Apples to Eat, Bake, and Dry

The last couple of days I've visited three liquor stores. No, not to partake of their bottled and canned beverages, but to get the heavy boxes. They are good for storing apples between sheets of newspaper and they don't cost anything.

The grandkids love apples. Yesterday I cut and peeled some for one of the littlest ones, and she came back for more. Even though she is little, she helped her two older sisters to make apple strudle. My Grandma taught me how to pull the dough made with flour, eggs, butter, and water. She used no recipe, so I had to find one on the web.

Once I added the word "rest" to "strudle" in my search, I came up with a suitable recipe. "Rest" refers to the minimum 30 minute period the dough has to sit undisturbed. Something important happens to the dough when it rests--it becomes very stretchable. The oldest granddaughter spent 10 minutes kneading the dough and said her hands were tired. We had forgotten the butter, so it was slowly added to the already kneaded dough and I had to knead ten minutes before the dough was allowed to rest.

The two oldest granddaughters and I peeled and sliced apples, and sugar, flour, lemon juice, and cinnamon were added. All three granddaughters and I rolled the dough on a floured cloth to as thin as we could we get it, but it wanted to shrink back to its former size. Fingers from eight hands were gently placed under the thinned dough to pull it slowly outward to make it large and thin. [It really helps to have four people stretch the dough!]

The first batch wasn't as good as the second batch when everyone knew they had to avoid holes in the paper-thin dough. The girls got the hang of it fairly quickly (even the 3-year old), and acted as if they were having fun!

The sliced apple mixture was added next. The girls arranged the apples so the slices were only one layer deep, and then the oldest girl helped me roll the dough and slide it into the pan greased by the 3-year old. The top of the strudle was painted with egg whipped by the middle granddaughter so the strudle would have a pretty glaze when baked. Then the strudle went into the oven. When it came out it was beautiful and the girls were proud of their work.

This morning I sliced another bowl of apples and placed them in the electric dryer. Six trays of apples should be dry by tomorrow, although I will leave them in the trays for a day. They may need a little more drying if they are too thick and additional moisture comes out of them.

Gagging the Pope

Alison said... [in response to my recent blog on Islam]

To me Christianity is about laying down my life not the life of others. I hope that I would die for my faith but not make others die for it.

Lucetta Scaraffia writes in Chiesa that the Pope is being gagged and blackmailed in his comments on Islam. She states:

the dramatic killing of sister Leonella Sgorbati in Somalia on Sunday, September 16, is, unfortunately, a symbolic action of great significance. This is so for two fundamental reasons. Because, in fact, even in the absence of precise assertions, this is a matter of blackmail. And because the one assassinated was a woman, and a religious woman.

Scaraffia continues:

... the memorable pages of the Japanese writer Shusaku Endo, which narrate the persecution of the Christians in Japan in the seventeenth century: some Jesuits, although they were ready to die to bear witness to their faith, were forced to commit apostasy by having the Christian country people subjected to torture before their eyes. A Christian can dispose of his own life, even to the point of martyrdom – and the countless Christian martyrs of the past century demonstrate this – but not of the lives of others: the killing and torture of other Christians paralyzes the real target of the aggressive action, it gags him, it prevents him from saying and doing what would be right for himself, until it impedes him from martyrdom.

Scaraffia believes the Muslims who kill Christians are trying to force Benedict XVI to say only what is acceptable to Islamic extremists. If not, the alternative is for Christians in Muslim countries to suffer and die.

Alison, what would you do if you were the Pope?

End of a Civilization

Interesting quotes from Bryan Ward-Perkins. Ward-Perkins is the author of The Fall of Rome and the End of Civilization (Oxford University Press, 2005) and winner of the 2006 Hessell-Tiltman Prize for History.

... in every single area of the empire (except perhaps the Levantine provinces conquered by the Arabs) there was an extraordinary fall in what archaeologists term “material culture.” The scale and quality of buildings, even of churches, shrank dramatically—so that, for instance, tiled roofs, which were common in Roman times even in a peasant context, became a great rarity and luxury.

It was blindingly obvious to me, working on an archaeological site like ancient Luna—where all the great Roman buildings were abandoned and torn down in the 4th and 5th centuries, to be replaced by very simple wooden houses— that something very dramatic happened at the end of the Roman world, something which can reasonably be called the “end of a civilization.”

