Cardinal Newman Catechist
Consultants — 2nd May, 2016 — HANDOUTS n. 133
“Clear, brief and easily assimilated by all”
“Go, teach
all Nations”
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Sample Letters
to a Newspaper
Always be ready to give a reason for the hope that is in
you, yet to do so with gentleness and reverence.
1 Peter 3:15
MISTAKEN
EQUALITIES
Some inequalities are worth preserving:-
Truth does not equal error.
Beauty does not equal ugliness.
Good docs not equal evil.
God does not equal the Devil.
Choosing those second alternatives makes for unhappy
living, isolation from others and social disintegration. The nobler
choices are the basis of science, philosophy, art and ethics. A
Religion that upholds natural morality and asserts the evil of murder,
adultery, theft and lying, might be harder to practise but is more
practical. Indeed, it underpins civilization and real freedoms, and
avoids the horrors of Hitler, Stalin, Mao and Polpot.
There is a piece of trickery in elementary algebra that
proves that two equals one. Actually, it is a fraud, a cheat, even a
lie. Similarly, by chopping a square into two triangles and two
quadrilaterals, and rearranging them, it is possible to deceive the
unwary that 64 = 65.
Similarly, it is neither helpful nor truthful to ignore
the different wiring of the brains of men and women — or of their
reproductive organs. Experience and modern science agree. It is not
bigotry to say so, nor is all discrimination evil.
Mistaken equalities are handy for rabble-rousing soap box
oratory.
Before today's aggressive promotion of atheism and
amorality, marriage always involved male and female, even if
aberrations like concubines and harems were tolerated. True equality is
not getting just anything you want but respecting differences. That’s
fair!
BEST
BET ON GOD
SOME AGNOSTICS, atheists and other irreligious persons
would like everyone to convert to them and thereby ensure peace in the
world — reversing our Gospel of converting others to God and Godliness.
A good test of any religious or non-religious faith is
which is the most noble in its teaching and practical results. The more
noble the teaching, the harder it will be to practise — and the more
shocking the failures. Not surprisingly, people struggle with
Christianity. We have to love our enemies and those who hate us, and
alas, sometimes we find ourselves even hating our friends!
Pascal, who gives his name to air pressure in tyres, was
given to gambling. He reckoned it was best to bet on God since we would
never know if we were wrong! At least, that’s a starting point for
enquiry.
SANTA CLAUS
NICHOLAS of Myra was a fourth
century saintly Christian bishop in what is now modern Turkey. He was
famous for the small bags of gold he gave to three maidens as the
dowries they needed for honourable marriage.
Thus he became the patron saint of children and of giving
them presents. In eastern Europe, children are given presents on his
feast day, 6th December.
For English speakers, such presents developed into
Christmas presents on 25th
December, with parents acting for St Nicholas, Santa Claus, “Sinte
Claus” in Dutch. A bishop is a “father in God”, so he is called “Father
Christmas”.
Far from being a rival to the Baby Lord Jesus, he reminds
us of God’s supreme Christmas present to mankind, Jesus Christ, His Son
and our Saviour.
MAKING MOTHERS
NOTHING is the same as matrimony. While the word
“marriage” comes from the making of a husband, “matrimony” says more,
for it means the making of a mother.
Only a woman can be a mother. Only a man can make her so.
One young man’s proposal of marriage was, “Can you hear the pitter
patter of little feet on the floor?”
No substitute is possible for matrimony. Nothing has
equality with marriage.
It’s one of God’s greatest inventions. It’s a living
symbol of His union with creation, with humanity, and with His Church.
It’s a symbol which makes His purpose present from generation to
generation. Without such a vision, the people perish.
GOOD AND EVIL
ACCORDING TO the old Sunday School chorus, “The best book
to read is the Bible”.
So, once upon a time a boy I know wagged Sunday School by
pretending to be sick. He offered to sit in the wintry sunshine and
read the Bible, starting from Genesis. Genesis means the Beginning.
Genesis was chock-a-block with good and evil, ranging from
the noble to the obscene, from God to the Devil:
Some was inspiring. Let there be light. Increase and
multiply and fill the earth. Tend the Garden and keep it. Not good for
man to be alone. Jacob served seven years for Rachel and they seemed
but a few days because of the greatness of his love. Lots of parental
affection.
On the other hand there was murder, slavery, masturbation,
rape, sodomy, fornication, prostitution, incest, polygamy, theft, lies,
false witness, false pretences, sibling rivalry, jealousy. Wow!
