POWIP Piece of Work In Progress – Former Abode of Dan Collins

Wrong. Again. Educating the Educator (or, God is not fooled by Plausible Deniability).

Idiot of idiots.

Obama's new "revised mandate"

The revised Obama mandate will make religious groups contract with insurers to offer birth control and the potentially abortion-causing drugs to women at no cost. The revised mandate will have religious employers refer women to their insurance company for coverage that still violates their moral and religious beliefs. Under this plan, every insurance company will be obligated to provide coverage at no cost.

Citing the Catechism of the Catholic Church (which I may have to buy our pathetic Gnostic in Chief a copy of):

II. Respect for the Dignity of Persons

Respect for the souls of others: scandal

2284 Scandal is an attitude or behavior which leads another to do evil. the person who gives scandal becomes his neighbor's tempter. He damages virtue and integrity; he may even draw his brother into spiritual death. Scandal is a grave offense if by deed or omission another is deliberately led into a grave offense.

2285 Scandal takes on a particular gravity by reason of the authority of those who cause it or the weakness of those who are scandalized. It prompted our Lord to utter this curse: "Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened round his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea."85 Scandal is grave when given by those who by nature or office are obliged to teach and educate others. Jesus reproaches the scribes and Pharisees on this account: he likens them to wolves in sheep's clothing.86

2286 Scandal can be provoked by laws or institutions, by fashion or opinion.

God is not fooled by Plausible Deniability. Nor separations of Kevin Bacon, FWIW.

What a dummy. Enlightened? Indeed.

Enoch_Root

Person with kids,a beautiful wife, a job. Catholic of the Latin Rite.

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Digging in the Dirt

CLEANING OUT EMAIL - FOUND THE FOLLOWING.

On Sun, Oct 11, 2009 at 1:37 PM, wrote:

All -

I am probably missing some people on this email. If you notice someone missing from it that should be included, please feel free to forward it at your discretion.

I want to first mention that of course James's passing is a big shock. A man such as James taken at such a young age (I think 40 is now the "new 30") is a real tragedy. And the fact that he leaves behind 3 kids and a young wife behind only compounds the heavy heart.

As you all know, I met James in 7th grade while attending a most awful private school. James had been expelled the year before I arrived, but eventually the Powers That Be showed some clemency. For my part, it was my first and only year there. And, as you can imagine, James and I, though if memory serves did not get along at our first meeting, eventually came to see one another as remarkably similar for being so very different from one another. Specifically in the following sense: we both hated authority.

Now, one can downplay the significance of what that means/meant. One can chalk it up to rebellion of youth. But that would be to simplify it and miss the point entirely.

If you notice the people on this list - you may see a pattern emerge. James respected most those that would not be cowed. He saw it as more than a simple personality trait. He saw it as a sign of spiritual maturity. Because the Spirit cannot be squashed unless the individual permits it to be. And because he knew very well that what we all really desire most in this life is something that is in very short supply: namely, as a friend of mine reminded me this morning, Peace.

In James's view of the mechanics of the cosmos, and more specifically, the actuality of the Human Person, we souls chose to be manifest on this plane of existence. And, in his view, we souls chose to enter into this awful physical realm in order to have an opportunity to break free of this physical and metaphysical plane. In his view, what we can observe with our limited senses (the 5 senses we learn about in school), we are given to certain perceptions about the cosmos that are absolutely illusory.

For him, existing as both physical and spiritual being was a bummer. In his view the physical was nothing but a cell within which the soul was imprisoned. This does NOT mean he didn't enjoy his existence here. He took pleasure in all of the little and big miracles of this life experience - just like the rest of us. But he DID believe that his mission here on earth was to evolve in such a way as to be permitted to escape the confines of the physical. Yes - he believed in reincarnation. And, no, he was not real eager to spend more lifetimes in what he saw as the great wheel than he had to. So, for him, it made sense that he needed to spend as much time working on the Spiritual aspect of self as was possible.

James did not believe that the Spirit could/would end up in hell - as we typically envision it. But he DID believe in a Creator God. He was NOT a polytheist. But he also did NOT believe that he had found one religious tradition that adequately represented God Creator. In this sense he was very much Buddhist: once we try to describe the Cosmic Oneness (God), we are further from understanding the actuality of God that before we set out to explain God. This does NOT mean he thought we could not sharpen our insights about what/who/why/how of the Creator God and Creator God's Creation - the Cosmos. Far from it: he spent his life trying to peek behind the curtain, so sure was he that there were glimpses of the Divine to be discerned.

