Happy Silver Anniversary to Mr. and Mrs. Theo!

One by one each year flew by,
Since we both said “I do"
25 years of memories,
Shared by the two of us.
From big events and holidays
To simple daily pleasures,
Some tearful times along life’s way,
Some joys that can’t be measured
One by one each year now gone,
But still they’re ours forever
Each and every memory,
Of a quarter Century together!

Happy Silver Anniversary To Us!

Fr. Michael Rodríguez of El Paso on Homosexual Behavior

Folks, this is worth your time watching:


It's only fair to include the words of H.E. Armando X Ochoa, Bishop of El Paso, in reaction to Fr. Michael's words, also published in El Paso Times:

As Bishop of the Diocese of El Paso and chief teacher of our local church, I would like to share some pastoral reflections on certain issues that are important for the well-being of all God's people.

First of all, I would like to state that previous columns claiming to speak for Catholic Doctrine were the personal opinions of individuals and do not necessarily express the belief of the Catholic Church.

I continue to pray for peace along our region and offer my condolences to the families on both sides of the border who have lost loved ones to the ongoing unrest. I am also concerned for the families who have had to leave everything behind to escape the violence in Ciudad Juárez. It is my ongoing prayer that our two border cities can work closer to build a more peace-filled community.

The Church has been unmistakable about its consistent defense of the unborn. It continues to call every Catholic and person of good will to understand the Church's teaching on the death penalty and other end-of-life issues. Every child has a right to life.

Likewise, the Church is a supporter of the sanctity of marriage between a man and a woman. These teachings come from a tradition that wants to promote the good of society. My concern in writing this reflection is not to change these teachings, but to offer a more pastoral understanding in dealing with them.

When we talk about abortion and homosexuality, we are talking about human beings dealing with all kinds of concerns and unresolved challenges. Our Church does not want to simply judge and condemn, but first to offer Christ's love and compassion. God's first and primary law is love and how love of others is at the same time our love for God.

As Church we want to journey with everyone as they search for meaning in their lives. We believe that Christ offers this meaning. The use of harsh words of condemnation is not the approach Christ invites us to have toward one another. Intolerance closes the door to learning and deeper understanding of each other.

Furthermore, it leads to divisiveness within the body of Christ. It is time for us to learn how to work with each other, even when and if we disagree. Too many people have suffered because of a profound lack of compassion and a perceived arrogant intolerance.

Recently, in our scriptural readings, we have seen that when the Israelites entered the Promised Land after the exodus, they encountered the Canaanites, whom they considered to be a sinful race which was to be exterminated. This mind-set persisted until the time of Christ.

With his arrival, he indicated that this outlook was no longer to be held by his followers. Jesus' own response to the marginalized was always one of love. He constantly preached that love is not exclusively for those who are dear to us. He proclaimed that we must love our enemies and pray for our persecutors.

Our love for others is to be like his own, all inclusive. Every individual is made in the image and likeness of God and for this reason all deserve to be treated with dignity and respect.

God is the judge of our lives, and we are called to spread his Gospel of compassion and justice.

While it is important to offer a teaching on human sexuality which may not be popular in modern society, the Church, nonetheless, upholds that each person be treated with dignity and respect.

I urge all of our pastoral agents to reach out to individuals with a homosexual orientation and their families with compassion. This can be done without compromising Church teaching in any way because our pastoral care demands no less from us.

In my own private, lay opinion, which I submit to the magisterium of Bishop Ochoa for further enlightenment and correction, I find that what Fr. Michael Rodríguez stated in no way clashes with what Bishop Ochoa states in his riposte, nor with what I understand the explicit teaching of the Catholic Church to be as I find it in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. I'm not exactly sure why H.E. Bishop Ochoa considered it fitting to publicly undercut one of his priests when the priest spoke the truth on this grave issue and I hope the good bishop issues a clarification about it in the near future. (Was it something Fr. Michael said? Was it something he didn't say? Was it the way he said it?)

- Hat tip to Creative Minority Report

- If you suffer from same-sex attraction and want to live your live in accordance to the Gospel and the teaching of the Catholic Church, contact the Courage Apostolate and stay away from Dignity USA and other dissenting organization "Catholic" in name only which will only lead you astray.

Blogfast in Effect

Folks, I’m taking a blogging break this weekend to celebrate with my beloved our Silver Wedding Anniversary, which falls in the middle of next week. I invite you to explore and enjoy the contents already online.

Today we remember St. Monica of Thagaste

Widow; born of Christian parents at Thagaste, North Africa, in 333; died at Ostia, near Rome, in 387. We are told but little of her childhood. She was married early in life to Patritius who held an official position in Tagaste. He was a pagan, though like so many at that period, his religion was no more than a name; his temper was violent and he appears to have been of dissolute habits. Consequently Monica’s married life was far from being a happy one, more especially as Patritius’s mother seems to have been of a like disposition with himself. There was of course a gulf between husband and wife; her almsdeeds and her habits of prayer annoyed him, but it is said that he always held her in a sort of reverence. Monica was not the only matron of Thagaste whose married life was unhappy, but, by her sweetness and patience, she was able to exercise a veritable apostolate amongst the wives and mothers of her native town; they knew that she suffered as they did, and her words and example had a proportionate effect. Three children were born of this marriage, Augustine the eldest, Navigius the second, and a daughter, Perpetua. Monica had been unable to secure baptism for her children, and her grief was great when Augustine fell ill; in her distress she besought Patritius to allow him to be baptized; he agreed, but on the boy’s recovery withdrew his consent. All Monica’s anxiety now centred in Augustine; he was wayward and, as he himself tells us, lazy. He was sent to Madaura to school and Monica seems to have literally wrestled with God for the soul of her son. A great consolation was vouchsafed her — in compensation perhaps for all that she was to experience through Augustine — Patritius became a Christian. Meanwhile, Augustine had been sent to Carthage, to prosecute his studies, and here he fell into grievous sin. Patritius died very shortly after his reception into the Church and Monica resolved not to marry again.

At Carthage Augustine had become a Manichean and when on his return home he ventilated certain heretical propositions she drove him away from her table, but a strange vision which she had urged her to recall him. It was at this time that she went to see a certain holy bishop, whose name is not given, but who consoled her with the now famous words, “the child of those tears shall never perish.” There is no more pathetic story in the annals of the Saints than that of Monica pursuing her wayward son to Rome, wither he had gone by stealth; when she arrived he had already gone to Milan, but she followed him. Here she found St. Ambrose and through him she ultimately had the joy of seeing Augustine yield, after seventeen years of resistance. Mother and son spent six months of true peace at Cassiacum, after which time Augustine was baptized in the church of St. John the Baptist at Milan. Africa claimed them however, and they set out on their journey, stopping at Cività Vecchia and at Ostia. Here death overtook Monica and the finest pages of his “Confessions” were penned as the result of the emotion Augustine then experienced.

St. Monica was buried at Ostia, and at first seems to have been almost forgotten, though her body was removed during the sixth century to a hidden crypt in the church of St. Aureus. About the thirteenth century, however, the cult of St. Monica began to spread and a feast in her honour was kept on 4 May. In 1430 Martin V ordered the relics to be brought to Rome. Many miracles occurred on the way, and the cultus of St. Monica was definitely established. Later the Archbishop of Rouen, Cardinal d’Estouteville, built a church at Rome in honour of St. Augustine and deposited the relics of St. Monica in a chapel to the left of the high altar. The Office of St. Monica however does not seem to have found a place in the Roman Breviary before the sixteenth century. In 1850 there was established at Notre Dame de Sion at Paris an Association of Christian mothers under the patronage of St. Monica; its object was mutual prayer for sons and husbands who had gone astray. This Association was in 1856 raised to the rank of an archconfraternity and spread rapidly over all the Catholic world, branches being established in Dublin, London, Liverpool, Sydney, and Buenos Aires. Eugenius IV had established a similar Confraternity long before.

