No standing invitation

Something tells me they won't invite this student-turned-alumni back for a commencement speech anytime soon. As the Curt Jester points out, contraception, food fights and cohabitation is a strange mix for a graduation speech. But I can see the corollary.

Contraception is selfish and childish, food fights are childish and messy and faculty cohabitation is messy, usually involves contraception and lead to childless unions.

Well good for him anyway. Better than your usual bland where we have been and where we are going pablum.

The president also made a cryptic but encouraging comment regarding his speech

At the same time, the president said, it was also important "to treat one another with respect as we speak and as we listen, regardless of how controversial an issue may be."

The "tolerance as a supreme value" folks usually are only tolerant if you agree with them. Anybody expressing a different opinion gets suppressed. Nobody booed or walked out when the President was getting blasted at a FUNERAL, so a graduation speech upholding Catholic values at a Catholic University isn't even close to outrageous.

The heat turns up

I am going to try to get back in the swing after a bit of time off. I saw this elsewhere too, but the Curt Jester has the full letter from Cardinal Arinze to the US Bishops who are dragging their feet on the requirement that the liturgical translations be fixed to actually resemble the Latin they came from.

Weight of Glory also has a breakdown of it here.

It should be interesting to see the response now.

Oh Boy

Finally! Not being musically inclined and being raised on this pablum, I had a hard time understanding why many people strongly disliked much of the music used in Catholic Masses today.

Yes, some were syrupy and not very inspiring. But I have never heard different, so what is the deal. We are at Mass and we make do. But the people protesting the "G&P" or "Jouney" song books and the "Haugen-Haas" music were people I respected on other points, so I took their critical comments and pondered them. One of the most hated songs, "Here I am Lord" was a personal favorite.

So what is the problem? Then I started to pay attention to what I was singing. I noticed the grand theme was ME. And why I was so great, I myself was the bread of life and the reason for being at Mass. It started to dawn on me that these songs were affirming my "wonderfulness" when I was at Mass to worship God. Slowly I began to detest singing about me.

God loves me. That is a wonderful realization to know. But I don't think I go to Mass on Sunday to proclaim how wonderful I am. God loves me in spite of my shortcomings. He loves me because HE IS GOD and not because I am so wonderful He can't help but love me.

So I kept reading. And trying not to be annoyed at Mass. But I can't help but point everyone who reads this blog to the site, A Liturgical Guitarist Reformed. This musician's conversion is very enlightening. Especially this quote

"What we get instead when guitars enter the sanctuary is what seems, to my non-musician's ears, to be an insipid STRUM-a-strumma-strumma-STRUM-a-strumma-strumma that turns the guitar into a low-rent folk rhythm instrument. And overbearing rhythm instruments have no place in any liturgical celebration, in my opinion. This is just another example of how the 'folk' movement in liturgical music has provided shelter to, and an excuse for, wretched composing and substandard musicianship."
~The Goliard

And Mr. Inman links to this page at the bottom, Ritus Narcissus

A conversation demands that we include the other in the discussion. If someone speaks to you about himself, about you, about himself and you, but never really with you, you would call that person conceited. So have we become in our conversation with God: He humbles Himself to dwell among us under the form of bread and wine, while we ignore Him and sing about ourselves and to ourselves.

Wow!

and thanks Curt Jester for the links.

No agenda

As judges are supposed to be "duty-bound to be an unbiased, fair finder of fact", it is disturbing to note that Judge Greer of the Shiavo case apparently fails that test.

One year after the death of Terri Schiavo, the judge who ordered her feeding tube removed spoke at a right-to-die symposium; something Schiavo’s family calls a disturbing conflict of interests.The two-day event the University of Pennsylvania was titled The Legacy of the Terri Schiavo Case: Why is it so hard to die in America?

Tyical victimized mantra. Poor Terri, she just wanted to die. And those awful parents of her who stood to gain nothing fought so hard to prevent her from dying of marked dehydration. Cruel isn't it. And poor Micheal Shiavo, noblest of men just wanted to fulfill her wishes that she not be kept alive and deprive him of the large sum of mone... I mean deprive him of closure.

Liturgical Anonymous

Another classic Jester parody.

The only downfall is that like AA, the liturgists would have to choose to go on their own.

Two for the road

Children must be cherished, not be merely tolerated, Pope Benedict urges parents, communities

And on the Torodes' renouncement of NFP, Eric at Square Zero breaks it down and debunks most of it.

