Wise Words on Wednesday: Peaceful or learned?
“A peaceful man does more good than a learned one”
– Pope Saint John XXIII
Author: pilgrim
My lunchtime trip to defund Planned Parenthood…
This lunchtime there was the #WomenBetrayed rally outside of Planned Parenthood here in Seattle:
The Pro-Choice Presence
There was very little pro-choice presence at the rally. Only eight counter-protesters were present, and they only turned up in the final five minutes of the rally.
Before I left, I took at look at their, frankly, rather tired looking homemade signs (given the $500 million in annual federal funding, you’d think Planned Parenthood could have coughed up for some better-looking ones). There were a couple of classics, such as the “No coat-hanger” picture and the “Keep your rosaries off my ovaries” slogan.
There was one which said “77% of anti-abortion leaders are men. 100% of them will never be pregnant”. I’m note quite sure where this statistic comes from (does anyone know?), but it’s replete with flaws. I also couldn’t help but wonder that, how the protester felt about the gender make-up of the group who passed Roe vs. Wade…
Remember, men aren’t qualified to talk about abortion, let alone enact laws concerning it…
Another protester had a sign which said “Pro-Lie”, which I thought was a rather “interesting” choice, particularly given all the scandal that Planned Parenthood has recently endured (covering up child abuse, child trafficking, statutory rape, etc) and which promises to continue for many months.
The most bizarre one, though, was one which said “Christian and pro-choice”. It’s a shame I had to get back to work because I would have been intrigued to hear the explanation of that worldview!
“…you shall not murder a child by abortion nor kill that which is born…”
– The Didache, Chapter 2 (First Century)
NO Improvements?
Those of you who know me will know that I purposefully attend the “Extraordinary Form” (EF) of the Mass several times a year. This form of the Mass is sometimes known as “The Tridentine Mass” and is the Liturgy which our grandparents would have typically attended.
There’s much to commend the Extraordinary Form and I would love to see it become more widely available. However, as much as I love the older form of the Mass, I have to say, that when it’s done well, I actually prefer the “Novus Ordo” (NO) Mass. This is the amended liturgy which came about following the Second Vatican Council and which is more typically found around the world today in Roman-Rite Catholic Churches.
(Having said all that, I actually go to Byzantine Liturgy on Sundays)
Although I generally prefer the Novus Ordo, I think it’s safe to say that every Catholic has been to a typical parish Mass where the service has, well, left a lot to be desired… These banal liturgies have considerably nurtured the feeling among more traditional Catholics that the Novus Ordo was a considerable misstep in the development of the Roman liturgy. However, personally I think that when it’s done well, it’s thoroughly beautiful.
In recent months I’ve been in an extended email exchange with a friend who infinitely prefers the Extraordinary Form. During our discussion, I gave some suggestions of some simple things which can be done to elevate the typical Mass-going experience and I thought I’d share them here. Not all of these are Novus Ordo-specific, but in my opinion they would resolve many of the problems which are more commonly associated with the new form of the Mass…
Music Monday: Whom shall I fear?
This was one of the main songs at the Steubenville Conference this last weekend. Absolutely brilliant.
You hear me when I call
You are my morning song
Though darkness fills the night
It cannot hide the light
Whom shall I fear?
You crush the enemy
Underneath my feet
You are my sword and shield
Though troubles linger still
Whom shall I fear?
I know who goes before me
I know who stands behind
The God of angel armies
Is always by my side
The one who reigns forever
He is a friend of mine
The God of angel armies
Is always by my side
My strength is in Your name
For You alone can save
You will deliver me
Yours is the victory
Whom shall I fear? x2
And nothing formed against me shall stand
You hold the whole world in Your hands
I’m holding on to Your promises
You are faithful x2
Why should Protestants go to Church?
A little while ago I was commenting on a friend’s blog where we were discussing the practice of church attendance on Sundays. Given that a lot of Protestants comment on his blog, I posed the following question to all those commenting:
What actually is the Protestant motivation for going to church on Sunday?
Now, this might seem like a silly question, but I asked it due to a certain train of thought that I had noticed during my time in the Protestant world. It’s a train of thought that I feel leads to unavoidable, awkward conclusions…
Guys, make sure you ask out Nicole Kidman
Gentlemen, I’d invite you to watch this video and learn from Jimmy Fallon’s mistake….
Jimmy’s reaction is just priceless (“What?! Wait…what?!”), but I think there are some important lessons for us men to learn from this:
1. Be ready, you never know when Nicole Kidman might want to come around to your apartment. Make sure you keep it tidy.
2. If Nicole Kidman comes round to your apartment, put the X-Box away and talk to her (unless she challenges you to a Halo deathmatch, in which case just propose straight away).
3. When Nicole Kidman says she wants to meet you, make sure you properly ask her out on a date.
4. Always have a cheese platter in the fridge ready to go.
Several years ago, a good friend of mine gave me a sage piece of advice: “If you like a girl, ask her out. Even if she’s so beautiful that you think you don’t stand a chance, ask her out. If she says ‘no’ then you won’t regret that you never tried, but if she says ‘yes’, well, then you get to go a date with the girl of your dreams”. Trust me guys, this is good advice.
Friday Frivolity: Not peace but a lightsaber…
A Grandma had this picture on her mantle because she thought it was Jesus….