Written on Every Human Heart

Posted on May 20, 2010 by Susan Kehoe

Knowledge of God is written on every human heart. The Church teaches that we can know something about God through human reason alone. St. Paul, pointed out that even though the Gentiles were not taught the law that  “what the law requires is written on their hearts (Romans 2).

The Catechism notes that

In many ways, throughout history down to the present day, men have given expression to their quest for God in their religious beliefs and behavior: in their prayers, sacrifices, rituals, meditations, and so forth. These forms of religious expression, despite the ambiguities they often bring with them, are so universal that one may well call man a religious being…CCC#28

J.R.R Tolkien used similar reasoning when he convinced an atheist C.S Lewis that Christianity was true precisely because the existence of myths pointed to the reality that hunger for God is ingrained in every human being. Lewis became a Christian.

Every religion contains part of the truth.  Peter Kreeft, PhD.D., is a professor of philosophy at Boston College.  He has written a book on what Christians and Muslims can learn from each other (H/T Mark Shea): Between Allah & Jesus: What Christians Can Learn from Muslims

Excerpt:

Please ask yourself whether you would like others to judge Christianity based on the picture of it now being presented in the modern Western media. Then please remember the Golden Rule, and apply this to the picture of Islam presented by the same source.

Christianity and Islam have more in common than we might think. Read more here: http://www.ivpress.com/cgi-ivpress/book.pl/code=3746

I especially like this:

Great saints are never wimps. They are often made from great sinners: haters and persecutors like St. Paul, or passionate sex addicts like St. Augustine, or rich, spoiled, worldly fops like St. Francis, or even professional killers like St. Ignatius. Saints have to be tough as well as tender because saints are like Christ, and Christ was the toughest and the tenderest man who ever lived. If we have forgotten the toughness, then we have misunderstood the tenderness. It is a tough tenderness. How can we miss the toughness of the two greatest saints of the twentieth century, Mother Teresa and John Paul II? It is a distinctive toughness, a tender toughness. But it is a toughness.

I think it is very likely that the next St. Paul is now a Muslim, wanting only a new direction for his passion: toward rather than against Christianity. Or perhaps the new St. Paul is a Christian lacking only the passion of a Muslim to energize him, needing to be prodded to jealousy by a Muslim. If this book can help provoke that reaction, its existence is justified.

There is, perhaps, hope for me. Sometimes great Saints are made from great sinners. That is why St. Augustine is the other man in my life.  Hey, my husband has another woman, St. Catherine of Sienna. What’s good for the gander….

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Abortion insanity

Posted on May 19, 2010 by Susan Kehoe

Unbelievable.  Matthew Archbold, over at his National Catholic Register blog reports:

Planned Parenthood clinics across Iowa are fine tuning an advanced and novel way to abort babies – by remote control.

According to reports, about 1,500 women have already used a videoconferencing system to obtain abortion drugs over the past two years. Planned Parenthood’s system now allows a doctor in Des Moines to meet with patients across the state through video conference. At the end of the teleconference the doctor presses a button on the computer to activate a drawer at the patient’s location that contains R-U 486.

Iowa I love you, but how could you? This is wrong on so many levels. R-U 486, besides being evil, is extremely dangerous.  Yet Planned Parenthood doctors do not have a problem giving out the abortion pill via vending machine.

Lord have mercy on them.

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Brave New Word: Children as Products

Posted on May 18, 2010 by Susan Kehoe

In a world that no longer values all human life, children become commodities and not gifts: Sex to make babies may become redundant as IVF becomes the norm (via Mirror of Justice). Update: link corrected

The foundational principle of Catholic Social Doctrine is the inherent dignity and sacredness of the human person. When the prevailing culture moves away from this principle by accepting abortion and euthanasia, for example, things become more important than people. In IVF the creation of human life is reduced to a production process:

Human beings bear the image and likeness of God. They are to be reverenced as sacred. Never are they to be used as a means to an end, not even to satisfy the deepest wishes of an infertile couple. Husbands and wives “make love,” they do not “make babies.” They give expression to their love for one another, and a child may or may not be engendered by that act of love. The marital act is not a manufacturing process, and children are not products. Like the Son of God himself, we are the kind of beings who are “begotten, not made” and, therefore, of equal status and dignity with our parents  (Begotten Not Made: A Catholic View of Reproductive Technology (USCCB).

