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Archbishop Raymond Burke and Sheryl Crow
2007-04-26 06:12:00
I did not see any other Catholic blog posting this story, so I suppose I will.Archbishop Raymond Burke of St. Louis (my former archbishop) has submitted his resignation as chairman of the board for one of St. Louis' most prominent Catholic charities, the Cardinal Glennon Children's Foundation. His reason? The charity is permitting Sheryl Crow , who has been outspokenly pro-abortion, to perform this Saturday at one of its benefits. Burke asserted: "A Catholic institution featuring a performer who promotes moral evil gives the impression that the church is somehow inconsistent in its teaching."Will the resignation restore confidence in the Church's moral position on abortion? Will the resignation do more harm than good by damaging the mission of Cardinal Glennon Children's Foundation? Does an artist's moral convictions (or lack there of) preclude the rectitude of a Catholic charity featuring that artist's craft in charitable events? Should Catholics take it another step further a...
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Quote of the Week
2007-04-25 19:13:00
The eclipse of the sense of God and of man inevitably leads to a practical materialism, which breeds individualism, utilitarianism and hedonism. Here too we see the permanent validity of the words of the Apostle: "And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a base mind and to improper conduct" (Rom 1:28). The values of being are replaced by those of having. The only goal which counts is the pursuit of one's own material well-being. The so-called "quality of life" is interpreted primarily or exclusively as economic efficiency, inordinate consumerism, physical beauty and pleasure, to the neglect of the more profound dimensions-interpersonal, spiritual and religious-of existence.In such a context suffering, an inescapable burden of human existence but also a factor of possible personal growth, is "censored", rejected as useless, indeed opposed as an evil, always and in every way to be avoided. When it cannot be avoided and the prospect of even some future we...
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Abortion and the imago Dei
2007-04-25 16:26:00
And so they passed it. Abortion in Mexico City has now become legal. The second-largest Catholic country in the world has legalized the killing of human beings in its own capital. The same human beings that in the beginning God created in His image.What is disconcerting about the abortion debate is that there is no agreement as to when life actually starts, so people who support abortion do not see themselves invested emotionally in these newly conceived human beings. When we talk about other life issues, such as euthanasia, war, or even the death penalty, we may not find as much controversy, because we can see the elderly or the soldier or the prisoner having lived their lives and continuing to do so: they breathe, move, eat, talk, feel, love, cry... As a result, there is no question as to whether they are truly human beings, basically, because we can witness their existence. The main argument of many in the pro-choice party is that embryos are not human beings, perhaps because we ...
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Are the Pentagon and the President lying to us about Iraq?
2007-04-24 20:15:00
Two interesting news stories for you to read. Judge for yourself. Are the Pentagon and the Bush Administration lying to us in order for us to believe that things in Iraq have been going well?I have little to say about this today as I perceive the writing on the wall. I do recall Pope Benedict XVI's brief mention of the deplorable situation in Iraq today, just as I recall Michael Novak characterizing the Pope's perspective as "disappointing" and overtly "European." Only someone as historically, politically and ecclesially detached as Novak would even hint at the Pope desiring to communicate the message of the "American Left." Perhaps it is Novak whose perspectives are disappointing due to apparent ignorance and ideology (a post documenting Novak's numerous theological errors and socio-economic misrepresentations is coming in the near future). But like I said, judge for yourself.Tillman's Family, Lynch testify before Congress (AP)Lynch, Tillman's brother: U.S. military lied ...
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Let us pray for a decision that supports life
2007-04-24 16:00:00
As all of you are well aware, Mexican lawmakers will vote today on whether to legalize abortion or not. Mexico is the second largest-Catholic country in the world after Brazil. Many Mexicans have flooded the streets to protest against this new law and we can only accompany them in their cause by praying. Many Mexican-Americans also showed their support to pro-life Mexicans, especially in California, by going out to the streets and letting them know how much legalized abortion has hurt this country for the past three decades.Life -faith Divorce As a Hispanic myself, I have been grown increasingly concerned about the secularization of Latin American countries and this push towards the legalization of abortion may just be a symptom of that. Interestingly put, the Mexican Bishops call this secularization a "life-faith" divorce, because of the "the shrinking role of religion in modern society, growing individualism and the deterioration of traditional communities." (See CatholicNews.com f...
