Cardinal Ratzinger on the Pope's Health

Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, one of the Holy Father's closest aides is being quoted as saying that the Pope is "in a bad way" and that "we should pray for him." You can read the Associated Press article here, and the Catholic World News article here. The CWNews story claims that the quote that the pope is "in a bad way" is a very bad translation, and that what the Cardinal said does "not necessarily reflect a change in the Pope's condition." Either way, we need to keep the Holy Father in our prayers.

Great Homily By Fr. Rob Johansen

Sometimes you just gotta tell the truth...and that's exactly what Fr. Johanson does in his homily for this past Sunday. He makes a great point when he says that "we can get ourselves to hell just as easily by negligence, laziness, and self-satisfaction as we can by being a mass murderer. And the fact is, Satan would much rather do it the slow, gradual, way: lull us to sleep; make us smug and stupid" You can read the whole text of his homily here, and be sure to check out the other posts on his blog as well.

Grade School Children in Scotland to Be Given "Lesbian Dolls"

I hope and pray that this sort of thing will never happen in the United States.  David Morrison, author of the book "Beyond Gay", comments on these dolls on his blog entitled Sed Contra.  It's worth a read.

Pope John Paul II Names 31 New Cardinals

Today Pope John Paul named 31 men to serve as Cardinals, among them is the former Archbishop of St. Louis and new Archbishop of Philadelphia, Justin Rigali. Recently Archbishop Rigali was here at the seminary to start off the new academic school year, which also provided us an opportunity to wish him well as as he begins his new ministry in Philadelphia. Let us pray for these 31 men, and for all the cardinals so that they will have the courage and wisdom to carry out there ministry.

Bad Movie Alert

Last night, I saw this movie with some friends, and I cannot recommend it to anyone...unless you like extremely boring and pointless movies. I am still not sure what it was about.

Also, you might have noticed that I am finally able to post pictures. This should make my blog a little more fun and exciting, and should you see any amusing, funny or interesting pictures, let me know...

Some of The Problems With Abortion

I found this really interesting and so I thought I would post it. Yesterday our good friend Dr. Phil McGraw discussed some of the problems of post-traumatic abortion syndrome. I find it surprising that Dr. Phil would even attempt to talk about it on his show since most would shun the topic for fear of losing pro-abortion sponsorship. Even though his advise to the couple wasn't what I would have hoped, it is still amazing that he even discussed the issue. Below is what a fellow blogger has to say on her blog:

"Incredibly enough, yesterday's edition of the Dr. Phil show dealt with a couple suffering major sex problems as the result of an abortion.

Some quotes from the show:

"Tripp is one of the 20 million men in America who suffer from erectile dysfunction, and the condition has prevented him from consummating his two-and-a-half year marriage to Michelle. 'It's like a cancer eating me from the inside out,' Tripp says.

The problem stems from an abortion the couple had while they were engaged. 'I felt that the decision to terminate the pregnancy was forced upon me,' says Michelle. Tripp acknowledges his role in Michelle's unhappiness: 'When I made the decision to have the procedure, I think I lost a lot of her trust,' he says. Now, fear of failure keeps him from trying to have sex with his wife.

Tripp admits the only thing it could be is the abortion the couple went through. 'We weren't together very long when we had to deal with that,' Tripp says. 'And when it happened, it was like the sex went from 150 percent to zero. It was like the wall completely caved in on me.'

'The two of you got pregnant, the two of you went the route that you did, and don't both of you have to own that decision?' Dr. Phil asks the couple. He then addresses Tripp: 'Is it any wonder that you felt tremendous guilt and shame and pain over the decision and the pain it caused Michelle?'"

Go for it, Dr. Phil.

Unfortunately, he later tells them that what they must do is get over it and move it, without giving them any ideas about how to do that.

The last time they tried to have sex, as you can see from reading the transcript, Michelle ran from the room and cried for five hours. This is a situation that calls for more than the "okay, time to move on" advice.

