A View From the Pew

Judith of Nazareth

Yes--- thanks to Billie Shakespeare we now have Judith of Nazareth. I am sure the Sr. Joan and the Benedictine Sisters in Erie are tripping over themselves to get those "bible" studies going round the clock. Yes--- now we have the "Lady's prayer" and the parable of the prodigal daughter and of course Judith prays to her Mother and says whomever sees her sees the "mother" who sent her (ain't that the truth!!!!!). I just want to know how she was circumcised on the 8th day?

Their Churches may be empty but ---

Witches return to German forests!!!

Highlights from the article:

Maddalina, a 44-year-old witch, is high priestess of a witches' coven in Berlin, who became interested in Wicca about 15 years ago....
....Maddalina is scornful of the teenagers interested in the witch cults. ...... She and her coven go into the woods around Berlin several times a year to stand naked in a circle and call to Baldur, the god of light.

Yes---Silly teens--- Don't they know! Standing naked in the forest at night is serious business and should only be attempted by mature, responsible, zoftig, middle aged women!

Most commentators do not believe the groups have any links to Satanism and black magic. But (Lutheran theologian) Hemminger sounds a note of warning. "Some of these circles operate in complete secrecy. We really don't know what they are up to," he says.
In general he regards the Wicca covens as a means to overcome personal crises that only cause concern once the cult begins to take over a person's life.

And there is the problem--- and sadly it seems to be the same attitude I encounter with certain priests I have run into---they don't believe that there is any link to satanism or black magic--- so they see it as harmless. Forget this-- "white magick" and "black magick" ----- "right hand path" or "left hand path"--- stuff. If the source isn't Yahweh the one true God--- then there is only one other source.

I Love it--- and hate it

when this happens--- this is an article from the Jerusalem Post op-ed column--- it more or less confirms what I said in my previous blog entry about the Lubavitchers and the "threat" of Christianity to Jews:

Stop fear-mongering by David Eliezrie---- a summary of his article in Mr. Eliezrie own words is:

"THE REAL issue in modern Jewish life is the abysmal level of Jewish education and observance.

According to the recent National Jewish Population Survey, the great numbers of Jews continue their policy of disengagement from their heritage.

The factor in survey after survey for retention of Judaism is more than playing basketball at the local JCC with a bunch of guys whose last names are Schwartz, Cohen or Levine. It's Jewish education."

Also today I sent my email to Gov. Jeb Bush regarding Terri Shiavo. You can do it too with this link jeb.bush@myflorida.com. We cannot sit idly by and let this happen. It literally makes me sick. The whole case stinks--- most of all Judge Greer--- I don't say this often about another human being but --he's evil--- just as bad as Michael Schiavo himself. The attorney for Michael Schiavo, George Felos, is certified flake with delusions of divinity--- I'm not kidding check out the excerpts from his book :

Excerpts from Litigation as Spiritual Practice by George Felos (Blue Dolphin Publishing, 2002)

Here is just a small example:

"Felos illustrates this power in his own life by describing an incident while on a plane during a time when he was engaged in a “right-to-die” case and had become very involved in the hospice movement.   He pondered, “I wonder what it would be like to die right now?” and “indulged the thought by imagining the plane starting to lose it trajectory and descend.”  The plane did, creating chaos in the cabin as people began to realize the plane was going to crash. “Needless to say, the juxtaposition of my imagined death and the possibility of a real demise heightened for me my different reactions. I assure you, my hubris in assuming that I would meet a life-ending crash with equanimity was not lost on me.” (181-182)  The pilot later explained to the passengers that there was an unexplained problem with the auto pilot which caused the momentary descent. “At that instant a clear, distinctly independent and slightly stern voice said to me, ‘Be careful what you think. You are more powerful than you realize.’ In quick succession I was startled, humbled and blessed by God’s admonishment.” (182)

Read the whole thing it is astounding to think that these people are the ones who are supposedly unbiased and have Terri's best interest at heart--- Lord help us! Seriously--- this nation cannot go down this road--- if it does we will pay. If we add starving mentally disabled people to death to abortion, embryonic reseach and cloning our ever growing list of "sins that cry out to heaven" will surely catch the wrath of God--- and I am not kidding. Please help Terri live--- pray and if you can fast--- that is a very powerful combination. Offer up your little sacrifices and sufferings everyday for Terri's sake--- every little bit will help. This is a spritual battle for the soul of our nation--- it really is. People want proof of Satan's existence--- look to the Supreme Court of Florida right now--- he has an advocate sentencing a helpless woman to death by starvation.

