Dinosaurs, Mutant Chickens, Evolution, and Faith in God

A micro-review in one of my blogs discussed the discovery, a few years ago, of 68,000,000-year-old tyrannosaurus rex tissue. Not fossilized tissue: something gooey from the inside of a thigh bone. The scientists think they've spotted bone-growing cells in the mess. ("Bringing Back the Dinosaurs: Not a Crazy Idea Any More," Apathetic Lemming of the North (June 29, 2009))

It's not likely that the dino-goo they've got can be grown into a T-rex, but between studying that sample, what we're discovering about genetics, and some mutant chickens in Wisconsin, there's a chance that a living dinosaur could be grown.

Why am I Not Filled With Holy Zeal Against These Unbelievers?

I'm a Catholic. Even before I converted, I was inclined to take God's creation as He made it, not as I'd like it to be.

Even if I had that much time to work with, I probably wouldn't have had the patience to spend a few billion years getting Earth to the point it is today. But I'm not God.

And, right now, it looks like Bishop Ussher was off by quite a few powers of ten when he decided that the world was formed in the year 4004 B.C. - narrowing it down to the date and time of day.

Okay, so the the universe is a lot bigger - in time as well as in space - than people figured a few hundred years ago. I don't see a problem with that. God can handle it.

As for the evils of evolution: I've discussed my take on that, in What If Darwin Had Been an Astronomer?, in another post.

The way I saw it before I became a Catholic, God made the world. When somebody makes a thing, it's possible that something can be learned about the maker by studying the thing made. So it should be possible to learn something about God by studying what He made.

Turns out, this is one assumption I didn't have to change as I learned more about Catholicism.

"...'methodical research in all branches of knowledge, provided it is carried out in a truly scientific manner and does not override moral laws, can never conflict with the faith, because the things of the world and the things of faith derive from the same God. The humble and persevering investigator of the secrets of nature is being led, as it were, by the hand of God in spite of himself, for it is God, the conserver of all things, who made them what they are.'...." (Gaudium et spes, quoted in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, 159)

But Evolution Denies the Existence of God!

Nope. As I argued in that other post, if Darwin had been an astronomer, the very 'scientific' idea might have been going the rounds that: "The moon has no atmosphere, therefore God doesn't exist." Silly? Yes, but so is saying that the idea of change over time denies the existence of God.

I think the problem that evolution has is that, in parts of western culture at least, it's mixed up with what 19th century secularists preferred to believe. Which is why the Pope recently said:

"...'We know that the truth of human life is infinitely greater than any narrow view that dismisses some lives as disposable. We are not some casual and meaningless product of evolution,' Pope Benedict pointed out at his inaugural Mass. 'Each of us is the result of a thought of God. Each of us is willed, each of us is loved, each of us is necessary.'..." (September, 2005)

That's not inconsistent with what Pope John Paul II said in 1996:

"...Pope John Paul II articulated the church's position most clearly in a 1996 address to the Pontifical Academy for Sciences, saying the theory of evolution is 'more than a hypothesis.'..." (AP, via FOXNews)

Dealing With Change

"Nothing endures but change."
(Heraclitus)

The philosopher who said that has been dead for about two and a half millennia. I don't quite agree with that statement, but everything from the absence of cell phones in his time to the rise and fall of the Roman Empire has shown that one of the very few things we can rely on is that things will continue to change.

I doubt that there are many people who think that the world as we know it today is exactly the way it was when the Vikings were making life difficult for people living along the coast of Europe, when Julius Caesar was assassinated, or when Moses came down from Mount Sinai. Rivers have changed course, lakes have silted in, dodos and passenger pigeons are now extinct, and each year we deal with a new variety of influenza.

Change happens.

I'm quite sure that no paleontologist will find a dinosaur bone inscribed with the words "made by God." But that doesn't mean that I can't believe that God "upholds and sustains" his creation on a constant basis. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 301)

And, at our present state of knowledge about how the world works, it looks like He's been doing so for quite a long time. Getting back to the idea of learning about God by studying what he's made, it looks like He's very, very patient.

Related posts:

• "Bringing Back the Dinosaurs: Not a Crazy Idea Any More"
  Apathetic Lemming of the North (June 29, 2009)
• "Faith and Reason, Religion and Science"
  (March 20, 2009)
• "Catholic Church, Creationism, Evolution, Facts and Faith"
  (March 5, 2009)

Background:

• "Cardinal Cites 'Mixed Outlook' in Fostering Respect for Human Life"
  Office of Media Relations, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (September 30, 2005)
• "Creationists, Intelligent Design Advocates Blast Vatican for Not Inviting Them to Evolution Conference"
  The Associated Press, via FOXNews (March 6, 2009)

The Pope: Looks Like Saint Paul is in the Tomb of Saint Paul

There's a world of difference between saying that something is very possible, that it may be; and saying that it is an established fact, that it is.

That distinction seems to have been lost in some of the news from Rome this weekend. That's understandable, perhaps, considering what the news was.

It looks like there's pretty good forensic evidence that the body in Saint Paul's tomb is, in fact, Saint Paul's. That may sound daft, but there really was reason to question the identity of the man buried there. I'll get to that after a long quote.

One of the less breathless, and more detailed, news accounts of what the Pope said about Saint Paul's tomb is what Zenit published:

"...The Pope presided at first vespers this evening for the solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul, which marked the conclusion of the Pauline Year. The celebration took place at the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls, where it has traditionally been believed St. Paul was buried.

" 'An authentic scientific analysis' conducted on the sarcophagus conserved in the basilica, the Holy Father said, 'seems to confirm the unanimous and uncontested tradition that these are the mortal remains of the Apostle Paul.'

" 'A tiny hole was drilled into the sarcophagus -- which over many centuries had never been opened -- in order to insert a special probe, which revealed traces of costly purple colored linen fabric, laminated with pure gold and a blue fabric with linen filaments,' Benedict XVI explained.

" 'Grains of red incense and protein and chalk substances were also discovered,' he continued. 'There were also tiny bone fragments, which were sent for carbon-14 testing by experts who were unaware of their origin. These were discovered to belong to a person who had lived between the first and second centuries.'..."
(Zenit)

The Zenit article discusses, very briefly, what's happened at the site of the Holy See over about two millennia. The tomb of Saint Paul was a pilgrimage destination from very early in the history of the Church. After a while, the exact location of the tomb was lost.

Sound crazy? I don't think so.

How Could Anybody Lose an Entire Tomb?

Until around the end of the third century, Christians weren't constantly hunted down and killed, but they didn't quite shake their persona non grata status until Emperor Constantine decided, for whatever reason, to become a Christian.

As Emperor, Constantine had a basilica built at the site of Saint Paul's tomb. In the fourth century, "the so-called basilica of the 'Three Emperors' (Theodosius, Valentinian II and Arcadius)" was built in the same general area. (Zenit)

Then Rome made an awkward transition from being the capital of a mighty empire, to being a city on the Italian peninsula.

Over the centuries, basilicas were built, renovated, and replaced. All on the same site.

I'm not terribly surprised that well-documented information about the exact location of one tomb, no matter how important, could get lost as a sequence of major construction projects, political upheavals, economic disasters, and cultural changes washed over the site.

I am, however, impressed that, as the centuries added up, tradition kept an altar over what we think is, quite likely, the tomb of Saint Paul.

"Quite Likely?" Where's that Religious Certainty?

I've run into the idea that people who are "religious" believe that some things are very definitely so, others are definitely not so, and that there's no middle ground. I think there are people who have no room for uncertainty in their minds: and that they'd be somewhat uncomfortable with a thorough knowledge of Catholicism.

Take the veneration of relics, images, and other objects. That's "veneration," not "adoration," and there's an important difference. As St. Basil said, "whoever venerates an image venerates the person portrayed in it." (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2132)

The Catholic Church has some things that Catholics must believe: dogmas. There are other things that it's okay for us to believe, or not.

There's another category of things that it's okay for us to believe, or not believe. Take the situation with Ida Peerdeman of Amsterdam, Holland, as an example. She reported that the Blessed Virgin Mary had asked to be known as Our Lady of All Nations. Lots of people claim to have seen Mary, flying saucers, or Elvis. Someone earnestly feeling that something is so, doesn't make it true. The Catholic Church, as usual, investigated the apparition that Peerdeman reported. This time, the investigation found that what Ida Peerdeman witnessed was "'of a supernatural origin'".

What we do with that finding is up to us:

"...In a Letter of 3 May 2002, Raphael Soffner of the public affairs office of the diocese of Haarlem affirmed to EWTN that the public veneration of Our Lady of All Nations by title, image and prayer, is permitted to Catholics by decision of the Bishop of Haarlem, 'with the consent of the Prefect of the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith in Rome'. Catholics may make 'a personal judgment according to their conscience' regarding the messages and apparition...."
(EWTN)

Back to the Tomb of Saint Paul

I'm not terribly surprised that the location of Saint Paul's tomb was retained, with a pretty high degree of accuracy, through massive construction projects, the fall of the Roman Empire, and the passage of around 19 centuries. I'm also not terribly surprised that detailed documentation that's up to the Catholic Church's standards, isn't available. Maybe it does exist, and is buried in an archive somewhere. We just don't know.

As important as where Saint Paul was buried is, it's not exactly the most important fact for the Church.

