Christmas 2006

Just a few thoughts for the day.

I took a look at Time Magazine's "People who mattered in 2006." What a crock of left-wing pablum. I won't denigrate this blog by listing all the "chosen people according to Time Magazine." Most were socialists, communists or Democrats -- oxymoron anyone? Then some obtuse writer (obviously not familiar with Catholicism) writes an unbalanced slam attempt to "praise" the good Pope Benedict XVI. Now, I will claim to be pro-Catholic (original) Scriptures and pro-Pope, Magisterium, and Tradition. So my 'slant' does color my objectivity. Someone writing for a national magazine might take a lesson from a "fair and balanced" school of opinions, however.

Although I am loathe to advertise for Time Magazine, the link is here. A few quotes: ". . . he precipitated a burst of controversy with a speech quoting derogatory language about Muhammad and suggesting that Islam was predisposed toward violence." Anyone with a computer can "google" and find the truth about Muhammadanism. All the Pope did was prove the point - but no one in the MSM seems to have gotten the obvious message! " . . . suddenly morph back into the aggressive Panzer Cardinal of his pre-election days and become a full-blown culture warrior?" No concept of the Catholic Faith. We who are not "cafeteria Catholics" praised Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger's staunch support of the Faith. And if the writer had done more homework, he would understand that the man who is Pope Benedict XVI has not changed in any way. Pope Benedict XVI doesn't do or say anything without deep prayer and study of all the potentialities. But the writer doesn't really know who Pope Benedict XVI is. He only knows what others have reported. And that's so like non-Catholics. They base their opinions on what someone says about the Church instead of going directly to the Church for information.

". . . the man who had seemed one of the Roman Catholic Church's most inflexible prelates appeared to flip-flop . . . ." I nearly laughed out loud when I read this statement. Thankfully the reporter used the word "appeared" because Pope Benedict XVI has not flip-flopped at all. What he's done is maneuver the discussion to basic intellectual freedoms by using the quote from the 14th Century "Byzantine emperor Manuel II Paleologus and an educated Persian on the subject of Christianity and Islam, and the truth of both." And those intellectual freedoms are Reason and Logic to which Pope Benedict XVI added the reasonable logical conclusion of Reciprocation between "Christianity and Islam." As a Catholic, I can assure you that all of this was with the prayerful guidance of the Most High God, the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and the Father of Our Lord, Jesus Christ whose birthday we celebrate today, along with the Holy Spirit's intervention in the hearts and minds of the hearers. (Proof of this is in the renewed use of the word "reason" and "reasonable" in the English interpretations of statements by Muhammadanism's leaders.)

Regarding the visit to Turkey the reporter states ". . . a fine piece of popular diplomacy, a sign that this noncharismatic academic, if pressed, can pull off the stagecraft . . ." similar to Pope John Paul II. Who is this man speaking of? Pope Benedict XVI exhibiting "popular diplomacy?" What he was and is doing is being the Vicar of Christ's Church on Earth and doing "what Jesus would do" to use a worn phrase. And to state that Pope Benedict XVI is not a charismatic figure immediately verifies that this MSM reporter has never even met the man.

Then this writer sums up his attitude with these words: ". . . Benedict, perhaps better than his critics, understands the pious truism that taking the papal office can involve a subsuming, sometimes almost an erasure, of the man he thought he was before." How can this reporter even elevate himself to tell the public what the Pope thinks? But let's back up here. The writer addresses His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI as "Benedict?" Now, if not before, one sees through the words to the MSM agenda. There is no proper reverence or regard for the leader of the Catholic Church in this reporter's terminology.

And all this on Christmas Day 2006.

In looking at the other Time Magazine photos and articles, the leftist, socialist, Marxist, communist agenda of every "reporter" is evident. The twists of words, the praise of genocidal leaders of various Countries, the slaps and slams at anyone and anything who does not support this agenda is so blatantly evident as to be laughable. The only problem is that it's not a joke.

My Christmas Request: Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem. Pray for the United States. Pray "Maranatha" Come, Lord Jesus!

May 2007 bring God's Peace in the Middle East.