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Papal Nuncio: Catholics can help protect the earth through voluntary simpli
2007-04-24 15:31:00
Complete Story: CatholicNews.comCiting Genesis' call to humanity to oversee creation while protecting it and thechurch's social doctrine, the Vatican diplomat outlined the Holy See's positionon the need for Catholics to heed the environmental dangers the planet faces.Archbishop Migliore, the Vatican's U.N. Nuncio, said that Catholics can help reduce the footprint on the environment by "working less, wanting less, and spending less." He confirmed the relationship between climate change and human activity based on a statement by the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change made last February. The Archbishop thinks that the remedies to climate change in the political sphere are rather complicated and insisted on the need on the "ethical, social and religious values as well."As I have mentioned before, I still have to write a post summarizing the 18-page report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which may help dispel many of the myths around global warming. The ...
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Pope Benedict XVI: Augustine as a model of conversion
2007-04-23 23:13:00
"You have created us for yourself, and our heart is restless until it rests in You.?St. Augustine of Hippo, Confessions Those are the words that resounded in my mind and heart time and time again as I journeyed back to Catholicism. For a long time, my heart had been wandering restlessly until I recognized Him as he had always recognized me since the beginning.It is very hard to read the Confessions of St. Augustine and not feel an intimate connection with him and feel for him. Any Christian who has any doubts about how to establish a personal relationship with God has to read the Confessions. It is an easy read and there is really no formal background needed to start reading this book. Augustine?s journey towards its encounter with God is deeply moving, and although he is one of the greatest theologians of all time, he was able to convey beautifully how this personal encounter with our Creator takes place through personal conversion.If you ask me or Michael who is our favorite saint...
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Two American tragedies, one mourning
2007-04-23 17:21:00
Two tragedies happened last week in this country, but we seem to be outraged by only one of them: the Virginia Tech Massacre. The sudden realization that we are not safe anymore, not even in our own schools, has confirmed our worst fears. Thirty-two innocent people were killed by a deeply disturbed youth who also happened to take his life. They were students, professors, friends, sons and daughters, parents, relatives? but no more. No chances for these students and professors to make a discovery that would affect many fields of the sciences and the humanities. Their chance to change this world in some way no longer exists. For the parents of these students, there will be no graduations, no birthday parties, no falling in love, no weddings, no anniversaries, no grandchildren?Last week another tragedy occurred that should also outrage and disturb American s: one of the deadliest attacks in four years took place in Iraq killing nearly two hundred people. These were also friends, sons ...
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Celebrate Earth Day
2007-04-22 19:46:00
?Jesus taught us very clearly what it is to be a master. It is to be a servant. Far from understanding Genesis as permission to take what we like from the earth, we must consider ourselves to be at the service of the earth, every bit as much as we are at the service of our neighbor.? --Keith Cardinal O'Brien, 2007 Easter homily "In the face of the great threats to the natural environment, we want to express our concern at the negative consequences for humanity and for the whole of creation which can result from economic and technological progress that does not know its limits. As religious leaders, we consider it one of our duties to encourage and to support all efforts made to protect God's creation." --Pope Benedict XVI and Patriarch Bartholomew I, Common Declaration of November 30, 2006 "In dialogue with Christians of various churches, we need to commit ourselves to caring for the created world, without squandering its resources, and sharing them in a cooperative way." --Pope B...
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A Very Important Election in France
2007-04-22 17:35:00
Today the French are crowding to the polls to cast their votes for a new president to replace Jacques Chirac who is ending his 12 year stint. At stake in the election? A country whose once stunning Catholic face is quickly eroding. A nuclear nation in the midst of an unstable and volatile world. A country struggling with the integration of a burgeoning Muslim population. A shaky economy.The main candidates?Conservative Nicolas Sarkozy, candidate for the right-wing party UMP (Union pour un Mouvement Populaire), who is chummy with President Bush. Supports lower taxation, pliable labor markets, a U.S.-like socio-economic identity, affirmative action for minorites. Recently, he has spoken out against homosexual unions. Sarkozy has been endorsed by Jacques Chirac. Socialist Party candidate Ségolène Royal who has been critical of U.S. foreign policy. Supports market and interventionalist approaches to economics, environmental regulation, the establishment of home-tutoring programs, the cr...
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Critical Edition of St. John of the Cross' writings in Spanish
2007-04-22 02:27:00
Finally, my birthday gift from Michael arrived from Spain! He knew that I wanted to buy the Complete works of St. John of the Cross in the original Spanish , so he was able to find the critical edition based on the original manuscripts of his writings. I have read St. John of the Cross here and there in English and one can easily see how John Paul II's anthropology was influenced by this saint. I have asked some of you what would be a good way to be introduced to John Paul II's thought and you recommended to start with John of the Cross and that is why I wanted to buy it, so thank you! And thanks to Michael for being able to find it in Spanish!If you can read Spanish and would like to read this saint in his original language as John Paul II did, you can purchase it here.Si usted está interesado en leer las Obras Completas de San Juan de la Cruz en Español, puede adquirir el libro desde España aquí.
