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Wednesday, December 31, 2003
Something to think about as we approach the New Year According to Jesus in Beijing: How Christianity Is Transforming China and Changing the Global Balance of Power by David Aikman Within the next thirty years, one-third of China's population could be Christian, making China one of the largest Christian nations in the world. These Christians could also be China's leaders, guiding the largest economy in the world. Some hail this as happy news (and I agree that it is). However, for some the happiness lies primarily in the possibility that "China might be America's next ally against radical Islam". One hopes. But I also think something very different could transpire. Suppose a post-Christian and anti-Christian America and Europe is just as hostile to a nation in the throes of an authentic Christian conversion as Islam is to our depraved culture. Oh, I know we are the good guys and all and that. Therefore, we stand at the summit of World History. But suppose both we and Islam are headed for the ash heap of history for the same reason: because we have rejected the gospel? Suppose God's center of operations is shifting to China and our fortunes will only be important insofar as the help or hinder the real project of history: the proclamation of the gospel of Jesus Christ to the world? One needn't exercise too much imagination to see American Culture becoming rigidly and dogmatically opposed to the gospel of Christ. It's happened before in formerly Christian nations like France and Britain. If that turns out to be the case, and if China undergoes a serious Christianization, the question which may face us is not "Is China on our side" but "Are we on China's side?" Another Lame Attempt to Compare KKKhristian Kooks with the Islamic Brand Rod Dreher's on the case. Yes. Both traditions have kooks in them. The problem is, the Islamic tradition's kooks tend to be in the mainstream and popular with millions while the KKKhristian kooks tend to live in the woods and eat out of garbage cans cuz nobody wants to touch them with a barge pole. Good News for Murderers! Just pick victims without families, like transients! In a world run by loony libertarians, you're not guilty of anything! Once the victim is dead, it's a victimless crime! In it's own way, dogmatic libertarianism is as evil and opposed to the gospel as communism. Just another expression of human pride and the will to be God. Gay Brownshirts on the March! The WebElves over at CaNN keep getting hacked and pulled off the Internet. For some mysterious reason, they think their most recent hack job, like all the others, was done by "Them Tolerantists What Like To Silence Others". For the excessively illiterate among my readers, allow me to repeat: I do not call gays "brownshirts". I call gay brownshirts "brownshirts". If you dislike the term, you might try telling gay brownshirts to stop muzzling free speech, threatening people with intimidation and violence, and crushing those who merely express different views than them. Old Media is Slowly Moving Past Denial, Anger, Bargaining and Depression to Acceptance of the New Media Very interesting take on the American Approach to Religion I think it's extremely accurate and shows both the genius and the stupidity of Americans in this department. The genius is that we have created a culture where people are generally free to explore the vast menu of religious claims out there without fear of reprisal. The stupidity is that we have created a culture of narcissistic consumerism that is largely cut off from the Transcendant. Everything is about My Personal Truth of the Moment and What God Owes Me. No telling whether the stupidity or the liberty will win out. Stupidity, as a general rule, tends to give way to tyranny in the long run. It's quite possible the whole US culture will follow the Episcopalian model of stupidity leading to draconian tyranny. But grace still happens, so we'll see. Greg Krehbiel wonders... ...what I think of this. I agree with some of it, disagree with other bits. He's dead right, of course, that there is vastly more liberty in Catholicism than most people--and certainly its critics--have any clue about. Indeed, I firmly believe that the Catholic faith is the most intellectually liberating thing in the world. I've never encountered anything comes close. The whole world seems to me to be a pathetic squalor of narrow ideologies and tribalisms next to it. It's true that Catholic e-pologists live in a ridiculously rarified world discussing minutiae that most people never bother their heads with. But then, so do Catholic physicists. In a certain sense, it's true that you "must" believe as a Catholic that E=MC2 simply because Catholic faith binds us to believe what is true and E=MC2 is true. Does it therefore follow that you can't be a good Catholic if you are ignorant of or don't care that E=MC2? Of course not. Same for all the picayune discussions that e-pologists are forced into by the many-sided genius of the human will to reject God. One needn't bother