Coffee Talk with Leslie

Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Church?

2012-02-13T23:32:00.000-08:00

Howdy, Coffee Talkers!

After my last post titled "A Call to Civil Disobedience: Why Catholics' Panties are in a Bind, and Why Yours Should Be, Too!" (on the HHS Contraceptive mandate and the so-called compromise), I had a friend post an article (regarding the GOP trying to introduce legislation that would allow employers to deny any preventive health service) and voice this concern:

"This is why I have a hard time getting behind the Catholics on this issue. I'm afraid of it becoming a slippery slope where any employer can deny any employee healthcare coverage based on their beliefs. I also worry that it will go beyond healthcare into lifestyle choices (like sexual orientation). I want religious rights to be protected, but as an agnostic who is borderline atheist, I don't want someone else's religious rights trumping my civil rights. I bring this up because I genuinely want your thoughts on my concerns. Why shouldn't I be afraid?"

Then today, I saw another friend suggest in a post that the Catholic Church is trying to wage war with everyone on the planet who doesn't agree with them.

Do people, especially American people, really view the Catholic Church as a frightening warmonger?

Well, apparently, many do, so I'm here to help clear up some misconceptions, and ease your fears, my friends.

Here's the main reasons I think that no person should be genuinely afraid of the Catholic Church:

1. The Catholic Church has been pretty much teaching the same things for about 2000 years;
2. The Catholic Church has nothing to hide;
3. The Church is not going to come after you;
4. For better or for worse, the Catholic Church is painfully slow to change.

Allow me to elaborate a bit on each point. First, the teachings of the Catholic Church have not changed substantially since the Apostolic times. Sure, doctrine has been developed and disciplines (such as how long you fast before communion) have been adapted, but the fundamental teachings of the Church have remained pretty much the same. And these teachings are easily accessible. So if you want to find out what the Church really teaches and where she stands on any particular matter (not what the media says or what some misinformed self-professed-but-hardly-practicing Catholic moron spouts off on national television), you can find out. And you can be assured that the Church (as an institution) isn't going to do anything that will deviate from those teachings. Lots of people have misunderstandings or misinformation about what the Church teaches. This is why, in my own teeny corner of cyberspace, I write Coffee Talk to explain these teachings to anyone who cares. You can agree, you can disagree, but you can do nothing until you know what the teachings actually are. And once you know, you'll find the Church and her actions pretty predictable.

Number 2, I know people love stuff like the DaVinci Code and wondering about the Vatican's secret archives. But from all of my experience with the Catholic Church (which has been pretty wide and varied, I'd say) I have not once had the experience of being deliberately deceived or misled by the Church. By individual people, of course (in and outside of the Church -- people are people). But I have never felt the Catholic Church to have some sort of hidden agenda by which they were trying to brainwash or oppress me, or anyone else. Really.

Number 3, I don't quite get it, but a lot of people seem to think that the Catholic Church is some sort of monster, trying to enforce their 'rules' and teachings on everyone in the known world. In fact, there could be nothing further from the truth. Just tonight, I asked the teens in my parish's confirmation program if they had ever received a call from a Church official asking why they missed Mass on any particular week. They laughed, of course, and said no. I asked them if they had ever been asked to punch or swipe a card to prove their attendance at Mass or other church function. Again, of course, the answer was no. (To be honest, I have witnessed these practices in other Christian settings, but never at any Catholic Church or institution of any sort.)

People in the Catholic Church violate the Church's teachings all the time. I say this not with any pride, but to point out that no one in the institutional Church is forcing anyone to follow her teachings, even among her own members! People leave the Church all the time, out the back door, so to speak, and no one hunts them down. To be frank, I think it would actually be nice if the Catholic Church were a little bit better with relational ministry and would follow up with or reach out more to these fallen away members (mostly so everyone felt that they had their chance to say what they wanted to say to someone in the Church, even if they still chose to leave). But the point is the Catholic Church ain't in the business of hunting anyone down. I personally have come to the Catholic faith quite openly and willingly, knowing that I am free to remain or to leave at any time I wish without fear of anyone or anything in the Church itself.

Number 4, the Church is slow. Super slow. Painfully slow. Those 'new' Mass translations that are getting implemented in English were many years in the making. And do y'all remember the whole Galileo controversy? Took a few hundred years to get that all straightened out. I'm not bragging about the slowness, by any means, but I am saying that we can all rest assured that the Catholic Church isn't gonna pull a fast one on us. The Catholic Church in the modern world (especially in the USA) does not have any special wealth, power, or political allies and they are very slow to change anything.

Back to the fear-inducing article, let me discuss a quote from it briefly before I wrap this up; my comments are in red:

"But Republicans and some conservative Catholic groups [Who are they? And why does this article not mention very liberal to very conservative Catholics are united in their opposition to the mandate, not to mention many other non-Catholic faith based groups and public entities?] are not satisfied with the accommodation [What accommodation? The so-called compromise is a rhetorical joke] and hope to use their false claim [fair and balanced reporting?] of “religious persecution” to deny women access to preventive health services [does anyone here really believe that all Catholics, along with all Republicans, are in cahoots to deny preventive health services to women?]. Despite Obama’s decision to shield nonprofit religious institutions from offering birth control benefits [this is an outright lie...I can't even bring myself to continue]...

When someone suggests that the Catholic Church is waging war on anyone in the planet who disagrees with their beliefs, I find this patently absurd. The Catholic Church is doing the same things she's always done, proclaiming those same teachings she always proclaims, but the Church is not forcibly requiring anyone to do anything, nor forcibly preventing them from receiving any service or care of any sort. Sure, the Catholic Church has a moral problem with abortifacients, for example, so Catholic institutions aren't going to pay for them. But they're also not gonna keep people from buying them. People have the right to do whatever they choose, and the Church has the right to proclaim her teachings. Since when did not paying for something amount to denying someone's right to that thing? That's like saying that, because my college charged me tuition rather than fully subsidizing the cost of my education, they were denying my right to access that education. Doesn't fly.

Should anyone be a little afraid of the GOP? Probably. Should people be mistrustful of the Democrats? Quite possibly. Politicians do not abide by any definitive set of social or moral beliefs, and so they can change what they're up to at any given moment. But to be afraid of the Catholic Church? To me, it seems silly at best.

As always, thanks for stopping by, and be assured of my prayers!

Peace and all good,
Leslie

A Call to Civil Disobedience: Why Catholics' Panties are in a Bind, and Why Yours Should Be, Too!

2012-02-10T23:09:00.000-08:00

Friends, Americans, Country people, Coffee Talkers,

The matter that brings us here today is the nonsense that is referred to as the HHS (Health and Human Services) Contraceptive Mandate, and today's alleged compromise. I think that most of us are confused on what is going on with the whole thing (myself included), and that with all the back and forth going on in the media, many have been left confounded by what the big deal is, anyway, especially for Catholics.

This is where I come in, to explain what I can of the Catholic deal.

First, let me address a couple common questions:

Question: Why do you Catholics have your panties in a bind over this whole contraceptive mandate thing, anyway? It's not like Obama is going to make you take birth control or abortion-inducing drugs personally, or make you go to get sterilized.

Answer: Let me address the second part first: not yet. But it is correct to say that, at this point, no one is forcing Catholics to use contraceptives, abortifacients, to get sterilizations, etc. However, the federal government is trying to force Catholic employers into PAYING for these procedures, which are contrary to the church's moral teachings. In other words, the federal government is trying to mandate material cooperation in a moral matter that the Catholic Church has always (and will always) preach, through her moral authority, as being gravely wrong. (If you'd like to know more on why the Church takes this position, read this excellent article from a totally secular source, shockingly titled "Time to Admit It: The Church Has Always Been Right on Birth Control.") In the past, there have always been exemptions for objectors for reasons of religion and/or conscience, not just in the realm of health care, and when those conscience clauses are taken away, all people who value liberty and good will among all people should be alarmed, to say the least.

Question: But doesn't the Catholic position violate the rights of others? What about non-Catholics (for whom birth control is not a moral issue) who work for Catholic employers? Shouldn't they have access to birth control, too?

Answer: As I overheard one person amusingly explain, "the Catholic Church isn't saying that you can't get birth control or abortions; we're just saying, if you do, pay for it your own damn self!" Maybe the Church wouldn't use that exact language, but that's pretty much the sentiment behind the Catholic position. (Besides, there are plenty of ways that women can access these forms of non-health-care for free, if memory serves, but I'm not going to mention them here, because you are free to find out on your own from a non-Catholic source if you want them!) To explain another way, people are free to do or not do whatever they want. But when it comes to Catholic institutions, they are not going to give material cooperation to anything they see as a serious moral wrong.

Also, besides violations of religious liberty and attacks on freedom of speech, the next thing that really gets my goat (what does that saying mean, anyway?) is the misuse of rights language. In America, we agree primarily to the common rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. No where in there do I see a person's right to require that their religiously-affiliated employer violate their own conscience and religious moral teaching to provide them with access to free abortifacients (which, by the way, violate the right to life of the newly formed person).

What follows is a poor analogy, so I apologize in advance, but maybe it will make the point more clear to some -- if I worked for a company that was run by observant Jews, and I personally had a dietary need for pork (let's even go so far as to say that my own non-Jewish doctor had directed it), it would not be my right to demand that my employer provide pork for me at all staff luncheons. It would make even less sense if I asked them to provide pork for all employees at these luncheons, and it would be patently absurd for the federal government to require all Jewish employers to start making pork readily available, free of cost, for all employees. Now, like I said, the comparison is rather weak, but hopefully you get the idea.

Also, if we extend this analogy to address today's so-called compromise given by Obama, here's what he's saying now: alright, you don't have to tell your employees that you are paying for pork for all of them to eat. What we'll do is hire a catering service (who, of course, you will have still contracted with and paid) and the catering service will provide the pork. So now, the employer is not paying for the pork specifically, but as a part of the larger package offered by the catering service.

Obama has offered a very similar 'compromise' in regard to the health care mandate, which in no way addresses the moral issue at hand, nor the issue of religious liberty. Read more about the so-called compromise here.

Also, this federal mandate goes against the Hyde-Weldon Amendment, attached to all federal health-spending bills since 2004 (except Obamacare, of course) which prohibits state governments from forcing any agency, including insurance providers, from paying for abortions, on pain of losing federal health funding.

This is much more than a Catholic issue -- it is an attack on conscience and freedom for ALL people.

I hope that it did not go unnoticed that religious liberty is not the only freedom under attack when military chaplains were recently silenced; they were prohibited from reading a letter to their Catholic congregations urging them to resist this federal mandate that would essentially violate their religious beliefs, consciences, and their ability to not give material participation in something they found morally objectionable. They were ordered not to read the letter, lest it be 'potentially misunderstood as a call to civil disobedience.'

I think that the letter would not have been at all misunderstood. I think it would have been perfectly understood. The time for civil disobedience is NOW. Either the mandate gets rescinded, or those of willing to stand up for what is right and good will be willing to go to bat for true freedom -- even if these demands risking steep fines, imprisonment, or worse. Trust me, I'm not some sort of ridiculous dreamer with a goal of martyrdom -- I'm a working, single mom who would much rather practice my faith freely, keep my job working for the Catholic Church (who may not qualify for the very narrow exemption of the current mandate, even in it's 'revised' form), and care for my children. But while I'm still free to say so, may I mention to everyone that Obama is a two-faced liar (I say this not as a means of name calling, but as away of identifying what he did when he recently assured the president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Cardinal-designate Timothy Dolan, that he would do all that he could to preserve the religious liberties of Catholics in particular, just before he had Sebelius issue the contraceptive mandate as a clear attack on Catholic institutions). This is not about politics, my friends, this is about freedom, and NOW is the time for civil disobedience, not just by Catholics, but by all men and women of good will who value liberty and free exercise of conscience (it's more than a cricket on your shoulder, my friends!).

I have more to say -- much more -- but you're in luck, as I'll commit myself to prayer and sleep for now.

As always, thanks for stopping by, and be assured of my prayers!

Peace and all good,
Leslie

The Good, The Bad, and the Bacony: A Candid Review of Jack in the Box Bacon Shake

2012-02-08T23:28:00.000-08:00

Hello, Coffee Talkers!

When I recently heard the news of Jack in the Box releasing a bacon shake, I knew I needed to try one ASAP and give everyone a full review. I mean, even if we can't all agree on politics and religion, can we at least agree that we're all kinda wondering what the bacon shake tastes like? A few days passed with no time for bacon shake searching or consumption, but yesterday, as I pulled into a parking lot for something else, I saw the Jack in the Box sign. I never go to Jack in the Box (this is not a matter of moral or religious conviction, in case you're wondering -- I just don't go there), but as I saw the sign, I suddenly remembered: BACON SHAKE!

So I pulled into the drive-thru. While the people in the car ahead of me placed their order, I frantically scoured the menu for a bacon shake. Nothing. Oreo shake. Vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, blah blah blah. Where's my BACON? Another car pulled up behind me, so now there was no turning back. What if this location didn't carry the bacon shake? What if this whole bacon shake thing was a hoax, and the drive-thru girl was just waiting to laugh and laugh at anyone who tried to order one? I looked at the menu again, looked around for any special signs or banners. Still no bacon shake, but I did see the weird picture of the guy trying to marry his bridal-veil-wearing bacon burger, so I considered that a sign of hope.

The car ahead of me pulled forward, and so did I. The moment of truth had arrived. I almost chickened out and just ordered an Oreo shake to save myself the risk of embarrassment, but then I decided to go for it. "Hi, welcome to Jack in the Box. Would you like to try our [some kind of special uttered so fast that I could neither understand nor recall it now]?" "Hi. Um... Do you have... a... a bacon shake?" "Yes, we do." "WOO-HOO!" Silence. "Uh, then I'd like one bacon shake, please." "Would you like to add cookies to that?" [Are you trying to kill me, lady? I'm about to consume a bacon shake!] "No, thanks."

I pulled forward and got out my 3 bucks, trying to prepare myself for the bacon shake experience. I gave her the money. She gave me a dime. I waited for what seemed like a bacon eternity. And then, she handed me the shake. It looked just like in the picture:

I thanked the drive-thru girl, and she said, "Thanks for coming to Jack in the Box. Come again!" I almost said, "I doubt it," but I was so enamored with the bacon shake that I didn't have time to be smart-mouthed. After eating the maraschino cherry, I noticed something -- the shake was entirely uniform in color; it had no bits of bacon in it. I realized that, had I looked closely at the picture, I might have noticed that ahead of time. Still, I tried to give Jack in the Box the benefit of the doubt and think that maybe they had pureed the bacon into the shake. (A girl can dream, right?)

I took my first sip. As the shake went into my mouth, the ice cream reminded me of pancakes with syrup and bacon. "Yeah, that's a good taste combo. I'm down!" And then I swallowed the bite. That's when it hit me -- the strange bacon-flavored aftertaste, and the cold [pun intended] reality that this was just some gross kind of bacon flavoring! I started to suspect that no actual pigs were harmed in the making of this milk shake and quite frankly, I was offended. I took another sip to confirm my suspicion. The same experience repeated itself -- pretty tasty while in mouth, pretty grody aftertaste. I still drank the whole thing (I was gonna get my $2.90 worth, after all), and I decided three things:

I'm still glad that I tried the bacon shake, despite the aftertaste, and found the mysterious ordering process alone to be exhilarating;
The Jack in the Box bacon shake is definitely gonna be a one-time experience, and it's for good reason that they have it 'for a limited time';
I'm gonna make my own bacon shake! With vanilla ice cream! And maple syrup! And maybe even little pancake chunks! And lots of bits of actual BACON!!!

My friend Maureen confirmed the absence of actual bacon with this article from HuffPo. So vegetarians, Jews, and Lenten-Friday Catholics can try out this bad-boy. But only once. You'll see why.

Peace and all good,
Leslie

Some of the Most Beautiful People Are Missing...

2012-01-22T22:20:00.000-08:00

At Mass today, I realized something. I was sitting in a side chapel with my fidgety girls, when a family across the chapel caught my attention. I have seen them before, but something really profound and beautiful struck me today when I saw them. A mother, a father, a boy of maybe 7 years old. The boy was the most noteworthy among them. He cannot speak, he cannot walk, and peeking out from just about the waist of his pants was a sight familiar to any mother -- the trim of a disposable diaper. But the most striking feature of the boy is that, every time I have seen him, he is smiling. The boy sat on his father's lap during Mass today, with his dad gently rocking him most of the time, and when it came time for communion the father carried the boy in his arms to receive the Body of Christ.

Tears came from my eyes. There was no thought behind the tears -- they came forth as a natural response to the mix of beauty and pain and suffering and love that I was beholding. And come to think of it, the response may have been more than natural. This boy and his family clearly pointed to the supernatural, to something beyond this valley of tears (which they most certainly have tasted rather bitterly) to a grace that both sustains them and directs them to something greater and more permanent than this transitory existence. That boy was cleansed from the stain of original sin at the time of his baptism, and he will (presumably) remain free from sin throughout his earthly life. When he received the very essence of the Godhead in Eucharistic communion, I could only imagine how tenderly and with what joy God communed with that innocent boy's soul.

I was transported back in time to the year when, while traveling with NET Ministries, I was at a Mass at a church in Louisiana. I saw a little girl and her mother enter the pew near me, but did not pay much attention until the little girl, completely out of the blue, scooted over to me to give me a hug and a kiss on the cheek. I looked over at the little girl, who had a big smile on her face, and I could not help but be won over by her guileless affection. She had Downs Syndrome, and her mother apologized profusely for the girl's unexpected display of affection, but to me there was no need for an apology; on the contrary, I wanted to thank that mother for bringing that beautiful girl to life and to Mass -- like the man born blind of the Gospels, this girl was born in the way she was "so that the works of God might be made visible through" her.

And as my mind returned to the chapel today, and to the boy and his family, I realized something really shocking. I'd thought of it before, but today it became so real. Why do I not see more children like this boy, and why do I not see more families like this family? Perhaps not all families with profoundly disabled children go out as much as these people do, to be sure, but still, deep in my heart, I knew the real reason. Many of those children were aborted. And my tears continued, not as a sadness for this family and the difficulties that they have had to endure, but for all those families who never got to know their beautiful disabled child, and for all of us who have missed out on knowing them, too. I realized that, while many people talk about the famous people who could have been lost to abortion (Steve Jobs, for example), very few talk about the disabled who also could have been lost or the countless whose lives were lost prior to their birth.

Anyone who knows me (or even who regularly reads Coffee Talk) knows that I am not sharing this experience as some sort of rhetorical platform against abortion -- that's simply not my style. I share this as a true and profound moment of sadness, as a way to thank the families who have chosen to bring profoundly sick or disabled children to life and to care for them (National Catholic Partnership on Disability offers resources), and as a way to reach out to all the people who have suffered the tragic loss of abortion. Rachel's Vineyard offers retreats which facilitate an experience of post-abortion healing to those in need (post-abortive mothers, fathers, family members -- no matter how long ago the abortion was).

The mercy of God knows no bounds, for those who seek it with a sincere and contrite heart.

Peace and all good,
Leslie

Is This "Birthday Wish" a Little Bit Weird to Anyone Else?

2012-01-19T23:20:00.000-08:00

Hello, Coffee Talkers!

Alright, some of you might remember my mentioning Fr. Frank Pavone in a few other posts, and I like what I know of him and admire his work on behalf of the unborn and other people who cannot defend themselves.

Still, when I saw this post today inviting people to 'visit' Fr. Frank's birthday wish, I found it strange. So I need to run it by all y'all to see if it is in fact strange, or if maybe I'm over-reacting. But first, check it out:

Frank Pavone's Birthday Wish

Alright, did you click on it? Did it strike you as weird, too? I'm trying to identify what made it seem strange to me, and here are a few of my best guesses:

Why is there a need to raise $500 for "Pray to End Abortion"? Last time I heard, praying to end abortion was completely free. The economy must be worse than I thought if God's charging now.
If prayer is the most powerful weapon against the culture of death, why are you raising money?
Okay, I understand that there are many costs associated with the work of the Priests for Life. Fine. Clearly, that must be what Fr. Pavone wants people to donate to for his birthday. But I think he should be a little more clear on what the donation is going towards...
...especially in light of the fact that Bishop Zurik recalled Fr. Frank to his diocese in Texas specifically because of his "deep concerns regarding his stewardship of the finances of the Priests for Life organization." Whether the Bishop's concerns were valid or unsubstantiated, this certainly does seem a time when Fr. Pavone might be particularly motivated to remain financially transparent, you know what I'm sayin'?
And the last weird thing is that from the time that I first clicked on the birthday wish until now, the amount raised at the top reads $400, and the progress bar shows that 80% of his $500 'birthday goal' has been met. Has it really stayed at that same level all day, or is it just a way of getting people to think that since Fr. Frank has almost met his goal perhaps they should donate?

Alright, enough of my musings. What do you guys think? (Not that it really matters, but I'd like some feedback.) Is this strange to you, too? Or is it just a great idea lacking the best presentation? I don't know, but I'm gonna go pray for the unborn while it's still free in California. I'm sure that as soon the state gets wind of Fr. Frank's idea, they'll be taxing us for prayer, too!

As always, thanks for stopping by, and be assured of my prayers!
Peace and all good,
Leslie

Happy Blog-a-versary, SOPA, and the Oregon Trail!

2012-01-18T22:34:00.000-08:00

Hello, Coffee Talkers!

Today marks the one year anniversary of my little Coffee Talk blog! It's also, coincidentally, the day of the widespread internet blackouts to protest the SOPA and PIPA bills. These bills were intended to stop internet piracy (arrr, matey!), but posed a real threat to the free internet as we know it, including such things as search engines, social networks, and [gasp!] blogs like little ol' Coffee Talk with Leslie! While this blog does not have an extremely widespread popularity (I suppose that reading about a Catholic perspective on news and reading answers to questions relating to Catholicism is an acquired taste), this past year of blogging has certainly made me appreciate the freedoms we do have and the widespread access to information (and even to personal opinion) that we have through web-based technologies. Honestly, for as small a scope as Coffee Talk has, a number of things still kinda blow my mind about the whole experience:

the fact that anyone reads this. at all.
the fact that the blog is nearing 18,000 page views!
the fact that regular readers of the blog come from dozens of countries around the world.
the fact that a few people have shared with me that they have been led to deeper understanding or practice of Catholicism through the blog.
the fact that my Protestant friends have asked questions, and have better understood the ties that bind us as Christians (happy week of prayer for Christian unity, y'all!).
the fact that a number of friends from non-Christian religions have dialogued with me on various topics thanks to the blog, and I am a better person for it.
the fact that even some atheist and agnostic friends have read (and enjoyed) the blog!
the fact that i can publish a blog, with virtually (ha -- punny!) no skill in web publishing.
the fact that i can say whatever i want on here, without fear or censorship, and that people can comment and ask questions freely, as well.
the fact that, when i was a kid, the idea of publishing a 'weblog' from my own home that people all over the world could read and interact with would have been completely and wildly unimaginable. because all i had then was the Oregon Trail game.

Man, I'm getting old. Please tell me that someone else out there remembers the original Oregon Trail game? I tried to look it up online to give you a sample, but it's not there -- the oldest examples I could find were in color. But the original Oregon Trail game was usually played on a boxy monitor which only displayed one color -- yellow or bright green -- on a black background with one ugly font and bad graphics on a slow and very large computer (from which, if you were lucky, you could also print things in black on your extremely noisy dot matrix printer with that long weird paper).

(Oh, and another thing -- I just accidentally navigated away from this blog page without saving to look for the paper pic without any problem, but let me tell you how many lengthy documents I lost back in those early days of computers, even when I did hit save! It wasn't pretty.)

Anyway, the point of all this nostalgic rambling is that we've come a very long way with computers, and the access we have to web-based media is truly amazing. And as today's bills stand to remind us, these are freedoms that we should not take for granted.

Thanks, everyone, for making this blog possible, and in honor of the blog-a-versary (and of the death of the SOPA bill in its current form thanks to all the protests), feel free to comment about why you enjoy computers or the internet or Catholicism or freedom of speech...or WHATEVER ELSE YOU WANT! (But keep it respectful, or I might have to censor you, not Big Brother.) ;)

As always, thanks for stopping by, and be assured of my prayers.

Peace and all good,
Leslie

I Have a Dream...But What Was It???

2012-01-16T18:53:00.000-08:00

Hello, Coffee Talkers!

I think everyone knows the opening words of Dr. Martin Luther King's 1963 speech, but I wonder if some people think that the dream he had was just to have a day off school and work (perhaps a day to be spent at the pool hall?).

