Just When You Think You’ve Heard it All

No, I haven’t heard it all.

Every time I think I have, something else comes along to straighten me out.

In 2007, The Children’s Hospital Boston added the Gender Management Service Clinic. What is Gender Management? Good question. Well, according to an article in this month’s issue of National Catholic Register entitled “Boys will be Girls?” the clinic “allows young children to select their own gender and treats them with hormones.” (National Catholic Register: July 6-12, p 12)

Oh. And that’s not all.

“So-called ‘transgendered’ children are increasingly likely to be channeled into programs that treat them with hormones and on the road to full ‘sexual reassignment’—including amputating surgeries to give them pseudo-genitalia of the opposite sex.” (Ibid)

“Pre-adolescents are given hormone injections to delay puberty, and children as young as seven are encouraged to decide whether they want to be male or female.” (Ibid)

Disgraceful, and dangerous, as former psychiatrist-in-chief at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore Paul McHugh wrote in a 2004 article for First Things magazine:

“I have witnessed a great deal of damage from sex-reassignment. The children transformed from their male constitution into female roles suffered prolonged distress and misery as they sensed their natural attitudes. Their parents usually lived with the guilt over their decisions–second-guessing themselves and somewhat ashamed of the fabrication, both surgical and social, they had imposed on their sons.”

Catholic Online posted a column about Boston ’s Gender Management clinic on May 8, 2008. (http://www.catholic.org/printer_friendly.php?id=27890&section=Cathcom) In the article moral theologian Father Anthony Mastroeni of Paterson NJ , who has taught at Franciscan University of Steubenville and Christendom College , blasts the idea that sex-change surgery might be morally justified:

“It does nothing but increase human misery. There’s no scientific evidence that anyone is born with gender dysphoria.”

This clinic is nothing more than a homosexual and transgender recruiting center. It is political correctness masquerading as science. But don’t expect the mass media to cover this outrage since they have been the biggest flag-waivers for the same-sex movement. It is only by reading a Catholic newspaper that I first learned of it.

Is there any doubt that the homosexual and transgender movements will stop at nothing to force their intrinsically disordered lifestyles onto the heterosexual community?

Donald Tremblay

Anything to Discredit Faith in the Lord Jesus

I’m amazed at the lengths people will go to discredit Christianity. The International Herald Tribune reported yesterday about a “three-foot-tall tablet with 87 lines of Hebrew that scholars believe dates from the decades just before the birth of Jesus.” (http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/07/05/africa/06stone.php) The stone is of interest to many because “it may speak of a messiah who will rise from the dead after three days”. According to the daily this is important because it “suggests that the story of his [Jesus] death and resurrection was not unique but part of a recognized Jewish tradition at the time.” Israel Knohl, a professor of Bible studies at Hebrew University in Jerusalem bluntly states, “"This should shake our basic view of Christianity . . . Resurrection after three days becomes a motif developed before Jesus, which runs contrary to nearly all scholarship. What happens in the New Testament was adopted by Jesus and his followers based on an earlier messiah story."

And . . . . .?

Why this should shake our view of Christianity is beyond me. Perhaps Mr. Knohl should re-read Matthew 5:17:

“Do not think that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets. I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill.”

Fulfill. Webster’s New World Dictionary defines fulfill as “to carry out, as a promise”. In other words Christ was carrying out the promise of a resurrected messiah.

The Catholic News Agency (http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=13168) answered the Tribune’s article by posting its own, arguing that “while one scholar claims the find could ‘shake our basic view of Christianity,’ a Catholic Professor of Scripture suggests the tablet is actually evidence for the historical probability of Christian belief.” (Why the Tribune didn’t see fit to interview a Christian scholar about Knohl’s claims is a story in itself)

Dr. Timothy Gray, a professor of Biblical Studies at the Augustine Institute in Denver , points out that Jesus made many references to the Book of Daniel and “that the Jewish expectation of a dying messiah is shown in Daniel’s prophecies, noting that Daniel chapter 9 talks about how an anointed messiah will be cut off and killed.” Gray also exposes the hypocrisy of many who seek to discredit Christianity:

“On the one hand, scholars argue no Jewish tradition about a messiah suffering shows that the Church added this idea. And once you show a document, an ancient document to point to, showing that they did interpret a prophet like Daniel to expect a suffering messiah, well then people say ‘Well this proves Christianity can’t be true.’”

“You can’t have it both ways,” Gray said.

