Mark Shea's Blog: So That No Thought of Mine, No Matter How Stupid, Should Ever Go Unpublished Again!
Back about 10 years ago I read 2 or 3 books in a series that I liked. They were mysteries that took place in modern England and/or Scotland. The heroine was a nun of the good orthodox type. Book 1 involved a scandal at a convent where Gabriel's Horn featured prominently, and Book 2 took place while the nun was on retreat in either Scotland or England. I enjoyed the books very much, but I've never been able to find it again. Would any of your readers know of it?
That theme of revolt and rebellion against God as Father runs through much of 19th century thought. Indeed, it's one of the curious marks of 19th century atheism that its spokesmen often simultaneously proclaim the non-existence of God, even as they shake their fists in angry rebellion at what appears to be a very present Nobody. It gives us a very telling clue for which Pope John Paul II provides an insightful diagnosis:Original sin attempts... to abolish fatherhood... leaving man only with a sense of the master/slave relationship.
This Romantic notion of the Liberator Rebel casting off the shackles of Oppression, already much admired because of the American and French Revolutions (not to mention the Reformation), took on new and unexpected life in the literature of the 19th century and went far beyond mere political rebellion. For instance, the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley, in his Defense of Poetry, argued that Satan is the true hero of Milton's epic Paradise Lost (a development that would have shocked the Puritan Milton). Similarly Marx, who (like Shelley) admired the myth of Prometheus (who stole fire from the gods and gave it to man), wrote poetry in which he voiced a wish indistinguishable from the promise of the serpent in Genesis 3:Then I will wander godlike and victorious
Through the world
And, giving my words an active force,
I will feel equal to the creator.
Likewise, Nietzsche declares, "Better to have no God, better to set up destiny on one's own account, better to be a fool, better to be God oneself!" So too, Ernst Haeckel created a form of nature worship he called "Monism" that, as we shall see in our next chapter, led inexorably to the deification of Man, or rather, of one particularly unpleasant man.
The Common Thread
Taken together, the basic argument of the 19th century elites was summarized long ago by the author of Wisdom:For they reasoned unsoundly, saying to themselves,
Short and sorrowful is our life,
and there is no remedy when a man comes to his end,
and no one has been known to return from Hades. Because we were born by mere chance,
and hereafter we shall be as though we had never been;
because the breath in our nostrils is smoke,
and reason is a spark kindled by the beating of our hearts. When it is extinguished, the body will turn to ashes,
and the spirit will dissolve like empty air. Our name will be forgotten in time
and no one will remember our works;
our life will pass away like the traces of a cloud,
and be scattered like mist
that is chased by the rays of the sun
and overcome by its heat. For our allotted time is the passing of a shadow,
and there is no return from our death,
because it is sealed up and no one turns back. (Wisdom 2:1-5)
All these schools of thought have two basic things in common: rejection of the Christian understanding of God and rejection of the Christian understanding of the human person. And that means, as Paul points out, that in professing to be wise they have become fools (Romans 1:22). For the common thread that unites them all is what Christian teaching has always regarded as the Great Sin, the source of all other sin, the thing that made the devil the devil: Pride.
Reality only offers us two choices: we can worship God or we can worship what is not God. We do not have the choice of not worshiping, for human beings are so made that they must, sooner or later, give their lives in worship of something (even if the object of worship is just their belly). That's why, in all these philosophical systems, there is (often in the name of "science") the curious combination of a hatred of "religion" (meaning "the God of Abraham") combined with the strange tendency to speak in religious terms of Humanity, Progress, Evolution, Destiny, etc. Founded on the basic choice to worship what is not God, the 19th century philosophies sketched above undertook to begin the mass popularization of these ideas:
• The human person is not in the image of God because God does not exist.
• The human person therefore comes from chaos and shall return to chaos.
• The human person is the product of purposeless processes.
• The human person is defined by Power, not Love.
• The human person is either an Oppressor or a Victim.
• The human person is an illusion disguising a fathomless abyss of conflicted impulses and irrational desires.
• The human person must kick down the ladder of history and biology by which he climbed and create himself.
• The human person cannot be hobbled by love, pity, and a slave morality that cringes before God.
• The human person improves himself through competition, enmity, and strife as he destroys the weak.
• The human person should seek pleasure in this world, because this is all there is.
• The human person must defeat and destroy anything standing in the way of the quest for pleasure and power.
• It is arrogant for us to think of ourselves "made in God's image" and superior to other creatures.
• Since nature is all there is, and humans dominate nature by virtue of natural selection, humans can be said to be the "face" of nature and the most successful humans should, by any means necessary, take their place as the only gods there will ever be, knowing the difference between good and evil.
In short, the 19th century saw the beginning of the biggest philosophical and cultural attempt in history to make the case for worshiping what is not God, combined with the largest philosophical and intellectual assault on the dignity and origin of the human person ever known.
And so, right in the middle of this 19th Century intellectual assault, the Holy Spirit did a providential thing: He prompted the Church to formally proclaim the Immaculate Conception and hold up for us the image of the most profoundly redeemed human person in the entire universe: Mary. And, curiously, the motivation for the definition—plain old love for Mary without a thought of winning some fight or power struggle—was itself a paradoxical rebuke to the Philosophers of Pride. For the Philosophies of Pride were all founded on the proposition that the very first word about the dignity and origins of the human creature is Chaos, that the story is nothing but one endless power struggle, and that the final word is Death. In contrast, the point of the Immaculate Conception is that the very first word about the human creature is the Word Who became flesh, that the story is Love and the final word is Glory.
A stumping Howard Dean thinks today's Republicans "look like the 1950s and talk like the 1850s". Sadly, this is not the case. Not by a country mile.
Most of today's politicians (GOP or otherwise) would have difficulty even reading, much less composing, the sort of speech that was required of a 4th grader in the schools of the 1850s. As for the magnificent oratory and complex arguments of a Clay, a Calhoun, or a Webster...well, these might just as well be written in Latin to our politicos. (BTW, most High School graduates could read and write Latin in the 1850s).
I ask your prayers for my friend and coworker S, one of the two
student workers in my office. She's probably one of the hardest-working
students I know, and she's in a bit of trouble.
S turns 37 today; she has two daughters, a nineteen- and a six-year-old, and no husband or family supporting her. She was a hardcore drug addict/alcoholic for twelve years before picking herself up, enrolling at university and working her butt off at her studies and her workstudy job. She's going to graduate with her AA next quarter after getting 4.0's the past three quarters straight, and with an impressive cumulative GPA for someone with two kids, two jobs, and a history as painful as hers. She's transferring to next quarter to eventually get her Masters in Social Work, with which she wants to help women who suffer from abuse and drug addictions. I know she's Christian, but I'm not sure what denomination.
