Listen to Papa

“In fact, all the world came to Joseph to obtain rations of grain, for famine had gripped the whole world.”
– Genesis 41

Pope Benedict’s new encyclical letter, Caritas in Veritate (Love in Truth), which was recently released, the G8 Summit, and the Old Testament story of Joseph have formed a triple play that has me dazzled by God’s Providence.

Popes often put forth encyclical or “circular” letters to the world, addressed most often to the faithful in the Church, and to “all men and women of good will.” Essentially, they are like snapshots of the current state of affairs, seen through the eyes of Mother Church, intended to advise, instruct, comfort, and challenge Her kids to stay on the right path as we make our way through the world. The real gift of these letters is that they are soaked in God’s Word (revelation, faith) and in the human experience (the social sciences, reason). The ink flows from the Church’s unprecedented 2000 year old memory and experience. These letters are like pure gold. But, I must say, this gold lies too often in a treasure chest at the bottom of the sea of history, just waiting to be discovered.

In light of the economic crisis recently gripping the world, we’ve all been given a healthy reminder of the fragility and transitory taste of earthly goods. Mother Teresa once put forth the idea that America, big, bold, and bright America, might in fact be an impoverished nation. Not of course in the material sense, but spiritually. We’ve lost our greatest treasure: each other. The beauty and dignity of the human person!

“Man is not a lost atom in a random universe: he is God’s creature, whom God chose to endow with an immortal soul and whom he has always loved.”
– Caritas in Veritate, Pope Benedict XVI

At the recent Group of Eight meeting, the leaders of the world’s most industrialized nations gathered in Italy, to consider the future, to make decisions of incredible magnitude that will ultimately affect all of humanity.

I pray that our leaders will pay heed to the words just penned by Papa Benedict. He wrote them with the greatest care and tenderness, with eyes that have carefully and prayerfully watched God’s children fumble and falter through many recent sorrows and sufferings (many of which have fallen on us because of our own greed and short-sightedness).

Finally, the relevance of the story of Joseph in the Old Testament. The world is hungry, and the world is seeking nourishment. Joseph has been put in charge of the world’s grain. Joseph Ratzinger has been appointed the Chief Steward of God’s Church on earth. Pope Benedict is offering us all food that will truly fill us, if we but have the humility to come to the Church and ask for this bread. Will the world’s leaders read his words? I pray they do, for the charity and truth they reveal is exactly what we need in this time of great famine.

“God is the guarantor of man’s true development, inasmuch as, having created him in his image, he also establishes the transcendent dignity of men and women and feeds their innate yearning to “be more”.”
– Pope Benedict XVI

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Inspiration for the New Evangelization
http://www.missionmoment.org

Catholic Courage – Mary Ann Glendon’s Letter to Notre Dame

You may have already seen this on Newsweek or Zenit, but here is the full text of Mary Ann Glendon’s letter, sent just a day or so ago, to the president of Notre Dame, Father John Jenkins. She has declined the university’s offer to give her the Laetare Medal at this year’s commencement. She is the Learned Hand Professor of Law at Harvard Law School and former U.S. ambassador to the Holy See. A prominent Catholic and one of the few who seems to actually live what she professes.

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Dear Father Jenkins,

When you informed me in December 2008 that I had been selected to receive Notre Dame’s Laetare Medal, I was profoundly moved. I treasure the memory of receiving an honorary degree from Notre Dame in 1996, and I have always felt honored that the commencement speech I gave that year was included in the anthology of Notre Dame’s most memorable commencement speeches. So I immediately began working on an acceptance speech that I hoped would be worthy of the occasion, of the honor of the medal, and of your students and faculty.

Last month, when you called to tell me that the commencement speech was to be given by President Obama, I mentioned to you that I would have to rewrite my speech. Over the ensuing weeks, the task that once seemed so delightful has been complicated by a number of factors.

First, as a longtime consultant to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, I could not help but be dismayed by the news that Notre Dame also planned to award the president an honorary degree. This, as you must know, was in disregard of the U.S. bishops’ express request of 2004 that Catholic institutions “should not honor those who act in defiance of our fundamental moral principles” and that such persons “should not be given awards, honors or platforms which would suggest support for their actions.” That request, which in no way seeks to control or interfere with an institution’s freedom to invite and engage in serious debate with whomever it wishes, seems to me so reasonable that I am at a loss to understand why a Catholic university should disrespect it.

Then I learned that “talking points” issued by Notre Dame in response to widespread criticism of its decision included two statements implying that my acceptance speech would somehow balance the event:

• “President Obama won’t be doing all the talking. Mary Ann Glendon, the former U.S. ambassador to the Vatican, will be speaking as the recipient of the Laetare Medal.”

