July 31, 2005
Loft
Although it is not 100% done, it is 95% done, and this is what it looks like so far...
If the picture doesn't show up, just go to:
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/cr3do84@sbcglobal.net/detail?.dir=443b&.dnm=eb07.jpg
Posted by cr3do1 at 02:17 PM | Comments (1)
July 29, 2005
Ireland
BBC NEWS | UK | Northern Ireland | IRA says armed campaign is over
So, the IRA has put down its weapons again. Hopefully this helps move the peace process in Ireland along. Hopefully one day there will be one fully united Ireland, instead of most free and part occupied. Although this is just the begining of problems for Ireland.
The Church needs to be more pro-active in re-evangelizing the nation. They need another Saint Patrick, with the same faith and zeal. All it takes is one Bishop to ignite them all.
The Irish Church helped save Western Civilization at one time. Such a legacy should not be forgotten in Ireland.
Posted by cr3do1 at 11:34 PM | Comments (0)
The Vatican v. Isreal
Seattle Post-Intelligencer: AP - Middle East
It seems as though the State of Isreal is in a diplomatic war with The Holy See. I think Isreal's reaction is a bit over done. What has Isreal done for the Church? When has she apologized for her discimination of Christians? When has she apologized for the fighting going on in the Holy Land which has scared Christian Pilgrims away?
Everyone seems to always want the Church to apologize to them, but are not willing to apologize to the Church for their wrongs against her.
You will never please everyone...
Posted by cr3do1 at 11:21 PM | Comments (0)
Gregorian Chant
Here is a cool webpage which has the Chants for just about every Sunday and every Solemnity and Feast. It is a pretty neat site for listening to, and learning the Chant propers of the Mass for days throughout the year.
Posted by cr3do1 at 11:14 PM | Comments (0)
Stem Cell Research II
After checking with EWTN, Adult Stem Cell Research, Umbilical Cord, Animal, etc are all legit forms of Stem Cell Research, because in these cases a human being is not dieing to save another. The dignity of the human person is being respected, and thus this is an OK form of research to help with the treatment of diseases.
I thought I would just let you know my theology wasn't off...
Well, off to Holy Mass.
Pax et Bonum.
Posted by cr3do1 at 08:08 AM | Comments (0)
July 28, 2005
Stem Cell Research
Over at the Drudge Report, it is being reported that Bill Frist will support Stem Cell Research. I have always found some discrepancies in the way the Church's view was presented on this matter, so I will present it the way I see it. If I am wrong, someone please correct me.
It is often said on FoxNews, CNN, etc that the Church opposes Stem Cell Research. This is an utter lie. The Church opposes Embryonic Stem Cell Research, because destroying one human being for the benefit of another is not moral and a grave evil. Just like you can't take a heart from a living person to save another, so you can't destroy a little baby just to take its stem cells and give to someone else.
The Church, as far as I know, has no issue with Adult Stem Research, Animal Research, Umbilical Cord, or the like because no grave moral evil is being done. A human life is not being destroyed, in these cases, to save another. These cases have all proved to work, only one case which I have mentioned has yielded no fruit, and that is Embryonic Stem Cell Research. Not one success has yet to be reported.
Of course, Bush will be blamed for this, because he did not allow proper federal funding. However, with the funding provided, with other countries running tests, with private companies running tests, should not at least one success story have been found? There is no future with Embryonic Stem Cell Research. Not only is it immoral, but it has no fruits.
What is moral, has proven to work. So why not focus in on this? Why be set on the immoral?
Now, I don't know what Bush allows for in his funding, and the like. I don't know this whole topic that well. If everyone's issue is that Bush doesn't fund Stem Cell Research in adults or animals, then maybe they do have an issue. If their issue is he won't fund Stem Cell Research on Babies, then they have no issue. Just like the President can not fund the taking of a heart from one live patient to another, he can not fund this.
Off the Morality and into Politics, I think another question which deserves asked is, does the Federal Government have any business even funding this in the first place? Moral or not? Stem Cell Research is certainly no where to be found in the Constitution. We all know that what the Constitution does not mention is a matter left to the States. For example, the Education of Children is not mentioned ONCE in the Constitution. Education is thus a reserve red power to the States, so why is there a Department of Education in the Federal Government? The Constitution set out very clearly what the role of the Federal Government is, and what powers it has. Everything else is reserved to the States. This principle has been ignored since at least Franklin D. Roosevelt. The Federal Government is always seeking power in places it simply doesn't have any. So, my question is, does the Federal Government have the right or the power to spend Tax Money on any form of Stem Cell Research? Maybe is does, maybe it doesn't, but without all the ethical and moral considerations, I would say no. In fact, I would have to say that our Federal Government itself is unconstitutional. Everyone says they do not trust the Government, especially Democrats (well Republicans equally too), so why on earth would anyone want the Federal Government to be involved in every part of their life? These are issues which will not be answered in my lifetime, but there is a Constitutional Crisis in this country, and it results from the fact that people fear the government but can't seem to get enough of it, all at the same time...
Just my two cents on the issue. In conclusion, not only is Embryonic Stem Cell Research Immoral, I don't believe the Federal Government has the authority to fund such research. This is not supposed to be a Socialistic Society where the Government has its hand in everything. We were not founded to be such, but we are slowly be transformed into one by the likes of Kennedy, Clinton, the Air Line Industries, etc. If this is what we want, then the Constitution needs to be amended or discarded.
I am open to criticism on this, I have mixed feelings at times about some of the things I said about the Constitution, but this is what I feel tonight so this is what I said LOL. Regardless, Embryonic Stem Cell Research is immoral and should not be funded by the Federal Government, by any Government, and should not be done. It is also going no where, and is useless murdering of little babies just because the Pro-Abortion lobby wants to see it done to help legitimize abortion.
