Monday, April 28, 2008

Politicians Received Communion during B16 Visit

Great post and a follow-up to previous post on pro-abortion politicians receiving communion.

Insight Scoop: Was it Benedict's fault that pro-abort politicians received Communion?

NY Cardinal blast Giuliani

This from Cardinal Edward Egan:

Egan says he had "an understanding" with the former presidential candidate and New York mayor that he is not to receive the Eucharist. The Catholic church opposes abortion.

The cardinal said Monday that Giuliani broke that understanding when he received the Eucharist during Pope Benedict XVI's visit.


Egan says he will be seeking a meeting with Giuliani "to insist that he abide by our understanding."

Hmmmmmmmm.

Rev. Wright Speech

Just heard the good reverend Wright’s speech on the way into work this morning. I know this will generate a lot of analysis from the experts. An expert I’m not, however I just can’t keep from sharing these thoughts on the speech.

1) First of all I think the resemblance in Rev Wright’s speech presentation and Senator Osama’s is like… well, father and son.

2) Every articulate, with a hint of injected points of humor. Delivered like a Dave Lettermen punch line, funny at the cost of a mischaracterization of another.

3) He referred to the “Black Theology” of his church as something “…just different”. What does that mean? Is radical Islam and the Jihadist, just different? Is the off-shoot Mormon Polygamist Cult just different? Are we expected to just accept that not discern?

4) Rev. Wright tries to trace his religion back to the time of “the Prophet Jesus”. I thought that was most peculiar. The prophet Jesus?

No, how about Our Lord and God Jesus! I don’t think that Jesus taught Black liberation theology or White liberation theology or Jewish liberation theology. Jesus came for ALL.

5) It seems to me his surface description of “everyone is equal” is not what he is preaching at all. All whites are not of the KKK. And I do believe that Blacks have come a long way from the days of slavery. I see very successful Black in all positions of life. Los Angeles is one of the most diverse places to live in America. That’s what I like most of L.A. We most certainly have our problems; however for the most part if you’re seeking a great mix of multi-culture, L.A. is the place to see it.

6) I still don’t understand how politics can be interjected in certain churches while others are threatened with IRS repercussions if the word Republican or Democrat are mentioned during the homily once too many times.

7) Was it me or was the whole speech about race?

Personally I think this going to hurt Sen. Obama. I believe it’s going to alienate those supporters that are going to feel offended about the good Reverends speech and tie it in with the Senator.

Then again this may place some artificial guilt complex which says, “I’m so ashamed of the past that I’m going to vote a certain way to make up for it”.

More thoughts later...

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

"Jesus Was Son of Mary and Roman Rapist"

Paul Verhoeven, Dutch director of the such movies as 'Basic Instinct' and 'Showgirls', who also holds a Ph.D in mathematics and physics, oh and is Catholic, says that Jesus our Lord is the son of Mary and of a Romans soldier who raped her.

.... and he wants to make a movie about his theory.

WHAT?

In his upcoming biography of Jesus, "Basic Instinct" director Paul Verhoeven will say that Jesus was probably the son of Mary and a Roman soldier who raped her during the Jewish uprising in Galilee, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

Verhoeven also claims that Christ was not betrayed by Judas Iscariot.

The director, who also directed "Showgirls," claims to portray Jesus in the most realistic way in his book, co-written by his biographer, Rob van Scheers, and due in September.
MORE...

Still MORE...

One of his conclusions deals with the fact that Jesus was probably the son of Mary and a Roman soldier who raped her during the Jewish uprising in Galilee. Verhoeven also claims that Christ was not betrayed by Judas Iscariot.

He says these ideas are a result of 20 years of research.

Well, we have 2000 years of teachings of the Church.

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Gospel for Today

Reading the Gospel for today I was caught by it's message and related it to the visit of B16.

Gospel Jn 12:44-50

Jesus cried out and said,
“Whoever believes in me believes not only in me
but also in the one who sent me,and whoever sees me
sees the one who sent me.
I came into the world as light,
so that everyone who believes in me might not remain in darkness.
And if anyone hears my words and does not observe them,
I do not condemn him,
for I did not come to condemn the world but to save the world.
Whoever rejects me and does not accept my words
has something to judge him: the word that I spoke,
it will condemn him on the last day,
because I did not speak on my own,
but the Father who sent me commanded me what to say and speak.
And I know that his commandment is eternal life.
So what I say, I say as the Father told me.”

Papal Radar


A nice little map/schedule of B16's planned travels by CNA:


Tuesday, April 15, 2008

B16: Has Landed!

He's here! ......Greeted by President Bush
LIVE!

Pope Benedict's Schedule

EWTN has live streaming video coverage of the Pope's arrival.

Here's his schedule: B16 Schedule

Aboard: Shepherd One

This is interesting.... aboard Shepherd One with B16:

Pope Benedict is now on a plane. Some have called it “Shepherd One”, but in fact, it is an ordinary “Alitalia” plane. It does not belong to the Vatican. The tradition has been for Alitalia—Italy’s national carrier—to transport the pope, his entourage, and reporters on his first leg of an international trip and for an airline of the host country to do the return trip. This time, the pope will travel round-trip on Alitalia. Maybe he was afraid of getting his flight canceled if he were on an American carrier?! Probably not.

