September 11th is D-Day for Terry Schiavo
From EPIVALOTHANASIA:
Latest News From Ground Zero
Contributing editor Pamela Hennessy of the Terri Schindler-Schiavo Foundation brigns us the latest news from Ground Zero in the fight to save Terri:
As you may already know, a hearing is scheduled for Thursday, September 11, 2003, at the courthouse in Clearwater, Florida. This hearing is to be at 10.00am (GMT -5) and, at that time, Judge Greer is expected to schedule a date when Terri Schindler-Schiavo's feeding tube will be removed. When that is done, Terri will die from dehydration and/or starvation. Though the attorney representing Terri's husband, Michael Schiavo, contends that this is a peaceful and painless death, the truth is that Terri will be made to suffer tremendously. You can read more here.
Tuesday, September 9, 2003
Monday, September 8, 2003
Sad News-Warren Zevon Dies
I was just thinking a few days ago how he was given only a few months to live almost a year ago--it seemed like he was beating the odds.
From CNN.com - Singer Warren Zevon dead at 56:
A lifelong smoker until quitting several years ago, Zevon announced in September 2002 that he had been diagnosed with terminal lung cancer and had only months to live. He spent much of that time visiting with his two grown children and working on a final album.
Zevon died in his sleep Sunday at his home, publicist Carise Yatter said.
I was just thinking a few days ago how he was given only a few months to live almost a year ago--it seemed like he was beating the odds.
From CNN.com - Singer Warren Zevon dead at 56:
A lifelong smoker until quitting several years ago, Zevon announced in September 2002 that he had been diagnosed with terminal lung cancer and had only months to live. He spent much of that time visiting with his two grown children and working on a final album.
Zevon died in his sleep Sunday at his home, publicist Carise Yatter said.
Today is the Feast of the Birth of Mary
Here is a link to hearing AVE VERUM Corpus Natum de Maria Virgine chanted. The prayer composed by a pope at one time was recited by the faithful during the elevation at Mass as a way of contemplating the true presence of Jesus.
Here is the prayer in Latin and then in English:
AVE VERUM Corpus
Natum de Maria Virgine:
Vere passum, immolatum
In cruce pro homine:
Cuius latus perforatum
Fluxit aqua et sanguine:
Esto nobis praegustatum
Mortis in examine.
HAIL, true Body, truly born Of the Virgin Mary mild Truly offered, wracked and torn, On the Cross for all defiled, From Whose love-pierced, sacred side Flowed Thy true Blood's saving tide:
Be a foretaste sweet to me In my death's great agony.
Here is a link to hearing AVE VERUM Corpus Natum de Maria Virgine chanted. The prayer composed by a pope at one time was recited by the faithful during the elevation at Mass as a way of contemplating the true presence of Jesus.
Here is the prayer in Latin and then in English:
Natum de Maria Virgine:
Vere passum, immolatum
In cruce pro homine:
Cuius latus perforatum
Fluxit aqua et sanguine:
Esto nobis praegustatum
Mortis in examine.
HAIL, true Body, truly born Of the Virgin Mary mild Truly offered, wracked and torn, On the Cross for all defiled, From Whose love-pierced, sacred side Flowed Thy true Blood's saving tide:
Be a foretaste sweet to me In my death's great agony.
Is bin Laden the 'Mahdi'?
The Hadith predicts the rise of a messianic figure toward the end of time, interestingly also the reappearance of Jesus. Shows in some way how Islam captured some of the teachings of Arius that were prevalent in Arabia during the time of the Prophet. Anyway World Net Daily reports that Bin Laden might see himself as this "enlightened one" who will lead the Islamic people in a fight against the infidel and if that is true how that changes the type of war that the US faces.
From WorldNetDaily:
"If bin Ladin – or some other Islamist leader – were to declare himself the Mahdi, should that make a difference to U.S. policy-makers? Yes.
