Safe Haven

This is an amazing blog. I'm continuing the tradition of linking to people who are smarter and cooler than me. You'll need a dictionary, and a shot of something strong. The Register could use a writer like her. Just a thought.

I can remember back in 2008, when Barack Obama first ran for president, and his ties to Jeremiah Wright became known. I listened to several sermons of Dr. Wright, and one by Fr. Michael Pfleger, (who should not have been there, as a Catholic priest) and I more deeply understood just by listening, what drives black separatism. And I definitely wouldn't say that any of that ideology is beyond criticism. Yet I wanted to understand first, and our political culture does not encourage us to understand. It functions on outrage, both real, and manufactured. Empathy and reflexive outrage are opposites. I know for certain that I don't want any part of an ideology that considers empathy a weakness. One day, Louis Farrakhan will face judgment, as we all will, and he'll have to answer for the murder of Malcolm X. I can also remember the day I heard him speak (on C-SPAN) at the Million Man March. I was about 15. To say that he is rhetorically gifted is an understatement. To deny that...

Remind me of the gospel, and bring me a Coke. [What if the Coke was the cause of your agony?--ed.] Well, then, bottom's up! All together now, Catholics and other Christians: "Suicide is never a morally acceptable choice!" I'm pretty averse to physical pain, to be honest, which is sort of funny for a person with a disability. You can end up in excruciating pain by accident, so I definitely know about it. But there are other types of suffering as well, and I am absolutely certain it is better to suffer than never to live. Some people say that people who cry are weak. Bull excrement. The strongest people I know go on fighting--whatever it is--with the tears streaming down their faces. We're talking about assisted suicide in this country because we're decadent cowards. We dress it up with words like "dignity" and "courage," because we don't know anything about either one.

We had the reading from Kings, where Elijah calls down the fire from Heaven in challenging the prophets of Baal. Monsignor said a thing, and almost offhandedly, which has stayed with me all day: the fire from Heaven prefigures the Holy Spirit. Our God is a consuming fire.  Honestly, reflecting on this makes me ashamed of most songs about the Holy Spirit. Do I have any idea the power I'm calling down? This ain't Reader's Digest. I'm lucky I don't get killed. And yet, so tender is He, he leads us into the mystery of love that is the Blessed Trinity. In fact, by His mercy, I will not be destroyed, but I will be elevated to share in the divine Life! (Silence.)

I actually have no idea why all of the English Bible translations decline to render the Greek "Ego Eimi" as "I Am". It happens all over the place, and if we are Christians, we adore Jesus as God. So, when he refers to himself with two words that are shockingly similar to the Name that God gives for himself when Moses asks in the book of Exodus, we shouldn't miss that. Is it grammatically required? No, but we shouldn't be afraid of it, either. Jesus did not say, "It is I; do not be afraid" in John 6:20. He said, "I AM; do not be afraid." Understand this: when he says this, he's walking on water. The next time you read the Bible, Jesus may not be trying to comfort you as a brother and a friend. He might be telling you He's God, and you need to suck it up, and trust Him. The silliest part about those so-called "Jesus is my boyfriend" songs is that, ain't nobody got a boyfriend who made the heavens and the earth.

Our political parties need to know that some semblance of knowledge and character is required of those seeking the highest office in the land. It's one thing to dust off, "We're not electing a pastor" in a normal election year; it's quite another to behold these leaders pretending this farce is not a farce. I won't watch a single second, and I won't miss it. It's never been more true to say that we get the America we deserve.

Mrs. DeMille had a thing on her feed, but I didn't get to read the thread. The headline said, "The Best Teacher I Ever Had Was...?" and I thought of Mr. May, from third grade. I wasn't in his class the whole day; I was integrated into it for a few hours. I learned my multiplication tables from Mr. May, and division. And he read to us. Boy, did he read to us! I remember a weird story about a bull, and the bull had thoughts and feelings, like a person. I remember "Where The Red Fern Grows." I remember a Narnia story. (How'd he get away with that?) And I remember when I came back to his class after my father died. I don't remember exactly what he said. I remain grateful that he said it. When you're that young, you don't know how to grieve. I think I thought I had to "get over it." Mr. May knew better. I think more than anything, I am thankful there was a man there, in the public school. I firmly believe that while we shouldn't ac...

