Is Anybody There?

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit,' says Yahweh Sabaoth" Zach 4:6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dio di Signore, nella Sua volontà è nostra pace!" . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." Ben Franklin 1759

Tuesday, July 31, 2007

YouTube Republican Debate Debate Pt 2

Here are a few more YouTube videos responding to the Republicans not wanting to participate on the YouTube/CNN sponsored debate:
Melissa Jenna Compagnucci (Some of the HotAir reader comments were a little unfair to her. She does make some valid points.)
James Kotecki is next. He makes the best arguement for the Republican involvement.
This is not good for the Republican party. It is 1 thing when people vote against you because they don't agree with your positions on issues. It is another when you turn them off because you appear too afraid to face them. We need to reach the young people where they are at. & YouTube IS where they are at.
Again, go to SavetheDebate.com & sign the petition. Please!

Fr. Pavone to Birmingham AL Pastors: 1st Amendment Trumps Your Trying to Stop Pro-Life Speech

You'd think that the Catholic News Agency would get all the facts straight. Fr. Pavone is the head of Priests for Life. But they aren't a pro-life religious order. I think that in this case they meant Missionaries of the Gospel of Life. What is even more interesting is the fact that Fr. Pavone issued the news release on 26 July 2007 & it made the Christian News Wire the same day (with an accurate description of Fr. Pavone, "National Director of Priests for Life and President of the National Pro-Life Religious Council"), while it took the CNA 2 more days to get it out. I will credit CNA with accuracy in describing the rebuke as "stinging". It was, as it should have been.
Fr. Frank Pavone rebukes other Christian pastors

Washington DC, Jul 28, 2007 / 08:13 am (CNA).- Fr. Frank Pavone, the head of the pro-life religious order, Priests for Life, has issued a stinging rebuke to some Christian pastors who have tried to silence pro-life protestors.
Fr. Pavone was particularly upset about an event that happened in Birmingham, Alabama.
"The Birmingham News carried a story on Thursday wherein some local pastors said that pro-life activists who held events on public sidewalks near their Churches 'did not have permission' to hold the events.
"Excuse me, pastors, but they don't need your permission.
"In America, the public sidewalks are a forum in which any citizen can communicate to any other citizen what is on his or her mind. The 'permission' has been granted by our Founding Fathers and it's called the First Amendment to the Constitution.
"This permission holds even when the public sidewalk happens to be in front of a Church. Every pastor in every denomination has a duty to understand this clearly and to respect the rights of every citizen to freedom of speech and freedom of assembly."
According to the Tues 24 July 2007 Birmingham News article (Churches say protesters lacked permission) there were 2 churches who objected, Briarwood Presbyterian & Lakeside Baptist. The reason they gave for being upset: "Some members of the churches have said they considered the protests inappropriate because graphic pictures of aborted fetuses were displayed where children could see them." Is it really out of concern for the children, or was it the adults who didn't want to see the truth?
I can't help but wonder 1 thing. How many of these same pastors would have not only denied Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. the right to speak on their sidewalks but also have called the police to arrest him? My bet is that most of them would deny that they would have tried to silence Dr. King or called the police. But, the history of Birmingham's churches from that era shows a different story. & given the locations of those 2 churches I am fairly sure that they were not intergrated, let alone willing to support Dr. King back then. (If they can prove me wrong on this I will gladly acknowledge I was wrong. The proof will have to be evidence that shows they actively supported Dr. King's efforts.)
I do have a question for these churches: "Are you Pro-Life & if so, what are you doing to end abortion in Birmingham, let alone the rest of the USA?"

Motu-rama

Motumouth: Elderly priest who can still do Low Mass in ten minutes flat, with a homily thrown in as a bonus.
Motucross: An obscure ritual in the Pontifical of 1596, associated with the dedication of a church in which the large X in the floor is drawn in the sand by two dirt-bike-riding prelates de fiocchetti. Medieval authors linked it back to a Carmelite ceremony associated with Elijah's fiery chariot.
Moturazzi: The sort of folks who hang out outside of Gamarelli's and surprise Cardinal Medina whenever he comes in and out in the hopes of getting photos of him buying a fiddleback.
Motucycle Gang: A roving band of hard-core, big-bearded Traditionalist Capuchins who burst into churches on their Harley Hogs and then forcibly push altars back up against the wall. They wear chains instead of cinctures and grey denim jackets with skulls embroidered on them and the inscription, "All praise be yours, my Lord, for Sister Death!" (Not to be confused with the Knights of Poverty, whose motto is, "We're going to voluntarily convert a rock star!")
Moturini: A small motucycle designed to fit into the storage space in the narthex of the miniscule FSSP church of San Gregorio dei Muratori in Rome. Comes with a crash helmet shaped like a saturno and a miniature frontal in liturgical colors for the handlebars.
Mr. Motu: Japanese restaurant in Soho, named after the lovable karate teacher-cum-rubricist who tries to teach Ralph Macchio how to do the Orate Fratres via the "Wax on, Wax Off" technique in The Karate Kid XI.
(Idea blatantly filched from a posting in the comments box of Fr. Z's blog, which I can't find now.)
Originally Posted by: Matthew @ Shrine of the Holy Whapping

More on "What Is a Hate Crime?"

First Amendment: Flushed Away by Hate Crimes?

Tony Perkins - Family Research Council

While some men were arrested for distributing religious books, another has been charged for flushing one. In a bizarre case at Pace University, former student Stanislav Shmulevich has been accused of taking two copies of the Koran from a "meditation room" and throwing them in toilets. While no one could legitimately defend his actions, it likewise seems indefensible that University officials bowed to demands by the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) and charged Shmulevich with a hate crime in addition to the initial charges of "criminal mischief." The Islamic community has every right to be express disdain for Shmulevich's actions, but not to insist on extra criminal punishment for his thoughts, which is what "hate crime" laws provide for. Supporters of the proposed federal hate crime bill defend it as targeting only acts of violence. Yet New York's law apparently targets vandalism as well. How long will it be before mere speech expressing disapproval (be it of Islam, or of homosexuality) is also criminalized, as in several other countries? This is the slippery slope of the "hate crimes" mentality, and we shouldn't take even one step down it. When Andres Serrano submerged a crucifix in urine and called it "art," Christians condemned the act--but demanded only that the taxpayers not pay for it, not that he be jailed for a "hate crime."


_______________________


Here is what Michelle Malkin had to say on Monday nite's O'Reilly Factor. In this case Michelle stops Bill O'Reilly's spin.




