Wednesday, June 14, 2006

About the World Cup...



It's not that I don't care...

It's just that...I don't care.

17 comments:

Anonymous said...

I feel the same way!

Anonymous said...

I'm not a soccer fan but what's the point of telling everyone. The world cup comes every four years and many in the world enjoy it. Does it bother us when the United States Bishops meet every year and disregard what the magisterium teaches. I wonder if they say "it's not that we don't care, it's just that we don't care."

This is just another example of us in America pooh poohing evryone else thinking we know best. 300 million Americans in a world of billions. Not unlike I suppose, 60 million American Catholics thinking they know what is best for a Catholic Church of over one billion. Pretty arrogant 6% if you ask me. But in the end, what do I know as I like baseball.
Thanks,
Eric

Anonymous said...

I care! We beat Japan!! But I think we will go down to Brazil.

Anonymous said...

You just saying you don't cuz America got its keester handed to it by a little ex-commie backwater of 12 million people that didn't even exist 20 years ago.

Anonymous said...

Oh ... and the Czech Republic would also fit inside Ohio with room to spare. Now America's coming a cropper cuz it has to play with the big boys of Europe and South America and no longer has to squeak past juggernauts like Trinidad, El Salvador and Grenada.

Fr Martin Fox said...

No, I really don't care!

anonymous #2 -- your derogatory comment about the bishops is over the line, in my opinion. To say the bishops "disregard what the Magisterium teaches" is calumnious, and I do not allow that. I ask that you modify your comment, or else I will remove it.

Anonymous said...

Father please, my comments were by no means defamatory especially when it pertains to the liturgy and what goes on in parishes. The Bishops completely disregarded Redemptionis Sacramentum. Granted some complied but many didn't thus perpetuating confusion of the faithful. John Paul tried over his years to get things in order especially as it pertains to matters regarding the most Holy Eucharist with his Encyclical Letter Ecclesia de Eucharistia but sadly had to follow it up with Redemptionis Sacramentum. Bishops allow groups like Call to Action, SNAP, Voice of the Faithful to use Church facilities to promote agendas completely opposite of Church teaching and law. I attended a Deacon ordination in Idaho last year where the Bishop said to the congregation that he wished he could ordain the wives to the diaconate and priesthood but he wasn't "allowed" followed by the applause of a clueless congregation. Why didn't he catechize as to why he couldn't? What about Confession prior to First Communion. That experiment, ended emphatically by Pope Paul, of the 70's still lingers at the expense of the faithful to this day. And the list goes on. I would agree with Pope Benedict while still a cardinal when he said that a smaller more faithful Church, in the end, would bring more people to the faith.
Granted out of all the Bishops in America not everyone, of course, falls short but, we should all be one with no divisions among us. Father, you are bright, articulate, considerate, and devoted to your vocation as am I to mine but please don't pretend what I'm saying isn't true to some debatable degree. Bishops are granted great responsibility to their diocese and rightfully so but they are not granted theocratic rule over their flock outside of magisterial teaching. And neither are priests. At least 90% of abuses in the Church are perpetuated by the clergy and other religious vocations and as a result the laity follow.
So in the end clearly the Bishops do not disregard everything the Magisterium teaches but some do disregard bits and pieces or simply let things go. I pray for my Bishop and all Bishops even a little extra for Bishop Skylstad president of the USCCB who's diocese of Spokane is certainly worried. So again the 60 Million Catholics in America only make up 6% of the world wide Catholic Church. I imagine less than half of that number meet their weekly obligation of attending Mass. I also imagine an even lesser number actually even try to follow Church theology. Demographically Catholics are the largest religious group in America but I would venture that the largest religious group above that is fallen away Catholics. Listen, just because everyone does something doesn't make it right. Censor me if you like but I don't think I am that far off. In closing forgive me if I offended as it was not my intention.
Eric

Anonymous said...

Father Fox,

This is your blog and you can and should make the rules but a good host will also play by them.

