Lighting a Candle

For John, BLUF:  We should all be aware of the Miracle of Hanukkah, and fortunately, it falls during the general time of CHristmas.  This movie captures the spirit of the event. And it can be found in song.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Hanukkah on the Rocks

From IMDB.

Here is the story line:

One week before Hanukkah, corporate lawyer Tory finds herself unexpectedly unemployed and questioning the career she's dedicated years to.  As she helps her Bubby prepare for the holiday, she embarks on a quest across Chicago to find the last box of coveted Hanukkah candles.  Her search leads her to Rocky's, an Old Town bar, where she encounters Jay, a charming doctor from Florida, his grandfather Sam and a cast of quirky regulars who make her rethink everything.  Torn between keeping her job loss a secret and embracing a newfound sense of belonging, Tory ends up bartending at Rocky's, transforming it into the vibrant "Hanukkah on the Rocks" celebration.  Through festive food, drinks, and games, she revitalizes the bar, bonds with Jay, and finds the courage to pursue her true calling.  As Tory navigates the holiday, she learns that sometimes a detour can lead you exactly where you're meant to be, lighting the way to a future filled with joy, romance, and self-discovery.

I admit I was totally charmed by Actress Stacey Farber, playing the lead as recently terminated lawyer Tory.  The rest of the cast is pretty good also.

The movie is about hope and spiritual growth, as Tory and other cast members work through their early trials.  And their spiritual issues.  Thus, it is a true ovie in the spirit of Christmas.

Hanukkah is a holiday that Americans should honor.  The eight days of Hanukkah represent the period needed for ritual purification of the victorious returning Maccabee soldiers, so they could produce ritually pure oil for the Temple.  upon returning, they had found one cruse (cruit) of ritually pure oil available.  The miracle, aside from the victory of the Maccabees over the Greeks, was that the one day of oil lasted for seven more, so that properly ritual oil could be produced.

The Maccabees were fightong for religious, freedom to worship God as they thought right and proper.  This is a goal that all Americans should applaud and support.

Regards  —  Cliff

A Long Trip to Bethlehem

For John, BLUF:  Be skeptical of fancy new ideas.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Fourth Sunday of Advent

Here is the sub-headline:

Cycle C

Here is the First Reading (Micah 5:1-4a):

Thus says the LORD:
You, Bethlehem-Ephrathah
too small to be among the clans of Judah,
from you shall come forth for me
one who is to be ruler in Israel;
whose origin is from of old,
from ancient times.
Therefore the Lord will give them up, until the time
when she who is to give birth has borne,
and the rest of his kindred shall return
to the children of Israel.
He shall stand firm and shepherd his flock
by the strength of the LORD,
in the majestic name of the LORD, his God;
and they shall remain, for now his greatness
shall reach to the ends of the earth;v he shall be peace.

Just in time for Christmas, The Daily Mail has an article "Scientists reveal exactly where Jesus was born - and say it probably Wasn't in Bethlehem".♠ 

On the otherr hand, Bethlehem-Ephrathah fits with scripture, not just the book of Micah, but also the Gospel of Matthew (Chapter 2:1-6).

Wise Men from the East Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, [a]wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, 2 saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.”

3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.

5 So they said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet:

6 ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
Are not the least among the rulers of Judah;
For out of you shall come a Ruler
Who will shepherd My people Israel.’ ”

The Wise Men out of the East knew to come to Jerusalem, in Israel, where they inquired about the one they sought.  The priests and scribes went ot Micah and guided the Wise Men to Bethlehem, in the land of Judah.  That makes sense to me.

Regards  —  Cliff

♠  I question the use of the term "Scientist" to describe the people doing this speculation.  Is this science or is it something else?  I was not convinced by the article.

