Kids do what they see us do
Although this applies particularly to young parents and young children, it is true of older ones as well. We will be parents all the rest of our lives, from the moment of conception.
How we love our spouses is the most important example we can give our kids. If the two parents are the most important humans in each other's lives, the children win, because there is more than enough life to go around. If the parent's make the children more important than their own relationship, everybody loses because the example given will remain in their training for the rest of their lives.
Example Over Advice - Fallible Blogma
Friday, July 8, 2011
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Let he who is without sin cast the first stone
(Father) John Corapi, you, and me
I was shocked to hear about the SOLT press release yesterday about (Father) John Corapi, and about the double life he has lived during his public ministry. That is, until I looked into the mirror and remembered the particular time in my life where I did the same. That simply brings to mind the Gospel words: "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone," words that Our Saviour said, and words we must live by.
(Father) John Corapi has an opportunity that I did not have in that period of my life. He has been publicly called to repentance and to return to his community. When I was in serious sin nobody called me out. I was left to my own devices and fortunately for me God took matters into His own hands largely and pulled me out.
My darkest days looked bright to those around me. I made really good money. Though I lived well, I was not ostentatious with the money I had, but I did not spend much of it wisely. I looked pretty good to much of the world I inhabited. Most people did not see the shambles that I had made of the most important aspects of my life, my family, my faith.
Then God hit me in the back of the head with a Ford Windstar van. What grace. What mercy. That my God loves me so much that he would not let me stray far from Him. One reason that God came to my aid, was that I had a praying mother, who prayed that God would hit me over the head with a baseball bat. Maybe somebody else was praying too, and God upped it to a van.
(Father) John Corapi is a sinner. Breaking news. OK, so his sins might be different than some of yours or mine. But the pride with which any one of us puffs up our chest and claims our own innocence is as serious a sin as any he has committed.
He needs one thing from the Body of Christ. He needs our prayers. The Canticle of Zechariah antiphon today in the Lauds (Morning Liturgy of the Hours) is "Let us serve the Lord in holiness all the days of our lives." May we do so ourselves, and may we in communion with all the saints pray that (Father) John Corapi returns to the holiness to which he was ordained by Blessed John Paul II in 1991.
I was shocked to hear about the SOLT press release yesterday about (Father) John Corapi, and about the double life he has lived during his public ministry. That is, until I looked into the mirror and remembered the particular time in my life where I did the same. That simply brings to mind the Gospel words: "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone," words that Our Saviour said, and words we must live by.
(Father) John Corapi has an opportunity that I did not have in that period of my life. He has been publicly called to repentance and to return to his community. When I was in serious sin nobody called me out. I was left to my own devices and fortunately for me God took matters into His own hands largely and pulled me out.
My darkest days looked bright to those around me. I made really good money. Though I lived well, I was not ostentatious with the money I had, but I did not spend much of it wisely. I looked pretty good to much of the world I inhabited. Most people did not see the shambles that I had made of the most important aspects of my life, my family, my faith.
Then God hit me in the back of the head with a Ford Windstar van. What grace. What mercy. That my God loves me so much that he would not let me stray far from Him. One reason that God came to my aid, was that I had a praying mother, who prayed that God would hit me over the head with a baseball bat. Maybe somebody else was praying too, and God upped it to a van.
(Father) John Corapi is a sinner. Breaking news. OK, so his sins might be different than some of yours or mine. But the pride with which any one of us puffs up our chest and claims our own innocence is as serious a sin as any he has committed.
He needs one thing from the Body of Christ. He needs our prayers. The Canticle of Zechariah antiphon today in the Lauds (Morning Liturgy of the Hours) is "Let us serve the Lord in holiness all the days of our lives." May we do so ourselves, and may we in communion with all the saints pray that (Father) John Corapi returns to the holiness to which he was ordained by Blessed John Paul II in 1991.
Sunday, July 3, 2011
If This is the Way You Treat Your Friends
It's no wonder you have so few! ~St. Teresa of Avila (about God)
Father Tim Moyle over at Where the Rubber Hits the Road has highlighted two recent articles focused on anti-Catholic bias, and prejudice, here and here.
As a Roman Catholic lay person, I have a view on this topic. I have been witnessing a lot of incidents of what I would call bias against the Catholic Church.
If you take for example the one-sidedness of the sexual abuse scandal, and how it has resulted in reaction from American bishops in particular to accusations against their priests, and then seeking out the facts you see two things at play. First of all, sexual abuse carries on in our society regrettably, but it does not by and large occur in the Roman Catholic Church anymore. That boat has sailed, and not largely because the US bishops finally in 2002 created the Dallas Charter to protect young people.
I have written often about Father Gordon MacRae, a guest of the state of New Hampshire prison system for a crime that was never committed, and if it was, it was not by him. His case is an example of prejudice run amok. The detective examining the evidence or lack of it in the first place, had a clear prejudice against Catholic priests, and so was less inclined to look for incontrovertible proof than he was to believe the lies against Father Gordon. The prosecutor and then the judge were similarly inclined to believe in their prejudice, and so Father Gordon did not get a real chance to prove his innocence. But, in a case of the Church knuckling under to the prejudice, and in fact supporting it, he was abandoned by his bishop and the successor to his bishop at the time, and left to his own devices. And so, he sits in prison for a crime that he did not commit. If he were not a Catholic priest, would he have ever been tried, and convicted? I think not.
But, the prejudice is often more subtle and also often comes from sources one would not expect. In the US, there has only been one Catholic President, and we saw how that ended up. In Canada, we have had a number of senior politicians of some Catholic persuasion, though from their actions, it appears that their Catholicism is nominal, and therein lies the rub. Here in Ontario, we have a Premier, Dalton McGuinty, who claims to be a Catholic. However, he leads a government bent on removing the Catholicism from the Catholic School System, with education policies that are meant to give precedence to homosexualist agendas at our expense. One of our own is putting the screws to us.
While on that, if the Gay Pride parades and celebrations, rife with overt sexuality, and nudity, are not an affront to all that we Catholics hold reverence for regarding the sanctity of the human body, then I miss my guess.
And there is more. Much more, but I am preparing to head to the LifeTeen Mass at Holy Family Parish around the corner to celebrate the Sacred Mystery of our Saviour's Passion and Death on the Cross, in the midst of like minded individuals.
