Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Anime - Catholic Style

I visit the local Barns and Noble, Borders bookstores rather frequently. While there, I notice the traffic in the Anime section of the store with the youth. The seating section littered with bent Anime books from readers who didn't place them back on the shelf.

Well, now someone has noticed this fact and is doing something about it. AmP has the post and something very exciting!

Check it out!

A First: Catholic Anime (Okay Manga)
...
There is actually a tradition of “Catholic Comics”, but I have never come across Catholic Anime before. I remember as a child one of my favorite things to read was a comic about the life of St. Maximilian Kolbe. This is a brilliant, well-executed concept and I hope strong sales of this first volume gives the people behind it the opportunity to create more installments.
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British Diplomats - Anti-Catholic bashing

British Diplomats show their true colors prior to a visit by the Holy Father. This is not surprising to me considering one is always reading about the medical activities of England regarding embryo experimentation and atheist plotting the arrest of B16. The sad lose of faith in general.

Here in this instance, it's just been exposed for what it's worth. My thoughts are, I'm glad the Holy Father is still going to visit. I'm sure he is aware of these shenanigans however he realizes there are the faithful however small there awaiting his visit.

Let's keep our Holy Father in our prayers.

Ridiculing the Pope (CMR)

In preparation for Pope Benedict XVI’s visit to Great Britain, a group of British diplomats circulated a memo offering suggestions for a to-do list of sorts for the Pope including launching a new line of ‘ Benedict’ condoms, inviting the Pope to open an abortion clinic or bless a gay marriage.

Nice, huh?

While the British government quickly offered an official apology many sources in the British government and media seem to be saying that anyone truly offended by the memo simply lacks a sense of humor. Mind you, I’m a fan of satire and humor. Over at my blog Creative Minority Report we keep things pretty light. But what the British Foreign Office did this week can’t really be dismissed as a bit of satire as it hardly rises to the level of intelligence to be called satire. Calling it “sophomoric” is an insult to fourth graders.

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Saturday, April 24, 2010

Message From B16 on Blogging!

Cool, The Holy Father knows the power of the internet in spreading the Gospel.

The need to give the Internet a soul and humanize the dynamics of the digital world was at the heart of Pope Benedict XVI’s message Saturday to participants in a conference on modern means of mass communication.

… “Without fear we must set sail on the digital sea facing into the deep with the same passion that has governed the ship of the Church for two thousand years. Rather than for, albeit necessary, technical resources, we want to qualify ourselves by living in the digital world with a believer’s heart, helping to give a soul to the Internet’s incessant flow of communication”. (Vatican Radio)

Post on AmP

Saturday, April 17, 2010

More on 3 Parent Babies

CMR has a great post to follow-up on the my 1 Dad 2 Mom post.

3 Parent Embryo's (Mary Meets Dolly)
Previously, I blogged about 3 parent monkeys that were created to "cure" mitochondrial disease. I warned that there was a push to create 3 parent human embryos for the same purpose. Well less than a year later, scientists in the UK announced they have created human embryos with 3 genetic parents.

Why would scientists want to engineer an embryo with the genetic material from 3 people? To "prevent" the inheritance of mitochondrial disease. Not all of our DNA that we inherit is in the nuclei of the egg and sperm that join at conception. In the cytoplasm of our mother's egg are mitochondria. Mitochondria have their own DNA called mtDNA. We inherit our mtDNA only from our mother because sperm's mitochondria are dumped at conception. There are genetic mutations that cause disease in mtDNA and a woman with a such a mutation cannot help but pass this mutation on to her children.
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Friday, April 16, 2010

Happy Birthday Holy Father B16


I almost forgot to wish Pope Benedict XVI a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Prayers for our Holy Father intentions and his health

Our Father
Hail Mary
Glory Be

WCC

Plenary Indulgence for Reading Scripture


Taylor Marshall of Canterbury Tales Blog has a post on this indulgence

Who said Catholics don't read the Bible? Did you know that the Church grants an indulgence to those devoutly read Sacred Scripture. (By the way, an indulgence is the remission of temporal punishment for a sin already forgiven by God.
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Our Lord is so generous He wants to share the treasure trove of Graces he has given his Church to share.

1 Dad, 2 Moms = 1 Baby

Doctors in England have been experimenting with combining the DNA for multiple people, in this case one man and two women to create live embryos.

The reason they say is to create babies with less defects, designer babies per say. What erks me about this whole thing is what the lead researcher Professor Doug Turnbull says about this experiment.

"What we've done is like changing the battery on a laptop."

This doesn't sound like someone who really takes life serious despite what his stated motivation for this whole experiment is for.

Then, further down in the article he states that he had to destroy the embryo's (BABIES !) 8 in total because he really doesn't have permission to keep these embryo's alive.

The scientists would need a special licence to culture embryos for longer periods and the procedure would currently be illegal in IVF clinics.

More

How many more did he have to kill before he claimed victory in his laboratory?



The Holy Mass Corrupted

American Papist has some amazing video of the infamous Fr. Pfeger celebrating Mass.

