Thank You Pope Benedict

Thank you for reminding us that there are many professional Catholics who make good money from the Church and who appear to have a certain lack of faith.I think of pro-abortion Catholic Professors in the Uk when I listen to your words.

What did the Pope mean?

He gives the example of a person in a state of moral free fall-a prostitute who takes no responsibility for his actions.He then realizes that he is spreading a deadly infection.He takes what he believes to be responsible precautions.This may be the beginning of his conversion.The important word is the word "may".Such a word does not belong in the language of Magisterial Teaching.

Does the Church teach the principle of the lesser evil?

No,for the same reason that the Church does not issue guidelines on how to steal cars safely.An interesting consequence of the fiasco surrounding the Papal comment has been the recognition that not all supporters of the Traditional Mass are supporters of Traditional morals.It is disappointing to note that some speakers at Latin Mass events are dissenters when it comes to issues pertaining to human sexuality

A third thought

A person driving a stolen car still has certain responsibilities to drive safely.When caught,he gets,let us say, 2 years.If he kills someone,he gets many more years.The evil of stealing a car can be increased by circumstance but not diminished if the theft is for pleasure alone. Psychologically,there are serious problems with this argument.The thief may justify his bad behaviour by claiming that he will always drive safely.In fact he needs to steal in order to perfect his technique of safe driving.He is rather like a prostitute who justifies the evil of prostitution by claiming recourse to safe sex

A second thought

Interesting that Pope Benedict gives the example of male prostitution in his reference to condom use.You do not have to be a moral theologian to realize that this behaviour is intrinsically evil.By using a condom he is not reducing the degree of intrinsic evil.He is taking some degree of responsibility for his intrinsically evil acts.There is still the world of a difference between a first assumption of responsibility and repentance.

A first step

What does Pope Benedict mean when he speaks of a first step in the direction of moralization,a first assumption of responsibility? It is rather like a man with three partners who decides to give up two and move in with one.The man is still living a disordered life but there is at least the possibility of a future marriage.In saying this,we do not condone fornication.Neither is the Pope condoning male prostitution.

Letter from an atheist journalist

Johann Hari writes as follows:"Shame on you for defending a protector of paedophiles with ludricous sophistry.I hope one day you repent of your disgusting sin."He refers to my defence of Pope Benedict The Great.Good to know that atheists believe in repentance and sin.

The only answer to suffering

Because the Vine climbed the trellis of the Cross,the branches can now spread themselves wide on the same wood and find it is a ladder to glory.Profound words from Fr Raymond OCSO.

Father Raymond OCSO on St Bernard

The message of his fine work Spiritual secrets of a Trappist monk seems to be that we are all called to be contemplatives -to contemplate Him whose image we are and whose likeness we can recover through grace.He encourages with words from St bernard:patience is required but persistence even more.We are an image of God.So are the souls in hell but as they do not possess the likeness of God,they are eternally unhappy.

Saint Bernard and the three freedoms

Before the Fall,Adam enjoyed three freedoms: freedom to choose, freedom to choose right and freedom to carry out his choice.After the fall Adam enjoyed only one freedom-freedom to choose.According to bernard,it is in this last freedom that the image of God in man resides.Even the souls in hell possess this freedom of choice.In order to save our souls,our free choices must co-operate with grace in order to re-gain the two other freedoms and to share in God's wisdom and power.

Creation

As Frank Sheed said,if a carpenter made a chair and left the room,the chair would still remain.If God created the universe and abandoned it,the universe would be no more.Since God created out of nothing,unless He continues to hold us in being,we should simply cease to be.

AIDS and condoms

Once again in the news.Here is an analogy.A reformed thief tries to persuade a thief from robbing a bank and gets nowhere.Eventually he tells the thief to use the right amount of explosives as the amount selected may have caused injurries.The bank robbery goes well and no one is injurred.But please do not expect the Catholic Church to issue guidelines on how to rob banks safely.

Hitler's Popess

Am reading the life of Margaret Sanger,founder of Planned Parenthood.Not a nice person.She wanted the eradication of the African people by means of birth control and she was anti-Semitic.She also admired Hitler.Makes Marie Stopes look almost moderate.

Spiritual Secrets of a Trappist Monk

By Fr Raymond OCSO.Sophia Institute Press.What an amazing book.Far better than the later works of fellow Trappist Thomas Merton.He writes that St Thomas Aquinas taught that the mind of man has a natural movement towards truth and the will of man a natural movement towards goodness.The will of man would know perfect happiness only when it could hold as its own not this good or that good but all Goodness. Highly recommended.

Celebrities on dying well

So Sir Michael Caine is in favour of euthanasia.Not surprising really.No doubt an increasing number of celebrities will demand to die at the time of their choice.We need to respond by offering what is best in the Christian care of the dying.

