Obama’s Definitions of Children and Adults

The recent controversy regarding the administration’s opinion that fifteen-year-old and younger females should be able to go to a drug store and purchase, without a prescription from a doctor and without the parents’ knowledge, was set aside on April 5^th by Judge Edward Korman, from the Eastern District of New York, who gave the FDA 30 days to remove age restrictions on the sale of emergency contraception, such as Plan B One-Step.

In his ruling, Korman was dismissive of the government’s arguments and, in particular, previous decisions by U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius that required girls under 17 to get a prescription for the emergency contraceptive. In 2011, Sebelius overruled a recommendation by the FDA to make the drug available to all women without a prescription. The FDA said at the time that it had well-supported scientific evidence that Plan B One-Step is a safe and effective way to prevent unintended pregnancy.

Sebelius, however, said she was concerned that very young girls couldn’t properly understand how to use the drug without assistance from an adult.

She invoked her authority under the federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act and directed FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg to issue “a complete response letter.” As a result, “the supplement for nonprescription use in females under the age of 17 is not approved,” Hamburg wrote at the time.

On May 1^st Sebelius’ agency challenged Korman’s decision. The move is the latest chapter in a 10-year, controversial debate about who should have access to the drug and why.

Plan B prevents implantation of a fertilized egg in a woman’s uterus through use of levonorgestrel, a synthetic form of the hormone progesterone used for decades in birth control pills. Plan B contains 1.5 milligrams of levonorgestrel, more than “the Pill” contains. It is considered a form of birth control, not abortion by some. However, the Catholic Church maintains that Plan B is a form of abortion, because fertilization has taken place.

On May 2^nd Rep. Steve Stockman (R), of Texas’s 36^th congressional district, tweeted “Democrats on health care: 15-year-olds who want birth control are adults. 26-year-olds who want health insurance are children.” Admittedly, Stockman likes to shock. In April he made available a bumper sticker which read “If babies had guns, they wouldn’t be aborted.”

However, Stockman makes a good point. In Obamacare, “children” can remain on their parents’ health insurance until their 27^th birthday. I don’t think I would call a 26 year old woman a “child” with what that implies in the sense of housing, feeding, care, etc. that a parent would give a pre-teen.

Yet, the Obama administration considers those females who are 16 to be adults when it comes to Plan B. Judge Korman would go below 15. He’s just plain nuts.

As a former school administrator I could not give a student an aspirin without a parent’s permission. Yet, in this Orwellian world, Judge Korman feels it’s okay for females under 15 to go to the drug store and purchase the “morning after” pill without anyone knowing.

Catholic Kathleen Sebelius and Obama himself are not much better in their positions. President Obama said on May 2nd he was comfortable with his administration’s decision to allow over-the-counter purchases of a morning-after pill for anyone 15 and older.

The Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday had lowered the age at which people can buy the Plan B One-Step morning-after pill without a prescription to 15 – younger than the current limit of 17. The FDA decided that the pill could be sold on drugstore shelves near condoms, instead of locked behind pharmacy counters.

Obama, speaking at a news conference while in Mexico, said the FDA’s decision was based on “solid scientific evidence.”

Mr. O, you are certainly no scientist, nor much of a person consistent on anything…and we have you leading this country until 2017. As a pro-life Catholic, I cannot wait until you leave office and stop inflicting your twisted moral logic on everyone…and don’t get me started on the economy, gay marriage, the regulations curtailing the coal industry, or the Benghazi cover-up.

Mixing Theology with Cement

I am a simple kind of guy, who, when undergoing any project —whether it be taking astrophotographs, writing a blog on theology, or planting crops for our farm market — does a lot of praying. I think cherry, apple, strawberry and grape growers can relate as we enter the critical frost season. As a Catholic, Mary and the Holy Spirit are my go-to persons for help.

As winter was ending on the calendar, I decided, since we heat our house with wood, to build a wood shed with a floor of cement.

