Monday, May 21, 2012
Thank You Mr. President...
As you can probably tell I have spent my own fair amount of
time on the internet (inter tubes). You
can read and “learn” all sorts of information on the internet. Last week I read an article that was being
passed around called “15 things happy people do” or something to that
nature. It’s really not important.
One of the things this article mentioned is that happy
people look at challenges that they are faced with as opportunities. That must have been riding around in the back
of my head because it led to an interesting thought in the shower this
morning. (The shower is where I do my
best thinking for the record.)
This is a combination of a few thoughts that I have been
reflecting on for a while so bear with me for a moment.
1st Challenge:
President Obama’s HHS Mandate requiring some Catholic institutions to
pay for contraceptive coverage which
would be a violation of Church teaching.
2nd Challenge: Abortion the destruction of
innocent life in the womb.
3rd Challenge:
Getting the “Aaron Morey” song out of your head.
Abortion has been a challenge in our society for quite a
long while and the HHS mandate has been all the rage in Catholic Circles
lately. Well if anyone thinks that these
issues are not connected they are fooling themselves.
Our own Supreme Court pointed out the connection in Planned Parenthood v. Casey which
essentially reaffirmed Roe v. Wade. Without getting into a full legal discussion
the court essentially said, “"In some critical respects abortion is of the same character
as the decision to use contraception. ... For two decades of economic and
social developments, people have organized intimate relationships and made
choices that define their views of themselves and their places in society, in
reliance on the availability of abortion in the event that contraception should
fail."
Blessed
John Paul II even talked about that societies where the Church’s teaching on
contraception are rejected, you will see more abortions.
So essentially where there are contraceptives there will be abortion.
So essentially where there are contraceptives there will be abortion.
I
remember learning this when I first got involved in the Pro-Life Movement and
feeling really discouraged. To me as a
19 year old fighting against abortion was one thing. That is the killing of children. Surely our society will one day equate that
with slavery and the evil it truly is.
But fighting against contraceptives in the 21st century? That would be a little bit harder. Contraceptives are so ingrained into our
culture as just part of what it means to have a sexual relationship. Even good Catholics use contraceptives because
they haven’t been shown the truth.
So
I didn’t give up but I got discouraged.
But then President Obama went and did the Catholic Church a giant
favor. By mandating Catholic
institutions to pay for contraceptives (something that is totally against
Catholic teaching) he has allowed the conversation about the evils of
contraception to take place in an educated fashion.
This
right now is THE MOMENT. For the first
time in my life we as a Church have to opportunity to reengage with the modern
world about why we believe contraception is wrong.
Our
Bishops are busy fighting against the mandate on the grounds of violating
religious freedom. This is important
fight and we should support them in this as well. In the meantime I believe the rest of us in
the Church (married Catholics especially) should be using this time to
re-present the teaching of Humane Vitae in a way that the modern world can
truly understand. I believe that the way to do this is to start advocating for
greater Natural Family Planning education (NFP).
NFP
is a joke in the eyes of the world because so many people are misinformed that
it is simply the rhythm method. Also it
does require some abstinence which in our society is equally foolish.
BUT
our society LOVES anything natural. We
are afraid to eat at KFC because the chicken might have been grown with weird
hormones. Okay but you are willing to
inject even scarier hormones into your body just so you can have sex with no
consequences whenever you want?
I
don’t want to even discuss how there is no such thing as sex with no
consequences. Childbearing aside, even
movies such as No strings Attached point
out that even the most casual sexual relationship will have emotional
consequences. But that isn’t why you
called.
We
need to re-present the Church’s teaching on contraception and sex. We need to show the world that we who are
following the Church’s teaching are HAPPIER and HEALTHIER. If we do this effectively I truly believe we
will have a conversion of hearts.
Between the dangerous side effects of hormonal contraceptives etc and
the true happiness couple can find by practicing NFP I think the odds are in
our favor. We just have to get out there
and DO IT. We can’t rely on the Bishops
because they are busy. Also they aren’t
married. So while we still respect their
teaching, it is going to mean a whole lot more coming from couples who are
practicing what they preach.
