Marketing trends: The use of religious symbols to sell products.

I noticed on another blog mention of 'the use of religious symbols to sell products' in a post featuring a popular soft drink ad, as if it was some sort of new trend.  I don't think it is.  Silent monks were often used to sell products from Beano to Cappuccino hot drink mixes - and of course nuns in habit were always a good sell for fast food establishments selling fish sandwiches on Fridays in Lent.
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I get the 'watch' for anti-Catholic/anti-religious ads.  I'm not always so sure the ads are deliberately intended to alienate religious people however - especially when it involves mass marketing and high profits from a popular product.  I honesty think some of the irreverence is cultural, the result of de-Christianized, secularized cultural attitudes in a manic-consumer driven society.  Many people in marketing have no idea what goes on in a church, much less understand what is so special about 'holy' stuff.   These are post-Christian times we live in folks.
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I'm not defending this stuff, I'm just saying not everything is deliberately anti-Catholic - a lot of it is just stupidity, bad manners and bad taste.  Christians have also been known to exploit icons and tasteless religious kitsch to market themselves...  some even engage in multiple product placement on their blogs to increase their profits.
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As a side note, what I have noticed about Christmas ads this year is that most of them are in your face, hard sell, bargain ads - buy, buy, buy.  I have yet to see a really good institutional ad meant to arouse emotions and foster a feel-good holiday mood.  It seems to me Americans - religious or not - are more consumer driven than ever - in the middle of such a severe economic downturn no less.  Looks like greed to me.

Iraqi Martyrs... nothing we can do... nothing we can say... no one is listening.

Let it bleed...

Every one condemns the violence but no one can stop it.  An elderly Christian couple were just martyred/murdered in their home this past Saturday - story here. 
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Life goes on while martyrs bleed in witness to the faith - in fidelity to Christ.  I can not understand my lukewarmness, my indifference, and my worrying about petty conflicts over the faith... when real Christians are dying.
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May the holy wonder-working bishop, St. Nicholas of Myra intercede for us and most especially, come to the aid of those Christians persecuted by Islam.

St. Nicholas of Myra, pray for us.

WikiLeaks - So Dr. Evil!

This story is so Dr. Evil and James Bond-ish.  Julian Assange has world powers by the... you know.

The anchorite in contemporary society.

Advent is the perfect time to consider a life alone...
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Terry, of the wonderful blog Idle Speculations has a terrific post on contemprary hermits and anchorites.  I've posted my observations on the life - although these are charred by my own disillusionments and failures - nevertheless, Terry's post is full of light and optimism, read it here: The modern anchorite or hermit.
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"The women and men who withdraw to live in the company of God, precisely because of this decision, acquire a great sense of compassion for the sorrows and weaknesses of others. As friends of God, they have a wisdom that the world, from which they distance themselves, does not have. And with kindness, they share it with those who knock on their door" - Pope Benedict XVI on Julian of Norwich

Make straight the paths....

Sometimes the honesty is too much.
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In Advent we joyfully anticipate the coming of Christ, the light shining in the darkness - the light the darkness cannot grasp.  Nevertheless, the light seems to enlighten and shine dimly; only growing brighter gradually.  Year after year, season after season, until it shines so brightly at times all we can see is darkness.  And so it seems, that while darkness covers everything, a distant light illuminates what it contains...
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It is in times of trial, dryness, and aridity when our faith is tested and our weakness exposed.  One may have faith, hope, and charity without understanding or consolation...  When everything and everyone disappoints, even when we find nothing in ourselves to approve, there is that one speck of light - one minuscule point of light shining in the darkness - it is just enough.  Just enough for the wait.
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A blogger once asked if anyone ever writes about their discouragements or challenges - even doubts as regards faith and the Church.  He said all the posts he reads are pretty much pious reflections, holy accomplishments, and/or the writer's personal 'witness to hope'.  He wondered if anyone else ever struggled with faith and people of faith, do they ever fall or get discouraged and so on?  It was quite awhile ago that I read that - but I think I'm recalling it correctly and understood what he meant.
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So anyway - this blog is pretty much all about that kind of stuff.  I try to avoid any pretence in what I discuss here - I try to be frank.  It seems to me I write about the stuff that one discovers in the darkness - after it has been exposed to the light, as it were.  Perhaps that is why some readers are disedified by this blog, or do not like what I discuss.  That is fine of course, this is only a personal blog and as in life, friends come and go - and frequently we always fail each other in one way or another.  That too is part of the course.  I somehow think that is what Advent is about - making straight the paths, winnowing the threshing floor, as today's Gospel says.  Maybe just for me and not others.
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"A voice behind me said, 'this is the way, walk in it.'"
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At adoration the other day an older lady at church confided to me that she is not in the holiday spirit, that Advent is just another season for her, that she is somewhat apathetic about Christmas, and so on.  I told her I'm sort of the same way.  I didn't try to tell her anything else - we can't 'fix' things in other people, especially when we are so poor ourselves.  Later I thought about what she said and I decided that is how it is for some of us.  You can't tell people how they are supposed to feel or that the emptiness they experience should be filled with some tenuous joy.  Not at all.  I am convinced however, that the emptiness can be a good sign, a normal process.  It may mean all of the other chicanery we once devised and depended upon have finally failed.  In other words, we no longer have anything we can depend upon in ourselves - we have come face to face with our reality - our existence. 
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Frequently it is in such darkness that one can see just a little, tiny point of light - deep in one's soul - maybe just for a flash... but it is just enough... just enough for the wait.

