Quote of the Week

"America you are beautiful...and blessed...The ultimate test of your greatness is the way you treat every human being, but especially the weakest and most defenseless. If you want equal justice for all and true freedom and lasting peace, then America, defend life."

- Blessed John Paul II

Catechism for the Year of Faith

Part of a continuing series.

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

105 God is the author of Sacred Scripture. "The divinely revealed realities, which are contained and presented in the text of Sacred Scripture, have been written down under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit."
"For Holy Mother Church, relying on the faith of the apostolic age, accepts as sacred and canonical the books of the Old and the New Testaments, whole and entire, with all their parts, on the grounds that, written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, they have God as their author, and have been handed on as such to the Church herself."

106 God inspired the human authors of the sacred books. "To compose the sacred books, God chose certain men who, all the while he employed them in this task, made full use of their own faculties and powers so that, though he acted in them and by them, it was as true authors that they consigned to writing whatever he wanted written, and no more."

109 In Sacred Scripture, God speaks to man in a human way. To interpret Scripture correctly, the reader must be attentive to what the human authors truly wanted to affirm, and to what God wanted to reveal to us by their words.

110 In order to discover the sacred authors' intention, the reader must take into account the conditions of their time and culture, the literary genres in use at that time, and the modes of feeling, speaking and narrating then current. "For the fact is that truth is differently presented and expressed in the various types of historical writing, in prophetical and poetical texts, and in other forms of literary expression."

111 But since Sacred Scripture is inspired, there is another and no less important principle of correct interpretation, without which Scripture would remain a dead letter. "Sacred Scripture must be read and interpreted in the light of the same Spirit by whom it was written."
The Second Vatican Council indicates three criteria for interpreting Scripture in accordance with the Spirit who inspired it.

112 1. Be especially attentive "to the content and unity of the whole Scripture". Different as the books which compose it may be, Scripture is a unity by reason of the unity of God's plan, of which Christ Jesus is the center and heart, open since his Passover.
    The phrase "heart of Christ" can refer to Sacred Scripture, which makes known his heart, closed before the Passion, as the Scripture was obscure. But the Scripture has been opened since the Passion; since those who from then on have understood it, consider and discern in what way the prophecies must be interpreted.

113 2. Read the Scripture within "the living Tradition of the whole Church". According to a saying of the Fathers, Sacred Scripture is written principally in the Church's heart rather than in documents and records, for the Church carries in her Tradition the living memorial of God's Word, and it is the Holy Spirit who gives her the spiritual interpretation of the Scripture (". . . according to the spiritual meaning which the Spirit grants to the Church").

114 3. Be attentive to the analogy of faith. By "analogy of faith" we mean the coherence of the truths of faith among themselves and within the whole plan of Revelation.

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... 

Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica - "The first basilica on the site was built in the fourth century when the Roman Emperor Constantine donated land he had received from the wealthy Lateran family."

Indulgences Are a Gift From the Church - "This is a good topic to consider during November, the month dedicated to the holy souls in purgatory."

What Do Catholics Really Believe About Purgatory? -  "Purgatory might be one of the most misunderstood beliefs held by some Christians.  In this blog I am briefly going to cover the biblical foundation for purgatory, what purgatory is, and the history of purgatory in the Catholic Church."

OK, the election is over, so this will be the last time that political stuff overwhelms the Friday news round-up. Bear with me. Here we go...

Post-Election Catholic Punditry and Analysis Roundup - "A look at the postmortems of the presidential election results from the thoughtful, rhetorical and informative." [A snapshot of what was being said immediately after the election.]

Pope Congratulates President Obama, Stresses Freedom and Justice; See also: UCSSB congratulates Obama - [Nice formality... but I just ain't feelin' it.]

We Are in Enemy Territory - "Defending the unborn and defending traditional marriage are things I'm glad to fight for. And when I die I think I'll feel glad of my efforts. Others can defend how they thought preventing Republicans from slowing the rate of the growth of the budget 2% outweighed all the other issues."

Difficult Days Ahead for the Church? - "The American people and process have spoken. But a few remarks based on the election results, things I think of as undeniable facts for the Church, though you are free to offer any rebuttals."

Shake Off the Election, Let’s Get Back to Stopping Abortion -  "Too many of our fellow citizens are woefully ignorant of what it means to be truly human: to reflect the image and likeness of God."

Here's the lesson from the election, folks! - "Whether marriage is redefined now or later, whether our religious freedom is trampled now or in 10 years, these are not at risk because politicians are getting bolder, they are at risk because our convictions are getting colder."

Victory Only Comes Through the Cross - "An election like yesterday’s can cause a great deal of discouragement. The results were practically a worse-case scenario for the most fundamental building blocks of society: The right to life, religious liberty and the family. But don’t forget that Jesus Christ has only one modus operandi: The cross."

How Should Christians Respond to the Election? With Prayer - "Anger spewed forth about anything doesn’t help endear anyone to us. Prayer does. Here’s the deal: If we don’t believe prayer works, we might as well quit being believers." See also: Obama’s Been Re-Elected, Now It’s Time to Pray for Our Nation

HHS Threat Undiminished - "Given its campaign promises, a Romney administration presumably would have rescinded the mandate or broadened protections for religious objectors. The Obama administration has given less hope that, in a second term, there will be any meaningful change to the mandate."
 