Life Advice from John the Baptist

Treat People fairly.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Third Sunday of Advent—2024

Here is the sub-headline:

Cycle C

Here is the Gospel (Luke 3:10-18):

The crowds asked John the Baptist,
“What should we do?”
He said to them in reply,
“Whoever has two cloaks
should share with the person who has none.
And whoever has food should do likewise.”
Even tax collectors came to be baptized and they said to him, “Teacher, what should we do?”
He answered them,
“Stop collecting more than what is prescribed.”
Soldiers also asked him,
“And what is it that we should do?”
He told them,
“Do not practice extortion,
do not falsely accuse anyone,
and be satisfied with your wages.”

Now the people were filled with expectation,
and all were asking in their hearts
whether John might be the Christ.
John answered them all, saying,
“I am baptizing you with water,
but one mightier than I is coming.
I am not worthy to loosen the thongs of his sandals.
He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
His winnowing fan is in his hand to clear his threshing floor
and to gather the wheat into his barn,
but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”
Exhorting them in many other ways,
he preached good news to the people.

Johm the Baptist's advice to the average Joe or Jolette is fairly straigt forward.  It is what one would expect.  Share and help your Brothers and Sisters.

What is perhaps a little surprising is his advice to government employees.  It isn't quit your job.  It is do your job properly and don't abuse your office to ripe off others.  Good advice from both a secular and a religious point of view.

Regards  —  Cliff

Be Ready

For John, BLUF:  A good start to Advent.  We get a look beyond Christmas, to the Second Coming.

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First Sunday of Advent

Here is the Gospel for this First Sunday in Advent (Luke 21:25-28, 34-36):

Jesus said to his disciples:
“There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars,
and on earth nations will be in dismay,
perplexed by the roaring of the sea and the waves.
People will die of fright
in anticipation of what is coming upon the world,
for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
And then they will see the Son of Man
coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
But when these signs begin to happen,
stand erect and raise your heads
because your redemption is at hand.

“Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy
from carousing and drunkenness
and the anxieties of daily life,
and that day catch you by surprise like a trap.
For that day will assault everyone
who lives on the face of the earth.
Be vigilant at all times
and pray that you have the strength
to escape the tribulations that are imminent
and to stand before the Son of Man.”

HThere is an end, accompanied by a new beginning.  We are advised to be aware and prepared.

Regards  —  Cliff

Returning Home

For John, BLUF:  God will return His People to their land.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time

From , by .

Here is the Reading, Jeremiah 31:7-9:

Thus says the LORD:
Shout with joy for Jacob,
    exult at the head of the nations;
    proclaim your praise and say:
The LORD has delivered his people,
    the remnant of Israel.
Behold, I will bring them back
    from the land of the north;
I will gather them from the ends of the world,
    with the blind and the lame in their midst,
the mothers and those with child;
    they shall return as an immense throng.
They departed in tears,
    but I will console them and guide them;
I will lead them to brooks of water,
    on a level road, so that none shall stumble.
For I am a father to Israel,
    Ephraim is my first-born.

Ephraim?  Who is Ephraim?  He is, per the Book of Genesis, the second son of Joseph ben Jacob and Asenath, as well as the adopted son of his biological grandfather Jacob, making him the progenitor of the Tribe of Ephraim.

The point of the reading is that God will console the exiles of Israel, and will return them to their ancesteral lands.  Thus, the Jews returning to the Holy Land and forming the nation of Israel.  I, for one, would not wish to get in God's way in this matter.

But, as Father Mark Jette, down in Conneticutt, pointed out in an EMail, the Gospel (Mark 10:46-52) has a powerful lesson.  Blind Bartimaeus, upon hearing that Jesus of Nazareth was approaching, cried out "Jesus, son of David, have pity on me".  This is basically the Jesus Prayer.  It is short (3 Seconds) and yet powerful.  Invoking this short prayer is an effective way to orient the moment on God.

Regards  —  Cliff

Compare and Contrast

For John, BLUF:  Not all Parishes are the same, but it is the smae Mass and same Communion; the sme Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Saint John the Evangelist Catholic Church

Last weekend I Celebrated Mass in a different location:

THERE—As I walked in there was holy water for me to bless myself.
HERE—Not so much

THERE—Processioning down in front of the Celebrant was an Altar Server with the Cross and seventeen other Altar Servers.
HERE—Not so much

THERE—Two Readers, one for each of the first two readings.
HERE—One person for both plus the Psalm.

