Back to silence

Folks, I've been backsliding on my promise to halt blogging for Lent. I've allowed too much noise to invade my mind. So, I hereby recommit myself to silence and recollection until Easter. Enjoy the current contents and may the Lord richly bless you.

Harvard Scientist: Pope Benedict’s Correct - condoms have been proven to be ineffective in mass AIDS prevention

Folks, this from National Review Online:

‘We have found no consistent associations between condom use and lower HIV-infection rates, which, 25 years into the pandemic, we should be seeing if this intervention was working.”
So notes Edward C. Green, director of the AIDS Prevention Research Project at the Harvard Center for Population and Development Studies, in response to papal press comments en route to Africa this week.

Benedict XVI said, in response to a French reporter’s question asking him to defend the Church’s position on fighting the spread of AIDS, characterized by the reporter as “frequently considered unrealistic and ineffective”:

I would say that this problem of AIDS cannot be overcome with advertising slogans. If the soul is lacking, if Africans do not help one another, the scourge cannot be resolved by distributing condoms; quite the contrary, we risk worsening the problem. The solution can only come through a twofold commitment: firstly, the humanization of sexuality, in other words a spiritual and human renewal bringing a new way of behaving towards one another; and secondly, true friendship, above all with those who are suffering, a readiness — even through personal sacrifice — to be present with those who suffer. And these are the factors that help and bring visible progress.

“The pope is correct,” Green told National Review Online Wednesday, “or put it a better way, the best evidence we have supports the pope’s comments. He stresses that “condoms have been proven to not be effective at the ‘level of population.’”

“There is,” Green adds, “a consistent association shown by our best studies, including the U.S.-funded ‘Demographic Health Surveys,’ between greater availability and use of condoms and higher (not lower) HIV-infection rates. This may be due in part to a phenomenon known as risk compensation, meaning that when one uses a risk-reduction ‘technology’ such as condoms, one often loses the benefit (reduction in risk) by ‘compensating’ or taking greater chances than one would take without the risk-reduction technology.”

The emphasis is mine. Please continue reading here.

Comments. "Experts” from all over the world, with their own axes to grind – like say, those who write for the prestigious British medical journal, The Lancet – have distorted and the panned the remarks Pope Benedict XVI recently made regarding the effectiveness of condom use to stop the AIDS epidemic in Africa. It so happens that there’s significant scientific evidence supporting the Pope’s statement. But what is really BS in my opinion, is The Lancet’s statement to the effect that "Whether the Pope's error was due to ignorance or a deliberate attempt to manipulate science to support Catholic ideology is unclear.” They just simply misread, or probably, didn’t read or purposefully distorted the Pope’s view to suit their ends and what is worse, their attack against “Catholic ideology” belies their own.

If these attacks were not made by serious people, they would be pretty funny. As it is, they are sad, and tragic, and illustrative the depths these “experts” are willing to sink in order to attack the Church.

Two men to ponder, two thoughts to wonder

Folks, these two thoughts from two disparate yet kindred writers struck a chord within and I want to share these thoughts with you:

1. What I really lack is to be clear in my mind what I am to do, not what I am to know, except in so far as a certain understanding must precede every action. The thing is to understand myself, to see what God really wishes me to do…What good would it do me if the truth stood before me, cold and naked, not caring whether I recognized her or not, and producing in me a shudder of fear rather than a trusting devotion? Must not the truth be taken up into my life? That is what I now recognize as the most important thing. - Søren Kierkegaard

2. It suddenly dawned on me that the anti-Americanism in the world today is a hatred as deep and as lasting and as all-inclusive as anti-Semitism. And just about rational. I see now that I must understand myself in the light of this hatred. To identify myself so completely with this country is like accepting the fact of a hidden Jewish grandfather in Nazi Germany. My European background gives me a protective coloring, no doubt. I am, as it were, a Jew with blond hair and blue eyes. But no, I remain a citizen of a hated nation, and no excuses will serve. I know for a fact that this does have some influence on the way my books are received in some places in Europe.
- Thomas Merton

A similar thought, also from Kierkegaard, left me thinking: "Have you come to know something as true only to have yourself misunderstood?" It jives with the first one, methinks.Very recently, as some of you probably know, I was egregiously misunderstood and, what is worse, I gave "them" ample grounds to misunderstand me and at that point in the game, I should've known better. What followed was intense personal havoc. So, I was left, like Kierkegaard, puzzling about "understanding myself to see what God really wishes me to do." Good words by Kierkegaard.