Prejudice has been there always, and will be until He returns, and we, as Catholic Christians will bear the brunt of it, along with many of our other Christian brothers and sisters, but we will bear more of it. God allows it to occur. He could certainly stop it, if He chose. But, he does so for our greater good, and for the strengthening of our faith with trials.
As we grow in our individual faith, the existence of prejudices and trials matter very little. Our vocation is to grow in holiness, and the trials and prejudices help us with that, if we look with our eyes of faith at what is going on in our lives and in the lives of the Church.
Father Gordon, for one, is being tried and is growing daily in his own faith, and love of Our Saviour. If his life had been peachy keen, it likely would not have happened.
So, I say bring on the prejudice and the trials, and Lord mold us into Your Image.
Father Tim Moyle over at Where the Rubber Hits the Road has highlighted two recent articles focused on anti-Catholic bias, and prejudice, here and here.
As a Roman Catholic lay person, I have a view on this topic. I have been witnessing a lot of incidents of what I would call bias against the Catholic Church.
If you take for example the one-sidedness of the sexual abuse scandal, and how it has resulted in reaction from American bishops in particular to accusations against their priests, and then seeking out the facts you see two things at play. First of all, sexual abuse carries on in our society regrettably, but it does not by and large occur in the Roman Catholic Church anymore. That boat has sailed, and not largely because the US bishops finally in 2002 created the Dallas Charter to protect young people.
I have written often about Father Gordon MacRae, a guest of the state of New Hampshire prison system for a crime that was never committed, and if it was, it was not by him. His case is an example of prejudice run amok. The detective examining the evidence or lack of it in the first place, had a clear prejudice against Catholic priests, and so was less inclined to look for incontrovertible proof than he was to believe the lies against Father Gordon. The prosecutor and then the judge were similarly inclined to believe in their prejudice, and so Father Gordon did not get a real chance to prove his innocence. But, in a case of the Church knuckling under to the prejudice, and in fact supporting it, he was abandoned by his bishop and the successor to his bishop at the time, and left to his own devices. And so, he sits in prison for a crime that he did not commit. If he were not a Catholic priest, would he have ever been tried, and convicted? I think not.
But, the prejudice is often more subtle and also often comes from sources one would not expect. In the US, there has only been one Catholic President, and we saw how that ended up. In Canada, we have had a number of senior politicians of some Catholic persuasion, though from their actions, it appears that their Catholicism is nominal, and therein lies the rub. Here in Ontario, we have a Premier, Dalton McGuinty, who claims to be a Catholic. However, he leads a government bent on removing the Catholicism from the Catholic School System, with education policies that are meant to give precedence to homosexualist agendas at our expense. One of our own is putting the screws to us.
While on that, if the Gay Pride parades and celebrations, rife with overt sexuality, and nudity, are not an affront to all that we Catholics hold reverence for regarding the sanctity of the human body, then I miss my guess.
And there is more. Much more, but I am preparing to head to the LifeTeen Mass at Holy Family Parish around the corner to celebrate the Sacred Mystery of our Saviour's Passion and Death on the Cross, in the midst of like minded individuals.
Prejudice has been there always, and will be until He returns, and we, as Catholic Christians will bear the brunt of it, along with many of our other Christian brothers and sisters, but we will bear more of it. God allows it to occur. He could certainly stop it, if He chose. But, he does so for our greater good, and for the strengthening of our faith with trials.
As we grow in our individual faith, the existence of prejudices and trials matter very little. Our vocation is to grow in holiness, and the trials and prejudices help us with that, if we look with our eyes of faith at what is going on in our lives and in the lives of the Church.
Father Gordon, for one, is being tried and is growing daily in his own faith, and love of Our Saviour. If his life had been peachy keen, it likely would not have happened.
So, I say bring on the prejudice and the trials, and Lord mold us into Your Image.
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Kafka, Heller and Corapi Have Much in Common
Thus Says Father Gordon MacRae of These Stone Walls
If there is someone on the planet whose opinion should matter on the affair of Father John Corapi, and the still to be proven accusations against him, that would be someone who has walked miles in similar shoes. So, when Father Gordon MacRae published his latest thoughts at These Stone Walls, titled: "Good-Bye, Good Priest! Father John Corapi’s Kafkaesque Catch-22", I took notice and I highly recommend giving it a read and some thought.
I am concerned for Father Corapi's mental health today, as I have been while reading and listening to his own comments on the goings on that have been swirling around him over this whole matter. It would be very stressful to have been caught in flagrante delicto. There, pants figuratively at half mast, the sinner has his assets bared for all to see. That was not the case here. It must be even more stressful to find oneself pilloried for things beyond the pale, that are far beyond what the individual would ever commit in sane mind.
What is even more stressful, is to fall victim to a draconian process which much like being hauled in front of one of our Canadian or provincial Human Rights kangaroo courts (officially tribunals), where as Calgary lawyer and journalist, Ezra Levant demonstrated, the punishment is the crime.
Father Corapi, and priests like Father Gordon MacRae, as well as others like Father Mark Gruber, are paying a heavy price for the sins of others. You can look at the left of this page and see labels for Father MacRae and for Father Gruber that will lead you to articles where I have made mention of their situations, and provided links in articles to other sources about them.
Most instances of sexual abuse going on between priests, and young people in particular, approximately 94% of those reported to the Church took place prior to 1990. But, prior to 1985, priests who were accused of sexual abuse were buried, or were sent for treatment, and if considered rehabilitated were returned to active ministry.
It could be said that the bishops of North America and the world, were asleep at the switch. In fairness, society was asleep at the switch and though many were abused at the hands of priests, far more were abused at the hands of parents, relatives, teachers, coaches and others. But that does not make good newspaper copy.
Our bishops, priests, and the religious leaders of the Catholic Church may well be anointed with the Sacrament of Holy Orders, into a life of service to the cause and sharing in the life of Jesus Christ. However, unlike Jesus Christ, we must always remember that they too are sinners, subject to the same temptations as we are, and probably worse, because they are an affront by Holy Orders to the devil and all that he stands for, which is destruction of you and me and them, and separating us from our eternal home with Jesus, the Father and the Holy Spirit.
Like us they have the Holy Spirit for inspiration, but also like us, they are often hard of hearing, or worse still hard of listening.
The sexual abuse scandal and its remnants, particularly in the United States of America is a case in point. Here in Canada, our bishops created a committee on Child Sexual Abuse, which drafted a report called "From Pain to Hope" in 1992 which has been the foundation of the Canadian Church's handling of the issue and prevention of such behaviours today. Even in 1992, this was late to address a serious issue that had brought harm to many young people and their families, while undermining the trust of parishioners in their priests.
