Watch the video and then check Quintero's blog to see how he juxtaposes Cardinal Stafford's message with Cardinal Mahony's quite different message to our new Jéfe. I'd say there's quite a difference, indeed. What do you think?
November 20, 2008
Señor Quintero Asks a Rhetorical Question
“Are Cardinal Stafford and Cardinal Mahony in the same Church?” He is prompted to ask after hearing Cardinal Stafford's recent eyebrow-raising remarks (with which I totally concur) that our newly elected Líder Maximo is “aggressive, disruptive, and apocalyptic” in his implacable extremism in promoting abortion.
“Loyal, Lame, Defiant, and Demonic”
That's how Fr. Dwight Longenecker classifies the 5500+ e-mails that Fr. Jay Scott Newman, (pastor of St. Mary's Church in Greenville, SC) received in the wake of his courageous statement regarding those Catholics who supported pro-abortion politicians in the election and their need to repent and go to confession.
Fr. Longenecker, an assistant priest at St. Mary's, chronicles the aftermath of that statement, including the “loyal, lame, defiant, and demonic” comments that it drew.
On Married Couples Who Refuse to Have Children
I feel very sorry for men and women who refuse to be open life, which is a refusal to be open to God's will for their marriage. His will for them may well include the blessings of children. When these childless-by-choice Christians die and face Christ their Judge (just as we all one day will face Him), their matching Harley-Davidson bikes and gourmet kitchens won't pray for them or play any positive role in their judgment.
The following article is worth reading and forwarding to your friends, Catholic and Protestant. And for a good antidote to the contraceptive "childless by choice" insanity so rampant among many married couples, check out Dr. Janet Smith's "Contraception: Why Not?" presentation, available for cheap at One More Soul.
Touchstone Magazine ran an eye-opening piece about this issue awhile back:
Joe and Deb Schum aren’t worried about baby-proofing their house or buying a car seat. They don’t intend ever to have children. As a matter of fact, they are proud of their childlessness. According to a report in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, “The Schums are part of a growing number of couples across the country for whom kids don’t factor in the marriage equation.”
The nation’s birthrate fell in 2002 to a historic low of 66.9 births per 1,000 women age 15 to 44. That represents a decline of 43 percent since just 1960. “Many childless couples,” according to the report, “revel in their decision, despite badgering from baffled mothers and friends. Others struggle with the choice before keeping the house kid-free.”
An Epidemic
The Schums just don’t want kids to get in the way of their lifestyle. They enjoy cruising to the Georgia mountains on their matching Harley-Davidson motorcycles. They love their gourmet kitchen, outfitted with the very latest stainless steel appliances and fashionable countertops. Deb Schum explains, “If we had kids, we would need a table where the kids could do homework.”
This pattern of childlessness has caught the media’s attention. The left-wing Internet site Salon.com actually published a series of articles entitled, “To Breed or Not to Breed,” featuring couples and individuals who have decided that children are not a part of their chosen lifestyle.
One woman wrote that motherhood just doesn’t fit her self-image or her schedule. “I compete in triathlons; my husband practices martial arts; we both have fulfilling careers; we travel the world . . . we enjoy family and friends; we have a fun, intimate relationship.” Another woman asked: “What would the return be on the investment? Are there any laws that would require my children to pay for my nursing home when I am old? Are they going to be a sufficient hedge against poverty and loneliness?”
Some who have chosen to be childless have actually formed organizations in order to band together. The group “No Kidding” was formed in Atlanta four years ago as a social outlet for couples choosing to have no children. . . . (article)
This Is Exactly Why the Envoy Institute Was Established
Since some of you have children in college or you have high-schoolers who will soon be headed to college (or both), I thought it would be helpful to post a link to this article, which came out a couple of years ago but is still just as important as ever for parents to read and think carefully about.
It would be a true spiritual work of mercy for you to share this article with any Catholic parents you know who are or will be sending their own kids to college. I'd suggest e-mailing th link or printing out the article and sharing it.
The problems this report identifies are precisely why the Envoy Institute of Belmont Abbey, which I am privileged to oversee, was set up, under the auspices of a very good Catholic school: Belmont Abbey College. You can read more here and here about the Institute's mission to help high-school and college-age Catholics remain strong in their Faith and do their part to lead their peers out of the darkness of relativism and hedonism and into the light of Truth.
More Heat Than Light From the East
Here's a classic radio bit from an “Open Line” radio broadcast that Marcus Grodi and I co-hosted a few years ago, as he handed off the hosting duties to me.
The call from "Steve," an Orthodox fellow with harsh comments about the Catholic Church, provided some fireworks. This may be the first time you've ever heard Marcus get his dander up. The particular call starts at 20:00 minutes into the show.
By the way, for those of you who follow this bog (and I thank you for that), if this kind of thing is interesting and useful to you, please let me know in the comments section, and I'll post more — remember, just click the post title to show all comments.
You can't draw pure water from a poisoned well.
Father Philip Neri Powell, O.P., posted a brief but deft parable at Domine, da mihi hanc aquam. His fellow priests may find it quite useful as fodder for sermons. (Hint, hint, nudge, nudge.)
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