During his homily he call for the ordaining of woman priest, woman bishops and woman cardinals.

... and his version of the Eucharistic Prayer doesn't follow the normal prescribed form.

You've got to see video.

Video: Fr. Pfleger’s illicit Masses, heresy

Thursday, April 15, 2010

NASA Science or Politics?

Just finished hearing our beloved President give one of his sun shine speeches. Then I was further treated to Foxnews' Shepperd Smith fawning over the wonders of Obama's brilliance.

It's like having a piece of MSNBC at the heart of the day 12:00 Noon WestCoast time, in the middle of the Foxnews programming.

It's funny to hear FNC opponents bash everyone else on Fox except Shep (as he likes to call himself). He's their bubby in the ranks.

Anyway, back to the speech. Yes it was the typical "all fluff and air" speech, full of landing on Astroids and Mars travel.

But he isn't fooling all of the experts. Experts like Astronaut Homer Hickam or Neil Armstrong, James Lovell, Gene Cernan or Dr Scott Horowitz.

Not all the expert disagree with the President though. Buzz Aldrich seems to faDll in line with the Obama and even got a call out, not surprising from the Prez in his remarks.

All in all it's more moneys to NASA but with no clear place to put it. No man-space travel. We'll be thumbing a riding with the Russians.

The 'Orion' program was mentioned but I was apart of the proposal team for this program. Our side lost the bid. But the winners don't have a good plan and mark my words, they will not perform.

So why give NASA the 6 billions dollars? I say it's going to buy votes in November.

"My administration kept the economy going in Florida" That will be the line in November.

Here's the real message: "Here's 6 billion dollars, now shut-up and vote Democrat in November"

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Arresting the Pope...

Saw this yesterday.

What's wrong with these people? I guess the only thing that worries me is that some people that shouldn't be getting close to B16, have been getting close to him.

That lady that tackled our Holy Father comes to mind.

Atheist Idiots Want to Arrest the Pope (CMR)
Two British atheists say Pope Benedict XVI should be arrested during his visit to Britain for his role in cases of child sex abuse by priests.

The Sunday Times of London reported atheism campaigner Richard Dawkins and author Christopher Hitchens have asked human rights lawyers to draft a case for charging the pope for his alleged cover-up of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church.Human rights lawyer and United Nations judge Geoffrey Robertson wrote in The Guardian the pope should be tried for allegedly protecting predator priests.
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Monday, April 12, 2010

Newsweek and the Abuse Scandal

The Sacred Page has a great post. You need to read this one....

Newsweek Priest Unfairly Targeted as Abusers

Pope Attack Continues..

Looking for the smoking gun... even if they have to 'plant the evidence' or make it up, twist it, falsely interpret, building straw man after straw man and, well, call a spade a spade, lie, lie, lie, lie, lie.

The Associated Press is the latest transgressor.

The Associated Press is Lying (CMR, Phil Lawler)
Most of you have heard the news that the Pope (then Cardinal Ratzinger) delayed in defrocking a pedophile priest in California in 1985. The Associated Press, and the rest of the media bandwagon, have heralded this report as 'the smoking gun.' Only, one problem. It's a lie.
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Sunday, April 11, 2010

Cultural Catholic's

Hey, if you wear the name tag 'Catholic', does that mean you're a practicing (orthodox) Catholic?

Maureen Dowd seems to think so. (As do many celebrities, politicians, news journalist...)

Maureen Dowd is NOT a Catholic (CMR)
Maureen Dowd righteously plays More-Catholic-Than-Thou in today's New York Times op-eds on the topic of the Roman Catholic Church's pedophilia scandal. Some of Ms. Dowd's criticisms are fairly made (i.e., pedophilia has damaged the Church's reputation; certain individuals covered up these crimes). However, her words belie her Catholicism.
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10 day stretch

Have to take a break...

...sometimes a good stretch is needed to clear the head.

Okay lets see, what going on...

Thursday, April 01, 2010

"The Curtain was torn in two, from top to bottom"


Our Men's Group at St Paul the Apostle Catholic Church, is doing a study on the Holy Mass. We are using Scott Hahn's book 'The Lamb's Supper' in our study.

During last weeks meeting the topic of the 'Torn Curtain' in the Gospel's of Luke and Mark was discussed.

Questions were asked as to what does this mean? So I did a quick lunch time study to search out the answer. The following is by no means a thorough study but it points out the Catholic interpretation and hopefully will stimulate a deeper study.

Q: A Fundamentalist Baptist friend wants to know how the Catholic Church views the curtain being torn in half as Christ expires. He says his church views it as proof that it is no longer necessary for God's people to be under an institutional Church or clergy.
A: Then how to explain the fact that after the curtain was torn in half-after the Resurrection-Jesus proceeded to appoint clergy and establish a Church? Christ's sacrifice and the tearing of the curtain symbolize several things:

1) The Jewish economy (the Law of Moses or the Old Covenant) has been done away with.

2) Our high priest (Jesus) has the right to enter the heavenly tabernacle.

3) We approach God through Jesus and the Christian economy rather than through the Jewish or Mosaic economy.

