Swingers!

Today the BBC reported that a farmer in Devon has caused a bit of a stir in his local village; he plans to open club vanilla (pictured alongside). This isn't any normal club... It's a 'swingers' club!

I did a quick google search about swingers in general (not pictures or anything before you get idea's) and what I found was disturbing.

'Bi-sexual couple seek soft swap', 'Christians for swap' - you get the general idea.

Why am I blogging on this? Well I think this is a deep sign that our culture is in trouble. It's obvious really, and you might say as I often do 'No way sherlock', but it's something we have to tackle and something we are called to challenge.

'Go therefore and make disciples of all nations' cf Matt 28:19. This isn't something we can take likely, the call by John Paul II for the new evangelization isn't simply a thing to get us excited. It's a call from the Holy Church, inspired by the Holy Spirit to go and tell everyone the message of the Gospel and to challenge them to open their hearts to allow Christ to their very being.

'Duc in Altum' John Paul II would often say 'Launch out into the deep'. All to often we are scared to do this, we are scared to mention our faith. We shouldn't be, we should be ringing with joy about the Gospel because it's a Gospel of hope. It's what gives meaning to our lives. Salvation history lies not only in the past but in the present because God is eternal and present in all ages. He does not change, we change, but God is always the same. How many times has someone said 'That doctrine might have been fine in the middle ages but not in the modern world'?

Our bodies are temples of the holy spirit but they are more than that. They are the revelation of the person, our very being. To use them as a simple object is not only harmful for us, and our relationships; it means God has no room to enter and to heal us. It means no to eternal life in the Kingdom of God.

We cannot ingnore the serious situation of our culture today and we must challege Catholics at all levels to take that challenge seriously. Are we willing to do so? And if not, then do we have faith at all?

Moving to another place (which is generally well known for it's liberal attitudes towards sex) and talking to these people about such issues is proof enough for me that it's no easy job. But let us remember with the Church, our faith is built on 'the rock'. We have the truth! The challenge is not to necessarily always tackle the problem, but to tackle the culture in a big way. 'Do not be afraid' was another line from the great pontiff. Let us open the doors of our hearts wide open to Christ; and help others on the road to finding Jesus so that they may be able to do so too.

May Devotions

Since it's May, i thought I'd post something I got from ' A moment with Mary ' , a regular E-Mail that my Father sends me every day. Enjoy.

I think one of the major defects in world religions has been the absence of the feminine. The absence becomes more striking in a study of Christian sects where so little attention is paid to the Mother of Christ. It would be strange to visit a friend's home and yet never hear him speak of his mother. (...)

True, in the course of History, there have been exaggerations in devotion to Mary, but it was not the Church that made her important; it was Christ Himself. The Church has never adored Mary, because only God may be adored. But she, of all creatures, was closest to God. Without her as the key, it is difficult to discover the treasures in the vault of Faith. God Who made the sun also made the moon. The moon does not take away from the brilliance of the sun. The moon would be only a burned-out cinder floating in the immensity of space, were it not for the sun. All its light is reflected from that glowing furnace. In like manner, Mary reflects her Divine Son, without whom she is nothing. On dark nights we are thankful for the moon; when we see it shining, we know there must be a sun. So, in this dark night of the world, when men turned their backs on Him who is the Light of the World, we look to Mary to guide our feet while we await the sunrise.

Fulton Sheen, Treasure in Clay

- The Autobiography of Fulton J. Sheen, Image Books 1982. (Society for the Propagation of the Faith

HFE Bill and The Public

Yesterday 'The Times' had as their front page story that the Public supports the HFE bill, thus the scientists had won the debate.

A week ago the Catholic Church in Scotland said 60% of people opposed the bill.

It might be a good thing to take the polls with a pinch of salt and to sit back and reflect seriously on what is at stake.

• Human-Animal Hybrids
• Children with no knowledge of who their father is
• Liberalisation of Abortion Laws and provisions extended to Northern Ireland

These issues deserve much reflection and consideration, but we have to remember what we are doing. The vast majority of the public have no clue what the embryo is, have no clue what the consequences of not knowing genetically who you are, and have no clue that over 20,000 women a year are destroyed by their experience of Abortion and many have lifelong problems and guilt because they know they have ended the life of their child. I wonder how many of the people, questioned in both polls, actually know the hard facts?

