Sunday, October 31, 2010

31st Sunday in Ordinary Time

Readings for October 31, 2010, 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time 2010:

31st Sunday 2010

By Deacon Lawrence N. Kaas
October 31, 2010

The question for today, who am I? Who are you? I've been doing something with young people of late, that could very well be good for all of us. I will have them stand in front of a full length mirror and then have them say, "Lord, God, You made me in your image and likeness, to know You, to Love you, to Serve You and to be happy with You forever in heaven." If each morning you start the day with this statement of fact and then add a private prayer you have the best start of the day while knowing yourself, and who you are in Christ Jesus! Our first reading reaffirms this knowledge when it says, "For You Love all things that are and loathe nothing that You have made." Oh!, by the way this is the real self esteem.

A story:
Quit a number of years ago, now, I had gone to Steubenville for a workshop on the teaching of religion. For the most part everything went well until we come to this one room that was to help us relate to the children and before long we were into self esteem. Well, I'm not the brightest light in the room, but I've been around for a while and had taught for some time and am a father of seven and this just is not going very well. This sounded very much like the new trinity, me, myself and I. Finally I raised my hand and said, "I'm sorry to have to be the one to tell you this, but all you are doing is producing self-centered, selfish, spoiled brats!" No more was said and the subject was changed. As we were walking out a lady grabbed me and said, "You don't know how true were your words!" I said, Oh yes I do! She told me that her little daughter would come home from school and would order her around and if she didn't obey, say she was hurting her self-esteem. As I said earlier you don't have to be the brightest light to know this is not right. Not to down-play the value of each child in the family - for each are the image and likeness of God, but order must be kept. Children must be obedient to parents, as parents are obedient to Christ and His Church.

So who am I, who are you? How do we help each other to grow in the Love of God and neighbor. Maybe the Zacchaeus story can help. Maybe we need to learn acceptance, to Love the sinner, not the sin. Being we are all sinners that shouldn't be that hard, but at times it must be.

You remember how we say names mean something! Zacchaeus mains "pure one" or "righteous one." There must have been interest on the part of Zacchaeus for he climbed a tree to see Jesus! Maybe he was looking for answers in his own life, maybe even feed up with the self-centered greed and dishonesty. Still, Jesus said or did exactly what Zacchaeus needed. If Jesus had squared off against him, if Jesus had confronted his dishonesty and exploitation, if Jesus had condemned him, how would Jesus have been any different from anybody else? Is there any doubt but that Jesus accepted him as he was? Here was a good person, from God, accepting Zacchaeus.

There is a bit of irony here. Zacchaeus had a terrible reputation as a sinner and apparently it was deserved. Jesus was criticized by the religious officials, because he "ate and drank" with sinners. If the religious leaders are too righteous to associate with sinners, if all they have for someone like Zacchaeus is condemnation, what hope is there for Zacchaeus and other sinners? There is a stalemate between the righteous and the unrighteous. What is wrong here? Actually, the stalemate is between two groups of sinners: sinners-who-deny-they-are-sinners and sinners-who-know-they-are-sinners. Someone from God must come who is willing to associate with sinners, someone who understands that accepting the sinner does not mean accepting the sin, some one who knows how powerful love can be in transforming lives.

They grumbled, saying, "He has gone to stay at the house of a sinner." Zacchaeus' meeting with Jesus transformed his life for he stood there and said to the Lord, "Behold, half of my possessions, Lord, I shall give to the poor, and if I have extorted anything from anyone I shall repay it four time over." And Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house because this man too is a descendant of Abraham. For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save what was lost."

Stand in front of that mirror and know that God Loves you with an Infinite Love and He wants you to spend Eternity with Him in Heaven! Eye has not seen or the ear heard or the mind of man conceived what God has prepared for those who Love Him!
'Thank you' to Deacon Kaas, for letting me post his reflection here.
More reflections: Sort-of-related posts:

Saturday, October 30, 2010

The Pope, Science, and Technology: My Take

I remember the trailing edge of a time when quite a few folks felt that Progress (capital "P") and science and technology would solve all of humanity's problems: ending poverty, tooth decay, ugliness, and wrinkled fabrics.

A more recent fashion has been to think that we're pretty much doomed by science and technology and icky stuff like that. Maybe that's passing, along with nostalgia for the sixties. And that's another topic.

Almost.

Science and Technology: Good News/Bad News

Up until places like Auschwitz and Dachau were found, and folks were taught to feel bad about Hiroshima and Nagasaki1, the notion of inevitable progress wasn't all that daft. From 1801 to 1899, a huge number of things we take more-or-less for granted were developed:
  • Anesthesia
  • Antiseptics
  • The Jacquard Loom
  • The McCormick reaper
  • Steam locomotives
  • The telegraph
  • A variety of electric lighting devices
    (about.com: 1800s)
The first half of the 20th century was more of the same:
  • Air conditioners
  • Kidney dialysis machines
  • Neon lights
  • Penicillin
  • Talking motion pictures
  • Radio transmitters and receivers
  • Zeppelins
    • Okay: so not all inventions caught on
    (about.com: 1900s)
The first application of nuclear energy was the atomic bomb, which didn't help the reputation of power technologies. Oddly, lobotomies in this country and a German chancellor's practical application of eugenics principles didn't turn people off medical science so much.

Then 'natural therapies' became popular starting around the sixties. Maybe folks were paying attention, after all.

I've mentioned lobotomies in this blog (August 26, 2009), and discussed the practice briefly in another one. (Another War-on-Terror Blog (June 17, 2008)

Ah, For the Good Old Days of Cholera, Scurvy, and Iron Plows

Actually, the iron plowshare was a big step up in its day.

So were antibiotics and other medical technologies that took diseases like cholera out of everyday life in many countries. Haiti's one of the places that's revisiting that part of the 'good old days' just now.

While I'm thinking of it, there's a list of charities helping Haiti - and other places - in another blog. (Apathetic Lemming of the North (January 15, 2010)) No pressure, but a whole lot of folks in a lot of places could use help.

So, do I think that medical science and technology is good? By itself? No. That doesn't mean I think it's bad, either.

On the whole, I'd rather live now, than in the 'good old days' before the 19th century. Partly it's because I can remember when polio was being stamped out in this country. And I was paying attention when the green revolution happened. Norman Borlaug and all that. Never heard of him? I'm not surprised. (Another War-on-Terror Blog (July 18, 2007))

I've discussed this before. In my opinion, there isn't any such thing as "evil" science or technology. It's what people decide to do with them that has a moral dimension. (Apathetic Lemming of the North (December 2, 2009))

What 'Everybody Knows' About Religion and Science

Some folks back in the 19th century didn't want God to exist. They took some interesting research and claimed that is was a proof that they were right. If they'd hijacked some of their day's astronomy, I think we'd be hearing radio preachers rant about the evils of astronomy. (March 20, 2009) As it is, we've got folks who go a bit nuts when they hear the word "evolution."

I'm sure that some of the religious folks who don't like what's been discovered over the last few centuries are very sincere. That doesn't mean they're right. And it sure doesn't mean that everybody with religious convictions regard ignorance as next to Godliness. (March 6, 2010)

Coming from another direction, there are other folks who may be quite sincere in their conviction that religion must be suppressed in the name of reason and science. Again, sincerity doesn't imply accuracy.

The Pope's a Religious Leader: And He Said What About Science?

Like I said, some frightfully religious folks are convinced that science is evil and anti-Christian. Maybe even un-American.

Others are convinced that religious people - particularly those Christians - are ignoramuses who hate logic, reason, and science. I can see how they might get that impression.