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How do you defend the Catholic faith?
2007-04-22 02:02:00
"A Christian knows when it is time to speak of God and when it is better to say nothing and to let love alone speak. He knows that God is love (1 Jn 4:8) and that God's presence is felt at the very time when the only thing we do is to love."Pope Benedict XVI, Deus Caritas EstMichael was talking to his mom last night about how to defend the Cath olic faith when we are faced with situations when others show hostility towards Catholicism, which has prompted me to write this post. Many Catholics have different reactions when they find themselves in this kind of situations. They can pose quite a challenge, especially, when we think we don?t have the knowledge to defend our faith. Michael had an interesting point last night when talking to his mom, which he has taught me and has proven to be quite effective based on my own experience: try to understand the root cause of this person?s hostility towards Catholicism by kindly asking questions related to their claims. They key is never to get...
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Saints' Trivia
2007-04-21 22:35:00
St. Francis of Assisi's real name was Giovanni. His mother was French and he was fond of the songs of French troubadours. Soon after, his friends in Assisi called him "Francesco" or "the little Frenchman" and it is by this name that we call our beloved saint until this day.
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The Politics of Infallibility at Vatican I (Part 6)
2007-04-20 19:54:00
The Final Acts The deputation studied the ninety-six amendments proposed at the General Congregations, as well as four-eight that were submitted in writing, and thoroughly reworked the schema. On July 11, Bishop Gasser of Brixen spoke on behalf of the deputation, providing a ?quasi-official relatio? that ?laid down the basic principles of interpretation which were presumably in the minds of the bishops? on the deputation.[1] He explained that infallibility does not reside in the Pope privately as an individual, but it the infallibility is personal insofar as ?he is the person of the Roman Pontiff, or public person, that is, the head of the Church in its relation to the universal Church.?[2] Because infallibility is not inspiration or revelation, but simply divine assistance, ?the Pope, according to his office and the importance of the matter, is bound to apply the means appropriate for properly investigating the truth and appropriately expressing it.?[3] While consensu...
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Quote of the Week
2007-04-19 15:04:00
One must admit that theology, of all writing, certainly causes the greatest pleasure. Precisely not the pleasure of the text, but the pleasure--unless it have to do with a joy--of transgressing it: from words to the Word, from the Word to words, incessantly and in theology alone, since there alone the Word finds in words nothing less than a body. The body of the text does not belong to the text, but to the One who is embodied in it. Thus, theological writing always transgresses itself, just as theological speech feeds on the silence in which, at last, it speaks correctly. In other words, to try one's hand at theology requires no other justification than the extreme pleasure of writing. The only limit to this pleasure, in fact, is in the condition of its exercise; for the play from words to the Word implies that theological writing is played in distance, which unites as well as separates the man writing and the Word at hand--the Christ. Theology always writes starting from an ...
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The Politics of Infallibility at Vatican I (Part 5)
2007-04-19 04:05:00
Part 1Part 2Part 3Part 4The Infallibility DebatesThe subsidiary committees had anticipated the question of papal infallibility despite their intention to exclude it from the Council agenda. Therefore, they drafted a short schema on papal infallibility which could be made available to the Council. It was subsequently added as a fourth chapter to the schema on the primacy of the Bishop of Rome and distributed to the Council Fathers on March 6 when the announcement was made by the Presidents that papal infallibility would eventually be coming before the Council. Nearly 140 comments and suggested amendments were submitted to deputation de Fide by March 25. The deputation digested and summarized the submissions on the primacy in a 104-page folio for distribution on April 29. The next day, a 242-page folio on infallibility was given to each Council member. Because the question on papal primacy and infallibility was to be considered immediately, the deputation was forced to work daily unti...
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Want a sample of real theology?
