tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14168956.post116249114320410514..comments2024-03-25T06:39:42.081-04:00Comments on Bonfire of the Vanities: The frame and the purpose of life (Sunday homily)Fr Martin Foxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01375628123126091747noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14168956.post-1163140880455743432006-11-10T01:41:00.000-05:002006-11-10T01:41:00.000-05:00Sorry it took me so long to find your blog, excell...Sorry it took me so long to find your blog, excellent homily.<BR/>DeanAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14168956.post-1162950948111806132006-11-07T20:55:00.000-05:002006-11-07T20:55:00.000-05:00Father, once again an excellent sermon on a timely...Father, once again an excellent sermon on a timely issue. I make your blog part of my day of rest.<BR/><BR/>Anon, I would urge you to continue to bring up things at the parish level and to volunteer to start and support programs that deal with issues of concern. I now have one program that I started and continue to support and one that I added my prescence to focus on an area of interest and concern.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14168956.post-1162917109371636222006-11-07T11:31:00.000-05:002006-11-07T11:31:00.000-05:00Father Fox, I greatly appreciate your reply to my ...Father Fox, I greatly appreciate your reply to my sincere concerns, and as always I respect and admire your comments very, very much.<BR/> Without being argumentative, I would say my experience of the Catholic church is that of a layperson and in particulara an<BR/>involved layperson. I have attended countless (well, many hundreds)Catholic meetings where the two topics - reproductive concerns and sexuality (in the sense that "virginity", not service or worship, is the highest spiritual aspiration) - are the only matters of concern to<BR/>anyone. I have tried to bring up different but equally compelling issues, naively supposing that others just hadn't thought of them, but each time the group response has been uniformly negative, resistant, and unfriendly. I don't know why.<BR/>I can only imagine that it's easier to sit around playing "ain't it awful" about frozen embryos than it is to volunteer at hospice or a nursing home.<BR/> While it is important to declaim practices like euthanasia, there aren't as many elderly being euthanised as there are elderly being mistreated, neglected, and abandoned in nursing homes and neighborhoods.<BR/> While the church does operate hospitals, there are scores of sick or disabled Catholics in every parish who experience total indifference from their fellow Catholics. I know this because over a lifetime as a Catholic I've seen it happen to people in my own parish as a general practice, not as an exception to the rule. <BR/> The church may be against underage drinking, yet Catholic colleges are known throughout the country for their partying and frequent destructiveness during drunken episodes. No, it cannot be the press persecuting the church all the time. (Many members of the press are strong Catholics themselves.)<BR/> I'm not trying to bash the church, which is a label often pasted on anyone who brings out these discrepancies no matter how respectfully. I just want to point out that we can broaden our perspective, be more active in ways that make a difference, and <BR/>not get mired down in theory when action is needed.<BR/> I do considerable volunteer work among the elderly and a small amount among prisoner rehab. I have seen first hand the suffering I describe here. It cries out to heaven for solace.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14168956.post-1162914809473167672006-11-07T10:53:00.000-05:002006-11-07T10:53:00.000-05:00Excellent homily, as always, Father Fox. Thank yo...Excellent homily, as always, Father Fox. Thank you.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14168956.post-1162910036832648052006-11-07T09:33:00.000-05:002006-11-07T09:33:00.000-05:00Father,I have been reading you homilies on line fo...Father,<BR/><BR/>I have been reading you homilies on line for a while and I find them to be excellent for the straight forward Catholic content desperately, needed today. Your homilies make me reflect on “living the Catholic Way”. I really appreciate the way your thoughts lead one down the path to being the Counter-Cultural Catholic we are all called to be.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14168956.post-1162881952851071932006-11-07T01:45:00.000-05:002006-11-07T01:45:00.000-05:00Anon, accusing the church of not being concerned e...Anon, accusing the church of not being concerned enough about all those other issues doesn't justify ignoring the church on *this* issue.<BR/><BR/>Of course all those other things are important. We need to try to uphold God's standards in every area of life, including sexual matters. If sex and reproduction are spoken about frequently, that's probably because that's where much of the battle for a holy life is being fought is this culture.<BR/><BR/>But sadly, I don't think they *are* preached on nearly as often as your post suggests.