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The "Catholic" Vote? by Francis X. Shannon
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We, as Catholics, have the Holy Eucharist as our greatest sacrament, in which we can take part every day of our lives in living our role as the Church Militant in the Communion of the Saints. The body of Christ, the paschal sacrifice, is broken for us daily.
There exists, however, in the darker shadows of the American political landscape, a secularist cult with its own sacrament. While there are those of us who proudly accept the political label of "the Religious Right," this cult can very accurately be referred to as "the Sacrilegious Left." Their official sacrament is abortion, with the Innocent Unborn serving as a literal blood sacrifice daily on the altar of the Sacrilegious Left in abortuaries across this country. Worse still, the shadows in which such diabolical secularism thrives have been allowed to engulf an increasingly wide swath of our political culture. Some of the Church Militant, sadly, have become less militant, or not militant at all. Too many have gone over to the Sacrilegious Left altogether.
With the November 4 election behind us and Barack Hussein Obama headed for the White House, one of the more troubling aspects of the current political landscape, beside the prospect of the kind of extremist liberal justices we can expect to see appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court and other levels of the federal judiciary, is the fact that 54 percent of "Catholic" voters cast their ballots in favor of a candidate with inarguably the most radically murderous legislative record on abortion in electoral history. Even more disquieting, of Catholic voters who regularly attend Mass, 49 percent voted in like fashion.
It's not like the Church's position on abortion has been a well-guarded secret hidden deep within the recesses of the Vatican. Leading up to the election, bishops across the United States echoed the words of Pope John Paul the Great when he asserted in Evangelium Vitae (#62), "No circumstance, no purpose, no law whatsoever can ever make licit an act which is intrinsically illicit, since it is contrary to the Law of God which is written in every human heart, knowable by reason itself, and proclaimed by the Church."? Abortion, in other words, is intrinsically evil, and to vote for pro-abortion candidates is tantamount to participating in the perpetration and perpetuation of that evil.
Obama, who Archbishop Charles J. Chaput of Denver has described as one of the most committed abortion-rights presidential candidate of either major party since the Roe v. Wade abortion decision in 1973, hasn't kept his position on abortion a secret either. As an Illinois state legislator in 2002, he successfully blocked passage of the Induced Infant Liability Act, which would have protected babies that survived late-term abortions.
In a July speech to the contributors to the Planned Parenthood Action Fund, Obama was quite specific as to his disregard for the Unborn.
"The first thing I'd do as president," he said, "is sign the Freedom of Choice Act. That's the first thing that I'd do."
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has expressed vehement opposition to the Freedom of Choice Act. According to the USCCB's Secretariat for Pro-Life Activities, the act would indeed, if enacted, "codify the Supreme Court's 1973 decision in Roe v. Wade" and would go "far beyond even Roe." USCCB President Francis Cardinal George warned, in the week following the election, that the act would impose limits on the right of Catholic hospitals and doctors to not provide abortions.
"Those who support (the act) must realize," the cardinal added, " that if Catholic hospitals are ever required to perform abortions, the bishops will close every one of them. No one would be hurt more than the poor."
But such is the environment that millions of "Catholic" voters made possible in November. It's easy enough to condemn politicians for their pro-abortion positions, but who enables such office-holders to attain positions from which the ongoing attack on the right to life of the Innocent Unborn is intensified? The hands of such voters are just as slick with the blood of the Innocent Unborn as those who crafted Roe v. Wade and every piece of pro-abortion legislation and policy since. Ultimately, those voters will be answerable to God for disregarding the teachings of the Church and leaving their faith principles at the doors of their polling places.
"Conscience is not an excuse for doing something irrational," Cardinal George wrote a couple of weeks prior to the election. "We are to form our consciences according to the social teaching of the Church and use that formation to make political choices."
Conscience can be a gift from God, but without the exercise of the knowledge and discipline that is also a gift from God, there's the risk of being errantly led to a place in opposition to Gospel principles and Church teaching, especially for those not adequately possessed of the humility to properly subjugate one's political or social agenda to their obligations as a Catholic.
