Recently, the Huffington Post and BBC have been on a media blitz of a 7 year old child with down syndrom who was denied communion. I know it’s surprising that anti Catholic articles are in those sources of media.
This child, in my opinion, was not denied his right to have communion with God. He was used as a helpless pawn in a war against the Eucharist and what it stands for.
The disability community is being used as pawns in this battle against the Church, the institution which (admittedly was not perfect) was the ONLY organization to stand up for for the rights of persons with disabilities for 2000 years.
The end game is that those who shrilly claim they are “defending the rights of the disability community” are simultaneously working against it by sanctioning increasingly sophisticated screening techniques to kill in utero children with disabilities. In the meantime they are trying to reduce the Church to rubbles. The only voice standing against the abortion of children with disabilities is the Catholic Church. No one else has the guts it seems.
What is the truth in all this? I think looking at the media that picked this story up (BBC, Huffpost etc…) says it all. The parents media campaign is another cue. What are they trying to accomplish? The right to worship God? I think not. They hardly go to Church.
The idea that the child was too much of a handful for the parents to go to Church is really a stretch. If the parents were serious about Church, one would stay home with him, and the other would go to Church, switching off each week.
This mother takes her child shopping, she takes him on TV shows. She drags him around and props him up in front of the media as a mascot for her attack on the Church. So it’s hard for me to understand why he’d be too much of a handful to take to Mass. We have all kinds of kids with disabilities in Church, some families with 10 kids.
There are different norms around baptism which naturally is administered to infants who cannot understand, and the Eucharist, where the norm is not to give it to a child until about 10 years old (this child was 7). The norm is that it requires the understanding of the recipient and that doesn’t mean the child has been denied God’s love, or the Church’s acceptance for not receiving it.
The Church has the last say in the administration of Sacraments. It is not a “right”. It is a privilege. Which is really hard for modern western culture to get its head around.
My reasons for believing in the validity of the Eucharist have little to do with the company (Catholic) line. They have to do with my personal experience with the Eucharist. I would be lying if I was to say it is a symbol. I know different in the core of my being.
Just as Jesus came to this world as a helpless infant, completely vulnerable and dependent upon his faithful parents for his protection, today he comes to us completely vulnerable and helpless, in the form of bread and wine. Not because he couldn’t come in some strong and mighty form, it is because he loves us, and trusts us to cherish and protect him.
“We will not hearken to the king’s words, to go from our religion, either on the right hand, or the left.” (1 Macabees 2:22)
Turn on the News. It is polarized. The left screams about the folks on the right, and vice-versa. I hope not to be bound by 20th century paper doll concepts of political affiliation where people demonize each other. That does not mean I’m at all a centrist, which is wishy washy and full of indecision. I better like the 5 Catholic principles of on how to organize a society.
Repsect for the person: From conception until natural death, we are all of equal value before God.
Subsidiarity: Give the task or duty to the lowest possible level in the hierarchy of associations.
Participation: Citizens should contribute to the society in which they belong, and share in the decisions made by that society.
Solidarity: Giving what we can to others, equality, dignity, rights. Includes the right of association.
Common Good: The sum total of social conditions which allow people, either as groups or as individuals, to reach their fulfilment more fully and more easily.
A book could be written on each of these subjects, but a main important feature is that they are like the five legs of an office chair. If any of them are missing then the chair will fall over. For instance, the “common good” could be twisted into socialism if the principle of ”participation” is ignored. I pray our leaders will begin to understand theses principles, both those on the right and on the left.
Note: We were hit with an “code injection virus” last week, sorry to those who visited. We’re fine now. But it was a busy couple of days trying to figure out how to fix it… it was a JavaScript injection virus...
It apparently got through an earlier backup of our blog that was on a previous version of WordPress, which was vulnerable. We’re really sorry for any inconvenience this caused… everything is fine now.
It was a real wake up call that there are some very ill intentioned people in this world, who do not care about hard work. Their sole purpose is to tear things down, rather than to build things up. We pray for those who were were affected, and those who created this attack. We pray they learn how to use there talents to better value.
We all know of someone who has commited suicide, sometimes very closely. It is always a terrible tragedy. I recently got an email that said:
Does the CC teach that if you commit suicide you automatically go to hell?
I’ve often been been told, usually by someone who has fallen away from the Catholic faith, that the Church teaches that a person who commits suicide automatically goes to hell. It’s held up as an example of the Church’s intolerance.
Does the Church teach that committing suicide automatically results in hell? The short answer is “no”. The Church has NEVER said ANYONE is in hell. The Church has not even made a pronouncement on Hitler or Judas.
Even the punishment of Excommunication does not mean the Church proclaims the sinner is automatically going to hell either. Excommunication is a serious warning, that can only apply to a baptised Catholic (it’s impossible to ex-communion-icate someone who’s never been in communion). Excommunication is rare and a serious warning that the individual is on the wrong track, and in grave danger. However, that’s a completely separate subject for another time.
The slogan “The Catholic Church teaches that suicide=hell” is a popular anti Catholic slogan found especially in Quebec, where the suicide rate is among the highest in the world. In all fairness, they have good reason to think that the Church teaches this, due to bad formation of priests in the 50’s. But it’s just not like that.
Here’s my understanding of the Church teaching. All life belongs to God. Even a person’s own life does not belong to them, but rather it was created by God, and although we have free will to do as we wish, we are subject to universal spiritual laws. One of those laws taught by the Catholic Church is that it is wrong to take a life under any circumstance, even your own.
Now having said that it is wrong, we have to contemplate what the consequence of that wrong action might be. Well it depends on if it is a grave (mortal) or not. For a sin to be mortal it must have three characteristics.
It is an objectively grave action
The person knew it was gravely wrong
The person did so out of free will
Hell is the consequence of unrepentant grave (or mortal) sin. It’s not “grave” unless all of these factors are present.
Modern court has different treatments when life has been lost, there are degrees of guilt (1st , 2nd , manslaughter, gross negligence, insanity etc…) based on the intention, heart and circumstances of the person who committed the action.
The spiritual world is not much different. If someone commits suicide; it is likely that they are experiencing a state of insanity of some sort, even if it is temporary insanity, and it is quite possible that one of the three criteria of a mortal sin are missing and therefore, not a mortal sin. Here is the Catechism:
2280 Everyone is responsible for his life before God who has given it to him. It is God who remains the sovereign Master of life. We are obliged to accept life gratefully and preserve it for his honor and the salvation of our souls. We are stewards, not owners, of the life God has entrusted to us. It is not ours to dispose of.
2281 Suicide contradicts the natural inclination of the human being to preserve and perpetuate his life. It is gravely contrary to the just love of self. It likewise offends love of neighbor because it unjustly breaks the ties of solidarity with family, nation, and other human societies to which we continue to have obligations. Suicide is contrary to love for the living God.
2282 If suicide is committed with the intention of setting an example, especially to the young, it also takes on the gravity of scandal. Voluntary co-operation in suicide is contrary to the moral law.
Grave psychological disturbances, anguish, or grave fear of hardship, suffering, or torture can diminish the responsibility of the one committing suicide.
2283 We should not despair of the eternal salvation of persons who have taken their own lives. By ways known to him alone, God can provide the opportunity for salutary repentance. The Church prays for persons who have taken their own lives.
The Church does not teach that it has any power over who goes to hell, or even to guess who is in hell. The only thing the Church can claim is the authority to declare the characteristics that constitute grave or mortal sin (Mat 16:18), and to offer the Sacraments of Reconcilliation for those who repent.
For those who have committed mortal sin, and are still alive, there is always repentance. God loves us so much, and he wants us to turn to him.
It sounds like an altruistic Catholic term, “Social Justice”. Didn’t the Lord say take care of the poor? Certainly he did! So why do so many faithful Catholics cringe when they hear the term “social justice”?
The short answer is that Social Justice is a great Catholic virtue, proposed by several popes, but that forces in the Church who are working against the Magisterium have hijacked the term to propose a very different model. One that is in stark contrast to the valid proposals of the popes. Luckily, Catholicism cannot be defined by rengade liberation theologians, it has always been defined by Rome.
“Catholic” Liberation Theology began in Latin America with a book by Gustavo Gutierrez in 1973, in response to a dire situation where many bishops were in the back pocket of a corrupt “capitalistic” government. It seemed to Gutierrez that the only way to get workers the rights they deserved was to undermine the authority of government and the church, where many bishops were part of the social elite.
Gutierrez’s philosophy of a “purified Marxism” reduced the problems of this world to a “class struggle.” It was “legitimized” by Bishop Gerardo Valencia Cano of Columbia, who supported a violent coup of government. His plane crashed, which many in the movement attributed to sabotage. This gave the movement the “martyr” it needed. The enemy was no longer the devil, but it was capitalism and church hierarchy.
Liberation theology sounded good and pure, “empower the little guy by joining workers together, invert the social pyramid, put the collective poor people at the top of society, and overthrow the big bad establishment.”
After all, isn’t this what the early Christians did? Didn’t they pool their resources and form an alternate society? In the Bible, didn’t Ananias and his wife who withheld their property die? Well, actually that’s not what the story of Ananias (Acts 5) is about at all.
