ABSURDITY IS IN THE EYES OF THE BEHOLDER

Here is part two of “Atlas Said,” a commentary on common objections to the faith:

ATLAS SAID:

“Secondly, It matters not if I'm wrong, 'cause the "All-Loving" God will toss me to eternal wrath pain and suffering (which to me is a bit excessive, but hey, u gotta kill non-believers somehow I guess). The thing is what if YOU'RE wrong and you devoted your life to faith in that which is not their. I don't mean to be a (censored), but I mean, WHY do u irrationally believe their is a God and WHY do people not see that Evolution is a Fact?”

It is often the case that a person has some erroneous idea that if God is all loving then there will be absolutely no consequences for one’s actions. “God’s wrath and God’s mercy are two sides of the same coin,” one spiritual guide once said. At heart here are two questions: What is love and what does God want from us.

There are many definitions of love but in this case only one that matters and that is how God defines love. We have many commandments to love: Love the Lord your God, Love you neighbor, love your enemies. I do not have warm and fuzzy feeling about my enemies. But is that what God is calling us to? “I demand that you have warm fuzzy feelings about everybody!” If this is the case, then we have a mighty cruel God Who demands that we have feelings since we cannot summon them up at will. So God must be talking about something else.

While not denying that emotions play a role in our love life at its core God is talking about decisions; primarily the decision for the betterment of the other person – and that is first and foremost their salvation. That means if my enemy is standing in the middle of the road and a bus is bearing down on them and I grab them and pull them out of the street I have acted in love toward them. If my best friend is doing something that places his salvation in danger it might mean I must risk losing our friendship to help him or even allowing him to deal with the consequences of his behavior in order for him to find truth.

So why is not everything perfect on earth? Why does God allow us to suffer war and hunger and anger? Does He cause it? No. We do. We could end war and starvation easily enough. But we choose not to. And He allows us to live with consequences (or we would never do anything that does not suit us directly would we?) Hell is much the same thing. Hell is our doing, not God’s. And on His part it is actually an act of mercy. “Nothing unclean shall enter before God” Scripture tells us. God condemns nobody to Hell. By our lives we tell God where we want to be. Could you imagine choosing “not God” with your life and then be forced to sit before His thrown for all of eternity? Rather in His mercy He allows souls their own limited realm so that they can have that which they have chosen. “Better to reign in Hell than serve in heaven,” says the devil. Indeed. And so God allows it.

The next part is an interesting (and in my estimation more dangerous) twist on Paschal’s wager which offers the proposition that if one chooses to believe in God and there is a God one in a sense “wins.” If one chooses to believe in God and there is no God, one would never know – but they would have had a life full of hope and purpose. Atlas, I think, is worried about being duped. What if we are wrong? Paschal answered that for us. But what if one chooses not to believe and they are wrong? There is a place for that.

If He does exists (and I believe wholeheartedly that He does) what does God ultimately want from us? There is a reason He is named Father. He is looking for a relationship. That is why God’s connection to His Church in Scripture is most often referred to as a marriage. This marriage is calling all in the Church toward community and unity – toward charity – toward peace. This is completely irrational! Yes it is! It makes much more sense to go after pleasure when and where I want it – to look after me and mine! It is irrational but it is what we choose as given to us by our Creator.

Now I am going to say something that will disturb some people out there. Darwinism is not fact. Not even science says so. It is a theory and, unfortunately one that is suffering at the moment – at least the way Darwin put it forth – no matter what your eighth grade science book says. This is not my or the Church’s view – this is modern science’s view. So they are on the search for another way to explain life.

In his book, “The Case for a Creator” by Lee Strobel which I recommend just because it is interesting (it will give you a different perspective even if you do not completely buy it) it makes the following point: “If Darwinism is true,” he reports the prominent evolutionary biologist and historian William Provine of Cornell University as saying, “there are five inescapable conclusions:
1 there’s no evidence for God.
2 there’s no life after death.
3 there’s no absolute foundation for right and wrong.
4 there’s no ultimate meaning of life.
5 people don’t really have free will.

Given the choice then of being wrong about a having a Creator or not – I err on the side of having one for life is just too bleak and senseless without him.

