"Light of the World" and the Mainstream Media

Ignatius Press president Mark Brumley has been busy fielding questions about Light of the World from a multitude of media sources. But they all seem to ask the same questions…


Mainstream Media: So the Pope has written a book about condoms!



Mark Brumley: Well, actually, it’s an interview book. And journalist Peter Seewald interviewed Benedict about a wide-range of topics, not just about condoms.



MM: Yes, but condoms must be a major theme of the book. Look at all the coverage that has focused on condoms!



Mark: Actually, the Pope’s comments about condoms cover only about two pages out of about 200 pages of Q & As.



MM: Well, what did the Pope say about condoms?



Mark: You can go and read for yourself what he said.



MM: Many readers won’t want to be bothered to do that. Can’t you just tell us?



Mark: Really, the Pope’s remarks aren’t very long. And Ignatius Press has gone to the trouble to have them translated into English, so English-speakers can read them for themselves.



MM: I’m sure people appreciate that, Mr. Brumley, but, please, summarize things for us. When can we use condoms, according to the Pope?



Mark: The Pope never said we may use condoms.



MM: That’s not what I read online. I read the headline “Pope Approves Condoms” or something like that.



Mark: May I suggest that you and your readers actually look at what the Pope said?



MM: Mr. Brumley, you seem like you’re trying to dodge my question. Please, answer my question. When, according to the Pope, may we use condoms?



Mark: Ok. Let me try to explain this to you. The Pope did not approve condom use. Not even on rare occasions, contrary to what some media reports said.



MM: Not unless you’re a male prostitute. Then you can, he said.



Mark: No. He didn’t.



MM: Mr. Brumley, you’re being evasive.



Mark: Show me where he said that a male prostitute may use a condom.



MM: “There may be a basis in the case of some individuals, as perhaps when a male prostitute uses a condom, where this can be a first step in the direction of a moralization, a first assumption of responsibility, on the way toward recovering an awareness that not everything is allowed and that one cannot do whatever one wants. But it is not really the way to deal with the evil of HIV infection. That can really lie only in a humanization of sexuality.”



Mark: Well, at least you’re actually referring to the Pope’s own words. So where does the Pope say that it is morally permissible for the male prostitute to use condoms?



MM: “There may be a basis in the case of some individuals …”



Mark: He says there may be a basis, not that there is justification. A basis for what? To wear a condom or for a first step to sound morality?



MM: To wear a condom, of course!



Mark: That’s not clear at all. But let’s assume you’re right. Let’s assume he says that there may be a basis for wearing a condom. To say that “there may be a basis” isn’t the same as saying “someone is justified”. But let’s assume he means, “There may be justification”.



MM: Yes.



Mark: “May be” doesn’t mean “certainly is”.



MM: I don’t follow you.



Mark: Well, buy a lottery ticket. “You may be a winner” doesn’t mean “You won!”. At best, the Pope would be speculating on the possibility of condoms being justified in a specific case. But possibility isn’t certainty. Now read the rest of his comments.



MM: The rest?



Mark: Yes. Read Peter Seewald’s follow up question and the Pope’s reply.



MM: Are you saying, then, that the Catholic Church is actually not opposed in principle to the use of condoms?

She of course does not regard it as a real or moral solution, but, in this or that case, there can be nonetheless, in the intention of reducing the risk of infection, a first step in a movement toward a different way, a more human way, of living sexuality.



Mark: Notice that the pope says that the Church doesn’t regard condoms as a “moral solution”. How can you say, then, that the Pope says condom use may be “justified”? Justified means “morally justified”. How can something that is not a moral solution be morally justified?



MM: Ok. But he goes on to say that condoms are ok if they’re a first step toward doing the right thing.



Mark: No. He says the intention of reducing the risk of infection, in this or that case, can be a first step in the right direction. It’s the intention of protecting another human being that the Pope commends, not the use of condoms.



MM: I don’t understand.



Mark: Well, someone can intend to protect his partner from infection. In doing so, he may see that sexual relations aren’t just about his own pleasure or even mutual pleasure. That he really does have to put the welfare of the other ahead of his pleasure or, if he is a prostitute, his livelihood, such that it is. He may begin to think about his personal responsibility for his sexual actions. And that may lead him eventually to reconsider prostitution and perhaps even same-sex genital activities.