<BR/><BR/>Thanks for your post, barbfromcincy! You truly made a sacrifice for what you believed.Rachelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06624317806947588259noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14168956.post-1162881695236420632006-11-07T01:41:00.000-05:002006-11-07T01:41:00.000-05:00Anonymous:I'm glad you visited.Honestly, I don't k...Anonymous:<BR/><BR/>I'm glad you visited.<BR/><BR/>Honestly, I don't know what your exposure to the Catholic Church is, based on your comments.<BR/><BR/>"[I]t's also bad for infants and children to be abused in the variety of ways we read about in every morning newspaper - where is the church in teaching better parenting to those who have children and then fail to nurture them?"<BR/><BR/>I suppose there's always more one can do, but have you ever heard of Catholic education? We have schools K-12, and then colleges, too.<BR/><BR/>"Another horror is abuse and neglect of the elderly. Why does this problem seldom gain a mention among Catholics?"<BR/><BR/>I dunno. I might point out the Church's consistent ethic about human life, including the elderly, under threat from euthanasia.<BR/><BR/>"What about the hideous exploitation of females in our society, from the entertainment industry grinding out one sleazy program after another (such as CSI) showing young females being subjected to violence and degradation?"<BR/><BR/>Certainly more can be said about the entertainment industry. The Catholic Church used to be more outspoken with it's "Legion of Decency." I talk about it from time to time. Again, modesty is something our schools address, less well at colleges.<BR/><BR/>"What about alcohol and drug addiction and all that it leads to, among our young? Have these troubled children lost their importance by maturing beyond the embryonic state?"<BR/><BR/>Are you award of the number of AA and other Twelve Step programs that meet in church basements? I frequently cite the Twelve Steps and talk about addiction.<BR/><BR/>"What about the sick, who are forgotten and abandoned, and the mentally ill."<BR/><BR/>Did you know the Catholic Church operates hospitals? Not as many as we used to, sad to say.<BR/><BR/>"What about prisoners, cut off from normal life and living in ways that can never result in rehabilitation."<BR/><BR/>More could be done. I do what I can to visit prisoners -- usually certain priests are given that duty, those who live near prisons -- and I know of folks who organize retreats in prisons. Last week I blessed cookies taken to one of them.<BR/><BR/>"What is done about the homeless other than the occasional food drive sponsored by schools & churches? Getting a sack of groceries a couple times a year doesn't solve their problem."<BR/><BR/>In Dayton and Cincinnati -- the two major cities in this diocese -- are Catholic-supported homeless projects. I can't recall the name of the center in Cincinnati, but in Dayton it's the St. Vincent Hotel. I've been there; spartan, but clean and safe. I think you'll find such projects in cities all over the U.S. I don't know about other countries.<BR/><BR/>I might further point out Catholic organizations that get involved in poverty issues, war and peace, and opposing the death penalty, to name three. <BR/><BR/>In fact, if you do a little checking, you'll discover something of a tug-of-war between more liberal, politically active Catholics stressing these latter issues, vs. more conservative, politically active Catholics stressing abortion, stem-cell and marriage issues. <BR/><BR/>Were you really unaware of all this?Fr Martin Foxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01375628123126091747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14168956.post-1162879009489273672006-11-07T00:56:00.000-05:002006-11-07T00:56:00.000-05:00So much Catholic conversation and theology seems c...So much Catholic conversation and theology seems centered on reproduction or sexuality, to where it seems almost oppressive. <BR/><BR/>Truly, abortion and IVF are wrong, but these are only two wrongs in a whole sea of wrongs in the culture we live in. It's like the obsession with reproduction and sex obliterates all other concerns. <BR/><BR/>It's bad to murder an embryo. But it's also bad for infants and children to be abused in the variety of ways we read about in every morning newspaper - where is the church in teaching better parenting to those who have children and then fail to nurture them?<BR/><BR/>Another horror is abuse and neglect of the elderly. Why does this problem seldom gain a mention among Catholics?<BR/><BR/>What about the hideous exploitation of females in our society, from the entertainment industry grinding out one sleazy program after another (such as CSI) showing young females being subjected to violence and degradation?<BR/><BR/>What about alcohol and drug addiction and all that it leads to, among our young? Have these troubled children lost their importance by maturing beyond the embryonic state?<BR/><BR/>What about the sick, who are forgotten and abandoned, and the mentally ill. What about prisoners, cut off from normal life and living in ways that can never result in rehabilitation. What is done about the homeless other than the occasional food drive sponsored by schools & churches? Getting a sack of groceries a couple times a year doesn't solve their problem.