Msgr. Mejak, Five Months Later

After a long winter, the grave of Msgr. Heliodore Mejak now has a nice tombstone and people have brought flowers since his death on last Christmas Eve. I've meant to add some additional information that has come up since then, and this seems an appropriate time.

If you remember, this very old priest (age 98) was active until the last week of his life as pastor of Holy Family Church in Kansas City, KS. After being in the hospital for several days, Msgr. Mejak was recovering and told visitors he wanted to come back to say Christmas Mass--a favorite feast. But another priest, Fr. Peter Jaramillo (now the administrator of Holy Family Parish), came to offer the Mass on Christmas morning.

One woman in the choir, Kathy R, told an interesting story at Msgr's wake. She and the other choir members were unaware that Msgr. Mejak had died during the night and were looking at their music books to prepare to sing the next Christmas hymn. Kathy said she then heard Msgr. Mejak saying the Mass prayers together with Fr. Jaramillo. She said she looked up, but only Fr. Jaramillo was there. It was only later that the choir and the parish was informed that Msgr. Mejak had died.

A couple of other stories include the woman who was overheard at the wake to say that she wished she was audacious enough to reach out to the casket and take a clip of his hair. Another person reported that Msgr. Mejak had chosen his own Mass readings for his funeral. Humbly, he had chosen the story of St. Dismas for the Gospel, even though he was much more than a simple parish priest. It seems that few knew he had completed all of coursework necessary for a doctorate in Sacred Theology at Catholic University of America.

Archbishop Naumann, God Bless!

The Kansas City Star (here and here) is furious that Archbishop Joseph Naumann, a big man with an even bigger heart, continues to try to persuade Kansas governor Kathleen Sebelius that she cannot be a good Catholic and still receive Holy Communion when she promotes abortion. The Archbishop is kind but firm:

Since becoming archbishop, I have met with Governor Sebelius several times over many months to discuss with her the grave spiritual and moral consequences of her public actions by which she has cooperated in the procurement of abortions performed in Kansas. My concern has been, as a pastor, both for the spiritual well-being of the governor but also for those who have been misled -- scandalized -- by her very public support for legalized abortion.

I have not made lightly this request of Governor Sebelius, but only after much prayer and reflection. The spiritually lethal message, communicated by our governor, as well as many other high profile Catholics in public life, has been in effect: “The church’s teaching on abortion is optional!”

I reissue my request of the faithful of the archdiocese to pray for Governor Sebelius. I hope that my request of the governor, not to present herself for holy Communion, will provoke her to reconsider the serious spiritual and moral consequences of her past and present actions. At the same time, I pray this pastoral action on my part will help alert other Catholics to the moral gravity of participating in and/or cooperating with the performance of abortions.

The Archbishop's comments address a number of other critical and interesting issues. Please read his full, but not lengthy, statement.

St. Meinrad's and Ferdinand Community

We stopped at Ferdinand, Indiana as we traveled east because the "Sisters of St. Benedict" brochure obtained at a rest stop advertised their beautiful monastery church of the Immaculate Conception. The magnificent edifice took nine years to build--from 1915 to 1924. It is truly a testament to the faith of the people of that time who funded, designed, and constructed the church.

From one picture in the brochure (we saw no nuns during our visit), the community members no longer wear their habits. We also saw a "no-nuclear" sign as we entered the grounds. Their web site advertises "centering prayer," Sr. Joan Chittister's books, and other "liberal" stuff. I concluded that the monastery is populated mostly by nuns who would not be comfortable with their founders' lives and beliefs.

I didn't get the same disturbed feeling when we visited St. Meinrad's ArchAbbey and Seminary that lies several miles south of the Benedictine nuns. We actually saw two men dressed in black cassocks! This large seminary has been used by the Archbishop of Kansas City, KS to train future priests. Again we saw a magnificent structure built by our forefathers in faith.

Roof Grass

I'm wandering around the U.S. and use the time in the car to think of crazy ideas. Several years ago along the southeast coast near the Gulf of Mexico, I saw mile after mile of swamp with cypress trees. As far as I know, the only purposes of the tree are to defend against storm surge and hurricanes, and to use as shredded garden mulch.

I mused at the time that if if the cypress tree could produce marketable timber, harvesting selected trees in the flat water and leaving the rest would be easy and economically viable. So it seemed that all that is necessary is to genetically create a cypress tree with the right characteristics to make it marketable. Plant geneticists should be able to accomplish that, and easily make a sterile new tree species.

On another trip to Texas, I was stung by a fire ant--not a pleasant experience as the injected acid leaves a sore that lasts for a couple of weeks. Yard grass in the south is mostly St. Augustine. What if a similar grass were genetically developed to have roots with a garlic odor? I'll bet that many families with small children playing in the backyard of southern homes would love to have this kind of 'fire ant prevention' garlic grass to eliminate spraying their yard with hazardous chemicals every six to eight weeks.

On the current trip, 'roof grass' would not be genetically derived. Roof grass would be manufactured of multiwall carbon nanotubes and 'planted' on the roof of a house to catch the wind. Baffles on the roof would disturb air currents to create small vortices and other turbulence to keep the 'grass' in constant movement.

As the grass flexes, electricity should be produced because bending the structures creates a charge separation – positive on one side and negative on the other. The connection between bending and charge creation can be used to create nanogenerators that produce measurable electrical currents when the grass is bent and then released. Moreover, solar energy hitting the carbon nanotubes also produces electricity.

Lead storage batteries would be avoided by using the electrical current to run a water electrolysis system and small compressor for the hydrogen fuel that would be produced. Hydrogen fuel is the cleanest energy possible--and very safe for stationary applications, such as for individual houses.

So what would happen if the weather brought hail? No problem--carbon nanotubes are extremely strong and extraordinarily flexible. Their elasticity is so good that nanotubes almost perfectly regain their form when the load is removed. What about lightning? I must admit I don't know the answer to that one! Perhaps the grass also would drain electricity from the storm, but I don't know.