When you destroy an embryo, you end the life of another human being - scientific fact! This is not a metaphysical problem or theological position, it's simple science - conception equalls human life. The utilitarian would say, but it's for the greater good and the embryo does not suffer. I would ask the utilitarian, if a family are asleep and because of dodgy plumming they had a CO2 leak and they died, but they didn't suffer, is that OK? Or when someone takes the law into their own hands and ends the life of a person who has caused them pain and likely to cause others pain, but they wont suffer, is that OK?

We have to seriously consider what we are doing!

As for the fatherless state... Well I reccomend a book to you to read about such problems by Dr Alexina McWhinnie, called 'Who and I?'. In the book she has people write about their experience as Donor Sperm children and how the searched for who they were, but couldn't find an answer. Here is a quote from Joanna Rose who is such a child:

'As for me, in the last 10 years I have found three very likely contenders to be my genetic relatives. There have been many other possibilities too. I frequently receive messages from donor offspring, who send me their photo's to ask if I look like them. Who knows who I am related to? I certainly dont'

She goes on:

'For me the emptional and ethical issues that have been raised by trying to track down my genetic family, now thought to be, with half siblings, in their hundreds, carries enormous, and arguably equally consuming effects as having to face infertility itself. But I notice that the pain and the emotional anguish take front stage.'

And the bit which sums this bill up:

'Reproductive technology has embarked on an experiment on me and others. I am one of the guinea pigs, telling you the results of this experiment on me'.

She ends:

'If infertility is to be considered, and responded to, as an objective and lamentable loss, then for reasons of equity and consistency, the mirror image of this loss for the next generation should not then be presented as something to be willingly created and responded to with indifference. Those who do so are either blind to their own hypocrisy, or happy to endorse the creation of a tpye of underclass to serve the utility and desires of others.'

When you consider your position on this bill, think about the countless millions who will be in this position in 50 years time. This bill is not only NOT in the best interests of the child, but it's also sheer macabre curiosity from scientists who see themselves as masters of the universe. When you think of a womens right to abort a child, consider for a moment the child and the woman - don't seperate the issue. Think about the suicidal thoughts, the self harm, emotional punishment, substance abuse and broken relationships they will face as a result of post abortion trauma a NHS recognised problem.

Please write to your MP's make your voice heard, because it's people like Joanna who will be affected. And if you remain silent, it's you who will be guilty of turning a blind eye.

The New Evangelization

Since my fathers conversion some 4 years ago now, he has taken a lot of interest in Our Blessed Mother. She, is probably responsible in some way for that conversion as my father discovered the Catholic faith in quite a profound way in Lourdes some 30 + years ago, yet he felt moved after suffering a serious stroke to finally cross the tiber in our Home parish of Our Lady of Loretto and St. Michael the Archangel.

Likewise my own journey home was due to Lourdes, where I encountered a lot of things catholics probably shouldn't do, but where I couldn't helped be moved by the faith, the joy, the hope and the deep sense of unity that united everyone there; when I came home I was a different person. Yet every day has been another conversion. I'm not perfect by any means and I now know how important it is to daily ask for that conversion of heart and plead for the grace I need.

At each time in my life where I have strayed, Our Lady has come to my help and when each time I did well, I always prayed the memorare at (the insistence of my own mother) beforehand. She has lit my path. Why am I telling you this? Well my father sent me an E-Mail today because he knew the I'm struggeling a little to settle into my new life here in England. This is what it said...

To contemplate the face of Christ, and to contemplate it with Mary, is the "program" which I have set before the Church at the dawn of the third millennium, summoning her to put out into the deep on the sea of history with the enthusiasm of the new evangelization. To contemplate Christ involves being able to recognize Him wherever He manifests Himself, in His many forms of presence, but above all in the living sacrament of His body and His blood.

The Church draws her life from Christ in the Eucharist; by Him she is fed and by Him she is enlightened. The Eucharist is both a mystery of faith and a "mystery of light". Whenever the Church celebrates the Eucharist, the faithful can in some way relive the experience of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus: "their eyes were opened and they recognized Him" (Lk 24:31).

John Paul II Ecclesia de Eucharistia #6 (2003)

This tells me again to turn to Our Lady, but to also turn to the physical presence of the body, blood, soul and divinity of Jesus in the Eucharist, the most blessed sacrament of the alter. Because only in following God, will we achieve any semblence of peace; and in drawing strength from the Adoration in the blessed sacrament, meeting our Physical Lord right before our eyes, we will have the strength and the courage for the tasks that the new evangelization calls for.

