In a new document released this week [2018], the Vatican asks those in charge of the economy to consider humans not just dollars and euros. The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) published Oeconomicae et pecuniariae quaestiones: Considerations for an Ethical Discernment Regarding Some Aspects of the Present Economic-Financial System. The document has many details for specialists, but I will focus on a few paragraphs relevant to us all. These paragraphs point out several truths. They show a person is more than an economic producer and consumer. They develop our understanding of how our actions always imply a vision of man and we shouldn’t reduce man just to economics.
In a new document released this week, the Vatican asks those in charge of the economy to consider humans not just dollars and euros. The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) published Oeconomicae et pecuniariae quaestiones: Considerations for an Ethical Discernment Regarding Some Aspects of the Present Economic-Financial System. The document has many details for specialists, but I will focus on a few paragraphs relevant to us all. These paragraphs point out several truths. They show a person is more than an economic producer and consumer. They develop our understanding of how our actions always imply a vision of man and we shouldn’t reduce man just to economics. Principles Section 9 outlines this vision of the human person. It is evident that without an appropriate vision of the human person, it is not possible to create an ethics, nor a practice, worthy of the dignity of the human person and the good that is truly common. In fact, however neutral and detached from every …
As long as politicians and central bankers control the economy, there is no way that men are ever going to represent more than numbers on a financial statement. And, as long as there is a bias against the production of energy by carbon based fuels (“renewables” are nowhere close to being able to provide for the energy needs of the earth’s population), humans are going to be judged as net liabilities by the elites. The Vatican would be well advised to stick to making proclamations on settled issues. On economics, there are very few true “solutions,” but only tradeoffs. If they accept that the bad guys are in charge, then nothing they say has merit.
No More Funding for Planned Parenthood or Other Abortion Businesses May 18, 2018 Fr. Matthew P. Schneider, LC Photo by danny.hammontree on Foter.com (CC BY-NC-ND) The Weekly Standard reported that Government will finally end Planned Parenthood funding based on an email they got. On Friday, the Trump administration will announce a proposed rule to cut taxpayer funding to abortionists like Planned Parenthood under Title X, a program that provides $260 million annually in federal funding for contraception and other “family planning” initiatives. “The proposal would require a bright line of physical as well as financial separation between Title X programs and any program (or facility) where abortion is performed, supported, or referred for as a method of family planning,” a Trump administration official tells THE WEEKLY STANDARD in an email. The 1970 law establishing Title X states: “None of the funds appropriated under this title shall be used in programs where abortion is a method of …
Recently [2018], some words of Pope Francis regarding gays have been widely reported and about as widely misinterpreted... Once I was visiting an unfamiliar church for adoration when a man tapped me on the shoulder and asked to talk. We snuck into the parish hall and he explained how he had homosexual tendencies and struggled to live chastity. He said he would come to adoration a few times a week where he felt God’s peace but was too afraid of the judgments of others to show up at Mass. God loves us all. In his love, God lets us each have challenges to help us grow. For some people, these challenges include sexual attraction to the same sex. We don’t understand what causes such tendencies but in the end, the cause doesn’t change our exhortation to them. God loves them and we shouldn’t deny them that love.
God Loves Gays: The Pope’s Words in Context May 24, 2018 Fr. Matthew P. Schneider, LC Recently, some words of Pope Francis regarding gays have been widely reported and about as widely misinterpreted. As Crux reported the words: As part of the fallout of Pope Francis’s meeting with 34 Chilean bishops, many of whom have been accused or at least suspected of covering up cases of clerical sexual abuse and destroying damning evidence, and all of whom have offered their resignation, the survivors who met with Francis in April continue to share bits and pieces of their encounter with the pontiff. “Juan Carlos, that you are gay doesn’t matter,” Francis reportedly told clerical sexual abuse survivor Juan Carlos Cruz. “God made you like this and loves you like this and it doesn’t matter to me. The pope loves you like this, you have to be happy with who you are.” Cruz is one of three victims of Father Fernando Karadima who were in Rome in late April for a weekend meeting with Francis. His …
"Regarding God’s causality, we also need to remember that sometimes God allows certain challenges and difficulties so we grow. We all have our little crosses that God gives us to grow. For some, this will mean that sexual attraction to those of the same sex." That God allows the disordered state of same-sex proclivity is undeniable. To imagine that God gives the disordered state of same-sex proclivity seems to me preposterous, if not actually blasphemous.
This week, several Catholics in Pittsburgh are going to declare their resistance to Pope Francis at the Catholic Identity Confernece. They claim three main issues where Pope Francis needs resisting but on all three they are wildly off-target. They interpret prudence as dogma or make wild leaps of logic. Before getting to where they err, I will offer a little background and present their press release...
