Miracles for Mother

My Mother is a daily communicant who is preparing well for her death at an advanced age. She gives our family an excellent example of love, patience, long-suffering, forgiveness, good humor, and especially active and welcome interest in the lives of her children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. Her lengthy morning prayers, including two daily rosaries, are surely some of the reasons our family is so blessed.

With less than adequate eyesight, Mother regularly misplaces things--glasses, hearing aid, ring, cane, etc. When she loses something, Jesus and St. Anthony always are called on to help her find her lost possession.

About ten days ago, she lost her cane and was quite agitated about it. She continued to pray fervently that the lost object show up. Mother says Jesus and St. Anthony never fail, especially as was demonstrated rather profoundly early this past week.

Coming home from morning Mass, she entered her bedroom to leave her purse. Mother said she was carrying her purse in her left hand and the backup cane in the right hand. She set her purse on the bedroom rug, then looked down at her hands. Two canes were there, one in the right hand and one in the left where her purse had just been. Both she and I couldn't explain this by any "of nature" cause, so we conclude it was an "of super-nature" phenomenon.

This is at least the third time she has found things in a miraculous way. Several years ago, Mother lost her wedding ring. My Dad has been dead for many years, and his gift to Mother was cherished. When she lost the ring, she looked thoroughly through her bedroom and the rest of the house, and others helped to look too. No ring was found.

After many of Mother's prayers and several weeks later, she walked into her bedroom to see an arm reaching to her dresser table. The arm quickly disappeared, and Mother still remembers it vividly. When Mother looked at the dresser top, her wedding ring was in plain sight. Mother told us she had carefully examined her dresser (and hers is not a unkempt place like mine!) several times before, and it was not there!

A third incident was the loss of her hearing aide. Again, after her many prayers to Jesus and St. Anthony, the device showed up in the middle of the bedroom floor which she had vacuumed twice since she had lost it.

Why does God perform these little miracles for Mother? I believe these are small signs from God that He listens to and loves my Mother. They also show the rest of our family why we need to ask Jesus more faithfully and consistently for our own small miracles!

A Town that Raises Children

The Redmen of Smith Center won the Kansas State Football Championship today at Lewis Stadium on the Fort Hays State University campus, capping their season with a 40-14 victory over St. Mary’s-Colgan of Pittsburg, KS. The Panthers of St. Mary's-Colgan themselves outscored their opponents 524-87 before their only loss to the Redmen of Smith Center. Between them, The Panthers and Redmen have combined to win the last eight 2-1A state titles.

The Redmen attracted national attention in the New York Times, ESPN, ABCNews, and The Kansas City Star because of their record score of 72-0 score over one opponent--after only playing the first quarter! Over the past several years, the Redmen have won 53 games in a row. During 2007, they scored a whopping 844 points compared to 20 by their opponents.

So what is and who is Smith Center, KS and Pittsburg, KS? (Girard, KS, too, who lost to St. Mary's-Colgan in a 42-41 double-overtime victory--a fantastically exciting game that I saw on September 21) Why are these students from small Kansas towns so successful in football, and presumably other things as well? Especially, why do the young men of the small Smith Center senior high school of 154 students win so grandly?

Wikipedia describes Smith Center as having less than 2,000 population, with about a third who are 65 years of age or older. In fact, the small north central Kansas town is home to the largest proportion of people over 85 in the country, with only twenty percent of the population under the age of 18. It is a very stable community with most of the residents being married couples living together. Only 6.1% of the population consists of a female householder with no husband present. The residents are not rich in money; Smith Center males had a median income amounting to only $25,833 versus $20,667 for females.

What seems to distinguish Smith Center residents is their cohesiveness (they all know one another), their peer- and elder-encouraged discipline, and the town's purposeful and outspoken ambition to raise good children. The New York Times reporter notes that the town wholeheartedly supports their football players and encourages good behavior by issuing player trading cards to the younger students.

The trading cards, for example, are not about hero worship. Each player and cheerleader signs a contract pledging to remain alcohol-, drug- and tobacco-free. If they break that promise, they must go to the elementary school to explain to the children why they were kicked off their team, and their cards are revoked.

The Redmen coach is quoted:

“What we do around here real well is raise kids. “In fact, we do such a good job at it — and I’m talking about the parents and community — that they go away to school and succeed, and then pursue opportunities in the bigger cities....What I hope we’re doing is sending kids into life who know that every day means something.”

When I heard about the successful Redmen, I remembered another team of a few years ago. That softball team won the state championship with a record of 40-0. The coach explained that only one student lived in a home without a father and mother (or stable step-parent). Winning students are always developed and encouraged by dedicated support from the community, especially parents and grandparents--just like Smith Center, Pittsburg' Catholic St. Mary's--Colgan, and Girard, KS. These communities incubate and nourish the religious and cultural ties and forces that develop winning futures for their children.

