Kim Fabricius posts Ten propositions on peace and war at Faith and Theology. This is a must read.
Just a few questions:
- Why is the first, and pretty much only question, the affect this scandal will have on the November elections?
- Why is the second question whether this guy is lying about his alcoholism and prior contacts with deviant clergy?
- Why is the third question the affect of the scandal on the homosexual community?
Shouldn’t the first, second, third, and fourth question concern the welfare of these young men who have been victimized?
For some reason people assume that if you’re sixteen years old and male you can’t be abused or victimized (by either sex). It’s part of the dichotomy between excessive Victorian guilt over sexuality and living in a society where everyone is expected to engage in sexual behaviors as early and as often as possible.
- That boy and the hot teacher —“ ‘Oh, oh, oh, wish it was me.’
- ‘Mom, dad, how should I respond if someone comes on to me? — Oh son, lets not talk about it, its dirty.’
It seems to me that Catholic Christianity has a lot to say about the proper ordering of sexual celebration within marriage and the relationship between healthy desire, pleasure, and commitment (what everyone wants —“ but no one will say, and what all parents should discuss with their children).
And if you don’t think that this person’s lechery and disjointed personality have had an affect on these young men, forcing them to question their sexuality at an age where everything is appearances, and forcing them to loose what little faith they have in the pillars of society, while they still have some modicum of faith in the ‘establishment’, you are deluding yourself.
It appears that God is responsible for domestic abuse. From the Daily Mail: Outcry as clergy say calling God ‘He’ or ‘Lord’ encourages wife-beating:
Church of England leaders warned yesterday that calling God ‘He’ encourages men to beat their wives.
They told churchgoers they must think twice before they refer to God as ‘He’ or ‘Lord’ because of the dangers that it will lead to domestic abuse…
The new fine print disclaimer for those who believe such things:
Please note, we have not committed any errors, omissions, sins, grave wrongs, or evil. All such things are the fault of God (if you believe there is such a thing). Refer all questions to him. We hereby absolve ourselves. We further apologize for writing this, saying anything, saying we are sorry for saying anything, and everything.
Tip o’ the biretta to the Young Fogey.
…and God as the Rock of Ages.
“We don’t change our way of life when something bad happens. It makes us sad, but we trust in God.”
— Leroy Byler, 37, a father of nine, from the Amish community of Springfield, NY, while pausing from his work running a sawmill.
From the Albany Times Union in Faith in forgiveness tested by tragedy.
I’ve been reading the Pontificator’s blog for over a year now. I’ve even commented a few times on various posts. Recently, Mr. Kimel announced that he is closing off comments on his blog. It looks like he will be ordained a R.C. Priest, and his life will take him and his family in other directions.
In a certain way I always felt intellectually inferior to those who posted at Pontifications. Things were well thought out, described, defended, and debated.
When you encounter that type of community you open yourself to various reactions. You can be offended, angry, challenged, intrigued, or even converted. I felt challenged and intrigued.
When I started blogging I used Google’s Blogspot. The simplicity and beauty (clean lines, easy to read text, not a lot of visual noise) of Pontifications challenged me to switch to WordPress as my publishing tool. More recently, Mr. Kimel’s switch to Macs moved me to consider a switch. My wife and children are now on Macs and I use the kids’ Mac Mini. While I still regularly use my PC, I await a MacBook Pro.
Above the mundane, the quotes from the Fathers, the debate between Roman Catholics and the Orthodox, and Mr. Kimel’s perspectives provided me with insight, challenged lazy thinking, and told me that I cannot sit on simplistic platitudes about my Church. There are too many people out there with enough apologetics to blow me out of the water. I was challenged to gird up my loins and prepare.
I’ve used points raised at Pontifications as fertilizer for growing my homilies (look at this week’s homily for the 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time and its tie in to Mr. Kimel’s challenge to preach predestination).
There are certain things at Pontifications that annoyed people. I never found much annoying. I took it all in light of its purpose, and from whence it came. Mr. Kimel is, after all, a convert from Anglicanism. He has the spirit of a convert, just as I have for the PNCC.
I never much cared for all the discussion about Anglicanism, but that was his hurt point. After all, a blog, even if run by the Pope, is a personal endeavor, an insight into personal thoughts and feelings. It is a publicly shared journal —“ and journals work best when they help us discover ourselves and grow. I hope Mr. Kimel has found growth and edification through his blog.
