The CatholiCity Message
Volume XIV, Number 8 – October 11, 2010
Dear CatholiCity Citizen,
For a change of pace, we are going to start with a Thought Experiment, followed by a few paragraphs we read in the most recent editions of The Human Life Review and First Things, plus the usual cool stuff:
1. THOUGHT EXPERIMENT: HOW THE OTHER HALF LIVES
God does not exist. The universe came into existence by itself. I do not pray. There is no immortal soul--after we die, there is nothing. There is no absolute right or wrong behavior. Virginity for life, or until marriage, is mentally unhealthy. Sexual pleasure outside of marriage is a positive good as long as one does not conceive a child by accident. Pornography is not only good, but indulgence in it is to be expected from all normal males. We, as human beings, are merely biological clumps of atoms, and our thoughts are nothing more than electrical patterns reacting to evolutionary impulses. Ugly, amoral, or outright immoral music, fashion, and entertainment, and even pornography, does not have any serious negative effect on me or the people in my life. I create my own reality. I have hope--in myself. If I were rich, I would be happy. If I have millions of dollars when I retire, I could live off the interest on my investments, and be happy. I do not want to have children, but if I ever do, I only want one, maybe two, and if they go to a good college, get a decent job, and avoid getting themselves or their girlfriends pregnant, I will be a good parent. Christians are, at best, foolish suckers, and a danger to the rest of us. The Catholic Church is the worst of all, because it is so influential, controlling, sexist, and promotes the worst superstitions of all the major religions. Abortion is a regrettable last resort, but necessary. If a woman is raped and becomes pregnant, her innocent child, not the rapist, deserves the death penalty.
I have no interest in Jesus, except to use His name as a curse.
I do not pray. The idea of praying does not cross my mind even once a month. I have not prayed in several years. I went to church once on Christmas Eve, and the music was nice, but the service was long and boring. I am a spiritual person, however, yet I do not pray. I do meditate. I take long walks. I go to yoga class. But I do not pray. Why should I pray? God does not exist.
JUST TO BE CLEAR
Wow. That was weird, was it not? To the point: If you are a Catholic in any mature, adult way, then you have prayed today, and you will pray more later today. Many of you have taken an even more mystical and radical action: Today you have eaten your God, in full (or will on Sunday). Some of you went into a private booth and told another human who might be a total stranger your most intimate sins. Jesus, through that man, wiped away your sins and gave you a baptized-baby-fresh start.
The point is, prayer and sacramental activity can become such a "normal" part of our day that we can easily forget that praying or receiving Communion is not a "natural" activity. Rather, it is a supernatural activity--a response to grace, and the fruit of good habits formed since childhood or at least many years earlier. It is easy for us to overlook that our functionally atheistic or agnostic friends and relatives do not share our supernatural interior life. "Inside," they live with only their own thoughts and emotions. We live, "inside," with God, and are keenly aware of it at least some of the time during the day. If they were not taught to pray as children, and they have not prayed their entire adult lives on a daily basis, the idea of prayer (aside from mushy respect for "meditation," which, in a strictly human sense, can be a very rewarding activity), is just something that does not present itself as an option, just as snow-skiing does not present itself as an option to tropical cruise vacationers. They would just as soon stick their hand into a garbage disposal as purposely walk into a Catholic Church for a scheduled daily Mass.
Our response, emotionally, might be authentic sadness or pity, but rarely condemnation. After all, we live in a society which punches out non-praying functional atheists like widgets. They have been blinded, by circumstance or choice, and are often mired in serious sin that makes their darkness darker. Our response, in action, could take on many forms, always based on love for each individual soul. But you, the Citizens of CatholiCity, already know this. Our message is merely a reminder, and an attempt to present something true from a different perspective. Of course, we should pray for these people. And we should be courageous enough to invite them, with kindness and openness, to pray WITH us. We should accept their likely rejection with serenity, and take heart knowing, now that we have shown them that we believe that God does exist, that they can approach us at a later time. And do not be afraid to give them a Miraculous Medal, CD, or a book.
2. FOOD FOR THOUGHT
FROM HUMAN LIFE REVIEW
"Amid the recriminations it's easy to overlook what Mr. Stupak had cobbled together. His amendment restricting federal funding for abortions, passed in November 2009, marked the only bi-partisan vote in this whole health-care mess. For the first time since Roe v. Wade, pro-life Democrats had seized the legislative initiative in the teeth of their leadership's opposition--and brought the party of abortion to heal. Now Mr. Stupak has thrown it away. By caving at the last hour, he discredited all who stood with him. In addition to undermining an encouraging partnership with pro-lifers across the congressional aisle, Mr. Stupak signaled that, in the end, you can't count on pro-life Democrats."
