Monthly Archives: May 2015

Pope Francis

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Christians everywhere  are being persecuted.  Some are beheaded.  Some are murdered by drowning.  Some are being driven out of their homes and becoming refugees in foreign lands.  And, some are slowly being killed by repressive policies, even here in America.

The persecutions are a human tragedy. Lives lost.  Lives destroyed.  Futures and dreams never to be realized.

Amid all this chaos, the Catholic Church is a beacon of hope through its outreach to the poor, oppressed, and hopeless.

As Catholics, we accept the responsibility to try to make the world a better place.  Although we can never create a perfect world, we try.  Our goal is to live according to Jesus’ command:  do unto others as we would have them do unto us.

As the Shepherd of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis’ responsibility is to help us be better Christians, better Catholics, and  better human beings.  To that end, he reminds us of our personal goals and how to avoid the sins we might not be able to resist.  Because we are all human and sin, his mission is monumental.  It should be all encompassing.

Unfortunately, Pope Francis  must not find it satisfying enough because he has now  stepped outside of his priestly role and entered the political arena when he states that denying Climate Change is a sin.  And, to unilaterally recognize Palestine as a state or to say that Abbas is “an angel of peace” is to establish a rift between the Church and Israel, America’s strongest ally.

In effect, the Pope has taken sides in a political matter and is leading our Church into more confrontation.  Rather than leading us into a holier state, he is becoming a politician  and making us pawns in his personal philosophy of the world.

That is not only sad, it is the wrong role for a Pope.

Instead of playing politics, Pope Francis should concentrate on leading “all souls to heaven”.

 

Cop-y cats

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This is a difficult week for those of us who appreciate the police.  The police who protect us and keep us safe in our homes and communities are being killed just because they are police.  Yes, these brave men and women are under attack and,  for some unfathomable reason,  have become the new scapegoats for many of the ills of our society.

Nowadays, any time there is a situation involving the cops and a suspect who happens not to appear “white”, the police’s  actions are questioned.  And, almost immediately, the media dubs the police actions as criminal.  Even though the facts have not been made public, the false assumptions are headline news.  And, THAT brings out the mobs.

Facts are immaterial.  In Ferguson, the “hands up, don’t shoot” mantra of the rioters was proven untrue.  No matter.  In a black on white controversy, the facts are ignored if they don’t  fit the liberal ideology.  Minority suspects MUST be victims if that narrative is to be believed.  So, even before the case is investigated, the police become the culprits.   And, because the lies are not refuted, it becomes open season on police.

We see countless media accounts of  police being attacked….on the street, in their cars….everywhere.

It is senseless violence, perpetrated by a particular subculture that promotes chaos because chaos gives these outcasts more power.  And, the media is a major part of the problem.  By promoting the anti-society agenda, the NY Times and other media, give these groups an open forum with NO objective examination of the facts.

In truth, the police are neither villains nor saints.  They, like us, are just brave people trying to do their job well.  And, unlike the false heroes that Hollywood and the media project, the police get little in return for their efforts.

How the world has changed.  When I was little, we all looked up to the police.  We admired them and respected them.  And, we all felt safer if a policeman was in the vicinity.  It is a shame that, rather than considering police as role models,  today’s world wants to blame police for society’s problems.

How much better the United States would be if police were honored and respected and little kids looked up to police as role models.  Wouldn’t we all be safer with more   “COP-y cats”?