My soul proclaims the greatness of Obama
From the “Obamessiah” files comes yet another whopper from an Obama supporter, calmly passed along by the mainstream media. In this case, it’s our old friend, Rev. Jeremiah “God damn America” Wright comparing Barack Obama to the Virgin Mary, as reported by the New York Times. This is a change from the more usual comparisons of Obama to Jesus Christ.
“Lord told him, an ordinary black boy, ‘You can be a state senator and you can bring folk to the bargaining table who not only do not talk to one another, these folk don’t like one another.’
“He did what the Lord said,” Mr. Wright continued, “an ordinary black boy like Mary was an ordinary little girl.”
Of course, what Wright didn’t tell us is what Obama said in reply. We’ll call it the “Magnificent Cat”:
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Mass media proclaim the greatness of the Obama
Your spirit rejoices in Barry, your savior
For he has looked with earmarks upon his base.
From Election Day, all demographics will call themselves blessed
The BO Man has passed great entitlements for us
And, Hey!, Hussein is NOT his name.
He is the one we’ve been waiting for.
He is the change that we seek.
He has mercy on those who fear him
In every Republican.
He has shown the strength of his polling
He has scattered the journalists in their fawning dispatches
He has cast down the middle class from their suburbs
And has given tingles to Chris Matthews.
He has filled the power-hungry liberals with promises of change
And the rich (Republicans) he has sent away with empty pockets.
He has come to the help of his servant Pelosi
For has remembered his promises of incumbency
The promise he made to the lobbyists
To Biden and his lobbyist son forever.
See the actual Magnificat of Mary of which this is a parody.
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Our historic Mass with Cardinal Sean
Yesterday dawned as an amazingly beautiful day, following the last rainy remnants of Hurricane Hanna. It was a perfect day for the celebration at our parish, Immaculate Conception Church in Salem, commemorating the 150th anniversary of the dedication of the present church. The parish was founded in 1826 and the current church was dedicated in 1858 and is now the oldest parish church in the Archdiocese of Boston. On such a momentous occasion Cardinal Sean O’Malley graciously agreed to come and celebrate Mass for us.
As you can see in the musical slideshow below, the church was filled and joyful. (You’ll also catch a glimpse of me and Melanie and the kids a couple of times.) The photos were taken by George Martell, a gifted photojournalist with more than 30 years experience working as a newspaper photographer and a wedding photojournalist. If you look at his his Web site you can see why I say photojournalist and not just photographer because he documents the event, and doesn’t just take snapshots.
The music was very nice, featuring both Spanish and English hymns, for the sake of both of long-time English-speaking parishioners and the newer community of mostly Spanish-speaking immigrants from the Caribbean. The readings were also bilingual and the cardinal—who is fluent in Spanish—gave his homily in both Spanish and English and recited some of the Mass prayers in Spanish from memory too. There was also an incidental tribute to the French heritage of Salem because our new transitional deacon, who will be staying with us for the year, is a native Frenchman.
After the Mass, there was a luncheon in our church hall, which was yet another great opportunity to celebrate. It was great to catch up with folks we don’t see all the time because they go to a different Mass normally.
It was really a blast and perhaps the biggest turnout for any parish event in a longtime. I’m really happy about it and I think it could be very good for the parish.
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My parish’s religious art as it was in 1916
Those who are interested in old Catholic church art might be interested in this set of scans I made of a 1916 booklet called Decorations of Immaculate Conception Church, Salem, Massachusetts 1916. The scans include photos of the high altar as well as details and descriptions of art which no longer exists. It has long been painted over, which is a tragedy.
Immaculate Conception, my parish, is the second-oldest parish in the Archdiocese of Boston, after the cathedral-parish, having been founded in 1826. It is also the oldest parish dedicated to Mary in New England, and this weekend we will also celebrate the 150th anniversary of the dedication of the current church, which makes it the oldest parish church in eastern Massachusetts. (Only St. Augustine chapel in the Catholic cemetery in South Boston is older.)
