Why should politicians get to decide how important religion is?

During this Covid situation, many politicians have taken it upon themselves to limit religious gatherings. This topic really came up today when I read a Supreme Court document for the case of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn vs. Governor of New York Andrew Cuomo.

In it, Justice Gorsuch wrote the following:

At the same time, the Governor has chosen to impose no capacity restrictions on certain businesses he considers “essential.” And it turns out the businesses the Governor considers essential include hardware stores, acupuncturists, and liquor stores. Bicycle repair shops, certain signage companies, accountants, lawyers, and insurance agents are all essential too. So, at least according to the Governor, it may be unsafe to go to church, but it is always fine to pick up another bottle of wine, shop for a new bike, or spend the afternoon exploring your distal points and meridians. Who knew public health would so perfectly align with secular convenience? 

This is in the US where they supposedly have freedom of assembly and freedom of worship, as specific in the 1st amendment of the US Constitution. So the absurdity is even more stark. How can a hardware store or acupuncturist be considered essential and allowed to open while a church or other place of worship be considered non-essential and forced to stay closed whether or not they follow safety protocols?

First of all, being free means you make your own choices when it comes to risks. If people are afraid to attend a church service, they can stay home. Why should the general populace be forced to stay home because the leader is very risk-averse.

The other question is who gets to decide what is essential and what isn't. Should a secular governor who is non-religious get to decide the value of a religious service? That is absolutely absurd. It's completely subjective. It'd be like asking me the value of an archery class if I have absolutely no interest in archery and have nothing to do with it. Not only that, I allow every other type of physical fitness facility to open, just not that particular one. No one would think that would be legitimate.

The leaders of the religions should be the ones to decide what is open and what isn't. There is meant to be a separation of church and state. I agree with that but only in the sense that the government should keep its paws off religious institutions. Do you really think the bishop cares nothing for his flock? Give me a break. I'm glad the diocese of Brooklyn is suing this terrible governor. He needs to be taught a lesson.

Awesome quote from Justice Gorsuch

 

Text of Quote: At the same time, the Governor has chosen to impose no capacity restrictions on certain businesses he considers “essential.” And it turns out the businesses the Governor considers essential include hardware stores, acupuncturists, and liquor stores. Bicycle repair shops, certain signage companies, accountants, lawyers, and insurance agents are all essential too. So, at least according to the Governor, it may be unsafe to go to church, but it is always fine to pick up another bottle of wine, shop for a new bike, or spend the afternoon exploring your distal points and meridians. Who knew public health would so perfectly align with secular convenience? 

The Date of Advent 2020

The first Sunday of Advent is Sunday November 29, 2020.

The Last Day of Advent is Thursday, December 24, 2020.

Dates of Advent 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023

Sunday, November 29, 2020 is the beginning of the Advent season in the Christian Calendar.

 Advent is the period of time in the Liturgical calendar of the Catholic Church preceding Christmas. It is a time of spiritual preparedness so that we are ready to welcome the Christ Child into our lives.

Questions and Answers about Advent:

How long is Advent?
Advent can range from 22 to 28 days long. Each of the 7 lengths of Advent are represented equally (i.e. equal numbers of 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, & 28)

What is the longest possible Advent season?
Advent can be a maximum of 28 days long.

What is the longest possible Advent season?
The shortest possible Advent season would be 22 days long.

Why does the length of Advent change?
This is because Advent always starts on a Sunday and is a total of 4 Sundays. The day of the week for Christmas Day always changes and can be any of the days. However, Advent always starts on a Sunday. If Christmas Day is on a Sunday, the 4th Sunday of Advent will be as far from Christmas Day as possible. If Christmas Day were on a Monday, the 4th Sunday of Lent would be the day before Christmas.

What is the earliest and latest possible start dates for Advent?
The earliest possible start date for Advent is November 27th.
The latest possible start date for Advent is December 3rd.

Does the length of Advent change as much as the date of Easter?
Because both Ash Wednesday (the beginning of Lent) and the date of Easter are always on the same day of the week, the time between both is fixed. If you could every day from Ash Wednesday to Holy Saturday (inclusive), you get 46 calendar days. This is the case every year.

However, the actual date of Easter varies considerably. As we've seen, Advent can start on 7 different calendar days, whereas Ash Wednesday can occur anywhere from Feb 4 to March 10. That means there are 36 possible calendar days upon which Ash Wednesday can occur (this includes February 29).

(Random Side Fact: Ash Wednesday has never occurred on February 29, and will do so for the first time in 2096. Leap years were first introduced with the Gregorian calendar and thus a Feb. 29 Ash Wednesday has only been possible since 1582, but it hasn't happened yet).

Comments:
Look forward to hearing your comments!

St. Dymphna

Prayers for People suffering from Epilepsy

In the Catholic Church, there are many saints who can be invoked for those suffering from epilepsy. I will try to list them here and perhaps add a short reason why they are considered such a patron saint. I will also provide a prayer if available for each saint.

St. Apollinaris of Ravenna
A native of Antioch, St. Apollinaris was made bishop of Ravenna by St. Peter himself. What a great honor. This saint suffered greatly under the persecution of various Roman emperors. Despite this, he continued to preach, even when Christianity was outlawed. He was known as a miracle worker and churches were built in his honor in Europe, especially in Germany.

Pope St. Cornelius
This saint and pope is an interesting figure. He was the Bishop of Rome during a debate in the Church over whether Christians who had practiced pagan rituals, offered sacrifices to idols, temporarily stopped practicing their Christian faith or performed other such actions so as to avoid being killed could be readmitted to the Church. One group led by Novatian thought that such people could not be forgiven by the Church or in this life but that it was left up to God whether such people could be forgiven.

Pope Cornelius, on the other hand, believed that such people could be reconciled with the Church after a period of repentance. Ultimately the viewpoint of Pope Cornelius prevailed. Novatian was also a pretender to the papacy and there was something of a struggle in that regard as well.

St. Dymphna
This is a very well-known saint who is asked to intercede often in the case of mental health issues. St. Dymphna has a very strange story. She devoted her life to Christ at a young age. When her mother died, her father, who was a petty king in Ireland, became very distraught. He sought a new wife but wanted someone who looked like his deceased spouse. The person who most closely resembled his dead wife was his daughter Dymphna. Horrifyingly, he attempted to marry his own daughter, so she fled to another country.

Eventually the king located Dymphna in Belgium where she had fled. He demanded she return with him to Ireland. When she refused, he took out his sword and cut off her head.

This tragic story is the source of St. Dymphna's patronage of those with mental illness. Clearly her father had gone crazy. Perhaps through her prayers in heaven, she was able to convert his heart.

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These are just 3 saints who are invoked against epilepsy. The following is a prayer against epilepsy said to St. Dymphna:

Good Saint Dymphna, great wonder-worker in every affliction of mind and body, I humbly implore your powerful intercession with Jesus through Mary, the Health of the Sick, in my present need. (Mention it.) Saint Dymphna, martyr of purity, patroness of those who suffer with nervous and mental afflictions, beloved child of Jesus and Mary, pray to Them for me and obtain my request.

(Pray one Our Father, one Hail Mary and one Glory Be.)

Saint Dymphna, Virgin and Martyr, pray for us.