S just spoke with her financial aid advisor yesterday and learned that she's losing nearly all of her financial aid. As of right now, the government pays for daycare for her daughter, gives her foodstamps every month, and several grants to help her make ends meet; she also lives in County Housing, and pays $29 a month for rent. Through various bureaucracies, she's going to lose pretty much all her support. She's not sure how she's going to make it.
Please pray that the Lord provide for S, that she may be given the ability to take care of her family. I don't know anyone more deserving of help in this area.
This should make a good Rock Solid subject, too, but I need your opinion. A Catholic podcaster called out this O'Brien guy with a pro-abortion "Catholic" web site as a heretic.
While I agree that what O'Brien is promoting is against Church doctrine, I'm not sure we can call him and his ilk heretics until they've been declared as such by a bishop. Some time ago, you had a podcast where you talked about a similar issue. It was along the lines of it not being a good idea for laity to declare Protestants as damned for this or that because such a declaration takes apostolic authority.
So ... can you offer some advice? Thanks.
Your Democratic Party in action. This person gave the invocation before the Democratic debate last night.
She made a brief run at Episcopal Bishop of Chicago last year before falling out of contention. And she is, of course, a lesbian but you already knew that or should have. I'd make some kind of jocular remark here but I think I'm spent.
Take care, bro. Sorry to hear about your tenacious flu. Except for the prostate cancer, about the most serious medical thing I've had to deal with lately is a slightly arthritic right wrist that went south on me last week.
I read your blog regularly and I thought that some of your readers might be interested in our new Catholic mom blog, started by 7 Princeton graduates, Building Cathedrals.
Here is the intro to our blog:
Since leaving Princeton, we have come to rely upon one another for daily encouragement in our shared vocation as wives and mothers. Between the 7 of us, we have 17 children in our homes with 3 more currently on the way! And although we are spread apart geographically, we all know that support is never far away when we need it. Among us are educators, political strategists, doctors-in-training, lawyers, and counselors, so each of us brings a unique perspective to our group conversations. Through it all, our primary goal is to give glory and honor to God by raising thoughtful, loving, and vibrant families! Just as the architects of the great cathedrals built their masterpieces for an audience of One, so too do we build our families day by day, stone by stone, seeking above all to please Him.
Seven bachelors degrees, four advanced degrees, and nearly 200 combined months of pregnancy have only convinced us of how much we have left to learn in matters of faith, family and vocation. We adhere wholeheartedly to every doctrine of the Holy Catholic Church, but the details beyond that, from co-sleepers and breast pumps to schooling options and professional life, are grounds for robust discussion with like-minded friends. Nothing written on this blog is intended to incite maternal guilt, anger or to advise on medical or legal matters. Virgin most prudent, pray for us!
We hope you check us out.
A high school friend of mine and his wife just lost their pre-born baby girl. The umbilical cord wrapped around the baby's neck and had to be delivered. The little girl didn't survive. The family is suffering as you might imagine. Related to this, my friend is a lapsed Catholic and his wife is an atheist (at least she was years ago when last I had any discussions with her on the subject). Maybe the little girl's death is the start of the process of bringing the family home.
See below for an update on young John Patrick, the baby for whom you and your readers have been praying. The young lad was born today, Feb 26 at 9:35 EST. Although he arrived earlier than what was considered optimal, the in utero heart procedure had its desired effect. Not out of the woods yet, but please pass on many thanks to your readers, requests for their continued prayerful support, and to extend a big welcome to one of Holy Mother Church's newest members. Praise be to the Lord our God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit!---------- Forwarded message ----------
Dear Friends,
I am passing on the latest update that I have on behalf of the McCord family. Praise God, the earlier heart procedure done on John Patrick seems to have been a success and he is not diagnosed with HPLH syndrome. He is stable now and the previous breathing problems are now a minor concern. John Patrick is 17 inches long and 4 pounds 11 ounces. What a big boy for less than 32 weeks!
John Patrick will need 2 heart procedures over the next few days or weeks. One will repair his aortic valve and the other will fix a "kink" in his aorta. (Please forgive me if I don't have the details exactly right. I'm passing on what I've been given.) Both of these procedures have a high success rate, but as you know, for a parent, there is no such thing as a "routine" procedure, especially on a little one's heart. Please keep John Patrick in your prayers as well as Dave, Lisa and the entire McCord family.
Praying with you,On Feb 26, 2008, at 11:07 AM, Katie wrote:
Lisa delivered John Patrick at 9:35 this morning. Mom is doing well, praise God! Continued prayers are needed for little John Patrick. He has been moved to Children's Hospital to provide the greatest support for his breathing and other health concerns. The McCord's were able to have John Patrick baptized immediately after his birth and your prayers for him are requested.
Please request prayers on your website "Catholic and Enjoying It" for my nephew, Joseph Gallagher, who is seriously ill from cancer. He is in critical condition. We know that God, through His love for us, hears our prayers.
A quick and dirty take on some of the assumptions of this understanding of the mission of Christ and the purpose of the Church would be:
1) multiple economies of salvation (Jesus is salvific only for Christians at best);
2) repudiates the crucifixion as in any way redemptive because that would place an act of violence at the very center of God's purposes;
3) asserts that the Incarnation is an end in itself (God just wanted to share human life so much) and that objective redemption was not the purpose of Jesus' earthly life;
4) regards Jesus not primarily as Savior but as Announcer/Prophet of God's reign;
5) regards the Church strictly as a prophetic servant of the Reign of God which is independent of the Church and much more important; and
6) understands liturgy as a celebration of community which prepares us to go out and work for God's reign.
As Pope Benedict points out: "But the main thing that leaps out is that God has disappeared; man is the only actor left on the stage."
The Kingdom without the King. Instead of the Kingdom flowing out of relationship to the King.
Dear Friends:
Earlier this month Congress passed H.R. 2082, a bill that would prohibit all U.S. intelligence agencies, including the CIA, from subjecting detainees to waterboarding, stress positions, hypothermia, and other forms of torture. The President's signature is all this bill needs to become law.
Unfortunately, President Bush has said he plans to veto the bill. If he does not change his mind, this important anti-torture legislation will not become law.
Please contact the White House and tell President Bush's staff that you support H.R. 2082 (the Intelligence Authorization bill), and that you think it is essential that the anti-torture provision in the bill becomes law. You can use a sample email that we have prepared to contact the President, or you can call the White House at 202-456-1111. Go here for the sample email. Please feel free to personalize the email.