Anger at Pope Benddict

Why was there so much anger before the UK visit?A number of people have spiritual and psychological issues about religion rather than intellectual and philosophical.Others just hate the Church.But there are still others who have been genuinely hurt by the filth within the Church.It is so sad to see their anger directed at the wrong person.

The Clergy Abuse Crisis

If the research evidence is correct and the majority of victims are adolescents,does this make it
a lesser crime? Surely not.How many of those young people are going to grow in trust - let alone learning to trust the Church?The Holy Father in his letter to the people of Ireland writes with profound psychological and spiritual insight.

Those great Jesuits

Southwell House,North London.The Jesuits I met were in their eighties.They had done extraordinary mission work in various parts of the world.They were true sons of their spiritual Father St Ignatius.They looked on in horror as their own beloved society went through a process of auto-destruction.They have gone to their eternal reward now.To them I can only say Thank You.Thank You also to Canon Francis Ripley-a great priest and a friend of Frank Duff-who patiently answered my questions on the Faith over many years.

My first Traditional Latin Mass

The Celebrant was Fr Michael Clifton.I think I told Fr Thwaites SJ later that I got a little lost.He advised me to keep going.No regrets.

Receiving Holy Communion

Archbishop Ranjith has instructed the laity to receive Holy Communion kneeling and on the tongue.He has also addressed the issue of liturgical abuse in general.A small minority may join the Protestants.They probably have a certain Protestant tendency anyway.What is increasingly clear is that many Catholics have ceased believing in the Real Presence.

The Church and condoms

Humanae Vitae is pretty clear:condoms cannot be used in the marriage act.Now if a person is absolutely intent in behaving in a promiscuous manner,he may consider the use of a condom.But,and I think this is the point of note,it is not up to the Church to issue pastoral guidelines to people who wish to behave in a promiscuous fashion.The Church has one purpose-to save souls.

The Poor Jesuits

Fr Thwaites used to talk to me frequently about the poor Jesuits.He was profoundly distressed by their seeming institutional disobedience.The Jesuits have done great things over the centuries.Perhaps it is time to let them rest in peace.

Some remarkable Sri Lankan Catholics

There are many who believe that Cardinal Cooray will one day be made a Saint of the Catholic Church.Another saintly Sri Lankan is also an OMI priest-Fr Thomas,founder of the Rosarian Congregation.I would like to write a booklet about him one day.Fr Peter Pillai was rather like Fr Vincent McNabb-a genius.An intellectual giant,he had a profound concern for the poor.His teaching was steeped in the social teaching of the Church and he founded a college named after Aquinas.

God and Evil

I have been asked to explain in one paragraph how God is the cause of evil.He is not the cause of evil in the way that Hitler was the cause of mass murder.God is the cause of the existence of Hitler while Hitler was in earthly existence.But He did not will what Hitler willed.God is overwhelming Goodness and He cannot will evil.

Cardinal Malcom Ranjith

Deo Gratias.I had the privilege of meeting Archbishop Ranjith 2 months ago.Suffice it to say that he was somewhat critical of the way in which the Novus Ordo has been implemented.He was also extremely kind and helpful with regard to pro-life issues.

On the Papal Apology

The Pope has made many heartfelt apologies for the atrocious crime of sexual abuse.Having read various works by psychiatrists,psychologists,anthropologists etc,perhaps it is time for the apologies to be extended.Various psychiatrists appear to have believed that the perpetrators simply needed therapy

LIFE conference

At the LIFE conference,there was a presentation on the fertility care programme developed by Dr Thomas Hilgers.It is an entirely ethical alternative to the unethical IVF option.Having met Church going people who have recourse to IVF I am left asking the question why is the Hilgers method not better known?

Should you kneel before the Pope

They kneel before the Pope to receive Holy Communion.That is wonderful.At the same Mass they do not kneel before Priests.Surely we kneel to receive Our Lord in Holy Communion.We should kneel to receive before Popes,Priests and,yes,Extraordinary Ministers.

Catholicism and Mental Health

It would seem that many people are looking for Catholic Psychiatrists.The number of orthodox Catholic Psychiatrists in the UK is few.Given that a psychiatric illness is as serious as heart disease,it is important for the person to find medical help-Catholic or not.Patients often experience a sense of feeling vulnerable.However,Psychiatrists are only experts on mental health.They are not in a position to challenge the core beliefs of a Catholic.Much the same applies to Psychologists and Counsellors.

Paedophile Priests in the Catholic Church

The truth is now out:there is no paedophile crisis.The vast majority of victims have been adolescent males.Bishops,please take note.

Grou and the love of neighbour

Fr grou S J was a tremendous director of souls.He notes that the love of neighbour belongs to the Natural Law.So why did Our Lord refer to it as a new commandment?Because we are called to love as Jesus loves.He died for us when we were His enemies.He prayed for our eternal salvation.We are called to sacrifice everything for the salvation of souls-friends and enemies alike.As I write this I hear that a prominent atheist who said some unpleasant things about the Pope prior to his visit to the UK has died.We are separated by our beliefs.We are united by our humanity.

