Reasonably Well: Fr. Edward B. Connolly's Blog

In Fond Memory of Avery Cardinal Dulles

Sun, 14 Dec 2008 19:40:00 -0700

“Many politicians, like much of the American public, seem to be unaware that abortion and euthanasia are serious violations of the inalienable right to life. These are not just 'Church' issues but are governed by the natural law of God, which is binding upon all human beings. The right to life is the most fundamental of all rights, since a person deprived of life has no other rights.”

Avery Cardinal Dulles

Avery Dulles died on Friday, 12 December, at the age of 90. He was one of the greatest persons I ever met. Certainly, he was one of the most brilliant persons I ever knew in my life. And, although we tread on dangerous grounds when we speculate about holiness, I would venture to say that he was a man of profound holiness. I came to know him when I was a student in Boston College and he was one of my teachers. I knew even then that I was rubbing elbows with greatness. Some years later, I happened to run into him on the campus of Catholic University in Washington, DC. He was out taking a walk with Fr. Joseph Zalotay, another great teacher of mine. We chatted briefly.

A couple of years ago, I drove up to Scranton in order to attend a lecture he was giving. Afterwards, we spoke a few personal words to one another. That was the last time I saw him.

As a man grows older, he thinks about “fathers”. I am growing older. I think about my own father. And I think about other men --- older men --- whose paths have intersected mine and who have done me good. Almost all of them are dead now. Avery Dulles was one of the few who were still among the living. Now Avery is gone.

A light has gone out.

I look forward to a reunion someday with these many good fathers — my own father first and then the other fathers who have taught me by word and example how to be a man and how to be passionate for the truth and how to love God with all my heart, mind, soul and strength. Fathers like Avery Dulles.

May he rest in peace and may he be raised up in splendor on the last day.

When Does Life Begin, Senator Obama?

Mon, 01 Sep 2008 08:54:00 -0700

August 31, 2008 - St. Joseph Church Bulletin, Girardville, PA

THERE IS NO ONE SO BLIND AS THE ONE WHO REFUSES TO SEE

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi was being interviewed by Tom Brokaw on 24 August 2008.

As part of the interview, Mr. Brokaw played a portion of a videotape of a conversation between Pastor Rick Warren and Senator Barack Obama. This conversation took place on 16 August 2008.

Please read the following:

MR. BROKAW (addressing Speaker Pelosi): There was a very well publicized and very effective interview by Pastor Rick Warren at the Saddleback Church in California of the two candidates recently. And on the right — especially — response from Senator Obama to the question of when life begins has been getting a lot of attention. We want to just share with you how that went, and then you can take a look at it and, and respond to it for us.

(Plays videotape from 16 Aug)

PASTOR WARREN: At what point does a baby get human rights, in your view?

SEN. OBAMA: Well, you know, I think that whether you're looking at it from a theological perspective or a scientific perspective, answering that question with specificity, you know, is, is above my pay grade.

MR. BROKAW: Senator Obama saying the question of when life begins is above his pay grade, whether you're looking at it scientifically or theologically. If he were to come to you and say, "Help me out here, Madame Speaker. When does life begin?" what would you tell him?

SPEAKER PELOSI: I would say that as an ardent, practicing Catholic, this is an issue that I have studied for a long time. And what I know is, over the centuries, the doctors of the church have not been able to make that definition. And Senator--St. Augustine said at three months. We don't know. The point is, is that it shouldn't have an impact on the woman's right to choose. Roe v. Wade talks about very clear definitions of when the child--first trimester, certain considerations; second trimester; not so third trimester. There's very clear distinctions. This isn't about abortion on demand, it's about a careful, careful consideration of all factors and--to--that a woman has to make with her doctor and her god. And so I don't think anybody can tell you when life begins, human life begins. As I say, the Catholic Church for centuries has been discussing this, and there are those who've decided...

MR. BROKAW: The Catholic Church at the moment feels very strongly that it...

SPEAKER PELOSI: I understand that.

MR. BROKAW: ...begins at the point of conception.

SPEAKER PELOSI: I understand. And this is like maybe 50 years or something like that. So again, over the history of the church, this is an issue of controversy. But it is, it is also true that God has given us, each of us, a free will and a responsibility to answer for our actions. And we want abortions to be safe, rare, and reduce the number of abortions. That's why we have this fight in Congress over contraception. My Republican colleagues do not support contraception. If you want to reduce the number of abortions, and we all do, we must--it would behoove you to support family planning and, and contraception, you would think. But that is not the case. So we have to take--you know, we have to handle this as respectfully--this is sacred ground. We have to handle it very respectfully and not politicize it, as it has been--and I'm not saying Rick Warren did, because I don't think he did, but others will try to.