Lisi's Theory of Everything

God loves and created exceptional beauty in this world, and so I am intrigued by the new "theory of everything" developed by Dr. A. Garrett Lisi. He begins his paper with this observation:

Although it is interesting to consider that the universe may be the physical instantiation of all mathematics, there is a classic principle for restricting the possibilities: The mathematics of the universe should be beautiful. A successful description of nature should be a concise, elegant, unified mathematical structure consistent with experience.

Even if you don't understand elementary particles, you should marvel at Lisi's use of the exquisite E8 lattice (a 120-year old puzzle solved early this year by MIT) to unify gravity with electromagnetism and the strong and weak forces. [Better yet, take about 20 min to first explore The Particle Adventure, an excellent web introduction to elementary particles.] The rotating E8 lattice makes a remarkable 2-min YouTube video.

China Embracing Confucian Values?

Mercator.net makes a persuasive case that China is switching from Marxism-Leninism to Confucian values. The author from Hong Kong, Alberto Serna, appears to have good insights on how China is changing. Whether China becomes more favorable to Christianity is still a matter of conjecture, although it sounds more and more possible.

The rebirth of Confucian values is everywhere. The Chinese Government has fostered the creation of Confucius Institutes all over the world to promote Chinese language and culture; the curricula in schools and universities pay now more attention to the Chinese classics; it is becoming fashionable in the media to use expressions with Confucian undertones. One of the outstanding publishing success stories of the last few years has been the sale of almost four million copies of a simplified version of Confucius’s Analects.......

...Confucian ethics imposes reciprocal rights and duties on rulers and citizens. It demands obedience to authority, but imposes on the Government the duty of moral behaviour in favour of the people, to the point that it justifies rebellion against tyranny. They have begun a one-way trip away from Marxist ideology. Furthermore, the new generation of Chinese leaders believes that their first loyalty is to China and its people, not to the CPP. They have a deep sense of mission and responsibility rooted in the Confucian ideals of a good ruler -- even if the West views them as a despotic autocracy....

What lies ahead for China if it shrugs off its socialist ideology completely? It is difficult to say, but certainly 21st century China will be deeply influenced by more than 2,000 years of immersion in Confucian values. It will value strong authority; social hierarchies; political consensus; a political elite; and social meritocracy. Some of the forms of Western democracy, even universal suffrage, will exist, but it is likely that political power will continue in the hands of a political aristocracy that will still call itself Communist Party of China, at least for the next few decades.

Scavenger Hunt for Grandsons

The weather was great and we invited children and grandchildren over after Sunday Mass for smoked bacon, fried eggs, hash browns, waffles, fruit juice, and chocolate milk. Three women prepared the breakfast so that it was ready in less than half an hour. The family enjoys this time together--especially the young cousins.

After everyone had eaten, I found our metal detector and asked two of our sons-in-law to lead teams of grandsons on a scavenger hunt. The yard was divided into half--one side for one team of young boys and the other side reserved for the second team. Coin tosses were used to determine which team captain got to choose the first member and to select the half of the yard that was his.

At "Ready, get set, GO!," the first team was given 20 min to find the most interesting metal objects. Boys on the team took turns using the metal detector to find potential sites, while their teammates used shovels and trowels to unearth the treasure. The second team went next. The Dad team captains supervised the return of grass sod to its former positions, so no harm was done to the lawn.

Our grandsons had a great time as they found an old screwdriver, hammer head, spoon (as the years have gone by, my supply has dwindled), a rusty oven door, old barrel hoops, and various metal pieces.

Yes, the girls filmed the scavenger hunt. I hope someday this video will remind them of the fun they once had with their Dads and their boy cousins in Granddad's and Grandma's backyard.

Vacation!

Kansas Citians can easily go in all directions, 360 degrees, to find great places to vacation at low cost and within a short distance. Our family has done so frequently--especially when we used to camp with our children.

North: Omaha Zoo; eagles and geese at Swan Lake Refuge; St. Joseph historical sites; Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary at Denton, NB; the Strategic Air & Space Museum, and Indian Cave State Park--a favorite of my husband.

Southeast: The Ozark mountains with their beautiful fall-colored trees; Silver Dollar City; many great Branson shows; some of the nicest canoeing streams in the U.S., very large natural springs and fish hatcheries, and lots and lots of lakes and caves.

East: Small towns along the Missouri River; many hiking and biking trails; lakes and streams; and St. Louis and the Mississippi River.

West: Leavenworth and its historical Fort and frontier museum; KU's Natural History Museum--skip the fifth floor dedicated to the theory of evolution, but do see their collection of thousands of arrowheads, and don't miss their large panorama of animals and plants; the Flint Hills; and great fishing at several large Corps of Engineer impoundments.

