Some quick reading ... ecclesiastical authorities doing their jobs ...

Catholic Church denies communion to two men after same-sex wedding
Vatican upholds Call to Action excommunications

While I am on that ... a quick rant ... I am convinced that there are two types of orthodox Catholics out there. Those that are thrilled every week that they get to receive Christ in the Eucharist and those that are pissed off that they are receiving it wrong. I used to get bent out of shape at every mass I went to. That wasn't the kind of Catholic I wanted to be because it angled me towards isolation and it made me miserable at the most awesome part of every week. I entered the Church with such tremendous joy and I wanted to recapture that. Today, I am blessed in that I go to a great parish. Even if I didn't I am THRILLED to be CATHOLIC. Still, I feel like if I let people know my parish is actually good that they will not believe me because everyone knows that the Catholic Church in the US is manned solely by modernists and it just simply cannot be true that there are orthodox priests who strive every bit to abide by liturgical norms in a post-Vatican II world.

I realize that some people don't want to see sin in the world. Others, however, don't want to see the good in the world. Its like they get an odd thrill out of watching the Church grow ever perillously close to hell actually prevailing because then they can continue to be "right" about what is wrong. They don't want to see young priests coming in who are on fire for the faith and loved JP2 and have positive outlooks regarding Vatican II. They don't want to see bishops doing their jobs. That would mean things are getting better and that would make them "wrong" which is just impossible. They are, of course, incapable of being wrong. After all, they are really Catholic ... their faith assures them that they are right about EVERYTHING, not just that small subset of faith and morals stuff that the Church actually teaches about. Personally I see all of the positive things I mentioned as very good. I am going to rejoice when things go well in the Church mostly because I am sick of letting others complaints make me a grouch.

There is always room for hope and holding on to the expectation that the gates of hell will not prevail. They simply won't. I would rather be of the disposition to be joyful and thus communicative and useful rather than to be bent out of shape and desiring to avoid every Catholic out there because of it.

The Church will never return to its roots if those of us who believe it leave the reins to those who don't. Hope people. Grab a little joy and stay for a while. Good things ARE happening.

I'll admit it. My Christmas lights display is somewhat secular this year. It has a lighted train that the kids love and some Charlie Brown lights around a few windows and the front garden. Part of me feels like I have left something out because there is not a manger in my front lawn. Those are getting increasingly rare. Still, I figure the kids like it and outdoor displays are more for kids than anyone.

I understand the winter scenes and the toy scenes ... maybe Santa, some reindeer etc. They all celebrate different aspects of the holiday season as it has come to be celebrated in the United States. Still, the secularization has brought forth many groans

Keep Christ in Christmas

or for my more Catholic audience

Keep the Mass in Christmas

Today though, I saw something I had only joked about with my wife. You can now add "bowl season" to the number of holidays celebrated by lights in front of your home. I saw a home decked in purple and yellow lights and around here that can only mean one thing. Somebody remembered to keep the Tigers in Christmas.

I know being a college educated ex-Episcopalian myself likely gives me less reason to post this but one of the main reasons I converted to the Catholic Church was its moral teachings, most specifically its teaching on the immorality of artificial contraception. That is why I can't help but comment on this doozy -- from Amy Welborn -- An interview that will go down in infamy.

Recently elected head of the Episcopal church in the United States, Bishop Kate Schori interviewed by the NY Times:

How many members of the Episcopal Church are there in this country?

About 2.2 million. It used to be larger percentagewise, but Episcopalians tend to be better-educated and tend to reproduce at lower rates than some other denominations. Roman Catholics and Mormons both have theological reasons for producing lots of children.

Episcopalians aren’t interested in replenishing their ranks by having children?

No. It’s probably the opposite. We encourage people to pay attention to the stewardship of the earth and not use more than their portion.

I am not one for intelligent commentary so bear with me. If an intelligent person happens to stop by there are plenty of nuanced words you can insert into my statements to make this say what you want to hear. Bishop Schori quite simply fails to realize that American Catholics do not tend to heed Mother Church on this particular teaching. In fact, Catholics contracept at the same rate as the rest of the nation. Fortunately this concerns our bishops who released the first document on the topic since the late 1960's in recent days. That would lead me to think that most new Catholics are NOT coming from large orthodox families with 12 kids. They are coming from conversions and from replacement rate Catholics. Furthermore, the Catholic Church in the United States is increasing in numbers despite the fact that ex-Catholics would supposedly make up the second largest Christian church in the US if they were all together in one denomination.

