David Ancell / Friday, January 31, 2003 / Comments(0)
I can’t believe the gall of this judge who thinks she can tell the Church whom she should admit to the Eucharist. She ought to be impeached. Regardless of whether she thinks refusing Communion was the right decision, those people were trespassing. Apply the law, not your personal ideology.
Category: Posts imported from Danger! Falling Brainwaves, Uncategorized
David Ancell / Friday, January 31, 2003 / Comments(0)
I just ran across this article on the continuing problem of Gov. Gray Davis and his pro-abort stance. His Excellency tells Gov. Davis to have the integrity to stop receiving communion, and the governor falls just short of waving his middle finger at the bishop. I would dread the thought of being Gov. Davis on judgement day.
Notice how charitable the Bishop is acting through this whole ordeal. Bishop Weigand tried to counsel him in private, asserting that he misunderstands the faith. He is trying to give the appropriate warning before formally banning him from Communion.
In this, His Excellency is clearly trying to follow canon law and Jesus’ words on Christian charity. He tried to personally counsel Davis, but Davis is defiant. Let’s pray for both Bishop Weigand to stand firm and Gov. Davis to convert.
Category: Posts imported from Danger! Falling Brainwaves, Uncategorized
David Ancell / Friday, January 31, 2003 / Comments(0)
I don’t know how someone came up with this idea, but it does make some sense. Divorce generates waste, and it is hard on the environment. I know that it make the environment of the children less hospitable, but these people are talking about the environment itself.
Category: Posts imported from Danger! Falling Brainwaves, Uncategorized
David Ancell / Thursday, January 30, 2003 / Comments(0)
Mark Shea made his point about why he publicly excoriates bishops who don’t appear to be doing their jobs. To be honest, I don’t know much of what to think. I try to avoid bishop-bashing. Since I don’t live in any of the dioceses where these problems are occurring, I have no other source than the media to tell me what is happening. The only time I remember attacking a bishop was when Cardinal Keeler of Baltimore published the names of priests accused of abuse. This was confirmed by the Archdiocesean web site.
St. Catherine of Sienna convinced the Pope to get out of Avignon and get back to Rome. This tells me that confronting a bishop or even the Pope may be necessary at times. However, I am not as holy as she.
I don’t have a well-formed thought on this, but these are the thoughts that I do have:
1. First, we need to pray for all of these bad bishops and their flock. If you aren’t also praying for the bishop, then keep your mouth shut.
2. We need to be praying about what to say and when. Without prayer, we may be saying only what we want to say.
3. Be careful what you say. If you repeat something that is false, you may be guilty of the grave sin of calumny.
4. Be charitable. The more charitable you are, the easier it is to retract what you just said if needed.
5. Remember that whatever you say should not be for your own glory. It’s easy to write a nasty remark just to get attention. Such is vanity.
Category: Posts imported from Danger! Falling Brainwaves, Uncategorized
David Ancell / Thursday, January 30, 2003 / Comments(0)
I came across this article this morning that a teacher in a Catholic school was fired because she signed a public statement in favor of abortion. I’m glad to see at least one Catholic school that expects teachers to be . . . . well . . . Catholic, or at least pro-life. No one who is pro-abortion should hold any job, even a job that doesn’t involve decision-making or teaching, in the Catholic Church.
The sad part of it is how unrepentant she appears to be:
“I felt fairly humiliated and beside myself about it,” Curay-Cramer said.
“Nothing I did publicly ever had anything to do with the classroom. What
was more upsetting was that I realized I couldn’t go back to the
classroom.”
Ok, wait a minute! Ms. Curay-Cramer was a teacher of religion. She just took a public stand against the Church on a critical issue, and she says this didn’t have anything to do with the classroom. This lady is supposed to be teaching a way of life. How can she teach this way of life if she publicly opposes it?
Interestingly enough, an editorial written by someone who is obviously pro-abortion basically says that Ms. Curay-Cramer should have expected what she got. It said that she should have the “courage of her convictions.” While they are obviously wrong on abortion, at least they have the decency to expect people to stand on convictions and face the consequences.
