"Breeders" and "Baby Makers" -- When Name-Calling Reaches Absurdity

Believe me -- in no way do I want to -- but I can't get inside the heads of militant homosexuals who try to insult others for using their private parts according to their natural use.

According to a Reuters report, "Provincetown, New England's summer gay capital, is facing a rise in harassment and discrimination. But this time it's straight people who say they are being ridiculed as 'breeders' and 'baby makers.'"

That's like a community of bulimics taking shots at "digesters" and "nutritionists," or Muslim terrorists calling us "freedom-loving peacemongers." How can anyone take serious offense?

God's first command for us was to breed and make babies (Genesis 1:28). Even from a Darwinist perspective, breeding and baby-making are essential to the survival of the fittest. Without breeding, only death would survive.

Not surprisingly, the Catholic Church continues to be targeted by the culture of death crowd. Faithful Catholics stand for the sanctity of life at all stages, and those who embrace corruption and death are fierce in their opposition (as if their lives depended on it).

It appears that the couple pictured on the left (where else?) feels a need to display their disloyalty to Catholic moral teaching. They proudly refused to sign a recent ammendment petition in Massachusetts that reads:

When recognizing marriages entered into after the adoption of this amendment by the people, the Commonwealth and its political subdivisions shall define marriage only as the union of one man and one woman.

Admittedly, they may just have different political views, in which they see no need to legislate what constitutes a marriage, but somehow I think their gay-marriage sympathies run deeper than disputes over civil legalities.

To me it illustrates our need to stand by the light of the Church's teaching in our dark world of immorality. It's important for us Christian "breeders" to promote life and the sanctity of marriage and the family. It's God's will, and it makes sense. After all, children must first be born if they are to be "born again."

Just as the earliest followers of Christ embraced the label "Christian," which was first used as a contemptuous epithet, so we can accept "breeders" and "baby-makers," as silly as such name-calling is.

View From Israel on Pope's Call for Peace

Dawn Eden posts a clip from an Israeli blogger with some of her own comments, with which I agree: View from Israel.

What I find interesting is the blogger's observation:

I know I may upset some people by what I am going to write. But it seems the history of Popes to call for prayers for peace is only when Israel strikes back. Where were the calls for peace and pressure on the Palestinians for the last 11 months as they fired rockets out of Gaza.

The Dawn Patrol

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Marian Devotion: Honor or Worship?

In the eyes of many non-Catholic Christians, it would be scandalous to show great honor to Mary or ask for her intercession because they can't distinguish these practices from adoration, which is the worship due to God alone. They view pious Marian devotions as the worship of Mary.

The other day I imagined how these same critics might react if Michael the archangel visited them suddenly one day in person, appearing as a man. They would never even think to themselves, What's the big deal? He's nobody -- just a created messenger whose purpose is to serve us. Rather, I believe these people would be awestruck by his holiness, and would thank him for doing the work God commissioned him to do. They would treat him with the greatest respect. And because of the special assignments given to him (see, e.g., Daniel 12:1; Jude 1:9; Revelation 12:7), they might even go so far as to ask for special, personal protection against the evil one.

Would these people feel guilty about worshiping the great archangel Michael? No way! They would know they weren't worshiping Michael. They would explain that they were seeking his intercession because of his special relationship with God.

It is the same with Catholics and Mary. As the mother of God (that is, the human mother of the divine person born of her), she adores the Lord like no one else. More than any other creature, she is close to God's heart. And we know that the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous mom availeth much.

That's why we petition her:

Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

Pope to Finish New Book by Summer's End

Reports are that Pope Benedict XVI will have completed a new book by the end of this summer. Apparently the book "focuses on Jesus, the human race and Christianity's relationship with other faiths." Sounds good.

After the election of B16, I went to Amazon.com and ordered the then-Cardinal Ratzinger's book, Introduction to Christianity. I didn't know anything about the book, but the title was enough for me. I wanted it.

After tearing it out of the box, I started on it right away, but found it very difficult reading. I propose three reasons for this:

1. It's incredibly deep, discussing concepts beyond my level.
   
2. It was originally composed in German and was translated into English.
3. The author is a bad writer according to popular English writing standards.

I don't mean the third reason as an insult. I'm just used to clear, lean writing that's suited to the intelligent novice who likes his info straight to the point. B16's book was like an advanced college textbook. Actually, that is what it was written for -- for his students in seminary.

On the other hand, B16's encyclical, "Deus Caritas Est," was just right for me. It was profound and scholarly, yet practical and readable.

It would be nice if he would hire a smart, clear-writing American editor (how about Peter Kreeft?) to fix up his new book so us dummies can appreciate it, too.

A Flock Blog Test

I just downloaded and installed a new Web (2.0) browser called Flock, and I'm testing its blog feature. The coolest feature apparent to me from the start is the ability to drag-n-drop pictures all over the place. I've only used it for literally a few minutes, so I can't know for sure whether Flock is worthwhile, but it seems pretty neat. Give it a try -- it's based on the Mozilla engine (i.e., Firefox).

It's going to be 100 degrees up here again today, so I need to get some mowing done this morning before we reach skin-melting temperatures.

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The Standard Weapon Against AIDS

Earlier this week, BBC News reported on a study "that suggested circumcision reduced HIV infection risk in heterosexual men by about 60%," and to conclude the article, quoted Deborah Jack, chief officer of the National AIDS Trust:

However, people who are circumcised can still be infected with HIV and any awareness campaign would have to be extremely careful not to suggest that it protects against HIV or is an alternative to using condoms [emphasis mine].

