Kidnapped in Portugal

A reader writes:

Could you please circulate this prayer request for Madeleine McCann and her family? Madeleine is the UK toddler kidnapped while on holiday with her family in Portugal. See the UK online news - "Mother's appeal: 'Please do not hurt her'" (Telegraph.co.uk, May 9, 2007). This is a Catholic family. As a parent, I can only imagine the terror of this situation. Please, please pray for Madeleine. PLEASE ask people to pray for this little girl and her family.

[Hat tip to J.W. - a new Catholic convert - Easter 2007]

Update 5/14/07

Half a million pilgrims in Fatima pray for missing British girl (EUX.TV, May 13, 2007)

[Hat tip to J.W.]

Skiing in Arabia

In Dubai, United Arab Emirates







The construction phase, in the middle of the scorching desert, where temperatures reach 120 degrees Fahrenheit ...













All finished. Notice the size of the palm trees outside, beneath the arches to the left .......... Can you guess what it is ???













The inside view -- unbelievable, but true: a self-contained Ski Resort ... so they can snow ski in the 120 degree desert!









The 'Facts and Features' page of the Ski Dubai website states:

An amazing 22,500 square metres covered with real snow all year round.

Ski Dubai has 5 runs that vary in difficulty, height and gradient, the longest run being 400 meters with a fall of over 60 meters. Test your skills on the world’s first indoor black run or practice your turns on the gentle beginner slopes. Skiers and snowboarders of all skill levels will enjoy these various slopes and snowboarders can also practice their stunts in the Freestyle Zone. Kids and parents alike will have fun in the huge interactive Snow Park, which at 3000 square meters is the largest indoor snow park in the world.

You don’t have to worry about ski clothing or equipment either. Ski Dubai has thought of it all and offers guests the use of winter clothing, ski and snowboard equipment. Your skis will carry you down the slope, and our quad-chairlift and tow lift will promptly carry you back to the top for another run.

You will enjoy our themed restaurants; St Moritz Café at the entrance to Ski Dubai, and Avalanche Café at mid-station, with views of the slope. Our exclusive retail shop, Snow Pro, has expert staff to advise you on your equipment needs and our team of professional Snow School instructors will guide you through the simple, fun process of learning to ski or snowboard.

• 22,500m covered with real snow all year round – (equivalent to 3 football fields)
• Temperature maintained at a comfortable -1º to -2º (Centigrade) [= 28º to 30º Fahrenheit]
• 85 meters high (approximately 25 stories) and 80 meters wide
• 5 different runs of varying difficulty and length, longest run of 400 meters
• Full capacity of 1500 guests
• Freestyle zone
• Corporate and group bookings
• 3,000m Snow Park with a snow cavern
• Quad chairlift, tow lift and flying carpets
• Mountain resort theme
• Rental of quality equipment and clothing included in the ticket price
• Qualified professional instructors
• State of the art ticketing system
• Changing areas with locker rental
• Private kids party rooms
• Exclusive retail shop – Snow Pro
• St Moritz Café and Avalanche Cafe

So now you know how some of your $2.95 a gallon for regular unleaded is being spent by those who supply you with fuel.

[Vetted and verified by Snopes.com, "Ski Dubai"]

PP's Picks of the day's most pathetic news posts

• Environmental group says Children "bad for the planet" ...
  
  
• Environmentalist calls mankind a 'virus' ...
  
  
• Gore sees 'spiritual' crisis in warming ...
  
  
• Edwards: Wealth doesn't hurt credibility ...

What the White House served QE2 for dinner

Spring pea soup with U.S. caviar, Dover sole almondine, spring lamb with chanterelle sauce and local vegetables and an arugula, mustard greens and romaine salad -- with Itzhak Perlman playing the violin -- and only two gaffes (Jennifer Lovend, "Dinner for Queen Has British Touches," May 7, 2007).

DIES DOMINI

Jordan Potter's eldest receives 1st Communion

"My eldest child just received his First Holy Communion today, and I'm very happy ...." (Jordan Potter, May 5, 2007) Congratulations, Mr. Potter! Heaven and earth rejoice!

