WILL IT PLAY IN PEORIA?

Bishop Daniel R. Jenky's sermon at St Mary's Roman Catholic Cathedral in Peoria, Illinois, preceding 'A Call to Catholic Men' march. 

For 2,000 years the enemies of Christ have certainly tried their best. But think about it. The Church survived and even flourished during centuries of terrible persecution, during the days of the Roman Empire.

The Church survived barbarian invasions. The Church survived wave after wave of Jihads. The Church survived the age of revolution. The Church survived Nazism and Communism. And in the power of the resurrection, the Church will survive the hatred of Hollywood, the malice of the media, and the mendacious wickedness of the abortion industry.

The Church will survive the entrenched corruption and sheer incompetence of our Illinois state government, and even the calculated disdain of the President of the United States, his appointed bureaucrats in HHS, and of the current majority of the federal Senate.

May God have mercy especially on the souls of those politicians who pretend to be Catholic in church, but in their public lives, rather like Judas Iscariot, betray Jesus Christ by how they vote and how they willingly cooperate with intrinsic evil.

As Christians we must love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us, but as Christians we must also stand up for what we believe and be ready to fight to defend our faith. The days in which we live now require heroic Catholicism, not casual Catholicism. We can no longer be Catholics by accident, but instead be Catholics by conviction.

In our own families, in our parishes, where we live and where we work – like that very first apostolic generation – we must be bold witnesses to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. We must be a fearless army of Catholic men, ready to give everything we have for the Lord, who gave everything for our salvation.

Remember that in past history other governments have tried to force Christians to huddle and hide only within the confines of their churches like those first disciples before the Resurrection locked together in the Upper Room.

In the late 19th century, Bismark waged his “Kulturkamf,” a culture war against the Roman Catholic Church, closing down every Catholic school and hospital, convent and monastery in Imperial Germany. Clemenceau, nicknamed “the priest eater,” tried the same thing in France in the first decade of the 20th Century.

Hitler and Stalin, at their better moments, would just barely tolerate some churches remaining open, but would not tolerate any competition with the state in education, social services, and health care.

In clear violation of our First Amendment rights, President Obama – with his radical, pro-abortion and extreme secularist agenda, now seems intent on following a similar path.

Now things have come to such a pass in our beloved country that this is a battle that we could lose, but before the awesome judgement seat of Almighty God this is not a war where any believing Catholic may remain neutral.

Note that the sermon is directed to men.

Note the battlefield rhetoric: fight to defend our faith, a fearless army of Catholic men, this is a battle that we could lose, this is not a war where any believing Catholic may remain neutral. 

Note the analogies to Hitler and Stalin.

Is this how Bishop Jenky loves his enemies?

The Catholic Post says that the men demonstrated their fearlessness by standing in the rain for a 30 minute program.  Clearly these men are ready for battle.

Thanks to Ann V for the link.

STEPPED IN IT

KASPERSKY HELP!

I renewed my Kaspersky Anti-Virus on my desktop last month, but the credit card charge did not go through, and they notified me a few days ago, one month later.  I've used the credit card successfully at other vendors several times with no problems, but yesterday I renewed the service once again with a different card.  I forgot to remove the old expired version of Kaspersky from my computer, so the download did not complete.  My fault.

I removed the old version and tried every way I knew to find the button to attempt the download again with no success.  I contacted customer service several times.  I received a response telling me they had my email and would be in touch, but I've heard nothing, nada, rien du tout since night before last.  So, I've paid for the virus protection, but it is not functioning.  Thank goodness I ordered the CD version, which should arrive in the mail shortly, because I don't know where I'd turn next. with such unresponsive and unhelpful customer service.

Hey, Kaspersky!  You can do better.  Next time I'll buy another anti-virus. 

ET TU, GONSAGA?

From Huff Post Religion:

SPOKANE, Wash. (RNS) Archbishop Desmond Tutu is slated to deliver the commencement address next month to Gonzaga University's graduating class. A group of alumni, however, are saying he isn't welcome and are urging administrators to withdraw the invitation.

