Catholics Praying for Religious Freedom is Backwards Thinking

by David L. Gray

I have never felt comfortable about praying for religious freedom. In fact, I have always felt downright uneasy about it in my spirit; as if I were not praying in a way that agreed with the Holy Spirit that lives within me. For this reason, I have to confess that I am not in solidarity with many Catholics, including Pope Francis and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, in regards to praying for our delivery from religious persecution and for government established rights to practice our faith.

The Precepts of Discipleship

Being that Jesus said, “Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Mt. 5:10), does it then, therefore, follow that if we pray not to be persecuted that we are asking for the kingdom of heaven not to be ours?
Being that Jesus said, “Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you [falsely] because of me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven. Thus they persecuted the prophets who were before you” (Mt. 5:11), does it then, therefore, follow that if we pray to be excused from insults and persecution that we are asking not be rewarded in heaven?
One of my all-time favorite quotes comes from Tertullian in 197 C.E. Concerning a persecution yet unknown to modern Catholics in the United States, he wrote,

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 David L. Gray is a Catholic author, radio host, and founder of DavidLGray.INFO Inc., where he blogs at regularly; giving his fresh Catholic perspective on all things relevant and interesting. DavidLGray.INFO Inc. is a ministry that is consecrated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. "My calling from God is to the John the Baptist Ministry; meaning that I’m here to live in truth, through word and action, and point people to Christ Jesus through the lenses of the Catholic Church." David is a part-time Disneyland dad and full-time father to three beautiful daughters, an ecstatic 2006 Catholic convert, an indifferent 1997 graduate of Central State University, a proud 2002 dropout of Antioch McGregor Graduate School, and a mild mannered graduate student at Franciscan University of Steubenville; working towards a Master of Arts Degree in Theology and Christian Ministry. 

PRESIDENT JOHN F. KENNEDY AND JESUS: Face-to-Face Encounters

by  John Darrouzet

“Ask and it will be given to you;
seek and you will find;
knock and the door will be opened to you.”
(Matthew 7:7)

I have always been a visual learner. So early on I was intrigued by this seeming dilemma; What does it mean when someone says, “When you don’t see it, but claim it’s true, you are just believing” versus “Seeing is believing”?

Two seemingly unrelated events have taught me that seeing is not only knowing, but also a deep form of believing. In these two stories I tell of my encounters with President John F. Kennedy and Jesus, face-to-face.

Ask

In the Fall of 1963, I was a senior at the Jesuit high school in Dallas. Because President Kennedy. and his wife, Jackie, were coming to Dallas, many, but not all, of the Catholic schools let out for the day in celebration of this visit from the first Catholic President. JFK was my first real, live hero. (“Davy Crockett” was my first fictional hero.) Looking back on the feeling of expectation, I am reminded of the story of Zacchaeus who climbed the sycamore to get a view of Jesus when he was coming to town. (See Luke 19.)

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 John Darrouzet is a successful Hollywood screenwriter, an accomplished lawyer, a student of decision-making, and a deeply committed Roman Catholic layman who is FINDING FAITH AT THE MOVIES.

SATAN-HAUNTER-OF-THE-WORLD-IS-HAUNTED-BY-HOLINESS

by Jamey Brown



I don’t go to Halloween parties. I drive a cab in New York City all night and I witness a freak show every night of the year. Not everyone mind you, just the ones dressed in their fantasy costumes of a rock star or a Goth or a princess or a cowgirl or a barbarian or an artist or a hippie or a harlot or a witch or a Neanderthal or a space alien or a mental escapee. None seem to be afraid of hell and most don’t believe in the devil, although a few worship him.

Sometimes I think this is my penance for a wild youth acting just like these folk, with my guitar, long hair, bell bottoms and bare feet—drunk, stoned and stupid singing Bob Dylan’s The Times They Are A-Changin’.

Yes the times really are a-changin’ when a former honor student and tight end on a championship football team would practically kill himself with drink and drugs a few years later. And they are still doing it today. In many ways the times are not a-changin’. The ’60′s Culture of Death is still wreaking havoc on our sons and daughter and on us. To be sure, there are many, many fine people in New York, but after midnight Cinderella’s fine coach often turns into a pumpkin, and these pumpkins are not smiling.

I am reminded of a quote from The Cure’ D’Ars Today by Father George Rutler, Doctor of Sacred Theology, and my Pastor at the Church of St. Michael in New York City. He is also the Administrator of the Church of Holy Innocents:

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U.S. V. WINDSOR AND THE FUTURE OF RELIGIOUS LIBERTY

By Jason Hall

As we are all aware by now, on June 26 the Supreme Court of the United States issued opinions in the cases of Hollingsworth v. Perry and United States v. Windsor. In Hollingsworth, the Court held that citizens have no legal standing to defend in federal court those initiatives for which they signed petitions, campaigned, and voted. That is troubling enough. It is Windsor, however, which struck down part of the Defense of Marriage Act, that is most significant for those of us concerned about the future of religious liberty in the United States.