one's head about double eternal predestination or Calvinist theories of irresistible grace or some atheist's argument against the existence of God based on his research of the life cycle of the wasp--if one is not called to argue with such people and attempt to bring them the gospel. E-pologists can often forget this and come to fancy their particular mission is binding on everybody, so that when they meet people who don't evince much interest in the question of the canonicity of Wisdom, they get worried about the state of their soul. (I'm reminded of a hilarious instance of this--from the Fundamentalist Protestant side of the aisle--when a friend happened on KJV-only website and was amused to see somebody respond to a question about the possible 2nd century BC dating of the Book of Daniel with the words, "THAT IS A LIE FROM THE PIT OF HELL!!!"). But this sort of parochialism is pretty rare in the grand scheme of things--outside the particular e-pologist subculture one is dealing with. Same deal for many other contested issues, depending upon your particular charism (and the distortions of that charism which often accompany it due to concupiscence). So you meet people who are *immensely* obsessed with how high Padre elevated the Host and did that invalidate the consecration and so forth. In contrast to this is the phenomenon Greg notes: the enormous *gentleness* of the Church in the confessional and the colossal amount of slack for human weakness that is found there. On the whole, I think this approach a good one and prefer it to the "We need more crackdowns! Mercy is for weaklings! No quarter for those who do not subscribe to the historicity of the Flood! Molinism forever!!! Excommunicate the material heretics!!!!!" approach of so many zealots I see in cyberspace. At the same time, I'm something of a believer in being hard on oneself (at least, I think I am, however the heart is desperately wicked and deceptive. Who can know it?). Certainly, I think that in whatever field one is going to focus one's energy it is virtually inevitable that there are going to be questions which are going to be essential for you, but not necessarily essential for others. The Church, in proposing what we *must* believe is not usually demanding that everybody have a solid intellectual grasp of the thing proposed. In other words, the silly claim that you can't be a Catholic unless you can articulate St. Thomas' doctrine of Transubstantiation is, well, silly. A little kid or a Sicilian peasant can say, "I believe this is the Body and Blood of Christ" and that's good enough. The doctrine is only there to give us some help on the outside chance that somebody says, "How can that possibly be? It's contrary to reason!" Then the doctrine becomes useful and we are bound by the Church to stick with it since it will help us think clearly. It's the same for arcane questions about the canonicity of this or that book. Nobody is expected to settle that question for themselves and the Church pretty much as asks us to say, "Okay. I'll trust you on this." Do that and you're a good Catholic without ever having to bother your head about all the arguments back and forth. However, if you presume to try to articulate the Church's position in argument with others, the Church does ask that you know what the heck you are talking about and so the picayune questions will naturally intrude. I'm not sure that I agree about the "cultural Catholic" thing, but that could be a question of definitions. I think "Catholic culture" is a good thing and would like to see more of it. The faith is meant to pervade all things human. However, I think what Greg means is not "cultural Catholic" but "nominal Catholic", which is an entirely different thing. Poland is "culturally Catholic" and is also *deeply* Catholic (though that is no guarentee of permanence). I don't have the allergic reaction to Marian piety that Greg still struggles with and so tend to see the glass as half full rather than half empty with respect the "Hail Mary" thing he mentions. But, of course, we'd both like to see the glass full at his daughter's school. Tales of the Explained Yep. I pretty much figured. I saw the video and thought, "This sure looks like a guy in a costume closing a door." Monday, December 29, 2003
The Lord of the Rings: A Source-Criticism Analysis A bit of Christmas merriment and whimsy for you from yours truly. The Most Splendidly Loony Take on Tolkien I've Read This Year At last, I finally know what people are talking about when they speak of "Indymedia". Are all their writers as insane as this guy? Poor JPII He's somebody's "Man of the Year" again this year. Next year he will doubtless (as he seems to make a career of doing) be despised by the people who currently find him convenient to their ideology. One of the reasons I enjoy Zeffirelli's "Jesus of Nazareth" is that it shows Jesus being treated as every major Christian figure through history is treated: as a possible tool for somebody's Will to Power. His unwillingness to play ball with Barabbas and Barabbas' rage in reaction, like the Zealots' remark "I think we can *use* this man" show the utter remoteness of the fallen man's view of the human person from God's. People are for loving, not for using. Indeed, one extremely valuable definition of "sin" is "treating things like persons and persons like things." Ignorant Intolerant Pope Fails to Recognize the Awe and Splendor of All Things Gay Chooses Feast of the Holy Family--of all days--to deny gays their God-given right to do whatever they damn well please with whoever and whatever they damn well please to do it. Can you imagine the insensitivity? I pretty much agree with Peg Noonan However, I'm not convinced that handing over the discussion of the Faith to technicians in public schools is a good idea. But I do think Christians need to be more visible and not so easily cowed by the humorless, thin-lipped prigs who are perpetually "offended" by this or that public expression of faith. There is a place in the Christian life for saying "tough beans" to those in need of Insensitivity Training. "Now, the Episcopalians of Washington can have a gay wedding in the church, and push a wall over on the two grooms at the reception." Rod Dreher, on a particularly empty-headed Episcopalian ecclesiat. A tortured attempt to enlist the Pope in the cause of killing Terri Schiavo That mean Jeb Bush insists on keeping that poor girl alive! Speaking of which... Islamomaniacs don't seem to have gotten the memo that "the Vatican" is their friend and ally. From our "Al Gore Dancing the Macarena" file... Howard Dean suddenly blabbering about Jesus is as embarrassing as Nixon trying to sing disco. Make the hurting stop! For the Kid in your Life Next Christmas ...or this Christmas if you celebrate the Twelve Days as we do. Just So Long as it's Not Christian, Canada is Happy The cultural suicide of the West proceeds apace. Faith in a God who loves you and promises eternal happiness with him forever leads to happiness. Nihilistic despair tends to promote sadness. D'oh! (If you pay close attention at Christmastime, there's some happy news on this front.) Wednesday, December 24, 2003
As Holy Roman Emperor... 
Please accept our most Serene Imperial Christmas Blessing on behalf of both our Own Royal Person and that of Our Most Gracious Empress! In addition, please accept our sincerest gratitude for this past year of challenging conversation, financial support, and general goodness. You have both blessed our Royal Socks off and saved our Imperial Bacon this winter and we are deeply grateful. We shall, along with our princeling sons, courtiers, retinue, sycophants, pages, squires, escorts and divers members of the Royal Family, be engaged in the customary revels and gallimaufries of this Most Sacred Season and shall return to our duties here in earnest after the New Year. Merry Christmas to all! I know the President of Gonzaga U a bit Fr. Robert Spitzer's a great guy and about as staunchly prolife as they come. I wonder if he will allow this bit of chicanery to stand. Of course, I also wonder if he is in a position to do anything about it (I don't know the bureaucratic ways of Gonzaga). Fit's with what I've heard of the law school there. Is it possible there is anything in the Universe more exquisitely beautiful than homosexuality? TIME breaks with the lockstep homophobia of the media and dares to say, "NO! There is nothing--nothing at all--more incredibly great than homosexuality! It's wonders are numberless! Gay marriage is the most glorious thing in human history! The triumph of all that is great and good is summed up in the awe and splendor that is homosexuality! Mainstream journalists will soon have a "Splendor of Homosexuality" macro button installed on their keyboards so these puff pieces will write themselves. It takes scarcely a movement of the grey matter to write them as it is, so why not automate the process? Tuesday, December 23, 2003
Alright! William Shatner has recorded a new album featuring a guest appearance by US punk legend Henry Rollins. Human toothaches whine My question is not "Why make an exception for Yarmulkes?" It's "Why ban hats at all? Don't school boards have more important things to worry about?" Libertarians Take Scissors to "You Are Not Your Own. You Were Bought with a Price" or Why Libertarian dogmatists can't be Christians too. Somethin's gotta give. A reader asks: Why were the old Jewish Feast and Fast days forsaken by the Church? I mean, obviously we have new ones to celebrate and all of that, but is it simply that the "old feasts" (like Hanauka or yom kippur) are strictly jewish and can't be carried over into Christian tradition? Or is it something else? I don't know the history. I can guess at how the tradition developed. We know the apostles kept Jewish feasts and that some of these acquired Christian meanings (for instance, Pentecost). However, other Jewish feasts seem to have dropped away (though I expect early Jewish Christians kept them). Most likely, they were not observed because the early Church wanted to make clear that such feasts were not *salvific* but were rather foreshadows of the true salvation in Christ. Certainly some of Paul's writings point in this direction: "Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a sabbath. 