& here is what Bryan from HotAir had to say in the article accompanying the video:



Bill O’Reilly says yes. Michelle disagrees.
If the law were applied fairly, O’Reilly might have a leg to stand on only in the sense that you would have equal protection under the law. I personally believe that hate crimes laws are bad based on first principles of freedom of speech, expression and assembly, but you could at least argue that we would all face the same justice for doing the same or analogous offensive things. But we all know that that isn’t the way things work in the real world.
Desecrate a Bible and nothing happens to you. Put a crucifix in a jar of urine and you get rewarded with taxpayer funds. Promote US sovereignty security and someone, probably on the White House staff, will call you a racist. But at least you won’t face any charges. Desecrate a Koran, and get slapped with felonies. That’s not fair.
These photos were taken in New York City in February 2006. Not Pakistan. Not Tehran. New York City. Did anyone in any of these photos face any charges?


No. Nor should they have.

Now, I find these signs very offensive. They are in fact intended to offend. But no one took them up with the police, no one pressured any administration anywhere to take action, and no charges have been filed.

I don’t want the people holding them charged with crimes based on those offensive signs, and I’m not backed up by a credible threat of force to get them charged with anything even if I wanted to. I believe in free speech. For the record, the London protest sign cases were different, in that the protesters were inciting the overthrow of the British government and murder. They deserved charges based on that. Stanislav Shmulevich didn’t incite murder; he protested quietly and nonviolently.

The agitators at CAIR and in the MSA at Pace don’t believe in free speech as concerns Islam and the Koran. If they did, they would have treated Shmulevich as a protester with whom they disagreed, but who has his right to free speech including saying and doing things that they personally find offensive. They believe that we all should treat the Koran as they do in their strict and chosen way of belief, as governed by sharia. And they have the credible threat of violence backing them up, so they’re getting their way.

If we go down the road of letting the police charge felonies for putting a book in a toilet as a nonviolent protest, we are going down the road of ending free speech for anyone in this country who is not a Muslim. It really is that simple. That is obviously not what O’Reilly intends and he means well, but as the cliche says, the road to hell is paved with good intentions. In this case, the road to sharia is paved with PC thinking that’s based on good intentions.

Hate ought not be a crime. It’s an emotion. Hate can lead to crimes, but so can many other emotions and attitudes that we haven’t (yet) criminalized. Greed, envy, lust, jealousy — all of these can lead to crimes just as often, if not more often, than hate does. Are we going to criminalize all of them, too?

Ironically, if the sharia pushers get their way, yes, we probably will criminalize all of those things at some point. And that, like the hate crimes laws we have now, will be done with the best of someone’s intentions. And, like the hate crimes laws we have now that create felonies out of putting a book in a toilet, we’ll get the worst of consequences.

More to Ponder About NFP

More from the Catholic seminarians at the Institute for Priestly Formation in Omaha.






Stay Tuned!, I'm sure there's more to come.

You can see the 1st 1 here: Something to Ponder! - NFP Edition

PS Is it just me, or did Contraception take acting lessons from Lumbergh in Office Space? (esp in the 1st 1)

Monday, July 30, 2007

Celebration Iowa in DBQ

On Sun nite, 29 July 2007 the Celebration Iowa Singers & Jazz Band made a return appearance in DBQ. The performance was at 6:30 pm in the Packard Amphitheater at Marshall Park/DBQ Arboretum. It was co-sponsored by the DBQ Arts Council & Fuerste Eye Clinic.
They are a group of musically talented Iowa HS students who spend the Summer touring Iowa. (They must be from Iowa to be a member.) The group was founded in 1983 by 2 Luther College educators, Dennis L. Darling and Dr. Judith Bowstead Nye. (A short history can be found on their website.)
The Jazz Band has a repertoire from which they choice different pieces to perform at each show. They perform 4 sets in every show.
The Singers do 3 sets of coreographed tunes. Each set has a theme arround which the songs are selected. Their sets are the same throughout the Summer tour & do not change from show to show. The 1st set this year is entitled Tuxedo Junction: Swing Tunes From the '40s & '50s. The 3rd set is Everybody Cut Footloose! Hits of the '80s. This year the 2nd set was an original musical composed by founder Dr. Dennis Darling in honor of their 25th Anniversary. It was a retelling of Jack and the Beanstalk.
Watching the cast perform was a joy. You could tell that they enjoy what they were doing. & you could see from the quality of their performances, the hard work & hours of rehersal they put in to be able to get the dance moves down right. Watching them perform you'd never know all the hours of hard work that went into the production, from the aforementioned rehersing to the arranging of the muisc, to the coreography, etc. The performers may be HS students, but they get the experience of a professionally run show.
At the end of the show they have the hometown roll call. This is an opportunity to acknowledge what parts of Iowa they represent. To do so they combine parts of 2 songs. The 1st part is a couple of lines from the Iowa Corn Song: "We're from I-O-way, I-O-way. That's where the tall corn grows!" Then they go into the end of Iowa's own Meredith Willson's song Iowa Stubborn from Meredith Willson's The Music Man: "You ought to give Iowa, Dubuque . . . . a try. They put in their own hometowns in place of the towns mentioned in the original.
Watching their show I realize some would say this is a throwback to the '60s. I say so what. The performers are talented, the music & dancing done well. & what is wrong with celebrating the greatest state in the union by showcasing some of its young talent? Nothing!!!!!
Happy 25th Anniversary
CELEBRATION IOWA
SINGERS & DANCERS!!!!!
I am looking forward to many more years of enjoyable performances from you.
(Post 600)

Sunday, July 29, 2007

Pop Quiz - 29 July 2007

(CAUTION: Offensive pictures below!!!!!)

This is a simple 1 question quiz:



Which of these is a hate crime in America & represents a felony?

A: Submerging a crucifix in a jar of urine


B: Burning the American flag



C: Putting a Koran in a toilet



ANSWER C
For doing so, 23 yr old Stanislav Shmulevich is facing charges for doing so 2 seperate times at Pace University in New York City.

A aka Piss Christ is considered art & eligible for a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts to allow you to show it. It can also be either considered blashphemous (I do) or a statement on "what we have done to Christ" (Sr. Wendy Beckett), i.e. modern society's attitude toward Christ. (I agree here also, it is an accurate depiction of society's blashpemous attitude towards Christ & God.)

B is considered protected speech under the 1st Amendment to the US Constitution. It is considered a political statement. & much as I find it offensive, I agree that under the original intent of the 1st Amendment to protect any form of political speech this is protected.

Now why is it OK to do something to a Catholic/Christian symbol of their faith & it is considered art while to do something just as offensive to the Islamic Holy Book isn't? Good question. Either they are both artistic espression or not.

Simple answer, this is another example of the it is OK to attack Christianity & they have no right to complain but it is not PC to attack Islam & thus a hate crime. syndrome. Either they are both hate crimes or neither is. I feel it is the latter. Like flag burning they are a person expressing their opinion. Something they have the 1st amendment right to do. But, that doesn't make either action morally right, neither is & neither should have been done. To me they are equally offensive, equally wrong. Christians & Muslims should be offended & speak out to protest these offenses against their religions.