If the claim were believable to the Islamic world, then the U.S. could no longer claim to be fighting terrorism alone. Indeed, it would become a global religious conflict. "
The Hadith predicts the rise of a messianic figure toward the end of time, interestingly also the reappearance of Jesus. Shows in some way how Islam captured some of the teachings of Arius that were prevalent in Arabia during the time of the Prophet. Anyway World Net Daily reports that Bin Laden might see himself as this "enlightened one" who will lead the Islamic people in a fight against the infidel and if that is true how that changes the type of war that the US faces.
From WorldNetDaily:
"If bin Ladin – or some other Islamist leader – were to declare himself the Mahdi, should that make a difference to U.S. policy-makers? Yes.
If the claim were believable to the Islamic world, then the U.S. could no longer claim to be fighting terrorism alone. Indeed, it would become a global religious conflict. "
Strong Words for the Week
Times Against Humanity gives a survey of the "strong words for the week"--a review of Catholic commentary. He makes me sound pretty good in the post for September 4th. Thanks!
Times Against Humanity gives a survey of the "strong words for the week"--a review of Catholic commentary. He makes me sound pretty good in the post for September 4th. Thanks!
Sunday, September 7, 2003
Cafeteria Catholicism and the Canonization of Sin
I thought about entitling this bit "let he who is without sin cast the first stone" but thought that I'd better wait until now to state that, because what I'm about to say is really nothing more than that I am a sinner, and believe me I'm reminded of it every time I open my mouth. I know that uncharitbable things that I say often are sinful and I sincerely repent of having said them. But I think that even as I say that, I also realize that too often I just excuse my behavior or blame it on something else.
Such is the modern attitude toward sin. Although, I think it goes even further than excusing it or explaining it away. The real issue that we face now is that people have gone to the point of calling what is clearly sinful behavior--"good".
I've been thinking it about this for some time, how even the most conservative of Catholics has stopped admitting that they are sinners and their are some elements of Jesus' teaching that they find difficult to accept because of this basic "disorder" that exists in all of us no matter what our idealogy. We all come the light of Christ with our "blindspots" and we say right along with the most liberal of Catholics, "I confess to Almighty God and to you my brothers and sisters that I have sinned!" And truly we all have. The attitude of conservative Catholics to the war, over and against the warnings of Pope John Paul II about the lack of justice in the arguments put forth by the U.S. government, the attitude of liberal Catholics on issues of homosexuality, abortion and the attitudes of some high ranking bishops about homosexuality in their ranks etc. all point to the sinfulness that is there for anyone with an oposing viewpoint to see, albeit the spec in their brother's eye, while avoiding the beam in our own eye.
Admitting our sinfulness is something that we do at every Mass. We do it in preparation for the sacred mysteries that quite frankly can become a little meaningless if we do not approach Christ with any real felt need for a messiah or savior. If we are not desparate for Christ to save us from our sins, because we don't think we have any, then we are likely to be just going through the motions. Such is the state of many Catholics, I think, including priests and laity.
I have often been moved by the story of Peter being told to cast out into the deep after a night where he and his companions had a pretty miserable fishing outing. He reluctantly does so, because quite frankly he is a fisherman and the carpenter on the surface wouldn't seem to know much about fishing. He catches so many fish that they have a difficult time pulling them in and he turns to Jesus and says "Lord, depart from me for I am a sinful man." Jesus turns to Peter and says, "Follow me and I will make you a fisher of men."
It is a powerful story. It pits our plan against God's. Our plan often leads to a lot of frustration and what do we do with it? Admitting that we are sinners, real sinners, going to Hell if someone doesn't save us sinners---is the first step to experiencing salvation.
A former classmate of mine, he was a few years ahead of me at Saint Meinrad has recently been excommunicated. He was a good guy back in school. In a place that had more than its share of homosexuals, I never even suspected that he was one, but turns out that he is and rather actively promotes it. He was removed recently from his parish after being arrested in a park for public indecency. He's gone off and joined a church that calls itself the Orthodox Catholic Church of America, a church largely made up of former Catholic and Orthodox clergy that is neither Catholic or Orthodox. A visit to their website shows that they perform "holy unions" and "second marriages" are not a problem. In some ways they strike me as "cafeteria catholicism" on steroids. Here you can choose and even call what Jesus called sin--holy! Truly a novel approach to following whatever path you are on and calling it "good."
