Sunday, July 31, 2005
The Piercing of His Side--Part Seven of the Seven Bloodsheddings of Christ  

The month of July is set aside for special devotion to the Precious Blood of Jesus. One of the devotions associated with the Precious Blood, is a meditation on the seven references in Scripture to the shedding of Christ's blood. In this seventh installment, I would like to reflect on the Piercing of His Side.
But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once there came out Blood and water. (John 19:34)
St. John records the soldiers' piercing of our Lord's side to show that He was truly dead. In fact, he also wants to make it clear that God had really taken on flesh which could die, be pierced, and issue forth water and blood. This was no phantasm, this was truly a man who was capable of losing blood and dying. In other words, this passage underscores the reality of the Incarnation. God has taken on flesh in the person of Jesus Christ. His body could die, and indeed it did as He offered it up as the perfect sacrifice for sins.

The early Church Fathers understood the water and the blood to represent the sacraments of baptism and the Eucharist. Both flow from the pierced heart of Christ. By baptism, we are reborn and become members of the body of Christ. Through the reception of the Eucharist, we are drawn closer to the heart of Christ. Indeed through proper reception of the Eucharist, we receive the food of Christ in order that, unlike regular food which becomes part of us, we are more closely transformed to the One whom we receive.

The sacraments of baptism and the Eucharist also represent the Church. At this moment when Christ has died, the Church is born through the pouring forth of the water and the blood which come from the heart of Christ. There are distinct parallels between the birth of the Church at the piercing of the side of Christ and the creation of Eve by God. Eve comes from Adam. The Church comes from the second Adam. Adam was made to fall into a deep sleep. Jesus "sleeps" the sleep of death after laying down His life. Adam's side must be opened up to get a rib which is used to create Eve. The soldier's lance opens the side of Christ and pierces His heart which results in the outpouring of water and blood. Eve is Adam's bride. The Church is the Bride of Christ.

In His mercy, God sent His Son to die for our sins. Even in His death, He continues to create and to give. Through the piercing of His side is born the Church represented by the sacraments of baptism and the Eucharist.

Previous Posts:

The Circumcision

The Agony in the Garden

The Scourging at the Pillar

The Crowning with Thorns

The Carrying of the Cross

The Crucifixion

Posted by David at 3:00 AM  |  Comments (1)  | 

Saturday, July 30, 2005
The Bachelors  

Perhaps the major American television networks should head over to China to find the next star for one of their reality TV shows about a man looking for a bride. They will have many men to choose from because, as a missionary of the Pontifical Institute of Foreign Missions noted in an interview with Vatican Radio, China may soon become the country with the most number of bachelors in the world thanks to its one-child policy. In the interview, Father Giancarlo Politi spoke about the effects of the one-child policy.
"There is still a need to seek by all means to have at least a male child," said the priest.

As a result of the policy, instituted in 1979, an estimated 25 million young men in China might remain single for life.

"The family without heirs leaves the couple in a relationship of virtual sterility, also from the human and not just the procreative point of view," he said.

This policy is "truly inhuman," stated the missionary, in that it stipulates "compulsory abortion for those without permission to have a second child," said Father Politi.

Source: Zenit
In addition, Fr. Politi points out that, of course, children are born outside the dictates of the law. For those parents with means, the child may still be registered. However, for children who cannot be registered, they are not considered to exist in a legal sense. And in fact, there is no way to know how many children have actually been born. One can imagine that these children are also open to exploitation by those who would blackmail them using their "illegal" status.

This is a tragic situation of a social policy gone awry. Unfortunately, there does not seem to be a sense that the one-child policy will be abandoned any time soon. In the meantime, people do what they can to help. As I noted in a recent post, a colleague of mine and his wife are doing what they can by adopting a little girl from China partially because they recognized the effects that this policy has on girls, who are often simply abandoned.

Posted by David at 9:00 AM  |  Comments (0)  | Link

Friday, July 29, 2005
Charity begins at Home  

Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved. I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but it is not enlightened. For, being ignorant of the righteousness that comes from God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness. (Rom. 10:1-3)
We have all heard of the dangers of zeal without knowledge as St. Paul articulates in this passage from Romans. What about zeal without charity? In a post entitled, "May the True Orthodox Catholic Please Stand Up", Kevin Muniz at The Heart of a Seminarian addresses the problem of our attempts to be Orthodox Catholics at the expense of an indispensable part of our vocation as Christians--the call to demonstrate authentic charity toward our neighbor.

Posted by David at 3:00 AM  |  Comments (0)  | Link

Thursday, July 28, 2005
Prayer of Saint Catherine of Siena to the Precious Blood of Jesus  

The month of July is set aside for special devotion to the Precious Blood of Jesus. I recently found this beautiful and simple prayer to the Precious Blood of Jesus. The prayer is attributed to Saint Catherine of Siena.

Precious Blood,
Ocean of Divine Mercy:
Flow upon us!

Precious Blood,
Most pure Offering:
Procure us every Grace!

Precious Blood,
Hope and Refuge of sinners:
Atone for us!

Precious Blood,
Delight of holy souls:
Draw us! Amen.

Posted by David at 1:00 PM  |  Comments (0)  | Link

The Crucifixion--Part Six of the Seven Bloodsheddings of Christ  

The month of July is set aside for special devotion to the Precious Blood of Jesus. One of the devotions associated with the Precious Blood, is a meditation on the seven references in Scripture to the shedding of Christ's blood. In this sixth installment, I would like to reflect on the Lord's crucifixion.
There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, and Jesus between them. (John 19:18)
It has been a few hours since He first came struggling up the deathly hill. Even at that time, He looked like He lost enough blood that the cross would not be necessary. However, He continued on as the dogs roughly stripped Him of His clothes. Each pull on His clothes, reopened the wounds which had dried with blood and sweat. Little streams of fresh blood poured again as He stood naked before the callous soldiers.

Then He somehow managed to remain conscious as they laid Him across the cross, stretched out his arms, and pounded the nails through His hands. His body had writhed with each strike that the hammer made on the nail. It did not take too many blows of the hammer to get the job done; this was a well-seasoned group of executioners. They hauled up the cross weighed down with Him, dropped it in its hole in ground and then nailed his feet to the lower part of the cross. Blood was now everywhere. It poured from the newly formed holes in his hands and his feet. It mixed with the dried and caked blood which had come from His head and the countless openings in His flesh that the scourging had produced. I do not know how He could continue to give up so much blood.

Now several hours later, He continues the awful motion of the cross which forces Him to fight for every breath. He struggles on, occasionally speaking from what strength I do not know. He is bathed in His own blood, and His blood has colored the ground underneath Him. There seems to be no way that He could continue on, yet He somehow does.

His end will come. I cannot bear the thought that He will not be with me. Yet I want this misery of His to end. Although the soldiers think they are putting Him to death, He has shown that He is in control. He did not give up anything with which He did not willingly part. What He has given up in abundance is His Precious Blood. It has come from Him like a spring of water. It continues to pour out, and I stand here at the foot of His cross wondering just how much more He can give.

Next Installment: The Piercing of His Side

Previous Posts:

The Circumcision

The Agony in the Garden

The Scourging at the Pillar

The Crowning with Thorns

The Carrying of the Cross

Posted by David at 3:15 AM  |  Comments (0)  | 

Wednesday, July 27, 2005
Government-Provided Legal Guardian Advocates Death by Denial of Food and Water  

Another woman is being forced to die through the denial of food and water simply because it is the wish of the person who is charge of her care. Maria Korp, the Melbourne woman who was found in trunk of her car in February strangled and left to die, has stopped receiving nutrition and hydration through her feeding tube at the request of her legal guardian, Julian Gardner, who is the Victoria Public Advocate. Mr. Gardener is assured that the process of taking the comatose woman's life will be for her "pain-free and free from discomfort." The story is being reported that Ms. Korp is being taken off of life support, despite the information that indicates that the action being taken is to deny her food and water through her feeding tube.