THERE—There were nealers for those receiving Communion who wished to use them.
HERE—What, kneeling to receive?

THERE—Three Priests distributed Communion.
HERE—Praise God for our Lay Euchristic Ministers.

THERE—Just after Mass started the Deacon had to duck into the back to get a replacement microphone set.
HERE—Mics seem iffy.

Regards  —  Cliff

Faith Without Works is Dead

For John, BLUF:  Our Love of God should result in action.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Here is the Second Reading (Epistle of Saint James, 2:14-18):

What good is it, my brothers and sisters,
if someone says he has faith but does not have works?
Can that faith save him?
If a brother or sister has nothing to wear
and has no food for the day,
and one of you says to them,
"Go in peace, keep warm, and eat well, "
but you do not give them the necessities of the body,
what good is it?
So also faith of itself,
if it does not have works, is dead.

Indeed someone might say,
"You have faith and I have works."
Demonstrate your faith to me without works,
and I will demonstrate my faith to you from my works.

From a Sermons by Saint Peter Chrysologus, we have the concept that "Prayer knocks, fasting obtains, mercy receives".  In my mind mercy and works merge and are actions that represent our faith in action.

Regards  —  Cliff

Discretion

For John, BLUF:  In this week's Gospel reading Jesus show compasion in Ministering to a person with handicaps.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Gospel, 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Here is the Gospel Reading from Saint Mark 7:31-37:

Again Jesus left the district of Tyre
and went by way of Sidon to the Sea of Galilee,
into the district of the Decapolis.
And people brought to him a deaf man who had a speech impediment
and begged him to lay his hand on him.
He took him off by himself away from the crowd.
He put his finger into the man’s ears
and, spitting, touched his tongue;
then he looked up to heaven and groaned, and said to him,
“Ephphatha!”— that is, “Be opened!” —
And immediately the man’s ears were opened,
his speech impediment was removed,
and he spoke plainly.
He ordered them not to tell anyone.
But the more he ordered them not to,
the more they proclaimed it.
They were exceedingly astonished and they said,
“He has done all things well.
He makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.”

In the Second Reading Saint James tells us (2:1-5) to not make distinctions, but to treat all the same, rich or poor.

In the Gospel Jesus shows us that we can make exceptions.  The man suffering from deafness and a speech impediment is taken off, away from the crowd, where Jesus csn minister to him in private.  I see this as a courtsey to the man.  This is guidance to all of us, in that when we minister we should not do it in a showy way.  Rather, when possible, do it in a private way, to provide some dignity to the person.

Regards  —  Cliff

Our Big Act of Faith

For John, BLUF:  Some weekends the Scripture Readings at Mass are OK, and somoe weeks they hit it out of the park.  This was a hit it out of the park weekend.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time

Here is the Gospel Reading (John 6:60-69):

Many of Jesus' disciples who were listening said
"This saying is hard; who can accept it?"
Since Jesus knew that his disciples were murmuring about this,
he said to them, "Does this shock you?
What if you were to see the Son of Man ascending
to where he was before?
It is the spirit that gives life,
while the flesh is of no avail.
The words I have spoken to you are Spirit and life.
But there are some of you who do not believe."
Jesus knew from the beginning the ones who would not believe
and the one who would betray him.
And he said,
"For this reason I have told you that no one can come to me
unless it is granted him by my Father."

As a result of this,
many of his disciples returned to their former way of life
and no longer accompanied him.
Jesus then said to the Twelve, "Do you also want to leave?"
Simon Peter answered him, "Master, to whom shall we go?
You have the words of eternal life.
We have come to believe
and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God."

