…is available at his podcast Center of Mass this morning. This is episode 16 if you are finding this later on. It is also available at iTunes.
I first metChris at the initialCity Counsel meeting where he spoke on the other side. The room was filled with local people opposing Planned Parenthood and I admired him for standing up in a crowd against the crowd. It is very likely that if PP opens we will be on the opposite sides of protests, but outside of that we have a ton in common otherwise.
If you can’t tolerate the other side’s opinion you will have a hard time defending your own.
I’ve never done a debate of this nature (or a debate period) before so let me know how I did. I can think of a few things I would have done different but that’s life.
Update: As I said in the podcast my entire training consists of 7 years of Catholic Grammar school and what I’ve read. If a Catholic Priest finds any doctrinal errors in my presentation please feel free to contact me.
My son and I got to the men’s conference a bit before 7:30 a.m. There was already a small group of men who where there waiting at the doors which where shortly opened and a flow of men of all ages were quickly up the escalators and into the main exhibitor area. Where a plethora of Catholic books of all types and subjects awaited us. From the Saints, the popes, apologists of every type and historical books were available almost everywhere.
For people from my parish St. Anthony Di Padua you couldn’t help but notice the number of people you knew. St. Anthony parishioners were everywhere.
You bumped into them everywhere you went.
For myself I also recognized many fellow members of the Knights of Columbus. Three different tables where setup. One concerning Membership, one on our insurance program and a third on a new programs on Christian Fatherhood called Fathers for good.
We got ourselves into the main hall pretty quick but for some reason Danny grabbed seats toward the center of the room in the third batch of seats. I had figured on being a lot closer but as long as we could see and hear the speakers we were good. Last years crop was pretty good, we hoped to do as good this year, we weren’t disappointed.
The Opening Speaker was Michael Matthew Kelly who was absolutely fantastic. Kelly’s thesis was twofold, first that Catholics have forgotten our history reminding us that things such as education for the non noble and medical care such as hospitals came from the Church. He then gave a list of what he called the seven Pillars of the Church and he put them in order:
1. Confession. He argued that like any athlete we will do better with a coach who knows us (a confessor) and he reminded of the necessity of confession because of our capacity to create God in our image.
2. Daily Prayer He stressed the need for good habits to set the direction of our day saying that our actions will follow our thoughts and reminded us that the Saints are the most diverse group in history.
3. The Mass He suggested the goal to look for one thing from each mass by which we could become better (suggesting a journal) And reminded us that the first person in history to leave right after communion was Judas.
4. The Bible He reminded us to start with the Gospels to find out who Jesus was, stressing that Jesus proclaimed himself God not giving other choices. He stated we avoid scripture because we don’t want to change.
5. Fasting He suggested that it was spiritual discipline. And fasting can be as easy as wanting Steak and taking chicken, wanting coke and having juice.
6. Spiritual Reading He reminded us that he we become what we read. People who question us deserve answers and how can we provide them if we don’t study or faith?
7. The Rosary He made one of the best Marian arguments I’ve heard reminding us that we would not hesitate to pray for someone else if asked so why not ask Mary and the Saints to pray for us. Nobody see the life of the child like the mother.
He seemed a tough act to follow but Jessie Romero followed him and told of his time on the LA police force and his time as a “culturally Catholic Latino.
He told of what happened when he read the Gospels and realized who and what Jesus was. By his 35 miracles he demonstrated who and what he was. He broke Christians down into three groups.
Wishbones: One day I’ll be better Jawbones: Those who talk the Talk and don’t walk the walk Backbones: “I’ve got Jesus bring it on!”
He told spectacular tales of evangelicalism on the streets in LA to gang members and criminals of all types, packing his weapon, and his holy water.
He impressed me and I spoke to him afterward outside where I was given a box lunch along with the exibitors so I missed a good chunk of Msgr. Swetland’s talk on Confession. When I came back in he stressed the need for the sacrament and it’s biblical origins. At the conclusion of his talk came the time for confession and lunch. 50 priests were there including Bishop McManus. As an older priest who seemed very familiar sat next to me I decided I didn’t need to go to the Bishop who was free and stood where I am. At the end of confession the priest commented on my fedora approvingly. Thanking him I introduced myself asking who he was. He lifted the red cap on the chair next to him and that how I met Auxiliary Bishop George Rueger.
I want to point to a column that Smitty e-mailed me this article concerning Catholics who voted for the healthcare bill at Creative Minority Report. I thought this was important enough to mention here:
There is something very wrong with Catholicism in America when Catholics play such a large role in passing anti-life and anti-conscience legislation. Catholic politicians need to be reminded that you don’t leave Christ at the Capitol steps. They need to be reminded that the issue of life is not negotiable. And Catholic voters need to elect politicians who understand that evil exists and fight with all they have against enshrining evil into law. They must remember that the terms public servant and Catholic are not mutually exclusive.
There are a lot of Catholics who either don’t know their religion or don’t want to know them. It’s true we don’t kick them out of the church, we don’t bar them from the services, on occasion they are barred from communion but that is more for their soul’s protection than anything else.
Yes it is very embarrassing and part of it comes from the poor Catholic education that many got in decades past. Yet we are obliged to pray for them and hope that they will come to both confession and conversion.
The fact that they still choose to identify with the church even as they try to avoid obedience suggests they know the value of the faith. Some of it doubtless is greed and self advantage, but to some degree it is the desire inside, the still small voice that knows sin and wants to keep the door open to redemption.
I have said often enough that if people don’t want to be Catholic there are plenty of denominations out there to choose from but in the end I would love to see these and as many others as possible come home. It is not our mission to discard sinners, it is our mission to save them. As Christ said in last week’s Gospel:
But when they continued asking him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” Again he bent down and wrote on the ground. And in response, they went away one by one, beginning with the elders. So he was left alone with the woman before him. Then Jesus straightened up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” She replied, “No one, sir.” Then Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you. Go, (and) from now on do not sin any more.”John 8:7-11
For our own souls sake we need to avoid spiritual pride and pray for them. With prayer and fasting and the aid of the holy spirit all things are possible. After all the idea that God will forgive their sins is a lot less incredible to me than the idea that God is willing to forgive mine.
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