Mr. Gardner was assigned as Ms. Korp's legal guardian because her husband, Joseph Korp, is facing numerous charges surrounding the case "including attempted murder, conspiracy to murder and intentionally causing serious injury." The husband's former lover, Tania Herman, pleaded guilty to strangling Ms. Korp and leaving her for dead. She claims that the husband put her up to the attempted murder for which she pleaded guilty and is now serving a 12 year sentence.

Ms. Korp is a Catholic who did not leave any written instructions for her care were she to find herself in a condition as she is now. However, because she is considered a devout Catholic, the Public Advocate, has "gone to pains to talk to a Catholic ethicist to ascertain just what the official views of the Church are on this." Unfortunately, it is clear that the Public Advocate only listened to unofficial views presented by Catholics because the official teaching of the Church, as expressed by the late Pope John Paul the Great, is clear that basic care such as nutrition and hydration should not be denied a person. Further, to not provide this basic care is "euthanasia by omission."

Mr. Korp, through his lawyers, indicated that it would not be his wife's wishes to have her life ended like this. The Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Melbourne, Monsignor Les Tomlinson, expressed that it was the position of the Church that Ms. Korp was being denied a basic human need. However, he indicated that the archdiocese was not planning on taking any legal action.

Other family members have questioned decision to remove nutrition and hydration, including Ms. Korp's brother-in-law, Gus Korp, who said, "But just to remove the feed and say, okay, well, she'll be dead in two or three weeks, how humane is that (inaudible)? Can someone please explain that to me?" Indeed, that is the explanation which no one of the right-to-die advocates can give, simply because it is clear by any use of human reason that death by dehydration can only be inhumane.

H.T. Blogs for Terri

Posted by David at 1:00 AM  |  Comments (0)  | Link

Tuesday, July 26, 2005
And a little child shall lead them  

Amy Welborn at Open Book wrote a post entitled "Cdnl Arinze speaks" about the answer Francis Cardinal Arinze gave when he was once again asked whether Catholic legislators who support abortion should be refused communion. The question is most appropriate for the Cardinal because he is the Prefect for the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments.

According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette he replied:
Should the person be given [Communion]? And I ask you, do you really need a cardinal from the Vatican to find the answer? Are there no children from First Communion to whom you can pose the question and receive the answer? You do not need a cardinal to answer that. Because it is a straightforward matter.
Based on the comments at Open Book, apparently, the Cardinal's answer is not straightforward enough for some. I suppose that they want the Cardinal to come out and say explicitly that communion should be denied to the pro-abortion Catholic politicians.

I really am not sure what the problem is with his answer. It is rather clear what he is saying, and I hardly doubt that a direct statement would have any more effect than his more nuanced approach. In point of fact, I appreciate his more subtle answer because it seems designed to provide a basis for the real answer to the question. In other words, the Cardinal seems to be trying to make the point that communion is not denied to someone because it is some prelate's say-so. Neither is it denied to people because of the personal opinion of a bishop or priest. No, communion is to be denied to anyone who is known to be unrepentant and in a state of mortal sin. This is foundational Church teaching.(It can be argued that this is not actually taught to children who are preparing for their first communion, but the idea is that, at least, it should be taught to them.)

The other facet to the Cardinal's answer indicates that he is placing the burden, not on the Church hierarchy, but the politician. In preparing for communion, we are taught to examine ourselves..
Let a man examine himself, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For any one who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment upon himself. That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. But if we judged ourselves truly, we should not be judged. (1 Cor. 11:28-31)
Children preparing for their first communion should be taught they must prepare to receive Jesus by examining their conscience. If they find that they have committed a mortal sin, they should go first to confession before receiving the Body and Blood of the Lord Jesus. Francis Cardinal Arinze may be pointing us to the fact that it is the individual's responsibility to be informed about Church teaching and to apply it by examining his conscience in light of the Church's teaching. I do not believe that Catholic politicians who support abortion are unaware of the Church's position against abortion. They simply believe, that for whatever reason, they can consider that this teaching is not binding.

Perhaps by not issuing a direct statement, the Cardinal is also trying to demonstrate what is the purpose of denying communion. It is not to punish the naughty sinners. It is to safeguard the Eucharist, and to encourage the unrepentant to repent. Simply coming out and blasting people generally has little effect. Providing a more subtle answer might just get some people to think. Even the ones who want to blast the pro-abortion Catholic politicians need to think about his answer. It might lead us to realize that our motives for wanting a "straight" answer are not very good. Better to have a more subtle answer that actually changes someone's heart, rather than a straight answer that simply hardens someone's heart and drives them away.

Posted by David at 1:00 AM  |  Comments (1)  | Link

Monday, July 25, 2005
The Carrying of the Cross--Part Five of the Seven Bloodsheddings of Christ  

The month of July is set aside for special devotion to the Precious Blood of Jesus. One of the devotions associated with the Precious Blood, is a meditation on the seven references in Scripture to the shedding of Christ's blood. In this fifth installment, I would like to reflect on the Lord's carrying of the cross.
So they took Jesus, and he went out, bearing his own cross, to the place called the place of a skull, which is called in Hebrew Golgotha." (John 19:17)
It is a custom to associate a particular virtue or characteristic with each of the mysteries of the Rosary. Patience is the virtue which is connected with the fourth Sorrowful Mystery of Jesus' carrying of the cross. Patience is that quality that enables us to persevere through difficulties because we trust the goal to which we are striving is worth the effort and we trust that through love we will be able to overcome all of the obstacles which might prevent us from reaching the goal.

Jesus embraced the cross He was given because by that cross He knew He might be able to continue to pour out His Precious Blood in an act of infinite love which would clear the way for the salvation of every person who would ever live. He did not shy away from grasping the very wood of the cross because He knew what great good would come from this most evil act which was His crucifixion.

We, too, are given a cross. They are lovingly selected by our Lord in order that He might use it to help us to become holy. It is not someone else's cross mistakenly given to us. It is the cross for each one of us that is neither too heavy nor too light. It can be born by us through grace alone.

Oh, but this cross is too much. It means cleansing in areas of my life which I do not care to think about, much less do something about to change. This is where I need the patience that is associated with carrying the cross. Patience will help me to go through that painful purgation of my soul that is sometimes so agonizingly slow. In fact, I often do not see any change until I am able to look back much later and thank God that He helped me through that time when the cross seemed especially heavy.

How heavy that cross must have been for Him! It was weighed down with the sins of the world. No wonder, he stumbled and fell. Yet, thanks be to God, He got up again to complete His act of salvific love. He fell because His love is so great. I fall because I am so weak. Yet it is His love that enables me to get up again and again. His love embraced His cross. Can I embrace mine?

Next Installment: The Crucifixion

Previous Posts:

The Circumcision

The Agony in the Garden

The Scourging at the Pillar

The Crowning with Thorns

Posted by David at 3:30 AM  |  Comments (0)  | 

Sunday, July 24, 2005
Thinking and Doing  

I recently asked a colleague about his upcoming trip to China which I heard about in passing during another meeting in my office. It turns out that he is traveling to China in the spring in order that he and his wife might adopt a baby girl. My colleague and his wife are already the natural parents of two boys.

I naturally asked the question of why they had chosen to adopt from China and why they had chosen to adopt a girl. He indicated two reasons. First, compared to many countries China's adoption procedures are fairly straightforward. Second, he explained how he and his wife thought it made sense to adopt a girl from China because of its one-child policy. Under this draconian policy which attempts to limit families to one child, boys are preferred to girls, and thus, thousands of girls are left in the lurch. They are filling up the orphanages, and thanks to many such as my colleague, some are given homes through adoption. I congratulated him and wished him well that all would go smoothly with the adoption.

In talking to my colleague, however, he indicated his support for zero population growth. In other words, he has bought the atrocious lie that the world is overpopulated. Consequently, those who subscribe to this view, insist that we need to limit the number of births. Now, although we did not discuss his views on the subject, knowing him, I think I have some sense of what he would advocate for how to accomplish this. He is definitely no enemy of abortion. But more than likely he would advocate education, birth control, and economic incentives to help "enforce" zero population growth.

