The Sheepcat

Don't Quench a Smoldering Wick

"He will not break a bruised reed or quench a smoldering wick, till he brings justice to victory" (Matthew 12:20).

Do you know that "the Lord loves a good game"? I'm not going to follow the blogging convention and post an excerpt. If you haven't read Deacon Doug's address of that name, please read the whole thing; and if you're already familiar with it, please consider reading it again. I'll wait.

That outstanding talk is very germane to the present controversy involving a leading American gay activist. If for some reason you don't know of whom or what I speak, you can do an Internet search. Some self-identified Christians responding to this activist's April 12 outburst have been of a certain fundamentalist variety. For example: "Soon you shall be in hell-fire for not receiving the only payment possible for your sins – the shed Blood of Jesus." Catholics, ideally, have a greater awareness not only of our universal sinfulness but the universal call to holiness.

When engaging anyone hostile to the Faith, it is good to start with love and to remember that God's mercy triumphs over judgment. It's okay to defend yourself and the Church from aggression; it's not okay to return aggression with aggression. When you're introducing the Catechism's tripartite teaching on homosexuality, it's best to lead with the middle of those three paragraphs by affirming the dignity of the person. As the saying goes, you may be the only Bible that person ever reads. In the case of someone like this celebrity, you won't be the only Bible, but you might have a chance, as it were, to be a more accurate translation. And then there are the print and online readers whose circumstances aren't knowable.

There's no need, comboxers, to send me the evidence that this latest incident is one in a series of egregious incidents; I've probably read it or seen it. This isn't a blog post about serial bullying by an anti-bullying icon. This isn't an apologetics post to clear up lingering misunderstandings about interpreting the Bible or condoms or excommunication latae sententiae. Those discussions are certainly needed and are available elsewhere. When done well, they can represent three spiritual works of mercy: instructing the ignorant, counselling the doubtful, and admonishing sinners.

This is a blog post about the other four spiritual works of mercy: to bear wrongs patiently, to forgive offences willingly, to comfort the afflicted, and to pray for the living and the dead. This is a blog post for Catholics of good will, faithful to the Magisterium, who know that we have all fallen short of the glory of God. Because on Monday a Catholic blogger-of-good-will linked to an atheist blogger-of-good-will who disagreed with him (their dialogue has continued since), we had the privilege of reading this transcript.

Better yet, here's the audio.

You can skip ahead to Act Three at the 37:47 mark. The host has already explained at the prologue that this show includes a word that is sometimes bleeped for radio, but hasn't been here. There are other words and views that might offend you. Please see this through. The piece will be done in less than 16 minutes, and it could be life-changing. We wish it had come to our attention a long time ago.

Know before beginning that it's going to be messy and heartbreaking and beautiful. When we're deeply aware of our own sinfulness and God's own mercy, we can be grateful and confident about God working in His own good time.

The episode in question aired exactly three years ago, on May 1, 2009. This date is the feast day of St Joseph the Worker. He is the Guardian of the Holy Family. I invite you to ask his intercession. If you read the transcript or listen to the audio, you'll know Who else to pray through, and where to pray.

Love this man. Forgive him if you need to. Make acts of reparation not only for his offences, but for those of the self-identified Christians who've been unhelpful, hateful even, in their critiques. Pray without ceasing, and fast as we approach the Pentecost. Get ready to welcome him (and the other guy, and the kid) back, when the time comes. "Pack a lunch." Love him, as Christ has loved us. Look forward to the real possibility of living with him in eternity, and help make that possible.

My Father's Sacrificial Love

On this the anniversary of my father's death, I honour his memory and ask for prayers for the repose of his soul. He was a minister of the United Church of Canada, and I now find it fitting that his anniversary coincides with the Feast of the Presentation, with its Gospel reading "Lord, now let your servant depart in peace" (Luke 2:29).

Several years ago I recalled the huge fight I had with my parents over their prayers for my deliverance from homosexuality. That post was gruelling to write, and I finally delivered the promised follow-up to it this past June over at Reclaim the Rainbow – Toronto in the form of a reflection on how my father's sacrificial love helped me become the man I am today. Thank you, Dad, and thank you, God, for all you have given me.

Congratulations, Bishops Dowd and Lépine!

Happy news this time about another long-time friend of this blog's: Bishop Thomas Dowd of Waiting in Joyful Hope was ordained a bishop a few hours ago along with Bishop Christian Lépine. They are now the two active auxiliary bishops of Montreal.

Congratulations to both new bishops.  Let us pray that they may be fruitful in spreading the fullness of the Catholic faith in their city and beyond.

felix hominum, RIP

A long-time friend of this blog's, the Anglican priest Joseph Walker, a.k.a. felix hominum, has passed away. He led a pilgrimage this spring to Turkey and the Greek island of Patmos, so we were shocked to learn several weeks ago that he was gravely ill.

I appreciated Joseph's great love for children, especially his passionate defence of the lives and dignity of those, born and unborn, with genetic abnormalities. And almost anyone with siblings or children will be able to relate to his light-hearted "Liturgy for the Blessing of a Mini Van."

He had much to say about marriage and the struggles within the Anglican Church of Canada. I enjoyed his mischievous pokes at the church's bureaucracy, sometimes through the persona of  the Venerable Eustace Smithley-Jones. and at its highly selective invocation of tradition. He told me many people sent the latter link around, though few were bold enough to acknowledge it publicly.

