Editorial shorts

Two editorial shorts to offer on this early afternoon away from work...

We took in Ben Stein's new movie, Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed, last week. To say it was moving, impactful, and emotional understate the importance of this film. I am grateful to God for the time I spent studying Catholic apologetics, the writings of the Fathers, and early Church history, but Expelled provided the epiphany of seeing the real "fight" isn't with our Protestant brothers and sisters, but rather, New Age spiritualism, moral relativism, and atheism. Father Dwight Longenecker of St. Joesph Catholic School in Greenville, North Carolina offers this thought provoking missive on differences between Catholic and Protestant thinking, yet concludes with a call to pose a united front in today's culture war. (On a related aside, if you're interested in reading a solidly written movie review on Stein's film, one that isn't skewed by the secular mainstream media, click here.)

Secondly, I want to praise New York Cardinal Edward Egan for publicly criticizing former New York mayor and presidential hopeful Rudy Giuliani for receiving the Eucharist during Pope Benedict's recent visit to the United States. Giuliani, who is openly in favor of abortion rather than the seemingly mandatory pro-life stance any conscientious, practicing Catholic embraces, received Holy Communion and, in doing so, broke something of an agreement he had with the Cardinal. Catholics aren't free to pick and choose which Church doctrine they'll follow and which they feel like ignoring, so I'm pleased with Cardinal Egan for taking a stand in the name of orthodoxy. Full story here.

In need of a wake up call

I formulate this post with the requisite love and charity incumbent of a devout, conscientious, practicing Catholic, but I'm not going to candy-coat what I'm about to say.

As I drove to work yesterday morning, mouth agape over what I was absorbing via Fox News Radio, I couldn't help but think there are legion Catholics today in need of a wake up call, "Catholics" by label alone who either (a) don't understand the gift they have in the Church or (b) don't appreciate the aforementioned gift. In either scenario, Catholics by label aren't leading the converted lives our Lord would want us to.

The news story I heard summarized in the blip on the radio referred to a recent Georgetown University study of American Catholics. An excerpt:

American Catholics said in a new survey they were pleased with the leadership of Pope Benedict XVI, ahead of his first visit to the U.S. since he was elected. The study also found intense interest in faith among some young people. Yet, few parishioners overall said they go to confession, and most believed they could be good Roman Catholics without going to Mass.

(AP story link here with link to Georgetown University's study here.)

Aside from the fact most of us are satisfied with Pope Benedict's leadership as the Vicar of Christ, the lack of participation in the Sacrament of Reconciliation (aka confession, penance) is sobering. More disturbing yet is the apparently widespread and growing like cancer notion Catholics can be "good" Catholics without going to Mass.

I'll address Reconciliation in another post, because it deserves its own discussion. For now, let me say this: If you believe you can be a good Catholic without the Mass, you're mistaken, it's as simple as that.

Three reasons.

The Mass is hugely beneficial to parishioners who attend. Not only are you changed interiorly by the Liturgy of the Word (assuming one listens attentively and allows the Word to have an effect), but the mystery and power of the Eucharist cannot be overstated (again, assuming one receives in a state of grace and with open heart and mind to the presence of our Lord in the host). Think about it. If you truly believe He's there, how could He not change you for the better, and how could you not want to receive Him weekly (or more often)?

Yet the Mass is more than something that conveys cosmic grace and blessing. It's beyond mere ritual to make you "good" and allow you to more easily lead a life pleasing to Christ. It's worship. Scripture and tradition are both clear on this, we make holy the Sabbath and give thanks and praise to the Lord our God on Sundays. True, you worship God Monday through Saturday in charitable acts, loving your neighbor, a hard day's work, in prayer, etc., but the Mass is worship personified; we literally meet Christ in the Eucharist.

Finally, as Catholics, we're called to be obedient. The Church proclaims various Holy Days of Obligation. We are to attend Mass on HDOs and on the Sabbath (Sundays, or Saturday night after 5PM for those of us who have to work Sundays). We comply because we trust in the Church to "unionize" us in more meaningful relationship with Jesus. Someone has to be the authority here on earth, right? Or should everyone be comfortable figuring it all out on their own and consequently approaching St. Peter at the Pearly Gates while belting out Sinatra's "I did it myyyyyyy way!"?

At the end of the day, I disagree with any Catholic who claims they can be "good" without the Mass. Willfully not going to Mass, the place we worship Christ and receive him in Word and in Sacrament, is disobedient - definitively not good.

Intentionally skip Mass and risk finding yourself in darkness ... morally, spiritually, physically, and emotionally. Once this habit becomes ingrained -ignoring the Church- how much farther will we slide?

No Reconciliation.

No prayer life.

No adoration.

No conviction.

No Catholicism.

No thanks.

Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed

This is a movie I yearn to see. Less a comedy than it looks, according to what I've read in the pre-screen reviews. In fact, I don't believe it's a comedy per se at all.

Ben Stein is a favorite columnist of mine and this movie should be a compelling argument for the following statement: People aren't crackpots for believing in a creator; in fact, it just might be more reasonable to assume the position that "Intelligent Design" is a viable concept than the notion it's not.