Porn Addiction

I've seen the devastation of pornography. Many years ago a good Catholic woman told me that her husband insisted that she go with him to the burlesque show. She asked me if she had to obey her husband and said, "I feel like I'm committing a mortal sin." She added, "I'm not beautiful like those women on the stage whom he really likes." Just listening to her inconsolable sorrow made me want to cry, especially because her husband was considered a Catholic pillar of his parish. Until her death, this wife remained faithful to her husband, but she was very unhappy and insecure because she thought she could never satisfy him.

In another family, the 13-year old daughter found porn material used by her father. She could never respect her father again, and it also affects how she views all men, including a possible husband.

I know a family man who was fired from his very good job because of his insatiable lust for viewing porn on the internet. I saw the almost 8-inch stack of printouts of visits he made to "Ladies of xxx" and other sites. Even AFTER he had been warned he would be dismissed, he could not stop. The young family then experienced financial problems before he could find another job--and not in the best place or what he really wanted to do!

Archbishop Chaput of Denver has noticed the good work of our two Kansas City Bishops. I can't improve on the Archbishop's observations:

In recent months, two Catholic bishops have begun some extraordinary work against pornography in their Midwest dioceses: Bishop Robert Finn of Kansas City-St. Joseph, Mo., and Archbishop Joseph Naumann of Kansas City, Kan.

Bishop Finn’s excellent pastoral letter, Blessed Are the Pure in Heart: "The Dignity of the Human Person and the Dangers of Pornography” has a wealth of good information about the scope of pornography, the damage it does and many practical tips to fighting it in our homes.

Archbishop Naumann’s anti-pornography initiative, “As for Me and My House, We Will Serve the Lord,” includes a DVD and workbook with valuable resources for fighting pornography, teaching chastity and wholesome sexuality, and helping others who have been hurt by pornography addiction.

...pornography poisons the human heart, imagination and soul just as steel mills once poisoned our air and water, only worse.

Pornography is never “innocent entertainment,” no matter how private it might seem. It turns human beings into objects. It coarsens our appetites. It darkens our ability to see real human beauty. It creates impossible expectations about sexual intimacy. It kills enduring romance and friendship between the sexes. And ultimately it’s a lie and a cheat. Pornography is a cheap, quick, empty copy of the real thing — the real joy of sexual intimacy shared by a man and woman who have joined their lives in a loving marriage.

Too Frequent Communions

The Church recommends frequent sacramental Communion for many reasons. Yet, for forty years I have been distressed when I saw (see) virtually all Mass attendees process to the front of the church to receive Holy Communion. I conclude that few parishioners accept the truth that they can and do commit serious sins and are then unworthy to receive the body and blood of Jesus Christ. Great sacrileges are being committed because of lack of faith in the true presence of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, and because of loss of sanctifying grace due to committing mortal sins and then not confessing them to a priest to be forgiven.

How do I know these great sacrileges are common at Sunday Novus Ordo Masses? The statistics on Catholic belief in the U.S. are absolutely shattering, including the very low frequency of sacramental penance (reconciliation). According to CARA at Georgetown, 38 percent of frequent Mass attendees never or almost never confess their sins. The Pew Forum compares beliefs of Catholics and other groups and finds that there are often few major differences. Fr. John McCloskey notes from another survey of lay religious teachers in Catholic schools--which should be an exemplary group:

Only 10 percent of lay religious teachers accept Church teaching on contraception; 53 percent believe a Catholic woman can get an abortion and remain a good Catholic; 65 percent say that Catholics have a right to divorce and remarry; and, in the late nineties in a New York Times poll, 70 percent of Catholics aged 18-54 said they believed the Holy Eucharist was but a “symbolic reminder” of Jesus.

On some occasions, I personally choose to stay behind and not receive the precious Body and Blood of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist. Perhaps too many venial sins have piled up and I haven't yet confessed my sins to the priest, or perhaps I have been inattentive and not prepared myself well for Holy Communion.

This temporary absence, when not continued, seems to make my heart grow fonder of and to more appreciate the gift of the body and blood of Jesus. A more balanced and truthful assessment of my spiritual status can be achieved by an occasional deliberate holding back from receiving our Lord in Holy Communion. It's important to remember Jesus' parable from Luke 18:

9 And to some who trusted in themselves as just, and despised others, he spoke also this parable: 10 Two men went up into the temple to pray: the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. 11 The Pharisee standing, prayed thus with himself: O God, I give thee thanks that I am not as the rest of men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, as also is this publican. 12 I fast twice in a week: I give tithes of all that I possess. 13 And the publican, standing afar off, would not so much as lift up his eyes towards heaven; but struck his breast, saying: O god, be merciful to me a sinner. 14 I say to you, this man went down into his house justified rather that the other: because every one that exalteth himself, shall be humbled: and he that humbleth himself, shall be exalted.

Good reasons on why we should continue to receive Holy Communion frequently are found here. Yet, Biblical references on "not worthy" keep the issue in perspective. I believe denying oneself Holy Communion once in a while is useful not only for our own souls, but also serves as an example to others who may feel they are obligated to receive Holy Communion simply because they attend Mass. It's important to demonstrate that FREQUENT COMMUNION DOES NOT MEAN ALL THE TIME.

Winged Marshdonut Fly

A son-in-law and one of our grandsons baked and decorated a cake for a cub scout contest. One of our family asked:
"Is that a butterfly being squashed?"

The response of our daughter was:
"Actually, that is the now extinct red-licorice winged marshdonut fly!"

Needless to say, their creation won the funniest cake design.

This post is just to show I'm still alive, but am too busy and tired to write anything else....

Intelligent Design--A Discussion

A couple of posts back, one of our sons contributed viewpoints on the movie, Expelled. Another son has gone into more depth on the Catholic Church's position on science, evolution, and intelligent design, as shown below. I'm sure he would welcome comments.