So our members are leaving in droves, contracepting just like the rest of the crowd and yet our numbers rise?

Care to explain those dwindling numbers again?

I'll give you a hint. The GROWING churches in this country have something in common and it has nothing to do with the birth rates of its members (a few of them being -- Assemblies of God, Orthodox, Catholic, Southern Baptist) ... The majority of churches whose memberships are decreasing also have something in common (a few of them being -- United Methodist, Evangelical Lutheran, Episcopal, Presbyterian Church USA, United Church of Christ) -- see 2006 Yearbook of Churches reflects membership and growth trends

And as Amy indicated, this Cafe Press item titled Kate Schori Goes Ecumenical is pure genius:

I thought it was funny ...

From Shine of the Holy Whapping

Second Meditation - On the End for Which We Were Created

Psalm 8

1 For the leader; "upon the gittith." A psalm of David.
2 LORD, our Lord, how awesome is your name through all the earth! You have set your majesty above the heavens!
3 Out of the mouths of babes and infants you have drawn a defense against your foes, to silence enemy and avenger.
4 When I see your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and stars that you set in place--
5 What are humans that you are mindful of them, mere mortals that you care for them?
6 Yet you have made them little less than a god, crowned them with glory and honor.
7 You have given them rule over the works of your hands, put all things at their feet:
8 All sheep and oxen, even the beasts of the field,
9 The birds of the air, the fish of the sea, and whatever swims the paths of the seas.
10 O LORD, our Lord, how awesome is your name through all the earth!

3. Why did God make us?
God made us to show forth His goodness and to share with us His everlasting happiness in heaven.
Eye has not seen nor ear heard, nor has it entered into the heart of man, what things God has prepared for those who love him. (I Corinthians 2:9)

Had to get in my occasional cyclone post ... Gigantic Polar Storm Spotted on Saturn from Heart, Mind & Strength

Apparently they are pretty different from terrestrial hurricanes.

Wanted to post this because it had me laughing for about 5 minutes. Be sure to click on the image if you want to see a closer view OR are interested in ordering a shirt.

corrected for some sloppy wording

ACOG Statement of Policy
As issued by the ACOG Executive Board

OUT-OF-HOSPITAL BIRTHS IN THE UNITED STATES

Labor and delivery is a physiologic process that most women experience without complications. Ongoing surveillance of the mother and fetus is essential because serious intrapartum complications may arise with little or no warning, even in low risk pregnancies. In some of these instances, the availability of expertise and interventions on .an urgent or emergent basis may be life-saving for the mother, the fetus or the newborn and may reduce the likelihood of an adverse outcome. For these reasons, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) believes that the hospital, including a birthing center within a hospital complex, that conforms to the standards outlined by American Academy of Pediatrics and ACOG,1 is the safest setting for labor, delivery, and the immediate postpartum period. ACOG also strongly supports providing conditions that will improve the birthing experience for women and their families without compromising safety.

Studies comparing the safety and outcome of U.S. births in the hospital with those occurring in other settings are limited and have not been scientifically rigorous. The development of well-designed research studies of sufficient size, prepared in consultation with obstetric departments and approved by institutional review boards, might clarify the comparative safety of births in different settings. Until the results of such studies are convincing, ACOG strongly opposes out-of-hospital births. Although ACOG acknowledges a woman's right to make informed decisions regarding her delivery, ACOG does not support programs or individuals that advocate for or who provide out-of-hospital births.

1American Academy of Pediatrics and /American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Guidelines for Perinatal Care, 5th Edition. Elk Grove Village, IL, AAP/ACOG, 2002.

