What can BROWN Do For You? Here's what:

Some of the coeducational denizens of Brown University have sunk a little deeper into the mire of ridiculousness and irrelevance. Observe the university's Undergraduate Council of Students' new manifesto condemning the institution's recognition of Columbus Day. And here is a snippet from a news report about it:

"Hundreds of Brown students had asked the Providence, R.I. school to stop observing Columbus Day, saying Christopher Columbus's violent treatment of Native Americans he encountered was inconsistent with Brown's values. . . ." (continue reading)

When you get over your headache from reading that, you may want to avail yourself of some anti-venom for this latest round of anti-Columbus silliness, which can be obtained here, here, and here.

Article: Why the Human Mind is a Terrarium for So Many Lies

Consider the following statements:

1. Neil Armstrong never landed on the moon but was bouncing around in a TV studio on July 20, 1969, with Walter Cronkite in a nearby booth to report on the alleged event.
2. The baby baptized as William Shakespeare on April 26, 1564 in Stratford-on-Avon grew up illiterate and thus never wrote any of the works attributed to him.
3. The Twin Towers of the World Trade Center were brought down on September 11, 2001, not because two planes, gorged with jet fuel, flew into them but because the federal government had planted explosives in them at strategic locations.
4. Jesus Christ never existed.
5. The Holocaust never happened.

Strange to relate, each of these sentences has found advocates somewhere in contemporary society. Now of course there are varying degrees of moral turpitude involved in subscribing, however sincerely or disingenuously, to these sentences. Despite that moral variety, however, they all have at least this in common, besides their flagrant falsity: It is impossible to convince those who propound these statements of their falsity, partly (but only partly) because the events being denied lack analogies to the everyday world of predictable events.

These denials, in other words, are not solely due to malevolence, although in many cases ill will must be present in the person who voices such views. My concern here is more with the epistemology (loosely defined) that lurks behind the inability to refute such statements. In other words, I want to ask: Why, besides obvious mendacity, does contrary evidence never count with people who claim they sincerely believe these assertions?

The reason I wish to describe these five sentences (needless to say, I could generate a larger list) as “epistemic pathologies” can best be seen from an incident in the life of Albert Einstein. After the Nazi takeover of the German government in 1933, over two hundred German scientists signed a public letter condemning relativity as “Jewish physics,” which for that reason had no place in the science curriculum of the Third Reich. To which Einstein dryly retorted: If these advocates of “German physics” were right, one signature would have sufficed.

True enough, and brilliantly riposted. But what an ironic comfort his retort must be to contemporary Holocaust-deniers! What does it matter, they will retort in turn, if far more than two hundred historians say the Holocaust happened? One would suffice if it had really happened. So here I stand contra mundum, brave Holocaust-denier that I am, forthrightly facing the world of false consensus! (continue reading)

Cardinal George Speaks to the Press About the Notre Dame Scandal

It's Time to Come Clean. It's Time for "Soul Wow"

Here's a very, very clever outreach by the Catholic Dioceses of Brooklyn and Rockville Center to all those sinners who need to go to confession. (That includes you and me, by the way).

Listen to the man and git er done. This week. Before Easter. Don't forget.

Visit Soul Wow!

Vatican Review of the Legionaries of Christ an "Act of Love"

Below is my translation from the original Spanish of yesterday's article in the Mexican press reporting on recent developments in the Fr. Maciel scandal and its implications for the Legionaries of Christ:

The Mexican Bishops' Conference (CEM) endorsed the apostolic visit that will

be a mission of the Vatican to the Congregation of the Legionaries of Christ
in Mexico to clarify, among other matters, accusations of sexual abuse
against its founder, Fr. Marcial Maciel, who also had a daughter.

Leopoldo Gonzalez, secretary general of [the Conference] expressed his
approval of the announcement, assuring that the review is being treated as
an "act of love."

In a press conference announcing the activities of the "Consecration of
Mexico to the Holy Spirit," he referred to the apostolic visitation and
confirmed that these visits are being undertaken to review the work of the
congregations [e.g., the Legionaries of Christ], not only "when the ship is
sinking."