Provided they carefully avoided learning about the Catholic Church.

Introduction to a publication for a science convention at the Holy See:
"Certainly the Church acknowledges that 'with the help of science and technology…, man has extended his mastery over almost the whole of nature', and thus 'he now produces by his own enterprise benefits once looked for from heavenly powers' (Gaudium et Spes, 33). at the same time, Christianity does not posit an inevitable conflict between supernatural faith and scientific progress. The very starting-point of Biblical revelation is the affirmation that God created human beings, endowed them with reason, and set them over all the creatures of the earth. In this way, man has become the steward of creation and God's 'helper'. If we think, for example, of how modern science, by predicting natural phenomena, has contributed to the protection of the environment, the progress of developing nations, the fight against epidemics, and an increase in life expectancy, it becomes clear that there is no conflict between God's providence and human enterprise. Indeed, we could say that the work of predicting, controlling and governing nature, which science today renders more practicable than in the past, is itself a part of the Creator's plan.

"Science, however, while giving generously, gives only what it is meant to give. Man cannot place in science and technology so radical and unconditional a trust as to believe that scientific and technological progress can explain everything and completely fulfil all his existential and spiritual needs. Science cannot replace philosophy and revelation by giving an exhaustive answer to man's most radical questions: questions about the meaning of living and dying, about ultimate values, and about the nature of progress itself."
)Address of His Holiness Benedict XVI to the Members of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, 6 November 2006."
From "Plenary Session on The Scientific Legacy of the 20th Century" (PDF) (28 October - 1 November 2010))
Folks who don't like the idea of human beings being different from aardvarks and chiggers probably wouldn't like that "mastery over ... nature" thing. It's yet another thing we're supposed to feel guilty about, I gather.

Me? I don't have trouble with the idea that God made us in His image. (January 25, 2010) Which doesn't mean that I think we should pour raw sewage into our drinking water. We've got brains: I figure we're expected to use them. (September 23, 2010)

Then there's what Pope Benedict XVI had to say, earlier this week:
"Science leads to truth about God, humanity, Pope says"
Catholic News Agency (October 28, 2010)

"Science in the 21st century must work for the 'true good of man,' the Pope told a group of scientists Oct. 28. The 'positive outcome' of this century largely depends on it.

"The Holy Father hosted members of the Pontifical Academy for Science in audience at the Vatican. The group is gathered in Rome for the academy's plenary meeting examining 'The Scientific Legacy of the Twentieth Century.'...

"...The task of science, rather, 'was and remains a patient yet passionate search for the truth about the cosmos, about nature and about the constitution of the human being,' said the Pope....

"...The Church 'is convinced that scientific activity ultimately benefits from the recognition of man's spiritual dimension and his quest for ultimate answers that allow for the acknowledgment of a world existing independently from us, which we do not fully understand and which we can only comprehend in so far as we grasp its inherent logic,' he said...."
The CNA article has more about what the Pope said, including the observation that science isn't something that answers all questions about our existence. And it's not a bogey man that'll kill us with atomic bombs and bug spray.

A balanced view? I think so.

Related posts:More related posts in this blog:Posts discussing my take on science, technology, and getting a grip, in other blogs:More:
1 As I've written in another blog, America isn't perfect. But I don't buy the idea that this country is the source of all the world's ills. (Another War-on-Terror Blog (July 3, 2008)

About the two cities affected by nuclear weapons: I don't have the conventional knee-jerk reaction to that. I don't think war is nice. I'm sad that so many people were killed in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. On the other hand, I can't work up serious regret that a decision was made which - in all probability - saved an enormous number of Japanese and allied lives.

I'll admit to having a personal stake in the matter. I'm one of the many people on both sides of the Pacific who almost certainly would not be alive today, if a conventional invasion of Japan had occurred - with the sort of suicidal defense which had become routine for Japanese forces and the civilians they controlled. (Another War-on-Terror Blog (October 16, 2009, March 24, 2009)

Friday, October 29, 2010

Halloween, Emperor Palpatine, Electric Eyeballs, and Getting a Grip

Halloween's coming this weekend. I'm looking forward to seeing kids from around this part of Sauk Centre come by, dressed up as princesses, spooks - or, if it doesn't warm up by then, layers of winter outerwear.

Where's the Religious Sound and Fury?

I haven't stopped being a practicing Catholic: and I'm quite well aware that October 31st is the Thirty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time. We've got the The Solemnity of All Saints and The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls), on November 1 and 2. Same as last year.

I'll be there, God willing, celebrating Mass with the rest of the parish at Our Lady of the Angels church.

But I also expect to be here, near the front door of my house, helping kids enjoy an autumn holiday: and having some fun, myself.

I don't see a contradiction there: partly because I don't think knowing, loving, and serving God requires grim disapproval of electric eyeballs. I'll get back to that.

Catholic, Living in America

I don't mind being born in America. I even think this country is okay. I also think Finland, Sri Lanka, Kenya and Tokelau are okay.

Growing up in America, I've absorbed quite a bit of the local culture. Which is a sort of good news/bad news proposition. Same, I suspect, as growing up anywhere else.

I'm also a practicing Catholic, and a convert. Which puts me outside both the American secular culture and the American Protestant culture(s).

I grew up in a nice, mainstream Protestant household about a block away from a college campus, in a place where a great many people were convinced that the Catholic Church was evil, Satanic, and un-American.

My parents didn't share that notion, but it was hard to not notice what the 'first church of holy hate' had to say.

I also learned about the Puritans. Mostly in school, and from folks who were anything but puritanical.

Definition time. "Puritanism" is:
  • The beliefs and practices characteristic of Puritans
    • Most of whom were Calvinists who wished to purify the Church of England of its Catholic aspects
  • Strictness and austerity in conduct and religion
    (Princeton's WordNet)
There's a time and place for austerity and strictness - and I suspect that the Puritans weren't quite as bad as some feel they were. And those are other topics.

A Report from the Department of Unintended Consequences

The painfully Biblical folks who ranted on radio and railed against the evils of the Commies and the Catholics weren't, I'm pretty sure, Puritans. But they shared the passion for "strictness and austerity."

They also painted a - colorful - picture of the Catholic Church and the Commies. To their credit, they didn't confuse the two.

When it came to the Whore of Babylon, these terribly religious ranters seemed convinced that the very personification of evil threatened America, motherhood, and apple pie. Think Star Wars' evil Emperor Palpatine, without his good looks and winsome charm.

As a teen, I wondered how such utterly vile people could exist - and endure.

So, being the sort of person I am, I started learning about the origins of Catholicism. Including the claim that God had personally set up their outfit, and had been maintaining it for the last couple millennia.

There were several possible explanations. Catholics could all be crazy. They could all be liars. Or they could be telling the truth.

There was a paper trail leading back to the early years of the Roman Empire - and beyond. The Catholic Church had endured catastrophes which could reasonably be expected to destroy a large organization.

There had been times when it was profitable to be Pope, but the idea that the whole 'Jesus' thing was made up for personal gain wouldn't wash. Only one of Jesus' 12 apostles hadn't been messily executed for standing by their beliefs. I figured the least-unlikely explanation was that the Catholic Church was simply what it said it was.

So I became a Catholic. I've written about that before.

Electric Eyeballs and Getting a Grip

I can't remember a time when I didn't take God and Jesus seriously - and the Holy Spirit, of course. That's why, as a teen, I made it a habit to tune in the 'religious' radio stations. I learned quite a bit that way.

