Attention Dissident Nuns!

Reading St Therese's autobiography, I came across this:

'How enviable it is, the simple creed of the religious, who has only one compass to steer by, the will of her superiors! She knows for certain, all the time, that she is on the right path; there's no fear that she can go wrong, even when she feels fairly certain that her superiors are wrong. When people lose sight of this unfailing guide, refusing to follow it and claiming to follow the will of God, which has been misunderstood by his representatives, they find themselves, all at once, wandering about on desert paths where the supply of grace is bound to dry up before long.'

How counter cultural is that!

I won't name the sisters who spring to mind as I read this - but if the veil fits, how I wish you would wear it!

Sexualisation of our kids...

Part of me thinks it really takes an academic to state the bleedin' obvious: 'Author Dr Linda Papadopoulos said there was a clear link between sexualised imagery and violence towards females.
Her report said the material children were being exposed to included the growth of lads' mags and pornography on mobile phones, through to big-name fashion brands using sexual imagery to advertise clothes targeted at young teenagers.'

But sadly, it is really important that this is said as so many are in denial over it - and lending common sense and experience some academic credibility is sadly necessary.

Dr P. continues: "Unless sexualisation is accepted as harmful, we will miss an important opportunity … to broaden young people's beliefs about where their value lies,"

Expect a barrage of responses form other academics questioning her methodology and personal integrity, and asserting that links are not proven - just in the same way links between tobacco and ill-health were not proven for so long, costing countless deaths...

Courage and hope

Alison Davies gave an excellent interview on the PM programme tonight about the need for compassion for those who want to die - compassion being helping them find a reason to want to live.

Curiously, today's pm is not on BBC iPlayer: yesterday's and the days before's are... Was it off message?

I think we should be told...

trades description legislation

I would love to see a suite of actions started against those organisations (Schools, Aid Agencies, Education Services) which use the title Catholic to persuade Catholics to support them, but are non- or anti-Catholic in their practice.


Any takers?...

Non Judgemental or plain dishonest? (again)....

I will refrain from commment on the outrageous CES as this has been well covered by Fr Finigan, John Smeaton, and many others.

However, it is worth addressing the great non-judgemental canard yet again, as the government has singled out for praise a 'Catholic' school that takes a non-judgemental approach to Sex Ed (including many anti-Catholic propositions).

I have blogged about this before here.

However, it is worth reiterating that to be non-judgemental about an action is to declare that we implicitly approve of it, or at least don't think it terribly wrong.

Just consider these options:

The government has announced a non-judgemental approach to smoking... to obesity... to murder... to teenage knife crime... to tax dodging... to drink driving... because, as we know, just saying No doesn't work...

CAFOD's Prayer: May Our Will Be Done

It's been a bit of a while since my last post - last year's resolution to slow it down a bit has been honoured! - but on reading CAFOD's leaflet for Family Fast Day, I thought a comment was needed.

The CAFOD Lent Prayer is the kind of thing you would expect - but I was struck by this: 'Spirit of God... Work through us so our vision becomes reality.'

It seems from this that CAFOD see God as an instrument for achieving the vision for reality they have fixed on, rather than seeing themselves as the instruments God may choose to use to accomplish His purpose.

In fact, strikes me as practically the antithesis of Christian prayer: 'Thy will be done.'

Or is it just me?....

Charlie's confirmation

On Saturday we got the early train to London, for Charlie's confirmation (traditional Latin rite) at St James's Spanish Place.

A number of good things about the day - above all, of course, the descent of the Holy Ghost on Charlie and the others. Also, the Saturday morning Mass prior to the confirmation (yes, we were there a couple of hours early...) which was Novus Ordo, but featured a single male altar server (who also read), communion under one kind, distributed by the priest alone to a congregation kneeling at the altar rails, who all received in the traditional manner, rather than in the hand.

Then the ceremonies themselves: noble and beautiful; adorned by wonderful singing, both chant and polyphony, and excellent organ playing. The bishop's homily, too, was good; taking as its starting point the current exhibition at the National Gallery on the Sacred made Real - you can see where that went. Seeing old friends is also a great part of the day - we ended up in the Pizza Express (as did nearly everyone else it seems) which was very convivial.

A couple of less positive aspects: the lady behind us who kept chatting in a louder than necessary voice about her shopping, her swine flu jab etc for an hour or so before the confirmations was not atypical of many, who seemed to forget this was a sacred occasion; there was less silence, and generally less reverence than one might have expected from a traditional crowd... And the LMS produced booklet looked hastily-done - didn't live up to the high standards of almost everything else.

But overall, a great day: please remember all those confirmed, and Bishop George Stack, in your prayers.