We do have a furnace in the basement which is capable of heating with oil or wood, but heating with oil has been erased from my memory. Our house, on the east side of Lake Leelanau, has lots of glass windows, and on average I would use 10 gallons a day. Now if you figure 30 days in a month times 8 months times $4.00 a gallon for oil, that works out to a little under $10,000 a year.

I explored heat pumps and outdoor heating units, wood pellets, propane, as well as the cost of running a natural gas line through tons of roots, but came to the conclusion that wood from our own woodlots was the best choice. Not only that, but a new fireplace insert heats the upper floor nicely. Getting wood into the fireplace requires some hard work. I have chain saws, a buzz rig, two tractors, etc., but I’m what you would call a “senior” so my endurance is limited.

Anyway, after some prayer, I began to plan to build the wood shed. The first thing that had to be done was clear out an area near the house. Easier said than done. We had split about 15 face cords for this past winter, piled it all on wood pallets, and covered it with a big plastic tarp. Too many problems, what with snow, melting, refreezing, etc. See what this deteriorated to by the end of February.

For 2013-14 this temporary setup had to be replaced. A permanent structure was the thing. Clearing out the several trees, which I cut to stumps, needed big equipment. A local company with back hoe and claw was there the same day. Dealing with frozen pallets, stumps, and roots was a challenge, but it was done in an hour and a half. Laying out a 12′x21’ framework came next.

Then came digging 14 post holes. I purchased a small powered auger and began drilling down a couple of feet.  I have rented diggers before, but for the money I paid for a new powered auger, why rent? I will use it again for planting 200 gallon containers of blueberries and other planting jobs.

The auger didn’t have a reverse, but I only got hung up on one root. I wanted to go down at least 24 inches, but the auger didn’t quite make it, so I purchased a two-handled post hole digger.

At the bottom of the holes I placed 6”-round cement pads and anchored treated 4x4s on top of them, packing everything with Quickcrete.

Within the week, I requested 3½ cu. yds. of cement to be delivered by a local company. The day arrived, sunny, with no rain or snow in the forecast. Three hours delayed, the cement truck came. Clouds were gathering. After the first screed, it rained. Having rescreeded, big snowflakes left polka dot impressions on the cement floor. Hey, it was only a Wood Shed.

The next steps involved drilling holes for 6” long x ½” carriage bolts to tie horizontal 2x8s and 2x6s to the 4x4s together.

In the midst of crazy weather forecasts, son Ben came up from Grand Rapids to help finish the project. We first placed 3/8” 4′x8′ plywood sheets on the framing as an underlayment for the metal roof. Ben used a nailer for this job.

Then we hoisted the 3’x12’ green metal panels up and he screwed in sheet metal screws. The roof angles at 20 degrees, so rain and snow drain and slide off.

Six hours later, we were done … and it began to rain … but only after I had parked my snowmobile under the new roof.

The next week, my wife Marlene and I added several 2x4s as bracing for future wood stacks. The shed will hold a ton of wood! It will dry well because we get wind from all directions and it will be ready for use this fall.

The final product…

We have two log splitters, one of which is in the picture. Now the real work begins … 25 cords of wood for next winter! We do have a start though. I do have to say that everything lines up … the building is solid as a rock, and all my prayers were answered … except maybe the snowflakes from heaven, but if the flakes were heaven-sent, what more could a simple man like me ask?

The Resignation of Popes

The world was caught off guard with the announcement by Pope Benedict XVI this past week that he would resign the papacy on February 28^th. Citing deterioration of mind and body, the Pope is one of a very few successors to St. Peter to resign the office.

There was confusion as to when the last pope resigned.  The last pope to resign was Pope Gregory XII, who stepped down in 1415 in a deal to end the Great Western Schism among competing papal claimants. In a prior blog (http://blogs.record-eagle.com/?p=5327#more-5327), I had written that the only Swiss saint, Nicholas of Flue, was born and baptized during the controversial Council of Constance in Constance, Germany, near Lake Constance, which today borders the countries of Austria and Switzerland. The Catholic Church had three men claiming to be pope at the outset of the council in 1414.