Ananias’ sin was not holding back part of the price of the land, but was in his attempt to bolster his own reputation through deceit, pretending to be giving the full price when he really was not, thus appearing to be more self-sacrificing than was true … (2)
The liberation movement of the 70′s hijacked the story of Ananias, to justify Marxism, whose social context was completely distinct from the early Church. The early Christians were in no way trying to create a classless society, there were no capitalistic governments back then, no big factories. Early Christian society was based on free will. It was a completely distinct from Marxist communism. Early Christians were not trying to create a political answer, nor were they trying to overthrow the government. Nor did they in any way want to distroy the validity of the Eucharist, or the priesthood. They were completely reverent and dependent on Church hierarchy, the Bishops and leaders. Early Christians were not trying to upsurp national sovereignty for a New World Order. Early Christians were simply trying to stick together and survive, and preach the Good News that the Kingdom of Heaven is not of this world (which is in complete contrast to social justice movements).
The Lord said “You shall know a tree by its fruit,” and the fruit of the social justice movement soon made itself apparent. It demanded that Church leadership be stripped of all power and authority, and along with it the concept of succession, the power of the priesthood and the magisterial authority from which it came. The Lord’s command to the apostles (the first Church magisterium) of “binding and loosening” was ignored. When the movement hit Europe and North America its fruits became more apparent. Abortion, same sex ordination, same sex marriage, denial of the sacraments, denial of Jesus’ divinity, denial of the Eucharist, denial of confession, denial of the true Grace of baptism, denial of the power of the priesthood, and a long list of other heterdoxical beliefs characteristic of a communist mindset emerged.
The social justice movement quickly spread to protestant Churches such as the Presbyterians, United and Anglican Churches, which had long since thrown out any concept of a hierarchy. It is amazing every Church or part of a Church that has adopted this philosophy in the last 30 years has dropped into near oblivion, and yet its adherehents seem to stubornly hang onto the idea that it is the best way forward for the Church.
Pope Benedict while he was still Cardinal Ratzinger articulated the problem:
“..it would be illusory and dangerous to ignore the intimate bond which radically unites them (liberation theologies), and to accept elements of the Marxist analysis without recognizing its connections with the (Marxist) ideology, or to enter into the practice of the class-struggle and of its Marxist interpretation while failing to see the kind of totalitarian society to which this process slowly leads…
For the Marxist, the truth is a truth of class: there is no truth but the truth in the struggle of the revolutionary class …[the legitimate Catholic] positive meaning the Church of the poor signifies the preference given to the poor, without exclusion, whatever the form of their poverty [which includes "the poor in Spirit"] because they are preferred by God…But the theologies of liberation…go on to a disastrous confusion between the poor of the Scripture [Mat. 5] and the proletariat of Marx [who are financially poor but may also be completely rebellious to God]. In this way they pervert the Christian meaning of the poor, and they transform the fight for the rights of the poor into a class fight within the ideological perspective of the class struggle.”
(Instruction on Certain Aspects of the ‘Theology of Liberation’: Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, Prefect, now Pope Benedict XVI; written in 1984)
Pope Benedict XVI (writing as Ratzinger) gives an equally stringent message to Catholics about liberation theology regarding the perversion of the Christian understanding of the “poor”. The “poor” are those who are oppressed because of their faithfulness to God, not because they belong to a particular “class”, and they are not only those who are financially poor, but rather those who are oppressed because they are faithful, as per Mat. 5. This authentic understanding of the “poor” cuts across the class boundaries that Social Justice movements try to draw.
According to Pope Benedict’s instruction on liberation theology, our understanding of the virtues, faith, hope and charity are subjugated to the new Marxist order:
Faith becomes “fidelity to history.” We are the ones we’ve been waiting for, to bring about the final fruition of the class struggle.
Hope becomes “confidence in the future.” Yes, we can change the world; we don’t need God. Our collective redemption comes when we engage in the Marxist class struggle.
Charity becomes “option for the poor.” All are not created equal. Special political privilege for the oppressed, socialism will set us free. It’s the dawn of a new age.
Authentic Catholic teaching exhorts the rich to give to the poor out of compassion and charity. Marxism exhorts the poor to overthrow the rich either through violence or subversiveness, and steal their fortunes. This is hardly Christian.
This perversion of “social justice” and bent towards “liberation theology”, we believe, is the heart of what is wrong with the Canadian organization “Development and Peace” and why it needs to be re-organized, so it is faithful to our Lord and his authentic teachings about what it really means to take care of the poor. It may be why D&P was reluctant to inform local bishops of their activities in 3rd world dioceses. It may also be why D&P membership shrieked like the demons inhabiting the man of the tombs (before the demons were cast into the herd of swine and ran over the cliff), when Canadian bishops exercised their legitimate authority to require D&P to get local bishop approval. They are yelling at the bishops to mind their own business … uhh… if this isn’t the bishops’ business, whose business it? The D&P agenda has been found out, and they don’t like it.
We pray that D&P will come into alignment with the Church. Otherwise it should be denied Church money and sent into secular society to fend for itself. Will they shriek as they rush off the socialist cliff into oblivion? We pray they do the right thing and clean up their act.
There is a sentiment in some areas of the Church that “love” is more important than Truth, as if the two can be separated. “Love” at the cost of Truth, is not really love, and it is with reluctance that we drift into the controversy of Lifesite News vs. Fr. Tom Rosica. We think it is really important to honour people in trusted positions in the Church such as Fr. Tom Rosica. It is also important to help our leaders when they get off track.
The Vancouver diocese newsletter reported on Fr. Tom Rosica’s recent talks about Catholics in the Media. There were several problems with this talk. Fr. Tom Rosica was scathing in his criticism of LifeSite News and other Catholic bloggers:
The blogophere is a kind of dangerous…where the bullies with the biggest bullhorns…If we judged our identity based on certain websites and blogs on the Internet, Christians and Catholics would be known as the people who are against everything! If anything, we should be known as the people who are for something, something positive …LifeSite is not a Catholic blog…”
We’re not sure he appreciates the irony of this statement, calling for a positive message, meanwhile blistering criticizism at faithful Catholics who don’t agree with him. So what are some of the things that make Fr. Rosica say LifeSiteNews is not Catholic and unleash such vitriol?
They reported that faithful Catholic donations to Development and Peace are going to abortion pushing dissenting international organizations that work behind the backs of local bishops in the 3rd world.
They reported Fr. Tom’s support for the extravagant Catholic funeral of the most notorious pro abortion Catholic politician in the history of the US.
Fr. Tom Rosica came to the side of Fr. Gravel against LifeSite in the National Post. (Fr. Gravel, was an advocate of same sex marriage and the right to abortion in the Quebec media and sued LifeSite for misrepresentation because they called him “pro abortion” rather than ”pro choice”.
They reported that Fr. Tom legitimizes the National Catholic Reporter (NPR), a Catholic news outlet that is constantly pushing the boundaries of gay marriage and other anti-Catholic positions.
They drew attention to Father Tom Rosica’s interview of “Catholic” Ontario premier Dalton McGuinty, on Salt and Light TV. Mr. McGuity has dedicated over $3,000,000,000 (yes that’s billion) to the abortion of innocent unborn babies during his last 8 years in office. Fr. Tom asked about Mr. McGuinty’s Catholicism. The reply was that he’s a practicing Catholic who disagrees with the Pope. Fr. Tom’s response? … next question. Warm fuzzies all around.
When speaking to the clergy Fr. Tom Rosica and comparing his blog to Lifesitenews.com, he claimed his Salt and Light blog gets 70,000 visitors a week. However, according to aggregators, Salt and Light’s entire site receivesabout 10 times less visitorsthan that (7,000 – his blog even less still): http://siteanalytics.compete.com/saltandlighttv.org/ .
The popular secular agregator Alexa.com provided similar results. We emailed S&L to clarify this discrepancy. We got an email response from Fr. Tom:
“On many occasions, especially during large ceremonies, events, canonizations, etc., the number of viewers of our blogs and site has exceeded the numbers mentioned in the article! Also remember that many people access the blogs directly without going through the home page of the site.”
Father Tom Rosica stands behind his claims that his blog gets 70,000 or more visitors a week, but those claims do not square with reality. Site analytics applications take into account pages accessed directly and pages accessed through the home page.
Fr. Tom Rosica described LifeSite News as “somebody’s basement in the Ottawa valley” and said it did not have a huge international readership… well, actually LifeSite has employees on three continents and does have a large international following. http://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/lifesite.net
In an article in his Salt and Light Magazine, Spring 2011, Fr. Tom Rosica calls for bloggers to have a passion for the truth:
Some people work so hard to be relevant that they spin hopelessly into irrelevance. Catholic communicators …must have a passion for the Truth…
Words are powerful. The words we choose have a bearing on our success. I love the Magisterium of the Catholic Church. I don’t think words like “liberal” and ”left” are the correct words for those who are against the values of the Church.
There are many things that are typically espoused to the “left” and “liberals” that the Catholic Church authentically stands for, such as taking care of the poor, standing up for workers, caring for the sick and disabled, etc… Conversely, there are things typically attributed to the “right” that the Catholic Church stands against, such as massive armament, fundamentalism, and big corporate prominence.
Likewise, I don’t think terms like “progressive” vs. “traditional” adequately capture the debate. It makes those of us who love the “traditional” church sound like backward old fuddies. The “traditional” Church is very progressive in the legitimate development of doctrine. It is on a pilgrimage.
Let’s start using the words “Adherent” and “Dissident“. Catholics either adhere to the teachings that our Lord has handed down through the Magisterium, or they dissent from them.
Of course there are many issues open for legitimate theological dialogue on the Church’s pilgrimage, but that has nothing to do with the crowd who are challenging existing dogmas, doctrines and moral teaching of the Church which are sustained by the Magisterium (Pope, Cardinals etc.)
