On the Church's commitment to accompanying all people...

Sisters have been on the front lines.

“If we are going to really accompany people, we have to first of all engage them." - Cupich


Just a thought.

Something to think about: Envy - a very gay sin.

Thinking about the 9th and 10th Commandments.

Many people who struggle with chastity get themselves stuck on the 6th Commandment - but sins of the flesh are often rooted in sins of pride, envy, jealousy, unchecked concupiscence and covetousness.  A sin against chastity can be so shameful to the penitent, he doesn't always understand the dispositions surrounding the fall - sometimes that is why certain sins become habitual.  Maybe I can write a little more about it.  In the meantime, I'm pondering the sections of the Catechism regarding these two Commandments.

THE NINTH COMMANDMENT 

You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his manservant, or his maidservant, or his ox, or his ass, or anything that is your neighbor's. 

Every one who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 

2514 St. John distinguishes three kinds of covetousness or concupiscence: lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and pride of life.  In the Catholic catechetical tradition, the ninth commandment forbids carnal concupiscence; the tenth forbids coveting another's goods.

THE TENTH COMMANDMENT 

You shall not covet . . . anything that is your neighbor's. . . . You shall not desire your neighbor's house, his field, or his manservant, or his maidservant, or his ox, or his ass, or anything that is your neighbor's. 

For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

2534 The tenth commandment unfolds and completes the ninth, which is concerned with concupiscence of the flesh. It forbids coveting the goods of another, as the root of theft, robbery, and fraud, which the seventh commandment forbids. "Lust of the eyes" leads to the violence and injustice forbidden by the fifth commandment.  Avarice, like fornication, originates in the idolatry prohibited by the first three prescriptions of the Law.  The tenth commandment concerns the intentions of the heart; with the ninth, it summarizes all the precepts of the Law.

It isn't just a gay sin, but it is one often overlooked by 'gay pride'.

You want the same rights as heterosexuals - that is to marry and adopt?  Though laws are changing, the desire is a form of covetousness - the married state is proper(ty) of male and females.

You want equal rights?  You already have the same equal rights afforded to anyone.  If you need 'special' rights, you can get a lawyer to draw up legal papers for power of attorney, inheritance and so on.

If we really examine ourselves we may discover that we want to obtain or be something that is not ours to have, or that belongs to another.

Sometimes we lust after someone because we want what they have...

Males sometimes want a guy to 'complete' them - they envy the masculinity of another, his good looks, his success.

Just think about it.  Sins against the 6th Commandment may not be the biggest ones in our lives - the type of sin which conflicts gay people isn't always limited to acting out sexually.

We can be very jealous of others who advance in virtue as well.

Like I said, think about it.  As St. James asks:  "Where does all this enmity amongst you originate?"


Tuesday update:

Coincidently, Fr. James Schall published an essay on Envy titled On Inequality just today.  It seems to be a more pervasive problem these days than we thought.

News bites...

The Bishop has two kids.

VATICAN CITY Jan 4 (Reuters) - An assistant bishop of the Roman Catholic archdiocese of Los Angeles in the United States has resigned because he had a secret family, including two teenage children.

The Vatican said on Wednesday that Pope Benedict had accepted the resignation of Gabino Zavala, an auxiliary bishop of the diocese which has been plagued by sexual scandals. - More here.

Stuff like this is not even shocking any longer.  Apparently Fr. Maciel wasn't the anomaly many of us thought.  And we move on...

L'Voris.

Michael Voris is coming to the Twin Cities to speak at the Argument of the Month club.  It should be a sell out.  Badger Catholic has the details here.

The canonist Ed Peters has commented on the situation involving Michael Voris and Real Catholic TV and the notice from the Archdiocese of Detroit that they are in violation of Canon Canon 216 which states: “Nevertheless, no undertaking is to claim the name ‘Catholic’ without the consent of competent ecclesiastical authority.”  He posts objectively on the matter, click here to read.

The Archdiocese is well within its rights to ask that they stop using the name 'Catholic' - since they do not speak for the Catholic Church in any official capacity, and of course there are other Catholic broadcasting enterprises, so to claim, "Real Catholic" may be a bit presumptuous, if not annoying to bishops who really are supposed to be the real, authoritative teachers of the Catholic faith.

Michele Bachmann

Her speech today was very good - I find I agree with her on practically everything she stands for.  I admire her tenacity and courage.  How unfortunate that she is just cast aside - but the endless debates proved whose convictions were genuine and I believe Bachmann made a difference.  I'm behind Santorum now.  I'm not convinced anyone can beat Obama however - unless it is Romney - but I don't trust him, and I doubt he would win.

Photo:  Kramer's living room.  For me it expresses the idea of the blog as a talk show.  Kinda.