In the Beginning: Introduction to this blog.

Glory and Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

I am beginning this blog on the first day of Autumn, 2013.  Autumn is a time of recollection.  The Earth now begins to recollect itself, leaves fall, snow comes, the ground freezes, the Earth moves into a long hibernation to preserve itself over Winter in preparation for the renewal of Spring.

So too, many people move into their own recollection.  Food and fuel are stored for the cold months to come.  As daytime becomes short, we stay in our homes more, turn on the lights, and, some of us anyway, recollect our inner thoughts. We read more books of substance.  We reflect.

I am an American adult convert to the Roman Catholic Church.  As an adult convert, I have taken the opportunity to read and study, not only the Bible, but also the seminal works of those designated as Doctors of the Church.  These are the works of men and women whose impact on the Church has endured over the centuries.  Sadly, many Catholics have not read these works.

As an American, I fully believe in and support the Constitution of the United States.  In fact, each July Fourth, I read the entire Constitution.  Word by word, from We the People to the end, so that when those who haven't claim "it's my Constitutional right" I can honestly say, "no, it isn't" or "yes, it is" or, many times "where is it so written?"

This blog will, from time to time, attempt to address, from my personal educated perspective, some of the issues of the day that may have precipitated discord among Catholics. This blog will also address certain Dogma, Doctrine, and Discipline that guide us as Catholics.  My intent is to inform consistent with our Baptismal commitment to evangelize.

I encourage you to respectively and constructively respond to what I write.  If you disagree with me, please make specific citations of Scripture in context, citations of the Catechism in context, or other sources, again in context, that support your response.  I pray that you will.

Why FreePerfectNow?  Many of you are familiar with the quality, cost, time triangle depiction of what people want.  Whether in business or in our personal lives, we all want what we want now, in perfect quality, and for free.  However, by putting one of the qualities at the points of the triangle, we know there are tradeoffs.  If we raise our costs, we can get whatever sooner and with higher quality.  Likewise, if we maintain low costs, we can only get high quality over a longer period of time.  Tradeoffs.

However, we all have God's love and mercy from Him free, perfect, and now.  Simple, yes?

Some definitions so we can all level-set from the beginning:

Dogma -- Truth that is immediately revealed by God and that has been solemnly defined by the teaching Church to be believed by the faithful.

Doctrine -- a Teaching which is theologically certain.  The Magesterium (collected writings of the Church and the Church's pronouncements thereon)  guarantees its Truth but has not solemnly defined its truth.

Discipline -- a Practice dictated by the Church based on Doctrine but which can change under circumstances dictated by the Church.

May God bless those who read my blog.  May I always echo the words of Our Blessed Mother at the Annunciation, "I am a handmaid of the Lord, may it be done to me according to His will."  Amen.