The Catholic Church does not try to determine scientific questions, but being the guardians and defenders of the Truth, it obviously sets boundaries when scientific "answers" try to say that theories conflict with faith. As was noted on a recent Catholic Answers Live question I heard in the last week or so, those boundaries include the following:

• God create the universe (First Cause), keeps it in existence, create the physical laws that govern it. Unlike what the Deists believe, he did not create it and leave; he keeps in existence.
  
• Most critically, Pope Pius XII clearly stated in his encyclical in 1950 (Humanus Generis) that two human beings (male and female) are the parents of all human beings, and that God created them in his image and likeness -- creating them a soul whose creation cannot be explained by physical laws or cannot be passed off with a materialistic explanation.
• Those two parents committed a sin that caused them to lose their preternatural gifts, saw a loss of innocence, a promise of a Redeemer, and a concupiscence to sin.

When evolution claims multiple first parents, for instance, it is not true. When science claims that the universe has always been in existence, again, it strays into untruth.

Beyond that, though, explaining the origin of species is left up to science to explain -- the Church does not try to. Whether evolution is bad science or not, I don't believe that I'm qualified to give an opinion. There have been many instances where evolutionary theory (Piltdown Man being a great example) goes off the deep end and is totally disproved as a fake and a hoax.

Yet, on the other hand, while offering proof that cellular structures could not evolve so quickly in the time frame envisioned by most scientists needs to be pointed out, an alternate theory needs to be provided other than "intelligent design." Throwing out intelligent design when asked to provide a theory of how something happened when discussing processes of science is unsatisfying and does not fit well into the Church's long stance of supporting the development of science. That to me has been my biggest concern of throwing out intelligent science as an alternative -- "they" who offer need to offer something intellectually satisfying.

For instance, a Big Bang event (which is now generally accepted science) certainly coincides with the thought of a universal beginning. In addition, cellular and mitochondrial examination has started to explain that we all come from a common mother. That is the kind of science that fits in with the Church's boundaries and, yet, provides scientific knowledge.

Ultimately, science is not going to be able to explain everything, but on the other hand, trying to shut down inquiry by saying "intelligent design" and not providing an alternate scientific theory is not an answer.

I will certainly look forward to seeing the movie. Am I opposed to a science teacher saying that the Church is wrong on insisting on his boundaries? Most definitely. That is not the realm of science, and if that happens, the perpetrators need to be called out. Good science, Faith, and Reason can coexist, and there is much been said and written by our current pontiff on this very topic -- Regensburg being one of the more famous examples.

My own humble opinion, [Your son]

Children, Dogs, Saints, and Angels

A reviewer, Marc Joseph, questions a necessary detail of my story of Bella, the dog animated by an angel who helps save a man from going to hell:

I am curious as to the ontological character of the dog. Hmmmm....?

Before addressing the question, I must admit I have mixed feelings about dogs, cats, and other pets who live kingly lives. They are sheltered, admired, loved, and even spoiled by owners who give them the best seats and beds in the house. My husband, an ex-farmer, has an even greater problem with such animals. When he hears that an animal has been given a human name, he often cringes because he suspects the animal may be treated as a substitute human being.

Both of us see that many dogs and cats are substitute 'children' for deliberately barren 'parents' in a contraceptive society. Many people tell me about their Mikey, or Annabelle, or Ernie who solve a craving of their owners to feel loved. Eventually, the dogs and cats become as important as real people, and sometimes lead persons into isolation from other human beings. The person may prefer to live with their animals who will never criticize them. All of us know people who put animals on a par with their spouse, parents, and children. After death, these people even leave their estates to animals, rather than to relatives or poor people.

Yet I remember St. Francis of Assisi is the patron saint of animals--from the ravaging wolf of Gubbio to the small birds who listened to Francis' sermons. [Did the wolf have two angels, and was the bad one kicked out by St. Francis?] I also see many older people who must live alone, rather than in the close presence of their family. Their pets have become natural friends and are proven to help keep people mentally healthy and even to help them physically.

Now for my answer to Marc Joseph: [BTW, 'ontological' refers to the nature of being of the dog, Bella.] All animals are created by God for the benefit of man (Genesis). When Bella dies, her physical life ends. Bella has no spiritual life--it was never created. However, the design of the dog (not the being) continues to exist and could be used again by God in Heaven (Paradise)--known to be a place to accept our resurrected physical bodies.

The Bible identifies nine classes or orders of Angels: Archangels, Angels, Princedoms, Powers, Virtues, Dominations, Thrones, Seraphims, and Cherubims. According to Aquinas, the angelic order, Virtues, has power over corporeal nature in the working of miracles; they rule the physical universe and possess the bodies of animals and physical things to achieve God's will. Likewise the old Catholic Encyclopedia concludes that the practically unanimous view of the Fathers is that the angels put into execution God's law regarding the physical world.

When the ram replaced Isaac for the sacrifice of Abraham, who made the ram get caught in the bush? Who opened the spring to flow when Moses struck the rock? Who makes the wind rustle in the trees? [(2 Samuel 5:23, 24; 1 Chronicles 14:14, 15)] I suspect God uses his angels far more than we know to love us and assist us in reaching heaven. So is Bella the dog with a guardian angel a reasonable story character--I think so.

Msgr. James Conley--New Bishop!

Here's a very welcome and encouraging announcement from the Archdiocese of Denver, Colorado website!

Pope Benedict XVI has appointed the Right Reverend James D. Conley as auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of Denver. The Holy See made the announcement today at noontime in Rome, 4 a.m. in Denver. Archbishop Charles J. Chaput will hold a press conference today at 9 a.m., at the John Paul II Center, to introduce the new auxiliary bishop. To read the official announcement, click here. A special web page for Bishop-Elect Conley will be available after the 9 a.m. press conference.

Bishop-elect Conley, 53, is a native of Overland Park, Kan., a suburb of Kansas City, and a convert to Catholicism. Currently pastor of Blessed Sacrament Parish in the Diocese of Wichita, Kan., he previously served the Holy Father for 10 years as an official in the Vatican Congregation for Bishops in Rome. He has been a Catholic for 33 years and a priest for 23 years.

