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TUESDAY March 7, 2000 vol. 11, no. 47 SECTION ONESee why so many consider the Daily CATHOLIC as the "USA Today for CATHOLICS!"
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In today's editorial, we look to tomorrow - Ash Wednesday - and Lent and what we, as concerned Catholics need to do to make this a fruitful, grace-filled Lent. We delve into what constitutes "fasting" and "abstinence" and why and sum it up in the analogy of the race Saint Paul speaks of in Corinthians as well as mixing in a few more metaphors to show how we can be winners through our preparation and reparation this Lent. For today's editorial Make 'hay' so the Son shines in our hearts and souls! , click on CATHOLIC PewPOINT
Therefore, in keeping with the remainder of that axiom, "for tomorrow we may die," we surely should. Not physically for the vast majority, but in striving to die to ourselves in the true spirit of Lent. The Church very wisely sets the tone with the words pronounced at the placing of the ashes on our foreheads, "Remember, man, that thou art dust, and unto dust thou shalt return" as taken in part from Genesis 3: 19. How many truly understand those words and the stark realization of the fleeting world. No matter how much money or fame one attains in this world, to quote another axiom, "you can't take it with you!" But you can take with you the spiritual treasures built up during Lent and that's why banking with the great Deposit of Faith is so rewarding.
The Church over the centuries, especially this last one, has been badly maligned by the world and it is in that sense of being shunned that we should take the greatest consolation. In her wisdom and verification of her authenticity, the Church provides the penitential season of Lent annually not just to fill forty days in the spring but rather as a time for all members of the Mystical Body of Christ to willingly nail themselves to the Cross with Our Lord through their acts of prayer, reception of the Sacraments of Reconciliation and the Holy Eucharist, sacrifice, charity and almsgiving. It is a great time to put into action the Corporal and Spiritual Acts of Mercy. Unlike the olden days, it is the only time the Church requires fasting and abstinence for all Fridays in Lent and Ash Wednesday. Even though that is the only time it is mandatory, the Church, as well as the Blessed Virgin Mary in her reported appearances at Medjugorje, strongly encourages year-round fasting and abstinence to make us strong and fit to run the good race as Saint Paul refers to in 1 Corinthians 9: 24-27: "Do you not know that those who run in a race, all indeed run, but one receives the prize? So run as to obtain it. And everyone in a contest abstains from all things - and they indeed to receive a perishable crown, but we an imperishable one. I, therefore, so run as not without a purpose; I so fight as not beating the air; but I chastise my body and bring it into subjection, lest perhaps after preaching to others I myself should be rejected."
We truly need to be in spiritual shape and Lent is one way to tone our souls. Because of the confusion left by modernists who have downplayed this important aspect of grace, it is important to clarify the Lenten regulations here so there is no misunderstanding. Fasting means that all Catholics who have reached the age of 18 and not yet their 60th birthday, are required to limit their food consumption to one full meal, meaning that a smaller breakfast, supper or lunch cannot add up to a full meal. While many look at fasting as a way to lose weight in this vanity conscious society, we should rather look at it as a way to shed vices and gain grace. After all, we have enough dead weight to carry with us into eternity and if we can lighten the load considerably here on earth, it will afford us less time in Purgatory later. This kind of fasting is relatively easy and, in the truest sense, doesn't even constitute the true echelon of fasting which often entails, as Our Lady encourages at Medjugorje, fasting on bread and water alone on Wednesdays and Fridays. Many strict religious Orders follow this same fast year-round. So, we ask you, how hard is it to limit yourself to one full meal a day? Then consider that there are only two days this is required: tomorrow and Good Friday. Good grief, that's ridiculous if anyone can't observe the kind of fasting the Church asks for in two days out of 365. If anyone starts to feel hunger pains, just think of Africa and the countless millions there who are either dying from starvation in the Sudan, Congo, or Mozambique where, like in East Timor, their homes and lives have been totally wiped out.
