Victory in Massachusetts

Wow! A Republican won in the bluer than blue state of Massachusetts. I never thought I would see that happen; it may have truly been the people's seat, but for the last 40+ years, it was the Kennedy seat.

Brown's improbable victory highlights the discontent across America (though in this case as highlighted by the voters of the Bay State) on the economy, on our ever expansive government and on the government's attempt to nationalize 1/6 of the US Economy, the Health Care Industry.

Scott Brown is now the 41st Vote against Pelosi-Reid Care. Unless the House passes the Senate Bill (unlikely) or Reid goes nuclear in the Senate (Budget Reconciliation), the unmitigated disaster that is either the House or Senate Bills can be stopped. That means no more Louisiana Purchase ($300 million medicare carve-out for Mary Landrieu), no more Cornhusker Kickback (a special exemption for Nebraska on any increase in Medicaid), and the Union Bribe (Union "Cadillac" plans are exempt from a new 40% excise tax, but non-union plans aren't). He ran on that platform and was elected by the people of Massachusetts to stop this legislative travesty.

He ran on across-the-board tax cuts in the spirit of President John F. Kennedy. John F. Kennedy knew that an economy was stimulated by giving money back to its citizens, not by government spending.

He ran on a platform that called for an end to the ever burgeoning federal budget deficits and to belt-tightening in Washington (both parties should pay particular attention, since the GOP of the 2000s was nearly as spendthrift as Pelosi and Reid).

Like Bob McDonnell in Virginia, Scott Brown demonstrated to a Republican Party that is lost in the Wilderness, a road back to national prominence and success. The focus needs to be on jobs, economic freedom, and National Security. I'm not sure what the Republican party actually ran on in 2006 and 2008, but when you can't really tell the difference between the parties, one might as well go "all in".

Many commentators have asked if the Democrats and President Obama will listen to the result. I think a better question is will the Republicans.

SOME PREDICTIONS:
1. The Democrats will not attempt a course-correction but will try to "damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead" with their far-left agenda.
2. The GOP will retake the House in the 2010 Midterms (that's going out on a ledge a bit because it calls for a significant capture of 40+ seats, but I think it can happen).
3. The GOP will capture a minimum of four Senate seats (I'm conservative here). I think Nevada, North Dakota (for sure), Arkansas, and Colorado will move Red. I think Delaware and Pennsylvania are strong possibilities as well and Indiana could be if Rep Mike Pence is serious about running. Connecticut, Illinois and California are really pipe dreams, but then, a week ago, so was Massachusetts. The Republicans most likely loss would be in New Hampshire (it's New England).

Milwaukee's New Archbishop

Bishop Jerome Edward Listecki was installed as Milwaukee's 11th Archbishop today. Archbishop Listecki will face a number of challenges in the coming years as he shepherds the Archdiocese and continues the task begun by Archbishop Dolan in repairing the damage done to the Church of SE Wisconsin by the former Archbishop Weakland. In that heavy task he faces a number of important challenges.

1. VOCATIONS -- While Ordinary of LaCrosse he greatly increased vocations to the priesthood and religious life. In fact the Diocese of LaCrosse had the same number of ordinations (five) as the much larger Archdiocese of Milwaukee. His task will be to continue the work of Archbishop Dolan in revitalizing the priesthood in Milwaukee. Archbishop Dolan made enormous progress in improving vocations within the area and Archbishop Listecki's will have to continue that work.

2. PRACTICAL THINGS -- Archbishop Dolan began an important capital campaign, Faith in our Future, that seeks to raise $105 million for the Archdiocese and its parishes. He will have to continue this campaign that will strengthen the finances of the Archdiocese. This campaign will also strengthen parochial schools and other Archdiocesan programs that serve the poor, the hungry, the sick, and the community of southeastern Wisconsin.

3. CLERICAL ABUSE -- The tenure of Archbishop Weakland was an unmitigated disaster when it comes to the shuffling of abusers and the hierarchy turning a blind eye to this sin. Archbishop Dolan began to heal those wounds and Archbishop Listecki will have to work to continue that healing. At the same time he must protect the Church and defend it from trial lawyers who smell blood in the water. The Wisconsin Legislature is even considering a law that will eliminate the statute of limitations for one year on clerical sexual abuse. This law would specifically target the Catholic Church with the goal of bankrupting the Church and silencing its voice. Archbishop Listecki will have to vociferously fight this challenge.

