Feast of the Ascension

Today is Ascension Thursday, a national holiday celebrated throughout much of Europe but here we find it difficult to make it to Mass twice in a week so we have moved the Feast to Sunday. While there was much genuine outrage over the Notre Dame debacle we should find greater concern in a Catholic culture that finds difficulty getting to Mass an extra day but wouldn't have any hesitation in accepting tickets to an extra ballgame in one week.

Feast of the Ascension

Today is Ascension Thursday, a national holiday celebrated throughout much of Europe but here we find it difficult to make it to Mass twice in a week so we have moved the Feast to Sunday. While there was much genuine outrage over the Notre Dame debacle we should find greater concern in a Catholic culture that finds difficulty getting to Mass an extra day but wouldn't have any hesitation in accepting tickets to an extra ballgame in one week.

Christ Must Rule Over Nations

One of the elements from President Obama's speech was the emphasis on diversity and working together to meet the problems we all face as individuals and as nations. Unfortunately what is absent from his plan is that it neglects the place Christ must hold. He stated that no religion holds all the answers. Well I beg to seriously differ.

Read the following excerpt from The Kingship of Christ by Cardinal Pie of Poitiers and the re-read the speech Obama gave at UND in light of this text.

"So long as Christ does not reign over nations, His influence over individuals remains superficial and precarious. If it is true that the work of the apostolate consists in the conversion of individuals and that nations as such do not go to heaven, but souls, one by one, we must not forget, nevertheless, that the individual member of society lives under the never-ceasing influence of his environment, in which, if we may not say that he is submerged, he is, at least, deeply plunged., If the environment is non-Catholic, it prevents him from embracing the faith or, if he has the faith, it tends to root out of his heart every vestige of belief. If we imagine Catholic social institutions, with Our Lord no longer living in the hearts of the individual members of society, then religion has there become merely a displeasing signboard which will soon be torn down. But, on the other hand, try to convert individuals without Catholicizing the social institutions and your work is without stability. The structure you erect in the morning will be torn down by others in the evening. is not the strategy of the enemies of God there to teach us a lesson? They want to destroy the faith in the hearts of the individuals, it is true, but they direct still more vigorous efforts to the elimination of religion from social institutions. Even one defeat of God in this domain means the weakening, if not the ruin, of the faith in the souls of many.

President Jenkins has supported his decision to honor President Obama because of his commitment to other issues that are consistent with other social teachings of the Church. The problem I have attempted to raise the past year is that while many rightly attempt to defend the right to life position as trumping these other social issues in terms of importance, they frequently fail to address the myth that Pres. Obama's understanding of these issues is equivalent with the Catholic understanding of them. One can search my past posts as I have shown that his positions vis a vis healthcare, education, economics etc are more often contrary to Church teaching than in agreement. Perhaps the problem is that too few Catholics fully comprehend the Catholic Social Teaching but take them to be the platform of the Democrat Party.

Recalling what Cardinal George had to say after his earlier meeting with President Obama,

"He'll tell you anything to make you think he agrees with you."

Christ Must Rule Over Nations

One of the elements from President Obama's speech was the emphasis on diversity and working together to meet the problems we all face as individuals and as nations. Unfortunately what is absent from his plan is that it neglects the place Christ must hold. He stated that no religion holds all the answers. Well I beg to seriously differ.

Read the following excerpt from The Kingship of Christ by Cardinal Pie of Poitiers and the re-read the speech Obama gave at UND in light of this text.

"So long as Christ does not reign over nations, His influence over individuals remains superficial and precarious. If it is true that the work of the apostolate consists in the conversion of individuals and that nations as such do not go to heaven, but souls, one by one, we must not forget, nevertheless, that the individual member of society lives under the never-ceasing influence of his environment, in which, if we may not say that he is submerged, he is, at least, deeply plunged., If the environment is non-Catholic, it prevents him from embracing the faith or, if he has the faith, it tends to root out of his heart every vestige of belief. If we imagine Catholic social institutions, with Our Lord no longer living in the hearts of the individual members of society, then religion has there become merely a displeasing signboard which will soon be torn down. But, on the other hand, try to convert individuals without Catholicizing the social institutions and your work is without stability. The structure you erect in the morning will be torn down by others in the evening. is not the strategy of the enemies of God there to teach us a lesson? They want to destroy the faith in the hearts of the individuals, it is true, but they direct still more vigorous efforts to the elimination of religion from social institutions. Even one defeat of God in this domain means the weakening, if not the ruin, of the faith in the souls of many.

President Jenkins has supported his decision to honor President Obama because of his commitment to other issues that are consistent with other social teachings of the Church. The problem I have attempted to raise the past year is that while many rightly attempt to defend the right to life position as trumping these other social issues in terms of importance, they frequently fail to address the myth that Pres. Obama's understanding of these issues is equivalent with the Catholic understanding of them. One can search my past posts as I have shown that his positions vis a vis healthcare, education, economics etc are more often contrary to Church teaching than in agreement. Perhaps the problem is that too few Catholics fully comprehend the Catholic Social Teaching but take them to be the platform of the Democrat Party.