This fall, our trip was to the southeast--to northern Arkansas and southern Missouri. I particularly enjoyed the fish hatchery and stream at Roaring River, the small state ferry across Norfolk Lake, seeing early morning canoers on the Buffalo River, finding a persimmon grove (see photo of large persimmons we picked and are eating daily), Blanchard Springs Caverns (discovered relatively recently, and well preserved and developed as a federal site), and an absolutely wonderful lunch buffet for $6.95 at Myrtie Mae's in Eureka Springs. Here are a few photos of our trip.

Pope is Moving Faster

Even though (or perhaps because) he is 80 years old, Pope Benedict is moving faster to implement his goals. The Telegraph's Damian Thompson describes how the Pope is "revealing his programme of reform. And it is breathtakingly ambitious."

The 80-year-old Pontiff is planning a purification of the Roman liturgy in which decades of trendy innovations will be swept away. This recovery of the sacred is intended to draw Catholics closer to the Orthodox and ultimately to heal the 1,000 year Great Schism. But it is also designed to attract vast numbers of conservative Anglicans, who will be offered the protection of the Holy Father if they covert en masse.

The liberal cardinals don't like the sound of it at all.

The full article is here.

Bored Children and Water Deprivation

Children get bored easily, don't they? At least my grandchildren do when they come to our house. They usually say there is nothing to do because their cousins were not invited too. Well, I've finally figured out the real reason why they are bored. They are WATER deprived! (And I don't mean nightly baths.)

Water is what it takes to keep children playing happily. Not too deep, and preferably running, although even still, clean, shallow water will keep a child with a cup occupied for at least half an hour. A water spray that also irrigates the lawn is good, but the combination of water and dirt is even better. Children's imaginations soar higher and higher as their hair, hands, and clothes get dirtier and dirtier. MUD, the favorite plaything of a child!

A small creek with running water is ideal, especially if crawdads, snails, and minnows can be found. A bag of concrete mix is also a fine toy to build a dam and create a small pool and waterfall. Don't forget the bucket. Water is only water until you add a bucket to a child's hand.

If the reader wants to raise happy children who are not bored and learn to use their imaginations, then make water a favorite plaything. Don't buy toys! Buy more water from the Water Utility (and detergent from WalMart!)

If you're a parent and don't have a nearby creek that is safe for children to play in, then build a shallow water garden with a pump to make water flow down around rocks. Kids love to play with rocks (their second best toy!), although you'll have to adjust to picking them out of the nearby grass before mowing.

Adding goldfish to the artificial pond is great, too. The water depth can be much less than the recommended 18 inches to 2 feet deep recommended for permanent goldfish. Simply replace these inexpensive yellow creatures as they die of exhaustion while playing with your children, or are caught and given to the family cat as a treat!

Gosh, I wish I was a child again with a small creek down the road. [Needless to say, 2- to 3-year olds can get into a lot of trouble with relatively shallow water. Consider safety first as you judge your children's suitability for different kinds of water playing. ]

Singing on Summer Evenings, a Long Time Ago

The other evening I shelled a bucket of small lima beans that had dried in a cardboard box in the garage. This time our house was silent--quite unlike the noisy times at my Grandma's farm when our families got together to shell fresh lima beans and place them in pint jars for selling at the City Market.

Best of all, shelling beans on a hot summer evening on my Grandma's front porch was where I learned to sing the songs that are reprinted in The Golden Book of Favorite Songs. An old friend recently sent me this memory of group singing in older times:

The Golden Book was used for all the "community meetings" in Ash Rock, and every home with a piano had one -- and used it. Schools did too. Everybody was familiar with everything in it. This practice of group singing at almost every public function (not only Church) was still the norm when we moved to the country -- a remnant of pre-REA days - no radio, no TV. People entertained themselves.

Shakedown and Shake Up

One recent late afternoon while looking at TV weather, a commercial interruption caused me to scan other channels, one of which was in the middle of an Oprah Winfry interview of Dr. Alvin Poussaint and Dr. Bill Cosby (yes, he has an earned doctorate). I've always liked Bill Cosby and he and Dr. Poussaint were being asked about a controversial feature of their recent book, Come On, People: On the Path from Victims to Victors--a home shakedown.

In a later Meet the Press interview with Tim Russert, Cosby and Poussaint expanded on how to protect black children from drugs, guns, and other modern evils. I was intrigued about the recommendation of random parental room "shakedowns" for both black and white children. See this clip of Cosby's discussion.