This to me is a clear example of ignorance. In the first place, if he looked into the one-child policy of China, I believe he would be shocked. It is very clear that the Chinese government is using forced birth control (IUDs), forced abortions, and forced sterilization to implement its policy. Officially, the position is that there are simply economic incentives, education, and birth control made readily available to assist couples in family planning. The reality is that there are serious human rights violations being committed against men and, in particular, against women who are bearing the brunt of this brutal policy.

I am always fascinated by folks like my colleague. Because he would identify himself as a liberal, I will use that term. The "liberal mind set" is very admirable. They get involved in a personal way in some issue, and they figure out a way to help someone out who is suffering from the problem at hand. Here my colleague recognizes that there is a problem--little girls are being left to live in the state-run orphanage system which one can only imagine is pretty awful, and he is doing something about it by adopting a girl.

I would hold that his thinking about population growth is somewhat confused, but the question is whether that really matters because, regardless at how he arrives at his course of action, as I say, he is doing something about the problem. There are many of us who might be clear about the fact that zero population is a wrongheaded idea or that China's enforcement of its one-child policy is a violation of human rights, but what good is it to have the right thinking on some issue, if you do not do anything about the problem? Especially in a personal way?

Posted by David at 7:30 AM  |  Comments (0)  | 

Friday, July 22, 2005
Eight Hundred Years after the Fire(ball)  

Today is the eight hundred year anniversary of the Seignadou which was the sign of God that was given to St. Dominic in order that he might establish the first Dominican convent:
On the night of July 22, 1206, the feast of Saint Mary Magdalen, on a hill of Fanjeaux overlooking the little town of Prouille on the plain, Saint Dominic saw what appeared to be a globe of fire descending upon a shrine of Our Lady. The sign from Our Lady (or sign of God, "Seignadou" in the local dialect) occurred again the next two nights. From this, he understood that he was to establish a monastery of nuns at Prouille. In the months that followed, Dominic converted nine young women. Consequently, the first "Dominican" convent opened on the 27th of December. Saint Mary Magdalen, the penitent Apostle to the Apostles, therefore, would become the patroness and mother not only of the converted nuns of Prouille but of the Order of Preachers about to be born. Source: The History of Saint Dominic
St. Dominic spent much of his ministry engaged in combating the Albigensian heresy. This heresy which considered material things as evil had spread throughout southern France in the time of St. Dominic. In establishing the Dominican convent, he continued his efforts to defeat this heresy by making the convent a place for instruction in the faith. The nuns' work of catechesis was to counter the centers of learning that were established by Albigensian women for the purpose of teaching the heresy to children. Eventually, a rule and constitutions were established which formalized the nuns as the Second Order of Dominicans.

H.T: Moniales OP

Posted by David at 1:30 AM  |  Comments (0)  | Link

Thursday, July 21, 2005
The Crowning with Thorns--Part Four of the Seven Bloodsheddings of Christ  

The month of July is set aside for special devotion to the Precious Blood of Jesus. One of the devotions associated with the Precious Blood, is a meditation on the seven references in Scripture to the shedding of Christ's blood. In this fourth installment, I would like to reflect on the Lord's shedding of His blood when he was crowned with thorns.
And the soldiers plaited a crown of thorns, and put it on his head. (John 19:2)
The drama of the Passion of our Lord contains the ironic act of crowning the King of kings with a crown made of thorns. As part of their mockery and revelry, the soldiers make a crown which they think is fitting for the One who is considered to be the King of the Jews. They know who is really the King of the Jews. It is Herod. As for this poor Jewish serf, He must be mad if He thinks that He is the King of the Jews.

The soldiers hold a coronation for Him. The crown is shoved down on His head in order to drive the sharp spikes into the soft flesh on our Lord's head. Immediately the Precious Blood begins to come out and slowly stain His scalp and hair. The mockery does not end there but continues with acts of false obedience before this King of the Jews. "Hail, King!", they cry out as they bow in a grand sweeping motion before the One who is silent before them. Each one attempts to proclaim "Hail, King of the Jews!" with greater feigned seriousness.

Yet before them stands the One who created each one of them. He knows their names. He understands their deepest concerns and desires. He knows their hopes and fears. He knows absolutely everything about them. And He loves them with love that only God can have because He is God.

He is on His way to the Cross where He will pour Himself out completely for you and for me, and for the soldiers who think all of this is oh so humorous. When I am like the soldiers because I mock Him by the way that I act, I hope to remember that the blood I helped Him shed when I put that crown on His head is the same blood that He pours out on the Cross in order that I might be saved.
Next Installment: The Carrying of the Cross

Previous Posts:

The Circumcision

The Agony in the Garden

The Scourging at the Pillar

Posted by David at 2:00 AM  |  Comments (0)  | 

Confrontation  

Confrontation. No one likes it. Few of us are good at doing. Most of us do not handle it well when it is directed at us. And frankly, some of us are not sure it is something we should try to do. Kevin Muniz at Heart of a Seminarian has a post entitled "Passive Christianity" in which he shares some great thoughts on confrontation.

Posted by David at 1:15 AM  |  Comments (0)  | Link

Wednesday, July 20, 2005
Was Noah left behind?  

The most recent discussion on Disputations about the flood prompted me to look for references to Noah and the flood in the New Testament.

Here are the references to Noah (or Noe in the Douay-Rheims):All of these references to Noah are from very interesting passages in the New Testament. (Yes, even the genealogy reference is interesting.) One note is that most of these passages without question accept the existence of Noah and the reality of the flood. Although it would be interesting to comment on all of these, I will stick to the passage from our Lord's Olivet Discourse:
For as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. In (those) days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day that Noah entered the ark. They did not know until the flood came and carried them all away. So will it be (also) at the coming of the Son of Man. Two men will be out in the field; one will be taken, and one will be left. Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken, and one will be left. Therefore, stay awake! For you do not know on which day your Lord will come. Be sure of this: if the master of the house had known the hour of night when the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and not let his house be broken into. So too, you also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come. (Matthew 24:36-44)
This is the passage from which the expression "left behind" comes. This passage is used by those who prescribe to a theology which anticipates a rapture to describe what will happen at the rapture. By their interpretation, all who believe in Christ prior to the tribulation at the end of the world will be taken away, while the ones who do not believe in Christ are left behind. However, this interpretation on its face is not supported by the passage.

Before mentioning those who are left behind, Jesus gives us the example of Noah and the flood. People conducted themselves as business as usual up until the day Noah entered the ark. Apparently, despite Noah's preaching, they must have thought that the whole ark business along with Noah and his family were completely crazy (Hb. 11:7, 2 Pt. 2:5). They paid no heed to his words or even the ark that sat in anticipation of a flood the likes of which had never been seen.

Then the flood comes and according to Jesus' words, "They did not know until the flood came and carried them all away." (Mt. 24:39) In other words, the ones not in the ark were swept or taken away. The ones in the ark were "left behind". Jesus then applies this example to His return by saying, "So will it be (also) at the coming of the Son of Man." (Mt. 24:39) He then illustrates this with two examples of a pair of people going about daily activities when one is suddenly taken away and the other is left behind.

Based on our Lord's own use of Noah and the flood, it becomes clear that to be left behind is to be spared, and to be taken away is to be condemned to death. Like Noah, should we live to see that day, we should hope to be left behind rather than be taken away.

Posted by David at 2:15 AM  |  Comments (3)  | Link

Tuesday, July 19, 2005
Memory Lapse  

A recent incident reminds me why we are exhorted in Scripture to guard our hearts. From my experience, one reason for that commandment is because our memory is so powerful. It seems that once an image has entered into our memory it will remain there only to crop up at another time. For those things which are evil, it seems especially important not to let these images become ingrained in our memories:

I was at the supermarket for a somewhat late night visit to pick up a few odds and ends. (We are definitely not the shop-once-a-week types. Instead, we make numerous trips to the grocery store during the week to pick up a few items at a time. We tried the once-a-week to the store trip; it just did not seem to work too well for us. I think it is because when we tried we immediately set in on eating everything we had just gotten, and the whole idea of shopping for several days fell apart when all the food which was supposed to last about a week was gone within about a day and half.) As I stood in the line to check out, I picked up a news magazine.