At my pastor’s request I wrote an uncredited article that appears in this week’s issue of The Pilot, the archdiocesan newspaper. We will be celebrating a special Mass at 11am in the church this Sunday with Cardinal O’Malley.
As for the artwork, I offer it for your consideration and for posterity.
And the following is an excerpt from Origin of the Catholic Church in Salem and Its Growth in St. Mary’s Parish and the Parish of the Immaculate Conception, written by then-Father Louis Walsh, a native son of Salem who would later become Bishop of Portland, Maine, in 1890, on the 100th anniversary of the first Catholic Mass in Salem.
The first Dedication of the Church of the Immaculate Conception took place on Sunday morning, January 10, 1858, and seems to have been accompanied with all possible solemnity, as it was the “greatest Catholic ceremony” yet seen in Salem or in Essex County.
The weather was remarkably fine for the season. Long before the hour fixed for the ceremony, the church, excepting the aisles and vestibule, was crowded, and a still larger number of persons remained outside. Many were present who had witnesses the Dedication of Old St. Mary’s in 1832, and a few of these are still living in our parish. Many Protestants came, and were treated with great courtesy and attention, the best seats in the church being cheerfully offered to them. The doors and aisles were guarded and kept open by a delegation from the “Father Mathew Temperance Society” and the “Irish Reading-Room Association,” whose members marched in procession to the church.
In a short preliminary instruction, Father McElroy, S.J., of Boston, explained to the very attentive hearers, the nature, order, and design of the Dedication Ceremonies, and thus rendered them more interesting and impressive. Then, from the sacristy, came the cross-bearer, between two acolytes; next in order several altar-boys, seven or eight priests, dressed in cassock and surplice, the Right Rev. Bishop Bacon, D.D., of Portland, and finally, accompanied by deacon and subdeacon, and arrayed in cope and mitre, Right Rev. Bishop Fitzpatrick, D.D., Bishop of Boston, “whose imposing presence” attracted the especial attention of the congregation. The procession moved down the middle aisle to the outside main door; and after a short prayer by the Bishop, continued around the entire edifice, while the Pontiff sprinkled the walls, and the clergy chanted the penitential psalm, “Misere.” The circuit being made, and a second prayer recited, the procession entered the church; and when all had reached the sanctuary, the clergy and choir chanted solemnly, in Latin, the “Litany of the Saints,” during which the Bishop invoked upon the church and altar “the special blessing” of God, and thereby dedicated it to His honor, under the title of the “Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary.” A third prayer was then chanted, and the procession moved around the outer aisles of the interior, while the Bishop sprinkled the walls with holy water, and the chant of “psalms of joy” resounded through the sacred edifice. When the sanctuary was reached, a last and beautiful prayer was chanted aloud by the Bishop, and the solemn Amen, closed the Benediction rite.
The doors of the church were then opened to the throng of people outside, and in a few minutes, every available spot was occupied by no less than three thousand persons.
The Solemn High Mass followed …
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One loves America; one seeks to be loved by America
John McCain’s convention speech last night contained a small section that cast in stark relief the difference between his worldview and that of Barak Obama’s, as illustrated in something Michelle Obama has said.
After recounting how his imprisonment and torture in a North Vietnamese prison for American POWs turned from a prideful, selfish, and arrogant young man into a broken but resolute, humbler man, McCain revealed this about himself.
I fell in love with my country when I was a prisoner in someone else’s. I loved it not just for the many comforts of life here. I loved it for its decency; for its faith in the wisdom, justice and goodness of its people. I loved it because it was not just a place, but an idea, a cause worth fighting for. I was never the same again. I wasn’t my own man anymore. I was my country’s.
Contrast that sentiment with Michelle Obama’s statement that now her husband is poised on verge of being elected president, she’s only now proud of her country.
