Quote of the Week

"The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting. It has been found difficult, and left untried."

- G. K. Chesterton

Monday Musings

A few random thoughts and ponderings to start the week...

So, I finally gave up on waiting for my Missal that was on back order. I don't blame the internet company I ordered from. This long wait was not their fault. They obviously have to contend with the publisher and the backlog of orders that flooded the system after the new translation was released. However, I also know that I can find Missals on store shelves at brick-and-mortar shops here where I live. So there is no sense in waiting any longer. I canceled my online order and will now plan a trip to one of those local stores. So much for the internet being a quick and easy alternative to shopping.

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This being an election year, here's an interesting tidbit. Who do you think said the following?...

"...secularists are wrong when they ask believers to leave their religion at the door before entering into the public square. Frederick Douglas, Abraham Lincoln, William Jennings Bryan, Doroth Day, Martin Luther King, the majority of the great reformers in American history were not only motivated by faith, but they repeatedly used religious language to argue for their cause. So to say that men and women should not inject their personal morality into public policy debates is a practical absurdity. Our law is by definition a codification of our morality, much of it which is grounded in the Judeo-Christian tradition."

So who said it?

Answer: Barack Obama!

(at the Sojourners/Call to Renewal Conference in 2006)

Now if only he would live up to those words instead of shutting out religious institutions from public debate and forcing faith-based organizations to comply with his secularist agenda. ...But I won't hold my breath.

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There seems to be a loss of interest in the Protestant Facebook Bible Study in which I have been participating. No activity last week, and no sign of activity this week. So for now I will hold off posting anything about it here until or unless something interesting happens there.

This Week's Headlines

As another week comes to an end, this is your chance to top off your glass with a final helping of news, current events, and just plain interesting stuff that may not have made into the mainstream media. A chance to linger for a few more moments before we close the door on the week. Below are some links to articles, blogs, and miscellaneous happenings that caught my eye over the past few days. Sample what you like - I'll serve up more next Friday...

Bishop Schneider Says: Communion in the Hand is a Great Wound in the Church - "Msgr Schneider recalled then that Pope Benedict XVI has been distributing Holy Communion in the mouth since Corpus Christi of 2008 to the faithful on their knees: 'A true Catholic, and even more a Catholic Bishop, can not ignore the Pope's  gestures.'"

Democrat Commiteewoman Resigns from Party, Cites Her Catholic Faith- [I know many people disagree, but I personally feel that at this point you cannot be both Catholic and a Democrat.]

Democrats Defeat Bill to Ban Sex-Selection Abortions - [Of course they did... Once again: you can't be Catholic and Democrat. Look at what the Party stands for.]

Sex-selection abortion ban draws majority support but fails in House - "Normally, this majority would be enough for the bill to pass. However, the legislation was brought up under a suspension of normal rules. As a result, it would have required the support of two-thirds of the lawmakers in order to pass."

The Contraception Contradiction - "...policymakers and activists do a profound injustice when they argue that lowering rates of unintended pregnancy and abortion is simply a matter of improving access to contraceptives and ensuring all children are taught how to use them. In many cases, those policies are making matters worse."

Church Is Still Not State - "Americans are a tolerant people, but past some point they push back. With the HHS mandate upon them, a lot of Catholic voters are thinking resistance. It's an old American tradition."

Gay Marriage and the Minority Vote - "Are not radical feminism and homosexuality far greater threats to America’s identity than an influx of immigrants and minorities? Should the conservatives cede the minority vote and allow the Democrats to be the party of the immigrants?"

'Catholic Voices' Reaches America Just in Time for a Full-Blown First Amendment Battle - "Put simply, the challenge for the Pope and for Church leaders throughout the West — and all the faithful — is to 'reframe' the public’s understanding of the Church in the modern world and the shifting dynamics of Church-state battles."

Did Jesus Really Sin? - "Whether it’s Jesus sinning or the Blessed Mother not being a Virgin or other evidence of Catholics being ignorant about their faith, it all adds up to a crying need for sound, systematic catechesis.'

Authority of the First Popes - "Protestantism has been compelled to rewrite all history according to it’s own necessities. As French historian Augustin Thierry has written, 'To live, Protestantism found itself forced to build up a history of its own.'"