Mass Chat: Retirement Fund for Religious

Share in the care.
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This is serious - very serious.  Women's religious orders - and men's too - comprised of those generous souls who gave up everything to enter religious communities which taught us or nursed us, desperately need out help today. 
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The sister Director of Pastoral Ministry at my parish - who has been there for over 17 years BTW - spoke before Mass Saturday evening.  She is a School Sister of Notre Dame, professed in 1960 and still working after a stroke and an aneurysm, just a few years apart.  She is a wonderful nun - so charitable and joyful.  Her name is Sr. Deanna.  I love her.  If you knew her or could hear her speak you would never again look down on older women religious.  We imagine all sisters without habits, who live in apartments and work in parishes, are these terribly modern, anti-traditional religious, and yet I am always pleasantly surprised to find they are dedicated, devout Catholic religious, ever-faithful to their vocation. 
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Yes their numbers have depleted, yes there are fewer vocations, but these women who gave their lives for the Church are aging and are facing an uncertain future - not unlike many of our elderly poor.  The thing is, these women gave their lives in service and never foresaw the day when religious life declined, they never anticipated the day no one would be there for them as they were for their elder sisters in religion.   I think the SSND have just over 600 vocations in this province right now.  Almost 250 of them are in skilled care, nursing care, or assisted living.  The remaining sisters, not all of them employed, are aging as well.  These women are very much in need.
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Not every one of these sisters are flaming liberals - I expect most have simply lived in obedience to their superiors and followed the direction of post-Vatican II religious training.  When I meet such sisters one on one, I understand they are faithful to the Magisterium as well as their vocation.  It is by their charity and fidelity - indeed their works - that they are recognized and known.  A habit doesn't always make a religious.
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Instead of feeding the birds, why not donate to the Retirement Fund for Religious.

Coffee and donuts talk: Berto and Buni Cutie

Former Catholic Miami Sound Machine Priest Alberto Cutie and wife Buni had their first child, a baby girl named Camila Victoria.

So here's the deal...  oh, who cares.

Margaret Sanger interview redux.

Separated at contraception.
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Marge Sanger is in the news again with a look back at the Mike Wallace interview wherein Wallace nails the old broad - well, not nails her, but tries to pin her down.  That doesn't sound right either, does it.  Anyway - click here for the story.
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The photo Pewsitters used for the link reminded me of an earlier observation I once made about how much the young Sanger resembled Jim Caveziele.  I still think Caveziele should play Sanger in a film based on her life - Barb Nicolosi's Act Up playhouse never seemed to be interested in my idea though.  Maybe Mel Gibson would reconsider?  If they use my idea I'll donate 10% of my 'finder's fee' to Fr. Z's 'feeder feed'.
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Second Sunday in Advent "Get Silly Contest":  How many 'followers' can I lose in a weekend?

What I have been doing...

It snowed again poodles!

Overnight we got 10 feet of snow!  (That's a lie!)  So I am busy removing snow and playing with all the neighborhood dogs - we love to run and fetch frisbies in the snow and lick people's faces and roll down hills.

Oh! BTW - I updated Up Your Street with a couple of paintings I've been working on these past few weeks.  Enjoy!  Or not... 
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It may also interest you to know that for Advent I'm trying to be very monastic - so I do not open cards or letters until Sunday - sometimes I don't open them until Christmas.  With emails and blog comments, I've decided to do the same - so go crazy if you want to in the combox.  Or not.  Just remember, I will read them on Sunday.  Your cards and gifts I'll save until Christmas.  Kidding - never send me gifts.  Thanks.

Feast of St. Barbara

Patron of U.S. Army Field Artillery.

I'm always surprised...

So my contention is that, inwardly, a homosexual is never a happy, stable person. There is always some chagrin, some inner chagrin that he takes with him. - Gerard van den Aardweg PhD

I'm always surprised at how sensitive gay men can be - especially gay Catholic guys working on their issues.  I suppose I should refer to them as same-sex attracted Catholic men - they tend to have an aversion to the gay if they are in Courage or do not act out as gay - which means they are striving to live a chaste life.  I appreciate that.  On the other hand, if one says something the least bit negative about DADT - gay soldiers, or even gay monks, priests, et al, they are suddenly deeply offended if what is said doesn't suit their sensibilities.  Which explains why I end up referring to them as gay, considering how defensive they get for the gay. 
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Anyway.  Recent history proves gay people tend to have difficulty with any type of constructive criticism of gay culture and its practitioners - even if one of their own does the criticizing.  I recall the late playwright, AIDS activist Larry Kramer, who was highly critical of the trashy, promiscuous side of homosexuality, declaring: 
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"Almost 60 million people whom we live and work with every day think we are immoral. “Moral values” was top of many lists of why people supported George Bush. Not Iraq. Not the economy. Not terrorism. "Moral values." In case you need a translation that means us. It is hard to stand up to so much hate." - Source
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His critics countered:
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"Larry Kramer recycles the kind of harangues about gay men (and young gay men in particular) that institutions like the Times so love to print -- that they are buffoonish, disengaged Peter Pans dancing, drugging and f-----g their lives away while the world and the disco burn down around them." - Ibid

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One might have hoped gay people would have become more tolerant and open to critique after all of these years of lobbying and politicking.  Apparently not.  HIV rates are climbing once again too.
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N.B.  It was not my intention to harm or offend any gay person's feelings with this post.
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Photo:  Spoof on gays in the military.  According to Army and Marine chiefs, as well as combat troops in the field, the repeal of DADT would not be welcome:
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WASHINGTON (AP) - The top uniformed officers of the Army and the Marines say letting gays serve openly in the military at a time of war would be divisive and difficult, sharply challenging a new Pentagon study that calculates the risk as low.

Odd female mystics...

Margery Kempe.

The Holy Father has been digging up a lot of female mystics for his Wednesday audiences lately.  Many of these were the same mystics I was forbidden to read in the novitiate, BTW.  I expect he's speaking about these women to help modern women understand they have always had a place in the Church.  Early on, I too was attracted by the more obscure medieval female contemplatives, enjoying their more homely, Alice-sit-by-the-fire mysticism.  Kempe was actually something of a camp.  Quite a character - many thought she was mad - Julian of Norwich assured her that her visions must be good because they led to greater works of charity.  (Julian didn't know for sure, did she.)  That said, one of my favorite stories involves Margery tempted to an adulterous affair, having fallen victim to a male parishioner's flattery.  Naughty girl.
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My little Margie.
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Though she had tried to be more devout after her vision, she was tempted by sexual pleasures and social jealousy for some years. Eventually turning away from what she interpreted as the effect of worldly pride in her vocational choices, Kempe dedicated herself completely to the spiritual calling that she felt her earlier vision required. Striving to live a life of commitment to God, Kempe negotiated a celibate marriage with her husband, and began to make pilgrimages around Europe to holy sites — including Rome, Jerusalem, and Santiago de Compostela. The stories surrounding these travels are what eventually comprised much of her Book, although a final section includes a series of prayers. The spiritual focus of her Book is on the mystical conversations she conducts with Christ for more than forty years. - Source
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There is hope for us all, I dare say.  BTW, Anglicans venerate the blessed Margery on November 9.  I once had a very old copy of her autobiography...  Lesson learned - never lend books to 'friends'.