Let me also add that I have a problem with the idea of hate crimes. Not that things aren't done out of hate, they are & are very wrong. My problem is that by defining something as a hate crime we are heading to the point where we can declare anything we find offensive as such & thus begin stepping on the toes of the 1st amendment. This is happenning up in Canada & elsewhere. Catholic Bishops are being told they can't teach basic Catholic doctrine on the sinfulness of homosexual acts. To do so is considered a hate crime.

See the potential chilling effect it can have on political discussion as a result. If I say that homosexual marriage is wrong & shouldn't be allowed, instead of being protected as valid political speech under the original intent of the 1st Amendment I am considered guilty of a hate crime, even though I don't hate anyone. If I say homosexual acts are SIN it isn't out of hate, but out of love & a desire to get people to repent of their sins & turn to Christ. It is hate to not speak out. To be silent is to ensure that those involved in the sin will end up in Hell. & there is no one that I dislike enough to wish him or her eternity in Hell.



For the full story about Stanislav Shmulevich check out the post on Michelle Malkin's blog (Which of these is a crime in America?) & Student nabbed in Koran dunk (New York Daily News).

Something to Ponder! - NFP Edition



& here is the dirty little secret about the pill they don't want you to know:

For more info:

Natural Family Planning Outreach

Couple to Couple League

St. Francesco has Nothing on Papa Benedetto

Papa Benedetto blessing a puddy tat!


(HT to Gerald Augustinus of The Cafeteria is Closed)

Saturday, July 28, 2007

Everything You Need to Know About ITALIA!

But Were Afraid to Ask!

As explained by Bruno Bozzetto



Delle Domande?

Non ho pensato così!

YouTube Republican Debate Debate

The other day CNN & YouTube cosponsored what was the 1st internet Presidential debate. Plans for a Republican debate on 17 Sept at St. Petersburg, FL is running into some snags. So far only 2 candidates, Sen. John McCain and Rep. Ron Paul, have signed on to participate in the debate co-hosted by the Florida Republican Party. Mayor Rudy Giuliani says he has a scheduling conflict on the date. Gov. Mitt Romney says he has invitations for 7 debates during that time period & has not yet made up his mind. The Washington Post reports that in an interview with the New Hampshire Union Leader, "Romney said he's not a fan of the CNN/YouTube format. Referring to the video of a snowman asking the Democratic candidates about global warming, Romney quipped, "I think the presidency ought to be held at a higher level than having to answer questions from a snowman."" Nothing has been heard from any other the other candidates.
CNN & YouTube are working to find a date that is acceptable for all the candidates. (Date Change Could Salvage CNN/YouTube Debate) I hope it works. Skipping this would be a big mistake.
I agree with Patrick Ruffini, former eCampaign director at the Republican National Committee who served as online adviser to Giuliani for a few months earlier this year. According to the article he "said it would "very problematic" if the Republican candidates declined. "What's worse -- questions from the public, many of whom are supporters, or questions from the media, who many Republicans believe are biased? This is YouTube. That's not something they'd want to snub," Ruffini said. " OK, some of the stuff done in the Dems debate, like the snowman, was hokey & cheesey. But, the reality is, this will hurt those who don't participate & hurt the party as well.
As HotAir's Allahpundit said: "I don’t think the questions will be nearly as absurd as people like Hugh Hewitt do but neither do I think they’ll be of any grand substance. The reason to attend is purely and simply to evaporate the advantage the Democrats would accrue if the GOP ducked it. Stand in the batter’s box, take a pitch to the head, and then take your base."
A campaign has sprung up, SaveTheDebate.com, to contact those candidates who have yet to sign on for the debate. People can sign on a petition that will be forwarded to the campaigns. I urge everyone to go to it & sign the petition.
Also, no surprize, a couple of YouTube videos directed to the candidates have sprung up. They have been made by people or groups involved in the Save the Debate campaign.
The 1st is by David All of techrepublican.com:
The 2nd was put out by HotAir:
This debate IS important. It is important because the internet is a major part of campaigning & cannot, nor should not, be ignored. It is important because to not participate will hurt the party. No, there probably won't be any questions of "grand substance". But, these are potential supporters who cannot be ignored.
Again, please sign the petition. Let the candidates know they need to do the right thing.

What if Michael Moore Had Made Lord of the Rings

Or as he might title it:

FELLOWSHIP 9/11



From the director who brought you Darth & Me & Bowling for TeenAge Ninja Turtles.
A Liars Gate Film

(Thanks to The Roman Sacristan)

