Same Sex Marriage Passes Lords. Forget it and move on.

Now the Same Sex Marriage Bill will certainly become law, let's forget it and get on with the battles that really matter. The battle to save babies from abortion. The battle to protect the old from euthanasia. The battle to get rid of capital punishment throughout the world. The battle to protect the environment God gave us and we are destroying. Above all, the battle to win souls for Christ through the example of loving commitment, not least in Catholic marriage, which we show to our neighbours - gay or straight. 

Stand up! Stand up for Jesus!

Now that the Same Sex Marriage Act is likely to become law with the Third Reading in the House of Lords next week, would it not be a good idea if we Catholics got back to concentrating on proclaiming the faith of Christ crucified. Whatever else we may feel, this argument about secular marriage is not at the centre of the Catholic Faith. We are in danger of giving the impression that we only talk about sex when we should be be talking about love - the love of Jesus for all His children including those who are by nature not heterosexual. 

Insider Trading and Spying on Friends

So the US has been spying on its allies while carrying on trade talks. What would be illegal for its citizens and immoral by any measure, seems to have been a normal occurrence.  Perhaps Mr Snowden has a point!

SPUC still not blogging about unborn babies

Yet another day and more babies die while Mr Smeaton of SPUC carries on other campaigns, forgetting the one issue that SPUC is there for. It's increasingly clear that the Charities Commission should consider whether money raised to fight abortion is being properly used in a continued campaign against same sex marriage. It would be a pity if yet another row tears SPUC apart. Mr Smeaton should get off his hobby horse and on with his real job which is to save those babies. Others can fight the gay marriage battle. He should be working simply and solely for the noble cause for which he is paid.

Two more SPUC blogs - neither about the Unborn Child

John Smeaton has resumed blogging but again there's no resumption of the battle for the Unborn Child. Yet, that's what we give our money and time for. Back to the day job John - there's a battle to be won to stop babies being killed in their hundreds of thousands. You can leave the campaigns against French Justice and Same Sex marriage to others. You've a big enough job already and its looking neglected.

No Iraq repeat in Syria

Won't they ever learn. Outsiders can't solve Syria's problems. We're quite wrong to try to intervene. Iraq war was illegal immoral and plain stupid. Intervention in Syria could be worse. 

The Triumph of the Snail

East Angla ought to be thrilled with their new bishop. Bishop Hopes is an ideal man for the job. But why do we have to wait three years for the choice. Even the immigration service is quicker than the labarynthine process of appointing a bishop. This is one reform that could unite traditionalists and liberals alike. Leaving dioceses vacant is a dereliction of duty. We all need a Father in God.

PS Still no news from SPUC as to whether they're reverting to their campaign against abortion

Had SPUC given up fighting abortion?

Yet another blog from John Smeaton with no mention of the unborn child. It's time to get back to the day job and battle for the innocents. If he allowed comments on his blog he'd see how many of us want a single and effective campaign to stop abortion. Perhaps we need a new organisation that doesn't get distracted. 

Loving Gay People as Jesus Commands

We Catholics really must come to terms with the fact that gay people are only attracted to people of their own sex and not disorientated heterosexuals. That means that they should not be scapegoats but fellow children of a loving God. The constantly negative language of so many Catholics is a serious impediment to our witness to that central fact. Do we look loving to gay people or are we better defined as disapproving, carping, and condemning. The people of Jesus should never be characterised  in that way. 

Making the best of Same Sex marriage

Now that its passed by huge majorities in both Houses of Parliament, we know that Members have decided that our concerns are not real. There isn't any doubt now that we will have State same sex marriage.

How do we face up to this new world.? We have to represent Christian marriage as the life-long, indissoluble union that it is and contrast that with what the State offers. Our failing has been to try to link the secular form of marriage with the Christian sacrament. It hasn't been so connected since Henry VIII hijacked the institution to get a divorce.

Interestingly, there were many Catholics and other Christians who voted for the change. If we are to come to a sensible position which defends Catholic marriage while helping gay couples to seek and celebrate fidelity and permanence, we must try to understand why they thought it right to support the Bill.