Fact: It was once common practice to ban homosexuals from spy agencies and secret service positions.

Though it was covered up by Chump, the Dragon Woman was reportedly a male-transvestite double-agent.

Wikileaks... gay rage?

Just asking.
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I got an email about the Wikileaks leaks.  I haven't written anything about this issue, there are enough people doing so already.  However, I do consider the entire situation to be treason - and quite honestly, I'm surprised someone hasn't assassinated Julian Assange by now.  I don't think it takes a moral theologian to tell you that the Wikileaks actions are immoral.  Although someone please shut Sarah Palin up from expounding on how incompetent the Obama Administration is.  She's the queen of incompetence, so I don't know what she's shooting off her mouth about. 
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Speaking of queens...
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My email tipster sent me a post from Mass Resistance - a site I never read - but I found the article rather interesting.  I know some of my readers will be upset with me for posting about it, but that's how this blog goes - if you haven't noticed already.  Anyway, the site makes the claim that an angry homosexual activist is behind the WikiLeaks treachery. 

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The US Army intelligence analyst who has been arrested for disclosing more than more than 90,000 intelligence reports and more than 150,000 diplomatic cables to the Wikileaks website is a homosexual activist enraged at the military's "anti-gay" policies.
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Bradley Manning, who is now awaiting court-marshal at a military stockade in Quantico, VA, was arrested last May for giving a classified video to the Wikileaks website, and later it became clear that he had given them thousands of other military documents. He is an open homosexual, and his anger at the military's rejection of homosexuality appears to be the major reason for his actions. - The angry gay activist did it.
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Media ignoring the story.
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Is there a media blackout on this because of the pending "don't ask, don't tell" military ban, opening the barracks to homosexuals?  Some people seem to thinks so.  Years ago homosexuals in the military and secret services were considered a liability due to their susceptibility to blackmail.  I actually understood that.  Even in corporate situations I've experienced the wrath of gay men...  I once had a member of senior management tell me, "You know what you have to do to get ahead."  That was back in the days before any self-respecting man would come forward with a sexual harassment suit.  Gay men with power - or access to it, can be treacherous. 
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Though I'm not as extreme as the fellow who wrote the following, he does make a very valid observation - albeit extremely un-PC:
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So why were homosexuals denied security clearance in the first place? A series of Senate committee reports from the 1950s concluded that "moral perverts are bad national security risks ... because of their susceptibility to blackmail" and that homosexuals are "vulnerable to interrogation by a skilled questioner" due to emotional instability and moral weakness. (Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 10/1/2001). - WkiLeaks Gay Connection
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I suppose the gay thing will turn out to be just one more conspiracy theory and condemned as homophobic hate speech and all that stuff - which is probably why mainstream press refuses to take it seriously.  I don't know if the gay issue is really THE issue, nevertheless it seems clear that Bradley Manning's emotional stability and loyalty was compromised by something.  Gay activists take their identity as gay people very seriously - but is it possible their personal rights could trump National Security?  Would gay activists ever try to subvert the U.S. government, seek to over turn laws, and change moral standards?
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As Derek Fey might say:  "How very dare you!  How very dare you suggest such a thing!"

Hermits, anchorites, recluses...

In plain view.
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I sometimes think the renewed interest in eremetical life in our time began with the facinating story of Blessed Charles of Jesus (de Foucauld) whose memorial is kept on December 1.  Before his expedition into the desert, hermits in the Latin Church were more or less relegated to the Carthusians and Camoldolese.  Only in the Camaldolese was the medieval practice of reclusion still available, otherwise that particular way of life ceased to be observed in the West - though the Orthodox maintained a somewhat vigorous solitary eremetic life all along into our own day.

Since the Council, and after the revisions to Canon Law, the hermit life (Can. 603) was re-instituted in the Latin Church.  Interestingly enough, I have always had spiritual directors who discouraged the hermit life or felt it was a mistake to reintroduce it in Canon Law - ironically, one of these SD lives as a diocesan hermit today.  Nevertheless, I took their precautions very seriously and was always rather dubious when I heard stories of increasing numbers of spiritual people running off to a hermitage in a woods, or at home.  I've known men and women who left monasteries to start their own Carthusian style hermitage, as well as men and women who just went off to live a hermit life - some canonically, others doing their own thing.  I've always had mixed feelings about the 'trend'.  The upside of so many years of pondering the matter is that I have come to understand exactly what I was not called to, which includes none of the above BTW, though others might consider me to be something of a recluse. 

I've known of urban hermits for many years of course, and I was interested in Sr. Laurel of Stillsong Hermitage from the first moment I read about her consecration/profession a few years ago.  I was very skeptical at first - I had some stereotypical old fashioned ideas about what a contemporary hermit should be - although if they could measure up to my ideals they would be roaming the desert naked.  Instead, what I have learned from reading Sr. Laurel is that an urban hermit's external life may differ from the barren asceticism of the desert, nevertheless it is a real vocation and an authentic form of consecrated solitary life in the Church.
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Anyway - if you are interested in the subject, I suggest you visit her blog - she writes well about the vocation.  I would post some entries she's written but I'm unable to copy and paste from her blog.  Visit her at Notes From Stillsong Hermitage
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Coincidently, yesterday the Holy Father spoke of the famous medieval anchorite, Julian of Norwich: 
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"Inspired by divine love, Julian made a radical choice,” Pope Benedict stated. “Like an ancient anchoress, she chose to live in a cell located near the church of St. Julian in the city of Norwich.”

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He explained that “anchoresses,” or recluses, dedicated themselves to prayer, meditation and study within their cells.
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“In this way they came to acquire a very delicate human and religious sensibility which led to their being venerated by the people,” the Pope explained, adding that “and men and women of all ages and conditions, in need of counsel and comfort, devotedly sought them out.”
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Those who choose to live apart from the world and devote their lives to prayer, the Pope observed, are “friends of God.”
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“Women and men who chose to withdraw and live in the company of God acquire, precisely because of this choice, a great sense of compassion for the suffering and weakness of others,” he said."Thus I think with admiration and gratitude" that today's monasteries of cloistered men and women "are oases of peace and hope, a precious treasure for the entire Church."
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Recalling St. Julian's book, titled "Revelations of Divine Love,” Pope Benedict said the work contains “an optimistic message based on the certainty that we are loved by God and protected by His Providence.”
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She “compares divine love with maternal love,” he added. “This is one of the most characteristic messages of her mystical theology. The tenderness, solicitude and sweetness of God's goodness towards us are so great that to us, pilgrims on the earth, they seem as the love of a mother for her children.” - CNA
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Note:  While searching for a photo to illustrate this post I came upon an interesting order of nuns in Quebec called the Recluse Sisters - I've never heard of them before.
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Art:  Anchoress

What?

