Feast of St. Ignatius of Loyola

From The Liturgical Year:

In the sixteenth century Satan made a formidable attack upon the Holy City, by means of a man who, like himself, had fallen from the height of heaven, a man prevented in early years by the choice graces which lead to perfection, yet unable in an evil day to resist the spirit of revolt. As Lucifer aimed at being equal to God, Luther set himself up against the Vicar of God, on the mountain of the covenant; and soon, falling from abyss to abyss, he drew after him the third part of the stars of the firmament of Holy Church. How terrible is that mysterious law whereby the fallen creature, be he man or angel, is allowed to keep the same ruling power for evil which he would otherwise have exercised for good. But the designs of eternal Wisdom are never frustrated: against the misused liberty of the angel or man is set up the other merciful law of substitution, by which St. Michael was the first to benefit.

The development of Ignatius' vocation to holiness followed step by step the defection of Luther.

Ad Maiorem Dei Gloriam!

To the Greater Glory of God!

St. Ignatius of Loyola, pray for us!

Corazon Aquino Dies

From Yahoo News:

Corazon Aquino, Philippines president, dead at 76

Heads Up--Portiuncula Indulgence This Sunday

That's right, friends, one of the easiest plenary indulgences out there (assuming the usual conditions, of course) is set for Sunday-- The Portiuncula Indulgence.

This is an ancient indulgence, the conditions of which have changed often over the course of history. Rather than give that history (it is interesting, but I am short on time), let me just tell you how to obtain it.

Visit the Cathedral or Co-Cathedral Church of your Diocese, or a Franciscan Church, or your parish Church (quasi-parish churches qualify) between noon on August 1 and midnight August 3. While there, recite aloud an Our Father and the Creed.

That's it.

___________________________

There are two general requirements for gaining a plenary indulgence:

Performance of a designated good work or act of piety;
Freedom from all attachment to sin, even venial sin.

Besides these, there are three conditions which must be fulfilled for any and all plenary indulgences (except the one granted for the moment of death):

Sacramental confession within 8 days before or after. However a single confession suffices for several plenary indulgences.

The reception of Holy Communion, once for each indulgence.

Prayer for the intentions of the Supreme Pontiff. One Our Father and Hail Mary are sufficient, but other prayers for the Pope's intentions may be said. This is required for every plenary indulgence, except the one for the moment of death.

Regina in caelum assumpta, ora pro nobis!

Confidence in Christ

I will forget everything that was, and is to come; nor think of what lies ahead of me. Whatever I am wont to carry and to hold in my arms I will let fall before Jesus. It will not fall into the void: standing before Jesus, I deliver all up to Him. Everything belongs to Him: all burdening worries and all great concerns, both mine and those of the souls I love. I am not abandoning them as I would abandon them in seeking diversion: I know that in Jesus they are truly in a safe harbor. When at His call I relinquish and abandon all things, I am not casting them away; on the contrary, I am assigning everything to its proper place.

--Dietrich von Hildebrand, Transformation in Christ

"Hi! Um, Do You Know--Did Your Dad Pass the Bar Exam?"

Signs of Things to Come?

The above photo is the vaunted Mayan Calendar, which we are told by New Age types portends the end of the world in 2012.

This link, on the other hand, takes you to a study text of the vaunted English translation of the Order of the (Ordinary Form) Mass, which we are told by ecclesiastical bureaucrat types portends the more reverent celebration of Mass in 2011, or some time thereafter.

Which prediction will come to pass first-- or ever-- is yet to be seen.

Meanwhile, the ancient Roman Rite of Mass, the texts of which have been largely unchanged for 1500 years, and nearly completely fixed for more than 400 years, is still there, never quite being squelched by liturgical terrorists, "reintroduced" slowly but surely over the last 25 years, and gaining popularity at an increasing rate in the last two years.

However, there continues to be slow progress on the promulgation of the more accurate English translation. And this is a very good thing. Whatever one's ritual preference, the Church benefits--souls benefit-- from the proper and dignified celebration of Mass. God deserves to be worshipped with the best we have.

Some readers may be familiar with many of the improvements in the current version of this translation. Examples include rendering "pro multis" in the consecration formula as "for many" (which is of course exactly what pro multis means); a much more accurately rendered Gloria and Credo; and even a much better translation of the Roman Canon (the largely forgotten Eucharistic Prayer I).

Take some time and scroll through the study text, especially if you are a regular novus ordo attendee. Pray that it is promulgated in our lifetimes. Finally, pray that the translations are actually used, and that liturgical abusers are called to answer for abuses.

The Dude abides.

Michael O'Brien on Caritas in Veritate

Noted Catholic author and artist has a thought-provoking analysis of the latest Papal encyclical:

Split in Consciousness: Split in Conscience:

“liberal” and “conservative” reactions to Caritas in Veritate

by Michael D. O’Brien

As Cardinal Josef Ratzinger pointed out more than 25 years ago, the political terms “liberal” and “conservative” are grossly misleading when applied to the Kingdom of God. They are especially so when applied to the ongoing evangelical mission of the Church, which is to draw all men to Christ, to work while the light lasts, to be a “light to the Gentiles.” ...Read More

St. Guy and the Potluck Mass

LCR ran a story the other day about a Mass celebrated by a priest familiar with the Catholic Worker movement. The story is no big deal, but there was a picture of a group of people in lawn chairs around a table loaded with picnic foods. No biggie, except in the middle of it all were a Paten and Chalice, and the story describes the scene as the Mass itself. The photo above is a redacted view with just the immediate area around the supposed-to-be sacred vessels. The reason for this is that I didn't want any flack for showing specific people.

In any event, this rusticated abuse of Mass set off one of my regular readers, who goes by the nom-de-guerre of StGuyFawkes. Like Guy, he throws an incendiary or two in the post below:

THE POT-LUCK MASS

By StGuyFawkes

Once upon a time, you were at a Mass like this. It may have been after your theatre club finished a three night run of “GODSPELL” . Or maybe you attended this Mass on a “Youth Group Weekend”. But admit it. You did once attend a Mass like this.

Examine the photo: Men have not even bothered to remove their hats. The consecrated bread and wine stand alongside what looks like a cheese ball. The whole set-up suggests that Christ’s body were another kind of three-bean-salad, or a Jell-O mold. My mother would say, “Don’t these heathen know how to kneel?”

On the other hand, it does look to be a Mass conducted before dinner -- observing the one hour fast. And to be generous, the pot luck items, one supposes, might be “Offertory Gifts”. Still, this “Pot Luck Mass” drives me crazy! I just can’t get past the consecrated matter being placed across from a crock-pot. Wherever I witness the “Pot Luck” Mass I always get these strange messages.

1.) The sacrament is mere food! Christ’s body is no different than hot dogs.

2.) Another message is, “Everyone here is just as informal and sincere as the disciples at “The Last Supper”. Gee, aren’t we all loving and intimate?”

3.) Also the “Pot Luck Mass” always seems to whisper, “If we are now, in this liturgy, just like Jesus and the disciples at the ‘Last Supper’, then who needs bishops? Or a Church? We are Church.”

And of course, “The Pot Luck Mass” suggests THE BIG QUESTION, “Who confects bean salad, string bean casserole, and bundt cake, really? Well, women, of course! Therefore, why not women priests?”

“The Pot Luck Mass” seems like a buffet of half baked ideas taken off the back of the macaroni box; and worse, it draws ants. It invites the little crawlies of vanity and self delusion to come up on the table. And the worst part of the “Pot Luck Mass” is that lurking within the sauce -- maybe it’s the taste of a bug that fell in -- is the flavor of Calvinism.

Oh, yes! In this "loving, accepting, all inclusive" liturgy there’s often just a teaspoon of Calvin’s idea of the pre-destined elect. In their arch-casualness and stern sloppiness you sense the aroma of high self opinion. The congregants studied cluelessness of rubrics whispers, “We’re so good, we’re so holy, we’re so close to Jesus, we don’t have to kneel or beat our breasts or do anything uncomfortable. We’re better than other people.”

I don’t know if anyone ever meant it this way but it’s there anyway. The “Pot Luck Mass” is snobbish precisely because it is slobbish. The mixture of informality, and intimacy, in liturgy – or anywhere else -- always excludes more than it welcomes. Think of your college fraternity acting badly. Think of the relaxed grossness of your soccer team after a match. It’s a rule of human nature: informality and intimacy imply in-group exclusivity. “The Pot Luck Mass” is for people who already like and approve of each other. Too often, at the “Pot Luck Mass” you find a confraternity of the like-minded whose deepest wish is to celebrate themselves.

They call that “being sacrament to each other”. I call it group narcissism.

Paradoxically, it’s the regular Sunday parish Mass that escapes all this warm and fuzzy self-admiration. The Tridentine Mass, or the Novus Ordo Mass, done reverently, creates a community out of anyone who shows up. It’s as unselective as an A.A. meeting. The regular scheduled Masses don't need a pre-existing social base to work as liturgy. They create one by the power of reverence and discipline, humility and rubrics. Just like in A.A.

The fact is that the regular Parish Mass is more egalitarian than the back yard “Beggars’ Banquet”. Why? Because the regular parish Mass is there for everyone. It’s there for the Antonin Scalias and the Dorothy Days. It’s there for both Martin Sheen and Phyllis Schlafly. It’s universal, it’s Catholic.

When I went to “Pot Luck Masses” in the 1970s I always felt lonelier after they ended. I finally figured out why. These Masses were only for the "special people" who were really supposed to be there. They weren’t really for everyone. Those Masses may have been valid.

But they weren’t Catholic.

Good Morning!

Military planning for possible H1N1 outbreak

"Global warming is the new religion of First World urban elites"

I couldn't phrase it any better than the headline from this article in the Vancouver Sun:

Global warming is the new religion of First World urban elites

Geologist Ian Plimer takes a contrary view, arguing that man-made climate change is a con trick perpetuated by environmentalists

By Jonathan Manthorpe, Vancouver Sun

July 28, 2009

Ian Plimer has outraged the ayatollahs of purist environmentalism, the Torquemadas of the doctrine of global warming, and he seems to relish the damnation they heap on him.

Plimer is a geologist, professor of mining geology at Adelaide University, and he may well be Australia's best-known and most notorious academic.

Plimer, you see, is an unremitting critic of "anthropogenic global warming" -- man-made climate change to you and me -- and the current environmental orthodoxy that if we change our polluting ways, global warming can be reversed.

It is, of course, not new to have a highly qualified scientist saying that global warming is an entirely natural phenomenon with many precedents in history. Many have made the argument, too, that it is rubbish to contend human behaviour is causing the current climate change. And it has often been well argued that it is totally ridiculous to suppose that changes in human behaviour -- cleaning up our act through expensive slight-of-hand taxation tricks -- can reverse the trend.

But most of these scientific and academic voices have fallen silent in the face of environmental Jacobinism. Purging humankind of its supposed sins of environmental degradation has become a religion with a fanatical and often intolerant priesthood, especially among the First World urban elites.

But Plimer shows no sign of giving way to this orthodoxy and has just published the latest of his six books and 60 academic papers on the subject of global warming. This book, Heaven and Earth -- Global Warming: The Missing Science, draws together much of his previous work. It springs especially from A Short History of Plant Earth, which was based on a decade of radio broadcasts in Australia.

That book, published in 2001, was a best-seller and won several prizes. But Plimer found it hard to find anyone willing to publish this latest book, so intimidating has the environmental lobby become.

But he did eventually find a small publishing house willing to take the gamble and the book has already sold about 30,000 copies in Australia. It seems also to be doing well in Britain and the United States in the first days of publication.

Plimer presents the proposition that anthropogenic global warming is little more than a con trick on the public perpetrated by fundamentalist environmentalists and callously adopted by politicians and government officials who love nothing more than an issue that causes public anxiety.

While environmentalists for the most part draw their conclusions based on climate information gathered in the last few hundred years, geologists, Plimer says, have a time frame stretching back many thousands of millions of years.

The dynamic and changing character of the Earth's climate has always been known by geologists. These changes are cyclical and random, he says. They are not caused or significantly affected by human behaviour.

Polar ice, for example, has been present on the Earth for less than 20 per cent of geological time, Plimer writes. Plus, animal extinctions are an entirely normal part of the Earth's evolution.

(Plimer, by the way, is also a vehement anti-creationist and has been hauled into court for disrupting meetings by religious leaders and evangelists who claim the Bible is literal truth.)

Plimer gets especially upset about carbon dioxide, its role in Earth's daily life and the supposed effects on climate of human manufacture of the gas. He says atmospheric carbon dioxide is now at the lowest levels it has been for 500 million years, and that atmospheric carbon dioxide is only 0.001 per cent of the total amount of the chemical held in the oceans, surface rocks, soils and various life forms. Indeed, Plimer says carbon dioxide is not a pollutant, but a plant food. Plants eat carbon dioxide and excrete oxygen. Human activity, he says, contributes only the tiniest fraction to even the atmospheric presence of carbon dioxide.

There is no problem with global warming, Plimer says repeatedly. He points out that for humans periods of global warming have been times of abundance when civilization made leaps forward. Ice ages, in contrast, have been times when human development slowed or even declined.

So global warming, says Plimer, is something humans should welcome and embrace as a harbinger of good times to come.

Prayer Request

For a dear family that has suffered a loss. Thank you.

In the Details

A noted local doctor sent the following email noting some of the nastier elements of the House's version of the Stalinist State-Run Health Rationing Plan. OK, they don't actually call it that.

Here's the thing: this is just the current house version, it doesn't mean that all of these items will be in a bill that passes both houses. Furthermore, I would not subscribe to all of the political commentary or conclusions drawn. The reason I post this is that it serves to remind us why a 1000+ page bill that few have read doesn't need to be enacted in a two week time frame. This is serious government takeover.

Here are some things the bill includes:

The Economic Policy Journal points us to Peter Fleckstein, who twittered the contents of the House Socialized Medicine bill . Oh, what a treat your family is in for.

• Page 22: Mandates audits of all employers that self-insure.
• Page 29: Admission: your health care will be rationed.
• Page 30: A government committee will decide what treatments and benefits you get (and, unlike with an insurer, there will be no appeals process)
• Page 42: The "Health Choices Commissioner" will decide health benefits for you. You will have no choice. None.
• Page 50: All non-US citizens, illegal or not, will be provided with free healthcare services.
• Page 58: Every person will be issued a National ID Healthcard.
• Page 59: The federal government will have direct, real-time access to all individual bank accounts for electronic funds transfer.
• Page 65: Taxpayers will subsidize all union retiree and community organizer health plans (read: SEIU, UAW and ACORN)
• Page 72: All private healthcare plans must conform to government rules to participate in a Healthcare Exchange.
• Page 84: All private healthcare plans must participate in the Healthcare Exchange (i.e., total government control of private plans)
• Page 91: Government mandates linguistic infrastructure for services; translation: illegal aliens
• Page 95: The Government will pay ACORN and Americorps to sign up individuals for Government-run Health Care plan.
• Page 102: Those eligible for Medicaid will be automatically enrolled: you have no choice in the matter.
• Page 124: No company can sue the government for price-fixing. No "judicial review" is permitted against the government monopoly. Put simply, private insurers will be crushed.
• Page 127: The AMA sold doctors out: the government will set wages.
• Page 145: An employer MUST auto-enroll employees into the government-run public plan. No alternatives.
• Page 126: Employers MUST pay healthcare bills for part-time employees AND their families.
• Page 149: Any employer with a payroll of $400K or more, who does not offer the public option, pays an 8% tax on payroll
• Page 150: Any employer with a payroll of $250K-400K or more, who does not offer the public option, pays a 2 to 6% tax on payroll
• Page 167: Any individual who doesnt' have acceptable healthcare (according to the government) will be taxed 2.5% of income.
• Page 170: Any NON-RESIDENT alien is exempt from individual taxes (Americans will pay for them).
• Page 195: Officers and employees of Government Healthcare Bureaucracy will have access to ALL American financial and personal records.
• Page 203: "The tax imposed under this section shall not be treated as tax." Yes, it really says that.
• Page 239: Bill will reduce physician services for Medicaid. Seniors and the poor most affected.
• Page 241: Doctors: no matter what specialty you have, you'll all be paid the same (thanks, AMA!)
• Page 253: Government sets value of doctors' time, their professional judgment, etc.
• Page 265: Government mandates and controls productivity for private healthcare industries.
• Page 268: Government regulates rental and purchase of power-driven wheelchairs.
• Page 272: Cancer patients: welcome to the wonderful world of rationing!
• Page 280: Hospitals will be penalized for what the government deems preventable re-admissions.
• Page 298: Doctors: if you treat a patient during an initial admission that results in a readmission, you will be penalized by the government.
• Page 317: Doctors: you are now prohibited from owning and investing in healthcare companies.
• Page 318: Prohibition on hospital expansion. Hospitals cannot expand without government approval.
• Page 321: Hospital expansion hinges on "community" input: in other words, yet another payoff for ACORN.
• Page 335: Government mandates establishment of "outcome-based" measures: i.e., rationing.
• Page 341: Government has authority to disqualify Medicare Advantage Plans, HMOs, etc.
• Page 354: Government will restrict enrollment of SPECIAL NEEDS individuals.
• Page 379: More bureaucracy: Telehealth Advisory Committee (healthcare by phone).
• Page 425: More bureaucracy: "Advance Care Planning Consult": Senior Citizens, assisted suicide, euthanasia?
• Page 425: Government will instruct and consult regarding living wills, durable powers of attorney, etc. Mandatory. Appears to lock in estate taxes ahead of time.
• Page 425: Government provides approved list of end-of-life resources, guiding you in death. Mandates that all medicare patients (those over 65) recieve "end of life counseling" every FIVE Years! Doctors will be required to discuss end of life "options" with you , want it or not!
• Page 427: Government mandates program that orders end-of-life treatment; government dictates how your life ends.
• Page 429: Advance Care Planning Consult will be used to dictate treatment as patient's health deteriorates. This can include an ORDER for end-of-life plans. An ORDER from the GOVERNMENT.
• Page 430: Government will decide what level of treatments you may have at end-of-life.
• Page 469: "Community-based" Home Medical Services: more payoffs for ACORN.
• Page 472: Payments to "Community-based" organizations: more payoffs for ACORN.
• Page 489: Government will cover marriage and family therapy. Government intervenes in your marriage.
• Page 494: Government will cover mental health services: defining, creating and rationing those services.