Posted by cr3do1 at 11:23 PM | Comments (0)
Back to School Shopping
Unfortunately every good thing must come to an end, and today marks the beginning of the end. I went back to school shopping...
It is always a sad day in the world when these days come around, and you realize the world of reading boring things, papers, and tests is just around the corner. I am already contemplating and waiting for Christmas Break, you know it is bad when you aren't even in school yet and you are waiting for Christmas Break.
Like many before me, however, I shall persevere and conquer the mad professors. They may have won this battle, but the war is far from over...
Be sober, be watchful! For your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, goes about seeking someone to devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same suffering befalls your brethren all over the world... - 1 Peter 5:8-9
Posted by cr3do1 at 11:01 PM | Comments (1)
July 27, 2005
More on the Supreme Court
It has been confirmed to me that Judge Roberts wife has been very active in the Right to Life Movement. This is a good thing. She is also a devout Catholic, which is a good thing. He is also Catholic, I assume devout, but no one has really gone that far yet.
Yesterday, Alberto Gonzalez said that a Supreme Court Justice is not bound by previous court rulings, like Roe v Wade. This has made me think of the possible reason why John Roberts, while up for confirmation as a lower court judge, would have said that he believes Roe v Wade is the decided law of the land. It is possible he said this, because as a lower court judge he would have been bound to the unjust ruling. As a Supreme Court Justice, however, he is free to decided as he pleases. Gonzalez may have been signaling to Pro-Life groups that this is the case. (Although it would be weird for him to be doing it, since he himself is Pro-Death).
However, this is interesting. That quote of Roberts can be explained.
The most recent news, which may not even be true, is that some are claiming that Roberts told them that he would rule without the influence of his Catholic faith.
Oh well, should be interesting to see what happens. Who knows...
Posted by cr3do1 at 09:15 PM | Comments (2)
Computer Issues
So, I was having some serious computer related problems, and I could not figure out what was wrong. The CPU was over-heating, the system was very unstable, and it was moving much slower then I liked. So today, I figured I would finally use one of my extended warranty hoaxes that Electronic Stores and others convince you to buy.
So, they wanted me to leave my computer in some weird state for 24 hours, and I later decided this to be dumb advice, so I ignored it. The advice that seemed to work however was simply just blowing into the holes that provide cooling for the CPU. Since then, my computer has been working perfectly and hasn't even made a peep. This experience, although it took the extended warranty guy to tell me to blow in the holes, has only confirmed for me that these extended warranties are not worth it and I shall never buy them again. I spent $200 for them to tell me to blow into two holes... Hardly seems worthy it.
Every other solution they told me to try I either are did, or proved to be fruitless.
The moral of the story: these service plans stink!
Posted by cr3do1 at 09:09 PM | Comments (0)
July 25, 2005
The Pro-Life World rejoiced...
Supreme Court nom Roberts gives assurances -senator - Yahoo! News
My suspicions become more and more confirmed...
If Roberts turns out to be another Souter, will Bush have anyone left to like when he is finished with this term?
Posted by cr3do1 at 07:35 PM | Comments (0)
July 24, 2005
Drudge Report Exclusive!
Hillary Clinton to support Roberts confirmation...
*side note* I'm still not sold on this nomination... *end side note*
Posted by cr3do1 at 10:09 PM | Comments (0)
Firefox
Ok, so once a year or so I get frustrated with Internet Explorer and decide that I will never return to the evil empire that is Microsoft. Of course I realize that it is nearly impossibly considering the monopoly that Microsoft has when it comes to the world of the PC. However, I still retreat from using Internet Explorer and use Firefox. Well, it is that time of a year again. So, I will put in my yearly pitch for FireFox and let that be that, and in a month or so I will go crawling back to Internet Explorer for one reason or the other.
Use FireFox, it is easier, simpler, and not as threat prone as the massive Internet Explorer. It is configurable, and faster then IE too. It is being downloaded everyday by thousands of people fleeing from the Evil Empire. So yes, downloaded FireFox and be see the light.
This message has been brought to by me...
Download from:
http://www.mozilla.org/products/firefox/
We will return to our regularly scheduled event shortly, right after a message from our sponsors... (also known as, I am going on a walk right now)
Posted by cr3do1 at 08:13 PM | Comments (2)
July 23, 2005
The Atomic Bomb
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=514&e=3&u=/ap/20050724/ap_on_re_us/world_war_ii_poll
This article is about the dropping of the Atomic Bomb on the Japanese. A question in the article asks whether it was justified, with most Americans saying that it was justified and neccessary. However. This single event has dictated the way the world has been shapped in the 60 years since the event.
First of all, the dropping was not neccessary. Not at all. The mass destruction of a large area of land, the mass destruction of innocent human civilan life is never ever ever justifiable. Ever. Not for any reason what so ever.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church affirms this point in paragraph 2314.
2314 "Every act of war directed to the indiscriminate destruction of whole cities or vast areas with their inhabitants is a crime against God and man, which merits firm and unequivocal condemnation."110 A danger of modern warfare is that it provides the opportunity to those who possess modern scientific weapons especially atomic, biological, or chemical weapons - to commit such crimes.
Granted, the Catechism was not written when the Atomic Bomb was dropped, however this should be a guiding prinicple for us today. Weapons of this nature can not be used offensively, defensively, anyway. They should not even exist. John XXIII called for the destruction of all Nuclear Weapons in 1963. Paul VI called the dropping of the Atomic Bombs butchery.
The Cheif of Staff to President Truman has this to say about the bombings:
"The use of this barbarous weapon at Hiroshima and Nagasaki was of no material assistance in our war against Japan… In being the first to use it, we…adopted an ethical standard common to the barbarians of the Dark Ages. I was not taught to make war in that fashion, and wars cannot be won by destroying women and children."
