Saturday, October 23, 2010

Children of homosexuals.



The corruption and change which fell on marriage among the Gentiles seem almost incredible, inasmuch as it was exposed in every land to floods of error and of the most shameful lusts. - Pope Leo XIII
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Manhattan, Kans., Oct 22, 2010 / 06:04 am (CNA).- Social scientist Walter Schumm doesn't think his forthcoming paper ought to be provoking outraged responses he has already received.


For years, researchers have admitted the possibility that he says he has now confirmed -- that children raised by homosexual parents are more apt to become homosexual themselves. - CNA

Thoughts on Marriage

From Leo XIII.
In choosing a state of life, it is indisputable that all are at full liberty to follow the counsel of Jesus Christ as to observing virginity, or to bind themselves by the marriage tie. No human law can abolish the natural and original right of marriage, nor in any way limit the chief and principal purpose of marriage ordained by God's authority from the beginning: "Increase and multiply."(3) Hence we have the family, the "society" of a man's house - a society very small, one must admit, but none the less a true society, and one older than any State. Consequently, it has rights and duties peculiar to itself which are quite independent of the State. - Leo XIII Rerum Novarum
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On the true origin of marriage.
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The true origin of marriage, venerable brothers, is well known to all. Though revilers of the Christian faith refuse to acknowledge the never-interrupted doctrine of the Church on this subject, and have long striven to destroy the testimony of all nations and of all times, they have nevertheless failed not only to quench the powerful light of truth, but even to lessen it. We record what is to all known, and cannot be doubted by any, that God, on the sixth day of creation, having made man from the slime of the earth, and having breathed into his face the breath of life, gave him a companion, whom He miraculously took from the side of Adam when he was locked in sleep. God thus, in His most far-reaching foresight, decreed that this husband and wife should be the natural beginning of the human race, from whom it might be propagated and preserved by an unfailing fruitfulness throughout all futurity of time. And this union of man and woman, that it might answer more fittingly to the infinite wise counsels of God, even from the beginning manifested chiefly two most excellent properties - deeply sealed, as it were, and signed upon it-namely, unity and perpetuity. From the Gospel we see clearly that this doctrine was declared and openly confirmed by the divine authority of Jesus Christ. He bore witness to the Jews and to His Apostles that marriage, from its institution, should exist between two only, that is, between one man and one woman; that of two they are made, so to say, one flesh; and that the marriage bond is by the will of God so closely and strongly made fast that no man may dissolve it or render it asunder. "For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife, and they two shall be in one flesh. Therefore now they are not two, but one flesh. What, therefore, God bath joined together, let no man put asunder."(2)

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6. This form of marriage, however, so excellent and so pre-eminent, began to be corrupted by degrees, and to disappear among the heathen; and became even among the Jewish race clouded in a measure and obscured. For in their midst a common custom was gradually introduced, by which it was accounted as lawful for a man to have more than one wife; and eventually when "by reason of the hardness of their heart,"(3) Moses indulgently permitted them to put away their wives, the way was open to divorce.

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7. But the corruption and change which fell on marriage among the Gentiles seem almost incredible, inasmuch as it was exposed in every land to floods of error and of the most shameful lusts. All nations seem, more or less, to have forgotten the true notion and origin of marriage; and thus everywhere laws were enacted with reference to marriage, prompted to all appearance by State reasons, but not such as nature required. Solemn rites, invented at will of the law-givers, brought about that women should, as might be, bear either the honorable name of wife or the disgraceful name of concubine; and things came to such a pitch that permission to marry, or the refusal of the permission, depended on the will of the heads of the State, whose laws were greatly against equity or even to the highest degree unjust. Moreover, plurality of wives and husbands, as well as divorce, caused the nuptial bond to be relaxed exceedingly. Hence, too, sprang up the greatest confusion as to the mutual rights and duties of husbands and wives, inasmuch as a man assumed right of dominion over his wife, ordering her to go about her business, often without any just cause; while he was himself at liberty "to run headlong with impunity into lust, unbridled and unrestrained, in houses of ill-fame and amongst his female slaves, as if the dignity of the persons sinned with, and not the will of the sinner, made the guilt."(4) When the licentiousness of a husband thus showed itself, nothing could be more piteous than the wife, sunk so low as to be all but reckoned as a means for the gratification of passion, or for the production of offspring. Without any feeling of shame, marriageable girls were bought and sold, tike so much merchandise,(5) and power was sometimes given to the father and to the husband to inflict capital punishment on the wife. Of necessity, the offspring of such marriages as these were either reckoned among the stock in trade of the common-wealth or held to be the property of the father of the family;(6) and the law permitted him to make and unmake the marriages of his children at his mere will, and even to exercise against them the monstrous power of life and death.
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8. So manifold being the vices and so great the ignominies with which marriage was defiled, an alleviation and a remedy were at length bestowed from on high. Jesus Christ, who restored our human dignity and who perfected the Mosaic law, applied early in His ministry no little solicitude to the question of marriage. He ennobled the marriage in Cana of Galilee by His presence, and made it memorable by the first of the miracles which he wrought;(7) and for this reason, even from that day forth, it seemed as if the beginning of new holiness had been conferred on human marriages. Later on He brought back matrimony to the nobility of its primeval origin by condemning the customs of the Jews in their abuse of the plurality of wives and of the power of giving bills of divorce; and still more by commanding most strictly that no one should dare to dissolve that union which God Himself had sanctioned by a bond perpetual. Hence, having set aside the difficulties which were adduced from the law of Moses, He, in character of supreme Lawgiver, decreed as follows concerning husbands and wives, "I say to you, that whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery; and he that shall marry her that is put away committeth adultery."(8) - Leo XIII Arcanum Divinae

