Another Prodigal Son

Another Prodigal Son

I have a prediction: Sometime in the next 10-20 years Bill Maher will announce that he has found religion. That’s right. The juvenile, not-particularly-funny comedian will emerge from his spiritual wasteland and become a believer. Many will read my prediction and laugh. They may even call me an idiot or naïve. I accept that, but let me explain why Maher isn’t as far from God as most people think.

“And to the angel of the church of Laodicea, write: These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, who is the beginning of the creation of God: I know thy works, that thou art neither cold, nor hot. I would thou wert cold, or hot. But because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold, not hot, I will begin to vomit thee out of my mouth.” (Rev 3: 14-16)

As can be inferred from the scriptural passage above, indifference is the one emotion that prevents the Holy Spirit from working His grace in an individual. How can this be? The Lord does not force Himself on anyone. A person who doesn’t care about the Lord’s existence is like one who ignores a persistent knock at the door. The visitor may continue knocking, but he is not going to force himself in.

Contrarily, a person who hates God, or is cold to Him, is like someone who hears a knock at the door and yells at the visitor to go away. In order to demand that the visitor leave, the person has to first acknowledge that someone is knocking at the door. Similarly, in order to hate God or to argue against His existence, one has to acknowledge God. Love Him or hate Him, your soul has responded to Him, which leaves an opening for the Holy Spirit to instill Grace in your soul.

Maher can be called many things, but lukewarm is not one of them.

Maher’s film Religulous opens in theaters this weekend. Apparently it is 100 minutes of Maher insulting and mocking Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. The Associated Press reports that “Maher meets with priests at the Vatican, chats with rabbis and Muslim scholars in Jerusalem, encounters street preachers in London, and hangs out with the performer who plays Christ in a crucifixion enactment at the Holy Land Experience theme park in Florida.” (http://www.cnn.com/2008/SHOWBIZ/Movies/10/01/film.religulous.ap/index.html?section=cnn_latest)

Anyone who has read or heard Maher knows his vitriol toward religion knows no boundaries, particularly when concerning Roman Catholicism, the religion of his childhood. Below are just a few of the disgraceful insults he has leveled against the Church, courtesy of the website www.firebillmaher.com :


March 2002:
· "Before puberty, I would say nobody caused me more pain than the Catholics... I apparently was not attractive enough to be hit on [by priests]."
May 2003:
· Maher had a limited run on Broadway with a show titled "Bill Maher: Victory Begins at Home." In it he included these pieces of scripted "humor": "The problem is they drill religion into your head when you are very young. Well, when you are four years old, you believe in Santa Claus, too. Santa Claus, Easter Bunny, the Virgin Birth, sure! When you're a priest everyday spewing this bulls--- about the apple and the snake, etc., you can see him just saying, 'Ah, f--- it, just blow me, kid!'""Come on, it's so gay, the Church! With the robes and the smoke and kneeling in front of the priest with your mouth open eating God."

January 2008:
· "You can't be a rational person six days of the week and put on a suit and make rational decisions and go to work and, on one day of the week, go to a building and think you're drinking the blood of a 2,000-year-old space god. That doesn't make you a person of faith ... that makes you a schizophrenic." "...UFOs are a lot more likely than a space god [that] flew down bodily and you know who was the Son of God and you know had sex with a Palestinian woman..."

Maher is the child who, in desperate need of attention, continues to push the envelope merely to shock people. Why else would his “comedic” routine be obsessively littered with references to pedophilia, gay sex, and male genitalia? His comments are similar to those overheard in a schoolyard among teenage boys.

I would not be surprised to learn that at some point in his life Maher felt abandoned by God and responded by lashing out against the Almighty as a child would rebel against his father. Ask any man who has been at odds with his father and he’ll confirm that his rage knew no limits. But just as a child matures and reconciles with his father, so will Maher mature (spiritually) and reconcile with God. It’s an old story that has been relived many times. (See “The Prodigal Son”)

In the meantime although we should pray that Maher finds his way, we as The Mystical Body of Christ have a responsibility to point out the error of his ways and prevent him from leading others astray. Tomorrow I’ll review some of the critics’ comments about Religulous.

Donald Tremblay

Greed

The Associated Press used a term today that aptly defines the corporate greed that sustains today’s Wall Street culture: casino capitalism. (http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gOZTtahVNy4kICgeQueTNyWQybJAD93H9HL80) Simply put it is the practice of accepting whatever risks necessary, short of breaking the law, to earn substantial profits. It is an unfettered game of craps.