Luther and Calvin v. Augustine and Justin Martyr on Free Will - "One of the core tenets of Calvinism is the belief that there's no such thing as free will, particularly in regards to matters of salvation.  What strikes me about this doctrine is that I'm not sure anyone really believes it."

If hope is certain, why can't I be sure of my own salvation? - "If we are saved through hope, and hope is certain; why is it that the Catholic Church teaches that it is a heresy to say that I am certain of my own salvation? How is it that theological hope can be certain without being presumptuous?"

Should We Say Holy Ghost or Holy Spirit? Is there a difference? - "...there are positives and negatives to both terms. This is why I often use both 'Holy Ghost' and 'Holy Spirit' interchangeably on the blog, in lectures, and in conversations."

5 Questions Before You Leave the Catholic Church

New Church In South Carolina by James McCrery - [Designs like this let you know that Catholic art and architecture have a promising future.]

My Complete Ignorance of History Finally Pays Off - "I honestly had no idea what was going to happen next during the movie. If you had told me that the President of Mexico was going to challenge the leader of Cristo Rey to a break dancing competition for all the marbles I would've had no basis for arguing against it."

Quote of the Week

"Priests have received a power which God has given neither to angels nor to archangels. It was said to them: ‘Whatsoever you shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatsoever you shall loose, shall be loosed.’ Temporal rulers have indeed the power of binding; but they can only bind the body. Priests, in contrast, can bind with a bond which pertains to the soul itself and transcends the very heavens. Did [God] not give them all the powers of heaven?...What greater power is there than this? The Father has given all judgment to the Son. And now I see the Son placing all this power in the hands of men. They are raised to this dignity as if they were already gathered up to heaven"

-St. John Chrysostom

Studying Isaiah (Part 1)

In our Facebook Bible Study we have moved on to the Old Testament and the book of Isaiah. Specifically we are dealing with chapters 1-5. To read more about our Bible Study just search this blog for posts titled Studying James and Studying Romans.

Here is the post I wrote this week:

I picked out a few verses to put some of my thoughts together…


Obviously these opening chapters have much to do with punishment of sinners, those who have turned away from God. Israel has been unfaithful and those who have disobeyed will be punished. But God is not unreasonable. He offers the hope of redemption:


 “’Come now, and let us reason together,’ says the Lord. ‘Though your sins are as scarlet, they will be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they will be like wool. If you consent and obey, you will eat the best of the land; but if you refuse and rebel, you will be devoured by the sword. Truly, the mouth of the Lord has spoken.’” (Isaiah 1:18-20)


Certainly this warning from Isaiah applies to Israel of his day, but there is also reference to a future time when other nations will be included in God’s divine plan:


“Now it will come about that in the last days the mountain of the house of the Lord will be established as the chief of the mountains, and will be raised above the hills; and all the nations will stream to it. And many peoples will come and say, ‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; that He may teach us concerning His ways and that we may walk in His paths.’” (Isaiah2:2-3)


So when Isaiah writes about Israel/Zion being cleansed of evil-doers and a remnant of faithful servants will be left, we can also see the Church in that imagery:


“When the Lord has washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion and purged the bloodshed of Jerusalem from her midst, by the spirit of judgment and the spirit of burning, then the Lord will create over the whole area of Mount Zion and over her assemblies a cloud by day, even smoke, and the brightness of a flaming fire by night; for over all the glory will be a canopy.” (Isaiah4:4-5)


I think, the Church sometimes suffers a loss in her numbers, a falling away from the faith, but this could be a purging, a cleansing of the Temple, which in the end leaves the Church smaller, but more faithful. I can see this in the Church today…a cutting away of dead branches.


I especially see modernism and the intellectual elite who reject God described in the following verses:


“Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness; who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own sight!” (Isaiah 5:20-21)


When these ideas (modernism, moral relativism) creep into the Church and lead the faithful astray, it would certainly be better to purge the Church of such false teachings and emerge smaller in number, but united in faith.

Monday Musings

A few random thoughts and ponderings to start the week...

It has been a busy weekend with little time to write, so I will only say that I wish blessings for all on this Memorial Day!

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Dear Heavenly Father,

With a sober heart

we come before You this Memorial Day.

We pause for a moment

and call to mind all the men and women

who have died in the service of our nation.

Dear God, please look with mercy

on our brave and selfless brothers and sisters,

who did not shirk from their task

but gave themselves completely

to the cause of defending and protecting us all.

