Catholic Homilies and Reflexions by Father Walter

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mardi, février 09, 2010

Abortion - The Silent Scream - Complete version
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béni

ABORTION - THE SILENT SCREAM COMPLETE VERSION (with permission from APF).

Republished with Permission from Roy Tidwell of American Portrait Films as long as the following credits are shown:

VHS/DVDs Available
American Portrait Films
Call 1-800-736-4567
www.amport.com

This has been performed as asked. This video is perfectly legal.

The Silent Scream Complete Version - Abortion as Infanticide

Dr. Bernard Nathanson's classic video that shocked the world. He explains the procedure of a suction abortion, followed by an actual first trimester abortion as seen through ultrasound. The viewer can see the child's pathetic attempts to escape the suction curette as her heart rate doubles, and a "silent scream" as her body is torn apart. A great tool to help people see why abortion is murder. The most important video on abortion ever made. This video changed opinion on abortion to many people.

Introduction by Dr. Bernard Nathanson, host. Describes the technology of ultrasound and how, for the first time ever, we can actually see inside the womb. Dr. Nathanson further describes the ultrasound technique and shows examples of babies in the womb. Three-dimensional depiction of the developing fetus, from 4 weeks through 28 weeks. Display and usage of the abortionists' tools, plus video of an abortionist performing a suction abortion. Dr. Nathanson discusses the abortionist who agreed to allow this abortion to be filmed with ultrasound. The abortionist was quite skilled, having performed more than 10,000 abortions. We discover that the resulting ultrasound of his abortion so appalled him that he never again performed another abortion. The clip begins with an ultrasound of the fetus (girl) who is about to be aborted. The girl is moving in the womb; displays a heartbeat of 140 per minute; and is at times sucking her thumb. As the abortionist's suction tip begins to invade the womb, the child rears and moves violently in an attempt to avoid the instrument. Her mouth is visibly open in a "silent scream." The child's heart rate speeds up dramatically (to 200 beats per minute) as she senses aggression. She moves violently away in a pathetic attempt to escape the instrument. The abortionist's suction tip begins to rip the baby's limbs from its body, ultimately leaving only her head in the uterus (too large to be pulled from the uterus in one piece). The abortionist attempts to crush her head with his forceps, allowing it to be removed. In an effort to "dehumanize" the procedure, the abortionist and anesthesiologist refer to the baby's head as "number 1." The abortionist crushes "number 1" with the forceps and removes it from the uterus. Abortion statistics are revealed, as well as who benefits from the enormously lucrative industry that has developed. Clinics are now franchised, and there is ample evidence that many are controlled by organized crime. Women are victims, too. They haven't been told about the true nature of the unborn child or the facts about abortion procedures. Their wombs have been perforated, infected, destroyed, and sterilized. All as a result of an operation about which they they have had no true knowledge. Films like this must be made part of "informed consent." NARAL (National Abortion Rights Action League) and Planned Parenthood are accused of a conspiracy of silence, of keeping women in the dark about the reality of abortion. Finally, Dr. Nathanson discusses his credentials. He is a former abortionist, having been the director of the largest clinic in the Western world.

4:12

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lundi, février 08, 2010

The Pitfalls of Compassion, by Michel Schooyans
Humeur actuelle :

béni

Vatican Tempests. The Academy for Life Puts Its Neck on the Line

Its president, Archbishop Fisichella, no longer has the trust of some of its members. All because of one of his articles published in "L'Osservatore Romano," approved by the secretariat of state. The scholar Michel Schooyans' broadside against the false "compassion" that justifies everything

by Sandro Magister

ROME, February 8, 2010 – In a few days, from February 11 to 13, a meeting will be held at the Vatican of the pontifical academy for life, the president of which is Archbishop Salvatore Fisichella (in the photo).

The meeting promises to be a stormy one. Some of the members of the academy are openly questioning whether Fisichella is fit to be president. Foremost among them is Monsignor Michel Schooyans, Belgian, professor emeritus of the Catholic University of Louvain, a respected specialist in anthropology, political philosophy, bioethics. He is a member of three pontifical academies: for social sciences, of Saint Thomas Aquinas, and – most relevant here – for life. Pope Joseph Ratzinger knows and admires him. In 1997, as cardinal prefect of the congregation for the doctrine of the faith, he wrote a preface to one of his books: "L'Évangile face au désordre mondial."

In view of the meeting, Schooyans has written a scathing critique of the "trap" into which he believes also Fisichella has fallen: the deceptive use of the concept of "compassion."

The critique is reproduced in its entirety further below. Fisichella's name doesn't appear in it. But there are detailed references to an article on abortion that he wrote for "L'Osservatore Romano," which provoked a genuine uproar when it was published, and ultimately required the Vatican congregation for the doctrine of the faith to release a "Clarification."

***

Fisichella's article came out on March 15, 2009. And it concerned the case of an extremely young Brazilian child-mother in Recife, who was forced to abort the twins she was carrying.

In the days before the article was published, the girl's situation had ignited bitter debate, not only in Brazil, but also in other countries, especially in France.

The French newspapers had lashed out against the Church's "fanaticism" and "hardness of heart," particularly that of the archbishop of Olinda and Recife, José Cardoso Sobrinho, who had condemned the double abortion, and had made a united front in defense of the girl and of those who had "saved" her by making her have an abortion.

The accusations that the Church had no "compassion" were extremely harsh, and were also aimed at Pope Benedict XVI himself, who had just weathered furious attacks over the Williamson case of a few weeks before.

Lucetta Scaraffia, a leading commentator for "L'Osservatore Romano," was in Paris at the time, and alerted the director of the Vatican newspaper, Giovanni Maria Vian.

In agreement with his editor, secretary of state Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, Vian gave Archbishop Fisichella the job of writing an article that would quiet the attacks on the Church and the pope.

Fisichella wrote it. Bertone examined it, and approved it word for word, without having it checked by the congregation for the doctrine of the faith, as is usually done at the Vatican for position statements that touch on doctrine.

On the afternoon of March 14, the article was published on the front page of "L'Osservatore Romano," bearing the date of the following day.

In it, Fisichella wrote that the case of the Brazilian girl "made the pages of the newspapers only because the archbishop of Olinda and Recife was quick to declare the excommunication of the doctors who helped her to interrupt the pregnancy." Instead, "before thinking of excommunication," the girl "should first of all have been defended, embraced, comforted" with that "humanity of which we churchmen should be expert proclaimers and teachers." But "that's not what happened."

And he continued:

"Because of her extremely young age and precarious health conditions, the life [of the girl] was in serious danger from her pregnancy. What should be done in these cases? It is a difficult decision for the doctor, and for the moral law itself. Decisions like these [...] have to be made every day [...] and the doctor's conscience is left alone to decide what is the best thing to do."

At the end of the article, Fisichella addressed the girl directly:

"We are on your side. [...] There are others who deserve excommunication and our forgiveness, not those who allowed you to live."

***

The article immediately raised clashing reactions: on the one side the protests of those who defend the life of every unborn child, without exception, and on the other the applause of those who support the right to abortion.

The archdiocese of Olinda and Recife, believing itself to have been publicly and unjustly discredited by the Vatican, reacted with a note published on its website the following day, in which it accused Fisichella of failing to show that he was informed of the facts, and of bringing into question the very doctrine of the Church on abortion.

Archbishop Cardoso Sobrinho asked the Vatican authorities to publish this note in "L'Osservatore Romano." But he received no reply.

Many of the bishops of Brazil and of the whole world expressed their solidarity with Cardoso Sobrinho. But meanwhile – with the Vatican remaining silent – the idea began to take hold in many newspapers of various nations that the Church had approved "therapeutic" abortion: an idea that also seemed to be supported by a statement on March 21 by Vatican spokesman Fr. Federico Lombardi, while the pope was visiting Africa.

On April 4, "L'Osservatore Romano" returned fleetingly to the topic, but without giving any satisfaction to the critics of Fisichella's article. In fact, it did the opposite. In a news item, the Vatican newspaper cited a statement by a famous secular journalist, Lucia Annunziata, a former president of the Italian state television company, who acknowledged the Church for "a transparency never before seen," and justified her compliment this way:

"I am referring to Archbishop Fisichella's statement on the matter of the Brazilian girl, published by 'L'Osservatore Romano'."

