Stem cell position ignores sacredness of all life

Posted on September 29, 2010 by Susan Kehoe

Bishop Pates has a terrific opinion piece in today’s Des Moines Register on embryonic stem cell research.  It is intelligent and concise.

As the stem cell controversy continues, the Register editorial board implores the use of reason when considering the “promise” of stem cell research (“Embryonic Stem Cells Promise Much,” Sept. 16). The Catholic Church assiduously supports adult stem cell research and with the exercise of reason proclaims the human embryo is human life with potential and not a potential human life. Human life is sacred from the very beginning because it has been “created in the image of God.” Moreover, the board quite arbitrarily and without philosophical or biological illustration dismisses personhood for the individual human being whose life begins at fertilization. Read more here.

Unfortunately, many of the comments are not intelligent or even reasonable. The Des Moines Register’s seems to attract the angriest, and often most vulgar, commentators  on the web. They really need to hire a moderator.

Posted in Culture of Death, Pro life | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

“Media Ordains Female Priests”

Posted on September 28, 2010 by Susan Kehoe

Heh. So says Molly over at Get Religion . She has a great take down on a Time Magazine article, by Dawn Reiss, which has a ridiculous and ill informed headline: The Push to Ordain Female Priests Gains Ground

I was going not going to post on the latest, yawn, non news of grown women play acting at being a Catholic priest, but Molly’s take down is too good to ignore. Btw Molly is not Catholic.

Excerpt:

“Alta Jacko is the mother of eight children. She is also an ordained priest in the Roman Catholic Church. Jacko, 81, who earned her master’s degree in pastoral studies from Loyola University, a Jesuit Catholic school, says that being a priest is what she was called to do.

Really. That’s REALLY how the article “Efforts Rising to Ordain Women as Roman Catholic Priests” by Dawn Reiss begins. What to say other than … this is not true. There is no mother of eight children who is an ordained priest in the Roman Catholic Church. How do I know this? Because I know that the church doesn’t ordain any female, whether they’ve gotten a degree from a Catholic university or not. Whether or not you are an “ordained priest in the Roman Catholic Church” is similar to whether or not you are a starting pitcher for the Yankees. It’s not about what you feel called to do. It’s not about feelings at all. And a journalist can check out this fact just as easily as she can check out the roster for a baseball team.”  Read More here.

I just don’t understand why the press keeps on with the “Catholic Church Ordains Woman Priest” lie of a mime. Are they really under the delusion that public pressure will cause the Church to change a doctrine that it can’t possibly change?  The Church does not have the authority, from God, to ordain women. Period. The willed ignorance of the MSM is as astonishing as it is arrogant.

It is not as if this is even a vibrant grass roots movement. Most of the pretend women priests are, um, quite mature. The women in the article is 81.

Clearly this movement will have a short shelf life.

Why bother investigating why the Church does not ordain women, when you know that it is wrong because you feel it is wrong. I feel therefore I am. Geesh. And they wonder why the print media is dying.

I have written on this before here and here. If you want to know why the Church does not ordain women, please read John Paul II’s Apostolic letter ORDINATIO SACERDOTALIS ( On reserving Priestly Ordination to Men Alone) here .  The successor to Peter concludes:

“Wherefore, in order that all doubt may be removed regarding a matter of great importance, a matter which pertains to the Church’s divine constitution itself, in virtue of my ministry of confirming the brethren (cf. Lk 22:32) I declare that the Church has no authority whatsoever to confer priestly ordination on women and that this judgment is to be definitively held by all the Church’s faithful.”

Sr. Sarah Butler, who once believed that women ordinations,were possible, explains why not here.

Now if only the author Dawn Reiss, and her editor, of  Time Magazine would read and study the Church’s reasoning…  I know, I know.  Now I sound delusional. Well miracles do happen, and the Holy Spirit blows where he wills.

Posted in Media, Truthiness, Women | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Holy Attire

Posted on September 28, 2010 by Susan Kehoe

Over at First Things, Elizabeth Scalia, aka The Anchoress, writes on why the religious habit is a good thing. Here is an  excerpt:                                                                                                       

Sister was operating under a willful delusion; she justified forsaking the habit with appeals to solidarity, compassion, and humility, but her story illustrated egoism and presumption. She bemoaned a possibility of cheating a man out of his wages. In fact, she wascheating that man, but not in the way she imagined.