On another theme, he defended the fact that Carlos Aguiar, president of the
[Bishops' Conference] was driven in a luxury automobile on the eve of his
elevation as Archbishop of Tlalnepantla, comparing it with the entrance of
Jesus into Jerusalem [saying], If they offer you a donkey, you have to get on
it."

NOEMÍ GUTIÉRREZ NOEMI@ELUNIVERSAL.COM.MX
EL UNIVERSAL
JUEVES 02 DE ABRIL DE 2009

http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/nacion/166808.html

Click for more on the Legionaries of Christ situation.

An Elderly Priest Get's His Dying Wish

An old Catholic priest lay dying in the hospital. For years he had faithfully served the people of the nation's capital, Washington, D.C.

He motioned for his nurse to come near.

"Yes, Father?" said the nurse.

"I would really like to see Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi before I die," whispered the priest.

"I'll see what I can do, Father," replied the nurse.

The nurse sent the request to them and waited for a response. Soon the word arrived. Harry and Nancy would be delighted to visit the priest. As they went to the hospital, Harry commented to Nancy "I don't know why the old priest wants to see us, but it will certainly help our images." Nancy couldn't help but agree.

When they arrived at the dying man's room, the priest took Nancy 's hand in his right hand and Harry's hand in his left. There was silence and a look of serenity settled across the old priest's face.

Finally Nancy spoke. "Father, of all the people you could have chosen, why did you choose us to be with you as you near the end?"

The old priest slowly replied. "I have always tried to pattern my life after our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." His voice trailed off . . .

After a brief pause, he continued . . . "The Lord died between two lying thieves, and I would like to do the same."

2012 may bring the “perfect storm” – solar flares, systems collapse

Mainstream scientific concern about 2012 has grown since a recent National Research Council reportfunded by NASA and issued by the National Academy of Sciences, entitled “Severe Space Weather Events: Understanding Economic and Societal Impact” which details the potential devastation of 2012 solar storms on the current planetary energy grid and because of the inter-linkages of a cybernetic society, on our entire human civilization.

Is There More Trouble Ahead for the Legionaries of Christ?

According to this Mexican news source, yes. "We have testimonies that there have been other Legionaries who followed Maciel's example," said Jose Barba, the legal representative of eight former Legionaries who started court proceedings against Maciel in 1998. "The ramifications of the problem exist throughout the Legionaries of Christ," he added.

Only time will tell if there is any truth to this new accusation. And believe me, I sincerely hope and pray that there isn't. But time will tell. In any case, this scandal is not merely a wound to the Legion of Christ and the Regnum Christi Movement — I am inclned to think that it will eventually prove to be a mortal wound, though I have spoken to some LC priests and RC laypeople who strongly disagree — it is a severe wound to the Body of Christ, the Catholic Church as a whole. And as members of the Catholic Church, we should all be praying that this "gangrene," as José Barba calls it, is eradicated, however far it may (or may not) have spread across this group. There simply cannot be a "business as usual" approach to this mess.

Ever since the Fr. Maciel fraud scandal became widely known a few months ago, I've kept an eye on the Spanish-language press in Spain and Mexico to see how this story developed. It is definitely getting more on-going investigative coverage there than here in the U.S. If anything substantive on this new development turns up, I'll bring it to your attention.

"Mexican Catholic sex abuse probe could uncover more victims"

By Miguel Angel Gutierrez

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) — Pope Benedict's probe into an influential Roman Catholic priestly order could uncover more cases of sexual abuse similar to those committed by its founder, a victims' group in Mexico said on Wednesday.

Pope Benedict ordered the investigation into the Legion of Christ last month following a string of scandals tied to its founder, Father Marcial Maciel, a Mexican, who died last year at the age of 87.

"We have testimonies that there have been other Legionaries who followed Maciel's example," said Jose Barba, the legal representative of eight former Legionaries who started court proceedings against Maciel in 1998. "The ramifications of the problem exist throughout the Legionaries of Christ," he added.

Barba, who says he was abused by Maciel when he was in the order as a teenager training to be a priest, said he expected the investigation would take months.