4. TEACHING -- Archbishop Listecki must be a Catholic Voice for southeastern Wisconsin. He has already begun to do this, by confronting the heterodox Catholics for Choice. He has had the courage in the past to speak about the Truth of the Catholic Faith and he must be that voice. He must be pastoral like Archbishop Dolan, but at other times he must be the shepherd like Bishop Tobin or Archbishop Chaput.

Rocco Palmo has excellent coverage on the Installation including his analysis that Archbishop Listecki was likely picked by Pope Benedict XVI personally for this position. If that is true, Milwaukee has truly been blessed.

The Catholic Herald of Milwaukee also has excellent coverage on Milwaukee's new Archbishop. He also has the text and some analysis on the homily of Milwaukee's new Archbishop which I include below:

Homily of the Most Reverend Jerome Edward Listecki

Eleventh Archbishop of Milwaukee

Mass of Installation

Cathedral of St John the Evangelist

Feast of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, 4 January 2010

Thank you to my family and friends for wintering with me in Milwaukee. However, I know that you will find the spirit of hospitality and friendship easily providing the warmth that would rival Miami.

The gospel of John places Jesus in a dramatic confrontation with St. Peter. In what is often referred to as the post resurrection narratives, Jesus confronts Peter with a question “Do you Love Me?” The question must have ripped deep into the spirit of Peter, for this was the Peter who vowed never to leave the Lord’s side, yet it was Peter who did in fact abandon Jesus in His darkest moments on the cross.

Peter was asked the question three times, reminding him through this questioning of his need to confront his personal failure in denying Christ, and to seek reconciliation from our Lord.

As a Church we have experienced the devastation of sin and its effect on us personally and as a community. We acknowledge that, at times, we too have failed to be witnesses of Christ. However, it is only in our true commitment to love that healing can occur and the Lord Jesus may be exalted.

The direction to Peter is to demonstrate His love for Jesus by feeding his lambs, tending his sheep, feeding his sheep. Jesus is asking Peter to care for His Church. The love for Jesus will be in the very sacrificial acts offered in service for the faithful. The service of Peter himself was destined to identify with the sacrificial cross of Christ’s love, “Amen, Amen I say to you when you were younger, you used to dress yourself and go where you wanted: but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.”

The inspired word of God, although centered on the figures in the event depicted in Sacred Scripture, actually speaks through Peter to all of us. It is as if we are standing with Peter and Jesus is asking us, do you love me more than these?

Today the three repetitions of the Lord’s question might easily address the three responsibilities of Episcopal office -- governing, teaching and sanctifying.

Do you love me enough to stand with me in unity and feed Christ’s lambs? No one governs alone, but rather in collaboration with those he serves. Our strength as a Church comes from our union with our Universal Shepherd Benedict the XVI. In professing our union with the Holy Father we make it clear that this unity is a reflection of our desire to follow Christ in His Church. After His ascension into heaven and the sending of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost the Lord Jesus Christ remains present as the invisible Shepherd of His Church (1Peter 2:25) until appearing once more at the end of ages (CCCB 1974).

The office of the bishop is the link between the particular church which is entrusted to him in hierarchical communion with the Universal Church. In our own American society we must present a clear alternative to the established secular religion which permeates our daily lives. We need to acknowledge mystery and our dependence upon God. It is in our faithfulness in reflecting the mind and the heart of our Church that represents the singular voice of Christ to our community and the world.

Do you love me more than these? Then tend my sheep. The teaching office of the bishop helps to form and inform the faithful in their relationship to Christ and His Church. The goal for most teachers is that their students come to know and appreciate the subject matter they are presenting. In the teaching role of the bishop, the task is literally to come and to know the subject Jesus Himself, so that He the Christ may be taken into their lives.

As St Paul said so well, it is no longer I that lives but Christ who lives in me. The truth of the Church’s teaching is to draw us into a relationship with the Lord.

The Church presents the Truth in Charity. It is the truth of the teaching that maintains our right relationship with Jesus. Our teaching on the dignity of the human person embraces life from the moment of conception to natural death. It reflects the love of life entrusted to us. This sacredness, which reflects the “imago dei.” The image of God. It is this very life for which Christ came into the world, to suffer, die and rise. In our social principles our care for the poor and neglected is mandated out of a love of neighbor grounded in the love of God.

