The blog is dry

But is it drying up? I don't know. My fervent prayer is that nothing in this blog comes from me, but from the Holy Spirit. I've also had a strategy at the back of my mind from ages ago that I needn't really say anything original, only things already said (and better!) by others, e.g., from the Bible, Church Fathers, our dearest saints, the Church in her official decrees, as well as today's most talented bloggers and writers. I've had plans for this blog from the beginning, but I've rarely engaged the topic of Christian unity. It is either that I get easily distracted by other issues, in which case, as Og Mandino once warned in the God Memorandum, I was everywhere and went nowhere, or I am a coward. I hate confrontation, but ironically, it was a Baptist who was bludgeoning me with prooftexts and brimstone who told me that I'd have to step on toes in the process of saying something of significance.

It's been two years, and quo vadis, Jeff?

Who knows? For now, I'm just blogged out because work, family, the new house, the garden, a possible job change.. LIFE is becoming overwhelming, even as it continues to be more enjoyable and wondrous.

In the meantime, however, I strongly recommend my favorite blogs in my blogroll. Mark Shea, Amy Welborn, Jimmy Akin and Jeff Miller are my favorites.

Working moms and obese kids -- a connection?

No, it doesn't mean that working moms are to blame. It just means what we already know: we REALLY need our mothers. God bless mothers!

Member of the B-Team: I'm an amateur Catholic

Ah.. only my second professional membership. Hmm.. perhaps it isn't a professional organization at that, what with "we barely do our jobs" being in the logo. ... (Gasp) What have I gotten myself into??? ;-)

Everyone beware: here comes amateur Catholic trouble!

This is almost funny

To many people, contraception is no laughing matter. But some of the things going on in the contraceptive culture are funny. This article inlcudes this claim, for example:

Ms Lissner said men want to take responsibility and control of contraception. She said: "At least in the US, the idea that men aren't willing to participate is clearly out of date. "Men want to control their own destinies."

I'd be interested to see the conclusive data on that. I'm not saying that it's impossible, but it doesn't sound plausible. From the last half of the 20th century on, the trend has been more about hedonism without consequences, rather than responsibility. One can hope, of course, but if men really wanted to take responsibility, why pull punches? If they're really responsible, they can commit to marriage, with their wife plan (and if you're a believer, PRAY about) how many kids they should have, work out how many years in-between to space their births, and use the Billings Ovulation Method. It's probably not what most people think (the outdated rhythm method), and it can be learned together by the couple, who will share the responsibility.

There's another area of responsibility that's lacking in reality: what sort of man would opt to abort his own child and endanger the life and health of his wife? Both abortion and artificial contraceptives present serious health risks -- although it's true that many are not aware of this. What sort of man would have a sexual relationship with his girlfriend without first committing to marriage for life? This male contraceptive sounds to me like just another licence for sexual gratification without responsiblity.

Ageing and Respect

This sort of thing wouldn't be as much a problem if society hadn't turned its back on the idea of basic respect for human beings. It's the whole notion that one does not deserve respect until it has been earned. I don't know when it started, but it should have been recognized as a precursor to things like age discrimination. When utilitarian views about our worth become the norm, how else can we expect society to view the elderly?

On St. Francis of Assisi

The Canticle of Chiara features several posts leading up to the feast of il Poverello, our beloved Saint Francis of Assisi. Chiara starts with Dante's song of St. Francis, Bonaventure on St. Francis, Chesterton's Jongleur de Dieu, a comparison between the films "Francis of Assisi" and "Brother Sun, Sister Moon", and ends with a post on the solemnity itself. Firefox (and perhaps Mozilla and Netscape) users may find what appears to be a huge blank post with only the top/title and left-margin links available. Just scroll down and the posts themselves are there. [Links found thanks to Dan from Holy Whapping.]

How can the East and West be one again?

It just came to my head that perhaps the scenario isn't as complicated as it could be. I just realized what a great thing it would be for the Church to be able to pull out all our clergy from Orthodox sees and send them off where they are more sorely needed. After all, if the Orthodox Church comes back to full communion with the Roman Catholic Church, it only stands to reason that they can take over the Catholic communities as well. After all, they already have valid sacraments and theology. And what a sign to the world it would be for the Schism to finally end!

Logos and Will

In this very interesting interview published by Zenit, Jesuit Father James Schall, professor of political philosophy at Georgetown University, builds upon the Regensburg lecture, which he contends "was liberating and imperative." In it, he compares Papa Benedict's point about God as "Logos" and what he says Muslims believe of God as "Will":

The Holy Father posed the fundamental question that lies behind all the discussion about war and terror. If God is Logos, it means that a norm of reason follows from what God is. Things are, because they have natures and are intended to be the way they are because God is what he is: He has his own inner order. If God is not Logos but "Will," as most Muslim thinkers hold Allah to be, it means that, for them, Logos places a "limit" on Allah. He cannot do everything because he cannot do both evil and good. He cannot do contradictories. Thus, if we want to "worship" Allah, it means we must be able to make what is evil good or what is good evil. That is, we can do whatever is said to be the "will" of Allah, even if it means doing violence as if it were "reasonable." Otherwise, we would "limit" the "power" of Allah. This is what the Pope meant about making violence "reasonable." This different conception of the Godhead constitutes the essential difference between Christianity and Islam, both in their concept of worship and of science.

Please read the full interview.

Us Or Them: History keeps repeating itself

There is currently a documentary on SBS running, one that explores the minds of the soldiers who perpetrated the Jewish genocide during World War II and those who did the same against the Muslims and Croats in Serbia. The narrator cited that the "us or them" thought was common among all genocides. To such people, the prevailing thought was "to survive, I must kill you."

I realized with a shudder that this is exactly what pro-abortion lobbyists are saying about mothers and the unborn. "In order for me (the woman) to surive, I must kill you (the fetus)." It is a false dilemma, and a deadly one.

Our priest has always been a bit on the radical side

Which means that he often espouses a noticeable departure from orthodoxy. But not heresy, I think, as he is very careful to present his ideas as talking points, not as Final Answers. But two days in a row is straining my heart.

Sunday, he was talking about the shortage of priests, and suggesting that perhaps this is an opportunity for the Church to ordain married men. Okay, that's not too bad, given that celibacy is a discipline and a tradition (small 't'), but I had the impression that the numbers of seminarians were actually picking up -- particular in those places where people and their pastors were, you know, orthodox. Anyway, next he talks about broadening the role of lay people in ministry. No problem, not even when he talks about women in ministry. There's women who may be pastors and there's priests. Totally different things. I had no problem with a Dominican sister who was in charge of religious education in my school, or a lay woman (whom we lovingly called Mama Chu) was director of the university's campus ministry. At least he didn't mention ordaining them as priests. So I guess it wasn't too bad, but his homily raised my eyebrows some, but not too much.

Monday morning Mass and he's at it a bit more. It's a celebration of the holy guardian angels. Scripture is full of references to them, some of them are given names and big roles, while others were mentioned in general references only.

So why was our beloved (and we do love him) Father Michael talking about angels in Scripture as simply part of the "literary form" (therefore fictitious)? Why does he suggest that they were borrowed by the Hebrews heavily from Persian literature? The thought of a strand being pulled apart, unraveling the tapestry, came to mind. Take out angels and you wipe out a lot of Scriptural accounts, and a lot of theology. The untenability of his exegetical venture was accentuated by the liturgy itself, which, for this day, was full of Scriptural quotes about the holy angels. I don't know if he realized what a serious exegetical proposition that was. If angels were no more than literary devices, borrowed from Persian myths to provide form to the guidance of God, then what does that make of the Devil? If he's a literary form, what is he an agent of? Surely not our God! And what of the Lord's command to make figures of angels covering the tabernacle with their wings? Surely Moses did not risk the Lord's wrath and jealousy in order to provide the tabernacle with embellishments from figures of.. Persian mythological creatures!

I have no problems with a homily asserting that the holy angels are best seen in the light of God's providence, as agents of his constant care for his children. To Him be the power and the glory! Amen! But God is not so insecure as to require solo billing. He gets top billing, sure, and the angels themselves would be the first to ask this. But to lower the angels to the level of mythical beings included in Scripture by the Holy Spirit's inspiration as mere literary forms.. insults their Master as much as it insults them.

I am one of Father Michael's many happy children in our parish. He is a very able preacher, a compassionate confessor and my kids love him. But I think, in this instance, he may have let the academic in him get the better of the priest in him. Much as it happens to me a lot, being an academic myself. Sometimes, ideas, theories, exciting new branches of our sciences can get away from us.

There must be a reason why the Lord told his disciples not to worry about what they needed to say when they are brought into courts. Perhaps it is for the same reason that the Lord mandated the Magisterium,lest we each try our hand at pontificating, and give in to temptations of over-reaching and creativity in overdrive.