“The point is that our people in modern media and modern scholars will use any evidence as disproof of Christianity, even if it illustrates the evidence of Christian belief. And this evidence clearly points to the historical probability of Christianity, to the historical Jesus.

Well said, Dr. Gray.

Donald Tremblay

An End in Themselves

In today’s Wall Street Journal Adam Keiper reviews Human: The Science Behind What Makes Us Unique. (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121547414111533875.html?mod=opinion_main_commentaries) Keiper says that author Michael S. Gazzaniga purports to argue that “modern neuroscience is on the brink of offering us real answers to these questions – answers more reliable and truthful than those that centuries of philosophy, religious tradition and literature have offered.” Yet, what is most interesting about the review is the concern Keiper raises at the conclusion of his column:

“More important, Mr. Gazzaniga does little to explore the implications of the research he describes. Once we have been armed with the latest scientific findings about how our brains came to be and how they function, how ought we to act?”

We find ourselves in that position today as a society. Embryonic stem-cell research, cloning, genetic engineering: all force us to consider the morality of “doing things just because we can”. We seem to have forgotten Immanuel Kant’s instruction to treat people as an end in themselves, and not as a means to an end. Using discarded embryos for research and cloning humans for the purpose of harvesting organs violate that piece of wisdom. And as we continue to make advancements in science there will be more opportunities for us to support whatever is viewed as “what’s best for society”. For ex, some insist that cures for terrible diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s will be found if we only support embryonic research. Catholics must stand firm, no matter the temptation, and reject this utilitarian approach to life. Our responsibility is to defend those who cannot defend themselves:

“Science and technology by their very nature require unconditional respect for fundamental moral criteria. They must be at the service of the human person, of his inalienable rights, of his true and integral good, in conformity with the plan and the will of God.” (Catechism 2294)

Oh, and one side note: Any medical advancements resulting from stem cell research were made from ADULT stem cells. There has not been a single case of embryonic stem cells resulting in any scientific breakthrough. The truth is that the science behind it is specious. The next time someone argues that more money should be spent on this research, ask them why more private donations are not being made to support it. If this science is the cure-all that some claim it is, then it would be a gold mine for investors. Yet, investors are staying away. That should tell you something.

Donald Tremblay

The Lord Works in Mysterious Ways

We’ve all heard this adage since we were kids. Most of us have probably experienced it in our own lives on more than one occasion. We may be experiencing it now on a global scale.

Before his crucifixion Christ said to the Father, “And now I am not in the world, and these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep them in thy name whom thou has given me; that they may be one, as we also are.” (John 17: 11) We don’t know whether Christians will be one prior to Judgment Day. Yet, based on the most recent current events, perhaps we Publish Postare witnessing the early stages of that unification.

Yesterday the Daily Telegraph, a London daily newspaper, announced that “Senior Church of England bishops have held secret talks with Vatican officials to discuss the crisis in the Anglican communion over gays and women bishops.” (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/2254269/Anglican-bishops-in-secret-Vatican-summit.html) The article goes on state that “up to 600 clergy gave warning in a letter to Dr Williams [Archbishop of Canterbury] that they may leave the Church unless they receive a legal right to havens within the Church free of women bishops.”

One bishop is quoted anonymously stating, “"The internal pressure of the Anglican communion has pushed us apart and we’re committed to greater unity with Rome . There can be no future for Christianity in Europe without Rome ."

With each day western society becomes more of a frothing cauldron of secularism. In order to withstand this onslaught Christians will need to unite. An Anglican branch of the Roman Catholic Church?

Well, the Lord does work in mysterious ways.

Donald Tremblay

We Are Not Expected To Be Perfect, But To Be Made Perfect

The spiritually zealous often labor to live sinless lives. They want to live for Christ alone and to completely reject their own wills in favor of Our Heavenly Father’s Will. It is commendable, but unrealistic. In fact, more than being unrealistic, it is a complete misunderstanding of what God expects from us.

Throughout history God has chosen the most unusual people, unusual by the world’s standards, to fulfill His wishes.

David became King of Israel and one of the most revered figures of the Bible. Yet, this is the same man who became criminally drunk with power. He slept with and impregnated a married woman (Bathsabee); then, after finding out about her pregnancy, he compounded his sin by sending her husband, Uriah, to “the front of the battle, where the fight is strongest: and leave ye him, that he may be wounded and die.” (2 Kings 11:15) All this so that he could have Bathsabee to himself.