It was the age of conciliarism, where, for the first time, a church council had assumed the reins as head of the Church. It all began with King Philip IV of France (1248-1314) who was instrumental in securing the election of Clement V, a Frenchman, to the papacy in 1305. This had an unpopular outcome in Rome, where factionalism made Clement’s life as pope stressful. To escape the oppressive atmosphere, in 1309 Clement chose to move the papal capital to Avignon in France, which was the property of papal vassals at that time.

There were seven popes who resided at Avignon from 1305 to 1378.

1305-1314: Clement V
1316-1334: John XXII
1334-1342: Benedict XII
1342-1352: Clement VI
1352-1362: Innocent VI
1362-1370: Urban V
1370-1378: Gregory XI

Two saints,  Catherine of Siena and Bridget of Sweden are credited with persuading Pope Gregory XI to return the See to Rome. This he did on Jan. 17, 1377. But Gregory’s stay in Rome was plagued with hostilities, and he seriously considered returning to Avignon. Before he could make any move, however, he died in March, 1378.

When Gregory XI moved the See back to Rome, he did so over the objections of the cardinals in France. The man elected to succeed him, Urban VI, was so hostile to the cardinals that 13 of them met to choose another pope  in Anagni in central Italy … Pope Clement VII. Pope Clement VII set up his papacy back in Avignon, but Urban VI in Rome and his supporters refused to acknowledge him as the legitimate pope. Some people supported Urban VI in Rome as the legitimate pope while others supported Clement VII as the legitimate pope. Furthermore, support for these two rival popes often depended on one’s nationality. The French and their allies support the Avignon pope while those who resented France’s influence on the papacy supported the pope in Rome.

In 1409, another group of cardinals hoped to resolve the conflict by holding a church counsel in Pisa. Those in attendance elected a third pope, Alexander V, who was supposed to replace the other two. So there were now three popes all claiming to be the only legitimate leader of the Catholic Church.

Alexander, considered today as an antipope by the Church, died a year after his election in Pisa, and was succeeded by John XXIII (obviously not the pope who called Vatican II into session), but himself an antipope.

Meanwhile Urban VI, claimant pope in Rome died in 1389 and was succeeded by Boniface IX who died in 1404. He, in turn, was succeeded by Innocent VII, who died in 1406. His successor was Gregory XII.

Back in Avignon, Clement VII (today considered an antipope), died in 1394. He was succeeded by antipope Benedict XIII.  In 1398 the French church withdrew its allegiance from the Avignon papacy. Benedict was abandoned by 17 of his cardinals, with only five remaining faithful to him, thus in effect taking Avignon out of the picture.

That left two claimants to the papacy … John XXIII and Gregory XII. In 1415 the Council of Constance brought this clash between papal claimants to an end. Gregory XII and John XIII both agreed to resign. Benedict XIII in Avignon was stubborn and refused to abdicate, but he was declared a schismatic and excommunicated from the Church by the Council in 1417.

In the same year, the Council chose Martin V as the true pope. The council was attended by roughly 29 cardinals, 100 doctors of law and divinity, 134 abbots, and 183 bishops and archbishops, so its credibility as an ecumenical council held sway throughout Western Christendom.

Conciliarism, or the belief that a church council can override papal authority, continued on through Martin Luther’s time. Luther called for a council after being declared a heretic by Pope Leo X. The Catholic Church answered with the Council of Trent, which sealed Luther’s fate as a heretic in the eyes of the Catholic Church.

Before I end this blog, news media have reported that an earlier pope was the last one to resign. In the wake of the announcement of Benedict XVI that he would resign at the end of this month, Celestine V has been invoked as the last pontiff to resign – in the 13th century.

Celestine was born in 1215 and felt called to a life of simplicity and solitude. He had withdrawn from society and lived the life of a hermit. Church tradition says he fasted every day except Sunday and kept four Lents a year, surviving on bread and water. He founded, in 1244, the order subsequently named after him, the Celestines. After a period of two years when the papacy was vacant, the future pope was elected by admiring cardinals. With no political experience, Celestine proved to be an especially weak and incompetent pope. He was in his seventies and even protested his election. However, he finally accepted the cardinals’ choice. His papacy ended by his own will barely five months after it began in 1294.