But, in America it took the Boston Globe breaking news about the criminal prosecutions of 5 priests, to get what appears to be serious action from the US Bishops. In 2002, the US Bishops produced the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People. Until that time, the basic principles of the Charter were being applied on an ad hoc approach.
The Charter is focused on the following:
The Dallas Charter has resulted in the official victimization of priests. An American priest against whom a claim of some form of sexual misconduct is raised, is punished first, and if by some chance, with his hands tied behind his back, and a blindfold on he is able to prove his innocence, he may have some opportunity to try and rebuild his life and heal his hurting soul.
Father Gordon MacRae's conviction in New Hampshire happened several years before the Dallas Charter. There was no credible evidence against him, but that did not stop the prosecutor, investigating detective and judge from having him sent away basically forever, since he refused to admit any culpability, for the things that didn't happen, but for which he was charged and convicted. Had he admitted he had done, what logically could never have occurred, he would be a free man, ostracized, mind you, but free in some sense of the word. Instead, he continues to claim innocence, and gets to be a guest of the state of New Hampshire. But, the main reason he sits in prison, is because he was abandoned by the Catholic Church, by his bishop at the time, and his successor, and those responsible for believing incredible claims and paying significant sums of money to those making the claims.
There is nothing in the charter or in the actions of bishops around America, that even pretends that priests are innocent until proven guilty, which presumption by law they have a right to.
Father Mark Gruber, a well known retreat leader and teacher has been silenced because someone used a computer in a public area attached to his office to access homosexual pornography. The person who did the accessing came forward and admitted his sins. For a time, Father Gruber attempted to commence a lawsuit to recover his good name. But, in a courageous action on his part, he abandoned the case because of the pain it would have caused to others. The case of Father Mark, and his silencing has nothing at all to do with sexual abuse, or sex for that matter. It is about power, and the power to silence a good and holy priest, under the guise of sexual misconduct.
So too, the case of Father John Corapi, . A woman, who claimed that she would destroy him for personal reasons, has been able to do that, with the complicity of bishops and those in charge of his order, by making claims of sexual impropriety against him.
The safest place to be a child in North America today is in a Catholic Church. The most dangerous place to be a priest in North America today is in the same Catholic Church.
We must pray for our bishops and those in positions of authority in the Catholic Church, that they will use right judgement to examine the challenges they face over claims made against priests, both currently and in review from the past, particularly where there are credible claims of injustice.
Most in positions of authority are priests, and so me must include them in our prayers for priests, who face this internal persecution that makes priestly ministry more difficult for them. I remember as a small child running up to our parish priest and giving him a hug. I remember when my children were small and one child, not one of my own, commented out loud to her mother as our then pastor passed by in procession to the altar: "There goes God Mommy." In a sense this child was correct, as our beloved priests represent Christ for us in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.
Kids don't usually hug our priests anymore, and more's the pity. Some did break the trust tragically, and some small few may still do it. But, that childhood holding in awe of our priests, and yet the approachability that was there to help them to see that beauty of a priestly vocation has been lost, and there will be a price to be paid for that down the line.
God Bless our priests and particularly those falsely accused.
If there is someone on the planet whose opinion should matter on the affair of Father John Corapi, and the still to be proven accusations against him, that would be someone who has walked miles in similar shoes. So, when Father Gordon MacRae published his latest thoughts at These Stone Walls, titled: "Good-Bye, Good Priest! Father John Corapi’s Kafkaesque Catch-22", I took notice and I highly recommend giving it a read and some thought.
I am concerned for Father Corapi's mental health today, as I have been while reading and listening to his own comments on the goings on that have been swirling around him over this whole matter. It would be very stressful to have been caught in flagrante delicto. There, pants figuratively at half mast, the sinner has his assets bared for all to see. That was not the case here. It must be even more stressful to find oneself pilloried for things beyond the pale, that are far beyond what the individual would ever commit in sane mind.
What is even more stressful, is to fall victim to a draconian process which much like being hauled in front of one of our Canadian or provincial Human Rights kangaroo courts (officially tribunals), where as Calgary lawyer and journalist, Ezra Levant demonstrated, the punishment is the crime.
Father Corapi, and priests like Father Gordon MacRae, as well as others like Father Mark Gruber, are paying a heavy price for the sins of others. You can look at the left of this page and see labels for Father MacRae and for Father Gruber that will lead you to articles where I have made mention of their situations, and provided links in articles to other sources about them.
Most instances of sexual abuse going on between priests, and young people in particular, approximately 94% of those reported to the Church took place prior to 1990. But, prior to 1985, priests who were accused of sexual abuse were buried, or were sent for treatment, and if considered rehabilitated were returned to active ministry.
It could be said that the bishops of North America and the world, were asleep at the switch. In fairness, society was asleep at the switch and though many were abused at the hands of priests, far more were abused at the hands of parents, relatives, teachers, coaches and others. But that does not make good newspaper copy.
Our bishops, priests, and the religious leaders of the Catholic Church may well be anointed with the Sacrament of Holy Orders, into a life of service to the cause and sharing in the life of Jesus Christ. However, unlike Jesus Christ, we must always remember that they too are sinners, subject to the same temptations as we are, and probably worse, because they are an affront by Holy Orders to the devil and all that he stands for, which is destruction of you and me and them, and separating us from our eternal home with Jesus, the Father and the Holy Spirit.
Like us they have the Holy Spirit for inspiration, but also like us, they are often hard of hearing, or worse still hard of listening.
The sexual abuse scandal and its remnants, particularly in the United States of America is a case in point. Here in Canada, our bishops created a committee on Child Sexual Abuse, which drafted a report called "From Pain to Hope" in 1992 which has been the foundation of the Canadian Church's handling of the issue and prevention of such behaviours today. Even in 1992, this was late to address a serious issue that had brought harm to many young people and their families, while undermining the trust of parishioners in their priests.
But, in America it took the Boston Globe breaking news about the criminal prosecutions of 5 priests, to get what appears to be serious action from the US Bishops. In 2002, the US Bishops produced the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People. Until that time, the basic principles of the Charter were being applied on an ad hoc approach.
The Charter is focused on the following:
Creating a safe environment for children and young people;But, it seems that the Charter and its concepts has become a one size fits all, for anything that might have the word "sex" in it.