The ice-barrow man was not giving sister a free ice because she wore a habit, but because a man who revered (or at least respected) God saw an opportunity to demonstrate his regard in a little way that St. Therese might have applauded.

And she was cheating others, too. Her habit was a reminder to the community of faith, and to everyone else as well, that we are all called to simplicity and sacrifice—that for all of our Martha-instincts to work ourselves to death and carve our identities from what we “do,” we must cultivate our inner Marys as well, and embrace the challenge to simply be. Sister might correctly say that she was “nobody special,” but her habit was a witness to “being,” and it confirmed Christ’s covenanted life among us with a reassuring immediacy.

Get thou there to read the whole article.

What the Anchoress says of religious sisters is just as true for Priests and in certain situations Deacons. This is a great example of why: Continue reading →

Posted in Religious Orders, Vocations | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Saint of the Day

Posted on September 23, 2010 by Susan Kehoe

“Love is the first ingredient in the relief of suffering”  St. Padre Pio        

On September 20, 1918, Padre Pio was kneeling in front of a large crucifix when he received the visible marks of the crucifixion, making him the first stigmatized priest in the history of Church. The doctor who examined Padre Pio could not find any natural cause for the wounds. Upon his death in 1968, the wounds were no longer visible. In fact, there was no scaring and the skin was completely renewed. He had predicted 50 years prior that upon his death the wounds would heal. The wounds of the stigmata were not the only mystical phenomenon experienced by Padre Pio.

The blood from the stigmata had an odor described by many as similar to that of perfume or flowers, and the gift of bilocation was attributed to him. Padre Pio had the ability to read the hearts of the penitents who flocked to him for confession which he heard for ten or twelve hours per day. Padre Pio used the confessional to bring both sinners and devout souls closer to God; he would know just the right word of counsel or encouragement that was needed. Even before his death, people spoke to Padre Pio about his possible canonization. He died on September 23, 1968 at the age of eighty-one. His funeral was attended by about 100,000 people.”

There is much more here.

Posted in Saints | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Why I Am Catholic

Posted on September 23, 2010 by Susan Kehoe

This video gives a few of the reasons that I am Catholic to the core. H/T Deacon Greg


Posted in Catholic Church, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

The Church of Body Modification

Posted on September 23, 2010 by Susan Kehoe

Really. I am not being snarky.  There is a church that celebrates the tattooed and       pierced. H/T Get Religion

Ivey describes the church as a non-theistic faith that draws people who see tattoos, piercings and other physical alterations as ways of experiencing the divine.

“We don’t worship the god of body modification or anything like that,” he said. “Our spirituality comes from what we choose to do ourselves. Through body modification, we can change how we feel about ourselves and how we feel about the world.”

The church claims roughly 3,500 members nationwide, having started about two years ago, after adopting the name of a similar group that had been dormant for several years.

Well. You just can’t make this stuff up.



Posted in News of the Weird | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Dissent in the Twilight Zone

Posted on September 22, 2010 by Susan Kehoe

I am still working on a post about the Church’s stance on homosexuality and same sex   “marriage”.  In the meantime the US Bishops have just issued the following statement concerning two Creighton University professors :

WASHINGTON (September 22, 2010)—The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on Doctrine has issued a statement in response to a request from the former and current archbishops of Omaha to review the content of a book by Creighton University professors Todd Salzman and Michael Lawler, The Sexual Person: Toward a Renewed Catholic Anthropology. In the statement, “Inadequacies in the Theological Methodology and Conclusions of The Sexual Person: Toward a Renewed Catholic Anthropology,” the Committee asserts that the authors of The Sexual Person “base their arguments on a methodology that marks a radical departure from the Catholic theological tradition” and “reach a whole range of conclusions that are contrary to Catholic teaching.” Read more here ; the entire document is here .

Sigh. But it is not a big surprise. This is not the first time that these fellows have been cited for their theological musings. Yet they persist, and yet another Catholic University shrugs it’s collective shoulders while yawning.

Deacon and I had the misfortune of being a captured participant in Michael Lawler’s class during his deacon formation (Creighton is in Omaha Nebraska about a two hour drive).  To my husband’s dismay, Lawler hails from Ireland. St. Patrick phone home.

I don’t want to be uncharitable, but let’s just say that Mr. Lawler is not as charming or gentile as my husband.  Anyway Mr. Lawler distorted so many Church teachings and miss- presented so many Church documents, that I just sat there with my jaw permanently glued to the floor.

