Black Catholics in ESTL

Sorry for neglecting this story in the BND today. I'm just not into great productivity this week, but I've finally gotten around to dusting and vacuuming the house. Very much needed. Interesting history of the Church and evangelizing to black Americans, in ESTL in particular.

"The St. Augustine Mission for Negroes," was the first church for African-Americans established in East St. Louis. The church was the result of missionary work by three New Jersey-based priests from the Society of African Missions order: the Revs. Peter Harrington, Claude Taylor and James Stanley.

"Our mission is in Africa," said the Rev. Pat Kelly, of the Society of African Missions. "Because we were dedicated to Africa and the African people, we wanted to establish black churches."

The Society of African Missions priests established several black churches in Georgia before coming to Southern Illinois to form St. Augustine in East St. Louis and St. Columba in Cairo. After receiving approval but no financial commitment from Bishop Henry Althoff, St. Augustine was founded in a former brewery on 14th and Broadway.

St. Augustine, with the help of nuns from the Blessed Sacrament order, also. established the first Catholic school for black students in East St. Louis in 1922.

Church Calendar

Today is the Wednesday of the First Week of Lent.

Franciscans' question of the day: "Confession of Devotion". Interestingly the reader says some clergy have been "impatient" with his/her confessions, which I guess the clergy find dull b/c the confessee did not murder any one, commit adultery or another mortal sin. Of course, we should confess our venial sins. These are the things that really eat away at our souls, whether it's impatience, anger, rudeness, gossip, inattention at Mass. We ought to explore what underlies these behaviors. Maybe we are tired of caring for old Aunt Effie. Maybe she's really boring, or messy to care for. This care is a noble and good thing to do, but it's demanding. We need to confess our fatigue and anger. It helps us to go on--or maybe find solutions such as seeking help from another relative...who knows...

This blog Q of the day: A propos of the recent summit on Catholic education in Illinois-- What are the differences between a private [secular] education and Catholic education?

--My first thought is the statement made by our parish school principal: Academic freedom--to talk about God and Jesus all day long! A private school could do it too, but it's not their mission. Many other differences come to mind. Elitism should be absent from Catholic education. Athletic excellence is nice. Lessons can be learned from participation in sports, but it should be perhaps a tertiary goal. Religious education, teaching the faith and instilling a commitment to it, should be first. Academic excellence is very important, but again, it must follow religious education as a priority. [Elitism, athletic and academic excellence are hallmarks of private secular education in my mind.]

Please share your views in the combox.

[Thanks to reader for suggestion.]

DOW, DOW, Down!

The scoop on financial networks appears to be that this was precipitated by:
Alan Greenspan shooting off his mouth;
Attack attempt on a sitting US VP; &
and China sell-off (not sur what's going on in China).

Just remember 500 is only less than 5% of the current DOW level. I have been watching the drop increase from 360 to 415 at the moment....continually changing right now. I bet folks can't wait for the top of the hour for the pain to end.

Remember also, most investors are in it for the long run. This is only a blip for your 401(k), unless you invested in some really unstable businesses/industries.

Catholics and the Government

I meant ot mention this earlier. Been busy. Apparently, California is at it again, working to pass laws that would apparently require Catholic institutions to act against Catholic values--or don't provide services. These laws (ie, CA on forcing birth control coverage, and SF and MA requiring gay adoptions) will have--and have had--the result of eliminating Catholic social services in society greatly. There will be a big vacuum. [And what will the dedicated social service workers do? Will they compromise their principals or be out of work and purpose in life?]

This CA bill says that no employees or other persons can be reprimanded or fired, etc., for participating in euthanasia at any health care facility. It also says, however, that health care facilities are not required to provide that service. Some of the comments at this post on Rod Dreher's site are by informed lawyers examining some conflicting text in the bil. It appears there is some ambiguity in the bill. Most are reading it as ultimately forcing Catholic institutions to stand by while euthanasia goes on in their facilities. Whatever the precise meaning, the bill is certainly quite troubling.
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Also along these lines, I agree w/Dom Bettinelli in opposing state (Minn) laws that would require new parents to receive visits from some sort of state social workers. It's an opportunity to find problems and cause trouble for families. Aren't social workers overworked as it is, letting real cases of abuse fall through the cracks regularly? Dom adds today another intrusive bill contemplated in the Minnesota legislature: to document and track all children born with a birth defect in the state. What's the reasoning for that?
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Dom also happens to include in his discussion that CA bill. The theme here for Dom and Rod, which has some merit, is whether this government we have can continue to retain the support of the people. Our "leaders" are pushing the limits, no?

Update: Public funds involved?
--Mass gay adoption: Appears to be issue of "anti-discrimination" re gays by any adoption agency operating in Mass. States tightly regulate adoptions and issue licenses to agencies on the states' terms--I know.
--San Fran gay adoption: Its also appears to be a discrimination issue here as well, though I'm not sure why a city gets involved in this. Adoption is a state-regulated and licensed activity. SF archdiocese has compromised before.
--CA birth control coverage: This had to do with the Catholic Charities' agencies' status as employers in CA, not dependent upon receiving state funds, though of course CC does usually. The courts claimed that the service arms of the RCC were not performing religious functions (my expression), they weren't really religious but simply employers.
--The new CA law doesn't seem to be related to facilities which receive state funds, from what I've seen.

Renewing Parochial Education in Illinois

I heard a report at the top of the hour on KMOX that the Illinois Catholic bishops assembled today to discuss renewing parochial education in Illinois. [No report found on STL PD or BND yet.] The bishops came up with three things they could do to renew Catholic education:

1. Prayer [Not sure if that means prayer in schools or pray for a solution.]
2. Marketing
3. Government funding [yikes!]

Here's an announcement at Chicago Archdiocese site. I do believe I saw this meeting on the bishop's calendar. [Was it okay with Karen Greenstreet e al that he traveled for this?]

On Monday, February 26, Francis Cardinal George, O.M.I., Archbishop of Chicago, and Catholic bishops from all six Illinois’ dioceses, will join over 300 educators for a first-of-its-kind summit to envision the future of Illinois Catholic elementary and secondary schools.

The daylong summit is in response to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ 2005 pastoral letter, Renewing Our Commitment to Catholic Elementary and Secondary Schools in the Third Millennium.

The summit will be held at the Doubletree Hotel and Conference Center, 10 Brickyard Dr., Bloomington, and is sponsored by the Catholic Conference of Illinois and participating dioceses.

Key topics to be discussed include: ensuring that Catholic schools remain available and accessible in the future; establishing that the financing of Catholic schools is the responsibility of all Catholics through a renewed focus on the spirituality of stewardship; and advocating for Catholic schools through political action on the state and federal levels.

The Illinois bishops scheduled to attend along with Cardinal George are: Most Rev. Edward K. Braxton, Diocese of Belleville; Most Rev. Thomas G. Doran, Diocese of Rockford; Most Rev. Daniel R. Jenky, C.S.C., Diocese of Peoria; Most Rev. George J. Lucas, Diocese of Springfield; and Most Rev. J. Peter Sartain, Diocese of Joliet.

Rev. Michael J. Garanzini, S.J., President of Loyola University Chicago will begin the summit with an 8:30 a.m. keynote address. At 9:45 a.m., a 90-minute discussion session will take place followed by an 11:15 a.m. Sacred Liturgy that Cardinal George will concelebrate with five Illinois bishops. Peoria’s Bishop Jenky will deliver the homily. At 12:15 p.m., the Cardinal will address the summit’s attendees, and at 1:30 p.m., the bishops will engage in a 90-minute panel discussion. Concluding the summit will be an hour-long discussion and summary session scheduled to begin at 3:00 p.m.

Church Calendar Today

Busy with work and family and feeling run down from it all. I hope I don't have to make a pharmacy run for myself this week, after making trips for the rest of the family last week.

This is the First Week of Lent. I have to say, I have not done a decent job of meeting any goals for prayer, fasting or alms. Shame on me!

Here's the Feb 2007 calendar. There are no feasts so far this week. March 1 will bring some feast days.

CatholicCulture.com offers this page on Lent covering many aspects of the season.

The Franciscans are remembering St. Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows today.

The Franciscans' question today is: Should/May infants receive ashes? [A bit late to this Q, no?]
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Now lunchtime...

Catholics For Murder

Is that another good way to describe Frances Kissling's "Catholics (sic) for a Free Choice"? The woman is stepping down from her post as head of that dissenting group favoring the murder of unborn babies. What about the baby's choice to live? Oh, I'm sorry, it's just a glob of tissue. Never mind. Move along.

“The constant refrain in this office is, ‘Are we really Catholic?’ ” Ms. Kissling said here in a recent interview. “I know with every ounce of my being that you don’t have to agree with the positions of the church on issues of abortion and contraception to be Catholic.”

Many Catholics passionately disagree. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has issued statements challenging the right of Catholics for a Free Choice to call itself Catholic. Critics dismiss Ms. Kissling’s organization as a mouthpiece for bigger, secular abortion rights groups and a front for anti-Catholic bigotry.

“They could get special attention and get special digs at the church because of their name,” said Helen M. Alvaré, an associate professor of law at the Catholic University of America and a former planning director of the Secretariat for Pro-Life Activities at the Catholic Bishops conference. “They had no grass-roots base among Catholics. There was nothing very different about them from other pro-choice groups in the arguments they made.”

Catholics for a Free Choice says it gives voice to the large percentage of Roman Catholics who disagree with the church’s position on reproductive issues. Its $3 million budget is largely financed by well-known secular foundations, including the Ford Foundation.

A way to offset the evil done by the abortionists and their protectors is to support a crisis pregnancy center or maybe you know a young unwed woman who is pregnant. How can we help save that baby and give hope to the young woman that all is not lost? There are a couple of crisis pregnancy centers in the diocese. There appears to be one affiliated with St. Elizabeth's Hospital in Belleville. Loving Touch is in Waterloo, also, unaffiliated with any particular faith. I googled and found this list of crisis pregnancy centers in the Springfield and Belleville dioceses. A good list is on the Springfield, IL, diocese's web site. Good for them to help us out down here. Many of the SPFLD diocesan towns are not that far from northern areas of the Bville diocese.

Here's the SPFLD diocese's list of crisis pregnancy centers. It includes a couple of centers in downtown Belleville. One is clearly affiliated with the diocese--or is Catholic. Not sure if that's the St. E's place or not. Here is a statewide list. Some closer to Indy, KY or MO can go to the diocese's web sites on the right on this page and see what info they provide.

Bizarre Story

I'm sure you heard about the shootings outside a home in Spanish Lake, MO. A huge gang was menacing the family outside their home. Pretty scary. It appears that the family--at least the one boy--was in some serious danger with a crowd ready to beat the hell out of him. Was it right to haul off and fire rounds at the gang? Was it a reasonable form of self-defense? Was it a white family that shot at black kids? The white folks don't have a prayer, if so.

