What In The World?

This will likely be a disjointed post full of seemingly random thoughts, but every so often I'm just overwhelmed by what I see in the world. I'll begin close to home.

Although I was born in Connecticut, I spent most of my childhood in a suburb of New York City and so for years I considered myself a New Yorker. I was, therefore, taken aback when the governor of New York stated that “extreme conservatives who are right-to-life, pro-assault-weapon, anti-gay....have no place in the state of New York, because that’s not who New Yorkers are." -- Also sprach Governor Cuomo from his chair in Albany.

Governor Cuomo and Mayor de Blasio

Hmm...let's see. I am indeed pro-life and I support the right to bear arms as guaranteed by the Second Amendment of our Constitution. I certainly wouldn't call myself "anti-gay" because as a Christian I "hate the sin but love the sinner." Of course, the fact that I believe marriage is sacred and unites only a man and a woman in a sacramental way no doubt makes me "anti-gay" from the governor's skewed perspective. I find it particularly curious that he would label me an "extreme Conservative" because I hold these beliefs which are also held by at least half of the US population. Fortunately for me, I haven't lived in New York since I was 18, so I guess I'm safe from whatever the governor has planned for those who disagree with him. 

Pope John Paul II: Extremist

Not surprisingly New York City's new mayor, Bill de Blasio, agrees with the governor. In his words, “The first point is, we represent our people and Governor Cuomo is right and I believe I’m on firm ground in saying our people, the people in New York State and the people of New York City reject extremists views against a women’s right to choose and in favor of the proliferation of guns in our society. And I stand by that 100 percent.” Why do I get the feeling that the "our people" to which the mayor refers actually includes only those who agree with him. And I always thought those we elected were supposed to represent all the people.

And don't you think there's something a wee bit scary about a governor who wants no one in his state excerpt those who share his beliefs? Will New York change its name to Stepford? Such thinking by someone who holds the reins of political and legal power in New York can lead to all kinds of nasty policies and their enforcement. It's also a rather blatant form of bigotry in that it attempts to exclude from society most Catholics and many other Christians who hold orthodox beliefs; that is, those who, unlike the governor, accept the tenets of their faith and believe what their Church teaches. Apparently the governor objects to the First Amendment as well as the Second. 

Governor Cuomo also provides us with another reason to be against capital punishment. Once you give a government the right to put people to death, what's to stop it from expanding its list of capital crimes? Once political correctness is formulated in law -- and this is already happening in many Western nations -- eliminating some of these "criminals" just might become too tempting for the authoritarians in charge. It's worth noting that the Marxist roots of political correctness can be easily traced back to Germany in 1923 and the Institute for Social Research, also known as the Frankfurt School. According to Bill Lind, PC is a form of Cultural Marxism in which "all history is determined by power, by which groups defined in terms of race, sex, etc., have power over other groups. Nothing else matters. All literature, indeed, is about that. Everything in the past is about that one thing." The history of Marxism put into practice clearly demonstrates how capital punishment can be used by those in power to eliminate any who refuse to toe the party line. (You can read the full text of Lind's comments here.)

And how can we forget another New Yorker, former Mayor Bloomberg, and his soda ban? In the course of his legal battle to keep New Yorkers safe and healthy by forcing them to drink less root beer and cream soda, he made the telling statement: "I do think there are certain times we should infringe on your freedom." Ah, yes, Big Brother knows best and we should just go along.

The Soda Jerk

But honestly, there are worse things than those politicians who despise me for my beliefs and others who are nanny wannabes. Governor Cuomo and Mayor Bloomberg might be small potatoes in the overall scheme of things, but what troubles me most about them and those like them is their willingness to disregard that pesky Constitution of ours. They seem not to realize that the words of this document have meaning and our acceptance of them has been the guarantor of our freedom. 

For example... 

"The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized." 

These are the words of the 4th Amendment to our Constitution and like all ten amendments that make up our Bill of Rights, they define the rights of the people, not the rights of the government. The Bill of Rights was added to our Constitution to protect us from the government, from those we elected to positions of power. It you doubt this, just read the Federalist Papers, written by those who also wrote the Constitution. And so I am a bit confused when attorneys for the Department of Justice declare in federal court that American citizens have no right to challenge the government's collection of their personal records. I guess it all boils down to which we believe is more important, freedom or security. Personally, I'll join Patrick Henry who on March 23, 1775 ended his rousing speech to the Second Virginia Convention with the words: "I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!" And one can't help but cheer the people of New Hampshire who have "Live free or die!" as their state motto.

And speaking of life and death, isn't it interesting that pro-choice politicians often claim their policies are aimed at "protecting the children" while at the same time actively supporting the killing of unborn children in the womb? We saw an example of this when the administration joined the world in decrying the deaths of several hundred Syrian children who perished as a result of a chemical weapons attack. But when the federal government's own figures tell of the deaths of 55 million American babies since the Supreme Court's 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, we hear not a peep from that same government.