I am sorry I haven't been able to respond to comments because I have been painting all morning.  I will be at adoration for the rest of the afternoon.

Love,

Dad

Blessed Charles De Foucauld: Another saint for losers

I love Charles De Foucauld - a cad of a young man turned penitent, turned priest and hermit.  He founded an order of religious but had no real followers until after his death.  Oddly enough, the example of his life led to not a few monastic vocation crashes, yet his spirituality became closely identified with the hidden, silent, loving action of the disregarded Jesus of Nazareth in the Blessed Sacrament.  He was killed, cast aside, with the monstrance containing the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, in the sands of the Sahara.

Blessed Charles ought to be the patron of new religious communities and failed religious founders.  I always thought his main problem was the Poor Clare abbess, Mother Elizabeth, who pushed him to become a priest.  Monks and priests - do not be misled by nuns.  ;)

Blogging as a vocation?

The grandiosity of ordinary life.
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Vocation talk is big on the Internet - everyone seems to be discerning their true calling - their place in life, in the Church, etc..  But they don't want you to claim that the single life is a vocation - no, no, no.  The theologists don't buy that one.  Vocation is limited to priesthood, religious life, and married life.  I know - very narrow, huh?  I suppose every state in life needs some form of a canonical recognition and official consecration ritual to be absolutely official:  So after you're canonized, your name can be listed as, St. Morticia, religious; St. John of Wisconsin Dells, priest; St. Orthinologus, hermit (Can. 603);  St. Vaselena, virgin (Can. 604);  St. Lawrence of Motown, Husband, and so on and so forth.  I doubt St. Giustacrepe, blogger, would ever be a category.  
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All kidding aside, I don't see blogging as a vocation - perhaps an avocation, a past-time, a hobby, an extension of one's writing career, an opportunity to annoy people, or, if you are really fortunate - it can lead to a new career all together.  I just don't see it as a vocation in itself.  I don't see spending most of your day or evening online as a call from God.  As Catholics we are called to evangelize and this can take many forms - one means could be writing a blog - but that doesn't make it a vocation.  It is not wrong to try and justify one's use of the Internet - but I wouldn't get too exalted about it.
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Anyway, I came across a piece Mark Shea linked to at Unam Sanctam, on the 'vocation' of the Catholic blogger.  To be sure, the author Boniface, whom Shea links to has some very good reflections on the subject - I just don't like calling an exercise such as blogging a vocation.  Petty?  Perhaps - but other bloggers get real petty about calling the single life a vocation as well. 
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That said, I prefer Mark Shea's reflection on blogging:
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Boniface, who takes blogging a whole lot more seriously than I do, pens a sort of manifesto about what he takes to be the vocation of the blogger. More power to him. The world needs Catholics who think about such things and try to work out the theological implications. The Faith, after all, is Catholic--and therefore about everything, including blogging.

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That said, this is the sort of thing that would engender tremendous performance anxiety in me if I ascribed to it. I do blogging as a sort of lark. It's a chance to say whatever I feel like saying without too much solemnity surrounding it. I'm not writing for the Ages. I'm just dashing off ideas and shooting the breeze with readers. It's a great gift for somebody like me--an extrovert trapped in an introvert's job--to have a tool for writing interactively. Sometimes I will try out an idea here that becomes an article elsewhere. Sometime I just want to tell a joke. Now and then I will do something stupid as, for instance, when I stupidly published that account of the Sungenis conference that some reader sent me without bothering to check the accuracy (mea culpa). When I screw up, I try to make things right by deleting or editing offending posts, as I did with that one.
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I try to run a clean joint and keep things on the up and up as best I can, though I know there are still people who hate me. Oh well. But on the whole, I regard blogging as a chance to gab somewhat informally about whatever interests me at the moment, from a Catholic perspective. While a manifesto may be helpful for other folks (and God bless those who find it so), such an approach solemnizes these proceedings more than I prefer them to be solemnized. This is my living room, not Church--though it is, of course, a Catholic living room and I ask readers to observe ordinary living room rules of discourse.  - Mark Shea
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I couldn't agree more, Mr. Shea.
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Art:  Apotheosis of the French Hero

Why homosexuals should not be ordained...

Gay priest, gay Mass I guess.

What?

Gloria TV
H/T Pewsitter

Extra-Cathedra sayings and doings of the Popes.

'Supposing the Pope looked up and saw a cloud and said ' It's going to rain'...
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As many people know Pope Benedict has emphasized that his writings, such as his book, Jesus of Nazareth, along with comments made during interviews, are not magisterial and therefore not official teaching, infallible or any of that stuff Catholic faithful are required to believe in.  So what does it all mean then?
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Supposedly the SSPX - or a spokesman for the group - is saying the Holy Father's statement on condoms that has generated so much discussion is in serious error... Not to worry I guess, since the Holy Father wasn't speaking ex-Cathedra.  I believe it is safe to assume the SSPX doesn't agree with the Pope on many issues.  Although on the other hand, when the Holy Father says something traditionalists like - totally off the magisterial record of course, he seems to get high praise.  Anyway - the following is the trad take on the Holy Father's condom comments:
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"Now the fact that condom use is an intrinsically immoral action, and matter for mortal sin, is a constant point in the traditional teaching of the Church, for example in the writings of Pius XI and Pius XII, and even in the thought of Benedict XVI when he says to the journalist who is questioning him, “[The Church] of course does not regard [the condom] as a real or moral solution,” but nevertheless the pope allows it “in certain cases”. But that is inadmissible from the perspective of the faith. “No reason,” Pius XI teaches in Casti Connubii, 54, “however grave, may be put forward by which anything intrinsically against nature may become conformable to nature and morally good.” Pius XII recalls this in his Address to Midwives (October 29, 1951): “No ‘indication’ or necessity can turn an intrinsically immoral action into a moral and licit act.” Saint Paul condemned the opinion that evil may be done so that good may come of it (see Romans 3:8).
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Now this idea is a serious error because a lesser evil remains an evil, whatever improvement it may indicate. As Paul VI teaches in Humanae vitae (no. 14), 'Though it is true that sometimes it is lawful to tolerate a lesser moral evil in order to avoid a greater evil or in order to promote a greater good, it is never lawful, even for the gravest reasons, to do evil that good may come of it (cf. Romans 3:8)—in other words, to intend directly something which of its very nature contradicts the moral order, and which must therefore be judged unworthy of man, even though the intention is to protect or promote the welfare of an individual, of a family or of society in general.'” - Source
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Makes sense to me.  So how does one reconcile these matters?  Of course, the question has long been asked how do we reconcile many of the things that have happened since the Council, namely some aspects of pre-Vatican II innovations and teaching which seems to contradict former Papal teachings?  Read the Syllabus of Errors or LAMENTABILI SANE sometime and you will say - "but we do most of these things today."

