A Priest, A Homily and Courage

H/T Courageous Priest

Cardinal Dolan on CBS re HHS Mandate

Female Genderside

We Have Become a Welfare State!

Now, more than 50% of U.S. households are receiving some sort of government assistance. This compares to 30% in 1983.

As a Catholic, I strongly agree that we must help our neighbor, and I agree we must help those in need. But we have become a welfare state largely because many want a hand-out rather than work. I have seen some of the vehicles drive up to the food pantry in cars a lot newer and more expensive than mine; I have need the woman in a full length fur coat walk into a public disability vehicle for a free ride door to door. But the Bible also tells us "For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: "If a man will not work, he shall not eat." (2 Thess 3:10 NIV)

There are 305 million people in the U.S. 107 million are means tested to receive government aid. So the many who deserve it due to age or disability - God bless them. But what about the others who are cheating us? We now spend 2.3 Trillion on these programs. We cannot pay for all this. So 1.4 Trillion goes against the Debt, which our children and their children will have to pay. The national debt right now is at $127,584 per person - man, woman, child.

Now we cannot even imagine a Trillion dollars. Let's make an effort to understand this. H/T to PageTutor.com.

A one hundred dollar bill.

A pack of 100 100 Dollar Bills = $10,000

One Million

100 Million - 100 Packs

One Billion Dollars

One Trillion Dollars

Note: these are $100 dollar bills and they are double stacked.

Now double this and add a bit more and you can visualize how much we are providing in entitlements - in ONE year.

God help us!

Are We China Now?

I've just heard a report that Planned Parenthood is now counseling women how to abort based on the baby's gender. Unbelievable! In this case, a women went into a PP mill and asked how to determine the sex of the baby. and then, if it was a girl how to abort. She was advised how to get an ultrasound with public funds and then to come back to PP for the abortion.

Now a babies gender cannot be determined until 20 weeks - so now it is considered a late term abortion.

Even more unbelievable, only four states prohibit abortions based on gender. So yes, we have become China. And 47% of Planned Parenthood funding is from the U.S. Taxpayer.

Reflection - Pentecost

Following the recommendation in Rediscovering Catholicism by Mathew Kelly, I’m trying to do a better job of reviewing the readings the night before, and, yes, I’m jotting down notes on the homily. The Gospel tells us that Jesus, when he visited his disciples after his resurrection twice said “Peace be with you.” I wondered why he had to say it twice. Then I realized right after he said it the first time, we are told that the disciples rejoiced. I can imaging them jumping up and down, hugging each other, elated at the sight of Jesus. So Jesus had to say it a second time, in effect saying, “Hey, pipe down. I have something else to say.” The second reading tells us that the Holy Spirit gives, “to each individual the manifestation of the Spirit is given for some benefit.” Not some, not a majority, but to each. We all are one part of His body, the Church, so we each have a job to do. So I think we need to listen and be open to His promptings. Often, when we think we know what He wants us to do, we find something entirely different. Some jobs are greater, some more humble. Some do their job by raising a family - teaching their children of their faith. Some have slowed down - but if nothing else they can pray. We all can proclaim the Gospel to our family, friends, fellow workers, and neighbors. We should not hide our faith, but proclaim it. I don’t think this calling is only directed to the mission of the Church or spiritual matters, but to secular or societal matters as well. We know the condition our society is in. We need to be that leaven to call ourselves and others to the mission of service to our fellow sojourners and make this a better place for ourselves, our children and the generations to come. He will tell you what to do. Simply find a quiet place and ask. You might not get an immediate answer, but He will answer.

Religious Liberty Prayer

We are Catholic

To Be Born

Do you have 15 minutes? Well, less than that really. Do you want to see the Truth? Reality? Then my all means, watch this video.