If we look beyond our borders, things don't seem much better. As a result of our feckless foreign policy, does the international community, in particular the nations of the Middle East, hold the United States in greater respect today than in 2008? If you want a clear answer, just listen to what the Iranians are saying about us now.

And what about the changes that have swept across the Middle East and North Africa, changes our government openly celebrated and supported? As a result of this so-called "Arab Spring" are the people of Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, and Syria better off now than they were living under the despotic regimes of Mubarak, Qaddafi, et al.? Are the Christians (what's left of them) in these countries better off now than they were before? Why do all our real smart people fail to anticipate such "unintended" consequences, while some of us dummies saw them coming from the beginning? Go figure.

And, finally, does it trouble you, as it troubles me, that the nations we have aided and for whom we have expended so much American blood and dollars are now among the worst persecutors of Christians? Our war in Iraq, begun in 2003, has been catastrophic for Iraqi Christians. Not too many years ago, Christians made up nearly 10% of Iraq's population. During the past ten years, however, it's estimated that half the Christian population of the country has fled as a result of violence and other forms of persecution. How and why did we let this happen? Why do we hear little or nothing from the current administration about the murders of Christians and the widespread destruction of Christian churches by Islamist and Jihadist terrorists? Why has the administration openly supported Islamist groups -- for example, the Muslim Brotherhood -- responsible for this persecution?

Ah, well, too many unanswered questions. Thank God for His gift of faith.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Most of the news we're exposed to today is, quite simply, good, bad, or ugly -- too little of the first and far too much of the others. Here's a quick survey of some of the news stories I encountered this afternoon. I'll let you decide in which category to place each.
 
Planned Parenthood. According to their own report, Planned Parenthood has set several records. They not only performed a record number of abortions but also received a record amount of taxpayer funds from the federal government. This largest of American abortion mills performed 333,964 abortions in 2011. Among their clients, 92% received abortions, 7% received some form of prenatal care, and less than 1% received adoption referrals. The $542 million Planned Parenthood received in federal grants, contracts and Medicaid reimbursements represents almost half of its annual revenue.

National Religious Freedom Day. Last week President Obama proclaimed January 16 as National Religious Freedom Day. In his proclamation he stated: 

"Because of the protections guaranteed by our Constitution, each of us has the right to practice our faith openly and as we choose. As a free country, our story has been shaped by every language and enriched by every culture...As we observe Religious Freedom Day, let us remember the legacy of faith and independence we have inherited, and let us honor it by forever upholding our right to exercise our beliefs free from prejudice or persecution."

Interesting comments from a president who has taken an active role in suppressing the religious freedom of those who cannot in conscience support the HHS Mandate to pay for "health" services that involve artificial contraceptives, abortifacient drugs, and sterilization.

Nepalese Are Reading Bibles. Nepal, that strange faraway nation in the Himalayas, has been ruled for several years now by a Maoist government that is quite hostile to religion. The nation, though, is over 80% Hindu. Much of the remainder of the population is either Buddhist (about 10%), Muslim (about 5%), or practitioners of an indigenous religion, Kirat (about 4%). Christians make up less than two percent of the population. But this is changing. Since 2006 the number of Christians has tripled. The numbers are still small but they are increasing rather rapidly. Accompanying this growth is a doubling of Bible sales over the past year with many of these Bibles being purchased by non-Christians. As one Protestant minister said, "Many non-Christians have found a real source of hope in the Gospel and the Bible." 

Catholic Schools Must Teach Islam??  As strange as it may sound, this one isn't hard to believe if you've been following the plight of Christians struggling to practice their faith in Islamic nations. The story relates to six Catholic schools in East Java province of Indonesia. It seems the local authorities are threatening to close the schools if they do not teach the Islamic faith and read the Qur'an to Muslim students who attend the schools. Interestingly, no Muslim student or student's family has ever objected on religious grounds to the lack of Islamic teaching in the Catholic schools. It seems to me that Muslim students who want to learn about their faith might be better served by attending a Muslim school rather than a Catholic one. 

The Arab Spring in Egypt has become a dark winter for Christians. Remember all that enthusiastic talk about the glories we could expect from the Arab Spring that was spreading throughout the Middle East and North Africa? Well, it's turning out pretty much as I thought it would. Almost two years ago, not long after Mubarak was overthrown in Egypt, I wrote in this blog that the Muslim Brotherhood would likely assume control of the country and that this would lead only to increased persecution of Egyptian Christians. (See my May 2011 post.) Now we read that the predominantly Coptic Christians village of el-Marashda in Upper Egypt has been repeatedly attacked by hundreds of Islamists who have burned down homes and businesses and tried to destroy the local Coptic church. Such reports of anti-Christian violence and open persecution are increasingly common as Islamist extremists become more emboldened in an Egypt led by a radical government. 