By using words like “left”, “liberal”, and “progressive” to describe people who don’t like the Church teaching, we are allowing adherents to be forced into the small minded boxes of ”right wing”, ”conservative”, or “traditional”. So let’s call those who follow the teaching of the Magisterium “adherents” and those who dissent “dissidents“.
I recently got an email by a Catholic “Chaplain” saying I was wrong to ascribe the book of Hebrews to Pauline thought. She did what so many theology graduates do these days. She simply misquoted a Church father to say exactly the opposite of what he said. In this case it was Origen she misquoted. Why do they do this? I think there is one reason and one reason alone. They want to chip away at the underpinning of the Magisterium. When speaking about the Bible she said:
“It’s up to the reader to self-educate through research, comparison, study, and especially prayer and not depend on the Magisterium to do the thinking for them.”
So this is a modern Catholic “Chaplain” who has been trusted with the job of bringing the faith to young people. Six years of university and two degrees taught her to disregard the “old” Church, and recreate it in her own image. So what is her image for the Catholic Church? Well we could make a big long list of demands her and other dissident “catholic theologians” would like, but I think there is a more succinct way to articulate them. Just look at the Anglican, Episcopal and United Churches, and you’ll see what these ”dissident” Catholics want. You’ll also see the disastrous results of their dissidence. Lord help us.
Our dear friends, Dennis and Angelina, have created a beautiful website, rich with resource and prayer and videos and history and meaning and song about Divine Mercy Sunday, to be held this coming Sunday, May 1st (one week after Easter)…
I hate the LA Times… why not just leave Christians alone and stop picking on us on Holy Days… Maybe at 3am… when you can’t sleep… some night… you’ll ask for help…
David MacDonald www.DavidMacD.com
— to which I recieved a prompt and equally curt response. We went back and forth, he wrote:
I’m truly sorry, if still a little baffled, that you were offended. I thought it was an interesting book, and the author seemed quite sincere. If his goal is to make a lot of money, I suspect he’s going to be disappointed. I’m sure he can make far more money in metallurgy than in publishing quasi-obscure tomes on religious history. I frankly don’t understand this fear by some Christians of historical research, especially when it appears to validate the Gospels. Is faith that weak that it can’t stand up to scrutiny?
If I found that I had been celebrating the birthday of one of my children on the wrong day, I’d be grateful to have the correct information and maybe a bit bemused that I had been wrong. It would, I’m sure, become a favorite family story, evoking much laughter when it was told. I certainly wouldn’t be angry about it.
Mitchell Landsberg
Los Angeles Times
—to which I responded… and which seems to have closed the conversation
Hi Mitchell
I apologize if my emails had a fundamentalist ring to them … I think both of us would share an authentic disdain for any type of fundamentalism, including Christian fundamentalism, Muslim fundamentalism, Communist fundamentalism, or even secular fundamentalism, which appears to be the most relevant form of fundamentalism in North America these days …
There are certainly some Christians who don’t want to look at history for the same reason as some people don’t like to learn about how a hot dog is made. Christianity has a messy history. Jesus chose 1 traitor and 10 disciples who deserted him. (Only John followed him to the Cross). He performed a miracle with these deserters and those who followed after them. He’s done miracles with the councils of the Church throughout history, and the decisions they made.
With your background in history, and your attraction to write about things spiritual, and/or ethical, it makes sense that this type of thing would interest you. But honestly Mitchell, saying “whether or not it alters prevailing views” as if it has a serious chance and as if it is a “new” theory using new scholarly or scientific research is very much playing into the LA Times editorial mandate.
> Is faith that weak that it can’t stand up to scrutiny?
The issue is not that I’m so weak that my faith cannot stand up under scrutiny, it is that your article displays that your faith does not show enough scrutiny. I only wish you had more time to really dive into the history of Christianity with enthusiasm.
This issue was resolved in the Council of Nicea in 325. This is not “new research”. The Church didn’t think they should run off and ask the Jewish community every year when they kept their Pasch, which was dependent on the Lunar calendar. The Jewish community also sometimes celebrated two Paschs in one year which is unacceptable for Christians, and the Jewish community sometimes made mistakes on the date, clearly the Church could not depend on them. The 1910 Catholic Encyclopaedia covers the controversy in depth… http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05228a.htm
Regarding the math of three days, the Passion (or the time being in the heart of the earth) began when he was captured, and “became sin for us”.
Thursday capture
Friday killed
Saturday in the Tomb
Sunday Rose again…
If you fail to see the insensitivity of dragging up 1600 year old controversies on Easter and presenting them like they are new and fresh research, I don’t know what I can say, except try something like that on Ramadan.
>> If I found that I had been celebrating the birthday of one of my children on the wrong day, I’d be grateful … I certainly wouldn’t be angry about it.
You don’t think spoiling a kid’s birthday party is insensitive?
Regarding the timing of the article, and the content of it, I really do hope you are not serious about not seeing why Christians would have a problem with it. Apparently, I’m not the only one who has a problem with the placement of your article… here is a non-Christian asking the same thing on the Portland Press Herald.
” … why is it some obviously secular writer is always thrown into the pages of news stories during Christian holidays, but never other religions important days, such as Islamic religious holidays? I’m not an active Christian, but do believe one thing, bigotry against Christians is rampant, and it’s easy to slap, and kick at someone who turns the other cheek.” http://www.pressherald.com/life/scientist-supper-wasnt-jesus-last_2011-04-23.html?pageType=mobile&id=5
I really do hope you continue to dig more and more into the heart of Christianity, not with the eyes of cynicism disguised as “historical inquiry” but rather through the eyes of faith, which heals cynicism, and which will be much more rewarding for you in the long run. I know you have it in you to pursue Truth with authenticity.
Have you ever had one of those experiences where you’re just minding your own business, and happen to arrive on the scene of something of such “God” magnitude at that very moment, that you’re later shaking your head and asking yourself how that just happened?
This kind of thing happened to me yesterday. I was enjoying a prayer walk around the neighborhood where i work during my lunch break.
I walked alongside an elementary school playground where the kids were outside on their lunch break. A small group of girls, ages 6 or 7, were near huddled near the fence, talking about something that looked kind of “secretive”.
Just then a little black girl broke away from the group and followed me along the fence, asking me a question, something about “do i have a god”…..
What was that?
I stopped and turned towards the fence, asking her to repeat the question.
She said, “Do you have a god?”
I couldn’t believe my ears….. this is the kind of evangelism Christians dream about!
“Yes, I do!” I replied, smiling, “…and His name is Jesus! He’s the best God……”, but my words were lost on her ears, as her reaction to my initial response was to turn abruptly towards one of the other little girls in the group with such a startled look on her face…. I sensed bewilderment – perhaps even a bit of defeat…..
…and then i realized what had just happened…
One of the little girls had probably told the little girl that she had a God, and his name was Jesus.
What a powerful experience…..
These kinds of things are happening on playgrounds everywhere, I’m now sure of it…. God’s little army….
Thank you Lord, that I could be privy to – and even be a player – in your playground evangelization plan…..
I recently recieved email correspondence between a supporter of Development and Peace (D&P, a Canadian “Catholic” relief organization) and a faithful Catholic who is concerned about their anti-life agenda.
Fr. Arriaga is a Mexican priest and Catholic dissident who’s in Canada looking for Catholic money to support his agenda through D&P. At first the D&P supporter called allegations against Arriaga a “lie”. Later he called D&P’s invitation to Arriaga to raise money in Canada, a “mistake” and then saying we should still support D&P because of their many good works.
The response is very predictable, cauterize the situation (that means try to contain the bleeding) by calling it a “mistake.” Of course, he is right that D&P has performed many great works over the years. Much more so in its early years than its recent years, but yes, poor people are helped by D&P, or should I say, D&P sends “some” of the money it recieves from faithful Canadian Catholics to organizations that help poor people.
But that is not the issue. The issue is that this is a Catholic organization. Abortion is the killing of an inocent life, and D&P is putting Catholic money into organizations that advance this agenda in the 3rd world.
Good works don’t cancel out evil works. That’s like the person on a diet who binges on ice cream, and drinks a diet Coke with it, thinking the diet drink cancels out the calories of the ice cream.
A glass of orange juice is healthy until you add 1 gm of arsenic. Then juice becomes poisonous even though it is still 99% pure orange juice with only 1% poison. If D&P were involved in only 1 abortion it would be a scandal, but the situation is much worse than that. They are supporting dozens of organizations across the globe who are trying to make abortion available.
There is a famous drug lord in Columbia who gave millions of dollars to the poor. The poor people loved him. But was he a good man because he did some good? No, he is evil, because he is engaged in killing and manipulation also.
I don’t think D&P should exonerate itself by pointing to its good works. Rather I think they need to decide if they are Catholic or not. If not, then dislocate themselves from the bishops. If they are Catholic, then they need to uphold the teachings of the Catholic Church against the evils of abortion and about the necessity for chastity, including those who are same sex attracted.
This instance of D&P support of an organization agitating for abortion in the 3rd world is not a “mistake”, it is called “being caught“.
God forgive them when you meet them, for they know not what they are doing.
In light of an event which was preempted by our faithful archbishop yesterday in the Ottawa archdiocese, we wrote a letter expressing our gratefulness for his courageous actions:
Your Grace
The dawn of a new day is rising on the Canadian Church. Your courage and commitment have made us very proud to be part of the Ottawa Archdiocese. You have set the stage for a fantastic March for Life in 6 weeks.