Burning Incense in Church

“The fragrance of incense in church or in our homes reminds us by analogy of the fragrance of virtue and by contrast of the evil odor of sins, and teaches those who are inattentive to inward feelings to avoid the stench of the passions, of intemperance, fornication, malice, envy, pride, despair and to adorn ourselves with every Christian virtue; the incense reminds us of the Apostle’s words: ‘For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ in them that are saved, and in them that perish; to the one we are the savour of death unto death and to the other the savour of life unto life’ (2 Cor. 2:15-16)

 -- St. John of Kronstadt, My Life in Christ

And Aaron shall burn fragrant incense on it. Every morning when he dresses the lamps he shall burn it, and when Aaron sets up the lamps at twilight, he shall burn it, a regular incense offering before the Lord throughout your generations. (Exodus 30:7-8)

For from the rising of the sun even unto the going down of the same my name shall be great among the Gentiles; and in every place incense shall be offered unto my name, and a pure offering: for my name shall be great among the heathen, saith the LORD of hosts. (Malachi 1:11)

“When the Lamb opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. 2 Then I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them. 3 And another angel came and stood at the altar with a golden censer, and he was given much incense to offer with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar before the throne, 4 and the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, rose before God from the hand of the angel.” (Revelation 8:1-4)

In the last year, I can only recall my parish burning incense once, and that was for the Easter Vigil.

Why is this? Is it because the pastors are being politically correct? I understand this beautiful fragrance might be bothersome to some. Perhaps they have an allergy. So does the majority have to be deprived of this? There is an easy solution - just announce it ahead of time.

In the post-Vatican II world there seems to be an effort to make Catholicism more Protestant  looking - just look at some of our new churches - easily mistaken for a theater in the round. I, for one, think it is time we reclaim our traditions.

Incense reminds us that we are in a sacred place. It reminds us, assures us, of the Holy Presence. It is a sign that our prayers rise to heaven as does the incense smoke. The smoke forms a cloud and this is a symbol of God's presence, ref. Exodus 13:22, 40:34.

Bring back men in black

It should come as no surprise that younger Catholics would rather see priests in clerics than clothes from J. Crew and would rather see sisters in habits than pantsuits with lapel pins.

from U.S. Catholic by Father Damian J. Ference

Religious clothing allows Catholics to make a fashion statement about their faith, says a young priest who sports the look that a previous generation put away.

Like it or not, religious garb and clerical dress are making a comeback. This phenomenon can be hard to swallow for a certain generation of Catholics. It may seem that younger Catholics are attempting to undo their hard work and move backward into a church that placed a greater emphasis on distinctions between the clergy and the laity rather than celebrating the common priesthood of the baptized. Some have even accused wearers of religious garb of being insecure, out-of-touch, and intellectually second-rate. But today I find the youngest, brightest, healthiest, and most joyful consecrated religious and clergy seem perfectly at home in religious garb. What happened?

When asked how she reconciled her Catholicism with using violent, grotesque imagery, the great fiction writer Flannery O'Connor, herself a young Catholic who was often misunderstood, said: "To the hard of hearing you shout, and for the almost blind you draw large startling figures." It seems that the same philosophy is at work in the minds of young Catholics who are drawn to religious garb; they desire to communicate the gospel through sign and symbol to a world whose senses have been dulled. And if their clothing can help people to hear and see Christ, then it's a no-brainer....

Read the rest here.

An Unprecedented and Very Dangerous Line

“I am absolutely convinced that an unprecedented and very dangerous line has been crossed that goes to the heart of the freedom of religion, and that this action does intolerable violence to our First Amendment rights.”
— His Excellency Bishop Paul Loverde concerning Obama’s HHS Mandate

First Class

Received in an email - thought I would share it. A 50 year old Muslim man arrived at his seat on a crowded flight and immediately didn't want the seat. The seat was next to an elderly white woman reading her Bible.  Disgusted, the Muslim man immediately summoned the flight attendant and demanded a new seat. The man said, "I cannot sit here next to this infidel." The flight attendant said, "Let me see if I can find another seat." After checking, the flight attendant returned and stated, "There are no more seats in economy, but I will check with the captain and see if there is something in first class." About 10 minutes went by and the flight attendant returned and stated, "The captain has confirmed that there are no more seats in economy, but there is one in first class. It is our company policy to never move a person from economy to first class, but being that it would be some sort of scandal to force a person to sit next to an UNPLEASANT person, the captain agreed to make the switch to first class." Before the irate Muslim man could say anything, the attendant gestured to the elderly woman and said, "Therefore ma’am, if you would so kindly retrieve your personal items, we would like to move you to the comfort of first class as the captain doesn't want you to sit next to an unpleasant person." Passengers in the seats nearby began to applaud while some gave a standing ovation.