But no, my friends, the dream was much more than that! If you haven't listened to this speech recently (or ever!), listen to it now. I just did, and found it to be 15 minutes very well spent. I hope you do, too!

The line that struck me most this hearing was "We refuse to believe that the banks of justice are bankrupt." Feel free to share your favorite line in the comment box!

Peace and all good,
Leslie

The Questions I Never Answered #2: What's Up With Mormons?

2012-01-13T23:06:00.000-08:00

Hello, again, Coffee Talkers! Here's the question from over a month ago -- I'm gonna catch up, oh yes, I am!

Dear Leslie,

I am writing to ask a question you might answer on Coffee Talk or you might decline all together. Obviously, the choice is yours. Let me come forward from the start and admit that yes my question is politically motivated.

What can you tell me about Mormons? Are they a cult?

I did research a little on the web at http://mormon.org/faq/
Of course this information was from the Mormon perspective.

If you choose not to answer, I won't be offended.

Sincerely,
Curious Catholic

Dear Curious,

Thanks for sharing your question! First, let me say this -- I like all of the Mormons who I know personally. And I'm a fan of some of the things of 'Mormon culture' -- big families, supportive churches, Mo-Tab (a.k.a., the Mormon Tabernacle Choir), and a commitment to stylish but modest clothing (check out these cute dresses, ladies!) just to name a few.

However, I am far from an expert in Mormonism. I know a lot about Catholicism, and a little teeny bit about Mormonism. But I do have a couple good Mormon friends who've helped me to understand a few important differences between Mormonism and Catholicism (and other mainline Protestant Christian denominations), so I can share a few of those things with you here. I looked briefly at the website you mentioned and I think that the main challenge that I find with both the website and with some of the Mormon missionaries I've spoken with in the past is that they are presenting their faith in entirely Mormon terms (natural enough). However, they use many of the same terms as Catholics and mainline Protestant Christians, but the words mean something entirely different. I'll try to break down a few key points as best I can, and translate everything into Catholic terms, since that's the perspective you (and I) are coming from. Again, keep in mind that I'll be speaking here primarily from a theological perspective now, and not from a more superficial perspective of "Do we think Mormons are nice or respectable or moral people?"

The most important thing for us, as Catholics, that leads us to not accept the Mormon religion as even a mainline Protestant denomination is that the Mormon religion was entirely founded on private revelation. In other words, Mormons believe in a special revelation and knowledge given to Joseph Smith that told him to start a new religion and that led him to have published another book in addition to the Bible. The Angel Moroni gave him the Book of Mormon which he assured him contained the fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ. That's a big problem right there -- we believe that the original deposit of faith ended with the death of the last Apostle, and that any 'private' revelations given to people after that are only authentic to the extent that they do not change or add anything entirely new to that original deposit of faith. (Example -- the Divine Mercy devotion given to St. Faustina in 20th century Poland reminds people of God's mercy, a message significant for people in modern times, but does not add anything new to the original deposit of faith). So to the extent that the Book of Mormon adds to, deletes from, and entirely changes the original deposit of faith (which it does, even in ways that majorly affect their understanding of the Most Holy Trinity), we cannot accept their theology or even the basis of their religion. This does not mean that we cannot find certain points of moral and ethical agreement with Mormons, of course, but it's the main thing about Mormonism that I suspect most people don't understand.

The next MAJOR tenet of Mormon theology that we Catholics and other mainline Christians would disagree upon is our understanding of God as Trinity, and thus our understanding of baptism and of Jesus. This is a really complicated point, so I'm only going to give a brief and overly simplified explanation of the differences, but hopefully this will give some insight into the ways our belief systems differ.

Catholic Christians understand God as a single God with 3 'persons' -- God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are all ONE GOD. This is very important. It is from this understanding of God as Trinity that we derive our beliefs on Christology (or who Jesus is). Jesus is the second person of the Trinity. He is only one person, but at the same time Jesus is fully God and fully man. Jesus can only save us because he is God. When we profess in the Creed that Jesus was 'begotten, not made,' we are professing our belief that Jesus, the second person of the Trinity, was not a created being but that he existed in the single Godhead from all eternity. Even though he became incarnate at a certain point in human history, he was not created.

Mormons see this all very differently. I'll be honest -- I have a hard time explaining it because it doesn't quite make sense to me. But I do understand this: this is definitely a case where Mormon terminology sounds very similar to Catholic-Christian belief, but has a totally different meaning. A Mormon friend of mine gave this explanation:

"We believe in God the Eternal Father, in his Son, Jesus Christ and in the Holy Ghost." -Joseph Smith. (First Article of Faith.) So, we believe God, Jesus and the Holy Ghost to be one in purpose, but we do not believe them to be physically the same being/personage [emphasis mine]. We believe them to be separate and distinct, but one in purpose or unified in their work, which we believe is bringing to pass the immortality and eternal life of man. We believe Jesus Christ is the first born son of our Father in Heaven. That Christ was born of Mary, that He atoned for us and suffered death for us on the cross. That He is the one and only redeemer of all mankind. We believe the God the Father is our spiritual father, that He sent His son to die for us, and that He knows and cares deeply for each of us. We believe that Jesus and the Father both have physical bodies as tangible as man's, but that the Holy Ghost is a personage of spirit. (http://lds.org/scriptures/dc-testament/dc/130.22?lang=eng)

So, with that understanding, when Joseph Smith recounted "The First Vision" (http://lds.org/scriptures/pgp/js-h/1?lang=eng) he explained that the Father and the Soon stood before him and ministered to him and instructed him. (Verse 17) "...I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other—This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!"

That's how it's generally portrayed in artwork in the church, and that's our belief.

[Special thanks to my friend who explained this so clearly!]

Woah! Different theology ALERT! Did y'all catch that? Even though Mormons give a very similar formulation of Trinitarian belief in words, once that belief is explained, it turns out to be radically different from the traditional Christian understanding of the Trinity. That is why many people do not accept Mormons as Christians and why the Catholic Church (who accepts Trinitarian baptisms from any Christian denomination) does not accept Mormon baptisms as valid -- not because we are a bunch of narrow-minded meanies, but because Mormons do not believe in a God who is one in being, but a Trinity of persons.

The other thing that I think it's important for Catholics to understand about Mormons is that, while they do have a lot of specific teachings that restrict or direct them in particular ways (most of these seem to come from the Book of Mormon), they leave some of the issues we would consider non-negotiables up to conscience. I was surprised to learn this, but while the Catholic Church always takes a stance against the use of artifical birth control and abortion, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) allow these things on some occasions. However, it seems that perhaps more Mormons follow the Catholic teachings on these subjects than Catholics do (in the US, anyway), so that's something to consider.

To answer your question, "Are they a cult?", I'd say this: the Mormons are following a religion founded by a particular person and based on his alleged vision, but the ones I know are certainly not up to anything freaky like the Branch Davidians, if that's your concern. From my limited perspective, Mormons are generally very good people with bad theology. Still, I value all of my Mormon friends, and am particularly grateful for their witness to family life and care of neighbor.

I hope this has been helpful. As always, thanks for stopping by, and be assured of my prayers!

Peace and all good,
Leslie

All Those Questions I Never Answered: #1 -- On Marriage and Disparity of Cult

2012-01-13T00:09:00.000-08:00

I'm BAAAAACCCKKK! That's right, Coffee Talkers, I just realized that we are only days away from the one year anniversary of little old Coffee Talk, and in honor of the upcoming occasion, I decided to actually POST ON MY BLOG this week! You're welcome.

Alright, there are some questions that I never answered. I'm ashamed! There are two particular questions that come to mind: one question is from over a month ago, and the other one is from last March. Because I am ridiculous. But I think I put both of these questions off until I could really give them due consideration and a response that gave a balanced view from the perspectives of faith and reason. I've realized something: that time is never going to come! So I'mma give them my best shot this week, because something has to be better than nothing. (I don't really believe that, actually, but here goes anyway.) Let's start with the one from last March, shall we?

Question 1:

Dear Leslie,

My husband is the best spouse I could have ever asked for. He is a wonderful father to our children, a friend to everyone and a good son. He serves others in his occupation and does it well. He has always been a person of strong moral character, kind and loving, objective in his judgments of others, honest, faithful and true to himself and those around him. He does not gossip, he does not lie. I know he is a human being like the rest of us and isn't perfect by any means, but I am trying to illustrate a point here: he is above-average in the way he conducts his life. I have witnessed him behave in the most Christian-like behavior throughout our 25 year marriage and I am proud to be his wife. Children adore him and animals flock to him. Whenever I see a spider in our house and ask him to kill it for me, he refuses, saying "A life is a life" while he utilizes the 'catch and release' method to set the spider free...and yes, this even goes for black widows. I always laugh and say I married the re-incarnation of St. Francis. My dilemma? My husband is not Catholic. He's not even Christian. He does not believe in a God for himself but does respect the belief systems of others so long as they are not used for harm toward anyone. He has always been supportive of raising our daughters in the Catholic faith but says he has no personal need for this faith himself. It hurts me so deeply when I am told to believe that someone who is such an amazing person yet does not believe in God will not receive salvation at the time of their death. How do I process these feelings? I simply refuse to believe the kind and loving God I firmly believe in will cast my beautiful husband....HIS child...aside at the time of his death. He behaves more like a Christian than I do on many occasions and yet I've been taught all my life that I will receive salvation and he will not. My children have concern over this as well and I struggle with how to explain this to them. What are your thoughts on this subject?

Thanks so much,

Anonymous :)

Dear Anonymous,

First, thank you for your question! I have too many thoughts on this to share fully here, so let me sum up with a few key points:

While baptism is the gateway to all sacraments and the normal path toward salvation, Catholics do believe that salvation is possible for all people. Find out how by reading my post on Salvation and Damnation: What Do Catholics Really Believe.
It is a challenge for all people to understand the connection between the realities of family life and the Gospel for everyone, because we live in a fallen world. Know that you are not isolated in your feelings and experience, and that God (and the Church) remain with you.
Marriage is not only important as a cultural institution, but also took on new meaning when Jesus elevated it to the level of a sacrament. This is why marriage between two baptized persons is ideal, because that is what makes the marriage sacramental. Still, many Christians marry non-Christians, and the Catholic Church is sensitive to this situation, which they refer to as 'disparity of cult.' The Church has this to say about these marriages in the Catechism:

Mixed marriages and disparity of cult

1633 In many countries the situation of a mixed marriage (marriage between a Catholic and a baptized non-Catholic) often arises. It requires particular attention on the part of couples and their pastors. A case of marriage with disparity of cult (between a Catholic and a non-baptized person) requires even greater circumspection.
1634 Difference of confession between the spouses does not constitute an insurmountable obstacle for marriage, when they succeed in placing in common what they have received from their respective communities, and learn from each other the way in which each lives in fidelity to Christ. But the difficulties of mixed marriages must not be underestimated. They arise from the fact that the separation of Christians has not yet been overcome. The spouses risk experiencing the tragedy of Christian disunity even in the heart of their own home. Disparity of cult can further aggravate these difficulties. Differences about faith and the very notion of marriage, but also different religious mentalities, can become sources of tension in marriage, especially as regards the education of children. The temptation to religious indifference can then arise.
1635 According to the law in force in the Latin Church, a mixed marriage needs for liceity the express permission of ecclesiastical authority.¹³⁷ In case of disparity of cult an express dispensation from this impediment is required for the validity of the marriage.¹³⁸ This permission or dispensation presupposes that both parties know and do not exclude the essential ends and properties of marriage; and furthermore that the Catholic party confirms the obligations, which have been made known to the non-Catholic party, of preserving his or her own faith and ensuring the baptism and education of the children in the Catholic Church.¹³⁹
1636 Through ecumenical dialogue Christian communities in many regions have been able to put into effect a common pastoral practice for mixed marriages. Its task is to help such couples live out their particular situation in the light of faith, overcome the tensions between the couple's obligations to each other and towards their ecclesial communities, and encourage the flowering of what is common to them in faith and respect for what separates them.
1637 In marriages with disparity of cult the Catholic spouse has a particular task: "For the unbelieving husband is consecrated through his wife, and the unbelieving wife is consecrated through her husband."¹⁴⁰ It is a great joy for the Christian spouse and for the Church if this "consecration" should lead to the free conversion of the other spouse to the Christian faith.¹⁴¹ Sincere married love, the humble and patient practice of the family virtues, and perseverance in prayer can prepare the non-believing spouse to accept the grace of conversion.
4. All that said, your husband sounds like a truly wonderful person, and as you've suggested, perhaps more moral than many Christians. I'm sure there are many Catholic women reading this post, wishing perhaps that their own spouse was as St. Francis-like, hard-working, and considerate as your own non-Christian husband! Still, this reminds us that Christ came to the earth and died not so that bad men might be good, but so that dead men might live. And this opportunity is open to all men. Always. Your husband will be judged at the end of his life as we all will -- according to the graces and knowledge he was given, and on how he acted according to his conscience. And it does seem that, in many ways, you two are leading one another (and your children) along paths of grace and salvation, so that can certainly be counted as a blessing sadly not even enjoyed by all couples who are married sacramentally.

Lastly, the US Catholic Bishop's have developed a great internet resource called "For Your Marriage." I hope that you might find it to have good reading and helpful resources for your marriage and family.

[Pretend that the images I tried to insert here had been successful, and then click here.]

As always, thanks for stopping by, and be assured of my prayers!

Peace and all good,
Leslie

On the Belgian Reform Manifesto

2011-12-09T23:11:00.000-08:00

Hellloooo, Coffee Talkers!

It's been a while, but I've gotten some questions in recently, so let me try to clear the cobwebs out of my brain and get crackin' here. Tonight's topic is an article on a reform manifesto issued by four Flemish priests, which a friend passed on to me, asking if I had any commentary. Anyone who knows me knows that, if nothing else, I am never lacking on commentary, so permit me to post the article here (in black) and to comment intralinearly (in red). Enjoy!

Published on National Catholic Reporter
Dec. 02, 2011 By John A. Dick

Hmm...I'm already a bit suspicious of the credibility of this article due to the source, but I'll keep an open mind.

BRUSSELS, BELGIUM -- The week before the start of Advent, four Flemish priests issued a church reform manifesto that called for allowing the appointment of laypeople as parish pastors, liturgical leaders and preachers, and for the ordination of married men and women as priests.

Married men -- fine. You can ask for that, since there already are married priests in the Catholic Church, both in the Eastern Rites and in the Roman Rite among those who have become Catholic priests after having previously served as married Anglican/Episcopal priests. But ordaining women is an entirely different matter (for which I should sometime devote an entire blog post), and perhaps the priests just need to review Blessed John Paul II's document "On Reserving Priestly Ordination to Men Alone."

By the week's end more than 4,000 of publicly active Catholics had signed on to the "Believers Speak Out" manifesto. By Dec. 1, the number of signers had reached 6,000.

Alright.

Among the supporters are hundreds of priests, educators, academics and professional Catholics. Two prominent supporters are former rectors of the Catholic University of Leuven, Roger Dillemans and Marc Vervenne.

I have no idea who these people are, so I can't comment here.

"These are not 'protest people.' They are people of faith. They are raising their voices. They hope their bishops are listening," said Fr. John Dekimpe, one of four priests who launched the manifesto.

"Some people are fearful about approaching church leadership," said the priest, who lives in Kortrijk. "Is this being a dissident? I don't think so. The Belgian church is a disaster. If we don't do something, the exodus of those leaving the church will just never stop. ... I really want the bishops to reflect deeply about the growing discontent of so many believers."

I wish I knew more about the Belgian church so I could offer more insights here, but I have no doubt that they are having serious problems and that some valid concerns are being raised here.

Among the manifesto's demands, made "in solidarity with fellow believers in Austria, Ireland and many other countries," are that:

Parish leadership be entrusted to trained laypeople;

This already happens very frequently in the US, so it's interesting to hear that perhaps this idea is so radical for the church in Belgium that these Flemish priests feel the need to present the idea in the form of a 'manifesto.'

Communion services be held even if no priest is available;

Ditto on my comment above.

Laypeople be allowed to preach;

Well, here is the US lay people do the most informal 'preaching' -- that is, teaching and passing on the faith in the context of sacramental preparation and ongoing formation. The formal homily is reserved to priests and deacons, which I don't see as a huge problem here because the lay people have opportunities for other forms of 'preaching' and proclaiming the Gospel. But okay, what's next?

Divorced people be allowed to receive Communion;

Divorced people CAN receive communion, so that is certainly not what the manifesto is asking for. Don't be deceptive, National Catholic Reporter.

"As quickly as possible, both married men and women be admitted to the priesthood.

As I said above, married men -- already allowed for some Catholic priests, so could still be up for discussion in the Roman Rite. Women, married or not, are an entirely different matter (for theological and sacramental, not historically discriminatory, reasons. Read the JP II document above if you care).

So far there has been no official reaction from Archbishop André-Joseph Léonard, the Catholic primate of Belgium, any of the other Belgium bishops, or the Vatican. Privately, and off the record, one Belgian bishop has applauded the manifesto.

Why is this bishop afraid to go on the record if he really believes it is all right and true?

Jürgen Mettepenningen, a Leuven theologian and former press officer for Léonard, told the Belgian newspaper De Morgen that he hopes the manifesto can lead to a well-thought-out church reform. "When I reflect on what I have written and said over the past years, I can only say that the spirit of the manifesto is the very same spirit in which I have been trying to work to make the church more credible: true to the faith."
Last year, after reports of abuse rocked the Belgian church, an independent commission discovered sexual abuse in most Catholic dioceses and all church-run boarding schools and religious orders. The commission said 475 cases of abuse had been reported to it between January and June this year.

Terrible.

In one of the more prominent cases, Bruges Bishop Roger Vangheluwe was forced to resign after admitting to years of abusing his nephew. In April of this year, he told Belgian television that he had molested another nephew and that it had all started "as a game."

Horrific, and inexcusable. Still, the cause of these problems in not a problem of theology, or of not admitting married men and women to the clergy, etc.

The full text of the manifesto, "Believers Speak Out":

Parishes without a priest, Eucharist at inappropriate hours, worship without Communion: that really should not be! What is delaying the needed church reform? We, Flemish believers, ask our bishops to the break the impasse in which we are locked. We do this in solidarity with fellow believers in Austria, Ireland and many other countries, with all who insist on vital church reform.

Sounds good to me!

We simply do not understand why the leadership in our local communities (e.g., parishes) is not entrusted to men or women, married or unmarried, professionals or volunteers, who already have the necessary training. We need dedicated pastors!

Again, I have too little knowledge of the Belgian church to say much. In the Diocese for which I work, it is not at all uncommon to see the administration of parishes entrusted to celibate priests, married priests (former Anglicans), married women, married men, single women, single men. However, they are not all pastors, per say. A priest (or deacon, when permissible) still has to serve in the celebration of the sacraments. Evidently, the church in Belgium has a real priest shortage, but little or no openness to lay administrative leadership of parishes. That is a solvable problem, and perhaps these priests do well to bring it to the light.

We do not understand why these our fellow believers cannot preside at Sunday liturgical celebrations. In every active community we need liturgical ministers!

Again, we have many lay liturgical 'ministers,' but they are all 'extraordinary ministers' -- that is to say, they are outside of the ordained clergy. Only the ordained clergy are formal ministers. These lay people can serve in many liturgical roles, but they cannot celebrate Mass. Are they just asking for lay people to be admitted into any liturgical ministries at all, or for them to take the place of ordained clergy?

We do not understand why, in communities where no priest is available, a Word service cannot also include a Communion service.

Agreed. I also do not understand this. The bishops can train and commission lay 'ministers' for this purpose.

We do not understand why skilled laypeople and well-formed religious educators cannot preach. We need the word of God!

I addressed this above.

We do not understand why those believers who, with very good will, have remarried after a divorce must be denied Communion. They should be welcomed as worthy believers. Fortunately, there are some places where this is happening.

If a person was sacramentally married, a civil divorce does not end the sacramental marriage. Only if the original marriage was invalid sacramentally can a person get married in the Church. Otherwise, if they remarry civilly (while still being married to another sacramentally), they are not permitted to receive Eucharistic communion. Divorced people who are annulled from their previous marriage (in other words, it was declared by the Church to have been an invalid sacrament) may marry again and receive communion; also, divorced people who cannot receive an annulment but remain unmarried (civilly) may receive communion. There are many complicated cases for which I believe that the Church (most especially priests and bishops) should have very special pastoral care. These priests are right to point out that many people in this situation remarried with good will, and often with varying degrees of misunderstanding or ignorance of church (or canon) law. Still, there are many other situations for which people are not permitted to receive Eucharistic communion until reconciling themselves with the Church and the community, and the Church's teaching on a sacramental marriage being a lifelong union that is free, total, faithful, and fruitful must be preserved. I think they mention a valid concern, but do not present a real solution.

We also demand that, as quickly as possible, both married men and women be admitted to the priesthood. We, people of faith, desperately need them now!

I already talked about this one a few times, so enough said.

Those are all of my thoughts for now, friends. I'd welcome insights from people with a special knowledge of the church in Belgium.

As always, thanks for stopping by, and be assured of my prayers!

Peace and all good,
Leslie

On Human Dignity, Steve Jobs, and Why You Shouldn't Call Me A "Pro-Life Advocate"

2011-11-03T22:10:00.000-07:00

Hello, Coffee Talkers!

Well, it's been a while. And since I realized that little old Coffee Talk has just been sitting here collecting virtual dust, I decided to hop on tonight and write a little something for you. (I did briefly check my blog stats for the first time in weeks before writing, and made a totally weird discovery -- my last post on "Pro-Life: What Does It Mean to You?" got nearly 1,000 page views, over 800 of which appear to have been from Egypt. Strange.)

Anyway, thanks to those who responded. Your feedback on your views of the pro-life movement were very helpful to me, and I was able to whisk away an article that will apparently be published soon. I'll be sure to remember you all when I start raking in all those bags of money! ;)

When I was asked to write an article about being involved in the pro-life movement with a new perspective than the same old stuff (this magazine has an annual pro-life issue), I first thought of a good friend of mine from college having confided in me her experience of having an abortion. So I wanted to use that experience as a starting point for my article -- my personal reflections on ways that I could be more active as a pro-life person as inspired by this discussion with my friend. Some of my ideas were definitely outside of the box of traditional pro-life activities, and included things as simple as being a better friend to people and supporting single moms, to let others who may end up in that situation themselves know that it is not unbearable and that a loving community will help to support that mother and child. I also reflected a little bit on how many people who are 'outside of the pro-life movement', so to speak, might have a really negative and distorted view of what it means to be pro-life, based on the inappropriate speech and actions of a few. I could easily imagine that, to some people, those who claimed to be 'pro-life' seemed rather harsh, judgmental, and unkind to those who are currently living, which does little to promote a spirit of human dignity, love, and mutual respect.

And then I had a fascinating and unfortunate exchange with someone that really confirmed this for me. A certain well-known "Pro-Life Advocate" (henceforth referred to as PLA) made some very negative posts about Steve Jobs, very shortly after his death, on their "pro-life" Facebook page, and many people were (understandably) offended by the posts. I decided to write to PLA, in the hopes that I might appeal to this person's goodwill and decency, and while the PLA did eventually remove the most offensive post (the one in which PLA compared Steve Jobs to Margaret Sanger in a tasteless, irrelevant, and unnecessary way), the exchange that we had in the meantime made me realize that, unfortunately for the whole pro-life movement, some of the movement's leaders do little to represent a spirit of compassion and love. Also, when people cannot articulate their own arguments well, or engage in a rational debate with another person (especially with someone who largely shares their own point of view), we have little hope of winning over people from the 'other side' to our way of thinking. I would like to give a very special thanks to my friend who read this exchange and so wisely advised: "Don't write back; PLA is crazy." Honestly, this exchange even made hard-core Catholic Coffee Talking Leslie feel that if this kind of attitude is part of what identifies someone as a "pro-life advocate," I hope people will never call me one. I hope they'll call me a friend and a defender of human dignity, but not a pro-life advocate if it means being a hateful and illogical idiot. (And for the record, I think that I may have been a bit of an illogical idiot myself for engaging in this discussion in the first place, especially online. It is much easier for people to know your intention and the spirit of your words when you are speaking face to face, in a spirit of friendship, than in the emotionless forum of the virtual world.) In any case, here's the exchange:

LESLIE: Hi, PLA! I hope you'll forgive the boldness of this unsolicited message, but I saw your recent posts from your "PLA: Pro-Life Advocate" page, and I wanted to share my thoughts.