Healing and reconciliation of victims and survivors;
Making prompt and effective response to allegations;
Cooperating with civil authorities;
Disciplining offenders;
Providing for means of accountability for the future to ensure the problem continues to be effectively dealt with through a national Secretariat of Child and Youth Protection and a National Review Board.
The Dallas Charter has resulted in the official victimization of priests. An American priest against whom a claim of some form of sexual misconduct is raised, is punished first, and if by some chance, with his hands tied behind his back, and a blindfold on he is able to prove his innocence, he may have some opportunity to try and rebuild his life and heal his hurting soul.
Father Gordon MacRae's conviction in New Hampshire happened several years before the Dallas Charter. There was no credible evidence against him, but that did not stop the prosecutor, investigating detective and judge from having him sent away basically forever, since he refused to admit any culpability, for the things that didn't happen, but for which he was charged and convicted. Had he admitted he had done, what logically could never have occurred, he would be a free man, ostracized, mind you, but free in some sense of the word. Instead, he continues to claim innocence, and gets to be a guest of the state of New Hampshire. But, the main reason he sits in prison, is because he was abandoned by the Catholic Church, by his bishop at the time, and his successor, and those responsible for believing incredible claims and paying significant sums of money to those making the claims.
There is nothing in the charter or in the actions of bishops around America, that even pretends that priests are innocent until proven guilty, which presumption by law they have a right to.
Father Mark Gruber, a well known retreat leader and teacher has been silenced because someone used a computer in a public area attached to his office to access homosexual pornography. The person who did the accessing came forward and admitted his sins. For a time, Father Gruber attempted to commence a lawsuit to recover his good name. But, in a courageous action on his part, he abandoned the case because of the pain it would have caused to others. The case of Father Mark, and his silencing has nothing at all to do with sexual abuse, or sex for that matter. It is about power, and the power to silence a good and holy priest, under the guise of sexual misconduct.
So too, the case of Father John Corapi, . A woman, who claimed that she would destroy him for personal reasons, has been able to do that, with the complicity of bishops and those in charge of his order, by making claims of sexual impropriety against him.
The safest place to be a child in North America today is in a Catholic Church. The most dangerous place to be a priest in North America today is in the same Catholic Church.
We must pray for our bishops and those in positions of authority in the Catholic Church, that they will use right judgement to examine the challenges they face over claims made against priests, both currently and in review from the past, particularly where there are credible claims of injustice.
Most in positions of authority are priests, and so me must include them in our prayers for priests, who face this internal persecution that makes priestly ministry more difficult for them. I remember as a small child running up to our parish priest and giving him a hug. I remember when my children were small and one child, not one of my own, commented out loud to her mother as our then pastor passed by in procession to the altar: "There goes God Mommy." In a sense this child was correct, as our beloved priests represent Christ for us in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.
Kids don't usually hug our priests anymore, and more's the pity. Some did break the trust tragically, and some small few may still do it. But, that childhood holding in awe of our priests, and yet the approachability that was there to help them to see that beauty of a priestly vocation has been lost, and there will be a price to be paid for that down the line.
God Bless our priests and particularly those falsely accused.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Something Crappy going on with Corapi
More than Meets the Eye
I have followed the saga of (Father) John Corapi for some time. I confess that I was never particularly a fan of the good father, not because his teaching was not solid and beneficial to those who were blessed with hearing it. Something else seemed to hold me back from becoming interested in his work.
When all hell broke loose for Fr. Corapi, I did not doubt the veracity of his own claims about what transpired, and I have no doubt now that he is innocent of all charges. But, more is in play here than what we see at first blush.
(Father) Corapi is not the first priest to be falsely accused. If we go back a little in history, we find that Padre Pio was falsely and seriously accused of things beyond his capability of doing. Padre, now Saint, Pio was able to submit to his superiors, and eventually by the Grace of God, he was cleared of all wrong doing, and returned to his priestly faculties.
More recently, Father Gordon MacRae was falsely accused, abandoned by his bishop and diocese, and has spent over 16 years in prison as a guest of the state of New Hampshire. Father MacRae is the author of These Stone Walls, and you can read about his case there, and also the many thoughtful things he has to say about the faith and about the Roman Catholic Church, which he so loves. He has been forced by circumstance to be submissive to a system that has treated him very badly.
There is also Father Mark Gruber, about whom I have written. Father Mark is a well known retreat master, and beloved for his faith and his communication skills. In what amounts to the weirdest set of circumstances, he has been falsely accused of something that is first of all, not illegal, though it would be sinful, if he did it. But, the SODDI (some other dude did it) defense applies here, not by innuendo, but by fact. Some Other Dude confessed to doing what Father Gruber was accused of. Father Mark, in his defence, originally commenced legal proceedings to protect his good name.
I summarised some of where they are at relative to those of us who are free to roam the earth in this posting.
Father Mark Gruber put into perspective his situation, in one of the most humble and humbling comments yet on situations such as these, when he said:
“No man is just, except Jesus our Savior, and while I’m certainly not guilty of this crime, we all deserve any sufferings short of the fires of hell, simply for being a sinner on this earth."
But, Father Corapi was only able to take 3 months of being pilloried, by some, though still revered by many, until he cracked. I have no doubt that he is under tremendous emotional strain. There were reports that Father Gruber was cracking for some time under the strain of false accusation, and I hope that has passed for him, and that he is able to bear his cross with equanimity. Father MacRae has also born his cross nobly, though he has worked on his defence, and documented it and made it available with the help of supporters.
Father Corapi has handled his situation differently. He has passively aggressively proclaimed his innocence, and done so with bombast and counter charges, and in reality, as a man falsely accused, he legally has the right to so do.
As one who has been recovering from a brain injury for over 7 years, I have a perspective that I think is somewhat different on this situation. Father Corapi's behaviour, particularly of late, both in written and spoken form has appeared to be erratic to at least this casual observer, causing at least one commenter to suggest that he is on drugs. This particular comment, which I believe was way out of line, begat a fiery response from Father C, when it needed none. What I have discovered is that when one's emotional response to a particular situation is bigger than the situation warrants, then there are likely issues involving brain chemistry and function at play, and help is required. This is not just from my own experience, but also from the training and experience of one of the foremost psychiatrists in America and probably the world today.