For more information on the new evangelization, http://www.friendswithchrist.blogspot.com/ run by Fr Richard and Fr Julian is a good place to visit.

Tony does it again

Well Tony has done it again... Today the Times newspaper was hailing the former PM as the man who is going to save faith from 'rampant secularism' but also unite moderates and doctrinists. Apparently this is Blairs big return to public service.

Interestingly enough when asked questions on contraception and AIDS and about his Catholic faith he managed, as the skilled politician he is, to dodge every single question.

I think any attempt to save faith from rampant secularism is a good thing, but I feel Mr Blairs motives are questionable. He comes into the Catholic faith after giving us one of the worst anti-life governments in living history, he then supports gay rights charities, he wont state an opinion on the HFE bill (because it was his brain child most likely) and yet he calls himself a christian never mind a catholic.

I admire Tony Blair because he's a good orator, and also has the guts to make tough decisions, but if his faith foundation is any reflection on what his own relativistic, cafeteria christianity (never mind Catholicism), then I hope it never takes off as ultimately he will do more harm than good.

In Catholicism there is no right or left; you either choose to accept Church teaching or not. If Mr Blair wants to reject Church teaching then he should have the guts to stand up and tell us and not hide behind the faith which means so much to me and billions around the world.

A great post

Fr Tim Finigan has been known to state his voice on a number of issues, but this post made me proud to be a Catholic.

http://the-hermeneutic-of-continuity.blogspot.com/2008/04/tony-blairs-lecture.html

Please follow the link to read his general thoughts on the liturgy and everyday life as a parish priest, but especially this article on the 'Genk' which is Tony Blair. Yes, St. Monica and I are still praying for your conversion Mr Blair... And St. Monica is still praying for me. In the words of someone wise... Oremus Pro Invicem!

Olympics and Me

I'm not an athlete by any standards, but since loosing a lot of weight lately, I've re-discovered a love for the gym and all things 'Sport'. Trying to run non stop for 10 minutes would have probably killed me in January, but now it seems I might be within reach of that target - pathetic I hear you cry, but it's something I never thought I could do.

I've always enjoyed the Olympics because to me it always enshrined something a little bit special, extraordinary, and beyond the reach of the average human. I never thought I would be in the Olympics, and my hunch on that proved correct. But for those athletes who spend their time and their lives training for a single event, trying to narrow down those invaluable .0's of a second, it must be in their every waking thought, dream, action and deed.

Likewise someone who has faith in anything, be it God, a social system like socialism, communism or democracy, or even those with the beleif in aitheism; that faith shapes our lives, our actions and the decisions we make.

Our Government is supporting the Beijing Olympics, and although I want to because I like watching the events, I'm not really sure I can. China has an awful human rights record. It's a place where my brothers and sisters in the Catholic Church are persecuted daily, it's where people are rounded up and tortured, where children are literally left to die for gender or physical reasons... The list goes on!

The Olympics, weather it is intended to be or not, is always seen as a public endorsment of the country where it is held. So many people are saying it's a sporting event, not a political one, thus we should not hold back our support for the event because of that reason. But if I believe in the sanctity and dignity of human life, and I take my catholic faith seriously, then how can I support such an endorsment of a country which on all levels opposes my very being? But then again how can I support the London Olympics when our Government is promoting this culture which is anti life, anti God and has a distorted view of human rights on all levels... It's a difficult dilema.

Faith is something which penetrates our very being, our very fabric of existence. It's not something I can simply switch on and off. Yet constantly, our culture and politicians ask us to switch off the faith button when they don't agree with what our faith tells us. The simple reality is that if you have a faith on and off switch, then you don't have faith. That statement is not being a fundamentalist, that's being true to our moral compass, which our 'Supreme Leader' Gordon told us he had. Where was his moral compass today in accepting the Torch? Where was it when he wanted a Three Line whip (which there still is in some aspects) on the HFE bill? Where was it when he said 'let all the little children come unto me' and yet supports abortion?

I do not support any violent protests, or trying to be extreme to get on the airwaves; but come the Olpymics, I will switch to another station. Why? Because I see Christ in those people being persecuted and I cannot turn a blind eye to my brothers and sisters pain just because I like and value what the Olympics stand for. Yes, let there be reconcilliation and peace, but for that to happen China must first of all repent and so far, I've not seen Hu Jintao saying he's sorry.