Eutychus Fell: Becoming Catholic, An RCIA Blog

RCIA Wrap Up

2005-03-28T08:26:00.001-05:00

Postscript: I still occasionally get mail from those going through RCIA and appreciate it. I am still, here in 2009, a strong, weekly, Mass-attending Catholic. I still read books on the Catholic Faith and continue to learn as much about my faith as I can. After this, my RCIA blog, Eutychus Fell, I continued on with another blog named Lofted Nest which I still occasionally update. I have plans, now and again, to blog my way through some of the larger books I still need to read about Christianity and the Catholic Faith. Blogger has made the use of pictures and media so much easier than it was in 2005... it makes the writer in me itch.

All the best and more to all. -- Eutychus Fell.

First, my great thanks to all Catholic Bloggers; your efforts give a depth of spirit to every week and to events all over the world and back. Thanks also to everyone who has read, commented, emailed, and prayed for me -- some say the Catholic Church doesn't welcome people at the door . . . how wrong they are. I have a lot of work to do going forward, and I hope the base of a year's RCIA will support the good person Christ wants me to be. Blessings and good words to all.

So there you have it. I don't intend to belabor the RCIA process further. The Mystagogia portion, which I will attend, will be covering ground I've already tread upon here. I'll leave this blog site behind for reference (especially my own). Thanks to all who have commented and supported me through this journey... your help and welcome made a large impression on me. I'll post some of the key points of RCIA below (I tried to leave out the 2004 election) and other entries I think worthwhile to those becoming or thinking of becoming Catholic. Anyone with any RCIA questions, feel free to email.

Pre-Catechumenate - Easter Vigil 2004 - Beyond Rebellion - Population Contro l - Hail Mary - Suicide - Fetal Reduction - Stranger in a Strange Land - A Church of Scripture - Respecting the Alter - Straw Mass & Relics - Mothers' Day Sermons - Surprised by Joy - Productive Prayer - The One True King - Your Local Church - What do you want from God? - Ascension Sunday - Humanae Vitae - Ready? - Discernment - Sexual Appetite - Heaven Dipping Down - Rite of Acceptance - First RCIA Class - Jesus at the Well - Milly Kondracke - Outward Signs - Suffering - The Sermon on the Plain - Catholic School - Marriage - Dismissal - Straw Mass & St. Francis - The Great Pumpkin - Christopher Reeve - Dismissal & Lepers - Immaculate Conception - The Seven Sacraments - A Soldier has a Choice - Unfocused - Hard Teachings - The Sex Abuse Scandal - The Eucharist - Penance Service - Healing and Reconciliation - Holy Days of Obligation - Television - Life in Christ - Too Much at Once - Catholic Morality - Taking it Seriously - Psychics and Sundays - The Ten Commandments - A Tree Grows in Phoenix - Conscience Feeding - Wide Awake - A Just War - The Sexth Commandment - Bill Moyers - Retire the Pope? - Is Humanae Vitea Infallible? - Getting Nervous - Lent Begins: Ash Wednesday - The Order of the Mass - Why Catholicism - Real Presence - The Stations of the Cross - Lucia of Fatima Dies - Pieta Prayers - Terri Schiavo - Purgatory - Rite of Sending - Rite of Election - Reconciliation - The Woman at the Well - The First Scrutiny - The Blind Man - The Second Scrutiny - The Raising of Lazarus - The Third Scrutiny - Palm Sunday - Chrism Mass - Holy Thursday - Good Friday - My Easter Vigil - Easter Sunday: Resurrection - Mystagogia

Resurrection

2005-03-27T13:41:00.000-05:00

I've been unable to find an image of the Resurrection that I like. The Bible informs so many paintings, but not the Resurrection; how can you paint a mystery? Oh, well, the Shroud, yes, but that's more an image of the Crucifixion, isn't it. I want a painting that combines the Genesis story, "Let There Be Light," and the Salvation story, "I Am the Light." I want a painting where the Magi, adoring the babe, somehow blend and shift into the women at the empty tomb. I want Christ erupting from the Star of Bethlehem. I want too much, obviously, and that's why I can't find it.

Galia Finker's painting, above, called "Light and Darkness," may not have anything to do with the Resurrection, but somehow I see in the image an idea of the Son slipping back into place with the Father and the Holy Spirit. I see Creation amid Darkness. I like the arms of the Son, crossed for a blessing, the blue of baptismal water and the rusty color of blood. I like the little smile on the face of the Father, the hint of femininity in the face of the Holy Spirit and the way the three figures begin to fit together as one. I like all those things, perhaps none of which were the artist's intent, but does that matter?

What matters is Easter, new life where once was only death, and I hope all who read this will have a joyous day. Thanks to all who have prayed for me and wished me well. You're words are most appreciated.

Easter Vigil 2005

2005-03-27T02:03:00.000-05:00

Angels and Mary Magdalene encounter Jesus at his tomb on Easter morning.

Our Easter Vigil began by a bonfire, outside. The weather was cool and cloudy, but not too cold, and the fire chased away the cool. The upbaptized Elect were in brown robes with old clothes or sweats underneath. We Candidates (already baptized) wore our normal Sunday best. We were all in the front row of the fire-watchers and the rest of the congregation huddled further out where the shadows danced around the darkness. We all caught the eyes of loved ones out in the crowd and watched embers rise from the burning logs to float on air above our heads. Father blessed the fire, said prayers over a four-foot tall Easter candle and cut figures into the wax: the Cross, Alpha and Omega, the year of the Lord 2005.

Our priest then lit and lifted the heavy candle and led us all on a short walk back to the church sanctuary which was in total darkness. Now and then, amid the silence and occasional crackle of the bonfire behind us, Father would chant, "Christ our Light," and we would answer, "Thanks be to God." Inside, the alter boys lit candles from the Easter candle Father held, then each person lit his or her candle from theirs. Soon, the dark church was lit by candlelight. Father then chanted a very, very long prayer called the Exsultet (thanks, Jim). We blew out our candles and the church lights were turned up. It was time for the Vigil readings. Each reading was followed by a psalm-sing and a short prayer.

Genesis 1:1 - 2:2
Genesis 22:1-18
Exodus 14:15 - 15:1
Isaiah 54:5-14
Isaiah 55:1-11
Baruch 3:9-15, 32 - 4:4
Ezekiel 36:16-28
Romans 6:3-11

After the Epistle reading, we sang a beautiful Alleluia chorus while Father carried the Gospels high, preceded by incense, up and down every single aisle. By the time he was at the alter, still holding high the Gospels, I could see his arms shaking a bit (the benefit of a front row seat). Our Gospel reading was Matthew 28:1-10.

Our priest then gave what I think now was the best Homily I've heard him give. I'll have to ask him if he's written it down. I'll try to paraphrase. Father always starts with a silly joke that almost never has anything to do with the homily. Today he told the joke about the man who wrote the song "Hokey Pokey" having died but they couldn't get him into the casket, everytime they put his left foot in, it would go back out. . But then father went on to tell us that the song "Hokey Pokey" was really titled from the words "Hocus Pocus" and that the words "Hocus Pocus" were slang for anything magic taken in blasphemy from the Latin Mass "HOC EST ENIM CORPUS MEUM" which means "FOR THIS IS MY BODY." But we can take that ancient blasphemy and use it, we can use the Hokey Pokey as a confirmation song, as a baptism song -- these people here, getting ready for baptism and confirmation, are putting their whole selves in and turning themselves around.

Note: I'm sure many people have heard homilies and sermons similar to this about the Hokey Pokey (I see there are several on the Internet, now that I search), but I had not.

Father then went on to talk about how hard it must be for Pope John Paul II to sit this one out, after all his years of presiding over the Easter Triduum, he now sits out and lets God's will rule his life. Similarly, Terri Schaivo's parents have been told by the government that she is not allowed to take communion this Easter, she's sitting this one out as well. Not only does our government tell our kids they can't pray in school, now they tell people when they can and can't celebrate communion. Small battles are waging in the world, but the war has already been won. Jesus died on the Cross for us and we'll ride his coattails into paradise. Oh, we'll have our little battles, our own personal battles with sin, but the war is over and that's what we're celebrating tonight.

It was all much better than I've written it.

After the homily, we sang a Litany of the Saints and Father blessed the new waters of the baptismal font. Seven people were baptized, two girls, four women, and one little kindergarten boy. One by one, the people climbed into the font and knelt with the water up to their waist. Father took a large pitcher and three times poured the full amount on their heads, saying "I baptize you in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The baptized climbed out soaked and barefoot in their brown robes -- their sponsors wrapped them in large white towels. Everyone was smiling and happy and they left to get dressed.

Now it was everyone else's turn to renew their baptismal promises. Father waved a pine branch dipped in water through the church, hitting everyone with drops as reminders of our baptism. Then we all re-lit our candles and renewed our vows of baptism.

The newly baptized returned, dried and changed, in white robes. We joined them up front with our sponsors' right hand on our right shoulders. We who were coming in from other faiths said, "I believe and profess all that the holy Catholic Church believes, teaches, and proclaims to be revealed by God." Then each sponsor presented his or her charge, saying "I present so-and-so". Some people had chosen a Saint name for this, but I didn't. We didn't have to, and I have a Biblical name anyway. Father then put the Chrism on each of our foreheads and we were ready for Communion. We were presented to the congregation and they applauded us, their new members.

Father wanted some of us to bring the gifts to the alter, so I went to the rear of the church and carried in the water and wine, another newbie carried in the basket for money, and another carried the bread. We new members were first to receive. Father asked that we receive on our tongues, so we all did, and we all received the Blood of Christ, as well. The Heavens were not opened for me, but I did feel wonderfully warm as a knelt with my new brothers and sisters. We were all smiles and handshakes. He is risen indeed, within us all.

After Mass, a small reception was prepared for us in the Parish Hall, there was a nice cake for each of us to take home and more cake and punch and gifts and cards for each of us. My sponsor gave me John Paul II's "An Invitation to Joy" and a small Catholic prayer book. Outside, the bell in our small bell tower rang out, announcing Easter to the world.

Here I sit, at 2:00 in the morning, unable to sleep. A big day, Easter. If a bit of joy can offset the suffering of Terri Schiavo or Pope John Paul II, I will happily provide my measure.

A blessed Easter to you all.

Descent

2005-03-26T07:32:00.000-05:00

Growing up, I recited The Apostle's Creed and not The Nicene Creed. It's the Apostles Creed that says Jesus descended into Hell after his death on the cross. I don't believe I ever heard a Methodist Minister give a sermon on Christ's descent into Hell, perhaps I have and don't remember, but the Catholic Faith seems more than willing to discuss the matter:

Catechism: Descent into Hell

A Homily on the Descent into Hell

Despite the joy I anticipate this evening, many reasons feed a great sadness today. The Apostles huddled in fear, disconsolate, on this day. Unlike the protesters in Florida, the Apostles were afraid for their lives and the Holy Spirit had not yet been poured out over them. While Christ's Church lay huddled in each others' arms, He became light in the darkness of Death. When Jesus died, existence flipped for a time: darkness came over the Earth and light filled the realms of the dead.

I seek the same reversal this evening when the host touches my tongue. Not that light leave the earth, but enter my life.

Good Friday

2005-03-25T14:58:00.000-05:00

We left the church in silence Holy Thursday and the silence continued today at the Good Friday service. Our pews were full to overflowing with silent, reverant folks. Our first reading was from Isaiah 52 and 53:

He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that made us whole, and with his stripes we are healed.

And our second reading was from Hebrews 4:

we have not a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.

Then, for the Gospel reading, we had a full reading of the Passion from John 18 & 19, with different people reading the parts and our priest reading for Christ.

After a short homily on the opening images of Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ," (where Jesus is tempted and passes the test where Adam failed) we had a very, very long series of prayers for the Church, for the Pope, for the clergy, for those preparing for baptism and entry into the church (ME!), for the Jewish people, for those who don't believe in Christ, for those who don't believe in God, for all those in public office (how about those judges!), for the men and women in the military, etc. It was a long time to kneel.

Next up, the veneration of the cross. Three teenagers brought a large cross up to the alter made of good sized logs. Everyone in the church then filed up to the alter and bowed and kissed the cross. This was a slow process as every person took their time and was respectful.

Finally, we celebrated Holy Communion. Father went to the side room where he had put the Host on Holy Thursday and brought it out. We did not have the Blood of Christ, just the Body and then the Host was returned again to the side room. We filed out in silence once more. This service, too, was nearly two hours long and tomorrow night, when we join the church, the Easter Vigil will be well over three hours. I can well believe that many would consider a week of attendance at the Chrism Mass, Holy Thursday Mass, Good Friday Service, and the Easter Vigil Mass followed by Easter Sunday Mass as excessive... but this is serious business. This is the celebration of God's victory over sin, this is the central theme of Christianity and the central mystery of salvation. One wonders if the end of time, the final judgement, will be any more of a serious business than this. "Left Behind" be tossed, the final war is already won. Why wait to celebrate until we're dead?

Holy Thursday

2005-03-24T22:40:00.000-05:00

This image of Christ washing the feet of his disciples is by Leszek Forczek from a series. You can see more in this series by clicking on the picture.

I have managed, somehow, to avoid going to church on Holy Thursday and tonight was my first attendance at a foot washing, in any faith. Our RCIA instructors didn't make attendence mandatory at Chrism Mass and Holy Thursday and Good Friday, but they strongly recommended we go so we can learn more about the Easter Triduum.

The Mass was long, nearly two hours long. Our priest came in with many alter boys and incense was swung all around the oils the Bishop blessed at the Chrism Mass. The oils were near the alter on three different pedistals. Our readings were from Exodus 12 concerning the Passover, from 1st Corinthians 11 concerning the Last Supper, and from John 13 concerning Jesus washing the Apostles feet. Our priest processed down every aisle, back and forth, with the Gospels held high and incense waving before him before approaching the alter to read from John.

Father's homily was about how we don't replay the last supper at every Mass, we join in the original event. Receiving communion makes us different -- we become what we eat. Father said our world is a broken place, our church is a broken church, but we come together when we share in the body and blood of Christ. He mentioned Terri Schiavo and that she, too, joins with us through her past communions. Father mentioned how the law in Florida won't allow an animal to be starved or tortured by removing its water -- but look at our world, at our country allowing, actually demanding, that this woman suffer and die. (I saw many shaking their heads in agreement and disbelief at the cruelty being visited on Mrs. Schiavo.) We are better than this, Father said, we are different from this. We should focus on being Christlike, not just better than others. We are all invited to join Christ and we can either accept Him or reject Him. If we accept we need to go to regular confession, pray regularly, go to Mass regularly and become better people.

After the homily, twelve people, previously chosen, retrieved chairs and sat up front, facing the congregation. Our priest removed his vestments and rolled up his sleeves and washed each of their feet. Father never left his knees, but crawled along the floor, dragging a bowl, between the people. This, the crawling, was very effective for me and I could imagine the scene with Christ in place of our priest. Those chosen, young and old, men and women, were sober and dignified. All of them and our priest let the actions speak for themselves; none of it was belabored and it was really more powerful than I had imagined it would be.

After the foot washing, we held a normal mass. Normal, anyway, until the end when Father gathered up all of the host and put it away in containers instead of in the Tabernacle. When he had gathered all the host, an alter boy wrapped a gold stole with a red cross on the back around the priest. Our priest then wrapped the ends of the stole around the containers of the Host as if to honor and protect the Body of Christ. Then the alter boys with incense and candles led Father through every aisle among the congregation before placing the containers in a side room. After Mass we were instructed to be completely silent in the Church until the Easter Vigil, so we filed out without a word being spoken.

Earlier today I mentioned that the Agony in the Garden better defined the day for me, considering the events in Florida . . . but one has to wonder how the call to servitude, if allowed to be heard, would alter those events.

Maundy Thursday

2005-03-24T10:07:00.000-05:00

Maundy Thursday ('Maundy' means 'Command' as in Jesus commanded his disciples to love one another) is mostly associated with Jesus washing the feet of his Apostles, showing them what it means to be a true servant. But Holy Thursday is also when Christ suffered the Agony in the Garden (which is the title of Gauguin's painting above). Perhaps because I'm reading Emmerich's "The Dolorous Passion" or perhaps because we are all so focused on the events surrounding the starvation and dehydration of Terri Schiavo in Florida, but for whatever reason, the Agony calls out to me more this year than the Washing of Feet.

Anne Catherine Emmerich describes Jesus as a true scapegoat in the Garden of Gethsemani, sinless, but taking on all sins. She has Christ alone, his Apostles nearby, but asleep, as Satan taunts Him with the sins of all Mankind. The images of all of the sins of the world from the beginning to the end flood into Jesus and He understands completely the burden He must take on for us... for me. Satan dances around out of reach saying, "Who can take all these sins on, surely not you, you can't even stop your own disciples from sinning." If the image sounds like it came from the opening of Gibson's "The Passion" that's because Gibson's script was informed by this book.

It would be easy to compare the Apostles sleeping while Christ suffers the Agony with so many, today, ignoring the starvation of Terri Schiavo. But that comparison is really too simple. So very many people are praying today, "Abba, Father, all things are possible to you." So many, too, are adding "Yet your will, not mine, be done." Perhaps it is throwing stones to point out the sin of what is being done in Florida (yet another sin heaped upon the Agony of Christ) and yet ignore the weight each of us has added to the burden on the Cross.

The Agony in the Garden is one of the sorrowful mysteries. The death of Terri Schiavo will not be a mystery: we see the cause, the decisions, and the result, even if we don't understand the purpose. What can our response be, this Maundy Thursday? I think, when our representatives are having our priest wash their feet this evening, I will be quiet and still -- like a sleeping Apostle, unaware of the scope of sins falling on the shoulders of Jesus Christ. I don't know what else to do.

Practice

2005-03-23T21:12:00.000-05:00

We had practice for our Easter Vigil tonight. Standing outside, in the darkness, around the spot where a fine bonfire will be blessed on Saturday night, we were all so cold. The thought of partaking in the body and blood of Christ three nights from now chases away the worst of the darkness and warms the soul, cold from day of dejecting news. It's only 34 degrees here and will remain cold and cloudy through Easter. I haven't had Communion since around September of 2003. That's not the longest I've ever gone, but it is the longest I've ever gone when I've been so focused on wanting to go.

How Do I Feel?

2005-03-23T10:33:00.000-05:00

Amy Welborn asks how do we feel, watching Terri Schiavo die. I'll try to answer.

