Faith vs Sentimentalism

This is the first time I've seen a Bishop directly address this topic! I'm also rather amazed that in a conflict between parish liberals and their orthodox pastors, this bishop stands with his priests and Christ. I'm also sad that I would say so.

Anyway, here's an excerpt of what Bishop Robert Morlino has written in his letter regarding the school closure which resulted from protesting parents.

Your feelings do matter to me, and I do not take them lightly. However, our end goal should not be simply to restore good feelings. No, there is something greater than good feelings at stake, as good feelings come and go. Much deeper than feelings, what these priests have been sent to offer, is Jesus Christ, He who suffered with and like you, who died for you, and who has been raised to new life, so that you might have lasting joy, lasting hope, and lasting peace – eternal life. The reality of following Jesus is not at every moment full of good feelings; neither Jesus Himself, in His human nature, nor Mary, nor the Apostles were even granted that gift of freedom from painful emotions. By allowing ourselves, with openness, to enter into the mystery of His Church and His Sacraments we find that deep inner joy which passing emotions can’t eradicate.

As Christ’s Church, we profess faith in one Holy Spirit – the same Spirit that descended upon the apostles at Pentecost, the third person of the Blessed Trinity. It is this same Spirit that guided the early Church; has led the Church through two millennia, and will lead her until the end of time. The same Spirit that led the Church from the beginning and through the Second Vatican Council leads her today – and His message is the same, it cannot change. To think otherwise, or to claim that the hierarchy in union with the Pope, and the People of God might receive conflicting direction from the Spirit, would be mistaken. There is only one Holy Spirit. He is the Spirit poured out on the Church, which Christ,Himself, established.


Bishop Robert Morlino, Diocese of Madison (Link)

 Follow the link and read the whole thing!

Two Dominican Brothers to Make Solemn Vows

On April 28, Brothers Peter Hannah OP and Corwin Low OP will make their solemn profession to the Dominican Order; this is the very significant point when both will move from temporary vows to permanent vows. It's a big deal, and we are very happy for them both!!

Catholic Teaching and the Elections

Micahael Greaney, Director of Research, Center for Economic and Social Justice and Contributing Editor for Economics and Finance, Inside the Vatican magazine, has written an analysis of the candidates from a Catholic perspective, published in Inside the Vatican.


please read the rest here!

and visit Michael's blog and the CESJ website

http://just3rdway.blogspot.com/
http://www.cesj.org/
 

CATHOLIC TEACHING AND THE ELECTIONS
BY MICHAEL D. GREANEY
The economy remains a central political issue, and a central issue of social justice for Catholic teaching, both in Europe and America. How should a Catholic assess what the US presidential candidates are saying about the economy?




The 2012 presidential election has brought America’s economic crisis into sharp focus. Despite ephemeral gains in the stock market and manipulation of unemployment statistics, the economy continues to stagnate. Growth is limited, by and large, to the financial services industry that shifts around existing wealth, and government, which produces nothing. Ordinary people, unable to gain an adequate and secure income by their own efforts, are increasingly dependent on the State for meeting their daily needs.

As we have seen in the controversy stirred up over the contraception mandate, dependency on government leaves people susceptible to “Welfare Blackmail” and other offenses against human dignity imposed by a progressively authoritarian State. This is the “yoke little better than that of slavery itself” that the propertyless condition imposes on workers and their families, condemned by both Leo XIII (Rerum Novarum, § 3) and Pius XI (Quadragesimo Anno, § 59).

Tribute to Fr Z.

Since Fr Z (What Does the Prayer Really Say) regularly posts cooking adventures, I thought I'd do the same with a little culinary adventure of my own. Last night I had the desire to prepare a fish dish I hadn't made for a long time, but have fond memories of; Ca Chien Sot Ca (Fried fish with tomato sauce) from the book "The Classic Cuisine of Vietnam," by Ngo and Zimmerman.

Since my cookbook is 50 miles from home, I actually found a version of the recipe at the NY Times, which Fr Z calls, not without cause, "Hell's bible." But it gave me enough to go on.

So, in Zinimascope, here it is...

The fish sauce is mixed with sugar; the garlic sliced paper thin, and the onion tomatoes are diced. Those in the know will be disappointed I'm using Phillipine dark fish sauce instead of Vietnamese clear, but it's what I had in the house. You'll notice the quantities are far more than the linked recipe. well, I like this stuff!

The fish is fried in olive oil (I used red snapper)

Then it is set aside and everything else is rendered down in the pan.
The fish sauce is boiled off …

…resulting in sort of glazed veggies and served over the fish with (Thai Jasmine) rice.

With all that garlic, how can you go wrong?

Catholics in the public square

This is a new commercial which I understand will be playing before the election on television. [click the picture to watch]

Francis of Assisi - A New Biography

Fr Augustine Thompson OP has written a new biography (not just another modern one) of St Francis. It is a serious attempt to apply the historical critical method to the wash of legend that surrounds this ever-popular saint. The book is not targeted to popular market, but is a serious historical work that is also readable by folks like you and me. It is available from Cornell University Press here.
Fr Augustine concludes his introduction with some observations on what Francis has taught him; the following caught my eye as germaine to what our Lay Dominican chapter is currently studying, and the fact that today is Easter.