It's bizarre that "using condoms" is always considered the standard method for fighting the war on AIDS. The condom campaign is promoted by health officials, broadcast on TV, and taught to our school children. It's simply taken for granted that condoms are the solution, and that we need to spread this news to those who are at high risk.

The truth is, not wearing a condom is not a high-risk practice. In fact, there are millions today who don't wear condoms, and they're among the least likely to contract HIV. The "protection" they use is a time-tested technique called chastity. That is to say, they're either

1. single and celibate, or
2. married and monogamous.

If we value true education, we should teach that the real high-risk practice is sex outside of a one-man-one-woman marriage.

The problem with that, though, is that it conflicts with our "right" to have casual romps, including especially those that involve sodomy.

Even so, the fact remains that morality, as defined by natural law and the Church, is the most effective, scientific weapon against the spread of AIDS. (Incidentally, it's also what leads to greater fulfillment in the bedrooms of the married-and-monogamous.)

Naysayers may argue that teaching this solution is ineffective because promiscuity is rampant and practically unstoppable, and dark clouds of disaster therefore loom over the condom-less. But the admittedly universal temptation to immorality is not a reason to replace the truth with a condom; it is cause to even more boldly and clearly disseminate the truth, which saves lives, physically and spiritually.

And that's where the rubber meets the road.

How to Use Google Reader

How to Use Google Reader, by Andy Wibbels. A good, easy-to-understand Flash presentation.


From Google Reader's FAQ:

Why would I want to use Google Reader?

The amount of information on the web is rapidly increasing. Google Reader helps you keep up with it all by organizing and managing all the content you're interested in. Instead of continuously checking your favorite sites for updates, you can let Google Reader do it for you. From news sites to your friends' blogs, Google Reader helps you keep up-to-date with all the online information that matters most to you.

So Let Me Be Grumpy . . .

I'm grumpy. Normally I'm the cheeriest guy in the universe.

Yesterday I took my car to get inspected, and it failed because of a hole in the lead exhaust pipe and two bad tires in the back. I took it to another location because the first one was a muffler repair shop, but I was told the same thing.

After mowing grass for nearly five hours today in the blistering heat, I showered and went to Mass. The man I griped about in a recent post began his homily with a lame joke (surprise!). The punchline was a woman saying to her priest, "You should be more careful shaving and cut your sermons!" I suppose I should be careful to cut Saturday-evening Masses and stick with Sunday mornings.

After Mass, I went to my car and discovered that, sure enough, one of my back tires was flat. So, along with my expired inspection sticker, I drove home with a goofy-looking, attention-getting spare tire in the back. I should call the police station and ask the dispatcher to send an officer to our driveway so I can ask for my high-priced ticket now.

I don't have the funds to replace two tires and fix my exhaust problem (or pay a fine), so I'll have to wait till payday to get started on that to-spend list.

But maybe I won't be driving the streets anyway if I'm incapacitated by my increasingly sore, infected chigger bite on top of my foot. At least my other foot is okay -- in spite of my dog biting it a short while ago.

I won't let discouragement get me down too much, though. The sun'll come out tomorrow . . . giving us 90-some-degree weather so we can bake in our poorly air-conditioned home, causing next month's electricity bill to rival this month's $544.

Here's my solution: I will consume a cold glass of water, lay down and pet my penitent dog, and fall asleep counting my blessings. Then I will awaken tomorrow morning as the cheeriest guy in the universe again.

Cheerio!

Rush's Side of the Story

On Rush Limbaugh's Web site, he publishes a transcript from a call he had about his embarrassing incident involving Viagra. You can read it here: Rush Stopped at Customs: The Real Story

I agree with what he has to say, but he never mentions why he had the little blue pills to begin with. Of course, the reason is obvious, but I know he doesn't owe any of us an explanation. I just hope his political indignation over this hullabaloo is accompanied by private spiritual introspection.

What's Said by the Bread

I read an article this evening entitled "Real danger lies in lack of reverence for Lord in Eucharist," and it makes me reflect on my local parish.

In many respects, my parish is a very good one. One thing that bothers me is the casual, back-slapping atmosphere that blows in just as Mass concludes. I'm not sure why it is: before Mass, everyone, for the most part, is quiet, reverent, and prayerful; but afterward, even before the final song is finished, the parishioners erupt into social-hour mode right there in the pews.

The most annoyingly disrespectful act I've seen, however, was before Mass: while many of us were kneeling in prayer, a lady traversed the rows to sell raffle tickets with the fervency of a starving Cracker Jack salesman at a baseball game. Very tacky, indeed. I was determined to keep my eyes closed, and prepared to rebuke her quietly if she insisted on disturbing me.

If we as Catholics believe in the Real Presence, that through the Eucharist, Jesus is truly present -- Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity -- then the furthest things from our mind should be the afternoon's football game, the new blockbuster movie, and the latest fund-raising raffle. In our darkened world, the Real Presence in the Eucharist is our Light, but we shouldn't treat it lightly.

While I'm at it, I have another gripe. We have someone authorized to give homilies who seems unable to expound the Scripture readings without first telling a corny, gratuitous joke, which serves to distract our attention from, rather than draw it to, the Gospel readings. It's as if he's afraid we won't like him unless we are wooed by his cleverness or wit. But we're not drawn to the Church by entertainers; we're drawn by the Truth.

I don't mean to sound like a holy man of perfect piety. I'm not fully focused at every Mass. There are times when I'm distracted and fight to keep my mind from wandering. But it makes sense that there should be some decorum out of respect for what's happening, and Who is present at the altar and in the tabernacle.

Part of that respect should be shown in our conduct and speech. Let's watch what's said by the Bread.