Read the whole thing here: http://www.usccb.org/prolife/programs/rlp/98rlphaa.shtml

When I read Brave New World by Aldous Huxley in the late 1970’s, I thought that it was prophetic. Although Huxley was not writing as a prophet, his novel was a criticism of the idea that man could create a Utopian society, it struck me as a much more realistic possibility than the Novel Nineteen eighty-four by George Orwell .

I had not (yet) read the Encyclical Letter of Paul VI Of Human Life, but the Pope foresaw the grave consequences that would be the result of the acceptance of artificial contraception. He understood that while man, through the development of technology and science could be involved with “generating life”, man should be careful in crossing the line into God’s realm.

Just because we can does not mean that we should.

Infertility is a great tragedy.  I have shaken my fist at God on occasion while praying for couples who are unable to conceive.  I can’t imagine life without my children and grandchildren. Infertility must be a terrible cross to bear. But we are all called to pick up our cross and follow Jesus on the way to Calvary.

Jesus Christ conquered sin and death, but we are still journeying to the new creation where there will be no more suffering.

In Huxley’s world science and technology succeeded in eradicating suffering. But it was also a loveless world devoid of joy.

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Reflection by Deacon Larry Kehoe

Posted on May 17, 2010 by Susan Kehoe

My husband loves the Gospel of John especially John 17.  It bothers him that it is bumped from the Lectionary, in all but six diocese in the United States, because the Ascension is celebrated on Sunday instead of Thursday.  He wrote a short reflection. Here it is.

John 17 is the great priestly prayer of Jesus.  Jesus in the three previous chapters of John had a very intense discussion with the disciples, however for this prayer Jesus turns away from the disciples and lifts his eyes to heaven and prays this beautiful prayer to God the Father.

In the third section that we read today, Jesus is praying for you and me. Holy Father, I pray not only for them, but also for those who will believe in me through their word. Jesus prays that just as He and the Father are one that we also may be in perfect unity with Him and the Father.  We are told that God loves us just as much as he loves the Son, Jesus.

It is very sad to reflect that in part of this prayer Jesus prays that the world may believe that God sent Him, however later in the prayer Jesus reflects that the world does not know Him.  How true is this today, so much of the world does not want to know Jesus Christ.  The unity that Jesus prays for is missing.  There is so much disunity in the Church today.  So many people want to decide for themselves what to believe in.  They want to interpret God’s message in a way that justifies their life style. They want to change the message of Jesus that the Catholic Church has been teaching for two thousand years, so that their choices will receive approval.  That abortion or gay marriage is ok.

But we who do believe in Jesus should not lose heart, we have in the closing section this intense prayer for you and I, that we will all see his glory.  That the love that Jesus and the Father has we also may have.  Wow, what a prayer, if we ever wonder how much Jesus loves us we only have to read the last line “that the love with which you loved me may be in them and I in them.”

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Speaker Pelosi the Theologian?

Posted on May 15, 2010 by Susan Kehoe

Madame speaker, who is a Catholic, has a history of contradicting the Pope, the Bishops and the teachings of the Catholic Church.  It has not been widely reported for some reason, but here she goes again, only this time she agrees with the Church:

I have to confess that Speaker Pelosi’s personality really irritates me. Like a burr in a Texans saddle.  She is a prime example of a woman not improving the political arena.  IMHO women who seek power do not bring a gentler touch.

Note to self: Speaker Pelosi is a child of God made in His image and likeness.

Anyway, I don’t know what she thinks she gains by going up against the hierarchy of the Church e.g; here the Bishops issue a public correction and here where the Pope issued a rebuke

Now I am all for treating Immigrants with dignity and respect. I am a second generation Irish/Italian. My husband is a naturalized citizen; he was born and raised in Ireland. Immigrants are the backbone of this country. Besides someone has to pay for my (and my fellow boomers) Social Security.

Heck I am all for amnesty.  I think that the new Arizona law is a terrible idea. Yes I understand that Arizona has a real problem with drug gangs from south of the border, but the new law is a bad response.

But Ms. Pelosi is stepping over a line. Her power does not extend to the hierarchy of the Church.  And she simply has no credibility considering her opposition to the Church’s teachings on the most fundamental aspect of moral law: the right to life from conception to natural death.