St. Peter, “the Rock upon which I will build My Church”, three times denied knowing Christ when accused by others of being a disciple.

St. Paul, perhaps the best example of a strange choice by God, was originally Saul of Tarsus. Before his conversion Saul persecuted and killed Christians.


These men certainly appear to be a motley crew intimately familiar with sin—which is exactly what God expected and wanted.

Humility is a Catholic’s best friend. God wants people who are open to His mercy and to obeying His will. Sometimes it is those who sin most who recognize their weaknesses and are thus more open to God’s care.

In her book The Way of Divine Love, Sister Josefa Menendez makes it clear that during her near-daily visits from the Lord that it is her nothingness that appealed to Him. She quotes Him as follows:

“That soul may and will fall often again, but if she humbles herself, if she recognizes her nothingness, if she tries to repair her faults by little acts of generosity and love, if she confides and surrenders herself once more to my Heart . . . she gives Me more glory and can do more good to other souls, than if she had never fallen.” (p 199)

The same is said by the Lord to Sister Mary of the Holy Trinity:

“I love you because you are so, so wretched . . . I love you because you cannot do without me.” (The Spiritual Legacy of Sister Mary of the Holy Trinity, p 87)

It is when we recognize our weaknesses and our need for the Lord’s guidance that He is most with us. During these times our humility opens the door of our soul wide to allow Him entry. When confronted by their sins, the three biblical greats mentioned above displayed great humility:

The Lord sends the prophet Nathan to David to tell him a parable about a rich man, a poor man, and a ewe. The rich man must provide a feast for a visiting guest. Rather than kill one of the many sheep or goats he owns, he takes the only sheep owned by a poor man. The poor man is saddened since this ewe was raised as a member of the family. Outraged, David promises to punish the rich man, only to learn from Nathan that he is that rich man. David doesn’t offer excuses or attack Nathan. Instead he confesses, “I have sinned against the Lord.” (2Kings 12:12)

Following his third denial of Jesus, Peter hears the cock crow and remembers Jesus’ prediction of betrayal. Devastated, the apostle “wept bitterly“. (Matthew 26:75) Does the Lord abandon him? Hardly. He becomes the first Pope, the first Bishop of Rome. Moreover, in his later years Peter is given the strength by the Holy Spirit to erase his betrayal. Facing crucifixion Peter refuses to deny the Lord and instead embraces the same death as Christ. (Peter reportedly chooses to be crucified upside-down, believing he is not worthy to die in the same manner as the Lord)

Saul goes blind after seeing a vision of the Lord. His sight returns after being touched by Ananias. Saul is humbled and embraces Christ as his Lord. He changes his name to Paul and spreads Christ’s gospel further than any human in history—all while enduring physical attacks, imprisonments, and threats of death.

It is the Lord who makes us perfect through our willingness to be transformed. We can no more make ourselves perfect than a leopard can remove its spots. Let God be God and He will take care of the rest.



Donald Tremblay

A Get Out of Jail Free Card...Not

The Pew Forum released a report today reminding Catholics, albeit unintentionally, of the damage caused by the misguided notion of "primacy of conscience."

"A newly released study from the Pew Forum shows that many self-described American Catholics ignore Church teachings on both theological and social issues." (http://www.ewtn.com/vnews/getstory.asp?number=89626) According to the report, "the Pew Forum found that 48% of Catholics respondents favor legal abortion (16% in all cases, 32% in most cases), while only 18% agree that abortion should always be illegal. A substantial majority of the Catholics polled-- 58%-- said that society should accept homosexuality. On theological issues, only 16% of American Catholics believe that the Church is the one true means of salvation."

This shouldn't surprise anyone given the morally relativistic culture we live in. Your truth is your truth, and my truth is mine, and we agree not to pass judgment on one another. What better fertile ground for the concept of primacy of conscience to blossom?

Australian Archbishop George Pell best defined primacy of conscience as "secular relativism with a religious face." Dissenting Catholics embrace primacy of conscience as their "get out of jail free card", because it allows them to justify their refusal to accept Church teachings: "After all, I'm just following the conscience that God gave me. I'm making the choice I feel is right. How can I be held responsible for a bad choice if I only followed my heart, my conscience?"


Well, guess what? You will be held responsible.


The problem with primacy of conscience is that it assumes the conscience in question is mature and well-formed. In many cases this is not true. The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches the following in regards to the formation of our consciences:


“In the formation of conscience the Word of God is the light for our path, we must assimilate it in faith and prayer and put it into practice. We must also examine our conscience before the Lord's Cross. We are assisted by the gifts of the Holy Spirit, aided by the witness or advice of others and guided by the authoritative teaching of the Church” (Catechism, 1785).


