Dear young people, the happiness you are seeking, the happiness you have a right to enjoy has a name and a face: It is Jesus of Nazareth, hidden in the Eucharist. Only he gives the fullness of life to humanity! Be completely convinced of this: Christ takes from you nothing that is beautiful and great, but brings everything to perfection for the glory of God, the happiness of men and women, and the salvation of the world. — POPE BENEDICT XVI
Benedict's Words to Youth
Edward Pentin, who writes for the Register from Rome, said that World Youth Day 2005 will be remembered for the astonishing directness and clarity of Pope Benedict XVI's addresses that sought to reach out to the faithful and beyond. He selected these highlights of Benedict's remarks:
It is only when a young man has had a personal experience of Christ that he can truly understand the Lord's will and consequently his own vocation.
— Meeting with seminarians, Aug. 19
With the help that comes from on high, we will also find practical solutions to the different questions that remain open, and in the end our desire for unity will come to fulfillment, whenever and however the Lord wills. I invite all of you to join me in following this path.
— Ecumenical meeting, Aug. 19
Only from the saints, only from God does true revolution come, the definitive way to change the world. …True revolution consists in simply turning to God who is the measure of what is right and who at the same time is everlasting love. And what could ever save us apart from love?
Making absolute what is not absolute but relative is called totalitarianism. It does not liberate man, but takes away his dignity and enslaves him.
It is not ideologies that save the world, but only a return to the living God.
It is actually consoling to realize that there is darnel in the Church. In this way, despite all our defects, we can still hope to be counted among the disciples of Jesus, who came to call sinners.
The Church is like a human family, but at the same time it is also the great family of God, through which he establishes an overarching communion and unity that embraces every continent, culture and nation.
— Vigil Mass, Marienfeld, Aug. 20
To use an image well known to us today, [the Eucharist] is like inducing nuclear fission in the very heart of being — the victory of love over hatred, the victory of love over death.
Freedom is not simply about enjoying life in total autonomy, but rather about living by the measure of truth and goodness, so that we ourselves can become true and good.
The Eucharist releases the joy that we need so much, and we must learn to grasp it ever more deeply, we must learn to love it.
Religion constructed on a “do-it-yourself” basis cannot ultimately help us. It may be comfortable, but at times of crisis we are left to ourselves.
Let us discover the intimate riches of the Church's liturgy and its true greatness: It is not we who are celebrating for ourselves, but it is the living God himself who is preparing a banquet for us.
— Open Air Mass, Marienfeld, Aug. 21
Young people, in fact, are not looking for a Church that panders to youth but one which is truly young in spirit; a Church completely open to Christ, the new Man.
— Farewell address, Cologne airport, Aug. 21
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- KEYWORDS: News -------- TITLE: Massachusetts Lawmakers Pressure Church to Open Its Books DATE: 28/08/2005 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: August 28-September 3, 2005 ----- BODY:BOSTON — The Boston Archdiocese's financial decisions could be under more political control depending on the outcome of just-introduced state legislation. Aired in a public committee hearing of the Massachusetts Legislature Aug. 10, the bill would force all churches to open their financial books to the state attorney general.
While supporters say the bill would “bring accountability and transparency,” opponents counter it is an infringement of religious liberty, aimed at the Catholic Church but affecting all religious groups.
At issue is a proposal to remove existing religious exemptions in state laws governing public charities, thus mandating financial reporting to the state.
“This bill is being referred to as merely a ‘reporting requirement,’ but it's much more than that,” Edward Saunders Jr. of the Massachusetts Catholic Conference said in an interview. “It opens the possibility of the attorney general second-guessing and possibly overturning any decision by any administrator of a religious organization.”
Saunders is executive director of the conference, the public policy office of the state's bishops. His written testimony noted that the attorney general could assume this power if he claimed that charitable donations were “misapplied” or there was a “breach of the public trust.”
“This is using legislation to mediate an internal religious dispute,” said opponent Laura Everett, a spokeswoman for the Massachusetts Council of Churches, which represents 1700 Protestant and Orthodox churches. “It sets a dangerous precedent. Religious liberty is a real concern.”
The bill was co-sponsored by Sen. Marion Walsh, D-Boston, who testified that she introduced it as a result of constituents’ frustration with archdiocesan officials over the closing of their parish, St. Susanna's in Dedham. She said that some of these constituents sat on boards of various non-religious charities. They knew that charities had to open their books.
Supposedly, they did not see why the books of the archdiocese could not be similarly inspected. They wanted access to the archdiocesan records because they did not understand why their parish, which was in good financial shape, had to be closed.
The closing of scores of churches in the archdiocese by Archbishop Sean O'Malley in the last year has generated heated debate and resulted in months-long occupations of some of the churches in question. This comes on the heals of the sexual abuse scandal that has rocked the Church and led to the resignation of Archbishop O'Malley's predecessor, Cardinal Bernard Law.
And indeed, dozens of parishioners from throughout the state, wearing yellow ribbons and “Accountability Now” buttons, admitted that they wanted the bill to force bishops to explain the Church's real estate and other financial holdings.
Meanwhile, the Vatican has intervened in the church-closing process in the archdiocese, saying the financial settlement of certain closed parishes is not being done right (See story above).
Walsh said that a number of her vocal supporters came from Voice of the Faithful and the Council of Parishes, a coalition of parishioners from 15 churches slated for closing. Numerous proponents of the bill testified that they supported this legal route because they felt “stonewalled” in dealing with the “hierarchy.”
Churches or Charities?
However, state laws already prohibit “financial malfeasance,” countered C. Joseph Doyle of the Catholic Action League of Massachusetts in written testimony. He asserted there is “no compelling state interest” in lawmakers inserting themselves in a religious dispute between the archdiocese and “various dissident groups.”
Siding with Walsh, Massachusetts Secretary of State William Galvin testified that state laws going back to 1897 give the Catholic Church unique legal status, one that has resulted in a “cloak of secrecy,” he said.
Walsh's argument was grounded in churches’ tax-exempt status as charities, she said. While the attorney general can regulate other charities, he cannot oversee the books of churches. “Our state law has unwittingly aided and abetted sexual abuse and the selling of Church property,” Walsh testified.
But, Everett asserted, churches should have special protection. “They should be free to order themselves, free from government intrusion. Saying this bill is simply about ‘charities’ obscures the fact that churches have special legal status protecting religious liberty because they are religious institutions, and not simply religiously-minded charities.”
“This is a blatantly anti-Catholic bill, but one that will affect all religions,” said Kris Mineau of the Massachusetts Family Institute, a non-profit public policy organization. “The government shouldn't intrude as a watchdog. The wall of separation is there to prevent the government from interfering with the inner workings of churches.”
“It's very clear that the Catholic Church in Boston is under siege,” said William Donohue, president of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, in a telephone interview.
“I would question and fight every single action that is directed toward the Church in Boston by the city council and the legislature,” he said, referring to several recent political moves to bring pressure on Church officials.
“While I can understand people's anger and dismay, the point here is that the motives are suspect,” Donohue said. “This is more than a fishing expedition. This is the state telling the Church, ‘You didn't do a good job.’ Even though there are a lot of open wounds, that doesn't justify unjust behavior. You really have to be careful of crossing church-state lines.”
Gail Besse is based in Hull, Massachusetts.
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: Gail Besse ----- KEYWORDS: News -------- TITLE: Campus Watch DATE: 28/08/2005 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: August 28-September 3, 2005 ----- BODY:Quick Approval
OPINIONJOURNAL.COM, Aug. 12 — The American Bar Association has granted full accreditation to Ave Maria School of Law in Ann Arbor, Mich., reported the website of The Wall Street Journal.
While ABA accreditation is normally slow, “Ave Maria got it done in the quickest possible time,” said OpinionJournal. “Its 100% pass rate for graduates who first took the bar exam in 2004 probably helped matters.”
Speedy accreditation was even more remarkable given that, “in the ideological world of higher education, religious allegiances can be stumbling blocks,” especially as Ave Maria was founded in 2000 to integrate a “Catholic world view” into a quality legal education.
Unicef Not Catholic
THE CONSERVATIVE VOICE.COM, Aug. 9 — A number of Catholic colleges and universities host groups that lobby on behalf of the United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef), commented Malcolm Kline, the executive director of Accuracy in Academia on the conservative website.
They include Boston College, Fordham, Georgetown, Villanova and Loyola-Marymount universities as well as the University of St. Thomas in Texas.
Kline said “the Vatican suspended its financial support — and symbolic approval — for Unicef, a move that still rankles senior Unicef officials and remains a public relations problem for the agency.”
Kline said this is because “what the U.N. bureaucrats actually support runs more along the lines of the pro-choice movement.”
Lay President
The new president has pledged to deepen the university's Catholic roots by building on its extensive relations with 226 Jesuit universities worldwide, including Georgetown University and Boston College.
He said the university would also deepen its ties with the Association of South East Asia Catholic Colleges and Universities and the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities-East Asia and Oceania.
Drexel Chapel
The newspaper of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles reported that the chapel will serve as a center for training for religious vocations. The Knights and Ladies of Peter Claver have raised $190,000 to date.
The donation took place at the Knights’ 90th annual national convention in Las Vegas.
Spot Quiz
REDSTATE.ORG, Aug. 12 — Catholic college students and their knowledge of things Catholic are not exempt from the “Jaywalking” segment of “The Tonight Show.”
In a recent segment of the man-in-the-street interviews, none of the college students approached by host Jay Leno could name the chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court or the first lady, although several knew the name of a judge on “American Idol.”
“One, a student at a Catholic college, didn't even recognize the name of the current Pope,” reported the conservative news site.
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- KEYWORDS: Education -------- TITLE: Gaza's Christians 'Guardedly Hopeful' After Pullout DATE: 28/08/2005 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: August 28-September 3, 2005 ----- BODY:JERUSALEM — Christians living and working in the Holy Land are waiting to see what impact, if any, Israel's pullout from the Gaza Strip will have on them personally.
While no one doubts that the so-called “disengagement,” Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's plan to withdraw all Israeli settlers and troops from Gaza and the northern West Bank, will give Palestinian Gazans more independence and freedom of movement, people fear that the redeployment of Israeli troops to just outside the territory will simply enlarge what many call “a prison.” Until now, the densely populated strip of land had been home to 8,000 Jewish settlers and more than 1 million Arabs.
Constantine Dabbagh, the director of the Middle East Council of Churches’ Gaza branch, said that Gaza's 2,500 Christians are guardedly hopeful for the future.
“We always try to be optimistic, and we are happy to see the settlements evacuated, but if it's left to Israel to give us hope, it won't happen,” Dabbagh asserted. “Like all Palestinians, we fear that the pullout will turn Gaza into a larger prison, and that the Israelis withdrew from Gaza in order to expropriate more land in the West Bank.”
Dabbagh insisted that “there is no difference between Christians and Muslims, because we are both confronted by the same terrible conditions resulting from the Israeli occupation.”
As in the West Bank, Dabbagh said, “we are restricted in our movements between areas within Gaza, and it is almost impossible for people to get into or out of Gaza. Unemployment is very high, and when our young people complete their studies at the university they have no jobs, so they move abroad.
People are emigrating, dividing families. My own son, who is 31, has not been in Gaza for six years because he knows that if he comes, he wouldn't be able to get out.”
Father Amjad Sabbara, a pastor in Bethlehem in the West Bank (where Israel is evacuating only about 700 of the estimated 250,000 settlers), said that West Bank residents hope the Gaza withdrawal will set a precedent.
“Our real hope is that all of the land will be freed,” Father Sabbara said, referring to the West Bank and East Jerusalem, which Israel captured during the 1967 Six-Day War against Egypt, Jordan and Syria. “The closures are difficult for all of us.”
Father Sabbara said that the Israeli “occupation” makes it difficult for Palestinians to move freely within the occupied territories, and often impossible to enter Jerusalem, where many Christians and Muslims have relatives. Although Israel barred most Palestinians in the West Bank from entering Israel during the first years of the intifada (Palestinian uprising), “at feast times we submit a request to the Israeli authorities to go to the churches, and they agree,” Father Sabbara noted.
Said Ibrahim Kandalaft, a retired lawyer from East Jerusalem, “We hope this event will be the first and not the final one.”
Chatting with a shopkeeper in the Old City's Arab market, Kandalaft, a Greek Orthodox Christian whose family has lived in Jerusalem for 500 years, said that Israel must do much more than just vacate Gaza if it wants peace with the Palestinians.
“Israel must allow the refugees to return to their homes, according to United Nations Resolution 338, and the borders must be the 1967 borders, not the borders delineated by Israel's wall,” Kandalaft insisted. “We need a Gaza airport and a seaport, but it seems that Mr. Sharon isn't prepared to make more concessions.”
Christian relief organizations hope that the disengagement will enable them to do their job more effectively in the future.
“The main problem we've had in Gaza is accessing our programs,” said Samuel Martin, communications officer of Caritas, the social-pastoral organization of the Catholic Church.
“We operate a medical clinic in the northern Gaza area, and our local [Palestinian] staffers from the West Bank and Jerusalem are not able to enter Gaza because of Israeli restrictions. Were it not for the assistance of a dear friend, a Catholic priest who regularly goes to Gaza, normal things like paperwork would not get done,” Martin said.
The aid official called the state of health care in Gaza “atrocious,” which is one reason so many seriously ill Gazans need to go abroad for operations like organ transplants.
Referring to the difficulty some patients encounter when applying to Israel for a transit permit, Martin said, “I'm sure Israel wants to facilitate anyone seeking medical care, but when you have security closures, military events, warnings of terrorism, urgent health care often gets delayed.
“We're on new ground here,” Martin said of the weeks and months ahead, which will test not only Israel's resolve to give Palestinians more freedom, but also the Palestinians’ commitment to end terror and rebuild their lives.
“We want to live like human beings side by side with the Israelis,” said Dabbagh. “Christians, Muslims and Jews, we are all the sons and daughters of God.”
Michele Chabin writes from Jerusalem.
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: Michele Chabin ----- KEYWORDS: News -------- TITLE: Keeping a Princess Heart In a Fairytale World Like Ours DATE: 28/08/2005 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: August 28-September 3, 2005 ----- BODY:A friend of mine informed me recently that she was captivated by a book whose title alone I find captivating in itself:
Keeping a Princess Heart in a Not So Fairy Tale World (Nicole Johnson, 2003). I know little else about the book except its premise, namely, that since God is a king, all his daughters are princesses. Would that more and more women could understand this: “God counts the tears of women.”
I tried to persuade my local library to order a copy but was rebuffed on the grounds that it had received “mixed reviews.” I was left wondering whether the library would have purchased a copy if it had received nothing but negative reviews. The Bible, of course, has received mixed reviews.
While I am fascinated by the book's title, I am afraid that I would have to give even it a “mixed review.” Every woman does have a “princess heart.” This much is true and needs to be publicized, promoted and popularized as much as possible.
But the world of fairy tales is not “fairy tale safe” but a very dangerous place, very much like our own, filled with dangers, demons and dragons of every description.
And so it is with the human heart. Consider these words of the Pseudo-Macarius: “The heart itself is but a small vessel, yet dragons are there, and there are also lions; there are poisonous beasts and all the treasures of evil. But there too is God, the angels, the life and the kingdom, the light and the apostles, the heavenly cities and the treasure of grace — all things are there.”
Life, whether in reality or in the world of fairy tales, is a dramatic warfare between good and evil, and its battlefield is the human heart. A woman will not retain her princess heart if she has no appetite for the dramatic and simply conforms to the world.
Sociologists have been complaining for some time, now, that life in America has stultified the moral imagination and atrophied the heart, reducing it to a mere wispy haze of feel-good sentimentality.
“Our age,” writes John Schaar, “has silently but massively resolved against the conceptions of love which dazzled the Western imagination … for centuries. We have ended both the epic of Christian love and the dream of romantic love that succeeded it. We have chosen sympathy-love over the stern imperatives of Christian love, and we have chosen sentimental love over the agony of romantic love.”
Philip Slater finds that in modern suburban America, “life is muted, experience filtered, emotion anesthetized.”
We no longer speak of knights slaying dragons or troubadours singing praises to ideal womanhood. We have replaced the gallantry of the heart with a jaded appetite for pleasure and possessions. The “princess” is now an indistinguishable part of mass society.
The “heart,” in its figurative sense, as Aelred Watkin tells us in The Heart of the World, refers to “the innermost recesses of the human spirit.” It is our capacity as persons to know and love the innermost personality of another. In order to achieve better heart-to-heart relationships, we must purge ourselves of whatever demons there are that dwell in our own hearts. At the same time, such heart-to-heart relationships tend to purify and protect the heart of the other. The man who behaves in a princely manner safeguards the princess heart of his beloved.