With that, many of the members of the pontifical academy for life had had enough. That same April 4, 27 of them, out of a total of 46, signed a letter to their president, Fisichella, asking him to correct the "mistaken" positions he had expressed in the article.

On April 21, Fisichella answered them in writing, rejecting the request. In early May, 21 of the signers of the previous letter then went to Cardinal William Levada, prefect of the congregation for the doctrine of the faith, asking the congregation for a clarifying statement on the Church's teaching on abortion.

The letter was delivered on May 4, and the congregation for the doctrine of the faith forwarded it to Cardinal Bertone, because – it was explained to the writers – "Fisichella's article was written at the request of the cardinal secretary of state, and approved only by him."

But receiving no assurance of a clarification from Bertone, some members of the pontifical academy for life decided to approach the pope directly.

Christine de Marcellus Vollmer – a Venezuelan living in the United States, president of the Alliance for Family and of the Latin American Alliance for Family – and four other members of the academy met with Benedict XVI for a few minutes after a Wednesday general audience. The audience had been granted to them through the good offices of Cardinal Renato Martino.

The five academy members gave Benedict XVI an extensive dossier, with a large number of articles that recited in chorus that, thanks to Fisichella's article, the Church had definitively opened the door to "therapeutic abortion."

Pope Joseph Ratzinger showed amazement and displeasure. He murmured,

"Something must be done... Something will be done."

On June 8, Benedict XVI discussed the matter with Cardinal Bertone, and ordered the publication of a statement reconfirming that Church teaching on abortion had not changed.

In the meantime, the archdiocese of Olinda and Recife sent to the Vatican a memorandum with a detailed account of what the local Church had done and continues to do to help the girl and her relatives, just as it had also protected to the end the two children she was carrying in her womb.

The memorandum ended by asking for justice for Archbishop Cardoso Sobrinho, in absence of which a canonical denunciation would be lodged against Fisichella.

But the weeks kept going by at the Vatican, without a peep. Christine de Marcellus Vollmer and other academy members then decided on an act of extreme pressure. They threatened to resign collectively from the pontifical academy for life. Day after day, participation in the initiative grew. They had come to 17 when finally, on the afternoon of July 10, "L'Osservatore Romano" published the anticipated "Clarification" on Fisichella's article from the congregation for the doctrine of the faith.

The note, made public without any special publicity, didn't say that Fisichella's article was wrong, but only that it had been the object of "manipulation and exploitation." A rhetorical expedient that permitted both Fisichella and Bertone – both members of the congregation for the doctrine of the faith – to come away from the affair with minimal damage.

But the worst isn't over for the archbishop president of the pontifical academy for life. In the next few days, he will again find himself facing the academy members who called for his head. And they'll call for it again.

Here is the critique.

THE PITFALLS OF COMPASSION

by Michel Schooyans

An ambiguous term

When one speaks of compassion, one thinks immediately of the suffering of another person, the tragic situation in which he finds himself. It is a matter of understanding, "sympathising" with him, sharing in his distress and bearing it with him. We must of course seek to alleviate and, as far as possible, remedy this painful situation. The word "compassion" also suggests the notion of psychologically and emotionally sharing in suffering, especially suffering beyond medical or other control. If we visit a person suffering from terminal cancer, we are able, by our presence, a word, a gesture of kindness, to express, as far as we are able, the extent to which we share in that person's suffering and seek to comfort him/her.

However, in cases of abortion, euthanasia and assisted suicide which appear in the news, compassion is frequently invoked to "justify" the act which has been or is about to be performed. If, before birth, a child is declared as suffering from a serious malformation, it will be asserted that, if the pregnancy is allowed to continue, the child will have a life which will not be worth living; abortion will then be recommended out of compassion, out of pity. We share, they say, the pain of that child's condition, but the best, in fact the only effectively possible way – they say – to help the child is to terminate its life. The child will be killed out of compassion.

Such persons go further, asserting that no one has the right to compel a woman to bear a child which would – they say – for her, for the father and for the family, be an insupportable "burden". Here, compassion for the parents will be invoked. Undaunted, they go on to say that one cannot impose on society the burden of living beings whose maintenance is costly, yet futile; a child handicapped at birth contributes nothing to society. Abortion will then be allowed out of compassion for society which, "to its regret", has to resign itself to the elimination of one of its members. Such people will even venture to perceive in this act an example of social justice, of "ethnic cleansing", of eugenics.

Compassion can also be extended to the abortionist doctors. To carry out an abortion is for them – it is said –a "decision difficult to take" and an act they perform purely in obedience to their conscience. We must therefore sympathise with doctors who, for example, "for the good" of the child or its mother, take the "courageous" decision to go ahead with an abortion. Far from blaming such people, we should support them psychologically and morally, grant them appropriate legal protection.

These examples illustrate different aspects of situations currently grouped together under a single ambiguous term: compassion. There is, firstly, compassion in the usual sense of sympathy, commiseration. However, in the examples cited above, we observe that compassion is invoked and applied very differently depending on whether it creates a victim, the unborn child, or is intended to relieve the mother, justify laws or endorse medical intervention.

Compassion today

We can discern true and bogus compassion in acts and standpoints observable in the world today. This will reveal the ravages bogus compassion is wreaking on both the individual and human societies. We will consider a number of examples.

1) In 1962 the Assizes Court in Liège (Belgium) was called upon to judge a mother who, "out of compassion", had killed her child. During the pregnancy, the mother ad taken Softenon, today known as Thalidomide. The child was born with serious malformations. The mother decided to terminate the life of her child; which in fact she did. After a trial which attracted extensive media coverage, the woman was acquitted. She left the court a free woman, to hearty applause from the public.

2) Animals are increasingly the target of the "compassion" of mankind. In a "documentary" produced by Al Gore, entitled An inconvenient truth, dedicated to global warming, we see an animation showing an exhausted polar bear desperately seeking a safe foothold in order to save its life. The message is clear: if the polar ice- cap heats up and melts, the reason is to be sought in the excessive number of human beings who pollute the earth (1). It is therefore necessary to control population growth, which, we are assured, is the cause of the deterioration in the environment. In addition, "compassion" for animals and the protection of flora, fauna and vanishing species necessitate the introduction of quotas, determining the number, or even the "quality" of human beings authorised to reproduce. A variant on this argument exhorts "compassion" for Gaia, or Mother Earth, which – it is alleged – is deteriorating as a result of the devastation inflicted by mankind. Mankind must be sacrificed to the environment (2).

3) In recent years, there have been a number of high-profile cases of paedophilia. In the USA, Mexico, Ireland and other countries, members of the lower and higher clergy have been involved in a number of legal actions. In the majority of these cases, the Church authorities have been accused of attempted cover-ups. For as long as they were able, these authorities pretended that nothing, or very little, had happened. The reason most frequently invoked is that of "compassion" for the perpetrators of acts of paedophilia. Compassion for the poor clerics, already suffering so much from their urges and whom their superiors should not condemn publicly or, still less, expose to ignominious condemnation by the proper judicial authorities. If abortionists deserve protection, why not paedophiles?

This attitude brings to mind the Recife case (Brazil), which hit the headlines in March-April 2009 (3). In both examples, referring to paedophilia and the Recife case, instead of expressing compassion for the young and innocent victims, "compassion" is extended to those who have inflicted immense harm on these victims, doctors in Recife, clergy elsewhere.

4) On 16 November 2009, the press announced an initiative from Ségolène Royal. A prominent media figure, the President of the Poitou-Charente Regional Council (France) announced the distribution of “contraceptive packs" (4). These contraceptive packs contained condoms and "contraception vouchers". Ségolène Royal’s aim was to "alleviate the distress of pupils" and reduce the social distress caused by "precocious pregnancies". After encouraging sexual intercourse by including condoms in the contraceptive pack, Ségolène Royal refers to a "circular making provision for the morning-after pill". Once again, adolescents and unborn children risk paying the price of pseudo-compassion.

5) We are today witnessing a radical questioning of marriage and the family. Christians are asking the Church to authorise divorce and allow the "remarriage" of divorced people. Some go even further, calling for the Church to recognize homosexual unions, with or without the adoption of children. These demands are all made in the name of "compassion". The Church would be wrong to show intransigency on these questions; it would be lacking in pity for married people unfairly abandoned by their spouses and for the children of divorced couples. It would be ignoring the homosexual tendency inherent in the constitution of some men and women. Here too, there is an appeal for "compassion". But what compassion?

