOLIC

Clemens’ path to the monastery began even before she was Catholic. She was working full-time and attending law school – but she wasn’t much involved in a faith community. The summer before her final year in school, she took stock of her life and realized she wasn’t where God wanted her to be.

So she began praying, “Lord, show me your church. Show me where you want me.”

For the first time, Clemens looked closely at Protestant doctrine, which “raised more questions than answers,” she said.

Then, a coworker invited her to Mass.

“Not being able to think of an excuse to say, ‘No’, I said, ‘Yes,’” Clemens recalled with a laugh. Soon after, she began investigating Catholicism, “so I could evangelize my friend” out of it, Clemens admitted.

“I came to the conclusion that God was answering my prayer and (the Catholic Church) was, in fact, the church — his church — where he wanted me,” she explained.

After graduating, Clemens moved to Alaska, studied for the Bar Exam and began the official steps to become Catholic.

Tara Clemens stands outside Holy Family Cathedral in Anchorage on July 20. She is discerning a vocation to religious life. — Photo by Patricia Coll Freeman
Tara Clemens stands outside Holy Family Cathedral in Anchorage on July 20. She is discerning a vocation to religious life. — Photo by Patricia Coll Freeman

THE JAW DROPPER

In praying to find a job, she “stumbled across” a vocation prayer which she began to say.

Then, one day in the kitchen, Clemens’ Protestant mother articulated a possibility that had never crossed Clemens’ mind.

“She said, ‘Just promise me you’re not going to become a nun,’ recalled Clemens, whose “jaw hit the floor” at the idea.

Still, Clemens couldn’t make the promise.

“I said, ‘I can’t do that. I don’t know what God might call me to in the future.’”

But the idea of the religious life was anathema to Clemens.

“Inside, I was like, ‘No, no, no, no, we are not going there!’ But I felt like I needed to take it to God in prayer,” she explained. So she did – in addition to reading about religious vocations and attending discernment retreats.

Now, two years later, she is applying to enter the Corpus Christi Monastery — a Dominican congregation of contemplative nuns in California.

The nuns promote devotion to Christ in the Blessed Sacrament and pray for the salvation of souls. To support themselves, they bake altar bread for Mass.

NO FEAR

The nuns of Corpus Christi Monastery come from varied backgrounds. Many are college-educated and before the monastery, enjoyed professional careers.

As they were, Tara Clemens is headed up the ladder of success. She has an undergraduate degree in criminal justice and a doctorate in law. She is co-founder of the female-run Anchorage law firm of Helzer-Clemens, LLC.

At her parish, Clemens serves as lector, extraordinary minister of Holy Communion and chair of the pastoral council.

“When I entered the church, I jumped in with both feet,” Clemens said.

She also helped found the parish’s now flourishing young adult group and initiated “Christ in the City” Eucharistic adoration — evenings of prayer before the Blessed Sacrament that she hoped would help young adults discern God’s will for their lives.

Going to the cloister would mean leaving all those projects, but Clemens is excited about the new work God may be asking of her as a nun.

“We are called to live this life with eternity in mind,” she explained.

“By giving everything up, so to speak, and withdrawing to a cloister to contemplate God … sitting at the feet of Jesus and to pray for the world, the salvation of souls – that in and of itself is a witness that God is sufficient,” Clemens added.

THE SACRIFICES

While Clemens is happy about a possible religious calling, she acknowledged that it won’t come without sacrifice — including of marriage and children.

“I love children, and so the idea of not having children really pulled at me, and I really wrestled with that — with not being a wife and a mother,” Clemens said.

But according to the church, she explained, “as women, we are all called to be mothers” — physically or spiritually. That gives Clemens peace — if she is called to prayer in a cloister, she will be nurturing souls spiritually.

In the cloistered monastery, Clemens said, that means carrying “within your heart the cares of Christ” — including the much-loved souls for whose salvation a cloistered nun spends her life praying.

Spiritual motherhood is a hard idea for some to grasp, she observed, particularly parents who see religious life through the lens of their own vocation of marriage.

“Their thinking is… ‘I am so happy being married and having children, I just want that for my own son or daughter.’ …but God might be calling them to something a little different than what they’d imagined,” Clemens explained.

Living in the cloister also means separation from parents and siblings. During her month-long visit to the cloister in February, Clemens said many of the sisters acknowledged that while families can visit, being away can be hard.