An interview with Msgr. Conley reveals him to be just what the Church needs at this time. Another interview is here. His biography can be found here, including information about his past Kansas City life:

In 1973, Bishop-elect Conley graduated from Shawnee Mission West high school in Overland Park and enrolled in the fall as a freshman at University of Kansas. He graduated in 1977 from University of Kansas with a bachelor’s degree in English Literature.

While in college, he studied in the University of Kansas’s Integrated Humanities Program, a well-known classical great books program. During his junior year, he converted to the Catholic Church on Dec. 6, 1975. His mentor and teacher in the Integrated Humanities Program, Professor John Senior, was his godfather.

Also see Fr. Z's blog where he quotes from a Kansas priest who calls the appointment of Msgr. Conley "huge!"

I am sure that you have heard about the new bishops named early this morning. [I sure have!]

Msgr. Conley, currently of the Diocese of Wichita and formerly in the Congregation for Bishops and graduate of the famous KU humanities program and now appointed to be auxiliary bishop of Denver, is to my knowledge the first bishop appointed recently who had regularly celebrated the TLM as part of his priestly service (not merely an occasional Mass here and there). [And that must have been a consideration, frankly. There is no way that it wasn’t.] I believe that he and another priest alternated celebrating the 8 AM Sunday TLM in Wichita, the only such Mass in the Diocese of Wichita. This is huge! Maybe second to Summorum Pontificum. [That would be a "YES" vote!] Now we have a bishop who is not only a friend of the Extraordinary Use of the Mass, like Arch. Burke, but one for whom the EU was an important part of his ministry. The EU is part of new bishop(s). It is part of the mainstream of the church. This is great news for fans of Tradition.

Father Brian Klingele
Archdiocese of Kansas City in KS

EXPELLED! in Kansas City/Lawrence/St. Joseph

The movie, Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed, will be showing in the Greater Kansas City area and surrounding towns beginning on Friday, April l8, 2007. Lent is over and this is is an important movie to see at these local theaters:

• Southwind in Lawrence
• Cinemark 20 in Merriam
• Pallazzo 16 in Overland Park
• Westglen 18 in Shawnee
• Studio 30 in Olathe
• Town Center 20 in Leawood
• Independence 20 in Independence
• Eastglen 16 in Lee's Summit
• Barrywoods 24 in Kansas City (north side)
  
• Northglen 14 in Kansas City
• Liberty 12 in Liberty
• Hollywood 10 in St. Joseph

A related announcement:

On the occasion of the release – April 18 - of the Ben Stein movie: Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed, The Intelligent Design Network is presenting a conference: Darwin, Design, & Democracy VII: Banning Intelligence from Science. The Conference starts at 9 AM on Saturday, April 19, at the Colonial Conference Center, 135 and Rosehill Road, in Overland Park. The admission price is either a ticket stub from an April 18 showing of Expelled, or else the cost of a ticket (to see the movie at 7 PM. Jack Cashill will emcee.

For more information, see the Intelligent Design Network. This promises to be a very worthwhile event!

One of our sons commented very well on the basis for the belief in non-intelligent design--atheism.

About 10-15 years ago I realized that belief in atheism was truly a 'belief', a faith. At that time, I began to tell any atheists that I met that I had great respect for their faith, since so much more of it was required to believe as they do, compared to what I believe. That really can spawn the discussion!

But it is so true, and so easy to explain. If you don't want to believe in God, you have to create an absolutely ridiculous belief system to have an alternative. Evolution is just one of many parts of the atheistic system of beliefs.

And, as it is truly a belief, one held close to the very core of a person's spriritual center, it will be fanatically guarded and defended from any 'attack'. It sounds like this is what that movie is about.

Theism and atheism beliefs are selected by persons, not because of what they know or have discerned, but because of what they desire. If they do not desire to be submissive to a God, if they instead want to be God, the center of the universe, they will latch onto atheism. It is the ultimate selfishness.

Church must be Confiscated

The Topeka Capitol-Journal reports that U.S. District Court Judge Richard D. Bennett has placed a lien on the Westboro Baptist church of minister Fred Phelps, Sr. The lien is a preliminary step to sell the Topeka church, with the proceeds being applied toward $5 million in damages Judge Bennett imposed on church members for picketing a military funeral.

The $5 million penalty is the result of a lawsuit filed against three of the church's principals by Albert Snyder, the father of Marine Lance Cpl. Matthew A. Snyder, whose funeral was picketed by church members.

The senior Snyder contended the picketing caused emotional distress and invasion of privacy.

Westboro Baptist members regularly picket funerals of members of the U.S. armed forces, contending the deaths are God's punishment for the country's support of homosexuals.

Ladies and Gentlemen, regardless of what you think about Fred Phelps, you ought to be terribly concerned about the government taking over any church because of the actions of its pastor and members.

Much Better than We Know....

The two Bishops of the Greater Kansas City Area are Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann and Bishop Robert W. Finn, who are moving firmly forward to restore the Church. They will likely be judged in history as outstanding Catholic Bishops--much better than we now know or deserve.

I was particularly impressed by Bishop Finn's remarks given at the Acton Conference on Catholic Education on February 4, 2008. He starts out with:

I believe that our schools have to be so undeniably and unabashedly Catholic that they risk being thought of as almost fanatical. Lukewarm will not be enough.... It is not enough for Catholic schools to offer an occasional all school Mass, two penance services a year, Religion three times a week, and a requirement for Confirmation students to do a service project. It is not enough.

Bishop Finn's presentations can be found here and here.

The weekly letters of Archbishop Naumann also are very good and are published in The Leaven newspaper (which still leaves some things to be desired, although it has gotten better). For example, Archbishop Naumann's letter of March 21, 2007 asks and answers the critical question on suffering "Why do bad things happen to good people?"

All human suffering is in some way the fruit of man's rebellion against God. Sometimes we can see a direct correlation between sin and the suffering it creates in one's own life... My own father was the victim of murder almost 60 years ago. He was in no way responsible for the evil inflicted upon him by his attacker. Nor did my mother have any responsibility for this crime that made her a young widow with the responsibility of raising two young children by herself.