"The managers of big business took huge risks out of greed," said President Oscar Arias of Costa Rica, whose economy is highly dependent on U.S. trade. "What happens in the United States will affect the entire world and, above all, small countries like ours."

In fairness it’s not just the U.S. who is at fault here. As the AP points out, big business across Europe is guilty of the same carelessness and greed:

“It's harder for European leaders to point the finger directly at the United States since many of their financiers participated in the recklessness. London was home to the division of failed insurer AIG that racked up huge losses on credit-default swaps, and many reputable European banks disregarded risk to load up on higher yielding subprime assets.”

Swaps, derivatives, you name it. All were recklessly created to bring big returns for investors. But there’s one thing about greed people forget: it cannot be sated. The more it gets, the more it wants. It is a ravenous beast.

Capitalism is the best economic system that Man has developed to-date. However, there are fundamental flaws with it. It is a lot like Nature in that when acts it doesn’t discriminate between good and evil, right and wrong. Free-market defenders will argue that the system works because as was the case with Bear Sterns and Lehman Brothers, the market weeds out inefficient, unprofitable companies. And macro-economically speaking, they are correct. But at what cost is this done? “This Survival of the Fittest” mentality leaves financial carnage in its wake, and the victims usually are those who have nothing to do with the questionable business practices.

I remember studying economics when I was younger and reading that a company’s stock value rises after it lays off workers. I understood the math behind it: Fewer salaries means lowers costs which in turn translates into a better bottom line. But my first thought was that there is something wrong with a system that rewards a company for sending its workers to the unemployment line.

I still feel that way today.

Donald Tremblay

The king and The King

When most people think of Elvis Presley they envision the 1957 teen who revolutionized music and sent girls swooning with his gyrating performances. Few of these people know how spiritual “The King of Rock-n-Roll” was and how he struggled daily to be closer to the “King of Kings”. Gospel was Elvis’ greatest musical love, which is fitting since despite his multitude of number #1 hits, he never won a Grammy Award until 1967 for “How Great Thou Art”.

Catholicexchange.com (http://www.catholicexchange.com/2008/09/27/113998/) has posted an interview with Dolores Hart, the actress who starred with Elvis in Loving You and King Creole before leaving Hollywood to become a cloistered Benedictine nun. Among the stories she tells is that of her and Elvis during the filming of King Creole:

When we were making King Creole, he had so many people after him — you couldn’t walk through the streets in New Orleans. It was like a circus. You would not believe the crowds. Policemen were everywhere. We had to go to hotel rooms to wait in between scenes. When we finally got to the site, we were ushered into the elevator, [and] in the hotel rooms. There would be boards built from one hotel to another. We crossed over to another hotel and would go down the elevator and enter another room. They’d bring us sandwiches. Elvis would open the Gideon Bible, as that was the version placed in the hotel rooms. Whatever passage he’d open it to, we would talk about it. He would ask me, “What do you think of this passage?”

In the estimation of many, including myself, Elvis was the greatest ballad singer in history. When he sang ballads (and gospel) his spiritual hunger for God shone through in his voice, his mannerisms, and his passion. It was as if a portion of his soul was spent with each note, each lyric.

Society idolizes celebrities. They are royalty. They are larger than life. Elvis’ life de-mythologizes that “Cult of Personality”. He was an incredibly gifted performer who brought joy to many. Yet he was also a sad, flawed individual desperate to be re-united with God and suffering the pains of that separation.
In other words, he was like you and I.

Spinning Stalin

As George Santayana once said, “Those who forget history are doomed to repeat it.”
21st century Man is quick to portray itself as evolved. We argue that more money than ever is donated to humanitarian causes, and that “Save the planet” is the mantra most-heard today. Yet it is important to remember that we are no different as a species than we were just 60 years ago during WWII. Within the past 20-25 years we’ve witnessed Man’s- inhumanity-towards-Man on a scale equaling the brutality inflicted by Nazi Germany. Genocide erupted in Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia. In Iraq the former “president” of the country gassed his own people. And let’s not forget the Islamic terrorist who flew planes into the World Trade Center. Why is it important to remember this generation’s evil deeds?

On Saturday, the Wall Street Journal published an article that indirectly supported Santayana’s warning. (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122229545606472921.html) Recently the Kremlin and the Russian state media created an online poll asking their countrymen to select the nation’s top historical figure. The contest’s purpose is to strengthen national pride. To the dismay of many the man who repeatedly appeared at or near the top of the list was none other than mass murderer Josef Stalin.