I decided to enter RCIA and started this Blog on March 8, 2004. On March 20, 2004, Pope John Paul II put to rest twenty years of debate concerning the Catholic response to Persistent Vegetative State (PVS). I am disregarding in this comment all arguments about whether Terri Schiavo is in that state because the Pope's teaching concerns anyone who is unable to exercise their highest functions of consciousness and that fits Terri Schiavo's current state. I didn't decide to become Catholic in order to argue with the Pope. I wasn't born a Catholic and I don't have the desire or the knowledge to guide The Church down paths of my own, ill-formed conscience. I decided to become Catholic, or was led to become Catholic, because I saw the Catholic Church as a defender of the same Truth and Life that other Christian demoninations are no longer defending. I didn't decide to become Catholic to be a Christian warrior against the Rome our world is becoming.

How do I feel? For most of the 2000 years of Christianity, Terri Schiavo would not have survived the past fifteen years. For most of my life, until March 20, 2004, I would not have wanted to survive myself in a state like Terri Schiavo. Now I am called to defend her life, a life I wouldn't want, a life past Christians most likely could not have envisioned. And so I defend her life, I alter my own belief and decide that I, too, and my family, must live if ever such a state comes to us. The only comfort in this is the belief that it is God's will that Men suffer. It is God's will that Christians be apart and call others to follow. Well, here we are: apart. Here we are praying for God to somehow turn this tragedy into something good and holy.

We learned in RCIA that Holy means "separated," means "apart from the world." How do I feel watching Terri Schiavo pass away before my very eyes? I feel Holy. I feel Holy and it comes with an unaccustomed weight.

Chrism Mass

2005-03-22T22:08:00.000-05:00

The Cathedral was full tonight. Many more people were present for the Chrism Mass, for the blessing of oils, than were present for the Rite of Sending. A full choir with horns and drums held forth from the balcony and I think every priest in the area was present in white to help the bishop with the Mass. Forty or so priests, followed by the Bishop, processed the main aisle, amid incense and music, to the alter. The first reading (in Spanish) was Isaiah 61:1-9 and the second (in English) was from Revelations 1:1-8. Then Bishop D'Arcy read Luke 4:16-21 and gave a long homily on the sacraments as vehicles of glory. The homily focused on priestly vows and how priests, and we, should focus not on all that has been sacrificed, but instead give thanks for all that has been given. All priests, indeed all Christians, are called to the model of Christ. Servants all and thankfully so.

After the homily, four deacons brought the oil from the back of the Cathedral to the alter. The oil was held in large, glass jugs. Another deacon carried a smaller glass jar of balsam. The Bishop then mixed balsam in with the oil and blessed the oils. It was hard to see, but I didn't see him make any extra effort to breathe over the oils beyond standing over them and saying the prayers. At the moments of blessing, all of the many priests raised their right hands for the blessings.

After the oils were blessed and taken away for us to pick up later, a regular Mass began. Regular, that is, in form but not in spirit because forty priests and a bishop holding Mass is a sight! The Sanctus (Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of Power, God of might) was warm and full and lofty with the choir in the great Cathedral. The many priests mirrored the motions of the Bishop when he held the body and then the blood of Christ aloft. Priests went off in pairs to all corners of the church to offer the Eucharist. We still in RCIA were blessed since we're still four days away from partaking ourselves in the body and blood of Christ.

After Mass, the assigned delegates of each church found their way to the room where each church's oils had been poured into each church's containers. We packed ours up and our priest found us and took the bottles home. The entire Chrism Mass was, I believe, under an hour and half long. The music and people and sights and smells were uplifting, full of mystery, and interesting. As with the Rite of Election, I got the feeling that the priests truly enjoy these times when they can all be together and share in the same event. I saw so many smiling, joking, laughing and joyous priests walking about afterward. I enjoyed it all.

Update: As proof that priests enjoy the Chrism Mass get together, witness Catholic Rage Monkey.

Not One Drop

2005-03-22T06:36:00.000-05:00

Judge Whittenmore, after a two hour hearing on a 10 year De Novo court battle, refused to allow Terri Schiavo to have food or water. After four days, the case will now have to go to appeal. More time she doesn't have. Two hours in court to review this long court battle. Two hours of talk instead of even one new medical test. Two hours of rhetoric and not one drop of water. De Novo is supposed to mean "start from scratch and take another look" -- this can only mean that Whittenmore threw Congress and the President out on their ears.

Update: According to NewsMax, Senator Santorum is calling Whittenmore's ruling "Judicial Tyranny." The weakness of Congress is evident in their name-calling. The Florida Judges ignored the subpoena Congress issued, as well.

The Oils of Chrism

2005-03-21T20:45:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow night, I'll be attending the Chrism Mass at the Cathedral. Our Bishop will be blessing the oil of the sick, the oil of the Catechumens and the Sacred Chrism. Volunteers prepare the oil for the Chrism Mass, and representatives from each church collect their portion for the year.

Oil of the Sick -- Used as a remedy for both spiritual and bodily illness, an understanding already evident in the New Testament (see James 5:14). At one time this oil was used to consecrate church bells which, because of their melodic, far-reaching tones, linked the sick and the homebound with the local assembly which gathered for prayer.
Oil of the Catechumens -- Used prior to initiation into the church, it has an exorcistic value. The oil is meant to strengthen candidates to renounce evil in preparation for their baptismal washing.
Sacred Chrism -- The most celebrated and used of the oils. At baptism and confirmation it seals Christians in the gift of the Holy Spirit. At the ordination of priests and bishops it designates those who lead the ecclesial community in an official capacity. In the dedication of church buildings it is the oils that anoint the walls and altar so that even physical structures participate in the holiness of those who gather within them.

Read more at the Catholic Telegraph: Understanding the Chrism Mass

Co-Equal?

2005-03-21T20:31:00.000-05:00

I'm sure many others have mentioned this, but why is it that when the Executive or Legislative branches step on a pinkie toe of the Judicial Branch of our government, the cry goes forth that the balance of powers is being corrupted... but when Judges write law and discover new law never written in the constitution we hear no such cry? It seems clear that the three branches of government are no longer co-equal. Neither Congress nor the President can stop the Judicial branch from doing anything they want. Said another way, neither the Legislative nor the Executive branch have the guts to stand up to the judges. They don't have the guts to ignore rulings clearly out of the scope of the judiciary and they don't have the guts to MOVE when a Judge says SIT. The same executive branch soldiers with the same executive branch guns that stole Elian away can enter that hospice and put that feeding tube back in place... can remove Terri Schiavo to safety. Where are they?

The Texas Law

2005-03-21T12:35:00.000-05:00

Amy Welborn at OpenBook did a good job of live blogging the Congress last night. I saw some of it live, as well, and especially damaging was Congresswomen Debbie Wasserman Schultz, from Florida who read from past court cases and findings. I think Congresswomen Schultz was also the one, who made a big deal of the Texas law that Bush signed into place making it easier to kill people who have no hope. She stated it was used just a few days ago to end the life of a baby over the objections of the parents. Well I looked it up and

Here's that Case

In short, if the hospital or health workers are ready for someone to die and the family is not, an ethics panel makes the decision. If it goes against the family, the family has ten days to find a hospital that will take on the case, otherwise all treatment of any kind is stopped. The ethics panels don't even have to involve the courts. When President Bush signed the bill as Governor of Texas, it was only for Adult-use. In 2003 is was extended to cover minors, as well.

Congratulations Danielle Bean & Family

2005-03-19T21:32:00.000-05:00

The Beans just announced the birth of Raphael Joseph Bean over at Danielle Bean.com

Palm Sunday

2005-03-19T21:18:00.000-05:00

I mentioned that I wasn't looking forward to the Palm Sunday Procession. Well, I really didn't enjoy it, but it was somewhat saved by having four or five members of the Knights of Columbus present in full regalia. What a sight! The choir was also fully present. Father blessed our palm leaves, tossed water off an evergreen branch throughout the room in which we had gathered (to help us remember our baptism), read John's version of Jesus entering Jerusalem and then we proceeded across the parking lot to the church singing a nice fourteener ("All Glory, Laud and Honor").

Inside, we had a very long responsive reading of Matthew 27 with several people reading the parts and the congregation chiming in where appropriate. The homily was very short and focused on Holy Week as a microcosm for the whole world. We know Jesus won the battle, but there is time yet to get ready for His return.

We in RCIA were dismissed. Mass was a bit shortened because the turnout wasn't that great: it was kind of a rainy day and perhaps people feel like I do about processions. :)

Next Saturday I will be Catholic. In seven days, I will consume the body and blood of Christ.

Purgatory

2005-03-18T09:23:00.000-05:00

After reading "My Descent into Death" the other day, I started thinking more about Purgatory. One of the really fine things about our church's RCIA team is the number of team members who are, shall we say, in the twilight of their lives. Whenever talk turns to suffering or disappointment or even the smallest of stumbling blocks, you can count on these folks to say, "offer it up!" or "give it up for the Church." The concept is that offering up your own suffering (take up your cross and follow me!) for the dead will lessen their time in Purgatory. The fact that these older, life-long Catholics invariably pull "offer it up" from their holsters far quicker than the younger teachers makes me wonder whether offering our suffering up for the dead is still being taught as much (or as well) as it used to be. Or, perhaps, it's just that the older one gets, the more skilled one becomes at suffering. In any event, praying for the dead and offering up our own suffering for theirs is a concept I very much like in my new faith. Perhaps the worst thing about chronic pain (for those who suffer from it) or depression or sadness or any type of loss is finding no purpose in it. Being able to "offer up" your pain and suffering (as Jesus did for us) gives meaning, deepens faith, and (truth be told) gives respite.

Anyway, my interest piqued, I bought the book, "The Amazing Secret of the Souls in Purgatory" an interview with Maria Simma. It's a tiny book you can read easily in an hour. Maria Simma is an Austrian nun whom the dead seek out for help. The dead come to her and ask for her to suffer for them, or pray for them, or have a Mass said for them, or a Rosary prayed for them so that they can leave Purgatory and enter Heaven. Sister Maria says that no one in Purgatory would ever want to return to life because once you're in Purgatory your place is assured in Heaven . . . you just have to suffer the wait in your soul. In life, nothing is certain. Maria says that she is no psychic. Psychics call up the dead, seek them out, and any response from that calling is Satanic. She doesn't seek out the dead, they seek her.

Do we have to believe Sister Maria? Again, no. Personal revelations are not required to be believed. The Catholic Catechism barely mentions Purgatory, it is comforting to hear the stories Sister Maria shares about people's lives both before and after death. The Catholic faith is rich and has practicable, practical functions for our daily lives.

Can a Family have too many Children?

2005-03-17T19:05:00.001-05:00

Smockmomma has found a poll asking that very question at parenting online. Go over to summa mamas and read her reply (and send off one of yours)..

Palm Sunday Procession

2005-03-17T12:28:00.000-05:00

OK, some things there are with which I struggle and processions are one of them. I don't know what it is, but the thought of walking across the parking lot yelling, "Hosanna in the Highest" while waving my palm branch in celebration of Jesus entering Jerusalem just doesn't sit well. I think the thing is that the real Palm Sunday was unexpected, extemporaneous, an outpouring of genuine love for the man Jesus, the Messiah in the flesh. How can we recreate the spontaneous outpouring of love that was Palm Sunday year after year after year. Please don't get me wrong, the love is there, obviously, in all of us... but it's like (for me) trying to recreate the excitement of new found love after many years of marriage.

I'm sure the re-creation of that romance, that blind, all-encompassing first wash of love, would be a good thing in any marriage, but can we recapture such moments by re-living them? At my next marriage anniversary should I take my wife to the lounge of some Dorm, buy us both some cheese crackers from the vending machine and watch a re-run of Gunsmoke? (You had to be there... and that's the point I'm trying to make.)

So, there you have it. I will process through the parking lot with my palm branch and I will think back to those days just after Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead and I will try to imagine what I would have done then. I will feel out of place because I am out of place. As my wife used to say about the cheese crackers, "It's the thought that counts."

Mystagogia

2005-03-16T10:55:00.000-05:00

After our RCIA class joins the church at Easter and we have our first communion, we neophytes (Catholic newbies) enter a period called "Mystagogia" in the seven weeks between Easter, when Christ was/is resurrected, and Pentacost, when the Holy Spirit was poured out for the Apostles. Our class will continue to meet on Mondays, but many of the sessions will be open to all members of our congregation. We'll discuss the Mass again with a Straw Mass, where the priest talks everyone through each step, and the reason for each step, and each area, of the Mass. We'll discuss the history of the Christian Church. We'll have a session about priests and Holy Orders. In general, we will focus on what it means to live a Christian/Catholic life.

I've not been very successful in investigatign the Greek term "mystagogia." I read that it is borrowed from "the language of the mysteries," where it means "the introduction of the uninitiated to the knowledge and the effective celebration of the mysteries." The one who leads the person through mystagogia, the mystagoge, is like a tour guide, one who knows the territory and helps the neophytes move around in this new space. I've not heard Greek called "The language of Mysteries" before, but neither have I found much information on any "Language of the Mysteries" beyond a lot of pagan mystery religions. I'll have to ask.

I read this piece, "Mystagogia: A Time of Growth" in the National Catholic Reporter.

Following the example set by the early church, many contemporary congregations welcome newly baptized believers during the Easter Vigil. In these weeks after Easter, both initiates and veteran believers are invited to enter into a period of mystagogia and thereby to be renewed in the dignity and challenge of Christian baptism. To that end, we must join with those who first heard Peter’s proclamation of the good news in asking, “What are we to do?”, and in accepting his call to reform our lives and to keep from going astray from the path of discipleship.

Personally, I had in mind that period when Paul first met Jesus, was struck blind and had to be led to Damascus where Ananias restored his sight and led him through his Christian initiation. That's kind of backwards, though.

Update: First Mystagogia Session.

Update: Second Mystagogia Session.

Update: Third Mystagogia Session.

Update: Forth Mystagogia Session.

Update: Fifth and final Mystagogia Session.

Release Barabbas

2005-03-15T08:49:00.000-05:00

RCIA last night concerned the Paschal mystery. The Crucifixion of Christ. Part of that story, it occurs to me, was giving a choice to the people to release Jesus, or the criminal Barabbas. "The people" in this case, was a trumped up crowd the enemies of Jesus gathered together. I have to wonder how many could have flooded the streets that day but stayed home. How many people didn't want to get involved, didn't want to stand up against the powerful of the day. I wonder how many, hearing the yelling, didn't really believe their community would stoop so low as to torture and kill an innocent man. I haven't written much, if any, about the Terri Schiavo court case, but when I was doing my daily read of summa mamas, I noticed that the court order to begin starving Terri to death will take effect on March 18th, with death expected within 7 to 30 days. Good Friday is March 25th and there the window opens for Terri's death.

Here again, Good Friday approaches and we are given a choice. Shall we, as a community, choose to release Terri from her sentence of torturous death, or will we stay at home and do nothing and let the crowd have their way. The cards seem stacked against her, a trumped up crowd is letting few others speak and none on her behalf. Today, it is even easier than 2000 years ago. Today you don't even have to leave your chair to make your voice heard. Today, you can contact your representatives here.

Don't wonder, after Terri is put to death, how it could have happened. You hear the braying crowd outside your window even now. You hear the shouts from the court, "Release Barabbas!" You hear the chants beginning, "Crucify Him! Crucify Him!" Will you close your shudders again and consider yourself too small a voice again?

Heaven Always Has at Least One

2005-03-13T11:50:00.000-05:00

The Curt Jester blog had this interview about Sister Lucia of Fatima. I particularly liked this quote from Leo Madigan:

Many Catholics were aware of her existence – though most were surprised to learn that that existence was still continuing in this world. Heaven always has at least one “phenomenon” witnessing to its value somewhere in this world and, in its own way, heaven also handles their publicity. (my emphasis)

Well, not long after Sister Lucia passed away, Howard Storm's book, "My Descent into Death" hit the bookshelves. I just finished reading it. Apparently, Mr. Storm's been around telling this story over the last 20 years (on Oprah, on 48 hours, on the Discovery Channel, etc.), but I'd not heard of him or his story before I read his book.

Storm was an artist, a university art teacher, and a devout atheist (if 'devout' can be used with 'atheist') who had a near-death experience while on a trip to Paris, France in 1985. While he lay dying (or perhaps dead) in a Paris hospital, he experienced hell (or purgatory), called on Jesus to save him, and was taken up by Jesus near to Heaven and was able to ask lots of questions while there. After returning to health after months, he sought out a Church to attend and continually heard the voices of, and had visions of, angels. After time, he didn't feel he fit in as a University Professor anymore and finally ended up a Reverend in the United Church of Christ.

Actually, I couldn't put the book down and read it in just a couple of hours. From his nightmare descriptions of what it was like in a Paris hospital in 1985 and what he experienced in Purgatory, to his falling prostrate on the floor of his newfound church with angels spinning overhead, Rev. Storm's book never took a break.

The Third Scrutiny

2005-03-12T20:52:00.000-05:00

The Scrutinies are prayers the priest, in conjuction with the congregation, prays over the unbaptized catechumens preparing to join the church at Easter. The Scrutiny prayers are on the 3rd, 4th and 5th Sundays of Lent. The First Scrutiny this year was a prayer based on Jesus and the Samaritan woman at Jacob's well, the Second Scrutiny was based on the healing of the man blind from birth, the Third Scrutiny, today, was based on raising Lazarus from the dead. Our priest had the unbaptized catechumen kneel and he prayed that any and all evil from their past lives would be left behind when Jesus called them forth at their baptism. Father laid his hands on their heads and we all prayed for them.

After this special prayer, we had the normal prayers of our church: for a successful, peaceful resolution to the conflicts in the Middle East so our soldiers can return safely home; for an increase in vocations to stable marriages, the priesthood and a dedicated single life; for an end to abortion, especially in the United States; for those who have died and those who mourn the dead; and for the intentions we hold silently in our hearts.

The rest of us Candidates (those of us already baptized in other faiths) then joined the Catechumens and were dismissed to study the the readings. While everyone else attended to the Eucharist, we focused on the 1st reading, the reading from Ezekiel 37 and how it foreshadowed the Gospels:

Reading I
Ez 37:12-14

Thus says the LORD GOD:
O my people, I will open your graves
and have you rise from them,
and bring you back to the land of Israel.
Then you shall know that I am the LORD,
when I open your graves and have you rise from them,
O my people!
I will put my spirit in you that you may live,
and I will settle you upon your land;
thus you shall know that I am the LORD.
I have promised, and I will do it, says the LORD.