Clamoring-Or Maybe Not

That's the question that Terry Mattingly of GetReligion.org asks in this post on a Baltimore Sun article about the possibility that the pre-V2 Mass (Tridentine? Mass of the 1962 Missal?) will be permitted everywhere soon. His point is that this is just a superficial issue in the various opinions, preferences, etc. of various segments of Catholic laity. He questions whether there really is the clamoring for the old Mass that the article claims. I agree not a huge percent of folks are strongly desiring it. Here is some text from Mattingly's post that offers a more complex picture of the debates among Catholics:

Frankly, I think it is a story hooked to a symptom rather than a root cause. And, besides, I haven’t seem much evidence that large groups of modern American Catholics clamor about much of anything at the parish level. They tend to live rather quietly in their doctrinal and stylistic niches like everybody else in mainline religion in this culture. They do like to clamor on the Internet.

Meanwhile, the Tridentine is not the only Latin Mass. It is perfectly legal for Catholics to celebrate the Novus Ordo liturgy in Latin (although, truth be told, there are bishops and liturgists who oppose even that — which is a story in and of itself). It is also possible to celebrate the post-Vatican II rite with a high degree of respect, dignity, beauty, pomp and, yes, glorious injections of chant and other forms of ancient and medieval Catholic music.

So the Sun story is good, but I think it confuses several issues. To use the Tridentine Mass as the symbol of conservative Catholicism in the Baltimore area, or America in general, is to miss the point and to hide some of the fascinating divisions in the modern church. The “worship wars” that ravage many churches are a big part of modern Catholic life. Trust me.

There are Catholics who yearn for beautiful worship — period. There are Catholics who yearn for their church and for their own priests and liturgists to defend the doctrines of the faith. There are charismatic, semi-megachurch Catholics who yearn for conservative doctrine, yet love the informal forms of worship and music that drive the traditionalists bonkers. There are liberal Catholics who love smells, bells and NPR classical music, yet who want inclusive language and female priests. There are priests who want to be talk-show hosts. There are parishes that are totally dead when it comes to liturgy and spirituality and have no idea what they are doing.

Woo! Hoo!

Well, I suppose the season of Lent is not quite the season for cheering. So, please excuse the joy! I do believe I might be purchasing this week our last box of diapers, or one of the last. We're about 80-90% there with the littlest. Oh!... but the realization that our baby is gone! Sigh!

BXVI at Pontifical Academy for Life

Speaks about genetic engineering, designer babies, gay civil unions, and so on.

My thought about the gay civil unions is that any 2 people I think could generally, under most current laws, enter into any sort of contract they want, with a lawyer's help to ensure that one partner receives benefits upon death of the other and has visiting rights. If they want to pretend they are married in some mock ceremony, let them do it. It's their business. But the government need not perform that ceremony. Nor, do I think any religious body should be pressed to do so if it is against the religion's precepts. I am recommending here a live-and-let-live legal approach that does not impose upon those who find homosexual activity abhorrent. This is no way endorses homosexual relationships morally or otherwise. The point is that I suspect that in general current law could probably allow most homosexual pairs to obtain most, but perhaps not all, benefits they want of a legal marriage. Any lawyers out there are free to comment and correct my generalization about the law.

Some Interesting Stories

• A soccer team in Vatican City.
• Producer James Cameron claims to have found Jesus' tomb. Oh, so the claims are that Jesus did not rise from the dead and that He did father a child by Mary M. Here we go again. DNA evidence? Of what

Busy, Busy, Busy!

More medical needs of huz in the am, rushing home to get lunch and send big boy off to school, then get little one to school for testing, kid melts down in fear and anxiety, take both home b/c big boy developed ear infection, then to pediatrician, pharmacy--again today...Then to get to some billable work that was due before COB, then dinner finally--thank goodness no higher expectations than fish sticks!--then back to work, send off finished work, get kids to bed at civilized hour, get back to work...just finished as much as I can do tonight. I'm beat. The contemplative life is not the life of a mother, I've concluded today!

Fri Feb 23: Feast of St. Polycarp.

My Q: St. Polycarp's name raises a question, not very serious, which is fine. There are a number of names of saints and other personages in Church history that might be "odd" to us English or other Western speakers. How is it that the apostles and other early saints, ie, Paul, Stephen, etc.,--and all those Marys--have names that are quite clear and simple in English--and most other Western languges (ie, French, other Romance, German)?

--We got the latest Messenger and are taking note of the various fish fry opportunities on Fridays. We'll see if we can get to one or more. Hopefully, we'll have better Fridays in the weeks to come.

Today in the Church

Sorry about the radio silence. It's been so busy. You know, God does for us what we cannot do for ourselves sometimes. I've been praying about what way to live in austerity over the Lenten season. I've been quite busy caring for the family--husband in surgery, busy kids who want to be outside and need supervision and awake not napping or not getting sleep at night...Not much opportunity for gluttony and snacking--or much else! I've found it's easy to graze all day at home with kids. It's hard to break that habit.

On to business:

1. Calendar today from Catholic Culture. Feast of Chair of St. Peter, apostle.

2. Franciscan Q of the day: Do priests ever wear skullcaps?

Catholic News:

1. Amy W has a link to a story about the Pope speaking to Roman clergy.

2. Lenten Theme: Immigration in Orange and L.A. Counties in California. Orig article is in LA Times, registration required. Opening para and comments at Lucianne.com. I am saddened by the folks that use this issue as a reason to separate from the Church.

3. In another LA Times article (same deal applies as above. Here is Lucianne.com link) in which a Mexican Cardinal says he warned Cardinal Mahoney about a particular abusive priest.

4. Tridentine Mass at St. Louis Cathedral March 7 at 7 pm. A reader (I think of this blog, too) sent it to Mark Shea who posts information. [I could not find an original source document announcing the Mass even from links on orig blogger's site.]

More on Ash Wednesday

I neglected to post this article in the STL PD about Ash Wednesday and Lent. It was the main article today until the local government councils of IL and MO had a divisive vote on the new bridge which might never be built. It looks like the title changed. The title of the Ash Wed article now focuses on Latino Lenten traditions. I don't recall that was the title before. I thought it was promoted as a general article on Lent. Oh, well. Read on.

Ash Wednesday

From Catholic Culture.com:

Things to Do:

• Go with your family to receive ashes at Mass today. Leave them on your forehead as a witness to your faith. Here is a Lenten reflection on the meaning of the ashes on Ash Wednesday. If you have children, you may want to share this with them in terms that they can understand.
• Today parents should encourage their children to reflect upon what regular penances they will perform throughout this season of Lent. Ideally, each member of the family should choose his own personal penance as well as some good act that he will perform (daily spiritual reading, daily Mass, extra prayers, almsgiving, volunteer work, housecleaning, etc.), and the whole family may wish to give up one thing together (TV, movies, desserts) or do something extra (family rosary, Holy Hour, Lenten Alms Jar).
• The use of Sacrifice Beans may help children to keep track of their Lenten penances. Some families begin this activity (with undyed beans!) on Ash Wednesday and then use the collected beans to cook a penitential bean dish for Good Friday at the end of Lent.
• Here is a Lenten prayer that the family may pray every night from Ash Wednesday to the first Saturday in Lent, to turn the family's spiritual focus towards this holy season.
• Read the Holy Father's 2006 Ash Wednesday homily

Here is B16's homily from today.

The Franciscans have loads of stuff today.

Their Q of the day: What does reparation mean?

I'm going to limit posting. I'm feeling cranky and have a lot to tend to & schedule: school meetings, huz knee surgery tomorrow, project deadlines. Overwelmed by it all. Lacking sleep w/little one coughing at night, waking at 6 am! Hungry too right now! This a.m.'s mass was too long. I would not say that if I were alone, but with the kids, it was just too much. Most moms (in the cry room with us which was packed) bailed after ashes.

Today's Q: When you received ashes, which did you hear?
(a) the traditional: "Remember that you are dust and to dust you will return."
OR
(b) the nouveau: "Turn away from sin and be faithful to the gospel."

[The Franciscan site claims this is a post-V2 (required?) point of view of Lent. I never heard this saying until I read some one raise it on a blog the other day--and it's been 40 years since V2 sessions closed?]

Let's Get Religion

This site as I've said before is pretty interesting.

--Today, they blog about a Time article declaring the end of religious political conservatism in the U.S. I do agree that the high water mark was the 2000 election. It's gone downhill from there. Whether it's dead, I dunno.

--There's also an update from the Anglican meetings in Tanzania. Is the ECUSA going to back down or lose its membership in the Anglican Communion? I think they're headed for schism. It's just a matter of time. Jefforts Shori shows no indication of backing down.

Growth in Orthodoxy in U.S.

Interesting article, though it did not explore who is converting, besides a couple of interviewed Baptists and one former RC. That is, with all that's gone on in the 2 religions closest to Orthodoxy, it would be interesting to examine if and why many Roman Catholics or Episcopalians might move in this direction: no openly gay clergy or homosexual unions, retention of traditional liturgies and rituals, and no (known) widespread problem of corruption in hierarchy.

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I just happened to come across this post by Rod Dreher linking to a Brit Catholic's warning to ECUSA members who might cross the Tiber to Rome. "Don't get off the train here! Head East, pass Rome by! We've got gay priests and liberals too." I think Rod's own perspective is suspect (maybe too biased against Rome) in my opinion since he moved on from Rome and headed East himself.

Experts Also Say The Sky is Blue

Finally, we're hearing from psych experts that the premature sexualization of children is not good for them. [In fairness, in my experience in my own field, academia is often behind real life experience.]

"Throughout U.S. culture, and particularly in mainstream media, women and girls are depicted in a sexualizing manner," declares the American Psychological Association's Task Force on the Sexualization of Girls, in a report issued Monday. The report authors, who reviewed dozens of studies, say such images are found in virtually every medium, from TV shows to magazines and from music videos to the Internet.

While little research to date has documented the effect of sexualized images specifically on young girls, the APA authors argue it is reasonable to infer harm similar to that shown for those 18 and older; for them, sexualization has been linked to "three of the most common mental health problems of girls and women: eating disorders, low self-esteem and depression."

***

Boys, too, face sexualization, the authors acknowledge. Pubescent-looking males have posed provocatively in Calvin Klein ads, for example, and boys with impossibly sculpted abs hawk teen fashion lines. But the authors say they focused on girls because females are objectified more often. According to a 1997 study in the journal Sexual Abuse, 85 percent of ads that sexualized children depicted girls.

