Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Monday, December 6, 2010
Bishop John Steinbock has died
FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Bishop John Steinbock, The Roman Catholic Bishop of the Diocese of Fresno has lost his battle with cancer. Bishop Steinbock was diagnosed with stage three lung cancer in August and has been undergoing chemotherapy and radiation since.
Bishop John Steinbock presided over the Valley's largest Christian denomination for nearly 20-years. He was the fourth bishop of the Diocese of Fresno -- a diocese of more than half a million Catholics stretching from Merced County in the north to the Inyo town of Bishop on the east side of the Sierra.
The Bishop began his ministry as a 25-year-old priest in East L.A. In an interview with Action News in 2004, Bishop Steinbock said his assignment at the Cathedral of St. Vibiana on skid row was the most impacting of his life.
Bishop Steinbock: "I came to appreciate the simplicity of faith in people's lives... actually that God touched me in a way more than I touched people. That I tried to bring Christ to them... they brought Christ to me very much."
Even as he moved into his role as bishop in the Diocese of Fresno, Steinbock never lost sight of those in need. In 2006 he took a public stand against proposed immigration policies in congress that would have punished church leaders who helped illegal immigrants.
Bishop Steinbock: "We're a Christian nation supposedly... well if we don't love our neighbor as our self and respect the dignity of individual people then we are not being Christian whatsoever."
Over his years as spiritual leader of valley Catholics, the bishop met four different times with Pope John Paul II at the Vatican. The Pilgrimage to Rome, called the "ad limina apostolorum" or "to the threshold of the apostles" is required by all bishops every five years.
In his last interview the Bishop reported his biggest challenge was finding space in older churches for the growing catholic population in the diocese. His cancer, he said, was a gift.
Bishop Steinbock: "I started thinking there's a lot of blessing too... having cancer. That may sound awful... I mean, first of all, so many people reached out to me expressing their live and their concern and their prayers for me... you don't realize how many lives you've touched until something like that happens."
Bishop Steinbock will never know just how many lives he touched -- among every denomination.
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Press Release
NOTICE OF DEATH OF ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP JOHN STEINBOCK
Bishop John T. Steinbock, Fourth Bishop of the Diocese of Fresno, passed into eternal glory at 3:10 a.m. today. He was surrounded by family, his pastor, and friends. Diocesan funeral arrangements are in preparation. Once they are complete, they will be disseminated on our website, notices to parishes, and various other sources.
The Papal Nuncio has been notified of Bishop John's death. A report of Bishop John's death has also been circulated to His eminence Cardinal Roger Mahony and to the California Bishops.
We ask for prayers for the repose of the soul of Bishop John Steinbock.
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Magnificat: The Hymn of the Blessed Virgin Mary
1900 | Abbe Z.C. Jourdain
CatholicTradition.org
"His mercy is from generation unto generations to them that fear Him."
---- Luke 1: 50
Each of the Gospels has its own particular characteristic. If one is seeking signs of Our Lord's infinite mercy, he should especially read the Gospel of Saint Luke.
In this Gospel we find the detailed narratives of the conversion of Magdalen, Zaccheus, and the Good Thief. We see the Good Shepherd seeking the lost sheep and carrying it on His shoulders back to the sheepfold. We see the woman lighting a lamp and looking for her drachma; we learn that this woman's joy in finding it is only a faint image of the joy of God and His Angels when a sinner converts. We also admire the goodness of the father of the prodigal son upon the return of his child, the compassion and liberality of the Good Samaritan. We see Jesus Himself, moved by the widow of Naim who was crying over the death of her son. We see His goodness when He speaks with the disciples of Emmaus after His Resurrection; He enlightens them, comforts them, then allows them to recognize Him.
Saint Anselm says that Saint Luke the Evangelist, having previously been a physician, had devoted his efforts to relieving sicknesses of the body. After he became a disciple of the Lord, he devoted them to relieving sicknesses of the soul. And the great remedy for sickness of the soul is God's mercy, which delivers the soul of its sins. Saint Luke kept clearly in mind Mary's words, which proclaim the greatness of Divine mercy.