Various parties had opposed his resignation and the new Pope Boniface VIII had reason to worry that one of them might try to reinstall him. Not to worry, though, Celestine had had enough. He died 10 months later after being harassed and even imprisoned for his decision. He was later canonized a saint.

It will be interesting to see who will succeed our present pope. There is the opinion that the new pope will come from Latin America, Africa, or Asia. However, the pope’s brother, also a priest, thinks that a European will be chosen. Believers in the Church-denied prophecies of St. Malachy even suggest that this may be the last pope in history … Peter the Roman. See http://catholicsouthernfront.wordpress.com/st-malachy-papal-list/.

Hypocrisy in Sotomayor’s rulings

I don’t pretend to be a federal court lawyer, or even a lawyer, but like many HS social studies teachers, I taught law to upperclassmen in a public school. I caught a news bit from Reuters that read: “U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor has refused to block enforcement starting next week of a requirement in President Barack Obama’s 2010 healthcare overhaul that some companies provide insurance coverage for contraceptive drugs and devices.”

I always thought that challenges to a lower court decision worked their way up through appellate courts to the Supreme Court, not just to a member of the SC. Apparently, that is not the case. The United States is divided into thirteen circuit courts of appeals, each of which is assigned a “circuit justice” from the Supreme Court.

Today, the circuit justice for each circuit is responsible for dealing with certain types of applications that, under the Court’s rules, may be addressed by a single justice. These include applications for emergency stays (including stays of execution in death-penalty cases) and injunctions pursuant to the All Writs Act arising from cases within that circuit, as well as routine requests such as requests for extensions of time. In the past, circuit justices also sometimes ruled on motions for bail in criminal cases, writs of habeas corpus, and applications for writs of error granting permission to appeal. Ordinarily, a Justice will resolve such an application by simply endorsing it “Granted” or “Denied” or entering a standard form of order. However, the justice may elect to write an opinion — referred to as an in-chambers opinion — in such matters if he or she wishes.

As of September 28, 2010, the allotment of the justices among the circuits was:

Circuit	Justice
District of Columbia Circuit	Chief Justice Roberts
First Circuit	Justice Breyer
Second Circuit	Justice Ginsburg
Third Circuit	Justice Alito
Fourth Circuit	Chief Justice Roberts
Fifth Circuit	Justice Scalia
Sixth Circuit	Justice Kagan
Seventh Circuit	Justice Kagan
Eighth Circuit	Justice Alito
Ninth Circuit	Justice Kennedy
Tenth Circuit	Justice Sotomayor
Eleventh Circuit	Justice Thomas
Federal Circuit	Chief Justice Roberts

The latest case of one SC justice exercising emergency powers concerns Hobby Lobby, a national arts and crafts chain with more than 500 stores in 41 states, which is now facing $1.3 million in daily fines after Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor denied their emergency request to block enforcement of the Obamacare contraception mandate.

The company is owned by the Green family, devout, evangelical Christians. They believe “it is by God’s grace and provision that Hobby Lobby has endured” and they seek to honor God by operating their company in a manner consistent with Biblical principles.”

The family believes the Obamacare mandate to provide the morning-after and week-after pills is a violation of their religious convictions.

“To remain true to their faith, it is not their intention as a company, to pay for abortion-inducing drugs,” Becket Fund attorney Kyle Duncan wrote in a statement.

Duncan said the company would continue to provide health insurance for its employees while they fight the government in court.

“The Green family respects the religious convictions of all Americans, including those who do not agree with them,” Duncan said in a statement. “All they are asking is for the government to give them the same respect by not forcing them to violate their religious beliefs.”

There are now 42 separate lawsuits challenging the mandate.

Yet, in a previous case Sotomayor ruled for a Muslim inmate who was denied Ramadan meals. In Ford v. McGinnis, 352 F.3d 582 (2d Cir. 2003), Sotomayor wrote an opinion that reversed a district court decision holding that a Muslim inmate’s First Amendment rights had not been violated because the holiday feast that he was denied was not a mandatory one in Islam. Sotomayor held that the inmate’s First Amendment’s rights were violated because the feast was subjectively important to the inmate’s practice of Islam.