Did I ever thoroughly go through my childrens' rooms while they were growing up over 20 years ago? No, but my husband and I would probably perform an occasional shakedown today, especially if we saw unwelcome behavioral changes in the child. If we saw a gun, evidence of drug use, pornography, signs of immoral behavior, etc., then we could not avoid confronting this evil in our home.

Our first goal would be to "shake up" the child (yes, he is always my child and I will always want to protect him from being injured or killed--either spiritually or physically). He (or she) would be told in clear and forceful words that no material of a wicked nature is ever allowed in our home that is consecrated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. And the bad material would be publicly destroyed in front of the young person to clarify we meant business! Obviously, this would be only the first step--but this action is where we would have to start.

Christian Modesty

Christian modesty usually seems to refer to dressing decently and avoiding arousing the sexual instinct, unless married. Another form of Christian modesty is likely even more important and deals with hiding our gifts so that not even the right arm knows what the left arm is doing.

A couple of weeks ago, a friend told me about some of the wonderful things she does for others. Later she sent me this email explaining that she should have been silent about her good works, and also quoted a recent email she herself had received from a second friend.

I received the below email from a dear friend. It was most certainly meant for me to hear because when we were talking several nights ago I errored in revealing that I had helped other people when i should have kept it to myself. Her thoughts reflect mine, she just states it so beautifully. The woman who wrote converted to the Catholic Faith at Easter, 2007. She has a depth of holiness that is exceptional.

Signed: FRIEND

Dear FRIEND,

I want to apologize to you for having told you yesterday about giving out those prayer books to Fr. X’s laity……first of all, it wasn’t right for me to tell anyone about what I’m doing, because by doing that, I am seeking praise from others, which doesn’t belong to me. It belongs solely to God. I should only be concerned with pleasing God and I should keep things like that secret from everyone else. The second thing I want to apologize for is that I didn’t give glory to God when I told you about this yesterday…..He’s the one who’s blessing the laity; He’s just using me as an instrument to distribute the books, that’s all. I’m ashamed for having taking God’s glory of goodness away from Him yesterday. I know better than that.

I want you to also know that I’m not writing this letter to seek any more praise, but to let you know that I feel bad for what I did. Please accept my apology.

Signed: SECOND FRIEND

Letter to a Fallen-Away Goddaughter

Dear _______,

Your Mother told me she was very concerned about your physical danger and asked for prayers. It's very good news to know that you are all right.

My prior email that referred to the Didache, describing the way of Life and the way of Death, dealt with embracing truth or deceit. Truth means knowing God, knowing ourselves, distinguishing friends from enemies, and then learning about the rest of the world--in that order. Deceit means lying to ourselves and living in a world of spend-and-consume materialism and self-indulgent "feelings," which my husband contends are the bases for most social and spiritual problems.

You grew up in and were affected by the "If it feels good, do it!" world publicized by Jerry Rubin and Woodstock that advocated indiscriminate sex, the use of illegal drugs, and the abandonment of self-discipline and restraint. Worse, your Catholic education was an unfortunate byproduct of accepting portions of the "feel good" focus on one's self. The resulting societal evils that now challenge our younger generations are well described by a Catholic acquaintance of mine, Jack Cashell, who was interviewed extensively on TV yesterday evening. He penetrates and analyzes the always-advancing-to-the-pit California in his new book, What's the Matter with California. [Definitely read the extensive rebuttal to the Publishers' Weekly review comments--much further down the Amazon page.]

Until this past month, you were only being prayed for but not contacted. However, as you approach half your lifespan, you will likely begin to review your past life and may try to project your future. A "reality check" is a good basis for beginning the second half of your life.

Your mother, _______, and we pray almost daily for you to find a new life in Jesus Christ. He claims He is "the Way, the Truth, and the Life." So either Jesus is God (He says He is "I am Who am") or He is a liar. He can't be both. His Way and Life of truth and charity are either good or they are bad. Picking and choosing (cafeteria-style) what to believe and follow from His teachings pretends we have two masters--Jesus and ourself.

Living my life in imitation of Christ (or at least trying to most of the time) has given me so many good things that I often say to myself that "I am the most blessed and gifted person in the entire world!" That is what I want you to be able to say someday.

Love, Your Godmother (dustiam)

[The above email is sitting in my DRAFTS box. I'd appreciate reader comments before I send it to a beloved, fallen-away Catholic.]

Standing Outside in Tornadoes

My husband grew up in a rural farming community where his family's house had a nearby "cave" or root cellar buried in the ground. The two wooden doors to the sod-covered "cave" lay at an angle and could be lifted to either side, then pulled back down from the inside and latched during a storm.

Stone stairs led into a dark interior with a slightly arched ceiling and rock walls. The dirt floor was cool and damp. It was a good place for spiders when it was infrequently used. During my husband's early years, potatoes were normally stored there and retrieved on almost a daily basis. During warm months, the "cave" was the cool repository for milk because electrical or ice refrigeration was not available.

