I hope God continues to bless them. Though, when Jesus came into Jerusalem, after "sending the rich away empty," to speak truth to power and stand with those in the margins of society, he was on a donkey, not a bus. Perhaps these nuns are too posh...
I was looking for that quote of Jesus in the canonical Gospels and couldn't find it. Actually, I couldn't find anything from Christ on abortion. But, before you admonish those chaste, prayerful women doing their best to serve the poor around them perhaps you ought to read the Gospel of Matthew in particular Chapter 7, Verse 3.
But if you want to go Old Testament... there seems to be equal amounts of time given to the punishments for those who procure abortions (light punishment compared to other crimes) and the amount of semen that Egyptians can ejaculate (quite a lot)Ezekiel 23:20.
Mark, have you ever happened to scan the annual LCWR speaker lists? It is a decidedly post Christian list. As for abortion, I would suggest you read the didache, it is clearly listed. Standing with the margins is important, but not at the expense of the truth.
@CatholicSoldier, I have only read excerpts from the Didache and some work on Turtulian that relates to the issue of abortion for a Medial Ethics course I took in undergrad (from a well versed and very pro-life Dominican priest).
I find abortion repugnant, and like you I assume, I pray that all children are wanted, can be born and find loving homes. I do however think that medical best judgement is needed in extreme cases (e.g. S. Margaret McBride RSM at St. Joseph Hospital in Arizona). This we may not agree upon, as in cases of rape as well.
But there is nothing wrong in attempting to reduce abortions both in prayer and constructive action - I am not trying to take away from that, nor should it be taken away from. But there are other issues and as some people ought to focus on Life prior to birth I think it reasonable for other to focus on Life issues post-Birth as Jesus' adult ministry was and the whole idea of Kenosis is not reserved solely for the unborn.
The didache (and Turtulian who was later excommunicated as a heretic) aside, my point remains that there is nothing from Jesus or anywhere in the canonical Gospels about abortion.
As for LCWR I am happy to be an Associate of the Sisters of Mercy (RSM) who are members within LCWR. I have not seen a full speaker list, but from Fr. Robert Barron (Word on Fire) and others I think I have a good understanding of the talks and speakers in question. (1) I don't think you should judge all sisters on a few speakers (2) I think ephemeral academic or otherwise non pastoral talks by theologians can be given more leeway than in other ecclesiastical settings (that's not to say I agree with some of the talks) and (3) the matter of LCWR had nothing to do with the original post or my commentary.
Finally I agree with the first part of your last sentence but not the latter. We are called to stand at the margins, and I agree that includes the unborn; but standing with immigrants the disabled, the homeless, the sick and the imprisoned as well or concentrating on them I do not believe precludes one from the truth - or is done at the expense of the truth.
Those Nuns on a Bus, like you and like me, were Baptized in the same Name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, confess the same Nicean and Apostles Creed and do their best, like you or I to live the Gospel, Show Mercy as instructed by Jesus in the Parable of the Good Samaritan and follow Christ (Via Veritas Vita - emphasis on Veritas).
Going on tour for the poor does not negate their vows, impoverish their Witness or in my opinion harm the Church.
LCWR is another issue - as for the Nuns on the Bus I think people ought to be less critical for I am unaware they are doing anything unorthodox, hurtful or un-Christian.
I hope that in your prayers at mass tomorrow you say a prayer for me as I will say one of good health for you.
Mark, I will certainly do so in my prayers. I agree with you that most religious sisters whose orders are in LCWR are fundamentally good and Christ-focused individuals. My issue is with the larger organization. The problem I have with "nuns on the bus" is how they apparently don't see any room for prudential judgements on economic issues, thus Paul Ryan isn't properly Catholic. It's a misunderstanding on the nature of the social doctrine, I don't necessarily view it as a malicious mistake, rather they don't know any better.
@CatholicSoldier - valid point. But, I think the Nuns on the Bus are just echoing in a state-to-state tour the message of the USCCB in regards to the Ryan budget. For it was the USCCB long before the nuns who claimed that the Ryan Budget failed the "Basic Moral Test".
Seems to me, your "prudential judgement" is a line coming from Bishop Morlino - who has contradicted his own consortium; and prudential judgement is not one of the seven tenants of Catholic Social Teaching, that I'm aware of.
"prudential judgement" is a line coming from Bishop Morlino.... Look, you are hard to take seriously when you are writing of the phrase "prudential judgement" as a Morlino-ism. Abortion is not a negotiable position a Catholic politician can take(if we are talking about the church as more than a US bureaucracy, but the magisterium and 2000 year tradition of the Church), including in the case of rape. The USCCB can be wrong(when it differs it's teachings from the papacy and tradition of the Church), the papacy cannot error in faith and morals. As we have seen with the election of Cdl. Dolan(first non Bernardin president of the USCCB), that the sign is that Bernardin politics will not necessarily always be policy at the USCCB.
Kathleen Sebilius is not allowed to receive communion according to her bishop. I guess that stands to show that there are many ways to feed the poor, but there is no room for exceptions as you commented when it comes to abortion.
People who support helping the poor by aborting or contracepting their children are out of touch with reality, like NETWORK. This is a grave social injustice that should be met with opposition from any practicing Catholic.
And for the record, I believe in dinosaurs even though Jesus is "silent" on the matter. Good thing he gave us a Church to sort out the details.
9 comments:
What a hoot!
I hope God continues to bless them. Though, when Jesus came into Jerusalem, after "sending the rich away empty," to speak truth to power and stand with those in the margins of society, he was on a donkey, not a bus. Perhaps these nuns are too posh...
The unborn are the poorest of the poor.