This mercy consists in the benefits God has poured forth at all times and will pour forth until the end upon His faithful servants, especially the benefits of the Incarnation of the Word, the Redemption, the Eucharist, and all the graces that derive from these sacred mysteries. This mercy is not for a time but for all times, although it is not manifested in every era with equal abundance. Saint Albert the Great says, "It is great, it is continual, it is abundant, it is sweet, it is discreet." Divine mercy is also patient; it does not allow the justice and the wrath of God to act as soon as the sinner makes himself guilty, but waits for him to return to a better disposition and do penance.
Most often, it is by force of patient goodness that it brings him back: The Lord is waiting that He may have mercy on you, said the prophet Isaias. [30: 18] And Saint Paul the Apostle, blaming men for not profiting enough from Divine mercy, exclaims, Do you despise the riches of His goodness and patience and long suffering? Do you not know that the goodness of God means to lead you to repentance? [Romans 2: 4]
Saint Bernard admires the greatness of Divine mercy. He is astonished that God forgives so easily, remits such grievous and numerous sins, and pours countless benefits upon sinners who have been received back into His favor, without ever recalling the remembrance of their sin. He says:
"The Lord waited for me, but He did not set His gaze upon me, He turned His eyes away from my sins as though He did not want to see how guilty I was making myself . . . Some are offended and then forgive an insult, in the sense that they will not take revenge, but they do not fail to complain about it and often blame the one who has offended them. Others say nothing, but their heart still remains deeply embittered. This is not true forgiveness; that kind of indulgence is still lacking something. Oh, such is not the mercy of God; the pardon He grants is broader and freer.
"Where sin has abounded, He takes pleasure in making grace abound even more. A testimony to that is Saint Paul, the Doctor of the Nations who labored more than all the other Apostles, with the grace of God . . . Another one is Peter, who after his triple denial was entrusted with the care of governing the Church as its supreme shepherd. And finally, a testimony can found in Mary Magdalen, the well-known sinner. She was considered worthy of such great love from the first moment of her conversion! She was admitted into such close friendship! If anyone accused her, did she ever have to defend herself? If the Pharisees murmured, if Martha complained, if the Apostles were scandalized, Mary remained silent; Jesus Christ excused her and praised her silence. Do you want another proof of the extraordinary favor of which she is the object? When Jesus Christ rose again from the dead, Magdalen was the first person to see Him and touch Him." [Saint Bernard, Sermon de Septem panibus]
Does Our Lord not teach us that God's mercy and His perfection are one and the same thing? Listen to what He tells us in the Gospel of Saint Matthew: Be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect . . . He who makes His sun rise on the good and the evil, and sends rain on the just and the unjust. [ St. Matthew 5: 48,45] Is it not in this goodness, which is extended to everyone, that Jesus Christ says the Father's perfection consists? Listen to Saint Luke, who relates the same teaching of the Lord in other terms: Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful. [St. Luke 6: 36]
But if God is merciful to such a degree in and of Himself, how much the more easily will He allow Himself to be touched with compassion when the Blessed Virgin Mary, His Mother, pleads our cause and prays to Him on our behalf? Her power over the Heart of Her Son is unlimited.