Right to Life Australia: email/phone/fax campaign (Victoria) 3-4 October

TOMORROW & WEDNESDAY: PRO-LIFERS TO DELUGE STATE PARLIAMENT WITH CALLS, FAXES & EMAILS.

Dear Friend of Life,

A quick reminder for pro-life people: we want to inundate the phones, faxes and email inboxes of the leading politicians listed below on the last two days of parliament (Tuesday & Wednesday).

Please fax, phone and email ALL DAY on these two days, and be part of a state wide grass roots campaign to alert State leaders to our view that abortion is a grievous crime against humanity.

Pro-Life flood: Tuesday October 3rd, Wednesday October 4th

The simple message, in your own words: "I oppose the decriminalisation of abortion. I cannot support parties or individuals who would vote for abortion up to the moment of birth. Please uphold the right to life of our brothers and sisters in the womb."

STEVE BRACKS - PREMIER
Tel: 9651 5000 or 9399 9022
Fax: 9651 5298
Email: steve.bracks@parliament.vic.gov.au

TED BAILLIEU - OPPOSITION LEADER
Tel: 9651 8512 or 9882 4088
Fax: 9651 8426
Email: ted.baillieu@parliament.vic.gov.au

ROB HULLS - ATTORNEY GENERAL
Tel: 9637 8855 or 9379 5879
Fax: 9637 8921
Email: rob.hulls@parliament.vic.gov.au

Campaign Meeting at Right to Life on Wednesday 4th October. 7:30PM, 45 Nicholson Street, East Brunswick. Please come and continue to help us in this campaign.

In life,

Marcel White Campaign Director

Margaret Tighe President

Chestertonian call to battle..

.. to love our enemies, i.e., those who hate us. And so we are challenged to pray for them, whenever we can. Can we pray that our enemies are wiped out by God? Absolutely: we pray that our X enemies are wiped out by a holy conversion of heart and spirit, and become, instead, X friends who love us as we love them. Best wipe-out there is: our enemies become our friends. [Link found via Mark Shea's blog.]

Prosperity Gospel travels by email

Because I received tidbits of it from a friend, I took a closer look. What a scandal to Christ! From their salaries of more than $300,000 USD a year, are they using all of that up on luxury? Saint Paul tells us [1 Timothy 6:5, 9-11]:

"But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. But flee from these things, you man of God, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness."

It isn't that their network is earning so much money. It is that the people behind it, effective as they might be in spreading the Gospel worldwide, appear to be thriving in opulence. What of the many people who die of starvation everyday? Saint James said [James 2:15-16]:

"If one of the brothers or one of the sisters is in need of clothes and has not enough food to live on, and one of you says to them, 'I wish you well; keep yourself warm and eat plenty,' without giving them these bare necessities of life, then what good is that?"

Is it enough to simply tell the poor that they should pray for prosperity and it will come? Saint James disagrees. As would the Lord, who describes a harsh sentence for those who neglect to serve the poor with what they actually need [from Matthew 25:31-46]:

He will answer them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.' And these will go off to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.

It is cold comfort to give words but not food, shelter and clothing.

Two pieces from Zenit

Father Cantalamessa and Papa Benedict XVI talk separately about our relationship with non-Catholics. I've often thought that the best blogging strategy for me was to point out what has been written by others out there, since my own writing needs serious work. Here they say things that need to be said, and better than any way I could have framed it myself. I'm glad I don't have their responsibilities. :-)

Children really should be the first consideration

But the world does not listen easily, and guess who loses big?

Muddles are meant to be .. well, un-muddled

Cardinal Pell cites bleak figures:

... 75% of young Catholics think it is proper to "pick and choose beliefs," while only 10% accept the notion that "only one religion is true." The overall impression left by the studies, the cardinal said, is that the beliefs of young Australian Catholics have gone "beyond tolerance and ecumenism and toward muddle."

That's a muddle, alright.

The mind of a Baptist blogger

I've run afoul of this blogger before, and it's really hard to understand his mindset. I gather from his commenting rules (and the way he's enforced it and/or waved it at me a few times now that nothing is up for debate. He knows what he knows and he's not out here to reason with people. He'll say his piece and you take it or leave it. It's alien to my way of thinking about evangelizing. I'm not quite into entertaining new ideas to make my own. I do know what I know but I don't know what the person I talk to knows. I am interested in what makes them stand outside instead of coming inside the body of Christ. Knowing that much about them can only help me help them get over what's stopping them. I believe in dialogue, and first of all, non-Christians (and non-Catholics) that I might dialogue with deserve the utmost respect as human beings. That they believe in God in some form is a plus. I believe in taking things from what truths they believe in, e.g., the sanctity of human life, the existence of a God who loves us, as the foundation for hearing the Gospel. It is entirely up to the Holy Spirit to work in their hearts, but the preaching will go better if there is a common language, common experiences and common notions that we can build upon.

For Rand the Baptist.. dialogue will not work because he won't let it begin. He does not wish to correspond nor to discuss anything. His mind and heart are closed. He knows what he knows. There is no testing the spirits for him. Only prayer can reach him.

I just wish he knew what he was talking about when he talks about anything Catholic. He attacks Catholics with his misinformed knowledge and experiences, and there is no defense allowed the hapless Catholic. As I told him before, it is like this: from inside his house, he shoots at Catholics outside. When confronted, he retorts that they have no right to complain because his activities are done within the sanctity of his own home. And there is no dissuading him about this injustice.

Dave Armstrong's Fantastic Discount Sale

Please visit Dave's blog, Cor Ad Cor Loquitur, and consider buying his heavily discounted books. I'm one question away from buying myself ("Honey? Could I please buy these heavily discounted books?")

Making disciples of all: where do we start?

It wasn't too surprising to find that some fundamentalist out there would find something to gloat about during the recent tantrums thrown among Muslims to protest Papa Benedict's Regensburg lecture. When our Pope clarified his position with the Muslims, and expressed regrets over the disproportionate offense taken by those who misunderstood, brother fundamentalist -- ex-Catholic Rand -- called it hypocrisy. What I found alarming was not quite what he had to say about the Pope and the Catholic Church -- it was expected. It was what he professed about Muslims and non-born-again Christians in general. Perhaps his understanding of evil is not the same as mine, but he asserts that there is absolutely no good, only total evil, among non-born-agains. Of course, in his mind, that includes me, but that's not the point. The problem is how he expects the Church (his notion or mine, it doesn't matter) to reach out to non-Christians. Respect is not a starting point for him, nor is the acknowledgment of something good -- even a minute amount -- in human beings per se: even babies, children, youth. Ironically, this was the point of that Regensburg lecture: God and reason go together, and one cannot profess a God who is entirely unreasonable. The example Papa Benedict gave was the irreconcilability of a reasonable God and violent or forced conversions. Here with Rand is another example of something irreconcilable: that God had created evil beings. By evil, I do mean that which is COMPLETELY anti-God, a total antithesis of love.

Perhaps he equates "evil" with "sinfulness", which is not the same thing. For we are all sinful by nature, due to The Fall, and are prone to evil actions. But we are also capable of good actions, by the prompting of the Holy Spirit, even when we are not aware of it and do not acknowledge it.

What I do fear is that such a concept will not yield much evangelical fruit. Isn't it reasonable to say that all human beings, regardless of their fallen nature, deserve respect? Even God shows us that much respect, by prompting us with the Holy Spirit into willfully embracing faith, rather than creating us incapable of free will, automatons programmed to do only what the Holy Spirit prompts. There is a pre-requisite of respect that must precede the dialogue of preaching the Gospel to non-believers. One may affirm, as the Magisterium does, that non-believers deserve respect, and may have pieces of the truth in what they believe. The problem is not that they have no truth at all, for God creates us in his image and likeness, and that which is his image is good. The problem is that non-believers do not have all the truth, having instead a mixture of truth and falsehood. It isn't unreasonable to use the truths they hold as a take-off point in a dialogue, a means to anchor the truths they have never heard nor understood before. Do they believe in a benevolent creator rather than the neo-Darwinist notion of life as pure accident? Then we affirm that they have, as Romans 1:19-20 suggests, perceived God in what can be observed from his creation. But we must take it a step further, and explain more truths that should supplant the falsehoods and half-truths.

I just find it shocking that the same notion of a creator who is unreasonable and whimsical, can be found among Christians. I'm not sure if it's Calvinism or Occam's influence on Luther (and Calvin?). Whatever it is, there is a peril among Christians of such bent which renders their Christianity too similar to Islam in theology -- but thankfully, not in violent aberrations.

Sterility Tax for Russia?

Why do they have to do this? Just another unforeseen consequence of the horror that is the postmodern understanding of sex, marriage and the family: viewing children and parenthood as undesirable and least-priority commitments. All in the context of a society where men and women are in it for themselves and for enjoying "the moment".