You answered her prayers, O Lord, you did not disregard her tears which fell upon the earth wherever she prayed.

- Antiphon from today's Morning Prayer's Benedictus.

And what about those Oriental Churches?

Folks, my better-known colleague, Orthocath, has written a very interesting apologetic essay in which he examines the Oriental, non-Chalcedonian, Orthodox Churches such as the Armenian and the Coptic Churches. My colleague appeals to the existence of these churches to prove an apologetic point against Protestant polemicists who for a while now have been trying to point to a certain time, place, and/or persons to blame for the “Great Apostasy” that resulted in the adulteration of Christianity into Catholicism. This is how his post starts:

Awhile back I wrote about what I’ve come to refer to as Protestantism’s Eastern “blind spot.” When Evangelical Protestant apologists usually discuss the development of historical Christian theology they often characterize sacramental theology (Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist, Confirmation or Chrismation, Confession and Absolution, etc.) as “Roman inventions.” In that blog post I cited the specific example of the Coptic Orthodox Church as demonstrating the falsity of that view. In 451 AD, the Coptic Church was separated from the bulk of Christendom — from what is now known as the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church but maintains to this day a strong sacramental theology. (The Coptic Church belongs to what are known as the Non-Chalcedonian or Oriental Orthodox Churches.) The reality is that a full sacramental theology can be traced back to Christian antiquity — to the Early Church Fathers.

I think this is a very good essay. Read it all here.

Humorous Aphorisms

I asked God for a bike, but I know God doesn't work that way. So I stole a bike and asked for forgiveness.

Do not argue with an idiot. He will drag you down to his level and beat you with experience.

I want to die peacefully in my sleep, like my grandfather, not screaming and yelling like the passengers in his car.

Going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than standing in a garage makes you a car.

The last thing I want to do is hurt you. But it's still on the list.

Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.

If I agreed with you we'd both be wrong.

We never really grow up, we only learn how to act in public.

War does not determine who is right - only who is left.

Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit; wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.

Politicians and diapers have one thing in common. They should both be changed regularly, and for the same reason.

The early bird might get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese.

Evening news is where they begin with 'Good evening', and then proceed to tell you why it isn't.

To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism. To steal from many is research.

If God is watching us, the least we can do is be entertaining.

A bus station is where a bus stops. A train station is where a train stops. On my desk, I have a work station.

If 4 out of 5 people SUFFER from diarrhea... does that mean that one enjoys it?

If you think nobody cares if you're alive, try missing a couple of payments.

I thought I wanted a career, turns out I just wanted paychecks.

A bank is a place that will lend you money, if you can prove that you don't need it.

Whenever I fill out an application, in the part that says "If an emergency, notify:" I put "DOCTOR". What's my mother going to do?

I didn't fight my way to the top of the food chain to be a vegetarian.

I didn't say it was your fault, I said I was blaming you.

Why does someone believe you when you say there are four billion stars, but check when you say the paint is wet?

Women will never be equal to men until they can walk down the street with a bald head and a beer gut, and still think they are sexy.

Why do Americans choose from just two people to run for president and 50 for Miss America?

Behind every successful man is his woman. Behind the fall of a successful man is usually another woman.

A clear conscience is usually the sign of a bad memory.

You do not need a parachute to skydive. You only need a parachute to skydive twice.

The voices in my head may not be real, but they have some good ideas!

Always borrow money from a pessimist. He won't expect it back.

A diplomat is someone who can tell you to go to hell in such a way that you will look forward to the trip.

Money can't buy happiness, but it sure makes misery easier to live with.

My psychiatrist told me I was crazy and I said I want a second opinion. He said okay, you're ugly too.

Some cause happiness wherever they go. Others whenever they go.

There's a fine line between cuddling and holding someone down so they can't get away.

I used to be indecisive. Now I'm not sure.

I always take life with a grain of salt, ...plus a slice of lemon, ...and a shot of tequila.

When tempted to fight fire with fire, remember that the Fire Department usually uses water.

You're never too old to learn something stupid.

Knowledge is power, and power corrupts. So study hard and be evil.

To be sure of hitting the target, shoot first and call whatever you hit the target.

Nostalgia isn't what it used to be.

Some people hear voices. Some see invisible people. Others have no imagination whatsoever.

If you are supposed to learn from your mistakes, why do some people have more than one child.

Change is inevitable, except from a vending machine.

Ban the Burqa - in the US

Folks, good article in the National Review August 16 issue. It's entitled Ban the Burqa, by Claire Berlinski.

In it, Ms. Berlinski makes some very acute observations regarding the use of burqa and other kinds of whole-body coverings, which may include face-coverings, practiced in most Muslim societies throughout the world. For example:

Let’s be perfectly frank. These bans are outrages against religious freedom and freedom of expression. They stigmatize Muslims...The argument that the garment is not a religious obligation under Islam is well-founded but irrelevant; millions of Muslims the world around believe that it is, and the state is not qualified to be in the business of Koranic exegesis. The choice to cover one’s face is for many women a genuine expression of the most private kind of religious sentiment...All true. And yet the burqa must be banned. All forms of veiling must be, if not banned, strongly discouraged and stigmatized. The arguments against a ban are coherent and principled. They are also shallow and insufficient. They fail to take something crucial into account, and that thing is this: If Europe does not stand up now against veiling — and the conception of women and their place in society that it represents — within a generation there will be many cities in Europe where no unveiled woman will walk comfortably or safely.

One more quote I think is noteworthy:

It is nearly impossible for the state to ascertain who is veiled by choice and who has been coerced. A woman who has been forced to veil is hardly likely to volunteer this information to authorities. Our responsibility to protect these women from coercion is greater than our responsibility to protect the freedom of those who choose to veil. Why? Because this is our culture, and in our culture, we do not veil. We do not veil because we do not believe that God demands this of women or even desires it; nor do we believe that unveiled women are whores, nor do we believe they deserve social censure, harassment, or rape. Our culture’s position on these questions is morally superior. We have every right, indeed an obligation, to ensure that our more enlightened conception of women and their proper role in society prevails in any cultural conflict, particularly one on Western soil...Banning the burqa is without doubt a terrible assault on the ideal of religious liberty. It is the sign of a desperate society. No one wishes for things to have come so far that it is necessary. But they have, and it is.

Claire Berlinski is a freelance journalist who lives in Istanbul. She is the author of Menace in Europe: Why the Continent’s Crisis Is America’s, Too, and There Is No Alternative: Why Margaret Thatcher Matters.

A great, illuminating piece. Buy the issue or subscribe online and read it all.

Homosexualist Dissenters to Target US Bishops

Dissenters also to target faithful Catholics at their dioceses, parishes and communities

Folks, this according to CNA:

Washington D.C.,

Aug 22, 2010 / 06:12 pm (CNA).- Prominent Catholic dissenters have created an organization to promote homosexual political causes and to change Catholic opinion through coordination with other activists. Organized explicitly to oppose the U.S. bishops, the group’s website asks for reports of “anti-equality activity” in Catholic parishes.

The group Catholics for Equality’s website, which is still under construction, reports that the organization is dedicated to “support, educate, and mobilize equality-supporting Catholics to advance LGBT equality at federal, state, and local levels.”

The group claims the “official voice of the hierarchy” favors discrimination and opposes “just” efforts to secure “legal equality for LGBT Americans.” This “anti-equality voice” is “far too often” portrayed as representative of American Catholics, according to the website.

One page on the site, titled “Report anti-equality activity!” contains an incomplete template for a submission form. It asks informers to describe the purported anti-equality activity and to categorize whether it took place in the parish, diocese or community “so that pro-equality Catholics can respond.”

The information generates an e-mail sent to the organization and also “an entry into private ‘report’ database,” the website says.

Please, read the whole thing here.