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I sometimes find myself wondering if anyone knows anything for sure these days?  For example, if JPII kissed a copy of the Koran does that mean we should read it?  They say Karol Wojtyla kissed the Koran, not John Paul II - even though it looked like Venerable John Paul II.  (That's what I tell the curious ones.)  Likewise, Benedict XVI evidently sees something positive in a male prostitute using a condom to protect his client from disease, does that mean the entire third world is free to use condoms?  We are told that isn't what the Pope meant.  We are also told the Pope didn't contradict Church teaching, although liberals say he condoned the use of condoms, while trads say the Holy Father spoke in error, and everyone else is spinning the rest accordingly. 
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I find this stuff very confusing at times - not so much the apparent contradictions, but rather the debates and arguments these matters generate amongst religious people.  For instance, many Catholics felt that since the Holy Father distributes Holy Communion on the tongue while the communicant is kneeling, he symbolically mandated that the entire Catholic Church should return to the practice.  But the Holy Father explicitly stated he was not asking that.   Likewise, the Holy Father said homosexuality is incompatible with the priesthood, yet not a few vocation directors/panels along with diocesan and monastic seminaries privately say, "Yeah - but if they live chastely that's okay."
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So you see how confusing all of these inconsistencies get to be for lay people?  No wonder so many get involved in private-revelation and apparition-inspired cults and sects.
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As for me, despite everything, I'm sticking with the Roman Catholic Church and Christ's Vicar, Pope Benedict XVI. 

H/T Pewsitters for the SSPX story.

First Sunday of Advent

The recent Thanksgiving holiday and this Sunday's first Mass of Advent, complete with the fake Advent wreath and ugly colored banners, reminded me of how each year we go through the same rituals - year after year after year.  We anticipate our holidays and seasons, and make elaborate preparations for the great events - weeks and months ahead of time.  'How does that fit with living in the present moment?'  I wondered.

Of course I know we anticipate the second coming of Christ during Advent, yet all of our attention is ultimately focused upon His first coming at Christmas.  It is almost as if we pretend to make it all about the second coming when indeed what we really want is Christmas.  We are supposed to be vigilant - living in the present moment - while waiting for the end.  It seems to me what many of us really are doing is simply marking time as it were - waiting for something better - while ignoring, if not missing the present moment.  We do it over and over, from childhood through adulthood, looking for a better something, or someone to take away all of our troubles, until that very final present moment arrives... 

Ugly 'Christmas Starts With Christ' poster turns into pro-life promo.

I'm sorry, but I think this poster is so cold and ugly.  I get the message - but it's ugly: for Christmas and for pro-life purposes. 
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The poster is part of a 'put Christ back in Christmas' campaign in the UK, but the image is obviously being promoted elsewhere as a pro-life image as well.  People are free to do as they wish of course, I just don't like it - it looks like a bad Easter Seal stamp to me.  I know a lot of Catholics think it is an effective image.  Perhaps for them.  For me, the most effective pro-life images I have ever seen were photos of the remains of aborted babies at various stages of development, laid out on a towel.  Unfortunately, many people feel such images are offensive and much too disturbing.   
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Anyway, a good alternative image to the ultra-sound facsimile?  An icon of Our Lady of the Sign - the image says it all and so much more.  It is pure and modest and holy, and represents sound theology and devotion.  That said - regular ultra-sound images of any baby in the womb ought to be enough to convince people that life begins at conception.

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Ultra-sound image source.
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Icon:  Our Lady of the Sign

Mass Chat: First Sunday of Advent.

Today is the feast of the Medal of the Immaculate Conception.

Otherwise known as the Miraculous Medal.
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O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.  - This prayer causes demons to flee.

After Thanksgiving stuffing...

Spewing random stuff.
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Apparitions (spurious):  The 1948 Filipino 'Lipa apparitions of Mary Mediatrix of All Graces' to a Carmelite novice are:
a) false
b) true
c) approved
d) disapproved
e) all of the above
f) none of the above