Bless all who have given their lives for the sake of liberty,

and grant them eternal rest with You.

We remember also our brave men and women

now serving in our Armed Forces,

both at home and abroad.

Dear God, send out Your angels to protect them all.

Help them discharge their duties honorably and well.

Please bring them safely home

to their families and loved ones.

Please bring Your peace and mercy

to our troubled world.

We ask this, Father,

in the name of Jesus, Your Son,

our Savior and Lord.

Amen.

This Week's Headlines

As another week comes to an end, this is your chance to top off your glass with a final helping of news, current events, and just plain interesting stuff that may not have made into the mainstream media. A chance to linger for a few more moments before we close the door on the week. Below are some links to articles, blogs, and miscellaneous happenings that caught my eye over the past few days. Sample what you like - I'll serve up more next Friday...

This weekend is Memorial Day weekend. And it is also our 12th wedding anniversary for my wife and I. And it is our youngest daughter's 3rd birthday. So, needless to say, this week has been full of preparations for the events of the next three days. I've had very little time to work on the blog much, therefore\ what follows is a hit-and-miss compilation of some headlines that I threw together at the last minute. As always, feel free to list some of your own headlines in the comments section. (Maybe I'll have more time next week.)

Unprecedented Legal Action Takes HHS Mandate Battle to the Courts - "In an unprecedented action, 43 Catholic dioceses, institutions and laypeople filed a dozen lawsuits May 21 in federal courts throughout the country, challenging the constitutionality of the Obama administration’s 'contraception mandate.'"

Evangelicals respond to Catholic lawsuits:  ‘We are all Catholic now’ - "The Obama administration’s HHS mandate has united Christians of all stripes – evangelical, historical Protestant, and Roman Catholic – as they close ranks behind a flurry of lawsuits..."

Biggest Religious Lawsuit in U.S. History Launched, Liberal Evening News Shows Ignore It - "This is not a mistake, nor is it an editorial oversight by the broadcast networks. This is a deliberate and insidious withholding of national news to protect the ‘Chosen One’ who ABC, CBS and NBC have worked so hard to elect and are now abusing their journalistic influence to reelect Obama."

Catholic organizations file religious liberty lawsuits against the federal government in a dozen jurisdictions - [Fr. Z's commentary]

Is the American press anti-Catholic? - "[It is] pretty safe to say the general impression of the U.S. public is that the national press is basically liberal in terms of its members’ political leanings and is also generally not balanced when it comes to reporting issues concerning Roman Catholic teaching."

The 500 Year Old Attack on Holy Matrimony... - [Thank you, Protestant Reformers!]

Heads or Tails? - "And here’s the trouble: because nominally Catholic politicians are allowed to publicly advocate anti-Catholic policies, and because they are never called to task for it...we have a situation in which the bishops’ positions (and with them Church doctrine) and the politicians’ opinions (and the laws that follow) appear to be two sides of a socio-political coin that one may reasonably flip."

Number of ‘pro-choice’ Americans hits record low: Gallup poll - The results closely track results in May 2009, when 51 percent of Americans called themselves 'pro-life' and 42 percent called themselves 'pro-choice.'"

Absentee dads hinder children’s understanding of God, Pope says - "Perhaps modern man does not perceive the beauty, grandeur and profound consolation contained in the word ‘father’ with which we can turn to God in prayer, because the father figure is often not sufficiently present in today’s world..."

Magneto-Culture - "It’s heartbreaking to see children leave the Faith and do things that are hurtful to themselves, even though they doesn’t realize it. But there is always hope..."

Ascension Thursday/Sunday: Feast Day Fake Out - "Apparently, the laity needn’t be burdened to take an extra hour out of their lives during the week to honor Christ’s Ascension into heaven."

Finding St. Joseph - "[Until the 14th Century] St. Joseph was almost universally ignored, reduced to a mere spear-carrier in the pageant of Salvation."

The Isolation of Musicians - "Catholics have a sense that they have no more business intervening in the world of music than they have in telling the plumber how to fix the pipes or the roofer how to deal with the leaks. They believe it’s not their place, and many musicians are happy to have people think this way too."

The Traditional Symbolism of Four- "Recently I wrote an article about the idea that the number five was symbolic of Our Lady... In it I raised a doubt in mind about the suggestion that it was part of the tradition... This can be contrasted with consideration of symbolism of the number four."