The one thing that won't work is to dismiss those with a different view. It is particularly important that we remember that the young cannot understand the problem and that it is the old for who this is an issue.

Pray for the Murderers of Woolwich as well as the Victim.

That's the hard message of the Faith of Jesus. Even in the horror of so cowardly and unprovoked an attack we have to pray for those two deeply damaged young men. That does not excuse them in any way. It simply is the challenge of the Man who said "Father forgive them for they know not what they do." He is our model and our guide. 

The scandal of Bishopless dioceses.

We believe in the Apostolic Succession and the three great orders of Bishops Priests and Deacons. We are not Protestants but Catholics, yet we condemn our dioceses to continue without a pastor for years on end as if it didn't matter. What is wrong with the system. Looks like incompetence to me and it wouldn't be tolerated in any human institution, except perhaps the Belgian Parliament. Does it happen everywhere or has England and Wales been singled out? 

Greeks really do Lent

I'm in Greece for the Greek Easter and my Greek friends are keeping Lent as only they do. No alcohol, no milk, no dairy products, no meat - they are seriously prepared for the last few days of Holy Week in a monastery near Athens. Makes my Lenten fast pretty pathetic. 

Hypocritical Canada attacks Sri Lanka

Canada has no right to criticise Sri Lanka for its record on human rights when Ottawa's repudiation of Kyoto is condemning states in the Pacific to annihilation as they sink beneath the rising sea water. Canada's refusal to help combat climate change makes her complicit in driving Bangladeshis from homes, threatened by the rising water; in the melting of the Arctic ice ; and in desertification in Europe and Africa. Yes, Sri Lanka has much to answer for but Canada has no right to criticise while she betrays many of the worlds most vulnerable people.

Sun at last!

Isn't it remarkable that, however urban we become, we are still creatures of the weather. After the long, cold, wet winter the sun has brought a new spring to our steps. There's nothing virtual about the weather - its influence is still direct and real and reaches even into the most dismal city street.

Teachers want to teach walking instead of reading, writing, maths, and religion

The Teachers Unions completed their disastrous conferences wingeing and blaming everybody else. When questioned about his objections to Mr Gove's determination to teach fundamentals, the deputy secretary of the ATL told the Guardian that children should have lessons in walking! Evidently being literate or numerate is much less important than knowing the difference between strolling and walking fast. Heaven help our children!

The rich and famous are braced for more revelations

Next week the Guardian and Le Monde will reveal more names of tax dodgers. Already the information is shaking the French government where top Socialists who have been inveighing against tax evasion have been caught with off shore bank accounts. Hypocrisy is specially hateful. Paying your fair whack towards the state's cost is a Christian as well as a social duty. However, sensible societies do not demand so much of a person's income that he sees no point in working. Get much above 40% and you begin to stifle enterprise and reduce the tax take. Evasion is never justified but governments that overdo their demands can't be surprised if people up sticks and move elsewhere. Hence 200,000 French people in England!

Second Coldest March ever recorded

Last year we were walking round the garden with a glass of wine inspecting the daffodils in full bloom. This year we scuttle to and fro to pull the baby leeks and cut the miraculously surviving salad leaves. Yesterday's sun cheered us. Today we're back in the gloom of days when the sky and the road are much the same colour. Thank God for Easter. The glory shines through the darkest of days.

Setting one Pope against another

The supertrads are busy creating division by suggesting a dichotomy between the teaching of Pope Benedict and that of his successor. Yet they ought to be the first to support and obey the successor of St Peter. Catholics are not called to believe what they think the Holy Father should teach, they are called to accept his authority even if they would have preferred someone who only washed the feet of men. That's not what the Holy Spirit gave them and they, of all people, should stop whinging and buckle down to it. The Faith remains constant, its presentation changes. Those who get hung up on the accidence of change miss the substance of continuity. Those who try to drive division substitute personal opinion for the teaching of the Church. It's surprising how close to Protestantism the supertrads get.