Who knows?  Spirit Daily posted the declaration, Vatican rules Filipino apparition not supernatural.  I skimmed the report and find it confusing - ruled not supernatural but the devotion is fine?  That is my impression.  I bet that will be the case with Medjugorje too - which is why I'm paying attention to this story BTW.
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Exorcists (silenced):  Pewsitters had a link to some questions raised about what happened to Fr. Euteneuer and his book on exorcism?  I answered this in a comment box awhile back - just my opinion to be sure, since I have no direct knowledge of the situation - but neither did the questioner.  However, any reasonable person can speculate that Fr. Euteneuer was returned to ordinary diocesan assignment most likely because his book, Exorcism and the Church Militant, which was also pulled from publication, was perhaps just a tad more extreme than what the bishops would have said on the subject themselves - in other words, he got ahead of the bishops.  (Just my opinion, of course.) 
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It appears Euteneuer also spoke well of the now suppressed religious group, the Intercessors of the Lamb in his book, so it could be as simple as pulling the book back for editorial needs.  Nevertheless, I'm still thinking there is more to the story than that - despite the fact the USCCB just conducted a seminar on exorcism a couple of weeks ago, and I didn't notice his name amongst the speakers.  Blaming stuff on the devil makes the Church look pre-Vatican II, if not completely medieval - at least that is what some modernists in the hierarchy fear.  What follows are some excerpts from interviews Fr. Euteneuer gave - my source links to the original stories no longer work - so I will link to the blog posts where I first published them.
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Euteneuer stresses, “exorcism is a pastoral ministry and the explicit form of exorcism is a liturgical rite which can only be done by priests.”
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"The Church has good reason to avoid popularizing exorcism, and affirming the sensationalist or dismissive accounts of the culture at large," said Father Euteneuer. "At the same time, this necessary discretion has led to the rite being neglected in many areas, at precisely the time when it is most needed to deliver those who have succumbed to the increasing deceptions of the devil in these troubling times."
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"Our culture is ever more saturated with enticements to the occult and other dangerous spiritual and moral choices. Clarifying what exorcism is and underlining the urgency for both clergy and the faithful is key if we're going to start confronting Satan where he is making so much headway, in our homes and communities." - Fr. Euteneuer
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In today's day and age, Satan is growing exponentially more powerful due to the enormity of human sinfulness, and the Church must confront his power either willingly or unwillingly. Satan is normally "hidden in the dark sea of human sin and error," like Leviathan of the Old Testament, but nowadays he is walking tall in powerful structures of sin like abortion, pornography, sex slavery, rapacious greed and terrorism. He flexes his muscles in the massive diffusion of errors and sinful practices like the doctrines of myriad false religions, pernicious ideologies like radical feminism and "pro-choice" extremism, the militant homosexual movement and the aggressive mass media which is the ministry of propaganda for Satan and all his works and all his empty promises. - Fr. Euteneuer
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Black Friday and the herd mentality.  North Korea threatens war and Americans shop en masse for trivialities - make wishlists and encourage consumption...  everyone needs a Mac.
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Thanksgiving Holiday.  It's a secular event.  It's over.  Secular Christmas season is here!!!!!!

Feeder-Feed and Holiday Wishlist....

Remember, after Thanksgiving, the homeless still don't have much more than they had the Wednesday before...
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Don't forget to donate to the real poor this season... a check in between your Mystic Monk order and liquor store bill would be just fine.
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BTW - USPS, UPS, Fedex cannot deliver without an address.  Just saying.

Why I don't like turkey...

Happy Thanksgiving.

Turkey-grits.
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This summer there were wild turkeys in our neighborhood - for some reason I can't post the photo however.  My cool neighbor posted it to her blog here.  This turkey family strutted up and down the alley and around people's yards and were just as polite as could be.  I live in the city - but there was some freeway construction not too far from here, and I suspect their habitat may have been disturbed.  A few neighbors wanted to eat them, which I find disgusting.  I'm not fond of turkey, and I do not like killing everything that walks by the house.  An interesting note:  Over the years, I have seen the following wild animals either in my yard or in my very urban neighborhood:  Deer.  Fox.  Raccoons.  Muskrat.  Rabbits of course.  Nesting wood-duck beneath my hedge.  Voles/moles.  Mouses.  Hawks.  Feral cats.  Lesbians.
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So anyway - happy Thanksgiving everyone!  Here is some stuff I'm thankful for...
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A place to live.  Heat and air conditioning.  Stuff to eat and drink.  A car to drive.  Friends and cats and dogs and bunny rabbits.  My religion.  Faith, hope and love amidst failure and trial.  The mercy of God.  Christ in the Blessed Sacrament, Our Lady and St. Joseph, the angels and saints.  My friends and my family.  Joy and sorrow.  Blue skies and cloudy days.  Sister death.
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I can't mention names - because if I forget anyone some one will certainly be offended - but my best wishes and prayers and thanksgiving to all my friends and those especially who may not like me, and of course - to every one whom I have ever offended - which happens to be most people who know me BTW.  Happy Thanksgiving and God bless you.  And thanks for being my friend - despite the fact just admitting that may tarnish your reputation.  LOL!  No - I'm serious.
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Just for you ________:



ROFLMAO!  Happy Day!

Feast of St. Catherine of Alexandria

Disputation over the body of St. Catherine.
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These days, art historians, modern hagiographers and monastics often propose the legend that angels carried the body of the saint to Sinai is a myth, and that it is more likely that monks translated her relics to Sinai.  Monastic life was once referred to as the angelic life, hence the theory angels(monks) removed the relics to the monastery of St. Catherine's in Sinai.  They say similar things about the Holy House of Loreto.  Poor materialistic souls.
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Anyway - In addition to being Thanksgiving in the U.S., this day is also the feast of Catherine of Alexandria, the saint, and her namesake - the very angelic,  Cathy of Alex.  Happy feast day Cathy!
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Art:  St. Catherine being carried to Mt. Sinai by Henri Lehmann

Yeah - but the Pope never said anything about homosexuals and the priesthood.

Yes he did.
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So like, everyone, just keep freaking out about whether or not the Pope approved condoms all you want - the bigger news is that the Holy Father also reiterated the perennial teaching of the Church that homosexual inclination/acts remain  intrinsically disordered and most definitely incompatible with the priesthood. 
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One of the miseries of the church.
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"The interviewer, German journalist Peter Seewald, asked the pope whether the church's teaching that homosexuals deserve respect isn't contradicted by its position that homosexual acts are "intrinsically disordered."
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The pope answered: "No. It is one thing to say that they are human beings with their problems and their joys, that as human beings they deserve respect, even though they have this inclination, and must not be discriminated against because of it."
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"At the same time, though, sexuality has an intrinsic meaning and direction, which is not homosexual," he said. "The meaning and direction of sexuality is to bring about the union of man and woman and, in this way, to give humanity posterity, children, a future."
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The pope said the church needs to hold firm on this point, "even if it is not pleasing to our age."
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He said it was still an open question whether homosexual inclinations are innate or arise early in life. In any case, he said, if these are strong inclinations, it represents "a great trial" for the homosexual.

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"But this does not mean that homosexuality thereby becomes morally right. Rather, it remains contrary to the essence of what God originally willed," he said.
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When Seewald said that homosexuality exists in monasteries and among the clergy, even if not acted out, the pope responded: "Well, that is just one of the miseries of the church. And the persons who are affected must at least try not to express this inclination actively."
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"Homosexuality is incompatible with the priestly vocation. Otherwise, celibacy itself would lose its meaning as a renunciation. It would be extremely dangerous if celibacy became a sort of pretext for bringing people into the priesthood who don't want to get married anyway," the pope said.
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The pope cited a 2005 Vatican document that drew a sharp line against priestly ordination of homosexuals. He said the document emphasized that homosexual candidates cannot become priests because their sexual orientation interferes with "the proper sense of paternity" that belongs to the priesthood.
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The pope said it was important to select priestly candidates very carefully, "to head off a situation where the celibacy of priests would practically end up being identified with the tendency to homosexuality." - CNS
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Another misery...
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The Holy Father said, "to head off a situation where the celibacy of priests would practically end up being identified with the tendency to homosexuality."
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That's pretty much what people think already - and I suspect many cardinals and bishops know it too.