As Benedict the XVI teaches: It is first and foremost a responsibility for each individual member of the faithful, but it is also a responsibility for the entire ecclesial community at every level: from the local community to the particular Church and to the Church universal in its entirety. As a community the Church must practice love. In our protection of marriage and family life an environment is created for the responsible transmission of the faith.

Adherence to the Church’s teaching is not always easy. However, one must sacrifice for the truth. In this sacrifice we demonstrate our love. It is interesting to note that John Paul the II was applauded by the Western societies when he critiqued the godless communism of the east for their lack of individual rights and freedoms, yet those very same western societies turned a deaf ear to his warnings of the destructiveness of radical individualism, consumerism, materialism and relativism.

Given our situation today perhaps we should have paid more attention. The truth is at times difficult but the Church does not follow the Lord’s request to tend his sheep if it fails to teach the truth with love.

Do you love me? Then feed my sheep. The role of the sanctifying office is one joined uniquely to our common vocation to holiness. The sacraments are signs of grace in our lives. The Lord gives to us the gift of himself in the Eucharist. The centrality of Eucharistic celebration unites us to a sacrificial act of Jesus’ love. In the very beginnings of the Church in the Acts of the Apostles we read of the disciples devoting themselves to the teachings of the apostles and to the communal life, the breaking of the bread and to the prayers. The symbol of the cross is no longer a sign of death but has been transformed to represent hope. The cross now declares just how great our God’s love is for us that he did not even spare His only Son for our sake. This sacrificial act continues through the exercise of the priestly office, the priest who in persona Christi offers the bread and wine which becomes the body and blood of our Lord. We, the poor and hungry, come to be fed again and again so that we might take this real presence into the world. John Paul II in his work “Duc in Altum,” his reflections on the Third Millennium of Christianity offered that the great renewal in the Church would come from the two sacraments of Reconciliation and the Eucharist -- Mercy and Sacrificial Love. Our participation in the sacraments and our personal devotional life will demonstrate the transformative power of prayer and will begin the great renewal of our faith life.

Do you love me? In Governing, Teaching and Sanctifying together we will answer that question with lives placed at the service of His Church.

We are fortunate to celebrate today the feast day of Elizabeth Ann Seton the first American-born saint. There was nothing easy about her life. The sickness and death of her spouse, her conversion and rejection by her family, a single mother educating her children and raising them in the faith.The world would easily have justified her cursing her lot in life. Yet this woman, armed with her faith, begins the Catholic School system, establishes a religious order and shapes the Catholic Church in the United States for the next century. What generates this kind of dedicated commitment? It is a confidence in God. In Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton’s own words: “What was the first rule of our dear Savior’s life? You know it was to do his Father’s will. Well, then, the first purpose of our daily work is to do the will of God; secondly, to do it in the manner he wills. And thirdly, to do it because it is his will. We know certainly that our God calls us to a holy life. We know that he gives us every grace, every abundant grace; and though we are so weak of ourselves, this grace is able to carry us through every obstacle and difficulty.” (From the writings of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton)

I am now installed as the eleventh bishop of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. There are many bishops and priests more intelligent, more talented, and more deserving of this position than me. I say this not with a false sense of humility, but merely as fact. However, His Holiness, Benedict the XVI has made his selection and I accept his decision as God’s will. Please know that I will use every ounce of my being to serve this great Archdiocese of Milwaukee. I have already been formed by some of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee’s former leaders.

Archbishop Michael Heiss was the first bishop of La Crosse and established the Catholic Identity for the region of central Wisconsin.

Samuel Cardinal Stritch was the first bishop in my experience as a Catholic grammar school student, his gentleness and charity was held as a model for all.

And of course Albert Cardinal Meyer whose American leadership at the Second Vatican Council was legendary.

What is it that makes this Archdiocese great? The bishops, priests, religious, deacons, parish directors, lay ecclesial ministers and all the faithful who allow the Lord to use them as instruments of His presence. I now proudly add my name to your list as we go forward building on the traditions of the past, witnessing to the present and placing our confidence in Him, who is the hope for our future. Let us together by feeding and tending to His Church answerthe question that the Lord poses: Do you love me more than these? Yes, Lord you know that we do.