17 These are only a shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ. (Colossians 2:16-17). At the same time, we know that Paul observed Jewish customs when he was among Jews. He simply did not believe he was *bound* to do so by God. Rather, he observed them so as not to give offense. It was only when Jewish believers tried to bind Gentiles to observing them that he cried "Halt" and asserted our liberty from the ceremonial law. For this same reason, St. Thomas said that circumcision (which Paul wrote so much against) was fine--as long as you did not say that salvation depended on it. Indeed, somewhere Thomas says that circumcision can even be regarded as a sacramental of baptism. The one and only issue for the Church in all the observances of the ceremonial laws of Moses is that they not be regarded as binding and that those who do not observe them not be regarded as "not really saved". Therefore, there is in principle no particular reason why the customs of Moses could not be observed, so long as the one observing them does not fall into the trap of thinking "I'm more biblical--and superior--to those who do not do these things." It was that pastoral issue that drove much of Paul's discussion of circumcision and other "works of the law" and I suspect it is what drove the Church's thinking in allowing observance of these feasts and holy days to pass out of Catholic custom. Gay Brownshirts on the March! Where orthodoxy is optional, orthodoxy will sooner or later be proscribed. - Fr. Richard John Neuhaus A reader asks: What is the status of the soul of a child that was still born. Our Priest said our child was baptised by our desire. But I don't find this teaching anywhere. I think your priest is within the pale of Catholic teaching. That is, I think his notion is permissible, though it is not de fide. The Catechism tells us: 1259 For catechumens who die before their Baptism, their explicit desire to receive it, together with repentance for their sins, and charity, assures them the salvation that they were not able to receive through the sacrament. Given that none of the Holy Innocents were sacramentally baptized, yet it is absolutely certain they were saved, I think it is well within the pale of Catholic teaching to say that just as your faith would have supplied the faith of your child had he lived, so your desire for that child's baptism will supply for your child's desire in the absence of access to the sacrament. In short, God *wants* your baby in heaven and baptism is intended as a grace, not as a hoop to jump through. Be at peace and trust in the mercy of the God who desires your child's salvation more than you do. Why biblical genealogies aren't boring If I've learned anything over the years of doing Bible studies for Catholic Exchange, it's that biblical writers are incredibly subtle. There's always a method to what they do and the idea that biblical books are just pastiches of "sources" tossed together by all-thumbs "redactors" is now laughable to me. So, for instance, in the gospel of Matthew, we find a series of short vignettes after the Sermon on the Mount which show Jesus healing various people. These are not just a random collection of "tales of healing" that Matthew has tossed out on the table like so many playing cards. They are all connected by a theological purpose. Jesus, as the New Moses, has just come down from the Mountain (It's the "Sermon on the Mount" for a reason) and the promulgation of the New Law of the Kingdom. Now Matthew is going to show the superiority of the New Law of the New Covenant over the Old Law. Under the Old Law, the best you could do in striving for holiness was what the Pharisees did: separateness. Why? Because the old law could not give divine life. It could only tell you what was wrong with you and cleanse from external impurity. So if you touched a leper or a corpse or a bleeding woman or a sinner, you were defiled. Now, as Jesus comes down off the Mountain he has a series of encounters with... lepers, bleeding women, sinners (interestingly, this is where Matthew places his own call) and, ultimately, a corpse. In each case, the power of the New Law of the Spirit is such that the defiling thing is cleansed and Jesus is left undefiled. (It's not hard to see how this would result in a clash as Pharisees failed to make the paradigm shift and so regarded Jesus as "breaking the law" when in fact he was fulfilling its true purpose.) Now Matthew doesn't spell any of that out for you. In this, he is a typically biblical writer. The connections are there and, once you see them, you can't *not* see them anymore because they are real. But he leaves you to work them out. It's the same with Old Testament writers. The author of Genesis, for instance, gives us a series of genealogies and intends us to use them as a sort of "zoom lens" as we focus first on Adam and his descendant, then on Seth, then Noah, then Shem and finally on Abraham. It's interesting to watch how the