Lastly, for Darwinism to be true, he further reports, we must also believe the following:

1 Nothing produces everything.
2 Non-life produces life.
3 Randomness produces fine tuning.
4 Chaos produces organized information.
5 Unconsciousness produces consciousness.
6 Non-reason produces reason.

In the end then I guess I believe because as irrational as faith is, I find accepting this as far more irrational.

PAGAN SKELETONS - CHRISTIAN CLOSETS

Today we get to the series promised two weeks ago! A cyberfriend of Adam’s Ale by the name Atlas has been proposing some very interesting and thought provoking statements as of late in the comments section. They are classic statements of persons who do not have a particular belief in the Church and have many reasons for it.

Atlas, I appreciate your comments and hope you will continue. This is not an effort to convert you primarily. But your comments reflect what a Christian often faces in the world and you have provided me with a wonderful opportunity to reflect on them.

There are other sites that deal more specifically with apologetics and do a fantastic job so this not going to become a solely apologetic blog. For now a will limit myself to Atlas’ comments and a note of thanks to him because it has been fun thinking about it! So, here’s part one:

Atlas said...
To start off, Linda, Easter evolved from a Pagan ritual that celebrated the return of the Sun at the winter solstice. On December 22nd, the days stop getting shorter, it remains in the same spot in the sky for three days (the Sun is Dead), then on December 25th, the Winter Solstice, the Sun Rises and brings with it the coming of Spring and New Life. Christianity overtly stole this ritual from the Sol Invictus and Mithraism. In fact, Constantine the Great was an official member of Sol Invictus and is believed to have spliced the Early Christian cult, Mithraism and the Sol Invictus Cult.

This is not an uncommon claim presented to Christians and if one were truly not well versed in matters of faith and history it might give one pause for concern. Subtle though it is the implication is on one hand that the Christian celebrations lose credence because they are just modified pagan rituals or worse, on the other hand, the Christian story is false, being just a Christianized continuation of the pagan story.

But in a concisely worded response the Catholic Answers website responds:

“The fact that when it was first celebrated the feast of the Resurrection coincided with pagan celebrations doesn’t mean it was derived from them. The Jewish Passover (on which Christ was crucified) also coincided with such celebrations, yet this didn’t mean it was pagan.”

There are some other false implied assertions in such statements also. One would be that everything pagan is bad or evil and that any similarities are thus likewise tainted. C. K. Chesterton wrote on this:

“Let me set about making the matter clear. There is one broad fact about the relations of Christianity and Paganism which is so simple that many will smile at it, but which is so important that all moderns forget it. The primary fact about Christianity and Paganism is that one came after the other. Mr. Lowes Dickinson speaks of them as if they were parallel ideals --even speaks as if Paganism were the newer of the two, and the more fitted for a new age. He suggests that the Pagan ideal will be the ultimate good of man; but if that is so, we must at least ask with more curiosity than he allows for, why it was that man actually found his ultimate good on earth under the stars, and threw it away again. It is this extraordinary enigma to which I propose to attempt an answer.

“There is only one thing in the modern world that has been face to face with Paganism; there is only one thing in the modern world which in that sense knows anything about Paganism: and that is Christianity. That fact is really the weak point in the whole of that hedonistic neo-Paganism of which I have spoken. All that genuinely remains of the ancient hymns or the ancient dances of Europe, all that has honestly come to us from the festivals of Phoebus or Pan, is to be found in the festivals of the Christian Church. If any one wants to hold the end of a chain which really goes back to the heathen mysteries, he had better take hold of a festoon of flowers at Easter or a string of sausages at Christmas. Everything else in the modern world is of Christian origin, even everything that seems most anti-Christian. The French Revolution is of Christian origin. The newspaper is of Christian origin. The anarchists are of Christian origin. Physical science is of Christian origin. The attack on Christianity is of Christian origin. There is one thing, and one thing only, in existence at the present day which can in any sense accurately be said to be of pagan origin, and that is Christianity.”

If you wish to read more of his grand thoughts on this go here.

Another problem is that for the assertion to be entirely true the entire Christian story must be false or the allegation makes no sense. To make that case one would have to first throw out all evidence of the contrary. This too is done a regular basis. Often only extra ecclesial evidence is accepted as untainted and even that which is secularly archived video tape (there were not many videos being made in Jesus’ day) is explained away.

