December 28, 2008
A Tweet For All Catholics
The 5 Stages of Twitter
Honestly, I haven't been a member of this dang, crazy, wonderful thing called Twitter for more than a month, but I think I am now somewhere between stages 4 and 5, and I definitely recognize all the preceding stages.
F-O-L-L-O-W-M-E.
December 23, 2008
Catholic Radio Comes On Strong in Columbus, Ohio
As a member of the board of directors, I'm delighted and grateful to God to be able to bring you the following announcement:
| St. Gabriel Catholic Radio Now Reaches all of Central Ohio! Tune into 1580 AM starting right now! And listen online at http://www.stgabrielradio.com |
| St. Gabriel Catholic Radio is now also on 1580 AM. Merry Christmas! What a blessing to be able to provide a clear signal that will now reach all of Central Ohio. Rejoice! Of course this exciting news would not be possible without you, our faithful supporters, generous benefactors and volunteers. Thank you. By sharing your gifts, we are now able to provide good, solid Catholic programming to nearly 2 million people. Although this is joyful news, now is not the time to just hope that people will listen. We need you to help us get the word out to our family and friends.
By doing our part, we can help more souls on their journey to know, love, and serve God. Peace in Christ, The St. Gabriel Team P.S. Like all AM stations, the daylight signal is much stronger than the night-time signal. During daylight hours the new signal reaches Newark, Lancaster, Mount Vernon, Marion, Marysville, and Circleville and, after dusk, the signal reaches those inside the I-270 outer belt. |
December 22, 2008
Time Is Running Out
No, this isn't an apocalyptic post. I admit that I find myself growing more concerned about all the upheaval in the world these days, not to mention the upheavals that may well be on the way, but I'm not alluding to any of that.
I just want to say how strangely accelerated time seems to have become lately, racing by faster and faster. The days and weeks flash by in a way that I find disconcerting. I know we each have an allotted number of days and we have to put them to the best use, out of love for God. And it would be natural to feel some concern over whether one is living out those allotted days according to God's will. But this is different.
Time just seems to be going . . . faster. I can't explain it. I wonder if any of you feel it, too.
"How Much Do You Have to Hate Someone to Not Proselytize?"
This is an amazing little video commentary from comedian Penn Jillette (from the act Penn & Teller), a profane, outspoken atheist who has been vicious at times in his public attacks on religion. Even so, this video clip is worth watching. He speaks candidly about a post-show encounter he had recently with a Christian audience member who gave him a Bible. He asks rhetorically a very important question that makes perfect logical sense, coming from an atheist. I just wish more Christians were in a position to answer it.
It may well be that, down the road, according to God's merciful providence, Penn Jillette will come to believe in God. You never know.
December 16, 2008
Of all the radio shows in all the towns in all the world, she tunes into mine
I got hammered today (no, Father Bud, not that kind of hammered) in a letter I received from a Catholic couple who are really upset with me for something I said — or, as it turns out, something I didn't say — on my EWTN Open Line radio broadcast (Thursdays at 3:00 p.m. ET) this past Thanksgiving Day, November 27. They accuse me of being arrogant, judgmental, inappropriate, and a blunderer in my comments about President-Elect Obama that day.
On my radio show, during the final months before the election, I got plenty of angry and confrontational calls from “pro-Obama” Catholics who were displeased that I continued to remind my listeners that I believe voting for a pro-abortion candidate, regardless of his or her party, is to make oneself complicit in the crime of abortion. If you go back to the archives and listen to previous shows, you'll hear what I mean. I'm not saying that the folks who wrote me this letter are pro-Obama, but they were definitely lit up by what they thought they heard me say about him.
Here is their letter, which I reproduce for you verbatim, complete with the original punctuation, capitalization, and emphases — not to embarrass them, but for complete authenticity. After you've read it, please click the link and listen to what I actually said on the show.