Archbishop Naumann's podcasts of selected talks are found here.

Audio Sancto

What has been the most visible sign of decay in the modern Catholic Church of the past 40 years? The way the priests and nuns dress? Missing religious elements, such as genuflections, Benedictions, certain prayers? What would you say?

My own answer is bad sermons--either poorly prepared, lacking substance, and/or bordering (or crossing the border of) heresy. In the late 50's and early 60's, priests became so busy and distracted and influenced by Modernism that they didn't prepare and preach good sermons. In contrast, the secular media became very good at preaching their religions of secularism, hedonism, and paganism.

Many Protestant pastors continued to prepare and research their sermons--often ones that did not contradict Church truths. I've encountered a number of people who left the Catholic Church because they said they saw more signs of Christ in a Protestant evangelical church. Why did they say this? I believe primarily because of the clear differences in SERMONS!

The days of great Catholic sermons given by the likes of the Cure of Ars, Cardinal Newman, and Archbishop Sheen are not over! A local website, Audio Sancto, publishes great sermons--of the current time! The priests who give the sermons insist on remaining unidentified because they have other primary religious duties. See here.

Listen to a couple of minutes from different sermons to select one or two to download to your Ipod. I suggest you first listen to "Blackfeet Indians and the Black Robes" (part 1 and part 2). To download, rather than play, a sermon, it is necessary to set your browser options to 'save' an .mp3 audio file to your computer Desktop.

Once you have downloaded selected sermons to your desktop, move them to your Ipod or a CD for playing in your car. We waste so much time in cars listening to venal things--instead, listen to these great sermons to invigorate your spiritual life.

Please Congratulate this New Catholic!

YOU must read John C. Wright's Journal to appreciate his and Mark Shea's comments on John becoming a new Catholic! Wright is always hilarious, witty, and delicious as he takes St. Michael's spears of truth to penetrate the hides of the opponents of God and His Church.

Please, please don't forget to log in to Wright's blog and congratulate the newly baptized "John Justin-Martyr Charles Wright".

China's Increasing Christians

Hu Jintao [the engineer] has been reelected Chinese President and also Chairman of the Central Military Commission. I often watch the English language Communist China TV station, and alternatively feel mildly optimistic or somewhat pessimistic about the future of that country. What intrigues me is that China now calls for the advancement of "socialism with Chinese characteristics."--a strange dragon if I've ever seen one. Zenit just published a comprehensive picture of China.

The truth is that China definitely seems to be embracing their ancient heritage and history. The Chinese TV network constantly covers anything in their country that recounts or emphasizes their old traditions and culture.

Today is a day for some optimism due to the March 18, 2008 report by the Wall Street Journal.

Christianity of the unofficial kind is winning Chinese converts in huge numbers. Not only that, it's winning them among every class of Chinese: farmers, urban migrant workers, professionals and intellectuals.

What is the appeal of Christianity to so many Chinese -- or, for that matter, of Buddhism, Taoism, Islam, the old-time peasant religions and the newfangled Falun Gong? In "smashing" organized religion, Mao Zedong also destroyed the traditional institutions of charity and social support that used to provide succor to the lonely and the needy. Now that succor is desperately in demand, and the churches are there to meet it.

The party also helped destroy traditional morality in the name of an ideology it has itself largely abandoned. To a degree that alarms even Chinese rulers, morality and ideology have been replaced by corruption, opportunism and widespread indifference to life's ordinary decencies. Religion offers a corrective to this, too, as it does to the quandaries of 21st century existence.

...Just as remarkable is how all this is slipping beyond Beijing's grip. The repression of Tibetan Buddhists and the Falun Gong has been severe, mainly because both dared to challenge the Party directly. Most Christians pose no such obvious challenge, particularly Protestants who belong to no formal organization, have no connections to outsiders, and do not openly question government policy. Some party leaders even see Christians as model citizens, patriotic even if they are not members of a "patriotic association."

Yet precisely because the party's captains and engineers tend to assess threats and opportunities in purely utilitarian terms, they tend to miss the real threat that a religious revival poses to their power. As French essayist Guy Sorman notes in his brilliant book "Empire of Lies," religion operates "in the realm of beliefs and conscience, where the party has no control." Mr. Sorman, who spent the year of the rooster (2005) traveling the length and breadth of China, recalls that one religious uprising, the 19th-century Taiping rebellion, destabilized the Manchu Dynasty, which in turn was succeeded by the Republic of Sun Yat-Sen, a Christian.

Might the same happen again in China?

I'll be even more optimistic when the Hammer and Sickle Red Flag of China is replaced with a flag showing a beautiful Chinese peony. Better yet, a cross!

Bella and the Second Crucifix

Here's a short story I put on the Collegium Scriptorum Catholicae, a site devoted to encouragement of science fiction and fantasy writing by Traditional Catholics attached to the Latin Mass. Bella and the Second Crucifix is meant to be the first chapter of Adventures in Heaven that will utilize some ideas on Heaven from a previous post.

Bella and the Second Crucifix
Bella talked to Michael who talked to Mary who talked to her Son. Somehow they decided I should write the story of my life. Bella is the best place to start.

Bella is the one I continue to thank. She was the only one who always loved and didn’t criticize. Of course, I always deserved criticism and punishment and I got it in every way possible. My parents, teachers, jailers, and everyone else were all at fault, or so I thought so at the time.

The first time I saw Bella was when I stole her from the pet shop, one of my many crimes, but probably the least of them. She still has the body of a Shih Tzu, but now her intelligence and goodness are so much clearer.

My companions and I loved dog fighting because of it being a blood sport. I stole Bella because I wanted a little dog to let loose inside a pen of fighting pit bulls. The dogs fight much better with an early kill. The bloody tearing apart of live animal flesh never ceased to release the rage inside me.