Commentary. Let me make it easy for these folks to start their little black list with my name:

I support every bishop of the Catholic Church in the world and in the US in their pastoral ministry, particularly when they teach faith and morals in accordance to the Mind of the Spirit, who is the Mind of the Catholic Church;

I support our bishops and pastors when they defend marriage as the union of one man, and one woman before any forum.

I receive the teaching of the Catholic Church from my pastors, as explicitly stated in the Catechism of the Catholic Church and vow to support it in season and out of season:

2357 Homosexuality refers to relations between men or between women who experience an exclusive or predominant sexual attraction toward persons of the same sex. It has taken a great variety of forms through the centuries and in different cultures. Its psychological genesis remains largely unexplained. Basing itself on Sacred Scripture, which presents homosexual acts as acts of grave depravity,140 tradition has always declared that "homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered."141 They are contrary to the natural law. They close the sexual act to the gift of life. They do not proceed from a genuine affective and sexual complementarity. Under no circumstances can they be approved.

2358 The number of men and women who have deep-seated homosexual tendencies is not negligible. They do not choose their homosexual condition; for most of them it is a trial. They must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity. Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided. These persons are called to fulfill God's will in their lives and, if they are Christians, to unite to the sacrifice of the Lord's Cross the difficulties they may encounter from their condition.

2359 Homosexual persons are called to chastity. By the virtues of self-mastery that teach them inner freedom, at times by the support of disinterested friendship, by prayer and sacramental grace, they can and should gradually and resolutely approach Christian perfection.

Therefore, I resolve to continuing doing everything within my sphere of influence in my parish, diocese, and through this modest blog to:

Denounce the "Catholics for Equality" organization, and their underlying organizations and dissenters as Catholics "in name only" and as having strayed from the moral teaching of the Catholic Church. By their words and actions they stand outside the Catholic Church.

Counteract the agitation and propaganda emanating from "Catholics for Equality" with the clear teaching of the Catholic Church.

Inform the appropriate pastors of any attempt of "Catholics for Equality" to organize themselves in my parish or diocese.

Support any priest suffering from homosexual tendencies, but otherwise living in chastity, from any attempt by "Catholics for Equality" to shame them or "out" them.

Support any ministry such as the Courage Apostolate that supports men and women with homosexual inclinations, dedicated to attaining chastity, in accord with the magisterium's teaching on homosexuality.

Resist any attempt at intimidation emanating from "Catholics for Equality" aimed at silencing the voices of faithful Catholics.

Exhort, encourage, and support all faithful Catholics to protect marriage and the traditional family at the voting booth.

You "Catholics for Equality" folks can now blacklist me as someone who opposes "equality" as you misconceive it.

Better get a big, fat notebook because your blacklist is going to be pretty long, despite your wishful belief to the contrary.

Video: EWTN – The World Over - Exorcism - Fr. Tom Euteneuer

Peter Kreeft: Moral Theology and Homosexuality

Peter Kreeft, Ph.D., is a professor of philosophy at Boston College and at the King's College (Empire State Building), in New York City. He is a regular contributor to several Christian publications, is in wide demand as a speaker at conferences, and is the author of over 59 books. Click “play” to listen.

Comments Now Piped to Twitter

Folks, I’ve done some more tinkering and now all your comments are being piped to Twitter to maximize dissemination and discussion.

Our audience has multiplied. Let’s all continue to comment smartly.

I Oppose the Building of the Ground Zero Mosque

Folks, after waiting a bit from the initial ruckus and after weighing various viewpoints and opinions, I’ve decided to add my 5 cents to this debate and declare my opposition to the building of the so-called “Ground Zero Mosque”, or “Cordoba House,” or whatever they are calling it now.

Mine is not a denial of the right of Muslims to build houses of worship in the USA, nor of their right to do with their private property as they please. But in this very special, very specific instance, I ask for exquisite sensitivity.

This project, spearheaded by a Muslim leader who once stated that Americans were “co-responsible” for the 9/11 atrocity and who refuses to condemn Islamic terrorist groups such as Hamas, is a polarizing, divisive figure. For that, he has lost all credibility for his subsequent appeals to peace, mutual understanding, and reconciliation. He’s a divider, not a uniter, and this project has inherited his bad reputation.

The truth remains that on September 11, 2001, 19 men crying “Allahu Akbar” (“God is Great” in Arabic, the traditional Muslim war cry) killed 3,000 Americans in cold blood. We don’t need a reminder of this cry so close to the hollowed ground where so many died.

Dear Muslim friends, build your mosque elsewhere in Manhattan. Respect our dead. Respect our hollowed ground.

- Read also High Noon at Ground Zero at The American Catholic

Mother of Holy Hope

Father Nicolas Schwizer

The Council defined the Church of today as a people on the way, a pilgrim people. And hope is the virtue for travelers. Hope seems to be the most forgotten virtue of Christians, but the most necessary virtue to follow life’s route. Hope keeps the heart of the Christians alert. Today we need that virtue in our country more than ever because many brothers and sisters have lost hope for a better future.

While there is life, there is hope. To live is to have desires, to live is to long for something and to fight for it until you reach it. We are always waiting for something: a promotion at work, to add on to the house, a larger television set, a new pair of shoes. And when one of these wishes is frustrated, we then feel bitter.

However, what is also strange is that we often also feel empty when we get what we so much wanted. Earlier, we believed that with that we would be completely happy, that we would need nothing more. But according to the measure in which a hope is fulfilled, other desires emerge and we feel we are still not satisfied. We always long for something new because what is old, that which we already have, has not fulfilled us. The fever for new things has become an illness for the man/woman of today.

We can build our hopes on sand or on rock, and we know that the only true rock is JESUS CHRIST. The things of this world were created to lead us and to bring us nearer to HIM. No matter how beautiful or how noble they may be, they are only milestones along the way. They cannot fulfill all our hopes. We cannot build our life’s hope on sand. We have to build on Christ the rock. When we build our hopes on HIM, we then have the enthusiasm and the optimism to face life.

But, how can I find Christ in my actual life? How can the light of his hope penetrate me and fill my heart? We know that the Star which leads us to Christ is Mary, his Mother.

The Church calls her Mother of Hope. From the Annunciation, She builds her desires on her Son. She knows that Christ is the rock which is steadfast and never deceives. Therefore, She hopes against all hope including when He dies…..next to Her, on the Cross. For the apostles, the death of Jesus becomes the tremendous end to all their hopes. It is not this way for Mary: She continues her way through the darkness, but with her heart full of hope.

Therefore, let us get close to Her – that land of encounter and hope which is Mary….. With her light. She also kindles in us the hope of Christ and leads the way for us. In this way, She illuminates us so that we may know how to build all our human hopes on the Lord. And like Mary’s life, our life too will all be filled with joy, with a steadfast enthusiasm, with an eternal youth.

Dear brothers and sisters, therefore, let us ask the Virgin to help us build a Church of Hope, but built on the rock of Christ. Only on this foundation will we be able to build a better future for our country and our people. To do this, we should begin building our personal hopes on that rock.

Because a Church of hope is only built by men and women of hope – joyful and confident – who have had a vital encounter with Christ in the heart of Mary. May the Mother of Holy Hope help us on this mission!

Questions for reflection

1. Tragedies and illnesses…..are these my favorite topics of conversation?

2. The others, do they see me as an optimistic person, full of hope?

3. Do I use this type of phrases: “that won’t work,” “there is nothing that can be done,” “everything is wrong…..,” etc.?

A Good Word!

Folks, today, Romans 7:14–25 caught my attention:

14 We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. 15 I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. 16 And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. 17 As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. 18 I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. ^[a] For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. 19 For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.

At one time or another, we all have faced this situation: we know what’s right, we want to do what’s right, but still do what’s wrong. Jesus breaks the causal chain of sin. His grace gives us the strength of will and of character to know the good, to choose the good, and to the good.