I am a sinner and the path I walk, if it is my own is often not good. Jesus didn't counsel anyone to "do what they want to" or to "believe whatever they wanted to" rather he spoke of repenting "of changing one's mind" and believing the Gospel, taking up one's cross and following Him. It is a difficult path for us sinners but ultimately the path of salvation...the other road is paved with good intentions but as we all know deep down leads to Hell.
I thought about entitling this bit "let he who is without sin cast the first stone" but thought that I'd better wait until now to state that, because what I'm about to say is really nothing more than that I am a sinner, and believe me I'm reminded of it every time I open my mouth. I know that uncharitbable things that I say often are sinful and I sincerely repent of having said them. But I think that even as I say that, I also realize that too often I just excuse my behavior or blame it on something else.
Such is the modern attitude toward sin. Although, I think it goes even further than excusing it or explaining it away. The real issue that we face now is that people have gone to the point of calling what is clearly sinful behavior--"good".
I've been thinking it about this for some time, how even the most conservative of Catholics has stopped admitting that they are sinners and their are some elements of Jesus' teaching that they find difficult to accept because of this basic "disorder" that exists in all of us no matter what our idealogy. We all come the light of Christ with our "blindspots" and we say right along with the most liberal of Catholics, "I confess to Almighty God and to you my brothers and sisters that I have sinned!" And truly we all have. The attitude of conservative Catholics to the war, over and against the warnings of Pope John Paul II about the lack of justice in the arguments put forth by the U.S. government, the attitude of liberal Catholics on issues of homosexuality, abortion and the attitudes of some high ranking bishops about homosexuality in their ranks etc. all point to the sinfulness that is there for anyone with an oposing viewpoint to see, albeit the spec in their brother's eye, while avoiding the beam in our own eye.
Admitting our sinfulness is something that we do at every Mass. We do it in preparation for the sacred mysteries that quite frankly can become a little meaningless if we do not approach Christ with any real felt need for a messiah or savior. If we are not desparate for Christ to save us from our sins, because we don't think we have any, then we are likely to be just going through the motions. Such is the state of many Catholics, I think, including priests and laity.
I have often been moved by the story of Peter being told to cast out into the deep after a night where he and his companions had a pretty miserable fishing outing. He reluctantly does so, because quite frankly he is a fisherman and the carpenter on the surface wouldn't seem to know much about fishing. He catches so many fish that they have a difficult time pulling them in and he turns to Jesus and says "Lord, depart from me for I am a sinful man." Jesus turns to Peter and says, "Follow me and I will make you a fisher of men."
It is a powerful story. It pits our plan against God's. Our plan often leads to a lot of frustration and what do we do with it? Admitting that we are sinners, real sinners, going to Hell if someone doesn't save us sinners---is the first step to experiencing salvation.
A former classmate of mine, he was a few years ahead of me at Saint Meinrad has recently been excommunicated. He was a good guy back in school. In a place that had more than its share of homosexuals, I never even suspected that he was one, but turns out that he is and rather actively promotes it. He was removed recently from his parish after being arrested in a park for public indecency. He's gone off and joined a church that calls itself the Orthodox Catholic Church of America, a church largely made up of former Catholic and Orthodox clergy that is neither Catholic or Orthodox. A visit to their website shows that they perform "holy unions" and "second marriages" are not a problem. In some ways they strike me as "cafeteria catholicism" on steroids. Here you can choose and even call what Jesus called sin--holy! Truly a novel approach to following whatever path you are on and calling it "good."
I am a sinner and the path I walk, if it is my own is often not good. Jesus didn't counsel anyone to "do what they want to" or to "believe whatever they wanted to" rather he spoke of repenting "of changing one's mind" and believing the Gospel, taking up one's cross and following Him. It is a difficult path for us sinners but ultimately the path of salvation...the other road is paved with good intentions but as we all know deep down leads to Hell.
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