Today I stayed home from church because I have a cold of the constant sneezing, runny nose and eyes variety. Best to stay home and not spread the germs around. Besides, I look a fright. That's the bad news.
The good news is that I haven't had a such a cold since last year when I was in England, and I spent the afternoon sneezing and wiping my nose and eyes with Doorman-Priest and his family. I didn't want to spread my germs at their house either, and I begged and pleaded with DP, on my knees even, for him to drive me back to my hotel, but he and his lovely wife would not hear of it. Anyway, to have gone a whole year without a cold is a good thing, yes?
In lieu of attending church, I prayed The Daily Office at the website of Mission St. Clare. The words from the Office which resonated with me are below.
PSALM 118:
The LORD is my strength and my song,
and he has become my salvation.
From SUFFRAGES B:
Save your people, Lord, and bless your inheritance;
Govern and uphold them, now and always.
Day by day we bless you;
We praise your name for ever.
Lord, keep us from all sin today;
Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy.
Lord, show us your love and mercy;
For we put our trust in you.
In you, Lord, is our hope;
And we shall never hope in vain.
GENERAL THANKSGIVING:
Almighty God, Father of all mercies, we your unworthy servants give you humble thanks for all your goodness and loving-kindness to us and to all whom you have made. We bless you for our creation, preservation, and all the blessings of this life; but above all for your immeasurable love in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ; for the means of grace, and for the hope of glory. And, we pray, give us such an awareness of your mercies, that with truly thankful hearts we may show forth your praise, not only with our lips, but in our lives, by giving up our selves to your service, and by walking before you in holiness and righteousness all our days; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory throughout all ages. Amen.
And let us pray that the US House of Representives votes "Yes" on health care reform today.
Sunday, March 21, 2010
STORY OF THE DAY
Opening a door to the mysteries, hoping
to shed a little dark on all the stuff we
think we know
I love this story!
From StoryPeople.
to shed a little dark on all the stuff we
think we know
I love this story!
From StoryPeople.
"GRACIOUS RESTRAINT" AGAIN?
See Adrian's post titled "Archbishop Not With Us". Pluralist quotes the Archbishop of Canterbury's own words - against himself?
Saturday, March 20, 2010
THE REV. JOHN S. SMYLIE ELECTED 9TH BISHOP OF WYOMING
From the Episcopal Diocese of Wyoming:
The Rev. John S. Smylie has been elected the 9th Bishop of Wyoming. He and his wife, Jill, have accepted the call from the people of this diocese.
Results from 5th ballot:
33 clergy, 53 laity to elect
CASEY-MARTUS - C:2 L:3
SHERMAN - C:24 L:37
SMYLIE - C:37 L:63
JOHN SMYLIE OF ST. MARK'S-CASPER HAS BEEN ELECTED.
H/T to Nicholas Knisely at The Lead.
The Rev. John S. Smylie has been elected the 9th Bishop of Wyoming. He and his wife, Jill, have accepted the call from the people of this diocese.
Results from 5th ballot:
33 clergy, 53 laity to elect
CASEY-MARTUS - C:2 L:3
SHERMAN - C:24 L:37
SMYLIE - C:37 L:63
JOHN SMYLIE OF ST. MARK'S-CASPER HAS BEEN ELECTED.
H/T to Nicholas Knisely at The Lead.
HANS KUNG ON CLERICAL CELIBACY - 2
Read Hans Kung's piece in the National Catholic Reporter titled "Ratzinger's Responsibility".
I know that some of you disagree with me about a connection between celibacy and child abuse amongst priests in the Roman Catholic Church. Mind, I am, by no means, suggesting that celibacy is the sole cause of child abuse by clergy. We know of the connection between having been abused as a child and turning to child abuse as an adult.
In the days of my youth, all sexual outlets were forbidden by the Roman Catholic Church except sex between a man and a woman after a church wedding without the use of any form of birth control. Tell teenage boys and girls with raging hormones, that masturbation is a mortal sin for which they will burn in hell for all eternity. Tell the young teens that having sex with a person to whom you're not married is a mortal sin for which you will burn in hell. An equivalency forms in the minds of a good many of the young people that the two actions are on a par. How can you, in good conscience, urge the teens to wait to have sex, if you forbid them the one sexual outlet that brings harm to no one? If you're going to burn for masturbating, why not just go ahead and have sex at the age of 13, 14, or 15?