An unpleasant blog from John Smeaton

He attacks those who disagree with him as "time-serving politicians". Not a Christan way of approaching an argument. It must be very hard if you are a practicing Catholic or Anglican who genuinely believes that, in a secular society, same sex marriage is a secular right even though it is unacceptable as a religious rite. I don't doubt Mr Smeaton's sincerity but he really must not accuse others of bad faith. Particularly as he allows no answer to his allegations on his blog which does not provide for comment. I am a wholehearted believer in the infallibility of the Pope but the doctrine does not extend to Mr Smeaton.

Secular blemish at Easter

The Easter Conferences of the Teaching Unions are the best advertisement for home schooling there is. Who would willingly give their children into the hands of these activists? Every year I hope the Conference attendees are a self selecting barmy fringe, as General Secretaries Ms Keate and Ms Blowers marshal their army of malcontents to oppose every change, refuse every improvement, and deny every criticism. As Britain falls lower down the international tables, speaker after speaker blames everyone but themselves for all those children who leave school scarcely able to read and write, leave alone have any understanding of  maths, history, geography, or religion. Spurning every reform of Ministers, Labour or Conservative, these are the spokesmen for a profession that is supposed to be preparing children for a world that is changing faster than ever before. Yet they see no reason for change despite the evidence of widespread failure. Nothing can spoil Easter but if anything could it would be this sad spectacle.

Christus Surrexit - Alleluia

Packed church. Car park overflowing. Priest tearful at unexpected numbers. Ran out of candles and wine. Simple homily struck home. Lots of young. Only flaw - terrible hymns. Sang the old favourites in car going home. Estelle White has much to answer for but nothing could undermine the joy of Easter and the living congregation.

Selective Obedience

The supertrads condemn the liberals for a la carte religion but the Pope washing women's feet has shown just how selective supertrads are. Anything new, any departure from the religion of their childhood, any nuanced understanding even by the Pope and they're up in arms. Us real traditionalists  are happy to support His Holiness in using symbols to draw all men to Christ - and that means women too. The faith is unchanged but its presentation is bound to alter in so different a world.

His Holiness washes women's feet

And the self-appointed guardians of the Faith have the vapours. The dogmas of the Church are few and unchangeable, the customs in the Church are many and have always been subject to change. Indeed that change is necessary if the dogmas are to be presented unchanged to each new generation. It's a very peculiar view of Jesus that suggests He's in the slightest bit interested in red shoes or the sex of the people whose feet Pope Francis washed.

Waiting for.......

We know that we are waiting for Easter. The cross we have venerated today is empty and He will rise. We can't unknow that. Yet the Aposles didn't know, they didn't even know what they hoped. Easter was a revelation to them, so this time of waiting was truly bewildering. They still believed in Him but there was now no certain way forward. He was dead but he had promised that was not the end. Now it had happened, how could that promise be fulfilled? Saturday is still a day of waiting but we can look forward with confidence. They were looking backward without understanding what it all meant. Only the Resurrection makes sense of it all, as they came to see when the waiting was over. Jesus, the good man, makes no sense at all. Jesus, risen from the dead, makes sense of everything.

Repressive Regimes back 'family'

Catholics should beware of standing shoulder to shoulder with Moslems and extremist African Protestants on family issues. Our opposition to abortion and euthanasia must not lead to our alignment with regimes that repress women and lock up gays. Once again SPUC misses the point when it moves from its real purpose and pontificates on other issues. We won't win our sad societies to understand the evil of abortion if we associate that with the burka and the persecution of homosexuals.

SPUC in mission creep

Fighting for the unborn child is a huge and crucial task. Abortion is the biggest stain on our society in Britain. John Smeaton, SPUC's Director, should be 100% fixed on that task. Instead, he has hares off fighting against same-sex marriages. Now, it doesn't matter which side you have taken on this issue, its not the business of SPUC. They are using money raised to fight abortion to fight another, entirely different battle. It's as if Help The Aged had gone off to help the young single homeless. A good cause but not the one for which people had given them money. What's more, Mr Smeaton won't allow you to discuss the matter on his blog because no comments are allowed. Is that because he knows he's  on weak legal ground? As Margaret Thatcher once memorably remarked, "he's frit".