Remember: I take God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit seriously. Folks with a knack for numerology and possible emotional issues - not so much.
Loud Taste and Numbers
I was picking up toothpaste in a grocery down the street the other day, and walked by the shelves where they keep seasonal items. Which this week is Halloween-related stuff.


Halloween's coming, which means lots of orange and black on store shelves. October 25, 2010.


And, this year, electric eyeballs. October 25, 2010.

I've been told that my aesthetic tastes are a bit on the loud side. When I saw that box of electric eyeball-lights, I had an impulse to get them and string them up around my desk.

I didn't, but not because I think they're Satanic. I'm married - and my wife's aesthetic sense isn't loud-bordering-on-tasteless.

On the other hand, I remember the radio preachers. Given a running start, I could whip up a rant about ten electric eyeballs and seven heads and ten horns and all that. (Revelation 17:3)

You'll notice that there are ten electric eyeballs in the box, and that seven are arranged in a hexagonal pattern - and no, I don't take that weird fusion of numerology, American culture and marketing very seriously.

I'm not going to buy those eyeball lights. But I'm not going to rant about Halloween, either.

Around here Halloween is a time when kids and their parents and/or older siblings go around, trick-or-treating. And the grocery has some wonderfully tacky decorations on the shelves.

Maybe, if all of America was just simply perfect and utterly in solidarity with the Magisterium, and cholera wasn't afflicting anybody anywhere, and the only problem in the whole wide world was a dissonance involving the The Solemnity of All Saints and kids dressed up as spooks - maybe then I'd rant about Halloween.

As it is, I'm glad to have a break from the political campaigns. And that's yet another topic.

Almost-related posts:

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Deepavali, the Vatican, and This Catholic

Deepavali, or Dīvali, or Dīpāwali, or Diwali - oh, forget all the different versions: The Festival of Lights is coming up for Hindus. I gather it's a pretty big deal. And, from the varied attempts at spelling it in the English version of the Latin alphabet, something that doesn't sound 'American' when properly pronounced.

The Holy See had a few words to say about the Hindu festival:
"Vatican wishes world's Hindus a happy Deepavali"
Catholic News Agency (October 28, 2010)

"The Vatican is wishing the world's Hindus a 'joy-filled Deepavali.'

"In a letter to mark the annual Hindu festival of lights, Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran asked that God, 'the Supreme Light,' enlighten minds and hearts and strengthen the bonds of friendship and respect among religious believers...."
Surprised? Shocked? Cynical? Certain that this letter is a sure sign of the coming Apocalypse?

I'm not.

But then, I don't expect Cardinals to be like stereotype American fire-and-brimstone preachers. Or cartoon televangelists.

Living In a Big World

Around 897,000,000 of the 6,768,000,000 or so folks living today hold Hindu beliefs. ("World," CIA World Factbook (last updated October 19, 2010)) That's more than the population of Sauk Centre, Minnesota: or even New York City.

There are many ways of reacting to a world where most folks are 'foreigners.' One is to decide that there are too many people around: and that the foreigners should stop having babies. For their own good, of course. And that's another topic.

I like living in a town with about 4,000 other folks: many of whom look a bit like me. I also liked living in San Francisco. Today, I like living in a world where folks on different continents can communicate in near-real-time.

As for not all folks being just like me? I've discussed unity and diversity from a Catholic perspective before. (August 26, 2010)

Associating With - Hindus?!

If Catholics hadn't associated with my ancestors, we might still be practicing human sacrifice. I'm not at all sorry that the Church took pointers from Jesus about being around folks who weren't quite up to speed. (Matthew 9:10)

Not that today's Hindus are in the same category as tax collectors back then. Which is another topic. I've discussed moral law before. (October 16, 2010, for starters)

I'm not surprised that the Holy See maintains communication with Hindus. Good grief: folks from the Vatican talk to diplomats at the United Nations and the President of the United States from time to time. We're really not all that picky about our associates.

And in the case of that letter to Hindus - I'll get back to that.

Some Kinda Plot?

For those whose world isn't complete without some sort of vast conspiracy: here's another excerpt from that article:
"...Cardinal Tauran, president of the Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue, expressed hope that Hindus and Catholics could work together to address 'the grave and unresolved challenges of our times.'...

"...He expressed hope that 'as people who hold in common the well-being of individuals and communities, may we give greater visibility with every means in our power to a culture that promotes respect, trust and cooperation.' "
(CNA)
I think many folks who are anything but religious also have a concern for "the well-being of individuals and communities." What makes folks like practicing Hindus and Catholics different is that, in my opinion, we have a firmer grip on 'the big picture.' We realize that there's a spiritual component to human nature.

And that, I think, puts us in a better position to understand what needs to be done.

Speaking of which, Haiti is one of many places that could use help. I put together a list of charities back in January, focusing on earthquake relief. A number of the outfits listed are global, though. No pressure. ("Haiti: About the Earthquake, Relief, and Related Topics," Apathetic Lemming of the North (January 15, 2010))

Related posts:

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Killing the Boss's Flunky, Life Issues, and the Vatican

There's this fellow who was Saddam Hussein's deputy prime minister from 1979 to 2003. The folks who run Iraq now want to kill him.

They may have reason for wanting blood.

Mr. Hussein's reign in Iraq was - unpleasant, to say the least. For folks who weren't on his 'approved' list, anyway. The current rulers of Iraq killed Saddam Hussein in 2006, after a trial. They may still be unhappy about what Hussein did to their country. They can't kill Saddam Hussein again, so maybe a deputy prime minister is a suitable stand-in.

Or, maybe Tariq Aziz actually is guilty of crimes which deserve death. Iraq's government had a trial and everything.

I don't know enough about the former deputy prime minister's career to know whether he's guilty or not.

War is Not Nice, and Other Opinions

I'd better get a few points out of the way before discussing life issues, Catholic teaching, and recent news from Iraq and Rome.
  • war is not nice
    • In my opinion
    (Another War-on-Terror Blog (February 15, 2010))
  • Saddam Hussein was not a nice man
    • My personal opinion which
      • Matters to me
      • Does not significantly influence others
    • A considered decision made by
      • The United Nations Security Council
      • A few dozen nations
      • Which authorized removing Hussein from office
        • By force
    (Another War-on-Terror Blog (August 9, 2007))
  • The Catholic Church does not teach pacifism
    • We're not imperialistic running-dog warmongers, either
    • I've mentioned the just war doctrine before
      (June 7, 2009)
I think the Catholic Church's failure to drop neatly into one of contemporary culture's convenient stereotype slots is one reason why we're so heartily disliked - and that's another topic.

Iraq, News, and the Catholic Church

As I said, the folks who are running Iraq now want to kill Saddam Hussein's former deputy prime minister. Odds are that they will.

Maybe he deserves to die.

Amnesty International and the Vatican are trying to save the former d.p.m.'s life.
"Iraqi court sentences Tariq Aziz to death"
CNN World (October 27, 2010)

"Tariq Aziz, one of the best-known faces of the Iraqi government for more than two decades, was sentenced to death Tuesday by the Iraqi High Tribunal for his role in eliminating religious parties during Saddam Hussein's regime, court officials told CNN.

"His family was shocked by the verdict, his daughter told CNN...."

"...Amnesty International urged Iraq not to carry out the sentences, even as it acknowledged the brutality of Hussein's regime....

"...The Vatican also opposed the death sentence, spokesman Federico Lombardi told CNN.

