This Week In the News

This may be a recurring feature here on the Complicated Catholic: a wrap up in faith-related news. I'll do it regularly if it seems appropriate. I write two blogs, am looking for a better job, and have a doctoral dissertation process to continue, so I don't know if I can dedicate that kind of time to updating this space regularly enough to make a weekly wrap-up of the news work, but we shall see.

I had hoped to make this entry on something other than abortion but it has been a big week in the news for the baby-killing business and those who oppose it, so this may just be a bit of a wrap up on that topic instead. Full disclosure: I don't believe abortion to be the only issue Christians should vote on, but it is significant and should act as a barrier to supporting pro-abortion candidates under most circumstances. I suppose that supporting a pro-abortion candidates would be acceptable if their opponents were likely to cause the third world war or engage in atrocities or something that might in some way negate their stance on abortion but I don't want to bother speculating on that because nothing comes to mind that negates the gravity of the over 300,000 babies killed by 'doctors' in the US 'legally' today.

Given that it is an election year, here's a handy pdf spreadsheet of every presidential candidate and their stated position on abortion. Call me cynical but I do believe that more than statements should be considered when thinking about voting on this issue. Action matters...and the Republican Party at the national level has been AWFUL on this issue. One needs only to look at the total control of the national government they had from 2001-2007 and the lack of action on this issue. If abortion is as important to you as I suspect it is then you should hold politicians accountable for their (in)action. Pro-abortion voters absolutely do.

Soon, WholeWoman’s Health v. Cole will be heard by the US Supreme Court (along with the Little Sisters of the Poor case, this year will be big for morality in the Court). The case revolves around the logical requirement that anyone who performs an abortion should be a competent enough doctor that they have admittance with nearby hospitals. Pro-abortionists don't support this requirement because, as it turns out, hospitals tend to be sticklers for that whole 'do no harm' principle of medicine, with most reserving abortion as an emergency-only procedure.

In my home state of Oregon, the new president for Oregon Right to Life (Harmony Daws), was fired from day job after being ordered to remain silent at work about political views. She was also barred from sharing her faith with her coworkers for any reason. Daws complied but was fired days later without warning. Keep an eye out for her business that she plans to open, and maybe send her a congratulations or even a small donation to Oregon Right to Life .

In other news, United Airlines has gone full Social Justice Warrior by censoring internet access on flights, including Live Action News for being inappropriate to view in-flight . Yes, a pro-life website has been equated with pornography or, more likely, hate speech. This is the world we live in, where mainstream political speech is considered hate speech. From my old pre-conversion life in the political left my gut reaction is to do a personal boycott of United Airlines: fly another carrier if you possibly can. Spending your money with a group that hostile to life and that is in bed with baby-killers helps support those industries.

Finally, on an upside, pro-life website LifeSiteNews founders have been awarded top pro-life award for unlocking the power of the internet in the cause of justice for vulnerable children. The service these news organizations provide, along with television outlets like EWTN, enable the pro-life and faith movements to do real work of communicating with truth to the world and making information available that counters the culture of death. What we need though are bloggers and Youtubers who represent the pro-life side and do so with wide support. There are plenty of pro-life blogs but there is room for more so start one! Or, even better, start a Youtube channel and find a creative way to bring the fight to the medium presently dominated by disgruntled atheists who object to the dominance of the latest incarnation of Marxism in our culture: feminism.

Abortion Politics, or Why I Hate This Election Year

This looks bad for both Clinton and Trump to be honest.

With March for Life going on in several locations across the United States in memorial of 43 years of legal killing of children, the unpleasant topic of abortion should be addressed. It's also an election year in the US and these two issues intersect in ways that cannot be ignored. On the right the choice Americans will likely have is Donald Trump, who said he was pro-choice before doing a complete 180 and declaring himself pro-lifeduring the 2012 primary cycle. Call me cynical but I fully believe that he declared himself pro-life to score points with evangelical protestants. It didn't work for him in 2012 but it seems to have made a difference for him in 2016.