In the 6th and 7th-century West the vast majority of people lived in tiny houses with beaten earth floors, drafty wooden walls, and insect-infested thatch roofs; whereas, in Roman times, people from the same level of society might well have enjoyed the comfort of solid brick or stone floors, mortared walls, and tiled roofs.

What is so striking about the fall of Rome is the collapse of material sophistication that ensued. This happened, I believe, precisely because the Roman world was not entirely dissimilar to our own: complex economies are very fragile because they rely on hugely sophisticated networks of production and distribution. If these are seriously disrupted, widely and over a long period of time, the entire house of cards can collapse.

...sophistication in intellectual life generally requires solid economic underpinning.

The Romans, like us, enjoyed the fruits of a complex economy, both material and intellectual. And like us, they assumed their world would go on forever.

Archbishop Milingo

We have not heard the rest from Archbishop Milingo. A couple of weeks ago, he met with representatives of Dan Brown, the author of The DaVinci Code, about working on a new novel and a new movie. AllAfrica News reports from Zambia:

the Catholic newspapers reported that Milingo met with representatives of Dan Brown to discuss the possibilities of working with him on a new novel about exorcisms.

In addition to his work with Brown on the new novel, Milingo is also said to have reached an agreement to collaborate with Sony Pictures in the production of a film based on Brown's earlier novel entitled 'Angels and Demons'.

Milingo and Dan Brown are scheduled to have a meeting in late September or early October at Gatwick.

Does Dan Brown have money to give AB Milingo? Probably. Will Milingo with money be in he news again. Probably. BTW, the Canon Lawyer Ed Peters explains the status of AB Milingo and discusses whether the ordinations/consecrations of four new bishops are valid.

Vatican Chapel vs. Padre Pio's Chapel

Sean Cardinal O'Malley has a new blog with lots and lots of pictures. Two of the more interesting photos he took on his trip to Italy are of two rooms where Mass is offered. The first picture is of a room in the residence where Cardinal Sean stayed. Although it is set up for Mass, see how plain and unCatholic it appears to be.

There are no statues, no tabernacle, only one (presumably religious) painting on a side wall, and a simple white curtain to the back. The altar appears inconsequential, too. I had to look hard to see the very small crucifix on the table.

Now compare the photo of the room in the Vatican residence with the small room where Padre Pio offered Mass. Padre Pio's room is a much more beautiful place to offer Mass, don't you agree? The small altar used by Padre Pio looks like it was made for the Mass. Also observe the lovely backlit statue of Mary above the altar, the tabernacle, a wonderfully ornate altar cloth, and the slightly raised platform of the altar. (I still don't see a crucifix, however.)

Several photos also caught my attention because they appear to show Cardinal O'Malley distributed Holy Communion on the tongues of the communicants in all five cases.

Finally, I was afraid comments would not be enabled in his blog because it is not one of the 'canned' types--that it would be all one-sided from him to us. I'm glad to see that I was wrong, and I wish the Cardinal success on his worthy endeavor.

Allah--The Same God as of the Christians and Jews?

Is the God of the Muslims the same God as the God of the Christians and Jews? Many people and secular newspapers believe so because all three religions proclaim the God of Abraham.

I've come to a different conclusion. Here are some of the reasons that Allah cannot be the One True God of the Christians and the Jews:

1. Allah is a violent god and requires his religion to be spread by the sword.

2. Allah is capricious, vindictive, devious, and contradictory.

3. Allah's symbols are the moon and star, representing the Carthaginian goddess Tanit or the Greek goddess Diana.

4. Allah promotes polygamy and allows divorce.

5. Allah encourages wives to be beaten, allows daughters to be subject to incest, and recommends children to be ritually abused ('thighing').

6. Allah encourages hatred for the enemies of Islam.

7. Allah requires the killing of people who reject Islam.

8. Allah does not promote love, compassion, or mercy.

9. Allah has a bordello in heaven with 72 virgins for an Islamic martyr.

10. Allah instituted pedophilia starting with Mohammed's activities with Ayesha, his child sex-slave.

11. Allah encourages non-believers to be murdered, raped, and enslaved.

12. Allah promotes the extortion of money ('jizya') from Jews and Christians.

13. Allah does not require truthfulness, but promotes the breaking of agreements (Hudna) with nonbelievers as "the end justifies the means."