In two weeks, we will join the church at the table. We generally have three Masses each weekend: Saturday evening and two on Sunday morning. After we join the Church, our RCIA class will disperse among those Mass sessions and, perhaps, some to other churches. We've been in class together for about seven months of Saturday dismissals and Monday RCIA sessions. I'm already looking ahead to missing my classmates.

What was it Yoda muttered about Luke Skywalker? "Always he looked to the future...Never his mind on where he was!, what he was doing!" Yeah.

The Raising of Lazarus

2005-03-10T21:16:00.000-05:00

I look back over the last year and realize I've learned a lot. I never knew Catholics joined the church at Easter (although some do join whenever). I never knew Catholics held an Easter Vigil waiting for Easter morning and the rise of Christ from the grave and that new members joined at that vigil. I'd never heard of the scrutinies or heard the prayers for new members. I never knew Catholic alters held a relic of a saint within. I never enjoyed the depths of prayers and readings available to Catholics from 2000 years of saints. There's much I didn't know and much I thought I knew was wrong. I have much yet to learn.

Perhaps one of the biggest things I've come to understand is that there is more to Christianity than the Bible. The raising of Lazarus in John 11 (our third and final Scrutiny), for example, is not mentioned in the other three gospels. Now why, I ask you, would Matthew, Mark and Luke leave out this wonderful vignette, this story from the life of Jesus that very neatly encapsulates the entire message of Christianity? The other gospels walk all around the story of Mary, Martha and Lazarus, but never mention, "Oh, by the way, Lazarus died and Jesus brought him back to life after four days in the tomb." Why? Why would they do that?

Why?

If the foundation of your spiritual life is the Bible and the Bible alone, a question like that can suck the life from the center of your faith. The number of arguments over the Bible and its various translations are endless and endlessly carry on toward no end. No one knows, "Why?" about the Lazarus story or any of the other discrepencies found here and there in the Old and New Testament. The Bible takes slavery as a fact of life, for example, and people use that to throw out anything else they don't like.

In Catholicism, faith has more blocks in its foundation. If the Bible is unclear, I can trust and seek support from the Tradition of the Church. I can trust and seek support from the Catechism and from the Magisterium. I can trust and seek support from the teachings of the Pope and from the writings of the saints. The question of "Why?" the three synoptic gospels did not include Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead and telling Martha, "I AM the resurrection and the life," fades into the background like a paper cut on the finger of a severed arm.

I don't mean to say that Catholicism owns these things, either. The saints, the Catechism, the Pope and even the Magisterium are all available to every branch of Christianity. The prayers of the saints would have added deeply to my Methodist prayer life. The analysis of the 10 Commandments in the Catholic Catechism would have greatly benefited me as a teen going through Methodist confirmation. Just as the Bible is for all branches of the Faith, for all Christians, so too are the resources of the Catholic Church for all Christians. All Christians are one, we can all find ourselves in the painting above . . . we're the one in the lower left, in the cave. Our eyes are opened and the bindings of death/sin have fallen away. Christ stands before us with open arms... now is not the time to ask, "Why?"

Simon Magus

2005-03-09T09:34:00.000-05:00

This particular painting, "The Fall of Simon Magus," is by Bennozo Gozzoli from the 1400's. I've been shamelessly updating this one post all day as I had different thoughts from different readings of different authors. That's St. Peter on his knees in the painting and St. Paul making the sign of the cross. Nero is on the throne and Simon Magus has fallen. Of course none of this happens in the Bible, it is Philip and Peter and John who dealt with Simon Magus in Acts, but I find the fictional story useful and . . . fetching.

I was reading a little New Testament fan fiction last night (The Twelve, by C. Bernard Ruffin), and ran across the story of Simon Magus dueling magic with the Apostle Peter. Most of the story comes from the early Christian Writing "The Acts of Peter," but the basics of the story are from Acts 8:9-25. Simon Magus (Magus means Magician) was a known magician in Samaria and when the Apostles came through the area full of the Spirit, curing people and making miracles, the Magus, amazed, made Peter a proposition, offering big bucks for Peter to lay hands on him and give him the Spirit, too. Peter rebuked him. That's where Acts ends and the fan fiction begins. You can read The Acts of Peter yourself, but I'll rob the ending from you. Simon Magus, known for his ability to levitate, launches himself up above the city and challenges Peter to display the Magic of Jesus. Instead, Peter drops to his knees and prays to Jesus to put a stop to the magician's display, to make him fall so the people would not be confused and all their hard work to convert them destroyed. The magician then fell to earth and broke his leg and was stoned by the people.

I've long been a fan of "Acts" and don't think I've ever heard the whole book preached... perhaps that's impossible. Ministers and readings take little pieces of the Acts of the Apostles and fold them into sermons and homilies, but read the whole book and you begin to understand how Christianity could have grown so rapidly while being persecuted so horribly. The Holy Spirit was poured out, resulting in healings and miracles attracting hordes of people from all over the Middle East, Jew and Gentile alike. Visions and Angels (and their opposite from the darkness) were rampant across the land. It must have been a most amazing time and place.

Wishing I was there, then, is perhaps like Simon Magus offering to pay Peter for the gift of the Holy Spirit... it is missing the forest for the trees. Sometimes good children become jealous of the attention troubled children receive from their parents. Later in life, perhaps, they come to see their parents' trust and joy in their own goodness and the need for the time and effort and prayer for the troubled child. God created His Church around the Apostles back then. Today, the Church is here; the desire for the miraculous is what led Tom Cruise (dyslexia), Kirstie Alley (cocaine addiction), John Travolta (desire for fame) and others to Scientology. The desire for the miraculous shouldn't outweigh the desire for God... that's my take, anyway.

Further Reading.

Afterthought: Kirstie Alley talked about Scientology in this week's TV Guide. She said she was addicted to cocaine, walked into the Scientology office and was cured in one session. Tom Cruise, also, says he walked into Scientology with lifelong dyslexia and was cured in one session. John Travolta has said that right after his initial foray into Scientology, he got the role in Welcome Back Kotter that made him famous. All three were Catholics. All three, offered their heart's desire, turned their back immediately on God and took the prize. All three now use their star power to turn more people away from God and into Scientology, in fact, Tom Cruise has sucked his entire family away from their faith. So what? So what have we to do with any of that? We play the part of Peter. If Peter had ignored Simon Magus and just walked away, how many souls would he have lost? How many souls are lost to Scientology by ignoring it? What can we do? Perhaps only what Peter did in the face of the Magus: drop to our knees and pray for God to make the cost of magic clear to the onlookers.

Pieta

2005-03-07T20:58:00.000-05:00

At RCIA, our priest went over some basic prayer methods. We went to the chapel and prayed an entire rosary of the joyful mysteries, then we did a devotion and then a type of focused reading on a Bible passage (Lectio Divina) where we read the passage three different times and focused on what catches our mind. The passage we read was from Hosea 2:14 through 2:23. After this, we discussed prayers and methods of praying in general.

I happended to have a copy of the Pieta Prayer Booklet and asked about the prayers in it and whether it was OK to believe what was written in the booklet. If you don't know the Pieta, it has lots of prayers in it that were divinely received by different saints, like the 15 St. Bridget Prayers, and items like the Chaplet of St. Michael, and many prayers, like the Prayer of St. Gertrude the Great (which is supposed to release 1,000 souls from Purgatory each time it's said):

Eternal Father, I offer Thee the most Precious Blood of Thy Divine Son, Jesus, in union with the Masses said throughout the world today, for all the Holy souls in Purgatory, for sinners everywhere, for sinners in the Universal Church, Those in my own home and within my family. Amen.

The Pieta also has prayers and pictures in it (like the Prayer to St. Joseph) that notes, "If you are carrying this on your person, you will never die by drowning or poison or by fire or any sudden death." It's a very rich and history set of interesting prayers.

Father said that we aren't required to believe what has been revealed to individuals, but there is nothing in the Pieta that is against the teachings of the church, so whatever enhances your faith and prayer life is fine. He also pointed out that teaching books and items officially accepted by the Church will have an "Imprimatur" on the copyright page and perhaps a "Nihil Obstat" section which show the books are officially approved for the Catholic Faith and also who approved them.

Another good session. Everyone knows one another and we're gearing up for Easter.

The Second Scrutiny

2005-03-05T19:30:00.000-05:00

Our priest told us, at our last RCIA class, that the Scrutinies used to be just that. In the early church, when there was an ever-present and real danger of Roman spies infiltrating the Christian community, the three Scrutinies were used as intense prayers calling on God and the Holy Spirit to verify that the Catechumen were not evil plants of the Roman government. Thus even now, during the 3rd, 4th and 5th Sundays of Lent, those who want to be baptized and fully accepted into the Catholic Church are prayed over by the whole congregation.

So did the unbaptized again, as in all those years passed, come up and kneel at the alter for the Second Scrutiny. Our priest prayed for the darkness and any evil of their past lives to be banished by the Light of Jesus, just as Jesus banished darkness from the Blind Man in John 9. The prayer he said was beautiful and I don't do it justice with that synopsis. Father then put both of his hands on each person's head, in turn, and prayed intently for them. The Catechumen remained kneeling while we said all the normal prayers of our church: For a successful end to the war in the Middle East so that our men and women can come home, for an end to abortion, especially in the United States, for the dead and those who mourn the dead, for an increase in vocations to the priesthood and stable marriages and for the intentions we hold silently in our hearts.

After these prayers, the Catechumen rose to their feet and we, the Candidates for full communion who have already been baptized in other faiths, joined them for dismissal. We read the Gospel of John 9 twice over and discussed it while the rest of the congregation attended to the Eucharist.

In three weeks, we will join the church at the table.

The Blind Man

2005-03-04T09:16:00.000-05:00

The Second Scrutiny this year is from John 9:1, the healing of the man blind from birth. This blind man was someone to be proud of. When word got out that Jesus had healed a man blind from birth, and healed him on a sabbath, no less, the Pharisees went a little nuts. I don't mean to bring politics into this, but it does remind me of some Democrats being upset with the success of democracy in the Middle East, like ex-Clinton aide Nancy Soderberg who said of the great events taking place, (and I'm paraphrasing),

"There's still North Korea and Iran, there's hope [that Bush will still fail]. There's always hope that this [Democracy in the Middle East] will not work."

There are some who would say I'm comparing President Bush to Jesus by comparing the Pharisees to Democrats, but those are likely the same folks who seek failure in the policy of our nation for political gain, so, like Jesus said, "If you were blind, you would have no guilt; but now that you say, 'We see,' your guilt remains." Ms. Soderberg, like the Pharisees, notices the good news in Iraq and Lebannon and Syria and Afghanistan: she says she sees the early signs of success of the Bush policy, she isn't blind. She, and the Pharisees, just wishes it wasn't so.

When faced with His good works, the Pharisees called Jesus a sinner because he did the work of healing on the sabbath (What work? He spit in the dust). They called the blind man to them and repeatedly asked him how Jesus had healed him. They said he must be one of the disciples of Jesus, faking it. You have to love this guy because he says, "You're all so interested in Jesus, maybe it's you who want to be his disciples." They told the blind man to praise God, not Jesus. The blind man says, "Hey, I only know I was blind and now I see. If Jesus wasn't from God, he couldn't have healed me now could he." So the Pharisees, faced with such obvious logic, throw the guy out on his ear.

I realize this, the politics, is totally off-focus for what the 2nd Scrutiny is all about. A man, living in darkness, is given a whole new life of light. That's a wonderful message for a new Catholic. I also think it's a wonderful lesson that when the ex-blind man's church threw him out for telling the truth, Jesus then went in search of him and found him. I also feel, at times, that my old church would rather I was gone -- it's a wonderful thing to be sought out by Jesus himself and led to a new home of faith.

The Fifteenth Station

2005-03-03T09:41:00.000-05:00

I have a "The Catholic Prayer Book" that I like quite a lot. And I also have an "Order of the Mass" book that I enjoy. Both books have devotions for the fourteen stations of the cross as do most web sites regarding "The Stations." I was surprised, then, when our priest mentioned "The Fifteenth Station" at RCIA last Monday. My first thought was that perhaps it's like the 19th hole (the clubhouse) in golf. But in looking for "The Fifteenth Station" (which is Resurrection) I found there's much confusion and inconsistency in its application. I've been to some websites (like here) that claim the 2nd Vatican Council added the 15th Station. If that were true, why does the Vatican site still have only 14? Another site described Pope John Paul II adding the Fifteenth Station on Good Friday, 1991. But our church was built only recently & has only 14 stations on the walls.

Regardless, the 15th station adds a happy ending to "The Way of the Cross" and proclaims the worth of Christ's suffering. Perhaps I'll continue to think of it as "The Clubhouse" . . . "the 19th Hole" . . . The Resurrection of Christ . . . relief after a long and difficult path.

Lenten Messages

2005-03-03T06:23:00.000-05:00

From the Vatican Press Office:

"The example of a Pope who suffers is very important as we have seen in recent years: suffering is a special way of preaching. From the many letters I have received and also from direct personal witnesses, I have seen many suffering people who now feel accepted. The Association for Parkinson's Patients has written to me, thanking the Pope because he helps the ill to strengthen their image, so to speak, because the Holy Father has the courage to appear in public as a person who suffers and who continues to work. Through his suffering John Paul II has communicated many things to us: that suffering is a phase on the path of life, and that he participates in the passion of Jesus Christ, showing us how fruitful suffering can be when we share it with the Lord and live it together with all those who suffer in the world. In this way, suffering takes on a great value and can be something positive. When we look at the Pope's life, we see that this is an important message, especially in a world that tends to hide or even erase pain." --- Cardinal Ratzinger

From MamaT at Summa Mamas:

Apparently, a few years ago, Crisis magazine had an article that dealt with the "gay priest" issue, giving "warning signs" that there might be a problem with a priest. Mr. Bettinelli expanded those "warning signs" to include heterosexual priests as well, since they seemed equally valid in that situation.

And I thought he was right, and it was a good discussion.

But it was one of those "warning signs" that has stuck in my head--because it seems to me that it really applies to all of us, not just to priests. Here's the point from the magazine:

Restore simplicity to priestly life. Physical comfort is the oxygen that feeds the fires of homosexual indulgence. Cut it off. When you enter a rectory, take a look at the liquor cabinet, the videos, the wardrobe, the slick magazines, and ask yourself, “Do I get the impression that the man who lives here is in the habit of saying no to himself?” If the answer is negative, the chances are that his life of chastity is in disorder as well. It goes without saying that reforming bishops should lead by example in this department and not simply exhort.

I think it is just as easy to say "Physical comfort is the oxygen that feeds the fires of indulgence" period. And I think the question asked is appropriate to all of us. If someone walked into MY house would they have the impression that I ever said NO to myself?????

Millions

2005-03-02T18:23:00.000-05:00

I have missed any advertisements for the movie "Millions," but it sounds like it's right up my alley: a 7 year old kid who imagines the saints as great superheros and whose mother recently died has a load of money dropped on him. He thinks the money is from God and goes about trying to do good works.

Damian, played by newcomer Alex Etel, learns that generosity brings satisfaction and helps him identify with the saints, who he views as superheroes. Having money, however, complicates life for him and his family.

In one of his first acts of charity, Damian brings captive birds to an open field and frees them. St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals, arrives and joins Damian by freeing two birds of his own.

In other reviews, I've read that the Father of the boy(s) decides to use the money to pay bills and in a fit of depression tells the little boy, "There is no God." But the story ends well . . . and with miracles. It's supposed to open in the USA in a couple of days.

March

2005-03-02T09:58:00.000-05:00

I have my hands full in March, so even though I found Robert Byrd's name calling offensive, and the Supreme Court's decision (and here) on finding people under 18 unable to make informed decisions over life and death (except in the case of aborting their babies) confusing, I'm trying to focus on Faith. I'm not always successful.

Our RCIA dismissals are at Saturday evening Mass.

March 5: Second Scrutiny
March 7: RCIA, Christian Prayer
March 12: Third Scrutiny
March 14: RCIA, the Paschal Mystery
March 19: Palm Sunday
March 22: Chrism Mass at the Cathedral
March 23: Easter Vigil Practice
March 24: Maundy Thursday Mass of the Lord's Supper (Holy Thursday w/foot washing)
March 25: Good Friday of the Lord's Passion
March 26: Easter Vigil
March 27: Easter Sunday Masses

The Class of 2005

2005-03-01T12:54:00.000-05:00

Thousands Prepare to Join U.S. Catholic Church This Easter

Easter: Come to the Water (an RCIA retrospective on ABC-TV March 27th)

Spending Prayers

2005-03-01T07:40:00.000-05:00

RCIA was cut rather short last night due to worsening weather. We talked about prayer and how we should approach God in prayer. We shouldn't treat God as some kind of sugar daddy in the sky, we shouldn't just plunk down our requests for what we want each night and leave it at that. So many people seem to request God to come into their own presence, rather than seeking to enter the presence of God: therefore, calm yourself in anyway you can and prepare yourself to enter into His presence.

Our priest said that the Lord's Prayer, the Our Father, is the most dangerous prayer: you ask God to forgive your trespasses as you forgive others -- and how many of us do a good job of forgiveness? You ask God that His will be done on Earth -- that's scary. The Lord's Prayer is the perfect prayer: think about it as you say it.

We talked about how easy it is to rush into Mass at the last minute, follow the rituals, and rush away. It's very easy to go on auto-pilot during Mass, especially for priests, and not even think about what you are doing and saying. So come early, 15 minutes, 20 minutes, 30 minutes early and pray that Mass will be meaningful, pray for focus.

This, brings up something I've been wanting to write about for awhile. We didn't cover this in RCIA last night or any other night. I've noticed since Amy Welborn has started gathering homily input each week (which is always a fascinating thread to read), that so many families struggle so with their children during Mass. I admire them. When we had three kids under four years old, we could hardly face Sunday mornings and we ended up staying away more often than not. I regret that now and it's something I needed to speak about in Confession. I pray every night for my grown children to be more spiritual when 20 years ago I could have fulfilled that prayer with just a little more effort and patience on my part. Oh, we took them to Sunday School and Bible School and even CCD in one case, but getting them ready for church and chasing them around the sanctuary and shushing them from playing during the service -- we just struggled to face it. It was so much easier to read the Sunday morning paper and watch the Blackhawk Bible Hour on TV while the kids played with legos, wasn't it. We've corrected our error now that it's easy to do so, with only one child who is young. So many prayers could have been spent on other causes now had we done a better job when we were young parents. So let that baby smell and let that baby cry and let those children squirm and talk and be kids -- but let them soak in where they are and what their parents are doing and caring about, too. It will make a difference one day.