Now, Father Louis (Thomas) Merton strikes different chords in me. First, that things haven't really changed that much from his life and times. We are hated in the world, probably because of the same reasons the US was hated back then, except that now the hatred can be communicated at the speed of light. And, like Merton with his European background, my own Hispanic identity also provides me with a measure of protective shielding, but my consciousness of being a citizen of a hated nation persists. And like Merton, I fully embrace that citizenship with all its attendant consequences.

Søren Kierkegaard and Thomas Merton: what a dynamic duo!

St. Romuald: An Eastern Father in the Western Church

Joseph H.J. Leach
University of Melbourne

Introduction

“You would think he was trying to turn the whole world into a hermitage and to involve the entire Church in his project of monastic reform.”[1]

St. Romuald was a hermit and monastic reformer[2] of the tenth and eleventh centuries who rejected both the slackness of monastic life common at the time and also the rigidity of the Cluniac reforms. He is a figure of the undivided Church although he lived in the later stages of that era when the two churches, East and West, had already started to drift apart. He is thus an interesting bridge figure. Even though he taught within the Western Church and his tradition is carried on within that Church, the way of life and style of prayer that he promoted owes more to the traditions of the East. In fact, he seems to have incorporated an eastern style of monasticism into the Western Church.

He first became a monk at the monastery of St. Apollinaris in Classe in Ravenna but left, or was ejected, because the other monks resented his diligence. He became disillusioned with the standard of monastic life as it was practiced and sought a more ascetic way of life. He became first a hermit, under the tutelage of the rather eccentric elder hermit Marinus. Like many hermits of the time, Marinus may well have been an untrained follower of the harsh, Irish Rule of St. Columba. Others soon gathered around Romuald, attracted to his teaching and way of life, and he became the leader of a small community of hermits near the monastery of Cruxa in Spain. This community included not only a former Doge of Venice but also his former master, Marinus. Later he returned to Italy and became a wandering wisdom figure, establishing and reforming small eremitic communities throughout Italy. He saw himself as simply establishing small, eremitical communities based on the Rule of St. Benedict (a task which he referred to as the saving of souls) and had no intention of establishing a separate order. It was his followers, particularly St. Peter Damian, who established a formal basis for his reform movement. The distinctive charism of this reform led to the development of several separate orders, each based on a hermitage that St. Romuald had founded. The Romualdian communities had a number of distinctive characteristics. They were communities of hermits who only came together for liturgy, they were small in an era which saw the growth of very large monasteries and they were centred on a life of private prayer and meditation. Each of these features is a gift from the Eastern Desert which St. Romuald was presenting to the West.

The last hermitage that he founded was at Camaldoli in 1024. While many of the other establishments founded by Romuald have either withered or been violently suppressed, this Hermitage, and the associated monastery, has prospered and it is now the motherhouse of the Camaldolese Benedictine Congregation. One other notable Romualdian hermitage has survived. That is Fonte Avellana, the home of St. Peter Damian, whose own order has now merged with that of Camaldoli, so that Fonte Avellana now forms the second ancient centre of the Camaldolese Benedictine Congregation. However, at one time there were no less than five separate orders all claiming a Romualdian foundation and spirituality. Even today, two of the three extent eremitical orders in the Western Church: the Camaldolese Congregation of the Order of St. Benedict and the Camaldolese Hermits of Monte Corona[3], are the products of this reform.

Please, continue reading this article at THEANDROS: An Online Journal of Orthodox Christian Theology and Philosophy.

Christine Skarda: Philosopher, Neuroscientist, and Buddhist Nun

Folks, on this post I am going to stray off the beaten path for a little bit and encourage you to read about Dr. Christine Skarda. Seventeen years ago her investigations into the nature of perception drew her out of the research laboratory and onto the meditation cushion. She left behind a career as a philosopher and scientific theorist for a life of Buddhist study and retreat. I found out about her in an article published in the Spring 2009 issue of BuddhaDharma Magazine. According to her website, “Skarda turned to methods of inquiry drawn from the Tibetan Buddhist tradition to study the perceptual process from another angle. An ordained nun, Skarda has by now spent over a decade and a half in meditation retreat in the United States and India under the guidance of some of the greatest living members of the Tibetan Buddhist tradition including His Holiness the Dalai Lama and His Holiness Chetsang Rinpoche. She returned to America in 2007 and continues her retreat in California. Occasionally she leaves retreat to lecture or teach to a diverse audience, offering her scientific background to Buddhists and her Buddhist insights to scientists and philosophers.”