Friday, October 22, 2010

What Happened to John Sonnen and his blog Orbis Catholicus?


It's gone!  Did you ever see The Talented Mr. Ripley?  I'm worried.

Thursday, October 21, 2010

More on the Intercessors.


The good news is that a vast majority support the archbishop's decision, and are apparently happy to move on.
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The bad news is they need donations to start a new life - I find it curious that the corporation/foundation that 'operated/owned'  them isn't held responsible for their welfare.
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"Those who wish to support approximately fifty of the former members who are now being cared for by the Archdiocese of Omaha can send donations for this specific purpose to: Intercessor Relief, c/o Archdiocese of Omaha, 100 N. 62nd St., Omaha, NE 68132. Checks should be made payable to the "Archdiocese of Omaha" with a notation made in the memo field for "Intercessor Relief."

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Top photo:  The fashion industry rushes clothing to the former community members.  Fashion guru Tim Gunn started the emergency airlift saying, "We've got to get those poor souls out of that habit!"  In an interview Gunn suggested that interventions such as these may be planned for the Amish, Bruderhoffs, and some fundamentalist Mormon communities as well. (JK)
Tim Gunn

Cardinal Burke: The backlash?


Churchmen and their rivalries.
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Fr. Z seems to be the first to mention it, citing the response from National Catholic Reporter in his post "NCR bitter about Cardinal Burke" which was also picked up by Pewsitters.  Will more be forthcoming?  Cardinal Burke has made some enemies - in high places mind you.  Who will come out of the wood work next?
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Cardinal Burke is not only a champion of the Extraordinary Form Mass and all things baroque, he has become something of a hero to faithful Catholics.  He has also found himself at political odds with a fellow bishop or two, as well as liberal Catholics.  While bishop of LaCrosse, Burke also became a patron of what many of his clerical critics describe as fringe religious communities, including a community of two teaching sisters, one of whom happened to be a transgendered male.  That particular story became well known despite the fact the community was quickly disbanded - after a 'concerned' albeit 'devout' traditional Catholic woman went over Burke's head in a canonical complaint to the Vatican.  The woman enthusiastically, but discreetly broadcast the details of her triumph in religious goods stores and at church donuts and coffee events throughout the area.  The irony is that the whistle-blower and her audience were people who ought to have been Bishop Burke's closest allies!  Now that he is named Cardinal, I'm sure they will claim to be just that, but you have to wonder - with friends like that, just imagine what his enemies will do. 
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As the most outspoken American bishop on moral and political issues affecting Catholics, it is only to be expected the new Cardinal will be scrutinized, vilified, and attacked.  I think it is safe to say Cardinal Burke is very much in need of our prayers. 
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And maybe keep in mind that Cardinals do not wear the red for fashion.

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Burke made it.