MR. BROKAW: Madame Speaker, thanks very much for being with us.

SPEAKER PELOSI: It's my pleasure. Thank you.

In regard to this, please note the following memos:

To: The Honorable Barack Obama
From: Fr. E. B. Connolly

Dear Senator:

The question Pastor Warren asked you was as follows: “At what point does a baby get human rights?” You responded by saying that the answer to such a question is “above my pay grade”. That is mildly humorous, Senator, but I’m afraid we can’t let you off the hook. A man of your intelligence, attainments and aspirations needs to do better than that.

The answer to the question is this: A human being gets human rights as soon as he or she is human, which means as soon as he or she comes into existence. A human being comes into existence in the fallopian tube of his or her mother. A spermatozoon from the father human enters an ovum from the mother human and — bam! — you’ve got yourself a brand new human being. But why am I explaining this to a United States Senator? Maybe your Dad never took you aside for “the talk”? Or maybe you fell asleep in Health class in 9th grade? If so, please feel free to give me a call. We’ll make an appointment and I’ll explain it all to you in greater detail.

Respectfully, etc.
EBC

To: The Honorable Nancy Pelosi
From: Fr. E. B. Connolly

Dear Madame Speaker:

I am disappointed in you. You come from a nice Italian Catholic family in Baltimore. I think you even went to parochial school for a while, didn’t you? How could you possibly say what you said? You said — and with a straight face — that the Catholic Church was confused about when life begins and that we only started to take a position on the matter “like maybe 50 years (ago) or something like that”. That is the most incredible and outrageous twisting of the truth I have come across since the last time you opened your mouth. Please repent, go to confession and make a public retraction.

I wish you a long life and a healthy one, but we all have to die sometime. Even Speakers of the House have to die. When you do, I would like you to wind up in Heaven. I warn you that it is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit to spread lies about what the Church has and has not taught.

Respectfully, etc.
EBC

Excerpt from the Platform of the Democratic Party

Sun, 31 Aug 2008 08:42:00 -0700

August 31, 2008 - St. Joseph Church Bulletin, Girardville, PA

EXCERPT FROM THE PLATFORM

THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY

The following statement (part of the platform) was officially accepted at the quadrennial Democratic National Convention held last week in Denver CO.

"The Democratic Party strongly and unequivocally supports Roe v. Wade and a woman's right to choose a safe and legal abortion, regardless of ability to pay, and we oppose any and all efforts to weaken or undermine that right. The Democratic Party also strongly supports access to affordable family planning services and comprehensive age-appropriate sex education which empowers people to make informed choices and live healthy lives. We also recognize that such health care and education help reduce the number of unintended pregnancies and thereby also reduce the need for abortions. The Democratic Party also strongly supports a woman's decision to have a child by ensuring access to and availability of programs for pre- and post-natal health care, parenting skills, income support, and caring adoption programs."

We can all be grateful to the Democratic Party for being upfront and unequivocal about the fact that it strongly supports unrestricted abortion — 24 / 7 / 365, at all times and all places and under all circumstances, with or without parental consent in the case of minors — together with the obligation of the American taxpayer to pay for same. Abortion is, of course, the act of homicide directed against an unborn child. Such forthrightness on the part of the Democratic Party is helpful to the public, because it removes ambiguity. Please note that the phrase “family planning services” means, most of all, artificial contraception — which, not infrequently, includes de facto early-term abortions.

Blessing of the Beasts, Oct. 4

Sun, 31 Aug 2008 08:02:00 -0700

August 31, 2008 - St. Joseph Church Bulletin, Girardville, PA

DO YOU HAVE ANY BEASTS IN YOUR HOUSE?

If you do, please let them know that there will be a BLESSING OF THE BEASTS on Saturday, 4 October, at 12:00 noon. On the Catholic liturgical calendar, the fourth day of October is the Memorial of St. Francis of Assisi.

If you don’t like the expression “Blessing of the Beasts”, we could always tone it down and call it “Blessing of the Animals”.

However, I find that Kateri (rhymes with “battery”), who is the Official Cat of the Catholic parishes of Girardville, has a preference for the word “BEAST”. She says it makes her sound more awesome and, by doing so, boosts her self-esteem. We try to make her happy!

So, mark down the time and the date and tell your beast(s) to do the same.