True freedom of spirit, indeed true Christian freedom, comes from obedience, not autonomy. And as Francis showed many times in his actions, obedience is not an abstraction by involves concrete submission toanother's will. Freedom means becoming a "slave of all."

Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross. Ph 2:7-8

the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom 11 for many Mt 20:28

Blessed Easter to you! He is risen!

Church where Bl Margaret lies incorrupt in Italy

The church where Blessed Margaret of Castello's incorrupt body lies has been closed for many years. However, that has changed, according to a note forwarded by a dear friend in Florida, a Bl Margaret devotee who helped us acquire our first class relic of Bl Margaret. One of her Italian contacts writes:

Hello!

The Church of St Domenico where is Margaret is open everyday. The mass is
in sunday only.
I wish you, together with my parents, a Happy Easter!

Elvio, Luigi, Elena

This is a good sign as we approach Little Margaret's feast day (April 13)! The novena should start Holy Thursday.

Vatican Approves English and Spanish Texts for ‘Blessing of a Child in the Womb’

The following from the USCCB:

WASHINGTON—The Vatican has approved the publication of the "Rite for the Blessing of a Child in the Womb," which will be printed in English and Spanish in a combined booklet and should be available for parishes by Mothers' Day. The U.S. bishops who collaborated on the development of the blessing welcomed the announcement of the recognitio, or approval, by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments in Rome.


"I'm impressed with the beauty of this blessing for human life in the womb," said Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of Galveston-Houston, chairman of the Committee on Pro-Life Activities of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). "I can think of no better day to announce this news than on the feast of the Annunciation, when we remember Mary's 'yes' to God and the incarnation of that child in her the womb that saved the world."


"We wanted to make this announcement as soon as possible so that parishes might begin to look at how this blessing might be woven into the fabric of parish life," said Archbishop Gregory Aymond of New Orleans, chairman of the USCCB Committee on Divine Worship. "Eventually the new blessing will be included in the Book of Blessings whenthat text is revised."


The blessing was prepared to support parents awaiting the birth of their child, to encourage parish prayers for and recognition of the precious gift of the child in the womb, and to foster respect for human life within society. It can be offered within the context of the Mass as well as outside of Mass.


The blessing originated when then-Bishop Joseph Kurtz of Knoxville, Tennessee (now archbishop of Louisville, Kentucky) asked the USCCB Committee on Pro-Life Activities to see if a blessing existed for a child in the womb. When none was found, the committee prepared a text and submitted it to the USCCB's Divine Worship committee in March of 2008. It was approved by the full body of bishops in November 2008, and then sent to Rome for editing and final approval.

http://www.usccb.org/news/2012/12-053.cfm

Health Care Act: Supreme Court; Tuesday's oral arguments

Today's oral argument before the Supreme Court is at the heart of the Health Care bill: health insurance purchase mandate (written about yesterday here).

Listen to today's arguments here

http://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_audio_detail.aspx?argument=11-398-Tuesday

John Keenan

British Abortion Probe Exposes Widespread Criminality

The following article from The Daily Telegraph was reprinted in prolife.ie, an Irish prolife web digest.

British Abortion Probe Exposes Widespread Criminality


Up to one in five British abortion clinics is suspected of breaking the law and faces a police inquiry following an official investigation ordered by the Health Secretary. The regulator conducted a series of unannounced raids on every clinic offering abortions and found that a “shocking” number may be breaking the law. The Daily Telegraph reports that it understands that more than 250 private and NHS clinics were visited and more than 50 were “not in compliance” with the law or regulations. Doctors were regularly falsifying consent forms and patients were not receiving acceptable levels of advice and counselling in many clinics, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) discovered.


Andrew Lansley, the Health Secretary, said he was “shocked” by the findings of the CQC’s audit and was preparing to report doctors and organisations to the police. Many clinics may be stripped of the licences that allow them to offer abortions. Mr Lansley ordered the investigation into the clinics after The Telegraph disclosed that several were offering illegal sex-selection abortions and falsifying paperwork. He said the regulator had found that a number of clinics may be acting beyond the “spirit and letter of the law”.


“I was appalled,” he said. “Because if it happens, it is pretty much people engaging in a culture of both ignoring the law and trying to give themselves the right to say that although Parliament may have said this, we believe in abortion on demand.” He said it was not just a matter of enforcing the law. “There is the risk that women don’t get the appropriate level of pre-abortion support and counselling because, if your attitude is that, ‘You’ve arrived for an abortion and you should have one,’ well actually many women don’t get the degree of support they should.”


The main problem identified by the CQC was that doctors were “pre-signing” consent forms. The law requires the signatures of both the supervising consultant and a second professional who has either seen the patient or read the medical notes and the summary of a consultation. During inspections, regulators are understood to have found piles of “pre-signed forms”.


