I just found this interesting video of Pope Benedict talking to world class swimmers about to participate in Swimming World Championships. Pope Benedict reminds us that everything we do in life can be for the greater glory of God. Therefore, as St. Francis said, we must pray often, and when necessary, use words. Check it out:
Sunday, August 02, 2009
Saturday, August 01, 2009
August, a great month for saints!
I was just looking at my calendar of feast days and August is a spectacular month for saints. Here are just some of the more popular saints from this month:
August 1) St. Alphonsus Liguori, founder of the Redemptorists
August 4) St. Jean-Marie Vianney, the patron saint of parish priests
August 8) St. Dominic, founder of the Dominicans
August 10) St. Lawrence, early Martyr
August 11) St. Clare, follower of St. Francis of Assisi
August 14) St. Maximilian Kolbe, gave his life for man in concentration camp
August 20) St. Bernard, Doctor of the Church
August 21) St. Pius X, a holy and humble man
August 24) St. Bartholomew, One of the 12 Apostles
August 28) St. Augustine, Doctor of the Church
August 1) St. Alphonsus Liguori, founder of the Redemptorists
August 4) St. Jean-Marie Vianney, the patron saint of parish priests
August 8) St. Dominic, founder of the Dominicans
August 10) St. Lawrence, early Martyr
August 11) St. Clare, follower of St. Francis of Assisi
August 14) St. Maximilian Kolbe, gave his life for man in concentration camp
August 20) St. Bernard, Doctor of the Church
August 21) St. Pius X, a holy and humble man
August 24) St. Bartholomew, One of the 12 Apostles
August 28) St. Augustine, Doctor of the Church
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Catholic nurse forced to participate in abortion, lawsuit filed
My girlfriend and I were discussing this topic yesterday. Basically we were saying in our workplaces we are sometimes asked to make moral decisions or to violate our morals, and the question is, what does one do? Of course, we could always be morally courageous and never violate our morals, but then other questions arise. What level of moral disobedience is legitimate to save our career and livelihood? It's not always easy to just refuse to do something the boss asks us to. What if, for example, the boss tells us to inform a client that we cannot pay them until next month because there is not enough money, when in fact we could possibly pay them, but it would be disadvantageous. Would we be required to flat out refuse to carry out this task and jeopardize our job? Perhaps not.
The story below tells of a nurse who was forced to participate in some level with an abortion. At what level can one participate in a moral evil and still be free from guilt? That's a good question. There is a question of materially participating in an action.
This kind of forced participation in abortion is not so far-fetched. Some abortion advocates are calling for the removal of conscience objections. In other words, people would no longer have the right to protest doing something on a moral basis such as abortion and could be fired for not helping. We must do what we can to stop this kind of injustice.
Check out the article below:
Catholic nurse forced to participate in abortion, lawsuit filed
The story below tells of a nurse who was forced to participate in some level with an abortion. At what level can one participate in a moral evil and still be free from guilt? That's a good question. There is a question of materially participating in an action.
This kind of forced participation in abortion is not so far-fetched. Some abortion advocates are calling for the removal of conscience objections. In other words, people would no longer have the right to protest doing something on a moral basis such as abortion and could be fired for not helping. We must do what we can to stop this kind of injustice.
Check out the article below:
Catholic nurse forced to participate in abortion, lawsuit filed
Steve Kent is a Knight of Columbus
Congratulations on Steve Kent, MHA and former mayor of Mount Pearl on becoming an Knight of Columbus. Steve Kent, who is just 31 years old, was the mayor of Mt. Pearl, the second largest city in Newfoundland and Labrador, and later became a Member of the House of Assembly, a post which he currently has. May he experience success in all his endeavors!
Marriage Ends, Health Declines - ABC News
Science once again proves something which Christ said. Jesus often said a man should not divorce his wife. The Bible says what God has joined, let no man divide. So it's no surprise that competent science has once again proven that divorce is bad in many ways. What Christ teaches us to do is for our own health and benefit.
