This is nice to see: support for the Pope’s condemnation of condoms from both the Russian Orthodox Patriarch and the Evangelical Christianity Today.

Moscow Patriarchate Backs Pope’s Stance on Condoms: Says They Can’t Be Considered Remedy Against AIDS

Condoms, HIV, and Pope Benedict: Leading HIV researcher Edward C. Green says criticism of the pope ‘unfair.’

As someone who converted to Catholicism through the pro-life movement, I can tell you that one of the greatest “benefits” to the culture of death is that Christians of all persuasions are working together to combat it. God will bring good out of just about anything.

I’ve posted my reflections on this Sunday’s readings, in which I contemplate God’s infinite mercy.

My wife has always valued good food, and by that, she means non-processed, locally grown or raised food that hasn’t been treated by thousands of chemicals or been exposed to a multitude of antibiotics. So we have our own vegetable garden in our backyard and buy food from a local food co-op and cattle ranch. As someone who grew up loving McDonalds and Mountain Dew I’ll admit that it has taken me a while to get used to it. But I have come to realize that the food is better and obviously healthier.

I encourage everyone to consider having their own “kitchen garden” in their yard (or even on their windowsill) to grow tomatoes, green beans and other vegetables. It can be hard work, but it is well worth the effort, and man was not made to sit in front of a computer or TV screen all day eating processed food anyway. And you won’t be alone: I just read that First Lady Michelle Obama is going to grow one in her backyard as well.

Catholic Destination has posted an article I wrote entitled “Are Only Catholics Going to Heaven?” It might seem like a question with an obvious answer to many, but I was surprised by how often I have been asked this question during inquiry meetings I’ve held at my parish.

A big brouhaha has erupted over the Pope’s recent statement that condoms do not prevent the spread of AIDS but actually exacerbate the problem. Not surprisingly, the media is up in arms. Take a look at this commentary from Roland Martin for CNN (his comments in bold, my comments in red):

The church has long been opposed to the use of condoms and other forms of birth control because it strongly believes that sex is for procreation and enriching the union of a married couple.

Interestingly, the original version of this article stated “that sex is for procreation only.” I guess someone told Mr. Martin what the Church actually teaches regarding the unitive and procreative aspects of sexual relations. Would it have been too much for him to look this up in the Catechism before he wrote this initially, though?

But for the church to continue to ignore the definitive research that condoms play a huge role in decreasing the spread of HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases is mind-boggling.

Note that he refers to none of this research, but just calls it “definitive.” This is a classic way to silence opposition: simply state something as fact and assume that fact throughout your argument.

Here in DC, we just found out that 3% of the population has HIV. This is a staggering number, and note that DC has led the way in pushing condoms and clean needles to people to slow the rate of HIV/AIDS. The “definitive research” isn’t helping much in the nation’s capital, I’d say.

Pope Benedict is in Africa this week on a six-day tour, his first since his ascension to the papacy, and he made some remarks that have sparked outrage in the motherland, where Catholicism is spreading like wildfire.

Outrage from whom? American elites traveling with the Pope? Nowhere does he mention actual Africans expressing “outrage.”

He is absolutely correct that condoms are not the solution to stopping the spread of HIV/AIDS. He is also 100 percent correct that the only surefire way of stopping HIV/AIDS, when it comes to sex, is to practice abstinence. That is clearly within the teachings of the Bible and the Catholic Church, and he will find no disagreement from me.

Now the reality.

Wait a minute – how is abstinence being 100% effective and consistent with biblical teaching not “reality”? Martin is trying to make it appear that the teachings of the Bible and the Church are simply impossible to follow. If this were true, God would be a cruel tyrant, creating us to be fulfilled by living a certain way, but knowing it is impossible to do so.

The “reality” is that millions of people through the centuries have lived according to the Church’s teaching regarding sexual morality. Yes, many others have not, but you cannot ignore millions of people and call it “reality.”

People are having sex. Catholics are having sex. Heck, some Catholic priests have abandoned their oath and have had sex.

