For those who criticize the Church, particularly about the sexual abuse by priests, it would be interesting to ask: “What about you?” Not to accuse these critics of being molesters themselves, but to ask as Christ did, “Let the one among you who has no sin be the first to cast a stone.” (John 8:7) The message was, of course, that we are all sinners, so finger-pointing is a bit hypocritical. Jesus taught us to love our neighbors, not to... Read more
The Consistent Life Network posted a blog on June 6, 2023, by Dr. Jacqueline Abernathy, a public policy and social work expert and political activist. Her essay was about how people determine who in society deserves assistance, or even life itself. http://consistent-life.org/blog/index.php/2023/06/06/deserving-and-undeserving/ The article starts with a quote from Dorothy Day: “The Gospel takes away our right, forever, to discriminate between the deserving and undeserving poor.” Dr. Abernathy contends that the American political Left and Right have labeled “entire groups... Read more
In a previous blog, I described Perinatal Hospice, which is the process that helps parents to make a loving plan for the death of a preborn child with a fatal condition. https://www.patheos.com/blogs/musingsfromthepew/2021/09/blogs-musingsfromthepew-p272/ I also wrote a blog about the lack of accurate information and medical advice given to parents whose preborn child has serious medical issues or a fatal diagnosis. https://www.patheos.com/blogs/musingsfromthepew/2021/11/incompatible-with-life-prenatal-diagnoses-and-options/ After those posts, I read an article by a woman I know who has been through the wrenching experience... Read more
Have you felt ignored by the media as a person of faith? I know the answer to that one: a bitter laugh and a “Duh, yeah!” A new study, released on September 20, by the Faith and Media Initiative confirms that there is a big gap between the religious/spiritual coverage people want and what is provided by the various forms of media. Some of my friends say they have stopped watching the news. I’ve always thought that choice was an... Read more
If you want to understand the theory behind the Consistent Life Ethic (CLE) as well as how to practice it, Aimee Murphy’s book, Rehumanize: A Vision to Secure Human Rights for All, is a vital resource. In a previous blog, I discussed the fact that the Consistent Life Ethic is part of Catholic teaching. Consequently, Catholics, in particular, should be interested in Murphy’s book. https://www.patheos.com/blogs/musingsfromthepew/2021/09/consistent-life-is-catholic/ In a relatively thin volume, Murphy manages to explain CLE with clarity and simplicity. It’s... Read more
We often hear the expression “comfort food,” which refers to the kind of food that makes you feel comforted, as if all is right with the world. It’s familiar and a favorite. Would you believe that having a religious statue can give you much the same feeling? In a previous blog, I recommended having Catholic items in your home because doing so “will reinforce your faith and provide comfort. They are needed reminders of what you believe and who you... Read more
Free will was granted to every human because The Creator didn’t desire automatons but a people who would choose to love God freely—or not. After all, you can’t force someone to love you. Love must be freely given, or it is not love at all. Free will means that humans have the power to make their own choices between good and evil. However, that does not mean that choosing sin is okay just because you have the right to choose... Read more
Considering the massive amount of misinformation purposely spread by pro-abortion propagandists since the overturn of Roe, I would like to review a recent, must-read interview that discusses the most debated hard-case issues. The subject of the interview by author and professor Charles Camosy was Dr. John Bruchalski, a pro-life OB/GYN. What is unique about Bruchalski is not only that he is a Catholic expert in high-risk pregnancies, but also that he used to perform abortions. https://www.pillarcatholic.com/p/life-affirming-care-and-the-hardest?r=na2ey&utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email Bruchalski said that he... Read more
The world is still struggling with the COVID pandemic, and we have a worldwide slaughter of unborn children continuing. Beyond that, we have another epidemic: pornography. This social cancer is destroying the health of families and relationships. Most people are unaware of the severity of the pornography problem. Porn is treated as if it is just a harmless, rite-of-passage anecdote that gets a wink and a laugh. However, porn is very pervasive in, and damaging to, our society. The Astounding... Read more
God truly works in mysterious ways. One of God’s sneakier methods is to select someone for a job who seems quite unfit, then make that square peg nestle into the round hole until it miraculously seems to belong there. At my parish, we desperately needed someone to provide the music for the 8:30 (and only) English Mass. Our Eucharistic Minister, on learning that I once played piano, urged (commanded?) me to play at chuch. While I have a piano at... Read more
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