As has been noted by many commentators, Justice Anthony Kennedy, writing for the majority, adopted the language and assumptions of the most radical homosexual rights activists. He dismissed the notion that there is an ongoing legitimate debate about the very nature of marriage. For Justice Kennedy, marriage is simply an action of the state to recognize the nobility and dignity of a particular relationship. There is no imaginable rational reason to see marriage as an objective reality. Opposition to expanding the definition of marriage to include any loving, committed sexual relationship can only be motivated by bigotry and a desire to harm those who are attracted to persons of the same gender.

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Jason Hall is an attorney and Catholic convert. After spending some time working in the political world followed by a brief sojourn in seminary, he apparently discovered the value of moderation and now works as a lobbyist for Kentucky's Catholic bishops. In his spare time, he likes to read great books, analyze political and social trends, and cheer on his beloved Cincinnati Reds. Jason's contributions to Catholic Stand primarily focus on the principles and application of Catholic Social Teaching. 

PIO NONO, THE WASHINGTON MONUMENT AND THE PURLOINED BLOCK OF MARBLE

By Donald R. McClarey

Well it took long enough.  George Washington had been dead for more than three decades before a society was founded to build a monument to his honor in the city which bore his name. In 1832, the centenary of the birth of Washington, the Washington National Monument Society was founded. The Society began raising funds and in 1836 announced a competition for the design of the monument. The winning design by Robert Mills envisioned an obelisk arising from a circular colonnade. The price tag was an astronomical, for the time, one million dollars. Work on the obelisk finally began in 1848. Nations around the world were invited to contribute blocks of marble for the monument.

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Donald R. McClarey, Cradle Catholic, has been active in the pro-life movement since 1973. Father of three and happily married for 30 years. Small town lawyer. President of the board of directors of the local crisis pregnancy center. Easily amused as demonstrated by the fact that he blogs for amusement. 

Time for Christians to Exit the Military

by Francis

There was a great Italian film (and lousy American remake) called Everybody’s Fine. The plot centered on a retired man whose five adult children stood him up during the summer holidays. All of his children created false impressions of happiness and success in their lives, even though their lives were more than a bit of a mess. They didn’t want to trouble or disappoint their father, figuring he would be upset knowing their true situations.

Everybody’s Fine could be the Obama mantra for charting the course for the New Morality as played out in removing “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” from the Armed Services, and putting traditional Christians on notice, they aren’t really welcome in the Brave New Society being engineered in the Obama era. Of course, military service for Catholics in America has many problematic features, some dating back before Obama and his naked assault on traditional Christian faith. But let us start with the recent history of overturning “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”.

Back on November 30, 2010, Stars and Stripes published a story by Leo Shane III entitled Pentagon Study Anticipates Smooth Integration Of Openly Gay Troops. The story detailed a study conducted by “Top Defense Department Officials” that indicated that “70% of troops believed a repeal [of DADT] would have a positive effect or no effect on their ability to complete missions.” Overall, the study concluded that only 30% of the troops expected a negative effect if the law was repealed. Within the analysis was the fact that 43% of Marines expected a negative effect, with 58% of Marines in combat specialties expecting negative effects. The Pentagon study gave President Obama the green light to set the wheels in motion in Congress, with only the proviso that the military brass would just need to provide “strong leadership, a clear message, and proactive education [emphasis mine] to minimize the impact of repeal.”

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 About the Author:

I am an adult convert to Catholicism, coming in originally through the beautiful Eastern Rite. I take on the name of Francis to honor Pope Francis I, and to acknowledge my place of theological studies. St. Francis is a Saint who inspires so many of us, and in all of my travels, Assisi is one place I felt such incredible peace. I am now a Catholic school educator with a wonderful wife, and adorable children. I am keenly interested in promoting the Social Doctrine of the Church, having some experience on the campaign trail, and some leadership background with a pro-life organization. As an educator who is trying to assist in the reform of Catholic education, I find it necessary to conceal my name so that I can be as honest as possible without jeopardizing my professional career. I am focused on issues relating to family, to education/evangelization, and to political activity with the goal of promoting the universal common good.

Passing the Religious Freedom Restoration Act

From Jason Hall

In my last piece for Catholic Stand, I discussed the effort in Kentucky to adopt a state-level Religious Freedom Restoration Act, and the surprisingly vocal opposition that effort inspired. Though Governor Steve Beshear did veto the bill, the General Assembly ultimately overrode the veto. I believe there are several useful lessons to be learned from our experience that might benefit those defending religious liberty at the national level and in other states.

Be prepared for scare tactics related to civil rights. The primary argument used by the opposition, and the one that generated the most sympathy, was that protection of religious liberty will override civil rights laws. This has never been the case, and those who have honestly explored the issue will admit that. Anti-discrimination laws covering housing, employment, and other such basic necessities have always prevailed over religious liberty interests. But, the opposition needs to make a sympathetic case, and scaring people about the imminent end of civil rights protection seems to be the best they can do.

Know the opposition and their goals. As I discussed in my previous article, groups like the American Civil Liberties Union used to support straightforward statutory protections for religious liberty. In recent years, however, their position has changed. Homosexual activist groups have convinced many that their cause is the contemporary equivalent of the civil rights movement and to oppose them is to be like segregationists in the 1960’s.

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