et alia

28 SEPTEMBER 2018. Today the Church celebrates the feast of Saint Wenceslaus - the tenth century Duke of Bohemia and martyr for the faith, known far and wide for his humility and pious works on behalf of the poor and needy. Named posthumously as a king, Saint Wenceslaus is yet another reminder that all of us are called to be saints. That is, each of us is called to holiness in our lives, given our state in life, where we seek fully to join ourselves and conform ourselves to the Holy and Divine Will, through our submission to Christ.

Running on at the keyboard:

Much has been made in the U.S. this week of the Brett Kavanaugh hearings before the Senate Judiciary Committee, which is considering his nomination to the Supreme Court. A number of accusations of sexual misconduct and sexual assault have been made against him, and he gave an emotional and pointed rebuke to those accusations and the nomination process yesterday. However, I was disappointed in Judge Kavanaugh. Judicial temperament requires one to maintain a detached view of facts and circumstances to evaluate the application of the law. No judge should be outwardly partisan or emotional, and we saw both from Judge Kavanaugh yesterday in his testimony. To the contrary, a good judge addresses his or her task with humility, emotional neutrality, and somber intellectual inquiry, knowing that decisions can have life-changing consequences for the people impacted. Certainly the Supreme Court's role in our system of government should be able to count on sound judicial temperament from all nine of its justices.

As to sexual assault and all manner of sexual aggression. There is no excuse for these actions. I had a roommate in college who once told me that once he reached a certain point of arousal, there was no way he could stop himself. In his words, he was "animalistic." Not true. We are not animals, and no person should be objectified and victimized for another's sexual gratification or self-satisfaction. As a community of faithful, and as a nation, we should stand in solidarity with those affected by these crimes and ensure that victims are provided for in a manner befitting their dignity.

Dignity of the marriage sacrament, too, must be upheld in our country and throughout humanity. As we have continued to see marriage redefined as any relationship that two individuals want to commit to, not matter what its circumstances and no matter what the sex of the individuals involved are, it is no wonder that our society feels itself in crisis. The basic building block of society, the family--the domestic church--is being defined out of existence. For this reason, we should head carefully and follow Pope Francis' call for a permanent catechumenate for marriage. The marriage vocation should be formed and nurtured from early childhood, through adolescence, into the marital relationship, and throughout life. Our world cannot afford to get this wrong.

Dignity of human life is under constant attack in our world, because we are told that self-gratification is the point of life. "Do what you want. Live for you. Be happy. You do you." These are the messages of Western culture, and they are wrong.

We have an obligation to return our whole selves to God in love, because He loved us. We are called to be something more than animals, because we share in the divine--by virtue of our immortal soul--and have been given the gift of being the adopted brothers and sisters of Christ, our God and savior. Each of us, from the moment of conception until natural death, has a unique and inalienable dignity as the beloved creatures of our God. Our lives are not for us to live for ourselves, they are gifts to live for God, who is our eternal home!

This is why, too, the universal call to abolish the death penalty is important. All life is sacred, no matter the circumstances. No matter the situation. From the earliest point of development, to the end stages of disease and infirmity; no matter the culpability of a person for harm done to others. Life is still precious and shares in the divine and, therefore, must be protected and upheld.

This is truth. It is counter cultural because our culture tells us lies. Live for truth dear brothers and sisters. That is our call.

Dear readers, please pray for me and I will pray for you.

NOVUS:

It also occurs to me that there has been little mention of the influence of alcohol on all that is involved in the Brett Kavanaugh allegations. No high school teen should ever be drinking, under any circumstances. Teenage drinking is the great contributor to an untold number of teenage deaths and life altering, harmful events. Parents, keep your children from this influence and model responsible behavior of your own. 

-3OP-