Christian Courage

This is a story of Christian courage: Sr. Leonella Sgorbati's dying legacy, after being shot by two men just days after Pope's Regensburg lecture. What grace must have worked in her to prompt her to speak of forgiving her killers as she lay dying. It is courage born of charity (love).

But a bitter part of me laments the lack of outrage over this senseless murder, from the same people who were outraged, scandalized or embarassed over the Pope's few words, taken out of the context of the lecture. Why are they not being as vocal about this, the death of an innocent?

The Aussie bloke and toss-bags

Not that I understand Aussie-speak at its best, a "toss-bag" being unfamiliar to me, but it is worth noting that some of Mark Latham's comments are very interesting -- even refreshing.

The Pope and the Muslims

They met and, I think, the proper words were spoken. Papa Benedict respects the Muslims, and so we all should. It doesn't change what is a universal truth, ugly though its historical implications may be: "religion and violence do not go together, but religion and reason do". This is true for Christians and Muslims alike -- for any person of any background. We've all had days of infamy, when religion and violence were somehow justified together. The worst thing we can do is to deny that. The best thing we can do is to admit that, be truly sorry, and make amends if possible. And with what we've learned, we move on, and pass it on. I know some people have gloated at the Catholic Church for the sins of her children, but they forget that the Gospel was built on top of sin: built, that is, to come out on top of sin. We forsake the Gospel when we forget that the first half of the Good News was a saga of infamy.

News overload

These days, news headlines will invariably include reports of people having died from accidents, sickness, or violence. In one instant, deaths can number in the dozens. A few years ago, in the thousands. But even if the news only reported one tragic death, how is it that I can usually breeze through that reading without feeling anything significant? How desensitized have I become?

All smiles at Sunday Mass

For me, that is. How can I not smile so much? I was greeted at the door with the smell of sweet incense. There were perhaps nine concelebrating priests and two deacons. Our music was as alive and full of worship as our young choirmaster was energetic. The priests sung parts of the liturgy! The readings were also perfect for what we were celebrating that day, and it was a beautiful homily about service to God and peacemaking, given by the rector of the Corpus Christi seminary. My sons behaved rather well during the entire Mass, which means that there wasn't any running around or crawling around, and the chatting wasn't too loud and wasn't too frequent, and they actually asked about things they saw during the Mass. (I hope that the sight of those priests, models of service to God, made an impression on them.) And of course, regardless of what I or anyone felt that day, Heaven touched the earth, the glory of the Lord overshadowed us and the eternal Son -- body, blood, soul and divinity -- was with us in the Eucharist. The celebration after the Mass was also very good. We had great nibbles in the big hall after the Mass, thanks to the wonderful folks who took care of it, to celebrate the ordination of our former deacon as a priest. And someone told me that, five years ago, there were only a handful of children during the morning Mass. These days, we are filled with families and small children (including ours). Twas a good day. :-)

From Lutheran Bishop to Catholic Priest (to be)

Great story, found on Mark Shea's blog.

George Weigel on THAT papal lecture again

I've probably posted six times in this here blog, plus comments elsewhere, about the outrage over Papa Benedict's Regensburg lecture. Like the many who offered only soundbites, polemics and/or death threats, I have been missing out on the meat of his lecture. I've read it, of course, in its entirety, about three times, but I was focusing on THAT particular quote from the Byzantine Emperor, and why the violent reactions can only be over-reactions. Luckily, people like George Wiegel are here to point out the truth behind the sensational headlines. [Link found on Mark Shea's blog.]

Still shooting themselves in the foot

Straight out of mosques, at that. What are their clerics telling them in there??

St. Matthew's Feast (Sept 21)

Today, the Church celebrated the feast of St. Matthew: apostle and evangelist. At Mass earlier, the homily touched upon what St. Matthew might have been thinking when he was willing to reveal that he was a tax collector, counted amongst the most sinful in Judea at that time. And perhaps the intention was to encourage us, sinners alike, to hope in the mercy of Christ. The Lord knocks at the doors of our hearts everyday, inviting us to follow Him at every turn down the journey of life. Today I realized that I had not, for the longest time, rebuked myself for an uncharitable thought -- and I have had many; several in the course of a day. Each is a misstep, and I fall away from Christ a little each time.

You will show me the paths of life, the fullness of joy before your face, and delights at your right hand until the end of time. [Psalm 15(16).]

Prayers for Three Christians to be executed

These people need our prayers. May the justice of God Almighty prevail even where human injustice may rage.

Outrage over That Quote giving way to reason and understanding

At least some, reported here at Open Book. It will continue to rage for many others, for a while yet, primarily because they have strongly held presuppositions. We need open minds and open hearts.

Papa Benedict XVI and the theology of two brothers

An interesting thought popped into my head today as I read "Catholic for a Reason: Scripture and the Mystery of the Family of God". I was reading through Chapter IV: The Church as the Family of God by Father Pablo Gadenz, and was struck by what he describes about Papa Benedict XVI's theology of two brothers. This is interesting as this deals with his views about non-Christians and their relationship to the family of the Church. Father Gadenz asks ".. we see that the difficulty between family and universality [as pertaining to the Church] begins with the covenant with Abraham. This covenant introduces a tension as the children of Abraham are separated "as a special family from the great human family of the children of Adam (or, rather, of Noah)." How is the reunion of the whole human family to occur if some children are elected through special venants while the others are seemingly rejected? He quotes the following from then Cardinal Ratzinger:

	'"At important points in salvation history there appears pairs of brothers, the election or rejection of each of whom is strangely connected. These are, in particular, Cain and Abel (and Cain and Seth), Ishmael and Isaac, Esau and Jacob."
Father Gadenz explains: The term "brother" may also refer to a collective entity: The nation of Israel, among all the brother nations, is God's elect -- Israel is God's "first-born son" (Ex. 4:22). In the New Covenant established by Christ, the Church becomes the new Israel, the bearer of God's election. There still remains a boundary between Christians and non-Christians, between the brotherly community or family and those "outside" the family. While there is a boundary, there is an openness to those "outside." The brotherhood of Christ is not yet universal, but it seeks to become so. Men, in general, are not yet brothers in Christ, but they can and must become so. Father Gadenz reveals the thoughts of Cardinal Ratzinger here, as quoted from him:
	In relation to Christian brotherhood this means that, however important it is for the Church to grow into the unity of a single brotherhood, she must always remember that she is only one of two sons, one brother beside another, and that her mission is not to condemn the wayward brother, but to save him. The Church, it is true, must unify herself to form a strong inner brotherhood in order to be truly one brother. But she does not seek to be one brother in order to finally shut herself off from the other; rather she seeks to be one brother because only in this way can she fulfill her task toward the other, living for whom is the deepest meaning of her existence, which itself is grounded wholly in the existence of Jesus Christ.

This does not agree with how Papa Benedict XVI is currently perceived by outraged Muslim leaders. There is no contempt or hatred behind his thoughts on Islam. It is brotherly love, which includes harsh frankness at times in order to help the object of that love: the other brother. The question now is whether this brother will focus more on what was said, rather than on what the proper response should be.

They're still at it

and they still don't get it. All the threats and calls for violence are exactly what that Byzantine emperor was warning about -- keeping in mind that his city was at that time besieged by Muslim invaders. This has got to stop, and that was il Papa's point when he mentioned it: that faith enforced by the sword is unreasonable and must be abandoned as a practice. Yet these groups calling for violent attacks over the quoted lines are still only making the point for that commentary.

History makes clarity

Postwatch puts things in historical perspective that should put things in perspective. We can be certain that the Byzantine Emperor Manuel II Paleologus was critical of Islam when he said those words and engaged in that tyrade against enforcing religion by the sword. But he had good reason to do so:

.. when was the emperor Manuel writing this down? As Benedict says, but Shadid does not, during a siege of Constantinople. Not even the allegedly offensive Benedict underlines the plot: A siege against the crown of eastern Christianity by the Muslim Sultan Bayezid I.

What the headlines don't say about the context of Papa Benedict XVI's remarks is that he was lecturing against being unreasonable, because it goes against the reasonableness of God Almighty.

What Papa Benedict XVI was getting at

.. is best presented by this post by Christopher Blosser. It is really not possible to properly engage what was said until it is carefully examined. In one of the comboxes someplace, perhaps Open Book or American Papist, it was mentioned that the translations being read by some angry Muslims out there were perhaps not accurate. The address was given in German, I think, and the popular stories carried around mainstream media were in English. Add to that the question of whether the soundbytes and headlines were all that sparked the outrage. Then it really pays to read the whole thing, but even better to go to Christopher's post linked above, as it contains thoughtful commentaries from various people.

Making the point for themselves

I just wish they could actually see that point:

"We swear to God to send you people who adore death as much as you adore life," said the message posted in the name of the Mujahedeen Army on a Web site frequently used by militant groups.