2007-04-18 07:01:00
I am occasionally confronted by Catholics who, having read a few apologetics books and articles, claim to have a better grasp on theology than many professional theologians. And when I ask who it is they are reading that makes them so sure they are encountering reliable, solid theological sources, I get a list of authors that looks something like this: Karl Keating, Jimmy Akin, Patrick Madrid, et al. Not that these authors are not worth reading. Occasionally they come up with something somewhat interesting. But they are not theologians, nor do their works fall anywhere within the vicinity of genuine theology or even of traditional apologetics. In other words, these authors may serve to orient you, but ultimately they barely scratch the surface of Catholic thought. You have to eventually graduate from today's version of Catholic apologetics, which regrettably is typically done by non-specialists, lest you remain forever off-stage from the drama between faith and reason.A sample of r...
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You can't hide from us, birthday boy!
2007-04-16 15:27:00
Pope Benedict XVI begins his mid-life crisis late.Christopher Blosser's got the goods.
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The Politics of Infallibility at Vatican I (Part 4)
2007-04-14 23:27:00
Part 1Part 2Part 3A Turn of EventsThe month of January saw little progress for the work of the Fathers. The schemata on faith and discipline had been so dissected, that the deputations were forced to not only revise it, but completely rewrite it in light of the hundreds of amendments proposed by the Fathers. It had become clear that some sort of revision to the rules of procedure was needed to maintain a certain level of efficiency. Butler writes, ?The general dissatisfaction found expression in a number of representations addressed to the Presidents and to the Holy Father himself.?[1] Senestréy took the initiative to craft a lengthy statement suggesting a time restriction to each speaker at the General Congregations so that the Council could be more productive and businesslike. Petitions of agreement flooded in to the Congregatio de postulatis, which in turn formulated proposals to the Presidents for possible reforms of procedures. The Presidents announced on February 22, 1870 that...
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Quote of the Week
2007-04-13 05:29:00
We thus come to a question that is crucial to understanding our lives as Catholics in America. The priority of grace over nature tells us that we must be Catholics first and then, to the extent that it is possible, Americans. Our faith requires us to take a critical view of our culture, and to take part in it only to the degree that its values are compatible with our beliefs, and with our life in the Trinity. Political and social life and other voluntary actions can be ways of living the life of grace, but they are not necessarily so.The question must be to what extent these are ways of living the life of a communal nature elevated by Trinitarian, thus communal, grace, for our God is not a single Person, living in isolated splendor. Our God is three-personed, a unity in which three persons have their very identities as three distinct persons only in relation to, in communion with, one another.Establishing the priority of Catholic liberty over American liberty means that our rela...
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Pope Benedict XVI and "theistic" evolution
2007-04-12 19:51:00
H/T: Insight ScoopCathNews reports that Pope Bene dict X VI endorses a view of biological evolution that is at once scientific and theological. Reportedly, Benedict is hesitant, however, to endorse "intelligent design". This does not surprize me as most intelligent design theories either marginalize scientific data and theory or result in a weak concept of divinity. Intelligent design theory attempts only to answer the question as to whether or not there is a "designer" of the cosmos, but this designer need not be God or even divine at all (think of Descartes' evil demon or Plato's demiurge, for example). In other words, intelligent design does too little in aiding reason in a journey to the divine.Here's the whole report from CathNews.In remarks published in a new book yesterday, Pope Benedict refused to endorse "intelligent design" theories, instead backing "theistic evolution" which considers that God created life through evolution with no clash between religion and science.The ...
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Bishop of Baghdad's perspective on Iraq
2007-04-12 18:48:00
"What is life like when it?s spent under the bombing, and now has to drag itselfamong car bombs, suicide bombers and above all kidnapping? Dozens of people areabducted every day, and you in the West don?t know about it." -- Bish op Shlemon WarduniBuilding upon our previous posts regarding the war in Iraq and the recent opposition shown by some Catholic circles to Pope Benedict's Urbi et Orbi message, we have decided that if anyone knows how the situation in Iraq truly is, will be the auxiliary bishop of Baghdad, Shlemon Warduni. The argument against Pope Benedict's message is that he is not getting the whole picture of the advancements that the 4-year long invasion has brought to the country. It would be worth considering that Pope Benedict may be getting his information from the sources at ground zero--the pastors of souls in Iraq.Note that one of the last questions to the bishop is about what would be his request to the Holy See in these matters. His request? "We are only asking ...
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Busy...
2007-04-11 16:43:00
As you may have noticed, blogging has been slower than usual in the past couple of weeks. Michael and I took some time off during Holy Week from blogging, but we have also been quite busy with work, business travel and at the same time we have papers due and finals are coming up for me as well. Everything should slow down in a couple of weeks, so we will be blogging as usual then. For now, posts will not be as frequent.Thanks for reading!