I have stolen my title from that Time magazine cover and story, probably from the aftermath of the champ getting knocked out by Larry Holmes. I imagine it was hard for his fans to see it, and that's an understatement. When I imagine him in the ring, it's always the kid who destroyed Sonny Liston. I love those quick feet; to hit, and not get hit in return is the goal, the nirvana of boxers and their trainers, and for a time, no one was ever better. And I have always admired the man, even if I shouldn't. To me, he is the symbol of unvarnished blackness, that which I must reckon with, even if I don't agree with it, or it makes me uncomfortable. The whole nation had to learn that, and we did. When you see the unfailingly flattering remembrances, bear in mind that we are doing penance for those 3 peak years we took from him, still. We owe everyone he ever represented that, I daresay. And there was no better man to speak out against Muslim extremism in those later years...

I'm sure you're starting to hear about it. Emilia Clarke is obviously beautiful, and the guy is handsome. Fair enough. And I would normally love a story about a person with a disability finding love, especially with an "able-bodied" person. (But...) Suicide is not a morally acceptable choice.  We need to be clear on how we have been infected with utilitarianism, the idea that the value of our lives is determined by our usefulness to others. As these paragraphs make clear, God alone is the Master of life and death. We can be useful and helpful to one another. As I've said before, I'm cheered every time Roger Federer walks on a tennis court. But when it's all said and done, 17 major championships doesn't mean much to the Lord. Let's just say, He values different things. The inviolable dignity of the human person is affirmed and known by virtue of his or her destiny. Our purpose in life is eternal communion with God, who is Life without end. ...

I'm not saying it's a sin. I'm not even saying it makes for bad aesthetics. And I know many fine people with tattoos. I will say that a Christian has already been marked, by something stronger than ink under the skin. If you folks in the helping professions, like counselors, don't sit in front of the people with tattoos over nearly every inch of their body, and ask yourself, "I wonder what went on here?" I will give you a thousand dollars, for being such a good liar. I know some people--whether they realize it or not--feel they need a visible sign of the scars they carry on the inside. It is altogether appropriate to note that many Old Testament prohibitions ceremonial and civil have been set aside in the New. It's also wise to recall that God knows us better than we do, and he does nothing or commands nothing without a reason, even if we don't know what it is. I can understand the draw (pardon the pun) of an evangelistic tattoo. Then again, if...

It struck me in Mass today just how many times we mention Jesus. There's a stereotype about Catholics, that we're not really "into" Jesus. I guess it's fair, depending on who you talk to. But if you truly understand your faith, you can't get enough of Him.  Also, Mary and the saints don't change that. The thing about agape is, it's not a pie that runs out. Love--supernatural love--multiplies, and spreads like wildfire. Some people say that we embrace inclusivism, the idea that there is more than one way to God. That's not true. It was Jesus who said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life, and no one comes to the Father, except through me." You can grip a person or thing so tightly, as if you are afraid they or it will slip away. By contrast, Jesus the Truth invites, embraces, and convinces, by the power of His love.

I will not waver from the conviction--expressed here, and elsewhere--that dropping the bombs on Japan to effectively end the Second World War was a morally unjust act. It had been a question that, frankly, I had not even considered until recently. I was vaguely aware that the Allies had done other things that didn't seem in accord with us being "the good guys," and that may have been troubling if I had spent a great deal of time reflecting on one thing or another, but I didn't. For most of my life, it was enough to know that Nazis and Imperial Japan (also, Italy and Russia, at the beginning) were evil, and we beat them. It's not just that consequentialism is in our culture; it's embedded in the fabric of our civil religion about the war itself. It's as if the only two criteria for judging the war's morality have been whether we are not as evil as "them" (in some vague, undefined way), and whether we won. This isn't good enough, in term...

It does take a fair amount of courage (or hubris, if you like) to say that America should not have done x, or y, specifically, drop the nuclear bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. As patriotic Americans, we're used to thinking in a strict binary: America and Americans, good, America's enemies, bad. If you claim Christ as Savior and Lord, though, there is in consequence a higher piety and loyalty, and the application of those principles may be challenging in some respects. I think it is here. In fact, because the argument is so embedded in the American consciousness that "we did what we had to do," and, "A land invasion would have cost more lives, etc." the consequentialist argument must be confronted. Ethically, it's very simple: we are never permitted to do evil, that good may result. Here's the Catechism on conduct in war . If we understand the principle, then the entire argument that dropping the bombs was more "merciful" dies on the vi...

Armies of mystics could get lost in the spiritual metaphor of a blind man receiving sight from Jesus. I tend to see all of it in terms of God's gradually unfolding plan of covenant love. It goes together, of course. The better disposed we are toward God, the more we can participate, and help others to participate, in the plan of redemption and salvation. I have always loved the creative tension of knowing that the other blind man (from John 9) didn't do anything personally to "deserve" the misfortune, and yet, we know that original sin is ultimately the cause of this, and other miseries. There is no way that I am fully entering in to the mystery of that covenant love in Christ, but it unlocks the secret of suffering. No earthly misfortune can touch the glory we are to see in Christ! If faith gives you the eyes to see that, just take a moment to reflect on that. My friend Jason Mraz (OK, I met him one time) sings in his first hit "The Remedy (I Won't Wor...