“People in this country are ready for change and hungry for a different kind of politics and … for the first time in my adult life I am proud of my country because it feels like hope is finally making a comeback.”
For John McCain, his love for his country blossomed when he realized that he owed it everything he is, while the Obamas have only come to love America when they see it about to do something for them. (Yes, I recognize that Michelle said this and not Barak, but he has never repudiated the statement and much of the rhetoric from both his own speeches and from his supporters echoes Michelle’s intent.)
Who most closely fulfills the exhortation with which John F. Kennedy challenged America during his inaugural address in 1961?
Ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country.
Which one serves—and has served—America and which one asks to be given something, to make him great so that he may make America great in his image? Which one loves American unconditionally and which one has put conditions on that love.
Photo credit: US Navy photo.
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Cardinal coming to celebrate our church’s 150th anniversary
This year marks the 150th anniversary of my parish’s church. While Immaculate Conception parish in Salem, Mass., was founded in 1826, the current church itself was built in 1857 and dedicated in January 1858. This makes it the oldest parish church in Massachusetts, with a Mass celebrated every Sunday for that century and a half. Only St. Augustine chapel in South Boston’s Catholic cemetery is older.
Next Sunday, Cardinal O’Malley will be coming to Salem to celebrate Mass with us at 11 am to mark the occasion. Here’s a description of the Dedication Mass in 1858, taken from Origin of the Catholic Church in Salem and Its Growth in St. Mary’s Parish and the Parish of the Immaculate Conception by Fr. (later Bishop) Louis S. Walsh, written in 1890. (Bishop Walsh was a native of Salem and later became bishop of Portland, Maine.)
The first Dedication of the Church of the Immaculate Conception took place on Sunday morning, January 10, 1858, and seems to have been accompanied with all possible solemnity, as it was the “greatest Catholic ceremony” yet seen in Salem or in Essex County.
The weather was remarkably fine for the season. Long before the hour fixed for the ceremony, the church, excepting the aisles and vestibule, was crowded, and a still larger number of persons remained outside. Many were present who had witnesses the Dedication of Old St. Mary’s in 1832, and a few of these are still living in our parish. Many Protestants came, and were treated with great courtesy and attention, the best seats in the church being cheerfully offered to them. The doors and aisles were guarded and kept open by a delegation from the “Father Mathew Temperance Society” and the “Irish Reading-Room Association,” whose members marched in procession to the church.
In a short preliminary instruction, Father McElroy, S.J., of Boston, explained to the very attentive hearers, the nature, order, and design of the Dedication Ceremonies, and thus rendered them more interesting and impressive. Then, from the sacristy, came the cross-bearer, between two acolytes; next in order several altar-boys, seven or eight priests, dressed in cassock and surplice, the Right Rev. Bishop Bacon, D.D., of Portland, and finally, accompanied by deacon and subdeacon, and arrayed in cope and mitre, Right Rev. Bishop Fitzpatrick, D.D., Bishop of Boston, “whose imposing presence” attracted the especial attention of the congregation. The procession moved down the middle aisle to the outside main door; and after a short prayer by the Bishop, continued around the entire edifice, while the Pontiff sprinkled the walls, and the clergy chanted the penitential psalm, “Misere.” The circuit being made, and a second prayer recited, the procession entered the church; and when all had reached the sanctuary, the clergy and choir chanted solemnly, in Latin, the “Litany of the Saints,” during which the Bishop invoked upon the church and altar “the special blessing” of God, and thereby dedicated it to His honor, under the title of the “Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary.” A third prayer was then chanted, and the procession moved around the outer aisles of the interior, while the Bishop sprinkled the walls with holy water, and the chant of “psalms of joy” resounded through the sacred edifice. When the sanctuary was reached, a last and beautiful prayer was chanted aloud by the Bishop, and the solemn Amen, closed the Benediction rite.
The doors of the church were then opened to the throng of people outside, and in a few minutes, every available spot was occupied by no less than three thousand persons.
