February 2007 Archives

Lent is upon us. As Catholics, we focus on our mortality and our relationship with Jesus Christ during the forty days of Lent in preparation for Easter (just as Jesus spent 40 days in the wilderness before His public ministry). And this is a good Lenten meditation for that time.

Who died on the Cross?
At first, this question seems silly: it was Jesus Christ, of course! But it was actually more than just the person of Jesus Christ. As believers in the Trinity, we believe that God died on the cross at Calvary. Not just the person of Jesus, but the single God we follow actually died on the Cross.

This is a profound statement. God not only gave His Son so that we might have Life, He also gave His own life. Yes, He rose again, but He did die for you. Just meditating on this reality can change your life forever.

In Pope John Paul II’s biography, Witness to Hope, it is pointed out that Pope John Paul II was calm and confident even in bad times. The reason was that Pope John Paul II knew that the worst thing that could ever happen had already happened: our God came to earth and we killed Him. Nothing this bad (or even close) could ever happen again. So he proceeded with courage, faith, and confidence that no matter what happened, it would not be the worst possible thing.

How would you live your life differently if you didn’t worry about the bad? If you were completely confident that the God who died for you would lead you forward to heaven (even if that meant through suffering)? How would you live your life differently if you realized that you had already done the worst thing you could do: you killed your Savior through your own sins. Jesus Christ, who is God, would have died if you were the only person on earth. He still would have needed to repair the damage done by your personal sins.

Each of us must live with the consequences of our sin, but we must realize that our sins did have real consequences: they killed God. And He died willingly to pay for them, despite the fact that we have never lived up to the love He gives us.

How would you live differently if you fully realized the ramifications of this?

God bless,
Jay

Go check out this week's Catholic Carnival here. As always it is excellent. I also find something a bit surprising in the Carnival.

God bless,
Jay

It’s a little early, but the 2008 Presidential elections are getting started and I think it’s an appropriate time to take an initial look at the field. For the last six years, President Bush has done some good things for the pro-life movement, even if you don’t agree with his other policies. But the 2008 elections aren’t starting off well for the pro-life movement (and for unborn babies everywhere).

Obviously the Democrats continue to kneel to the Sacrament of Abortion, which makes it impossible for a pro-lifer to vote in that direction. But this election is starting off even worse – both of the leading candidates are vehemently anti-life:

Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton
Senator Clinton is 100% pro-choice and clear on it. She regularly votes 100% of the time with NARAL and 0% of the time with the National Right to Life Committee. In fact, she even supported the horrific partial-birth abortion and opposes any limits on abortion. She is also strongly for embryonic stem cell research. And her health care reforms of years past (that has suggested will come back if she is president) suggest she at least implicitly would allow euthanasia.

Senator Barack Obama
Like his opponent in the primaries, Senator Obama is a disaster when it comes to pro-life issues. He is unequivocally pro-abortion and also supports partial-birth abortion. He votes against any limitations on the murder of unborn infants. In fact, he even voted against protecting infants that were born alive during an abortion (he wanted doctors to be able to kill them). NARAL Pro-Choice America gave him a perfect pro-abortion rating. Obama has also issued statements in support of more embryonic stem cell research. So far, I don’t believe Senator Obama has issued statements on euthanasia .

John Edwards
Edwards recently fired the two anti-Catholic bloggers he had hired, but that doesn’t make him pro-Catholic, does it? Unfortunately he isn’t pro-life either. Perhaps a distant third from the other two candidates, Edwards still gets a lot of press as Kerry’s vice presidential candidate. Edwards sums up his position well, “I support a woman's right to choose and believe this that right is constitutionally protected. I also support funding for family planning.” He also (like most Democrats, unfortunately) has a perfect rating by NARAL Pro-Choice America. He even voted against a bill that would make it a crime to harm an unborn child while committing another crime and voted against banning partial-birth abortion. He also voted in favor of expanding embryonic stem cell research, which the Catholic Church has been clear is very immoral (it requires destroying the unborn).

Unfortunately the Republicans aren’t looking good either. There are three “main” candidates at this point and two are pro-abortion, the third was until recently:

Rudi Giuliani
Former-mayor of New York, Rudi Giuliani, seems to be ahead in most polls of likely contenders. This alone should bother pro-lifers. Because of Giuliani’s actions in the wake of September 11th, some haven’t realized his position on abortion yet. On a recent CNN interview Giuliani stated, “I am pro-choice, but I am also, as you know, against abortion. Hate abortion. Never liked it.” That’s a far cry from being pro-life and suggests he would push legislation at least protecting the role of abortion in society, if not trying to repeal much of current President Bush’s progress. Giuliani also supports embryonic stem cell research. It is not clear where Giuliani stands on issues like euthanasia.