Patrick Kirby, a 1993 Gonzaga graduate, said Tutu is pro-abortion rights, has made offensive statements toward Jews and supports contraception and the ordination of gay clergy and shouldn't be honored by a Catholic institution.

The admirable work of an entire, long life, which includes a Nobel Peace Prize, counts not at all with the alumni because Archbishop Tutu does not agree with every teaching of the Roman Catholic Church.  If there is a living saint walking amongst us today, it is Tutu.

As for his "offensive statements toward Jews", I've known the archbishop to speak with great respect of the Jewish faith and the Hebrew Testament in which his own Christian faith has its roots.  What he has cautioned against is the State of Israel's policies toward the Palestinians, which is an entirely different matter.  I know that many Jewish people and non-Jews are quick to cry anti-Semitism at the least criticism of  of the policies of the Israeli state.  A good many politicians in the US do not speak out, because they fear retribution at the ballot box.  Nor is this the first time that alumni of universities have objected to appearances by Archbishop Tutu, and here I am, in my naïveté, still clinging to the ideal that one purpose of universities is the exploration of a diversity of ideas.

Thanks to Ann V for the link.

UPDATE: Sign the petition in support of Archbishop Tutu.

SLEEPING PILLS FOR GRANDMA

An elderly woman went to her local doctor's office and asked to speak with
her doctor.  When the receptionist asked why she was there, she replied,
"I'd like to have some birth control pills."

Taken back, the doctor thought for a minute and then said, "Excuse me, Mrs.
Glenwood, but you're 80 years old.  What would you possibly need birth
control pills for?"

The woman replied, "They help me sleep better."

The doctor considered this for a second, and continued, "How in the world do
birth control pills help you sleep?"

The woman said, "I put them in my granddaughter's orange juice."



Cheers,

Paul (A.)

I hope no Roman Catholic bishops venture here and read the joke.  Anyway, it's not my fault; it's Paul (A.)'s fault.

WHY I DON'T RUSH OVER...

...when you send me a link to Andrew Sullivan.  I remember when:

Sullivan had a longish media career, but was also one of the early bloggers. And after 9/11, General Sullivan enlisted in the Fighting 101st Keyboard Kommandos, otherwise known as the "warbloggers," whose primary mission was to fight America's most important enemy, the enemy at home known as "Americans."

Andrew and all of you who believed the crap about WMD and yellowcake in Iraq, how could you?

And now Andrew is Atrios'  choice as 2nd Runner Up WANKER OF THE DECADE.  You know I don't usually use language quite that colorful, but I make an exception just to tell the story.  I await with bated breath Atrios' announcement of his choices for 1st Runner Up  and the No. 1 spot, the champ.  See?  I couldn't type the word again.

And I fear we may be sleepwalking our way into a war with Iran, which will be another disaster.  You folks should be reading Juan Cole at Informed Comment who keeps up with events in the Middle East.  He speaks and reads several of the languages and brings a perspective which is different from the media in the West.

SIGNS

Note: I don't care if Snopes says the signs are not 'real'. I think they're funny.

Anyway, don't blame me. Blame Doug.

THIS IS GETTING RIDICULOUS

From the New York Times:

The nation’s Roman Catholic bishops issued a proclamation on Thursday calling for every priest, parish and layperson to participate in a “great national campaign” to defend religious liberty, which they said is “under attack, both at home and abroad.” 

In particular they urged every diocese to hold a “Fortnight for Freedom” during the two weeks leading up to the Fourth of July, for parishioners to study, pray and take public action to fight what they see as the government’s attempts to curtail religious freedom. 

Wait!

For more than half a year, the bishops have put the religious liberty issue front and center, but it has not yet galvanized the Catholic laity and has even further polarized the church’s liberal and conservative flanks. In an election year, liberal Catholics have accused the bishops of making the church an arm of the Republican Party in the drive to defeat President Obama, an accusation the bishops reject. 