I wish Mr. Kimel well as he enters, once and for all, the Holy Priesthood. I pray that he continues to post his thoughts and insights. I know that they will challenge my thinking and that they will help me grow.
Norman Lee, a PNCC member and Christian music artist has hit number one on Indieheaven with his song Living God. You can hear his work at Indieheaven as well.
The picture above is from a performance at St. Paul’s PNCC in Belleview, Florida.
Mr. Lee has a great sound and his music has a distinctively Catholic – Christian witness. Living God is about —“ the Eucharist. It is an amazing feat in a realm that is almost exclusively Evangelical.
Both of his albums, Praise, and God is with me are available from iTunes.
The following bio is from Mr. Lee’s website – Pray On:
As a lifelong entertainer, Norman Lee has raised the bar, bringing a faith based presentation to a population striving to find substance in their daily lives. Based out of central Florida, Norman has toured across the country for many years, performing on concert stages, charitable events and churches. He has appeared on numerous local and national television shows and his music has had national radio air play. Norman has opened up for such acts as George Jones, Temptations, Lou Rawls, Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Brenda Lee, Travis Tritt, Lori Morgan, Loretta Lynn, Marty Stuart, Ray Price, Juice Newton, LeAnn Rimes. Norman Lee the singer songwriter is a charismatic performer who’s music appeals to all ages. His music combines praise and worship, contemporary Christian and gospel into one spirit filled sound.
Check out his music… it is worth a listen (free at Indieheaven).
In Cruelty to roaches? Fr. Martin Fox asks:
Other than being utterly revolting, will someone please explain the objection to this?
PETA upset at Six Flags roach contest
GURNEE, Ill. – People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals wants Six Flags Great America to scrap its Halloween-themed cockroach-eating promotion.
A spokeswoman for the animal rights organization says the contest at the amusement park’s FrightFest is “gratuitously cruel.”
The park in Gurnee, Ill., is joining other Six Flags parks in offering unlimited line-jumping privileges to anyone who eats a live Madagascar hissing cockroach. The bugs are up to three inches long.
The contest begins next month.
Amusement park officials are defending their menu choice. Great America spokesman Jim Taylor says the bugs are nutritious, high in protein and fat free.
Now, I am definitely not a PETA person. I like my steak, pork, chicken, veal, fois gras, lamb, and many other delicacies made from living stuff.
God gave the earth to sentient beings —“ us, i.e., human beings —“ not to animals. Animals were given to us, to serve us. At the same time, we bear the responsibility of stewardship for the resources we have been given.
I didn’t want to take up Fr. Fox’s comment boxes with a long post so I’d like to answer his question here.
I think the whole issue —“ and PETA has it right in this case —“ is that the event is gratuitous. It’s just another one of those ‘anything goes’ tears in the fabric of society. Some will laugh, others will be grossed out. Regardless, the essential question goes to purpose. What is the intent, the purpose of this exercise?
- Is it to earn money for the contestants —“ then my question, Is money enough of a reason?
- Is it to entertain —“ then my question, Is entertainment enough of a reason?
- Is it to get all native (well the tribe of such-and-so exotic place eats these all the time) —“ then my question, Why not do a National Geographic about it?
- Is it to educate —“ then see the previous question.
Fr. Joseph Huneycutt stated in Practical Tips for Orthodox Living:
2 – A blessing (grace, we called it) is said by the head of the family before a meal, and a prayer of thanks afterward.
Thus the objection (at least mine). Fine, kill all the cockroaches, mosquitoes, flies, and other annoying insects. That would be appropriate (and appreciated). Just doing something for the sake of doing it doesn’t fit with our faith nor with the proper ordering of our relationship to the world. It is right to the Pope’s most recent comments. Faith and reason cannot be separate.
As an aside: When I was in seminary I had a classmate who would have made a perfect PETA spokesman. He fully believed that animals are sentient, had souls equal to human souls, and that they will go to heaven; this from a person who considered himself to be ‘orthodox.’ He said more rosaries than I could count, probably for the repose of the ‘souls’ of animals.
As a second aside: Recent reporting notes that the amusement park industry is really hurting. Six Flags has been divesting itself of parks across the country, keeping only those that provide the best bottom line. I would assume that this reasoning has a lot to do with the event —“ get the guests in no matter what…
From the Associated Press via the Toronto Star: Catholic nun forgave killers as she lay dying:
NAIROBI, Kenya—”Sister Leonella, a Catholic nun who devoted her life to helping the sick in Africa, used to joke there was a bullet with her name engraved on it in Somalia. When the bullet came, she used her last breaths to forgive those responsible.
