Catholic Culture Clash Links 3-24-2011

Aggie Catholic gives us some good news. We don't have to abstain from eating meat tomorrow due to the Solemnity of the Annunciation of Our Lord falling on a Friday.  This is great! Somehow I have managed to remember to avoid eating meat on Fridays during Lent so far this year.   I am usually so very awful at remembering to abstain from eating meat on Fridays.  Canon 1251 says:

Can. 1251 Abstinence from meat, or from some other food as determined by the Episcopal Conference, is to be observed on all Fridays, unless a solemnity should fall on a Friday. Abstinence and fasting are to be observed on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.


The Vatican has been silent on the military action in Libya.  I find this quite strange since usually either the Pope or authorities in the Church speak out when a military conflict arises. Sandro Magister from ExpressOnline is even questioning this. He has further thoughts on the matter here.  Do you think that the U.S., France, and Great Britain should have gone into Libya?  Do you think this military action is just or unjust?  


Then we have a radical priest who has crossed the line into absurdity on a number of occasions.  Father Pfleger is a disgrace to the priesthood.  Cardinal Francis George recently had a talk about with him about moving him from the parish, St Sabina, that he's been at for over 30 years to taking a leadership role at St. Leo High School.  This "priest" plays the race card and supports extremist political causes. ChicagoNow points out that: 


"Father Pfleger has indecently involved himself in numerous political causes. His favorite activism is to organize news camera grabbing pickets. He's picketed TV shows, business owners, and companies. He's called gun shop owners murderers and Threatened their lives, he's tried to get radio stations shut down, and he's erected billboards attacking musicians." 


Father Pfleger needs to be kept on a shorter leash on my opinion.  He has caused great scandal to the Church.  I just can't help but wonder why Cardinal Francis George hasn't done more to reprimand him or stop his radical political escapades.  Here are just a couple examples of how radical Fr. Phleger is: 








Do you honestly believe that Fr. Pfleger should be allowed to be in charge of school children?  

Boy Breaches Security To Meet Pope

The Boy is going to remember this moment forever.

VIDEO: Boy breaches security to meet Pope : MyFoxORLANDO.com

Vatican Treasure

Catholic Culture Clash Links 1-20-11

Along with a lot of other great links, I came across a link to a letter of "Principles and Priorities' by the USCCB's president, Archbishop Dolan, on Christopher Apologies blog which I read, and encourage every Catholic citizen to read.  I disagree with much of their letter since it seems like the only two political issues the bishops *get* are abortion and traditional marriage.

Cardinal Domenico Bartolucci, who served for over 40 years as director of the Sistine Chapel Choir, has made the charge that our Church music is in crisis.  "He was a child prodigy, having composed his first Mass at age 12; his best known Mass is the "Misa Jubilei," written in the Holy Year 1950."  Just because isn't used at Mass as often 50 years ago does that really mean that Church music is in crisis?  Especially when the Novus Ordo Mass was established by Vatican II?


 Then we have  Mexican producer and actor Eduardo Verastegui who announced that he is planning to build the largest pro-life women's clinic in the United States. He is truly doing the Lord's Work. God Bless him in his pro-life efforts. This is wonderful news! 


Pope Benedict recently spoke out against the violence being perpetrated against Christians in Egypt. Now Muslim academics are offended, and have called off dialogue with the Vatican. These Muslims are unbelievable!  They continually persecute Christians in the Middle East and then are offended when someone stands up against that persecution.  And, Islam is supposed to be the "religion of peace".   If they really were peaceful, then Muslims wouldn't be committing violence against persons of faiths. 


Christian genocide in Middle East.   


It looks like Obama is going to have a primary challenger in 2012.  This should be interesting. 


Deal W. Hudson has recently written an article where he asked "Do the USCCB understand subsidiarity?" received many responses, but one by Msgr. Pope  stood out.  Monsignor Pope asked, "Is it wise to apply the principle to a specific piece of legislation when the exact metric for subsidiarity isn't even clear?"  I agree with Deal Hudson when he states that "he {Msgr. Pope} is surely not unaware that USCCB support for this particular form of universal health care by federal mandate implies a virtual rejection of subsidiarity in the delivery of health goods and services."   This seems like the USCCB is abandoning a hallmark of Catholic social teaching, which is disgraceful in my opinion.  If we as faithful Catholics can't even rely on our bishops to follow the Faith in political matters correctly or in adherence with Church Teachings how can they honestly expect those who are struggling in the Faith to follow Catholic Social Teachings? 

Catholic Culture Clash Links - 12-12-10

 LifeSiteNews has reported on a survey of 13 to 16 year olds in the UK which shows that teens prefer to have information on being a parent and the responsibilities which go along with that rather than information on safe sex, sexual intercourse, contraception and sexually transmitted infections (STIs). This may be a hopeful sign.  It could also be a signal that these teens don't want to hear any advice on sexual matters.  Perhaps this is a kind of rebelious streak coming out on the part of teens but the fact that they want information on the responsibilities of parenthood may be a be a positive indicator that these teenagers will think with their brains about the consequences of their actions before they act to please their hormones.  What is your opinion on this?