..anger among Muslims remained intense. Palestinians attacked five churches in the West Bank and Gaza over the pope's remarks..

By saying and doing things like that, they are only making their own outrage meaningless, and proving the 14th century Byzantine emperor's point. This sounds much more promising:

Turkey's top Islamic cleric, Religious Affairs Directorate head Ali Bardakoglu, welcomed the Vatican statement. "He says that he respects Islam and didn't want to hurt the feelings of Muslims. I find that a civilized position," said Bardakoglu in an interview posted on the Web site of Germany's Der Spiegel magazine.

What does "mentality of the Crusades" mean anyway?

I'm not sure what they mean when they say that. I know what the Crusades were meant to be by Pope Urban II when he called for it, at least based on his own words, and I'm not oblivious to the disaster that came from the enterprise, including the betrayal of its objectives by many leaders of the Crusades. But when people dennounce the Crusades -- and usually it's secular anti-Christians or anti-Catholics who do so, associating it with Mussolini and Hitler, I get the feeling that they don't know what they're talking about.

Shoddy journalism, reaction without verification, and Papa Benedict XVI's remarks

Amy Welborn has enough to clarify what he really said, so I'd rather not drag it all here. The moment mainstream media got it all wrong (deliberately shoddy, if not deliberately malicious), we sort of knew what we were in for. Outrage without carefully studying what the Pope really said. Fr. Khalil Samir puts things in perspective, as reported here by Amy. I think we can all do with a dose of criticism, since none of us are perfect. Catholics should have no problem being criticized for the tragic consequences of the Crusades, which were supposed to be rescue missions to liberate captives and restore their lands which were conquered by the sword. We don't have a problem being criticized for the consequences of the clerical sexual abuse and episcopal coverups, none of which should have happened at all. Tell us where we're wrong, it will hurt us deeply, but that can only make us better -- from the moment we accept our errors and resolve to make amends. We can do no less but to point out how wrong suicide bombers are who claim to be doing Muslm work by violence. Even Muslims are aware of that.

Mark makes a further point that there's something wrong with this outrage at something which the Holy Father is saying, which I sum up like this: there's something wrong with a faith that must be ruled by the sword. And they're disagreeing with that?

Update: The Anchoress speaks clearly. Jimmy Akin points out this outrageous contradiction by an outraged Muslim: ""Anyone who describes Islam as a religion as intolerant encourages violence." Oh.. and the way Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Tasnim Aslam spoke the words "Mulsims", "tolerance", "Jews" and "Spain" together in the same thought is.. remarkable -- given the history between Spain and Islam.

Sydney Morning Herald: a case of shoddy journalism

Here's an example, about words and sentiments allegedly coming from the Vatican, "the exorcist", and Papa Benedict XVI:

THE Vatican has never been a fan of Harry Potter, but its chief exorcist has gone one step further and condemned J. K. Rowling's fictional boy wizard as downright evil. "Behind Harry Potter hides the signature of the king of the darkness, the devil," says Father Gabriele Amorth, the Pope's "caster-out of demons". The books contained numerous positive references to the satanic art, falsely drawing a distinction between black and white magic, he told the Daily Mail in London. In the same interview, Father Amorth said he was convinced that Joseph Stalin and Adolf Hitler were possessed by the devil. Last year the Pope, who was then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, described Harry Potter as a potentially corrupting influence.

Luckily, the truth was not hard to uncover with a little research, as done in this post from Jimmy Akin's blog.

Benefit for Jazz Music, Washington DC, Sept. 14

This is late, and there are few visitors to this site, but just in case, there is a Jazz benefit tomorrow ($25 entry) for the Traditional Jazz Educators Network (TJEN) here at Washington DC tomorrow (Thursday, Sept 14). Activities of this group include scholarships and the promotion of jazz music to young people. It will be at 1440 16th Avenue NW, on the Penthouse, from 5 pm. This is the headquarters of the American Federation of Jazz Societies, I believe. It's a shame that I won't be going, myself, as I'm flying out tomorrow for Chicago.

They also have a conference afterwards from Sept 15, Friday 9 am until Sept. 16, Saturday noon, same place. The registration for the confefence is not free, but we're not sure how much it is. The conference agenda is in their website, and will focus on (of course) making more people, particularly young people, educated about Jazz music. Their website is at http://www.afjs.org/, for those who might be interested to see what else they've got on.

For those who can help out: thanks!

An understanding between Evangelicals and Catholics

Peter Feuerherd is a Catholic, and God has blessed him to understand Evangelicals. May we likewise be blessed (and reading his book, "Holy Land USA", when it comes out might just do the trick), and may Evangelicals be blessed to understand, not dismiss, Catholics. And may this bring us into the fruition of Christ's priestly prayer in John 17: "that they may be one!" Amen.

Bless this Muslim

Link found through Catholic and Enjoying It!

Catholic Library Online

Found that through Mark's blog. It looks good! Thanks Mark.

Natural Law for Evangelicals

I think that Stephen J. Grabill makes an excellent case for Evangelicals to look more closely and speak more firmly about Natural Law:

The challenge for pro-life Evangelicals is to develop systematic moral reasoning that can be applied to a range of issues including embryo adoption, human embryonic stem-cell research, ART, “therapeutic cloning,” genetic engineering, and birth control. Evangelicals tend to be pragmatic, wedding political activism with biblical appeals, but this has resulted in moral reflection operating on a mostly private and intuitive plane. The tragic pitfall with this style of ethical decision-making is that adverse spiritual and moral consequences often go undetected.

I can cite two things: the lack of a unifying voice of authority, like the Magisterium of the Catholic Church (ordinary or papal), and this unhealthy paranoia suffered by many Evangelicals about the Magisterium of the Catholic Church. Shunning what is said just because the speaker is a Catholic leader should not prevent Christians from examining what is spoken -- which is avowed to be spoken in the name of Christ. Thankfully, there are also those Protestants who are willing to look into the Catholic Church, encyclicals and all, with an analytical but open (and prayerful) mind. For example, the Lutherans behind the Journal of Lutheran Ethics were willing to examine the recent encyclical of Pope Benedict XVI. I pray that more Protestants would do the same and be assured that, guided by the Holy Spirit, they may "test all things, hold fast to what is good" (1 Thess 5:21). They might just find that everything pronnounced (to the universal Church, on faith and morals) by the Magisterium (not just any Catholic leader) is too good to ignore after all. ;-)

Papa Benedict XVI celebrated ecumenical vespers with Orthodox and Lutherans

Gerald from "The Cafeteria is Closed" posts the holy father's homily. It's a worthy read.

And just in case you're not aware, the holy father's first encyclical, Deus Caritas Est, is being read by some Lutherans, too. That links to the August 2006 issue of the Journal of Lutheran Ethics. It appears that they have follow-up articles for September, but they haven't posted that in a unique URL just yet. Just visit the JLE main page for now and that should show the September issue. In October, when they have updated the main page for October articles, use the option to browse by Issue (by month).

"How can I judge someone else's faith journey?"

From Amy Welborn's blog, Donna Marie Kennedy was reported to have made that comment to a Toronto newspaper:

Donna Marie Kennedy, president of the Ontario English Catholic Teachers Association, says students in the separate school system are taught Catholic values as part of the curriculum, but are not graded on their level of adherence to papal edicts. "How can I judge someone else's faith journey?" she asked. "That's a personal relationship."

And I suppose that they don't have detention in that school, either. Is it too much to ask that they at least facilitate the students' assimilation of Catholic values in a Catholic institution?

Harvesting embryonic stem cells without involving an embryo

Hard to believe, but these scientists believe they can do it -- eventually. And yet, when you consider the delays cited (up to 10 years away), and when you think about the real treatments successfully applied on people from adult or cord blood stem cells, I get the feeling that fighting for the right of the unborn takes more than citing the dismal track record (not to mention the negative outlook) of embryonic farming (via cloning) and stem cell research. All the truth must be told, starting with this: from the moment of conception, embryos are human beings. Before conception, you have 23 chromosomes in both the sperm and egg cells. After fertilization, the result is the blastocyst, with 46 chromosomes -- human! Even before getting implanted on the uterus walls -- human! Furthermore, the DNA fingerprint of the blastocyst is unique, which will be retained by the same being (there is no transformation, only growth) as growth takes place. A human being!

Australian MPs to hear case, and propose legislation, to allow therapeutic cloning

That's according to The Age. I find this particular line to be laughable, from the chief scientist arguing for cloning:

Dr Peacock last month warned the government's cautious approach to stem cell research could prevent a scientific breakthrough.

