Adrienne's Corner

Main Stream Media to be Trusted?

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****The controversy surrounding Father Jay Scott Newman's statements regarding receiving communion has generally gotten mangled by just about everyone who wrote about it. I think the most important lesson learned is that the main stream media (MSM) is not to be trusted.

****Read again what my friend Laura had to say and the twists and outright distortions the MSM put on this story.

****So often when something hits the airwaves or print, particularly if we agree with it, we are very anxious to spread the news. Sometimes after hours of vetting something I have read, I decide to not post it at all; often for no other reason than it doesn't "smell" right.

****The MSM has essentially elected a president by way of biased reporting, fear mongering, distortions, and outright lies. We have millions of citizens who still believe if something is on CBS, NBC, et al, it must be true, just as my father believed if it was written in the newspaper it was true.

Our Catholic duty is to have a clear and moral voice in the public square. That means taking the time to learn what the Church teaches and to apply it, not only in our daily lives, but also in the political arena.

****And now from Jeff Mirus comes this which is well worth a read and backs up what I have just said:

A web service from Trinity Communications. © 2008Tuesday, November 18, 2008

The Truth Can Be Tricky Too

Dear Adrienne,

****You try very hard to be careful in how you handle an issue; you try to comment on it both accurately and with a sound spiritual purpose. Then, if God chooses to remind you of your limitations, you don't quite catch your errors before anyone else sees them. That's what happened to Fr. Jay Scott Newman, and to myself when I commented on his case.

****When I first heard that Fr. Newman had written in his Church bulletin that those who voted for Obama must refrain from receiving Holy Communion until they receive absolution for their sin, I saw a grave (though well-intentioned) oversimplification of the Church's teaching, and I wrote an extended blog entry to clarify the point (even though I hold that it was not morally justifiable to vote for Obama). I posted that blog entry yesterday afternoon with a strong criticism of Fr. Newman.

****A couple of hours later, I saw Phil Lawler's commentary article on the same subject (see The shameful betrayal of a courageous pastor). I was alarmed that Phil went in exactly the opposite direction with his commentary, and I could not reach him immediately by phone. So I explored Phil's relevant news postings and found that I had missed some of the story. In fact, Fr. Newman had correctly clarified his position within a few days, so I revised my blog entry (see No Communion for Obama Supporters?).

****I still thought it important to help our users understand the moral theology behind the question, so that's what I concentrated on. For his part, Phil revised his article a little also and, on the theological issue, he pointed to what I had written. Some readers still think I was too hard on Fr. Newman. But the whole story is in Phil's article, so even if you let me have the last theological word, please take the last word on Fr. Newman himself from Phil.

Simpler Items?

****Clearly, we need something simpler, so let's try human embryology and the energy crisis. First, we've added to our library a scholarly study of the current state of Human Embryology and Church Teachings by Dianne Irving. The text is detailed and the notes and web references are very extensive. For most readers, it may be enough to know this is there if you need it.

Second, while there is no specifically "Catholic information" on energy, all of us need to learn about how potential energy sources might be used to solve the problems of diminishing petroleum supplies, rising costs, and energy independence. The best and clearest treatment I've seen comes from Modern Age. See P. E. Hodgson's The Energy Crisis (parts 1 & 2).

Finally, in your prayers, don't forget our fellow Catholics in Vietnam: Viet police stand by as mob ransacks Hanoi chapel. Pray too that we are not headed in the same direction here.

Jeff Mirus
PresidentTrinity Communications