Dr. Thomas Sowell Article & Tom's Observation

A friend sent me this article by Dr. Sowell. I have a great deal of respect for him, partially because of his great mind – surely, a blessing from God – and his fearlessness to speak the truth. Perhaps you know that any black man or woman who does not tow the line is ostracized, receives threats, and generally is given a very difficult time for others of their race.

Before the article, which is found below, I would like to add an observation/comment of my own, which I never got a chance to articulate before.

As a youth, my parents were Democrats. It was a time that most people in my neighborhood shared the same values. We were Catholic/Christian, predominantly Polish, Italian, Irish and German. Our precinct captain, ward committeeman, and mayor also reflected these values, and ethics.

As I grew into a young adult, I learned that this was no longer the case, neighborhoods became more mixed, we became a more mobile society, and relatives no longer lived near us but may have taken a job across the country. Now it is not a rarity that an atheist or Muslim might live next to me. This in itself is not bad, as I have found that diversity may make us stronger in many ways. But what happens is couples now meet mates of different faiths. To keep the relationship cohesive faith/religion is put aside and not even spoken of. Children grow up without a faith background. And they enter society without something to hold on to.

They are influenced more by our secular society than by their parents. As indicated in “Rediscover Catholicism by Matthew Kelly – which I strongly recommend – we are influenced by this culture’s materialism, individualism, minimalism, and hedonism. How long have we heard “If it feels good, do it?” The propaganda is intensive and it is blatant, as is the social engineering. You cannot watch a television program without a homosexual character, or couple. I gave up on sit-coms long ago as there is no more family programming. It is all sexual innuendo, and now not even innuendos, but blatant, at times disgusting acts or statements. There are no longer comedians who can tell great jokes; they all resort to four letter words and bodily functions. Then we have the media’s agenda. News? Forget it. It is all one sided, and simply radically liberal. Truth? Look elsewhere. I have now given up on all broadcast TV.

Liberals have taken over our schools. You have seen the recent recording of a teacher – an authority – who dismisses the freedom of speech and says you cannot say anything against the President. And this is not isolated, but pervasive. The indoctrination is overwhelming; all through the grades and through college, which are no longer for education, but for party time. Abstinence is not taught, but condoms are handed out freely. Sex is encouraged. There is no discipline. God has been kicked out of our schools. Parents are afraid. As I personally witnessed, through a friend, many children know they can complain about their parent’s discipline efforts to the school, and the parents – especially single parents – are afraid the children will be taken away from them.

Let me turn back to the Democratic Party. These good people discarded their values and ethics for money. Somewhere along the line the Democrats embraced abortion, homosexuality, and a host of other anti-Christian issues. There is no way I can be part of the party of my parents. Teachers used to be respected, now we know, most of them – I won’t cubby-hole all of them – are there for the buck, the pension and the perks. There was a time for unions. There still is in some ways. But they too gave up their values for the power of the dollar. Politicians learned the more government jobs they gave out, the more votes they would get. So we have so much redundancy, make-work, corruption, and useless entities that we can no longer afford them. And the cycle continues. The more pay, the more pension, the more perks, the more votes. And the government does not produce anything, yet, they are in every aspect of our lives; from toilet bowls to light bulbs. To support the teachers, unions, and government employees, taxes continually rise.

We have little hope; especially in Illinois where I live. There are more takers than there are producers. What if all the private enterprise left Illinois and left the takers to fend for themselves? Who is John Galt? (From “Atlas Shrugged” by Ayn Rand, if you are not familiar with the line. I don’t agree with her philosophy, but a very good book). I am at a point where I cannot afford to live in Illinois.

All these Democrats have thrown out their values and ethics. When was the last time you heard of a Democrat who is pro-life?

People of faith are now faced with the forces of evil infringing on our freedom of religion and freedom of conscience. It is now law that religious institutions must pay for contraception and abortifacients in their insurance plans, although it is morally reprehensive to them. The Catholic Archbishop for Military Services was censored in his letter to Catholic Chaplains concerning the HHS mandate. In Illinois the Catholic Church had to step away from adoptions, as the state mandated they would have to provide adoptions to homosexual couples. I believe the administration’s agenda is to silence and cripple the Catholic Church.