And who exactly is questioning this?

As a layman and the husband of a pastor, I know the difference between utopia and reality, and it is the responsibility of the faith community to deal with the real world.

And frankly, Pope Benedict clearly shows he doesn’t get it.

What we need today are our church leaders preaching, teaching and imploring their members not to go to bed with anyone and everyone. We also need church leaders who are willing to stand up and tell folks that if they do choose to sin — that’s what the church and other faith leaders consider sex outside of marriage — then you had better take the necessary precautions to protect yourself.

Here is where Martin’s problems really take off. Martin admits that pastors should tell people to remain monogamous. But they should also tell their flocks to be careful when they disobey the first command. Follow Rule 1 and when you disobey Rule 1, follow Rule 2. Why would anyone bother following such a person? Where else in life is this logical?

“Kids, don’t do drugs.”

“Yes, sir.”

“But when you do take drugs, be sure to only get it from respectable dealers.”

“What?”

Folks, there is nothing in the Bible about wearing a seat belt. But it would be foolish of any pastor not to tell his or her members to use the safety device when driving. Churches all across the country trust and love their fellow members, but you can bet that an accountant is employed by many churches to ensure that no one is stealing the tithes and offerings.

Martin’s analogies are embarrassing. We don’t wear a seat belt because of our sinful actions – we wear them because of accidents and because other people might drive recklessly. Even though I drive safely I know I can make mistakes and other drivers can be crazy – that’s why I wear a seat belt. Choosing to have sex with another person is a conscious, pre-meditated decision (let’s leave rape out of the equation for now). Unlike auto accidents, one can avoid sex if he so desires.

Sex is not some random occurrence, like getting in an accident. You don’t walk by a lady in the street and “accidentally” have sex with her. You choose to do it.

Pope Benedict surely loves God and sees him as his protector and provider, but he goes nowhere without armed bodyguards. The pope has to know that murder is against God’s will. He has to believe that every person has the choice to be a moral and upstanding person. Yet not everyone abides by those religious views, and his security is there to prevent him from being harmed.

So how are condoms any different?

O let me count the ways. Again, Martin acts like sex is something that happens to you, instead of something that you choose to do. The Pope has bodyguards because he knows that others might attempt to kill him and he can’t stop them from wanting to do so. But each person can choose whether they have sex with someone.

While Catholicism expands on the continent of Africa, we are seeing the expansion of HIV/AIDS as well. Sub-Saharan Africa has 22 million people infected with HIV.

The refusal of the Catholic Church and other religious denominations to accept the reality of the situation on the ground is doing nothing for the issue. If the church used its powerful voice — while continuing to speak out against sex outside of marriage — to also implore people to practice safe sex, it could have a major impact on slowing the spread of the disease.

First of all, name one religious denomination other than the Catholic Church that condemns the use of condoms.

Also, I can’t believe the logic of this idea. If people are not listening to the Church when it comes to abstinence, why would they listen when it comes to condoms?

“Honey, the Church says we shouldn’t sleep together, but I don’t care what they think. However, they say we should use a condom, so we really should follow that command.”

Today is the solemnity of St. Joseph, foster-father of our Lord. This is a special day for me, as I have always tried to look to St. Joseph as a model for my vocation as husband and father. What I find amazing is that the Scriptures present such a powerful image of this man, yet he doesn’t say a word in the biblical text. He is a man of action, not words, as he responds immediately and without question to protect his wife and child. May all husbands and fathers try to live as he did.

Proclaim the wonder, O Joseph,
to David, the ancestor of God:
you saw a Virgin great with Child,
you gave glory with the shepherds,
you worshipped with the Magi,
you received the news from the angel.
Pray to Christ God to save our souls!
Troparion 2 – Holy Righteous Joseph the Betrothed

There is an interesting discussion in the comments of this thread regarding “intentional communities.” These groups, which attempt to forge a community which is unified in a common purpose, have been developing throughout American Christianity lately, and its Catholic forms include such movements as Opus Dei.