Homeschooling on Trial in Divorce

Below is a story for the record on a rally in support of homeschooling, in the context of a divorce case, of all things. I am a strong supporter of homeschooling, as anyone who reads this blog for a nanosecond knows. However, I am not sure this is really about homeschooling, or whether it is a typical divorced-parents-trying-to-hurt-each-other-and-not-caring-about-the-children-or-else-there-wouldn't-be-a-divorce-in-the-first-place issue.

P-D story below, P-D photo above:

Crowd gathers before divorce trial linked to home-schooling

By Shane Anthony
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
07/28/2009

ST. CHARLES -- About 40 people gathered outside the St. Charles County Circuit Courthouse this morning for a rally and press conference before a divorce trial in which they say home-schooling is an issue.

The Jeff Naeger and Lisa Payne-Naeger divorce case has drawn attention from home-schoolers across the nation, said rally organizer Stephanie Rubach. Naeger wants the children to attend private schools. Payne-Naeger, a former Francis Howell School Board member, wants to continue home-schooling her children, who are 14 and 16.

Rubach said she was confident the judge in the case would be objective, but she said she and others wanted to make sure the law was followed.

"It's up to us to hold the courts accountable," Rubach said.

Rubach and other speakers said they supported parents' rights in general. They said they objected to a court order that prevented either parent from talking to the children about the divorce case. Another point of contention, they said, was the guardian ad litem's efforts to have Payne-Naeger's teaching abilities tested. The guardian ad litem is assigned to represent the children's best interests in court.

Neither of the divorcing parties attended the rally.

The case drew attention on the Internet through speaking engagements Payne-Naeger has held and blog postings in support of her.

But on the courthouse's fifth floor, where the trial started, attorneys said the case does not revolve solely around the education issue.
"This is not a referendum on home-schooling," said Joel Eisenstein, Payne-Naeger's attorney

Meanwhile, at the Ballgame...

I had a very nice evening at the Cardinals game tonight. Sorry, Delena, but the Dodgers lost.

The most interesting part begins something like a bad joke:

A priest, a blogger and a normal person walk toward the concession stand. Out of nowhere comes a guy in a motorized wheelchair, and he is booking. That is oldster-speak for "he was making good speed." He blows right through us. The blogger, remembering he is with a priest, restrains his tongue. But before he can say anything else, a golf cart whizzes by with the horn blaring. On the cart are an usher and a security guard. Neither is what one would call svelte. It, too, blows right through the group. The security guard yells, "Stop that guy! Stop the guy on the wheelchair!"

Now I do want to clarify one thing. I said the wheelchair and the golf cart were going fast. They were, considering they were a wheelchair and a golf cart. If either the guard or the usher had hopped off of the cart, he would have caught the wheelchair guy in three seconds. Picture George Costanza being chased by the seniors on their scooters.

I would be lying if I said we made any effort to catch this guy. I think we were too stunned by the whole affair. And, of course, there were refreshments to be had. We moved on.

After we returned from the concession stand, one of the other ushers triumphantly told us that the speedy wheelchair guy was nabbed.

And in this manner, the danger to the local populace was averted.

Cards won, 6-1.

Still Relevant for Our Times

"A Christianity which keeps a grip on itself, refuses every compromise with the world, takes the commands of God and the Church seriously, preserves its love of God and of men in all its freshness, such a Christianity can be, and will be, a model and a guide to a world which is sick to death and clamors for directions, unless it be condemned to a catastrophe that would baffle the imagination."

--Pope Pius XI, Mit Brennender Sorge, 1937

Where to Begin on this One?

O.K., deep breath.

And away--

I first saw this on Patrick Madrid's site. And then I noticed Delena linked it, too.

What is it? Well, it is a wedding procession of the most unconventional variety. You Tube will not allow the video to be embedded, but you can watch it at the first link above.

Some observations, in random order:

1) The bare shoulder crowd will not like this.

2) I was immediately glad it wasn't a Catholic Church-- but I wish I could say with 100% certainty that it could never happen in one.

3) One of my favorite comments at the YouTube site was to the effect that this couple would be divorced within 2 years (no hate mail, please! I don't wish it to be true.)

4) It reminds me somewhat of a scene from the movie Barcelona where the hero, alone in his apartment, does some weird dance while reading the Bible. His cousin walks in with his girlfriend, and is amused. The cousin inquires if this is his new Presbyterian worship service. In his embarrassed confusion, the hero says, "Well, Protestant." After which the girlfriend asks, "Are all Protestant churches like this?" And the cousin answers, "Pretty much."

5) Is this sign #34,765 of the end of the world?

Nigerian Cardinal Holds Up Mirror to America

Catholic Culture has published an interview with Anthony Cardinal Olubunmi Okogie of Nigeria. In it, he has some challenging things to say of American culture and its effect on priestly vocations. The interview in its entirety is linked at the end of this post. In my non-blogging life, I have occasion to sometimes read Nigerian newspaper stories, and this one tracks just as bizarrely as I would have thought. In other words, the portions of the interview not quoted below aren't that edifying, but I include the link for those who wish to check the source material.

Nigerian cardinal blasts laxity of American culture, priesthood

July 27, 2009

In an interview in which he defended the discipline of priestly celibacy, Cardinal Anthony Olubunmi Okogie of Lagos condemned the laxity of American culture and some American priests.

Contrasting the priesthood shortage in the US with the more positive Nigerian vocation picture, Cardinal Okogie said that “those people there [in the US]…they don’t value anything any more. And how do you want priests to come from a place like that?”

When the interviewer referred to “an American priest [who] was caught smooching and kissing his girlfriend at a Miami beach,” the prelate interjected:

I am happy you said America. This is Nigeria. Whatever happens there; it is still the universal Church. It pains me. We are all the same body of Christ. It pains me. It shouldn’t be …but I am here in Nigeria and I can speak of Nigeria. If any stupid priest or bishop in Nigeria feels he wants to copy the American model, then there is something wrong with his head.

Cardinal Okogie, now 73, has served as Archbishop of Lagos since he was 36. Pope John Paul II created him a cardinal in the consistory of 2003.

Source(s): these links will take you to other sites, in a new window.

•Interview with Cardinal Okogie (Lagos Vanguard)

New Crackpot Poll

I have added a new poll to the sidebar at right, just for fun. It seems that if one makes a living surfing the net for Catholic news and views from a traditional perspective, and if further one is not afraid to cover political stories, you come across some pretty interesting "theories" of life.

So, take the poll--your name isn't taken-- and let us know to what kind of crackpot theories you subscribe. Or, perhaps, you don't believe them but wouldn't be surprised were true if they were verified.

(P.S. Sane readers, don't worry, it's all in good fun.)

Is it possible? Government v. Charities?

This must be a blow to certain progressive Catholics. Well, not really--Government action is always preferable to private charity:

Cash for Clunkers Could Hurt Charities

Question

Am I the only person to have seen every M. Night Shyamalan film except The Sixth Sense?

Feast of St. James the Great

Patron of Spain, where he is known as Santiago Matamoros (St. James Moorslayer). There is a very edifying entry in The Liturgical Year for St. James relevant to this title, an excerpt of which is below:

... And how did he justify his name of son of thunder, since his voice was heard by a mere handful of disciples in a desert of infidelity?

This new name, another special prerogative of the two brothers, was realized by John in his sublime writings... With regard to James, too, then, eternal Wisdom could not have been mistaken. Let it not be thought that the sword of any Herod could frustrate the designs of the most High upon the men of His choice. The life of the saints is never cut short; their death, ever precious, is still more so when in the cause of God it seems to come before the time. It is then that with double reason we may say their works follow them; God Himself being bound in honour, both for His own sake and for theirs, to see that nothing is wanting to their plenitude. As a victim of a holocaust, He hath received them, says the Holy Ghost, and in time there shall be respect had to them. The just shall shine, and shall run to and fro like sparks among the reeds. They shall judge nations, and rule over peoples; and their Lord shall reign for ever. How literally was this divine oracle to be fulfilled with regard to our saint!

Nearly eight centuries, which to the heavenly citizens are but as a day, had passed over that tomb in the north of Spain, where two disciples had secretly laid the apostle's body. During that time the land of his inheritance, which he had so rapidly traversed, had been overrun first by Roman idolaters, then by Arian barbarians, and when the day of hope seemed about to dawn, a deeper night was ushered in by the Crescent. One day lights were seen glimmering over the briars that covered the monument; attention was drawn to the spot, which henceforth went by the name of the field of stars. But what are those sudden shouts coming down from the mountains, and echoing through the valleys? Who is this unknown chief rallying against an immense army the little worn-out troop whose heroic valour could not yesterday save it from defeat? Swift as lightning, and bearing in one hand a white standard with a red cross, he rushes with drawn sword upon the panic-stricken foe, and dyes the feet of his charger in the blood of 70,000 slain. Hail to the chief of the holy war, of which this Liturgical Year has so often made mention! St. James! St. James! Forward, Spain! It is the reappearance of the Galilean fisherman, whom the Man-God once called from the bark where he was mending his nets; of the elder son of thunder, now free to hurl the thunderbolt upon these new Samaritans, who pretend to honour the unity of God by making Christ no more than a prophet. Henceforth James shall be to Christian Spain the firebrand which the prophet saw, devouring all the people round about, to the right hand and to the left, until Jerusalem shall be inhabited again in her own place in Jerusalem.

And when, after six centuries and a half of struggle, his standard bearers, the Catholic kings, had succeeded in driving the infidel hordes beyond the seas, the valiant leader of the Spanish armies laid aside his bright armour, and the slayer of Moors became once more a messenger of the faith. As fisher of men, he entered his bark, and gathering around it the gallant fleets of Christopher Columbus, Vasco de Gama, Albuquerque, he led them over unknown seas to lands that had never yet heard the name of the Lord. For his contribution to the labours of the twelve, James drew ashore his well-filled nets, from west and east and south, from new worlds, renewing Peter's astonishment at the sight of such captures. He, whose apostolate seemed at the time of Herod III to have been crushed in the bud before bearing any fruit, may say with St. Paul: I have no way come short of them that are above measure apostles, for by the grace of God, I have laboured more abundantly than all they.

Sharon on Instructing the Youth

My lovely wife Sharon called me at work to make some observations about the content of this week's St. Louis Review. She was particularly motivated by a sidebar to a story written by the inestimable Jennifer Brinker (this isn't about the writing, Jen, so don't hate!) on the Steubenville conference. The topic of the sidebar was this: "How to Help Your Teen Grow in Faith."

Sharon had her own ideas, and thought I should post on the subject. Well, as I was at work and would never let this blog interfere with my mail route, I said, "How 'bout you?"

And so, here it is, courtesy of Sharon:

__________________________________

So I was reading today's issue of the Review as I ate lunch and came upon the article For Parents: How to help your teen grow in faith. As a parent of a soon-to-be-driving teen (please pray for us!) and a nearly teen, I thought I would see how my attempts in this area stack up to the recommendations of Catholic youth ministers.

Though I agreed with their main points, I must say I was disappointed in the ways they recommended to implement these suggestions. They seemed rather shallow or not specific enough to get the job done. And their overall answer to everything seemed to be “have them participate in youth groups” or “send them to youth conferences.” Now don’t tell me that these groups have been wonderful for your teens. I don’t doubt that they have helped some teens. But it seems to me that, though teens often get swept up in the moment and become more excited about their faith, these “gains” are usually just based on emotions and not built upon a solid religious foundation that will enable them to “grow” a strong faith.

So for those parents looking for more concrete ways to help your children grow in their faith, these are some of the things we’re doing to help our children get to heaven.

1. Put faith first. Family life should reflect how important the Catholic faith is to us. Yes, Mass should take precedence over outside activities (as recommended in the article), but parents should consider attending more frequently -- say, make First Fridays, First Saturdays, Our Lady of Perpetual Help devotions together as a family. The Catholic Faith should be part of our homes. Have a home altar or hang religious art throughout the house. That way the children, and also visitors to our homes, have no doubt that our Catholic Faith is important to our family.

2. Engage in conversation. Talk about your faith with your children, as the article advises. But it’s important that children really know about their faith (and not just that we go to church on Sundays) and why our family is Catholic and not Lutheran, Jehovah’s Witness, or Methodist. (No offense, Methodist Jim!) Learn more about the Catholic faith yourself and share what you’ve learned with your children. It may even encourage them to study on their own. Discuss Father’s sermon over lunch on Sunday. Talk about current events and how it fits with your faith. Children should learn why the Church takes the stands it does and how everything fits with God’s plan.

3. Do charitable work as part of family life. Help in a soup kitchen, mow the lawn for an elderly neighbor, help clean the church, make a meal for a new mother or sick friend. Practice the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy as a family, and your children will probably continue this practice on their own.

4. Pray. Pray the Rosary, the Divine Mercy Chaplet, any of the numerous Litanies, Morning Offering, the Angelus, Lauds, Compline … the list goes on and on. Or attend Adoration. Do this as a family so it will become a natural habit for your children as they grow up.

5. Encourage your sons to become servers. Serving at Mass can bring your son closer to Jesus, both physically and mentally. And those who serve for the Extraordinary Rite seem to see the connection to the priesthood and have a beautiful reverence for the Eucharist.

OK, I’ll step off my soapbox for now. If you have any other suggestions, please pass them along. I need all the help I can get!

Reminder: Canon Jason Apple's First Solemn High Mass This Sunday at 10 am

At St. Francis de Sales Oratory. Benediction, and blessings from the newly ordained to follow Mass. And don't forget the reception in the Hall afterwards.

The faithful who attend may receive a plenary indulgence under the usual conditions (detachment from sin, sacramental confession w/in 8 days, Holy Communion, prayers for the Pope's intentions).

All are welcome to attend this joyous event.

Archbishop Burke to Celebrate Solemn Pontifical Mass in the Extraordinary Form in St. Peter's Basilica

Step by step, the stage is being set for a public Papal celebration of the traditional Mass...

From Rorate Caeli:

Solemn Pontifical Mass in St. Peter's Basilica, October 18, 2009

Rinascimento Sacro has announced that, as the culminating activity of the Second Convention on Summorum Pontificum organized by Giovani e Tradizione, a Solemn Pontifical Mass according to the classical Roman Rite will be celebrated in the Chapel of Eucharistic Adoration in St. Peter's Basilica on Sunday, October 18, 2009 at 10:00 a.m. The Mass will be offered by His Excellency, Archbishop Raymond Leo Burke, Prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura. Music will be provided by a mixed choir of Franciscans of the Immaculate.

Deo Gratias!

Head of the Congregation for Divine Worship Backs Archbishop Burke: Denying Communion to Pro-Abortion Politicians is "Charity in Truth"

From LifesiteNews.com:

Interview: Head of Vatican's Liturgical Office says Principle of Refusing Communion is "Charity in Truth"

By Hilary White, Rome correspondent

ROME, July 23, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A high level Vatican official has reminded US bishops of their responsibilities to pro-abortion Catholic politicians, including the possibility of withholding Communion. Cardinal Antonio Canizares Llovera, the head of the Vatican's liturgical office, told LifeSiteNews.com in an interview today that the guiding principle for bishops considering withholding Communion from pro-abortion politicians in their dioceses should be "caritas in veritate" or "charity in truth."

Canizares explained that according to Catholic teaching those who insist upon receiving Communion in a state of serious sin are in grave spiritual danger and emphasized that the withholding of Communion is meant for the person's spiritual salvation.

He said, "I think that the strongest words are found in St. Paul: one who goes to the Eucharist and is not properly prepared, duly prepared, 'he eats his own condemnation'. This is the strongest thing that we can say and what is the most truthful statement."

