Is your faith worth suffering for?

A half-million Vietnamese gathered in various cities in Vietnam to protest the vicious beating of two Catholic priests by police. Zenit reports the story here, and Asia News tells the story here.
In a second story, Asia News reports death threats against believers in Dong Hoi following the arrest of a Catholic who allowed his home to be used for services. (story here)
It is also reported that "...the police and groups of thugs are roaming the streets and attacking those who visibly wear Catholic religious symbols."
Meanwhile in the United States, 75% of Catholics find that going to Mass on Sunday is just too inconvenient and most would be reluctant to be seen saying grace with their family before a meal in a restaurant.
The same faith that is worth suffering and dying for in Vietnam is too often approached with indifference in the United States. Curious isn't it?

A "two-track" faith?

Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams indicates that the worldwide Anglican Communion will have to accept "...the possibility ... of a 'two-track' model, two ways of witnessing to the Anglican heritage, one of which had decided that local autonomy had to be the prevailing value system." (story here) This is in an attempt to maintain unity by allowing individual churches to hold different opinions about gay clergy and same-sex unions.
Perhaps taking a page from Solomon, the archbishop seems to be willing to sacrifice the child so that each group can have a piece of what they want. Though I note that Solomon never did actually cut the baby in two.
The Archbishop presented his reflections on his website (link here) on Monday. Archbishop Williams notes that a key question is "...whether the Church is free to recognise same-sex unions by means of public blessings that are seen as being, at the very least, analogous to Christian marriage," and he also recognizes that a positive answer to that requires a rethinking of the way the church has read the bible for the past two thousand years.
I am led to wonder that if, in an effort to be all inclusive by having a tent that is open on all sides with no regard for scripture or tradition, we find ourselves completely outside any tent and merely wandering in the wilderness.

Thoughts on a Wedding Dance

With well over 8 million viewings on YouTube, most have been exposed to the video of the dancing procession at the wedding of Kevin Heinz and Jill Peterson. The exuberance of the dance is truly contagious and is the main reason why this video went viral (some puns are too easy).

Maybe I'm just an old fuddy-duddy, but I am uncomfortable with this entrance to a church wedding. I do note that this was not a Catholic church and am willing to cut a lot of slack, but I am a believer that certain places and certain events demand a greater degree of reverence.
This dance would have been wonderful at a reception, but had it taken place in a Catholic church where we believe that Christ is truly present in eucharist reserved in the tabernacle, and as prelude to the sacrament of a couple entering into a lifetime commitment of marriage, I would have been greatly upset.
After reading many comments regarding this video, I recognize this places me in the great minority but -- stealing from the Byrds, who stole from Ecclesiastes -- there is a time and a place for everything. A sacramental wedding at a Catholic church is neither the time or place.
This distinction is also innately recognized at a New Orleans jazz funeral. The mourners there also dance in celebration, but not at the solemn ceremonies at church nor at the graveside, but as they go forth from those places.
Alas, I fear that this wedding procession will now be copied incessantly and I am going to irritate some bridezilla when I tell her it will not be allowed if I am involved in the ceremony. Then again, in those instances in which I am involved with marriage preparation, I try to explain that our concern is not for the wedding, but for the marriage.

Well this is refreshing...

Heisman Trophy winner and star quarterback of the National Champion University of Florida apparently stunned his interviewers when he acknowledged that he is saving himself for marriage. From Mike Bianchi and the Orlando Sentinel:

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- You no longer need to wonder if the devoutly spiritual Tim Tebow is a virgin.

Now you know.

Responding to a question from radio reporters at SEC Media Days Thursday about whether he is saving himself for marriage, Tebow laughed initially and then said seriously, "Yes, I am."

When another reporter stumbled through and couldn't finish a follow-up question, the 21-year-old University of Florida quarterback laughed and said, "I think you're stunned right now. You can't even ask a question. ... I was ready for that question, but I don't think ya'll were."

I don't know about you, but this just makes me respect Tebow even more. In a sports world where far too many young athletes are having children out of wedlock, the most popular player in America proudly admits he is saving himself for marriage.

I'm not much of a Gators fan, but I certainly respect this young man.