First, let me say that I am so happy for the good work the Lord has done, and is doing, through you and your experience of conversion. I have a copy of your book (excellent so far), and even looked into the possibility of having you come as a speaker for the parish/diocese in which I work. Unfortunately, the costs were much too high for an area of rather modest means, but I was happy to know that you must be doing very well in terms of speaking engagements and spreading the important message of the sanctity of all human life. I am also blessed to hear of you and your family coming into the Catholic Church. Welcome!

All of that said, I am really disappointed by your last two posts about Steve Jobs. I am not suggesting that anyone should celebrate the fact that Apple may have ever supported Planned Parenthood, "even one cent" as you said, but I am shocked that you would post such strong statements without having any hard facts at all to back up what you are saying, especially in the wake of someone's death. I think it's clear that anyone spreading the message of Steve Job's adoption is doing so as a way of illustrating the significance of every human life, and I'm sure that's not a message that you're opposed to. I know that you have been on the receiving end of so many mean-spirited comments and even threats, and I thank God for protecting you and your family as you continue to do good work. Still, I have to hope that you have not let the attacks get the best of you and resorted to baseless attacks and mean-spirited comments yourself. I'm sure you are above that. You have a very large and captive audience -- over 14,000 people on Facebook alone -- and I hope that you'll use this forum boldly, but responsibly. I think your last two comments are inappropriate, and it's my personal hope that you'll delete them, or issue some sort of apology for making such remarks in the wake of a man's death without any hard evidence of his (or his organization's) support of Planned Parenthood. And even with hard facts, it seems that the timing is really less than tasteful -- can we not let people mourn, and celebrate what was good in the life of Steve Jobs without making this some sort of rhetorically snappy platform for the pro-life message?

This is just one humble opinion, of course. And in any case, be assured of my prayers for you and your family.

Peace and all good,
Leslie
~~~~~
PLA: I won't be deleting them. I think it needed to be said. And I do have the links that show contributions from Apple to PP. I also know first hand of the donations...since I saw them come in to my affiliate. I am not attacking anyone. I am simply stating that it is bothersome to see some in the pro-life movement forget what our primary stance is...LIFE. His company supports abortion. Period. I think it is interesting to see how people will defend things or people that are tied to abortion if they have benefited their family. It is sad, really. I have seen pro-lifers with the Apple logo as their profile pic. That is not celebrating Jobs' mother...that is celebrating the Apple Corporation...the same corporation that donates to PP. Shame.
~~~~
LESLIE: I'm in no way defending Apple, PLA, but I am defending Steve Jobs as a person, and his family and friends as they mourn this loss. Yes, our primary stance is life, of every single person, regardless of who or what they support. I am glad that Steve Jobs' mother chose adoption rather than abortion, and I'm glad that people are sharing that message. And I hope they continue to do so, despite your messages. I doubt that many of the pro-lifers with the Apple logo as their profile pic know about their support of PP, so yes, that could be an important message to share. Apple supports Planned Parenthood, so if you support life, then sure, go ahead and celebrate Steve Jobs' adoption, celebrate his accomplishments even, but don't celebrate his organization's support of Planned Parenthood. I think some so-called pro-lifers lose a lot of people with the brashness of their message, full of rhetorical devices and hitting people over the head, but devoid of the kindness and love that are truly necessary to win people over. Thanks for the reply, anyway. It's interesting to know more of the thinking behind what you post. Peace be with you.
~~~~
PLA: I didn't say not to share the adoption message. I didn't say not to talk about the sacrifice his biological mother made. I said to not turn him into a pro-life hero. He was not. That is no "brash." That is truth. Sometimes it is hard to swallow.
~~~~
LESLIE: I haven't seen one example of anyone trying to turn Steve Jobs into a pro-life hero, and I do not at all find the truth hard to swallow. God bless.
~~~~
PLA: Hmmm...I have, multiple times. ie, the Apple logo on people's profile pic. The overly gracious articles about his philanthropy and "oh, where would we all be without Apple Computers????" That has nothing to do with his mother. That has nothing to do with her choosing life for him.
~~~~
LESLIE: Nor do any of those examples have anything to do with turning Steve Jobs into a pro-life hero, in my opinion. How do you think that they do? Just because a person is pro-life and they post the Apple logo as their pro-file pic -- this represents turning Steve Jobs into a pro-life hero?

As for all of the "where would we all be without Apple Computers????", I agree that some people may have gone a little overboard with this. Even before the death of Steve Jobs, there's been a certain mania regarding Apple computers, so it comes as no surprise to me that this kind of hype would follow his death. I personally do not own a single Apple product.

Still, I think their products are of such high quality and ingenuity that every other computer has followed their lead, and I do think that Apple has made certain technological advances which have directly influenced those things which are good, true and beautiful. For example, I studied music as an undergraduate student, and the only decent computer programs for musicians and artists were to be found on Apple computers. And then, while studying theology as a graduate student at Franciscan University of Steubenville, I learned from several different professors of Scripture and language that they could really only use Apple computers to have access to the appropriate fonts and programs for ancient and Biblical languages. Trust me, these guys were about as much of the real-deal in terms of pro-life as you could get -- these were men with doctorates spending all of their meager wages on their huge Catholic families and driving old beaters to teach at one of the most pro-life universities around -- and still, they had a real appreciation for what Apple computers could do to promote the study of ancient and Biblical languages, of art, of music; in short, of things that are the most beautiful in life, and that are at the heart of the Church.

I don't know that these people knew of Apple's support of Planned Parenthood, and I don't know if they would have continued to buy Apple products if they had known. Still, even if they switched to PCs to find similar products, they would have found something modeled on Apple's original work, and a creative vision that could originally have been attributed to Steve Jobs. So I actually don't think it's an exaggeration to say that the world would be very different without Apple computers -- especially with the era of technology in which we now live. And in any case, I don't think that celebrating what was good about Steve Jobs life equates with people making him a pro-life hero. Do I think Steve Jobs was a pro-life hero? Hardly. But do I think he was a man who made a difference in the world, a difference for good based on what he knew and believed, and am I glad that his mother chose life for him? Most certainly. And I sincerely believe that this is where most pro-lifers are coming from when they make posts about Apple or Steve Jobs since his death.

Peace!
~~~~~
PLA: I am glad his mother chose life for him as well. I just wish he would not have lived his life supporting immorality.
~~~~
LESLIE: Of course. What God-fearing person would wish that another lived their life supporting immorality? Still, two things come to mind here:

1.) Does the life of Steve Jobs really strike you as essentially one that supported immorality? Is that the way in which you would sum up the little we know of his life? Can you not even celebrate the positive achievements in this man's life because of his support of an organization which you have now turned away from? I would certainly hope not. Yes, supporting Planned Parenthood is supporting an organization whose philosophical underpinnings are in many ways a serious attack on human life and dignity, but many people are unaware of this. You do well to educate people as to the true objectives of the organization. But while making such possibly educational commentary during the course of a person's earthly life could certainly be the potential for conversion and positive moral change (as in your own story), making the same type of commentary shortly after a person's death could easily be misconstrued as taking a step toward the judgment which is left to God alone at worst, or defamation of character at best. Yes, we can know with certainty the difference between right and wrong, between good and evil, but judgment of an individual soul is based upon that person's conscience, a knowledge of which is left to the Almighty alone. I'm sure that's not the type of judgment you are trying to pass.

2.) Being pro-life means that we wish that ALL pregnant mothers would give their babies a chance at life, and that means that every single one of those lives would have opportunities to choose right from wrong, good from evil, again and again, and they would always have the chance for and hope of mercy and redemption up until the moment of their death. The reality of our fallen world is that many people, at some point or even during most or all of their earthly lives, will choose immorality. This is the result of free will and the fall of man. While no pro-life person hopes that anyone will live an immoral life, one of the most bold and unthinkable things about the pro-life position is that we truly support ALL HUMAN LIFE -- regardless of 'being wanted' or having a lot of money or material resources or of how they are going to end up living their lives. I think that most people do NOT see Steve Jobs life as essentially one lived supporting immorality, and rightly so. He did a lot of good things with the gifts and talents he was given, and he will be judged accordingly, just as he will for any evil in which he participated or contributed. And of course, this will all be based upon what he knew, and the graces that he was given. I don't believe that he was a Christian person, so to be honest, those of us who have the gift and burden of Baptism will be judged more strictly and at a higher standard -- to whom much is given, much is required. May the Lord have mercy on us all.
~~~~
PLA: You are totally not understanding my point. You are making a big deal out of nothing. I don't like going back and forth. You think whatever you would like...doesn't matter what I say anyway. You have decided that I am saying something I am not. It's fine. People do that all the time. People LOVE to put words in my mouth. :)
~~~~
LESLIE: Well, you must like going back and forth at least a little bit, because you keep responding! Maybe you could give a simple clarification of what point it is that I'm missing, if you feel so strongly that I am "totally not understanding" it. It does seem strange that, as a fellow Catholic and pro-life advocate myself, I could be entirely missing whatever point it is that you're trying to make, PLA. I have hardly decided you are saying something you are not, but I'm sorry that you believe that 'people' love to put words in your mouth. I am not one of them. I've tried to avoid that, in fact, by messaging you directly and not discussing this in a public forum. I was rather surprised that you responded at all, but I have to say that each time you do reply, it doesn't seem to correspond to what I've said. And with your responses being rather brief, and not really addressing what I'm saying, I guess I've tried to clarify. My mistake. I'm sure that this would be a better conversation in person, and I'm sorry that you seem to have taken things so personally. All the best, PLA!