Papa Benedetto on His Hopes for Vatican II

On 24 July 2007 Papa Benedetto met with some of the priests of the diocese of Belluno, Feltre, and Treviso. The format was a Q & A seesion in which the Pope spontaneously answered 10 questions. The final question came from a priest who shared his disappointment that the dreams raised in him by Vatican II weren't realized.
Papa Benedetto's answer puts Vatican II into historical context, both Church & secular. He points out the chaos & difficulties that usually follow a council. (Something I have pointed out myself.) He points out the positive fruit of Vatican II. He also states that the true "Spirit of Vatican II" can be found by rereading the texts. Sounds a lot like what Fr. Trigillio has said. For those looking for a guide as to the proper implimentation of Vatican II this reply is an excellent "road marker".
Here is the Holy Father's full answer:
I, too, lived through Vatican Council II, coming to Saint Peter’s Basilica with great enthusiasm and seeing how new doors were opening. It really seemed to be the new Pentecost, in which the Church would once again be able to convince humanity. After the Church’s withdrawal from the world in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, it seemed that the Church and the world were coming together again, and that there was a rebirth of a Christian world and of a Church of the world and truly open to the world.
We had such great hopes, but in reality things proved to be more difficult. Nonetheless, it is still true that the great legacy of the Council, which opened a new road, is a “magna carta” of the Church’s path, very essential and fundamental.
But why did this happen? I would like to begin with an historical observation. The periods following a council are almost always very difficult. After the great Council of Nicaea – which is, for us, truly the foundation of our faith, in fact we confess the faith as formulated at Nicaea – there was not the birth of a situation of reconciliation and unity, as hoped by Constantine, the promoter of the great Council, but a genuinely chaotic situation of a battle of all against all.
In his book on the Holy Spirit, saint Basil compares the Church’s situation after the Council of Nicaea to a nighttime naval battle, in which no one recognizes another, but everyone is pitted against everyone else. It really was a situation of total chaos: this is how saint Basil paints in vivid colors the drama of the period following the Council of Nicaea.
50 years later, for the first Council of Constantinople, the emperor invited saint Gregory Nazianzen to participate in the council, and saint Gregory responded: No, I will not come, because I understand these things, I know that all of the Councils give rise to nothing but confusion and fighting, so I will not come. And he didn’t go.
So it is not now, in retrospect, such a great surprise how difficult it was at first for all of us to digest the Council, this great message. To imbue this into the life of the Church, to receive it, such that it becomes the Church’s life, to assimilate it into the various realities of the Church is a form of suffering, and it is only in suffering that growth is realized. To grow is always to suffer as well, because it means leaving one condition and passing to another.
And we must note that there were two great historic upheavals in the concrete context of the postconciliar period.
The first is the convulsion of 1968, the beginning – or explosion, I dare say – of the great cultural crisis of the West. The postwar generation had ended, a generation that, after seeing all the destruction and horror of war, of combat, and witnessing the drama of the great ideologies that had actually led people toward the precipice of war, had discovered the Christian roots of Europe and had begun to rebuild Europe with these great inspirations. But with the end of this generation there were also seen all of the failures, the gaps in this reconstruction, the great misery in the world, and so began the explosion of the crisis of Western culture, what I would call a cultural revolution that wants to change everything radically. It says: In two thousand years of Christianity, we have not created a better world; we must begin again from nothing, in an absolutely new way. Marxism seems to be the scientific formula for creating, at last, the new world.
In this – let us say – serious, great clash between the new, healthy modernity desired by the Council and the crisis of modernity, everything becomes difficult, like after the first Council of Nicaea.
One side was of the opinion that this cultural revolution was what the Council had wanted. It identified this new Marxist cultural revolution with the will of the Council. It said: This is the Council; in the letter the texts are still a bit antiquated, but behind the written words is this “spirit,” this is the will of the Council, this is what we must do. And on the other side, naturally, was the reaction: you are destroying the Church. The – let us say – absolute reaction against the Council, anticonciliarity, and – let us say – the timid, humble search to realize the true spirit of the Council. And as a proverb says: “If a tree falls it makes a lot of noise, but if a forest grows no one hears a thing,” during these great noises of mistaken progressivism and absolute anticonciliarism, there grew very quietly, with much suffering and with many losses in its construction, a new cultural passageway, the way of the Church.
And then came the second upheaval in 1989, the fall of the communist regimes. But the response was not a return to the faith, as one perhaps might have expected; it was not the rediscovery that the Church, with the authentic Council, had provided the response. The response was, instead, total skepticism, so-called post-modernity. Nothing is true; everyone must decide on his own how to live. There was the affirmation of materialism, of a blind pseudo-rationalistic skepticism that ends in drugs, that ends in all these problems that we know, and the pathways to faith are again closed, because the faith is so simple, so evident: no, nothing is true; truth is intolerant, we cannot take that road.
So: in these contexts of two cultural ruptures, the first being the cultural revolution of 1968 and the second the fall into nihilism after 1989, the Church sets out with humility upon its path, between the passions of the world and the glory of the Lord.
Along this road, we must grow with patience and we must now, in a new way, learn what it means to renounce triumphalism.
The Council had said that triumphalism must be renounced – thinking of the Baroque, of all these great cultures of the Church. It was said: Let’s begin in a new, modern way. But another triumphalism had grown, that of thinking: We will do things now, we have found the way, and on it we find the new world.
But the humility of the Cross, of the Crucified One, excludes precisely this triumphalism as well. We must renounce the triumphalism according to which the great Church of the future is truly being born now. The Church of Christ is always humble, and for this very reason it is great and joyful.
It seems very important to me that we can now see with open eyes how much that was positive also grew following the Council: in the renewal of the liturgy, in the synods – Roman synods, universal synods, diocesan synods – in the parish structures, in collaboration, in the new responsibility of laypeople, in intercultural and intercontinental shared responsibility, in a new experience of the Church’s catholicity, of the unanimity that grows in humility, and nonetheless is the true hope of the world.
And thus it seems to me that we must rediscover the great heritage of the Council, which is not a “spirit” reconstructed behind the texts, but the great conciliar texts themselves, reread today with the experiences that we have had and that have born fruit in so many movements, in so many new religious communities. I arrived in Brazil knowing how the sects are expanding, and how the Catholic Church seems a bit sclerotic; but once I arrived, I saw that almost every day in Brazil a new religious community is born, a new movement is born, and it is not only the sects that are growing. The Church is growing with new realities full of vitality, which do not show up in the statistics – this is a false hope; statistics are not our divinity – but they grow within souls and create the joy of faith, they create the presence of the Gospel, and thus also create true development in the world and society.
Thus it seems to me that we must learn the great humility of the Crucified One, of a Church that is always humble and always opposed by the great economic powers, military powers, etc. But we must also learn, together with this humility, the true triumphalism of the Catholicism that grows in all ages. There also grows today the presence of the Crucified One raised from the dead, who has and preserves his wounds. He is wounded, but it is in just in this way that he renews the world, giving his breath which also renews the Church in spite of all of our poverty. In this combination of the humility of the Cross and the joy of the risen Lord, who in the Council has given us a great road marker, we can go forward joyously and full of hope.

Friday, July 27, 2007

Logical? Spock Thinks So!

Or should I say Leonard Nimoy does. At least in so far as to who is to play the Young Spock in Star Trek XI. An announcement about the upcoming Star Trek XI was made Thursday afternoon at Comic Con in San Diego. The news, that Zachary Quinto will play a young Spock & that Leonard Nimoy will have a cameo as an older Spock. Not much is yet known about the plot. All that is certain is that it will take place during the time when Spock & Kirk were at Star Fleet Academy. No announcement has been made about who will play a young Kirk or whether William Shatner will also have a cameo. Nor have there been any announcements about who will play McCoy, Scotty or any of the other main characters from the original series.
It is fairly certain that neither Chekov or Sulu will be in the movie given their ages in relation to the others.
This movie has some great potential, if it has a good script & is faithful to the original vision of Gene Roddenberry. Part of this faithfulness will have to include the younger version of Gary Mitchell (Where No Man Has Gone Before).

Another certainty, if history is any guide, there will be a lot of controversy. Each series, from the original series on has had some form of controversy. & this has applied to the movies as well. Some complaints have already begun.
As a fan from day 1, I have to admit I have mixed feelings. I have enjoyed every series. & this is also true of the movies. Some were better than others, but they all had something positive in them. Don't get me wrong, some of the movies could have been better executed. & continuity hasn't always been perfect for a variety of reasons. Still, I am willing to adopt a wait & see attitude. In part, because I have never seen Quinto in Heroes & in part because I have not seen the story line. But for all of those who grumble about this going back to Academy days will be another disaster like you feel Enterprise was, remember this idea was arround during Rodenberry's time.
(Photos: L Quinto & Nimoy R top Nimoy, bottom Quinto at Comic Con)

Here Kitty, Kitty!

