My Local Bishop Stands up for Marriage
I was happy to read that my local Bishop (Richard Smith, the Bishop of the Diocese of Pembroke, Ontario), told members of the Catholic Women's League (CWL) that Parliament's approval of same-sex marriage was a "terrible mistake."
Story here. I've always been very impressed with this Bishop, who, when he was first appointed to the Pembroke Diocese, said that his favorite thing to talk about was the Eucharist. Always a good sign.
I'll comment later on Bush's morning-after pill disaster. For a good critique of "Plan B"
go here. Please keep in your prayers those women and children who will be harmed/killed by this decision.
Hiatus is ending
Hey all. Don't know if there is anyone left checking this blog, but I took a "little" break to study for law school exams and then the bar exam. I'm hoping to keep up with this over the next year, depending on work.
Hope all has been well.
GO IRISH!
Bishop D'Arcy responds to Jenkins
Read here. I'll post a longer response later. Also, good letter in the Observer yesterday by a woman who is upset with the Jenkins decision. Why? Well, in a powerful and compelling statement, she says that as a woman who was raped, this play offends her dignity and isn't good for anyone. Read that letter
here.
As one of my friends stated before, if the whole world was for me, but the people who dissented were Fr. Bill Miscamble, Fr. John Coughlin, Prof. Cavadini and a woman who was raped while she was a Notre Dame student, I would seriously question my decision.
Jenkins fails ND
I have so much to say and not enough time to say it. Suffice it to say that Jenkins has made a huge error in judgment, and has thus exposed many to something that is truly evil and offensive in every way. I'm too sad to be angry. This just means more distortion and more lies about the Truth of the Catholic Church.
Story here. And
here. Text of the final remarks
here.
Our Lady, pray for us.
The Anniversary of JPII's Death
Last year on this day, John Paul II (Karol Wojtyla) passed from this world and probably into heaven, after bringing the Catholic Church into the 3rd millenium and changing the lives of countless people, including myself. I can safely say that he is the way that Christ chose to touch my heart and bring me back into the fold of orthodoxy. I think many can say this. John Paul the Great will forever be remembered as the Pontiff who gave us "Theology of the Body," a new hope in the young generation of the Church, and an example of extreme self-sacrifice and love. It is only fitting that today I'm working on a paper exploring his understanding of the human person and human sexuality as it relates to the Code of Canon Law.
Today we remember a man who truly gave us an image of what it means to be loved by Christ. What a joy it is to live in that love!
"Choose Life" License Plates
Can I just say - I love these license plates. I used to love pointing them out and saying, "There's an unconstitutional license plate!" but now I think the tides are changing. A Tennessee federal court has ruled that these license plates do not violate the First Amendment, even though proceeds from the specialty plates go to pro-life groups or adoption agencies.
I like the license plate tactic because there's little the pro-choice side can do about it. They can argue that the State doesn't promote both sides of the issue, but what's the alternative? Planned Parenthood tried to get a "Choose Choice" plate past the legislature, but as you can imagine, it didn't quite fly. As my First Amendment professor once said, "What are they going to do - have 'Choose Death' plates?" Right. That'll be a big seller. It just goes to show that the slogan "Choose Life" is pretty neutral.
Hurricane Relief
I'm back in Mississippi again with a group from Notre Dame. This time we're in Gulfport, one of the hardest hit cities. It's been a little surreal to see the destruction about 7 months after the hurricane hit. On the coast especially, there seems to be little progress. I think that's because the people on the coast just left everything behind and moved on. A little bit inland, and the houses were less damaged and people were more willing to stick around and try to make it work.
Anyway...we worked on a house today, preparing it for painting tomorrow. We haven't met the couple that owns it yet, but we should tomorrow. I'll post pictures once I return on Friday.