I definitely sensed that I should just put it down and not bother to look at the magazine. In retrospect, this "sense" was clearly from the Holy Spirit. However, I did not heed the warning, and I proceeded to flip through the magazine. I do not think it was the first thing I saw, but soon after opening the magazine I turned to an article about some criminal of whom I had never heard. Unfortunately, my eyes fell on the magazine's description of this guy's method of committing crimes. I will not repeat it here, but suffice to say it was absolutely heinous and beyond my comprehension. Now there it was lodged in my memory.

I put down the magazine, upset that I had failed to listen to the hint not to pick it up, but now it was too late. That evil description was in my brain, and although I was able to think of other things, but as thoughts do, the thought of what this guy had done came to my mind through my memory several times over the next few days. If nothing else, it was a waste of time to have to put out of my mind some thought that could have been avoided.

I have no need to know about this kind of evil. It really is of no use to me, and I am very sorry that I put the idea into my brain. My brain was far better off before it knew that someone had even contemplated what this guy did, much less carryed it out. The point is that I did not guard my heart, and I let in trash which, unless God erases from my memory, is there to stay. I do not fault the magazine per se. The blame rests with me. I was warned, but I failed to heed the warning.

Posted by David at 5:00 AM  |  Comments (0)  | 

Sunday, July 17, 2005
The Scourging at the Pillar--Part Three of the Seven Bloodsheddings of Christ  

The month of July is set aside for special devotion to the Precious Blood of Jesus. One of the devotions associated with the Precious Blood, is a meditation on the seven references in Scripture to the shedding of Christ's blood. In this third installment, I would like to reflect on the Lord's shedding of His blood in the scourging at the pillar.
Then Pilate took Jesus and scourged him. (John 19:1)
These few words suffice to cover the horrible treatment which our Lord received at the hands of the soldiers who were given the task of scourging Him. The practice was to take a man and tie both of his hands to a pillar. Then the soldiers would flog him by striking him over and over with a whip. The whip had a stiff handle to which were attached about nine strips of leather. At the end of these pieces of leather were pieces of bone or metal. With each strike, the sharp points of these objects would dig into the flesh on the one who was being flogged. Although Jewish practice was to limit scourging to forty minus one strikes, the Romans did not place any such limits. Despite the fact that for the Romans scourging was to be a preparation for crucifixion, often the one being whipped died because of the severity of the whipping.
As many were astonished at him--his appearance was so marred, beyond human semblance, and his form beyond that of the sons of men (Is. 52:14)

But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; upon him was the chatisement that made us whole, and with his stripes we are healed. (Is. 53:5)
These verses from Isaiah's Servant of the Lord song (Is. 52:13-53:12) speaks of the Passion of our Lord. The Passion has begun in earnest at His scourging. He is whipped, with his flesh torn to the point that he no longer looks like a person. His blood streams from the countless wounds. It pours over Him and it falls to the ground.

In a mysterious way through the beating He suffers, we are healed. The Lord accepts this evil treatment out of love for His creatures. And from this most awful evil, He brings the greatest good of salvation. This mystery of salvation is found in this scourging. From profound suffering, comes deep healing. We who are broken and alienated from God are brought into communion with Him through His suffering and the shedding of His Precious Blood. He willingly gives all of Himself, including His life blood, in order that we could have Him. This is the love of God made manifest in the Incarnation: Flesh and blood taken on by our Lord only that He might give it up for us.

Next Installment: The Crowning with Thorns

Previous Posts:

The Circumcision

The Agony in the Garden

Posted by David at 11:59 PM  |  Comments (0)  | 

Friday, July 15, 2005
A Few Thoughts on the Harry Potter Debate  

Disclaimer: I have not read any of the Harry Potter books. Neither have I seen any movies based on the books.

My concerns about the Harry Potter book series is based on my observations of people debating whether the books are good or bad. I have the following points which I present simply for the purpose of consideration. Please note that my points are simply points to generate some thought. I am not attempting to build some strong argument.

1. Because the books are popular, people should be wary. I am not so naive to equate popular equaling bad, but anything popular, and I mean really popular, should probably raise a red flag. Perhaps I am cynical in stating this, but when is the last time that something which was really popular was really good. The Passion of the Christ was indeed popular, but I would daresay that it was primarily popular among those who already have some Christian faith. My conception of the Harry Potter books is that they are popular across a wide spectrum of social, political, racial, and economic categories.

2. We live in a very media-intensive culture which seems to have us numbed to the dangers inherent in the media. I will be the first to propose that if you are going to take in something, it would be better to read it than say, go watch the movie. Reading allows you to pause and reflect whereas movies and television force you to keep processing the images and sounds. All of this is said because there is a tendency among Christians, especially, I have found Catholic Christians who fancy themselves as cultured to accept all kinds of cultural material without question. Indeed they will actively defend it for a variety of reasons. I have a Catholic friend who watches what I would consider completely debauched movies. I am not much of a moviegoer for a number of reasons, but I am very disturbed by the movies he watches. In my opinion, he is simply naive and somewhat unduly influenced by the culture. He considers it important to go to these movies, and, the part I do not understand, he enjoys them. For instance, he wants to be sure that he has seen every movie nominated for an Oscar for best picture. Given the context of his Christian faith, I have a hard time believing that this is really the best use of his time, especially given the content of some of these movies.

Another aspect of the media nature of our culture is that we have media experts. In my opinion, for most of the media in this country, you really do not need to be an expert. In fact, regardless of whether one fancies oneself and expert or not in some area, you are called to be discerning. I am not going to be held accountable for not being expert enough in some particular area. I am going to be accountable for failing to prayerfully discern. In addition, one of the byproducts of the discussion about these books has been pride. All of the sudden, I have heard people begin to whip out their credentials for why they are qualified to promote or denounce the books. It is like self-proclaimed intellectuals. I am very wary of them, and I do not think that it is good fruit.

3. Judge the fruit. What is the fruit of these books? On the one hand people point out that children who might not otherwise read are reading the Harry Potter books and they are excited about reading. Of course, this begs the question of the content of what they are reading which gets at the whole debate about these books. The other fruit does seem to be an increased awareness in magic, and yes, the occult. This should raise red flags for proponents and detractors of the books. Naturally, books that use magic to carry the story along will spur interest in magic. If the books used the hero's affinity for animals, you would expect children who read the books to want to learn more about the natural world. The question is whether this is a good curiosity to raise in the minds of children. I am not one who thinks that every child who picks up a book such as the Harry Potter books will become obsessed with magic or even fantasy in general. However, the duty, in so far as it is possible, is for parents to help determine what their children absorb. If the fruit of a child's exposure to something is aberrant behavior, this needs to be addressed.

The real concern for most seems to be the seeds that are being planted. Are these books breaking down the moral barriers which will make it easier, perhaps much later, for a child to get involved in the occult or simply lie more often or rebel against legitimate authority? This is fruit that is very hard to discern now. Through anecdotes, there seems to be credence to this concern. The problem is that it is not straightforward reaction or influence. Given our current cultural climate, I understand why parents would be wary of possibly opening up their children's minds to dangerous areas of thought and practice.

The other fruit is that of the adults who involved in this debate. I have already mentioned pride which I have seen in quite a bit of the discussion. In one specific case, I have seen one person become such an ardent defender of these books that it really seems to have taken away from his apostolate. Frankly, when it comes to these books, he seems to be obsessed with defending them, and he has acted quite unlike himself in this role. I really have to question the time and energy that is being spent on defending these books when it seems to be quite distracting at best, and perhaps a grand waste of time. After all these are fictional works for children.