Let me leave with one more note on indoctrination. Because of the propaganda, acceptance of homosexuality has been increasing by one percent a year. Under the Obama administration is has been five percent a year, each year, in the last three years. Now, with Obama coming out of the closet, acceptance has jumped to 53% - you can see where the Democrats are towing the line. Now I am not a homophobe. A phobia is an unnatural fear of something, but homosexuality is by its nature unnatural. I love the sinner, but hate the sin, and we should not accept it, as we should not accept any sin; murder, abortion, pedophilia, to mention a few.

Now here is Dr. Sowell:

Occupy Wall Street - Essay--Excellent...

Tue, 22 May 2012

A great article! One of the most intellectual black human beings in this country hits it right on the head.

Occupy Wall Street

By Dr. Thomas Sowell

The current Occupy Wall Street movement is the best illustration to date of what President Barack Obama's America looks like. It is an America where the lawless, unaccomplished, ignorant and incompetent rule. It is an America where those who have sacrificed nothing pillage and destroy the lives of those who have sacrificed greatly.

It is an America where history is rewritten to honor dictators, murderers and thieves. It is an America where violence, racism, hatred, class warfare and of murder are all promoted as acceptable means of overturning the American civil society.

It is an America where humans have been degraded to the level of animals: of defecating in public, having sex in public, devoid of basic hygiene. It is an America where the basic tenets of a civil society, including faith, family, a free press and individual rights, have been always rejected. It is an America where our founding documents have been now shredded and, with them, every person's guaranteed liberties.

It is an America where, ultimately, great suffering will come to the American people, but the rulers like Obama, Michelle Obama, Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi, Barney Frank, Chris Dodd, Joe Biden, Jesse Jackson, Louis Farrakhan, liberal college professors, union bosses and all other loyal liberal/Communist Party members will live in opulent splendor.

It is the America that Obama and the Democrat Party have now created with all the willing assistance of the Liberal media, Hollywood, unions, universities, the Communist Party of America, the Black Panthers and numerous anti-American foreign entities.

Barack Obama has brought more destruction upon this country in 3 years than any other event in the history of our nation, but it is just the beginning of what he and his comrades are capable of.

The Occupy Wall Street movement is just another step in their plan for the annihilation of America.

"Socialism, in general, has a record of failure that's so blatant that only an intellectual could ignore or evade it."

Dr. Thomas Sowell (A National Humanities Medal Winner)

The problems we face today are there because the people who work for a living are outnumbered by the people that vote. - AMERICANS BETTER WAKE UP BECAUSE IF OBAMA HAS A 2ND TERM, IT WILL BE ALL OVER FOR AMERICA. 

Nancy Pelosi’s insists that military chaplains be forced to perform homosexual “marriages”. Chaplains protest.

(CNSNews.com) – A group representing more than 2,500 Evangelical Christian military chaplains says House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) was wrong on Thursday when she called a provision in the House defense authorization bill designed to protect military chaplains “a fraud.”

“I think she misses the point entirely,” said Dr. Ron Crews, executive director of the Chaplain Alliance for Religious Liberty.

“Right now this administration has created an environment in the Department of Defense that if you are in favor of same-sex relationships, you may speak. If you are not in favor, you cannot speak,” Crews said.

During her weekly press conference with reporters on Thursday, Pelosi told CNSNews.com that she agrees with the Obama administration – and opposes the provision, Section 536 of the National Defense Authorization Act.

Section 536 states that no member of the armed forces may “direct, order, or require a chaplain to perform any duty, rite, ritual, ceremony, service, or function that is contrary to the conscience, moral principles, or religious beliefs of the chaplain, or contrary to the moral principles and religious beliefs of the endorsing faith group of the chaplain.”

The Democratic Leader said the idea that military chaplains would be forced to perform same-sex marriages against their will is “a manufactured crisis.”

“Nobody is ordering them to do that,” Pelosi said.  “I’ve never seen any suggestion that we’re ordering chaplains to perform same-sex—where is that?  I haven’t seen it and I’ve been around this issue for a long time.”

