One of the benefits of attending daily mass are the daily saint stories, the ongoing revelations of the stories of the men and women who show by their lives in the Church the path laid out by the Lord.
The Catechism says; “The communion of saints is the Church.” (946)
We see that reflected in the apostolate of today’s saint, Irenaeus, who lived in the second century and dealt brilliantly with one of the deepest heresies of all, Gnosticism, still afflicting the Church through its major tenet: that only the elect have access to the secret knowledge that is the foundation of universal truth.
An excerpt from his story.
“The Church is fortunate that Irenaeus was involved in many of its controversies in the second century. He was a student, well trained, no doubt, with great patience in investigating, tremendously protective of apostolic teaching, but prompted more by a desire to win over his opponents than to prove them in error.
“As bishop of Lyons he was especially concerned with the Gnostics, who took their name from the Greek word for “knowledge.” Claiming access to secret knowledge imparted by Jesus to only a few disciples, their teaching was attracting and confusing many Christians. After thoroughly investigating the various Gnostic sects and their “secret,” Irenaeus showed to what logical conclusions their tenets led. These he contrasted with the teaching of the apostles and the text of Holy Scripture, giving us, in five books, a system of theology of great importance to subsequent times. Moreover, his work, widely used and translated into Latin and Armenian, gradually ended the influence of the Gnostics.”
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Guns & Criminals
Unfortunately, they are as congruent as students and books, and this story from the Denver Post offers a good look from a study by three professors about the criminal’s perspective on guns.
It also notes the fallacy that gun control laws keep guns from criminals, whereas the only sustainable strategy to see guns and the other artifacts of the criminal life be voluntarily given up by individual criminals, is through an internal transformation from being a part of the criminal world to becoming part of the communal world.
An excerpt.
“Guns offer protection, redress grievances, give power and status and are a ticket to a culture where violence is an acceptable fact of life.
“So say 67 men and six women who were in Colorado prisons in 2003 and 2004 serving time for gun crimes. They were interviewed by three Colorado professors who tell the inmates' stories in a book arriving in July called "Guns, Violence, and Criminal Behavior: The Offender's Perspective."
“The book — underwritten by the U.S. Justice Department's Project Safe Neighborhoods program — offers an often-overlooked perspective on the motivations behind gun crime, said Mark Pogrebin, professor of criminal justice at the School of Public Affairs at the University of Colorado Denver.
"It's an explanation really of what happened before, during and after the crime has been committed," Pogrebin said.
“Pogrebin's team included Paul Stretesky, also at the School of Public Affairs at UC Denver, and Prabha Unnithan, professor of sociology at Colorado State University.
“No other alternatives
“Most of the inmates were more than willing to tell their stories, Pogrebin said. They considered themselves average, ordinary people who reacted to circumstances beyond their control, he said.
"Many inmates claimed that they believe that (they) had no other choice in the situation but to use their gun to harm, murder or intimidate another person," said the authors. "To them, it was the only possible choice they could have made at the moment."
“While some were steeped in gang or criminal culture, others who used their guns to kill were not, Pogrebin said….
“The interviews indicated that gun-control laws would have had little effect on the study subjects' criminal behavior. Most got their guns through a variety of ways, including borrowing, stealing and taking them by force, the professor said.”
It also notes the fallacy that gun control laws keep guns from criminals, whereas the only sustainable strategy to see guns and the other artifacts of the criminal life be voluntarily given up by individual criminals, is through an internal transformation from being a part of the criminal world to becoming part of the communal world.
An excerpt.
“Guns offer protection, redress grievances, give power and status and are a ticket to a culture where violence is an acceptable fact of life.
“So say 67 men and six women who were in Colorado prisons in 2003 and 2004 serving time for gun crimes. They were interviewed by three Colorado professors who tell the inmates' stories in a book arriving in July called "Guns, Violence, and Criminal Behavior: The Offender's Perspective."
“The book — underwritten by the U.S. Justice Department's Project Safe Neighborhoods program — offers an often-overlooked perspective on the motivations behind gun crime, said Mark Pogrebin, professor of criminal justice at the School of Public Affairs at the University of Colorado Denver.
"It's an explanation really of what happened before, during and after the crime has been committed," Pogrebin said.
“Pogrebin's team included Paul Stretesky, also at the School of Public Affairs at UC Denver, and Prabha Unnithan, professor of sociology at Colorado State University.
“No other alternatives
“Most of the inmates were more than willing to tell their stories, Pogrebin said. They considered themselves average, ordinary people who reacted to circumstances beyond their control, he said.
