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Month: July 2006

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Current Events, Political

Anyone find deeper meaning?

Today’s Old Testament reading from Hosea:

Thus says the LORD:
Return, O Israel, to the LORD, your God;
you have collapsed through your guilt.
Take with you words,
and return to the LORD;
Say to him, —Forgive all iniquity,
and receive what is good, that we may render
as offerings the bullocks from our stalls.
Assyria will not save us,
nor shall we have horses to mount;
We shall say no more, ‘Our god,’
to the work of our hands;
for in you the orphan finds compassion.—
I will heal their defection, says the LORD,
I will love them freely;
for my wrath is turned away from them.
I will be like the dew for Israel:
he shall blossom like the lily;
He shall strike root like the Lebanon cedar,
and put forth his shoots.
His splendor shall be like the olive tree
and his fragrance like the Lebanon cedar.
Again they shall dwell in his shade
and raise grain;
They shall blossom like the vine,
and his fame shall be like the wine of Lebanon.

Ephraim! What more has he to do with idols?
I have humbled him, but I will prosper him.
—I am like a verdant cypress tree——”
because of me you bear fruit!

Let him who is wise understand these things;
let him who is prudent know them.
Straight are the paths of the LORD,
in them the just walk,
but sinners stumble in them.

It’s too bad that the Lebanon cedar will be no more and that the wine of Lebanon is blood…

Perspective, Political

Drive me away —“ with taxes

My old hometown, Buffalo, is bleeding people. The latest study published yesterday shows that upstate New York, and in particular Buffalo, is loosing people like crazy (See: Employers may have tough time replacing retiring boomers)

The reasons, as I see it, are threefold: taxes, lack of jobs, the public dole.

Donn Esmonde of the Buffalo News has been doing opinion pieces on these issues for some time. Today’s article: A few words from the expatriates places the blame pretty squarely where it lies. Check it out.

Now the only point of departure I would have with Mr. Esmonde is his constant harping on public employees. The public employees’ pay and benefits are generous in certain ways, but still lag behind the private sector, especially at the executive and managerial level.

When Erie County shut off all but basic safety and health services as a result of its budget crisis, Mr. Esmonde and others in the community were the first to decry the lack of services they were used to. Someone has to perform the services. You have to pay for what you get, although at the entry and journeyman levels of public employment pay and benefits far surpass the private sector. Public employees are not the problem —“ they are actually smart enough to go where the money and security are. It is rather their handlers (the unions) and the laws and policies that perpetuate the status quo.

I wish someone would be truthful in breaking out where the money goes. New Yorkers are taxed like crazy, the highest taxes in the nation. This certainly keeps jobs and people away. No one will bring their company to New York State so they can be taxed at far higher rates. It’s counterintuitive.

The CATO Institute does a good job of making policy recommendations to cut the biggest money wasters in New York. In Cleaning Up New York State’s Budget Mess, CATO points out that a luxury Medicaid program accounts for over 28% of the State’s budget. That coupled with disproportionate increases in education funding, debt service, welfare, and other ‘luxury’ programs, and further coupled with a needed restructuring in the State public employee workforce drive our taxes through the roof.

My recommendation is to cut and restructure, to think outside the box. How do we do what’s necessary in a leaner and smarter way?

  • Dump the luxuries —“ people can do better on their own —“ keeping their own money.
  • Pass Right to Work laws to cut the legs off powerful unions that are no longer necessary and are actually counterproductive.
  • Maintain systems of public support for the poor and needy that are consistent with other states (it will eliminate benefit shopping) and that assure care for those who are most in need.
  • Reform the insurance industry and litigation processes in New York driving down workers compensation, general business, and automobile insurance costs.
  • Reform the State workforce and focus on a lean professional/para-professional team that is hard working and effective (do we still need file clerks and clerk typists?).
  • Reform the Assembly and Senate into a once every two years citizens body eliminating the ‘professional politician’.
  • Make sure that these reforms take place at every level of government.

New York has natural resources, an educated populace, and varied beauty that makes it a top notch place to live, work, and play. Now all we need is courage and thinking leaders.

By the way, this is my 500th post to my blog —“ hurray for my insight 😉

Christian Witness, Current Events, Political

The War Paradigm

I rarely discuss issues like this. I think the faith is rather clear on war issues. I also think that Jesus Christ’s commands to us are very clear in regard to our duty as Christians. That is why true Christianity is so diametrically opposed to the things that precipitate war and to the conduct of war.