The Cardinal Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and Sacraments, in an exclusive interview with LSN, said that it is the duty of bishops and priests to instruct Catholic politicians who refuse to accept the Church's teachings on life, to help them understand the "gravity" of what they are doing.

"Politicians should become aware and they should be helped to become aware of the gravity of their conduct," the cardinal said at his offices in Rome. "When they approve laws against life, in favor of abortion or euthanasia, priests and bishops should say this."

He said that the principle that should be applied is the one that gives the title to the latest encyclical of Pope Benedict XVI, "Caritas in Veritate."

"This principle, caritas in veritate [love in truth], should be the principle used, first by politicians when they come to Communion, and second it should be the rule for bishops when they decide whether to give or to withdraw Communion."

While the cardinal said he does now know whether the Vatican is preparing a document on the problem of pro-abortion politicians, he reiterated the Church's position that to be actively involved in procuring abortion is the gravest of offenses and one that incurs the most severe punishment the Church has: excommunication.

"In the cases of public sinners," he added, "we don't know what is happening in the consciences of those politicians. And I understand the prudence with which we have to act. But I think also that it is our duty to clarify their consciences. To help the person to act in accordance with a right and true conscience."

This is part of the function of bishops, he said, "to help the due formation of conscience. To form consciences in such a way that people should act in accordance with the truth."

Cardinal Canizares's remarks echo those of Archbishop Raymond Burke, the former head of the archdiocese of St. Louis and current head of the Vatican's Apostolic Signatura. During the 2004 presidential campaign, Burke told Democrat candidate Senator John Kerry, who though Catholic held a 100 percent approval rating with the country's leading abortion lobbyists, that he could not receive Communion in the St. Louis diocese.

In an interview with LSN in February, Archbishop Burke said the politicians who are persisting in what the Church says is a "grave sin" must be refused Communion for the sake of their own souls. "When you talk to these people, they know," he said. "They know what they're doing is very wrong. They have to answer to God for that, but why through our pastoral negligence add on to that, that they have to answer to God for who knows how many unworthy receptions of Holy Communion?"

Similarly, in Canada, Ottawa Archbishop Terrence Prendergast told LSN in an interview last year, "The Church's concern is for anyone who persists in grave sin, hoping that medicinal measures (which is how excommunication and interdict are to be understood) may draw them away from the wrong path to the truth of our faith."

Cardinal Canizares pointed to two documents that bishops can use for guidance on how to deal with politicians who refuse to reform their consciences - the encyclical of the late Pope John Paul II, Evangelium Vitae and the document produced by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in 2004 when Cardinal Ratzinger was Prefect. That document stated clearly that pro-abortion Catholic politicians "must be refused" Holy Communion if they attempt to receive at Mass.

The cardinal emphasized that such a formation of conscience merely means that "politicians should act in accordance with the truth."

Torn Between Supporting the Oratory and Watching Baseball? Fret No More!

The first one was a great success, come out for round two. From the Tradition for Tomorrow site:

Take Me Out to the Ball Game Fundraiser - Take Two

What can you do to:

1) Support the Cardinals at Busch Stadium (a great American Tradition),

2) Support the St. Francis de Sales Oratory (a great Catholic Tradition), and,

3) Have fun?

Friends of St. Francis de Sales Oratory cordially invite you to join us to watch the St. Louis Cardinals take on LA Dodgers on Monday, July 27, at 6:10 pm.

For a minimum donation of $100, this special vantage point from the luxury suite comes with convenience and comfort: restroom facilities, and big screen TV for replays. Thanks to a generous donor, the Oratory has 20 tickets for Monday night’s game against the Dodgers, currently the National League West Division leader. Another generous Donor has provided a superb weather forecast (Monday only), making either indoor or outdoor seating a great way to spend a summer evening with Friends of St. Francis de Sales Oratory.

Please reserve your spot by calling the Oratory as soon as possible (314) 771-3100.

Oratory News on the Web

The effort to restore St. Francis de Sales Oratory will now be covered in the blogosphere outside of St. Louis. American Papist is posting today on the effort, an excerpt from which appears below:

Restore a Catholic landmark in Saint Louis!

An important restoration campaign is underway at Saint Francis de Sales Oratory, a National Registry of Historic Places landmark on the South Side of Saint Louis. Originally founded in 1867 to serve the German immigrant community, Saint Francis de Sales has faced the challenges of changing demographics and urban blight in more recent years, like many urban parishes. The majestic century-old neo-Gothic structure, replete with a 350-foot tall steeple, like any building of its age and size, stands in serious need of restoration. A new phase in the life of the church began in 2005 when Archbishop Raymond Burke entrusted the church to the Institute of Christ the King, a society of apostolic life offering Mass and the sacraments in the extraordinary form of the Roman rite. The Institute places a strong accent on sacred art, architecture and music in the service of God and has carried out a number of notable church restoration projects.

As the Oratory of Saint Francis de Sales—already important as an architectural and religious monument in the city—has been reborn and continues to grow, the need for restoring the church has become more pressing. Preserving the structural integrity of the steeple tower is an immediate and urgent need, as the tower is pulling away from church’s foundation. Even the slightest incline is exerting great pressure on the building, affecting the walls and windows. The structural restoration alone will cost $1.5 million. Additional funds will also be needed to beautify the tower house, including renovating the vestibule, the clock, and the bells. Subsequent phases of the restoration will encompass the stained glass windows and tuckpointing, as well as refurbishing the interior elements such as the organ, confessionals, and altars. A successful restoration of the sacristy has already been completed. For more information about this worthy project, please consult the Tradition for Tomorrow site or contact the Oratory at 2653 Ohio Avenue; Saint Louis, Missouri 63118.

Good News in Health Care

Office of Chancellor

Today's appointment of Nancy J. Werner as Chancellor of the Archdiocese of Saint Louis (reported here) raises a question to which many may not know the answer:

What does the Chancellor do?

The office of Chancellor is mentioned several times in the Code of Canon Law. Here are the most relevent entries:

ARTICLE 2: THE CHANCELLOR, OTHER NOTARIES AND THE ARCHIVES

Can. 482 §1 In each curia a chancellor is to be appointed, whose principal office, unless particular law states otherwise, is to ensure that the acts of the curia are drawn up and dispatched, and that they are kept safe in the archive of the curia.

§2 If it is considered necessary, the chancellor may be given an assistant, who is to be called the vice-chancellor.

§3 The chancellor and vice-chancellor are automatically notaries and secretaries of the curia.

Can. 483 §1 Besides the chancellor, other notaries may be appointed, whose writing or signature authenticates public documents. These notaries may be appointed for all acts, or for judicial acts alone, or only for acts concerning a particular issue or business.

§2 The chancellor and notaries must be of unblemished reputation and above suspicion. In cases which could involve the reputation of a priest, the notary must be a priest.

Can. 484 The office of notary involves:

1° writing acts and documents concerning decrees, arrangements, obligations, and other matters which require their intervention;

2° faithfully recording in writing what is done, and signing the document, with a note of the place, the day, the month and the year;

3° while observing all that must be observed, showing acts or documents from the archives to those who lawfully request them, and verifying that copies conform to the original.

Can. 485 The chancellor and the other notaries can be freely removed by the diocesan Bishop. They can be removed by a diocesan Administrator only with the consent of the college of consultors.



[...]

Can. 487 §1 The archive must be locked, and only the Bishop and the chancellor are to have the key; no one may be allowed to enter unless with the permission of the Bishop, or with the permission of both the Moderator of the curia and the chancellor. §2 Persons concerned have the right to receive, personally or by proxy, an authentic written or photostat copy of documents which are of their nature public and which concern their own personal status.

Archbishop Carlson Appoints New Chancellor

To: The Curia of the Archdiocese of St. Louis

From: Archbishop Robert Carlson

Date: July 22, 2009

Re: Chancellor of the Archdiocese of Saint Louis

I am very pleased to announce to you today that I have appointed Nancy J. Werner, currently the Chancellor of the Diocese of Saginaw, as the Chancellor of the Archdiocese of Saint Louis. Nancy Werner is a highly qualified individual and possesses an outstanding record as a collaborator in ministry and administration. She holds an undergraduate degree in Religion and Philosophy, as well as a Masters in Pastoral Administration from Regis University in Denver. Nancy brings to the Archdiocese over twenty-six years of parish, diocesan and national leadership experience. The occasion of this appointment gives me the opportunity to name a highly qualified woman to a senior position within the Archdiocese of Saint Louis. Nancy will begin her work in mid-August, after completing her transfer from Saginaw, and will have her office located at the Catholic Center.

At the same time, I am pleased to appoint Reverend Monsignor Jerome Billing to the office of Chancellor for Canonical Affairs of the Archdiocese of Saint Louis. In this capacity, Monsignor Billing will be responsible for marriage dispensations as well as the oversight of the Archdiocesan Archives. In addition, Monsignor Billing is appointed Promoter of Justice and Defender of the Bond for the Metropolitan Tribunal, where his physical office will be located.

In the near future, I will announce the creation of a revised governing structure, with a new organizational chart, for the administrative and ministerial operations of the Archdiocese of Saint Louis.

I look forward to working closely with Nancy Werner and Monsignor Billing in their new responsibilities.

_________________________

Interesting. "I will announce the creation of a revised governing structure, with a new organizational chart..."

I wonder what other surprises are in store. And I won't hazard any guesses...

Feast of Saint Mary Magdalen

And behold a woman that was in the city, a sinner, when she knew that He sat at meat in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster box of ointment; and standing behind at His feet, she began to wash His feet with tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head, and kissed His feet, and anointed them with the ointment. St. Luke vii. 37,38

"Who is this woman? Without doubt it is the Church," answers St. Peter Chrysologus, "the Church, weighed down and stained with sins committed in the city of this world. At the news that Christ has appeared in Judea, that He is to be seen at the banquet of the Pasch, where He bestows His mysteries and reveals the divine Sacrament, and makes known the secret of salvation, suddenly she darts forward; despising the endeavours of the Scribes to prevent her entrance, she confronts the princes of the Synagogue; burning with desire she penetrates into the sanctuary, where she finds Him whom she seeks, betrayed by Jewish perfidy even at the banquet of love; not the passion, nor the Cross, nor the tomb can check her faith, or prevent her from bringing her perfumes to Christ."

Who but the Church knows the secret of this perfume? asks Paulinus of Nola with Ambrose of Milan; the Church, whose numberless flowers have all aromas; the Church, who exhales before God a thousand sweet odours aroused by the breath of the Holy Spirit-- viz., the virtues of nations and the prayers of the saints. Mingling the perfume of her conversion with her tears of repentance, she anoints the feet of her Lord, honouring in them His humanity. Her faith, whereby she is justified, grows equally with her love: soon the Head of the Spouse-- that is, His divinity-- receives from her the homage of the full measure of pure and precious spikenard-- to wit, consummate holiness, whose heroism goes so far as to break the vessel of mortal flesh by the martyrdom of love, if not by that of tortures.

Arrived at the height of the mystery, she forgets not even there those sacred feet, whose contact delivered her from the seven devils representing all vices; for to the heart of the Bride, as in the bosom of the Father, her Lord is still both God and Man. The Jew, who would not own Christ either for head or foundation, found no fragrant oil for His head, nor even water for His feet; she, on the contrary, pours her priceless perfume over both. And while the sweet odour of her perfect faith fills the earth, now become by the victory of that faith the house of the Lord, she continues to wipe her Master's feet with her beautiful hair-- i.e., her countless good works and her ceaseless prayer. The growth of this mystical hair requires all her care here on earth; and in heaven its abundance and beauty will call forth the praise of Him who jealously counts, without losing one, all the works of His Church. Then from her own head, as from that of her Spouse, will the fragrant unction of the Holy Spirit overflow even to the skirt of her garment.

...Venerable Bede, gathering up, according to his wont, the traditions of his predecessors, does not hesitate to assert that "what Magdalen once did, remains the type of what the whole Church does, and of what every perfect soul must ever do."

--from The Liturgical Year

Looking for Some Good News Today?

How's this:

Fiscal ruin of the Western world beckons

Monsignor Nicola Bux on Communion in the Hand: "There is no text of the Tradition which supports it."

Rorate Caeli again presents an important interview, this time from the Italian publication Pontifex Roma, of a key Vatican figure on the subject of the liturgical vision of Pope Benedict XVI. I reprint this post below. It makes some points that need to be made, and is sure to be somewhat controversial:

The Italian website Pontifex.Roma has published a short interview with Msgr. Nicola Bux on the topic of Holy Communion. Here is the full text of the interview in English translation. Emphases mine.

Given Msgr. Bux's closeness to the Pope and his liturgical thought, it seems that we have here a clear exposition of the "Benedictine" stance regarding the proper way to receive communion: clearly favorable towards communion kneeling and on the tongue coupled with a clear disapproval of communion in the hand (clearer than in the previous three Pontificates), without as yet proposing strict measures to abolish anything not already condemned in documents like Redemptionis Sacramentum, and definitely without opposing communion standing up. -- CAP.

***

How to administer communion in a dignified manner

Communion on one’s knees guarantees devotion and the sense of the sacred. Certain flippant ways to administer this sacrament show a loss of the sense of the sacred. The faithful must not take for themselves the Chalice and the Host, this being a serious abuse.

Monday, July 20th, 2009
From Pontifex Roma

How should one administer communion in a dignified manner? We asked the theologian and esteemed liturgist Monsignor Nicola Bux. It may be a random case but the modernism and the slovenliness of certain post-conciliar interpretations have lead to such a debasement of this Sacrament , that there are all kind of ways in which people approach it…

Don Bux, which is the most correct way to communicate?

“I would say there are two ways. There is the position where one stands up, taking the Host in the mouth, or else on one’s knees. I do not see any third way.”

There is the standing-up position.

“OK, I have nothing against it. The important thing is that the faithful are intimately conscious of what they are about to receive, that is that they do not approach the communion with a lightheartedness that shows immaturity and being at a complete distance from God.”

Communion standing up, but what is the best way to do it?

“Well, look here, even the receiving of the communion standing up may be full of devotion, of compunction…... and a sense of the Sacred is good to have. It would be very good and convenient, no doubt about it, to let a formal sign of reverence precede communion (even if it is received standing up), which means the head is covered for the women, sign of the cross or a slight bow in a sign of one’s love.”

But for what reason do people often approach the communion as if it is a kind of buffet?

“I like this expression and in part it is correct. Many persons rise mechanically (from their seats - CAP) and they do not know and are not even able to imagine what they are about to receive. They think that participation in Mass something that automatically includes communion and that they have to go up and receive it, although the fact is that only those who are really in the grace of God should do so”.

In his latest Masses pope Benedict XVI has administered communiononly to those who were kneeling.

"Yes, he was very right to do so. I believe that kneeling when receiving the communion helps one to gather oneself together and to understand the mystery in a more reverential way. To kneel in front of the Body of Christ is an act of gratuitous love and humility before God, and this sense of the sacred is seldom understood. In our days it is mostly adrift and lost or almost muted. “

All in all, communion on one’s knees helps the spirit?

“Yes, certainly so, it favors devotion and spirituality. I believe that the position on one’s knees when receiving the communion is the one which by far responds the most to the Sacred.”

And receiving in one’s hand?

“I am sorry to say, but there is no text of the Tradition which supports it. Not even if everybody takes it and eats it in this way. There is no text concerning this, and if we wish we could say that the Apostles were priests and thus had the right to take it by the hand. The Oriental Church does not permit it.”

Useless Eaters, Watch Out for Health Care Reform

The life you lose may be your own.

We all know the great leader wants to reduce the number of abortions. In fact, he utilizes a whole army of Catholic quislings to apologize all over the issue. He even assured the Pope that this was his goal. Of course, that was before his budget chief admitted that the health care "reform" bill might fund abortions with taxpayer dollars, and force coverage for abortions in the required health insurance plans.

Now comes a VERY disturbing report that the house version of this bill would require senior citizens to meet with a physician or nurse practitioner at least every 5 years to discuss "dying with dignity". You know, living wills, health care directives, not being a burden on your family, guilt trips-- and what else...

Democrats Want to Teach You to Die With Dignity

Posted by Erick Erickson
Monday, July 20th at 2:31PM EDT

44 Comments
H.R. 3200 is the Democrat healthcare bill.

Let’s back up for a minute. I noted some time ago Jay Rockefeller went on record to say that at some point the government has to decide whether or not you are allowed to receive any more medical benefits if the cost outweighs the potential benefits.

As Mickey Kaus has noted, both Ezra Klein and Matt Yglesias are on record agreeing. Kaus writes:

Democratic blogger Ezra Klein appears to be positioning Dem health care reforms as a way to cut costs, on the grounds that a reformed system will be able to make “hard choices” and “rational” coverage decisions, by which Klein seems to mean “not providing” treatments that are unproven or too expensive–when “a person’s life, or health, is not worth the price.” Matthew Yglesias’ recent post seems to be saying the same thing, though clarity isn’t its strong suit.