When questioned on the issues of marriage and divorce, Jesus forcefully reaffirms God's original plan: marriage as desired by God is monogamous, faithful, indissoluble (5). Jesus redefines marriage, as conceived in the mind of God at the moment of creation (6). He makes no concessions concerning marriage, as intended by God. Even the Apostles are amazed at the severity displayed by Jesus (7). Like some today, they expected from Jesus a compassion on the cheap, a tolerance regarding the law and the intention of the creator, clearly laid down from the beginning of time. Here the justification, the sanctification enunciated can be seen as a return to the beginning, a recreation achieved through a conversion of the heart. What Jesus brings to the fore is the equal dignity of a man and a woman. Man cannot claim a "right" to repudiate his wife. What Jesus reveals is the power of God at work in marriage. It is God who unites. Compassion cannot be expressed in a rejection of the divine power always at work in a marriage. However, the compassion of God is expressed in the pardon Jesus offers to those who commit adultery, prostitute themselves or engage in homosexuality (8). The compassion of Jesus is certainly not an endorsement of sin; it is an invitation to receive pardon and return to the right path. The compassion of Jesus is mercy (9).

6) In 1920 Binding (1841-1920), a jurist, and Hoche (1865-1943), a doctor, published a work which, although little-known, proved one of the most influential of the 20th century. The authors explain the need "to liberalise the destruction of a life unworthy of living" (10). This is the title of this book, which formulates and justifies the programme of euthanasia which would be implemented some years later by Hitler. As usual, the arguments advanced convey the impression that they are imbued with compassion. There are, we are assured, categories of individuals whose lives are not deserving of criminal protection. Their lives are valueless. Euthanasia will save them from living a life not worthy of living. Such persons must be euthanized in their own interests. But they should also be euthanized in the interests of society. These beings are not only without value, they are a burden on all who are useful to society. "Compassion" for society must be invoked by the same token as "compassion" for these beings, who must be liberated from their utter lack of value and utility. These speciously compassionate considerations conceal pseudoscientific arguments with strong eugenic and racist connotations. In this instance, compassion is being manipulated to benefit a political programme which is the very negation of compassion.

7) In the Recife case (11), we witnessed a flagrant example of bogus compassion. In brief, we were told to show compassion for the doctors who performed a direct double abortion. It was necessary to hush the affair up, as others had been hushed up (12). However, medical literature records situations similar to that experienced by "Carmen", the young girl in Recife, where true compassion is expressed towards very young mothers and their babies. As early as 1959, the medical press recorded the existence of some 30 known cases of precocious pregnancies, frequently in girls under the age of 12. The most famous case is that of a young Peruvian girl, Lina Medina, born in 1933, who had her first period at the age of 8 months (sic) and fell pregnant at the age of 5 (sic). At the age of 5 years and 8 months, she gave birth to a boy, Geraldo. In 1954, Geraldo was aged 15 and his mother 20. The doctors had diagnosed precocious puberty in the mother which was constitutional, rather than pathological.

What is remarkable in the story of Lina Medina is precisely that it was the doctors who established that the young girl's pregnancy was not pathological. The possibility of an abortion was never envisaged. On the contrary, the doctors showed true compassion to the mother and baby. The mother was last heard of living on the outskirts of Lima, Peru. The mother has never revealed the name of the father of her child. The child was born by Caesarean section and died in 1979 at the age of 40 (13).

The article, published in the medical journal "La Presse Medicale" on 13 May 1939, states that the delivery was carried out by caesarean section by Dr Geraldo Lozada. This short article emphasises that:

“Little Lina was surrounded by meticulous care. A committee of married women was formed to assume responsibility for the care and material living conditions of the young mother and baby, now and in the future."

The article of 31 May 1939, also attributed to Dr Escobel, urges compassion:

“We hope the Government and the Foyer de la Mère will protect this unfortunate child, who has triggered a surge of sympathy and pity in all our hearts, especially since her baby was born on the day the Peruvian nation celebrated Mothers Day."

8) Because of its serious nature, AIDS is also a disease which triggers compassion. Public and private bodies have specialised in the prevention and/or treatment of this disease. Reception and treatment centres have been set up to welcome, treat and support sufferers to the end. Religious congregations specialising in medical care have adapted their programmes to the new circumstances created by the expansion of this pandemic. The example of Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta attracted a following. However, not everyone was inspired by the exemplary compassion displayed by Mother Teresa.

In March 2009, on board an aeroplane taking him to Africa, Pope Benedict XVI was cornered by journalists because he had dared to say that the condom was not a real solution to the problem. Always ready to enrich their collection of "Belgian tales", the Chamber of Representatives, including a number of "Christian" representatives, condemned the Pope's "irresponsible" and "unacceptable" words. The honourable Belgian Deputies were on the point of calling for an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council! Thank God, the Belgian Senate failed to endorse the anti-Christian hysteria displayed by the Chamber of Representatives.

But the same Chamber could have claimed the backing of a number of eminent clergymen. These included cardinals, accorded wide coverage in the media and therefore well-known, who, curiously, recommended the use of the condom, presenting it as a lesser evil, the greater evil being to avoid the danger of fatal contagion in the absence of this precaution. The reason invoked is therefore compassion.

The reasoning usually runs as follows: given that the sexual urge is irresistible and uncontrollable, use of the condom is the only effective means of avoiding AIDS. Some "moralists" have even come close to invoking the Vth commandment of God, "Thou shalt not kill!", presenting use of a condom as a moral obligation! Other moralists and pastors/ministers have developed a variant on this argument: they preach sin without risk.

With regard to AIDS, compassion is therefore invoked for two different reasons. Certainly, compassion should primarily be addressed to patients suffering from this terrible disease. As for all those suffering from serious illnesses, we must ensure that their suffering is relieved and they receive the medical care they need; we must speak to them tenderly; convey to them the tenderness of men, but also the tenderness of God. However, in the example we are discussing, compassion is being invoked falsely: the condom is necessary – it is implied – due to the uncontrollable nature of man’s passion, his powerlessness in the face of the urges assailing him.

It is not our intention at this point to reproduce the discussions on AIDS, its causes, treatment, etc. However, there are two findings which should give the proponents of false compassion cause for reflection. Firstly, one only needs to flick through consumer magazines to learn that the condom is not 100% reliable. If this is the case for contraception, why should it be 100% reliable in preventing the transmission of AIDS?

But there is a further aspect of the problem, largely unrecognized by many eminent pastors/theologians. This is what economists call the rebound effect. The image of a bouncing ball is suggestive: after an initial parabola, it touches the ground, but immediately leaves the ground again, travelling higher and further. Two familiar examples serve to illustrate this argument. The arrival of low energy light bulbs has been heralded with enthusiasm: an 11-watt bulb provides as much light as a conventional 60-watt bulb. We excl.. "What a saving!" In fact it has been observed that, precisely because of the low consumption of these bulbs, people tend to illuminate their homes more, by multiplying the number of bulbs and increasing the number of hours of lighting. The low-energy bulbs therefore tend to cancel out the savings they were designed to achieve, and may even lead to an increase in consumption.

A further example: some cars, previously fitted with a greedy engine, are today fitted with a low-consumption engine. Here also, people say: "What a saving!”. But if the car consumes, let's say, 5 litres of petrol, rather than the 8 litres consumed by the previous car, people find driving has become less expensive and they drive more than they did in their old car. They drive more in a car which consumes less. The outcome is that the saving achieved by the new-generation engine is offset by an increase in mileage and frequently an increase in the speed at which the driver habitually travels.

A third example of the rebound effect has been highlighted by Jacques Suaudeau. When the wearing of seat belts became compulsory in England, it was discovered, to everyone’s surprise, that the number of accidents and accident victims rose. An exhaustive study revealed that motorists believed that wearing a seatbelt provided greater safety. But they were taking more risks and driving faster than before. The benefit anticipated from wearing a seatbelt was offset by greater risk-taking.

The rebound phenomenon is also observable with regard to use of the condom and the incidence of this usage on the propagation of the disease. Eminent moralists should take account of this phenomenon. Media hype urging the use of condoms to limit the propagation of AIDS has produced a perverse effect: the condom provides a false sense of security. When using a condom, people tend to compensate for the reduced risk generated by the condom by engaging in more relationships placing them at risk, changing partners, varying their relationships and having their first sexual relations earlier and earlier.