This is my favorite Bible passage.  In the reading the previous week Jesus lays out that His Body and Blood are food and drink for the believer.  Many disciples found this to be hard to accept.  They turned away from Jesus.  Then Jesus turns to the Apostles and asks them where they stand.  Saint Peter answers for the Twelve, and as if thinking, "I don't have a clue" he says

"Master, to whom shall we go?  You have the words of eternal life.  We have come to believe and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God."

In my mind Saiant Peter is saying:

Boss I don't have a clue, but if you say so.

Saint Peter is speaking out of faith.  The same faith we show when we go forward to receive Communion.

But, it wasn't the only good reading.  There is the first reading, from the Book of Joshua.  Those of us of a certain age might remember the spiritual, Joshua Fought the Battle of Jerico.♠  In this reading the Prophet Joshua makes clear that he stands with God.

"As for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.”

And, the Second Readding, from Saiant Paul's Letter to the Ephesians (Eph 5:21-32 or 5:2a, 25-32) is good advice for Christians.  The reason there are two versions is becsuse this scripture calls for wives to be "be subordinate to their husbands as to the Lord".  Some are offended by this wording.  Apparently, folks are not as offended by "Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ loved the church and handed himself over for her to sanctify her," which calls for husbands to be willing to die for their wives.

Regards  —  Cliff

♠  Joshua is the person in the Bible with no parents:  "Joshua, son of Nun, servant of the LORD" (Joshua 29:1).

If Not Now, When

For John, BLUF:  The current conflict between Israel and Hamas may well represent God acting to gather the Jewish People from where they have been scattered for the last 1900 years.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe

First Reading

From Ez 34:11-12, 15-1.

Here is the Reading:

Thus says the Lord GOD:
I myself will look after and tend my sheep.
As a shepherd tends his flock
when he finds himself among his scattered sheep,
so will I tend my sheep.
I will rescue them from every place where they were scattered
when it was cloudy and dark.
I myself will pasture my sheep;
I myself will give them rest, says the Lord GOD.
The lost I will seek out,
the strayed I will bring back,
the injured I will bind up,
the sick I will heal,
but the sleek and the strong I will destroy,
shepherding them rightly.

As for you, my sheep, says the Lord GOD,
I will judge between one sheep and another,
between rams and goats.

If Scripture is to be believed, and it is, God will gather the People of Israel, who have been scattered.  Do we wish to get in the way of God?  Do we wish to stand athwart the path of history, yelling "STOP"?  I would think not.

As a result of the Jewish-Roman Wars the Jewish population in Judaea was greatly reduced and many Jews were killed, sold into slavery or driven away.  The Roman Government renamed the area Syria Palaestina.

Would it not be possible that God is correcting this injustice toward His People?

Regards  —  Cliff

Our Neighbors

For John, BLUF:  Our life as a child of God involves our love for our fellow humans.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time

From The Gospel of Matthew, 22:34-40.

Here is the Gospel Reading:

When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees,
they gathered together, and one of them,
a scholar of the law tested him by asking,
"Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?"
He said to him,
"You shall love the Lord, your God,
with all your heart,
with all your soul,
and with all your mind.
This is the greatest and the first commandment.
The second is like it:
You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments."

Jesus is being tested by the Pharisees.  His response raises some interesting questionss.

I once heard someone note that if we look at this from bottom to top we can see the importance of our own sense of self-worth.  If our love of neighbor is to be strong, then our love of self needs to be strong—"You shall love your neighbor as yourself."  My sense of the New Testiment is that we show our love of God by our efforts to love our neighbors, even the cranky ones, and the ones from the other political party.

Regards  —  Cliff

Is Thanksgiving Bad?

For John, BLUF:  A number of people see traditional Thanksgiving as bad, calling for people to view it as a "National Day of Mourning, given the fate of Native Americans.  The Author is an Americaan Expat in France.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Is Thanksgiving a "Myth" or a "Problematic Holiday"?  What Nobody Tells You About Indians and Other Native Americans

From No-Pasaran, by the Unnamed Author, 25 November 2022.