The number of days of Abstinence are just slightly a few more. They include the seven Fridays of Lent in which any Catholic 14 and older must abstain from meat. That means fewer trips to McDonalds, Burger King or Pizza Hut, and maybe a stop at Long John Silver's instead, or better yet, be creative in making breads or experimenting with vegetables. Americans would be surprised how many other wonderful edibles are out there other than hamburgers, pizza, and tacos. You can tell by now we have teenagers in our home who pass over Mom's cooking for fastfood and we still don't understand it since their mom is an excellent cook and brings that homegrown love and mouthwatering flavor to the table every time. But too many youth today are spoiled on the spoils of "gotta eat, g'bye" lifestyle. Again, how hard is it to go without meat for seven days out of 365?
As the Blessed Mother points out in her messages, there are other ways of fasting and sacrifice that don't entail food for there are many who, because of medical reasons, cannot physically fast and keep up their health. But they can turn off the TV's, they can go out of their way to be extra kind to the grump down the street, or the annoying kids next door, or the gossip lady three houses down who watches everything. This editor's bride has often said that Our Lady has told her that the greatest fast we can perform is to wake up in the morning and throughout the entire day not say one bad thing about anyone, always practicing true charity through holding our tongues as Paul affirms in 1 Corinthians 13: 1, "If I should speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have charity, I have become as sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal." He goes on to say, "And if I have prophecy and know all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith so as to remove mountains, yet do not have charity, I am nothing. And if I distribute all my goods to feed the poor, and if I deliver my body to be burned, yet do not have charity, it profits me nothing."
And it will profit us nothing if we enter this Lent without charity towards ourselves and others; charity towards ourselves in getting our own houses in order before God for someday we will indeed return to dust, and charity towards others as brothers and sisters in Christ, all made in the image and likeness of God which is Basic Baltimore 101. If we can all work on charity this Lent, reconciliation, which will have its emphasis this coming Sunday during the universal Church's observance of "Mea Culpa Day" or "Reconciliation Sunday," will come easier for all. It reminds us of another axiom, "you can catch more flies with honey than vinegar" and with so many applicants for holiness "flying" around out there, it's time to dump the sour sauce and reach for the nectar of the bees. That's what will make Lent more meaningful, more fruitful and bring into the fold more converts who, seeing our actions, will realize they're missing something wonderful. Just as the saints exhibited such virtues, so we also should strive to attain those attributes and the Church, in her wisdom, provides the perfect vehicle: LENT!
While the most pertinent grain during this time and everyday of the year is wheat providing the bread that will become the Body of Christ in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, there is another grain we can utilize and that is the grassy clover known as hay. It is the same substance Our Lord was laid on in the manger at Bethlehem and which, as willing receptacles for Him, we can rest our souls in His crib and be the hay that cradles Him and let His grace and holiness rub off on us so we may receive pure virtues and grace through some of the exercises outlined above. Think about it, we can be hay for Him, or chaff for the furnace! You make the choice. And that choice begins tomorrow for Lent provides the time to tone our souls so we can atone for our faults. Thus during this next forty days and nights, to paraphrase an old proverb, we have the opportunity to make 'hay' so the Son shines in our hearts and souls!
Today we bring you, in preparation for Lent, which begins tomorrow with Ash Wednesday, the second of a two part installment containing the Holy Father's Papal Lenten Message for the universal Church for this Jubilee Year 2000. It was first released on January 27th this year and we saved it until the yesterday and today. In his message the Pope emphasizes the theme of reconciliation as part of the conversion process which will have its emphasis this Sunday on "Mea Culpa" Sunday during the First Sunday of Lent. This is the same message the Blessed Virgin Mary has been imparting at Medjugorje and elsewhere in doing penance, sacrifice, fasting and prayer in order to convert our hearts and forgive so that we may be forgiven as God asks of all of His children. Following is the second of a two part installment with part one having been carried in yesterday's issue. See THE VICAR OF CHRIST SPEAKS.
"I am with you always, to the close of the age" (Matthew 28: 20).
