Young Priests more conservative

Although I don't like the tone of this article has about it, I think it is talking about something we should all be looking forward to. We need more priests who take their role more seriously. We need more priests who are willing to defend the faith as opposed to compromise it.

kencraw on 02.27.04 @ 05:28 PM PST [link]

"The Passion" thoughts

I won't call this a review, because so many have given their review of the movie, but I thought it was worth commenting on.

First the subtitling. I was surprised how little this bugged me. I'm usually someone who has no tolerance for foreign movies mostly because I don't like following the subtitles. But something about "The Passion" didn't give me that usual feel. I felt right at home. Maybe it was that I'm fairly well versed in the Gospels and could probably have still had a good experience wtih the movie without the subtitles.

The next thought is that it wasn't as violent as I was expecting. Sure it was violent, but I've seen my fair share of violent movies. I think the thing that made people so repulsed by the violence is that it was violence against Christ. There was only one scene that had me physically reacting.

I think it did an excellent job of portraying Mary. Hopefully this movie will help lessen the divide between Protestants and Catholics in regards to Mary. She was a beautiful, loving, wonderful mother throughout the whole movie and that is why Catholics keep her in our prayers so often, because of that example she is for us.

The one scene that sent me sobbing was the scene where Mary ran to help Christ as he was falling. They used a flashback to show Mary running for Jesus as a child and paralleled that to running to Jesus as he was faultering to carry the cross. It made me think of the profound love Mary had for her Son. I think we forget to love Christ that way all too often and if we can't love Christ that way, how can we love others that way? I felt humbled and ashamed and loved all at the same time. I needed a good cry for Christ!

All in all, this is a movie all Christians (of appropriate age) need to see. They need to see it not because they'll "enjoy" it or even because they'll be glad they did or think it was a good movie. But we all need to have a personal encounter with Christ's suffering and to have it vividly in our minds. This film will do that for most people. For those that walk away repulsed or unaffected, having seen it will give them the opportunity to discuss it with others, be in their minds when participating in stations of the cross, other religious reflections and group meetings. I believe that through those opportunities even those who are not profoundly affected by the movie initially, will have that opportunity to know Christ's suffering in a very personal fashion.

kencraw on 02.27.04 @ 05:06 PM PST [link]

Priestly Abuse Study released today

CNN has this article on the release of the data on the Priestly sexual abuses between 1950 and 2002. The results are:

-10,667 abuse allegations.
-Ordained persons accused of abuse totaled 4,392, about 4 percent of all priests.
-56 percent were accused to have abused one victim.
-3.5 percent were accused to have 10 or more victims, accounting for 27 percent of all allegations

What that says to me is that 3.5% of 4% (0.14%) of the accused priests were the cause of this "scandal". In other words out of the 100,000 priests that represented The Church over that time, about 150 of them were the source of the scandal. Sure the other priests are a problem, but they don't constitute a scandal of the church because most of them seem to have been delt with in a reasonable quick fashion and were prevented from repeatedly disgracing God and His Church. It was those few that were allowed to repeatedly sin against The Church and its members that are the source of the scandal.

I know that the Diocese of Sacramento had about 1.5% of priests acused of abuse with very few repeat offenders. It was previously reported in local news outlets. I wonder if those 150 truly scandalous cases were spread across the country, or localized to a small number of diocese.

In the end, it is time to pray (as always). May this Lent be a time of repentance for our Church, that she may regain the glory that Christ has called her into service for.

kencraw on 02.27.04 @ 01:02 PM PST [link]

Quote of the Day

"The greatest challenge of the day is: how to bring about a revolution of the heart."

-Dorothy Day

kencraw on 02.27.04 @ 12:45 PM PST [link]

No blogging fast for me

I'm fasting in many ways over Lent, many of which will take my prayers and those of others to be successful, but I won't be fasting from blogging as so many Catholics do. We all must fast in the way that we feel will best serve God. You can expect that my blog will continue to be active over the Lenten season.

On the other hand, I'll definitely use the 'blogging fast' as my excuse why no one makes any comments on my blog. I need something for my peace of mind.