Even influences that are less explicitly erotic often tell girls that who they are equals how they look and that beauty commands power and attention, contends Lamb, co-author of "Packaging Girlhood: Rescuing Our Daughters from Marketers' Schemes" (St. Martin's, 2006). One indicator that these influences are reaching girls earlier, she and others say: The average age for adoring the impossibly proportioned Barbie has slid from preteen to preschool.

***

It's a 4-page article. I've only given you a very small selection...Do read.

I never thought Barbie was a problem per se. The most recent sleazing her up to look like the sleazy Bratz dolls is problematic to me. I realized pretty quickly that God was doing the right thing by sending me 2 boys. I'd probably have regular battles with a girl who pulled this kind of crap and dressed like a bimbo. It would be ugly.

Nun Dies in Excorcism, Priest Convicted

My first thought is to wonder whether the local bishop or the monk's and nun's superiors in their orders gave permission for the exorcism. My second thought is that this is another real life story like that in The Exorcism of Emily Rose, a fictional story based on a real story in Germany, where the priest was convicted for murder in the death of the girl. [Rent Emily Rose to see that outcome. Good movie, with lots of Catholic perspective.] This story took place in Romania. Could they be eastern Orthodox rather than Catholic? Here's the article. Entire text of article.

A Romanian priest has been sentenced to 14 years in prison today after a nun died during an exorcism ritual.

Sister Maricica Irina Cornici, 23, who was being treated for schizophrenia, said she believed the devil was talking to her.

Daniel Petru Corogeanu, a monk who served as the priest for a secluded Holy Trinity convent in northeast Romania, and four other nuns, chained Cornici to a cross in an attempt at exorcism.

She survived several days without food or water, but died of dehydration, exhaustion and suffocation.
The court in the northeast city of Vaslui convicted Corogeanu and the four nuns of holding Cornici captive, resulting in her death.

One of the nuns, Nicoleta Arcalianu, was sentenced to eight years in prison, and the other three – Adina Cepraga, Elena Otel and Simona Bardanas – received five-year sentences.

Dozens of the priest’s supporters packed the courtroom and prayed for him. Several burst into tears when the verdict was announced.

The defendants’ lawyers plan to appeal, saying the prison sentences are too harsh.

It seems interesting, yet very complex, to wonder where the line is drawn between emotional/psychological problems and the influence of the Devil himself. In some ways, doesn't it all derive from evil and the Devil, whether such mental illness can be medically identifiable and treated, or not? For example, the far-gone alcoholic is quit spiritually and mentally ill. He is possessed by the bottle. Not to get all elvangelical/fundamentalist, but it seems one can argue that the bottle consuming this man's soul is not very different in many regards than a possession by a spiritual demon.

Little Ones and Life

Two stories:

1. Interestingly, in Italy, a judge says parents can require their daughter to obtain an abortion. That would be, parents of a minor girl can choose to kil their own grandchild, putting their own child at physical risk in the process. It sounds like the abortion has already gone through, and the girl is quite distraught as she should be, afterward. May God have mercy on her parents. May that Innocent be in the arms of Our Father in heaven. May that poor girl find some sense of peace and hope in this world.
   
2. The youngest and tiniest premie baby is doing well and going home. Wow! Chunk of cells, eh? Mass of tissue, right? May God bless that baby and her family and those who cared for her at the hospital. [Interestingly, she was an IVF baby. I wonder if her parents are older, ie, late 30s-early 40s. Her mom may have had difficulty carrying her to term.]
   

Happy Mardis Gras!

Today, Feb 20: Mardis Gras, or Tues of Seventh Week in Ordinary Time

The Franciscans have this up about Mardis Gras (which I presume most of you know is Fat Tuesday in French...forgive me if the reminder insults your intelligence!)

Franciscans' Q of the Day: Dedication of days and months

Question of the day: Let's lighten things up. It's a day of festivities!

Q. Who was pope on the day of your birth?

A. For me, on this day in the year 19xx, Paul VI, was the pontiff. The V2 Council was not quite completed yet.

Those Box Tops

I ought to be finishing a report....but, I've got to follow up on the school box top collection programs: These box tops aren't worth jack. The value is 10 cents per box top. I might be lucky to get $5 worth, if even that. Let's see if a Catholic school has 200-300 children, then they might raise $1000-$1500 (assuming $5 per kid). That seems like a lot of effort for little money, but maybe $1000-$1500 can go a long way in a school--and it's better than nothing. Looking at my pantry, General Mills and Betty Crocker are participants, but Kelloggs is not.

Editorial: Bishops' Championing Illegal Immigrants

Rod Dreher, an editorialist for the Dallas Morning News has written an editorial challenging the local bishop on comparing illegal immigrants to the Holy Family in need of shelter. I also disagree with that comparison. [The Holy Family in trekking to Bethlehem was not on the run and was traveling b/c the government required it to do so. As far as their escape from Herod, there is no indication that there was a border or other legal barrier to that trek that they violated. They were not in any criminal action.]

I am a bit concerned about Rod taking on a Catholic bishop when he has lots of personal resentment and anger at the US hierarchy for their failure to take on and combat perv clergy or even be honest about it. Rod left for Orthodoxy ultimately in 2006. In any case, here is Rod's excerpt at his blog, where he also links the whole column. The DMN requires registration to read. Help yourself if you wish to read it all.

A Plan for Lent

We have a couple of days to determine our priorities and goals for this Lenten season. There were a number of years where I did the same thing. I've tried to be a bit different, or in the case where I still needed discipline in an area of sin, I kept a priority on the agenda. A few of the questions that come to mind for me to ask myself in developing my Lenten plan are:

• What comfort should I give up this Lent?
• What sinful behavior should I focus on correcting this Lent?
• What additional charitable works should I perform this Lent?
• What devotions or prayers shall I add to my daily prayer (or focus on as my daily prayer) this Lenten season?

You do not have to share your plan, but if you want to offer some insights for folks prayerfully reaching a decision on how to direct their activities/attitude etc this Lent, we look forward to reading your ideas.

Also, note that these extra things we do or things we give up during Lent can become disciplines in our daily lives after Lent. It seems to me that the act of giving things up or doing extra works or praying extra prayers provides us the occassion to draw closer to Jesus and also helps us to see that overcoming our sins is not insurmountable. We can and might do well to try to live this way every day. We don't have to be preparing for Jesus' sacrifice on our behalf to give of ourselves to others or to live with some austerity.

Church Calendar

Sat Feb 17: Seven Founders of Order of Servites, optional memorial.
Sun Feb 18: Seventh Sunday of Ordinary Time.
Mon Feb 19: Monday of 7th Week of Ordinary Time.

Franciscans' Daily Qs:

Sun Feb 18: Symbols on US dollar bill.
Mon Feb 19: Relics and advertising.

My Q: Let's talk more about Catholic married couples' obligation to be open to life and that the Catholic marriage is for family. A marriage is not an exclusive mutual adoration club. So, let's take the case of an infertile couple, who is otherwise healthy and could care for children. [Some illnesses might be no barrier to raising children.] The Church does not obligate infertile couples to adopt. Rather such couples are encouraged to adopt b/c of the obvious good that can come from the adoption. I do think adoption is a way to life the gospel of life when one cannot procreate.

Now, before I get to the Q at hand, I know you're all going to point out "personal choice" and the emotional as much as financial barriers to adoption that couples must overcome before choosing to adopt and become parents of children not of their flesh. There are a lot of factors to consider. I know all about that. [Then there are also questions of cultural background or physical and emotional needs of child. In the end, there are lots of judgment/moral calls a couple is called to make, which boil down to their comfort levels in these areas. Is a couple who adopts healthy children of the same race less moral than one who adopts a disabled child of a different race?--Not my real Q, but an interesting issue.]

Ok, I don't think we can/should force individuals to do anything. The Church can't force us to not contracept or to remain virgin until marriage. She teaches us and seeks to compel us to do these things. There are consequences for sin.

Qs in this para: That said, should infertile couples be morally compelled--or are they morally compelled--to adopt children?* If so, should they adopt as many children as long as they can amass the required upfront cash to do so? Yes, financial considerations are central in determining whether to adopt children and how many. But, if a couple adopts 1 or 2 kids and remains financially comfortable, are they morally different from a healthy fertile couple who has only 1 or 2 kids and is similarly financially comfortable?

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No, I don't think any couple is compelled to have children until they are flat broke, but you know, most all of our parents who made much less money and had far fewer cool electronic or other toys than we do, raised multitudes of children who didn't have designer clothes or all the cool toys either. Are we (our generation) holding back so we don't have to scrimp as our parents did?
----
*I ask this question aware that an infertile couple might, following much prayer and counsel with spiritual directors, determine they are not called to be parents but are called to undertake some demanding apostolate that couples with children could not take on: operating a thrift store or soup kitchen, organizing collections of goods for needy, teaching CCD at their parish, taking Holy Eucharist to the homebound, lead prayer groups or other devotional activities at parish, and so on. [Ok, people with kids do these things, too--probably not as much when they have infants/toddlers, though.] So, my simplified point is we all got something we need to be doing. If not raising chidren, then what we have to ask ourselves and God.

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I do have other questions relating to Humanae Vitae and married couples' call to be open to life. Sorry, the questions are so complicated. It really is a complicated issue, and black and white answers are just not there. [Not looking for personal advice, but a discussion of what the Church's teaching tells us all about this issue.]
---
I look forward to your views.

Cardinal Pell: It's Cool!

Cardinal Pell of Sydney Australia reminds us not to get so worked up and wedded to the claims of global warming:

But enough is enough.

A few fixed points may provide light on the subject.

We know that enormous climate changes have occurred in world history -- for example, the ice ages and Noah's flood, when human causation could only have been negligible.

Nor should it be too surprising to learn that during the past 100 years, the media has alternated between promoting fear of anew ice age and fear of global warming.

Terrible droughts are not infrequent in Australian history, sometimes lasting seven or eight years.

We all know that a cool January doesn't mean much in the long run.

But neither does evidence based on only a few years.

Scaremongers have used temperature fluctuations over limited periods and in a few places to misrepresent longer patterns.

Warming evidence is mixed and often exaggerated but can be reassuring.

Global warming has been increasing constantly since 1975 at the rate of less than one-fifth of a degree

Celsius per decade.

The concentration of carbon dioxide increased surface temperatures more in winter than in summer, especially in mid and high latitudes over land, while there was a global cooling of the stratosphere.

Britain's University of East Anglia climate research unit found global temperatures did not rise between 1998 and 2005, and a NASA satellite recently found the southern hemisphere had not warmed in the past 25 years.

Is mild global warming a northern phenomenon?

We may have been alarmed by the sighting of an iceberg as large as an aircraft carrier off Dunedin, but we should be consoled by the news that the Antarctic is getting colder and the ice is growing there.