Crews, whose group represents over half of all chaplains serving on active duty, agreed that no chaplains have yet been ordered to perform same-sex ceremonies.

But the retired military chaplain told CNSNews.com that military chaplains have increasingly been facing negative repercussions since the military policy on homosexuality (“Don’t Ask Don’t Tell”) was lifted.

“We already have some examples of a chaplain being pulled from an assignment simply because he forwarded an e-mail that was critical of the Don’t Ask Don’t Tell policy. He was told that ‘You need to be closely supervised.’ He was threatened that he would have to retire early,” Crews said.

“We have another chaplain who asked, “Can I speak about this issue? And the commander told him, ‘If you can’t get in line (with the military policy in support of homosexuality), resign your commission.’ So we have those kind of real life cases that the American public doesn’t realize is going on.”

Section 536 is simply designed to protect chaplains for refusing to act against their religious faith, he said.

“So all we are doing in adding to protections in the Defense Authorization Act, is to provide an umbrella covering for our chaplains and those they serve to be able to speak their objections concerning homosexuality based on what Scripture says about homosexuality.”

Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council in Washington, D.C., said there is indeed a “crisis” brewing among chaplains who don’t support the idea of homosexual marriage.

“This is not a manufactured crisis, this is a crisis created by the policies of this administration,” Perkins told CNSNews.com.

Perkins decried the fact that on Wednesday, the White House Office of Management and Budget issued a memo which said that Section 536 “is potentially harmful to good order and discipline” of the military

“It’s quite shocking that the administration would say this would undermine good order and discipline, when in fact, it is the president’s policy that is leading to the undermining of good order and discipline,” Perkins said.

“This measure is a response to the concerns raised by chaplains already as this new experimentation on homosexuality has been thrust upon the military.

“You’ve have had chaplains whose messages in the wake of decisions by this administration that have been censored; they’ve been told what they can and cannot say from the pulpit,” Perkins said.

Perkins also blasted the OMB for condemning a second provision, Section 537, which would prohibit the use of military property from performing any “marriage or marriage-like ceremony involving anything other than the union of one man with one woman.”

Together the two provisions “adopt unnecessary and ill-advised policies that would inhibit the ability of same-sex couples to marry or enter a recognized relationship under State law,” according to the White House.

Rep. Todd Akin (R-Mo.), the sponsor of the bill, never claimed that chaplains are being forced to perform homosexual weddings against their will, according to his spokesman.

“We don’t know what may or may not be ordered by the United States military regarding how these things are handled in the future, but this establishes that it is the sense of Congress that chaplains will not be ordered to do so. It’s a clarification – and a clarification that is being codified,” said Akin spokesman Steve Taylor.

“Given the change in the landscape regarding how the DOD is handling this, suggests that it is not superfluous for Congress to weigh in and say, this is our sense of it. But whatever rules and regs are promulgated they should accommodate and respect the beliefs of chaplains on bases. So I think the Minority Leader herself may be getting a little hyperbolic herself by suggesting that there isn’t a crisis.”

Bob Knight of the American Civil Rights Union, said if the threat is not a true threat, as Pelosi believes, then the provisions are harmless and provide “another layer of protection” for religious freedom.

“If it is a threat, then this is essential to preserving freedom of religion in our armed forces,” Knight said. “Given the administration’s heavy hand against Catholic hospitals  over the contraceptive, abortifacient, sterilization issue, why should anyone trust them not to go after the chaplains and do things against their conscience?”

Religious Liberty

The Most Cherished of American Freedoms

Past and Present.

In 1634, a mix of Catholic and Protestant settlers arrived in Southern Maryland from England aboard the Ark and the Dove. They had come at the invitation of the Catholic Lord Baltimore, who had been granted the land by the Protestant King Charles I of England. While Catholics and Protestants were killing each other, in Europe, Lord Baltimore imagined Maryland as a society where people of different faiths could live together peacefully. This vision was soon codified in Maryland's 1649 act concerning religion (also called the “toleration act"), which was the first law in our nation’s history to protect an individual's right to freedom of conscience.

