Remember this post, I gave the NYT their due

Here is a great opinion article from the New York Times. That article put into words the thoughts I've been having trouble articulating for a long time now. We must be a people that understands religion. A purely secular society without a real understanding of religious principles is doomed to failure.

kencraw on 03.26.04 @ 11:45 AM PST [link]

One of the many reasons I love the Catholic Church

Ever since I became Catholic, I keep finding new reasons why I love being a member of The Church. This article about how The Church is encouraging and helping doctors and scientists find cures for sterility only strengthens that love for me.

We're a Church of doers. If there is a problem in the world, we don't just complain about it. We don't just set rules and limit people as is the charge so often about religion. No, we have compassion for those who are in need. As an example, for those who are struggling with having an abortion, we provide both pre-natal and post-natal care to help them through a difficult time and to do it without resorting to abortion.

Now we've added to the already EXTREMELY LONG list of all that we do, helping those who struggle with sterility. For those who are considering going to immoral lengths to try and have a baby, we don't just tell them, "tough! deal with it." No, we reach out and do everything we can to help them without compromising the truth.

I love the Catholic Church!

kencraw on 03.26.04 @ 11:40 AM PST [link]

Quote of the Day

Jake's Mom: “There is a reason why you’re brother isn’t here.”
Rabbi Jake: “Yeah I know.”
Jake's Mom: “No you don’t know.”
Rabbi Jake: “No, I know and I’m not going to let that happen again.”
Jake's Mom: “You don’t know! I made a mistake. It’s true he is punishing me a little too much for it, but it was my fault. It’s hard to see your son as a man. I couldn’t do that for him. You’re a man Jake, you’re a good man. I did a good job with you. Make your own decisions about what’s important to you. I’m proud of you no matter what.”

-Rabbi Jake (played by Ben Stiller) talking with his mother about why his brother, who married a Catholic woman, isn't at the hospital to visit her, against the backdrop that Rabbi Jake has been dating a non-Jewish woman, in the movie 'Keeping the Faith'.

kencraw on 03.26.04 @ 11:27 AM PST [link]

Thoughts on today's Gospel reading

Today is the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord to Mary, or in layman's terms The Annunciation. That's why the blog colors have changed again from the Lenten Violet to the Feast/Solemnity White (with a little "Gold" for good luck!) for today.

The Annunciation is the name we use for the angel of the Lord coming to Mary to announce to her that she was to be the mother of Jesus. It marks Christ being conceived in her womb. That's good news for all you kids out there, it means there is only 9 months until Christmas!

Mary has been such a divisive issue amongst Christians in the last few centuries and I wish it weren't the case. Really her role in the Catholic Church isn't something that should be objected to. There are many in The Church who don't place much emphasis on her and those who are particularly devoted to her. There is nothing that The Church says that requires us Catholics to pray Rosaries or anything like that. It is completely acceptable in The Church to pray as Protestants do, making all prayers directly to God. It is also completely acceptable to ask others to pray for us, including those who are part of the Body of Christ in heaven. I think there are many Protestants who don't understand the freedom that exists within the Catholic Church and that we in no way condemn the way that most Protestants pray or require intercessory prayer.

In any case, while there is continued dissent over Mary's Immaculate Conception or her Assumption or even her perpetual virginity, today's celebration is one that we can all rally around. For all Christians, we recognize the importance of The Annunciation and Mary's free yet humble response to the angel of the Lord.

Let's make today a day of unity. A day unlike politics where even though everyone agrees on the truth, they can't acknowlege it because it comes from the wrong party or "over-emphasizes" something that they're trying to minimize. The truth is the truth and we should celebrate it together. Today we celebrate the beginning of Christs life in the womb of the Virgin Mary. May God help us to do it as the one unified body of Christ, His Christian Church.

kencraw on 03.25.04 @ 12:37 PM PST [link]

Quote of the Day

"The angel Gabriel was sent from God
to a town of Galilee called Nazareth,
to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph,
of the house of David,
and the virgin's name was Mary.
And coming to her, he said,
"Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you."
But she was greatly troubled at what was said
and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.
Then the angel said to her,
"Do not be afraid, Mary,
for you have found favor with God.
Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son,
and you shall name him Jesus."
Mary said, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.
May it be done to me according to your word."'

-Luke 1:26-31,38 from today's Gospel reading

kencraw on 03.25.04 @ 12:23 PM PST [link]

Campaign money

Does anyone out there check the 'give 1 dollar to the presidential campaign fund' box on their tax return? I sure as heck don't. Until the 1 dollar ensures that presidential campaigns don't rely heavily on how much money they can raise, I have no desire to see them get even MORE money to campaign with.

What brought this to my attention is this article on the television ads for this years' presidential campaign. It is absolutely amazing how much money they are spending. Let's see, 300 million for a 200 thousand a year job (or 800K total). That's approximately a 300:1 spent to earned ratio!?! The worst part is that it isn't just the presidency. All the way down to the school boards in major cities. My Mom, back years ago when she ran for the school board, had a 1:2 ratio, which is still ridiculous. It should be like a 1:100 ratio.