P.S. Does ending a message with a smiley face emoticon make it okay for you to accuse me of putting words in your mouth and grouping me with all the people who have formerly done so? I don't really appreciate it. Thanks!
~~~~
PLA: Funny that I am the one who keeps going back and forth...ummm, you keep responding, too.

Steve Jobs supported Planned Parenthood (abortion) and homosexuality and all homosexual legislation. Yeah, I'm going to say that is pretty immoral.

You say I condemned his soul. NEVER. I have not done that ONCE. See, you putting words in my mouth.

Since when can we not comment about how someone lived after they died? We do it ALL the time! Margaret Sanger was a racist. Ooops...should I not say that??? I mean, maybe she wasn't a racist? Maybe she didn't support immorality?? I don't know. Maybe we just aren't supposed to say that. Now I don't know what to think, since we supposedly can't make comments about the way people lived their lives. Gosh, the pro-life movement is in trouble.

I never said I didn't value his life. NEVER. I never said I didn't appreciate his adoption story. NEVER. You are going on and on about those two things as if I didn't appreciate his life or the fact that he was adopted.

People keep going on and on about how "brilliant" he was. I don't really care a thing about that. And I think there has been far too much emphasis put on that. If we want to really "honor" his adoption story, then let's make this about his mother...not about ipads, ipods and Jobs' innovations. Who cares? There is nothing pro-life about the ipod. But there is a pro-life story in his adoption. But I honestly haven't seen that much emphasis on that. And, trust me, I have been looking. You may not see the pedastal he has been placed on, but I have.

I also think it is interesting that you say "supporting Planned Parenthood is supporting an organization whose philosophical underpinnings are in many ways a serious attack on human life and dignity, but many people are unaware of this." So, we shouldn't tell the truth because people are unaware of what PP does? What? That is what I do! I educate people about PP AND the people they are associated with.

My responses don't make sense?? hmmm...

And so ended the conversation. I thought of so many responses, but as none of them would have proved fruitful, I decided to let it go and try to commit more firmly in my personal life to be more loving and not be a moron. I think that this is the best way that I can represent and act on behalf of the pro-life movement.

As always, thanks for stopping by! Be assured of my prayers.

Peace and all good,
Leslie

"PRO-LIFE" - What does that mean to you?

2011-10-11T21:25:00.000-07:00

Heyyyy, Coffee Talkers!

I'm back! Whew, I had initially just taken a breather from the ol' Coffee Talk to collect my thoughts and such, but then sickness hit my household! For about 3 weeks (with little breaks in the midst of the variety of illnesses that have come upon us). And I really couldn't generally be up much past nine, and certainly not thinking or writing any sensible thoughts if I was. But I'm glad to see y'all again, and am always, am amazed that people still read this little blog even while I'm away. Today, friends from the US, Russia, UK, Canada, Italy, Poland, Japan, and Turkey tuned in to our little forum here via the blogosphere, so welcome!

Now, down to business. I need to start writing again. And guess what? Not only do I need to hop back on the writing wagon for Coffee Talk, but I've also been asked to write another article. For a magazine. A real one. And I'm gonna get paid again! But not if it sucks. So this is where you come in.

I need feedback. Candid, honest feedback in the comments section. Please feel free to comment anonymously, but I would ask two things: 1.) please do not comment on other comments, only on my questions, and 2.) while I welcome candor (and candy!), please do not write anything deliberately offensive. I think y'all know the general feeling and ground rules of Coffee Talk -- you can contribute anything, so long as other persons are respected.

Alright, here are my questions for you:

1.) What do you think of when you hear "pro-life movement"? What do you think the movement is, and what do you think it means? What signs, symbols, feelings, people, or ideologies do you associate with that term?

2.) Do you consider yourself "pro-life"? Why or why not?

3.) If you do consider yourself to be "pro-life", do you refer to yourself as "pro-life"?

4.) What do you think of t-shirts and bumper stickers that say "Pro-life"?

5.) Based on what you know or perceive of the "pro-life movement," what would you say are its strongest and weakest points?

Okay, it's your turn now. Please weigh in. Be honest, be kind, be respectful. And remember -- don't comment on other comments here, but only on my questions. Let this be a free and open forum of respect.

In advance, thanks for your help! And as always, thanks for stopping by and be assured of my prayers.

Peace and all good,
Leslie

On Vocation, Suffering, and Disillusionment: World Youth Day and Being God's

2011-09-23T23:11:00.000-07:00

Hello, Coffee Talkers!

A friend of mine, who runs her own lovely blog for Catholic moms, asked me to write a guest column for her blog on World Youth Day. Only, she asked me to do this shortly after I returned from World Youth Day, which was almost a month ago now. I think she was interested in hearing and sharing a Catholic mom's-eye view of World Youth Day, which got me really thinking about how this World Youth Day experience was different for me than my other two, since it was my first as a mom. It also got me thinking about vocation in general, and although this is a month late and at least a few ounces of "I'm a bubbly Catholic mama blogger" short, I'll offer what I have first here in the Coffee Talk forum, and then perhaps to be shared on my friend's blog as well.

My first World Youth Day experience was in Denver, Colorado in 1993 with Pope John Paul II. I was 15 years old, and looking back on that time, I believe that even though I probably can't remember a word that was said in any catechetical session or many specific things that happened at that event (I do remember feeling sick after a solid week of McDonald's food!), I do know that WYD Denver was my first taste of what it really meant to be Catholic (and no, it was not the taste of McDonald's!). In those days, I suddenly saw, heard, and felt, what it meant to be part of something much larger than myself, something much greater, higher, broader, more significant. I knew for the first time what it meant that the Church was truly Universal, or in a word, Catholic. For 15-year-old Leslie, full of youth, hope, and idealism, I think that WYD Denver helped me to form a deeper sense of having a calling in life, and seeing that I was a small but important part of some much bigger plan and design for life and the world.

My next World Youth Day experience was in Toronto, Ontario, Canada in 2002. I traveled with a group of international alumni from NET Ministries (National Evangelization Teams), and helped to facilitate the catechetical sessions. This WYD was also especially meaningful to me in terms of my vocation, or calling in life, because I attended just weeks before entering religious life with the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia in Nashville, Tennessee. I felt that perhaps God was calling me to live as a Dominican Sister, and was accepted to live as a postulant (or one who asks the question) with the community. I remember clearly Pope John Paul II's message to the young people at his final WYD, especially to those considering priesthood and religious life, and I felt a deep hope and responsibility in responding to God's call as I heard it, even if it meant leaving behind regular contact with family and friends, a good job, and a graduate degree program that was being entirely paid for by my employer. I was ready to put my hand to the plow and to not look behind, following God wherever he was leading me. Little did I know where this path would take me.

My most recent World Youth Day experience was last month in Madrid, Spain. As I said, it was my first WYD as a mom, so you can probably gather that I did not become a Dominican Sister. After a school year of living with the beautiful community, I returned home, not at all sure why the Lord had called me there if He didn't want me to stay, and completely uncertain as to what path might lie ahead. When my friend recently asked me to share my 'mom's-eye' view of what WYD was like, it reminded me a bit of when I was asked to share my 'vocation story' for a Catholic magazine. The editor who asked me was relatively new to the publication, and so I was certain that she assumed that I was a happily married Catholic wife and mom. Strangely, I'd had a sense that I'd be called upon to share my story, complete with the sad divorce-and-annulment and all, so I told her that I'd be willing to share, but that my story wasn't probably the one she expected. She accepted my offer, and the result was published here. So in those years between WYD Toronto and WYD Spain, I'd experienced a whole lot of life and whole lot of heartache, especially in terms of my vocation. I never expected to attend a World Youth Day again after having children, and especially not after unexpectedly becoming a single mom, so I knew that when I was called upon to lead a group to Madrid, God must have some message for me, as well.

There are SO many things that I could say about my experience at World Youth Day Madrid, and about what I feel like God wanted me to take from the whole experience. I'll try to sum it up in three main themes:

1. Vocation is always rooted in reality, and in the present moment.
2. Vocation is always rooted in love, and in loving again and again.
3. Vocation means being God's, even on the Cross.

I'll offer a few thoughts on each one before I drift off to dream-land.

1. Vocation is always rooted in reality, and in the present moment.

Have you ever known someone who was always 'discerning' their vocation? Don't get me wrong -- discernment is not a bad thing, but I think that sometimes we confuse discerning with fanciful daydreaming. And these daydreams don't necessarily have to take the form of something glamorous, for even the dream of suffering or martyrdom can be heroic in the mind's eye. Take my own situation -- sure, I can consider and pray about what the Lord might like me to do in the future. Would He like me to be married, to be a missionary, to enter religious life after my children are grown? But ultimately, the most important aspect of my vocation is rooted in my present reality -- I know that I am called to be the best mom I can be to my 3 and 5-year-old daughters, and to be a single person living a holy life in the midst of the world. And I should keep dedicating my life fully to those tasks at hand until such a time as the Lord presents something else to me, puts something or someone clearly in my path and asks me to take a different direction. Until that time, there is no use spending countless hours (or even minutes!) thinking about what could be or what might have been. Vocation is reality, plain and simple, and often that involves our lives being very different than we might have wished them to be. So be it.

2. Vocation is always rooted in love, and in loving again and again.

Whenever I think of vocation, I think of little St. Therese of Lisieux, whose feast we will soon celebrate on October 1. St. Therese, a young cloistered Carmelite nun, desired to do everything. She described it here:

To be your Spouse, O Jesus, to be a Carmelite, by my union with you to be the mother of souls, should content me... yet it does not... Without doubt, these three privileges are indeed my vocation: Carmelite, spouse, and mother. And yet I feel in myself other vocations—I feel myself called to be a soldier, priest, apostle, doctor of the church, martyr. Finally, I feel the need, the desire to perform all the most heroic deeds for you, Jesus... I feel in my soul the courage of a crusader, of a soldier for the Church, and I wish to die on the field of battle in defense of the Church...

And as she continued to search in the depths of her heart and her soul for her vocation, she finally had this culminating moment in her prayer:

Then in the excess of my delirious joy, I cried out: “O Jesus, my Love, at last I have found my vocation, my vocation is Love!... Yes, I have found my place in the Church, and it is you, O my God, who have given me this place... in the heart of the Church, my Mother, I will be Love!.... Thus I shall be all things: thus my dream shall be realized!!!”

Now, some think Therese to have been a syrup-y sweet little saint who always had life easy, and so her joy and happiness must have come to her with ease, as well. I can assure you that this was not the case, nor is it the case with any sincere disciple of Christ. No, my friends, we are asked to choose love and to live love again and again. And I think that even though perhaps the habit of loving makes it easier, the act of loving in the face of hatred, persecution, malignment, and every form of human suffering is a discipline that is possible not by human effort alone, but by grace. And then we are called to love again. And again. And again. To be willing to take the risk of loving not just once, not twice, but an infinite number of times. I suspect that this is part of what the Psalmist is referring to when he says, "If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts." Do you hear God's voice, even in the midst of your pain and suffering? Open your heart to the possibility of loving again, to hurting again, to being healed again, and then once again to loving.

3. Vocation means being God's, even on the Cross.

This is a hard one, especially for someone like me. I like to always have an identity in something I'm doing, or in being someone impressive. I'd like to say that it's not true, but it is. So since that last WYD to this recent one, I was many things: student, graduate, discerning, postulant, bride, wife, mother, divorced, annulled. I felt that God had led me down a number of different paths, and that while I'd followed in all sincerity, none of them took me to the place I thought I'd end up. And I realized, at World Youth Day in Madrid, that I was among many young people who had endured a great deal of suffering for their faith. I realized that there were many other faithful young Catholics besides myself who are also now divorced and annulled. I know that there were young mothers and fathers there, who have lost children or spouses to death. And I know that there were many people there for whom the gathering at World Youth Day was a rare opportunity to practice their faith openly without fear of intense persecution or legal penalty. I realized that ultimately, the Christian vocation means following Christ even unto death, and that means accepting the Cross. And that even in the face of uncertainty, embarrassment, disillusionment, pain, and suffering we are always God's, and God is always present. Always. And that 'Being God's' is the one vocation that never ends. For both in life and death we belong to God, and we know that the story of the Cross is one of unimaginable and senseless suffering bearing the greatest fruit of redemption that the world has ever known.

I'll close with a beautiful quote from a little card that I carry in my wallet:

Your life is His affair; it is produced by His steady attraction. It consists in being drawn, at His pace, and in His way, to the place where He wants you to be, which is often not the place you fancied for yourself. It is trying to see things, persons, and choices from the angle of eternity, and accepting them as a part of the material in which the Holy Spirit works. ~ Sister Rose Marie Masserano, O.P.

Peace and all good,
Leslie

My Thoughts on the Hans Küng Interview Regarding Benedict XVI

2011-09-21T21:27:00.000-07:00

Hello, Coffee Talkers!

My friend posted an article sufficiently interesting to make me jump right back on the Coffee Talk bandwagon, so I hope you enjoy my simple commentary on some intensely nerdy Catholic news!

Here's the scoop: Hans Küng is a Swiss Catholic priest and controversial theologian. Although I am not particularly a 'fan' of Hans Küng, I must note that he is a very interesting person in a very interesting situation -- Fr. Küng (why does no one ever call him Father??) was very involved in the Second Vatican Council (a.k.a. Vatican II). However, in the late 1970s, Küng publicly renounced the Catholic dogma of papal infallibility, and the Vatican in turn revoked his permission to officially teach Catholic theology. However, neither his bishop nor the Holy See have ever revoked his priestly faculties, so he remains a priest to this day, and in addition to administering the sacraments, he continues to stir up theological trouble and debate where he can, in informal (though still very public) ways.

Another priest who was involved, alongside Küng, as a theological advisor to Vatican II is even better known, now as Pope Benedict XVI. As the Holy Father (I wonder if that title makes Father Küng cringe a little?) prepares for a week-long visit to Germany starting tomorrow, Hans Küng has offered an interview with Spiegel, offering sharp criticisms not only of the papacy in general, but of Benedict XVI in a number of particular ways.

Read the full interview here, if you'd like, and then I'll offer just a few of my thoughts on the interview and Küng's criticisms. I will respond intralinearly, with the interview text itself indented, and my thoughts between the interview excerpts.

SPIEGEL: Professor Küng, your former faculty colleague Joseph Ratzinger is coming to Germany this week for a state visit. Do you have an audience scheduled with him?

Küng: I didn't request an audience. I am fundamentally more interested in conversations than audiences.

Interesting way to set the tone for the interview.

SPIEGEL: Does Benedict XVI even talk to you anymore?
Küng: After his election to be pope, he invited me to his summer residence, Castel Gandolfo, where we had a four-hour friendly conversation. At the time, I hoped it would mark the beginning of a new era of openness. But that hope has not been fulfilled. We correspond with each other once in a while. The sanctions against me -- the withdrawal of my permission to teach -- still exist. (Ed's note: The Vatican revoked Küng's permission to teach Catholic theology in 1979 after he publicly rejected the dogma of papal infallibility.)

I'm quite sure that, after more than thirty years of living with this sanction, it is no secret to Küng what is keeping him from being able to teach with permission in the Church, especially since he and Benedict XVI are in regular contact. The Church's aim, with any sanction or excommunication, is not to keep a person permanently away from the sacraments or teaching office. Reconciliation, whenever possible, is desired.

SPIEGEL: When was the last time Benedict wrote to you?
Küng: Through his private secretary (Georg) Gänswein, he thanked me for sending him my latest book and sent me his best wishes.

Well, that was rather gracious of the Holy Father, if you ask me, especially after what Hans Küng wrote!

SPIEGEL: In your polemic book "Ist die Kirche noch zu retten?" ("Can the Church Still Be Saved?"), which was published earlier this year, you harshly criticized the pope for his anti-reformist policy.
Küng: I find it very gratifying that he hasn't ended the personal relationship despite my criticism.

Like I said!

SPIEGEL: Many Catholics feel that the Church is in a rather desolate state. The cover-up of the sexual abuse of children by priests has driven believers away from the Church in droves. What's going wrong?
Küng: If you put it that simply, I'll give you a simple answer. Ratzinger's predecessor, John Paul II, launched a program of ecclesiastical and political restoration, which went against the intentions of the Second Vatican Council. He wanted a re-Christianization of Europe. And Ratzinger was his most loyal assistant, even at an early juncture. One could call it a period of restoration of the pre-council Roman regime.

WHAT?!? Hold the phones, everybody, because this is where the interview just got ridiculous. Anyone who tells me that "John Paul II launched a program ... which went against the intentions of the Second Vatican Council" just totally lost me. And then, when I tried to give him the benefit of the doubt and follow out whatever his 'logical' conclusion might be as to how JPII acted against the intentions of Vatican II, he claims that his desire for "a re-Christianization of Europe" is what stood in conflict with the intention of the Council. Oh, dear.

There are SO many misunderstandings about the Second Vatican Council, its documents, and its intentions. Now, I feel like a bit of a whippersnapper commenting on this at all, because here I am, 33-year-old post-Vatican II Leslie, criticizing 83-year-old Hans Küng who was a theological advisor to the Second Vatican Council. I guess the only thing I have going for me at this point that he doesn't is that, so far, I have not been prohibited by the Vatican from teaching in the Catholic Church. But in all seriousness, I guess I want you all to know that I temper my remarks with a necessary humility and an understanding that I'm sure I could learn quite a lot from Hans Küng!

That said, I want everyone to understand that just because Vatican II called for a spirit of right ecumenism and inter-religious dialogue (which, by the way, was a big old deal, especially at the time the documents were first published!), this does not mean that Catholic Christians no longer accept Jesus as Christ! Naturally, we would like all people of the world to experience the joys of everlasting happiness, and we believe that salvation comes through Jesus, and is normally mediated through the Church. Does this mean that we believe that all non-Catholics, or even non-Christians (Catholics were the first Christians, for the record) are not going to be saved? No! Read my other post about it, if you'd like a better explanation. But still, we believe that if any person is granted salvation, it is through Jesus and the Church, even if that is not known to them explicitly in this life. So desiring the re-Christianization of Europe would hardly be contrary to the intention of Vatican II. Pope John Paul II was hardly calling for a new inquisition, and if I had to choose one person who lived the spirit and intentions of the Second Vatican Council as fully in this life as is humanly possible, I'd vote for our Blessed JP II any day.

Alright, I said I'd be brief, so let me move on!

SPIEGEL: When the pope comes to Germany, tens of thousands of people will cheer him at major events. Church leaders will not exactly interpret this as a symptom of crisis.
Küng: I wouldn't have anything against such events if they truly helped the Church locally. But there is a huge discrepancy between the façade, which is now being erected once again for the papal visit to Germany, and the reality. It creates the impression that this is a powerful and healthy church. It is certainly powerful, but is it healthy? We now know that these events do almost nothing for local parishes. They don't lead to more people attending services, more people wanting to become priests or fewer people leaving the Church.

I don't buy this, even for a minute. I have personally witnessed a difference in Mass attendance and involvement with parish ministries and other activities on the part of many people who just encountered the Holy Father at World Youth Day in Madrid, and many of them felt inspired by the gathering to discern priesthood or religious life, to be married in the Church, and to be more firmly committed to their Catholic faith.

SPIEGEL: Still, some 70,000 people are expected to attend the service in Berlin's Olympic Stadium.
Küng: They're not all believers; the crowd will include many curious onlookers. The believers who will attend are mainly conservative Catholics with no interest in reforms. There are also notorious young, hysterical Benedict fans who are also always present at the major papal events. Most of them are recruited from strictly conservative groups. For many people, the pope is still, to a certain extent, a positive role model and a moral force, although others feel that this aspect has suffered greatly.

Again, I cannot believe that most of the young people gathering together will be either 'hysterical' nor 'recruited from strictly conservative groups.' Baloney.

SPIEGEL: Many in the Catholic Church says that if all the reforms you call for were implemented, you would be making the church more Protestant and abandoning its Catholic nature.
Küng: The Church will undoubtedly become somewhat more Protestant. But we will always preserve our unique nature. Our global way of thinking, our universality, differentiates us from a certain narrowness in the Protestant regional churches. It should remain that way, just as the office (of the pope) should be retained. But if everything is concentrated in the office, we'll end up with a medieval vicar, a prince-bishop and the pope as absolute monarch, who simultaneously embodies the executive, the legislative and the judiciary -- in contradiction to modern democracy and the Gospel.

I'm pretty sure that Pope Benedict XVI enjoys being Catholic, and unashamedly, so do I. To be Catholic is to live in the universal faith. End of discussion.

SPIEGEL: You and Benedict are traveling along two different paths. You want to reform the Church to keep it alive. The pope is trying to seal off the Church from the outside world and increasingly restrict it to a conservative core, which may possibly survive.

I HATE this question, which is not even a question at all! It is a totally loaded and biased statement, and I could not disagree more heartily. Anyone who attended, or witnessed even indirectly, the recent events of World Youth Day would agree with me that Pope Benedict XVI is very much interested in keeping the Church alive, and literally opening it to all the people of the world, particularly the young.

SPIEGEL: Your prognosis [for the Church] sounds grim.
Küng: I think it's very important that we do not sink into pessimism. But my diagnosis has shown that the Church is sick, and it's the sickness of the Roman system. Under these circumstances, I can't just behave like an ineffective doctor and say that everything will be fine.
SPIEGEL: What would be the treatment?
Küng: The base must gather its strength and make itself heard, so that the system can no longer circumvent it. I presented a comprehensive list of measures in my book.

HA! Shameless advertisement and self-promotion of his own book as a presentation of the only comprehensive way to 'doctor' the ailing Church. Info-mercial, anyone?

SPIEGEL: More than a year ago, you wrote an open letter to all bishops in the world, in which you offered a detailed explanation of your criticism of the pope and the Roman system. What was the response?
Küng: There are about 5,000 bishops in the world, but none of them dared to comment publicly. This clearly shows that something isn't right.

Exactly. But I think the problem might not be with the 5,000 bishops.

SPIEGEL: Would another council like Vatican II help the Church?
Küng: I hope that there will be a council, or at least a representative convention of the Catholic Church.

This question is so annoying to me. Don't get me wrong -- I'm not against progress in the Church, nor am I wanting to go 'back to the good old days' to solve the problems of the Church in the modern world. However, having studied all of the documents of the Second Vatican Council, I find that there is still much to be done in the way of proper implementation of Vatican II, which ended nearly a half century ago! We are still plumbing the depths of the so-called 'spirit of Vatican II,' and I'm afraid that many of the people interested in the 'spirit' have not read any of the documents!

Alright, I think I've been theologically cheeky enough for one night. Special thanks to my friend who posted this article, who I fear may be the only one who reads this now-too-lengthy blog post!

Let's pray for the Holy Father's visit to Germany, for all priests and theologians, and for all Church leaders and all of the faithful to be open to necessary reforms in the Church based on the authentic movements of the Holy Spirit.

As always, thanks for stopping by, and be assured of my prayers!

Peace and all good,
Leslie

What's going on with this Fr. Frank Pavone business?

2011-09-14T21:35:00.000-07:00

Hello, Coffee Talkers!

Well, many of you have probably heard something of the recent and unfortunate news about Fr. Frank Pavone, the priest in charge of Priests for Life and a priest I've mentioned previously in my posts about the Mass he celebrated with Gianna Emanuela Molla and about his work in bringing Baby Joseph to the United States for palliative care. As always, I begin by reminding all of us that I don't know much about this situation, and neither do you. With that disclaimer in mind, I am always happy to share my own understanding of the Catholic news in a way that is easy to understand, so here it goes.

Fr. Frank Pavone is the head of Priests for Life, which is headquartered in Staten Island, New York. However, Fr. Pavone is incardinated in the Diocese of Amarillo, Texas, and Bishop Patrick Zurik, Bishop of Amarillo, has recalled Fr. Pavone to his Diocese and has restricted his priestly ministry to that Diocese for an unspecified time of prayer and reflection. Bishop Zurik, in a now public statement addressed to his brother bishops and cardinals, explains that he is recalling Fr. Pavone due to a lack of obedience, and specifically because he has "deep concerns regarding his stewardship of the finances of the Priests for Life (PFL) organization." Fr. Frank Pavone responded with his own public statement, in which he mentions his own appeal to the Vatican in regard to his current recall to Amarillo, but also his obedience to the bishop and his return to Amarillo.

So what we know is this:

Bishop Zurik has some concerns about Fr. Frank Pavone's obedience, and the financial administration and stewardship of the Priests for Life;
Fr. Frank Pavone is incardinated in the Diocese of Amarillo and has returned there under obedience, though not without an appeal to the Vatican;
Fr. Frank is still a priest in good standing and is able to exercise his priestly ministry within the Diocese of Amarillo at this time;
there's a whole lot of information that we do not, cannot, and probably never will know about this whole situation;
we should all pray for Bishop Zurik, Fr. Frank Pavone, and the Priests for Life.

Situations like this always make me wish that I was a canon lawyer, because it is in canon (or church) law that we can find many clarifications to a complex situation like this. For example, what does it mean that Fr. Pavone has permission to lead the Priests for Life and is under obedience to a Bishop who has oversight of that organization, but that he is still incardinated in Amarillo and is still responsible and vowed to obedience to that Ordinary (or Bishop) as well?

Well, my friends, we're all in luck, because whenever I have a canon law conundrum, I can always count on canon law blogger Edward Peters to clear things up. In his post on the Zurek-Pavone dispute, he does just that, and I really recommend reading his article in full. It gives good clarifications and perspective on the situation.

As you may have guessed, I like what little I know of Fr. Frank Pavone and his ministry. I met him briefly this summer at a Mass he celebrated at the National Shrine of Our Lady of Czestachowa in Doylestown, Pennsylvania on the occasion of the first US visit of Gianna Emanuela Molla, daughter of St. Gianna Molla, and he seemed to be sincere and firmly committed to the faith and to working on behalf of the unborn and all human life. Apparently some of his activities have been controversial, but I don't know much about that, nor do I know anything about the financial stewardship of the Priests for Life. I also don't know anything about Bishop Zurik, but I pray that everything will be resolved as quickly and amicably as possible, and that the good work of the Catholic Church, especially on behalf of all of the poor and defenseless (particularly the unborn) might continue on. I always hate when things like these cause scandal to believers and unbelievers alike, and I encourage everyone to take heart and keep these people in prayer. One of my favorite things about being Catholic is that I know that I am not responsible for judging these people or this situation. I hope that's a load off your minds, as well.

As always, thanks for stopping by, and be assured of my prayers!

Peace and all good,
Leslie

We Came, We Saw, We Conquered: CONFIRMATION!

2011-09-12T22:24:00.000-07:00

Well, Coffee Talkers, some said it couldn't be done. Maybe some even thought that it shouldn't be done. But it is done!

