Dear readers, today I will be heading over to Ohio to speak to a couple groups of teens at the CatholicFamilyLand Holy Family Fest this weekend. This isn’t the first time I have spoken to our young people, but it is my first time being invited to do it out of state. I’ve given several presentations to young and old alike in my own diocese (and once at Ave Maria when I was a student there) on various topics: human sexuality/Theology of the Body, suffering, cloning/ESCR and just sharing my own personal life experience and how I have grown in my faith (this is what I will be sharing with the kids in OH). I am really looking forward to this experience and I ask for your prayers, for safe travel and that I may be an instrument in the hands of the Lord! I will be driving to Indianapolis today and then on to Bloomingdale, OH tomorrow.

Holy Family Fest video:

Unfortunately this means that I will be missing out on this year’s Catholic New Media Celebration in San Antonio, TX. I had a good time at it last year in Atlanta and it sounds like it’s going to be even better this year! You can watch live streaming video from the celebration at SQPN.com

She’s been hailed as a “symbol”, the image of the revolution being fought in Iran. Sure, her death has inspired many to continue to fight against oppression and that may be good, but in this excellent and thought provoking post, Erin Manning reminds us that “Neda” is above all a person, not a symbol:

But Neda Agha-Soltan was a person, not a symbol. She had a family, a fiance, a voice instructor willing to teach her to sing in a country where women aren’t supposed to want to do such a thing. She was, as her anonymous relative said, full of life. And we have to take the relative’s word–we know so little about her, we who watched in horror as she died.

Likewise, today we heard the tragic news about the untimely deaths of two people who have been referred to repeatedly throughout the day by their status as “sex symbol” or “pop icon”. But, like all celebrities, Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson were persons first. People with lives infinitely valuable by virtue of the fact that they were simply human beings, just like you and me. From Danielle Bean at Faith & Family Live:

With incessant media coverage, it can be easy to begin to think of Hollywood personalities’ lives as objects for our entertainment. But even the rich, the famous, the weird, the fascinating, the beautiful, the bizarre, and the talented people are children of God. God made them in His image. He loves them and wants nothing less than salvation for their immortal souls and their eternal happiness with Him in heaven.

May their souls and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.

Since Obama’s Notre Dame Commencement there’s been a lot of discussion about whether or not it’s possible for both sides of the abortion debate to ever finally find “common ground.” To settle our differences so that we can work together toward one common goal. It’s a nice thought, but, as Bishop Finn said when he was interviewed about the Commencement:

The direct taking of an innocent life can never be negotiated.

Compromise and negotiation is not possible when talking about a matter that is intrinsically evil. But that doesn’t mean that we can’t have a civilized discussion about it, at least. It seems impossible, given how highly emotional both sides can be, but John Stewart and Mike Huckabee managed to pull it off last week on the Daily Show. Of course nothing really got resolved, nothing ever does in these situations. But at least it was a more dignified approach to discussing something so divisive that hopefully encouraged those who witnessed it to think a little more deeply about the issue. (h/t AUL)

The sexual revolution of the last thirty years has seriously challenged the way people in today’s society view each other as human beings and how they understand real love. With its utilitarian view of marriage and sexual relations, this revolution has lead to the pursuit of sexual pleasure as an end in itself - a kind of radical self-seeking that turns human beings into objects of use and thus makes true love impossible.

In his latest column at Catholic Exchange’s Theology of the Body Channel, Dale O’Leary begins a three part series answering these challenges by taking a look at the precursor to John Paull II’s Theology of the Body, Love and Responsibility, a book written by the pope when he was still a bishop in Poland.

Bishop Wojtyla begins Love and Responsibility with an analysis of the verb “to use” and a critique of Utilitarianism. According to Bishop Wojtyla, “Utilitarians regard the principle of maximization of pleasure accompanied by the minimization of pain as the primary rule of human morality” and regard pleasure as an end in itself. While this may seem attractive, by making pleasure in itself the sole or greatest good, other values including the value of the person are subordinated. Persons are inevitably reduced to objects to be used to maximize the pleasure of others….

The Utilitarian ethic, sharply contrasts with the Christian norm “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” which contains the corollary: You may not use persons as objects. Fr. Wojtyla formulates this principle in philosophical terms as: “Whenever a person is the object of your activity, remember that you may not treat that person as only the means to an end, as an instrument, but must allow for the fact that he or she, too, has, or at least should have, distinct person ends.”

This norm provides a universally applicable basis for ethical thinking. According to Fr. Wojtyla, “… we must never treat a person as the means to an end. This principle has universal validity. Nobody can use a person as a means toward an end, no human being, nor yet God the Creator.”

It also provides a foundation for the defense of human rights for: “Anyone who treats a person as a means to an end does violence to the very essence of the other, to what constitutes its natural right.” Once this simple principle is understood and accepted, then the “rules” of sexual morality fall into place, not as arbitrary “don’ts” but as the logical demands of an ethic founded on respect for the human person.