Please don’t misunderstand this post as an uncritical endorsement of Buddhism in general or of Buddhist contemplative practices in particular, nor as an attempt at naive eclecticism between Christianity and Buddhism. These two religions have fundamentally irreconcilable differences. Nevertheless, it also stands to reason that at the level that we Catholics would call the level of “nature,” there seems to be a lot of things in common between the experiences of Buddhist meditators on one hand, and of Catholic and Eastern Orthodox contemplatives on the other.

The Fathers of the Second Vatican Council, in their Declaration on the Relation of the Church to Non-Christian Religions, Nostra Aetate ahowed their appreciation for Buddhism when they said that,

Religions, however, that are bound up with an advanced culture have struggled to answer the same questions by means of more refined concepts and a more developed language... Again, Buddhism, in its various forms, realizes the radical insufficiency of this changeable world; it teaches a way by which men, in a devout and confident spirit, may be able either to acquire the state of perfect liberation, or attain, by their own efforts or through higher help, supreme illumination. Likewise, other religions found everywhere try to counter the restlessness of the human heart, each in its own manner, by proposing "ways," comprising teachings, rules of life, and sacred rites. The Catholic Church rejects nothing that is true and holy in these religions. She regards with sincere reverence those ways of conduct and of life, those precepts and teachings which, though differing in many aspects from the ones she holds and sets forth, nonetheless often reflect a ray of that Truth which enlightens all men. Indeed, she proclaims, and ever must proclaim Christ "the way, the truth, and the life" (John 14:6), in whom men may find the fullness of religious life, in whom God has reconciled all things to Himself.

These commonalities between Catholics and Buddhists can serve as a bridges between our otherwise divergent religions, enabling all of us to work together on issues of mutual concern, particularly when it comes to ethics. Believe it or not, Christian and Buddhist ethics have a lot in common, in my opinion – and at the risk of oversimplifying the argument.

The Fathers of the Second Vatican Council did envision such a cooperation between Catholicism and Non-Christian religions:

The Church, therefore, exhorts her sons, that through dialogue and collaboration with the followers of other religions, carried out with prudence and love and in witness to the Christian faith and life, they recognize, preserve and promote the good things, spiritual and moral, as well as the socio-cultural values found among these men.

Therefore, in my appreciation for Buddhism and for Dr. Skarda I stand within the teaching of the Catholic Church.

It occurs to me we may be able to cross the bridges that Dr. Skarda is building between neuroscience, philosophy, and meditation. Now, I can’t say that I understand all the issues involved, but I know enough to apprecia that Dr. Skarda’s research is promising and that we should give her a hearing.

- Visit Dr. Christine Skarda’s website and explore the different links.

- Read No Turning Back, the article about Dr. Skarda, published in BuddhaDharma Magazine’s website.

Asceticism and Self-denial in the Spiritual Life: a Catholic Psychologist’s View

Folks, in this Lenten pilgrimage I’ve been following with the grace of God, I’ve been doing a lot of reading about – and modestly practicing some – asceticism and self-denial. I had the pleasure to read an essay on the subject by Raymond Lloyd Richmond, Ph.D., webmaster of the whimsically titled Chastity – in San Francisco? website. I think this a very informative repository that is worth your virtual visit.

I am going to include an excerpt of his right-on article on asceticism and self denial. I encourage you to read the whole thing here and to bookmark Dr. Richmond’s website as well for your reference and spiritual growth.

Wait a minute. Christ never told us not to smoke or not to drink our diet colas. What does giving up these things have to do with a spiritual life?

Quite a lot, actually.

Lack of Trust in God

Many of these things are symbolic of our turning to material satisfactions in challenging times rather than turning to God. How can someone even claim to trust in God if, at the first hint of vulnerability, he or she immediately reaches for a cigarette or a beer?

So, despite what is written on our money, hardly anyone in this country really trusts in God. In fact, it may only be a matter of time before the courts declare that printing “In God We Trust” on money violates the constitutional rights of atheists.

Realize, therefore, that we live in a culture as pagan as ancient Rome. In the context of a government that is fundamentally anti-Catholic,^[1] the news media and the entertainment industries are all fundamentally anti-Christian, and their underlying liberal agenda is to reduce the morality of this country to the lowest common denominator of secular hedonism. In the language of atheistic politicobabble, this is called “diversity.”