I’d say there’s a bit of hypocrisy in the Justice’s rulings. Because of Obamacare being forced down our throats, the owners of Hobby Lobby now face violating their religious beliefs, suffering under a penalty that will surely kill the business, or just closing the business down themselves and firing some 50,000 employees.

Psalms of God's Tenderness - Psalm 37

                   Psalm 37

Do not be provoked by evildoers; do not envy those who do wrong.

Like grass they wither quickly; like green plants they wilt away.

Trust in the LORD and do good that you may dwell in the land and live secure. Find your delight in the LORD who will give you your heart’s desire.

Commit your way to the LORD; trust that God will act And make your integrity shine like the dawn, your vindication like noonday.

Be still before the LORD; wait for God. Do not be provoked by the prosperous, nor by malicious schemers.

Give up your anger, abandon your wrath; do not be provoked; it brings only harm.

The LORD watches over the days of the blameless; their heritage lasts forever. They will not be disgraced when times are hard; in days of famine they will have plenty.

Those whose steps are guided by the LORD; whose way God approves, may stumble, but they will never fall, for the LORD holds their hand.

Neither in my youth, nor now in old age have I ever seen the just abandoned or their children begging bread.

The just always lend generously, and their children become a blessing.  Turn from evil and do good, that you may inhabit the land forever.

For the LORD loves justice and does not abandon the faithful. When the unjust are destroyed, and the children of the wicked cut off, the just will possess the land and live in it forever.

The mouths of the just utter wisdom; their tongues speak what is right. God’s teaching is in their hearts; their steps do not falter. The wicked spy on the just and seek to kill them.

Observe the honest, mark the upright; those at peace with God have a future.

But all sinners will be destroyed; the future of the wicked will be cut off. The salvation of the just is from the LORD, their refuge in time of distress.

The LORD helps and rescues them, rescues and saves them from the wicked, because in God they take refuge.

*************************************

Trust in the LORD and do good that you may dwell in the land and live secure.

For the ancient Israelites, as well as modern citizens of the Jewish state, the land is an important factor in their history. Throughout history they have had to defend their land against history’s great empires. To live securely in the State of Israel today must be the dream of the Jewish citizen. Today, in the United States, there is worry about whether Social Security will be there for the upcoming retiring generations. If thoughtful politicians today in Israel would be “making peace” rather than war, perhaps the Palestinian suicide bombings would cease… I say, perhaps, because terrorism and “suicide bombers” have become so much a part of the culture there that there are no political guarantees. To all who fear for the future about the land or possessions they hold, the psalmist offers God’s simple command: TRUST.

Find your delight in the LORD who will give you your heart’s desire.

I guess there are many ways to read scripture. One can follow the Liturgy of the Hours, the daily readings at Mass, or a daily guide to the scriptures. One can begin at the beginning of a book of the Bible and read to its conclusion… or one can open the Bible at random to see what the Lord chooses. I use more than one approach.

However, in my twelve years commuting to teach downstate, I missed my family, home, and land especially. So, I would read Psalm 37 to give me comfort. It became my favorite psalm, because, in retirement, my heart’s desire was to remain on the farm my parents had left me. I delighted in the Lord and he gave me my heart’s desire.

Be still before the LORD; wait for God.

There is a story about a group of nuns who took care of the poor and the elderly in their nursing home. They needed to have the interior rooms of their facility painted, but the sisters had no money. So, they prayed to St. Joseph for help. Nothing happened. Not giving up on their confidence, they pulled a little trick on the great saint. They turned his statue around, so it had to face the wall. That afternoon, an anonymous donor stopped and rang the doorbell of the home. Answering the bell, the visitor handed them a check for $10,000 for the nuns to do with as they wished. Naturally, the home was painted with the money. Not too long after that they thought a piano would be a source of enjoyment to their residents. Again they petitioned St. Joseph. This time there was no delay. Someone offered them a piano. Often, in our world of haste, we are impatient with God. However, if we wait for God’s time, he will answer our prayers. St. Monica waited many years for her son to find God. When he did, he not only became a saint, but one of the greatest theologians the Catholic Church has known. “Be still and wait for God.” Three times in the Last Supper discourse, Jesus says simply: “Ask and you shall receive.”

