Association Of Catholic Bloggers

I'll start with something that should be flamingly obvious. Murder is a bad idea and I shouldn't do it. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2268-2269) By murder, I mean deliberately killing an innocent person. Which is what someone who apparently expressed "ill will" against corporate America has been charged with. This isn't what I'll be talking about in my 'Saturday' post. But an insurance executive from Minnesota getting killed is still international news, and the situation touches on points I think are important. Some expert said the way folks are reacting is "deeply concerning". More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (The killer of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson has been praised. American healthcare has problems, but I see the killing and praise as bad ideas.)

A man asked Jesus "Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" in last Sunday's Gospel reading. That's what Fr. Greg talked about — our Lord's answer is simple, by the way, and can be boiled down to 'be prudent'. There's an election looming in our country, so Fr. Greg also talked about acting as if love matters, and making prudent choices. Then he shared a prayer that I've had in my daily routine for a while. But (more than) enough about me. Here's what Fr. Greg said: Eternal Life Definitions and Choosing Wisely Love, Choices, and Wisdom Prudence Judges, the Constitution, and Freedom A Wedding Cake Artificial Contraception Second Amendment and the Right to Defend Myself Abortion Choice: and Responsibility Bodies and Rights Roe v. Wade, the Constitution, and a Eureka Moment Let Love Choose Wisely Video: Gospel Reading and Homily at St. Paul's, Sauk Centre, MN; October 13, 2024 More at A Catholic Citizen in ...

Another election is looming, so I'm reviewing how being a Catholic affects how I vote. I'll mention what the USCCB (United States Conference of Catholic Bishops) calls the "Seven Themes of Catholic Social Teaching", share some links, and talk about something Pope Francis said. Along with, as usual, whatever else comes to mind. Citizenship and the Common Good Love and Good Ideas Being a Catholic Citizen Political Venom: It's Not New Malevolent Memes of Yesteryear Principles, Priorities — and Prohibition, a Personal View Remembering Prohibition: High Ideals and Speakeasies Pope Francis and Our Choices Doing His Job — and Doing Mine There ARE Bright Sides The End of Civilization as We Know It — As Usual More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (Being Catholic and voting. Catholic social teaching: 7 themes. Love and neighbors. The common good. Political cartoons, Prohibition. What Pope Francis said.)

Last Sunday's Gospel reading was about Jesus healing a man who couldn't hear or speak. 1 So that's what Fr. Greg talked about: along with how it ties in how we're living today. A tip of the hat to Fr. Greg, for letting me make a transcript of his homily: Healing the Deaf Mute of Decapolis (1) One-On-One Healing (2) Touching His Ears (3) "Unusual to Us" — Jesus Spits (4) A Second Touch (5) Jesus Looks Up to Heaven (6) He Groans (7) Ephphatha! The Purpose of the Messiah Sidon, the Decapolis, and a World of Gentiles Deafness as a Cultural Preference Babies, Birth Rates, Families: and Statistics The Greatest Blessings on Earth Valuing Children Looking Ahead Planning Ahead, and Praying Video: Gospel Reading and Homily at St. Paul's, Sauk Centre, MN; September 8, 2024 More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (A guest post by Fr. Greg Paffel: showing how healing the deaf mute of Decapolis applies to how we should live today. Valuing...

I am not "political". I won't try convincing you that [party A] or [politico A] is to blame for everything you don't like — while [party B] or [politico B] will solve all your problems. But now and then I talk about something with a political angle: like the ongoing mess in the Middle East. And I'll admit to a bias.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (A brief, for me, response to news that six more hostages held by Hamas are dead: including Hersh Goldberg-Polin.)

I could ignore the current presidential fracas: claiming that I'm too 'spiritual' for worldly matters, or can't abide the pervasive political posturing and pandering. But that's not an option. Neither, for me, is getting "political" in the sense of declaring that, if elected, candidate A will doom us all; while candidate B is America's only hope. Those attitudes aren't new, and that's another topic. 1 This week I'll be talking about why I don't fit into current political pigeonholes: or, rather, why I fit into several. Acting As If What I Believe Matters Political Pigeonholes and the Big Picture Sex, Death, and Immigrants Hawk? Dove? Long-Term Goals Fear and Politics Love, Hope, and Making Sense More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (Catholic teachings do not conform to American political labels. Not when I consider the big picture. I look at beliefs, fears, and long-term goals.)

