My Absence

I have not posted over the past few days because I have been on the road. I returned to my hometown for the funeral of a good friend who passed away quite suddenly. He was a good priest who was well loved by his people. Please remember him in your prayers. My posts will be pretty slow until after Thanksgiving. Take care till then.

For My Cubby Friends...

Great Quote From John Derbyshire:

"Does it not occur to you...that by purging all sacred images, references, and words from our public life, you are leaving us with nothing but a cold temple presided over by the Goddess of Reason -- that counterfeit deity who, as history has proved time and time and time again, inspires no affection, retains no loyalties, soothes no grief, justifies no sacrifice, gives no comfort, extends no charity, displays no pity, and offers no hope, except to the tiny cliques of fanatical ideologues who tend her cold blue flame?"

President Bush Responds To The Massachusetts Decision

"Marriage is a sacred institution between a man and a woman. Today's decision of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court violates this important principle. I will work with congressional leaders and others to do what is legally necessary to defend the sanctity of marriage. "

Amen!  Keep up the good work!

Massachusetts Supreme Court Says Gay "Marriage" Is A Constitional Right

Apparently the former ban on Gay "Marriage" would prevent children of same-sex couples "from enjoying the immeasurable advantages that flow from the assurance of 'a stable family structure in which children will be reared, educated, and socialized."'  Now, correct me if I am wrong, but I don't think that same-sex couples can have children.  Unless there has been some sort of technological discovery that I don't know about, two men or two women cannot procreate. 

In addition to that fact, a same-sex couple cannot provide children with a stable family structure for a couple of reasons.  First, it is not emotionally or psychologically healthy for a child to be deprived the love of a mother AND a father.  Secondly, statistics show that same-sex couples rarely enter into a relationship that is stable and lasting, rather most studies show men and women in same-sex relationships are largely unfaithful to each other and promiscuous.  This environment is not healthy for children to be raised in.

Update

Holy Smokes! This week is going to be hellish. It is busy week, plus on top of it all I have a twelve page research paper on the connection between Marriage and the Eucharist due a week from today. If any of you good people out there know of any good articles, books, tapes, etc on the topic please let me know. I am also looking for a few quotes from some couples who see a connection between their marriage and the Eucharist. If you wanna give a little help to this seminarian in his paper writing make a comment below or e-mail me at padredana@hotmail.com.

Is 10% Of Our Population Homosexual?

Some say yes, but the fact is that only 1% of our population is homosexual.  Even Time and Newsweek report that the 10% argument is a myth.  Read more about it here.

An Apple Beer A Day Keeps The Doctor Away

According to this article, "A pint of the black stuff a day may work as well as an aspirin to prevent heart clots that raise the risk of heart attacks. Drinking lager does not yield the same benefits, experts from Wisconsin University told a conference in the US." Bottoms up!

Joe London May Have a Point

Mr. London makes a good point when he critiques some Christians who do not live as they should, who use religion as a way of seeking themselves and the applause of others rather than God. I would give you a few excerpts but I don't think that would do justice to him so I will quote the whole post:

"Some Christians wear a feminized facade of piety and devoutness, well displayed with acts and with words, declared, boasted to feed their vanity, their wish to appear, above all to themselves and then to others, morally elevated. They comply with prescriptions and feel that their compliance confers to them a quality, a grace which distinguish them from the rest of the (sinning) humanity.

For such people the respect of a law does not proceed directly from a solid, grounded vision operating within themselves, humble and self-assured, but is s a toll willingly paid (even at the expense of common sense, rationality, or intellectual honesty) in order to receive an immediate narcissistic reward of vanity (self-gratification and halo of righteousness proportional to the performed and exhibited piety, devoutness and diligent respect of religious prescriptions), and secondarily the great reward of immortality. Whereas moral behaviour should be self-sufficient, disinterested, performed independently of any perspective of reward and, above all, foreign to the gratification of one's vanity. The contrary of this is what Christians call negatively a pharisaical attitude, except that, closely looking, some Christians behave exactly like pharisees.

They forget the lesson of St. Matthew ("Why do you see the speck in your brother’s eye, but fail to see the beam of wood in your own?"), and that of St. Paul, when he stresses the importance that each person be convinced in his or her own mind of the prescription followed (Romans, 14:1-12). Each one is accountable for each actions to one’s own conscience, that is the only area of acceptable moral confrontation, and the only judge is oneself and, for those who believe, God, certainly not the pharisees hypocrites who should learn to show their devoutness with silence rather than with sententious foolish words.