Doctor Daniel Amen, whose clinic I attended a few years back, specialises in brain imaging as a diagnostic tool, and has been particularly successful in situations where behavior has been erratic, even to the extremes of being criminal. The brain is the center of our thoughts, moods and actions. In a recent posting Dr. Amen wrote about Brains Acting Badly. The focus of this article was the sexual misdeeds of some of the recent miscreants highlighted in the MSM, but the conclusions that our brains take the lead in our lives is valid, and must be dealt with if we are to lead lives that are filled with truth and which lead us to holiness.
I believe that Father Corapi is in desperate need of our prayers, and love as fellow travelers on the journey of faith.
It has been my belief for some time now, that we must provide prayer cover for all men who have a vocation to the priesthood. The mantle of "alter christus" is too heavy for these dear men to carry on their own. They need us to draw alongside them, in prayer and fellowship, where that occasion arises.
Do not abandon Father Corapi, but lift him up. He is one of us, and if he hurts, we hurt.
I have followed the saga of (Father) John Corapi for some time. I confess that I was never particularly a fan of the good father, not because his teaching was not solid and beneficial to those who were blessed with hearing it. Something else seemed to hold me back from becoming interested in his work.
When all hell broke loose for Fr. Corapi, I did not doubt the veracity of his own claims about what transpired, and I have no doubt now that he is innocent of all charges. But, more is in play here than what we see at first blush.
(Father) Corapi is not the first priest to be falsely accused. If we go back a little in history, we find that Padre Pio was falsely and seriously accused of things beyond his capability of doing. Padre, now Saint, Pio was able to submit to his superiors, and eventually by the Grace of God, he was cleared of all wrong doing, and returned to his priestly faculties.
More recently, Father Gordon MacRae was falsely accused, abandoned by his bishop and diocese, and has spent over 16 years in prison as a guest of the state of New Hampshire. Father MacRae is the author of These Stone Walls, and you can read about his case there, and also the many thoughtful things he has to say about the faith and about the Roman Catholic Church, which he so loves. He has been forced by circumstance to be submissive to a system that has treated him very badly.
There is also Father Mark Gruber, about whom I have written. Father Mark is a well known retreat master, and beloved for his faith and his communication skills. In what amounts to the weirdest set of circumstances, he has been falsely accused of something that is first of all, not illegal, though it would be sinful, if he did it. But, the SODDI (some other dude did it) defense applies here, not by innuendo, but by fact. Some Other Dude confessed to doing what Father Gruber was accused of. Father Mark, in his defence, originally commenced legal proceedings to protect his good name.
I summarised some of where they are at relative to those of us who are free to roam the earth in this posting.
Father Mark Gruber put into perspective his situation, in one of the most humble and humbling comments yet on situations such as these, when he said:
“No man is just, except Jesus our Savior, and while I’m certainly not guilty of this crime, we all deserve any sufferings short of the fires of hell, simply for being a sinner on this earth."
But, Father Corapi was only able to take 3 months of being pilloried, by some, though still revered by many, until he cracked. I have no doubt that he is under tremendous emotional strain. There were reports that Father Gruber was cracking for some time under the strain of false accusation, and I hope that has passed for him, and that he is able to bear his cross with equanimity. Father MacRae has also born his cross nobly, though he has worked on his defence, and documented it and made it available with the help of supporters.
Father Corapi has handled his situation differently. He has passively aggressively proclaimed his innocence, and done so with bombast and counter charges, and in reality, as a man falsely accused, he legally has the right to so do.
As one who has been recovering from a brain injury for over 7 years, I have a perspective that I think is somewhat different on this situation. Father Corapi's behaviour, particularly of late, both in written and spoken form has appeared to be erratic to at least this casual observer, causing at least one commenter to suggest that he is on drugs. This particular comment, which I believe was way out of line, begat a fiery response from Father C, when it needed none. What I have discovered is that when one's emotional response to a particular situation is bigger than the situation warrants, then there are likely issues involving brain chemistry and function at play, and help is required. This is not just from my own experience, but also from the training and experience of one of the foremost psychiatrists in America and probably the world today.
Doctor Daniel Amen, whose clinic I attended a few years back, specialises in brain imaging as a diagnostic tool, and has been particularly successful in situations where behavior has been erratic, even to the extremes of being criminal. The brain is the center of our thoughts, moods and actions. In a recent posting Dr. Amen wrote about Brains Acting Badly. The focus of this article was the sexual misdeeds of some of the recent miscreants highlighted in the MSM, but the conclusions that our brains take the lead in our lives is valid, and must be dealt with if we are to lead lives that are filled with truth and which lead us to holiness.
I believe that Father Corapi is in desperate need of our prayers, and love as fellow travelers on the journey of faith.
It has been my belief for some time now, that we must provide prayer cover for all men who have a vocation to the priesthood. The mantle of "alter christus" is too heavy for these dear men to carry on their own. They need us to draw alongside them, in prayer and fellowship, where that occasion arises.
Do not abandon Father Corapi, but lift him up. He is one of us, and if he hurts, we hurt.
Friday, April 29, 2011
Spirit of Debate
Something to Ponder
During our two week trek across the US in our motor home returning to Southern Ontario, we saw and enjoyed many things. There is one memorable afternoon and evening for me that sticks out.
In the middle of our journey, we were in a Mississippi suburb of Memphis TN. Interestingly, we camped in an Arkansas suburb of Memphis, along the might Mississippi River the previous night, and went to Olive Branch Mississippi to visit with friends of one of our daughters. This couple, who are devout Baptist Christians are about our ages, and have a son, who is 48 years of age, and is back living with them.
Tommy suffers from bi-polar disorder and is heavily medicated to keep the symptoms in check. As such, he is only alert for a few hours each day, and at that somewhat drags himself around, due to the effects of the medication. But, for about three hours, we spoke about Our Lord Jesus Christ and about the challenges and joys each of us faces in our daily lives with our own disabilities.
As a born again Baptist, Tommy, and his father who joined us for some time in our discussions, he/they have many misconceptions about the Catholic Church. However, I have never been asked about my faith in such a respectful manner from a Protestant believer. I hope that my responses to them were as respectful as their sincere questions were to me.
We shared faith, and knew that we departed as brothers in the Lord.
But, during our discussions, there was a moment when I felt a little on edge, and that maybe I had to defend the Catholic Church. The moment passed because of something that Tommy said that struck me right between the eyes.