But let us not be mistaken. The Blessed Virgin specified that the mercy of God is from generation unto generation to those who fear Him. No one is excluded from Divine mercy, but it does not produce the effects of salvation except in those who fear God. Not with a servile fear, the way an animal fears the whip that threatens it, although even that sort of fear is a good thing, since it makes us avoid many sins. Nevertheless, true fear of the Lord should be a filial fear united to love, a fear founded on charity and inclined to develop that love. What can those who close their heart to charity and are obstinate in their attachment to sin expect from the mercy of God and of Mary? He who is without fear cannot be justified, says Scripture. [Ecclesiastes 1: 28]
If we do not fear God, if we refuse to keep His Commandments, how will we be able to lift up our eyes to the Mother of mercy? What can Mary do for a soul in open revolt against Jesus Christ, Her Son and our Judge, a soul that refuses to bow beneath His authority and defies Him? She has fore- warned us Herself that mercy is reserved for those who fear God. Do we think Mary will approve of our iniquities? She is very willing to implore our forgiveness and obtain our return to God's favor, but She will do so only if we manifest a sincere will to revert to the good, and regret having separated from God and having offended Him. Mary has an infinite horror for sin; She can help only pure souls draw near to Him, or those who implore Her help to become pure. Let us not approach Mary if we are burdened with sin, Her mortal enemy. Or if that enemy is wound around us like a deadly serpent, let us call Mary to our help, but let it be in order to be delivered from it. Then we will have a right to Her assistance; through Her we will obtain precious graces for this life and final perseverance in view of eternity.
Ref.: Abbe Z.C. Jourdain, Somme des Grandeurs de Marie, Sermons sur Ie Magnificat (Hippolyte Walzer: Paris, 1900), Vol. VII.
The Magnificat
My soul doth magnify the Lord:
And my spirit hath rejoiced
in God my Savior.
Because He hath regarded the lowliness
of His Handmaid:
for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.
For He that is mighty hath done great things to me: and holy is His Name.
And His mercy is from generation
unto generations,
to them that fear Him.
And my spirit hath rejoiced
in God my Savior.
Because He hath regarded the lowliness
of His Handmaid:
for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.
For He that is mighty hath done great things to me: and holy is His Name.
And His mercy is from generation
unto generations,
to them that fear Him.
He hath showed might with His arm:
He hath scattered the proud
in the conceit of their heart.
He hath put down the mighty from their seat, and hath exalted the lowly.
He hath filled the hungry with good things: and the rich He hath
sent empty away.
He hath received Israel His servant,
being mindful of His mercy;
As He spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his seed forever.
He hath scattered the proud
in the conceit of their heart.
He hath put down the mighty from their seat, and hath exalted the lowly.
He hath filled the hungry with good things: and the rich He hath
sent empty away.
He hath received Israel His servant,
being mindful of His mercy;
As He spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his seed forever.
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Activists force Spanish cardinal to cancel lecture
Madrid, Spain, Dec 2, 2010 / 05:57 pm (EWTN News)
Activists forced the Archdiocese of Madrid, Spain to cancel a speech Cardinal Antonio Maria Rouco Varela planned to give at the Autonomous University of Madrid on Dec. 1.
The Spanish radio network, COPE, criticized the “aggressive secularism” of such activists in an editorial on its website.
Cardinal Rouco was scheduled to give a lecture titled, “The God who is unknown to 21st century Spaniards.” However, several days ago activist groups began calling for the event to be disrupted. The Spanish government said it could not guarantee the cardinal’s security, and Church officials therefore decided to cancel the speech.
“What happened here is another example of the cultural paradigm that seeks to impose aggressive secularism,” the editorial stated, while denouncing the activists' “efforts to silence anyone who would speak of God and the meaning of man’s existence.”
“And there is the added irony that freedom and truth have become a nuisance at the place which is supposed to be the pillar of knowledge – the university,” the editorial continued.
Because of these threats, COPE said, students will not hear the cardinal speak “about ‘the God who is unknown’ to the Spaniards of our day, like St. Paul did at the Areopagus of Athens.”
“The difference is that while 2,000 years ago, St. Paul could freely speak of the ‘unknown God,’ now an entire democratic system has caved in to the threats of violence, refusing to guarantee freedom and order on the university campus,” COPE stated.
The editorial also criticized the Spanish government for its unwillingness to “defend the liberties guaranteed by the Constitution,” and university officials “who also have done nothing to defend their own students.”
Activists forced the Archdiocese of Madrid, Spain to cancel a speech Cardinal Antonio Maria Rouco Varela planned to give at the Autonomous University of Madrid on Dec. 1.The Spanish radio network, COPE, criticized the “aggressive secularism” of such activists in an editorial on its website.