Me? I think the odds are very strong that what we think is Saint Paul's tomb is just that: the resting place of the body of Saint Paul, the apostle. But, if it turns out that it isn't: it's not going to shake my faith.

Which threatens to get me onto another topic.

More-or-less related posts:

• "Donating Umbilical Cord Blood: Good Idea!"
  (June 15, 2009)
• "'Cafeteria Catholics' and a Diverse Church"
  (June 8, 2009)
• "The Catholic Church: 19 Centuries of the Great Commission"
  (March 21, 2009)
• "Faith and Reason, Religion and Science"
  (March 20, 2009)

In the news:

• "Pope: Bascilica bones belong to apostle St. Paul"
  CNN (June 29, 2009)
• "Evidence Points to Authenticity of St. Paul's Tomb"
  Zenit (June 28, 2009)
• "Pope says bone fragments found in St Paul's tomb"
  Reuters (June 28, 2009)
• "WHY DO WE VENERATE RELICS?"
  Father William Saunders, The Arlington Catholic Herald, via EWTN, (July 13, 1995)

Background:

• "St. Paul"
  New Advent
• "St. Peter, Prince of the Apostles"
  New Advent
• "St. Peter's Basilica - A Brief History"
  by Fr. Carolan, OMI, English Guides to St. Peter's, StPetersBasilica.org
• "Why Do We Venerate Relics?"
  Father William Saunders, The Arlington Catholic Herald, via EWTN, (July 13, 1995)

---

Update/correction (June 29, 2009)

I failed to proof this post, and as a result allowed a major blunder to be made. I'd replaced "Paul" with "Peter" throughout, with one exception.

The error is corrected, and I intend to remember the importance of proofing after this.

Farrah Fawcett: Poster Girl; Actress and Catholic

Perhaps because many Catholics know very little about their faith, some American politicos of the 'although personally opposed' sort are quite willing - even eager - to say how enthusiastic they are about being Catholic.

In the America movie industry, being Catholic doesn't seem to be quite so big an advantage.

I was surprised to learn that Farrah Fawcett received 'last rites' before her death. I had not been aware that she was Catholic, and am glad to read that she died what my father would have called a happy death.

The last rites are a set of sacraments which include Reconciliation (Confession), Anointing of the Sick, Apostolic Blessing for the Hour of Death, and Holy Communion. (EWTN)

Receiving the Anointing of the Sick isn't reserved for people who are about to die. (Catechism, 1514). It doesn't hurt to receive this sacrament as soon as sickness or old age make it clear that death may be approaching, though. And, if you've received the Anointing of the Sick and get better: no worries. The sacrament can be given again, as needed (1515)

Back to Farrah Fawcett

I can't say that I was a fan of Farrah Fawcett, but I knew something about her career, from that 1976 poster, through "Charlie's Angels," and her movies. I wrote a post about her career and death in another blog.

As I wrote then, Farrah Fawcett struck me as someone who had a bit more common sense and inner strength than many of the glitterati display.

Related posts:

• "Farrah Fawcett: Poster Girl; Actress; Dead"
  Apathetic Lemming of the North (June 25, 2009)
• " 'Cafeteria Catholics' and a Diverse Church"
  (June 8, 2009)
• "Kathleen Sebelius of Kansas: Nancy Pelosi Isn't Alone"
  (March 8, 2009)
• "The Pope, an Archbishop, and Nancy Pelosi, on Abortion, Human Rights, and Communion"
  (February 21, 2009)
• "Pelosi and the Pope, Emotion and Beliefs"
  (February 19, 2009)
• Putting some of these related posts in perspective
  "Conservative? Liberal? Democrat? Republican? No, I'm Catholic"
  (November 3, 2008)

In the news:

• "Farrah Fawcett dies after receiving last rites"
  Catholic News Agency (June 25, 2009)

Background:

• Last Rites and the Catholic Church in America:
  • "Asian and Pacific Island Demographics"
    Cultural Diversity in the Church, Asian and Pacific Island Affairs
  • "Dioceses, Parishes, North American College in Rome to Mark Patriot Day, September 11"
    (September 1, 2004)
• "THESE ARE THE SACRAMENTS"
  Fulton Sheen, EWTN (1962)
• "What is the difference between Last Rites and Extreme Unction?"
  Question from Ron C (June 19, 2001), answer by Colin B. Donovan, STL (July 18, 2009)
• "Article 5 / The Anointing of the Sick"
  Catechism of the Catholic Church, second edition (1994, 1997)

A Thought for the Day: Knowledge, Zeal and Haste

"Without knowledge even zeal is not good; and he who acts hastily, blunders." (Proverbs 19:2)

---

A tip of the hat to OBOBDevo, on Twitter, for mentioning this quote.

Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, 2009: A Reflection

Readings for June 28, 2009, Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time:

• Wisdom 1:13-15; 2:23-24
• 2 Corinthians 8:7, 9, 13-15
• Mark 5:21-43 or 5:21-24, 35b-43

---

Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

By Deacon Lawrence N. Kaas
June 28, 2009

"Little girl, I say to you, Arise." Could the words of Jesus bring home to each of us a special meaning. For we, too, are called to rise with Jesus even in our bodies at the end time. I can handle that alright and I pray that you can too. Something has been bothering me! This is ordinary time, supposedly nothing special, just ordinary. So that being the case, why are you here? Sometimes I look at you from this vantage point and wonder, why are you here? Do you even know why you are here?

Many years ago now I was bringing Communion to an old gentlemen and as time went on I learn from him that he had grown up on the plains south west of here and He commented one day that they didn't get to church very often because they lived 18 miles out and had to come in by horse and boggy. Then one day he asked me the question that people my age and older often ask, why am I still here. What would you tell Him? Finally I answered that maybe God was giving him added time for all the times that he couldn't be a part of Sunday Mass. I think of him often and wonder why I didn't ask him to share with me why the Mass was important to him even though he was far from it at times. It must have been or he wouldn't have told me the story.

Another time visiting and older man after he had had an operation and I was telling he that if he couldn't make it to Mass because of the operation not to worry. Wow! I have never missed Mass my whole life and I'm not about to miss Mass now! Why didn't I ask him to share why the Mass was so important to him?

Why are you here? Why is the Mass important to you?

As recent as 2 weeks ago Father McGuire was here and at the 8:45 Mass at West Union the little ones were putting up a royal protest. When the little one fuss I lean to Father and say. The little ones are praying in tongues, or, this parish isn't died yet. But this time there was a real protest, but Father kept on talking as if it didn't bother him at all, he maybe talked a little louder. Why is it important that parents bring the little one to Mass? A good habit is a habit worth keeping, right?

Why do many people of Kenya walk for miles to be a part of the celebration of the Eucharist. What do they know that maybe we don't know? For some it is an all day outing. Sure there is fellowship in the going and coming, but is that what motivates them?

I look out from here at all your faces and at times I see people here that I've not seen before or people who seem to be in the wrong church, and others are missed because they are not here. Sometimes I'll even call attention to that fact, I haven't seen you in church, is every thing OK? Sometimes I'll even get a little harsh and demand that you cut that out, your soul is worth too much to jeopardize it by not fulfilling your Sunday Obligation.

That brings up the rule for obligation to assist at Mass. It is serious matter to not fulfill this obligation for we are to assist at Mass on Sundays and Holy Days of obligation set forth by Holy Mother Church. You are exempt only for serious reason, sickness, need to care for someone who is ill and so on. I need to make this point too: If you have been missing Mass without serious reason you must go to Confession before receiving Communion. Simply put, no argument, that is the way it is.

Why are you here? Who did you come to see?

He took the child by the hand and said to her, "Talitha Koum," "Little girl, I say to you, arise!" Did you read the scriptures before coming here and wanting to see in the rising of the little girl to be an image of your own rising? The word is a living active communication to us, to the world, from a Loving and Forgiving God. Why wouldn't we want to hear that? Why wouldn't we want to experience that Love?

We come here, to this church, not because we have to but because we want to experience the Love and Sacrifice of the Living God. How can this be explained? God the Father so Loved the world that he sent His only Son to Redeem us and to teach us of the Love of the Father and the Son and of the Holy Spirit. To show us in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass Their Eternal plan for all of humanity. It is all here in it's Eternal Perfection, the One Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. To be a part of it is to already be on threshold of Heaven

What happens here in a few minutes is the Representing of the Passion, Death and Resurrection of our Lord Jesus. We are not Crucifying Jesus again but we are making Present what happened 2000 years ago. So in other words we are here with Mary and John at the foot of the cross. We don't have to work to hard to look up into the eyes of Jesus and see the Love displayed there even for his executioners. For He Himself said, we are to Love our enemy's. Think of that for a while and then ask if you have a good reason to miss Mass?

Sometimes when I teach, I will ask, when does the Mass begin in your obligation. There were times when Agnes was still with me that she would say, "you can't go out looking like that!" What! Maybe my shirt didn't match or the color was wrong. I never was able to real come to terms with that. Or she would say, "let me look at you before you go." That's good to relate to the children because we should be very aware of Who we are going to see and are going to Receive. In other words how you dress has a lot to do with giving witness that you know Who you are going to see and Who you are going to receive, that being the living God.

You will note that we are answering the question of why you are here! But I want to pose another question, do you expect to see a Miracle? I do! Father Harden would say that a Miracle is a sensibly perceptible effect, surpassing at least the power of visible nature, produced by God --. Every time our priest takes bread and says, this is my body and wine this is my blood a miracle has taken place. In the language of the church this is called, Transubstantiation, the complete change of the substance of bread and wine into the substance of the Body, Soul and Divinity of Christ. In my thinking if there is a blasphemy it is the denial that this is so.