Maryland's early history teaches us that, like any freedom, religious liberty requires constant vigilance and protection, or it will disappear. Maryland's experiment and religious toleration ended within a few decades. The colony was placed under royal control and the Church of England became the established religion. Discriminatory laws, including the loss of political rights, were enacted against those who refused to conform. Catholic chapels were closed and Catholics were restricted to practicing their faith in their homes. The Catholic community lived under this coercion until the American Revolution.

By the end of the 18th century our nation's founders embraced freedom of religion as an essential condition of a free and democratic society. So when the Bill of Rights was ratified, religious freedom had the distinction of being the First Amendment. Religious liberty is indeed the first liberty.

This is our American heritage, our most cherished freedom. If we are not free in our conscience and our practice of religion, all other freedoms are fragile. If our obligations and duties to God are impeded, or even worse, contradicted by the government, then we can no longer claim to be a land of the free.

Is our most cherished freedom truly under threat? Among many current challenges, consider the recent Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) mandate requiring almost all private health plans to cover contraception, sterilization and abortion inducing drugs. For the first time in our history, the federal government will force religious institutions to facilitate drugs and procedures contrary to our moral teaching, and purport to define which religious institutions are "religious enough" to merit an exemption. This is not a matter of whether contraception may be prohibited by the government. It is not even a matter of whether contraception may be supported by the government. It is a matter of whether religious people and institutions may be forced by the government to provide coverage for contraception and sterilization, even when it violates our religious beliefs.

To learn more about our first freedom and to send a message to HHS and Congress telling them the stand up for religious liberty, go to www.usccb.org/conscience.

Law of the Gift - Cardinal Dolan's Commencement Address at Catholic University of America 2012

Extract:

....Might I suggest these all coalesce in what we call the Law of the Gift.

“Greater love than this no one has, than to give one’s life for one’s friends.” There’s the Law of the Gift as defined by the Son of God Himself.

“It is in giving that we receive, it is in pardoning that we are pardoned, and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.” There’s the Law of the Gift as chanted by St. Francis.

"I know Jesus Christ, who sacrificed His life for others. I understand well the meaning of the cross. I am ready to give up my life for my people." There's the Law of the Gift as stated by Shabaz Bhatti, a Catholic who served as federal minister for religious minorities in Pakistan.

“For we are at our best, we are most fully alive and human, when we give away freely and sacrificially our very selves in love for another.” There’s the Law of the Gift as described by Blessed John Paul II.

Not long ago at a dinner I sat next to Admiral Mike Mullen, a Marine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, himself a Catholic, who asked me, “What percent of the American population is Catholic?”

I replied, “I'm not sure exactly but I think about 24%.”

“But do you realize,” he went on, “that 40% of the Marine Corps identify themselves as Catholic?”

I did not realize that, but I was not surprised, nor was Admiral Mullen, for at the heart of the Church’s ethos is the Law of the Gift, and it would be tough to be a Marine — or to be an abuela like Clara Almazo — if you didn’t believe in that.

Or, as the head of the department of pediatric oncology at a leading hospital recently told me, “Cardinal Dolan I’m not even a religious believer, but, when I hire doctors, nurses, attendants, or staff for this grueling work of trying to heal kids with cancer, the applicants who are alumni of Catholic school have a leg up.”

I didn’t know that either, but, I’m hardly surprised, for, while it’s sure not listed in any catalogue, the course on the Law of the Gift is part of the DNA of any Catholic school, this sterling one included.

So, I conclude that all of you, at this university where every classroom features the most effective audio-visual aid of them all, the crucifix; and where the entire campus is overshadowed by the dome of the shrine devoted to the Jewish woman who whispered, “Be it done unto me according to your will, not mine,” that I’m looking out at graduates who have majored in this Law of the Gift....

Read the entire address here.

Did You Hear Anything, Anything on Obama's Gay Marriage Declaration in Church?

As Deacon Greg wondered at The Deacons Bench: "Just curious, but I wonder how many Masses brought up Obama’s gay marriage declaration this week?"

"Good question. Did anyone out there hear anything about this from the pulpit this Sunday?"

It is a shame, so many priests are afraid to speak the truth and what our faith teaches.