If he wants a breakthrough, he should reconsider his position: not a single embryonic stem cell treatment has been succesfully applied to people since attempts were made years ago, while successful treatments using adult stem cells number 72. Surely this scientist is aware that pluripotent stem cells can be extracted from adult human tissue (links to article by Wolfgang Lillge, M.D.)? It is difficult not to cite dishonesty among scientists who persist in selling the embryonic stem cell doctrines, despite the scientific evidence against them.

Away on a trip, no blogging for 10 days

Not that there are any regular readers, but just in case, I'll be away for a conference overseas for a week plus. DC, then Chicago. Prayers for me, and my family (sadly, not coming along) would be appreciated. Please visit my favorite blogs (blogroll further down, right-hand-side of screen), especially Mark's, Jimmy's and Amy's. And.. ahhh.. just visit them all. It'll be worth it. :-)

Passing on a prayer request

Dear Friends,

I'm writing to ask for your prayers for a little boy named Peter. Peter is almost one year-old, but has been in the hospital for most of his life. He has had many surgeries to try and fix a number of complications in his abdomen. Over the last week, things have taken a turn for the worse, and Peter needs your prayers.

The doctors had planned to perform a surgery to put him "back together" for lack of a better term. His bowels and intestines are all disconnected because of previous surgeries, and they have been feeding him directly into his intestines. This surgery was to be a big step in his road to recovery.

The problem is, they found a small hole in one of his intestines, and now the surgery needs to be postponed. If this hole doesn't heal in the next couple of weeks, they'll continue to feed him only through an IV, and that may result in his liver eventually shutting down, forcing them to do a liver transplant.

I ask that you please pray for the specific intention that this hole in the intestines heals, so the doctors may be able to do the surgery that is needed. Peter's family has four children, and they have a very heavy cross to bear, so I thank you so much for your prayers and support.

Please pass this on to anyone you may know that could pray for Peter and his family.

Sincerely in Christ,

Matthew Pinto
President
Ascension Press

Egg donation isn't as simple as it seems

I didn't know this myself: Women who have their ovaries stimulated with drugs to make eggs for harvesting risk a rare, but potentially deadly, condition called ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome. Apart from that, it's not just a matter of donating eggs, which are gametes (23 chromosomes) and therefore not human beings (46chromosomes): Researchers will use the eggs to create cloned early-stage embryos, with the ultimate hope of extracting stem cells that could treat diseases. Once again, they are obsessed with embryonic stem cells and ignore adult stem cells which can also provide pluro-potent cells. Embryos have 46 chromosomes, and have DNA distinct from their parents: embryos are human beings. To date, not a single cure has been applied to humans using embryonic stem cells, while using adult stem cells already number 72 successful human treatments. 72-0.

Vegetative on the outside, communicative on the inside

That's what this report is saying: She was diagnosed as being in a vegetative state, which meant even when she was awake, she was unresponsive. ... When the scientists compared her brain activity to that of healthy patients, who had been asked to carry out the same task, they discovered the patterns were "indistinguishable".

Bottom line? It's easy to assume that science knows what it's talking about, e.g., diagnosing a permanent vegetative state. But ask a neurologist sometime and you'll be surprised at how much more they don't know. Science is like that. It's a process of discovery by observation, and the instruments to gather data are never perfect nor extensive enough. If there's reasonable doubt, then we cannot make that decision to do something that cannot be undone: like ending someone's life because they might never recover.

Update: Amy Welborn posts more on this, with a link to another post by Wesley Smith. A question that just occured to me: did they do MRI on Terri Schiavo? From what I remember, no. They just did a CT Scan, something which drew strong reactions, being insufficient in their expert opinion. Ahh.. lots of things about Terri's demise are mind-boggling. Here's praying that Medicine will catch up quickly and avoid cases of sending people to their deaths too soon.

Update 2: From Wesley Smith's comment box comes these gems:
So, if you are unconscious, dehdrate because you are not a person. If you are conscious, dehydrate even more urgently because you are suffering. Heads we win, tails the disabled person loses. [WS]

It comes down to this: Can we love and care for imperfect people? [B]

Steve Irwin, A Most Loveable Australian

Not that I'm any expert on all things Australian, having only been here for six years (with a couple of visits prior to that), but I definitely found must to admire in Mr. Irwin. Even at height of protests over his wild antics, it was very hard to dislike him. The man had passion. He had great courage and seemed to be the epitome of love for life and adventure. Like me, he is a young father, and the thought of his wife and two kids going through this...

Heavenly Father, please gather Steve gently into Your arms and cradle his young family tenderly. May the consolation of the Holy Spirit be upon them and all who mourn Steve's death. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Dr. D'Ambrosio on Tradition and Reform

Dr. D'Ambrosio makes an excellent case about what Christ thought about tradition per se, which is that he didn't condemn all human traditions. Last I checked, celebrating our birthdays was still tolerated, perhaps with the exception of the Iglesia ni Kristo or Jehovah's Witnesses. Traditions are inescapable human realities. Both Judaism and Christianity found their way across the centuries through oral and practiced traditions. The question is not whether they are human in origin, for much of those are benign and, in and of themselves, good and Godly. The question is whether they supplant the will of God. Dr. D'Ambrosio explains.

Haleigh Poutrue

Yet another reason to err on the side of life, but the culture of death is powerful. (source: Amy Welborn, Open Book)

Another betrayal of hope

As Mark puts it: "regarding creation as synonymous with sin." It's the same case when many Evangelicals object to the Real Presence of Christ -- body, blood, soul and divinity -- in the Eucharist. It is one thing to object to the Real Presence due to biblical evidence (which doesn't really square with that objection). It is quite another to cite that the dogma is "hocus pocus" -- i.e., something incredible. It doesn't make sense to proclaim one's faith in the Almighty God and say, on the other hand, that it looks and tastes like bread and must therefore be no more than bread. Nor does it make sense to view the physical matter of bread with contempt and say "Christ would never stoop so low" -- are we not referring to God who became Man, subjected himself to every indignity all the way to Calvary?

What is truth?

That's a tough one, eh? Will secular education always clash with Christian education? Yes, I think it will, unless it is made clear from the very beginning that Christ is the bedrock and Christianity is non-negotiable. Everything else will fall into its proper place if one has confidence that the place of all creation -- this physical universe -- is precisely that: the creation of God. There will be cases, despite the clear divine imprint and consistency in the universe, when the reach of the latter goes no further, because what is created cannot be greater than the Creator.

So what to do when secular knowledge, completely dislodged from Christianity, makes claims that conflict with Christianity? If you're a Christian institution, it certainly makes sense to stick to Christianity, doesn't it?

Update:

Amy Welborn notes the promising outlook reported by two parents about their respective kids who are starting college.

Best concise explanation I've read on "Wives, be Subject"

by Mark at Catholic and Enjoying it.

"Respect is not free: it must be earned"

That was the huge poster I saw at the bookshop I visited earlier, and the thought occured to me that there's something wrong with it. It is false and it is a corruption. It is the beginning of the end of charity, which should be accorded to everyone -- even our enemies. It begins with a premise that everyone should be accorded with disrespect until respect is earned. That everyone is guilty until proven innocent.

And it is no wonder crimes against persons are rampant, even in developed countries where education is widely available and obtained. Even against the unborn, who have yet to be accorded the opportunity to earn respect by achievement.

It also seems to go against the very grains of logic, for that tenet assumes that everything is false until proven true. If everything is false to begin with, then there is no basis for proving anything to be true. Logic demands a basis that can be universally considered a truth, upon which other truths can be tested. Without such a basis, nothing can be built and everything is futile.

The gift of suffering

It's easy enough to get people to nod their heads when you tell them that every setback can and should be seen as an opportunity. If you speak of holy suffering, however, you might get blank if not incredulous stares instead.

I got sick, underwent surgery, and both opportunities were taken: to address the ailment, and to learn from the experience and better take care of myself. Thanks be to God.

Even less blogging

It has been a very interesting week. I am very much out of sorts and awaiting surgery next week. Nothing life threatening, but quite debilitating. I've taken the opportunity to take stock of how I got here and, as it often happens, have had to reassess choices I've been making. Mea culpa! To neglect one's own health, through lack of sleep in my case, is never a light choice. God is not a genie in a bottle who will grant us healing just because we ask (and how I have asked!). His answers have been much better. It's exactly how my doctor of years ago warned me about my condition. An easy surgery can solve the situation, but that's exactly where I will wind up again if I don't change my lifestyle, e.g., lack of sleep, insufficient water and fiber in my diet. Had God granted me this pass, I would not have been so convinced as I am now that a real change is necessary. God help me, love of comfort still rails against it. But I have removed the online game installation on my computer, which has been the foremost reason for my late hours, resulting in 6 hours of sleep each night, for the last 2 years.

My Evangelical friend cautions me not to think that God is causing this pain. My response is that my own actions have caused this latest setback, but God certainly can use this opportunity to get some sense into me. Praise be to God!