Sometimes I think too: of all the Masses that have been said in this church over the years, daily and weekend, funeral's, wedding's, anniversary's etc. Each Mass is not a single Mass in the ordinary sense because each Mass is a representing as I said to you earlier, so we know have each single Mass a whole of the Passion, Death and Resurrection Christ, not time and time again but one time 2000 years ago. I don't know if I'm explaining this very well, but I would want you to understand that each Mass does not stand alone but is in reality ever Mass ever celebrated. So when we come to this church, with the eyes of Faith we are seeing a collage of every Mass ever said here. An overlapping picture diary that fills this sanctuary.

So the question has been answered at least in part, we come to see, to hear, to receive. Who: is the most important part of the answer. To hear and to see God in Jesus Christ, to witness a Miracle, to Receive Jesus in Holy Communion. Finally to leave here filled with the wisdom and power of God to become a Holy people. For Jesus commands us to be Holy as the Father is Holy.

---

'Thank you' to Deacon Kaas, for letting me post his reflection here.

---

More:

• "Reflections from Sauk Centre's Our Lady of the Angels Church"

Praying for America's Governors and Other Executives

Last month's "Praying for America and America's Leaders: Think About it" (May 24, 2009) suggested that America has been cursed enough, and that praying for America's leaders was a good idea.

I'll be getting back to the list of national leaders in America as July 4 approaches. Meanwhile, here's a list of America's governors, territorial executives, and the Mayor of Washington, D.C. The list is, to the best of my knowledge, up-to-date: but I might have missed some recent changes. More about that, after the list.

You don't have to pray at all, of course, and you don't have to pray for these people. But, I think that prayer is a good idea: and folks with the sort of pressure and responsibility that goes with their position can, I think, use all the help they can get.

Pray for over Four Dozen People?! That's Too Much!

Praying for 56 people may look like a big task, but one of these ideas might help make it more manageable.

• Print the list out, pray for one governor or executive a day, checking the names off as you mention them
• Use the numbers I've put beside each state (1 through 28, starting over with New Hampshire)
  • Pray for the governor or executive whose name is next to the current date, keep going until the 28th, then start on the second set of numbers
  • Pray for both executives who have that day's date
• Pray for the governor of the state, territory, or city you live in, and let someone else cover the rest
• Pray for all American governors, territorial executives, and mayors as a group

Governors and other executives of American states and territories

1. Alabama
   Robert Riley
2. Alaska
   Sara Palin
3. Arizona
   Jan Brewer
4. Arkansas
   Mike Dale Beebe
5. California
   Arnold Schwarzenegger
6. Colorado
   Bill Ritter
7. Connecticut
   M. Jody Rell
8. Delaware
   Jack Markell
9. Florida
   Charles J. Crist, Jr.
10. Georgia
    Sonny Perdue
11. Hawaii
    Linda Lingle
12. Idaho
    C.L. "Butch" Otter
13. Illinois
    Pat Quinn
14. Indiana
    Mitch Daniels
15. Iowa
    Chet Culver
16. Kansas
    Mark Parkinson
17. Kentucky
    Steve Beshear
18. Louisiana
    Bobby Jindal
19. Maine
    John Baldacci
20. Maryland
    Martin O'Malley
21. Massachusetts
    Deval Patrick
22. Michigan
    Jennifer Granholm
23. Minnesota
    Tim Pawlenty
24. Mississippi
    Haley Barbour
25. Missouri
    Jay Nixon
26. Montana
    Brian Schweitzer
27. Nebraska
    Dave Heineman
28. Nevada
    Jim Gibbons

1. New Hampshire
   John Lynch
2. New Jersey
   John Corzine
3. New Mexico
   Bill Richardson
4. New York
   David Paterson
5. North Carolina
   Beverly Perdue
6. North Dakota
   John Hoeven
7. Ohio
   Ted Strickland
8. Oklahoma
   Brad Henry
9. Oregon
   Ted Kulongoski
10. Pennsylvania
    Edward Rendell
11. Rhode Island
    Don Carcieri
12. South Carolina
    Mark Sanford
13. South Dakota
    Mike Rounds
14. Tennessee
    Phil Bredesen
15. Texas
    Rick Perry
16. Utah
    John Huntsman, Jr.
17. Vermont
    Jim Douglas
18. Virginia
    Tim Kaine
19. Washington
    Christine Gregoire
20. West Virginia
    Joe Manchin, III
21. Wisconsin
    Jim Doyle
22. Wyoming
    Dave Freudenthal
23. American Samoa
    Togiola Tulafono
24. District of Columbia
    Adrian Fenty (mayor)
25. Guam
    DFelix Perez Camacho
26. Northern Mariana Islands
    Benigno R. Fitial
27. Puerto Rico
    Benigno R. Fitial
28. U.S. Virgin Islands
    John de Jongh

I'll probably have to change quite a few of these names after the 2010 elections. Some may require attention sooner than that. South Carolina's Governor Mark Sanford and Nevada's Governor Jim Gibbons are dealing with consequences of an extramarital affair and alleged assault, respectively: and Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich demonstrated, earlier this year, that state governors can be removed from office, even if they don't want to go.

Related posts:

• "Praying for America and America's Leaders: Think About it"
  (May 24, 2009)
• "Praying for America's Leaders"
  (July 2, 2009)

A Prayer for the Dead

Three American celebrities died this week: Ed McMahon on Tuesday, Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson today. (See "Three American Celebrities Dead: It's Been a Big Week," Apathetic Lemming of the North (June 25, 2009)for a brief discussion and links to posts about their careers.)

Prayers for the dead are very much a part of Catholic life. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1032, 1056, 1371, for starters)

I think that, in addition to praying for the repose of the souls of people you know personally, praying for these celebrities would be a good idea. No pressure: just a suggestion.

Given American cultural assumptions, I'd better point out that I do not intend to imply that the three people whose position put them in America's spotlight are particularly in need of redemption. We all need help.

For example, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has "FOR THE REPOSE OF THE SOUL of POPE JOHN PAUL II / A Novena of Prayer" on its website, as a .pdf document.

Don't Know What to Say? No Problem

Prayers made up on spot are just fine. I see them as having a conversation with God.

On the other hand, the Catholic Church has prayers for many different occasions: ready to go. Starting from the idea of spiritual warfare, you could see knit-your-own prayers as the equivalent of the old musket-loaders, where you had to prepare each shot by hand, in the field. Memorized prayers are more like cartridges in a clip: ready to fire when the need demands.

Anyway, here's a traditional Catholic prayer for the dead:

Eternal rest grant unto them oh Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them.

May their souls and the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God rest in peace. Amen.

Father's Day, 2009

I'm enjoying Father's Day. I've watched cartoons with some of the (grown) kids, heard "happy Father's Day" from members of the family who are at home, and relaxed a bit.

In a few minutes, I even plan to spend a little time in an old lazy boy chair.

I'm writing a few posts about Father's Day for another blog, and ran across this advice to priests:

"...Take advantage of opportunities that arise during the course of the year to celebrate marriage and family and the vision that the church has for each. However, be mindful in your preaching of the marriages and families that fall short of those ideals because of domestic violence. Examples of such opportunities include Holy Family Sunday (Sunday after Christmas), We Believe in Marriage Day (Sunday closest to Valentine's Day), Mother's Day, and Father's Day. Pay special attention to your interpretation or explanation of the second reading on Holy Family Sunday. Paul's admonition to wives to be submissive to their husbands' needs to be seen in the context of the times it was written, as well as the context of the entire passage. ...

"...The following are illustrations to introduce a homily that will touch on some issue relating to domestic violence. Look at the newspaper just about any day of the week and find a story regarding an act of violence done within a family system, or relate a time when you were a victim of an act of violence. Draw from the scripture reading teachings that deplore such acts and offer some concrete suggestions as to how the Christian might respond in the face of such situations.

"Present the historical concept of "sanctuary" as "safe space" and relate it to the church's present mission to provide a place where people can gather for refuge from danger, acts of violence, personal storms, and trials...." (USCCB)

That "Paul's admonition to wives" is the business of Ephesians 5, 22: one of the more appallingly misunderstood, misused, and hated verses in the Bible.

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has quite a bit to say about those words. (When I Call for Help: A Pastoral Response to Domestic Violence Against Women, for starters) It's true, by the way. Jerks who beat their wives and/or girlfriends have used Ephesians 5, 22, as an excuse.

That's "Wives should be subordinate to their husbands as to the Lord."

The jerks ignore, or possibly don't know about, the next verse: "For the husband is head of his wife just as Christ is head of the church, he himself the savior of the body." The way I see it, when I married my wife, I agreed to act toward her as Jesus did, and does, toward the church.

Which meant that, if necessary, I would die in her service. As my Lord did.

Being the head of something isn't quite the same thing for the Catholic Church, as it is some places. The pope has been the "servant of the servants of God" at least as far back as Pope Gregory X, in 1272.

I realize that the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops is dealing with a culture that's badly out of whack, but I'd like to point out something that may not be all that obvious.

There are men who don't beat their wives and/or girlfriends.

To all of you who have some clue as to what sort of responsibilities come along with having kids: happy Father's Day.