I argue that although such ecclesial movements can be very worthwhile, they should not replace the parish, which is the true “intentional community” for the Catholic. I wrote,

[The parish] is where we come into regular contact with our neighbors and unite with them through the Eucharist. It is the part of the divinely-instituted structure of the Church – not just a man-made response to existing deficiencies.

I went on to blame the changes in American/Western culture for the disappearance of the parish as such a community in modern life.

Reader Clare then made some interesting practical points in this regard:

If the parish of the 50s, though not perfect, is a good model for what we are aiming for, what in my own life keeps me from living that? Just a little example that comes to mind – my grandparents would never have put sports above the day of rest that had its focus in parish life, but today parish events are poorly attended in part because of the idol of kids’ sports. Am I willing to say no to my child’s participation on the travel soccer team or whatever if it will disrupt our parish life?

Will I live in a smaller home nearer my job if doing so leaves me freer to participate in parish life?

Will I put up with the person who annoys me on the adoration committee and use the opportunity to grow in holiness?

These are tough questions for us. What are we willing to do to create a true community in our parishes?

The Pope is currently visiting the African countries of Cameroom and Angola, and Sandro Magister takes the opportunity to report on the Christianity practiced in another African country, Ethiopia.

“Nigra sum sed formosa,” I am dark but lovely. These words from the Song of Songs are traditionally seen in reference to the queen of Sheba, the progenitor of Ethiopia in the national epic poem “Kebra Negast,” the glory of kings.

According to the Acts of the Apostles, chapter 8, the first pagan converted to the Christian faith was an Ethiopian follower of Judaism, a high official in the kingdom, baptized by the apostle Philip along the road between Jerusalem and Gaza.

In any case, Ethiopia was already Christian by the first half of the fourth century. Its closest connection was to Alexandria in Egypt, the patriarch of which appointed the metropolitan archbishop of the kingdom’s capital. The two Churches, Coptic Egyptian and Ethiopian, have also been bound together since then by their Monophysite faith, which recognizes only the divine nature of Christ. They accept the first three councils, of Nicaea, Constantinople, and Ephesus, but not the Council of Chalcedon in 451, which established the doctrine of the two natures of Christ, divine and human. For this reason, the Coptic and Ethiopian churches are also called “pre-Chalcedonian.”

Ethiopian Christians always wear around their necks a cord called a “mateb,” which they receive with baptism. Boys are circumcised eight days after birth, and presented at church forty days later, just as Jesus was. They enter church barefoot, as God ordered Moses from the burning bush. They do not eat unclean foods, such as pork, as prescribed by Leviticus. They claim to have the Ark of the Covenant and the Tablets of the Law, entrusted to them by King Solomon. In other words, they have preserved some features of Judaism.

I have long been fascinated by the wide diversity of Christian practice throughout the world. How the Christian Faith is practiced in Kansas is very different than how it is practiced in Russia or Ethiopia. Yet the foundations are the same: faith in Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world. I don’t think there is any church as distinctive as the Ethiopian Church, especially due to its continued attachment to Judaism. Yet it has kept the Faith for centuries despite many hardships and persecutions. Will we in the West be able to say the same some day?

Sandwiched between the feasts of St. Patrick and St. Joseph, today’s patron, St. Cyril of Jerusalem, can easily be forgotten. But his patronage is needed especially today.

Saint Cyril, Archbishop of Jerusalem, was born in Jerusalem in the year 315 and was raised in strict Christian piety. Upon reaching the age of maturity, he became a monk, and in the year 346 he became a presbyter. In the year 350, upon the death of Archbishop Maximus, he succeeded him on the episcopal throne of Jerusalem…

St Cyril’s works include twenty-three Instructions (Eighteen are Catechetical, intended for those preparing for Baptism, and five are for the newly-baptized) and two discourses on Gospel themes: “On the Paralytic,” and “Concerning the Transformation of Water into Wine at Cana.”

