No altar girls?

Fr. John Lankeit, the rector of our Cathedral in Phoenix, has started a firestorm amongst the liberals when he announced that there would be no more "altar girls" serving in the Cathedral. Fr John gave his reasons to EWTN News:

"We don't discourage one or the other, but we honor them for what they are, both male and female."

"We live in a society where there is deliberate gender confusion. I want to make sure that we don't allow that to happen, especially in the Church."

Surely, this decision will incite cries of how the Catholic church is discriminating against women.

Even though, a woman has been elevated in the Catholic church to the highest position ever given a human being and that through doing something that God only allows a woman to do - be a mother. I am speaking, of course, of Our Blessed Mother, Mary.

I have always wondered how the church can be accused of discriminating against women when they have given womenhood such awesome dignity through Mary, the Mother of Jesus.

I have also wondered how women can view Our Lord, hanging on the cross, dying for our sins in a most horrible, embarrassing manner and tell Him that they only will serve Him if they can be a priest.

But I have not seen in any news articles, the bottom line and that is, that things in this universe, even such tiny things as snowflakes are not interchangeable! Each snowflake is different from every other snow flake. Indeed, the universe, scientists have found out, runs on a very tight set of rules.

Unlike other explosions, the so called "Big Bang" which is accepted by all modern scientists, atheists or not, resulted in extreme order (other explosions all have ended up in chaos!) and this order has very low "tolerances" i.e. one small change could cause the whole thing to blow up or implode!

And so in the order of the universe, men are priests and women are mothers. End of story.

I applaud Fr John's courageous decision and I hope others follow suit and do not allow themselves to be persuaded by the disorderly-ness of this society!

Priest Scandal - what is the truth here?

There are two sides of the story of the so priest scandal but we only hear one side. The media emphasizes the cases (most of which happened years ago) of priests, statistically less than 1 percent of Catholic priests have been accused of this) ignoring that as high as 50% of abortionists may have also abused those who trusted them as well as the 20% of public school teachers and countless coaches also accused. Govt statistics tell us that most se/xual abuse happens in the home (75% percent of it) by step fathers and uncles etc.

Se/xual molestation is a definite problem in our society and will continue to be a problem if we only address the 1% of those priests thusly accused, closing our eyes to the overwhelming majority of abuse which has nothing to do with priests. (I also was se/xually molested, 4 times. By my violin teacher when I was 12 years old, by a guy my mother matched me up with when I was 19 who only didn't ra/pe me by the Grace of God and my own quick thinking, by a sports coach when I was in my 30's and by a doctor I had met socially who examined my sore leg in the swimming pool and proceeded to "cop a feel"!)

That being said, when this all came up, being a Roman Catholic myself, I was curious to do some investigating to see how bad things were or were not.

I first started with the town I live in, one of the 10 largest cities in the USA.

In my area, there are 5 priests accused over the past 30 years (this was before another one recently got accused - he quit the priesthood and the Catholic church, and started his own congregation before they could prosecute him). Ok, 2 of them were defrocked, 1 of them had fled to Ireland, 1 of them was dead and 1 was currently in prison. The Bishop had acted quickly on all the cases.

Conclusion, it was not true in my diocese that anything had been "covered up". On the contrary.

But what about the priest in Boston who started the firestorm? Curious about this, I researched him on the S.N.A.P. website. They have all the PDFs of the case there and SNAP is a group of victims who are very antiCatholic. I thought it was a good place to start the research - certainly no one can accuse them of covering anything up or being biased in favor of the Catholic church.

Where I expected to find something awful, I was actually quite surprised at what I uncovered on the SNAP site!

The priest in Boston had had complaints against him for a handful of boys but when the Cardinal went to investigate, he found that the priest was well liked in his parish and that even the parents of the kids who had complained, did not uphold the testimonies of their own kids! The cardinal's hands were tied. The priest, of course, lied through his teeth but the sad thing was, the people of his parish UPHELD HIM.

Ironically, the way the cardinal ended up discovering the truth, was that he was doing a "one on one" with all priests and when he got to this priest and had lunch with him, he realized immediately, that the priest was likely guilty! The Cardinal went home from that luncheon and started proceedings to defrock the priest! It should be noted that when he fired that priest from his parish, the people of the parish staged a major demonstration against the Cardinal! None of this made the news of course. :(

Quite different from the way the media or movies like "Our Fathers" portray it, isn't it?

Bottom line, He who started our church, Jesus, was crucified as a common criminal and He was perfect. Certainly our priests and cardinals and even strong Christians cannot expect otherwise.

That is, if Jesus rode to Heaven on a cross, should we expect to ride there in a plush lined Cadillac? Can we expect to be "popular" in a society which was capable of crucifying God incarnate?

And - please understand - the media does (as Stephen King put it) go for the "gross-out" even if it means um...bending the truth. Media information should not what anyone should be making decisions based on - it should carry a disclaimer of "for entertainment only - any resemblance to the truth is purely coincidental!"