Recalling what Cardinal George had to say after his earlier meeting with President Obama,

"He'll tell you anything to make you think he agrees with you."

Yes We Can! No You Won't!

The One has spoken at UND and tomorrow the sun will rise and life will go on. It is not a time to despair the apparent victory of the anti-life forces. As the Devil sensed victory while Jesus walked to Calvary it was only for a brief instant before he realized his mortal error and utter defeat. It is understood that the Mystical Body of Christ, the Catholic Church, will likewise imitate Jesus' physical life by following His Passion and Death before the Second Coming.

As the forces of death rejoice at today's honor it too will be a brief celebration. As the students shouted down the pro-life protestors by parroting "Yes We Can" and giving standing ovations to President Obama we must be like poor Noah who sat building an ark while listening to the shouts and jeers of his onlookers.

We know with a serence confidence by Jesus' Death and Resurrection, No You Won't!

Yes We Can! No You Won't!

The One has spoken at UND and tomorrow the sun will rise and life will go on. It is not a time to despair the apparent victory of the anti-life forces. As the Devil sensed victory while Jesus walked to Calvary it was only for a brief instant before he realized his mortal error and utter defeat. It is understood that the Mystical Body of Christ, the Catholic Church, will likewise imitate Jesus' physical life by following His Passion and Death before the Second Coming.

As the forces of death rejoice at today's honor it too will be a brief celebration. As the students shouted down the pro-life protestors by parroting "Yes We Can" and giving standing ovations to President Obama we must be like poor Noah who sat building an ark while listening to the shouts and jeers of his onlookers.

We know with a serence confidence by Jesus' Death and Resurrection, No You Won't!

Fr. Z's Response to the Notre Dame Talking Points

Fr. Z has provided a response to a number of the "talking points" commonly heard by the supporters of Notre Dame's decision to invite and honor Pres. Obama on Sunday. As in any time you might be called on to defend the Faith, it is a good idea to become familiar with the opposing arguments and the well reasoned responses. Check out Fr. Z at WDTPRS. Here is one talking point in particular that is a bit more challenging and a clarifying response.

7. Pro-abortion French President Nicholas Sarkozy was made an honorary canon of the Pope’s own Cathedral, the Lateran Basilica. If that can happen in Rome, then no one can object if Notre Dame gives an honor to the President.

On the surface, this point seems compelling. But the analogy isn’t good enough to support the position that Pres. Obama should therefore be honored at Notre Dame. The President of France has, ex officio, the right to be a canon of the Lateran, no matter what his stance on abortion may be. He takes that place as a matter of course. The Holy Father could, of course, rescind that, but there would be diplomatic repercussions between states: this has been the right for the French head of state since the time of King Henry IV (+1610). Henry in 1604 gave to the Lateran chapter the ownership of the Benedictine Abbey of Clariac. The Pope therefore made the French head of state ex officio an honorary canon of the Lateran. Thus, this "honor" comes automatically. It does not come after a decision of the Pope or the Lateran chapter. Though I remember reading that Notre Dame has a standing invitation to Presidents to speak at their commencement, Pres. Obama does not have an ex officio right to do so. Notre Dame made a decision to give an honor to Pres. Obama. Moreover, even though Pres. Sarkozy is known to be pro-abortion, I doubt very much that he would have twice voted in a provincial assembly against a law that would require life-saving measures to be applied to a baby who had survived attempts to abort it. There is the issue of Pres. Obama’s extreme position. There is also the policy of the USCCB for Catholic institutions. The USCCB said that Catholic institutions should not give these platforms to such politicians. Notre Dame ignored the USCCB.

Fr. Z's Response to the Notre Dame Talking Points

Fr. Z has provided a response to a number of the "talking points" commonly heard by the supporters of Notre Dame's decision to invite and honor Pres. Obama on Sunday. As in any time you might be called on to defend the Faith, it is a good idea to become familiar with the opposing arguments and the well reasoned responses. Check out Fr. Z at WDTPRS. Here is one talking point in particular that is a bit more challenging and a clarifying response.

7. Pro-abortion French President Nicholas Sarkozy was made an honorary canon of the Pope’s own Cathedral, the Lateran Basilica. If that can happen in Rome, then no one can object if Notre Dame gives an honor to the President.