These Christians are a living contradiction of the very Christian concept of charity which should never assume or presume sin or evil in the fellow man, and who should not judge ("Who are you to pass judgment on another’s servant? Before his own master he stands or falls.") or expect a mere unconvinced respect of any law, but only live according to what they think is right, without boastings, and without pious prayers stated and amplified to the whole world to exhibit a revoltingly superficial appearance of charity which, in reality, is only self-indulgence, vanity, arrogance, acridness and hypocrisy. The ironic thing is that even they themselves know of this and yet they indulge in this and judge others. Their bad faith (in psychological terms) is so obvious that it does not fail to be known to themselves and to those who are exposed to their behaviour but don't let themselves be impressed by their pretense of piety.

For these people, the following passage is most appropriate: "You hypocrite! First remove the beam from your own eye, and then you can see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye."

Granted, I don't agree with everything that he says in this post, and I hope he doesn't put all Christians into the category of being pharisaical, but I do think he makes a few good points.  I definately think he offers those of us who are Christian a challenge to live the Gospel; to practice what we preach. I know that nobody is perfect, but for most (if not all) of us there is plenty of room for improvement. Lets get to work.

Another Example of Widespread Stultification In America

The Mighty Barrister did a whiz-bang job commenting on this one.  Click here to read them.

Britney Disappoints Me

Last night I caught part of an interview that Diane Sawyer did with Britney Spears, and to be honest, I was completely and totally appalled.  Diane Sawyer did a very fine job of bringing out Britney’s dumb blondeness as well as pushing her on a couple of issues, a few of which I wish to address.

In the interview Sawyer pushed her on the issue of being a role model for her fans, bringing up the fact that at one time Britney touted herself as a role model and example of how someone ought to save sex for marriage.  At one time Britney was an innocent young spokesman for chastity, but according to this website quoting the interview, she now she openly admits that she believes that saving sex for marriage is an “unrealistic goal.”  She thinks that “if you really know in your heart of hearts that you are gonna be with that person, forever, and you really think that, with all of your heart, and you're in four, or five years, you know, into the relationship…stuff can happen…I mean, I really thought that I was gonna be with him [Justin Timberlake] for the rest of my life. I did.”  Well Brit, even though you are obviously trying to justify your actions, you have proven to all of us two things, 1) In the context of searching for a mate you can never consider yourself truly committed until you make the definitive commitment of marriage, and 2) sex as a sign of commitment (which is one of the things that it is) can never have meaning until one is truly committed in marriage.  You cannot renew a commitment that you have not yet made.  It is illogical to say that you can.

Unfortunately the talk of sex didn’t stop there, Britney spoke of the song on her new album entitled Touch of My Hand (here’s a snippet from the lyrics: "Draw the blinds and I'll teach myself to fly . . . another day without a lover, the more I come to understand the touch of my hand." ) and admitted that the song was about masturbation.  Regarding masturbation, this website quotes here as recently saying that “If you say you don’t do it.  You’re lying.  It’s a positive thing to indulge in…I think it’s positive for girls not to depend on guys.  Being alone, and I am one to say, you really start to figure out what makes you happy…When you turn yourself on, that’s what turns a guy on.”  Well dear, I think not.  You, nor anyone else, will never find what makes them happy by having sex with yourself.  Oh Britney, if only you would have the backbone to stick to the values that you know are right…

The Mighty Barrister On The Right of Gays and Lesbians to Marry

The Barrister: "Let me say this right from the start: The Mighty Barrister overwhelmingly approves of homosexuals being granted the right to marry. They want to marry? I say let them. That right to marry should not discriminate against homosexuals, and the right must be identical to the rights given to heterosexuals, to wit:

     Homosexuals have the absolute right to marry someone of the opposite sex, same as the rest of us.

There. I said it. I know some of you out there are thinking to yourselves: "The Barrister has lost his mind." You may be right, but it's time we stopped this heinous discrimination against homosexuals and let them get on with their lives, and let them marry people of the opposite sex, the same as 97.85% of the rest of the world."

To read more of his post on this topic click here.

Book Review

Recently I wrote a book review on Carl E. Olson's book Will Catholics Be Left Behind? for my class on Catholic Eschatology. I thought I would provide a link for those of you interested in reading it.