4. The demonic is much more subtle than most people seem to believe. Most people, if they believe in the devil, seem to think that the devil flashes a neon sign announcing that he is around. The fact of the matter is that the devil is more clever than all of us put together. (He is also incredibly stupid because he chose wrongly. Yes, the two can go together.) Perhaps the author of this book has the absolute best of intentions. I really cannot judge what her real motivations are for how she constructs the plot or writes the story. I am not saying that this is necessarily the case, but good intentions do not mean that devil cannot come in and use the situation to his advantage. Does anyone who believes in the devil honestly think that he will not use the interest generated by these books to attempt to lure people into sin? I purposely left that question wide open. The devil can use anything to get us into sin. It might be magic, or as I have mentioned pride, materialism, or simply wasting time. We are called to be prayerfully discerning of how we should be spending our time. This goes for how our children should be spending their time.

We are also called to discern wolves in sheep's clothing. I am not looking for the devil under every rock, but neither am I naive to think that the devil will not come under the guise most likely to fool me. The whole priest scandal is based on the fact that men who might have been acting on a genuine call to the priesthood (e.g., good intentions) were either active or latent sexual abusers who used their guise of goodness to commit heinous acts of evil. That seems to be how the devil operates. (Note, I am not taking away from the abusers' personal responsibility by pointing out that the devil would certainly be encouraging them in their behavior.) I am not equating these books with the priest scandal. I am simply using this as a very obvious illustration of how the devil corrupts something good to bring about evil.

The author may simply have been attempting to write entertaining children's books with the best of intentions. Indeed, she may be consciously be using Christian symbolism to get across her story. However, that does not mean that evil cannot come in, co-opt the thing, and use it for the perpetuation of itself. Not necessarily globally, but in individual cases, based on anecdotes, this would seem to have happened.

The other tactic of the devil is distraction. He has won the day in our hearts if he gets us doing something that is not what God would have us doing. Think about the parable of the last judgment and the sheep and the goats. Clearly, the goats were distracted into doing something else rather than what they should have been doing which was feeding the poor, clothing the naked, and visiting the sick and imprisoned. If nothing else, I would suggest that this Harry Potter book debate has been a bit of distraction for us. Not that it is not important. I believe that it is. Otherwise I would not be posting on it. However, I am concerned about just how much time and energy is being taken away from perhaps something else we should be doing. Perhaps pride is motivating us to post that additional comment on the blog that really is a "winner" and will garner a response that is pleasing to me. The subtle danger of distraction is that maybe, we should be doing something else instead.

This last point is one which really has me concerned. I try to think about what God thinks about what I am doing even in the smallest details of my life. Regarding this very topic, at the end of the day, will it really have been so important to have spent so much time and energy on this debate? Personally, I am not so sure that much of this really has not been a tremendous distraction from something else I should have been doing.

Posted by David at 5:30 AM  |  Comments (2)  | 

Thursday, July 14, 2005
Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha: Extraordinary Holiness in the midst of ordinary circumstances  


Archbishop Raymond L. Burke of the diocese of St. Louis has written beautifully of Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha in one of his recent weekly columns. He makes the point that she is a saint for today because she lived a life of holiness in the midst of ordinary daily activities and through a life marked with tragedy, suffering, and persecution.

A brief description of her life from Catholic Forum:
Daughter of a Christian Algonquin woman captured by Iroquois and married to a non-Christian Mohawk chief. Orphaned during a smallpox epidemic, which left her with a scarred face and impaired eyesight. Converted and baptized in 1676 by Father Jacques de Lamberville, a Jesuit missionary. Shunned and abused by relatives for her faith. Escaped through 200 miles of wilderness to the Christian Native American village of Sault-Sainte-Marie. Took a vow of chastity in 1679. Known for spirituality and austere lifestyle. Miracle worker. Her grave became a pilgrimage site and place of miracles for Christian Native Americans and French colonists.
Archbishop Burke writes that she led this life of holiness with the aids given to each of us through Holy Mother Church:
Although Kateri always carried out faithfully her daily duties in the mission, she led a disciplined life of prayer and took every occasion to receive further instruction in the faith. Daily Mass, eucharistic visits and Vespers, and private prayer, especially the rosary, marked the pattern of her daily living. During the hunt, she would spend time in the woods before a cross which she carved into the bark of a tree or made with the sticks she found there. In the life of Blessed Kateri, we see the central place of devotion, inspired by communion with Christ through the Holy Eucharist and preparing for communion with Christ in the Holy Eucharist.
Bishop Burke adds in his article that through the apostolic letters Novo millennio ineunte and Rosarium Virginis Mariae and the encylical Ecclesia de Eucharistia, John Paul the Great has laid out a pastoral plan for the Church. This plan is exemplified in the life of Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha:
In short, the pastoral plan which is life in Christ ("Novo millennio ineunte"), relying upon the example and constant intercession of the Mother of God, who leads us to Christ and helps us to come to know Him and love Him ("Rosarium Virginis Mariae"), reaches its fullness in the Eucharistic Sacrifice ("Ecclesia de Eucharistia"). The Holy Eucharist is the source and the highest expression of our life in Christ. To the degree that our faith is true, we are in constant wonder and gratitude before the mystery of the Holy Eucharist, rightly called the Mystery of Faith.

Studying the life of Blessed Kateri, we come to understand the pastoral plan of Pope John Paul II. More importantly, we are inspired to put his pastoral plan in action, through the study of the mystery of the Redemptive Incarnation (the mystery of the Cross), through prayer and participation in the sacramental life of the Church, and through the careful and loving fulfillment of the duties of our daily life. Pondering the life of Blessed Kateri, we discover the extraordinary nature of our ordinary Christian living and are filled with new enthusiasm and energy to transform our personal life and our world with the love of Christ.
The late Holy Father beatified and canonized many men and women who lived this same type of life of holiness in the midst of ordinary circumstances. Through the examples of these men and women, we see that we, too, can follow God and remain faithful to Him no matter what are the difficulties that we face in this life. It is comforting that God would show us the way through his disciples. Some suggest that in the situations we face that we ask, "What would Jesus do?", and I believe that this is valuable prayer which God will answer. However, in my more thoughtful moments, I consider that I should ask Him, "What would You have me to do?" I have a specific vocation which has been given specifically to me by God. The saints show us that we can live out that vocation even in our very lives marked with tragedy and suffering in this valley of tears. God is fully aware of what He has given me and what He has permitted to occur to me. I need to accept my circumstances as part of the answer to the question of "What would You have me to do?" He wants me to be a faithful Christian, right here, right now with the resources I have at hand.

Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha, pray for us.

Interesting site, by a relative of Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha.

Picture: Kateri On-line

Posted by David at 4:45 AM  |  Comments (0)  | Link

Wednesday, July 13, 2005
Memorial of St. Teresa of the Andes  


I was completely unaware of this Carmelite saint named St. Teresa of the Andes until I saw a program on her life on EWTN last Saturday. I became quite captivated by this "little" saint who was born on July 13, 1900 in Santiago, Chile. Like the Little Flower, she lived a short life. In fact, she was only a Carmelite for eleven months before she died on April 12, 1920 due to a violent attack of typhus. Like all saints, she was not born a saint, but she cooperated with the grace she was given to become the person God wanted her to be.

She experienced extraordinary graces including this first revelation which she records in her diary:
One day I was alone in my room. Because of my illness they spoiled me so that I could not remain alone. That day Lucita [Lucia, her older sister] was sick and Elisea-a servant who took care of my dear grandfather, went to be with her. I then became envious and troubled and began to cry. My tearful eyes began to fix themselves on a picture of the Sacred Heart and I heard a very sweet voice telling me: 'What! I, Juanita, am alone on the altar for your love, and you cannot even suffer for a moment?' From that time, the dear Jesus spoke to me, and I spent entire hours conversing with Him. That is the reason I enjoyed being alone. He went on teaching me how I should suffer and not complain, and about intimate union with Him. Then He told me that He wanted me for Himself, that He would like me to become a Carmelite. Ah! Mother, you cannot imagine what Jesus was doing in my soul. At that time I did not live in myself, it was Jesus who was living in me" (Diary, 7).
I read this quote and thought that this is what it means to be a saint--one is in constant conversation with Christ. As you speak to Him, you listen to Him more and more. And you let Him transform You. But see how gentle He can be. He wants to change me by conversing with me. I pray. He listens. He speaks. I listen and obey. As I draw closer to Him, the conversation becomes more intimate. He shares His Heart with me, and my heart becomes like His. He begins to live in me. As I accept Him, I accept the suffering He permits. What could be more in union with Christ than to share in some part of His suffering? He gives me that opportunity every day through our conversation. Am I listening?