Cardinal Rouco was scheduled to give a lecture titled, “The God who is unknown to 21st century Spaniards.” However, several days ago activist groups began calling for the event to be disrupted. The Spanish government said it could not guarantee the cardinal’s security, and Church officials therefore decided to cancel the speech.
“What happened here is another example of the cultural paradigm that seeks to impose aggressive secularism,” the editorial stated, while denouncing the activists' “efforts to silence anyone who would speak of God and the meaning of man’s existence.”
“And there is the added irony that freedom and truth have become a nuisance at the place which is supposed to be the pillar of knowledge – the university,” the editorial continued.
Because of these threats, COPE said, students will not hear the cardinal speak “about ‘the God who is unknown’ to the Spaniards of our day, like St. Paul did at the Areopagus of Athens.”
“The difference is that while 2,000 years ago, St. Paul could freely speak of the ‘unknown God,’ now an entire democratic system has caved in to the threats of violence, refusing to guarantee freedom and order on the university campus,” COPE stated.
The editorial also criticized the Spanish government for its unwillingness to “defend the liberties guaranteed by the Constitution,” and university officials “who also have done nothing to defend their own students.”
Now my life is at risk, says WikiLeaks chief ... and he promises to publish files on UFOs and aliens
By Ian Drury
The founder of WikiLeaks last night claimed his life was at risk for exposing government secrets.
In an extraordinary rant, Julian Assange also revealed he would publish classified U.S. files about aliens and unidentified flying objects.
The reclusive Australian insisted he had received death threats after disclosing hundreds of thousands of confidential files on his whistleblowing website.
He first sparked fury by publishing U.S. army logs from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan that suggested soldiers were complicit in murder and torture.
Then this week he disclosed around 250,000 cables from U.S. embassies, many containing sensitive information and embarrassing verdicts on leaders including David Cameron.
One senior American politician, Mike Huckabee, called for whoever leaked the documents to be executed...
In a fresh twist, Mr Assange, who is in hiding somewhere near London, pledged to publish leaked diplomat cables relating to flying saucers.
‘Many weirdos email us about UFOs or how they discovered that they were the anti-Christ whilst talking with their ex-wife at a garden party over a pot plant,’ he said.
None had so far satisfied the twin publishing criteria for WikiLeaks: that the documents are original and not self-authored.
But he said: ‘It is worth noting that in yet-to-be-published parts of the cablegate archive there are indeed references to UFOs.’
Mr Assange said his decision to dump top secret U.S. documents on its website was revenge against ‘abusive elements of the United States government’.
The former computer hacker is wanted by Swedish prosecutors on suspicion of rape, sexual molestation and unlawful coercion...
The founder of WikiLeaks last night claimed his life was at risk for exposing government secrets.In an extraordinary rant, Julian Assange also revealed he would publish classified U.S. files about aliens and unidentified flying objects.
The reclusive Australian insisted he had received death threats after disclosing hundreds of thousands of confidential files on his whistleblowing website.
He first sparked fury by publishing U.S. army logs from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan that suggested soldiers were complicit in murder and torture.
Then this week he disclosed around 250,000 cables from U.S. embassies, many containing sensitive information and embarrassing verdicts on leaders including David Cameron.
One senior American politician, Mike Huckabee, called for whoever leaked the documents to be executed...
In a fresh twist, Mr Assange, who is in hiding somewhere near London, pledged to publish leaked diplomat cables relating to flying saucers.
‘Many weirdos email us about UFOs or how they discovered that they were the anti-Christ whilst talking with their ex-wife at a garden party over a pot plant,’ he said.
None had so far satisfied the twin publishing criteria for WikiLeaks: that the documents are original and not self-authored.
But he said: ‘It is worth noting that in yet-to-be-published parts of the cablegate archive there are indeed references to UFOs.’
Mr Assange said his decision to dump top secret U.S. documents on its website was revenge against ‘abusive elements of the United States government’.
The former computer hacker is wanted by Swedish prosecutors on suspicion of rape, sexual molestation and unlawful coercion...