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Michael Novak: "Benedict XVI's Easter Sunday remarks...hit a low point"
2007-04-10 23:47:00
H/T: Amy WelbornPerhaps the Pope is able to see the big picture of the lives of the Iraqis, as a pastor of souls that he is, and Novak is only able to isolate certain instances that show some improvement in order to justify the war.Benedict XVI's Easter Sunday Remarks in St Peter Square hit a low point, I would think. He said that "nothing positive comes from Iraq." This is a very skewed report on the realities on the ground. But it might mean that the message the Pope wanted to convey is that of the American Left: "Whatever the good or the bad achievements, it is time to get out." In other words, not an accurate description, but a prescription for the near future.When I was invited to the Vatican in 2003, just before the war began, I told the Foreign Minister of the Vatican, Archbishop Tauran, that articles appearing under a Vatican imprint in Civilta Cattolica were blaming the US for seeking oil in Iraq (a hypothetical), while ignoring the real and existing contracts of the Frenc...
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"What does it mean to be a Christian in America today?"
2007-03-22 21:06:00
This was the topic of a writing assignment I gave to my sixth graders. They were only to write what immediately came to mind based upon what we had read and discussed. I was quite impressed with what these 11 and 12 year-olds came up with. Here are some of their responses:To a Jew, it's just another religion. To a pagan, just another religion. To a Christian , it's your faith and your life. When you are a Christian, you are part of Christ. You agree to follow certain rules. Some are simple, like "obey your parents". Others are harder, as "love your neighbor as yourself". You are on the path to eternal happiness. It means you're baptized. You receive God's graces. You believe in life everlasting, the forgiveness of sins, one sole eternal God, Jesus and his Passion, and his Resurrection. You believe that Christ, God the Father's Son, has saved the world. If only they would save themselves. Unfortunately, America has changed the view on Christians. It really means t...
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New Blog: Catholic Mom of 10
2007-03-22 14:53:00
Jackie Parks from the UK has started a new wonderful blog called Cat holic Mom of 10! Jackie is also a member of Miles Jesu, which "is a form of consecrated life in the Church for the laity, known as an Ecclesial Family of Consecrated Life. Miles Jesu is a Lay Institute with a distinct lay charism. It is in the business of producing lay saints, moulded after people like St. Thomas More & Servant of God Queen Isabel. Our charism is expressed in the sanctification of the daily life of each member & that of his or her family, profession & society."Show Jackie your support and let us pray so we can keep having big families like Jackie's! :)
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Quote of the Week
2007-03-22 03:43:00
United Kingdom Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown is eloquent about one of the two tragedies of the world's poor. In January 2005, he gave a compassionate speech about the tragedy of extreme poverty afflicting billions of people, with millions of children dying from easily preventable diseases. He called for a doubling of foreign aid, a Marshall Plan for the world's poor, and an International Financing Facility (IFF) against which tens of billions more dollars toward future aid could be borrowed to rescue the poor today. He offered hope by pointing out how easy it is to do good. Medicine that would prevent half of all malaria deaths costs only twelve cents a dose. A bed net to prevent a child from getting malaria costs only four dollars. Preventing five million child deaths over the next ten years would cost just three dollars for each new mother. An aid program to give cash to families who put their children in school, getting children...into elementary school, would cost l...
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Great Catholic blog find
2007-03-21 16:40:00
I just came across this great blog: Vivificat! Pedro Vega has a blog similar to ours in diversity where he touches upon spirituality, religion, politics, and social issues.
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The "Wisdom" of Ann Coulter
2007-03-21 16:09:00
This is how Ann Coulter views "conservation":"The ethic of conservation is the explicit abnegation of man's dominion over the Earth. The lower species are here for our use. God said so: Go forth, be fruitful, multiply, and rape the planet — it's yours. That's our job: drilling, mining and stripping. Sweaters are the anti-Biblical view. Big gas-guzzling cars with phones and CD players and wet bars — that's the Biblical view."Ann Coulter, Oil Good; Democrats Bad(I'm just glad she is not a theologian.)On the other hand, this is how the Catholic Church views conservation based on the principle of the biblical account of the importance of creation based on God's gratuitous action:"...one cannot use with impunity the different categories of beings, whether living or inanimate - animals, plants, the natural elements - simply as one wishes, according to one s own economic needs. On the contrary, one must take into account the nature of each being and of its mutual connection in an...
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New baby!
2007-03-21 14:55:00
Congratulations to our friends Sia, from Coffee and Diapers, and Justin for their new baby boy Eli Beautel! Many blessings to you and your family!
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