Tommy spoke about a Spirit of Debate that exists in Christianity, and that is very divisive. He spoke of this spirit that makes those who are discussing faith matters need to be right. Hence, rather than just listening to the other, we are formulating our next response to prove our point.
I have pondered what Tommy said, and believe it to be profound wisdom, and one of the serious lessons that Our Dear Lord wanted to show me during Lent.
I confess that I have engaged in debate over religious matters mainly in commenting on other Catholic or Christian blogs. I also confess that there was never any real peace to these debates, and very little if any good fruit from it.
Just prior to Lent and during Lent, I felt compelled to not write blog postings, and in fact on the occasions when I attempted to do so, had mental blocks in the middle of trying to compose my thoughts. I, frankly, do not know what or if I will be posting in the future at this moment in time, but feel the import of not pushing, but waiting on the Lord for wisdom and guidance.
I am grateful for the time that I spent with Tommy, and I am grateful that he shared wisdom that he has garnered in his life journey with me.
It is so easy to debate points of belief over the Internet, with no interpersonal human interaction involved, but to what end? I knew I was right to begin with. The other party knew that he/she was right to begin with. We write our proofs, defend our beliefs, criticize the other's position, and go away miserable.
What's the point? What is the point?
During our two week trek across the US in our motor home returning to Southern Ontario, we saw and enjoyed many things. There is one memorable afternoon and evening for me that sticks out.
In the middle of our journey, we were in a Mississippi suburb of Memphis TN. Interestingly, we camped in an Arkansas suburb of Memphis, along the might Mississippi River the previous night, and went to Olive Branch Mississippi to visit with friends of one of our daughters. This couple, who are devout Baptist Christians are about our ages, and have a son, who is 48 years of age, and is back living with them.
Tommy suffers from bi-polar disorder and is heavily medicated to keep the symptoms in check. As such, he is only alert for a few hours each day, and at that somewhat drags himself around, due to the effects of the medication. But, for about three hours, we spoke about Our Lord Jesus Christ and about the challenges and joys each of us faces in our daily lives with our own disabilities.
As a born again Baptist, Tommy, and his father who joined us for some time in our discussions, he/they have many misconceptions about the Catholic Church. However, I have never been asked about my faith in such a respectful manner from a Protestant believer. I hope that my responses to them were as respectful as their sincere questions were to me.
We shared faith, and knew that we departed as brothers in the Lord.
But, during our discussions, there was a moment when I felt a little on edge, and that maybe I had to defend the Catholic Church. The moment passed because of something that Tommy said that struck me right between the eyes.
Tommy spoke about a Spirit of Debate that exists in Christianity, and that is very divisive. He spoke of this spirit that makes those who are discussing faith matters need to be right. Hence, rather than just listening to the other, we are formulating our next response to prove our point.
I have pondered what Tommy said, and believe it to be profound wisdom, and one of the serious lessons that Our Dear Lord wanted to show me during Lent.
I confess that I have engaged in debate over religious matters mainly in commenting on other Catholic or Christian blogs. I also confess that there was never any real peace to these debates, and very little if any good fruit from it.
Just prior to Lent and during Lent, I felt compelled to not write blog postings, and in fact on the occasions when I attempted to do so, had mental blocks in the middle of trying to compose my thoughts. I, frankly, do not know what or if I will be posting in the future at this moment in time, but feel the import of not pushing, but waiting on the Lord for wisdom and guidance.
I am grateful for the time that I spent with Tommy, and I am grateful that he shared wisdom that he has garnered in his life journey with me.
It is so easy to debate points of belief over the Internet, with no interpersonal human interaction involved, but to what end? I knew I was right to begin with. The other party knew that he/she was right to begin with. We write our proofs, defend our beliefs, criticize the other's position, and go away miserable.
What's the point? What is the point?
Friday, April 8, 2011
Praying the Rosary for Our Troubled World
We have proven incapable of fixing the problems of our world
I received the following in my email inbox this morning and believe it is important to share with people of goodwill thoughout the world. It is a simple request founded on the principle of looking beyond our own selves to the author of our salvation for the help we need from Him to bring about peace in our world and a return to moral values.
Here is the email:
From that same article is this quote:
But today
The enemy has infiltrated every structure, political and corporate in our world, has laid waste family after family, has brought sickness and disease into our bodies, and has stolen the faith (at least temporarily) of loved ones and family members around the world. Morals have disappeared in a moral relativist maelstrom in our society, and up is down and down, up.
As the nations of the world have turned away from prayer to try and fix these challenges and problems by our own merits, we have learned that we are no closer to resolution, and have lost our way.
So, here is a simple opportunity to place trust where it belongs, in the hands of He who died on the Cross to save us, Jesus Christ. When the Church has turned to Him in prayer, He has answered. When we have turned our backs on Him, He has allowed us to operate in our free will, and to wander about almost aimlessly.
So, on Good Friday, when we celebrate the atoning sacrifice of Jesus, could we set aside a short span of time, preferably between noon and 3 pm in your local time, to join others in the world praying the Rosary for peace in our World, and a return to moral values?
What have we got to lose? More than that, what have we got to gain?
I received the following in my email inbox this morning and believe it is important to share with people of goodwill thoughout the world. It is a simple request founded on the principle of looking beyond our own selves to the author of our salvation for the help we need from Him to bring about peace in our world and a return to moral values.
Here is the email:
Hi Everyone,There is a slight bit of confusion on the date of the invasion of the Turkish Muslim fleet of Europe. That battle occurred at Lepanto, off western Greece on October 7, 1571. On October 7, 1571 Pope St. Pius V prayed the Rosary with many faithful in Rome from dawn to dusk. On that day, as documented here, the winds miraculously changed to assist the Christian forces against a superior Muslim invading force, suffering minimal casualties for such a significant battle.
Imagine what might happen if every Catholic in the world would pray a Rosary on the same day! We have an example in October of 1573, when Europe was saved from the invasion of the mighty Turkish fleet, by the praying of the Rosary by all Christians!
So, on Good Friday, let us all pray a Rosary for peace in the world and the return of moral values into our communities. If possible, please pray your Rosary between 12 noon and 3:00 pm.
Also, please e-mail this message to every Catholic on your address list, and ask them to pass it along to every Catholic on their lists. Let's unite in praying one of the most powerful prayers in existence, for these intentions, on one of the holiest days in our Church year.
God bless all,
"I shall pass this way but ONCE.