Friday, December 3, 2010
Pope Benedict on Mystical Experiences
From Jimmy Akin:
"Right now in his weekly catecheses, Pope Benedict is giving a series of meditations on female saints from the Middle Ages. Many of them are mystics, and in the first meditation—on St. Hildegard of Bingen—he offers his thoughts on some of the marks of a genuine mystic..."
"This, dear friends, is the seal of an authentic experience of the Holy Spirit, the source of every charism: the person endowed with supernatural gifts never boasts of them, never flaunts them and, above all, shows complete obedience to the ecclesial authority." - Pope Benedict XVI
"Right now in his weekly catecheses, Pope Benedict is giving a series of meditations on female saints from the Middle Ages. Many of them are mystics, and in the first meditation—on St. Hildegard of Bingen—he offers his thoughts on some of the marks of a genuine mystic..."
"This, dear friends, is the seal of an authentic experience of the Holy Spirit, the source of every charism: the person endowed with supernatural gifts never boasts of them, never flaunts them and, above all, shows complete obedience to the ecclesial authority." - Pope Benedict XVI
Pope Benedict XVI Pictures
Reuters Pictures
Pope Benedict XVI waves as he arrives to lead his weekly audience in the Paul VI hall at the Vatican December 1, 2010.
Getty Images
Pope Benedict XVI (R) gestures during his weekly general audience on November 24, 2010 at the Paul VI hall at the Vatican.
AP Photo
AP Photo
A man in a Santa costume stands in the audience during Pope Benedict XVI's weekly general audience, in Paul VI Hall at the Vatican, Wednesday, Dec. 1, 2010.
AP Photo
Nuns waves scarves as Pope Benedict XVI arrives for his weekly general audience, in Paul VI Hall at the Vatican, Wednesday, Dec. 1, 2010.
Getty Images
Pope Benedict XVI holds a little girl at the end of his weekly general audience in Saint-Peter's square at the Vatican on November 17, 2010.
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Hump Day Haiku
Kids might think, shudder
"Last Christmas" by George Michael
Classic Christmas song
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Smithsonian to Remove Ant-Covered Jesus on Cross Video From Exhibit
The Smithsonian Institution's National Portrait Gallery will remove a four-minute video feature that contains an image of Jesus on a crucifix covered in ants, its director said in a statement released on Tuesday.
Martin Sullivan, director of the museum, said the video by David Wojnarowicz shows images that "may be" offensive to some.
"I regret that some reports about the exhibit have created an impression that the video is intentionally sacrilegious," the statement read. "In fact, the artists's intention was to depict the suffering of an AIDS victim. It was not the museum's intention to offend. We are removing the video today. The museum's statement at the exhibition's entrance, 'This exhibition contains mature themes,' will remain in place."
Earlier Tuesday, the museum was under fire for hosting the exhibit that also includes depictions of homoerotic art and an image of Ellen DeGeneres grabbing her breasts. The exhibit outraged conservative leaders and prompted some Republican lawmakers to call for a congressional investigation.
“Absolutely, we should look at their funds,” Georgia Rep. Jack Kingston, a member of the House Appropriations Committee, told Fox News.
“If they’ve got money to squander like this – of a crucifix being eaten by ants, of Ellen DeGeneres grabbing her breasts, men in chains, naked brothers kissing – then I think we should look at their budget.”
The video, “A Fire in My Belly,” is included in the National Portrait Gallery’s exhibit titled, “Hide/Seek: Difference and Desire in American Portraiture,” which is scheduled to run through the Christmas season.
National Portrait Gallery historian and exhibit co-curator David C. Ward told CNSNews.com, which first reported the story, that “A Fire in My Belly” reflects the “violent, disturbing and hallucinatory” aspects of the AIDS epidemic.
“'Fire in My Belly' is an example of political engagement in artistic form with the AIDS epidemic by an artist deeply concerned with the exploration of our response to that medical and societal calamity,” Ward said. “That it is violent, disturbing, and hallucinatory precisely replicates the impact of the disease itself on people and a society that could barely comprehend its magnitude."