The primary model for the heart-to-heart relationship appears in the Old Testament. We read in Samuel (13:14): “The Lord hath sought him a man according to his own heart”; and in Jeremiah (31:33): “I will write it in their heart, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” The word “heart” (leb and lebab in Hebrew) is the most important and most frequently used term in Old Testament anthropology, occurring at least 858 times. The original heart-to-heart relationship, then, is between God and man.
When St. Augustine said, “Things are at home when they are in place, and the place for the human heart is the heart of God,” he was echoing this Old Testament model while emphasizing the importance of “belonging,” “being in place,” “being at home.” In our world of discontinuity, our hearts cry out for continuity and the proper place for the human heart, that special place where it feels at home. And that place is the heart of God.
The heart of God, therefore, answers the searing questions: “Where do I belong?” “Where do I fit in?” “Where should I be?”
“We look to the heart,” Augustine added, “in order to discover Him” (Redeamus ad cor, ut inveniamus Eum).
A princess will “keep” her princess heart, that is, protect it in its proper place so that it can flourish, when she places it in the Divine Heart.
I do not suppose that Nicole Johnson has any better wisdom to offer her female readers than what has already been written by St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein): “The inmost formative principle of the feminine is the love that springs from the Divine Heart. A woman will live by this principle if she closely joins herself to the Divine Heart in a Eucharistic and liturgical life.”
Dr. Donald DeMarco is adjunct professor at Holy Apostles College & Seminary in Cromwell, Connecticut
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: Donald Demarco ----- KEYWORDS: Commentary -------- TITLE: Cologne: The Pilgrim's Point of View DATE: 28/08/2005 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: August 28-September 3, 2005 ----- BODY:COLOGNE, Germany — They had to contend with many challenges — getting lost, losing their baggage, long waits, mice and cold weather, transportation problems, and sometimes a lack of food.
Still, nothing could dampen the spirit of the pilgrims in attendance at World Youth Day in Cologne. They accepted their difficulties as part of their pilgrimage and rose above them in their individual and collective experiences of Christ.
Maria Jang, 23, of Gwanju, South Korea, quit her job as a dental hygienist to attend World Youth Day. She was one of approximately 900 people from South Korea attending.
“I lost my luggage and didn't have a place to stay,” said Jang. “Seeing the Pope gave me strength. He is very happy. That makes me very happy.”
She ended up finding a room at a local hostel.
“The woman at the hostel told me I am a very lucky girl,” said Jang. “That helped me to realize that God is watching out for me.”
Jang wasn't alone.
Many pilgrims spoke of the challenges and struggles of being in a foreign country.
“After the Mass at Marienfeld, we were forced on buses and just dropped off in various places,” said Richard Drum of Brisbane, Australia. “We spent 40 Euro on a cab ride into Cologne.”
Still, Drum wasn't discouraged.
“We were encouraged to see so many other Catholics from around the world,” said Drum. “Being here is good, but it's testing as well.”
Adam Barberei recalled his encounter with a mouse at Marienfeld.
“This small brown mouse came up and looked at me and then left,” said Barberei.
“Four of the women in our group said they didn't think they could sleep there knowing that there were mice, but we told them they would stay near the garbage.”
He said that his group's original pilgrimage to the Cologne Cathedral wasn't ideal.
“The Cathedral was packed,” said Barberei. I didn't even know we were looking at the relics of the three Wise Men.”
So Barberei decided to return to the Cathedral on the evening of Aug. 21, once things had calmed down, for a second look.
There were also logistical struggles to contend with.
So many pilgrims descended upon the auditoriums for the opening Masses in Bonn, Cologne, and Düsseldorf that the transportation system broke down. As a result, thousands who wanted to attend the Masses were unable to.
A group from Australia didn't get their lunch or dinner on Aug. 16.
“We're on our own for dinner,” said seminarian Andrew Benton of Sydney. “It's about suffering, sacrifice and surrender.”
A pilgrim group of 24 sponsored by Catholic Aid Association, a fraternal benefits organization headquartered in St. Paul, Minn., got lost on its way to Düsseldorf, and also had a harrowing experience in the Cologne train station Aug. 17.
“We were trapped amidst a crowd of people in the train station for two hours. They weren't letting people get on the trains,” explained Father Gregory Mastey, who served as spiritual director for the group. “It felt like my lungs were being crushed.”
One of their group's members became ill after the experience and decided to forgo the Mass at Marienfeld. Members of the group don't regret coming.
The experiences have given the pilgrims something to laugh about.
“No matter where we're going, we say it's going to be three blocks. That could mean anything from three blocks to six miles,” said Michael McGovern, president of the Catholic Aid Association and one of the chaperones for the group. “At first the pilgrims felt they had to know everything, but eventually they got into the pilgrim mode.”
It was a journey of firsts for Gabriel Walz of Rockville, Minn., who accompanied the group. It was his first trip on an airplane, his first trip to Europe, his first World Youth Day, and his first time seeing the Pope up close. Walz described seeing the Pope as the highlight.
“We weren't going crazy because it was Joseph Ratzinger passing by,” said Walz. “We knew the man was the vicar of Christ. There is something special in who he represents.”
Even those who admitted that they felt they didn't know the man said that they felt he was meeting the task before him.
“He has to prove himself,” said Martin of Rotterdam, Netherlands. “I think he is doing well.”
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: Tim Drake ----- KEYWORDS: News -------- TITLE: Lunch With Pope a Highlight for Chosen 12 DATE: 28/08/2005 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: August 28-September 3, 2005 ----- BODY:COLOGNE, Germany — In a tradition started by Pope John Paul II, 12 youths were blessed to share lunch with Pope Benedict XVI Aug. 19 at Cologne's seminary as part of World Youth Day. It was a meal the youth won't soon forget.
The young were served vegetable omelets, salad, white wine and apple strudel.
When trout was brought out for Pope Benedict, he declined it.
“He didn't want it because eating it meant he couldn't speak as much,” said Matthias Kopp, spokesperson for World Youth Day.
His guests explained that the Pope felt it was too complicated to eat, and he wanted to be able to concentrate on his conversation with the pilgrims.
One of the young people said that the Holy Father asked if he could have what the young pilgrims were having.
“When he said that he wanted to have what the young people were eating, that helped us to see that he is a human being,” said Anna Franziska Herbst from Germany.
The Holy Father traded questions with them. Since he knew the most languages, he served as the interpreter for the dozen guests, speaking German, English and French.
“We didn't speak of World Youth Day,” said Jason Mackiewicz of New Zealand. “He asked about us, our backgrounds.”
“He was personally interested in me, our families, and with who we are,” said Veronique Rondeau of Canada. “He was very accessible. I felt I could ask any question.”
Lauriane-Salome Moufouma-Okia from the Congo was impressed by the Pope's depth of knowledge about her country.
“He asked about the specific region where I was from,” said Moufouma-Okia. “I was nervous meeting him, but as soon as he said hello, I had confidence in him.”
Lubica Jovanovic, 19, from Sydney, Australia, described what it was like when Pope Benedict walked into the room.
“He was so beautiful,” Jovanovic said. “When he walked into the room, I felt Christ. It was like heaven touching earth. I was crying a little and wanted to hug him, but didn't.”
Palestinian Christian Johny Bassous asked the Pope what message he would want to give to Christian Palestinians.
“He encouraged us in our faith to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ,” said Bassous. “He asked us to carry a message of peace and reconciliation because we are one creation of God.”
The young people brought various gifts for the Pope, and received a gift from him as well.
Moufouma-Okia brought him a medal in the shape of Africa.
“He was very happy about it,” said Moufouma-Okia. “He liked that it had the African colors of green, red and yellow on it.”
Yunju Rosalee from Taiwan brought him a CD of music that her music group made for the Holy Father.
In return, the Pope gave each of the young people a box with a medal and a picture.
Klaus Langenstück of Germany compared the meal to one in Scripture.
“It was 12 of us together with the Pope,” said Langenstück. “We shared a meal and a moment in our lives. It was like the exchange Jesus had with his friends.”
“It was a moving event,” said Nicolas Jose Frias Ossandon, of Chile. “The Pope took great interest in us personally. It is a gift to have this Pope.”
Tim Drake filed this story from World Youth Day in Cologne.
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: Tim Drake ----- KEYWORDS: Vatican -------- TITLE: Taking the Faith to the Streets to Evangelize Pilgrims DATE: 28/08/2005 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: August 28-September 3, 2005 ----- BODY:Frank Norris risked possible imprisonment during World Youth Day in Cologne by passing out Catholic material on the streets.
As director of development for Catholic Answers, Norris and his team of eight over 2 1/2 days passed out 100,000 copies of Catholic Answers’ “Pure Love” booklet backed with the organization's extremely popular “Pillar of Fire, Pillar of Truth.” This was Norris’ third World Youth Day.
Over the past five World Youth Days, the organization has distributed 750,000 booklets. Norris spoke with Register staff writer Tim Drake in Cologne.
First, tell me about the booklet.
It's two booklets in one. On one side is Jason Evert's “Pure Love,” which looks at the importance of chastity before and in marriage. On the other side is “Pillar of Fire, Pillar of Truth,” which provides a succinct explanation of the basics of the faith. Each booklet contains four languages — English, Spanish, German and French. It is a very easy read, and I think it's what Catholic Answers does best.
I understand it is illegal to pass out pamphlets in Germany?
In preparing to come to Cologne, we were repeatedly told that it would be impossible to pass anything out. It's illegal to pass out folded paper, and we were told that Germans typically don't take things. We decided to come and see what we could do.
How did you go about passing them out?
We broke up into 3-4 teams with backpacks full of booklets, headed down near the cathedral and train station, and just began passing the books out.
How did people respond to “Pillar of Fire, Pillar of Truth”? Did the police give you any trouble?
At first, some leaders were ready to tell their pilgrims not to take it, but when they saw that it had an imprimatur, that made a big difference. We had been told beforehand that there would be no chance to be able to pass the booklets out, but it turned out to be quite the opposite. We were very surprised.
The police were actually friendly and helpful. We distributed most of the booklets near the cathedral while the groups were making their pilgrimages. We distributed 100,000 booklets in just 2 1/2 days, handing out our last book at about noon on Thursday, just prior to the police putting up all the barricades for the Pope's visit. We would have done more, but we didn't think we would be able to distribute at all, so we only had 100,000 of them printed. We had them printed here in Germany by a Catholic printer.
The German groups were very positive. What was interesting was that once the German groups knew that the book had an imprimatur, they would come back to get the book. The most who came back to get the book were Germans.
Did you see any anti-Catholic material being passed out?
Yes, we saw Jack Chick booklets being passed out, as well as a pink booklet that quoted Pope Benedict and the Catechism that gave the appearance of a Catholic book, but it was clearly Protestant.
One of the [dissident Catholica group] We Are Church leaders was here, just as he was in Toronto. The BBC ran into him here, and they wanted the two of us to do a discussion on-the-air. I was willing to do so, but he decided he was just too busy to do it.
Catholic Answers has passed out these booklets at every World Youth Day since Denver in 1993. Have you seen any long-term impact from distribution of the publications?
Yes, we ran into a number of teens who had taken the book at previous World Youth Days. We also had priests who took it and held it up to their pilgrims and said, “Get this, it is good.” What impressed me the most was one of the days there were pilgrims walking away from the cathedral and thousands of pilgrims had the books and were reading them.
On the Rhine, as young people were waiting for the Pope to arrive, they were sitting down reading the book.
One morning during breakfast at our hotel, there at a nearby table were three Argentinians, who were reading the booklet and discussing it.
Did you have any negative experiences with the book?
One group tore the book up and threw it at us. We suspect that they thought it was anti-Catholic. After the Pope's opening address on the river, there were pamphlets all over the ground. We sifted through some of it and found that the majority of it was everything else, but not our booklets.
Another negative was that we didn't have the book available in Italian. Since one group in 10 or 15 was Italian, the Italians got mad that we didn't have it in their language. Because of that, one Italian group burned the book in effigy.
You were on the Rhine and in town when Pope Benedict arrived. How did the young people respond to the him?
I think it was hard for many of the young people on the Rhine to see him in the boat, so the reaction along the river was a bit lukewarm. The reaction in town, however, was much more frenzied. Locals were up in their apartments giving updates about where the Pope's motorcade was. When the Pope reached the cathedral the response was tremendous. We could hear the kids’ reactions from blocks away. They were going nuts.
We saw one older German man who was crying. The Pope was concerned about his native country struggling, so he wanted to come here to energize them.
What does Catholic Answers hope the book will do for the young attending World Youth Day?
As we've seen from past World Youth Days, because it is written simply, clearly, and accurately, it gives kids the basics of why the Catholic Church is the true Church.
Kids often come back to us later and tell us how it helped them to be stronger in their faith. We hope that it becomes a seed that anchors them in their faith, rather than having them leave their faith at a later time.
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: Tim Drake ----- KEYWORDS: Inperson -------- TITLE: Protesters Cannot Dampen World Youth Day Spirit DATE: 28/08/2005 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: August 28-September 3, 2005 ----- BODY:COLOGNE, Germany — Anti-Catholic organizations were out in full force in Cologne, more so than at any previous World Youth Day gathering.
Yet, undaunted by the opposition, organizers and pilgrims pressed on, determined not to let the actions of the few deter the enthusiasm of so many whom have gathered in Cologne to celebrate their faith.
Pilgrims arriving in Cologne were met by Catholics for a Free Choice's “Good Catholics Use Condoms” ad campaign on the city's public transit system. Also problematic was a scheduled opening-ceremony address to be given by Eveline Herfkens, executive coordinator for the pro-abortion U.N. Millennium Campaign, and one non-Christian group had declared a “religion-free zone” with a series of events that would allow participants to have “fun as much as a pagan can have.”
Catholics for a Free Choice's ad was part of the organization's Condoms4Life campaign.
“There will be thousands of young people from all over the globe in Cologne for Catholic World Youth Day, and they need to know that good Catholics protect themselves and their loved ones,” said Frances Kissling, president of Catholics for a Free Choice.
A similar ad campaign by Kissling's organization was prevented at World Youth Day in Toronto. There, Pattison Outdoor Advertising Company, which had sold billboard space to Catholics for a Free Choice, removed the advertisements, saying in a letter that they “would not do anything to knowingly disrupt this once in a lifetime event.”
World Youth Day spokesman Matthias Kopp was disappointed that such efforts were garnering so much press.
“There are more important issues to discuss instead of presenting this one in such a provocative way,” said Kopp.
Success, however, was achieved in response to several of the more offensive activities.
Successful Responses
Xt3.com, a youth-oriented Catholic website, came up with a novel response to the Catholics for a Free Choice campaign. It quickly created an ad campaign of its own that stressed a Church-affirming message. Ads bearing the slogans “We Know Abstinence Works” and “We Know True Love Waits” were made into 1,000 posters and placed throughout Cologne, often right next to the offensive ads.
“I think the ads are just brilliant,” said Christine O'Donnell, a public relations specialist who was in Cologne for World Youth Day. “They're very smart and they engage the culture.”
In other news, Cologne police were planning to distribute condoms at the event.
“They can't believe that 1 million young people can gather together and live healthy lives,” said Legionary Father Michael Luxbacher, who has worked in Germany for the past 10 years.
However, the police called off their plans to distribute contraception. A police spokeswoman said that they made the decision to cancel the distribution because they didn't “want to offend anyone.”
Controversy Averted
On the music front, one controversial Argentinian rock group, Rescate, was dropped by World Youth Day after its band members publicly questioned the authority of the pope.
Further controversy was averted when Herfkens’ Aug. 15 address in Bonn never materialized, with no reason given for the cancellation. No additional information was available at press time.
Catholic Family & Human Rights Institute president Austin Ruse had called on supporters to write to Cologne Cardinal Joachim Meisner to ask that Herfkens be canceled as a speaker.
During Herfkens’ term as the Netherlands Minister for Development Cooperation (between 1998 and 2002), she supported the abortion ship that offered to perform abortions off the shores of pro-life countries.
Despite the controversies, many see such groups’ actions as a sign that the organizations are in the death-throes. They see the great numbers of young people gathered and they realize that their time is running short.
Cardinal Joachim Meisner said that the days of the anti-Catholic theologians, such as Hans Küng and Eugen Drewermann, are over.
“The entire event is oriented to be an encounter for young people and not for 'seniors’,” Cardinal Meisner told Catholic News Agency. “There is nothing for them [Küng and Drewermann] here, as young people are not interested in the silliness they fostered for so long. We don't need any Drewermann or Küng or anything else stale at WYD.”
Tim Drake filed this story from World Youth Day in Cologne, Germany.
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: Tim Drake ----- KEYWORDS: News -------- TITLE: World Youth Day Shatters Doubts DATE: 28/08/2005 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: August 28-September 3, 2005 ----- BODY:COLOGNE, Germany — Any doubts about how the world's youth would respond to Pope Benedict XVI were shattered during World Youth Day 2005.