My wife Kirsten had a powerful dream about you last night, where you were hanging onto a rope from Heaven. From a distance the rope seemed hard to hold on to, but as she came closer to you, she saw the strength you had. In her dream she thanked you for the difficult decision you made.
For my part, I am reminded of the faithful bishops like Athanasius in the 4th century who stood against the Arian heresy which was sweeping the Church and many bishops. Without his faithful witness, who knows what would have become of the Church?
We will stand by you, your Grace, continuing to hold you up in prayer.
This past fall, David and I had a unique opportunity to participate in a weekend retreat with the organization Rachel’s Vineyard. It was a beautiful time of healing for everyone involved.
We recently received an email from one of the young participants… she said we could share her thoughts with you:
“Hello everyone, it’s ( ) from Rachel’s Vineyard. I was the youngest participant at the Retreat this past October. I am now nearing the date of the one year anniversary of having an abortion.
I’ve been thinking about my experience quite a bit lately and I’ve realized it’s time to thank you all for what you’ve done for me. Every single person had a different effect on me, all positive. And I feel that I share a special bond with all of you. I hold you very dear to my heart as you helped me overcome the largest obstacle that I have faced yet. I was an absolute wreck before R.V. and all of you helped me come to terms with myself, my decision and God.
As I come closer to the anniversary, I dread it more and more. But I remember everything that we went through as a group and it makes me feel a little less anxious about it. So I wanted to email you all to let you know that I’ve been thinking about you, and that I appreciate you all for different reasons. Thank you for being there through the toughest time for me.”
For those of you who have had an abortion and are looking for help, Rachel’s Vineyard is a safe, confidential, healing environment…. there were a number of participants who had attended an earlier weekend and came back for another retreat to take the healing even deeper….. a couple of the ladies were in their 60′s and 70′s and, along with their husbands, were able to enter into some healing and rest…
….almost half of the perfectly fine babies conceived in New York city will never live… never see the light of day…* (and that is beyond the precious disabled babies that are screened and aborted at a rate of up to 91%)
What a great injustice….
New York City… the Big Poisoned Apple?
*A recent surveysuggests 41% of pregnancies in New York City ends in abortion
Cash prizes were recently awarded to individuals in the U.S. who have contributed significantly in the past year to the cause of defending life (particularily those unable to defend themselves – the unborn).
The individuals involved were names we’ve probably heard before and are truly worthy of their tireless work for the cause…
…but it made me think of the heros in my own backyard…
…..my own husband, who has lived and breathed this work for a whole lot of years and who’s passion is genuinely infectious… the folks here at Campaign Life Coalition in Ottawa… the nameless ones who have bravely stood for hours at Bank Street despite rain, snow, cold and verbal backlash… the sidewalk counsellors… the local bloggers who are changing the opinions of Canadians one person at a time and exposing a whole lot of stuff…. and those who are now imprisoned for following through on their convictions to defend life…
We all know someone in our own backyard who is paying a price to defend the defenseless – because there’s always a price to pay….
After 15 months of engagement, and yes chastity, we’ve tied the knot… we thank everyone who encouraged us, all of the great prayer warriers, friends, family and Church community. Fr. Tim said it perfectly during his homily at the wedding. He said our marriage is a “Victory for Love” over the spirit of this age and all of those things that tried to get between us. Our prayer is that we will be a strong witness to the Love of God, and his Church, in all that we are and all that we do.
May God bless all of you for all you’ ve done for us. Our wedding site and the story of how we met is here: www.DavidMacD.com/wedding
This is where you can sign your name and leave comments about our upcoming marriage. We’ll be glad to hear from you! To return to our marriage web site go here.
Last year’s card was difficult because I had lost my singing voice and I didn’t understand why. However, deep down I knew the Lord had a plan. I just couldn’t imagine what it was. I now see that God used the setback and suffering to disassemble the walls of protection I had built around my heart during music touring and he showed me the incredible love I had for Kirsten. It was abundantly clear in prayer, through circumstances and through Spiritual direction that this is an invitation from the Lord to us. In early September we were engaged. This Christmas, I will be with the love of my life, Kirsten, and although not in full union, I still treasure every moment holding hands with her as we prepare for marriage. It is the greatest gift I could hope to experience this year. Kirsten is on staff at the National House of Prayer. I now introduce you to her.
Kirsten’s sister Laverne Kundert took this photo of us in Calgary.
Kirsten says: Merry Christ-Mass to you all. If I haven’t already met you, I look forward to making introductions in the New Year! May your time with family and friends this season be blessed.
Wedding details: April 10th, at 1 pm, at St. Mary’s Church, 100 Young St., Ottawa. Everybody is welcome, light reception in the hall afterwards.
We’d love you to help us celebrate our day, either in person or through prayer.
Announcement: David MacDonald and Kirsten Harty engaged to be married. The engagement was in early September. Marriage April 10 at St. Mary’s in Ottawa. Everybody will be welcome to attend the service. More details to be announced soon. Neither of us has been married before.
God is so good. I took this photo of Kirsten Sept 6, 2009.
Kirsten is on staff at the National House of Prayer, praying for our government leaders. She grew up in Calgary as an Evangelical, and converted to Catholicism 2.5 years ago after a dream about the Eucharist. We met during her conversion when she was steered to me to answer questions about the Church. She spends much time in Eucharistic adoration, regular Mass and Rosary. She just loves Jesus, and wants to give everything to him, an amazing woman.
We discerned our romantic future a year and a half ago. But I thought I was called to consecrated single life. Since then many internal and external signs for both of us revealed otherwise. Besides, we couldn’t stop thinking about each other. Her past is completely opposite from mine. I’m smitten.
David and I welcomed this beautiful singing canary into our lives this past Tuesday…. he landed on David’s balcony while David was on the phone with another recording musician, then flew into the apartment and has been happily there ever since.
Later that day, David posted “Found Bird” notes in the elevators… sure enough, his owner contacted us, and said he had been outside overnight. From her apartment, he flew over the building and onto David’s balcony.
When David asked if we could keep him, she replied that he was her best singing canary, but that she was thinking of giving one or two away anyways…. so why don’t we come up, get the cage and some seed from her that night….
Viola, we are now the proud owners of a singing canary!
His name is Luciano (Pavarotti) because he’s such a great singer.
A good friend of mine has a daughter who is in her early 20′s, who has been in and out of addiction. This year the daughter got pregnant and really wanted the baby. She wanted to be a mom. The baby was born healthy. But they discovered trace levels of THC and another downer in the baby’s bloodstream. The doctors said the THC (Pot) could have been smoked up to a month prior to the birth because THC was not in the mom’s system.
While the mother was breast-feeding the one-day-old baby, a nurse came in to weigh the baby. Taking the baby from her mother’s nipple, the nurse walked out of the room and didn’t come back. She was sent there by the Children’s Aid Society who took the baby away. The mother has not seen the baby since, which tore her apart.
This is a very sad story and it makes me wonder about the best solution. But my question is this. Why is it a punishable offense to smoke pot and take a downer while you have a baby in utero, and yet it is perfectly legal to stick a pellet rifle into your uterus and shoot the baby in the head two days before it’s born, which happened in 1996 and was upheld as legal by the Supreme Court of Canada in 1999?
The Supreme Court judges went to school for 10 years and practiced law for 30 years to learn this advanced logic.
Today, I stood across the street with my “I regret lost fatherhood” sign, and my friend Frances held her “I regret my abortion” sign (our abortions are not related). It is traumatic to watch the misery parade of young women being “escorted” to the clinics with their boyfriends who will soon be gone out of their lives.
A 17 year old girl approached us after sitting nearby for about an hour watching us. She had tattoos all over her arms, and on her chest. She had two lip rings and clothing that exposed more of her body than was covered up. She was very pretty underneath her Goth eyeliner, and there was a glimmer of the innocence she had lost. She defiantly asked “Are you guys paid to be here?” I said “No, I’m here on my own time, for no money and no other reason than to share my experience with abortion.” She said “I had an abortion last year…sometimes people can’t go through with a pregnancy, and I’d never tell someone what to do.”
I told her my experience with abortion and Frances told her story. This young girl then shared what it was like for her abortion. She had been date raped, and her mother and everyone around her pressured her to have an abortion but she wasn’t sure. She went into the abortion doctor’s office for the interview in Toronto balling her eyes out. The “doctor” said “Toughen up, why are you here? If you can’t handle it get out!” She “toughened up” and stayed.
She decribed the excruciating pain of having her feet put in stirrups and seeing the 10 inch instrument forced up into her uterus, and being in such searing agony that they strapped down her wrists and had two nurses hold down her torso as the doctor ripped her baby from her womb.
Afterwards she wanted to die. She cut herself with razor blades all over her body and ended up in a psych ward. The walls were blank but she saw children running all around on the walls and she was in incredible turmoil. When she was released she had tattoos engraved all over her body, some she did herself. She lifted up the front of her shirt and showed us a tattoo over her uterus of a thorn thicket. She said it represented her now inhospitable uterus. She said “It’s a big lie what this world says, it’s a real baby, and I will never be able to replace my lost baby, and I may not be able to have kids anymore because of complications.” She continued “I don’t know how to get over it.”
I replied “I know how to come to terms with it. It is God. After many years of trying every self destructive thing to get over it, I found that in the end, it was God who heals, and it starts with fully accepting what we’ve done and then humbly asking God for forgiveness. It’s a lifetime journey. There is help out there. I can help you find it.”