Kingston saw it differently and called it, “in-your-face perversion paid for by tax dollars.”
And incoming House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., called it an "outrageous use of taxpayer money and an obvious attempt to offend Christians during the Christmas season."
"When a museum receives taxpayer money, the taxpayers have a right to expect that the museum will uphold common standards of decency. The museum should pull the exhibit and be prepared for serious questions come budget time,” Cantor said through a spokesman.
The exhibit also drew the ire of Catholic League President Bill Donohue, who said it is “hate speech.” “This is clearly designed to offend,” he told Fox News.
“What concerns me is that the government is underwriting this assault on Christian sensibilities calculated to offend during the Christmas season.”
The Smithsonian declined numerous opportunities to comment on the controversy. Spokeswoman Linda St. Thomas told the New York Post that it does not comment “on people’s opinions on art.” She also told the newspaper that while the museum receives funding from Congress, the exhibits are funded through private donations.
But Kingston refuted that assertion.
“For them to say this is not tax-funded is absurd,” he said, noting that 65 percent of the Smithsonian budget comes from taxpayers and that the National Portrait Gallery receives $5.8 million in tax dollars.
“If the art community wants to do it, they should do it on their own nickel, but they are doing it in a building that is paid for by the public, with staff that is on the federal payroll,” he said.
Kingston said he was not sure what form a congressional investigation would take, but he said some options included “calling them up in front of the Appropriations Committee, asking for some resignations, auditing all their budget – all their books.”
“We need to move in that direction,” he said. “As stewards of the tax dollars in these very difficult times, we don’t have the money to squander like this.”
Sunday, November 28, 2010
"Please remember that Christ is our King and we are His subject. His power and authority are His. They do not come from us. We do not have to consent to it and we don't elect him. Before Him ever power and authority must bow and submit. All power, honor, and glory is His! Amen." - Father Richtsteig
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Pope Benedict XVI
Getty Images
Pope Benedict XVI, holding the cross, arrives for the celebration of the first Vespers in the St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican on November 27, 2010.
Friday, November 26, 2010
"In your patience you shall possess your souls"
"With tragic consequences, a long historical process is reaching a turning-point. The process which once led to discovering the idea of "human rights"—rights inherent in every person and prior to any Constitution and State legislation—is today marked by a surprising contradiction. Precisely in an age when the inviolable rights of the person are solemnly proclaimed and the value of life is publicly affirmed, the very right to life is being denied or trampled upon, especially at the more significant moments of existence: the moment of birth and the moment of death… This is what is happening also at the level of politics and government: the original and inalienable right to life is questioned or denied on the basis of a parliamentary vote or the will of one part of the people—even if it is the majority. This is the sinister result of a relativism which reigns unopposed: the "right" ceases to be such, because it is no longer firmly founded on the inviolable dignity of the person, but is made subject to the will of the stronger part. In this way democracy, contradicting its own principles, effectively moves towards a form of totalitarianism."
—POPE JOHN PAUL II, Evangelium Vitae, “The Gospel of Life”, n. 18, 20
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Member of papal household killed in automobile accident
(Catholic Culture) A member of Pope Benedict’s personal household was killed in a traffic accident that took place on Tuesday night, November 23.
Manuela Camagni, one of the four women of the Memores Domini community who maintained the papal apartments in the apostolic palace, was fatally injured in a crash that occurred as she returned from a dinner with friends. She died on Wednesday morning.
In his new book Light of the World, Pope Benedict describes the everyday life of the papal household, in which he includes his secretaries and the women of Memores Domini:
Link to original:
Manuela Camagni, one of the four women of the Memores Domini community who maintained the papal apartments in the apostolic palace, was fatally injured in a crash that occurred as she returned from a dinner with friends. She died on Wednesday morning.