The Nativity of Our Lord

Every year the Wall Street Journal re-publishes a 1949 editorial written by Vermont Royster that speaks to the essence of the Christian message. The Christian message is embodied by the Incarnation that we find in the Manger at Bethlehem and fulfilled on Calvary and in the Empty Tomb.

"When Saul of Tarsus set out on his journey to Damascus the whole of the known world lay in bondage. There was one state, and it was Rome. There was one master for it all, and he was Tiberius Caesar.

Everywhere there was civil order, for the arm of the Roman law was long. Everywhere there was stability, in government and in society, for the centurions saw that it was so.

But everywhere there was something else, too. There was oppression -- for those who were not the friends of Tiberius Caesar. There was the tax gatherer to take the grain from the fields and the flax from the spindle to feed the legions or to fill the hungry treasury from which divine Caesar gave largess to the people. There was the impressor to find recruits for the circuses. There were executioners to quiet those whom the Emperor proscribed. What was a man for but to serve Caesar?

There was the persecution of men who dared think differently, who heard strange voices or read strange manuscripts. There was enslavement of men whose tribes came not from Rome, disdain for those who did not have the familiar visage. And most of all, there was everywhere a contempt for human life. What, to the strong, was one man more or less in a crowded world?

Then, of a sudden, there was a light in the world, and a man from Galilee saying, Render unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's and unto God the things that are God's.

And the voice from Galilee, which would defy Caesar, offered a new Kingdom in which each man could walk upright and bow to none but his God. Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. And he sent this gospel of the Kingdom of Man into the uttermost ends of the earth.

So the light came into the world and the men who lived in darkness were afraid, and they tried to lower a curtain so that man would still believe salvation lay with the leaders.

But it came to pass for a while in divers places that the truth did set man free, although the men of darkness were offended and they tried to put out the light. The voice said, Haste ye. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness come upon you, for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth.

Along the road to Damascus the light shone brightly. But afterward Paul of Tarsus, too, was sore afraid. He feared that other Caesars, other prophets, might one day persuade men that man was nothing save a servant unto them, that men might yield up their birthright from God for pottage and walk no more in freedom.

Then might it come to pass that darkness would settle again over the lands and there would be a burning of books and men would think only of what they should eat and what they should wear, and would give heed only to new Caesars and to false prophets. Then might it come to pass that men would not look upward to see even a winter's star in the East, and once more, there would be no light at all in the darkness.

And so Paul, the apostle of the Son of Man, spoke to his brethren, the Galatians, the words he would have us remember afterward in each of the years of his Lord:

Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ has made us free and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage."

We commemorate Christ's birth on Christmas. It is truly the Mass of the Incarnation when Heaven came to Earth, when God Himself appeared physically in the World, when the divide caused by Adam's fall began to be healed.

The great Catholic Evangelist Bishop Fulton Sheen eloquently wrote in his "Life of Christ" about the birth of the Savior of the World:

"There, in a place of peace in the lonely abandonment of a cold windswept cave; there, under the floor of the world, He Who is born without a mother in heaven, is born without a father on earth.

"Of every other child that is born into the world, friends can say that it resembles his mother. This was the first instance in time that anyone could say that the mother resembled the Child. This is the beautiful paradox of the Child Who made His mother; the mother, too, was only a child. It was also the first time in the history of this world that anyone could ever think of heaven as being anywhere else than 'somewhere up there'; when the Child was in her arms, Mary now looked down to Heaven. . .

"The Son of God made man was invited to enter His own world through a back door. Exiled from the earth, He was born under the earth, in a sense, the first Cave Man in recorded history. There He shook the earth to its very foundations. Because He was born in a cave, all who wish to see Him must stoop. To stoop is the mark of humility. The proud refuse to stoop and therefore, they miss Divinity. Those, however, who bend their egos and enter, find that they are not in a cave at all, but in a new universe where sits a Babe on His mother's lap, with the world poised on His fingers.