She changed the subject to how she tried to talk a friend out of abortion, but she said she would support no matter what … then suddenly it all came together for me… she was waiting for her friend who, at that very minute, was going through the same thing on the 3rd floor across the street at the Morgentaler abortion clinic. My heart leapt into my throat and I choked back the tears. I said “I am really sorry that this is happening.” I told her about Rachel’s Vineyard, and said that I would pray for her. Then she walked across the street to rejoin the misery parade, and I turned away, I couldn’t look anymore.
Development and Peace is funding organizations that are politically agitating for abortion and contraception in the third world.
The D&P response to the accusations was to pay tens of thousands of Canadian Catholic donation dollars to fly D&P employees down to Mexico to chaperone several Canadian Bishops around the country, like North Korean officials chaperoning media around to avoid incriminating evidence. It seems Development and Peace would rather spend our money exonerating themselves than actually fixing the problems.
The resulting report would be worth more if they shipped it to the third word as toilet paper. They say they never fund abortion, because they specify to these (abortion pushing) organizations that the money should be used for poverty. Yeah.
D&P’s strategy to combat global poverty is short sighted and cruel. They should split from the Bishops Conference and join the anti-life Canadian delegation at the UN. Stop using Catholic money to work against Catholic teaching!
The “peace” being advocated by Development and Peace, through their partners, is a typical first world response to the third world… Conceive fewer kids and abort the ones you conceive. We’ll recycle and you will abort. Sounds fair.
Why do so many “social justice” advocates want to “help poor people” by making them infertile and killing their babies? There is no one poorer and more vulnerable in the third world than an unborn baby. There can be no charity without concern for her. Mother Theresa said
“There can be no peace in the world until there is peace in the womb.”
I sponsor a child in India through Chalice. Last year I met him when I travelled to India. There is an authentic response to Christ’s call to provide charity through Catholic organizations. Unfortunately, no authentic Catholic can donate to D&P in good conscience. It is beyond saving. It’s cancerous philosophy is systemic.
It seems many people who claim to know Christ don’t know that his heart is beating in each of these little unborn girls in the third world.
The media is on a new feeding frenzy over Danny Gokey and Adam Lambert’s “differences”. The Examiner writes:
What everyone wants to know about is the possible beef he had with Adam Lambert, which Lambert alluded to in his Rolling Stone interview: “Danny is by the book, and the book is The Word. And I respect that. Just don’t try to push it on me and we’re cool.”
When asked about what he and Lambert disagreed upon, Gokey said:
Religious beliefs, and … I think that was the main topic. But we did it in a very respectful way. It was cool because we would never argue or frustrate each other, we’d just like to hear the other opinion on the conversation. And at the end of the conversation, we’d respectfully disagree and we have a great, strong friendship. It was mostly religion.
On the specific topic of homosexuality, Gokey said, “I accept gay people, but people have to accept my beliefs. We have to accept their beliefs, but they have to accept my beliefs. We agree to disagree. I don’t judge people, but at the same time, if they believe in what they believe, they have to accept me and what I believe. But I accept anybody as they come. That’s my character and my personality.”
Character and personality … those are the things that allowed him to win the popularity contest that is American Idol, right?
Danny didn’t even say gay sex is wrong and he’s getting killed. What next?
Adam said “Just don’t try to push it on me and we’re cool.” Who’s pushing their agenda on who? Who’s on the cover of every magazine shouting the “good news” about being gay from the rooftops to mixed up teenagers across the world? It’s not Danny.
America is no longer tolerant of Christian morality. It’s a weird kind of secular fundamentalism where anybody who actually believes in Christianity is ridculed, ostracized, and marginalized.
At least Danny didn’t sell out Christianity like Kris Allen. Allen is all flirty and chummy with Adam, and America loves a “tolerant” Christian. Adam calls Kris “very liberal and OK with it all”. Allen knows how to win America, just tow the line. I’m in no way saying that we don’t honour Adam’s giftedness, but Kris saying “Oh it’s funny that you had a crush on me, my wife has a crush on you!” is just wierd.
What Kris Allen and others who think gay sex is fine don’t know, is that the days are coming when they are going to be persecuted simply for believing in Jesus. The media is trying to purge every vestige of Christian morality from public life.
In the recent dust up over the ABC interview with Christopher West, Professor David Schindler brought up the issue of anal sex as foreplay in his criticism of West. He pointed out it was in the first version of West’s book “Good News about Sex and Marriage.” West corrected it in the revised edition of the book and clearly discourages anal sex, which Professor Schindler unfortunately didn’t mention. But nevertheless, the story was picked up by Catholic News Services (CNS) and other Catholic news outlets. So now everybody is talking about anal sex even though it has been a closed issue for West for over 5 years.
Janet Smith made a comprehensive defense of West covering a wide range of issues raised by Schindler. Necessarily, part of that posting discussed the anal sex issue raised by Schindler. Smith made it clear that she personally doesn’t like discussing anal sex, and that she “did not and do not defend it.” But points out that it is a question raised by some married Christian couples and that some priests invoke the principle “that consensual actions that culminate in intercourse are morally permissible, and that it has been in some moral manuals over the last 150 years, that have nihil obstats and imprimaturs.”
She posited “perhaps it is time for ethicists to work on the question.” I commend her for having the guts to call for a discussion. I actually don’t think Catholic ethicists should “work on the question” at an institutional level. It would turn into a public relations nightmare given the current hostility towards Catholicism in the mainstream media; especially given current politics around gay marriage.
However, I think somebody needs to talk about anal sex in marriage, and tell couples not to do it. Perhaps the burden falls on me because I spent a couple of years around the gay community before I found the Lord, although I intuitively avoided it, beyond experimenting. That’s probably why I’m alive today.
Here are my reasons why “back door” penetration is out of bounds, even when limited to foreplay between straight married couples, and even when the climax is saved for normal intercourse:
It is really unhealthy. There’s tearing, bleeding, bathroom complications, and a whole bunch of other health problems too nasty to mention here.
On moral issues, Catholicism follows a principle known as Natural Law. That means “use things according to thier purpose.” Anal sex in marriage is achieved by inserting the man’s reproductive organ into the woman’s digestive tract. That’s not very “natural.”
It is demeaning and violates the “Dignity of the Person,” who in this case is the woman. There is an unnatural and disproportional disparity of power between the couple during anal sex. Throughout history anal sex has been more about power than love. Even in ancient Greece where historical revisionists say it was “accepted,” the passive partner was always frowned upon, regardless of whether it was a man or a woman. Anal sex has always been about one person asserting dominance over another. In my experience, even in the modern gay community the person on the “bottom” is seen as weaker. In a recent interview, American Idol winners Chris Allen and Adam Lambert were asked “who will get the top bunk during your tour?” Adam blurted out “I wanna be the top!” The clip went all over the gay blogs because Adam, who is gay and who unexpectedly lost to Allen, was asserting his dominance.The extreme power disparity that happens during anal sex, is very distinct from the natural and moderate power interplay between a married couple during real intercourse. People who agree to be passive partners in anal sex generally have low self esteem, which is further fueled by subsequent occations of it. This becomes a downward spiral in the emotional life of passive partner. It is true whether or not anal sex is limited to foreplay. It often fosters deep seated, sometimes silent, resentment by the passive partner, which can undermine the health of the relationship.
In Pope JPII’s teaching “Love and Responsibility,” he pointed out that it usually takes women longer to climax than men. He also said that the man should hold his climax to coincide with the woman. Given that advice, it’s counter intuitive for the guy to advance his climax by having fake intercourse in the wrong place as a “warm up.”
Nowhere in the Bible does it say it’s OK, on the other hand Romans 1:24-27 says:
“women exchanged natural intercourse for unnatural, and in the same way also the men, giving up natural intercourse with women…”
Scripture is clearly saying women cannot have “back door” sex. The Bible doesn’t say “it’s only sex if there is climax.” I think using that excuse is like Bill Clinton saying “I didn’t have sex with that woman.”
Even if a couple could rationalize Romans 1:24-27 to apply only to anal sex that ends in climax, it would be precarious. Last time I checked, men aren’t always masters in self control during sex. If there is a premature climax, then the couple would be engaging in sin that is listed among the worst of the Bible. This rational for anal sex would be like trying to justify playing ball hockey on the freeway. (Of course, I propose that it is serious sin even if there is no premature “accident.”)
Anal sex is too much like natural intercourse to be foreplay. It is a spiritual axiom that evil always uses counterfeit perversions of holy and natural things to degrade the sanctity of those things, and there is no greater counterfeit of real intercourse than anal intercourse (even as foreplay).
There is no Magisterial document discussing anal penetration foreplay nor does there need to be. Can you just imagine CNN covering that story? Whew, what a mess that would be! The Bible says:
For this is the covenant that I will make … I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts.
The Magisterium doesn’t have to spell out every sexual behaviour like the Book of Leviticus under the Old Covenant. We are in the New Covenant. I think prayer and mutual respect will draw the married couple to the truth on this issue.
The Bible, Natural Law, biology and common sense clearly indicate it’s not OK. If couples are doing it, I think they should stop, and if a priest is saying it’s OK as foreplay between married couples, I think he should stop. If there are any “moral manuals” advocating this in seminaries, they should be discarded.
Christopher West discourages this kind of foreplay, and rightly so.
David Schindler is Provost/Dean and Professor of Fundamental Theology at the Pontifical Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family. He’s getting in on the criticism of Christopher West.
