Thursday, July 31, 2008

Proud to be a non-dissenter and comformist!

“I believe and profess all that the holy Catholic Church teaches, believes and proclaims to be revealed by God.” In particular:

I affirm and believe the Church’s teaching about the inviolability of human life. In accord with that teaching I affirm that human life is sacred and must be protected and respected from the moment of conception until natural death. I affirm that I reject direct, intentional abortion and I do not recognize the legitimacy of anyone’s claim to a moral right to form their own conscience in this matter. I am not pro-choice. I further attest that I am not affiliated with, nor supportive of, any organization which supports, encourages, provides or otherwise endorses abortion or euthanasia. (cf. CCC 2270-2283)

I affirm and believe the Church’s teaching about the sinfulness of contraception. I affirm, in accord with the teachings of the Church that “every action which, whether in anticipation of the conjugal act, or in its accomplishment, or in the development of its natural consequences, proposes, whether as an end or as a means, to render procreation impossible” is intrinsically evil. (CCC 2370)

I affirm and believe that every person is called to chastity in accord with their present state of life and that it is only in marriage between man and woman that the intimacy of spouses becomes a sign and pledge of spiritual communion. (CCC 2337—2365) I accept the Church’s teaching that any extra-marital sexual relationships are gravely evil and that these include pre-marital relations, masturbation, fornication, the viewing of pornography and homosexual relations.

I affirm and believe the teaching of the Church about the evil of homosexual acts. I accept the formulation in the Catechism which states: “Basing itself on Sacred Scripture, which presents homosexual acts as acts of grave depravity, tradition has always declared that “homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered.” They are contrary to the natural law. They close the sexual act to the gift of life. They do not proceed from a genuine affective and sexual complementarity. Under no circumstances can they be approved.” (CCC 2357)

I affirm and believe all that the Church teaches about the Reality and Presence of Christ in the Most Holy Eucharist. Specifically I believe that Jesus is present Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity under each of the forms of bread and wine and that receiving either one is Communion with the whole Christ. I recognize that worship and adoration are appropriate, not only during Mass but also outside of Mass and that the Most Holy Eucharist must always be handled with the utmost care and devotion. (CCC 1373-1381)

I affirm and believe the teachings of the Church regarding Mary, Mother of Christ and Mother of the Church. I accept with the Church that it is fitting and proper to honor the Blessed Virgin with special devotion. (CCC 963-975)

I affirm and believe that it is possible for a person to choose to remain separated from God for all eternity and that “This state of definitive self-exclusion from communion with God and the blessed is called “hell.”” (CCC 1033)

I affirm and believe that those who die in God’s grace and friendship but are still imperfectly purified undergo additional purification so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joys of heaven. I affirm that the Church’s name for this final purification is Purgatory. (CCC 1030-1032)

I affirm and believe in One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church and embrace the teachings about that Church as enunciated in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. (cf. CCC 748-962)
I affirm and believe that the Church teaches with God-given authority and that the promise of Christ to remain with His Church always, until the end of time is a reality. I further acknowledge that those teachings pronounced in a definitive manner, even though not as an infallible definition, are binding on the consciences of the faithful and are to be adhered to with religious assent. (CCC 892)

To these and to all the teaching of the Catholic Church I give my assent. I attest that I believe these things and, while I am aware of my own sinfulness and shortcomings, I strive in my beliefs and life style to conform to this Affirmation of Personal of Faith.

(Seen at the Anglo-Papist's place)

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Fifth Situation



An aviator agreed to load his plane with high explosives and run it straight into an enemy battleship. He would be blown into bits, but the battleship would be destroyed.

Monday, July 28, 2008

Fourth Situation


(See initial post here)
(See first situation here)
(See second situation here)
(See third situation here)

Two men are trapped in the debris of a hotel destroyed by a tornado. One finds that, if he pushes up on the beam pinning him to the ground, he an struggle out to safety. However, moving the beam would bring half the ceiling crashing down on his companion, who cannot be extracted. He feels justified in pushing up the beam.