MM: How likely is that?



Mark: I don’t know. The Pope wasn’t addressing the likelihood of it. He was only pointing to one positive aspect to something he otherwise characterized as not “a moral solution”.



MM: That doesn’t sound to me like he has changed his mind on condoms. He still doesn’t think they’re a moral solution to prevent AIDS. He still wants gay people to stop having sexual relations. He still sees sex as intended for marriage between a man and a woman.



Mark: Exactly.

New technologies confuse reality and fiction: Pope

Pope Benedict XVI said today that the media's increasing reliance on images, fuelled by the endless development of new technologies, risked confusing real life with virtual reality.


"New technologies and the progress they bring can make it impossible to distinguish truth from illusion and can lead to confusion between reality and virtual reality," the pope said.
"The image can also become independent from reality, it can give birth to a virtual word, with various consequences - above all the risk of indifference towards real life," he said.

He said the use of new technologies should set off "an alarm bell".
Benedict's comments came in a speech to participants at a world congress of Catholic media, organised by the Pontifical Council for Social Communications.

eclectic truths..

eclectic truth.237.10


~We build walls around ourselves.. we ‘think’ for our protection…

~The next time your wall gets knocked down..

don’t be in such a hurry to build it back up again,

and be open to the fresh wind that enters your space…

you've got to be 'outside the box'...

If heaven is everything we could ever want, and death leaves friends and some loved ones behind on earth.. How could this be everything we have ever wanted?.. If our dearest ones are not with us, how could our desire be fulfilled?
This question found roots from a previous post… Let’s explore it more.
We don’t have a definitive answer, but we do have conjecture based on hints revealed to us.

We would be in the Presence of God.. and “God Is”..
Therefore Heaven would feel as ‘Present and Eternal’!
Maybe we’ll see everything as current, or unbound and released from time?

We need to think beyond our normal senses. Perhaps we will see with enhanced eyes instead of the limited ones we have on earth. If we are fortunate to get into Heaven, our understanding will be complete and in union with God and we will understand beyond our earthly capacity. After we pass this veil, all souls will understand and thus no yearning other than God and God’s will, will quench our restlessness. Even the souls in hell, will accept this as they bathe in the burn of God’s love. And this is also a very good reason for the purifying flames of purgatory; to gives us worthiness.

It could be compared with the way a fetus understands the universe of it’s ‘womb’, as compared to not comprehending the outside (or our) universe. In this sense, we are like a baby in the womb… We can’t imagine (as a baby in the womb) what our hands and feet will be used for; and in this vein, perhaps our mind and soul will be more essentially vital than their current restricted uses!

Therefore the earth is a nursery for heaven..
Hopefully our soul is not lost or aborted!
Our physical body is merely the box that our soul comes in..
And we must learn to think outside this box…

Judge in California rejects the 'will of the people'!...

When the ‘proposal 8’ was recently overturned in California, it shows that even democracy isn’t allowed when bias has a bias. This judge has opened up a ‘Pandora’s box’ that will surely haunt his decision.

Is his statement summary it was so noted that, “to marry the person of one's choice is a fundamental right”.. Really now..? .. ‘a fundamental right to choose a partner’..hmmm…

Why stop at homosexuals and lesbians?
It would be discrimination not to allow bi-sexuals..they should be able to have at least 3 in a marriage.. and why stop at three, four, five or be limited to a number?

What about human and animal relationships? Surely the judge allowing people to choose partners can’t mean that a 55 year old man shouldn’t be able to choose a 5 year old boy and girl and a dog as his partners? Sadly the absurdity can be substituted in all his points of ruling. His logic is anything but…

Neither can he claim scientific reasoning, because science puts an end to his theory. Both science and once again the Church are correct; that marriage by definition is between a male and female and these are the necessary natural ingredients required for a family. He should look at the guidelines that nature, has naturally provided; and remember that laws are formed as a set of norms to halt the obscene.

May this ‘Pandora’s box’ be reversed!

What time is it in heaven?