It is important for me to communicate this to you. For a couple of reasons.

1) James has either broken free of this plane or not - if you tend to agree with his view of the Cosmos.
2) If you see the Cosmos through the prism of Christianity, on the other hand, I am encouraged that James has met his reward. He really did believe that the Christ was a Bridge. He really did believe that if you walked the path of Christ, you would find God. What he disagreed with was what he saw as the bastardization of the Christ Story - the manipulation of it throughout history for political gain. If you know me at all, you would see this as a major divergence in belief between James and myself. And there were plenty of these.
3) If you do not believe in existence after death - then James is gone. Both physically and Spiritually. And none of this matters. For you, I would suggest that you reconsider.
4) James LOVED to talk about the Cosmos - all of it - and the economy of souls! He loved it because for him nothing raised to the same level of worthiness - he was always ready to share his ideas with others and to hear theirs. To exchange insights.

So, this is his gift to you and very much to me.

Always ask questions
Ask follow-up questions
Read, study
Contemplate
Pray
Meditate
Introspect
Visualize
Realize

REBEL - DO NOT BELIEVE WHAT THE THEM TELL YOU - DO NOT BELIEVE THE SLOGANS - DO NOT BELIEVE THE CHOICES YOU ARE PRESENTED WITH - ALWAYS ASSUME THERE IS MORE THAN YOU ARE SENSING - NEVER, EVER CAPITULATE OR ALLOW YOURSELF TO BE INTIMIDATED. FIGHT LIKE A MOTHER FUCKER.

MANIFEST the person - SPIRIT - you are called to be.

The rest, James would tell you - the physical, material - is, was, and ever will be "complete fucking bullshit." - A distraction.

And most of all - he would implore you, in a war-like manner, to LOVE and PEACE of your fellow... to the best of your ability.

Please join me in a song of prayer for his rapid passage and celebration of the wonderful soul we, his beloved friends, had the gift of knowing.

Ill let you know when plans are ironed out.

Enoch_Root

Person with kids,a beautiful wife, a job. Catholic of the Latin Rite.

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Prayers Are Good Tidings

Each Christmas I am faced with the conflict. On the one hand, with children in the house we feel obliged to do silly things like purchase gifts and prop up Santa Claus. But another part of me realizes that this is silly and a horrible distraction. Nevertheless...

In terms of end of year tidings, one is relieved to have Christmas in the rear-view mirror. One looks forward, mostly, to a new chapter. It is a very pagan way to go. Out with the old and in with the new. XTC has a great song to this effect.

Fire they cried
So evil must die
And yields are good
So men pull back hoods and smile
The scapegoat blood spilled
Spittled and grilled
it crackled and spat
And children grew fat
on the meat
Change must be earnt
Sacrificial bonfire
must burn
Burn up the old Ring in the new
Assembled on high
Silhouette against the sky
The smoke prayed and pranced
And sparks did their dance
in the wind
Shadows wore thin
with less and less skin
And the clothes that were draped
Was all that told man from ape
Change must be earnt
Sacrificial bonfire must reign
Reign over good
Banish the bad

It is interesting to note that Christmas itself, to the Christian, marks the very point in history when Mankind's bondage was in jeopardy of being remanded. If you will, it is the point in history where the Scapegoat is introduce to the storyline.

We wait for Good Friday to spill the Blood of the Lamb, of course, but the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies is nigh. Predestined history unfurls from this point at a relatively rapid pace. All Systems of Men are put to shame in the ensuing times.

This Singular Cosmic Shift - the Birth of the Christchild - the Advent of Emmanuel - God Among Us... culminates in the Greatest Event the world has ever witnessed; whereby God reconciles His Creation to Himself through the Paschal Sacrifice of Himself on our behalf to Himself for expiation of all Sin past, present, and future.

This is a really, really big deal.

What the Great Pagan Philosophers discerned without the Light of the Holy Spirit - and what was known to the Jews through revelation and guarded so jealously - was confirmed. From there, Pagans and Jews alike were presented with another amazing Gift - the first being Redemption - for the taking.