The "cave" also served as a storm shelter for the family. My husband's dad would keep his eyes to the southwest to track potential severe storms. Quite a few times, he would yell, "Time to go to the cave, boys. Hurry!" And lots of kids would run outside the house, often in their pajamas, to descend into the dark protective environment of the "cave." No one wanted to stand outside in a tornado.

The past 40 years have been similar to living through tornadoes. Severe storms have weakened the structures of the church and society, and families have had to protect themselves by going into "caves." This situation still prevails today.

So what is the modern equivalent of a spiritual "cave" or catacomb? Homeschooling and private, parent controlled schools are spiritually protective environments that are used by many families. Isolated Latin Mass communities are also "caves", although they have a much wider purpose and important future in the Church.

The most important "cave" is the family home itself. Shed of secular media such as TV, popular magazines, and rock music, the home is the protected nursery for the future generation of solid and productive citizens who understand God's purpose in creating them and try to follow His laws.

What happens if you try to stand outside in a spiritual tornado and withstand the modernist whirlwinds? The past 40 years is filled with large numbers of parents who tried to do this and their children were blown away! Sometimes all of them. Even well-formed parents were lost to the storm. They thought they could stand outside in a tornado.

I tell my grandchildren that they are the descendants of "old country" people who were smart enough to leave their homes and go to "caves" to avoid storms that could destroy them--either spiritually or physically. Our family knows well that several of their male ancestors came to this country to avoid the destruction of European wars. Their "cave" was a "new country," the United States of America. Our ancestral young potential draftees required by European armies avoided having their genetic links to the future being destroyed. That's the reason our family members now exist.

KU Latin Mass

The Lawrence Journal World has an article on the Revival of the old Latin Mass offered last Sunday at the KU Catholic student center. Fr. Steven Beseau, the Catholic Chaplain, is quoted:

It’s certainly more of a transcendent experience,” Beseau says. “There’s something mysterious, a greater contact with the divine in the traditional Latin Mass. That’s not to say that doesn’t happen in the new Mass, but the focus is more about a community gathered and not on God.”

Beseau says the Mass may become a regular occurrence, if there’s enough interest.

“Most older people have an aversion to the Latin Mass. They see it as a reversion to their childhood,” Beseau says. “Young people are very open to it. They’re very curious.”

China and "Trajan's Rescript"

My last post on Christianity in China indicated that a new "Trajan's Rescript" might "mark the end of China's old system of uncompromising hostility to the Church." To clarify, "Trajan's Rescript" from the old Roman Empire was not favorable to the Church, as is detailed in this short discussion taken from NETBible. Rather it was a moderation of severe Roman persecution of Christians, similar to the somewhat lessened persecution of the Church by Chinese officials of the past few years, including the recent announcement that China will provide places of Catholic worship at the 2008 Olympic Village.

On the death of Domitian peace was restored to the Christian church which lasted throughout the brief reign of Nerva (96-98) and the first 13 years of Trajan. It is a curious fact that some of the best of the Roman emperors (Trajan, Marcus Aurelius, Decius and Diocletian) were harsh to the Christians, while some of the worst (as Commodus, Caracalla, Heliogabalus) left them in peace (see PERSECUTION, 17). Christianity had been rapidly spreading in the interval of tranquillity.

Pliny became governor of Bithynia in 111 AD and found, especially in the eastern part of his province, the temples almost deserted. Some Christians were brought before him and on established precedents were ordered to be executed for their religion. But Pliny soon discovered that many of both sexes and all ages, provincials and Roman citizens, were involved. The Roman citizens he sent to Rome for trial; but being of a humane disposition he shrank from carrying out the wholesale execution required by a consistent policy.

He wrote to Trajan telling him what he had already done, rather covertly suggesting tolerant measures. Should no distinction be made between old and young? Should pardon not be extended to those who recanted and worshipped the emperor's image and cursed Christ? Should mere profession (nomen ipsum) be a capital offense if no crimes could be proven, or should the crimes rather be punished that were associated with the faith (an flagitia cohaerentia nomini)?

He then explains his procedure: he gave those who were accused an abundant opportunity of recanting; those who persisted in this faith were executed. He considered their "stubbornness and inflexible obstinacy" (pertinaciam certe et inflexibilem obstinationem) as in itself deserving punishment. But the administration having once interfered found plenty to do. An anonymous list of many names was handed in, most of whom, however, denied being Christians. Informers then put forward others who likewise denied belonging to the faith.

Pliny was convinced their meetings were harmless, and on examination of two deaconesses under torture discovered nothing but a perverse extravagant superstition (sup. pravam immodicam). Trajan replied that no universal and definite rule could be laid down, apparently confirming the correctness of Pliny's action and perhaps disappointing Pliny in not yielding to his humane suggestions.