Here is the lede plus three:

Every time I hear about the tragedy (the tragedies) suffered by the Indians of North America (whether at Thanksgiving or at any other time), I bring up some variant of the following questions: Do the calamities also include the theft of the lands of the Apaches? Does the genocide, real or alleged, of the Native Americans also concern the extermination of the Huron tribe (Huronia)?

This type of question usually boondoggles the leftist, whose eyes grow like saucers and who waffles trying to reply, since in his eagerness to sum up American and world history by meting out simplified explanations in one-sentence platitudes (that conveniently, and invariably, happen to be damning towards Americans, i.e., white Americans), he has neither had nor taken the time to think any details through as he attempts to display his alleged expertise as a modern-day genius. The most intelligent leftists will be — rightly — suspecting that the questions are in some way or another some form of trap…

The problem, of course, is that the lands of the Apaches were stolen by the Comanches.

While the Hurons were wiped out by the Iroquois.

The Author paints a rather grim picture of some of the tribes across the continent.  He doesn't get into human sacrifice, which was practiced in the lower parts of North America.  On the other hand, he passes over the helpfulness of the local eastern Massachusetts Native Americans.  We commemorate that cooperstion when we celebrate Thanksgiving.  For sure, the Native American population can not be taken as a uniform collection of tribes,  Rather, they are a large number of groups, with unique cultures, from the Wampanoag to the Mississippian Culture to the Iroquois to the Comanches.

I think the appreciation of Thanksgiving is in the fact that a group of people faced bad odds, and beat them, and took the time to thank God for seeing them through their trials.  I think we should apprecite that at the first Thanksgiving the European Immigrants welcomed and thanked the Native Americans who helped them survive.  If we load the feast down with too much analysis we are impoosing our current understanding on people who might never have contemplated such complications.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Days of Awe

For John, BLUF:  At Sundown today begins "'Yomim Noraim' (Days of Awe), a ten-day period that is book-ended by the High Holidays of Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur."  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Rosh HaShanah Is The Anti-Socialism Jewish Holiday

From The Lid, by Mr Jeff Dunetz, 5 Sep 2021.

Here is the lede plus three:

With the setting of the sun on Monday, Jews across the world will begin the observance of the “Yomim Noraim “(Days of Awe), a ten-day period that is book-ended by the High Holidays of Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur.  This year, the High Holidays come at a key time for America as the leftist-dominated Democratic Party continues to push America away from personal responsibility and toward reliance on government and, even worse, socialism.

The High Holiday period is all about personal responsibility.  All the prayers and readings are just tools to help us look inward, formulate a personal accounting of our deeds over the past year, good and bad–all to understand what we have learned and still need to need to learn and correct.

Even the steps needed for an individual to atoning for sins go against progressive/socialist values.

Jews are taught that our Maker is not like a big massive government that will fix everything for us.  For earthly-type mistakes, we must first approach the people we harmed to request forgiveness and, if necessary, make restitution to them.  Then we must discover what led us to behave that way and correct the flaw catalyzing such behavior.  Only after those steps can we approach God for absolution.  It’s not that God cannot fix everything, but his direct involvement would destroy the delicate balance set up during creation.  In other words, the universe works best with limited government.

There is a lot of wisdom here.  As a Christian I look back on the Old Testament as a long introduction to the New, worthy of close study.  Just as I find this article of value.

As the Writer say, "May you have a happy, healthy, and sweet new year".

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Know Yourself

For John, BLUF:  This is all about the Comment in the linked Blog from Paddy O, about Theologian Jurgen Moltmann.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Activated women hitting new peaks of ineffectuality.

From Althouse, by Professor Ann Althouse, 23 April 2021.

Here is the lede plus four:

Here's what he had to say on ineffective activism in his book on the Holy Spirit:

If we compare the two ways of knowing, it is easy to see that modern men and women need at least a balance between the vita activa and the vita contemplative, the active and the contemplative life, if they are not to atrophy spiritually.  The pragmatic way of grasping things has very obvious limits, and beyond these limits the destruction of life begins.  This does not apply only to our dealings with other people.  It is true of our dealings with the natural environment too.