From the larger-than-expected crowd that stretched for several miles along both sides of the Rhine River to the estimated 1.1 million participants at the final Mass at Marienfeld, organizers were surprises that they received nearly double the pilgrims they expected, as well as double the priests.
Pope Benedict XVI's addresses were frequently interrupted by shouts of “Be-ne-de-to, Be-ne-de-to!” by those gathered to hear him.
As with the past 19 World Youth Day celebrations, youth from countries around the globe converged to share the Catholic faith they hold in common. According to statistics offered by the World Youth Day Communications Office, the final official number of registered pilgrims was 415,178 from 197 countries. Of those, 79% were from Europe, with the top five countries being Italy (101,174), Germany (83,939), France (38,549), Spain (31,908), and the U.S. (24,237).
“We came to show Germany our support for Pope Benedict,” said Italian pilgrim David Manasse, a system administrator from Garda Lake. “He is an important symbol for us and for our country.”
The theme of this year's event, which was continually revisited by Pope Benedict, was “We Have Come to Worship Him,” based upon the visit of the Magi to the Christ-child. Cologne's magnificent Cathedral, which was the site for pilgrimages during this year's event, houses a distinct reliquary that holds the purported remains of the three Wise Men.
Recalling Christ speaking to crowds on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, Pope Benedict gave his opening remarks Aug. 18 from a boat on the Rhine. He said, “It is true that today we are no longer looking for a king, but we are concerned for the state of the world and we are asking: Where do I find standards to live by? What are the criteria that govern responsible cooperation in building the present and the future of our world? On whom can I rely?”
The Holy Father challenged the young people to commit themselves to Christ.
“I encourage you to commit yourselves without reserve to serving Christ, whatever the cost,” he said.
Pilgrims lined both sides of the river for miles, many standing in the water up to their ankles and waists, holding banners and their national flags.
The Pope described Thursday's welcoming ceremony as, “an explosion of joy,” said Msgr. Heiner Koch, general secretary for World Youth Day in Cologne.
Crowds continued to build, with some 800,000 joining the Pope for Aug.20's vigil, and more than 1 million for the Aug. 21 Mass.
John Paul II's Presence
The late Pope John Paul II was ever-present during the event he started in 1986 in virtually every address, as well as in spirit and posters.
Two immense posters hung opposite Cologne's Cathedral — one, a mosaic of Pope John Paul II made up of thousands of images of people from around the world read “Thank You John Paul II.” The other, of Pope Benedict XVI, said, “Welcome.”
Prior to and at the start of World Youth Day, Cologne Cardinal Joachim Meisner said that this World Youth Day “was being celebrated with two popes — one from heaven above, and one from earth.”
“Today it is my turn to take up this extraordinary spiritual legacy bequeathed to us by Pope John Paul II,” said Pope Benedict during the welcoming celebration on the Rhine. “He loved you — you realized that and you returned his love with all your youthful enthusiasm,” said the Holy Father.
On Thursday evening, thousands of Poles, silently waving hundreds of red-and-white flags in a moving tribute, spontaneously gathered in the square outside the Cathedral before Pope John Paul's poster.
Prior to Aug. 20's vigil, Pope Benedict XVI blessed a special bell named after Pope John Paul II. That bell was used in subsequent prayer services and the final Mass.
One pilgrim explained the attitude of the young toward the two popes.
“The young loved John Paul because they knew him,” said Sara Lockwood from Washington, D.C. “They are willing to love Pope Benedict because he is Pope, they just don't know him yet.”
After having spent four days with the new Pope, many young people feel like they already know him better.
“He communicated and listened to everyone,” said Alexander Pavkovic, a blind pilgrim who was one of 12 invited to have lunch with the Holy Father Aug. 19.
“I love the new Pope,” said Tim Suttie, a civil engineering student at Sydney University in Australia. “We couldn't have asked for a better person. He will certainly carry on the excellent work of John Paul II.”
“John Paul was very popular because of his long time and his charisma,” said Benedikt Moellering from Muenster, Germany. “The new Pope has to work hard. He doesn't have that charisma, but it will come, I think.”
Similar but Different
It was difficult not to note the similarities and differences of this World Youth Day when compared with previous events.
One significant difference was the decision to hold events concurrently in the cities of Bonn, Cologne and Düsseldorf. Having pilgrims in three cities made transportation difficult, and made it hard for young people to gather with one another.
“I felt isolated out in Düsseldorf,” said Cardinal Francis George of Chicago in Cologne Aug. 19 as he prepared to make his pilgrimage to the Cathedral. “I was placed there because that is where my catechesis session was scheduled.”
Another significant difference was the addition of several meetings between Pope Benedict and various groups, including Jewish leaders, Islamic leaders and ecumenical leaders in Cologne. At a mid-point during the festivities, he made a historic visit to Cologne's rebuilt synagogue, which had previously been destroyed by the Nazis.
“It was a gift of God that the visit to the synagogue was placed at the middle of the Pope's visit,” said Msgr. Koch. “It is at the core of World Youth Day.”
Jewish leaders described Pope Benedict as “pontifex maximus — a builder of bridges.”
In another World Youth Day first, Pope Benedict decided to meet separately with a group of seminarians. On Aug. 19, more than 5,000 priests and seminarians gathered at St. Pantaleon Church in southern Cologne. There, Pope Benedict told the men considering the priesthood that he had added the meeting, “so that the vocational dimension which is always a part of World Youth Day would be even more clearly and strongly evident.”
Parish Events
The majority of the week's events took place in individual parishes throughout all three cities. Here, the young participated in Mass, the sacrament of reconciliation, and participated in more than 248 catechetical sessions offered by bishops from around the world. Approximately 750 bishops were in attendance.
In a departure from previous World Youth Days, rather than performing a single, public Way of the Cross Aug. 19, the devotion took place in individual parishes that evening.
The following day, despite severe transportation problems, pilgrims from all three cities descended upon Marienfeld for the evening prayer vigil and final Mass on Sunday. Because of the multiple venues, it was the first time that all of the young people were gathered together in a single space.
The most common response of the attendees was the understanding that the Church is much larger than their local parish.
“It gives me a new excitement for my faith,” said Alyson Gaskins of Visalia, Calif. “It's not just an American faith; it's a worldwide Church.”
“It's exciting to see the worldwide community of faith and hear all the different languages,” said Matt Maes from Atlanta. “It helps you to discover the fullness of what it means to be Catholic and universal.”
The youths, however, were not the only ones impressed by the events. So, too were non-Catholics and others.
“I have never seen anything like this,” said Paul Speigel, President of the Central Council of Jews. “As a non-Catholic you are drawn to what is going on here. The young people are so happy. They have literally come here to proclaim their faith.”
The pilgrimage was not without its problems. Many youths were not able to obtain their food, and on several occasions, trains stopped running.
“There were some glitches, but I think it's because they didn't expect so many people,” said Duluth, Minn. Bishop Dennis Schnurr who helped plan 1993's World Youth Day in Denver.
Still, the young and old accepted the setbacks as part of the challenge of a pilgrimage.
“There is always suffering before,” said Matilde, a 21-year-old English teacher from Normandy, France.
“How often do you see kids jubilantly wearing God on their outside?” asked Elizabeth Meier, of Hartland, Wis. “They have traveled halfway across the world. It just gives me so much joy that you want to burst.”
Even secular journalists felt the impact of the week's events.
“We are an aging society,” said German Nils Keimeier, who works with the Financial Times Deutschland. “When you see that many young people on the streets, it's a new thing. You can imagine what society could look like.”
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: Tim Drake ----- KEYWORDS: News -------- TITLE: World Youth Day Breeds Vocations DATE: 28/08/2005 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: August 28-September 3, 2005 ----- BODY:COLOGNE, Germany — If World Youth Day in Cologne is anything like past World Youth Days, it will be a boon for religious vocations.
Of that, Milwaukee Archbishop Timothy Dolan has no doubt.
“As former rector of the North American College in Rome, every year I would read seminary candidates’ spiritual biographies,” said Archbishop Dolan. “Of the 150 I would read each year, at least half would describe World Youth Day as a pivotal moment in their journey of vocational discernment.
Priests, nuns, and brothers were visible everywhere in Cologne. Specific orders operated their own events throughout the city.
The Family of Mary cooperated with the Franciscan Friars of Renewal and Youth 2000 to offer perpetual Eucharistic adoration at St. Maria Himmelfahrt — Our Lady of the Assumption Church.
The Legionaries of Christ held a “vocation café” at a local hotel with food, music, and a place where young men and women could access the Internet and their e-mail. On Aug. 19 alone, the café was visited by more than 5,000 people.
The Schoenstatt Sisters, which call Germany home, offered their shrine as a place of pilgrimage and prayer during World Youth Day. Marienfeld, where the Aug. 20-21 vigil and Mass were held, was filled with habits of black, white, brown and blue.
“We have had a steady stream of inquiries,” said Sister Luitgard, a Family of Mary sister dressed in the order's distinctive white habit. “We are growing because we are a younger community.”
The Family of Mary is a relatively young missionary order (35 years old) based in Slovakia and much of Eastern Europe. They currently have approximately 200 sisters, the majority of whom are younger.
The number of priests in attendance was nearly double what was expected.
“We expected 5,000,” said Cologne Cardinal Joachim Meisner. “[Instead,] 9,805 priests registered. We won't have enough stoles for all of them.”
This year's event might also affect vocations in another way. This World Youth Day was unique with the addition of Pope Benedict's separate address specifically for seminarians. The event was held Aug. 19 at St. Pantaleon's Church in Cologne.
A German seminarian, a Kazakhstan priest, and a Canadian bishop each gave a testimony of their vocational discernment process, followed by a speech by Pope Benedict.
“I had asked that the program of these days in Cologne should include a special meeting with young seminarians, so that the vocational dimension which is always a part of World Youth Day would be even more clearly and strongly evident.”
And evident it was. The speech was attended by more than 5,000 priests, bishops, and seminarians.
“The Pope talked about being good, being holy,” said Bishop Zbigniew Kiernikowski, bishop of Siedlce, Poland.
“The talk was completely centered on the priesthood,” said Father Matthew Gamber, a priest in the archdiocese of Chicago. “This will clearly be a pro-priesthood papacy.”
Bishop Lawrence Brandt of Greensburg, Pa. found the talk “closely reasoned and humanly accessible.”
“He conveys truths with images,” said Bishop Brandt, recalling how Pope Benedict compared the three Magi “going into the house” with the Church. “He said that the house is the Church and that it was Mary who showed them the Savior. I thought that was marvelous.”
Bishop Brandt spoke of the importance of having seminarians on the pilgrimage.
“We have 55 pilgrims from our diocese and three seminarians,” he explained. “The seminarians are like leaven in the dough. I know that there are vocations among our group. With the seminarians being with them, and relating with them, that can bring about vocations.”
A pilgrimage group from St. Mary's Church in Visalia, Calif., commented on the impact of encountering a dozen seminarians from Long Beach, N.Y.
“It is so exciting to see so many considering the priesthood,” said Alyson Gaskins, a youth ministry leader. “Their bishop had sent them. It was a real highlight to see 19- and 20-year-olds interested in that life. They're smart, good-looking people considering a vocation.”
Australian seminarian Andrew Benton has desired to be a priest since the age of 12. He said that attending World Youth Day, first in Paris and now Cologne has been helpful in his discernment process.
Chad Koopmeiners, a third-year seminarian for the Diocese of Saint Cloud, Minn., agreed.
“Seeing the youth have so much faith and come together is strengthening for my discernment,” said Koopmeiners. “When you see a lot of people with a lot of faith, you feel like you have a better purpose in being a priest.”
Bishop Brandt also liked what the Pope had to say about the seminary.
“He said it isn't a place,” said Bishop Brandt. “It is a part of one's journey to the priesthood. It was another appropriate way of interpreting the word seminary.”
In addition to his meeting with seminarians, Pope Benedict also raised the issue of vocations during his visit with the German bishops shortly before departing Cologne.
“World Youth Day … is also a laboratory of vocations, because in the course of these days the Lord will not have failed to make his call heard in the hearts of many young people,” said the Pope. “So many of the testimonies of young people and couples show that the experience of these world meetings, when it unfolds within a journey of faith, discernment and ecclesial service, can lead to mature decisions for marriage, religious life, priestly and missionary service.”
“In the light of the shortage of priests and religious, which is reaching dramatic proportions here in Germany, I encourage you, dear Brothers, to promote the pastoral care of vocations with renewed vigor,” he continued.
Father Norbert Schnell serves as a seminary rector in Utrecht, Holland. While he doesn't think the pope's talk will directly lead to vocations, he is confident that it will indirectly.
“For the people who are here, it will boost and cultivate their interest,” said Father Schnell. “We hope that from WYD, people will trust themselves to talk about their faith in their parishes. When more live that way, perhaps people will hear that and perhaps it will get them to ask: What does God want in my life?”
The situation in Holland is dismal.
“We have 12 seminarians for 900,000 Catholics in our diocese,” said Father Schnell.
Yet, he is hopeful.
“I am hopeful about the people who are now active in the Church,” he said. “In Pope Benedict's book The Salt of the Earth, he speaks of this. We have to be faithful and God will do the rest for us. This is the future of the Church.”
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: Tim Drake ----- KEYWORDS: News -------- TITLE: Weekly DVD/Video Picks DATE: 28/08/2005 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: August 28-September 3, 2005 ----- BODY:Lilo & Stitch 2: Stitch Has a Glitch (2005)
The original Lilo & Stitch was one of the few bright spots in Disney animation's post-1990s floundering. For once, Disney offered an orphaned heroine — two, in fact — who didn't fit the usual girl-power model; instead, little Lilo was troubled, introverted and vulnerable. And Stitch, far from being a typically cuddly protagonist, was a pint-sized bully whose eventual redemption was fully earned.
The film spawned a TV series and an earlier direct-to-video sequel. This new direct-to-video sequel, set between the two previous films, covers much the same ground as the original: Stitch's “glitch” means that he begins regressing to his previous chaotic ways, and it's again up to Lilo (Dakota Fanning replacing Daveigh Chase) and the power of ohana (Hawaiian for “family”) to save him.
Though derivative, the film recaptures the quirky blend of Hawaiian culture, Elvis nostalgia, sci-fi goofiness and off-kilter humor that made the original so unique.
Content advisory: Some mild menace and intense sequences that could be unsettling to young children.
The Truman Show(1998)
Newly available in a special-edition DVD, Peter Weir's The Truman Show is a remarkably layered achievement: a deceptively simple fairy tale; a hilariously subversive satire of media excess and the erosion of privacy; a sly exploration of the paranoid fear that the world around one is somehow staged for one's benefit and everyone else is in on it; and finally an elegant parable about truth and happiness with evocative religious resonance.
An uncharacteristically low-key Jim Carrey plays Truman Burbank, a man who begins to question his seemingly idyllic but static life after a stage light crashes to earth in front of his house one morning. What Truman doesn't know is that he's both the victim and the star of an obsessively popular 24-hour TV show — a prescient blend of “Candid Camera” and the “reality TV” frenzy that hit about two years after the film. Truman's whole world is a giant sound stage, and everyone else — his wife, best friend, neighbors and co-workers — is acting. Only he is real.
The show is masterminded by TV impresario Christof (Ed Harris), who has a serious God complex (“Cue the sun”). Though the film has been interpreted as an anti-religious parable about rejecting God, a fleeting climactic prayer to the real God offered on Truman's behalf suggests that the real target is not God, but his presumptuous imitators.
Content advisory: Some profane language; a discreet sexual reference; mature themes. Teens and up.
Swing Time (1936)
Newly available on DVD, Swing Time is widely considered the best of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers’ 10 pictures together — a cinematic perfect storm of such grace, elegance and sophistication as could only have come from Hollywood during the Great Depression.
A typically half-baked plot — a thoughtless gambler fails to show up at his wedding after his dancing buddies steal his pants, then sets off to prove himself to his fiancée's father by making $25,000 — is a showcase for Astaire and Rogers’ effortless class and finesse in such immortal numbers as “Pick Yourself Up” and “Never Gonna Dance.” So unimpeachable is Astaire's class, even his lone blackface number, “Bojangles of Harlem,” is tasteful and dignified, a sincere tribute to tap-dancing great Bill “Bojangles” Robinson.
Content advisory: Romantic complications. Okay for older kids.
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: Steven D. Greydanus ----- KEYWORDS: Arts -------- TITLE: What the Youth Have DATE: 28/08/2005 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: August 28-September 3, 2005 ----- BODY:EDITORIAL
“Bring me what they're having.”
That's what Pope Benedict XVI said during a special luncheon he had with 12 young people at World Youth Day in Cologne. He rejected a special trout lunch prepared just for him, and had the ordinary omelet lunch prepared for the pilgrims. The 12 who ate lunch with him said it was a special moment of solidarity with the Pope.
But “I want what they have” was a sentiment staff writer Tim Drake heard often from observers at World Youth Day.