The article is here: www.headlinebistro.com/hb/en/news/west_schindler2.html
Dr. Schindler is a fantastic academic, and a faithful Catholic who has written tons of books with big words. But his reach into the pews and hearts of average Catholics is quite limited. He’s been at the top of the Catholic morality scene for over 30 years, and still more than 95% of Catholics contracept.
David Schindler doesn’t know what to do with Christopher West. He intimates that Christopher’s faithfulness gives false credibility to his message. For shock value, he reprints every body part that Chris has mentioned in his seminars as if context means nothing. He chastises Christopher for having prayed for women’s ovaries during seminars, as if they are unmentionable, and as if women wouldn’t want the most precious part of their fertility prayed over. He criticizes West’s advice that couples bless each other’s private parts before sex, as if that is crass. As if they are less important than the tea set you are giving to your gramma that you would bless. It’s a seminar for couples and it includes issues important to them, and yes sex is important to married couples. It seems praying before love making worked out pretty well for Tobias and his wife Sarah. (Tobit 8:4-9)
There is however, one criticism that I agreed with, and it worried me significantly. It was about some types of foreplay, which were given a green light in the first edition of West’s book, “Good News About Sex And Marriage.” It turns out they were corrected in the 2nd edition. I question why Schindler would cite a first edition with parentheses (First edition) when the 2nd edition corrected it, and then make no mention that it was corrected in the 2nd edition. West actively discourages this, and rightfully so.
Here are Schindler’s 4 criticisms:
“First: … we should expect holiness to “trump” temptations or disordered tendencies in the area of sexuality exactly as often as we should expect holiness to “trump” the reality of having to undergo death.”
To me this statement is bordering on the Manichean heresy, which is precisely what Chris criticises. Schindler is saying sex between faithful married couples is always lustful and disordered. No wonder he hasn’t gotten traction in the pews for the last 30 years, and is stuck in the academic ghetto.
However, there is one criticism of West related to this that I’ve heard on this issue of concupiscence as it relates to modesty. Some women have felt that they need not dress modestly. I think this would be a misinterpretation of West’s message. Women, you need to dress modestly in public (Rom 14:13, Titus 2:4-5, 1 Tim 2:9-10, Peter 3:2-5,) and men, you need to practice custody of the eyes (5:28). I look away when a woman is dressed sexy. The Holy Spirit has given me much freedom from lust, but I will not put the Lord my God to the test. (Lk 4:12, Deut. 6:16) Perhaps West could say more about this.
Second: … But sex is not even the most important part of human love, let alone the key to the Christian mysteries–the Eucharist, for example.”
I agree. In fact I am living a celibate vocation for that very reason. And Chris talks about this higher calling.
Chris talks about the Eucharist a lot. He calls it an “introduction” to Theology of the Body and it’s specifically for married couples, so naturally there will be much discussion of sexual matters.
Third, West’s treatment of shame and reverence is marred by a too-male vision of things. He is saying nakedness is OK if we could get over the shame.
Well, maybe, but the Vatican is full of nakedness. With this reasoning, why wouldn’t Dr. Schindler take a swipe at the Sistine Chapel. The Cardinals are surrounded by nakedness during the conclave, as they make the crucial prayerful choice of who will be the pope. That predates Vatican II modernism by 500 years. Chris is not at all touting nakedness like nudist colony folks who say we have to get back to our natural state. He is trying to get married couples comfortable with each other’s bodies.
Fourth, a style of preaching is not merely a matter of “style”– he pressures people who are uneasy with his style to accept it.
Ok, he doesn’t like Chris’s “pushy” approach. That’s fair, but it’s got nothing to do with bad theology. The article is really about his disagreements with Christopher’s focus, and delivery, not his theology, even though he presents the article like he’s going to devistate West’s faulty theology.
The article was basically what I call a “Manure sandwich.” The outside (bread) is full of nice things to say about West in the introduction and closing, and the substance is a tirade. It reminded me of Statler and Waldorf, the old guys in the Muppets who were always criticizing.
Chris is not one of those post Vat II morally challenged liberal flakes. He’s bringing a new generation to orthodoxy, against contracepting, against divorce, against homosexuality, etc… Neither Dr. Alice or Dr. Schindler have made any “real” arguments against his theology, except saying he put emphasis on things they don’t agree with. Their way of communicating chastity has failed, and their generation of Catholics contracept 95%. I think they should step aside and let someone younger be successful, rather than pulling him down.
I agree sexuality that should be veiled, but not in the bedroom, and not by teachers who are trying to make that relationship work best through seminars. He is talking about sexual matters to help people deal with all those questions and issues they’ve never been able to deal with.
I’m sure Chris will examine the criticism and make some adjustments. So in the end it will perhaps all be for the best. In particular, I’d like him to say more about the need for women to dress modestly in public, and for men to not rationalize lust behind the old adage, “look how beautiful God made that woman,” when they are clearly looking at parts of her body that are causing arousal.
I love the fact that old school Catholics are worried about the Church. We all are. We just disagree on how that should be remedied. Traditionalists think the solution is to go back to the old majestic days of being the pillar of Western Society, where faithful Catholics presented themselves to the world as stiff, academic people, with no personal problems. I think those days are over. I think the future is going to be in persecution. And evangelization will come through sharing our brokeness, and Christ’s redemption.
We are entering a time when neither Christopher West or Dr. Schindler will be able to freely preach. Those of us who are faithful will be in jail for our defense of the unborn and marriage. The Mass will be driven underground to protect the Eucharist from desecration through forced communion to gay couples. We are going to need to come together and stop the internal bickering which Obama is using to his advantage to divide and conquer. But anyway I digress.
So let’s walk off the field and call it a truce. And each take our broken hearts before the Lord so he can make us strong for the coming persecutions..
Recently, Dr. Alice von Hildebrand criticised Christopher West after an ABC special that distorted his views on human sexualtity. Alice Von Hildebrand and her late husband, are much respected in the Church and she has appeared numerous times on EWTN and at Catholic Family Land.
CNS broke this story. I examined every published comment by Dr. Hildebrand.
She said she knew the “gist” of Pope John Paul II’s Theology of the Body. That doesn’t give me any confidence that she has read the 4000 pages of TOB, certainly not to the extent of Mr. West
She has never read West’s books or seen anything besides the ABC special.
She attacked exclusively his choice of “vocabulary” and “Style”.
She has not said there are theological errors in his work. She is saying it lacks humility and reverence. (kind of like my gramma didn’t like my Christian pop music.)
Christopher has succeeded with audiences that Dr. Alice von Hildebrand has not successfully reached. She has a beautiful letter to a young woman about keeping her virginity, comparing it to the key that opens the door to a secret garden that is saved for the special person she will marry. Wonderful analogy, but it’s like a grandmother talking to a teenager, it’s archaic language for a limited audience of faithful Catholics. Christopher West, is out there sharing his pain, his previous struggles, he is touching his audience were they live.
Older Catholics don’t really understand the use of personal testimony to help evangelize. This was used long before Augustine wrote his confessions, but fell out of use from the late 1800′s to the 1960′s during the puritanical rule when Catholics just lied about having sinned, except in the confessional. It’s come back strong in this generation and young people very much appreciate someone who has overcome personal sin and who has lived a holy life for many years and who is willing to share it. It shows them they can do it too. I’ve helped 1000′s that way.
JP II was not against using the tools of modern world, including modern language, to articulate age old truths. I think Mr. West is following that guidance. Here is a picture of JPII greating a topless native.
JPII didn’t freak out when a topless woman came for communion in Papua New Guinea, May 8, 1984. He ministered to the natives as they stood there. Now in fairness to JPII, I don’t think this happened again. I think there was a dress code implemented after that.
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Here’s a photo of JPII preaching to topless natives
Alice von Hildebrand claims to understand JPII better than West, and calls his teaching “dangerous”. She acuses him of taking advantage of JPII’s popularity. I’d be glad to have her explain these photos and the photos of bikini acrobats in the Vatican palace. JPII was not as freaked out by the human body as she is suggesting. A look at the Sistine Chapel should make that clear.
Dr. von Hildebrand is a philosopher, Chris is a communicator. She should not measure him by philosophical standards.
John Paul II understood that the cultural context of an audience needs to be considered when teaching. Dr. Hildebrand has a great heart for the Church. She teaches chastity, and modesty, but I suggest at 86 years old, she is not communicating to the people that need to be touched. She preaches to the choir. Christopher West is masterfully in the trenches fighting the Culture of death, and taking the fight to the people, using the powerful teachings of JPII. This is in no way meant to be disrespectful of Dr. Hildebrand. But she’s like those who criticize the use of Christian pop music to evangelize the youth saying that the beat is sexually infectious. C’mon!
I’m sure good will come from this, and Christopher West will adjust his presentations to be more reverent of sex as Dr. von Hildebrand demands. But I would be disappointed if he let these attacks change his style too much. I’m still trying to figure out if he’s a modern Saint who is getting bashed by people in the Church just like all the other Saints. I think watching his response to this firestorm will help us figure that out. Stay tuned.
Kris Allen was 4 years younger than Adam Lambert, and not as confident. But Kris knows where his gift came from. Adam is still looking. He treked off to “Burning Man”, a New Age pagan drug/sex fest in the desert. His spiritual journey ended with open mouth gay kissing photos posted all over the web.
Whether or not that cost him the title is anybody’s guess. But being an idol is also about managing your image. And even though Adam worked his butt off to look cool and manage his image, he ultimately failed. Not only from his racy sex life. He never let America into his heart. Because he didn’t know who is deep within his heart. Jesus.