Congratulations!
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Pope Benedict XVI has named Archbishop Raymond Burke, archbishop emeritus of St. Louis and prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura in Rome, as a cardinal. - St. Louis Review
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He made it!
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St. Paul of the Cross

Founder of the Passionists.
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St. Paul of the Cross was a great mystic.  I think most of us lay people - who on occasion imagine we know something about the spiritual life, mystical theology, contemplation and the dark night are terribly, grossly misled.  From Garrigou-Lagrange:
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His life was truly a life of reparation in all its depth and elevation; it was the apostolate by spiritual suffering to an exceptional degree. This suffering consisted not only in the subtraction of sensible consolations, but, as it were, in the eclipse of the virtues of faith, hope, and charity. The saint believed himself abandoned by God, he believed that God was irritated with him. His temptations to despair and sadness were overwhelming; and yet in this interminable trial, St. Paul showed great patience, perfect resignation to the divine will, and extreme kindness to all who approached him, as Father Cajetan relates.(20) In the Summary of the ordinary processes in view of his canonization, are the following declarations: "One day St. Paul said to his director: 'If anyone should ask me at any time what I was thinking about, it seems to me that I could reply that I was thinking of God.' " (21) This was likewise the case even in his greatest spiritual desolations, at a time when it seemed to him that he no longer had faith, hope, or charity. (22) He was accustomed to say: "It seems to me impossible not to think of God, since our spirit is wholly filled with God and we are entirely in Him." (23)
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Actually, when St. Paul of the Cross went through the streets of Rome exclaiming: "A via Pauli, libera nos, Domine," he was unable to breathe spiritually except in God. Day and night for fortyfive years his prayer was a painful, heroic, incessant prayer, which sought God ardently, and which sought Him to give Him to the souls for whom this great saint suffered. More fruitful than years of preaching inspired by a lesser love, these painful years were a sublime realization of the Master's words: "We ought always to pray, and not to faint." (24) The saint's life and trials throw light on the import of the following thought of St. John of the Cross: "A single act of pure love can do more good in the Church than many exterior works". - Three Ages of the Interior Life: Part four: Ch 49: The life of Reparation

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

The Simpson's are Catholic? D'oh!



The ever hip L’Osservatore Romano lauds Homer Simpson as a model Catholic.
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What is going on with that Vatican rag?  How lame is the editor?  How lame is the article they cite from the Jesuit magazine La Civilita Cattolica?   What has happened to the Church in Italy?  Sheesh!
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L’Osservatore Romano marked the 20th anniversary of “The Simpsons” in its Oct. 17 edition by lauding the popular television show for taking religious faith seriously, although often irreverently.

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And, although "few know it, and he does everything to hide it ... it's true: Homer J. Simpson is Catholic," according to newspaper.
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The newspaper cited an analysis in the Oct. 16 issue of the Italian Jesuit magazine, La Civilita Cattolica.
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In it, Father Francesco Occhetta examined a Catholic-themed episode from 2005, "The Father, the Son and the Holy Guest Star," in which Homer and his son Bart are befriended by a priest named Father Sean, and consider conversion to Catholicism.  "The Simpsons remain among the few TV programs for kids in which the Christian faith, religion and the question on God are recurrent themes," Father Occhetta wrote. - CNA
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I like The Simpsons just as much as any other mindless, dysfunctional, adult-child of alcoholic mental cases, but Homer and his family are so not Catholic role-models.  And the show is not my idea of an appropriate kids show. 
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Sunday, October 17, 2010

The devil is a liar and the father of lies.


Remember the film Emily Rose?  A companion book purported to be the 'real' transcripts of the conversations between the demon, the victim, and the exorcist were made available through a couple of Catholic booksellers.  Supposedly the demon was forced to admit things - like communion in the hand was evil, and other stuff.  Throughout the centuries devils were supposed to have been forced to say all sorts of things.*  Were they true?  Maybe - but truth mixed with lies is never something to put faith in...  I found the following on Dr. Edward Peters blog, In the Light of the Law:
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Exorcists telling their stories...
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Finally, it is very important not to believe or disclose any comments made by the devil/possessed during the rites. Falsehoods are bad, but falsehoods mixed with truths can be devastating. No matter how many truths about oneself or about others that one might hear during the rites, one should not assume that any other comments are, or even might be, true. Nothing disclosed or even intimated by the possessed can be trusted. Absolutely nothing.
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Heresy is just like that.  Intercessors and mystics, beware of playing the prophet.
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Just sayin'.
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*Yes, Christ forced devils to identify themselves and so on, and a priest acting in persona Christi and authorized to perform the exorcism can do likewise - but the results or transcripts should not be broadcast, lest the faithful be confused or scandalized.