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Showing posts with the label being Catholic

Infallibility?

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The "most disturbing image" gag in Wiley Miller's Non Sequitur comic depends on a fairly common misunderstanding of Catholic belief. The important word in that sentence is misunderstanding. Papal infallibility doesn't mean that. I'm none too pleased that Catholic beliefs are misunderstood by non-Catholics: and by some Catholics. But I can't fault a cartoonist for poking fun at cultural quirks I see as silly. Not reasonably. Besides, strips featuring the Church of Danae's "so-called holy scriptures" have given me pretty good illustrations of what I don't believe.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

Calling Us

13th Sunday in Ordinary Time, 2017 By Deacon Lawrence N. Kaas July 2, 2017 What a week this has been, a Deacons Retreat at the Abbey of the Hills, resulting in thoughts, reflections, and stories to share.... ...His theme for the weekend became known as old books. Besides the Bible, obviously an old book, he spoke extensively on G.K. Chesterton, C.S. Lewis, and a bit on Tolkien.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

"A Writer Who is Catholic"

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My #3 daughter has some of my qualities, and attitudes. About four years back now, she vented frustration about writers, faith, and assumptions. She wasn't nearly as loud as I've often been during 'vents.' When folks learned she's a writer, they'd often say something like 'oh, good: we need more Catholic writers.' She'd say something like "I'm a writer who is Catholic, not a 'Catholic writer.'" I know what she means. She isn't writing another 'lives of the Saints,' or book of prayers. She's a Catholic who writes.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

Pythagorean Dribble Glasses

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The diagram shows how a Pythagorean cup works. It's a thinking person's dribble glass , sort of. The cup, pan, and ladle in the photo is a yuza no ki . Both are gadgets used for teaching moderation. The yuza no ki is in the Ashikaga District , 足利郡 , in the Tochigi Prefecture . It hasn't been since around 1896. Ashiga District, that is. Not officially. The cup might be. It's a learning tool. Empty, it's tilted. Pour a little water in, and it goes upright. Pour in more, and it tilts again. More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

Still Rejoicing

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My father reminded me of this good advice when I was in my teens: "...whatever is true, ... whatever is lovely, ... think about these things." My response was something like '...because they won't last.' I wasn't happy about saying that at the time. I still regret it. I can't, of course, undo what was done. And the time for telling my father "I'm sorry" has long since passed. In any case, I said "I'm sorry" too often, and that's almost another topic. The quote is from Philippians 4:6 - 9 . I'll get back to that. Following the advice from Philippians isn't easy for me. But it's been getting easier as I work though a massive backlog of bad habits. Nothing unusual there, since we're all dealing with consequences of a bad choice described in Genesis 3:1 - 13 . 1 ... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

London Fires, Mostly

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Many folks who lived in Grenfell Tower got out. Many others died. We don't know how many. A current estimate is 79. Determining the exact number will be difficult, since high temperatures may have effectively obliterated some human remains. Some survived because they didn't listen to official instructions to stay in their homes. That advice makes sense in a building with sprinklers and adequate interior firewalls. In Grenfell Tower, not so much.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

"Renewed and Expansive Hope"

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Wanting respect is reasonable. I think folks who support Gay/LGBT Pride Month for that reason have a point. I don't agree with much of what's said on the gay/LGBT pride issue — and explained why I won't spit venom in today's earlier post. Basically, I should love God, love my neighbor, and see everybody as my neighbor. No exceptions.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

Respecting Everyone

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Gay/LGBT Pride Month will be over in about two weeks. Wanting respect is reasonable, but I don't agree with much of what's said on this issue. Don't worry, I won't be spitting venom. Even if I felt like it, which I don't, that kind of trouble I don't need. First, I'd better talk about love and respect, and why I think both are important.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

London: Death, Hope, and Love

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This is bad, but could have been much worse. Yesterday evening, starting around 10:00, three people in a van drove across London Bridge, deliberately running down pedestrians. 1 After crossing the bridge, they left the van and attacked folks out for an evening with friends and family near Borough Market. A few minutes later, they were dead; shot by police. They had killed seven folks by then, 48, were taken to hospitals, 36 are still hospitalized, 21 in critical condition, as I write this.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

"The Federation of the World"

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Tennyson said " Locksley Hall " expresses "...young life, its good side, its deficiencies, and its yearnings." I'm inclined to believe him, partly because I was young when I first read the poem. A half-century later, these are still among my favorite lines of poetry: "...For I dipt into the future, far as human eye could see, "Saw the vision of the world, and all the wonder that would be;... "...Till the war-drum throbbed no longer, and the battle-flags were furl'd "In the Parliament of man, the Federation of the world. "There the common sense of most shall hold a fretful realm in awe, "And the kindly earth shall slumber, lapt in universal law...." (" Locksley Hall ," Alfred, Lord Tennyson) I still think building something like Tennyson's "Federation of the world" is a good idea. I'm quite certain that it will be a long, hard, process. But we're already making some progress....

