This is a political ad from Nevada Senate candidate Sharron Angle. Look at it. It would be hard to find a more race-baiting, xenophobic, anti-immigrant ad – even in this crazy season. Would a Catholic support this? If you are the Thomas Peters-linked Catholic Vote, then the answer is yes, enthusiastically so. For this outfit claims to “use the teachings of the Church to make critical judgments about which candidates deserve our vote”. And Angle is their number 2 candidate,... Read more
Over the past few Sundays, we have heard a strong social justice message, from the prophet Amos as well as from the Gospel. I thought I would share this reflection from Pope Benedict from three years ago, the last occurrence of these cycle C readings. In his remarks, he teaches clearly that serving the poor has a social as well as a personal dimension, and that the ordering of the economy matters: “Christ did not enrich us with his wealth, but... Read more
I wonder how many of us pray before we enter the blogosphere. Before we sit down and write out comments or write a post, do we ask the Holy Spirit to guide us? My Spiritual Director told me to begin praying before I write and I still have to remind myself to do it. I often times forget until after the fact. I wonder why it is so difficult to ask God to be a part of this community. I... Read more
Everybody’s favorite right-wing Catholic attack dog is continuing his dogged pursuit of fake Catholic groups, or as he puts it, “Catholyc astroturf groups”. I would like to draw your attention not to the target of his ire, but the argument he makes. He refer to a statement by bishop Broglio as follows: “In his Monday statement, Archbishop Broglio explained that according to canon law a group may call itself Catholic if it has been approved by a bishop or recognized by the Holy See... Read more
If you really want to see the utter depravity of the individualist mindset that dominates the Republican party, look at the video of Sharron Angle, the Nevada Senate candidate. In it, she lashes out at having to pay insurance premiums for things she is never going to need. Why should she pay for “autism”, she says? And since she is never going to have another baby, why should she pay for maternity coverage? If the pro-life movement had any integrity, they... Read more
I posted a version of this yesterday at Religious Rhetorics, but I think it may hold some interest for Vox Nova’s readers, too. In it, I offer a reflection on education, politics, and the ever fascinating rhetoric of American Catholicism. In particular, I’m interested in an interview that aired Wednesday between Minnesota Public Radio’s Tom Crann and Archbishop of St. Paul and Minneapolis John Nienstedt, the topic of which was a DVD being mailed (by the Archdiocese, funded by an... Read more
Since Christians willingly died instead of denounce their faith, some pagan critics asked whether or not Christians should just kill themselves off. That is, if they valued the world so little, and believed they would gain eternal glory, why wait? St Justin Martyr, in the fourth chapter of his Second Apology, responded: But lest some one say to us, “Go then all of you and kill yourselves, and pass even now to God, and do not trouble us,” I will... Read more
The latest GOP manifesto reads like a comedy but is really more of a tragedy. It does absolutely nothing to address this country’s pressing problems, and it does nothing for the common good. It represents a deterioration into cynical unseriousness. No adults were welcome on the drafting committee. It basically calls for a repeal of recent Democratic accomplishments, and a return to Bush-era politics, all dressed up in meaningless mantras. On the specifics, let me outsource to others: Jonathan Bernstein... Read more
As indication for what I hope to soon post on Vox Nova, I present two texts. To the casual reader, the relationship between them might not be obvious. Yet, once my series on Sophia is done, I hope the reader will come to understand why these two texts, from two religious traditions, relate together and point to one of the great mysteries of God. Does not wisdom call, does not understanding raise her voice? On the heights beside the way,... Read more
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