Monday Musings

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

First, a quick reminder: the Year of Faith began last week. While it is fresh on our minds, visit the website and consider ways to celebrate this holy year along with the universal Church.

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I follow politics closely, thus I have eagerly watched the debates that have been held so far in the election season. The Ryan/Biden Vice Presidential debate was particularly interesting, as it was the first national debate between two Catholic candidates. To watch the entire exchange click here.

Of course, you are free  to draw your own conclusions, but here is how I felt about Biden's obvious failure: He was rude, inappropriate, and disrespectful. He is a traitor to his Catholic faith on more than one issue. He's a disgrace to Catholics everywhere. I am ashamed that he is a member of the same Church to which I belong. He supports the murder of innocent babies, the destruction of the family and the distortion of Christian moral teaching. He is a corrupt, lying, manipulative, fake. He has sold out to the culture of death, and is trying to drag the entire country with him. Frankly, I believe he should be excommunicated. He has made himself an enemy of the Church and an enemy of Christ. I pray for his soul.

(Was that too harsh?)

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On another note: A lot of people have pointed out Biden’s horrible behavior that night at the debate. And it’s true…he was obnoxious, rude, and disrespectful. But that’s only half of the story. The other half is this: Paul Ryan was respectful, articulate, polished and considerate – all the while putting up with smirking Joe Biden interrupting and laughing at serious issues. If you want our country's political discourse to be elevated, who would you vote for?

Frankly, I cannot see how any faithful Catholic can vote for the Obama/Biden ticket with a clear conscience. 

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If you are a Facebook user you may be interested in the graphic below. It can be used on your Facebook profile page as your cover photo to show support for religious freedom. Spread the word. There is only ONE choice for faithful Catholics this year.
 

 

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...

First and foremost, this week begins the Year of Faith (which began October 11). Please visit the official website of the Year of Faith and think of ways to celebrate with the universal Church.

Pope's Homily: 50th Anniversary of Vatican II Calls for a Return to the Texts Within a Hermeneutic of Continuity

Pope: Vatican II Calls Us to Rediscover Beauty of the Faith - "The Second Vatican Council is a strong call for us to rediscover the beauty of our faith every day, to know nourish a deeper understanding of it, a more intense relationship with the Lord, to truly live our Christian vocation."

The Synod and the New Evangelization: Why It’s Important for U.S. Catholics - "The principal purpose for the Synod of Bishops, which commenced Oct. 7, is to study how the New Evangelization affects the mission of the Church."

First ever Catholic vs. Catholic debate - "Perhaps the most telling question of the night was when both candidates were given the opportunity to discuss their faith and its influence on their public service." [Includes video.] See also: Biden-Ryan debate highlights nation's Catholic political divide

Polls: Paul Ryan Beat Joe Biden in Vice-Presidential Debate - "Instant polls conducted in the hours following the vice-presidential debate last night show voters believe Paul Ryan bested Joe Biden during their appearance at Centre College."
 
Catholic Countdown to Election 2012, Day 25. Substance and Smirks - "There are Catholics like Joe Biden who claim to follow what is too often called the "spirit" of Vatican II, while rejecting the very foundations that important Council proclaimed. Then, there are others, like Paul Ryan, who grasp the implications of what it means to infuse the values informed by their Catholic faith into their political participation on fundamental moral issues such as the Right to life."

Paul Ryan: I’m Strongly Pro-Life; Biden: I’m a Pro-Abortion Catholic - "During a debate marked by Vice President Joe Biden’s snark and interrupting, Ryan calmly and cooly laid out why he takes a pro-life position and how his Catholic faith has helped guide him to a place where he opposes abortion." See also: No Comparison Between Pro-Life Catholic Ryan and Pro-Abortion Biden

 Joe Biden And The Abortion Question - "You cannot possibly really believe that life, innocent human life begins at conception and support abortion on demand. It is not possible."

 Joe Biden’s Remarkable Incoherence on Abortion - "The ill-tempered aggression of Joe Biden — whether he was laughing and grinning in the first half or growling and shouting in the second — made the Vice Presidential debate last night a painful thing to watch."

The U.S. Bishops to Biden: “This is not a fact.” - "...Joe Biden lied. And he knows it. No, he wasn’t mistaken. No, he didn’t simply interpret something in the best possible light. He lied."

And this leads me to the picture of the week...

Joe Biden: Catholic Can be Pro-Abortion, Misstates Effect of Roe v. Wade - [And this was BEFORE the debate.]

Why did Biden lie about THIS? - "...one area where we expect honesty is when it comes to the safety and security of all Americans, especially those serving abroad. So why did Biden lie when he was asked about the attacks in Benghazi last night?" [MUST SEE video included.]