One can only imagine how invigorating World Youth Day is from the Holy Father's perspective.
Benedict remarked to a friend that his reaction to the throngs of cheering young people there to meet him was “an explosion of joy.” In his opening remarks, he said a Pope receives much from the youth, “especially from their enthusiasm, their sensitivity and their readiness to face the challenges of the future.”
In Toronto in 2003, newspapers were highly skeptical and in some cases openly hostile to the event as World Youth Day began. By the end, editorialists and columnists were gushing about the joy and good behavior of pilgrims.
Drake found the same phenomenon when he spoke with secular observers in Cologne. He asked one older German woman who works near the Cathedral what she thought about all these young people filling up her neighborhood.
“It is wonderful, wonderful,” she said. “It is wonderful to see so many young people happy.”
The Australian government's minister of tourism attended World Youth Day to prepare himself for the next World Youth Day, which will be held in Sydney in 2008.
“I have never seen anything like this,” he said. “I can't tell you what it's done for me to see such a congregation of humanity — so happy and well-behaved.”
Our culture often dreams of a world in which people from all walks of life, from all the continents in the world, gather together in peace and harmony to celebrate love and life — but they never actually see it. They certainly didn't at the widely criticized Live 8 concerts this summer, for instance.
But the special quality of the pilgrims was obvious.
Drake described how Italian pilgrims mobbed passing bishops or priests to get blessings. A group of African pilgrims was stranded waiting for a bus and, instead of sitting dejectedly or listening to iPods, they sang and danced. Groups from other countries joined in.
At the same time, it would be naïve to expect that the hundreds of thousands of young people at Cologne all understood Church teaching and were fully committed to the Church's doctrines.
Catholic Answers passed out primers on the Catholic faith. Pope Benedict himself was guarded about the religious fervor in his final homily of World Youth Day.
He talked about a “new explosion of religion” in our day. “I have no wish to discredit all the manifestations of this phenomenon. There may be sincere joy in the discovery,” he said. “Yet, if it is pushed too far, religion becomes almost a consumer product. People choose what they like, and some are even able to make a profit from it.”
He added: “Religion constructed on a ‘do-it-youself’ basis cannot ultimately help us. Help people to discover the true star that points out the way to us: Jesus Christ.”
Nevertheless, it was precisely challenging statements from the Pope like these which drew the biggest cheers from the crowd. Whatever some of the participants lacked in doctrinal formation, they clearly enjoyed hearing tough truths spoken with authority.
“I've celebrated Mass for tens of thousands of people, but here there was a real sense of reverence and reconciliation,” said Sydney, Australia, Cardinal George Pell. “It was a great tribute to the spirit of the Holy Father himself.”
Cologne Cardinal Joachim Meisner noticed also.
“I started crying when I saw how the young people received the host,” he said, “and I had to pull myself together as a bishop.”
We can learn quite a bit from the young people at World Youth Day.
These were people with none of the hang-ups of the past that older Catholics struggle with. In a country with one of the largest organized dissenting Catholic groups in the world, Catholic dissent was invisible and Catholic devotions were unavoidable.
They sang about Jesus, chanted and prayed. They frequented adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and confession. They weren't seeking celebrity. They were there for one reason — fellowship with each other and with God.
As one young man told Tim Drake, “We are here to celebrate Christ. The Pope is like icing on the cake.”
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- KEYWORDS: Opinion -------- TITLE: Breathe Clean for Baby DATE: 28/08/2005 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: August 28-September 3, 2005 ----- BODY:FACTS OF LIFE
Snuff out that smoke, Mom. Two new studies, one in England and the other in Denmark, show that women who light up during pregnancy nearly triple the risk of later having their children diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The main problem seems to be nicotine, a central-nervous-system stimulant that could get transmitted in utero.
Source: The Times (of London), Aug. 1 Illustration by Tim Rauch
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- KEYWORDS: Culture of Life -------- TITLE: Groups Back Roberts Despite Questions DATE: 28/08/2005 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: August 28-September 3, 2005 ----- BODY:WASHINGTON — Judge John Roberts remains an enigma.
President Bush nominated him to serve on the Supreme Court in July. Since then, a great volume of his memoranda and other writings have been released. But questions remain about his personal and judicial view.
Despite their misgivings about Roberts, Democrats have failed to find anything in his writings or personal life that will decisively sink his nomination. After weeks of discussion and examination of his record on the appellate bench and in the Reagan and first Bush administrations, the common wisdom in Washington remains that Roberts will sail through the Senate without strenuous opposition — perhaps with as many as 70 votes.
Roberts even dodged another potential source of controversy Aug. 17 when the American Bar Association rated him “well qualified” to serve on the Supreme Court.
But pro-family voices have their own concerns about this soft-spoken nominee, even though they continue to stand by him almost universally. Specifically, they look nervously upon two cases with which Roberts assisted while serving at the prestigious law firm of Hogan and Hartson.
One of the cases was Romer v. Evans, a homosexual-rights case that Roberts’ firm took on pro bono.
In that 1996 case, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Colorado's Constitutional Amendment 2, which voters had approved in a referendum four years earlier. The amendment prevented the state and municipal governments there from conferring any special “minority status, quota preferences, protected status or claim of discrimination” upon anyone due to “homosexual, lesbian or bisexual orientation, conduct, practices or relationships.”
Roberts helped prepare the Romer case for the side that ultimately prevailed — the side that wanted to give homosexuality a special status. He played devil's advocate for his colleagues at Hogan and Hartson who were handling the case. Providing fewer than 10 hours of legal work, he made the arguments against the case, and posed questions that one might expect pro-life justices such as Antonin Scalia to ask during oral arguments.
Roberts played a similar role in the 1999 Supreme Court case U.S. v. Playboy, in which the Supreme Court struck down laws requiring that cable pornography be scrambled during hours when children were likely to see it on television. Roberts also attended a 1999 meeting in the solicitor general's office on behalf of Playboy Entertainment, which was a paying client of his firm.
Steve Schmidt, a spokesman for the White House, refused to comment for the record on the controversy. The White House has stated previously that Roberts was in the habit of agreeing to help anyone at his law firm who asked for help on a pro bono case involving appellate jurisprudence. Roberts was the head of his firm's Appellate Practice Group.
Despite these cases, pro-family voices have largely remained on Roberts’ side. “The Senator is not terribly concerned with that,” said John Hart, spokesman for Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla. Hart, who was speaking only of the Romer case, referred the Register to a statement Coburn had given on Aug. 9 to an Oklahoma newspaper.
“When you become a lawyer and say, ‘I am just a lawyer for those people I agree with’ — if you are, then you are not a very good lawyer,” Coburn had said. Coburn, vacationing during Congress's August recess, could not be reached for comment on the Playboy case.
The Committee for Justice, which has doggedly supported President Bush's judicial nominees through four years of entrenched Democratic opposition, continues to stand by Roberts, said Executive Director Sean Rushton. Rushton described Roberts’ involvement in helping the cases giving homosexuals special status and protecting pornography as a typical part of collegiality among appellate attorneys.
“It is really seen as a professional courtesy,” said Rushton. “It is not seen really as helping one side or the other side of the case. There's an overall commitment in the legal community from all political sides to improve the quality of appellate advocacy … so that when liberal advocates come before the court, they are well prepared to take questions from the conservative side, and vice versa.”
Dominican Father Brian Mullady, a moral theologian at Holy Apostles College & Seminary in Cromwell, Conn., explained that such cooperation by Roberts could potentially be an error if it amounts to “formal cooperation in evil.” He added, however, that it could be perfectly legitimate to help with such cases by simply providing the opposing arguments.
“Formal cooperation in evil is where you either actually approve of the evil that you are a part of or associated with, or you are actually participating in doing the deed,” said Mullady. “If the guy's preparing the brief, that's one thing. If he's just playing the devil's advocate, I would say that's not formal” cooperation.
The only pro-family group to publicly denounce Roberts is Public Advocate — a group that most of Washington had never heard of before last week. Eugene Delgaudio, the group's president and an elected supervisor in Loudon County, Va., said his group had rejected Roberts based on his participation in the Romer v. Evans case.
“How much damage do you allow an attorney to do to the American family without drawing the line and saying, ‘that's just his professional courtesy’? How many innocent people are hurt? Where do you draw that line?”
He said his group will continue to question Roberts’ appropriateness for the Supreme Court.
“Here we have someone working to undo state rights, to undo a popular referendum in Colorado, he said. “We're not going to stop because the White House says it's a small matter.”
Ann Coulter remains the only major conservative writer to oppose the Roberts nomination wholeheartedly. Asked about Roberts's cooperation in the Romer and Playboy cases, Coulter told the Register, “It's not his strongest point.”
Confirmation hearings for Roberts have been scheduled to begin Sept. 6 before the Senate Judiciary Committee.
David Freddoso is based in Washington, D.C.
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: David Freddoso ----- KEYWORDS: News -------- TITLE: Letters to the Editor DATE: 28/08/2005 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: August 28-September 3, 2005 ----- BODY:Susan Torres’ Passion
Marge Fenelon's otherwise sympathetic article “Virginia Catholic Kept Alive for Baby” (July 3-9) unfortunately used vocabulary that undercuts respect for life. It called Susan Torres, the pregnant mother, “brain dead.”
Dr. Paul Byrne, physician, author and professor of pediatrics at the Medical College of Ohio, writes that there is no standard set of criteria for “brain death,” and that some “sets of criteria for ‘brain death’ do not even require an electroencephalogram (EEG, a recording of electrical activity from the surface of the brain) — an omission that could result in a patient with cortical activity (memory, feelings, emotion, etc.) being declared ‘dead’” (Euthanasia: Imposed Death, Human Life Alliance advertising supplement).
Justin Torres, Jason's brother and the spokesman for the family, was confused as well. He was quoted in the Register article: “If [Susan] were here, she would tell us to do exactly what we're doing.” I applaud him for his fidelity to Susan and her baby. But he said, “If Susan were here.” With her living, breathing body right there, Susan was there, body and soul!
Another inaccuracy: Ethicist Edward Furton of the National Catholic Bioethics Center in Philadelphia is quoted as saying, “No one has ever recovered from brain death.”
However, the aforementioned advertising supplement, Euthanasia: Imposed Death, contains the following item from Isani County [Minn.] News, Jan. 7, 1988: “The family of a 14-year-old girl was told she was ‘essentially brain dead’ and were asked to donate her organs. Two months later she was taken off life-support, learning to walk and teasing her sisters.”
Finally, according to the Register article, Susan's physician said, “We're doing her breathing for her.” However, as Dr. Paul Byrne states regarding ventilators, “It is the person, not the machine, who breathes.”
I thank God for the Torres family's heroic witness to the sanctity of life.
CATHERINE NORMAN
Fremont, California
NCBC Responds
The National Catholic Bioethics Center does not know all the medical facts of the case, but it is certain that Susan Torres was not “brain dead” at the time of her collapse and during the time she was kept on life support to allow for the further gestation of her baby. “Brain death” is a shorthand way in which reference is made to neurological criteria for determining death rather than the more common cardio-pulmonary criteria. In the past, one was declared dead after the cessation of breathing and heartbeat inevitably led to the deterioration of the brain and the impossibility of resuscitation. Modern medical science has found ways to prolong the dying process or even to keep certain systems of the body functioning using external mechanical support after the person has died.
For many years now, medical science has been able to determine, using a variety of tests, whether or not the brain has died, thus signaling the death of the person. The Catholic Church has accepted the legitimacy of neurological criteria for determining death when they are rigorously applied and they show death of the total brain. As Pope John Paul II said in August of 2000: “It is a well known fact that for some time certain scientific approaches to ascertaining death have shifted the emphasis from the traditional cardio-pulmonary signs to the so-called ‘neurological’ criteria. Specifically, this consists in establishing, according to clearly defined parameters commonly held by the international scientific community, the complete and irreversible cessation of all brain activity (in the cerebrum, cerebellum and the brain stem). This is then considered the sign that the individual organism has lost its integrative capacity.”
The Holy Father went on to say: “With regard to the parameters used today for ascertaining death — whether the ‘encephalic’ signs or the more traditional cardio-respiratory signs — the Church does not make technical decisions. … Here it can be said that the criterion adopted in more recent times for ascertaining the fact of death, namely the complete and irreversible cessation of all brain activity, if rigorously applied, does not seem to conflict with the essential elements of a sound anthropology.”
Susan Torres was certainly never declared dead using neurological criteria. Otherwise she could not have “died” after life support was removed. She already would have been dead. It was reported that Susan Torres received the final sacraments by a priest after being taken off life support after the baby had been delivered. The Church does not allow sacraments to be administered to a corpse; they can only be administered to a living person.
Susan Torres was certainly severely neurologically compromised because of her cancer, with no hope of ever recovering or even gaining consciousness. Her life was prolonged by using extraordinary means, which are morally permitted but not morally obligatory. In a show of family fortitude, the decision was made to use these extraordinary means of prolonging her life so that the child she and her husband so desperately wanted could be delivered.
What we are faced with here is a use of terminology by the communications media which was simply inaccurate. The arguments for or against the legitimacy of using neurological criteria for determining death are simply out of place here since the woman was still living. We all rejoice in the birth of her child and we pray for the happy repose of her soul.
JOHN M. HAAS, PH.D., S.T.L.
President National Catholic Bioethics Center
Philadelphia
Soft on Militant Islam?
Regarding “Blaming Islam” (Editorial, July 24-Aug 6):
I certainly do agree with your conclusion. “A vibrant, Christian culture of faith and life can prevail against an extremist religious onslaught” and “a re-Christianized West is our strongest defense against Islamic extremism.” For those who wonder what they can do in these troubled times, your suggestions are right on.
However, I must admit that I struggle with the muddled logic of the majority of your editorial and what you expect your readers to think if they're not supposed to admit the obvious — that is, Islam is a huge problem.
Before I got to your conclusion, I was sitting there shaking my head thinking, “Does this writer read his/her own newspaper? Did he not see the front-page article on the June 26-July 2 issue titled “Crackdown: In Saudi Arabia It's a Crime to Be Christian”? By bending over backwards to not blame Islam, are we being charitable to a fault?
I am a firm believer that the Berlin wall came down because of the fervent prayers of Pope John Paul II and millions of other faithful believers. However, on the secular side of the equation, was the battle won by making sure we “didn't blame communism?” Or was the win precipitated because a leader named Ronald Reagan had the vision to call the Soviet Union an “evil empire,” and the courage to say in front of the entire world, “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall.”
LOU BRUNO
Altamonte Springs, Florida
But it would be unfair not to notice something else.
What many of the Sept. 11 hijackers and the London bombers had in common were affluent backgrounds in Muslim families that live Western lifestyles, and rather recent conversions to a highly politicized Islamic extremism. Their terrorist acts were acts of nihilism and anarchy that were a break from the way their Muslim parents brought them up.
Shortly before becoming Pope Benedict, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger made much the same point. He described modern secular Europe's distorted understanding of freedom, and explained how it led to many social evils. “In the end, terrorism is also based on this” distorted freedom, he said, “and not on the teachings of the Koran.”
Catholic Radio on a Roll
Thank you for your article “Invasion of the Podcasters” (July 17-23). I applaud the efforts of Disciples with Microphones in using this new and exciting form of on-demand media to evangelize and provide content for radio and other forms of media. With a vast population that varies greatly in age, tastes, experiences, culture and levels of faith, we must use every means possible to spread our faith.
I was a little surprised, however, to see the use of the term “reform” in a letter to the editor (“God on the Pod,” Aug. 7-13) citing Carlos Briceno's commentary on Catholic radio last year in the Register.
The use of the term “reform” suggests that Catholic radio has been getting it wrong until now. Yet one has only to ask a local station manager about the letters they receive from listeners to know that, for years, it has provided an important avenue to learn about our faith and brought thousands to a new relationship with Christ and his Church.
In our world of immediate gratification, it's easy to forget that the field of Catholic radio is really still quite young and, like many fields that have come before it, new formats will naturally develop, while those that have been around for awhile will continue to remain very strong. This is already happening, but as long as the Catholic Church consists of many different types of people, there will always be a place for the different and equally wonderful formats of Catholic radio — even those that may not match our own personal tastes, disseminating the same Orthodox Catholic faith.
SHERRY KENNEDY BROWNRIGG
Catholic Media & Communications Consulting
Omaha, Nebraska
Correction and Amplification
In our Aug. 14-20 story “Why We Quit Contracepting,” we incorrectly reported that Dr. Mike Moell of Dayton, Ohio, used to prescribe contraception to young girls. In fact, Dr. Moell left his practice because of his opposition to prescribing contraception. We regret the error, and appreciate the Moells’ writing us to set the record straight. Here's what they said:
“Each of our first three pregnancies (prior to our conversion to the Church's teaching and NFP) were ‘planned’ and greatly desired. The problem was that we thought we were in charge of the plan. It was with the conception of our fourth child, conceived when we were really trying not to get pregnant, that we began to realize that God was really in charge of the plan. This realization gave us great peace. …
“We have been blessed with eight children all together [so far]: two in heaven. We have five sons and one daughter. We like to say that we are trying to do our part to help alleviate the priest shortage! Your readers’ prayers for our family would be greatly appreciated.”