Approved by the Executive Board October 2006

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists 409 12th Street, SW, PO Box 96920. Washington, DC 20090-6920 Telephone 202 6385577

It is no shock that they are against it. The ACOGs problem is one, it seems, of assuming that just because they are doctors people should just turn off their brains and trust them. Many people see a pretty clear monetary conflict that could be at play on this very matter. After all, if more people choose out-of-hospital options, doctors lose clients and become more and more necessary only in the case of a medical intervention. Furthermore, they offer very little support for their positions in these public statements. Instead we get a vague statement like "Studies comparing the safety and outcome of U.S. births in the hospital with those occurring in other settings are limited and have not been scientifically rigorous." There is some truth to this statement as I have mentioned in our post regarding our decision NOT to homebirth with a VBAC. The average intelligent reader today, especially in this hyperlinked age, demands the evidence used to make the decision arrived at by the ACOG. They should be able to clearly demonstrate the faults of the studies. I have found that evidence on the internet after much digging but it should be very public so that you don't sound like you are whining just because you might lose some business.

In this day and age you have to give them a REASON to trust you even if you are an expert. After all, there are intelligent people out there besides doctors. We expect the president to provide reason for his actions and this nation recently voted accordingly when many felt he didn't provide adequate reason justifying some of the actions of his administration. It only stands to reason that other fields be expected to fall under the same public scrutiny.

---------------

On a related note that this statement makes very clear -- The logic of the world today regarding choice is telling:

On sex:
1. Kids will decide to have sex anyway SO
2. We have to provide them condoms and access to the morning after pill and abortion

On birth:
1. Parents will decide to have out-of-hospital births anyway SO
2. We will not support them in their decision (i.e. by being a backup doctor) because it is a bad one

ACOG: "Although ACOG acknowledges a woman's right to make informed decisions regarding her delivery, ACOG does not support programs or individuals that advocate for or who provide out-of-hospital births."

In a practical sense this results in the number of doctors willing to backup a homebirth or birthing center birth in Louisiana being extremely small.

Excepting a few states midwife assisted homebirth is legal. Unassisted homebirth is legal no matter where you are in the US. In the UK doctors have to backup midwives. Women truly do have a choice and they can feel comfortable knowing doctors are at their service when they are needed. That is what mothers should fight for.

FYI I am looking for an official online link to the statement containing the above quotes - it is forthcoming.

Posted the following on DCF: Favorite Catholic resources

Include books, blogs, websites etc. -- I am only including websites tonight ... I have to give the books some thought ...

I'll knock a few of the obvious ones out of the way early ...

NewAdvent - Bible (with commentary), Early Church Fathers, Summa Theologica, 1917 Catholic Encyclopedia - Whats not to like? Well organized and easy to get around. Man, I didn't realize until today that New Advent had a bible with commentary. I may be up all night!!!

Catholic First - More ECF's, another online Catholic bible, CCC (all searchable) AND tons of writings of the saints. Also G.K. Chesterton's Orthodoxy. Less organized but the information is there.

EWTN's Library - I usually end up here after doing a web search but for the first time I actually browsed around. It is not as well organized as I would like but it may have just about any and everything you might be looking for. Lots of council documents, tons of JPII, encyclicals and works by a variety of folks on a variety of topics. In fact, I think I have just found all of those missing ECF references I have been looking for. :) Unfortunately many of the documents are zipped so that may be why they do not come up on search engines (or least they used to not) ... Pretty awesome.

Anyway ... I am just curious where folks here head when they are looking for answers about something Catholic.

I may update this post as I find more awesome Catholic resources ... then I will likely add them to the right of this blog.

Breastfeeding may not do much for verbal skills

A number of past studies have linked breastfeeding with higher childhood IQ scores. Certain fatty acids found in breast milk are known to aid nervous system development, and researchers have speculated that this explains the IQ gains.

But it's also possible, Gibson-Davis and her colleagues point out, that general parenting practices are the main factor. For example, mothers who breastfeed tend to be better educated, and they may be more likely to engage their children in "stimulating activities," such as reading.

I think it is great for a pro-beastfeeding blog like HMS to post something like this. Intelligent parents are typically going to breastfeed. From what I can tell of the studies that breastfeeding itself is the cause of intelligence gains are at best inconclusive for this very reason.

Still, I recommend breastfeeding and I wish they would do far more long term studies to further clarify the facts on breastfeeding.