A number of bishops came out with strongly worded articulations on Church teaching prior to the election, in part due to an abusively misrepresented USCCB document titled Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship that was released in November of 2007. Certain statements in the document, taken well out of context, showed up on websites such as "Roman Catholics for Obama" and "Catholics for Choice," a fringe advocacy group that opposes the Church on everything from abortion to artificial birth control to homosexuality, in an effort to convince Catholics they could vote for a pro-abortion candidate in "good conscience." Under this "primacy of conscience" mindset, two so-called "loopholes" in the document were misrepresented to mean that Catholics could vote for a pro-abortion candidate as long as they do not intend to support that particular position or there are offsetting "morally grave reasons."
Many bishops charged that the USCCB document was being abused, including Bishop Robert Vasa of the Diocese of Baker in eastern Oregon, who explained that voting for a pro-abortion candidate over a pro-life candidate is never justified when the opponent is pro-life. Bishop Kevin Vann of the Diocese of Ft. Worth and Bishop Ke vin Farrell of the Diocese of Dallas stated that there are no "'truly grave moral' or 'proportionate' reasons, singularly or combined, that could outweigh the millions of innocent human lives that are directly killed by legal abortion each year."
"One cannot compromise between the fire and the fire department, the fly and the fly swatter," said Bishop Fabian Bruskewitz of Lincoln, Nebraska. "There are things that don't admit of compromise - and vile . . . intrinsic evil such as abortion do not admit us any such compromise."
"The first and most essential principle of Catholic social teaching," Cardinal George made unambiguously clear, "is the dignity of every human person and ones basic right to life from conception to natural death. Respect for human dignity is the basis for the fundamental right to life. This is a non-negotiable principle."
Bishop Joseph Martino of Scranton, PA, hometown of Vice President-elect Joe Biden, a Catholic, has been particularly outspoken on the issue of pro-abortion Catholic office-holders.
"I cannot have the vice president coming to Scranton and saying he learned his values there, when those values are utterly against those of the Catholic Church," Martino said while in Baltimore for a bishops' conference in the wake of the election. Martino favors a harder line against Catholic politicians who fail to reflect the principles of Catholicism in their elected capacity.
"We are going to have to speak as firmly as possible to Catholic politicians who are not merely reluctant to vote pro-life, but are stridently anti-life," he said, adding that "canonical measures," excommunication, for example, may be in order. "We have to have something like that."
A Catholic politician," according to Cardinal George, "who excuses his or her decision to allow the killing of the unborn and of others who can't protect themselves because he or she doesn't want to ?impose Catholic doctrine on others seems to me to be intellectually dishonest.
"[W]e're dealing with a moral absolute," said Bishop Robert Conlon of Steubenville, Ohio, home of Franciscan University. "There's nothing here that allows for common ground. We're talking about a human being whose life cannot be compromised."
Among Church leaders more than willing to uphold faith principles is Archbishop Joseph Naumann of Kansas City, who engaged in a very public feud with Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius, a Catholic, over her long history of advocating for abortion. The archbishop characterized her positions as "scandalous" and having "grave spiritual and moral consequences." Naumann publicly requested that she no longer receive Communion.
The prefect of the Apostolic Signatura, Archbishop Raymond Burke, formerly of the Archdiocese of St. Louis, said as the election approached that Catholics, especially po liticians, who publicly defend abortion should refrain from receiving Communion, until they have reformed their lives, and has urged Catholics ?to bear witness to our faith not only in private in our homes but also in our public lives with others in order to bear strong witness to Christ.
So the next time an election rolls around, Catholic voters, office-holders, and office-seekers alike should keep in mind certain facts. No politician ever suffered on a cross and died for our sins. Neither did Margaret Sanger, founder of Planned Parenthood, the largest abortion provider and advocacy organization. Jesus Christ, the Son of God and our Lord and Savior, did suffer and die on the Cross for the sake of our overcoming death and for our salvation. The time is long overdue that some gratitude be shown for His sacrifice that we may have eternal life. The time is long overdue that we cultivate a culture of life rather than succumbing to the culture of death.
Francis X. Shannon is a Tampa Tribune columnist and a writer on Catholic and political issues. He can be contacted at (813)546-2282 or FXShannon@aol.com.