The Health Secretary said he was shocked by the pre-signing of certificates. “We’re talking about doctors who have professional responsibilities and it seems to me that you can’t satisfy your professional and ethical responsibilities [by pre-signing]. I completely understand the law doesn’t require the doctor to have met the woman concerned, but to pre-sign certificates when you don’t even know which woman it relates to and there hasn’t been an assessment, is completely contrary to the spirit and letter of the law.”


He added that action would be taken promptly. “We’re dealing with all this quickly,” Mr Lansley said. “If there is evidence of an offence we will give it directly to the police.”


The Health Secretary said pre-signing forms “constitutes a criminal offence” and could also lead to doctors being struck off by the General Medical Council. He warned that so-called abortion on demand was not acceptable. “It’s not what Parliament intended and it’s not what the law provides for,” he said. “My job is to enforce the law.”


The rigour of the Care Quality Commission, responsible for regulating abortion clinics, hospitals and care homes, has been repeatedly called into question since it was established in 2009. Last month, the commission’s chief executive resigned after a Department of Health report criticised the quango. Cynthia Bower stepped down from her £195,000-a-year post on the first day of The Daily Telegraph investigation into abortion clinics, which found that some doctors were offering terminations on the basis of gender and raised major concerns over the regulator. The level of potential abuse uncovered at abortion clinics is expected to lead to further searching questions over regulation in the past.


Ann Furedi, the chief executive of the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS), claimed that inspectors from the Care Quality Commission had been diverted from their duty of inspecting standards at institutions such as hospitals. Mrs Furedi suggested that the timing of the inspections was “absolutely wrong” and risked jeopardising other work undertaken by the CQC.

Are we surprised to learn that abortionists are not following the law in Britian either? "Lets make criminal acts legal" and give criminals free reign and that's supposed to work?

Health Care Act: Supreme Court; Oral Arguments before

Dear Dominicans & Friends:


As you may recall, last Friday, March 23rd, 2012, marked the second anniversary of the signing of the Health Care Reform Act by Mr. Obama. Time has revealed an insidious agenda of promoting abortion, abortifacients, and contraception through the instrument of the Administration's health reform efforts. In this effort, the Act provided for "no copay" for certain preventive medical procedures. There was no mention of contraception or abortifacients in the original statute. The traditional meaning of preventive medicine, which included such procedures as "well-checks," check-ups," and procedures like colonoscopies, etc., was applied by the federal government to include measures to prevent disease or conditions that develop into a disease or bodily disorder. Although not in the original federal statute, the national institute of medicine stretched the term "preventive" to include measure to prevent pregnancies. Obviously this stretch of meaning was grounded on a lie.

Through this mechanism has come the HHS mandate that invades our personal and religious liberties forcing all to fund morallly offensive procedures such as the use of contraceptions and abortifacients (and eventually abortions)!

In addition, the contraceptive prophets have argued that the right to health care includes the right to use contraception and abortifacients--as well as abortion--and that this right to health care is equal to First Amendment freedoms of the free exercise of religion. This nonsense pervades the public mind despite the fact there is no "right" to health care grounded on natural law. There is certainly no such right traditionaly at law or in equity nor is there a moral obligation of the state [government] to provide such health care.

Despite these facts, the current scheme of the individual mandate and the HHS mandate was thrusted on this Nation two years ago. Twenty-nine states have filed suit in a Florida District Court seeking to have this law set aside on the basis of the "commerce clause" and the 9th and 10th Amendments to the U.S. Constitution.

This morning, March 26th, 2012, oral arguments on this matter have commenced and will continue two more days. The timing of this is providential, as it is occurring during the octave of the Feast of the Annunication (which is being celebrated today as the regular feast day, March 25, 2012, fell on a Sunday this eyar.

You can listen to the oral argument at this link:

Please pray and fast for wisdom that truth may prevail on the minds of the justices of our U.S. Supreme Court. Their decision will be issued in late June or early July of this year. If this law is struck down, the entire Administration construct of contraceptive and abortifacient rights and "preventive" health care will collapse like the tower of babel.

In St. Dominic,

John Keenan

Lost a grand lady...

This week, Ellen Logue, a long time Lay Dominican of the St Albert Chapter (Oakland CA, Western Province), passed away.  Last summer at the Lay Provincial Council meeting, the council celebrated Ellen's 60 years as a professed member of the Dominican Laity.

Those of us who were blessed to know Ellen will greatly miss her; and pay that she speedily joins our Lord in that eternity to which we seek and strive with the help of our Dominican profession.

We look forward to meeting you again on the other side, Ellen. May the Lord grant you peace, and do pray for the Order to which you gave so much.

Truth Be Told issue #21 - Newsletter of the Laity of the Province of the Most Holy Name of Jesus

The 21st issue of "Truth Be Told," the newsletter of the Laity of the Province of the Holy Name of Jesus has been posted to the web.

The newsletter is available for download at the provincial web page here:
http://laydominicanswest.org/newsletter/

Baker Diocese has a bishop!