In short, this statement designed to disturb the weak Christian only “works” by smoke and mirrors – winks and nods – innuendo and insinuation. But it is as insubstantial as a Fourth of July firework which may dazzle one for a moment and then becomes nothing more than some burnt pieces of cardboard on the ground.

TUESDAY QUOTE OF THE WEEK CXXXI

FINDING TRUTH WHEREVER IT MAY BE FOUND: "A deceiver can never be at ease, knowing how effortlessly one can get past a man's defences and that practicing the art confers no immunity from becoming a victim oneself." from Douglas Galbraith's "Rising Sun"

QUOTE II: "A man can be a great artist and be a bad man." Jaques Maritain

IN OTHER NEWS:

Here's a great site that provides fun facts about saints. Might be a good one to get the kids interested in learning something about the saints if you just don't find it interesting yourself.

Power to the people! Okay, this video has nothing in common with this blog but it made me happy. Thanks Frank.




Gus from EWTN sent this in: "If you’re still deciding what to do for the great season of Advent, which began yesterday, why not consider listening to a great EWTN homily each day? You can find it by going to our home page, http://ewtn.com/, and looking down the right hand side for “Today’s Mass: Readings and Homily.” When you click on that, you will see an icon at the top of the page that says “Today’s Homily.” You can listen or watch on your computer or download the homily to your MP3 player. If you already go to Mass, you can drag the cursor along the bottom to get past the readings and go straight to the homily. If you can’t attend, then you may want to listen to the readings as well. What a great way to lift your mind and heart to God this Advent!"

MONDAY DIARY: GOD BLESS MOM

Now I get it!

Thanksgiving always seemed so easy when Mom did it.

I hosted Thanksgiving for the first time in my life for about 20 members of my family. To be honest I did not even have to cook. I just had to provide the house and some plates. If I had to cook too you probably would have been reading my obituary at the moment.

How do you people do this?

For some reason (I blame the devil) the work load at the parish increased incredibly as Thanksgiving neared. My desk looked as though a dump truck and backed up to it and unloaded itself after gorging itself on its own version of Turkey Day. And my desk, because of lack of space in the rectory, is in the living room. So that just would not stand. Besides, where would the drinks table be then?

So as the magical hour arrived for people to start showing up I got the biggest box I could find and just shoved EVERYTHING into it and hid it in the closet. My desk looked fabulous.

But unfortunately nothing miraculous happened. Reality did not match the illusion. The box did not disappear. *sigh*

So, it was time to play vacation – a game I only play in extreme emergencies. No, that does not mean I jumped into my car and drove to Niagara Falls leaving the work behind; while fun for a day that just makes the pile that much bigger when I get back. “Vacation” is when the doors are locked, the blinds are drawn, the cell phone is left upstairs, and items are taken out of the box one by one and handled immediately and without interruption until every last scrap is gone as if tomorrow I was leaving on vacation and wanted it done before I left.

I was so happy to legitimately see the top of my desk that I brought people in to look at it. Now all I have to do is catch up on 75 Emails and a number of phone calls. (You may have noticed a distinct lack of posts last week!)

But for the rest of Sunday, I will enjoy the illusion that I am really all caught up from the looks of my desk and pretend that Monday will be a lazy day.

FAIR NAMES TO FOUL DEEDS

In a comments section last week it was stated that a short series would begin today. With Thanksgiving tomorrow and a few other things on my plate, that will have to wait until next week. Fortunately CK, a regular guest blogger on Adam's Ale, sent an excellent post in so that I could have a little break today. Thank you CK! I hope everyone finds it as useful and well said as I did.

On November 6th, The City Club of Cleveland sponsored a talk by Barbara Coombs of the euthanasia advocacy group “Compassion and Choices”, formerly known as the Hemlock Society. In her speech Ms. Coombs claimed that her group promotes dignity and truth and religious groups, on the other hand, are in favor of dogma and guilt.

She told sad stories of patients who suffered because their end-of life wishes were ignored. But in all of her stories, the patients’ requests would have been acceptable to every major religious denomination, including the Catholic Church. None of them expressed the desire to poison themselves.