Weirdo cum intellectual Peter Singer, a man who favors post-birth abortions of disabled children, took to the New York Times to write

You have advanced kidney cancer. It will kill you, probably in the next year or two. A drug called Sutent slows the spread of the cancer and may give you an extra six months, but at a cost of $54,000. Is a few more months worth that much?

If you can afford it, you probably would pay that much, or more, to live longer, even if your quality of life wasn’t going to be good. But suppose it’s not you with the cancer but a stranger covered by your health-insurance fund. If the insurer provides this man - and everyone else like him - with Sutent, your premiums will increase. Do you still think the drug is a good value? Suppose the treatment cost a million dollars. Would it be worth it then? Ten million? Is there any limit to how much you would want your insurer to pay for a drug that adds six months to someone’s life? If there is any point at which you say, “No, an extra six months isn’t worth that much,” then you think that health care should be rationed.

In his article, he argues that, in effect, we should euthanize the elderly.

I think, given that the member of Congress who drafted H.R. 3200 read and take seriously people like Klien, Yglesias, and Singer, we should be very troubled by Section 1233 of H.R. 3200. The section, titled “Advanced Care Planning Consultation” requires senior citizens to meet at least every 5 years with a doctor or nurse practitioner to discuss dying with dignity.

The section requires that they talk to their doctor, not a lawyer, about living wills, durable healthcare powers of attorney, hospice, etc. Given the progressive intelligentsia already being on the record in favor of euthanizing the elderly, it is no small leap to see where the Democrats are headed with this.

Legally forcing senior citizens to have “death with dignity schedules every few years is just another way to say the government wants to make sure seniors know it is time to commit suicide to save the system money.

And saving any medical system through encouraged deaths of the elderly or unborn is not a medical system worth having. The Hippocratic Oath requires doctors to “do no harm.” That’s meant toward the patient, not the costs to the government.

If this provision is part of the final plan, it is a totalitarian dictator's dream. I guess killing off the non-productive old and young might account for that "savings" Russ Carnahan is counting on to pay for this execrable plan.

I guess some of the new "green jobs" will be for those who staff and administer the Omega Centers, where we all go to do our patriotic duty and commit suicide, patricide or infanticide to advance the great leap forward.

UPDATE: here's this from FoxNews--

Obama's Science Czar Considered Forced Abortions, Sterilization as Population Growth Solutions

Fr. Fessio Fired Again

From the Naples News.com:

Ave Maria University fires Rev. Joseph Fessio a second time

As the headline clearly states, this is the second time Fr. Fessio has been fired by Ave Maria. The first time the University tried this, and fired him as provost, the outcry was so great (especially from donors) that it was forced to backtrack and rehire Fr. Fessio in some made-up position. Now it seems the other shoe has irrevocably dropped.

The cause may be embodied in the photograph above. Fr. Fessio was a student of Pope Benedict's in his earlier days at Regensburg, and is strongly identified with the so-called "Reform of the Reform" movement. Fr. Fessio was a willing celebrant of the traditional Mass at Ave Maria, and of the novus ordo as it was promulgated by Rome-- in Latin, celebrated ad orientem.

It was largely because of Fr. Fessio's liturgical excellence, doctrinal orthodoxy, and academic reputation that Ave Maria gained a wide base of support among conservative-to-traditional Catholics.

However, his liturgical philosophy did not match the outlook of Thomas Monaghan, the Catholic pizza magnate and philanthropist, who is by far the major donor, and motive force of the University. Monaghan's ideas on the subject of liturgy can best be seen in the architecture of the new Campus Chapel (See link for pictures and SLC commentary). Monaghan hired Nicholas Healy, a lawyer and fellow Catholic charismatic movement devotee, to run the University. Ever since, Fessio's role was limited, his liturgical vision thwarted, and ultimately he was dispatched. Like a messy beheading, it took two strokes.

It seems that the recent issues stem from some private misgivings voiced by Fr. Fessio about the University's financial footing. I don't know exactly what these were, but I wonder. My wife and I were founding donors of AMU, but I wouldn't send my children there now for free.

The whole situation is a sad one indeed.

When You're Catholic Just Because of the Peer Pressure

From the good people at Cake Wrecks.

Psalm LXXXIII

83	1	Unto the end, for the winepresses, a psalm for the sons of Core.	victori pro torculari filiorum Core canticum
83	2	How lovely are thy tabernacles, O Lord of hosts!	quam dilecta tabernacula tua Domine exercituum
83	3	my soul longeth and fainteth for the courts of the Lord. My heart and my flesh have rejoiced in the living God.	desiderat et defecit anima mea in atria Domini cor meum et caro mea laudabunt Deum viventem
83	4	For the sparrow hath found herself a house, and the turtle a nest for herself where she may lay her young ones: Thy altars, O Lord of hosts, my king and my God.	siquidem avis invenit domum et passer nidum sibi ubi ponat pullos suos altaria tua Domine exercituum rex meus et Deus meus
83	5	Blessed are they that dwell in thy house, O Lord: they shall praise thee for ever and ever.	beati qui habitant in domo tua adhuc laudabunt te semper
83	6	Blessed is the man whose help is from thee: in his heart he hath disposed to ascend by steps,	beatus homo cuius fortitudo est in te semitae in corde eius
83	7	In the vale of tears, in the place which he hath set.	transeuntes in valle fletus fontem ponent eam
83	8	For the lawgiver shall give a blessing, they shall go from virtue to virtue: the God of gods shall be seen in Sion.	benedictione quoque amicietur doctor ibunt de fortitudine in fortitudinem parebunt apud Deum in Sion
83	9	O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer: give ear, O God of Jacob.	Domine Deus exercituum exaudi orationem meam ausculta Deus Iacob semper
83	10	Behold, O God our protector: and look on the face of thy Christ.	clipeus noster vide Deus et adtende faciem christi tui
83	11	For better is one day in thy courts above thousands. I have chosen to be an abject in the house of my God, rather than to dwell in the tabernacles of sinners.	quoniam melior est dies in atriis tuis super milia elegi abiectus esse in domo Dei mei magis quam habitare in tabernaculis impietatis
83	12	For God loveth mercy and truth: the Lord will give grace and glory.	quia sol et scutum Dominus Deus gratiam et gloriam dabit Dominus
83	13	He will not deprive of good things them that walk in innocence: O Lord of hosts, blessed is the man that trusteth in thee.	nec prohibebit bonum ab his qui ambulant in perfectione Domine exercituum beatus homo qui confidet in te

Church-funded Adoption Agency in the UK: "There is no evidence that suggests that children do best with heterosexual couples."

From the UK Telegraph:

Catholic church-funded marriage agency backs gay and unmaried parents

James 2:19-26

2 19 Thou believest that there is one God. Thou dost well: the devils also believe and tremble.
2 20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?
2 21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works, offering up Isaac his son upon the altar?
2 22 Seest thou that faith did cooperate with his works and by works faith was made perfect?
2 23 And the scripture was fulfilled, saying: Abraham believed God, and it was reputed to him to justice, and he was called the friend of God.
2 24 Do you see that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only?
2 25 And in like manner also Rahab the harlot, was not she justified by works, receiving the messengers and sending them out another way?
2 26 For even as the body without the spirit is dead: so also faith without works is dead.

Stop the Abortion Mandate

LifesiteNews.com has the story that a coalition of pro-life leaders has announced the following webcast:

Giant Webcast Thursday to Educate and Mobilize Pro-Life Americans Against Great Dangers of Obama Health Care Bill

Coalition of leaders alarmed that pro-lifers unaware of what is at stake with Obamacare

By Steve Jalsevac

WASHINGTON, D.C., July 17, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A coalition of prominent pro-life leaders has arranged a giant, Stop The Abortion Mandate live webcast for the public this coming Thursday, July 23, to alert Americans about the great dangers of the Democrat-proposed health care bill. David Bereit, a coalition member and leader of 40 Days for Life, told LifeSiteNews that he is temporarily de-emphasizing his current 40 Days for Life tasks to concentrate on this issue because of its extreme importance. He is concerned that pro-lifers are not aware of what is at stake with the health care bill.

Connie Marshner, a well-known Washington pro-life political organizer, warned today that "this is the biggest issue since Roe v Wade. This is not just about funding. Everyone will be forced to have abortion coverage." Further, she warned, the effect of successful passage of the Health Care bill will dramatically change the pro-life movement as we know it "because every doctor and health care worker will be forced to be involved in abortion."

The pro-life webcast's promotional material states that "Powerful abortion industry lobbyists and Washington, D.C. bureaucrats have just launched a massive effort to mandate taxpayer-funded abortions as part of their proposed trillion-dollar healthcare takeover."

They list four main results of what they call "this abortion industry power-grab":

• Impose one of the cornerstones of the "Freedom of Choice Act" (FOCA) by stealth
• Force taxpayers to fund a huge abortion industry bailout -- something the majority of Americans oppose, and certainly cannot afford in these tough economic times
• Mandate that virtually every American be forced into a health plan that includes abortion coverage
• Require honorable medical providers to violate their consciences and perform abortions -- or risk losing their jobs

The one-time-only LIVE webcast event will take place this Thursday, July 23, at 9 PM Eastern (6 PM Pacific, 7 PM Mountain, 8 PM Central.)

The live webcast, for which there is no charge, will be approximately 70 minutes long and will be accessible even to Internet users with only a dial-up connection. Participants who register for the event will be able to listen in on the live audio and submit questions.

During the event, the following nationally known leaders will be heard:

• MIKE HUCKABEE, Former Governor and Presidential Candidate
• DR. CHARMAINE YOEST, Americans United for Life
• TONY PERKINS, Family Research Council
• FR. FRANK PAVONE, Priests for Life
• MARJORIE DANNENFELSER, Susan B. Anthony List
• DOUGLAS JOHNSON, National Right to Life Committee
• TOM MINNERY, Focus on the Family
• CONGRESSMAN CHRIS SMITH, U.S. House of Representatives
• KRISTIN HAWKINS, Students for Life of America
• CONGRESSMAN JOE PITTS, U.S. House of Representatives
• DR. RICHARD LAND, Southern Baptist Convention
• CARMEN PATE, Point of View Radio Show
• DAVID BEREIT, 40 Days for Life

The Webcast organizers state that those who join the webcast will discover:

• The shocking facts about the sweeping legislation that the political power brokers are trying to ram through before Congress goes on summer recess...
• The devastating implications of the proposed mandates -- facts the abortion industry doesn't want Americans to hear...
• Why respected leaders, national organizations, and pro-life people are joining together in record numbers to challenge this attempted power-grab...
• The exact action steps YOU can take to make a difference at this crucial moment...

Registration for the event is accessed at http://www.stoptheabortionmandate.com/. Registration also allows those who are unable to be online at the time of the webcast to later access a recording of the webcast audio.

Organizers are hoping that 100,000 people will participate in this very urgent and unique education and action event.

URL: http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/jul/09071709.html

Happy Birthday

I was remiss in posting my best birthday wishes to my eldest child yesterday. We had too much fun at the party, I guess. Happy Birthday!

Brotherly Blog Encouragement

"Not even Matlock can hit on every episode."

Psalmus 70.i. In te, Domine, speravi

In te, Dómine, sperávi, non confúndar in ætérnum : * in justítia tua líbera me, et éripe me.
2 Inclína ad me aurem tuam, * et salva me.
3 Esto mihi in Deum protectórem, et in locum munítum : * ut salvum me fácias.
4 Quóniam firmaméntum meum, * et refúgium meum es tu.
5 Deus meus, éripe me de manu peccatóris, * et de manu contra legem agéntis et iníqui :
6 Quóniam tu es patiéntia mea, Dómine : * Dómine, spes mea a juventúte mea.
7 In te confirmátus sum ex útero : * de ventre matris meæ tu es protéctor meus.
8 In te cantátio mea semper : * tamquam prodígium factus sum multis : et tu adjútor fortis.
9 Repleátur os meum laude, ut cántem glóriam tuam : * tota die magnitúdinem tuam.
10 Ne projícias me in témpore senectútis : * cum defécerit virtus mea, ne derelínquas me.
11 Quia dixérunt inimíci mei mihi : * et qui custodiébant ánimam meam, consílium fecérunt in unum.
12 Dicéntes : Deus derelíquit eum, persequímini, et comprehéndite eum : * quia non est qui erípiat.
13 Deus ne elongéris a me : * Deus meus, in auxílium meum réspice.

Holy Father Released from Hospital

"It could have been worse-- Obamacare hasn't passed yet!"

Prayer for the Holy Father

Who has broken his wrist after a fall; he is out of surgery and recovering well, according to the Vatican press office.

V. Oremus pro Pontifice nostro Benedicto.
R. Dominus conservet eum, et vivificet eum, et beatum faciat eum in terra, et non tradat eum in animam inimicorum eius. [Ps 40:3]

Pater noster, qui es in caelis, sanctificetur nomen tuum. Adveniat regnum tuum. Fiat voluntas tua, sicut in caelo et in terra. Panem nostrum quotidianum da nobis hodie, et dimitte nobis debita nostra sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris. Et ne nos inducas in tentationem, sed libera nos a malo. Amen.

Ave Maria, gratia plena, Dominus tecum. Benedicta tu in mulieribus, et benedictus fructus ventris tui, Iesus. Sancta Maria, Mater Dei, ora pro nobis peccatoribus, nunc, et in hora mortis nostrae. Amen.

Deus, omnium fidelium pastor et rector, famulum tuum Benedictum, quem pastorem Ecclesiae tuae praeesse voluisti, propitius respice: da ei, quaesumus, verbo et exemplo, quibus praeest, proficere: ut ad vitam, una cum grege sibi credito, perveniat sempiternam.
Per Christum, Dominum nostrum.
Amen.

Bad Hair Day, Part 2

Because I'm all about equal opportunity!

Ho-Hum... End of Civilization Just Ahead

Here we go, strolling down the road to destruction one piece of legislation at a time. You know it really is hard to keep track of them all. For example, there is the Stalinist centralized health care plan, the legalized union extortion bill, and the bring-about-economic-ruin-in-the-name-of-the-fantasy-of-global-warming bill.

Here's one more:

Controversial Homosexual "Hate Crimes" Act Set for Senate Vote Thursday

But don't worry, you won't have to be bothered with it in the State-controlled media.

Hey, was Obama wearing "mom jeans" at the All-Star Game? And who gets Michael Jackson's children?

News Flash: G.K. Chesterton Knows How to Write

I mean, really.

You may notice that on the sidebar I list books that I am reading or have recently read. I have had the Chesterton biographies of St. Thomas Aquinas and St. Francis of Assisi up for the longest time. The reason is that I started the Aquinas part of this combined bio some time ago, and then one book after another got in the way of finishing what I thought would be (even considering the author) some pretty dry material. Boy, was I wrong.

Chesterton is of course writing about one of the most important Catholic saints, a saint whose philosophy has had the most profound and lasting effect on the Church and whose intellect and holiness were inestimable. But just as good as the subject is the way that Chesterton writes about it.

It is as though every 3/4 of a page or so, I have to put the book down and just think about a passage I read.

Now I know that no reader of this blog would ever complain that one of my posts is too long, but I think that if I wanted to cover all the highlights of this 180 page book, it would take a 130 page post. So I will spare you. But I can't recommend the book highly enough.

Here is one paragraph only, near the end of the book. After covering the life of St. Thomas, his history, sanctity, philosophy, and importance, Chesterton begins to hint at the re-emergence of the ancient enemy of Thomism, which is not Augustinian but rather the perversion of it that was in essence Manichean, and which exploded in the heretical revolt of the arch-heretic Augustinian monk in the 16th century:

"Thomas Aquinas had struck his blow; but he had not entirely settled the Manichees. The Manichees are not so easily settled; in the sense of settled forever. He had insured that the main outline of the Christianity that has come down to us should be supernatural but not anti-natural; and should never be darkened with a false spirituality to the oblivion of the Creator and the Christ who was made Man. But as his tradition trailed away into less liberal or less creative habits of thought, and as his medieval society fell away and decayed through other causes, the thing against which he had made war crept back into Christendom. A certain spirit or element in the Christian religion, necessary and sometimes noble but always needing to be balanced by more gentle and generous elements in the Faith, began once more to strengthen, as the framework of Scholasticism stiffened or split. The Fear of the Lord, that is the beginning of wisdom, and therefore belongs to the beginnings, and is felt in the first cold hours before the dawn of civilisation; the power that comes out of the wilderness and rides on the whirlwind and breaks the gods of stone; the power before which the eastern nations are prostrate like a pavement; the power before which the primitive prophets run naked and shouting, at once proclaiming and escaping from their god; the fear that is rightly rooted in the beginnings of every religion, true or false: the fear of the Lord, that is the beginning of wisdom; but not the end."

Two Weapons

“One day, through the Rosary and the Scapular, I shall save the world.”
~Our Lady to Blessed Alan de la Roche

Today is the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, she who is so identified with the Carmelite Order and the promotion of the Brown Scapular as one of the most powerful sacramentals in of the Church. If you have not been invested in the Brown Scapular, contact your parish priest. Read more about it here.