Do yourself a favor and read the whole thing! I will let you know what parts II and III are available.

Order your own copy of Love and Responsibility

TOB Tuesdays

Blessings for all you fathers out there! I hope you have had a very relaxing day. Here is my own father enjoying part of his day today. Besides being a master chef (even on Father’s Day he’ll be grilling up some awesome food for us!), my dad is also a master blogger/tweeter and the one who encouraged me to start blogging (and now tweeting) in the first place. So if you see anything you like on here, you really have him to thank for it. As part of my parents’ business he owns and operates AgWired, among others, has a personal blog Path to Holiness (which I sometimes contribute to) and you can follow him on twitter @AgriBlogger.

Thank you, Dad, for all you have given me and to all fathers for the hard work you do to support, protect and be an example to your children and grandchildren. Thank you, above all, for accepting your role as father - a difficult task in our society which belittles the vocation and even deems it unnecessary or undesirable through IVF, abortion, contraception and radical feminism.

And, of course, none of us would be here without God our loving Father who created us to be his children and share in the inheritance of his Kingdom in Heaven. Therefore with confidence we cry, “Abba, Father!” and pray:

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. They Kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven! Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil - AMEN!

A Father’s Day Prayer
by Gaynell Bordes Cronin

Thank you, friend Jesus,
for my father who loves me,
for my grandfather who cares for me,
and for God, your father and mine,
who made me and is always with me.

How lucky I am!

**Update:
After an awesome dinner of steak, salad and roasted potatoes (thanks, dad!) my sisters and I got together for a pic with the man of the day:

I suppose it’s always good to maintain a sense of humor, no matter how unfunny something really is (like creating and killing tiny human beings in the name of science and making taxpayers fund it– all while ignoring advancements in ethical stem cell alternatives):

h/t Rebecca Taylor

For the town of Ave Maria Florida the nearest Publix (or any grocery store?) has been about 25 miles away…but not anymore. This week the grocery chain opened its first - very small - store in the growing town. But a few items will be missing at this particular Publix. Namely, condoms…and pet furniture.

Says Publix spokeswoman Shannon Patten:

“It was a business decision based on the limited space we have and the product offerings our customers will want.”

This business decision, at least as far as the condoms are concerned, didn’t sit well with Planned Parenthood of Collier County who, in a protest against the opening of the store in Ave Maria, had volunteers handing out free condoms to customers at two Publix stores in Naples. To quote a friend of mine and Ave Maria graduate, Dave Englestad (my emphasis):

Planned Parenthood apparently thinks that it is a Constitutional right that every Publix grocery store must sell condoms, even if said store is so small it doesn’t even have a pharmacy. But they’ll show Publix of Ave Maria just how enraged they are and how much time they have on their hands…by giving away free condoms in front of 2 other Publix stores which do sell them.

Ya, that’ll show em! I wonder what those Publix stores thought about PP trampling on their condom sales… I mean with this level of outrage one would think that condoms were in pretty high demand @ Publix. But if Leigh Carney’s experience is typical of most Publix stores, I’d say not:

I used to work at Publix and I can count the number of times condoms went through my register on one hand, not gonna lie

And anyway, why buy condoms from Publix when PP gives them away for free at their front counter? According to this story, an estimated 74,000 are given away at the Naples clinic each year.

Previous Posts:
NFP vs. Contraception
Countering PP’s Promotion of Promiscuity

Bonus pic: When I was in South Florida earlier this year I did a drive through of Ave Town on my way back to Plantation from Naples. I call this “Sunset Over the Ave Swamp”

The other day a good friend drew my attention to an obituary that ran in our local paper recently. It comes from the family of a young girl who died just 42 minutes after she was born:

Hailey Marie Glavin

GLAVIN Hailey Marie Glavin was born Friday, June 12, 2009, at St. Mary’s Health Center in Jefferson City. Hailey spent her life cradled in the arms of her loving parents. In 42 minutes, Hailey’s life was complete as she peacefully went home, but not before leaving her footprint in this world and in the hearts of many. Twenty weeks into life, Hailey was diagnosed with Trisomy 13. Her condition was said to be “incompatible with life”, but Hailey proved otherwise. Although her life only lasted moments, they are moments that others will live and experience for a lifetime. Hailey’s proud and blessed parents, Tim and Rachelle Glavin, and big brother, Ryan Glavin, survive at their home in Jefferson City, Mo.

