Sunday, April 24, 2011

CHRIST IS RISEN!

He is risen indeed!

The Easter Sermon of Saint John Chrysostom

Whosoever is a devout lover of God, let him enjoy this beautiful bright Festival. And whosoever is a grateful servant, let him rejoice and enter into the joy of his Lord. And if any be weary with fasting, let him now receive his penny.

If any have toiled from the first hour, let him receive his due reward.

If any have come after the third hour, let him with gratitude join in the Feast.

And he that arrived after the sixth hour, let him not doubt; for he too shall sustain no loss.

And if any have delayed to the ninth hour, let him not hesitate, but let him come too.

And he that hath arrived only at the eleventh hour, let him not be afraid by reason of his delay; for the Lord is gracious and receiveth the last even as the first.

He giveth rest to him that cometh at the eleventh hour as well as to him that hath toiled from the first.

Yea, to this one, he giveth and upon that one, he bestoweth. He accepteth works, as he greeteth the endeavour. The dead he honoureth and the intention he commendeth.

Let all then enter into the joy of our Lord. Ye first and last receiving alike your reward; ye rich and poor, rejoice together. Ye sober and ye slothful, celebrate the day. Ye that have kept the fast, and ye that have not, rejoice today; for the Table is richly laden. Fare ye royally on it. The calf is a fatted one. Let no one go away hungry. Partake ye all of the cup of faith. Enjoy ye all the richness of His goodness. Let no one grieve at his poverty; for the universal kingdom hath been revealed.

Let no one mourn that he hath fallen again and again; for forgiveness hath risen from the grave. Let no one fear death; for the Death of our Savior hath set us free. He hath destroyed it by enduring it. He spoiled Hades when he descended thereto. He vexed it even as it tasted of his flesh. Isaiah foretold this when he cired, "Thou, O Hades, hast been vexed by encountering Him below."

It is vexed; for it is even done away with.

It is vexed; for it is made a mockery.

It is vexed; for it is destroyed.

It is vexed; for it is annihilated.

It is vexed; for it is now made captive.

It took a body, and, lo! it discovered God.

It took earth, and, behold! it encountered Heaven.

It took what it saw, and was overcome by what it did not see.

O death, where is thy sting? O Hades, where is thy victory?

Christ is risen, and thou art annihilated.

Christ is risen, and the evil ones are cast down.

Christ is risen, and the angels rejoice.

Christ is risen, and life is liberated.

Christ is risen, and the tomb is emptied of the dead; for Christ, having risen from the dead, is become the first-fruits of those that have fallen asleep.

To Him be glory and power for ever and ever. Amen.

Monday, April 4, 2011

Catholic & Homosexual

A great video from Michael Voris and RealCatholicTV!

Sunday, April 3, 2011

Netflix...

...what a great site! I'm using it to catch up on shows I missed in the mid- to late nineties and early 00's. Currently I'm watching Babylon 5.

I love this show! Talk about wheels within wheels. The plots can be very complicated because a small thing in one episode in one season can become a much larger thing in another season. There are all kinds of twists. They're not afraid to get rid of characters you've grown to like. And it's marvelous storytelling. I'm in the middle of the fourth season and have found the romance between Captain Sheridan and Ambassador Delenn worthy of an epic story. Tho' it's years late for this: great job, writers of Babylon 5!

Saturday, April 2, 2011

Holy See statement on "sexual orientation".

This address was given by Archbishop Silvano M. Tomasi to the United Nations. It is a must-read!

Zenit reports it here.

It begins very well!

"The Holy See takes this opportunity to affirm the inherent dignity and worth of all human beings, and to condemn all violence that is targeted against people because of their sexual feelings and thoughts, or sexual behaviors. "

Indeed, this cannot be said too often!

The first point of the address discusses the meaning of the phrase sexual orientation, and points out that sexual orientation refers to attractions and feelings, not behavior. The Notes section following the address proper gives places where secular organizations define sexual orientation in this way. I've provided direct links here:



PDF file of Amnesty International's Crimes of Hate, Conspiracy of Silence: Torture and Ill-Treatment Based on Sexual Identity, from the preface on page 4 (unmarked, so the fourth page scrolling down).

PDF file of Asia Pacific Forum's "ACJ Report: Human Rights, Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity" (15th Annual Meeting, Bali, 3-5 August, 2010), page 8, discussed under "Terminology".

I was pleasantly surprised to see sexual orientation described this way by three respected and public organizations! We need more level-headed discussions of sexual orientation like this, discussions in which the subject is treated rationally instead of emotionally. A web site designed to help towards that goal is Bridges Across the Divide.


Archbishop Tomasi apparently includes homosexuality in the list of sexual behaviors the state can and should regulate:


"But states can, and must, regulate behaviors, including various sexual behaviors. Throughout the world, there is a consensus between societies that certain kinds of sexual behaviors must be forbidden by law. Pedophilia and incest are two examples."


I think on this point I disagree with the good archbishop and agree with C.S. Lewis, and hope the Church does, as well:


"I quite agree with you about Homosexuals: to make the thing criminal cures nothing and only creates a blackmailers' paradise.  Anyway, what business is it of the State?" (From a letter Lewis wrote to Delmar Banner, dated 27 May 1960, and quoted in The Collected Letters of C.S. Lewis, Volume 3: Narnia, Cambridge, and Joy, 1950 - 1963.)