When parents surrender their moral authority to the popular culture around them, they allow their children to be brainwashed with anti-Christian ideology, and families disintegrate into moral indifference and corruption—and the children are left with gaping emotional wounds of unconscious confusion and anger, social disobedience, and a crippling lack of faith.

Unconscious Infection with Subversive Desires

And so we are always in danger of being unconsciously “infected” by the subversive social desires around us that eat away at religious values like a malignant cancer. First it was endorsement of divorce, “free sex,” and abortion; now the agenda centers on lifestyles defiant of chastity, and soon—if not already, in some places—there will be the legalization of assisted suicide, infanticide, prostitution, recreational drugs, and public nudity.

If you were to look at sin epidemiologically—that is, as if it were an epidemic—you would have to consider the vectors of its transmission. And it should be perfectly obvious that the cultural values which lead to sin—values such as pride, greed, blame, competition, and self-indulgence—are spread rampantly by popular entertainment and sports.

. . . I see that God is ever ready to give us all the interior and exterior aids necessary for our salvation, and that He observes our deeds solely for our own good . . . on the other hand, I see man continually occupied in useless things, contrary to himself and of no value; and that at the hour of death God will say to him: What is there, O man, that I could have done for thee which I have not done? . . . and I am amazed and cannot understand how man can be so mad as to neglect a thing of such vast and extreme importance.

—Saint Catherine of Genoa
The Life and Doctrine of St. Catherine of Genoa
Chapter XX

And so, even though many persons may have the tacit acceptance of Christ on their lips, in their hearts they are scooping up all the subversive anti-Christian satisfactions and amusements that our culture offers us in its veiled hope of seducing us to our own destruction.

Have no love for the world,
nor the things that the world affords.
If anyone loves the world,
the Father’s love has no place in him,
for nothing that the world affords
comes from the Father.
Carnal allurements,
enticements for the eye,
the life of empty show—
all these are from the world.
And the world with its seductions is passing away
but the man who does God’s will
endures forever.

—from the First Letter of the Apostle John
2:15-17

And note carefully that when Saint John speaks of the “world” he refers to the social world of human construction, not the beautiful physical world of God’s creation.

Please, continue reading here.

How to fast during Lent - or for any other worthy intention (Repost)

Originally posted on 3/27/2007

Folks, the following is an adaptation of the wikihow.com article, How to fast for a religious occasion.

Steps

Prepare yourself physically. Fasting can actually be a cleansing opportunity for the body, but you don't want to make yourself sick. Eat a good meal prior to beginning your fast. Don't gorge yourself, but don't go into it on nothing but a snack-size meal.

Limit your fast appropriately. If there is not a specific limit already set by your religious tradition, limit the fast yourself to 12-24 hours. Anything less is not much of a fast, and anything more could lead to serious physical problems. Remember that your fast should be a good experience, not a dangerous one.

Make the fast an opportunity to step-up your spirituality. Set aside time to study scripture or other inspirational writings, and meditate on their meaning.

Pray during your fast. Whatever your purpose for religious fasting, it can be a great opportunity for spiritual growth when accompanied by prayer. Pray with purpose, expressing gratitude and articulating both your needs and the needs of others. Pause to reflect and meditate on your prayer and your fast.

Close your fast with prayer. If you were fasting with a specific purpose, take the opportunity again to express your purpose. Express gratitude for the opportunity to fast, and for being able to complete it!

Tips

Remember why you are fasting. When your stomach growls, or you feel hungry or weak, recognize it as an opportunity to remember the purpose of your fast - not a weakness or something to grumble about.

Stay away from food. The sight or smell of food will probably make fasting more difficult physically, and if food is easily accessible, you may unconsciously begin to snack.

Discreetly inform close friends, family, or associates that you are fasting so they can support you instead of inadvertently undermining your fast by offering food.

When it is time to eat again, start slowly. Your stomach may not be ready for harsh foods.

Warnings

Do not fast if you are seriously ill. Don't use a minor illness as an excuse, but consider your own health and the possible risks associated with fasting.

If you are taking medications, ask your physician before fasting and continue to take them as instructed by your physician.

If you do not want anyone to know you are fasting, try going out of the workplace for lunch or going into another room when people start to eat.