The Church is not a Democracy by Frank Shannon
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The government and the status quo have had their share of dissenters on either end of the ideological spectrum, protesting everything from wars, such as Viet Nam and Iraq, to laws, whether properly crafted through constitutionally provided legislative processes or fabricated by courtloads of agenda-driven judicial activists like those who cooked up Roe v. Wade.
This decidedly American spirit of protest, however, has developed an increasing tendency to bleed over into some people's personal and individual approach to other forms of authority, including the relationship between some American Catholics with the Roman Catholic Church. All too often the mainstream media tends to consciously exacerbate the situation.
Just such an instance took place recently when MSNBC provided a "Live Vote" poll on its website. The poll asked, "Do you agree with the Vatican's decision to excommunicate female priests and the bishops who ordain them?" Rather than offer merely "Yes" and "No" choices for voters, the poll listed, "Yes, church law states that only a baptized male can be made a priest," and, "No, women priests could help the church deal with its clergy shortage."
The news organization's poll, run with the caveat that it wasn't a "scientific survey," came in the wake of a decree issued in late May by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith that made clear that any ordination of women priests would be met with automatic excommunication of the women as well as any participating bishop. Excommunication, as described in the Catechism (1463), is "the most severe ecclesiastical penalty, which impedes the reception of the sacraments and the exercise of certain ecclesiastical acts," and is incurred by the commission of "[c]ertain particularly grave sins."
Despite the portrayal of the Church as some monolithic, male-dominated organization heavyhandedly hammering dissent into the ground, excommunication isn't imposed by the Church, it's imposed on one's self by one's self as a consequence of one's actions. Excommunication is a state entered into by those lacking the humility to subjugate themselves to the authority of the Church and its magisterium, often in favor of some social or political agenda held apparently closer to the offender's heart than their own Catholicism.
We've got twenty centuries worth of Roman Catholicism to which to refer, and the Church has been rather diligent at maintaining a written record, including her rules and regulations. Beside Holy Scripture, we have the Catechism and other inspired writings going back to those who sat at table with Jesus Christ Himself. The Catechism (1577) quotes the Codex Iuris Canonici (Code of Canon Law) that "[o]nly a baptized man validly receives sacred ordination," and goes on to explain that "[t]he Lord Jesus chose men to form the college of the twelve apostles, and the apostles did the same when they chose collaborators to succeed them in their ministry. The college of bishops, with whom the priests are united in the priesthood, makes the college of the twelve an ever-present and ever-active reality until Christ's return. The Church recognizes herself to be bound by this choice made by the Lord himself. For this reason, the ordination of women is not possible."
The United States is replete with those claiming that they "have a right" to this or that or the other thing. The Constitution establishes what our "rights" are, what freedoms we enjoy. Too often, judicial activists and even our lawmakers are all too willing to extraconstitutionally fabricate into law "rights" that are unrecognizable as such in the light of natural law and policies tenuously based on nothing more than what can at best be described as junk science. Such was the origin of such societal afflictions as Roe v. Wade, evolution being taught in our schools, and global warming. Origin of the specious, to say the least. Gay "marriage" is the next item on the "have a right" list.
The "women priest" crowd falls somewhere on that list, in direct contradiction to Church teaching. "No one," the Catechism states (1578), "has a right to receive the sacrament of Holy Orders. Indeed no one claims this office for himself; he is called to it by God. Anyone who thinks he recognizes the signs of God's call to the ordained ministry must humbly submit his desire to the authority of the Church, who has the responsibility and right to call someone to receive orders. Like every grace this sacrament can be received only as an unmerited gift."
Francis X. Shannon is a Tampa Tribune columnist, a third-degree Knight of Columbus, and Catholic writer. He can be contacted at (813)546-2282 or FXShannon@aol.com.
The Making of a Leader ************************ by: Eric Papp
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Leadership is a choice not a position. Please don?t confuse the two, as many of us so easily can. A title next to his/her name doesn?t qualify him/her as a leader. In researching Leadership I found that there are four major characteristics that people look for in Leaders. They came to me in a content-rich book The Leadership Challenge. The two authors conducted a survey over six continents: North America, South America, Africa, Asia, Europe, and Australia. A majority of the data came from the United States. Kouzes and Posner asked people, ?What values do you look for and admire in your leader?? The top four in correct sequence were Honesty, Forward Looking, Competence, and Inspiration.