Fearful self-made man fights back against Obama with ad - "What must be understood is that America was a nation founded by businessmen who wanted economic freedom among others. Most of the founding fathers were businessmen of one sort or another. Weary of what they saw as excessive taxation and regulation, they combined with other frustrated colonists to cast off British rule."

Just in case you still are unsure whether cutting taxes is the right way to spur job growth, here's another Catholic politician who sees it the same way Paul Ryan does...watch this video.

The Left’s Bogus Complaints about Romney’s “Lies” - [A follow-up from last week's Presidential Debate.]

Jo Ann Nardelli of Pennsylvania: Catholic Democrat Leaves the Party Because 'Biden Sold Out' - [More catholic Democrats need to do this. the Democratic Party is no place for a faithful Catholic.]

5 Ways the Marriage Fight Will be Won, or Lost - [Important issue to keep in mind as the election approaches.]

The Vocation of Love - "Both the divine image (human nature) and the communion of persons (male and female) come from the communitarian love of the Blessed Trinity:  God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. The vocation of love, then, is a declaration of God's own love. As such, the vocation of love has been placed in the very being of the human creature."

President Obama and the “Intelligence Brief” Scandal - "According to a study by the Government Accountability Institute, Obama failed to attend a single Presidential Daily Brief (PDB) in the week leading up to the recent anniversary of 9/11 and the chaos that erupted in the Arab world. The mere fact that we were approaching 9/11 was a crucial enough reason to attend not one but all the briefings. President Obama attended none."

Bus Driver Tells Kid With Romney Sign: You Should Have Been Aborted - "The bus driver was fired after the report on a local radio show."

Solidarity, Yes. Socialism, No. - "It’s now time to talk about another Catholic principle, solidarity. Whereas the principle of subsidiarity is generally ignored, the principle of solidarity is generally misunderstood."

‘We’re Starting to Get Our Act Together’ - "Ralph Martin discusses the next steps of the New Evangelization."

The Shocking Ethics Behind the Contraceptive Choice Project - "...women have now been given a glimpse of a system which has zero interest in their wellbeing, and sees them only as breeding machines to be kept under control."

Obama: HHS Mandate is “Why We Passed” Obamacare, It’s Staying - "Obama said on Friday that his administration has no plans to get rid of the controversial HHS mandate and that the mandate was one of the reasons for approving Obamacare in the first place."

Can the Government Veto a Sermon? - "No court has ever heard a case regarding whether the Internal Revenue Service can do so. Yet every day – and especially in these weeks prior to an election – preachers act as if their sermons have to be vetted and approved by the IRS."

Evil will retreat if enough of us stand up and say, ‘ENOUGH!’ - "...even though we know that Christ wins in the end, that does not mean we can sit in our rocking chairs and wait for the end of time. We live in the now, we must act in the now."

Hope Stems Eternal From the Cell of Man - "Hooray!  The Nobel Prize for Medicine has been awarded to two scientists for their work in the manipulation of living cells."

Christopher Columbus, the Crusades, and the End of the World - "Carol Delaney believes Columbus has been unfairly characterized by his critics and attempts to set the record straight in Columbus and the Quest for Jerusalem."

Blessed John Henry Newman, a Great Teacher of the Faith - "The 19th-century scholar’s profound insights remain highly relevant for 21st-century Catholics."

Is St. Peter the Rock on which Jesus built his Church? - "You may think you've heard all the arguments about whether Peter is the rock, but I'm going to show you the one that convinced me, and you probably haven't heard it anywhere else..." [Very informative video included.]

Catechism for the Year of Faith

First of a series.

A selected quote from the Catechism of the Catholic Church in honor of the Year of Faith (October 11, 2012 - November 24, 2013)

1 God, infinitely perfect and blessed in himself, in a plan of sheer goodness freely created man to make him share in his own blessed life. For this reason, at every time and in every place, God draws close to man. He calls man to seek him, to know him, to love him with all his strength. He calls together all men, scattered and divided by sin, into the unity of his family, the Church. To accomplish this, when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son as Redeemer and Savior. In his Son and through him, he invites men to become, in the Holy Spirit, his adopted children and thus heirs of his blessed life.

2 So that this call should resound throughout the world, Christ sent forth the apostles he had chosen, commissioning them to proclaim the gospel: "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age." Strengthened by this mission, the apostles "went forth and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by the signs that attended it."

3 Those who with God's help have welcomed Christ's call and freely responded to it are urged on by love of Christ to proclaim the Good News everywhere in the world. This treasure, received from the apostles, has been faithfully guarded by their successors. All Christ's faithful are called to hand it on from generation to generation, by professing the faith, by living it in fraternal sharing, and by celebrating it in liturgy and prayer.

