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On the battle theme of Lent…
A brief observation of the first two days in Lent reveals militaristic, even violent imagery in the battle against sin and the unruly passions of the flesh. The Collect (opening prayer) of Ash Wednesday provides an image of troops mustering for battle: Grant, O Lord, that we may begin with holy fasting this campaign of Christian service, so that, as we take up battle against spiritual evils, we may be armed with weapons of self-restraint.Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. “Battle,” “weapons,” and “armed” all clearly have military connotations, but so does the phrase “campaign of Christian service” if we look at the Latin text: praesidia miltiae Christianae. The service or action (prae...
The disappearing sound of Solari boards, those clickety-clack departure signs seen in old airports and train stations…
Image caption Eileen Lim and Nicole Lee at Changi Airport Terminal 2 in Singapore As day turns to night in Singapore’s Changi Airport, a queue of people wait patiently for a picture with an old star. They leave their bags by a bench, turn their cameras on themselves, and pose for a photo. Some smile; some jump like starfish; one even dances. As they upload to Instagram, the old star watches on, unmoved. And then – a noise. The moment they’ve been waiting for. The travellers turn their cameras round, and the star begins one last turn. In a blur of rotation, Kuala Lumpur becomes Colombo; Brunei turns into Tokyo; and a dozen other cities whirr into somewhere else. Two people taking photos, Eileen Lim and Nicole Lee, aren’t even flying. They have come especially to see ...
God and the vanguard of atheism…
The good folks here at Magis Center were gracious enough to suggest that I become a more regular contributor, so I’m looking forward to exploring some exciting topics in the coming months. And, in the spirit of a preliminary entry, I’d like to address the following, because I hope it will set a positive tone in the discussion going forward. Over the years, in discussions with atheists and agnostics, I have been frequently accused of seeing everything in a way that supports my position that God exists. Since I want God to exist—the argument goes—I consistently dismiss any reason, logic, or scientific evidence that might contradict my belief. Initially, I took this personally, but over the years, I came to realize that this was a fairly common accusation—and one that makes it int...
The urgent theme of Ash Wednesday…
There is a great sense of urgency in the readings for Ash Wednesday. It is as if some great event is looming that could be awesome, but only if the warning is heeded. Consider this selection from the first reading (Joel 2:12-18): “Even now,” says the LORD, “Return to me with your whole heart, with fasting, and weeping, and mourning; Rend your hearts, not your garments, and return to the LORD, your God.” Sound the trumpet in Zion! Proclaim a fast, call an assembly; gather the people! Assemble the elders; gather the children, even the infants at the breast. Let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep, And say, “Spare, O LORD, your people!” And consider this passage from the second reading (2 Corinthians 5:20-6:2): We are ambassadors for Christ, as if God were appealing through us. We im...
Ash Wednesday: ‘Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return’…
Ash Wednesday is upon us, and Lent is about to begin. Here are 9 things to know and share… Ash Wednesday is upon us again! Here are 9 things to know and share… 1. What is Ash Wednesday? Ash Wednesday is the day that Lent begins (see: 9 things you need to know about Lent). The name comes from the fact that a particular rite is always celebrated on this Wednesday in which the faithful have ashes put on their foreheads. According to the Roman Missal: In the course of today’s Mass, ashes are blessed and distributed. These are made from the olive branches or branches of other trees that were blessed the previous year [on Palm/Passion Sunday]. 2. What does the putting on of ashes symbolize? According to the Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy: 125. In the Roman Rite,...
Shame on Jean Vanier and shame on all those who have betrayed us. But the Church (and L’Arche) are bigger than any one man…..
For many years I was certain Jean Vanier was a saint. I could not fathom how anyone could have believed otherwise. His life’s work with L’Arche International, which he founded in 1964, was so extraordinary, so self-giving, that I asked, “If this man is not a saint then who is?” Then on Feb. 22, the news broke. “Vanier, a devout Catholic, had ‘manipulative and emotionally abusive’ sexual relationships with six women in France, between 1970 and 2005, according to a statement by L’Arche International,” the BBC reported. “Sexual relations were instigated by Vanier, usually in the context of giving spiritual guidance.” This revelation was the result of L’Arche International’s request for a review by an independent body. Those who did the report for L’Arche had no axe to g...
