Tech Tips for Catholic Teens

A couple of months ago, Tim, one of the creators of the Faith Database, asked if I would be interested in helping beta test the new version.  How could I say no?  I had been using the previous versions for some time and quickly saw how powerful of a tool this truly is.

The first thing I noticed in the latest version was the new interface.  Not to put down the previous versions, but this latest version looks wonderful!  They have included some video tutorials built into the program to help the user more fully use the database to its intended potential.  When I watched the first video tutorial, I instantly recognized the narrator to be Jerry Usher of Catholic Answers.

If you are like me, you have a bookshelf in your home that includes numerous translations of the Bible, a couple Scripture commentaries, two different editions of the Catechism, the Compendium, the Code of Canon Law, various Encyclicals, books on Church History, some of the classic Christian writings, books about the Saints, writings of the Early Church Fathers, and so on.  The Faith Database is like having your own personal Christian library at your fingertips, but with greater search abilities.  Search any topic relating to the Christian faith and instantly have access to virtually hundreds of resources on that very theme.  One of the nice features is the capability to bookmark portions of a text that you know that you’ll be referring to time and again.

Let’s just say that you can’t find what you are looking for; the Faith Database actually has a built-in web browser, which allows you to search the internet from within the program itself.

Another great feature is how you can export any document or search result to Word, Open Office, Excel, or as a PDF, HTML, TIFF, BMP, PNG, GIF, JPEG, PDF, RTF, XFF, XPS file.

Oh! And just for fun, you can test your knowledge about the Catholic faith by clicking on the Test tab.  I am currently rated a “Novice Apologist” in case you were wondering.

Here are some screenshots of the Faith Database (Beta Version)

Product Summary

• Search over 10 Bible Translations, hundreds of early Church doctrines, and over 1500 classics covering 2000 years of Christianity all at one time.
• Read what the Fathers and Doctors wrote about any particular passage in Scripture.
• Know how to defend your Faith using quotes from the Scripture and Early Church Fathers.
• Contains over 1500 writings, 75,000,000 words & 80,000 pages.
• LEARN MORE >>

I hear that a Mac version is in the works!

Below are some related links about the Faith Database:

• Biblical Research with FaithDatabase (Video Tutorial)
• Searching FaithDatabase (Video Tutorial)
• Faith Database (Giveaway!)

While I was on my journey back to the Catholic faith, after leaving it for a non-Denominational church, I stumbled upon a radio show called “Catholic Answers Live” (this was quite a few years ago).  I don’t think this was by accident.  God has a funny way of getting our attention ― sometimes in subtle ways, while other times like a brick over the head.

Catholic Answers has since grown, with their gigantic forums community, making back-issues of This Rock magazine available online, and podcasting the shows weekly.  But one of my favorite features is the ability to search the entire audio archive from 1998 to the present!  Search the archive by title, topic, description, guest, or show ID.  Very cool!

Disclaimer: Apologetics is not about winning arguments.  It is about knowing and respectfully sharing the truth with others.  I recommend a book called “How Not to Share Your Faith” by Mark Brumley.  When it comes to sharing the faith, we need to first be living it.  We must have a relationship with the Lord and a desire to do God’s will.  In the book, Mark explains that the most important qualities of an effective apologist include: prayer, study, dialogue, clarity, faith, hope, and charity. Buy the book here.

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Cell-phones ringing during Mass.  This is a pet-peeve of mine. I understand that it is easy to forget (which is why I’ve made a habit of  leaving mine in the car).  I understand that some people are on-call and that is excusable, but at least have the courtesy to put it on vibrate!

My Aunt’s cell-phone went off during both my Grandma and my Grandpa’s funerals and it was playing “Super Freak” by Rick James (not the most appropriate ring-tone for a funeral service). Once I could understand, but twice this happened (and just a week apart?)

I was on jury-duty this past week and one of the first things they told us is to “turn all cell phones off.” Our former parish priest would request the same, prior to the Liturgy, and I think it is something all parishes should consider doing. Just a thought.

Am I being too harsh? Post a comment.