We would also like to remind you of two important torture-related events on March 7th and 8th in Washington, DC. There will be an Interfaith Mini-Conference on U.S.-sponsored Torture, as well as a workshop: Torture and What Churches Can Do at Ecumenical Advocacy Days. Many people of faith will be in Washington that weekend for Ecumenical Advocacy Days and/or Interfaith Peace Witness sponsored by the Christian Peace Witness for Iraq/The Olive Branch Interfaith Peace Partners.
Thank you for all that you do to end U.S.-sponsored torture.
Sincerely,
Linda Gustitus, NRCAT President
Richard Killmer, NRCAT Executive Director
Since the modern world began in the sixteenth century, nobody's system of philosophy has really corresponded to everybody's sense of reality: to what, if left to themselves, common men would call common sense. Each started with a paradox: a peculiar point of view demanding the sacrifice of what they would call a sane point of view. That is the one thing common to Hobbes and Hegel, to Kant and Bergson, to Berkeley and William James. A man had to believe something that no normal man would believe, if it were suddenly propounded to his simplicity; as that law is above right, or right is outside reason, or things are only as we think them, or everything is relative to a reality that is not there. The modern philosopher claims, like a sort of confidence man, that if once we will grant him this, the rest will be easy; he will straighten out the world, if once he is allowed to give this one twist to the mind.
***
Against all this the philosophy of St. Thomas stands founded on the universal common conviction that eggs are eggs. The Hegelian may say that an egg is really a hen, because it is a part of an endless process of Becoming; the Berkeleian may hold that poached eggs only exist as a dream exists; since it is quite as easy to call the dream the cause of the eggs as the eggs the cause of the dream; the Pragmatist may believe that we get the best out of scrambled eggs by forgetting that they ever were eggs, and only remembering the scramble. But no pupil of St. Thomas needs to addle his brains in order adequately to addle his eggs; to put his head at any peculiar angle in looking at eggs, or squinting at eggs, or winking the other eye in order to see a new simplification of eggs. The Thomist stands in the broad daylight of the brotherhood of men, in their common consciousness that eggs are not hens or dreams or mere practical assumptions; but things attested by the Authority of the Senses, which is from God.
"If I died today, it would be all right," Williams told me, indicating he was witnessing something he never expected he would live to see.
At the end of February, Blessed Sacrament Parish and the University of Washington Newman Center will be honored to host Fr. Timothy Radcliffe, one of the best-known preachers in the Catholic world. Timothy Radcliffe is a household name to every priest in the diocese, to every Dominican friar and sister in the world, and to many bishops. Yet many laypersons have not yet been blessed to hear him. So who is he anyway?
Fr. Radcliffe was born in England in 1945. Raised in the English aristocracy, he entered the Dominican Order in 1964. He studied philosophy and theology in Oxford and Paris. After his priestly ordination, he served as university chaplain, and then proceeded to teach Sacred Scripture at Oxford for a dozen years. His leadership skills became evident, so in 1988, his con-freres elected him Provincial of England. In 1991, friars repre-senting Dominicans from throughout the world elected him Master of the entire Dominican Order, making him a successor of St. Dominic. Fr. Radcliffe’s new assignment took him to the Order’s headquarters in Rome, and to visits of Dominicans in over 100 countries. As Radcliffe departed for Rome, Cardinal Basil Hume exclaimed that England had lost its best preacher.
Fr. Radcliffe has published numerous popular essays and books on Dominican life and Catholic spirituality. His practical wisdom, deep joy, English wit, Oxford charm and profound insights on the concrete meaning of Christian discipleship soon endeared him to countless Catholics. He quickly became one of the most sought-after speakers in the Catholic world, whether among clergy, religious and laity. His popular books include I Call You Friends (Continuum), Sing a New Song to the Lord (Templegate) and What Is the Point of Being a Christian? (Burns & Oats). In recent years, Fr. Radcliffe has preached the seven last words at Seattle’s St. James Cathedral, while also being the key-note speaker for the archdiocesan priest days. In 2005, he preached the Holy Rosary Pilgrimage at Lourdes, France to over 40,000 pilgrims.
It is both perilous and difficult to summarize a preacher’s main themes. Yet perhaps one could propose at least three ma-jor refrains in Radcliffe’s extensive repertoire of essays, sermons and speeches. First, beginning with his tutorial education at Oxford, Radcliffe has been convinced in the immense power of dialogue and debate for the enrichment of Catholic life. He insists that dialogue is not a code word to ask everyone if they could just get along and ignore all of our differences. Rather, dialogue and friendly debate are means to come to a deeper understanding of the truths of our faith and how to live them in the most authentic way possible.
Secondly, he manifests an insis-tence on conversing with the post-modern (and often secular) culture, rather than ignoring or dismissing it. He displays the courage to point out the internal contradictions of certain as-pects of post-modernity (e.g. proposing that truth is simply relative demeans human dignity) while also taking many of that culture’s driving concerns seriously (e.g. compassion for the mar-ginalized of society). Thirdly, his writings manifest a strong conviction that living the classical virtues (such as temperance and chastity) does not lead to a life of suppressed emotions, but rather to true liberty of spirit and body.
Fr. Radcliffe’s style of popular theology continually brings us back to the person of Jesus and the stories of the Gospels, which he interprets with delightful creativity and fidelity to the tradition. Faithful to the work of St. Dominic, he also seeks to engage non-Christians in their terms. His presence among us is therefore an opportunity to deepen our faith, and to invite our non-Catholic Christian friends, our agnostic neighbors, or our non-Christian relatives.
Fr. Radcliffe will preach at a Mass on the UW campus on Sun-day, February 24 at 2 PM (Kane Hall 130). He will speak on meeting the risen Christ on Tuesday, February 26 at 7:30 PM (UW Newman). Finally, he will discuss the theme of evangeli-zation in a post-modern world on Wednesday, February 27 at 7:30 PM (Blessed Sacrament Parish).
Fr. Jerome’s 2006 - 07 Annual Report
“Just the facts ma’am…”
New Contact Info: Fr. Jerome Cudden, O.P.
St. Thomas More Newman Center
1615 E 2nd Street
Tucson, AZ 85719
· May 18th, 2007. I received my Master of Divinity and Master of Theology degrees from the Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology.
· June 2nd, 2007. I was ordained a priest (finally!) in St. Dominic Catholic Church in San Francisco.
· July 1st, 2007. I arrived in Tucson to start my first assignment as the Parochial Vicar (that’s church talk for assistant priest) of the St. Thomas More Newman Center at the University of Arizona.
Details, details, details…
The first eight months of the last year were pretty straight forward: studying for classes, preparing for my priestly faculties exam, working on my thesis, and trying to stay out of trouble. The good news is that I passed the first two, completed the third and the House of Studies decided to do whatever they could to get me out of the house because at least then I would be out of their hair.