He and I shared a few pints in the course of my visits to Edmonton. In our amiable sparring over Catholicism, for which he had a healthy respect, I was a little awed by his historical and philosophical learning. 

Joseph greatly admired Dante's Purgatorio, on which he wrote a series of Lenten reflections. May any actual experience of purgatory for him be brief, and may he swiftly come to see the Beatific Vision. Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him.

Update (20 August): Please see the obituary and a series of memorial reflections by Joseph's good friend Tim Chesterton.

Thanksgiving

On this Canadian Thanksgiving weekend, we thank God for our marriage and all the other blessings in our lives.

We've been meaning to reply to a few comments that readers posted here on the blog the some months ago or shared with us in person, but since June we've been providing care to a much-loved family member who's been in hospital with a serious illness. Please be patient and know that you're in our prayers. As ever, we ask for yours.

Two Funerals and a Wedding

Yesterday we held the funeral for my uncle Roly, who was full of energy until the last of his 86 years. A few days earlier, Miss Blanche and I attended the funeral for someone else in our circle. (And, had we been able to bilocate, we might have tried to get to a third funeral, for a friend's father.) So it's been a heavy time. We ask for your prayers for the repose of the souls of the faithful departed, and for all of us who are in mourning.

Roly was an avid sailor throughout his adult life, so the readings and hymns had a nautical theme. "They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters; These see the works of the LORD, and his wonders in the deep..." (Psalm 107:23-30). "And [Jesus] awoke and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, 'Peace! Be still!'" (Mark 4:35-41). At a family gathering last night, my mother recalled that when her brother was about 7, this gospel passage was to have been read by another child, who didn't show up in time, so he was asked to fill in at the last minute. Little Roly read with remarkable poise, only he pronounced the unfamiliar word as "rebucked."

Miss Blanche and I are way behind schedule with our wedding preparations, what with my move to the apartment that will be our shared home, and a bad cold, and this and that. We're trying to rein in our anxiety about the big day. Funerals, sad as they are, have helped remind us of the long view. So did last Wednesday's celebration of the 70th anniversary of the ordination of Monsignor Vincent Foy, a steadfast proponent of the culture of life and the foremost critic of the Canadian bishops' 1968 Winnipeg Statement. Through his experience as a parish priest and as the former head of Toronto's archdiocesan marriage tribunal, Msgr Foy has seen over and over again how contraception contributes to the breakdown of marriages. We wish all couples could hear what we learned about contraception during our marriage prep classes.

Last Wednesday was also the 65th anniversary of the ordination of Fr John Harvey, the founder of Courage--and the feast day of the Ugandan martyrs, who are Courage's patron saints. Msgr Foy is apparently a big fan of Fr Harvey, and we're fans of both.

Such are my scattered thoughts at the moment.

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter, everyone! Christ is risen, he is risen indeed, alleluia!

The Easter Vigil at St Vincent de Paul Church was glorious. Please pray that it might bear good fruit in the hearts of all who attended, especially those who are not in full communion with the Catholic Church.

I've been off-line for several days, taking a much-needed sabbatical from the computer. Next year I'll see if I can queue up something to get published automatically in my virtual absence.

Debate with Minister from MCC Windsor

Is homosexual practice "contrary to the gospel and inconsistent with a Christian lifestyle"? On Sunday, July 27, I'll be debating that question at Lakeshore-St Andrew's Presbyterian Church in Windsor. My opponent will be Rev. Martha Daniels from Metropolitan Community Church Windsor.

The debate, to be held at both the 9:30 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. services, is part of a discussion series LSA is hosting called The Elephant in the Room, on current topics that Christians need to know how to deal with.

If you're in the area, please come. The church is located just off of Hwy. 22 (E.C. Row Expressway) between Manning and West Pike Creek Rd (directions here). It's a little over 10 miles from Detroit.

And wherever you are, please pray for all of us who are involved in the event.

Award to Abortionist Morgentaler Must Be Revoked

Canada's most notorious abortionist, Dr Henry Morgentaler, has been awarded the Order of Canada. This is a national disgrace of the first magnitude. David Ahenakew was rightly stripped of his Order of Canada for uttering vile anti-Semitic remarks, but he hasn't killed anyone. Morgentaler has killed many thousands of unborn children and is proud of having done so.

In a strong and timely response, Archbishop Collins has declared that the award must be revoked. He has asked that all parishes include this prayer in this coming Sunday's Prayer of the Faithful:

That the scourge of abortion be lifted from our land, that those who promote it may be brought to a change of heart, that all who are tempted to abortion may be lovingly helped to protect the precious gift of life, and that all who have experienced an abortion may be comforted with the healing gift of love.

I wrote to the Governor General before the story was confirmed. Protests must continue until the award is overturned.

If you're Canadian, please write to the Governor General and the Prime Minister and your MP and everyone on the committee responsible for this outrage. LifeSiteNews has contact information. I suspect that letters from the United States would just get the authorities' backs up even more, but wherever you are, please pray.

St Gianna Beretta Molla, pray for us.

Update: Canadian Physicians for Life has also responded. The Catholic Civil Rights League has both statements and I'm guessing may add others as they become available.

Update: Archbishop Collins calls for prayers for conversion such as turned the heart of Dr Bernard Nathanson. Meanwhile several online polls ask whether Morgentaler should be honoured. The Facebook group to oppose the award is growing fast.

The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada and numerous Members of Parliament have spoken out against the award.