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Tip ‘o the biretta to Fr. Jim Tucker
Boże, któryś swego wyznawcę Iwona wstawił wymową, pobożnością, cnotami i cudami rozlicznymi, uproś nam za jego przyczyną, abyśmy pogardzając zyskami doczesnymi, szli zawsze drogą prawdy i sprawiedliwości. Przez Chrystusa Pana naszego. Amen.
The photo highlighted by Daithí Mac Lochlainn, a 9/11 survivor, in Worth a Thousand Words…
I’ve been to Auschwitz, Pearl Harbor, Arlington, Gettysburg, and the WTC site. In each of these you walk carefully, faced with the enormity of what the place represents. You stand there overwhelmed by the sense of man’s sinfulness. This man is disrespectful at best. From a President of the United States there is no excuse. We are no more than a doormat for his whims.
From Reuters: Pope tells overworked priests even he can’t do all:
Prominent dissident theologian Hans Kueng told German broadcaster NDR he had not altogether given up hope of reforms under Benedict.
“With time, he must see that if he constantly disappoints people he will land himself in difficulty,” Kueng said. “His predecessor made parishes desolate and just asked and prayed for more priests for 27 years with no success.”
In a later interview
Prominent God, God told the world that he had not altogether given up hope for reform and conversion in Hans Kueng’s heart.
“With time, he must see that if he constantly disappoints Me he will land himself in difficulty,” God said. “He’s made parishes desolate by a lack of faith and prayer and just asked for his personal wishes to be fulfilled, with no success.”
In a related note, Marketplace had a report this morning on the lack of people in the engineering field in Germany. They noted that engineering is only the 7th most sought after profession and is behind pastors and teachers as an ideal profession.
Pastors, in Germany!?! Let’s see: not much work, a cool gothic building, and a government stipend. Mmmmm, ok.
Pope ticks off Muslims: It appears that the Pope’s lecture at Regensburg University has stirred Muslim anger. So what’s new? The pope calls on people to use reason in discourse and instead of reading and understanding Muslim leaders react by instigating violence.
Poland to supply troops: Poland will supply an additional 900 troops for the NATO mission in Afghanistan. The Polish politicians still think that generosity and cooperation will garner them friends. As former Polish President Kwasniewski found out at the White House —“ Too bad, so sad; thanks for the help, now shut up.
Polish workers held in “concentration camps”: Chasing the almighty dollar or Euro can get you into trouble —“ or get you killed.
Kimveer Gill, goth, blogger, gamer, killer: The usual stuff will follow as to how games and the Internet are all at fault. No one will look to his upbringing nor to his experiences with bullying in school (how does that mesh with Canada’s liberal ideals) which, while not an excuse, certainly didn’t help.
The cross is Christ’s glory and triumph
We are celebrating the feast of the cross which drove away darkness and brought in the light. As we keep this feast, we are lifted up with the crucified Christ, leaving behind us earth and sin so that we may gain the things above. So great and outstanding a possession is the cross that he who wins it has won a treasure. Rightly could I call this treasure the fairest of all fair things and the costliest, in fact as well as in name, for on it and through it and for its sake the riches of salvation that had been lost were restored to us.
Had there been no cross, Christ could not have been crucified. Had there been no cross, life itself could not have been nailed to the tree. And if life had not been nailed to it, there would be no streams of immortality pouring from Christ’s side, blood and water for the world’s cleansing. The legal bond of our sin would not be cancelled, we should not have attained our freedom, we should not have enjoyed the fruit of the tree of life and the gates of paradise would not stand open. Had there been no cross, death would not have been trodden underfoot, nor hell despoiled.
Therefore, the cross is something wonderfully great and honourable. It is great because through the cross the many noble acts of Christ found their consummation —“ very many indeed, for both his miracles and his sufferings were fully rewarded with victory. The cross is honourable because it is both the sign of God’s suffering and the trophy of his victory. It stands for his suffering because on it he freely suffered unto death. But it is also his trophy because it was the means by which the devil was wounded and death conquered; the barred gates of hell were smashed, and the cross became the one common salvation of the whole world.
The cross is called Christ’s glory; it is saluted as his his triumph. We recognise it as the cup he longed to drink and the climax of the sufferings he endured for our sake. As to the cross being Christ’s glory, listen to his words: Now is the Son of Man glorified, and in him God is glorified, and God will glorify him at once. And again: Father, glorify me with the glory I had with you before the world came to be. And once more: —Father, glorify your name—. Then a voice came from heaven: —I have glorified it and will glorify it again—. Here he speaks of the glory that would accrue to him through the cross. And if you would understand that the cross is Christ’s triumph, hear what he himself also said: When I am lifted up, then I will draw all men to myself. Now you can see that the cross is Christ’s glory and triumph.