As an unabashed cat lover, a story like this was bound to catch my attention. For those few of you who have no idea what I am talking about, I am refering to Oscar the Cat (picture at left). Oscar is the pet at Steere House Nursing and Rehabilitation Center's 3rd floor dementia unit. The unit cares for those suffering from Alzheimer's, Parkinson's disease and other illnesses. Adopted as a kitten, the 2 year cat has come to serve the floor as an uncannily accurate predictor of when a patient is about to die. His talent has resulted in a write-up in the New England Journal of Medicine.
OK, I'll admit that this sounds a little macabre, but it isn't. It is actually an unique talent the cat seems to have that enables the staff to better know when a patient is dying so they can notify the family & allow them a chance to say their final farewells.
About 6 months after his arrival, the staff began to notice his talent. They saw that he was making his own version of rounds & staying by people who would die within a few hours. "He doesn't make too many mistakes. He seems to understand when patients are about to die," said Dr. David Dosa in an interview. In fact, he has accurately predicted 25 deaths so far.
Dosa said Oscar seems to take his work seriously and is generally aloof. "This is not a cat that's friendly to people," he said.
Oscar is better at predicting death than the people who work there, said Dr. Joan Teno of Brown University, who treats patients at the nursing home and is an expert on care for the terminally ill.
She was convinced of Oscar's talent when he made his 13th correct call. While observing one patient, Teno said she noticed the woman wasn't eating, was breathing with difficulty and that her legs had a bluish tinge, signs that often mean death is near.
Oscar wouldn't stay inside the room though, so Teno thought his streak was broken. Instead, it turned out the doctor's prediction was roughly 10 hours too early. Sure enough, during the patient's final two hours, nurses told Teno that Oscar joined the woman at her bedside.
Doctors say most of the people who get a visit from the sweet-faced, gray-and-white cat are so ill they probably don't know he's there, so patients aren't aware he's a harbinger of death. Most families are grateful for the advanced warning, although one wanted Oscar out of the room while a family member died. When Oscar is put outside, he paces and meows his displeasure.
No one's certain if Oscar's behavior is scientifically significant or points to a cause. Teno wonders if the cat notices telltale scents or reads something into the behavior of the nurses who raised him.
The staff doesn't really care what the reason is. Instead they are appreciative of Oscar's talent that enables them to call the families. & to show their gratitude he was recently honored by a wall plaque publicly commending his "compassionate hospice care."

Tuesday, July 24, 2007

The REAL GODFather!

[photo: AP Photo/Alessia Giuliani/Pool]

Papa Benedetto: Fr. Bonasera... Fr. Bonasera! Why, why didn't you come to me before this? If you had come to me before this, even now, the scum who did this to your liturgy would be suffering even as your parishioners are suffering.
HMMMMMMMMM, I wonder if Papa B will call on "The Bishop" to handle it?

Monday, July 23, 2007

President Bush: Fair and Balanced

My paisan, Neil Cavuto, does it again. This time he nails down the arrogance of the MSM vis-a-vis (in this case literally) their attitude towards President Bush. Here is his Common Sense for the Mon 23 July 2007 Your World w/ Neil Cavuto:

There's nothing as refreshing as being with fellow journalists to know just how awful things are in the world — especially when the topic of conversation turns to President Bush.
One after another blasted him:
For the war: a disaster.
For the economy: uneven.
Even for the markets: undeserving.
One reporter even said — and I quote — "the guy's just stupid."
When it was my turn to speak, I said, "Well, he's president of the United States and you're not, so end of story."
But that was not the end of the story, because they turned their criticism to me.
How could I be dumb enough to see any virtue in this guy?
Because I'm dumb enough, I said, to realize we haven't been attacked since 9/11.
I'm dumb enough to see more people liberated under this president than any president.
And I'm dumb enough to see an economy apparently the envy of the world, attracting a lot of money pretty much from all over the world.
It is ironic that journalists who pride themselves on their impartiality can be so partial in their hatred — forgetting that polls are fleeting, taking lasting stands are not.
For good or ill, it took guts for this president to say Social Security was broken and needed fixing. It took zero guts to refuse to admit he was right.
History will prove that when this country's chips were down, this president gathered our courage up.
I suspect history will honor that courage, even if a bunch of condescending, second-guessing, weasels-of-the-moment reporters do not.
They won't give you that side of the story. I only thought it fair and balanced that I do.
Keep up the good work paisan. Someone has to say it & I'm glad to see you are.

Sunday, July 22, 2007

Innacuracy In Media Award - 22 July 2007

Reuters had the following headline for an article on what Papa Benedetto said at his Sunday Angelus address this week:

OK, are you ready for the real quote:

"If men lived in peace with God and with each other, the earth would truly resemble a 'paradise.'"

Wait a minute, that doesn't sound like the same thing to me, does it to you?

But, it gets better, in the selective quotes in the article you would get the impression that the Pope was calling on mankind to build a "New Age" paradise on Earth out of the goodness found in all & to do it only by man (& woman)'s own power & strength.

Yes the Pope did criticize war, just like his predecessors did, just like I do, as something to be avoided if possible. But he said so much more that the media intentionally left out. Why? Good question! I'll share some of the omitted quotes & let you decide for yourself.

1st the line right before the above quote (which, amazingly, Reuters did actually have in the article as well as this next quote, without the Scripture reference):

"The beauty of nature reminds us that we have been placed here by God to "cultivate and keep" this "garden" that is the earth (cf. Genesis 2:8-17)."

Ok they actually allowed a mention of God, but go on to ignore what Papa Benedetto had to say about what our relationship to God is v what it should be. Here is what follows the 1st quote I shared:

"Unfortunately, sin ruined this divine project, generating divisions and bringing death into the world. This is why men cede to the temptations of the evil one and make war against each other. The result is that in this stupendous "garden" that is the world, there open up circles of hell.

War, with the mourning and destruction it brings, has always been rightly considered a calamity that contrasts with God's plan. He created everything for existence and, in particular, wants to make a family of the human race."

In these few sentences the Pope clearly explains the real cause for war & its solution. War is a result of mankind's sin, mankind's willful rebellion against the plan of God, substituting man's plans & desires for God's.

The solution, living at peace with God & each other. How do we do that. The Pope asks us "to reject in general the temptation to face new situations with old systems." In traditional Catholic teaching we do by repenting of our sins & seeking God's grace to empower us to avoid temptation. It means dying to self. Papa Benedetto doesn't go into detail because his basic assumption of what the Church teaches is what underlies what he says. That without Jesus as King & Lord it is impossible to have real peace.

