Caution!

If there is one word that describes conservatism, I think it may be “caution.”  Caution about whether a new idea for change is “dangerous” or whether it is simply “progressive.”  Caution about whether a new idea for change is “moral” or whether it may be “immoral.”  Caution about whether a new idea for change is “based on truth” or whether it is “based on misinformation,” or worse, “based on lies.”  Caution about whether a new idea for change is driven by faith in God, or whether it has its origin in non-faith sources or even atheism.  

A cautious person would want to study an issue, including studying what a trusted authority may have to say about it, before rendering a personal decision on its merits.  I think that is why a conservative person is very often a person of faith while a liberal person is very often an atheist, even if he/she doesn’t like to admit it.  I consider myself a person of faith and I consider my authority on many issues to be the Catholic Church. 

Some people will tune out when they read that, immediately discounting my views on issues of the day, such as abortion, contraception, gay marriage, gender identity, and others.  They may say that the Catholic Church is out of touch with modern life.  They may say that the Catholic Church, which is itself mired in the sins of sexual misconduct and other scandals, cannot be trusted to issue judgements on morality or whether something is based on truth, citing Galileo, etc.  Speaking of caution ... I believe such thoughts are dangerous.

Some people will use science as their trusted authority on the issues.  But conclusions based on science are often revised based on newer research, and then revised again, and again.  Yes, paying attention to the conclusions of science is important, but I don’t think it can be the ultimate authority.  So I am cautious.

But if I have no authority to guide me, I very often cannot trust myself to form a correct opinion even if I am fully informed on the merits of an issue as espoused by liberals.  The Catholic Church, on the other hand, has a very long history of guiding humanity toward what is right.  This a beautiful tribute to our Creator God, who I believe is in charge and has given us a map of life to follow in the teachings of Jesus Christ.  Tune out if you want, but I believe it would be a mistake.  Rather, take the Catechism of the Catholic Church to be your guide.  It may not directly address every issue that may come up, but it is a trusted authority, a map of life.

Global Warming and Photosynthesis

I had the tree in the photograph planted in my back yard this morning.  So today, my thoughts are about global warming.  Let me explain.

I confess that I don’t know all that much about global warming, the Paris Accords (the international effort to combat global warming), the Green New Deal, or Laudato Si’, which is Pope Francis’ encyclical on the care of our common home, the Earth.  What I do know is that the increase in the concentration of carbon dioxide, a so-called greenhouse gas, in Earth’s atmosphere is said to be a major cause of global warming.  What I also know is that photosynthesis is the process by which the carbon dioxide in the air is consumed by the reaction with water from rain and the chlorophyll in green tree leaves (in the presence of sunlight) to produce oxygen.  And I have read that the destruction of our rain forests worldwide has contributed majorly to global warming because it is one factor that has caused the concentration of carbon dioxide in the air to increase – fewer trees leads to less carbon dioxide being consumed and therefore an increase in the carbon dioxide concentration in the air.  This leads me to the obvious solution:  plant more trees!

All that I have read or heard seems to suggest that the focus is on somehow lowering the carbon dioxide emissions from our vehicles and industries that burn fossil fuels and thereby produce this offending gas.  Another focus that I’ve heard about is the emissions produced by our cattle passing gas (the Green New Deal), which seems rather ludicrous to me.  The folks that oppose the curbing of the emissions idea, aside from their claim that global warming is a hoax) point to the damage that it would do to the worldwide economy.  And that is also something that seems obvious.

So … why not undergo a massive international effort to plant more trees?  Here in the United States (and in Europe, as I have seen), the federal and state governments own land that can be used for this purpose.  When I drive our interstate highway system, I think about all the wasted space in the medians and shoulder areas.  Imagine this space being filled up with trees!  I would like to see a study done to see exactly how “massive” the effort would need to be in order to have the desired effect.

But all of this aside, if the science is indeed valid, I think we need to pray.  If you are a global warming alarmist and also an atheist, maybe it is time for you to consider what a Supreme Being (God) could do for us if we would but ask.  Jesus has said time and again that He will grant what we ask if it is the Father’s will.  I have to believe that saving our planet is something that is in accord with the Father’s will.  Amen!

Going to Hell

Has anyone ever said this or something similar to you:  “You are going to Hell.”  Perhaps it’s because of some ongoing behavior, such as having an extramarital affair, living with a boyfriend or girlfriend outside of marriage, leaving the Catholic Church and practicing a different religion, missing Mass on Sundays and/or Holy Days of Obligation.  Or perhaps it’s because of having sex with a person of the same gender, or favoring abortion and supporting candidates for public office that favor abortion.  Or ... perhaps we have judged someone for doing these things.  Yes, that is sinful too!

Whatever our situation, here is what Jesus had to say about people who commit serious sins:  “If anyone hears my words and does not observe them, I do not condemn him, for I did not come into the world to condemn the world but to save the world.”  (John 12:47).  So we are not condemned, are not going to Hell!  What a relief, right?  If this is our thought process, then we need to continue reading John, Chapter 12:  “Whoever rejects me and does not accept my words has something to judge him:  the word that I spoke, it will condemn him on the last day, because I did not speak on my own, but the Father who sent me commanded me what to say and speak.”  (John 12:48-49). 