14. Allah requires the destruction or conversion of Christian churches to mosques (example: St. Sophia in Istanbul).

15. Allah's religion is a joyless series of endless wars.

16. Allah is the god of the seven deadly sins: superbia (hubris/pride), avaritia (avarice/greed), luxuria (extravagance/lust), invidia (envy), gula (gluttony), ira (wrath), and acedia (sloth).

Does Allah remind you of someone else--perhaps the Adversary?

Catholics in the Military and the U.S.

The Defense Department has released new numbers of Catholics in the active Armed Services of the U.S. If you remember, a previous post dealt with whether Catholics were over- or under-represented in the military. Here is the new table from the DoD, and it differs from the Catholic military chaplaincy site that states "40% of those in the Navy, 28% in the Air Force, and 25% in the Army are Catholic." The new table indicates 19% of the Navy, 22% of the Air Force, and 20% of the Army are Catholic.

Because of the above discrepancies, it appears impossible to compare the approximate 20 to 21% Catholics in the active Armed Forces with the 26% baptized Catholics in the U.S., as reported by Adherents.com. However, it may be the 26% that is the suspect value--if it is used to quantify persons who identify themselves as Catholic. The actual percentage of people in the U.S. who identify themselves as Catholic is likely to be similar to the 20 to 21% in the active military. If so, this would represent an approximate 20% loss (from 26% to 20-21%) of baptized Catholics by their early adulthood when they no longer identify themselves as Catholic.

The American Forces Information Center notes the records include:

military members who have chosen Catholic as their religious preference ... received from Defense Manpower Data Center (DMDC). Also stated from DMDC is that Navy Officers & the Coast Guard don't report religious preference at all. For the most part it is up to the individual military person to decide if they want to select a religious preference or not.

Cartoons of Pope and Muslims

Jovan at The New Crusade has reprinted cartoons from secular newspapers that show the Pope and the Muslims. The cartoons say a lot about the Pope.

Funeral Saint

I listened to another eulogy today at a funeral Mass. The person was well known and loved so the eulogy was very complimentary. The officiating priest declared at least four times that the deceased person was in heaven and "sharing God's glory." No doubt the priest must have been present to hear the results of the particular judgement and was told the person had avoided purgatory and won heaven. If this is true, then the Masses to be offered for the repose of this poor soul are not needed. I really think this is presumption at its worse.

The Church forbids eulogies at the funeral Mass, and some of the reasons are described by Dr. James Hitchcock in an old issue of The Adoremus Bulletin. My own reason for getting queasy at hearing a eulogy is that I think some people may be like I am, a sinner who doesn't deserve a thing, especially heaven. If I get there, it won't be because I earned it--it will be because of the mercy of our Lord, Jesus Christ.

Here are the Church regulations on eulogies given at the Funeral Mass:

General Instruction of the Roman Missal 2000
382. At the funeral Mass there should, as a rule be a short homily, but never a eulogy of any kind....

Order of Christian Funerals
27. A brief homily based on the readings is always given after the gospel reading at the funeral liturgy and may also be given after the readings at the vigil service; but there is never to be a eulogy.

Catechism of the Catholic Church
1688. The liturgy of the Word during funerals demands very careful preparation.... The homily in particular must avoid the literary genre of funeral eulogy (OCF 41) and illumine the mystery of Christian death in the light of the risen Christ.

The Church does allow the deceased to be remembered at a Vigil service:

VIGIL AND RELATED RITES AND PRAYERS
62. ... After this prayer (Prayer of Intercession) and before the blessing or at some suitable time during the vigil, a member of the family or a friend of the deceased may speak in remembrance of the deceased.

How Many Toys?

How many toys should a kid have? Fox saw my last post and said she had 8-month old twins. She asked how a child's intelligence could be increased between 8 and 18 months. Rather than respond in the comments section, my answer is here.