Set for the baptism? Why not get married too?

As one who in the course of baptismal preparation classes routinely meets couples who have been married in a civil ceremony (if at all) and who are looking to have their child baptized, this article about an initiative undertaken by the Church of England offering a two-for-one service of wedding for the couple and baptism for their child caught my attention.
I often try to take advantage of the occasion of the baptism as an opportunity to bring up the possibility having the couple enter into a sacramental union, but question whether this approach is wise. However, I believe that there is something of value to the initiative itself.

Twisting and turning

Fr. Tad Pacholczyk, Ph.D. is Director of Education at the National Catholic Bioethics Center in Philadelphia and author of a column "Making Sense out of Bioethics" published in many Catholic diocesan newspapers as well as on the NCBC website.
His latest column explores the contortion the pro-abortion lobby goes through to justify their position and their readiness to twist logic to do so. In the end he portrays abortion as the "insurance" which allows people the freedom to engage in the unrestrained, uncommitted, unlimited couplings which are the fruit of the sexual revolution.

In the final analysis, this stands as probably the single greatest tragedy of our time, that the unordered and inordinate sexual desires of men and women have been allowed to twist the most rudimentary moral logic to the point of death for so many of our children.

I find this a fairly accurate indictment of our culture in which one person values the other person based solely upon how and to what degree that person enables one to fulfill his/her own desires.

Ah, fame is a fickle thing...

The votes are in and the fans of the "King of Pop" were unable to churn up enough interest to have their idol's image cast in butter. This from the Iowa State Fair web site:

After a week of voting, the results of the Iowa State Fair online poll are in. With a margin of 65.24% “no” to 34.76% “yes,” fairgoers have voted down the inclusion of Michael Jackson in the moonwalk butter sculpture planned for the 2009 Iowa State Fair.

More than 100,000 votes were cast in the unscientific online poll conducted from July 9 to July 16.

In addition to the butter Jersey cow, a separate sculpture will celebrate the 40th anniversary of Neil Armstrong’s moonwalk on July 20, 1969. In honor of Armstrong’s “giant leap for mankind,” this year’s sculpture will include an astronaut, an American flag and a buttery rendition of the surface of the moon. The butter sculptures will be on display in a 40-degree cooler in the Fair’s Agriculture Building.

Bishop issues directive on placement of tabernacles

Bishop John M D'Arcy of the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend has promulgated norms for the placement of tabernacles in churches of the diocese. These norms were promulgated on the feast of Corpus Christi and take effect August 4, 2009, the feast of St. John Vianney.
In essence the norms call for the tabernacle to be "...prominently located in the sanctuary of the church, along the central axis behind the main altar."
Along with the growing re-emergence of Eucharistic Adoration in parishes, this practice may further emphasize the centrality of the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist to Catholic life and worship.
Good on you, Bishop D'Arcy.

New deacons in Hong Kong

I was interested to see that the Diocese of Hong Kong ordained three men to the permanent diaconate on July 11 bringing the number of permanent deacons in the diocese to 11 (they have a long way to go to catch up with the over 600 deacons in the Archdiocese of Chicago).
My brother deacons who feel that the current minimum of four years formation for the Archdiocese of Chicago is onerous might be surprised that these men have completed a seven-year program.
Congratulations to the newly ordained.

Just a small step

Forty years ago I was working for Mr. Henry T. Groves on his farm near Louisville, KY. Due to a moment of inattentiveness and an errant footstep while mowing the lawn in front of the farm house, I managed to severely cut my toe. Thanks to the fine work of a couple of physicians, the toe was saved and the lasting effects of the injury ultimately proved to be negligible. But the injury was severe enough to keep me away from work for several weeks.
This comes to mind only because of my recollection that I was able to follow the lunar landing of Apollo XI because I was laid up at home. As I was injured and did not have to get up to be at the farm at 6:00 a.m. the next day, I was able to witness Neil Armstrong's first steps on the moon.
A footstep is a simple thing, and a very significant thing as is demonstrated by Armstrong's first step and this video from CatholicVote.org.



with thanks to The Deacon's Bench

Is butter fit for the "King of Pop"?