Eastern Orthodoxy and the Catholic Faith

My last blog requires some clarification.I was trying to argue that the Church deepens Her understanding of Doctrine frequently as a result of heresy.The Real Presence of Our Lord was denied.The Church responded by using the term Transubstantiation.As Newman noted the Church develops her understanding over time.One could argue that time has stood still in Eastern Orthodoxy-partly because of persecutions over the centuries.

Conversation with an Orthodox Christian

I mean Eastern Orthodox.He said that the Catholic Church has defined doctrine too precisely.He gave the example of Transubstantiation.My response was that the Eastern Church was also very precise about definitions-on the Trinity for example.The Eastern Orthodox Church has been less precise since breaking away from Rome-precisely.

Being critical of Bishops

As one new to blogging,it is interesting to know that blogs that do not receive comments still get read.Yes,one of my previous blogs should have read Saint Thomas and the second way.I have been asked if it is right to be critical of bishops when they teach error in public. Saint Thomas answered yes.However,there are ways and means:there is no need to get personal.A spirit of bitterness has been a serious failure of orthodox Catholics.

A certain priest

A certain priest is annoyed because he feels that he has been called a heretic.I never read his work because I find it profoundly unhelpful.He must have been a young priest during the Second Vatican Council and certain people were looking forward to cataclysmic changes following the Council.In the context of what was going on it is remarkable that Humanae Vitae got it right.It just goes to show that what they say is correct-it is the One True Church

Newman and the Laity

Newman had an enormous respect for the laity.He recalled that during the Arian crisis,many bishops became Arian while the laity kept the Faith.Fr Thwaites used to quote this frequently.It is possible that the powersthat be are going to focus on the social teaching of the Church-not a bad thing-and evade the more difficult areas including Catholic sexual ethics.It is up to the laity to uphold and defend the constant teaching of the Church against the new Arian onslaught.

Blessed John Henry Newman

"Three great and loyal friendsof mine, Frs Joseph Gordon,Ambrose St John and Edward Caswall now lie side by side at Rednal,and I put them there."So wrote newman in 1878.He firmly believed that without their support,the work of the Oratory would not have been a success.That is why he wished to be buried with them-people who he believed were Saints.His and their remains would be shaped into a Cross.Sanctity and the Cross-that is surely the message of Newman for our times.

Science and Scientism

A husband asks his wife if she loves him.She says yes. That is not good enough for him.He needs scientific proof.He has been reading Dawkins and he refuses to leave the science comfort zone.But can science alone explain the nature of love?How can science explain the behaviour of a mother who sacrifices herself for the sake of her child?Can science explain our appreciation of the Good,the True and the Beautiful?Indeed can science explain the scientific method?The more we studu science the more we learn how little we know about the Universe.There are so many things we do in life that are quite unscientific.

Saint Thomas and the First Way

Here is a thought experiment that might confuse Dawkins.A group of students discuss Hamlet.They have really got into the spirit of the play.They ask questions like what is causing Hamlet to feel sad?What is causing Gertrude to feel guilty?What is causing Ophelia to go mad?There are many other causes to be investigated and discussed.Shakespeare is not one such cause among these many.But one thing is certain:without Shakespeare there would be no Hamlet.No students are going to ask these particular questions.We live in a world of causation and it is right for science to investigate these causes.What Dawkins does not get is that God is not one such cause among many.But without God there will be no other causes.As Thomas would say God is the uncaused cause.

Atheism in UK

The new atheists are encountering some problems.Many atheists did not support Claire Raynor when she said that the Pope had to be got rid of.Peter tatchell has rightly condemned the abuse of minors by priests.However he also scored an own goal by claiming that not all sex involving children is unwanted,abusive and harmful.Stephen hawking has attempted to prove that there is no God.His attempts have been criticized by sir Martin Rees and sir Roger Penrose.Many atheists have had enough of the toxic fumes emanating from Dawkins,Fry,Grayling and others.They wanted the Pope arrested.He met the Qeen and the Prime Minister.Hari wrote an encyclical to the Catholics of Britain entitled Catholics-shun the Pope who has abused you.Where did it all go wrong?

Cardinal Thomas Cooray

There are many reasons to suggest that Cardinal Cooray was a prophetic figure.During the second Vatican Council he recognized that modernist elements were working to undermine Catholic Tradition.After the Council he was utterly loyal to the Pope especially during the Humanae Vitae crisis.He had an ardent devotion to Our Lord in the Eucharist and to Our Lady.He was a mystic who sought union with the Creator by reflecting on the created order.May he one day be made a saint of the Catholic Church.