Society has it's Wires Crossed?

Today's news carried a story about an abortionist who is being sued. In itself, that's not surprising but the details of the case are macabre to say the least.

First of all, the lady who is suing him and his partner is doing so because he botched her abortion and her daughter ended up living but with multiple disabilities.

The girl, now ten years old, suffers from a host of disabilities in connection with the attempted killing, including cerebral palsy, loss of function on the left side of her body, strokes, mental disability, chronic lung disease, and seizures.

So my first question is - is the mom suing him because she's sorry the kid lived? It seems like that. Dr Pendergraft who owns 5 abortion clinics and is in jail at present for extortion, was ordered to pay the mother 18 million bucks. So maybe it just is all about money but what is that young girl going to think of all of this? This is not a nice way to start off one's life and especially when one has other disabilities.

Secondly, at the hearing (which wasn't reported in any of the mainstream news sources like MSNBC but was reported in several pro life sources), the abortionist's assistant glibly says that "yes, babies are delivered in the toilet all the time and many times are still alive, wiggling around in the toilet."

One person pointed out and I'd like the answer myself to this... if this were about puppies, there would be a public outcry but this can be said about human beings and few even notice!

That is, it appears to me (and several others have noted this) that dogs have more rights and respect in our society than do human babies.

I am reminded of the passage in the Bible which says that in the latter days, "the level of sin will be so high that the hearts of many will grow cold." When we no longer care about small humans alive and drowning in a toilet, sounds like we are pretty well there.

Holy Father in Croatia - Warns about co-habitation

Don't give in to the secular mentality which views living together as a preparation for marriage, warned Pope Benedict XVI in a homily to Croatians, half a million of them who were gathered for his Mass. The Holy Father added that living together was also not a substitute for marriage. He affirmed the need to respect life from pre-born to natural death and further stated:

"Dear parents, commit yourselves always to teach your children to pray, and pray with them; draw them close to the Sacraments, especially to the Eucharist..."

Materialism is being advocated as the source of happiness, obscuring deeper human values, continued the Pope, and love has been reduced to a combination of sentimentality and "to the gratification of instinctive impulses" without commitment. Christians are called to make the commitment of marriage and deeper values and to teach this to their children and to be always open to life.

The family is a small "domestic church", said Benedict XVI.

I guess Europe has issues similar to the USA - I hope Catholics do take the Holy Father's words seriously - to stand up for the truth especially with one's family, is difficult but then, the easy way out is never the best way.

It's like Bishop Sheen said "sin is a moment of pleasure and a lifetime of pain and virtue is a moment of pain and a lifetime of joy"

Camping, the Rapture and the Atheists

On one side, we have Rev Camping who is predicting the rapture as happening some time this year (he's had to revise his prediction since May 22 2011 came and went and no Christians were raptured that we know about, much to the amusement of the secular media). For those unfamiliar with the Rapture doctrine, this teaches that before things get really bad on the earth, God will scoop up the Christians into Heaven (without them dying first)! Pictures of the rapture depict people being raised up into the air. This is basically a misinterpretation of the book of Revelations and also a misinterpretation of something Jesus said which when read in context means something totally different. But it's certainly a pleasant idea as an easy exit out of a troubled and increasingly violent society and Americans especially like easy.

On the other side there are the agnostics, the atheists and even other Christians who are more conservative, who have found Rev Camping's predictions to be the greatest source of mirth since the "dead baby jokes" became passe'.

In my opinion, they both could be said to be 'barking up the wrong tree'. For the atheists etc, they might take into consideration that Christianity has been around for a long time and still is growing in numbers despite their best efforts to abort this. And as this article points out, atheists and agnostics often don't tend to "believe in nothing" but rather, they have been known to embrace occult beliefs and other superstitions which have been long discarded by Christians. As Chesterton pointed out "When man ceases believing in God, he doesn't believe in nothing but rather will believe anything!"

Does that mean the Christians who believe in the rapture, are closer to the truth then at least about the future? Not exactly. The idea of escaping the suffering and embracing the cross have been lost from the rapture doctrine which while pleasant to believe, does not seem to be following what Jesus told us to do and that is to quite literally, "Take up your cross and follow Me"

Those of us who follow Jesus were never promised a Rose Garden or an easy escape either. We were rather promised a cross which if we embrace it, would help carry on our Lord's work as well as helping us to become closer to the Divine, so that when we die and enter Heaven, Jesus will say "Well done good and faithful servant!"

God hits the mainstream media during the Royal Wedding!

I am watching the wedding of William and Kate which has a church service looking very Catholic, splashed across the secular media (and to be encored several times today - i.e. on TLC)! And in Times Square, there are thousands of folks watching the live broadcast ---- a CHURCH service preaching about --- GOD on a media which is trying so hard to delete God!!!! God is not only kind and merciful - He is downright CUTE!!!

Imagine as ONE THIRD OF THE WORLD WATCHED, on secular TV and in usually God-less NY Times Square, the following religious speech delivered by the ArchBishop of London!