Raymond Cardinal Burke

An especially good photo of the Cardinal.
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John Sonnen has some more excellent photos on his blog.

The Pope.

Figure it out.

"Yesterday I asked him whether Our Lord had more than one nature. He said: 'Just as many as you say, Father.' Then again I asked him: 'Supposing the Pope looked up and saw a cloud and said 'It's going to rain', would that be bound to happen?' 'Oh, yes, Father.' 'But supposing it didn't?' He thought a moment and said, "I suppose it would be sort of raining spiritually, only we were too sinful to see it.'" - Fr. Mowbray, Brideshead Revisited

Some maxims I like.

You must be willing, for the love of God, to suffer all things, namely: labors and sorrows, temptations and vexations, anxieties, necessities, sickness, injuries, detractions, reprehensions, humiliations, confusion, correction, and contempt. - [James 1.2.] Imitation, Bk. III, Chp. 35:2
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You will find all that in a manner lost, which you have  placed in men apart from Jesus. - Imitation, Bk. II, Chp. 7:2
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You will soon be deceived if you only regard the outward show of men. - Imitation, Bk. II, Chp. 7:3
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"Discover not thy heart to every one." - Ecclus, VIII, 22
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“He that flatters you more than you desire either has deceived you or wishes to deceive.” - Italian Proverb
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John of the Cross tells us flattery and vain praise frequently involves deception and vanity, as Isaias warns: 'My people, whoever praises you deceives you.' - [Is. 3:12] - Ascent, Bk. III: 22, 2

More Jamiroquai: For all of the holiday travelers today....

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Traveling without moving.

Jackpot! So who can use a condom?

Degrees of evil...  blow'd up real good!
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"This is a game-changer," said the Rev. James Martin, a Jesuit editor and writer. "By acknowledging that condoms help prevent spread of HIV between people in sexual relationships, the pope has completely changed the Catholic discussion on condoms."

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In the book, the pope was not justifying or condoning gay sex, condoms as a means of artificial contraception or heterosexual sex outside of a marriage. He reaffirms the Vatican opposition to homosexual acts and artificial contraception and reaffirms the inviolability of marriage between man and woman.
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But by broadening the condom comments to also apply to women, the pope is saying that condom use is a lesser evil than passing HIV onto a partner even when pregnancy is possible.

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"We're not just talking about an encounter between two men, which has little to do with procreation. We're now introducing relationships that could lead to childbirth," Martin said.
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While the lesser evil concept has long been a tenet of moral theology, the pope's comments mark the first time a pope had ever publicly applied the theory to condom use as a way to fight HIV transmission.

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Individual bishops and theologians have applied that theory, but it had previously been rejected at the highest levels of the Vatican and theologians have been disciplined for voicing it, Martin said.
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Monsignor Jacques Suaudeau, an expert at the Vatican's bioethics advisory board, said the pope was articulating the theological idea that there are degrees of evil.

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"Contraception is not the worst evil. The church does not see it as good, but the church does not see it as the worst," he told The Associated Press. "Abortion is far worse. Passing on HIV is criminal. That is absolute irresponsibility." - Source
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Jackpot!  This is getting really interesting now!  Just when I'm thinking I should stop blogging, the --it hits the fan big time - "this is a game-changer".
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Looks like North Korea's blowing up good too!

Rethinking Christopher West and other Catholic punching bags.

Getting a grip.
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The brouhaha over what the pope really said in the Peter Seewald interview sent me back to my copy of Salt of the Earth - thanks to Michael R., a conscientious objector and commenter on this blog from time to time, who reminded me about the earlier interview.  I spent some time this morning re-reading points I checked earlier - taking time to meditate if you will, what was being discussed.
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I'm just a student as it were, a learner.  I was reminded of this when I came across a response by then Cardinal Ratzinger at the beginning of Seewald's interview.  Seewald asked Cardinal Ratzinger about his 'private' opinion on cases before the CDF - if he exercised it in discussions and debates - as if the Prefect had the power to dictate the teaching of the Church - imposing his private opinion, etc..  (It is my understanding decisions are arrived at when consultors are in 'substantial agreement' and implemented after approval by the pope.)  But I digress.
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What impressed me is how Ratzinger responded to the question regarding his private opinion - it is quite humbling to consider, coming from such a learned and brilliant scholar:
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"[...] I worked for many years as a professor, and I still try my best to keep up with the theological discussion.  Naturally I have my own ideas about how theology should look; I also express them in my own publications." - Salt of the Earth; Words and Signs
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As for me, it is all too convenient to have my own ideas and express them in my own publications (blog), but how much do I know so much?  To whom am I accountable?  A man without training and even without access to consultation with expert consultors.  At one point in the interview discussing the apparent slowness of the Vatican, the Cardinal points out that some questions resolve themselves in time without intervention.  Yet I want everything to be reformed and settled over night. 
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Asked if the Cardinal would have to contradict himself on occasion, Ratzinger responded:
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"Let's put it this way: time can certainly bring correction.  I can simply learn through dialogue that I haven't seen this or that matter properly.  [...]  A development through further learning that also brings a correction of past views is entirely within the realm of possibility."  Salt of the Earth; Words and Signs
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And?
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So what's my point?  As a blogger I need to be open to correction and contradiction of my ideas - especially when it emanates from a critical spirit.  Hence what appears to be my own backtracking on certain matters is usually a development of learning.  As I always say and everyone must understand, I'm no authority.
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That said, I thought of Chris West and all of the criticism he has undergone after I came across another reply by Cardinal Ratzinger to a question regarding young priests in youth ministry:
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"This means that young priests out in the youth ministry who in part have problems proclaiming the sexual morality of the Church as they are supposed to be can be forgiven if on occasion they say something that you don't like? 
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Yes of course, if the basic intention is there.  That is the crucial point.  No one unfailingly finds the right means at the first go." - Salt of the Earth; The Prefect and His Pope
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I'm not making any defense or apology for West and the TOB enthusiasts, I'm just saying that though I may take issue with certain points, I'm not competent to critique his entire body of work for instance.  The Cardinal (Rigali), bishops and priests and academics who more or less oversee these matters are the competent authority to answer questions and objections regarding the theology of the body.
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Hopefully, if indeed I continue this blog, I can be less repellent to persons genuinely interested in the faith, the Church, and Catholicism.  I'm afraid the critical spirit gets the best of me at times and I frequently fail in charity when discussing contemporary morality and church-people.