We must point out that this was explained by Dr Edward C. Green on 19 March 2009, after the media lynching to which the Pope was subjected during his trip to Africa:

“Our best studies […] demonstrate a constant association between the greater availability and increased use of condoms and a higher (not lower) rate of HIV infection. This may in part be due to a phenomenon known as risk compensation (our emphasis, MS), which means that, when one uses a "technology" which reduces risk, such as condoms, one frequently forfeits the benefit (risk reduction) by "compensating" or taking greater risks than those one would have taken without the technology which reduces the risk" (15).

Here again, with reference to AIDS, is a remarkable example of "compassion" which is bogus and violent. Bogus because based on assertions whose falsity is perceivable by a person with even a modicum of knowledge. Violent, because, on the basis of false premises, one is objectively urged to risk dying and causing death.

9) Can one give Communion to members of Parliament who publicly declare themselves to be in favour of abortion? Some pastors have, practically or theoretically, responded in the affirmative to this question. We must, they say, have compassion for these members of Parliament, who are torn apart inside. As Christians, they say, they are of course opposed to abortion; but, during Parliamentary debate, they vote for legislation in favour of abortion. These representatives, it is said, are experiencing a crisis of conscience and should not be sent away if they present themselves to receive Holy Communion. Comparable situations arise, for example, in the case of well-known abortionist doctors, magistrates, political leaders, etc. All these people need spiritual comfort and should be allowed to approach the Lord's Table.

A number of standpoints recently adopted show that the Church cannot endorse this pseudo-compassion. Let us examine two examples:

a. In November 2009, Juan Antonio Martínez Camino, a Jesuit, Auxiliary Bishop of Madrid and Secretary General of the Spanish Episcopal Conference, reminds us that, by approving and voting for a law in favour of abortion, baptised Catholics are objectively placing themselves in a state of mortal sin (16). Persons promoting such laws are sinning publicly and cannot be admitted to the Lord's Table. To press his point home, the Auxiliary Bishop of Madrid adds that any person who affirms it is lawful to take away the life of an innocent human being is guilty of heresy and liable for excommunication "latae sententiae" (17).

On 27 November 2009, the Plenary Assembly of the Spanish Episcopal Conference published a declaration to the effect that politicians who vote in favour of a bill liberalising abortion in Spain place themselves in "a state of objective sin and, if this situation persists, cannot be allowed to receive Holy Communion.” (18)

b. On Sunday 22 November 2009 (19) Patrick Kennedy, Democrat member of the US House of Representatives, announced that the Bishop of Providence, Thomas J. Tobin, had requested him to abstain from receiving Holy Communion and asked the priests in his diocese not to give it to him. It must be remembered that, some time before this prohibition, Congressman Patrick Kennedy had publicly declared his opposition to the Church's teaching on respect for human life.

10) The pitfalls of compassion we have discussed have been the subject of a number of declarations of the highest importance from His Excellency, Mgr Raymond L. Burke, Prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura and Emeritus Archbishop of Saint Louis, MO from the USA. We will restrict our analysis to three of these documents.

a. On Friday 3 May 2009, Archbishop Burke delivered the keynote address at the “National Catholic Prayer Breakfast”, attended by Catholics praying for the American nation. The title of this address was The teachings of the Catholic Church. The Prefect provides an analysis of practices hostile to life, marriage and the family.

Denouncing bogus compassion in the actions of public authorities, the Archbishop stresses that attacks against life, marriage and the family are destroying the foundations on which the American nation is built and the nations attached to these foundations. He alerts Catholics – physicians, politicians, businessmen, etc. – to respect the natural law and the moral law at the heart of the Church's teaching. The Archbishop urges us to prayer, fasting, confession and Holy Communion, asking the Lord to enlighten our leaders . Special attention must be reserved for young people attending Catholic universities and educational institutions. They must be prepared to recognize that, where God is rejected, secularisation and relativism are paving the way for immoral laws and political programmes. Conversely, it is necessary to put pressure on electors and legislators to change laws which are gravely unjust.

Finally, “the fact that a doctorate honoris causa has been conferred by Notre- Dame University on a President who aggressively promotes an agenda which is anti-life and anti-family is a source of the utmost scandal".

b. On 18 September 2009, Archbishop Burke took the floor at the XIVth Annual Partnership Dinner organised by "Inside Catholic" (21). On 26th September 2009 this speech was published in the form of an article in Crisis Magazine under the title "Reflections on the Struggle to Advance the Culture of Life".

The Archbishop offers us an address of exceptional force. Here, quoting freely, are some of the key sections of the address:

“It is not possible to be a practising Catholic while supporting the right to abortion or the right to marriage between persons of the same sex. We must recognize the scandal given by Christians in public life who fail to ensure respect for the natural moral law. Such an omission creates confusion and is misleading to the general public. By our actions and omissions, we can lead men and women to evil and sin and cause serious harm to our brothers, sisters and the nation. Our Lord was unequivocal in his condemnation of those who, by their actions, give rise to true scandal, that is, those who plunge others into confusion or lead them to sin (22). This is why the discipline of the Church prohibits the giving of Holy Communion and the granting of a Church funeral to those who persist, after admonition, in grave violation of the moral law (23). Certainly, the Church confides every soul to the mercy of God […], but that does not excuse her from proclaiming the truth of the moral law. When a person has publicly espoused and cooperated in sinful acts, […], his repentance of such actions must also be public.”

Calling things by their name, Archbishop Burke goes straight to the heart of the problem:

“One sees the hand of the Father of Lies at work in the disregard for the situation of scandal or in the ridicule and even censure of those who experience scandal.”

c. On 29 September 2009 Archbishop Burke intervened in defence of pro-life militants protesting against the scandal of the media-hyped grandiose funeral celebrations for Senator Ted Kennedy (24). This "Catholic" Senator had frequently distinguished himself by his unacceptable positions with regard to respect for human life and the family. Some Catholics, out of compassion for the Senator, vigorously attacked the pro-life and pro-family militants, accusing them, among other things, of damaging the unity of the Church. The Archbishop's clarifying statement was not long in coming:

“One of the ironies of the present situation is that the person who experiences scandal at the gravely sinful public actions of a fellow Catholic is accused of a lack of charity and of causing division within the unity of the Church.

“In a society whose thinking is governed by the 'tyranny of relativism' and in which political correctness and human respect are the ultimate criteria of what is to be done and what is to be avoided, the notion of leading someone into moral error makes little sense […]. What causes wonderment in such a society is the fact that someone fails to observe political correctness and, thereby, seems to be disruptive of the so-called peace of society. Lying or failing to tell the truth, however, is never a sign of charity."

An inescapable question

Pseudo-compassion, frequently invoked in favour of the perpetrators of acts which are inherently wrong, such as abortion, hence leads to scandal; it invites others into grave sin. Scandal is the first thing to be avoided (25). Pseudo-compassion also leads to heresy and division within the Church, because it incites the faithful to deviate from a non-negotiable element of the doctrine of the Church: the duty to respect innocent life. Pseudo-compassion reinforces the movement towards the "tyranny of relativism", observable in some pastors and/or theologians. Ultimately, pseudo-compassion could lead to a situation in which the Church's doctrine and natural morality would be the outcome of a procedure of consensus based on compromise.

Some, misled by the pseudo-compassion extended to those who publicly sin against life, regard the Church as over-severe on these issues. The Church does not mince its words: "Those upon whom the penalty of excommunication or interdict has been imposed or declared, and others who obstinately persist in manifest grave sin are not to be admitted to Holy Communion” (26). Now, if one recalls the bogus and violent nature of pseudo-compassion, one will immediately perceive that this severity is apparent only, that it is actually a high expression of charity. It is an urgent call to a change of life. Refusal to give Communion for the reasons we have cited above is nothing more than an expression of the love of the Church for the weakest and an invitation to repentance, addressed to those who run the risk of remaining shackled by their sins, and shackling others.

A delicate, yet inescapable, question remains. Given that, under the conditions described above, Holy Communion is to be refused to a lay person, does the Code of Canon Law impose suspension measures, on the twofold grounds of scandal and heresy, on clergy who publicly express pseudo-compassion for abortionists?

Louvain-la-Neuve, January 2010

(1) "Le Monde" of 19 November 2009 ran a front-page headline: "The burden of the birth-rate poses a threat to the climate". This article, attributable to Grégoire Allix, continues on page 4 under the heading "Is birth control a remedy for global warming? The United Nations is calling for the demographic question to be discussed at the Copenhagen summit".