In his new book Light of the World, Pope Benedict describes the everyday life of the papal household, in which he includes his secretaries and the women of Memores Domini:
We celebrate Christmas together, listen to the holiday music, and exchange gifts. The feast days of our patron saints are celebrated, and occasionally we also sing Evening Prayer together. So we celebrate feasts together. And then, besides our common meals, there is above all Holy Mass in common in the morning. That is an especially important moment in which we are all with each other in a particularly intense way in the light of the Lord.Source(s):
Link to original:
Justice Scalia slams high court for inventing ‘living constitution,’ right to abortion
RICHMOND, Virginia, November 23, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) - U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia slammed the modern U.S. judiciary and the high court for using the idea of a “living constitution” to invent new rules and meanings that have led to a “right” to abortion and decriminalized homosexual conduct.
Scalia made his remarks last Friday during a University of Richmond luncheon lecture entitled “Do Words Matter?” The event was covered both by the Associated Press.
“The Constitution says what it says and it doesn’t say anything more,” said Scalia to an audience of 250 people, most of them legal professionals and academics.
The 74-year-old jurist, appointed to the high court by President Ronald Reagan in 1986, warned that government by judges is inevitable when the original meaning of legal language in laws and constitutions is not respected. This attitude, he said, allows “five out of nine hotshot lawyers to run the country.”
“Under the guise of interpreting the Constitution and under the banner of a living Constitution, judges, especially those on the Supreme Court, now wield an enormous amount of political power,” continued Scalia, “because they don’t just apply the rules that have been written, they create new rules.”
Scalia pointed out that the high court distorted the meaning of “due process” (referring to legal procedure) in the 14th Amendment to invent new rights under a “made up” concept of “substantial due process.” That has allowed the 14th Amendment to become the gateway to legal abortion and other behaviors, which the constitutional authors never intended and viewed as criminal.
“The due process clause has been distorted so it’s no longer a guarantee of process but a guarantee of liberty,” Scalia expounded. “But some of the liberties the Supreme Court has found to be protected by that word - liberty - nobody thought constituted a liberty when the 14th Amendment was adopted. Homosexual sodomy? It was criminal in all the states. Abortion? It was criminal in all the states.”
He also commented on the modern confirmation process of Supreme Court justices, saying it was akin to a “mini-constitutional convention” because Senators are fighting about how a justice will interpret words.
“The way to change the Constitution is through amendments approved by the people, not by judges altering the meaning of its words,” he added.
The AP reports that after the lecture, Scalia signed copies of his new book, “Making Your Case: The Art of Persuading Judges,” and was going to lecture a class on the constitution’s separation of powers at UR’s law school.
Justice Scalia, along with Justice Clarence Thomas, are the high court’s two jurists that firmly embrace an “originalist” doctrine - abiding by the original intent and context of legal language - when it comes to interpreting the U.S. Constitution and federal laws.
Scalia has criticized the high court’s 1973 Roe v. Wade decision as an “improper” ruling, saying the founding charter of the U.S. federal government had nothing to do either with abortion or even things like homosexual activity.
If the U.S. Supreme Court reversed its position on Roe, abortion would once again become a criminal matter for the states to decide how to regulate or prohibit.
h/t to Ray
St. Catherine of Alexandria
St. Catherine of Alexandria, Virgin and Martyr whose feast day is November 25th. She is the patroness of philosophers and preachers.
St. Catherine is believed to have been born in Alexandria of a noble family. Converted to Christianity through a vision, she denounced Maxentius for persecuting Christians. Fifty of her converts were then burned to death by Maxentius.
Maxentius offered Catherine a royal marriage if she would deny the Faith. Her refusal landed her in prison. While in prison, and while Maxentius was away, Catherine converted Maxentius' wife and two hundred of his soldiers. He had them all put to death.
Catherine was likewise condemned to death. She was put on a spiked wheel, and when the wheel broke, she was beheaded. She is venerated as the patroness of philosophers and preachers. St. Catherine's was one of the voices heard by St. Joan of Arc.
Maxentius' blind fury against St. Catherine is symbolic of the anger of the world in the face of truth and justice. When we live a life of truth and justice, we can expect the forces of evil to oppose us. Our perseverance in good, however, will be everlasting.
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
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