Supposedly Stem Cells Used to Create Artificial Liver - but that would be those useless non baby killing cord blood ones. Move along.

I read a recent objection that this novel historical angle that my site presents is a good start for Catholics, after all there is no reasonable biblical reason to become Catholic... A fresh and new approach. Lordy, we might convert somebody yet!

Well .... not really. It is an old and tried approach. It is the one that led Cardinal Newman to Rome over a century ago. It is the appeal the patristic writers made 1600 years ago. There are most often no new responses to objections to the Catholic faith. They are all tried and old ... just recycled and believed new.

I was reading an honest thread on DCF between a searching atheist and a bunch of Catholics. The following statement was made.

...the Church has been around 2000+ years and there isn't a question she hasn't heard and answered.

You see, I converted to Catholicism because my experience is as the quote states above. I have yet to find an objection to Catholicism that I didn't feel had a reasonable response and as I read ancient debates from both the time of the reformation, the time of the Arian heresy and even before, I found common objections and almost always the same reasonable biblically based responses.

Or, I guess you could say that Catholics have been using the same stale responses for 2000 years.

On adoration nights I am going to summarize my often disjointed thoughts regarding the particular topic that I am focusing on. Notes and helper quotations, however many or few, will be posted that night.

It is interesting that the first 6 weeks of CCD for the Kindergarten class we are teaching is on creation yet not a single week yet has focused on man. That is upcoming. I find it timely that the chapter I am on in Introduction to the Devout Life focuses on that very thing.

See Introduction to the Devout Life - Chapter 9

Meditations on creation and my own existence

I acknowledge the reality that God's love is the source of my dignity.

It is He who holds me in existence for without His will that I exist I return to that from which I was created, which is nothing.

The root reason for human dignity lies in man's call to communion with God. From the very circumstance of his origin man is already invited to converse with God. For man would not exist were he not created by Gods love and constantly preserved by it; and he cannot live fully according to truth unless he freely acknowledges that love and devotes himself to His Creator.

- Vatican II - GAUDIUM ET SPES

Whether God exists? Summa - St. Thomas Aquinas
Wow ... I just thought I would leave with a resounding I LOVE BEING CATHOLIC

Google Search: I rarely finish at the top on Google searches but today I found one. I am THE leading expert on the following: chad johnson halloween outfit

I bet you didn't know that 38 high profile muslims responded favorably to the Popes call to dialog -- you know -- the one that offended so many Muslims

Find out more (see also The Regensburg Effect: The Open Letter from 38 Muslims to the Pope) - From the first

Now take this in. In a moment of increasing worldwide violence and tension, Pope Benedict XVI issued a call, echoing his predecessor John-Paul II, for a real dialogue between religions at the highest level of reason. And authoritative spiritual leaders of the Islamic umma responded favourably to this, and declared, in a fine, noble, and open spirit: “Let the dialogue begin!” This is news of very great significance. It should have been the top headline in every newspaper in the world.

But our media -- West and East -- report this, when at all, as some kind of sidebar on the terror war; as if the Muslim leaders had merely accepted an “apology” from the Pope for having hurt some Muslims’ feelings.

and the second

The authors of the letter welcome and appreciate without reservation the clarifications made by Benedict XVI after the wave of protests that issued from the Muslim world a few days after the lecture in Regensburg, and in particular the speech that the pope addressed to ambassadors from Muslim countries on September 25, and also the reference made by cardinal secretary of state Tarcisio Bertone, in a note issued on September 16, to the conciliar document “Nostra Aetate.”

And not only that. They condemn with very strong words the assassination that took place in Somalia, in Muslim Mogadishu, of sister Leonella Sgorbati, thereby linking this to the protests that were at their peak at the time
...
The authors of the letter appreciate Benedict XVI’s desire for dialogue and take very seriously his theses. “Applaud” pope's “efforts to oppose the dominance of positivism and materialism in human life,” while contest him on other points, adding their reasons for their opposition.

-- source Mark Shea

A couple of topics I want to post on in the near future
Sacramental marriage (its obvious graces)
Tempering of the flesh by doing without -- Either you are in control or your appetites are in control and when you are not in control you are less able to serve the Lord.

