David Ancell / Saturday December 31, 2005
As this year began for me at a party at a friend’s house, who could have thought that so much would happen? It ranged from good to sad to dreadful. It has also been a year of real learning for me, but maybe I can post that part later.
As we began, we had recently witnessed the victory of George W. Bush over the “personally against but” politician John Kerry. Kerry claimed to be Catholic with that stance, but it just can’t be. The media tried everything in its power to prevent the Bush victory, and when their attempt failed, they were bewildered. Why didn’t those common folk listen to us highly intelligent people who obviously know more that they do?
Sadly, this year saw the death of Pope John Paul II. I could hardly believe it, and I still have trouble remembering that he isn’t here. However, I couldn’t help but marvel at the good and holy way that he died. We saw the major networks, as one seminarian put it, turn into EWTN for a few days. Eternal rest, grant unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. May he rest in peace.
As the conclave began, I was a bit worried. I wondered what would happen. It just goes to show that I should trust the Holy Spirit. I got an e-mail from a non-Catholic coworker telling me that a pope had been elected, but it was not known who he was. I kept clicking Refresh on a news site until I learned that a dream that I thought impossible had come true. Cardinal Ratzinger had been elected as the new Holy Father and had taken the name Benedict. I think this was the happiest day of the year for me.
Unfortunately, just before this all happened, our nation witnessed a major building block in the Culture of Death in the egragarious killing of Terri Schiavo. This was a clear cut moral issue, but our justice system refused to acknowledge the moral law. Then, the politicians who had passed the laws for that very purpose just stood idly by. Terri Schiavo died surrounded by police who were willing to arrest even children who attempted to give her food and water. This has to be the worst precedent set since Roe vs. Wade. It has now been decided that the disabled can be legally declared as unfit to live in our nation. As harsh as it may seem, I still stand by this statement.
A few months later, who can forget Hurricane Katrina? It will take years to rebuild from this storm, and some places may never be the same. It did lead to an amazing outpouring of support from many people. I can remember walking into Costco and seeing people buy all kinds of supplies for the evacuees.
This year also seemed to be a year of deaths. We lost well-known people like Johnny Carson, Peter Jennings, Rosa Parks, and William Rehnquist. I have even learned of the death of Monika Hellwig, a theologian who claimed to be Catholic, but, sadly, embraced much that was contrary to the faith. May the Lord have mercy on all of their souls.
Well, I guess that’s it for blogging this year. I hope to blog more in the year to come.
Category: Posts imported from Danger! Falling Brainwaves, Uncategorized
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