Congratulations to the Baker Diocese, which today receives the appointment of Fr Liam Stephen Cary (St Mary Church, Eugene, Portland Diocese) as their new bishop!

Fr Cary, who grew up in Prineville, is a late vocation; born in '47 and ordained in '92 in Portland. Welcome home!

(Diocese of Baker press release here)

Church in the public square - survival

Back in the late first century, Ignatius injected himself into enough "political debates" that he wound up getting eaten by lions at the Coliseum. But no doubt tut-tutting NPR listeners would have deplored the way the Church had injected itself into live theater.

Cleverness, from an interesting article on the current challenge, The Church of Big Government at National Review Online.

books, books, ...

The recent list of books I posted has to be followed by some quotes from my current read, which is Orestes A. Brownson's "The American Republic" - written in 1865. It's not hard to guess what he'd think of today's Obamacare. Or, for that matter, the course of the Federal government since his time. 

The United States Bank was manifestly unconstitutional, as probably are the present so-called national banks. The Unites States Bank was a private or particular corporation, and the present national banks are only corporations of the same sort, though organized under a general law. The pretence that they are established to supply a national currency does not save their constitutionality, for the convention has not given the [Federal] government the power nor imposed on it the duty of furnishing a national currency. To coin money, and regulate the value thereof, is something very different from authorizing private companies to issue bank notes, on the basis of the public stocks held as private property, or even on what is called a specie basis. To claim the power under the general welfare clause would be a simple mockery of good sense. It is no more for the general welfare than any other successful private business. The private welfare of each is, no doubt, for the welfare of all, but not therefore is it the “general welfare,” for what is private, particular in its nature, is not and cannot be general. To understand by general welfare that which is for the individual welfare of all or the greater number, would be to claim for the [Federal] government all the powers of government, and to deny that very division of powers which is the crowning merit of the American system.

The italics above are mine to underscore the point. When Brownson speaks of the division of powers, he does not mean that between the three branches of the Federal government; these are useless, he holds, as checks and balances. What he is speaking of is the division between the general and the particular, the Federal, and the State; each of which has its sphere of competency, both of which are needed to balance the needs of individual rights and the social rights.

Writing at the end of the Civil War, which saw the defeat of the imbalance tilting towards the individual, he warned of the opposite imbalance, towards the social, which he considered a graver evil; the despotism of the state at the cost of freedom.

So, we've brainwashed our generations to believe sexual license is"freedom" so they willingly embrace slavery. nice touch.

here's another interesting quote:

There is hardly a government now in the civilized world that can sustain itself for a moment without an armed force sufficient to overawe or crush the party, or parties in permanent conspiracy against it. This result is not what was aimed at or desired, but it is the logical or necessary result of the attempt to erect the state on atheistical principles. Unless founded on the divine sovereignty, authority can sustain itself only by force, for political atheism recognized no right but might. No doubt the politicians have sought an atheistical, or what is the same thing, a purely human, basis for government, in order to secure an open field for human freedom and activity, or individual or social progress. The end aimed at has been good, laudable even, but they forgot that freedom is possible only with authority that protects it against license as well as against despotism, and that there can be no progress where there is nothing that is not progressive. In civil society two things are necessary - stability and movement. The human is the element of movement, vor in it are possibilities that can only be successively actualized. But the element of stability can only be found in the divine, in God, in whom there is no unactialized possibility, who, therefore, is immovable, immutable, and eternal. 

Bear with me for one more jewel!

Error is never harmless, and only truth can give a solid foundation on which to build. Individualism and socialism are each opposed to the other, and each has only a partial truth. The state founded on either cannot stand, and society will only alternate between the two extremes. Today it is tornb by a revolution in favor of socialism; [remember, this is 1865!] tomorrow it will be torn by another [by "another" he refers to the Civil War as a revolution] in favor of individualism, and without effecting any real progress by either revolution. Real progress can be secured only by recognizing and building on the truth, not as it iexists in our opinions or in our theories, but as it exists in the world of reality, and independent of our opinions.

In the mail!

This weekend I was quite surprised to find in the mail a package in the mail from Br Corwin Low OP; it contained the following booklet:

The booklet, from 1956, is in splendid condition, and contains the "Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary" along with instructions for recitation in choir by Dominican Tertiaries.  Under the rule in force prior to Vatican II, the "Little Office" was required of Dominican Tertiaries; it has been supplanted by the revised Liturgy of the Hours. it appears that the "Little Office" as it is presented here is Sunday's Breviary (in English). Going through it once, it is clear that our prayer obligation today is actually far less effort than that which was previously required.

I scanned and refomatted the Litany to our Lady, which came after the Salve procession after Compline; it is quite lovely and still well worth recitation!

And the Inviolate is a cool prayer as well, so I included it...

Previously Br Corwin had sent me this delightful little book from 1952. Both books were published by "The Rosary Press."

Many thank to Br Corwin Low OP, and my request is that you add your prayers to mine for both he and Br Peter Hanah OP, both of whom will make there solemn vows on April 28 of this year.