Any Goodness I can DO; Any Kindness I can SHOW
Let me do it NOW. For I shall Never Pass this way,.. AGAIN
From that same article is this quote:
"Following the great Christian victory at Lepanto, Pope St. Pius V declared that henceforth a commemoration of the Rosary would be a part of the Vatican's Mass on every October 7. His successor, Pope Gregory XIII, went further. In 1573 he established the Feast of the Most Holy Rosary--to be celebrated at all Churches which had specific altars dedicated to the Rosary."If you read further, you will note that the Rosary was instrumental in further protection of Europe from Muslim invasion.
But today
"our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places." Ephesians 6:12
The enemy has infiltrated every structure, political and corporate in our world, has laid waste family after family, has brought sickness and disease into our bodies, and has stolen the faith (at least temporarily) of loved ones and family members around the world. Morals have disappeared in a moral relativist maelstrom in our society, and up is down and down, up.
As the nations of the world have turned away from prayer to try and fix these challenges and problems by our own merits, we have learned that we are no closer to resolution, and have lost our way.
So, here is a simple opportunity to place trust where it belongs, in the hands of He who died on the Cross to save us, Jesus Christ. When the Church has turned to Him in prayer, He has answered. When we have turned our backs on Him, He has allowed us to operate in our free will, and to wander about almost aimlessly.
So, on Good Friday, when we celebrate the atoning sacrifice of Jesus, could we set aside a short span of time, preferably between noon and 3 pm in your local time, to join others in the world praying the Rosary for peace in our World, and a return to moral values?
What have we got to lose? More than that, what have we got to gain?
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Father Tim Moyle Interview of George Weigel
George Weigel is a well educated, faith filled Catholic layman, well known for his writings on Pope John Paul II, and his work in producing books on being a Catholic in the world in which we live. He currently serves as Distinguished Senior Fellow and Chair of Catholic Studies at the Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington, D.C.
Though Mr. Weigel was born and raised in Baltimore Maryland, and currently resides in Bethesda, he has lived in various places around the United States and Canada. His Achilles heal would seem to be his life long support of the Baltimore Orioles of the American League in Major League Baseball. But maybe not! The once mighty Orioles have fallen on hard times since their last trip to the World Series in 1997, and do not look like they will be there anytime soon, with the mighty Red Sox and Yankees playing out of the same division. But, hope springs eternal.
This is a lot like the once mighty Roman Catholic Church, which too has fallen on hard times, or so it would appear. The Catholic Church plays in the Salvation League and has to compete against the better funded and more attractive Moral Relativists, and Secular Humanists, with the combined Agnostics and Atheists looking like the Toronto Blue Jays, not as much cash available and not as attractive a team to play for.
This undying support of the Orioles may in fact just have been a metaphor for his love and support of the Roman Catholic Church, which he not only supports but encourages. Again, hope springs eternal.
Father Tim and Mr. Weigel have been friends for many years, and also shared that friendship with another influential, though now deceased author and Catholic priest, Father Richard John Neuhaus.
Father Tim recently interviewed Mr. Weigel and posted the interview on his blog site. If you follow this interview, you will meet a rational man, with well reasoned thoughts and descriptions of his thoughts. Above all, you will find a seeker of the truth, not one proclaiming that he has an exclusive lock on it, but one who is able to filter out the distractions that prevent so many of us from seeing it.
Here is a link to his interview with Father Tim Moyle at Where the Rubber Hits the Road.
I conclude from this interview that I would like to read more of what he has written and writes. Some of his writings can be found at the Archdiocese of Denver site here. Additional links can be found at his home bas, the Ethics and Public Policy Center here.
Though Mr. Weigel was born and raised in Baltimore Maryland, and currently resides in Bethesda, he has lived in various places around the United States and Canada. His Achilles heal would seem to be his life long support of the Baltimore Orioles of the American League in Major League Baseball. But maybe not! The once mighty Orioles have fallen on hard times since their last trip to the World Series in 1997, and do not look like they will be there anytime soon, with the mighty Red Sox and Yankees playing out of the same division. But, hope springs eternal.
This is a lot like the once mighty Roman Catholic Church, which too has fallen on hard times, or so it would appear. The Catholic Church plays in the Salvation League and has to compete against the better funded and more attractive Moral Relativists, and Secular Humanists, with the combined Agnostics and Atheists looking like the Toronto Blue Jays, not as much cash available and not as attractive a team to play for.
This undying support of the Orioles may in fact just have been a metaphor for his love and support of the Roman Catholic Church, which he not only supports but encourages. Again, hope springs eternal.
Father Tim and Mr. Weigel have been friends for many years, and also shared that friendship with another influential, though now deceased author and Catholic priest, Father Richard John Neuhaus.
Father Tim recently interviewed Mr. Weigel and posted the interview on his blog site. If you follow this interview, you will meet a rational man, with well reasoned thoughts and descriptions of his thoughts. Above all, you will find a seeker of the truth, not one proclaiming that he has an exclusive lock on it, but one who is able to filter out the distractions that prevent so many of us from seeing it.
Here is a link to his interview with Father Tim Moyle at Where the Rubber Hits the Road.
I conclude from this interview that I would like to read more of what he has written and writes. Some of his writings can be found at the Archdiocese of Denver site here. Additional links can be found at his home bas, the Ethics and Public Policy Center here.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
This Should Disturb You
Couple Rejected: Will Christians Be Allowed to Provide Foster Care in England?
Dear Readers:
Like frogs placed into cool water that is then slowly heated, Christianity has been and is being put to the test. We will either sit in our kettle of water while we are cooked to death, or we will resist. Resistance is not futile, but necessary. Moral relativism is taking serious hold of our society, and articles like this from Deacon Keith Fournier at Catholic Online are continuing examples of what is happening in our society today.
WAKE UP.
Here is the article:
Dear Readers:
Like frogs placed into cool water that is then slowly heated, Christianity has been and is being put to the test. We will either sit in our kettle of water while we are cooked to death, or we will resist. Resistance is not futile, but necessary. Moral relativism is taking serious hold of our society, and articles like this from Deacon Keith Fournier at Catholic Online are continuing examples of what is happening in our society today.
WAKE UP.
Here is the article:
The ruling is part of a trend in England since the passage in 2007 of the 'Equality Act Sexual Orientation Regulations'
What happened to Eunice and Owen Johns this past week concerning their participation in foster care is ominous. What is next for Catholics and other Christians if this trend continues? We are in the throes of a Cultural Revolution involving two competing visions of the human person, human flourishing, the true nature of marriage - the family and society founded upon it - and the definition of the common good. These two visions of the human person and human freedom are in conflict.