Could it be that the laity are not galvanized because they do not see their religious liberty at risk?  Could it be that a good many Roman Catholic women view the bishops' campaign as an assault on women's health care? 

Quoting from the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” the bishops say that unjust laws should be either changed or resisted.

Puhleeze!  The citation of Martin Luther King's letter from jail and the comparison to to the Civil Rights struggle for equality for African-Americans is a bridge too far.  Bishops, you make yourself look foolish.  You speak well to immigration and other issues, but who will listen when you destroy your own credibility with comparisons to MLK, as you campaign to deny women health care in the name of religious freedom?

And if you don't mind strong language, read Charles Pierce's post titled 'The Clan of the Red Beanie Stalks MLK, Sanity.'

'The Clan of the Red Beanie' is good, isn't it?  Charles is quite the wordsmith.

Image from Wikipedia.

IN ENGLAND THE PLOT THICKENS

Caroline Spelman, MP for Meriden

From the Guardian:

A Christian charity which sponsored a conference promoting the idea that gay people can be converted to heterosexuality has funded interns for an estimated 20 MPs, including some who are now ministers in the coalition government.

The Christian Action Research and Education charity (Care) has provided staff to the parliamentary offices of Caroline Spelman, Alistair Burt and Steve Webb. In 2009 it sponsored a London conference about homosexuality and Christianity which included sessions on "mentoring the sexually broken". The event in London was also organised by Anglican Mainstream, one of the conservative Christian charities that was blocked this week from showing adverts on London buses that supported the idea that with therapy, homosexual people can become "ex-gay".

The conference featured a keynote by Joseph Nicolosi, a Californian psychologist and founder of the National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality. The organisers said they were "very worried about the continued progress of the gay – and in fact the LGBT – agenda across the board in the UK. Social, cultural, political and religious sectors are being targeted and most of them are capitulating".

Well, well.  The "gay cure" folks under the name of a charity named Care (Oh, the irony!) have infiltrated Parliament by paying to support interns for MPs.  The members of Parliament who had or have interns paid by Care are unavailable for comment.  Surprise!  And the Care conference that included sessions on "mentoring the sexually broken" was organized by Anglican Mainstream.  A question: Where does Anglican Mainstream get its funds?

"It's a complete disgrace that any elected representative would have associations with an organisation that promotes a 'gay cure' in the 21st century," said Phillip Dawson, who launched a campaign when he discovered his local MP, David Burrowes had an intern sponsored by Care. "The Royal College of Psychiatrists has explicitly stated that discussions of a 'gay cure' fuel discrimination and prejudice. MPs should be fighting homophobia wherever it occurs but by associating themselves with Care they are actually helping to fuel it. We have to be clear that there is no place for groups that promote a 'gay cure' in the corridors of power."

 The "gay - and in fact the LGBT" agenda promoting fairness and equality for all is, indeed, worrisome to some, but why?

Thanks to themethatisme for the link to the story.

UPDATE:

Should MPs be accepting financial support from charities that sponsor "gay cure" conferences?

Phillip Dawson from Enfield thinks not -- so when he discovered a Christian charity that sponsored a conference discussing "Therapeutic approaches to same-sex attraction" and "Mentoring the sexually broken" had also since funded interns for 17 MPs, including his own, he was shocked.

Now Phillip has started a petition on Change.org calling for all MPs to sever ties with Care (Christian Action Research and Education). 

Thanks to MadPriest for calling the petition to my attention.  Signatures from outside England are accepted.

HUMOR BREAK - REFRIGERATOR DELUSION

A woman goes to a psychiatrist and says, "Doctor, you've got to do something about my husband:  He thinks he's a refrigerator!"

"I wouldn't worry too much about that," the doctor replies.  "Lots of people have harmless delusions.  It will pass."

"But you don't understand," the woman insists.  "He sleeps with his mouth open, and the little light keeps me awake."



Cheers,

Paul (A.)

I know.  Don't blame me.