Christianity and Truth

I was reading last months issue of First Things and came across this quote from Richard John Neuhaus:

"In the course of a “self-interview” in his book Signposts in a Strange Land, Walker Percy discussed his becoming a Catholic Christian. What attracted him, he said, was “Christianity’s rather insolent claim to be true, with the implication that the other religions are more or less false.” In our time when “truth” is commonly put in ironic quotes, there is something bracingly contrarian in such a statement. Contrarianism can easily morph into crankiness, however, as witness Christians obsessively disputing and dividing over their supposedly singular grasp of the fine points of truth. The line between faithful insolence and egregious arrogance is not always clear. But the truth is that truth obliges, and sometimes truth divides."

This quote struck me because it reminded me of our ongoing discussion with Joe London.  Recently I tried to begin a discussion about the nature of truth on his blog, but as of yet, there has been no response.  I think any discussion about dogmatism or the Church's beliefs must eventually come to a discussion about the nature of truth.  Until we can come to some sort of consensus about what truth is and how we know what is and what is not true we will never make any progress in our discussion.  So I pose the question that Pontius Pilate posed to Jesus 2000 years ago, "What is truth?"

President Bush: Speaking Out Of Both Sides of His Mouth

After calling for a "Marriage Protection Week" and insisting that "Marriage is a sacred institution, and its protection is essential to the continued strength of our society" he congratulates a church that performes same sex "marriages."

A few comments quoted in the article:  "How does one denounce the right of gays and lesbians to marry in their churches and suggest they are incapable of having healthy marriages in one moment, and in the next rejoice in God's faithfulness to a gay and lesbian congregation that performs such same-sex marriages?" "This is speaking out of both sides of your mouth. This is playing to two groups at the same time who are really after two different things – who uphold two completely different worldviews." 

I think I may have just lost some respect for our leader.

Pope John Paul Comments On Faith And Science

The Pope commented on the relationship between faith and Science on the occasion of the 400th anniversary of the Pontifical Accademy of Sciences. 

He said:

"I am more and more convinced that scientific truth, which is itself a participation in divine Truth, can help philosophy and theology to understand ever more fully the human person and God's revelation about man, a revelation that is completed and perfected in Jesus Christ," the Pope continued. "For this important mutual enrichment in the search for the truth and the benefit of mankind, I am, with the whole Church, profoundly grateful."

Read the full text of his comments here.

Episcopal Bishop Being Investigated For Allegedly "Homophobic" Comments

"The Rt Rev Dr Peter Forster, the Bishop of Chester, infuriated homosexuals both in and out of the Church of England when he said last week that they could and should seek medical help to "reorientate" themselves.  He said: "Some people who are primarily homosexual can reorientate themselves. I would encourage them to consider that as an option, but I would not set myself up as a medical specialist on the subject - that's in the area of psychiatric health.""

First off, I don't see how his comments are homophobic, rather I think they seek to help people who are same sex attracted to understand their condition and look at their options.  Granted, some don't want to discover the truth about their condition, but they should not prohibit or discourage those who do want to recieve therapy to help them diminish or totally overcome their same sex attraction.  The American Psychiatric Association agrees that therapy can help reduce or completely eradicate same sex attraction as you can read here, as does the Journal of Marital and Family Therapy as is stated here.  It is also interesting that the APA is pubishing more and more about the possibility of overcoming same sex attraction as is demonstrated by this article. 

This whole fiasco regarding the bishop seems to be nothing more than a scare tactic being used by radical gay and lesbian groups to keep people who disagree with them silent.

Banning Boyhood?

"Boys are the littlest "gun nuts." For them, joy is a good cap gun. If it shoots something, makes a big bang or looks fearsome, boys love it. Many parents have seen their ambition to keep their boys from toy guns frustrated by their kids' unstoppable trigger fingers. If denied a toy gun, a boy is liable to use a stick, or bite his sandwich into the shape of a gun, or pretend to shoot with his sister's Barbie doll. As the essayist G. K. Chesterton wrote back when bows and arrows were the issue, "No society, claiming to be sane, would have dreamed of supposing that you could abolish all bows unless you could abolish all boys.""

Read the whole article here.

Will the Real Mary Magdalene Please Stand Up

And We Wonder Why Our Teenage Children are Sex-Crazed...

"...23 percent of teens said they had sex either out of curiosity, because it "feels good" or because it was "just something to do."

That flawed thinking scares me silly, especially when I think about my 11-year-old daughter. And I shudder when I think of her (former) friend who as a fifth-grader revealed her preference for condoms during sex."