Jesus save your wayward people!

Unacceptable???

According to a Catholic World News story a Jewish leader by the name of Paul Spiegel has criticized John Paull II's new book because of the following content:

"In one passage-- which was circulated to Polish reviewers by the Znak publishers-- the Pontiff draws a comparison between the legislation allowing unrestricted abortion and the Nazi policies to exterminate the Jewish people. In Germany, Jewish leader Paul Spiegel, decried that comparison, saying that it is "unacceptable" to compare "mass genocide" with 'the murder of one who is not born."

To which I say WHY???? When you are talking about over 40 million human beings intentionally deprived of their lives because they were seen as a problem---what would you call it except mass genocide? A human life is a human life ---and while it may tug more at our hearts when those who were lost were fortunate enough to have been born and lived life--- does that really mean they were more important? As they say ignorance is bliss--- we can pretend that those 40 million lives were less important because we do not know the impact they might have had on the world but that doesn't mean that their loss is not a tragedy of similar proportion.

In fact if Mr Spiegel would have stopped to think before opening his mouth, in what to looks to me like a purely a knee-jerk response, he might have realized that it was precisely the same line of thinking that lead to Hitler's mass genocide---- it all begins when you think one class of human beings are more important and valuable then another--- or that certain human beings are the source of problems. It is by no means a coincidence that Margaret Sanger, Nazi Germany and Planned Parenthood are connected. Too bad Mr Spiegel can't see beyond his own need to find an excuse to wag his finger at that nasty and insensitive John Paul II.

Marginalized

According to m-w.com  In the following discussion "marginalized" would mean:

: to relegate to a marginal position within a society or group

marginal is defined relating to this discussion as:

(3) : excluded from or existing outside the mainstream of society, a group, or a school of thought <marginal voters>
3 : located at the fringe of consciousness

So when speaking of persons or groups of persons who are the *most* marginalized in our society who would come to your mind? The ones that came to my mind were groups like migrant workers, homeless people, people with AIDS, severely mentally ill people--- just to name a few. The visiting priest (he is giving our parish mission) who gave the homily today choose a group who are are at times discriminated against unfairly, who are subjected to harrassment and even violence as well occasionally--- but I cannot agree with the statement he made that he "could not think of a more marginalized group of people than homosexuals".

Before I go on I want to say that in general I did not take issue with his message. He was preaching about how Jesus welcomed everyone to his table much to the consternation of the pharisees---- even prostitutes and tax collectors. He went on to say more or less that we are to love the sinner and hate the sin--- We do not love people because of what they do we love people because of the dignity they possess as children of God--- that is absolutely true. He then asked us how we would feel if a homosexual person sat down next to us in church---would that person feel welcomed?

OK--- this is where I began to feel troubled by his example of homosexuals as the most marginalized people in our society--- First of all, I guarantee that every single one of us, has on numerous occasions, sat next to a homosexual person in church--- if you attend mass regularly sooner or later you'll be sitting next to a homosexual person--- it's a statistical certainty. My guess is that no one had a problem with it--- most likely they never even knew! And this is what brings me to my main issue here. The difference between homosexuals and other groups is that in order for anyone to know they are a homosexual they would have to in some way make that public knowledge. Their difference is not obvious--- there is not a flashing neon sign in the foreheads of homosexuals that announces they are attracted to people of the same sex. Sure there are people who make assumptions based on personality "charateristics" but these personality charateristics can be found in people who are homosexual and in many who are not. It isn't like a black person, or any other obviously ethnic person, or a person with Down's Syndrome--- or a person with Karposi's Sarcoma lesions on their face --- most other marginalized or disenfranchised people are easy to recognize--- in fact in most cases they have no control over the things that seperate them from whatever is considered the "norm" in our society. I cannot look at a person and know who they are attracted to sexually--- that means if I *know* they are homosexual they have done something to make this known to others. For me to know this in church the person would have to do something like---wear a rainbow sash, walk around holding hands or kissing their "significant other" in the church or they would have to make a public verbal statement--- and I'll be honest--- at that point I would probably feel uncomfortable sitting next to them--- but not because they are homosexual--- it would be because of their BEHAVIOR. Their behavior would cause me to question their motives-- I have no problem worshipping next to a homosexual person--- I have no problem loving them as a brother or sister in Christ--- but I do have a problem with ANYONE who abuses the Holy Mass to make a political statement. I would feel the same way if those engaged in adulterous behavior decided to wear a red 'A' on their chests or to walk up the aisle holding the hand of their illicit lovers to make a statement on the Church's teaching on adultery.