The First Scrutiny

2005-02-28T06:50:00.000-05:00

When it came time for dismissal, our priest called up only the Elect who plan to be baptized on Easter, not those who are already baptized. These unbaptized elect came up and knelt before the priest, with their sponsors and/or godparents behind them. The priest prayed over them intensely, calling for their renouncement of all things evil and for their protection from the same. He based his prayer on the wording of the 1st Reading about the Woman at the well. As they remained kneeling, we all prayed for them and we had the other prayers for the world and our church as we normally do. Then Father called up the rest of the Elect, those of us who have already been baptized, and we dismissed to study the Gospel.

Back in our dismissal room, the unbaptized looked around and said, "Wow." They had not been expecting to be called up to kneel, nor had they expected such a profound prayer -- just for them. They were not upset, just . . . opened.

The Woman at the Well

2005-02-26T07:12:00.001-05:00

I don't know who Wayne Forte, the artist, is, but he created the picture above of Jesus with the Samaritan Woman at the Well. There are many other pictures I could have used from a long past of artists, but I like this one. I like the two faces of the woman. Our first Scrutiny is today and our reading will be Jesus and the Samaritan Woman at the Well.

I've said before that this is probably my favorite New Testament story. Jesus teaches us how to accept others for who they are and love them for their humanity (which is something I need to work on, just look at the rant I posted over Tom Cruise and Scientology this week -- that's hardly how Christ would handle Tom Cruise, is it). At the same instant, Jesus teaches us that no matter what our own story, no matter what we've done or how we've sinned, he knows and he loves us despite it all. Don't we all really have those same two faces as the woman in the picture? The one face the world sees as we're about our work, about our daily life . . . and the other face of who we really are that God sees. If God can love me just like everyone else, why do I struggle so to love others who hold different views from me. I am that woman, full of sin, loved by Christ; but the face I let others see isn't the "me" that Jesus sees and I fail so often to see the face of Christ in others.

Another Journey

2005-02-25T15:38:00.000-05:00

There's been quite a few of these types of articles recently, covering the stories of those converting to Catholicism. I find them inspiring. Here's another from the National Catholic Register:

Dozens of Episcopalians Follow Leader into Catholic Church

In a Dec. 31 letter to Bishop Paul Marshall of the Episcopal Diocese of Bethlehem, Pa., he renounced his orders as a priest. Bergman cited contraception and the 2003 ordination of V. Gene Robinson, the first openly homosexual Episcopal bishop, as two major reasons for his dissatisfaction.

Robinson’s ordination was the "logical outcome" of the 1930 Lambeth decision, he said. Some dioceses in the Episcopal Church allow a blessing of same-sex couples, and Bergman wrote: "When an ecclesial community pronounces intentional sterility among married couples to be blessed by God, that church all but formally invites into her midst the advocacy of blessings upon relationships that in the absence of sexual complementarity are of their very essence sterile. Those conservatives within Anglicanism who attempt to refute the sterile agenda of the homosexual lobby have engaged in a self-contradictory and thus futile quest."

He also pointed out that a contraceptive mentality that views children as "a burden instead of a blessing" only encourages abortion. He said the Episcopal Church has pushed for the legalization of abortion since 1967. "By His great grace and kindness our Lord has cured me of my former spiritual blindness and thus has compelled me to seek entry into, and full communion with, that part of Christ’s Body the Church that continues to engage the moral issues of our day at their most foundational level," Bergman wrote.

Read the whole thing, it's a good story.

Update: And here's another conversion story I saw over on Poncer.

The Nicene Creed

2005-02-25T12:27:00.000-05:00

So we're to learn the Nicene Creed. Below are some of the proposed changes to the current creed, which I posted about before. I also notice that the changes bring the Roman Catholic Creed a bit closer in wording to the Orthodox wording. Interesting.

Profession of Faith:

The Profession of Faith (The Creed):

We believe in one God,
the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is seen and unseen.

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made, one in Being with the Father.
Through him all things were made.
For us men and for our salvation
he came down from heaven:

by the power of the Holy Spirit
he was born of the Virgin Mary, and became man.

For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered, died, and was buried.
On the third day he rose again
in fulfillment of the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory
to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son.
With the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified.
He has spoken through the Prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come.
Amen.

I believe in one God,
the Father almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
and of all things visible and invisible.

I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the Only-begotten Son of God,
born of the Father before time began.
God from God, light from light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made, one in being with the Father:
through whom all things were made.
Who for us and for our salvation
came down from heaven,

and by the Holy Spirit became incarnate
of the Virgin Mary,
and was made man.

Crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate,
he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again
in accordance with the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and sits at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again with glory
to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life:
who proceeds from the Father and the Son,
who together with the Father and the Son
is worshiped and glorified,
who has spoken through the prophets.
I believe in one holy, catholic and apostolic Church,
I confess one baptism for the forgiveness of sins,
and I await the resurrection of the dead
and the life of the world to come.
Amen.

I must say, I prefer "seen and unseen" to "visible and unvisible" -- the first puts the burden on us: God made things and if we can't see them, tough luck; the second (visible and invisible) puts the onus on God: God made things invisible -- ah, so why even bother to look if we already know we can't see.

Update: Alicia, over at Fructus Ventris, provides some of the history and meaning of the Nicene Creed I lack. (Thanks, Alicia!)

Interview with J. Budziszewski

2005-02-24T08:38:00.000-05:00

Thanks to Amy over at Openbook for posting this article: Interview with J. Budziszewski concerning his conversion to Catholicism:

After several years of wrestling, becoming convinced on one point after another, I finally found myself able to say with respect to the remaining issues, "I am ready to obey." That turned out to be crucial. As Augustine said, we believe in order to know. There are some things you have to understand before you can accept them–but there are others you have to accept before you can understand them.

Yes.

Pope John Paul II has Returned to the Hospital

2005-02-24T06:46:00.000-05:00

Here's the article from CNN: Pope Back in Hospital with Flu

Cruising

2005-02-22T20:57:00.000-05:00

I wrote early on, back in April, asking why serious people don't just laugh in Tom Cruise's face when he talks about Scientology. In this case, Cruise set up a tent on the set of "War of the Worlds" to help introduce people to Scientology:

The world contains three types of people:

SUPPRESSIVE PERSONS (SP). SP's are the treacherous and evil types who are determined to wreak havoc wherever they can. They destroy everything that is good, and support everything that is evil. They cannot be helped and have a terrible effect on others around them, often making their associates feel inferior. Anyone who opposes scientology is considered an SP.
POTENTIAL TROUBLE SOURCES (PTS). People who are closely associated with SP's can be made to feel worthless and are often ill. However there is an even more noticeable side-effect of this relationship, the PTS person can take on the attributes of the SP and can cause considerable trouble for others (mainly Scientology).
AVERAGE PERSON (Not a Scientology term). Those who do not fall into the above two categories. Which is 80% of the population. The disparaging term for those who are not scientologists is Wogs. These people are considered to be not trying

I guess this makes me an "SP."

Note: In 1990 Cruise renounced his devout Catholic beliefs (Cruise attended a Franciscan seminary before becoming an actor) and embraced The Church Of Scientology claiming that Scientology teachings had cured him of the dyslexia that had plagued him all of his life.

Perhaps what sets Catholicism apart is that, unlike Scientology, the Catholic Church lets her members go... it's that Free Will thing. And here.

Update: And read about Scientology versus the story of Simon Magus.

A Roll for Public Pressure

2005-02-22T07:23:00.000-05:00

The Methodist Reporter Interactive has an interesting article on paying apportionments vs. agreeing with Church Administrators out of a church in North Carolina:

We believe that the General Board of Church and Society and the Women's Division of the General Board of Global Ministries — by co-sponsoring the March for Women's Lives on April 25, 2004 in Washington, D.C. — blatantly acted against the Discipline [The rule book of the Methodist Church]. The March for Women's Lives was a pro-choice (actually a pro-abortion) political rally that promoted all abortions in all circumstances, no questions asked. The United Methodist Church, on the other hand, states in its Social Principles (Paragraph 161J) that while we recognize "tragic conflicts of life with life" that can result in abortion, abortion is not acceptable in all cases.

So, in protest against such liberal decisions like the March for Abortion (which are growing rampant under the Global Ministries) this church started funneling money away from church administration (apportionments) and into areas of ministry opposed to abortion. Now, though, they have decided to take a new tack:

For three years, St. Peter's UMC paid apportionments in part and protested in private. In 2005, we will pay apportionments in full and protest in public. We choose this alternative as a way to be obedient to the baptismal covenant and to remain subject to the Discipline, by which all United Methodists are bound by God's grace.

Catholic parishes, of course, are filled with the same humans that fill the Methodist pews. Even though I've only been in our parish for a year or so, I have heard many people disagree with the Church or with a decision of the priest and say, "Well, they won't get another dime of my money." This is a hard decision and it's one I've made myself in the past: if you believe the church is on the wrong path and nobody will listen, what power does one person have but the power of the dollar.

Well, there is prayer. And there is the path of public pressure, which is the path St. Peter's United Methodist is taking. Religious blogs seem, to me, to be overwhelmingly Catholic. I sought long and hard for places on the Internet to share Methodist discussions (I have a couple on my link table to the left), and was surprised and pleased to find the Catholic world of blogging so full and diverse and lively. As the Pope said the other day (in "The Rapid Development" of technology in the media),

“A great many wonderful things are to be hoped for from this familiar dialogue between the laity and their spiritual leaders: in the laity a strengthened sense of personal responsibility; a renewed enthusiasm; a more ready application of their talents to the projects of their spiritual leaders. The latter, on the other hand, aided by the experience of the laity, can more clearly and more incisively come to decisions regarding both spiritual and temporal matters. In this way, the whole Church, strengthened by each one of its members, may more effectively fulfill its mission for the life of the world”

The spiritual leaders of the church can take strength in the fight against the cultural revolution from the new media feedback (blogs) of the great (no longer) silent majority. At least that's my take on it.

Reconciliation

2005-02-21T20:34:00.001-05:00

Instead of RCIA tonight, we had church-wide Rite of Reconciliation. Several priests came in from other parishes. I didn't attend because I had snuck in Saturday before our Rite of Sending service and took care of my first confession. I was both more nervous than I needed to be, and less eloquent than I could have been. I had gone through several guides (here and here, for example) and chosen the top things I thought were in my path, blocking me and also mentioned the less important, nagging sinfulness of my common life. I wrote everything down, from the opening "Forgive me Father for I have sinned" to the closing act of contrition. I chose to sit face to face, rather than kneel behind the curtain.

Since I see Confession as similar to going to the Doctor, I thought sure our priest would start poking and prodding my sins, digging for deeper causes and bringing painful things from my past to bright light . . . but he didn't. He asked if I had missed anything, perhaps in the lying, cheating or stealing categories, and I confessed that I'm sure I had done my share of all of those, but not so much.

And he forgave it all.

I didn't feel any great weight lifted, as some say they have. Of course, I've sought forgiveness through prayer for all these things before, but only between myself and God. This was different. Father was gentle. I went immediately to pay my penance in the chapel, kneeling before the Tabernacle to say my Hail Marys, Our Fathers and Glory Be's. I was sin free for my Rite of Sending and all the way until this evening when I swore at a bench I was trying to put together (the manufacturer had not drilled one of the holes they were supposed to have pre-drilled & I had to do it myself... which is no reason to swear).

Next time (our priest recommends going at least four times a year) I will be sure to add impatience along with my other sins.

While we're talking about Reconciliation, Danielle Bean has a post on Confession as well.

Rite of Election

2005-02-20T18:29:00.000-05:00

The day opened cold and full of heavy snow, a sign of how early this process comes this year. My sponsor and I drove to the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception early because we'd been warned the church would be full. Here is a picture from the Cathedral, you can click on it to enlarge it:

The Cathedral is beautiful. The stain glass windows have deep hues to which pictures just won't do justice. Very large carvings of the Stations of the Cross adorn the walls on both sides of the Cathedral, and a fantastic pipe organ takes over the whole balcony.

The Bishop came in all on his own, without any entourage, just walking down the side aisle and up to the alter where all the area priests were gathering to read our names. Here's a picture of Bishop D'Arcy I took after we were done. Again, you can click on it to enlarge:

The Bishop wore his tall red hat (a miter) and he walked with a long stick, like a shepherd's crook (a crozier). Under his miter, the bishop wore another, smaller red hat (a zucchetto), like a jewish kippah. He was quite a sight. The bishop sat in a chair that reached to the top of one of the pillars of the cathedral (you can see it to the left of the alter in the first picture). The songs were beautifully sung and we had first, second and third readings, just like at Mass. Our first reading was Ezekiel 36:23-28, our second reading was 1 Peter 3:18-22, and the gospel was John 15:9-17. Some of the readings were done in Spanish and some in English. The pew behind us had Vietnamese candidates and, indeed, some of the announcements were in Vietnamese, as well.

After the readings, Bishop D'Arcy addressed us. He talked about God's calling us being a thing of "Interiority." Perhaps it was our family or our friends or our priest or our parish who drew us to this day of Election, but they were all God who was working through them and within us. God draws us, but our free will remains to accept or reject Him. After the Crucifixion, the Apostles were craven, driven apart, afraid -- but after the Holy Spirit was breathed out on them, they were brave, they preached all over the world under pain of death. Bishop D'Arcy said this is all about an intimacy between us and God, and we'll get even closer after we share the Eucharist. God's intimacy is a gift won, given to us at great cost -- the crucifixion of the Lord, suffered for us that we might live. Going on, the Bishop said that our past religious experience in other churches is not being thrown away, our past is what brought us here, our past religious experience was God working in our lives. He talked about how the Ezekiel reading shows God's grace giving us a new heart, an unselfish, giving heart.

Even though the Bishop is quite old, his voice was very strong. Next, the Catechumens' names were all called, one by one, and they and their sponsors walked up to shake the Bishop's hand and stand at the alter. Here's a picture of when they were all up there:

We all said prayers over them and then it was our turn to rise at our name and meet the Bishop, which was a wonderful experience. It was nice to hear the voice of our own priest calling out our name among the hundreds present. My sponsor followed me up, his hand on my shoulder, and I shook the Bishop's hand. We all stood around the alter as name after name was read, each name came up with sponsor in tow, to stand with us. Bishop D'Arcy questioned our sponsors about whether we were ready, then he asked the whole church to pray for us and for all the Elect as we go through the Scrutinies and prepare for Easter.

It was a long day, and cold and crowded, but well worth it. Next stop: The Scrutinies.

Rite of Sending

2005-02-20T18:24:00.000-05:00

We had our Rite of Sending at Saturday service. After the homily, Father called up the catechumens (those who want to be both baptized and join the Church at Easter) and their sponsors and godparents. One by one, they signed their name into a leatherbound book. Next, Father called up the Candidates (those of us who want to join the Church who have already been baptized) and we signed our name at a different place on the same page. Prayers were said over us and our Parish "sent" us to be approved by the Bishop.

Some of the folks had not been in our RCIA class, so either they are taking classes elsewhere or perhaps there are other ways to get to the same place I don't know about. It was a good service, regardless, and we all trooped out before Mass to study the Gospel readings.

Tomb of St. Paul Discovered

2005-02-17T20:27:00.000-05:00

I have a certain fascination with the Apostle Paul. I lived through a period of time when I believed some of the analysis which claimed there was a war between Paul and James for control of the early church. I was, at the time, fascinated with the idea. Well, archeologists have now discovered the Tomb of St. Paul.

A second excavation, under the main altar of the basilica, brought the Vatican team to the sarcophagus, which was located on what would have been ground level for the original 4th-century building. Under the altar a marble plaque was still visible, dating back to the 4th century, and bearing the inscription: "Apostle Paul, martyr." Filippi remarks that surprisingly, "Nobody ever thought to look behind that plaque." When the Vatican team looked, they found the sarcophagus. As an archeologist, Giorgio Filippi says that he has no special curiosity to learn whether the remains of St. Paul are still inside that sarcophagus. The tomb should not be opened merely to satisfy curiosity, he insists. There is no doubt, he says, that St. Paul was buried on the site, "because this basilica was the object of pilgrimages by emperors; people from all around the world came to venerate him, having faith that he was present in this basilica."

St. Paul, of course, raised Eutychus from death after he fell, thus my blog-name. I hesitated linking to the article on the two ways of the first century church, but decided to go ahead. I don't want to lead people astray with thoughts I don't believe are true, but perhaps it's a good lesson. I also read a lot about the possibility that John's Gospel might have really by written by Mary Magdalene. In both instances, some discrepancies in the wordings of the New Testament here and there lead people off into the woods. As the Clueless Christian wrote the other day, Jesus didn't write us a Bible, he left that to the Church He founded -- and if you start doubting the truth of the Word, then there is no bottom to your faith. Those doubts are behind me and I hope others who are distracted by the Magdalene or by invented in-fighting among the Apostles realize eventually how groundless such doubts are in the face of the teachings of the Magisterium.

Why Now?

2005-02-17T20:16:00.000-05:00

After a few months of manageable work load at work, we are suddently inundated with immediate and crucial requests which must be fulfilled now; no, Now; I mean NOW. And so, rather than a leisurely weekend focus on the Rites of Sending and Election, I face a weekend of work away from home into which I will fit writing my name into the book of the Elect and having it ready to Bishop D'Arcy.

The Death of the Swedish Church

2005-02-16T20:20:00.000-05:00

I was unable to put this article down...

Since my fifteenth year, the year of my baptism, I have been a communicant member of the Church of Sweden. I have gone to communion regularly for forty-five years in what I thought was the real church. During these years I have at the inside lived with and through all the changes that have taken place, I have seen them being prepared, I have heard the arguments, listened to the debates, seen the campaigns, encountered the propaganda, the threats, the intimidations, the promises, the deceits, the lies, the marginalization and the elimination. I have seen how the church has changed, how is has been occupied and been taken over from the outside and the inside. I have seen all the small steps leading to where the Church Sweden is now. And I have not been able to stop it. Together with many others I have been in the burning oven. And I have had enough.