More Information: VIS

Picture: CarmelNet

Posted by David at 1:45 AM  |  Comments (0)  | Link

The Agony in the Garden--Part Two of the Seven Bloodsheddings of Christ  

The month of July is set aside for special devotion to the Precious Blood of Jesus. One of the devotions associated with the Precious Blood, is a meditation on the seven references in Scripture to the shedding of Christ's blood. In this second installment, I would like to reflect on the Lord's shedding of His blood in the Garden of Gethsemane.

From St. Luke's Gospel:
And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down upon the ground. (22:44)
The Agony in the Garden is a beautiful illustration of the mystery of the Incarnation. As our Lord prays, we are shown that He is indeed a Divine Person who has taken on a human nature. In our finite minds we must speak separately of what is no longer separate--He is both God and man. In His humanity, he cries out, "Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me" (Lk. 22:42). In His divinity He speaks as one with the Father.

There is no disparity between His human and divine wills. They are completely united. Thus, this episode is truly a mystery. One which has proved to be a source of fruitful meditation for the saints including St. Thomas More. How fitting that he would know his own chalice that he must drink.

The intensity of our Lord's prayer is so great that he sweats drops of His Precious Blood. As fully human, He has the capacity to suffer. In His humanity, He shies away from the suffering He will endure, and He assumes the tremendous burden of human sin for which He will give His life on the cross.

Here in the Garden of Gethsemane, we see the first bloodshedding of His Passion. Interestingly enough it is not blood that flows from His being whipped, beaten, or even crucified. It is in the midst of prayer that great drops of blood pour forth like sweat.

We are with the disciples. We are asleep just a stone's throw away from our Lord. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. We are not in prayer as we ought to be. Our thoughts are elsewhere. We do not recognize the times. Jesus has made it clear that He is about to be handed over to the Gentiles who will scourge Him and crucify Him. Maybe we are not able to conceive that He came to die for us. Maybe we want Him to be a different Savior who does things according to our way of thinking. Despite such light thoughts, we are heavy with sleep. Even when Jesus comes with intensity in His face to wake us from our drowsiness, we are not able to stay awake when He goes again to pray.

The answer to His prayer is not the removal of the cup, but the strength to drink the cup. The Father sends an angel to comfort Jesus. And He embraces the Will of the Father--"Nevertheless not my will, but Yours, be done" (Lk. 22:42).



Next Installment: The Scourging at the Pillar

Previous Post:

The Circumcision

Posted by David at 12:45 AM  |  Comments (0)  | 

Monday, July 11, 2005
Death Penalty Stayed  

Yesterday, at virtually the eleventh hour, the United States Supreme Court has granted a stay of execution to Robin Lovitt, the Virginia man who was scheduled to be put to death at 9 p.m. on Monday. The stay will remain in place until October when the full court will be in session. At that time, the court will either agree to hear the plaintiff's appeal or allow the Commonwealth of Virginia to proceed with its execution of Lovitt.

The case of Robin Lovitt once again brings to light the concerns associated with the administration of capital punishment. There are a number of problems with his case that, if for no other reason than simply a lack of sufficient certainty, should deem that his sentence be commuted to imprisonment.
Lovitt was convicted in 2000 for the murder of Clayton Dicks in a Shirlington pool hall. Yet DNA evidence in the case was destroyed, according to court records, only one day after the state enacted a law ordering the preservation of such material. What DNA was recovered tested inconclusive, and a fingerprint analysis on the pair of scissors police believe was used to kill Dicks failed to find anything that singles out Lovitt as the murderer.
Lovitt's new attorney, former White House Special Prosecutor Ken Starr, said Lovitt had inadequate representation during his first trial. Lovitt's court-appointed counsel, Starr said, failed to bring facts about his client's past into the courtroom that could have made the difference between a death sentence and one of life in prison. Lovitt, Starr said, suffered years of physical and sexual abuse at the hands of a stepfather who also got him addicted to crack cocaine. It was this addiction that landed Lovitt in jail several times as a youth and ruined his prospects for a functional life.
"This very, very sad, poignant story could have the difference in his sentencing," said Starr. Connection Newspapers


The problem with the destruction of the DNA evidence is that eliminated Lovitt's last possibility to have the conviction overturned. Through no fault of his own, he would be denied the opportunity of a post-conviction examination of the DNA evidence. It should be noted that the early examination of the DNA evidence was inconclusive, but today there are more sophisticated tests which could have been applied, if the evidence still existed.

Two court clerks testified that they urged the clerk who wanted the evidence destroyed not to do it. Despite their pleas, the deputy clerk had a judge sign an order for the evidence to be removed, and despite the recent passage of a law which would prohibit such an action, the evidence was destroyed on May 21, 2001. It does not matter that the destruction was not done in "bad faith" as one court contended. The fact of the matter is that the evidence is no longer available which prevents it from being used to either overturn his conviction or prove that he is indeed guilty.

Beside the obvious problem that the destroyed DNS poses to providing certainty that Lovitt is the murderer, there were possible due process problems with the original trial. Lovitt's attorney had some odd limits placed on his challenging evidence. In addition, one of the jurors may have been prejudiced in her view of the case because she lived next door to a family that was murdered. Finally, none of Lovitt's very difficult upbringing which was brought up by his attorneys at the sentencing. Such information might have persuaded the jury to sentence him to imprisonment rather than execution.

As many have pointed out, with such possible procedural problems and uncertainty on several key issues, notably the DNA evidence which due to its destruction cannot be reviewed, it would seem that the execution should not take place. Instead, if there is no way to re-examine the DNA, it would seem that Lovitt's sentence should be in favor of life. It would still be life in imprisonment.

Posted by David at 2:30 PM  |  Comments (0)  | Link

Feast of St. Benedict of Nursia  

Today, the Church celebrates the feast of St. Benedict of Nursia (480 - 547). Through his establishment of twelve monastaries, he is considered the Founder of Western monastacism. Later his order, in his honor, became known as the Benedictines. His twin sister, St. Scholastica, was very devoted to him. After the founding of his monastary in Mount Cassion, she founded a convent about five miles distant from the monastary. It seems that, although St. Scholastica was the abbess, the convent was under St. Benedict. Thus, the nuns of Plombariola are considered the first Benedictine nuns.

St. Gregory the Great who has provided a biography of St. Benedict relates an ancedote about the last meeting between St. Benedict and his holy sister. It illustrates the power of prayer, how God cares about our "small" needs, and also His sense of humor.
[St. Scholastica] visited her holy brother once a year, and as she was not allowed to enter his monastery, he went out with some of his monks to meet her at a house at some small distance. They spent these visits in the praises of God, and in conferring together on spiritual matters.

[During what would be their last visit,] Scholastica having passed the day as usual in singing psalms and pious discourse, they sat down in the evening to take their refection. After it was over, Scholastica, perhaps foreknowing it would be their last interview in this world, or at least desirous of some further spiritual improvement, was very urgent with her brother to delay his return till the next day, that they might entertain themselves till morning upon the happiness of the other life. St. Benedict, unwilling to transgress his rule, told her he could not pass a night out of his monastery, so desired her not to insist upon such a breach of monastic discipline. Scholastica finding him resolved on going home, laying her hands joined upon the table, and her head upon them, with many tears, begged of Almighty God to interpose in her behalf. Her prayer was scarce ended when there happened such a storm of rain, thunder, and lightning, that neither St. Benedict nor any of his companions could set a foot out of doors. He complained to his sister, saying, "God forgive you, sister; what have you done?" She answered, "I asked you a favour, and you refused it me; I asked it of Almighty God, and he has granted it me."