So what this says to me is that we will not be judged now, no, not now, but rather on the last day.  By the Father.  So we have time on our side.  This is where the mercy of God’s comes into play.  We must stop doing what we are doing and repent of our sins.  Seek God’s mercy and forgiveness!  Confess our sins and begin anew.  No, we are not going to hell now, right this minute, but we may very well go to hell on our last day.  It's up to God, of course.  I pray that we make things right before then.  And, remember that our last day may very well be today.  So the call is urgent.  This is my understanding of the teaching of the Catholic Church.  Amen!

The Blessed Mother – Honor vs Worship

It’s time once again for us Catholics to celebrate a memorial honoring our Blessed Mother.  This coming Monday, May 13, is the day we celebrate Our Lady of Fatima each year.  You may know that my wife and I had the privilege of visiting the site of the Fatima apparitions this past November.  The photograph I took that is accompanying this post is of the Basilica of the Holy Rosary, which was built near the exact spot where the Mother of God, aka., Our Lady of Fatima, appeared to the three shepherd children in 1917.  You may also know that Pope Francis canonized two of the children on May 13, 2017.

If you are a Catholic reading this post, you are likely well aware of the story of Our Lady of Fatima (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Our_Lady_of_F%C3%A1tima), so I won’t repeat it here.  However, my thoughts this Thursday are about the practice of honoring the mother of Jesus in this and in other ways and some of the objections that non-Catholics have about it.

The most common objection is the belief that Catholics worship Mary and not just honor her.  The official Catholic teaching is that we do, in fact, honor her and not worship her.  Worship is something that is reserved only for God.  If a Catholic does, in fact, worship her, then that would be a serious error on the part of that Catholic.  Honor is something we do for men and women who have distinguished themselves in some particular way.  The Catholic Church honors people; the Protestant Churches honor people; the U.S government honors people; foreign governments honor people, etc.

These and many other organizations honor people by sculpting statues of them, by naming churches and other buildings after them, by hanging photographs of them in certain locations, etc.  We even honor family members by naming our children after them or hanging photographs of them in our homes.  There are many ways in which we honor our people.  Because the Blessed Mother played such an important role in salvation history, the Catholic Church honors her in these ways more than any other saint.  And, by the way, that is what she is … a saint, and not a god.  But that may also be why many people have mistaken impressions that Catholics worship her – because they hear about her so much.  Indeed, we honor her more than any other human being in our history.  Why?  Because she gave birth to the Savior of the world.  We believe she is in heaven, body and soul, and intercedes for us when we offer prayers to her.  But, even when we do that, we are honoring her. 

One final word … I would venture to say that no other organization honors women more that the Catholic Church honors women through their high regard for the Blessed Mother.  So the Catholic Church should be respected by all women because of this mind-blowing devotion to her.  But a discussion of this would be more appropriate for another edition of MTT.  Amen!

The Miracle of the Stigmata

Today I’m thinking about the miraculous condition known as a stigmata, a condition that certain Catholic saints have endured during their lifetime.  A stigmata is characterized by severe wounds in the hands, feet and side that resemble the five wounds that Jesus endured at his crucifixion.  I’m thinking about this today, because as we celebrated the memorial of Saint Catherine of Siena this week (Monday), I learned that she was one such saint.

Webster’s dictionary, as part of its definition of the word, states that the “marks” appear on some devout persons while “in a state of intense religious fervor.”  A devout Catholic like myself would consider it a miracle.  Non-believers might say that intense religious fervor can cause it, but that it is not a miracle.  I presume this means that they think that the power of the mind can somehow cause it.  How the wounds on Christ can appear on the body of any person and not be miraculous is beyond me.

In the Wikipedia discussion of this phenomenon, it is stated that some non-believers think that it may be fraudulent, meaning, I presume, that the wounds did not miraculously appear, but that the person may have intentionally harmed himself/herself or that someone else did so, or that the story is simply a lie.  Let’s take a look at some examples.

St. Paul seemed to be the first to report this.  Near the end of his Letter to the Galatians, he says this:  “From now on, let no one make troubles for me; for I bear the marks of Jesus on my body.”  (Gal  6:17).  No one can say with certainty these marks refer to stigmata, since there is no other discussion about it.  But if they do, a non-believer would presumably rationalize this away and say that the statement is somehow fraudulent, that he either did not write this or that it does not refer to a stigmata.

The first to otherwise report it was St. Francis of Assisi (1182-1226).  The photograph accompanying this post shows a painting I viewed in Florence, Italy, while on a pilgrimage there in 2016.  St. Francis is a highly respected saint by most Christians, not just Catholics, and was known for his humility and great sanctity.  I would seriously doubt that there was any fraud involved here.

Then, we have St. Catherine of Siena (1347-1380).  I visited the St. Catherine sites in Siena, Italy while in the same pilgrimage, and I don’t remember anyone mentioning her stigmata.  But she was also the epitome of humility and respectability.  She is known for her religious writings (The Dialogue of Divine Providence) and her adamant defense of the Catholic Church during a very stressful period in our history when the papacy was divided between two popes, one in Avignon, France, and one in Rome.  Also, she is a doctor of the Church, the ultimate in respect by the Catholic Church.

The third example is that of St. Pio of Pietrelcina (1877-1968).  Since he lived more recently, we have actual photographs of him showing his bloodied and bandaged hands.  Once again, we have a person of great sanctity and respect.  He was known for his skill in the confessional, often spending hours and hours with long lines of penitents waiting for their chance.

All of these examples were highly respected Catholic saints, not fraud specialists.  Yes, the miraculous wounds of Christ crucified.  What a Church we have!  Amen!