19 05, 2017

The Link Between Abortion and Trafficking

By |2021-08-25T04:59:14+00:00May 19th, 2017|Theology|

It is often believed that those who spend their time fighting abortion are of a different ilk than those who fight child sex-slavery. Indeed, all those seeking justice usually have time for only one area of total-expertise, but my blog today will attempt to show that both child-sex slavery and abortion feed each other in a vicious cycle. We must become abolitionists for both of these attacks on children. Indeed, besides the obvious link that slavery and abortion both harm innocent children, there are several important reasons why sex-slavery will continue to grow within the abortion and contraception empire. 1) The disproportionate number of unborn girls killed in China has [...]

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26 12, 2016

St. Stephen and Rogue One

By |2016-12-26T19:03:03+00:00December 26th, 2016|Theology|

Spoiler alert on Rogue One for the second half of this blog post. Today is the feast of St. Stephen, the first martyr of the Catholic Church. His martyrdom is found in Acts chapter 7 and it contains the jarring testimony of a young deacon who chooses God’s religion over man’s intertwined religious games. Although engaging the high-powered Jewish religious leaders of Christ’s own time, St. Stephen is fearless in proclaiming how Jesus Christ is the fulfilment of all the Hebrew Scriptures. Before being stoned to death, Stephen recounts to the Pharisees all of Salvation history. Then he accuses them: "You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. [...]

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20 12, 2016

Why Catholic Men are Bored in Church

By |2018-07-13T02:22:22+00:00December 20th, 2016|Theology|

Although Colorado’s Supermax is the federal prison that is featured on all the TLC shows, Colorado’s death row for our homegrown felons is actually on the Eastern Plains. For my second assignment as a priest, I was sent to a parish containing within her bounds that very Correctional Facility. Upon arrival, I had a plan to reach not just the Catholics, but all the semi-professed Christians at the prison. I would hold a Bible Study called “What the First Christians Believed,” but not write “By Padre Peregrino” on the flyer. It was an immediate success. Many people from all denominations arrived. Great discussion ensued for the first two weeks. However, [...]

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19 10, 2016

Same Sex Attraction: Bearing the Beams of Love

By |2018-07-13T02:28:29+00:00October 19th, 2016|Theology|

I asked a close friend to write about his experience with same-sex attraction.   His life reflects a poem by William Blake: And we are put on earth a little space, That we may learn to bear the beams of love, And these black bodies and this sun-burnt face. —The Little Black Boy Each of us has different set of beams of love to bear, so I'm sure that you'll find his life an inspiration.—Padre Peregrino By CJ: I am a child of a God. I am a traditional Roman Catholic. I am a traditional Roman Catholic, a child of God who has same-sex attraction. I have known that I was different since I was young. Ironically, [...]

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4 10, 2016

On the Separation of Church and State

By |2016-10-04T21:29:54+00:00October 4th, 2016|Theology|

When Thomas Jefferson used the term "separation of Church and State" it was to assure a group of Baptists that the State would not trample the rights of their community. He wrote: "Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between Man & his God, that he owes account to none other for his faith or his worship, that the legitimate powers of government reach actions only, & not opinions, I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should 'make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,' thus building a wall of [...]

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7 09, 2016

Catholics and iPhones

By |2018-07-13T02:29:23+00:00September 7th, 2016|Theology|

Leisure: The Basis of Culture is a book written by Josef Pieper, a 20th century expert on St. Thomas Aquinas. In this book, Pieper demonstrates that a Christian civilization can not be sustained by technology and production as seen in Protestantized countries like Germany. On the southern and more Catholic side of Europe, we see how Italy and Spain close down business for afternoon siestas. Although Italy and Spain are less and less Catholic every year, they retain some aspects of what was once a Christian culture, namely, leisure. For Pieper, leisure is not laziness but an ability to enjoy the good things of life via contemplation and community.  This includes God and family. [...]

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23 06, 2016

Catholic “Vulnerability”

By |2016-06-24T02:49:35+00:00June 23rd, 2016|Theology|

I had abdominal surgery two weeks ago, so I got sent home with some narcotics. I wasn’t in much physical pain, but I noticed there was a lot of psychological relief in taking the narcotics. I was anxious for an upcoming meeting, so I found myself taking hydrocodone for the calming effects more than for the physical recovery. Any reader who had been in medicine for even a short time should be able to see the alarms of pre-addiction in the previous three sentences. Happily, I caught this too and never finished my prescription. (And the meeting went very well, too.  Of course, this had nothing to do with the [...]

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16 04, 2016

Polish and American Catholicism

By |2016-04-17T10:09:28+00:00April 16th, 2016|Theology|

NB I was asked why I took down my last post. The reason I removed it is because I believe my impact on that topic will be greater at a more strategic time. I'm under no prohibitions to blog. After all this, I still have no fear to proclaim the truth...but I sense in prayer that my soapbox must wait in order to affect more people after my medical leave is finished (even if my only remaining podium be the internet.) Like my first great Jesuit spiritual director (Fr. Ralph Drendel SJ) my second great Jesuit has gone to his eternal reward.  Late Thursday night Fr. Raymond Gawronski SJ, went before [...]

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