For most of us in the traditional world we have come to recognize that what we thought was the Faith (that which we were given in Novus Ordo parishes) is really a diminution of the Faith. The differences are clearest when you compare the old Mass to the new but it doesn’t stop there. The traditional Catholic parish has a much richer focus on the centrality of Christ and striving for sanctity through daily and seasonal devotions that can, if you adhere to them, grow your love for the Lord. The new Church really doesn’t do this, doesn’t have a great focus on sanctity or discipline but rather reassures you with the sense that “I’m Okay and You’re Okay.” People such as myself who have only recently discovered the traditional Catholic world are mystified why the hierarchy is trying to quash it. Why is what was true and good yesterday bad and destructive today? Every time I return to the NO Mass it becomes clearer that the focus is on the community rather than upon Our Lord. We are made …More
Today’s [2018] abortion referendum put an end to the idea of Catholic Ireland, the Isle of Saints. Here are the results. Ireland has voted by a landslide margin to change the constitution so that abortion can be legalised, according to an exit poll conducted for The Irish Times by Ipsos/MRBI. [...] Catholic Ireland saved civilization from extinction in the dark ages, produced copious missionaries and saints. But that is no more. It didn’t die a great battle but in a whimper...
Tonight [2018] the Stanley Cup Finals begin with the Washington Capitals facing the Las Vegas Golden Knights. Alexander Ovechkin captains the Capitals in their attempt to get their first cup since starting in 1974. I ran into a recent story of Ovechkin showing Christian virtues of charity and humility. This is always a positive aspect making me more open to cheering for an athlete. Back this fall, Ovechkin helped a homeless man stay warm in Edmonton, likely the coldest city in the NHL...
Fr Stephen Gadberry has always kept in good shape. Being a priest in the diocese of Little Rock, Arkansas hasn’t stopped him. Recently, he competed in American Ninja Warrior with his performance airing tomorrow (May 30 [2018]) evening at 8 (7 central). If you haven’t seen it, American Ninja Warrior is an extreme obstacle course that requires a combination of strength, speed, and flexibility. (This video of the Papal Ninja last year explains it better than any words I can give.) I got a chance to talk to Fr Stephen about what it was like being on American Ninja Warrior and the spirituality of priestly fitness...
The Sunday Guardian (of India) published a report about a new [2018] “vaccine” to prevent pregnancy or abort a baby. The prestigious journal Nature Medicine, in its February issue reported that the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) is to do a clinical trial of a tetanus toxoid vaccine (TT) laced with a pregnancy hormone, human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG). It is to be studied on 120 women in India. This “vaccine” against pregnancy was developed by Dr G. P. Talwar in 1972. The idea is to produce antibodies to the pregnancy hormone, such that the women would not be able to carry a normal pregnancy. Women who were pregnant would abort and those not pregnant would be rendered infertile. The report is indeed disturbing...
“Vaccine” Designed to Sterilize Women in Developing Nations May 30, 2018 Fr. Matthew P. Schneider, LC CC0 image from Pixabay The Sunday Guardian (of India) published a report about a new “vaccine” to prevent pregnancy or abort a baby. The prestigious journal Nature Medicine, in its February issue reported that the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) is to do a clinical trial of a tetanus toxoid vaccine (TT) laced with a pregnancy hormone, human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG). It is to be studied on 120 women in India. This “vaccine” against pregnancy was developed by Dr G. P. Talwar in 1972. The idea is to produce antibodies to the pregnancy hormone, such that the women would not be able to carry a normal pregnancy. Women who were pregnant would abort and those not pregnant would be rendered infertile. The report is indeed disturbing. You can read more there. (Much of the rest of the article deals with claims about this drug being used secretly in Kenya which is disputed.) …
In recent weeks [2018], there have been a few stories about sexual assault on Catholic college campuses. The fact that there are sexual assaults doesn’t surprise me. It’s not that I think there’s necessarily something wrong with the dating culture on these campuses: I just know our human nature is fallen. I would even suspect that the strong spiritual presence of such schools reduces the incidence of sexual assault. Nonetheless, assuming the spiritual climate eliminates sexual assault is naïveté. I would hope that every university has strong policies to discourage sexual assault, and to deal with it when it comes up, maintaining justice for both parties...
NPR has a report from inside a clinic making a three-parent baby. In a clinic on a side street in Kiev, the capital of Ukraine, doctors are doing something that, as far as is publicly known, is being done nowhere else in the world: using DNA from three different people to create babies for women who are infertile. “If you can help these families to achieve their own babies, why it must be forbidden?” Valery Zukin, director of the Nadiya Clinic, asks as he peers over his glasses. “It is a dream to want to have a genetic connection with a baby.” ...
I would say it is an 'immoral' issue, Father. Even the word 'issue' is at odds with what is clearly an obstinate attempt to force an ideological prismatic peg 'fit' into a round hole. Not really a true option between two genuine choices as much as a forced 'issue' to make something conform to the way certain people demand the world to 'work'.
If you ever thought about a vocation, why not come to a short retreat with the Legion to help discern? I can respond to questions about it here, or you can call (203)271-0805. DMs to me work too if you are 18+.
Back in late June, I did an interview with Jerry and Debbie of EWTN’s radio program Take2. It was a pre-record for when they were on vacation or unable to record live for a day. They played it on the radio just last Friday. I think some of you might enjoy. I think it was really good and focused more on parents and families of autistic individuals than most of my interviews. Here is the audio and the page on EWTN. Link to the episode page on EWTN.