genealogies in Genesis 10, for instance, put the blessed son of Noah (Shem) last and Ham (the accursed one) first. In Genesis, eldest sons are never blessed--except for Shem. So he takes last place even though he is eldest to indicate, paradoxically, his blessing. Then the text suddenly takes you to the story of the Tower of Babel. Who are the builders? The accursed sons of Ham living "in the east" ("East" is the direction of "alienation from God" in Genesis. Adam and Eve live to the East of Eden after the fall. So does Cain after his murder of Abel. The Gentile astrologers in Matthew who are far from God but trying to find him come from the East and "see his star" in the east. Now the sons of Ham build Babel for one purpose: to "make a name" for themselves. There's a pun here that is lost on English speakers: "Name" in Hebrew is "Shem". The point of the author is that the accursed sons are trying to claim the blessing given to Shem by main force, as though power and strength are our salvation. The result is (as has already happened previously in Genesis several times) a recapitulation of the Fall. Then the genealogy resumes and we are led away from these futile human attempts to "become like gods, knowing the difference between good and evil" and into the story of how God begins the reclamation of the human race. For, of course, the paradox of the blessing given to Shem and his descendant Abraham is that the blessing is given for the sake of the unblessed and the chosen ones are chosen for the sake of the unchosen. This is supposed to be funny, but I can't get it to download Maybe you'll have more luck. Update: It worked. And it is funny. The Lord of the Rings, starring Humphrey Bogart, Orson Welles, Peter Lorre, Marlene Dietrich, and Sidney Greenstreet and directed by Howard Hawks. Interesting site for film buffs... ...marred by a loopy anti-Catholic polemic against the Hays Code. ("The vast majority of films released from 1936 to around 1966 remain unwatchable garbage for anyone but conservatives who relish these unrealistic so-called "morally upright" pictures.") To say that and then to hail a piece of crap like "Blow Up" and neglect the fact that a) "garbage" like "Citizen Kane" and a huge number of other great films come from the awful Hays Code period and b) Hollywood makes just as large a percentage of crap as always is, well, a bit disingenuous. What's most impressive is that they kept the meaning, meter and the rhyme: Rudolphus, naso rubro, naso nitidissimo, si umquam eum spectes, dicas eum fulgere. Reliqui tum renones deridebant ludentes, semper vetabant eum apud ludos ludere. Deinde ante natalem Santa venit, et "Tu, Rudolphe nitide, traham meam duc nocte." Dein, ut renones amant, exclamantes hilare: "Rudolphe, naso rubro, in annalibus eris!" Homeland Security says, "Orange means, 'Feel more paranoid and helpless'" Oh, and go about your business as usual. Monday, December 22, 2003
Chris Rake Reminds me... I forgot to say, "Good News About Libya". One less nuclear regime is always a nice Christmas present. Okay. Now I'm really gone. Okay I'm gone However, two new Sheavings are on line here and here. To beguile the rest of the day, here's yer assignment: Put beans up the noses of monarchists and discuss the effects. Sample results documentation: "Subject became violent, erratic, and really funny to watch." ImplosionWorld.com For all your blowing things up real good needs. Speaking as a former little boy, this site is cool. Elite Israeli commandos refuse to serve in Palestinian areas "We will no longer give our lives to the rule of oppression in the territories and to the denial of human rights to millions of Palestinians and we will no longer serve as a defensive shield for the settlements." They must be self-hating Jews since we know that Israel has never ever ever done anything wrong, ever. No other explanation will serve. Could There Possibly Be Anything Greater Than Homosexuality? The NY Times answers, once again, for the umpteenth time, "NOOOOOO!!!!!" Homosexuality! It's glories are unsurpassed! It's perfections are manifold! There's nothing else worth discussing! We will all talk about its wonders today--yet again--with undimmed enthusiasm! THAT MEANS YOU! Any flagging interest will be noted, along with your name and address, so that our Team of Gay Support Counselors can come to your house and remind you of how vital homosexuality is to the survival of western Civilization and how good and great all homosexuals are. Be prepared to give them Correct Answers lest they bear you away to the Houses of Lamentation where you shall be re-educated. Any questions? We thought not! A beautiful piece by Herman Goodden Just a reminder that Christmas is to the conquest of death what D-Day was to the conquest of Festung Europa. May the soul of Herman's dad and all the souls of the faithful departed, by the mercy of God, rest in peace. A Christmas Carol by G.K.Chesterton The Christ-child lay on Mary's lap, His hair was like a light. (O weary, weary were the world, But here is all aright.) The Christ-child lay on Mary's breast His hair was like a star. (O stern and cunning are the kings, But here the true hearts are.) The Christ-child lay on Mary's heart, His hair was like a fire. (O weary, weary is the world, But here the world's desire.) The Christ-child stood on Mary's knee, His hair was like a crown, And all the flowers looked up at Him, And all the stars looked down Sunday, December 21, 2003