The last four months of the year, however, were insane. Let us start with the ordination. I thought one of the benefits of being a celibate man was that I would not have to worry about planning a wedding and all the nonsense that goes along with that. I now believe I might have been better off dealing with one woman than many Dominicans. My classmates and I were pretty much on the same page as to what we wanted for the ordination Mass but every Tom, Dick and Harry Dominican seemed to want to impose his two cents upon us.
After much negotiation and prayer, we were able to come up with a beautiful ordination ceremony. There was lots of Latin chant, incense, tons of guys with elaborate vestments, and even one guy with a pointy hat and crooked staff. You cannot have an ordination without the Bishop. Everyone who attended the ordination said it was absolutely beautiful. I even cried; OK, twice. I cried during the prostration and then when my parents came up to receive Holy Communion. The rest of the weekend was spent celebrating in and around the Bay Area with family and friends who made my ordination possible.
The next weekend it was back to New Jersey to offer a Mass of Thanksgiving at my parent’s parish in Oradell. Talk about performance anxiety. About 200 family and friends showed up to see little Brendan finally become Father Jerome. As you all know, this was no small feat – on God’s part. But the good news is that if He can do it for me He can do it for anyone. All of the ordination and post-ordination Masses and festivities were moving experiences, and it was an honor for me to offer thanksgiving to our God for all the people in my life who made my priestly vocation possible. Thank you for your prayers and support over all these years.
Four days later, my parents, my sister Michele and I jumped on an airplane and headed for the birthplace of Catholicism – Ireland! Again, I had the honor of offering Masses of Thanksgiving in the parishes in which my mother and father were baptized and raised. I have 20+ aunts and uncles and 70+ first cousins, and most of them reside in Ireland and England. Thus, between the two Masses and the wonderful party Sunday afternoon, I was able to chat with about 90% of my tribe. The last time I was in the Emerald Isle, I was 15; so it was wonderful to experience my people with more mature and sober eyes.
From the Emerald Isle it was off to the Eternal City (Rome), and I now understand why it is called that. From the statues of Romulus and Remus suckling on the “she wolf” to St. Lawrence holding his grill (ask my parents about the story behind the icon) in Michelangelo’s “The Last Judgment” in the Sistine Chapel, Rome is one big history lesson. Because membership has its privileges, my parents and I stayed at the Angelicum, which is the Dominican University in Rome. It is located in the “historic” section of Rome, so just about everything was within walking distance. We were also blessed by the presence of one of my Dominican brothers, Fr. Luke, who now teaches in Rome. Fr. Luke speaks fluent Italian, is a walking encyclopedia of just about everything, knows where to find non-touristy restaurants, and understands the mass transit system – when it is not on strike. Three days into our Roman adventure, my mother said to Fr. Luke that if he were not with us we would probably be at each other’s throats, and she was right. That being said, because we were thus able to put so many worries aside, we covered a lot of ground and saw everything that was on my “must see” list and then some. I was able to say Mass at one of the side altars at St Peter’s, in the Catacombs of St. Callistus and in St Dominic’s room at Santa Sabina. Before we leave Rome, I would like to say that I have a new “appreciation” for my Italian family and friends, traffic laws, and brunettes. J
From Rome, it was back to Ireland for an overnight stay at my Uncle Tommy and Aunt Helen’s, who served my favorite vegetable – steak!, and then it was back to the USA. I spent the next week trying to recover from my spiritual, emotional and physical hangover. On July 1, I jumped on yet another plane to follow the little voice that said, “Go West young man!” The same voice that had spoken to me about a decade earlier and brought me to Tempe was calling me back to the desert, but this time 100 miles south. I arrived on July 1, and on July 2 it was 106 degrees. I had forgotten just how hot a “dry heat” can be. Remember, we cook with dry heat – it’s called an oven.
Although it is February as I complete this letter, my annual report is coming to an end in August (see below). Those of you who have received this letter in the past know that it usually comes out in October, so hopefully the next summer will not be as crazy and I will be able to give you the scoop on my first year of priesthood and life back in the desert. However, before I sign off, what would a Fr. Jerome Annual Report be without a few stories from the field?
The first two are from Italy. I was gazing at the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel when a lady came up to me and started to ask me some questions. She asked me, “Do you like being a priest?” I said, “Yes.” Then she asked me, “Are you happy being a priest?” I said, “So far, so good.” Then she asked me, “How long have you been a priest?” I said, “About five weeks…” We both laughed and she went on her way.
The other story took place in the train station in Florence. After a long day of site-seeing, I was exhausted and just wanted to get home. A beggar approached me and said, “Padre…” and then a bunch of stuff in Italian. While I am pretty sure from the non-verbal clues what he was saying, I said, “I am sorry, I do not speak Italian.” Not willing to give up just yet, the man put his hand in his pocket, grabbed a bunch of coins and held them out. At that moment I had an epiphany; I am a religious friar and a beggar myself. So, I said really loud, “Thank you,” and reached to take some of his coins. Sheer terror struck the man; he quickly clenched his first and ran off like a bat-out-of-hell. I have to remember that move.
The final story took place the night before my little sister’s wedding. Mairead was married in August and the night before we are all hanging out having a great time. My five-year-old cousin walks into the house where we were staying, takes one look at me (robed and bearded), and runs out of the house. He runs straight to his mother and screams at the top of his lungs, “Mom! God is inside! God is inside the house!” Needless to say, the rest of the night I was God. But it did not end there. The next morning, my cousin takes his family to the diner in town. While they are waiting for their table, the five-year-old says to an elderly couples, also waiting, “I saw God last night.” They politely smile and nod. After both parties are seated, I arrive with my clan. The elderly couple sees me approaching (robed and bearded), looks at my little cousin, they look at me and look at my cousin, and then his earlier comments about seeing God click and they start to laugh. Then, my five-year-old cousin sees me and says, “God, you are everywhere.” And, without missing a beat, I replied, “That is why I am God.” I really hope God has a sense of humor because if he does not, 106 degrees is going to seem like a walk in the park.
What does the future hold? Usually, a first assignment is for four years. So, barring the Tucson community running me out of town or the province needing me somewhere else, I will be at the University of Arizona for three and a half more years.
Again, I would like to thank you for all the prayers, support and love you have given to me over the years. That being said, please keep them coming! One can never have enough prayers, support and love. Also, if your travels bring you to the Grand Canyon State, please look me up and we will put another rattlesnake on the barbie.
God bless,
Fr. Jerome
Dear Family, Friends, Colleagues, Former Colleagues, Acquaintences, Venerable Bishops, Creditors, Nigernian Spam Mailers and anyone else who's been automatically saved to my yahoo mail contacts:
Faith at the Edge: A New Generation of Catholic Writers Reflects on Life, Love, Sex, and Other Mysteries
Is an exciting new book to be released by Ave Maria Press in March and available for pre-order at Amazon.