So the Cincinnati Bengals have the ball 1st and goal at the 1 yard line. I have Chad Johnson (WR) and Rudi Johnson (RB). Chances are they are going to hand the ball off to Rudi a few times until he gets in the end zone.

What happens?

1 yd touchdown pass to Houshmandzadeh (who has become the goto receiver over Johnson -- what happened to Top 5 fantasy lock at WR Chad Johnson?).

(tears his hair out) ...

During my conversion relics was a stumbing block. Since converting I have scanned thousands of thread headings regarding Catholicism (more specifically apologetics) and only TWICE has the topic of relics come up.

Today I saw it come up the second of those two times and I posted the following link in response.

My struggles with incorrupt saints and relics

This kept staring at me on the AP headlines all day: U.S. population passes 300 million mark

Earlier today it had a picture of a Los Angeles traffic jam cleverly implying that people are a huge burden and if they would just NOT exist life would be so much better.

2258 "Human life is sacred because from its beginning it involves the creative action of God and it remains for ever in a special relationship with the Creator, who is its sole end. God alone is the Lord of life from its beginning until its end: no one can under any circumstance claim for himself the right directly to destroy an innocent human being."[56]

Found this on a forum with the colors ... I got sick of looking for it every time I had a piece. It stripped the prize amounts. I will fill that in later

Here are the rare game pieces of McDonald's Monopoly Game 2006:

Mediterranean Avenue - Win 50
Vermont Avenue - Win 500
Virginia Avenue - Win 1,000
Tennessee Avenue - Win 1,500
Kentucky Avenue - Win 5,000
Ventnor Avenue - Win 10,000
Pennsylvania Avenue - Win 50,000
Boardwalk - Win 1,000,000 (50,000 per year for 20 years)
Short Line - Win 5,000,000 (250,000 per year for 20 years)

Lord of all pots and pans and things ...
Make me a saint by getting meals and washing up the plates!

-- Brother Lawrence

Always loved VeggieTales

‘VeggieTales’ creator follows a new fork in road to success from HMS

“I was miserable,” he said flatly. “It was affecting everything — affecting my marriage, my family. And that was in my good days. I realized God hadn’t called me to become the next Walt Disney and build a giant entertainment company. He called me just to tell his stories,” he said.

“Great success has a way of expanding your ambition: ‘I can do so much more than this! I can build a theme park and a TV network!’ I wanted it all and I wanted it immediately. I was really out of control,” Mr. Vischer said.

“But this is America — more is always better!”

One of the keys to his personal turnaround came when he read about the life of Mother Teresa.

“She fed the poor one at a time. She didn’t try to franchise her system for feeding the hungry. She didn’t try to become the Ray Kroc of world hunger. At first, that didn’t make sense to me. That’s not very efficient. Read some business books! Be more efficient! But then I realized she was doing what God called her to do, and that’s all that matters.”

THE Pope is taking steps to revive the ancient tradition of the Latin Tridentine Mass in Catholic churches worldwide, according to sources in Rome. -- Of course the title is "Pope set to bring back Latin Mass that divided the Church" ... I still, for the life of me, cannot figure out what is so objectionable about Latin or the Tridentine mass.

Many I know who follow secular reporting of the Church have said this particular writer is one of the worst offenders in distorting facts about the Church that there is. Thus, I am treating this with a high level of skepticism. You have been warned.

Update: This has been confimed by Catholic World News - Pope will broaden use of Latin Mass

A couple of posts from ZIppy Catholic A Collection of Magisterial Citations w.r.t. Torture
and
The Doctrinal-Juridical Two Step answering the objection about torture during the Inquisition.

I am currently reading another in the long line of discussions going on between Mark Shea and others ... Wanted to save this link somewhere ... enjoy.

Mark Shea: A response (probably inadequate) to the Big Ol' Torture Roundup Post at Against the Grain

First set of meeting notes from the collected monasteries of the new Dark Ages ...

or The FIRST ever Catholic Homeschooling Carnival is up!!!