Night one of youth confirmation classes at Our Lady of the Desert happened!

No fatalities, no injuries, and some fun, faith, fellowship, and YouCat!

Anyone who was there can attest to the amazing feat of having gotten through the first crazy and amazing night! From here on out, it should be smooth sailing, my friends.

A big shout out of thanks to the people who made tonight possible -- the catechists, assistants, on-the-spot translators, office volunteers, parents, and students. We did it! And it could not have happened without you.

Don't forget to read your YouCats, everybody! :)

Peace and all good,
Leslie

Still With Sorrow and Pain, We Remember

2011-09-11T22:24:00.000-07:00

Dear Coffee Talkers,

As this tenth anniversary of the horrific attacks of September 11th comes to a close, I feel that little more can be said than has already been said. Still, I'll offer what little I have. What can we really do in the face of unthinkable pain and tragedy but have recourse to something, Someone higher than ourselves? Why were certain lives spared, and other lives lost? It's easy to offer trite sayings like, "Well, I guess it was God's time for some to go," or "God must have a special purpose for those people whose lives were spared," but this all seems a severe oversimplification at best, and at worst it seems a mockery of a God who is supposed to have loved humanity into being.

It is interesting to think back to that terrible time ten years ago, and to the months that followed. People mourned together, and they returned to their places of worship, many for the first time in years. Why? Why did these people not harden their hearts even further, taking a permanent turn away from this so-called God who had allowed such atrocities?

I must warn you that I'm leading you down my train of thought without any definitive answers, but I bring you along with me in the hopes that your own journey will lead you to a place of peace. And for me, the only place of peace in such circumstances is perhaps the most unexpected place, the most torturous and violent, the most senseless, cruel, and unjust.

The only place of peace is the Cross.

I can't tell you why; it's a place you'll have to arrive at yourself. But I can say this. If Christians really believe, and I mean really, that our salvation was won at a price, and that price was Jesus' own death on the Cross, then we see the greatest of all gifts, Redemption, flowing from the pain, the injustice, the most unthinkable tragedy. Does it maker it easier? I don't think so. Many atheists think that Christians just buy into the whole idea of a loving God offering his Son as some sort of mental anesthesia to numb us from the pain of reality, but for me, the reality of the Cross is far from mind-numbing, muchless a pleasantry or an idle amusement to busy myself with when the times get tough.

The Cross is where reality meets self-giving love, a gift even unto death in the face of what seems senseless and cruel. And, in time, this sacrifice and pain gives way to redemption, beauty, and love far beyond all imagining. Not always in our own time nor in the way we expect, but the Cross always bears fruit in our lives. Always. It cannot always be seen in this life, this vale of tears, but in the life that is to come we shall be known fully, as we are fully known. This is our great hope, and it is a hope which shall not disappoint.

Fr. Mychal F. Judge, OFM (May 11, 1933 - September 11, 2001) was a Roman Catholic priest of the Franciscan Order of Friars Minor, Chaplain of the Fire Department of New York and the first certified fatality of the September 11, 2001 attacks. Fr. Mike had rushed to the World Trade Center to offer assistance and give Last Rites to victims.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Pope Benedict XVI's Prayer at Ground Zero

O God of love, compassion, and healing,
look on us, people of many different faiths
and traditions,
who gather today at this site,
the scene of incredible violence and pain.
We ask you in your goodness
to give eternal light and peace
to all who died here—

the heroic first-responders:
our fire fighters, police officers,
emergency service workers, and
Port Authority personnel,
along with all the innocent men and women
who were victims of this tragedy
simply because their work or service
brought them here on September 11, 2001.

We ask you, in your compassion
to bring healing to those
who, because of their presence here that day,
suffer from injuries and illness.
Heal, too, the pain of still-grieving families
and all who lost loved ones in this tragedy.
Give them strength to continue their lives
with courage and hope.

We are mindful as well
of those who suffered death, injury, and loss
on the same day at the Pentagon and in
Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
Our hearts are one with theirs
as our prayer embraces their pain and suffering.
God of peace, bring your peace to our violent world:
peace in the hearts of all men and women
and peace among the nations of the earth.

Turn to your way of love
those whose hearts and minds
are consumed with hatred.
God of understanding,
overwhelmed by the magnitude of this tragedy,
we seek your light and guidance
as we confront such terrible events.

Grant that those whose lives were spared
may live so that the lives lost here
may not have been lost in vain.
Comfort and console us,
strengthen us in hope,
and give us the wisdom and courage
to work tirelessly for a world
where true peace and love reign
among nations and in the hearts of all.

Peace and all good,
Leslie

Of Amy Grant, Spanish Skype, and Gifts from God

2011-09-10T22:45:00.000-07:00

Whew, Coffee Talkers!

I need to jot down a bit about the last 24-ish hours, just so I can keep it all in mind. Enjoy!

A generous friend offered for me to accompany her for an Amy Grant concert last night, and in a surprising turn of events, I was one of twelve people who got to sit in on the band's sound check, and then to meet Amy Grant and her band. Fun! Then I met a bunch of great people from a Friend's of Amy group over dinner, and then enjoyed front row seats during the concert. And I have to say, the most moving part of the evening was that is was so relational. I've always enjoyed Amy Grant's music, but I don't really consider myself a 'fan' of many people. Having met her and her band personally now, I must say that I am very impressed by Amy Grant as a person, and the time, attention, and love she clearly gives to each person she knows. I enjoyed her beautiful music and message, and overall it was a lovely evening and great experience.

Then this morning, my girls and I went down to the Cathedral of our Diocese for a World Youth Day Reunion at the Cathedral Hall. It was a lovely experience, and it was nice to be able to bring my girls, since they are still far too youthful to have attend World Youth Day itself. Both of our Bishops joined us, and we were able to communicate via Skype with our hosts from Toledo, Spain, which was wonderful! We had developed such a feeling of familial closeness and fraternal affection for our parish hosts and hosting families that I think we experienced a feeling of true reunion with them, as well, through our brief call (chaotic though it was with the large crowd assembled on our end).

In trying to help set up the Skype call, I had sent an e-mail earlier in the week to a few of our hosts, expressing our gratitude to them and letting them know of our interest in communicating with them today during our reunion. Because my Spanish skills leave something to be desired, I had typed up my message in English and put it into Google translate for the Spanish version. Before mentioning our desire to communicate with Skype, I specifically wanted to thank our hosts and to tell them that we hoped we could someday return their kindness by hosting them in California. However, I realized (after sending the message, of course) that I had typed in 'hose' instead of 'host' in English, for which the translator offered its best Spanish rendering. Thus, I basically offered to return the favor that our hosts had so graciously extended to us by greeting them in California with a hose. Nice. And then, to top it off, the e-mail address that I had for the priest turned out to be one letter off, so I realized that now I was even offering to hose off international strangers upon their first visit to California, as well. I cried from laughing so hard at my ridiculous mistake, and tried to correct my errors in a follow-up message.

But today was lovely -- we were able to arrange the Skype call, despite my numerous communication mishaps, and this afternoon I received this kind and amusing e-mail from one of our wonderful hosts:

"Hello our dear friends, thank you very much for your interest in Skypeing with us. When we read your first email, we were impressed by what we thought was an ancestral good practice in the border of the Californian desert: to welcome people you appreciate with a generous hose of water, that precious element essential for life. It is like saying: OK, I wish you a good and hydrated life. It is beautiful. Thank you very much, we were also crying from laughing so hard, and still we are, whenever we imagine the scene."

Ahh, what a blessing to have made such kind and gracious friends, and with a sense of humor, as well!

I also received a little award at today's reunion, present by our Bishops, for leadership during World Youth Day. That was a pleasant surprise! I have to say, I used to be sort of an award-a-holic, winning nearly every award and scholarship known to man back in my high school/early college days, and placing much more importance on such things than I should have. As always, God and life always have their way of revealing to us the truth about ourselves, and so I'm happy to have been broken from the fixation on recognition. (Well, I'm happy for it now, although humility is oftentimes acquired through the acceptance of humiliations, which are never occasions of happiness at the time.) Still, it was an honor to have received the certificate, and in my heart I received it on behalf of all the good people who sent us to World Youth Day through financial and prayer support, and for all the people who personally helped me through those couple hellish (or purgative, at the least) years of life that, thanks be to God, have already borne many fruits of grace and redemption, so much so that to my surprise I recently led this international pilgrimage group to World Youth Day. In all things, Deo gratias.

My girls and I came home for a bit, and then went to a going away party for one of our pilgrimage group members who is college-bound. God-speed, Alex, y vaya con Dios! Use your voice, and keep the faith!

And now that the day of partying has ceased, it is time for sleep!

As always, thanks for stopping by, and be assured of my prayers.

Peace and all good,
Leslie

Where in the World is Coffee Talking Leslie?

2011-09-06T22:25:00.000-07:00

Hello, again, my dear Coffee Talk friends!

On the small chance that any of you have been wondering if I've completely dropped off the face of the Coffee Talk earth, I just wanted to give a brief check-in and let you know that all is well, and that I'm hoping to return to regular blogging soon and very soon! I've not been writing much for a few reasons, the top among them being:

I've been busy getting back into the swing of 'normal' life (whatever that means) since returning from World Youth Day;
I'd gotten rather used to not having computer and internet access in Spain, and I must admit that I rather enjoyed the experience!
Writing at night is not as ideal as it used to be, as my girls and I rise much earlier than we did in the pre-Spain days, as well, so I may need to find a better time of day to write; and
I've realized that, while I'm never one to lack something to say (for better or worse), if I want to say something worthwhile or meaningful, I need some time to think, pray, and process before I can do that.

And so much was packed into those couple weeks of World Youth Day that I'm still unpacking the experience, to be honest. I blogged on my first day's journal, but even typing in what I'd already written felt a bit empty, as I still needed more time to think about the significance of what I experienced. I mean, it's easy enough to say what I did at World Youth Day, but I think it's more important to reflect on who I was at World Youth Day, and who I'm called to become in light of that journey of faith. So if you're willing to hang on for a bit more, just know that, Lord willing, I'll be back soon and with something more important to tell you than the fact that there's a Burger King in Avila. (Do you think St. Teresa ever ate there?)

I'm really touched to see how many of you have been coming to Coffee Talk and reading my posts even while I've been away, and from all over the world, too! I don't know who you are, but I'm grateful for your stopping by, and for any of you who have kept me in thought and prayer. Be assured of my prayers for you, as well!

Peace and all good,
Leslie

World Youth Day Recap -- Day 1, Apple Valley to Toledo!

2011-08-31T21:46:00.000-07:00

Hello, Coffee Talkers!

Finally, my World Youth Day 2011 blogging shall commence! I did take my little old journal and pen, which is a good thing, since many of the details of the year of life that was packed into two weeks somehow elude me now. So, using my journal as a starting point, I'll devote the coming days to recounting the events of World Youth Day, and my reflections on the places, people, and journey of faith. Let us begin!

Wednesday, August 10/ Thursday, August 11 --

After a lovely Mass celebrated Fr. Jim Gibson, CR and Fr. Alex Gamino (the two priests traveling with our 27-member parish group), family and friends saw us off as we departed via charter bus from Our Lady of the Desert Church, Apple Valley to LAX (Los Angeles International Airport). Herman, the kind and humorous bus driver from H&L Charter, provided us with a comfortable and relaxing ride to LAX, where we checked in, and grabbed a bite to eat before passing through the security checkpoint, after which you could not purchase any food. (Is this something new? And only for international flights? It seemed rather strange to me to have to buy our food before getting near our gate.) At the food area, we ran into Fr. Tim Keppel, CR (the pastor of our parish) and Fr. Marcello (the vocation director from Fr. Tim's community); then at our gate, I saw Mr. and Mrs. Santos, the parents of a friend of mine from Franciscan University of Steubenville. It seems that Day 1 was already the first installment of the Catholic version of "It's a Small World" that is World Youth Day!

We enjoyed a direct flight from LAX to Madrid, which included breakfast (at 3:45 am PST), which featured a mini-Milky Way candy bar -- nice! The zipper on my money belt of questionable quality broke before we landed in Madrid, but Lupita (one of the young adults in my group, who clearly has taken some lessons from MacGyver) was able to fix it. After landing in Madrid, we retrieved our luggage (which, in a miraculous turn of events, was all there!), and traveled via charter bus to Toledo, where our driver dropped us off at Parroquia de San Julian, or Saint Julian's Parish, who would be serving as our host for Days in the Diocese, a week long experience of living in family homes and participating in events put on by a local parish community.

We spoke with the coordinators from the parish to learn our housing assignments, which was an adventure since my Spanish is rather limited. By the end of the trip, it was much better, since I had to use the little I did know out of necessity, and learned a lot along the way! Host families came to pick up all of our group members, and so our adventure officially begins!

More to come! As always, thanks for stopping by, and be assured of my prayers.

Peace and all good,
Leslie

World Youth Day Website -- WOW!

2011-08-29T22:07:00.000-07:00

Hello, Coffee Talkers!

Well, as it turns out, my 5-year-old's first day of kindergarten has tired me out as much as it did for her! So while you're waiting so patiently for my World Youth Day blog-fest to commence, how 'bout you check out the official World Youth Day 2011 website? It now has pictures, videos, homilies, and other exciting information from each day in Madrid.

As always, thanks for stopping by, and be assured of my prayers!

Peace and all good,
Leslie

P.S. There is already a list on my office door of people who want to attend World Youth Day 2013 in Rio -- PARTY TIME! :)

It Becomes Like A Fire Burning In My Heart

2011-08-28T23:08:00.000-07:00

Well, Coffee Talkers, in case you were dozing off during today's Mass readings, here's the first reading from the book of the Prophet Jeremiah. It is one of my favorite passages of Scripture.

Reading 1 - Jeremiah 20:7-9
You duped me, O LORD, and I let myself be duped;
you were too strong for me, and you triumphed.
All the day I am an object of laughter;
everyone mocks me.

Whenever I speak, I must cry out,
violence and outrage is my message;
the word of the LORD has brought me
derision and reproach all the day.

I say to myself, I will not mention him,
I will speak in his name no more.
But then it becomes like fire burning in my heart,
imprisoned in my bones;
I grow weary holding it in, I cannot endure it.

Too much I could say for one evening, so instead I leave you to your own contemplation of this rich passage.

World Youth Day blogging shall commence soon, so stay tuned!

Have a blessed week, and as always, thanks for stopping by. Be assured of my prayers.

Peace and all good,

Leslie

Coffee Talk is Back in Business!!!

2011-08-27T21:41:00.000-07:00

COFFEE TALKERS!

Ahhh, it was glorious to be away, but it is also wonderful to be back! World Youth Day was an amazing experience, to say the least, and I feel as though a year of life was packed into those two awe-inspiring weeks in Toledo, Madrid, and Avila, Spain!

I have so much to share with everyone on the beautiful journey of World Youth Day, but I have been readjusting to life back at home with my girls, catching up on sleep and stories and general wellness. Be assured that, in the days to come, I will recount some of the highlights of our pilgrimage and share what can be shared through pictures and written word.

For now, more sleep! Thanks for your patience, and for your prayers for us as we traveled abroad with millions of others in an amazing journey of international solidarity and fellowship.

As always, thanks for stopping by. Be assured of my grateful prayers!

Peace and all good,
Leslie

Daily Press Fame, and Off to World Youth Day!

2011-08-08T21:52:00.000-07:00

Hello, Coffee Talkers!

For the few of you in the world who haven't already seen the amazing press coverage, check out the story on my parish's World Youth Day group and our upcoming pilgrimage to Spain! That's right, the at-least-regionally-renowned newspaper publication, The Daily Press, ran a lovely front page article and photograph of our group! Thanks, guys!

Now, those of you who received your paper copy may feel free to save it until you next see us, and we will gladly give autographs!

In all seriousness, I am very impressed with the staff at the Daily Press, who so graciously and patiently interviewed several members of our group and came to our Send Off Mass to take photos. I realize that Catholicism can be confusing and strange at times to those who are unfamiliar with our terms, customs, and general 'Catholic culture,' so I would especially like to thank staff writer Brooke Edwards and photographer Eldon Kingston who, between the two of them, took the time to understand more about such things as dioceses, papal pilgrimages, and even to sit through an entire Mass! I don't think that either of these fine people are Catholics themselves, so I thank them especially for allowing us to share this experience with the community and for bearing with our terminology, culture, and customs. Good press given to the Catholic Church is always appreciated, and front page, no less! Be assured of our gratitude.

We leave on Wednesday, and so this will likely be my last post until we return from Madrid. I'm not lugging around my laptop, that's for sure, and I imagine that the internet cafes might be a bit busy, what with the millions of people there. Instead of blogging, I'm going to take [gasp!] a journal and a pen. Some of us may have distant memories of a time before the internet, and I'm looking to being computer-free for a couple weeks! I'll fill y'all in upon my return.

So in the meantime, here are a few things to keep yourself busy while I'm away (in case you're having Coffee Talk withdrawals):

Pray for us! We'll be traveling from August 10 - August 24, and would be most appreciative of your prayers for the safety and well-being of our group, and all the pilgrims from around the world.
Check out the rocking World Youth Day website -- I bet they'll have updates!
Check out the Vatican website -- remember, they've got that cool 3-D Sistine Chapel business, and News.va!
Scroll down and check out the Coffee Talk archives on the right sidebar, or use the search feature to find a post related to your pressing Catholic questions! (Or go talk to your parish priest. They can answer your Catholic questions, too!)

As always, thanks for stopping by. Be assured of my prayers for all of you in the holy sites of Toledo and Madrid!

Peace and all good,
Leslie

P.S. I almost forgot! If you have any special prayer intentions you'd like us to take to World Youth Day, feel free to add them in the comment box, or via e-mail at CoffeeTalkWithLeslie@gmail.com.

To Contemplate, and To Share with Others the Fruits of Our Contemplation: Feast of St. Dominic!

2011-08-07T23:31:00.000-07:00

Hello, Coffee Talkers!

The Feast of St. Dominic is fast upon us, my friends, and I, for one, am quite excited about it!

St. Dominic was one of those saints that I didn't know much about during my life, but once I learned about his life, it left a lasting impression on me and helped me in the direction my own life has gone.

As some of you know, in a long ago time and a far away land called Nashville, I spent 9 lovely months living as a postulant (one who is discerning a call to religious life while living with a community) with the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia. I was actually reminded of this myself when, the other evening, I was dancing the night away at a friend's wedding reception. The mother of my bride-friend came over to say hello, and added, "Girl, you can dance! I was just saying to the other people at my table, 'Hey, do you know that she used to be a NUN? And they almost spit out their drinks!'" Ha!

Anyway, back to St. Dominic. He was a contemporary of St. Francis who founded the Order of Preachers, now known as the Dominicans, and a hallmark of the order is prayer and study. The order strives to contemplate, and to share with others the fruits of our contemplation. I love that!

Happy Feast Day, y'all! St. Dominic, pray for us!

Peace and all good,
Leslie

A Requiem for Those Shot Down

2011-08-06T22:21:00.000-07:00

Hello, Coffee Talkers,

There is not much I can say about the tragic death of the 30 American troops and 8 Afghans, shot down in a US military helicopter, and I am not posting about these men to invite political commentary. I am issuing a call to prayer. Please join me in praying for those fallen, for their families and friends, and for those still engaged in military activity.

Peace and all good,
Leslie

These Are a Few of My Creepiest Things

2011-08-04T22:11:00.000-07:00

Hello, Coffee Talkers!

On a trip today, I saw some wind turbines. Well, not just 'some.' LOTS and LOTS of wind turbines. Also, I saw some of the blades up close on the back of a big truck! My friend figured out what the blades were. Up close, they are HUGE.

I'm not sure why, but wind turbines are a little bit creepy to me.

And so are sunflowers -- not regular sunflowers, but those giant ones.

Weird, right?

Hope you all are having a wonderful week, leading to a lovely weekend! As always, thanks for stopping by, and be assured of my prayers.

Peace and all good,
Leslie

For the Beauty of the Earth

2011-08-03T22:32:00.000-07:00

Hello, Coffee Talkers!

This lovely song has been in my head this evening, so I thought I'd share it with you all. Enjoy!

Peace and all good,
Leslie

Knights of Columbus Purchase JP II Cultural Center

2011-08-03T00:29:00.000-07:00

Hello, Coffee Talkers!

During their recent annual convention, the Knights of Columbus announced their purchase of the John Paul II Cultural Center in Washington, D.C. Read more about it here!

Peace and all good,
Leslie

Get Your World Youth Day Gum HERE!

2011-08-02T00:06:00.000-07:00

Hello, Coffee Talkers!

Have y'all seen this fun little online store for World Youth Day Madrid?

Whether you're looking for gum, sunglasses, or perfume de World Youth Day, consider this your one-stop no-flight-required World Youth Day shopping experience!

Of course, World Youth Day is about something much more significant than stuff. But the stuff can be fun, too!

Peace and all good,
Leslie

JP Catholic and Steubie San Diego!

2011-07-31T22:56:00.000-07:00

Hello, Coffee Talkers!

Well, I spent the last few days sans internet access, and somehow I survived. Whew! I'm sure this was good preparation for World Youth Day, where I am most certainly not lugging around my laptop and where any public internet access will be shared with a couple million of my friends from around the world.

What a lovely and enriching weekend! I took a small group from our parish to the Steubenville San Diego Catholic Youth Conference, sponsored by All for God Catholic and Franciscan University of Steubenville. It was a great conference, and an unexpected blessing was that I got to see a number of friends who I knew from my time working and studying in Steubenville. What fun!

Also, we made a trip to John Paul the Great Catholic University before going to the conference, and it was a great experience! We attended our first Chaldean Rite liturgy at the campus, which was beautiful. We also took a tour of the university, which is small but filled with excellent programs, and we drove by their campus housing. We all agreed (adults included) that we'd love to live in those beautiful San Diego apartments and go to JP Catholic!

Time for sleep, my friends. Thanks so much to all who prayed for the safety and success of our weekend. Thanks also for stopping by Coffee Talk, and be assured of my prayers!

Peace and all good,
Leslie

Steubenville San Diego!

2011-07-28T23:10:00.000-07:00

The conference is tomorrow, everybody! Steubenville San Diego! It's a rockin' conference for high school youth, and I'm going for the first time as a chaperone (since my days of youth have come and gone, my friends, as one knows when people start referring to you as 'Ma'am' or 'lady'). Woo-hoo! And we're leaving tomorrow morning so we can stop by John Paul the Great Catholic University, where my friends have graciously set our little group up for campus Mass, tour, and lunch, Oh, yeah!

In traditional Leslie fashion, I am still not ready to leave in the morning, so gotta go!

Pray for us, por favor!

Peace and all good,
Leslie

Requiescant in Pace, Archbishop Pietro Sambi

2011-07-27T23:25:00.000-07:00

Hello, Coffee Talkers!

The Apostolic Nuncio (a.k.a. Vatican ambassador) to the United States, Arhcbishop Pietro Sambi, died just a few hours ago at age 73.

"The archbishop [was] known for his warm and affable manner, sense of humor and being open and ready to listen to people."

Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. May the soul of Archbishop Pietro Sambi, and all the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

Peace and all good,
Leslie

From a Catholic Mom: What if My Teen is Too Busy for Confirmation?

2011-07-26T23:30:00.000-07:00

Hello, Coffee Talkers!

I got this message from a reader who is the mother of a student in the youth confirmation program that I coordinate at my parish. She gave me permission to post this on Coffee Talk, and so I've changed the student's name to Shaniqua, since there is no student with that name currently in our program. I feel almost certain that as soon as I post this, someone named Shaniqua will sign up for confirmation preparation at Our Lady of the Desert. In any case, enjoy!

Dear Leslie,

Shaniqua and I had a discussion on the way home from church tonight that I would have loved to have had you present for. Unfortunately, she is still practicing to take her driver's exam soon so I doubt you would have been able to concentrate on the topic of discussion while she was behind the wheel (ba-dump-UMP!) so I will just let you in on the 'meat and potatoes' of the discussion. Shaniqua's plate is going to be quite full this coming school year during the fall semester in particular -- she is taking two Advanced Placement classes, playing a competitive sport and has Confirmation classes as well. I told her that I hoped Confirmation would not be taken lightly and when/if she becomes overwhelmed with her studies and sports schedule, her Confirmation classes will be the first on the 'chopping block'. She interjected a few points that have me concerned but not surprised. This is a tough time as a Catholic parent and with her sister having fallen away from her Catholic upbringing (although not her relationship with Christ, thankfully), I fear the same thing may be in the future for Shaniqua and it both frightens and saddens me. I am a worrier and that's just how I roll but I can definitely now see as a parent of adult and nearly-adult children who were raised in only a 50% Catholic-Christian home, that a 100% Catholic-Christian home is best if the children are to have the best chance of continuing in their faith life into adulthood. I wish I had all the answers but sadly, I sound like an idiot most of the time while trying to explain things to my girls about my faith.

Trying to explain to Shaniqua the importance of fostering a relationship with God and making her understand how much more important He is than sports or school work or anything else in her life was uncomfortable, even though I knew it shouldn't have been. I guess maybe because I don't feel like I'm the best example of what a good Catholic parent should be and also because I always have a difficult time saying exactly what I want to say, I don't know. I'd love to hear your thoughts on this and of course, share them with Shaniqua. Thank you so much for taking the time to listen to me and my problems/concerns.

Thanks,

Concerned Catholic Mama

Dear Concerned,

Thanks for telling me about your conversation with Shaniqua. Yes, that was brave of you to talk at all while she's learning to drive! ;)

I think it's not out of the ordinary for Shaniqua to be concerned primarily with school, sports, etc. She's a hard-working and talented young woman, and I'm sure she gives her all to everything she does. That, of course, is pleasing to God! And to be honest, confirmation classes are not the most important thing in the world. I know it probably seems strange to hear me saying that, but what I mean is that each of us should have our priorities set in such a way that God is first, family is next, and fulfilling our obligations to our state in life (student, parent, work, etc.) are after that. Sometimes, it really does happen that high school students are so busy with their obligations to school and family that just the timing of the classes themselves doesn't work out so well for them at that particular time in their lives. That's okay. I even know a confirmation coordinator whose own daughter took an extra year to get confirmed because she had a lot going on with sports and school. She did not abandon the faith. She went on to do NET Ministries, just graduated from college, and is doing well in her faith and in life in general.

I guess the question that each of us (Shaniqua included, but you & me, too!) needs to ask ourselves is this: what is the purpose of my life? What is the bigger picture of existence? And if I truly believe that God created me to use the gifts He gave me and to love Him and His people as much as possible in this life, and to live with Him eternally in the next life, then how does that affect my decisions to do or not do certain activities? I read a book once where a man suggested that we write down a mission statement for our lives, and then make a list of every activity we do each day for a week. EVERYTHING. And then after that week, we take an honest look at that list and determine which of those activities help us to meet that goal. And whatever doesn't, even indirectly, we ditch it.

So if our ultimate goal is to live a Godly life here on earth and in eternity, how does this affect our daily lives and choices? I even think of your recent 'technology diet,' and I really admire that. It seems that you saw an area of your life that could use some 'trimming down,' and you made that change. Why did you do it in particular? Perhaps to spend more time with family and friends, perhaps to be less attached to technology in general and more present to God, people, and the world around you. Whatever the case, you had some kind of goal for your life in mind, and when you saw an area of imbalance in your life, you made a change to better meet that goal.