"As the reality of God has faded from so many lives in the West, there has been a corresponding increase in expectations that personal relations alone will supply meaning and happiness in life. This is to load our partner with too great a burden. We all are incomplete, we all need the Love which is secure rather than oppressive. We need mutual forgiveness in order to thrive. But as we move towards our partner in love, following the example of Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit is quickened within us. And can increasingly fill our lives with light. This leads on to a family life which offers the best conditions in which the next generation can receive and exchange those gifts which can overcome fear and division and incubate the coming world of the Spirit whose fruits are love and joy and peace. I pray that all of us present and the many millions watching and sharing in this ceremony and in your joy today, will do everything in our power to support and uphold you in your new life. And I pray that God will bless you in the way of life that you have chosen. That way which is expressed in the prayer that you have composed together in preparation for this day. "God our Father, we thank You for our families, for the love that we share, and for the joy of our marriage. In the busy-ness of each day, keep our eyes fixed on what is real and important in life and help us to be generous with our time and love, and energy. Strengthened by our union, help us to love and comfort those who suffer. We ask this in the Spirit of Jesus Christ!" And we all say 'AMEN'!"

The bride is wearing a modest wedding dress by the way, not one of those strapless things brides seem to favor today! The music is beautiful and very sacred!

And the atheists really think they can keep God off the networks? NOT! I love it!!!! Yay God!!!

Baby Joseph - state murder or not?

Baby Joseph is a 13 month old baby who is on life support and in a vegetative state (the five main areas of his brain have been damaged by a severe degenerative neurological condition). In the hospital, his parents want to take him home to die "in their arms" but the state has issued a court order to pull out the respirator and "let nature take its course" and the pro life movement is going ballistic, comparing the case to the regrettable murder of Terry Schiavo.

However, it's not the same. Schiavo was severely handicapped but from neurologists who examined her case history and even from films on the website, not in a persistent vegetative state - she was non verbal but teased her doctor and followed with her eyes and smiled at her parents. A neurologist in Florida opined that she could have been rehabbed and he had in fact, rehabbed several cases with similar CT scan results. And Schiavo was an adult whose rights should not have been turned over to her divorced estranged husband. She breathed on her own and they enforced her starving to death by pulling her feeding tube and stationing 5 police officers on guard around the bed to prevent family from feeding her by mouth (she could eat soft foods by mouth and of course, could take liquids). That was first degree murder and sadly the whole country stood by and watched.

Baby Joseph needs a trach to be allowed to leave the hospital. The doctors say that they know a lot more about trachs and that he could die on the table and secondly, probably wonder if his parents want to see him bleeding from the trach, his insides ripping up and suctioning the trach tube every 2 hours etc. So in this case, there might be a medical reason to withdraw the respirator.

However, the pro life movement is comparing it to Schiavo and there is really no resemblance. Terry was not dying and could have been rehabbed. Baby Joseph is dying. Terry was not really vegetative but rather non verbal and severely handicapped. But Baby Joseph is vegetative.

Here are a couple of comments which were very relevant on one of the news sites:

From Doug in Canada:
It's hard not to get choked up reading about kids like this.It hits everyone hard.This is the sad part of life.But it is life in the real world. Lord knows if this was my child,I would likely be hanging on to the very last breath too. But here's the thing.First,the father wants the child to die a "natural" death.In truth,isn't it already to late for that? Were it not for medical intervention,he would probably not have survived this long.Prolonging the suffering of this child is not something they are doing for the child,the parents are doing that for themselves. Saying good-bye to your child is the worst of all horrors, and one that no one wants to face.But there are times when you have to let go.If this child cannot recover from this,the sooner the parents face that reality,the better it will be for everyone. Every life counts.But prolonging the suffering of someone incurable,is just plain cruel.And not only that,the resources that the health care system spends trying to prolong a life that seems lost already,could be far better used to save a child who can be saved. Logic and reason aside,my heart goes out to all those involved.I readily concede that it's easier to use logic and reason when you're far removed from the family,and the pain they must be in.It's not easy to use logic and reason when the issue is about your family.While I don't think prolonging this child's suffering is the right thing to do,I can't criticize this family unless I walk in their shoes.

From Rick in SJ
Playing God?? Oh you guys are having it backwards. ... It is because of medicine and modern science that this child is as old as he is now. For them to pull the plug is not playing God, for when the plug IS pulled...isn't it "the will of God" that will take him from them? If he wanted the child to live, he would have him breathing on his own and etc.You are thinking this backwards. I almost lost a son too when he was 2 months of age and had the doctors told me that he wouldn't have lived, and given the objective information (no reflexes, full vegetative state) I would have done what they asked...they are PROFESSIONALS who deal with life and death every day...there isn't emotion attached to this.

Bottom line, perhaps we should pick our battles more carefully. While this is a sad case, it may not be the one to make a media event to prove a point which may not even be relevant to the pro life cause.

Breaking news: Baby Joseph may be moved to a Detroit hospital, sources now say.