Had the United States not dropped the bomb on Japan (I can't say with certainty), I doubt the arms race would have become what it did. I doubt we would have this problem with Iran and North Korea today. The US did something which it did not need to do, and as a result we will end up paying the ultimate price for it. We started this problem, people would not have been so hungry for it if they did not even know it existed.
I am probably a bleeding heart liberal on this point, but there are always other options than the mass destruction of people and land. Not to mention the US did it twice, not once. The Japanese could not have lasted forever. As a result, we now have the Nuclear Age. If only people would listen to what the Church has to say, she has good reasons for it all. May not make sense at the time, but 30, 40, 50 years down the road, it makes perfect sense. In time, people will say the same thing about Gay Marriage. People are begining to already admit it about Abortion, with America becoming more and more Pro-Life.
Getting rid of Nuclear, Chemical, and Biological weapons is hardly even possible now. Our President wants to build his star wars shield, and no country is going to trust the other enough to get rid of theirs (a Thomas Hobbes approach, where one is afraid to give over his rights in fear that someone else will become more powerful then he is). How things grow...
This doesn't really make any sense, but do your best...
Posted by cr3do1 at 09:47 PM | Comments (0)
July 22, 2005
Ave Maria University
Ave Maria University - Media Contacts
These are the new designs for the Oratory at Ave Maria Univesity. It is a great improvement from the Glass Cathedral they wanted. I acctually don't think it looks that bad, it has a Communion Rail... I would like to see some more indepth drawings...
Posted by cr3do1 at 11:19 PM | Comments (0)
Loft...
I am currently in the process of building a loft for school. I commented to a friend tonight that it makes me feel like Jesus, I am a carpenter now, well not really. Anyway, when I am all done, I hope it looks like this:
At least something close to that. Should be cool.
I didn't read much news today, because I wasn't really in the mood to get ticked about something somebody said. So if you want that, just re-read the Francis Kissling post.
News of interest tonight:
Bombings in Egypt
Aruba gives documents to FBI
Howard Dean: We can do more to be nicer to Pro-Life people
Lets infringe of people's peronsal liberties forever: Make the Patriot Act Permanent, one step at a time
Mel Gibson to make a movie on Jesus, or wait he already did that. Mel Gibson to make a new movie based on something in Antiquity (it isn't religous, thats all I know)
I would like to thank my sponsers tonight, the Drudge Report, FoxNews, and SBC/Yahoo News for bringing us tonight's show. For all of us here are cr3do1, have a good night and God Bless.
Posted by cr3do1 at 11:15 PM | Comments (1)
July 21, 2005
Canadian Church: Continue to Oppose Gay Marriage
Catholic Bishops on Gay 'Marriage' Law - "Catholics are to Continue to Oppose It"
The Catholic Church in Canada is urging its faithful to continue to resist Gay Marriage, even after the country became the 4th in the world to legalize it. It praised those who helped to fight it before the law was passed, but urged them to continue to fight Gay Marriage.
Posted by cr3do1 at 04:27 PM | Comments (0)
Update: Shocking...
Adoption Group Reverses Catholic Policy
Catholics in Mississippi can now adopt from Bethany Christian Services...
Posted by cr3do1 at 04:23 PM | Comments (0)
Priests for Life Respond
I found on my hosts site, Dei Gratia, posted a statement from Fr. Pavone in response to Francis Kissling. Here is that statement:
New York City- Fr. Frank Pavone, national director of Priests for Life, issued the following statement today in response to a press release from Catholics for a Free Choice."The agenda of Catholics for a Free Choice is an agenda of confusion. Once again, Frances Kissling has asserted that Catholics don't have to adhere to Catholic teaching.
"Our response is simple. Nobody is forced to be a Catholic, but if you don't subscribe to Catholic teaching, have the honesty and integrity to say that you are no longer Catholic. But don't try to have it both ways. That's a game children play, not adults.
"Because Kissling has played this game for many years, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has had to publicly state more than once that Catholics for a Free Choice is not a Catholic organization and does not in any way represent the Church."
"Another problem with her press release is that it suggests that abortion can be justified. Here we don't even have to enter the question of Catholic Faith. We just have to read the descriptions of the procedure and look at the pictures. It is an act of killing. Neither a private citizen nor a Supreme Court nominee can justify this act of violence. Those who claim that killing children has any place under our Constitution, or in any civilized society, have more than a problem with Catholic Faith. They have a problem with fundamental human rights," said Fr. Pavone. Priests for Life
Posted by cr3do1 at 04:11 PM | Comments (0)
Interview...
I forgot to say yesterday that my interview went well. The interview will be on August 21. For those in the Youngstown area, it will be on 570 WKBN at 7:30 AM, 1060 WILB at 9:30 (more of a Canton area station), and 1470 WLOA 10:30.
For those not in Youngstown, I will hopefully be getting a CD copy of the interview, and after August 21 I will post it here. (I will wait until after in case there is some law or something which says I can't do that). The 21 is acctually the day after I go back to school for the Orientation Team. So I won't even get to hear it live. All for the Greater Glory of God.
I would also like to correct myself from the Reletavist Clause, it was G.K. Chesteron, and not Saint Augustine, who said: "Right is right even if no one is doing it, and wrong it wrong even if everyone is doing it".
I have also since found out from a reliable source that 'Catholics' for a Free Choice is a one woman organization. I sort of suspected that since I have only ever seen one name associated with it, that of Francis Kissling. I have also found out that it is supported by Planned Parenthood. It is not a reform group, but clearly a group meant to undermine the Catholic Church.
God Bless.
Posted by cr3do1 at 03:51 PM | Comments (0)
July 20, 2005
Inspiring Story
This is inspiring, and then all the support coming in is even more inspiring. Pray for these people... It is sad and happy all at the same time.
http://www.ewtn.com/vnews/getstory.asp?number=58784
http://www.susantorresfund.org
Posted by cr3do1 at 10:35 PM | Comments (2)
Can't Francis Kissling just lead a quiet humble life?
