Saint Patrick's Cartoon On Television

On St Patrick's Day EWTN's Faith Factory will be showing Patrick, Brave Shepherd from the Saints and Heroes cartoon series. Kidnapped and enslaved by pagans as a child, Patrick makes a daring escape home to Catholic Wales, only to return and lead his captors and the rest of the Irish people to Christianity. The true story of this tremendously loved and celebrated Saint.

This 30 minute cartoon will be on at 4pm on Thursday 17th March, on sky 589 or online. Another good opportunity to evangelise the pagans around you. If your Grandchildren don't go to Mass, because you children are lapsed, they may well watch a cartoon! In fact anyone with an Irish or Nigerian background should be interested, and there is no age limit, as I plan to tell my Dad who is well into his sixties and my youngest nephew who is not even two and a half yet!

SPUC Leader Totally Backs Humanae Vitae

John Smeaton, the head of The Society for the Protection of Unborn Children, has written another blinding post on his excellent blog supporting the Catholic Church's stance on contraception. Let us hope that it is not long before SPUC takes John's stance as policy. I reprint the whole post below as I know that no one except Rita ever clicks on links! (I have not put all the links in the reprint, so if you want them click on John's blog);

Sir David Attenborough, the famous naturalist, gave a speech yesterday promoting population control. He said:

"Stop population increase – stop the escalator – and we have some chance of reaching the top – that is to say a decent life for all.
...
In my view all countries should develop a population policy – some 70 countries already have them in one form or another – and give it priority. The essential common factor is to make family planning and other reproductive health services freely available to every one and empower and encourage them to use it – though of course without any kind of coercion.
...
If you belong to a Church – and especially if you are a Catholic because its doctrine on contraception is a major factor in this problem – suggest they consider the ethical issues involved."

To my mind it is clear that Sir David's speech shows why pro-lifers should support the Catholic Church's prohibition on contraception. In Humanae Vitae, Pope Paul VI wrote:

"[C]areful consideration should be given to the danger of this power passing into the hands of those public authorities who care little for the precepts of the moral law. Who will blame a government which in its attempt to resolve the problems affecting an entire country resorts to the same measures as are regarded as lawful by married people in the solution of a particular family difficulty? Who will prevent public authorities from favoring those contraceptive methods which they consider more effective? Should they regard this as necessary, they may even impose their use on everyone."

In other words, once it's regarded as good that individual couples should have access to contraception, and necessary that humans reduce their numbers, then the imposition of population control becomes inevitable. China and Vietnam already have long-standing forced abortion programmes, and India and Peru have had forced sterilisation programmes in the recent past.

The high incidence of abortion around the world, whether voluntary or forced abortion, has been created and fuelled by the contraceptive mentality, which thinks that children are usually a burden to be avoided. If the Catholic Church worldwide - the world's largest religious denomination, comprising at least one in seven of the world's population - were to concede that contraception (or even those prophylactics which impede conception e.g. condoms) were licit, then both abortion and mandatory population control would become irreversible worldwide.

That is why pro-lifers should fall four-square behind Humanae Vitae, and why the undermining of Humanae Vitae by Catholic bishops, by high-profile Catholics such as Tony & Cherie Blair, and by Catholic publications such as The Tablet, is of grave concern even to secular pro-life groups such as SPUC.

And so it is very interesting to read, reproduced in this weekend's Tablet, this Tablet report from exactly 50 years ago today:

"The cardinals and archbishops of France, who assembled in Paris last week for their annual spring meeting, published when it was over a statement on the subject of birth control ... They made it equally clear that the Church condemns the artificial prevention of births by the use of contraceptives, as she also condemns sterilisation and abortion ... The unnatural limitation of births, they went on, is not the remedy for overpopulation and hunger; the remedy lies in the provision of more and better housing, and of all that is necessary for the normal development of family life."

P.S. You can find resources to rebut Sir David's bogus arguments for population control listed in my blog of 9 February.

Comment On The Comments, Re Archbishop Nichols

Someone commented to me recently, about my blog on Archbishop Nichols, "Why should we thank the Archbishop for providing a period of Exposition of the Most Holy Sacrament? Is it not part of his duties as a Bishop. Should we thank him for providing clergy to hear confessions as well?"

I think we should thank him when he does something good as we can be very quick to criticise him when he does something wrong. As the Cathedral has gone from having no Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, to over ten hours a week I think we should thank him. I don't know if it says anywhere, that one of a Bishop's duties is to arrange Exposition in his Cathedral, but why this would stop us thanking him, is beyond me. If you invite me to your house for dinner, you then have a 'duty' to give me dinner, but that would hardly excuse me for not thanking you anyway. My wife says that she has a duty to wash and cook for me, but that should not stop me from ever saying 'thank you'. Why only this morning she stopped me going out in a shirt and tie that clashed quite badly, God bless her!

I know people who live in parishes where there is never a Priest who will hear Confessions, so my reply would be; You are right to suggest that we thank His Grace for providing so many hours of Confession each week at the Cathedral.

Another commenter, Gareth Hurley said, "Great idea to thank His Grace. Eucharistic Adoration will bring many graces to Westminster, London and England." But he went on to suggest that we complain about the "Soho Mass" at the same time.

From a tactical point of view I would not put the two together, but that is up to you. I have not seen that complaints to Bishops bear much fruit, but like yourself that will not stop me. However I do remember a Diocese where the Old Rite Mass was never allowed (well for 20 years or so) on a Sunday in spite of many complaints. Then the Bishop did something Pro-Life and was thanked by the local Old Rite group and that Diocese started to have an Old Rite Mass every Sunday not long afterwards!

Gareth ends, "Praise where it's due. Charitable discourse where it's due too"

Now go to my last post below and sign up to pray a Rosary for a Bishop or ten!

God Bless Vincent Archbishop Nichols

One day last week, as I ended up in the Victoria area of London after a meeting, and realising that I would not get back to the Good Counsel Network's chapel in time for Adoration, I wondered into the Cathedral of the Most Precious Blood to say a few prayers. I thought, having seen the Westminster year book, that there is never any Adoration in the Cathedral. As I got closer to the Blessed Sacrament Chapel I noticed 8 large candles burning. To my great joy as I got even closer I found that there was Adoration going on. There were no posters, no fanfare, no front page of the Westminster Record asking us to attend, but so what. I finally found a newsletter pinned up on the bottom of the notice board which said that there will be Adoration Monday to Friday after the 1.05pm Mass (New Rite) until 4.45pm.

So there you have it, please come and pray there if you can, then thank Archbishop Nichols (archbishop@rcdow.org.uk) and then sign up to Pray the Rosary for him and any other Bishops you like.

