The most disturbing prospect...

Brought to my attention by Professor Beckwith over at The Catholic Thing:

"So, here is the future: if the state can declare the Johns unfit to be foster parents, and thus deny them foster children, because they may teach these children the Christian understanding of human sexuality, then the state, armed with Judge Walker’s premises, can declare any married couple unfit to be parents, and thus remove their natural children from their home, because these parents, in fact, teach their children the same lesson the Johns were forbidden from teaching. For it is a lesson that is irrational and harms others, and thus to impart it to one’s children is a form of child abuse."

The possibility of a future in which my family might be desecrated by the abduction of my own children may be the single most infuriating result of this controversy yet. 

Thomas Storck of the Distributist Review...

...posts a spectacular column on how the left/right spectrum locks Catholics into operating under a philosophical framework alien to that of the Church.

But what does one do with something like the prolife movement? Is it of the Right or the Left? Since it defends the most elemental rights of a defenseless part of the population, the unborn, a grave issue of social justice, one would think that it was a cause 6f the Left. But it is linked in the perceptions of many with the Right because it opposes something considered necessary for sexual freedom by those on the libertine Left. So it looks for allies and spokesmen among those on the Right and unwittingly becomes even more linked with the entire right-wing program. But the prolife movement cannot really be classed on the American/Lockean spectrum, because it is not Lockean. It is not really interested in obtaining material benefits for anyone, as if it supported the right to life only of those who would grow up to be successful. Its concerns arise from an elemental recognition of injustice.

Mark Shea on servile versus pious fear

Mark Shea writes an impressive piece on the right and wrong sorts of fear to keep around.

Month of the Rosary

Following the Crescat and Ink in commemoration of the Month of the Rosary, allow me to share with you one of my two Rosaries, made for me by a fellow Catholic of the finest example:

Contra solascripturism

Abbot Joseph over at Word Incarnate writes an excellent post on the relationship between the Church and scripture, quoted below:

"So we have to realize that the Church is not based on the Bible, but rather the Bible is based on the Church.  The Bible is the fruit of the Church’s life and testimony; it was produced by the Church, and the books that are contained in it were recognized and declared by the Church to be the word of God. In the first century or two of Christianity, many other writings were held to be of equal value to what are today the recognized Scriptures, and they were read along with them in the liturgical assemblies.  But by the Church’s authority, granted by the Holy Spirit, these other writings were deemed not to have the level of divine inspiration required to be accepted as the word of God.

 (That is why it is the height of arrogance for an individual like Martin Luther to think he could personally decide which books are Scripture and which are not, for he eliminated seven books from the Old Testament.  It is an inadequate excuse to say he simply decided it was better to use the Hebrew canon than the Greek Septuagint: the whole Christian Church for 1500 years accepted the Septuagint canon of the Old Testament as the word of God, and virtually all the citations from the Old Testament that are found in the New Testament are from the Septuagint.  How could he possibly think he had the authority to cast out the word of God?  Was the version of the Old Testament used by the writers of the Gospels not good enough for him?  He also tried to remove the Epistle of St James from the New Testament, since it didn’t agree with his own theology—which in his opinion evidently meant it couldn’t possibly be the word of God—but thank God no one tolerated that particular folly.)"

On Frequent Communion

I wittingly continue my unwittingly-commenced series on the Blessed Sacrament with today's column from The Catholic Thing, an excellent piece on the recent history and present circumstances of frequent Communion.

The Catholic Thing...

...comments on the possible outcome of the November elections in relation to sanctity-of-life issues.

Blessing of the Bl. John Henry Cardinal Newman Chapel at the London Oratory

Image courtesy of Standing on My Head (along with a link to the full gallery).  What a grand sight!  Let's pray that, under the guidance and encouragement of the Holy Father, true beauty may be restored to the Liturgy.  Blessed John Henry Cardinal Newman, pray for us!

Another great blog post

Just thought I'd share another excellent blog post, this one over at Salvation is an Adventure (yes, I'll admit the blog title definitely caught my eye immediately) concerning the rejection of Christ's love.

Mark Shea on C. S. Lewis and Canonization

Mark Shea has written a wonderful article on the nature and purpose of canonization, in particular relation to C. S. Lewis and the work he did in the name of Christ.

"Canonization is not intended to say that saints are in Heaven but nobody else is.  Rather it is intended to say, 'This person shows us how to fully incarnate the life of Jesus in union with the Catholic Church, in which the fullness of the revelation subsists.'"

Timeliness strikes again!

I just happened upon a blog (Standing on My Head) which has captured my attention with another quotation from Tolkien on the Blessed Sacrament, one which has struck a rather acute note with me:

"The only cure for sagging of fainting faith is Communion. Though always Itself, perfect and complete and inviolate, the Blessed Sacrament does not operate completely and once for all in any of us. Like the act of Faith it must be continuous and grow by exercise. Frequency is of the highest effect. Seven times a week is more nourishing than seven times at intervals. Also I can recommend this as an exercise (alas! only too easy to find opportunity for): make your communion in circumstances that affront your taste. Choose a snuffling or gabbling priest or a proud and vulgar friar; and a church full of the usual bourgeois crowd, ill-behaved children - from those who yell to those products of Catholic schools who the moment the tabernacle is opened sit back and yawn - open necked and dirty youths, women in trousers and often with hair both unkempt and uncovered. Go to communion with them (and pray for them). It will be just the same (or better than that) as a mass said beautifully by a visibly holy man, and shared by a few devout and decorous people. (It could not be worse than the mess of the feeding of the Five Thousand - after which [our] Lord propounded the feeding that was to come.)"