She claimed to be on the side of truth, but went on to say that poisoning yourself is not suicide, and a doctor prescribing poison is not euthanasia, it is “aid in dying”. (I recall a certain priest cleverly suggesting that if we call toxic waste “drinking water” we still should not dump it in our rivers.)

She claims that Churches and those with conservative values impose guilt and shame, but her group advocates for advanced directives that ask a patient if they want to be a “burden to their families” by extending their lives and or if they want to live lives that are “useless”. Who is causing guilt and shame here?

Contrary to what Ms. Coombs claimed, the Catholic Church does not demand that death “always be fought” (an extraordinary accusation to launch at a Church full of martyrs). In all of the examples she sites, the Church would have allowed the cessation of the extraordinary means she described. The Church even allows as much pain medication as necessary to eliminate pain, even if it shortens life, but doesn’t directly cause it. The Church only demands that you allow the patient to die of their disease or condition, not of poisoning or dehydration.

If someone in unbearable emotional pain tries to commit suicide by jumping off a bridge, we don’t stand back and say, “Well, they are exercising their autonomy.” We run to their rescue. If they poisoned themselves instead of jumping off a bridge it still would not be a “death with dignity”. The Catholic Church tries to end the pain, not the person.

It is Christian churches who have true mercy on the dying by lavishing their fellow brothers and sisters in Christ with a love that makes many patients change their minds about suicide. The Catholic Church asserts their inherent dignity, even when the patient’s life is seemingly unproductive and full of suffering, like Christ on the cross. Euthanasia is the false mercy that releases the living from their duty to care for the dying and to suffer with them, the true meaning of empathy. It is my hope that Catholics succeed in showing the world who is really on the side of truth and dignity here.

TUESDAY QUOTE OF THE WEEK CXXX

FINDING TRUTH WHEREVER IT MAY BE FOUND: “The vast mysteries of the universe should only confirm our belief in the certainty of its Creator. I find it as difficult to understand a scientist who does not acknowledge the presence of a superior rationality behind the existence of the universe as it is to comprehend a theologian who would deny the advances of science.” Werner von Braun, the father of space science as reported in Lee Strobel’s, “A Case for a Creator”

QUOTE II: "Not serve two masters? Here's a youth will try it. Would fain serve God yet give the devil his due; Says grace before he doth a deed of villainy, And returns his thanks devoutly when tis acted." "Old Play" as found in Scott's, "Kennleworth"

IN OTHER NEWS:

The Diocese of Cleveland reports, "The Catholic Conference of Ohio has issued the following Action Alert pertaining to restoring budget cuts to Chartered Nonpublic School Students." See here and here.

P sent in this movie trailer for The Blind Side. Looks interesting.

This two minute video certainly puts a new twist on a certain Scripture passage!

Here is a site that offers Catholic fun facts. Okay, I don't know how fun they actually are but have a look.

MONDAY DIARY: DEER IN HEADLIGHTS

Occasionally priests are called upon to attend events to be a presence of the Church and to give benedictions or talks or whatnot. That was the case for me this past weekend. It was worthwhile event and I was seated with a number of very interesting people including a friend who was in the next chair. The program consisted of speeches and performances from various people. Then a person was called forward to speak that we were unaware was there at a second head table. When this person’s name was called my friend and I locked glances. We sat closest to the microphone and were in full view of everybody. The person is somewhat hostile to the Church in general and is, in particular, a radically devoted pro-abortion proponent with whom I have exchanged letters.

I am somewhat sure that nobody was as sensitive to the situation as my friend and I were. To us, every action meant something. To others it most likely was a pleasant evening of dinner and a program. Thoughts ran along these lines, “Would polite applause show tacit approval of this person’s position or would the refusal to clap during this completely unrelated and worthwhile event give fodder to those who are pro-abortion or who are on the borderline to say, ‘See? Do you want to be like those rude and radical people?’”

She, of course, had no idea that I was the person with whom she had exchanged letters but the sight of my collar would be a dead giveaway that we were at odds philosophically, morally, and religiously. That being said she was completely gracious it must be noted and there was no pushing of any controversial agendas.