The blessing will take place in the Yard of St. Vincent dePaul Rectory — on the grass, not in the parking lot.

Beasts to be blessed need not be members of either parish. In fact, they don’t even have to be Catholic. However, as a minimum requirement for being blessed, your beast should believe in the Creator God and should respect St. Francis of Assisi.

Governor Sarah Palin - Fiercely Against Abortion

Fri, 29 Aug 2008 09:08:00 -0700

August 31, 2008 - St. Joseph Church Bulletin, Girardville, PA

Governor

SARAH HEATH PALIN

“fiercely against abortion”

I turned on the TV this afternoon (29 Aug). Senator McCain had promised to announce his choice for vice-presidential running mate.It blew my mind when he announced that he had chosen Sarah Palin, the Governor of Alaska. I had heard that she was “on the list” but I didn’t take it seriously. I didn’t think John McCain would take the risk of putting such a strong pro-lifer on the ticket.

I have to confess to being delighted when I heard that he had chosen her. She will help to make this an interesting election!

I laughed when I heard MSNBC commentator Andrea Mitchell say — with a somewhat pained expression on her face — that Governor Palin is “fiercely against abortion”. (I am fairly certain that Andrea’s views on abortion are 180 degrees removed from Sarah’s!)

For the benefit of those who might not know:

Governor Palin is the most outstanding pro-life governor in the United States.

She is the mother of five children: boy-girl-girl-girl-boy. Noteworthy is that the eldest is 19, in the Army and scheduled to be deployed to Iraq. Even more noteworthy is that the youngest (4 months old) has Down’s syndrome. Sarah and her husband were well aware of this fact while the child was in utero. They made it abundantly clear that they welcomed him with open hearts and open arms.

Commenting casually on the fact that her fifth child has Down’s Syndrome, here is a quote from the Governor when she was being interviewed a few days after giving birth to the little boy:

“I’m looking at him right now, and I see perfection. Yeah, he has an extra chromosome. I keep thinking, in our world, what is normal and what is perfect?”

DISCLAIMER
For the benefit of those who tend to get nervous about the intersection of politics with church bulletins, I beg to point out that neither of the two Girardville parishes, nor their pastor, takes any public position whatsoever on any candidate for public office nor do we support or oppose any political party — except I think it’s safe to say that we oppose the Communist Party. And, oh yes, by the way, we also oppose the American Nazi Party. I’m not sure if the ANP is still in business but, if they are, we definitely oppose them. It’s okay to say that in a parish bulletin, isn’t it? If it’s not okay, then I take it back.

Choice of Biden Re-Opens Catholic Wound

Sun, 24 Aug 2008 08:31:00 -0700

August 24, 2008 - St. Joseph Church Bulletin, Girardville, PA

Choice of Biden Re-Opens Catholic Wound

Own Bishop Outspoken on Obligation to Protect Life

CHICAGO, Aug 23, 2008 /PRNewswire-USNewswire via COMTEX/ -- The selection of Delaware Senator Joseph Biden as the vice presidential running mate of Barack Obama poses a major challenge for American Catholics, according to Fidelis, a national Catholic-based advocacy group.

Fidelis warned late last month that a pro-abortion Catholic choice as a vice presidential candidate would offend many Catholics who have struggled with the scandal of prominent pro-abortion Catholic politicians like Senator Biden.

Fidelis President Brian Burch commented, "Barack Obama has re-opened a wound among American Catholics by picking a pro-abortion Catholic politician. The American bishops have made clear that Catholic political leaders must defend the dignity of every human person, including the unborn. Sadly, Joe Biden's tenure in the United States Senate has been marked by steadfast support for legal abortion."

During the recent Democratic primary campaign Biden said: "I am a long-standing supporter of Roe v. Wade and a woman's right to choose."

In 2004, John Kerry's support for abortion sparked a nationwide controversy over whether Catholics who support legal abortion can receive Communion. The debate was re-activated in 2007 when several bishops criticized Rudy Guiliani, also a pro-abortion Catholic.

"Now everywhere Biden campaigns, we'll have this question of whether a pro-abortion Catholic can receive Communion. Senator Biden is an unrepentant supporter of abortion in direct opposition to the Church he claims as his own. Selecting a pro-abortion Catholic is a slap in the face to Catholic voters," said Burch.

Biden's own bishop, Bishop Michael Saltarelli of Wilmington, Del., has said that the issues pertaining to the sanctity of human life are the "great civil rights issues of this generation."