We
also need couples who are not the parents of 8 children out there promoting
NFP. No offense because I love big
families and see the blessing and happiness that they receive. But if you are trying to convert someone that
NFP works, you are not going to convince them by showing pictures of your 18
kids at the roller rink!
It
is really easy to point out all that is wrong with the world, wrong with each
other, wrong with everyone but us. We
are a society of critics. The real
challenge is finding solutions. I think
this hypothesis is an attempt at a beginning of solutions. Well maybe by the grace of the Holy Spirit
this can help lead us to some greater solutions.
I
don’t claim to be the one who is going to fix things but I am going to need
help. This is the definition of the New
Evangelization. So instead of sitting
around and complaining that President Obama is going to persecute the Catholic
Church let’s call his bluff.
One
idea I had this morning was for Catholic Institutions to say, “Okay we’ll pay
for contraceptives, BUT before we do any of our employees who wish to receive
said services will have to go through an NFP class.” That class will include all the negative side
effects of Artificial Contraception. It
will then present people with the beauty of NFP.
Now
obviously there is a lot of problems with that solution. First it will cost money on its own. Second it could still lead to Catholic
Institutions paying for artificial contraception. But it’s time to start thinking outside of
the box. This is our moment people. We need to figure out how to make this
challenge from our government another Pentecost moment. Come Holy Spirit!
Ladies
and gentlemen take my advice, if you have the Aaron Morey song stuck in your
head, just sit back and enjoy it. The
White House will soon mandate that you have to pay Itunes 55 cents for every song you get stuck in your
head.
Tuesday, May 08, 2012
LOST and found
GREAT SCOTT!
It has been a long time since my last blog post here. I believe it is safe to say that my life has COMPLETELY changed since Swine Flu was the story of the day. I've had 3 different jobs since the post and somewhere in there I found the time to get married.
So obviously my blog is a little behind the times. Today I wanted to share with you thoughts about something that happened nearly two years ago to the day. The Series finale of LOST. Season 6 episode 17 titled simply "The End."
SPOILERS FROM THIS POINT ON.
If you haven't yet watched LOST of parts of LOST I advise you to read no further. But then again that implies that someone is actually reading this. I mentioned already that I recently got married. Before I got married I had already seen LOST in it's original run on ABC. I then had the opportunity to re-watch the series on Netflix by myself earlier last year. But then I went and got married. On the flight to Hawaii (where they filmed LOST) I thought it would be a good idea to expose my wife to the first episode. Not such a great idea watching a show about a plane crash while on a plane over the Pacific Ocean. We didn't finish the episode but she was intrigued. We waited til we got back to Wisconsin and Kayln was officially hooked on LOST. We have been watching the entire series ever since Mid-January. Well last night we finished it. And boy oh boy. Let me just say this. 2 years later and I still find great joy in the last episode of LOST.
I know it was a confusing show, a mysterious show. But the last episode really was awesome. Some people didn't like it, some people felt they left too many questions unanswered. I didn't. I loved it. I believe it brings a wonderful expression of faith, hope, and charity to a world that sorely lacks all three.
The line that struck me the most last night was when Christian Shepherd was revealing to Jack that they were all dead and in this Limbo/Purgaotry type place that they created so that they could all be together before they moved on was the following. He said, "The time you spent together was the most important part of your life." Notice he did NOT say "The time you spent ON THE ISLAND was the most important." In the end, the finale and really the journey of LOST has nothing to do with the Island other than the show took place there. What is important are the relationships and the challenges that this community of survivors faced together. And yes that happened to take place on The Island. But the island is simply means to the end. The island is really the vocation of the survivors. It does not define them but it is the vehicle that gives theme their best shot at redemption and salvation. Ultimately their lives are more fulfilling because of the time they spent on the island answering Jacob's (God's)call to protect the island.
I believe this episode demonstrates what life as a Christian is really about. Yes the creators leave open the possibility that everyone's religion is truth. And I am okay with that. LOST was not a Christian or Catholic show. I believe there were a lot of Catholic undertones but much like early Christians adopted Christmas and made it their own I am adopting LOST and making it my own. I don't know how many of you ever stop and consider the idea of eternity.