“In the end, My Immaculate Heart will triumph. The Holy Father will consecrate Russia to Me, and she will be converted, and a period of peace will be granted to the world.”

Our Lady's Words at Fatima tell us to keep praying and to keep sacrificing for sinners, especially those in gravest danger of damnation. One day, the consecration asked for by the Blessed Virgin will be done, and her Immaculate Heart will triumph. How can we look around us and fail to pray for the triumph of the Immaculate Heart?

Our Lady of Mount Carmel, pray for us!
Our Lady of Fatima, pray for us!

Makes Sense to Me

OK, you want to be President of the United States. The media loves you. Your party loves you. Everyone outside of the U.S. loves you. You run against an incumbent party that is at its lowest approval rating ever, and which party has nominated a man his own party dislikes intensely.

Cue Hail to the Chief, right? Nice and easy.

Easy, that is, if in fact you are a natural born citizen of the United States, as the Constitution requires in Article II, Section 1.

Hey, no problem, you were born in Hawaii.

But wait-- lots of "crackpots" make the accusation that you were born in Kenya. Your relatives let slip that they think you were born in Kenya. Other official documents issued in your boyhood years list Kenya as your birthplace. People start bringing lawsuits alleging you are not eligible for the office of President of the United States.

But hey, no problem-- because you have two options to settle this issue:

1. Spend $15 to get a certified copy of your Hawaii birth certificate and give it to the press for everyone to see.

2. Spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on lawyers to defend the lawsuits, put a gag order on your family, tell the sycophantic press that you don't want it covered, provide an unauthenticated xerox of what you say is an Hawaiian birth certificate that doesn't match the template for Hawaii birth certificates issued in the year you claim you got it, and fail to provide the original.

Oh yeah, and after you are President, cave into every soldier's demand that he not be deployed into war until you prove you are actually eligible for the job.

Which would you choose?

Simple, Practical Steps to Increase the Reverence of the Ordinary Form of Mass

I know a priest, let's call him "Unknown Secular Priest X", or Fr. X for short. He is a great priest, of some diocese in some country, dedicated to carrying out his vocation in faithfulness to the Church.

I asked him if he might be interested in writing a brief post about what steps could be taken that would have the most immediate effect of increasing the reverence of the Novus Ordo.

The New Liturgical Movement blog is concerned with the "reform of the reform" of the Mass. And while perhaps some of the steps listed below could be seen in conformity with that goal, mostly I wanted simple, straightforward ideas that could improve things right now for that majority of Catholics attending the average parish church. Fr. X's ideas are exactly that.

Of course, this is not a post where I intend to compare the OF and the EF; my feelings on that subject are no doubt well-known.

Here is Fr. X's reply:

1. Say the black, do the red. The mass needs no introduction, no little improvements, no help explaining itself.

2. Use the Confiteor-the words, “I confess . . .” are always appropriate. [Before the Cross there is no excuse]. (SLC note: Ante Crucem Nihil Defensionis is the episcopal motto of His Grace Archbishop Carlson. Fr. X knows St. Louis is my Archdiocese of residence).

3. Priest and people facing liturgical East, journeying toward the Lord.

4. Use the Roman Canon frequently, if not all the time. Remember always, the priest is addressing God, not the people during this critical time in the liturgy.

5. Make use of ritual reverences in the treatment of the sacred species appropriate to a rite which is the Lord’s own sacrifice, not a potluck; purify all vessels after communion and before the closing collect and dismissal.

6. Maintain our connection with the tradition and the Communion of Saints by using Latin in the ordinary of the mass. The Sanctus and the Agnus Dei are simple and easily used.

7. Burn all the guitars and synthesizers, or at least use them someplace appropriate. And, while we’re at it, get the musicians in the back of church where they belong.

8. Move away from the 5 hymn “sandwich” and move back to the sung propers (there are many places to find these things in translation with appropriate settings that are free; Chabanel Psalms online, for example) .

__________________________

One Priest's list. Perhaps others would like to add or comment in the combox. Please try to keep it constructive.

My thanks to Fr. X. Still waiting to hear from UCLX, by the way...

FYI: Both photos above are N.O. Masses, neither photo pictures Fr. X.

BREAKING NEWS: Pujols to Miss All-Star Game Tonight!

In what can only be described as a devastating development for the National League as it seeks to break a long losing streak in the midsummer classic, and a disappointment for baseball fans, Albert Pujols has announced he will miss tonight's All-Star Game.

When quizzed about the reason, Pujols had this to say, "Man, you know I love to compete, but I just couldn't stay away from Canon Wiener's Anniversary Mass and Reception tonight at 6:30pm at the Oratory. Who knows, maybe if there is time afterwards I can get the stadium to pinch hit and win the game."

Mass and Reception Tuesday at 6:30 pm in Commemoration of the Tenth Anniversary of Canon Wiener's Ordination

At St. Francis de Sales Oratory.

I have been remiss in posting this event, but am happy to do it now. Canon Wiener, who is approaching the first anniversary of his appointment as rector, was ordained ten years ago on June 30, 1999, the Commemoration of St. Paul, by then-Bishop Raymond Burke.

There is a Solemn High Mass at the Oratory this Tuesday, July 14, at 6:30 pm, with a reception afterwards in the parish hall. Canon Wiener has been a blessing for the faithful at St. Francis de Sales, St. Margaret Mary, and all of the apostolates he has served. He deserves a party, don't you think?

Canon Wiener is pictured above, on the right. He is next to Canon Lenhardt, the past rector, on the occasion of the "changing of the guard" last September. I haven't been able to take my digital camera for a while, as Sharon may have misplaced it.

Please come and celebrate this joyous event. To avoid Presidential motorcades and All-Star Game traffic, you may want to avoid the interstates, but check traffic before you go. Directions and map at the link above.

Catholic Key Does It Again

Jack Smith at the Catholic Key has an excellent, excellent post on the financial woes of Voice of the (so-called) Faithful, and also some interesting information about the professional finger-pointers at SNAP. A must read.

Homeschool News from HSLDA

Missouri--Announcing the Families of Home Education
Back to School Homeschool and Leadership Conference!

Dear HSLDA Members and Friends:

The FHE Back to School Homeschool and Leadership Conference is coming to your area on August 7-8, 2009. This event will be held at First Baptist Grandview, 1416 Main Street, Grandview, MO 64030. It is free for FHE members who pre-register by August 1, and $20 for non-FHE members.

HSLDA Attorney Scott Woodruff will be attending this conference to
explain recent changes in Missouri homeschool law:

"Under a newly passed Missouri law, compulsory attendance goes to age 17 unless a child has earned 16 credits, with a credit consisting of at least 100 hours of instruction in a course. Scott Woodruff will explain what a "credit" is and the hours of instruction required to earn one, and how this impacts the records you need to keep and the way you need to teach.

Along the same lines, President Obama's ambassador to the UN recently said his administration is discussing ratifying the UN International Rights of the Child Treaty. Woodruff will discuss what is actually in this treaty, what it would mean for you as a parent if it is ratified, and what we must do to stop it."

For more information about the FHE Back to School Homeschool and
Leadership Conference, contact FHE at 877-696-6343 or visit them
online at http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=6743.

Did Sister Louise Lears Defy the Decree of Interdict at St. Cronan's Yesterday?

I don't know if Sister Lears' friends are super smart, or the opposite. Perhaps they want to give Archbishop Carlson his first serious test. But the Local "Catholic" Reporter has published this post:

Welcome Louise!
A dear member of the St. Cronan community participated in our Celebration of the Eucharist this morning. Smiles and Hugs all around for Sister Louise Lears.

Cronanites know how to love.

The first thing to note is that this post is vague, and does not necessarily compel the conclusion that Lears was given Holy Communion in defiance of the interdict issued by Archbishop Burke. Click here for the text of the Decree, in PDF format.

Why was Sr. Lears disciplined? From one of my posts at the time:

In a Decree issued this afternoon by Archbishop Raymond L. Burke, Sister Louise Lears, SC, has been found guilty of the following canonical delicts:

Pertinacious rejection of doctrine, obstinately rejecting a doctrine de Fide tenenda under can. 750, para. 2 ;

Publicly inciting the subjects of the Apostolic See or of an Ordinary to animosity or hatred of, and provoking disobedience to, the Apostolic See or Ordinary under can. 1373. This finding includes scandalizing the faithful in the exercise of her 'pastoral leadership' at St. Cronan, and by her position as religious sister and coordinator of religious education, which led the faithful to participate in sacred rites that the Ordinary has reproved as immoral and unlawful;

Violation of Divine or Canon Law which, because of its special gravity demands punishment, and which is coupled with the urgent need to prevent and correct scandal under can. 1399; the Decree also states that this canon is further implicated by Sr. Lears' commission of an act which per se is capable of leading a soul to commit mortal sin, and which directly entices a number of Catholic Faithful to lose membership in and full communion with the Roman Catholic Church and thus imperil their eternal salvation;

Finally, the Archbishop finds that Sister Lears has committed prohibited communio in sacris by participating in the simulation of a sacrament under can. 1365; however, because of possible jurisdiction issues this matter is denounced to the Holy See for determination of guilt.

The penalty of interdict was imposed ferendae sententiae, that is, by the positive decree of the Archbishop. It prohibits her from receiving the sacraments until such time as she is reconciled to the Church. If this had happened, there would have been a public statement, as we saw in the St. Stanislaus Board reconciliations. The offenses she committed were public and injured the Body of Christ; thus the remedy must be public to avoid scandal.

Therefore, the salient questions are these:

1. Did she receive Holy Communion in violation and defiance of the interdict?

2. If so, from whom, and did that person have knowledge of the interdict?

3. Will Fr. Kleba, the pastor, be called to answer for this outrage to the Eucharist, and the contumacy such an act evidences towards his Ordinary?

4. Even if she did not receive Holy Communion, will the parish be allowed to celebrate Lears' attendance as though she is to be honored for her canonical crimes, rather than reproved and entreated to reconcile with the Church?

The Lears supporters at St. Cronan continue to play their game of disobedience. Will they be called on it?

As for the statements that "Cronanites know how to love", I don't know that confirming someone in mortal sin is the best way to do it--but what do I know.

1 Thessalonians 5:1-28

5 1 But of the times and moments, brethren, you need not, that we should write to you.

5 2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord shall so come as a thief in the night.
5 3 For when they shall say: Peace and security; then shall sudden destruction come upon them, as the pains upon her that is with child, and they shall not escape.
5 4 But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day should overtake you as a thief.

5 5 For all you are the children of light and children of the day: we are not of the night nor of darkness.
5 6 Therefore, let us not sleep, as others do: but let us watch, and be sober.

5 7 For they that sleep, sleep in the night; and they that are drunk, are drunk in the night.

5 8 But let us, who are of the day, be sober, having on the breast plate of faith and charity and, for a helmet, the hope of salvation.

5 9 For God hath not appointed us unto wrath: but unto the purchasing of salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,
5 10 Who died for us: that, whether we watch or sleep, we may live together with him.

5 11 For which cause comfort one another and edify one another, as you also do.

5 12 And we beseech you, brethren, to know them who labour among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you;
5 13 That you esteem them more abundantly in charity, for their work's sake. Have peace with them.
5 14 And we beseech you, brethren, rebuke the unquiet: comfort the feeble minded: support the weak: be patient towards all men.
5 15 See that none render evil for evil to any man: but ever follow that which is good towards each other and towards all men.

5 16 Always rejoice.
5 17 Pray without ceasing.
5 18 In all things give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you all.

5 19 Extinguish not the spirit.
5 20 Despise not prophecies.
5 21 But prove all things: hold fast that which is good.

5 22 From all appearance of evil refrain yourselves.
5 23 And may the God of peace himself sanctify you in all things: that your whole spirit and soul and body may be preserved blameless in the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

5 24 He is faithful who hath called you, who also will do it.

5 25 Brethren, pray for us.
5 26 Salute all the brethren with a holy kiss.
5 27 I charge you by the Lord that this epistle be read to all the holy brethren.

5 28 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.

Igitur non dormiamus sicut ceteri sed vigilemus et sobrii simus. Qui enim dormiunt nocte dormiunt et qui ebrii sunt nocte ebrii sunt. Nos autem qui diei sumus sobrii simus induti loricam fidei et caritatis et galeam spem salutis. Quoniam non posuit nos Deus in iram sed in adquisitionem salutis per Dominum nostrum Iesum Christum, qui mortuus est pro nobis ut sive vigilemus sive dormiamus simul cum illo vivamus. Propter quod consolamini invicem et aedificate alterutrum sicut et facitis.

They're Here to Help

Government, that is. And don't you just feel all warm inside about it?

A quick round-up of recent stories about the encircling net:

UBS, US in Talks to Settle Case on 52,000 Accounts

Gore: US Climate Bill Will Help Bring about 'Global Governance'

Swine Flu 'Unstoppable', All Countries Will Need Vaccine: WHO

Chips in Official IDs Raise Privacy Fears

Well, at least I can relax a little tonight and watch the All-Star Game in peace. Oh, wait...

Obama to Join Fox Broadcast Booth for All-Star Game

Me! Me! Me! I want to be on TV again! And throw out the first pitch, too! Tomorrow, back to ruining the country and running people's lives. Mwa ha ha!

___________________
P.S. Leftists, save your breath, I get a free pass on this one.

Not Forgotten

Oratory Sacristan Abbe Alex Barga-- pictured here in the center, with former Oratory residents Abbe Chad Templin (to his right) and Abbe Heitor Netto (to his left)-- received the tonsure in Gricigliano last month. Corey Rouse, who was also stationed at the Oratory, is not pictured here.

Priestly Ordinations in Florence for the ICRSP by Archbishop Burke

That's our own Canon Jason Apple in the foreground, with fellow Canons Raphael Ueda and Frederic Goupil. From the ICRSP site.

Et virtute magna reddebant apostoli testimonium resurrectionis Iesu Christi Domini et gratia magna erat in omnibus illis.

The Price of Faith

From the Gateway Pundit:

Two Iranian Women Arrested, Face Execution, for Converting to Christianity

Two Iranian women face execution for converting to Christianity. The two are being held in the notorious Evin Prison along with hundreds of Iranian democracy activists.
Bos News Life reported:

Two detained Christian women are "in danger of being forgotten" amid concerns they may face execution, Iranian Christians said Tuesday, July 7.

Marzieh Amirizadeh, 30, and Maryam Rustampoor, 27, have been held for over four months in Tehran's notorious Evin prison apparently for converting to Christianity from Islam.

Iranian Christians and rights investigators said the two young women, who were arrested March 5, suffered sleep deprivation as part of police interrogations and were held in solitary confinement for three weeks in May and early June.

Later, they were put together in one small cell for about two weeks before being moved to a larger area to make place for other inmates, including many protesters who were detained following last month's disputed presidential elections, said Christians with close knowledge about the situation.

About 600 women were reportedly brought to Evin prison during the protests.

There was still no clarity regarding the case of the two Christian women, Tuesday, July 7, with one judge reportedly telling them they were both to be executed as ‘apostates’. "Maryam and Marzieh have responded with courage, however, telling the judge to 'expedite his sentence'," said Pray for Iran, an Internet initiative of Iranian churches.

The Hermeneutic of Fatima

Welcome Back, Canon Apple

You left a deacon, now you're a priest. We are grateful for your service.

Please pray for Canon Apple and for all priests.

This is Particularly Vile

From Lifesite News:

Men's Advice Website Column Tells Men How To Coerce Their Girlfriends To Abort

By Thaddeus M. Baklinski

July 10, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A men's advice column published on the sexually suggestive AskMen.com website, which describes a coercive plan of action for men on how to talk their pregnant girlfriends into aborting their unborn child, has prompted outrage from pro-life groups and commentators. The backlash over the column appears to have been so forceful that the site has now pulled the offending piece.

[...]

Considering the life-changing effect of becoming parents, Snow states, "Don't just tell her you don't want to be a father." Snow suggests eliciting economic considerations by asking "Who's going to care for the baby while you're working? Will you have to move to a new home? Will you have to sell your Harley and get a station wagon?"

"You just need to take care with the presentation," Snow advises. "When you're ready to share your opinion, you'll want to use a calm, steady tone. You'll also want to take care with your word choice; pregnant women tend to feel like they're carrying someone, as opposed to something, even if she is just a month or so pregnant."

Snow concludes that if the man follows all her "steps" and the "woman decides to have the baby anyway, this does not mean you're required to get married or move in together," and finally abrogates all fatherhood responsibility by stating, "This was her decision, not yours, and the bulk of the responsibility is now hers."
[...]

Popebama

This Reuters story covers the meeting between the Holy Father and the guy who acts like his boss. Obama said he wanted to reduce the number of abortions. Maybe it was just me, but I thought I heard the Pope say, "Cool. Here's an idea: How about you make them illegal?"

I was pleased to see Mrs. Obama appropriately dressed for an audience with the Pope, though. Looking the part is half the battle.