Smeaton again forbids comment

Once again John Smeaton of SPUC has posted an interesting but controversial blog. Once again he encourages his readers to write to their MPs. Yet, once again, he discourages any interaction, discussion, or information with himself. Evidently his views are not subject to correction or comment, not even of congratulation. His is the only Catholic blog I can find which has no mechanism for comment. Isn't it about time Mr Smeaton had the courage of his convictions and allowed others in on the discussion. Is it thin skin, uncertainty, or fear of contradiction that makes him so coy.

The simplicity of the Pope

The Pope is to live more simply and more clearly in community. What an exciting prospect for the Church. Collegiality expressed in this simple change just as the Holy Fathet's priorities were expressed in the choice of a name.

Triangular flapjacks

So a school in Essex has banned triangular flapjacks because a child was hurt when the sweetmeat was thrown. They didn't seek to stop children throwing things but instead tried to make the missile safer! It's another of those health and safety stories you couldn't make up. When the mince pie was allowed back into England after the Puritans had banned them, they could no longer be oblong in the shape of a manger but round as they are today. At least those unpleasant Puritans were making a serious, although falacious, point - striking out against the idolatry of the image of the baby Jesus on the pie.

Starbucks

So Starbucks have told shareholders that, if they don't like the company's support for Gay Marriage, they can sell their stock. What kind of moral compass does this display? It is not clear that a view on same sex marriage is integral to the sale of coffee and buns. However, paying proper tax on the profits made by the company certainly is. How do executives of Starbucks justify their failure to deal with the profits issue which does concern them while making a stand on same sex marriage which does not?

Defending Unborn Children

As a long time upholder of the right to life, I very much agree with the important message of John Smeaton's blog published today. There are, however, occasions on which his comments should be questioned and yet, unlike most of the rest of us, he provides no place on his blog for comments. This gives a very bad impression of the attitudes of SPUC and suggests the organisation feels it has no need of support, advice, or comment. Isn't it time Mr Smeaton opens up to his supporters' comments instead of saying we can email him personally with messages which he does not share more widely.

Snow in March

Two inches of snow on the car. Nothing like as bad as for so many round the country. Funny how I welcome snow in Decenmber or January but resent it in March. Why isn't it 'going out like a lamb' ? Palm Sunday Mass really moving, well sung and the Gospel well read. Going off at the end in silence with no recessional hymn, as Holy Week begins, was particularly effective because the snow had made everything so much quieter outside. Back home with the family to make preparations for next weekend when we will have a houseful. When will we get on to the garden? Planting is going to be so late and I despair of early salads.

Catholic Trivia

What is it about Catholics that leads so many of the bloggers to be waspish and critical? I've just seen one blog in which, after seeing the video of the two Popes, the author commented that the altar in the background wasn't a portable one! Just about as relevant to the Faith as all that tosh about red shoes. Can this be the electronic witness to which we were called or is it the Catholic version of the bar-room comments you get on a bad phone-in.

Dr Justin Welby

So Dr Welby didn't mention same sex marriage in his sermon at his inauguration as Archbishop. He didn't mention abortion, climate change, euthanasia, the acidification of the oceans, the threat to Christians in the Middle East and a host of other things with which Christians ought to be concerned. I can't help thinking that the things he did mention were more important than gay marriage as indeed are all of that list he didn't.

The Challenge of Francis

Well, we're back on line after a false start. Celebrating the arrival of Pope Francis and fed up with the trivial nonsense of some so-called Catholic blogs that can't help criticising. What a remarkable statement to the world and all those secular know-alls who defined the job of the new pope as dealing with the Curia, clerical abuse, and the Vatican bank. The Holy Father simply said - Francis. That defined his priority of bringing Christ, the lover of the poor and the outcast, to challenge the world. Even then they didn't believe him and muttered about Francis Xavier - so he had to say it again. St Francis of Assisi - lover of the poor and celebrant and protector of the natural world.