Folke Olofsson, a pastor or priest in the Swedish church, goes on to talk about not considering himself a martyr because nobody's getting killed, but the woman bishop says, of the Christian traditionalists:

“My opinion is crystal clear: those who do not approve of the ordination of women must leave the Church of Sweden. Those who do not want to share worship communion with women priests have excluded themselves. The problem with these priests is that they want a severance payment at the same time as they want to be martyrs. There is no rule in the Church of Sweden which states that martyrs should have a golden parachute”.

and after a trip to the US and Canada:

Thirteen years, ago when I returned after a one month's trip to Canada and the U.S., I met with the Archbishop, Dr. Bertil Werkström, at his office to report to him what I had observed and experienced. I told him about the progress in Ecumenism, about practical cooperation between Lutherans and Catholics, something which really interested him as he soon was going to meet the Pope when he was visiting Uppsala during his Scandinavian trip. I also told him about the Gay and Lesbian agenda, about Feminism and about Inclusive Language being in my view the verbal and conceptual crowbar with the help of which the traditional Christian faith could be broken up. After my report, the Archbishop looked at me seriously and said: “Its it really that serious”, and I responded: “It is much worse, and in ten years we´ll have it here”. It was true. Now it is here for everyone to see.

It's long read, but well worth the time.

The Sevens

2005-02-16T18:39:00.000-05:00

The seven works of spiritual mercy: 1) convert the sinner, 2) instruct the ignorant, 3) counsel the doubtful, 4) comfort the sorrowful, 5) bear wrongs patiently, 6) forgive injuries, 7) pray for the living and the dead.

The seven works of corporal mercy: 1) feed the hungry, 2) give drink to the thirsty, 3) clothe the naked, 4) shelter the homeless, 5) visit the sick, 6) visit those in prison, 7) bury the dead.

The seven virtues: 1) humility, 2) liberality, 3) chastity, 4) meekness, 5) temperance, 6) brotherly love, 7) diligence.

The seven vices: 1) pride, 2) covetousness, 3) lust, 4) anger, 5) gluttony, 6) envy, 7) sloth.

The seven sacraments: 1) baptism, 2) confirmation, 3) The Eucharist, 4) penance, 5) anointing the sick, 6) ordination, 7) matrimony.

Arlen Specter

2005-02-16T18:24:00.000-05:00

Arlen Specter has Hodgkin's Disease.

In the statement, Specter said: "I have beaten a brain tumor, bypass heart surgery and many tough political opponents; and I'm going to beat this, too. I have a lot more work to do for Pennsylvania and America."

Specter has kept his post as the head of the Judiciary Committee despite criticism by conservatives of some of his social positions, including Specter's pro-choice stance on abortion.

The Clueless Christian: How I Came to the Catholic Faith

2005-02-15T18:19:00.000-05:00

The Clueless Christian has a very nice post on becoming Catholic. (Via Pontifications)

We Protestants, especially those of us who call ourselves “Orthodox” are big on authority. Isn’t that what this whole Anglican schism is about? We believe we are fighting to preserve the authority of Scripture. We all agree that Scripture is an authoritative, and infallible guide, yet Christ did not write Scripture, Christ founded a Church who wrote and compiled Scripture instead. These writings included two “infallible” Epistles from St. Peter, making it clear that St. Peter could teach “with infallibility”

Update: A discussion about the above over at Pontifications.

I Have a Dream Today

2005-02-15T07:55:00.000-05:00

OK, I really like Martin Luther King Jr.'s speech, but that's not what I'm talking about. Even though this is an anonymous RCIA blog, I still won't write about the things I'll be confessing next week. Suffice to say they consist of points of weakness and points of pridefullness. So there I am, asleep and minding my own business, when I have a dream consisting of a unique and utterly frightening combination of my specific weakness stabbed in the heart by my specific pride. This was not a nice dream. Awakened early and unable to turn on the TV because I gave THAT up for Lent, I prayed for strength and forgiveness.

I think it's a mistake, generally, to see the devil in every flat tire and God in every penny found. But get thee behind me, Satan, I'd rather not dream like that again.

Business Session

2005-02-14T21:00:00.000-05:00

We had a good 'business' session at RCIA tonight. We didn't talk very much about Lent, though, beyond that it is a time of purification and enlightenment. We talked mostly about our upcoming Rite of Sending, Rite of Election, Reconciliation and the Scrutinies.

After the Rite of Sending (which we're having on the 2nd Sunday of Lent instead of the 1st Sunday because of our Bishop's scheduling conflicts) our teacher said many in our congregation will be praying for us, some by name and some for us as a group. She said we need to focus and quiet ourselves and seek the Spirit over these next few weeks. We need to spend time in prayer and realize we're representing all those people out there in the pews.

The Scrutinies are prayers our priest will say over us in front of the congregation on the 3rd, 4th and 5th Sundays of Lent. The prayers will be read out of one of Father's prayer books. Our sponsors will stand behind us, or with their hand on our shoulder, and the priest will read the prayers and perhaps make signs of the cross on our bodies at different points. The readings for the week will match (somewhat) the scrutiny prayers: 1st Scrutiny, the Woman at the Well; 2nd Scrutiny, the Blind man is healed; and 3rd Scrutiny, Lazarus is raised from the dead.

We received a seating chart and name tags to wear to meet the Bishop at the Rite of Election next Sunday. Catechumens (not yet baptised) will sit on the left and Candidates (baptised) will sit on the right and will have their names called and meet the Bishop separately.

Lenten Prayer

2005-02-14T10:10:00.000-05:00

Our RCIA class tonight will cover Lent. I don't think I can add much to all the posts on all the Catholic Blogs and other web sites concerning Lent and its meaning. I do like The Lenten Prayer Of St. Ephraim The Syrian:

O Lord and Master of my life
take from me the spirit of sloth
faint-heartedness,
lust of power
and idle talk.
But give rather the spirit of chastity,
humility,
patience,
and love to thy servant.
Yea, O Lord and King
grant me to see my own errors
and not to judge my brother;
for Thou art blessed unto the ages of ages.

Amen.

And if you click on the link to the prayer above, there is a nice discussion of Lent.

I don't think we'll be covering the last chapter of Michael Pennock's "This is Our Faith," which is a chapter on prayer. The book covers the Catechsim pretty well, but overall, I liked Alan Schrek's "The Essential Catholic Catechism" better. Both books say that humility is the foundation of prayer. We (humanity) don't know how to pray as we ought and God comes to aid us in our weakness with the Holy Spirit. We should pray simply, be precise and persistent. The "Our Father" is the perfect prayer, containing blessings and adoration for God, petitions for ourselves, intercession for others, thanksgiving for God's blessings and praise for God just because "He Is." We should follow the acronym A.C.T.S. in prayer: Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving and Supplication.

Pray for us Now and at the Hour

2005-02-13T21:30:00.000-05:00

Sister Lucia Marto, the last of the children who spoke with the Virgin Mary during the miracle at Fatima, Portugal, has died at age 97.

Lucia and two of her cousins, siblings Jacinta and Francisco, said in 1917 that the Virgin Mary had been appearing to them once a month and predicting events, such as a world war, the fall of Russian communism, and the eventual persecution of Catholics and the Pope. The appearances took place on the 13th day of each month in Fatima, a town about 70 miles north of Lisbon.

Pope John Paul II has visited [Fatima] three times since becoming pontiff, spending a few minutes with Lucia during a 1991 trip to the site. He has claimed the Virgin of Fatima saved his life after he was shot by a Turkish gunman in St Peter’s square in 1981. The May 13, 1981, attack coincided with the feast day of Our Lady of Fatima, and John Paul credit’s the Virgin’s intercession for his survival.

In 2000, he visited Fatima to beatify Jacinta and Francisco.

Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death.

Fatima, in Lucia's own words.

The Third Secret.

From the 2nd Secret of Fatima in 1917:

"This war is going to end, but if people do not cease offending God, not much time will elapse and during the Pontificate of Pius XI another and more terrible war will begin. When you see a night illuminated by an unknown light, know this is the great sign from God that the chastisement of the world for its many transgressions is at hand through war, famine, persecution of the Church and of the Holy Father."

And from history:

While Our Lady was saying these words, the First World War was still raging and Pope Benedict XV was reigning. Ambrogio DAmiano Achille Ratti was elected as Pope Pius XI on February 6, 1922. He died on February 10, 1939.
On the night of January 25, 1938, Sister Lucia stood at her convent window in Tuy, Portugal, and saw an ominous red glow that lit the entire sky. This light was seen throughout Europe and parts of Africa and Asia. Scientists tried to explain it as a most unusual Aurora Borealis. It covered an area of 500,000 square km with a vertical extent of 400 km. The rays reached an altitude of 700 km and are accompanied by a strange noise "similar to the sound of burning grass or brush". Millions of people in many countries saw it and feared the world was on fire and about to end.
The New York Times for January 26, 1938, carried the following :

"London, Jmuary 25th, 1938. The Aurora Borealis rarely seen in Southern or Western Europe spread fear in parts of Portugal and lower Austria tonight while thousands of Britons were brought running into the streets in wonderment. The ruddy glow led many to think half the city was ablaze. The Windsor Fire Department was called out thinking that Windsor Castle was afire. The lights were clearly seen in Italy, Spain, and even Gibraltar. The glow bathing snow-clad mountain tops in Austria and Switzerland was a beautiful sight but firemen turned out to chase non-existent fires. Portuguese villagers rushed in fright from their homes fearing the end of the world."
"Grenoble, France, January 25th, 1938. A huge hlood-red beam of light which scientists said was an Aurora Borealis of exceptional amplitude tied up telephone systems in parts of France tonight and spread anxiety in numerous Swiss Alpine villages. Emblazoned in the Northern sky the light brought thousands of telephone calls to Swiss and French authorities asking whether it was a Fire? War? or the End of the World?"

The Literary Digest Account:

"Thousands of frightened Portuguese peasants rushed from their homes one night recently and pointed to huge shafts of blood, red, greenish, blue and purple light shimmering on the northern horizon. 'It's the end of the world!' they cried.
"In London the luminous heavens also caused alarm. Half the city appeared to be ablaze Frantic citizens telephoned newspaper offices. 'Where's the fire?' they asked. Out in Windsor fire engines clanged through the streets. 'Windsor Castle is afire,' everyone said.
"In southwestern France, in the Alpine villages of Switzerland and along the Danube in Austria, the heavenly blaze brought thousands into city streets and country roads. 'Fire?' they asked one another. 'War?' 'Doomsday?'
"In Holland crowds awaiting the birth of Crown Princess Juliana's baby hailed the celestial spectacle. 'A good omen,' they said. But in the lowlands of Scotland, men and women shook their heads. 'Northern lights,' they declared, 'always spell misfortune for Scotland.'
"The excitement spread across the Atlantic. Bermudians stared at the distant glow. In Canada, much closer to the phenomenon, the Canadian Press reported that 'wire services throughout northern Ontario were disrupted,' while radio transmission went dead."

In America, the sighting of this light was testified by J.C. of Lincoln, Nebraska: "January 26th, 1938, I was walking across campus with 2 or 3 other faculty members of St. Mary's College, Notre Dame, Indiana. We saw that Aurora Borealis, and stopped to watch. I don't recall the colors, the night was very dark, but it was the first 'Northern Lights' I'd seen. I remarked about the Fatima prophecy, and wondered if this could be the Sign . . . Frightening!...World War II started not long after that."(Letter to Divine Love, Vol. 24, No. 2-3, 1981, Fresno, California).
Looking at the 'Northen Lights,' Sister Lucia knew that it was the great sign foretold by Our Lady on July 13, 1917, that the punishment of the world was at hand. In March 1938, Hitler invaded Austria, striking the match that was to set the world aflame. The lights referred to above appeared on the night of January 24-25, 1938. Hitler's move upon Austria took place 45 to 48 days later.

The Fatima Prophecies.

Defending Real Presence

2005-02-11T13:28:00.000-05:00

Are there specific Catholic prayers against doubt? "Real Presence" is a difficult concept for me. I plan to spend a good deal of time seeking guidence through prayer in its regard. There is, though, a website called "The Real Presence.org" where I found an article about early Christian belief.

Update: Many thanks to Lane Core Jr. for these Words on the Holy Eurcharist. You can always visit his Blog "The View from the Core" or his excellent website "elcore.net," he has many, many Catholic resources.

Up and Coming

2005-02-11T12:25:00.000-05:00

I'm not sure why, but the Fort Wayne-South Bend Diocese will be celebrating the Rite of Sending and the Rite of Election a week later than many areas. I think many locations around the country will be performing these rites this weekend, on the 13th. Fort Wayne-South Bend will be Sending and Electing on the 20th. I think these rites are supposed to be performed on the 1st Sunday of Lent.

In the Rite of Sending, we will write our names in a book in front of the congregation before our normal dismissal. In the Rite of Election, we will go to the Fort Wayne Cathedral, sit as a group with our sponsors, and have our name read out (along with all the others in our diocese who are joining the church) for Bishop D'Arcy (and perhaps get to shake his hand).

Our next step will be to go through some Scrutiny and to confession sometime during Lent. From what I've read, and this hasn't been communicated to us very well, the three rites of scrutiny and exorcism (yes, exorcism) should be performed on the 3rd, 4th and 5th Sundays of Lent. The Scrutinies are prayers for us so that we can look deeply into ourselves and discern what and how we need to change in order to live a good life in Christ. I couldn't find a decent link to any description of the Scrutiny Rites or Scrutiny prayers.

The New Order of the Mass

2005-02-11T08:47:00.000-05:00

It's got to be very difficult for priests, after following the order of the mass for so many years, at so many masses, to have the wording switched every so slightly, here and there. I saw an unofficial English Translation of the new Order of the Mass over at The Shrine of the Holy Whapping. And, of course, I never would have run across the Shrine of the Holy Whapping if not for the Catholic Blog Awards.

Disney's Hindu Gambit

2005-02-11T07:22:00.000-05:00

I heard a story on NPR this morning that seemed rather offensive to me... maybe. It seems Disney is having some success penetrating the India pay cable TV market. Disney is working to translate its cartoons into Hindi and Telugu. Mostly the channel will be showing Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy, etc., but (and here's the part that perked my ears) Disney said it will be looking at creating new programming based on Hindu gods.

I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. Anyone who watched 'Pocahontas' saw Disney's ability to portray strange faiths, but I wonder if Walt Disney himself would have approved of Hindu-god animation. Click here for a statement of Walt Disney's faith from 1961 (which doesn't seem particularly strong, to me). I don't recall a specifically Christian Disney movie. I woudn't really call "The Hunchback" a Christian movie... it just happened to take place around a church.

Why Catholicism

2005-02-10T11:18:00.000-05:00

Several of us in our RCIA class were discussing during a break just why we were joining.

For some, it was rules: they had been raised totally without religion, perhaps to think ill of religion, but now they had their own children and had found in the Catholic Church a place where there were rules to live by that don't change with the cultural wind.

For some, it was beauty: they had attended Mass with a friend, or an Easter Vigil when a friend or family member joined, or happened to go to a Catholic Church for a wedding and were taken by the mystery and beauty of services.

For some, it was more simple: their intended spouse was Catholic and they wanted to worship together, they were tired of not participating fully with their family, they are old and want to, need to, take this further step with the church.

I've tried to understand my own case. I said in the past it was conflict in the Methodist Church that drove me away, I've said that it was the weakness and willingness of the Methodist Church in the face of culture that drove me away... but the further I go, the more I believe I wasn't driven away, but was instead, led home. I link the beginnings of my becoming Catholic to an online Bible Study class I taught at our Methodist Church. Our pastor gave a sermon about how lightly attended Sunday School was and how so few people were reading or studying the Bible, so I decided to use the "Year of the Bible" site and a message board (a precursor to blogs, don't you think?) to re-examine the New Testament. Each entry was pushed to our congregation's mass-email list. So for one year, I read a small portion of the New Testament every day and read what I could about what it meant. I had read the New Testament before, but I'd never examined it so closely and had never shared my own thoughts about it. I began to see many teachings our pastors were glossing over or ignoring; teachings on divorce and other cultural issues. I was led to web sites like "Early Christian Writings" and "The Catholic Encyclopedia." I was drawn to the histories of the saints and many sites concerning the Crucifixion and Miracles. I read for the first time the miracle stories of Lourdes, Guadalupe and Fatima. I began asking our pastor why Methodists don't talk or preach about the lives of the saints and miracles. I asked him how the Methodist Women could march for choice when everything I was reading seemed so very much pro-life. In short, I was taken by the mystery and logic of Christianity and upset about the lack of mystery and logic in my own church. I was taken by the teachings of the early fathers, the teachings of the saints, the teachings in the Catechism, the teachings of the Pope and the Teachings of the Magisterium.

And now, here I am, nearing my own confirmation at the upcoming Easter Vigil.

NASA: Global Warming

2005-02-10T10:27:00.000-05:00

NASA reported recently that 2004 was the 4th warmest year on record since the late 1800's. 1998, 2002 and 2003 were warmer. NASA has also reported recently that the Sun's activity was at at 8,000 year high between 1998 and 2002 and is now somewhat declining. In fact, the Sun's activity has been higher than normal for the last 70 years, or so. The fact that Sunspot activity was almost non-existent during the "little ice age" and Sunspot activity is large during this period of global warming leads many people to believe the gigantic ball of fusion-fired gas hanging in space just eight light minutes from Earth may have a larger impact on our climate than does burning fossil fuels.

Who is our Judge? Bill Moyers

2005-02-10T10:00:00.000-05:00

Who can judge how well we each follow our Christian Belief? Why, Bill Moyers, of course, whose mea culpa for lying about James Watt includes this gem:

I talked to Mr. Watt on the phone and expressed my own regret at using a quote that I had not myself confirmed. I also told him that I continue to find his policies as secretary of the interior abysmally at odds with what I, as well as other Christians, understand to be our obligation to be stewards of the earth.

Now that's one great apology, isn't it.

Note: Bill Moyers, an ordained Southern Baptist minister from Texas, served as deputy director of the Peace Corps during the Kennedy Administration, was a special assistant to President Johnson and later was the publisher of Newsday.