Mass For Doctor Bernard Nathanson RIP

Others have written and will write much more about this former abortionist turned Pro-Lifer, turned Catholic who died last week, than I will. But I was privileged to serve Mass for the repose of his soul in the chapel of the Good Counsel Network on Monday evening, the day he was buried. It was also nice to hear that he became Catholic in 1996, the year that I was Baptised.

If you have not seen his short Pro-Life film The Silent Screem click here.

Dies irae, dies illa
solvet saeclum in favilla:
teste David cum Sibylla.

Quantus tremor est futurus,
quando judex est venturus,
cuncta stricte discussurus!

Tuba mirum spargens sonum
per sepulcra regionum,
coget omnes ante thronum.

Mors stupebit et natura,
cum resurget creatura,
judicanti responsura.

Liber scriptus proferetur,
in quo totum continetur,
unde mundus judicetur.

Judex ergo cum sedebit,
quidquid latet apparebit:
nil inultum remanebit.

Quid sum miser tunc dicturus?
Quem patronum rogaturus,
cum vix justus sit securus?

Rex tremendae majestatis,
qui salvandos salvas gratis,
salva me fons pietatis.

Recordare, Jesu pie,
quod sum causa tuae viae:
ne me perdas illa die.

Quaerens me, sedisti lassus:
redemisti Crucem passus:
tantus labor non sit cassus.

Juste judex ultionis,
donum fac remissionis
ante diem rationis.

Ingemisco, tamquam reus:
culpa rubet vultus meus:
supplicanti parce, Deus.

Qui Mariam absolvisti,
et latronem exaudisti,
mihi quoque spem dedisti.

Preces meae non sunt dignae:
sed tu bonus fac benigne,
ne perenni cremer igne.

Inter oves locum praesta,
et ab haedis me sequestra,
statuens in parte dextra.

Confutatis maledictis,
flammis acribus addictis:
voca me cum benedictis.

Oro supplex et acclinis,
cor contritum quasi cinis:
gere curam mei finis.

Lacrimosa dies illa,
qua resurget ex favilla
judicandus homo reus.

Huic ergo parce, Deus:
pie Jesu Domine,
dona eis requiem. Amen.

Aids, Condoms & Blessed Mother Teresa Of Calcutta

What might Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta say about the use of condoms to protect another person from AIDS? What would she say in the case of two homosexuals? Or in the case of a married couple where one spouse has AIDS? Or in the case of a heterosexual couple who are not married?
Some years back a friend of mine wrote to Mother Teresa for the answers to some questions about condom use. She received the following reply from a Priest who had answered at Mother Teresa’s request, Fr Lawrence Abello S.J., a Jesuit who was at that time writing from St Xavier’s College in Calcutta. His powerful reply was also signed at the bottom, with a little message offering prayers, by Mother Teresa. It’s not short but it’s very clear and worth a read for anyone struggling with this issue.
31/8/93
Dear....
The Peace of Christ
Mother Theresa requested me to reply to your letter, dated 9/6/93
Your first question is the following: “What is the teaching of the Catholic Church for a married couple when one partner is H.I.V.+?” You add that “The Catholic Church allows natural family planning, i.e., sexual intercourse that will not lead to conception. Is it therefore wrong to use a condom in order to try to prevent harm to one’s partner?”
The Catholic Church teaches that contraception is an inherent moral evil because contraception falsifies the very meaning of the marital act which MUST EXPRESS THE LOVE OF THE SPOUSES. By the very nature of contraception, at least one of the spouses must manipulate self to destroy the power to conceive. This self-manipulation necessarily turns attention to self (i.e. is narcissistic), whereas, to be an expression of love, the marital act should turn attention to the spouse. To posit any act which, in its very nature, turns attention to self, falsifies the marital act and is, therefore, an abuse of a gift of God, which can never be morally justified.
In other words, the marital act can be an unreserved, total self-giving only if there is no deliberate manipulation of self to destroy the power to conceive – as happens in contraception. Being a self-manipulation to destroy the power to conceive, contraception necessarily is a narcissistic act which falsifies the expression of conjugal love by the marital act. Thereby, contraception is inherently evil.
Pope John Paul II expresses this narcissistic element of contraception as follows: “When couples, by means of recourse to contraception, separate these two meanings (i.e. the unitive and pro-creative), they manipulate and degrade human sexuality by altering the value of total self-giving. Thus the innate language that expresses the total reciprocal self-giving of husband and wife is overlaid, through contraception, by an objectively contradictory language, namely, that of not giving oneself totally to the other. This leads to a falsification of the inner truth of conjugal love, which is called upon to give itself in personal totality. When, instead, by means of recourse to phases of infertility, the couple respect the inseparable connection between the unitive and procreative meaning of human sexuality, they are acting as ministers of God’s plan and they benefit from their sexuality according to the original dynamism of total self-giving, without manipulation or alteration.” (Familiaris Consortio, by Pope John Paul II, No 32.)
Note that the reason why contraception is wrong is not that conception does not take place, but that a SELF-MANIPULATION is deliberately posited to destroy the power to conceive. Obviously, even when the married couple know that conception is not possible, they may perform an infertile marital act, as happens, not only during the infertile phases in cases of natural family planning, but also during pregnancy and in old age.
Note also that, even though a couple could not conceive a child for other reasons, such as old age, they may not use a condom or any other device to prevent the spread of AIDS. Being a self-manipulation, the use of any such device necessarily is a narcissistic act which falsifies the expression of conjugal love by the marital act. Thereby, the use of any such device is inherently evil and may never be morally justified for any reason whatsoever.
In short, the reason why contraception is wrong, i.e., self-manipulation in connection with the sexual act, applies equally to the use of a condom which merely “prevents” the spread of AIDS and is not strictly a contraceptive because the couple can not conceive for other reasons. When the “couple” are both men, there is not only the inherent evil of self-manipulation in using the condom; there is also the inherent evil of homosexual relations.
In the case of the married couple, it must be pointed out that marriage does not confer an unlimited right to sexual relations. Far from it. There is a right to the marital act only when it is an expression of love. For an H.I.V.+ person to have sexual relations with his or her spouse can never be an expression of love because – condom or no condom – such relations always have a certain risk of transmitting the lethal AIDS virus. The only loving and moral solution for the couple, when one spouse is H.I.V.+, is to live like brother and sister.
In his Encyclical ‘Humanae Vitae,’ Pope Paul VI teaches that “any action is prohibited which has, as its purpose, to impede procreation regardless of whether such an action is posited before, during or after the conjugal act. Nor may one adduce as valid arguments (to justify contraceptive acts) either that one must choose what appears to be a lesser evil or that these (contraceptive) acts participate in the moral goodness of fertile acts already posited or to be posited” – cf. ‘Humanae Vitae’ No.14.
Those who propose the “lesser evil” argument, i.e., that the use of a condom is a “lesser evil” than the spread of AIDS, never distinguish moral evil from physical evil. The use of a condom for whatever reason is a moral evil, i.e., the violation of the Sixth Commandment, whereas, death as such, even from AIDS, is a physical evil. The Catholic will accept the Church’s official teaching that, knowingly and willingly, to violate any of the Ten Commandments always involves personal sin. Basing herself on the true sense of the infinite evil of sin inasmuch as it is an offense against the Infinite God, and also basing herself on the witnessing of the martyrs, the Church teaches that no good end can ever morally justify the violation of any of the Ten Commandments.
Moreover, quite apart from the morality, on the purely practical level distributing condoms as a protection from AIDS gives false hopes. The use of the condom is not at all a complete protection against AIDS. The condom has a significant failure rate even as a contraceptive and, from recent literature which did not give reference to the scientific sources, the AIDS virus is 450 times smaller than a sperm! Whatever be the accuracy of this figure, distributing condoms to stop the spread of AIDS involves implicit approval of deviant sexual behaviour because one is formally cooperating to overcome the problems to practice such behaviour. Hence by distributing condoms one is promoting the addictive use of sex, i.e., contraception, and the other perversions which turn the attention inwards to self, reduce sexual relations to a habit which, like narcotic-drug habit, has to be fed. Cf. The literature of ‘Sexaholics Anonymous’.
Consequently, although the use of a sterilized syringe to inject oneself with a narcotic drug, or the use of a condom, may prevent the spread of AIDS in concrete acts to feed the drug or sex habit, promoting such practices promotes the behavior patterns which led to the AIDS problem in the first place. After all, addicts will feed the drug or sex habit even when a sterilized needle or a condom is not available. Hence, even from a purely practical point of view, distributing condoms as a protection from AIDS gives false hopes. Such an approach to control the spread of AIDS is based on an erroneous position, i.e., that one can control the diseases spread by addictions by means of protective devices which promote the addictive behaviour.
From all that has been stated above, it follows that a person working in an AIDS Center may not formally cooperate in the evil of homosexual relations, or of contraception-type heterosexual acts (e.g., between spouses) by having anything to do with the distribution of condoms. Likewise, the person working in such a Center may not formally cooperate in the evil of drug abuse by distributing sterilized syringes to drug addicts to avoid the spread of AIDS. Such an AIDS worker must SUFFER the AIDS-related deaths that addicts inflict upon themselves instead of FORMALLY COOPERATING in the moral evil of degrading the addict further by helping him to solve his problems in practising the addictive behaviour. In this connection, we must remind ourselves that God permits or suffers evil but never commits it, and we are called to be God-like. We must also remind ourselves that the highest value of a person is to reach eternal life. Cooperating in degrading the addict further, by formally cooperating in fostering “safe sex” or “safe drugs”, jeopardizes the addict’s eternal life and is a much greater evil than death – such cooperation is not true compassion.
You may reproduce and pass on this letter to whomever you wish. I shall be happy to answer any further questions you may have.
Sincerely in Christ,
The letter is then signed by Fr Lawrence Abello, S.J.
Below this is added in handwriting: I will pray for you God bless you M Teresa MC