Nevertheless, the emperor made three important concessions: (1) the Christians were not to be sought out by the police authorities, but if they were accused and convicted they must be punished; (2) anonymous information against them was not to be accepted; (3) even those suspected of flagitia in the past were to be pardoned on proving they were not Christians or on renouncing Christianity.

Some regard this rescript of Trajan as the first official and legal authorization to proscribe Christianity; but we have already seen that Christianity as such was proscribed as a result of the Neronian investigations. Besides, there is not the slightest trace of any new principle of severity, either in the letters of Pliny or in the rescript of Trajan. The persecution of Christianity had been "permanent" like that of highwaymen, but not systematic or general. Neither was Trajan's rescript an edict of toleration, though on the whole it was favorable to the Christians in minimizing the dangers to which they were exposed. The question was as yet purely one of administration.

Trajan initiated no procedure against Christians--in fact rather discouraged any, asking his lieutenant to close his eyes to offenders--and Pliny consulted him in the hope of obtaining milder treatment for the Christians by putting in question form what he really wished to be approved. Trajan's rescript "marks the end of the old system of uncompromising hostility."

Is China still persecuting the Church? Yes, there are many underground Bishops and priests still under arrest, religious pilgrimages are still forbidden and attacked, and living a good and open Christian life is very difficult in most of China, especially because of their "one child" policy.

However, an even more important issue might be that no Bishops have been permitted by the Vatican to be ordained in many years for the underground Church in China. The September 2007 newsletter of the Cardinal Kung Foundation points out a potential consequence of a very risky Papal venture:

The underground Church is rapidly to become extinct because the Holy See has not appointed any new bishops in the underground Church for the last 10 years or so. Currently, only approximately 31 underground bishops remain. Of the 31, 20 are more than 80 years old, and 6 are between 70-80 years old. There are only 5 underground bishops who are under 70 years old! Obviously, without the ordination of any new underground bishops, within the next five years, in keeping with standard mortality statistics, few underground bishops will remain. Thus, the Pope’s emphasis on unity will ring hollow when within 5 or 10 years, there will be a single-digit number of underground bishops. By that time, there will be only the official Patriotic Church’s bishops shepherding the Catholic Church in China. With whom does the Holy See wish the official CPA-controlled Church to unite?

Without the appointment of new bishops in the underground Church, the suffering underground Roman Catholic Church, whose members will have by then experienced more than 60 years of severe persecution for their Faith to God and for their total obedience and loyalty to successive Popes, will finally be de-facto eliminated, not by the Chinese communists, but by the Holy See itself by virtue of its refusal to appoint any more underground bishops. Rome would possibly lose the loyalty and obedience of tens of millions proven faithful in China who have suffered immeasurably for the Successor of Peter.

The entire issue of the Cardinal Kung Newsletter needs to be read to understand the difficulties of the Catholic Church in China. So does a current article in AsiaNews that focuses on Hu Jintao's "harmonious society." We need to pray for Pope Benedict XVI as he tries to obtain increased freedom of the Church to operate in China. Undoubtedly, we do not know all that he knows, but I suspect he understands that China will be the next Roman Empire with its economic and military might. Consequently, China's conversion to following the one true God and His Church is absolutely required for our future world and civilization.

Pope Benedict XVI and Chinese Premier Hu Jintao

I listened on TV to President Hu Jintao's long opening address at the 17th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party on October 15, 2007, [full address] and observe some similarities between the situations of Pope Benedict XVI and Chinese Premier and President Hu Jintao. Is there is a real sea change in progress for Chinese society and their government? I hope so, even though I also am reminded that past Soviet leaders and Cuba's Fidel Castro at times made somewhat similar statements that looked good on the surface, but which roots originated in the false view of our relationship to God.

The similarities that I see between Benedict XVI and Hu Jintao mostly revolve around their dealing with the aftereffects of serious mismanagement of their Church and country. Hu said Mao's theory of class struggle was an erroneous theory, and that Marxism must be adapted to the culture of China. [These comments, by themselves, represent a real break with Chinese communism over the past 60 years!] In contrast, Benedict XVI is dealing with the error of Modernism. However, both men are aware they could lose command by going too fast in overcoming past errors. Another similarity is that both rely, more than recent past leadership, on the strong historical foundations of their organizations--China's history for Hu, and the Church's tradition by Benedict XVI.

Both leaders have shown in the past they are capable of dealing effectively with rebellious elements to maintain the security of their respective organizations. Both clearly point out problems caused by recent leaders, yet still acknowledge and even praise those former leaders--probably so as not to lose the historical credibility upon which their own authority stands.

