Forever - Rock of Faith cover

Pax et bonum

Proclaim to the nations

Pax et bonum

Johnny Cash - Ain't No Grave

Pax et bonum

Veterans - thank you for your service

 Dad did his part during the Korean War. Thank you.


Pax et bonum

Victory for prolifers and those heeding Catholic teachings? Well ...

This past week's election saw a number of pro-life candidates winning, and number of blatantly pro-abortion candidates losing. In addition, some folks are suggesting Catholic or Catholic-supported candidates did well.


Is this a positive sign for 2016?


I'd like to hope so, but I'm not that optimistic.


This time around I think it was a combination of good pro-life and poor pro-abortion candidates, anti-Obama/anti-Democratic Party sentiments, and unease about the current world situation due to such things as the Ebola hype and terrorists.


I don't think that will hold in 2016. If the Democrats put up a charismatic candidate and the Republicans put up a bland one, the voters will ignore positions on moral issues and abortion and vote for the candidate of the party of death.


Plus, while some winning candidates this time around seem to pay lip service to moral and life issues, how many of them will actually try to do anything once sworn in? We've seen that not happen before - all too often.


Pro-lifers need to work even harder; Catholic leaders need to wood even harder; moral leaders need to work even harder.


If we just sit back and rest on our current "success," the pro-abortion forces will come back.


Pax et bonum

Vote according to Catholic beliefs

I live in Rochester, NY - a center for liberal ideas. It's a very pro-homosexual, pro-homosexual so-called marriage, pro-abortion community - even among Catholics. And, of course, until the last year, the diocesan policies (or lack of enforcement) tended to be more heterodox than orthodox.

But the Rochester scene is a reflection of the state-wide NY-City/urban scene - including having a governor (Cuomo) who was raised Catholic but who promotes all sorts of policies that go against Catholic teachings, and a Catholic Senator (Gillibrand) who is pro-abortion.

Too many politicians - and voters - have been seduced and deluded by what's been deemed acceptable by the culture.

Tuesday Catholics have a chance to make a statement.

They need to vote according to their faith. There are issues on which Catholics can legitimately disagree - taxes, gun legislation, Common Core, etc. But there are non-negotiables over which there cannot be disagreement, especially if one claims to be Catholic.

Catholics should not vote for a politician who is openly, defiantly, pro-abortion, or pro-homosexual marriage. I note that in a number of close races the Democrats - the party I belonged to and worked for 35 years - are making it clear that they have made support for unlimited abortion one of their core beliefs. So unless a Democrat clearly says he/she does not support that position, and given that there are alternatives (even if not ideal and who support positions on other issues with which I disagree), there's no valid, legitimate, moral reason to vote for a Democratic candidate in most races.

I don't say never vote Democratic. There may be choices in which, for example, both major party candidates take the equally wrong positions on abortion or so-called homosexual marriage, and so other issues can come into play. (And yes, I acknowledge that many who take positions against abortion don't have a strong track record of actually doing something to reduce or eliminate it.)

But none of the local/state-wide races in which I can vote have such situations. I may not be happy with some of the alternatives, but at least they don't hold positions on non-negotiables which prevent me from voting for them.

Let's vote for the candidates who at least say they are pro-life, pro-morality. Then let's push them to actually do something about abortion, marriage, and other moral issues. But we can only push them if they get elected in the first place.

I say all this acknowledging that when I was young I was myself subject to the culture on some issues. For mistakes I made then I am penitent. 

I also keep in mind that even those Democrats, politicians, and voters who have fallen prey to the culture need our prayers that their hearts and minds might be open. They are my brothers and sisters, and I must keep that in mind as I speak to them and about them (I often fail: More instances for which I must be penitent.)

Pax et bonum

Who are the prophets?

My Scripture reading of late has involved some of the prophetic books - the minor prophets.

I wonder who are the prophets today?

Do they post on Blogs or Twitter or Facebook or others?

Are they also treated with disdain and mockery?

I can't think of anyone who qualifies as a prophet - but then, I also wonder if that was true of the biblical prophets in their day. Were they considered loudmouths and kooks by their contemporaries, and only later became enshrined as prophets?

Pax et bonum