Year for Priests Kicks Off Today

Everybody else seems to be writing about this, so I'll get on the bandwagon.

TheCatholicSpirit.com did a pretty good writeup of what's going on. Today is the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. It's also a day of prayer for the sanctification of the clergy. And, Benedict XVI is inaugurating this Jubilee Year for Priests during Vespers in the Vatican Basilica.

"Vespers" isn't a term we hear all that often in America. Another word for it is evensong. In this context, it's "the sixth of the seven canonical hours of the divine office; early evening; now often made a public service on Sundays" (WordNet)

TheCatholicSpirit's article includes the English translation of the Pope's letter to priests around the world. The letter has been published in Italian, French, Spanish, English, German, Polish and Portuguese. With a global organization like the Catholic Church that sort of multilingual service makes things a whole lot easier for folks.

The Holy Father's letter starts:

"Dear Brother Priests,

"On the forthcoming Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, Friday 19 June 2009 - a day traditionally devoted to prayer for the sanctification of the clergy - I have decided to inaugurate a 'Year for Priests' in celebration of the 150th anniversary of the 'dies natalis' of John Mary Vianney, the patron saint of parish priests worldwide. This Year, meant to deepen the commitment of all priests to interior renewal for the sake of a more forceful and incisive witness to the Gospel in today's world, will conclude on the same Solemnity in 2010. 'The priesthood is the love of the heart of Jesus', the saintly Cure of Ars would often say...." (TheCatholicSpirit.com)

There's a great deal more to the letter. In common with many such communications, it's far from terse.

I suggest reading the whole letter. There's a pretty good discussion of the Cure of Ars and his work. And, a look at Benedict XVI's own life: "...I still treasure the memory of the first parish priest at whose side I exercised my ministry as a young priest: he left me an example of unreserved devotion to his pastoral duties, even to meeting death in the act of bringing viaticum to a gravely ill person...."

And, a discussion of what's been going wrong: "...There are also, sad to say, situations which can never be sufficiently deplored where the Church herself suffers as a consequence of infidelity on the part of some of her ministers...."

Another news outlet, Catholic News Service, quotes some of what the Holy Father said today.

"...'The church needs priests who are holy, ministers who help the faithful experience the merciful love of the Lord and who are convinced witnesses of that love,' the pope said at a prayer service in St. Peter's Basilica June 19.

"At the same time, in an apparent reference to cases of priestly sex abuse, he warned of the 'terrible risk of damaging those we are obliged to save.'

" 'Nothing makes the church and the body of Christ suffer so much as the sins of its pastors, especially those who transform themselves into "robbers of sheep," either because they lead them astray with their private doctrines, or because they bind them in the snares of sin and death,' he said...." (Catholic News Service)

Universal Church, American Views

Catholic News Service is an American institution, with the cultural awareness that goes with that. I doubt that people in this country will forget - or be allowed to forget - the appalling sexual antics of a few priests, any time soon.

There is another aspect to that last quote, though, that I think is also important. "...'Nothing makes the church and the body of Christ suffer so much as the sins of its pastors, especially those who transform themselves into "robbers of sheep," either because they lead them astray with their private doctrines....' " [emphasis mine]

"Private Doctrines" - That's Not How the Catholic Church Works

I think that a priest with "private doctrines" of his own can do a great deal of damage. Liberation theology and voodoo aren't the only distortions of Catholic belief and practices around.

Personalized re-writes of the teachings of the Church aren't a liberal monopoly in America. There are people who say they're Catholic, and believe they're Catholic, who don't like the idea of banning the death penalty. And, there are groups whose leaders seem to have decided that they're 'holier than the pope' and broke away from the Church because they didn't like what they thought the Vatican was saying.

Somewhat-related posts:

• "Thought for the Day: Throwing Stones, Blindfolded"
  (June 9, 2009)
• "'Cafeteria Catholics' and a Diverse Church"
  (June 8, 2009)
• "About the Just War Doctrine"
  (June 7, 2009)
• "Being Christian, Being Catholic: No Half-Measures"
  (May 20, 2009)
The Catholic Church From a Priest's Perspective: a New-to-Me Blog"
(April 13, 2009)
• "Not All Catholics are Like Me - Thank God"
  (March 18, 2009)
• "Being Counter-Cultural in 21st Century America"
  (March 17, 2009)
• "Who Knew? Assertions, Assumptions and Assorted Weirdness from All Over"
  (March 7, 2009)
• "The Roman Catholic Church isn't a Democracy"
  (February 19, 2009)
• "My Life Has Purpose: Everybody's Does"
  (January 5, 2009)
• "Life: It's a Single Issue, and an Important One"
  (November 2, 2008)
• "Earthquake in Ziarat: I Have to Care"
  (October 29, 2008)

In the news:

• "Pope opens Year for Priests, says they must witness God's compassion"
  Catholic News Service (June 19, 2009)
• "From the Vatican: June 18, 2009"
  TheCatholicSpirit.com

The Cathedral of Saint Paul: Minnesota's First National Shrine

Archbishop John C. Nienstedt of St. Paul and Minneapolis asked that the Cathedral of St. Paul be designated as a national shrine in honor of the Apostle Paul.

This month, the Holy See gave the okay.

The Cathedral of Saint Paul, Minnesota, is now a national shrine: the first one in Minnesota. The building is already a tourist stop. This designation makes it a destination for pilgrimages, too.

"...According to canon (church) law, 'The term shrine signifies a church or other sacred place to which the faithful make pilgrimages for a particular pious reason with the approval of the local ordinary (bishop).'..."

"...Over the decades, the Cathedral developed as a catechism in stone and glass by evangelizing through its grandeur and beauty...." (Cathedral of Saint Paul)

There is a 'tourism' aspect to pilgrimages. I find it hard to imagine someone not experiencing the world around them as they travel to and from a shrine or other holy place.

A pilgrimage is a "pilgrim's journey:" "a journey to a sacred place." WordNet) But pilgrimages are not simply sightseeing trips with a spiritual spin.

For starters, pilgrimage may be a sign of penance (1438), or the fulfilment of a promise (2101). Which is fine, but they supplement the liturgical life of the church. They're not a substitute. (Catechism of the Catholic Church (1674, 1675)

"...Pilgrimages evoke our earthly journey toward heaven and are traditionally very special occasions for renewal in prayer. For pilgrims seeking living water, shrines are special places for living the forms of Christian prayer 'in Church.' " (2691)

In a sense, all of life is a pilgrimage in which each of us decides on our final destiny. (1013)

A National Shrine: Just Down the Road!

It's just over a hundred miles to Minnesota's Twin Cities, which is not all that far away. I don't know when it will be possible to go to the Cathedral of Saint Paul again, but I'm looking forward to it.

My guess is that quite a few more people will get there first. At this point, according to the Catholic News Service, over 200,000 people go to the Cathedral of Saint Paul each year for one reason or another. Now, "...the cathedral staff expects that number to increase as a result of the designation." (Catholic News Agency)

When I do go, it will most likely be with part of my family: and it most likely won't be a formal pilgrimage. I recognize that pilgrimages are important for some people, but I feel like I've got my hands full with the pilgrimage of my life, without adding 'side trips.'

Vaguely-related posts:

• "Going on Vacation? Take God Along"
  (June 6, 2009)
• "Not All Catholics are Like Me - Thank God"
  (March 18, 2009)
• "Happy Lent?! What Kind of a Nut am I?"
  (March 3, 2009)

In the news:

• "Minnesota’s Cathedral of St. Paul designated national shrine by the Vatican"
  Catholic News Agency (June 16, 2009)

Background and more information:

• "Vatican Designates Cathedral of Saint Paul as National Shrine"
  The Cathedral of Saint Paul
• "Archconfraternity of the Apostle Paul"
  The Cathedral of Saint Paul

Donating Umbilical Cord Blood: Good Idea!

'The Catholic Church is against any and all use of stem cells, right?

Wrong.

"The archbishop of Cardiff is encouraging people to donate the singularly useful umbilical cord blood after giving birth.

"Archbishop Peter Smith is issuing this appeal on the occasion of World Blood Donor Day, celebrated on Sunday, the bishops' conference of England and Wales reported....

" 'Valuable cord blood can be extracted in a simple, safe procedure from the umbilical cord after birth, but currently most of this precious resource is discarded,' the statement affirmed...." (Zenit)

The Catholic Church has some pretty definite rules about killing people and breaking them down for parts - even if the parts are little tiny stem cells, and the people are little tiny babies.

As long as you don't have to murder someone to get them, using stem cells is just fine. I realize that, these days, that seems awfully restrictive: but that's the way the Catholic Church is.

The Zenit article reports that we're finding more new ways to use blood donated from umbilical cords at birth. For starters, it's a great source for stem cells. Some of the uses for umbilical cord blood developed so far include:

• Treating
  • Leukemia
  • Sickle cell anemia
  • Thalassemia¹
  • And other diseases

A Catholic Bishop in Favor of Stem Cell Use?!

'Everybody knows' that Christians are against science. Part of that comes from what was happening in Victorian England - but I'm getting off-topic. 'Intelligent' people, if they want to seem sophisticated, write articles like "Is the Church hostile toward science?" (The article's answer seems to be 'It used to be, but now that psychics are welcome [the author's view of reality - not mine] it's getting better.')