Bishop Saltarelli denounced the notion that politicians can 'personally oppose' abortion, but refuse to pass laws protecting the unborn.

"No one today would accept this statement from any public servant: 'I am personally opposed to human slavery and racism but will not impose my personal conviction in the legislative arena.' Likewise, none of us should accept this statement from any public servant: "I am personally opposed to abortion but will not impose my personal conviction in the legislative arena," said Bishop Saltarelli.

In fact, Bishop Saltarelli made clear that pro-abortion Catholic politicians should refrain from receiving the Eucharist.

"The promotion of abortion by any Catholic is a grave and serious matter. Objectively, according to the constant teaching of the Scriptures and the Church, it would be more spiritually beneficial for such a person to refrain from receiving the Body and Blood of Christ. I ask Catholics in this position to have the integrity to respect the Eucharist, Catholic teaching and the Catholic faithful."

Burch concluded: "The American bishops have instructed Catholic voters to consider many issues, but have characterized the defense of human life as 'foundational' and have explained that the issue has a special claim on the conscience of the Catholic voter. This means that a political candidate like Biden, because of his strong support for abortion rights, forfeits any claim for support despite his views on other issues like health care and the economy."

Note: The pastor of St. Joseph Parish and St. Vincent dePaul Parish recognizes his civil obligation to refrain from using parish property or resources in order to support or to oppose any particular candidate or political party. At the same time, he asserts his pastoral obligation and constitutional right to instruct his people about their moral obligations in the exercise of their right to vote and to inform them about the positions of political parties and candidates in the most crucial human life issues of our time: (a) abortion; (b) stem cell research; (c) sanctity of marriage; (d) reproduction; (e) parental rights; (f) war; (g) death penalty. Any seeming conflict between these two obligations will be resolved in as prudential a manner as possible.

August 15 - Holy Day of Obligation

Wed, 13 Aug 2008 11:22:00 -0700

August 10, 2008 - St. Joseph Church Bulletin, Girardville, PA

A few words to those who — all things considered and given their druthers — would druther go to Heaven than go to Hell:

First of all, let me affirm you in your desire to go to Heaven rather than Hell. You have made the right decision. Now, all you need to do is supplement your decision with actions. In regard to that, please note that Friday, 15 August, is the Solemnity known as THE ASSUMPTION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, BODY AND SOUL, INTO HEAVEN or, for short, THE ASSUMPTION.

Church Law commands all Catholics who are not excused for a serious reason to attend Mass this coming Friday (or Thursday vigil).Persons who are excused include, but are not limited to, the following: (a) persons who are so sick they cannot leave the house without harm to themselves or to others; (b) persons who have fallen down and can’t get up; (c) persons who have gotten up but can’t fall down; (d) astronauts currently in orbit around one of the outer planets of this solar system or any planet of some other solar system; (e) persons who are certifiably deceased.

So, please make sure you get to Mass this coming Friday (or Thursday afternoon or evening.) To do so is a serious obligation. If a person, with full knowledge and full consent of the will, were to refuse to fulfill this obligation, he or she would be committing a mortal sin. Trust me: you don’t want to be in the state of mortal sin!

A few words about Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion

Sun, 10 Aug 2008 11:07:00 -0700

August 10, 2008 - St. Joseph Church Bulletin, Girardville, PA

[Please note that nothing that I write here is “just my opinion”. Everything I write here is fact. Everything I write here is based on Church law and can easily be documented. If anyone tells you that anything I write here about terminology or about the role of Extraordinary Ministers is incorrect or slanted or out of date or “the opinion of a right-winger”, please tell that person to produce the evidence.]

#1 — There is no such thing in the Catholic Church as an Extraordinary Eucharistic Minister (or Extraordinary Minister of the Eucharist). There never has been and there never will be. The only kinds of “Eucharistic ministers” that exist or that have ever existed are bishops and presbyters. Bishops and presbyters (what we commonly call “priests”) are the only persons who have the power to offer the Mass, i.e. to consecrate the bread and wine. Because bishops and presbyters are the only ministers of the Eucharist, then the term “ordinary minister of the Eucharist” is superfluous and is never used, because it implies that there might be some “extraordinary minister of the Eucharist”, but there is not. Not even a deacon is a minister of the Eucharist! Bishops and presbyters are both “sacerdos”, but a deacon is not a “sacerdos”. One must be a “sacerdos” to be a minister of the Eucharist.