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- KEYWORDS: Opinion -------- TITLE: Sanctifying Courses on a Secular Campus DATE: 28/08/2005 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: August 28-September 3, 2005 ----- BODY:Matt Kemnitz was an aspiring professor of German when he came to the University of Kansas as a graduate student in 1999.
The lifelong Catholic soon involved himself in the St. Lawrence Catholic Campus Center, where one man's questions about his faith — and Kemnitz's own answers — would change the course of his life and of his career.
The University of Kansas is a secular university of 27,000 students, about 25% of them Catholic. The St. Lawrence Center welcomes 1,500 students at weekend Masses, and for seven years interested students — more than 400 per year — have signed up for its non-credit courses offering intellectual and spiritual formation.
Based on the success of this model, this fall the program will branch out from the university confines to catechize and form adults through parishes in the Archdiocese of Kansas City. The program will be known as the Holy Family School of Faith.
From the archdiocesan base, the program will, its administrators hope, spread to other secular campuses throughout the country.
The program's name derives from a February 2004 address by Pope John Paul II.
“I am delighted with the suggestion to promote schools of faith (emphasis in original) in the heart of university institutions,” the Holy Father said, “for they are particularly well-suited to providing high-quality teaching, faithful to the magisterium, in a perspective that is not only intellectual but also concerned to develop the spiritual and liturgical life of the Christian people and help them discover the moral requirements associated with living in accordance with the Gospel.”
Filling a Vacuum
The School of Faith will work through the St. Lawrence Center, sharing instructors, but it's set up as a public association of the faithful, working within existing ecclesiastical structures. Kansas City Archbishop Joseph Naumann is to serve as episcopal moderator.
The courses focus on Scripture and salvation history, the Catechism, virtue-based morality, the theology of the body, sex and marriage, and prayer and spirituality over six semesters. During the fourth year, students take elective courses.
All courses are taught by instructors with advanced degrees in theology and meet once each week for 12 weeks. Instructors must also receive a mandatum from the archbishop. This year, six instructors will teach 15 classes for students and at least 12 more classes in local parishes.
The parishes will host the same set of courses for adults with one key difference: While university students attend courses free of charge, adults enrolled in the courses will pay $250 per semester. There is no cost to the parishes.
“It's a way for a parish to outsource a quality education,” explains Jayd Hendricks, associate director of the School of Faith. “Parishes are already strapped with financial needs. We provide the education at no cost and there's no requirement for the parish other than providing a classroom for us to teach in.”
These funds benefit the St. Lawrence Center in its apostolate to catechize University of Kansas students. The backing will allow for expanding the program to other secular university campuses with the University of Kansas model as a training ground.
Mike Scherschligt, executive director of the School of Faith, said that the goal is to train instructors through the School of Faith and send them to other campuses to replicate the model. The tuition charged for adult classes will be used to support these teachers, two of whom will work on campus this fall.
His philosophy that catechesis is needed at secular schools is based in statistics: 90% of Catholic students attend non-Catholic universities.
“There's a tremendous hunger to learn the basics of the faith because we've been brought up in a vacuum,” says Scherschligt. “People want to know, ‘Who am I?’ ‘What's the purpose of my life?’ ‘How do I fit into this big plan?’”
Changing Lives
To underscore the importance of forming young Catholics, Scherschligt points out that 85% to 90% of all parochial-school teachers in the Kansas City area come from public universities where moral formation usually takes a backseat to academic and career pursuits.
At the beginning of each year, students at the University of Kansas fill out pew cards at Mass indicating their interest in the courses. Students are then contacted personally by Scherschligt or another instructor to discuss their faith and formation opportunities.
Scherschligt asks every student the same question: How do you think you need to grow in your faith? “Always, the answer is, ‘I don't know my faith. I don't know anything about my faith,’” he says.
He posed this same question to Matt Kemnitz in 1999, and Kemnitz gave the expected answer.
So did former University of Kansas student Emily Davis. “It completely turned my life around,” she says of the program. “It astounded me that I had been a Catholic my whole life and I'd never heard this stuff.”
Not only did Davis become certified as a catechist for the archdiocese through completion of the full course of studies, but she also grew deeply interested in the theology of the body — so much so that she spent last year studying at the John Paul II Institute for Marriage and Family in Rome.
As for Kemnitz, the courses steered him away from German and into theology. Within a year, he had accepted a job as outreach minister for the St. Lawrence Center.
After a year at seminary discerning that his vocation lay in marriage, his dual love for theology and teaching led him back to the center as a teacher. He now works as director of the youth and young-adult ministry at the Church of the Nativity in Leawood, Kan., and he credits the courses he took through the St. Lawrence Center with the transformation in his life.
“It taught me more than my faith,” he says. “It taught me my vocation. It taught me what a vocation is.”
Dana Lorelle writes from Cary, North Carolina.
Information
St. Lawrence Center
st-lawrence.org
School of Faith
schooloffaith.com
----- EXCERPT: A 'school of Faith' rolls out at the University of Kansas ----- EXTENDED BODY: Dana Lorelle ----- KEYWORDS: Education -------- TITLE: When Hubby Cools on Another Conception DATE: 28/08/2005 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: August 28-September 3, 2005 ----- BODY:FAMILY MATTERS
I'm longing to have another baby, but my husband refuses. What can I do to encourage him to be open to life?
We've been asked this question many times, and we've always had the same recommendations. First, pray earnestly together — not simply that he'll change his mind, but rather that you'll be of “one mind, one heart, one path,” as in Jeremiah 31. Work on friendships with other like-minded Catholics who have large families. If your husband is a reader, a few strategically placed articles or books by dads for dads may get him thinking.
While we still think those items are important, we recently heard some great advice from a savvy mother of five. Her husband told her, back when they were first married, that he only wanted two children. She tells moms like you to show your hubby how much you love being a mom, and make it look easy. When he walks through the door at night, don't thrust a screaming baby into his arms and act exhausted and exasperated. Rather than saving it up for your husband the moment he gets home, express frustration to your friends (fellow moms who understand those particularly tough days) during phone calls or get-togethers in the park
This is not being sneaky or dishonest. Women have real need to talk through their trying times; they share their difficulties because it helps them cope. They merely want a sympathetic ear or affirmation in order to persevere. Men, however, hear all this and jump into problem-solving mode. They want to give a concrete solution.
This stark difference between the sexes can affect the family-size decision.
Consider this real-life example. An old friend of ours is thrilled to have two young boys just 18 months apart and is hoping for No. 3 soon. She recently had one of those awful days that begin with a sick child vomiting in her bed and end with an overflowing toilet caused by an entire roll of toilet paper being stuffed into it.
She vented to her husband, looking for a little encouragement. He listened patiently and, when her tirade was over, he said, “Well of course we shouldn't have a third baby if just these two stress you out!”
She was stunned, but later realized that all her husband ever heard about were the hard times. Moms don't think to talk about how happy they are or how well they're doing. All mothers should begin to do so, in order that their husbands will know that they are truly okay.
Finally, our experience is that many well-intentioned men are reluctant to have another baby because they are anxious about finances. Wives can be cognizant of that legitimate concern and be financially disciplined: working hard to be creative with what they have, sticking to an agreed-upon budget and avoiding costly convenience foods by cooking more.
If your husband sees that your spirits are high and your bank account is in the black, it just may help him be open to having one more little one.
The McDonalds are family-life coordinators for the Diocese of Mobile, Alabama.
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: Tom ... Caroline McDonald ----- KEYWORDS: Culture of Life -------- TITLE: National Media Watch DATE: 28/08/2005 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: August 28-September 3, 2005 ----- BODY:Pro-Life Group Stands by Its Statement
Staff Sgt. Chad Simon, 32, of Monona, Wis., never recovered after he was injured by a bomb in November. On July 20, the Dane County Circuit Court ordered HospiceCare to follow the wishes laid out in Simon's living will and remove his feeding tube, the Capital Times reported.
On Aug. 11, Pro-Life Wisconsin issued a news release saying: “Sgt. Simon died of dehydration, not from any sort of brain injuries. Sgt. Simon was rendered handicapped by the bomb in Iraq; he was murdered by those who were in charge of his medical care.”
Virgin Mary Gains a New Following, Newspaper Says
The article quotes Life magazine, which in 1996 noted that “one of the intriguing aspects of the latest rise of Mary is this: The emotional need for her is so irresistible to a troubled world that people without an obvious link to the Virgin are being drawn to her.”
“Our Protestant friends — theologians — are writing much more positively about the role of Mary in the life of the Church,” retired Bishop Robert Banks told the paper.
“Spirituality is getting deeper,” Norbertine Father Alfred McBride also told the paper. “[Mary's] life is one long song, or prayer, if you will. People want to be near her.”
NARAL Ad Proponent Resigns
David Seldin, who defended the ad — which the nonpartisan watchdog factcheck.org said was false — had pushed for a more aggressive debate regarding Roberts’ nomination than others within the organization, the Washington Post reported.
In an Aug. 12 e-mail announcing his resignation, Seldin said he had been thinking of leaving anyway after the Supreme Court nomination process was over.
Guardian of the Year?
The Florida State Guardianship Association gave the award to Schiavo at its Aug. 5 meeting. The group said that although Schiavo was a “controversial choice,” the Gainesville Sun reported, it decided to recognize him because of his commitment to honor what he says were his wife's wishes not to be kept alive artificially.
Terri Schiavo died of dehydration and starvation March 31.
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- KEYWORDS: News -------- TITLE: Saxon Sanctity by the Sea DATE: 28/08/2005 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: August 28-September 3, 2005 ----- BODY:The remote, unspoiled, English isle of Lindisfarne — popularly known around Northumbria as “Holy Island” — has been closely connected with the Catholic faith since St. Aidan of Lindisfarne founded a monastery here around 635.
Aidan (feast day: Aug. 31) had been sent from Iona in Scotland at the request of King Oswald. As a result, Lindisfarne became the base for Christian evangelizing throughout the north of England. Monks from the community of Iona settled here; among them was one called Cuthbert. He later became abbot of the monastery and is now Northumberland's patron saint.
It was on Lindisfarne that Cuthbert spent his time in prayer and contemplation, having only the seals and sea birds for company. His life and miracles were recorded by another great saint, the Venerable Bede. The old monastery no longer exists, yet the spirit of these great saints lives on in this place.
St. Cuthbert died in 687. He was buried in his monastery at Lindisfarne, and his tomb immediately became celebrated for remarkable miracles. These were so numerous that he was called the “Wonder-worker of England.” After Cuthbert's death, the famous illuminated manuscript known as the Lindisfarne Gospels was written in his honor. The Gospels, which rank among Britain's greatest artistic and religious treasures, are illustrated in a beautiful — and amazingly complex — Celtic style. They are particularly unusual for their bird illustrations and their naturalistic detail, which was obviously inspired by the landscape of the island.
When the Vikings raided Lindisfarne in 875 and destroyed the monastery, St. Cuthbert's miraculously incorrupt body was removed and finally laid in a Saxon church in Durham. The magnificent Durham Cathedral was built on the site of this church. Durham Cathedral is only a couple hours’ drive from Lindisfarne; St. Cuthbert's tomb as well as St. Bede's may still be seen there.
The Lindisfarne Gospels now reside in the British Library in London, to the great annoyance of many a Northumbrian.
Ebb and Flow
One of the great attractions of Lindisfarne, for the monks back then and the visitors of today, is that it is only an island intermittently. Connected to the mainland of Northumberland by a causeway, it is cut off twice a day by the rising of the sea. Tidal times must be checked before visiting or you could end up being stranded on the island overnight. At low tide, there is a road for those who wish to drive across, and it is also possible to walk the sands following a crossing line known as the Pilgrims’ Way, which is marked with posts.
Earlier this summer my husband and I, along with our 1-year-old, visited Holy Island for the second time with a church group. As part of our return pilgrimage, we walked along the sands of the Pilgrims’ Way.
Actually, “walked along the sands” sounds romantic and civilized. What we actually did was plodge through the mud, which is really much more appropriate for a place associated with Viking raids. Children love to arrive on the island this way, dragging their feet through the muddy black clay, surrounded by beauty and silence.
As ever on this journey, I heard a babble of excited and hopeful questions about our possible fate: “Is there quicksand that could swallow us up? Could the waves rush in and drown us all?” In fact, the crossing is completely safe so long as you observe the tide times.
If you plan to walk across the causeway, the only way to do it is barefoot. Boots or shoes will only impede your progress — and there is nothing like that feeling of mud squishing through your toes to remind you that “you were made from soil, and you will become soil again” (Genesis 3:19).
Legend has it that St. Cuthbert would pray for hours at night on these shores in all seasons. Sea otters would come and sit at his feet and the ducks flocked around him. Cuthbert made rosaries from the fossil crinoids washed up on the seashore. To this day these crinoids are known as St. Cuthbert's Beads.
St. Cuthbert is recognized as one of the world's earliest wildlife conservationists and the eider duck is known locally as the Cuddy duck or Cuthbert duck in his memory. Lindisfarne is a very popular destination for bird watchers as parts of the island are protected as Lindisfarne National Nature Reserve.
St. Aidan's Ardor
Although the original monastery built by St. Aidan no longer stands, a Benedictine priory was built on Lindisfarne during the late 11th century. The ruins of this priory are still there to be explored, along with a museum.
The parish church has connections with the seventh-century monastery, as well as traces of Saxon architecture. Lindisfarne also has its own small castle, built using stones from the monastery ruins and based on the style of a Tudor fort. Situated atop a volcanic mound, Lindisfarne Castle is one of the most distinct and picturesque features of the island; it can be seen for many miles around. The castle and garden are in the care of the National Trust and open to visitors.
For an interesting diversion, or for those searching for a unique gift, St. Aidan's Winery operates in the center of the island. The showroom attracts more than 200,000 visitors a year from all over the world. Here you can sample Lindisfarne Mead, a fortified wine made on the island from fermented white grapes, honey and herbs.
The wine is delightful, but for me — and, I think, for most visitors to Lindisfarne — the main draw of this island is its combination of rare natural beauty and rich Catholic heritage. Arriving here is rather like stepping back through the centuries to a slower, quieter and more prayerful place and time.
It is a true paradox that a place so popular can remain so timeless, cut off from the modern world in both a physical and spiritual sense. Yet the tranquility mysteriously remains. This is perhaps the last and most amazing of St. Cuthbert's miracles.
As St. Aidan put it in a prayer: “Leave me alone with God as much as may be. As the tide draws the waters close in upon the shore, make me an island, set apart, alone with you, God, holy to you. Then with the turning of the tide prepare me to carry your presence to the busy world beyond, the world that rushes in on me till the waters come again and fold me back to you.”
Rachel O'Brien writes from Gateshead, England.
Planning Your Visit
Most people like to visit Holy Island during the summer months (May-September), when the weather is most hospitable. But the priory is open all year round, and some may prefer the remote beauty of Lindisfarne in winter when it is less popular with tourists. St. Aidan's Catholic Church is open every day for prayer. Mass times vary with tides, depending entirely on visiting priests. For more, visit www.lindisfarne.org.uk.
Getting There
Lindisfarne sits just off the northeast coast of England. The nearest railway station is at Berwick-upon-Tweed. A public bus service operates from the station to the Island, although the frequency varies considerably from summer to winter and according to the prevailing tide. A taxi service is also available.
----- EXCERPT: The 'Holy Island' of Lindisfarne, England ----- EXTENDED BODY: Rachel O'Brien ----- KEYWORDS: Travel -------- TITLE: God Bless Catholic Americans DATE: 28/08/2005 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: August 28-September 3, 2005 ----- BODY:PATRIOTIC LEADERS OF THE CHURCH
OSV, 2004
222 pages, $13.95
To order: (800) 348-2440
or catalog.osv.com
The United States and the Catholic Church share a long and fascinating history.
John Fink's Patriotic Leaders of the Church considers some of the most important moments in that history by spotlighting the lives of key Catholic leaders from the past three centuries.
Fink, a former president of Our Sunday Visitor and of the Catholic Press Association, focuses on “men who were both good Christians and good citizens; more specifically, they were good Catholics and good Americans.”
Noting that the patriotism of Catholics is not questioned today as it was in previous periods of our nation's history, Fink stresses that “we cannot fully appreciate the strides Catholics have made in our society without understanding the struggles many went through to achieve this.”
At the heart of the book is the belief that “it can be no accident that the greatest leaders of the Catholic Church in America have been among it greatest patriots.”
