Girls Excluded

It seems some bishops said that girls and boys cannot compete in some of the same sports for modesty sake.  I assume this rule is because girls are in fact competing in such sports.  Girls would not be competing in these sports if they were not good enough to compete, I assume.  So, even though the girls are just as good as the boys, they are forbidden to be on the teams because they are girls, right?  I am ready to be otherwise enlightened, but I think this might be one more reason that some women drop out of the Catholic experience.  If the girl could kick a field goal better than any other boy in the school, why not last her play on the team?  Let the girl decide whether she feels safe playing in a contact sport with the boys.  By the way, my sister Maureen could out-wrestle me.

Sweethearts

My friends, Steve and Maureen, have ben married enough years that they have a child of high school age and two a bit younger.  I saw them coming out of a breakfast place, his arm around her waist and her arm around his waist, just like sweethearts on a date..in the morning!  I thought, "Wow!  Married people still do that after a bunch of years?"  See, I know nothing because some married people, when they come to me, their marriage is a wreck.  I guess that a celibate priest is a last resort.  Other couples seem to be married, OK, but I suspect that my friends, Steve and Maureen, don't just want OK.  The only way I know that some people are married is that they seem to be standing next to a child or children, like parents.  Steve and Maureen want to still be sweethearts.  I remember when my Dad would come home from work.  He and Mom would kiss in the kitchen as she stopped for a moment from making our dinner.  I was never embarrassed.  I was impressed.  Go Steve and Maureen!

Reap What You Sow

This Opus Dei Bishop was removed from his post by the Vatican.  He complained that it was a conspiracy by the other prelates and the Vatican to remove him.  This is interesting.  Opus Dei relied on the Vatican power so that Opus Die could go into a country/diocese and do what it wanted, saying the Vatican trumps local church authority.  Except there is a new sheriff in town.  That is, we have a new pope.  He does not seem to have the back of Opus Dei.  What goes around comes around.  I have seen this in Corporate life.  A climber hitches himself to some rising star in the organization.  As his mentor rises, so does he.  But when the CEO changes, and the mentor loses favor/job, so does the fellow who hitches himself to his mentor.  Priests sometimes do the same thing with bishops.  Bishops are not forever.  Only God power is forever.  I try daily to hitch myself to God.  I am certainly not the power.

Drinking and Cancer

It seems that one study purports to show a connection between college student binge drinking and cancer.  This seems to have gotten some student's attention.  At their age, they still think they have control over consequences from drinking.  They won' drive and drink for instance.  They will binge on weekends so as to not miss tests or necessary classes.  They will endure hangovers as part of the fun, the cost of getting wild.  Cancer they cannot control.  Even if you think you are bullet proof, you know that you cannot control cancer.  You might even give the big "C" a boost by unhealthy living.  Anyway, it makes some of these young people pause and think.  When consequences get scary enough, change has a bit more power.

Dignity

It seems that people are trending more against abortion and for gay marriage.  I sense that this might have something to do with the dignity of a person.  The fetus is being given more respect as being a person, a human being, equal to other human beings.  The gay/lesbian person is being given more respect as being a person equal to everyone else.  There are a lot of people who say this is becoming a heartless nation, with people caring only for themselves, with the loss of community, a lack of compassion for those who struggle for economic and social equality.  Well, maybe we are not so heartless as these people think.  What say you?

Coming Out

When I walk down the street dressed in my clerical black clothes and priest collar, I am "coming out Catholic." When the priest sex scandal hit the news some dozen years ago, it was pretty tough to "come out Catholic" as a priest.  I thought people were looking at me, wondering if I was one of "them," and safe to be around.  Some places I simply do not want to come out Catholic because I don't want to get into some long conversation.  Airplane travel would qualify.  I want my alone time.  In some ways though it is easier for me to come out Catholic because I have a distinct outfit. I don't have to say anything.  If you are a lay person and you are in a group that is trashing your church or God, do you pipe up with, "Well, I am Catholic," or whatever church, synagogue, mosque, ashram you belong to?  Lots of people just keep it to themselves.  Coming out is difficult in lots of areas, not just religion.  Yet, I have met many a person who changed their opinion of some group based upon someone they met/liked/related to, who came out  as being part of that group.  Much prejudice comes from not really knowing anyone in the group you are downgrading.   If you are an alcoholic in recovery, you are supposed to come out to other alcoholics to identify yourself and gain credibility if you are going to be helpful.  If you are going to do road rage or tailgating, or cut someone off for a parking spot, I hope you don't have any car stickers that say you are a Catholic!  We have enough people leaving my church as it is.

Adam's Rib

The Genesis idea in the bible is that a woman comes from the man's rib.  A rib is strong. It protects the heart.  It is near to the heart.  The rib protects other vital organs.  The rib does not work alone.  There are other ribs.  Ribs work together.  Strong. Protects.  Heart.  Communal.  Relational.  Hmm.  I am getting an insite here.  Help me ladies!  Without ribs, man is in a whole lot of trouble!