May God bless us all and help us to make our Almsgiving, Prayer and Fasting a valuable tool in growing closer to you.

kencraw on 02.26.04 @ 02:09 PM PST [link]

I'm seeing "The Passion" tonight

I can't wait. The people I know who have seen it have been awful quiet about it. I think they mostly want people to see it for themselves.

But while I'm waiting, here's an article on why the Jewish Anti-Defamation League should be more charitable towards Mel Gibson.

kencraw on 02.26.04 @ 01:58 PM PST [link]

Quote of the Day

"I have a dream today... that we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics will able to join hands and in the words of the old Negro spiritual: FREE AT LAST! FREE AT LAST! THANK GOD ALMIGHTY, WE'RE FREE AT LAST!"

-Martin Luther King Jr. at his 'I have a dream speach' in Washington DC

kencraw on 02.26.04 @ 01:55 PM PST [link]

Thoughts on today's Gospel reading

I think it is very important to remember the aspect of our Lenten journey that Christ highlights in today's Gospel. We give alms, pray and fast, not for others, but for our relationship with God.

So do not boast when you give to the poor this Lent.
Do not complain how hungry you are when you fast.
Do not say "Boy a good hamburger sounds good right about now!" when abstaining on Fridays.

All of these kind of things are not about growing in your faith, but about sharing with the world how great your faith is. An important message as we enter Lent, a time of Almsgiving, Prayer and Fasting.

May God grant us all a wonderful Lenten season to grown in our faith in Him.

kencraw on 02.25.04 @ 04:20 PM PST [link]

Quote of the Day

"When you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites.
They neglect their appearance, so that they may appear to others to be fasting.
Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward.
But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face,
so that you may not appear to be fasting, except to your Father who is hidden.
And your Father who sees what is hidden will repay you."

-Jesus Christ from The Gospel of Matthew

kencraw on 02.25.04 @ 04:15 PM PST [link]

The Unity of Christianity

Sunday was the Feast of The Chair of St. Peter. It didn't show up on the header of my blog (since I know you're all daily checking that my header is accurate ) because on Sunday's I force the day to show what the day will be as reflected in the readings at Mass (or at least that is the goal). In any case, the Pope gave a short speach on the importance of Christian Unity.

Today I think we should pray for that unity. I think we need to remember Christ's call of Peter to build His church. This isn't just about the Papacy (although it is inter-related), it's about One Universal Church. It's about Paul going to Peter to discuss circumcision even though he didn't really need to to be successful in spreading the Gospel. It's about all Christians acting as One Church. We need to pray for Christ's help in restoring that unity.

I had a thought the other day: The first millennium of The Church was about building Christendom. The second millennium of The Church was about dividing Christendom. Let's make the 3rd millennium the millennium of re-unification.

kencraw on 02.24.04 @ 09:58 AM PST [link]

Do re-married Catholics have to abstain from Eucharist?

I've heard so many contradicting opinions on the subject. But in a recent interview Cardinal Ratzinger says it pretty clearly:

"Q: In regard to divorced persons who have remarried, do you think that the situation of exclusion from receiving Communion will continue to be in force?

Cardinal Ratzinger: If the first marriage was valid and they [the new couple] live in a union that is opposed to the sacramental bond, the exclusion remains in force."

That sounds to me like like a prohibition on Eucharist for those who are re-married and haven't gotten an annulment.

Anyone have other information that contradicts this? One note of importance, Eucharist for the divorced is not the same as Eucharist for the remarried. I think this is part of the issue that causes confusion. Remember that Christ said: "I say to you, whoever divorces his wife (unless the marriage is unlawful) and marries another commits adultery." (Matt. 19:9 emphasis added) The 'and marries another' is an important component of that statement that often gets overlooked. Walking away from a bad or abusive marriage is one thing, to re-marry is another.

Here's the inteview text which goes into a number of subjects other than Eucharist and re-marriage.

kencraw on 02.24.04 @ 09:42 AM PST [link]

"The Passion" opens tomorrow

Tomorrow Mel Gibson's movie "The Passion of The Christ" opens in theatres everywhere. As it has been shown in so many places that there are a TON of reviews from people who have seen the movie in the last few days. I haven't seen one that hasn't said very good things about it.