"Many inmates claimed that they believe that (they) had no other choice in the situation but to use their gun to harm, murder or intimidate another person," said the authors. "To them, it was the only possible choice they could have made at the moment."
“While some were steeped in gang or criminal culture, others who used their guns to kill were not, Pogrebin said….
“The interviews indicated that gun-control laws would have had little effect on the study subjects' criminal behavior. Most got their guns through a variety of ways, including borrowing, stealing and taking them by force, the professor said.”
Friday, June 26, 2009
Spiritual Warfare
In this post from the Catholic Key Blog, the blog, as noted on their site "from the staff of the newspaper for the Diocese of Kansas City - St. Joseph in Missouri," there is an excellent online discussion of the reality—which some Catholics still have difficulty understanding or accepting—of the eternal spiritual warfare that exists (with the Church as ground-zero in many ways) between good and evil.
The Catechism speaks clearly of the spiritual battle against evil.
"409 This dramatic situation of "the whole world [which] is in the power of the evil one”makes man's life a battle:
"The whole of man's history has been the story of dour combat with the powers of evil, stretching, so our Lord tells us, from the very dawn of history until the last day. Finding himself in the midst of the battlefield man has to struggle to do what is right, and it is at great cost to himself, and aided by God's grace, that he succeeds in achieving his own inner integrity."
An excerpt from the post at Catholic Key.
“A number of recent editorials by Catholic Obama partisans have sought to discredit the U.S. Bishops and the pro-life movement as a whole by grossly misappropriating the words of Kansas City – St. Joseph Bishop Robert W. Finn.
“Sometimes with attribution, sometimes without, but never in context, they have ripped four words, “We are at war,” from a 3,981 word address Bishop Finn made to a pro-life convention April 18, and given it meaning and context of their own making.”
The Catechism speaks clearly of the spiritual battle against evil.
"409 This dramatic situation of "the whole world [which] is in the power of the evil one”makes man's life a battle:
"The whole of man's history has been the story of dour combat with the powers of evil, stretching, so our Lord tells us, from the very dawn of history until the last day. Finding himself in the midst of the battlefield man has to struggle to do what is right, and it is at great cost to himself, and aided by God's grace, that he succeeds in achieving his own inner integrity."
An excerpt from the post at Catholic Key.
“A number of recent editorials by Catholic Obama partisans have sought to discredit the U.S. Bishops and the pro-life movement as a whole by grossly misappropriating the words of Kansas City – St. Joseph Bishop Robert W. Finn.
“Sometimes with attribution, sometimes without, but never in context, they have ripped four words, “We are at war,” from a 3,981 word address Bishop Finn made to a pro-life convention April 18, and given it meaning and context of their own making.”
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Broken Windows Policing
Two effective criminal justice technologies are broken-windows policing and three-strikes sentencing, and both are based on focusing on the worst crimogenic aspects of neighborhoods and criminals respectively.
One of the foremost proponents of broken-windows policing, William Bratton, has been the police chief in Los Angeles awhile and garnering excellent reviews, as this recent article in the Los Angeles Times notes.
It appears—from this article on one neighborhood in Cincinnati—that broken-windows policing is called for and one hopes they soon bring it.
An excerpt.
“OVER-THE-RHINE - Two streets in this Cincinnati neighborhood have earned the city the top spot in a national ranking of the 25 most dangerous neighborhoods by a personal finance and consumer Web site, according to data from 2005 through 2007.
“According to walletpop.com, Central Parkway and Liberty Street in Over-the-Rhine are the center of the worst neighborhood, with a violent crime rate of 266.94 per 1,000 population and 457 predicted annual violent crimes.
“There is a 1 in 4 chance in becoming a crime victim in that area in one year's time, the site reports.
“Spokesmen for Cincinnati police and Mayor Mark Mallory did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
“According to walletpop.com, the ranking was compiled by NeighborhoodsScout.com, which gathers FBI data from 2005, 2006 and 2007 submitted by all 17,000 local law enforcement agencies and came up with the highest predicted rates of violent crime in America.”
One of the foremost proponents of broken-windows policing, William Bratton, has been the police chief in Los Angeles awhile and garnering excellent reviews, as this recent article in the Los Angeles Times notes.
It appears—from this article on one neighborhood in Cincinnati—that broken-windows policing is called for and one hopes they soon bring it.
An excerpt.
“OVER-THE-RHINE - Two streets in this Cincinnati neighborhood have earned the city the top spot in a national ranking of the 25 most dangerous neighborhoods by a personal finance and consumer Web site, according to data from 2005 through 2007.