In the talk the Pope makes reference to a letter written by his predecessor Benedict XV, Nota Alle Potenze Belligeranti (Note to the Warring Powers). In part the letter "indicated, at a juridical level, the ways to construct an equitable and durable peace." In other words, it was a teaching on how to build peace with Jesus Christ as the foundation. (I wish I could find the entire letter, but it is currently not available anywhere on the internet.) What I find interesting in the Pope's description of the letter's contents is that if it had been followed WW II might of been avoided. The peace conference did the exact opposite as what Pope Benedict XV called for in it & other letters. (see Quod Iam Diu & Pacem, Dei Munus Pulcherrimum for example)

& even when it talked about the Pope's prayer for peace it left out 1 very important fact, how the Pope started the prayer: "With these thoughts and wishes in our heart we now offer up a special prayer for peace in the world, entrusting it to Mary Most Holy, Queen of Peace."

Does it surprize me that the heart of the message, turning away from sin & following Jesus, was left out? No! not really. After all, the media is part of the world system & it rejects the Gospel message. It won't acknowledge its sin & need for a Savior. But, is this news? No!
The Church has taught for 2000 yrs what Jesus taught, that there will be wars. It also taught that we are to proclaim that there was a way to peace, not as the world wants to give, & it is found exclusively in Jesus. We help proclaim this peace by living out the Christian message to act rightly & justly. But we also call people to a radical change of repentance from sin & following Jesus as Lord. & without this radical change from the kingdom of Satan, of the world, the flesh & the devil to the Kingdom of God, there will never be true peace.
(Added: 23 July 2007, 11:35 pm) The difference between the MSM & the true Catholic media that is seeing to accurately report this is amazing. The report on Catholic.net as well as Zenit's article mention the section on sin being the cause. I'll bet the liberal Catholic (as it sees itself but isn't really Catholic) media like the NCReporter follows the MSM's lead. After all, talking about sin is so old fashioned & a part of the pre-Vatican II Church that their (so-called but really false) spirit of Vatican II did away with.

An Interesting Question for Tom Tancredo

I hear the same thing from other Democrats as what she said to Tom Tancredo a few days ago in Waterloo. When are they going to realize how much Democratic policies over the years are responsible for the situation we are in. (Not that a lot of Republicans have clean hands in this matter either.)
I fully support LEGAL immigration. & I fully support every human being being treated with the God given dignity he or she deserves. But I also fully support what the Church has to say on this, IN ITS ENTIRETY!
look at this passage from the Catechism of the Catholic Church to see what the Church has to say on the subject:
2241 The more prosperous nations are obliged, to the extent they are able, to welcome the foreigner in search of the security and the means of livelihood which he cannot find in his country of origin. Public authorities should see to it that the natural right is respected that places a guest under the protection of those who receive him.
Political authorities, for the sake of the common good for which they are responsible, may make the exercise of the right to immigrate subject to various juridical conditions, especially with regard to the immigrants' duties toward their country of adoption. Immigrants are obliged to respect with gratitude the material and spiritual heritage of the country that receives them, to obey its laws and to assist in carrying civic burdens.
Not the parts I emphasized. The Catholic teaching does not require that there be unlimited immigration. Just the opposite. It allows the country to impose limits & conditions. & look at what obligations Catholic teaching puts on the immigrant. In particular it requires them to obey the laws of the country. That includes the immigration laws. The implication is that the country has the right to enforce those laws, arrest those who break them & deport them. (See Jimmy Akin's post Immigration & Catholic Teaching & The Roman Sacristan's The other part of the Church's teaching on immigration & Fr. Stephanos's What does the Church teach about immigrants? for more on this.)
So, they next time someone tries to say that you shouldn't call them "illegal" immigrants, that they are undocumented, you can tell them that that isn't how Catholic Social Teaching sees it. According to Church teaching they are illegal.

Italy Arrests Three Moroccans for Running 'Terror School' in Mosque

The home of my ancestors has put the USA to shame in their unabashed willingness to fight terror. This comes from many years of dealing with various forms of terrorism including the mafia & camorra. So it comes as no surprize for me to read the news of the Italiano anti-terrorism Polizia to be willing to even raid a mosque in the battle against terrorism. In this case 1 in Perugia, the capital of Umbria.
According to a report on FoxNews' website: "Operating in a nondescript mosque in Perugia, the central hill town known for its Renaissance architecture and idyllic countryside, a small extremist cell allegedly ran what Italian police say was a "terror school" that trained in hand-to-hand combat, bomb making and airplane piloting.
Anti-terrorism police said they arrested three Moroccans — an imam and two of his aides — on Saturday and raided the Ponte Felcino mosque on the outskirts of the Umbrian capital, finding barrels of chemicals hidden in the cellar, and documents including instructions on how to pilot a Boeing 747.
"The investigation has shown that, in the Ponte Felcino mosque, there was a continued training for terrorist activity," anti-terror police head Carlo De Stefano said. "We have discovered and neutralized a real 'terror school,' which was part of a widespread terrorism system made up of small cells that act on their own."
The modest mosque, on the ground floor of a red-painted residential building, hid chemical substances, including acids, nitrates and ferrocyanide, which may have been used to experiment during the courses, said Claudio Galzerano, head of the international terrorism division with the anti-terror police.
Activities at the mosque used films and documents downloaded from the Internet, and included weapons training, instructions on how to prepare poisons and explosives, as well as how to lay an ambush, reach combat zones safely and send encrypted messages, police said in a statement.
Police identified the imam as 41-year-old Korchi El Mostapha and his two aides as Mohamed El Jari, 47, and Driss Safika, 46, while a fourth Moroccan suspect was still being sought and was believed to be abroad. All four are suspected of conducting training with the aim of international terrorism.
Another 20 people who frequented the mosque were placed under investigation for various charges, including violating Italy's immigration laws, Galzerano said.
The arrests followed a two-year investigation in the small city, which has a large non-Italian population, including tourists roaming Medieval and Renaissance palaces, students at the local foreigners' university and immigrants working in local industry."
Can you imagine the outrage you would hear on the cable news talk show circuit here in the USA if this happenned here? People scream profiling & all the rest if we even dare question anyone despite a plethora of evidence. But the Italiano Parliament doesn't have the qualms we do. Instead they pass laws that allow the Italiano Polizia to have the tools they need to investigate, all the while protecting the rights of the accused. "In recent years Italy has tightened its anti-terrorism laws and stepped up surveillance at mosques and Islamic centers.
Authorities have kept a close eye on what they say are extremist clerics, having some expelled or arrested and put on trial."
The report has this to say about the events at the mosque: " Galzerano, the top anti-terror official, told The Associated Press that the cell was involved only in training activities, and that no one was accused of preparing or carrying out attacks.
The police statement said the cell had contacts with two members of the Moroccan Islamic Combat group arrested around two years ago in Belgium.
The Islamic group — known by its French acronym, GICM — is believed to have ties to Al Qaeda and has been linked to the 2004 Madrid bombings and 2003 attacks in Casablanca."
Who knows, my paisans may have put a stop to a future attack against the USA while it was still in its early stages, or at the least put a huge roadblock in the plans. Either way, we are definitely a tiny bit safer because of what they have done. Congress & US Law Enforcement, are you paying attention? Are you willing to follow their lead?
BRAVO ITALIA!!!!!