Fink presents mini-biographies of nine Catholics — all of them prelates or priests — who embodied a vibrant love for country and for the faith. Each sought to reconcile the two amid trying circumstances, often having to defend their loyalty to the Catholic Church to fellow citizens while explaining their love for the United States to authorities in Rome.
Among these was Archbishop John Carroll (1735-1815), considered the father of the Catholic Church in the United States and elected the first U.S. bishop on March 25, 1789, in a solemn conclave in Whitemarsh, Md. (Just a month later, George Washington became the first president of the fledgling country.) The unusual episcopal election took place, with the permission of Pope Pius VI, so as to avoid the appearance of a foreign power meddling in the affairs of the United States. It was just one of many unusual and sometimes tense moments between Catholic leaders in the newly formed republic and Vatican authorities who viewed the democracy of the New World as both novel and dangerous.
The fiery Bishop John England of South Carolina was, in 1826, the first Catholic clergyman to speak before the Legislature of the United States. When he was made bishop in 1820, the population of the United States was nearly 10 million, but less than 100,000 citizens were Catholic. Anti-Catholic sentiment ran strong and, not surprisingly, ignorance of the true nature of the Catholic faith was the norm. Bishop England would spend his life working to defend the Catholic faith and demonstrating that Catholics were supporters, not antagonists, of democracy.
These efforts occasionally led to questionable remarks, as when Bishop England stated that the institutions of the Catholic Church “are eminently republican.” Also prone to hyperbole were Archbishop John Ireland (1838-1918) and Cardinal James Gibbons (1834-1921), the latter telling President William Howard Taft: “You were pleased to mention my pride in being an American citizen. It is the proudest earthly title I possess.”
But, on the whole, these remarkable men walked a delicate line with boldness and wisdom, winning the admiration of even staunch Protestants without compromising their Catholic beliefs or identities.
Fink also looks at, among others, Father Isaac Hecker (“indirectly responsible” for the heresy of Americanism), Archbishop John Francis Noll (who battled tirelessly against anti-Catholicism), Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen (who dominated the airwaves in the 1950s), and New York Cardinal John J. O'Connor.
The book is well suited for students, apologists — and the American-history buff that ought to be in all of us.
Carl E. Olson is editor of Ignatiusinsight.com.
----- EXCERPT: Weekly Book Pick ----- EXTENDED BODY: John F. Fink ----- KEYWORDS: Education -------- TITLE: Alternatives to Teachers' Unions DATE: 28/08/2005 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: August 28-September 3, 2005 ----- BODY:My wife Cindy and I have always been careful consumers. As pro-life Catholics, we don't want our hard-earned money to promote activities or agendas that destroy human life. For example, we avoid shopping at stores that support abortion through donations to Planned Parenthood, the nation's largest abortion supplier.
So, it was natural for us to become alarmed when we learned that her teachers’ union, the National Education Association (NEA) and its state affiliate, the Washington Education Association (WEA), supported abortion and helped to elect pro-abortion candidates.
At its 2005 representative assembly, the National Education Association's pro-abortion stance was obvious when it refused to allow the addition of language from its policy on the use of animals in the classroom promoting “compassion and respect for all living things” from being inserted into its policy on family planning.
In 2004, the National Education Association co-sponsored the pro-abortion “March for Women's Lives.” The teachers’ union supports distributing contraception through school-based family-planning clinics. It is aligned with programs recommending comprehensive sexuality education that oppose abstinence-only education, and endorse abortion, contraception, masturbation, use of sexually-explicit materials, reproductive education for adolescents and Planned Parenthood.
In the 1980s and ’90's, Cindy was working as a Speech-Language Pathologist for Spokane Public Schools and was a member of the teachers union. She served as a union representative and attended the Washington Education Association's Leadership Academy. As she read union literature and became more involved in the organization, she grew increasingly distressed.
She became aware that her union dues were used to actively promote, through our nation's political process, a philosophy of secularism and relativism (recently characterized by Pope Benedict XVI as “a particularly insidious obstacle to the task of educating”) and a political ideology that undermined moral values by promoting homosexual “marriage” and abortion on demand.
She brought this to her union director's attention. He falsely told her that less than 1% of her union dues was used for political activity. She knew from reading union publications laced with partisan politics unrelated to education issues that the union was, in fact, heavily engaged in politics with union dues.
For years, Cindy was frustrated because Washington state requires nonunion teachers to pay for union representation whether they are union members or not. She felt trapped and violated. But in 1992, a phone call from a school counselor who had read Cindy's editorial column in the WEA Action, changed her life. Barbara Amidon informed her that teachers had the constitutional right not to fund union politics with mandatory union dues and that a group of teachers who had challenged the WEA's calculation of the representation fee had received a 70% reduction in their dues. She wondered if Cindy would be interested in exercising her rights.
Not only did Cindy exercise her rights, she and Barbara informed other teachers about their rights. They started a newsletter informing teachers how their union dues were being spent and organized a class action lawsuit challenging the union's calculation of its representation fee for nonunion teachers. (In right-to-work states, such as Idaho, forced union dues are illegal.)
In 1994, the Washington Education Association averted a class action lawsuit by granting nonunion teachers a 50% reduction in dues for two years (50 times more than the 1% claimed by her union director!). The federal class action lawsuit challenging the representation fee was filed in 1996 with the help of the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation.
Thanks to the efforts of this brave group of teachers, nonunion teachers in Washington may now object to the use of their dues for politics and receive a $200-$300 rebate in union dues. (The other option teachers have is to request religious objector status. Religious objectors are allowed to send 100% of their union dues to a mutually-agreed-upon charity.)
In his 1981 encyclical Laborem Exercens (On Human Work) Pope John Paul II said that “the role of unions is not to ‘play politics.’” When they do, he said, “they easily lose contact with their specific role, which is to secure the just right of workers within the framework of the common good of the whole of society; instead they become an instrument used for other purposes.”
Clearly, this has happened with the teachers’ union. The National Education Association is extremely partisan. A 2002 study by the Center for Responsive Politics found that since 1988 the National Education Association had given $21 million in campaign contributions, 95% of that to Democrats. When the teachers’ union endorses some Republicans, we have observed that they stick to those GOP candidates who support the union's position on abortion.
Cindy determined that she could not support the teachers’ union and stay faithful to Christ. For years, she and likeminded educators have worked both within the union and outside the union to restore legitimacy to the spending of teacher union dues — all to no affect. Instead, they were rebuffed by union leaders with intimidation and hostility.
In fact, the Washington Education Association filed a lawsuit against Cindy and Barb in an apparent attempt to silence all teachers who oppose the use of union dues for political purposes. The suit was infuriating!
It appeared the union (and its bank of staff attorneys) was trying to bankrupt us, but we trusted God would make things right, and he did. The teacher union's case collapsed for lack of merit. But, rather than being silenced, Cindy and her colleagues took their movement to a new level.
They established Northwest Professional Educators (NWPE), a nonprofit, non-union professional educator's organization affiliated with the Association of American Educators that focuses on students as teachers’ highest priority, and improving the professionalism of educators. The Northwest Professional Educators group serves public and private educators in Washington, Idaho and Oregon, and does not spend its members’ dues supporting anti-Catholic agendas such as abortion and homosexual “marriage.” It is one of 11 independent teachers’ associations affiliated with the Association of American Educators.
Across the country there are more than a quarter of a million educators who have abandoned the nation's two largest teachers unions — the American Federation of Teachers and the National Education Association — to join alternative associations that provide professionalism and legal protection teachers need without the partisan politics. Some of these independent organizations are larger than the teachers’ unions in their own states, such as Texas, Georgia and Missouri.
Nonunion professional organizations provide many of the same benefits as a union, but at a fraction of the cost. Northwest Professional Educators and the Association of American Educators provide $2 million in legal and liability insurance, attorney fees for job protection issues, professional development, teacher scholarships and classroom mini-grants, and give their members a voice on education issues at the state and federal level.
The nonunion organizations respect the beliefs and values of their members by not spending member dues on political parties, candidates or controversial social issues unrelated to education. Because of this, the dues are less than $15 a month. Union dues, however, often run between $600-$900 per year due to the heavy focus on politics unrelated to representation or education and the requirement that a teacher belong to the state and national union in order to belong to the National Education Association's local affiliate.
Catholic teachers who work in the public schools, like all workers, are called to live their faith in the marketplace and the workplace. Thankfully, teachers have choices that are morally sound as well as economically beneficial. They can join alternative professional educator organizations for less cost and more legal protection.
To me the choice seems very clear, since no Catholic dedicated to the service of youth can faithfully support an organization that defends the annihilation of our young in its most vulnerable stages.
Teachers should investigate this, exercise their rights and look at their options. Teachers of faith should learn this so that they can fulfill their vocation. The public schools are desperate for people of integrity who live their faith in every area of social, professional, cultural and political life. Our young people critically need your wisdom, your example, your sacrifice, your witness.
“I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. Choose life, then, that you and your descendants may live, by loving the Lord, your God, heeding his voice, and holding fast to him” (Deut. 30:19-20).
As our dearly departed Pope John Paul II said so eloquently in life and in death, “Be not afraid!”
John Omlin writes from Mead, Washington.
Information
Association of American Educators, www.aaeteachers.org, (800)704-7799; Northwest Professional Educators, www.nwpe.org, (800)380-6973.
For more information about teacher union politics, see www.ichoos echarity.org/why.php.
For information on workers’ rights not to fund union politics, see National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation, www.nrtw.org, (800) 336-3600.
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: John Omlin ----- KEYWORDS: Commentary -------- TITLE: In Speech to Muslims, Pope Focuses on Common Truths DATE: 28/08/2005 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: August 28-September 3, 2005 ----- BODY:COLOGNE, Germany — In his first address to Muslims, Pope Benedict XVI carefully sought to defuse any antagonism between the historically Christian world and Islam. He focused on deeper common truths that exist between the two faiths, and at the same time, he confronted sensitive issues of concern to the Church.
In particular, the Holy Father strongly spoke against terrorism carried out in the name of Islam, calling it “a perverse and cruel decision which shows contempt for the sacred right to life and undermines the very foundations of all civil society.”
But Pope Benedict, who recently blamed these atrocities on a small group of fanatics rather than Islam itself, reasserted that the terrorists do not act in accordance with the faith they claim to profess.
“Evidently,” he said, “[they] wish to poison our relations, making use of all means, including religion, to oppose every attempt to build a peaceful, fair and serene life together”.
The Holy Father added, “I am profoundly convinced that we must not yield to the negative pressures in our midst, but must affirm the values of mutual respect, solidarity and peace.”
The life of every human being, he told representatives of the Turkish Islamic Union, “is sacred, both for Christians and for Muslims.”
Pope Benedict recalled the bloody history that Christians and Muslims have inherited.
“How many pages of history record battles and even wars that have been waged, with both sides invoking the name of God, as if fighting and killing the enemy could be pleasing to him,” he asked rhetorically. Past wars between Christians and Muslims, he went on, “should fill us with shame,” and “the lessons of the past must help us to avoid repeating the same mistakes.”
The Pope's talk, directed towards the whole Islamic world as much as to Muslims in Germany, underlined the friendly dialogue and commonalities that now exist between the two faiths. However, the disparity between upholding the centrality and sacredness of the human person, and the persecution of religious minorities in Muslim countries was not lightly passed over.
“We must seek paths of reconciliation and learn to live with respect for each other's identity,” the Pope said. He called on Christians and Muslims to avoid the mistakes of the past.
“The defence of religious freedom … is a permanent imperative, and respect for minorities is a clear sign of true civilization,” he added.
The implied criticism here was clear: The rights and freedoms of German Muslims are generally respected by the state; those of Christians in Muslim countries such as Saudi Arabia are not, and run counter to the sacredness of life that Islam purports to uphold.
Islamic countries, however, can foster a different approach, the Holy Father said, and that is to listen to the “quiet but clear voice of conscience” and recognize the “centrality of the human person.”
In many ways, the speech was a continuation of his address given the day before at Cologne's synagogue. Then, Pope Benedict XVI drew on passages from the Second Vatican Council's declaration Nostra Aetate (The Relation of the Church to Non-Christian Religions), 40 years old this year, to encourage dialogue with non-Christian faiths.
It is something he sees not as an option or seasonal trend but as vital work to the Church and, in a world in which there appears to be growing anti-Semitism and hostility towards foreigners and minorities, one that has an even greater urgency.
“It was an invitation to look forward not back”, said Father Justo Lacunza-Balda, director of the Pontifical Institute for Arab and Islamic Studies. “I found it a very touching speech which placed emphasis on humanity, elements of friendship and closeness.”
There were no condemnations, Father Lacunza-Balda noted, but rather statements of solidarity and collaboration with the Muslim community in confronting evil, and an underlying emphasis on the crucial role of education in the formation of young Muslims.
“He was saying to them: ‘You teach your faith, but what do you teach?” the priest added. “Is it about respect for human dignity, or is it about something else?”
As prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger criticized Islam for its tendency to mix religion and politics too readily. He also upset many Turks when he suggested that Turkey should become part of a greater Islamic community rather than join the European Union.
But he also has a respect for the religious and moral seriousness of Islam, and is convinced that it is not debate over Europe's Christian roots that offend Muslim immigrants, but disrespect for God and religion.
Religion of Peace?
Yet some detractors would argue that he could have been even more direct, and question whether the Koran, with all its references to warfare against the ‘infidel,’ can honestly be called a book of peace.
“There are plenty of verses in the Old Testament that refer to war, too, but that has a wider meaning in the context of the New Testament,” countered Father Lacunza-Balda. “Muslims must likewise look at the wider picture of the Koran, and focus on the many verses not to make war. People use the Koran to hurt others and establish a jihad, but the words compassion and mercy are there.”
Taking leave from Pope Benedict's call for better instruction from religious leaders, Father Lacunza-Balda believes there must be a return to the “principles and guidelines that pulled people together though generations.”
The address was welcomed by the attending Muslims.
Ridvan Cakir, president of the Turkish Islamic Union, said afterward: “We have the same opinion on inter-religious dialogue, and we also share the same line on common action against terrorism.”
Muslims also warmed to the openness and friendliness of Pope Benedict that was also so reminiscent of John Paul II.
“I think Pope Benedict must utilize this and his greatest characteristic: his enormous competence in the field of theology,” Yahya Pallavicini, vice-president of the Italian Islamic Community and imam of the Al Wahid mosque in Milan, told the Italian newspaper Il Giornale.
Pope Benedict made clear after his election his intention to make significant advances in inter-religious dialogue.
This speech, marked by sincerity and sensitivity combined with forthright yet constructive criticism, gives one a good idea of just how he plans to go about it.
Edward Pentin writes from Rome.
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: Edward Pentin ----- KEYWORDS: News -------- TITLE: Keep on Rappin' in the Catholic World DATE: 28/08/2005 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: August 28-September 3, 2005 ----- BODY:Many parents today find themselves in a domestic culture war. They're on one side. Their teens are on the other.
In hip-hop artist Righteous B — otherwise known as 27-year-old Bob Lesnefsky — the grownups have an ally in this struggle.
And so do the kids.
Lesnefsky began bridging the generation gap after trying to bring the Gospel to street-hardened youth in New York using traditional approaches. Eventually he had to concede that the teens weren't responding. That's when he decided to give rap a go.
What began as a lark has now produced two records (“Are You Ready for Righteous B?” and “Get the Kids to Revolt”) and many concerts at Catholic-youth events across the country.
Righteous B spoke with Register correspondent Scott Powell soon after releasing a duet with Franciscan Father Stan Fortuna honoring Pope John Paul II. It's called “The Great One.”
You minister to both suburban kids and inner-city ones. What common challenges do today's high-schoolers face that others before them didn't?
Every generation, to some extent, is going to face the same problem: They need Jesus. However, one of the things that make that problem so difficult to solve for today's teens is that they are inundated with choices. From value-meal options, to cell-phone plans, to soda flavors, to cable TV — this generation is the result of a society that each year seems to revolve more and more around self. In this kind of atmosphere, Christianity becomes merely another option that, with the help of pop-culture relativism, stands on equal ground with any other “lifestyle choice.”
The other big challenge in ministering to Generation Y is the lack of real communication in their day-to-day life. Any good youth minister will tell you that the backbone of successful ministry is being able to build relationships with teens. However, “hanging out,” the favorite pastime of teens a generation ago, is now replaced with chatting online, Instant-Messenger conversations and text messaging. These are all quick, non-substantial and anonymous forms of communication. They give the facade of intimacy, but lack any real depth, creating a huge problem when it comes to ministering.
Even when trying to use their modes of communication, it doesn't quite fit. Asking a kid about his relationship with God on Instant Messenger is out of place in a world of made-up three-letter words and smiley-face symbols.
What techniques have you found that work in reaching out to these kids?