“According to walletpop.com, Central Parkway and Liberty Street in Over-the-Rhine are the center of the worst neighborhood, with a violent crime rate of 266.94 per 1,000 population and 457 predicted annual violent crimes.
“There is a 1 in 4 chance in becoming a crime victim in that area in one year's time, the site reports.
“Spokesmen for Cincinnati police and Mayor Mark Mallory did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
“According to walletpop.com, the ranking was compiled by NeighborhoodsScout.com, which gathers FBI data from 2005, 2006 and 2007 submitted by all 17,000 local law enforcement agencies and came up with the highest predicted rates of violent crime in America.”
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
The Lord
One of the truly great Catholic books—and we are fortunate there are so many—I have discovered is The Lord by Romano Guardini, and when he writes about the reception Jesus receives from his own neighbors in Nazareth as he was teaching in the synagogue, well dear reader, I had to share this excerpt with you.
An excerpt.
“In Nazareth, scandal, flickering since Jesus’ very first words, now flares up. Then it glimmers hidden under the ash. At the end, its roaring conflagration closes over Christ’s head: eternal revolt of the human heart against the bearer of its own salvation.
“Scandal—source of the power that Jesus’ enemies organize against him. They use any ‘reasons’ for their hatred that they can find: that he heals on the Sabbath; that he dines with people of ill repute; that he does not live as an ascetic, and so on. The real reason is never given; invariably it is this mysterious, inexplicable impulse of the fallen human heart revolting against the holiness that is God.
“Thus into the hour glowing with the fullness of holy beauty and truth slash the words: “Is not this Joseph’s son?” and Matthew adds:” Is not his mother called Mary, and his brethren James and Joseph and Simon and Jude? And his sisters, are they not all with us? Then where did he get all this” (Matthew 13:55-56)
“Jesus forces the enemy to step from his ambush: You doubt me? You whisper: Why doesn’t he work the miracles he has worked elsewhere here in his own city? Let me tell you! There I could work, because there they believed in me; but you do not believe. And why not? Because I am one of you! Beware, what happened to those nearest Elias and Eliseus will happen to you: their own people refused to believe and fell from grace, and the holiness which they denied was given to strangers!
“But the hour is Satan’s. From those who had just witnessed, amazed and moved, the grace and beauty of Jesus’ words, a paroxysm of rage breaks lose. They thrust him out of the synagogue and through the streets of the city to the precipice of the hill on which it lies, to hurl him from it. Rejection of the kingdom’s eternal, inexpressible abundance has become a living possibility. Already the cross stands waiting.
“However, the hour in which “the power of darkness” has its will entirely has not yet come (Luke 22:53); the incident is turned into a demonstration of spiritual power. The strongest things are the stillest. The scene in the temple before Easter, when Jesus single-handed overthrows the tables of the money-lenders and drives the crowds of bartering pilgrims from his Father’s house is striking enough (John 2:14-17). But what occurs here in Nazareth is an even greater proof of spiritual force. The excited mob, infuriated by neighborly hate and general demonic hysteria, surrounds Jesus, drives him up the hill to the brink of the precipice, and tries to force him over it to his death. Suddenly, in the thick of the clamor and chaos, the quiet words: “But he, passing through their midst, went his way.” No return of violence for violence. Soundlessly, effortlessly, divine freedom walks right through the seething mob, its irresistible force bound by nothing on earth but its own “hour.” (Hardcover Edition, pp. 46-47)
An excerpt.
“In Nazareth, scandal, flickering since Jesus’ very first words, now flares up. Then it glimmers hidden under the ash. At the end, its roaring conflagration closes over Christ’s head: eternal revolt of the human heart against the bearer of its own salvation.
“Scandal—source of the power that Jesus’ enemies organize against him. They use any ‘reasons’ for their hatred that they can find: that he heals on the Sabbath; that he dines with people of ill repute; that he does not live as an ascetic, and so on. The real reason is never given; invariably it is this mysterious, inexplicable impulse of the fallen human heart revolting against the holiness that is God.
“Thus into the hour glowing with the fullness of holy beauty and truth slash the words: “Is not this Joseph’s son?” and Matthew adds:” Is not his mother called Mary, and his brethren James and Joseph and Simon and Jude? And his sisters, are they not all with us? Then where did he get all this” (Matthew 13:55-56)
“Jesus forces the enemy to step from his ambush: You doubt me? You whisper: Why doesn’t he work the miracles he has worked elsewhere here in his own city? Let me tell you! There I could work, because there they believed in me; but you do not believe. And why not? Because I am one of you! Beware, what happened to those nearest Elias and Eliseus will happen to you: their own people refused to believe and fell from grace, and the holiness which they denied was given to strangers!