NOTTINGHAM, England (Catholic Online) - Christian Concerns, a public interest legal group in England, reported on a disturbing Court ruling in an article entitled "High Court Judgment Suggests Christian beliefs Harmful to Children". A Protestant Pentecostal couple has been disqualified from being foster parents, in effect, because they are Christians. The Catholic News Agency in an article entitled "British court says Christian couple can't adopt due to beliefs." offered this summary of what occurred:
"Eunice and Owen Johns, aged 62 and 65, are Pentecostal Christians from the city of Derby and have cared for 15 foster children in the past. Following the ruling, Eunice Johns said she and her husband were "extremely distressed" at the ruling handed down in Nottingham Crown Court. "All we wanted to do was to offer a loving home to a child in need," Eunice Johns said. "We have a good track record as foster parents, but because we are Christians with mainstream views on sexual ethics, we are apparently unsuitable as foster parents. The judges have suggested that our views might harm children. We have been told by the Equality and Human Rights Commission that our moral views may 'infect' a child. We do not believe that this is so."
The ruling is part of a trend in England since the passage in 2007 of the "Equality Act Sexual Orientation Regulations" The Court ruled that if children were placed with people like Eunice and Owen Johns who hold classical Christian views on morality "there may well be a conflict with the local authority's duty to safeguard and promote the welfare of looked-after children." They gave lip service to religious freedom but held that in foster care "sexual orientation should take precedence." They also insisted that a foster family exhibit "positive attitudes towards homosexuality." Finally, they held that the "Article 9 [of the European Human Rights Act] only provides a 'qualified' right to manifest religious belief and ... this will be particularly so where a person in whose care a child is placed wishes to manifest a belief that is inimical to the interests of children." The Court in essence ruled that classical morality is "inimical to the interests of children."
In 2010 "Catholic Care", a Catholic adoption agency in the Diocese of Leeds, was forced to stop participating in adoptions because they refused to place children with practicing homosexuals. They were the last Catholic Adoption Agency left standing in the wake of the "Equality Act Sexual Orientation Regulations" Eleven other Catholic agencies closed down or severed their ties with the Catholic Church. Catholic Care appealed to the High Court seeking to limit its services to heterosexual married couples. They argued there were 'particularly convincing and weighty reasons' for such "discrimination." That is now the standard for any variation. This is how tyrants work. They make unjust positions sound "just" and then enforce their will with the police power of the State.
The Charity Commission rejected their argument about the best interest of children. They made light of their appeal to a fundamental human right to religious freedom. They worded the opinion in high sounding language but revealed that the Commission has become an apologist for a regime in the United Kingdom which promotes an equivalency between active homosexual relationships and authentic marriage. They also insist that homosexual practices be given protected legal status as a fundamental human right. In other words, unnatural acts between two men or two women are protected by the law in the same way as race, creed or natural origin.
The Commission wrote, "The High Court judgement had found that respect for religious views could not be a justification for discrimination on the ground of sexual orientation in this case, because of the essentially public nature of adoption services... In certain circumstances, it is not against the law for charities to discriminate on the grounds of sexual orientation. However, because the prohibition on such discrimination is a fundamental principle of human rights law, such discrimination can only be permitted in the most compelling circumstances. We have concluded that in this case the reasons Catholic Care have set out do not justify their wish to discriminate." So, Catholic adoption agencies can no longer participate in providing adoption services in England because they refuse to bow to a new Caesar.
What happened to Eunice and Owen Johns this past week concerning their participation in foster care is ominous. What is next for Catholics and other Christians if this trend continues? We are in the throes of a Cultural Revolution involving two competing visions of the human person, human flourishing, the true nature of marriage - the family and society founded upon it - and the definition of the common good. These two visions are in conflict. One is a throwback to ancient paganism which calls itself "progressive" when it is regressive. The other is the path to a future of true freedom.
On January 22, 2007 Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor sent a letter to the government concerning the pending legislation which later passed as the "Equality Act Sexual Orientation Regulations" . Here is an excerpt:
*****
Dear Prime Minister and Members of the Cabinet,
"It has always been the wish of the Catholic Church in this country to work with the government for the common good of its people. We believe we do this in matters of social care, education and in many other ways. Catholic teaching urges us to do this, and we do it gladly in a spirit of cooperation. We would, however, have a serious difficulty with the proposed regulations on discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation in the provision of goods and services if they required our adoption agencies to consider homosexual couples as potential adoptive parents.
"The Catholic Church utterly condemns all forms of unjust discrimination, violence, harassment or abuse directed against people who are homosexual. Indeed the Church teaches that they must be accepted with respect, compassion and sensitivity. We, therefore, recognize many elements of recent legislation -- including much in the Northern Ireland regulations -- that takes steps to ensure that no such discrimination takes place.
"What, then, is the problem? It is that to oblige our agencies in law to consider adoption applications from homosexual couples as potential adoptive parents would require them to act against the principles of Catholic teaching. We require our agencies to recruit and approve appropriate married and single people to meet the needs of children in local authority care for whom adoption has been identified as being in their best interest.
"We place significant emphasis on marriage, as it is from the personal union of a man and a woman that new life is born and it is within the loving context of such a relationship that a child can be welcomed and nurtured. Marital love involves an essential complementarity of male and female. We recognize that some children, particularly those who have suffered abuse and neglect, may well benefit from placement with a single adoptive parent.
"However, Catholic teaching about the foundations of family life, a teaching shared not only by other Christian Churches but also other faiths, means that Catholic adoption agencies would not be able to recruit and consider homosexual couples as potential adoptive parents. We believe it would be unreasonable, unnecessary and unjust discrimination against Catholics for the government to insist that if they wish to continue to work with local authorities, Catholic adoption agencies must act against the teaching of the Church and their own consciences by being obliged in law to provide such a service...."
*****
The Cardinal's letter was reasonable. But reason seems to be losing its persuasive power as tyranny is released from its moral restraints and now masquerades as tolerance. Now, it is not only a matter of squeezing the Church out of providing adoption services, it is a wholesale effort to deny Christian couples a right to be foster parents. Perhaps this will soon lead to denying Christians the right to adopt as well. This Court decision against Eunice and Owen Johns is ominous and calls for a focused response of prayer and Catholic Action.
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