I love everything about our faith. This statement is the first thing I have heard that, as a Catholic, I am offended at being drawn into association with . . . a network making a sweeping condemnation like that, as if we know what was in another person's heart. It was arrogant and inappropriate. We are all aware of our church's stand on the evil of abortion. We can count on these doctrines to be the heart of Jesus. It is one thing to say we are sinners as the church does, but you targeted an individual as an “evil.” Correcting your statement to “an evil” is too judgmental. We can say abortion is evil without looking stupid. We urge you to discern the difference we are talking about here. We don't get to judge others. You could have said the Democratic stand on abortion is unconscionable. We, too find it regrettable that the Democratic party has embroiled itself in its stance on abortion and the foolishness of “so-called” gay rights. Where does the sweeping condemnation of a statement like this stop? Barak Obama is evil, the Congress is evil, American Democracy is evil, and by associate, America is evil too. Unfortunately, anyone listening to this might conclude the church condones this opinion, that the Catholic Church is saying America is evil because Barak Obama was elected. What you say, SHOULD be official church doctrine. Isn't that your real job? Unfortunately, because that is what your job is, what you say comes off like it is the official stances of the Catholic Church. Watch yourself carefully. You are not an official voice of the Catholic faith. You might be an authority on Canon Law or church doctrine, but you certainly are not an expert on what lies in another man's heart. If you think you are, God help us all. Why [did we] write this letter? Because you will be on EWTN again and again. We listen to EWTN all the time. We will hear you again. It has taken me a lifetime to find my beloved Catholic Church, to overcome the protestant bigotry I have heard all my life. A blunder like this supports all that old bigotry and, in fact, literally pushes people away from becoming interested in the Catholic Church. We want to thank you for considering what this letter is intended to say. It is hard to take criticism. We want you to think about what you have said. Think faster. Talk slower and think about the repercussions of broad statements like this. With kind regards, N. & N. We were astonished at your program on Thanksgiving Day. I wanted to turn it off, but I HAD to find out who was talking. I never have written a letter like this . . . EVER. But my precious church and EWTN are too important not to comment. You used the legitimacy you have gained from being on EWTN to “air” your personal opinion making it sound like an official church position. Your statement, “We have elected evil” sounds like Barack Obama is evil. You tried to correct yourself by saying, “We have elected an evil.” Believe me, that didn't fly. Making a statement like this on EWTN puts us all in the same group as though we Catholics go around condemning people like we know what is in another's heart.
Me again. While I do appreciate their taking time to contact me by letter with their concerns, these folks simply misheard and, therefore, completely misunderstood, what I actually said.
Here are my exact words from that show (which you can listen to in its entirety here http://ewtn.edgeboss.net/download/ewtn/audiolibrary/ol_11272008.mp3, starting about 30% into it, with the second caller). Please note my comments in bold:
“Now, God permits this [kind of thing], and we're no different than any other generation. Let's not forget that every generation of human beings has had to go through its share of travails. And so, whether it's bad governors and bad government, whether it's war or famine or disease or natural disasters — there are all kinds of things that go on, and many of those, they bring forth situations in which people have to make moral decisions. They have to choose good or evil. And I'm sorry to say that over half the people in the United States, on November the 4th, chose a great evil, and I don't mean the person Barack Obama when I refer to that ‘evil,’ I'm referring to the great evil that he stands for and represents and supports — the evil of abortion. And it's saddening, it's astonishing, that that so many people could be so wrong on such a basic issue, but yet, there it is. “So, yes, God does permit this, and I think also, there must be taken into account the element of punishment, of chastisement; that God will allow human freedom to run its course. And so our sins and the repercussions of those sins are going to have consequences. And the devastating consequences of the sin of abortion are going to be felt far and wide in this country, as they have been for the last 30 some odd years since it [abortion] was legalized. So, the element of God’s chastisement through letting us get what we deserve, even those of us who didn’t vote for this man, nonetheless as a society, this society will suffer as a whole by having bad leaders with immoral positions, and evil positions — evil stands that they take — on those kinds of issues. So I think that has to be taken into account as well. . . .” [Referring to bygone laws, such as legalized slavery] “. . . Those were unjust laws, they were morally reprehensible, and yet, they were legal for a time in this country. And my hope is that the morally reprehensible ‘legality’ of killing unborn children will go the way of the dodo bird. I hope it goes the way of the Jim Crow laws when, eventually, enough people come to their senses and say, ‘We cannot have this. We cannot live in a country that can tolerate these kinds of atrocities.’