" 'This is not the most adequate way to promote reconciliation and reconstruction of justice and peace in a country that has suffered so much,' he said."
That's all CNN had to say about the Vatican's position on whether or not Iraq should kill someone in their custody. There's more, from Zenit.org:
"Vatican: Death of Tarek Aziz Will Not Help Iraq"
Zenit.org (October 26, 2010)

"...Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, director of the Vatican press office, issued the Vatican statement today after Iraq's supreme court sentenced Aziz to death by hanging for involvement in the suppression of religious political parties.

" 'The position of the Catholic Church on the death penality[!] is known,' the statement affirmed. 'It is hoped, then, that the sentence against Tarek Aziz is not applied, precisely to promote reconciliation and reconstruction of justice and peace in Iraq, after it has suffered so much.'..."

Tariq Aziz? Tarek Aziz? Mikhail Yuhanna?!

CNN spells the man's name Tariq, Zenit.org uses the Tarek spelling. I compared the number of Google hits for the two spellings, and got this:
  • Tarek Aziz
    • 8,140,000
  • Tariq Aziz
    • 383,000
  • Mikhail Yuhanna
    • 3,040
Looks like "Tarek Aziz" is used more than "Tariq Aziz." I'm not surprised that there are two fairly common spellings of his name - in English. We use a variation of the Latin alphabet. Not everybody does. Arabic has been used in Iraq - and that language comes with its own alphabet. Spellings in languages using Latin-derived alphabets depend on how someone decided to interpret sounds and/or letters.

As for Mikhail Yuhanna? That's the baptismal name of Tarek/Tariq Aziz. He was baptized as a Chaldean Catholic, according to Zenit.org. Which should lead to some imaginative conspiracy theories, if it hasn't already.

The Catholic Church: Run by Pacifist Warmonger Liberal Conservative Capitalistic Commies

The position of the Catholic Church on capital punishment is, as Father Federico Lombardi said, known. Or, rather, it should be. I've discussed the reasons for killing people who have it coming - and for letting them live - before. (October 2, 2008)

In the case of the former deputy prime minister, I don't have to guess what the Holy See's position is. The decision is that Aziz should live.

Odds are he'll be killed, anyway.

Since Amnesty International also wants the death sentence reversed, and since capital punishment is something that 'those liberals' don't like: it's 'obvious' that the Catholic Church is one of those bleeding-heart leftist commie pinko enemies of the flag, motherhood, and apple pie.

Actually, we're taught that life is precious. Which is why we're not supposed to kill - unless there is really no other option and a good chance that violence will prevent (more) harm.

You want simple? Tune in some feel-good preacher.

The Catholic Church's basic principles are simple. It's applying that Matthew 22:36-40 thing that gets complicated. Like I've said before, when human beings are involved, things get complicated: fast.

This time around, the Holy See is 'obviously' liberal: because we're trying to save a human life.

When it comes to abortion, we're 'obviously' conservative: for the same reason.

Then there's our insistence on marrying within our own species - but a member of the opposite sex. 'Obviously' conservative again.

And that headline last year: "Pope blasts capitalism...." 'Obviously' liberal. The establishment news got it wrong, by the way. (July 17, 2009)

Vague? No: Consistent

It's not that the Catholic Church is 'vague' on issues. I think we may seem that way because, for the last two millennia, we've been teaching the same thing: no matter what worldview is favored by the local village shaman, emperor, or journalist.

Related posts:Background:

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Catholic Leaders in America: Getting Uppity

New Orleans got a new bishop: Bishop John Noonan's been transferred from the Archdiocese of Miami. He had a few words to say about his new job:
"...'Vatican II calls Bishops to be fathers and pastors to the people,' Bishop Noonan said on Oct. 23 in response to the news. 'I pray that with God's help I will be able to be a good father and pastor as Bishop of the Diocese of Orlando.'

" 'I ask that my brother priests and all of God's people pray for me as I begin my new ministry among you,' he added...."
(Catholic News Agency)
I'll add my prayer, as one of the God's people, that New Orleans' new bishop get the help and support he'll need. That's more than just a formality: particularly these days.

Maybe it's because I've been paying closer attention in the last few years, but it seems to me that bishops have been acting a lot more like bishops lately: and getting criticized for it.

Last Saturday I wrote about the Archbishop of New York and The New York Times. He had the audacity to say that the Times showed chronic disdain for the Catholic Church. He's right: what may be shocking is that a Catholic leader in America actually said that it's not nice to praise a cross-dresser who likes to make fun of nuns.

There's more at stake than dubious comedy acts: like trampling the Host in St. Patrick's Cathedral.

The point is, an Archbishop - here in America - said that it's not nice to show disrespect for the Church. For which he's received the standard-issue tongue-lashings. Happily, we're not at the point in this country where someone can be sent to a re-education facility for criticizing an establishment newspaper. Yet.

Getting Uppity in America

For me, it was refreshing to read about another bishop who's not being nice and docile: who is stepping out of the little behind-closed-doors area that the established order in America has set aside for 'those religious people.' Other folks, more in tune with America's dominant culture, don't seem to be so pleased.

Where does a bishop or an archbishop get off, telling people what's right and what's wrong? A short answer is that they're the people who currently have the authority that my Lord gave the apostles - and they're working for the man who has the authority that Jesus gave Peter.1

Personally, I'm not overly awed by authority. But when it comes to someone who's speaking for the outfit that the Son of the living God2 set up: I think it's prudent to pay attention.

Related posts:In the news:Background:
1 The Catechism of the Catholic Church has a bit to say about the authority of bishops and the Bishop of Rome. This, for starters:
" 'In order that the full and living Gospel might always be preserved in the Church the apostles left bishops as their successors. They gave them "their own position of teaching authority." '35 Indeed, 'the apostolic preaching, which is expressed in a special way in the inspired books, was to be preserved in a continuous line of succession until the end of time.'36"
(Catechism of the Catholic Church, 77)

" 'In order that the mission entrusted to them might be continued after their death, [the apostles] consigned, by will and testament, as it were, to their immediate collaborators the duty of completing and consolidating the work they had begun, urging them to tend to the whole flock, in which the Holy Spirit had appointed them to shepherd the Church of God. They accordingly designated such men and then made the ruling that likewise on their death other proven men should take over their ministry.'374

" 'Just as the office which the Lord confided to Peter alone, as first of the apostles, destined to be transmitted to his successors, is a permanent one, so also endures the office, which the apostles received, of shepherding the Church, a charge destined to be exercised without interruption by the sacred order of bishops.'375 Hence the Church teaches that 'the bishops have by divine institution taken the place of the apostles as pastors of the Church, in such wise that whoever listens to them is listening to Christ and whoever despises them despises Christ and him who sent Christ.'376"
(861, 862)

"The Pope, Bishop of Rome and Peter's successor, 'is the perpetual and visible source and foundation of the unity both of the bishops and of the whole company of the faithful.'402 'For the Roman Pontiff, by reason of his office as Vicar of Christ, and as pastor of the entire Church has full, supreme, and universal power over the whole Church, a power which he can always exercise unhindered.'403"
(882)
2 "Son of the living God" - see Catechism of the Catholic Church, 442.

Monday, October 25, 2010

American Elections are Coming: What's a Catholic to Do?

Which of these photos represents what a Catholic who lives in America should do?

A

"I Voted" sticker. November 4, 2008.

B

Adoration Chapel in Sauk Centre, Minnesota. October 25, 2010.

It's a trick question. The answer is A and B.

Prayer, meditation: that's all good stuff, and highly recommended. But the idea isn't to be 'so heavenly-minded that we're no earthly good.'