Fort Wayne

2005-02-10T08:36:00.000-05:00

For some reason, Men's Health Magazine has it out for Fort Wayne, Indiana. The magazine named us both one of the dumbest cities in America and one of the most unhealthy. (Aside: Shape Magazine labeled Fort Wayne THE most unhealthy city in America, but it turned out one of their criteria was "access to abortion." Fort Wayne does have an active Pro-Life community who go out and picket the abortion clinic weekly.). Anyway, here is a pro-Fort Wayne letter that's making the rounds. And read this, too, in support.

Actual letter being sent to Men's Health Magazine who recently deemed Fort Wayne as being a "stupid" city...

Men's Health Magazine
Dear Editor:

Upon finding ourselves listed in your magazine as the Dumbest City in the Nation, we of the Allen Business Exchange, a group of "stupid" business people in Fort Wayne, Indiana, decided to help you clear your offices and homes of all those pesky products that were invented in Fort Wayne. By return mail, or even fax, (if you haven't already unplugged it to ship back to us) please advise us of a convenient pick up date for the following items:

All your television sets -- born in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

Your turntables, used to be called phonographs, morphed into turntables.

Every fax machine you own or lease; we even want the broken one in the storage room. You may be able to find a repairman, and that wouldn't be fair.

Hand over your hand-held calculators, the inventor of the Bowmar Brain never meant to be ridiculed, so figure it out for yourself.

Get the screwdriver out and remove your garbage disposal. Once called Bill Morrill's electric pig, the garbage disposal certainly helps you in the kitchen, but it looks like life is going to get a bit tougher for you anyway. You can handle it.

And while we are working in the kitchen, dig out those three cans of baking powder. Biscuits just won't be quite so fluffy and tasty, but you'll survive.

Before we leave the kitchen, clean out your refrigerators and freezers for shipping. They too were invented in Fort Wayne.

While we are cleaning up, we will take all your washing machines. Our Horton Washing Machine Company invented, produced and sold the first self-contained cleaning appliance, which nicely replaced the corrugated washboard. We may be able to find three or four of those washboards in our antique shops, so you won't have to be without clean clothes. Where shall we drop-ship them?

Now, let's see all the products you have with magnet wire in them. Yes, we're the world's magnet wire capitol. Invented here, manufactured here. We'll need you to box up your computers, radios, and the engines and motors of your automobiles, SUVs, airplanes, boats, even your hearing aids. Next we'll take the wiring harness from your vehicles, as well as all the motors in your electrical appliances.

Oh, yes, we need your Public Address System-magnet wire you know. It's just everywhere nowadays.

Carefully pack all your hi-fi equipment, now known as stereo, plus all the transistor radios, TVs, and watches. Ask your parents how to wind a wristwatch, because we are hauling away all those nifty little self winding jobs.

It won't bother you so much to give up your automobiles when you learn that you can no longer fuel them easily. We are taking all your gasoline pumps. They too were invented here.

Oh-almost forgot, those kiddy cars that are battery operated. Crate them up too. No Slattery's Battery for you! Entertainment has always been big here. So get all your juke boxes packed up, and all your video games, all copycats of our original Pac-Man.

Now we want the lights from the tops of your tall towers.....the ones that notify the maintenance group and the FAA when they burn out. Of course you won't even hear about the new Zoom product that feeds information about traffic hazards and road conditions to the GPS system, that is another story.....you'll have to read about it in the newspaper, as soon as the pony express gets your edition to you, that is.

How soon can you get solar powered lighting for your city? Yes, municipal lighting systems were invented here, and the first night baseball game was held here, too. Give up your night time sports? Uh-huh. We will just make a clean sweep of it.

Well, thanks for all the goodies. Send a messenger down to let us know when you have reinvented all the items you no longer have available, and we'll see if we can find someone to get you back into the current century, whenever that may be. Oh! And if this is what "stupid" people can invent, imagine what all of you "smart" people are capable of!

All in the spirit of great fun,
Carolyn DeVoe, Vice President
Allen Business Exchange
Fort Wayne, Indiana

Excellent. And don't forget all the famous people our little town has helped produce, including Bill Blass, the fashion designer; Dave Thomas, who started Wendy's restaurant; Rod Woodson, of the NFL; Shelley Long, from Cheers; Carol Lumbard of Hollywood fame; the great author, Stephen King lived here; DeMarcus Beasley, the great soccer player, went to school with my kids; and, of course, Amy Welborn and Michael Dubruiel. Fort Wayne, "The City of Churches."

The Order of the Mass

2005-02-09T15:20:00.000-05:00

I just bought "The Order of the Mass with Prayers and Devotions" online.

I noticed this morning, at the Ash Wednesday service, that one of the side effects of RCIA dismissal (all Catechumens and the Elect are dismissed from Mass after the homily) is that I no longer remember the prayers and responses for Mass very well. I attended Mass without participating in the Eucharist from about Thanksgiving 2003 to September 2004 and had gotten pretty good at the Gloria and the Penitential Rite and the Nicene Creed and the different responses. Now, having seldom gone through Mass for the last five or six months, I find I need additional study.

I'm sure my purchase of the book will lead to the immediate release of the new Missal Translation.

A Journalist Targeted for Death

2005-02-09T10:08:00.000-05:00

Terrorists in Iraq laid in wait for Abdul Hussein Khazal al-Basri, a correspondent of Al-Hurra ("The Free"). Al -Hurra was funded by the United States to "cut through the hateful propaganda that fills the airwaves in the Muslim world."

The journalist's 3 year old son was with him and was killed as well.

CNN reports this news on its web site because it is actual news, it actually happened. CNN didn't report that the US military targeted and killed journalists because it wasn't news, it never happened. For the CNN executive Eason Jordan, to announce, as he did, that the US troops behave like the terrorists in the above story and then not back up his words with stories (like CNN did with the above story), proves that Jordan's words are slander, not fact.

7 a.m. Ash Wednesday

2005-02-09T09:30:00.000-05:00

We attended the 7 a.m. Ash Wednesday service this morning. School is cancelled from ice and snow today and the church was lightly populated. The mass was all business: all music was a cappella, all announcments were via remote mic on our priest, the psalm and responses were spoken, not sung, no procession before the gospel. The homily was an interesting take on giving things up as discipline.... something like, normally we have, perhaps, a kind of balance where our spiritual life fills us up and we become empty by sin and normal excess and flaws. During lent, we both increase our spiritual life through prayer and sacrifice and alsmgiving, while decreasing our sin and excesses. The result is an overflowing cup and our Christian light spills out for all to see through our actions.

Danielle Bean: No Little Joke

2005-02-08T15:31:00.000-05:00

I read this post by Danielle Bean and thought I'd shine my little light on it.

Condi Rice vs. the Washington Post

2005-02-08T08:53:00.000-05:00

I read "Nobody's Archetype" by Eugene Robinson today. In the article, Mr. Robinson lists all of the various sterotypically downgrading views of black women and says, "Nope, Condi doesn't fit that view." Robinson gives Condi Rice strange praise by saying she's not angry, like so many other black women, she's not a Jezebel like Josephine Baker was, she's not an "Earth-Mother" nanny type, and she's not a rich, black princess (quite) because she likes football as well as playing the piano. Robinson, letting his low-life imagination run, hints at sexual tension between President Bush and Condi Rice but blames his mentioning it on others' snickers. He goes on to complain that her policy views are not "black" views:

Condoleezza Rice is nothing if not different. She's not a Democrat, though most African American women are. She's certainly not a liberal. She obviously is race-conscious, but she puts that consciousness into a box that's more deeply hidden than the one most of us African Americans use to store race when we're on the job.

If you read this article and remove all the offensive caricatures, you are left with something like this: Condi Rice is surprising to the bigots of the world, but that doesn't mean her policy views are correct.

What a low piece. I'm sure Robinson is let off the hook by the Post because he, too, is black. He couldn't, for example, get away with writing the same piece about Paul Wolfowitz: listing all of the various stereotypes of Jewish people and then saying Wolfowitz doesn't fit that mold. I'll bet the Washington Post wouldn't approve an article by Robinson on the Pope if it was full of Polish jokes and Catholic caricatures, either, just so it could conclude that John Paul II doesn't fit those molds. No, the Post stoops down to a black, liberal man and gives him reign to insult black, American women.

The news has just broken that Condi Rice just presided over a cease fire between Israel and the Palestinians. Here, in America, one of the papers of record reports:

People see her walking next to President Bush and there are ugly snickers of the Jezebel sort.

And journalists want to be taken seriously.

Update: "Condi Urges new Chapter between U.S. and Europe"

European diplomats, especially after January's elections in Iraq, have welcomed US overtures to mend the partnership.

And they have praised Dr Rice for leading a renewed US peacemaking role in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which is probably Europe's top foreign policy priority.

Fat Tuesday

2005-02-08T07:40:00.000-05:00

We were surprised to receive several different invitations to Mardi Gras parties this year, our first year at our Catholic Church. I took Spanish in high school, not French, so I didn't even realize that "Mardi Gras" means "Fat Tuesday" in French. I asked our priest last night whether Mardi Gras is a Catholic thing & he said it was more of a French thing. But here's an article: "The Catholic Roots of Mardi Gras" that discusses the linkage. I don't recall Mardi Gras ever being dicussed or enjoyed in my Methodist days, while here, our Catholic women's group is hosting a Mardi Gras party right at the church.

And since we're talking foreign languages, notice "Carnival" is from the Latin "carne vale" which means, "farewell to the flesh." I read somewhere, yesterday, that the season of Lent is approximately one tenth of a year (40 days out of 365 days long)... so the abstinence and self-denial, the fasting and the almsgiving, the prayers and the focus on the season is really a tithing of our year, given up for God. To start that tithing with a big, self-indulgent party goes against my Methodist grain, but I'm willing to learn.

Ripples

2005-02-07T22:19:00.000-05:00

Our priest took his time with us tonight at RCIA, walked us through Reconciliation from start to finish, showed us the confessional, gave us prayers to practice, talked about Lent. He covered the 7th, 8th and 10th commandments by discussing a "web" of humanity: each action we take has its effects on others, like ripples interacting in a pond. Stealing ripples. Lying ripples. Gossip ripples. For every action we take, other actions are taken by us and others down the road.

We should be detached from material things. Averice and greed leads us into sin. This doesn't mean that the material world is bad, in fact God said the world is good. Belief that the material world is bad led to Manichaeism in the past, which is definitely not something Catholics believe. There should be balance, temperance.

Preparations Underway

2005-02-07T10:03:00.000-05:00

Lord Jesus Christ, Lamb of God,
you take away the sins of the world,
have mercy on me, a sinner.
The time is nearing when I'll join you
in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
Lord, help me to reveal my sins
with an open heart and be forgiven.
Help me accept my penance
and the mystery of your presence
within the priest.

RCIA tonight is on Commandments 7, 8 and 10. Here are some questions we're to ask ourselves about Commandments 7 (Thou Shalt Not Steal), 8 (Thou Shalt not Bear False Witness) and 10 (Thou Shalt not Covet They Neighbors' Goods):

Have I stolen anything?
Have I damaged anyone's property through my own fault?
Have I cheated or defrauded another?
Have I refused or neglected to pay any debts?
Have I neglected my duties or been slothful in my work?
Have I refused or neglected to help anyone in urgent necessity?
Have I failed to make restitution?
Have I lied about anyone (calumny)?
Have I rashly judged anyone of a serious sin?
Have I engaged in gossip (detraction) or spread scandal?
Have I lent an ear to scandal about my neighbor?
Have I been jealous or envious of anyone?

I would score better on this test than I did on the sex test last week. Of course, no one is perfect. Speaking of the sex commandments, I ran across a nice article about the letters J.R.R. Tolkien used to send to his male children (Tolkien had three boys and a girl). It's good reading.

I'm starting to feel the nerves grow as Easter nears. The Rite of Sending and Rite of Election are in a couple of weeks and those of us who are baptized will have Confession/The Rite of Reconciliation soon after. I've asked several times over our RCIA class when we will learn basic things, like how to hold our hands for the Eucharist, how we are to move and bow, what to say to the priest both before and after Confession. Some of these things I can try to copy from watching others... but the only Confession I know is what they show in the movies, and they never show the end of confession, only the beginning. (In how many movies does the priest not even make it to the end of confession?). Each time I ask, the teachers say, "oh yes, we'll cover that later." Well, it's later enough for me... I found this description on my own:

To begin, the penitent kneels and, by custom, says: "Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned", and may add, "It has been [time] since my last confession." The priest greets the penitent. Then crossing himself, the penitent says "In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" and begins his confession.

The priest may help the penitent with an examination of conscience, perhaps by asking questions. During the confession, the priest may read Scripture passages and offer spiritual counsel.

After hearing the confession, the priest assigns a penance, and the penitent accepts the penance with the following prayer:

O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended thee, and I detest all my sins because of thy just punishment, but most of all because they offend Thee, my God, who art all-good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of thy grace, to sin no more and to avoid the near occasion of sin. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The priest then extends his hands in blessing over the penitent, and prays the prayer of absolution:

Prayer of Absolution
God, the Father of mercies, through the death and resurrection of His Son has reconciled the world to Himself and sent the Holy Spirit among us for the forgiveness of sins; Through the ministry of the Church may God give you pardon and peace, and I absolve you from your sins in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

Well, that makes me feel like I have something with which to prepare.

James Watt sets the Record Straight

2005-02-07T07:18:00.000-05:00

I wrote the other day about Bill Moyers' contention that Christians in Government try to set policy to destroy the environment so that Jesus will come back sooner, rather than later. Well, Powerline, not only went the extra mile to destroy Moyers' entire article, but James Watt, of the Reagan administration, contacted Powerline to set the record straight about the lies Moyers told about him.

The Pope's Legacy: A view from the left

2005-02-06T13:10:00.000-05:00

From my home town paper: The Pope's Legacy. The article seemed to draw a contrast about how Pope John Paul II worked for Freedom and Democracy all over the world EXCEPT in the Vatican. In fact, the article tries to link the Pope's failing to make women equal to men in the Vatican to the sex-abuse problems... I will read it closer and spend more time later.

Later: It wasn't clear to me, reading the article by James Carroll, just where he leaves off reviewing John Cornwell's "The Pontiff in Winter: Triumph and Conflict in the Reign of John Paul II" and John Peter Phan's "Heirs of the Fisherman: Behind the Scenes of Papal Death and Succession" and where Carroll instead is offering his own opinions. In this paragraph, for example:

The conventional assessment of John Paul II contrasts the pope’s liberalizing work outside Catholicism with his profoundly anti-liberal governance of the Church itself. Thus his support of pro-democracy movements against totalitarian regimes stands in stark relief to the rigid authoritarianism with which he has squelched not only theological dissent but also the regional autonomy of bishops (which, in part, accounts for the bishops’ grievous failure to act against priestly abuse of children).

I'm not sure Carroll is reviewing a book, or stating his own beliefs.

Update: Jeremy Lott reviews the reviewer. (Hat Tip, Amy Welborn)

Who Can Marry Who in New York

2005-02-04T21:15:00.000-05:00

The Evangelical Outpost has a nice analysis of the legal case in New York that opens the door for gay marriage... and even more. I believe it is President Bush's position that a Marriage Amendment is needed because activist judges are overruling -- actually superseding -- the legislature and unbalancing the balance of power our country was founded upon.

Those in favor of how the judges are acting refer to laws against the races marrying, but I've never found that persuasive since various races of men and women have been marrying in all manner of cultures all over the world -- forever... but where are the examples of all the cultures all over the world where men marry men and live apart from women & vice versa?

Judges are not protecting the civil rights of gays, they are redefining words.

The Newton Project

2005-02-04T10:36:00.000-05:00

Put on your seatbelt, it's going to be a bumpy ride. I say that because over the next couple of years, I look for the world to be inundated with the religious writings of Isaac Newton. A long-standing project has been transcribing Newton's Latin texts on Religion and Alchemy into books and onto the web. I think Indiana University even has a piece of the pie, transcribing Newton's writings on Alchemy. Newton published his Math and Science books to great acclaim, but he kept his religious writings secret for fear of persecution. Newton's writings were in private hands for a couple of centuries, only coming to light when they were auctioned off in 1939 (I believe that date is correct). Newton's contemporaries thought he suffered a mental breakdown over the last years of his life and one result of that was his controversial religious writings. Today, though, I can already see the headlines about Newton being misunderstood, having to hide, being ahead of his time, of the world not being ready for his genius.

Newton is rightly considered a genius; his invention of Calculus and his forays into optics and thermodynamics, etc. were, and are, breathtaking. But Newton wrote far more (far, far more) about religion. He believed, for example, that his discoveries were re-discoveries of an original ancient wisdom that Noah preserved from the flood, but was later lost. Newton calculated the end of the world would be in the year 2060 from his examinations of Revelations and Daniel. Newton was no atheist, he had no doubt there is a God, but he believed the Bible was corrupted over the centuries and he did not believe that Jesus was divine. Newton believed the concept of the Trinity, with Jesus as Son, was created and forced wrongly into church dogma. In this, I suspect there will be a large audience of Dan Brown readers eager for more bashing of Christianity, and a world media more than happy to assist. Look for stories, yet in 2005, about the painstaking efforts Newton went to to accurately uncover the history of the early Christian faith.

Update: Click here to read an article from a couple of years ago about the Newton Project. Here's an excerpt:

The image of Newton as the great rational thinker was created after his death--Newton was actually a puritanical zealot, a secret heretic who raged against the Anglican Church, delighted in the suffering of Catholics and felt God had given him special powers. "What has been coming out over the past 10 years is what an apocalyptic thinker Newton was," says the documentary's producer, Malcolm Neaum. "He spent something like 50 years and wrote 4,500 pages trying to predict when the end of the world was coming.

Could you Hide that Cross, Please

2005-02-04T08:57:00.000-05:00

The State Senate in Raleigh, North Carolina is arguing over having Bibles and Crosses in the legislative chapel. A Democrat ordered them removed and a Republican stayed that order... the article says the items might best be kept in a drawer.

I think some fish graffiti on the walls might be nice.

Death Row in Connecticut

2005-02-04T08:25:00.000-05:00

You may have read about the pending Connecticut execution of Michael Ross, a contributor to several Catholic papers and magazines. Ross said he was ready to die and didn't want any appeals. It appears that a judge has stepped in and threatened the defense lawyer with a grievance (I heard elsewhere the judge demanded the defense appeal or else he would see to it that the defense lawyer was removed from the bar). In addition, the inmates on Connecticut's death row have begun a hunger strike to complain about the depressing conditions.