It is interesting that we had grown up almost at the same time in the same neighborhood and had spent our youth hanging out in the same places doing the same things. Much of the memory portion of her talk could have been written by me. But now we could not be more different in our defense of life. Her focus is on a grown woman that she can see and talk to (and who can vote), my focus is also on that woman but also on the person in her womb that we cannot see, that we cannot touch, that we cannot talk to, that cannot vote, and has very little in the way of protection under our laws; a place that many persons in the history of man has held.

So we were polite; neither showing enthusiasm nor disdain. But through it I think that I am coming to a new insight into the pro-life movement. I think of all the times in history when being a churchman was unpopular such as in England during Henry the VIII or that a Church teaching caused a person to be in such direct conflict with the state such as in Communism, Nazism, or even during the Dioclesian persecution of our own St. Sebastian. Did it start with political correctness and politeness or was it flared by stubbornness and confrontation?

In any event the waters are troubled and it is difficult to navigate in these nebulous times. I would like to hear what you think you might have done given this situation.

IN UNRELATED NEWS:

I was asked the other day by a kind individual to stop referring to this parish as St. Sebastian and to refer to it as St. Sebastian’s; the argument being that St. Sebastian is a person who lived hundreds of years ago and that this is a place put in his care. So the parochial vicar and I went through some of the paperwork from the founding of the parish and looked at the Latin which side stepped the matter entirely by stating that this is the Parish of Saint Sebastian which we think could be translated either way.

Upon further reflection we came up with the idea that this parish while being placed into his intercession is not his, but named after him. If it is indeed possessive, would not also have to call a parish that is named, for example, Sacred Heart, Sacred Heart’s? or Assumption Assumption’s? or Divine Word Divine Word’s?

I am open to your input once again!

FRIDAY POTPOURRI - REREDOS = TAKE TWO AND SEE ME IN THE MORNING

If your church dates back to pre-Vatican II and you still have the old high altar many times there was what was called a reredos directly behind it. It is usually a carving but sometimes a painting or tapestry that either sits on the back of the altar or rises behind it attached to the apse wall. It may contain images of the patron saint of the parish or other significant saints or scenes from the life of Christ. A crucifix is there or a place for one and often there are relics. If you look at the sanctuary in your older church and think, “Something just seems wrong. Like there should be something there.” Chances are there was a reredos and the architecture was designed to draw your eye to it and thus down to the mensa of the altar and now it is missing.

This is particularly apparent in our Cathedral of Saint John. There is a gorgeous rerdos attached to the rear wall. The altar however has been moved considerably closer to where the people sit. There was always something that made me feel uneasy in that space and one day it became clear what that was. I was singing in the choir loft and because the organ sits in front of the choir I watched Mass from mirror. The mirror cut everything off from about the height of a person on up. The whole space then made sense. All our attention was drawn to the new altar. Later I went down stair and held a hymnal in front of me so that it blocked my view of the sanctuary from about the height of a person on down. The whole building was designed to draw one’s attention to the rear wall and to where there was once an altar. (This is why those who do renovations must be so very careful.) The building is fighting against itself. But it shows how effective it was in its job of pulling your attention to what was once there. In any event there is an excellent example of a reredos as well as at St. Bernard for locals.

When the priest led the people in facing liturgical east (Christ and His kingdom) they would all be facing toward the reredos which was a bit like facing a slice of heaven. Indeed the depiction of the saints and the sacrifice of Christ were seen there.

It is now preferred that altars be free standing but that does not mean that a reredos is not useful. It would take a certain amount more ingenuity to design something that would not attract attention to itself away from the altar but it could still be done.

BEFORE RUNNING A RACE - DECIDE THE RACE TO BE RUN

(The following is constructed from my notes taken during the Mullen Lecture at Saint Mary Seminary, Cleveland. The presenter was Fr. Keven FitzGerald SJ)

We talk a lot about the race against disease but the question must be asked, “What kind of race to we want to run?” There are different courses that could be tackled. The predominate goal line toward which we run today seems to be that which may have the greatest monetary reward and may affect percentage wise a very small amount of people at some point in the future. But we know that hundreds of millions of people today could be saved from death and disease right now if they had access to clean water and had proper sanitation. And it would be comparatively inexpensive to achieve.