The book has received high accolades from Fr. James Martin, SJ, Fr. Benedict Groeschel, CFR, Scott Hahn, Tom Hoopes and others. (see below)
But what makes the book particularly noteworthy and compels me to bring it to your attention is the fact that Mr. Jack Smith is the author of one of the chapters (Encountering the Scourged Christ). His name even appears prominently (above the bar code) on the (back) cover.
If you’re looking for an inspiring gift for a Gen X/Yer trying to connect to their faith in a trying world, or if you’d like to be able to say you owned a copy before it made the Oprah book club, run over to Amazon today. For those of you who prefer to pay full retail price, the book is available for five dollars more directly from Ave Maria Press.
Thanks,
Jack Smith
Some advance praise:
This fascinating collection of essays by some of today's most provocative Catholic writers shows that the truly spiritual person looks at everything—including relationships, love, and sex—as invitations to experience God. Faith at the Edge helps to restore these topics—as well as a host of others—to the center of one’s faith, and in doing so explains the Christian tradition for a new generation of believers.
James Martin, S.J.
Author of My Life with the Saints
This is a much needed book for the John Paul II generation of Catholics. There is a new and fresh spirit in the air of the Church, and Angelo Matera (note: book’s editor) is making a substantial contribution to it.
Fr. Benedict J. Groeschel, C.F.R.
Author of Arise from Darkness
The post-modern conversion stories in this book demonstrate a great spiritual truth—that none of us is born a saint. But in God’s plan, we’re all born to become saints. There is an honesty here that is very rare in religious writing these days. These people have spied God, and glimpsed the mystery that lies at the heart of everything.
Scott Hahn
Author of Reasons to Believe: How to Understand, Explain, and Defend the Catholic Faith
Faith at the Edge is a book for the new generation of Catholics. In this book, as on godspy.com, the Catholic faith isn’t a weak old thing to be preserved and protected—it’s a reality stronger and surer than all the modern messes we bring to it.
Tom Hoopes
Executive Editor, National Catholic Register
If you have a moment, check out the Register's Pope 2008 web site, and if you think it's worthwhile, please link to it or mention it as you see fit. It's our attempt to move into the new media. It's still under construction, and will become nicer to look at over the next week or so. I'll be blogging live from events in Washington, DC, New York, and Sydney so that those who aren't able to attend might be able to experience the pope's visits vicariously through their computer.
Second Station: Jesus Embraces the Cross
(Earth as Suffering Servant—Isaiah)
Meditation:
Mother Earth, you are alive with Christ’s Spirit. You, like Christ, are the suffering servant. You serve all Earth’s creatures so splendidly and graciously, but we often treat you as nothing more than a storehouse of goods. May we awaken to see both your suffering and your generosity. May we only harvest wood from your forests in ways that are sustainable and may we leave your ancient, mystical, old-growth forests to grow in peace.
For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God; for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will but by the will of him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and obtain the glorious liberty of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning in travail together until now; and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. (Romans 8:19-23)
At the edge of a large, ornate pool of water in the lobby, just to the right of the cashier's window, a woman balanced herself and dangled a set of rosary beads over her head. 'Kneel down and pray, kneel down and pray, say your rosary,' she implored the crowd. Immediately, twenty or more persons knelt around the pool. One man holding a drink and a cigarette placed both down on the red and black carpet and knelt.
The choices are: (1) Lady Macbeth and her creepy / lecherous / geezer baggage, (2) The Fuhrer / Messiah and the Fuhrer-ess, (3) another middle-aged Bible-beater from Hope, Arkansas who eats squirrels and thinks he's a musician, and (4) a genuine war hero who in his old age is now one medication error away from screaming at the furniture, said furniture including his embalmed wife. No, Least Weird is not a choice for America.
Outside of the United States, “Guantánamo” is a by-word for torture, authoritarian abuse and injustice. And the fact that the U.S. had elected to put these six detainees on trial before a military commission in Guantánamo drew a predictable review. “There will not be six persons on trial, but seven,” editorialized the predictably pro-American German newspaper Die Zeit. The seventh, of course, is the Bush Administration and its hopelessly corrupted concept of justice.
...the military commissions crafted by the Bush Administration are an embarrassing stain compared to Nuremberg. One of the main reasons is that they have been crafted by political hacks out on a partisan agenda, and the experts who could have done a credible job–first among them the military lawyers in the JAG corps–have been ignored or overruled at each turn. The ability of defense counsel to conduct a meaningful defense has been impeded, with gains coming grudgingly only after the Supreme Court overturned the first, colossally incompetent structure in Rasul. Most menacingly, the specter of torture hovers over the current military commissions proceedings, with the acknowledgement that many of the defendants were subjected to techniques which the entire world (excluding only the Bush Administration) considers to be torture.
"Our rules for interrogation need to catch-up with this awful new form of war that is being fought against all of us and the free world. We must redefine how our lawful society treats those who have nothing but contempt for the law and rely on terrorizing the innocent to accomplish their objectives. The lines must be redrawn and then we must pursue these criminals as quickly and as aggressively as the law permits." - Rev. Lou Sheldon of the radically misnamed Traditional Values Coalition
Let us suppose we are confronted with a desperate thing—say Pimlico. If we think what is really best for Pimlico we shall find the thread of thought leads to the throne or the mystic and the arbitrary. It is not enough for a man to disapprove of Pimlico: in that case he will merely cut his throat or move to Chelsea. Nor, certainly, is it enough for a man to approve of Pimlico: for then it will remain Pimlico, which would be awful. The only way out of it seems to be for somebody to love Pimlico: to love it with a transcendental tie and without any earthly reason. If there arose a man who loved Pimlico, then Pimlico would rise into ivory towers and golden pinnacles; Pimlico would attire herself as a woman does when she is loved. For decoration is not given to hide horrible things: but to decorate things already adorable. A mother does not give her child a blue bow because he is so ugly without it. A lover does not give a girl a necklace to hide her neck. If men loved Pimlico as mothers love children, arbitrarily, because it is THEIRS, Pimlico in a year or two might be fairer than Florence. Some readers will say that this is a mere fantasy. I answer that this is the actual history of mankind. This, as a fact, is how cities did grow great. Go back to the darkest roots of civilization and you will find them knotted round some sacred stone or encircling some sacred well. People first paid honour to a spot and afterwards gained glory for it. Men did not love Rome because she was great. She was great because they had loved her.
If this came from the campaign — and I hope that’s where this originated — there’s no story here except how blasé they are about security. You have to wonder if they are thinking straight. Even if it means empty seats for the cameras.