I think that part of the issue is that (from one point of view) the Catholic Church puts all sorts of barriers in the way of brilliant scientists whose search for knowledge has taken them 'beyond good and evil.' (I think Nietzsche wrote some great one-liners, but I don't buy into his philosophy, by the way.)

I can see where having to deal with ethics would get frustrating after a while. And, after all that fuss in the Nuremberg trials, governments started getting downright picky about experiments on human beings.

Apart from what may seem like stuffy rules protecting human dignity, and life, the Catholic Church is quite interested in humanity's ongoing quest to understand creation.

And, yes: the Catholic Church does approve of medical procedures. Providing that you don't need to murder one person to cure someone else.

Related posts:

• "Organ Tranplants, a Boy's Life, and Japanese Laws and Customs: This Catholic's View"
  (June 14, 2009)
• "Late Term Abortions Reality Check"
  (June 2, 2009)
• " 'Hand of Hope' Spinal Bifida Case - Eugenics, Ersatz Compassion, and Life"
  (May 6, 2009)
• "Notre Dame: Lots of Prestige, Lots of History, About as Catholic as Harry Blackmun"
  (May 3, 2009)
• "Faith and Reason, Religion and Science"
  (March 20, 2009)
• "Stem Cell Research: Change Some of Us Won't Live With"
  (March 9, 2009)
• "Catholic Church, Creationism, Evolution, Facts and Faith"
  (March 5, 2009)
• "Human Clones Possible: Don't Worry, They're Just for Parts and Research"
  (February 2, 2009)
• "Life: It's a Single Issue, and an Important One"
  (November 2, 2008)

In the news:

• "Prelate Encourages Umbilical Cord Blood Donations"
  Zenit (June 12, 2009)
• "U.S. bishops' official: Stem cell guidelines ignore science and embryonic humanity"
  Catholic News Agency (May 25, 2009)

Background:

• "On Embryonic StemCell Research" (pdf)
  United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (June, 2008)

---

1 If you haven't heard of thalassemia, you're not the only one. The National Institutes of Health have a fairly short description of thalassemias. People with these blood disorders don't produce red blood cells at a below-normal rate. It's a genetic disorder. (thal-a-SE-me-ahs) are inherited blood disorders. "Inherited" means they're passed on from parents to children through genes.

One sort of thalassemia is fairly common among people whose ancestors come from the Mediterranean Basin, India, Southeast Asia, North Africa, or Indonesia. (emedicine) It can affect both men and women. "Thalassemias ... occur most often among people of Italian, Greek, Middle Eastern, Asian, and African descent...." (NIH) The good news is that these days, there are pretty good ways of treating the disorder.

"The Body of This" - Short Story Collection by a Catholic Writer

Years ago, I discovered that very few 'religious' book publishers would bother their editors with works of fiction.

I don't know what's behind this aversion to fiction. There's probably a perfectly good reason.

But I've wondered if a lack of focused industry support is part of the reason why G. K. Chesterton's "Father Brown" mysteries, C. S. Lewis' "Narnia" stories and his "Out of the Silent Planet" trilogy, and Roger B. Thomas' "The Last Ugly Person" are among the very few memorable - and readable - bits of fiction with a specifically Christian outlook.

Somehow, Andrew McNabb found a publisher for "The Body of This," a collection of short stories. Amazon's product description calls it "ethereal," but it might make good reading anyway. The collection includes stories are about:

• A man giving up a winning lottery ticket to keep his wandering girlfriend
• A Sudanese refugee discovering the simple beauty of a new way home
• A mother seeing her true self reflected in her newborn son's albinism
• An awkward seminarian seeking a wife during a single night out
  (Amazon)

My favorite of those descriptions, at this point, is the one involving the seminarian with a tight schedule.

I wish Andrew McNabb well. He's got a website (andrew-mcnabb.com - shouldn't be all that hard to remember), with a picture of himself, another of the book's cover, three glowing reviews, and links to three places you can buy his book: Indie Bookseller; Amazon; and Catholic Bookseller.

---

A tip of the hat to AMcNabb (himself), on Twitter, for the heads-up.

Organ Transplants, a Boy's Life, and Japanese Laws and Customs: This Catholic's View

The CNN headline tugs at the heartstrings: "Boy not allowed to get life-saving transplant in Japan," and so does the account of what Hiroki Ando and his family are dealing with:

"Eleven-year-old Hiroki Ando will likely die if he does not get a new heart.

"Hiroki suffers from cardiomyopathy, which inflames and impairs the heart. The same disease killed his sister five years ago....

"...'We were told by his doctor at the end of last year that the heart transplant operation was the only way for him to survive,' [Hiroki's father] Ando said.

"But the law in Japan prohibits anyone under the age of 15 from donating organs -- meaning Hiroki can't get a new heart in his home country...." (CNN)

Hiroki Ando, Heart Transplants, Feelings and Respect

(from CNN, used w/o permission)

My feelings - and, more to the point, prayers - are with Hiroki Ando and his family. Losing a child to death is a terrible loss. The prospect of going through that experience twice in a few years must be a severe emotional strain. Particularly when medical technology which might save Hikori's life is available, but illegal in the family's country.

Every Law is Made for a Reason: Sometimes a Good Reason

I like to believe that lawmakers generally mean well when they make up a new law. That doesn't mean that I think all laws make sense.

I don't know why Japan's lawmakers banned organ donations from youngsters, 12 years ago. I trust that there was what seemed like a good reason to do so.

Beware Unintended Consequences

Whatever Japan's lawmakers had in mind when they banned people under age 15 from donating organs, the effect was to limit organ transplant recipients among Japanese children to those whose parents could take them to a country where the life-saving procedures were legal.

Well-intentioned laws having unforeseen consequences is nothing new.

I once read of an English king who banned wooden plates and tableware. England was (and is) a maritime nation, and needed wood for shipbuilding. By requiring English families to use ceramic, the king thought he was keeping them from wasting precious wood on tableware. Eventually, England's rulers discovered that it takes more wood to fire a ceramic plate than it does to carve a wooden one.

Japanese, American Culture's View of the Heart - Not All That Different

The Euro-American culture I grew up in links the heart to emotions, and to life itself. We have phrases like "I know in my heart," and "as long as this heart beats."

When I was growing up, if someone's heart stopped beating, it had to be re-started - fast - or that person was dead. In my youth, newspapers and magazines published medically-illiterate headlines like "Doctors Bring Patient Back to Life," or "I Was Dead for an Hour on the Operating Table."

That was when the cardiopulmonary bypass, or heart-lung machine, was becoming less of an experimental device, and more a standard piece of surgical equipment.

Around that time, the idea started catching on that the heart was a wonderfully effective pump - that could, if necessary, be stopped for an operation: or swapped out for another.

Americans still use phrases like, "two hearts beating as one," but I think most of us realize that the heart is a wonderfully effective pump. And that it can, if necessary, be stopped: or swapped out for another.

It's possible that Japanese society is dealing with that idea now.

"Brain Death," "Persistent Vegetative State," and Human Life

Brain death has been defined as:

"The total and permanent loss of all brain function; a medical and legal determination of death."
(Glossary, The Gift of a Lifetime)

I think there are three key words in that definition:

• Total
• Permanent
• All

That's not the same as a phrase that still comes up now and again: "persistent vegetative state."

Patricia White Bull was in "persistent vegetative state" for 16 years. Then, she started talking again.

"...'Don't do that,' she blurted out when nurses were trying to fix her nursing home bed...."
(USCCB)

Happily, nobody had decided to break her down for parts while she was out, so her family got her back.

An important point here, from a Catholic perspective: A human being doesn't become a vegetable. Even if our eyes stay closed for a long time.

"...The term "persistent vegetative state" was coined in 1972. Physicians said then that patients with this diagnosis had no consciousness or sensation, and could not recover once they had remained in this state for a certain number of months...."
(USCCB)

By now, enough people who couldn't possibly ever emerge from a "persistent vegetative state" sat up and started talking, so that even doctors are conceding that maybe the condition isn't as persistent as they thought.

What's a bit unsettling is the fact that some of those people had their organs harvested before they could say: "Don't do that."

"Brain death" would seem to be on more solid ground: but even there, human life isn't as certain as we'd sometimes like.

"...As the June 1987 issue of Annals of Neurology has noted, there is no medical consensus on standards for determining "brain death" in newborn infants less than a week old, because infants' brains are much more resilient than those of adults and so more capable of regaining functions after a period of inactivity. The resiliency is even more apparent in the brain of the unborn, which is one reason why fetal brain cells are of such interest to transplant surgeons...."
(USCCB)

The complete, total loss of all brain function - in an adult - does seem to be a fairly definite indication that the person is dead.

Still, it can't be easy to acknowledge that a loved one is, in fact, dead: when some of the other organs are still working.

Back to Japan. Apparently Japanese culture also associates life and the heart.

"...'Japanese cannot easily accept brain death as "death" . . . but I believe this plan would leave that opinion up to individuals, while opening the door for child organ donations,' [Liberal Democratic Party member Takumi] Nemoto said..."

"...Brain death is a sensitive issue, as many family members refuse to accept this if their loved ones' hearts are still beating....." (The Japan Times Online)

"...'For a long time, it's the heart that mattered in Japan. Some religions ask us not to declare being brain dead as death. But that is not the majority,' [lawmaker Taro] Kono said. 'So it is simply that we have been doing things this way and a lot of people are very skeptical about it.'..." (CNN)

This Catholic's View

This matter of deciding when a person is actually dead: and whether it's okay for a child to donate organs after death isn't simple, but that shouldn't be a surprise. As I wrote in another post, "...The Catholic Church deals with the real world, and simple it isn't...." (March 25, 2009)

(On the other hand, we've got the short form of the Bible that's in Mark 12:28-31. I've been told that the rest of Scripture can be seen as commentary on 'love God, love your neighbor.')