“But the hour is Satan’s. From those who had just witnessed, amazed and moved, the grace and beauty of Jesus’ words, a paroxysm of rage breaks lose. They thrust him out of the synagogue and through the streets of the city to the precipice of the hill on which it lies, to hurl him from it. Rejection of the kingdom’s eternal, inexpressible abundance has become a living possibility. Already the cross stands waiting.
“However, the hour in which “the power of darkness” has its will entirely has not yet come (Luke 22:53); the incident is turned into a demonstration of spiritual power. The strongest things are the stillest. The scene in the temple before Easter, when Jesus single-handed overthrows the tables of the money-lenders and drives the crowds of bartering pilgrims from his Father’s house is striking enough (John 2:14-17). But what occurs here in Nazareth is an even greater proof of spiritual force. The excited mob, infuriated by neighborly hate and general demonic hysteria, surrounds Jesus, drives him up the hill to the brink of the precipice, and tries to force him over it to his death. Suddenly, in the thick of the clamor and chaos, the quiet words: “But he, passing through their midst, went his way.” No return of violence for violence. Soundlessly, effortlessly, divine freedom walks right through the seething mob, its irresistible force bound by nothing on earth but its own “hour.” (Hardcover Edition, pp. 46-47)
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Laity as Co-Responsible with Priests
The Catechism teaches that laity has already been deemed to have a collaborative place with Christ’s kingly, priestly, and prophetic offices within the Church, but in May Pope Benedict offered a deeper and more mature perspective of co-responsibility in a speech in Rome, with special relevancy for the work of lay apostolates such as the Lampstand Foundation.
An excerpt.
“There is still a long way to go. Too many of the baptized do not feel part of the ecclesial community and live on its margins, only coming to parishes in certain circumstances to receive religious services. Compared to the number of inhabitants in each parish, the lay people who are ready to work in the various apostolic fields, although they profess to be Catholic, are still few and far between. Of course, social and cultural difficulties abound but faithful to the Lord's mandate, we cannot resign ourselves to preserving what exists. Trusting in the grace of the Spirit which the Risen Christ guaranteed to us, we must continue on our way with renewed energy. What paths can we take? In the first place we must renew our efforts for a formation which is more attentive and focused on the vision of the Church, of which I spoke and this should be both on the part of priests as well as of religious and lay people to understand ever better what this Church is, this People of God in the Body of Christ. At the same time, it is necessary to improve pastoral structures in such a way that the co-responsibility of all the members of the People of God in their entirety is gradually promoted, with respect for vocations and for the respective roles of the consecrated and of lay people. This demands a change in mindset, particularly concerning lay people. They must no longer be viewed as "collaborators" of the clergy but truly recognized as "co-responsible", for the Church's being and action, thereby fostering the consolidation of a mature and committed laity. This common awareness of being Church of all the baptized in no way diminishes the responsibility of parish priests. It is precisely your task, dear parish priests, to nurture the spiritual and apostolic growth of those who are already committed to working hard in the parishes. They form the core of the community that will act as a leaven for the others. Although these communities are sometimes small, to prevent them from losing their identity and vigour they must be taught to listen prayerfully to the word of God through the practice of lectio divina, as the recent Synod of Bishops ardently hoped. Let us truly draw nourishment from listening, from meditating on the word of God. Our communities must not lack the knowledge that they are "Church", because Christ, the eternal Word of the Father, convokes them and makes them his People. Indeed, on the one hand faith is a profoundly personal relationship with God but on the other it possesses an essential community component and the two dimensions are inseparable. Thus young people, who are more exposed to the growing individualism of contemporary culture, the consequences of which inevitably involves the weakening of interpersonal bonds and the enfeeblement of the sense of belonging, will also taste the beauty and joy of being and feeling Church. Through faith in God we are united in the Body of Christ and all become united in the same Body. Thus, precisely by profoundly believing we may achieve communion among ourselves and emerge from the loneliness of individualism.”
An excerpt.