EWTN News/RealClear Opinion Research poll: Finding the Catholic vote…
EWTN News/RealClear Opinion Research Poll No. 2: Finding the Catholic Vote NEWS ANALYSIS: As the Democrats plunge into the primary season, new EWTN News/RealClear Opinion Research poll finds President Trump in a slightly stronger position among Catholics — but they are divided sharply according to their embrace of Church teachings. Even as the Democrat candidates for president fight for every vote in the Super Tuesday primaries, a new EWTN News/RealClear Opinion Research poll — the second of four polls on Election 2020 — finds that while President Donald Trump is in a stronger position among Catholics than he was at the end of 2019, he is still trailing his potential Democrat rivals. At the same time, Catholic voters are divided significantly in how they view the president and t...
Trump has flipped the 9th Circuit — and some new judges are causing a ‘shock wave’…
When President Trump ticks off his accomplishments since taking office, he frequently mentions his aggressive makeover of a key sector of the federal judiciary — the circuit courts of appeal, where he has appointed 51 judges to lifetime jobs in three years. In few places has the effect been felt more powerfully than in the sprawling 9th Circuit, which covers California and eight other states. Because of Trump’s success in filling vacancies, the San Francisco-based circuit, long dominated by Democratic appointees, has suddenly shifted to the right, with an even more pronounced tilt expected in the years ahead. Trump has now named 10 judges to the 9th Circuit — more than one-third of its active judges — compared with seven appointed by President Obama over eight years. “Trump has effectively...
What is the power of celibacy?
Pope Francis issued one of the most eagerly awaited documents of his papacy this month: a letter that could have laid the groundwork for eliminating the Roman Catholic Church’s requirement of priestly celibacy. But it didn’t. To the relief of conservative Catholics, and to the dismay of his progressive well-wishers, Francis let the matter drop. Ever since Francis summoned 185 bishops to the Vatican in October for three weeks of discussion about the Amazon region, the church had been in a state of agitation — and not over burning rain forests or endangered indigenous cultures or the mercurial Brazilian president, Jair Bolsonaro. The controversy centered on whether certain married church deacons would be permitted to offer Mass in churches too remote for priests to reach regularly. While thi...
A teaching on desire, from St. Augustine…
Most of the saints have written about the central battle of our life: desire. What we desire is crucial because in the end, we get what we want. Either we die wanting what God offers, or we die not wanting it. Either we love what and whom God loves, or we don’t. We tend to think that everyone wants to go to Heaven, but that isn’t true. Heaven is not one’s personally designed paradise; it is the Kingdom of God with all of its values: forgiveness, chastity, love of all (including our enemies), and generosity, among many others. In addition, God is at the center, not us. Many people don’t desire some or all the values of the Kingdom of God and thus die in a state of indifference or opposition to what God is offering. For example, some do not want to love their enemies or live chastely. God wi...
U.S. appeals court upholds Trump rules involving abortions…
SEATTLE — In a victory for the Trump administration, a U.S. appeals court on Monday upheld rules that bar taxpayer-funded family-planning clinics from referring women for abortions. The 7-4 ruling by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overturned decisions issued by judges in Washington, Oregon and California. The court had already allowed the administration’s changes to start taking effect while the government appealed those rulings. The changes ban taxpayer-funded clinics in the Title X program for low-income women from making abortion referrals, a restriction opponents characterize as a “gag rule.” Beginning March 4, the rules will also prohibit clinics that receive federal money from sharing office space with abortion providers, which critics said would force many Title X...
Tim Tebow says he’d rather be known for saving babies than winning Super Bowls…
Former NFL quarterback Tim Tebow said that he would rather be known for saving babies than winning Super Bowls during an anti-abortion event. “It really does mean a lot more than winning the Super Bowl,” he said to a crowd at a football-themed banquet hosted by Kansans for Life earlier this month. “One day, when you look back and people are talking about you and they say, ‘Oh my gosh, what are you going to be known for?’ Are you going to say Super Bowl, or we saved a lot of babies?” At one point in the speech, Tebow turned to people affiliated with the Super Bowl-winning Kansas City Chiefs football team who were in the audience and addressed their recent feat. “It’s amazing,” Tebow said. “What an accomplishment! But you know the best part of that accomplishmen...