That second gift is the Gift of Hope.

It seems to me that the idea that we exist and then do not exist is so much crap. That we exist and then seize to exist is goofy. How were the Pagan Scholars of Note able to divine an afterlife without the Holy Light of Grace? They did so using Reason as their guide. It is no different today. But that we had only Reason as our guide - without the Advent of the Lamb of God - and possessed the same towering intellect as the Greats - would we not come to the same conclusion? Yet, we have the extra benefit of an Singular Occurrence that they did not. So, perhaps our rather smallish abilities are brought on par with those who fumbled in the dark and arrived at the conclusion that Man is so distinct, so Unique, so Superior in species, that the natural ends of squirrels and birds is not equivalent to what awaits the Human Being.

Right now, many of our cyber-family, our modern-day neighbors, are suffering terribly. On the threshold of Death itself.

There is no need to name them, as most of you know in your hearts who these Souls are.

In the New Year, we are likely to lose some of them from this physical world.

We have Hope. Let us pray that all of these - those who will find physical health again and those that will be liberated from this physical reality - are buoyed in the knowledge that there is so much more behind the veil that awaits them.

Paradise awaits those who desire it with a contrite heart - and burn with Hope in anticipation of the Eternal Vision of God's Face for Eternity.

The body will fail. But we are free. Free to pray for the Souls at Death's Doorstep. Free to pray that our neighbors suffer with purpose and realize the benefits to be had as they pick up their cross and follow the Christ to Calvary - and ultimately Golgotha. Free to pray that they demonstrate Fortitude in their sufferings and grow ever closer to the Christ by mimicking his trials.

Let us pray for these, our brothers and sisters. Let us pray for those Dearly Departed in Purgatory and those Militant who are set to join them this year.

May God bless them and keep them and have Mercy on them today, tomorrow, and for all Eternity.

May they in turn pray for each of us from On High in our hour of need.

Happy New Year. God Speed, Faithful Pilgrims.

Enoch_Root

Person with kids,a beautiful wife, a job. Catholic of the Latin Rite.

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Fr John Corapi & the Judas Ratio

For years & years, I have loved Father John Corapi. He represents to me something sorely lacking (in my experience) in the Church. Namely, a priest with adequate testosterone. This is no small matter, as many of us middle-aged men find it easier to relate to a priest who we know actually knows something of the carnal struggles we face. That is, when we see ourselves in another, we find the argument & Teaching easier to consume.

Father John Corapi, for those who may not know him, was/is a very significant talent. He had/has all of the right skills and has had a terrific impact on the Spiritual Lives of many of us Catholic Pilgrims. He was/is an impressive orator, possesses an incredible mind and is an impressive theologian.

But perhaps the most impressive aspect of Father John Corapi was that he appeared a modern day St. Augustine of Hippo. One who knew sin and all of her empty promises. One who lived like a pagan and bathed in the false pleasures of our present temporal station until his Conversion. Nothing remarkable about his temptations: drugs and women. It's an old story indeed.

But Father John represented to many of us more than just a man we could relate to. Here was a man who had his moment in the garden. A man pursued by the "Hounds of Heaven". A man whose Monica was, as it were, the Virgin Herself.

What this means is that in Father John, we saw a man who appeared to have done what Christ implores all of us to do: namely, turn away from sin and embrace our Cross(es) and slog on the Pilgrim's Road for the Christ.

That is, in Father John we saw ourselves (only better). We saw someone living the faith. We saw someone unashamed to achieve to the Higher Self through a fiery devotion to Our Lord. We saw a man of love, peace, fortitude, courage, charity... a man of God. We saw our potential.

Today marks an incredibly sad day for the Church, in that...

"Father John Corapi’s religious order has found him guilty of substance abuse, sexual activity and violating his promise of poverty. A July 5 press release from the Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity (SOLT) said that while Fr. Corapi was involved in public ministry he had “sexual relations and years of cohabitation with a woman known to him, when the relationship began, as a prostitute.” MORE

I, along with perhaps millions of the Faithful are heartbroken.

In perusing the comments to this story on FB, we see mostly disbelief and resigned sadness. One could even say mourning for this man.

But we also see the typical bashing we have grown to expect. Of those voices, we see the juvenile tauntings  and cries of "hypocrite".