Of course, science is not necessary to prove what God says. In fact, science has little to do with faith and morals. Science can only observe, but it cannot make moral statements, or answer the question of why, it only answers the question of how. I've become more interested lately in the concept that some people have replaced their trust in God with trust in science, which is a very dangerous road to take. God's truths are eternal, science is only based on our interpretation set of data. I'm all for scientific study, with the realization that we are observing God's creation. God comes first, and science only comes from God. Therefore science is very much subordinate to God.
I will probably speak on this topic more later. But for now, please view the following article:
Marriage Ends, Health Declines - ABC News
Of course, science is not necessary to prove what God says. In fact, science has little to do with faith and morals. Science can only observe, but it cannot make moral statements, or answer the question of why, it only answers the question of how. I've become more interested lately in the concept that some people have replaced their trust in God with trust in science, which is a very dangerous road to take. God's truths are eternal, science is only based on our interpretation set of data. I'm all for scientific study, with the realization that we are observing God's creation. God comes first, and science only comes from God. Therefore science is very much subordinate to God.
I will probably speak on this topic more later. But for now, please view the following article:
Marriage Ends, Health Declines - ABC News
Monday, July 27, 2009
Vatican Says Pope Fell Looking for Light Switch - ABC News
More news has been shed on the Pope's wrist fracturing incident. See below:
Vatican Says Pope Fell Looking for Light Switch - ABC News
Vatican Says Pope Fell Looking for Light Switch - ABC News
Bishop of Macau dies
Sad news has emerged that the first Chinese bishop of Macau, Domingos Lam, has died at the age of 81. Macau, which is now a Chinese territory, once belonged to the Portuguese. They brought Christianity there. The country (or autonomous region of China) now has one of the highest life expectancies of any country.
The only source of information on this that I could find is in Chinese, probably Cantonese:
http://kkp.catholic.org.hk/Special_News/lo_2009_07_27.htm
The only source of information on this that I could find is in Chinese, probably Cantonese:
http://kkp.catholic.org.hk/Special_News/lo_2009_07_27.htm
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Scientists Create Human Sperm from Stem Cells
A scary story has emerged that scentists in England are now using embryonic stem cells to produce sperm. This is so disgusting and disturbing in so many ways. Let's rephrase what is happening here. They are using human pre-born children to make sperm... Obviously this violates many Catholic morals, including the 4th commandment, Thou shall not kill. Of course, as with other "scientific discoveries", the scientists involved have only benevolent goals. They just want to help guys who can't have kids to have them! Wow, thanks guys, but no thanks. We can never kill someone so as to benefit someone else.
The same team who has orchestrated this Frankensteinian situation are also looking into another, less morally offensive, procedure that would turn adult male skin cells into sperm. Of course, this will also be illicit, because children have a right to be born naturally in the loving union of husband and wife, not at the hands of a scientist in a sterilized lab in a petri dish.
Now, none of this has been completed yet, and is still in a theoretical stage. I just wish people would realize that just because something is possible, doesn't mean we necessarily have to try it. Also, just because there is a conceivable benefit to something, doesn't mean it is completely legitimate. That's why I dislike when I hear scientists saying things like "This technology will help disabled people." but they ignore the potential harm. Both must be weighed.
Check out the Time Magazine article below:
Scientists Create Human Sperm from Stem Cells
The same team who has orchestrated this Frankensteinian situation are also looking into another, less morally offensive, procedure that would turn adult male skin cells into sperm. Of course, this will also be illicit, because children have a right to be born naturally in the loving union of husband and wife, not at the hands of a scientist in a sterilized lab in a petri dish.
Now, none of this has been completed yet, and is still in a theoretical stage. I just wish people would realize that just because something is possible, doesn't mean we necessarily have to try it. Also, just because there is a conceivable benefit to something, doesn't mean it is completely legitimate. That's why I dislike when I hear scientists saying things like "This technology will help disabled people." but they ignore the potential harm. Both must be weighed.
