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Visitation

  /   Saturday, May 31, 2003   /   Comments(0)

I was at Mass at a nearby church this morning when I heard quite an interesting homily from a known orthodox priest. You can probably recall the story of the Visitation in the Gospel of Luke. John the Baptist leapt for joy when Mary arrived with Jesus in the womb. This priest said that John the Baptist leapt for joy because the unborn Jesus redeemed the unborn John the Baptist in the womb, giving him sanctifying grace. No doubt there is some doctor of the Church who wrote about this.

He then went on to say that there is no such thing as being “pro-choice” because choosing sin is an abuse of freedom. Anyone who formally declares membership in Catholics for a Free Choice is almost excommunicated. Anyone who counsels one to have an abortion is automatically excommunicated.

Now, if only this stuff could be said on Sunday. Then again, it is quite possible that this priest has done that. This same priest said this to the high schoolers.

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The Me Generation

  /   Friday, May 30, 2003   /   Comments(0)

Yesterday’s Word of Encouragement took an interesting swipe at the Baby Boomers.

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Life at a University

  /   Friday, May 30, 2003   /   Comments(0)

Here is an interesting article on Catholic Exchange about academic life.

I worked a year in academia, and, while the author has some good points, not everything that he said applies everywhere. When you work at a college you live like a student. You always have something you could be doing. You don’t have much money because they don’t pay well. Just like there are students who are diligent as well as those who don’t show up for class, you find the same things among faculty. Some are dedicated and are always there working. Others work the 11:15-11:17 shift, if they even work that long.

While for the most part it isn’t fair to stereotype academics, I did find that they were liberal on many moral issues. Moral relativism was rampant. That’s what got me studying my faith. I thought something wasn’t right.

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What’s War Good For?

  /   Monday, May 26, 2003   /   Comments(0)

Today is Memorial Day. This is the day for us to remember those who have died in the many wars our nation has fought. May their souls rest in peace.

Someday, we hope to live in a world where there is no war. It isn’t likely to happen in this life. Even Jesus told us there would be war in the world. War, of course, is an evil, but sometimes we have no other choice.

I remember a discussion we were having at a friends house. This friend was talking about the optimism that followed Vatican II. Indeed, I had read something about this in Catholic World News. Basically, it’s a sophisticated version of “he’s not bad, he’s just misunderstood.” It assumed that there were not people who hated the light, just people with some misunderstanding.

Truthfully, some people truly don’t understand the truth and therefore do not follow it. The mistake is that we assume that everyone falls into that category. Some have gone so far as to assume that to be an evildoer is not a real possibility. However, if this were so, there would be no Hell.

I think that this is a problem with pacifism in general. It is a kind of denial that there is real evil that often must have violence done to it. It assumes that everyone will respond to Christian love. We could only wish this were so. Pacificsts always seemed to me to be people who are in denial of reality.

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States Push to Limit Plaintiff’s Lawyer’s Fees

  /   Monday, May 26, 2003   /   Comments(0)

I’m sure that just about everyone has seen an advertisement for personal injury attorneys. They get a settlement and take anywhere from 30-50% of it. Now, there is a push to limit their fees. The only problem with this is that it may encourage these lawyers only to take cases where large settlements are likely.

The fact is that too many people are suing each other for too much money for too many things. These mult-million settlements seem like a plot to make a quick buck. Just remember the lady who sued McDonald’s because the coffee was too hot.

Reference: nehoralaw.com.

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A Lot of Hot Air

  /   Sunday, May 25, 2003   /   Comments(0)

A company called InnovationsUK has developed the world’s only inflatable church. I found this in Our Sunday Visitor and had to get a link to it. Now I have truly seen everything.

Of course, I think this is a lot of hot air. I have to wonder what would happen if someone decided to pop the Church right in the middle of a wedding, or if it otherwise deflated. It wouldn’t make for much of a wedding.

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Palm Hall of Fame

  /   Saturday, May 24, 2003   /   Comments(0)

I just found a nice site for geeks like me. It’s the Palm Handheld Hall of Fame. It shows the previous models of Palm handhelds, including the old PalmPilots. I was able to find a couple of old ones on eBay for my collection, one of which I now have in my hands. I can tell you that the devices have come a long way. The Palm Pilot 1000 had 128K of memory. That wouldn’t hold didlysquat for me. My 16 MB Tungsten T doesn’t hold enough stuff for me. I may need a Tungsten C, or whatever they come out with next. By contrast, my Pocket PC has 13 MB of memory left over.

Then again, I wish that the site had listed when each Palm came out and what it retailed for.

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What Not to Give Kids in Church

  /   Saturday, May 24, 2003   /   Comments(0)

I was reminded of a somewhat recent event in an e-mail conversation I just had.

I’ll never forget the time that I was at Mass, and there was a lady in front of me whose child was given a writing pad to play with to keep her quiet. On it was an advertisement for an oral contraceptive. Even if the lady isn’t selling them, I do believe that some prudence is in order. I hope and pray that the lady isn’t selling them if she claims to be Catholic.

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Cardinal Arinze

  /   Friday, May 23, 2003   /   Comments(0)

Cardinal Arinze is quickly becoming my hero. First, he tells us that the laity just want good, faithful liturgy without stupid innovations. Now, he gives a speech at Georgetown University that actually teaches Catholicism. So what happens when Catholicism is proclaimed at an alledgedly Catholic university?

Well, they are really offended. This is all the more reason to doubt that Catholicism has a darn thing to do with what they are preaching.

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Home Schooling

  /   Friday, May 23, 2003   /   Comments(0)

No doubt, there will develop among the state officials with agendas a hostility towards homeschooling. I mean, after all, doesn’t the state really know what’s best for everyone (sarcasm intended)? If I were to marry a woman who wanted to home school, I would support her effort.

In some respects, the concerns of the officials are understandable. There are no doubt some people out there homeschooling that shouldn’t be doing it. Some of them have the “bunker” mentality that wants to shelter the children completely. Others don’t have the teaching ability or the patience. However, simply allowing other homeschoolers to examine the children to ensure progress should suffice. I believe that the majority of families committed to homeschooling are comitted to doing it right.

Anyway, here is some good news. Take a look at this post from Greg Popcak about how Steubenville’s public schools have helped homeschoolers. Hopefully, more of these kind of options will become available. I’m beginning to agree with a friend of mine and future seminarian that state-sponsored education just isn’t working.

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