(2) Cf. our work "The hidden face of the UNO", pages 61-70; this chapter is entitled "The Earth Charter and the ecological imperative". See also the words of St Paul sin Romans 8, 18-22.

(3)We recall that a young girl of 9 years old, "Carmen" was raped by her stepfather and became pregnant with twins. In spite of appeals for compassion from Dom Jose Cardoso Sobrinho (then Archbishop of Recife) and his closest collaborators, this young girl was subjected to a double abortion, partly as a result of pressure from radical feminist movements. Curiously, Dom Cardoso was vilified by a Church dignitary in Rome, who attempted to assert that those who wished to protect the twins had been lacking in "compassion" for the abortionists, "who had had to take a difficult decision".

(4) See "La Libre Belgique", 14 November 2009 and "Le Monde", 16 November 2009.

(5) Cf. Matthew 19, 1-9; Mark 10, 1-12; Luke 16, 18.

(6) Cf. in particular Genesis 1, 28; 2, 18-24; cf. John 1, 1.

(7) Cf. Matthew, 19, 10.

(8) Cf. Genesis 19, 1-29; Romans 1.

(9) Cf. Luke 7, 36-50 describing the scene at the Pharisee’s house; 15; 3-32; 19, 1-10; 23, 40-43.

(10) In collaboration with Klaudia Schank, we translated and presented this work: "Euthanasie: Le dossier Binding et Hoche. Traduction de l'allemand, présentation et analyse de 'La libéralisation de la destruction d'une vie qui ne vaut pas d'être vécue"'. Texte intégral de l'ouvrage publié en 1922 à Leipzig", Paris, Le Sarment-Fayard Éditions, 2002, 138 pages, ISBN: 2-866-79329-3.

(11) Cf. section 3 above.

(12) See section 3 above, on cases of paedophilia.

(13) See “La plus jeune mère du monde ", a short article in the medical journal "La Presse Médicale", Paris, 13 May 1939, page 744; see also a letter from Dr. Edmundo Escobel (Lima), " La plus jeune mère du monde ", in "La Presse Médicale", Paris, 31 May 1939, page 875. This case is also referred to in a work by Rodolfo Pasqualini, "Endocrinología", Buenos Aires, El Ateneo Editions, 1959. See in particular pages 684-686. Pasqualini cites Escobel’s article on page 686.

(14) See Jacques Suadeau, article entitled “Sexualité sans risques”, pages 905-926 of the "Lexique des termes ambigus et controversés" produced by the Pontifical Council for the Family, published by Téqui, Paris, 2005.

(15) Edward C. Green is director of the AIDS Prevention Project at the Harvard Centre for Population and Development Studies. The text we quote can be found on http://www.lifesitenews.com for 19 March 2009, which contains further information.

(16) Source: http://www.elmundo.es/, 12 November 2009. See also http://www.sectorcatolico.com/, 30 December 2009.

(17) Cf. Code of Canon Law, 751; 1364, §1; 1398.

(18) Cf. http://www.lifesitenews.com, 27 November 2009. The unequivocal position reaffirmed by the Secretary General of the Spanish Episcopal Conference (CEE), His Excellency Mgr Martínez CAMINO, has also been affirmed by Isidoro Catela Marcos, Director of the CEE’s Information Bureau. See website of ACI Prensa http://www.aciprensa.com, 4 January 2010, which in turn refers to http://www.conferenciaepiscopal.es.

(19) See website of "The Providence Journal" http://www.projo.com on 23 November 2009 for an article by John Mulligan entitled "Kennedy: Barred from Communion" and the links provided.

(20) The full text can be found at http://www.lifesitenews.com for 8 May 2009.

(21) The text has been published on the website http://www.insidecatholic.com and is dated 26 September 2009.

(22) Cf. Luke 17, 1-2.

(23) Code of Canon Law, 915;1184,§ 1, 3°

(24) Cf. article by John-Henry Westen, “A Vatican Archbishop: Kennedy Funeral Critics Not Hurting Unity but Helping the Church”, on LifeSiteNews.com, 29 September 2009. The quotations are taken from this article.

(25) Luke 17 1 et seq.

(26) Cf. Canon 915.

The three articles from www.chiesa dedicated to the case of the Brazilian girl, with the complete texts of Fisichella's article, the reply from the archdiocese of Recife, and the "Clarification" from the congregation for the doctrine of the faith:

> Retractions. The Holy Office Teaches Archbishop Fisichella a Lesson (10.7.2009)

> The Recife Case. Rome Has Spoken, But the Dispute Has Not Ended (3.7.2009)

> Drifting Mines. In Africa the Condom, in Brazil Abortion (23.3.2009)

It must also be noted that the public discrediting of the archbishop of Recife produced by Archbishop Fisichella's article in "L'Osservatore Romano" on March 15, 2009 created serious difficulties for the Brazilian episcopate as a whole, fiercely engaged in a battle with the government of president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva precisely on the matter of abortion.

Abortion supporters had an easy game of saying that the bishops of Brazil "no longer had the support of the Vatican."

The battle is still in full swing. It's enough to cite these few lines from "L'Osservatore Romano" on February 5, 2010:

"With the legalization of abortion, marriage between persons of the same sex – who have been guaranteed the right to adoption – and other 'progressive' measures, the government of president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is threatening social harmony. This is affirmed by a document released by 67 bishops of the Brazilian Church after a pastoral encounter in Rio de Janeiro. Many Brazilian bishops reacted harshly to the decree for the creation of the 'program of human rights' signed last December by president Lula, which among other measures prohibits the display of religious symbols, and therefore of the crucifix, in public places. This move has unleashed harsh criticism from Brazil's national conference of bishops."

English translation by Matthew Sherry, Ballwin, Missouri, U.S.A.

www.chiesa

9:57

4 Comm.

1 Compliments

samedi, février 06, 2010

Homily 5th Sunday of Ordinary Time C - Jesus Wants Us to be His Co-Missionaries
Humeur actuelle :

béni

We all know why Jesus came to earth.

He came to redeem the fallen world,

to pay the price for our sins,

to lead every member of the human family back into friendship with God.

We all know that, and we don't usually forget about it.

But we do sometimes forget that Jesus doesn't want to do all the work himself.

As St Augustine used to say, although God created us without us, he won't save us without us.

In other words, he has chosen to accomplish his mission of salvation with our cooperation.

Every one of us, since the moment of our baptism, has been called by God to be co-missionaries with Jesus Christ.

This is why, in today's First Reading, the prophet Isaiah hears God ask the question: "Whom shall I send? Who will go for us?"

God wants us to participate in his mission of salvation.

He gives us a chance to join him in building up the eternal Kingdom.

All we have to do is say, with Isaiah, "Here I am! Send me!"

The encounter between Jesus and his first Apostles in today's Gospel gives us the same message.

First, Jesus asks Peter to lend him his boat, so that he can have a better podium for addressing the huge crowds.

That boat was Peter's livelihood, his life.

Jesus also wants to speak to the desperate, discouraged crowds of today's world from our boats, from the words, deeds, and example of our lives.

And then, after the miraculous catch of fish, Jesus invites Peter to follow him and become “fishers of men,” co-missionaries.

Christ’s mission is to save the world, but he is no Lone Ranger; he has chosen to depend on a volunteer army of co-missionaries – Peter, James, John, and each and every one of us.

This is one of the reasons that we call the Church "apostolic" when we recite the creed. The word "apostle" comes from the Greek for "to be sent out." The first Twelve Apostles were sent out into the world as Jesus' co-missionaries. But they weren't the only ones; the whole Church, us included, is apostolic. Here's how the Catechism explains it:

863 The whole Church is apostolic, in that she remains, through the successors of St. Peter and the other apostles, in communion of faith and life with her origin: and in that she is "sent out" into the whole world. All members of the Church share in this mission, though in various ways. "The Christian vocation is, of its nature, a vocation to the apostolate as well." Indeed, we call an apostolate "every activity of the Mystical Body" that aims "to spread the Kingdom of Christ over all the earth."

One of the challenging things about being Christ's co-missionaries is that he doesn't always follow our logic.

This is why, for example, the Church's co-patroness of the missions was a cloistered nun who died in her twenties.

St Therese of Lisieux didn't travel the world preaching the gospel, so why was she proclaimed patroness of the missions?