Furthermore--- Homosexuals in general, per capita, are better off financially then those who are not. They make up a significant percentage of the arts, entertainment and media---and in that not only do they have lots of money at their disposal they also have the opportunity to influence huge numbers of people. Can you think of any TV show that does not have homosexual characters or shows supportive of homosexual activists opinions? They have programs in grade schools through high school to teach tolerance and to support "GLBT" kids, there is gay pride month. More and more in the news--- particularly in Europe and Canada at the present time--- there have been numerous lawsuits filed against bishops and priests accusing them of hate crimes when all they did was teach what the church has always taught about human sexuality. I would suggest that it is safe to say that homosexual people enjoy more acceptance and tolerance today then they have had at any other time in modern history---

So I find it strange that of all the marginalized people in our society this priest would choose homosexuals as the *most* marginalized people today. I had to wonder what is his reason for choosing this particular group is in light of all that I listed above as well as the fact that the Church is trying to recover from a scandal that was largely related to homosexual priests abusing boys between the ages of 10-16 and many homosexual bishops abusing their power and authority by being willing to look the other way to keep their skeletons from being exposed. The John Jay College Report verified these facts and I know that of the bishops who resigned or were forced to resign two thirds of them did so due to being involved in relationships with other adults most of which were homosexual in nature. Rembert Weakland could have been this group's poster child.

So to say the least I am somewhat troubled that of all the truly disenfranchised in our society he saw homosexuals as the most marginalized. His message is correct--- we are to love all people as Christ does--- because we are all sinners--- but I cannot help but feel that there are plenty in our society who are denied the basic needs , education, healthcare, gainful employment,clothing, shelter and food. Why did father choose homosexuals when there are many, many more who are denied these very basic needs of human existence. I realize that there are homosexuals who are denied these things too--- just as there are people in every other demographic group who are deprived---but on the whole homosexuals have the same opportunities as heterosexuals--- unless you consider being unable to marry as the definition of being marginalized--- and I do hope that that is not where father was heading....

Messianic Parallels

The fact that I converted to Judaism in my mid twenties and spent ten years in that faith made this article particularly interesting to me. Also interesting is the tie to the Neocatechumenals, who, right now, are considered very controversial especially with regard to their secrecy and their liturgical practices. The Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has had their catechism for years deciphering it and checking its content and they appear no where near being finished with it. The Lubavitchers are also a controversial group in Judaism that is a branch from Hasidism--- the most orthodox of orthodox. It is a strange fellowship but also fascinating.

Messianic Parallels: The Lubavitcher Jews and the Neocatechumenals

Some comments from the author, Sandro Magister, that I found interesting were:

"Berger has focused for years on relations between Jews and Christians, and is convinced that the Lubavitchers' messianism facilitates the missionary expansion of Christians among the Jews. He calls the latter to react. He writes: "If we treat the messianists as good Jews, we concede to Christianity victory in the crucial points of a millenarian struggle."

My first thought was ---wow that sounds pretty militaristic. It reminded me of the the big brouhaha over The Passion last year. Abraham Foxman was all over the place demanding this and that and warning of pogroms and violence against Jews that the movie would certainly stir up among Christians. Of course there was nothing--- zip--- zero--- nothing except a slew of Christians profoundly moved and renewed in their faith---which of course means they would do anything BUT encourage violence against Jews.

