Ringo Starr, ex-Beatles drummer, now aged 70, is telling the media he has found God.

 “Religion is now one of the most important aspects in my life. For me, God is in my life. I don’t hide from that. I think the search has been on since the ’60s. I stepped off the path there for many years, and found my way back onto it, thank God.” (Los Angeles Times)

* * *

The Beatles did harm with their promoting of drugs, superficial dabblings in Far Eastern religions etc.

Yet were there not also signs of awareness of God, even early on — most famously, perhaps, in the Paul McCartney song, “Let it be”?

“When I find myself in times of trouble,
Mother Mary comes to me
Speaking words of wisdom: let it be . . .”

The person of the Blessed Virgin Mary certainly comes to mind. Paul’s mother’s name was Mary –perhaps he was writing about her? OK, but the person of the Blessed Virgin still comes to mind.

* * *

Saint Luke’s gospel chapter 1: “In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God into a city of Galilee, called Nazareth, to a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph . . . and the virgin’s name was Mary. And the angel said unto her: “Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women . . . behold thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and shalt bring forth a son; and thou shalt call his name Jesus” . . . . and Mary answered: “Behold, I am the handmaiden of the Lord; let it be done to me according to thy word.”

* * *

Of course, the motives of celebrities discussing their beliefs can always be dismissed as grandstanding.

But let us not judge.

Let us pray for Ringo.

Let us pray for all who seek God.

By God’s mercy may we reach heaven, there to experience what Saint Francis de Sales so beautifully described:

“O beauty of my God, how lovable you are . . .

in heaven we shall need no commandment to love you . . .

our souls will be delivered from distractions, our minds from anxieties . . .

and we shall love God with a perpetual, uninterrupted love.”

Prince William’s visit has Australians talking again about whether Australia should become a republic, cutting all ties with Britain and its Royal Family.

Sydney law professor, G. Williams, says, “The idea that someone should be born into the highest position in Australian Government is more than quaint; it is objectionable . . . inconsistent with what is otherwise a democratic and egalitarian system.” (Sydney Morning Herald, January 20)

Democratic?

Does democracy guarantee that a people will be well-governed? Does democracy facilitate God’s will being done, which is (according to Our Saviour Jesus Christ) what we should pray for every day?

* * *

There are built-in problems with democracy.

Politicians in democracies are never quite out of election mode — never resting from jostling for political favour.

The media reduce “democracy” to a distraction, a game — Howard versus Rudd, Obama versus Clinton — as though they were all charisma-exuding, Australian Idol/American Idol contestants. 

With democracy, our rulers will always be would-be celebrities, with celebrity (i.e. super-saturatedly-self-absorbed) mindsets.

Always show-ponies.

Nearly always millionaires.

Nearly always for sale, conscience-wise.

* * *

What about democracy’s good points?

Last November, voters in Switzerland voted to ban the building of new minarets on mosques.

Swiss government spokespersons condemned the measure, saying it violated Switzerland’s “tradition of tolerance” — but under Switzerland’s People’s-Referendum system, the government was stuck with it, and was obliged to issue a statement saying it “respects this decision; consequently the construction of minarets is no longer permitted”.

The Swiss People’s Party had forced the vote by collecting 100,000 signatures within the previous 18 months.

That’s real democracy.

How about a People’s-Referendum system for Australia?

Do we really believe in democracy – or do we prefer ongoing government-by-media-brainwash as at present?

* * *

So is democracy a good thing or a bad thing?

Perhaps it is simply an irrelevant thing?

What is relevant then?

The answer will appear on this blog tomorrow.

Stand by.

Last week, American television current affairs commentator, Brit Hume, said on a panel show that what maritally-unfaithful celebrity golfer, Tiger Woods, needs is to convert to Christianity.

“He is said to be a Buddhist,” Hume observed, “I don’t think that faith offers the kind of forgiveness and redemption that is offered by the Christian Faith.”

Plenty of people were quick to label that comment as outrageous and unacceptable. Hume’s words were replayed on a rival show, to shocked laughter from the audience. Others suggested that Mr Hume is a bigot, an idiot, arrogant etc.

Attempts to proclaim the Christian gospel will often be met with mockery and condemnation – or worse. Jesus himself was crucified. About 11 of his twelve apostles are believed to have been put to death for their preaching.

* * *

Jesus had warned them (and us, if we choose to be his followers), “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you . . . the servant is not greater than his master. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you . . . yes, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is doing a service to God.”

* * *

He also told them, “I have still many things to say to you: but you cannot bear them now. But when he, the Spirit of Truth, comes, he will teach you all truth.”

Traditional Catholics take these latter words to be Our Lord’s prediction of his Roman Catholic Church being the means by which God will reveal all we need to know about him and his will for us into the future.

Such a belief can be annoying to non-Catholics. But when you investigate the illogical and/or no-sweat  ideologies on offer as alternatives to the Faith, we see how blessed we are by God to have his Church offering us his sacramental grace and teachings.

A former “Miss Universe” has allowed a naked photograph of herself to appear on a magazine cover.

She now tells reporters she did it to raise money for the Butterfly Foundation which helps people with eating disorders.

The idea being that even beautiful people have “flaws”, as in this photo, which makes the lady look a bit tubby.

She says the whole performance was done with “a good intention to promote healthy eating and lifestyle”.

OK. It is not for this blog or its readers to brood unduly on what her intentions were.

The point about saving people from obsessively striving for a “perfect” body is, however, a valid one.