#2 — We have to distinguish between “Holy Eucharist” and “Holy Communion”. The terms are not interchangeable. “Holy Communion” is the act whereby a person receives the Holy Eucharist from some other person (known as a “minister of Holy Communion”). There are ordinary ministers of Holy Communion and there are extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion. The ordinary ministers of Holy Communion are three and only three: bishops, presbyters (priests) and deacons.

#3 — In ideal circumstances, there will always be a sufficient number of Ordinary Ministers of Holy Communion (OMHC) to take care of the needs of the congregation. In less-than-ideal circumstances, there might be a need for the bishop — usually at the request of the pastor of the parish — to appoint one or more laypersons to serve as Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion (EMHC).

#4 — Very important to note is this: It is considered desirable — even ideal — that laypersons should assist the priest at Mass as lectors, cantors and servers. A pastor does well if he tries to recruit and encourage laypersons to fill these roles at Mass. A pastor should look for opportunities to include as many members of his parish as possible (as long as they are competent) in the roles of lector, cantor and server. However, it is not considered desirable — and it is far from the ideal — that a pastor should look for opportunities to include laypersons as Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion. If there is a clear and unmistakable NEED for a parish to have EMHC, then the pastor would probably do well to train a few (a very few) members of his congregation to serve as EMHC and then ask the bishop to appoint them. However — and here is where the liberal Catholic will exit screaming — it is always sad to see laypersons distributing Holy Communion. Why? Because it implies one of two things: (a) that the diocese / parish is not producing sufficient priests and deacons to tend to the needs of the people or (b) that the element of Catholic faith known as “Eucharistic awe” has been sadly diminished in favor of some sort of “Fellowship of Word and Bread” and the parish is moving towards Catholicism Lite — an ersatz religion for which our fathers were definitely not chained in prisons dark.

#5 — Some priests, may God forgive them, have gone so far as to concoct situations in which laypersons will distribute Holy Communion while they (the priests) busy themselves with something else. Pope John Paul II said that priests who do this betray a “reprehensible” attitude.

Seventeen New Human Beings!

Sun, 29 Jun 2008 00:00:00 -0700

The word from Gloucester High School, Gloucester (MA) is that seventeen students are pregnant. Some people think this is unmitigated bad news. I don't think so. I think it is - dare I say it? - sort of kind of GOOD news! Now I won't go so far as to say that it is PERFECTLY MARVELOUS good news. It's mixed-bag news, but much more GOOD than BAD!

You have to admit that it's a whole lot better news than some news we've heard lately coming out of high schools! I mean the kind of news that tells us that some adolescent sociopath snuck an AK-47 into Problems of Democracy and bumped off a teacher, a vice-principal, fourteen of his peers and himself - all before Lunch.

Much rather would I like to hear news about high-school kids who are actively engaged in increasing the human population rather than decreasing it.

Don't jump to any hasty conclusions now!

I am not (repeat NOT) in favor of teenage fornication. In fact, I'm not in favor of adult fornication. In fact - and you can quote me on this - I'm totally against fornication by anybody at any time! My negative attitude towards fornication has everything to do with my Catholic faith. I'm against fornication because God is against it.

HOWEVER - and we've dealt with this subject before in this bulletin, have we not? - fornication combined with artificial contraception is FAR more sinful than fornication plain and simple. In fact, consensual intercourse engaged in by two unmarried teenagers who are not using any artificial contraception is not nearly as sinful as intercourse engaged in by a married couple who are using artificial contraception.

Before reading any further, please re-read that last paragraph. Recognize how utterly counter-cultural it is! Recognize also that it is indisputably true.

Recognize also that, if you do not know that it is true, then the fact is that (a) you have never learned the truth or else (b) having once learned the truth, like Demas, enamored of the world, you have departed from it.

Let's give those seventeen Gloucester Girls some credit. At least they know that the Creator, when He invented birds and bees, very definitely had reproduction in mind. After all, what do we call those parts of the anatomy? We call them "the reproductive organs", do we not?

So, let's do some high-fives for seventeen new human beings. May God bless, protect and preserve the babies! May they be healthy, wealthy and wise. May they be happy. May they all get baptized and learn about Jesus and get good marks in school and get good jobs and pay taxes so that I keep getting my Social Security check and may they be givers of love and receivers of love and have some good laughs and sing some funny songs and do some good deeds and discover a cure for cancer and a car engine that runs on water and go to Heaven to worship God and the Lamb.

By the way, Gloucester is a very Catholic town - and heavily Italian and Portuguese. Our world is blessed to have more Italians and Portuguese. They are wonderful people! And, Lord knows we need more Catholics!

