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Day: October 8, 2006

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Readers and their browsers

I use Google Analytics to get insight into what my readers like to read. Also, having a background and degree in Accounting (kind of fitting with being a deacon —“ the managers of charitable donations in the early Church), and a love for analysis, makes me one of those people who likes to look at numbers and trends.

I was looking at the Content Optimization stats for my blog. Under Browser Versions I noticed that 60% of my readers use Firefox (hurray) and 3.2% of those people are using one or another of the Firefox 2.0 browser release candidates.

The next highest group of users (37.35%) use Internet Explorer, and of those, only a little over 1% are using the IE 7.0 Release Candidate.

Knowing what your readers use is good in that it helps you with laying out your site, especially if it’s not a blog site.

As to blogging, WordPress is pretty indestructible across browsers, but there are fluky differences like the way bullet points are laid out or the way the WordPress Dashboard’s layout looks.

I rarely use IE anymore. I’ve just gotten away from using stuff that appears (at least to me) to be bloated and demanding. That’s why I like Firfox. It lets me take control of how I browse. I’m looking forward to Firefox 2.0.

If you blog, do you know what your readers use? Do you think blog readers are early adopters or testers of the latest and greatest? Do you still use IE?

Homilies

Baptism of Rileigh Irene

Why are you here, and why are you having this child baptized?

By your action and choice you are marking her as a Christian.

Anyone with a passing knowledge of the history of World War Two knows that you didn’t have to be a practicing or devote Jew to be thrown into a concentration camp. You either were or you were not. The Jewish people were marked by their simple membership in a people.

Anyone with a passing knowledge of the history of the Roman Empire knows that being marked as a Christian meant a certain death sentence. Yet so many became Christians. Why?

By baptism you mark this child as a member of the Christian people. You mark her as a Catholic. She is enrolled in the company of saints and is enrolled in the books of the Holy Church. You are setting her apart —“ not the wisest decision according to world opinion or popular culture —“ where being different is odd at best.

You are going to step forward to do this. You are going to stand up and set her apart from the world.

There are consequences for this action —“ lifelong and eternal.

As parents we desire what is best for our children. We pour out our love, dedication, devotion, and our hard work upon our children. We give them the best and protect them as best we can.

By bringing Rileigh Irene here you are saying something important. You are saying that you believe —“ on faith alone —“ that this action, that being a Catholic Christian, is good for Rileigh.

Our Church does not buy into the concept of original sin, as believed in some Churches. What we do acknowledge is that there is evil, sinfulness, and many dangers in the world. By this baptism the power of the Holy Spirit will regenerate Rileigh, and mark her as one opposed to the world, one opposed to sin.

Baptism is a good. You know that is has value, otherwise you wouldn’t waste a beautiful Sunday morning. I ask you to consider and think on the question of why.

You’ve set Rileigh aside for God —“ not a god of I don’t know, some sort of magical mystery god, but for the God —“ Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Tough choice and tough commitment.

Once you’ve done this —“ don’t forget that the Church —“ God’s people is something you thought had value. Come back weekly to enrich yourselves and Rileigh.

PNCC

Eighth Day of the Octave – For the Fruits of the Holy Spirit

+ Come Holy Spirit, come!
And from Your celestial home,
shed a ray of light divine!

The Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Light,
of Strength, and of Love. With His
sevenfold gifts He enlightens the mind,
strengthens the will, and inflames the
heart with the love of God. We should
invoke the Holy Spirit daily, for the Spirit
aids us in our infirmity. We do not know
what we should pray for, nor how we
should pray, but Scripture tells us that
the Spirit Himself asks for us.

Prayer

Almighty and eternal God, You have
regenerated us by water and the Holy
Spirit, and have given us forgiveness for
all our sins. From Heaven send forth
upon our Holy Synod Your sevenfold
Spirit, the Spirit of Wisdom and
Understanding, the Spirit of Counsel and
Fortitude, the Spirit of Knowledge and
Piety, and fill us with the Spirit of the
Fear of the Lord. Amen.

You, on those who evermore,
confess You and You adore,
in Your sevenfold gifts, descend;
Give them Comfort when they die;
Give them life with You on high;
Give them joys which never end. Amen.

The Fruits of the Holy Spirit

The gifts of the Holy Spirit perfect the supernatural virtues by enabling us to practice them with greater docility to divine inspiration. As we grow in the knowledge and love of God under the direction of the Holy Spirit, our service becomes more sincere and generous, the practice of virtue more perfect. Such acts of virtue leave the heart filled with joy and consolation and are known as Fruits of the Holy Spirit. These fruits in turn render the practice of virtue more attractive and become a powerful incentive for still greater efforts in the service of God.

Prayer

Come, O Divine Spirit, fill the hearts of all those attending Holy Synod with Your heavenly fruits: Your love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. May all clergy and laity of the Polish National Catholic Church never weary in the service of God but by continued faithful submission to Your inspiration, merit to be united eternally with You in the love of the Father and the Son. Amen.

Our Father … Hail Mary … Glory be to the Father …

Act of Consecration to the Holy Spirit

On my knees, before the great
multitude of heavenly witnesses, I offer
myself, soul and body, to You, Eternal
Spirit of God. I adore the brightness of
Your purity, the unerring keenness of
Your justice, and the might of Your love.
You are the Strength and Light of my
soul. In You I live and move and am. I
desire never to grieve You by
unfaithfulness to grace and I pray with
all my heart to be kept from the smallest
sin against You. Mercifully guard my
every thought and grant that I may
always watch for Your light, listen to Your
voice, and follow Your gracious
inspirations. I cling to You and give
myself to You and ask You, by Your
compassion, to watch over me in my
weakness. Holding the pierced Feet of
Jesus and looking at His five Wounds,
and trusting in His Precious Blood and
adoring His opened Side and Stricken
Heart, I implore You, Adorable Spirit,
Helper of my infirmity, to keep me in
Your grace that I may never sin against
You. Give me grace, O Holy Spirit, to
say to You always and everywhere,
“Speak for Your servant is listening.” (1
Sam. 3:10b)

Prayer for the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit

O Lord Jesus Christ, Who, before
ascending into heaven, did promise to
send the Holy Spirit to finish Your work
in the souls of the Apostles and Disciples,
grant the same Holy Spirit to our Polish
National Catholic Church that it may be
made perfect in the work of Your grace
and Your love. Grant us the Spirit of
Wisdom that we may despise the
perishable things of this world and aspire
only after the things that are eternal; the
Spirit of Understanding to enlighten our
minds with the light of Your divine truth;
the Spirit of Counsel that we may ever
choose the surest way of pleasing God
and gaining heaven; the Spirit of Fortitude
that we may bear our crosses with You
and that we may overcome with courage
all the obstacles that oppose our
salvation; the Spirit of Knowledge that
we may know God and know ourselves
and grow perfect in the knowledge of
the Saints; the Spirit of Piety that we
may find the service of God sweet and
amiable, and the Spirit of the Fear of the
Lord, that we may be filled with a loving
reverence towards God and may dread
in anyway to displease Him. Dear Lord,
mark our Polish National Catholic
Church with the sign of discipleship and
enliven our Holy Synod in all its dealings
with Your Spirit. Amen. +

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