Safe Haven

"A well-regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed."--The Second Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America Many people simply refer to this text, and any discussion of the regulation of firearms simply ends. I'm not going to do that, because 1) a Christian worldview demands more careful reflection; 2) there is nothing sacrosanct about the Constitution itself, that is, it isn't a religious text, or sacred object, no matter how good or correct we think it to be; and 3) we have new challenges that the Founders could not have foreseen.  One of the great strokes of genius in our founding and its documents is the separation of powers. More than this, that the Constitution does not enumerate all the rights individuals may have, but rather limits what the government may licitly do with respect to the individual. The US Constitution limits th...

John 11:35. The shortest verse in the Bible. You may have known that. What you may not have ever pondered is how weird the situation is. Jesus knows Lazarus is ill; he stays where he is. He waits for Lazarus to die, then goes down there. Why? Lots of answers in the grand scheme suggest themselves, but not in the moment. You can understand why Jesus gets questioned about this from even those who know he isn't just some guy from down the street. It's absolutely true that the just will get it all back at the resurrection. What great faith! But Jesus has even bigger plans. He knows exactly what he's going to do. It's in that context that Jesus wept. "He's in a better place" might be true, but it's beside the point. Death, sorrow, and all the rest may be here, but they don't belong. So much so that the Master of life and death cried. If he were not God in the flesh, we might say he "ugly-cried." He couldn't abide it for one secon...

One of the best in the business. My teacher. Everyone from young children to the learned and aged has been benefiting from Dr. Nguyen's good gifts, and this is a good example. For my part, I think that if the sacred pastors want to say, "Catechesis is really poor, and puts people at risk of ending up in some painful situations," that's what they should say. It is undesirable, to say the least, to cast doubt on the efficacy of the sacraments, even unwittingly, in the name of compassion. Lord God, by Your Holy Spirit, help us all to discern truth from error, that we may enter boldly and unstained into the wedding feast of the Lamb. Through Our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.

I'll continue hammering the Democrats, and anyone else who thinks this is a real argument for killing defenseless human beings in the womb. If you're not able to grasp the basic argument, you might be right about dozens of other affronts to human dignity, but your moral authority over me is exactly zero. Just so we understand one another.

You make my social media feed interesting, that's for sure. I can't decide if you are crazy, or just willfully provocative. Believe it or not, I like that. Holy Mother Church is still waiting for you. I will certainly gloat when we get Russell Moore. And we will. Resistance is futile. In other news, you need someone to your left who is not insane, and not Alan Noble. Excuse me, Dr. Alan Noble. I'm happy to help.

Let me be direct, and brief: you can't settle the question of whether to baptize infants or not from Scripture alone. Strictly speaking, Scripture doesn't "say" anything. All appeals to Scripture are appeals to an interpretation of Scripture. Once you get past all the impressive citations of particular passages, it's an unwinnable argument, from either side. Bad faith and theological-dogmatic relativism are the most obvious results. This is very simply why we have a Magisterium in holy mother Church, and why said Church claims to be the one Christ founded, because it is. It is reasonable to believe such because that which all Christians hold in common despite their divisions cannot be accounted for without the authority of the Catholic Church. And such an authority, so visible, and so constant through these many centuries, must be divine, if we grant that God has spoken at all. There does need to be an acknowledgment that the paedobaptist--despite his efforts ...

I've blogged about this Kenny Loggins album before. But I had a new reason, when Spotify took one of the tracks off the album. I was kind of mad. Anyway, I went to iTunes, and sure enough, if you want the song, "If You Believe," you must buy the whole album. So I did. I'm not given to fideism; that is, to believing without a reason or reasons, so it seems odd to draw insight and titles from pop singers, and angsty Lutheran philosphers. And Kenny won't be everyone's cup of tea. He was always on the sentimental side, and this is the last album he did that was conceptually (and theologically) coherent. He got New Age-y after this, and that won't do anyone any good. Still, this album is pretty great, 25 years later. [Yikes!--ed.] Yeah. Anyway, aside from the insightful greatness of "Conviction Of The Heart," I was struck by a few lines from another song called, "Now Or Never." He sings in part: "And tell him that love is why we...

Act of Contrition: O God my Redeemer, see me here at your feet. From my deepest heart, I am sorry for all my sins, because they have offended you, whom I should love above all things. Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father, have mercy on me, a sinner! Amen. First Station: Jesus is Condemned to Death Dearest Jesus, help me to rejoice in suffering unjustly, or when I am reviled, remembering that you suffered likewise. Our Father...Hail, Mary...Glory be. Second Station: Jesus Carries His Cross Lord Jesus, when I suffer, grant me the grace to see that I have a small part in your cross, and thus, that I have cause to rejoice. Our Father...Hail, Mary...Glory Be. Third Station: Jesus Falls the First Time My Jesus, the weight of my sins has thrown you to the ground. May my love and compassion grow along with my pity, ultimately for my good, and your glory. Our Father...Hail, Mary...Glory be. Fourth Station: Jesus Meets His Mother  Lord, it plea...

That was several years ago. Do you remember it? Though some of the organizing energy doubtless smacked of crass opportunism, (this was Mike Huckabee, after all) I did it. And I'm not entirely insensitive to the Christian criticism that it was unnecessarily combative toward the so-called "gay community." But I went, and I felt better about it as it went along. I want to live in a country where, if it must be pluralistic, we can still take the risk to live and believe what we will. We may offend people--and Heaven knows I don't actually enjoy it--but this is America, and it's time for some progressives to put on their big-boy and big-girl pants (and the other identities, if you like) and just deal with it. Especially in light of their willingness to hire homosexuals (and others) while steadfastly maintaining a Christian identity. Firing up the grills on a Sunday, no less, to feed those affected by the Orlando tragedy, and dozens of other things, shows any sensible...

You could find some good here , if you wanted to. Overall, if I may, however, I find it self-indulgent, self-flagellating nonsense. The shooter wasn't even a Christian! What exactly are we supposed to be apologizing for? Here's a few things in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Though I would love to find out what "unjust discrimination" means in this context, I have no problem assenting to these paragraphs. I know one thing for sure: currying favor, and attempting to placate people who don't know what they want is a fool's errand. Christian, you don't need to be "dialoguing" with anyone who thinks "Homosexual practices constitute sin" is functionally equivalent to murder. There is no apology I am required to offer for my existence, and for upholding the traditional Christian teaching on sexuality, and there is nothing good to be gained from saying, "I'm not like those Christians" unless you intend not to hold the...

I don't want to say anything about recent events. This blog is sanctimonious enough. I doubt that I have anything to add. I will say it reminds me of our fragility. We often think there are many days, weeks, months, and years ahead. That may be our most foolish conceit. Get about the business of living the worthiest life you can, as emphatically as you can. We just don't know. God of mercy, hear our pleas, for our own sakes, and for our friends and neighbors. We ask this through Christ the Lord, Amen.

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. ...