If it came from the Secret Service itself, we need to know a lot more, and fast.
The Secret Service has in the past enjoyed an excellent and largely non-partisan reputation, but this has been greatly tarnished by its role in restricting lawful and peaceful anti-Bush protesters, helping the White House hide records relating to Jack Abramoff’s White House visits, and arresting a citizen who had the temerity to tell Dick Cheney that, “I think your policies in Iraq are reprehensible” — and then fabricating a criminal charge, orchestrating a cover-up.
And then there’s a case, which has been running for eight years (!), in which almost 60 African American secret service agents allege that they were subjected to racial epithets at work and that white agents with lower scores on promotional exams got better assignments or promotions above them. Although the case is still in procedurally early stages, the judge has repeatedly sanctioned the Secret Service for failing to comply with court orders to produce evidence. Not only has the Secret Service’s general stonewalling tactics got it into trouble, but in recent testimony the Inspector in charge of producing evidence to the court, one Carrie Hunnicutt, admitted destroying documents two days before testifying despite a court order to preserve all evidence.
We really really don’t need any doubt about the Secret Service’s willingness to protect Barak Obama.
"Officers found books in the backpack titled "Muhammad in the Bible," "The Prophet's Prayer" and "The Noble Qur'an." He also had a copy of the Quran and the Bible"
The Pope's Packin' Heat in Greg Mandel's New Comic Thriller
High Hat, by Greg Mandel, 140 pages, paper, $13.00. Publication date: April 15
February 20, 2008: Greg Mandel, The Oregonian's hilarious "Edge" columnist, is sharper than a stick in your eye in this outrageous send up of hard-boiled detective fiction and the Catholic Church, to be published by KenArnoldBooks.
They call him High Hat. We know him as The Pope. But he's no ordinary pontiff. He's packin' heat. Leading his flock by day, moonlighting as a detective by night, he is A. Pope, Private Eye. When Angel Yolkmussel, daughter of a Vatican archeologist, is kidnapped and ransomed for St. Peter's bones, it is up to the pontiff to take on her kidnappers, the splinter Neo-Canadian Amish Mafia. Risking life and limb, he ventures into the bowels of God's town, enlisting the help of drug addicts, transvestites, slum lords, and more to save the life of a lost lamb.
A pontifical satire, this hilarious spoof of life behind the papal walls reveals an ordinary man who ventures into the irreverent and the unknown to bless and protect the outcasts, accomplishing extraordinary feats for the faithful.
Hey slugger,
In case you missed it, Doug Kmiec - prominent pro-lifer and Catholic jurist - wrote a piece in Slate earlier in the week, arguing the case for Obama.
Deal Hudson was unimpressed, and wrote a pretty harsh critique of it here.
Kmiec didn't particularly care for that, so he wrote up a sassy rejoinder right here.
Which brings us to this morning, where Deal has entered the ThunderDome with his own response, here.
Two men enter; one man leaves. And like Tina Turner, I sit and watch it all. Metaphorically, of course.
Dear Friends,
A personal matter. I need a miracle. I ask for prayers. One of my worst "green martyrdom" nightmares has come true. I received a letter from the bank today that unless I come up with $10,404.32 by the middle of March I will lose my home. I am not asking for that money as I know few on this list can afford much. (But donations are gratefully welcomed, as always at PayPal button on my website) There is nowhere I could live as cheaply.
I will however, state without flinching that I am in this position because of my fidelity to Christ and his Church, and that it was clergy members who forced me into this position. Some will scoff at this (the clergy involved certainly will, this is no doubt a victory for them) but no matter.
I knew the terms when I signed on to follow Christ. I have accepted the trauma and the poverty willingly as the cost of following Christ in today¹s world and today¹s Church. I knew then that martyrdom is a genuine possibility for anyone attempting to do this in this day and age, but the truth is worth losing all for. It hasn¹t come to that yet. (I have yet to receive death threats as some priests have from other priests, if they threaten to blow the whistle on them and their evil doings). But I really don¹t want to lose my home!
Some reading this will be incredulous thinking I¹m overly dramatic at best or weak. I gave up trying to explain to those who don¹t understand the terms of our cultural battle long ago. Others of you will understand. I should add that I have even had people in the "orthodox" camp close doors on me when I was in need, who could have easily helped me with work, etc. They don¹t understand... Yet. God bless them.
So I share my dilemma with you, my friends in the Body of Christ, asking your prayers for a solution, as I leave it in the hands of God to direct me to His will.
Thank you,
In Christ,
John
Come, you spirits
That tend on mortal thoughts! unsex me here,
And fill me from the crown to the toe top full
Of direst cruelty; make thick my blood,
Stop up the access and passage to remorse,
That no compunctious visitings of nature
Shake my fell purpose, nor keep peace between
The effect and it!
Thought you might be interested in this: in "Gay by Choice? The Science of Sexual Identity" in the very left-leaning Mother Jones, Gary Greenberg concedes that sexual orientation is mutable and suggests that folks will have to find a different way to argue that people should be able to love whom they love. Thought you might be interested.
Could you please pass on a prayer request to your prayer warriors. Please pray for my neighbor Connie's nephew Michael. He lost his dad to cancer in October, his sister two weeks later died from complications associated with longstanding anorexia, and then his mom Terri was also told that her cancer was back. ( She has lung and ovarian cancer). Anyway, over the weekend Michael was in an accident. The machinery he was operating on his property in Alaska exploded and set him flying backward. He has lost his eye and there are other complications, but he was able to pick up his 3 year old son and run to safety. But he is now in the hospital and his wife is expecting a baby in 6 weeks. Apparently he is some kind of surveyor and he uses is eyes for his job. Please pray for God's mercy on this family and that they may be drawn to Him for strength and healing. They have Catholic backgrounds but I don't know if they are active at the church at this time.
Thank you all, so much for your prayers. I'm not sure which Saints to ask to intercede, but I do remember reading a biography of St. Padre Pio, where he prayed for a man who had a similar accident, severely injuring his eyes, and miraculously, was able to see. If you know of any others from the Church triumphant or the Church militant, please ask them to join in!
A Prayer
by St. Pio of Pietrelcina
May Jesus comfort you
in all your afflictions.
May He sustain you in dangers,
watch over you always with His grace,
and indicate the safe path
that leads to eternal salvation.
And may He render you always
dearer to His Divine Heart
and always more worthy of Paradise.
Amen
My eldest boy has just turned eleven, and I will shortly be needing to have That Talk with him. It seems to me from the little I know about it that the Theology of the Body would be the right approach to take.
So, two questions for you and your readers: what's a good book for me to start with, as an adult? And is there a good book to read with my son?
Thanks for any help!