It is all indoctrination. You can't watch a TV program without a gay character. What percentage of the population are they? Acceptance of homosexuality increases on average one percent a year, and during the Obama administration it is 5%. You children are being indoctrinated in school - remember the "Gay is Okay" tee-shirts being given away?

Hate the sin, love the sinner, but don't pretend or accept it is okay.

What is my creed?

What is my creed?

Reading a Catholic Update on the Creed gave me the thought to write down my own creed. Writing it down takes it out of the ethereal and provides some concreteness and stability, rather than having some random thoughts floating around in your mind. Here is mine:

I am a Catholic. Not a catholic in name only, not a Sunday morning catholic, but one who strives to be a real Catholic. I follow the Magisterium of the Church. I am humble enough to know that I do not know more than the great minds and Councils of our faith through all the generations and I follow their lead. I am not a pick and choose Catholic. I try to be a public Catholic. Those who know me know I am a Catholic and a person of faith. I am a sinner and I know I will be forgiven if I only ask.
     I am a Secular Franciscan and I try to live the gospel and bring the gospel to my life. I believe I must continue ongoing formation as I need to remind myself and to continually turn to God as this secular world tries to turn me away.
     I am a conservative. I believe there is right and wrong, a black and white; all things are not gray. I believe being a conservative provides a foothold to stabilize us so that we are not floating about with every change of wind direction, fad, popularity, or political correctness.
     I believe in self-improvement; that we should always try to better ourselves, not to play mind-deadening games or watch an evening of mind-less sexual innuendos on television. We no longer know how to make great movies or programs.
     I believe in the Golden Rule. Love means we need to turn out from ourselves toward others - not turn inward, me, me, me.
     I believe in a good work ethic - an honest days pay for an honest days work. Not to be a minimalist - how much can I get for doing as little as possible.
     I believe in not bequeathing the next generation with our problems or leaving them with the bill for what we enjoy today. It is our responsibility to solve our own problems and not leave it to them.
     I am pro-life! Life continues, it does not start and stop. Passage through the birth canal does not make one human. It is basic biology that life starts at conception. A new being with a soul is present as soon as the egg is fertilized and those DNA strands mix. To kill a baby so anyone would not be burdened is murder. A man has as much right over the life of his child as does the woman.
     I believe in taking responsibility for your own actions.

What is your creed?

Sola Scriptura Problem

Office of Readings - St. Cyril of Alexandria

From the commentary on the letter to the Romans by Saint Cyril of Alexandria, bishop

God's mercy has been extended to all; the whole world has been saved

St. Cyril of Alexandria

Though many, we are one body, and members one of another, united by Christ in the bonds of love. Christ has made Jews and Gentiles one by breaking down the barrier that divided us and abolishing the law with its precepts and decrees. This is why we should all be of one mind and if one member suffers some misfortune, all should suffer with him; if one member is honored, all should be glad.

Paul says: Accept one another as Christ accepted you, for the glory of God. Now accepting one another means being willing to share one another’s thoughts and feelings, bearing one another’s burdens, and preserving the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. This is how God accepted us in Christ, for John’s testimony is true and he said that God the Father loved the world so much that he gave his own Son for us. God’s Son was given as a ransom for the lives of us all. He has delivered us from death, redeemed us from death and from sin.

Paul throws light on the purpose of God’s plan when he says that Christ became the servant of the circumcised to show God’s fidelity. God had promised the Jewish patriarchs that he would bless their offspring and make it as numerous as the stars of heaven. This is why the divine Word himself, who as God holds all creation in being and is the source of its well-being, appeared in the flesh and became man. He came into this world in human flesh not to be served, but, as he himself said, to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.

Christ declared that his coming in visible form was to fulfill the promise made to Israel. I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, he said. Paul was perfectly correct, then, in saying that Christ became a servant of the circumcised in order to fulfill the promise made to the patriarchs and that God the Father had charged him with this task, as also with the task of bringing salvation to the Gentiles, so that they too might praise their Savior and Redeemer as the Creator of the universe. In this way God’s mercy has been extended to all men, including the Gentiles and it can be seen that the mystery of the divine wisdom contained in Christ has not failed in its benevolent purpose. In the place of those who fell away the whole world has been saved.