I pray for Adam. He’ll be a star, but if he doesn’t eventually realize that it is Jesus who gave him his talent, he’s going to have a checkered future of drugs, seances and dangerous sex. Sounds like my past. I was in the US National Tour of “Cats” and was into glam pop and the gay community… it’s a miserable place to be. Posted inUncategorized|TaggedEvangelical, gay|3 Comments
Morgentaler petition
On Monday April 27, 2009 at 5pm I received a call from the Governor General’s office, saying that a representative from the Governor General’s Chancellery would meet with me at the gate of Rideau Hall so I could present a petition of 18,222 names opposing Morgentaler’s Order of Canada. This was after two weeks of no communication from them after my initial contact on Apr 14, where they said they would get back to me. (They gave me one business day to prepare). On April 28, I was asked by Lucy Caron Director of Communications what they should expect when they came out to meet me. I said “I will be joined by a delegation of about 12 young people.” Ms. Caron, said that she and Madeline Proulx, from the Chancellery would meet with me.
On Wed. April 29th at 9:15 AM, 10 young people from 4MyCanada, and Frances Wilkinson, a woman who regrets her abortion gathered with me. At 9:25 Lucy Caron came out and asked if I would like to come inside the gate. Thinking of possible press photos I said “no, out here is fine”. She said “no photos, you don’t have permission.” I said “There is no reason not to photograph passing 18,222 names to the Governor General.”
David MacDonald shaking hands with Madeline Proulx of the Chancellery office of the Governor General. Lucy Caron on the left. The big video camera on the left belong to the Governor General’s office, the people who said we could not photograph.
After I read a letter. Lucy Caron waved to the young people and they went back inside the gate with the petition. Two TV quality camera’s were present, they belonged to the Governor Generals office. I thought it was odd that Lucy Caron said before we started “no camera, you don’t have permission, but showed up with a broadcast quality video camera with a shotgun directional audio mike.
We stood around for several minutes discussing what just happened. Then two officers of the RCMP “Special Events to the Governor General” unit came to us. The officer, pulled me away from the other young people. I said I would like them to be with me. He said “no, I would like to speak with you alone.” He proceeded to take my name address and telephone, asked what organizations I was representing and said he was investigating an “unscheduled protest”. I told him that we had an appointment and had informed Lucy Caron Communications Director, that we would have 12 young people with us, and that is what we have. He said there is a “protest sign”. I said “I hardly think of one woman holding an ‘I regret my abortion sign’ to be an unscheduled protest.”
He had been dispatched by the coordinator in charge of public events of the Governor General. I said “I find this extremely intimidating, and I think you are sending a strong message to these young people that if they disagree with the government, they will be treated like suspected criminals.” He said “we have a right to know what is going on with everything that is happening in the world.” I said “We are here because we were invited by the director of Communications for the Governor General.”
This is less than 10 minutes after receiving the “privilege” of meeting the Governor General’s chancellery’s representative and the director of communications. This was a real double message from the office of the Governor General. It can only be one of two things…it is either harassment and intimidation or it is a “miscommunication” by the Director of Communications for one of the most important offices in the country. The RCMP officer knew my name when he approached me… and he knew it was my initiative, and correctly singled me out of 12 people. And he talked to the Commissionaire guard on duty who knew our purpose. So I would have trouble with the “miscommunication” excuse. It’s a strange world where people are honoured for creating a law that allows babies to be shot through the head a few minutes before birth, and people who peacefully disagree are interogated…
Yesterday, I had one of the saddest encounters of my life in front of the abortion clinic. A woman who had had 3 previous abortions was waiting outside the clinic. I spoke about my abortions, and how I felt now. She said, “my baby has a beating heart, I saw it’s heart beating, but I’ve got to take care of the 2 kids I have with me, I’m afraid of the Children’s Aid Society taking them and I’ve been on drugs and alcohol and I tried the morning after pill which didn’t work. So my baby is already messed up. I’ve lost 50 pounds and am not sleeping. I know it’s murder, so you don’t have to tell me that it is alive. I know it is.”
I said “I work with people with disabilities and they are very precious and happy to be alive, and there is a good chance your baby is not disabled.”
She said “You seem like a nice man who is responsible, but the father of my baby took off, and I’ve got 2 kids at home and I can’t handle another one.”
I said “I was like that but I got cleaned up and my life turned around many years ago.” I said “I have a good job and I’m willing to adopt her.”
She stopped and looked at me for a moment, as if to consider it and said “but I’m not going to go through a long pregnancy with my current kids.”
I said “I can help, there is much help.”
She said “If you want to help anyone go talk to the disappearing fathers.”
I said “when we don’t know God we men sometimes do terrible things, and are selfish and irresponsible.”
She said “I’ve done many selfish and irresponsible things too … hitting my kids sometimes when I can’t cope, and always afraid of the CAS, drugs and alcohol … you know, you are not going to make me change my mind. I know I’m going to hell” as tears welled up.
I said “it doesn’t have to be this way. God is really good at making things work out. God loves us so much.”
She said “God never listens to my prayers.”
By this time I was crying too. I said “sometimes it seems like he’s not listening, but when we look back we can see clearer. I can help you, and I know many others who can help us.”
She said “I’ve got to go” and crying, she asked “please pray for me.” Then she turned around and opened the door to 65 Bank street and disappeared.
I felt the emptiness of my powerless as a man, with respect to abortion. There was nothing I could do. My own lost children flashed across my mind’s eye. I got on my bike and drove home with a lump in my throat as the world went about its business as if nothing was wrong. Nothing seems to make sense to me anymore. Am I going crazy?
Perhaps you are being “Seeker sensitive” but as a same sex attracted man who found the Lord and has been set free, I can tell you that you are not helping same sex attracted people one bit by your neutral position. Is the founder “Celebrating Recovery” oblivious to what it means to “enable” dysfunctional behavior.
You said you called your gay friends to apologize for being perceived to support real marriage. That confuses me. Your position is in stark contrast Mother Theresa. She had one of the first AIDS hospices in New York and won the respect of people living with AIDS through sheer love, compassion and work in Christ. Yet not for one minute did she compromise her solidly biblical position on the dysfunction of gay sex. She inadvertently became more influential with world leaders and more respected by the general population than you will ever be, try as you may.
Love does not always say “yes,” nor does it stand on the sidelines of the most important issues of the day.
David MacDonald
www.GayTestimony.com
www.CatholicBridge.com
I was walking with my “I regret lost fatherhood sign.” An intelligent looking businessman in his 50’s approached me. He said
“I am very moved by your sign. I got my girlfriend pregnant at 21 years old. I tried to convince her to get an abortion. Her doctor and the nurse at the clinic tried to convince her. Her friends and family tried to convince her. But she said to me ‘it’s ok, you can go, I’m going to have the baby’. We stayed together and my son is 28 years old today. He’s a great guy and I look at him and think about how wrong and selfish I was. I’m not religious but when I saw your sign it really hit home. I’m sorry you lost your child.”
I said “thank you for sharing the story, even though I lost mine, I still love to hear about the life choice made for other children who are saved from the horror of abortions.”
It’s 7 months of no singing voice and very little talking voice. Quite the cross for someone like me who’s identity is tangled up in the music and performing and leading worship and speaking engagements etc… After Mass this morning during my prayer time alone in the Church, I think the Lord gave me 4 words…
“Time, Patience, Discipline, Sacrifice”
Not really what I wanted to hear…. I wanted to hear something like … “here’s your voice back, you are a good guy, the prolife movement needs you, the teenagers need your testimony, … etc…”
But when I objectively consider the principles that these words represent, I’m obliged to admit they have been my spiritual weak spots… These 4 words also give me a bit of comfort because it appears that this setback of losing my voice again is not an evil curse or something like that, but rather our Good Lord in his infinite mercy providing discipline to his generally undisciplined son.
So this is what I will embark upon… a journey beyond my talents and gifting, into the realm of my weaknesses. If God is going to be able to make any use of me after I die and (hopefully) join the ranks of the faithful… I need to enter heaven with a better relationship to these words than I have now.
What a year of ups and downs. I stood at the birthplace of Jesus, where the wise men offered their gifts that first Christmas. The only thing I could offer him was my obedience. I returned to India, and saw my sponsored child, then to Australia to see the Pope and participate in World Youth Day, returning through France. I stood on Normandy beaches where evil was overthrown … what a difference a day makes.
I damaged my voice during concerts in those places and for 5 months I’ve had no singing voice. But in the stillness of the night I sense God saying, “I still love you and I have a plan for you.”
After 9 years of development, a committee I sit on released a web standard for people with disabilities (WCAG). So work has become busy. A door closes, another opens. I will never understand God’s ways, but with friends like you, the road will be one of hope. «GreetingLine» may God bless you this Christ-Mass and into the new year.
The University of Calgary kicked Prolife students off campus this week, charged tuition paying students with “tresspassing”. Sure, the GAP is an “in your face” campaign, but so was the Falun Gong exhibit. But prolifers are fair game. Here is my open letter to the president.
Dear Sir
My girlfriend and I aborted our baby. We both feel that it was the worst mistake that we ever made in our lives. Never during school had we ever heard or seen anybody warning us about the philosophical and emotional problems with abortion. We only heard that it is quick painless and easy to get over. There were no pro life groups on campus giving the other side.
Now that a group wants share a prolife position on your campus you are forcibly silencing them. There are people who need to make an informed choice and you are forcefully forbidding there to be “unsanitized” contrary opinion expressed on your campus.