The science is certainly more complicated than the propaganda.

Can't Afford the Crime

This is rich. The Keuhn offspring, lawyer for Sam Shelton who left Ashley Reeves for dead, is asking that the bond for Shelton be reduced so they can spend money on a forensic expert for the defense. Well, honey, don't do the crime if you can't pay the fine. [Background: No, dont do it!]

Charles Curran @ SMU

He's a collarless priest who is prohibited from teaching at Catholic institution--I suppose unless/until he disavows his old views in opposition to the Church? I see the article found a way to blame "evil" Pope Benedict XVI for Curran's removal from CUA. Cutting and pasting doesn't seem to be going well. Actually, I'm not sure of the point of the article (basically a brief favorable bio and small reference to a current controversy at MSU where he teaches) when he's not centrally involved in the flap over MSU hosting the current Pres Bush's presidential library.

Hail to the Chief!

And boo hiss to U of I administration. Weenies! Students, go to the next basketball game with a headdress. Pull it out and put it on and honor the Chief. [No, I am not an alumni, but care about culture and tradition and deplore political correctness to please a minority.]

We'd better change the name of our state, next. How many other states' names must change? Also, how many city and county names are "inappropriate" b/c they derive from Indian names?

Let's then--because we are no longer a British colony--get rid of the street names in old colonial era towns such as Alexandria where I used to live. There was King, Queen, Royal, Duke, Princess...Can't have that, you know. Then of course we can talk about the French and Spanish colonial areas, particularly where religious terms were given to names of towns.

Last Chance!

Sorry, I did not get this post up sooner for those of you to whom it might be vital. Today is your (if you're over 14) last chance for meat on Friday until April 13, the first Friday of Easter. Also note that Good Friday is the first Friday in April. I was thinking it might also coincide with an opening day or a baseball game somewhere in the U.S. A couple of years ago some group (laity, I guess) in Boston sought the bishop's permission to eat hot dogs on Good Friday since it was the Home Opener for the Bosox. Bishop O'Malley told them no. Here's one blogger's report. You'd think it was a no-brainer. Umm...Meat. Good Friday? Umm...Fasting. Good Friday? Umm...Baseball game. Good Friday? Ummm...Jesus died. You cheer? Hello? Hello?

In any case, stock up on those fish sticks and fries--and tuna. Oh, and cheap cheese pizzas, an old fave of mine. In honor of our last Friday with meat I cooked a meatloaf. It was pretty good. Now, we're watching the Batman and Robin movie from 1966. We got it on DVD after our videotape off TV got screwed up.

Offer your suggestions for Friday meatless meals in the combox, if you wish.

Breach

Yesterday it was Doubt, today it is Breach, a film about the real-life traitor, FBI agent Robert Hansson. It will be interesting to see how Hansson's Catholicity is presented, ie, creepy bizarre? Hansson was a member of an Opus Dei group in NoVa and attended a Latin Mass parish, which I can't recall what it is right now. [It can't be a diocesan parish, since Bp. Loverde just authorized the Tridentine Mass this year... Actually, he may have attended a Latin Novus Ordo and not Tridentine. There is no prohibition on Latin in the Novus Ordo. ???] The area where they lived and worshipped is near Christendom College, a rather uber-Catholic university in western NoVa suburbs. If my memory serves, SCOTUS Justice Scalia and many other known Washingtonian Catholics attended the same parish, and some might be Opus Dei members too. I wonder what has become of his wife and children. They are certainly suffering.

***
A comic note. Gary Cole, whose most memorable role as Jeffry MacDonald in Fatal Vision is now FOR ME surpassed by his role as idiot corporate manager in Office Space, is in this film. Ya think Hanssen went loco b/c Cole told him he'd need Hansson to come in on one too many Saturdays?

UPDATE: Some one already made a horror spy flick of OS. Here's a link to a re-make of the movie promo for Office Space as a horror flick. It centers in on "I'm gonna need you to come in on Saturday." Very funny!!!!

Planned Parenthood Working On Your Girls

PP is offering HPV vaccinations to women and to girls of 9+ . Watch out. You can probably get it from your regular doctor. I don't know much at all about this vaccination, but the TX Republican governor Teed-off his own base and parents by REQUIRING girls to get this vaccine.

Don't go to PP and start a relationship with them. Don't let them near your daughters. Go to your regular physician/OBGYN and discuss this vaccination and whether you/your daughter need it.

Finally, I didn't know PP had a facility in Fairview Hts. Are abortions performed there? I presume not since only the GC "Hope" Clinic is ever mentioned as a regional abortion provider in SO-IL.

A Multi-faceted Teachable Moment

This morning I had completely neglected my goal of taking the kids to a Friday a/m Mass. [Note to self: It might help to make a note on a calendar and remember the night before...and like, really be committed.] I really don't mind getting not the kids out in such cold temperatures.

Interestingly, bless their little hearts, the littles asked about going to Church and, the little guy in particular, whined and insisted on going. So, we decided to bundle up to look inside (the Church is unlocked, I've found) and maybe get a closer look at icons, items in the sanctuary, and light a candle and pray to Jesus. They really liked the candle idea. I thought that we could learn a lot from our little visit and not disturb others in the process.

When we arrived, I saw many cars around the church and in the parking lot. I saw the hearse and realized a funeral was in progress. So, we would not go in and intrude upon that. I had to explain that there was a funeral for some one who died and what a funeral meant. I talked about praying for the dead person that he is with Jesus in heaven and that their family might be in there crying so we don't want to disturb. I tried to explain the hearse holding a coffin (a box). What I generally got back were utterances of: "people died," "get the bad guys" [No, sweetie, he probably was very old and his body stopped working. No one hurt him.] "in a box" Those kind of statements went on for a while.

The little one was crying that we could not go in. I promised we'd go after our big boy is home from school. ..Now the little one is crashing on the couch for a nap and the big boy is due home soon...Well, maybe we can go before dinner if the little guy wakes up in time. He hasn't napped all week!

In any case, so much to teach about life and death in that short drive and as we sat in the car looking at the church and all the cars.

Church Calendar Today

Today is a day in Ordinary time.

Franciscans' Q for today: Kneelers in Church...
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My Q of the Day: I have a few questions related to the topic of Catholic married couples' moral obligation to be open to life. So, that means the prohibition on contraception. We all know that teaching (I presume, even if some choose to disobey it). Humae Vitae is probably the most disputed Catholic document of the 20th century. [Whether of all time I do not have any expertise to claim.] I'll break up the Qs to more than one day, since they explore different aspects of this obligation. So, each day's question will be somewhat focused--even if I blabber too much in providing a set-up.

Some of you who read me a few months ago might recall that I noted, with some surprise, a comment by the diocesan schools director at the school funding meeting I attended in November. This person, without a thought, relayed that some friends in the Church determined that they would only have 2 children, alluding to financial reasons. To this fellow, this was a perfectly normal decision for a Roman Catholic couple to make. I found this rather curious.

The Q. Can a fertile and healthy Roman Catholic married couple morally decide to have a fixed number of children (from zero to whatever)? If so, for what reason(s)?

I would think that the only reason to NOT have (any or further) children deliberately would be the health of the parents in their ability to procreate (which I guess might include infertility as well as some ailment like paralization or some other disease, eg.) The potential for disease in the children is not known to me to be a reason for avoiding pregnancy (unless maybe certainty of passing on HIV or something?). The potential for Downs is not considered a reason to avoid pregnancy from what I'd guess.

I look forward to your views.

Let's Get Religion

I've mentioned this site before. The Get Religion blog covers religious stories in the news. Today, they talk about some anti-Mormon bias in the press (re: Mitt Romney). What's fascinating is what's apparently in progress now is a conference in Africa among the Anglican Communion primates. An explosion in in progress. There are also some posts about the John Edwards bloggers, which we've discussed. And lots more...

Self-Serv, er, Justification

One of the vile bloggers who was forced--in her mind--to quit the John Edwards campaign, offers her version of events and why she was targeted for elimination. The gist of her 3 page whine is that it's because she and her colleague are girls. As we all know, girls can't be bloggers. It's a man's world, you know, men in khakis. Bill Donohue (who is indeed a loudmouth) had it in for them because he hates women and works at keeping them down. We all know that, right? Never mind that a woman (Amy Welborn) is probably the most read Catholic blogger and another woman (Michelle Malkin, mentioned in the whine) is a prominent conservative blogger/commentator. So, if you can stomach their self-justification and feminist whining, and a few vulgar words, go here and read in Salon. [Entire article is available free, but you have to click on a Bill Maher ad to see it all.]

"Jesus" Appears for Local Producer

Actor Jim Caviezel [can you spell it w/o looking? not me!] is in a film produced by Belleville native, Darby Parker. Greg Kinnear (who got his start as (I think) the first host of Talk Soup on E! network. He was very funny! His successors fall far short.) is also in the film, called "Unknown," apparently a straight-to-DVD indie film.

Doubt

I heard Jamie Allman mention this play opening in St Louis at the--Fabulous--Fox Theatre. The gist of the story is that a nun knows a priest is diddling around with boys. Official description from Fox web site: [Gotta love this--the nun is described as a "woman" and the priest is her "male colleague." Are they worried about offending? It is sad that such a story could be believable about our Church. May God have mercy on the sinful clergy and the rest of us sinners.] Definitely a hot button topic! Are we surprised it won a Tony? Making a story about the worst of the Church? We give them the ammo, don't we [well sinful clergy in this instance]?

February 20-25, 2007

Winner 2005 Tony® Award for Best Play; 2005 Pulitzer Prize!

This provocative production, starring Tony® Award-winning Best Actress Cherry Jones, written by John Patrick Shanley (Academy Award-winner for Moonstruck) and directed by Tony® Award-winner Doug Hughes, leaves audience members deep in discussion long after the curtain has fallen.

Set against the backdrop of a Catholic school in 1964, Doubt is the story of a strong-minded woman faced with a difficult decision. Should she voice concerns about one of her male colleagues...even if she's not entirely certain of the truth?

Recommended for audiences 13 and older; contains adult issues and conversation.
Running Time: 1 hour and 30 minutes; no intermission.

Relying On Others

Well, Amy W again, b/c I've been out and she has a couple of very interesting stories.

1. The Roman Catholic population in the UK is growing, owing to increased immigration by Eastern Europeans. Isn't that interesting! We read a lot about non Christian Asians and Middle Easterners (folks from former colonies) immigrating, but not Christian or specifically Catholic E Euros. Amy W's post and link to the article can be found here.
2. Amy W posts on some sort of survey/study of "healthy" dioceses in the U.S. The factors considered are: the "morale" of the presbyterate, the number and rate of vocations; and the effectiveness of evangelization (measured by RCIA rates and numbers). Crisis magazine sponsored the study. Amy W and some other "known" Catholic commentators or something (??not sure what to call them?) were invited to respond to the study. Here is Amy's post discussing and linking the study and the responses. I will take a look and may add some thoughts here. Please add your own if you get a chance to read. Do you agree with the criteria? The evaluations of each criteria? Let's see what is said about Belleville. [I'm guessing before heading to the study that ALL dioceses are listed...?]

