Can't Plan For Crazy
“The gunman who slaughtered 20 children and six adults at a Connecticut elementary school may have snapped because his mother was planning to commit him to a psychiatric facility.”
We know that gun laws don't protect us from law abiding citizens. We know that gun laws don't protect us against criminals. However, would stricter gun laws protect us from crazy people?
Are we willing, as Americans, to compromise the 2nd Amendment to the Constitution to protect ourselves from this unpredictable element of society?
Immaculate Conception
On the eve of the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception I want to put to rest a myth in Catholic Theology. St. Thomas Aquinas didn't deny the Immaculate Conception. If you ever hear this comment you will now have the tools necessary to defend the Angelic Doctor against those who would try to defame him using the Blessed Mother.
“the principles of St. Thomas, as we have observed, do not decide against the privilege, they even lead to it, at the same time as the mind is acquiring an explicit notion of preservative redemption.”
Read the article linked by Don Paco. It is very short and very clear. He simply shows the three intellectual phases of Aquinas' thought concerning the Immaculate Conception. I'm always discouraged when I even hear Dominicans repeat the myth. We should be better defenders of our brother Thomas.
Happy reading!
Medjugorje
“The commission, which has been working in strict secrecy, is studying the shrine and in particular reports of Marian apparitions at Medjugorje which began in 1981.”
Some people know that I am very skeptical of this event being a true apparitions. I will neither support it or deny it until the investigation is complete. My largest concern, however, is that if the events at Medjugorje are deemed inauthentic there will be a lot of disillusioned people.
Musical Guest
I would like to introduce my readers to my friend Frank La Rocca. He is an amazing composer. The first time I heard his music was at St. Margaret Mary's Parish in Oakland, CA. He had written a Mass in honor of the ICRSS priest's 25th anniversary of Ordination. It was an experience that I will always cherish.
“Drawing upon influences as diverse as Josquin, Byrd, Stravinsky, George Crumb and Arvo Pärt, his music has been described as possessing a “luminous beauty” with “a profound sacred sensibility” and as “a modern evocation of the radiant spirituality of ancient chant.””
I was at the release party for Frank's first solo album the other day. It was a wonderful crowd of his friends, family, colleagues and students. If you are interested in Contemporary Sacred Music I would highly recommend getting to know the works of Frank La Rocca.
It couldn't hurt to purchase his album either.
No, it's not yet on Amazon or iTunes. But, owning the CD is worth it. The Album art is beautiful and the descriptions of each piece in the jacket (I think that is what they still call it), are worth having. Even the artwork on the CD itself communicates the beauty of its content.
Enjoy!
Also, for Sacred Music nerds: Frank gave a talk at Notre Dame on Sacred Music. The full transcript is on the Notre Dame Sacred Music Blog. Just follow the link.
We Don't Need No Stinking Evidence
At least, this is often the problem with much of what passes as Scripture Scholarship these days. This is not an indictment of all contemporary Exegesis. I know some fantastic guys in the field. However, they are a persecuted class.
I have already seen some pushback against the third Jesus of Nazareth book by Pope Benedict XVI. I have even seen a brief article mocking the Holy Father's claims by a popular tech magazine. That's right! A tech magazine. Folks should really stick to what they know. Reach too far and you might just fall off the mountain side.
However, my friend Mark Brumley has written a short piece in defending the Holy Father's claim that literally all evidence points to Jesus being born in Bethlehem as opposed to those who claim that Jesus was born in Nazareth. Mark, however, makes a more important point: arguments from silence should not be taken seriously. Unfortunately, many contemporary theories in biblical scholarship stem from either silence or inference. Unfortunately, such claims are taken very seriously.
“In other words, the only places we can go for information regarding the birth of Jesus are the gospel accounts. They give no indication of Jesus having been born in Nazareth but they insist he was born in Bethlehem.”
Priest Defies Church
Well, it looks like a priest has finally jumped the shark on the issue of women and priestly ordination. Mr. Bourgeois went so far as to preach the homily at a simulated ordination.
This time the Holy See hit back:
““With patience, the Holy See and the Maryknoll Society have encouraged his reconciliation with the Catholic Church,” said a statement from the Maryknoll Society Nov. 19.
“Instead, Mr. Bourgeois chose to campaign against the teachings of the Catholic Church in secular and non-Catholic venues. This was done without the permission of the local U.S. Catholic Bishops and while ignoring the sensitivities of the faithful across the country.”
“Disobedience and preaching against the teaching of the Catholic Church about women’s ordination led to his excommunication, dismissal and laicization.””
Remember this quote. Trust me, the media will carefully neglect to inform us that this man was only dismissed from his Order and the clerical state after a long period of negotiations and attempts at reconciliation. Likely, it will be framed as a draconian move by ecclesiastical despots.