But Clemens banks on the fact that “God gives you the grace you need when you need it.” And she keeps eternity in perspective. “God willing, we’ll all be in Heaven forever,” she added.

In the meantime, Clemens’ faces another divide from her family. Her Protestant family opposes her investigation into religious life. While she understands their position and respects them, she said, “I must be faithful to go where Jesus is calling me to go. Jesus spoke more than once on the cost of following him.”

Still, “there is always hope” for accord, she added. “All things work for good for those who trust him. I firmly believe that.”

Another cost that Clemens faces is educational debt that must be paid before she can enter the monastery. She has been working to meet those obligations — and also now, she is connected to the Labouré Society, a non-profit organization that raises funds to help would-be religious resolve school debt.

There’s no guarantee, but she continues praying.

“If this is what God wants for my life,” she explained, “then he will make way.”

‘WE ONLY HAVE TODAY’

One’s vocational discernment can be a long road, but it starts today, Clemens believes.

“One of my favorite quotes is by Blessed Mother Teresa… ‘Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin.’”

“Sometimes, you kind of have to step back out of your life and really take stock of where you are and what it is you’re doing and not doing,” Clemens explained. “Spend time with God in prayer” and go to the sacraments, she urged. “Ask God, ‘What is it that you want me to do?’ and be open to the answer.”

“God knows us so much better than we know ourselves,” Clemens added. “He knows what is going to truly fulfill and make us happy.”

“Cooperating with the working of God in your life,” she said, results in “being transformed to be the person that he created you to be.” And the aim of that is “to know him, love him, serve him and be with him for all eternity.”

To follow Clemen’s vocation journey, visit supporttarasvocation.wordpress.com.

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God bless Joseph Holland

A Chicago man says he's fighting charges of disorderly conduct for simply standing on a public sidewalk and praying.

Joseph Holland, a 25-year-old graduate student at Northwestern University, says he was standing still praying the rosary outside a Planned Parenthood facility in downtown Chicago July 3 when police arrested him for violating the city's new "Bubble Zone" ordinance. Read more details here.

Watch the video and see what they claim he did wrong.



God is good, the case was dropped.

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How a deacon inspired one man to the priesthood

Here's a heartening vocation story that should serve as a reminder to us all that every life can bear witness: When Father Michael Silloway was a young man, the epitome of the Catholic faith was his grandfather, a permanent deacon in the Diocese of Buffalo, N.Y. His grandfather's life of service to the Church planted a seed that grew and recently blossomed as the new priest was ordained at the Cathedral of Christ the King.

"He became the model of Catholicism for me because he was so involved with his church as a deacon," said Father Silloway, adding that his grandfather visited the sick and those in prison, as well as assisting priests at Mass.

"He would always talk to me about what a great thing it is to have a vocation in the Church, to be serving the Lord, serving the people, and I guess that kind of rubbed off on me at an early age," Father Silloway said. "He always said I would be the family's little priest."

One of four children of Lyndon and Cindy Silloway, Father Silloway grew up in Peachtree City and remained close to home most of his life. But the desire to live the ordained life wasn't always prominent. During the years between his early encounters with his grandfather and his entrance into the seminary, Father Silloway said that desire to serve the Church "went on the back burner" before resurfacing in high school and again in college.

The 27-year-old remembers going to confession when he was in high school and hesitantly confessing this thought that he may be called to the priesthood. At the time, the teenager felt it was more like something he wanted to get off his chest rather than something he wanted to truly explore.

As Father Silloway went off to college at the University of Georgia in Athens, he felt another desire swelling up--the desire to be a pilot in the U.S. Air Force.

"I wanted to fly airplanes with every fiber of my being," said Father Silloway. "And that's still there. If I can figure out a way to be a priest and a pilot at the same time, hallelujah."

But being partially colorblind and asthmatic short-circuited his dream of the Air Force.

"At that point, the Lord was really able to speak to my heart and say, 'Are you ready now to listen to what I want to tell you?'" he said. Check out more at the link.
[Via Deacon's Bench]

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Why they chose priesthood

You're about to meet three men whose lives will be changed forever this weekend. They're going to be ordained on Saturday as priests for the Diocese of Brooklyn. We wanted to get a sense of who they are, and what drew them to the priesthood. So tonight, we offer a special "I Witness" from the deacons who... tomorrow... will be priests.

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