Tammy Faye Baker

It was announced Sat that Tammy Faye Bakker Messner passed away Friday from lung cancer. She will always be remembered for her thick applications of make-up, her readily flowing tears & the entire PTL scandal. I will admit that I did watch the PTL show. I didn't always like how they handled things. But, I also knew that a lot of that was a result of their penticostal/charismatic background. & unlike a lot of others evangelicals, they were open & welcoming to Catholics without treating us like were were going to hell. Mother Angelica & Maria von Trapp were among the Catholics they openly welcomed. I was greatly disappointed when all the scandals broke.
What was shocking was to see the video of her last appearance on Larry King Live on 19 July 2007. She was still her joyful, upbeat self despite the ravages of cancer.
While not surprizing, what has amazed me is the vitriol that some people who claim to be Christian have spewed out at her after her death. Yes, her & her husband did much that was wrong & hurt a lot of people. Yes, they did a lot of spiritual damage to many of those who watched & supported their show. She has claimed to have made her peace with God for all the wrongs she was a part of. I cannot judge her. I prefer to leave her fate in God's hands & follow the Catholic tradition of not condemning her to Hell like so many others have. I leave her to God's mercy.
Here is a part of that final interview. I am posting it to let you make up your own mind. HOWEVER, I wish to make it clear that I WILL NOT post any comments that are hateful. As I already said, I leave her judgement where it belongs, in God's hands.
Someone did a short video entitled Cancer Sucks that captures the damage the cancer did to her. Like her or not, it captures the horror that cancer is by a simple comparison of her before & at the end.

Friday, July 20, 2007

Happy Birthday Mrs. Peel, You're Still Needed!

Today is Diana Rigg's 69th birthday (hard to believe). She is probably most famous for playing Mrs. Peel in The Avengers (1965-1968), replacing Honor Blackman who left to play Pussy Galore in Goldfinger. Diana Rigg DBE later left the show & like her predecessor starred in a Bond movie. In this case she played Comtessa Teresa "Tracy" Draco Di Vicenzo, the only women to marry James Bond, in On Her Majesty's Secret Service. (As an aside, 1 of her co-stars in OHMSS, Joanna Lumley, later went on to star in The New Avengers. Their Avengers co-star Patrick McNee also went on to be in a Bond movie, A View to A Kill.)
But, to limit her to those 2 roles is to greatly ignore her wider body of work. So here is a fan video showing the wide range of roles she has played. It also showcases her vocal talent as she is singing the song used in the video, Ah, but Underneath from Stephen Sondheim's Follies. (She has appeared in several Sondheim shows.)
Here are the B&W & Color openning credits to The Avengers:

& of course we can't forget On Her Majesty's Secret Service:
Mrs. Peel, You're Needed!
DBE = Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (Added 21 July 2007 12:43 AM)

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Città del Vaticano New Website

Vatican City is the smallest country covering only 44 hectares (0.44 km² 0.17 sq mi) with a permanant population of approx. 783 (approx 450 are citizens). Up to recently the only info you could find about it was on the Vatican website. But no more. It has launched a website for anyone who might want to learn more about how the country functions. The info available includes the country's history, the political structure (yes, it does have 1), plenty of pictures & much more.
Most people forget that Vatican City is a fully operational country. They assunme that the Vatican & Vatican City are 1 & the same. They aren't. The Vatican is the central HQ of the Church. Vatican City is the country in which it is located. Vatican City functions seperately from the day to day running of the Catholic Church. It exists to ensure the political independence of the Church.
Let's go back to the political structure for a moment. While everyone knows that the Pope is the supreme sovereign, most people don't realize that Vatican City has a president, a legislature & an judiciary. The legislature is a commission appointed by the Pope (Pontifical Commission for the Vatican City State). The president of that commission is the chief executive of Vatican City. In his case he functions more as a mayor than as a president or prime minister would in another country. There is also a secretary of state & other goevernment departments like any other country. But there are a few departments that are somewhat unique. 1 example is the Department of Pontifical Villas. This department is responsible for the maintainance & running of Castel Gandolfo & environs.
Besides the flag, Vatican City does have its own national anthem, Gounod's Pontifical March. It issues its own coinage & stamps & & has its own license plates. The country also has its own phone company & television service. It even has its own railroad. Policing is handled by the Gendarme Corps. The Swiss Guard is the army. (They can have, but do not currently operate a navy.)
The website is a fun, informative tool for those interested in finding out more about Vatican City & how it functions. (It even has several webcams.) It isn't perfect, for example, there is nothing about the Vatican Railroad. But, hopefully they will be expanding & adding mmore info as time goes on. Even so, it is still well worth checking out.

Papa B's Vacation Home Movies

Della vacanza di Benedetto XVI a Lorenzago

(If the above work try here.)

Here are some undedited pictures of the Pope on his vacation from SKY LIFE. I esp like the end where the little child is facinated with Papa Benedetto's Pectoral Cross. (It also looks like the child was into a chocolate bar. I wonder if he got any on the Pope's cassock. White clothes & chocolate don't mix, even if you are the Pope.)

It also is nice to see that I have some things in common with the Holy Father, like praying the Rosary during my walks. Part of the video also catch the beauty of the area. Italia Bella!

Tuesday, July 17, 2007

What Is Truth?

Stephen Colbert puts relativism in its place. (Thus proving once more the best comedy IS based on TRUTH!)






TAKE THAT ALGORE!!!!!!!!!!!!

I also think he gets a good slam in at the Main Stream Media & how (un)truthful they really are.