I do not know if I am just sheltered but in my entire life I have never seen Jews as the enemy or accused as enemies. Now I do realize there is a history here and that for Christians there are some pretty shameful events in our past. And of course there is the Holocaust but even in that millions of Christians were killed for their faith as well--- most of whom were Catholics. So I admit I am put slightly aback when I read comments like the one attributed to Rabbi Berger.

What struck me as even more bizarre, especially with my lived experience in the Jewish community was this comment when speaking of the Lubavitchers:

"Berger defined them as heretics and idolaters. He wants them to be banned, because in his judgment their messianism turns classical Jewish doctrine upside down and puts at risk the very survival of Judaism in the world."

Wait a minute! The truth be told it is not messianism that threatens Judaism messianic Jewish sects are a very small part of Judaism. The Lubavitchers being a minute sect when compared to all of Judaism. From first hand experience I can tell you what IS killing Judaism--- it is paganism or as it is called today "secularism"--- just like in the old days of the Patriarchs and Prophets. The truth is vast numbers of Jews are secular Jews. They are Jewish by culture and blood but not by faith. For example--- my first husband INSISTED that our children be Jews--- so I converted. We never attended services, he refused to even consider joining a synagogue and our kids were not given any formal instruction in their faith. If it weren't for me lighting the Sabbath candles and celebrating the major holidays they wouldn't have even know the basic Hebrew prayers and blessings. I was more religiously attuned (which is saying very little) then 99% of those in our community who were Jews by birth. In fact when my son was Bar Mitzvahed he went to a Rabbi for coaching --- not for education-- the point was to get him to be able to recite his Haftorah in Hebrew--- that was it. I have lived most of my adult life in one of the largest Jewish communities in this country and my experience is the rule--- not the exception.

The sad part is that if the focus is on Christianity as the nemesis Jewish religious leaders will surely lose their battle. In fact right now Jewish-Christian relations are probably better then they have ever been in our entire history--- Christians in general are very open to Jews especially with regard to the state of Israel. For me I see Jews as elder siblings in the faith--- I owe them respect and I know that they are waiting, along with us, for the Messiah's glorious coming (for Christians His return) and that we will all be one when that happens--- and in my circles I can say that most of my fellow Catholics see things the same way.

The truth is that we Christians share the same threat with our Jewish brethren--it is the same "demon" and that is secularism/paganism--- If only both sides could see --- that this part of our shared heritage--- the ever present temptation to put other "gods" before Yahweh--- it has always been that way---ever since the garden.

A God Gene?

I found this article today and it has some interesting comments in it---

In Search of the 'God Gene'

This particular researcher has a questionable past--- he was the one that suggested homosexuality has a genetic component--- but was never able to replicate his findings---but the concept is interesting--the articles says:

"He also points out that science can tell us whether there are "God genes," but not whether there is a God. "Our genes can predispose us to believe," he writes, "but they don't tell us what to believe in. Our faith is part of our cultural heritage, and some of the beliefs in any religion evolve over time."

Needless to say, many geneticists are skeptical. When Dr. Hamer told his former boss at the National Institutes of Health that he was writing this book, her suggestion was, "Wait until you've retired."

Another colleague said: "A God gene? That's got to be nonsense. Have you replicated it?" Theologians, too, are not always thrilled when science encroaches on their territory. "Theologians often see science as irrelevant, incomprehensible, or even destructive," Dr. Hamer said.

I find this last sentence very biased--- and quite untrue--- here is a quote from some theologians--- who would seem to be quite receptive to this scientist if his research is reliable, from the Catechism of the Catholic Church:

CCC-327: The desire for God is written in the human heart, because
man is created by God and for God; and God never ceases to draw
man to himself. Only in God will he find the truth and happiness
he never stops searching for

This little study--far from discrediting faith and God could actually affirm what "religion" tells. The article goes on:

Still, he writes, the fact that spirituality has a genetic component implies that it has evolved for a purpose. "There is now reasonable evidence that spirituality is in fact beneficial to our physical as well as mental health. Faith may not only make people feel better, it may actually make them better people."