I don't think it's the judge's job to force the defense to appeal, but the country seems to be moving away from capital punishment and I also wouldn't want to be the last judge in Connecticut to preside over killing a killer.

Humanae Vitae: Infallible?

2005-02-03T13:22:00.000-05:00

I ran across an interesting news site called "LifeSite" which had an article about ongoing conflict in the Catholic Church over "Humanae Vitae" issues. Here's a little piece:

Catholic Church watchers have not seen this much open dissent by high-level clergy since the publication of the encyclical Humanae Vitae. Pope Paul VI’s 1968 letter affirming the Church’s traditional teaching on contraception caused a wave of open rebellion in some countries, especially in western, developed nations, even of some entire national episcopal conferences, including that of the Canadian bishops. Despite the astonishing accuracy of Paul VI's warnings about the devastation to the moral order that would result from a contraceptive culture, opposition to Church moral teachings is still entrenched in many Catholic quarters.

And the article goes on to discuss many types of sexual protests ongoing within the church all over the world.

I understand, from our RCIA class, that the Pope can teach infallibly from the throne (ex cathedra). I also understand that this hasn't been done since 1950 when the dogma of the Assumption of Mary into heaven was stated by Pope Pius XII. Is it wrong to pray for John Paul II to make it clear that Humanae Vitae is infallible dogma of the Catholic Faith? Or, if you read the link just prior, is it even necessary that he do so?

The mere possibility of Humanae Vitae's being an ex cathedra statement is often scornfully dismissed by referring to the fact that Monsignor Ferdinando Lambruschini, the Vatican spokesman who announced the encyclical to the press and the world, said that it was not infallible. As a matter of fact Lambruschini was not authorized to say any such thing, as is evidenced by the fact that this remark was conspicuously omitted from the Osservatore Romano report of his statement the following day. However, the main point is not whether or not there is historical evidence that the Pope was pleased or displeased with Lambruschini's remark. The main point is that, from a serious theological point of view, his remark is irrelevant. In an age when our consciousness is largely dominated by the mass media, comments by people such as press spokesmen receive an exaggerated importance at times. A moment's reflection ought to make it clear that such a grave issue as the infallibility or non-infallibility of a pontifical document could never be decided simply by reference to the mere ipse dixit of a decidedly non-infallible press spokesman! Indeed - strange as this may seem at first sight - it could never be decided even by seeking out independent historical evidence as to whether or not Pope Paul himself considered Humanae Vitae to be infallible.

Just how does the church decide which statements are infallible and which are not? Read it all, when you have time.

Retire the Pope?

2005-02-03T10:35:00.000-05:00

The New York Post (and I also saw a mention of this at The Corner) is saying the Vatican plans to retire future Popes at a certain, given age. (I think Cardinals are asked to submit their resignation at age 75, if I'm not mistaken, but those resignations don't have to be accepted.)

I disagree with this completely. I was just writing, yesterday, about how different it is for the world watching the ailing Pope John Paul II compared to how the world watched Johnny Carson or Ronald Reagan before they passed away. If you retire Popes, you will ignore and never focus upon their end-of-life "passion" -- a "passion" we may all go through one day. If Pope John Paul II had been forced out at 75, or when his health became worse, his suffering would be no different at all, but the world would know no more about it than we knew of Johnny Carson's. There is much to be learned from John Paul II even yet. Let's not shuffle future Popes off to the side so the next generation can ignore end-of-life issues.

Update: Cardinal Angelo Sodano mentions the Pope's conscience with respect to retirement.

Update II: Pope John Paul II was minutes from death.

Eason Jordan of CNN

2005-02-03T09:37:00.000-05:00

Eason Jordan, the CNN news executive who is reported to have claimed US soldiers specifically targeted and killed journalists, is now saying that the whole thing is a quibble about the meaning of "collateral damage" vs. the meaning of "targeted" versus the meaning of "friendly fire."

I'll wait for the transcript, as I said yesterday, but I did get one of those mass CNN mailings saying Jordan's comments are being misunderstood. I wish some journalist with spunk would just go ask Barney Frank about it.

Update: Hugh Hewitt has an email interview with the man who started this whole deal. I particularly like the way this man thinks:

This issue is turning into a right vs. left agenda issue, a lynch mob against Eason Jordan issue, and feeding into many different agendas. I hope that any news media (bloggers, print, major, minor) covering this can respect my original intent which was to not leave this kind of allegation hanging in the air, but to carry it through to the point where the truth is known, and known to all sides.

That's journalistic thinking.

Update: The New York Sun writes about the Eason Jordan matter.

Means Testing vs. Personal Accounts

2005-02-03T08:11:00.000-05:00

Micky Kaus says that if we do means testing for benefits, then Social Security wouldn't need personal accounts because that's the largest and only fix that's needed. But what is "means testing" but a decision not to pay out to those who can get by without the money? In other words, a decision not to pay out to a large portion of the people who paid in. In other words, "means testing" is a straight 14% tax on the wealthy to pay for the retirement of the poor.

I've been of the opinion for a long time that I can't count on social security, but I haven't made the leap from that to the idea of being locked out and yet still forced to pay in. I'm saving for my retirement & hope to be able to get by without social security -- that would be a lot easier if I could opt out now and move my social security tax into my retirement fund.

What a Moment!

2005-02-02T22:00:00.000-05:00

The mother of a fallen marine hugs a daughter of free Iraq whose father was killed by Saddam... during the State of the Union Address.

Update: Read John Podhoretz' take on "the hug".

Update: Fox and Friends this morning seemed upset about the Democrat boos and hisses during the State of the Union Address last night... saying they couldn't remember such a thing ever happening. Well, I'm sure I do remember. In fact, I'd say that the party out of power more often boos and hisses at the State of the Union than not. I remember it under Reagan and I remember the Republicans doing it under Clinton.

JP II and JC

2005-02-02T20:49:00.000-05:00

You can check on the Pope's health/schedule here.

OK, so the "JC" I'm talking about is Johnny Carson, not Jesus. It occurred to me this evening, when I saw a report on the health of Pope John Paul II, that the press corps were not hanging out around outside Johnny Carson's home, waiting for him to die so they would have a story. The press didn't hang around Ronald Reagan's place, either, to the extend they are following John Paul II at the hospital. Why are they doing this to John Paul II? What must it feel like to know the press hounds are outside your window waiting, probably hoping, for a story that doesn't end well. (Strike that... I have no doubt the story of Pope John Paul II will end well no matter what.) Why must the press act like vultures, circling endlessly.

Well, they circle because there will be a successor and a lot of people both care about John Paul II and about who will be chosen to succeed him. Johnny C. had no successor. Reagan's successor is already long gone from the white house. I think when the Queen of England passes away, the press will act like this. The Queen is dead, long live the King! What must it have been like in days of old when royalty passed away?

And this, in turn, made me think of Christ Crucified. What were the words on his cross? "Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews" -- but unlike Pope John Paul II and unlike the Queen of England... Jesus had no successor. Peter was the first pope, but Peter was not a successor, was he. The King lives.

Forever and ever, amen.

CNN News Chief: US Military Targeted and Killed Journalists

2005-02-02T09:08:00.000-05:00

Hat tip: Hugh Hewitt.

Eason Jordan, Executive Vice President and Chief News Executive for CNN, claimed that the US Military purposefully targeted and killed journalists during the Iraq War. He did not say this in some back room or in some secret memo, he said this in an open forum with US Congressmen and foreign VIPs on live TV for distribution to the world. He said this at the World Economic Forum session on "Will Democracy Survive the Media." (Not if CNN can help it!) From the report, which you can click on above:

Eason Jordan asserted that he knew of 12 journalists who had not only been killed by US troops in Iraq, but they had in fact been targeted. He repeated the assertion a few times, which seemed to win favor in parts of the audience (the anti-US crowd) and cause great strain on others.
Due to the nature of the forum, I was able to directly challenge Eason, asking if he had any objective and clear evidence to backup these claims, because if what he said was true, it would make Abu Ghraib look like a walk in the park. David Gergen was also clearly disturbed and shocked by the allegation that the U.S. would target journalists, foreign or U.S. He had always seen the U.S. military as the providers of safety and rescue for all reporters.

This is the same Eason Jordan who wrote "The News we Kept to Ourselves" in the New York Times about how CNN did not report on the human rights abuses of Saddam so that Saddam would allow CNN to stay in the country and keep reporting (nothing).

Perhaps Eason was refering to this event? when the USA fired a tank shell at the Palestine Hotel and three journalists were killed when the soldiers believed they were under fire. Lower in the article is this note:

In related developments, Reporters Without Borders voiced its concern that a CNN crew’s security escort returned fire with an automatic weapon when the crew came under fire near Tikrit. CNN has been using a private security firm to protect some its crews. The use of firearms is a practice contrary to all the rules of the profession, the organization said.
“Such a practice sets a dangerous precedent that could jeopardize all other journalists covering this war as well as others in the future,” Reporters Without Borders Secretary-General Robert Menard said. “There is a real risk that combatants will henceforth assume that all press vehicles are armed,” he warned.

So, even though Mr. Jordan backpeddled when challenged on whether the US military killed journalists on purpose, even though Mr. Jordan claimed, when challenged, that he didn't believe what he, himself, had just said to an international audience, the universe of anti-americanism was given a gift by one of the largest news agencies in the world... Eason Jordan's statement that the United States of American targets and kills journalists on purpose. We'll see how that plays on Arab TV.

Update: Eason Jordan is doing some damage control through blogs and personal contacts... but I'll wait for the transcript.

Bill Moyers' Tomorrow

2005-02-01T14:06:00.000-05:00

I imagine most people who surf around to Catholic or Christian or Conservative blogs have already seen plenty of comments on Bill Moyers' recent article, "There is no Tomorrow" in the Minneapolis Star Tribune. Moyers argues that Christians believe that the world will end and there will be heaven on earth, therefore, Christians really want the world to end, therefore Christians in Government are a very bad thing because they will all support end-of-the-world policies on the environment, war, etc.

Since Moyers was born and raised in Texas, I imagine he had Christian roots... just a guess. I was reading G.K. Chesterton's "The Everlasting Man" the other day and really liked this part:

The best relation to our spiritual home (Christianity) is to be near enough to love it. But the next best is to be far enough away not to hate it. It is the contention of these pages that while the best judge of Christianity is a Christian, the next best judge would be something more like a Confucian. The worst judge of all is the man now most ready with his judgments; the ill-educated Christian turning gradually into the ill-tempered agnostic, entangled in the end of a feud of which he never understood the beginning, blighted with a sort of hereditary boredom with he knows not what, and already weary of hearing what he has never heard. He does not judge Christianity calmly as a Confucian would; he does not judge it as he would judge Confucianism. He cannot by an effort of fancy set the Catholic Church thousands of miles away in strange skies of morning and judge it as impartially as a Chinese pagoda. It would be better to see the whole thing as a remote Asiatic cult, then at least we should not lose our temper as some of the sceptical critics seem to lose their temper, not to mention their wits. Their anti-clericalism has become an atmosphere, an atmosphere of negation and hostility from which they cannot escape. It would be better to walk past a church as if it were a pagoda than to stand permanently on the porch, impotent either to go inside and help or to go outside and forget.

Yes, I think that fits Mr. Moyers to a tee... "already weary of hearing what he has never heard."

Help Me Accept

2005-02-01T08:40:00.000-05:00

Lord Jesus Christ, Bread of Life,
you take away the sins of the world,
have mercy on me, a sinner.
The time is nearing when I'll join you
in your last supper, the Eucharist.
Lord, help me accept the mystery
of your body and your blood;
help me accept your presence
in the wine and in the bread and
within me.

We talked all around commandments 6 and 9 at RCIA last night. It's a difficult topic, adultery and chastity, especially in our culture. We discussed how it will be to talk these issues out with a priest in Confession. We talked about Desperate Housewives ("there you go, just don't do any of that"). Our teacher made it clear that divorce does not mean you can't be a communing member of the Catholic Church -- it is re-marriage without an annulment that will result in that. We talked about birth control and infertility. Our teacher read John 8, about the woman taken in adultery. She pointed out that Jesus did not condemn the woman, but forgave her. She also read Romans 13:12-13

The night is far gone, the day is at hand. Let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light; let us conduct ourselves becomingly as in the day, not in reveling and drunkenness, not in debauchery and and licentiousness, not in quarreling and jealousy.

It was a good meeting, as all have been lately. We are nearing Lent and the final push is on to join the church at Easter. I need to accept the concepts I am still struggling to accept (see the opening prayer of this post) and spend more time in prayer getting ready.

The 6th and the 9th Commandments

2005-01-31T11:55:00.000-05:00

Congratulations Iraq!

At RCIA tonight, we will continue exploring the 10 Commandments. Tonight, we will cover the 6th and the 9th commandments: "Thou Shalt Not Commit Adultery" and "Thou Shalt Not Covet Thy Neighbor's Wife." Here are some of the questions we are supposed to ask ourselves about these two commandments:

Have I denied my spouse his or her marriage rights?
Have I practiced birth control?
Have I abused my marriage rights in any other way?
Have I committed adultery or fornication?
Have I touched or embraced another impurely?
Have I sinned with others of the same sex?
Have I committed masturbation or otherwise sinned impurely with myself?
Have I harbored lustful desires for anyone?
Have I indulged in other impure thoughts?
Have I failed to dress modestly?
Have I done anything to provoke or occasion impure thoughts in others?
Have I read indecent literature or looked at indecent pictures?
Have I watched suggestive films or programs?
Have I permitted my children or others under my charge to do these things?
Have I used indecent language or told indecent stories?
Have I willingly listened to such stories?
Have I boasted of my sins?
Have I sinned against chastity in any other way?

If that were an 18 question test, I would fail with a 44% grade. Happily, Reconcilliation is near and I can begin retaking the test with a clean slate.

We have a handout that says many people confuse "chastity" with "celibacy." Chastity is not the absence of sex, but the presence of a clean heart that leads to the proper use of sexuality. Chastity is about attitude -- like not exploiting others by treating them as objects. Chastity celebrates the value of a clean heart and pure intention. Chastity liberates us from lust and exploitation and the human destruction those two things cause.

Monday Review

2005-01-31T08:15:00.000-05:00

Amy Welborn has a nice idea for Monday mornings.

Canceling the Bee

2005-01-28T13:13:00.000-05:00

A school in the Northeast cancels the spelling bee because when someone wins, some child is (by definition) left behind.

Please. Does "No Child Left Behind" also now mean that none may run ahead?

Neighborhood Just War

2005-01-28T09:53:00.000-05:00

I usually read discussions about "Just War" with interest, but of course I'm no expert. I don't have much to add to discussions like the one on Amy Welborn's site the other day. But just as I wrote about one of my next-door neighbors a few days back (the one with the maple tree that just won't die), perhaps I'll write about a next-door neighbor who used to live on the other side.

When we first moved into our home, which is just one block from the public grade school and three blocks from a Catholic Grade school, our neighbors were all older and had no children living at home. How nice, then, when a family with two little girls our children's age (9 and 6) moved in right next door. This was a blended family, the two little girls were the children of the couple and the wife brought along two teenage boys from a previous marriage. The happiness of having friends for our children so close soon wore off, though, when the older of the girls started telling different mothers in the neighborhood that her teenage step-brothers had been "at" her, if you don't mind the euphemism, "at."

What to do? Well, several of the mothers on the block, including my better half, got together and asked those parents if this was true. "Well, yes, it is true," said the mother, "but our whole family is in therapy and we're dealing with it."

The neighborhood mothers discussed this among themselves, worried because the parents of those girls both worked and those poor girls were home alone with those boys quite often. And worried, too, of course for all the hundreds of children that lived and walked through the neighborhood to get to school. The women decided to call the welfare department and discuss the situation. This resulted in a visit by the authorities next door and a rather horrible series of confrontations on our doorstep. Suffice to say that our pool, every morning from then on, had dirt clods and garbage thrown in. Suffice to say that our dog was foreverafter treated to stick-poking and thrown rocks when he went outside. Suffice to say that even the little girl who we were trying to protect (along with our own family) threatened to take her father's pistol and blow our brains out.

Over the course of years, the boys were forced by court order to be removed to live with their father (and every time they showed up back home to make neighborhood life horrible we had to call for the authorities) and finally the girls grew up and the family moved away. A new, very nice young family now lives next door.

So what does this have to do with Just War Doctrine? Just assume that our neighbor was Saddam and their house was Iraq. Look at all the times we had to call on the authorities (the United Nations) to enforce the law and protect the neighborhood (the world). What, pray tell, would we have done if the city officials did nothing to enforce the law? What would we have done? Move? Yes, of course, but countries can't move. The United Nations proved toothless, the United States had recently been attacked by Osama Bin Laden (and people today seem totally focused on the World Trade Center attack and seem to forget the people running for their lives from the White House and the Capitol... people seem to forget that the Pentagon itself was attacked, the seat of the defense of our nation, and many died) and many, me included, felt it was high time someone did something about Saddam popping off at our Air Force and flaunting United Nations Resolutions.

I remain thankful that through the intervention of authorities, no Just War was needed with my neighbor. I never found how far I could be pushed before I pushed back. President Bush faced a level of decision I never had to face and it's why he remains in my prayers.

Update: More on Just War Doctrine at the Southern Appeal Blog (via Amy Welborn).

Wide Awake

2005-01-27T07:00:00.000-05:00

Before M. Night Shyamalan became famous for writing and directing "The Sixth (I see dead people) Sense" and "Signs," with Mel Gibson, he wrote and directed a little film called "Wide Awake" that I happened to catch last night. The story is about a fifth grader who's beloved grandfather dies of bone cancer. The little boy (Joshua), who goes to Catholic grade school, decides to go on a quest to find and talk to God to make sure his grandfather is OK.

Let me tell you, I'm a sucker for kid movies, especially kid-on-a-quest movies like "Amazing Grace and Chuck" or "Pay it Forward." So, I lucked out here because it was only happenstance that I caught "Wide Awake." I saw Dana Delany in a movie I liked over Christmas break ("Resurrection") and since she was in "Wide Awake," I watched it, too . . . having no idea what it was about.