Back from travels

I've returned from almost a week in Albuquerque New Mexico(*); I went to spend the first anniversary of my dad's passing (Feb 20) with my step mother, Sherry. We did many of the things that we have all done together before as a way to celebrate dad's life. A visit to the Albuquerque bio-park was delightful.

Given that Sherry is a retired attorney, it was hard to resist the urge to make lawyer jokes when I found this fellow...

I managed without falling four flight segments, visiting the biopark, a bird refuge (thousands of sandhill cranes and snow geese), two potlucks, two excellent dinners out (Indian and Italian), and mass at the Dominican Newman Center (only three blocks from folk's home, and I'd never been to mass there). All that, no falls, so what do I do? fall in my own bedroom the day I get home! sheesh... at least, nothing injured other than pride!

Anyway, I just thought those of you who have met Sherry would appreciate that she is doing well, and sends warmest greetings to all the Idaho Dominicans.

(*) "Wait, there's a New Mexico?" - Mr Burns on the Simpsons

The "28 States" argument

Last night I heard a Catholic Answers program caller, Gene Fadness of Boise, ask regarding the HHS mandate controversy, about the claim from the opposition that "28 states already require comparable coverage" - implying, without saying, that thereby the Bishop's opposition is not reasonable because they have already folded in a significant number of states.

The Bishops have refuted this and other claims. From the Turtle Bay and Beyond blog, comes this synopsis of just this one argument:

Claim: “Over half of Americans already live in the 28 States that require insurance companies cover contraception: Several of these States like North Carolina, New York, and California have identical religious employer exemptions. Some States like Colorado, Georgia and Wisconsin have no exemption at all.”




Response: This misleads by ignoring important facts, and some of it is simply false. All the state mandates, even those without religious exemptions, may be avoided by self-insuring prescription drug coverage, by dropping that particular coverage altogether, or by taking refuge in a federal law that pre-empts any state mandates (ERISA).None of these havens is available under the federal mandate.It is also false to claim that North Carolina has an identical exemption.It is broader:It does not require a religious organization to serve primarily people of its own faith, or to fulfill the federal rule’s narrow tax code criterion.Moreover, the North Carolina law, unlike the federal mandate, completely excludes abortifacient drugs like Ella and RU-486 as well as “emergency contraceptives” like Preven.

Read the USCCB article to get a blow by blow refutation of the half-truths put forth by the Administration.
White House Misrepresents Its Own Contraceptive Mandate



The Administration, in keeping with a long Federal tradition, has a deeply flawed vision of humanity...

Books, books, books, oh my...

It's with some regret that I'll admit I haven't been posting much on this blog of late, but I'm not turning that into a lead in for abandoning the project; on the contrary, I continue to maintain the hope (or illusion) that time and an inquiring mind will collide and something of more value than mere bits and bytes will spill on this electronic canvas! And it is not that I have been inactive, and the stack of books needing to be put away, and the remarkable books about to be embarked upon, gave me an idea for a blog entry! Yes, I have been reading, so here's a recent reading roundup...

It started with a desire to try, once again, to take on St Thomas (I may have written before on this). I had some time ago purchased Edward Feser's "Aquinas" which is in the "Beginners Guides" series; as a beginner it seemed apropos. Highly recommend it. I followed that with "Aquinas for the Perplexed" by Peter Eardley and Carl Still, which Fesse's book had relieved some of my perplexity. these were followed by "The Last Superstition, A Refutation of the New Atheism" by Feser. Feser is so readable, that I had to add to this his "Philosophy of Mind" thank you very much. First philosophy blog I've ever read regularly, Professor Feser brings it home at his blog.

Ok, I hadn't expected to be on the tail end of metaphysical schooling, but I did read Mortimer Adler's "Aristotle for Everybody, Difficult Thought Made Easy." I could get the hang of this, but I got side tracked by some light reading: Michael Coren's "Why Catholics are Right" (I used to regularly read Michael's column in the Toronto Sun), and Paul Murray OP's book on Teresa of Calcutta, "I Loved Jesus in the Night." Oh yes, also Jacob Neusner's "A Rabbi Talks to Jesus."  This book is quoted by Benedict XVI in his first volumn, Jesus of Nazareth. Its a book I'd recommend highly, read it twice, and will read it again.

But as we are entering the political fray, and so much is bandied about with regard to economics, by people that one suspects know little more about economics than how to spell it (or spend), I started low; "Economics for Dummies" by Sean Flynn. Yes, I had no idea! I followed that with "Basic Economics" by Thomas Sowell, a book which made me an instant fan of this deep thinker. These two books were to provide balance to reading I have done on the internet on alternate economic theories, such as Major Douglas' Social Credit, which still has some adherants, Modern Monetary Theory (Print and spend!), and the Binary Economics of the Just Third Way, an updated version of Distributionism. To cap this, I have recently finished "Economics as if God Matters" by Rupert Ederer. This book is a survey of the 100 years of Catholic Social Magisterium from Leo XVIII's Rerum Novarum to JPII's Centesimus Annus. There is much in this book to call up short ALL the main economic orthodoxies. Ederer makes the comment, almost in passing, that the failure of the materialist attempt to study economics as a mathematical science, is that it is a social science. Duh, when you think of it.