Examen of Conscience

by Fr. John A. Hardon, S.J.

The examination of conscience is an essential part of the spiritual life. All intelligent people make a periodic self-assessment. Our purpose here is to speak of the daily examen of conscience which is recommended by all the writers of the spiritual life.

For most people, the examination of conscience is part of their preparation for their reception of the Sacrament of Penance. However, our focus here is rather on what we technically call the examen of conscience. This is a daily prayerful reflection on our service of God. There are two basic examens of conscience. One is called the general examen and the other the particular examen.

General Examen

The general examen, as the name implies, is a general overview of my moral behavior during the past day. We must assume that our conduct has been both praiseworthy and blameworthy. We should also look forward to the next day and prepare ourselves beforehand on how we should do God's will in the immediate future that awaits us.

Consequently, it is wise to distinguish three areas of prayerful reflection for the daily general examen of conscience.

In the presence of God, I should reflect on what blessings the Lord has given me during the past day for which I gratefully thank Him. These blessings may not all have been pleasant. As a matter of fact some may have been painful. No matter. God manifests His will to us, urging us to do what we enjoy. Those we may call pleasant graces.

But God will also ask us to do what we may dislike or refrain from doing something we may like. That is immaterial. The only question is, do I do as God wants me to do or give up something He wants me to give up? Once I know what God wants of me in my life, I decide to do it with my mind and choose to do it with my will.

The first part of the general examen of conscience, therefore, is to thank our Lord for the graces He has given me, whether pleasant or painful, with which I have faithfully cooperated. For this I thank Him.

Next, again in God's presence, I should ask myself where I have failed to cooperate with the grace that God has given me during the day. Most of us have a pattern in our moral behavior. I may have failed in the practice of humility, or prudence, or charity, or patience, and so on down the list of our human weaknesses. Simply assume that you had failed in some way or another in responding to the will of God in your life. Be concrete and specific.

Briefly recall the circumstances which occasioned your moral failure. And then do the obvious thing of asking our Lord to forgive you and give you the strength not only to avoid this sin in the future but enable you to be more generous in His service as an expiation for your past failure.

Finally, plan for the future. Sacred Scripture could not be plainer. The just man anticipates what he will do and is not caught unaware of what God expects of him. This part of the general examen is indispensable in the spiritual life.

It means that I look forward to what I am to do, and avoid doing, in the next day. It further means that I ask myself, in God's presence, how I should do what my conscience tells me is God's will. It even means that I anticipate how much time I will spend, say in conversation with someone, or on a particular task that lies ahead of me. Clearly this calls for both prudence and prayer.

I must foresee what God expects of me and plan on how I am to fulfill this expectation. But it also, and especially, means that I pray for the light to know what I am to do and how to do it, and for the strength of will which only God can provide to do His will effectively.

A standard dictionary definition of agenda is "a list, outline, or plan of things to be considered or done." For the believing Christian, agenda are the things that God wants me to do.

Our natural tendency is to do first the things that we like, and then the things that are useful, and finally the things that are necessary. We need Divine help to reverse this natural process. That is why the third purpose of the general examen of conscience is absolutely crucial if we wish to grow in holiness. I must daily anticipate God's will for my next day and ask Him for the grace I will need to do His will instead of following my own.

One brief suggestion. It is a good idea to jot down, however briefly, what I foresee the Lord expects me to do in the next day.

Particular Examen

The particular examen of conscience follows logically on the general examen. All of us have certain tendencies across the whole spectrum of moral misbehavior. Yet no two of us are identical in which of these tendencies is predominant.

Some are more prone to pride than to lust. Some are more prone to anger than to greed. Some are more prone to envy than to sloth. In fact, each one of us changes from time to time in what failure of our moral conduct is dominant, depending on the circumstances and persons who enter our lives.

The particular examen concentrates on coping with the predominant moral weakness of our own personality.

St. Ignatius of Loyola is so commonly associated with the particular examen that some have mistakenly supposed he invented the practice. He did not. He reduced it to a methodical form, and made it essential to the Spiritual Exercises. The retreat movement so spread throughout the world that the particular examen became the stock-in-trade of modern asceticism.

Already in ancient times the Greek philosopher Pythagoras obliged his disciples twice daily, morning and evening, to answer three questions: What have I done? How have I done it? What have I failed to do? Among the Christian Fathers, St. Basil promised the early monks, "You will certainly grow in virtue if you make a daily account of your actions and compare them with the previous day."