Frank Beckwith explains why he returned to the Catholic Church

Frank Beckwith, author of numerous books and articles published by the likes of Harvard Journal of Law & Public Policy and Notre Dame Journal of Law and International Philosophical Quarterly, was raised Catholic, but found his way into Protestant (specifically Reformed) circles, and served as president of the Evangelical Theological Society (ETS) until he resigned his position yesterday because of his decision to embrace Catholicism once again. His own story about how he found his way back to the Catholic Church is posted in an article under the title of "My Return to the Catholic Church" (Right Reason: the weblog of conservative philosophers, May 5, 2007). The first paragraph of his inspiring reflection will get you started; but read the whole thing in order to garner the measure of this man's integrity. He made his move at some cost to himself.

During the last week of March 2007, after much prayer, counsel and consideration, my wife and I decided to seek full communion with the Roman Catholic Church. My wife, a baptized Presbyterian, is going through the process of the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA). This will culminate with her receiving the sacraments of Holy Communion and Confirmation. For me, because I had received the sacraments of Baptism, Communion, and Confirmation all before the age of 14, I need only go to confession, request forgiveness for my sins, ask to be received back into the Church, and receive absolution.

Soli Deo gloria. Pray for the Dr. Beckwith and his family. Pray that their journey of discovery will continue and their Catholicism will take deep root now that they've truly come home.[Hat tip to E.E.]

Meanwhile, as the band plays on . . .

Islam continues to proclaim its gospel of peace, brotherhood of men, and reconciliation with Israel . . .

[Hat tip to M.F.]

Bill Cork UnPopes

Catholic convert, Bill Cork, has just announced his decision to jump ship, or, as he sees it, to flee the untrustworthy and unstable sectarian hierarchy of Rome and return to the faithful and reassuring Mother Church of Seventh Day Adventism ("The Journey Home," Built on a Rock, May 3, 2007):

On Sabbath, April 21 (my baby brother’s birthday), I returned to the Seventh-day Adventist faith in which I spent the first 21 years of my life through rebaptism. When I got home that day, I immediately submitted my resignation as Director of Young Adult and Campus Ministry of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston.

... Farewell, St. Blog’s. I’m not going to enter into debate or discussion. I’ve been laying out theological and ecclesial issues over the past two months that were contributing factors to my loss of trust in the authority of Rome and the Catholic Magisterium. And that’s what so much of Catholic life and teaching is built on: “Trust us.” If you do, you can accept everything; if you don’t, then you must fall back on something else–the Word of God.

I took these steps with fear and trepidation. It’s humbling to be in the position of the prodigal son–and to be welcomed back with such joy as I’ve received … the fatted calf has been killed indeed.

God is good.

There is so much one wants to say but restrains himself. Impressionability and all that. But the cat is out of the bag. What's the point? Do remember Bill in your prayers.

Of related interest:

• "Protestant reverts: Catholic dishonesty in adverstising?" Musings (March 10, 2007)
• "Apostasy (αποστασία)" Musings (December 16, 2006)
• "Welcome aboard the shipwreck: what converts don't know" Musings (December 13, 2006)
• "Lutheran converts & the ELCA 'brain drain'" Musings (July 13, 2005)

[Hat tip to Sun and Wine]

Estrogen: an environmental hazard?

Widespread use of birth control pills harming the environment, says "Estrogen overload," California Catholic Daily (April 29, 2007). Tests of river fish indicate their flesh carries enough estrogen-mimicking chemicals to cause breast cancer cells to grow, says Scientific American in an article entitled "Bringing Cancer to the Dinner Table: Breast Cancer Cells Grow Under Influence of Fish Flesh" (April 17, 2007). Finally, even the concept of excess estrogen being passed into the water supply through urine may be plausible and seems to be supported by the following article, "Dr. Lee's 3 Rules for Hormone Replacement Therapy," which says to "use a sprinkle of common sense and a dash of logic."

[Hat tip to M.F.]