From an early review I copped online:

Expelled is a hard-hitting, yet often humorous, documentary that chronicles how Darwin-dissenters have been ruthlessly expelled, or otherwise persecuted, in their professions. It is hosted by the very entertaining civil rights activist / economist / presidential speechwriter / cultural icon (actor and quiz-show host), Ben Stein, whom filmmakers follow as he goes on a personal quest to examine the origins question.

Official Movie Site

Official Super Trailer via YouTube

My tiny cross

Yesterday afternoon, my wife and I were out walking Gracie (54 pounds of Dalmatian Rescue, plucked-from-the-street, dog-aggressive muscle, tendon, teeth and bone) when two big black dogs came barreling down the steps of a deck, charging across the grass at sixty miles an hour. We were in a commons area which runs behind the homes on the south side of our street. Great place to walk since it's right outside the back gate in our fence.

Anyway, Gracie is wholly unafraid of a fight and she charged with about 25' of extended leash to her benefit. I yelled and began running in the opposite direction to take up the slack I knew I couldn't manually retrieve in time.

Almost immediately, I tripped and fell. Eyeballing the impending canine collision, I began to reel her in by hand-over-handing the extended leash (the cord's diameter is about the size of half a lamp cord) when she really went for it.

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!

Somehow I stopped her, but it wasn't pretty. The rope burn I suffered is across my pinkie, ring and middle fingers on my left hand. The one on my pinkie is quite deep, a wide open trough of raw flesh in the crook of my second knuckle.

The other two fingers aren't as bad, but taken together, there is no way in heck I'll be able to grip a barbell for awhile. Frustrating because I've set two personal records in the gym in the last two weeks, and now it looks like I'll have no choice but to take a week off. Otherwise, I don't have a clue how these weeping, gooey gashes on my fingers are going to heal.

Twenty-four sore hours later, it dawned on me. My tiny cross is just that, the grand total of a minor and temporary inconvenience. Indeed, I'm blessed the leash didn't saw right through the flexor tendon of my fingers, landing me in the OR for emergency surgery.

The spouses of our dead veterans, the kids in cancer wards, the families battling addiction and other social ills in our country, I suspect any one of them would trade me places quite happily.

So I'll semi-reluctantly take my week off from the gym, giving my discomfort up to the Lord, thanking God my injury wasn't worse, and thankful I was able to keep our dog away from what would have been a bloody fight and a big vet bill. With my new found free time, maybe I can work in adoration of the Blessed Sacrament or an extra Mass or Lectio Divina over scripture.

Time for a Lenten fish fry with a couple from work, God bless and have a great weekend.

OTHER 6

An innovative website has been launched by Loyola Press, Jesuit publishers in Chicago.

Paul Campbell, a native of Belfast and a Jesuit working at Chicago's Loyola Press, believes the Other6 website takes the essence of Saint Ignatius' "Examen of Consciousness" and brings it to the web.

When you visit the site, you respond to one of two questions. First, where have I found God today? Secondly, where do I need to find God today?

Campbell believes the practice of answering these questions on a regular basis will help people become more mindful of God’s presence in their lives and will increase their self-awareness.

Visitors can follow the sequences of comments that have been attached to various topics, leave their own remarks, or avail themselves of the reminders the site offers.

The site has a graphic format. The page presents an image of clustered bubbles on the screen, some dark and some in lighter blue. Each bubble represents a visitor's idea, recording their insights and comments. Holding the cursor over a bubble shows they're grouped in two categories, listing either where people have found God or where they would like to find Him.

Asked, "What does the name Other6 mean?" Paul says, "I chose this name principally because it is short, not 'churchy' and -hopefully- somewhat intriguing. It implies some people 'find' God on Sundays in church, but that site is helpful the Other6 days of the week."

Back in the light

Last Sunday, my wife and I attended an evening mass at St. Elizabeth Ann Seaton parish in Omaha. It's a youth group mass catering (mostly) to teenagers and their families, but due to our having missed the vigil on Saturday night (a childhood friend's wedding), we needed to find a Sunday night mass to fulfill our Sabbath obligation. A quick search on archomaha.org and we were on our way...

Look, I'm not a music aficionado. I listen to talk radio. So when the eight member/four piece Christian rock band fired up for the first time, I felt unmoved. Neither did the architecture of St. Elizabeth inspire me. The church was built like many others in the late 70s and early 80s. If you're a Catholic who appreciates the grand old cathedrals and basilicas which dazzle the senses with classic, skyward-pointing architecture, you know what I'm talking about.

Still, it was the mass, and I'm always desirous of the scripture readings and, especially, our Lord in the Eucharist. I also enjoyed seeing my old boss at OPD, Deacon Marty Crowley. And the young and energetic Fr. Jeff Lorig's homily was superb.