More Than a 3-Day Weekend

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Tomorrow is Memorial Day. It's equivalent to Dodenherdenking in the Netherlands, or Remembrance Day in the Commonwealth of Nations. The holiday's original purpose was to honor those who have been killed while serving in our nation's military. That's still the holiday's official purpose. Recent generations have used the three-day weekend as an unofficial start of summer vacation season. That's not, I think, entirely inappropriate. I'll get back to that. More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

Death in Manchester

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(From European Press Agency , via BBC News, used w/o permission.) ("Thousands attended a vigil in Manchester earlier" (BBC News) Manchester is England's second-largest urban center, in terms of population. At around 10:30 Monday night, something like 21,000 folks — pre-teens, teenagers, adults — were leaving a music concert at the Manchester Arena. Someone with a bomb set it off in or near the arena's foyer. He's dead. So are more than 20 other folks. Except for the chap who killed them, the dead had been enjoying an Ariana Grande concert. The youngest victims I've read about were eight years old. Quite a few others are injured. Some are missing. I am not happy about this, putting it mildly.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

Acting Like Truth Matters

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"Folks have thought truth is important for quite a while... "...I think truth is important, too. As a Christian, I'd better...." More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

Truth and Love

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I take God very seriously. I also think people matter. I care deeply about truth and love. By some standards this isn't a particularly "religious" blog. For one thing, I keep saying that loving my neighbor and seeing everybody as my neighbor is a good idea. I'll get back to that. For another, I write about science each Friday; real science. And I don't see it as a threat. I don't 'believe in' science, in the sense that I expect it to replace God. That would be as silly as trying to find life's meaning in the second law of thermodynamics . It would also be a very bad idea.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

Emmaus: Looking Back and Ahead

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We hear about the 'road to Emmaus' event in today's Gospel, Luke 24:13 - 35 . There's been speculation about why folks didn't recognized Jesus at first, after Golgotha. It wasn't just the 'road to Emmaus' thing. Paul lists some of our Lord's meetings in 1 Corinthians 15:3 - 8 .... ...About why folks didn't recognize Jesus, I figure there's a reason, maybe more than one, but I'm also pretty sure I can't be sure. Not at this point. That won't stop me from sharing — not so much my guess, as something I think seems reasonable. More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

Divine Mercy

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I care about God's mercy because I'm a sinner. What that means depends on who says it. I think and hope Jonathan Edwards meant well, and wish some of his imitators would be less enthusiastic. Or at least think about what he said. Hollywood theology — I'd like to believe that many folks don't get their religious education from the movies, and that's another topic. Basically, Americans have lots of options for what we think "sin" and "sinners" mean. I'm a Catholic, so my view is 'none of the above.'... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

That Time the Nice Boy Swore at Me

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Or ... Teaching the Faith Sometimes Means Carrying a Cross Teaching the faith can be a challenge. The Confirmation retreat was nearly over, so we settled back in the main hall after a few hours in the church to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation and spend time in Eucharistic Adoration. Though I’ve presented to teenagers for years, it never gets any easier. Corralling them for 8 hours, most against their own will, usually creates a less than friendly atmosphere. This particular group, despite my attempts to provide engaging activities and quick witted presentations, was very difficult to reach. It was a huge relief to glance at the clock and realize there were fewer than two hours left.“You got this,” I murmured to myself, and grabbed the microphone to begin my last presentation. I barely completed the sign of the cross, when suddenly a young man dressed in a suit stood up. “Excuse me,” I politely addressed him, “break is over and we are clearly about to pray. We are almos

Knowledge: Opening the Gift

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The quote is from Tennyson's " Ulysses ," among my favorite poems; and the source for my Google Plus tagline: "...To follow knowledge, like a sinking star, "Beyond the utmost bound of human thought...." (" Ulysses ," Tennyson (1833)) I'm not "an idle king," and take my family obligations seriously, so I won't be setting off on a voyage of discovery. Thanks to a pretty good Internet connection and research skills, I can "follow knowledge" without leaving my desk. My shameless curiosity may need some explanation. Or maybe not, if you read my Friday 'science' posts. More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

Trinity

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I say "in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit" a lot: mostly when I start praying. I generally make the sign of the Cross at the same time. The sign of the Cross is a very "Catholic" gesture. It "reminds us in a physical way of the Paschal Mystery we celebrate: the death and Resurrection of our Savior Jesus Christ." 1 It's a prayer, a blessing, and a sacramental; and that's another topic. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1668 - 1670 ) Dali's " Crucifixion (Corpus Hypercubus) " is very "Catholic," too; although not it's not like the mass-produced 19th-century stuff many associate with our faith. I wouldn't be surprised if a half-millennium from now, some tight-collar Catholics will be upset by new art that doesn't present the Cross as an unfolded tesseract , and that's yet another topic . Topics . More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

Living With Consequences

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I've missed one morning set, and several of the evening prayer sequences, in the routine I started February 13. ( February 19, 2017 ) I'm doing a little better with so far with the Lenten Chaplet. I started that Ash Wednesday. Emphasis on "so far." I nearly forgot twice, which doesn't surprise me. There's a very good reason for my wife handling the household's schedules, and that's another topic. This is where I could quote Romans 7:19 and launch into a 'wretcheder than thou' lament. It'd be accurate, on one level, since I've felt this way often enough.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .