Harry Potter and the Bishop of Phoenix
There is a lot of security right now trying to keep anyone from stealing the latest Harry Potter book to be released this Friday night at the stroke of midnight. Across the nation children will crowd bookstores awaiting the latest tome from J. K. Rowling that some are reporting features such treats as vomit flavored cotton candy--just the smell of such a treat would be enough for me to be a manufacturer of a future batch!
At the same time as the the latest Potter book is being released and revealed the bishops of the U.S. will be going into secrecy at their semi-annual meeting. We can only speculate as to what they will be discussing but there is little doubt that the Bishop of Phoenix might be a late addition to the agenda. His scandalous "hit and run" accident is as scandalous as any event that he has covered up in his diocese and is seen by every Catholic that I have spoken with as a great betrayal, if not a sign of sickness (perhaps alcoholism as one person speculates).
The secrecy of the bishops will do nothing to take away the media circus from the environs of the St. Louis meeting, in fact one might speculate that the usually forgotten June meeting of the bishops is likely to receive more coverage than ever because of the secrecy in the same way that the antics of the publisher of the Potter books keeps the attempts to steal the book on the front page daily before the actual release of the title.
Harry Potter is about magic, the Christian religion is about truth, setting your light on a hill where everyone can see your good works. There are magicians in the Scriptures--they seek to replicate the miracles that the believers in God work. In the modern world sometimes it is a little hard to tell who are the magicians and who are the believers or if there are any believers out there.
Magic usually arises out of fear. A person like the title character Harry Potter, rejected by his foster family, gets to the point that reality is too difficult to deal with, so they flea into the world of "make believe" where they are powerful and in charge.
Christ offers a different type of empowerment. Christians are people who are able to face any eventuality and to see in the cross--the light of the resurrection. They can face what might defeat the unbeliever because they know that ultimately the definition of who they are comes from God not from the crowd shouting "crucify him!"
The "hit and run" mentality of not facing up to the consequences of the failures of those in the church is "fear" based and frankly reaks of folks living in a magical kingdom rather than the Kingdom of God. It sort of reminds me of the apostles fleeing Christ upon His arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane.
Folks, it all comes down to faith and faith comes through prayer and trust in God. It isn't an escape from reality it is an imersion into reality. It means facing up to all the difficulties of the present moment and doing the right thing.
Which brings us to "us". How can we work to reform ourselves and the Church? What can we do to support the work of good bishops and priests to further the establishment of the Kingdom of God?
These are the big questions and there is no magical answer to any of them, but through trust in God (exemplified by prayer and lots of it) we will find that we are able to face them and make a big difference no matter how small we are in God's Kingdom.
Tuesday, June 17, 2003
Monday, June 16, 2003
Need to Replace that Ink Cartridge?
The Cistercians offer you an inexpensive option:Welcome to LaserMonks
The Cistercians offer you an inexpensive option:Welcome to LaserMonks
St. John Paul the First?
From Newsday.com:
The case is growing for making the pope's predecessor a saint, church officials said Monday. John Paul I, born Albino Luciani, was pontiff for 33 days in 1978.
The northern Italian diocese where he was born is gathering testimony about his life in hopes of persuading the Vatican that he should be made a saint, a process that can take years or even decades.
The Rev. Giuseppe Bratti, secretary to the bishop of Belluno-Feltre, said the testimony includes increasing accounts of possible miracles that faithful attribute to John Paul I.
From Newsday.com:
The case is growing for making the pope's predecessor a saint, church officials said Monday. John Paul I, born Albino Luciani, was pontiff for 33 days in 1978.
The northern Italian diocese where he was born is gathering testimony about his life in hopes of persuading the Vatican that he should be made a saint, a process that can take years or even decades.
The Rev. Giuseppe Bratti, secretary to the bishop of Belluno-Feltre, said the testimony includes increasing accounts of possible miracles that faithful attribute to John Paul I.
Sunday, June 15, 2003
Trinity Sunday
Today would be a good day to preach on God the Father, don't you think? It is Father's Day and Trinity Sunday. The Holy Spirit should have got some play last week for the Solemnity of Pentecost and Jesus has gotten play all year long, so today we should defintely hear something about God the Father.
In my dealings with people over spiritual matters, I've found that a lot of people have problems with God the Father. Of course it has more to do with earthly matters in the end than with God. Since I would remind all that when St. Philip asked Jesus to "show us the Father" that Jesus replied "anyone who has seen me has seen the Father." So in reality a good homily on the "Father" would be like a good homily on "Jesus." It would be kind of like most artists' rendition of the Trinity where God the Father is just an older version of Our Lord.
Today try to foster an ongoing sense of the adoration due to God the Father- thanking Him for all of creation with every breath that you take!
Today would be a good day to preach on God the Father, don't you think? It is Father's Day and Trinity Sunday. The Holy Spirit should have got some play last week for the Solemnity of Pentecost and Jesus has gotten play all year long, so today we should defintely hear something about God the Father.