Honesty, wow! How many of the leaders in country are honest? It almost seems like an oxymoron linking honest and politician in the same sentence. This should be clear to our leaders that people want them to be straightforward. Honesty can also be tied in with Integrity, Character, and most importantly, a set of values on how one decides to live his/her life. Honesty in our leaders is crucial because we are a society that teaches ?perfection?. It is great to strive for perfection and being the best in one?s chosen field. But it is another aspect to not admit our faults or accept responsibility for our actions. Our greatest growth spurts come from mistakes. These can be seen as ?growing pains?. Often it is a tough situation but we come out stronger. Two of our most admired leaders are Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King Jr., people who contained a set of values and were honest. ?Honesty is the first chapter in the book of wisdom.? Thomas Jefferson
Being honest as a leader will earn you the respect of your team, but having the vision is what will keep you there. The second quality that Kouzes and Posner found was Forward Looking. You don?t have to have the ability to see the future or some grand vision, but you do have to select the destination at which your team should arrive and is responsible that the focus and discipline are directed toward that path. Earl Nightingale said it best, ?A goal is a general progression towards a worthy ideal.? Having the ability to see what you want to accomplish in six months to a year is crucial to leading a group of individuals. Society has conditioned us to see as far in advance as our weekend plans. Leaders have the ability to keep the team on track and aiming for a target.
The third quality of an admired leader is competence. Being competent can be an attribute associated with many positions. But with Leadership it means having the ability to carry out tasks and having a good track record to prove it. Leaders do not need to know how to perform every skill in their organization; however, they do need to know who performs them the best, and have great advisors in those areas. Leadership competency also involves working well with people. The days of the autocratic military leadership style are no longer. There used to be a time in this country when three hundred presidents of the top fortune five hundred companies had a military background. Studies are showing that there is a difference in leading different types of generations. Listening is more then 80% of great communication and often a skill that is overlooked. Getting a group of individuals to come together as a team and share in the vision is what being a competent leader is all about.
Can you motivate your people? I believe the answer is no. Motivation comes from within. However, great leaders usually have the ability to inspire people, which lead us to our last quality Inspiration. It is not enough to tell your staff the vision, and expect them to jump on board. You have to show them true enthusiasm. Attitudes and Emotions are contagious. In sports often times the team adopts the philosophy of its head coach. The same can be looked at in business. As the leader you are responsible for the morale of the team. When enthusiasm and passion start to waiver, teams quickly loose sight of the goal. Inspiring leaders are able to show people the connection and impact that their work has on the company. We are finding today?s employees want praise, acceptance and belonging, compassion, and job security. This is why being able to inspire people is such a critical aspect of being a great leader.
Test the Leadership of your Organization
If you want to put your top leaders to the test get everyone involved in a community service activity. You could have them involved in anything and assign them positions at random. Then sit back and see if your ?leaders? within the company are able to lead individuals whom they have never met and have no control over. Also observe and see whom the participants gravitate towards.
Consultant
Eric Papp travels the country speaking to business leaders and organizations. He helps
them understand Generation Y employees and customers.
To sign up for his free newsletter and read his blog visit www.ericpapp.com
copyright 2007 Eric Papp. www.ericpapp.com; 813-846-0345
1242 Kingsway Rd. Brandon, FL 33510
Words of Wisdom from Brother Knight Father Kazimierz Domek
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{Webmaster note -I asked Father Domek if he could share with us some insights on the inspiration of the brave Catholics of Poland who endured such persecution under the communists. Here is what he shared:}
" I think many of you wonder how it was possible for us to endure so much persecution from the communist government. Along with Mother Teresa of Calcutta we may ask the following: What is the mightiest power in the world? We know the answer is FAITH. The Acts of the Apostles show us how the Christians of the primitive Church were able to persevere in the way of Christ. Everything was done through FAITH, which is the source of strength and gives energy for us to follow in the way of the Church.
