Forgiveness and Redemption – “Evil usually comes to us, disguised as an angel of light, promising us happiness and fulfillment if we simply surrender to our temptations … ” The Church’s “Ultimate Trial” (What We Need Now – Substack)
A Crappy Encyclopedia – “In a strange turnaround, search engines don’t want you to search for anything. That’s because searching leads you on a journey—and Google doesn’t want you to leave their platform.” The World’s Largest Search Doesn’t Want You to Search (The Honest Broker)
All Become Commodities – “Britain’s Daily Mail recently reported how around one hundred young Thai women were kept against their will, pumped full of hormones, and subjected to having their eggs forcibly harvested every month, to be sold on the black market by Chinese criminals.” Human Battery Hens (First Things)
Expanding IVF – “President Donald Trump’s recent executive order on IVF is a worrying sign of things to come.” 5 Things President Trump’s Executive Order on IVF Gets Wrong (Institute of Family Studies)
Credibly Accused – “The Dicastery for Legislative Texts issued guidance to bishops last year, which said that canon law prohibits published lists denoting clerics ‘credibly accused’ of sexual abuse crimes.” Vatican condemns publication of ‘credibly accused’ clergy lists — again (Pillar Catholic)
Teachers, Priests, and Rulers – “A quick glance at publicly available documents should raise serious doubts, particularly regarding the discipline of diocesan clergy. It seems that civil lawyers and risk managers, not bishops, are often running the show.” Who’s Really Calling the Shots at U.S. Diocesan Chanceries?
Westerners Are Bored – “Chesterton planned to prove that Christian theology is the best answer to the human riddle, to the paradoxical needs of the human heart, which wants at the same time to be astonished by the world and at home in it.” Spiritual Electric Shock Therapy (Dappled Things)
USAID and ‘Independent Media’ – “President Donald Trump has frozen billions of dollars around the world in aid projects, including over $268 million allocated by Congress to support independent media and the free flow of information.” USA: Trump’s foreign aid freeze throws journalism around the world into chaos
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#3 – All become commodities
But it’s pro-family!
No, reducing life to commodities is exactly what the pro-family movement has always explicitly condemned.
Trump has frozen USAID money for foreign countries that our Woke media, both Catholic and secular, want you believe was intended for humanitarian purposes. After what’s been revealed in the last 4 weeks, only a complete dolt would believe that. No, USAID was used for regime change in other countries, to murder politicians abroad who didn’t fit our template, to bribe and brainwash unsuspecting foreigners into going along with our foreign policies, to engage in population control among the poor, etc, etc. What our country has been doing with USAID money, in concert with the CIA, DOD, NSA, FBI and the State Department is nothing short of disgusting, illegal and immoral. It’s no surprise that most of the world hates us; they’ve known all along what we’ve been up to. Washington DC is a cancer that must be excised.
As for Trump’s support for IVF. Let’s remember that Trump isn’t there to do the work of the Catholic Church. Advancing moral thinking around IVF is the rightful work of our bishops and priests. When was the last time our clergy spoke out clearly about IVF. When was the last homily you heard about the sinfulness of IVF and how it violates the marital covenant? That’s correct, never. One of my college roommates has a son who attended Notre Dame and a daughter who attended CUA. They so far have produced three children all by IVF. Do you think they heard the Church’s teaching on IVF proclaimed loud and clear at their universities? Right again. But now that Trump is promoting IVF, our feckless bishops have found their voice.
My wife used to know a devout Catholic woman who had two daughters, one of whom was born with a rare medical conditIon that rendered her infertile. The other daughter volunteered, to the delight of both mother and sister, to “donate” ova so that when her sister wanted children, the ova would be available to her, thus keeping it “all in the family.” My wife suggested to the mother of these two young women that the Church might look down on this sort of thing. The “devout” Catholic mother, however, could see nothing wrong with it; to her, it was a supreme act of charity. I would therefore agree that Catholic teaching in these areas has not exactly been clearly expressed.
I definitely agree Ken T.
I know clueless, devout Catholics also. When lifelong, Mass attending Catholics are ignorant about IVF why do we hold new Catholics & non-Catholic politicians to a higher accountability?
About mention of Trump and the abruptness of change over the past month, it’s also useful to recall remaining continuities, as in the manipulation of words in the Oval Office:
1998: “It all depends upon what the meaning of the word ‘is’ is.”
2025: “Zelinskyy caused the Russian ‘invasion’ into Ukraine”…but how is this different from blaming any other victim of rape?
In the last 2000 Masses I’ve attended, I haven’t heard the the idea of sinfulness about anything mentioned once. Not even on Good Friday.
@ Forgiveness and Redemption
It is a time for test of faith unlike what has preceded. Bishop Hying acknowledges as close as reasonable the final test.
Like Solomon in Ecclesiastes There is an appointed time for everything, A time to be silent, and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate. A time for war and a time for peace. All in context of “the mystery of iniquity in the form of a religious deception offering men an apparent solution to their problems at the price of apostasy from the truth” (CatCath Church 675).
The best of us realizing a call to arms also contend whether silence or war. Those in the trenches are met with self imposed silence content with the freedom that complies with ambiguity others who cry out to the priest for answers to contradictions hurled from above. Not the heavenly heights. Good men convinced to remain in silence, good men inexorably drawn to fight. These latter lacking a leader on earth must turn to our creator and savior.
P.S. – All become commodities
I’ll confess that until the Alabama declaration and the ensuing uproar, I wasn’t up on the moral (and physical health) problems associated with IVF.
It’s easy to blame our bishops and priests but I’d say most people, myself included until relatively recently, have been thoroughly catechised by the secular media on this and many other topics.
@ Teachers, Priests, and Rulers
Our Church may be on the ropes but we’re not down yet. Likely survival will not be attributed to bishops who are frightened, overreacting to avoid financial collapse agreeing to draconian indemnities that harm priests many falsely or frivolously accused. Accusation now virtual judgment of guilt. Duluth, a prime example of running scared to death.
Bishops vary, some can handle the administrative duties and deal with risk management lawyers. Priests receive safety environment [abuse protection] forms to read, sign and return, otherwise they’re overwhelmed with tending one parish that was formerly four usually a pastor and associate the associate a virtual pastor. And many at least in Upstate NY work and work and work hard. We’ve arrived at an historical moment that resembles the early Church. What the priest doesn’t have the time to manage laity are taking over that activities administrative function. Ladies groups coming up with great ideas for spiritual advancement [always thought women are more spiritual]. Men donating time and resources joining in.
It’s a matter of faith and fight, the spiritual soldiering called fortitude. If we seize the moment the Church, wherever the Spirit moves us can and will become poorer but richer, smaller but stronger.