Anyway, the little boy, Joshua, has the normal grade school problems: bullies, weirdos, girls, and a best friend who's always getting him into trouble. When Josh tells his best friend about his quest to find God, the friend says something like, "There either is no God or else He doesn't care about people, just look at all the suffering in the world, look at all the bad things that happen for no reason." But Josh continues, asking questions of his parents, his nun-teachers, his priest and even seeking out a Cardinal (in a restroom). Josh searches for God on the Internet and investigates all manner of religious ideas throughout his 5th grade year until everyone at school knows about his quest. Finally, near the end of the year, Josh walks in on his daredevil friend (who was always missing school for various, rather-fake, health reasons) having a massive undiagnosed epileptic seizure. Josh gives up his quest having never found God and realizing his friend was right about bad things happening to good people.

But then, slowly, we begin to understand. We look at the drudgery the nuns and the priests go through at the school all day, every day. We look at the bully and the weirdos. We look at Joshua's family and we realize that his quest led him to understand the bully and show him kindness, his quest led him to show the weirdos kindness and friendship, his quest brought moments of inspiration to his teachers and his priest and his parents. (During confession to his priest: "Can we just talk? How do you know He's really there? Where can I find Him?") Finally, his daredevil friend, who had told him constantly his quest was pointless and making him look crazy, told him from his hospital bed that he was afraid, for the first time, he was afraid, "Don't give up your quest, Josh. Look, it was a miracle that you walked in on me, you never come over when I miss school, but you came over that day and found me."

Each of the students give a "What happened to me in 5th grade" essay at the end of the movie. Josh writes something like this: "Before this year, bullies were just bullies, weirdos were just weird, daredevils were never afraid, and people I loved never died. It was as if I was asleep and didn't realize what was going on around me... but now, now I'm wide awake."

I find the story inspiring, and even if I'm not a child and even if it's a little harder for a grown up to ask questions and quest for God . . . I find myself thinking of my own extended family and my own co-workers and my own RCIA teachers. How might my own quest effect them? How might discussing impossible-to-answer questions allow God into their (and my) life? Just how much am I missing? Just how sleepy am I?

A decent question to ask of Eutychus who did, after all, fall asleep out of a third story window and die while Paul was preaching. A good question to ask of Eutychus who was, after all, brought back to life from the dead.

I wonder if his first question was, "What did I miss?" I wonder if he said, "Well, I'm wide awake now!"

Conscience Feeding

2005-01-25T14:22:00.000-05:00

In RCIA last night we discussed the 4th and 5th commandments: Honor Thy Father and Mother and Thou shalt not kill. I was again struck by the enormity of the 10 commandments and how each commandment can inform a multitude of moral decisions we face daily. We talked about a lot of things, but some stand out:

It is growing more difficult to justify support for capital punishment. We talked about Ted Bundy, who escaped from prison in Aspen and went on a murder spree in Florida. Would it be possible, with today's technology, to prevent a Bundy escape? What about the poorer nations, how hard is it for them to maintain prisoners on death-row for decades?

Our teacher asked if anyone in the room knew anyone personally who had committed suicide and every hand went up. I was shocked...

We talked about PVS (persistent vegetative state) and Terri Shiavo and the Pope's directive on feeding tubes. These are all things we talked about and discussed, but it was a conscience feeding evening and no conclusive directives were given we students. We walked out into the cold night of a grey world.

Senator Bayh

2005-01-25T13:27:00.000-05:00

Evan Bayh, one of my Indiana Senators, rose in opposition to Condi Rice today in the Senate debate. Senator Bayh said that the Bush Administration made mistakes that got us into Iraq and no one has been called to pay for those mistakes. I'd like to point out that Senator Bayh supported the war in Kosovo in 1999 based on the intelligence that genocide, ethnic cleansing, was occuring. President Clinton's intelligence sources said, at different times, between 100,000 and 250,000 people, mostly gypsies, had been murdered and placed in mass graves. Estimates today of the ethnic cleansing seem to range between 1,000 and 2,500 people might have been killed -- hardly genocide, hardly on the scope of the millions killed in the genocide after the USA left Vietnam.

Who has Senator Bayh called to pay for this false intelligence that got us into the war in Kosovo? I expect that Condi Rice has huge favorable ratings in Indiana and I'm rather surprised that Senator Bayh would take a position so far outside this state's desires. I am disappointed less by his standing in opposition than by the partisan nature of his opposition: he would not have risen in opposition to Madeleine Albright after her mistakes in Kosovo and North Korea. I do not believe he would have stood in opposition to Joe Biden, either, had John Kerry chosen him as his Secretary of State.

Bayh joins the other Democrats who both demand the Administration admit mistakes and then bash them in any way possible for doing so. Bayh votes against Rice for not preventing the war in Iraq which he himself voted for on the evidence. Bayh votes against Rice for being not knowing that Saddam was a toothless tiger while at the same time Bayh garners support from hoosiers for his vote for war to keep the tiger out. Come his next bid for re-election, will he not run to pay for his mistake in voting for the war?

Windows on the World

2005-01-25T09:04:00.000-05:00

So many people make fun of and dislike Bill Gates. But the Gates Foundation is doing good work.

In its less than five years of existence GAVI has been responsible for the vaccination of some 54 million children against diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, hepatitis B, influenza type B, and yellow fever.

GAVI was set up in 2000 in response to stagnation in the rate of worldwide vaccination and the growing gap between industrialised and developing countries in access to vaccines.

"Despite remarkable progress in the past three decades in immunization coverage world-wide, it is unacceptable that in the 21st century, about two million people still die each year of infectious diseases that could have been entirely prevented through basic vaccinations," said Lee.

Paul Allen (co-founder of MicroSoft) has his own charitable institution, "The Paul Allen Family Foundation."

So, say what you want about MicroSoft, but what did the billionaires of the past establish to rival Gates? Did Howard Hughes innoculate the world? Did J. Paul Getty work to modernize poor schools and libraries?

A Tree Grows in Phoenix

2005-01-24T14:45:00.000-05:00

I was reading about the two suspended Phoenix, AZ priests over at Amy Welborn's site (where does she find the energy?) Over time, I've lived through some congregational splits over pastors and over change. I've also been on the sidelines for other splits over building projects, behavior, growth, money, etc. There's no end to the causes that can split a parish or a congregation.

A couple of winters ago, an ice storm brought down a large limb from my neighbor's maple tree onto our garage roof. Our neighbor is an 80-something widow and we've lived next to her for over twenty years, even before her husband died. Our kids and my wife and I mow, rake, shovel and otherwise try to help out. Our neighbor decided to take down the tree so this wouldn't happen again. Rather than pay for tree-removal, her son came over and cut off all the branches and then topped the tree so that only a 10 foot high stump remained. It was quite a production.

I used to trim trees for a mobile home park when I was in college (hang with me here, and I'll get back to those suspended priests). We were trained to never take more than 1/3 of the tree at a time and always trim so that there was a clear "leader" branch at the top of the tree. Our boss told us that he had seen trees survive when 2/3 of the tree was taken, but he prefered being safer with his investment so we only ever took away 1/3 of a tree. I drive by those trees now, 25 years later, and am proud of how high and strong and well-formed they are. Every year, we would cut off the bottom branches so that eventually the lowest branches would be too high for kids to hang on, too high to be in the way. Every year we would cut off branches that rivaled the "leader" branch so that eventually the main trunk rose straight without curves and bows and weaknesses. And, of course, every year the nearby families complained about us butchering their trees.

Anyway, despite all my training and experience, I was surprised to see my neighbor's bare, 10 foot high, maple tree stump continue to sprout small limbs and leaves. I was amazed to see it, year after year, struggling to come back. The stump survives to this day, with limbs growing stronger and starting to spread, once again, overtop my garage.

I know nothing of the cases of those two Phoenix priests beyond what I've read in the article above. But I understand that in each case the congregations, the parishioners, are loyal to their priest and consider the whole thing (in each case) a misunderstanding. I have lived through this and have seen it lived through. Sunday, which should be a day of peace and focus on God, becomes embattled. If only there was some immunization for this kind of thing. Change is constant and if we compare the Catholic Church to the trunk of my neighbor's tree, you can almost hear the congregational limbs under the saw's attack. What are the people in this analogy if not the leaves, the leaves that bring life and light to the tree. I doubt one tree in 100 would survive the stripping of all its branches and leaves. The trick, I would think, the immunization, if you will, would be to have the leaves sprout right off the trunk.

I think that's what a good RCIA program brings to a church. One of those priests in Phoenix preached that women should be ordained priests and that gay folk should be welcome at the Eucharist. What a weakness that brings to the tree! The RCIA class at that church must be quite confused to learn one thing in class and have the priest teach another on Sunday. You can see the weakness in that tree... the central branch, the "leader," has a rival and it should be trimmed. A tree with two leaders grows off-center, leads the congregation away from the central truth.

I like our priest. When he teaches RCIA, I have yet to hear anything about, "oh, you can ignore that part, it's dated and we don't follow it here." But there are those who do not like our priest, and it would be so hard, if and when he leaves, to follow someone who doesn't really believe the teachings of the church. But if worse comes to worse, and the branches and leaves are lopped off our parish, I hope our strong RCIA program has immunized our parish well enough that the people, the leaves, would continue to sprout from the trunk and seek truth and light and life.

Tree trimming doesn't always make people happy. Often, people are used to what their trees look like and happy with the shade the way it's cast. Healthy trees, though, must needs be trimmed despite the uproar, ill-will and sense of loss so many feel.

Boston Legal

2005-01-24T08:21:00.000-05:00

Boston Legal isn't everyone's cup of tea, but the character Alan Shore (played by James Spader) has a set of morals. It's a bent set, but the lawyer-character Alan Shore, however baudy and pompous, has beliefs. I don't want to write about his beliefs, though. Another character on the show, played by William Shatner, is Denny Crane. The character Denny Crane is an aging, famous lawyer who is suffering the early stages of Alzheimer's. Denny Crane, too, has morals and I don't want to write about those, either.

I want to write about their friendship on the show. Often, at the end of episodes, the two sit out in the air, on a balcony, and smoke cigars and talk. Their friendship is well played and palpable. Last night, the two were talking about Denny's Alzheimer's and Denny, a conservative Republican, says something like...

Denny Crane: Sometimes you can only look for answers from God, and failing that... (heavy silence... )

Alan Shore: Fox News.

Denny Crane: Exactly!

Alan Shore: (snidely) You Republicans.

Denny Crane: (smiling) You Democrats.

Of course, I laughed out loud at the Fox News crack, but the friendship of the two characters was played out wonderfully and it's something that is missing today in politics.

Johnny Carson

2005-01-23T18:26:00.000-05:00

I have the feeling that Johnny Carson is the last, great, television focal point. A person who had a feel for the silent majority of the nation and knew how to reach them. We have a bunch of him on tape and DVD and watch him periodically. I miss him. It's sad that he's gone.

The Last Seven Commandments

2005-01-21T13:53:00.000-05:00

RCIA Monday night will be Chapter 21 in "This is our Faith" by Michael Pennock: "The Last Seven Commandments: Love of Neighbor:

1. Love your God and have no other gods before Him
2. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain
3. Remember the Sabbath Day and keep it holy
4. Honor your Father and your Mother
5. Thou shalt not kill
6. Thou shalt not commit adultery
7. Thou shalt not steal
8. Thou shalt not bear false witness
9. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife
10.Thou shalt not cover they neighbor's goods

As I've said before, I believe, the Catholic Catechism's teaching on the 10 commandments is a major point of departure from my Methodist roots. Catholics go deeply into what each of these commandments mean and how they affect people living today. I remember no such study or investigation into the commandments growing up Methodist. Certainly, we talked about the commandments, but never any discussion like this:

The seventh commandment condemns 'theft,' defined as taking another's property against his or her reasonable will. Also forbidden is any unjust taking and keeping of another's property. This includes business fraud, paying unjust wages, price fixing, corruption, shoddy work, tax evasion, forgery, padding expense accounts, wasteful practices, and the destruction of public or private property (vandalism). Promises and contracts must be kept, debts must be paid...

The discussion of the seventh commandment goes on to talk about gambling, social justice, the treatment of the poor... The Catholic Catechism's discussion of the 10 Commandments is a document that all Christians would benefit reading and studying. Not only do Catholics inform their conscience by studying the 10 commandments, they examine their lives before Reconciliation/Confession using these same commandments and try to actually live their faith. Certainly, all Christian faiths try to honor and consider the 10 commandments, but in my (limited) experience, the Catholic Catechism calls on the faithful to live up to their precepts more strongly and more completely than others.

Et Tu

2005-01-21T08:22:00.000-05:00

Peggy Noonan has some thoughts on the President's speech yesterday:

Americans, countrymen, and Republicans! hear me for my cause; and be silent, that you may hear: believe me for mine honour, and have respect to mine honour, that you may believe: censure me in your wisdom, and awake your senses, that you may the better judge. If there be any in this assembly, any dear friend of Bush’s, to him I say, that my love to 'W' was no less than his. If then that friend demand why I rose against Bush, this is my answer: Not that I loved 'W' less, but that I loved America more. Had you rather the President were successful, and die all failures, than that Bush were seen as stupid, to live all as you have been? As 'W' loved me, I weep for him; as he was fortunate, I rejoice at it; as he was valiant, I honour him; but, as he was ambitious, I slew him. There is tears for his love; joy for his fortune; honour for his valour; and death for his ambition. Who is here so base that would be a Democrat? If any, speak; for him have I offended. Who is here so rude that would not be an American? If any, speak; for him have I offended. Who is here so vile that will not love his country? If any, speak; for him have I offended. I pause for a reply.

None, Peggy, none.

Then none have I offended. I have done no more to Bush, than you shall do to me.

You can click on the top link to see Noonan's real article since the above is, of course, the speech Brutus gave after killing Caesar in Shakespeare's play "Julias Caesar." I thought it fitting since Ms. Noonan complains so strongly against the President's ambition. I wonder, after reading Noonan, whether it was she who would have liked to replace Bush's retiring head speech writer, and whether, perhaps, she was not asked. If you want to read Antony's reply to Brutus, in defense of Caesar, read it here. I'm sure you remember how it starts, "Friends, Romans Countrymen, lend me your ears!"

Update: I understand that President Bush has been much inspired lately by the book "The Case for Democracy" by Natan Sharansky.

The Inaugural Speech & Coverage

2005-01-20T13:25:00.000-05:00

There was some kind of disruption during the inaugural speech, but the crowd cheered over it and cheered louder when some signs were taken down and some people were led away. Here are a few of my favorite parts of the president's speech:

The survival of liberty in our land increasingly depends on the success of liberty in other lands. The best hope for peace in our world is the expansion of freedom in all the world.

America's vital interests and our deepest beliefs are now one. From the day of our Founding, we have proclaimed that every man and woman on this earth has rights, and dignity, and matchless value, because they bear the image of the Maker of Heaven and earth. Across the generations we have proclaimed the imperative of self-government, because no one is fit to be a master, and no one deserves to be a slave. Advancing these ideals is the mission that created our Nation. It is the honorable achievement of our fathers. Now it is the urgent requirement of our nation's security, and the calling of our time.

We will persistently clarify the choice before every ruler and every nation: The moral choice between oppression, which is always wrong, and freedom, which is eternally right. America will not pretend that jailed dissidents prefer their chains, or that women welcome humiliation and servitude, or that any human being aspires to live at the mercy of bullies.

In America's ideal of freedom, the exercise of rights is ennobled by service, and mercy, and a heart for the weak. Liberty for all does not mean independence from one another. Our nation relies on men and women who look after a neighbor and surround the lost with love. Americans, at our best, value the life we see in one another, and must always remember that even the unwanted have worth. And our country must abandon all the habits of racism, because we cannot carry the message of freedom and the baggage of bigotry at the same time.

We have known divisions, which must be healed to move forward in great purposes - and I will strive in good faith to heal them. Yet those divisions do not define America. We felt the unity and fellowship of our nation when freedom came under attack, and our response came like a single hand over a single heart. And we can feel that same unity and pride whenever America acts for good, and the victims of disaster are given hope, and the unjust encounter justice, and the captives are set free.

We go forward with complete confidence in the eventual triumph of freedom. Not because history runs on the wheels of inevitability; it is human choices that move events. Not because we consider ourselves a chosen nation; God moves and chooses as He wills. We have confidence because freedom is the permanent hope of mankind, the hunger in dark places, the longing of the soul. When our Founders declared a new order of the ages; when soldiers died in wave upon wave for a union based on liberty; when citizens marched in peaceful outrage under the banner "Freedom Now" - they were acting on an ancient hope that is meant to be fulfilled. History has an ebb and flow of justice, but history also has a visible direction, set by liberty and the Author of Liberty.

I thought the speech well done and rather well delivered... with the one protest marring the end of the speech.

Update: Dan Rather is on CBS complaining now because President Bush didn't write his own speech. "Is it too much to ask," says Mr. Rather, "that a President write his own Inaugural address?" The other reporters point out that they are the President's thoughts and that all modern presidents have speech writers.

Update: Peter Jennings and Cokie Roberts and George Stephanopolis and company are on ABC discussing Tyranny vs. Terror and how other countries will feel about the speech, other countries like China and Saudi Arabia and Egypt and Russia. Peter Jennings says Bush's speech will be seen as a threat to other countries and ABC is talking about the hypocrisy of America in talking about freedom, but having relations with Saudi Arabia.

Update: Brian Williams and Tim Russert are on NBC discussing how it was an easy speech to give, but rather impossible to implement. Doris Kearns Goodwin, the historian, is saying it was a Democrat speech, not a Republican speech. She says that Bush's tax cuts and the international distrust birthed of our intervention in Iraq make Bush's ideas more difficult, if not impossible, to implement. She says we don't have the money or the cooperation to move ahead. Russert is calling Bush simplistic in his views. Brian Williams brings up Ohio and how the vote for Bush is not a mandate.

Update: Brian Williams is talking with Michael Deaver (R) and Joe Lockhart (D) and Tim Russert on NBC about why Bush is so hated by Democrats... saying that Bush bites their hands everytime they reach out. Lockhart says that if Bush wants to achieve the things in his speech, he will have to reach out to the Democrats.

Update: CBS is talking about the Supreme Court now. "No matter who Bush nominates to replace Renquist on the Supreme Court, it will be controversial. There will be a huge fight no matter who it is." "The Democrats will fight whomever Bush nominates for Chief Justice."

Why, why, why can't anyone talk about anything positive on a day as bright as this... the first day of a new presidency.