This couple lost a child. They need to be allowed and encouraged to grieve together."

Daily Update

Holy Smokes!  I suddenly have more readers...This is mostly due to the fact that Fr. Bryce Sibley linked to my blog in his blog.  I am grateful to Fr. Bryce for doing this, and I welcome everyone and encourage them to comment on anything that is said here. 

In other news, the week is flying by, and I am really happy that tomorrow is Friday.  This weekend is Family Weekend at the seminary, which means that many of the students will have family members here.  It is always a busy weekend, but with no family here...it is nothing but relaxation for me...and hopefully I will be able to catch up with homework and defending the faith here on my blog. 

Two Interesting Articles:

First, and article for those of us interested in liturgy can be found here.

Secondly, here is an article on the Vatican delegate's address to the United Nations on the topic of HIV/AIDS. Clearly the Church is concerned about the epidemic, especially in those areas that are effected more seriously such as sub-Saharan Africa. It also points out that 25% of care provided for those effected with HIV/AIDS is given by Catholic agencies and organizations.

The Inquisition: A Response to My Critics

A few comments on the Spanish Inquisition... It seems to me that there is more to the inquisition than Mr. London and my other critics present. Most of the following can be referenced in a book by Henry Kamen entitled "The Spanish Inquisition: A Historical Revision" (Yale University Press, 1998).

Contrary to what many historians have said, it is not likely that any more that two thousand people were put to death for heresy by the Spanish Inquisition. In order to prove this Kamen lists a number of reliable historical sources from the time period itself that show that the numbers of those executed by the inquisition are considerably less than is commonly held. For instance "the tribunal of Saragossa had some one hundred and thirty executions...Valencia possibly some two hundred and twenty five, that of Barcelona some thirty-four." These numbers are a far cry from the thousands upon thousands that many would have us believe. In addition, most of those brought before the inquisition were not actually brought to trial, and of those who were brought to trial even fewer were actually executed.

Another issue that is brought up about the inquisition is its use of torture. History seems to indicate that torture was used less by the inquisition than it was used by the criminal justice system of the day. To most, the inquisition was where they wanted to be tried because they were much more merciful than the civil courts. This fact is attested to by numerous sources from the time of the inquisition and are listed in Warren H. Carroll's History of the Christendom vol. 3, p 609.

On another note, there seems to be doubt as to whether or not the Church was even behind the Spanish Inquisition. It seems as though Ferdinand was using it to "consolidate his power."

Thus we can see that the inquisition is a much more complicated issue than is usually presented by critics of the Church, in fact I have just scratched the surface. There are numerous books and articles that do a much better job of presenting the historical truth about the legend of the inquisition.

As regards Galileo, I will try to get to that soon.

God Bless.

Daily Update

Today I went to the American Red Cross and donated platelets for the first time. It was an adventure beyond compare. I figure it's a good way to give of myself so that another may live...maybe you should all give it a try...

This week, like most, will be a busy one, so I may not be able to reply to all the comments in a timely fashion. I am slowly but surely working to answer all the questions that have been posed, and hopefully I will have them posted soon. I am glad that this blog can be a place of honest discussion that is carried out with respect and charity.

Psychology and Homosexuality

Some of my critics frequently comment on the supposed negative psychological consequences of priestly celibacy. Here is an interview that looks at the gay and lesbian lifestyle and honestly evaluates how psychologically unhealthy it can be. You can find it here.

I want to be very clear that I am not homophobic, in fact I have a number of friends who struggle with same sex attraction. I do, however, think that people who struggle with same sex attraction are called by God to live a chaste lifestyle which, contrary to what some would say, is possible to live in a way that is physically and psycologically healthy. For more information on same sex attraction and chastity check out this website run by Courage, a support group for men and women struggling with same sex attraction and who want to live a chaste lifestlye.