I don't know what Ph.D.'s say to do to aid your baby's intelligence, but games and new toys seem to me to work. No, not the kind you buy in the toy department--the ones you get out of the kitchen, the closet, your junk drawer, or the wastebasket. Of course, nothing unsafe that babies can swallow or try to eat, or that will cut, burn, pinch, or hurt their eyes.

Last night, I babysat for one of my grandchildren who is between 8 and 18 months old. She played with an apple for a long time because it rolled sideways on the kitchen floor and had a stem to grab onto. She also played and laughed with one of the cats by holding a long weed we picked from her yard. That produced lots of fun and smiles because the cats normally do not come close to her because she pulls their fur. A rolling popcan (full) allowed her to crawl after it on the kitchen floor. We also played with the mailbox handle and red flag--opening and closing it and moving it up and down.

Last month, she played for almost a half hour with a bucket of water and a small rag and cup--that's a great set of toys! She only stopped playing when she slapped her hand down into the plastic bowl and splashed water all over her face.

A long thread or string is a toy. A throwaway DVD is a toy (perhaps not for older kids who might crack it, but a little one will simply put their finger in the hole and look at the shine and reflections). An old medicine bottle with a childproof cap can be used as a rattle. A shoe with buckles is a toy. Sandpaper is a toy, but keep your eye on the baby and take it away after a couple of minutes. A plastic sack with tied knots can be a toy. A hair brush is a toy. Toys are all over the house and you can use any that are safe and that won't fit into baby's mouth. [A big exception is dirt--kids love to play in dirt, but you need to stay by them to keep them from trying to eat it.]

At a young age, a toy is simply anything that will cause the child to investigate its appearance and feel, and how it works. Next time you start to throw something in the trash, think about whether it safe to give to your babies to play with for ten minutes. THEN throw it away.

Children's games are much the same way. Peek-a-boo and hide-and-seek always seems to bring a smile from the little ones. I tossed a light plastic ball back and forth last night with my little granddaughter, another game. A game might be to teach the child to somersault or to ride a pony on your knee. A game is really anything that two of you can play together.

Add the reading of books and dancing to music--and you'll have bright and winning children!

The Always Interesting Radical Mom

Radical Catholic Mom posts a lot of short commentaries on her blog from Alaska. She usually gives an unusual twist to her stories because of her background as a former Catholic volunteer in Costa Rica, and as a language instructor to Muslim students from the Balkans, West Africa, Nigeria, and Malasia. In particular, she has many pieces of good advice for other young mothers--such as traveling with babies.

Personally, I've determined that babies between the ages of about 8 and 18 months never travel well during the day, so my advice is:

1. Travel in the evening when they sleep
2. Leave them with Grandma and Grandpa while you travel (but don't stay away too long!)
   
3. Don't take a trip until the baby gets older.

BTW, the psychologists say (according to Dr. James Dobson) that the only time in a child's life that you can increase his/her intelligence is between the ages of 8 and 18 months!

Papal Support

I attended Mass this Sunday morning in a western state and the young priest began his sermon by firmly stating his support of Benedict XVI. The subject was the Papal address at the University of Regensburg that is resulting in violent Muslim reactions throughout the world, including the murder of an Italian nun and attacks on multiple Christian churches.

The priest's sermon was comprehensive and far-reaching. First of all, he quoted sufficient material from the Pope's address to show the thrust and reasonableness of the Papal speech. Second, he put the Pope's remarks into the context of the history of Islam. Third, he briefly recounted the multitude of recent acts of violence by Muslims. Fourth, he stressed the Mother of our Lord, Jesus Christ, and her rosary, as the answer to Islamic agression--as happened in the past and will happen in the future.

The histories of northern Africa, the Middle East, and Spain were summarized to show only the last area succeeded in repelling Islam, during the reign of Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand. The Virgin Mary's role in the 17th century victorious battles of Christian Europe against Islamic forces was described. The Virgin Mary (venerated by Muslims), especially in her appearance at Fatima (named for the daughter of Mohammed), was forecast as the hope for the future of Christianity.

The dynamic and information-full sermon ended with a comparison with the dead man that Jesus gave back to his mother. He said Islam is the dead man that Jesus wants to give to his Mother, Mary.