I've also come to realize that not one faculty of my body, not the least, can be neglected. To be a member of a body is not simply to be one of many, but to be part of all. No more than I can ignore the pain and bleeding in this least of my members. Pardon the graphic nature of that last, but it brings to mind the context of my blog: the one body of Christ, with a multitude of members, not all of whom believe, nor understand, what Christ meant about being one. If a Catholic is not anguished by the persecution of Evangelicals in China, or if a Protestant is not anguished by the lot of Catholics in Lebanon, then something is terribly amiss.

I've also used this opportunity to shore up my prayer life, going back to the Liturgy of the Hours, the rosary, and some good spiritual reading. Currently enjoying "Surprised by Joy" by C. S. Lewis. He is a marvel to read! I had forgotten how much I loved true literature, with words that sing and thoughts that provoked deeper reflection.

Lastly, should anyone come by to read this, please spare me your prayers. Intercede for me, that I may receive greater strength and fortitude by the passion of Christ. And spare a prayer, too, for children of my cousin, who were both stricken with Dengue Fever back home. They are recovering, I hear, and we can all pray that all goes well. Finally, please spare a thought for Lebanon and Israel, that Lebanon may finally have peace, which, in my opinion, requires an inner strength that leaves no room for foreign powers to hold sway inside their own country.

Very light blogging lately

.. because we just moved into our new house. Old one, in need of some repairs and lots of cleaning up, but it's a great location, a large piece of land, and there's ample space for the kids to stretch out and play outdoors. Meanwhile, my wife and I can see to unpacking or plain old getting used to the new place. As in every major change in our lives, this one has taught me a lot of things. Especially about how incredible my wife really is! And, ultimately, how the Lord really is amazing! Awesome God indeed! :)

Embryonic stem cell research 'like Nazi experiment'

Yet another common sense observation about therapeutic cloning and embryonic stem cell research. And yet another news article that forgot to mention something crucial: Adult stem cell successful human treatments: 58. For embryonic stem cells: 0. Here's an article I've found that goes deeper into that. This text from US Congressman Dr. Dave Weldon's speech disabusing lies about embryonic stem cell research is a must-read.

What do we know about the war between Israel and Hezbollah?

Not as much as we think. Here's a few thought-provoking reports collected by Amy Welborn:

• A Christian from the village of Ain Ebel .. reported that he found Hezbollah fighters setting up a launcher on his rooftop. Hezbollah fighters ignored his pleas to stop and fired the missiles. He immediately gathered his family and fled his home, which was bombed 15 minutes later by an Israeli air strike.
• Hezbollah has also attempted to stop Christians from fleeing their villages.
• "Contrary to Western press reports.. 90 percent of Christians, 80 percent of Sunni and 40 percent of Shiites in Lebanon oppose Hezbollah," (Sam) El-Khoury told Christian Solidarity International.
• CNN "senior international correspondent" Nic Robertson admitted that his anti-Israel report from Beirut on July 18 about civilian casualties in Lebanon, was stage-managed from start to finish by Hizbullah. ... Robertson acknowledged that Hizbullah militants had instructed the CNN camera team where and what to film.

Technologically advanced though we might be in this 21st century, we can be terribly remiss when it comes to gathering information. It all comes from the notion that something published has got to be true. Not so in this generation where truth is often as malleable as putty in the hands of the creative. There has never been a greater need for critical thinking and diligent truth-seeking.

Scripture Tips, Catholic Style

Don't take it from me: take it from an expert. Check out Mark Shea's recent Catholic Exchange articles on Scripture:

• Hearing Scripture on Its Own Terms
  
• Three Guidelines for Reading Scripture
  
• The Literal Sense of Scripture
  
• The Allegorical Sense of Scripture

And in case you're curious what the official position of the Catholic Church is on Scripture, nothing like an official Church document to do the talking, like the encyclical Dei Verbum (1965), by the late Pope John Paul the Great.

And in case someone neglected to tell you in all your years in a Catholic school or during RCIA, let me point this out from Dei Verbum:

The sacred synod also earnestly and especially urges all the Christian faithful, especially Religious, to learn by frequent reading of the divine Scriptures the "excellent knowledge of Jesus Christ" (Phil. 3:8). "For ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ."(5) Therefore, they should gladly put themselves in touch with the sacred text itself, whether it be through the liturgy, rich in the divine word, or through devotional reading, or through instructions suitable for the purpose and other aids which, in our time, with approval and active support of the shepherds of the Church, are commendably spread everywhere. And let them remember that prayer should accompany the reading of Sacred Scripture, so that God and man may talk together; for "we speak to Him when we pray; we hear Him when we read the divine saying." (6)

So what are you waiting for? Tolle et lege!

References:
5. St. Jerome, Commentary on Isaiah, Prol.: PL 24,17. cf. Benedict XV, encyclical "Spiritus Paraclitus:" EB 475-480; Pius XII, encyclical "Divino Afflante Spiritu:" EB 544.
6. St. Ambrose, On the Duties of Ministers I, 20,88: PL l6,50.

Of hidden treasures and the Kingdom of Heaven

An interesting thought about the Gospel readings for today (link via Universalis), from the Lord's parables concerning the Kingdom (Matthew 13:44-46):

Jesus said, ‘The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field which someone has found; he hides it again, goes off happy, sells everything he owns and buys the field. ‘Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls; when he finds one of great value he goes and sells everything he owns and buys it.’

Yes, I'm still talking about the unity of the Church. Again, I believe that the fullness of the one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church does subsist in the Catholic Church in communion with the Successor of St. Peter. However, I still consider Christendom divided because there are Christians out there who are not in communion with the bishop of Rome. As the Kingdom of Heaven is like that hidden treasure that has been found, or the pearl of great price, I imagine Christendom as a row of neat and well-kept houses in the suburbs, basking in the sunshine with dwellers who live in peace and contentment. In each house is a household that is content with their own hidden treasure or the valuable pearl. Some of them often gaze at the neighboring houses, wondering why the neighbors are so absorbed in their own affairs when they do not have the great treasure, that valuable pearl, which no one else has except them. Others gaze infrequently and do not wonder, being extremely wise (so they believe) in knowing (so they think) that each household owns a valuable pearl of equal value with those of their neighbors.

Something is wrong with both pictures, no?

Catholic and Orthodox Inter-Communion

I found some answers from EWTN. I am allowed by the Church to take Holy Communion from the Orthodox, which makes sense since they do have valid sacraments. However, the Orthodox may not be too thrilled about that, and may refuse. Still, it wouldn't hurt to ask.

There's the other matter concerning our Sunday obligation. The Church will only allow us to go to an Orthodox liturgy instead if it is not possible to attend the Catholic liturgy, e.g., requires travelling an unreasonable distance. Why this rule at all? I don't have any references in front of me, but I assume it's a pastoral matter. Beware the Catholic who favors the Orthodox liturgy over the Latin Rite liturgy -- he may soon find himself converting to Orthodoxy. Not an entirely bad thing, since their sacraments and holy orders are valid, and their theology is mostly identical with ours and certainly not heretical. On the other hand, the Church naturally prefers a formal and full communion with the East, prior to lifting such prohibitions.

Can't wait. :-)

One Body, One Spirit, One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism and one God

That's a lot of ones. My first impression from last Sunday's readings was that the second reading (Ephesians 4:1-6) wasn't as closely aligned with either the first reading or the Gospel reading, as those two were. In the first reading (2 Kings 4:42-44), the miracle of the prophet Elisha, feeding a hundred men with twenty barley loaves and fresh grain, is a type of another miracle: when Jesus fed five thousand men from five barley loaves and two fish, which was related in the Gospel reading. The second reading from St. Paul's letter to the Ephesians does not talk about food, or feeding. It talks about what is perhaps the matter closest to my heart: the unity of the Spirit that St. Paul describes by saying,

"There is one Body, one Spirit, just as you were all called into one and the same hope when you were called. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God who is Father of all, over all, through all and within all."

St. Paul is talking about unity, but also providence, which fits the miracle of feeding so many with what realistically seems to be an insufficient supply of food.

There's this deep longing and sadness that stirs within me when I survey the scene of Chistendom today. Don't get me wrong. I sincerely believe that the one, holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church that is the mystical body of Christ subsists today in the Catholic Church. But there are Christians out there too. The Catechism states,

"In the churches and ecclesial communities which are separated from full communion with the Catholic Church, many elements of sanctification and truth can be found. All of these blessings come from Christ and lead to Catholic unity. Members of these churches and communities are incorporated into Christ by Baptism and we so we recognize them as brothers." (CCC 817-819,870)

Christendom divided brings to mind the sorrow I feel when my children bicker, especially over petty things. How small our disagreements must ever seem to our Heavenly Father!

How will the Schism end?