Abandoning Pro-Life Issues Is Not the GOP Path to Victory - "Some conservatives argue that social issues led to Romney’s defeat, but they ignore the fact that the pro-life margin has been helpful to every pro-life Republican presidential candidate since Reagan, even in elections where Republicans lost."

Pro-Life Leaders Vow: We Will Not Give Up Fighting Abortion - "Now is not the time to give up, but instead, I hope I can count on you to join me in fighting the President’s radical pro-abortion agenda for the next four years."

Ron Paul goes Cassandra -  "America has for too long lived beyond its means, justifying its hegemony and entitlements as necessary, and paying only the minimum installment on the debt, leaving the bulk of it to the next generation."

Religion and Voters in 2012 - "A pre-election Pew poll showed most Catholics supporting Romney. The exit poll showed Catholics, who were 25 percent of the electorate, voting 50 percent for Obama and 48 percent for Romney. But weekly mass attending Catholics supported Romney by 57 to 42 percent."

Despite Attacks on Catholics, They Vote to Re-Elect Obama - [We certainly have a lot of house-cleaning to do.]

Obama officials will face questions on Libya attacks - [Will they answer? Will the media cover it? Will the public listen? Will it make a difference?] See also: Obama played while Banghazi burned

Senior Obama adviser allegedly conducting secret talks with Iran - "According to Kahlili's reports, attempts were made to reach agreement on the announcement of a breakthrough in the nuclear standoff before the November 6 U.S. election."

No Research Shows More Welfare Spending Stops Abortions - [Liberal Catholics need to know that they are lying to themselves on this issue. This is what we are up against...] Catholic Democrats’ Curious Claim: We’re the Real ‘Pro-Lifers’

Abortion Practitioner Admits "Yes I Am" Killing Unborn Children During Abortions -
"He told WFAA that he is a former Baptist ordained minister who is now a part of the pro-abortion Unitarian Universalist church who says he prays often about the abortions he does. 'I’ll ask that the spirit of this pregnancy be returned to God with love and understanding,' he said." [What a sick, sick man.

Woman Conceived in Rape: How Pro-Lifers Should Handle the Rape Question - "Tell me that my life was not worthy of protection and that I don’t deserve to be living, and I’ll show you who is the one who is extreme."

Pakistani mother brutally murders daughter for looking at a boy - [In other news: Liberal women in the U.S. are forced to pay for their own contraception!! - Hmmm... Where is the war on women?]

Post-election Thoughts

A quick break from other topics to address some thoughts on the election this week.

First of all... what a depressing outcome. The Catholic Church and Christians of all denominations, and anyone who values life and religious liberty have been dealt a severe blow. We had a chance to undo some damaging policies with the election of Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan, but the votes were just not there. Is it the shape of the new electorate? Perhaps. Maybe it was due to  apathy or an ill-informed public. Whatever it is, we have work to do, and we need to start by changing the culture, one person at a time.

It is clear from the exit polls that even Catholics - those who share our faith and worship next to us on Sunday morning -  were just as responsible for this tragic election outcome as the rest of the population. Though a majority of regular Mass attendees went for Romney/Ryan, (thank goodness), this edge for the pro-life candidate was wiped out by Catholics who attend Mass less regularly. In the end Obama won the overall Catholic vote in roughly the same percentage as the rest of America. That means that many, many Catholics voted against their own Church's teachings; they voted against life the unborn, against religious liberty, against traditional marriage... If this election taught us that we need to re-evangelize the culture, then we need to start right here in our own congregations among our fellow Catholics.

This was brought home to me in a conversation i had online with a fellow Catholic who supports the pro-choice side of the abortion debate. Below is a snippet of our conversation. (My friend will be referred to as "Confused" - for obvious reasons.):

Confused: Obama is giving us a choice. So did Jesus. It is up to individuals to make the right choice. Lets continue to pray for those to find God.

Me: Unfortunately Obama has taken away our choice on some things... He requires that Catholic institutions violate the moral teachings of the Church or face penalties. He expects us to violate our conscience. And the Democratic Party wants to use our tax money to fund the death of innocent children through abortion. I have no choice in that.

Confused: Do we really as Catholics NOT have a choice. Oh the choice may not be an easy one. No Federal Funding for Catholic hospitals. NO, sadly, we have a choice....it just isn't an easy one. Mark 10:25. How do we enter the kingdom? With God all things are possible.

Me: I'm not sure what you're implying. That the HHS mandate is okay in your books? That's not what the Catholic bishops are saying. Are you saying that Obama gives us a "choice" by supporting abortion rights, and that Jesus gives us the same choice? Explain that.
Certainly I agree that we should pray for people to make the right moral choices (as you said), but it is also our duty to support laws that uphold the sanctity of life and our religious freedom. And we must actively oppose laws that violate those principles. Obama's policies on these issues must be actively opposed by Catholics.