WDTPRS? The Pope - what did he really say?

It's not just about condos either.

Peter Seewald's book promises to be a best seller after all the press it has generated.  So far I think everyone clearly understands how brilliant and compassionate Benedict XVI really is - and of course, that he is above all, totally Catholic and faithful.  After all, he is the Pope.

I especially like these snippets from Catholic News Service, which help dispel a few other myths about what the pope really says/thinks:
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Communion in the hand:  "He said he began distributing Communion on the tongue during papal Masses not because he was opposed to Communion in the hand, but to "send a signal" about respect for the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist."  (See! - your hands aren't really going to turn black and fall off in the casket after you are dead just because you received in the hand.)
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Intolerance and discrimination:  "The pope said the church's task is threatened by a "new intolerance" that would limit religious expression in the name of non-discrimination, for example in banning the display of crucifixes in public schools, or in condemning specific church teachings.  "When, for example, in the name of non-discrimination, people try to force the Catholic Church to change her position on homosexuality or the ordination of women, then that means she is no longer allowed to live out her own identity," he said.

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Contraception:  He defended the 1968 encyclical "Humanae Vitae," which taught that artificial contraception in marriage is morally wrong, but said the church needs to find ways to help people live the teaching and show tolerance to those who have problems with it.  (I'm so surprised people didn't take off on this one - 'show tolerance to those who have problems with it.')

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Fr. Maciel:  Pope Benedict said Father Maciel remains for him "a mysterious figure," one who lived an immoral and twisted life but who built up his religious order with dynamism -- a "false prophet" who nevertheless had a "positive effect."   (For me this one needs a lot more explaining.)
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Catholic blogs and the kitch they schlep:  "I don't read many blogs except for Abbey-Roads and a few other academic blogs.  Actually Georg discovered Abbey thinking it had something to do with the Beatle's - we both love Lennon/McCartney music.  Anyway - he got me interested in it - it's very clever - although sometimes Monsignor gets upset with some of the things Terry says - and that amuses me to no end."  Asked about some of the more commercial blogs by priests and the kitch they attempt to pawn off on Catholics, the Holy Father just rolled his eyes and waved off the question after pretending to stick his finger down his throat as if to make himself vomit.
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Photo:  No - it is not packaging for what you think - it is a button, sold on another site.  What?

Mass Chat: Pretend I'm the homeless guy someone dragged in off the street for donuts and coffee talk.

Just shooting my mouth off today.
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News Update:  I suppose most of my readers have noted that Nazareth Priest hasn't commented all week - he is in Rome for Cardinal Burke's Red Hat Society ceremony.
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Answering holiday queries...
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A friend asked what I planned to do on Thanksgiving.  The official line is this, "Oh, I'm going to my sisters, she has a large family and it is so nice to get together for the holidays with all of them."  That's what I tell people who ask me over to their house or ask what I plan to do, as if I'm a really lonely guy with no place to go.  Even if you called me after reading this and asked me over, I would still repeat the same story.  If you said, "I know you are making that up!"  I would still stick to that story.  If you ran into me the day after Thanksgiving and asked me pitifully, "So what did you do for Thanksgiving?"  I would still stick to that story.
"But it's a lie!"  You might argue...
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My thoughts on the holidays:
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I don't do anything on Thanksgiving - I pretty much hold my breath till it's over.  I never 'got it' - a day set aside for Thanksgiving, the big feast and stuff. I know what the holiday is all about, but I never got it. I never really cared.  For me it is in the same category as a parade or a circus - I don't get that stuff either.  Religious people like to say, well it is a day we give thanks to God for all of his blessings.  I prefer to do that everyday and at Mass: Eucharist - thanksgiving, very close.  In fact the priest's homily for today was all about how the Mass is just like Thanksgiving dinner.  Eye roll.  I'm sure it worked for most of those listening.  Anyway, I love Christmas - despite the fact I use the same excuse when invited out for Christmas - "Oh, I'm going to my sister's!" 
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Condom conundrum.
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I don't think the pope should be giving so many interviews - Queen Elizabeth doesn't - the Royals pretty much keep their mouths shut.  Anyway - public discussion of this topic corrupts young minds.  When I was little, whenever the subject of rubbers was brought up, most of the boys in 8th and 9th grade wanted to try them out.  You know what I'm saying Master B.
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Gay high school boys.
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Speaking of corrupting young minds...  So that kid at Benilde-St. Margaret's is in the news again - he wants the Catholic high school to establish a gay/straight alliance club in the school.  What a trouble maker - he wants acceptance and protection from bullying.  When I was in high school and you even acted gay - POW!  So knock it off kid, and toughen up.  You can't be gay until you are eighteen!
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Oh, oh!  here comes the pastor to escort me out, yelling:  "Grab your donuts and coffee jerk - you're outta here!"  I knew I should have gone to my sister's!
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(So now you see why I don't go home for the holidays or participate in donuts and coffee after Mass.)

Mixed messages? Not at all.

Straight talk on Church teaching.

According to a new book, the Pope says condoms are okay for male prostitutes.  Asked why the sudden change, the Holy Father reportedly said, "They're going to hell anyway."

That's all folks!  (Yep, I made that up.)

So anyway, here's the real story...  Balloons for Austria.

Naturally members of the Vatican press are falling all over themselves to correct any misunderstanding as regards Church teaching...  the actual, really real story here:  Condom usage is a sticky subject.  Or you can just read Fr. Z and his commenters and find out what the wordpress-magisterium thinks.
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Evidently the subject of blow-up dolls was not even discussed  in the interview.  Pity.
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H/T Tom in Vegas
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Photo:  Austrian condom WYD liturgical celebration.  (Yep - I made that up too.)