— A discourse of St. Andrew of Crete from today’s Office of Readings.
Andrew Cusack enumerates the sins of the Republican Party in Elephant Season Begins November 7:
Voting Republican means we get liberal internationalism at our own expense (in blood, mind you, not just taxes), while at home we get porous borders (despite the terrorist threat), implicitly condoned illegal immigration (it’s good for business!), egregious spending (the ‘compassionate conservatism’ which is neither compassionate nor conservative), and the expansion of the powers of the federal government (continuing and augmenting the flagrant breaches of the Constitution which began in the 1960’s). Such being the case, the real question should be: what kind of self-respecting conservative would support such things with his vote?
I do not agree with abstaining from voting. It really comes down to strategy. Mom always said —“ ‘don’t vote the party line, vote for the best person for the job.’ That’s far better wisdom then engaging in raw partisanship. What mix of politicos will get true conservatives closer to the desired outcome? Who knows, living in NY State gives you a choice between wildly liberal and left leaning centrists. We simply have to vote for those whose weight will balance the mix.
BTW —“ the elephant graphic on his site might get him a visit from Homeland Security —“ you know, we’re protecting our God given leaders protectors freedoms.
Tip ‘o the biretta to the Young Fogey for pointing to this.
Today’s Albany Times Union carries an article about a couple who have been forbidden to tithe because they declared bankruptcy.
It appears that the Republican Congress has rewritten the bankruptcy statute in such a way that previous exemptions for religious giving have been removed for most people. The Congress has effectively told their evangelical Christian supporters that their biblical tithing principals mean nothing (ref. Malachi 3:10):
Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, That there may be food in my house, and try me in this, says the LORD of hosts: Shall I not open for you the floodgates of heaven, to pour down blessing upon you without measure?
All Christians should be cautious of what the world offers (especially when politicians offer it). Our witness is to be to all, and we must witness a faith that supersedes the laws of men.
The excerpts from the story below conclude by noting who was served by your representatives in Congress. They served those who paid them enough to be served —“ the creditor industry. To whom did they pay their tithe? For the full story see: No place for church in state of bankruptcy.
Judge orders debtors to pay bills in rejecting $100 a month for parish
ALBANY — Bankruptcy lawyers around the nation are blasting a revised federal tax statute that pits civil law against the spiritual commitments of the financially strapped faithful.
A federal bankruptcy judge in Albany ruled in late August that the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act forbids debtors from deducting charitable contributions when calculating disposable income.
Judge Robert E. Littlefield Jr. said he had little choice but to reluctantly rule against an Adirondacks couple who sought to fight the new ban in bankruptcy court.
When Frank and Patricia Diagostino filed a Chapter 13 bankruptcy petition, they asked to be allowed to continue making their $100 monthly donation to the Sacred Heart Parish of Massena while they paid off their unsecured debts.
But Littlefield noted in his decision that the reform legislation clearly says such a contribution is not considered a reasonable expense when a family’s income is above the median level.
That means credit card companies and others owed money get first crack at available funds from someone filing for bankruptcy, even if that person has been regularly donating money to a church.
It’s a religious dilemma for those who believe, like the Diagostinos, that tithing a regular percentage of their annual income is a necessary expense.
“Thou shalt have no gods before me … except for MasterCard, Visa and American Express,” said Henry J. Sommer, president of the National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys.
“For religious Americans who find themselves deeply in debt … the reform legislation didn’t just reword the federal bankruptcy code, it also effectively rewrote Exodus and Deuteronomy,” Sommer said.
…
In his opinion, Littlefield said the change in bankruptcy law “effectively closes the door” to debtors who are above the median income from deducting charitable contributions as an expense, unless they can establish that the contributions fall under the IRS guidelines.
“The court does not agree with this awkward, bifurcated congressional framework which makes charitable giving easier for some debtors and not others,” he said. “Whether tithing is, or is not, reasonable for a debtor in bankruptcy is for Washington to decide. However, consistency and logic would demand the same treatment of all debtors.”
Until Congress amends tax law, “the court’s hands are tied and the tithing principles that this court once applied … have been effectively mooted.”
The whole bankruptcy concept is unusual, Albany Law School Professor Timothy Lytton said. Because it is a privilege that the government extends, “it has the right to define exclusions as it wants.”
What the reform legislation says is, “while the government can’t interfere with your right to practice your religion, you can’t use your religion to get out of your legal obligations,” he said.
The law seems to have pitted the Republican-led Congress into conflict with itself, Lytton added. While the majority of the GOP leans toward the religious right, he said, the statute it enacted now hurts some of the very people those lawmakers seek to protect.
For Jonathan C. Lipson, an associate professor of commercial, corporate and bankruptcy law at Temple University, the current religious exemption conundrum isn’t the only troubling aspect of the contentious statute.