Knowing what’s good – the law, the “Torah”, the Ten Commandments tell us what’s good and that’s a great first step. But the knowledge alone of what’s good is not enough to break our patterns of sin. That’s why Jesus accomplishes in us the exact observance of the commandments, elevating through His life, death, and resurrection, all our good works to the supernatural order.

If you feel you can’t break away from your habitual sinful behaviors, surrender yourself to Jesus. He will break your chains, He will free you, He will make you whole.

Sex in Heaven: An Audio Lecture by Dr. Peter Kreeft

Peter Kreeft, Ph.D., is a professor of philosophy at Boston College and at the King's College (Empire State Building), in New York City. He is a regular contributor to several Christian publications, is in wide demand as a speaker at conferences, and is the author of over 59 books including: Handbook of Christian Apologetics, Christianity for Modern Pagans, and Fundamentals of the Faith.

This lecture is available in Kreeft's popular book Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Heaven. For a summarized online text version, see Is There Sex in Heaven? Click to play audio.

Today We Celebrate the Assumption of Our Lady, Mary Most Holy

Today we remember a deed of power: Our Lord Jesus Christ called his Mother to himself, in body, soul, and spirit.

For Catholic Christians this means something simultaneously simple and grandiose: that the resurrection of the dead has been verified in Mary, the Mother of Jesus and Our Mother. She has received her crown, and she is as close to God as a mere creature can get, closer to Him than the Seraphim and the Cherubim. The Church rightly sings:

You are truly deserving of glory, O Theotokos, the ever-blessed and most pure Mother of our God. More honorable than the Cherubim and beyond compare more glorious than the Seraphim, who as a Virgin gave birth to God the Word, true Birth-giver of God, we magnify you.

The Church also rightly prays:

Under your protection, we hasten, O Virgin Birth-giver of God. Do not turn away from us in our time of need, but pure and blessed Lady, save us!

Redemption has been completed: A Man redeemed Mankind by dying on a cross and restored our life by rising triumphantly from the dead, thus removing the guilt of Adam; by calling Woman upon himself, he then restored Womankind to her rightful place in this New Eve.

Powerful and glorious are the deeds of Our Lord!

The Lord has called his Ark of his Majesty into his Tent!

This is the day the Lord has made! Let us rejoice and be glad in it!

Ten pointers for living in married chastity

Folks, recently a brother asked for my advice as to how to live in married chastity, meaning, the right use of that sacred and pure gift of sexual love exclusively directed to one’s spouse. That brother was facing some difficulties in his life which he wanted to conquer in Jesus’ Name. I want to share my answer to him, hoping that others too, may benefit:

Like you, I am a married man with children. I’m familiar with temptations of the flesh. Thanks to Our Lord and His grace I’ve been able to discipline my mind and my body to avoid these kind of temptations and channel my sexual love solely to my wife, who is and ought to be the only person destined to received my love in all its spiritual, mental, and bodily dimensions.

Like you, I’m neither insensitive nor completely immune to that sort of temptation. The current fashions, our prurient culture, casual attitudes toward sex and sexuality, and the constant bombardment by an oversexed media conspire to make us fail from our best resolutions. Based on my experience, I suggest you do the following:

1. Find a faithful, holy, and prudent priest that may become your Spiritual Director and Confessor. Unveil your soul before him and he will heal you in Jesus’ Name. Make confession to him regularly.

2. Receive the Eucharist frequently. If you can't receive Him sacramentally, then make an act of spiritual communion similar to the following:

"My Jesus, I believe that you are present in the most Blessed Sacrament. I love You above all things and I desire to receive You into my soul. Since I cannot now receive You sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart. I embrace You as if You have already come, and unite myself wholly to You. Never permit me to be separated from You. Amen"

3. Mortify your senses: hold your gaze away, don’t seek to look at someone else’s beauty beyond mere aesthetic admiration. Once you cross the threshold from admiration into desire you’ll be in forbidden territory. Human beings are no mere things, they are not objects for one’s self-gratification. They are gifts, and only one is meant for each of us, unless we respond to the higher call of celibate chastity. Learning where the line between admiration and possession lies requires self-knowledge and discipline. Cultivate them.

4. When you discover that you are about to fall into temptation, pray this prayer: "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner." Say this prayer until the temptation loses its edge or disappears entirely. In general, pray frequently.

5. Practice a mental “diet”. When a thought pops into your head, doesn’t matter how innocuous it feels, but that you know very well will lead you to sin, label it as such, say the prayer “Lord Jesus Christ…” and then switch your attention to something else.

6. Know yourself. Practice introspection. Find the roots of your sinful inclinations. Once you discover the root, with the help of your confessor, ask Jesus to grant you self-mastery. Ask Him to grant you the means to overcome and heal your root-weakness that leads you into temptation.

7. When you are with your wife, think of no one else. In the marriage act, our bodies are the gifts we give to each other. Give yourself to your spouse totally. Hold nothing back. Tell her with all your heart “my love, I’m yours, only yours and no one else’s”. Enjoy the chaste, pure love that the Lord grants you in each other. In the loving embrace with your spouse, sexual pleasure is pure, chaste, and holy. Don't soil your mutual gift with extraneous things. Which takes me to the next point:

8. Run away from pornography. Don’t watch pornography, alone or along with your spouse. If you own any smut, destroy it and dump it.

9. Say this prayer daily:

"Lord Jesus, please come and heal my wounded and troubled heart. I beg you to heal the torments that cause anxiety in my heart; I beg you, in a particular way, to heal all who are the causes of my sinfulness. I beg you to come into my life and heal me of the psychological harms that struck me in my childhood and from the injuries that they caused throughout my life.

Lord Jesus, you know my burdens. I lay them all on your Good Shepherd’s Heart. I beseech you — by the merits of the great open wound in your heart — to heal the small wounds that are in mine. Heal the pain of my memories, so that nothing that has happened to me will cause me to remain in pain and anguish, filled with anxiety.

Heal, O Lord, all those wounds that have been the cause of all the evil that is rooted in my life. I want to forgive all those who have offended me. Look to those inner sores that make me unable to forgive. You who came to forgive the afflicted of heart, please, heal my heart.

Heal, my Lord Jesus, those intimate wounds that cause me physical illness. I offer you my heart. Accept it, Lord, purify it and give me the sentiments of your Divine Heart. Help me to be meek and humble.

Heal me, O Lord, from the pain caused by the death of my loved ones, which is oppressing me. Grant me to regain peace and joy in the knowledge that you are the Resurrection and the Life. Make me an authentic witness to your Resurrection, your victory over sin and death, your living presence among all men. Amen."

10. Pray this one also:

"Heavenly Father, I come before you as your child, in great need of your help; I have physical health needs, emotional needs, spiritual needs, and interpersonal needs. Many of my problems have been caused by my own failures, neglect, and sinfulness, for which I humbly beg your forgiveness, Lord. But I also ask you to forgive the sins of my ancestors whose failures have left their effects on me in the form of unwanted tendencies, behavior patterns, and defects in body, mind, and spirit. Heal me, Lord, of all these disorders.

With your help I sincerely forgive everyone, living or dead members of my family tree, who have directly offended me or my loved ones in any way, or those whose sins have resulted in our present sufferings and disorders. In the name of your divine Son Jesus, and in the power of his Holy Spirit, I ask you Father, to deliver me and my entire family tree from the influence of the evil one.

Free all living and dead members of my family tree, including those in adoptive relationships, and those in extended family relationships, from every contaminating form of bondage. By your loving concern for us, heavenly Father, and by the shed blood of your precious Son Jesus, I beg you to extend your blessing to me and all my living and deceased relatives. Heal every negative effect transmitted through all past generations, and prevent such negative effects in future generations of my family tree.