Through the grace of the Jubilee, the Lord likewise invites us to renew our hope. In fact, time itself is redeemed in Christ and opens up to a prospect of unending joy and full communion with God. For Christians, time is marked by an expectation of the eternal wedding feast, anticipated daily at the Eucharistic table. Looking forward to the eternal banquet "the Spirit and Bride say 'Come'" (Revelation/Apocalypse 22:17), nurturing the hope that frees time from mere repetition and gives it its real meaning. Through the virtue of hope, Christians bear witness to the fact that, beyond all evil and beyond every limit, history bears within itself a seed of good which the Lord will cause to germinate in its fullness. They therefore look to the new millennium without fear, and face the challenges and expectations of the future in the confident certainty which is born of faith in the Lord's promise.
Through the Jubilee, finally, the Lord asks us to rekindle our charity. The Kingdom which Christ will reveal in its full splendour at the end of time is already present where people live in accordance with God's will. The Church is called to bear witness to the communion, peace and charity which are the Kingdom's distinguishing marks. In this mission, the Christian community knows that faith without works is dead (cf. James 2:17). Thus, through charity, Christians make visible God's love for man revealed in Christ, and make manifest Christ's presence in the world "to the close of the age." For Christians, charity is not just a gesture or an ideal but is, so to speak, the prolongation of the presence of Christ who gives himself.
During Lent, everyone - rich and poor - is invited to make Christ's love present through generous works of charity. During this Jubilee Year our charity is called in a particular way to manifest Christ's love to our brothers and sisters who lack the necessities of life, who suffer hunger, violence or injustice. This is the way to make the ideals of liberation and fraternity found in the Sacred Scripture a reality, ideals which the Holy Year puts before us once more. The ancient Jewish jubilee, in fact, called for the freeing of slaves, the cancellation of debts, the giving of assistance to the poor. Today, new forms of slavery and more tragic forms of poverty afflict vast numbers of people, especially in the so-called Third World countries. This is a cry of suffering and despair which must be heard and responded to by all those walking the path of the Jubilee. How can we ask for the grace of the Jubilee if we are insensitive to the needs of the poor, if we do not work to ensure that all have what is necessary to lead a decent life?
May the millennium which is beginning be a time when, finally, the cry of countless men and women — our brothers and sisters who do not have even the minimum necessary to live — is heard and finds a benevolent response. It is my hope that Christians at every level will become promoters of practical initiatives to ensure an equitable distribution of resources and the promotion of the complete human development of every individual.
6. "I am with you always, to the close of the age." These words of Jesus assure us that in proclaiming and living the Gospel of charity we are not alone. Once again, during this Lent of the year 2000, He invites us to return to the Father, Who is waiting for us with open arms to transform us into living and effective signs of His merciful love. To Mary, Mother of all who suffer and Mother of Divine Mercy, we entrust our intentions and our resolutions. May she be the bright star on our journey in the new millennium. With these sentiments I invoke upon everyone the blessings of God, One and Triune, the beginning and the end of all things, to Whom we raise "to the close of the age" the hymn of blessing and praise in Christ: "Through Him, with Him, in Him, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory and honour is Yours, Almighty Father, for ever and ever. Amen."
Today Michael Vincent Boyer, a well-respected Catholic insider expert on what's happening in the entertainment industry, exposes the Oscar-nominated movie "American Beauty" and how there's nothing beautiful about it compared to last year's nominee "Life is Beautiful." In fact, Michael shows how fame, success and depravity have contributed to the success of this film at the expense of values and American ideals and it all begins with that so-called genius Stephen Spielberg. For his column, Spielberg's List is a far cry from "Schindler's List", see HOW HOLY WOULD HELP HOLLYWOOD
What Hollywood doesn't want you to know
Such is the case with Steven Spielberg's dark and forbidding "comedy" "American Beauty". The story revolves around the sexual fantasies of the central character Lester Burnham, played by Kevin Spacey, a married father in his early forties who is having a mid-life crisis and "riding out" a troubled marriage with his wife. He begins to fantasize about his daughter's cheerleader friend, Angela, who sparks a renewal in Lester's life.
But, the most damaging message from the film involves Lester's neighbor, Ricky, the handsome high school drug dealer who begins selling drugs to Lester so that he can "expand" his "spiritual side." The constant dope-smoking has him falling deeper into his fantasies as his wife's screaming intensifies. The whole family is dysfunctional in the midst of tranquil suburbia. Bashing suburban peace is a favorite theme of Hollywood filmmakers who disdain the life of tidy houses and manicured lawns. Other recent examples of "suburban bashing" was evidenced in "Happiness," "Pleasantville," and "The Ice Storm."