This certainly has to be one of the great moral questions of the age., and leave it to the good folks of Iowa to forthrightly face it. (story here)
It appears that shortly after Michael Jackson's death, The Iowa State Fair announced that they would honor him with a display of his likeness sculpted in butter. But the announcement raised concerns of many critics in the Hawkeye State who felt that the late entertainer was not worthy of such an honor. Though assured by state fair officials that the proposed sculpture would not be displayed with the same degree of prominence accorded to the traditional butter sculpture of a cow (how's that for a golden calf?), the critics were not satisfied.
Organizers chose to let voters decide. Voters can go to iowastatefair.org to weigh in on the matter. Voting closes at 3 p.m. Thursday, July 16, 2009.

Harry gets Vatican blessing

Some will be surprised to learn that L'Osservatore Romano, the Vatican newspaper, has lauded the newly released film Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince giving the movie a 4-star review and praising the film for supporting values of "...friendship, altruism, loyalty, and self-giving."
This is a change from earlier condemnations of the series for promoting witchcraft as positive. story here
I wonder if someone there read ahead and discovered that the final book of the series develops the character of Harry into a very Christ-like figure.

A hopeful sign

The nomination by President Obama of Dr. Regina Benjamin to the post of Surgeon General of the United States provides a bit of hope to Catholics. In 2006, Dr. Benjamin was awarded the Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice Cross by Pope Benedict XVI in recognition of service to the Church and the pontiff. Retired Archbishop Oscar Lipscomb of Mobile exspressed his pleasure at the nomination and described Dr. Benjamin as a person with a great sense of responsibility and one who is authentic in her Catholicism.
CNS story here.
I remain cynical but am cautiously optimistic with this nomination.

One to go... and do you want fries with that?

Canadian Prime Minister Steven Harper has taken heat over a You Tube video showing him receiving a consecrated host from a priest at the funeral mass for Romeo LeBlanc. The video shows him receiving, but not consuming the host. The prime minister's office and the Speaker of the Senate, Noel Kinsella, have issued statements attesting that Mr. Harper did indeed consume the host.
However, that will not stop people from holding his feet to the fire.

See Cartoons by Cartoon by Cameron Cardow - Courtesy of Politicalcartoons.com - Email this Cartoon

Do you love the Lord... or just his stuff?

Yesterday I read a posting on Deacon Greg Kandra's blog The Deacon's Bench reacting to a Slate article on the "Prosperity Gospel" and Joel Osteen one of its gurus. The article takes a look at how Osteen's message is being received in light of the recession.
What most intrigued me was that as I was reading this piece that pointed out "...the belief in 'positive confession,' or the idea that the faithful can 'name it and claim it'—even Waikiki timeshares or Rolls-Royces with corn-silk leather trim—and God will provide it," I was listening to Fr. Richard Simon's homily for the 15th Sunday of Ordinary time in which he makes the point that we tend to ask God for things, but God wants to give us himself.
It may be unkind, but it struck me that those who follow the "Prosperity Gospel" tend to approach God in the same manner as a spoiled child approaches his parent -- more concerned with the gift than with the giver, and seemingly unconcerned with the love for which the gift can only be considered a poor substitute.
Deacon Kandra wonderfully summed up Osteen's theology as "...all crown and no cross." When Our Lady offered Maximillian Kolbe a choice between the two in a vision, the future saint and martyr asked for both. That is a more authentic Christianity to my way of thinking.

We need to keep down the numbers of those people...

Bill Donohue of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights is one of the best at confronting issues in society as they impact Catholics in America. Today he justifiably calls upon Supreme Court Justice Ginsburg to explain remarks she made in an interview with the New York Times in relation to abortion. See news release here.
Justice Ginsburg is quoted as saying, “Frankly I had thought that at the time Roe was decided, there was concern about population growth and particularly growth in populations that we don’t want to have too many of.”
That attitude is certainly in tune with eugenicists such as Margaret Sanger, the founder of Planned Parenthood.
Isn't it amazing that $300 million a year of taxpayer money goes to this organization whose effect, if not intent, is to reduce the population of what Nazis had termed "inferior races"?