Support the pro-life work of The Good Counsel Network through prayer, or donate to our work.
Clare McCullough

I lifted this from the Good Counsel blog, well done Wife.

Taliban Murder Catholic Politician

Murdered Pakistani minister, Shahbaz Bhatti, made a video in which he talks about his own assassination. Mr Bhatti, a Catholic, who was shot dead by the Taliban in the capital, Islamabad, had been calling for the abolition of Pakistan's, so-called blasphemy laws.

When the State run BBC showed part of this one minute clip earlier today, the reporter talked over the bit about Jesus. One wonders if this was to appease the Taliban or their fellow travellers in the British High Court!

Launch Of Juventutem Oxford & Support For Good Counsel

The first meeting of Juventutem Oxford will take place on Wednesday 2nd March. The usual Wednesday evening Mass at SS Gregory & Augustine will become a Sung Mass: it is the Feast of St Chad, the patron of the Archdiocese of Birmingham. There will be the usual 'social' afterwards.

See the Juventutem London blog.

Mass will be accompanied by the Schola Abelis.

If you can't come, please say a prayer for the success of this new apostolate.

I have taken this from Dr Shaw's blog and have been informed that the Mass will be offered for Good Counsel

Wales For Wales Etc

I think that in light of the following post, Paul Smeaton must be Welsh!

I read a wonderful story today from Wales online about parents who say they are delighted to have given birth and had six wonderful days with their baby Charlotte Grace. Charlotte Grace was diagnosed with Trisomy 18, also called Edwards Syndrome, whilst still growing in her mother's womb. I strongly encourage you to click the link and read all of the article.

The doctors, as is normal procedure, advised the parents to have an abortion. Instead they decided to continue the pregnancy. The parents had the great joy of knowing their child for nine months in the womb and for six days after birth. From the article:

Tiny Charlotte amazed everyone with her fighting spirit, feeding through a nasal tube every two hours and receiving lots of special cuddles from her proud parents and big sisters.

Dilys said: “I just kept thinking, ‘If she can just live long enough for us to look into each other’s eyes’ and she did. She was so beautiful, absolutely perfect. We were able to stay with her at the neo-natal unit in the hospital but we couldn’t wait to bring her home. We just wanted to be a family again with the girls.

And for six wonderful days, they were able to hold, cuddle and feed their baby daughter Charlotte Grace, creating memories they will treasure forever.
The alternative option for them would have been to have a dangerous, invasive surgical operation that would have violated the mother and cruelly destroyed their unborn child. Why would anybody suggest this to be the more compassionate, loving, or even practical choice?

Happy Birthday Strider

'He is Aragorn son of Arathorn,' said Elrond; 'and he is descended through many fathers from Isildur Elendil's son of Minas Ithil.' (The Council of Elrond; The Lord of the Rings) A film about his parents can be seen online.

In the year 2931 of the Third Age of Middle Earth, Aragorn son of Arathorn II was born on March 1st. (Appendix B; The Lord of the Rings)

So there you have it Aragorn is as good as Welsh in the eyes of Tolkien! Very little is written about Aragorn's search for Gollum in The Lord of the Rings, but there is a film of it online.

Oh yes, and HAPPY SAINT DAVID'S DAY to you all. A National Saint who is from the country of which he is the patron, what ever next?

The History Of The Reformation In Oxford

"MANY of you have asked us about reviving the Pro Fide Forum talks so we have arranged a talk for Tuesday 8th March 2011 in St Vincent's Conference Centre, Westminster where all the other talks have been held.