I wish all Catholics in the world could hear the young priest's remarks. Unfortunately, the young priest spoke in a church that is not yet in the good graces of Rome. I wonder how many NO priests will support the Pope as firmly as the young priest I heard this Sunday.

What did Benedict XVI Really Say?

The complete text of the Pope's address at Regensburg can be found on the Vatican website. Lots more there than just the comments that made the Muslims so wickedly angry.

The best understanding of Benedict XVI and Islam that I've seen is found at The Observer, where a short history of Manuel Palaiologos is also found. The author, John Hooper in Rome, states:

Under Benedict, the key issue, in Vatican-speak, is not 'dialogue' but 'reciprocity'. Even before his election, there was a growing feeling among Catholic prelates that dialogue with Islam consisted largely of Catholic initiatives.

What is more, endless discussion did not seem to be solving the biggest outstanding problem between the two religions: that while Muslims were free to build mosques, worship and proselytise in the West, Christians were often denied religious freedom in Islamic countries.

Also read the short post by Mary Alexander who notes that the flag of Saudi Arabia displays a sword--wonder where that came from?

Mohammed's Command

Pope Benedict XVI has reminded us of Mohammed's command to spread Islam by the sword. Hopefully, his next step will be to encourage Muslims to become Christians. Yes, it does happen. See the ex-Muslim site for stories of why Muslims converted to Christianity.

What a contrast with John Paul II who blindly (and I'm being charitable!) apologized for the Crusades, entered a mosque to pray, and kissed the Koran.

Spraying for Heretical Pests

One of our fruit trees is well loaded with delicious apples at this time of year. To control pests, I sprayed the tree twice in the dormant stage with oil spray, and then used a commercial spray from late April through June when spraying stopped.

Since then, the tree has been partially reinfected and a few apples have worms--but the apples are not nearly as badly infected as in previous years. [For those readers who do not believe in commercial sprays, I previously painted a ring of sticky material around the trunk to keep insects from crawling up the tree, but the sticky stuff also adheres to young grandchildren!]

It seems that a reasonable comparison can be made between the Church and an apple tree. The apples are Catholic members of the Church who are prime targets for hereretical pests. Should the Church be sprayed routinely to eliminate the pests and other infectious diseases? If sprayings [appropriate disciplinary actions in the Church] are done, then pests will be killed to leave unblemished Catholic apples without worms.

Has the Church been sprayed since Vatican II? I would say almost no spraying to kill heresies has been done since 1960. The pests have full access to the tree and devour the apples as they wish. That's why so many rotten apples lie on the ground never to produce edible fruit.

Wikipedia Articles on Abortion

The Global Family Life News is an articulate publication of the Population Research Institute, founded by Fr. (Dr.) Paul Marx and headed by Steven W. Mosher. The August-September issue contains a section, Global Monitor, that describes population control issues in countries around the world. A new book written by the parents of Terri Schiavo is reviewed. The indefatigable Fr. Paul Marx also contributes three full pages to the current issue of this glossy, color publication.

The most interesting fact in this issue is noted by a woman who has returned from teaching English in China. She states that she found some of the wealthy Chinese families had quite a few children. For 12,000 yuan (approximately $10,000 US), a Chinese family can purchase the privilege of having another child. The government pockets the profits of selling people their own children.

Steven Mosher, the President of POP, was a speaker at a pro-life conference in Kansas City that I attended many years ago, before he became a Catholic. He was the first to tell the world that Chinese women were being forced to have abortions. There was a second non-Catholic who gave a talk on abortion at this conference. Dr. Bernard Nathanson was a Jewish doctor who was a co-founder of the National Abortion Rights Action League but who had recently become pro-life.
After the conference, Steven Mosher and Dr. Nathanson retired to a hotel room to talk with other speakers, mostly Catholic. I was told the meeting lasted until about 3 AM. I've often wondered if their conversion stories did not have a beginning in Kansas City.

NOW TO THE POINT--
A sidebar in Mosher's magazine encourages

you and any of your pro-life associates to become active as Wikipedia contributors and editors. There is a big problem with bias in articles on some topics, and abortion is one of those--there are a number of pages about abortion and related topics. Wikipedia works pretty much by consensus and numbers and there tend to be more pro-choicers making determined efforts to control articles than pro-lifers. They often try to get away with bias, and in greater numbers, they can. More pro-lifers need to balance things out, remove the bias, etc.

