Tag Archives: Catholic

Banning Gays From Priesthood

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There are some very reasonable, fair, open-minded, intelligent, and compassionate orthodox responses to the announcement of the new policy against the admission of gays to the priesthood, and the related inspection of American seminaries, to be found in St. Blog’s Parish. Examples are those of Mark Shea and Amy Welborn. If only we could get that side of St. Blog’s to talk peacefully to the other side, for whom I’ll use Nathan Nelson as an example.

I don’t know whether the discourse thus far has been civil because I thus far haven’t noticed any discourse (outside of echo chambers) whatsoever.

Update 09/23/05: Here are three more good responses to the policy (which I’m now hearing isn’t so new, just not enforced).

Kevin Miller
Gregory Popcak
David Morrison

The post by David Morrison is of particular interest. From David’s "About Me" page:

"David Morrison is the author of this web log and the book Beyond Gay, which Our Sunday Visitor press published in 1999 and which is still in print."

"He is also the found and moderator of Courage Online, an online support community for men and women living with some degree of same sex attraction who wish to do so chastely."

"Throughout his career so far David has written on human rights issues, population issues, pro-life issues and chastity issues. In addition to this web log and the writing for his day job, David speaks and writes on chastity and identity issues."

Mass on September 11

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I know I’m a couple days behind on this, but grad school has been keeping me busy. Anyhow, I just wanted to point out how absolutely perfectly timed the mass readings for September 11 were. Call it coincidence. Call it Divine Providence. It doesn’t matter; either way, there are lessons to be learned from Word given that day.

First Reading: Sirach 27:30 – 28:7, "Anger and wrath, these also are abominations, and the sinful man will possess them."

Psalm: Psalm 103:8,1-2, 3-4, 9-10, 11-12, "The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love."

Second Reading: Romans 14:7-9, "For none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself."

Gospel: Matthew 18:21-35, "Then Peter came up and said to him, ‘Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?’ 22 Jesus said to him, ‘I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven.’"

Have you forgiven the 9/11 hijackers?

Theology of the Body Discussion Group

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Graduate & Young Professional Group

WHAT: Theology of the Body discussion group
WHERE: Pittsburgh Oratory/Ryan Catholic Newman Center
WHEN: Monday, September 12 at 8:00 PM

This group will meet every other Monday at 8:00 p.m. Fr. Michael Darcy will be leading discussions concerning John Paul II’s Theology of the Body. All are welcome to attend.

Art and the “Jesus Event”

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“An artwork that shows Star Wars characters nailed to crosses has sparked controversy before its public debut at a Melbourne gallery in two weeks. The Herald-Sun reports that the controversial piece called Crusci-fiction consists of a roomful of 25 replicas of robot C3P0 hanging on crosses.”

At first I didn’t react very strongly to this story. I just rolled my eyes and chalked it up as just another example of hateful garbage masquerading as art. It’s not the first nor will it be the last we’ll see. I’d rather these craptastic works of modern “art” not be inflicted upon the world, but I see them as inevitable. After all Christ siad, “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me.” (John 15:18-21)

What really caught my interest in this article was the difference between the Catholic and Anglican response.

Continue reading →

Abstaining From Meat on Fridays

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I was recently corrected in my mistaken belief that Vatican II softened the requirement to abstain from meat on all Fridays of the year. I now know the matter was left to episcopal conferences to decide proper weekly penance. In the United States, the norm has not changed, however we are permitted to substitute acts of charity or piety or other appropriate penitential acts. Let’s put aside for a moment the fact that fewer American Catholics perform Friday penance than obey the rule forbidding artificial contraception, and look at the rest of the world (I’m guilty of the former, BTW.). Specifically, I’m wondering if any of my readers might know what other episcopal conferences around the world require of their flocks? How many still absolutely require abstinence from meat of Fridays? Of those, how faithful and obedient are the people?