According to an article by the Christian Telegraph if the legislation Don't Ask, Don't Tell is repealed or changed to allow gays to openly serve in the military this would have devastating affects on our millitary, especially on those serving overseas - more than 250, 000 troops may leave the military.  The Left claims that it isn't fair that gays can't openly serve in the military.   But are homosexuals forced to enter into the military or is it their choice?   Should the military be perverted and bend over backwards to accommodate gay soldiers?  Our troops don't want Don't Ask Don't Tell changed so why cause tensions and do damage and possibly irreparable harm to the United States military?  More than 60 chaplains sent a letter to Obama fearing that repealing this could harm religious liberty.  Thank goodness the bill which would repeal this was defeated by Congress this week but we must continue the good fight because the Left will not stop in their efforts to get this repealed.  I am so sick of the term fair and the way this word has been and continues to be distorted by the Left to promote gay rights or taxes when it is self evident that what they really want constitutes much more than fairness, but things they feel they are entitled when life unfortunately doesn't go the way that they would like.  They are whining like a bunch of crybabies acting out until they get what they want.  The liberal politicians enable their irresponsible behavior and stand by cheerleading them on, encouraging the perverted thought that they somehow have a "right" to the wealthy person's money, when they haven't done a darn thing to earn that money and the wealthy person has.  Liberals discourage and penalize success and reward failure.  This has simply got to stop!  While it is just for the wealthy to be paying more in taxes than those who are financially challenged it is unjust and unchristian for them to be excessively taxed.  Excessive taxation is theft. 

In a recent address Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone stated that Christians are the most persecuted and discriminated against group and called on the International community to fight against this discrimination of Christians with the same zeal that they show in opposing discrimination of other groups.  He is so right!!  Christians are under attack by Satan and all his little devils everyday.  We must continue to fight the battles today and ask St. Michael the Archangel to defend us in battle as we face the evil attacks on Christianity in our society each day. Secular society today specifically wants to break the bonds of Christian Truths as to promote a relativistic world without truth and morals.  As Christians we must speak truth and spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the world.

Catholic Culture Snippets - St. Peter's Tomb, An Act of Sacrificial Love & "The Way"

Ever want to visit the St. Peter's Tomb beneath St. Peter's Basilica but just can't seem to find the time or the money to do so?  Now, there is a way to visit St. Peter's Tomb without ever leaving your home.  Here is a site where you are able to take a most fascinating virtual tour of St. Peter's Tomb.

Somehow in September I missed the news of this act of selfless sacrificial love and bravery which Brian Wood from Vancouver displayed by sacrificing his own life so that his wife and unborn child may live. From CNA, here is a description of Erin's husband's final act: "unable to avoid the errant SUV, Brian Wood slammed the brakes and swerved his side of the car toward the oncoming vehicle, ensuring his certain death but protecting his wife, pregnant with their first child."


“I think it's pretty obvious … that if it would have been a head-on crash, we both would have been killed instantly, along with our baby,” Erin Wood told NBC's Today Show on September 13. “He definitely saved us. He made that choice, and I'm thankful for that.”

Erin Wood told the Today Show that the final sacrifice made by her husband of five years was in keeping with the way he had lived, “It's not a surprise at all. He was very excited for this baby, and always … incredibly loving towards me, and putting me first.”


His final act of love, she said “breaks my heart, and it also fills me with gratefulness.” Ms. Wood received only a black eye and a relatively minor blow to her head. The unborn child, a boy, was not harmed."

Actors Martin Sheen and Emilio Estevez star in the film "The Way".  This looks like it could be good.

Vatican Publishes Guide About Angels

Medjugorje Visionaries May Appear Before Vatican

"The Vatican commission that studies apparitions at Medjugorje is considering whether or not to question the six visionaries. The official Italian agency ANSA has revealed this.

They want them to speak about the Virgin's message and of the alleged secrets she revealed to them. In August of 1982 visionaries spoke in front of another commission founded by the bishop, but did not want to reveal the supposed secrets.

Benedict XVI started this new commission in March of 2010 to shed light on the alleged appearances of the Virgin that since 1981 have taken place at Medjugorje, Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Italian Cardinal Camillo Ruini heads the commission. It has 16 experts in fields such as Mariology, apparitions of the Virgin and psychology.

The visionaries' answers will be decisive in clarifying if the Virgin really appeared at Medjugorje, a city that has turned into Europe's third most important religious place. And each year more than 1 million people visit."

For many years I have been an advocate spreading both the message of Medjugorje and for Mary to be considered the Mediatrix and Coredemptrix of all graces.

The Vatican Remembers Martyrs From First Persecution