Throughout the centuries in Poland, FAITH has been a stabilizing power in living united with Christ and His Church. This power has been developed within the Family. The Family became the first Church where parents, children and young people have received and obtained a great model of how to live and practice the Catholic FAITH. The polish people always remained steadfast amidst the Communist persecutions. In union with the Church, they always defended their dignity and identity. They were fully aided by the superb ministry of Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski and by the beautiful attitude of Cardinal Karol Wojtyla.
Today, the Polish people continue to grow as a Church family so that the Truth of Salvation of the Risen Christ will reach their new generation and illuminate the path of the new evangelization of the third Millennium of the Catholic Church. I hope this short reflection will be of some good to you. I wish much Peace and Blessings for you and your Family. Greetings, Father Kazimierz Domek"
Tom Babiarz says:
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"Being Grand Knight has helped me to understand humility. I know I am not there yet but I am a little closer"
Autobiography of Rev. Mr. Timothy P Cummings
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My discernment process for the Diocesan Priesthood seriously began after my four year enlistment in the United States Navy ended in May of 1996. I am the oldest of five children to Thomas and Bonnie Cummings. I was raised Catholic and attended Catholic school up until my junior year in High School. I was an altar server for about five years. As a family we would attend mass every Sunday and Holy Day of Obligation.
During my four years of military service, I did not openly practice my Catholic faith. I did not attend Sunday mass every Sunday like I did when I was younger. There were several reasons some not in my control but other reasons that was under my control. After I exited the US Navy, I was not actively practicing my faith. My father taught Confirmation to the tenth graders at my home parish of Nativity Catholic Church in Brandon, Florida. Towards the end of the summer of 1996, my dad invited me to teach alongside him that upcoming school year. I can still remember our conversation. I was not a teacher and did not know much about my Catholic faith. A second reason dealt with the fact that I was not actively practicing my Catholic faith. How could I teach the teenagers how to live a Catholic life if I was not walking the journey as well? I thought that I had some convincing arguments. However, my dad responded the following: ?If you teach Confirmation with me you will learn more about the faith and maybe draw closer to a personal relationship with Christ.? My dad did not let me off the hook so easily. This had to be the catalyst that got my present vocation journey started, although I would not know this until several years later.
I taught Confirmation to the tenth graders at my home parish for five years and volunteered with Life Teen for four years. It was working with the teenagers that I really started to feel a call to the priesthood.
I was about twenty-nine years old when I started the application process to the seminary for the Diocese of Saint Petersburg. I was accepted as a seminarian for the Diocese of Saint Petersburg in the spring of 2001. I entered the Pre-Theology program at Saint John Vianney College Seminary in Miami, Florida in August of 2001. The following year I was studying Theology at Saint Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary in Boynton Beach, Florida where I have been since August of 2002. I will be ordained for the Diocese of Saint Petersburg on Saturday, May 17, 2008 at 11 a.m. at the Cathedral of Saint Judes.
From a Dad?s Point of View
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From a Dad?s Point of View
Having a son preparing for a priestly vocation is a source of great pride for me. When I received the call from Sharon on behalf of Fr. Len my mind started jumping all over looking for ideas. Why did Tim decide to begin the discernment process? What events influenced that decision? As a family, how do we support him in the process?
I had attended a preparatory seminary in the late 50s and early 60s. What had influenced my decision? I attended Cure of Ars Catholic School through the 8th grade. The Dominican nuns were forever reminding us that St Jean Vianney was the Patron Saint of Priests. More significant for me was the fact that he was a poor student, I could relate to that. I read the book You Can Change the World by Fr. James Keller, a Maryknoll missionary. I subscribed to Maryknoll Magazine and read each month of the daring exploits of those men in black as they brought the Lord?s message to exotic locales. My journey was cut short when my Dad became disabled and I felt obligated to support my Mom and Dad. Several years later I met Bonnie and we started to grow a family that would blossom with five wonderful children.
I share that beginning because I would often share the stories of my time in the seminary with my children. As a family both Bonnie and I have always tried to be faithful to our vocation as parents. Mass on Sundays and Holy Days was always a priority even if it meant a 20 mile trip in the opposite direction on a vacation Sunday. Each day always starts with the Morning Offering and prayers before meals. Vacations often included side trips to religious shrines. Since I was born on the feast of Our Lady?s Immaculate Conception our whole family has always rooted for Notre Dame?s Fighting Irish.