Tell seminarians and priests that they may never have a deliberate sinless sexual outlet in their whole lives if they want to be priests. Do you see how screwed up this kind of thinking is? Do you see how such screwed up thinking could lead to abnormal acting out?
In his piece in the NCR, Fr Kung asks and responds to 4 questions:
Please follow the link to the article in the National Catholic Reporter, because I have not quoted the complete texts of Fr Kung's questions, nor have I included his responses in my post.
Even if you disagree with the premise that there is an association between celibacy and child abuse by RCC clergy, Fr Kung's article is worth a read.
And yes. Feel free to call me obsessed.
I know that some of you disagree with me about a connection between celibacy and child abuse amongst priests in the Roman Catholic Church. Mind, I am, by no means, suggesting that celibacy is the sole cause of child abuse by clergy. We know of the connection between having been abused as a child and turning to child abuse as an adult.
In the days of my youth, all sexual outlets were forbidden by the Roman Catholic Church except sex between a man and a woman after a church wedding without the use of any form of birth control. Tell teenage boys and girls with raging hormones, that masturbation is a mortal sin for which they will burn in hell for all eternity. Tell the young teens that having sex with a person to whom you're not married is a mortal sin for which you will burn in hell. An equivalency forms in the minds of a good many of the young people that the two actions are on a par. How can you, in good conscience, urge the teens to wait to have sex, if you forbid them the one sexual outlet that brings harm to no one? If you're going to burn for masturbating, why not just go ahead and have sex at the age of 13, 14, or 15?
Tell seminarians and priests that they may never have a deliberate sinless sexual outlet in their whole lives if they want to be priests. Do you see how screwed up this kind of thinking is? Do you see how such screwed up thinking could lead to abnormal acting out?
In his piece in the NCR, Fr Kung asks and responds to 4 questions:
1st Question: Why does the pope continue to assert that what he calls "holy" celibacy is a "precious gift", thus ignoring the biblical teaching that explicitly permits and even encourages marriage for all office holders in the Church?
....
2nd Question: Is it true, as Archbishop Zollitsch insists, that "all the experts" agree that abuse of minors by clergymen and the celibacy rule have nothing to do with each other? How can he claim to know the opinions of "all the experts"?
....
3rd Question: Instead of merely asking pardon of the victims of abuse, should not the bishops at last admit their own share of blame?
4th Question: Is it not time for Pope Benedict XVI himself to acknowledge his share of responsibility, instead of whining about a campaign against his person? No other person in the Church has had to deal with so many cases of abuse crossing his desk.
Please follow the link to the article in the National Catholic Reporter, because I have not quoted the complete texts of Fr Kung's questions, nor have I included his responses in my post.
Even if you disagree with the premise that there is an association between celibacy and child abuse by RCC clergy, Fr Kung's article is worth a read.
And yes. Feel free to call me obsessed.
HOW TO LICK A BOWL
I love this.
"If you have never loved a dog, part of your soul remains unawakened."
From Doug.
"If you have never loved a dog, part of your soul remains unawakened."
From Doug.
STORY OF THE DAY
Just finished walking in the landfill so
he's avoiding even thinking about where
his feet have been.
From StoryPeople
Perfect.
he's avoiding even thinking about where
his feet have been.
From StoryPeople
Perfect.
ET TU, RATZI?
Yahoo News:
Yes. And who was a bishop in Germany when child abuse by clergy was taking place there? And who was a cardinal serving at the Vatican advising bishops on how to handle the charges of child abuse? Et tu, Ratzi?
Then from the New York Times:
But wait!
See. The pope ordered a special apostolic delegation.
Ratzi said, "I didn't do it!" and sure enough, an underling took the blame.
Here's the link to the text of Pope Benedict's pastoral letter to the Irish church.
The pope cites a changing world and creeping secularism as partial explanations for the child abuse and cover-up. Yes, the world turns, and secularism creeps, but please, Your Holiness, give us a break from lame excuses and put the major blame where it belongs - on the institutional structure led by the powers in the Vatican.
Pope Benedict XVI rebuked Irish bishops Saturday for "grave errors of judgment" in handling clerical sex abuse cases and ordered an investigation into the Irish church. But he laid no blame for the problem on the Vatican's policies of keeping such cases secret.