Frances Kissling, president of Catholics for a Free Choice, said it is making no assumptions on Roberts' personal adherence to interpretations of the "morality" of issues such as abortion, contraception, reproductive rights, the death penalty and gay rights. Roberts is Roman Catholic."We fully understand that regardless of those views, an educated Catholic knows that they have a personal right to dissent from church positions and an even stronger responsibility to protect the right of all Americans to follow or disregard the teachings of their denominations on these issues," Kissling said. "Modern Catholic social thought accepts and supports a legitimate distinction between church and state." - http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,163160,00.html
Since when does a CCD education give someone the intellectual or theological training necessary to understand half of what the Church teaches and why? Most Priests do not understand this, I don't understand this. And yet, we have Francis Kissling, the unofficial spokeswoman of modern 'Catholicism', running around here and declaring why 2000 years of Catholic teaching is wrong. Her best theological reasoning is because people disagree with it, so in order to accommodate those who disagree, the Church has to change. I would first like to know where she gets her statistics, and secondly why things must change when people disagree.
There have been many slaughtering in the world, from Hitler to Stalin, that many in their nations agreed with, does that justify these murders? Just because people agreed with them. Saint Augustine said: "Wrong is wrong even if everyone is doing it, and right is right even if no one is doing it". God gave us the Church for situations like this, when so many disagree with the Church. The Church has to be that beacon of truth which guides people back to her. Truth does not change. If one day people think it is ok to kill someone just because, is that going to be OK?
This is precisely what Pope Benedict XVI warned the Cardinals about just before the beginning of the Conclave which elected him. He said:
How many winds of doctrine we have known in recent decades, how many ideological currents, how many ways of thinking… The small boat of thought of many Christians has often been tossed about by these waves – thrown from one extreme to the other: from Marxism to liberalism, even to libertinism; from collectivism to radical individualism; from atheism to a vague religious mysticism; from agnosticism to syncretism, and so forth. Every day new sects are created and what Saint Paul says about human trickery comes true, with cunning which tries to draw those into error (cf Eph 4, 14). Having a clear faith, based on the Creed of the Church, is often labeled today as a fundamentalism. Whereas, relativism, which is letting oneself be tossed and “swept along by every wind of teaching”, looks like the only attitude (acceptable) to today’s standards. We are moving towards a dictatorship of relativism which does not recognize anything as for certain and which has as its highest goal one’s own ego and one’s own desires. - Cardinal Ratzinger, April 18, 2005
We are moving towards a way of thinking which decides things based solely on how many people agree with it. A society where truth changes from time to time. A society where one's desires supersedes all. A society not based on Jesus Christ, but a society based on man, and ultimately on the devil himself. This is where we are heading.
Cardinal Ratzinger continued, however.
However, we have a different goal: the Son of God, true man. He is the measure of true humanism. Being an “Adult” means having a faith which does not follow the waves of today’s fashions or the latest novelties. A faith which is deeply rooted in friendship with Christ is adult and mature. It is this friendship which opens us up to all that is good and gives us the knowledge to judge true from false, and deceit from truth. We must become mature in this adult faith; we must guide the flock of Christ to this faith. And it is this faith – only faith – which creates unity and takes form in love. On this theme, Saint Paul offers us some beautiful words - in contrast to the continual ups and downs of those were are like infants, tossed about by the waves: (he says) make truth in love, as the basic formula of Christian existence. In Christ, truth and love coincide. To the extent that we draw near to Christ, in our own life, truth and love merge. Love without truth would be blind; truth without love would be like “a resounding gong or a clashing cymbal” (1 Cor 13,1).
He is stating that, no, the Church will not give up in its fight against Relativism. The Church will not quit in seeking the salvation of souls. The Church will not quit in preaching the message of Jesus Christ on earth. The Church will not succumb to pressure to "modernize". The Church is the steward of the truth it has received from Jesus Christ, we do not have power nor the authority to change that. Why would we want to change that anyway? It is that truth which leads us on the narrow road to heaven.
So to you Francis Kissling, and to all others, we will not quit, we will not change, we will not be relativists. We will continue to preach the message of Jesus Christ to the world, whether the world wants to hear it or not. The Church has seen worse, the Church has fought worse, and the thing which always seems to come out unharmed is the Church. You will be gone, I will be gone, but the Church and all her teaching will still be here. The faith of the Church is not based on polls or surveys; it is based on Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
Jon-Paul now steps off of his soap box...
Posted by cr3do1 at 09:39 PM | Comments (2)
Sad day for the world...
Canada becomes world's 4th nation to grant full legal rights to same-sex couples.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,163054,00.html
Posted by cr3do1 at 09:31 PM | Comments (0)
Supreme Nomination
Well, John Roberts has gotten the support of nearly every conservative I can find, but I can't help but to feel uneasy about this nomination.
I found out that Roberts is a Catholic, put himself through college by working in a steel mill, is married to an alleged former Vice President of Feminists for Life, and seems to be very qualified for the position. He also seems to be the scourge of pro-death groups, from NARAL to Planned Parenthood.
However, his lacking on statements on stances he holds is frightening. Ann Coulter, a conservative columnist, is not sold on him. I am not 100% sure I am either. He has contradictory statements on Roe v. Wade, which can be explained, but... They tell us he will be good, but they said that about Souter too. When the stakes are this high, it is hard to not be worried.
I suppose we will all have to wait until the confirmation hearings to find out. I just pray he is not another Souter, who was conservative until he got on the high court.
Posted by cr3do1 at 09:24 PM | Comments (0)
July 19, 2005
Let the games begin....
Bush nominates Judge John Roberts Jr. to the Supreme Court...