“There is still a long way to go. Too many of the baptized do not feel part of the ecclesial community and live on its margins, only coming to parishes in certain circumstances to receive religious services. Compared to the number of inhabitants in each parish, the lay people who are ready to work in the various apostolic fields, although they profess to be Catholic, are still few and far between. Of course, social and cultural difficulties abound but faithful to the Lord's mandate, we cannot resign ourselves to preserving what exists. Trusting in the grace of the Spirit which the Risen Christ guaranteed to us, we must continue on our way with renewed energy. What paths can we take? In the first place we must renew our efforts for a formation which is more attentive and focused on the vision of the Church, of which I spoke and this should be both on the part of priests as well as of religious and lay people to understand ever better what this Church is, this People of God in the Body of Christ. At the same time, it is necessary to improve pastoral structures in such a way that the co-responsibility of all the members of the People of God in their entirety is gradually promoted, with respect for vocations and for the respective roles of the consecrated and of lay people. This demands a change in mindset, particularly concerning lay people. They must no longer be viewed as "collaborators" of the clergy but truly recognized as "co-responsible", for the Church's being and action, thereby fostering the consolidation of a mature and committed laity. This common awareness of being Church of all the baptized in no way diminishes the responsibility of parish priests. It is precisely your task, dear parish priests, to nurture the spiritual and apostolic growth of those who are already committed to working hard in the parishes. They form the core of the community that will act as a leaven for the others. Although these communities are sometimes small, to prevent them from losing their identity and vigour they must be taught to listen prayerfully to the word of God through the practice of lectio divina, as the recent Synod of Bishops ardently hoped. Let us truly draw nourishment from listening, from meditating on the word of God. Our communities must not lack the knowledge that they are "Church", because Christ, the eternal Word of the Father, convokes them and makes them his People. Indeed, on the one hand faith is a profoundly personal relationship with God but on the other it possesses an essential community component and the two dimensions are inseparable. Thus young people, who are more exposed to the growing individualism of contemporary culture, the consequences of which inevitably involves the weakening of interpersonal bonds and the enfeeblement of the sense of belonging, will also taste the beauty and joy of being and feeling Church. Through faith in God we are united in the Body of Christ and all become united in the same Body. Thus, precisely by profoundly believing we may achieve communion among ourselves and emerge from the loneliness of individualism.”
Monday, June 22, 2009
Drug Legalization
It is an issue that has generated much debate—as we posted on earlier this month—and appears to becoming moot in Mexico which is due to sign a bill allowing possession of small amounts, according to this story in the Los Angeles Times.
An excerpt.
“Reporting from Mexico City — Could Mexican cities become Latin Amsterdams, flooded by drug users seeking penalty-free tokes and toots?
“That is the fear, if somewhat overstated, of some Mexican officials, especially in northern border states that serve as a mecca for underage drinkers from the United States.
“The anxiety stems from the Mexican legislature's quiet vote to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana, cocaine, methamphetamine and other drugs, an effort that in the past proved controversial.
“There's been less protest this time, in part because there hasn't been much publicity.
“Some critics have suggested that easing the punishment for drug possession sends the wrong message while President Felipe Calderon is waging a bloody war against major narcotics traffickers. The battle between law enforcement authorities and drug suspects has claimed more than 11,000 lives since he took office in late 2006.
“But it was Calderon who proposed the decriminalization legislation.
“His reasoning: It makes sense to distinguish between small-time users and big-time dealers, while re-targeting major crime-fighting resources away from the consumers and toward the dealers and their drug lord bosses.
"The important thing is . . . that consumers are not treated as criminals," said Rafael Ruiz Mena, secretary general of the National Institute of Penal Sciences. "It is a public health problem, not a penal problem."
An excerpt.
“Reporting from Mexico City — Could Mexican cities become Latin Amsterdams, flooded by drug users seeking penalty-free tokes and toots?
“That is the fear, if somewhat overstated, of some Mexican officials, especially in northern border states that serve as a mecca for underage drinkers from the United States.
“The anxiety stems from the Mexican legislature's quiet vote to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana, cocaine, methamphetamine and other drugs, an effort that in the past proved controversial.
“There's been less protest this time, in part because there hasn't been much publicity.
“Some critics have suggested that easing the punishment for drug possession sends the wrong message while President Felipe Calderon is waging a bloody war against major narcotics traffickers. The battle between law enforcement authorities and drug suspects has claimed more than 11,000 lives since he took office in late 2006.
“But it was Calderon who proposed the decriminalization legislation.
“His reasoning: It makes sense to distinguish between small-time users and big-time dealers, while re-targeting major crime-fighting resources away from the consumers and toward the dealers and their drug lord bosses.
"The important thing is . . . that consumers are not treated as criminals," said Rafael Ruiz Mena, secretary general of the National Institute of Penal Sciences. "It is a public health problem, not a penal problem."
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