<BR/><BR/>There are just so many injustices and so much suffering, so much horror, yet the church gets tangled up in nitpicking and/or repetitive discussions & rehashings of the reproductive issues, all the way from, "Did Jesus really have brothers and sisters?" to stem cell research.<BR/><BR/>It just seems weird to me.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14168956.post-1162862752507900282006-11-06T20:25:00.000-05:002006-11-06T20:25:00.000-05:00This is the first time I've ever seen the issue of...This is the first time I've ever seen the issue of IVF addressed in a homily. Twenty years ago, when IVF was in its early years, my husband and I were dealing with the pain of infertility. Our only child had been stillborn and we hadn't been able to conceive again. My infertility doctor suggested that we try IVF. I declined, saying that we were Catholic and he laughed at me and proceeded to tell me that many Catholics were using it. I answered "that doesn't make it right". It was difficult to give up that possibility knowing that it probably would have worked for us, but instead we ended up adopting three beautiful children.<BR/>So many people do have the mistaken notion that children are a right, not the gift from God that they actually are. <BR/>We feel that we have the family God intended us to have...<BR/>Thank you for speaking out on this issue.<BR/>A blessed day to you, Father.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14168956.post-1162844800723775352006-11-06T15:26:00.000-05:002006-11-06T15:26:00.000-05:00God bless you for this, Father.Having priests like...God bless you for this, Father.<BR/><BR/>Having priests like you and Fr. Johansen speaking on these sorts of things does wonders for my psyche. <BR/><BR/>Feeling strongly about such matters is one thing. But feeling strongly and being given evidence that the feelings are seen as both important and right by our shepherds is a much different matter.<BR/><BR/>(And I agree particularly with the point Rachel makes. IVF is closely connected to this entire problem, as JPII foresaw.)<BR/><BR/>Good for you!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14168956.post-1162830346913558022006-11-06T11:25:00.000-05:002006-11-06T11:25:00.000-05:00The Jones:I appreciate the constructive criticism;...The Jones:<BR/><BR/>I appreciate the constructive criticism; it doesn't bother me at all.<BR/><BR/>When I delivered the homily, I realized what I'd written was a little vague, so I expanded on it to make it clear it was some form of prayer, but I didn't specify what type of prayer. <BR/><BR/>Perhaps I ought to have gone on to flesh out various options for prayer, but I wanted, instead, to talk about the relationship between both commandments.Fr Martin Foxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01375628123126091747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14168956.post-1162828951861686222006-11-06T11:02:00.000-05:002006-11-06T11:02:00.000-05:00Yes, very nice father.Yes, very nice father.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14168956.post-1162825439812048272006-11-06T10:03:00.000-05:002006-11-06T10:03:00.000-05:00Very good.Do you mind a little constructive critic...Very good.<BR/><BR/>Do you mind a little constructive criticism?<BR/><BR/>"Ten minutes a day: <BR/>five at the start, five at the end.<BR/>If you do that..."<BR/><BR/>What is "that" referring to? Prayer? Bible reading? A vague feeling of affection toward God? It seems unclear to me, unless this was a reference to something that you'd brought up in an earlier sermon. In which case, it would be clear to the congregation, but not to us blog readers.<BR/><BR/>God bless, and thanks for posting these. It's good to have something to look forward to on Monday mornings :)the Joneseshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15854341910963353734noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14168956.post-1162782804329216832006-11-05T22:13:00.000-05:002006-11-05T22:13:00.000-05:00Amen, Father!Amen, Father!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14168956.post-1162782758246897272006-11-05T22:12:00.000-05:002006-11-05T22:12:00.000-05:00Amen, Father!OhevinAmen, Father!<BR/><BR/>OhevinAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14168956.post-1162781600339189782006-11-05T21:53:00.000-05:002006-11-05T21:53:00.000-05:00Excellent.Excellent.Deacon Jimhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18409546072521240987noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14168956.post-1162769338885605502006-11-05T18:28:00.000-05:002006-11-05T18:28:00.000-05:00Father, I loved that you addressed in vitro fertil...Father, I loved that you addressed in vitro fertilization. It makes me want to cheer whenever someone (and especially a priest in a homily) dares to speak a truth that'll get him called mean. You're absolutely right to connect stem cell reserach to IVF; I have a co-worker who argued to me, "What good are all those frozen embryos if you don't use them for stem cells?" We need to stop creating bunches of embryos outside the womb in the first place.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com