Daily Update

Well, it's Sunday again and nothing much has changed in my life.  Classes are moving along at a pretty good pace, and time seemes to flying.  I seem to be having less and less time to post things here, so you will have to forgive me if I don't post as often as I was for awhile.  I have also been asked to post on another blog that can be found here.  You may wanna check it out...it is just starting up, so the posts are coming pretty slow, but hopefully soon it will be moving a little faster. 

Daily Update

Wow...It has been a busy weekend, and the week ahead doesn't look any better either...at least it keeps me out of trouble. 

Last night was my first night teaching RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults); it will be a wonderful year.  The people in the class are eager to learn about the Church and her teachings, I wish that everyone was as open to searching for the truth as they are.  I ask for you prayers for them that they will persevere in their faith journey into the Church.

The Holy Father on The Blessed Virgin Mary

"Mary shows us the path towards a mature freedom. In our days, many baptized Christians have not yet made the faith their own in an adult and conscious way. They call themselves Christians and yet they do not respond in a fully responsible way to the grace they have received; they still do not know what they want and why they want it ... This is the lesson to be learned today: an education to freedom is urgently needed. Especially in the family, parents must educate their children to a correct freedom, so as to prepare them to respond properly to God's call. The family is the nursery where the little plants, the new generations, are nurtured. In the family the future of the Nation is forged."

Sex Education...Again

Check out the news story here.

Nine Months

God willing I will be ordained a deacon of the Roman Catholic Church nine months from today.  I ask for your continued prayers for me as I continue preparing for the priesthood.

Town and Country

Well folks, I am very excited to announce that I have made my very first appearance in the Town and Country column of my home-town weekly newspaper, The Grant County Review.  For those of you who are city dwellers, the Town and Country column is that section of the paper that has all the local gossip:  who went to whose house for dinner, and who visited who for afternoon coffee, and who went where on vacation, etc.  The column states "Dana who was assigned to duties at St. Joseph's Cathedral, Sioux Falls, during the summer, has returned to Kendrick [sic] Seminary, St. Louis, MO.  He has two more years of study for the priesthood there before he will be ordained as a priest." 

Remarks of Openly Gay Episcopalian Bishop Gene Robinson

It boggles my mind to think that the following quote from Gene Robinson would come out of the mouth of anybody who claims to be a Christian.  He stated "Just simply to say that it (homosexual acts) goes against tradition and the teaching of the Church and Scripture does not necessarily make it wrong.”  These three things: scripture, tradition and the teaching of the Church are for Christians the chief sources of our beliefs.  George Weigel, in an article found here, asks the question that immediately came to my mind and probably the minds of any serious Christian who heard or read the quote, "If neither Scripture, nor Tradition, nor the settled teaching of the Church for two millennia is authoritative, then what is?"  If one is going to be a Christian...then they should be a Christian and embrace all of Christianity.  If you are going to stand for something at least have the backbone to really believe in it.

Daily Update

Ok...so the updates aren't exactly "daily" but it sounds good. Things are going well, nothing too extraordinary to report. Classes are going very well, and the time is flying making ordination seem even closer. Another telling sign of how close I am to becoming a deacon is that I am in a class called "Deacon Practicum" which is basically where we get together, dress up like deacons and practice things like reading the gospel, preparing the altar, using incense and celebrating baptisms, weddings, and funerals. As you can imagine, we have alot of fun in this class...

Maybe There is Hope

A hopeful article here about the future of Catholic education.

Is Gay Marriage a Civil Rights Issue...I Think Not

Recently many gay marriage proponents have been comparing their struggle for legal recognition to the civil rights movement.  Here is an article from the Massachusetts Family Institute as well as one from the Phiadelphia Inquirer showing that comparing the quest to legalize gay marriage to the civil rights movement is like comparing apples and oranges.

Interesting Article

This article by Father Michael Hull, the dean of the Neumann program and professor of Scripture at St. Joseph's Seminary in the New York Archdiocese was presented to the Vatican Congregation of the Clergy last June.  Some of you may find it helpful to understand the Church's belief in the discipline of priestly celibacy. 