Besides failing to protect those who tithe, nothing was put in place to assist financially struggling soldiers in Iraq or survivors of Hurricane Katrina. Instead, he said, bankruptcy reforms go easier on big business, something he said is indicative of “what you would expect from the agendas of this Congress.”
“There is no end of scorn for how poorly drafted the statute is,” said Lipson, who also is co-chairman of the American Bar Association’s Committee on Business Law Education. “And the credit card companies had the best help available. They spent an enormous amount of money.”
…
Yep.
As Christians we are to focus on, and be committed to God. We are called to live lives that set us apart from the age in which we live. Not apart from people, not apart from relationships, but apart from the spirit, the trend of the day.
You might not get that message unless you understand a bit of history.
In the first reading Paul is speaking to the Corinthians. He spent a lot of time in Corinth, and tried to build up the Christian community there. Corinth had quite a reputation.
The city had been destroyed by the Romans and was re-established as a colony by Julius Caesar. It was the capital of the Roman Province of Achaia. Crowds came to Corinth every four years for the games. Corinth was also known for its temple dedicated to Venus, filled with female devotees dedicated to a life of licentiousness.
Corinth was a center of traffic, excitement, wealth, and vice. If people referred to you as ‘Acting the Corinthian’ they meant that you led a loose life.
This is what Paul was confronted with, and over the course of a year-and-a-half he grew frustrated, but the Lord saw him through it all.
Acts Chapter 18 tells us:
One night in a vision the Lord said to Paul, “Do not be afraid. Go on speaking, and do not be silent, for I am with you. No one will attack and harm you, for I have many people in this city.”
So he taught the word of God among them, bringing many people to conversion; some of them noble, wealthy, and learned, but the great majority neither learned, nor powerful, nor noble.
Needless to say, Paul had to stay on top of them. They lived, much as we do today, in the midst of vice, easy money, loose morals, stunning compromises. Paul had to remind them, and he has to remind us, that our focus is not to be on worldliness, but on Godliness.
People, especially non-practicing Christians and outsiders, think that the message is: It’s great to be in bad shape —“ God wants it. Don’t get married, don’t have fun, rejoice in being sad, lonely, despised. Listen to Paul again:
From now on, let those having wives act as not having them,
those weeping as not weeping,
those rejoicing as not rejoicing,
those buying as not owning,
those using the world as not using it fully.
It’s natural to say: You Christians focus so much on sadness and death —“ where’s the joy in life? They miss what we do have —“ the promise of everlasting joy. They miss what we truly desire – right living.
We can just about count our days. A recent study shows that your ethnic group, finances, and location have a lot to do with your lifespan. It certainly does, but it does not affect the span of your life. If life were of this world only I’d be concerned about my days, but life is everlasting.
That is Paul’s message. Do not act as if the things of the world are the totality of existence. Don’t bind yourself to the world or to the spirit of the age. Bind yourself to the truth:
For the world in its present form is passing away.
My brothers and sisters,
Jesus tells us:
—Blessed are you who are poor, for the Kingdom of God is yours.
A person can have all the money in the world, or can be impoverished. Regardless of our material wealth or poverty, know that we are poor only to the extent of our love, dedication, and devotion to God. Knowing our poverty we must strive to reach Him. Jesus knows we are poor and has shown us the way to a wealth that will not turn to dust.
Blessed are you who are now hungry, for you will be satisfied.
Know that our hunger is a hunger for unity with God. We can have all the food in the world or be starving. Neither counts for much unless we seek God.
Blessed are you who are now weeping, for you will laugh.
Know that we weep because of our distance from God. We can laugh or cry all the day long, but neither counts for much unless we draw close to God.
Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude and insult you, and denounce your name as evil on account of the Son of Man.
We are hated, excluded, insulted, and denounced because Jesus is a scandal to the world. Hated or loved, unless it is because our faith in Jesus Christ, it counts for nothing.
Today we honor St. Eugenia. Her name means “noble” in Greek. She was born in 280, and was the daughter of the governor of Alexandria, Egypt.
Eugenia embraced Christianity secretly in her youth, running away from her parents to live a life of prayer and self denial. When she was found she underwent persecution, especially from her father Phillip. He imprisoned her and was to have her killed. She remained faithful and eventually her father, Philip, was converted. He died a martyr’s death. Eugenia was taken to Rome where she converted many to Christ. She, along with Saints Protas and Hyacinth were martyred.
We, like Eugenia, need to keep our focus on God and our loyalty to Him. With Paul we need to focus on the kingdom. In following Christ we need to live His message. In doing so we have Jesus’ assurance:
Rejoice and leap for joy on that day!
Behold, your reward will be great in heaven.
wikiHow has an article on blogging: How to Dissuade Yourself from Becoming a Blogger.
Check it out, as well as the links at the bottom —“ for the sake of humility.