The Solemn High Mass followed […]
Here is a photograph of the original high altar in the church, after it was finished in later years. This photo was taken about 1905 and was featured on a Confirmation certificate. The pastor at the time of the photo was Father Timothy J. Murphy. Ironically, the present pastor is also named Timothy J. Murphy!
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3 Days, 3038 Photos
3 Days - 3,038 Photos from Robbie on Vimeo.
This is a fun video compiled from over 3,000 photos taken in a 3 day span in and around Boston. Nothing profound, but a very cool use of technology. Since this was taken with a digital SLR, the end result is effectively High Definition video, so click through to the Vimeo site for the full effect.
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Catholic congressmen respond to Pelosi
Last week, a group of Catholic congressmen from the House of Representatives sent a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, taking her to task for misrepresenting Catholic teaching on abortion in a TV interview. Here is their letter.
Dear Speaker Pelosi,
On the Sunday, August 24th, broadcast of NBC’s Meet the Press, you stated “as an ardent, practicing Catholic, [abortion] is an issue that I have studied for a long time.” As fellow Catholics and legislators, we wish you would have made a more honest effort to lay out the authentic position of the Church on this core moral issue before attempting to address it with authority.
Your subsequent remarks mangle Catholic Church doctrine regarding the inherent sanctity and dignity of human life; therefore, we are compelled to refute your error.
In the interview, Tom Brokaw reminded you that the Church professes the sanctity of human life from conception to natural death. As stated in the Catechism of the Catholic Church: “Since it must be treated from conception as a person, the embryo must be defended in its integrity, cared for, and healed, as far as possible, like any other human being” (2274).
To this, you responded, “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.” Unfortunately, your statement demonstrates a lack of understanding of Catholic teaching and belief regarding abortion.
From the Apostles of the first century to Pope John Paul the Great “the Church has affirmed the moral evil of every procured abortion. This teaching has not changed and remains unchangeable. Direct abortion, that is to say, abortion willed either as an end or a means, is gravely contrary to the moral law” (Catechism 2271).
Thus, your erroneous claim about the history of the Church’s opposition to abortion is false and denigrates our common Faith. For example, during the reign of Pope Innocent XI in 1679, the Church unequivocally stated it is an error for Catholics to believe fetuses do not have a soul; and confirmed the teaching that abortion constitutes an unjustified taking of innocent human life.
To reduce the scandal and consternation caused amongst the faithful by your remarks, we necessarily write you to correct the public record and affirm the Church’s actual and historical teaching that defends the sanctity of human life. We hope that you will rectify your errant claims and apologize for misrepresenting the Church’s doctrine and misleading fellow Catholics.
The signatories are:
- Thaddeus McCotter of Michigan
- Steve Chabot of Ohio
- Virginia Fox of North Carolina
- Phil Gingrey of Georgia
- Peter King of New York
- Steve King Iowa
- Daniel Lungren of California
- Devin Nunes of California
- John Sullivan of Oklahoma
- John Boehner of Ohio
- Phil English of Pennsylvania
- Jean Schmidt of Ohio
- Jim Walsh of New YOrk
- Jeff Fortenberry of Nebraska
- Michael McCaul of Texas
- Paul Ryan of Wisconsin
- Walter Jones of North Carolina
- Mike Ferguson of New Jersey
I’m glad, but not surprised, to see the name of my friend Jeff Fortenberry there. I’m saddened that not one of the Catholic congressmen from my own state are among them.
Photo credit: Screen capture of NBC’s Meet the Press.
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Obama: Babies can live without him
As we prepare for the coronation tonight, let’s keep this in mind.