Risking Life and Limb

The Festival de San Fermin is celebrated with particular fervor in Pamplona, Spain. Though the name of the Saint whose feast it is may not be well-known, the spectacle of the running of the bulls is famous, drawing spectators and participants from all over the world.

St. Fermin (Firminus in Latin) was the son of a Roman of senatorial rank in Pamplona. He was converted to Catholicism by St. Honestus and baptized by St. Saturninus. He was ordained a priest in Toulouse and returned to Pamplona as its first bishop. He was later martyred by beheading in A.D. 303, in Amiens. He is the patron of both Amiens, France, and Navarre, Spain.

Why is he associated with an event like the running of the bulls? Perhaps due to the peculiar martyrdom of St. Saturninus, his baptizer, who was martyred by being tied to a bull by his feet and dragged to his death in A.D. 257. Over time, some incorrectly attributed this martyrdom to San Fermin.

One of the hallmarks of Catholic culture over the centuries is the establishment of great festivals honoring our Lord, our Lady, and the Saints. These celebrations would gather people from across whole regions in a protracted display of religious fervor, joy, family and faith. It is a perfectly Catholic endeavor to enjoy the good things that God has given us, and to anticipate in these festivals a little foretaste of Heaven.

However, like most of these festivals, over time the religious origin and end of these events gets forgotten or shoved aside as an excuse to indulge in an ever-increasing amount of public gluttony, drunkenness, or rowdy behavior. Commercialized Christmas. Mardi Gras and Carnival. And first among a similar trend in other regional festivals stands the Festival de San Fermin. In the end, they seem a strange way to mark Catholic feast days.

The running of the bulls has been romanticized by many writers; in the English speaking world, most notably Ernest Hemingway. In my younger days I seriously considered running with the bulls myself, yet thankfully never convinced Sharon of the necessity of it.

So, how does it work?

From Wikipedia:

The event begins with runners singing three times "A San Fermín pedimos, por ser nuestro patrón, nos guíe en el encierro dándonos su bendición" ("We ask Saint Fermín, as our Patron, to guide us through the encierro and give us his blessing"), a prayer to a statue of Saint Fermin, patron of the festival and the city, to ask his protection. The singing finishes shouting “Viva San Fermín!, Gora San Fermín!” (Long live San Fermin, in Spanish and Basque).

The bulls are released, the participants run through the narrow course of cobblestone streets to the town's bullring. The streets are treacherous at any time, and especially when they are wet. Eventually, runners and bulls make it to the ring, and afterwards the bullfights begin. This is repeated every day of the festival, which runs nine days.

That's it. It is exhilarating for spectators and runners alike.

Sometimes, though, not everything goes smoothly. From a story in the UK Telegraph today:

Man gored to death by bull in Pamplona run

His lung was pierced by one of the animal's horns as he took part in the annual run. Nine others were injured in a dangerous race that saw one bull break away from the pack and charge sprinters.

The man, whose nationality and age have not yet been released, was gored in the neck and lung as he ran the half mile course through the cobbled streets of the northern Spanish town.

"He is dead. He had been hit by a horn that punctured a lung," a spokesman for organisers of the annual San Fermin festival confirmed.

Television footage showed that the bull, a brown beast named Cappucino, broke away from the pack of five others and six steers which carried on running the course without him. Once separated the bull became disorientated and aggressive and began charging at the crowds of runners.

One man was flipped into the air and then lay curled on the ground as the bull repeatedly charged him. Others attempted to leap over the wooden barrier to escape his horns.

At least three other people were being treated for injuries inflicted by the bull's horns and another six suffered minor injuries, said a spokesman at the Virgen del Camino hospital in Pamplona.

Of course, news like this puts the question of whether it is morally justifiable to put one's life at risk for essentially no good reason. It certainly is an odd way of honoring the Saint.

At End of a Very Interesting Day

Many know, or have figured out, that I began this blog: 1) to support the Church, the Holy Father and the Archbishop; 2) to promote the traditional practice of the faith, especially in the liturgy and sacramental forms; and, 3) to support the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest generally, and St. Francis de Sales Oratory specifically.

Just for posterity, and to satisfy the curiosity of a few commenters today, I decided to find out which posts have received the most comments in the history of this blog. The results are an exercise in humility.

Here are the top five (with the number of comments generated):

Truth in Advertising, or, Why My Daughter is Homeschooled (121 comments) (and nearly as many more rejected for profanity)

The Truth Unveiled: Head Covering Still Obligatory for Women Attending Mass (71 comments)

Sharon Remembers (53 comments)

Bad Hair Day (46 comments) (and counting)

Patrick Madrid Weighs in on the Veiling Debate [an offshoot of the main post on the subject] (38 comments)

Looks like I'm really hitting that target audience, eh?

A Puritan's First Holy Mass

Taken from By What Authority?, by Robert Hugh Benson. The scene is a Catholic household during the Elizabethan persecution. James Maxwell has just been released from the Tower of London after having been racked following his arrest for the crime of being a Catholic priest. He had been betrayed by an agent who tricked a protestant friend and neighbor of his youth into unknowingly leading him into a pursuivant's trap. That friend's sister, Isabel, is present in the house; as of yet, neither she nor anyone connected with either family realizes that Isabel's brother is innocent of the treachery. As it happens, Isabel, quite coincidentally, has been lately considering converting to Catholicism.

In other words, your average family scene:

Isabel took her place beside Mistress Margaret at the front bench; and as she knelt forward she noticed a space left beyond her for Lady Maxwell. A moment later there came slow and painful steps through the sitting-room, and Lady Maxwell came in very slowly with her son leaning on her arm and on a stick. There was a silence so profound that it seemed to Isabel as if all had stopped breathing. She could only hear the slow plunging pulse of her own heart.

James took his mother across the altar to her place, and left her there, bowing to her; and then went up to the altar to vest. As he reached it and paused, a servant slipped out and received the stick from him. The priest made the sign of the cross, and took up the amice from the vestments that lay folded on the altar. He was already in his cassock.

Isabel watched each movement with a deep agonising interest; he was so frail and broken, so bent in his figure, so slow and feeble in his movements. He made an attempt to raise the amice but could not, and turned slightly; and the man from behind stepped up again and lifted it for him. Then he helped him with each of the vestments, lifted the alb over his head and tenderly drew the bandaged hands through the sleeves; knit the girdle round him; gave him the stole to kiss and then placed it over his neck and crossed the ends beneath the girdle and adjusted the amice; then he placed the maniple on his left arm, but so tenderly! and lastly, lifted the great red chasuble and dropped it over his head and straightened it-- and there stood the priest as he had stood last Sunday, in crimson vestments again; but bowed and thin-faced now.

Then he began the preparation with the servant who knelt beside him in his ordinary livery, as server; and Isabel heard the murmur of the Latin words for the first time. Then he stepped up to the altar, bent slowly and kissed it and the mass began.

Isabel had a missal, lent to her by Mistress Margaret; but she hardly looked at it; so intent was she on that crimson figure and his strange movements and his low broken voice. It was unlike anything that she had ever imagined worship to be. Public worship to her had meant hitherto one of two things-- either sitting under a minister and having the word applied to her soul in the sacrament of the pulpit; or else the saying of prayers by the minister aloud and distinctly and with expression, so that the intellect could follow the words, and assent with a hearty Amen. The minister was a minister to man of the Word of God, an interpreter of His gospel to man.

But here was worship unlike all this in almost every detail. The priest was addressing God, not man; therefore he did so in a low voice, and in a tongue as Campion had said on the scaffold "that they both understood." It was comparatively unimportant whether man followed it word for word, for (and here the second radical difference lay) the point of the worship for the people lay, not in an intellectual apprehension of the words, but in a voluntary assent to and participation in the supreme act to which the words were indeed necessary but subordinate. It was the thing that was done; not the words that were said, that was mighty with God. Here, as these Catholics round Isabel at any rate understood it, and as she too began to perceive it too, though dimly and obscurely, was the sublime mystery of the Cross presented to God. As He looked down well pleased into the silence and darkness of Calvary, and saw there the act accomplished by which the world was redeemed, so here (this handful of disciples believed), He looked down into the silence and twilight of this little lobby, and saw that same mystery accomplished at the hands of one who in virtue of his participation in the priesthood of the Son of God was empowered to pronounce these heart-shaking words by which the Body that hung on Calvary, and the Blood that dripped from it there, were again spread before His eyes, under the forms of bread and wine.

Much of this faith of course was still dark to Isabel; but yet she understood enough; and when the murmur of the priest died to a throbbing silence, and the worshippers sank in yet more profound adoration, and then with terrible effort and a quick gasp or two of pain, those wrenched bandaged hands rose trembling in the air with Something that glimmered white between them; the Puritan girl too drooped her head, and lifted up her heart, and entreated the Most High and most Merciful to look down on the Mystery of Redemption accomplished on earth; and for the sake of the Well-Beloved to send down His Grace on the Catholic Church; to strengthen and save the living; to give rest and peace to the dead; and especially to remember her dear brother Anthony, and Hubert whom she loved; and Mistress Margaret and Lady Maxwell, and this faithful household: and the poor battered man before her, who, not only as a priest was made like to the Eternal Priest, but as a victim too had hung upon a prostrate cross, fastened by hands and feet; thus bearing on his body for all to see the marks of the Lord Jesus.

When You Start Playing God, You Need Lots of New Definitions

Great Britain is proving this point in the field of the most basic of human societies-- the family. "Mother" and "Father" seem to be fairly obvious terms, but when you factor in the "wonders" of biological science, you need these.

This is Hubris

I didn't know the G-8 created the world and kept it in being, but apparently they can control global temperatures.

Of course, this article glosses over the fact that "global warming" is a total crock to hypnotize the wimpy into embracing the destruction of the West. But I digress.

Gateway Pundit links to this article From Fox News:

G-8 Leaders Back Temperature Limit, Poor Nations Fail to Commit to Reductions

...White House officials confirmed that Obama agreed to language supporting a goal of keeping the world's average temperature from rising more than 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit....

Valuable Resource for Celebration of the Extraordinary Form

The Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest has made available the Gregorian Chant notations for every proper of every Sunday of the year. Any choir or schola that wishes to sing the propers of the Mass now has one place to go to print and use-- for free-- the necessary materials.

The Institute deserves much credit for making this available.

Bad Hair Day

I hate it when my hair does this.

Congratulations to Methodist Jim

My token heretic friend.

Three children under 3 years of age.

We'll make a Catholic of him yet...

Gemeinschaft and Gesellschaft

Gemeinschaft

Gemeinschaft (often translated as community) is an association in which individuals are oriented to the large association as much if not more than to their own self interest. Furthermore, individuals in Gemeinschaft are regulated by common mores, or beliefs about the appropriate behavior and responsibility of members of the association, to each other and to the association at large; associations marked by "unity of will". [Sociologist Ferdinand] Tönnies saw the family as the most perfect expression of Gemeinschaft; however, he expected that Gemeinschaft could be based on shared place and shared belief as well as kinship, and he included globally dispersed religious communities as possible examples of Gemeinschaft.

Gemeinschafts are broadly characterized by a moderate division of labour, strong personal relationships, strong families, and relatively simple social institutions. In such societies there is seldom a need to enforce social control externally, due to a collective sense of loyalty individuals feel for society.

Gesellschaft

In contrast, Gesellschaft (often translated as society or civil society or 'association') describes associations in which, for the individual, the larger association never takes on more importance than the individual's self interest, and lack the same level of shared mores. Gesellschaft is maintained through individuals acting in their own self interest. A modern business is a good example of Gesellschaft, the workers, managers, and owners may have very little in terms of shared orientations or beliefs, they may not care deeply for the product they are making, but it is in all their self interest to come to work to make money, and thus the business continues.

Unlike Gemeinschaften, Gesellschaften emphasize secondary relationships rather than familial or community ties, and there is generally less individual loyalty to society. Social cohesion in Gesellschafts typically derives from a more elaborate division of labor. Such societies are considered more susceptible to class conflict as well as racial and ethnic conflicts.

Doctor Caritatis

If we say a little it is easy to add, but having said too much it is hard to withdraw and never can it be done so quickly as to hinder the harm of our success.

Saint Francis de Sales
(1567 - 1622)

Step-by-Step

1. Go to www.blogger.com
2. Click on "Create a Blog".
3. Type in blog title and url.
4. Follow instructions thereafter.
5. Post something.
6. Experience the joys of anonymous comments.
7. Drink heavily.

Interesting Take on Paragraph 67

John Zmirak of Inside Catholic.com has a good piece on the new encyclical, Caritas in Veritate. In it he emphasizes that the greater portion of the encyclical does not contain anything radically new--except for one paragraph, which has garnered much early attention.

From the full article:

There is only one statement in the encyclical that frankly troubles me. Let me quote it at length:

To manage the global economy; to revive economies hit by the crisis; to avoid any deterioration of the present crisis and the greater imbalances that would result; to bring about integral and timely disarmament, food security and peace; to guarantee the protection of the environment and to regulate migration: for all this, there is urgent need of a true world political authority, as my predecessor Blessed John XXIII indicated some years ago. Such an authority would need to be regulated by law, to observe consistently the principles of subsidiarity and solidarity, to seek to establish the common good, and to make a commitment to securing authentic integral human development inspired by the values of charity in truth. Furthermore, such an authority would need to be universally recognized and to be vested with the effective power to ensure security for all, regard for justice, and respect for rights. Obviously it would have to have the authority to ensure compliance with its decisions from all parties, and also with the coordinated measures adopted in various international forums. Without this, despite the great progress accomplished in various sectors, international law would risk being conditioned by the balance of power among the strongest nations. The integral development of peoples and international cooperation require the establishment of a greater degree of international ordering, marked by subsidiarity, for the management of globalization. They also require the construction of a social order that at last conforms to the moral order, to the interconnection between moral and social spheres, and to the link between politics and the economic and civil spheres, as envisaged by the Charter of the United Nations (CV, 67).

Is the pope calling here for a worldwide state, with coercive authority, that will govern all men at once? I know that medieval Catholics treasured the dream of a universal Empire -- and the Holy Roman Empire was seen as the seed of such a state. As the steward of a Church that transcends nations, the pastor of souls without regard for race, language, or culture, it may be perfectly natural for the pope to feel the attraction of such a super-state.

Perhaps I am too Augustinian, but I cannot help deeply suspecting that any such state would by its very nature begin or (more likely) end as a tyranny. The very monopoly of its power, and the fact that there was not one square inch of the earth from which anyone could escape its clutches, would remove any check or balance from its bureaucrats. Its tax codes would be uniform, with no threat of "competition," so they could rise astronomically high. Its laws could grow ever more Draconian, since there is nowhere its citizens could flee. Its ideology, backed by all the coercive power of the ruling class of the planet, would -- in the hands of the fallen men who administered it -- quickly become a global religion.

If such a State (as I think it inevitable) decided to persecute the Church, there would be no exile we could seek -- no Douai from which to send out Jesuits, no refuge from martyrdom. Indeed, as prophetic writers from Vladimir Soloviev to Robert Hugh Benson have warned, the man who steps forward as the architect of a world state is less likely to prove the humble servant of the truths taught by the Church than he is to be the Antichrist.

I know that the pope suffered deeply, and personally, from the sick excesses of nationalism. Perhaps if I'd been drafted into the Hitler Youth, and seen my nation ruined and dishonored by a cancerous tribal cult like National Socialism, I might also daydream about a universal benevolent State. But there's only one thing worse than a national bureaucratic tyranny -- and that's an international one. A reading of Orwell's 1984 might have reminded Benedict that centralization rarely leads to liberty. And a world-state administered by the kind of people who currently get involved in supranational organizations like the EU and the UN would make its first order of business the liquidation of the Church -- which wouldn't even have a Liechtenstein where it could hide. On this point I must say respectfully to His Holiness: Not in this lifetime.

Pontifical Commission "Ecclesia Dei" Brought under the CDF

Original Latin is at the Vatican's site, here is an English translation provided by Rorate Caeli:

APOSTOLIC LETTER
ECCLESIAE UNITATEM
OF THE SUPREME PONTIFF
BENEDICT XVI
GIVEN MOTU PROPRIO

__________________


1. The role of guarding THE UNITY OF THE CHURCH, with the solicitude of offering to all aid for responding in an opportune manner to this vocation and divine grace, belongs in a particular way to the Successor of the Apostle Peter, who is the perpetual and visible principle and foundation of the unity both of Bishops and of the faithful1. The supreme and fundamental priority of the Church, in every age, of leading men towards an encounter with God must be favored through the effort of promoting the common witness of faith of all Christians.

2. In faithfulness to this mandate, following the act with which Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, on June 30, 1988, illicitly conferred the episcopal ordination on four priests, Pope John Paul II, of venerable memory, instituted, on July 2, 1988, the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei "whose task of collaborating with the bishops, with the Departments of the Roman Curia and with the circles concerned, for the purpose of facilitating full ecclesial communion of priests, seminarians, religious communities or individuals until now linked in various ways to the Fraternity founded by Mons. Lefebvre, who may wish to remain united to the Successor Peter in the Catholic Church, while preserving their spiritual and liturgical traditions, in the light of the Protocol signed on 5 May last by Cardinal Ratzinger and Mons. Lefebvre"2.