But the meditative way of understanding seems to be even more important when it is applied to our dealings with our own selves.  People take flight into relationships, into social action and into political praxis, because they cannot endure what they themselves are.

They have ‘fallen out’ with themselves.  So they cannot stand being alone.  To be alone is torture.  Silence is unendurable.  Solitude is felt to be ‘social death’.  Every disappointment becomes a torment which has to be avoided at all costs.

But the people who throw themselves into practical life because they cannot come to terms with themselves simply become a burden for other people.  Social praxis and political involvement are not a remedy for the weakness of our own personalities.

As you can see, one has to know oneself in order to do good.

The excerpt ends:

Only the person who has found his own self can give himself.  What else can he give?  It is only the person who knows that he is accepted who can accept others without dominating them.  The person who has become free in himself can liberate others and share their suffering.

Hat tip to Ann Althouse.

Regards  —  Cliff

The Fruits of the Spirit

For John, BLUF:  We are convincing ourselves that our fellow Citizens on the other side are terrible people, thus justifying our bad attitude toward them.  This is a wrong attitude.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Respectful in Dissent

From The Hal Lindsey Report, by Evangelist Hal Lindsey, 23 April 2021.

Here is the lede plus five:

Covid is not the only infection poisoning our world.  We also have an infection of rage.  It is the fashionable emotion of the moment.  We see it in all political parties, cultures, and generations.  It spreads from individual to individual and from group to group.  It is an important sign of the last days.  Sadly, it has infected many followers of Jesus.  But it doesn’t have to.

2 Timothy 3:2-7 gives a list of particulars about humanity’s mindset during the last days.  You could summarize it by saying that people of this time will have really bad attitudes.  Descriptive words include, “headstrong,” “proud,” “brutal,” and “haughty.”

Those words describe some of the ways people now express their displeasure with what they believe to be injustice.  But Christians should always manifest the fruit of the Spirit — “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (Galatians 5:2223) — even in times of distress or abuse.

Don’t be infected by the rage of our times.  Stand against injustice and ungodliness.  But do so in just and godly ways.

Romans 13:1 says, “Let every person be in subjection to the governing authorities.  For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God.”  That does not mean we should obey every law.  God’s law should always trump human law.  But even in those severe cases when situations call for civil disobedience, we must do so respectfully.

That doesn’t mean every government is good.  When the Holy Spirit inspired Paul to write Romans 13:1, Nero ruled most of the world.  He stands out as one of the worst scoundrels in history.  Nero was also in power when Peter wrote, “Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority, or to governors as sent by him…” (1 Peter 2:13-14)

I think Preacher and Author Hal Lindsey (eg, The Late Great Planet Earth (1970)) is making a good point.  The words I especially like are "do so respectfully."  We are dealing with our Brother and Sister Americans.  We may see them as wrong, but we should not disrespect them.  President Trump, who himself felt disrespected, could be disrespectful.  Representative Maxine Waters recent stunt in Minneapolis was an act of disrespect.

We need to do better.  If you think someone is wrong, say so, but don't call their parentage or race or other chharacteristic into question.  Those are not of the person's choice.

Hat tip to my friend Maureen.

Regards  —  Cliff

Happy Easter

For John, BLUF:  As your Mother told you.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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He Is Risen

Here is the verse (Matthew 28:7):

And going quickly, tell ye his disciples that he is risen: and behold he will go before you into Galilee; there you shall see him. Lo, I have foretold it to you.

And that is the Good News for today.

Regards  —  Cliff

Good Friday

For John, BLUF:  This is no April Fools joke.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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CARDINAL SEÁN -- 2021 EASTER MESSAGE

From The Pilot, by Cardinal Seán P. O'Malley, OFM Cap., Archbishop of Boston, 1 April 2021.