In a letter to the Irish faithful read across Europe amid a growing, multination abuse scandal, the pope apologized to victims but doled out no specific punishments to bishops blamed by Irish government-ordered investigations for having covered up abuse of thousands of Irish children from the 1930s to the 1990s.
Ireland's main group of clerical-abuse victims, One in Four, said it was deeply disappointed by the letter because it failed to place responsibility with the Vatican for what it called a "deliberate policy of the Catholic Church at the highest levels to protect sex offenders, thereby endangering children."
"If the church cannot acknowledge this fundamental truth, it is still in denial," the group said.
Yes. And who was a bishop in Germany when child abuse by clergy was taking place there? And who was a cardinal serving at the Vatican advising bishops on how to handle the charges of child abuse? Et tu, Ratzi?
The letter directly addressed only Ireland, but the Vatican said it could be read as applying to other countries. Hundreds of new allegations of abuse have recently come to light across Europe, including in the pope's native Germany, where he served as archbishop in a diocese where several victims have recently come forward. One priest suspected of molesting boys while the future pope was in charge was transferred to a job where he abused more children.
While a cardinal at the Vatican, Joseph Ratzinger penned a 2001 letter instructing bishops around the world to report all cases of abuse to his office and keep the church investigations secret under threat of excommunication. While the Vatican insists that secrecy rule only applied to the church's investigation and didn't preclude reporting abuse to police, Irish bishops have said the letter was widely understood to mean they shouldn't report the cases to civil authorities.
Then from the New York Times:
Faced with a church sexual abuse scandal spreading across Europe, Pope Benedict XVI on Saturday apologized directly to victims and their families in Ireland, expressing “shame and remorse” for what he called “sinful and criminal” acts committed by clergy.
But the pope did not require that church leaders be disciplined for past mistakes as some victims were hoping; nor did he clarify what critics see as contradictory Vatican rules they fear allow abuse to continue unpunished.
But wait!
The strong letter was written in language at once passionate, personal and sweeping. And the pope did take the relatively rare step of ordering a special apostolic delegation to be sent to unspecified dioceses in Ireland to investigate.
See. The pope ordered a special apostolic delegation.
The most recent revelation came last week when a psychiatrist who treated a priest decades ago in an archdiocese run by the future pope in Germany said he repeatedly warned that the accused priest should never work with children again. The priest was reassigned to pastoral work, but another church leader had taken responsibility for that decision.
Ratzi said, "I didn't do it!" and sure enough, an underling took the blame.
Here's the link to the text of Pope Benedict's pastoral letter to the Irish church.
The pope cites a changing world and creeping secularism as partial explanations for the child abuse and cover-up. Yes, the world turns, and secularism creeps, but please, Your Holiness, give us a break from lame excuses and put the major blame where it belongs - on the institutional structure led by the powers in the Vatican.
Friday, March 19, 2010
Just as I was feeling glum comes Erika to the rescue.
GROVE JOKES AND QUOTES
How do crazy people go through the forest?
They take the psycho path.
How do you get holy water?
Boil the hell out of it.
What did the fish say when it hit a concrete wall?
"Dam!"
What do Eskimos get from sitting on the ice too long?
Polaroids.
What do you call a boomerang that doesn't work?
A stick.
What do you call four bullfighters in quicksand?
Quatro sinko.
What do you get from a pampered cow?
Spoiled milk.
What do you get when you cross a snowman with a vampire?
Frostbite.
What lies at the bottom of the ocean and twitches?
A nervous wreck.
What's the difference between roast beef and pea soup?
Anyone can roast beef.
Where do you find a dog with no legs?
Right where you left him.
Thanks Erika. I needed a laugh.
GROVE JOKES AND QUOTES
How do crazy people go through the forest?
They take the psycho path.
How do you get holy water?
Boil the hell out of it.
What did the fish say when it hit a concrete wall?
"Dam!"
What do Eskimos get from sitting on the ice too long?
Polaroids.
What do you call a boomerang that doesn't work?
A stick.
What do you call four bullfighters in quicksand?
Quatro sinko.
What do you get from a pampered cow?
Spoiled milk.
What do you get when you cross a snowman with a vampire?
Frostbite.
What lies at the bottom of the ocean and twitches?
A nervous wreck.
What's the difference between roast beef and pea soup?
Anyone can roast beef.
Where do you find a dog with no legs?
Right where you left him.
Thanks Erika. I needed a laugh.
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