This is an experiment, because if there is a good attendance we will arrange further talks. We have fortunately found an exceptionally worth-while Speaker to address you. He is Dr Joseph Shaw, Lecturer in Philosophy at Oxford and Chairman of the Latin Mass Society. His subject will be “The History of the Reformation in Oxford” and his talk begins at 7 p.m. There will be questions and discussion, followed by tea and biscuits until the Meeting ends about 9.30. Tickets, bought at the door, are £5 each and I advise you to come early to be sure of your seat."

James Dean's First Film On Television

"Because his career was ended prematurely by his September 1955 death in an automobile accident, James Dean appeared in only seven films (playing uncredited roles in four of them). Despite the brevity of his career however, Dean received two Academy Award nominations as Best Actor and became an icon of rebellion for American teens, not only of the 1950s, but for generations since as well."

Well the first of those four uncredited roles was in Hill Number One, a short 60 minute film. The Korean War, and the battles that ensue, are correlated to Christ's Crucifixion on Golgotha; a dramatic re-mix of biblical and historical elements. It will be on EWTN (sky 589 or online) Sunday 27th February at 7pm, Tuesday 1st March 8am, Wednesday 2nd March 3pm or Friday 5th March at 3am.

Most of my Family will not watch EWTN, but they may tune in to see James Dean. So tell your non-catholic friends and Family. ;)

English Bishop To Be Executed By Catholic Taliban Live On This Blog!

It has been said by the Holy Father that Catholic bloggers must take care in what they write. We should not just be looking to increase our readership by being shocking or controversial! There are times when we can be uncharitable, it seems to me that this is often the case when talking about the Bishops of Wales & England. It is important to remember that non-catholics will read our blogs, and to constantly give the impression that the Church in this country is led by heretics is not helpful in winning converts.

Please remember that the Bishops are in more need of graces than you or I. Satan is more interested in gaining a Bishop, and thus a Diocese, than getting his hands on an individual Catholic. I had a look on Rosary for Bishops after seeing it on Fr John Boyle's blog. The thing that amazed me when I looked up Vincent Archbishop Nichols (I live in Westminster) was to find that only seven people have signed up to say a Rosary for him each month. Yes there may be other sites where one can sign up, yes you can pray for your Bishop without signing up, but putting up or reading public criticism (justified or not) should be followed by signing up to prayer.

There can be little doubt that from time to time a Bishop may say something that we do not like, or even something wrong. After writing to him privately and charitably (do hear Bishop O'Donoghue talk to FLI a few years ago) we may even need to correct him publicly having consulted one's Spritual Director first of course.

But I know that it is, mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa. Therefore let us pray (and fast) for our Bishops and even if that does them no good, which I don't believe, it will do us more Spiritual good anyway. When I stand in front of God I will be asked to account for my life and not that of my Bishop. I do not know what God will say to me first when I see Him face to face, but I doubt that it will be, "Why didn't you do something about Bishop X" - unless He asks about my lack of prayer & fasting for him.

Sorry You're Too Far On For Us To Abort Your Baby

"Sorry you're too far on for us to abort your Baby, go straight to the Hospital they can still do it." This is what the young 23 week pregnant Spanish girl said to her friend as she came out of the Whitfield Street (London) abortuary. I had already been speaking to her friend in my 'Spanish', so she was happy to talk for a few minutes. I was able to give her a help leaflet in Spanish and offer her the help she would need to continue her pregnancy. She went away to think things over. Despite being 23 weeks pregnant, she had only found out that she was pregnant five days ago! While this was going on we had 4 prayer supporters the other side of the road(see photo).

I don't know what that girl will do, but I know that most women going for an abortion do not receive any offer of help before they have a 'doctor' kill their child. Please come and pray at this abortuary in Whitfield Street, London, nearest stations are Warren Street and Great Portland Street, 9-1.30pm Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. (Contact Good Counsel 02077231740 for more details or contact The Helpers of God's Precious Infants for details of other locations around the country).

Note re my 'Spanish'. I have spent a number of years telling any of my Latin American friends and colleagues, that could not understand my 'Spanish', that this was because, 'I speak Spanish and not Latin American, sorry', much to the amusement/annoyance of them all! Both these girls were from Spain! But as they both spoke good English, the legend that I speak Spanish remains intact!

40 Days For Life At The Oratory

Cast the Vision event Wednesday 23rd February at the London Oratory.
You are warmly invited to our 2011 'Cast the Vision' event. The evening will provide you with an introduction to 40 Days for Life. You will get to hear from the people who launched our first 40 Days for Life in 2010, and the stories that inspired all of us.

This event is for all those who were involved last time, all those who wanted to be involved but were unable, and all those who are learning about the 40 Days for Life experience for the first time.

This is your opportunity to save lives and inspire hearts and minds. You will learn how to speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves. The evening will also give you the time to meet with pro-life leaders over food and drinks, all on the house.

Our guest speaker is Margaret Cuthill. Margaret Cuthill is a Post Abortion Trauma (PAT) counsellor and is the National Co-ordinator of ARCH. She herself has had abortion experience and struggled with PAT.

Margaret has recovered her life through receiving PAT counselling, and has since been working as a full time PAT counsellor for the past 20 years. Margaret will share her experiences with us, and her hopes for this year's 40 Days For Life.

Wednesday 23rd February, 7.30pm. St Wilfrid’s Hall, The London Oratory, Brompton Road, London SW7 2RP

English Catholic Jesuit On Television

Father Hugh Thwaites SJ, will be on EWTN (sky 589 or online) for one hour at 11am on Wednesday 23rd February. He is a Catholic, a Convert, a Saint and a Jesuit!

He also Married my Wife and I, ten years ago!

The Exorcism Of Emily Rose

This film is based on a true story and can really make people think about God. The fact that the Devil exists can lead people to look for God. Tell your friends & family that this film is on Channel 5, Monday 21st February at 10pm. And then be ready to evangelise them!

The director of the film said he was one GK Chesterton book away from becoming Catholic, I'm not sure which book, but I hope he's read it now!

Total Consecration Of Our Lives To Jesus, Through Mary

"Join us in making the Total Consecration of Our Lives to Jesus, through Mary. Read about the Consecration and the 30 Day preparation period by following this link. You can find all the readings and preparatory prayers on that site too (If you prefer it in book form you can obtain it in book form from Montfort Press. 28, Burbo Bank Rd, Liverpool, Merseyside L23 6TH. Tel: 0151 287 6862) . We begin on Sunday the 20th February and end by making the Consecration on March 25th, Feast of the Annunciation."
I took this from Good Counsel's blog, so let's go.

St David, St Thomas & SPUC Victorious In High Court

BPAS brought a case to the High Court asking that women be allowed to take the 2nd stage of the abortion pill at home. SPUC intervened in the court case and readers of this blog joined Good Counsel in a novena to St Thomas Aquinas & St David (or St Andrew or St George).