Fatal Attraction

Sat, 28 Jun 2008 14:51:00 -0700

I just watched (on DVD) the 1987 film Fatal Attraction. I have some vague memory that I might have seen it when it first came out. But, if so, it did not make the impression on me that it did the second time around. There are some explicit scenes that, in my opinion, should have been edited out. However, one cannot deny that it is a powerful film. It is really an excellent and powerful morality play:

(a) Actions have consequences.

(b) When you bond physically, you bond spiritually (or psychologically) whether you intend to do so or not.

(c) Sex is always a big deal.

(d) Don’t stray from the plantation.

These are the obvious “lessons to be drawn.” Every reasonably intelligent adult (I guess) deduces these from watching the film.

However, there are a couple of other “lessons to be drawn” that are a bit more subtle:

(a) A wife/mother should not be so consumed with childcare as to neglect her husband.

(b) She should never let her five- or six-year-old child usurp her husband’s place in bed with her.

(c) Participation in sexual banter, sexual jokes, and sexual flirtations at the workplace has the effect of grinding down a man’s integrity and rendering him vulnerable when the Evil One makes his move.

(d) Contraception for the sake of upward mobility breeds disaster.

Everyone—with the exception of those who are utterly debased—agrees that adultery is immoral. The reason adultery is immoral is that it is a violation of the solemn compact made with one’s spouse, viz., to be faithful and to “keep the marriage bed undefiled.” Some people labor under false information about what constitutes adultery. They think that, if a person is unmarried, he or she cannot possibly commit adultery. That is not true. Adultery is defined as a sexual act between a married person and someone other than his or her spouse. If the “someone other than” is a single person, then the act is “simple adultery.” If the “someone other than” is a married person, then the act is “double adultery.”

In the film Fatal Attraction, it seems that we are dealing with “simple” adultery because, although the Michael Douglas character is married, it seems that the Glenn Close character is single. I say “seems that the Glenn Close character is single” even though one might say from watching the film that it is definite that she is single. We don’t know that for sure. It is possible, even likely, that she is divorced.

A caution is necessary here. The Catholic Church does not consider divorced persons to be single persons. A divorced person is a married person unless and until the Church decrees the nullity of the marriage. Someone might say that the Catholic Church is absurd and/or out to lunch and/or stuck in the thirteenth century or some such thing. These observations, while entertaining, are irrelevant to the truth of the matter. The truth is the truth, especially when it makes us uncomfortable.

But what about plain and simple fornication? What is wrong with that? Well, there is plenty “wrong with that,” but we need to stick to our main topic, which is adultery. Let’s define fornication: Fornication is sexual intercourse between two single persons. Is it forbidden? Yes, it is clearly forbidden in the Scriptures and in the teachings of the Church throughout the ages. But is fornication as sinful as adultery? No, fornication is not quite as sinful as adultery, but that does not mean that it is not sinful. Fornication is grave matter. Therefore, fornication is almost always mortally sinful. Only lack of knowledge or lack of freedom of will could possibly make an act of fornication something less serious than a mortal sin. But here is the main point: fornication is excellent rehearsal for adultery! The more “sexual experience” a person has had prior to marrying, especially if that sexual experience has not been thoroughly repented of, confessed, and absolved, the more likely he or she is to violate the marriage compact.

The best preparation for a marriage free from the horror of infidelity is a single life free from fornication. Whether married or single, our bodies do not belong to ourselves. Our bodies belong to the Lord and the Lord is for the body.

The 98 year old Mother Superior from Ireland was dying...

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 00:00:00 -0700

The 98 year old Mother Superior from Ireland was dying. The nuns gathered around her bed trying to make her last journey comfortable. They gave her some warm milk to drink but she refused. Then one of the nuns took the glass back to the kitchen. Remembering a bottle of Irish whiskey received as a gift the previous Christmas, she opened and poured a generous amount into the warm milk. Back at Mother Superior's bed, she held the glass to her lips. Mother drank a little, then a little more and before they knew it, she had drunk the whole glass down to the last drop. "Mother," the nuns asked with earnest, "please give us some wisdom before you die."

She raised herself up in bed and with a pious look on her face said, "Don't sell that cow!"

The Title of This Blog

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 00:00:00 -0700

This blog is entitled "Reasonably Well" because this is the standard response Rev. Edward B. Connolly will give every, single time you ask him "How are you?". This is a fitting title for his blog also because all the topics he posts about have, as a root, the personal reality of his being "reasonably well" among the subjects. Enjoy his blog. -- Anthony Buono