* * *

When the young Mary MacKillop started teaching in the first school set up by Father Woods in 1866, she and the other recruits started wearing plain black dresses. They soon switched to brown alpaca cloth, mainly because that was cheaper.

When Father Woods wrote the “Rule” of the newly-formed Josephite Order, he gave instructions that the Sisters wear clothes “of poor material . . . for the poor must endure the consequences of poverty.”

Dressing like the poor people was an important principle.

So was modesty. Mary MacKillop remembered the words of Saint Paul in the Bible, “I wish women to be decently dressed, adorning themselves with modesty.”

When starting a youth group in Adelaide, Mary made it a requirement that those attending “must dress with simplicity, modesty and neatness.”  

* * *

There is a balance to be struck when deciding what to wear and what kind of a “body image” to seek. The key word to keep in mind is “decent”.

Try to keep yourself looking decent. Nothing more. Nothing less.

There is, of course, nothing wrong with being beautiful — there are no prizes for looking repulsive — but for a girl, beauty is a great responsibility.

She must decide what to do with her beauty. Her beauty is going to draw attention to her at the physical level — not easy to handle without falling into pride and taking pleasure in one’s ability to manipulate lust-prone males.

A beautiful female has a special need to keep close to God — to avoid temptations herself, and to avoid putting temptations into the minds of those around her.

God obliges you to use whatever beauty you have, the same way you must use everything else you have — you must use it for the glory of God and to show God that you love him.

Mother Teresa, a Catholic nun who worked for over 40 years amongst the poorest of the poor in Calcutta, India, is to be honoured on a new postage stamp in the USA.

Other “celebrities” getting stamps will be cinema personalities Katharine Hepburn, Gene Autry, Roy Rogers, Tom Mix, and singer Kate Smith.

* * *

Mother Teresa, original name, Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu, was born in Skopje, Macedonia, on 26 August 1910 and died in Calcutta on 5 September 1997.

On 19 October 2003, she was beatified by Pope John Paul II, making her now officially “Blessed Teresa of Calcutta” and destined for sainthood.

The US postal service, announcing the Mother Teresa stamp, referred to her humanitarian work, making no reference to her defence of the Catholic position regarding unborn human life.

On 25 February 1994, Mother Teresa was quoted in the Wall Street Journal: “America needs no words from me to see how your decision in Roe v. Wade (the Supreme Court case legalising abortion in the USA on 22 January 1973) has deformed a great nation. The so-called right to abortion has pitted mothers against their children and women against men. It has sown violence and discord. . . . It has portrayed the greatest of gifts — a child — as a competitor, an intrusion, and an inconvenience.”

* * *

On 3 September 2007, Mother Teresa appeared on Time magazine’s cover, with the caption, “The Secret Life of Mother Teresa”.

Time was featuring a new book – a miserable, el cheapo, tedious, predictable, pot-boiler of a book — “Mother Teresa: Come Be My Light”, by Brian Kolodiejchuk.

It was a book about, not Mother Teresa’s love for the poor, but how she was wracked by doubts. For example, her words, “I’m told that God loves me. Yet the reality of darkness, coldness and emptiness is so great that nothing touches my soul”.

This is hardly news. All believers must fight doubt — persevering despite difficulties of belief which are certainly no evidence for betrayal of the Faith.

* * *

But did Mother Teresa abandon the Faith in other ways?

Yes she did — if certain of her other sayings can be taken at face value.

In particular, “I’ve always said we should help a Hindu become a better Hindu, a Muslim become a better Muslim, a Catholic become a better Catholic . . . .”  (quoted by Anthony Stern in “Everything Starts from Prayer: Mother Teresa’s meditations on spiritual life for people of all faiths”).

We know that Jesus himself said the opposite, “Go, teach all nations, baptising them in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost,”  i.e. don’t make them better Hindus, Muslims etc. — make them Christians.

Should the move to declare Mother Teresa a Catholic “saint” be scrapped, after all?

We could still admire her for her kindness.

What will the New Year bring?

One thing we may have to cope with is a kiddies’ story book by Australia’s Prime Minister, Mr Kevin Rudd.

It is about the PM’s cat and dog. It will be published later this month.

Why?

* * *

This project must be considered a vote-catcher, an image-softener.

Media-aware prime ministers know there’s more political mileage in being a celebrity than in facing moral issues.

Children are being exploited as part of this – being brainwashed again – taught how not to think — certainly not to think about God.

* * *

Children are uneasily aware that things are going wrong in the world.

Like their TV-watching parents, they are being fed a never-ending series of panic-inducing sideshows to be anxious about.

Global warming (man-made and man-fixable)

Pandemics (spread by humans, preventable by human-invented vaccinations)

Economic crises (caused by human greed, fixable by human-stimulated spending-sprees)

Because rational creatures can’t be convinced by such yarns, it’s politically important to prevent creatures being rational.

Adults succumb best to violence, sport and pornography.

Children, up to a certain age, still fall for cuteness and Prime Ministers who can speak, not only Mandarin, but also baby-talk.

* * *

When things go wrong in the world we should be looking to the primary Cause (God), not just airbrushing the secondary causes.

Children are capable of understanding that there is a God who rules the universe and who loves us — and that we should spend our lives seeking, not just to “feel good” and “look good”, but in trying to please God by being good and showing him by our lives that we love him.

* * *

God has put the Catholic Church into the world to lead us, adults and children, into union with him through the Sacraments of the Church.

God wants to dwell in your soul (your intellect and your will).

That is what we need to focus on and talk to our children about.