Check out the Time Magazine article below:
Scientists Create Human Sperm from Stem Cells
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Scorsese Planning Movie on Japanese Martyrs - Catholic Online
I just found this article on catholic.org Apparently Martin Scorsese is making a movie about the Japanese martyrs. This is great news. We need more movies like this. I've often thought that Catholic movies, based on the lives of saints, are some of the most inspirational and moving stories possible, and I think Hollywood should make more of them. The Passion of the Christ was a huge box office hit, and is the highest grossing religious movie of all time, and the highest grossing rated R movie in the United States. There are no more inspiring stories than those of people defending the Truth, and the Catholic Church contains the fullness of the Truth. Scorsese also made a movie many years ago called the last temptation of Christ. This was a terrible movie, partly because it is inaccurate in our understanding of Christology. According to theologians, while Jesus was tempted, he did not have concupicense, since he is the new Adam. Adam and Eve also did not have concupisense, but after the Fall, humanity acquired it. Concupiscence is the tendency to desire sin. Jesus did not have this tendency. Therefore, Jesus could only be tempted in another sense of the word. He could be tempted externally but not internally. For example, someone could come up to me and offer me drugs. They would try to tempt me to do drugs. But I would refuse. There would be no internal battle within me, and finally with the Grace of God, I would resist. Rather, I would have no internal compulsion toward these illicit substances. I have no attachment whatsoever to doing drugs. This is the same as Christ but with all sin. Therefore, Scorsese's movie is inaccurate because he depicts Jesus as being internally tempted to commit sin via fornication. Even if Jesus had concupiscence, he did not sin, and would therefore not entertain thoughts of a lustful act, which the movie depicts him as doing. Scorsese is a Catholic movie maker. I am hoping his depiction of the Japanese Martyrs is as inspirational as it should be. These stories are truly edifying, and these brave souls are now in Heaven with God. Please see the article to which I am linking for further information below:
Scorsese Planning Movie on Japanese Martyrs - Catholic Online
Scorsese Planning Movie on Japanese Martyrs - Catholic Online
Farrah Fawcett Burial
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Government funding in abortion: much worse in Canada than in the US
I was just reading the American Papist blog. Right now, Obama is looking at funding abortion federally. Currently in the US, abortion is legal, but it is not funded by the government. But in Canada, the situation is much more dismal. In Canada, abortions are all funded through the government medicare, if people choose to have one in a public hospital. That means all taxpayers have to pay for the slaughter of children.
Also, Canada is far behind Europe because Canada allows abortion at any time during 9 months of pregnancy. Other countries restrict access to abortion. Some for example only allow abortion up to 12 weeks, such as many European countries.
It's sad that we live in a country with some of the most liberal abortions laws in the world.
American Papist: Not Your Average Catholic!
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Also, Canada is far behind Europe because Canada allows abortion at any time during 9 months of pregnancy. Other countries restrict access to abortion. Some for example only allow abortion up to 12 weeks, such as many European countries.
It's sad that we live in a country with some of the most liberal abortions laws in the world.
American Papist: Not Your Average Catholic!
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God's existence.
I came across a Christian philosopher named William Lane Craig. He's Protestant, but he has some very good proofs for the existence of God. Check out the first 2 videos of him in a debate in Australia.
Mary Magdalene is not so mysterious
With the Da Vinci Code, and other books like Holy Blood Holy Grail, etc. many have been led to believe the Catholic Church has been hiding the truth about Mary Magdalene. They claim she was Jesus' wife and that she bore him a child or children. They say she was given a bad reputation as a prostitute because the officials of the church wanted to keep her a secret and to vilify her in case anyone tried to reveal the truth. They wanted to do this, so the theory goes, so that the popes and cardinals and other churchmen could maintain their high status and power. This conspiracy theory makes perfect sense, until a pesky thing known as truth gets in the way.
The fact is, today is the Feast Day of St. Mary Magdalene - July 22. She is revered as a saint in Heaven who intercedes for us. Dozens, perhaps hundreds, of churches are named in her honor. She is one of the many examples of people who led sinful lives then repented and are now recognized as saints. These include St. Paul, St. Augustine, and more. Obviously if the church wanted to hide her, they are doing a very poor job of it!