A Catholic Case Against “Gay Marriage”
Dr. Mark Lowery is a Catholic moral theologian at the University of Dallas. In this article, which originally appeared in Envoy Magazine. I hope you find it helpful in your own efforts to understand and explain this issue.
By Mark Lowery, Ph.D.
MAN'S SEXUAL ENERGIES are of extraordinary power and complexity. Is this energy something we can use however we wish, or is there some objective standard to which this energy should be conformed?
The Western tradition, like many other traditions, has consistently held that there is such an objective standard, and it is the reality called "marriage." Today, however, many think that marriage can be whatever they want it to be. Instead of seeing marriage as an objective reality to which we align ourselves, it is seen as something that must conform to our notions and desires. Let's call this perspective on marriage "secular marriage."
Here's an example of the "secular marriage" mindset. Jessie Bernard, in The Future of Marriage, describes marriage as follows:
“Both of us commit ourselves to: 1) continue to grow, each in his or her unique way; 2) retain future choices about our relationship, recognizing that the risks of growth include the risks of growing apart; 3) give room for the process of growing; 4) provide a climate that stimulates and invites growing; 5) take risks; 6) respect differences of belief or viewpoint. . . .”
According to this scheme, marriage is what one wishes it to be. All the criteria Bernard lists are subjective, and there is no hint that, by marrying, the spouses are entering into a permanent reality. It's exactly this type of subjective misunderstanding of marriage that sets the stage for recent political and legislative efforts to legitimize homosexual relationships under the guise of marriage.
How can we effectively respond to those who promote the notion of "secular marriage," and how can we demonstrate that marriage is an objective reality? One method is to rely on the evidence we see in God's divine revelation. As important as such a method is, however, because of the separation of church and state we cannot base civil laws on any particular religion's understanding of God's revelation.
There are many people these days who deny that there are any objective truths at all, whether knowable by reason or revelation, so using religious explanations alone isn't always sufficient to make your case.
The purpose of this article is to lay out a five-step argument about the nature of marriage, with the specific aim of showing why homosexuality (and homosexual "marriage") is incompatible with that objective reality. . . (continue reading this article at www.envoymagazine.com; all rights reserved. If you wish to post a link to this article, please include a live link to Envoy's site).
Help a Friend and Get Some Nifty Flair for Your Trouble
If you'd like some cool “flair” to add to your own blog or website, please glance left and click on the “help me spread the word” banner. It will load the page where you can grab the code for any of the banners there. Post one of these snazzy banners on your site, and it will link back to mine. I''d be very grateful. Thanks.
Great Catholic Apologetics Videos — Cheap!
Download these full-length MPEG videos by your humble bloghost, Patrick Madrid
Patrick Madrid Talks to Teens
How To Do Apologetics Right
Why Be Catholic?
One Month Ago, I Hadn't Even Heard of Twitter
While I can't guarantee that I fully comprehend all the whys and wherefores that lurk behind blogging and twittering and suchlike (although Father Bud has been very generous in giving me a series of painstaking tutorials on these matters — the pain was all his, not mine), I am slowly beginning to comprehend the amazing reach and capability these apps have for the average person, like moi.
For one thing, I've started using Twitter now, as a way to begin building a network of friends and non-hostile interested bystanders for whom I can provide updates on my activities in the Catholic world, speaking engagements, etc. If you'd like to join that cadre — and I would be delighted if you did — my Twitter name is “patrickmadrid.” You can sign up via this blog to “follow” me by scrolling down on the left side to where it says “Twitter.”
Another thing I'm working on, with Father Bud's help, of course, is to make this blog and my main home page — www.patrickmadrid.com — more interesting and beneficial to all of you kind folk who take time to visit. As I get better at this stuff, I hope you begin seeing some nice improvements. Though, if you don't like them, it will be Father Bud's fault.
December 15, 2008
Dale Fushek Has an Out-of-Body Experience
The “It's All About Me!” way this man has been carrying on after his dismissal from priestly ministry is strange, deplorable, and embarrassing. What follows is the latest ignominious milestone in his bizarre jaunt out of the Church.
STATEMENT OF THE DIOCESE OF
Re: The excommunication of Dale Fushek and Mark Dippre
December 15, 2008
The Most Rev. Thomas J. Olmsted, Bishop of Phoenix, has issued a Decree of Excommunication to Reverend Monsignor Dale Fushek and Reverend Mark Dippre.