Anyone with school-age children knows Wikipedia is the largest on-line encyclopedia. It is accessed countless times a day, especially by young people, who will be influenced by what they find there. You can help.

Three Kansas City Meetings

The First Meeting
Bishop Finn is inviting everyone to attend tomorrow night's Ecumenical Rally against the Cloning Amendment. Dr. Alan Keyes is a featured speaker, and he is one of the best I've ever heard--especially when he debated other candidates for President of the U.S. a few years ago.

If you are able, join me and many other Catholics, Christians, and other people of good will at the VisionAmerica Rally to pray and advocate for the defeat of the Amendment 2 ballot initiative.

On Nov. 7, voters will decide whether our Missouri Constitution will be amended to authorize a type of biological experimentation on frozen human embryos, and also clearly includes cloning to produce human embryos and destroy them for their stem cells. Adult stem cell research has been successful and is supported by the Church.

The rally will be held at 7 p.m., Sept. 11, at the First Baptist Church, 10500 E State Rte 350, Raytown, MO and is open to the public.

The Second Meeting
Right to Life of Kansas will host its annual convention, "Turning Back to God as Creator," in a few more weeks. The meetings will start at 8:30 AM, October 14, 2006, at St. Paul Catholic Church Activity Center in Olathe, KS. Speakers include Hugh Owen, Jim Sedlak, Fr. Phil Wolfe, FSSP, Elmer Feldkamp, and several representatives from local Kansas City groups that aid unwed mothers keep their babies.

The cost of banquet, lunch, and sessions is $25, and students need to pay only for the evening banquet ($15) where Fr. Wolfe is expected to give one of his dynamic talks. To make a reservation, call 1-800-833-6632, or mail your check with name, address, and phone number to Barbara Rew, 516 E. Grace Terr., Olathe, KS 66061.

The Third Meeting
The Fellowship of Catholic Scholars is meeting on September 22-24 at the Hilton Airport Hotel. Their convention, "Sacrosanctum Concilium and the Reform of the Liturgy," will feature such speakers as Archbishop Malcolm Ranjith Patabendige Don (in absentia); Dr. James Hitchcock, Father Samuel Weber, OSB, Susan Treacy, Father Chrysoganus Waddell, OCSO; Denis McNamara and Duncan Stroik; Father Paul Mankowski; Kenneth Whitehead; Monsignor James Moroney; Helen Hull Hitchcock; Msgr. Stuart Swetland; and Russell Shaw. While I don't agree with all these speakers, it should be an interesting program that some of you might try to attend.

Of particular interest will be Archbishop Ranjith's address on "To the Heart of the Mystery," to be presented at 2:10 PM on Friday, September 22. It may be that his address will indicate the progress of the forthcoming papal exhortation that will finalize the proceedings of the synod of Bishops held in October 2005 on "The Eucharist, Source and Summit of the Church’s Life and Mission.”

In June, Archbishop Ranjith was interviewed by "La Croix" and I-MEDIA on liturgical issues, as is described in Chiesa. Archbishop Ranjith criticized the "many tendencies that have banished from view the authentic meaning of the liturgy.” He stated there is "a necessary correction, a reform of the reform. We must return to the liturgy in the spirit of the Council.”

To I-MEDIA, he said that every day, the Congregation for Divine Worship receives new complaints about serious liturgical abuses, and complaints that local bishops have failed to correct them. If the Church fails to curb these abuses, he said, "people will attend the Tridentine Mass, and our churches will be empty... We cannot conceal this. It is of our responsibility to be vigilant. Because, in the end, people will attend the Tridentine Mass and our churches will be emptied. The Tridentine Mass does not belong to Lefebvristes." He followed up on July 13 with additional comments that he said clarified his June 2006 remarks.

Ambrosius of The Cornell Society for a Good Time has more background information on Archbishop Ranjith who is favorable to the old Latin Mass and met in 2001 with Bishop Fellay of the SSPX.

The Kansas City convention program and registration is available here.

If Not For Archbishop Lefebvre...