Not really fair I know, as our side had lawyers and Saints in Heaven and their side only had lawyers and.......oh well never mind, the struggle continues. I cannot sing at all and my Latin leaves a lot to be desired, but I'm off to say the Te Deum in thanks giving.

Te Deum laudamus: te Dominum confitemur.
Te aeternum Patrem omnis terra veneratur.
Tibi omnes Angeli, tibi Caeli et universae Potestates:
Tibi Cherubim et Seraphim incessabili voce proclamant:
Sanctus: Sanctus: Sanctus Dominus Deus Sabaoth.
Pleni sunt caeli et terra maiestatis gloriae tuae.
Te gloriosus Apostolorum chorus:
Te Prophetarum laudabilis numerus:
Te Martyrum candidatus laudat exercitus.
Te per orbem terrarum sancta confitetur Ecclesia:
Patrem immensae maiestatis:
Venerandum tuum verum et unicum Filium:
Sanctum quoque Paraclitum Spiritum.
Tu Rex gloriae, Christe.
Tu Patris sempiternus es Filius.
Tu ad liberandum suscepturus hominem,
non horruisti Virginis uterum.
Tu devicto mortis aculeo,
aperuisti credentibus regna caelorum.
Tu ad dexteram Dei sedes, in gloria Patris.
Iudex crederis esse venturus. (Kneel)
Te ergo quaesumus, tuis famulis subveni,
quos pretioso sanguine redemisti.
Aeterna fac cum Sanctis tuis in gloria numerari.
Salvum fac populum tuum Domine,
et benedic haereditati tuae.
Et rege eos, et extolle illos usque in aeternum.
Per singulos dies, benedicamus te.
Et laudamus nomen tuum in saeculum,
et in saeculum saeculi.
Dignare Domine die isto,
sine peccato nos custodire.
Miserere nostri Domine, miserere nostri.
Fiat misericordia tua Domine super nos,
quemadmodum speravimus in te.
In te Domine speravi:
non confundar in aeternum.

Vocation Discernment Weekend at St John Fisher House In Reading, 8th-10th April

For Catholic men between 18 and 35 years of age (under 18 please contact us).

Starts on Friday 8th April 2011 at 6pm – ends on Sunday 10th April 2011 mid-afternoon. Led by Fr Armand de Malleray, FSSP.

Location: St John Fisher House is the residence of the Priestly Fraternity of St Peter in England & Wales. Bishop Crispian Hollis of Portsmouth has allowed for its canonical establishment in Reading on 1st August 2010.

Address: 17, Eastern Avenue, Reading RG1 5RU.

Access: 27 minutes from London Paddington by direct trains up to every 10 minutes, and from London Waterloo. Direct trains from Oxford, Bournemouth, Bristol, Newcastle, York, Birmingham, Gatwick Airport, Southampton Airport, etc. Direct ‘RailAir’ buses from Heathrow to Reading train station every 20 minutes. Motorway: M4.

Limited overnight accommodation: please book now.

Programme: Spiritual conferences, socials, Holy Mass each of the three days (Extraordinary Form of the Roman rite), silent prayer, private talk with Fr de Malleray, FSSP. Fr de Malleray will explain what is a vocation in general and to the priesthood in particular. Read here the Holy Father’s recent Letter to seminarians. Extract: “The proper celebration of the Eucharist involves knowing, understanding and loving the Church’s liturgy in its concrete form. In the liturgy we pray with the faithful of every age – the past, the present and the future are joined in one great chorus of prayer. As I can state from personal experience, it is inspiring to learn how it all developed, what a great experience of faith is reflected in the structure of the Mass, and how it has been shaped by the prayer of many generations.”

Cost: no set price for students or unemployed – any donation welcome; others: £50 suggested.

Click here for a short vocations video.

Priests Training Conference

The Latin Mass Society has announced its seventh residential conference for Priests who wish to learn the Extraordinary Form (Old Rite) of Mass. The conference will take place at Buckfast Abbey, Buckfastleigh, Devon from Tuesday 3rd to Friday 6th May.

Tuition will be given in small groups selected according to ability, and will cover Low Mass, Missa Cantata and Missa Solemnis. It is also hoped to provide tuition in the sacraments of baptism and marriage. Only rudimentary Latin is required.

There will also be a residential course for laymen wishing to learn to serve the Extraordinary Form.

The conference will begin late morning on the Tuesday, although there will be the opportunity for those travelling long distances to stay at Buckfast Abbey on the Monday night. The conference will end after lunch on the Friday.

There will be sung Mass in the Extraordinary Form each day; parts of the Office will also be sung.

The inclusive fee is £85 which covers all tuition, accommodation and board.

Application forms for both priests and servers training are available from the LMS office (020 7404 7284) or see LMS.

LMS Chairman, Doctor Joseph Shaw said: “The LMS’s training conferences are now well-established in the Church’s calendar of activities. We have already trained over a hundred priests and many more Extraordinary Form Masses are being offered around the country due to our training activities”.

Scottish Pro-Lifers On Television

Two Scottish Pro-Lifers will be on EWTN (sky 589 or online) on Friday 11th February at 5.30pm. Margaret Cuthill of British Victims of Abortion, now renamed Abortion Recovery Care and Helpline ARCH will appear alongside a young SPUC activist.

Prayer & Fasting 4 Life

Once a month the Good Counsel Network has a National Day of Prayer & Fasting for Life. As the unseen mass slaughter of abortion and euthanasia goes on around us day in day out, it is easy to become a bit laid back about the evils of this world. But not so this month, the Fast Day is Thursday 10th February, Vigil of the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes. MP Chris Bryant’s private member’s bill to make sex and relationships education (SRE) compulsory in all schools is due for second reading this Friday, 11th February.

We also have the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists launching a consultation on their proposed guidelines for the care of women requesting induced abortion with a deadline of 18th February.

So please join Good Counsel each month in Prayer and Fasting for Life:
Fasting
Fast from all food except bread and water for the day
Or
Fast from a particular food or luxury, e.g. chocolate, alcohol, cigarettes, TV.
Fast from whatever you can given your state of health etc, but make sure it is something that involves a sacrifice to yourself.
Prayer
We are asking people to say a Rosary (or an extra Rosary if you say it daily already).
You could also offer an extra effort such as going to Mass (or an extra Mass) on the day, or going to Adoration. You can even pray before a closed tabernacle if Adoration is not available near you.

Contact your MP today re this Friday's sex ed bill

Chris Bryant’s private member’s bill to make sex and relationships education (SRE) compulsory in all schools is due for second reading this Friday, 11 February.

There is growing concern among parents about the practice of SRE – especially in primary schools - and the evidence of the damage is mounting. Research has shown the ineffectiveness of the typical UK approach to SRE, even when delivered to a very high standard by specially-trained presenters.