The best technique is to use their culture, not to throw the whole thing out and merely hand them a Catechism. I think today's teens respond well to conversational catechesis, where we catechize through day-to-day relationships rather than through programming. This is not to say that structured teaching is obsolete, but, in an attention-deficit world where blurbs of conversation are the norm, I find kids responding better to stories, witness and conversation.
What do you think these kids are really looking for out there?
Intimacy. Despite the issues teens have with real intimacy, they crave it. They are starving for experiences of it. This is a major reason why we see casual sexual partners or “friends with benefits” as such a huge trend. Teens lack experiences of intimacy, whether with friends or in their families as a result of divorce and deadbeat parents. This is what I see teens running to the Eucharist for: intimacy.
Generation Y has been called a very spiritual generation, though not particularly religious. Do you think this makes them more receptive to the Gospel message than other generations or less?
Being a “very spiritual” generation is garbage. Today's generation of teens is the product of a pop-psychology, pop-spirituality culture — which boils down to a mixture of TV psychologists, fortune cookies and some cheesy preacher telling us God wants us to smile more. The result is a bunch of people wearing some hip and trendy cross they bought at Urban Outfitters who think they're living the Gospel yet wonder why their life isn't like a page out of Chicken Soup for the Soul.
I think they are still apt to receive the Gospel message in their hearts, but the problem with this pop spirituality is that it's very superficial. Because of this, we see teens living very superficial spiritualities. There are a multitude of teens who know how to be “spiritual” — how to go through the motions of youth group. They know the songs and the hand motions; they know the small-group lingo and they know their prayer. But it's very shallow. On the outside, the “more spiritual” generation seems more connected — but oftentimes the roots are shallow.
The plus side to this generation is that spirituality is at the forefront. It's not just a subculture anymore. It's become mainstream in a lot of ways. Jesus is a rock star right now. He's all over the hottest T-shirt lines and all over the airwaves from rap music to rock. So to be “into your faith” is okay today right now, and that's a very good thing
You recently recorded a memorial song about Pope John Paul II with Father Stan Fortuna. Maybe you could say a few words about JPII and his ministry to youth in light of the new recording.
JP2 — he knew today's teens very well. He spoke to them about intimacy, He spoke to them about sexuality. He spoke to them about relativism and our culture of selfishness. But most of all he spoke to them about hope — not in some flaky way, where we all light a candle and think good thoughts about the world. When he talked, the young people of the world about hope. He told them they were the hope.
In a world that writes off the youth as lost and hopeless, he spent the majority of his papacy proclaiming that they were the “morning watchmen” who would usher in the dawn of a new ecclesial springtime. And it was he who said over and over again that, in these days, the Holy Spirit would usher in a time of new evangelization, an evangelization that would be met with great fruit.
To me, that's vision! An 84-year-old man who, seeing the darkness of youth culture, still calls them the light of the world.
Scott Powell writes from Denver.
Information
Righteous B Online
righteousb.com
----- EXCERPT: A conversation with rapper Righteous B ----- EXTENDED BODY: Scott Powell ----- KEYWORDS: Arts -------- TITLE: Indebtedness, Education and the Chicken Heart DATE: 28/08/2005 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: August 28-September 3, 2005 ----- BODY:John Kerry ran a unique campaign around this time of the year last year, but one thing particularly struck me as a departure from previous Democrat efforts.
He didn't emphasize the education angle.
Maybe it's because the Republicans have pretty much matched the Democratic rhetoric on this point. Kerry promised a $4,000 tuition tax credit. Bush said he is committed to “expanding access” to higher education and increasing the amount of Pell Grants, federal grants that provide funds of up to $2,340 based on the student's financial need.
When both of America's great parties agree on a point, that means we've probably reached a consensus. If so, the consensus in America today is that higher education ought to be available to as many people as possible.
It makes sense. No lesser a figure than the great Stoic Epictetus pointed out that education is the means to freedom. What better thing to advance in America, the home of freedom?
Unfortunately, education today frequently becomes the means of slavery.
Everyone knows that the cost of higher education keeps escalating. Even the excellent tax advantages of educational IRAs and 529 plans haven't made it easier to pay for college, because education inflation outstrips the plans’ benefits.
A handful of families can afford to pay for their children's education, but most cannot. So what do those families do?
The children get student loans.
The result? The loans often hound the children into their 40s, forcing them to work intensely to pay the principal and interest. Does a man with a snootful of office life and savage commutes dream of what so many great men, from Epictetus to Russell Kirk, lauded: a leisure tinged with slight poverty, a small amount of money but a large assortment of books, a meager stock portfolio but a blooming garden, a mediocre car but lots of time with his children?
Tough.
He has student loans, and no job that merely provides for one's means will be enough to service them. If you need to make enough money to pay the student loans, 35-40 hours a week probably won't cut it.
There's a mild form of coercion at work here. Powerful forces in our country artificially increase demand for education. Competent teachers are required to obtain master's degrees. Corporations require a degree or MBA as a condition of promotion, regardless of an employee's ability or dedication. Politicians call for increased access to college education.
The result: Everyone wants a college education, whether it helps them live a happier life or not.
We create Bill Cosby's Chicken Heart: A hungry creature that keeps getting bigger and bigger as it's fed more and more. Ironically, Bush's and Kerry's proposals to provide additional financial assistance make matters worse by further feeding the education Chicken Heart. As access to education increases, so does indebtedness. As indebtedness increases, so does the need to work excessively.
The problem: A college education doesn't add much. In the words of Prof. Joseph Epstein, “Most people come away from college, happy souls, quite unscarred by what has gone on in the classroom. The education and culture they are presumably exposed to at college never lay a glove on them. This is the big dirty secret of higher education in America.”
I spent seven years in college, spending half of those semesters on the dean's list. I even graduated magna cum laude from an esteemed university. I'm not sure what I learned.
My writing got better I suppose, and I learned a trade that I could've learned in two years, and I probably learned some stuff that I can't now identify.
But I remember far more about the beer and wild living, no doubt about it, and any honest graduate would testify to the same.
Our country's founders knew the enslaving character of debt. They feared it as a moral defect. At the same time, the founders read the Stoics and understood Epictetus’ observation that education brings freedom.
I suspect they'd be appalled that their descendants have managed to concoct a system in which education has become the means to bondage.
Eric Scheske publishes The Daily Eudemon.
www.EricScheske.com/blog
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: Eric Scheske ----- KEYWORDS: Commentary -------- TITLE: Violent Video No Surprise for Those Familiar With Planned Parenthood DATE: 28/08/2005 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: August 28-September 3, 2005 ----- BODY:SAN FRANCISCO — Dian Harrison, the chief executive officer of Planned Parenthood Golden Gate in the San Francisco Bay Area is on sabbatical until October. But a cartoon “Super Hero for Choice,” which bears a striking resemblance to Harrison, was busy blowing up and decapitating peaceful pro-life demonstrators in an animated short on the organization's website this month.
The eight-minute short, which drew widespread Web attention, was removed and then put back up and then yanked again Aug. 9 and 10. A notice of the video was posted on the pro-life Life Decisions International website Aug. 8.
The “Super Hero for Choice,” named Dianysis, first interrupts a man advising a group of teens to be abstinent, squirts him with water from a gun and then dumps him in a trash can filled with water and puts the lid on. Dianysis then flies off to a Planned Parenthood clinic where peaceful picketers are carrying signs, including one urging prayer.
“These folks here are known as anti-choice demonstrators,” she says. “Under the First Amendment of our Constitution they are allowed to express their beliefs. … Yet they can sometimes become unruly and sometimes they get a little too close. But, mostly, I just wish they would disappear. Hey, that gives me an idea!”
Decapitated Picketer
Dianysis takes out a gun that fires condoms. Each demonstrator is encased in a condom, which then explodes, vaporizing them. Later a congressman is boiled in some liquid and changes his mind on Roe v. Wade after emerging naked from the vat as a pig with an apple in his mouth. In the video's closing credits, a black pro-life picketer is decapitated.
Even as Dianysis was flying around exterminating pro-lifers, Planned Parenthood Federation of America's Interim President Karen Pearl mounted an on-line offensive against purported pro-life violence and campaigning against Senate confirmation of U.S. Supreme Court nominee John Roberts.
Planned Parenthood has not taken a position on Roberts’ nomination, Pearl said, but “the American people deserve to know where Judge Roberts stands on critical issues.”
Comments like Pearl's led Manual Miranda, former counsel to Senate Majority Leader William Frist, to conclude that providers of abortion are worried.
“Roe v. Wade is not just a source of a right; it's a business license for abortion clinics,” Miranda, founder of the Third Branch Conference, a group that studies judicial issues, wrote on the Wall Street Journal's Opinion Journal website Aug. 10.
“Your tax dollars at work … 53% of Planned Parenthood's gross revenues come from government funding,” said Archdiocese of San Francisco Respect Life Coordinator Vicki Evans. According to its 2004 federal tax return Form 990, Planned Parenthood Golden Gate received $9.7 million from government agencies for fees and contracts. Its total reported income for 2004 was $13.6 million. Nationally, Planned Parenthood received $265 million in tax dollars, 70% from the federal government, according to American Life League's Stopp International.
“This video shows Planned Parenthood's total frustration,” said Jim Sedlak, executive director of Stopp (Stop Planned Parenthood). “They really would like to blow us up. It's 32 years (since Roe v. Wade) and the No. 1 issue for the Supreme Court nominee is abortion. They can't believe abortion is still an issue.”
‘Promotion of Violence’
Pearl has not commented on the Golden Gate Web cartoon, and the national Planned Parenthood offices in New York and in Washington, D.C., did not return calls for comment.
Harrison also could not be reached for comment. The Register telephoned repeatedly, but spokesman Steve Smith said an external affairs vice president was the one to comment, and she did not return messages.
“This video is an out-and-out promotion of violence against those who disagree with Planned Parenthood,” said Sedlak. “Hopefully, it will make our government leaders look more closely at this organization.”
Planned Parenthood has closed approximately a clinic a month in the past 10 years, Sedlak said, saying in 1995 there were 938 clinics while today there are 836 nationally.
Planned Parenthood Golden Gate is also running into budget problems. The organization acknowledges on its website that it cut staff by 9% due to decreased foundation funding, but says it increased its clientele by 15%.
The organization has eight medical offices in six counties in and around San Francisco. In addition, it runs school-based clinics and education programs in many area school districts, although exact figures and programs were not available at deadline.
Record of Open Hostility
Open hostility toward pro-lifers has become par for the course in San Francisco, endorsed by the city's elected officials.
Just a week before the video was posted, several people who pray the Rosary outside the San Francisco Planned Parenthood abortion clinic reported that an unknown liquid was poured out the windows toward those praying.
According to a 2003 San Francisco ordinance, pro-life demonstrators are required to maintain an 8-foot distance from anyone entering an abortion clinic, and are not allowed to talk to or distribute literature unless asked.
Earlier this year, San Francisco's board of supervisors unanimously approved a resolution condemning the Jan. 22 Walk for Life-West Coast, and Mayor Gavin Newsom and several supervisors spoke at a counter demonstration sponsored by Planned Parenthood and NARAL Pro-Choice California. At deadline, no city officials had commented on the video.
The Walk was co-sponsored by the Archdiocese of San Francisco, and former Archbishop William Levada spoke briefly and walked.
“The low tone and vulgarity of these cartoons brings to mind last Jan. 22's Walk for Life-West Coast,” Evans said. “Planned Parenthood and its supporters hurled condoms, eggs and crude insults into a crowd of 7,000 women, men and children in San Francisco whose message was ‘Women Deserve Better then Abortion.’ It looks like Planned Parenthood doesn't think that women deserve better than abortion. It looks like their disrespect for life reaches beyond the unborn to women, to those who disagree with them, to anyone who holds religion dear.”
Georgette Forney, speaker at the Walk, said the violent video, treatment of the peaceful demonstrators at the Walk for Life and abortion are all part of the same attitude.
Forney, who once had an abortion and is now chairwoman of the Silent No More Awareness campaign, said, “Planned Parenthood is always focusing on the alleged fact that pro-lifers are violent. Ironically, it's been their behavior, especially exhibited in San Francisco at both the Walk for Life and with the authoring of this video that proves the real promoter of violence is Planned Parenthood themselves.”
Valerie Schmalz writes from San Francisco, California.
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: Valerie Schmalz ----- KEYWORDS: News -------- TITLE: Weekly TV Picks DATE: 28/08/2005 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: August 28-September 3, 2005 ----- BODY:SUNDAY, AUG. 28
Apollo: The Race
Against Time
History Channel, 9 a.m.
Host Steve Thomas visits Nasa, the National Air and Space Museum and the Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center to examine historic preservation of U.S. Apollo, Mercury, Gemini and earlier spacecraft of the mid-20th century. He interviews moon surface walkers Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin, Gene Cernan and others. Advisory: TV-PG.
MONDAYS-TUESDAYS
Peace of Heart
Forum Classics
Familyland TV
On Mondays at 10 a.m. and Tuesdays at 12 a.m., this series presents the teachings of Redemptionis Sacramentum (The Sacrament of Our Redemption), subtitled “On certain matters to be observed or to be avoided regarding the Most Holy Eucharist” and issued on March 25, 2004, by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments. Its topics include regulation of the liturgy, the proper celebration of Mass, the laity's role at Mass, holy Communion, the reservation of the Eucharist and Eucharistic worship outside Mass.
MON. -WEDS., AUG. 29-31
Classroom: Ellis Island
History Channel, 6 a.m.
This documentary's three hour-long segments tell the history of the Ellis Island immigration center in New York Harbor and of its predecessor, Castle Garden. On Jan. 1, 1892, Annie Moore, 15, from County Cork, Ireland, and her two brothers became Ellis Island's first “customers”; their parents had arrived three years before.
TUESDAY, AUG. 30
Design on a Dime
Home & Garden TV,
3 p.m., 11 p.m.
A three-member team designs an inexpensive nursery for Ara and Delia Grigorian, who are expecting their first baby.
THURSDAY, SEPT. 1
Life on the Rock
EWTN, 8 p.m., live
Father Francis Mary's guests tonight are “young, radical religious”: sisters of the Poor Clares of Perpetual Adoration, who are happy and fulfilled in their beautiful vocation.
FRIDAY, SEPT. 2
Rome: Engineering an Empire
— Behind the Scenes
History Channel, 11:30 p.m.
If you've ever wanted to know how to produce a large-scale documentary special, this show has the answers. Focusing on a new History Channel two-hour special, this program follows the major production principals — the producer, director, re-enactors, stunt men and special effects personnel — as they achieve their goal of creating a film about the nuts-and-bolts logistics that made ancient Rome's vast conquests possible.
SATURDAY, SEPT. 3
Automobiles: Packard
History Channel, 7 a.m.
This documentary takes us back in time and to Warren, Ohio, the home of Packard Motor Cars, an automobile brand that for the first half of the 20th century exemplified high quality, elegance and striking design. Today, Packards are prized collectibles.
Dan Engler writes from Santa Barbara, California.
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: Dan Engler ----- KEYWORDS: Arts -------- TITLE: Vatican Media Watch DATE: 28/08/2005 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: August 28-September 3, 2005 ----- BODY:Vatican Names Bishop for New Diocese
NEWINDPRESS.COM, Aug. 17 — The Vatican named Father Robert Miranda as the first bishop of the newly created Diocese of Gulbarga, India, the Indian news service reported.
Vatican ambassador to India, Archbishop Pedro Quintana will confer the episcopal ordination on the designate Bishop Miranda, along with other bishops, in Gulbarga on Aug. 18. The districts of Gulbarga, Bidar and Bijapur form the new diocese, the 150th in India. There are 25 parishes in the diocese.
Bishop-designate Miranda served as a priest for 23 years in Bidar. The report said growth of Catholic population and increase in social activities are the two main criteria for the creation of a new diocese.
Priest Murdered During Robbery
SABC, Aug. 12 — A Roman Catholic priest has been shot dead during a robbery at Hlokozi in southern KwaZulu-Natal, the South African Broadcasting Service reported.
Father Smilo Mngadi, the Marianhill Diocese spokesperson, says Father Bennedict Mkhize was shot by a man wearing a balaclava and died on the scene.
Mkhize's colleagues fled the mission when they heard gunshots. Mngadi says they are concerned that criminals are targeting places of worship.
According to the report, the death of Father Mkhize comes only weeks after senior Bishops Themba Mngoma and Mansuet Biyase died of ill health last month.
King Juan Carlos Requests Meeting with Holy Father
AGENZIA GIORNALISTICA ITALIA, Aug. 16 — Pope Benedict XVI will meet with King Juan Carlos of Spain, suggesting that the king wanted to discuss the country's legalization of homosexual “marriage,” the website for the Italian news service reported.
After the private hearings with the ambassadors of Venezuela, Paraguay and Ecuador, the Pope will meet the Spanish king and queen on Sept. 5. Juan Carlos had asked the Spanish ambassador to the Holy See to meet Benedict, and this was interpreted by some observers as an opportunity for the Vatican to express dissent on recent laws approved by the Zapatero cabinet, including same-sex “marriage.”