There's an election coming up in just over a week. I'm a Catholic, living in the United States of America. I'm able to vote - and so I've got a responsibility to do so. Intelligently.

Vote: Vote Smart

Voting is simple: just show up at the polling place, with enough ID to satisfy local rules, and mark up a ballot. It's really simple.

Voting intelligently takes a bit more work. Preparation, actually. I take a look at the voting records of candidates - it doesn't give insight into what someone who's new to politics is like, but it's a valuable reality check for assessing incumbents. My household's lived at one address for quite a while, and got on enough mailing lists to ensure that we have a short stack of 'voting guides' from a variety of organizations. Lucky us: the point is that the information is out there, and quite a bit is online, as well as showing up in mailboxes.

Advice From Some Guy With a Blog

Speaking with the full authority of some guy with a blog - I've written about that before - here's a short list how to vote. And how not to vote.
  • Learn what the issues are
    • And what the candidates have
      • Said
      • Done
  • Learn what Catholic teaching on the issues is
    • NOT what some op-ed or news item says it is
    • United States Conference of Catholic Bishops is a pretty good place to start
      • I use Google to search the Catechism, putting [site:usccb.org/catechism] at the end of the search terms
  • Don't vote
    • Because your family always voted for that party
    • Based on how good a candidate's haircut is
    • Because the candidate goes to your church
Some of that may sound silly. On the other hand, I've heard arguments that a political candidate's physical appearance can gain - or lose - votes: so that crack about a haircut may not be all that silly.

So What If Someone Wants to Marry Their Hamster?

One of the issues in play is making up new rules about what marriage is. Trans-species marriage hasn't, to my knowledge, been promoted: but some other kinky variations have. The Catholic Church has a well-defined teaching on the subject.

And I've written about that before.

Related posts:Background:

Sunday, October 24, 2010

Cancer, Dying, Death, Faith and Life: a Catholic Experience

A few minutes ago I put the words 'catholic hospice' in Amazon.com's search box - no quotes. I got 15 hits. The third was "The Art of Serenity: A Journey of Faith," a video documentary.

I've seen "Art of Serenity." I think I'd have a high opinion of it, even if I didn't know two of the people involved. Video journal entries and interviews compress three years of experience into an hour:
"There was no support groups, no place to turn, no one understood. When Kelly was diagnosed with a rare and deadly form of cancer, she and her husband Aaron, both in their early twenties, felt utterly alone. They set out to change that by documenting their preparation for the life to come and Aaron's life that follows. 'There is Life After Death, and not just for those who die' - Aaron McWilliams The Art of Serenity: A Journey of Faith takes us through the grief and into the blessings of a new life as Aaron discovers again the blissful life of a newly wed while taking Sara, his new wife, on a 5,000 mile journey around the country to tell her the story of his past."
("The Art of Serenity: A Journey of Faith" Product description on Amazon.com)

Art of Serenity's Pretty Good, Actually

Aaron McWilliams is my son-in-law, Sara my daughter. Naturally, I'm interested in what they do. I'm also not the sort of person to say something is 'splendid' when it's not.

Earlier this year I saw some of the source material that Oasis Productions had to work with. Kelly and Aaron kept a video journal to record her experiences as a young woman with terminal cancer. Oasis Productions combined that journal with interviews and other material gathered during that 5,000 mile trip.

I thought they had good material to work with.

More recently, I saw the finished product.

In my opinion, it's a moving and informative account of people who encountered death and life: and dealt with both as practicing Catholics.

Related post:

New on the Blogroll: The Archbishop of New York

Archbishop Timothy Michael Dolan of the Archdiocese of New York has a blog: and a few minutes ago I added it to the blogroll.

Under blogs. Where else?

Related post:

Saturday, October 23, 2010

New York Archbishop: No More Mr. Nice Guy?

I've gotten the impression that Catholics in America have spent much of the last few hundred years trying to prove to the WASP establishment that we're almost as good as 'regular Americans.' Considering the sort of "Irish Need Not Apply" hiring practices of 'the good old days:' that's somewhat understandable.

But maybe enough is enough, of being nice and diffident when our faith is derided.

Noted, in today's news:
"Archbishop Dolan slams NY Times for offending 'Catholic sensibility'"
EWTN News (October 23, 2010)

"New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan has called out the New York Times for regularly offending 'Catholic sensibility.' Evidence of this, he argues, is the paper lauding recent theater productions and art exhibits with mocking attitudes towards nuns and Church leaders.

"The New York prelate charged in his 'Gospel in the Digital Age' blog that the Times commonly and casually 'offends Catholic sensitivity, something they would never think of doing - rightly so - to the Jewish, Black, Islamic, or gay communities.'

"Archbishop Dolan said the latest example of this can be found in the Oct. 15 issue which featured an 'insulting' picture of a male actor dressed in drag as a nun in a theatrical show titled 'The Divine Sister.'

"The archbishop called the play 'yet another tiresome production making fun of Catholic consecrated women' and decried its 'cheap laughs at the expense of a bigoted view of the most noble women around.'..."
I've discussed New York City's hometown paper, time zones and deadlines in another blog:A few more words from the archbishop about nuns. Real nuns, not that cross-dresser:
"...'Maybe I'm especially sensitive since I just came from the excellent exhibit on the contributions of Catholic nuns now out on Ellis Island,' he explained.

" 'These are the women who tended to the homeless immigrants and refugees, who died nursing the abandoned in the cholera epidemic, who ran hospitals and universities decades before women did so in the non-Catholic sphere, who marched in Selma and today teach our poorest in our inner-city schools.'..."
(EWTN News)
The archbishop was describing nuns of years gone by. That was then, this is now.

Today, we've got nuns like Mother Teresa of Calcutta, and EWTN's Mother Angelica.

Maybe nuns haven't change all that much, after all. And that's another topic.

I'm glad that the archbishop spoke out like this. And that bishops across America are acting like bishops: telling the truth about the Catholic Church and the culture we live in; and not trying to be nice, 'regular American' WASPs.

Related posts:In the news:The Archbishop's Blog:

Friday, October 22, 2010

Remember: "Clinically Dead" isn't "Dead"

Over in France, recently, a woman was being prepared for a chemotherapy session. She passed out. That's where it got interesting:
"...A doctor managed to resuscitate her and put her on a ventilator but then, having consulted other doctors, called Paillard's sons to break the news that their mother was 'very certainly clinically dead.'..."
(Discovery News)
Sad, isn't it? Well, the woman was 60 - and old people like that die all the time, right? Besides, she had cancer.

'Doctor Knows Best?'

Her sons weren't willing to accept what the doctors said, and insisted that their mother be kept on life support.

Sentiment overruling the great minds of Science and Medicine? Maybe.

The woman woke up a few hours later.

I wrote about this little incident yesterday, in another blog. (" 'I was Dead, But I'm Better Now'," Apathetic Lemming of the North (October 21, 2010))

Being an Organ Donor: What Could Possibly Go Wrong?

Incidents like that keep me from checking off the 'organ donor' option on my driver's license. I don't want to wake up on a dissecting table because some hotshot medico decided that I looked dead.