In my dealings with people over spiritual matters, I've found that a lot of people have problems with God the Father. Of course it has more to do with earthly matters in the end than with God. Since I would remind all that when St. Philip asked Jesus to "show us the Father" that Jesus replied "anyone who has seen me has seen the Father." So in reality a good homily on the "Father" would be like a good homily on "Jesus." It would be kind of like most artists' rendition of the Trinity where God the Father is just an older version of Our Lord.
Today try to foster an ongoing sense of the adoration due to God the Father- thanking Him for all of creation with every breath that you take!
Overpopulation of Deer?
I think I counted at least 20 deer last night in our 100 mile trip back from Michigan. Two here, one there all grazing near the fast moving traffic--looking up every now and again at some faces peering in the distance in their direction.
Kind of the way that I feel when we do these booksignings that are almost always poorly planned and carried out. People come in looking at you, like who the hell are you, and you get the idea that the managers of the store haven't really done a lot of advertising or forethought about the whole enterprise that you are providing for them for free. In other words it didn't cost the bookstore anything to have us there and they made at least an extra $300+ bucks for the two hours that we were there explaining our books to their customers. But I'll bet if they had thought about it a bit more and promoted the heck out of the fact that two authors who between them have ten published books in the Catholic market--they could have made ten times that amount.
But it strikes me that many out there are a whole lot like those deer. Just grazing by the busy interstate and perhaps a little bit of grieving over the few who risk crossing the interstate and lie dead--feet up in the air by the side of the road.
I think I counted at least 20 deer last night in our 100 mile trip back from Michigan. Two here, one there all grazing near the fast moving traffic--looking up every now and again at some faces peering in the distance in their direction.
Kind of the way that I feel when we do these booksignings that are almost always poorly planned and carried out. People come in looking at you, like who the hell are you, and you get the idea that the managers of the store haven't really done a lot of advertising or forethought about the whole enterprise that you are providing for them for free. In other words it didn't cost the bookstore anything to have us there and they made at least an extra $300+ bucks for the two hours that we were there explaining our books to their customers. But I'll bet if they had thought about it a bit more and promoted the heck out of the fact that two authors who between them have ten published books in the Catholic market--they could have made ten times that amount.
But it strikes me that many out there are a whole lot like those deer. Just grazing by the busy interstate and perhaps a little bit of grieving over the few who risk crossing the interstate and lie dead--feet up in the air by the side of the road.
Saturday, June 14, 2003
Travels
Amy and I have been on the road all this week. Tuesday I met with one of our authors in downtown Chicago then we headed off to Milwaukee, WI for an evening baseball game at the relatively new Miller Park. There were few in attendance (I think they announced a crowd of 11,000 but there were hardly more than 5,000 there). The mighty Florida Marlins won handily 12-4. Before going to the game we stopped in at the Cathedral in Milwaukee which underwent a renovation a few years ago. Amy has commented that I don't particularly care for the "Mother of the Church" statue, so let me clarify why.
First it has long been a tradition in the Church that any statue of Mary is always linked to Christ (Our Lady of Fatima is one exception that comes to mind though)--Mary is either holding the child Jesus or is pregnant with Him. This Madona seems to be just, well liberated--not encumbered with child either in her arms or womb. Her hair flies freely giving the notion of fleeing (repression, patriarchy?) and of course historically hair exposed would connote Mary Magdalene not Mary the Mother of Christ. My main problem with the image is that it strikes me to be linked to an idealogy not true devotion to the Mother of Christ and the Mother of the Church. The other statue to the right of the sanctuary is of Blessed John XXIII, again I have no problem with this image except that it clearly is trying to send a message of reform etc. (reform that I am all for by the way but not necessarily in the way that Archbishop Weakland would have conceived of it). The focus of the chuch is organ pipes something that shows the triumpth of musicians as liturgists in the post Vatican II church. Another interesting note about this cathedral is the centrality of the altar and ambo but the relatively obscurity of the "cathedra"--the bishop's chair.
One reflection that I had after this visit was how the ambry has become such a featured focus of new church's. In old church's you would have had a hard time locating the receptical for the holy oils, now adays it is a featured site, often lit with big glass jugs holding more oil than could ever be used in a year for annointings. The other is the centrality of the Baptismal font, usually done in the name of reclaiming our liturgical roots but the church's that I have visited from the fourth century did not have a baptismal font in the entrance of the church but rather in a hidden separate room where they could be done away from the congregation. The novelty of putting one in the entrance is purely a creation of modern liturgists. So we have the exaltation of music, oil and water and exile of the Lord Jesus Christ present in the reserved Blessed Sacrament--I wonder what that says about reform?
On Friday, we visited an Eastern Catholic church in our search for a Catholic Carmelite monastery in Munster, IN. More on this when we get back from our book signing in Lansing, Michigan today. We'll be at the Rosary Book Store in Lansing today from 1-3 signing all those great Catholic books we've written! If you are in the area stop by and say hi!