"What they have to investigate is to what extent the evil, the gangrene was spread through the Legionaries of Christ and didn't end just because Father Maciel died," Barba said. (continue reading)

Click for more on the Legionaries of Christ situation (scroll down for earlier posts).

Food: the New Sex?

Mindful Eating, Mindless Sex

By Charles Colson

Imagine inviting some new neighbors to a dinner party. The first couple tells you they’d love to come. But, they warn, they think it’s immoral to eat animals, so please—vegetarian options only.

The second couple also wants to come, but—they’re almost embarrassed to mention it—they only eat locally grown food. No strawberries from Chili, or shrimp from Asia. Importing food from faraway countries damages the environment, they explain.

Couple number three also wants to attend—but, they ask, you aren’t serving genetically enhanced vegetables, are you, or meat produced by industrialized breeding practices?

At this point, you might be tempted to cancel the party and go out for a cheeseburger, followed up by a banana split—made with bananas from Ecuador. But you might wonder, as you bite into that greasy hunk of beef, just why it is that people have become so moralistic about food. Especially when so many are immoral in other areas—like their sex lives.

One person who has wondered about this is Mary Eberstadt, a research fellow at the Hoover Institution. In her article “Is Food the New Sex?,” Eberstadt notes that food is cheap and plentiful in the West. The same can be said for sex. Technology has tamed many of the dangers associated with sex, like pregnancy and disease. Moreover, social and religious strictures have all but disappeared.

Which leads to an interesting question: What would happen, Eberstadt wondered, when, “for the first time in history . . . [people] are more or less free to have all the sex and food they want?” Would they pursue both food and sex with equal ardor?

Oddly enough, they don’t. Instead, many engage in a sexual free-for-all—but put stringent moral strictures on anything to do with food. A modern young woman might think nothing of living with several different men, and having abortions when she gets pregnant. But she would not dream of eating anything from a factory farm. That would be immoral. . . (continue reading)

And the Hillary-Clinton-Meets-OLG Caption Contest Winner Is . . .

Wait. Before I tell you who won, let me first offer my hearty thanks to all of you fine people who proposed a caption for the picture of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton being shown an image of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico last week. Over 130 entries were registered, which was awesome.

Secretary Clinton's encounter with this image ocurred not long before she accepted an award from Planned Parenthood for her "contributions to the advancement of women's health care through [her] work promoting prevention and family planning" [which is code for contraception and abortion, dontchyaknow]. Watch the video of that infernal spectacle here, if you can stomach it.

This is the picture I asked you to caption (not the one above). The winner and the runners up are those who, in my subjective judgment, best and most cleverly captured the ironic weirdness of the scene: a woman who has made a lucrative career for herself as an implacable foe of the Pro-life movement (and, more fundamentally, a foe of all the unborn children who have been, are being, and will be slaughtered through abortion, as the result of her efforts to support it) being shown the image of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the mother of Life Himself.

There's no need for me to editorialize further on this bizarre juxtaposition of Truth and error, light and darkness, goodness and evil, which is represented by these two very different, diametrically opposed women.

The winner of this caption contest will receive a personally inscribed copy of my book 150 Bible Verses Every Catholic Should Know.

Contest Winner:

Nick — "Behold: The ORIGINAL 'Mexico City Policy'"

Congratulations, Nick!

First Runners Up (3-way tie):

Micaela — "That sinking, nauseous, empty feeling in your abdomen, Hillary? Well, it isn't from the burritos . . ."

Dee — The culture of death meets the Mother of Life.

BillyHW — "Now a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. Then being with child, she cried out in labor and in pain to give birth. And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great, fiery red dragon...well, I don't want to ruin the ending for you."

Second Runners Up (3-way tie)

Catholic Audio — "And this is the Protectrix of the Unborn. Wait...where are you going?"

Ileana — "You see Madam Secretary, THIS is the real First Lady."

Costa Adamopoulos — The former First Lady meets the eternal "First Lady."

Third Runners Up (2-way tie):

Andre — And in this corner, Our Lady of Guadaluuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuupe! Lllllet's get ready to rumbllllllllllllllllle!!!! (My money's on the lady in blue...)