On the other hand, I'm quite willing to have parts taken for use - after I'm done with them. I've discussed organ transplants before (May 6, 2009, for starters)

Organ Transplants: "Meritororous," Sometimes

The Catholic Church has - what else? - rules about organ transplants:
"Organ transplants are in conformity with the moral law if the physical and psychological dangers and risks to the donor are proportionate to the good that is sought for the recipient. Organ donation after death is a noble and meritorous act and is to be encouraged as an expression of generous solidarity. It is not morally acceptable if the donor or his proxy has not given explicit consent. Moreover, it is not morally admissible directly to bring about the disabling mutilation or death of a human being, even in order to delay the death of other persons."
(Catechism, 2296)
Vague, No: Real, Yes
I think, by the way, that Catechism, 2296, is an example of why some folks think the Catholic Church is 'vague' about some issues. (July 18, 2009, July 17, 2009, March 13, 2010) We've been dealing with people for about two millennia now: and know that issues involving human beings aren't always simple.

We aren't told that organ transplants are
  • Utterly forbidden
    • Evil
    • Intolerant
    • Satanic
    • Racist
    • Un-Biblical
    • Whatever
  • Always okay
    • Under all circumstances
    • No matter what
We're told what the moral issues are, and how to apply Catholic principles to our decision-making process.

Meanwhile, Back in France

The Discovery News article didn't give enough detail for me to guess why the doctors were so eager to write that woman off. I'm just glad that she had sons who were willing to defy 'medical experts,' and give her a chance to wake up.

Which brings up family responsibilities - and that's another topic.

Related posts:

Thursday, October 21, 2010

From Father Dowling to The Simpsons: Somebody Finally Got it Right

I'm not a "Simpsons" fan.

Which may require an explanation.

I don't watch The Simpsons, and I'm not likely to.

That's not because I hate the series.

I don't think it's intolerant, anti-American, racist, un-Biblical, or any of the other words and phrases that folks in various American subcultures say when they mean "I don't like this."

I don't watch hundreds of television series: including The Simpsons. Even if I wanted to, there simply isn't time to experience everything.

I am aware that The Simpsons has been around for decades - and is supposed to be remarkable in several ways.

Homer Simpson is a Cartoon Character, and Other Insights

Earlier this week, I started noticing remarks about the Holy See ("Vatican" in American English) and Homer Simpson, one of the major characters in The Simpsons. I gathered that the Vatican had said something about Homer being a Catholic.

Also that Homer Simpson was a cartoon character - and comments that showed great emotion, without shedding much light on what was at issue.

'Homer is a Catholic' is still ricocheting off the walls of online social networks today - and it turns out that there's something to the story.

And no, the Pope hasn't gone crazy and baptized a cartoon character.

What happened is something at least as remarkable: somebody in America's entertainment industry featured Catholicism in a story. And got it right! According to Father Francesco Occhetta, anway.
"Vatican paper lauds 'Simpsons' for realistic portrait of faith"
Catholic News Agency (October 18, 2010)

"L'Osservatore Romano marked the 20th anniversary of 'The Simpsons' in its Oct. 17 edition by lauding the popular television show for taking religious faith seriously, although often irreverently.

"And, although 'few know it, and he does everything to hide it ... it's true: Homer J. Simpson is Catholic,' according to newspaper.

"The newspaper cited an analysis in the Oct. 16 issue of the Italian Jesuit magazine, La Civilita Cattolica.

"In it, Father Francesco Occhetta examined a Catholic-themed episode from 2005, 'The Father, the Son and the Holy Guest Star,' in which Homer and his son Bart are befriended by a priest named Father Sean, and consider conversion to Catholicism.

" 'The Simpsons remain among the few TV programs for kids in which the Christian faith, religion and the question on God are recurrent themes,' Father Occhetta wrote...."
Does this mean that
  • The Simpsons is now something that Catholics have to watch?
  • Matt Groening in league with Vatican assassins and the Illuminati in some kind of plot?
  • Shape-shifting space-alien lizard people really rule the world?
No. Or, at least, I really doubt it. Let's say that any of the above are about as likely as me really being Elvis.

Why Would a Catholic Priest Say Something Good About The Simpsons?

I've noticed what seems to be a pattern in how the Catholic Church deals with the world we live in. With exceptions, of course, it's likely that the Church will find something good to say about what the contemporary culture is doing - and say it.

That doesn't mean that I think The Simpsons would be a good choice as a curriculum resource in Catholic youth ministry: although I think we could do a whole lot worse.

I'm not surprised that The Simpsons got it right. I know enough about the series to know that its creator and directors have bothered to look at the real world. Another excerpt:
"...The show's 'skeptical realism' does not lend itself to any easy moral lessons, the paper suggested. But it does tend to deflate false illusions about the world. And, the paper added, 'a world devoid of easy illusions is more human and, perhaps, more Christian.' "
(CNA)
No wonder a few folks went ballistic over that article.

I may look up that episode, "The Father, the Son and the Holy Guest Star," just to see how the writers and director handled it. No guarantees made or implied, though, about whether or not I'll actually do so.

The Catholic Church isn't 'General Religion, Inc.'

It's my opinion that the sort of "skeptical realism" with which decidedly irreverent shows like The Simpsons approach Catholicism may do less damage (and/or more good) than 'nice' programming like the charming Father Dowling Mysteries series. When Father Dowling was running, my wife and I enjoyed watching Tom Bosley play the part of amateur sleuth, assisted by a spunky nun.

I'd have enjoyed the show more if Father Dowling had been, say, the editor of a small newspaper; or a grocer; or just about anything except an allegedly-Catholic priest. The impression I got was that the writers and directors had heard of the Catholic Church and knew that it was sort of big. Like General Motors or IBM. Or maybe even MGM.

The "Catholic Church" that Father Dowling worked for seemed to work a great deal more like a large American corporation than the Church. And, although the costume department and set designers had clearly done their research - Tom Bosley had Father Dowling making procedural gaffes. But that's nitpicking.

The Dowling version of Catholicism may have been 'nice,' even 'reverent:' but I think that the Church fares better with more realistic portrayals. Like Whoopi Goldberg's "Sister Act." (January 24, 2009)

Related posts:In the news:About The Simpsons:

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Celebrating Mass, Flossing My Teeth

I went to Mass last Sunday: and expect to do so again next Sunday. I'm a Catholic, so it's something I have to do. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2181)

It's not like anybody's going to hunt me down if I don't go, though.

I also "have to" brush and floss my teeth on a regular basis. Again, there are alternatives.

But if I chose to stop cleaning my teeth regularly, I'd start experiencing some memorable taste sensations: followed by discomfort, distress, and (most likely) missing teeth.

So, I brush and floss regularly.

If I chose to stop attending Mass regularly - and skipped the Sacrament of Reconciliation/Confession - I wouldn't get bad breath. At least, not because I was ignoring spiritual maintenance. I would, however, start collecting a serious buildup of crud in my soul.

That's not speculation: I'm a convert, and I remember 'before' and 'after.'

So, does that mean that I feel all Saved and Cleansed each Sunday morning: shouting "Hal-le-lu-ya!!" all the way down the aisle?

Hardly.

I don't get all gushy about flossing my teeth, either. But I do it, anyway.

Come to think of it, wouldn't it be a trifle disturbing if someone got emotionally worked up over dental hygiene?

Just Another Sunday Morning

By the time my family and I get to Our Lady of the Angels church, here in Sauk Centre, folks have usually started saying a before-Mass Rosary. I join in, picking up wherever they're at. As far as I know, there isn't a rule about that - It's just a habit I've picked up.


Before Mass at Our Lady of the Angels, Sauk Centre, Minnesota. October 17, 2010.

I took that photo before Mass started last Sunday. Nothing special going on: apart from the pre-Eucharist Rosary.

"Eucharist," by the way is an older - and somewhat more technical - term for what we usually call "Mass" in this country. ("Glossary of Church Terms," Office of Media Relations, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops)

And that's another topic.