St. Mary Magdalene, pray for us.
The fact is, today is the Feast Day of St. Mary Magdalene - July 22. She is revered as a saint in Heaven who intercedes for us. Dozens, perhaps hundreds, of churches are named in her honor. She is one of the many examples of people who led sinful lives then repented and are now recognized as saints. These include St. Paul, St. Augustine, and more. Obviously if the church wanted to hide her, they are doing a very poor job of it!
St. Mary Magdalene, pray for us.
Courageous Bishop Promulgates Norms for Tabernacle Placement - Catholic Online
It is important to note that when we genuflect, it is toward the tabernacle, not the altar. This is a good article. I'm fortunate to be in a church (St. Teresa's) where the tabernacle is front and center. They even added a large painting around the tabernacle depicting angels on either side. Also, Eucharistic Adoration has been promoted and made much more available recently. Great job guys!
Courageous Bishop Promulgates Norms for Tabernacle Placement - Catholic Online
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Courageous Bishop Promulgates Norms for Tabernacle Placement - Catholic Online
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General Electric to Use Embryonic Stem Cells for Deadly Tests - Catholic Online
This is a very disturbing story. GE will stop using rats to test the toxicity of its products, and rather opt to use humans. As I've mentioned before in my blog, people seem to think animals not only deserve equal rights to humans, but actually believe they deserve more!
The fact is, GE will be using humans to do experiments on. They will use the tiniest humans, embryos. Here's something to consider - embryos have all the genetic material they ever will, even as adults. Their eye color, hair color, height, skin complexion, personality characteristics, interests, etc. have all been determined. What GE is destroying is not a potential human, but a real human person, at the beginning of their development. They are destroying your best friend Fred, or your co-worker Amanda. For what? To test the toxicness of various chemicals?
Would GE go to an impoverished country and pay people to be human guinea pigs with a 100% chance of death? Maybe not now, but as this kind of thing becomes more common, who's to say they will not?
GE is one of the largest companies in the world. One of the craziest things about this article, as pointed out by American Papist, is that GE "claims" they will be doing this ethically. As I've mentioned in a previous blog posting, people and companies seem to judge an action based on soft principles, such as whether an action will cause pain. But there is a deeper issue always involved. In this case, we are talking about murder. We do not believe murder is only wrong if it involves immense suffering. The suffering may make it worse, but at its essential core, murder is murder, regardless of HOW it is done. The fact is, GE is murdering children. No matter what stage of development they are in, no matter how unwanted they are, no matter how little suffering there is, they are still killing people to improve their products, and that is completely wrong.
Please view the article below for more information:
General Electric to Use Embryonic Stem Cells for Deadly Tests - Catholic Online
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The fact is, GE will be using humans to do experiments on. They will use the tiniest humans, embryos. Here's something to consider - embryos have all the genetic material they ever will, even as adults. Their eye color, hair color, height, skin complexion, personality characteristics, interests, etc. have all been determined. What GE is destroying is not a potential human, but a real human person, at the beginning of their development. They are destroying your best friend Fred, or your co-worker Amanda. For what? To test the toxicness of various chemicals?
Would GE go to an impoverished country and pay people to be human guinea pigs with a 100% chance of death? Maybe not now, but as this kind of thing becomes more common, who's to say they will not?
GE is one of the largest companies in the world. One of the craziest things about this article, as pointed out by American Papist, is that GE "claims" they will be doing this ethically. As I've mentioned in a previous blog posting, people and companies seem to judge an action based on soft principles, such as whether an action will cause pain. But there is a deeper issue always involved. In this case, we are talking about murder. We do not believe murder is only wrong if it involves immense suffering. The suffering may make it worse, but at its essential core, murder is murder, regardless of HOW it is done. The fact is, GE is murdering children. No matter what stage of development they are in, no matter how unwanted they are, no matter how little suffering there is, they are still killing people to improve their products, and that is completely wrong.