Alleging that hackers had used automated voting in an effort to start trouble, RTR “corrected” the “inaccuracies”, which dropped Uncle Joe’s supporters from two million to one million (as of last week). Did hackers really inflate the numbers, or was it merely a case of a citizenry longing for mythical “better” times? Who knows? But one has to wonder if the RTR “corrections” were enacted solely to avoid the embarrassment the Kremlin would face globally if the tally was acknowledged as accurate. How many other Russians agree with Communist Party leader Gennady Zyuganov, who said earlier this year “that Stalin, if alive, could solve Russia's problems ‘in one day.’”

Last October I traveled to Moscow to promote a boxing match between Evander Holyfield and Sultan Ibragimov. The company I work for represented Holyfield. It became apparent quickly that the country was split according to the haves and the have-nots. You were either wealthy or poor . . . and clearly there were more of the latter. Many elderly women could be seen begging for money or hustling trinkets to foreigners. Yet, the hotel we stayed in during fight week regularly costs guests $800 per night. (We did not pay this) This year Forbes magazine announced that Moscow is the most expensive city in the world.

Adolf Hitler rose to power in Germany at least in part because of the dire economic conditions in post-WWI Germany. When you are forced to spend your life savings on a loaf of bread it becomes very easy to embrace the person who promises you the quickest solution.
The Russian people are demoralized. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union the majority continue to live a meager existence. Stalin murdered an estimated 20 million people; yet, he transformed the Soviet Union into a major superpower. When you no longer have to worry about watching your family carted off in the middle of the night by the secret police, it’s much easier to forget history. One worries whether Russia is doomed to repeat its errors.

Donald Tremblay

Disposable

“If you're demented, you're wasting people's lives - your family's lives - and you're wasting the resources of the National Health Service." (http://www.catholic.org/international/international_story.php?id=29538)

These are the words of Baroness Mary Helen Warnock, “regarded as Britain's leading moral philosopher” and often referred to as “the philosopher queen”. Lest anyone accuse her of inhumanity, Warnock spins suicide as altruistic: “There's nothing wrong with feeling you ought to do so [commit suicide] for the sake of others as well as yourself. In other contexts, sacrificing oneself for one's family would be considered good. I don't see what is so horrible about the motive of not wanting to be an increasing nuisance." Not surprisingly, Warnock’s views echo those of “prominent voices in Britain's House of Lords [who] continue to advocate for legalised euthanasia and assisted suicide.”


This is what passes for morality in our increasingly utilitarian Western culture.
Assisted-suicide supporters argue that suicide is voluntary and hence a personal decision beyond the reach of the state.

But let’s face it: once a human life’s continued existence is viewed as a drain or a nuisance, how long is it before that voluntary act becomes mandatory for the “good of society”? I was reminded of George Orwell’s classic Animal Farm as I read the above Catholic.org article. Farmer Jones mistreats the animals on the farm. The animals revolt and take over. Within no time the pigs take extra liberties for themselves, such as more food, and enlist the dogs to serve as their “muscle”. Ultimately, the pigs become more totalitarian than Farmer Jones ever was. No work of literature better expounds on the capacity of humanity to become that which it abhors, a point ably addressed in the Catholic.org piece.

“German officials in the 1930s instituted a program of mass euthanasia for persons the state considered undesirable, labeling them ‘lebensunwertes leben’: life unworthy of life and ‘useless eaters.’ Among the groups targeted for euthanasia were developmentally disabled people, disabled children, and elderly people suffering from dementia. In Nazi Germany's Aktion T4 programme, in which the gas chamber technology was developed, patients "judged incurably sick, by critical medical examination," were killed by physicians on the grounds that they were a burden to their families and to the state. After the war, the Nuremberg Trials found evidence that about 275,000 people had been euthanised.”

Sound familiar? And for those who argue that today’s assisted-suicide and euthanasia movements are motivated by empathy, be aware that the Nazi’s also tried to portray euthanasia as “a ‘compassionate’ solution for patients and their families”.
A society’s responsibility is to defend those who cannot defend themselves. Judging by the “philosopher queen’s” comments we have lost sight of this.

Donald Tremblay

Novus Ordo or Nothing

Novus Ordo or Nothing

Last year Pope Benedict XVI released "Summorum Pontificum”, which stated that the Tridentine Mass “should be made available in every parish where groups of the faithful desire it.” Not surprisingly, many bishops and pastors have ignored the papal directive. (http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0804776.htm)

“’We're only looking at one calendar year, and we know that in the church these things take time. But the problem -- dare anyone say this? -- the problem is the bishops. Because you have bishops who aren't on board,’ said John Paul Sonnen, an American Catholic who lives in Rome.”
Traditional Catholics should expect this intransigence to continue. After all why would the same bishops who allowed, and in some cases even encouraged, the destruction of the Latin Rite be eager to welcome it back?