Hmmmm---- Seems St. Augustine got it right when he said----

"Thou hast made us for Thyself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in Thee!"

Now is the time for all good Catholic men and women to come to the aid of the Church

This is a very good article. It is well worth reading the entire thing. It was written by By Rene Henry Gracida Bishop Emeritus of Corpus Christi. The Arian Heresy Revisited. Some quotes I found particularly interesting are:

The great danger of the present denial of the sacredness of human life is that it not only demeans the Incarnation of Jesus Christ, it renders meaningless the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Jesus. If human life was not made sacred by his Incarnation, why should He have died for it? And having died for it, what was the point if it is now not sacred?

Cardinal Ratzinger has recently reiterated clearly the teaching of Pope John Paul II and his predecessors that Catholics must give the highest moral priority to respecting the sanctity of human life. All other social issues, such as poverty, hunger, sickness, economic injustices, etc., pale in significance when compared with protecting innocent human life. That there are Catholics tainted with the heresy that ‘choice’ is of greater importance than protecting innocent human life is obvious to any observer of the contemporary scene.

In many places, sadly the majority it seems, the bishops are having difficulty articulating this to the faithful--- so it is time for the "sensus fidelium", which Bishop Garcida states is strongly pro-life and growing stronger, to be actively and publically proclaimed in union with those few bishops who have had the courage to stand unequivocally against the culture of death and those who for political expediency clothe themselves in Catholicism only to betray Christ and all those who are faithful to Him. Bishop Gracida goes on to say:

In his Historical Sketch on Arianism of the Fourth Century, John Henry Cardinal Newman observed that there was a moment in that Century when practically all of the bishops in the world were tainted either with the Arian heresy or the Semi-Arian heresy. Newman observed that the notable exceptions were the Pope and Saint Athanasius. Because the vast majority of the faithful refused to accept and believe the heresies, the Pope and Saint Athanasius had a power base which enabled them to summon the bishops to the Council of Nicea in the year 325 where they prevailed over the bishops who were tainted with the Arian heresies. The Council produced the Nicene Creed which we Catholics recite to this day. In that Creed we profess our faith in the divinity of Jesus Christ.

The divinity of Jesus Christ elevates our human nature to the level of the sacred through His Incarnation. Our sacred human nature becomes eligible to share in his Divine life with the Father because of his act of Redemption on Calvary. Catholics and other Christians understand this.

Now IS the time for all good Catholic men and women to come to the aid of the Church.

Anglicans Hope for 'Peace and Healing'

Found this ---wanted to post it before I left for our first Faith Formation Commission meeting--- there were a couple of comments that I found interesting---in an ironic way---
Anglicans Hope for 'Peace and Healing' Over Gays

Eames, widely known as the divine optimist for his positive approach, had previously warned warring conservatives and liberals to tone down their language as the emotional temperature rose steadily over the issue.

Careful not to give any clue on the commission's conclusions, Eames said: "This has been a labor of love in the faith that Christ is our guide and strength in working for peace and healing."

But many fear that the wounds may already be beyond healing in a broad church run by consensus across 164 countries, in contrast to the rigid hierarchy of the far larger Roman Catholic Church which is governed under strict papal authority.

The Episcopalian Church in the United States may even face exclusion from the Anglican communion over Robinson's ordination.

To which I can only add in the few moments I have to finish this post----

And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the powers of death shall not prevail against it.

Matthew 16:18

Is the papacy irrelevant? --- I bet some Anglicans are beginning to wonder....

A plethora of stuff

It seems some days there is nothing to blog about and then other days there is so much I can't decide! Today is the latter--- so here is a smattering of news stories I found noteworthy---

Vatican official affirms Church's teaching on euthanasia as Dutch consider killing sick children

Since this is an issue that is just beginning to be debated in our nation I think it is important for us to see where a nation who has embraced this for about 30 years--- where they are going. Now parents and legal guardians can decide for a minor child whether or not their life is worth continuing.