I symbolically place the cross of Jesus over the head of each person in my family tree, and between each generation; I ask you to let the cleansing blood of Jesus purify the blood lines in my family lineage. Set protective angels to encamp around us, and permit Archangel Raphael, the patron of healing, to administer your divine healing power to all of us, even in areas of genetic disability. Give special power to our family members’ guardian angels to heal, protect, guide, and encourage each of us in all our needs. Let your healing power be released at this very moment, and let it continue as long as your sovereignty permits.

In our family tree, Lord, replace all bondage with a holy bonding in family love. And let there be an ever-deeper bonding with you, Lord, by the Holy Spirit, to your Son Jesus. Let the family of the Holy Trinity pervade our family with its tender, warm, loving presence, so that our family may recognize and manifest that love in all our relationships. All of our unknown needs we include with this petition that we pray in Jesus’ precious name. Amen"

The most important thing, my brother, find that Spiritual Father that will help you grow in your friendship with Jesus. Don’t forget that Jesus is the incarnation of God’s Divine Mercy who is always with you. May the Lord bless you and yours.

Judge sets trap for California's Proposition 8 Backers

Folks, this excerpt according to Associated Press via Yahoo News:

SAN FRANCISCO – The federal judge who overturned California's same-sex marriage ban has more bad news for the measure's backers: He doubts they have the right to challenge his ruling that gay couples can begin marrying next week.

Chief U.S. District Judge Vaughn R. Walker on Thursday rejected a request to delay his decision barring Proposition 8 from taking effect until high courts can take up an appeal lodged by its supporters. One of the reasons, the judge said, is he's not sure the proponents have the authority to appeal since they would not be affected by or responsible for implementing his ruling.

By contrast, same-sex couples are being denied their constitutional rights every day they are prohibited from marrying, Walker said.

The ban's backers "point to harm resulting from a 'cloud of uncertainty' surrounding the validity of marriages performed after judgment is entered but before proponents' appeal is resolved," he said. "Proponents have not, however, argued that any of them seek to wed a same-sex spouse."

Read it all here.

Commentary. So let me get this straight: backers of Proposition 8 had standing to defend the initiative but lack the standing to appeal the judge's decision to a higher court. Sounds like a bad joke to me.

Behold the face of tyranny in this land: Judge Walker overturned Proposition 8 on the grounds that no rational person could believe that marriage is a union of husband and wife. Other California elected officials agree and did nothing to stop backers from defending Proposition 8 in court. Now Judge Walker thinks that those who defended the right of Californians to define marriage have no standing to appeal?

If he prevails and the 9th Circuit refuses to hear the appeal, truly elections in this country would mean nothing. Despotism would then have arrived in the USA.

New functions added to Vivificat

Folks, you've probably noticed that I've tinkered a bit with the blog to ease its reading and increase its functionality. I've changed the font to Arial, added "feedback" check boxes and buttons to facilitate sharing in social networks, and dismounted the link preview snapshots to make the page "less busy." Those who get the blog via e-mail or RSS will also see the change in font. I invite you to use the new functions generously. Thank you for reading Vivificat.

USA Today writer blames the Church for redefining marriage

Folks, I read with interest the following entry in the Faith and Reason section of USA Today. It's entitled Who redefined marriage? Not Prop8 judge: Look in the mirror, experts say. Rather than taking the thing apart piece by piece, I want to focus on two statements, as follows:

The Christian religion uniquely is the first religion not to make procreation central to marriage, or even to religious life. Early Christians idealized the person who went out to organized for the faith, rather than to get married. And the church always held that failure to procreate is not grounds to dissolve a marriage.

That may be true of Christian sectarianism, but in the Catholic Church we don't see it that way. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church:

The openness to fertility

1652 "By its very nature the institution of marriage and married love is ordered to the procreation and education of the offspring and it is in them that it finds its crowning glory."160

Children are the supreme gift of marriage and contribute greatly to the good of the parents themselves. God himself said: "It is not good that man should be alone," and "from the beginning [he] made them male and female"; wishing to associate them in a special way in his own creative work, God blessed man and woman with the words: "Be fruitful and multiply." Hence, true married love and the whole structure of family life which results from it, without diminishment of the other ends of marriage, are directed to disposing the spouses to cooperate valiantly with the love of the Creator and Savior, who through them will increase and enrich his family from day to day.161

1653 The fruitfulness of conjugal love extends to the fruits of the moral, spiritual, and supernatural life that parents hand on to their children by education. Parents are the principal and first educators of their children.162 In this sense the fundamental task of marriage and family is to be at the service of life.163

1654 Spouses to whom God has not granted children can nevertheless have a conjugal life full of meaning, in both human and Christian terms. Their marriage can radiate a fruitfulness of charity, of hospitality, and of sacrifice.

This has been the teaching of the Catholic Church in like, forever. There's no esoterica in the Catholic Church, therefore these teachings may be verified by anyone with the desire to look them up.

Since many, if not most, of the churches born from the Reformation have abandoned the connection between marriage and procreation, it cannot be said that they did so in attention to any evangelical command or instruction, or by attachment to natural law, but out of their desire to protest, dissent, and innovate. Theirs is not the original teaching of Christ or of the Apostles. At the very least, the author should've made the correct distinctions, representations, and exceptions needed to advance a more coherent argument.

One more quote:

The state's interest in an enactment must of course be secular in nature. The state does not have an interest in enforcing private moral or religious beliefs without an accompanying secular purpose.

And what the judge found was that the supporters of Proposition 8 could not demonstrate any secular purpose sufficient to establish a "rational basis" for denying same-sex couples the fundamental right to get married.

The problem here is that the sages quoted in USA Today article deny the ultimate basis for legitimate civil authority. We Catholics do have the right notion of civil authority:

1902 Authority does not derive its moral legitimacy from itself. It must not behave in a despotic manner, but must act for the common good as a "moral force based on freedom and a sense of responsibility":21

A human law has the character of law to the extent that it accords with right reason, and thus derives from the eternal law. Insofar as it falls short of right reason it is said to be an unjust law, and thus has not so much the nature of law as of a kind of violence.22

1903 Authority is exercised legitimately only when it seeks the common good of the group concerned and if it employs morally licit means to attain it. If rulers were to enact unjust laws or take measures contrary to the moral order, such arrangements would not be binding in conscience. In such a case, "authority breaks down completely and results in shameful abuse."23

Nowadays, most philosophical, judicial, and political thinkers either question or deny outright the natural law basis of all civil authority. Many don't bother to think that any claims based upon natural law can form the basis of right reason. Whether by design, unwillingness, or inability to think along the lines of a morality based upon natural law, they feel perfectly free to affirm the "right" of people to engage in same-sex "marriage."

By denying the validity of natural law morality today's "experts" want to close the debate. An appeal to natural law morality effectively dismantles their arguments. They can't have that and, if allowed to prevail, the conversation will be closed by judicial fiat without giving a hearing to those of us who defend the eternal validity of natural law morality. Therefore any positive law and/or judicial decision recognizing same-sex "marriage" represents an illegitimate exercise of power and therefore constitutes a serious abuse of authority. Recognizing same-sex "marriage" is a kind of violence perpetrated by the state against its own citizens.

These are two fatal flaws I find in USA Today's article and because of its glaring omissions, the question "Who redefined marriage?" and the whimsical answer "Not Prop8 judge: Look in the mirror, experts say" cannot be held by by anyone without sacrifcing fairness, intellectual integrity, and honesty.

Repost: A Father Prayer by General Douglas MacArthur (May 1952)

Folks, I have posted this before. Today I felt moved to seek the prayer and say it again. Please bear with me:

Build me a son, O Lord, who will be strong enough to know when he is weak, and brave enough to face himself when he is afraid; one who will be proud and unbending in honest defeat, and humble and gentle in victory.

Build me a son whose wishbone will not be where his backbone should be; a son who will know Thee and that to know himself is the foundation stone of knowledge.

Lead him I pray, not in the path of ease and comfort, but under the stress and spur of difficulties and challenge. Here let him learn to stand up in the storm; here let him learn compassion for those who fail.