I followed philosophy and economics with a bit of history, history of what happens when philosophy and economics get taken over by materialism and vice; The Pink Swastika by Scott Levely and Kevin Abrams is an investigation and refutation of revisionist history which attempts to paint gays as a target of Nazi persecution and extermination, rather than as linked intimately with the Nazi movement and the extermination of the "people of God" whose very existance is a judgment on the consciences of those who practice unnatural vice. It's a chilling book.

But my next book, just started is a true gem; "The American Republic" by Orestes Brownsen. Our founders may have got a few things wrong, but they got more right. The book's introduction is over a hundred pages, and it is brilliant (this is the ISI edition, introduction by Peter Augustine Lawler). I also have coming in the mail a book by Robert Royal and George Weigel on the 100 year papal magisterium on social justice; that may well provide a different perspective than Ederer's book. And for Lent, I also have Benedict XVI's Jesus of Nazareth vol II, which I hear is also excellent.

And it's not like I haven't done any fluff reading; I read the entire "Gunslinger" series by Stephen King over the Christmas season; my son induced me to try that crack and I was hooked. I also read CS Lewis' "Out of the Silent Planet," which I really enjoyed. Somewhere I have the next two volumes, I'll read them when I find them. Oh, and somewhere in all the above, I also read "The Human Soul" by Abbot Vonier and "St Albert the Great" by Kevin Vost. Oh, and I also ordered Teddy Roesevelt's "Social Justice and Popular Rule" but discovered it is volumn 19 of a limited edition of his collected works; unfortunately, the publisher did not cut the pages properly and it can't even be read with out some serious knife-work!

There are probably some others I've forgotten because I've already re-shelved them, but this is what I've swept of the table beside my chair this evening. Hopefully, run through the mental digester and cross-coorelated it will resurface in an intellegent manner. Then again... ;)

Good night and God bless

Anniversary of deceased fathers and mothers of Dominicans

The following is from Br Innocent Smith OP, posted at Dominicana

Each year on February 7, Dominican friars throughout the world pray in a special way for the deceased fathers and mothers of Dominicans. Today’s Gospel reading, for Tuesday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time, is apposite for the occasion, recalling the precept “Honor your father and your mother.” The collect assigned in the Dominican Proprium for the Mass takes up this theme: “Deus, qui nos patrem et matrem honoráre præcepísti, miserére cleménter paréntibus nostris eorúmque peccáta dimítte, nosque eos in ætérnæ claritátis gáudio fac vidére.” (God, who commanded us to honor our father and mother, clemently have mercy on our parents, forgive their sins, and let us see them in the joy of eternal light.) Please join us in praying for our deceased mothers and fathers, particularly those who have died in the past year.

Image: Bl. Jane of Aza, mother of St. Dominic and Bl. Mames; St. Dominic’s Priory Church, Newcastle, England (photograph: Fr. Lawrence Lew, O.P.)

Happy feast of St Thomas!

This is a repost from last year, with additions!

FAITH - REJECTING ONE ARTICLE OF

"To reject any article of the faith is to reject the faith itself. This is like pulling one stone out of an arch; it is like putting one hole in the hull of a ship. The whole arch tumbles down; the whole ship sinks. A man who has the faith, accepts God's word. Now, God's word has set up the Church as man's infallible teacher and guide. If a man, therefore, rejects one article of the faith, and says that he believes all the other articles, he believes these by his own choice and opinion, not by faith. Rejecting one article of the faith, he rejects the whole authority of the Church, and he rejects the authority of God who has set up and authorized the Church to teach truth. Hence, it is entirely incorrect to say that am man may have lifeless or formless faith in some article of the Creed while he rejects others; such a man has not the faith at all, living or lifeless." Thomas Aquinas, Summa IIa IIae Q5

Sorry, I lost the source of the above quote, which is based on the Summa, as opposed to IN the Summa.

edit 2/6/12 The quote above comes from "Tour of the Summa"


To continue the general idea of Faith, we can turn to the old Catechism's explanation of the article in the Creed:

"I Believe the Holy Catholic Church"

Finally, with regard to the Church, the pastor should teach how to believe the Church can constitute an Article of faith. Although reason and the senses are able to ascertain the existence of the Church, that is, of a society of men on earth devoted and consecrated to Jesus Christ, and although faith does not seem necessary in order to understand a truth which even Jews and Turks do not doubt; nevertheless it is from the light of faith only, not from the deductions of reason, that the mind can grasp those mysteries contained in the Church of God which have been partly made known above and will again be treated under the Sacrament of Holy Orders.

Since, therefore, this Article, no less than the others, is placed above the reach, and defies the strength of the human understanding, most justly do we confess that we know not from human reason, but contemplate with the eyes of faith the origin, offices and dignity of the Church.