I just got done posting over at Bettinelli's site on your post regarding a careful examination of bishops' motives , calumny etc.

I jump back here and see that anon/Eric may be facing what you metted out to pewsitter a month or so ago.

At least a dozen bishops have either publicly ridiculed, denied, questioned the validity of, or complained about the INFALLIBLE teaching of the Church that women cannot be ordained priests. That may not be the official policy of the USCCB and the dissenters are not ordaining women but they are disregarding the magisterium.

Your concern about calumny seems to be onesided.

A dozen U.S. bishops have either admitted to committing homosexual abuse, resigned right after being sued or accused, paid off accusers six figure sums after being accused or have been determined to be homosexual predators by review boards. All have well known and deserved reputations as "progressives". Would it be calmuny for me to say, "Progressive Bishops are Homosexual Predators".

I am certain they are liberals or progressives regarding liturgical matters, etc. by what they have publicly said, written and or have done.

Come on, can't a guy who wrote, "Rebuplicans are liars" cut some of your visitors some slack?

I do try to be careful on your blog out of my respect for you. I don't use the same language that
I do on Gerald Augustinus' site. I also think it is good that you give posters a chance to modify or rephrase their comments.

Anonymous said...

I'm almost afraid to post in this thread now but ... Go Germany! :)

http://lamland.blogspot.com/2006/06/world-cup-fever.html

Anonymous said...

Germany?!?!? GERMANY?!?!?

While a german-led team is threatening to win the NBA championship??!?!?

Never ... I say.

Anonymous said...

Deutschland, Deutschland ueber alles... :)

Anonymous said...

Sports are a funny thing. Each person has their favorite - and some like me have none.

I'm sort of a generalist. I like the excitement of the World Cup when it’s happening. I like the NFL playoffs, NHL playoffs, etc. (don't really care for the NBA at all).

A sport like many things elicits lots of emotion on the part of fans.

I don't think Father was making a political statement, just a lack of caring about a particular sport.

It's too bad the conversation took off topic tangents.

Also to T.O., I would be careful singing that hymn. Some of us lost millions of fellow countrymen as well as friends and relatives, or had them tortured horribly in concentration camps, to singers of the same song.

Chucko said...

Deacon Jim, with all due respect to your (and our nations) losses, I don't know that the German national anthem needs to be a natural cause for offense. I'm an American first, but I'm proud of my German (as well as Irish and English) heritage.

Regarding soccer, I'm following it. A (British) fellow where I work has a theory, that with all the youth soccer being played in America today, within 2 generations the nation will grow a major interest in the sport. I'd like to see it become more popular in the country, but to those (such as Fr. Fox) who are disinterested, to each their own!

Oh, and victor... the Czech Republic is a small, young, thinly populated nation which happens to be ranked #2 in the world. Yes, the U.S. did get smacked around like a red-headed stepchild, but the program is still growing and becoming better. I'm not familiar with your phrase "coming a cropper," but I am glad the Americans have formidable competition such as that which is in their division this round.

Anonymous said...

Sorry, Deacon Jim, but my relatives fought on the same side of the war as yours did, and I can still sing the German national anthem because it is still the German national anthem. Just because you guys talk about bombs bursting in air, and that's not looked on too kindly by the rest of the world, we outsiders don't begrudge you singing your national anthem.

Chris said...

U.S ties Italy and is still alive!
A win over Ghanna and Italy beats the Czechs and we're dancin' in the sweet 16.

Also about the comments of us 6% thinking we rule the world. The U.S. has the third largest Catholic population of the countries of the world. We have more Catholics than Italy and Poland combined. We are allowed our say.
When the U.S. wins a world cup the american people will take note. We support our teams win or win.

Chris said...

Also,t.o.
History lesson:
The bombs were English bombs bursting over Fort McHenry in Baltimore as the British Navy pounded that fort in 1814.

Anonymous said...

Thanks, I didn't know that, Chris. I do know, though, that there's nothing wrong with the German national anthem in support of my favourite team.