How to tell if a Catholic is driving too fast

For the record

"Fellay: Motu Proprio 'probably at the end of the year, or even later'" (Rorate Caeli, May 4, 2007), audio file from sermon by Superior General of FSSPX/SSPX, Bishop Bernard Fellay at Mass after consecration of an altar in Lausanne, Switzerland on April 29, 2007.

[Hat tip to New Catholic]

Addendum 5/4/07

From the Universal Indult Blog, which bills itself as "A Blogging Companion to the Motu Proprio/Universal Indult Forum," we thought you'd enjoy this:

Motard:

Any Catholic who, after the publication of the Motu Proprio, refuses to acknowledge either its existence, its pragmatic necessity, or its potential for good in the Church and the salvation of many souls.

Obviously, potential "Motards" exist in both the modernist and schismatic camps. Please, education is a necessity. Don't let anyone you love...become a "Motard."

NOTICE:

Quote:

This Public Service Announcement (PSA) was brought to you by the dedicated staff of the Universal Indult Forum and Blog.

However, please be advised that this PSA may technically be in violation of Rules for Engagement for When and If the Motu Proprio Comes currently in force.

We take no responsibility for any aberrant behavior on the part of any "Motards" who may come in contact with, or take offense at, this PSA.

Of related interest, see also this: "Pope: Don't be a Motard."

Two bohemian patriarchs: Francis Schaeffer and Russell Kirk

An interesting article comparing Francis Schaeffer (the Evangelical) and Russell Kirk (the Catholic), by Darryl Hart, "Francis Schaeffer: An Evangelical Russell Kirk?" (Witherspoon Lectures, Family Research Council, Nov. 17, 2004).

[Hat tip to S.F.]

A Kierkegaardian reflection on the Novus Ordo

Michael Novak, Confessions of a Catholic (1983, p. 87):

I concede to Kierkegaard that aesthetic pleasure is not the criterion of true religion. Indeed, it has sometimes seemed to me that one feels more keenly union with the Crucified when the choir is awful, when the sermon is attic-dry, when the church service is like a suburban sensitivity lesson with guitars, dancing, and clapping hands, and when the soul cries out in desperate anguish and despair. The "new liturgy" that has followed Vatican II is often a torture to the soul. How ugly and how vulgar it often is. Amateur songs, syrupy renditions of tragic verses from Scripture, clouds of peace, light, love, and joy affect a soft sentimentality far worse than anything we encountered in our childhoods, even at novenas or forty hours, and sicken the healthy aesthetic sense. Compared to the chaste Gregorian chants of our youth, the songs sung in our churches in the 1980s, written by flying nuns and long-haired scholastics (seen on dust jackets, as I once was, in their jeans and turtlenecks) disgust the soul. True religion survives maudlin aesthetics. Believing in the church is often a form of crucifixion. Desolate, the soul cries out for liberation from such abuse. Nevertheless, we pray: "Not my will but thine be done."

[Hat tip to S. Ramos, via Christopher]

Anti-Western Orthodoxy, again

Even while objecting to Rod Dreher's defection for Eastern Orthodoxy, which we discussed as a question under a larger consideration of the question of "Apostasy (αποστασία)" (Musings, December 16, 2006), one might sympathize with his complaints about how troubling and confusing things seem to be aboard the Barque of St. Peter at times. Perhaps you recall his laundry list of complaints -- sex scandal, poor catechesis, infighting, ambiguity, etc., etc.

Yet, having said that, when not being in communion with the Bishop of Rome becomes the sine qua non of one's identity as an Orthodox Christian, one may begin to question what master he serves. We examined the phenomenon of "Anti-Western Orthodoxy" back in Musings, January 26, 2005. And I've just received notice of an article entitled "Mount Athos Objects to Ecumenical Openness" by George Weigel recounting how dismayed the Athonite monks were with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and the way he treated his Roman guest, Pope Benedict XVI, in Constantinople last December.

Why? Because, the monks complained, "the Pope was received as though he were the canonical bishop of Rome." There were other complaints, but that was the first listed in a statement released last December 30 by the Assembly of Representatives and Superiors of the twenty monasteries: Why was Bartholomew treating Benedict as though the latter were, in fact, the bishop of Rome?

If we can't agree on that much, we may have a little problem.