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/07/19/AR2005071901518_pf.html
Posted by cr3do1 at 09:41 PM | Comments (0)
July 18, 2005
World Youth Day 2005
The Pope will have a special meeting with Seminarians...
http://www.zenit.org/english/visualizza.phtml?sid=74413
I wish I was going to World Youth Day, but seeing the Pope once in a lifetime is something special let alone twice in a year. It would still be nice just to go to World Youth Day, I enjoyed the one in Toronto. Granted it wasn't perfect, but not much in life is...
If you are a Seminarian and going to World Youth Day, register here:
http://www.wjt2005-seminaristen.de/index_e.htm
Then get a letter from your Bishop attesting to that fact. Should be an awesome time!
Posted by cr3do1 at 10:06 PM | Comments (0)
News...
Today, I went to Lowes to buy the wood I will need to build my loft for my room at school. This will give me more room so that I can have a couch in my room. Should be an interesting project for me to start.
I also wanted to say that this Wednesday I will be interviewed on the Youngstown Catholic Radio Program Wineskins on Vocations. I should get my interview down pat, but I wanted to let all my faithful readers know this. So pray for me around 1 PM on Wednesday afternoon. I have no idea when it will air.
I am currently trying to force myself to have a love for reading. I am reading the encyclical letter Fides et Ratio by John-Paul II and the Spiritual Exercises by Saint Ignatius of Loyola. So far so good. I do not believe, however, that I will meet the goal I set for myself at the begining of summer for the number of books I was supposed to read. Oh well...
I will be finishing The Spirit of the Liturgy, by Pope Benedict XVI, next. I want to see what Benedict has in store for us. I have only read about half of the book.
Finally, Pope Benedict speaks of the value of Vacations while on Vacation...
http://www.zenit.org/english/visualizza.phtml?sid=74361
Posted by cr3do1 at 09:54 PM | Comments (1)
July 17, 2005
The Supreme Court
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,162780,00.html
I have to be honest; I am a bit nervous about this whole issue. I am worried that Bush will put up Gonzalez, or someone else who is not Pro-Life. The Democrats and pro-deathers push the idea that replacing O'Conner will tip the balance of the court, when in fact, it will not. Partial Birth Abortion will become illegal, but overall, Roe v. Wade will be kept in tact. This is because Clinton replaced a pro-life Justice with either Ginsburg or Breyer, I forget which one. So, the actual vote to uphold Roe v. Wade with O'Conner is 6-3, not 5-4. Kennedy believes in upholding Roe v. Wade, but does not believe in Partial Birth Abortion, that is where these 5-4 PBA votes come in. To replace O'Conner with a pro-life Justice will just be giving back the pro-Lifers a seat which was originally theirs to begin with.
I personally would like to see Bush put a pro-life woman on the bench. If it is possible to find someone who is a little liberal (very unlikely Bush would do this), but firmly pro-life, that would be great. That would be a nice change of events, and keep the seat a woman. That would keep the bickering down a little, and show that there are pro-life women in the world. It would also give any future decision some legitimacy, as a woman would be in on the decision that "rolled back the rights of women".
I would also like to point out, that the Republicans have had no trouble confirming very liberal Justices, as was the case with Ginsburg. She was a lawyer for the ACLU for goodness sake, but yet was confirmed with 96 votes. So, why do the Democrats put Republican nominees through the ringer?
It seems to me that the only issue Democrats are worried about is Abortion. They dare to preach to pro-life people about not voting on one issue, but when it comes to legislation and court nominees, one issue rises above all the others. Abortion. I have heard very little about minority rights, the middle class, even gay rights. It is always abortion. Even from more liberal republican senators like Spector. It seems to me that some people's priorities are a little mixed up. Is the Supreme Court an insitution only concerned with upholding Roe v. Wade? Does entrance to it require on to swear on their life they will uphold Roe v. Wade?
Alberto Gonzalez is pro-choice. If he is nominated, even with his beliefs on torture and countless other super conservative beliefs, I will love to see how the Democrats treat him. Will he be in the mainstream just because of his views on abortion, and thus confirmed without question? Will the Democrats just be thankful they got a pro-choice candidate? Is abortion the number one value in America or something?
Everyone says they want a mainstream Justice, but here is my opinion. Give the seat back to the pro-lifers. I have seen these surveys where it is claimed 60% of the nation wants Roe v Wade upheld. Ok, so you can still put a pro-life justice up and still be in the mainstream. Currently the Court is about 70% pro-death, but if they put up a pro-life justice, this brings the court much more in line with mainstream American, with about 60% of the Court being pro-death, and about 40% being pro-life.
Anyway, Bush worries me with his choice. This is the great pro-life test for Bush. (as well as a test for the Democrats) This will show exactly how committed he is to the pro-life movement. This post is not an approval of the Republican Party, I am very interested in seeing if they will be sell outs. So, the question everyone in America is asking, who will it be? The nation and the world are watching, so will we be civilized, or will we fit the description of an American in international circles? The answer to these questions and more will be answered in the next episode of... America...
Posted by cr3do1 at 11:28 PM | Comments (0)
The Black Madonna
In my Parish, there is a icon of Our Lady of Czestochowa. This is a picture of the entire sanctuary; you can see the icon to the right...
I always thought that it was just some icon that someone had bought for the Church. However, while I was reading the Youngstown Catholic Newspaper, the Exponent, this past Friday, there was an article about the icon in it.
Apparently, the icon is more then just an icon. The icon was created in 1981 in Poland, and hung near the original painting of Saint Luke in Jasna Gora. However, the Dominican Fathers became frightened for the safety of the painting and had it smuggled to Rome where they believed it would be safe. The Communist authorities struggled to have the painting returned, and once again the safety of the image was questioned. The Communists appealed to the Italian Government, but they declared that the icon was not under their jurisdiction but under the jurisdiction of the Holy See. It was now agreed that the Icon must go to the United States, where it would be to far for the Communists to reach.