I'm mostly gone on Monday When I come back, remind me to tell you why those boring genealogies in Genesis aren't boring. How about that? One Garrulous Cardinal =/= "Rome" I know, I know. If the Pope was really concerned about this he would sack every bishop and cardinal who ever said or did something dumb and replace them with the good bishops and cardinals growing in the immense hydroponics tanks beneath St. Peter's. He would not work with the fallen stuff the Church gives him. He'd pick something else. The House of Christmas By: G. K. Chesterton There fared a mother driven forth Out of an inn to roam; In the place where she was homeless All men are at home. The crazy stable close at hand, With shaking timber and shifting sand, Grew a stronger thing to abide and stand Than the square stones of Rome. For men are homesick in their homes, And strangers under the sun, And they lay on their heads in a foreign land Whenever the day is done. Here we have battle and blazing eyes, And chance and honour and high surprise, But our homes are under miraculous skies Where the yule tale was begun. A Child in a foul stable, Where the beasts feed and foam; Only where He was homeless Are you and I at home; We have hands that fashion and heads that know, But our hearts we lost - how long ago! In a place no chart nor ship can show Under the sky's dome. This world is wild as an old wives' tale, And strange the plain things are, The earth is enough and the air is enough For our wonder and our war; But our rest is as far as the fire-drake swings And our peace is put in impossible things Where clashed and thundered unthinkable wings Round an incredible star. To an open house in the evening Home shall men come, To an older place than Eden And a taller town than Rome. To the end of the way of the wandering star, To the things that cannot be and that are, To the place where God was homeless And all men are at home. The Problem with Rome is that it doesn't govern! ...according to many of my readers. Of course, the Other Problem with Rome is that it governs way too much! according to some others. Sedevacantist: Another word for "Protestant" If the Church doesn't look like a 1956 Cleveland parish, then we can forget all about indefectibility and Matthew 16:18. Catholic Catechesis Marches from Glory to Glory! 63 percent of Catholics polled believe in Virgin Birth. Of course, the people I'd really like to talk to are those six Jewish guys. Makes you wonder.... Yearlong Gay Agitprop Campaign Fails to Produce Desired Effect Gay Fascist Alliance Mulls Virtues of Terror Campaign vs. Drugs and Re-Education Camps to correct Middle American Wrongthink. Decisions, decisions. Adolescent Dems When one reaches adolescence, one decides to "push the envelope" by using "bad words." Between John F Word Kerry and Wesley Clark, the Dems appear to have reached a collective age of about 13. Somebody send Clearasil to Terry McAuliffe. Consoling to know we might be ruled by teenagers again. The Clinton Years return! Good Morning! It's Day 7 of the Quarterly Catholic and Enjoying It! Pledge Week It's the Sabbath. I'm resting. However, Scripture clearly says it's lawful to do good works on the Sabbath. Supporting yer emphatically lower middle class scribe as he tries to do his apostolic thang is a good work. So make this pledge week go out with a real bang! The person to donate the largest amount today--Day 7--will get a free signed copy of whichever one of my books you would like. Of course, you can still buy my books and tapes too. And if you'd rather not do the PayPal thang, feel free to email me and ask for my snailmail address. I'll happily take a check instead. Saturday, December 20, 2003
Good Morning! It's Day 6 of the Quarterly Catholic and Enjoying It! Pledge Week We're in the Home Stretch of the Great Winter Drive. You've done a phenomenal job so far and my dentist, exterminator, roofer, IRS collector, kids and mortgage really appreciate it--though not as much as I do. However, we have two more days to go and can use much more oomph as we approach the finish line! Please consider a gift to your humble scribe and click on the PayPal button to the left so that C&EI can stay on the air and our rotting roof get fixed. You can either make a straight donation or, if you like to get something for your money (beyond this blog, I mean), you can buy my books and tapes. And if you'd rather not do PayPal, feel free to email me and ask for my snailmail address. I'll happily take a check instead. Today's your day. All this week, other people have been pitching in to help out. Now the little angel on your shoulder (you know the one that looks just like you with the little tinfoil halo?) is saying, "C'mon, do the right thing! You *love* this blog!" Remember, if you are interested in my books, don't buy them from Amazon cuz if you do, they get all the money and I get a piddly amount. Get them from me and I'll happily autograph them! Happy 16th Anniversary, Sherry! On this day in 1987, Sherry Weddell (of the phenomenally great St. Catherine of Siena Institute) and I were received into the Catholic Church on the last Sunday in Advent at Sacred Heart parish (in the shadow of the Space Needle). What a long strange trip it's been! :) Thanks be to God through our Lord Jesus Christ! New Jersey Legislature Passes "Most Radical" Cloning Bill Ever The New Jersey state assembly on Monday by a 41-31 vote passed what pro-life advocates are calling one of the most radical human cloning legalization bills ever proposed. If the bill is signed by the governor, as is expected, it will be legal in New Jersey to implant cloned human embryos into wombs, allow the baby to grow for nine months, and then destroy the unborn child for research. America: The Golden Land of Opportunity Where Millions of Middle Class People are Able to Commit Horrors that, In Muslim Lands, are Reserved Only for a Few Oligarchs and Despots. And thanks to the March of Science, we'll be able to commit new and fresh horrors that nobody in the Islamic world is able to commit. Just another sign God's on our side and we're not under judgment along with the rest of the human race. Friday, December 19, 2003
What can Conservative Catholics be thinking when they do this stuff? Earlier this week, many in St. Blogs were in high dudgeon over the loss of credibility Cdl. Martino's reckless remarks inflict on the Church. Now: If I, speaking as a "faithful conservative Catholic[TM]" recommended an article to you by an author and either offered no comment at all on it (silence implies consent) or (worse still) enthusiastically said he was "forceful", yet totally neglected to mention that the author urges the nuclear extermination of millions of men, women and children non-combatants, doncha think many people might think that was a somewhat egregious oversight that would inflict damage on the credibility of "faithful conservative Catholics"? If a Lefty said, "Here! Read this forceful article on the need for expanded medical care for women!" but avoided mentioning, "Of course, it *is* written by a zealous lobbyist for Planned Parenthood who has publically expressed a desire for more partial birth abortions. But we won't speak of that here. He's "forceful" and that's what matters)" doncha think we'd regard that as a tad disingenuous? Our future as a free society will depend on whether we say of such things... "That's wrong and should stop" or "This is WAR, dammit! Don't put a human face on those people! You have to break a few eggs to make an omelette" etc. blah blah. Waitaminnit. I thought we were all gonna die because of global warming! Now it's global dimming! It's hard for me to keep up. Someone needs to explain to Bush that Israel has never ever done anything wrong, so there's no need to worry I wonder if this will lead to a serious challenge to Judicial Usurpation of Democracy from the Executive Branch? And I wonder if the Executive Branch could itself be a threat to democracy through "Homeland Security" excesses? Wish I knew. Palestinian Christians Get it In the Neck from All Sides It's best to not put a human face on them though. Speaking of which, the recent talk of disgust about pitying Saddam Hussein has put me in mind of Hans Frank Frank was Gauleiter of Poland. He oversaw the destruction of millions of human lives in one of the most horrific and dehumanizing abbatoirs ever conceived by the mind of man. His crimes equal those of Saddam (if there is a scale for measuring such things). After the war, Frank said that a thousand years would pass and the guilt of Germany would not be erased. He sought baptism in the Catholic Church and received it before being hanged after the Nuremburg trial. Our Faith tells us, with the same dogmatic insistence that it says Christ rose from the dead, that this man's sins were forgiven and he (presuming he committed no impenitent mortal sins after his baptism) now enjoys eternal ecstasy in the beatific vision (or will once he is through with Purgatory). Think about that hard. That should shock you. It might offend you. But that is the radical nature of the mercy God proposes to us. It tells us (if we are of a mind to cherish the evils of sinners) that this man *got away with it* and not only did not receive his just deserts of everlasting hell, but was rewarded with eternal happiness. And for those who have not yet received the mercy, we are to desire such salvation *for* them as badly as Christ did for Hans Frank. We are indeed to pity them if they will not receive it. For their victims merely received death. They shall, if they do not repent, receive the everlasting fires of hell and the horror of the loss of God for all eternity. Can we desire eternal joy for Saddam or (insert person in the world you most justly despise)? If not, our Faith says we are sinners. That's the most scandalous teaching of the gospel, bar none. The Mercy of Christ: The Most Scandalous and Powerful Force in Human History He broke down only once: when Robert Rule, a large man with a white beard who acts as a shopping mall Santa, forgave him for killing his 16-year-old daughter, Linda, in September 1982. This simply is not possible without the grace of God. I stand in awe of it. May it lead to his conversion. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe will be filmed in NZ Seems to be the hip place for cinema these days. Let's hope they don't screw this one up. Not all filmmakers are Peter Jackson. By the way, finally saw ROTK last night. An awesome achievement, not only in terms of spectacle but in terms of the sheer power of the emotional impact. I could cavil at little details, but why should I? My overwhelming reaction is gratitude for the sheer greatness of what Jackson has achieved in these films, particularly the last one. It was not only spectacular, it was beautiful and profoundly moving. Moreover, it was deeply Catholic. Few stories have managed to evoke and, by pure miracle, convey the sadness of this world while making the hope of heaven so desirable and palpable. Jackson may think he had "not an ounce" of interest in Tolkien's Catholic vision, but by some unknowable gift of the Valar, he was graced to communicate it anyway. If you've not seen it yet: Do! Good Morning! It's Day 5 of the Quarterly Catholic and Enjoying It! Pledge Week Has this blog been a source of good for you that you can't find anywhere else? Then please consider a gift to and click on the PayPal button to the left so that C&EI can stay on the air and our kids get fed, dentalficated, and so forth. You can either make a straight donation or, if you like to get something for your money (something beyond this blog that you've come to love and depend on, I mean), you can buy my books and tapes. And if you'd rather not do PayPal, feel free to email me and ask for my snailmail address. I'll happily take a check instead. To all who have given and/or bought my wares: THANKS! From the bottom of my heart, THANKS! To those who have not yet contributed to the Pledge Drive: Don't think somebody else will do it. Lots of people thought that yesterday. Consequently there were about a dozen donations and a few purchases (out of the roughly 2900 people who visited). So help my pledge drive go out with a bang, not a whimper. I promise, no more mention of money stuff for three months after Pledge Week ends on Sunday. By the way, if you are interested in my books, don't buy them from Amazon cuz if you do, they get all the money and I get about a nickel. Get them from me and I'll happily autograph them! And don't forget: I'm available to come speak to your parish or other Catholic gathering. Need a referral on whether hiring me is a good bet? Ask Fr. Phil Bloom! Help for Evangelical Converts Needed A reader writes: Here's a quick question that you can totally ignore if you're too busy...I just met with a very nice couple who converted from an Evangelical denomination a year or two ago. They still have those moments of culture shock that I'm sure you can identify with. I was wondering if you can recommend any books that would be useful for them? They have great books to explain Catholicism to them, but the convert books all seem more like apologetics than helping people through the transitions. Any thoughts you might have would be great. Discuss, class. Uh, Mr. Cheney? Just what are you getting at? This is... infelicitous at best, worrisomely revealing at worst. Am I the only one bothered by this weirdly Napoleonic sentiment on a Christmas card? Thursday, December 18, 2003
Good Day! It's Day 4 of the Quarterly Catholic and Enjoying It! Pledge Week Yesterday, while you got to hear discussions of the history of the Church in Eastern Europe after WWII, discuss Santa Claus and supernatural vacuums, and find out what "stroppy" and "chundering" meant, we Sheas were discovering that our roof is going to be $1600 more expensive than planned due to the lousy job the previous roofers did for the previous owners of our house. So we are back to being desperately short of money. Therefore, as you enjoy the convivial atmosphere of the comments boxes and the fruits of my scriptoriariaristic labor, please consider helping us out with a donation. It isn't everywhere you can promulgate your theories, discuss the Catholic doctrine of divine mercy, and hear William Shatner sing! Wouldn't you gasp with hideous sucking sobs of grief if you lost that? Dry your eyes and click on the PayPal button to the left and help C&EI stay on the air and our roofing bill get paid. You can actually, literally, help a Catholic father keep a roof over his kids heads in the dead of winter. Positively Dickensian! You can either make a straight donation or, if you like to get something for your money (something beyond this blog that you've come to love and depend on, I mean), you can buy my books and tapes (autographed even!). Imagine the happy face on Christmas morning: "Here dear, it's autographed by the |