Give up your anger, abandon your wrath; do not be provoked; it brings only harm.

It is said that the author of the Vulgate, St. Jerome, had quite a temper. I suppose anyone who translates a Bible by hand might develop a characteristic for impatience. Perhaps if Jerome had done some jogging, or had a treadmill or a punching bag, that characteristic of his personality   would   have   been   ameliorated. However,   anger  often   springs   from   being insulted or put down by someone else. The desire to get even boils over until the perfect plan for getting even is planned. Yet there is an emptiness in the soul that remains, even if the plan for revenge is perfectly executed. On the other hand, psychologists tell us that holding things in is not healthy either. Some of the saints of the past endured events that had to do more than ruffle feathers. Can you imagine Barnabas’ reaction to Paul when Paul argued with him about taking John Mark on their missionary journey? Both are saints, yet both had a falling out. Or what about Peter being scolded by Paul over following the Mosaic Law? There has to be a release for anger. We can abandon our wrath in many ways, but exercise, a hobby, or a vacation might be the modern method that best suits today’s pressures. God is tenderness in its entirety and he understands how we are made, just as he understood the frustrations of his own Son in dealing with the Pharisees.

The LORD watches over the days of the blameless; their heritage lasts forever.

St. Gregory of Nazianzen wrote a beautiful sermon on giving God his due. “Recognize to whom you owe the fact that you exist; that you breathe, that you understand, that you are wise, and, above all, that you know God and hope for the kingdom of heaven and the vision of glory, now darkly and as in a mirror, but then with a greater fullness and purity. You have been made a son (and daughter) of God, coheir with Christ.” Taking a breath is something one takes for granted, unless one is afflicted with asthma or emphysema. He watches over our days, one after the other, with no second, or fraction of a second, unnoticed in his loving care for us. He further promises us that if we remain faithful, our heritage, our eternal life with him, will last forever.

Neither in my youth, nor now in old age have I ever seen the just abandoned or their children begging bread.

This verse seems a bit overstated on first reading. History records many instances of just the contrary, especially in countries where famine occurs. Yet if one reads this in the context of the society in which it was written, it holds an important truth. I was listening to a well-educated woman from Ethiopia on radio the other day, and she was commenting on the famine in America, the famine of the soul. She said that in Ethiopia, when a family is without food, other neighbors make sure that the impoverished family has food. The woman suggested that there should be no homeless or hungry people in America, because of its great wealth. She related that in one American city out west, she tracked down 600 organizations that ostensibly had as their main objective, assistance to the poor. She went to some of them, requesting donations for the hungry in Ethiopia, and received much sympathy but no money. In the United States, some of us live lives of isolation from our neighbors. We can be generous as a nation… there is none more so. However, when it comes to our own personal pocketbook, there often is a stuck zipper that we can’t seem to loosen.

Observe the honest, mark the upright; those at peace with God have a future.

St. Ephrem, of the fourth century AD, was ordained a deacon late in life. He was called to the diaconate at around the age of 65 and died but three years later. Yet, he was a prolific apologist for his faith most of his life in Syria… and, we might add, quite a musician, composing countless hymns. This humble man who did not feel worthy to be ordained to the priesthood is today honored as a Doctor of the church.

(To be continued from my book, Psalms of God’sTenderness, ISBN-13: 978-14208212)

Psalms of God's Tenderness - Psalm 27

       Psalm 27

The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom do I fear? The LORD is my life’s refuge; of whom am I afraid?

One thing I ask of the LORD; this I seek: To dwell inthe LORD’S house all the days of my life, To gaze onthe LORD’S beauty, to visit his temple. For God will hide me in his shelter in time of trouble, Will conceal me in the cover of his tent; and set me high upon a rock.