On the Left the Democrats are likely to choose Hilary Clinton despite the weird meme being promoted that Bernie Sanders has anything but a remote chance of getting thenomination . Clinton proudly touts her feminism and has made the idiotic error of being public seen with confirmed pedophile Lena Dunham in order to tout her feminist credentials. Little needs to be said about Clinton's stance on the continuation of the policy that has allowed nearly 59,000,000 babies to be killed by their mothers and hired killers with medical credentials. Clinton would promote the status quo on this issue and on many others not relevant to the discussion at hand.

The choice will likely be between a potential liar in Trump and the status quo in Clinton. How does one proceed? I'm a registered non-affiliated voter in my state, at least for the time being. There are plenty of Catholic voices out there telling me I have a moral duty to vote Republican, which is on its face as absurd as the concept of a pro-choice Catholic. Do I trust a potential liar, vote for the status quo (taking Trump's other issues into context) or vote for a third party candidate?

Let's take the issue a step further. At the national level the GOP has little to no credibility on the abortion issue due to their having controlling Congress, the Supreme Court, and the White House from 2001-2007 and took no major initiative on abortion. Recently Speaker Ryan took defunding Planned Parenthood off the table as a weapon as a potential government shutdown loomed. At the state level the Republicans have done more to save lives but the national election is the subject at hand. I'd mention the Democratic party but why bother?

Finally, the US Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) in their document 'Forming Consciences for FaithfulCitizenship' advises Catholic voters that abortion is a critical issue but that it isn't the only issue that we should vote on. Fair enough. Other issues loom large for me, including the environment, government spying, maintaining a liberated internet, government spending and debt, rational care for the poor, ISIS, energy, the list goes on and on. And, despite my own feelings to the contrary, every good political quiz I take puts me on the center-Left despite my own pro-life and 'hawkish' attitudes of late. I don'tidentify with the Left, as anyone who reads my other blog will attest. I most identify as a moderate and will likely cast a vote for a candidate who makes me sick to my stomach in the fall. Given who I expect to win the parties respective nominations I'd say contracting voting-induced-stomach-flu is likely.

Who Are You? A Matter of Identity

January 15 2016

This past Sunday's Gospel reading challenges us as Christians. Who are we? Elsewhere, Christ tells us that we are to be salt and light in the world, yet the basic challenge is relatively easy to see: we are to be whom God created us to be. Seems easy enough but that begs a lot of questions, including how are we to know who God wants us to be?

The classic answer to that question is that we can know what God wants of us through reflective prayer, frequenting the sacraments (especially confession), and studying Scripture. But truly finding God's purpose for us requires us to go even deeper, if that is possible. Our purpose is to be like Christ and live as such in the world. That is a fundamentally daunting task in a world that is increasingly secular and in some quarters violent to Christians. While being a Christianis becoming increasingly dangerous  this doesn't reduce the responsibility each Christian has to live the Gospel and be like Christ in a dark world. If the first generations of Christians went singing hymns to the Roman lions then Christians today can withstand abuses as well.

What does this mean in practice? Are we to hide away from the popular culture and write off fashionable cultural trends? Hardly. Christians have a duty to understand the culture, what is popular in the culture, and be knowledgeable about the passing things of the day because the role of every individual orthodox Christian is to be a subversive presence in the world. That is to be Christ-like. Jesus did not come to the world to reinforce power structures, destructive cultural practices, or to hide away from the world and those practices. Christ came to save souls and to institute a new order that would give humanity a fighting chance against the tide of darkness.

This is evident in how our Lord dined with tax collectors, the unclean masses, and his befriending of prostitutes. Christ let the Pharisees and Sadducees separate themselves from God and did not identify themselves with them, though there were individual Pharisees and Sadducees counted among his followers. His presence in the world sent shock waves wherever He went. Christ may have been a peace maker but He was also probably the largest disruptive force socially that the Roman-occupied Israel had seen in quite some time. If anything this fed into why He was crucified.