The Icon had come to the attention of His Holiness, Servant of God, Pope John-Paul II. He said that the icon must go to a Polish Parish. He told this to a small group of Roman Catholics traveling in Rome from the Diocese of Youngstown in 1983. The morning that they were set to leave, they were told that they would have a secret private audience with the Pope, and were to bring their entire luggage with them. They would leave immediately after the audience. They were given the icon at the air port, and were told not to let it out of their sight. It was wrapped up and marked carpet. Traveling with the group was Father Grabowksi, Associate Pastor at my Parish at that time. He brought the icon to my Parish, a Polish Parish, informed the Pastor, and it was hung in my Parish ever since. It has been reframed, but everything else is original.
Rather exciting history if you ask me, all this history out of an icon I thought someone just bought out of a catalogue or something. Who would have guessed that John-Paul II had a hand in it coming to my Parish?
Posted by cr3do1 at 09:06 PM | Comments (0)
July 16, 2005
cr3do1
Since I haven't placed anything under the theology catagory yet, and people probably wonder what cr3do1 mean I will take this oppurtunity to tell you. At the same time, it is a mini theology lesson.
The latin word for I believe is credo. (eg Credo in unum Deum - I believe in one God). Since credo is becoming more and more a popular name to choose, and since I have had it for a number of years, I adapted it a little. While still keeping the basic make up for the word credo, I replaced the e with the 3 and put a one at the end. This expresses the Christian belief that there are 3 persons in 1 divine God, The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Thus cr3do1. It is pretty much a summary of the entire Nicene Creed.
I believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible.I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the Only-begotten Son of God,
born of the Father before time began.
God from God, light from light, true God from true God,
begotten, not made, one in being with the Father:
through whom all things were made.Who for us men and for our salvation
came down from heaven,
and by the Holy Spirit became incarnate
of the Virgin Mary,
and was made man.Crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate,
he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again
in accordance with the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and sits at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again with glory
to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life:
who proceeds from the Father and the Son,
who together with the Father and the Son
is worshipped and glorified,
who has spoken through the prophets.I believe in one holy, catholic and apostolic Church,
I confess one baptism for the forgiveness of sins,
and I await the resurrection of the dead
and the life of the world to come. Amen. - From the New Translation of the Roman Missal
Posted by cr3do1 at 03:44 PM | Comments (0)
July 15, 2005
Cooking
I decided that I was going to make some speghetti sauce yesterday, and the whole thing ended up being a dinner for most of my family. My grandma and aunt came, and my cousins with their new baby too. Everyone else already ate. I acctually surpassed all of my own expectations. It ended up coming out pretty good. I even made salad, and funnetti cake (which I am the only one who eats since everyone else hates it). The entire night ended pretty well.
Now, I sit here and wait for the rain to start. I am begining to think it is never going to come... Tommorrow my best friend from High School is getting married. Should be fun...
Posted by cr3do1 at 10:54 PM | Comments (2)
The Elderly and the Disabled
A T-ball coach seeking to keep a player with a mental disability off the field allegedly asked another player to hurt the boy, state police said Friday.
http://www.thepittsburghchannel.com/news/4728564/detail.html
Is this what our nation is coming to?
This country does not value the elderly or the mentally challenged. In fact, for the elderly, we seek to mercifully kill them through Euthanasia. For the mentally challenged, mothers are now urged to abort them, before they could become a burden on society. These people seek to establish a perfect human race.
This whole theory of a perfect human race is not new, however. Hitler also tried to found a perfect race by the destruction of millions of human lives. We all know that this was not a good thing, and in fact resulted in the Second World War. However, this new evil is very much socially accepted around the world. People wish to complain about human rights and human dignity in order to marry, but when it comes to this, they are silent. They say by killing them, they are doing them a favor. This society has become a very selfish society, a society where the ME and the I rules.
People do not care about their neighbors anymore. If I am inconvenienced by something, then it must be taken care of so that it doesn't bother me anymore. This coach was only thinking of himself, and the win. This child stood in the way of that, and invaded his comfort zone, so he sought to find a solution to his problem. Let alone it was a Tee-Ball game. Youth sports used to be about giving kids the chance to have fun, to give them something to do. Now all you hear about is murders, fights, etc in relation to youth sports. This is a selfish society, where true human dignity and equality are far from respected.
When people are really ready to discuss human rights and dignity, then we need to first stop viewing men as objects. Until then, people will never fully understand human rights and basic human dignity.
Stories like this really get to me...
Posted by cr3do1 at 10:21 PM | Comments (0)
Shocking...
A Christian adoption agency that receives money from Choose Life license plate fees said it does not place children with Roman Catholic couples because their religion conflicts with the agency's "Statement of Faith."
http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/07/15/adoption.church.ap/index.html
I can't say that I am entirely shocked that this would happen in the south, but I am shocked by the fact that CNN carried this story. Maybe there is hope for CNN yet...
Posted by cr3do1 at 10:15 PM | Comments (0)
July 14, 2005
Chief Justice not retiring...
I want to put to rest the speculation and unfounded rumors of my imminent retirement. I am not about to announce my retirement. I will continue to perform my duties as chief justice as long as my health permits. - Chief Justice Rehnquist
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,162577,00.html
Posted by cr3do1 at 11:09 PM | Comments (0)
Sacred Scriptures
Part II
The other thing which caught my attention was the use of Sacred Scriptures on this '30 days' show.
People throughout the centuries have used the Bible for many different things. For good, or for evil. From doing good for the poor, to killing other people. You can get pretty much anything you want from the Bible, if you interpret it your own way.