Even now my head is held high above my enemies on every side! I will offer in his tent sacrifices with shouts of joy; I will sing and chant praise to the LORD. Hear my voice, LORD, when I call; have mercy on me and answerme.

“Come” says my heart, “seek God’s face”; your face, LORD, do I seek!

Do not hide your face from me; do not repel your

servant in anger. You are my help; do not cast me

off, do not forsake me, God my savior!

Even if my father and mother forsake me, the LORD will take me in.

LORD, show me your way; lead me on a level path

because of my enemies.

Do not abandon me to the will of my foes; malicious

and lying witnesses have risen against me.

But I believe / shall enjoy the LORD’S goodness in the land of the living.

Wait for the LORD, take courage; be stouthearted,

wait for the LORD!

________________________________

The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom do I fear? The LORD is my life’s refuge; of whom am I afraid?

The fears we humans experience today… fear of cancer or debilitating diseases, fear of terrorism, fear of dying… all real fears. Some drown those fears in alcohol or drugs. Science is looking for the “happy pill,” that will be tailored to our genetic makeup, so we will never have to worry again. Well, fear will always be a part of human existence. Medical science has legitimate medicines for depression, obsessive-compulsive disorders, panic attacks, and phobias of all sorts. We are living in a miracle age. Perhaps if Martin Luther, a victim of scrupulosity, which is a form of OCD, had access to modern counseling or appropriate medication, there would have been no Protestant Reformation. He was a brilliant man, afflicted with an obsessive-compulsive disorder… as were several saints… a priest who began the Mass over from the beginning to “get it right.” He went to confession often, sometimes daily, fearing he was seriously unworthy for his actions. His only reprieve was to turn to God. St. Therese of Lisieux compared herself to Luther and wrote that they were not that much unlike… except she trusted in the Lord in her childlike way. I have great sympathy for the sufferings Luther endured. Like every victim of scrupulosity he saw nothing in himself but wickedness and corruption. God was the minister of wrath and vengeance. Uncontrollable fears and phobias, especially in the area of morality where one’s eternal salvation is thought to be at stake, are a kind of hellish existence one cannot appreciate unless one has experienced it. Therese’s answer is the same as is found in Caussade’s classic work, Abandonment to Divine Providence… TRUST. I think Luther, after his trip to Rome where he saw the abuses the building of St. Peter’s generated through the selling of indulgences, where he saw priests who were ill-trained, and his subsequent teaching of Romans at the University of Wittenburg, thrust him into a mindset that the human solutions to his problems were not working and that the Church was playing with corrupt practices. His “A Mighty Fortress is our God,” is his breakthrough theme song. However, Luther went too far and trusted in his own intellectual prowess, instead of a simple trust in God’s guidance. We need the Church because it has the guarantee of the Holy Spirit’s guidance. The Spirit is our light and our salvation in the doubts about our actions and the fears we have in whether we are doing the right thing. We cannot, however, rule out what counseling and the assistance medicine can provide. That may just be what the Spirit ordered.

One thing I ask of the LORD; this I seek: To dwell in the LORD’S house all the days of my life, To gaze on the LORD’S beauty, to visit his temple.

In the beauty of a Christian home, there are moments when love radiates from parents to children and from children to parents. We are all made in the image and likeness of God, so it is natural that God’s beauty radiates in parents and their children. On a different plane, our attraction to Jesus should translate into the quiet presence before Him in the Blessed Sacrament. How often do we go to Church to greet the Lord… sit down… and enjoy the comfort of being in his presence. The beauty of the Lord is all around us… in the stained glass windows, the design of the church, the gold of the candle holders… even the flickering of the sanctuary lamp. I guess I prefer the solemnity of a cathedral, or a basilica like Sacred Heart at Notre Dame. However, whatever place of worship we choose, it’s important to spend time in silence with the Lord. The liturgical celebrations are the most important acts of worship in which we can participate. However, liturgy can have its human distractions. The one-on-one drop-in visits are devoid of these distractions and provide a special opportunity to enter that region of the soul where the Lord delights in being with us and we with him. No words have to be said. Just gazing on his beauty in his temple.