I won't say I was completely distracted during Mass, but I think I'll be working this one off. I had a fleeting moment of intense joy, thinking about Pope Gregory VII, and Jesus. Maybe we won't know that we are saints until the testing comes. And during the Angelus, I was keenly desirous of Our Lady's intercession. That is as good a time as any, I suppose. If my days are filled with these pleasant mercies, I won't protest.

I think it's fair to spend time on verses 52-58 when reading John 6, especially when faced with doubt about our Eucharistic faith. Yet let us never forget that we are dealing with Jesus. There is nothing contradictory about adoring Him in the Eucharist, and believing totally that He's our Savior, who died for us, and rose again to bring us to the Father. To whom else shall we go? I don't understand "cultural" Catholicism. I suppose I don't understand the nominal practice of any religion. Religion pertains to the most important questions a person will ever ask. Do people just think "church" is the time a couple times a year when we wear nice clothes and try not to smile? Am I the only person who thinks that's weird and stupid? I would rather watch the Packers, and I don't even like the Packers. If this is all true, though, everything changes. We start worrying less about impressing, and more about imploring mercy.

Are the sacraments necessary for salvation? The Catechism says yes.  St. Thomas (or in this case, one of his students) agrees . It seems to me that the first two objections encapsulate what would become the Protestant objections to the sacramental system. The first objection is that receiving the sacraments requires bodily effort, and we know that striving profits little. The Thomist says that would be true on the natural level, but not the supernatural level. The second objection is that the grace from the Passion is sufficient in an unmediated way. That is, "Why have this other thing as necessary, when the most important thing has already been done?" The Thomist says that man needs the grace that the sacraments offer.  (We'll just call the writer "The Thomist.") The Thomist says that sacraments are spiritual, in their signification, and in their causality. (Reply to Objection 1.) It seems clear that one could consider them useful but not necessary if the...

Sorry to disappoint some of you. There is no meaning behind the word "conservative" any more. Better said, there are no concrete solutions behind it. We have been defined by what--or whom--we hate. And the party of Abraham Lincoln is lining up behind an intellectual midget, and worse, the most morally vacuous and repugnant person I have seen in my entire life. Absolutely, Hillary is better, for what that's worth, and it's not much. Nevertheless, it must be said. A few judges people like--even ones I'd like--are not going to make me forget what's happened here. Hillary Clinton belongs in federal prison, and she's still the better choice. That's what you did, angry white men. That's what you did, and I won't let you off the hook for it. Don't talk to me about abortion. If you're not out there on the sidewalks and in the pregnancy resource centers, (or some equivalent level of engagement) you don't get to tell me about the duty to ho...

I am a total bro. By that I mean that in some ways, I am a stereotype: I love sports, I love Tom Cruise, (especially between the years of 1986-1992) and I don't need an invitation to eat steak. And I guess that the very idea of sports, and men talking about it, is upsetting to some people. They could after all be talking about whatever is in The Atlantic, or on NPR right now. Non-bros satirize things; they talk ironically; they drink craft beer. I drink Budweiser, for 2 reasons: I don't like taste explorations in food or drink, and the Busch family owned the Cardinals for who knows how long. Done, and done. Sure, I'm deeper than that. I'm actually curious about what's in The Atlantic right now. With regard to sports, though, it's pretty simple: Men want to feel useful, connected, and alive. The next time you are tempted to dismiss 2 guys talking about sports, don't. Aside from the ways the sport accomplishes those three things in its limited way, realize w...

I was in a discussion today, and somebody basically made a meme--and it was for humor's sake--of that moment from Dead Poets' Society, after the boys stand on the desk and begin to recite the famous poem. Keating looks, and pauses, before saying, "thank you, boys," and departing. Anyway, it got everyone sort of wistful for Robin Williams, even though its usage had nothing whatsoever to do with him, or the film. I realized that for me personally, he impacted me several times, and in several ways, and I had not acknowledged it or realized it until he died. Let's give ourselves a break on self-condemnation for so-called "celebrity worship," because for many of these people, to continue working and entertaining is their way of serving, and for us to continue watching is the way we thank them. No one plans on dying, for the most part, and we never think that perhaps the time to say thanks is growing short. That's how death is. Family, friends, neighbors...