Not-entirely-unrelated posts:

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

St. Mary MacKillop and Another News SNAFU

I'll say this for old-school establishment news outlets: they're consistent. Remember the newly-canonized saints? And the standard-issue "whisleblower" line about St. Mary MacKillop?

Old-school establishment news covered a Catholic story - and got it wrong. As usual.

Here's something, from folks who know a little more about Catholics, Catholicism, the Catholic Church: and how to research a story.
" 'Whistleblower' Label For St. Mary MacKillop Called Innaccurate And Wrong"
Catholic News Agency, via EWTN (October 19, 2010)

"Efforts to brand the newly canonized St. Mary MacKillop as the 'Patron Saint of Whistleblowers in the Church,' are inaccurate and wrong, according to the nun responsible for advancing her sainthood cause.

"News media coverage of the Oct. 17 canonization focused almost exclusively on claims made by clergy sexual abuse victims that the new saint had once been excommunicated for exposing abuses by an Irish priest working in Australia.

"That claim is false, Sister Maria Casey, RSJ, told Vatican Radio, Oct. 15. 'To set the record straight: she herself did not denounce the priest, she was 2,000 miles away when the events were reported.'

"MacKillop was in fact excommunicated for five months in 1871 by her bishop. But that issue was only 'indirectly' related to the Irish priest, she said. At the root of the excommunication was a disagreement over how her new religious order should be governed. The excommunication was lifted after five months in 1872...."
I think it's sometimes hard for old-school news services, in America at least, to understand events that involve Catholics or Catholicism. America started out as a very Protestant country. There's a long tradition here of viewing 'those Catholics' as being, well, not quite 'American.' That's changing, but we still don't fit into the dominant culture's pigeonholes all that well.

Take St. Mary MacKillop, for example.
  • She's a woman, and a very active one
    • But she's not a valiant feminist, striking back at male oppression
  • She was excommunicated
    • But didn't renounce the oppressive Catholic hierarchy
  • She was (peripherally) involved in a sex scandal
    • But didn't write a tell-all book
Talk about confusing!

No wonder the establishment's news outlets grabbed at "whistleblower" to describe her. It may have been as close as editors could come, to understanding what makes St. Mary Mackillop important.

Just a thought, in closing. A couple, actually.
  • Don't believe everything you see in "mainstream" news
    • They don't necessarily know what they're writing about
  • Praying for folks who just don't get it - couldn't hurt
Now, before someone has a stroke: that last point, about praying, is just an idea. I'm not "making" anybody do anything. First: I don't have the authority to do so. Second: How, by all that is sane, could I "make" someone hundreds or thousands of miles away do anything?

Related posts:

Monday, October 18, 2010

Faith With a Cold

Comic strips like Garfield have fun with the idea of Monday: playing with the contrast of a carefree, relaxed weekend and, well, Monday. That dull day when office drones descend once more into their cubicles, factory functionaries fill their post on the assembly line, and managers merge with managerial routines.

Monday.

Then there was my Monday.

My wife's got a cold. I heard her say that I'm getting over mine. She's generally right about that sort of thing. I don't feel sick. I don't feel well, either. Or tired. That's okay, though.

They say that couples should do things together - but I used that gag in another post, in another blog. I'd been doing some creative work. Make that trying to do some creative work. After realizing that 'writer's block' was more of a 'writer's fog,' and not having a deadline - I fell back to looking up facts for a time when more of my neurons were cooperating with my will. (See "Exoplanets, MIT, Mathematics, and Thinking With a Cold ," Drifting at the Edge of Time and Space (October 18, 2010))

About two hours ago I saw "Bank of America to Redo Foreclosures" and perceived "Bank of America to Radio Foreclosures" - and decided to take a break.

Garfield? Monday? Creativity? Radio Foreclosures?! Where's the Spirituality?

It's been an overcast, gray Monday here in central Minnesota, I've got a cold, and I haven't been able to get much done today. It's been one of 'those' days.
Decisions, Decisions
I could decide that my lack of pep and uplift was the fault of the repressive, authoritarian, male-dominated Catholic Church. If I was loud and obnoxious enough about it, I might get a reputation for being very "intelligent" in some circles.

How I'd explain a decision like that in the particular judgment, I don't know. I'm pretty sure that I couldn't pass it off as 'being funny:' telling the Lamb of God that He should be able to take a joke.

No, I do not need that kind of trouble.

I could blame my wife, the biannual psychological freak show we Americans call "national elections," my parents, society - and the list goes on. Or I could blame myself, for not feeling all full of uplift and spiritual gifts.

Not gonna happen.

The point is, I have free will. I can decide what I think: that's a whole lot easier, now that my brain chemistry is a trifle better-regulated. ("Original Sin, Free Will, ADD, and There Goes the Air Conditioner" (October 15, 2010))

Which reminds me of one of my favorite slogans: "I'm not as crazy as you think I moose."

I had free will when I was expending a lot of my energy on just making my mental machinery work, of course. And I'm wandering off-topic.

That's been happening a lot today.
'Feeling Spiritual' - It's Nice When It Happens
I have nothing against those big, emotional, 'uplifting,' 'spiritual' moments. They're nice. And they don't last. I've discussed "spiritual" experiences and my faith before. (April 22, 2010)

Bottom line? Days like this happen. It's not a "dark night of the soul" - not even close. I've used the phrase "dim Monday morning" before. (July 19, 2010)

The trick, for me anyway, is to remember that I live in a world where God is large and in charge - but where we're all working with the after-effects of a really bad decision. I've written about original sin before. (October 15, 2010) More than once, recently. (October 12, 2010)

Then there was that "Firebase Earth" post. (April 5, 2009)

Two Quotes, and Introducing Another Blogger's Post

First, the quotes:
"On Earth, there is no heaven, but there are pieces of it."
-Jules Renard

"The true object of all human life is play. Earth is a task garden; heaven is a playground"
-G. K. Chesterton
They're what introduced a post in another blog:
"How to Cultivate Your Garden"
Christopher's Apologies (October 18, 2010)

"Terry Veling wrote in his book Practical Theology: On Earth as It Is in Heaven that there are 'two fundamentally interpretive acts that are central to theological activity – "searching the scriptures" and "reading the signs of the times." ' Later on he suggests the art of interpretation 'is intimately tied to the art of creativity, and this is as it should be, for the creativity of a work necessarily calls forth the creativity of the interpreter.'

"After I read Voltaire's Candide for a theology class a couple of years ago, I put together a list of 10 ways to 'cultivate your garden.' Candide offers the enigmatic phrase...."
I recommend reading the rest of that post. That 10-point list might be useful. Like "10. Life has an ebb and flow to it; roll with it."

Good advice, in another person's blog:Not-completely-unrelated posts:
A tip of the hat to crsmith89, on Twitter, for the Christopher's Apologies post.

Sunday, October 17, 2010

Mary MacKillop, Saints, News, and Miracles

Australia has its first Saint: Mary MacKillop.

The BBC did a pretty good job of covering the story.
"The BBC's Duncan Kennedy says hundreds of Australians have travelled to Rome to witness the Pope canonise Mary MacKillop

Pope Benedict XVI has officially recognised Australia's first saint, Mary MacKillop, a Melbourne-born nun who worked with needy children.


"She was canonised with five others, including Brother Andre, a Canadian monk credited with miraculous healings.

"MacKillop, who died in 1909, clashed with senior clergy and was briefly excommunicated, in part for exposing a sex-abusing priest.

"Thousands of Australians are in Rome to witness the ceremony.