3. In this way faithfully adhering to the same purpose of serving the universal communion of the Church also in her visible manifestation and making every effort so that to all those who truly desire unity it is made possible to remain in it or to find it anew, We have desired to widen and renew, with the Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum, the general indications already contained in the Motu Proprio Ecclesia Dei regarding the possibility of using the Missale Romanum of 1962, through more precise and detailed rules3.

4. In the same spirit, and with the same commitment of favoring the overcoming of each fracture and division in the Church and to heal a wound felt in an always more painful way in the ecclesial tissue, We desired to remit the excommunication of the four Bishops illicitly ordained by Mons. Lefebvre. With such a decision, We intended to remove an obstacle which could prevent the opening of a door to dialogue, and thus invite the Bishops and the "Fraternity of Saint Pius X" to find anew the path towards full communion with the Church. As We explained in the Letter to the Catholic Bishops of past March 10, the remission of the excommunication was a decision in the area of ecclesiastical discipline which could liberate the weight of conscience represented by the gravest ecclesiastical censure. The doctrinal questions, however, obviously remain, and, until they are not clarified, the Fraternity does not have a canonical status within the Church, and its ministers cannot exercise any ministry legitimately.

5. Since the questions which must be dealt with the Fraternity are of an essentially doctrinal nature, We have decided - twenty-one years after the Motu Proprio Ecclesia Dei, and as We had planned to do4 - to restructure the Commission Ecclesia Dei, linking it more directly with the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

6. Therefore, the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei will be constituted thus:

a) The President of the Commission is the Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

b) The Commission has its own structure, including a Secretary and Officials.

c) It belongs to the President, aided by the Secretary, to present the main events and questions of a doctrinal nature to the study and deliberation of the ordinary instances of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, as well as to submit the conclusions to the superior judgment of the Supreme Pontiff.

7. With this decision, We have desired, in particular, to display our fatherly solicitude to the "Fraternity of Saint Pius X" so that in the end it may come to full communion with the Church.

We earnestly invite all to pray to the Lord incessantly, through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, "ut unum sint".


Given in Rome, at Saint Peter’s, on July 2 of the year 2009, the fifth of Our Pontificate.


BENEDICTUS PP. XVI
__________________________
1. Cfr Conc. Oecum. Vat. II, Const. dogm. de Ecclesia, Lumen gentium, 23; Conc. Oecum. Vat. I, Const. dogm. de Ecclesia Christi Pastor aeternus, c. 3: DS 3060.
2. Ioannes Paulus II, Litt. ap. motu proprio datae Ecclesia Dei (2 Iulii 1988), n. 6: AAS 80 (1988), 1498.
3. Cfr Benedictus XVI, Litt. ap. motu proprio datae Summorum Pontificum (7 Iulii 2007): AAS 99 (2007), 777-781.
4. Cfr ibid. art.11, 781.

"Openness to life Is at the Centre of true development."

These are the words of the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, in his encyclical letter released today, Caritas in Veritate. It is document packed with several different topics within the broader subject of social interaction among men. I cannot top the Pope's own words, intellectual ability, or moral authority, so nothing I observe should substitute for a reading of the entire letter. However, some paragraphs struck me particularly, and I give them here with very brief comments:

The Holy Father emphasizes again and again that truth and charity are inextricably linked:

3. Through this close link with truth, charity can be recognized as an authentic expression of humanity and as an element of fundamental importance in human relations, including those of a public nature. Only in truth does charity shine forth, only in truth can charity be authentically lived. Truth is the light that gives meaning and value to charity. That light is both the light of reason and the light of faith, through which the intellect attains to the natural and supernatural truth of charity: it grasps its meaning as gift, acceptance, and communion. Without truth, charity degenerates into sentimentality. Love becomes an empty shell, to be filled in an arbitrary way. In a culture without truth, this is the fatal risk facing love. It falls prey to contingent subjective emotions and opinions, the word “love” is abused and distorted, to the point where it comes to mean the opposite. Truth frees charity from the constraints of an emotionalism that deprives it of relational and social content, and of a fideism that deprives it of human and universal breathing-space. In the truth, charity reflects the personal yet public dimension of faith in the God of the Bible, who is both Agápe and Lógos: Charity and Truth, Love and Word.

4....In the present social and cultural context, where there is a widespread tendency to relativize truth, practising charity in truth helps people to understand that adhering to the values of Christianity is not merely useful but essential for building a good society and for true integral human development. A Christianity of charity without truth would be more or less interchangeable with a pool of good sentiments, helpful for social cohesion, but of little relevance...

5....Without truth, without trust and love for what is true, there is no social conscience and responsibility, and social action ends up serving private interests and the logic of power, resulting in social fragmentation, especially in a globalized society at difficult times like the present.

The Holy Father notes that "justice" is merely the minimum beginning of "charity". We must strive to be motivated by charity, that gives more than is due and which involves a gift from the lover to the beloved. Mere "justice", emptied of the motive of caritas, becomes a shell, and easily falls victim to ideology:

6. “Caritas in veritate” is the principle around which the Church's social doctrine turns, a principle that takes on practical form in the criteria that govern moral action. I would like to consider two of these in particular, of special relevance to the commitment to development in an increasingly globalized society: justice and the common good.

First of all, justice. Ubi societas, ibi ius: every society draws up its own system of justice. Charity goes beyond justice, because to love is to give, to offer what is “mine” to the other; but it never lacks justice, which prompts us to give the other what is “his”, what is due to him by reason of his being or his acting. I cannot “give” what is mine to the other, without first giving him what pertains to him in justice. If we love others with charity, then first of all we are just towards them. Not only is justice not extraneous to charity, not only is it not an alternative or parallel path to charity: justice is inseparable from charity[1], and intrinsic to it. Justice is the primary way of charity or, in Paul VI's words, “the minimum measure” of it[2], an integral part of the love “in deed and in truth” (1 Jn 3:18), to which Saint John exhorts us. On the one hand, charity demands justice: recognition and respect for the legitimate rights of individuals and peoples. It strives to build the earthly city according to law and justice. On the other hand, charity transcends justice and completes it in the logic of giving and forgiving[3]. The earthly city is promoted not merely by relationships of rights and duties, but to an even greater and more fundamental extent by relationships of gratuitousness, mercy and communion. Charity always manifests God's love in human relationships as well, it gives theological and salvific value to all commitment for justice in the world.

9....Fidelity to man requires fidelity to the truth, which alone is the guarantee of freedom (cf. Jn 8:32) and of the possibility of integral human development....

The Pope continues to maintain that there cannot be a rupture between Catholic teaching before and after the Second Vatican Council. There is, and can only be, continuity, as the truth does not change:

12.... It is not a case of two typologies of social doctrine, one pre-conciliar and one post-conciliar, differing from one another: on the contrary, there is a single teaching, consistent and at the same time ever new. It is one thing to draw attention to the particular characteristics of one Encyclical or another, of the teaching of one Pope or another, but quite another to lose sight of the coherence of the overall doctrinal corpus...

Attention, political messiahs and all social utopians:

17. A vocation is a call that requires a free and responsible answer. Integral human development presupposes the responsible freedom of the individual and of peoples: no structure can guarantee this development over and above human responsibility. The “types of messianism which give promises but create illusions” always build their case on a denial of the transcendent dimension of development, in the conviction that it lies entirely at their disposal. This false security becomes a weakness, because it involves reducing man to subservience, to a mere means for development, while the humility of those who accept a vocation is transformed into true autonomy, because it sets them free...

The Holy Father reflects on beneficial cultural interchange, again, tied to the truth:

26....Let it not be forgotten that the increased commercialization of cultural exchange today leads to a twofold danger. First, one may observe a cultural eclecticism that is often assumed uncritically: cultures are simply placed alongside one another and viewed as substantially equivalent and interchangeable. This easily yields to a relativism that does not serve true intercultural dialogue; on the social plane, cultural relativism has the effect that cultural groups coexist side by side, but remain separate, with no authentic dialogue and therefore with no true integration. Secondly, the opposite danger exists, that of cultural levelling and indiscriminate acceptance of types of conduct and life-styles. In this way one loses sight of the profound significance of the culture of different nations, of the traditions of the various peoples, by which the individual defines himself in relation to life's fundamental questions[62]. What eclecticism and cultural levelling have in common is the separation of culture from human nature...

Respect for life in all stages of development is the key to human progress. The Pope notes the link between contempt for life and the decline of civilization:

28. One of the most striking aspects of development in the present day is the important question of respect for life, which cannot in any way be detached from questions concerning the development of peoples...

Not only does the situation of poverty still provoke high rates of infant mortality in many regions, but some parts of the world still experience practices of demographic control, on the part of governments that often promote contraception and even go so far as to impose abortion. In economically developed countries, legislation contrary to life is very widespread, and it has already shaped moral attitudes and praxis, contributing to the spread of an anti-birth mentality; frequent attempts are made to export this mentality to other States as if it were a form of cultural progress.

Some non-governmental Organizations work actively to spread abortion, at times promoting the practice of sterilization in poor countries, in some cases not even informing the women concerned. Moreover, there is reason to suspect that development aid is sometimes linked to specific health-care policies which de facto involve the imposition of strong birth control measures. Further grounds for concern are laws permitting euthanasia as well as pressure from lobby groups, nationally and internationally, in favour of its juridical recognition.

Openness to life is at the centre of true development. When a society moves towards the denial or suppression of life, it ends up no longer finding the necessary motivation and energy to strive for man's true good.

The Pope addresses globalization:

42. Sometimes globalization is viewed in fatalistic terms, as if the dynamics involved were the product of anonymous impersonal forces or structures independent of the human will...

Despite some of its structural elements, which should neither be denied nor exaggerated, “globalization, a priori, is neither good nor bad. It will be what people make of it”[104]. We should not be its victims, but rather its protagonists, acting in the light of reason, guided by charity and truth. Blind opposition would be a mistaken and prejudiced attitude, incapable of recognizing the positive aspects of the process, with the consequent risk of missing the chance to take advantage of its many opportunities for development. The processes of globalization, suitably understood and directed, open up the unprecedented possibility of large-scale redistribution of wealth on a world-wide scale; if badly directed, however, they can lead to an increase in poverty and inequality, and could even trigger a global crisis. It is necessary to correct the malfunctions, some of them serious, that cause new divisions between peoples and within peoples, and also to ensure that the redistribution of wealth does not come about through the redistribution or increase of poverty: a real danger if the present situation were to be badly managed...

Next, he covers the positive aspects of population growth, and the need to preserve the natural moral law in areas of family life:

44. The notion of rights and duties in development must also take account of the problems associated with population growth. This is a very important aspect of authentic development, since it concerns the inalienable values of life and the family[110]. To consider population increase as the primary cause of underdevelopment is mistaken, even from an economic point of view. Suffice it to consider, on the one hand, the significant reduction in infant mortality and the rise in average life expectancy found in economically developed countries, and on the other hand, the signs of crisis observable in societies that are registering an alarming decline in their birth rate. Due attention must obviously be given to responsible procreation, which among other things has a positive contribution to make to integral human development. The Church, in her concern for man's authentic development, urges him to have full respect for human values in the exercise of his sexuality. It cannot be reduced merely to pleasure or entertainment, nor can sex education be reduced to technical instruction aimed solely at protecting the interested parties from possible disease or the “risk” of procreation. This would be to impoverish and disregard the deeper meaning of sexuality, a meaning which needs to be acknowledged and responsibly appropriated not only by individuals but also by the community. It is irresponsible to view sexuality merely as a source of pleasure, and likewise to regulate it through strategies of mandatory birth control. In either case materialistic ideas and policies are at work, and individuals are ultimately subjected to various forms of violence. Against such policies, there is a need to defend the primary competence of the family in the area of sexuality[111], as opposed to the State and its restrictive policies, and to ensure that parents are suitably prepared to undertake their responsibilities.

Morally responsible openness to life represents a rich social and economic resource. Populous nations have been able to emerge from poverty thanks not least to the size of their population and the talents of their people. On the other hand, formerly prosperous nations are presently passing through a phase of uncertainty and in some cases decline, precisely because of their falling birth rates; this has become a crucial problem for highly affluent societies. The decline in births, falling at times beneath the so-called “replacement level”, also puts a strain on social welfare systems, increases their cost, eats into savings and hence the financial resources needed for investment, reduces the availability of qualified labourers, and narrows the “brain pool” upon which nations can draw for their needs. Furthermore, smaller and at times miniscule families run the risk of impoverishing social relations, and failing to ensure effective forms of solidarity. These situations are symptomatic of scant confidence in the future and moral weariness. It is thus becoming a social and even economic necessity once more to hold up to future generations the beauty of marriage and the family, and the fact that these institutions correspond to the deepest needs and dignity of the person. In view of this, States are called to enact policies promoting the centrality and the integrity of the family founded on marriage between a man and a woman, the primary vital cell of society[112], and to assume responsibility for its economic and fiscal needs, while respecting its essentially relational character.

The Holy Father reminds that care for creation is authentic only as we do not make of it a god, and recalling that it exists by God's love and for our good:

48....Nature expresses a design of love and truth. It is prior to us, and it has been given to us by God as the setting for our life. Nature speaks to us of the Creator (cf. Rom 1:20) and his love for humanity. It is destined to be “recapitulated” in Christ at the end of time (cf. Eph 1:9-10; Col 1:19-20). Thus it too is a “vocation”[115]. Nature is at our disposal not as “a heap of scattered refuse”[116], but as a gift of the Creator who has given it an inbuilt order, enabling man to draw from it the principles needed in order “to till it and keep it” (Gen 2:15). But it should also be stressed that it is contrary to authentic development to view nature as something more important than the human person. This position leads to attitudes of neo-paganism or a new pantheism — human salvation cannot come from nature alone, understood in a purely naturalistic sense. This having been said, it is also necessary to reject the opposite position, which aims at total technical dominion over nature, because the natural environment is more than raw material to be manipulated at our pleasure; it is a wondrous work of the Creator containing a “grammar” which sets forth ends and criteria for its wise use, not its reckless exploitation. Today much harm is done to development precisely as a result of these distorted notions...

Finally, the Pope addresses the concern of the Church for immigrants, and the recent phenomenon of global migration:

62. Another aspect of integral human development that is worthy of attention is the phenomenon of migration. This is a striking phenomenon because of the sheer numbers of people involved, the social, economic, political, cultural and religious problems it raises, and the dramatic challenges it poses to nations and the international community. We can say that we are facing a social phenomenon of epoch-making proportions that requires bold, forward-looking policies of international cooperation if it is to be handled effectively. Such policies should set out from close collaboration between the migrants' countries of origin and their countries of destination; it should be accompanied by adequate international norms able to coordinate different legislative systems with a view to safeguarding the needs and rights of individual migrants and their families, and at the same time, those of the host countries. No country can be expected to address today's problems of migration by itself. We are all witnesses of the burden of suffering, the dislocation and the aspirations that accompany the flow of migrants. The phenomenon, as everyone knows, is difficult to manage; but there is no doubt that foreign workers, despite any difficulties concerning integration, make a significant contribution to the economic development of the host country through their labour, besides that which they make to their country of origin through the money they send home. Obviously, these labourers cannot be considered as a commodity or a mere workforce. They must not, therefore, be treated like any other factor of production. Every migrant is a human person who, as such, possesses fundamental, inalienable rights that must be respected by everyone and in every circumstance.

Caritas in Veritate

The English translation of the Holy Father's new encyclical can be found here. I will try to post some thoughts on it later today.

07-07-09: Two Years After

Two years after, that is, the best document produced by the magisterium of the Church since Humani Generis, (or perhaps Humane Vitae)-- the great Apostolic Letter issued motu proprio, Summorum Pontificum.

This document has already effected a sea-change in the Church, with the Supreme Legislator confirming what traditional Catholics always maintained, and what heterodox liturgical "experts" wanted all to forget-- that the Traditional Catholic Mass had not been abrogated. The traditional Mass was still licit, and, what was more, it deserved to be promoted.

Under the new juridical terminology, the Roman Rite has two lawful forms of Holy Mass-- the "ordinary" and "extraordinary". Both are able to be celebrated at the option of the priest, and even for public Masses the pastor of a church can decide which to celebrate.

This document turned the Church's enemies irrevocably against the Holy Father. But the act of publishing this document guarantees him a hallowed place in history long after he will go to his reward. It may sound dramatic to some, but this one act has done, and will do, more to ensure the survival of the Catholic religion than anything else in the last or next forty years.

It is the vehicle of restoration of liturgy and faith. It is the vehicle for reconciliation of groups, but also the reconciliation, or harmonization, of the Church's magisterium over time. It is a validation of the noble struggle to keep the timeless Mass alive in the midst of persecution, even and perhaps especially within the Church.