Please view the article below for more information:
General Electric to Use Embryonic Stem Cells for Deadly Tests - Catholic Online
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Tuesday, July 21, 2009
ALL can receive forgiveness, and Christ welcomes you back
I've been thinking about something lately, and that is the topic of forgiveness. Christ told all those who are heavy burdened to come to him and he will make their load light, that he will carry their burden because his yoke is light and his burden is easy. He took our sins to the cross with him and we must only accept his love and forgiveness to be with him always. But how well is this crucial message of Christianity being transmitted? In our zeal to condemn sin, do we make it abundantly clear that Christ welcomes all back to him no matter what? Jesus said there is one unforgivable sin, and that sin has been interpreted as our refusal to accept God's forgiveness. But everything else, ABSOLUTELY everything else can be forgiven, and even those with sins like scarlet can be turned like snow.
This message is downright shocking! This is not a message for goody two-shoes whose worst sin is accidently stepping on a bug. This message is for the hardened sinner. Those who society has rejected summarily, those who many believe are beyond redemption and are just scum of the earth. That's who this message is for. This is not just for the "nice sins". It's not just for those who cheated on a test, or who told a lie, or for those who gave into temptation before marriage. This is for killers, and child molesters, and rapists. I'm sure many people reading this are shocked at my comments. "How can we forgive these people?? We have no problem forgiving human weakness or small slip-ups, but these major sins, surely God does not expect us to forgive these!" Actually, he does. In fact, that's the whole message of Christianity! No one is beyond redemption. No one! I'm not sure if we emphasize this message enough.
All too often, people see Christians and accuse them of being hypocrites, because they know a Christian who does not "follow all the rules". The impression is that once you're perfect you can be a Christian. But the truth is the Church is not a hotel for saints, but rather a hospital for sinners! We are very zealous to condemn sinful behavior, to say how terrible abortion, euthanasia, pedophilia, murder, rape, etc. is, but how quick are we to forgive? The point is, we do not forgive people, God does, therefore we have an obligation to imitate God in his love and mercy. Does this mean we overlook sin? Of course not! One of the spiritual works of mercy is to admonish the sinner. We cannot out of pride refuse to correct our brother, afraid he might not "like" us much anymore. We must be fearless, but we must also be open to criticism if others point out our sinfulness.
Along with admonishing the sinner, two other spiritual works of mercy are to forgive all injuries and to bear wrongs patiently. We must be willing to accept back those who commit the most heinous crimes. We must love them with everything we can, pray for them, hope for their eternal salvation. We strong as we are at condemning sin, we must be all the stronger in welcoming back the lost sheep. A corporal work of mercy is to visit the imprisoned. Who goes to prison? Those who commit crimes. Does the work of mercy say, go to prison for those who are wrongfully convicted? Or to visit those whose crimes are not so bad? Of course not. We are to visit everyone, and to love them, and to comfort them. Jesus always condemned sin, but if the sinner was penitential, Jesus, more than anyone, would open his arms to embrace him back.
Hating the sin, but loving the sinner has a very deep meaning. If we can truly do this, then we can quickly welcome someone back who repents of wrongdoing. How shocked would some people be, perhaps even myself, if someone was in the news for a terrible crime, but showed up later at Church. How many people would welcome this person? Would they run away, would they chat amongst themselves, asking what business he has going in there? How many would wonder what he's up to? If we do this, we are attaching the sin to the person. We are no longer viewing the person as separate from their sins, but rather as the sins being inherent in the person, as if they are inherently sinful, not just someone who has sinned.
Let's make an effort to welcome back those who society has labeled scum bags, and those who we consider the worst of sinners. Let's show them Christ's love. Some of the greatest saints in history started out as what we might consider reprobates, but with the light of Christ and God's mercy, became the great people we know them as today!