We don't have a chapel in our university. We have a shared "Spiritual Centre" with communities of different faiths, but no chapel. Last Monday, I had to use the quiet room for praying the Rosary because the actual Centre is being used for Buddhist meditation sessions. The other day we had to ask the rabbi to vacate the Centre and take the quiet room because we were celebrating Mass. I confess that I have to check my sigh when I walk past the Islam prayer rooms which the university provided for their exclusive use.

Across the road is a Greek Orthodox Church. In that Church, they validly celebrate the Divine Liturgy. Inside is the Blessed Sacrament, the body, blood, soul and divinity of our Lord, Jesus Christ. I've been told that we Catholics are allowed to join in their liturgy, but not to receive Holy Communion therein. Apparently, the same holds true for Orthodox regarding our Mass.

I'd sure love to join in their liturgy someday. I bet they have plenty of space for a very small group devoting some time with the Theotokos, our Blessed Mother, meditating on the mysteries of our Lord, Jesus Christ.

How long, Lord?

So, die already.

Culture of death indeed. Catholic Exchange picks up Pamela Winnick's column about her experience with medical staff encouraging her family to end her father's life. He wasn't dying -- in fact, he was getting better, he wasn't in a persistent vegetative state, and no one asked for the medical staffs' opinion. Yet one after another, they just kept suggesting it.

A couple of days ago, a friend of mine mentioned that he might prefer to be euthanized when he's maybe 75, when he feels that he would be too old to be of use. Why? He mentions how his existence would simply waste precious resources. Sounds fair, feels foul. After a short prayer, I plunged in.

There's something dreadfully wrong when he puts that decision on top of these two premises: that it's alright to take your own life for some greater good and that his life is his own. The first premise is plain wrong. What's a few hundred thousand dollars compared to one man's life? Money can be made with a bit of hard work (think superannuation and health insurance here) whereas a life once lost is .. gone. He's not talking about being terminally ill --I can understand DNR (do not resuscitate) decisions. Or a decision to reject chemotherapy if it will only marginally prolong life while reducing the quality of life. No, this says something about how the aged are viewed. It is the cold calculation of one who asks the aged: "Why should I keep you alive?" The second premise is disturbing for someone who believes in God. Is our life our own? No. We had nothing to do with our own creation, so why should we believe that our own death is exclusively ours to orchestrate? We may choose how we live our life, and that includes choosing to put our lives at risk at the service of others. How is this different from suicide or euthanasia? Simply put: there is no charity in the latter. There is no "good" in euthanasia because it does not benefit anyone. Also, if one were to wrest control over one's life so completely even in death, what role is there for God in the afterlife? I look at life and salvation as the story of a child who eventually realizes -- not without some anxiety -- that, for his father to give him a new and even better toy, he must first surrender the ones that he has been playing with. This life is not the pinnacle of our existence, and we won't get there if we don't let him get us there. Arrogating to ourselves the time of our death is telling God that we don't want him in our lives. If He has no role in our death, then perhaps He can have no role in our afterlife.

There's also another matter that had to be brought up. Saying that some principle is qualified by one's own free will does not make that principle correct. It just makes it relevant -- to whomever willed it freely. There are principles behind the decisions we make, even when we do not articulate those principles. For example, my friend believes in ending his life when he reaches old age for the sake of cutting costs. In doing so, he is agreeing that this principle is acceptable in some cases, i.e.,when it is his own decision. The problem with this thinking is that other people would find their own causes to support the same premise, ones that are relevant to them. Fascist dictators might believe that euthanizing the elderly, the infirm or the weak serves the greater good of the state. Fascist activists might believe the same thing for the unborn -- delivering too many of them depletes precious resources. You never know what else will one day present itself as just cause. Hey, if it works for you, right? It sure worked for those doctors who urged Pamela's family, one after another, day after day, to end their father's life. It works for them so, they believe, it should work for others too. After all, it's for the greater good. How long will it be before they believe that it is selfish for the elderly and their families to resist euthanasia and foil the greater good?

Relativism: when relevance replaces objective truth. But that's not how it should be. What's relevant to some is not so to others, and may, in fact, become irrelevant to the same person in the future. Objective truths are more powerful than relevance because relevance is too relative to be reliable.

A Catholic response to accusations of imposing our views

Father Tad Pacholczyk was recently asked by a US senator: "Father Tad, by arguing against embryonic stem cell research, don't you see how you are trying to impose your beliefs on others, and shouldn't we as elected lawmakers avoid imposing a narrow religious view on the rest of society?" He writes to explain:

Two major errors were incorporated into the senator's question. First, the senator failed to recognize the fact that law is fundamentally about imposing somebody's views on somebody else. Imposition is the name of the game. ... The second logical mistake the senator made was to suppose that because religion happens to hold a particular viewpoint, that implies that such a viewpoint should never be considered by lawmakers or enacted into law. .... During my testimony, I pointed out how in the United States we have stringent federal laws that protect not only the national bird, the bald eagle, but also that eagle's eggs. If you were to chance upon some of them in a nest out in the wilderness, it would be illegal for you to destroy those eggs. By the force of law, we recognize how the egg of the bald eagle, that is to say, the embryonic eagle inside that egg, is the same creature as the glorious bird that we witness flying high overhead.

Read the full article by Fr. Pacholczyk here.

What the Lord asks of you..

From today's readings (via Universalis), this from Micah 6:1 - 8:

What is good has been explained to you, man; this is what the Lord asks of you: only this, to act justly, to love tenderly and to walk humbly with your God.

To this, the accused may ask "will this save me from guilt, atone for 'what I have done wrong'?" Our hearts are in the wrong place if we focus only on what releases us from legal liability -- if a sign is all we want. What the Lord asks of us is as the prophet Micah tells us above. As the Gospel reading tells us (from Matthew 12:38 - 42), we must not focus on signs. Our Lord, God-with-us, came to us, preaching more than Jonah did, with wisdom more than Solomon had -- our hearts should be set on Christ. "What is good has been explained" to us by Christ, and with his authority, by His apostles. It isn't all about how we may save ourselves from the wages of sin. That is the beginning, an initiation, to be made clean, washed white as snow by the blood of the Lamb. There is much more than this in the will of God for us. For our Heavenly Father, in His love and mercy, wills for nothing less than eternal happiness and holiness for his children. We are redeemed through Christ's sacrifice, but He also sanctifies us, His spirit makes a home in our bodies, enabling us to do "what is good" and making us grow in holiness -- sharers of his divine nature (CCC 51).

In the recent Superman movie, Luthor rages against "gods" like Superman, who don't share. Well, our God shares everything with us, including His holiness. Not content with bringing us to the minimum level of holiness, which would be at the point when all sin has been washed away in us, His spirit makes a home in us, inviting us at every occasion to grow in holiness, so that there is no place left for sin to grow in us.

What if Jesus...

.. were bishop of Amarillo, what would He do? That's the question asked by the pastoral message from Bishop John W. Yanta of Amarillo. Isn't this exactly what every Christian leader should ask themselves? After all, Christ is the source of all authority, as He is the Truth, and pastoring the faithful must have Christ at its foundation. So what happens when people find their teaching too hard? Some reflexively reject the teaching as being outdated or misapplied. Others dilligently look for loopholes and re-interpretations of Christ's words to suit their preferences. What we should really do in such situations is, first of all, to accept the possibility that we could be wrong, even in our deepest convictions, simply because Christ is the Truth -- and we can't expect to find it easy to say "yes" to all of that Truth. But it begins by recognizing that we do not know everything, which is also the best way to begin any journey of learning.

Whatever happened to truth in journalism?

Something really odd happening. Today, Inside Yahoo came out with the headline "Israeli Troops Raid Lebanese Village", but when you click the link, the news on my browser has a different headline: "Israel massing military on Lebanon border." And the story isn't about Israel attacking some village. There was something similar yesterday, again with Inside Yahoo (a little popup window that comes out when Messenger comes out). It comes out with some headline that mentions Israel, negatively, but when you check out the link, the headline (and the story) doesn't tie in.

What gives?

Cry to Heaven

"Are there no more peacemakers? I ask: Is war inevitable? The course of history seems to confirm this fearful thought," he told more than 200 people at Our Lady, which was dedicated in May. "As Christians, we believe that war is not inevitable; people choose war, and people can choose peace. . . . Blessed are the peacemakers."

Lebanon's Cardinal Nasrallah P. Sfeir

Peace in the Middle East

I leave it up to more capable bloggers (like American Papist) to deal with the news and views about the war raging in the Middle East. Me, I just pray for the war to stop! Justice in this situation is not in black and white. When my kids are fighting, I just tell them (in a loud voice) that they must both stop or the fight won't end. Then we sort out who did wrong, and so on. Obviously, that simple tactic won't work here. In fact, nothing simple will work here. God help us.