Because her heart was boiling over with the spirit of a missionary; because she prayed for missionary priests and offered her personal sacrifices for their work; because God's logic is not always the same as our logic.

And in fact, Jesus revealed to St Therese that there were more than 20,000 souls linked to her vocation: if she stayed faithful to God's will in her life, in spite of difficulties and temptations, they would all benefit, but if not, they wouldn't.

In the eyes of news media and popular culture, St Therese was a non-entity, but in God's eyes, she was an all-star.

We also see this strange logic at work in God's call to St Paul.

St Paul himself admits, in today's Second Reading, that he was not an obvious choice to become an apostle.

In fact, he was the Church’s most energetic persecutor.

But God did choose him, an "abnormally born" co-missionary, and made him into a saint.

And look at the logic at play in the encounter between Jesus and Peter in today's Gospel.

Jesus tells Peter to row out into the lake and throw down his nets for a catch.

Peter is an expert fisherman; he knows it is not the right time of day to catch fish, and he also knows that the fish weren't biting - they had been out all night without catching anything.

But Peter takes a step of faith, gives God's logic some room to work, and obeys the Lord's seemingly strange command.

And he gets the biggest catch of his life.

It's challenging to follow God's logic and be a faithful co-missionary with Christ, but it's always worth it.

Why did Jesus choose to require co-missionaries to save the world?

Not because the job was too much for him; after all, as God he is all-powerful.

Rather, because he knew that we needed a mission, a purpose in life that reaches behind the fleetingness of earthly life and plugs us into eternity.

He knows we need a transcendent meaning, because that's how he designed us when he created us "in his own image."

We will only find fulfillment if we accept this invitation to be active co-missionaries in the service of Christ’s eternal Kingdom.

Most of us here today have already accepted the invitation.

But we may not be as fully engaged in the mission as we should be.

And if that's the case, we may not be experiencing to the full the meaning God wants us to experience.

What could be holding us back?

It could be that the key ingredient for our calling to be Christ's co-missionaries is in low supply.

That ingredient is humility.

Isaiah only heard God's call and received the grace to accept it after he recognized that by himself he was unworthy to do so, that he was a man of "unclean lips."

Peter only understood Christ's call and received the courage to follow it after he discovered and admitted his own sinfulness: "Depart from me!" he told the Lord after the miraculous catch, "because I am a sinful man."

And in today's Second Reading, St Paul shows that he too had to learn the lesson of humility: "I am not fit to be called an apostle,” he admitted, but then added “by the grace of God I am what I am."

That same grace of God will come to us in this Mass, and it can transform our lives too, in spite of all our limitations – if we are willing to let it.

(epriest)

2:32

1 Compliments

samedi, février 06, 2010

Liturgical Readings Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time C
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béni

Book of Isaiah 6:1-2.3-8.

In the year King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a high and lofty throne, with the train of his garment filling the temple.
Seraphim were stationed above; each of them had six wings: with two they veiled their faces, with two they veiled their feet, and with two they hovered aloft.
"Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts!" they cried one to the other. "All the earth is filled with his glory!"
At the sound of that cry, the frame of the door shook and the house was filled with smoke.
Then I said, "Woe is me, I am doomed! For I am a man of unclean lips, living among a people of unclean lips; yet my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!"
Then one of the seraphim flew to me, holding an ember which he had taken with tongs from the altar.
He touched my mouth with it. "See," he said, "now that this has touched your lips, your wickedness is removed, your sin purged."
Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? Who will go for us?" "Here I am," I said; "send me!"

Psalms 138(137):1-5.7-8.
Of David. I thank you, LORD, with all my heart; before the gods to you I sing.
I bow low toward your holy temple; I praise your name for your fidelity and love. For you have exalted over all your name and your promise.
When I cried out, you answered; you strengthened my spirit.
All the kings of earth will praise you, LORD, when they hear the words of your mouth.
They will sing of the ways of the LORD: "How great is the glory of the LORD!"
Though I walk in the midst of dangers, you guard my life when my enemies rage. You stretch out your hand; your right hand saves me.
The LORD is with me to the end. LORD, your love endures forever. Never forsake the work of your hands!

First Letter to the Corinthians 15:1-11.
Now I am reminding you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you indeed received and in which you also stand.
Through it you are also being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you, unless you believed in vain.
For I handed on to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures;
that he was buried; that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures;
that he appeared to Kephas, then to the Twelve.
After that, he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at once, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep.
After that he appeared to James, then to all the apostles.
Last of all, as to one born abnormally, he appeared to me.
For I am the least of the apostles, not fit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.
But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me has not been ineffective. Indeed, I have toiled harder than all of them; not I, however, but the grace of God (that is) with me.
Therefore, whether it be I or they, so we preach and so you believed.

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 5:1-11.
While the crowd was pressing in on Jesus and listening to the word of God, he was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret.
He saw two boats there alongside the lake; the fishermen had disembarked and were washing their nets.
Getting into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, he asked him to put out a short distance from the shore. Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat.
After he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, "Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch."
Simon said in reply, "Master, we have worked hard all night and have caught nothing, but at your command I will lower the nets."
When they had done this, they caught a great number of fish and their nets were tearing.
They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come to help them. They came and filled both boats so that they were in danger of sinking.
When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at the knees of Jesus and said, "Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man."
For astonishment at the catch of fish they had made seized him and all those with him,
and likewise James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners of Simon. Jesus said to Simon, "Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men."
When they brought their boats to the shore, they left everything and followed him.

©Evangelizo.org 2001-2009

1:23

0 Compliments

samedi, janvier 30, 2010

Homiliy Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time C - Making Connections for Jesus
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béni

We all thirst for fulfillment and meaning in life.

And we all have a sense that part of that meaning will come from doing something worthwhile, from achieving something that will last.

None of us thinks lasting happiness will come just from sitting in rose petals and sipping lemonade. We want to do something.

This instinct to do something with our lives comes from God.

He made us in his image, and that means that we are by nature creators, co-creators.

We are built to make a difference in the world, and we can't be happy unless we feel we are doing so.

It is part of our mission in life, for each one of us, to co-create, to make something that will last.

But we know that in the end the only thing that will last is the Kingdom of Christ.

This is what we profess to believe every week: "And his Kingdom will have no end."

All other kingdoms of this world and all other merely this-worldly achievements will disappear like the bang of a firecracker.

So the way to satisfy our deep thirst to achieve something meaningful is to build up Christ's kingdom.

We are his soldiers and ambassadors. We are, as the prophet Jeremiah puts it in today's First Reading, his prophets.

Where is Christ in today's world? Right here, in each one of us

Every Christian is called to announce the coming of Christ's Kingdom - that's what being a prophet means. The command that Jeremiah received from God is valid for each one of us: "I have appointed you as a prophet to the nations.So now brace yourself for action. Stand up and tell them all I command you."

In the Catechism of the Catholic Church we read (#904): "Christ... fulfills this prophetic office, not only by the hierarchy... but also by the laity. He accordingly both establishes them as witnesses and provides them with the sense of the faith [sensus fidei] and the grace of the word" (Lumen gentium #35).

"To teach in order to lead others to faith is the task of every preacher and of each believer" (St Thomas Aquinas).

And #905: Lay people also fulfill their prophetic mission by evangelization, "that is, the proclamation of Christ by word and the testimony of life." For lay people,

"this evangelization . . . acquires a specific property and peculiar efficacy because it is accomplished in the ordinary circumstances of the world" (Lumen gentium #35).

"This witness of life, however, is not the sole element in the apostolate; the true apostle is on the lookout for occasions of announcing Christ by word, either to unbelievers... or to the faithful" (Apostolicam actuositatem #6).

Sometimes our role as prophets demands that we use words. Other times it demands that we speak through our Christ-like example.

One of the most famous journalists of the twentieth century was Malcolm Muggeridge (photo), who helped make the BBC into England's greatest media force.

In his early and brilliant career, he was an atheist. His work and example encouraged atheists.

Then his travels put him in contact with a short, poor nun from Albania, who was running a small community of nuns that cared for dying street people.

They worked in a destitute part of a poor city in northern India called Calcutta.

The famous British journalist got to know the little Albanian nun.

He watched her and her sisters go out into the streets and scoop up dying, vermin-infested, diseased people, men and women, young and old, who had fallen through the cracks of the modern world.