Amy and I have been on the road all this week. Tuesday I met with one of our authors in downtown Chicago then we headed off to Milwaukee, WI for an evening baseball game at the relatively new Miller Park. There were few in attendance (I think they announced a crowd of 11,000 but there were hardly more than 5,000 there). The mighty Florida Marlins won handily 12-4. Before going to the game we stopped in at the Cathedral in Milwaukee which underwent a renovation a few years ago. Amy has commented that I don't particularly care for the "Mother of the Church" statue, so let me clarify why.
First it has long been a tradition in the Church that any statue of Mary is always linked to Christ (Our Lady of Fatima is one exception that comes to mind though)--Mary is either holding the child Jesus or is pregnant with Him. This Madona seems to be just, well liberated--not encumbered with child either in her arms or womb. Her hair flies freely giving the notion of fleeing (repression, patriarchy?) and of course historically hair exposed would connote Mary Magdalene not Mary the Mother of Christ. My main problem with the image is that it strikes me to be linked to an idealogy not true devotion to the Mother of Christ and the Mother of the Church. The other statue to the right of the sanctuary is of Blessed John XXIII, again I have no problem with this image except that it clearly is trying to send a message of reform etc. (reform that I am all for by the way but not necessarily in the way that Archbishop Weakland would have conceived of it). The focus of the chuch is organ pipes something that shows the triumpth of musicians as liturgists in the post Vatican II church. Another interesting note about this cathedral is the centrality of the altar and ambo but the relatively obscurity of the "cathedra"--the bishop's chair.
One reflection that I had after this visit was how the ambry has become such a featured focus of new church's. In old church's you would have had a hard time locating the receptical for the holy oils, now adays it is a featured site, often lit with big glass jugs holding more oil than could ever be used in a year for annointings. The other is the centrality of the Baptismal font, usually done in the name of reclaiming our liturgical roots but the church's that I have visited from the fourth century did not have a baptismal font in the entrance of the church but rather in a hidden separate room where they could be done away from the congregation. The novelty of putting one in the entrance is purely a creation of modern liturgists. So we have the exaltation of music, oil and water and exile of the Lord Jesus Christ present in the reserved Blessed Sacrament--I wonder what that says about reform?
On Friday, we visited an Eastern Catholic church in our search for a Catholic Carmelite monastery in Munster, IN. More on this when we get back from our book signing in Lansing, Michigan today. We'll be at the Rosary Book Store in Lansing today from 1-3 signing all those great Catholic books we've written! If you are in the area stop by and say hi!
Monday, June 9, 2003
Buying a Car and the Internet
I have always hated looking at cars and dealing with sales people. I realize they have to make a buck but there is so much dishonesty that goes on that it really is hard to trust anything that anyone tells you in a dealership. The internet helps the buyer a whole lot. I have learned more in the past 24 hrs about the scams that dealer pull off than I ever could have imagined. There are sites that you can find by doing a google search for "buying a new car" that will probably make a lot of you, like me, feel like an absolute idiot for past buying experiences.
I would like to single out one dealership that has a glowing reputation for being "customer friendly", namely the local Saturn dealership. First of all the quality of the Saturn cars that I have test drove is pretty bad. They seem incredibly "cheap." One that I test drove on Saturday had already been dented up. When the salesperson came to give me the costs on a sheet that included a "free DVD player and screen" the price had inflated by nearly three thousand dollars from the sticker price. Well upon closer inspection they (the notorious ever present "manager") had tacked on a stain protection plan for nearly a $1,000 extra and the entertainment package was about $4,000 dollars minus the $978 DVD player--so I had been lied to and frankly that is all it takes for me to have an impression of Saturn that will not go away anytime soon.
But back to the internet and car buying...
Besides learning all the tricks that are going to be played on you, the internet offers you the opportunity to research the reviews and other timely information on the car you are looking at--giving you an upper hand when actually test driving it. There is so much to learn and it is all here online for you to learn it.
I have always hated looking at cars and dealing with sales people. I realize they have to make a buck but there is so much dishonesty that goes on that it really is hard to trust anything that anyone tells you in a dealership. The internet helps the buyer a whole lot. I have learned more in the past 24 hrs about the scams that dealer pull off than I ever could have imagined. There are sites that you can find by doing a google search for "buying a new car" that will probably make a lot of you, like me, feel like an absolute idiot for past buying experiences.
I would like to single out one dealership that has a glowing reputation for being "customer friendly", namely the local Saturn dealership. First of all the quality of the Saturn cars that I have test drove is pretty bad. They seem incredibly "cheap." One that I test drove on Saturday had already been dented up. When the salesperson came to give me the costs on a sheet that included a "free DVD player and screen" the price had inflated by nearly three thousand dollars from the sticker price. Well upon closer inspection they (the notorious ever present "manager") had tacked on a stain protection plan for nearly a $1,000 extra and the entertainment package was about $4,000 dollars minus the $978 DVD player--so I had been lied to and frankly that is all it takes for me to have an impression of Saturn that will not go away anytime soon.
But back to the internet and car buying...
Besides learning all the tricks that are going to be played on you, the internet offers you the opportunity to research the reviews and other timely information on the car you are looking at--giving you an upper hand when actually test driving it. There is so much to learn and it is all here online for you to learn it.
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