Here is the final paragraph:

Any assessment of how we have responded to the pandemic will need to address two realities.  There have been countless acts of charity and compassion offered quietly and effectively each day to those in need.  And, by contrast, there have been intensified expressions of racism in our public life; historic patterns aimed at Asian Americans, African Americans, and immigrants.  Children and youth perceived as different are often the object of bullying that can push young people into depression, risky behaviors or suicide.  There will not be lasting healing and recovery unless we are committed as a society to expand the circle of compassion and charity manifested by many and resist, by word and deed, by law and policy, the forces in our society which refuse to acknowledge the dignity of every person.  Easter offers hope:  it also calls us to be signs of hope, not hatred, on the road to recovery.  This Easter is time to make clear choices to renew our common life.

A time to make clear choices.

Regards  —  Cliff

Repent!

For John, BLUF:  God is a reality.  Everything to see here; don't just move along.

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ASH WEDNESDAY

Let's face it.  We all have sinned, and fallen short of the Glory of God.

Regards  —  Cliff

Donut Tuesday

For John, BLUF:  Fastnacht, Shrove Tuesday, Fat Tuesday.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Lent is Coming

Then Easter!

What are you giving up for Lent?  Or, aren't you?

Regards  —  Cliff

Finding the Happy Medium

For John, BLUF:  We should avoid going to extremes as we navigate this life toward Salvation.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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WHY WE NEED A DISTRIBUTION OF POWER

From The Pilot, by Bishop Robert Barron, 6 January 2021.

Here is the lede plus two:

A crucially important feature of Catholic social teaching, but one frequently underemphasized or misunderstood, is a clear animus against the concentration of power within a society.  This perilous agglomeration can happen economically, politically, or culturally.  By a basic and healthy instinct, Catholic social teaching wants power, as much as possible, distributed widely throughout the community, so that one small segment does not tyrannize the majority or prevent large numbers of people from enjoying the benefits that are theirs by right.

We can see this phenomenon perhaps most clearly in the economic order.  If one organization manages to monopolize its segment of the economy, it can set prices arbitrarily, hire and fire according to its whim, preclude any competition that might provide better products and/or higher wages for employees, etc.  One thinks here of the "trust-busting" work of Theodore Roosevelt in the early 20th century and the similar concern today for breaking up Google, Facebook, Amazon, and other high-tech conglomerates that exercise an almost unchallenged dominance in their field.  A cornerstone of Catholic social teaching is what is traditionally called "distributive justice" -- which is to say, the equitable allocation of goods within a society.  Now this can take place through direct government intervention, for example through anti-trust legislation, minimum wage requirements, programs to aid the poor, taxation, etc., but it can also happen, more indirectly, through the natural rhythms of the market.  In "Centesimus Annus," John Paul II observes that profit-making itself can and should signal to prospective entrepreneurs that there is money to be made in that segment of the economy and that they should, accordingly, get involved.  The bottom line is this: spreading out wealth within a society tends to make an economy both more just and more efficient.

We can furthermore see this dynamic in the political realm.  If one party comes to dominate a nation, a state, a city, or a community, corruption almost inevitably follows.  Unchallenged, the ruling conglomerate can impose its will, compel the acceptance of its vision, and eliminate prospective opponents and critics.  It is quite obvious that this sort of arrangement obtains in banana republics, communist dictatorships, and oppressive theocracies, but it is also apparent, to a lesser degree, in local and state governments in our own country.   If you doubt me, ask yourself why pro-life candidates in Illinois, Massachusetts, or California could never hope to be elected to office.  When a political monopoly couples itself with economic power, the corruption becomes only deeper and more intractable.  Once again, according to Catholic social teaching, the desideratum is the breaking up and spreading out of power throughout the society.  This could happen in a number of ways:  equipping a variety of parties, providing for a greater turnover within legislatures, lifting up various expressions of local government, allowing for mediating institutions, strengthening the system of checks and balances, etc.

Then there is the cultural arena.

It is easy to let some political stance become an idol, to take the place of God Himself.  We should avoid that, taking the moderate way.

Regards  —  Cliff