For God will hide me in his shelter in time of trouble, Will conceal me in the cover of his tent; and set me high upon a rock.

A thunderstorm with lightning and rain pelting the roof of one’s house can be either a frightening experience or a comforting one, depending on one’s view of life. I love the words of the psalmist in this verse… “God will hide me…in times of trouble.” As a youth, I remember one of the most vicious storms of my life.  I was perhaps 6 or 7. My mother tried to phone my father to come home. It seemed like we were going to be washed away, because gullies were forming where the road to our home was. The storm was upon us and persisted for what seemed hours. Torrential rain, flashing lightning, cracking thunder…  I wanted to hide under the bed and make it all go away. This is the comfort our tender God offers us in the storms of life. He will hide us and cover us in the tent of his care. We really do have nothing to fear. Our reward? He will raise us up on the rock of his security where the sun of his love will make us forget the storm that so frightened us.

“Come,” says my heart, “seek God’s face”; your face, LORD, do I seek!

What a blessed time we live in… the contrast between today and the fear the Israelites had of seeing Yahweh on Mt. Sinai. For the psalmist to express the notion that he wanted to see the face of the Lord, when the Mosaic generation was taught that no one except Moses saw the face of God and lived… this is a significant breakthrough of man’s relationship to his God. The Holy Spirit, no doubt, was at work in the writer’s heart… “Come… seek God’s face.” To paraphrase: God is so wonderful, I want to see him face to face, as son or daughter to father. God, even in the Old Testament’s psalms, shows us not only his willingness to manifest himself to us, but his desire. Jesus’ incarnation is proof of his loving impatience to have us see him as he really is. Death will provide that glorious opportunity. I look forward to heaven… because I know I will see him, not as in St. Paul’s “mirror,” but as he really is. Paul’s dilemma of remaining on earth or being with Christ should be ours.

Even if my father and mother forsake me, the LORD will take me in.

Two-thirds of children today have a stepparent. A third of young people have one parent. We are not here to pass judgment on the situations which have made these statistics a reality. However, there are many cases of child abuse… some statistics suggest a third of all children are subjects…and there are many abusive situations that are not reported. Abortion is the ultimate abuse, but that’s another issue. The psalmist must have had knowledge of a family where abuse, neglect, or abandonment had left the child or children forsaken. Perhaps it was himself. What is important in this verse, is the confidence expressed that the Lord will take the forsaken child into his home. Are we forsaken by others? Parents are singled out here, but we can feel forsaken if our boss finds fault with us… at times like this, we should flee to the home of the Holy Family. Mary, Joseph, and the young Jesus are there… ready to receive us into their lives. They can offer sympathy, friendship, love, understanding… everything that matters in life. All we have to do is knock on their door.

But I believe I shall enjoy the LORD’S goodness in the land of the living.

The great St. Augustine wrote in his Sermon on John’s Gospel: “Real love of God will not be in you if the love of the world prevails in you. Hold fast rather to the love of God, so that as God is eternal you too will live forever. For each of us is such as our love is.” Holding fast to the love of God conjures up the tender picture of a child walking with his parent in a large city. Traffic is noisy, the streets are bustling, and, if you happen to have spent a couple of weeks living in Times Square, New York, as I have, the world seems in perpetual motion. To a young child, the city can be a frightening place. I remember getting lost from my mother in a small city… I guess I was about five. It wasn’t her fault really. I somehow got away from her as I was waiting for her to use the public restroom. Anyway, it wasn’t long before I was terrified. I couldn’t see my mother anywhere. Thanks to her quick search, I was found. I learned to hold fast to the one who could give me security and direction. I guess God taught me an important spiritual lesson at that early age. If we hold fast to the Lord in faith, we shall enjoy his goodness… his secure hand in ours… even in this life.

(To be continued from my book, Psalms of God’s Tenderness, ISBN-13: 978-1420821253)