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Debunk the conspiracy theories
This coming Tuesday, August 26, will mark the 30th anniversary of the election of Pope John Paul I, who brief reign lasted only one month before his untimely death. Yet for all the brevity of his papacy, the controversy surrounding his death has lived on in the intervening decades. Conspiracy theorists have claimed that the pope either murdered or even committed suicide, all of which is nonsense. Nevertheless, that has not prevented hucksters from advancing their claims. The most prominent book on the subject is by David Yallop, called In God’s Name: An Investigation into the Murder of Pope John Paul I, first published in 1984 and released in a new edition in 2007. The infamous John Cornwall, author of the execrable Hitler’s Pope, has also weighed in with his tome.
Meanwhile, Lori Pieper, who blogs at “Lori’s Pilgrimage”, has been investigating John Paul I’s death for almost as long, even writing an as-yet unpublished manuscript. So now she is publishing her refutations of the conspiracy theories on her blog in time for the anniversary. The first part is online at Was Pope John Paul I Murdered? (Part I)
Many of the people who were close to Pope John Paul I have always been reluctant to talk about the controversy surrounding his death. This is not because they want to conceal anything, but rather because they are weary of being questioned on the subject. They wonder why there is so much interest in the theory that the Pope was murdered and so little in his life. They feel betrayed by those who have distorted the facts they have provided in order to write scandalous books, and angry because those who read these books seem to be more interested in sensationalism than they are in the truth. When I spoke with the Pope’s brother and sister-in-law and his secretaries, Father Lorenzi and Father Senigaglia, about his death back in 1985, they told me that they were afraid that attempting to refute these lies would only add to the furor, and that no one cared about the truth anyway.
It’s time to reclaim the truth about Pope John Paul I, né Albano Luciano, Servant of God who cause for beatification is ongoing. The life of holiness of the Pope should be what we remember, not this other silliness.
Photo is in the public domain. Via Wikimedia.
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Catholics Against Joe Biden
Hot of the web presses, so to speak, we find Catholics Against Joe Biden, a new blog by Stephen Dillard, Chris Blosser, and Jay Anderson. Following on the successful Catholics against Rudy (Guiliani) blog, this is a non-partisan effort to point out reasons why Catholics should not vote for Catholic politicians who openly and flagrantly cause scandal because of their dissent from non-negotiable Church teachings that intersect with public policy. In most cases, but not all, this means abortion.
Now that Biden is the vice-presidential nominee for the Democratic Party, it is time for faithful Catholics to stand up and say that we will not be pandered to, that the act of choosing someone who may sit in a pew in a Catholic church on Sunday, regardless of his public beliefs and actions, should convince us to vote for him. Likewise, I would fully expect that if John McCain chose a dissenting Catholic for his VP spot, they would get the same treatment. Neither does it mean that a non-Catholic with the same beliefs would be more palatable.
But when it’s a fellow Catholic and we’re being told that this makes it okay, then we need to stand up and say it is not. I encourage you to bookmark the site, save the RSS feed in your feed reader, link to it, and put a banner on your site, if you have one.
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Biden: pro-abortion Catholic running mate
I don’t understand why reporters are so clueless about Barack Obama’s selection of Sen. Joe Biden as his vice-presidential running mate, vis a vis Biden’s attraction to Catholic voters because himself is Catholic. Did they learn nothing from 2004 and John Kerry?
Steven Waldman, the editor-in-chief of Beliefnet, writes on The Huffington Post that Sen. Joseph Biden of Delaware, a pro-choice Catholic, is a smart pick by Barack Obama in terms of religious politics.
Obama, he writes, “desperately needs to retain his lead among Catholics,” many of whom are still upset at John McCain for his fleeting embrace of John Hagee, the Catholic-bashing televangelist from San Antonio.
I doubt Hagee’s anti-Catholicism will outweigh Biden’s pro-abortion stance. For those whose self-identification as Catholic affects the way they vote, which is the group they’re so hot to capture, the selection of a reliable pro-abort—which Biden is, even if he’s not as rabidly bloodthirsty as Obama—is still not going to endear him to Catholics. While Waldman writes that the selection could backfire because it will keep the question of whether pro-abortion Catholic politicians should receive Communion front and center throughout the campaign, he seems to want to ignore the problem, as if wishing it away will work.