Here are some of Jintao's words that caught my attention:

• Continue and expand China's opening-up program
• "Socialism with Chinese characteristics..." [Seeming to imply that the prior understanding of socialism was not reflective of China. Yet, take this with a grain of salt because he continued to reference Marxism and Leninism.]
• "expand people's democracy and ensure that the people are the masters of the country" [the word 'democracy' was used 60 times during the speech, often with illustrations.]
• insure the "rule of law" [used quite a few times, including "In principle, public hearings must be held for the formulation of laws, regulations and policies that bear closely on the interests of the public." Also apparently refers to governmental checks and balances.]
• "... improve institutions of democracy, diversify its forms and expand its channels to guarantee people's rights to information and participation." [Does this refer to internet access?]
• "Power must be exercised in the sunshine to ensure that it is exercised correctly." [That would be a definite change, but can it happen in a communist government?]
• "As an important part of China's overall reform, political restructuring must be constantly deepened along with economic and social development to adapt to the growing enthusiasm of the people for participation in political affairs." [This also may refer to an improved governmental system of checks and balances.]

Surprisingly, Premier Hu Jintao promised to appoint more non-communists to high level positions within the Chinese government. Perhaps more importantly, he also stated "Promoting harmony in relations between political parties, between ethnic groups, between religions [???], between social strata, and between our compatriots at home and overseas plays an irreplaceable role in enhancing unity and pooling strengths." The phrase "harmonious development" appears consistently in Hu's speeches, so much so that Chinese Catholics now insist that Christianity contributes a good basis for "harmonious development" of their nation. Perhaps they understand that their new "Roman emperor" could be more favorable to Christianity than past leaders, and that a new Trajan's rescript could mark the end of old system of uncompromising hostility to the Church.

SCIENTIFIC MATERIALISM still seems to be the greatest error as China's market economy expands under a revised Marxist socialism. Premier Hu Jintao promised a lot of bread to the Chinese people on October 15, 2007 in his 5-year report to the Communist Party of China. Bread to the people, as Nero promised to the Romans!

As background, Hu always emphasizes his list of "Eight Honors and Disgraces."

Love the country, do it no harm;
Serve the people, never betray them;
Follow science [the Word of GOD!], discard superstition;
Be diligent, not indolent;
Be united, help each other, make no gains at other's expense;
Be honest and trustworthy, do not sacrifice ethics for profit;
Be disciplined and law-abiding, not chaotic and lawless;
Live plainly, work hard, do not wallow in luxuries and pleasures.

As can be seen above, only one word needs to be changed to make it a reasonable list of natural virtues. Perhaps Hu can someday redefine science as the "Word of God" just has he seems to have redefined Marxist socialism.

Exercise and the Outdoors

I need outdoor exercise to give me the mental and physical boost that I need when I feel tired of being indoors. I always feel so much better after I've walked, gardened, or played a sport. The exercise reminds me of past days spent playing softball, volleyball, horseshoes, and running. Exercise even makes me feel younger than I am, especially if I don't overdo it and injure anything! At my age it just takes too long for an injury to heal.

One of our daughters and her husband recently went on a bike ride in rural Missouri. The farmland was mostly flat with gravel roads laid out on mile by mile squares. Missouri streams occasionally cut through adjacent pasture land and swampy areas. The day started out sunny and refreshing.

I found an extra bicycle found in their large garage, even though I haven't ridden for several years. When my husband saw what I was contemplating, he decided to ride too. So grandparents, parents, and grandchildren criss-crossed several gravel roads for one to two hours. I saw only two farm vehicles during the entire time.

The weather quickly turned warm and windy, and I got very thirsty. Leaving the others, I returned home the first. Loading the car with cold bottles of water, I hosted a popular "Sag Wagon" of refreshment so the rest of the family riders could complete their tour comfortably.

I'm really going to miss these wonderful and warm days in the coming winter months. That's when I'll look at the computer screen to be tempted by ads for travel to New Zealand and Australia!

Catholic Traditional Latin Mass

The old Latin Mass will be offered by a priest of the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest on Sunday, October 21, at 12:30 pm on the campus of the University of Kansas in Lawrence, KS. Fr. Steven Beseau is director of the St. Lawrence Catholic Center and has invited the Missa Cantata to be sung in the chapel by Fr. Denis Buchholz of the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest. Fr. Buchholz is the current rector of the old Latin Mass community at Old St. Patrick Oratory in Kansas City.

The University of Kansas was the site of many traditional Catholic vocations to the priesthood and conversions to the true Faith while Dr.'s Senior, Quinn, and Nelick taught their Pearson Integrated Humanities Program in the 1970's. In fact, there would be no Clear Creek Monastery in Oklahoma without the conversions and priests engendered by the Pearson Program. The current Bishop of Salina, KS also attended the program, as did certain priests of the Kansas City, MO, Kansas City, KS, and Wichita dioceses. In addition, more than a few alumni of the Pearson Program became priests and monks in old traditional Catholic monasteries and convents in France.