Here you go -- It's a Carnival

This is all speculation on my part ... but you get it anyway ... I pulled this post that I wrote from a forum that I visit

OK, I went to a brief talk on Theology of the Body and it got me to thinking ... in Ephesians 5 Paul links the relationship between Christ and the Church to that of a husband and wife. So I got to thinking a little more ... We have our 4 marks of the Church

One
Holy
Catholic
Apostolic

Can we draw similar parallels to marriage and family? I need some good examples here ...

One - yeah this is obvious ... "two become one flesh"
Holy - well God certainly intends this of marriage. Divorce, adultery etc. are certainly not supposed to be part of marriage.
Catholic - well marriage has been around for as long as we have history ... and it permeates most, if not all, cultures
Apostolic - results in generations or "passing on" -- include family traditions etc ...

I think there is a point that can be made about the concept of the "invisible church".

Marriage, quite simply, is visible. It mirrors those marks because that is the REALITY of the Church. For marriage to be analogous to the invisible Church God would have to create families or groups of generations (denominations) from nothing, because there is no generational link (apostolic) ... Honestly I think the Church was set up the way it was because God wanted it to be a sign to us regarding marriage and also allowing our marriages to be a sign to help us identify the Church.

In other words, the visiblity of the Catholic Church better represents the reality of marriage and vice versa. Ok enough of my theorizing ... carry on

I heard my wife mention that she heard a man on the radio who wants to eliminate religion from public discourse altogether. It seems his theory is that, historically speaking, all of the ills of the world can be pinned on "world religions". This view suffers from a shortsignted view of religion, mostly the following two points

All religious persons tend towards fundamentalism
No religious belief (i.e. that there is a God) can be arrived at through logical reasoning

I take exception with both of these because I personally would not believe if it were not reasonable and I find that excessive recourse to simplification of matters is at the root of fundamentalism of all types including secular fundamentalism which rejects religion because a religious world contains those who do evil. To turn the tables the increasing secularization of the west has not resulted in less evil in the world. Murders, rapes, molestations and all manner of evil stull occur even in the name of no religion. It is pure foolishness to presume that secularization of the world will remove the consequence of sin. For all the evils done in the name of Catholicism, the TEACHING of the Catholic faith resoundly rejects evil and those who FOLLOW the faith are shining examples of good. Judging religion on the basis of those who do not practice it is, as a famous quote points out, like judging medicine by those who do not take it.

Faith and Reason

or "Why it isn't a bunch of rules"

Since becoming Catholic I have realized that EVERY single good thing that I had as a Protestant is available to me in the Catholic Church. It took me a few years to get to that realization but I can safely now say that is the case. No Protestant would defend his faith against the secular attack that the Bible is nothing more than a bunch of stodgy rules without recourse to a common retort also used by Catholics to defend the teachings of the Church as being nothing more than a series of rules that are difficult to keep. Most readers of the Bible come quickly to the conclusion that grace is the avenue by which we are all moved to salvation, and further to conform ourselves more perfectly to the will of our Lord. External eyes see "rules" but a man of faith realizes that the rules are to protect us from things that really bind and hinder us from achieving the final end for which we are all intended -- that is -- eternal life. It is our faith that this grace will be provided that allows us to assent to difficult teachings in order to find far greater freedom than we could have ever imagined.

Which brings me to a litany of things that we have gained since becoming Catholic

We have gained, through papal encyclicals and ecumenical councils, authoritative teaching that is living and comes to us in the same way that teaching was passed to the churches even in Bible times (by letter and council - Acts 15)
We have gained physical reception of our Lord in the Eucharist
We have gained deep history
We have gained centuries of classic art
We have gained centuries of sacred music
We have gained centuries of world renowned architecture, all built for the glory of God
We have gained the recorded lives and devotional writings of the saints
We have gained the intercessions of prayer partners, in the saints, whose prayers are far more efficacious than those of our friends on earth
We have gained, as married persons, the freedom to love each other in the unitive and procreative aspect of marriage in having rejected the bondage of contraception with its multitude of physical and emotionally destressing effects
We have gained an understanding of the many beautiful and sacramental ways that God wants to provide His grace to us by means of His Church.

We have gained a greater understanding of the truth ... and in greater understanding of the truth lies greater freedom.