• “We think having the president come to Notre Dame, see our graduates, meet our leaders, and hear a talk from Mary Ann Glendon is a good thing for the president and for the causes we care about.”

A commencement, however, is supposed to be a joyous day for the graduates and their families. It is not the right place, nor is a brief acceptance speech the right vehicle, for engagement with the very serious problems raised by Notre Dame’s decision — in disregard of the settled position of the U.S. bishops — to honor a prominent and uncompromising opponent of the Church’s position on issues involving fundamental principles of justice.

Finally, with recent news reports that other Catholic schools are similarly choosing to disregard the bishops’ guidelines, I am concerned that Notre Dame’s example could have an unfortunate ripple effect.

It is with great sadness, therefore, that I have concluded that I cannot accept the Laetare Medal or participate in the May 17 graduation ceremony.

In order to avoid the inevitable speculation about the reasons for my decision, I will release this letter to the press, but I do not plan to make any further comment on the matter at this time.

Yours Very Truly,

Mary Ann Glendon

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Inspiration for the New Evangelization
http://www.missionmoment.org

Conscience Clause

“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

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Inspiration for the New Evangelization
http://www.missionmoment.org

The Dark Ages

I’m nearly speechless at the complete eclipse of reason, lack of scientific integrity, and disregard for human life in the case of this latest executive order of our president. The Age of Enlightenment has eclipsed. This is only darkness. The fact remains that after 25 years of embryonic stem cell research (which destroys human life), not one cure has been found effective. But in the 25 years of adult stem cell research (which does no harm to the donor or patient), there have been roughly 70 successful treatments given to a host of diseases and conditions. Following this article from the USCCB, you’ll find a crystal clear explanation of the difference between the two studies – embryonic versus adult stem cells. Please take the time to view it, and pass it on, post it on your blog or Facebook profile…. we desperately need clarity here. (At the close of the video, you’ll meet the Johnson family, who are personal friends of ours and wonderful witnesses to the beauty of the Culture of Life. We’ve had the grace of hugs from little Zara, who was adopted at the embryonic level. Today, she would have been a victim of the destructive agenda of embryonic stem cell research. But she lives!

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Executive Order on Embryonic Stem Cells ‘A Sad Victory of Politics over Science and Ethics’ (reprinted from http://www.usccb.org)

WASHINGTON—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.”

Under the order, for the first time in U.S. history, federal tax dollars will be used to encourage researchers to destroy live human embryos for stem cell research. Cardinal Rigali also cited a January 16 letter in which Cardinal Francis George, president of the USCCB, urged President-elect Obama not to issue such an order. Cardinal Rigali’s statement follows:

“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.”

In his January 16th letter to President-elect Obama, Cardinal George, writing as President of the USCCB, cited three reasons why such destructive research is ‘especially pointless at this time’: ‘First, basic research in the capabilities of embryonic stem cells can be and is being pursued using the currently eligible cell lines as well as the hundreds of lines produced with nonfederal funds since 2001.’ Second, recent startling advances in reprogramming adult cells into embryonic-like stem cells – hailed by the journal Science as the scientific breakthrough of the year – are said by many scientists to be making embryonic stem cells irrelevant to medical progress.’ Third, adult and cord blood stem cells are now known to have great versatility, and are increasingly being used to reverse serious illnesses and even help rebuild damaged organs. To divert scarce funds away from these promising avenues for research and treatment toward the avenue that is most morally controversial as well as most medically speculative would be a sad victory of politics over science.

‘”If the government wants to invest in hope for cures and promote ethically sound science, it should use our tax monies for research that everyone, at every stage of human development, can live with.” (www.usccb.org)

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If you’d like to know the truth about the whole affair of stem cells, here is a 20 minute video that gives the whole story. Another helpful article – “Stem Cells for Dummies” – is here.

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Inspiration for the New Evangelization
http://www.missionmoment.org

Put THIS in Your Stimulus Package

I have a great idea for a Stimulus Package that will save us $800 billion dollars. Get this…. It’s called the Love Your Neighbor and Quit Being Greedy Action Plan.

Here’s how it works:

– In all of your decisions, don’t make profit, expansion, progress, or power the end. Use them as a means to another end…

– and that end is, get this… people. Us. Men and women.

It’s a crazy idea, I know, but I got to thinking that the most precious resource, the greatest asset, the golden fire that makes the world go ’round is actually NOT money. It’s people and a passion for people – men and women and children, in all of their manifold appearances of poverty, sickness, oppression, beauty, talent, gifts and contributions.

So the fuel to drive this Stimulus Package, whose end would not be spending but the idea of giving for the revitalization of men and women and families who are the living stones that make up businesses, factories, and corporations, would be… Love.