Some high profile Catholic commentators understand this. Bishop Barron is an obvious example, with his highly successful Youtube ministry. By merely understanding the culture and offering insight that from a Catholic perspective you will be a disruptive force. Most likely you won't be affected the way Christ was, nor will you disrupt society in a major way, but on an individual level you will show people a view they are not familiar with. This can be jarring, which is the point. Representing Christ in the world requires that people be shocked out of their comfort zones, of course done peacefully and respectfully. This may be the hardest part what I'm suggesting, as it is very easy to be tempted to slide into a self-righteousness that reeks of pride; to do so is not to be Christ-like in the least.

To be Christ-like means to be the version of us that God knows we are capable of becoming. This isn't an abstract idea in the least. It means, in short, to become a saint. While it's certainly not abstract it is not easy. This is why prayer and the sacraments are so essential to the life of every Catholic. Without the sacraments we are left to survive with our own strength, which can be precarious at best. Frequenting the sacraments is the best strategy to being true to both God and ourselves; through the faithful reception of the sacraments we find our best chances of becoming Christ in the world.

Resolving to Live Simply in the Year of Mercy

Resolving to Live Simply in the Year of Mercy

January 8, 2016

Devil: 'C'mon!' Jesus: Nope, dude.

One of the oldest ideas in Christianity is that an aspect of living 

the good life is to live simply when possible. GK Chesterton wrote somewhere that “We need a right view of the human lot, a right of the human society; and if we were living eagerly and angrily in the enthusiasm of those things, we, ipso facto, would be living simply in the genuine and spiritual sense. Desire and danger make everyone

simple.” To live simply is hard to define outside of pointlessly vague assertions about avoiding complex situations, avoiding gossip and its consequences and living within one's means. It's a concept best described as knowing when you're in it. That may not be terribly helpful but that's the best I've got at the moment.

Everything in the Catholic world revolves around Pope Francis's declaration of thisliturgical year being one of mercy. The Year of Mercy should influence our decisions regarding Lenten sacrifices, how we show our love for neighbor, our worship, everything. In short, it should be a year of self sacrifice. TheCatholic Dictionary defines mercy as “the disposition to be kind and forgiving. Founded on compassion, mercy differs from compassion or the feeling of sympathy in putting this feeling into practice with a readiness to assist. It is therefore the ready willingness to help anyone in need, especially in need of pardon or reconciliation.” Our actions should be automatic, a response of instinct to those in need. This is not a short order. Pope Francis's declaration of a Year of Mercy is a challenge to Catholics everywhere. It's a challenge we all desperately need.

Remember when this caused a stir?

A not uncommon act of mercy is giving away our possessions to the needy. While this is definitely a kind act, many go about it improperly. Many who are not themselves poor believe that their castoff items that are little better than trash will be welcome to the most needy. In reality, the poor can just as easily identify trash regardless of the economic status of its previous owner. If the spirit of mercy includes an aspect of self-sacrifice, then pawning off our trash on those less fortunate than us violates that spirit. I'm not suggesting that giving used clothes to Goodwill is a bad thing – far from it – but I am say thing acts of mercy should be sacrificial in nature.

Jesus says as much himself. “Whoever has two tunics should share with the person who has none. And whoever has food should do likewise.” (Luke 3:11, NAB). Lest we think owning two tunics was a sign of wealth in Jesus's time, even those who are poor are called to sacrifice. There is always someone in a worse condition than any of us. Mercy ins't meant to be comfortable, nor is it meant to be easy. And it shouldn't be self congratulatory. Sacrifices in the Church are not meant to be opportunities for bragging and self aggrandizing. Sacrificial mercy has an undeniable aspect of humility. As Blessed Fulton Sheen stated, “If pride is the great human obstacle to faith, it follows that, from the human side, the essential condition of receiving faith is humility. Humility is not an underestimation of what we are, but the plain, unadulterated truth. . . “ Taking pride in our sacrifices distorts the meaning of those acts.