Perfect in the Law

Pope Benedict: Law of God does not eliminate human freedom, but perfects it

This is often what I feebly try to explain to those who question my adherence to the Laws of God, the teachings of the Church or Christianity in general. Freedom isn't doing what ever I want, it is being free to do what I should. (forgive the lack attribution, I don't know whom I paraphrase, and my search turned up only 'anonymous')

Pope Benedict puts it well

''The path indicated by Jesus through His teachings is not a rule imposed from the outside. He Himself walks this path and asks no more than that we follow Him.

In the midst

I am in the midst of a job change, so my attention is focused elsewhere. Please excuse the infrequent posts, I will try to make up my infrequency with quality.

This one I couldn't pass up. The Jester reports that Dan Rather is going to start blogging. And it reminded him of one of his best posts.

And I concur, it is excellent.

Well spoken

The Curt Jester links to a Q & A with Cardinal O'Malley. And as the Jester highlighted, one of the best answers was the shortest.

Q: Could that change? How deep is it?

O'MALLEY: Two thousand years deep.

Nothing sums up the difference between the Catholic Church and all other churches like the question, who founded your Church and when? As for me and my family, we will stick with the one that was founded by The Christ, the Son of the Living God circa 33 AD.

And how could a guy named O'Malley not be good for Boston? Keep up the good work Cardinal.

The Red Hats are coming!

The Red Hats are coming! The Red Hats are coming!

Eric Scheske delivers the news that our "It's a Guy Thing" groups are under attack. I agree, it isn't about exclusion, it is about being a man. Naturally.

Where is the "progress"

Where is the "progress" on Human Rights that China is supposedly making.

I discovered an interesting tidbit while reading Justices Reject Gitmo Detainees' Appeal. Turns out these guys would be free except for one thing; they are Chinese and "could not be returned to China after last year's vindication because the United States suspects they would be tortured or killed."

Perhaps they could just go to Mexico and come to the U.S. as an "undocumented non-enemy combatant."

Whose words are these

Bashing the Church 101. During the time of spring, our focus turns to little girls in white communion dresses. And how that awful, unfeeling Catholic Church goes out of its way to make sure and ruin the dreams of these little girls. Or so the Boston Globe says.

Although the Coynes are grateful for the support of their priest, the Rev. Paul Clifford, they are discouraged by the church's rules on Communion, which they believe are overly rigid.

I wonder if the family used the words "overly rigid" or if these words automatically pop up in the pre-formatted document the reporter found under the "Catholic Church--Old, Rigid" template.

It is always unsettling to see someone that has problems coming forward to receive our Lord in the Eucharist. The shut-ins must feel the same. Those in Saudi Arabia must know what it is like. But as sad as this case is, it seems as the Church is doing its part to help her without invalidating what she seeks to receive. Newspapers and publicity aside, I will avoid makeing judgements about what it is her parents find most important about this time in her life.

But it these cases always strike me as something St. Paul wrote about in 1 Corinthians 11:27-30. We eat and drink the judgement of the Lord upon ourselves and many are sick and dying. I am not calously judging this girl as guilty or even the parents. But as a Church, the priests, the bishops and we the laity are so cavalier about receiving the Eucharist, how can we not expect to suffer because of it?

tip to mark shea

Kindly cease publication

I like that one. Terry Mattingly of On Religion looks a the humor he finds in reporting errors and blunders.

The publication of 12 caricatures of the Prophet Mohammad upset many readers. However, other readers were just as upset when newspapers declined to publish them, with editors saying -- to a chorus of snickers in many pews -- that they did not want to offend religious believers. Thus, one Bob Flavell wrote to the Boston Globe and said: "I find all of your editorial cartoons deeply offensive, morally, religiously, philosophically and spiritually. In fact, I don't like your editorials, either. And the editorializing in your news coverage is annoying as well. In keeping with your cowardly policy not to offend anyone, kindly cease publication at once."

That works for me.

Tip to relapsed catholic

Alleluia

He is Risen!

As my daughter sez, I love Easter.

The eNovena Reminder

Since The Curt Jester doesn't have his eNovena machine in market yet, let this serve as a reminder. Start your Divine Mercy Novenas on Good Friday. And here is a worth cause.

Also, for those up to it, several men and I do a Triduum fast. Pretty simple, from receiving the Holy Eucharist at the Mass of the Lord's Supper on Holy Thursday, to receiving the Holy Eucharist on Easter. (Vigil or Sunday)

Some fast on bread and water, some just on water. And have a Good Friday and Blessed Easter.

See ya next week.

Hope everyone has a good Holy Week. I am going to try and make it holy, so that means I am giving up blogging until after Easter. Any liturgical hijinks will have to wait until then.

God bless

Idaho gets a mention

Idaho gets mentioned in the mapping religion in America. See the 7th graphic (you can save them to view them in a larger scale.)