God is present in present time.. because God is…

We were not.. but now are.. and will be from now on…
We cannot fully grasp the idea that a past and a future does not exist with God…
Because ‘time’ is our measuring stick of being; and God stands outside of ‘time’

Q: What time is it in heaven?
A: It isn’t

Our past has passed but still exists… it can be re-visited in memory..
Our present… dies almost immediately and transforms into the past..
Our future… just became the present.. but now has passed..
So, how long then, is the present?

Why can we imagine something we did not yet experience?
Imagine sitting on a beach and enjoying a drink (soda with lime on ice), and talking with a friend (one who has died). Now move this thought to a mountaintop ski resort and change the drink to hot cider and change friends (one you haven’t seen in years).
In an instant you can create a parallel world that takes practically no time to make and no time to travel to…
How can our mind be in the present, but travel into the future and past?

We are created in the ‘image’ and ‘likeness’ of God..
Is image short for imagine; which is our intangible mind?
Does likeness, mean similar yet incomplete?
If something is ‘like’ something, it cannot be the same.

Perhaps in heaven, time unfolds as being present? This would help us unravel another mystery. If heaven is everything we could want; how could we feel satisfied if we leave loved ones behind? With no time, there’d be no past or future to impede things…

While heaven does not measure time; we seem to expeditiously be running out of it!

let's correct 'political correctness'...

How about giving our political leaders the respect that is due to them?
If I am being ‘politically correct’; should I tell you what I think, or what I think you want to hear? Should I be popular or accountable?

Does it mean we should be green-eyed, cheating liars?
- I ‘love the environment’, as I jet-set to another extravagant summit.
- I ‘love my wife and family’, but ‘I made a mistake’.
- I woo the ‘common man’, to live like a king.
Now, not all politicians are to be painted with this brush; but enough abnormalities exist to wonder what criteria would encompass ‘political correctness’? Politicians can ‘get in’ by majority and serve a minority; as the political correct dictionary grows daily with each societal whine.

As we call to mind their follies, maybe we should look at them in light of the way we view scandals in the Church. The Church stands for truth and moral guidance while the parishioners and clergy still fail at it (sin). In theory the political system should give us some guidelines, while the politicians and public fail being correct. Since there is no ‘Church Correctness’ permitted in the public square; the statement of being ‘politically correct’ should also be challenged.

Does more transparency produce evasiveness? An ‘open door policy’ that beckons constituents to enter the front door, while the politician escapes out the back door seems transparent to some.

In the end, we get the leadership that we deserve. The political leadership seems to reflect the sins of society as we get a taste of our own medicine.
Perhaps it is time to erase the paradoxically incongruent phrase called ‘politically correct’ and replace it with ‘political persuasion’ or ‘political agenda’ because there is not much ‘correct’ about politics these days!

Church Blasts gay priests leading a 'double life'

A recent headline in response to another slur against the Church.. article appears below.. There seems to be no lack of headlines that will readily slam or attack the Church.. but note the varied infererred headlines.


The one above was found in from the AP.. and this journalism has a balanced take, while some others use their attention grabbing headlines to paint a darker picture (as the journalist snickers and slithers away)...


Other examples are: 'Catholic sex scandal as undercover reporter 'films priests at gay clubs and having casual flings'.. or 'Church Scandal in ROME'.. or 'Gay priest sex scandal has rocked the Catholic Church in Italy today' ... One doesn't need to even read the entire article to get their point.. (and most people don't as they confirm 'their  suspicions' or form their judgement)...


AP article..
ROME – The Italian church says gay priests must not lead a "double life," expressing pain and anger over a magazine article and video purporting to show priests frequenting gay locales in Rome.

A statement by the Roman Catholic Rome diocese on Friday said no one is forcing homosexual prelates to remain as priests. It said "we don't want to hurt them" but their conduct "muddies the reputation of all the others."

The weekly ‘Panorma’ magazine said it interviewed several gay priests in Rome and accompanied them to clubs frequented by homosexuals in the capital. It quoted one as saying that 98 percent of the priests he knew were gay.

The Rome diocese said the article was aimed at defaming the church.

from the Associated Press July 23 2010

Has anyone heard God?

A college student was in a philosophy class, which had a discussion about God's existence. The professor presented the following logic:


"Has anyone in this class heard God?" Nobody spoke.

a Great video that makes Sense...