Organ transplants, from an adult who voluntarily donated his or her organs, are not merely okay, the Catholic Church recognizes donating organs as an act of charity (May 6, 2009)

When children are the donors and recipients, there don't seem to be obstacles either: apart from the Church's frowning on killing anyone for their parts. Although the Catholic Church recognizes that children are children, and not undersized adults, the Church also recognizes that children can think, and make decisions.

Answering a question about the age at which Confirmation may occur, a Licentiate in Canon Law wrote, "...the preference of the LAW is the age of discretion which is presumed at age seven (canon 891)." (October 3, 2004)

So, it would seem that there aren't barriers for Catholics to voluntarily donate their own organs. And, since it's clear that parents are sometimes expected to make decisions on behalf of their children (USCCB, in the context of experimental medical procedures), there doesn't seem to be a problem with parents allowing the organs of their child to be donated. Provided, of course, that the child is actually dead.

Finally, the Catechism quotes Saint Thomas Aquinas:

"...Age of body does not determine age of soul. Even in childhood man can attain spiritual maturity: as the book of Wisdom says: 'For old age is not honored for length of time, or measured by number of years.' Many children, through the strength of the Holy Spirit they have received, have bravely fought for Christ even to the shedding of their blood."
(1308)

Related posts:

• "Daniel Hauser and Chemo: Mother Submits to Court Demands"
  (May 25, 2009)
• "Medical Procedures, Imminent Death, Decisions, and Catholic Teachings"
  (May 21, 2009)
• "'Hand of Hope' Spinal Bifida Case - Eugenics, Ersatz Compassion, and Life"
  (May 6, 2009)
• "Face Transplant: We Can Do it, But is it Right?"
  (May 6, 2009)
• "Stem Cell Research: Change Some of Us Won't Live With"
  (March 9, 2009)
• "Medical Ethics and Human Experimentation: Why I Take it Personally"
  (February 3, 2009)
• "Human Clones Possible: Don't Worry, They're Just for Parts and Research"
  (February 2, 2009)
• "Life: It's a Single Issue, and an Important One"
  (November 2, 2008)

In the news:

• "Boy not allowed to get life-saving transplant in Japan"
  CNN (June 14, 2009)
• "Japan urged to reverse ban on child organ transplants"
  AFP (June 10, 2009)
• "Bill would allow organ harvesting from children with parental OK"
  The Japan Times (May 16, 2009)

Background:

• "Pope condemns organ transplant abuses as 'abominable' "
  Catholic News Agency (November 7, 2008)
• "confirmation age / Question from Terese"
  Catholic Q & A, EWTN (September 28, 2004, answer October 3, 2004)
• "Human Dignity in the 'Vegetative' State"
  Richard M. Doerflinger, Pro-Life Activities, USCCB (2004)
• "Ethical Problems in the Use of Tissues from Abortion Victims"
  Public Comment, Meeting of the Human Fetal Tissue Transplantation Research Panel, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland (September 14, 1988)
• "Human Experimentation and the Sanctity of Life"
  Richard Doerflinger, Pro-Life Activities (undated)
• "Article 2, The Sacrament of Confirmation" 1308
  Catechism of the Catholic Church

Beccah Beushausen Admits 'April's Mom' Hoax: Opportunities for Forgiveness

I hadn't heard of "April's Mom," the heartwarming story of a single mother bravely "giving birth to a child diagnosed as terminally ill in the womb," as a Chicago Tribune article put it.

"April's Mom" had a great deal of support, including nearly a million hits on her blog.

And, people were praying for her and her baby.

Just one problem: The whole thing was a hoax.

Beccah Beushausen, a social worker near Chicago, wasn't pregnant.

She also doesn't say why she started the "April's Mom" hoax. I think we get a little insight in what the Chicago Tribune writes:

"...'I know what I did was wrong,' she said. 'I've been getting hate mail. I'm sorry because people were so emotionally involved.'

"There's no evidence that Beushausen benefited financially in any significant way or committed any crime.

"Still, Russell said she doesn't understand how anyone could create such a convincing tale that preyed on other women's emotions.

"Beushausen said she really did lose a son shortly after birth in 2005. She started her blog in March to help deal with that loss and to express her strong anti-abortion views, she said.

"She had expected only a handful of friends to read it, but when her first post got 50 comments, she was hooked.

" 'I've always liked writing. It was addictive to find out I had a voice that people wanted to hear,' Beushausen said.

" 'Soon I was getting 100,000 hits a week, and it just got out of hand,' she said. 'I didn't know how to stop. ... One lie led to another.'..." (Chicago Tribune) [emphasis mine]

The hoax unraveled partly because Beushausen put a photo of a fairly lifelike doll on her blog, and said it was the baby. A dollmaker, Elizabeth Russell, recognized the doll.

Hurt Feelings and Hate Mail

Beushausen has been getting hate mail. I think I can understand how people who had become emotionally involved with "April's Mom" would feel hurt.

Beushausen seems to realize that she's done something that isn't right:

"...'I know what I did was wrong,' she said. 'I've been getting hate mail. I'm sorry because people were so emotionally involved.'...

"There's no evidence that Beushausen benefited financially in any significant way or committed any crime...." (Chicago Tribune)

I feel sorry for the people who believed the "April's Mom" hoax, but I have some sympathy for Beushausen, too.

Losing a Baby isn't Fun

My wife and I were looking forward to the birth of a child several years ago. On February 4, 2002, my wife went into labor, and the two of us set out for the hospital. On the way, my wife reported that the child moved very rapidly, and then was still.

Elizabeth Marie, based on information from the medical staff, died sometime before midnight that day. She was born shortly after midnight. We nearly lost my wife in the process.

It was a very unpleasant experience.

I'm not making an excuse for Beushausen: but suggest that perhaps she was dealing with moderately intense feelings, and that this should be considered when thinking about what she did.

Lying isn't Nice, and You Shouldn't Do it

" 'A lie consists in speaking a falsehood with the intention of deceiving.'..." (Catechism of the Catholic Church (2482)) In other words, if you think it's an hour after noon, and tell someone it's one o'clock, and it's really two, you're not lying. You're just saying something that isn't true.

And yes, intent does matter.

It looks like Beushausen knew she was lying. And, knew it was wrong.

The Catholic Church teaches that it's important to tell the truth. There's a whole article in the Catechism on the Eighth Commandment: "You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor." (Exodus 20, 16)

There's also an article on forgiveness.

I don't know what Beccah Beushausen is going to do, to deal with her elaborate lie and its consequences. And, I don't need to.

I do know that I need to remember the standing orders Catholics have, to forgive those who hurt them. In the case of Beccah Beushausen, it's easy - because my feelings weren't engaged by her hoax. But I am quite sure that I'll have an opportunity to practice forgiveness: sooner or later.

When that opportunity comes, I pray that I will forgive, instead of harboring ill will against another.

I may fail.

It's easy to say "forgive." From personal experience, I know it's hard to do.

Related posts:

• "Sandra Cantu's Dead: Time for Prayer and Thought"
  (April 7, 2009)
• "Dead British Teen, Daft Letter, School Prom, and Forgiveness"
  (March 25, 2009)
• "Medical Ethics and Human Experimentation: Why I Take it Personally"
  (February 3, 2009)
• "Emotions, the Frontal Cortex, The War on Terror, Anarchists, and the Illuminati"
  Another War-on-Terror Blog (December 23, 2008)

In the news:

• "Blogger Admits Story of Terminally Ill Baby Is a Lie"
  FOXNews (June 12, 2009)
• "Blogger's baby was a hoax
  Chicago Tribune (June 12, 2009)

Evan Thomas, Barack Obama, God, and Common Sense

An editor of Newsweek made a rather remarkable statement about his opinion of who - and what - President Barack Obama is recently. I prepared a transcript of a video clip from Evan Thomas's profession of belief on Hardball for a post in another blog. Mr. Thomas said "I mean, in a way, Obama is standing above the country, above above the world, he's sort of God, he's uh he's going to bring all different sides together."

Happily, Mr. Thomas did say "...he's sort of God...." [emphasis mine]

Still, I do not think that I would refer to any human being in quite that way.

Who Does God He Think He is?

The first chapter of the Catechism of the Catholic Church goes into some detail about who and what God is. That chapter begins with:

"Our profession of faith begins with God, for God is the First and the Last, the beginning and the end of everything. The Credo begins with God the Father, for the Father is the first divine person of the Most Holy Trinity; our Creed begins with the creation of heaven and earth, for creation is the beginning and the foundation of all God's works." (198)

God is called "Lord of Hosts" in Psalms, 80, and quite a few other places in the Bible. Talking about what God is like with my children, I've called him 'large and in charge.' Also merciful, just, and loving, of course. I don't think it's that bad a way of indicating what God is, in relation to humanity.

Submission to Civil Authority: A Catholic Requirement

As a Catholic, I am required to be a good citizen, and cooperate with civil authorities.