The Crisis Mag web site is either really busy, or it just stinks. It's a long wait for the file to pull up. It's not very readable b/c it's in a smaller box on the screen.]

FRIDAY UPDATE: I didn't find the study all that interesting or exciting. I've seen rankings like that before. Now, Bville has gone up in rank over 10 years. Whether that means Bville got better or others got worse, I don't know from this study.

Church Calendar

Today is an Ordinary Day.

Franciscans' Q of the Day: What is significance of statue of Mary stepping on snake? [I know! I know!]

My Q of the Day: Well, let's ask a question in the opposite direction of yesterday's Q: If a person is choosing to follow the pre-V2 calendar and participate in the Tridentine Rite on Sundays (or other days?) and is otherwise eligible to receive Holy Communion (ie, has confessed mortal or other serious sins), should he follow the old rules of fasting 24 hours prior to [CORRECTION: It looks like fast was from midnight. See eg, first para under "C" here. I don't mean for you to have to agree w/this document's point of view.] receiving communion or can he operate under the newer rule of 1 hour of fasting prior to receiving communion at the Tridentine Rite Mass?

[Note: I do think this is something people ought to know before they attend a Tridentine Mass, right? I've seen no information on this question anywhere. Yeah, Tom, it reeks of cafeteria-ism to mix the rites and their regulations. Hence, I ask.]

***
UPDATE: Google and ye shall find. Here is what one parish in Providence Rhode Island says on the topic. 3 hours fast is required to receive Holy Communion; fasting from midnight is commended but not required.

Wednesday Audience

Busy in the snow, shoveling and shoveling. Thank you Mr. Plower for leaving 2-3 feet of dense icy snow at the foot of our drive. And thanks for coming by again about 15 minutes after I shoveled that first mess all up. Got kids to bed a half hour early, miracle.

In any case, here's a link to today's General Audience. B16 continues to talk about the early Church and apostles/disciples. Today, he speaks of the women who followed Jesus, from Mary His mother to Mary Magdelene, Mary and Martha and so on...read to learn more. Women are and have always been very important participants in the faith and the Church.

I'm pooped!

Church Calendar

Wed Feb 14: Sts. Cyril and Methodius. St. Valentine was today's feast on the old (pre-V2) calendar. [page down on same link and see the St. Valentine write up]

Happy Valentine's Day!

Here's my Catholic Q for the day, a bit tongue in cheek: Should those who favor the most progressive changes in the post-V2 Church (including liturgical innovations) be consistent and NOT recognize St. Valentine's Day today? [I do have a question pending, but I'll save it for tomorrow.]

You can see the Franciscans' Q of the day here: A priest refused to baptise a baby for a family not actively Catholic. Why? is the Q today.

School Closings List

This list from KSDK looks like it includes many Illinois schools. The way the header is worded suggests that these closings apply to tomorrow, Feb 14. I see a number of parish schools listed. I don't see our parish school, nor our public school district. Interestingly, I see the special education district, with whom we have an a.m. appointment is closed tomorrow (if I understand the table correctly).
****
UPDATE: Ok, upon further examination, I found our public school. I think the parish school name got botched. There are a few parishes with that name and I think the listing has the county abbreviated or something for the school, rather than the town clearly stated.
***
Is there a replacement in IL for the old WIBV so we don't have to sift through all the MO data, too?

Oh, Father Dear

I don't know if you've ever heard of Fr. Dear. He's pretty much a peace and justice Catholic. He's spoken at some progressive movement events in STL, and, I thought, at a FOSIL conference in the past. I can't find links to those events. I'm going on memory. Here is Fr. Dear's web site, FYI.

Disputations, a fairly popular Catholic blogger, critiques Fr. Dear's book on the Transfiguration. There are many good insights in this book, according to Disputations. Disputations, however, thinks:

Fr. Dear does not think with the Church. He is, if it's not too cute to say it, something of a sola Scriptura Catholic, who uses his hermeneutic of nonviolence to interpret every verse according to his own opinion, and if the Church does not share his opinion, so much the worse for the Church.

Thus we have Peter, James, and John falling asleep on Mount Tabor serving as an "image [that] helps explain today's male-dominated, institutional Church," which "must of course ordain women and married people, and include everyone in its embrace." Where that "of course" comes from, and where it's supposed to go, isn't made clear, but I suppose it follows somehow from the Church not knowing that creative nonviolence sums up the Gospel.

Which brings me to the book's major fault. Fr. Dear is so convinced of the rightness of his opinion that he does very little to convince the reader. Without denying its genuine insights, taken as a whole the book is a sermon to the converted, to those who already agree with him that the Gospel reduces to a message of nonviolence.

The result is a disservice to those who don't agree with him, because it makes it very difficult to discern areas of potential agreement. Saying that nonviolence is all there is to the Faith is a good means of preventing those who say nonviolence has nothing to do with the Faith from questioning their own position.

To a lesser extent, the book is even a disservice to Catholic pacifists, in that Fr. Dear's confidence in the justness of his own position comes off as self-righteousness, and self-righteousness won't win anyone to your side.
****
While I won't attribute to Fr. Karban (based on his weekly scripture columns) all of the views of Fr. Dear, I must say I understand what Disputations is saying when he calls Fr. Dear a "sola scriptura Catholic." That seems to describe to me Fr. Karban's views as well about the legitimacy of the Church and her teachings and practices--if they are not spelled out explicitly in scripture.

Back to Fr. Dear, there's nothing at all wrong with a Catholic view of pacifism. The question is whether Fr. Dear's approach is in keeping with the Church's teachings. For example, where does the notion of a married or female clergy come? What does that have to do with the Transfiguration any way? Why is Fr. Dear wiser or more informed by the Holy Spirit than the Church has been? Has the Church NOT been guided by the Holy Spirit lo these many centuries?

Weathering the Storm

As I've said before, reading comments at Amy Welborn's site is pretty cool b/c you get a picture of what people are experiencing as Catholics all around the country and in many other countries. Well, this time we can read how the storm is affecting various midwestern areas. I added my experience asking how Christopher Johnson in STL could think all was fine.

I don't know if you saw this article, but I had to wonder if a person interviewed was new to central Illinois. Winter storms up there in the open are rough. I remember when the plant opened as a Diamon-Star plant, a joint venture between Mitsubishi and Chrysler at the time. [I spent a semester in Normal at school. Why didn't I stay? Not sure. Long story.]

Mitsubishi Motors North America closed its assembly plant at Normal, Illinois, after 250 of its 1,700-member workforce couldn't make it to the plant because of road conditions. In addition, icy roads disrupted the flow of parts to the plant.

"I've never seen anything like it," said plant spokesman Dan Irvin. "It's the wind. It's snowing horizontally."

Another Lenten Message

This one is from the pope: [It's not very long. Here's whole text save titles and such.]

Dear Brothers and Sisters!

“They shall look on Him whom they have pierced” (Jn 19:37). This is the biblical theme that this year guides our Lenten reflection. Lent is a favourable time to learn to stay with Mary and John, the beloved disciple, close to Him who on the Cross, consummated for all mankind the sacrifice of His life (cf. Jn 19:25). With a more fervent participation let us direct our gaze, therefore, in this time of penance and prayer, at Christ crucified who, dying on Calvary, revealed fully for us the love of God. In the Encyclical Deus caritas est, I dwelt upon this theme of love, highlighting its two fundamental forms: agape and eros.

God’s love: agape and eros

The term agape, which appears many times in the New Testament, indicates the self-giving love of one who looks exclusively for the good of the other. The word eros, on the other hand, denotes the love of one who desires to possess what he or she lacks and yearns for union with the beloved. The love with which God surrounds us is undoubtedly agape. Indeed, can man give to God some good that He does not already possess? All that the human creature is and has is divine gift. It is the creature then, who is in need of God in everything. But God’s love is also eros. In the Old Testament, the Creator of the universe manifests toward the people whom He has chosen as His own a predilection that transcends every human motivation. The prophet Hosea expresses this divine passion with daring images such as the love of a man for an adulterous woman (cf. 3:1-3). For his part, Ezekiel, speaking of God’s relationship with the people of Israel, is not afraid to use strong and passionate language (cf. 16:1-22). These biblical texts indicate that eros is part of God’s very heart: the Almighty awaits the “yes” of His creatures as a young bridegroom that of his bride. Unfortunately, from its very origins, mankind, seduced by the lies of the Evil One, rejected God’s love in the illusion of a self-sufficiency that is impossible (cf. Gn 3:1-7). Turning in on himself, Adam withdrew from that source of life who is God Himself, and became the first of “those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong bondage” (Heb 2:15). God, however, did not give up. On the contrary, man’s “no” was the decisive impulse that moved Him to manifest His love in all of its redeeming strength.

The Cross reveals the fullness of God’s love

It is in the mystery of the Cross that the overwhelming power of the heavenly Father’s mercy is revealed in all of its fullness. In order to win back the love of His creature, He accepted to pay a very high price: the blood of His only begotten Son. Death, which for the first Adam was an extreme sign of loneliness and powerlessness, was thus transformed in the supreme act of love and freedom of the new Adam. One could very well assert, therefore, together with Saint Maximus the Confessor, that Christ “died, if one could say so, divinely, because He died freely” (Ambigua, 91, 1956). On the Cross, God’s eros for us is made manifest. Eros is indeed – as Pseudo-Dionysius expresses it – that force “that does not allow the lover to remain in himself but moves him to become one with the beloved” (De divinis nominibus, IV, 13: PG 3, 712). Is there more “mad eros” (N. Cabasilas, Vita in Cristo, 648) than that which led the Son of God to make Himself one with us even to the point of suffering as His own the consequences of our offences?

“Him whom they have pierced”

Dear brothers and sisters, let us look at Christ pierced in the Cross! He is the unsurpassing revelation of God’s love, a love in which eros and agape, far from being opposed, enlighten each other. On the Cross, it is God Himself who begs the love of His creature: He is thirsty for the love of every one of us. The Apostle Thomas recognized Jesus as “Lord and God” when he put his hand into the wound of His side. Not surprisingly, many of the saints found in the Heart of Jesus the deepest expression of this mystery of love. One could rightly say that the revelation of God’s eros toward man is, in reality, the supreme expression of His agape. In all truth, only the love that unites the free gift of oneself with the impassioned desire for reciprocity instills a joy, which eases the heaviest of burdens. Jesus said: “When I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all men to myself” (Jn 12:32). The response the Lord ardently desires of us is above all that we welcome His love and allow ourselves to be drawn to Him. Accepting His love, however, is not enough. We need to respond to such love and devote ourselves to communicating it to others. Christ “draws me to Himself” in order to unite Himself to me, so that I learn to love the brothers with His own love.