I'll admit that I'm pretty awesome...,just not that awesome.

Participation in The Year of Mercy is meant for every believing Christian to grow in their faith and relationship with Christ. "Be merciful as your Heavenly Father is merciful.' (Luke 6:36). Live anything Christ said, these are words to live by. If the Year of Mercy is anything it is an opportunity for Catholics who have forgotten to be merciful a chance to get back on track and live a life of mercy – that is, to live a life in Christ. Our actions count, regardless of what some non-Catholic Christians will say. 

Weapons for Spiritual Warfare, pt 1

Weapons for Spiritual Warfare, pt 1

I spend quite a lot of time writing about the antics of the regressive Left elsewhere. Today that topic will carry over a bit into my faith writers for no better reason than that the two are linked in more ways than most will admit. The case of the protests by FEMEN in Argentina are a fantastic example of the spiritual nature of the culture wars raging in the West. I suspect that people frequently forget that the conditions of our societies are a reflection of our collective and individual spiritual health. Thus, in Argentina we see radical feminist protesters engaging in grotesque behavior in the name of legal access to abortion.

The nature of the culture wars raging today are summed up succinctly by Pope-Emeritus Benedict XVI during the conclave that elected him Pope in 2005. “Today, having a clear faith based on the Creed of the Church is often labeled as fundamentalism. Whereas relativism, that is, letting oneself be "tossed here and there, carried about by every wind of doctrine", seems the only attitude that can cope with modern times. We are building a dictatorship of relativism that does not recognize anything as definitive and whose ultimate goal consists solely of one's own ego and desires.” The goal, in the name of freedom, is adoration of the self at the cost of duties to one another. This is the nature of moral relativism.

One story not making the rounds in the mainstream media is that Sara Fernanda Giromin, aka Sara Winter, founder of FEMEN in Argentina, became aChristian recently and has apologized to Christians for her antics. Giromin repented of her past and the abortion she had after seeing her second child born. Try to bear in the mind that, as the founder of Femen she organized attacks on the Catholic cathedral in Buenos Aires. She and her now-former cohorts staged nude protests and smeared fake menstrual blood on the faces of men who had formed a human shield to protect the Cathedral from what appeared to be a violent angry mob.

Those skeptical of Christianity being under attack in the West should take note. These attacks in Argentina are similar to those in the US in the 80s and 90s by the gay movement prior to activists changing tactics. The fascinating thing about this was the informal prayer campaign waged by Christians in Argentina and elsewhere; Christ commanded his followers to pray for for their enemies, of which surely international groups like FEMEN are counted.

Christians seem to have no issue praying for those whom we love. It comes naturally to us, as it should, because helping those whom we love is instinctive for believers. But praying for our enemies is much, much harder. The late Archbishop Fulton Sheen famously said of the person of prayer: “The person who thinks only of himself says only prayers of petition; the one who thinks of his neighbor says prayers of intercession; whoever thinks only of loving and serving God says prayers of abandonment to God's will, and this is the prayer of the saints.” It strikes me that praying for enemies is embodied by the last two statements in that we abandon our will to God and we pray on behalf of our enemies so that they may abandon their errors and instead join the family of God.

Giromin is evidence of the fruitfulness of prayer. This story was reported just after Christmas, making this a wonderful sign of God's providence. As St Paul says in his letter to the Romans, “What then shall we say to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31). Praying for our enemies is a spiritual work of mercy with concrete consequences in the corporal world. FEMEN Argentina has lost its founder, which should be giving pause to remaining members of the organization. We can hope and pray that Ms. Giromin uses her organizing abilities and faith to defend life in Argentina in accordance with the natural law and that she grow in her faith. Conversions of this kind are a mirror to the conversion of St Paul, who himself persecuted the Church in the years after the Crucifixion. Ms. Giromin is situated to become a profoundly influential pro-life leader in Argentina, thanks to the grace of God. Prayer is the most profound weapon for engaging in spiritual warfare. Again, if God is with us who can be against us?