A little venting

Hi,

Yes, I am still alive and there are things going on in the world to which I have been paying attention. We have had the Pope getting everyone excited about his choice of words while addressing the need for dialog with Islam. We have had an archbishop excommunicated. We have had a sex scandal involving young boys and a senator. Not to mention a few other ideas that have floated around in my head based on some things I have read. So buckle in, this might be a bumpy ride.

I have never been much of a diplomat. As I get older and presumably a little wiser (although I have learned that the two do not necessarily go hand in hand), I have learned the subtleties of communication and politics, but I am not always very good at them. Flattery is definitely not my strong suit, even with those I honestly care about, admire, or even make my heart skip a beat (just ask my wife). I do also recognize the beauty and importance of diversity of culture and thought, and that I certainly don’t have all the answers or can declare absolute truths. It amazes me at how cautious we all are about what we say about Islam. You may be saying, “Uh, Scott, they blow things up or cause riots when we tick them off”. To which I say, yes, there are extremists. Maybe even more than in other religions, and that definitely use large scale, publicized violence more often. That should not stop us from trying to engage people in communication and call out the things that are unacceptable in our point of view.

Speaking of extremists, Emmanual Milingo, the archbishop of Lusaka, Zambia, was excommunicated this past week for ordaining married priests in Washington, D.C. Marriage and the priesthood have been his main agenda for years now. He even went as far as getting married himself, but Pope John Paul II persuaded him to come back into the fold. Even now, the Church is definitely the religion of second chances (thank God), and Pope Benedict XVI is trying to give him another chance. Hear is an issue that is definitely causing a division in the Church. There are some that I am sure are applauding the "ordination". “It’s about time someone did this.” “I don’t see what the big deal is.” or “We wouldn’t have a shortage of priests if it weren’t for that celibacy rule from the dark ages.” To all of these, I say you do not understand the difference between a vocation and an occupation. The priesthood is not just an occupation. It is a vocation that also happens to be combined with the individual’s occupation – his daily work. I can see where it is easily confused, after all most married men have both a vocation and an occupation, so why would this be any different? The two are so intimately combined in the priesthood that they are impossible to separate. It is a matter of priorities. As a married man I can prioritize between my vocation as a husband and father and my occupation as a program manager. Allowing married priests as the norm (there are married priests that were ordain in other denominations) would be like endorsing polygamy. How do you prioritize between two spouses? I would argue you can’t without causing all kinds of misery, especially in modern culture.

Finally, we have Senator Foley. My first reaction was, you have got to be kidding me. The Co-chair of a committee that seeks to protect children is sending sexually explicit emails to kids? Not only is this appalling, it is almost laughably stupid? I am amazed that this took so long to come to light, but maybe I don’t understand the dynamics of this situation. I understand the fear and shame of an abuse victim, but this seems different. I guess it could be likened to sexual harassment. The boys were afraid for their futures if they turned in a well liked, powerful Senator. Still, I wish more of the bad guys/jerks of the world were stupid enough to give us a written record of their crimes/misconduct.

It is a crazy world. May God’s hand reach out and guide us and protect us. Wow, the commute must be making me a little edgy. This entry sounds more like my brother. :)

As for the other ideas I mentioned I will save those for now. They are both related to some good editorials in the San Jose Mercury News.

May God Bless us all with his grace and mercy.