He watched the nuns wash them, feed them, speak to them, and give them a clean bed where they could die in peace, knowing that someone had loved them.

The nuns never argued with Malcolm Muggeridge about the faith - they didn't have to.

The haughty atheist who seemed so far from God was touched by grace through their example.

A few years later Muggeridge came into the Church, and he produced a documentary on this small community of nuns in Calcutta that turned Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta into a worldwide celebrity almost over night.

Sometimes our mission to be Christ's prophets demands that we use words, but sometimes our Christ-like example can do much, much more.

Christ has called us and equipped us to be his prophets. Only this mission can give lasting meaning, purpose, and real excitement to our lives.

Each one of us lives in a network of relationships made up of more people than we realize.

Jesus is constantly trying to reach out to those people through us.

Someone in that network of relationships is always in need of his grace and is ready to receive it.

We can be the instruments of that connection - we are called to be instruments of that connection, through our words and our Christ-like example.

Who in your life, in your network of relationships, needs to hear the message of Christ, of his love, of his forgiveness?

Let's decide today, out of love for Christ, that we will communicate that message to them.

When Jesus comes to us in Holy Communion, let's promise him that we will courageously speak the truth in love.

If we can't think of anyone, let's at least promise him that we will be attentive to opportunities, and ask him to show us when to speak up and what to say.

As regards our Christ-like example, we may never know who Christ will touch through it. All we can do is keep living it out.

What area of our life needs reform to make it more Christ-like?

How would Christ treat the new kid in school? What would Christ be like at the office, on the football field, in a traffic jam, during housework?

During this Mass, let's ask the Lord to show us, and to give us the strength to follow his example in every corner of our lives, so we can discover anew the joy of being his prophets.

(epriest)

1:07

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samedi, janvier 30, 2010

Liturgical Readings Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time C
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béni

Book of Jeremiah 1:4-5.17-19.

The word of the LORD came to me thus:
Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I dedicated you, a prophet to the nations I appointed you.
But do you gird your loins; stand up and tell them all that I command you. Be not crushed on their account, as though I would leave you crushed before them;
For it is I this day who have made you a fortified city, A pillar of iron, a wall of brass, against the whole land: Against Judah's kings and princes, against its priests and people.
They will fight against you, but not prevail over you, for I am with you to deliver you, says the LORD.

Psalms 71(70):1-2.3-4.5-6.15.17.
In you, LORD, I take refuge; let me never be put to shame.
In your justice rescue and deliver me; listen to me and save me!
Be my rock and refuge, my secure stronghold; for you are my rock and fortress.
My God, rescue me from the power of the wicked, from the clutches of the violent.
You are my hope, Lord; my trust, GOD, from my youth.
On you I depend since birth; from my mother's womb you are my strength; my hope in you never wavers.
My mouth shall proclaim your just deeds, day after day your acts of deliverance, though I cannot number them all.
God, you have taught me from my youth; to this day I proclaim your wondrous deeds.

First Letter to the Corinthians 12:31.13:1-13.
Strive eagerly for the greatest spiritual gifts. But I shall show you a still more excellent way.
If I speak in human and angelic tongues but do not have love, I am a resounding gong or a clashing cymbal.
And if I have the gift of prophecy and comprehend all mysteries and all knowledge; if I have all faith so as to move mountains but do not have love, I am nothing.
If I give away everything I own, and if I hand my body over so that I may boast but do not have love, I gain nothing.
Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, (love) is not pompous, it is not inflated,
it is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury,
it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth.
It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Love never fails. If there are prophecies, they will be brought to nothing; if tongues, they will cease; if knowledge, it will be brought to nothing.
For we know partially and we prophesy partially,
but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away.
When I was a child, I used to talk as a child, think as a child, reason as a child; when I became a man, I put aside childish things.
At present we see indistinctly, as in a mirror, but then face to face. At present I know partially; then I shall know fully, as I am fully known.
So faith, hope, love remain, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 4:21-30.
He said to them, "Today this scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing."
And all spoke highly of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth. They also asked, "Isn't this the son of Joseph?"
He said to them, "Surely you will quote me this proverb, 'Physician, cure yourself,' and say, 'Do here in your native place the things that we heard were done in Capernaum.'"
And he said, "Amen, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own native place.
Indeed, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah when the sky was closed for three and a half years and a severe famine spread over the entire land.
It was to none of these that Elijah was sent, but only to a widow in Zarephath in the land of Sidon.
Again, there were many lepers in Israel during the time of Elisha the prophet; yet not one of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian."
When the people in the synagogue heard this, they were all filled with fury.
They rose up, drove him out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their town had been built, to hurl him down headlong.
But he passed through the midst of them and went away.

12:51

2 Comm.

1 Compliments

samedi, janvier 23, 2010

Homily 3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time C 2010 - We Are Part of the Story of Salvation
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The event described to us in today's First Reading is truly amazing, if we stop to think about it.

It took place around 450 BC.

The people of Israel had returned to Jerusalem after 70 years of exile in Babylon.

And then an entire generation had spent decades rebuilding the ancient Jewish Temple and reconstructing the protective walls around the holy city.

The walls were finally completed under the leadership of Nehemiah, the Jewish adviser to the king of Persia who had become the official governor of Jerusalem.

To celebrate, Nehemiah and Ezra, his top religious adviser, arranged for a special liturgy.

That's when all the inhabitants of the city and the surrounding area gathered for a public reading of the Old Testament, as described in today’s Reading.

Why is this so amazing? For two reasons.

First of all, it is amazing that God's Chosen People, the Israelites, had survived as such a tiny nation for 1500 years (since the time of Abraham) in the most war-torn zone of the ancient world.

They had been enslaved by Egypt, embattled by the Philistines, invaded by Assyria, and, finally, almost obliterated by Babylon.

And through it all, God had somehow managed to preserve them.

He had also managed to inspire them to hold on to their religious faith and keep safe the Old Testament - the sacred scriptures.

God guided them through all their trials and even their rebellions, preparing them to give the world its Savior.

But it is amazing for another reason too.

2500 years after that gathering in Jerusalem, here we are, gathered as God's Chosen People in his Church, still listening to the inspired Word of God.

We are part of that same story of salvation that reaches back to the dawn of civilization.

This is our amazing identity in Jesus Christ.

This is an aspect of our Catholic faith that we have a tendency to overlook.

But every year there are thousands of non-Catholic Christians who come into the Catholic Church because of it.

Once someone who loves Christ discovers that Jesus himself

established a Church,

and that his Church traces its doctrine, sacraments, and traditions directly back to the time of Christ and his Apostles,

and that this Catholic Church is therefore the direct descendent of all the promises of salvation made by God from the beginning of the Old Testament…

once they discover all of this, it changes their lives.

For some of them, the change isn't exactly comfortable.

Marcus Grodi, host of the famous "Journey Home" television show on the Eternal World Television Network, founded "The Coming Home Network International" precisely because it isn't always a comfortable change.

He himself was an ordained Presbyterian minister when he began to make those discoveries.

Following them into the Catholic Church was a huge risk for him.

It meant not only leaving his job as a protestant pastor, but abandoning his whole career.

But God gave him and his wife the courage they needed to follow the truth, and the risk paid off.

Soon after his conversion, he met other pastors and ministers who were on the same journey, and "The Coming Home Network International" was born.

Now he hears from 2-5 Protestant pastors every single week – men and women who are beginning to discover that they are part of a bigger story, a story that goes back farther than their local Bible Church, into the very dawn of sacred history.

Those of us who have grown up in the faith can learn a lot from these brothers and sisters who are willing to risk so much in order to engage in the sacred adventure to which their baptism has called them.

[For more information about the Coming Home Network International, click here. You may even want to browse through some of the conversion stories published on the Web site.]

As Christians, we are part of the story of salvation, plugged into three thousand years of sacred history.

And that means that each of us is also meant to do something, to contribute to the story.

Our vocation, our work, the use we make of the talents we have received from God – this is how we can make our contribution.

But the quality of that contribution depends on how deeply we are imbued with God's grace.

The more God's grace saturates our minds and hearts, the more we will overflow with his blessings, becoming active, courageous soldiers of Christ's light in this dark, evil-infested culture.

And in today's Readings the Church reminds us of one extremely effective way to pour God's grace into our hearts: daily Bible reading.

Ezra reads from the Bible at the gathering in Jerusalem in today's First Reading, and Jesus himself reads from the Bible at the start of his first homily in today's Gospel.