Blood and water

“They shall look on Him whom they have pierced.” Let us look with trust at the pierced side of Jesus from which flow “blood and water” (Jn 19:34)! The Fathers of the Church considered these elements as symbols of the sacraments of Baptism and the Eucharist. Through the water of Baptism, thanks to the action of the Holy Spirit, we are given access to the intimacy of Trinitarian love. In the Lenten journey, memorial of our Baptism, we are exhorted to come out of ourselves in order to open ourselves, in trustful abandonment, to the merciful embrace of the Father (cf. Saint John Chrysostom, Catecheses, 3,14ff). Blood, symbol of the love of the Good Shepherd, flows into us especially in the Eucharistic mystery: “The Eucharist draws us into Jesus’ act of self-oblation … we enter into the very dynamic of His self-giving” (Encyclical Deus caritas est, 13). Let us live Lent then, as a “Eucharistic” time in which, welcoming the love of Jesus, we learn to spread it around us with every word and deed. Contemplating “Him whom they have pierced” moves us in this way to open our hearts to others, recognizing the wounds inflicted upon the dignity of the human person; it moves us, in particular, to fight every form of contempt for life and human exploitation and to alleviate the tragedies of loneliness and abandonment of so many people. May Lent be for every Christian a renewed experience of God’s love given to us in Christ, a love that each day we, in turn, must “regive” to our neighbour, especially to the one who suffers most and is in need. Only in this way will we be able to participate fully in the joy of Easter. May Mary, Mother of Beautiful Love, guide us in this Lenten journey, a journey of authentic conversion to the love of Christ. I wish you, dear brothers and sisters, a fruitful Lenten journey, imparting with affection to all of you, a special Apostolic Blessing.

From the Vatican, 21 November 2006.

BENEDICTUS PP. XVI

Church Calendar Today

Today is Feb 13, Tuesday of Sixth Week in Ordinary Time.

From the Fanciscans:

Daily Catholic Q: Why not benediction after Stations? [Interesting Q. We had benediction after Stations growing up. The parish I attended, on my return to the faith, in Frederick, MD, had benediction, but our parish in Alex, VA did not. An issue of parish choice?]
***
I've got another Catholic Q of my own. I've got a few more buzzing around my brain. I really don't know the answers to my Qs. I do not have preconceived ideas as to the "right" answers. It's not intended as a contest, but as a means of sparking discussion. This one might get a bit complex, but I'll try to leave out unnecessary information and speculation:

--I went to an evangelical relative's wedding. [His mother is a fallen away Catholic.] He and his now wife are very much in love and I know of no obstacles to a good marriage for them. That is, I don't think she was married before. I have no idea if they've broken any commandments together. The young man is a very decent, conscientious and responsible fellow. His parents did a fabulous job raising him. [This next is really relevant, I promise.] The young lady is mad about her new husband. I think they're both lucky kids and wish them the best.

Now, I often read a blog by a Catholic apologist (convert) Jimmy Akins, who fields questions from readers about various Catholic matters. Some recent posts have been questions about whether the person should attend or participate in certain weddings that may not be valid because, say one party is divorced, the couple have been living together, a Catholic is marrying a protestant in a protestant ceremony no bishop permission or in a civil ceremony, some canonical problem with the wedding, or some other grave reason to make one concerned about the wisdom of the marriage.
You get the idea. The idea is that we endorse something sinful or not in keeping with our faith if we attend such weddings and lend our support to them. Mr. Akins does generally advise against attending weddings in such instances. He does, thankfully, at least recommend a gentle approach when a person must tell his friend/relative he will not attend b/c of bla, bla. (Does one really need to tell so much?) [Sorry. This was very long.]

So, let's say I used some of the judgment propounded by Mr. Akins. The questions at hand:

1. Is a protestant wedding valid in the Catholic Church's eyes if it is performed by a female clergy? [I was surprised by the female clergy b/c they are a fairly traditional Christian family.]

2. If one follows Mr. Akins guidelines (let's suppose a female clergy invalidates a marriage), then should I have not attended the ceremony?


I differ from Mr. Akin in some regards. I think I'd have to be careful about not attending the wedding of folks who are closer to me. I'd have to also examine the long term affects on my relationship with that person. Is it worth it to destroy a relationship, possibly forever? I think I'd have to decline to attend a wedding where there is clearly something amiss. One would have to be prepared for the consequences of not attending.

My father remarried a divorced Catholic. A protestant minister (good for him) would not marry them. They had a civil ceremony. I was living away. They did not invite any of us. Which I think was probably a good thing. I didn't have to decide whether to attend. [Not that I would have considered Church teaching on marriage, but my feelings about him remarrying would have been the most important thing to me.] Suppose I declined to attend and spouted off the divorce/remarriage issue? Would I have a relationship with him today? Could I have (in my youthful stupidity) handled it very lovingly and still retained a relationship with him? Because I have a great relationship w/my dad. I love him. I like his wife. I even love her as a person. I think it really sucks that my parents are divorced. The mess it has created for the family at large is horrible. But, no one person deserves all the blame. We have to accept things as they are and continue to love and live. So, I'm wondering about all the wisdom of the Mr. Akins approach to weddings that may not be in keeping with Catholic views on marriage.

St. Joseph Follow-Up

An article in the BND on the children's return to school yesterday. Apparently, the cafeteria was damaged also. Some/all kids are eating in their classrooms. These little first graders are cute little ones! I think some one could be a relative (offspring?) of a classmate from QP, by the last name.

Lesson: Examine fish fryers every week before and after use. Especially as Lent is coming up.

Also, speaking of Lent and parishes, our pastor did something pretty neat. He has sent out a calendar flyer covering the Lenten season, with the suggestion as part of our Lenten alms/devotions to pray each day for a specified person/group of people/parish, etc. Very nice idea. The parish has Stations in the afternoons and evenings. It's nice to have a choice.

Powdered Sugar on Brownies

Ok, not quite our Catholic question of the day, but a general interest topic.

I grew up with powdered sugar on brownies in Bville. My husband from Pittsburgh had never eaten such a combination. [He's now sold on it!] I made brownies for a picnic we went to, I think the year we were engaged or our first year of marriage. Yes, I put powdered sugar on them. There were some fabulous desserts there. I actually won the contest. [Today, I find it hard to believe that I got first place, maybe I just placed in the top three. It's been a while. But still, the point stands.] Apparently, powdered sugar on brownies (even with a box mix) is quite unheard of in the mid-Atlantic as well.

Recently, we attended a potluck at which some one brought powdered sugar brownies. I pointed it out to my huz. The lady in front of me said her dad will have nothing to do w/brownies if powdered sugar is not on them. It's clearly a local/regional favorite. Do you have brownies w/powdered sugar?

*****
Speaking of white stuff, we have sleet here. Afternoon school was cancelled, not surprisingly. I'm guessing with things moving toward Springfield (IL), that most areas south and east of St. Louis metro won't see any snow/ice. Maybe you're getting rain. The huz is home b/c his office west of 270 is closed already. They've had sleet/ice and heavy snowfall already. Thanks to the Internet work continues to get done and folks don't lose a day of work.

Adoptive v Natural Parents

I don't think it's such a good idea to compare, as this study does, natural and adoptive parents. Generally, the research claims that adoptive parents are more attentive and spend more money on adopted children than natural parents do for their offspring. That's probably true in many regards. [Does that makes them better parents, spending all that money?] The basic theory is that all adopted children are wanted, and natural children come, whether we want them or not. So, adopted children are treated better, and adoptive parents are thus better parents. [Probably natural families are larger than adoptive families, on average, and adoptive families have more income per child...or they were wealthier in the first instance and able to afford an adoption?]

That article's veiled inference is pretty nasty in my view. Admittedly, there is some underlying truth, but it remains nasty to imply that natural parents are not as good as adoptive parents is insane. Plenty of adoption situations do not work out. Plenty of adoptive parents lack the natural instincts and bonds needed to instill trust and authority. Creating those from nothing takes a lot of work and patience. Sometimes, the adoptive parent, especially for children older than infancy, feel behind the 8 ball from day one and worry that they'll ever get the hang of it. Something is missing and has to be established, as I said.

Further, plenty of adopted children, particularly at older ages or from outside the US, have emotional, behavioral or physical special needs--and require the additional attention. If such parents compensate, it's also b/c the child is in such need of the love and security, not because such parents are better. [That is, the kids are needier, not the parents are better.]

Now, the other point I have not gotten to, but the article centers on right away, is that this comparison is being used to justify gay adoption because gay parents are likely to act the same as heterosexual parents in the ways the article outlines. ..And that's good and better than bio parents. There is no reason to make that jump at all, as we all know.

I have experience as an adoptive parent of 2 high-maintenance children. So, I have some insight and can assure you that I am not a better mom than many other mom's I know! It's about the parents' character, not their checkbook, that we should care.

Pope "Lashes Out"

According to the press. B16 reminds us that no human law "can overturn that of the Creator without dramatically affecting society in its very foundation," said the pope, according to the I-Media news agency, which reports on Vatican affairs in French."

The pope was speaking at a conference on natural law.

"Weakening the family is punishing society," he told the delegation. Natural law "has rules that supersede all human laws (and) does not allow for derogations by anyone."

Natural law has "concrete applications" such as protecting human life from conception to its natural end, and the institution of marriage between a man and a woman, Benedict said.

"Awareness of natural law is inscribed in our very being," he said. "The law inscribed in our nature is the true guarantee offered to everyone to be able to live freely and in dignity."

The Vatican II Council of the 1960s "reaffirmed that the institution of marriage is established by divine order, and therefore this sacred bond for the well-being of spouses, children and society" cannot be severed, he said.

Crossing Over With John Edwards

Dave Hartline, who, I guess one could call an online Catholic journalist, apparently "tried" to interview Edwards' staff about the (ahem) ladies who said really sick things about the Holy Spirit and Mary's possibly choosing Plan B in more modern times. Here's the link to the write up that Hartline did. An excerpt:

Senator Edwards Staffer #1 What is your question for the senator?

Dave Hartline Would Senator Edwards have been this forgiving if someone had made a similar disparaging remark about an African-American, Asian-American or Muslim-American? (I was told to hold on and was transferred)

Senator Edwards Staffer #2 I understand you have a question for me. I would be happy to answer it.