William McGurn, March 2010 (Reprinted from the Wall Street Journal)
FROM FIRST THINGS
"Indeed, mathematical beauty has become a guiding principle in the search for better theories in fundamental physics. Werner Heisenberg wrote, 'In exact science, no less than in the arts, beauty is the most important source of illumination and clarity.' Paul Dirac, one of the giants of twentieth-century physics, went so far as to say that it was more important to have 'beauty in one's equations' than have them fit the experimental data. At the [subatomic and theoretical] roots of the physical world, therefore, one does not find mere inchoate slime or dust but instead a richness and perfection of form based on profound, subtle, and beautiful mathematical ideas. This is what the famous astrophysicist Sir James Jeans meant when he said many decades ago that 'the universe begins to look more like a great thought than a great machine.' Benedict XVI expressed the same basic insight when in his Regensburg lecture he referred to 'the mathematical structure of matter, its intrinsic rationality.'"
Stephen Barr, "Fearful Symmetries"
FROM HUMAN LIFE REVIEW
"By the lights of the liberation cult that infests modern society, the whole culture wants remaking, according to a likelier pattern, whereby human choice ceases to be the measure of all things. If it feels good, do it, goes the 60s catchphrase. Do what? Kill, brutalize, degrade? Within legal limits, why not? A legal system unhampered by the old, lost understandings of who we are and why we're here is hardly the enemy of human desire: more an encourager, an abettor of desire."
William Murchison, "Animal Rights and Wrongs"
FROM FIRST THINGS
"Many months before Pope Benedict's visit to the United Kingdom, the British Foreign Office set up a Papal Visit Team. ...During a brainstorming session, the team drew up a memorandum ...in which members suggested possible activities for Pope Benedict during his visit [listing] such possible papal activities as launching a brand of Benedict Condoms, blessing a gay wedding, opening an abortion clinic, selling the Vatican to help the poor...and performing a duet with Queen Elizabeth. [After the confidential memo was leaked, the British government] promptly apologized to the Vatican...[and] the Foreign office immediately removed [the memo writers] from the Papal Visit Team."
Editor, "While We're At It"
3. TEN OF THOUSANDS IN PRAYER
How cool is praying in the mind-blowing time-warp of cyberspace with tens of thousands of other Catholics from all over the world? Way cool, that's how cool. This month's prayer is a long one, adapted from the Litany of Loreto, but well worth it. Remind yourself to take your time and savor each title. Before starting, may we suggest that we all call to mind at least one lost sheep in our lives, someone we love dearly, and ask Our Lady to take special care of that soul, and if God's will, to bring an immediate miracle into their lives, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit:
Holy Mary, pray for us.
Holy Mother of God,
Holy Virgin of virgins,
Mother of Christ,
Mother of the Church,
Mother of divine grace,
Mother most pure,
Mother most chaste,
Mother inviolate,
Mother undefiled,
Mother immaculate,
Mother most amiable,
Mother most admirable,
Mother of good counsel,
Mother of our Creator,
Mother of our Savior,
Virgin most prudent,
Virgin most venerable,
Virgin most renowned,
Virgin most powerful,
Virgin most merciful,
Virgin most faithful,
Mirror of justice,
Seat of wisdom,
Cause of our joy,
Spiritual vessel,
Vessel of honor,
Singular vessel of devotion,
Mystical rose,
Tower of David,
Tower of ivory,
House of gold,
Ark of the covenant,
Gate of heaven,
Morning star,
Health of the sick,
Refuge of sinners,
Comforter of the afflicted,
Help of Christians,
Queen of angels,
Queen of patriarchs,
Queen of prophets,
Queen of apostles,
Queen of martyrs,
Queen of confessors,
Queen of virgins,
Queen of all saints,
Queen conceived without original sin,
Queen assumed into heaven,
Queen of the most holy rosary,
Queen of families,
Queen of peace, pray for us.
Pray for us, O holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Amen.
NO MORE QUOTES OR JOKES?
We already had quotes earlier. Okay, just one:
"Brace yourselves, because the war with Muslims has just begun."
Faisal Shahzad, The Times Square Bomber
Okay, okay...and just one joke:
A three-legged dog walks into a saloon. He goes up to the bar and says, "I'm looking for the man who shot my paw."
Ouch! You guys are the best. May you continue to enjoy October, the month of the Rosary, our Guardian Angels, the World Series, the Little Flower, Saint Teresa of Avila, Saint Francis of Assisi, American martyrs Saints John Brebeuf and Isaac Jogues, the amazing help of the hopeless, Saint Jude (the cousin who Jesus just cannot turn down), and Saint John of Capistrano! May they and their and our guardian angels pray for us, every minute of every day. We remain...
With Saint Joseph,
Your Friends at CatholiCity