The touted theory is that there will be a trickledown effect by attacking these highly complex problems. By spending most of our dollars and time on celebrity diseases eventually what will happen is that these cures will be made accessible to the masses. Yet, without any further research, we can state categorically that hundreds of millions of people can be preserved from a profuse amount of diseases and suffering and even agonizing death if they have sanitation and clean water. And we could afford to do right now. Yet this simple solution has not trickled down.

The axiom, “What is more important than you health” has many answers. It is possible that a pill could be developed that would solve all of your problems. But what if you were the only able to afford it? What if the perfect pill for one reason or another made you the loneliest but healthiest person in the world? On the other hand, instead of a pill, what if life met you with a chronic illness but provided you with such a deep love that it made life worth living?

That is not to say that all research in diseases should be stopped. I hated that my father died of Alzheimer’s and my mother of cancer. Yet if I knew that if they endured that (and that I may have to also) that hundreds of millions of people would live far better and longer lives, it would choose it. My cure may not come in my life time – but if my cure is at the expense a X1000s of others’ cures, “no greater is there than this; to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”

These are questions worth thinking about for they will tell us what race we are going to run.

THE SKY IS *YAWN* FALLING

When YK2 was all the rage I was an MC for the First Night Celebration in downtown Akron. At midnight they shoot off fireworks to mark the start of the New Year and my cousin and I stood in the Polsky’s Parking Deck both for the grand view and a quick escape. The place was absolutely packed even though it was frigid outside. One young man on the road below us was practically stripped though it was obvious he was also rather chemically protected against feeling the cold. Apparently if the machines of the world decided to rebel against us at the stroke of midnight for not enabling them to count higher than 1999 he wanted to go out in a black haze.

The countdown began to the New Year and possible end of the world. A jet soared across the night sky. The blue lights of televisions and computer screens lit up various windows of the Mayflower apartment building nearby. The crowd yelled out, “10! 9! 8!” The excitement level was particularly tense this year. It was YK2 – people had bought provisions, purchased crank radios, and had plans in case the country went wild with looters. “3! 2! 1!” Fireworks lit up the sky. The plane didn’t fall. The blue monitors kept flickering away, and the lamp posts didn’t rip themselves up from the ground and start attacking us. I turned to my cousin and said, “Well THAT was disappointing.”

So I suppose you heard once again that the world is coming to an end. Apparently the Aztec calendar is coming to its completion which marks the end of life as we know it. I apologize for yawning at the prospect. I am tired of gearing up for the end of the world every couple of years. Of course it could happen. It might happen before you read the end of this sentence. Or this sentence fragment. Or this one. If you are still reading, chances are the end of the world has not taken place. Now, you could have fretted until you reached the end of each sentence worrying that the world might end. But would you be living if you were in constant fear that the world might end there? Or here?

And to be quite truthful, as Christians we should not worry. The world is going to end for us whether it is actually the earth shaking us off or we get hit by a bus. The point is we are ready. Whatever. End or don’t end. We should neither fear death nor refuse to live. We are ready in any event and if we are here we have work to do – so BRING LIFE ON!

TUESDAY QUOTE OF THE WEEK CXXIX

FINDING TRUTH WHEREVER IT MAY BE FOUND: “The finish line is not avoiding death or disease or diminishment at all costs. The finish line is that all live well, love well, and die well. What counts for “well” is what more fully develops our shared human nature both individually and communally. Therefore each and all have much to give and much to receive.” Fr. Kevin Fitzpatrick SJ

QUOTE II: “We are all beggars at the table of grace.” Righteous B

IN OTHER NEWS:

There is always something fun going on at St. Sebastian. Thanks to Chilly Pepper and crew for helping paint the safe.

The Diocese of Cleveland Enewsletter has a report on Holy Love Ministries where Our Lady is reported as appearing. Bishop Lennon has recently written a letter and issued a decree on it. If you are interested you can find the letter here and the decree here.