Tim attended Holy Spirit School where he served as an altar boy. He had many wonderful role models among the priests over the years. We attended a Boy Scout weekend retreat at Camp Allamuchy in New Jersey where we witnessed a fully robed Bishop Rodimer step into a canoe and trust two teenage boys to safely traverse the lake for his arrival to celebrate the Holy Mass. Later Tim would serve in the U.S. Navy and would often comment on the fine men who served as chaplains.
Who knows how a lifetime of stories and experiences can influence a decision when finally that calling from the Lord comes. Oh, there was also Granny who prayed daily for Tim and more than encouraged him to serve the Lord. I sometimes wonder if Tim joined the Navy to escape Granny?s cajoling to avoid what now seems like the inevitable as the Hound of Heaven continues His pursuit.
As a Fraternal Agent for the Knights of Columbus, a position I have taken in retirement because of my affinity to Fr. Michael J. McGivney, I visit 500 families a year. At every encounter I put in a plug for vocations. I start by asking What is the average age of a Catholic priest in the United States? Most people are amazed to learn that the answer is 70. Through the Order I seek daily to encourage families to support our priests, deacons and seminarians and to respond positively to a family member who might want to discern a vocation.
As for me, I feel blessed that God has called one from our family.
- Tom Cummings, III
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By Frank Shannon
? 2004 Brutally Frank, Inc.
?. . . it perverts the conjugal act, the intimate giving of spouses to each other. It does grave injury to the dignity of its participants. It is a grave offense.?
Before I was married this past October, I'd hear regularly, ?Why do you bother defending marriage when you?re not even married?? I?m also not a priest, but I ferociously defend the priesthood. I?m 46 years beyond in utero status, but I?m a committed defender of the unborn. Whatever the case, insights are insights, and they usually come from observation, which, when done with some discernment through eyes of faith, oftentimes prove valuable.
Uncle Louie's Sword
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Recently, I have been blessed to receive a special gift, my great uncle?s sword. Louie Zangari was a veteran of Pearl Harbor, a devoted husband and father, a hard worker and a staunch patriot. He was also a fourth degree Knight of Columbus - just like me. It gives me tremendous pride to carry his sword in his honor and in some way it?s a family connection that men outside of our brotherhood might not be able to relate to.
Being a Knight of Columbus is not like belonging to a civic organization or to any club that I am aware of, it?s deeper than that. It is a cross between a fraternity, a charitable organization, an insurance company and a religious order. Our order has its origins here in America with over 100 years worth of traditions. Above all, it is firmly anchored in our Catholic Faith. Being a Knight is special, not every man can do it. A prospective candidate MUST be a practicing catholic in full communion with the church. If he is married then his marriage must be recognized by the church or he cannot join. With these qualifications, we accept any man of good character and reputation who responds to God?s call to serve.
Everyone knows the Knights of Columbus for our good works that support many outstanding charities. Locally we?ve raised thousands of dollars for the Brandon Crisis Pregnancy Center, Pregnancy Plus Medical at Catholic Charities, the Orphanage at Everyday Blessings where we also built a bike path for the orphans and the Lopez School for Exceptional children. We support the Boy Scouts, Altar Servers, the Food Pantry, the seminarians, the Special Olympics and the list goes on. Being practical Catholics, our organization is 100% pro-life from top to bottom.
In addition to our responsibility to serve, being a member does bring with it many spiritual and material benefits that continue even after death. For example, when a member in good standing dies, his widow receives money that she can use to help with his funeral expenses. When a brother knight is in trouble, we all try to pitch in and help them out in one way or another. For many years after a brother?s death, his soul will be remembered in the memorial masses said each year for members who have passed away. If a fourth degree brother dies then the color guard will stand watch at his wake and funeral. A patent or a chalice with the deceased brother?s name on it will be donated to a priest in his memory. While a brother is alive he is given the opportunity to acquire additional life insurance for his family from the most highly rated insurance company there is. Our order offers security in life and in death.
Although I have no sons, I hope that one day one of my male relatives will get to carry Uncle Louie?s (now my) sword as a brother Fourth Degree Knight and remember me in their thoughts and prayers.
Chris Gladu