Fushek and Dippre have incurred the censure of excommunication because they have chosen to be in schism with the Catholic Church by establishing and leading an opposing ecclesial community known to the public as the Praise and
As excommunicated priests, Fushek and Dippre cannot participate in the celebration of the sacrifice of the Holy Eucharist or in any other ceremonies of worship. They are also prohibited from celebrating or receiving any of the sacraments. In addition, they forfeit the benefits of dignity, office, or any function that they had previously acquired in the Catholic Church.
(Diocese of Phoenix)
(Diocese of Phoenix)
Why Studying St. Thomas Is Still as Important as Ever
While I'm at it, here's a recent lecture given by another Dominican luminary, Fr. Romanus Cessario, O.P., on “the perennial relevance of St. Thomas Aquinas to aspiring theologians in the service of the Church.”
Dominican Wisdom on How to Teach Young People the Faith
We are parishioners at St. Patrick's, a wonderful Dominican-run parish in Columbus, Ohio. St. Patrick's has a wide and well-deserved reputation for orthodoxy. Confessions are heard by two priests for a few hours each day. The confession lines are long, Masses are typically packed, and large families are practically the norm there. I can think of at least five families we know personally who are parishioners at St. Patrick's, who have 10 or more children. Families with 5, 6, 7, and 8 children are inumerable.
Anyway, that's all background for saying that St. Patrick's and the Dominican friars who staff it are part of the Dominican Province of St. Joseph, which has its headquarters in Washington, DC (just across from the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception). This province is known for producing orthodox and erudite men for the priesthood. Many of them have passed through the hallowed walls of St. Patrick's Parish, over the years.
One of the intellectual powerhouses of the St. Joseph Province is Father Augustine De Noia, O.P., undersecretary for the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. He has written a very insightful piece on “Clearing Away the Barriers: Preaching to Young People Today.” I've put in bold a particularly important passage. Enjoy!
An effective preacher needs to understand how this background shapes young people’s understanding of the Catholic faith. The influence of the beliefs and attitudes of non-Catholic friends on young Catholics also have to be taken into account. Research conducted by an evangelical think tank (the Barna Group) suggests that a significant percentage of Christian young people share the negative perceptions of Christianity held by their non-Christian fellows.
We have to respect and be willing to engage the intellectual challenges and questions young people pose in their struggle to understand their Catholic faith. “Young adults enjoy challenging the rules. They are extremely-you might say innately-skeptical. Today’s young people are the target of more advertising, media, and marketing than any generation before. And their mindset is both incredibly savvy and unusually jaded” (Kinnaman 2007, 21-22). They are “the ultimate conversation generations. They want to discuss, debate and question everything” (Kinnaman 2007, 33).
In our conversations with young people, we have to avoid the temptation to fudge-to adapt the Catholic faith so as to make it palatable to modern tastes and expectations. This so-called “accommodationist” approach generally fails, and it fails doubly with young people. There is a risk in this approach that the Christian message becomes indistinguishable from everything else on offer in the market stalls of secularised religious faith: “In the powerful yet soft secularising totalitarianism of distinctively modern culture, our greatest enemy is…the Church’s ‘own internal secularisation’ which, when it occurs, does so through the ‘…largely unconscious’ adoption of the ‘ideas and practices’ of seemingly ‘benign adversaries’” (Nichols 2008, 141).
Clearing away the barriers-whatever the audience we have in view-demands a robust sort of apologetics. No one in his or her right mind will be interested in a faith about which its exponents seem too embarrassed to communicate forthrightly. We have to be convinced that the fullness of the truth and beauty of the message about Jesus Christ is powerfully attractive when it is communicated without apologies or compromise.
Our reasoning has to be based on solid theological principles and to operate within a vision of the Catholic faith in its integrity and interconnectedness. “Apologetics is a theological art that must rest on the firm foundation of theological science. If our defense does not flow from deep preparation, deep Christian formation, it will be unconvincing at best, but merely offensive at worst” (Hahn 2007, 12). Sometimes the response “it’s a mystery” is just a cover for theological ignorance on the part of people who should know better. Especially with young people who have questions, it is a mistake to cry “mystery” when an explanation is available and needed. (continue reading)
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