SPUC has produced a detailed briefing on the Bryant bill

Although the bill is unlikely to make further progress due to procedural reasons, if you know that your member of parliament (MP) is sympathetic to pro-life concerns, please contact him or her and ask them to be available to speak and vote against the bill. You can contact your MP via the SPUC website at http://www.spuc.org.uk/mps

Please remember to forward any replies you receive from MPs to SPUC HQ political@spuc.org.uk

I lifted the above from John Smeaton's blog. I would just add that Good Counsel have a National Day of Prayer & Fasting for Life on Thursday, so lets go.

Priestly Fraternity Of Saint Peter Seminary On Television

The Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter seminary will be on television on Tuesday 8th February. The 30 minute programme will be shown at 2am, 10.30am & 7.30pm on EWTN (sky 589 or online). It is called, To God Who Giveth Joy To My Youth; Life at Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary, Denton, Nebraska.

We will learn about the seminarians spiritual formation, liturgical life (Old Rite), education, work and recreation. Not to be missed. But if you do you can watch it here.

Photo of the then Cardinal Ratzinger after Mass with FSSP Easter 1990

Priest Vapourised At Papal Visit To Birmingham, England

The story starts in 2080 with an elderly Priest reminiscing about his youth, at a party to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of his Ordination.
A young boy of about 8 asks him, "So tell us Father when did you first think that you might have a calling to the Priesthood?"
"I didn't 'think', I knew, in one moment when I was about your age back in the Summer of 2010. Blessed Pope Benedict XVI had come to visit Scotland & England and I was asked to help serve at the big Papal Mass in Cofton Park. What a Mass, only Priests distributing Holy Communion, people kneeling to receive from the Holy Father. I could feel the importance of the Priesthood, I could see that the Real Presence of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament was...well....Real!
But the Grace filled moment when I KNEW that I was called by God to be a Priest, came when the Holy Father took off his Mitre and my role was to hold it."
At that point St Michael walked into the Television room in Heaven and stopped the DVD player, "With all due respect Almighty One, it does no good watching the what-should-have-been DVD over and over again". So God pushed the what really happened button and watched the young girl hold the Holy Fathers Mitre instead.

Ten Years Ago Today!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes, ten years ago today my wonderful, beautiful Wife married me at St James' Spanish Place. It is hard to believe that she said yes in the first place and even harder to believe that she showed up at the Church. Father Hugh Thwaites, who will be on EWTN (sky 589 or online http://www.ewtn.co.uk/) at 8pm 20th or 11am 23rd February, was the Priest. The Latin Mass Society served along with our nephew Conor & his friend Daniel. The choir was made up of Ferdi & Robert of the St Austin's Review. Gaelle & Johanna were quite young bridesmaids at the time so we will say very little about upside down flowers etc.

(My Wife is on the right of the photo)

Pro-Life Examination of Conscience

Questions to help me defend life more effectively?

Rev. Frank A. Pavone
National Director, Priests for Life

Am I fully convinced that every abortion, at every stage of pregnancy, is the destruction of an innocent human life, which has the same value as my life, my parents? lives, my children's lives? Do I foster and nourish this conviction by reflecting often on the tragic loss of life occurring daily around me? Do I ever allow myself the thought that someone else's abortion is "none of my business?" Do I sometimes think that I have "more important" things to do than to save innocent lives? Do I believe I am responsible for my preborn brothers and sisters and accountable to God for what I do to save them? Do I have the courage to remind myself of the horror of abortion by actually looking at the pictures of aborted babies?

Do I pray daily and explicitly for an end to abortion? Do I pray for the babies, the mothers, the abortionists, the legislators, the media, the clergy, and the whole pro-life movement? Do I fast or make other significant sacrifices for this cause? Or do I believe the fight against abortion can be easy and convenient? Am I too afraid of displeasing others, and do I think I need to be liked to be successful? Am I willing to undergo financial loss, ridicule, or other sacrifices, to save a child's life?

Do I see the link between abortion and other assaults on human life and dignity? Do I acknowledge that progress in any arena for the defense of life facilitates progress in all the other arenas?

Do I have faith that God is the Lord of Life? Do I believe the whole struggle is in His hands, and that He has already conquered evil, falsehood, and death? Do I trust Him? Do I ask His guidance? Do I keep my eyes on Him, or do I allow discouragement by focusing only on the problem and myself?

Am I learning more about abortion and about the pro-life movement? Do I read good pro-life books? Do I subscribe to at least one pro-life publication so that I can be well informed on the issue? Do I escape from taking action by thinking that prayer alone is enough? Am I developing all the talents God gave me so that I can use them to advance the Culture of Life?

Do I speak up in defense of life? Do I make full use of the opportunities I have, such as wearing pins or using bumper stickers or decals? Do I write letters to the paper or to legislators or to doctors? Or do I allow a lack of self-confidence to paralyze my activity? Do I only do what's comfortable, or do I try to discover what activities will be most effective? Do I gladly participate in projects that need to be done, even if I don't particularly want to? Do I try to come up with new ideas for pro-life work? Do I suggest these ideas to others?

Do I take proper care of myself, physically and spiritually, so that I can be more effective in my pro-life work? Do I rest when I need to?

Do I foster unity in the movement? Do I encourage my fellow pro-lifers? Are all of my efforts guided by charity? Do I allow unhealthy competition between pro-life persons or groups? Do I foster collaboration, without demanding uniformity? Do I follow the advice or direction of those who bear responsibility for pro-life projects or groups? Do I seek the advice and input of others in the movement, especially of those more experienced than I?

Do I try to grow in compassion for women who are tempted to have abortions or who have had them in the past? Do I try to understand their situation and learn more about their needs? Do I help women find alternatives to abortion? Do I inspire hope in women I know who have had abortions? Do I help them find forgiveness and healing? Do I foster charity in thought, word, and deed toward those who disagree with me, or who perform or promote abortion? Am I fully committed to non-violence in this struggle?

Am I ready from this day forward to be a better pro-lifer? Am I ready to launch out with new strength, generosity, and determination to bring an end to abortion, without counting the cost to myself? Am I grateful enough for the gift of life to work to give life to others? Do I thank God for the privilege of being part of the pro-life movement?

Pro-Life Old Rite Mass

On the second Friday of each month The Latin Mass Society organise an Old Rite Mass for The Good Counsel Network at Corpus Christi Church, Maiden Lane, London, WC2E 7NB, at 6.30pm. Most months it is just a low Mass, but as the 2nd Friday of February happens to be the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, the 11th, there will be a High Mass. Numbers for this Mass were up this month, with about 30 or so people in attendance, this is in part due to a number of young Catholics who now attend this Mass each month and then go out for dinner together. For details of the meal see Juventutem.