Let’s pray for her soul that she will repent.
Category: Posts imported from Danger! Falling Brainwaves, Uncategorized
David Ancell / Wednesday, January 29, 2003 / Comments(0)
I’ve been reading some stories of weird Masses that others have attended (here’s another one). Although I’ve been to Masses that were a little flaky, I have never seen the likes of what some others have seen. I have regularly heard things like “Happy are we . . .” instead of “Happy are those who are called to his supper.” right before Communion. I’ve never seen a priest drive in on a motorcycle for the opening procession, nor have I had a priest dress up as Superman. So far, the only Mass that I’ve been to that would qualify as flakier than a bowl of raisin bran would be the following:
I was at a parish in downtown Memphis. The chapel and church were being renovated, so the weekday Mass was in the rectory dining room. The Blessed Sacrament was on the mantle in a ciborium with a lighted candle next to it. We spent the whole Mass seating around the table in the dining room. When it came time for Communion, the patten was passed around the table with each person saying “The Body of Christ” as we passed it to the next. We got our own host out of the patten.
I never went back to that parish. In fact, I asked the priest in confession the next day if I sinned by going there. He said no, but don’t go back.
Category: Posts imported from Danger! Falling Brainwaves, Uncategorized
David Ancell / Wednesday, January 29, 2003 / Comments(0)
Jeanetta explains why she doesn’t trust Jesuits. I must confess to my lack of trust in them, too. My experience is not as bad as hers, but it is bad enough:
The only place I have encountered Jesuits was on retreat in St. Louis. The first few times I went I was too naive to notice if anything was wrong. One priest, Fr. John Snyder, was an excellent retreat director. He called the Church the “legitimate moral authority.” He went through the Ten Commandments as well. Someone remarked that he could tell you to go to Hell and make you enjoy the trip.
However, he was the last good retreat director I would encounter there. I went back while I was in residency only to have an entire retreat preached on the Enneagram. He gave out handouts with such in-depth reflection questions as “How do I feel about having a woman as my boss?” In the end, he passed out a list of recommended books which included “Why You Can Disagree and Remain a Faithful Catholic.”
I went back the next year to see if the next guy would be any better. He said such inspiring statements like “The best way to get to know God is to get to know yourselves.” (as though I were God). He told us that, in confession, we should confess our root tendency to sin instead of our “laundry list” of sins. All in all, he was better, but I was a bit uncomfortable with him.
There are some great Jesuits out there: Fr. Mitch Pacwa, Cardinal Avery Dulles, Fr. Fessio, Fr. Patrick Brannan, and Fr. Kenneth Baker. Let’s also not forget the late Fr. John Hardon. However, I don’t trust anything by a Jesuit unless it has the backing of a known orthodox publisher or unless the Jesuit is himself well known.
Category: Posts imported from Danger! Falling Brainwaves, Uncategorized
David Ancell / Wednesday, January 29, 2003 / Comments(0)
I hate to break it to Greg, but some of us ain’t tied to Blogger.
Hey, Nihil Obstat, I just said ain’t. I dare you to go to work. Hmmmmm, I wonder, if Greg knows when Blogger is down, maybe it is because he is Nihil Obstat and is posting through Blogger.
Category: Posts imported from Danger! Falling Brainwaves, Uncategorized
David Ancell / Wednesday, January 29, 2003 / Comments(0)
Normally, Emily Stimpson has great insight, but, as a legalized drug dealer, I already knew this.
NOTE TO HUMOR IMPAIRED: I am a pharmacist.
Category: Posts imported from Danger! Falling Brainwaves, Uncategorized
David Ancell / Tuesday, January 28, 2003 / Comments(0)
Kathryn Lively has graced my blog with a visit and comment and asked a question on a previous post. Is the sect that “ordained” our recent excommunicants the same sect that “ordained” Sinead O’Connor? Does anyone know? I can’t find the name of the breakaway sect that “ordained” these women.
Category: Posts imported from Danger! Falling Brainwaves, Uncategorized