St. Benedict was therefore obliged to comply with her request, and they spent the night in conferences on pious subjects, chiefly on the felicity of the blessed, to which both most ardently aspired, and which she was shortly to enjoy. The next morning they parted, and three days after St. Scholastica died in her solitude. St. Benedict was then alone in contemplation on Mount Cassino, and lifting up his eyes to heaven, he saw the soul of his sister ascending thither in the shape of a dove. Filled with joy at her happy passage, he gave thanks for it to God, and declared her death to his brethren, some of whom he sent to bring her corpse to his monastery, where he caused it to be laid in the tomb which he had prepared for himself.

Posted by David at 8:00 AM  |  Comments (0)  | Link

Saturday, July 09, 2005
Responding to Evil  

Our man in Great Britain, David Holford, has an insightful post on the London bombing entitled "How to Respond to Bombs".

In my opinion, the stereotypical "stiff upper lip" of the English is really a sign of the maturity that these great people have developed through their storied history. Through maturity, one is able to recognize that evil exists and that it will strike at innocence and goodness. Many are too immature, and thus, too afraid to call anything evil because they fear that what they would say would sound judgmental or hint that there are absolutes. However, if you have experienced true evil, you are not concerned about offending anyone when you call something evil.

Maturity also enables one to understand when and how to appropriately respond to evil. As David Holford suggests, sometimes you ignore evil, but at other times you strike back at evil, but even when you strike back at evil, you do not give it center stage. That is what its pride truly wants, and that is what we must not give it.

Christians pray, "... but deliver us from (the) evil (one)". In other words, ultimately, we entrust God with our protection, and we trust Him for vengeance upon evil. In the Our Father, we place God at the center of our fight against evil, which as St. Paul reminds us is
not against flesh and blood; but against principalities and powers, against the rulers of the world of this darkness, against the spirits of wickedness in the high places. (Eph. 6:12)

Posted by David at 11:59 PM  |  Comments (0)  | Link

Friday, July 08, 2005
Let Us Pray  

Our thoughts and our prayers are with the people of Great Britain, especially those in London who experienced the horrific bombings on Thursday.

For those who died, we pray for the peace, rest, and repose of their souls.

For those who lost loved ones, we pray for them to be comforted by Christ as they begin to grieve.

For those who survived the attacks and who may be injured in body and spirit, we pray for them to be healed and comforted by the Lord who is the great Physician.

Through Cardinal Secretary of State Angelo Sodano, the Holy Father has expressed his sympathy to the people of Great Britain in a telegram which was sent to Cardinal Cormac Murphy O'Connor, archbishop of Westminster, Great Britain:
Deeply saddened by the news of the terrorist attacks in central London the Holy Father offers fervent prayers for the victims and for all those who mourn. While he deplores these barbaric acts against humanity he asks you to convey to the families of the injured his spiritual closeness at this time of grief. Upon the people of Great Britain he invokes the consolation that only God can give in such circumstances.

Posted by David at 12:45 AM  |  Comments (0)  | Link

Thursday, July 07, 2005
The Circumcision--Part One of the Seven Bloodsheddings of Christ  

The month of July is set aside for special devotion to the Precious Blood of Jesus. One of the devotions associated with the Precious Blood, is a meditation on the seven references in Scripture to the shedding of Christ's blood. Periodically throughout this month, I would like to provide short reflections on these seven passages.

The first of these bloodsheddings is the circumcision. In St. Luke's Gospel, this is recorded as
And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb. (2:21)
In this passage, we see that although Jesus was without sin, He chose to identify Himself with sinners.

Jesus is circumcised according to the covenant which God established with Israel through Abraham (Gen. 17:9-14). Every male was to be circumcised on the eighth day after birth. Circumcision identified the male child as a part of the people of the covenant and integrated the child into the family of Israel. Accordingly, as was prophesied, through His circumcision Jesus identified Himself as a true Israelite and a true son of Abraham.

Like St. John the Baptist (Lk. 1:63), Jesus is given His name at his circumcision. The name given a child in Biblical times was more than a way to simply identify the child. The name conveyed the essence of the child. Thus, it was very significant that Jesus name is conveyed to our Lady by the angel Gabriel even before He is conceived in her womb (1:31). In addition, we see the obedience of our Lady and St. Joseph who name Jesus according to the instructions which they had received from God through His angels.

Jesus' name means "the Lord saves". It is the Hebrew name Yeshua (Joshua). His name would convey His mission. The link to Joshua of the Old Testament hints at how Jesus will similarly lead the Israelites into the Promised Land. He will begin the campaign to drive out the enemies of Israel who are occupying the land of milk and honey. The problem for His contemporaries (as well as for us) is to recognize who the true enemies of Israel are. It is not the Romans who are the occupying force in first century Palestine. It is the world, the flesh, and the devil who have come to reside, and who can only be removed by the power of Christ. As a result, Jesus' mission is to address the slavery to sin and not the Roman occupation because the former is much worse than the later.

In His circumcision, we get a glimpse of the full mission of Christ as the Savior. Through the Incarnation, our Lord identified Himself with sinners. As the sinless one, He would take on our sins in order to free us from the death that follows sin. In order to make satisfaction for our sins, Jesus came to be the perfect sacrifice whose blood would be shed on the cross. In His circumcision, for the first time, His blood is shed. The shedding of His Precious Blood in a ceremony which identifies Him with sinners is a foreshadowing of how He will shed His Precious Blood for sinners.

Finally, by submitting to the rite of circumcision, Jesus provides us an example of obedience. He was obedient to the Law although He was without sin. He voluntarily submitted Himself to rites and ceremonies such as circumcision to demonstrate how, we too, ought to obey the divine law which has been given to us by Jesus through His Church.

Circumcision of the Lord

Next Installment: The Agony in the Garden

Posted by David at 7:00 AM  |  Comments (0)  | 

Wednesday, July 06, 2005
Shooting Mercury  

Robert Kennedy's recent article about the possible link between thimerosal (mercury) in childhood vaccines and autism has once again raised the issue of vaccine safety to the forefront of public debate. I am appreciative of his efforts to aid the cause of those who want more research in this area and also the cessation of the use of mercury in vaccines. The fact is that there is no reason to continue to have mercury in vaccines. It is absolutely unnecessary. The idea that anyone would continue to support such a possible danger is unconscionable.

As new parents, my wife and I began to become familiar with the retinue of vaccines that our daughter is supposed to receive. As we learned more, we became more troubled about some of the information which we found about possible dangers associated with vaccines. We read stories about parents whose healthy children suddenly became completely different shortly after the child had received a shot. Seemingly overnight, parents became parents of an autistic child. We also learned about the history of people who had fought for safer shots back in the 1980s when it became clear that one of the shots (DTP) was very problematic. All of this was information which we had never even heard about, much less given any thought.

As a child, I had simply been administered all of the required shots. My parents were not concerned about any possible side effects. Now as we looked into the information, my wife and I began to move from naive acceptance that all is fine with vaccines to what I would consider a very healthy skepticism. We were not reading quacks or cranks, but thoughtful parents, doctors, and nurses, who, although often motivated by personal experience, were nonetheless rational and thorough in expressing their concerns. As others have said, the parents who are concerned are not opposed to vaccines, they are opposed to unsafe vaccines. In addition, parents are also concerned that there is an attempt to "overvaccinate" children.

One example of this "overvaccination" is the Hepatitis B shot. In many states, the policy is to administer this shot to a newborn before the child leaves the hospital. In other words, a child who is only several days old is to be given a shot for Hepatitis B. A child that is, who unless the mother has Hepatitis B, is not in the least bit at risk for contracting Hepatitis B. In fact, it will be many years before the child could be in a population group who is at risk of getting Hepatitis B. According to the CDC, the people at risk of getting Hepatitis B are IV drug users, prostitutes, prisoners, sexually promiscuous persons, and babies born to infected mothers. The mentality that wants to require shots like this, at even such a tender age, is one that keeps parents up a night trying to figure what is best for their child. Anyone who wants to help by pressing for more research and information about the possible dangers of vaccines is very welcome indeed.