But I am encouraged that politicians now think that it is okay for the clergy to address the public square from the pulpit. I just hope someone has informed the IRS.

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Tis The Season….

Posted on May 14, 2010 by Susan Kehoe

For graduations and the celebration of Confirmation.There is an old ministry joke about the Methodist, Lutheran and Catholic clergy who had a common problem with bats in their Churches.  The Methodist and Lutheran minister tried everything, but they could not get rid of the bats. The Catholic priest, however, found an easy solution. He simply baptized and confirmed them; he never saw the bats again.

Unfortunately, too many young people and their parents think that confirmation is a rite of passage and a graduation from the Church.

Pope Benedict, in his message for World Youth Day (2008) said as much:

It happens that many young people distance themselves from their life of faith after they have received confirmation. There are also young people who have not even received this sacrament. Yet it is through the sacraments of baptism, confirmation and then, in an ongoing way, the Eucharist, that the Holy Spirit makes us children of the father, brothers and sisters of Jesus, members of his church, capable of a true witness to the gospel, and able to savor the joy of faith.

Confirmation, therefore, is not a graduation from the Church. It is a completion of Baptismal grace.  Confirmation brings us into deeper communion with Christ and his Church. It is an insertion into, and not a graduation from, the Body of Christ.

When I was confirmed, way back in the last century, it was impressed on me that Confirmation made me a “soldier for Christ”.   This means that Confirmation gives us the grace and strength to spread and defend the Church in the world.  It gives us the grace to be beacons of  Christ’s light  to others.

But it is up to us to accept the gift. Confirmation leaves an indelible mark on our souls; we receive the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit. We can choose however not to “power up” the gifts that we receive.

After Jesus is baptized and anointed by the Holy spirit, he is led out into the desert to face temptations by the devil. It is the first sign that he will triumph over evil by dying on the cross and rising from the dead.

At the first Pentecost, the Apostles and disciples were anointed for their mission by the Holy Spirit.  The formerly timid Apostles were transformed.  After Pentecost they were on fire, and they boldly went out without fear to proclaim the Gospel.

At confirmation we are armed for battle with the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Just as Jesus won the battle over evil and began his public ministry, and the Apostles were transformed by Pentecost , we are called to proclaim, without fear, the Gospel. We are called to discipleship—to action.  We are called to a life of holiness.

A video from Life Teen on Confirmation:

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When Hell Froze

Posted on May 13, 2010 by Susan Kehoe

I was lurking over at The Anchoress blog, when I was reminded of the day in February when hell froze.  It was the day that I watched Oprah. Something that I had vowed never to do.  But then I learned that the wonderful Dominican Nuns from Ann Arbor Michigan would be featured on the show. Talking about Jesus and Chastity and real Love. On Oprah. Oh my!

This is a must see:

Posted in Catholic, Catholic Culture, Catholic Identity, Discipleship, Television, Uncategorized, Virtue | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

The Mystical Body of Christ

Posted on May 12, 2010 by Susan Kehoe

“The Church is in history, but at the same time she transcends it. It is only “with the eyes of faith” that one can see her in her visible reality and at the same time in her spiritual reality as bearer of divine life.” (The Catechism of the Catholic Church #770).

There are three realities of the Church.  First she has a visible ordered hierarchal structure, but she also has a spiritual reality as the Mystical body of Christ. Second the Church is a visible community and a spiritual community. This means that the members of the Church are united with each other in spiritual communion with Christ.  Third, the Church is an earthly visible reality and yet contains imperfectly, the heavenly.

Yes the Church is an institution. As an institution it has a visible reality: Vatican City, Cathedrals, the Pope, Bishops, Priests, Deacons, pews full of sinners and a few saints. The Church has doctrines, dogmas and laws. The visible Church is important because, like the skeleton supports the body, it supports and points to the interior invisible spiritual reality of the Church.

But the Church is so much more than a visible institution. I am not in love with an institution. I am in love with the Church because the Church is Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ is the true and proper head of the Church.  The Church is the Mystical Body of Christ.  The Church therefore is the universal sacrament of salvation. She is a sacrament because she is a sign and means to union with God the Holy Trinity and the entire body of Christ. That is why the Church is also a sacrament of the unity of the human race.