Build me a son whose heart will be clear, whose goal will be high; a son who will master himself before he seeks to master other men; one who will learn to laugh, yet never forget how to weep; one who will reach into the future, yet never forget the past.

And after all these things are his, add, I pray, enough of a sense of humor, so that he may always be serious, yet never take himself too seriously. Give him humility, so that he may always remember the simplicity of true greatness, the open mind of true wisdom, the meekness of true strength.

Then, I, his father, will dare to whisper, have not lived in vain.

Exercise your priesthood: Pray the Liturgy of the Hours.

Folks, my better-known colleague, Shawn Tribe, blogger at The New Liturgical Movement wrote a very fine personal meditation on The Delights of the Divine Office and Lay Life which I think y'all ought to read. I also love the picture of the monks praying with those giant chant books opened before them. I reproduce both the picture and the starting paragraph below:

My mind has turned yet again to the topic of the Divine Office -- though it never strays far from it admittedly. In part this is for reason that some have written me about this topic in recent days, and in part because, through the action of daily praying it, I am continually struck by the edification, consolation and formation one receives by taking up the praying of the Hours; of being daily immersed in the riches of the psalms, the canticles and the liturgical year. I further find myself constantly delighted at its ability to connect one to the Missal and to the seasons, both the liturgical seasons and even the natural seasons; and further still, to the very cycle of the day itself, where it not infrequently -- and at the appropriate times -- touches on themes of the darkness of night, the light of day, and the fading of the light in the evening, wrapped around theological imagery and themes

Like Shawn states later in his meditation, I too started praying the Liturgy of the Hours in the early 1990's. I was very inconsistent at first, and I didn't always understand what I was doing or the way I was doing. Slowly, steadily, I took repeated plunges into this treasure of prayer, the official prayer of the Church.

After the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, I felt renewed motivation to "stick" to the prayer. I reasoned at the time that, since there were thousands of Muslim extremists in the world bent on our destruction that at least I could pray twice a day for their conversion and for peace. With that imperfect motivation, I restarted the practice.

Praying the Liturgy of the Hours (also known as "The Divine Office" and "The Breviary") has blessed my life. I have committed myself to praying Morning and Evening Prayers. As my duties allow or as the Spirit leads, I pray other hours as appropriate. They now form the backbone of my journey, the "bookends" of my day. I can't live without them. The day seems incongruous and incomplete if I skip one or the other prayer.

Praying the Psalms have changed me. First, I started noticing the subtleties in the text, in the prayers and then, the wide range of emotions captured by the different psalmists. As a military person, I immediately connected with the "military psalms," those that talk about anguish, persecution, fear, hope, and victory over one's enemies. I could also see how they can be "spiritualized" into modes of spiritual combat without losing sight of their original, literal meanings and settings.

Worship, adoration, surrender, and bliss are other emotions and attitudes I encountered in the Psalms and then, they started to "grow" in me. It's difficult to be a violent, angry person if one prays the Psalms.

Besides the Psalter, the Divine Office includes Canticles from the Old and New Testaments, as well as readings and of course, the Gospel Canticles of the Benedictus, the Magnificat and for Night Prayer, the Nunc Dimittis. Since I use the "post-Vatican II" Breviary, I'm also able to read great swaths of Holy Scripture, as well as readings from the Fathers (and Mothers), Doctors, and Saints of the Church in the Office of Readings. Since the Liturgy of the Hours follows the Liturgical Cycle, one is always close to the heart of the Church, her feasts days and holy days, and their intrinsic teachings. Praying the Office amounts to grow in peace, wisdom, and grace in the mind of the Holy Spirit, which is the mind of the Church.

In this context of holy, corporate prayer, I want to bring your attention to this very important text from the Dogmatic Constitution Lumen Gentium promulgated by the Second Vatican Council:

10. Christ the Lord, High Priest taken from among men, made the new people "a kingdom and priests to God the Father". The baptized, by regeneration and the anointing of the Holy Spirit, are consecrated as a spiritual house and a holy priesthood, in order that through all those works which are those of the Christian man they may offer spiritual sacrifices and proclaim the power of Him who has called them out of darkness into His marvelous light. Therefore all the disciples of Christ, persevering in prayer and praising God, should present themselves as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God. Everywhere on earth they must bear witness to Christ and give an answer to those who seek an account of that hope of eternal life which is in them.

Though they differ from one another in essence and not only in degree, the common priesthood of the faithful and the ministerial or hierarchical priesthood are nonetheless interrelated: each of them in its own special way is a participation in the one priesthood of Christ.(2*) The ministerial priest, by the sacred power he enjoys, teaches and rules the priestly people; acting in the person of Christ, he makes present the Eucharistic sacrifice, and offers it to God in the name of all the people. But the faithful, in virtue of their royal priesthood, join in the offering of the Eucharist.(3*) They likewise exercise that priesthood in receiving the sacraments, in prayer and thanksgiving, in the witness of a holy life, and by self-denial and active charity. (Source)

I am of the opinion that we, the laity, exercise our priestly prerogatives the best when we pray the Liturgy of the Hours, which is second only to the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass in its importance to the life of grace in the Church. In fact, our Pastors encourage us to pray "parts" of the Liturgy of the Hours:

27. Lay groups gathering for prayer, apostolic work, or any other reason are encouraged to fulfill the Church's duty, by celebrating part of the liturgy of the hours. The laity must learn above all how in the liturgy they are adoring God the Father in spirit and in truth; they should bear in mind that through public worship and prayer they reach all humanity and can contribute significantly to the salvation of the whole world.

Finally, it is of great advantage for the family, the domestic sanctuary of the Church, not only to pray together to God but also to celebrate some parts of the liturgy of the hours as occasion offers, in order to enter more deeply into the life of the Church. (Source)

In a parish celebration, within one's family, and individually, we should pray the Divine Office as a routine practice, ahead of various novenas and other favorite periodic prayers (from which I wish to exempt the Holy Rosary, which not only derives from the Divine Office, but also leads to contemplation. I would say that the Rosary takes an honored third place behind Holy Mass and the Liturgy of the Hours in everyone's prayer rule.). Like I've said, I've been graced with the constant desire to pray "parts" of the Liturgy of the Hours - Morning and Evening Prayers and occasionally other parts - to my great spiritual joy, consolation, and spiritual growth. Since I'm no one special, if I can do this and stick with it for such a long time, so can you, so can anyone else.

I'm going to finish with an invitation to read The Divine Office for Dodos: A Step-By-Step Guide to Praying the Liturgy of the Hours, the best beginner's guide to praying the Liturgy of the Hours and remember: exercise your priesthood. Pray the Liturgy of the Hours.

St. Louis Jewish Leaders Decry Ecclessiastical Support to Association of Hebrew Catholics

Folks, this is an excerpt of an article published at CatholicCulture.org:

Local Jewish leaders are disturbed by the Archdiocese of St. Louis’s support for the Association of Hebrew Catholics (AHC), an organization that works to preserve the identity and heritage of Catholics of Jewish origin within the Church. The association was welcomed into the archdiocese by Archbishop Raymond Burke in 2006; Auxiliary Bishop Robert Hermann and the rector of the cathedral basilica will offer Mass at the group’s October conference.

“One of the things that the Jewish community knows, or should know, with confidence is that the Catholic church does not proselytize, particularly to Jews,” said Karen Aroesty, regional director of the Anti-Defamation League.

Please, continue reading here.

Also, Mr. David P. Goldman, esteemed contributor to First Things, had this to say in reference to the same article:

If a Jew converts to Christianity, as a handful do, he or she nonetheless is obligated to perform the commandments of the Torah, including dietary and marital-purity laws, Sabbath observance, phylacteries and so forth. For a Jew not to perform these commandments is to be in a state of grievous sin. The Torah states that anyone who rejects God’s commandments “with a high hand,” that is, wittingly and deliberately, “shall be cut off from his people.” There is no retroactive exemption from the mitzvot. This remains an issue between us and Jewish converts to Christianity. Michael Wyschogrod write an open letter to the late Cardinal Lustiger of Paris, perhaps the most prominent Jewish convert in the Catholic hierarchy, informing him that he was required to perform the mitzvot. (Wyschogrod addresses these issues in essays in the collection Abraham’s Promise).