Refusing to be 'guided by the authoritative teaching of the Church' is to willfully reject the proper formation of our consciences. Our consciences stagnate, leaving us in a state of ignorance for which we are responsible:

"A human being must always obey the certain judgment of his conscience. If he were deliberately to act against it, he would condemn himself. Yet it can happen that moral conscience remains in ignorance and makes erroneous judgments about acts to be performed or already committed. This ignorance can often be imputed to personal responsibility. This is the case when a man 'takes little trouble to find out what is true and good, or when conscience is by degrees almost blinded through the habit of committing sin.' In such cases, the person is culpable for the evil he commits." (Catechism 1790, 1791)

Pray. Pray for those who willfully scorn the Church's teachings and for those who mistakenly believe that our consciences alone can distinguish between right and wrong. Otherwise, there will be many smiling souls who will be surprised to learn that the path they are treading leads not to the Beatific Vision, but to the place where Dante warns, "Abandon all hope, ye who enter here." (Inferno, Canto Three)


Donald Tremblay

Adam and Eve . . . Or is it Cornelius and Zira?

“Take your stinking paws off me you damn, dirty ape!”

This famous line from the film classic The Planet of the Apes has taken on new meaning thanks to a decision last week by the Spanish Parliament: “Spain's parliament voiced its support on Wednesday for the rights of great apes to life and freedom in what will apparently be the first time any national legislature has called for such rights for non-humans.” (http://www.reuters.com/article/scienceNews/idUSL256586320080625) According to Reuters, “Keeping apes for circuses, television commercials or filming will also be forbidden and breaking the new laws will become an offence under Spain 's penal code.”

I kid you not.

If it wasn’t so frightening it would be laughable.

"This is a historic day in the struggle for animal rights and in defense of our evolutionary comrades, which will doubtless go down in the history of humanity," said Pedro Pozas, Spanish director of the Great Apes Project. Evolutionary comrades? Although it would be tempting to dismiss these ridiculous comments as proof of an unknown gas leak in the Spanish parliamentary building, Pozas statements are in actuality indicative of the chaotic views of our increasingly secular, anti-Christian western society.

Scripture tells us that God made Man in His own image. Secularism rejects God and tells us that Man is merely a rational animal, with the emphasis placed on the word animal. Few realize that once God is rejected, Man’s self-view as a transcendent creature with the authority “to fill the earth, and subdue it” is discarded as well (Genesis 1:28). Ultimately, Man is of no greater value than an ape, or any other creature, despite Christ’s words to his apostles as he sent them off on their first mission:

“29 Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and not one of them shall fall on the ground without your Father. 30 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 Fear not therefore: better are you than many sparrows.” (Matthew 10: 29-31)

Proof of this equating animal life with human life can be found among the extreme sect of the animal rights movement. Here are a few examples from news items published during the past few years:

· During the past two decades, radical environmental and animal rights groups have claimed responsibility for hundreds of crimes and acts of terrorism, including arson, bombings, vandalism and harassment, causing more than $100 million in damage. (ADL - http://www.adl.org/Learn/Ext_US/Ecoterrorism.asp)

· On July 30 the government of Prime Minister Tony Blair unveiled its latest plan to combat extremists operating on British soil. Irish Republican Army militants? Islamist radicals? No: animal-rights activists. (Aug 30, 2004, Business Week-European Business: http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/04_35/b3897069_mz054.htm)

• Officials in Indian-Kashmir have poisoned hundreds of dogs and aim to kill all 100,000 strays in the region's main city - saying the animals pose a risk to humans and make urban life unbearable. With the world's highest rabies fatality rate, India has long struggled to control its millions of stray dogs, a problem exacerbated by rapidly growing cities and slums. Animal rights activists vowed Thursday to go to court to stop the slaughter planned by Srinagar , saying it is an illegal and cruel solution to a problem that could be addressed in other ways. (Associated Press - Friday, March 7, 2008: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/03/07/MNT2VEUPC.DTL)

Spain may be the first nation to devalue human life by officially proposing measures that subordinate Man to the level of the animal kingdom, but don’t expect it to be the last. In fact, don’t be surprised if the United Nations jumps on board and adds a “Wildlife Civil Rights” clause to its charter.

Donald Tremblay