But the Body of Christ is comprised of fallen human beings who are inclined to sin. The Church is one, but the unity is fractured. The Church is Holy, but she is full of sinners who are capable of evil. This is a paradox that since the long lent of 2002 has been very painful for those of us sitting in the pews. It is even more painful for our faithful Bishops, Priests and Deacons who are tainted by ,as Pope Benedict said, “the filth in the Church”.

St. Cyrian said that faith is a “series of contradictions held to together by grace”. The theologian Henri de Lubac wrote:

“What a paradox indeed this Church of ours presents! How real a paradox! …. I am told that she is holy, yet I see her full of sinners. I am told of her mission to raise man above earthly cares, to remind him of his heavenly vocation, yet I see her endlessly busy with the temporal things of this earth, almost if she wished to install us permanently here.”

As the Church continues her journey to the heavenly Jerusalem, she will remain both holy and full of sinners.

Pope Benedict, as usual, put it very well on his recent trip to Portugal:

“The attacks on the Pope and the Church do not just come from outside, but the sufferings of the Church come precisely from within the Church, from the sin that is in the Church,” he said. “This has always been known, but today we see it in a really terrifying way: The greatest persecution of the Church does not come from external enemies, but is born from the sin in the Church.

“And the Church, therefore, has the profound need to learn penance again, to accept purification, to learn on one hand forgiveness, as well as the need for justice. Forgiveness does not replace justice.”

Still, the Pope confirmed that “the Lord is stronger than evil and the Virgin is, for us, the visible, maternal guarantee of the goodness of God, who is always the last word in history.”

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The Church and the Public Square

Posted on May 10, 2010 by Susan Kehoe

A young woman asked me a question, during a fundamentals of the faith class that I offer , called Roots of Faith, She asked, “why does the Church get involved in political issues: what about the separation of Church and state”?   While I could argue that the Constitution contains no such separation, I decided to tackle the question from a purely Christian perspective.

It is especially important that the Church defend the inherent dignity of the human person, from conception until natural death in the public square. When the dignity and life of the human person is under attack from abortion, euthanasia, torture, and racism for example, the Church has a duty to speak out. When society does not promote the well being of all people, then it is the duty of the Church to speak for the weak, defenseless, and marginalized.

That is why the Church spoke out with a strong voice in opposition to some parts of the health care legislation. That is why some Bishops have denied the Eucharist to some Catholic politicians who have spoken publicly in favor of abortion.  It is not a political issue. Catholics who hold public office, declare themselves to be “devout” Catholics, and speak out against the moral teachings of the Church (when non negotiable) cause grave scandal to the faithful. They are not in communion with the Body of Christ. That said, Bishops who do not want to sanction such politicians have a legitimate position.

We are called to live our faith every minute of every day.  It is against the mandate of Jesus, who called us to “make disciples of all nations”, to leave our faith in the pews.  In Faithful Citizenship, the Bishops stated:

The Church’s obligation to participate in shaping the moral character of society is a requirement of our faith. It is a basic part of the mission we have received from Jesus Christ, who offers a vision of life revealed to us in Sacred Scripture and Tradition.

It doesn’t really matter, therefore, if there is a separation of Church and State. As Christians we are called to live in the world, but we are not to be conformed to the world.

The Church’s obligation to participate in shaping the moral character of society is a requirement of our faith. It is a basic part of the mission we have received from Jesus Christ, who offers a vision of life revealed to us in Sacred Scripture and Tradition. To echo the teaching of the Second Vatican Council: Christ, the Word made flesh, in showing us the Father’s love, also shows us what it truly means to be human (see Gaudium et Spes, no. 22). Christ’s love for us lets us see our human dignity in full clarity and compels us to love our neighbors as he has loved us. Christ, the Teacher, shows us what is true and good, that is, what is in accord with our human nature as free, intelligent beings created in God’s image and likeness and endowed by the Creator with dignity and rights. (Faithful Citizenship).

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“Do not let your hearts be troubled:: 6th Sunday of Easter

Posted on May 9, 2010 by Susan Kehoe

I am too tired to write an original post and my  favorite deacon did not give a homily this weekend. So here is one from Deacon Greg Kandra (from my birthplace New York).

A blessed Mother’s day to all!

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