The Catholic Bishops of Victoria have distributed 80,000 copies of a letter to the state’s Catholics.

It says, among other things:

“Deeply aware of Christ’s mission of compassion and justice — the Church cannot ignore the responsibility to speak the truth in love.

“Sometimes reminding people about the truth of the human person is one such task for all of us.

“Some now seek to alter the very nature of the human person through legislation.

“Our Australian society is now at a critical turning point where truth is at stake.”

* * *

The Church has always taught that homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered, are contrary to Natural Law and can under no circumstances be approved.

If it were to condone homosexual “marriage” — giving its blessing to persons publicly committing to a lifetime of such disordered activity—it would cease to be Catholic.

The media can find so-called Catholics who dispute the Church’s teaching.

But they are not Catholics.

Ex-NSW premier, Kristina Keneally is one. She needs somebody to respectfully explain this to her.

Would she listen?

She might.

Meanwhile, let’s hope the bishops’ message is successful in defending marriage, families and the children of our families.

It seems as though Bernard Tomic cheated in his match against Alexandr Dolgopolov the other night.

When interviewed, he showed no remorse.

He is a young man. There should be somebody guiding him.

Perhaps with his great talent etc., winning has become too much of a priority with him.

* * *

We can all understand to some extent how tempting it was for him to do what he did.

We all have temptations.

What should BT do now?

First, he should go to confession.

Then do whatever the priest prescribes for him as penance.

If he is told to withdraw from the tournament, he should do so without complaint or comment.

* * *

Professional sport is responsible for so much bad human behaviour.

For example: gambling, drug use, self-absorption by the players.

Obsession with passive and trivial pursuits by spectators and TV watchers, plus more gambling.

Can we weed professional sport out of our society?

Not easy.

One at a time we can, as individuals, stop taking any interest in it.

That will be a start.

The 2011 World Youth Day has come and gone.

Two million young Catholics found their way to Madrid to hear Pope Benedict XVI.

Hundreds of thousands greeted his arrival with deafening sounds.

Yet at the appropriate moments – during Mass, during the pauses on the Way of the Cross – the silence was absolute.

It tempts one to hope that the lives of many attending were being changed . . . .

And that on going home their pride in being Catholic – and their humility in being sinners redeemed by the Passion of Christ – will not be lost.

* * *

That was the Pope’s take-home message:

* that they must “make Christ, the Son of God, the centre of (their) life.”

* that they must spread that message to a world “filled with young people who are looking for something greater. . . .”

 * and to help others to resist being “seduced by the empty promises of a lifestyle which has no room for God.”

* * *

Certainly the youth of many nations are today looking for something – risking their lives, trying to topple dictators and crying out “freedom!” and “democracy!”.

Oh dear. Are not freedom and democracy rather watery rations on which to confront the forces of evil?

He who dies for democracy, dies for the triumph of mediocrity and compromise.

Freedom? A myth. We all slaves to sin. Toppling Mr Gaddafi won’t help in that direction.

* * *

Will the WYD returnees find their home churches filled with a great thirst for the Sacraments and a great zeal for the spread of God’s Kingdom in the world?

The Church has made terrible mistakes, but it is God’s Church.

As the Pope says, you cannot be a Christian on your own.

The Church is a must.

If the Church is imperfect, then let us work to make it better — not abandon it.

Two weeks ago, Israel reopened the site where Jesus was baptised in the Jordan River to Christian pilgrims who wish to visit.

Since the 1967 war, when Israel captured that part of the west bank from Jordan, the site had been a heavily mined no-man’s land.

The area has now been renovated and cleared of mines at a cost of over $2 million.

Israel hopes this will help attract more Christian tourists.

Of 3.45 million tourists visiting Israel last year, 70 percent were Christians and 40 percent said their visit was a “religious pilgrimage”.

* * *

In an era when the media would have us believe that Christianity is on its last legs, it’s interesting that millions of people cross the world to see this holy place.

Baptism is an indispensable part of the Christian religion.

More than a welcome ceremony, after which the family takes photos etc., Baptism is a sacrament of the Catholic Church.

One of seven.

By means of water and the words of God, the baptised person is cleansed of sin, reborn and made holy, with a view to entering eternal life.