Senator John McCain
McCain is perhaps close to Giuliani in terms of potential. However, McCain is also not a pro-lifer. He often either votes against pro-life legislation or does not vote at all (lately he seems to be backing off his hard-line pro-abortion stance, perhaps because of the planned White House run). McCain has also mocked voters who overemphasize the pro-life position on politicians – apparently he doesn’t understand that this issue is a clear indicator of a politician’s morals in other areas. He also supports more embryonic stem cell research. McCain also hasn’t been clear on Euthanasia, however his Reform Institute has accepted money from the liberal Educational Foundation of America, which supports euthanasia (among other things). This is far from evidence that he supports physician-assisted suicide, but I can find no evidence he opposes it, either.

Mitt Romney
Famous for being Morman, Romney has been a pro-abortion Republican since the 60’s and ran on a pro-choice platform as recently as 2002 while running for Governor of Massachusetts. But now he is claiming to be fully pro-life due to a conversation with an embryonic stem cell researcher:

“The comment was made that this really wasn't a moral issue, because the embryos were terminated or destroyed at 14 days. And it struck me very powerfully at that point, that the Roe v. Wade approach has so cheapened the value of human life that someone could think it's not a moral issue to destroy embryos that have been created solely for the purpose of research, and I said to my chief of staff, and that's been 2 1/2 years ago, I said to her, 'I want to make it very clear that I'm pro-life.” -- Mitt Romney

There is still some controversy over the whole issue, but it appears that Romney will push a pro-life agenda. However, Romney still believes abortion is okay for rape, incest, and to save the life of the mother. And Romney is also for more embryonic stem cell research. He tries to mitigate the damage in his position by suggesting only “excess” unborn children be destroyed for this procedure, but he still supports it. As far as I can tell, Romney has not clarified his position on euthanasia.

Presidential Election 2008: A Disaster for Life?
At this point the next election isn’t looking too good for the Culture of Life. There is not a single pure pro-life candidate on the ballot at this point, however remember that it is early and former President Clinton came out of nowhere in 1992. So there is time, but I’m not sure who the strong candidate would be.

When pro-lifers vote for Democrats or pro-abortion candidates it mitigates the issue on a national scale – and pro-life candidates are removed from office. Pro-abortion candidates these days believe they can get some of the religious votes, even with a perfect rating from NARAL. Remember, the biggest indicator of a candidates morality is his decision of whether or not to protect the unborn, which are the weakest members of our society.

God bless,
Jay

The now well-known book and DVD series called The Secret has been on Oprah (which makes any book a blockbuster), Ellen DeGeneres and even on Larry King Live. Ultimately, The Secret claims to be a simple secret that can lead to happiness, wealth, and even good health for you and anyone else who knows it. What is The Secret? I’ll let the author explain:

Author Rhonda Byrne says the secret is the law of attraction: If you think positively, you become a magnet that pulls everything you want toward you. - - USA Today

So is this simple plan real? Is it True?

The Secret is deceptively simple
I think one reason for the popularity of The Secret is it’s apparent simplicity. Just believe as Disney has told us over the years. But is this something new? Not really. The Secret in simple terms is another shot at New Age mysticism. On the Oprah show, Jack Canfield (co-creator of Chicken Soup for the Soul) explained it in terms of physics: thought is energy so positive thoughts are positive energy that attracts other positive energy. This is very theoretical, to say the least, but is it practical? Let’s examine a couple of cases . . .

The Secret in practice
If something works, it must be true, correct? In other words, if the Law of Gravity is real then it affects everyone. On Oprah the practitioners (so to speak) of The Secret pointed out that if you are negative, you attract negative things. Just to take one disaster – the New Orleans Hurricane – and try to explain it using The Secret: those people were thinking too negatively. If they were positive, it would not have happened.

Okay that’s a negative viewpoint, but you suggest it might work in the positive. Again referencing Oprah, they actually pointed out that someone who wants to be a great singer should just decide it was going to happen and think positive. It would then happen. That simple. But when I watch American Idol I notice that there are a lot of extremely bad singers that really believe they are good. Unfortunately they just don’t have the talent. In other words, they have faith in their singing ability and are positive enough to believe that the American Idol judges will select them. But they aren’t selected because their faith is misplaced: despite the claims of The Secret you can’t just wish to have a great singing voice (Lord knows I’ve tried).

Reality versus The Secret
The Secret is great as a motivational tool. It does encourage positive thinking and outlook, which is excellent. But the reality is that we live in a fallen world and suffering is a regular part of our world. The biggest error of The Secret is that it doesn’t reflect this reality and tries to suggest that suffering is somehow your fault:

Susan Folkman, a psychologist at the University of California, San Francisco, says she worries about The Secret's suggestion that "people can cure themselves and that if they don't, they are somehow to blame." - - USA Today

In fact, as Christians we believe that our suffering has value that can’t simply be wished away. With St. Paul our sufferings “make up what is lacking in Christ’s sufferings.” No amount of positive or wishful thinking will remove pain, sickness, and suffering from our lives. And it should be this way: perfection can only be attained in heaven.

The real Secret
The real secret for all of us is that Jesus Christ could have stayed in heaven as God and enjoyed eternity. But instead He decided to come to earth and die in order to that we might live forever with Him. Despite our own little secrets hidden in closets everywhere. The real secret is that God loves you and cares when you suffer. Every hidden pain and injustices is felt by God who remembers and loves you for trying.