Posted by David at 3:30 AM  |  Comments (0)  | Link

Monday, July 04, 2005
Some Thoughts on Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness  

In the Declaration of Independence, which was adopted 229 years ago today, Thomas Jefferson wrote
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
It is no accident that he enumerated these rights in the order in which he wrote them. There is a hierarchy to the rights which God has given us.

The first of these rights is the right to life. Without the right to life, all other rights are superfluous. It does not matter one wit about anything else in this world, if I am denied my right to life which has been granted to me by God.

Someone can be very concerned about helping the poor. Or another can be very motivated to assist the elderly. These concerns are valuable and worthwhile, but if they are colored by the person's belief that the poor, the elderly, the vulnerable do not have a fundamental right to life, that extends from conception until natural death, then the person's efforts are flawed. It is not compassionate to ever want to deny a person the right to life. It is never "freeing" to take away someone's life.

No, the right to life supersedes all other rights. Any attempts to limit that right, immediately removes all other rights. However, the right to life is not an end unto itself. Life is not to be lived just for the sake of the right to life.

This life is not all that there is. God has given us a right to life in order that we might have life with and in Him. He longs for us to live our lives in such a way that our lives are marked with a deep relationship with Him. To knowingly simply take the gift of the right to life to live life apart from Him is disrespectful to the gift and the giver. Instead, we must honor the giver by giving ourselves to Him and to His creatures. This is true living out of the right to life.

The second right that Mr. Jefferson listed is the right to liberty. Flowing directly from the right to life, each person has been given by God the right of free will. It is a birthright of being a person. God has given us the ability to choose to act or not to act to speak or not to speak.

Through the use of this right, we can exercise our right to life. In other words, we can demonstrate that we accept the right to life, by using our right to liberty to correctly live our lives. Our liberty is not a license to do as we please. Instead it is correctly ordered by the right to life. We have been given a free will to choose to live out the right to life. We have liberty in order that we might do what we ought to do.

The irony of not doing what we ought to do, is that we immediately limit ourselves. For example, we believe in the right to free speech. However, once you have told a lie, which fundamentally is out of order from the right to liberty, you have limited your freedom. For instance, suppose you gossip and tell someone that another person is bad person. Now when the three of you are together, you are not free to act as if the person is not a bad person, lest the first person consider you a hypocrite. You have limited your freedom to act toward the person who was the subject of your gossip.

The third right which Mr. Jefferson listed is the right to the pursuit of happiness. This is the right to do what is correct. It flows from the right to liberty or free will. Happiness is living our life as we ought to live it. We are human beings created by God to live lives that are fully human. He has given us a right to pursue that goal of living a completely human life which is filled with virtue as Aristotle in the Nichomean Ethics would suggest. We will not find happiness in being anything other than who we ought to be. God, who created us, desires that we be fully human or people who are pursuing the life of virtue. To knowingly do otherwise is a violation of this right to the pursuit of happiness.

To use an absurd example, people cannot be happy if they attempt to live like a dog. People are not dogs or any other animal for that matter. To reduce people to animals is a denial of their right to liberty and the pursuit of happiness because you are limiting their ability to be fully human.

Without the ability to freely exercise liberty, the ability to pursue happiness or a life of virtue is severely limited. The abominable slavery of African-Americans in this country was a fundamental denial of their right to liberty. Slavery was an attempt to reduce people to something less than their full humanity. In this attempt, the ability to pursue happiness was limited. Slaves could not pursue their full humanity because they had been denied full access to exercise their right to free will.

In the Declaration of Independence, Mr Jefferson has enumerated these three rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. These rights which come from God have been given to us in order that we might live a life with Him. From the giver come the gifts that bring us back to the giver who is Himself our greatest gift.

Posted by David at 9:30 AM  |  Comments (0)  | Link

Sunday, July 03, 2005
British Invasion  

David Holford in "Need to Know" comments on the passage of an ID card bill by Parliament. He lists the scope of information which will be accessible via the ID card. It is extremely troubling. Be sure to have a look.

Posted by David at 9:45 AM  |  Comments (0)  | Link

British Evasion  

David Holford reports in "Entrenching the Culture of Death" that the British Medical Association in their most recent meeting have removed their opposition to Euthanasia and Physician-Assisted Suicide. I suppose they reasoned that it was easier to simply get out of the way than to deal with the messy problem of the whole idea of what doctors are about and the Hippocratic oath.

Posted by David at 9:30 AM  |  Comments (0)  | Link

Saturday, July 02, 2005
Checkpoint Charlie Monument to be Bulldozed  

Reported by David's Medienkritik:

In Berlin last November a memorial was unveiled to remember the men and women who lost their lives in their attempt to gain freedom by escaping from East Germany. The memorial, which is adjacent to Checkpoint Charlie, is made up around one thousand crosses which bear the names and pictures of the men and women who risked their lives to gain their freedom. The memorial was the work of many who were led by Ms. Alexandra Hildebrandt who is the director of the Checkpoint Charlie Museum. It was opened on November 15, 2004 in order to mark the 15th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin wall.

Less than a year later, the memorial will be torn down by the city government. Originally the memorial was scheduled to be razed at 4:01 AM on July 4th. Due to protests by relatives of those honored by the memorial and American veteran groups, the city changed the time to 4:01 AM on July 5th. The explanation provide was that the original time was "media imprudent." However, as David's Medienkritik notes, although it will be July 5th in Berlin at the time of the bulldozing, it will still be July 4th in the United States.

The Berlin government which is made of Social Democrats (German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder's party) and the Social Unity Party has been annoyed by the monument's existence throughout the few short months it has been in place. This is despite the fact that the memorial is well-done, attracts numerous visitors, and produces income. Perhaps the difficulty found with the monument lies with the Social Unity Party. This party, in particular, may want to silence this reminder of East German brutality because this party is the renamed version of the party which ran the German Democratic Republic until the wall came down.

The memorial is on land owned by a bank which is leased to the memorial's caretakers. The bank went along with the city's disapproval of the monument, and the bank has successfully sued for the memorial to be razed. The only offer the bank has made to prevent the removal would be for the land to be purchased. They have only offered a ridiculously inflated price which is outside the price range of the memorial's supporters.

The irony of this move by the Berlin government is that the day of the memorial's razing is right on the heels of Chancellor Schroeder's visit with President Bush, which in part, was designed to demonstrate that German-American relations were doing quite well. This action seems to fly in the face of that idea.

Posted by David at 8:00 AM  |  Comments (0)  | Link

Friday, July 01, 2005
Amazing Conversion Story of Chinese Communist  

As reported in Zenit:
My name is Bao Yuanjin and I'm a priest in China's north. I entered the priesthood several years ago. I was baptized only 11 years ago. Before that, I was an atheist, and indeed an activist in China's Communist Party.

At university, I was the leader of the young Communists at my faculty. In my heart, I had many plans and ideas for the future, but none of these had anything to do with God who, for me, did not even exist.

As for my family, only my grandmother was a Protestant. When I was a child, I heard her once speak about Jesus: She said that Jesus was the son of God. But I was not interested in any religion. Education in atheism is mandatory in China from elementary school to university.

My mind was full of atheist theories and I thought that believing in God was something childish, perhaps something even a bit stupid.
Click here to read the full story.

It is always encouraging to hear a conversion story, but this, of course, is very special because it puts our lives in perspective. We do a lot of grousing about our lives and problems in the Church, but for the most part, we enjoy incredible religious freedom. Here is a man who lives in a country that does not grant many religious freedoms. For him and his countrymen, converting is a dangerous prospect. This gives me pause to consider how strong my relationship with Christ is. Would I be able to continue on despite all of the obstacles and dangers?

Posted by David at 11:00 AM  |  Comments (0)  | Link

Papal Prayer Intentions for July  

Missionary - For the baptized all over the world: whatever their state of life may they be committed to transforming the world with the light of the Gospel.

General - For all Christians: may they share the message of the Gospel with all its radical demands while showing respect for the beliefs and opinions of others.


Posted by David at 1:30 AM  |  Comments (0)  |