I was recently interviewed by Jason Osborne of The Irish Catholic on autism and Catholicism along with a bit on my own life. The online article is behind a paywall but I got a non-paywalled version and want to share a few points from it.
I was recently interviewed by Jason Osborne of The Irish Catholic on autism and Catholicism along with a bit on my own life. The online article is behind a paywall but I got a non-paywalled version and want to share a few points from it. It begins: Fr Matthew Schneider, LC, was already ordained a priest just over two years when he was diagnosed with autism at the age of 34. Initially shaken by the development, Fr Schneider says researching the condition helped him to appreciate his strengths and what he has to offer the Church and the people he ministers to. Noting that my current position as a theology professor works with being autistic: Doing very well in academics growing up, he was saddled with the nickname “Schneider-paedia, like Wikipedia or encyclopaedia” during his years studying theology. Being particularly strong in that regard, Fr Schneider realised that could translate well into certain ministries and hence his posting as a theology professor made good sense. My description …
I did a Reddit AMA (or Ask Me Anything) on September 2. This was in the /r/Catholicism subreddit (the main Catholic subreddit). I want to present some of the best questions from the discsussion with my replies. I focused on my book on autistic prayer so I think there are more questions on that...
I did a Reddit AMA (or Ask Me Anything) on September 2. This was in the /r/Catholicism subreddit (the main Catholic subreddit). I want to present some of the best questions from the discsussion with my replies. I focused on my book on autistic prayer so I think there are more questions on that. Canonical impediments to ordination Image Scott Kelly used doing an AMA from the space station (CC0 as created by US gov’t) Someone asked: I read that having a mental disability is a canonical impediment to holy orders. I have been diagnosed with aspergers and adhd, though have recieved therapy and medications to manage both conditions. I felt the call to be a priest ever since I can remember. Is it still possible for me to enter the seminary and be ordained? I replied: Well, a lot depends on how they affect you. I think in many cases, autism and ADHD are no impediment to ordination but they are often comorbid with other issues that can be more directly an impediment. There are three kinds of …
It is heresy to believe that the earth moves: Galileo repented of what he did at the end of his life. I see you like science but sometimes you give too much credit to modern "science". Which most often was created to attack Chistianity by attacking Christian cosmology. Support: Read the book "Galileo was wrong the Church was right "Furthermore, in order to curb impudent clever persons, the synod decrees that no one who relies on his own judgment in matters of faith and morals, which pertain to the building up of Christian doctrine, and that no one who distorts the Sacred Scripture according to his own opinions, shall dare to interpret the said Sacred Scripture contrary to that sense which is held by Holy Mother Church, whose duty it is to judge regarding the true sense and interpretation of Holy Scriptures, or even contrary to the unanimous consent of the Fathers, even though interpretations of this kind were never intended to be brought to light. 112 The Council of Trent, Fourth Session …More
In the discourse about COVID vaccines online in Catholic circles, there was immense debate about the astronomically remote connection to abortion. In explicitly Catholic forums, this raged on for months. It seemed like almost 50% of Catholics were not vaccinated over this. But in actual surveys, the vast majority of Catholics who regularly attended Mass seemed to be vaccinating against COVID. In fact, by the best estimate I can do, probably under 1% of Mass-attending Catholics rejected COVID vaccines primarily due to the astronomically remote connection to abortion...
Back on June 22nd , I spent a few hours doing an interview with Roselle Reyes at Divine Mercy University. She and her cameraman (whose name I forgot -oops) also filed some B-roll. Reyes hosts EWTN News in Depth. At the time, they had no idea when it would come out as Dobbs was expected soon after and they knew that would confuse their schedule a bit. It came out on EWTN News in Depth just over a week ago on August 5th....
From a Catholic perspective, there are several issues in this story {trump and Kim meeting in 2018]. I will deal with nuclear weapons, peace and war, and human rights...
Trump & Kim’s Summit in Light of Catholic Social Teaching June 12, 2018 Fr. Matthew P. Schneider, LC Kim Jong Un (by VABo2040 on Pixabay CC0) Last night we had a historic summit between Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un. Reuters reported. “President Trump committed to provide security guarantees to the DPRK and Chairman Kim Jong Un reaffirmed his firm and unwavering commitment to complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula,” said the statement. DPRK is the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, the formal name of North Korea. Trump said he expected the denuclearization process to start “very, very quickly”. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and North Korean officials would hold follow-up negotiations “at the earliest possible date”, the statement said. […] Trump said joint military exercises with South Korea would be halted. He said the move would save Washington a tremendous amount of money and would not be revived “unless and until we see the future negotiation is not going …
My summer has been a little crazy between, moving twice, a retreat, an academic conference, my parents’ 45th anniversary, a doctoral thesis defense, and prepping to start teaching college theology in late August. In such a situation, I fell a little behind on posting here. While I’ve been busy, Patrice Fagnant-MacArthur at CatholicMom.com and Dave Armstrong at Patheos have reviewed my book, God Loves the Autistic Mind: Prayer Guide for Those on the Spectrum and Those Who Love Us. I will now look at both...