Here's a video highlighting some of the atrocities committed against Christians in Egypt, atrocities committed not only by radical bands of Islamists but also by government forces. You can read the accompanying article here.

The French Protest Same-Sex Marriage. And to think I used to make fun of the French and was even known to accuse them of leading the way to the creation of a modern pagan Europe. Well, the French came out in large numbers -- well over a half-million of them -- to protest their government's proposed acceptance of same-sex marriage and the adoption of children by homosexual couples. God bless them! Here's a video on the protests...

You can read a secular news report on the protests here.

Too many bads, too many uglys. Pray for our world and for our nation.

Something Is Rotten in Denmark

The Danish parliament passed a law, and did so overwhelmingly (85 to 24), requiring churches in the nation's established Evangelical Lutheran Church to perform homosexual marriages. Although a Lutheran priest may choose not to perform the marriage, the bishop must assign a replacement who will. How progressive and open of these Danish legislators to enact such a law, a law that displays their tolerance for everyone except Christians. Read more here.


And so another Western European democracy has decided to redefine religious freedom by forcing its own interpretation of religious belief on a religion. Given the number of European nations that have passed similar laws, I suspect it won't be too long before one of these nations demands that the Catholic Church knuckle under and follow suit. Only one thing is stopping them: how to exclude Muslims from such laws.

Can't happen here in the USA? We hope not but things seem to be moving in that direction.

This news from Denmark helps one understand why our founders expressed an inherent distrust of democracy which they believed would inevitably move towards a dictatorship of the majority. Only a constitutional republic with its checks and balances, well-defined governmental limits, and personal freedoms can protect all of the people from both the government and the mob. Of course the appreciation of our form of government will surely wane as our courts interpret these freedoms out of existence. Once that occurs we'll be no different from Western Europe, just another decaying, doomed society.

The politicians cleverly define these issues in terms of freedom  -- freedom to choose, freedom to marry whomever one wants, freedom to use contraceptives, and on and on -- while the real issue is exactly the opposite: the absence of freedom. It's not about freedom; it's about compulsion. It's about using the power of government to force believers to give up their religious freedom. The real question for our society is, "Will we be strong and determined and courageous enough to resist?"

Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Archbishop Wenski on the President

Thomas Wenski, our former bishop here in Orlando and now the Archbishop of Miami, spoke to a reporter while in Rome for his ad limina visit with Pope Benedict. During the interview the archbishop commented on President Obama's recent public support for homosexual (aka, "same-sex") marriage. He considers the president's statement strictly a political move meant to distract the voters from the real issues that will ultimately define the election in November. Here's a brief video, thanks to Rome Reports, that includes Archbishop Wenski's comments:

The Kennedy Commencment Brouhaha

Victoria & Ted Kennedy

Okay, I'll admit that, even though I spent a good hunk of my adult life in Massachusetts, I've never been a fan of the Kennedys. And I've certainly never voted for one. Ted Kennedy in particular always seemed to disappoint me. In 1971 he wrote, “Wanted or unwanted, I believe that human life, even at its earliest stages, has certain rights which must be recognized - the right to be born, the right to love, the right to grow old.” But then, as liberal Massachusetts voters increasingly embraced the opposite position, the Senator did a complete about face and became the darling of the "pro-choice" crowd and the radical feminists.

Senator Kennedy's personal conflict with established Church teaching wasn't restricted to abortion, but also included such issues as homosexual marriage and contraception. Scandalously, as he flaunted his hostility to the magisterial teachings of the Catholic Church, he publicly claimed to be a believing, practicing Catholic. How many did he lead astray? As one woman complained to me after a Mass at which I had preached a pro-life homily, "I agree with Senator Kennedy. The girls should have a choice." How nice that she takes her moral direction from a politician rather than the Church.

I mention this because of the dis-inviting of Senator Kennedy's widow, Victoria, who had been scheduled to deliver the commencement address at Anna Maria College, a small Catholic college in Paxton, Massachusetts. It seems that after the college invited her to speak and receive an honorary degree, the local bishop, Bishop Robert J. McManus of Worcester, urged the college not to honor Mrs. Kennedy, telling the college administration that she was not a good choice because of her public support for both abortion and homosexual marriage.

According to a diocesan spokesman, “Bishop McManus feels that, consistent with what the U.S. bishops have been saying since 2004 as a group, Catholic institutions should be honoring Catholics who are taking at least public positions that are consistent with the teachings of the Church.”

Three cheers for Bishop McManus, who is merely, but courageously, reiterating the U. S. Bishops' 2004 statement that Catholic institutions “should not honor those who act in defiance of our fundamental moral principles” since such honors would obviously “suggest support for their actions.” Mrs. Kennedy would certainly fall into this category since she has written op-ed pieces in defense of the right to an abortion and has also spoken publicly in support of homosexual marriage.