I heard Dr. John Senior give an address at a Catholics United for the Faith meeting at a parish in south Kansas City during the mid-1970's. The thin professor who had himself been a convert to the Catholic faith, and appeared to me to walk a difficult spiritual path few mortals take. He was well known for his support of the old Latin Mass, and so it is appropriate that Kansas University is the location of one of the first archdiocesan Masses offered in the 1984 Latin rite under Summorum Pontificum.

I remember hearing that the three professors were very good at embedding a desire to search for, and find and love truth, in their students. Once I watched Dr. Senior and Dr. Quinn (or perhaps it was Dr. Nelick?) argue vigorously in a large auditorium. I'm not sure of the subject but it was undoubtedly about a position relating to the foundation of Western Civilization that was also debated by ancient peoples.

In the debate I heard, Dr. Senior took the affirmative position and Dr. Quinn took the negative position. All the possible views of the subject seemed to be explored. The 45-min exploration easily demonstrated to listeners the errors of particular points and the truths of others. Consequently, even though Catholicism was never advertised, the students eventually wondered about the personal beliefs of the genial, yet stalwart professors. When students asked questions, answers were given, and I remember hearing the program was responsible for keeping a convert class conducted by old Fr. Moriarity full with at least 40 students each semester.

Things went along fairly well in the first couple of years, but then some parents, rather powerful, realized that more than a few of their children were embracing the Catholic faith. Years later, one of the priests who came from the Pearson Program came back to Kansas City to say Mass at a local parish. He had been estranged from his Jewish family for many, many years, and his sister had agreed to meet him after the morning Mass. I won't forget the woman who came up to me as I was leaving the church and asked, "I'm looking for my brother. He's DRESSED LIKE A CATHOLIC PRIEST."

The University, betraying its liberality, caused the program to die in about 1979. A key element of the betrayal was to deny the Pearson Program access to the names and addresses of entering freshmen. But other roadblocks were also successfully used by the University. Yet so much had been accomplished in the very short eight years of the Program that a book would be required to describe it all. May the Church eventually acknowledge the sanctity, love, and courage exhibited by Dr. John Senior during the worst time of the Devil's Playground in the Church of the 1970's.

Piero Marini's Departure; Guido Marini's Ascendence

"Monsignor Guido Marini will replace Archbishop Piero Marini as the pope’s Master of Ceremonies, meaning the official in charge of how the pope celebrates the Mass and the other rites of the church"

reports John L. Allen, Jr. of NCR Cafe. Yes, I loathe the newspaper, but not Allen. Check out Allen's full article which does an excellent job of explaining why the Pope's Masses in different parts of the world have been full of outrageous behaviors. You won't be too surprised once you find out the the departing Archbishop Piero Marini used to be the

"personal secretary to Archbishop Annibale Bugnini, head of the special Vatican commission that oversaw liturgical reform."

Madonna's Conversion

For quite a while, I've prayed that the singer, Madonna, would have a conversion and return to the Catholic church. It would seem to be a great conversion story. However as the years have passed, I've come to realize that if she did convert, no one would believe her. Especially because her notoriety is based on shocking change after change to engender additional publicity.

Madonna's mother died of breast cancer when she five years old, leaving six children. Did Madonna grieve? I'm sure she did, but her personality is such that I would bet that very quickly she became angry--ANGRY at God for taking her mother. Children can make promises at a very young age. Did Madonna tell God that she would be His adversary because of her Mother? I don't know, but I wouldn't be surprised, considering the life Madonna has led.

Madonna's anger might have resembled that of a nice young man of about 17 years, Justin, who told me recently his favorite Grandpa had died about three months ago. Justin said he had stopped going to church because God took his Grandpa. Fortunately, an older man has talked to Justin about God's providence and wisdom, even in death. Justin said he has let go of his anger and returned to worshiping God.

So, what if my prayers are not answered and Madonna dies while still angry with God (if she actually is angry). I believe God gave his grace (perhaps a little because of my prayers), to another public person who would have a much more profound religious conversion, John C. Wright. I've mentioned this well-known author before because he is well-read and knowledgeably combats the relativism, hedonism, and atheism of today's world in posts that are interspersed with writing about science fiction. Frankly, Wright is a much better catch for God than would be Madonna. If you haven't visited Wright's daily journal (blog), please check it out. He isn't all there, yet, but seems to be following much the same path as C.S. Lewis once did.

BTW, I'll still continue praying for Madonna's conversion, even if an actual change of life cannot be believed as being genuine by anyone.