Gentiles of course are not required to perform the mitzvot, except for the basic rules of behavior grouped under the so-called Noahide laws. St. Paul argued that Gentiles should be exempt from the mitzvot, but never once did he argue that he himself, who was born a Jew, should stop performing the mitzvot.

From the Jewish theological reading, by acknowledging an Association of Hebrew Catholics without encouraging its members to remain Torah-obedient, the Church is reinforcing sinfulness in its ranks. That is why observant Jews must feel profoundly uncomfortable with the action of the St. Louis Archdiocese. Proselytism, schmoselytism–we know that Catholics would prefer that everybody convert. But all Jews have a responsibility to discourage other Jews from sinning.

Please, read the entire piece here.

Commentary. Obviously, I don't intend to "solve" the issue of the proper relationship between the Catholic Church and our Jewish elder brethren in one blog post - may be in two. (LOL!)

This is the thing: as far as I can tell, The Association of Hebrew Catholics is a pious association of the faithful of the kind that Catholic canon law allows to exist formally or informally (I don't know which one are they). In their own words:

We are Catholic. We have freely chosen to enter the Church established by the Messiah, in which He has established a teaching authority, the Magisterium, responsible for guarding and handing on the deposit of faith given to the Apostles. That deposit is reflected in the doctrines of the Church. Thus, our efforts and mission must be in keeping with the teaching and discipline of the Church. (Source)

Furthermore, it was Fr. Elias Friedman, OCD, who lived as a Carmelite friar for approximately 50 years in Israel, launched the AHC to preserve the People Israel within the Church.

That's the rub. Many of our Jewish brethren either deny the possibility that the People of Israel can subsist as such within the confines of the Church, specially if Jewish ritual practices within the Church are no longer mandatory, but strictly voluntary, devoid of the onus they had within Jewish halakha. But, will our Jewish brethren be mollified if somehow the Church were to say that the keeping of the Jewish Ritual Law be mandatory or at least highly recommended for Catholics of Jewish descent? Assuming that they were observant in the first place, of course. No, that's not what the critics are driving at.

Jewish religious law explicitly states that accepting Jesus as the Messiah of Israel places the prospective Jewish "convert" outside their community, no matter if the "convert" were to keep all other observances. Therefore, our Jewish elders who speak for their community in various ways object to anything Christian that can be remotely connected to their ancient faith. Jews can't exist in the Catholic Church as Jews, they say. They must be considered Catholic and referred to as such.

But they are, as they are not called "Jewish Catholics" but "Hebrew Catholics." To objectors this is a "bait and switch" terminology but for me, and I guess for many in the Church, this is simply a recognition of the fact that not all Hebrews are Jews and that the accidental distinction poses no insurmountable theological obstacle, from the Catholic viewpoint, for Hebrew Catholics to belong to the historical People of Israel. The objections do not come from the Magisterium of individual bishops or from the Pope, the objections comes from the Jewish camp.

Like the Russian Orthodox in their "canonical" territory, Jewish identity organizations see any type of "outreach" as an invasion of their turf. In their view, Jews should not become Catholic and should not be allowed to form groups, movements, or apostolates of a "proselytizing" bent. And they, not us, get to say what, and what isn't a "proselytizing" effort aimed at them.

The Church should minister to them as individual Catholics, they say, but should not allow them to organize themselves into a group with special pastoral needs, in their case, the continuation of their Hebrew identity. If catechumens of Jewish ancestry and identity wish to claim and continue their adherence to their ancestral identity, in the view of the ADL and Mr. Goldman, the Church should send them back to the Synagogue, "less they sin".

Our reply is similar to the one we give the Russian Orthodox: we cannot do that. Thirsting people of every background will keep coming to us for respite and we are not about to close our doors to them. If we were to do that, we would be sinning ourselves!

We have to be conscious of all sensitivities regarding the issue of a Hebrew way of life in the Catholic Church, but we cannot turn our backs to their pastoral needs. In the case of an observant Jewish candidate for baptism this becomes critical, because we firmly believe that Jesus of Nazareth came first to be Messiah of Israel, and that a Jew should find that his or her identity becomes complete by that recognition and not undermined in any way. However, the odds are high that their historical community, their families even, will shun them. After sacrificing and losing so much after accepting Jesus as Messiah, who are we to say that they can no longer observe their Sabbath and their holy days? We must accommodate them and I think the AHC is the Catholic Apostolate better suited to tend to this need.

The nature of the objections and the vehemence of the proponents show how far we still have to go on the road of dialogue, and mutual understanding.

Respect for women courtesy of the Taliban

Folks, Time Magazine recently had a very striking cover (which I include here) that should give us all pause. This is the story behind the picture:

The Taliban pounded on the door just before midnight, demanding that Aisha, 18, be punished for running away from her husband's house. Her in-laws treated her like a slave, Aisha pleaded. They beat her. If she hadn't run away, she would have died. Her judge, a local Taliban commander, was unmoved. Aisha's brother-in-law held her down while her husband pulled out a knife. First he sliced off her ears. Then he started on her nose. (See managing editor Richard Stengel's message to readers about this week's cover.)

This didn't happen 10 years ago, when the Taliban ruled Afghanistan. It happened last year. Now hidden in a secret women's shelter in Kabul, Aisha listens obsessively to the news. Talk that the Afghan government is considering some kind of political accommodation with the Taliban frightens her. "They are the people that did this to me," she says, touching her damaged face. "How can we reconcile with them?"

Read more: http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2007238,00.html#ixzz0vsN0hl2W

Fortunately, masses of Muslims took to the streets in world capitals across the Middle East and Eurabia to protest this abuse visited upon an innocent young woman in the name of Islam…

No, wait…

They are still busy protesting Muhammad cartoons and Pope Benedict’s Regensburg Address.

Today We Celebrate the Feast of the Transfiguration of Our Lord Jesus Christ

The four antiphones and concluding prayer of today's Morning Prayer:

Today the Lord Jesus Christ shone with splendor on the mountain, his face like the sun and his clothes white as snow.

Today the Lord was transfigured and the voice of the Father bore witness to him; Moses and Elijah appreared with him in glory and spoke with him about the death he was to undergo.

The law was given through Moses and prophecy through Elijah. Radiant in the divine majesty, they were seen speaking with the Lord.

A voice spoke from the cloud: "This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased; listen to him."

Let us pray: God our Father, in the transfigured glory of Christ your Son, you strengthen our faith by confirming the witness of your prophets, and show us the splendor of your beloved sons and daughters. As we listen to the voice of your Son, help us to become heirs to eternal life with him who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

A battle lost, but the war continues

Folks, this, according to one of my pet causes, the National Organization for Marriage:

National Organization for Marriage Decries Federal Court Decision Invalidating Proposition 8; Calls on the Supreme Court and Congress to Protect Americans' Right to Vote for Marriage

"With a stroke of his pen, Judge Walker has overruled the votes and values of 7 million Californians who voted for marriage as one man and one woman. This ruling, if allowed to stand, threatens not only  Prop 8 in California but the laws in 45 other states that define marriage as one man and one woman.”
– Brian Brown, President, National Organization for Marriage

WASHINGTON, DC – The National Organization for Marriage (NOM) today decried the decision of U.S. Circuit Court Judge Vaughn Walker to invalidate California’s Proposition 8, an amendment which defines marriage as the union of one man and one woman:

“Big surprise! We expected nothing different from Judge Vaughn Walker, after the biased way he conducted this trial,” said Brian Brown, President of NOM. "With a stroke of his pen, Judge Walker has overruled the votes and values of 7 million Californians who voted for marriage as one man and one woman. This ruling, if allowed to stand, threatens not only Prop 8 in California but the laws in 45 other states that define marriage as one man and one woman.”