The college's administration, in rescinding its invitation, seemed less concerned about Mrs. Kennedy's rejection of Church teaching than about the bad publicity that might arise if it ignored their bishop's request. They were worried that any "conflict with the bishop" might "create negative publicity and a difficult situation” for the college, as well as for Mrs. Kennedy. In their statement, the college said, “As a small, Catholic college that relies heavily on the good will of its relationship with the Bishop and the larger Catholic community, its options are limited...While the (Board of Trustees) believes that this is the necessary decision, it will continue to advocate for increased opportunities to practice its Catholic values of hospitality, compassion, reconciliation, respect for all people and understanding."

And so another Catholic college loses its way...I suppose I should be pleased that did what they did, and actually listened to their bishop.

If you'd like to read  the Washington Post's remarkably one-sided coverage of this story, click here.

Pray for our bishops, for our Catholic educational institutions, and for our Catholic politicians, that they will always place God's will first.

Interesting News

Here are some interesting items I stumbled across while checking a few news sites.

Quote of the Day: 

"It's impossible to consider oneself a Catholic if that person in one way or another recognizes same-sex marriage as a right." -- Cardinal Carlo Caffarra, Archbishop of Bologna (click here for more info)

Washington Archdiocese Ends Foster Care Program. The Archdiocese of Washington, D.C. has brought an end to its foster care program after 80 years. The reason? It refuses to license same-sex couples as foster parents. The decision is a direct result of the District's recent move to legalize "same-sex marriage," something that should become law as soon as Congress gives its approval. Three cheers for the Archdiocese. And, sadly, this is just a sign of things to come, as First Amendment rights as tossed aside in favor of politically correct social engineering. Let's pray that all our bishops have as much intestinal fortitude as Archbishop Donald Wuerl (photo above). They will need it.

Give Up Texting For Lent? Already Have. The Telegraph (UK) reports that the Catholic Church in Italy has launched a campaign encouraging Italians to give up texting for Lent. The idea, according to Monsignor Benito Cocchi, the bishop of Modena, is that young people, by renouncing SMS texting, could "detox from the virtual world and get back in touch with themselves." Probably not a bad idea. And so I have decided to join the campaign. Of course, the fact that I've never sent a text message in my life will probably make this a rather small sacrifice.

Reinvigorating Catholic Schools in Boston. Margery Eagen, a long-time columnist for the Boston Herald, writes an interesting column on an apparently successful plan to get the business community behind the support and restoration of Catholic education in the Boston Archdiocese. Cardinal Sean O'Malley's Campaign for Catholic Schools has already raised $50 million and transformed a number of schools, including Pope John Paul II Catholic Academy in Dorchester, the school Eagan highlights in her column. Three cheers for Cardinal Sean (photo above).

Australian Forward in Faith Anglicans to Join Catholic Church. As a direct result of Pope Benedict XVI's invitation to Anglican's to enter full communion with the Catholic Church, this Australian group of Anglicans have decided to do just that. Indeed, their vote to do so was unanimous. The group includes 15-20 Australian Anglican parishes that hold traditional views. 

They will enter the Catholic Church under the process set forth in the Apostolic Constitution, Anglicanorum Coetibus. By doing so they will be able to maintain much of their Anglican liturgy and traditions. In the words of Bishop Peter Elliott (see photo at left), a former Anglican who is now a Catholic Auxiliary Bishop in Melbourne, "As Catholics in full communion with the Successor of St Peter, you will be gathered in distinctive communities that preserve elements of Anglican worship, spirituality and culture that are compatible with Catholic faith and morals...In some ways, the Ordinariate will even be similar to a Rite (the Eastern Catholic Churches). You will enjoy your own liturgical “use” as Catholics of the Roman Rite. At the same time your Ordinaries, bishops or priests, will work alongside diocesan bishops of the Roman Rite and find their place within the Episcopal Conference in each nation or region."

 

I expect Forward in Faith will be followed by many more similar Anglican groups throughout the world. A small, first step toward the Christian unity desired by Jesus Christ.

R. R. Reno Interviews. A theologian whose writings have done much to educate me on a variety of topics is Dr. R. R. Reno, an associate professor of theology at Creighton University. I just discovered that some of his lectures on theology and apologetics are available online at the website of Catholic radio station  KVSS in Omaha. Included are a number of excellent interviews in which Dr. Reno discusses faith and reason in the lives and writings of such luminaries as St. Thomas Aquinas, Cardinal Newman, G. K. Chesterton, and St. Bonaventure. Take the time to listen to them. You can even download them and pop them on your iPod or similar device.

That's enough....I have to prepare a talk for a Lenten mission beginning tomorrow at our parish.

God's peace...