Questions for ALL Those Opposed to Papa B's Issuing of Sacrosanctum Concilium

Do you really mean what you say when you proclaim opposition to it because having 2 different forms of the liturgy will cause division in the Catholic Church?
If so, does that mean that you believe that the Novus Ordo is the only liturgy the entire Catholic Church should use?
If so then apparently you think that the Church should eliminate all the other Liturgical Rites that currently exist in the Catholic Church because that is the logical conclusion of your arguement.
So, I guess we can say goodbye to the other Western [Mozarabic (Toledo), Ambrosian (Milan), & Anglican use*] & Eastern [Byzantine, Maronite, Coptic, Syrian, Antiochene, Armenian & Chaldean] rites used in the approximately 22 sui iuris Churches that make up the Catholic Church. After all, following your logic, using more than 1 rite is harmful to the unity of the Church.
I hate to break it to you (No I don't!) but the history of the Church has proven you wrong. It seems like almost 2000 yrs of having a variety of liturgies has shown the unity of the Catholic Church, not caused disunity. (Granted, some splits have been along liturgical use lines. But it was the liturgies per se that caused the split.)
I can only conclude that your opposition is for other reasons than unity & unity is a smokescreen for your agenda that is ment to do harm to the orthodox truths proclaimed by the Church. Not that the smokescreen is working as the Vatican as well as many bishops, priests, deacons, religious, as well as laity see through it & want the truths the Church has continually proclaimed for nearly 2000 yrs.
Nor do I see the Tridentine use being allowed as any more of a threat than these other liturgical rites to the unity of the Church.
____________________________
* I am not sure if they are still in use but this includes Dominican use, Carthusian use, Carmelite use, Cistercian, Carmelite, Franciscan, Capuchin, Sarum & Gallican also.
PS: Here are a couple of quotes from the Catholic Encyclopedia article (1913 edition) on Rites:
"The Catholic Church has never maintained a principle of uniformity in rite." (Uniformity in the sense of only 1 form.)
"The essential elements of the functions are obviously the same everywhere, and are observed by all Catholic rites in obedience to the command of Christ and the Apostles."
"If any rite did not contain one of the essential notes of the service it would be invalid in that point, if its prayers or ceremonies expressed false doctrine it would he heretical. Such rites would not be tolerated in the Catholic Church.* (Emphasis mine) But, supposing uniformity in essentials and in faith, the authority of the Church has never insisted on uniformity of rite." (*Maybe this is the real reason for the screaming?)

Monday, July 16, 2007

Why I am Looking Forward to the New Translation of the Novus Ordo

There have been a few times when I've thought the Collects (aka Opening Prayers) for Sunday Mass have been OK. But a lot of the time I have thought there was something missing (esp when I've been praying the Liturgy of the Hours which uses them for the Sunday Offices & daily Office of Readings.). Lately, I've been checking out The Roman Sacristan's blog & getting evidence that if the new translation is anywhere near his unofficial translations, it will be much better than the current version. (Despite claims by Bishop Trautman to the contrary, which again raises questions in my mind about the Bishop's real motives. See also Fr. Z's comments on the Statement of Bishop Trautman on Summorum Pontificum for more on where Trautman is coming from.)
Anyhow here is what was posted this week by him for his Comparison of Prayers - 15th Sunday Per Annum:
Collect (Opening Prayer)
Official Latin from the 1969 & 2002 Roman Missals
Orémus. Deus, qui errántibus, ut in viam possint redíre, veritátis tuæ lumen osténdis, da cunctis qui christiána professióne censéntur, et illa respúere, quæ huic inimíca sunt nómini, et ea quæ sunt apta sectári.Per Dóminum nostrum Iesum Christum, Fílium tuum, qui tecum vivit et regnat in unitáte Spíritus Sancti, Deus, per ómnia saécula sæculórum.
Official 1973 I.C.E.L. Translation (Used at Mass in English)
Let us pray. God our Father, your light of truth guides us to the way of Christ. May all who follow him reject what is contrary to the gospel.We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
My Own Literal Translation
Let us pray. O God, You Who have shown forth the light of Your Truth to the straying, that they may be able to return to Your way, grant to all who are distinguished by the Christian profession, to cast away those things, which are contrary to the Christian name, and to follow those things which are appropriate to it.Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, Who lives and reigns with You, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.
Prayer Over the Gifts
Official Latin from the 1969 & 2002 Roman Missals
Réspice, Dómine, múnera supplicántis Ecclésiæ, et pro credéntium sanctificatiónis increménto suménda concéde.Per Christum Dóminum nostrum.
Official 1973 I.C.E.L. Translation (Used at Mass in English)
Lord, accept the gifts of your Church. May this eucharist help us grow in holiness and faith.We ask this in the name of Jesus the Lord.
My Own Literal Translation
O Lord, look upon these gifts of Your humbly supplicating Church, and grant that this Sacrifice Which is about to be undertaken should be for the increasing of the sanctification of believers.Through Christ our Lord.
Post-Communion Prayer
Official Latin from the 1969 & 2002 Roman Missals
Orémus. Sumptis munéribus, quaésumus, Dómine, ut, cum frequentatióne mystérii, crescat nostræ salútis efféctus.Per Christum Dóminum nostrum.
Official 1973 I.C.E.L. Translation (Used at Mass in English)
Let us pray. Lord, by our sharing in the mystery of this eucharist, let your saving love grow within us.Grant this through Christ our Lord.
My Own Literal Translation
Let us pray. By these gracious Gifts, we beseech You, O Lord, that, with the frequenting of this Mystery, the accomplishment of our salvation may come forth.Through Christ our Lord.
Sorry Bishop Trautman, but despite your many claims to the contrary the more accurate English translations aren't difficult to understand. Unless the person in the pew hasn't had any catechetical education from the pulpit. & given what it is like in a lot of areas not all that unimaginable. If so, then the fault lies on the part of the deacons, priests & bishops who have failed to preach & teach the Authentic Teaching of the Church. But, the answer isn't to continue with a faulty translation. The solution, give the people in the pew the authentic, orthodox, Catholic catechisis they should have. Not the feel good drivel, heterodox or heretical proclamations that come from too many Latin Catholic pulpits. (Or from in front of the altar in many cases where the priest or deacon often speaks intead.)

I Don't Ever Remember Particle Physics Being This Interestingly Varied!

Sunday, July 15, 2007

Doug Marlette 1949 - 2007

Saturday, July 14, 2007

A Light Goes On

As I was rereading Sr. (alledged) Joan Chittister's screed about the recently released motu proprio allowing greater use of the older "Tridentine" form of the Latin Mass I noticed a side bar where you could discover the N(ot) Catholic Reporter's values. 1 in particular caught my eye because of the 2 ways it could be read.
It said: "RENEWAL Operating out of the spirit of the Second Vatican Council". It dawned on me that this is how they wanted it to be read, that they are operating in conformity with the Spirit of Vatican II. In other words, they were intentionally misleading us by the old smoke & mirrors.
But, if you read it with its real meaning you will see that it is an admission that they are operating outside of the REAL SPIRIT OF VATICAN II as found in the letter of Vatican II. In other words, they are really admitting what they don't want you to know, that they are actually a dissident group FALSELY presenting itself as Catholic when they are anything but Catholic (or even Christian in any real way, shape or form). If they were allowing the true Spirit of Vatican II to operate in what they do, Sr. J would be welcoming the motu proprio because it is in line with the documents of Vatican II that reveal the TRUE SPIRIT of Vatican II, NCReporter wouldn't be pushing for women to be ordained as priests, Bishop Gumbleton, where do I even begin with him?, etc.
The NCReporter is definitely out of God's Spirit. Still, it is nice to see that they are finally, if somewhat occultly, admiting it.
(Maybe some day I'll go into how far short of some of their other values they fall while claiming that that is what they are doing.)

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