However, the disturbing portrait of the drug dealer neighbor in "American Beauty" as a "sensitive and caring" individual attempts to elevate him to the movie's only "sympathetic" character. Ricky is constantly video-taping everything around him for the "hidden beauty" life beholds, such as taping a plastic bag blowing in the wind. Now, that's beauty, isn't it?
But, in the end, Ricky corrupts Lester's daughter into his hazy lifestyle as they develop their own "sensitive" relationship. The message of the film is that drug use is just fine, since Lester undergoes a change for the "better" as he acquires "peace, wisdom, and serenity." How about poor judgment, lack of father figure, and even greater dysfunction?
Critics are quick to point out that it's not fair to say this is a Spielberg film, per say, because it is actually produced by Don Jinks and Bruce Cohen, written by Alan Ball, and directed by Sam Mendes. SKG Dream Works just "happens" to be the film's distributor. But, without a distribution agreement by Spielberg's company, the film would have never been made, since all the other studios in Hollywood had the good sense to turn the project down. Spielberg's involvement was more than passive according to director Mendes. The October 4, 1999 issue of USA Today says, "a script was handed to [Mendes] by DreamWorks honcho Steven Spielberg over lunch." That's not "passive" - that's about as actively direct as it gets. The article continues, "Mendes was blown away by sitcom writer Alan Ball's story, with its horrific and dysfunctional family, the spooky boy next door who sells dope and constantly follows Lester's daughter with his camcorder." That's entertainment?!
Writer Alan Ball's own words show how personal agendas and value manipulation are often a reflection of their own "dysfunctional" past, which they are eager to foist on the public. In a screenwriter's magazine, Ball says a lot of the story comes from personal experience, "I grew up in a household with a somewhat troubled father figure and a somewhat shut-down mother figure, so Ricky's household certainly resembles mine in ways." Does that mean Alan Ball used to sell drugs from his house? Does Steven Spielberg find that good movie material for a bleak comedy? Ball is also producer of the faltering TV sitcom "Oh Grow Up!" about two roommates who take in a third suitor who says he left his wife because he realized he was gay. No wonder the networks are losing almost one million viewers annually.
As America's drug czar back in 1990, William Bennett made the strong argument to the movie industry that glamorizing drug use on screen was harmful. The effects of his convictions were immediately noticeable when the film industry began to lessen its depiction of drug use, and when it did depict substance abuse at all, it was shown as destructive, addictive, and criminal. But, with the now widely publicized friendship between Spielberg and President Clinton, there's obviously no argument coming from the White House, especially with Clinton's past history of drug abuse and adultery. This silence may be due to Clinton's seduction by the film business and perhaps the chance to work for DreamWorks or even replace Jack Valenti as President of the Motion Picture Association of America as we shall see in future installments. The thought of that alone would surely spread greater mayhem on the screen.
Now the talk in the movie trade magazines is that "American Beauty" is the Oscar favorite, especially having won the Golden Globe award by the Euro-Trash Hollywood Foreign Press Association. What does that tell you about Hollywood values? Remember, you don't vote for the Golden Globe winners and you don't vote for Oscar nominations; that's for the industry to decide.
And what does that tell you about Steven Spielberg's values? The director of such great films as "Saving Private Ryan," "Schindler's List," and many others has now been elevated to the ranks of a major cartel drug pusher.
NOTE: We respectfully recognize and accept the final authority regarding apparitions, locutions and prophecies presently being reported around the world rests with the Holy See of Rome and the Magisterium of Holy Mother Church to whose judjment we humbly and obediently submit.
"Dear children! Wake up from the sleep of unbelief and sin, because this is a
time of grace which God gives you. Use this time and seek the grace of healing of your heart from God, so that
you may see God and man with the heart. Pray in a special way for those who have not come to know God's
love, and witness with your life so that they also can come to know God and His immeasurable love. Thank you
for having responded to my call."