Sacrosanct is how post-Vatican II changes in the Church are viewed by many in the episcopate. This is particularly true in the case of Novus Ordo. Many bishops battle opposition to Novus Ordo the way they would combat Aryanism or some other heresy. When it is not silenced by the powers-that-be, criticism about Vatican II’s implementation is met with the lame explanation that choices were made in the “spirit of Vatican II”.
The Spirit of Vatican II. How is that for an amorphous concept?

Novus Ordo is not doctrine, nor is it consistent with the liturgy as it was celebrated for many centuries prior to Vatican II. It can and should be changed. Am I advocating the complete elimination of our current liturgy? No, I do not believe that going back to the Latin Rite as it was is the answer. Even those who supported the Tridentine Mass in the first half of the 20th century acknowledged that changes to the Mass were necessary. But the refusal of many clergy to offer the Latin Rite is an indication of how little interest the current generation of bishops has in hearing the concerns of those who do not believe that Novus Ordo sufficiently honors the Lord.

Sadly, Traditional Catholics will have to wait for these bishops to retire or pass away before Pope Benedict XVI’s directive is honored worldwide.

Donald Tremblay

Empty-Handed

I was disturbed this morning by an article I read on the “Inside Catholic” website. (http://insidecatholic.com/Joomla/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4514&Itemid=48) The Rich He Hath Sent Away proposes that “there is much to celebrate in the collapse of Lehman Brothers and Merrill Lynch”. Lest readers believe he holds a vendetta against these former corporate behemoths, author Jeffrey Tucker explains why the current financial crisis is a benefit to everyone: “It shows the impossibility of holding onto wealth and power in a free society that is always in flux. And this is as it should be.” To support his argument he adds a theological dimension, quoting a section of the Magnificat and suggesting that we are witnessing its fulfillment:

"He hath scattered the proud in the conceit of their heart. He hath put down the mighty from their seat, and hath exalted the humble. The rich he hath sent away empty.”
My first complaint with Tucker’s assessment is theological. To cite Mary in this context is to misunderstand her confession. In the Magnificat she praises God for exalting those who are poor in spirit, those who approach Him as a child would. “Mighty” and “rich” refer to those whose pride is great and who either feel disinterest towards God or who refuse to approach him in a child-like manner.

My second complaint is economic. I’m sorry, but regardless of whether it is Lehman Bros, Merrill Lynch, Bear Sterns, or any other conglomerate, the rich will hardly “walk away empty”. Ever hear of the Golden Parachute?

Golden Parachute: A clause in an executive's employment contract specifying that he/she will receive large benefits in the event that the company is acquired and the executive's employment is terminated. These benefits can take the form of severance pay, a bonus, stock options, or a combination thereof.) (http://www.investorwords.com/2201/golden_parachute.html)
Neither will the rich investors who did business with Lehman and Merrill walk away empty since odds are they diversified their portfolios, insulating themselves from financial ruin. The current crisis will adversely affect the wealthy, but it is a wild exaggeration to refer to them as “empty”.

However, there are some who will walk away empty. The Lehman employee who earned corporate stock options as a reward for his years of service is one example, as is the mid-level investor who wasn’t wealthy enough to diversify her portfolio. No, Mr. Tucker, it is the working “grunts” who leave empty-handed, not the wealthy.

Case in point: my neighbor and his wife were born and raised in Brooklyn, NY. Thanks to his success as a broker, the couple bought a house and settled in a NJ suburb. Recently he sold his home and moved back to Brooklyn to rent an apartment. Why? It is difficult paying a mortgage and property taxes when you’ve just lost $160K in stock options and other benefits because your firm, Bear Sterns, has tanked.

The rich may lose more money in pure numbers, but when you calculate the percentage of a person’s total assets that are lost in this type of financial disaster, the impact to the mid-level employee and investor is much greater.

Perhaps a better biblical analogy to explain the effects of the Lehman/Merrill disasters can be found in Mark 11: 41-44
“And Jesus sitting over against the treasury, beheld how the people cast money into the treasury, and many that were rich cast in much. And there came a certain poor widow, and she cast in two mites, which make a farthing. And calling his disciples together, he saith to them: Amen I say to you, this poor widow hath cast in more than all they who have cast into the treasury. For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want cast in all she had, even her whole living.”

Donald Tremblay