In other words, he’s Catholic enough to appeal to Catholics, pro-life enough to avoid some Church attacks, and pro-choice enough to satisfy Hillary voters.
That’s a load of malarkey that only someone who is being willfully blind could believe. What we will see is that instead of being palatable to all, he will be palatable to none. If he’s pro-choice enough to satisfy the Moloch-bloc of the Democratic Party, then there’s no way he can be described as pro-life.
And speaking of the Communion controversy, Ed Peters weighs in early with his take on Biden in relation to the canon laws on reception of Communion. Specifically, he approaches the question of whether the strictures of canons 915 and 916 apply to Biden.
In regard to the Catholic Joseph Biden’s eligibility to receive holy Communion, then, the right questions will seek to answer whether certain of his public actions (chiefly legislative actions and public advocacy efforts) constitute obstinate perseverance in manifest grave sin. Answering those questions well will require (1) accurate assemblage of the facts (an area for which expert lay Catholic observers of American politics should be consulted), and (2) accurate inquiry into the requirements of Church law and moral teaching (an area for which bishops are chiefly responsible).
I have little hope that the secular media will engage in due diligence in this area and we’ll be subject to the same nonsensical reporting on the Catholic faith’s relation to politics that we saw in 2004. Still, it’s up to Catholics of all kinds to keep approaching this subject rationally and in good faith and not let politics be the only concern here. For at least Biden, but also for those who might support him, the questions have an eternal consequence.
Photo: Official US Congress photo in the public domain.
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Liberals wrestle with conscience over conservative artists
With the advent of blogs and Twitter and other avenues for personal expression online, it has become ever easier for public figures (and private ones as well) to make known their personal opinions on all manner of subjects unrelated to their cause for fame. What’s interesting is that when some fans find their favorite author/actor/artist/what-have-you espousing ideas they find repugnant they have an existential crisis.
Now, to be sure, this is nothing new for most conservative and/or traditionally religious people. The ranks of the cultural elites are filled with those who espouse all kinds of liberal notions that are the opposite of our own cherished beliefs, even going so far as to express disgust for that to which we hold fast. We’ve become accustomed to that actor in our favorite show/movie or this author of our favorite book giving us pause. And with these celebrities venturing onto the Internet where they can make their opinions even more transparent, this becomes a more common occurrence.
What’s interesting is that liberal fans are now dealing with this problem. I’ve seen this crop up most recently with regard to Orson Scott Card, the author of the sci-fi classic “Ender’s Game” and a devout Mormon who espouses social conservative political views. Card has been a newspaper columnist and commentator for some time, but recently he’s been very vocal about the travesty of courts redefining marriage as well as giving free rein to abortion.
Read the rest of the blog entry...
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Unto you a child will be born, the Son of Promise
If you’re creating a new messiah, then you’ve got to have the requisite hagiography/infancy narrative. The Obama Messiah blog points us to this children’s biography of Obama, designed to indoctrinate the younglings early: “Obama: "Son of Promise, Child of Hope"”. (Check out the whole tongue-in-check blog to see the very disturbing imagery often used by those who imagine Obama as a secular savior, not the least of whom are the journalists who are supposed to be objective!)
Witness the way in which Obama is portrayed in this summary of the book. Note how “Hope” is capitalized the way we would capitalize “Holy Spirit”, i.e. as a Person. Note how he is lifted onto a pedestal as being unlike the rest of us mere mortals.
Ever since Barack Obama was young, Hope has lived inside him. From the beaches of Hawaii to the streets of Chicago, from the jungles of Indonesia to the plains of Kenya, he has held on to Hope. Even as a boy, Barack knew he wasn’t quite like anybody else, but through his journeys he found the ability to listen to Hope and become what he was meant to be: a bridge to bring people together.