Yes, it’s a little old school, a little archaic. But give it a whirl and you’ll be amazed at how much a little of that love your neighbor stuff can carry you, and carry others.

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Inspiration for the New Evangelization
http://www.missionmoment.org

March Madness

It was early, it was cold, it was just twenty three students from Malvern Prep. A day “off” from classes and away from campus, but this was in exchange for a thirteen hour day that began at 6:30am with Mass, a long drive to the nation’s capital, and ended with us pulling into Malvern Prep after 8:00pm. It was the March for Life in Washington, D.C. It was March Madness.

We stood in lines, we stood in the cool shadows of the National Shrine Basilica, with mosaics and sculpted columns swirling up and over us, and before us nearly 4000 people spread out, filling pews and corridors, attending a Mass celebrated by Cardinal Rigali. And everyone was there for Life; standing tall, young and old, babies in arms, swaying, hands clasped in prayer, hearts and minds wondering what this new presidency would bring.

From the train to the trek to the National Mall we marched with a mass of humanity up Capitol Hill. Now the little streams of buses that came from all over the country joined and formed a great river of souls. Thousands upon thousands gathering for the 36th annual March for Life. There was singing, praying, and small talk as we shuffled along. Smiles between strangers from all over the country warmed us up a bit, strangers from every creed and color. But the great madness of this March was that such a strong and vibrant presence was at the same time, invisible.

Once again, the secular media was silent when it came to this event, and our numbers were ignored. We seemed just as hidden as the children in the womb we all wanted to protect and defend; as invisible as the deep pain and grief young mothers and fathers feel after they are pushed and pressured into clinics that promise to “erase” their problems and give them a new start.

Climbing the hill flanking the Capitol building, I turned and looked back and saw an ocean of Americans who believed life is a gift always to be received, no matter what the wrappings and trappings that cover its beginning and end. Life is precious. For nearly 20 years in attending this Trail of Tears myself, I’ve looked down that hill, and hoped we could overturn by our presence and prayer the decree that has “sanctioned” the extermination of 50,000,000 unborn children; The law that continues to wound just as many women and men who were told it was their “right” to terminate a so-called unwanted pregnancy.

I searched for an account of what we did in the news that evening, and the day after… Nothing. I looked for an official count on just how many came to Washington D.C that day to speak their minds, to witness to the sacredness of human life from the womb to the tomb. Nothing. Nearly a week later, I discovered the statistic given by the Beltway Police (a neutral group to be sure, and not prone to overestimating): they reported a quarter of a million people in attendance for the March! Where was this fact earlier? Why did I have to find it on some obscure blog and not a major news service? Unbelievable… How is it that a crowd of 250,000 of such diversity in age, ethnicity, and religious belief could be right outside the windows of our nation’s capital and not be seen?

Sadly, there was something else that occurred in a hidden way the following day, January 23. This action was also “unseen” by reporters, accomplished in the late afternoon once the presses had cooled. Our newly elected President signed an order with no fanfare and with no news media in the room. This was a strong contrast to the signings of executive orders earlier in the week. It was an executive order reversing the ban first instituted by President Reagan in 1984, reversing the Mexico City policy, a move that clears the way for the federal government to provide aid to programs that promote or perform abortion overseas. With all that we are going through as a country right now, this is on the list of top priorities?

“What a terrible way to begin a new administration, with an abortion business bailout that will exploit women in developing countries for political ends,” said Charmaine Yoest, president of Americans United for Life Action, the Washington-based organization. “We should not export the tragedy of abortion to other nations, and we certainly shouldn’t do so via the hard-earned dollars of American taxpayers,” she said. “We’re concerned this can only be the tip of the iceberg for President Obama’s abortion policy. This should strengthen our resolve,” she said.

In a letter addressing this move, Cardinal Rigali stated “An administration that wants to reduce abortions should not divert U.S. funds to groups that promote abortions.”

Despite the frustration of having our voices silenced, our steps covered up and our presence ignored, our small band of brothers from Malvern took solace in the fact that we were there. We gave our witness. And we’ll give it again, and again, and again.

So let’s get fired up, let’s lift our heads high again…

For “the victory of truth is certain!”
– August Rodin

And we must “Yield thou not to adversity, but press on the more bravely.”
– Virgil

This story shall the good man teach his son…
From this day to the ending of the world,
But we in it shall be remembered –
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers…
– Henry V, Shakespeare

Violence against even one human being is violence against all.
– Pope Benedict XVI

Thanks to the Blue Boar for finding this inspiring collection of clips…. this is one to play again and again when the world’s got you down!

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Inspiration for the New Evangelization
http://www.missionmoment.org