I hadn't intended to write anything more about Senator Kennedy's death than the few words I had already written, but I've seen a lot of comments and heard a lot of talk in recent days about his "eligibility" for a Catholic funeral. I'm no canon lawyer, so I won't presume to offer any comments on the issue. I'll refer you instead to Dr. Edward Peters, a respected canon lawyer, whose blog, "In the Light of the Law", is always interesting and thought-provoking.In a recent entry Dr. Peters offers his take on whether the senator should have received a Catholic funeral. Click here to read what he has to say.
As for the funeral itself, I didn't watch it since I was busy all day teaching a course on the Eucharist. But Dr. Peters also gives us his thoughts on the funeral Mass and homily, in his words, "some non-canonical reflections on Kennedy's funeral." Click here to read his comments.
Frankly, I think that Senator Kennedy and President Obama (whom Dr. Peters takes a gratuitous swipe at) have more moral authority than the Catholic Church ever has or ever will. (And that's considering Chappaquidick.) His work in favor of health care and for a just society for actual people (rather than for blastocysts), stand in stark contrast to the Church's record. Even leaving aside the recent Church scandals, we have the Church's undeniable friendliness with figures such as Francisco Franco, Benito Musolini, and Augusto Pinochet. We have the disastrous, bordering on genocidal, AIDS policies they are trying to push in Africa. Finally, there is the Church's role in pushing illogical positions in policy on birth control, over population, homosexuality, and stem cell research.
ReplyDeleteGiven all that, I'll trust Senator Kennedy over the Magesterium any day, as a proud Ex-catholic.
Watching George W. Bush at the funeral of Teddy Kennedy yesterday was, to say the very least, amusing. It's always great fun to witness the members of the vast right wing conspiracy confronted head-on with the theological flaws that are inherent in their philosophy. Watching that event with my pal, Kevin Swanwick, we both were mesmerized and just slightly overjoyed to be reminded yet again that the basic tenets of Liberalism are in perfect harmony with our Christianity - our Catholicism: feed the hungry, shelter the poor and clothe the naked. Oh, how I wish the camera would have cut to Bush's face the moment he was confronted with the most famous line (and justly so) from the Gospel according to Matthew:
ReplyDelete"I tell you this: whatever you did to the least of these brothers of mine, you did to me."
Jesus of Nazareth
One can only imagine how uncomfortable that passage from the scriptures must have made him feel. Or how about the Sermon on the Mount?
"Blessed are the peace makers
For they shall be called Sons of God."
I imagine being confronted with the words of Jesus Christ might make old George just a tad uneasy. The prayers that were offered up by the youngest members of the Kennedy clan, in Teddy's own words, were the most touching part of the entire day:
"That human beings be measured not by what they cannot do. That quality health care becomes a fundamental right and not a privilege. That old policies of race and gender die away. That newcomers be accepted, no matter their color or place of birth. That the nation stand united against violence, hate and war. That the work begins anew, and the dream lives on. We pray to the Lord."
Lord hear our prayer.
After the mass had ended, and Kevin and I headed into town to get a cup of coffee, I was almost stunned by the good cheer I felt. Ted Kennedy's funeral was truly a joyous event. Truth be told, it was damned-near therapeutic! The politics of joy as opposed to the politics of fear. There ain't nothin' like it in the world, Baby!
http://www.tomdegan.blogspot.com
Tom Degan
Goshen, NY
To the Expatriate: Your comments are the usual stuff I hear from those who have left the Church for one personal reason or another and consequently hate all that it stands for. I know what such hatred can do to a person. One thing about the Church, though...it's not a prison. You can leave whenever you like. And so, I always wonder, "Why all the hate?" Why not just leave and let it go? I'll pray for you though. God never stops calling you.
ReplyDeleteAs for Tom: Yes, in MT 25 Jesus did indeed say, "...whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me." Do you think, just maybe, He might have included the very least, the most innocent among us, the unborn, among these "least"? Do you think He meant it when He inspired the psalmist to write: "You formed my inmost being; you knit me in my mother's womb. I praise you, so wonderfully you made me..."? And it is these innocents -- just 40 million or so -- who have been murdered in this country. It is the murder of these innocents that Ted Kennedy supported 100% of the time with his votes. No, I'm sorry, Ted Kennedy's liberalism was not at all in "perfect harmony with our Christianity - our Catholicism."
I also find it interesting that so many Christians, instead of doing the job themselves, consider it the secular government's job to feed the hungry, house the homeless, and clothe the naked. It's so much easier that way. Of course, by doing so, we turn the work over to the most inefficient and ineffective of organizations. And it doesn't take long before all those professional government types begin to recognize the political advantages of all this: let's see, if we can feed and house and clothe these folks just enough, we can make them (and keep them) dependent on government in perpetuity. How cool is that? A source of constant votes. And if we can "educate" them in dumbed-down public schools, we can ensure they're never educated enough to get real jobs at living wages -- more votes! That's just a little of the Ted Kennedy legacy.
Funny too that folks in red states give much a larger percentage of their income to charity than those in blue states. And strange that the majority of the volunteers at the soup kitchen I serve are political conservatives.
Dana,
ReplyDeleteHow is logical criticism of the church's policies hate? It is not as though I said all Catholics should be barred from public life, or made an obscene joke about the pope. I just expressed my disagreement, just as you have expressed your disagreement.
A hint to conservative Catholics: reacting with shock to even polite criticism is a good way of not being taken seriously.
In response to your comments on public schools, it is worth wondering whether the Catholic hierarchy pushes Catholic schools as an alternative to public schools less out of concern for the students' education than because they realize that if students have no alternative other than Catholic schools, they will have a regular stream of students to indoctrinate. I suspect many Americans would like to have a source of good education other than religious indoctrination centers