But sitting on the seat beside me in the car was a little Shih Tzu with an inquisitive face. Her eyes watched me intently and I had a hard time looking at the road to drive. It wasn’t until the accident that I began to appreciate her. She suddenly barked and then I saw the truck. As the 18-wheeler grazed me, I was certain that the little dog had tried to warn me. ME--A lousy, dumb, hating jackass of a criminal who planned to kill her!

My way of life was hard, very hard. I hated everyone and everthing because I had lost all faith, hope, and charity. Get mine first, last, and foremost was my motto. No virtues grew in me—I couldn’t be honest, tell the truth or help a person or work hard if my life depended on it. Of course, I paid all the penalties—mental, social, health, and even was jailed for almost 15 years.

That was when I really became bad. When I got out, I found that dog fighting offered a good substitute for knocking people around. That’s when I found Bella, or better yet, she found me. God let her live for only 8 months with me, until I was shot in an attempted robbery of a rival dealer.

I cried out in pain and Bella was there and put her small furry body next to me. The bleeding wouldn’t stop and the dog’s warmth made me feel just how cold I was becoming. At first, the dog’s barking annoyed me. Why is she barking? Does she know I’m dying?

The barking attracted no curiosity seekers, because the neighborhood was dangerous and shots had been fired. No one wanted to come and help, and I was angry, afraid, and hopeless. My dog suddenly jumped away to bark in the middle of the street. The approaching car hesitated, then stopped. A young man with a heavy black beard got out and saw how bad I was.

He asked if I had been baptized, and I said that my Aunt Bea had once told me she had baptized me when I was a kid and she thought I was choking to death. I should have died then and not caused nearly so much evil.

The man asked if I wanted to go to heaven. I replied, “What’s the use? Not even Satan wants me.” I started to laugh, but the blood rose in my throat so that I began to choke.

Bella stood quietly beside the man. She seemed to be looking at him, even imploring him. The man looked at me with solemn and sad eyes and asked, “Do you feel betrayed by the world? Even by Satan?”

“Yes, by everyone.” All except Bella.

“The man pulled small two crucifixes from his pocket. Both were hooked to a chain. I had never seen two different kinds of crucifixes before, although I had once grabbed one off a wall to throw at my Mother when she was drunk.

“Hold onto this one,” said the man, “It’s helped me many times.” And he began to pray while holding the other crucifix. “You have the cross of St. Dismas, son. Do you know who he was?”

I swore, “Never even heard of the name!” Then begged, “Get me a doctor!”

“I don’t think a doctor is going to help you, my friend,” said the man. And I knew it was true because my bloody choking became worse.

The man continued to talk, and I heard the short story of the crucified St. Dismas as he hung on the cross besides Jesus, “Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Then came the softly spoken words of the dying Jesus, “This day you shall be with me in Paradise.”

The black man continued to kneel and pray for me. Prayed for me—the baddest guy in the entire world. But the second crucifix wouldn’t let go of my hand. Bella licked my hand and then the Dismas crucifix. What a cruel joke for God to promise such an undeserved reward for such a terrible life.

“I can’t believe,” I said between bloody gasps.

“Your dog loves you, doesn’t she?” asked the man. “Isn’t God greater than your dog?”

Bella looked sorrowful, as if mourning my passing. I thought, How can I live without her sleeping at the foot of my bed, and creeping up slowly in the night to put her head next to my arm.

“Don’t give up, friend. If the dog can see a little good in you, so can God. Aren’t you sorry for the way you’ve lived?”

Remorse covered my soul in grief, as I realized God's love. I cried out with the foreign words of my grandmother, “Ntra. Sra del Perpetuo Socorro.”

I died, and saw the terrible Light of the Transfiguration. Everyone who dies—the good, the unrepentant, and the repentant—sees the Light of God’s presence. Unrepentant sinners see the Light to know what they will miss in Hell. The tremendous regret at not being able to continue to enjoy the Beatific Vision is the worst punishment of all. Through Hell’s Gate, I saw the red fires and smelled the awful stench.

I was so ashamed when I saw the Light, I cast myself down to Purgatory. Painful and long suffering was my lot. The blue fire held me tightly in its grasp, but I actually felt being cleansed, like burning soot off a pan or oven. And I had hope—no more despair. I knew I was going Home someday!

That’s how I got to Heaven—in the very bottom place. And that’s the reason the angel Bella talked to Mary to ask her Son, Jesus, to allow this story to be told. I know God intends to share this story, and I am writing it to please him. In His great and glorious mercy, He has told all of us that He will allow this single story to be told to the remaining Christians so that they do not lose heart in this worst and last time on earth.

Global Warming Meeting

Thank God that scientists and other researchers are beginning to challenge the deceits associated with Global Warming. Especially give credit to the Heartland Institute that organized the 2008 International Conference on Climate Change held on March 2-4 in New York City.

More than 500 people attended, and 100 speakers delivered keynote addresses or participated in panel discussions. Addresses by the Hon. Vaclav Klaus, president of the Czech Republic, John Stossel of ABC News, and leading scientists received thundering standing ovations from a capacity audience. Press coverage was extensive...

The keynote speech by Joseph Bast is here. He notes that the conference addresses four questions overlooked by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change:

• how reliable are the data used to document the recent warming trend?

• how much of the modern warming is natural, and how much is likely the result of human activities?

• how reliable are the computer models used to forecast future climate conditions? and

• is reducing emissions the best or only response to possible climate change?

I recently wrote a post of why I think 'Global Warming' is mostly scientific crackpot. Now the founder of the Weather Channel is proposing to sue Al Gore over "Global Warming."

John Coleman, who founded the cable network in 1982, suggests suing for fraud proponents of global warming, including Al Gore, and companies that sell carbon credits.

"Is he committing financial fraud? That is the question," Coleman said.

"Since we can't get a debate, I thought perhaps if we had a legal challenge and went into a court of law, where it was our scientists and their scientists, and all the legal proceedings with the discovery and all their documents from both sides and scientific testimony from both sides, we could finally get a good solid debate on the issue," Coleman said. "I'm confident that the advocates of 'no significant effect from carbon dioxide' would win the case."