I am waiting in New York to do color commentary on set for Shepard Smith who will do live coverage of the 4:00pm (US Eastern) touchdown. Word is already out about the five questions reporters have asked the Holy Father on the plane. One of them was about the sexual abuse scandal in the United States. Since the questions had been previously reviewed and accepted by the Vatican’s communication department, the fact the pope answered this question in particular means he wanted to tackle the issue right from the start.

Keep in mind, before he became pope, Pope Benedict was in charge of the Vatican department responsible for reviewing the files of priests who had been accused of abuse. He knows from the inside the terrible nature of abuse. Listen to what he said this morning on the plane, as reported by the Associated Press. Note that when he says “Church” he is referring to all of its members, including the victims.
MORE...

This going to be interesting to see how the MSM is going to cover B16's visit. No doubt they will spin this into something negative. Maybe try to protray the Pope as out of touch... we'll see.

Friday, April 11, 2008

Pascal's Wager

Great article on "Pascal's Wager" by Dinesh D'Souza, author of "What's So Great About Christianity"

The Power of Pascal's Wager:

Skeptics say that we cannot know whether God exists, and in a sense they are right. The Bible says in Hebrews 11:1 that faith is "the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." If the believer knew, there would be no question of faith. Consider this: I don't have faith that my daughter is in the seventh grade; I know my daughter is in the seventh grade. I haven't been to heaven, and so I cannot say that I know there is such a place. But I believe that there is. Faith is a statement of trust in what we do not know for sure.

But is such faith reasonable or is it, as the atheists frequently allege, "blind faith"? This central human conundrum is the subject of Pascal's famous wager. Pascal did not invent the wager. It was offered by the Muslim theologian Abu Hamid al-Ghazzali in his medieval work The Alchemy of Happiness. Pascal was familiar with Ghazzali and probably derived the argument from him. But Pascal gave the wager its current classic expression, and in doing so he places an unavoidable choice before all believers and unbelievers.

Pascal argues in his Pensees that in life we have to gamble. Let's say you are offered a new job that may take your career to new heights. It looks extremely promising, but of course there are risks. There is no way in advance to know how things will turn out. You have to decide if you will go for it. Or you are in love with a woman. You have been dating for a while, yet you cannot be certain what marriage to her is going to be like for the next several decades. You proceed on the basis of what you know, but what you know is, by the nature of the matter, inadequate. Yet you have to make a decision. You cannot keep saying, "I will remain agnostic until I know for sure." If you wait too long, she will marry someone else, or both of you will be dead.

In the same way, Pascal argues that in making our decision about God, we will never understand everything in advance. No amount of rational investigation can produce definitive answers, since what comes after death remains unknown. Therefore we have to examine the options, and we have to make our wager. But what are the alternatives, and how should we weigh the odds? Pascal argues that we have two basic choices, and either way we must consider the risk of being wrong.

MORE>>>

5 New U.S. Bishops

B16 has appointed 5 new Sheperds of the faith.

Pope Benedict XVI has named five new bishops for the United States, the largest number of prelates named in a single instance by a Pope during the last 10 years. The new bishops are Bishop Richard Edmund Pates of Des Moines, Bishop Anthony Basil Taylor of Little Rock, Auxiliary Bishop James Douglas Conley of Denver, Auxiliary Bishop Oscar Cantu of San Antonio and Auxiliary Bishop William J. Justice of San Francisco.

Pray for our Sheperds...

Thursday, April 10, 2008

Chance Or Purpose


Just picked up my copy of Chance Or Purpose: Creation, Evolution, and Rational Faith by Christoph Cardinal Schonborn.


Cardinal Christoph Schönborn’s article on evolution and creation in The New York Times launched an international controversy. Critics charged him with biblical literalism and “creationism”.


In this book, Cardinal Schönborn responds to his critics by tackling the hard questions with a carefully reasoned "theology of creation". Can we still speak intelligently of the world as “creation” and affirm the existence of the Creator, or is God a “delusion”? How should an informed believer read Genesis? If God exists, why is there so much injustice and suffering? Are human beings a part of nature or elevated above it? What is man's destiny? Is everything a matter of chance or can we discern purpose in human existence?


In his treatment of evolution, Cardinal Schönborn distinguishes the biological theory from “evolutionism”, the ideology that tries to reduce all of reality to mindless, meaningless processes. He argues that science and a rationally grounded faith are not at odds and that what many people represent as “science” is really a set of philosophical positions that will not withstand critical scrutiny.


Chance or Purpose? directly raises the philosophical and theological issues many scientists today overlook or ignore. The result is a vigorous, frank dialogue that acknowledges the respective insights of the philosopher, the theologian and the scientist, but which calls on them to listen and to learn from each another.


"Cardinal Christoph Schoenborn's 2005 essay in the New York Times, which seemingly condemned Darwin's scientific theory of evolution, ignited a firestorm of controversy. Yet the hasty responses did not look deeply enough into the Cardinal's words. Rather than the science of Darwin, it is the philosophical claims made in its name that the prelate upbraided. Science cannot speak of ultimate purpose, and scientists who do so are outside of their authority. In Chance or Purpose? the Cardinal shows that the data of biology, when properly examined by reason and philosophy, strongly point to a purposeful world."—Michael Behe Author, Darwin’s Black Box


“Cardinal Schoenborn writes with masterful simplicity on profound theological issues. I, as a scientist and Christian outside the Catholic tradition, welcome his wisdom. He argues effectively that there are multiple approaches to reality, and he states clearly that while intelligent design is worthy of human reflection, from a scientific perspective the evolutionary model is the true story.”—Owen Gingerich, Professor Emeritus of Astronomy and History of Science, Harvard University. Author of God's Universe


“Intellectual curiosity is here joined with precision of reason and vibrancy of faith. The result is a wondrously instructive guide to one of the most controverted questions of our time by one of the most influential leaders of the Church.” —Richard John Neuhaus Editor, First Things


“Anyone reading this sentence knows that eyes are meant for seeing. Yet in today's debates over evolution, the question of meaning ranks among the most controversial (even if obvious) features of our world. In the din of this muddled debate, Cardinal Schoenborn speaks as a true teacher of the Catholic faith, unafraid to apply the core wisdom of the Bible to the two Top Questions that haunt us all: where do we come from and where are we headed? Any attempt to answer these two tormenting mysteries will either begin here or never find their resolution.”—Edward T. Oakes, S.J., University of St. Mary of the Lake Mundelein, Illinois.


Link to offical website: Chance or Purpose

Ben Stein: EXPELLED!

I saw the trailer on this new documentary with Ben Stein. Yes, that’s Ben Stein the former teacher turn political analyst.

(I remember first seeing him on the TV show ‘Wonder Years’…he played… you guessed it… the teacher)

The movie has been described as “Michael Moore on truth serum”.

The Documentary is about the down right hostile resistance to Intelligent Design (not Creationism). Mostly a denial of God as Creator. (yes, evolution is involved)

The trailer doesn’t look like your average documentary… it actually looks quite entertaining and the subject matter is in my opinion very important.

View the Trailer: EXPELLED

Here’s also some tech material on the subject from a couple of professors mentioned in the movie.

Intelligent Design: the Origin of Biological Information and the Higher Taxonomic Categories by Stephen C. Meyer

Carl of InsightScoop has an interview with the producer of the movie. Very interesting.

The film opens Friday, April 18th 2008 in select theaters in your area: Theater Locator

Got to see it!

Tuesday, April 08, 2008

Cannondale F7 - Mountain Bike


This is a picture of the new member to my family (except in Grey). I just picked it up this weekend and promptly headed to the nearest trail.


Now this is an entry level mountain bike, for an entry level mountain biker. But I'm looking forward to breaking it in... hopefully not the other way around.

(Cannondale F7)

Monday, April 07, 2008

B16 in America

Two weeks to go until Pope Benedict XVI visit to America. Phil Lawler of CWNews weighs in:

Apr. 4, 2008 (CWNews.com) - With a papal visit less than two weeks away, American readers can anticipate a spate of "analysis" stories, assessing the health of US Catholicism and predicting the content of the Pope's message to America. Be forewarned: most of this coverage will be grossly inaccurate.
MORE

Orthodox Priest murdered in Baghdad

More bad news as another priest murdered in Iraq.

Father Yusef Adel was shot and killed by unidentified gunmen in the Iraqi capital. The killing occurred than 3weeks after the death after Chaldean Catholic Archbishop Faraj Raho was found dead, after having been kidnapped from outside his cathedral in Mosul.

Syrian Orthodox Bishop Matti Shaba Matoka presided at the funeral for Father Adel, with Chaldean Catholic Patriarch Emmanuel III Delly and the apostolic nuncio, Archbishop Francis Chulikatt, representing the city's Catholic leadership.

Prayers or the Church in Iraq....

Smallest 15 yr Old Girl ....in the World


Cool Story.




God Bless all 1ft 11 inches of her....sound like her heart is 10x as big.

I love her attitude...

Ben Hur - Dead at 84

Charlton Heston dead at 84 yrs. One of my favorite actors. He's best know for his "10 Commandments" and "Ben-Hur", but I also like his "Solant Green".

Heston, who died Saturday night at 84, was a towering figure both in his politics and on screen, where his characters had the ear of God (Moses in "The Ten Commandments"), survived apocalyptic plagues ("The Omega Man") and endured one of Hollywood's most-grueling action sequences (the chariot race in "Ben-Hur," which earned him the best- actor Academy Award).

He will be missed.

My prayers to his family and friends.

WCC +<><

Tuesday, April 01, 2008

April Fool's Day - Origin

Happy April Fool's Day!

I found this and I thought I'd pass it on...

The History of April Fool's Day... Us Catholics always fooling with the calendar...

April Fool's Day Origin

Also some famous April Fool's Day Hoax's
... my favorite's the 'Left Handed Whooper'...

CNN has some video's up as well...