The wisdom of the particular examen lies deeper than the old maxim, "Divide et impera" ... "Divide and Conquer." Evidently we have a better chance to master our tendencies if we take them one at a time and concentrate our efforts on the one weakness that now predominates in our lives. Centuries of moral wisdom has shown it is better to do this than scatter our energy of will over the whole field of our passions.

St. Francis de Sales as a young man was given to melancholy, which sometimes bordered on despair. He specialized in overcoming despondency to the point where he became the modern apostle of joyous confidence in God.

Conclusion

It is impossible to exaggerate the value of the examen of conscience in the spiritual life. It is the foundation of a life of prayer. It is the prayer of humility, in which we admit our ignorance and weakness. We beg our Lord to supply for the needs that we have in this life in order to reach Him in that everlasting life for which we were made.

Source: Fr. Hardon Archives

- Read a more extensive Examen of Conscience in questionnaire format in Vivificat en Español.

Video: The Last Monk - Skellig

Br.John, was the last monk of Skellig Island,SW. Ireland. Also known as Skellig Michael (Sceilig Mhichíl in Irish ), this is the larger of the two islands, rising to over 230 m above sea level. With a sixth-century Catholic Celtic monastery perched on a ledge close to the top.The monks of St. Fionan's monastery led simple lives and lived in stone, beehive shaped huts around a central small stone Oratory.. They would descend the 670 steps early every morning and fish for the morning's breakfast and would spend the rest of the day praying in the church, tending to their gardens and studying. The huts, which are round on the outside and rectangular on the inside, were carefully built so that no drop of rain ever entered between the stones.
The monks left the island in the thirteenth century and it became a place of pilgrimage.
-
Sung by Loreena Mckennitt (Canadian Singer and harpist). Click http://www.songlyrics.com/mckennitt-l... for lyrics

May the remainder of Lent be a rest unto your soul. I'm doing my best to keep the pull of the world away. Worship and adoration are best when done in silence. Although music and beautiful pictures do help!

Hat-tip to user Catholiques of YouTube.

Video: Evolution of Life in the Universe

Join Fr. George Coyne, the director of the Vatican Observatory in a very special presentation on the intersection of scientific method and religious faith in the pursuit of humanity's deepest and oldest questions. Presented by the University of California’s Fleet Science Center.

The Second Conversion

Father Nicolas Schwizer

The Church invites us Christians to a permanent, perfect and definitive conversion. It is a challenge for all of us. It motivates us to review our own road to conversion, our personal progress toward sanctity.

What does conversion mean to us? It is a serious, profound and total change which encompasses the entire person. It is a change of mentality, an interior change, a change of interior attitudes which leads us to also transform our entire exterior life.

The first conversion. A first conversion exists in the life of each Christian. We were all converted on the day of our Baptism. Through grace and divine strength, God radically changed our life. He called us to live as redeemed persons, as dear children of God, but we did not participate much in that conversion.

Second conversion. Therefore, in the life of every authentic Christian, there should be a second conversion. One must become aware that being Christian is more than experiencing customs, traditions and even Christian routines. One must make a very personal decision to live a Christian life, a dedicated life, a generous and committed life – through personal conviction and not only because of the decisions of Popes as in Baptism.

This definite conversion is to return, to open one’s entire being to God and to our brothers and sisters. The best expression for this conversion is confession, the sacrament of reconciliation and conversion. Our Lenten confessions should be definitive steps toward a sincere and radical change.

Radical conversion. Perhaps we have a very simple concept of what conversion is: to go from a situation of atheism or moral corruption to faith or to a righteous life. It is true, conversions of this type exist: a radical change of journey, the decision for a new life. We have a well-known example of this in St. Paul. Other examples are St. Augustine, St. Francis of Assisi, St. Ignatius of Loyola, Charles de Foucauld, etc.

We can even say that the history of the Church is the history of its conversions and renewals, the history of its great converts throughout the centuries.

Also at the present time, we find movements which motivate radical conversion: for example, the Cursillo Movement, the Charismatic Renewal Movement, etc.

Permanent conversion. But there is also another way, a more common way of conversion. It has to do with persons who do not change their lives in drastic ways, so instantaneous. They do not make such spectacular changes.

We all know that conversion normally does not take place from one day to the next. It is a long process of change, a permanent conversion. It consists in small conversions, daily conversions.