The Bible is a unique book, written by human authors but inspired by God himself.

If we take time to read, study, and reflect on it each day, our souls will be filled with "Spirit and life," as today's Psalm reminds us.

And in the digital age there is no excuse not to do this.

It is so easy to get a hold of a Bible, and it is so easy to find study guides and other resources that can help us understand its message.

[We recommend, for example, the following: this resource for personal and small group Bible reading; this resource for a larger and more formal parish Bible study; this resource for a youth group Bible study.]

The Bible is God's love letter to each and every one of us.

It is a flowing fountain of wisdom, comfort, guidance, and strength.

As we continue with this Mass, let's renew our faith in the Word of God, and promise that this week, we will take at least a little drink from the fountain every single day.

(epriest)

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samedi, janvier 23, 2010

Liturgical Readings Third Sunday in Ordinary Time C
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Book of Nehemiah 8:2-4.5-6.8-10.

On the first day of the seventh month, therefore, Ezra the priest brought the law before the assembly, which consisted of men, women, and those children old enough to understand.
Standing at one end of the open place that was before the Water Gate, he read out of the book from daybreak till midday, in the presence of the men, the women, and those children old enough to understand; and all the people listened attentively to the book of the law.
Ezra the scribe stood on a wooden platform that had been made for the occasion; at his right side stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah, and on his left Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah, Meshullam.
Ezra opened the scroll so that all the people might see it (for he was standing higher up than any of the people); and, as he opened it, all the people rose.
Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God, and all the people, their hands raised high, answered, "Amen, amen!" Then they bowed down and prostrated themselves before the LORD, their faces to the ground.
Ezra read plainly from the book of the law of God, interpreting it so that all could understand what was read.
Then (Nehemiah, that is, His Excellency, and) Ezra the priest-scribe (and the Levites who were instructing the people) said to all the people: "Today is holy to the LORD your God. Do not be sad, and do not weep"-for all the people were weeping as they heard the words of the law.
He said further: "Go, eat rich foods and drink sweet drinks, and allot portions to those who had nothing prepared; for today is holy to our LORD. Do not be saddened this day, for rejoicing in the LORD must be your strength!"

Psalms 19:8.9.10.15.
The law of the LORD is perfect, refreshing the soul. The decree of the LORD is trustworthy, giving wisdom to the simple.
The precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart. The command of the LORD is clear, enlightening the eye.
The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever. The statutes of the LORD are true, all of them just;
Let the words of my mouth meet with your favor, keep the thoughts of my heart before you, LORD, my rock and my redeemer.

First Letter to the Corinthians 12:12-30.
As a body is one though it has many parts, and all the parts of the body, though many, are one body, so also Christ.
For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free persons, and we were all given to drink of one Spirit.
Now the body is not a single part, but many.
If a foot should say, "Because I am not a hand I do not belong to the body," it does not for this reason belong any less to the body.
Or if an ear should say, "Because I am not an eye I do not belong to the body," it does not for this reason belong any less to the body.
If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole body were hearing, where would the sense of smell be?
But as it is, God placed the parts, each one of them, in the body as he intended.
If they were all one part, where would the body be?
But as it is, there are many parts, yet one body.
The eye cannot say to the hand, "I do not need you," nor again the head to the feet, "I do not need you."
Indeed, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are all the more necessary,
and those parts of the body that we consider less honorable we surround with greater honor, and our less presentable parts are treated with greater propriety,
whereas our more presentable parts do not need this. But God has so constructed the body as to give greater honor to a part that is without it,
so that there may be no division in the body, but that the parts may have the same concern for one another.
If (one) part suffers, all the parts suffer with it; if one part is honored, all the parts share its joy.
Now you are Christ's body, and individually parts of it.
Some people God has designated in the church to be, first, apostles; second, prophets; third, teachers; then, mighty deeds; then, gifts of healing, assistance, administration, and varieties of tongues.
Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work mighty deeds?
Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret?

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 1:1-4.4:14-21.
Since many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the events that have been fulfilled among us,
just as those who were eyewitnesses from the beginning and ministers of the word have handed them down to us,
I too have decided, after investigating everything accurately anew, to write it down in an orderly sequence for you, most excellent Theophilus,
so that you may realize the certainty of the teachings you have received.
Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news of him spread throughout the whole region.
He taught in their synagogues and was praised by all.
He came to Nazareth, where he had grown up, and went according to his custom into the synagogue on the sabbath day. He stood up to read
and was handed a scroll of the prophet Isaiah. He unrolled the scroll and found the passage where it was written:
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free,
and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord."
Rolling up the scroll, he handed it back to the attendant and sat down, and the eyes of all in the synagogue looked intently at him.
He said to them, "Today this scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing."

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jeudi, janvier 21, 2010

Carl Anderson, The Spiritual Side of the Suffering in Haiti
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Tragedy Can Lead to Increased Faith in God

By Carl Anderson

NEW HAVEN, Connecticut, JAN. 18, 2010 (Zenit.org).- All of us have been horrified in recent days by the scenes of death and destruction in Haiti. Millions of us have sought way to alleviate the suffering there. No doubt thousands of homilies will be given in the coming days to help us understand how a loving God could allow such suffering.

One of the more controversial "explanations" in the United States came from a Protestant evangelist who stated that Haiti had been "cursed" ever since its founders had "sworn a pact with the devil" to achieve the nation's independence from France. His comments, as one might expect, caused a storm of controversy.

Certainly there is ample evidence in the Old Testament of nations being punished by God for idolatry and injustice and some Christians continue to look to this Old Testament history for explanations of world events.

But Catholics today are more likely to look in a different direction to understand how God deals with human sinfulness. And they need look no further than at the crucifix above the altar in their church. God has freely and lovingly united himself with human suffering in the sacrifice of his Son upon the cross.

Those evangelists who so often quote John 3:16 in their preaching might also remember what is said in the next verse: "God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved."

The tragedy in Haiti is likely to have long-lasting effects, not only for the people who have lost loved ones there, but for an entire generation that has witnessed its destruction. And it is important that we get the right understanding of what has occurred there.

Many news reports compare Haiti to the recent devastation of Hurricane Katrina in the U. S. Gulf Coast, or the 1985 Mexico City earthquake. But the tragedy in Haiti is more likely to have a long-term psychological impact closer to that of the Lisbon earthquake of 1755. That earthquake was followed by a tsunami and fire that destroyed nearly the entire city and killed nearly a million people.

The catastrophe in Lisbon changed the thinking of many of the leading intellectuals of the 18th century including Voltaire, Kant and Descartes. The earthquake occurred on the feast of All Saints in a predominately Catholic country and it caused many Christians throughout Europe to question their belief in God.

In the days to come we may see something similar. And so Haiti is today a test of our faith in God and our commitment to our fellow man.

In thinking about Haiti this week I could not help thinking also of the work of Father Damien of Molokai "the Leper Priest" who was canonized last autumn by Benedict XVI. Several years ago I had the opportunity to visit Molokai in Hawaii, and while visiting the parish church there I saw a photograph of an elderly woman taken in the 1930s. She had lost her ears and nose, and all her toes and fingers to leprosy. She was also blind. Yet every day, I was told, she prayed the rosary by holding the beads between her teeth.

Not long after that, I was speaking with a missionary priest who mentioned that he had opened a home for people suffering from leprosy. Each day as he celebrates Mass there, an elderly man, also blind from the disease, says during the prayer of the faithful, "Father, God, thank you for all the good things you have given me."

Philosophers and theologians will continue to search for explanations in the hope of answering the questions we all have concerning the problem of suffering in the world. But perhaps the best answer comes from those whose suffering goes beyond what we are able to imagine, and yet these believers experience the reality that God has united himself to them in their suffering.

In his homily during the canonization Mass of Father Damien, Benedict XVI said this: "Jesus invites his disciples to the total giving of their lives, without calculation or personal gain, with unfailing trust in God. The saints welcome this demanding invitation and set about following the crucified and risen Christ with humble docility.

"Their perfection, in the logic of a faith that is humanly incomprehensible at times, consists in no longer placing themselves at the center, but choosing to go against the flow and live according to the Gospel."

Ultimately, this is the key to understand the events of Molokai and Haiti. And it will be the measure of our response as Christians.

* * *

Carl Anderson is the supreme knight of the Knights of Columbus and a New York Times bestselling author.

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