Galileo, who died in 1642, was condemned by the Vatican for saying the Earth revolved around the Sun. Church teaching at the time held that the Earth was the center of the universe. In the early 1990s, Pope John Paul II rehabilitated him, saying the church had erred.
Friday, November 20, 2009
I love Journalists
Episcopal Wall of Honor
- Most Rev. Charles J. Chaput Archbishop, Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Denver, CO
- Most Rev. Salvatore Joseph Cordileone Bishop, Roman Catholic Diocese of Oakland, CA
- Most Rev. Timothy Dolan Archbishop, Roman Catholic Diocese of New York, NY
- Most Rev. Joseph E. Kurtz Archbishop, Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Louisville, KY
- Most Rev. Richard J. Malone Bishop, Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland, ME
- Most Rev. John J. Myers Archbishop, Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark, NJ
- Most Rev. Joseph F. Naumann Archbishop, Roman Catholic Diocese of Kansas City, KS
- Most Rev. John Nienstedt Archbishop, Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, MN
- Most Rev. Thomas J. Olmsted Bishop, Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix, AZ
- Most Rev. Michael J. Sheridan Bishop, Roman Catholic Diocese of Colorado Springs, CO
- Most Rev. Donald W. Wuerl Archbishop, Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington, D.C.
- Most Rev. David A. Zubik Bishop, Roman Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh, PA
I'm going to assume that a couple of bishops who weren't on the list that I would expect to have been didn't get the memo in time.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
St. Francis's comment on Twitter, Facebook, Blogger, etc.
Bravery and heroism
When Max is eight he has a conversation with his tutor about the events which precipitated World War I, which had just started. They were discussing the Serbian youth who had plotted to kill Archduke Ferdinand. In this conversation Dr. Mendel makes a very useful distinction between bravery and nobility.
"So are they good, like heroes are good? Or bad, like murderers are bad?"Then the possibility that they are martyrs is discussed.
"They are murderers, not heroes. They thought what they were doing was brave, which it was. They also thought it was noble, which it was not. Some Serbs may think them heroes for a while, but they will be wrong. The lives they have given up [because they will be executed] would have been more use to Serbia than their deaths will be."
"But they could still be heroes when they're dead? Like martyrs?"Terrorists, no matter what side they are on or how just their cause, have lost all understanding of these distinctions. Islamic terrorists may be brave, because they've overcome fear and danger, but they are not heroes. We need to be clear and direct about this, and about any contemporary or historical act of terrorism. Bravery and a just cause does not make you a hero if you engage in ignoble acts.
"A martyr is a witness to the truth. Whether Bosnia is part of Serbia or part of the Empire is not a matter of truth, but a matter of politics. Politics is about power, not about truth. And now nearly all of Europe is at war because of these foolish boys."
I think this also applies to those who would promote a totalitarian state. Terrorists and totalitarians are cut from the same cloth. The difference is that one has the reins of state in hand, and the other does not. Neither is consistent with the Catholic faith. That is why Guy Fawkes and his co-conspirators were not genuinely representative of the Catholic religion. Nor are those who commit acts of murder in the name of the pro life movement.
I think it interesting, by the way, that some of the earlier instances of both errors appeared in England--Fawkes and Cromwell.
I also think that burning figures of Fawkes in effigy doesn't rise much above the ignobility of Fawkes himself.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
John Paul II and the Pater Noster
Retaining one's innocence in a depraved world
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Collect of St. Martin of Tours
Latin:
Deus, qui in beato Martino episcopo sive per vitam sive per mortem magnificatus es, innova gratiae tuae mirabilia in cordibus nostris, ut neque mors neque vita separare nos possit a caritate tua. Per Dominum....This isn't difficult Latin. My literal translation:
[O] God, who has been exalted in blessed Martin, both though [his] life and through [his] death, renew in our hearts the wonders of your grace, that neither death nor life may separate us from your love. Through Our Lord....Now ICEL (with my parenthetical comments:
I just don't think the modification and paraphrasing helps us understand the prayer better.Father [I understand why they do this, but it irks me nonetheless], by his life and death
[blessed?] Martin of Tours offered you worship and praise [in switching to the active voice, the focus on God is somewhat mitigated. also, it really doesn't say anything in the Latin about worship or praise].
Renew in our hearts [so far so good] the power of your love [okay, so what is wrong with the word "grace," and where did "mirabilia" go, and why is love put here, since it clearly belongs later--this last move distances the prayer somewhat from Romans 8, which is the obvious reference],
so that neither death nor life [okay] may separate us from you.
Grant this...
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Wow!
Interview on Drew Marianin on Capital Punishment
New Tractarians
Not everyone has given up on Notre Dame!