"It is the duty of citizens to work with civil authority for building up society in a spirit of truth, justice, solidarity, and freedom." (2255)

The duty of citizens includes some things we're supposed to do, whether we feel like it or not:

"Submission to authority and co-responsibility for the common good make it morally obligatory to pay taxes, to exercise the right to vote, and to defend one's country...." (2240)

That "submission to authority" does not, however, extend to regarding those with civil authority as being like God.

Submission to Civil Authority, Yes: Idolatry, No

The Church is rather specific when it comes to the matter of idolatry.

We're not supposed to do it. (2110-2114)

"Idolatry" isn't just worshiping a statue:

"Idolatry not only refers to false pagan worship. It remains a constant temptation to faith. Idolatry consists in divinizing what is not God. Man commits idolatry whenever he honors and reveres a creature in place of God, whether this be gods or demons (for example, satanism), power, pleasure, race, ancestors, the state, money, etc. Jesus says, 'You cannot serve God and mammon.'..." (2113)

That "mammon" quote is from Luke 16:13.

I don't know what Evan Thomas was thinking when he said the President Obama was "sort of God".

I'm not going to go all Zephania, and rail about idolaters. I do, though, think it's a good idea to carefully review what we believe about what God is, what we are, and the difference between the Creator and the created.

It's quite okay, I think, to be enthusiastic about nations, individuals, football teams, and wallpaper. But not to the the extent of thinking that any of the above are 'sort of God.'

Related posts:

• "Oh - His - God: Obama's Stature in the Press"
  Another War-on-Terror Blog (June 9, 2009)
• "The Right to Peaceful Assembly: San Diego Allows Bible Study"
  (June 4, 2009)
• "Pro-Life People - "Domestic Terrorists and Violent Racketeers": Who Knew?"
  (June 1, 2009)
• "Praying for America and America's Leaders: Think About it"
  (May 24, 2009)
• "Notre Dame, Obama, and 'Outside Agitators' - a Blast From the Past"
  (May 17, 2009)
• "Fear of Right-Wing Extremism: Commie-Hunting in Reverse"
  (April 19, 2009)
• "Religious Symbols Verboten! 'IHS' Verboten! - Rules for Leader's Appearance at Georgetown"
  (April 16, 2009)
• "Obama's 'No Reproductive Cloning' Promise Doesn't Reassure Me"
  (March 9, 2009)
  • "Human Clones Possible: Don't Worry, They're Just for Parts and Research"
    (February 2, 2009)
• "Barack Obama, Catholic Bishops, and Abortion"
  (November 12, 2008)
• "Conservative? Liberal? Democrat? Republican? No, I'm Catholic"
  (November 3, 2008)
• "Obama, McCain, Life, Death, Abortion, Voting, and this American Catholic"
  (November 2, 2008)
• "Elections, Abortion, Voting, Conscience, and Other Troublesome Topics"
  (November 1, 2008)
• "Elections and Citizenship, Catholic Style"
  (September 24, 2008)

Thought for the Day: Throwing Stones, Blindfolded

"Do you know what damage you may cause by throwing stones with your eyes blindfold?

"Neither do you know the harm you may cause - and at times it is very great - by letting drop uncharitable remarks that to you seem trifling, because your eyes are blinded by thoughtlessness or passion."

("The Way > Charity > Number 455"
The Way, Josemaría Escrivá)

About St. Josemaría Escrivá

---

A tip of the hat to padrejorge, on Twitter, for the heads-up on this quote.

Dr. George Tiller's Clinic Closes: The Blame Game

The Feministe post opened with "This article in the Times is pretty interesting — now that Dr. Tiller has been killed, anti-choicers no longer have a center on which to focus their hate...."

The New York Times article (more of an op-ed, but let that pass) didn't quote the words of Dr. George Tiller's family, as relayed by the family's attorneys, Lee Thompson and Dan Monnat:

"...'effective immediately, Women's Health Care Services, Inc., will be permanently closed.

" 'We are proud of the service and courage shown by our husband and father and know that women's health care needs have been met because of his dedication and service,' the statement read. 'That is a legacy that will never die.'

"The family said it plans to honor Tiller's memory through work at private charities...." (FOXNews

It's quite probable that some "women's health care needs" were met by Dr. Tiller's clinic, besides removing those "parasites," or "formless blobs of protoplasm" that look like people. I think it's also probable, given the family's attitude toward Dr.Tiller's "service and courage," that they'll be helping to pay for abortions.

Dr. George Tiller's Clinic, 'Those People,' and the Law

My guess is that "anti-choicers" will be blamed for the closing of Dr. Tiller's clinic, as the story circulates in the 'better' circles of American society. It's 'obvious,' to some people, that those who they see as 'hate-filled, murderous, gun-toting far-right-wing-extremist, anti-choicers' collectively murdered a benevolent doctor and forced his nice clinic to shut its doors.

It's possible, though, that Women's Health Care Services decided to close down for more practical reasons. Even abortionists have to follow a few rules, and Dr. Tiller may not have been following them. He'd side-stepped one conviction, but was still in legal trouble, at the time of his murder. (June 2, 2009) Scott Roeder may have come along at a very opportune time for other people at the clinic.

I am Quite Sure that Dr. George Tiller's Work Will Continue

As an 'anti-choicer,' I'm not trying to 'focus my hate' on the charities which will carry on Dr. George Tiller's work of killing babies who are inconvenient, or unwanted for some reason. I hope that nobody who reads this post starts hating Dr. Tiller's family, either. Or, those lawyers.

I do think it's a good idea, though, to remember that Dr. Tiller's work will continue, as long as America's laws and institutions support the idea that people need to have survived to a prescribed age before they're recognized as persons. Laws which recognize as homicide, the collateral death of a pre-born baby when the mother is killed, are a step in the right direction. But there's a long way to go before all Americans have the right to life - never mind liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

Related posts:

• "Dr. George Tiller's Murder Link Page"
  (June 2, 2009, routinely updated)
• "Late Term Abortions Reality Check"
  (June 2, 2009)
• "Pro-Life People - "Domestic Terrorists and Violent Racketeers": Who Knew?"
  (June 1, 2009)
• "Opportunity to Practice Charity: Kidney Donor Says He Needs Help"
  (May 21, 2009)
• "DHS Report Identifying Veterans and Pro-Lifers as Potential Terrorists (Quietly) Withdrawn"
  (May 14, 2009)
• "'Hand of Hope' Spinal Bifida Case - Eugenics, Ersatz Compassion, and Life"
  (May 6, 2009)
• "Fear of Right-Wing Extremism: Commie-Hunting in Reverse"
  (April 19, 2009)
• "Pro-Life? You May be a Dangerous Domestic Terrorist! MIAC Says So"
  (March 23, 2009)
• "Feeling Ungood About Doublethink? Here's Help"
  (March 23, 2009)
• "Human Clones Possible: Don't Worry, They're Just for Parts and Research"
  (February 2, 2009)
• "Dred Scott, the Slavery Compromise, and Who to Trust"
  (February 2, 2009)
• "The Catholic Church Won't Even Let People Kill Themselves"
  (January 28, 2009)
• "Pro-Abortion Slogans Sound Nice, Hide Nasty Facts"
  (November 15, 2008)
• "Conservative? Liberal? Democrat? Republican? No, I'm Catholic"
  (November 3, 2008)
• "Life: It's a Single Issue, and an Important One"
  (November 2, 2008)
• "Capital Punishment: Killing Those Who Deserve to Die"
  (October 2, 2008)

News and views:

• "Clinic of Murdered Kansas Abortion Doctor Will Be 'Permanently Closed' "
  FOXNews (June 9, 2009)
• "With Dr. Tiller’s clinic closed, anti-choicers lack a target"
  Feministe (June 8, 2008)
• "Closed Clinic Leaves Abortion Protesters at a Loss "
  The New York Times (June 7, 2009)

'Cafeteria Catholics' and a Diverse Church

A word of caution: This post contains some vulgar language, necessary to faithfully copy comments in another blog.

---

The phrase "cafeteria Catholics" is used sometimes to describe people who say they're Catholic, but in fact pick those parts of Catholic beliefs and practices they like, and discard the rest.

I don't think it's a good idea. Aside from the effect it has on the person who's doing 'Catholicism My Way,' it encourages others to form ideas which are, well, interesting.

I was reminded of this today, while catching up on comments which visitors left on my blogs. A post from March of this year has collected a curious set of responses:

Comments from "Navy Petty Officer Mike Monsoor and the Trident Hoax," Another War-on-Terror Blog (March 11, 2009), starting with the second comment:

"Brian, aka Nanoc, aka Norski said...

"Re. The previous comment:

"MI6 said...

hey buddy. i dont know what the fuck your talking about. so go die in a fire.

"April 18, 2009 3:02 PM

"This is a fairly good example of how politically incorrect ideas, and the people who express them, are treated.

"An example from last weekend: 'Miss USA Contestant Gives Wrong Answer: "Dumb B***" Booed by Audience' (A Catholic Citizen in America (April 20, 2009)).

"Although I try to accommodate reasonable requests, I will not willingly 'go die in a fire.' As a practicing Catholic, I'm not allowed to commit suicide.
April 20, 2009 2:26 PM

"Anonymous said...

"Having "once BEEN a Catholic" I KNOW that Catholics only follow the rules feel like following at the moment. I am a Physician and also KNOW how many Catholic women use birth control :) - another no no. So like they said:
" 'GO DIE IN A FIRE!
"May 25, 2009 10:29 PM

"Brian, aka Nanoc, aka Norski said...