No major surprises, except for that puzzling splotch in Idaho.

Guess that should take us off the White Supremist map. I don't know my geography well enough, is that Sun Valley?

tip to relapsed catholic

Don't forget

Today is the first Wednesday. For those who are e5 men,

don't forget to fast.

For those who are not, consider joining

Food for thought

Steve at the Fifth Column has an interesting take on American history and relating to immigration, Requiem in Pace. I don't buy it, yet. But reading Tony Snow's column adds some weight to the arguement.

Part of me screams that they are just trying to justify Bush's stance on immigration/amnesty.

Another part says, well they have a point.

It follows the line of this Crisis magazine article, which I kinda wrote off as trying to justify Bush's outlandish stance on immigration/amnesty.

Whatever the conclusion, I know this, it isn't done concluding yet.

Saints and Soldiers.

I just watched the movie "Saints and Soldiers." It had a profound dialogue in it. One atheist type was a medic, filled with hate for the German "krauts". He described watching a dying man call for God's mercy over and over. "He was so sincere, I thought it might actually work. Then he died and his eyes were empty. That is when I knew there was no God."

The Christian he was talking to describe an similar scene. Holding a dying man, praying with him and then he died. "He went to a better place."

The atheist said "how convenient for you."

The Christian replied, "Funny, I thought the same thing."

Funny how we find the answers WE want rather than what God is trying to show us in all the suffering in the world.

Minus Soup

Eric at Square Zero has some thoughts on a public radio rendition of Adam and Eve. Well done, and yes, the areligious and irreverant often point to the Truth even as they try to mock God.

The quote he pulls from the program

“When you ate the fruit in Eden, it was like eating God,” he would say, “and God
was delicious. When you wanted him, you just grabbed him.” Now when he ate
fruit, he could only taste what was not there.

Sounds kinda like the Minus Soup story I remember from grade school. Trying to fill the God spaced hole in our lives with more and more stuff leaves us unsatisfied.

Bishop Bruskewitz

Bishop Bruskewitz shoots back at National Review Board. Bottom line:

It is well known that some of the members of Ewers' Board are ardent advocates of partial birth abortion, other abortions, human cloning, and other moral errors. It is understandable then how such persons could dislike the Diocese of Lincoln, which upholds the moral teaching of the Catholic Church

Canonist Pete Vere breaks it down

Showdown at High Noon averted

Looks like the Showdown at High Noon was avoided by setting our clocks forward an hour. The Supreme Court decided not to challenge Bush's wartime detention powers because the Administration decided to course and proceed to trial on different charges.

An appeals court panel had all but called for the court to deal with the case, saying it was troubled by the Bush administration's change in legal strategy — after holding Padilla more than three years without charges.

Reminds me of this cartoon on Bush being a straight shooter. Imagine Bush and the Supreme Court holding the "weapons" to defend our country.

More from Bishop Slattery of Tulsa

The Shepherd continues to tend his flock. Pray that all bishops would understand their duty as this one does. Some of his topics this month: Music can be a distraction, Recovering a sense of sin, Intimacy with the Father comes through the Cross....

Here is the direct link in PDF format. His article starts on page 3.
The Jester has freed it from the evil pdf format here.

Episcopal Euthanasia

Not sure if this guy is "dead" on, but it will make you pause and think. J.D. Carriere: Episcopal Euthanasia

more on the "liberation" of women

If they are liberated, why do they still feel guilt?

I am going to go out on a limb and say men or the Church are at the root of all this "leftover" guilt. Whadayathink?

Or perhaps "Our hearts are restless until they rest in the, O Lord"?

Cramming the God shaped hole full of the sex shaped culture doesn't fill the hole.

Numbers game

D.F. Oliveria has a great article on the numbers game in the Abortion polls the media uses.

If that link doesn't work, go through his blog link and click on the link there. Blog viewers get a pass on the registration.

Can Call To Action/VOTF explain this?

Seems that Mass attendance in Boston has risen eventhough parishes are closing. At the same time though, the Catholic population dropped. Not that we hope that anyone take the peril of anyone leaving the Church, but perhaps the pruning is becoming evident. Those that have left the Church in teaching should be honest enough to leave in body.

Afterall, if you don't believe in the Eucharist, Mass is just a gathering of people.

Papal intentions for April

I think I will join Pope Benedict in his April intentions. "That the Church in China may carry out its evangelizing mission serenely and in full freedom."

Free debate on MP3

Janet Smith debates Charles Curran on Contraception in mp3 format. From AmericanPapist.

tip to the Curt Jester