False Gods and Nuclear Power

Several weeks ago on a beautiful winter day, I stopped to take photos of the LaCygne fossil fuel power plant located about 50 miles south of Kansas City. You can't see it in this photo which shows mostly steam, but the two stacks visibly release a continuous stream of hazardous particles that spread out downwind in long clouds that sometimes stretch to the horizon.

Interestingly, the Wolf Creek nuclear power plant about 90 miles southwest of Kansas City and the Callaway nuclear plant 100 miles west of St. Louis are much cleaner facilities. They don't burn coal or oil to release either hazardous particles or dangerous gases. Moreover, both plants use U.S.-produced uranium that costs less than 1/4 that of fossil fuels.

I have supported nuclear power for over 40 years--ever since hearing Dr. Petr Beckmann, professor emeritus at Colorado University, speak of the many advantages of clean nuclear power. Beckmann was a well-known engineer/mathematician who wrote several good books, including "A History of Pi" (still being published long after his death), and "Health Hazards of Not Going Nuclear."

Dr. Beckmann told the story of how a god appeared in Washington, D.C. in the late 19th century asking our country to make a deal in exchange for sacrificial bodies of humans. The god promised to give the U.S. a great gift if it would give 40,000 human lives to him each year. The spectacular and miraculous gift would help people live better lives, move about much more freely, bring distant families closer together, enlarge the number of jobs, build up the nation, etc.--a wealth of benefits. Most certainly if the nation had been permitted to vote, the god's proposal would clearly have been rejected.

Beckman pointed out the gift was the automobile, and the sacrificial gift is the over 40,000 lives lost each year due to auto accidents in the U.S. [According to the World Health Organization about 3,000 people die in crashes each day worldwide.] We know that automobiles cause many accidents but we choose to drive anyway--KNOWING AND ACCEPTING the comparative risks and rewards.

It's much the same with risks of nuclear power as compared to fossil fuel power. We choose to continue to live with fossil-fueled generating stations that cause almost 1,000 premature deaths a year in the U.S. due to people inhaling hazardous emissions. Most people seem not to acknowledge this fact and that coal ash is more radioactive than nuclear waste.

Huh! Did I just say coal ash is more radioactive than nuclear waste? How so? Take at look at this recent Scientific American article to understand why fly ash—a by-product from burning coal for power—contains up to 100 times more radiation than nuclear waste.

BTW, what happens to radioactive fly ash after it is removed? Construction and non-construction industries both use fly ash (e.g., concrete), but most fly ash from coal fired power stations is disposed of as a dilute or dense slurry in evaporative ponds, to be later buried with soil. Here's one typical illustration of current disposal of radioactive and hazardous fly ash.

Currently, there are 103 operating commercial nuclear reactors producing electricity in the United States located at 64 sites in 31 states. Unfortunately, no new nuclear reactor in the U.S. has been ordered since 1978, even though no direct deaths are attributable to accidents releasing radioactivity at nuclear power plants in the U.S. during the past 40 years.

In comparison, many other countries in the world have built and continue to construct many new nuclear plants, including Japan. What? Japan should hate nuclear power because they were the only nation that has been nuclear bombed. But here are descriptions of Japan's 53 operating nuclear power plants, including the new nuclear facilities now being constructed.

The Three Mile Island and Chernobyl nuclear accidents were caused by faulty designs, operation, and maintenance. Did you know that Chernobyl Unit IV, during its short life of 27 months, saved more lives from coal pollution than it took by radiation (or will take in the future, for coal has delayed deaths, too). See here.

New nuclear power plants (if we would be smart enough to build them) are designed to prevent the possibility of any meltdown. A PBS documentary of about 7-10 years ago showed congressmen and other visitors becoming agitated as a demo plant funded by government research began to reach meltdown and all the warning sirens activated. But the fission process automatically stopped and nothing happened--because the new nuclear plant design is inherently safe.

Even former "super-environmentalists" such as Stewart Brand (creator of the Whole Earth Catalogue), Patrick Moore (former Greenpeace activist), Christine Todd Whitman (former EPA chief), and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger now support the building of new nuclear plants because they recognize the futility of obtaining sufficient amounts of power from solar, wind, thermal, and other sources of energy. Only nuclear energy can meet the federal Energy Information Administration estimate of U.S. power requirements that are expected to climb 40 percent by 2030. Many environmentalists also are beginning to recognize that solar cell manufacturing releases really hazardous materials, wind turbines kill eagles and cause noise pollution, and other sources of 'natural' energy cause grave environmental problems exceeding that of nuclear energy.

Possible terrorism at nuclear power plants? Oh, yes, let's answer that one too. Take a look at an example of what Wolf Creek Nuclear Power Plant is doing to prevent such an occurrence. Kansas legislators must believe more nuclear power is necessary because they have enacted a 10-year tax break for any developer willing to invest in a new unit at Wolf Creek.

It's too bad that politicians listened to super-environmentalists rather than scientists and engineers for the past 30 years. Our country should have built at least three times as many nuclear plants as we now have. Compare our current 103 nuclear plants to the Atomic Energy Commission's prediction in 1959 of more than 1,000 U.S. nuclear plants by the turn of the century. If we had done what we should have done, we now would have no good reason to be in Iraq trying to insure a reliable supply of oil.

Pregnant Governor of Alaska

Radical Catholic Mom congratulates Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska who is pregnant with her fifth child at age 44. The Governor's office announces:

“Todd and I are five times blessed and couldn’t be happier,” Governor Palin said. “We look forward to welcoming our new addition in May.”

Gov. Palin's biography recently appeared in Alaska Magazine (my husband's favorite!). I found out that this very attractive woman with a lot of common sense (who is strongly pro-life) is being touted on a large number of sites and blogs as a premier vice-presidential candidate.

The Draft Palin for VP website reports the McCain-Palin button is outselling all other possible McCain-VP combinations. The Republican governor is enjoying one of the highest popularity ratings of any sitting state executive in the country--about 90 percent. No wonder Alaskans are beaming.

If you'd like to hear what she has to say, go here.

