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.