Archive for March, 2009
Hooked
March 31, 2009Conscience Clause
March 30, 2009“Deep within his conscience man discovers a law which he has not laid upon himself but which he must obey. Its voice, ever calling him to love and to do what is good and to avoid evil, sounds in his heart at the right moment… For man has in his heart a law inscribed by God… His conscience is man’s most secret core and his sanctuary. There he is alone with God whose voice echoes in his depths.”
– Gaudium et Spes, Vatican II document
Moral conscience, present at the heart of the person, enjoins him at the appropriate moment to do good and to avoid evil. It also judges particular choices, approving those that are good and denouncing those that are evil. It bears witness to the authority of truth in reference to the supreme Good to which the human person is drawn, and it welcomes the commandments. When he listens to his conscience, the prudent man can hear God speaking.
– Catechism of the Catholic Church. 1777
The Power of a Word
March 25, 2009Pádraig, Take Us Back…
March 17, 2009The Dark Ages
March 10, 2009WASHINGTON—Cardinal Justin Rigali, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities, today called President Obama’s executive order on embryonic stem cell research “a sad victory of politics over science and ethics.”
“President Obama’s new executive order on embryonic stem cell research is a sad victory of politics over science and ethics. This action is morally wrong because it encourages the destruction of innocent human life, treating vulnerable human beings as mere products to be harvested. It also disregards the values of millions of American taxpayers who oppose research that requires taking human life. Finally, it ignores the fact that ethically sound means for advancing stem cell science and medical treatments are readily available and in need of increased support.”
Let’s Get Mystical!
March 2, 2009OK, this is old school. Olivia Newton John, the early years. She played the lovely Sandy in the movie Grease. As a recording artist, one of her more famous tunes was “Let’s Get Physical.” How’s that for blunt? The lyrics went like this:
I’m saying all the things that I know you’ll like
Making good conversation
I gotta handle you just right
You know what I mean
I took you to an intimate restaurant
Then to a suggestive movie
There’s nothing left to talk about
Unless it’s horizontally
Let’s get physical, physical I wanna get physical …
Let me hear your body talk
OK then. This sounds like the mating ritual of something in a Brazilian rainforest. I’d like to suggest that we’re made for a bit more than only the physical. I think real love goes a bit further than that. Let’s Get Mystical!
The truth revealed in Scripture, and echoed in our hearts through our human experience, is that we are actually a beautiful and mysterious harmony of spirit and matter. We are “sacraments” in the broad understanding of the word; visible signs of an invisible reality. This is part of the brilliant plan of God in making the universe… that there should be things visible and invisible, and that we humans would be the bridges between the two worlds. This explains our restlessness, our deep yearnings for More. It explains why we are at the same time both like and unlike the animals we share the planet with.
You see, the animals are the ones who get physical…. they eat and sleep and forage for food and build their little dwellings in the bush. They mate, they reproduce. But we humans dine, we rest, we create…. cathedrals, symphonies, prayers, poems and promises (a little John Denver reference there). And we make love…. though sadly, even this phrase is being stripped from the vocabulary today. People just have sex. Having sex used to mean being male or female, and checking the appropriate box. It went from a noun to a verb in just a generation or two.
These mystical phenomena we experience as humans set us worlds apart from the animals…..
Read more at the Twisted Mystics blog!
Return of the GEEKS
March 1, 2009Last spring, in one of my favorite interviews to date, I spoke with Marybeth Hicks, who artfully and passionately stated her mission to “uncool” America. How? By raising up GEEKS – Genuine, Enthusiastic, Empowered Kids! Listen in as she demystifies the consumer culture and teaches us how to build a real human culture, where persons are more important than possessions, and character is nobler than cash. The podcast of my interview with Marybeth is here.
I just caught the new YouTube video (above) on her website and thought I’d give GEEKS another plug!
From the website “Bringing Up GEEKS”
The “culture of cool” is everywhere, and it’s stealing childhood innocence from an entire generation of American kids. If cool is a cell phone by sixth grade, unfettered access to media and pop culture and a cynical – even jaded – attitude about life, it’s time to redefine what’s cool for our children.
Author, columnist and speaker Marybeth Hicks has an answer: Bringing up Geeks – Genuine, Enthusiastic, Empowered Kids. To Hicks, a “geek” is an authentic kid enjoying an innocent childhood, and a parent raising a geek is doing the right things. In her innovative and accessible book, Hicks advises parents to teach children to resist the influences of popular culture and the social pressure to conform to the expectations and behaviors of the “cool” crowd. Parents of geeks remember to keep the focus on raising kids for long-term success — not for popularity as children.
In a voice full of common sense, humor and insight, Bringing up Geeks has the potential to launch a child-rearing movement that promotes innocence over exploitation, substance over style, and genuine self-esteem over superficial acceptance. The book has already earned high praise from parents across America, as well as from notable names in media, education and child advocacy.