Dave Hartline Would Senator Edwards have been this forgiving if someone had made a similar disparaging remark about an African-American, Asian-American or Muslim-American? (I was told to hold on and was transferred)

Senator Edwards Staffer#3 I am sorry you have been on hold. I would be happy to answer your question.

Dave Hartline Would Senator Edwards have been this forgiving if someone had made a similar disparaging remark about an African-American, Asian-American or Muslim-American? (I was told to hold and this time sent to an answering machine where once again I identified myself. I left a message and haven’t been called back)
****
UPDATE: The vulgar female blogger has quit the Edwards campaign. A wise move. [sorry for italics] [Not to say that the political "right" is never unkind or nasty, but if you ever take a peek at some political "left" sites such as Democrat Underground or the Huffington Post, those folks regularly use profane words and wish the most evil things to happen to their political opponents and speak quite disrespectfully and vulgar in general.]

Church Calendar

Boy! Am I behind!

Let's start with Saturday Feb 10: St. Scholastica, twin sister of St. Benedict. Is she a patroness of education? Or Scholastic Book Services? [okay, just a bit of humor!]

Sunday Feb 11: the Sixth Sunday of Ordinary Time

Monday Feb 12: Ordinary Time

***
Daily Catholic Qs:
Feb 11: A reader wants to know if (s)he is eligible to receive sacraments.

Feb 12: Holy doors (at Vatican, opened every 25 yrs) represent Christ.

By the way, there is lots more good stuff at the American Franciscans' site, such as minute meditations, saint of the day (which follows the Franciscan calendar) and other interesting articles.

***
I've got a Daily Catholic Q of my own. I don't have any idea of the answer. It is not a deep, personal thing, but let's see what you think or what your experience is on such a matter:

--Our child attends the public school b/c services he is receiving are not available at our parish school. He is also not in K yet. Both public and private schools rely heavily on funds donated by parents and "friends" of the school--the community at large. How does a Catholic parent of a child in a public school (if there are good reasons to attend public school) judge where to make the family's donations (or how to apportion between the parish school, which we all are called to support, and the public school, which the family should support as a user of its facilities)? One specific example is that all schools participate in the "box tops" collection programs. Does a family giove them all to the child's school or to the parish?

Abraham Lincoln, RIP

Did any one get the holiday today? As an Illinois state employee and earlier a state university student, I recall getting this holiday plus George Washington's Birthday. My kid's got school in the public school.

That Survey

Which I mentioned last week is apparently being conducted on in Belleville city parishes as there is a big effort underway to re-examine the provision of Catholic education in the city. I noticed from an ad in the Messenger that there are 6 parish schools in operation, while I think there are still 8 parishes in operation. [So, St. Henry's and St. Luke's are the only parishes w/o schools it appears.] There was some paranoia about it from my family members, which I thought kinda odd. [From folks I know, there is alway some suspicion of the powers that be, whether in the Church or local government or business leaders. Very weird.] A FM* with kids in the schools decided to have none of it, concluding that with information on income, max tuition ability to pay, and giving the highest value to ALL of the listed desirable characteristics of a Catholic school--the diocese is going to crank up tuition to the max and say, "well, you said you wanted all this. It costs $XXX to provide all that; so..."

*FM=family member. I try to describe as vaguely as possible as such persons do not speak about these things that I might publish them and identify the person. A matter of privacy.

Lenten Pastoral Letter

A reader alerted me to Bishop Braxton's Lenten pastoral letter. It's in PDF available at the diocese's homepage. I can't cut and paste from PDF. [I'm not inclined to re-type text either at this time. Sorry.] It appears to be pretty nice and thoughtful, a call to holiness and living out the Lenten season by good works, giving up something meaningful, participation in the liturgical activities commemorating Holy Week and Christ's passion, and so on [my paraphrase, probably a bit of rough justice.] The Messenger has already published a reminder of fasting and abstinence regulations for Lent. I thought it was rather early, then I remembered that the paper is bi-weekly, and the next edition will be published after Ash Wednesday.

And No

I don't like Guiliani any better. He has few desirable positions on domestic matters. Who's to say he can conduct the War on Terror better than Bush? [Ok, maybe a lot of people could!] Guiliani's problem is not just abortion. It's also on homosexual "rights" and embryonic stem cells. If you care about gun rights, you won't like him too much either. It's hard not to agree that he was a good "law and order" DA and mayor and governed pretty well; he also seemed quite heroic on 9-11.

I also listen to some "conservatives" in the media and wonder where their principles are. They want to win and think it might be okay to put aside the judgments about Guiliani's personal life. I think he's on his 3rd (certainly 2nd) marriage. [Guiliani was raised Catholic.] Ok, Reagan was married 2x, and from what I know, he did not cheat on Jane Wyman. It was Jane who left him, I believe b/c of his politics!

Guiliani's affair with his current wife and divorce from the prior were gossip page fodder. It was a pretty unseemly situation. How do conservatives who decried Bill Clinton's carryings-on (right form of word??) justify letting go of the same for Rudy Guiliani? So, she was in his age range; so, he married her; so, she wasn't an employee. But he left a wife (shrew or not!) and kids for her. Who cares what he does in his personal life. He's got the right positions on our issues. That was the NOW view of Clinton!

I don't see how a principled "conservative" could give Guiliani the time of day, leadership skills or not.

Oh, Brother!

The archbishop of SF has some odd values. See post by Dom Bettinelli here.

The poor child of Anna Nicole Smith, who is now the key to millions. Even Zsa Zsa Gabor's huz is getting in on the action with a very weird press conference. [Caught a clip on Anderson Cooper last night. The prince spoke of his, er, methods with women. Nice]

Obama attempts to wear the mantle of Lincoln in SPFLD. I only saw on presidential candidate come through when I was there. I was there only for the 1992 election and saw Paul Tsongas. Presidential candidates like to go to the Old State Capitol where Lincoln gave his "house divided" speech. I did find in my desk a flyer for a Richard Nixon visit in 1971. I still have it as a memento! I thought Obama already announced. Socialist, schmocialist. As long as you survive the womb, he might care about you. But don't expect him to ensure your survival in the womb. [See his state legislature record on that!]

UPDATE on Obama: Keep in mind, plenty of local folk turnout just for the spectacle of seeing a presidential candidate whether they like him or not. Though, it's a wee bit cold for that today. [I also hear that Hilly's gonna reclaim her Chicago roots to combat Obama.]

Update on Fire

It sounds like the St. Joseph parish center was destroyed by the fire. All those poor scared little kids were rushed outside w/o their coats. At least they could go to the Church to stay warm.

Item of Note

I've been busy with work and family. Just wanted to note an article of interest about the Freeburg parish--St. Joseph--hall catching fire.

The parish center at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Freeburg caught fire Friday afternoon, leading to the evacuation of the school next door.

No injuries were reported.

The parish center fire started about 1 p.m. Friday and drew firefighters from many departments in the region. The building was heavily damaged.

Because it is right behind the school, students were evacuated across the street to the church as precaution. Most said they thought it was only a drill.

The students eat lunch in the center, but were finished early Friday because the schedule was moved up to accommodate a teachers' meeting. The center was scheduled to host a fish fry Friday night.

The rest of the school day was canceled and parents were picking up their youngsters.

The cause of the fire was unavailable.

[I guess the "cause" could not be interviewed as a result of its unavailability!]

I see fires are an epidemic today. In Hamel and The Pasta House in Fairview.

Checking In

I've had a busy day w/MOPS, school schedule, & finding out that "the rent's comin' due" on some work projects. So, I'm up late for that. [I also got to watch the latest LOST online. Sometimes, I think the writers are the ones who are LOST. Let's get back to the gang of castaways please. Enough of that love triangle imprisoned by the Others.]

Should we talk about Church business? It's a bit hard to ignore the gossippy stories of the week, like the wacked out female astronaut. Poor troubled lady and her family. Then, of course, RIP, Ms. Anna Nicole Smith. She looks like she got back to looking pretty attractive again this last year. Shocking death at such a young age.

In any case:

Wed Feb 7: Ordinary Time

Thurs Feb 8: St. Jerome Emiliani and St. Josephine Bakhita, optional memorials

Catholic Qs:

Wed Feb 7: Why ashes on ash Wednesday?

Thurs Feb 8: Who can be saved? [This is a big Q among Christians. I believe many faiths have different answers. There is the Calvinist (?) theory of being among the "elect." If you're not elect, you're screwed. Nothing you can do. There is the evangelical theory of just accept Jesus as your savior and you're in. We Catholics do cast a pretty wide net, contrary to popular opinion. The grace of Jesus can save just about any body, generally speaking. But, that doesn't mean that there's no importance to being Catholic and participating in a sacramental life. The response doesn't really get into this much. I have not found a good link to help elaborate. If you know of any, please share. The CCC might be of value, b/c I think I've read statements to the effect that there is salvation outside the Church. Sigh. It's getting late and there's work to be done.]--> Ok. Here's something which appears to be written from a Prot viewpoint, evaluating pre-V2 and post-V2 Catholic thinking. I don't believe the cites or basic interpretation to be incorrect. But, note that the pre-V2 papal cites actually precede the existence of western Protestantism. So, the Church's stand probably could have used some clarification soon after Luther's 95 theses in 15xx, rather than wait until V2 in 1965. [UPDATE: My point here is that pre-Luther (and Protestantism) of course, it might have been appropriate to say that there is no salvation outside the Church. The Church, plus the eastern Churches with which Rome in general retains communion, was the only means of Christianity. Since the advent of Protestantism, we cannot exclude other Christians, even though they don't have the fullness of the Faith. Then, we also have to recognize that Jesus came to save every one, which was clarified in V2 documents. So, it looks like the re-thinking and finessing took a long time to reach.]

Queen Nancy

Apparently, she thinks she's entitled to the same Air Force service as the President receives. Speaker Hastert was given the service of an Air Force jet, not on the presidential scale, post 9-11 for security reasons, but only for trips between the capital and his home district. Ah, that Catholic grandmother!

****
Mrs. Pelosi wants a larger aircraft that can fly to her home district of San Francisco nonstop. She also wants to be able to ferry other members of the congressional delegation, family members and her staff.
The speaker's request is being handled by her chief counsel, Bernard Raimo, a veteran Democratic lawyer on Capitol Hill.
"Who she can take is being worked out, outside the Air Force," said Ed Gulick, an Air Force spokesman at the Pentagon.
He said the Air Force is studying what types of planes are available for long, cross-country flights. Currently, three planes assigned to the 89th Airlift Wing at Andrews Air Force Base can make such nonstop flights year-round -- the C-32, C-40B and C-37.
Such VIP planes are in high demand.
"She's effectively taking a bird out of the fleet," said a defense source. "It will most directly impact the House, because they're the heavy users of the large aircraft. Congress looks at that Andrews fleet as their Hertz rent-a-car."
The congressional source said the speaker's office requested an Air Force plane to take her to a weekend Democratic retreat in Williamsburg, but the Pentagon declined.
***

The Pepples vs. Their Leaders

The illegal immigration issue has set the general populace (or a great preponderance of it--check any poll. Here's one from 2003; CBS from last month.) against the political officials of this country. The people want some control on illegal immigration, though they may differ on resolutions. The politcal class wants votes!