This Church was founded not by man, but by the immortal God Himself, who built her upon a most solid rock. The Highest himself, says the Prophet, hath founded her. Hence, she is called the inheritance of God, the people of God. The power which she possesses is not from man but from God.

Since this power, therefore, cannot be of human origin, divine faith can alone enable us to understand that the keys of the. kingdom of heaven are deposited with the Church, that to her has been confided the power of remitting sins," of denouncing excommunication, and of consecrating the real body of Christ; and t)tat her children have not here a permanent dwelling, but look for one above.

We are, therefore, bound to believe that there is one Holy Catholic Church. With regard to the Three Persons of the Holy Trinity, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, we not

only believe them, but also believe in them. But here we make use of a different form of expression, professing to believe the holy, not in the holy Catholic Church. By this difference of expression we distinguish God, the author of all things, from His works, and acknowledge that all the exalted benefits bestowed on the Church are due to God's bounty.

---

FROM the Legion of Mary on the True Church:

Attacks on the Church on the score of evil-doing, persecution, and lack of zeal could be argued indefinitely, and hopelessly confuse the issue. An element of truth may underlie some charges, and thus add complication to confusion. To satisfy the hostile critic on these and all other minor points of dispute is completely impossible, even if great erudition is enlisted in the task. The course to be taken by the legionary must be that of persistently reducing the discussion to its very simplest elements: that of insisting that God must have left to the world a message - what men call a religion: that such religion, being God's voice, absolutely must be one, clear, consistent, unerring, and must claim divine authority. These characteristics are to be found only in the Catholic Church. There is no other body or system which even claims to possess them. Outside the Church, there is only contradiction and confusion, so that, as Cardinal Newman crushingly puts it: "Either the Catholic religion is verily the coming of the unseen world into this, or that there is nothing positive, nothing dogmatic whither we are going."

There must be a true Church. There can be only one true Church. Where is it, if it is not the Catholic Church? Like blows, ever directed to one spot, this simple line of approach to the Truth has over-whelming effect. Its force is manifest to the simple. It is unanswerable in the heart of the more learned, though he may continue to talk of the sins of the Church. Remind such a one briefly but gently that he proves too much. His objections tell at least as much against any other religious system as they do against the Church. If he proves the Church to be false by proving that Churchmen did wrong, then he has only succeeded in proving that there is no true religion in the world.

The day has gone when a Protestant would claim that his own particular sect had a monopoly of the truth. Nowadays he would more modestly contend that all Churches possess a portion or facet of the truth. But a portion is not enough. That claim is equivalent to an assertion that there is no known truth and no way of finding it. For if a Church has certain doctrines that are true and therefore others that are untrue, what means are there of recognising which is which; when we pick, we may take the ones that are untrue! Therefore the church which says of its doctrines: "Some of these are true", is no help, no guide for the way. It has left you exactly where you were without it.

So, let it be repeated until the logic penetrates: There can be but one true Church; which must not contradict itself, which must possess the whole truth; and which must be able to tell the difference between what is true and what is false.

---

And if there is still doubt, let John Henry Newman speak to your heart in his essay FAITH AND PRIVATE JUDGEMENT, and learn what that saving faith consists in.

March for Life at Idaho's capital

I would say that this year's March for Life in Boise had a larger turnout than last year, in spite of weather that was cold and wet. The mass at the Cathedral before the march was standing room only; just 2-3 years ago it attracted only perhaps 200 or so. Parishes and the Knights of Columbus are to be commended for making organized efforts to bring people from out of town. Even the Franciscan Sisters of Adoration (from Pocatello) came, dressed in their lovely habits! A tremendous witness; the "ministry of presence".

When I took this picture, I was about mid-position in the march on Capital Blvd. I couldn't see either the head or the tail of the procession. Of course, I walk rather slow, so I started at the head and was about the last to arrive! I would hesitate to guess how many were present, but the turnout was good.

The presentations were given at the steps of the statehouse.

Of note was Brandi Swindell (Stanton Healthcare, Rock for Life) who reported on taking portable ultrasound equipment to Washington so children in the womb could testify to Congress!

I saw the Planned Parenthood (sic) advertisement in The Boise Weekly commemorating the day as well. It appears that the death merchants, are mathematically challenges as well as morally challenged; they got the number of years since Roe v Wade wrong!

A couple of the Dominican Lay members had a table at the Cathedral after the march to promote the "Cross of Rembrance", a memoral to children lost in the womb. More on that later!

A wonderful retreat

The Chapter retreat with Fr Brian Mullady OP was a great success!

Father gave us three presentations on the journey to union with God, based on St Theresa of Avila's Interior Castle and presented according to Garigou Lagrange's Three Ways of the Interior Life. It is clear to me that Father is a gifted teacher; the presentations were both concise and moving.

Saturday was a full day capped by dinner at the lovely home of our Subprioress Carolyn Reese. Father and a couple of intrepid members even sat outside in the 20 degree weather to enjoy cigars! Sunday we convened at the Chapter house for Mass and a potluck lunch, then sent Father to the airport to try and get him home before the snow hit Portland.