My parish is Our Lady of the Angles in Sauk Centre, Minnesota. It's part of the Parishes on the Prairie Catholic Community — and that's a topic for another time. Aside from routine matters, we're not exactly at the center of diocesan activity. That's why I think our priest, Fr. Greg Paffel, getting this year's diocesan Humanae Vitae Award is a big deal. I'll be talking about that, briefly, "Humanae Vitae", and why I think human life matters. Cultural, Historical, and Personal Context "The True Voice of the Church...." My First Look at Catholic Thought Why Human Life Matters Obedience and Using my Brain Natural Law, Positive Law, and Paying Attention Seeing Human Beings as People Meanwhile, Across the Pacific Fr. Greg Paffel: The Journey Home Interview Valuing Human Life: All Human Life More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (Humanae Vitae, On Human Life: cultural, historical, and personal context; natural law, positiv...

Here's how I learned that someone tried to kill Donald Trump. Our number-two daughter and granddaughter were visiting over the weekend. We were talking about something entirely different when our number-two daughter looked at her smartphone— one of those things that connects whoever's holding it to humanity's social media and information services. She said something like 'oh! someone shot Trump', and we went on with our conversation. That was late Saturday. By Sunday evening, our son-in-law had finished business in southern Minnesota, spent a few hours with us, and set off with number-two-daughter and our granddaughter to their home in North Dakota. Don't get me wrong: I care about what happens in my country, and think that taking potshots at presidential candidates — or presidents — is a very bad idea. But I'm not obsessively focused on politics or politicos. Remembering a Hero Family, Country, and Priorities More at A Catholic Citizen in America ...

A helicopter carrying two pilots, a flight technician, and at least five other folks crashed yesterday. They’re all dead. One of them was Iran’s president: which made the aviation accident international news. News “ Iran’s president and foreign minister die in helicopter crash at moment of high tensions in Mideast ” Jon Gambrell, AP (May 20, 2024) “ Iran declares five days of mourning for president ” Michael Sheils McNamee, BBC News (May 20, 2024) Wikipedia 2024 Varzaqan helicopter crash Ebrahim Raisi I am not happy that at least eight people died in that helicopter. I am particularly troubled, because at least one of those deaths may make life difficult for a great many other folks. All of which may take a little explaining.... But not all that much: more at A Catholic Citizen in America . (Ebrahim Raisi was President of Iran. Now he is dead. So are at least seven other folks. I respond to that, very briefly.)

There's more than sex change and gender theory in the Vatican's new "ethics document": assuming that what hit the fan this week is the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith's "Dignitas Infinita", on Human Dignity. "Dignitas Infinita", "Infinite Dignity", runs to a little over 12,600 words in my language. " Dignitas Infinita " on Human Dignity ("Infinite Dignity") Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (April 2, 2024) ( from https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/.../rc_ddf_doc_20240402_dignitas-infinita_en.html (April 10, 2024) ) I'll be taking a very, very quick look at it. But I'll get started with something Pope Francis said a month ago. Pope Francis, Gender Ideology, and Being Human Rules I Live With, and an Explanation New "Ethics Document", Old Ideas "Dignitas Infinita": "Balanced, Challenging" More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (Why a new ethics...

It seems that, no matter how bad things are: they could be worse. Take Alabama's recent execution of a Mr. Smith, for example. There's been discussion of whether or not using nitrogen gas was okay, along with the ongoing capital punishment debate. But at least the State of Alabama didn't defray expenses by livecasting the execution: despite pay-per-view being a well-established part of our society. I'll be talking about capital punishment this week: along with Hammurabi's laws, the breaking wheel, and a trend that might be good news. Death Sentences: An Ancient Practice The Breaking Wheel But We've Always Done It This Way Statistics, a Little History, and Science Nitrogen Asphyxiation: Bad News, Good News Excessive Bail, Excessive Fines, Cruel and Unusual Punishment Graphs and Charts, Numbers and — Maybe — a Trend Growth Curves: Executions Go Down as Population Goes Up Acting As If Human Life Matters Responsibility and Dignity: For Everyon...

All is not right with the world. But all is not wrong, either. Take Sunday night's air disaster that didn't happen, for example. Alaska Air 2059 Underground (Literally) Schools in Ukraine Hey, Everybody! See What We're Doing! — Improv by Hamas Meanwhile, Back in the States Civilian Homes, a Little Extra Shielding — Tomayto, Tomahto. Loving Neighbors: Not Easy, But I Must Bogeymen, Assumptions, and Attitudes: Past and Present Politics, Religion, and Not Missing 'the Good Old Days' "The Protocols of the Elders of Zion" — Article 32 and "Protocols" — "Several Experts" and the Reptilians Spears, Pruning Hooks, and Making Sense in the Meantime Double Effect: It's Complicated "This is Not Us" "Yeh Hum Naheen" Academic Freedom and Responsibility A Civilization of Love: Something to Work Towards A "...Competent and Sufficiently Powerful Authority...." Poetry, Future Generations,...

