“We believed that after the Council would come a day of sunshine in the history of the Church. But instead there has come a day of clouds and storms, and of darkness … And how did this come about? We will confide to you the thought that may be, we ourselves admit in free discussion, that may be unfounded, and that is that there has been a power, an adversary power. Let us call him by his name: the devil. It is as if from some mysterious crack, no, it is not mysterious, from some crack the smoke of Satan has entered the temple of God.”
–Pope Paul VI (June 29, 1972, Homily during the Mass for Sts. Peter & Paul, on the occasion of the ninth anniversary of his coronation)
I think this famous quote refers the unfortunate season following Vatican II where the truths of the Council were hijacked by those with secular modernist agendas. But the power of the Holy Spirit is overwhelming, and He is patient. The Church is being set right even today.
I thought this cartoon was rather humorous, but you know - we Catholics actually have something like this.
In fact it is a sacrament. We call it reconciliation or confession.
Christ talked about it - it is a gift. You can read about it in Jn 20:22-23, Mt 16:19, Mt18:18. Christ gave the Church the power to forgive sins, and through the sacrament he confers his Grace, and reconciles sinners to himself and one another.
If you are Catholic and haven’t been to confession in a while - GO!
If you aren’t Catholic, but would like to find out more, call your local parish - they have information to share on confession and everything else about the Church.
In case you have not heard, the Supreme Politburo Court for the Peoples Republic of California has ruled that the people in the state do not have the right to create a law that defines marriage as between a man and a woman. What’s more it was the ruling of only 4 people that essentially created new law - not our legislators, not the people. The good news (as you can see in the link below) is that this thing is not over. Because of this lawsuit, the initiative process to change the state Constitution was already well under way and we should reverse this improper ruling shortly. Read more below.
Richard Thompson, president and chief counsel for the Thomas More Law Center characterized the high court’s decision as “outrageous.” Said Thompson, “The California Supreme Court took judicial activism to a whole new level. When four judges can overturn the vote of the people protecting marriage, the Constitution’s guarantee of a Republican form of government becomes meaningless. This battle is not over.”
Charles LiMandri, West Coast director for the Thomas More Law Center in San Diego, said he was confident the Protect Marriage Initiative, which would amend the state constitution to define marriage as between one man and one woman, would qualify for the November ballot. “Thanks to the tireless efforts of the National Organization for Marriage and the many groups that have supported it, like the Thomas More Law Center, the courts will not have the final say on marriage in California — the people will in November,” said LiMandri.
As for Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (appropriate first name) and his vow to oppose a constitutional amendment - I guess the Kennedy’s have finally gotten to him. Anyone have the stomach for another recall?
I stumbled across this fascinating article on a Coptic priest evangelizing in the Muslim world. Check out the link. It looks as though he is putting himself in harms way in doing so. Keep him in your prayers.
Zakaria Botros is a conservative television star with a huge audience. He is even more hated by his political enemies than Rush Limbaugh and Hillary Clinton put together, if you can believe that. At least one newspaper has labeled Botros: “Public Enemy Number One.”
So why haven’t you heard about this guy? It is probably because you do not watch Arab television. On channel al-Hayat, or “Life TV,” you will find Father Botros, a Coptic priest, discussing theology in a way that embarrasses — and enrages — Muslim leaders. His television talks are leading not only to mass conversions, but to the disempowering of radical Islam.
The link below is to an interesting blog post on the concept of monoculturalism - a system that tries to conform everything to a monolithic model. It is interesting that the shallow “multiculturalism” is actually a cover for a rather dangerous system enforced sameness.
Our schools were once a patchwork of local and particular traditions - regional, religious, pedagogical diversity, as diverse and lovely as a local ecosystem. Now they all race to be identical, deathly afraid that they may not be conforming closely enough to the nearest competitor who harbors exactly the same fears
….
At this moment especially we should be protecting actual diversity - bio-diversity, financial diversity (i.e., local markets) and educational diversity in the name of local, regional, religious and pedagogical traditions (rather than being blinded by the monoculture-based claims of “multiculturalism”). Yet, at this moment we are apt to cling to our modern faith in the logic of monocultures, even as the news seems to be undeniable that nature hates monocultures, and nature will not be indefinitely denied.
General intention “That Christians may use literature, art and the mass media to greater advantage in order to favor a culture which defends and promotes the values of the human person.”
Missionary intention “That the Virgin Mary, star of evangelization and queen of the apostles, may still guide today with maternal affection the missionaries, both men and women, throughout the world, just as she accompanied the apostles in the early stages of the Church.”
From the ever worthwhile Creative Minority Report:
I can’t help but think about how far we’ve come in just one generation. Just 50 years ago there was a real discussion in our country over whether African Americans deserved civil rights. And there was a struggle and there was violence and it was awful. And the right side won.But now just 50 years later there is an African American running for President and many many people I know are rejecting him, not because he’s black. But because he’s a snob. He’s an ivy league elitist who looks down on regular folks who “cling to their guns and their religion.”
And many Americans don’t like him not because he’s for civil rights but because on the great civil rights struggle of our time for the unborn, Obama is on the wrong side.
If you ask me America should get points for that. This is something the media will never point out but I think it shows real advancement towards a color blind society. Kudos to America. We dislike Obama for the right reasons.
There is another reason that is not here. One that I have found - I trust Obama less than just about every other politician I have come across. He stands for nothing - a vacuous concept of change, but with offering no difference. He consorts with those that despise America, and despises Americans who disagree with him, referring to them as bitter. He says nothing of substance - indeed he says nothing original. I never thought I would dislike a candidate more than Hillary - but I have found one.
He has convinced so many that he is different when the the clear differences are vacuous and those hinted at are alarming.
Tough Questions for Islam