Fr Hayward, the normal Celebrant is away, so Fr Armand de Malleray, FSSP will offer the Mass. Most of you will know of Father from his sermon which appeared on Maria Stops Abortion blog. Please attend this Mass if you can as it one of the few chances each month to go to a Mass offered for a Pro-Life group. Father has to travel to London from Reading to offer this Mass.
Photo from Fr Finigan.

Post Catholic World

Watching the BBC news a few days ago and reading the papers this week has made it very clear that we are now living in a post Christian World. In Italy we have the President accused of pre-Christian Roman style sex orgies. Even if he is not as guilty as the media would have us believe, still no one thinks that he was just trying to convert these poor women! The idea that laws do not rest on the Moral Rock that is Catholic teaching is the problem. They say he had sex with an 'under-age prostitute', but a government that says if a women is 'X' age you can pay her to commit fornication with you, has no moral foundation for it's laws and may well change the age limit for prostitution up or down tomorrow!

We then had the video of the adulterous couple being stoned to death by the Taliban in Afghanistan. Jesus dealt with this;

And the scribes and the Pharisees bring unto him a woman taken in adultery: and they set her in the midst, And said to him: Master, this woman was even now taken in adultery. Now Moses in the law commanded us to stone such a one. But what sayest thou?

And this they said tempting him, that they might accuse him. But Jesus bowing himself down, wrote with his finger on the ground. When therefore they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said to them: He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her. And again stooping down, he wrote on the ground. But they hearing this, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest. And Jesus alone remained, and the woman standing in the midst. Then Jesus lifting up himself, said to her: Woman, where are they that accused thee? Hath no man condemned thee?

Who said: No man, Lord. And Jesus said: Neither will I condemn thee. Go, and now sin no more.

We also had a judge in England tell a couple that the laws of this country are no longer based on Judeo-Christian principles and thus they would have to let homosexual couples stay in their Bed & Breakfast. Parliament in England says that it is okay to kill babies in the womb, up to and during birth for the disabled. Euthanasia by neglect was legalised on 5th April 2005.

It is almost amusing to look at the pre & post Christian World and see that they are much the same. But why say, 'Post Catholic World' in the title for this post and not just Post Christian? Because once you allow one error or sin you will be open to others, once Henry VIII split from God's Church the Devil knew that this Country was in his grip. Just look at England today and remember that but for that lustful King this could still be Merry Catholic England.

'Protestant' Attack On Crib!

I'm very sad to say it, but I think that our young cat, Blobs de Silmaril has abandoned the one True Faith. Why he could not wait until Confirmation, a more traditional age to jump ship is beyond me. Maybe he thought the wait would be too long as he is less that a year old at the moment or maybe he found out that cats don't get Confirmed.

Well whatever the reason, we came home to find Jesus, Mary & Joseph on the floor , St Joseph badly smashed, and Blobs about to jump down from next to the now empty stable! So unless CCTV footage shows some atheist, protestant or catholic who objects to our Crib staying up until the 2nd February - like the Holy Father's one - smashing the crib, then I'm very sorry to say that it was Blobs. We will have to get the cat-echism out and go through it with him.

Very Urgent Pro-Life Novena

On 28th January (New Rite Feast of St Thomas Aquinas) the BPAS will go to court to seek the right to have the abortion pill taken by women at home. For details see John Smeaton's blog.

Please therefore say the following prayers each day for the next nine days, for the intention that the BPAS will fail;

Tantum ergo Sacramentum
veneremur cernui:
et antiquum documentum
novo cedat ritui:
praestet fides supplementum
sensuum defectui.
Genitori, Genitoque
laus et iubilatio,
salus, honor, virtus quoque
sit et benedictio:
procedenti ab utroque
compar sit laudatio.
Amen.
Sancte Thoma, ora pro nobis

Or in English;
Down in adoration falling,
Lo! the sacred Host we hail;
Lo! o'er ancient forms departing,
newer rites of grace prevail;
faith for all defects supplying,
where the feeble sense fail.
To the everlasting Father,
and the Son who reigns on high,
with the Holy Ghost proceeding
forth from Each eternally,
be salvation, honor, blessing,
might and endless majesty.
Amen.
St Thomas, pray for us

Prayer for Wales

O Almighty God,
Who in Thine infinite goodness
has sent Thine only-begotten Son into this world
to open once more the gates of heaven,
and to teach us how to know, love and serve Thee,
have mercy on Thy people Who dwell in Wales.
Grant to them the precious gift of faith,
and unite them in the one true Church
founded by Thy Divine Son; that,
acknowledging her authority and obeying her voice,
they may serve Thee, love Thee, and worship Thee
as Thou desirest in this world,
and obtain for themselves everlasting happiness
in the world to come.
Through the same Christ our Lord.

R. Amen.

Or the Prayers for England or Scotland

'Light Of The World' Book, New Scandal!

Well I waited and waited, but a review copy just did not show up! Scandal or what! So then like a lowly member of the public I set off to the Catholic Truth Society (CTS) bookshop to buy a copy. The shame of it, I felt like Belloc walking around the Alps! Upon arrival I found the shop closed for stock taking! Could it get any worse?

A few days later, on other business I found myself at the CTS offices, so I asked if I could buy a copy. Where-upon I was told that they had sold out of ten thousand copies and would have no more copies until tomorrow!

And so, a few more days later, having been rightly told off for using my mobile phone in the CTS bookshop, I paid for a copy. I went home and gave this unsigned copy to my wonderful Wife who did so much to defend the Holy Father (do see her other posts in November 2010) when he was attacked over this book. Finally the Vatican did join in with my Wife's defence of the Holy Father.

Good Counsel On Television

Good Counsel on television, well almost. The Pro-Life work of The Good Counsel Network is based on the Chicago's Women Centre. The 30 minute documentary, Women's Centre; Where Miracles Happen, will be shown on EWTN on Monday 17th January at 2am, 10.30am & 7.30pm. You can watch it online at http://ewtn.co.uk/ or on Sky 589.

There are quite a few good Pro-Life programmes on EWTN this month so do check their Schedule.

Looking For The King, An Inklings Novel

I have just finished reading this great Catholic novel, which my wonderful Wife gave me for Christmas. Strange that a review copy did not show up in the post, but there we go. It is a great book for many reasons, but the great thing about it for me is that you could give a copy to anyone who likes Tolkien, Lewis etc. My Dad is unlikely to read a book by Scott Hahn or the like, but this one may go down quite well, and expose him to some Good Old Time Religion. Below is the blurb from the publishers (yes the ones that did not send me a review copy) Ignatius Press & you will also find a book trailer video on their website.

"It is 1940, and American Tom McCord, a 23-year-old aspiring doctoral candidate, is in England researching the historical evidence for the legendary King Arthur. There he meets perky and intuitive Laura Hartman, a fellow American staying with her aunt in Oxford, and the two of them team up for an even more ambitious and dangerous quest.