On the surface, this point seems compelling. But the analogy isn’t good enough to support the position that Pres. Obama should therefore be honored at Notre Dame. The President of France has, ex officio, the right to be a canon of the Lateran, no matter what his stance on abortion may be. He takes that place as a matter of course. The Holy Father could, of course, rescind that, but there would be diplomatic repercussions between states: this has been the right for the French head of state since the time of King Henry IV (+1610). Henry in 1604 gave to the Lateran chapter the ownership of the Benedictine Abbey of Clariac. The Pope therefore made the French head of state ex officio an honorary canon of the Lateran. Thus, this "honor" comes automatically. It does not come after a decision of the Pope or the Lateran chapter. Though I remember reading that Notre Dame has a standing invitation to Presidents to speak at their commencement, Pres. Obama does not have an ex officio right to do so. Notre Dame made a decision to give an honor to Pres. Obama. Moreover, even though Pres. Sarkozy is known to be pro-abortion, I doubt very much that he would have twice voted in a provincial assembly against a law that would require life-saving measures to be applied to a baby who had survived attempts to abort it. There is the issue of Pres. Obama’s extreme position. There is also the policy of the USCCB for Catholic institutions. The USCCB said that Catholic institutions should not give these platforms to such politicians. Notre Dame ignored the USCCB.

Why Fr. Jenkins Doesn't Have a Problem with Pres. Obama

Fr. Jenkins of Notre Dame has gone at great lengths to explain why he feels it is okay to invite President Obama to receive an honorary law degree. That despite his clear advocacy of abortion and birth control these are balanced by his views on other important social issues which he claims are aligned with Catholic teaching. The fact that Fr. Jenkin's erroneous view is proven false by Church teaching and numerous statements by Bishops and two recent Popes has had no impact on his decision. Perhaps we can understand his obstinate defiance of particularly his own Bishop by the following information. It has come to light that Fr. Jenkins is on the Board of Directors for a group called Millennium Promise whose vision is to end extreme poverty worldwide by 2025. Their flagship initiative, the Millennium Villages, now operating in 80 villages across 10 countries in sub-Saharan Africa, takes a comprehensive approach to addressing extreme poverty. So far there is nothing objectionable with their vision or goals. However upon closer examination we find that along with their noble goals of working with the poor they also promote anti-life policies. On page 92 of their handbook is the following on their vision for maternal care,

Abortion services: In countries where abortion is legal, safe abortion services in controlled settings by skilled practitioners should be established. In villages with a nearby district center with sound surgical capacity, these services can be referred. However, in instances where no district center or alternate post for safe abortion practices is accessible, abortion services can be offered at the village level, provided that sufficient surgical capacity exists.

• Contraception and family planning: Family planning and contraception services are critical to allow women to choose family size and birth spacing, to combat sexually transmitted infections, including HIV infection, and contribute to the reduction of maternal morbidity and mortality. Services include: 1) Counseling; 2) Male and female condoms; 3)Pharmacologic contraceptives including oral, transdermal, intramuscular, and implanted methods; and 4)IUDs

I recently spoke with a young woman involved with abstinence and chastity education. She spent several years in Haiti where she was repeatedly told by the residents there how they were insulted by the attitude of these NGO's who came into their country and propogated their anti-life dogma's. Such sentiment is commonly heard by residents of African and other 3rd World countries. These people welcome the traditional teaching of the Church on these matters as was clearly seen on the Pope's recent visit to Africa.

Why Fr. Jenkins Doesn't Have a Problem with Pres. Obama

Fr. Jenkins of Notre Dame has gone at great lengths to explain why he feels it is okay to invite President Obama to receive an honorary law degree. That despite his clear advocacy of abortion and birth control these are balanced by his views on other important social issues which he claims are aligned with Catholic teaching. The fact that Fr. Jenkin's erroneous view is proven false by Church teaching and numerous statements by Bishops and two recent Popes has had no impact on his decision. Perhaps we can understand his obstinate defiance of particularly his own Bishop by the following information. It has come to light that Fr. Jenkins is on the Board of Directors for a group called Millennium Promise whose vision is to end extreme poverty worldwide by 2025. Their flagship initiative, the Millennium Villages, now operating in 80 villages across 10 countries in sub-Saharan Africa, takes a comprehensive approach to addressing extreme poverty. So far there is nothing objectionable with their vision or goals. However upon closer examination we find that along with their noble goals of working with the poor they also promote anti-life policies. On page 92 of their handbook is the following on their vision for maternal care,

Abortion services: In countries where abortion is legal, safe abortion services in controlled settings by skilled practitioners should be established. In villages with a nearby district center with sound surgical capacity, these services can be referred. However, in instances where no district center or alternate post for safe abortion practices is accessible, abortion services can be offered at the village level, provided that sufficient surgical capacity exists.

• Contraception and family planning: Family planning and contraception services are critical to allow women to choose family size and birth spacing, to combat sexually transmitted infections, including HIV infection, and contribute to the reduction of maternal morbidity and mortality. Services include: 1) Counseling; 2) Male and female condoms; 3)Pharmacologic contraceptives including oral, transdermal, intramuscular, and implanted methods; and 4)IUDs

I recently spoke with a young woman involved with abstinence and chastity education. She spent several years in Haiti where she was repeatedly told by the residents there how they were insulted by the attitude of these NGO's who came into their country and propogated their anti-life dogma's. Such sentiment is commonly heard by residents of African and other 3rd World countries. These people welcome the traditional teaching of the Church on these matters as was clearly seen on the Pope's recent visit to Africa.