Saturday, July 26, 2008

Third Situation

(See initial post here)
(See First Situation here)
(See Second Situation here)

Seven sailors were proclaimed heroes of the Thetis submarine disaster because they had volunteered to let their bodies serve as buoys to guide rescuers to the sunken British submarine. Captain O'Hara was the first to volunteer to try to get through the escape chamber, though, because of the submarine's position, it was beleived a man would be drowned before he could get clear of the hull. If he got to the outer hatch before drowning, his body, floating to the surface with the notation of the Thetis' exact position tied to his wrist, would guide the rescue ships. Captain O'Hara got through; the next three were drowned before reaching the outside hatch.

Thursday, July 24, 2008

Second Situation

(See initial post here)
(See first situation here)

A sailor in charge of a lifeboat deliberately rows away from several people still in the water. He knows that an attempt to take any more into the boat will result in its being overturned and in the death of most of those already in the boat.

First Situation


(See initial post here.)

A child is born blind and crippled. The doctor gives him poison to produce the good effect of removing a heavy burden from the parents and of preventing suffering to the child. The doctor claims that death, the bad effect, is permitted as a means of obtaining the good effect.

(My analysis in comments)

Moral Guidance

I am reading Moral Guidance, a book written in the 1940's by Jesuits and about-you guessed it- moral guidance. Besides being in deep need of moral guidance, I am also motivated to read it in order to sharpen my puny philosophical comprehension skills.

Early on in the text the author discusses the "two fold effect" -

"It is allowable to perform an act that will produce a good and a bad effect, provided (1) the good effect and not the evil effect is directly intended; (2) the action itself is good, or at least indifferent; (3) the good effect is not produced by means of the evil effect and (4) there is a proportionate reason for permitting the foreseen evil effect to occur."

There are actually long explanations of each of these four conditions given later, but I think this is enough for any interested party to help me apply this principle to a number of difficult situations presented by the authors. While they do examine some easily resolved situations at first, the Jesuit fathers leave a series of hard questions for the student (who was presumably a seminarian led by an older priest professor). I found the first one easy to analyze using the four conditions, but the four that followed I was ultimately unable to resolve to my own satisfaction. I shall present them here and, if you are feeling helpful, maybe you can help me out.

I shall begin with the first situation and my examination of it to give you the idea of what I am after.

Monday, July 21, 2008

Great Quotes IV

The opposite of ideology is mercy.

- The Ochlophobist

Saturday, July 19, 2008

Can't Get This Out of My Head

Now Praying for...


My wife, who became an American citizen yesterday.


(And let's pray for the country while we're at it...)

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Great Quote III

“There's no such thing as life without bloodshed. I think the notion that the species can be improved in some way, that everyone could live in harmony, is a really dangerous idea. Those who are afflicted with this notion are the first ones to give up their souls, their freedom. Your desire that it be that way will enslave you and make your life vacuous.”

-Cormac McCarthy, New York Times interview, 1992

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

Now praying for...

My wife, who will take the oath of citizenship on July 18th. It's been eleven long years...

Sunday, July 6, 2008

Backsliding

I made the decision this last Lent to go back, full-time, to my parish, which celebrates mass in the ordinary form. After a long period of "discernment", I decided that I was going to have to tough it out, no matter how infantilized the mass was with guitars, hand-holding and bad music (and I will raise you up on Eagle's wings...). After all, I thought, the priests seem orthodox. As long as they preach the faith...

Then this, in last Sunday's homily, concerning the understanding of God's will:

"For instance, some question why we don't ordain women yet in the Catholic church. They need to understand that God may have a reason not to ordain women yet in the Catholic Church."

The emphases aren't mine. They were audible.

My two eldest children, twelve and ten, were with me.

So, this evening I am going to mass in the extraordinary form about 25 miles from here to think things over.