Confused: I am just saying I am thankful that I live in a country where we have freedoms. Even if some don't believe the same way I do, I am glad we are all given the freedom to choose. I understand what you are saying...that we shouldn't be supporting (and by this I mean both financially and morally) what we consider to be wrong. But we can't make laws that dictate how we should behave. Jesus did not demand that we follow him. He lets us choose to follow him. We can't force others to follow him either. We must allow them to make the right choice. I like having choices and not being made to do anything. Then when I choose right...I choose God, I know that it wasn't because I had no other choice. That is what I love about America. So I am saying God is still over all of us. He is still my protector. By providing more instead of less we are allowing people to make the choice.

Me: Actually we DO make laws that "dictate how we should behave." We make laws that limit our choices. That's the whole purpose of laws. Murder is illegal because we do not want people to have that as a choice. Stealing is illegal for the same reason. These things limit our behavior. Try driving over the speed limit or on the wrong side of the road...see if the law limits your choice then. What about rape? What about tax evasion? What about trespassing, or zoning laws, or age limits for drinking alcohol? And on and on and on. Every law on the books was designed to limit our choices and dictate our behavior.
But none of these laws force anyone to accept Jesus as their Savoir. None of these laws are theological in nature, and they do not establish a religion or dictate faith. You are confusing the issues. Abortion is an injustice because it kills an unborn baby. There are even atheists who are pro-life. Outlawing abortion would save lives...period. Whether or not people become Christian has NOTHING to do with it.
And, consider this: By aborting a child you take away EVERY choice that child could ever have made throughout his or her entire life. Talk about limiting choices. You even take away his or her choice to become Christian. Are you sure you are arguing on the right side of this issue?

Obviously my confused friend has been duped by the culture of death. She has been taught the radical freedom of "anything goes" and "live and let live," where religion is a private affair and we must not challenge the moral choices of others or bring our faith into the public square. She has even given it the "Jesus stamp of approval" - Jesus let's us choose sin, so why shouldn't our laws allow us to choose sin? Being pro-choice is exactly what Jesus wants.

There is so much to correct here...so many errors. Today's Catholics are not taught natural law, or moral theology, or even the basic tenets of the faith. What they do learn of the faith they water down with a mix of pop culture gibberish and feel-good sentiment and believe that they are doing God's Will.

Yes, much needs to be done to change our culture...and we need to start right here, right now.

Quote of the Week

"The challenge facing you, dear friends, is to increase people's awareness of the importance of religious freedom for society; to defend that freedom against those who would take religion out of the public domain and establish secularism as America's official faith."

- Blessed John Paul II

Catechism for the Year of Faith

Part of a continuing series.

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

84 The apostles entrusted the "Sacred deposit" of the faith (the depositum fidei), contained in Sacred Scripture and Tradition, to the whole of the Church. "By adhering to [this heritage] the entire holy people, united to its pastors, remains always faithful to the teaching of the apostles, to the brotherhood, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. So, in maintaining, practicing and professing the faith that has been handed on, there should be a remarkable harmony between the bishops and the faithful."

 85 "The task of giving an authentic interpretation of the Word of God, whether in its written form or in the form of Tradition, has been entrusted to the living teaching office of the Church alone. Its authority in this matter is exercised in the name of Jesus Christ." This means that the task of interpretation has been entrusted to the bishops in communion with the successor of Peter, the Bishop of Rome.

86 "Yet this Magisterium is not superior to the Word of God, but is its servant. It teaches only what has been handed on to it. At the divine command and with the help of the Holy Spirit, it listens to this devotedly, guards it with dedication and expounds it faithfully. All that it proposes for belief as being divinely revealed is drawn from this single deposit of faith."

87 Mindful of Christ's words to his apostles: "He who hears you, hears me", the faithful receive with docility the teachings and directives that their pastors give them in different forms.

88 The Church's Magisterium exercises the authority it holds from Christ to the fullest extent when it defines dogmas, that is, when it proposes, in a form obliging the Christian people to an irrevocable adherence of faith, truths contained in divine Revelation or also when it proposes, in a definitive way, truths having a necessary connection with these.

89 There is an organic connection between our spiritual life and the dogmas. Dogmas are lights along the path of faith; they illuminate it and make it secure. Conversely, if our life is upright, our intellect and heart will be open to welcome the light shed by the dogmas of faith.

90 The mutual connections between dogmas, and their coherence, can be found in the whole of the Revelation of the mystery of Christ. "In Catholic doctrine there exists an order or hierarchy of truths, since they vary in their relation to the foundation of the Christian faith."

Monday Musings

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


The only thing I have to say today is: VOTE! Vote to defend life. Vote for traditional marriage. Vote to support religious freedom. Vote for responsible government. Vote for the future of our country.

Tomorrow is Election Day and it is perhaps the most important election of our lifetime. Don't stay home. Don't be apathetic. Don't think that your vote won't matter. Standing up for Truth and Goodness always matters. Even if you stand against all odds, you must stand on the right side of history. Vote!

And most of all - Pray!