Christian Hope

Lito over at Extra Nos invited me to take a look at his blog about what many Calvinists believe concerning (I assume) predestination and election. He was commenting on this bit from a Calvinist:

So, to those of you who may be where I was at for so long--disillusioned, hurt, betrayed, bitter towards both men and God--I urge you to call upon the Lord and to not give up on Him. Though He may seem to tarry a long, long time, He will in time deliver you if you are indeed one of His sheep.

Lito's concern was about how the message of the Gospel, one of hope, can be compromised by the qualifier in the last sentence, if you are indeed one of His sheep. As Lito notes, one might get the notion that "you can only hope for deliverance if you satisfy the big IF."

No objections from me, nor from the Catholic Church. Our hope is neven in vain because we are truly predestined by God -- a loving God who is also our Father, Savior and Advocate -- therefore predestined to hope, not futility.

Which brings me to a thought I've had for a while now: there is a perilous (but apparently much unnoticed) deficiency of hope among many Christians. The very notion of a justification that is declared, not effected. A notion of righteousness that is worn as a vestment, not one that infuses the very heart of man. An implicit theology of humanity that refuses to put as much hope in redeemed humanity as God himself had done. A perception that humanity -- even redeemed and suffused with divine grace -- is entirely inimical to sanctity. To me, this is a betrayal of hope, an excess in humility that does not put enough hope -- and faith! -- in what the Incarnation was intended to do. God is saying "Children, I love you" to such an extent that He would give us His own son, the Lamb of God, to take away the sin of the world. On the other hand, this lack of hope responds "no, you couldn't". Instead of humbling ourselves, this goes too far and debases God's handwork: the redemption of mankind. The result? The belief by many that our predestination is a "programming" that contradicts the notion of free will. Among other things.

Traditions and keeping them

Oswald Sobrino on the case.

Serious stem cell questions -- but do they dig deep enough?

Michael Cook asks some very good questions about embryonic stem cell research and funding, but the one question which should have been asked wasn't: what about adult stem cells? What about umbilical cord blood stem cells? People have a right to know that adult stem cell research has had 58 successful applications in humans (link: PDF report lists them all), while embryonic stem cells have had ZERO. Embryonic stem cell research is a dismal failure after years of hype. Why is that being swept under the rug? And why are people being so amoral and uncaring over the destruction of human life in embryonic stem cell research?

Son of Krypton or Son of God: By Contrast

Jordan Bailor explains. Perhaps the one thing that the series "Smallville" got right in their adaptation of Kal-el's youth is the nature of sacrifice: pain endured for self-giving love, which is the one thing that makes Superman a remarkable character. Without that aspect of self-denial, he's just another expression of a yearning for power.

Asking for prayers for Mark Shea's mother

According to Mark, she seems to be fading fast. This would be a terrible time for his family right now.

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Update: She's doing better. They don't really know why, but thank God she's doing better.

Haloscan commenting and trackback have been added to this blog.

Fighting for our children

Parents compete for their children all the time. Me, I often find myself competing against TV programs that keep them preoccupied but teach them little. Or against junk food that keeps them happy now -- and hyper for short periods of time -- but ruin their appetites and, in small doses, ruin their health. Just last month, my wife and I shelled out almost $1000 AUD for Patrick's teeth (including four crowns). I was just thinking about how I have to compete against junk food (and TV ads for them) by being more creative in preparing good food for them. Then I rememebr some friends of mine, and many parents in today's postmodern world, who have no plans to raise up their children with solid, orthodox Christianity. They believe it is best to leave it up to their children to make decisions about their religious beliefs when they're old and mature enough to believe with conviction. That seems sensible to many. After all, children don't seem to "get" religion anyway. But something that always bugs me about that is that we parents have absolutely no problem with indoctrinating them in other areas. Reading. Writing. Maths. Coloring and other crafts. We force them to stop chewing on their crayons, or nibbling their sleeves or pillows or blankets. We force them into toilet training. We make them blow their noses with tissue. We make them wash their hands before meals. We make them go to school and do their homework. There are a lot of things we force them into, and they don't have a say. Our children need raising up. They don't get things by themselves. They need to be trained up because we are competing for their lives. Reason versus ignorance. Healthy living versus illness. Good food versus malnutrition. And yes, Christian faith versus whatever they encounter out there: New Age gnosticism, anti-Christian atheism, satanism, materialism -- if we don't train them up, they'll find their religion elsewhere, and they won't have had prior training to guide them.

Kids are sharp. They can see right through us. If we don't make our Christian faith an important part of their training and of our lives, they'll come away thinking that it isn't important, and does not have to be part of their lives. If we tell them that we want them to make that decision when they are old enough, we're telling them that it doesn't matter to us which one they choose. They'll come to believe that all religions (even atheism) are equally true. And if they're all true -- contradictions and all -- then nothing is true.

Lording it over creation or just another creature?

Yesterday, a friend of mine mused about a feeling of disquiet in how we human beings might be presumptiously giving ourselves an exalted rank over the other creatures of creation. I think there's nothing wrong with assessing things objectively about the gifts that God has lavished upon us. However, things should be seen in the proper perspective, based on an honest, unbiased and reasoned assessment. His disquiet has more to do with what we do about that assessment. For example, should that prompt us to overreach our place in creation? Should we assume that, since we are the pinnacle of creation, the rest of creation is intrinsically worthless, expendible for whatever purposes we might see fit? The answer is no, but this has nothing to do with the fact that mankind is blessed above all creation. We are. Facts are facts. But being human means that we go beyond facts and may choose to do right or wrong with them.

So what should we do with this perspective of man elevated above the rest of creation? Psalm 8 describes it: we should be humbled and grateful.

Life wins

Cheers all around for doctors who voted against euthanasia in the UK. No, they're not saying that suffering is good, nor that people should die in misery and without dignity. Palliative care is entirely about making their last days as comfortable and pain-free as possible. They simply do not want to encourage people to treat opt for suicide as a treatment for pain or anxiety. What the world needs to give the dying is love, comfort, and the alleviation of pain. Instead, some people paint a picture of dying as something shameful, and their "solution" is by telling them "hurry up and die already!" THAT is what supporting euthanasia essentially means.

What is Amnesty International up to?

Brian Saint-Paul shares this bit of news via the free e-letters of Crisis Magazine:

Amnesty has done some marvelous work combating torture, slavery, state-sanctioned kidnapping, etc. Unfortunately, it looks like their ideology may soon overtake their mission. You see, they're now considering adding abortion to the list of what they consider “human rights.” Let me give you a little background... Earlier this year, Amnesty polled its members on whether or not the organization should take an official pro-abortion stance. The group's Canadian, New Zealand, and British chapters have already voted for the change. Of course, if the motion passes, it won't be the first time Amnesty has supported abortion. According to Reuters, six years ago, the organization joined other groups in lobbying the United Nations to include legal abortion in their declaration on women's rights. If Amnesty does start supporting abortion in an official capacity, it would be devastating to their fundraising. But more to the point, it would show that the organization is less interested in their stated priorities, and more interested in furthering a Left wing agenda. According to their Web site, Amnesty is working for “a world in which every person enjoys all of the human rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international human rights standards.” And yet, article 3 of the UN's declaration holds that “Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person.”

I remember talking to someone from AI a few weeks ago. He was stationed outside of Safeway with a collection box, and I asked him if he knew that AI was planning to actively support abortions. He said that abortions are legal in the State of Victoria, after all. Then he asked me if I was Roman Catholic, and of course I said that I was. Thus ends the whole conversation. All he cared about was to point out that I was against abortion because I was Catholic. To many, my views don't count and there is no need to discuss them. I am Catholic, after all.

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Said the West to the East: "Psst.. are we there yet?"

Well, not exactly, but that's what I feel like asking: will the Schism of East and West finally end? Will the Holy Spirit finally bring the two lungs of the Church together again? Has the Lord finally relented, and have the lessons we needed to learn finally been learned, that the Church must be one, because so much is at stake? Will we now get past the fruits of our pride and lack of charity, and finally bear the fruits of unity that the world desperately needs to partake of?

Zenit publishes the full English text of the welcome address given by Papa Benedict XVI to visiting delegates of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. Here are some gems (that are thrilling to read):

It gives me pleasure to welcome you in the words of the Apostle Peter: "Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours in the righteousness of our God and savior Jesus Christ: May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord" (2 Peter 1:1-2). ... The fact that the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul is celebrated on the same day by both Catholics and Orthodox evokes our shared apostolic succession and ecclesial fraternity. I am pleased to recall here how Byzantine hymnography attributes to St. Peter a title charged with meaning, that of "protocoryphaeus," the first in the choir who has the task of maintaining the harmony of the voices, for the glory of God and the service of his people. ... May the Lord help us to move forward with renewed confidence toward the day when we will be able to celebrate together the holy Eucharist of the Lord, as a sign of full communion.

Amen!