The report added that on Sept. 14, Pope Benedict will be at the Vatican to bless the statue dedicated to Opus Dei founder St. Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer, and, on Sept. 30, he will pay a visit to the children hospitalized at the Bambino Gesu pediatric hospital in Rome, as both John XXIII and John Paul II did at the beginning of their office.
Vatican Helps ‘John Paul’ Actor Get a U.S. Visa
CBC ARTS, Aug 14 — The actor who plays Pope John Paul II in a new movie had trouble getting into the U.S. from Italy for a recent publicity visit, until the new Pope intervened, according to the Canadian Broadcasting Corp.
Piotr Adamcyzk, 33, plays the late Pope in the Hallmark Channel movie “A Man Who Became Pope,” which aired Aug. 15.
Pope Benedict recently screened the movie for Roman Catholic cardinals, bishops, priests and other Church officials. They were so impressed with Adamcyzk's portrayal that when they heard of the actor's trouble getting a visa, they stepped in to make his U.S. publicity trip possible.
Adamcyzk met with John Paul before starring in the movie, the report said. “I felt like that 6-year-old boy all over again,” Adamcyzk said. “The Pope looked at me and said ‘You must be crazy. Why would anyone make a movie of my life? I'm just a man.’”
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- KEYWORDS: Vatican -------- TITLE: Pope Dad DATE: 28/08/2005 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: August 28-September 3, 2005 ----- BODY:Call me the Pope of Home.
Lest readers accuse me of nurturing an outsized ego, let me quickly add that I do not claim succession from St. Peter and am far from infallible on even simple issues, never mind matters of faith and morals. If I am a successor of anyone, I would like it to be St. Joseph, whose strong and humble headship of the Holy Family I seek to model in serving my own family.
Yet, as a husband and father, I do exercise a degree of authority for the sake of my loved ones. And I have noticed some parallels between the penitential structure and discipline employed by the Church and the proper ordering of a Catholic household.
All fatherhood, after all, comes from God the Father (see Ephesians 3:14-15). And lay Catholics are encouraged to develop a “domestic Church” within their families.
In regard to my two young sons, I set norms, enforce laws, determine disciplinary measures, hear confessions, accept penitence, mete out penances, and even grant indulgences.
My wife, of course, working with me as a united authority, does the same.
Sound far-fetched? Chances are that, if you have young children, you operate under a similar system without associating it with Church practice.
If so, you're probably on the right track.
Dispensing Discipline
There came a time recently with my 4-year-old son when the usual time-out routine was not having the desired effect. After some out-of-bounds behavior, we would send him to his room for the prescribed time, and he would emerge with a somewhat heartfelt “sorry” and proceed a short time later to another offense.
He was testing boundaries and authority, and I decided a stiffer dose of discipline was needed.
Even after he expressed remorse for a serious offense, I began taking away privileges, such as watching videos (we don't have a working television connection) or playing with his favorite Pooh Bear and Tigger figures. “One more time and there's no Tigger and Pooh for the rest of the day,” I would announce.
Well, one week my son ran up a debt of four whole days without Tigger and Pooh. Halfway through the punishment period, feeling deeply the loss of his faithful friends, he came to me with a long face and asked for one day to be taken off the list. I was struck not just with the sincerity of his sorrow but also with the nature of his request. He didn't ask to play with his toys right then — he seemed to have a sense that some degree of punishment was still just.
He asked only for time to be taken from his personal “purgatory.” Yes, I said, I'll reduce the punishment by a day if he would be extra good the rest of the afternoon and evening.
On reflection, I realized what transpired was related to the Catholic faith. One of the beloved faithful had transgressed and incurred a penalty. Even after saying “sorry” and receiving forgiveness from me and my wife — a process paralleling sacramental reconciliation — there was a price to be paid, what the Church calls “temporal punishment,” for wrongs already forgiven. Yet the temporal punishment was reduced through the performance of pious acts and devotion to the good. This accords with an indulgence, which the Church grants for specified prayers or religious observances.
The Church also offers a plenary indulgence, which is the remission of all temporal punishment due to sin, so that the person receiving the indulgence would go straight to heaven if he died immediately after it was granted.
There is such an indulgence in effect for the current Year of the Eucharist. Yet I realize that a plenary indulgence in my domestic Church should be a rare occurrence, since rarely do I perceive in my son the proper disposition needed for the fruitful reception of such a gift.
So call me the Pope of Home, though I am in many ways an imperfect and “unholy father.”
Love and Limits
Wondering if these assessments on discipline in the home were sound, I asked an expert.
“You've tapped into a truth of modern parenting,” said Dr. Ray Guarendi, father of 10 and the Register's “Family Matters” columnist on childrearing. “What has been called discipline is really a watered-down version that is presented for popular consumption. Time out is not the whole story. Consistently bad behavior merits consistently strong discipline.”
The wisdom of the Church's penitential system, developed over centuries, suggests that “what we need to do as parents is take a much stronger approach to discipline,” Guarendi pointed out.
Two other “experts,” a Catholic couple with four children, have a similar view.
“I think the key is consistency in discipline,” says Erik Syversen, who lives in Stanfordville, N.Y. “The husband and wife also have to be on the same page so the same message is given.”
His wife, Regina, adds, “Your word has to mean something, so you can't give in after you say No. If your children start ignoring your spoken word, you start losing control.”
Scott Hahn, in his book Scripture Matters (Emmaus Road, 2003), writes: “One of the marvels of God's plan is that he has given fathers a priesthood and priests a fatherhood. Within the family, the father stands before God as a priest and mediator. Within the Church, the priest stands before his parish as a father.
“This is a powerful truth. And it is more than a metaphor. It is something profoundly sacramental, and built into the fabric of God's plan — from the very beginning.”
Perhaps I'm on the right track, as long as I remember that he who disciplines must be open to the discipline of the Father of all. As St. Paul says, “My sons, do not disdain the discipline of the Lord, nor lose heart when he reproves you. For whom the Lord loves, he disciplines; he scourges every son he receives” (Hebrews 12:6).
These can sound like hard words in a culture that views bad behavior in purely psychological terms and treats troublesome kids with various prescription drugs. But I think many parents would be more willing to impose discipline if they were given more positive models.
For Catholic families, the Pope of Home idiom might be a start. At least it would call attention to the need for forming a domestic Church, in which the family is a sanctuary where values are taught and the universal call to holiness is heard.
Stephen Vincent writes from Wallingford, Connecticut.
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: Stephen Vincent ----- KEYWORDS: Culture of Life -------- TITLE: Weekly Catechesis DATE: 28/08/2005 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: August 28-September 3, 2005 ----- BODY:Pope Benedict XVI met with pilgrims who gathered in the courtyard of his summer residence in Castel Gandolfo for his general audience on Aug. 17. He offered his reflections on Psalm 126 as part of his ongoing series of teachings on the psalms and canticles of the Liturgy of the Hours.
“This psalm acquired a special meaning when people sang it at those times when Israel felt threatened and fearful because it was being put once again to the test,” the Holy Father noted. “Thus, it becomes a prayer of God's people as they make their way on their historical journey, which is beset with danger and trials but always open to a trust in God who is their savior and deliverer and who supports the weak and oppressed.”
Pope Benedict XVI highlighted the passage, “Those who sow in tears will reap with cries of joy,” and pointed out the challenges that the farmer faces: “Under the weight of his labor, the farmer's face is sometimes streaked with tears. His work of sowing is exhausting, and will result, perhaps, in futility and failure. But when the harvest is abundant and joyful, he discovers that his suffering was fruitful.”
“This verse in the psalm summarizes an important lesson on the mystery of the fruitfulness of a life that might include suffering,” The Holy Father continued. “As Jesus himself said as he was about to face his passion and death: ‘Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit.’”
Pope Benedict XVI encouraged his listeners to see Psalm 126 as “a song of hope to which we should have recourse when we are immersed in times of trial, fear, exterior threats and internal oppression.”
Listening to the words of Psalm 126, it seems as though the event celebrated in the second part of the Book of Isaiah — the “new exodus” — is unfolding before our eyes. This event is the return of the Israelites from exile in Babylon to the land of their forefathers following the edict of King Cyrus of Persia in 538 B.C.
Once again, the joyful experience of the first exodus, when the Jewish people were delivered from slavery in Egypt, is repeated.
This psalm acquired a special meaning when people sang it at those times when Israel felt threatened and fearful because it was being put once again to the test. In fact, the psalm contains a prayer for the return of the prisoners at that time (see verse 4). Thus, it becomes a prayer of God's people as they make their way on their historical journey, which is beset with danger and trials but always open to a trust in God who is their savior and deliverer and who supports the weak and oppressed.
A Spirit of Joy
The psalm begins on a note of exaltation. There is laughter, and a celebration takes place for the freedom that has been given to them; songs of joy flow forth (see verses 1-2). There is a twofold reaction to the freedom they have obtained.
On one hand, the pagan nations acknowledge the greatness of the God of Israel: “The Lord has done great things for them” (see verse 2). The salvation of the chosen people is clear proof that God is truly alive, and that he is powerful, present and active throughout history. On the other hand, God's people themselves proclaim their faith in the Lord who saves: “The Lord has done great things for us” (see verse 3).
Sufferings of the Past
At this point, the psalmist recalls the past, which he relives with a shudder of fear and sadness. Let us focus our attention on the “farming” image that the psalmist uses: “Those who sow in tears will reap with cries of joy” (verse 5). Under the weight of his labor, the farmer's face is sometimes streaked with tears. His work of sowing is exhausting and will result, perhaps, in futility and failure. But when the harvest is abundant and joyful, he discovers that his suffering was fruitful.
This verse in the psalm summarizes an important lesson on the mystery of the fruitfulness of a life that might include suffering. As Jesus himself said as he was about to face his passion and death: “Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit” (John 12:24).
Trust in the Lord
Thus, the psalm opens up a perspective on a festive harvest that is a symbol of the joy that comes from freedom, peace and prosperity, which are the fruit of God's blessing. Therefore, this prayer is a song of hope to which we should have recourse when we are immersed in times of trial, fear, exterior threats and internal oppression.
But it can also be a more general appeal to live out each day and to fulfill the choices we have made in a climate of trust. Perseverance in doing good, even if misunderstood and met with opposition, always leads in the end to a place of light, fruitfulness and peace. St. Paul reminded the Galatians of this: “The one who sows for the spirit will reap eternal life from the spirit. Let us not grow tired of doing good, for in due time we shall reap our harvest” (Galatians 6:8-9).
Let us conclude with some reflections by St. Bede the Venerable (672 or 673-735 A.D.) on Psalm 126, who commented on the words with which Jesus revealed to his disciples the sadness that awaited them along with the joy that would flow out of their afflictions (see Galatians 16:20).
As Bede recalls, “Those who loved Christ wept and wailed when they saw him seized by his enemies, bound, tried, condemned, scourged, derided and finally crucified, pierced by a lance and buried. On the other hand, those who loved the world rejoiced … when they condemned to an infamous death the one who was a source of trouble for them even when they saw him.
“The disciples were saddened by Lord's death, but when they learned of his resurrection, their sadness turned into joy; when they then saw the miracle of his ascension, they praised and blessed the Lord with even greater joy, as the evangelist Luke testifies (see Luke 24:53). However, the Lord's words apply to all the faithful, who, amid the tears and afflictions of the world, seek after eternal joy, and who, with good reason, now weep and are sad because they are not yet able to see the one whom they love and because, as long as they are still in their bodies, are still far from their home and from the kingdom, even if they are certain that they shall attain their reward through their toils and struggles.
Their sadness will turn into joy when, once the struggles of this life are over, they will receive the reward of eternal life, as the psalm says: ‘Those who sow in tears will reap with cries of joy’” (Omelie sul Vangelo, 2, 13: Collana di Testi Patristici, XC, Rome, 1990, pp. 379-380).
(Register translation)
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- KEYWORDS: News -------- TITLE: World Media Watch DATE: 28/08/2005 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: August 28-September 3, 2005 ----- BODY:Nun Upstages
The nun led a handful of protesters in prayer on the steps of the cathedral. Parts of the building's interior will serve as a double for Westminster Abbey.
When Tom Hanks, the star of the controversial film, arrived at Lincoln Cathedral Aug. 14, he found himself somewhat upstaged. He, along with director Ron Howard and co-star Sir Ian McKellen, quickly disappeared inside the building.
Sister Mary Michael, 61, said afterwards, “I just don't think it's right that they are filming this story here. I know the bishop and dean argue it is fiction — and it might even be brilliant fiction — but it is against the very essence of what we believe.”
More Than 100,000 Pilgrims Visit Icon
ASSOCIATED PRESS, Aug. 16 — More than 100,000 people converged on an ancient monastery in the hills of northwest Romania to kiss an icon many believe has miraculous healing powers, the Associated Press reported.
Believers, many of whom walked to the monastery, began arriving Aug. 12 and slept in the open, while more than a dozen Orthodox priests and monks held services around the clock at the monastery some 280 miles northwest of Bucharest. More than 100,000 believers were present Aug. 15, according to police and organizers.
According to tradition, the icon of the Weeping Virgin, painted in 1691, wept for 26 days in 1699. The first recorded miracle occurred in 1701 when it is said to have cured an army officer's wife who was going blind.
Todor Soporan, a 68-year-old with severe rheumatism, went round the wooden church at the monastery on his knees. “I came for my troubles and health,” he told the Associated Press. “I have serious rheumatism and I want less pain so I can work for the rest of my life.”
Vietnamese Catholics Flock to Festival
THANH NIEN NEWS, Aug. 15 — More than 100,000 Catholics nationwide and representatives from Catholic communities in the US, Canada, and Southeast Asian countries journeyed to central Vietnam for the La Vang Catholic Festival, the Vietnamese news service reported.
The annual festival began Aug. 13 at La Vang Church in the Hai Lang district of the Quang Tri province.
The report said that municipal authorities in Quang Tri have coordinated with festival organizers to ensure the smooth procession of the festival as well as adequate transport, water, and electricity services for the pilgrimage.
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- KEYWORDS: News -------- TITLE: Twice Healed DATE: 28/08/2005 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: August 28-September 3, 2005 ----- BODY:Recently I was blessed by the experience of being in the hospital. Yes, blessed. You see, it was a Catholic hospital. And a good Catholic hospital, at that.
The care I received from the staff and volunteers showed me Christ's compassion. From the “candy-stripers” who brought newspapers and magazines, to the doctors and nurses who tended to my ailment, to the patient transporters who wheeled me to various procedures, I had a chance to see Jesus in action through so many of his people.
My hospital experience became a faith experience from the moment I arrived in the emergency room. A crucifix on the wall was visible from my gurney. As the hours ticked by, I noted that daily prayers were said over the public-address system — morning, noon and evening. Each one began and ended with the Sign of the Cross. This, I thought, must leave visitors with no doubt that they are in an unambiguously Catholic place of care.
In my room, I “attended” Mass as it was broadcast live over the internal TV system from the hospital's chapel. (I later realized that this particular hospital is run by the Franciscans.)
During one diagnostic procedure, a very professional healthcare worker put me at ease as she helped me through my tests, which involved staying still for more than an hour — a very long time for a person with spastic cerebral palsy not to move. Her patient and caring words of encouragement made it easy for me. That in itself seemed like a miracle.
Afterwards, back in my hospital bed, I thought back on the events that had led to my being admitted to the hospital.
It began with a phone call to my family physician after a night of terrible nausea. Both my mother and I were frightened. Apparently, so was the doctor. I have no doubt her quick action saved my life. She had me rushed to the emergency room. It was then that I began the interior journey that would lead me to a whole new level of appreciation for Catholic healthcare.
I'll always remember how I reacted when the doctor told me my diagnosis: I wept. But they were tears of relief, not despair. My condition was serious, but treatable: two ulcers, one of which had recently been bleeding and made me anemic.
At one point, after a battery of tests, I was given a blood transfusion. Then they pumped fluids into me intravenously and put me on a liquid diet. Needless to say, this made my digestive system uncontrollable.
I noticed that my roommate, like me, needed a lot of attention. He was in great pain as he tried to pass a kidney stone. The nurses were in and out of our room a lot. At times they seemed tired, but they never took out their frustration on us.
Thank God for the crucifixes on the walls throughout the hospital. I knew Christ was with me through the entire ordeal. And, with each glance at Jesus on the cross, I was reminded to see his face in all the wonderful people who were caring for me with such selfless abandon.
The next time I prepared myself to receive Communion, I thought of the great people I had met as I said, “Lord, I am not worthy to receive you, but only say the Word and I shall be healed.”
For healed I was — in more ways than one.
Bill Zalot writes from Levittown, Pennsylvania.
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: Bill Zalot ----- KEYWORDS: Travel --------