'10' FACTS about the Catholic Church.. that most Catholics really don't know.. (but should)

Below is a Great Article by Gary Zimak that was posted on the ‘Catholic Exchange’.. It covers many current issues that are continually drudged up by people and used as excuses why they left the Church. It would be good for some of these or other weak Catholics to read this article. He uses the ‘Code of Canon Law’ and the ‘Catechism of the Church’ as the source to give authenticity to his important points.

Topics including woman priests, the Bible, in-vitro fertilizations, hell and purgatory, are summarized concisely in this article. Use this as a starting point to find more of the ‘truth’ about our faith and if anyone brings up these objections, maybe you can bring them answers. Ignorance or indifference is no excuse; some walk straight in the paths of truth, while others stumble in them.

why wait, for someone else to do our thinking?

We should be taking time to exercise our minds..

Enough of listening to the tv, surfing the web (like you’re doing now), catching a movie, hearing or reading the news headlines and developing our deductions. Our society is quick to drink the kool-aide and follow our apparently learned leaders.

Rather than taking some quiet time to ponder the depths of our intellect, we busy ourselves with our quest to chase contentment in paradise. During our hectic selfish pursuit, we gather these details while our rested brain is on ‘cruise control’. We manage to form an opinion without even bothering to turn our brain on.

A sad indictment for the pinnacle of earth’s species.. Aimlessly wandering through time while permitting a ‘select few’ to do our thinking.

Excuse me, I must stop babbling and go to wonder about..
go forth and be your own 'intelligentsia'...

from the desert fathers..

I saw the snares that the enemy spreads out over the world and I said groaning, "What can get through from such snares?" Then I heard a voice saying to me, "Humility."
~St. Anthony the Great

+ + +

God descends to the humble as waters flow down from the hills into the valleys.
~St. Tikhon of Voronezh

+ + + 

the sign of the cross..

The Sign of the CROSS...


There are actually three signs of the cross in the Catholic Church. All of them represent the same thing, which is the Cross that Jesus died upon.

on being tolerant..

eclectic truth.173.10
to be tolerant means: you must take a stand.. albeit in quicksand

eclectic truth.176.10
tolerance breeds a passive society.. pouring lukewarm water into the swamp that once was an oasis…

eclectic truth.177.10
an empire that becomes too tolerant will not crumble with a thunderous crash; it will end with a wink and a nod as its suicide pact…

The Hidden and Mysterious Word in the Lord's Prayer...

..the Lord gives us the most familiar prayer of all, the “Lord’s Prayer.” It is a prayer shared by and prized by all Christians. Few if any have not committed to memory. Yet hidden within the Lord’s prayer is a mysterious word that both Greek and Biblical scholars have little agreement over or even a clear understanding of in terms of its precise meaning. I call it “hidden” only because most Christians do not read Greek and are unaware of the difficulties and debate surrounding the word. They simply accept that the most common English translation of the Our Father as undisputed. To them the problem is hidden...

ARMAGEDDON...

Armageddon , Jezreel Valley in Israel (shown). 

A vast plain surrounded by high mountains; looking every bit like an ominous battlefield.

Armageddon (“hill of Megiddo”) is mentioned briefly in the New Testament in Revelation 16. It is also the location of many decisive battles of ancient Israel. Accounts of this battleground are given in the Old Testament and Hebrew books of Ezekiel, Daniel, Joel and Zechariah.

Armageddon is given, perhaps symbolically in Revelation (The Apocalypse) as the site for the Final Battle (between good and evil) and the Last Judgment.

news.. under the mainstream radar...

Bishop Padovese canceled Cyprus trip to avoid assassination of Pope


An Italian Vatican expert is saying that Bishop Luigi Padovese, Apostolic Vicar of Anatolia and President of the Turkish Bishops’ Conference, canceled his trip to Cyprus because he feared that his driver –who later confessed to killing the bishop- might attempt an attack on Pope Benedict XVI during his stay on the island, reports Catholic News Agency.

Analyst Fr. Fillippo di Giacomo, who writes for publications such as L’Unitá and La Stampa, revealed that “hours before Padovese was killed, the Turkish Government called him to say that his driver, who they themselves had put in his service four years before, had gotten out of hand. That is to say, he had embraced the fundamentalist cause.”