They are persons who elevate their lives without ceasing. Each year they can be seen as more generous, more profound, more surrendered. They are the men and women of small conversions, of “daily conversions.” I suppose and hope that all of us belong to this type of converts.

The fire of conversion. We could express these two forms of conversion through an image: conversion is like a fire. Let us recall the words of Jesus: “I came to set the earth on fire” (LK 12, 49), and all of the converts have been attracted by that fire of Jesus: For some it is like a fire which suddenly embraces them and everything changes.

For others, undoubtedly the great majority, the fire is discrete, slow, interior but constant; it is a fire which illumines, warms, purifies; it revives permanently and extends itself.

Let us ask Mary and Jesus to awaken in us a great desire to change, and let us also ask them to give us the grace of a permanent transformation.

Questions for reflection

1. Am I in the first or the second conversion?

2. On what concrete point can I strive to change?

3. Do I know the lives of the great converts?

Connecticut legislature to consider bill to strip the Catholic Church’s financial autonomy

Parishioners lobby the legislature for the bill after former pastor pilfered over $1 million dollars from parish coffers.

Folks, I briefly break my Lenten blogging moratorium to comment on this development from Connecticut, where the state legislature has taken up a bill that would strip the local Catholic Church of its power to manage her financial affairs by having the state impose upon the Church a de facto Protestant congregational polity where the individual congregations control their financial affairs independently from the diocesan bishop. Click on the link below to watch the video broadcasted this morning in NBC’s Today Show:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/29612053#29612053

Even in this day and age when government is extending its tentacles into all areas of our economic and social life, even into our private lives, while very few care to notice, this blatant attempt at state intervention into the internal matters of the Catholic Church is outrageous, misguided, and unconstitutional.

The supposedly Catholic parishioners who concocted this bill have no idea how much damage they have inflicted upon the Church, and not only upon the Church, but also upon the free exercise of religion in their state and beyond. The state legislators who agreed to raise this cockamamie idea for legislative consideration are also equally misguided and are probably following a hidden anti-Catholic agenda of their own, for which this bill was hell-sent.

The main guilty party in these series of scandal is the former pastor of a church who is now in jail for having stolen over $1 million in parish assets to bankroll a lavish, openly homosexual lifestyle. This poor man is now in jail paying his dues, while his parishioners invoke the power of the state to change the inner constitution of the Catholic Church to soothe their anger. Believe me, I understand their anger, but their “solution” will not save the Church, it will destroy her.

I want to extend my support to His Excellency William E. Lori, Bishop of Bridgeport, Connecticut, and my fellow Catholics in his diocese, on their efforts to derail this misguided bill. I also want to encourage believers of other faith communities to join Bishop Lori in his efforts to defeat this bill, because if this outrage is allowed to happen to the Catholic Church today, tomorrow it may happen to a synagogue, mosque, temple, or house of prayer of any religion whatsoever.

UPDATE AS OF TODAY @ 1700 EDT

The Connecticut Anti-Catholic bill has been pulled. This from the Catholic League:

The bill that would allow the state legislature in Connecticut to reconfigure the governing structure of the Catholic Church has been pulled. Introduced by Rep. Michael Lawlor and Sen. Andrew McDonald, the bill was withdrawn at the behest of the person who proposed it, Tom Gallagher; he is a contributor to the National Catholic Reporter, a left-wing Catholic newspaper. Attorney General Richard Blumenthal will now review the constitutionality of the bill.

Catholic League president Bill Donohue responded as follows:“Every pre-law undergraduate knows that what Lawlor and McDonald tried to pull off—in stealth fashion—was flagrantly unconstitutional. For their fascist stunt, they should at least be censured by their colleagues. Ideally, they should resign or be forced out of office.

“The big losers are the Catholic left-wing activists who pushed for this measure. To be specific, Voice of the Faithful, a dissident Catholic group comprised mainly of senior citizens, has been promoting a lay Catholic takeover of the Catholic Church for many years. Also, their ideological kinfolk at the National Catholic Reporter republished an article by Gallagher calling for an aggressive civil law approach to parish governance.

“Lawlor, McDonald, Gallagher, Voice of the Faithful, and the National Catholic Reporter totally underestimated the reaction of rank-and-file Catholics. Chalk up a big victory for Catholics who are loyal to the Magisterium of the Catholic Church and to the religious liberty provisions of the First Amendment.”

Praised be Jesus!

Now, back to my Lenten silence.