In 10 years perhaps there will be many U of Calgary alumni who will feel like I do, that we were robbed of choice because of pro life silence on the issue. Except this time they won’t blame the apathy of pro lifers for not forming a group they will blame you, and rightfully so.
I was in the doctor’s office today, and started reading the Bible on my palm pilot. I flipped randomly to 1 Titus 4:3:
…For everything [food] created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected provided it is received with thanksgiving: for it is sanctified by God’s word and by prayer.
When I was in Israel I stayed with a wonderful Kosher Jewish family. They followed many rules and laws around food. It was impressive to see their dedication.
This passage above shows me that Christian freedom from those laws is contingent upon Paul’s simple condition… prayer and thanksgiving. I often forget to pray over my food. I had this dumb idea that as a Christian that I don’t have to follow any rules around food. But I was wrong, there is a rule. I need to say Grace before each and every meal.
There have been gay riots in San Francisco, and Los Angeles, after the democratic process of voting that rejected Same Sex Marriage. They are much like the riots and storming of the Psychiatric association convention in 1973 which resulted in the association’s removal of same sex attraction from the DSM psychiatric manual. So riots work, starting with Stonewall. In Canada, gay marriage is now legal.
After 4 years of legal gay marriage in Canada, the statistics are dismally low and getting lower. The national Gay Paper in Canada, Xtra, recently ran an article called:
“Why most Canadian gays and lesbians are choosing not to marry – MARRIAGE / Too many risks, few incentives”
The article lists some of the reasons gays and lesbians in Canada are not geting married, which are similar to findings in Massachusetts and in the Netherlands where gay marriage is legal. These are quotes from the gay newspaper Xtra, the paper that rallied the gay community to battle against Christians for marriage:
“… For some [in the gay community] same-sex marriage is a radical act … for others it’s an assimilationist strategy…represents a reform movement that seeks to prove that queers are ‘just like everyone else.’ But many of us are not like everyone else – and unapologetically so.
“… Many queers worry that the cultural adoption of same-sex marriage will lead to a domestication of queer culture … But does our vibrant queer culture depend on marginality? Hopefully not. And, as Dan Savage has pointed out, marriage rarely meant monogamy for hets, so why would it make us sexually exclusive?”
“… queers have a distance from which to critique it [marriage], as well as freedom to create the relationships we want … owning property or having a pet is more of a commitment than a marriage … we have built cultures and communities independent of the straight world, developing and adopting our own creative alternatives: chosen families, open relationships, multi-parent families and domestic partnerships, just to name a few ...”
“… Because we have all the same rights and responsibilities as common-law partners that we would have if we married, there is no need to marry …”
“… Gay lawyer Ken Smith points to another disincentive to legalize vows. With marriage rights come obligations; you can’t opt in or out at will …”
“… And besides,” smiles Boo, “I love to wear the prettiest dress in the room.”
“… Many queers regard marriage as an oppressive patriarchal institution and have no interest in participating in it,” findlay notes. “My partner and I, for example, decided that we would not marry unless there was an important political reason to do so. As my partner says, ‘We’ve been living in sin for too long to change now!’”
“… I believe that the more progressive political approach is for the individual to be the basis of social organization instead of the couple … A culture that values the individual instead of the couple as the base unit would offer more support for singlehood and single parenting, for starters … single, polyamorous, coupled, friendship, chosen family or whatever our queer hearts can dream up.”
From: Why most Canadian gays and lesbians are choosing not to marry MARRIAGE / Too many risks, few incentives Xtra Jillian Deri /Vancouver / Thursday, September 25, 2008 (my emphasis)
So there it is, the Gay Marriage issue, which was the result of 20 years of lobbying, riots, court orders, and slander against Canadian Christians for their protectiveness of marriage. Marriage is not attractive to those who battled for it. The queer community says it was more of a political tool than a true passion. Straight Canada negotiated away it’s most precious gift.
Forgive the analogy, but it seems like when a kid who wants a swimming pool, makes his parents life unbearable until the parent gives in, they spend all their savings to buy the backyard pool to make the child happy. Then the kid never swims in it, but instead stands on the deck and pees in it.
The article in Xtra outlines the fundamental difference between gay and straight relationships. Marriage is at it’s heart, a call to selfless giving of oneself, first to spouse and then to the resulting children. Lifelong loyalty is it’s defining and core value. Capital Xtra is saying Gay relationships are built around the individual, where long term loyalty is not a core value.
Perhaps the US should take a cue from the gay community here in Canada, who have finally gotten honest about the issue, now that the Supreme Court and Parliament have put the issue to bed.
Yesterday I wrote this song to remember Frank Mountain, one of the great Canadian prolifers, who has gone on to help us from the other side of life. Frank ran off the road on his way to a pro life demonstration 20 years ago. He spent the rest of his life in a wheelchair, but it never slowed him down and never dulled his resolve. Frank, we love you, pray for us.
As we mourn
Heaven cries “Holy”
As you enter the Light
Heaven cries “Holy”
Twenty years ago evil tried to break you
But nothing could shake you
You rose above the pain
On the wings of faith
Refrain
Every Mountain
Raise your voice on high
For the faithful never die
You are even more alive
You have won the crown
You ran the race
You’re the one who set the pace
You are even more alive
Your wife was a rock
There for you
Your children believed
And helped you through
Pray for the families
Broken by this age
Will return to Grace and Faith
And follow in your ways
Bridge
Help us realize your dream
That every child of God will see
The light of day
And the gift of a lifetime
Mother Theresa will help us pray
Just the way she did that day
When you were given strength
To find your way
Help us see the day
When every child is safe
As I arrived in front of the clinic I noticed a man with a professional video camera and an announcer using us as a backdrop for their video. They didn’t look like news media, so I drifted over and asked them if they minded me asking them what they were shooting. The cameraman said, “I’m a student and this gentleman is a professor of science who is passionate about the environment, and we are shooting a documentary about how old the earth is and we wanted to show that others have a different opinion.”
He seemed a bit old to be a student but I didn’t question that. I simply asked him, “what makes you think that everybody in the prolife movement is a ‘young earth’ proponent, isn’t that kind of presumptuous?”
He shrugged. Then I asked the scientist “You are a man who has strong opinions about the value of science, do you mind me asking ‘when does life begin?’”
He looked at me and said, “I don’t know.”
I said “really?”
He replied “do you know?”
I said “yes, and there is not one biologist on the planet who will disagree, it’s fertilization. Could it be the reason you don’t want to answer is because you, like Obama, don’t want to face the moral implications of that answer?”
He said “I don’t want to get into this now and waste 10 minutes talking about it”
I said “But you are willing to spend hours working on a video that portrays prolifers as a bunch of science denying fundamentalists, and you can’t even answer a simple science question found in any grade 7 biology book? Who is the one denying science?”
With that they sheepishly packed up their camera gear and walked away.
Oh Lord, save us from those who are trying to use science as a political weapon against you. Show them that you created all science, and that your mysteries are completely consistent with honest science.
As I was walking slowly back and forth a woman approached me and said.
I work in the office building here and have been watching your group for several weeks. I want to let you know that I’ve been hoping and praying something like this would happen here. I was in that clinic 2.5 years ago. I was 44 years old, already had 3 children, and my husband and I work. This pregnancy was inconvenient and unexpected. My husband and my mother wanted me to have an abortion. It was a cold Thursday in February. Inside the clinic, it was dirty and dreary and the chairs were all stained. There were several other couples there. I was alone because my husband was working. We were all given forms.
As I began to fill in the form, I heard a woman, who had just had an abortion and was crying. I looked at the other women writing quickly, as reviewed the questions about my health, I got a sense the something was terribly wrong. I called my husband and said “I can’t do this, I’m not going to.” And then I walked out. I never looked back.
My daughter is 2 years old today. She is healthy and beautiful, and I can’t believe I was considering taking her life. She is a precious gift from God. I often stand out here on my work breaks and think about that day and pray for the women inside. There were sometimes protesters on Friday mornings, but there were abortions happening on Thursdays, Fridays, and now Wednesday. I’ve been praying that more people would come and pray in front of this clinic. You guys are an answer to my prayers. Thank you.
I was very moved. I said “what you did was very courageous. I wish I had the same courage when I was in a similar situation in 1984. Abortion was the worst mistake I’ve ever made.” We prayed together and I thanked God for the life he saved, and I pray that in some small way I’ll be able to help others make a decision for life.
Obama won at a great cost, with the blood of the unborn. America’s thirst for blood is insatiable, on the right wing there is the war, which fueled the last election, which the Pope condemned. And when they get sick of that kind of death they swing over to the left, where there is a feeding frenzy around the trough of blood that will write death into the constitution for generations to come.
A very wise man once said “What does it prohet a man if he gains the world but loses his soul?”
If Obama had concern for human life, and a respect for marriage, I’d get behind him in a heartbeat. I’m not a fiscal conservative, I’m simply a prayerful man. Prayer will always lead to “life”. Oh Lord, have mercy on all the helpless souls whose blood will be shed in the next 4 years and into the next generation because of America’s decisions.
My prayer is that one day there will be a great man on the left, who will turn American politics on its ear, in a courageous way, who finds the courage to stand up for life and stand up against war, and be willing to take a cut in his “pay grade” and popularity to take an honest stand on the most pressing issue of our era.
Unfortunately here in Canada, there is also a thirst for the blood of the innocent. The devil demands blood sacrifice, and our country is his servant.
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