This obituary reminded me a video I saw not too long ago of an interview with Diane Elder, another woman who decided to give birth despite knowing that her child was also not likely to live long after. Elder contacted CNN for the interview after the news channel had, as part of their coverage of the Tiller murder, previously aired a similar interview with a woman who elected for a late term abortion (h/t SuzyB.org)

And then there was this interview at Conversion Diary with Jason and Angie Berger whose daughter Sunni was born with Mitochondrial Disease, an energy disorder that has stalled her at less than one year of development, cognitively and physically:

When asked how he created such stunning works of art, a famous sculptor once said that he instills in his mind a clear image of the form and then removes everything that is not a part of it. In a way, God has shorn from Sunni nearly all of the adornments that would be considered part of a basic human life. She cannot act on her own, communicate, or possibly understand even simple concepts. She is left as a nearly pure example of human life without anything to distract us from its elegant beauty…

Sunni, and the way we care for her, is a witness to others. I sense in people a revulsion to seeing a person, especially a child in so damaged a condition. That is a natural reaction, and one that most labor hard to conceal. But it is important to Angie and I that Sunni be seen by others and that we be seen caring for her and enjoying our lives despite the sadness that it can bring.

If only everyone could see life this way! By truly loving the disabled/unborn child and treating him/her as a human being worthy of the good of life (if only for a short while) these families have discovered that this act of love, though it may not take the suffering away, can make it bearable for everyone involved.

I have found the paradox, that if you love until it hurts, there can be no more hurt, only more love.
~Mother Teresa

To love is the vocation of every human being on earth. It is the commandment Christ gave us before he died, the message of the Cross itself and a truth repeatedly revealed and realized throughout human history, especially in the midst of extreme suffering.

I grasped the meaning of the greatest secret that human poetry and human thought and belief have to impart: The salvation of man is through love and in love. … In a position of utter desolation, when a man cannot express himself in positive action, when his only achievement may consist in enduring his sufferings in the right way - an honorable way - in such a position man can, through loving contemplation of the image he carries of his beloved, achieve fulfillment. (Man’s Search for Meaning, by Holocaust survivor and psychoanalyst Victor Frankl)

Owe nothing to anyone, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery; you shall not kill; you shall not steal; you shall not covet,” and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this saying, (namely) “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no evil to the neighbor; hence, love is the fulfillment of the law (Romans 13:8-10).

In light of the recent dust-up over an over-sexed Calvin Klein billboard recently displayed over a busy New York intersection, I thought I’d offer this article from Christopher West on Why Sex Sells. This isn’t the first time CK has come under fire for their advertising techniques. In the mid nineties the fashion company released a series of tv commercials (eventually pulled off the air) that looked like a bunch of under-age models auditioning for a part in a porn movie. Sex and sexual innuendo are often used to sell everything from automobiles to office equipment. But why use sex? What is the appeal? Though it does seem pretty obvious, could there be a deeper meaning for the human attraction to all things sexual to the extent that it even influences some people’s buying habits? In West’s article he quotes from philosophy professor James K.A. Smith who wrote:

“I think [Christians] should first recognize and admit that the marketing industry – which promises an erotically charged transcendence through media that connect to our heart and imagination – is … able to capture, form, and direct our desires precisely because they have rightly discerned that we are embodied, desiring creatures…. They have figured out the way to our heart because they ‘get it’: they rightly understand that, at root, we are erotic creatures – creatures who are oriented by love and passion and desire” (”The Erotics of Truth, and Other Scandalous Lessons from Augustine of Hippo”, Comment, June 2008)

What Mr. Smith means by “erotic” here is the inner desire and yearning of the human being for what is true, good, and beautiful. All of the things that we desire essentially point to a deeper yearning within our hearts - a desire to be fulfilled, satisfied. But sex, specifically when engaged in its proper context, becomes the very image of that which is our ultimate fulfillment and that which alone can truly satisfy - the Trinity. Both West and Smith conclude, then, that the proper response from Christians is to

“honor what the marketing industry has right – that we are creatures of desire – and then respond in kind with counter-measures that demonstrate where desire really points us (to God).”

This doesn’t mean we should approve of the use of such advertising, or consider it to be good by any stretch of the imagination. Sex in advertising is meant to incite lust which is the antithesis of the life giving love of God. It distorts the beauty of God’s plan for human sexuality and in a world of infallible human beings marred by concupiscence, the less sexually explicit or even suggestive images that we see the better.

It never fails - kids love the wheelchair! Whenever I’m around little kids they love to touch and grab at my wheelchair. I’m not quite sure what the attraction is. It’s not very shiny or anything. But they’re sure fascinated with it. Last night I did dinner and a movie with two of my friends and their two boys who were no exception:

I hope some of you guys are still bearing with me here (does anyone read this blog?). Maybe it doesn’t seem like a long time for some of you, but it kills me that I haven’t put anything on here since last Wednesday. I’ve also not been real happy with some of the stuff I have put up - like my heart’s just not been in it. I’m battling some serious writer’s block along with the time wasting distractions that follow. I wish I had a better excuse (you know, like, I’m just soooo busy I can’t get around to blogging!), but that’s it. I’ve even started several posts that I just can’t seem to finish! I don’t know what it is (other than the fact that I have absolutely no discipline), but I hope this week will be better! If not, then I don’t know what to tell you (maybe I’m just not cut out for this blogging thing after all? time to call it quits?) Pray for me.