The Catholic hierarchy in the US is on the same page as the political leadership of the US on this issue. Catholic laity are divided on this issue (see any combox on a Catholic blog); the point being that the laity are not largely behind their Church leadership in the US on this isse.

Here is an article on the angry of some laity at their bishop in the Dallas diocese who opposes plans for local regulations on illegal immigrants in the town of Farmers Branch. [Actually, the Bp. is focused and his picture is presented, but other (nonCatholic) religious leaders and laity are interviewed. Regrettably, the only Catholic interviewed is some one who is not currently practicing and is wrongly putting this issue ahead of his faith.] The comparisons to Mary, Joseph and Jesus seeking shelter are somewhat flawed, in my view, as our country does have mechanisms by which refugees can apply to enter the US. Now, if that's not fast enough for serious situations, or the limits on the number of refugee immigrants are too low, then let's talk about that. I don't agree with claims that illegal aliens in general are good, law-abiding family people. [By definition, they are not "law-abiding."] The jail population of some major cities, such as LA, is increasingly illegal immigrant.

End Note: The "Pepples" reference is from Zorro the Gay Blade. That was George Hamilton's character's pronunciation of "people." Similar autocracy, no?

An Age-Old Question

At least in the US has been whether the parish/parisioners or the diocese own the assets of a parish. A court in Mass is effectively being asked to settle that question in a particular case. Do we really want the civilian authorities to decide such internal matters?

The other issue appears to be whether a charity that receives a donation is forever bound to some conditions of that donation, specifically in this case, whether the charity can ever sell the property donated to it.

Dems+Caths=True Love

Not! Once again the Dem party (or its agents) insults and mocks Catholicism. Who said that Catholics have a natural inclination toward the Dem party and its values? Maybe back when the working man (usualy the Catholic immigrant) was downtrodden and abused by "management" but I think those cases are now the exception rather than the rule. Those days are gone. While one may critique the GOP's values as well, I personally see not one position by the Dems that I would prefer. [However, the Dems have an opportunity to make the claim of fiscal responsibility after the drunken spending by the GOP in the last 10 years, many bills of which W Bush could have vetoed or at least railed against. The conservative domestic agenda is a victim of the Iraq war.]

Yum, Yum!

Via Amy W's blog (an icon on the side bar), I learned that today is World Nutella Day. Great stuff! I had to throw away our jar we had when we moved from VA. I haven't picked up a new jar yet. I wonder if it can be bought where we live. I have not noticed it on the shelves where I've shopped.

Race or Faith?

A black scientist was denied tenure at MIT. He says it's because of his race. He is apparently, however, opposed to life-desctructive embryonic stem cell research. Are we sure it's racial and not because of his beliefs?

Also, I'm sure you heard a lot about the fact that two black men for the first time made it to the Super Bowl as head coaches. The other aspect of Lovie Smith and Tony Dungee that the press didn't focus on too much--naturally--was their strong Christian faith. Get Religion has kept up on the press coverage and noted the lack of religious angle in the stories. Here's the post-game story on the coverage. Here's another post on the "values" of Smith and Dungee. Gee, from what do they come?

Oh, and speaking of religion and the Super Bowl, the stingy NFL shut down a church group's Super Bowl party.

Same Writers?

I recently watched both Ray and Walk the Line, the Ray Charles and Johnny Cash bio-pics, respectively, both highly-acclaimed. Not knowing either singer/songwriter very well, I will still venture to say that I thought that Jamie Foxx did a better job at looking like Ray Charles than Jaquim Phoenix did at emulating Johnny Cash. Their stories were so similar, I couldn't help but wonder if they shared writing credits! [I don't think they did at all.] I guess it really is a sign of southern culture with strong Christian influence for non-wealthy whites and for blacks in the first half of the 20th century. Some similarities that jumped out at me:

• Both had brothers die in their youth. Each had/felt guilt for his brother's death.
• The real similarity was the strength of their Christian upbringing and its influence on theirm music and lives.
  
• In spite of that strong upbringing both fell away and got into womanizing and drugs. Particularly for Ray Charles, the guilt was immense. Amazingly he remained married to his first wife, though Johnny Cash did not. [Ray's influence was his strong single mother, while Johnny's conscience was dogged by his father whose standards he did not feel he could live up to, I guess.]
• Interestingly, both got off the heavy drugs in the late 60s when drug use was only really beginning to become a visible problem in society at large.
  
• Are we to believe that they both remained clean (at least from drugs) until they died, just one year after one another (2003-Cash, and 2004-Charles)?
• Both were "saved" by the persistence and love of a southern "good Christian" woman. Cash married June after cleaning up and Ray remained with his first wife.

Any thoughts, if you've seen either or both?

Gays Fight Back

In Washington state, they are trying to get an initiative on the ballot to say that hetero couples must have children or prove fertility or have their marriage dissolved, since the conservative movement says marriage is for family and procreation. The group cleverly called themselves a Defense of Marriage organization. Let's hope the majority hetero population does not help this along at all. I think many marriage policy experts have refuted the claims by the gay movement that a valid marriage requires offspring. It does not; not even in the Catholic Church. What I mean is that a fertile couple has a moral obligation to be open to life (and thus would be expected to produce children), but an infertile marriage is not invalid because they are infertile. Such couples are often encouraged to adopt. Hey, if this law goes through, maybe adoption should be mandated as part of it for folks who are infertile.

Church Calendar

I took some extra blogging time off to rest after a busy week and B Day party. Have a lot of work on tap for the next few weeks too. [A couple of contracts came up this month. Yeah!] So, I was staying away from the PC for a break.

Catching up on the calendar:
Sat Feb 3: St Blaize Feast Day, throat blessings at church. Also St. Ansgar.
Sun Feb 4: 5th Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Mon Feb 5: St. Agatha.
Tues Feb 6: St. Paul Miki and Companions. First East Asian martyrs canonized. From Nagasaki, one city where atomic bombs were dropped, ending WWII.

From the Franciscans:
Feb 5: Movies and the occasion on sin.
Feb 6: A Thanks to Fr. Norman.

Planning Ahead

The Archbishop of Indy planned today as a school holiday in Indy because he was sure the Colts would win. I guess he had a private revelation that maybe needs to be sent to Rome for verification? Hee!

Mentally Ill Can Decide to Die?

Some one needs to explain how that can be a rationale decision, independently arrived at and so on. Those assisted suiciders in Switzerland are going to expand the illnesses that are eligible for assisted suicide to include mental illness. How can a person mentally ill make such a decision? How could such a decision stand up in court? By definition their capacity to think and act rationally is diminished. They are incapacitated and cannot make such decisions for themselves. This pretty much permits murder (so does any assisted suicide law) of people who are inconvenient to us because of their behavior. This is a way to empty out mental institution patients who doctors just can't or won't deal with for whatever reasons. Because they allegedly can't be cured, they must die and quit burdening the rest of us.

Why...?

Did you revert or convert?

Amy W asks the question here, after noting on her Catholic schools thread that so many fell away after Catholic schooling, but later returned. Mark Shea, a convert himself, picks up on the conversion aspect here.

I can't quite bring myself to pen my story. It can be easy to get complex, self-centered and melodramatic about it all. But it was a strong and very meaningful experience for me--I suppose as it would be for anyone--and it happened over a long period of time. There were a variety of influences that took me away from and back to the Faith. I don't want to know how much self-revelation I am willing to make on the WWW. God bless those who do. [I have noted that many went "Anonymous" for this topic.

Left Behind

No, this is not a post about the book series chronicaling the evangelical rapture theories. I've been remiss in my blogging. I've been busy with family and housekeeping. We'll try to keep "no post left behind" instead! Give the many topics in my head, I'll just do some quick bullets. Maybe more detailed content later tonight, though I have to make a B Day cake with a Spiderman face (like I did last year).

• Finally! We made it to a Friday Mass. I've been wanting to go, especially on a first Friday, since I learned it was not a children's mass. [Excuses: too lazy and pooped by Friday to get us out the door; too cold especially lately.] Mucho better than school masses. It did have processional and recessional hymns and sung Sanctus and Agnus Dei; so, it was not a "budget mass" [ie, half hour music-free] which I was sorta hoping for b/c I think it would be better for the kids to "master" sitting still for a shorter mass. We had a procession with candles to the baptismal fount to mark the Feast of the Presentation today. The boys enjoyed that. The little one likes to sing along. I thought we were going to sit relatively still among the living, but a necessary trip to the potty upset that stability. So, we retreated to our cry-room. Following Mass, father led the congregation (20 people?) in the Novena to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, a first Friday practice at the parish. That's the sort of thing I like to learn about. I'm so glad we got our butts out to do that today!
  
• Left the kids at gramma's for a while to shop for some B Day things and go to St. Teresa's for Adoration. It's perpetual and walk-in. That was nice. I almost fell asleep. It was nice to have some quiet time to pray, especially in front of the Real Presence.
• Belleville parishioners are being surveyed about schools. I believe it is for Bville only since it looks like there are a couple questions only having to do schools located in Bville. [I am aware of a committee with the express agenda of examining the schools in Bville. Some clustering or combining of schools might occur. Some schools would close as a result.] Mom mentioned that a sister got the survey from her kids at school. Mom's looking for it at her parish. Maybe this Sunday? Many questions, however, could be for general survey in the diocese. I have not seen it yet at our parish. If you see it and want to comment on it, do so in the combox. I'll do another post later on the detail of the survey. It really is interesting. I do hope it applies to the diocese as a whole.
• Speaking of bulletin inserts, our parish included a sheet from the Couple to Couple League listing training available in the STL Metro area. There is a class up in Alton, but the rest were in the STL Archdiocese. Good for the parish for making note of this. Does the diocese require an initial NFP class to get married in the Church? [We had to do that in the Arlington diocese. We had a day long class that included that topic as well as other marriage prep topics.] Good for the parish for including that information.
• To fill in the calendar blank, yesterday was the Feast of St. Brigid.
  

An Ad Campaign!

Wow! So, Boston came to a screeching and terrifying halt, not because of real terrorism, not because of a few clowns who went too far---well, actually maybe that last is true. Amazing that the packages which caused so much concern and trouble was a major media corporation's ad blitz--Turner Broadcasting.