The Chesterton episodes that we taped last January will be broadcast, starting Sunday, March 2. (9 pm EST, 8 pm CST, 6 pm PST)
I have been observing the torture debate for some time and I would like to make a suggestion for your audience.
I think that many readers are pushing the questions too far with only a limited knowledge of moral theology - without the right tools it is easy to get trapped in your own ideas. I would thoroughly recommend The Way of the Lord Jesus: Christian Moral Principles by Germain Grisez. It is a very big and perhaps daunting book but is elegant, precisely written, and faithful to the church. He starts where Aquinas left off and respectfully outlines the limitations of scholastic natural law - it can say when things are wrong but is not very good at explaining why or providing alternatives. He proposes a system of morality where good moral choices are those choices and only those choices that are willed towards integral human fulfillment. He proposes integral human fulfillment as being based on an individual being fulfilled as part of a wider Christian family. He then goes on to explain how this might be implemented in real life. I found the system of morality he presents to be beautiful, inspiring and truly Christian. If this book is too big (1000 pages), then I recommend his third book in the series (Difficult Moral Questions) which has 200 real life qestions and answers. His analysis is comprehensive in detail and will challenge the reader to think about the complexities of decision making. I am sure that if your readers take a step back and equip themselves with some good intellectual tools they will see this and other topics with a new clarity.
Let's see...
Thomas More writes: "First, you have not addressed the arguement that the Catechism specifically lists the instances when torture is immoral, and self defense and defense of others, and information to that end are not listed."
The criterion that JPII developed for calling the death penalty "cruel and unnecessary" applies here, I think. The death penalty is morally acceptable (though still cruel) when there are no "bloodless means" of dealing with habitual criminals, etc. Can the same be said for using torture to get info out of spies, terrorists, etc.? No, I don't think so. Torture, even if once thought morally acceptable, like the death penalty, is now morally suspect, and more than just suspect, but evil. Do I really need to distinguish btw torture and capital punishment? I would argue here that Aquinas' criterion for the legitimacy of the death penalty and torture (given state power) is never met in the US in 2008.
T.M. wrote: "Second, no one has addressed the arguement that St. Thomas Aquina's argued that governments had the authority to torture becuase they had the authority to execute. Unless of course, you, like Mr. Shea feel that the Angelic Doctor was simply a 'Torture Pharisee' and whose immortal soul is at risk."
I make it a practice to quote my brother Thomas Aquinas on a daily basis. Without a doubt he is right 99.999% of the time. However, we know that he got the Immaculate Conception wrong and we know that his grasp of biology and astronomy were shaky at best. I would say here that my brother would have distinguished more clearly (had he a different purpose in mind) btw the prolonged physical pain inflicted by torture (not to mention the inherently inhuman degradation of a person created in the image and likeness of God!) and the swift end brought by a blade to the neck. He would have also taken care to modulate his eagerness for both the death penalty and torture by looking carefully at the circumstances around the use of either. Regardless, T.A. is not the Roman church's living magisterium in 2008.
T.M. wrote: "Third, St. Augustine also took it for granted that judges had the authority to extract confessions by the use of torture in the City of God. But maybe he was also a purveyor of lies."
Again, perhaps he would have changed his mind given contemporary circumstances, i.e., non-torturous means of getting info. And, again, Augustine is not currently active as a teacher in the magisterium. IOW, our bishops' explicit teaching on contemporary moral issues trumps Augustine's speculative arguments everytime.
T.m. wrote: "Fourth, St. Thomas More was famously proud of being "grievous" to heretics. Three of which he handed over to be burned at the stake. Additionally, the law which he enforced and applied at the time as Lord Chancellor allowed him to use coercive interrogation techinques, so I doubt he is weeping over an honest rational debate regarding when torture is justified or if it can ever be justified."
No doubt that Thomas More was proud of his enforcement of the law. However, as I understand the argument here, no one is suggesting that the church has never condoned torture or has always taught against its legit use. The question is whether or not the church's magisterium NOW is calling on us as faithful Catholics to shape our consciences around the notion that torture, given modern methods and penal systems, is morally acceptable in 2008. The answer is clear: No, torture is not morally acceptable nor can it be justified on any utilitarian grounds (a la "pro-choice" arguments for abortion given overpopulation). IOW, torture is not necessary for the defense of our society (T.A.'s test for legitmacy for the d.p.) in 2008.
As a moral issue there is no problem in thinking in terms of doctrinal development and change when we think of torture. IOW, we are not arguing about the nature of the trinity or the existence of heaven here. For the most part we are arguing about the prudential use of non-lethal violence against our national enemies. Aquinas insists that circumstances always mitigate cases, so we have to pay careful attention to any and all non-torturous means of acquiring the info necessary to protect the country. These means exist and they must be used to the exclusion of torture. Needless to say, any use of torture as a form of retribution or "punishment" or "just desserts" is also excluded as evil.
I gave you the answer. We disagree with you,...You wanna criminalize women and their doctors and we disagree. I reduced abortion. Tell the truth, tell the truth, If you were really pro-life, if you were really pro-life, you would want to put every doctor and every mother as an accessory to murder in prison. And you won't say you wanna do that because you know, that you wouldn't have a lick of political support. Now, the issue is who, the issue is, you can't name me anybody presently in politics that did more to introduce policies that reduce the number of real abortions instead of the hot air putting out to tear people up and make votes by dividing America. This is not your rally. I heard you. That's another thing you need is a president, somebody who will stick up for individual rights and not be pushed around, and she won't.
This Easter will mark my one year anniversary of becoming a Catholic. It was a long journey but, in the end, one I feel very at peace with and eternally grateful to the Sister who led the RCIA class. I feel like I have come home.
In my search for Catholic writings I came upon your blog. I have been a fan and constant reader ever since.
I am a cartoonist. I draw five editorial cartoons as staff cartoonist for The Birmingham News here in Alabama. I also draw one cartoon a week, (the Tuesday cartoon), for USA Today. In addition, I draw the comic strip Prickly City.
The reason I mention all of this is to thank you. Your writing has inspired me in my work. I have recently drawn editorial cartoons condemning the 35th anniversary "celebration" of Roe v Wade. In addition, I just completed a week of Prickly City where the main character, a conservative, is water boarded after spouting the usual line, "how bad could getting a little water up your nose be?" It's a powerful series and one I am very proud of. Your writing had a lot to do with my inspiration to write it. It will run the last week of February. If you would like to see the strip go to www.PricklyCity.com. my editorial cartoons can be seen at http://blog.al.com/stantis/.
All of this is to say thank you for all you do. Your influence has reached at least into the comics and editorial pages.
This is the young lad for whom I asked you and your readers to pray several weeks ago. He underwent successful in utero heart surgery, for which we were all grateful.