Sure, people could put off confirmation classes because they're 'putting God on the back-burner,' but they also might delay their instruction for legitimate reasons, or even to better serve God in their more present duties in life at that particular time. I think it's a matter of spiritual discernment, to be honest. My hope for Shaniqua, and for everyone really, is that she'll put God first and order her priorities accordingly. And of course, I hope that she stays close to the beautiful gift of our Catholic faith. It is rarely easy and never convenient, but it is always filled with truth and divine grace, which I for one am sorely in need of!

I hope this has been helpful. It's late, so who even knows if it makes sense! ;)

Thanks so much for sharing your concerns, and be assured of my prayers.

Peace and all good,
Leslie

Will God Get Re-Elected Based on Job Performance?

2011-07-25T22:10:00.000-07:00

Hello, Coffee Talkers!

Got this in today to the Coffee Talk e-mail box:

The internet community is waiting for you to discuss this recent poll on your blog.

52% of Americans approve of God's job performance.

True it could be higher...but is it good that he's doing better than both Obama and John Boehner?!?!?

I would like to thank the friend who sent this link for giving me a good laugh! If you haven't already clicked the link and read the article, now's the time, everybody.

Alright. Now, beyond the absurdity of the poll itself and the responses, one problem I see is that the wrong questions are being asked here. I mean, I think it would be more fair and judicious to rate God on BEING rather than DOING. So here's the new poll that I propose:

On a scale of 1 - 10 (10 being best), how would you rate God in the following areas?

Being the uncaused cause.
Being the unmoved mover.
Being the only one who can say, "I AM WHO AM."
On His thoughts being higher than your thoughts.
On His ways being higher than your ways.

I don't know about all of y'all, but personally I could not help but give God a perfect ten in all the areas just mentioned!

As always, thanks for stopping by, and be assured of my prayers!

Peace and all good,
Leslie

The Catholic Church is GROWING?!?

2011-07-24T23:57:00.000-07:00

Hello, Coffee Talkers!

Hope you all had a restful and blessed Sunday! I saw this article on growth in the Catholic Church, and found it very interesting! The article shares one analysis of the data gathered by The Pew Forum on Religious and Public Life's U.S. Religious Landscape Survey.

And in addition to the statistical data cited on those links, I can add my own experience of working for a parish office where people are coming in, with increasing frequency it seems, to become Catholic and/or have their children prepared to receive the sacraments. This always surprises me a bit, to be honest -- becoming Catholic is a much more involved process than becoming a member of almost any other church. (Although my Jewish convert friends assure me that they've totally got us beat by requiring that all converts learn Hebrew!) In any case, seeing new people coming to the Church to receive instruction and preparation for the sacraments (even in light of all the bad press the Catholic Church receives, and the comparative ease with which they could join other churches) bolsters my own faith, to say the least.

As always, thanks for stopping by! Be assured of my prayers.

Peace and all good,
Leslie

Only 126 Days Until....

2011-07-23T23:58:00.000-07:00

...the New Roman Missal is implemented in the United States! And some of the sung Mass parts may be introduced as early as September 1 of this year. So check out the USCCB website, and start getting ready!

Peace and all good,
Leslie

P.S. A reader sent in a question about the new Mass translations back in January, so you can also check out my response here.

Special Thanks to All World Youth Day Benefactors!

2011-07-22T22:54:00.000-07:00

Hello, Coffee Talkers!

It's been a long day, and tomorrow will be full as well, so I'll keep it short tonight. I do want to share about the amazing discounts I was graciously given today at Walmart Apple Valley and Valley Sporting Goods! Both stores gave generous discounts on t-shirts and screen printing set up fees for shirts that we are getting for our pilgrim group and our host families in Toledo, Spain for World Youth Day in August. I was especially impressed by Alisha, a manager at Walmart, who spent a great deal of time arranging for a special discounted rate on 60 shirts, and who went out of her way to open a register just for me to ring up the shirts and get the best discount possible for our church group. Thanks, Alisha!

This also makes me think of the tremendous generosity of all of our group's benefactors, who are too numerous to name here. So many family members, friends, parishioners, and organizations have sponsored us financially and through a variety of donated items, and have supported us through their prayers, and I am truly grateful. Thanks to such generosity, 27 members of our parish will attend World Youth Day, many of them for the first time, and they will experience an amazing global solidarity of faith and fellowship with millions of other young people from around the world (and, of course, with our Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI!).

Please pray for us as we prepare, and as we travel to Spain in August. And be assured that I (and our group) will be keeping all of our benefactors in our grateful prayers, as well!

Peace and all good,
Leslie

The Diocese of San Bernardino Declares a Year for Youth!

2011-07-21T20:57:00.000-07:00

Hello, Coffee Talkers!

Bishop Gerald Barnes of California's Diocese of San Bernardino (in which I currently live and work) has declared August 2011 through August 2012 to be a "Year for Youth"!

And he released a six-page pastoral letter in regard to this year for youth. To be honest, I'm a bit too tired to read it with any attention or clarity of thought right now, so let's all read it between now and tomorrow night's post so we can grab our coffee and discuss!

Peace and all good,
Leslie

The Answer to the Trivia That No One Cares About Anymore!

2011-07-20T23:45:00.000-07:00

Hello, Coffee Talkers!

A few of you might actually remember the Ultimate Coffee Talk Trivia post from over a week ago. I actually forgot myself, which is why I'm finally giving the final answer tonight! My friend and Coffee Talk reader, AE, correctly translated "Steubenvincensis, Ave!" -- it does, in fact, mean "Hail, Steubenville." And she was correct to say that the English translation comes from the first two words of the Alma Mater of Franciscan University of Steubenville. For this amazing feat, she will get an amazing prize (which I still have not chosen, muchless sent, because I am busy and forgetful)!

But the Latin phrase itself represents the final words of the Alma Mater, which has a little known final verse IN LATIN! Seriously, what school has an alma mater that ends with a Latin verse? Franciscan University of Steubenville, that's who.

I only know this because one year, the Student Life Office decided they wanted to have a recording made of the Alma Mater with it's 4-part harmony. For some strange reason, I was asked to sing soprano (which stretched into the range of sound that only dogs can hear), and four of us were asked to go to a recording studio in downtown Steubenville to lay down the tracks for this amazing recording. It was then that I saw the final Latin verse, but I could not convince anyone else that it should be included in our rendition. The only part of this story that can be any stranger than my having sung soprano or my discovery of the long-lost Latin verse was the fact that the University (which is known for its Franciscan poverty!) actually paid us to sing and make the recording. Like, they paid us money, not free snacks or something. So I guess that means that I've been a professional vocal recording artist. Huh. I'll have to add that to the old resume sometime!

Here's a somewhat painful rendition of the two English verses, with a bunch of pictures of people I know! (Sadly, that Latin verse is still nowhere to be found.)

Steubenvincensis, Ave!

Peace and all good,
Leslie

On Sinners, Scandals, and Why I Haven't Left the Catholic Church

2011-07-20T00:13:00.000-07:00

Hello, Coffee Talkers!

In last night's brief post on How to Spot a Fake Catholic Church, I made reference to churches that claim to be Catholic without actually having communion with Rome, and to a bishop who was illegitimately ordained in China. In the comment box, this was the first comment:

"The Bishop here in Antigonish Nova Scotia was real ...really perverted and is in jail ...too much porn on the laptop ....don't be so quick to judge those 'protestant churches' maybe they're protesting some really bad stuff"

I wouldn't normally draw attention to a comment like this by devoting an entire blog post in response, but I suspect that this kind of view is held by enough people that it's worth addressing.

There are so many points that could be touched on here, but I'll limit myself to a few for now. First, let's talk about the issue of the former Bishop in Nova Scotia. I know very little about this particular situation, so that's not what I intend to address. What I do want to say is this: I am no longer personally scandalized when I hear of the indiscretions of priests and even bishops. Deeply disappointed? Yes. Temporarily demoralized? Most certainly. But scandalized enough to leave the Catholic Church? Never. Because I realize that the Church (including her leaders!) are made of of human people, sinners in need of a savior. Every person is capable of great good, and of great evil. Every person possesses free will, and every person can get drawn into the traps of addiction, sin, and the culture of death. It happens. And the battle, I'm sure, is most violently waged against those leading the Church, those who are called to stand in persona Christi, to administer the sacraments, and to guide the Church in catechesis. So I commit these men to prayer, especially those who have sinned most grievously.

But to suggest that the appropriate response to hearing about a sinful priest or bishop would be to start your own church (pretending that it is, in fact, a Catholic Church) or to have yourself illicitly ordained a bishop because you deem yourself better or more holy or more worthy of the office is patently absurd. Without Rome, there is no Catholicism. And why on earth would people start their own church that they presented to others as Catholic? The only reason I can see is that these people still believe that the Catholic Church is, in fact, the Church founded by Jesus Christ Himself -- otherwise, they would just leave for one of the innumerable Protestant or non-denominational churches already established. Or they would begin their own church with no claim to Catholicism at all. But to pretend that you are a legitimate Catholic priest or Bishop with authority in the line of Apostolic Succession, and to present yourself to others in this way so that they will attend your church, this is deceptive at best. And at worst, if a person or group is participating in this deception deliberately, with full knowledge of leading others astray, see Matthew 18:6.

Now, you may see this as another example of my being "so quick to judge those 'protestant churches' [because] maybe they're protesting some really bad stuff." I'm not judging anyone's soul here. That type of judgment is left to God alone, and He is both a merciful and just judge, for which I am most grateful. The weeds, the wheat -- God's gonna sort it all out in the end, not us, so that's certainly a load off of everyone's minds. I am saying this: I don't care what "bad stuff" anyone is protesting; it is never right to present yourself as something you are not, especially in the case of a so-called Catholic Church, and especially if you believe that the Catholic Church is the true Church founded by Christ. As I said above, if you don't believe that, become Protestant. But if you do believe in the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church, then not even the most heinous indiscretions of any member or leader of that Church should lead you to start your own impostor church. That is in no possible way a real or moral solution to the problem at hand.

Lastly, I'd like to talk briefly about why I choose to remain Catholic. I know that it is shocking to many people (even those who know me well) to see an educated modern woman who seeks to abide fully by the teachings of the Catholic Church. I've honestly had friends tell me that I am the only smart person they know who is religious. If I have any wisdom at all, I believe it fundamentally comes from my understanding that I don't know everything, that I am not the supreme ruler of my own life, and that I too am a woman subject to authority, namely God's. And I believe in an integration of faith and reason. And the more I have learned and traveled and studied, the more convinced I have become that the world and our lives can be most fully lived and understood in light of the melodious symphony of truth that is presented in and through the Catholic Church.

Even if Bishop Bad-Guy commits a terrible crime, or Fr. Malarky tells a serious lie, or Sr. Mary LouLou of the Sisters of Divine Deviation tells me that she serves as an abortion clinic escort because she erroneously believes that the Blessed Mother was the first pro-choice woman, I will still (by the grace of God) remain Catholic, trusting that the Church will always remain the pillar and bulwark of truth and that no personal indiscretions or scandals or trouble, not even the gates of hell, will prevail against it.

I hope this has been helpful. As always, thanks for stopping by, and be assured of my prayers.

Peace and all good,
Leslie

How to Spot a Fake Catholic Church

2011-07-18T22:33:00.000-07:00

Hello, Coffee Talkers!

Yikes! I just heard it announced that another pretending-to-be-Catholic-but-not-in-communion-with-Rome-so-they're-really-Protestants church has sprung up across town. That makes two in our area now. And then I read more about the illegitimate bishop ordination in China.

It made me realize a couple important things:

1. It's never a good idea to have yourself ordained a bishop.
2. People need to know a simple way to spot impostor 'Catholic' churches.

There are many ways, I'm sure, to figure out that the church you're visiting/attending is not actually a Catholic Church. But the simplest way I know is this: if you're in a real Catholic Church, you'll always find a picture of the Pope somewhere in the building.

If you see a picture of someone else, but no Pope, then you're probably in the wrong place.

Peace and all good,
Leslie

WORLD YOUTH DAY!!!

2011-07-17T23:58:00.000-07:00

Happy Sunday, Coffee Talkers!

I'm taking the night off, both because it's Sunday and because I have an old friend visiting. We went together to our first World Youth Day in Denver in 1993! And now, World Youth Day Madrid is less than a month away -- ahhhhhh!!!!

Peace and all good,
Leslie

Thinking, Harry WHO?, and A Time for Help!

2011-07-16T22:52:00.000-07:00

Hello, Coffee Talkers!

I've been thinking. And thinking. And thinking!

We all need some thinking time every now and then, right?

Most of my thoughts are either not yet in write-able form, or they just aren't blog-worthy. But I won't leave you totally hanging. Here are a few passing thoughts from the day.

Apparently, there's a new Harry Potter movie out. Am I the only one who doesn't care? Like, at all? I'm not being judgmental of those who do care, but I guess I feel the pressure of American pop culture breathing down my neck, making me feel that, perhaps, I should care. I don't often find myself with the time or money to go to the movie theatre anyway, but if I did, I'd want to see something else. That's all. Don't lynch me, Harry Potter lovers of the world!

There were lots of other thoughts, but one disturbed me a bit, and I think I should mention it. Every now and then I take a look through my blog stats, which show phrases people searched for that directed them to my blog, countries people viewed from, and referring links. Today, for the second time, I noticed that someone ended up at Coffee Talk from a link that seems to be a porn site from Russia. I mean, I'm definitely not going to click the link to verify that information, but that's definitely what it seems to be.

I guess I mention this for a few reasons. 1. Porn is a huge problem, not just in the US, but throughout the world, and many people struggle with an addiction to pornography in solitude and darkness. 2. Some people don't see porn as a problem at all, and that is even more disturbing. 3. Seeing the referring link one time could have been coincidence, but twice makes me think that perhaps there's a person, maybe a Catholic or someone interested in the faith, who has ended up at my blog on more than one occasion. How and why, I don't know, but I want everyone reading this to know that pornography is evil; it does not truly satisfy whatever deep longings a person has, and in fact, can only make them worse by degrading other people and desensitizing the person who becomes a voyeur to what should be the most private aspects of another person or people.

However, pornography is a rather easy and powerful trap to fall into these days, and the person viewing internet pornography is not intrinsically evil, even though the pornography itself is. I would strongly recommend that anyone who is struggling with a possible addiction to pornography speak with a counselor or someone else who is trained to help with these kind of problems. Also, you cannot turn away from something successfully without embracing something else, so in turning away from the darkness, turning toward and embracing a deeper life of faith can be a very helpful and necessary source of divine assistance, grace, hope, and healing. Mercy, grace, hope, redemption, and conversion are possible for all of us. Always.

I really do thank each of you for stopping by, and I do sincerely keep all of my readers in my prayers. St. Maximilian Kolbe, patron saint of addictions and families, please pray for us!

Peace and all good,
Leslie

Steubenville Awaits Bishop & Gets Priest Administrator

2011-07-16T00:05:00.000-07:00

Hello, Coffee Talkers!

Since the former Bishop of Steubenville, R. Daniel Conlon, has now been begun his new role as the Bishop of Joliet, Illinois, Msgr. Kurt Kemo has been named the priest-administrator of Steubenville while the Diocese awaits the appointment of a new bishop. Read more about it here!

Peace and all good,
Leslie

Blessed Kateri - Patron Saint of the Environment and Ecology

2011-07-14T21:28:00.000-07:00

Hello, Coffee Talkers!

A happy feast of Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha to you all!

Read an article about today's feast here!

Peace and all good,
Leslie

A picture's worth...

2011-07-13T19:47:00.000-07:00

Hello, Coffee Talkers!

Just a pic tonight. More promised in the days to come! Special thanks to Harold, the nice man who sent me this picture of Gianna Emanuela Molla, MD, youngest daughter of St. Gianna Beretta Molla!

Peace and all good,
Leslie

Contest Still Rockin', and GUESS WHO I SAW TONIGHT?!?!

2011-07-12T21:41:00.000-07:00

Alright, Coffee Talkers!

Y'all are good! An initial congrats goes out to my friend AE, who scored about one million and two points in last night's Coffee Talk contest. But I'm still looking for a little more. There's gotta be someone out there who knows where the Latin words themselves come from. Come on, lovers of useless Catholic trivia (And Franciscan University of Steubenville staff and alumni, in particular) -- don't fail me now!

And tonight, I attended a Mass in honor of St. Gianna Molla, celebrated by Fr. Frank Pavone of the Priests for Life, and featuring guest speaker GIANNA EMMANUELLA MOLLA!!!! Ahhhhh!!!! She is the youngest daughter of St. Gianna, and St. Gianna died shortly after her birth.

There are so many stories to tell you all! Maybe I'll have to do a series on it! But for now, sleep. And MORE CONTEST! Please, don't forget the contest. We're just getting warmed up here.

Peace and all good,
Leslie

The Ultimate Coffee Talk TRIVIA!!!!

2011-07-11T19:36:00.000-07:00

Alright, Coffee Talkers. One more night without time to post much. But here's some exciting trivia for y'all:

"Steubenvincensis, Ave!"

One point to those who can translate this.

One more point to those who can guess where I'm at while typing it.

Three million points to those who can tell me what this is from!!!

I'm not sure what the prize will be for the winner, but it'll be something amazing, you can bet on that, my friends!

Peace and all good,

Leslie

Happy Sower Sunday!

2011-07-10T19:34:00.000-07:00

Hello, Coffee Talkers!

Night off -- happy Sunday!

Check out today's Mass readings -- sower and seed!

Peace and all good,
Leslie

JP II vs. Freud: A Throwdown of Sexual Philosophies!

2011-07-09T21:56:00.000-07:00

Hello, Coffee Talkers!

Tonight, we'll have a semi-brief but ultra-exciting lesson in philosophy that I hope will provide some illumination on the Catholic-Christian philosophical view of human sexuality, particularly applied to priestly celibacy, and the way that this view differs markedly from certain modern psycho-analytical theories. Stick with me -- it'll make some sense, I promise. Let's begin!

Many Catholics I know have shared with me that they feel that, if only Roman Catholic priests could regularly be married, there might not have been nearly so many abuse scandals and other examples of infidelity to their priestly vows. I heartily disagree with this view, but I am glad that it has caused me to examine what might be at the root of such an idea.

First, many people see that priesthood certainly has the potential of being a very isolating and lonely life. These people also recognize that every person (priest or lay person) has a deep need for human companionship and more importantly, for communion with others and with an Other. I think that people, in a good way, see marriage as a means to bring about an interpersonal communion and an intimacy of emotion and relationship. They see some priests living isolated and lonely lives, and (not realizing that there are other means of communion and fellowship for priests) they wish that those priests could get married.

But that's where the praiseworthiness sometimes ends, and the strange thinking begins. When people hear that Father so-and-so committed such and such grievously immoral action, they link it back to that idea that marriage brings about communion, and see the lack of marriage as the root of Father so-and-so's problems. "What Father did was really terrible," they might think, "but who could really blame him, being so lonely and all? If only he could have gotten married." This is clearly erroneous thinking -- there are people who commit grievously immoral actions who are priests, married, and single people. There are also a great many people who remain faithful to their vows in the context of priesthood and marriage. How?

I would suggest that those people who remain faithful to their vows, in the context of priesthood, marriage, or any other vowed life, do so because they are in some way aware of (and are living according to) .... the personalistic norm.

[The WHAT?!?!]

The personalistic norm, defined by Karol Wojtyla (a.k.a. Blessed John Paul II in his book Love and Responsibility) confirms that "the person is a good towards which the only proper and adequate attitude is love" (41). Negatively, this principle "states that the person is the kind of good which does not admit of use and cannot be treated as an object of use and as such the means to an end" (41).

In other words, the basis of human love is a communion between persons, who treat each other with love and mutual respect, and who do not use one another as objects or solely as a means of their own pleasure. This makes sense clearly within married love, where a husband and wife are called to be gift to one another in the context of the marital act. But how does this apply in the context of the celibate life? And why do so many believe priestly celibacy to be at the root of particular indiscretions of some priests?

My guess is this: most people (Catholics included) base their thoughts and assumptions about human sexuality more on the 'libidinistic interpretation' of the sexual urge more than on the Christian interpretation of the sexual urge. The 'libidinistic interpretation' concerns use of persons, while the Christian interpretation is based on the personalistic norm. Again, this is based on JP II's writings, but lemme give you a super-simplified version here.

The 'libidinistic interpretation' of the sexual urge is based on Sigmund Freud's idea that the sexual urge is primarily an urge to enjoy. Thus, man is depicted by pshychoanalysis only as a subject, and as a means to someone else's end -- namely, pleasure. This interpretation ignores the inner life and inner self of man, and is "very closely related to the utitilitarian standpoint in ethics ... [which concerns] the treatment of persons exclusively as the means to an end, as objects for use" (LR, 63).

In the Christian interpretation of the sexual urge, man, who is "capable of rising above instinct in his actions ... in the sexual sphere as well as elsewhere" (LR, 46), excercises the dynamics of his freedom which the will possesses, allowing the "sexual urge [to] transcend the determinism of the natural order by an act of love" (LR, 50).

Read that last paragraph again!

And one more time.

It is within this context that both a married or a vowed celibate person can use their sexuality to give a gift of self to the community -- that as human persons, we have the power (by the grace of God) to "transcend the determinism of the natural order by an act of love"! We are not mere animals, who must act according to selfish instincts only. A sign of a mature human being is this ability to excercise freedom in transcending the pull of every base, natural urge that comes along and instead, being selfless and considering others.

This fidelity and selflessness is not easy, and in fact is not possible but for grace, which reunites us with the spark of goodness, truth, beauty, charity, and communion by which and for which we were all created.

"There is no need to be dismayed if love sometimes follows torturous ways," Blessed John Paul II assured us. "Grace has the power to make straight the paths of human love." (LR, 140).

Peace and all good,
Leslie

Priests: Can They Be 'Excommunicated'? And Can They Get Married?

2011-07-08T22:40:00.000-07:00

Hello, Coffee Talkers!

A couple interesting questions have come to my attention, in light of recent events. These questions are complex and multifaceted, and I'll admit that I'm no expert in questions regarding the priesthood -- a canon lawyer or someone involved in priestly formation and direction would be more fully educated regarding these questions. Still, I do have some knowledge of these things, and so I'll do my best to share what I do know in a way that is (relatively) succinct and easy to understand.

First question: What constitutes excommunication? Are priests never excommunicated? What does it mean to say that a priest is "a priest forever"?

Second Question: [In regard to certain priests being unfaithful to their vow of celibacy], for me it always leads back around to the issue of "priests being married". I think the majority of Catholics agree. Not that married priests would not have their own set of issues. What do you think, Leslie -- 100 years from now, might they be able to marry?

Okay, here we go! First, let's talk about excommunication. There was a time in the history of the Church when excommunication referred to two different states. The first was called "minor excommunication," which referred to a person being barred from receiving Eucharistic communion because they were in a state of mortal sin and had not yet been to sacramental confession. This is, of course, a situation that can be easily rectified in modern times by going to confession! The second type, called "major excommunication," referred to a person who was formally declared by a bishop or by the Pope to no longer be in communion with the Catholic Church because of a very serious and deliberate act contrary to the Church's teaching. Only this latter definition of excommunication is in popular use today, and it means that the excommunicated person cannot receive any of the Church's sacraments or participate in her public worship until such a time as suitable reparation and satisfaction have been made. The Church always leaves a path to reconciliation open to excommunicated members, and it is the hope that their time of exile from the ecclesiastical community will be short-lived.

In regard to priests, yes, priests can be excommunicated. If they are, they not only face the same restrictions as an excommunicated lay person, but they are also forbidden from the administration of the sacraments or other sacred rites and they may not exercise any acts of spiritual authority. This does not, of course, mean that an excommunicated person (lay or cleric) ceases to be a Christian -- they are always a Christian by nature of their baptism (which brought about an ontological change, or changed the nature of a person's being). Similarly, a priest, having received the sacrament of Holy Orders and having been ordained a priest through Apostolic succession, once validly ordained, always remains a priest. He may be removed from his ministry due to excommunication, or he may be 'laicized' by his own request for no morally problematic reason. In either case, however, he remains a priest ontologically (or in his soul's nature of being). However, he can no longer exercise priestly functions. See this article on what an ex-priest can and can't do for more details.

In regard to the second question, let me answer this question from its end to its beginning. Do I think that priests might someday be able to marry? Yes. In fact, many priests already are married. There are more than 20 different rites of Catholicism, and in the Eastern rites, it is common to allow priests to marry (although they may not marry after being ordained, and they may not serve as bishops if they are married). Also, although the normal practice for Roman Catholic priests is to be and to remain unmarried, we do have some married Roman Catholic priests who, by a special pastoral provision, converted to Roman Catholicism after having previously served as married priests in the Anglican (or Episcopal) Church. For my local friends, you may be interested to know that the current priest chaplain at St. Mary's hospital is one of these married priests under the pastoral provision.

I have known several married Roman Catholic priests in the USA, and it has been an honor and blessing to know them. However, not one of them has argued in favor of priests in the Roman Rite being regularly married. Why, we may wonder? Here are a few of my own thoughts -- 1. Eastern Rite churches in the US are significantly smaller in numbers of parishioners than Roman Catholic parishes; 2. the demands of time and emotional, spiritual, and physical efforts devoted by the average Roman Catholic priest would significantly limit the time available to care for and support a wife and children; and 3. most of the married priests I know became Catholic when they were not in the midst of life with a young family, and I think they can see the serious challenges of being a married priest more realistically than we can.

Lastly, and most importantly, I want to say this very clearly: priestly celibacy is not the cause of any of their personal indiscretions, and allowing priests to marry would in NO WAY solve individual problems of abuse and infidelity. I mean no disrespect when I say this, but I'm just not sure why so many Catholics think that if priests could marry they would not have the problems that a very public few of them have had/are currently having. This argument makes NO SENSE! This becomes more clear when we look at similar indiscretions committed by men who are not priests. Let me try to illustrate by way of a couple examples:

1. Bob and Sue are married with children. All seems well in their marriage, until Sue learns that Bob has a serious problem with child pornography. I would hope that no one would suggest that if Bob had only had another wife, or a mistress, or even a prostitute, he would not have felt the need to resort to child pornography. Bob has some serious problems that cannot be resolved simply by having a wife.