I'm really looking forward to seeing it. Unfortunately I won't be able to see it on opening day. But I'll be off to see it by Friday night, I hope. It's all about the babysitting. Any volunteers?

kencraw on 02.24.04 @ 09:26 AM PST [link]

President Bush asks for a Constitutional Amendment

Well, it seems my earlier questions have been answered. Bush gave a press conference this morning and supported an amendment to the constitution that would ban gay marriage but leave the states' right to have civil unions.

It seems that Bush was only waiting for what he felt was the right time.

Here is the transcript of his speach.

kencraw on 02.24.04 @ 09:03 AM PST [link]

Quote of the Day

People are often unreasonable, illogical and self-centered. Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish ulterior motives. Be kind anyway.
If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies. Succeed anyway.
If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you. Be honest and frank anyway.
What you spend years building,someone may destroy overnight. Build anyway.
If you find serenity and happiness, others may be jealous. Be happy anyway.
The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow. Do good anyway.
Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough. Give the world the best you have anyway.
Why?
Because in the final analysis, all of this is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway.

-Mother Teresa

kencraw on 02.24.04 @ 08:55 AM PST [link]

Child abuse abound

This article talks about how it is difficult to compare clergy abuses in the Catholic Church and in protestant churches.

While this may be true that the Catholic Church is not alone in failing its people, I don't think it is a subject we should be spending a lot of time on.

We're not called by Christ to be mediocre. We're called to pick up our crosses and follow Him. Whether or not others are living up to that call is not relevant. We are not judged based on how we compare to our peers. We are judged by how we respond to Christs call.

kencraw on 02.23.04 @ 03:28 PM PST [link]

Quote of the Day

More of a story today:

A professor fills a glass jar with baseball size rocks and asks his class if the jar was full. About half the class said yes. The professor says, "No, it's not full!" and proceeds to pull out a bag of gravel and pours it into the jar. "Is it full now?" the professor asks. Again some say yes, some say no. "No, it's not full!" and pulls our a bag of sand and pours it into the jar. "Is it full now?" Now, although some are hesitant, most think it is full. "No it is not full!" repeats the professor as he pulls out a jug of water and fills the jar with water. "NOW it is full! What does this teach us?" Most said something about there always smaller holes that can be filled up.

"WRONG AGAIN!" The professor yells. "The lesson is that if you don't start with the biggest items, you'll never get it all in."

-Unknown professor speaking about time management, but very applicable to the tenets of our faith.

kencraw on 02.23.04 @ 03:07 PM PST [link]

Thoughts on today's Gospel reading

This is one of my favorite passages from scripture because it calls us to something so remarkably different than what our society calls us to. What particularly comes to mind is our society's idea of charity. Over the years, as a society, we've changed our mindset on our social programs to, in general, require something in return from those who we are helping. As an example, for those who need welfare or unemployment money we insist that they prove not only that they need the money, but that they are doing their best to find a job, or in the case of welfare are working and just can't make ends meet. "There's no free handouts!" we say.

I'm not so sure that is bad for a society, particularly for a secular one where taking advantage of each other is encouraged instead of condemned. But the problem is that we too often associate our societal charity with our Christian charity. Christ calls us to something far larger than that. We give not because our society needs it (and therefore indirectly is for our own benefit) but because it is the Christian thing to do.

It doesn't matter then if the person we give to doesn't need it. It doesn't matter if society will be better off. It doesn't even matter if the person we are giving to will be better off. What matters is that we are sharing in Christian love, with everyone. From my humble perspective, it seems to work because Christian love is infectious.

But in the end, it need not "seem to work" or have any benefit. God calls us to it and He, in his omnipotent state, knows why He has called us to it. We need only follow faithfully, hand over our Tunic and praise Him. That's the radical message today's Gospel calls us to.

kencraw on 02.22.04 @ 09:02 AM PST [link]

Quote of the Day

"...love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,
bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.
To the person who strikes you on one cheek, offer the other one as well,
and from the person who takes your cloak, do not withhold even your tunic.
Give to everyone who asks of you, and from the one who takes what is yours do not demand it back.
Do to others as you would have them do to you.
For if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you?
Even sinners love those who love them."

-Jesus speaking in the Gospel of Luke (6:27-32)


kencraw on 02.22.04 @ 08:43 AM PST [link]