A number of times I have heard the comment that "If not for Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, then we would not have the indult Mass, the Fraternity of St. Peter, etc." In turn, I have heard several people respond that this is giving Archbishop Lefebvre credit for God's work.

An example of this repartee occurs on Fr. John Zuhlsdorf's web site where comments and responses are posted regarding the announcement that Pope Benedict XVI has authorized a new institute of priests to offer the old Latin Rite Mass.

Even with a sympathetic ear, I do take issue with the statement of “and if it were'nt for them and their founder of blessed memory, there would be no Ecclesia Dei commission nor indult mass.” We have those blessings because of the Lord Almighty and no one else. [corrections made to typos.]

It seems very difficult for some Catholics to acknowledge the contributions of Archbishop Lefebvre to the work of preserving critical elements of the Catholic Church. I'd like to provide a comparison to show the problem of not giving credit where credit is due. Remember, this is an illustration of what I believe to be a difficulty with those individuals who do not give Archbishop Lefebvre credit for his work.

Comment: If it weren't for the Blessed Virgin, there would be no salvation in Jesus Christ. Response: We have this blessing because of the Lord Almighty and no one else.

Religious vs. Civil Marriage

David R. Carlin is a former Senate Majority Leader of the Rhode Island Senate. He has written an article in the August/September 2006 issue of Homiletic & Pastoral Review advocating the separation of religious from civil weddings. Carlin proposes that Catholic priests abandon their practice of performing civil marriages because they conform to secularist ideas that allow same-sex weddings and divorce.

I thought of Carlin's recent article while talking to an elderly man at a luncheon held last week. He explained his wife had died about seven years ago and his next door neighbor's husband had died about the same time. The result was that the widower moved in with the widow without the benefit of marriage.

The elderly man explained that if they married, they would lose both medical and retirement benefits. His last comment was that they had discussed this situation with their family and friends and no one thought what they were doing was wrong. I suggested that perhaps they at least could have a small ceremony with family present. Frankly, I was thinking of the children and grandchildren who were seeing their parents and grandparents living together "in sin." Not a good example if you want to teach young people to avoid copying this lifestyle!

A civil marriage is authorized and recognized in the "eyes of the law," and a religious marriage is authorized and witnessed in the "eyes of God." Wikipedia has a fairly thorough discussion of the distinction between religious and civil weddings (that appears to have been partially written by a Catholic).

The Wikipedia article notes

there are examples of people who have a religious ceremony that is not recognized by the civil authorities. Examples include widows who stand to lose a pension if they remarry and so undergo a marriage only in the eyes of God and the community... retired couples who would lose pension benefits if legally married, ... and immigrants who do not wish to alert the immigration authorities that they are married either to a spouse they are leaving behind or because the complexity of immigration laws may make it difficult for spouses to visit on a tourist visa.

So, is it possible for a priest of the Catholic Church in the U.S. to witness a sacramental marriage between couples who do not want to be married civilly? Can a religious wedding occur independently of a civil marriage in U.S. states? Does anyone want to volunteer answers to these questions?

Tithing of Our Time

Tithing is returning to God 10 percent of what he gives us. Usually tithing is applied to money received, but it really applies to our whole life being a gift from God. We can learn something from one Catholic who is quite ill with MS who writes:

I began a daily prayer time. I prayed 2 hours every night after everyone else went to bed. I have a wonderful Buddhist friend, Veronica, who told me that she tithes her time to God daily, not her money. She reminded me that Jesus Himself said to "give to Caesar what is Caesar's, give to God what is God's." And money was not of God, it was of man. My soul is what belongs to God, and I should devote my life to Him, beginning with tithing 10% of my day every day to His glory and honor.

Veronica made a lot of sense. I tried it. While I wasn't Buddhist, it felt right for a Catholic to follow this very same practice. After all, it certainly couldn't hurt. And it worked miracles in my life! I began reading stories about the lives of the saints. I read about their devotion to the Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ. I saw Him through their eyes, and soon saw my own suffering in a different light as well. I began attending Mass again. I started to feel alive for the first time in years.

One of the most productive times in my spiritual life was when I belonged to the Legion of Mary. Only two hours of apostolic work was required each week, plus a meeting. Together with an active daily prayer life, the Legion of Mary is a good start on giving ten percent of your time to God.