At the heart of the Catechetical Instructions is a detailed explanation of the Symbol of Faith. The saint suggests that a Christian should inscribe the Symbol of Faith upon “the tablets of the heart.”

“The articles of the Faith,” St Cyril teaches, “were not written through human cleverness, but they contain everything that is most important in all the Scriptures, in a single teaching of faith. Just as the mustard seed contains all its plethora of branches within its small kernel, so also does the Faith in its several declarations combine all the pious teachings of the Old and the New Testaments.” (Source)

In an today’s age of poor catechesis, St. Cyril of Jerusalem is a much-needed patron. He powerfully used the Scriptures to explain the truths of our Faith to those preparing for Baptism and the newly-baptized. Can you imagine having him as your RCIA instructor?

St. Cyril of Jerusalem, pray for us!

I just read a great editorial in the Catholic Sun, the Phoenix Diocesan paper, about the use of new technologies for Catholic evangelization. It notes that it is necessary for the Church to be in the midst of these technologies, as they are used by many people.

But it also notes,

[F]or all these new Web sites and their interesting takes on rewriting our English lexicon, they are merely another step in helping us get to a place of greater importance.

Archbishop George H. Niederauer of San Francisco, chairman of the U.S. bishops’ communications committee and a participant at the Vatican seminar, got to the heart of the matter: the ultimate focus should be on the liturgy and the eucharistic celebration.

“So the center of faith is not going to be the Internet,” he said. “But the Internet is going to be a wonderful vehicle for people to climb that summit — to the experience of the Eucharist, of Church and faith — and it’s going to be a place that can help that flowing forth as well.”

This is a very important point. As much as blogs, facebook, twitter and other technologies can give one a sense of community, they are not true communities in the fullest sense of that term. As humans, we are both body and soul, and the “bodiless” community that the Internet fosters is not a complete means to meet the needs of human community. Note the terms used to designate the Internet – “ether,” “cloud” – these words reflect a one-sided part of the human experience, and we need to be careful not to let this tool become our primary means of communication and community. There is no “2nd Life” except the afterlife, and in that life, we will eventually receive our (glorified or damned) bodies.

Catholicism, at its root, is a sacramental/incarnational religion. Our salvation occurred when God – a Spirit – became man. It should be remembered that none of the sacraments of the Church – not even confession – can be administered via the internet. The Church resists the Gnostic heresy which wants to separate body and soul, physical and spiritual.

Furthermore, as Catholics, we are not just part of a community, but a communion. The communion that is founded upon the Eucharist and realized in the local parish is the most complete and foundational community that man can be part of. That includes even “bad” parishes. The Eucharist is the bond that unites Catholics into a deep unity that goes beyond mere social commonality, and through the Eucharist, one is intimately connected to his or her fellow Catholics in a way that even a familial bond cannot provide.

Technology can be a wonderful tool, but it must be seen as the means to the end, which is union with Christ and through him union with others through the sacraments, especially the Eucharist. Nothing – nothing – will ever replace that as the “source and summit” of our life here on earth.

Not even a blog.

Today of course is the Feast of St. Patrick.

St. Patrick is a very “Western” saint, but as he is pre-schism, his feast is also celebrated by the Eastern churches today. They call him the “Enlightener of Ireland.” Here is an excerpt of his bio as found on the Orthodox Church of America website:

Saint Patrick, the Enlightener of Ireland was born around 385, the son of Calpurnius, a Roman decurion (an official responsible for collecting taxes). He lived in the village of Bannavem Taberniae, which may have been located at the mouth of the Severn River in Wales. The district was raided by pirates when Patrick was sixteen, and he was one of those taken captive. He was brought to Ireland and sold as a slave, and was put to work as a herder of swine on a mountain identified with Slemish in Co. Antrim. During his period of slavery, Patrick acquired a proficiency in the Irish language which was very useful to him in his later mission.