Christ was very much aware of this possibility, which is why he gave the world the Magisterium, and more specifically the Papacy. If there was one sole authority in interpreting and telling the world what he truly meant, then this would stop a lot of problems when it comes to people debating as to what the true meaning behind Sacred Scripture is. For example, the Bible tells us to cut off our right arm if it causes us to sin. This can be argued as being literal, if Christ did not give us an authority in this matter, then who would be able to tell us not to cut off our right arm? This is why Christ gave us the Pope, well one of many reasons.
On the show, this guy would go to Gay Christian Services. Obviously the two held differences of opinions. Both interpreted the Bible differently. Who is the authority to say which is right? In the Protestant world there is no such authority, the sole authority is the Bible. This is not an attack on Protestants, just the simple facts.
When questions between what is literal and figurative came up, he was unable to answer. For example, the minister at this Church asked why it is OK for Military Men to murder other human beings to defend the nation when the Bible says no to killing, but yet it isn't ok for her to have sex with her partner because the Bible says it is an abomination. First of all, the military does not murder anyone. Out of self defense of themselves, their fellow soldiers, and their nation they take the life of another human being. Self defense has never been a deliberate murder in cold blood of another human being. The Bible never said that you can not draw blood, but that you can not murder someone. Such as is the case between Cain and Able (although before the Commandments).
In the case of homosexuality, there is nothing in the Bible to even suggest that it was being figurative, but rather, verse after very, and chapter after chapter is very clear that it is not acceptable. Some things are clearly figurative, such as cutting off your arm. Some things are not. It is sometimes easy to figure out what is and is not figurative. Having the Pope helps in this area.
After this, the talk of the Bible sort of stops on the show. I guess I can now reveal what happened for those who do not know. He ended up falling into the trap that everyone deserves the same rights as everyone else because it is not fair. Like Cardinal Ouellet said in his letter, everyone deserves respect and dignity because they are human, not because they gay. Being human does not guarantee the right to marriage, or have children, or drive a care, or own a home. Being human guarantees you the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. It guarantees you the right to free speech, and the freedom to worship God as you please. These are the rights you receive for being human. Everyone deserves to be treated equally as human beings, everyone deserves the right to pursue life, to be free, and to live as happy as one can. Being treated equally does not mean social acceptance of your lifestyle. Being treated equally means that you were treated like a human person with human dignity.
The problem seems to be a misunderstanding of equality, and even deeper what does it mean to be human. These countries are rushing into dangerous territory without even thinking about it.
One day the issue might be that we aren't all equal because we all don't make the same wage. Oh yeah, that is an issue already. It is called Socialism. That we are not all the same gender, that we all don't have the talents, that we all don't look a like. None of these are matters of human dignity. If most rational people would just sit down and think about what it means to be equal, then so many issues would disappear. Instead of everyone working to overcome every boundary of so called inequality (this is called Communism BTW), maybe we should rejoice in the fact that we are different (well rejoice in some things). What a boring world this would be if we were all the same, 'equal' in every sense.
Anyway, back to the Bible, I for one am glad I can rely on the Pope to clarify all these things. Otherwise, it would be consistent debating and schisms. Two topics to think about here, but not many people these days seem to do a lot of thinking, just acting. Pax et Bonum (loosely peace and goodness).
God Bless.
Posted by cr3do1 at 10:58 PM | Comments (0)
Report: Pope drafting first Encyclical
Vatican, Jul. 14 (CWNews.com) - Informed sources at the Vatican have confirmed that Pope Benedict XVI (bio - news) is writing his first encyclical during his summer vacation in the Italian Alps.Avvenire , the daily newspaper owned by the Italian bishops' conference, reports that the Pontiff has been working on a draft of the encyclical for several weeks, and plans to complete it during his stay at Les Combes.
The Vatican press office has not commented on the reports, but has said that during his vacation the Pope hoped to spend a good deal of free time reading and writing. The Holy Father brought several boxes of books with him to the isolated chalet in the Valle d'Aosta region where he will be staying for the next two weeks.
There has been no indication of the topic for the encyclical.
http://www.cwnews.com/news/viewstory.cfm?recnum=38409
Posted by cr3do1 at 11:12 AM | Comments (1)
July 13, 2005
The yuck factor
Last week I was watching this series on FX called "30 Days". I guess the point of the show is for people with opposite values or living styles to live together for 30 days and grow to understand each other. I bet you can already figure out where I am going with this.
So, the episode I was watching dealt with a conservative Christian (Protestant) going to live with a homosexual man in San Francisco. For the entire show, he seemed to be holding on to his values, but there was something interesting in his thinking.
A lot of his comments were either "That’s disgusting" or "Well the Bible says this..." The first part brought me back to my Catholic Morality Class last semester. In it we learned about something called the 'Yuck Factor'. The yuck factor is when you base your morality on whether you view something as disgusting, nasty, etc. This fails to work, however. Once upon a time abortion was viewed as disgusting and horrible, as well as contraception. Even the way people dress today was once considered evil. What is even more troubling is in Germany, where many cases of cannibalism are showing up. If people continue to base their morality based on the 'yuck factor', who knows, maybe one day we will be able to go to the Grocery Store and buy a pound of good ground round meat from humans. Rather scary morality when you think about it.
This is why morality must be based on objective moral truths found in the natural law. This is why the morality of most Christian denominations are so... lax. At one time, each condemned abortion and contraception. Then contraception was OK, but abortion was most certainly not OK. Then they couldn't be sure about specific cases on abortion, and before you knew it, abortion was a matter of personal choice for a woman. The same thing is now happening with homosexaulity in protestant denominations. The Catholic Church, however, never based its morality on this 'yuck factor', but on objective moral truths. (Objective meaning that no matter what anyone thinks, it is true.)
The Catholic Church's condemnation of abortion, contraception, homosexuality (keep in mind that in each case the Church does not condemn the sinner, but the sin), and countless other immoral things have been based on something deeper then whether or not people think something is nasty. Regardless of whether or not any of these are nasty or not, the objective truth is that they are wrong. This is why the moral teachings of the Church do not change, even if everyone around it disagrees with it.