2. Frank is an unmarried man, and a teacher. He is accused of having inappropriate relationships with several of his students. No one would say that this problem would not have come about if Frank could only have married. Frank could have married, but it clearly would not have resolved whatever deeper problems he had.

I suspect that there are a lot of underlying assumptions about human sexuality that play into the idea that priests need to be married, and I suspect that a lot of these ideas come from the perspective of modern secular psychoanalytical theories and such rather than from a philosophy of the human person that is compatible with Christianity. I'll get into this more tomorrow. I'm sure this is more than enough for us all to ponder for now!

As always, thanks for stopping by! Be assured of my prayers.

Peace and all good,
Leslie

A Week of Leisure!

2011-07-07T19:23:00.000-07:00

Hello, Coffee Talkers!

This week I am occupied with roaming the countrysides of the USA, visiting people and shrines, praying, reading, and generally relaxing. In short, I will be leading a life of leisure which, as Joseph Pieper tells us, is the basis of culture! So my hope is that, as soon as I'm caught up on sleep, the interesting and culturally rich Coffee Talk posts will come rolling in. So brace yourselves!

Peace and all good,
Leslie

Monks & Ink!

2011-07-06T14:49:00.000-07:00

Hello, Coffee Talkers!

I won't have time to post tonight, so I at least wanted to give a little shout out to the Benedictine Monks of Saint Andrew's Abbey in Valyermo, California who now have an online store where they sell printer ink and toner! So check out MonksInk, and support the monastery while taking care of your own printing needs.

Peace and all good,
Leslie

Have You Prayed for Priests Today?

2011-07-05T22:24:00.000-07:00

There's so much that could be said, Coffee Talkers, in light of the sad news of a Massachusetts priest found dead and the shocking press release about Fr. John Corapi.

Perhaps I'll comment more on these sad stories later, but for now, my deepest response is this: "Have I been praying for priests?" And the simple answer is no, I have not been, and yes, I need to be.

So won't you join me now in praying for priests? After you sign off your computer, maybe you could say an Our Father or pray a Rosary, both for any priests you know personally, and then for all priests. And I don't care if you're not Catholic - pray for priests, anyway! Because I think we can all agree that our world would be a better place if it was filled with good, holy priests open to divine assistance when they need it (which is always, because priests, like the rest of us, are human).

One of my favorite prayers for priests was written by St. Therese:

O Jesus, I pray for Your faithful and fervent priests, for Your unfaithful and tepid priests; for Your priests laboring at home or abroad in distant mission fields; for Your tempted priests; for Your lonely and desolate priests; for Your young priests; for Your dying priests; for the souls of Your priests in purgatory.

But above all I recommend to You the priests dearest to me: the priest who baptized me; the priest who absolved me from my sins; the priest at whose Masses I assisted and who gave me Your Body and Blood in Holy Communion; the priests who taught and instructed me; all the priests to whom I am indebted in any other way. Jesus, keep them all close to Your heart, and bless them abundantly in time and in eternity. Amen.

Peace and all good,
Leslie

The Vatican's Money!

2011-07-04T23:29:00.000-07:00

Hello, Coffee Talkers!

I have learned that people have a lot of misconceptions about the Catholic Church and money. For example, I've met a lot of people who think that our local diocese and parish receive money from the Vatican. (Ha!)

Many people don't understand that the money we tithe, at the level of our own parish, goes to support the operations of our own parish, and sometimes the diocese, and sometimes the Vatican! This is why many parishes in the USA have had to make many cuts of staff, ministries, and other resources in recent years. When the economy turned downward, people lost jobs. When people lose jobs, they stop tithing. (Well, those who were actually giving to the Church in the first place. Although I've noticed that sometimes people with very little give a great deal of what they have to the Church.) And when people stop tithing, the Vatican doesn't just send a bucket of gold overseas. Nope. The parish just has less money to operate, plain and simple.

In any case, I personally don't really care that much about the Vatican's money, but since a lot of people seem to, here's a little article on the financial statements of the Holy See for 2010. I found it to be a bit of a snoozer, truth be told, but I hope someone enjoys it!

Hope you all had a happy 4th of July! As always, thanks for stopping by, and be assured of my prayers.

Peace and all good,
Leslie

From Coast to Coast, A Happy Fourth!

2011-07-03T22:24:00.000-07:00

Hello, Coffee Talkers!

Americans are gearing up, nationwide, for 4th of July festivities! Last year, my girls and I spent our 4th of July enjoying a live concert from the Philadelphia Orchestra, who performed the 1812 Overture during an awesome fireworks display! Sort of like this:

This year, we'll be enjoying our local fireworks show with some friends, so I imagine that things will be a little lower key than last year (no pun intended!). So instead of the fireworks show above, it might be more like this:

And instead of the Philadelphia Orchestra, I'll bring my clarinet.

[I will look just as determined as this girl, minus the winter gear.

It's summer in the desert, people - cut me some slack!]

To all Coffee Talkers 'round the globe, may the Fourth be with you! As always, thanks for stopping by, and be assured of my prayers.

Peace and all good,

Leslie

The De-Malling of America?

2011-07-02T22:00:00.000-07:00

Hello, Coffee Talkers!

In a rare turn of events, my girls and I made a trip to the Mall today. That's right. The MALL!

We don't really ever go to the Mall. Because these days (other than for people-watching purposes), there's not much reason to go there since everything we need can be easily found elsewhere. But today we had a gift card and some free time, so off we went to the unhappiest place on earth.

This is not to say that we weren't happy. We had a lovely time, to be honest! But the Mall is not a place that makes people happy. It's a place that tries to make you feel like you're not quite cool enough so they can sell you a bunch of ~~crap~~, er, stuff. I had almost forgotten all about Mall culture until today's excursion! It's very interesting, really. And a personal observation that I made today is that if a person desires to become more detached from the sex-crazed ultra-consumerist norm of modern America, then an easy first step to take would be to avoid malls.

I remember taking a freshman seminar class in college, and we all had to buy this book of compiled essays by a bunch of the professors (great way to get published and to guarantee a large-scale sale of your books!). There was one essay titled "The Malling of America." I really don't remember anything noteworthy about the essay except for the title, but I think that now, 15 years later (gasp! how did that happen?) it seems that we are in the age of de-malling America. This is not to say that we're not still very consumer-oriented, but simply to note that there seems to have been a shift toward more local shopping centers/plazas over malls, and definitely a huge increase in online shopping. Also, it seems likely to me that malls have higher crime rates than regular shopping centers/free-standing movie theatres because of the 'hang out' element of malls. But since theology is more my thing than consumer trends, I welcome feedback from y'all, both in and out of America!

Speaking of this, welcome to today's readers, who've hailed from USA, Japan, Germany, Spain, Ethiopia, Malaysia, Slovakia, Turkey, Ukraine, and South Africa!

As always, thanks for stopping by, and be assured of my prayers.

Peace and all good,
Leslie

Maryland Episcopal Church becomes Catholic, and Vatican Sets Media Records

2011-07-01T22:24:00.000-07:00

Hello, Coffee Talkers!

Here's an article telling a little more about an Epsicopal Church in Maryland which is soon becoming Catholic through the new Anglican Ordinariate -- cool!

Also, the Vatican has blazed many new media trails as of late, and thanks to launching a new online portal (inaugurated by Pope Benedict XVI's Tweet from his iPad), the Vatican website garnered over a quarter million hits on its first day live! Read more about this here.

Lastly, on a more personal note, please pray for the mother of my friend who sustained serious injuries to her lung, skull, shoulder, and brain in a biking accident today. Also, thanks goes out to another friend who gave me the lead on the article about the Anglican Ordinariate developments -- she is on bedrest during her pregnancy, so please pray for her, too!

Peace and all good,
Leslie

Birthdays, Free Stuff, and Smiling Animals!

2011-07-01T00:17:00.000-07:00

Hello, Coffee Talkers!

It's been a fun and full day! Among the highlights were celebrating my friend's birthday, and winning a give-away from another friend's blog. I love birthdays and free stuff, so today was like hitting the jackpot!

I'm too tired for much else, so here are a few smiling animals to help express the joys of the day:

Peace and all good,
Leslie

A Time for Thanksgiving: 60 years of priesthood for the Pope

2011-06-30T16:00:00.000-07:00

Hello, Coffee Talkers!

[Blogger is back, so here's yesterday's post -- finally!]

Today (June 29) not only marks the Feast of St. Peter and St. Paul on the liturgical calendar, but is also the 60th anniversary of Pope Benedict XVI's ordination to the priesthood. Happy anniversary, Holy Father! Here's a video of his priestly ordination from all those years ago:

And here is the closing of Pope Benedict XVI's homily from today:

Sixty years of priestly ministry – dear friends, perhaps I have spoken for too long about this. But I felt prompted at this moment to look back upon the things that have left their mark on the last six decades. I felt prompted to address to you, to all priests and bishops and to the faithful of the Church, a word of hope and encouragement; a word that has matured in long experience of how good the Lord is. Above all, though, it is a time of thanksgiving: thanks to the Lord for the friendship that he has bestowed upon me and that he wishes to bestow upon us all. Thanks to the people who have formed and accompanied me. And all this includes the prayer that the Lord will one day welcome us in his goodness and invite us to contemplate his joy. Amen.

Peace and all good,
Leslie

A Tweet Heard 'Round the World - BXVI and His iPad

2011-06-28T22:26:00.000-07:00

Hello, Coffee Talkers!

Pope Benedict XVI launched the new Vatican online news portal, news.va, and announced the launch with a Tweet from his iPad!

Seriously, I was just having doubts about the benefits of Twitter (having just recently joined myself), but being among the first to see BXVI's first Tweet made it all worthwhile: “Dear Friends, I just launched News.va Praised be our Lord Jesus Christ! With my prayers and blessings, Benedictus XVI”.

Here's a fun video of the Tweeting and iPad action. It's interesting even if you don't understand Italian, I promise!

Lastly, in completely unrelated news, there are terrible wild fires raging in Alamos, New Mexico. The fire is of particular concern because of the proximity to a nuclear lab, so let's please pray for the safety of all who are being evacuated, those who are fighting the fire, and that the fire will be extinguished as soon as possible.

Peace and all good,
Leslie

BXVI's Schedule de Madrid + an AMAZING video trailer!

2011-06-27T23:17:00.000-07:00

Hello, Coffee Talkers!

Since I just spent a completely inordinate amount of time unsuccessfully trying to upload a video to share here, I'll be brief tonight.

But check out Pope Benedict XVI's schedule for his travels to Madrid this August during World Youth Day!

And enjoy at least the small fruit of my almost completely pointless labor, this little trailer to the most amazing video ever made. [By me. And some friends. At my parish. Okay, well, the only video so far, for me, anyway. And I can't even upload it!] Despite my technological ineptitude, you should brace yourselves for this video which, when eventually unveiled, is sure to knock your little Coffee Talk socks right the heck off!

Peace and all good,
Leslie

Jesus and The Monster -- Friends or Foes?

2011-06-26T22:47:00.000-07:00

Hello, Coffee Talkers!

Today, in honor of the Solemnity of Corpus Christi, we had ten minutes of Eucharistic adoration at the end of Mass for the whole congregation. This means that the Eucharist (the communion bread which, at the time of consecration, became the body of Christ) was placed in a vessel known as a monstrance for a time of prayer.

My girls and I often go to adoration at our parish on Fridays (the girls don't last very long in silence, but I figure a little prayer is better than none!), and so they know about Jesus and the monstrance. One small problem, though -- they think that the monstrance is called "The Monster."

I considered trying to explain the Latin etymology of the word 'monstrance' to them (monstrare means to show or reveal, as in the word 'demonstrate'), but then I realized that pre-schoolers aren't really phased by the idea of Jesus (in the form of bread) sitting inside a gold 'Monster.' To them, I suspect that Jesus and the Monster could easily be friends. He's just as happy hanging out in the Monster as He is when He's living in the Lamb Box (a.k.a. tabernacle).

In my experience, I have found that young children have an easier time of understanding and accepting the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist than adults. Obviously, they don't understand on the same level of depth that adults can reach, but overall, they get it. My girls can tell you all about the Lamb Box and the Monster and Jesus' Body and Blood. And they will! They even play games relating to the Eucharist. Last night, for example, my 3-year-old was holding a tiny toy cup that looked like a chalice, and she said, "I'm just gonna have a little drink of blood before I go to bed." I said, "You mean Jesus' blood, like at Communion?" She said, "Yeah." (Sure, this gives me slight concern that she will play this game in front of others and they will think that we are Vampires instead of Catholics. But more importantly, it dispels the widely held myth that you cannot teach young children about the real presence and so you should fill their classes for First Communion prep with a bunch of fluff and nonsense.)

In honor of today's Solemnity, you can read John 6, where Jesus gives his own most explicit Eucharistic theology. And don't forget to visit Jesus and 'The Monster' at a parish near you!

Peace and all good,
Leslie

Franciscan Flashmob for Corpus Christi!

2011-06-25T19:45:00.000-07:00

Hello, Coffee Talkers!

Happy Solemnity of Corpus Christi, or the Body and Blood of Christ! Check out the Sunday readings, and then check out these cool Franciscans and their Eucharistic 'flashmob' in the middle of a city!

Peace and all good,
Leslie

Do Single Sex Dorms Constitute Gender Discrimination?

2011-06-24T21:55:00.000-07:00

Hello, Coffee Talkers!

Some of you may have seen my recent post about the recent announcement from Catholic University of America that they plan to move to single-sex dorms. Now, it looks like a professor from a nearby law school (who apparently has a lot of free time on his hands) is trying to bring a lawsuit against CUA on the basis of gender discrimination. Read the article here, and tell me what you think. I'd especially like to hear the feedback of my friends with a background in law.

My initial response can be summed up in one word (but with an added syllable): puh-LEASE! It seems to me that Catholic University of America, being a, well, Catholic university in America, can do pretty much whatever they want. Am I wrong? I mean, they're a private university, not a provider of public or government housing. I don't have a deep knowledge of law, but to little old me, this seems absurd at best.

I welcome your thoughts and knowledge on this matter in the comment box!

Peace and all good,
Leslie

Transforming Grief into Love -- Rachel Muha Wins National Award

2011-06-23T22:25:00.000-07:00

Hello, Coffee Talkers!

This week, Rachel Muha of Westerville, Ohio was selected as a Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Award recipients and designated as an "Unsung Hero" recognized for her extraordinary and selfless volunteer work in the community. I could think of no one more deserving of this honor, and I would like to share a bit more of her story here.

It's now been over a decade since I first met Rachel Muha. I was traveling around the USA with NET Ministries, and my team was going to be hosted by the Muha family for Thanksgiving. One of my teammates was a close friend of Ms. Muha's elder son Chris, and our entire team (11 hungry people!) were graciously hosted by the Muhas for our Thanksgiving holiday and break. We stayed many places with many different people during that year, but this visit is one that I will never forget.

Not only was I moved by the generosity of the Muhas to take their friend and his ten never-before-introduced teammates into their home and family, but I was especially amazed at Rachel and Chris Muha's extraordinary example of mercy and compassion. Just a year before our visit, Ms. Muha's younger son, Brian (along with one of his roommates) was brutally murdered; it was only their second Thanksgiving without Brian when they hosted our team.

It was obvious during our stay that Rachel, Chris, and their extended family (with whom we enjoyed a lovely Thanksgiving meal) were still grieving, and they spoke about Brian during our visit. But somehow they transformed that pain and loss into a living witness of mercy unlike anything I've witnessed before.

I remember one story in particular that Ms. Muha shared with us. She said that, two summers before, her son Brian and his friend Aaron were going to be living off campus while they took summer classes at Franciscan University of Steubenville. Brian knew that his mom was concerned for him, as it was his first time living both away from home and not in the campus dorms. So Brian sent his mom some flowers with a little note.

Something wonderful happened on the morning of Brian's death, before we knew that he was even missing. A beautiful bouquet of white roses touched with a hint of pink arrived for Brian's mother, bearing a note from her son in his own handwriting: "Just wanted to say hello even though I'm away. Love, Bri."

Later, when Brian and Aaron's bodies were found on a Pennsylvania hill, their heads were resting on thorns, but covered by a canopy of roses -- the same color that Brian had sent. One of the roses from that hill took root outside of the Muha's home, where they grow to this day.

Even through my brief encounter with her, I have been profoundly moved by Rachel Muha's example, especially as a merciful mother and person committed to bettering the lives of others, especially young people and children. Read more about Rachel Muha, the good work she has done, and the award she received here, and learn about the Brian Muha Memorial Foundation here.

Peace and all good,
Leslie

The New Super Duper Popemobile - Video!

2011-06-22T23:34:00.000-07:00

Hi Leslie,

I just read your post about the plans for the new “popemobile,” and I thought you would find this video interesting: http://www.newsy.com/videos/green-pope-to-get-hybrid-popemobile/

It’s really great to see Pope Benedict - one of the most recognizable and influential figures in the world - make a gesture in support of the green movement. I know he’s been called the “green pope” by many people, and it’s awesome to see him using his influence for a greater social good, even if it’s as simple as upgrading to a “super-fly” new ride.

The Newsy video uses multiple sources to give viewers a broad context and diverse commentary from around the globe. I hope you’ll find it useful and consider sharing it in your post.

Please email me if you have any questions, and have a great day!

Thanks,
Jared

Hello, Jared!

Thanks for the link to the video! I found it interesting and informative, and I hope my Coffee Talk readers enjoy it as well. I was going to include the video here in the post, but it didn't work right away, and time is at a premium tonight due to a sick child. I do think that readers will find it worth the extra mouse-click to watch it! No, I don't really have any questions right now, only gratitude that you've provided some blog-worthy material for tonight so I can quickly go to wash off the vomit from my three-year old.

This is my first introduction to Newsy, and I enjoyed the video on the new Popemobile. I have observed that some news sources claim to be 'fair and balanced,' but then are tainted by an obvious anti-Catholic bias; this was not at all the case in this video, so kudos to Newsy!

As always, thanks for stopping by. Be assured of my prayers.

Peace and all good,
Leslie

BXVI Optimizes His Ride - A Hybrid Popemobile on the Horizon

2011-06-21T22:09:00.000-07:00

Hello, Coffee Talkers!

Have y'all heard about the new plans for the Popemobile? It's gonna be a super-fly hybrid, ready for Papal excursions later this year. But even the current Popemobile is pretty awesome. Check out this bad-boy:

And then read this cool article about the Pope's request to Mercedes Benz for a fuel-efficient hybrid model Popemobile!

(I was hoping that it would be ready in time for World Youth Day this summer in Madrid, but apparently not, so I'll just plan to visit BXVI and his new wheels when they're in Rome. No problem!)

Peace and all good,
Leslie

Help! Why Do Men Make Up Names?

2011-06-20T22:35:00.000-07:00

Hello, Coffee Talkers!

Alright, something a little different tonight. I want to take an informal poll, to find out if you all have any thoughts on why some men (most often in response to women, it seems) make up fake names (and other falsified information) when introducing themselves. Here's an example:

[Setting - college cafeteria. Leslie and Brendan are both music majors.]

Leslie: Hey, do you wanna sit here?
Brendan: Sure, sounds good. [They sit down at a table. Another young woman walks toward their table.]
Caitlin: Hey, Leslie! How's it going?
Leslie: Good, Caitlin! Come join us!
Caitlin to Brendan: Hi, I'm Caitlin! What's your name?
Brendan: George.
Caitlin: Nice to meet you, George. So, what are you studying?
Brendan: [completely straight-faced] Well, I designed my own major. A combination of women's studies and underwater basket-weaving.
Caitlin: Oh. That's...different. So Leslie, what's new?
Leslie: [sits in dumbfounded silence, pondering what has just transpired.]

Okay, so I have my own theories on why some men do this, but I want your feedback here. Tell me what you think, Coffee Talk friends! Have you ever made up a name or other personal information? If so, are you a man or a woman? If not, have you witnessed others making up names? Why do you think they did it?

Peace and all good,
Leslie

A Blessed Day, Even to the Fatherless

2011-06-19T21:41:00.000-07:00

Hello, Coffee Talkers!

It is Trinity Sunday on the liturgical calendar, and also Father's Day to those of us in the USA (and some other places, I imagine). The alignment of these days is not coincidental to me. I consider it a beautiful reminder that we all share the same Father. This can be a special consolation to those among us who are 'fatherless' here on earth due to death, abandonment, abuse, or other sad circumstances. We can take heart, and gain confident hope in the knowledge that none of us are fatherless, spiritually.

Let us pray together in the words that Jesus taught us:

Our Father, Who art in heaven,
Hallowed be Thy Name.
Thy Kingdom come.
Thy Will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil. Amen.

Peace and all good,
Leslie

Trinity Sunday, and Franciscan Twins

2011-06-19T00:32:00.000-07:00

Hello, Coffee Talkers!

Check out these readings for Trinity Sunday -- they're pretty great!

And here's a lovely story of 92-year-old twin Franciscans who were together all their lives, and then died just hours apart. Rest in peace, dear brothers!

As always, thanks for stopping by, and be assured of my prayers!

Peace and all good,
Leslie

A Call for Prayer (and Tums) - Fr. John Corapi Leaves the Priesthood, and the Church

2011-06-17T23:01:00.000-07:00

Dear Leslie,

Have you heard about Fr. John Corapi? I think you should do a blog about his situation. Just a suggestion which I think your followers would want to read.

Thanks,
Joshua

Dear Joshua,

My initial thought was that there wasn't much to say, since all I knew was that Fr. Corapi (a priest with a powerful ministry and extraordinary conversion story) had been asked to be on administrative leave while an accusation made against him was under investigation by Church authorities. Then I realized that I had been out all day, and away from all media sources, so perhaps there was some new development that I had missed. I didn't think, though, that the Church would have any final decision yet, since it tends to be a long and painful process to sort through any accusations made against a priest. But it didn't take long before I learned of the shocking, saddening news: John Corapi has left the priesthood and the Church, of his own decision; he was not asked to leave.

On June 17, 2011, Corapi released an audio announcement on his Facebook page, YouTube channel, and his company, Santa Cruz Media’s, website proclaiming his new movement towards “The Black SheepDog.” Combining the personified characteristics of “a black sheep,” and the “sheep” and role of a “sheepdog,” Corapi claims his newfound mission is the same, delivering messages of ‘hope’ and ‘truth,’ but now to a wider-audience. He launched a blog-site: www.TheBlackSheepDog.us to allow his fans to begin establishing a ‘home’ where they can be in touch with him, directly. A member from his media team shared “this is a very exciting move for John and his fans, as for the first time, in a long time, John will be directly in touch with this fan-base by way of social networks.”

The above quote is taken from his own new website, and I feel that it requires little commentary. Here is a video version of his sad and disturbing announcement:

Really, this whole sad turn of events makes me sick to my stomach. I have many thoughts about this whole matter, but I will refrain from sharing all of them in a public forum. Instead, I encourage all of us to have recourse to intense prayer, fasting, and mortification for Fr. John Corapi (he is still a priest, whether he chooses to live as one or not), for all priests, and for the entire Catholic Church.

Jesus is no stranger to false accusations, injustice, and maltreatment, even unto death. May we all remain close to Him, and to His Church, even until the end of the age.

Let's join our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, in his general prayer intention for the month of June: That priests, united to the Heart of Christ, may always be true witnesses of the caring and merciful love of God.

Peace and all good,
Leslie

P.S. I will share one final personal thought that may be helpful to others -- Fr. Corapi is now making efforts to sell his books and materials at a discounted rate through the end of the month, since they may soon not be available. He is also doing this to 'celebrate' the anniversary of his ordination this Sunday, just after he announces that he is leaving the priesthood. It's likely that the reason that the materials won't be available much longer is that they may no longer be considered Catholic materials (with the approval of an imprimatur or the permission of his society) after he has left the ministerial priesthood. If people want to support Fr. Corapi during this sad and difficult time, I truly recommend that you support him in prayer only (not by purchasing his materials, frequenting his new website, listening to his forthcoming radio shows, or purchasing his soon-to-be-released book), until we understand more of the situation. Please, please pray, and support him in these ways while he is away. Thank you!

UPDATE, 6/19/11: Some have rightly pointed out that Fr. Corapi did not specifically say that he is leaving the Church (or the priesthood, for that matter). I hope that he is not leaving the Church, and I did not mean to mislead. Fr. Corapi did say, "I am not going to be involved in public ministry as a priest any longer. There are certain persons in authority in the Church that want me gone, and I shall be gone." Also, he has expressed his intention of continuing his 'mission' outside of the Church, as 'The Black Sheep Dog.' It seems that his intention to continue writing and speaking on matters of faith without the Church's authority (after voluntarily 'laicizing' himself rather than going through the Church's process of canonical investigation) indicate his move out of the Church, but the situation remains unclear, and I even hope that I have misunderstood. A good read for those interested in knowing a bit more about the canonical process (to which Fr. Corapi refers) can be found here. Most importantly, let us all continue to pray for all involved in this situation. Peace!

UPDATE 2, 6/19/11: Fr. Corapi's superiors from SOLT (his society of apostolic life) have broken silence on certain aspects of the investigation in light of what has happened, and explained that Fr. Corapi's civil suit against the former employee presented serious problems for the canonical investigation taking place. Read more here. Also, the Bishop Emeritus of Corpus Christi offers some interesting thoughts and insights on the situation here.

Anglicans, Stem Cells, and One Nation Still Under God

2011-06-16T22:08:00.000-07:00

Hello, Coffee Talkers!

There are several interesting stories involving Catholicism and the United States of America which I shall mention briefly tonight - check 'em out!

First, a most interesting address was given yesterday at the spring gathering of the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops:

"His Eminence, Donald Cardinal Wuerl, delivered an historic address - summarizing the current state of the Anglican Ordinariate in American - to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops on Wednesday, June 15 at their spring General Assembly in Bellevue, Washington."

So the Anglican Ordinariate will soon be a reality in the USA! And I, for one, am pretty stoked about it. "But Leslie, [I can see the thought bubble over a few heads], what in the USA is an Anglican Ordinariate?" Learn more, my friends, by reading this article, my post on Anglican Ordinariates, and/or watch this 1 minute video explanation!

Next, the Vatican decides to partner with a US company in advancing ethical research for stem cell use, and announces an international conference in November at the Vatican titled "Adult Stem Cells: Science and the Future of Man and Culture." So who wants to take me?? I will offer remuneration in the form of a lifetime supply of free clarinet lessons, via Skype if necessary.

Lastly, the Supreme Court ruled to keep the phrase "under God" in the pledge of allegiance, to the disappointment of an atheist activist...

...and another atheist converts after sarcastically praying for his Catholic mother to win the lotto -- and she did!

Ah, so much interesting Catholic news in one day!

As always, thanks for stopping by, and be assured of my prayers.

Peace and all good,
Leslie

Do You Want Younger Skin?

2011-06-15T22:49:00.000-07:00

Hello, Coffee Talkers!

A friend shared this commercial with me, saying that it reminded her of my girls. And I cannot deny this allegation! So if you want to know one of the 'secrets' to having baby-soft skin, watch and enjoy!

Peace and all good,
Leslie

Morality in Daily Life: Fr. Hogan and Catholic U's Dorm Switch

2011-06-14T21:40:00.000-07:00

Hello, Coffee Talkers!

Today, I join many in mourning the loss of a great American priest, Fr. Richard Hogan.

Fr. Hogan was very active in spreading the moral teachings of the Catholic Church to modern people in an accessible way, particularly in the areas of Natural Family Planning (NFP) and Blessed John Paul II's Theology of the Body (two of my favorite areas of theology!). Thank you, Fr. Hogan, for your bold proclamation of the Gospel! You will be greatly missed.

May the soul of Fr. Richard Hogan, and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.

In other news, Catholic University of America has decided to try to put a stop to the rather licentious lifestyle in their dorms by returning to single-sex dorms. Apparently many people consider this a 'backward' move, and university officials have felt the need to back this decision with all sorts of data and statistical evidence showing that single-sex college housing reduces the amount of 'hook-ups' and binge drinking.