He prayed during his solitude on the mountain, and lived this way for six years. He had two visions. The first told him he would return to his home. The second told him his ship was ready. Setting off on foot, Patrick walked two hundred miles to the coast. There he succeeded in boarding a ship, and returned to his parents in Britain.

Some time later, he went to Gaul and studied for the priesthood at Auxerre under St Germanus (July 31). Eventually, he was consecrated as a bishop, and was entrusted with the mission to Ireland, succeeding St Palladius (July 7). St Palladius did not achieve much success in Ireland. After about a year he went to Scotland, where he died in 432.

Patrick had a dream in which an angel came to him bearing many letters. Selecting one inscribed “The Voice of the Irish,” he heard the Irish entreating him to come back to them.

Although St Patrick achieved remarkable results in spreading the Gospel, he was not the first or only missionary in Ireland. He arrived around 432 (though this date is disputed), about a year after St Palladius began his mission to Ireland. There were also other missionaries who were active on the southeast coast, but it was St Patrick who had the greatest influence and success in preaching the Gospel of Christ. Therefore, he is known as “The Enlightener of Ireland.”

St. Patrick, pray for us!

According to this article, some Catholics are getting involved with the “Emerging Church Movement“. This is a “post-modern” movement within evangelical circles which attempts to get beyond the traditional debates and constraints of Christianity. If that sounds vague, it is because the movement is notoriously hard to define, and means different things to different people. The wikipedia article says that participants can be described as “evangelical, post-evangelical, liberal, post-liberal, charismatic, neocharismatic and post-charismatic.” Sounds like quite a mixing pot.

But one thing I have found with my limited interaction with Emergent Church people is that they do not like to be “constrained” by doctrine. Most do believe in doctrines such as the Trinity and the Incarnation, but most also seem to be unwilling to accept traditional dogmas as proper limitations on belief. They think such limitations are a relic of the past Church and are not important in the “post-modern” world.

With that in mind, I do not see how one cannot question the following statement:

With that, there is “no natural resistance” to the Emerging Church [by the Catholic Church], according to Fr. Richard Rohr, a Franciscan priest of the New Mexico province.

Many in the Emerging Church would be comfortable with Catholics believing Catholic doctrine (often more comfortable than most traditional Evangelicals), but I cannot see them accepting these doctrines as a necessary part of being a Christian. Emerging Church members are not comfortable with absolutes, yet as Catholics, we accept doctrines such as the Trinity, the Incarnation, and the Real Presence in the Eucharist as absolutely true. The truth of these dogmas is not dependent upon our beliefs – we simply accept or reject their preexisting truth. Not only are they true, but they are vital parts of the process of salvation. For example, the Emerging Church has no defined sacramental theology, yet Catholics believe that it is the sacraments which are the means which each person is united to Christ and thus saved. This is not an optional part of the Christian Faith, but a necessary component of it. How can that be compatible with the relativistic Emergent Church?

Needless to say, color me skeptical.

Mike Aquilina, author of The Fathers of the Church and many other books, has a new book out called Angels of God: The Bible, the Church, and the Heavenly Hosts. If it is like his other books, it will be informative, easy-to-read, and filled with references to the Church Fathers.

Check it out!

Pope Benedict is making his first trip to Africa tomorrow, and he is asking us all to pray for him. He will be visiting Cameroon and Angola for seven days – his longest papal trip yet.

The Holy Father referred to the reading for the Third Sunday of Lent from St. Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians, saying “Paul stresses that he has nothing to offer and to give than the Good News of his Cross.”

“This is the grace of the Gospel that is capable of transforming the world; this is the grace that can renew Africa, because it generates an irresistible power of peace and of profound, radical reconciliation,” the Pontiff explained. “The Church, then, does not pursue economic, social and political goals; the Church proclaims Christ, certain that the Gospel can touch the hearts of all and transform them, thus renewing persons and societies from within.”

Mary, Queen of Africa, pray for us!

I’ve posted my reflection on this Sunday’s readings, in which I consider the consequences of the Fall of Adam, and God’s response.