I'd been planning on having something else ready for posting. By Friday afternoon, that obviously wasn't going to happen. So I'll talk about what has been happening. I should have my ducks in a row by the end of next week. This week's highlight was an unexpected visit from number-two daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter. They'd been vacationing in Kentucky, and had planned on driving straight through to their home in North Dakota. Then our granddaughter had a learning experience involving a swing and gravity. She'll be okay, but right now she's dealing with a broken arm. And that's why they stopped off in Sauk Centre. More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (A visit this week, a broken arm and illness in the house have distracted me. So I this week I talked life, health, faith and making sense.)

Gene-editing rules showed up in my news feed last Monday. So, indirectly, did genetically-edited twins who, as far as I know, are still alive. If I'd known how little I'd be able to verify about Dr. He Jiankui's famous (or infamous) twins, maybe I'd have picked another topic. But I did find a fair amount of information about genetic editing technology, and a hint at why Dr. He's science project produced twins: Gene-Edited Twins At Least Two "World's First" Defining "First" Not-So-Good News CRISPR Technology and Surprisingly Long-Tongued Rabbits Procedures, Perspectives and People CCR5Δ32, Recent History and Speculation Chromosomes, Science and Twins TALEN and CRISPR: Repurposing Prokaryotic Molecules A Genomic Revolution: New(ish) Territory Louise Joy Brown, HEK 293 and Me Making Sense: It's an Option Bioethics, From a Former Lab Rat's Perspective More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (Genetically edite...

Suicide was in the news, briefly, this weekend. Euthanasia, actually. Or assisted death. Whatever folks call the process, it's arranging for someone to die. Or, being impolite in my choice of words, killing someone. For thoroughly nice motives. More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (Canada has helped the terminally ill die since 2016. Euthanasia services are now offered to more sick and mentally ill citizens. Some doctors wonder if it is a good idea.)

My culture's Christmas season begins with Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. Our traditionally-frenzied holiday shopping season does, at any rate. That's not a particularly good thing, considering what stress can do to folks. On the other hand, America's shopping frenzy inspired "I Yust Go Nuts at Christmas." I'll be talking about that, more-or-less-recent news, and events we're still celebrating, two millennia later.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (Recent news, holiday stress and a hipster nativity. Yogi Yorgesson and C. S. Lewis: views regarding Christmas. Joseph, Mary and decisions.)

Yesterday was Veteran's Day. In my country, it's a time to remember folks who have served in America's military. Today I'll talk about why countries have military forces, and why I think it's a good idea. Even though I don't like war. More at A Catholic Citizen in America . We live in a less-than-ideal world. But we can make it better. I look at conscience and conflict, songs and ideas: and a few things we got right.

(From BBC News, used w/o permission.) (Freedom Square, Kharkiv, Ukraine. Missile explodes, killing at least 10 people. (BBC News (March 1, 2022)) I don't know why Putin sent troops to Ukraine; why those troops bombed a hospital, a theater, and Kharkiv's Freedom Square; or why Ukraine's military didn't either give up or get promptly defeated: but that won't stop me from guessing.... (Russian forces in Ukraine. Death in a maternity hospital, a breadline and a theater. History, perceptions, and a coming consecration.) More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

I'd expected to hear about charisms during Mass this morning. I did, in the Bible readings. But the homily was about why killing innocent people isn't a good idea, even if it's legal. And why we should see killing innocent people as a bad idea. And help folks who maybe felt pressured into ordering a hit because it's 'for their own good.' At any rate, The last-minute topic change was due to Saturday's light show outside the National Basilica in Washington, DC., which wasn't part of the prayer vigil happening inside. So far, Saturday's light show doesn't seem to be a hot news item. Not for national-level traditional news media, anyway. More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

On Tuesday, April 20, 2021, a jury said that Derek Chauvin murdered George Floyd. Folks have been reacting to that. But protestors haven't torched Minneapolis shops and services in the three days since then. Not as far as I know. Which is a relief, but not a surprise. For one thing, it's late April: still a bit too chilly for comfort during pyromaniac performance art's prime time. I'll be taking a quick look at headlines. Then I'll talk about life, law, justice and why I think murder is a bad idea. More at A Catholic Citizen in America .