I’m amazed at some of the great comments people have been posting on Catholic Tech Tips.  You can subscribe to the comments feed and feel free to join in on the conversations.

I just came across an online trivia game for Catholic Christians.

SmartCatholic.net

“The questions are more difficult than the ones in the board game”, says the designer, so if you enjoy a challenge check it out! They are working on a quiz titled “Women of the Bible.”  They also just published a fairly difficult quiz about Pope John Paul II, along with a quiz about the Gospels and one about the deuterocanonical books of the Catholic and Eastern Christian Bibles.

Can you beat my high-score?

I just wanted to share this really neat newsletter with anyone who likes to study the Sunday Gospel readings. Each week you receive an e-mailed summary of the Early Church Fathers’ commentary on the Sunday Gospel. I find this newsletter to be quite fascinating in my study of Scripture. God bless.

Subscribe to Fatherseyes and you will be sent an email requesting confirmation, to prevent others from gratuitously subscribing you.  And that is it!

Pope Benedict XVI has declared June 28, 2008 - June 29, 2009 the year of St. Paul.  “The Apostle of the Gentiles, who dedicated himself to the spreading of the good news to all peoples, spent himself for the unity and harmony of all Christians,” the Pope said.

So in honor of St Paul, here are two of our Popes’ past homilies (sermons) at the St. Paul Outside-The-Walls Basilica:

• John Paul II (Tuesday, 18 January 2000)
• Benedict XVI (Monday, 25 April 2005)

You can read about St. Paul’s work and travels in the book of Acts.

I would also encourage all to read Paul’s epistles: Romans, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians, 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon.

Did you know?

• Historians place St. Paul’s birth between 7 and 10 AD. He was born in Tarsus (Acts 22:3).
• Unlike the Twelve Apostles, there is no indication that Paul ever met Jesus prior to the latter’s crucifixion. According to the book of Acts, his conversion took place as he was traveling the road to Damascus, and experienced a vision of the resurrected Jesus.
• The Bible does not state how Paul died. Many scholars believe he was beheaded in Rome in around 64 AD, during the reign of Roman Emperor Nero.

Okay, so we’ve all heard people say things like, “I just wasn’t being fed at this church or that church.”…”Mass is so boring.” Perhaps you’ve said something like this yourself. I’ve heard it said that we get out of church what we put into it. Although this statement may not be entirely accurate, I think it does make the point that if we come to church with a negative disposition then chances are that we will not get much out of church.

Why go to church? This is an honest question that many people ask. And you will get different answers from different people when asked this question. I could probably write a twelve page essay of reasons for going to church. However, just going to church is not enough. Our active participation is very much important.

Here are my top 10 Ways to Avoid Being a Dud At Church.

1. Arrive early.
2. Pray before Mass that the Holy Spirit will open our hearts, minds, and souls to the Word of God, to the many prayers, to song, to Christ’s humble gift in the Eucharist, and to all that He has to offer us in the divine Liturgy.
3. Be reverent.
4. Be attentive to the Word of God during the Liturgy of His Word. God can speak to our hearts through His sacred Word.
5. Pray from the heart. I find that it helps when I close my eyes. It keeps me from becoming distracted. Sitting up towards the front also helps cut back on distractions.
6. Sing!
7. Dress appropriately (out of respect for God and for all who are gathered to worship Him).
8. Don’t judge those who are not going up to receive Holy Communion. I would encourage all to read CCC 1385-1388.
9. Make eye contact with your parish priest as he is giving his Homily. :)
10. Remember that we are called to be church, not just go to church. “The Mass never ends, it must be lived!”…”Go in peace to love and serve our [amazing] Lord!” Amen!

I got this idea from Lisa at the Productivity @ Home blog with her post 10 Ways to Avoid Being a Dud At Home. She got the idea from Mike St. Pierre at The Daily Saint blog with his post 10 Ways to Avoid Being a Dud At Work. So check out each of their posts as well. Perhaps you have a top 10 list of your own that you’d like to share in the comments section. God Bless.