A Comment From a Faithful Reader:

A reader comments in an e-mail, "I have been reading your comments on your bloq when I have the opportunity... I have noticed the counter-remarks of this Joe London fellow ... First, I must say that you are a patient man to put up with some
of his comments. Also, I agree with you that it is basically better to not be in dialogue with him. His what can only be defined as atheistic beliefs are nothing but crystal clear and he seems to have a major problem with the Catholic Church. One can only wonder where that comes from or if it is simply the work of the One (to whom you know I speak of) who wishes to distort the Truth and all that it stands for in a world that has nearly gone mad with hate, anger, and fear. So, I commend you in your struggle with him and your dedication to "shout from the housetops what you hear in whispers." Clearly, one cannot have a theological discussion with one who denies the validity of theology period. And, the struggle continues."

Thank you for your comments, and be assured that I will never cease to "shout from the housetops" the truth.  By the way, if any others want to drop me an e-mail feel free to do so at padredana@hotmail.com.

Affirming Priestly Celibacy

Those of you who are following the ongoing questioning of priestly celibacy in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee will be interested in the following links.  Here you can find a site that is dedicated to countering the petition signed by priests in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee asking that mandatory celibacy for priests be abandoned.  I strongly encourage all priests who are faithful to the tradition of the Church to sign this petition in favor of celibacy and for lay people to encourage their priests to do so.  Contrary to what many say the rule of celibacy is NOT the cause of the recent sex abuse crisis.  Also you can find here the President of the United States Council of Catholic Bishops, Bishop Wilton Gregory's statement in response to the anti-celibacy petition in Milwaukee.  Here, you can find Archbishop Timothy Dolan's response in favor of priestly celibacy. 

Daily Update

Well here we are...friday again.  The weather here in St. Louis is wonderful, in fact it is so wonderful that I feel guilty taking a nap...coming from me, that says alot.  In a couple of weeks I will begin teaching RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults), which is a class for those who want to join the Catholic Church.  I am looking forward to it.  There is also a very good chance that I will also be teaching an adult education course on Marriage and Sexuality based on The Theology of the Body by Pope John Paul II.  All this teaching and class preparation should keep me out of trouble...but no guarantees.

Arrr! All Ye Bilge Rats Better Take a Peek at This Dandy Site...

Avast! Mateys it appears that September 19th is talk like a pirate day!  We don't wanna miss this one...

I Think I May Have Touched a Nerve...

Joe London has once again taken on Catholicism and the priesthood, specifically the Church's teaching on sexuality and priestly celibacy, on his blog.  I have, as of now, decided to once again cease my discussion with him for the simple reason that if you do not believe, and are not willing to consider believing, that Jesus Christ is the Messiah and that what He teaches is true, then a theological discussion about the sacredness of sexuality is impossible.  It seems as though Mr. London would have us believe that there is no afterlife and thus there is no reason to live a life in keeping with the teachings of Jesus Christ.  He is, however, mistaken.

The Church Goes Technological...

I hope these people are kidding...this would be just a little to weird for me...

Sex Education vs. Abstinence Education

This article (rated PG-13 and is not for the sqeamish) by Robert Rector comments on just how appaling the sex education situation is in our schools. Not only do many of these programs promote premarital sex, masturbation, and pornography, but they also portray homosexual relationships as a normal and acceptable "choice." It is a proven fact that condom use is certainly no sure fire way to prevent sexualy transmitted diseases. I propose that all people who desire to get involed in risky behavior should look into another method of protecting themselves from STD's. Before the condom was ever invented there already existed a method that prevents 100% of STD's 100% of the time. This method has been proven to work in 100% of cases since it's conception (no pun intended). This method is abstinence. Not only does it protect against STD's but also protects from the negative emotional, psycological, and spiritual consequences of engaging in premarital sexual activity. I don't know about you, but I am getting sick and tired about hearing how bad the situation is...I think it is high time we do something about it...any ideas?