"Pope Benedict XVI, canonised the six saints in St Peter's Square in front of some 50,000 people.

"He declared that 'throughout the Church they be honoured devoutly among all the saints'...."
Like I said, the BBC did a pretty good job of covering the story, from the point of view of a secular news service in a country whose king set himself up as a sort of mini-pope a few centuries back. Considering the sort of clueless reporting that I've come to expect, they did a reasonably good job of reporting the miracles.

Pedophile Priests! Pedophile Priests!

Yes, I read the fourth paragraph, about the "sex-abusing priest" and St. MacKillp's run-in with part of the hierarchy.

Yes, I know about what some priests did during the last half-century. I've discussed that before.

And, BBC and the rest of old-school news notwithstanding, the 'whistle blower' aspect is - somewhat alternatively-accurate. ("Did Blessed Mary MacKillop report a priest for abuse? Postulator clarifies," CatholicCulture.org (October 15, 2010))

Moving on.

Saints and Run-Ins With Authorities

Despite their 'plaster-statue' reputation in some American subcultures, quite a few saints have been in trouble with authorities, for one reason or another. Sometimes the authorities were outside the Church hierarchy, sometimes not.

Like the accusation that Athanasius murdered Arsenius. It was a bum rap: Arsenius was staying out of sight at the time.

Then there was Ambrose and Augustine of Hippo. Ambrose thought that virginity, when chosen for the sake of God, was a good thing: and said so. There was a population crisis at the time, and some folks accused Ambrose of trying to depopulating the empire. Which I think was silly: if they were all that concerned about the declining population, and were married, there was a very practical step they could take. And that's another topic.

Augustine of Hippo had his problems, too, not so much with the Church hierarchy, as with a set of bishops who'd decided that the Church was too forgiving of those sinners over there. And, of course, that they were 'holier than the Pope.' I've written about that sort of thing before. (July 31, 2010)

A person doesn't have to butt heads with a bishop to become a saint, of course. A saint is someone who is a disciple of "remarkable fidelity." (February 14, 2010)

Two verified miracles are also required.

Miracles: It's More Than Getting Better

Whoever researched that BBC article did a pretty good job: including a "Four steps to sainthood" list in the sidebar. The main body of the article was informative, too: as far as it went.
"...For anyone to become a saint, the Church has to recognize their intermediary role in two miracles.

"In MacKillop's case, both were in relation to people who were ruled to have been cured of cancer after praying for the nun's assistance.

"Veronica Hopson was the first person MacKillop is said to have healed - she recovered from leukaemia in 1961.

"On Sunday she told Australian TV: 'I feel very fortunate that I was given the opportunity to live my life, have a family, have grandchildren, so that's a miracle.'

"Kathleen Evans, the second person MacKillop the nun is credited with healing, recovered from cancer in 1993. She attended the canonisation Mass and carried relics of St Mary to the altar.

" 'I think she would be delighted to see so many people looking at their own lives and considering how they can live better and care more,' Ms Evans said in a statement...."
(BBC)
I think Evans made a good point - and that's yet another topic.

It's nice to pray for recovery during an illness. It's also nice when a person recovers from being ill.

But not all recoveries which follow a prayer are miracles. Or, rather, they are - just like each moment we're alive is a miracle, in a way. I've discussed that sort of thing before. (January 20, 2010)

"Miracles," in the context of canonization, are more than 'something good' happening after somebody's prayed:
"Miracles, apparitions: Generally miracle is used to refer to physical phenomena that defy natural explanation, such as medically unexplainable cures. An apparition is a supernatural manifestation of God, an angel or a saint to an individual or a group of individuals."
(Alphabetical Listing of Glossary of Church Terms, M, USCCB)
Phenomena that "defy natural explanation" happen: even if it's fashionable to say that they don't. (June 7, 2010)

The Rest of Today's Saints

I've focused on St. Mary MacKillop in this post. Partly because it's a pretty big deal when a country gets its first saint.

There were six Saints canonized today, let's member:
"...In his homily, Pope Benedict said St. MacKillop, 1842-1909, was a model of 'zeal, perseverance and prayer' as she dedicated herself to the education of the poor in the difficult territory of rural Australia, inspiring other women to join her in the country's first community of religious women.

" 'She attended to the needs of each young person entrusted to her, without regard for station or wealth, providing both intellectual and spiritual formation,' he said. Her feast day is celebrated Aug. 8.

"Canadians cheered the canonization of Blessed Andre Bessette, 1845-1937, a doorman known for his devotional practices and his healing touch. He became known as the 'Miracle Man of Montreal.'

"The pope said St. Bessette 'showed boundless charity and did everything to soothe the despair of those who confided in him.' Although he had little instruction, he 'understood what was essential to the faith' and had an intense prayer life, the pope said.

" 'For him, everything spoke of God and his presence,' the pope said. Thanks to this simplicity, St. Bessette led many people to God, he added.

"St. Bessette 'lived the beatitude of the pure of heart,' the pope said. 'May the example of Brother Andre inspire Canadian Christian life!'...

"...The others canonized were:

"-- St. Camilla Battista Varano, 1458-1524, the illegitimate daughter of an Italian nobleman, had to overcome her father's initial objections to enter the convent of the Poor Clares. Known for her mystical experiences during prayer, she died in an outbreak of the plague.

"-- St. Stanislaw Soltys, 1433-1489, who devoted his life to caring for the poor in his native Krakow, Poland. Famed as a preacher and confessor, he was known as the "Apostle of the Eucharist" for his taking Communion to the sick and lonely.

"-- St. Giulia Salzano, 1846-1929, taught catechism to schoolchildren near Naples, Italy, and later founded the Catechetical Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus to continue her work, which offered religious education to children of all ages, to their mothers and to regular laborers.

"-- St. Juana Cipitria Barriola, 1845-1912, was a champion of education for girls and young women in her native Spain. Known in some countries as Mother Candida Maria de Jesus, she founded the Daughters of Jesus with five other young women. She ran a special school on Sundays for girls who were employed as domestics, because Sunday was their only day off...."
(Catholic News Service (October 17, 2010))

Saints Come - and Sometimes Go

Not very long ago - by my standards - the Church reviewed its list of Saints: and found out that some of them weren't adequately documented. I've mentioned this before. (February 15, 2010)

St. Christopher, one of my favorites, seems to be a sort of borderline case. Somebody named Christopher was a martyr, all right: but now, dozens of centuries later, we aren't able to sort out which details of the St. Christopher legends are real - and which aren't. (Catholic Online)

Does this shake my faith? Not really. I was disappointed to learn that many (most?) of the St. Christopher stories might be about as real as Star Wars - but that's about as far as it goes.

I've studied history, understand how different sorts of records have been used to piece together an account that we call "history." I also understand that scholarly tools have changed over the ages.

If anything, I was impressed that the Catholic Church occasionally did a sort of intellectual inventory to see what was known: and how we know what we know.

And that's still another topic.In the news:Background:My take on human nature, what's new and what's not, in another blog:

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Marian Apparition: Champion, Wisconsin

Background:Posts in this blog: In the news:

What's That Doing in a Nice Catholic Blog?

From time to time, a service that I use will display links to - odd - services and retailers.

I block a few of the more obvious dubious advertisers.

For example: psychic anything, numerology, mediums, and related practices are on the no-no list for Catholics. It has to do with the Church's stand on divination. I try to block those ads.

Sometime regrettable advertisements get through, anyway.

Bottom line? What that service displays reflects the local culture's norms, - not Catholic teaching.