Yes we are all good Christians and should look forward to heaven with hope. But sometimes for me that idea of the unknown and never ending eternity scares the heaven out of me! Whenever I think about it I think of it from a perspective of being alone with this bright light (the heart of the island perhaps). If that is heaven then I am right to be afraid because that would suck more than Aaron Morey trying out for the lead in Black Swan.
But LOST opened my eyes and remind me that we will not be alone. First of all in heaven we will be eternally united with God. Which will be AWESOME! Secondly, I will not be the only one there. We will be united as a communion of saints. So presumably the people that I have spent the most important parts of my life with will be with me in heaven. I don't want to get into a Theological discussion of am I going to heaven or purgatory or even hell. That's not the point. The point is that as Christians we should be looking forward to the end or to what is next. While simultaneously living the moment to the fullest. Ultimately I believe that is what LOST is about.
If you re-watch the series and especially season 6 you can keep in mind that yes all these characters in fact do die at some point as we all do. You can look forward with joyful anticipation because you know the outcome. But that doesn't change the enjoyment one can get out of all 6 seasons. There is much to be learned. Just like in life. LOST is a journey. Life is a Journey. LOST may have perhaps left some questions unanswered. Life is full of unanswered questions. Last year Fr. John and I tried to convince my Sophomores and Seniors to embrace the mystery. They didn't like that answer because somewhere along the line we decided we needed to know everything and if we didn't we would be unhappy about it. I have come to peace by convincing myself anything I don't know now I will figure out when I get to what comes next.
I think LOST is interesting because they didn't answer some questions but it doesn't matter. I think when we get to what is next we will be so happy to be together with Christ and our loved ones, it won't matter.
Another aspect goes back to the vocation of those on the island. Jacob brought them to the island that they may prevent the light from going out. Light imagery is always awesome. That is the same job of all baptized believers. Through our baptism we receive the universal call to holiness. We join in the Apostolic mission of the Church to go to the ends of the earth to preach the Good news. Christ is the light of the world. We can't see Him (much like not everyone could see the light at the center of the island). But it is our job to keep the light of Christ in the world. The Oceanic Survivors could not see the Light of the Island til the last episode. But they saw the affects of it throughout the series. (Mysterious healing etc...)The world should look at all baptized believers and see the effect of the Light of Christ in the joy and way that we live our lives.
I believe this is enough for now. LOST in the end is merely a television show. I believe it is one of the better shows that have been on TV. As Sister Marie Kolbe says it is like literature or philosophy in action. So this is my take on it after 2 years of it being over and watching the series 3 times.
Ladies and gentlemen take my advice, live each moment to the fullest, make sure to protect the light that you received at baptism. I hope I get to be with you all when its time to leave.
It has been a long time since my last blog post here. I believe it is safe to say that my life has COMPLETELY changed since Swine Flu was the story of the day. I've had 3 different jobs since the post and somewhere in there I found the time to get married.
So obviously my blog is a little behind the times. Today I wanted to share with you thoughts about something that happened nearly two years ago to the day. The Series finale of LOST. Season 6 episode 17 titled simply "The End."
If you haven't yet watched LOST of parts of LOST I advise you to read no further. But then again that implies that someone is actually reading this. I mentioned already that I recently got married. Before I got married I had already seen LOST in it's original run on ABC. I then had the opportunity to re-watch the series on Netflix by myself earlier last year. But then I went and got married. On the flight to Hawaii (where they filmed LOST) I thought it would be a good idea to expose my wife to the first episode. Not such a great idea watching a show about a plane crash while on a plane over the Pacific Ocean. We didn't finish the episode but she was intrigued. We waited til we got back to Wisconsin and Kayln was officially hooked on LOST. We have been watching the entire series ever since Mid-January. Well last night we finished it. And boy oh boy. Let me just say this. 2 years later and I still find great joy in the last episode of LOST.