4) That heaven has now been opened to receive the saints, who were previously kept at Abraham's bosom. What it doesn't imply is the demise of all rituals (or else we would not have baptism and the Eucharist) or that there will be no priests in the Law of Christ/New Covenant way of approaching God. It simply signifies the passing away of the Jewish economy.
Source

There is one important detail which Matthew does not fail to observe: "The curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom" (17:51). This was the curtain separating the sanctuary from the Holy of Holies (cf. Ex. 26:31); on Jesus' death it was torn, indicating (this has been the traditional interpretation of the Church) that the old Mosaic cult had come to an end and a new era had begun, that of the New Covenant, sealed with the blood of the Son of God. Through this New Covenant man can be born again to a new life, leaving behind fear and any kind of pessimism, for death has been overcome by Life. Source


Q The Bible teacher at my (Baptist) school says that the curtain of the Temple being torn in two when Christ died (Luke 23:45) meant that priests were no longer needed. I have thought about ways to try and explain how priests are needed, but have had no luck. Please help me with an answer.

A The tearing of the temple curtain does indeed mean that the Old Covenant priesthood is no longer needed, for Jesus has taken that role once and for all. Hebrews 7:27 says, "[Jesus] has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for those of the people; he did this once for all when he offered up himself."

So, does that mean your pastor is out of a job? No way. Precisely because Christ remains forever our High Priest, He must reach each one of us today, everywhere. How is He the Priest for you and me, not just for the men and women who lived in first-century Palestine? Through the men whom he has called to "do this in memory of me," to forgive sins and preach the Good News "in His Name." They are priests only because they act "in persona Christi" — it is really Christ who is acting through them.


When Jesus said, "Do this . . . " (cf. Luke 22:14-20), He was gathered with the twelve Apostles. Only, the same was true when "He breathed on them, and said to them, 'Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained'" (John 20:21-23). He asked a small number (not all) among his followers to, as it were, "lend Him" their humanity, so that He could continue exercising powers that were His alone to discharge. In other words, we are talking about delegated power, or better, a delegated mission: "As the Father has sent me, even so I send you" (John 20:21).

Now, someone might say, "All right, but when the Apostles died, it ended there." Well, that wouldn't make a lot of sense, would it, if Jesus is our eternal High Priest? What's the point of continuing his priesthood for a few decades after his death, and then discontinuing it for the rest of history? Besides, and more importantly, it's not what the Apostles themselves understood.

We see from Acts 1:15-26 that they felt compelled to replace Judas. Further, they left bishops and elders (priests) in every city they evangelized (take a look at Titus 1:5), to continue their ministry. Those bishops ordained other priests and bishops who ordained others . . . on and on until today. Without them, there would be no Eucharist or forgiveness of sins, and we wouldn't be able to faithfully carry out Christ's command. So you see why the priesthood is necessary. True followers of Christ can't live without it! Source


Luke: 23:45
Ignatius Study Guide Commentary Gospel of Luke: Curtain – One of the two veils that separated God’s presence from his people in the Jerusalem Temple. That this curtain is torn at the time of the Crucifixion indicates that Jesus’ suffering is a sacrificial and priestly act that opens for us a new and living way into the sanctuary of heaven (Heb 10:19-22).

Source

Ignatius Study Guide Commentary Gospel of Mark: the curtain – Two veils hung in the Jerusalem Temple to symbolize God’s inaccessibility to sinners (Heb 9:8). One was visible, as it separated the outer courts from the sanctuary proper, and the other was invisible to all but the priests, as it hung inside the sanctuary in front of its most sacred chamber, the Holy of Holies (Ex 26:31-34; Heb 9:3, 7). Although the evangelist does not specify which of the two veils was torn, the lesson to be learned is clear: access to the Father is now open through Jesus, who as high priest has entered on our behalf (Eph 2:18; Heb 10:19-22). Moreover, as the curtain ripped ‘from top to bottom’, the barrier between the face of God and his people was removed, and the termination of the Old Covenant was prophetically announced, ‘was torn’: Mark uses the same Greek expression at 1:10 to describe God “tearing” the heavens at the Baptism of Jesus. If a connection is being made between these two events, as seems likely, it may have been the outer veil draped in front of the sanctuary that was rent in two, since history (Josephus) testifies that it was embroidered with images of the cosmos.
Source

“ I Turned to See” (Lamb’s Supper – Scott Hahn, pg 71)

Likewise, it’s easy to understand why the early Christians considered the torn temple veil so theologically and liturgically significant. The veil was torn just as Christ’s body was decisively torn. As Jesus completed the earthly offering of His body, God made sure that the world would know that the veil had been removed from “the Temple.” Now everyone – brought together in the Church – could enter His presence on the Lord’s Day.

Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the sanctuary by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way which He opened for us through the curtain [or veil], that is, through His flesh ….let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together… but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near (Heb 10:19-20, 24-25).

“In the Spirit on the Lord’s day,” John saw something that was more sweeping than any narrative or any argument could convey. He saw that part of the world was already taken up into a new heaven and a new earth.

Source