Steph sent this article in which reads in part, "Traditionally, conventional Christians believe that only humans have redeemable souls, said Laura Hobgood-Oster, a religion professor at Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas. But a growing number of congregations from Massachusetts to Texas to California are challenging that assertion with regular pet blessings and, increasingly, pet-centric services, said Hobgood-Oster, who studies the role of animals in Christian tradition. She recently did a survey that found more than 500 blessings for animals at churches nationwide and has heard of a half-dozen congregations holding worship services like Eggebeen's, including one in a Boston suburb called Woof 'n Worship." Before anyone asks - "No."

P. sent this lengthy article in. In summer it reads, "David Kinnaman, president of the Barna Group, said it's important to realize the research does not prove that spiritual activity as a young person causes spiritual engagement as an adult. In fact, the research confirms the pattern that many students who are active early in life disengage from their faith as they get older. "However, . . . [the study] provides clarity that the odds of one sticking with faith over a lifetime are enhanced in a positive direction by spiritual activity under the age of 18."

41 Seconds:

Mary sent this video in. It was produced by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. It is a 6.5 minute presentation about the Champagne for Human Development.


News reports indicate that abortions were down over 15% this year in Summit County. This is in addition to three years of decline.

For those of you who caught the above spelling check error - I liked it so much I thought to keep it. Cheers!

MONDAY DIARY - EVERYTHING IS THE SAME - EVERYTHING IS DIFFERENT

If you were among those who have not heard the news yet, I am no longer the administrator of Saint Sebastian Parish in Akron. As of 2:50 of Tuesday past Bishop Lennon has named me pastor.

A summons from his office came a couple of weeks ago to meet him in his new office in downtown Cleveland. All of our diocesan offices have moved across the street from the cathedral to what I call “The Revco Building” a business which no longer exists and the building is now called Cathedral Plaza – which sounds very European and suggests a cobblestone – well – plaza with maybe a fountain and some benches and a statue. In reality it is a downtown business building without so much as a front stoop.

The new (to us) building is very nice. I will grant that the old building, which had a lot of character, was rather impractical and had many maintenance problems – but there was something homey about it. Then again, I didn’t have to work there. The new building is very sleek and corporate and perhaps after we’ve been in it for years it will look more lived in and Catholiced up.

A guard greeted me at the door and I showed her my ID, signed in, and jumped into the elevator to the bishop’s floor. His new office is very white. A carved wooden table in the conference room from the old building sits in front of a glass wall that gives a grand view down Rockwell Avenue. The meeting is both relaxed yet very formal for this is the actual moment the assignment takes place. The ceremony in the Church after is just that: a ceremony and celebration.

There are a couple of things that need to take place in order to become pastor. First a Profession of Faith is made. This largely consists of the Nicene Creed but goes on to include everything contained in God’s word written or handed down by the Church. It is read aloud and signed and witnessed. Then an Oath of Fidelity on Assuming the Office to be Exercised in the Name of the Church is given in which a new pastor promises to preserve the unity of the Church, carry out all of their duties, shall hold fast to the deposit of the faith, follow the common discipline of the Church, and promise obedience, “So help me God, and God’s holy Gospels, in which I place my hand.” This too is read, singed, and witnessed.

Bishop Lennon then pronounced that I now held the position of pastor of Saint Sebastian and offered his congratulations and the official papers of appointment which read in small part, “After proper consultation, I hereby appoint you Pastor of Saint Sebastian Parish, Akron. . .” Also contained with the paperwork was the ceremonial for the installation Mass to be celebrated by Bishop Pevec who is very special to me – and of course you are all invited.

I knelt down and received my bishop’s blessing and then headed down the elevator and out the door to a gray Cleveland sky that was just beginning to spit rain. Crossing the street to the Cathedral I slipped inside to say a prayer of thanks and ask for guidance. Within moments someone came up and asked to have a confession. Not ten minutes a pastor and already a sacrament celebrated! A fitting way and a good foot on which to start a new endeavor.

FRIDAY POTPOURRI - APSE-SEE-DAISY

Today we start a new series for Friday Potpourri. We are going to take a tour of church architecture; what the various parts are and if they have any discoverable meaning, which I can dig up, what that is.

So you are sitting in your pew looking forward toward the altar. Though the rest of the building is very square you might notice behind the altar (if it hasn’t been moved elsewhere) some features that incorporate semi-circular curves. It may be a curved or wall, it may be only rounded about the top, or it may appear as on quarter of a ball. This area is called the apse. We do not have such an area here at St. Sebastian but for locals for the first type Saint Mary in Akron is a good example, for the second St. Augustine in Barberton is a good example, and for the third the top portion of St. Bernard is a good example.