The Dutch have been offing people without their permission for awhile now--- In 1991, in an effort to come to grips with the actual medical practice of euthanasia and assisted suicide, the Dutch Government established a government commission, headed by Professor Jan Remmelink to study the problem. The Remmelink Report opened the eyes of both the people of the Netherlands and the world to the extent of the practice of euthanasia in Holland. Remmelink found that 49,000 of the 130,000 deaths in the Netherlands each year were not natural but involved a "medical decision at the end of life" or MDEL. 95% of these MDEL cases involve, in equal numbers, either withholding treatment/discontinuing life support or the alleviation of pain and symptoms through medication that might hasten death. This latter (alleviating pain and symptoms) category accounted for approx. 20,000 deaths that had been hastened by a physicians decision. Actual euthanasia, using the official Dutch definition, occurred in 2,300 cases or 2% of all Dutch deaths. Dutch physicians helped 400 patients who requested suicide, for either mental illness or discomfort, to kill themselves in 1990. The alarming statistics of the Remmelink Report indicate that in thousands of cases decisions that might or were intended to end a fully competent patient's life were made without consulting the patient.
Over 50% of Dutch physicians admitted to practicing euthanasia, most often on cancer patients. Only 60% kept written records of their euthanasia practice and only 29% filled out death certificates honestly in euthanasia cases.

In 30 years Holland has moved from assisted suicide to euthanasia, from euthanasia of people who are terminally ill to euthanasia of those who are chronically ill, from euthanasia for physical illness to euthanasia for mental illness, from euthanasia for mental illness to euthanasia for psychological distress or mental suffering, and from voluntary euthanasia to involuntary euthanasia or as the Dutch prefer to call it "termination of the patient without explicit request".

It is now considered a form of discrimination against the chronically ill to deny them assisted death because they will be forced to suffer longer than those who are terminally ill and it is considered bias to force endurance of psychological pain when it is not associated with physical illness. The next step, non-voluntary euthanasia, is then justified by appealing to the social duty to care for patients who are not competent to choose for themselves.

****This one made me chuckle----- could it be divine intervention? I think "bishop" Michael Cox may have reluctantly been given some time to further "discern" his vocation---- Irish floating church sinks

****Knownothingism---alive and well? In two days there have been two stories involving vandalism of Catholic Churches. I tried to recover the link from yesterday's story and couldn't find it so I tried googling it--- what I got was a surprise--- I didn't find that particular story but I did find these---- all within the past four months--- and this wasn't all of them----

Vandals Ransack Catholic Church

Vandals deface Stoughton church

Kentucky's largest church dealing with teens who destroyed Catholic statue

Vandals spray-paint church

Attack on Rhode Island Pro-Life Monument Investigated as Hate Crime

Church altar set ablaze in Indiana

****Finally--- I did something today I have never done before--- I responded to an Op-Ed piece written by Chicagoan and media darling--- Fr. Andrew Greeley. I was not my usual cranky Catholic self--- like I am here where I can safely vent--- I was very well behaved and wrote what I hope was an intelligent response to his rant against Cardinal Ratzinger and the CDF document on the collaboration of men and women. I am so tired of the prevailing attitude among the aging---"old guard" left over from the "Call To Action" heydays under Cardinal Bernadin--- They have never gotten over the appointment of Cardinal Francis George---who they see as a step backward for the Archdiocese of Chicago--- an unwelcome, ultra- conservative (according to them) influence. Here's Fr. Greeley's "sour grapes"--- "Church is Failing World's Women". I don't expect a response--- it just felt good, as a Catholic woman, to rebut some of the comments. Fr. Greeley misrepresents the document --- It was addressed to the clergy-- not the laity--- I said at the end

"The document you berate was written for bishops and priests--- not for the laity. Hopefully it is the priests and bishops who understand the teachings of the Church with regard to this issue--- this document is to exhort the clergy to share from, the Tradition of our faith, the great beauty and truth of women with a world in desperate need of understanding."

I then suggested that with his talent, influence and public forum, he as a priest could have helped evangelize rather then criticize---- We'll see---- but I am positive I will be looked at as an out of touch old fashioned Catholic--- Oh Well--- I am used to it.

Blessings all!