Quote of the Week

"Well, toward morning the conversation turned on the Eucharist, which I, being the Catholic, was obviously supposed to defend. Mrs. Broadwater said when she was a child and received the host, she thought of it as the Holy Ghost, He being the most portable person of the Trinity; now she thought of it as a symbol and implied that it was a pretty good one. I then said, in a very shaky voice, "Well, if it's a symbol, to hell with it." That was all the defense I was capable of but I realize now that this is all I will ever be able to say about it, outside of a story, except that it is the center of existence for me; all the rest of life is expendable."

- Flannery O'Connor

Male-only Priesthood (Recap)

Several weeks ago I began a series of posts on the topic of the male-only priesthood. I hope to continue with that theme, but as it has been some time since my last post in that series, I thought I would  recap what I had previously written and link to those posts here. With that in mind, below you will find a brief description of each of the four previous posts in this series...

Part 1 - a brief explanation of why I chose this topic, especially with regard to the term "Father" as applied to Catholic priests.

Part 2 - not only does the priest represent "fatherhood" for the Church (with the Church being our "mother"), but he also stands "in the person of Christ." This dual reality of fatherhood and Christ as models of the priesthood point a male priesthood - since only men can be fathers, and Christ the High Priest is obviously a man.

Part 3 - the Sacrament of Holy Orders brings about a real change in the person receiving the Sacrament. Just as the Eucharist requires the right "stuff" (bread and wine) for a Sacrament to take place, so too does Holy Orders require the right "stuff"(a man) to bring about the the change that brings about priesthood. The priesthood brings about a real change in the being of a man to conform him to Christ's priesthood.

Part 4 - some would argue that male-ness and female-ness do not matter for Christian priesthood, that the office is spiritual and as such does not point to a gender-specific reality. But the Church insists that as humans our physical bodies and our souls are inseparable. There is such a thing as male versus female spirituality. Marriage points to this difference in the sexes, and marriage is specifically used in Scripture to describe the relationship between Christ and His Church. A priest, standing in the person of Christ is standing in the male role as modeled by the marriage analogy.

So, with this summary we can continue next week with further reflection.

Monday Musings

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

I've been neglecting the blog again. Hopefully I'll get back to a regular posting schedule this week. Among other things I plan to begin a series of posts for the Year of Faith, which begins October 11. In keeping with the theme, learning more about our Catholic faith, I am going to post a quote from the Catechism each week. Simple...I know....almost too simple But if I keep it simple I'll be more likely to stick with it. And you can't beat the words of the Catechism for explaining Church teaching. To learn more about the Year of Faith here's the official website from the Vatican.

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Our three-year-old is not the most attentive at Mass...as most three-year-olds are not. So it is not surprising to see her squirming in her seat or slipping down onto the floor to stare at rows of feet behind her or to speak in a LOUD whisper during the quietest times of reflection. If you are lucky she will simply sit still and look at a book. (I highly recommend a series of Catholic books by Fr. Lawrence G. Lovasik. you can search for them on Amazon, or better yet, check your local Catholic book store.) Anyway, her actual participation in Mass is rare.

However, this Sunday she sang the entire Gloria as well as the Sanctus and the Agnus Dei - loud and clear, and relatively in tune. When we got to the Communion hymn she said (in a higher volume than she needed to) "I don't know this one!" and went back to her books. We'll let that one slide. When she learns to read, we'll give her a hymnal. Until then, we'll take what we can get.

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The election is nearing. Don't forget to vote. Lives depend on it.

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...

[I realize that I have been disengaged from the blog lately, not really focused...kind of like Obama at a presidential debate ;) ...Next week I hope to get back into the swing of things. For now, here are this week's headlines.]

The Pope Urgently Calls Catholics to Counter President Obama’s “Radical Secularism” on Freedom of Religion - "…it is imperative that the entire Catholic community in the United States come to realize the grave threats to the Church’s public moral witness presented by a radical secularism which finds increasing expression in the political and cultural spheres."

Catholic Bishop: Democrats Embrace “Intrinsic Evil” of Abortion - [This cannot be said enough. Personally, I do not believe that a person can be Catholic and a Democrat. The two are mutually exclusive unless the Party reverses it's views on life and marriage and family.]

ObamaCare is a problem for Catholics, Cardinal says in Respect Life Month message

Obama vs. Romney, Round 1: Early Returns - [Fresh thoughts immediately after the Presidential spanking...er...I mean debate.]

In case you missed it, here's a video of the entire debate.