The gift of human sexuality is one of the most beautiful things which God has given to mankind. To distort this gift is telling God that we know better then he knows. The male-female relationship, in all respects, is absolutely complementary. Anything else is not. Nature itself shows this complementary role. This is why homosexuality is not in accord with the natural moral law.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church says:
2357: Homosexuality refers to relations between men or between women who experience an exclusive or predominant sexual attraction toward persons of the same sex. It has taken a great variety of forms through the centuries and in different cultures. Its psychological genesis remains largely unexplained. Basing itself on Sacred Scripture, which presents homosexual acts as acts of grave depravity,140 tradition has always declared that "homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered."141 They are contrary to the natural law. They close the sexual act to the gift of life. They do not proceed from a genuine affective and sexual complementarity. Under no circumstances can they be approved. - Catechism of the Catholic Church
In the middle of writing this, I decided to read the Primate of Canada Cardinal Marc Ouellet's, the Arcbishop of Quebec, letter to the Canadaian Parliment. It is of course on the issue of homosexual marriage. It is a very good letter, and genius. Consider, of course, that it doesn't take much to impress me. This really did impress me though, because he explained why homosexual marriage is wrong, not based on theology but based solely on reason. For anyone with questions on why this is wrong, without getting into the whole theology problem of the issue, read this letter. Here is a quote from it:
"Furthermore, the argument of those promoting homosexual "marriage" in favor of equal rights is also based on a false notion of respect for human dignity. The equality and dignity of persons do not depend on race, religion, sex, sexual orientation or marital status. Their dignity and equality are based on the simple fact that they are members of the human race. To respect their dignity, neither the State nor society is obliged to legally accept their "lifestyle" that has no reason to be publicly recognized as a social value." - Cardinal Marc Ouellet
Click here for the entire letter...
This why the Church teaches what it does. The Church has not changed her teachings on this for two thousand years for a reason. It is not because she is unenlightened, but because she is enlightened. That is just the begining of the problems which this guy faced. There is the whole issue of the Bible and Church authority.
As for the show, if you don't know the ending, you will have to wait for my next post which will deal with Sacred Scriptures to find out if he stayed faithful or not... Pax et Bonum.
God Bless!
Posted by cr3do1 at 10:19 PM | Comments (0)
Return to Blog World
Well, I think I am prepared to announce my return to the world of blogging. I put everything where I want it, and everything seems to be running smoothly so far. I am open to user feedback, if you see an error or something wrong, don't hesitate to let me know. For those of you wondering about Xanga, it is rather stupid to update two blogs, so my Xanga site is on auto re-direct here. We will see how long they let that go on for. Doing the redirect was the best compromise.
I would like to thank cyberCatholics.com for allowing me to have a blog here, and to the webmaster, Josh LeBlanc for always helping me get out of trouble. I ask the few readers that I have to consider supporting cyberCatholics, either monetarily and/or through prayer. cyberCatholics is providing an invaluable ministry to the world in its response to the call for a New Evangelization by Servant of God Pope John-Paul II!
Well, I believe that is all for now. God Bless!
Posted by cr3do1 at 12:25 AM | Comments (0)
July 12, 2005
Reform of the Reform
Many Progressive Catholics were put to ease when His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI, promised to continue with the reforms of the Second Vatican Council. I am not so sure that they both had the same thing in mind, however.
Benedict, when he was Fr. Joseph Ratzinger was a theologian at the Second Vatican Council, so he has a fairly good idea of what the Council meant. Now, what the Council meant, what was done, and what progressives think the Council meant are all completely separate ideas.
Benedict intends to implement Vatican II the way it should have been, a task which John-Paul II started with the assistance of Cardinal Ratzinger. A very important step in this new springtime is the upcoming Synod of all the Bishops on the Holy Eucharist, which John-Paul II called for and Benedict confirmed. What will be done there will shape the way Catholics adore God for years to come. It will be the biggest step in fully and truly implementing the Vatican Council in regards to the Mass, in my opinion.
The document which was produced from opinions which the Bishops of the world sent to Rome has been released, and I think it is safe to say that the progressives playground is now closed.
Things that will be discussed involved the Direction of Prayer, why Gregorian Chant should be used, who and who can not receive Holy Communion, the language of the Mass, the dignity of the Sanctuary and the Holiness of the Altar, the importance of Sunday, and the importance of the Eucharist in Christians daily lives.
It might end up being a good thing that the US Bishops have done their best in slowing down the release of the new translations of the Roman Missal, because they might have to put some new things in the directions...
A quote so often associated with Pope Benedict is: "The Cafeteria is now closed"
I agree, lets fully and accurately implement the Second Vatican Council. Then the fruits of the Council will be permitted to grow. This year is the 40th Anniversary of the closing of the Council, now is just about the right time for everything to swing back into place.
Long Live Pope Benedict XVI!
Posted by cr3do1 at 12:49 AM | Comments (1)
July 11, 2005
The 3rd House of Congress
On June 23, 2005, Judicial Legislation continued. Private property is no longer protected, and can be seized when the government sees fit. In the 5 to 4 decision (liberal decision), the Justices, decided that not only can private property be seized for just public use, but that the government can now seize private property
to be sold as private property because it will be used by the public. This is a very lose misinterpretation of the Fifth Amendment. This site is seeking impeachment proceedings again Justices Kennedy, Stevens, Souter, Ginsberg, and Breyer. Sign the petition if you are fed up with the unconstitutionality of judicial legislation.
http://www.petitiononline.com/lp001/petition.html
Posted by cr3do1 at 10:46 AM | Comments (0)
July 09, 2005
Pictures of Italia
I uploaded my pictures from my trip to Italy today. They can be found at: My Photos
Posted by cr3do1 at 11:22 PM | Comments (0)