Speaking of which, snow has finally hit Boise today, with an expected snowfall of 4 to 8 inches, I've already got at least three inches outside my door. Yes, I stayed home today, beautiful and needed as it is, I don't want to travel in that stuff!

we're told to expect a good week of rain after today, for which we give thanks.

Petition

Fr John Speekman (Homilies from Australia) has set up a petition asking the Holy Father to restore communion on the tongue.

Click the picture to view and sign the petition

update: The petition has been moved to http://communiononthetongue.blogspot.com/

Retreat with Fr Brian Mullady OP

Boise, Idaho- Father Brian Mullady, O.P. will lead a daylong retreat at St Paul’s Catholic Student Center in Boise on Saturday, January 14th (1915 University Drive) hosted by the Third Order of St Dominic, Blessed Margaret of Castello Chapter.

Father Mullady is well known for preaching missions and retreats. He is the author of two books and numerous articles, writes the “Questions and Answers” column in Homiletic and Pastoral Review; is a theological consultant to the Institute on Religious Life, and an academician of the Catholic Academy of Science. In addition he is an adjunct professor at Holy Apostle Seminary in Cromwell Connecticut and has had seven series on Mother Angelica’s EWTN television network. He has a 12 CD set on Moral Theology

The day will start at 9AM with mass and morning prayer (from the Breviary) and run until 4:30. There is no charge for the retreat.

Please contact Bonnie Fitzpatrick at 208-249-2635 for more information.

For further information about Fr Mullady: http://fatherbtm.com

Boise's missing altar(s)

Recently I posted about the high altar which was built for the Cathedral in Boise but went to Utah instead (Got off the train in the wrong city). Thanks to an anonymous combox comment, I've learned that in 1917 the altar was sent from Utah to Lake Charles, LA. The mystery continues. But today I notice that the Utah State History site also has a picture of the St Joseph side altar as well:

Since the style seems to match the main altar rather well, I think it reasonable to assume that not only the main altar, but both side altars were also installed in the respective wrong cathedrals.

This copyrighted picture is from Utah State History collections, here

updated 5/16/12

Here is the St Mary side altar:

This copyrighted picture is from Utah State History collections, here

Tough Franciscans?!

This item from Fr Z's blog gave me a chuckle, so I'm reprinting it here!
Criminal Serving Time with Monks Begs to be Sent Back to Prison

Criminal serving his sentence with monks pleads to be sent back to prison… because monastery life is too hard


A convicted criminal who was serving out his sentence in a monastery has escaped for the second time and asked to be sent back to prison because life was too tough.


Thief David Catalano, 31, was sent to a Santa Maria degli Angeli community run by Capuchin monks in Sicily last November.


But he found their austere lifetstyle too tough to handle and soon escaped. After a short while on the run he was caught by police and sent back.


On Monday he fled for the second time in six weeks, only to swiftly turn himself in at a police station and beg officers to send him back to jail in the nearby town of Nicosia.


He told the stunned policemen: ‘Prison is better than being at that hostel run by monks.’


A police spokesman said: ‘Catalano arrived out of the blue and said there was no way he could stay on with the monks.


‘He said it was too tough and he wanted to go back to prison, so we happily obliged and he is now back behind bars serving the rest of his sentence.


‘Life with the monks can be pretty tough – there are no mod cons and they are up early and go to bed early. There are no luxuries at the hostel and the monks run a very austere regime.’


The Santa Maria degli Angeli community is based in a monastery near Enna on the island of Sicily.


It has been run as a halfway house by the Capuchin friars for more than 12 years with around 60 prisoners accommodated there as they near the end of their sentences.
[...]

Thank you, Fr Z!

Orestes Brownson and the twin evils of Capitalism & Socialism

The following quote is from Orestes Brownson, quoted by Michael Greaney at Just Third Way blog.

"Communion with God through Creation and Incarnation is religion, distinctively taken, which binds man to God as his first cause, and carries him onward to God as his final cause; communion through the material world is expressed by the word property; and communion with God through humanity is society. Religion, society, property, are the three terms that embrace the whole of man's life, and express the essential means and conditions of his existence, his development, and his perfection, or the fulfillment of his existence, the attainment of the end for which he is created."

Michael has a multipost series on Brownsen and the mistaken view that the only options are Capitalism or Socialism. you can start the series here.

Brownson is on my reading list but hasn't floated to the top yet.

From Steve Ray

Vietnamese Father of 50 Babies – all saved from abortion
by Steve Ray on December 13, 2011

This man is a modern day hero. Watch the video to see his incredible story. When asked why he has saved all these babies from abortion and adopted them he said, “I am a Catholic!”

With over 7,000 graves of the unborn in his backyard he and his wife hold vigil for their little souls. This is a man and women who live their faith and make huge sacrifices for the unborn. Wait until you see the beautiful living babies who who have been slaughtered. Wait until you see his yard full of gravestones.

Saints still live among us. Living martyrs. Holy men and women who love God and others more than themselves.

Click to watch the report