And life in society. Big government, centralized economy.
A high-rise tower, fire, flood, famine. Tragic infertility. Remarkable
obstetrics and animal husbandry. Sharp bargaining, even with God!
Actually, it’s just like today. All that’s missing is
abortion and euthanasia, where we have sunk lower.
However we are also far better off, with a Saviour from
sin, His moral code and power-packages to live Godly lives.
INTELLECTUAL
MARXISM
ARE THE elected politicians of our democracy gradually
legislating civilization out of existence? Are we to be trapped in a Nineteen
Eighty Four scenario of totalitarian domination by governments?
Is total promiscuity the latest sop for a Brave New
World without religion and its morality, without marriages and its
families, and with children unplanned, unwanted bi-product?
Democracy never was enough. After the 1989 fall of Russian
communism, Solzhenitsyn, that true patriot, said democracy would not
suit the Russian people because what they needed was a dictator who
would be responsible to God and to his conscience.
Read Dr Paul Kengor’s 2015 book, TAKEDOWN, From
Communists to Progressives, How the Left has sabotaged Family and
Marriage. Its back cover is headed “Exposing the Radical Movement
to Redefine Family and Marriage”. It traces the Neo-Marxism take-over
of academics and education and its morphing into Freudian-Marxism.
Good Old Father Jim
by Mrs Michele Vieira for the celebration on 26th September, 2015, of his Golden
Jubilee of Priesthood and 80th Birthday.
Tune: The Battle Hymn of the Republic.
FR JIM has been a priest for 50
years today, He has taught us all to worship God and how to kneel and
pray
He has written books and handouts,
lots of letters every day: Our priest is Fr Jim
CHORUS
Glory be to God for good old Fr
Jim (thrice)
He is our beloved priest.
2. He grew up out at Beecroft,
went to school at Homebush High
He learnt to read and write at
school, to add and multiply
He went to Sydney Uni then on to
Sydney seminary He learnt to be a priest.
3. As Fr Jim he went to work in
service of Our Lord
In Penrith, Ryde and Naremburn,
his priestly life outpoured
With weddings, Baptisms,
confessions and his preaching — no-one was bored
They all loved Fr Jim
4. When families came to see him all upset and all
distraught
For they sent their kids to
Catholic schools but the faith there was not taught
So he wrote his catechism and his Confirmation kit
And taught them in the park
5. When it was heard that teachers
did not know the truth to teach
He started courses for them all so
the children they could reach
With the truths of our great
Catholic faith through timeless recipes
Of passing on the faith
6. The Newman Centre blossomed out
of this apostolate
It’s grown and grown in spreading
truth in books and pamphlet (pronounced pamph-el-et)
With statues, pictures, rosary
beads, advice all given free
The faith is passing on
7. Homeschooling next became the
grounds for Fr Jim’s advice
Encour-aging the mums and dads to
try was no surprise
He’s our unofficial chaplain,
champ -i- on for all our needs
He helps us teach our kids
8. He retired from active ministry
and moved to Tarlo town
He never stopped his priestly work
but grew in high renown
Answering letters by the dozen,
providing all our spiritual needs
He continued being God’s priest
9. These days he goes more slowly,
walks with staff and hat and boots
He tells us all the stories of his
childhood and his roots
He drinks a pint of tea each meal,
lights fires with just one match,
And prays for us each day
10. We hope he lives upon this
earth for decades yet to come
Still sharing the faith,
encouraging us — the kids, the dads and mums
To persevere, to do our best to be
God’s holy ones
He still serves God today.
What’s his Apostolic Agenda?
ANSWER: Activating the lay
apostolate.
·
Writing Handouts from his Daily Log Book of
Ideas.
·
Researching answers for letters, faxes, phone calls.
·
Writing Letters to the Editor of the Goulburn Post.
·
Getting New Boys Go Bush Again into print.
·
Recreation writing of New Boys' Bush Rescue.
·
Major revision of Heart Speaks to Heart prayer
book.
·
Completing how-to-teach Catholic Family CatechIST..
·
and talking and listening to young and old.
Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy
and wise.
Father James Tierney
© The Rev. B.J.H. Tierney. Handouts
are free and may be copied for any non-profit teaching
purpose. However, donations to defray costs are welcome and should be
made to the publisher and distributor, the Cardinal Newman Faith
Resources Inc. PO Box 359, St Marys NSW 1790; phone 02 9673 2235; fax
02 9623 3181 email <fr@eardinalnewman.com.au>
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