“I forgive, I forgive,” she whispered in her native Italian just before she died Sunday in Mogadishu, the Somali capital, Rev. Maloba Wesonga said at her memorial mass in Nairobi yesterday.
Sister Leonella’s slaying, outside the hospital where she worked, raised concerns she and other foreigners killed in Somalia recently are victims of growing Islamic radicalism in the Horn of Africa country, where a hardline Muslim militia has been expanding its reach.
…
Sister Leonella, whose birth name was Rosa Sgorbati, had lived and worked in Kenya and Somalia for 38 years.
Today’s Albany Times Union has an article on the security preparations taking place prior to the observance of the upcoming Jewish holy days.
In Faith, vigilance mark holy days: Seattle shooting incident makes security a concern for local Jewish congregations the writer notes the coincidental tie-in between Albany and the shootings that took place at a Jewish Center in Seattle. Based on that coincidence, and the propensity of attacks on Jews by hateful or deranged people, local Jewish leaders are stepping up precautions.
A few excerpts:
As in the past, that preparation involved the Federal Bureau of Investigation inviting regional Jewish leaders to a security briefing. About 60 of them attended the 90-minute session last month. The FBI’s Albany field office chief, John Francis Pikus, participated.
…
Agudat Achim’s second vice president, Jeffrey Handelman, attended the FBI meeting in Albany. After officials assured the Jewish leaders they knew of no local threat, he said, someone followed up with another question: Did you know of a specific threat in Seattle?
“And they said ‘no,’ ” Handelman said. “So you know, it’s the kind of thing — it’s just a random crazy person. There’s no way to really secure yourself against all of that.”
Tight security for the High Holidays is nothing new. Armed police at the door, armies of trained ushers, entry by ticket only — all of these are familiar precautions that synagogues have used in the past and will use again this year.
…
At Temple Israel, it was both the Seattle shooting and recent bloodshed in the Middle East that led the synagogue to plan on more police officers and ushers for the High Holidays this year. Roaming security volunteers will monitor the inside and outside of the building.
…
ADL National Director Abraham H. Foxman said the shooting, “while the work of an individual who acted alone, was a reminder that the Jewish community must make security a priority each and every day, and especially during the High Holidays.”
In the Capital Region, plenty of temples are heeding that message.
“Many of them mentioned it at the security briefing,” said Shapiro, of the United Jewish Federation of Northeastern New York. “They’ll have more people outside. They’ll be more vigilant.”
All of this brings up some very interesting questions.
The FBI uses staff resources to hold a 90 minute meeting for Jewish groups to advise the attendees that nothing is going on? I think a simple letter would have handled that outlay of information. Here are a few lines they could have used: Regarding the upcoming holy days, the FBI is aware of no explicit threats to the local Jewish community. We advise you to keep vigilant and to take appropriate security precautions.
As a matter of fact, the FBI could send that letter to every religious group in the country. You know, Christians are targets for extremists too (ref. the latest calls to “break up the cross, spill the liquor and impose head tax, then the only thing acceptable is a conversion to Islam or [sic] killed by the sword.”).
It is all very well and good that the law enforcement community is reminding faith communities to be careful. However, shouldn’t we be asking a question closer to the core, what is the appropriate faith response?
Deacon Dan Wright has an excellent analysis of the issues surrounding the Pope’s speech and the backlash from both Muslim and Christian extremists. He writes on what the Christian response should be. In My Very First (Official) Rant he says in part:
Christian people, what is going on? Are you so easily manipulated by the real evil at work? Can you not see the spirit of divisiveness?
Exactly! We’ve bought into divisiveness, building barricades, manning our doors with police officers, and holding FBI meetings out of fear. We are buying into, or creating a spirit of fear. That fear is inconsistent with St. Paul’s challenge to us. It is inconsistent with the voice of the martyrs who stood on very firm ground in the face of fear. It is inconsistant with a life lived in Christ.
For this reason, I remind you to stir into flame the gift of God that you have through the imposition of my hands. For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice but rather of power and love and self-control. So do not be ashamed of your testimony to our Lord, nor of me, a prisoner for his sake; but bear your share of hardship for the gospel with the strength that comes from God.
Hardships take many forms: outright persecution, subtle persecution, bigotry, and forgiveness. The onus is on us – how do we respond? St. Paul’s words are as good today as they were during the persecutions of Nero. Stand on the strength of your faith, live the gospel.
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.