"Never in the history of America has a federal judge ruled that there is a federal constitutional right to same sex marriage. The reason for this is simple – there isn’t!” added Brown.

“The ‘trial’ in San Francisco in the Perry v. Schwarzenegger case is a unique, and disturbing, episode in American jurisprudence. Here we have an openly gay (according to the San Francisco Chronicle) federal judge substituting his views for those of the American people and of our Founding Fathers who I promise you would be shocked by courts that imagine they have the right to put gay marriage in our Constitution. We call on the Supreme Court and Congress to protect the people’s right to vote for marriage,” stated Maggie Gallagher, Chairman of the Board of NOM.

“Gay marriage groups like the Human Rights Campaign, Freedom to Marry, and Equality California will, no doubt, be congratulating themselves over this “victory” today in San Francisco. However, even they know that Judge Walker’s decision is only temporary. For the past 20 years, gay marriage groups have fought to avoid cases filed in federal court for one good reason – they will eventually lose. But these groups do not have control of the Schwarzenegger v. Perry case, which is being litigated by two egomaniacal lawyers (Ted Olson and David Boies). So while they congratulate themselves over their victory before their home-town judge today, let’s not lose sight of the fact that this case is headed for the U.S. Supreme Court, where the right of states to define marriage as being between one man and one woman will be affirmed—and if the Supreme Court fails, Congress has the final say. The rights of millions of voters in states from Wisconsin to Florida, from Maine to California, are at stake in this ruling; NOM is confident that the Supreme Court will affirm the basic civil rights of millions of American voters to define marriage as one man and one woman,” noted Gallagher.

The National Organization for Marriage is a nonprofit organization with a mission to protect marriage and the faith communities that sustain it. Founded in response to the growing need for an organized opposition to same-sex marriage in state legislatures, NOM serves as a national resource for marriage-related initiatives at the state and local level. For decades, pro-family organizations have educated the public about the importance of marriage and the family, but have lacked the organized, national presence needed to impact state and local politics in a coordinated and sustained fashion. NOM seeks to fill that void, organizing as a 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization, giving it the flexibility to lobby and support marriage initiatives across the nation. Find out more atwww.nationformarriage.org.

To schedule an interview with Brian Brown, President, or Maggie Gallagher, Chairman of the Board, of the National Organization for Marriage, please contact Mary Beth Hutchins, mhutchins@crcpublicrelations.com, (x105), or Elizabeth Ray, eray@crcpublicrelations.com, (x130) at 703-683-5004.

Commentary. The judge also said that denying homosexual people their “right” to marry was the same as stating that homosexual “marriage” was “inferior” to heterosexual marriage.

Duh. The judge was perceptive. It’s exactly that. Same-sex “marriage” is inferior to heterosexual marriage. Otherwise, nature – and nature’s God – would have provided an alternative biological way to create and grow families. But since nature is “blind” and God doesn’t exist, or is indifferent, or maybe She’s gay as some say, then judges, activists, etc. may do what they like, right?

Well, one judge is not going to nullify a constitutional matter in one state, nor will he redefine marriage for the rest of us. This battle was lost, but the war continues.

Does the Devil Exist?

Fr. Nicolas Schwizer

In the Gospel, we often hear of Jesus expelling demons. Perhaps this fact seems somewhat strange to us because being possessed by a demon seems to us as something exclusive to those times. However, it also happens today even though it may be less frequent.

But the ultimate question for mankind today is…..does the devil exist as a person or not? As it is, modern man and inclusively the modern Christian man hardly even believes in the devil. The devil has been able to succeed today with his best maneuver: to put his existence in doubt.

Therefore, we want to now reflect for a moment on the devil and his activity in the world and in our own life.

The inhabitants of hell seek to counterattack the power and the dominion of God. And because they cannot confront God directly, they do it indirectly. They try to take from Him his favorite creation on earth: man.

Thus, each one of us is a battlefield where the good and the bad confront each other…..the divine forces and the diabolic forces.

Who would deny such a reality? None of us would be so naïve to believe that we would be free from that permanent struggle. Each one of us experiences this tension, this conflict in his/her own body and in his/her own soul. We become aware that a strong being works in us and wants to impose his will on us and we need another stronger being to liberate us.

We were liberated already on the day of our baptism. But the devil returned to us and we allowed him to enter anew by means of our sins.

The great work of the devil is sin. He is the “father of sin.” He is the reality of evil – which leads men to kill, steal, and deceive; he makes the unjust triumph and the just to suffer.

He makes those who have plenty become egotists and leads the marginalized to despair – this and a lot more is his work and it is very present and real in our world.

Truthfully, man does not live his destiny alone. He is incapable of being absolutely independent. He either surrenders to God or is enslaved by the devil. Whether in the good or the bad, it is not we who live: it is Christ or Satan who lives and triumphs in us. We are either children of God or children of the devil!

Jesus Christ clashes from the beginning of his mission with this power of evil which is incredibly active and extended throughout the world. Jesus discovers it everywhere. He expels it and dethrones it. We should also see the texts of the Gospel in this context. The one possessed by the devil is not the one at the center of the texts, it is Christ himself. Our gaze should be fixed on Him.

We ourselves will not be able to free ourselves from the power of the devil. We will not be able to conquer the evil in ourselves by our own strength. It is necessary that Christ strengthens us in our daily battle against the enemy. It is necessary that Christ frees us, step by step, from his destructive power. Also Mary, the Victress over the devil, will help us with this.

As Christ dealt in the Gospel with the possessed, in like manner, He wants to expel injustice, lies, hatred and all the evil on this earth. In us and through us, He wants to create a better world….. renew the face of the earth. He wants to build a Nation of God where truth, justice and love rule.

Dear brothers and sisters, someday we will also be free, totally free from the influence of the evil one. It will be on the happy day of our final encounter with God when we return to the House of the Father.

Questions for reflection

1. Do I really believe in the activity of the Devil?

2. Am I aware of the battle that takes place within me?

3. Do I know my weak point where the Devil attacks me most?

Greed is Idolatry

Folks, today I stumbled upon a meditation courtesy of Presentation Ministries that was very apropos to today’s Mass Readings. I want to share it with you, with due thanks and credits to Presentation Ministries:

"Greed...is the same thing as worshipping a false god." —Colossians 3:5, JB

As this is written, the American and global economies are in crisis. Far too many Christians are shaken, alarmed, and worried about their future. Christians are turning to financial experts, to news reports, to non-Christians for reassurance and hope. These reactions are revealing; a child of God should never worry (Mt 6:31), needing simply to turn to the Father for their needs. If Christians aren't able to trust their Father, do they really know Him at all?

I was blessed with the best of earthly fathers. As a child, I never once worried if my dad could put meals on the table or lovingly lead our family. This childlike trust in an earthly father is but a shadow of the absolute trust we Christians must constantly have in our heavenly Father. If we cannot trust God the Father in a money crisis, what kind of relationship will we have with Him in a more serious crisis, such as our approaching death?

Being a child of God and follower of Jesus means we put our lives and our needs in God's hands. We renounce all our possessions, including our bank account (Lk 14:33). We can't give our loyalty to both God and money (Mt 6:24). The desire for money is a trap (1 Tm 6:9) that can lead to idolatry (Col 3:5).

In America, our money is engraved with the words: "In God we trust." American money says it trusts in God. Will America's Christians trust God?

Prayer: Father, may all Your children come to know You so personally and deeply that they may trust You in all things and lead a hurting world to receive Your love and salvation.

Promise: "You have been raised up in company with Christ." —Col 3:1

Praise: Praise You, Jesus! You trusted Your Father with Your life and rose on the third day. Alleluia!