This letter has made it far more difficult for dissenting Bishops to deny the faithful their right to this form of Mass, though many still try. Their time is passing. The ancient Mass attracts young and growing congregations.

Pope Benedict's act did not please everyone on either side of the liturgical debate. But he deserves great praise for this, and our constant and fervent prayers. The proper celebration of the Mass is the key to the handing down of the faith itself.

From the motu proprio:

"Up to our own times, it has been the constant concern of supreme pontiffs to ensure that the Church of Christ offers a worthy ritual to the Divine Majesty, 'to the praise and glory of His name,' and 'to the benefit of all His Holy Church.'

Since time immemorial it has been necessary - as it is also for the future - to maintain the principle according to which 'each particular Church must concur with the universal Church, not only as regards the doctrine of the faith and the sacramental signs, but also as regards the usages universally accepted by uninterrupted apostolic tradition, which must be observed not only to avoid errors but also to transmit the integrity of the faith, because the Church's law of prayer corresponds to her law of faith.'

[...]

Art 1. The Roman Missal promulgated by Paul VI is the ordinary expression of the 'Lex orandi' (Law of prayer) of the Catholic Church of the Latin rite. Nonetheless, the Roman Missal promulgated by St. Pius V and reissued by Bl. John XXIII is to be considered as an extraordinary expression of that same 'Lex orandi,' and must be given due honour for its venerable and ancient usage. These two expressions of the Church's Lex orandi will in no any way lead to a division in the Church's 'Lex credendi' (Law of belief). They are, in fact two usages of the one Roman rite.

It is, therefore, permissible to celebrate the Sacrifice of the Mass following the typical edition of the Roman Missal promulgated by Bl. John XXIII in 1962 and never abrogated, as an extraordinary form of the Liturgy of the Church.

Art. 2. In Masses celebrated without the people, each Catholic priest of the Latin rite, whether secular or regular, may use the Roman Missal published by Bl. Pope John XXIII in 1962, or the Roman Missal promulgated by Pope Paul VI in 1970, and may do so on any day with the exception of the Easter Triduum. For such celebrations, with either one Missal or the other, the priest has no need for permission from the Apostolic See or from his Ordinary.

[...]

Art. 3. Communities of Institutes of consecrated life and of Societies of apostolic life, of either pontifical or diocesan right, wishing to celebrate Mass in accordance with the edition of the Roman Missal promulgated in 1962, for conventual or "community" celebration in their oratories, may do so. If an individual community or an entire Institute or Society wishes to undertake such celebrations often, habitually or permanently, the decision must be taken by the Superiors Major, in accordance with the law and following their own specific decrees and statues.

Art. 4. Celebrations of Mass as mentioned above in art. 2 may - observing all the norms of law - also be attended by faithful who, of their own free will, ask to be admitted.

Art. 5. õ 1 In parishes, where there is a stable group of faithful who adhere to the earlier liturgical tradition, the pastor should willingly accept their requests to celebrate the Mass according to the rite of the Roman Missal published in 1962, and ensure that the welfare of these faithful harmonises with the ordinary pastoral care of the parish..."

Study to Explore Possible Link between Autism and Vaccines Derived from Aborted Fetal Cell Lines

From Children of God for Life.

Summer at the Oratory

From the Tradition for Tomorrow blog:


Summer at the Oratory

All are invited to a special community event at the Oratory

Come experience the oratory ~ support the Oratory ~ celebrate our common rich heritage

The city of St. Louis has a regal connection which goes back to the year 1297, when King Louis IX was proclaimed a saint by the Catholic Church. By naming the new city after Saint Louis, the early settlers placed their new community under the patronage of a great king and saint. It is a tribute to their hopes and dreams that they wished to appropriate the saintly attributes for themselves and all future residents of this emerging city, and that they wished to ask for the saint’s intercessory prayers and protection.

The feast day of King St. Louis, the patron saint of our city, is August 25. It is customary, just as it was for the early French explorers and settlers, to reflect on the qualities which make a saint a saint, and to make a festive celebration on his feast day.

On the weekend of August 22nd , we at St. Francis de Sales Oratory invite everyone to join us in a celebration to honor King St. Louis and to introduce all comers to the Oratory.

Only a few years ago the Oratory was in danger of being closed and razed to the ground. Thanks to the vision of Archbishop Raymond L. Burke, the church and the surrounding campus with several buildings were preserved and entrusted to the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest so that it may bring new life to the church and neighborhood. A return to the best elements of tradition - family, genuine friendship, respect for cultural history, and religious values - is the motivation for our efforts here. St. Francis de Sales was once a center of both religious and social life for its members, and it is again.

On Saturday, August 22, from 11 am - 7 pm, in celebration of this occasion, we are bringing back to life a tradition of festive summer bazaars and sizzling barbecues. Fun for the whole family will take place in a garden atmosphere created in our courtyard. There will be sumptuous foods cooked by our Knights of Columbus, music by “JazzWind” in the courtyard, clowns and face painting, games and prizes for the children.

In support of the Oratory’s on-going restoration efforts, there will be a silent auction for many valuable and priceless items on Saturday. Also, there will hourly drawings for attendance prizes. Your generous support of this endeavor will be greatly appreciated.

On Sunday, August 23, the Knights of Columbus will again provide barbecued foods and refreshments for purchase on Lynch Street throughout the afternoon. Also, JazzWind will be playing music on Lynch Street, and there will be organ demonstrations inside the Church.

In a letter of instructions left by King St. Louis to his son Philip, he wrote, “If the Lord bestows upon you any kind of prosperity, thank him humbly and see that you become no worse for it, either though vain pride or anything else, because you ought not to oppose God or offend him in the matter of his gifts. Be kindhearted to the poor, the unfortunate and the afflicted. Give them as much help and consolation as you can. Thank God for all the benefits he has bestowed upon you, that you may be worthy to receive greater.”

Come join us, get to know us, and together, let’s honor the patron saint of St. Louis.

Welcome Back

I hope everybody had a fun and safe Independence Day weekend. I am trying to keep my sense of humor about me these days. That letter to the editor that I posted immediately below gave me a good laugh. I guess with the superabundance of the type of logic it exhibits, the choice is either to laugh or cry.

I also am quite amused with the moveon.org-type emails and comments I am getting that either wish me a good day in fairly vulgar terms, or question my IQ in a roundabout way, or call my parentage into question, or else just link to liberal sites. Amusing, yet a little goes a long way. Though these comments won't see the light of publication, I treasure them in my heart.

Sunday High Mass was beautiful beyond expression. It always does one good to be brought back to first principles.

My son and I also went to Mass this morning, and I had to hurry out the door to make sure he wouldn't be late to serve. Using my usual driving tactics, we arrived with ten minutes to spare. I did notice that when I entered the Church, the lights were not on and the confessional was empty. Then I noticed that I was the only one in the pews. Then I looked at my watch and found that I was an hour and ten minutes early.

It was then that I confirmed that I am losing my mind.

So be it. God bless you all. More posting this afternoon.

And I Missed Town Talk

I publish this wonderfully sublime letter to the editor in today's Post-Dispatch without further comment to spoil your enjoyment:

Mending the Differences

This nation is celebrating another birthday, but this one has a special meaning. For the first time in the history of the land of the free and the home of the brave, the United States has an African-American to guide her. For many, that's a cause for celebration; for others, it's a cause for concern.

When Barack Obama was elected president, he vowed that he would represent the interests of all Americans. I think he has.

But some people think that Mr. Obama is far too liberal. They feel so threatened that they take the constitutional right to bear arms literally. These individuals probably never have taken an honest look into Mr. Obama's policies, but instead heavily rely on information from hate groups.

I have disagreed with some of what Mr. Obama has done while in office-- not bringing the previous administration to trial on war crimes; not reviewing the "don't ask-don't tell" policy, which causes constant fear in our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters in the military; and giving in to pressure from Democrats and Republicans regarding to responding to the Iranian elections. But my liberties are not threatened by Mr. Obama. He may do things differently than the men who went before him, but no one's liberties are threatened.

This year, the nation's birthday comes as we say goodbye to a gentleman who arguable [sic] was the greatest entertainer this nation has ever seen and who was America's greatest ambassador during his time on Earth: Michael Joseph Jackson. Through Mr. Jackson's music, nations came together to celebrate differences. Michael was a citizen of the world, and outside of America, he wasn't seen as strange as he was here.

Happy birthday, America. This year, we should take time to make life better for those with whom we disagree.

--G__ B__

Their Lives, Their Fortunes, and Their Sacred Honor

The North American Martyrs

Thirtieth Anniversary of the Priestly Ordinations of the Founders of the ICRSP

Il y a 30 ans, en la fête de Saint Jean-Baptiste,
de l’an de grâce mille neuf cent soixante dix neuf,
dans la Basilique Saint-Pierre de Rome,
le Pape Jean-Paul II a ordonné Prêtre pour l’éternité
Monseigneur Gilles Wach
Prieur Général de l’Institut du Christ Roi Souverain Prêtre et
Monsieur le Chanoine Philippe Mora
Supérieur du Séminaire Saint Philippe Néri de Gricigliano.

Veritatem Facientes in Caritate

Saint François de Sales

Blessed John Henry Newman

Rorate Caeli has a knack for posting salient quotes. Today it reports that the miracle attributed to Cardinal Newman has been recognized and his beatification is approved.

Great news for the Church-- this holy prelate was an instrumental figure in the growth of the Church in England after centuries of persecution.

But what was really notable at the RC post was the speech given by Cardinal Newman upon his ascension to the Cardinalatial title. The man was perceptive, and prescient.

For thirty, forty, fifty years, I have resisted to the best of my powers the spirit of Liberalism in religion. Never did Holy Church need champions against it more sorely than now, when, alas! it is an error overspreading, as a snare, the whole earth; and on this great occasion, when it is natural for one who is in my place to look out upon the world, and upon Holy Church as in it, and upon her future, it will not, I hope, be considered out of place, if I renew the protest against it which I have made so often.

Liberalism in religion is the doctrine that there is no positive truth in religion, but that one creed is as good as another, and this is the teaching which is gaining substance and force daily. It is inconsistent with any recognition of any religion, as true. It teaches that all are to be tolerated, for all are matters of opinion. Revealed religion is not a truth, but a sentiment and a taste; not an objective fact, not miraculous; and it is the right of each individual to make it say just what strikes his fancy. Devotion is not necessarily founded on faith. Men may go to Protestant Churches and to Catholic, may get good from both and belong to neither. They may fraternise together in spiritual thoughts and feelings, without having any views at all of doctrines in common, or seeing the need of them. Since, then, religion is so personal a peculiarity and so private a possession, we must of necessity ignore it in the intercourse of man with man. If a man puts on a new religion every morning, what is that to you? It is as impertinent to think about a man's religion as about his sources of income or his management of his family. Religion is in no sense the bond of society.

Hitherto the civil power has been Christian. Even in countries separated from the Church, as in my own, the dictum was in force, when I was young, that 'Christianity was the law of the land.' Now, everywhere that goodly framework of society, which is the creation of Christianity, is throwing off Christianity. The dictum to which I have referred, with a hundred others which followed upon it, is gone, or is going everywhere; and, by the end of the century, unless the Almighty interferes, it will be forgotten. Hitherto, it has been considered that religion alone, with its supernatural sanctions, was strong enough to secure submission of the masses of our population to law and order; now the Philosophers and Politicians are bent on satisfying this problem without the aid of Christianity. Instead of the Church's authority and teaching, they would substitute first of all a universal and thoroughly secular education, calculated to bring home to every individual that to be orderly, industrious, and sober is his personal interest. Then, for great working principles to take the place of religion, for the use of the masses thus carefully educated, it provides the broad fundamental ethical truths, of justice, benevolence, veracity, and the like, proved experience, and those natural laws which exist and act spontaneously in society, and in social matters, whether physical or psychological - for instance, in government, trade, finance, sanitary experiments, and the intercourse of nations. As to Religion, it is a private luxury, which a man may have if he will; but which of course he must pay for, and which he must not obtrude upon others, or indulge in to their annoyance.

The general nature of this great apostasia is one and the same everywhere; but in detail, and in character, it varies in different countries. For myself, I would rather speak of it in my own country, which I know. There, I think it threatens to have a formidable success; though it is not easy to see what will be its ultimate issue.

At first sight it might be thought that Englishmen are too religious for a movement which, on the continent, seems to be founded on infidelity; but the misfortune with us is, that, though it ends in infidelity as in other places, it does not necessarily arise out of infidelity. It must be recollected that the religious sects, which sprang up in England three centuries ago, and which are so powerful now, have ever been fiercely opposed to the Union of Church and State, and would advocate the unChristianising of the monarchy and all that belongs to it, under the notion that such a catastrophe would make Christianity much more pure and much more powerful. Next the liberal principle is forced on us from the necessity of the case. Consider what follows from the very fact of these many sects. They constitute the religion, it is supposed, of half the population; and recollect, our mode of government is popular. Every dozen men taken at random whom you meet in the streets have a share in political power — when you inquire into their forms of belief, perhaps they represent one or other of as many as seven religions; how can they possibly act together in municipal or in national matters, if each insists on the recognition of his own religious denomination? All action would be at a deadlock unless the subject of religion was ignored. We cannot help ourselves. And, thirdly, it must be borne in mind, that there is much in the liberalistic theory which is good and true; for example, not to say more, the precepts of justice, truthfulness, sobriety, self-command, benevolence, which, as I have already noted, are among its avowedprinciples, and the natural laws of society. It is not till we find that this array of principles is intended to supersede, to block out, religion, that we pronounce it to be evil. There never was a device of the Enemy so cleverly framed and with such promise of success. And already it has answered to the expectations which have been formed of it. It is sweeping into its own ranks great numbers of able, earnest, virtuous men, elderly men of approved antecedents, young men with a career before them.

Such is the state of things in England, and it is well that it should be realised by all of us; but it must not be supposed for a moment that I am afraid of it. I lament it deeply, because I foresee that it may be the ruin of many souls; but I have no fear at all that it really can do aught of serious harm to the Word of God, to Holy Church, to our Almighty King, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, Faithful and True, or to His Vicar on earth.

Christianity has been too often in what seemed deadly peril, that we should fear for it any new trial now. So far is certain; on the other hand, what is uncertain, and in these great contests commonly is uncertain, and what is commonly a great surprise, when it is witnessed, is the particular mode by which, in the event, Providence rescues and saves His elect inheritance. Sometimes our enemy is turned into a friend; sometimes he is despoiled of that special virulence of evil which was so threatening; sometimes he falls to pieces of himself; sometimes he does just so much as is beneficial, and then is removed. Commonly the Church has nothing more to do than to go on in her own proper duties, in confidence and peace; to stand still and to see the salvation of God.

"Mansueti hereditabunt terram,
Et delectabuntur in multitudine pacis."
[Psalm 36:"The meek shall inherit the earth,
and shall delight in the abundance of peace"]

Biglietto Speech
Rome, May 12, 1879

Important Good News for Free Speech: Judge Dismisses All Charges against Lori Drew in "Cyberbullying" Case

Wow. I have been waiting for some good news for the rule of law lately, and after months of inaction, the Judge in the Lori Drew/Megan Meier case did the right thing and throws out the charges.

This is great news for all who use the internet for political and religious speech; despite the odiousness of what Lori Drew did to that poor girl, the act did not constitute a violation of any criminal law. The attempt to muzzle free speech would have had a disastrous effect as a legal precedent.

From STLToday:

Lori Drew is acquitted in cyberbullying case

LOS ANGELES -- A federal judge in Los Angeles tossed out the case against the St. Charles County mother accused of playing a role in the 2006 death of 13-year-old Megan Meier of Dardenne Prairie.


U.S. District Judge George H. Wu said Thursday that if Lori Drew were guilty of three misdemeanors, everyone who has ever violated a website's rules would be as well.

A federal jury found Drew guilty Nov. 26 of the three misdemeanor charges of illegally accessing a protected computer after prosecutors accused her of playing a role in the cyber-bullying that led to Megan's death. The jury could not agree on a felony conspiracy charge, and prosecutors later dismissed it.

[...]

Wu's ruling Thursday comes about six weeks after Drew was first scheduled to be sentenced.

Megan's parents, Ron and Tina Meier, spoke at the first part of the sentencing hearing in May, asking for the longest punishment possible for Drew – three years in prison.

A pre-sentence report recommended probation and a $5,000 fine.

Prosecutors had also asked for three years, citing the "callousness" of Drew's conduct "and the extraordinary harm" that it caused. They also said that probation "substantially understated the seriousness of the offense."

Drew's lawyer, H. Dean Steward, wanted probation and no fine, arguing that Drew had been harassed and driven from her home after the case became public and could not afford a fine.

Steward has long argued that prosecutors were trying to stretch the law to fit a "crime" that didn't fit. He has also argued that Drew could not be guilty if she never read the terms of service that she was accused of violating.

For months, Wu appeared to lean toward dismissing the case but never followed through. In May, he said that he needed more time to review the testimony of two witnesses in the case.[...]