I have no problem with someone being an ordinary political supporter, even an ardent supporter, but this sort of thing—and the rest of it chronicled at that blog—goes far beyond support to personality cult or religion. And that’s what scares me about Obama—more so than any other recent presidential political candidate.
Let me be even more pointed. I don’t believe that Obama is the Antichrist of fundamentalist Protestant nightmares, but if you were trying to create the appearance of being the Antichrist and scaring the “fundies” you couldn’t do a much more complete job than this.
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The new iPod touch software changes everything
A few months ago, I purchased an iPod touch to replace my old broken iPod. What sets the touch apart is the applications it can run next to the music functions. In fact, it was essentially an iPhone without the phone or built-in camera and it was indeed quite spiffy.
But when the new iPhone 3G was released in mid-July, Apple also released an update to the operating system that runs the older iPhone and iPod touch too. Among the improvements, the biggest was the opening of the device to third-party applications. Suddenly there was a whole world of new functionality available. I’m not exaggerating when I say that it’s like a whole new device. Let me give you some examples, based on programs I’ve downloaded from the store. I will point out that a very large proportion of what’s available in Apple’s iTunes AppStore is free and of the apps I’ve purchased, most have been less than $5 and only one was $19.
The app of most interest to my Catholic readers would be the Universalis Catholic Calendar. From the fine folks who brought you the Universalis web site, which gives you the Mass readings and Divine Office readings every day, the Catholic Calendar is a free app that tells you the feast or memorial of the day, and a brief biography of the saint or saints for the day. Apart from offering customization for the English-speaking country you live in, as well as any provincial peculiarities, that’s about it. Nice, but not earth-shattering.
However, if you’re willing to pony up $32.99, then you can get the full Universalis app, which gives you all the Mass readings, all the Liturgies of the Hours, all the Offices of Readings, everything! If you’ve ever seen the multi-volume breviary plus a daily Missal, then you know how compact this is. Plus, they do all the organizing of the different sections for you, so there’s no more page-flipping, back and forth, and no more rushing out to buy the little calendar update at the end of the year. While $33 may sound like a lot for an iPhone app, I may be working this into my budget in the future.
Helping me get things done
Another indispensable app on my iPod is Omnifocus. This is a companion to the desktop version of the productivity and task management software based on the principles of David Allen’s “Getting Things Done” book. Some reviewers have called it complex, but I’ve been able to fit it into my workflow. The nice thing about the iPod app is that it synchronizes with the desktop app over wifi, which means it happens on a regular schedule, not just when I connect the iPod’s cable.
Now, if I had an iPhone it would have another amazing ability: location-awareness. One of the principles of GTD is that when you record your “next-actions”, you put them in a context, which is the place or situation you need to do them. For example, office, home, grocery store, client A, client B, and so on. The theory is that when you’re in a particular context you can do all the appropriate next-actions, regardless of the project they’re attached to. Since the iPhone has a built-in GPS, it knows where you are. You can imagine the possibilities for that! Imagine going into the grocery store and Omnifocus presenting you with your grocery list. Or you’re at the mall, and it shows you the five items you needed in three different stores. Or you go to your doctor’s office for a check-up and it presents a list of all the questions you’ve been meaning to ask him.
While the iPod touch doesn’t have GPS, Apple’s iPhone OS can triangulate location based on known Wifi hotspots as well. It does pretty well for my home and office so that’s nice. Plus, I can now record new tasks and projects right into my Omnifocus as they occur to me; I don’t have to be sitting at my computer.
Another “like magic” set of apps are those that provide streaming music. While iPods have always let you carry your music around with you, now with an Internet connection (always-on for iPhones or when around WiFi networks for iPod touches) you can get streaming music from a variety of sources. The free Pandora Radio connects you to the excellent Pandora web application that plays music for you based on how you train it regarding your likes and dislikes. The iPhone app will play that same music for you without requiring a computer. Who needs a radio?