There is a symbolic reasoning for the curvature. Early in this series (a few years ago) it was noted that straight lines and squares represent earth, man, and the things that he makes. Curves and circles represent the realm of God and His creation. Is it not symbolically fantastic then that the very spot where Jesus is made truly present, Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity, Who is 100% God, 100% man, the only, true, and perfect mediator between God and man is where architecturally square lines intersect with curvy lines? Here is where heaven and earth meat most truly and our churches try to tell us that in their own language.

THE NEW NORTH AND SOUTH?

I heard a news program on NPR yesterday that is bothering me tremendously. The great temptation was there to turn off the radio and not think about it but that seemed irresponsible. So because it is still a bur under my saddle you will be saddled with it today.

It was a political program and the topic was abortion. The person on the program was radically pro-abortion. But more on that in a moment. What became clear to me for the first time was how divided we are as a nation on the topic. Of course you already knew that and so did I, but it became clear to me yesterday how difficult it will be to be a united nation in this great debate.

Trying to see the issue from the pro-abortion side I can see why they would want to call the issue pro-choice. In their eyes there is only one person involved – the woman. There is only one body involved: the woman’s. Passing legislation concerning limiting or abolishing abortion to them is a state violation of the woman’s bodily integrity. It would be a kin to forced operation – or better yet the refusal of an operation because the state wants a say in how a woman would look or what kind of operation she wants concerning her body. Viewed in this light abortion limiting laws must seem like an abomination and explains the harshness of the words of the person on the air yesterday.

She is a politician and was stating that she was going to work hard at bringing down any politician that voted for any legislation that would in any way impede a woman’s right to an abortion. Any politician that voted in this manner is “against the women of this county” and they will make sure that they will be opposed wherever they are running for office. To be “anti-choice” is to automatically be opposed to women.

That is mighty strong language but again, if you have the mentality above it makes sense. The problem is that pro-choice people recognize that more than one person involved. There are two human beings present and the strong feelings that the pro-abortion side has toward the bodily integrity of the woman is extended on the pro-life side to the life in her womb – the child. If you see the life within the womb of the mother to be a person, then the above paragraph stated by the politician no longer sounds like a champion for the underdog but a terrifying speech of a powerful person who wants control to do with as they wish to a powerless person. This may sound a bit strong so brace yourself: But if you see two people involved here and one has absolute power – even to put to death the other – it sounds like the horrors of our human history being played out once again – in most recent times acts against the Jewish people and slavery.

Can it be that we could exist as a country where one’s conscience can be the determining factor? The question becomes can a people live in unity where one sees a soul-less life to be treated as the “host” wills and the other who sees a person with legal and God given rights of peace, liberty and the pursuit of happiness? At question is a deep anthropology: “What is man? When does life become man? When does he deserve rights? Who has the right to decide?” We do not agree on these things as a nation and the answers will have extreme consequences in every area and stage of our lives (who should receive health care and how much for example.)

In the end it is a question of who we are – how much power we have – and who has the right to decide. It is much more than about abortion. It is much greater and much, much more is at stake.

WHAT'S MY LINE?

Here is an interesting almost quote:

“It is time for a cultural change. We can no longer operate under the idea that everyone makes money and why shouldn’t I? This mentality is a very easy slope to slide down one day finding yourself breaking the law. There is no acceptable level of corruption. Our role in this is not a job it is a calling and together we can make a difference.”

This is not from a papal encyclical or a statement by the USCCB. This call for cultural change stemming from this calling is not even a homily. It is from a presentation by an FBI agent speaking on how we can save ourselves from financial ruin in this country. But in every way it sounds like the Christian message. It is the call we have as baptized Catholics anointed as priests, prophets, and kings, imbued with the responsibility of infusing our homes, schools, workplaces, neighborhoods, and nations with Divine moral imperatives of virtue, duty, honesty, and integrity. In our role there is no acceptable level of corruption. Our role in this is not a job but a vocation and together we can make a difference.