North of the Shire

Here’s a post at WhippleshireBlog.

The other day I heard a priest discussing the subject of health care in general terms and he said that he believes that it is a right.

I thought this was very interesting because, like many other folk, I believe that he has not thought through the subject carefully and is confusing legal obligation and moral obligation. Continue Reading »

It seems that there is little likelihood that America will ever return to the structure of its roots, despite what some there would wish or hope for or attempt to engineer. The power structures are too deeply entrenched. Moreover, as I mentioned earlier, I believe it is in the nature of mankind to desire a kingdom and for all practical purposes to create one despite the nominal system or ideology. Although that original American ideal was as close to the ideal of subsidiarity in Catholic social doctrine that the world has ever known, it is long gone. Continue Reading »

So what is it then that we are doing when we create countries and governments and systems? Why do we need governments at all? Why not anarchy? Continue Reading »

Here is my own opinion on history and government. Given all that we have discussed thus far, I have a theory of history, or perhaps it would be more accurate to call it a theory of government in history up to and including our own time. Continue Reading »

Having given a general overview of where we are as Catholics in relation to the political circumstance of the day, let us make a few notes about our life here on earth as Catholics and how it affects our membership in the Kingdom of God. Continue Reading »

There is a website/blog that calls itself First Things. I highly recommend it by the way, in particular for its serious treatment of the bigger issues that face us. But in this series of posts I would like to usurp the generic term “first things” because it is the only way to get at the current discussion underway in America in particular but in all of the western world to some extent. I am speaking of the discussion of socialism vs. capitalism, and in particular the Catholic perspective on the debate. I say “the” Catholic perspective in reference to Catholic teaching in the area of Revelation, faith, morals and social teaching and how we can apply them to the secular issue of the best form of government. Continue Reading »

There has been a lot said about the Catholic part of Ted Kennedy’s legacy, if in fact there really is one. His consistent support of abortion and related issues puts his Catholicism in doubt regardless of his personal devotion in private life.

But the discussion brought to mind a more general consideration that we all need to be aware of, namely our public Catholic identity. I cringed the other day while standing in a check-out line, (I won’t name the store) when the young man running the cash (about 35 give or take) was trying to be funny. He carried on and started out funny enough, in a rough sort of way but became downright crude and embarrassing particularly for the women in the line when he made a very nasty and rude comment about his “ex-wife.”

When I got to the head of the line I noticed that he was wearing a large, probably 2.5 to 3 inches, crucifix around his neck. For some of those people in the line it is quite possible that he was the only self-identifying Catholic they had met that day. I was sad, ashamed, and just wishing to be anywhere else. It is not the first time I have experienced such a thing, and as always, I am not sure whether I should have called him on it. He wasn’t speaking to me but was speaking loudly enough that his conversation was public.

It did make me think about myself, and my own conduct, and I asked the question whether I have brought shame on the name of Christ. It is a good thing to regularly examine ourselves, I think. I did the only thing that I could think of doing for the man. I prayed for him that he will come to a more repentent and reverant attitude and bring honour to Christ instead of shame.

To give credit where it is due I first heard this story on Al Kresta’s program on EWTN radio this afternoon. Continue Reading »

Here’s the headline;

‘Monogamous’ Gays Can Serve in ELCA
Largest Lutheran Denomination in U.S. Split on Divisive Issue

From the Washington Post articlehere is an interesting quote;

“We live today with an understanding of homosexuality that did not exist in Jesus’ time and culture,” Tim Mumm, a lay delegate from Wisconsin and supporter of Lutherans Concerned, an gay-rights organization, said during the debate. “We are responding to something that the writers of Scripture could not have understood.”

Does this then mean that for at least the part of the ELCA Sola Scriptura has been dropped?