John Patrick is in need of our renewed and fervent prayers. See below.
Glenn-----Original Message-----
From:
Subject: The McCord family
Folks,
Dave McCord just called to say that Lisa's water broke and she was air lifted to Baltimore. John Patrick is not due until May. She is not in labor right now sow we will see what they doctors say. Please keep their family in your prayers.
There will be an important Interfaith Mini-Conference on U.S.-sponsored Torture:
Friday, March 7th -- 9 to 11 AM
Church of the Reformation, 212 East Capitol St NE
Washington, DC (It's on Capitol Hill.)
This event will examine the nature of U.S.-sponsored torture in the context of the teachings of Christianity, Judaism and Islam. It will explore concrete steps people of faith can take to end torture.
Speakers include:
NRCAT Founder: Dr. George Hunsinger, Princeton Theological Seminary;
Ray McGovern, former CIA official;
Rabbi Sid Schwarz, Rabbis for Human Rights;
Mohamed Elsanousi, Islamic Society of North America
Rev. Carol Wickersham of No2torture will serve as the moderator. Rev. Louise Green of All Souls Unitarian-Universalist Church in Washington, DC will lead worship and the music.
Many people of faith will be in Washington that weekend for the Interfaith Witness on Peace in Iraq and the Ecumenical Advocacy Days.
Sponsors of the Mini-conference are: NRCAT; Pax Christi USA; Rabbis for Human Rights - NA; American University Office of University Chaplain; Washington Region Religious Campaign Against Torture.
Fliers for the event can be found here.
NRCAT is also sponsoring a workshop, "U.S.-Sponsored Torture and What Churches Can Do About It" at the Ecumenical Advocacy Days on Saturday, March 8, 2008 at 4:30 - 6:00 p..m. at Hilton Alexandria Mark Center, Alexandria, Virginia.
Please urge those attending the Ecumenical Advocacy Days to join us at the workshop. More information is available here.
Do you or any of your readers know of anywhere I can download podcasts
of papal encyclicals? (ideally iTunes compatible) Thanks!
I'm specifically interested in the 2 by Pope Benedict XVI
Dear Friends:
We have good news. Earlier this week, on a 51-46 vote, the Senate passed important anti-torture legislation that would prohibit all U.S. intelligence agencies, including the CIA, from engaging in torture or other so-called "harsh" interrogation techniques. This bill has already passed the House of Representatives and now it only needs the President's signature to become law.
This is an enormous victory, and it is in part due to your efforts and the efforts of NRCAT. By emailing and calling your Senators, you made it clear to them that the American people expect Congress to take a clear stand against torture.
Unfortunately, however, the President has already said that he plans to veto the bill rather than sign it into law. If he does so, he will repudiate the will of both houses of Congress and of the American people. Worse, he will keep us an immoral and destructive path.
We ask you to call the White House at 202-456-1111, or to email the President at comments@whitehouse.gov to express your support for H.R. 2082 (the Intelligence Authorization bill). Tell the President that we cannot win the war on terror by abandoning the values that made us great, and that he can help return us to those values by signing H.R. 2082.
Sincerely,
Linda Gustitus, President, NRCAT
Richard Killmer, Executive Director, NRCAT
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 15, 2008
CONTACT: Joshua Mercer
231-330-5674
jmercer@fidelis.org
Bush Urged to Sign Ban on Waterboarding
Practice Morally Wrong, Bad Policy
CHICAGO - The national Catholic based advocacy group Fidelis urged President Bush to re-consider his plan to veto a ban on waterboarding that passed both the Senate and the House this week.
The amendment to the approved intelligence bill requires the CIA to adopt the US Army Field Manual restrictions on interrogation techniques, which forbids waterboarding and other types inhumane practices to gather information.
Brian Burch, President of Fidelis, issued the following statement:
"Waterboarding is a form of torture because it consists of immobilizing a person on his back, with his head is inclined downward and pouring water over the face and into the breathing passages. Forced suffocation and inhalation of water is a form of torture and the United States must reject its use. We strongly encourage President Bush to sign this legislation banning the inhumane practice.
"We are sympathetic to difficult choice facing the President given his duty to protect the citizens of the United States. However, the United States must never abandon its commitment to upholding the dignity of the human person, even when such choices are made more difficult by the circumstances of a war.
"The President as Commander in Chief deserves credit for attempting to protect innocent civilians in the war in Iraq. This acknowledgment of the moral responsibilities of a nation during conflict must carry over to our interrogation of prisoners, including terrorists, even if that decision makes the prosecution of the war more difficult.
"Some have argued that the practice of waterboarding is effective and therefore necessary. We respond by pointing to the words of the late Pope John Paul the Great who described torture as an 'intrinsically evil' act. In such acts he explained 'a good intention or particular circumstances can diminish their evil, but they cannot remove it. They remain 'irremediably evil acts; per se and in themselves they are not capable of being ordered to God and to the good of the person.'"
Those who support ripping up the Constitution often say that if you don't have anything to hide, warrantless spying shouldn't bother you.
The same standard should apply to the phone companies. If they don't have anything to hide, then why do they need immunity? Why shouldn't Congress, the courts and the people know the full extent of the spying and its legal justification?
Chalk up another victory for the terrorists, who hate our freedom. So too, apparently, does the U.S. government.
Thank you, as always, for your work.
I read a paragraph on your blog today from a reader regarding the 4 temperaments, and your reply was very sensible and balanced, as usual. I recently became a Certified Consultant in Temperament theory, a fancy name for someone who's studied the work of Dr. David Keirsey, a psychologist and professor at Cal State Fullerton, whose study of psychological type and the four temperaments is the most respected and extensive scholarship available on this topic to date. Keirsey took the Myers-Briggs system of 16 types and combined it with a modernized version of the ancient four temperaments as an expert on all the known variations on the theory, dating from ancient Greece to the early 20th century. Should you or your readers be interested, his work is found in the book "Please Understand Me II". It's fascinating, far from gimmicky, and, as one who's studied both type and temperament extensively, I find that this system trumps all other personality theory out there by a mile.
..the ticking time bomb senario. I know for certain (without a doubt) that a terrorist has information about a explosion that will happen in 24hrs. The bomb is set to go off in a grammer school or day-care lets say. As a Catholic, I will do everything in my power to save those people, including torture (and I'm not talking about silly waterboading techniques) I'm refering to real torture. Yes, maybe pulling teeth out and chopping fingers off, etc. Yes, I will. I know he has the information, and I will make it so painful he wish he wasn't alive. Anything short of that would be un-Catholic.
McCain hasn't backtracked on this. Objecting to *this particular bill* cannot be turned into a claim that he supports torture.