Aided by the Inklings-that illustrious circle of scholars and writers made famous by its two most prolific members, C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien-Tom and Laura begin to suspect that the fabled Spear of Destiny, the lance that pierced the side of Christ on the cross, is hidden somewhere in England.

Tom discovers that Laura has been having mysterious dreams, which seem to be related to the subject of his research, and, though doubtful of her visions, he hires her as an assistant. Heeding the insights and advice of the Inklings, while becoming aware of being shadowed by powerful and secretive foes who would claim the spear as their own, Tom and Laura end up on a thrilling treasure hunt that crisscrosses the English countryside and leads beyond a search for the elusive relics of Camelot into the depths of the human heart and soul.

Weaving his fast-paced narrative with conversation based on the works of the Inklings, author David Downing offers a vivid portrait of Oxford and draws a welcome glimpse into the personalities and ideas of Lewis and Tolkien, while never losing sight of his action-packed adventure story and its two very appealing main characters."

Aborted Baby Has Her Say!

Ever wondered what an aborted baby would say? Wonder no more. Paul Smeaton says that we should all watch this Pro-Life video and who am I to disagree.

I must say that his blog is very good .........after all he has said some nice things about mine and about Good Counsel!

In Communion With The Vicar Of Christ & Local Bishop

On the Second Sunday after Christmas I went to Mass where the Priest celebrated the Feast of The Epiphany a few days early, thus showing Communion with the local Bishop, who thinks this is a good idea.

Today, The Feast of The Epiphany, I went to an Old Rite Mass of The Epiphany thus showing that I am in Communion with the Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI, Christ's Vicar on Earth, as he offered Mass for the Epiphany today.

Solemnity Of The Epiphany Of The Lord

From St Peter's Basilica, Rome, Mass offered by Pope Benedict XVI on the Feast of The Epiphany (6th January) on EWTN online or Sky 589. It will be live at 9am, with an encore at 11pm and will last 2 hours.

Pope On Blessed Cardinal Newman

ADDRESS (in part) OF HIS HOLINESS BENEDICT XVI ON THE OCCASION OF CHRISTMAS GREETINGS TO THE ROMAN CURIA
Monday, 20 December 2010

"I would willingly speak in some detail of my unforgettable journey to the United Kingdom, but I will limit myself to two points that are connected with the theme of the responsibility of Christians at this time and with the Church’s task to proclaim the Gospel. My thoughts go first of all to the encounter with the world of culture in Westminster Hall, an encounter in which awareness of shared responsibility at this moment in history created great attention which, in the final analysis, was directed to the question of truth and faith itself. It was evident to all that the Church has to make her own contribution to this debate. Alexis de Tocqueville, in his day, observed that democracy in America had become possible and had worked because there existed a fundamental moral consensus which, transcending individual denominations, united everyone. Only if there is such a consensus on the essentials can constitutions and law function. This fundamental consensus derived from the Christian heritage is at risk wherever its place, the place of moral reasoning, is taken by the purely instrumental rationality of which I spoke earlier. In reality, this makes reason blind to what is essential. To resist this eclipse of reason and to preserve its capacity for seeing the essential, for seeing God and man, for seeing what is good and what is true, is the common interest that must unite all people of good will. The very future of the world is at stake.

Finally I should like to recall once more the beatification of Cardinal John Henry Newman. Why was he beatified? What does he have to say to us? Many responses could be given to these questions, which were explored in the context of the beatification. I would like to highlight just two aspects which belong together and which, in the final analysis, express the same thing. The first is that we must learn from Newman’s three conversions, because they were steps along a spiritual path that concerns us all. Here I would like to emphasize just the first conversion: to faith in the living God. Until that moment, Newman thought like the average men of his time and indeed like the average men of today, who do not simply exclude the existence of God, but consider it as something uncertain, something with no essential role to play in their lives. What appeared genuinely real to him, as to the men of his and our day, is the empirical, matter that can be grasped. This is the “reality” according to which one finds one’s bearings. The “real” is what can be grasped, it is the things that can be calculated and taken in one’s hand. In his conversion, Newman recognized that it is exactly the other way round: that God and the soul, man’s spiritual identity, constitute what is genuinely real, what counts. These are much more real than objects that can be grasped. This conversion was a Copernican revolution. What had previously seemed unreal and secondary was now revealed to be the genuinely decisive element. Where such a conversion takes place, it is not just a person’s theory that changes: the fundamental shape of life changes. We are all in constant need of such conversion: then we are on the right path.

The driving force that impelled Newman along the path of conversion was conscience. But what does this mean? In modern thinking, the word “conscience” signifies that for moral and religious questions, it is the subjective dimension, the individual, that constitutes the final authority for decision. The world is divided into the realms of the objective and the subjective. To the objective realm belong things that can be calculated and verified by experiment. Religion and morals fall outside the scope of these methods and are therefore considered to lie within the subjective realm. Here, it is said, there are in the final analysis no objective criteria. The ultimate instance that can decide here is therefore the subject alone, and precisely this is what the word “conscience” expresses: in this realm only the individual, with his intuitions and experiences, can decide. Newman’s understanding of conscience is diametrically opposed to this. For him, “conscience” means man’s capacity for truth: the capacity to recognize precisely in the decision-making areas of his life – religion and morals – a truth, the truth. At the same time, conscience – man’s capacity to recognize truth – thereby imposes on him the obligation to set out along the path towards truth, to seek it and to submit to it wherever he finds it. Conscience is both capacity for truth and obedience to the truth which manifests itself to anyone who seeks it with an open heart. The path of Newman’s conversions is a path of conscience – not a path of self-asserting subjectivity but, on the contrary, a path of obedience to the truth that was gradually opening up to him. His third conversion, to Catholicism, required him to give up almost everything that was dear and precious to him: possessions, profession, academic rank, family ties and many friends. The sacrifice demanded of him by obedience to the truth, by his conscience, went further still. Newman had always been aware of having a mission for England. But in the Catholic theology of his time, his voice could hardly make itself heard. It was too foreign in the context of the prevailing form of theological thought and devotion. In January 1863 he wrote in his diary these distressing words: “As a Protestant, I felt my religion dreary, but not my life - but, as a Catholic, my life dreary, not my religion”. He had not yet arrived at the hour when he would be an influential figure. In the humility and darkness of obedience, he had to wait until his message was taken up and understood. In support of the claim that Newman’s concept of conscience matched the modern subjective understanding, people often quote a letter in which he said – should he have to propose a toast – that he would drink first to conscience and then to the Pope. But in this statement, “conscience” does not signify the ultimately binding quality of subjective intuition. It is an expression of the accessibility and the binding force of truth: on this its primacy is based. The second toast can be dedicated to the Pope because it is his task to demand obedience to the truth."

For full text see Good Counsel's blog