This quote is from this editorial in the Orlando Sentinal by Darrel E. Owens.  I thing he makes a great point about how we "shouldn't be too shocked that Madison Avenue has stooped to pimping kids in ads with illicit sex as subtext for selling minors double-A batteries."  It's been a growing trend for years now, and we need to stop it.  Children having sex is risky busines; they are not physically, psychologically, or spiritually ready for such activity.  As Owens says, "It's time we sell our children a new mantra: that easy sexuality isn't love but a mirage, and that premarital sex only cheapens something sacred."

I Am One of "John Paul's Men"

This is an excellent article on today's seminarians.  It talks about  the growing trend among seminarians:  namely that they are in love with the Church and faithful to her, even if the face of a society that rejects her and her teachings.  It also shows the respect that seminarians have for our present Holy Father.  I am proud to say that I am one of "John Paul's Men."

This Is Totally Ridiculous

Check out this story compliments of David Morrison of Sed Contra.  Apparently this child has no father...rather the "natural" parents are two women.  It sounds like the gay and lesbian community wants to do away with the scientific fact that a child is created by a male and female.  Hmmm...and they accuse Catholics of ignoring science...

The Meatrix

mmmm....yummy meat. 

The Truth About Partial Birth Abortion

An e-mail sent to Katherine Jean Lopez of National Review Online:

"I would like to take the time to thank you for your article, "Partial Truths." As a Family Nurse Practitioner and a mother of two toddlers, I am strongly opposed to "partial-birth" abortions. I wasn't always aware of how abortions were actually performed until I became a nurse. I admit I even marched in a "pro-choice" parade in my college years. I guess I always thought having choices was important. I still do. But murder and infanticide is not a choice that ought to be granted to us. If it weren't for the internet, I would never have seen the horror. And until I saw my daughter at 7 weeks on the ultrasound, with her little heart beating, I never realized she was already a person before I knew she existed.

I speak from experience. My first child was a "surprise," but there was never a choice to make. My husband and I did decide to marry before her birth, but many are not as lucky as I have been to have such a wonderful, loving husband. However, I reiterate that there was never a choice to make regarding her life. She was very much wanted, just as her sister, who came a year later, was wanted. I cannot imagine my life without my daughters, and would give my own life freely for them."

Rev. Earle Fox, Episcopalian Priest: A Man of Courage

“On Sunday, November 2, Gene Robinson, a man who had left his wife and children to pursue an actively homosexual lifestyle, was consecrated
a bishop in the Episcopal Church, in the Diocese of New Hampshire. Such an event is contrary to Christian belief and practice, and is at the same
time, contrary to all empirical evidence: medical, psychological, sociological, etc. Homosexuality is a compulsive, lethal addiction…

Frank Griswold [The Bishop who consecrated Rev. Gene Robinson] is not interested in the truth of the matter, and is largely responsible for the deluded state of many of the people in that arena. That means that Griswold (and his following of bishops) are guilty, surely in the eyes of God, of criminal pastoral malfeasance. They are promoting a lifestyle which is killing the very people they are telling us "love" each other, a lifestyle which takes from 30% to 40% off the lifespan of those who follow it…

The one issue which homosexual advocates MUST keep hidden is their behavior. That damages their PR program. They understand that, and have said so publicly (read "After the Ball", by Marshall Kirk & Hunter Madsen -- two of their primary strategists). Griswold has done a masterful job of cooperating with their deceit. And the American public has done a masterful job of falling right into their snare.

It is time to shine the light.”

Here is the link to the entire article…I warn you, it is not for the squeamish…

Joe London On Me, Priesthood, And The Church's Teachings on Sexuality

The same old arguments and misconceptions over and over again...

President Bush Signs Into Law A Ban On Partial Birth Abortion

"A terrible form of violence has been directed against children who are inches from birth while the law looked the other way...Today at last the American people and our government have confronted the violence and come to the defense of the innocent child."

Amen! It's good to have a president with a moral backbone, but the fact of the matter is that there are very few babies killed through partial birth abortion.  Now granted, one partial birth abortion is one too many, but there are many more lives to be saved. This is a victory, but it is only the beginning.   

If you want more info about the procedure click here.

RU-486 Kills

Officials from the Alameda County Coroner's Office have confirmed that the death of 18-year-old Holly Patterson, who died September 17, was due to septic shock resulting from a medical (drug-induced) abortion.  Abortion kills...not just the babies in the womb, but also those who take a seemingly harmless pill to help them "teminate their pregnancy."

Maybe I will be proven wrong, but something tells me that we won't hear about this from the media.

Eurotard!!!

Thanks to Fr. Bryce Sibley I think we know where the below mentioned St. Michelle, the fabled Sr. Trixie, and our good friend Sr. Judy Butch do their shopping.