Beren Camlost — One of these things is not like the other!

Honorable Mentions:

rjohnson4672 — "If..I...don't...look...at...it,...it...can.t..hurt...me."

Eric Harnisch — Perhaps the closest these two will ever get.

Pundette — HC: "Who painted it?" Answer: No one you know, Hillary.

Jean M. Heimann — "Here we have Our Lady of Guadalupe -- protectress of the unborn -- someone you will never have to compete with for an award from Planned Parenthood."

Our Family — "You see Mrs. Clinton, She will be the one that will defeat the abortions in your country"

The Mighty Favog — "How quaint, these Mexicans. Remember, keep smiling. Smile . . . smile . . . smile. Surely, these Catholics can't believe in such superstitious hogwash. Am I still smiling? Keep smiling, I'm a diplomat now. I fake it when I'm in public with Bill, I can fake it now. They really BELIEVE this crap? Smile . . . smile. What if there IS something to this stuff? Smile . . . smile. Please let there be nothing to this stuff. Is the smile holding up? S'alright? S'alright."

Yes, Virginia, We Are Living in Exponential Times

Some interesting stuff here:

A Priest Comments on "Slumdog Millionaire"

I watched this movie on my interminably long flight to Tokyo a couple of weeks ago and was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. Given all the media hype surrounding its recent release, I had assumed it would be just another glitzy waste of time (or worse). But, as I discovered, that was a misapprehension. "Slumdog Millionare" actually has a powerful, positive message. To add some perspective, here's a bit of insightful commentary on the movie by Father Robert Barron (courtesy of our friends at Creative Minority Report).

And if you've seen the movie, I'd be interested in your reactions to it, positive, negative, or indifferent.

You Want Holy Catholic Priests? Then Do Your Part and Pray for Them

Fr. Jason Vidrine, a priest of the Diocese of Lafayette, Louisianna, has composed the following beautiful prayer for priests, invoking the special intercession of St. John Vianney. My suggestion is that you print this out and post it in your workspace or kitchen or some other place where you'll see it each day, and pray it fervently for the sake of our beloved priests.

— Patrick

DEAR SAINT JOHN VIANNEY,
your childhood dream was to be a Priest,
to win souls for God.
You endured years of toil and humiliation
to attain the Priesthood.
You became a priest truly after God's own heart,
outstanding in humulity and poverty;
prayer and mortification.
Totally devoted to the service of God's people.
The Church has exalted you as model
and patron saint of all Parish priests,
trusting that your example and prayers
will help them to live up
to the high dignity of their vocation
to be faithful servants of God's people,
to be perfect imitators of Christ the Saviour
Who came not to be served but to serve,
to give His Life in ransom for many.

Pray that God may give to His Church today
many more priests after His own Heart.
Pray for all the priests under your patronage,
that they may be worthy representatives
of Christ the Good Shepherd.
May they wholeheartedly devote themselves
to prayer and penance;
be examples of humility and poverty;
shining modelss of holiness;
tireless and powerful preachers of the Word of God;
zealous dispensers of God's Grace in the Sacraments.
May their loving devotion to Jesus in the Eucharist
and to Mary His Mother
be the Twin Fountains of fruitfulness for their ministry.

Amen.

— Fr. Jason Vidrine

Pope John Paul II on the Coming Battle for Truth

We are, today, [standing] before the greatest combat that mankind has ever seen. I do not believe that the Christian community has completely understood it.

We are, today, [standing] before the final struggle between the Church and the anti-Church, between the gospel and the anti-gospel.

— Cardinal Karol Wojtila, November 9, 1976

Archbishop Sheen on the Coming Battle for Truth

The world is rapidly being divided into two camps, the comradeship of anti-Christ and the brotherhood of Christ. The lines between these two are being drawn.

How long the battle will be, we know not.

Whether swords will have to be unsheathed, we know not.

Whether blood will have to be shed, we know not.

Whether it be an armed conflict, we know not.

But in a conflict between truth and darkness, truth cannot lose.

— Archbishop Fulton Sheen