Archbishop Chaput at the University of Notre Dame once more

Charles Chaput, the archbishop of Philadelphia, spoke at the University of Notre Dame again on 19 October 2016.  The National Catholic Register reports here.  

He begins by discussing a manuscript illustration of Mary he received via e-mail a week before his talk.  He writes:

It’s a picture of Mary punching the devil in the nose. She doesn’t rebuke him. She doesn’t enter into a dialogue with him.  She punches the devil in the nose. So I think that’s the perfect place to start our discussion.

He then gives an overview of his talk:

I want to speak first about the people we’ve become as American Catholics. Then I’ll turn to how and why we got where we are.  Finally, I’ll suggest what we need to do about it, not merely as individuals, but more importantly as a Church. We need to recover our identity as a believing community. And I think a good way to begin doing that is with the “catechetical content” of our current political moment. 

He speaks about the need to speak plainly and honestly, and how we live in an age that thrives on the subversion of language.  Near the close of his talk he says:

A theologian in my own diocese recently listed “inclusivity” as one of the core messages of Vatican II. Yet, to my knowledge, that word “inclusivity” didn’t exist in the 1960s and appears nowhere in the Council documents. 

If by “inclusive” we mean patiently and sensitively inviting all people to a relationship with Jesus Christ, then, yes, we do very much need to be inclusive. But if “inclusive” means including people who do not believe what the Catholic faith teaches and will not reform their lives according to what the Church holds to be true, then inclusion is a form of lying. And it’s not just lying, but an act of betrayal and violence against the rights of those who do believe and do seek to live according to God’s word. Inclusion requires conversion and a change of life; or at least the sincere desire to change. 

Saying this isn’t a form of legalism or a lack of charity. It’s simple honesty. And there can be no real charity without honesty. We need to be very careful not to hypnotize ourselves with our words and dreams. The “New Evangelization” is fundamentally not so different from the “old evangelization.” It begins with personal witness and action and with sincere friendships among committed Catholics — not with bureaucratic programs or elegant-sounding plans. These latter things can be important. But they’re never the heart of the matter.

It is an excellent talk and you should read it in its' entirety.

Kathryn Lopez and the 2016 Presidential Election

Kathryn Lopez posting at National Review Online's "The Corner"

writes about the lack of good choices in the Presidential Election, noting:

The reality of the presidential election this fall is there are no good choices. That isn’t a new reality of the last 24 hours but has been the reality since Donald Trump became his party’s nominee. 

Her most important point is farther down:

People have said to me increasingly in recent weeks: ”This is the most important election of our lifetimes.” I don’t agree – and I know about the Supreme Court and appointees and all the rest. I think the most important election happened already and we blew it. Eight years ago, certainly four years ago.

She closes well with:

We’re not going to get better politics without virtue. So I do hope the Republicans choose a better path that points to it in renewed ways right now. Especially if that’s been your calling card/platform/entry to power. (Recommended reading might include Psalm 127, as I note here.)

Be sure to read her entire post.

George Weigel: It's deplorable

At First Things, George Weigel has a Column discussing the 2016 US Presidential Election.  He begins discussing some historical (but not long ago) examples of people 'shooting from the lip' and the consequences that ensued.

He then proceeds to discuss Clinton and her "Deplorables" comment, and its' implications for the future if she is elected.  He then goes 'equal-opportunity' and discusses Trump.

He concludes his piece:

The Republic is in deep trouble.

I would only reiterate  my observations:

We are witnessing the death of America.

and

I've been thinking that there have been five (5) fatal blows to America in the last three years, and now we are watching the body collapse.

Read his entire article.

Archbishop Chaput at Notre Dame

Charles Chaput, the archbishop of Philadelphia, delivered the 2016 Tocqueville Lecture at the University of Notre Dame, on 15 Sept 2016.

It is an excellent talk and well worth reading in its' entirety.

Donald Cardinal Wuerl and the Church's importance for Society

Michael Strain writes at National Review about a Conference held at AEI "two weeks ago on the intersection of Roman Catholic thought and U.S. public policy and culture."  He has links to video of several of the talks.

I was most impressed by the talk by Donald Cardinal Wuerl.  Near the end of his prepared remarks he spoke of an encounter he observed between the Mayor and a youngster at a gathering about at risk kids.  The Mayor asked the 14 yr old:  why do you find it so easy to be so violent?  The kid responded:
How come you get to draw the line?

A telling telling point!

Watch his entire talk.  He speaks of this encounter at about 45 minutes into his talk.

The entire 5 hour conference can be viewed in the video below, but the link above starts at Cardinal Wuerl's talk.

Requiem America

Since the shooting in Orlando Sunday Morning, 12 June, there have been a large number of articles and news reports and political posturings that are remarkable.  We are witnessing the death of America.

George Weigel on Biblical Preaching to heal the culture

George Weigel writes at First Things about the methods that are necessary for the members of the Church to heal the culture.  

We're going to have to learn to see the world through lenses ground by biblical faith.

He uses the Feast of the Ascension to illustrate his point, writing near the end of his article:

But what does that have to do with healing 21st-century culture?

Everything.

At the root of today’s culture of happy-go-lucky hedonism, which inevitably leads to debonair nihilism, is a profound deprecation of the human: a colossal put-down that tells us that we’re just congealed star dust, a cosmic accident—so why not enjoy what you can, as soon as you can, however you like, before oblivion? Why take your humanity seriously—including that part of your humanity by which you are constituted as male or female? You can change whatever you like; it’s all plastic and it’s all meaningless, because the only meaning of our humanity is the meaning we choose for it.

Christian faith offers a far nobler vision of the human condition than this dumbed-down self-absorption. Where do we find that nobler humanity exemplified? In the Ascension, and the incorporation of Christ’s human nature into the mutual love of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And where the Master has gone, the disciples are empowered by grace to follow.

You should read his entire article.