Fast-forward to the end of mass. The recessional song -the final selection played as the priest, deacon and acolytes depart the sanctuary- was a piece by a guy named Charlie Peacock. Until Sunday, I'd never heard of the man. Here's an excerpt of his song:

I keep trying to find a life
On my own, apart from you
I am the king of excuses
I've got one for every selfish thing I do

Whats going on inside of me?
I despise my own behavior
This only serves to confirm my suspicions
That Im still a man in need of a Savior

(chorus)
I wanna be in the light
As you are in the light
I wanna shine like the stars in the heavens
Oh, Lord be my light and be my salvation
Cause all I want is to be in the light
All I want is to be in the light

The disease of self runs through my blood
It's a cancer fatal to my soul
Every attempt on my behalf has failed
To bring this sickness under control

(chorus, etc.)

That song resonated deep within me and provoked me to attend daily mass the following day, Monday, and confess a sin I had been sitting on awhile (I was thinking God might forget about it?).

Thus, I learned a valuable lesson last weekend from a church which didn't "look" like God's House (at least to my skewed perspective) and from a band playing their hearts out whom, in doing so, captured mine.

I thank the Lord for the little nudges of love we're blessed with from time to time. They often come from the least predictable of sources.

Klondike Bar

Battling insomnia early this morning (not even Super Tuesday returns on Fox News put me out!), I did the deed one last time, at least until Lent is over: I ate my final "sweet bite" (the term my wife affectionately assigns dessert, something of a misnomer I argue, as the "sweet bite" is always comprised of multiple bites).

Anyway, the late night indulgence was a Klondike Reeses Peanut Butter Cup ice cream bar. Being a less-is-more kind of guy, I'd pull an armed robbery for a plain vanilla Klondike bar, so it was with some disappointment that I polished off my last sweet anything until Easter. Good, not great, I should have known better. [sigh]

I realize a goodly number of Christians give up some sort of food item for Lent, and I never figured to get on that particular bandwagon, but combined with the intake of healthy food and copious time spent in the gym, I endeavor to get in the best shape of my life by summertime. So I'm joining the crowd and avoiding the good tasting stuff for a spell.

"Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body."

1 Corinthians 6:19-30

Model of Religious Intolerance

The always classy Bill Maher sporting a Steve Irwin costume at a Halloween party following the famous conservationist's untimely and tragic sting-ray related death.

If the below sort of unvarnished hatred was manifest in public diatribe against African-Americans, Hispanics, homosexuals et al, we'd see condemnation from the four corners of the earth, but so long as Bill Maher confines his bigotry to Christians, then I guess it's all okay?

Perhaps HBO should rename Real Time With Bill Maher to Real Intolerance With Bill Maher.

Signed,

A (former) subscriber of HBO programming

http://www.catholicleague.org/release.php?id=1372
http://www.catholicleague.org/release.php?id=1372

He was there

Retired McHenry County Illinois Police Captain Glenn Olson, colleague and Christian brother, replied to a devotion his pastor had written which mentioned the Virginia Tech shootings. An excerpt from his pastor's devotion:

"I think it is sad that a college student who kills 32 people gets more front-page coverage than the Savior who has redeemed millions from death and hell."

-Pastor Ken Klaus, speaker of Lutheran Hour Ministries

What follows is Glenn's response. Though written to address the V-Tech massacre, his message resonates with me and applies directly to our experiences with a mass murderer at Westroads Mall last month.

Dr. Klaus, yes, it is sad, but consider this. Christ was there. He was evident throughout the day and the many days afterward.

I retired in June 2006 after serving thirty-three years as a sheriff's police captain for a northwest collar county in the suburbs of Chicago. As a police captain in charge of field operations, I was routinely summoned and became involved in many grisly, heinous cases.

Whether it was a criminal offense or tragic car crash, I quickly learned that bad things happen to good people. When tragedy occurs and people are at their lowest, they reach to the heavens for strength and call upon His name for help. Yes, I agree the media routinely denies Him, and they sensationalize the criminal act. But no matter how hard the media may choose to deny the message of His love, that message still resonates from deep within the suffering.

I have seen many people that were estranged from the church or did not worship, begin holding hands with others praying in His name and asking for comfort, healing, and support. I have personally prayed with victims and have seen the miracle of Christ working quietly. That day the news coverage could not hide the praying hands or censor the people requesting our prayers. Christ was there. He was there for anyone willing to open their hearts.

I belong to the FCPO, the "Fellowship of Christian Police Officers". In our monthly meetings, the individual testimonies speak to the many ways in which Christ leads our paths. Hopefully, through us, others may know Him. At Virginia Tech that fateful day, I know that many emergency workers quietly called His name asking for safety and His guiding hands. The media may try to deny Him, but He was there.

THE PRAYER: Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for being there when tragedy strikes. Thank you for holding the grieving families, the emergency workers, and the victims in Your loving arms. Please continue to help those so deeply affected by that terrible day. Let those who want to deny Your presence see that through all the pain and suffering, You are there. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Catholic Voice interview on Von Maur

The Catholic Voice, official publication of the Archdiocese of Omaha, interviewed me about the Von Maur incident. Other publications and news media outlets secularize their content; not so with Catholic Voice.

Thank you to Lisa Maxon, associate editor at CV, for taking the time to do a very well thought out, well reported story on this dark day in Omaha's history.

We continue to pray for the victims and their families...

LINK