I was looking for that quote of Jesus in the canonical Gospels and couldn't find it. Actually, I couldn't find anything from Christ on abortion. But, before you admonish those chaste, prayerful women doing their best to serve the poor around them perhaps you ought to read the Gospel of Matthew in particular Chapter 7, Verse 3.
But if you want to go Old Testament... there seems to be equal amounts of time given to the punishments for those who procure abortions (light punishment compared to other crimes) and the amount of semen that Egyptians can ejaculate (quite a lot)Ezekiel 23:20.
http://www.catholic.org/bible/book.php?id=47&bible_chapter=7
http://www.catholic.org/bible/book.php?id=47&bible_chapter=7
But I digress...
Mark, have you ever happened to scan the annual LCWR speaker lists? It is a decidedly post Christian list. As for abortion, I would suggest you read the didache, it is clearly listed. Standing with the margins is important, but not at the expense of the truth.
@CatholicSoldier, I have only read excerpts from the Didache and some work on Turtulian that relates to the issue of abortion for a Medial Ethics course I took in undergrad (from a well versed and very pro-life Dominican priest).
I find abortion repugnant, and like you I assume, I pray that all children are wanted, can be born and find loving homes. I do however think that medical best judgement is needed in extreme cases (e.g. S. Margaret McBride RSM at St. Joseph Hospital in Arizona). This we may not agree upon, as in cases of rape as well.
But there is nothing wrong in attempting to reduce abortions both in prayer and constructive action - I am not trying to take away from that, nor should it be taken away from. But there are other issues and as some people ought to focus on Life prior to birth I think it reasonable for other to focus on Life issues post-Birth as Jesus' adult ministry was and the whole idea of Kenosis is not reserved solely for the unborn.
The didache (and Turtulian who was later excommunicated as a heretic) aside, my point remains that there is nothing from Jesus or anywhere in the canonical Gospels about abortion.
As for LCWR I am happy to be an Associate of the Sisters of Mercy (RSM) who are members within LCWR. I have not seen a full speaker list, but from Fr. Robert Barron (Word on Fire) and others I think I have a good understanding of the talks and speakers in question. (1) I don't think you should judge all sisters on a few speakers (2) I think ephemeral academic or otherwise non pastoral talks by theologians can be given more leeway than in other ecclesiastical settings (that's not to say I agree with some of the talks) and (3) the matter of LCWR had nothing to do with the original post or my commentary.
Finally I agree with the first part of your last sentence but not the latter. We are called to stand at the margins, and I agree that includes the unborn; but standing with immigrants the disabled, the homeless, the sick and the imprisoned as well or concentrating on them I do not believe precludes one from the truth - or is done at the expense of the truth.
Those Nuns on a Bus, like you and like me, were Baptized in the same Name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, confess the same Nicean and Apostles Creed and do their best, like you or I to live the Gospel, Show Mercy as instructed by Jesus in the Parable of the Good Samaritan and follow Christ (Via Veritas Vita - emphasis on Veritas).
Going on tour for the poor does not negate their vows, impoverish their Witness or in my opinion harm the Church.
LCWR is another issue - as for the Nuns on the Bus I think people ought to be less critical for I am unaware they are doing anything unorthodox, hurtful or un-Christian.
I hope that in your prayers at mass tomorrow you say a prayer for me as I will say one of good health for you.
Mark, I will certainly do so in my prayers. I agree with you that most religious sisters whose orders are in LCWR are fundamentally good and Christ-focused individuals. My issue is with the larger organization. The problem I have with "nuns on the bus" is how they apparently don't see any room for prudential judgements on economic issues, thus Paul Ryan isn't properly Catholic. It's a misunderstanding on the nature of the social doctrine, I don't necessarily view it as a malicious mistake, rather they don't know any better.
@CatholicSoldier - valid point. But, I think the Nuns on the Bus are just echoing in a state-to-state tour the message of the USCCB in regards to the Ryan budget. For it was the USCCB long before the nuns who claimed that the Ryan Budget failed the "Basic Moral Test".
http://www.catholicculture.org/news/headlines/index.cfm?storyid=14247
Seems to me, your "prudential judgement" is a line coming from Bishop Morlino - who has contradicted his own consortium; and prudential judgement is not one of the seven tenants of Catholic Social Teaching, that I'm aware of.
http://www.faithinpubliclife.org/blog/did-paul-ryans-bishop-contradict-the-usccb/
The problem with prudential judgement is that it opens the flood gates and then you cannot just defer to Paul Ryan, but what of Kathleen Sebilius?
"prudential judgement" is a line coming from Bishop Morlino.... Look, you are hard to take seriously when you are writing of the phrase "prudential judgement" as a Morlino-ism. Abortion is not a negotiable position a Catholic politician can take(if we are talking about the church as more than a US bureaucracy, but the magisterium and 2000 year tradition of the Church), including in the case of rape. The USCCB can be wrong(when it differs it's teachings from the papacy and tradition of the Church), the papacy cannot error in faith and morals. As we have seen with the election of Cdl. Dolan(first non Bernardin president of the USCCB), that the sign is that Bernardin politics will not necessarily always be policy at the USCCB.
Kathleen Sebilius is not allowed to receive communion according to her bishop. I guess that stands to show that there are many ways to feed the poor, but there is no room for exceptions as you commented when it comes to abortion.
People who support helping the poor by aborting or contracepting their children are out of touch with reality, like NETWORK. This is a grave social injustice that should be met with opposition from any practicing Catholic.
And for the record, I believe in dinosaurs even though Jesus is "silent" on the matter. Good thing he gave us a Church to sort out the details.
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