This message is downright shocking! This is not a message for goody two-shoes whose worst sin is accidently stepping on a bug. This message is for the hardened sinner. Those who society has rejected summarily, those who many believe are beyond redemption and are just scum of the earth. That's who this message is for. This is not just for the "nice sins". It's not just for those who cheated on a test, or who told a lie, or for those who gave into temptation before marriage. This is for killers, and child molesters, and rapists. I'm sure many people reading this are shocked at my comments. "How can we forgive these people?? We have no problem forgiving human weakness or small slip-ups, but these major sins, surely God does not expect us to forgive these!" Actually, he does. In fact, that's the whole message of Christianity! No one is beyond redemption. No one! I'm not sure if we emphasize this message enough.
All too often, people see Christians and accuse them of being hypocrites, because they know a Christian who does not "follow all the rules". The impression is that once you're perfect you can be a Christian. But the truth is the Church is not a hotel for saints, but rather a hospital for sinners! We are very zealous to condemn sinful behavior, to say how terrible abortion, euthanasia, pedophilia, murder, rape, etc. is, but how quick are we to forgive? The point is, we do not forgive people, God does, therefore we have an obligation to imitate God in his love and mercy. Does this mean we overlook sin? Of course not! One of the spiritual works of mercy is to admonish the sinner. We cannot out of pride refuse to correct our brother, afraid he might not "like" us much anymore. We must be fearless, but we must also be open to criticism if others point out our sinfulness.
Along with admonishing the sinner, two other spiritual works of mercy are to forgive all injuries and to bear wrongs patiently. We must be willing to accept back those who commit the most heinous crimes. We must love them with everything we can, pray for them, hope for their eternal salvation. We strong as we are at condemning sin, we must be all the stronger in welcoming back the lost sheep. A corporal work of mercy is to visit the imprisoned. Who goes to prison? Those who commit crimes. Does the work of mercy say, go to prison for those who are wrongfully convicted? Or to visit those whose crimes are not so bad? Of course not. We are to visit everyone, and to love them, and to comfort them. Jesus always condemned sin, but if the sinner was penitential, Jesus, more than anyone, would open his arms to embrace him back.
Hating the sin, but loving the sinner has a very deep meaning. If we can truly do this, then we can quickly welcome someone back who repents of wrongdoing. How shocked would some people be, perhaps even myself, if someone was in the news for a terrible crime, but showed up later at Church. How many people would welcome this person? Would they run away, would they chat amongst themselves, asking what business he has going in there? How many would wonder what he's up to? If we do this, we are attaching the sin to the person. We are no longer viewing the person as separate from their sins, but rather as the sins being inherent in the person, as if they are inherently sinful, not just someone who has sinned.
Let's make an effort to welcome back those who society has labeled scum bags, and those who we consider the worst of sinners. Let's show them Christ's love. Some of the greatest saints in history started out as what we might consider reprobates, but with the light of Christ and God's mercy, became the great people we know them as today!
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Good Photo Gallery of the Pope after his hospital visit
To see a really good gallery of photos (and some information) of Pope Benedict after leaving hospital for his fractured wrist, please go here:
http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/World-News/Pope-Benedict-XVI-Slips-In-The-Bath-And-Breaks-Wrist-On-Holiday-In-Northern-Italy/Article/200907315339978?f=rss
http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/World-News/Pope-Benedict-XVI-Slips-In-The-Bath-And-Breaks-Wrist-On-Holiday-In-Northern-Italy/Article/200907315339978?f=rss
Pope Benedict fractures wrist
While Pope Benedict was vacationing on Friday, he broke his wrist. The injury happened when he fell near the bathroom in the chalet where he was spending a 2-week summer retreat. Pope Benedict seems like a tough man, because right after the incident, he proceeded to say Mass before he went to the hospital to be examined by the doctor. He also had breakfast before going to the doctor. I always thought JPII was the tough sports lover who went hiking and skiing but apparently B16 is no wimp himself. I can imagine Pope Benedict in his German accent (sounding somewhat like Schwarzenegger) saying "Dis broken ahm is nahting. I vent through mach more than this wit som Cardinahls vhen I implemented my moto proprio!" But all joking aside, let us pray for the Pontiff. He is 82 years old now, but in excellent health.
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