I know it was a confusing show, a mysterious show. But the last episode really was awesome. Some people didn't like it, some people felt they left too many questions unanswered. I didn't. I loved it. I believe it brings a wonderful expression of faith, hope, and charity to a world that sorely lacks all three.
The line that struck me the most last night was when Christian Shepherd was revealing to Jack that they were all dead and in this Limbo/Purgaotry type place that they created so that they could all be together before they moved on was the following. He said, "The time you spent together was the most important part of your life." Notice he did NOT say "The time you spent ON THE ISLAND was the most important." In the end, the finale and really the journey of LOST has nothing to do with the Island other than the show took place there. What is important are the relationships and the challenges that this community of survivors faced together. And yes that happened to take place on The Island. But the island is simply means to the end. The island is really the vocation of the survivors. It does not define them but it is the vehicle that gives theme their best shot at redemption and salvation. Ultimately their lives are more fulfilling because of the time they spent on the island answering Jacob's (God's)call to protect the island.
I believe this episode demonstrates what life as a Christian is really about. Yes the creators leave open the possibility that everyone's religion is truth. And I am okay with that. LOST was not a Christian or Catholic show. I believe there were a lot of Catholic undertones but much like early Christians adopted Christmas and made it their own I am adopting LOST and making it my own. I don't know how many of you ever stop and consider the idea of eternity.
Yes we are all good Christians and should look forward to heaven with hope. But sometimes for me that idea of the unknown and never ending eternity scares the heaven out of me! Whenever I think about it I think of it from a perspective of being alone with this bright light (the heart of the island perhaps). If that is heaven then I am right to be afraid because that would suck more than Aaron Morey trying out for the lead in Black Swan.
But LOST opened my eyes and remind me that we will not be alone. First of all in heaven we will be eternally united with God. Which will be AWESOME! Secondly, I will not be the only one there. We will be united as a communion of saints. So presumably the people that I have spent the most important parts of my life with will be with me in heaven. I don't want to get into a Theological discussion of am I going to heaven or purgatory or even hell. That's not the point. The point is that as Christians we should be looking forward to the end or to what is next. While simultaneously living the moment to the fullest. Ultimately I believe that is what LOST is about.
If you re-watch the series and especially season 6 you can keep in mind that yes all these characters in fact do die at some point as we all do. You can look forward with joyful anticipation because you know the outcome. But that doesn't change the enjoyment one can get out of all 6 seasons. There is much to be learned. Just like in life. LOST is a journey. Life is a Journey. LOST may have perhaps left some questions unanswered. Life is full of unanswered questions. Last year Fr. John and I tried to convince my Sophomores and Seniors to embrace the mystery. They didn't like that answer because somewhere along the line we decided we needed to know everything and if we didn't we would be unhappy about it. I have come to peace by convincing myself anything I don't know now I will figure out when I get to what comes next.
I think LOST is interesting because they didn't answer some questions but it doesn't matter. I think when we get to what is next we will be so happy to be together with Christ and our loved ones, it won't matter.
Another aspect goes back to the vocation of those on the island. Jacob brought them to the island that they may prevent the light from going out. Light imagery is always awesome. That is the same job of all baptized believers. Through our baptism we receive the universal call to holiness. We join in the Apostolic mission of the Church to go to the ends of the earth to preach the Good news. Christ is the light of the world. We can't see Him (much like not everyone could see the light at the center of the island). But it is our job to keep the light of Christ in the world. The Oceanic Survivors could not see the Light of the Island til the last episode. But they saw the affects of it throughout the series. (Mysterious healing etc...)The world should look at all baptized believers and see the effect of the Light of Christ in the joy and way that we live our lives.
I believe this is enough for now. LOST in the end is merely a television show. I believe it is one of the better shows that have been on TV. As Sister Marie Kolbe says it is like literature or philosophy in action. So this is my take on it after 2 years of it being over and watching the series 3 times.
Ladies and gentlemen take my advice, live each moment to the fullest, make sure to protect the light that you received at baptism. I hope I get to be with you all when its time to leave.