Streaming music
And if you want to hear the music you’ve already purchased on CD or via online music stores, there’s the awesome Simplify Media (also free). First, you download the free desktop client from the Simplify Media site (available for Mac, PC, and Linux). Then you launch it, create a free account, and point it at your iTunes software. Then on the iPhone/iPod launch the client and enter your account info and your entire iTunes library appears. This is great for me since I only have an 8GB iPod, while my music library is over 31GB. Now, when I’m near an open WiFi hotspot, I can listen to anything in my library, not just what I’ve fit on the iPod.
I haven’t even touched on Simplify Media’s other function, which is that it will let you listen to streaming iTunes music from up to 30 of your friends as well!
I could go on and on—I haven’t even touched on the fun, little games to keep me occupied, for example, while waiting in line—but you get the idea. What the new iPhone and iPod capabilities show is that this is no mere PDA or smartphone, but a whole, new computer platform that opens up a whole world of possibilities. This is just the tip of the iceberg. Can’t wait to see what they come up with next.
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Protestants discovering NFP
More and more Protestants are turning to natural family planning not just for medical reasons, but also for spiritual reasons. While some are using NFP as a form of contraception, as opposed to the Catholic sense of the openness to life, most of the Protestants interviewed for the article in the Austin American-Statesman say they’ve rejected artificial contraception because they believe it doesn’t show complete trust in God and they’d rather work with the way God created women’s fertility, rather than impose upon it.
It is gratifying to see that the reporter did her homework and got most of the Catholic teaching right, and did at least as well as any other secular story I’ve read. Not perfect, but not bad either.
Natural family planning is frequently dismissed by Protestants as an outmoded Catholic practice that most Catholics don’t even follow anymore. But 40 years after Pope Paul VI released Humanae Vitae, the document outlining the church’s position on marital sex and procreation, the method and the theology behind it are earning respect among some young Protestants, according to Christian scholars.
The 1968 papal encyclical explains the church’s interpretation of the moral and natural laws, which includes a prohibition against artificial contraception but allows couples who want to plan their children to “take advantage of the natural cycles immanent in the reproductive system and engage in marital intercourse … during those times that are infertile.”
This approach, for years known as the rhythm method because it relied on a calendar to track a woman’s ovulation based on past cycles, underwent improvements over the years, becoming a more reliable system known as natural family planning.
In seeking balance in the story, the reporter also found a Protestant couple who had tried NFP, but then gave up on it, although I found the reasoning to be curious.
Though the book said that natural family planning only involved a short period of abstinence, the couple wrote that they didn’t know that during breast-feeding cycles it often involves month-long periods of abstinence and what they called intense stress. “During such times (as well as during menopause and stressful life seasons), strict NFP reaches a point where it is more harmful for a marriage than good,” they wrote.
I was baffled by the reference to a month-long periods of abstinence during breastfeeding, especially since we know that if your child is exclusively nursing, the mom’s fertility does not return for some months. Yes, we learned that breastfeeding does throw off the usual charting method, but Melanie took a supplemental class that taught a way to compensate. (Frankly, we just wing it anyway, which is probably why Melanie gets pregnant almost as soon as fertility returns.)
Of course, Melanie points out to me that the Archdiocese of Boston’s Family Life Office actually created its own curriculum for teaching NFP and that it’s exceptionally complete, whereas much of what’s out there is not as good. I suppose that there might be others teaching NFP who won’t go into the more complex charting during breastfeeding and just cop out with a blanket abstention.
In any case, it’s gratifying to see Protestants re-discovering more of their Catholic patrimony. I’ve seen anecdotal evidence in recent years of Protestants re-discovering devotion to Mary and the Rosary; the importance of Lent and Advent and Ash Wednesday; the value of rituals and ceremonies; and the Catholic teaching on human sexuality and the dignity of life.
Example chart from Institute for Reproductive Health, Georgetown University.
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Domenico Bettinelli, Jr.
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