I would be in favor of doing away with private campaigning and have completely publically funded campaigns. Why do we need ads on top of ads on top of ads with slick advertising companies spinning why either their candidate is the best thing since sliced bread or why the other candidate is like mold on sliced sourdough? Plus we get all the counter publicity of how Bush is dancing on the graves of those lives lost in 9/11 by putting a 8 frame reference to 9/11 in his campaign or how Kerry can't be elected because his head looks like a melon in his last ad (or whatever).

I think we should publish a larger version of the voter information pamphlet, maybe even do 3 or 4 of them to allow responses over time, along with some government funded interviews and debates (televised for big campaigns, on the radio for middle of the road, and live/transcript for local elections) and call it a day. That way we don't have all this crud. Candidates will be forced to put their position on paper and let the public decide.

When that is brought before congress and passed, THEN I'll check the $1 tax return box! Until then, some random homeless guy is more worthy of the buck even if he gives it to Jack Daniels.

kencraw on 03.24.04 @ 03:29 PM PST [link]

Quote of the Day

"The end of the world has been postponed because of a lack of qualified trumpeters."

-Humorous bumper sticker.

kencraw on 03.24.04 @ 03:08 PM PST [link]

Ecumenism and Evangelicals

I've been reading a book lately called 'Evangelicals and Catholics, Do They Share a Common Future?'. It is a series of articles about the progress being made in talks between Catholics and Evangelicals. So far I've been very happy with the articles by the Catholic authors and mostly disappointed by the ones by the Evangelicals.

The Catholics have been generous and charitable to the Evangelicals and thanked them for the contributions they've made to the Christian community as a whole while still being honest to the struggles that remain. On the other hand, the Evangelicals, while seeming to be glad that talks are progressing with Catholics, seemed to be unwilling to extend any amount of credit to the Catholics. "We're glad the Catholics are coming around to some of what we're doing, but until they see the fullness of why we're right, they're still not from God as a whole. Sure individual Catholics may be saved, but they're still the exception." Of course that's paraphrasing, but come on! And the part that bothers me the most is that the book is put together by a Catholic (priest I think) who brought together what he felth were the best of the Catholic-Evangelical Ecumenical movement. If this is the best the Evangelicals have to offer to the unity of Christianity, I'm extremely disheartened.

Please, someone, anyone, show me an Evangelical who gets it! I know that they have to be out there. I know too many good, Christ filled and charitable Evangelicals for these people not to exist. I'm not looking for someone who says Catholics are right as a whole, but someone who acknowleges that Evangelicals have a lot to learn from Catholics just like Catholics have come to recognize that we have a lot to learn from Evangelicals. And not just lip service, but actually has examples of areas they think represent that truth.

Anyone?

kencraw on 03.23.04 @ 10:42 AM PST [link]

Quote of the Day

Marty: “You can stop in at the Church if you go by.”
Angelo: “Come on, she’s thanked God enough already, OK?”
Marty: “You’re going to be a long while in purgatory, you are.”
Angelo: “Well I’ll be with friends.”

-From the movie 'Return to Me'

kencraw on 03.23.04 @ 10:29 AM PST [link]

Too funny for words

Jimmy Akin is a writer for a Catholic Apologetic organization called 'Catholic Answers'. Jack Chick is the most prominent anti-Catholic comic writer in the world. Here is an article on the two of them meeting. It is quite humorous.

kencraw on 03.22.04 @ 05:48 PM PST [link]

Thoughts on Sunday's Gospel reading

I had another weekend that was too enjoyable to be interrupted by a bunch of blogging so my regular Sunday reflections will have to be done today. I decided to focus on the parents of the blind man in my Quote of the Day because I think they often get lost in the context of the rest of this story in the Gospel of John, chapter 9.

When is the last time you heard of a trial here in the US where the parents of the accused person didn't proclaim their child's innocense? I can't think of a singular case. In fact it is such a trend that the parents testimony is as of little credibility as that of the accused. So what was it about the Pharisees that scared the parents of the blind man into giving such an illusive answer to their questions? They basically told the Pharisees, "Go ahead and kill our son, just don't associate him with us. If he wants to hang himself, that's his problem."

Or maybe they weren't so afraid of the Pharisees as they were of their son. Here was a boy who was most likely always a burden who all of a sudden is proclaiming that Jesus was a Prophet. That may have scared them too.

In either case, I think it is an unfortunately wonderful example of how easily we'll run and hide when our faith is put to the test and that we're even faster to run and hide when we are asked to stick up for the faith of our friends and family. Instead of listening to our friends and family who we've always trusted, when faced with something difficult in the matters of faith, we abandon our usual compassion and tell them 'live and let live'. "Don't get me tangled up in your web, I'm comfortable where I am."

May the blind man's parents be a reminder to us of how important it is to live within a faith community and to be one with those in that community when the difficult moments of faith come our way.

kencraw on 03.22.04 @ 02:52 PM PST [link]

Quote of the Day

'Now the Jews did not believe
that he had been blind and gained his sight
until they summoned the parents of the one who had gained his sight.
They asked them,
"Is this your son, who you say was born blind?
How does he now see?"
His parents answered and said,
"We know that this is our son and that he was born blind.
We do not know how he sees now,
nor do we know who opened his eyes.
Ask him, he is of age;
he can speak for himself."'

-John 9:18-21 from Sunday's Gospel reading (year A option)

kencraw on 03.22.04 @ 02:09 PM PST [link]