Prayer Vigil gathers 15,000 priests from around the world

Vatican City, Jun 11, 2010 / 01:03 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- An estimated 15,000 priests attended a prayer vigil last night in St. Peter's Square. The priests, who hail from 97 different countries, gathered as part of the celebrations marking the close of the Year for Priests.

+ 'I have little doubt that when St. George had killed the dragon he was heartily afraid of the princess.' G.K.Chesterton

eclectic truths

eclectic truth.363.09

If you want to really be a Rebel Today.. ‘try being a Catholic’…

Headlines.. March-April 2010

Recent headlines take direct aim at the pope and Catholic Church. This seems to be a yearly occurrence in weeks leading up to Easter Celebrations. A secular venture to plant seeds of doubt; so as to bathe the believers (without guilt) in the luke-warm waters of contentedness.

These headlines are intended to defame the pope, claiming that he was (as head of Doctrine of the Faith) the man responsible for abuse in our Church.
Why do these reports forget to use the word ‘alleged’, when they first
proclaim these charges and before checking their sources? Why the Rush?
The Church should be held to higher standards, but there should be some
concern for truth rather than seeking sensational headlines.
Long after the headlines are recanted or apologized for; the bad taste still
remains!

atheists want to arrest the Pope..?

They want him to face criminal charges for ‘crimes against humanity’.
They seek to fan the flaming flames; with more of their hot air..

Of course they want to pile on this current media hysteria of ‘scandal’. For the most part, these latest allegations are old buried allegations that have been exhumed for renewed study; enabled by poor journalistic standards (like verifying the facts). Their erroneous headlines would provide Dan Brown with enough fiction to spit out another ‘historical fantasy novel’ to harass the Church.

Maybe, just maybe we should listen to these morally bankrupt ‘non-believers’ on how to make this world a better place. Excuse me while I pry my tongue from my cheek.

An atheist is someone who stands for nothing and answers to no one; not even themselves.
These ‘ambassadors of the assinine’ really should not even open their mouths because the vacuum generated could suck all their unused brains out.

eclectic truths

eclectic truth.183.08
We never know the cross that others bear.
Be cautious of this when we encounter someone.
They may be carrying a cross that’s weight would devastate us.
Lend a hand rather than add more weight.
+ + +

Can God make a stone so heavy that He can’t lift it?

We acknowledge that God can do anything..
But further deliberation begs the question; “Can God make a stone so heavy that He can’t lift it?”
This age old question seems to imply, that God cannot be omnipotent.

The problem with this thought process, is that we can’t fit God into our human conundrums on our terms.
Our ant-sized brains (comparison) cannot step outside of humanity to grasp the scope of God.

Let us ask the question; ‘Can God make a four sided triangle?’ Our obvious answer would be that He cannot. However, who created the triangle? Mankind created a word to describe 3 sided objects. A finite answer would lie in determining what is a triangle? But God is infinite and timeless.

God cannot be contained inside the small feeble mind of humanity; nor can He be limited by a triangle. Mankind created the concept of a triangle however God stands outside of ‘brain teasers’.

prayer of a child

A grandfather was walking through his yard when he heard his grandaughter repeating the alphabet in a tone of voice that sounded like a prayer. He asked her what she was doing. The little girl explained, "I'm praying, but I can't think of exactly the right words, so I'm just saying all the letters, and God will put them together for me, because he knows what I'm thinking."
Bk1.4

by the book...

My doctor had recommended surgery and referred me to a specialist.

Arriving early for my appointment, I found the door unlocked and the young surgeon, deeply engrossed in reading, behind the receptionist’s desk. When he didn’t hear me come in, I cleared my throat.

Startled, he closed the book, which I recognized as the Bible. “Does reading the Bible help you before or after an operation?” I asked. My fears were dispelled by his soft one-word answer: “During.” – Saint Luke’s Messenger
Bk36.33

ya gotta love Reverend Jim

eclectic truths..

eclectic truth.021.10
The main reason why many people won’t become Catholic… is ‘catholics’...
We should remember the gift of our faith is a membership of service, not privilege...
Saying you’re Catholic does not entitle you to a ‘get out of hell’ card…
+++