Positive thoughts? Good. The love of God? Much, much better. That secret is all too hidden today and provides a lot more value than any book, even if it were a secret.

God bless,
Jay

The Anima Christi is one of my favorite prayers, so I thought I would add it in full. Many Catholics still pray it after receiving the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist. It is exceptionally poignant at that point of the mass:

Anima Christi

Soul of Christ, sanctify me

Body of Christ, save me

Blood of Christ, inebriate me

Water from Christ's side, wash me

Passion of Christ, strengthen me

O good Jesus, hear me

Within Thy wounds hide me

Suffer me not to be separated from Thee

From the malicious enemy defend me

In the hour of my death call me

And bid me come unto Thee

That I may praise Thee with Thy saints

and with Thy angels

Forever and ever, amen

God bless,
Jay

I'm sure there's controversy within some of the assumptions here, but I though this was pretty interesting. In short it attempts to show how the major world religions have spread through the bulk of the earth (our country was too easy - all blue).

██ Christianity ██ Islam ██ Hinduism ██ Buddhism ██ Judaism

Thoughts? Let us pray that the blue grows during our time, since that is our responsibility. Who is the last person you spoke with about Jesus Christ?

God bless,
Jay

Hat tip to Jerry's Blog who found it at Wikipedia.

 

It's good to see Christian movies becoming more mainstream - and I think it helps with our culture as long as the movies retain their Christian character. I just learned that The Screwtape Letters is going to become a movie. It's being made by the same guys who brought us The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, so it could be very good. Although I must admit I'm curious as to how that book can be "adapted" to a live-action movie.

For more details, see this article. Kudos to Walden Media - and if you weren't aware, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian is in theaters next year.

God bless,
Jay

Do you know the leading cause of poverty in the United States, according to the president of DePaul University? Last September I was at the National meeting for the St. Vincent de Paul Society where he was the keynote speaker, and his answer struck me: divorce.

Unfortunately, this was a minor side-note in his speech and he went on to say many other things, but my mind kept coming back to this fact. To me, it is obviously true that in this country of immense wealth, moral poverty often (not always) has a link with material poverty. Ironically, when many Catholic institutions talk about decreasing poverty, there is no mention of the moral link. For example, Catholic Charities (with St. Vincent de Paul Society) has set a goal of cutting poverty in half by 2020. The main means in their effort to reach this goal is changing government policy. To my knowledge, there is no mention of the moral poverty link.

The goal is a noble one, but I think a different approach would more successful. What if a huge effort was made to create healthy families? There would be fewer single mothers, and I know for a fact that single mothers are the main type of client that the St. Vincent de Paul Society serves. Children would grow up with more financial security, but more importantly, with more love, values, and emotional support. Many Christians know what most of secular society doesn’t; that the family is under attack and it is wreaking havoc on society. The breakdown of the family is a much greater problem in this country than material need. The huge piles of free bread thrown away every other day at the St. Vincent de Paul Society proves that to me.

If we focused our efforts in this area, not only would we reduce poverty, but we would increase people’s dignity and happiness, even if they fell on hard economic times. This approach would help people holistically, by addressing their spiritual, emotional, and physical needs, not just their physical needs. I’m sure many have seen the movie “American Beauty”. If we succeed in pulling thousands of families out of material poverty, but they are as dysfunctional as the ones in that movie are, have we succeeded in anything?

Sadly, many Catholics who are all about social justice do not see the intricate web of personal sin, corruption, and different kinds of poverty. They tend to put all the blame on what they see as black and white government economic policies. Let us pray for a deeper conversion to Christ in our pursuit of justice.

In Christ,
Daniel

The following is a reflection written by Pope Benedict XVI on the "New Man". Enjoy!

The breakthrough to the new man takes place in Jesus Christ. In him the real future of man, what he can be and should be, has in fact begun. The inner self of Jesus, as it is portrayed throughout the whole of his life and finally in his self-sacrifice on the cross, offers a measure and prototype of future humanity. It's not for nothing that we talk of following Christ, of entering upon his way. It is a matter of inner identification with Christ - just as he identified himself with us. That is really what man is moving toward. It is in the great stories of discipleship, which extend across the centuries, that we see unfolding what is hidden in the figure of Jesus. It is not the case, then, that a schematic pattern is imposed, but that every potential development of true human existence is contained therein. We see how Therese of Lisieux or Saint Don Bosco, how Edith Stein, the apostle Paul, or Thomas Aquinas, has learned from Jesus how to go about being human. All these people have become truly like Jesus - and they are nonetheless different and original... The salvation that is offered us is no mechanical process or exterior matter. It has been entrusted to our freedom and has thereby also been rendered vulnerable to the fragility of human freedom and of the human character. Salvation begins anew in every man; it is not simply there. You cannot just cement it on externally or control it by the use of power, but always only enter into the freedom that opens up. But above all and in all is the One who comes to meet us and who gives us a hope that is stronger than all the devastation that men can bring to pass. - Taken from Benedictus: Day by Day with Pope Benedict XVI

In Christ,
Joe