Dignity

Feast of Christ the King

The foundation of liberty is truth (i.e. what is in accord with objective reality), not dignity. Because whoever clings to error loses his dignity.

But what of intrinsic human dignity?

There is no such thing. Man's dignity is always contingent -- it depends on the extent of his adherence to what is true. To the degree that a man is ignorant or wrong, his dignity suffers.

To put it in a positive manner, man derives his dignity from perfection -- i.e. from his knowledge of the truth and acquisition of the good.

Seen in this light, the notion that "everyone has his own truth" is nonsensical -- it is a concept that sacrifices truth for the sake of some short-term goal.

Error brings bondage and misery. The truth sets you free.

- Excerpted from Religious Liberty in Open Letter to Confused Catholics by Abp. Marcel Lefebvre

How to Keep Your Grout Clean

I travel quite a bit with work -- one more flight this year and I hit my medallion status with Delta (I would have reached that milestone much sooner but I flew a good bit of AirTran this year too). So it's nice to have a respite from travel and enjoy the comforts of home.

Case in point: I'm having company over tonight. Neighbor Olivia was by beforehand to drop off some appetizers. Surveying my kitchen, she asked, "Sean, how do you keep the grout in your tiles so clean?"

"Because I never use my kitchen," I said.

See, depending on your situation, some things are just easy to solve for.

Who is Correct?

Q: Catholics profess that the bread and wine actually become the Body and Blood of Christ during the Consecration. Protestants, meanwhile, hold that the bread and wine used in communion are just symbols, and that the in the communion service nothing actually happens. Who is correct?

A: Both sides are correct.

Q: How can both sides be correct?

A: When a Catholic Priest says the words of Consecration at Mass, the bread and wine literally (and not symbolically) become the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Christ. When a protestant pastor performs a communion service, meanwhile, nothing happens.

Juan, Tim, and Bombs

Source

Said former NPR news analyst Juan Williams: "Christians shouldn't be blamed for Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh."

That's good, because McVeigh was an agnostic who said science was his religion.

In fact, in his philosophy of religion, McVeigh had more in common with NPR news analysts than with Christians.

A Real Adventure

Bp. Bernard Fellay, SSPX: "When we ask priests who approach the Society what they expect from us, they tell us initially that they expect doctrine." With respect to the young generation devoted to Tradition, His Excellency said, "it is waiting, ready for the adventure of Tradition, sensing very well that what is being offered to it apart from Tradition is nothing but imitation goods."

"The act of defending any of the cardinal virtues has today all the exhilaration of a vice." - G.K Chesterton in A Defense of Humilities, The Defendant, 1901

Video: excerpt of Bp. Fellay celebrating a Pontifical High Mass in Kansas City -- October 17, 2010

I'm seated (off camera) Gospel-side, about a dozen rows back with Helmut and Linda.

40 Years of SSPX

I'm in Kansas City this weekend attending the 40th anniversary conference of the SSPX.

One celebrates birthdays because it is good to be alive; similarly, one celebrates anniversaries to commemorate a happy event -- in this case, the foundation of the Society of St. Pius X. This ex-atheist now entertains a good hope of Heaven, and the SSPX is the entity used by Almighty God to bring that change about. In gratitude, then, for the graces brought through the Society, I'm attending the conference. In a world that wants to see the Gospel silence and the Faith given by Jesus Christ to the world through his Apostles, I'm glad to support this public manifestation of the light shining in darkness; to be edified by the examples and company of the holy people present; to be renewed in my efforts to fight the good fight.

Merci, monsignor.

Ways to Say Thank You

Anand is an Indian chap I've been working with on my current assignment. He's an affable fellow, and he has kindly entertained several of my questions about life and language in India (e.g. I related this story, and he agreed that it was prudent of me to not have had dinner with the fellow).

"How do you say 'thank you' in Hindi?" I asked him the other day.

"Dhayanwad" he said (I transliterate). "But we do not use this."

"What?" I replied. "You mean if someone does you a good turn you just ignore him without acknowledging it?"

"No," Anand said, smiling. "We just say 'thank you' in English, we do not say it in Hindi."

It's the legacy of the Britishers, you see. Live and learn.