I have treated at length on this topic here before. Only last Ash Wednesday I posted this here on the topic of our claim as Hypocrite:

I will say it again for the benefit of all of my brothers and sisters in Christ. We are necessarily Hypocrites! We are to be Fools for Christ! The bar is necessarily high… and perfection will not be ours on this Pilgrim’s Road. We will necessarily fall short. End up in the woods. We will be lured away from the path. We will fall in the mud, beaten and bloodied. We will be left for dead. We will be surprised when a strange Samaritan (of all things) picks us up and delivers us from our doom.  We are in fact, all of us, in a distant country. We are, in fact, all of us, spending our inheritance on whores. During Lent, we are reminded to identify our faults, our imperfections, our rebellions, our sins, our darkened minds, our injured and hardened hearts… and to orient ourselves toward the Father’s Estate.

The story of Fr. John Corapi is nothing new. In fact, it is as old as the Faith. As old as the Church. We should not be stunned by stories such as these. From the beginning of Christ's Church here on Earth, Judas has been with us. St. Paul himself warns us against the spirit of Judas. St. Augustine, St. Catherine of Sienna, St. Faustina, JPII - all of these and all men and women religious worth their salt have warned, have lamented, and continue to draw our attentions to corruption in the Church... and yes, even Fr. Corapi, has spoken at great length about the dangers of concupiscence. In fact, they each struggled, as we are called to do, to sublimate our lower passions.

As I have postulated for years here on POWIP, there is a Judas Ratio.

The Judas Ratio can be thought to be the 8% (1/12) of any demographic segment (whether professional or otherwise) that can be expected to be complete scoundrels.

The concept originated with my father, Dan Sr., who postulated the thought to explain the “radical priests” during the pedophilia outing that occurred some years back. He said something along these lines: “If the Master Himself had one among his group who would sell Him and his own soul for a bag of cash, isn’t it likely the rest of us will have to suffer the same?” That goes for the Church, our schools, our bureaucrats, our politicians, our businesses (managers and employees alike), our neighbors, our family members, et cetera.

I think there is something to this Judas Ratio business. It may be that some of the 8% are never found out, while others are eventually dis-covered. But, nonetheless, I think it holds.

Let us Hypocrites acknowledge it and be on guard - vigilant. Will we deny Him like Peter? Yes. Will we condemn Him as Pilate? Yes. Will we betray Him with a Kiss? Yes. And in fact, we have done this and more to the Eternally crucified Christ.

This is why we Christians commemorate this Day and are called to contemplate not only The Death of Our Lord – in all of its very human ugliness – but also embrace our guilt in the astroturfing of the Christ. Who put Him to death? Why, we did. Each and every one of us. We betray Him, accuse Him, arrest Him, flog Him, spit upon Him, and yes, we nail Him to the Cross each and every day. We are Judas, Peter, Pilate, all of us. And if we are Blessed, we are the thief who asks the Godman to be remembered. We are the Roman Guard whose spirit is quaked and recognizes that Jesus was/is “truly the Son of God.” MORE

Let us pray that Father John petitions for Mercy and Forgiveness and Healing. Let us pray he does not, in fact, become a charismatic for the Forces of Evil... but instead embraces his Cross and makes his way to Calvary... in Faith, becoming a Saint as he is called to be (as we all are).

Let him comply, knuckle-down, and give up his rebellious spirit...

Petition St. Michael to come to his aid. Petition the Virgin to comfort him. Petition God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit to rush to his aid.

May he be healed. And should he be, perhaps I will celebrate him even more for overcoming his depravity appropriately... that is kneeling at the foot of the most holy and bloody Cross.

Father John Corapi is all of us... hypocrite, sinner, diseased... he is all of us and we are him.

I beg for your prayers! For Fr John, for me, for you, for all of us Judases, Pilates, Pharisees...

None of us is worthy. None of us.

Father John has made significant contributions to the Kingdom, the City of God. Now perhaps God has greater things in store for him. Perhaps like watching PJII persevere while his body betrayed him... perhaps we will witness a human get back on the Pilgrim's Road. Bloodied, beaten... but determined.

God help us all.

Enoch_Root

Person with kids,a beautiful wife, a job. Catholic of the Latin Rite.

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