"Anonymous,

"Your comment deserves more of a response than I have time for here.

"I think you may have an issue with what is called 'cafeteria Catholics.' I do not see that as an acceptable way to approach any faith.

"As to your professional advice, as a physician, to 'GO DIE IN A FIRE!' - I'm afraid I can't oblige you on that point.

"I am not a 'cafeteria Catholic,' and so am not allowed to commit suicide. More about that at 'The Catholic Church Won't Even Let People Kill Themselves.' A Catholic Citizen in America (January 28, 2009)."

I suspect that "MI6" and Anonymous were trying to "get my goat," as the expression was in my youth. And, I'll admit that I was somewhat annoyed.

And still am.

But, Anonymous did bring up an important point or two.

Cafeteria Catholics

"Cafeteria Catholics," or "cafeteria Christians," are phrases used to describe people who like some of what Catholicism, or some denomination, teach, but not the whole package. They feel, apparently, that they should be free to pick and choose what they do and don't believe - and still say that they're a Catholic, or Lutheran, or whatever.

That sounds very 'democratic,' and might actually work for some denominations. But it's not the way the Catholic Church works.

A person is free to not believe that Jesus made Peter the first pope, and that there's been an unbroken succession of popes, right up to Benedict XVI, each of whom passed that authority on to their successor. In America, you'll probably be thought of as intelligent and maybe even open-minded, if you also say that Jesus didn't really mean it when he said "Take and eat; this is my body."

The Catholic Church has a set of beliefs which are just that: a set. Catholics have a deposit of faith:

"The heritage of faith contained in Sacred Scripture and Tradition, handed on in the Church from the time of the Apostles, from which the Magisterium draws all that it proposes for belief as being divinely revealed (84; cf. 1202)."
(Glossary, Catechism of the Catholic Church)

Those numbers refer to paragraphs in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. There's something about the deposit of faith in Catechism, 97, too.

As I said, a person is free to not believe what the Catholic Church teaches, and not be a Catholic. I wouldn't recommend it, but that is an option.

But, if you're going to be Catholic, there are things to be believed.

Being Catholic: Nobody Said it Was Easy

I'm a convert to Catholicism, and had some idea of what I was letting myself in for. Which is one of the reasons it took me so many years to make the switch from a mainstream Protestant denomination.

Contraceptives: One of the Big Deals

Anonymous related that many women who say they are Catholic use contraceptives: "birth control" was the exact phrase. Anonymous is right.

I grew up in America, and so "knew" that contraceptives were perfectly okay. I was faced with this issue, when I decided to marry a Catholic woman. The matter of birth control came up, of course, and I was convinced that I'd find something wrong with Catholic teachings.

So, I read "Humanae Vitae," the English translation, of course, cover to cover. More than once.

Turns out, I was wrong.

One of the points that the encyclical letter made was that the union of man and woman is not generous, if one party isn't willing to share the complete marital embrace.

("...Married Love...It is a love which is total—that very special form of personal friendship in which husband and wife generously share everything, allowing no unreasonable exceptions and not thinking solely of their own convenience. Whoever really loves his partner loves not only for what he receives, but loves that partner for the partner's own sake, content to be able to enrich the other with the gift of himself...." ("Humanae Vitae" (July 25, 1968))

I didn't like it at the time, but I accepted the fact that to reject the logic of the encyclical letter, I would have to reject some very basic beliefs I had about the nature of God: which I was unwilling to do. The Church doesn't insist that we play "Vatican roulette," by the way: but that's a whole different topic.

The Nature of the Universe: Also a Big Deal

I can't remember a time when I had trouble with the idea that God created the universe. For that matter, I can't remember a time when I wasn't aware that there were entities more powerful than myself.

I did, however, cling to the 'clockwork universe' model: the idea that God set up the universe as a sort of machine, wound it up, set it going, and has been watching it tick, whir, and buzz along ever since. Isaac Newton is credited with helping to get the idea started, I think.

One of the appeals to the 'clockwork' model is that it let me feel better about the disgusting things that people did: and about phenomena like earthquakes and birth defects. I'm personally interested in the latter aspect of reality. I have been blessed with congenital hip dysplasia - and the after-effects of a doctor's covert research. Again, that's another topic.

As long as I thought of the universe as a hands-off clockwork affair, I didn't have to think about how a loving God could let things like me happen.

Turns out, I was wrong. Again.

The Church teaches that God made the world: and has kept on making it. The Catechism addresses one aspect of this:

"With creation, God does not abandon his creatures to themselves. He not only gives them being and existence, but also, and at every moment, upholds and sustains them in being, enables them to act and brings them to their final end. Recognizing this utter dependence with respect to the Creator is a source of wisdom and freedom, of joy and confidence:..." (Catechism, 301)

There's more to the nature of reality and Catholic teachings than that. Books could be written on the subject, and have been. Again, that's another topic.

I didn't like it, but I'm learning to accept realities that I don't like. The idea that God keeps the universe, and everything in it, in existence has forced me to think about free will and related matters: which helps keep life from being boring.

Catholic Beliefs and Practices: And Diversity?!

I get the idea, hearing and reading what 'open-minded' people have to say about the Catholic Church, that about the last terms they'd use to describe Catholic practices is "diverse."

But, the Catholic Church is literally the universal church. We're not bound to the culture of any country or region.

As an American, I speak a particular dialect of the English language. The parish church has reminders of the northwestern European origins of the regional culture. We have an evergreen tree mounted near the altar in the Christmas season, and other symbols from my ancestor's pagan past show up from time to time.

Which is okay.

"The diverse liturgical traditions have arisen by very reason of the Church's mission. Churches of the same geographical and cultural area came to celebrate the mystery of Christ through particular expressions characterized by the culture:..." (1202)

The Church's diversity can be a little startling, sometimes. One of the more recent popes, on a visit to a country in Africa, had an animal's skin on his back - a leopard, I think - on top of his standard-issue uniform. It wasn't a fashion statement. In that particular area, people with authority wore that particular sort of skin as symbol of that authority.

It's no more odd, when you think about it, than seeing a tannenbaum in the parish church, or holy and ivy.

"Cafeteria Catholics:" Not Necessarily Liberal

I've gotten the impression that "cafeteria Catholics" and "cafeteria Christians" are assumed to be liberal. Not so.

Researching this post, I ran into this:

"I am an Orthodox Catholic, not a (politically)conservative Catholic. Why do conservative Catholics in the USA, especially in the Southern parts of the country, allign [!] themselves to support only abortion and euthanasia ban pro-life issues in the Roman catholic Church and always have an argument against banning the death penalty, as it is being used by conservatives in the USA?..." ("The death penalty and Politically Conservative Pro Life Catholics," Question from Catholic Q & A, EWTN (September 5, 2004))

The answer begins:

"It is never a good idea to brand groups of people with politically-specific labels. It is not true that all "conservative" Catholics hold the same positions nor is it true that all "cafeteria" Catholics hold the same positions. When I write, as a non-Southerner, that I am pro-life, what I mean is that I defend the right to life of every innocent human being, from conception/fertilization/cloning without exception and without apology.

"The Church teaches specifically on both abortion and the death penalty. Abortion is an 'intrinsically evil act' and the death penalty has never been defined as such...."("The death penalty and Politically Conservative Pro Life Catholics," Question from Catholic Q & A, EWTN (September 5, 2004))

Which is not to say that the Church has an 'off with their heads!' attitude. There's more, about the Church's teachings on capital punishment and my take on it, in "Capital Punishment: Killing Those Who Deserve to Die" (October 2, 2008).

Finally, although the Catholic Church is rather intolerant of some activities, like killing babies, the 'anyone who doesn't agree with me on everything and likes my kind of music is going to Hell' attitude isn't a part of Catholic teaching. Some of this is reflected in how the Catholic Church approaches suicide. (More at "The Catholic Church Won't Even Let People Kill Themselves" (January 28, 2009))

Of course, someone who reads this will have encountered a Catholic who is a mass of seething hatred. There are over a billion of us, worldwide, and some of us are jerks.

Related posts:

• "Being Christian, Being Catholic: No Half-Measures"
  (May 20, 2009)
• "The Catholic Church: 19 Centuries of the Great Commission"
  (March 21, 2009)
• ""Get f****d, Catholic Church" - It Comes With the Territory"
  (March 18, 2009)
• "The Pope, an Archbishop, and Nancy Pelosi, on Abortion, Human Rights, and Communion"
  (February 21, 2009)
• "Whoopi Goldberg's "Sister Act" - A Spiritually Uplifting Movie"
  (January 24, 2009)
• "American Catholic Bishops Intolerant! (I Should Hope So)"
  (November 13, 2008)
• "Conservative? Liberal? Democrat? Republican? No, I'm Catholic"
  (November 3, 2008)
• "Life: It's a Single Issue, and an Important One"
  (November 2, 2008)
• "Earthquake in Ziarat: I Have to Care"
  (October 29, 2008)
• "Capital Punishment: Killing Those Who Deserve to Die"
  (October 2, 2008)

Background

• "I am a confused Catholic - please help"
  Question from WJL on 06-02-2008: EWTN Catholic Q&A
• "The death penalty and Politically Conservative Pro Life Catholics"
  Question from Catholic Q & A, EWTN (September 5, 2004)
• "Humanae Vitae"
  The Holy See (July 25, 1968)