China--Optimism Superceded by Pessimism

"Many optimistic observers of China, often mollified by their close relations with the Communist regime, bet on a soft transition from despotism toward an open society, but recent events don’t support such a benign interpretation. Since the beginning of this year, repression of human rights activists, lawyers, and bloggers has been harsher than ever.

...Chen, a blind peasant and self-taught lawyer, had protested in 2005 against the kidnapping of some 3000 women in his hometown of Linyi. The women were sterilized or forced into having abortions in order to stabilize the population increase in the region. As this extreme violence violates Chinese law, Chen petitioned the central government – the only legally recognized form of protest in China. When carrying his petition to Beijing, escorted by a tiny group of lawyers, Chen was accused of disrupting traffic on the city’s clogged roads and condemned to four years in jail."

For more on the reality check on China and the 2008 Olympics, read this.

Unwed Mothers--Causes and Solutions

The National Center of Health Statistics has released preliminary 2006 statistics of births to unwed mothers in the U.S., and the news is hard to take because of its ruinous impact on our civilization.

The number of babies born to unwed mothers rose nearly 8 percent to a new record high in 2006 --a 20 percent increase since 2002. The percentage of all U.S. births to unmarried mothers increased from 36.9 percent in 2005 to 38.5 percent in 2006. That means almost two out of every five babies were born to illegitimate moms.

Compare this recent data to historical data with a minimal 3.5 percent of births to unwed mothers in the 1940s. By 1960, the figure had crept up to slightly more than 5 percent. As late as 1970, 89 percent of children were born to married women. But by the 1990s the numbers of children born to unwed mothers had dramatically jumped to the 32-33 per cent range. And the numbers increased to 38.5 percent of all births in 2006. Moreover, half of all births to unwed mothers were second and later children.

What caused the tragic growth in the number of babies conceived and born outside the bond of matrimony? I've looked high and low on the web to find a good scientific paper on the reasons for the dramatic increase and have yet to find one that adequately discusses the issues. So let this old granny take a crack at answering the question.

There are three major reasons that people avoid evil. First, if they believe in God, heaven, and hell, they either want to please Him and earn heaven, or at least want to avoid His wrath. Second, people don't err if they understand their peers will dislike them and disapprove of their bad actions. Third, most people won't do bad things if they know they will be punished by government policy or nature.

Sadly, the above reasons are all being violated in today's world. While most people say they believe in God, they reject God's punishment in hell. Go to any funeral and listen to the preacher or priest say the deceased is now in heaven. Belief in hell as taught by Jesus Christ has been abandoned, so people don't believe they will be punished for their sins. God is all good, they say, and he doesn't punish people. This belief contradicts traditional Christian teaching, "Mercy in this world, justice in the next."

The second reason deals with peer pressure. Most people avoid doing something that causes a friend, neighbor, or relative to look at them with disgust or irritation or disapproval. In parts of U.S. society today, families and friends expect and even approve of unwed motherhood, exactly the opposite of civilized societies which rightfully display indignation, shame, and sorrow over a baby that will not enjoy a lifetime of two parents.

What about government? What has it done to discourage unwed motherhood? For the past 40+ years, government has rewarded unwed motherhood with free money, free health benefits, free food, and other resources. No one seems to remember the old adage, "Actions that are rewarded will be multiplied."

If a girl or woman also believes there are few if any natural penalties for having children outside of wedlock, then why not get pregnant? Yet the natural effects from illegitimate pregnancies and child raising include poverty, inadequate care and training of children, bad behavior, crime, academic problems, bad example for the next generation, etc. The list goes on and on.

The solutions to unwed motherhood are easy to see by reading the above four paragraphs. Families, churches, neighbors, schools, and government all have roles to play in returning parenthood to exclusive married relationships.

ADDENDUM (3/30/2008)

A reader, Mary Jane, has commented: "I'm interested in your article. What are your sources for your statistics?" Here is the reply that was emailed to her.


The statistics describing births to unwed mothers are documented by the underlined references embedded in the above post. The statistics on the disadvantages and problems associated with single-parent families are sprinkled across many thousands of pages of the Internet. For example, see the Princeton-Brookings website.

If you ask for statistics to buttress my opinions on the causes and solutions of unwed motherhood, then perhaps taking the observations one at a time might be profitable.

I believe the first reason for the increase in unwed motherhood is the decreasing fear of displeasing God and the absence of belief in the possibility of being punished in hell. To look for statistics on changing religious viewpoints in the U.S., try the Pew Forum or the Barna Group. The latter group noted in 2003 that even though 73 percent of Americans believe in hell, "just one-half of 1% expect to go to Hell upon their death."

People have always embraced excuses for their bad choices, but now very few peers exist who have the fortitude to criticize their family and friends for undesirable behavior. The second reason for the increasing number of children born out of wedlock is that Americans are superbly trained by our over-tolerant culture never to say anything that offends anyone. In fact, that concept has been embodied in anti-harassment laws.

The lack of good peer pressure means girls are often proud they are pregnant and about to have a baby with their boyfriend. Unwed mothers wear the badge of single-motherhood as a badge of honor, whereas in the bad old days they had to wear a scarlet letter. Murphy Brown was defiantly proud of being an "unwed mother." She assumed the role of an independent woman, the do-it-all woman; so why should we be surprised that others have emulated her?

The appearance of rewards constitutes the third reason for increased rates of out-of-wedlock children. What are the rewards? Some of the governmental rewards include (see 2008 report of state expenditures on replacement programs for Aid to Dependent Children in Connecticut):

1. Temporary Family Assistance(cash assistance)
2. Child Care Subsidies
3. Transitionary and other Rental Assistance Programs
4. Transition to Employment Independence Program
5. School-Based Health Centers
6. Medicaid-funded health insurance for children and adult caretaker relatives
7. Helping unwed mothers obtain financial and medical support from boyfriends
8. Safety Net Services, including clothing, food, employment assistance and case management
9. Etc.

Mary Jane, Thank you for your question.

Intelligence is Expelled....The Aftermath