Frankly, they could have saved themselves a lot of time and money devoted to such research by asking any honest person who has lived in both environments. As a person who lived in co-ed residence hall (and served as a Resident Advisor) at my undergraduate university, and then subsequently breathed a sigh of tremendous relief as I worked as a Residence Director of an all-women's hall at my grad school alma mater, I can personally attest to the fact that single-sex dormitories are about 3 millions times better then co-ed, especially in terms of a life of integrated learning and formation in character and virtue. Trust me, lots of crazy stuff went down in the women's dorm, too (someday I'll write a book, I'm sure, where names will be changed to protect the less-than-innocent), but it was still immeasurably better than the co-ed housing experience. So kudos to CUA for taking this bold step in the right direction!

As always, thanks for stopping by! Be assured of my prayers.

Peace and all good,
Leslie

The Pope, Gypsies, and Gypsy!

2011-06-13T22:02:00.000-07:00

Hello, Coffee Talkers!

Pope Benedict XVI hosted a very interesting audience today in Vatican City -- 2,000 Gypsies came on a pilgrimage to Rome from various European countries, and the Pope warmly welcomed them. I found his message to the Gypsies to be full of hope and inspiration. Read more about the meeting and see a little bit of what the Holy Father had to say here!

Now, on a note completely unrelated to the Pope's meeting in everything but name, the musical Gypsy is one of my favorites! So I was going to share Rosalind Russell's performance of "Rose's Turn" here. That was, until I learned that YouTube will not allow it, and so the only other options were Rosalind Russell's stage performance with dubbed vocals from Ethel Merman (I will spare you!), or the Bette Midler movie performance. Not quite what I had in mind! So I'll leave you with the the final scene from Gypsy instead, with Natalie Wood and Rosalind Rusell. Enjoy!

Peace and all good,
Leslie

Living It Up in the Last Few Minutes of Easter!

2011-06-12T21:22:00.000-07:00

Hello, Coffee Talkers!

Well, as Pentecost draws to a close, so does the liturgical season of Easter. And you know what I'm gonna do in honor of the end of Easter? Go to sleep! Because that's what the BIG EASTER'S gonna be like -- eternal rest! Isn't that wonderful?

While I'm sleeping, why don't y'all check out this article about the Pope's homily for Pentecost? Here's a snippet to get you excited:

Vatican City, Jun 12, 2011 / 08:09 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Pentecost shows the Holy Spirit created the Catholic Church for all people, Pope Benedict said in his homily to mark Pentecost Sunday June 12.

“From the first moment, in fact, the Holy Spirit created (the Church) as the Church of all people. It embraces the entire world, transcending the boundaries of race, class, nation - it breaks down all barriers and unites people in the profession of the Triune God. From the beginning, the Church is one, catholic and apostolic,” said the Pope to a packed congregation within St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome.

And as another little reminder of the universality of the Church, may I welcome today's readers from the United States of America, United Kingdom, Peru, Switzerland, Namibia, Philippines, Australia, Germany, Romania, and Tunisia!

As always, thanks for stopping by Coffee Talk, and be assured of my prayers!

Peace and all good,
Leslie

It's Sequence Time -- PENTECOST!

2011-06-11T21:12:00.000-07:00

Hello, Coffee Talkers!

It's one of those great Catholic days when we have a Sequence included in the Mass just before the proclamation of the Gospel! The Pentecost Sequence, or Veni Sancte Spiritus, is beautiful in it's English poetic translation, but even more glorious when chanted in the original Latin. So listen up, y'all!

And if you want to know more about the meaning of Pentecost, read and enjoy this post!

A blessed Pentecost to all!

Peace and all good,
Leslie

Notre Dame Trustee Steps Down

2011-06-10T21:58:00.000-07:00

Hello, Coffee Talkers!

Roxanne Martino has resigned from the Board of Trustees at Notre Dame University, and I found it interesting to compare two articles, first from the Notre Dame newswire, and then from commentator Fr. Robert Barron.

I'm not quite sure why the first article came through the so-called 'newswire' of Notre Dame, without much actual news. It seems a bit strange, to say the least, to include a quote from Martino herself stating her alleged commitment to all teachings of the Catholic Church, saying that she only feels that she cannot stay in light of the current controversy, and then FAILING TO MENTION anything about the controversy.

I think that Fr. Barron sheds considerably more light on the subject in his blogpost. I also think Fr. Barron rightly reorients people in a direction that moves this whole controversy away from an issue of partisan politics, which so many try to make it out to be in a gross oversimplification of matters. The teachings of the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church must always transcend transitory matters of partisan politics, or they are not truly Catholic (or universal) at all. This is not to say that we are not to be actively engaged in the political environments in which we live (on the contrary, our faith requires it of us!), but it is to say that the faith, and moreover Christ Himself, plumb far deeper and reach far higher than any political ideology ever could.

Other thoughts? Comments? Grab your coffee, read the articles, and talk amongst yourselves!

Peace and all good,
Leslie

Evangelizing The Digital Continent: Archbishop Gomez, Me, and Twitter!

2011-06-09T21:32:00.000-07:00

Hello, Coffee Talkers!

There have been people reading Coffee Talk today in the USA, Philippines, United Kingdom, Japan, Kuwait, South Africa, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and Austria (welcome, everybody!), and STILL, I haven't a clue about jury duty in other countries! But it's not too late to read last night's post and weigh in on the jury duty discussion, my friends.

In other news, Archbishop Jose Gomez has recently joined Facebook and Twitter!

And after reading his compelling article titled 'Evangelizing the Digital Continent,' I've finally done it. I joined Twitter, too!

I really thought I'd never do it. To be honest, I just don't get the point of Twitter. Friends have assured me that it is wonderful, but at this point it seems like just a bunch of status updates, links, and hash marks. (Now, if there were hashbrowns involved, I'd be a little more excited!) But if Archbishop Gomez joined up for such noble reasons, I considered, then bygolly, so can I! Hashbrowns or no, I too, shall enter into evangelizing the digital continent in the world of Twitter!

So all you tweeting people, find me at @CoffeeTalkLDawg. So far, I'm only following Archbishop Gomez. And I've yet to do my first Tweet. Maybe I'll do one that includes a hash mark AND hashbrowns! We'll see how this all plays out.

Peace and all good,
Leslie

JURY DUTY!

2011-06-08T22:40:00.000-07:00

Hello, Coffee Talkers!

Well, for my 15 jury-eligible years of life thus far, I had always been semi-automatically excused from jury duty service because I was a student for a million years, or I was temporarily living out of state but still had permanent residency in my home state, or I was leading the lifestyle of a musical gypsy/evangelist/theological ponderer, or I was a full-time stay-at-home-mom. But recently, it happened...

I got the summons:

I read the reasons on the back of the summons that might excuse one from attendance. I realized that now that I'm not a student or gypsy or out-of-state or full-time stay-at-home-mom, none of the excuses applied to me. Apparently, there's a guy who got out of serving on a jury because he had a poker tournament to play in, but I don't have that going for me, either. So I consulted friends on what I might wear:

But then I called the number they listed this evening, and the automated attendant informed me that I don't need to appear tomorrow, after all! But to rest assured that they will summon me again sometime. Likely, at the least convenient possible time. (Well, that last part was sort of implied by the automaton's tone, more than directly stated.)

So, have any of you ever served on a jury? Was it interesting? Do they have jury trials in places outside of the USA? I mean, I'm sure they do in some places, but where? I've never really thought about this before. Fill in little ignorant American me, my international Coffee Talkers! And Americans, tell me about your jury duty experiences, so I can brace myself for the day they finally call me in!

Peace and all good,
Leslie

Catholic Road Rules: Looking for a Few Good Men!

2011-06-07T22:50:00.000-07:00

Hello, Coffee Talkers!

I've mentioned NET Ministries (National Evangelization Teams) in this blog before, and look, I just did it again!

In a time long ago and far away, I spent nine months traveling with NET and serving in the Church's evangelistic mission by putting on retreats at Catholic parishes and high schools. We did travel in a luxurious fifteen passenger van (stocked with 12 team members and lots of 'van food' accumulated along the way) and pulling a trailer (packed with a sleeping bag and suitcase for each of us, and an amazing bin of drama props including many a ridiculous wig and, always, a rubber chicken).

If they made a Catholic Road Rules reality TV show with NET Ministries, I'd totally tune in -- it would have been way better than the MTV version!

In any case, NET needs some good men and women to join their ranks, and NET USA is still looking for a few good men to serve with them starting in late August. Well, a bunch of good men, to be honest. So here's a shout out to all Catholic young men between 18 and 28 years old. Watch this video:

Go to these websites:

And then APPLY! And if you end up serving on NET thanks to this blogpost, let me know, and I'll sponsor you to go on the road!

Peace and all good,
Leslie

So, What Does Pentecost Mean to Catholics Today?

2011-06-06T22:29:00.000-07:00

Hello, Coffee Talkers!

A great question came in today from a friend of mine:

Another Catholic question, Leslie. Pentecost??? What does it mean to me today?? I swear I'm going to do this to you all year and in that you will make me a better Catholic.

Well, as you know, I love Catholic questions, and I am honored to be a little part of your spiritual journey, my friend! You make yourself a better Catholic for asking good questions and wanting to grow in your faith! Alright. Pentecost. Here's the scoop:

So, Jesus had died on the Cross, a bloody and horrific death, and the Disciples and Blessed Mother were really bummed, to say the least. But then Jesus rose from the dead and remained with them for forty days, which was a most unexpected and excellent surprise! Then Jesus told them that He had to go, but not to worry because not only would he be back at a day and hour unknown to all except the Father alone -- He was also going to send someone to remain with us until He got back. And that someone was known as the Advocate or Consoler -- a.k.a. the Holy Spirit!

So the Disciples and the Blessed Mother gathered together in prayer (for nine days - the first 'novena'!), and they waited for whatever it was that Jesus had promised. And then after the nine days of prayer, there they were, gathered in the Upper Room, and guess what happened?

Suddenly there came from the sky a noise like a strong driving wind, ² and it filled the entire house in which they were. Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire, ³ which parted and came to rest on each one of them. And they were all filled with the holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues, ⁴ as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim. (Acts 2: 2-4).

BAM! PENTECOST happened! The Holy Spirit was out-poured, and the Church was officially born!

Have you read the book of the Acts of The Apostles? It comes right after the four Gospels in the New Testament, and it is a real action adventure! The deeds the Apostles could do with the power of the Holy Spirit are truly awe-inspiring.

Now, all of this finally brings me to your question -- what does Pentecost mean to me today?

Reflecting on what Pentecost means in my own life, I think that I primarily experience Pentecost in these three ways:

A celebration of the Church's birthday (can you say 'cake and ice cream'???)
A renewal of the promises I made at baptism and confirmation, and a request for all of those gifts of the Holy Spirit that I was given through those sacraments to be stirred up in my life and in my heart, so that I may more fully live the faith and be a witness for Christ. (Because that same Holy Spirit who came to the Apostles came to each of us when we were baptized and confirmed, so we have full access to the same level of gifts, powers, and graces!)
An opportunity for renewal and grace for the entire Church, which is in great need of the Holy Spirit's power and gifts.

Oh, and to help with the birthday party aspect, check it out -- I just found this link to make your own Tongues of Fire Stick Cookies!

Now, some people only associate Pentecost with those Christians who call themselves 'Pentecostals' or certain types of prayer that are known as 'charismatic' -- praying in tongues, praying over others, being 'slain in the Spirit,' etc. As a point of clarification, 'charismatic' is anything that relates to a 'charism,' or a gift of the Holy Spirit. So in that sense, we are all called to be charismatic, to be open to the gifts of the Holy Spirit. God has given us these gifts, and we'll be judged on whether we hid them or used them for His glory and the good of the community. Not everyone is given the same gifts, but we are all given some gifts for the benefit of the whole body:

1 Corinthians
Chapter 12
1
¹ Now in regard to spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be unaware.
4
³ There are different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same Spirit;
5
there are different forms of service but the same Lord;
6
there are different workings but the same God who produces all of them in everyone.
7
To each individual the manifestation of the Spirit is given for some benefit.
8
To one is given through the Spirit the expression of wisdom; to another the expression of knowledge according to the same Spirit;
9
to another faith by the same Spirit; to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit;
10
to another mighty deeds; to another prophecy; to another discernment of spirits; to another varieties of tongues; to another interpretation of tongues.
11
But one and the same Spirit produces all of these, distributing them individually to each person as he wishes.
12
⁴ As a body is one though it has many parts, and all the parts of the body, though many, are one body, so also Christ.

So no, not everyone has to speak in tongues, but yes, some will be given that gift. I know a lot of people who have shared with me that they are actually a bit afraid of being open to the gifts of the Holy Spirit, because they don't want to have to speak in tongues or do other 'weird' things. I always find this a little funny, though an honest fear, and my advice is to be not afraid! God is not going to give you a gift you don't want, but being open to whatever gifts He has in mind for you is not going to make you weird. Let's just be honest here -- we're probably all at least a little bit weird anyway, so we might as well be weird with God. That's my motto!

In conclusion, I think that Pentecost is a great opportunity to celebrate the Church's birth, and to ask God to pour out His gifts and graces for ourselves personally, for our families, for our communities, and ultimately for the whole world!

Thanks so much for your question, my friend, and I hope this has been helpful.

A blessed Pentecost preparation to all, and to all a goodnight!

Peace and all good,
Leslie

Ascension Sunday, and the Last Week of Easter 2011!

2011-06-05T21:40:00.000-07:00

Hello, Coffee Talkers!

To those in the USA and other places where the Solemnity was transferred from Thursday, a happy Ascension Sunday evening to you! I hope it was a day filled with special graces and blessings.

Even if you already heard them, why not check out today's Mass readings again? They're pretty action packed!

And then get ready to live it up during this last week of the Easter Season as we prepare for Pentecost Sunday! I don't know about you, but I totally love Pentecost Sunday. Mmm. Driving wind, tongues of fire, and the mighty acts of God make for an exciting day, to say the least!

Then we'll be back to Ordinary Time after that. Not 'Ordinary' because it's plain or boring, but because it's weeks are numbered, or 'ordinal.' (The more you know!)

Whew, what a weekend! Time for some zzzs.

As always, thanks for stopping by! Enjoy your last week of Easter 2011!

Peace and all good,
Leslie

Catholic Beatbox and the Eucharist - Paul J. Kim

2011-06-04T22:07:00.000-07:00

Hello, Coffee Talkers!

Tonight, I had the good pleasure of hearing a concert given by a friend I knew a bit while I was in grad school at Franciscan University of Steubenville. I was so happy to be able to invite him to share his music and message at my home parish! Paul J. Kim's performance art is a great example of bringing faith into all areas of our lives, and offering our talents and gifts entirely for the good of the community and the glory of God. He also gave a moving reflection on the sixth chapter of the Gospel of John, and on the great gift that Catholic Christians have in the Eucharist. Some of our youth are very much looking forward to hearing him again at the Steubenville San Diego Conference, and the families present really enjoyed the event, as well!

I was especially happy that he closed with my favorite song of his. It's titled "Run/ Fly/ Fall." Listen to it here - it's all Paul Jisung Kim! No instruments, no other vocalists, nothin' but all Paul, all the time. Enjoy!

Peace and all good,
Leslie

Today's Secret Meeting: Benedict, Biden, A Fly, & Gelato!

2011-06-03T22:31:00.000-07:00

Hello, Coffee Talkers!

The most interesting piece of info I picked up on the Catholic news front today was of the meeting this morning between Pope Benedict XVI and Vice-President of the United States of America Joseph Biden and his wife, Dr. Jill Biden.

Well, I think I can say that I would have even preferred to be a fly on the wall at that meeting over the recent Anglican-Roman Catholic dialogue meeting, but it's hard to decide. In either case, I have not yet figured out how to become a fly to attend these meetings, and if I couldn't turn back into a woman when the meetings were over, I doubt that I could blog about it for you all, anyway, so that wouldn't be any good. Imagine a little fly, trying to push the keyboard buttons on my laptop. It would take forever, not to mention that, in my experience, flies are atrocious spellers.

In any case, why did we not hear about this meeting? I first thought that maybe it was just overshadowed by all of yesterday's Vatican business on the 'Today' show, but as it turns out, Italian reports were describing the meeting as a "strictly private" encounter. It wasn't even on the Pope's public schedule of meetings, because it was 'unofficial.' So there really hasn't been much actual news of it on the Catholic or secular media street, and no communications from the meeting will be released. Hmmm, I wonder what went on? Who said what? Did they enjoy gelato together? I considered making a dramatic dialogue of what my fly-self might have overheard at such a meeting, but to be frank (I know, my name is Leslie!), I'm just not that clever and I'm feeling a bit tired, anyway.

So instead, why don't you all join me in thinking up your own scenario, and more importantly, in praying for our world leaders and for the Holy Father's prayer intentions for the month of June?

Pope Benedict's general prayer intention for the month of June is: "That priests, united to the Heart of Christ, may always be true witnesses of the caring and merciful love of God."

His missionary intention is: "That the Holy Spirit may bring forth from our communities many missionaries who are ready to be fully consecrated to spreading the Kingdom of God."

As always, thanks for stopping by! Be assured of my prayers.

Peace and all good,
Leslie

'Today' Show Went to the Vatican!

2011-06-02T22:25:00.000-07:00

Hello, Coffee Talkers!

Happy Ascension Thursday, y'all! (Here in the United States, most dioceses transfer the Solemnity of the Ascension to Sunday, so don't worry if you thought you missed out on the festivities of the day!)

Many of you may have already heard that the 'Today' show went to the Vatican! The hosts of the show were given a guided tour of Rome and Vatican City by Archbishop Timothy Dolan (President of the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops), and they also featured a 3-minute 'day-in-the-life' video montage for Pope Benedict XVI! Pretty cool.

There are a bunch of neat video clips on the msnbc website, and I'll share the link to the one that shows a little bit of a day in the life of the Pope. [And a note for all concerned parties: Matt Lauer mistakenly says in the clip that the Pope's name used to be John Ratzinger, but it was, indeed, JOSEPH Ratzinger. I'm sure that, by now, Lauer has been corrected for the error at least 3 million times, and will not forget the name in the future.] After you watch the first video, you can see the others by staying on the site. Enjoy!

Peace and all good,
Leslie

So you work for the Catholic Church, huh?

2011-06-01T22:05:00.000-07:00

Hello, Coffee Talkers!

I've noticed something interesting. Something that happens when I tell people what kind of work I do. Namely, what happens when I tell people that I work for the Catholic Church.

Sure, there are many varied responses, but the one that seems the most common, slightly comedic, and puzzling goes something like this:

Leslie: Oh, it's great to see you after so long!
Old friend/acquaintance who I have never known to be Catholic (a.k.a. OFAWIHNKTBC): Thanks, Leslie. You, too! What are you up to these days? Where do you work?
Leslie: Well, I work at my home parish coordinating the youth confirmation program, and I teach classes for adults in my diocese.
OFAWIHNKTBC: Oh, you work for the Catholic Church! That's so great that you work for our Church. I, for one, am happy to know that people like you are bringing about the needed changes in all of the following areas in need of reform...

Or this:

Leslie: Hi, I'm Leslie. Good to meet you, second-cousin of my friend's sister!
Second-cousin of my friend's sister (a.k.a. SCOMFS): Hi, Leslie. Where are you from?
Leslie: Oh, a place that's dry and hot and exciting. And you?
SCOMFS: Oh, a place that's temperate and tropical and lovely. What kind of work do you do, Leslie?
Leslie: Well, I mostly am involved in catechesis and a little bit of music.
SCOMFS: Music. Cool. Uh...Cate-WHAT?
Leslie: Oh, I coordinate and teach classes for youth and adults in the Catholic Church.
SCOMFS: Oh, that's really great! Because I have noticed that the Vatican does not take us women very seriously in the Church, and some changes definitely need to happen. Blah, blah, blah...
Leslie: Oh, that's great that you share the faith! Blah, blah, blah....
[Later, now talking to my friend....]
Leslie: Hey, that was cool talking with your second cousin's sister. I didn't know she was Catholic!
Friend: That's because she's not Catholic. Well, not for a while, anyway. She stopped going to church after she was, oh, about 6 months old. You know, after she was baptized.

Why do people who have not been Catholic for many years suddenly identify as Catholics when I tell them that I work for the Church? And then commend me for working for the Church? And then pour out their litany of complaints about what needs to change about the Church which they never attend? Maybe they feel badly telling me that they actually hate the Catholic Church, and secretly think that I am a backward and pathetic woman for being brought down by such a discriminatory and hierarchical institution? Or maybe they just want to complain, and feel that they have more right to do so as a Catholic? Or maybe they do still feel Catholic in their hearts in some way, but feel guilty for having been away so long and don't know if they can come back.

I don't know, but I do know this: if you want to see positive change in the Catholic Church, consider going to the Catholic Church. True renewal begins in ourselves, and to the extent that we are converted and transformed by love, we will draw with us all those we hold in our hearts. And we will transform the Church! And yes, you can always come back!

Peace and all good,
Leslie

Anglican-Roman Catholic Dialogue, and the Lady of All Nations

2011-05-31T23:07:00.000-07:00

Hello, Coffee Talkers!

Some of you may recall my previous posts on the relationship of the Anglican Communion (a.k.a. Episcopal Church) with the Catholic Church, so I wanted to share this recent news:

VATICAN CITY, 28 MAY 2011 (VIS) - The Anglican - Roman Catholic International Commission has completed the first meeting of its new phase (ARCIC III) at the Monastery of Bose in northern Italy (17-27 May 2011).

According to a communique issued by the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, "the commission is chaired by Archbishop David Moxon (Anglican Archbishop of the New Zealand Dioceses) and Archbishop Bernard Longley (Roman Catholic Archbishop of Birmingham), and comprises eighteen theologians from a wide range of backgrounds across the world".

Oh, to have been a fly on the wall at such a meeting! Honestly, that is one of my dreams. You can read the rest of the article here!

Next, I'm not going to write much on here tonight because I spent most of my time reading and commenting on an interesting blog post from a Catholic blogger I follow in the Netherlands. The post is on The Lady of All Nations apparition in Amsterdam.

My comment ended up being nearly as long as his post, because I suspect that I am as long-winded as I am passionate about Mariology. I also love that modern technology allows interesting theological dialogue with someone in the Netherlands from the comfort of my own home while wearing my PJs! So feel free to put on your own PJs, read his post, read my comment, and make comments of your own. Join in on the Mariological fun!

This reminds me that I need to take up my "Hail Who? What Catholics Really Believe About Mary" series again sometime soon, since I don't think I've yet covered the big topics of Marian apparitions and the Church's principle Marian devotions of the Rosary, the Scapular, and Marian devotion. I have lots of other topics brewing, as well, so y'all better grab a lot of coffee, and brace yourselves!

As always, thanks for stopping by. Be assured of my prayers!

Peace and all good,
Leslie

Nietzsche and the Family Circus - A Dynamic Duo?

2011-05-30T23:27:00.000-07:00

Hello, Coffee Talkers!

There are too many interesting Catholic blog-worthy topics to post on tonight, and as it's late already and I'm indecisive, I'll save them all for later in the week. For now, let me share with you my weird internet find for the day -- The Nietzsche Family Circus.

As the name implies, this site pairs a Nietzsche quote with a Family Circus cartoon. Both the quote and the picture are randomly generated and paired, and each time you refresh the page, a new Nietzsche-Family Circus combo appears. At first, I felt a bit intellectually offended by the stupidity and pointlessness of the whole thing -- until I tried it. And found out that, for reasons unknown to even myself, it is really funny.

So try it out!

Peace and all good,
Leslie

Funny Friends & A Special Dog

2011-05-29T22:55:00.000-07:00

Happy Sunday, Coffee Talkers!

I hope you all had a refreshing Sunday. I spent the afternoon at a lovely bridal shower with some good friends from college, some of whom I hadn't seen in over 10 years! You know, you never can tell how a reunion like that is going to play out. Did everyone change? I mean, you hope that in terms of learning, growing, maturing that everyone has -- but will we all still be brought to tears by the ridiculous humor of one another? Indeed, we were! We were still very, very funny people to one another. I'm sorry that you all couldn't have joined us, to also have been amused by our hilarity!

If you'd like some spiritual reflection for the day, read last night's post on Giving Him the Other 10% - The Paschal Mystery of Our Lives. And then if you just want to laugh, read this hysterical post from the Hyperbole and a Half blog, titled "Dog." Enjoy!

As always, thanks for stopping by! It's good to have you all here.

Peace and all good,
Leslie

Coffee Talk with Leslie

Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Church?

A Call to Civil Disobedience: Why Catholics' Panties are in a Bind, and Why Yours Should Be, Too!

The Good, The Bad, and the Bacony: A Candid Review of Jack in the Box Bacon Shake

Some of the Most Beautiful People Are Missing...

Is This "Birthday Wish" a Little Bit Weird to Anyone Else?

Frank Pavone's Birthday Wish

Alright, did you click on it? Did it strike you as weird, too? I'm trying to identify what made it seem strange to me, and here are a few of my best guesses:

Why is there a need to raise $500 for "Pray to End Abortion"? Last time I heard, praying to end abortion was completely free. The economy must be worse than I thought if God's charging now.

If prayer is the most powerful weapon against the culture of death, why are you raising money?

Okay, I understand that there are many costs associated with the work of the Priests for Life. Fine. Clearly, that must be what Fr. Pavone wants people to donate to for his birthday. But I think he should be a little more clear on what the donation is going towards...

As always, thanks for stopping by, and be assured of my prayers!

Peace and all good,

Leslie

Happy Blog-a-versary, SOPA, and the Oregon Trail!

I Have a Dream...But What Was It???

The Questions I Never Answered #2: What's Up With Mormons?

All Those Questions I Never Answered: #1 -- On Marriage and Disparity of Cult

On the Belgian Reform Manifesto

On Human Dignity, Steve Jobs, and Why You Shouldn't Call Me A "Pro-Life Advocate"

"PRO-LIFE" - What does that mean to you?

On Vocation, Suffering, and Disillusionment: World Youth Day and Being God's

My Thoughts on the Hans Küng Interview Regarding Benedict XVI

What's going on with this Fr. Frank Pavone business?

We Came, We Saw, We Conquered: CONFIRMATION!

Still With Sorrow and Pain, We Remember

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Pope Benedict XVI's Prayer at Ground Zero

Of Amy Grant, Spanish Skype, and Gifts from God

Where in the World is Coffee Talking Leslie?

World Youth Day Recap -- Day 1, Apple Valley to Toledo!

World Youth Day Website -- WOW!

It Becomes Like A Fire Burning In My Heart

Reading 1 - Jeremiah 20:7-9

Coffee Talk is Back in Business!!!

Daily Press Fame, and Off to World Youth Day!

To Contemplate, and To Share with Others the Fruits of Our Contemplation: Feast of St. Dominic!

A Requiem for Those Shot Down

These Are a Few of My Creepiest Things

For the Beauty of the Earth

Knights of Columbus Purchase JP II Cultural Center

Get Your World Youth Day Gum HERE!

JP Catholic and Steubie San Diego!

Steubenville San Diego!

Requiescant in Pace, Archbishop Pietro Sambi

From a Catholic Mom: What if My Teen is Too Busy for Confirmation?

Will God Get Re-Elected Based on Job Performance?

The Catholic Church is GROWING?!?

Only 126 Days Until....

Special Thanks to All World Youth Day Benefactors!

The Diocese of San Bernardino Declares a Year for Youth!

The Answer to the Trivia That No One Cares About Anymore!

On Sinners, Scandals, and Why I Haven't Left the Catholic Church

How to Spot a Fake Catholic Church

WORLD YOUTH DAY!!!

Thinking, Harry WHO?, and A Time for Help!

Steubenville Awaits Bishop & Gets Priest Administrator

Blessed Kateri - Patron Saint of the Environment and Ecology

A picture's worth...

Contest Still Rockin', and GUESS WHO I SAW TONIGHT?!?!

The Ultimate Coffee Talk TRIVIA!!!!

Happy Sower Sunday!

JP II vs. Freud: A Throwdown of Sexual Philosophies!

Priests: Can They Be 'Excommunicated'? And Can They Get Married?

A Week of Leisure!

Monks & Ink!

Have You Prayed for Priests Today?

The Vatican's Money!

From Coast to Coast, A Happy Fourth!

The De-Malling of America?

Maryland Episcopal Church becomes Catholic, and Vatican Sets Media Records

Birthdays, Free Stuff, and Smiling Animals!

A Time for Thanksgiving: 60 years of priesthood for the Pope

A Tweet Heard 'Round the World - BXVI and His iPad

BXVI's Schedule de Madrid + an AMAZING video trailer!

Jesus and The Monster -- Friends or Foes?

Franciscan Flashmob for Corpus Christi!

Do Single Sex Dorms Constitute Gender Discrimination?

Transforming Grief into Love -- Rachel Muha Wins National Award

The New Super Duper Popemobile - Video!