The water represents a washing away of sin.

It also represents a drowning — making the word “reborn” more than a metaphor.

The Bible says that “as we are baptised in Christ Jesus . . . in his death . . . so we also may walk in newness of life.” (Romans, chapter 6)

If one is unwilling to join Jesus in his death – becoming “dead” to sin, i.e. giving it up completely — one can hardly expect to receive the new life of God.

* * *

If one has failed to live in the spirit of one’s baptism, is all hope lost?

No. That is why we have the sacrament of Confession (or Penance) where one’s sins can be absolved and make a fresh start.

Reading the Bible, praying etc., aren’t enough.

The Bible doesn’t bring you to God.

The Bible points to, and sheds light on, the Sacraments, that is all.

It’s in the Catholic Sacraments themselves that we encounter — not just words about God — but God himself.

Loree Rudd recently wrote to federal Labor MP’s opposing same-sex “marriage” — saying that if the party backs it she will quit.

She says marriage belongs only between a man and woman, and complains that the worldwide pro-homosexual movement has “fed propaganda” to lobby for change:

“I call them the global gay Gestapo . . . brainwashing people, particularly the young in the community, that this (homosexuality) is an optional extra in life,”

* * *

Loree has been criticised for those words:

 * Yes, there is no place here for using the word “gay”.

“Gay” means happy and full of fun. To drag it into this debate is to throw away yet another useful English word.

* Others criticise Loree for mentioning the “Gestapo” — as though brainwashing youth into normalising homosexual acts is as evil as killing prisoners in gas chambers.

Yes, better not to have mentioned the Gestapo — it gave her opponents an excuse to focus on just one word, and to avoid addressing the important point she was making.

We all know our youth is being fed biased information re homosexuality — as recently discussed on this blog site.  (18 May 2011)

* * *

The Catholic Church Catechism says we must treat all people, including those involved in homosexuality, as follows: “Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided. …”

Therefore bullying, abuse (and, presumably, Gestapo-talk) cannot be excused.

But it  also says: “. . . under no circumstances can they [homosexual acts] be approved . . . homosexual persons are called to chastity. By the virtues of self-mastery that teach them inner freedom, at times by the support of disinterested friendship, by prayer and sacramental grace, they can and should gradually and resolutely approach Christian perfection.”

* * *

So there we are:

Loree scores only about 4 out of 10 for her choice of words.

But more like 9 out of 10 for her courage and initiative.

In May 2001, Bishop William Morris of the Catholic diocese of Toowoomba, Australia, took “early retirement”.

Apparently pressured to do so by the Vatican (i.e. the Pope) for his “liberal” public statements.

In 2006, Bishop Morris, in an “Advent Letter”, suggested that the Church “may well need to be much more open towards ordaining women, married or single” and towards “recognising Anglican, Lutheran and Uniting Church Orders”.

The last bit means telling Catholics it’s OK to receive “Holy Communion” at the hands of non-Catholic preachers.

Later, Bishop Morris said that “a conversation needs to be had, whether it’s on the ordination of women, whether it’s birth control . . . .”

Not surprising that the Pope decided to manage without him.

* * *

How edifying if Bishop Morris had made a retraction and declared himself willing to submit to the Pope’s authority.

He could then have explained to a confused public why there is no place in the Church for female priests.

Or for recognising the “priesthood” of non-Catholic preachers.

Or for artificial birth control.

But he didn’t take that opportunity.

One reason he didn’t was probably certain other priests applauding his dissent.

One such was Victorian Father Bob Maguire.

Father Maguire has been encouraging dissent for decades.

I have heard him in his parish church make comments denying the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the sacrifice of the Mass . . . .

* * *

Anyway, Father Maguire has now been selected “Victorian of the Year”.

That choice harms the Church — and it’s unfortunate for Father Maguire himself.

Such acclaim will make it harder for him to be primarily a Catholic priest.

Father Maguire’s efforts at being a kind of social worker — and an iconoclastic commentator on anything and  everything — have doubtless done good at times.

But a priest’s real job is to teach the Catholic Faith and to celebrate and respect the Catholic Sacraments.

This he has not done consistently.