Boy, Obama did not want to be at that debate at all - [Of course he didn't. When your ideas are that bad, and that indefensible, you don't want to be challenged on them.]

Obama’s Claims IPAB Doesn’t Ration Health Care Don’t Match Reality

Romney Debate Bounce: Dead Heat With Obama in Key States - [We need to keep this momentum for the sake of our nation and our religious freedom and the lives of the unborn. Pray!]

Romney Tells Huckabee in Interview He’s Pro-Life on Abortion - "Romney answered by saying he would appoint conservative to the Supreme Court who would not make law from the bench in the same way seven justices did in 1973 with the Roe v. Wade decision paving the way for virtually unlimited abortions."

Paul Ryan: I’m Proud of My Pro-Life Record on Abortion - "I cannot believe any official or citizen can still defend the notion that an unborn human being has no rights that an older person is bound to respect. I do know that we cannot go on forever feigning agnosticism about who is human."

Obama Campaign: 'Vote like your lady parts depend on it.' - [Classy. Democrats reduce women to their sexual organ. So, who is waging a war on women?]See also this piece: Warning Ladies: Mitt Romney is Coming to Control Your Uterus

Obama Campaign Accused of Calls Targeting Romney's Mormon Faith - "...a campaign group known as 'Catholics for Obama' was making calls directed at raising doubts about Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney’s Mormon faith."

What Do You Have to Do To Get Attention Around Here? - "[T]he issue of religious liberty was essentially ignored during the first presidential debate between President Barack Obama and former Governor Mitt Romney."

Catholic Countdown to Election 2012 - "One simply cannot be a morally coherent Catholic and hold what is euphemistically called a "pro-choice" position on abortion or fail to defend true marriage and the family and society founded upon it. Given their numbers, U.S. Catholics can determine the outcome of this election."

Video: Paul Ryan’s Important Message to You (if You’re Catholic)

Where are the Unborn on Your Justice Scale?  - "Would it have been permissible to vote for Hitler, perhaps justifying the vote by alleging that all the new highways and better infrastructure would make holocausts rarer, because a booming economy would obviate the need for social and economic scapegoats?"

From Margaret Sanger to Melinda Gates: Population Control Continues - "In July 1912, Planned Parenthood founder Margaret Sanger, Marie Stopes and other leaders in the early race-cleansing eugenics movement held their first international conference in London. Among the leading topics of discussion were how to stop poor and 'unfit' African women from breeding.Exactly 100 years later, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the British Government sponsored the Summit on Family Planning in the same city. This is most likely a coincidence, but the irony is stunning. The objective of the Summit on Family Planning was to raise enough money to 'provide 120 million women in the world’s poorest countries with access to contraceptives by 2020...'"

The #1 Way to Know if You're Complicit in Atrocity - "What does it take to figure out that you and your family are on track to be the people in the faded photographs that future generations will look at and say, 'How could they have let it happen?'"

Everyone Loves a Baby - "We all must work as Christians to remind people of what they already know. That every baby is a blessing. And every baby is worthy of an ovation."

Obama Didn’t Save the Auto Industry: He Took Away 2,200 Dealerships and 120,000 Jobs - "As a Catholic who works in the trade association profession in the auto industry it was unsettling to hear President Obama claim that he saved the auto industry."

Pope Benedict: ‘The Liturgy Is Celebrated for God and Not for Ourselves’ - "It is not the individual — priest or layman — or the group that celebrates the liturgy, but it is primarily God’s action through the Church, which has its own history, its rich tradition and creativity."

Who Is Your ‘Companion Saint’? - "Everyone must have some Saint with whom he or she is on familiar terms, to feel close to with prayer and intercession but also to emulate."

The Power of Ritual - "Rituals and routines are similar in that they each are repetitive functions that provide a sense of order, structure and intention to produce an outcome."

Archbishop Gerhard Müller: 'The Church Is Not a Fortress' - "In an exclusive two-part interview with the Register, the new prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith discusses his new job and highlights the Church’s positive message of hope."

Do You Know the Four Properties of a Glorified Resurrected Human Body? - "Sacred Scripture and Catholic theology teaches that our glorified resurrected bodies will experience four properties as an outflow of the beatified soul enjoying the vision of God's essence..."

Facebook Celebrates 1 Billion People with…Chairs? - "There is a huge opportunity (and responsibility) here for the Church to play a role in making sure the powerful communication tools of our day 'honor humanity' by promoting the dignity of every person and by showing the world how they can be used for the greatest Goods."
 
Religious orders say social media use spurs more interest in vocations - "People post questions daily about their life circumstances, inquiring about what resources could help them find the right vocation fit, and Vision connects them with the congregation that matches their interests."