He was not particularly happy to learn that the fellow Irishman in the room and his wife, were well versed in all things Catholic.  He certainly was not interested in a challenging discussion and exchange of ideas which is the usual defense of dissident professors at Catholic Universities when they umm dissent.  Gee where was all that luv and tolerance so touted by the progressives. Continue reading →

Posted in Catholic Moral Teaching, Heresey and Dissent, The Catholic Church | Tagged , | 2 Comments

A New Blessed And an Historic Journey

Posted on September 22, 2010 by Susan Kehoe

I really have to get into the habit of blogging on a daily basis. But it has been    hectic lately, and my broadband connection really does not like rain.

Hopefully you heard about the popes apostolic journey to the post Christian country of the United Kingdom. But according to deacon Greg, perhaps you have not “One of the biggest surprises of Pope Benedict’s historic trip to the United Kingdom may be how few people realize that it was, in fact, historic. Read more:

While there he beautified Cardinal Henry Newman one of the bright lights of our Church and a convert from the Anglican Church. He was a brilliant theologian and philosopher. Oh and he was a poet, a prayer warrior, and a pastor of souls.

The miracle which elevated the good cardinal to the alters, happened to a deacon!

Here is an excerpt from the pope’s homily at the mass and beautification:

“And indeed, what better goal could teachers of religion set themselves than Blessed John Henry’s famous appeal for an intelligent, well-instructed laity: “I want a laity, not arrogant, not rash in speech, not disputatious, but men who know their religion, who enter into it, who know just where they stand, who know what they hold and what they do not, who know their creed so well that they can give an account of it, who know so much of history that they can defend it” (The Present Position of Catholics in England, ix, 390). On this day when the author of those words is raised to the altars, I pray that, through his intercession and example, all who are engaged in the task of teaching and catechesis will be inspired to greater effort by the vision he so clearly sets before us.”

And for Catechists and teachers of religion wise words:

And indeed, what better goal could teachers of religion set themselves than Blessed John Henry’s famous appeal for an intelligent, well-instructed laity: “I want a laity, not arrogant, not rash in speech, not disputatious, but men who know their religion, who enter into it, who know just where they stand, who know what they hold and what they do not, who know their creed so well that they can give an account of it, who know so much of history that they can defend it” (The Present Position of Catholics in England, ix, 390). On this day when the author of those words is raised to the altars, I pray that, through his intercession and example, all who are engaged in the task of teaching and catechesis will be inspired to greater effort by the vision he so clearly sets before us. Read the whole homily.

You can view a video of the entire mass here http://www.thepapalvisit.org.uk/Replay-the-Visit/Watch-Again/Beatification-of-Cardinal-Newman

Posted in Catholic Church, Pope Benedict XVI, Saints | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Steven Colbert, Bart Ehrman and the Gospel of John

Posted on September 17, 2010 by Susan Kehoe

In light of the previous post, I thought that I would share my husbands favorite Steven Colbert video clip. He takes on the so called scripture scholar Bart Ehrman. Deacon’s favorite line is when Colbert opines on John’s Gospel,  The first three were rough drafts. Heh. Matthew, Mark, and Luke as rough drafts.

Enjoy!

Vodpod videos no longer available.

Posted in Humor, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 33 Comments

Learned Ignorance

Posted on September 17, 2010 by Susan Kehoe

One of the first things a participant in our RCIA class learns is that Deacon         Larry thinks that John’s gospel is the only gospel. He is particularly fond of the opening verses of the first chapter and he proclaims it often.

Well it is a good thing that he has low blood pressure. Get Religion has a post on an opinion piece from surprise, surprise The New York Times.

Did you catch Robert Wright’s “religious literacy test” in The New York Times this week? It’s under the opinion section, and I’m all for people having their own opinions. But, as they say, you can’t have your own facts. And that’s why I bring it up here. Wright is very well respected, a journalist and the author of the bestseller The Evolution of God.

I’m hoping that what we have here is a series of typos or something because it’s hard to understand otherwise. Here’s how his piece begins:

Test your religious literacy:

Which sacred text says that Jesus is the “word” of God? a) the Gospel of John; b) the Book of Isaiah; c) the Koran.

The correct answer is……… Continue reading →

Posted in Religion News | Tagged , , | Leave a comment