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!
Monday, September 8, 2003
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.
First Linking of the Year to Fireronzook.com
33-10 in the third quarter with 3 minutes left. The announcers are saying it is time to put Brock Berlin on the bench, the fans boo when he returns to the lineup.
Meanwhile on the other side, Ingle Martin stands with his helmet off. The masterful way he moved the ball and ate up time in the first half forgotten by the clueless coaching staff. In a game that demanded experience on the field to run the clock out, he never returned. The defense that was in the backfield all night long suddenly were not within site of any Miami player who had the ball. The defense which held Miami to under fifty yards of offense to this point in the game suddenly could do nothing.
What could have gone down as a defining moment in Ron Zook's career as a head football coach--will go down as a defining moment. How do you blow a three plus touchdown lead in the final quarter of a game? Hire Ron Zook as your head football coach.
Here is what the editor of fireronzook.com says--Editor's Note:
"I can tell you this much...I watched the first half of the Miami game on the edge of my seat, loving the attitude and explosiveness that our guys were playing with, and thinking to myself 'why do I keep this site up?' It's true...I'm a Gator fan no matter what, and sometimes I just get sick of the whole Zook business and want to blindly cheer for the team. No website, no point of view on the choice of our head coach, no effort. Just drink beer and cheer. But I don't break that easily I suppose. Zook even went for the 2 point conversion when he had no business doing so (as aptly pointed out by my tequila-ridden friend Larry), and I ignored it because I was having fun. I was thoroughly impressed though. Completely. I haven't felt that good cheering for Gator football in over a year....and dammit I missed that feeling.
But then the sun went behind the clouds and I once again remembered why this site exists in the first place. Not because Leak threw in interception. Not because the defense fell apart against a Brock Berlin onslaught. But because we have the wrong head football coach. String together an entire game of what I saw in the first half...and maybe I'll give it some more thought.
But for now...I'm not holding my breath."
33-10 in the third quarter with 3 minutes left. The announcers are saying it is time to put Brock Berlin on the bench, the fans boo when he returns to the lineup.
Meanwhile on the other side, Ingle Martin stands with his helmet off. The masterful way he moved the ball and ate up time in the first half forgotten by the clueless coaching staff. In a game that demanded experience on the field to run the clock out, he never returned. The defense that was in the backfield all night long suddenly were not within site of any Miami player who had the ball. The defense which held Miami to under fifty yards of offense to this point in the game suddenly could do nothing.
What could have gone down as a defining moment in Ron Zook's career as a head football coach--will go down as a defining moment. How do you blow a three plus touchdown lead in the final quarter of a game? Hire Ron Zook as your head football coach.
Here is what the editor of fireronzook.com says--Editor's Note:
"I can tell you this much...I watched the first half of the Miami game on the edge of my seat, loving the attitude and explosiveness that our guys were playing with, and thinking to myself 'why do I keep this site up?' It's true...I'm a Gator fan no matter what, and sometimes I just get sick of the whole Zook business and want to blindly cheer for the team. No website, no point of view on the choice of our head coach, no effort. Just drink beer and cheer. But I don't break that easily I suppose. Zook even went for the 2 point conversion when he had no business doing so (as aptly pointed out by my tequila-ridden friend Larry), and I ignored it because I was having fun. I was thoroughly impressed though. Completely. I haven't felt that good cheering for Gator football in over a year....and dammit I missed that feeling.
But then the sun went behind the clouds and I once again remembered why this site exists in the first place. Not because Leak threw in interception. Not because the defense fell apart against a Brock Berlin onslaught. But because we have the wrong head football coach. String together an entire game of what I saw in the first half...and maybe I'll give it some more thought.
But for now...I'm not holding my breath."
Friday, September 5, 2003
Want to Visit the Vatican Art Museum?
But don't have the money to make the trip. Make a virtual visit...
Vatican Museums Online
But don't have the money to make the trip. Make a virtual visit...
Vatican Museums Online
Books I'm Associated With
Click on the above to see some of the books that I have had a hand in walking through. Includes such authors as Father Benedict Groeschel, Pat Madrid, Archbishop Dolan, Johnnette Benkovic and others.
Click on the above to see some of the books that I have had a hand in walking through. Includes such authors as Father Benedict Groeschel, Pat Madrid, Archbishop Dolan, Johnnette Benkovic and others.
Thursday, September 4, 2003
Then Jesus said to him, "Put your sword back into its place; for all who take the sword will perish by the sword".
Paul Hill is dead. The State of Florida took his life. He took the life of those he felt were murderers of the unborn. He became one of them by taking their life. Ironically, the governor of Florida, Jeb Bush remarked that Hill's God wasn't his, because his God didn't teach that killing was right--I say ironically because he signed the death warrant that did to Paul Hill, what Paul Hill did to the abortionists. Hill felt they were murderers, the State of Florida felt that Hill was a murderer and in the end they murdered him.
Jesus' teachings are so radically opposed to the killing of anyone. Those who have grasped the teachings of Jesus have changed the world not through violence but through the power that Jesus offers his disciples if they humble themselves and allow Him to be the Lord of their lives. One has only to think of Rev. Martin Luther King and the non-violent Christian civil rights movement and the revolution it unleashed in the United States. Or of the Polish Solidarity movement led by Lech Walesa under the patronage of Our Lady that sparked similar movements and brought down the Iron Curtian. The only victims in both of these movements were members of the protesting groups, in imitation of Christ they offered their lives so that others might live. This is the message of Christ, that we lay down our lives for our friends and enemies--not that we take their lives.
But unfortunately most of us are way to impatient to wait on the Lord and are apt to take things into our own hands. So the unplanned pregnancy is terminated, so the anti-abortion protestor gets impatient and seeks to take up the sword, so the State decides the easiest way to deal with a criminal is to exterminate them. And the cycle of violence continues...but please never in the name of God.
Paul Hill is dead. The State of Florida took his life. He took the life of those he felt were murderers of the unborn. He became one of them by taking their life. Ironically, the governor of Florida, Jeb Bush remarked that Hill's God wasn't his, because his God didn't teach that killing was right--I say ironically because he signed the death warrant that did to Paul Hill, what Paul Hill did to the abortionists. Hill felt they were murderers, the State of Florida felt that Hill was a murderer and in the end they murdered him.
Jesus' teachings are so radically opposed to the killing of anyone. Those who have grasped the teachings of Jesus have changed the world not through violence but through the power that Jesus offers his disciples if they humble themselves and allow Him to be the Lord of their lives. One has only to think of Rev. Martin Luther King and the non-violent Christian civil rights movement and the revolution it unleashed in the United States. Or of the Polish Solidarity movement led by Lech Walesa under the patronage of Our Lady that sparked similar movements and brought down the Iron Curtian. The only victims in both of these movements were members of the protesting groups, in imitation of Christ they offered their lives so that others might live. This is the message of Christ, that we lay down our lives for our friends and enemies--not that we take their lives.
But unfortunately most of us are way to impatient to wait on the Lord and are apt to take things into our own hands. So the unplanned pregnancy is terminated, so the anti-abortion protestor gets impatient and seeks to take up the sword, so the State decides the easiest way to deal with a criminal is to exterminate them. And the cycle of violence continues...but please never in the name of God.
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