Unless I am mistaken, no Christian in the first centuries of Christianity would stand up to anyone with intent to fight. They stood up of course, but that was to proclaim the truth. Many died for doing so. Most died horribly, but their faith was sure.

By Augustine’s time the Church had developed certain doctrines (Just War Theory) to cover the eventuality of war. Still, on the whole, Christianity, as institutionalized by that time, was reactive to aggression.

To me, war is the product of those who lust for power, control, or who simply have a taste for death and destruction (ala the brutality carried out by some troops, most recently U.S. troops).

This week’s events in Israel, along with the re-invasion of Gaza, are just the next step in the long slide toward self imposed annihilation. The people who built this road, who are the authors of the coming annihilation, are the so-called neo-con drum beaters in the United States and of course the ‘I have my own agenda’ Israelis (and there are others jumping on the bandwagon too).

The new paradigm is war. It is war for any reason, real or perceived. It is proactive, pre-emptive, and out of scale to the reality of the situation. Washington (under the neo-cons) and Tel Aviv (always) have decided that the atmosphere for destruction is right. They have set the tone for the world. Don’t be surprised if the world goes up in flames.

  • Civilian death —“ ok
  • Disproportionate and random shelling, bombing, bulldozing —“ ok
  • Hit civilian targets – ok
  • Drop a bomb on a car filled with five kids and a terrorist – ok
  • Invading other sovereign countries based on a perception —“ ok
  • Blockades —“ ok
  • Playing poker with one devil to get the next – ok
  • Lies to make it all ok —“ ok

I cannot fathom the idea that we or Israel are so unsophisticated and so inept that we have to bulldoze and use low yield nuclear weapons to get the ‘bad guys’.

Now, I am no pacifist. I hope every terrorist gets a nice hole in their head ASAP. I just think we could use brains to do it rather than brawn. That we could think our way through solutions, rather than bulldozing through them. That we could be a shining example of justice, truth, and civilized ideals, rather than a people who trample on their own rights in order to act like their enemy.

Terror is being committed on all sides and the innocent are the ones being hurt. No matter how you count the bodies, the innocent outweigh the guilty. That’s not just, truthful, or even smart in the long run. If you don’t see your children and grandchildren covered in blood when they relay the pictures from Beirut, Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Haifa, Gaza, or Baghdad, then you are not a Christian or a human being.

For additional information check out Antiwar.com and the Anti War Blog.

Everything Else

The funeral of Bishop Edwin Bernard Broderick

Our pastor and I were kindly invited to attend the Funeral Mass in honor of the former Roman Catholic Bishop of Albany and the past executive director of Catholic Relief Services, Bishop Edwin Broderick.

I very much appreciated that Fr. Mike Farano, Pastor of St. Pius X, invited us.

As best as I can tell from our parish history, Bishop Broderick was particularly kind to our Church from an ecumenical perspective —“ long before there was any official dialog between the Roman Catholic and PNC Churches.

I was surprised by the fact that there weren’t more ecumenical guests. It was us and Bishops Daniel Herzog and David Ball from the Episcopal Diocese of Albany (not for long) along with the Very Rev. Marshall Vang, Dean of the Cathedral parish.

We attended in choir dress (cassock, surplice, stole) as did the Episcopal contingent (although Bishop Herzog had a kind of a long red garment on —“ being unfamiliar with Episcopal Church vestiture I’m not sure what it was).

I want to mention my thanks to the Rev. David Mickiewicz who acted as Mater of Ceremonies and took us under his wing, and the Rev. James Kane, Director of the Albany R.C. Diocesan Commission for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs, for their kindness.

There were six or seven R.C. Bishops and Archbishops in attendance. The Funeral Mass was presided over by the Current Bishop of Albany, Howard Hubbard.

Not much surprised me during the Mass but there were three things that stood out.

They are still using glass pitchers on the altar to hold the precious blood. I thought that had been stopped and was a no no.

The other thing that stood out was the way people received the Eucharist. Even with all the bowing while walking up it was even less reverent than I remember it. The topper was one elderly nun who walked up with a cane. Because of her condition, not being able to receive in one hand while placing the Eucharist in her mouth with the other hand, I figured she would receive on the tongue. Nope, she received in the right hand and popped Jesus into her mouth like a tic-tac. I almost fell over.

The last thing that really amazed me was when they brought the Bishop’s body out of the church. The assembled clergy spontaneously sang Salve Regina IN LATIN. I joined right in.

Eternal rest grant unto him o Lord and may the perpetual light shine upon him.

Saints and Martyrs

July 11 – Saints Boris and Gleb (ŚŚw. Borys i Chleb)

Saints Boris and Gleb Passion-bearers

Święci książęta, którzy teraz królujecie w niebie z Tym, któregoście tu na ziemi wyznawali Bogiem i opowiadać kazali ludowi pogrążonemu w ciemnościach bałwochwalstwa; uproście nam stateczność w katolickiej wierze, abyśmy zasłużyli być z wami w niebie, i po wszystkie wieki chwalić tam Chrystusa Zbawiciela naszego. Amen.

Christian Witness

Rod Dreher on why liberal Christianity is dying

Rod Dreher blogged this past Sunday on Why liberal Christianity is dying.

Mr. Dreher comments on an article by Charlotte Allen in the L.A. Times on the demise of liberal Christianity, which focused on recent events in the Episcopal and Presbyterian churches.

In Liberal Christianity is paying for its sins Ms. Allen states:

When your religion says “whatever” on doctrinal matters, regards Jesus as just another wise teacher, refuses on principle to evangelize and lets you do pretty much what you want, it’s a short step to deciding that one of the things you don’t want to do is get up on Sunday morning and go to church.

I am very thankful that the PNCC is a stalwart in its teaching of the faith. I am blessed because I am part of the Church.

Having struggled with liberalism, I have deep empathy for what many people are going through. I know the agony of seeing your home destroyed. I know the pain of alienation from the Church you once knew.

Once you make the choice to abandon liberalism and embrace serious Christian orthodoxy you enter a new stage of tension. The world doesn’t really appreciate the Church’s teaching and tradition. It gets in the way of the church-of-whatever-feels-good.

In my own life, adopting conservative catholic beliefs has created many tensions.

Some think that what I believe criticizes them, not just their actions (there is a difference). Some think I have changed – gone from the consummate sinner (bad person, mean, angry, sexually sinful, allowing anything as long as it suited me) to being holier-than-thou.

They are right – I decided to change. Not to be holier-than-thou, but through the grace imparted by the sacraments of Penance, the Word, and the Eucharist to work at being a better father, family member, husband, and deacon. The Church offers these things as worthy pursuits in life, pursuits in keeping with the narrow path to the Kingdom.

Change forces one away from allowing whatever. Change like this is far more demanding, certainly more demanding than liberal Christianity. It is far harder to live the true faith. It is very difficult to face your sins, some of which you may never forgive yourself of. The ‘liberal church’ offers a wide and easy road, low benchmarks, light duty in conversion and repentance. The faith of the Apostles requires loyalty to Christ above all.

Jesus called this choice a cross:

Great crowds were traveling with him, and he turned and addressed them, “If any one comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.

In context, Jesus was not talking about hating people. He was talking about putting Him before all else, even before the things we all believe and feel are most important. That’s a strong message and a powerful demand.

Faith in Christ in the context of the Church’s teaching must come first. That can be a devastating choice.

I recently read an article about preaching at the Pontificator’s site. It makes a point about the difficulty of expressing the faith once delivered. In Kim Fabricius on Preaching point one states:

What is a sermon? Wrong question. A sermon is not a what but a who. A sermon is Jesus Christ expectorate. You eat the book; it is sweet in the mouth but bitter in the stomach (Rev. 10:9-11); you spit out the Word and spray the congregation. When grace hits the mark, it always begins with an unpleasant recoil.

Alvin Kimel responds:

—Jesus Christ expectorate——”now that’s an image for preaching that I haven’t thought of, but it makes the point, doesn’t it? Robert Jenson says that authentic gospel-preaching either generates faith or offense in the hearer.

What the Church believes and professes, the truth of the Gospel, its Tradition and teaching, will offend many. Its teaching is bitter in the stomach, causes us to recoil, and will either lead us to faith or offense.

A true Church is the antithesis of ‘liberal’ Christianity. Seeking to accept all people and reject none, which any true Church does, has been corrupted by the liberals into accepting all behaviors and sins and rejecting none.

As members of the Church we can all do a better job of being charitable. We can focus on preaching and teaching how God’s action and call are meant to move us to achieving the Kingdom. We can focus on ministry, charity, peace, and community building.

What we must not do however is preach and teach that doing any of those things, or having a better and more comfortable life, or all that we want, or friends, family, acclaim, and money, are worth more than Jesus. No brand of liberal Church is worth the harm that kind of choice can do our souls.

In the end, faith in God and His Word must come first, honest orthodox catholic faith.

Tip of the biretta to the Young Fogey.

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