"The manger and the Cross thus stand at the two extremities of the Savior's life! He accepted the manger because there was no room in the inn; He accepted the Cross because men said, 'We will not have this Man for our King.' Disowned upon entering, rejected upon leaving, He was laid in a stranger's stable at the beginning, and a stranger's grave at the end. An ox and an ass surrounded His crib at Bethlehem; two thieves were to flank His Cross on Calvary. He was wrapped in swaddling bands in His birthplace, He was again laid in swaddling clothes in His tomb -- clothes symbolic of the limitations imposed on His Divinity when He took a human form." (Pages 16, 17, 18)

It is impossible to understand Christmas without understanding Good Friday. Good Friday is the reason for Christmas just as the Resurrection on Easter Morn is the reason for Good Friday. After our Advent of Patient Waiting, we welcome Our Lord into the World. Behold the Lamb of God.

On a more personal note, we also give thanks for God's blessings in our lives. I give thanks for the blessings of family, for my safe return from two deployments and the completion of my Active Duty Military Service Obligation.

Mission Complete

Yesterday, 14 December 2009, I completed my Active Duty Service. Today I am a Veteran and a Civilian (except for that whole part-time Army Reserve thing).

I thoroughly enjoyed my time on Active Duty, through both the highs and the lows. Looking back I imagine it will be the experience and the job that I will remember the most and the time that I will treasure. Military Service has declined in recent decades, though there has been a spike in response to the Global War on Terror. My generation has recognized that there is an existential threat to Freedom and the United States, which requires a forceful response. While only a small percentage of my generation has answered that specific call, my generation I believe looks on military service in a far more positive light compared to previous generations.

Why did I serve? There were both noble reasons and selfish ones. From a selfish perspective the US Army enabled me to attend the Private University of my choice. Were it not for the Army ROTC scholarship, the school would have likely been beyond my reach. Yet the more important reason was Patriotism. It was fundamentally, the right thing to do. Millions of Americans have served in War and Peace as the Sentinels of this country to ensure that I would enjoy the Freedoms that God gave this country; it was my turn to do the same for future generations.

9/11 occurred less than a week before I began attending undergrad. America was no longer enjoying its Holiday from History. Prior to that a deployment to the Balkans as a peace-keeper was the most likely overseas tour of duty. Now the United States began to actively prosecute the Global War on Terror and we would be taken to the mountains of Afghanistan, the deserts and river valleys of Iraq, the islands of the Philippines, the Horn of Africa and in many other places. America was a nation at war, not a war of our choosing, but one that was brought to us, but we will finish it. I wasn't at the Tip of the Spear so I won't or cannot compare my service to those brave men and women who were kicking in doors and bringing justice personally to the enemies of the United States. I did my part and supported them and served my country.

What is a Veteran? There is a common phrase found on the internet: "A Veteran is someone who at some point in his/her life wrote a blank check to the US Government for an amount up to and including one's own life". I'll admit I never really thought of it in that light, but it is ultimately true. No one goes into the military planning to die for their country, but ultimately, that is part of the contract we make with Uncle Sam. I served my country through two tours of duty in Iraq and I can call myself a Veteran, though, I know there are others, many others, who did far more. I am also not a member of that Greatest of Generations, but perhaps, I possess just a little more insight to understand them.

With my time in the military I will certainly take a longer pause to remember and thank all those who served, are serving or will serve. I will also always remember the incredible positive experience that was my Military service and relay it to others. I will also remember those with whom I served, my own brotherhood, men and women who I was incredibly privileged to know and work with. I wish them nothing but the best and I pray for their success, families, and dreams.

Freedom is not Free.

God Bless

Truth Behind Planned Parenthood

Appleton, WI -- Conservative Bloggers and Journalists continue to conduct the kind of investigative journalism that built the mainstream media. Today the Mainstream Media is more concerned about protecting its ideological allies, as opposed to revealing corruption and/or outright dishonesty by various organization. The perfect example was the undercover videos about ACORN that the mainstream media, with the exception of FOX News, ignored. Wisconsin now finds itself at the center of this conflict.

Just as young conservatives were responsible for revealing the tremendous level of unethical practices and corruption at ACORN, a young Pro-Life advocate has now exposed the medical malpractice occuring at Planned Parenthood, the nation's preeminent abortion and family planning provider. The group is known as Live Action and is a Youth-led, pro-life movement. The Rosa Acuna Project is an undercover investigation on Planned Parenthood's Abortion Counseling activities. The first video is from Wisconsin. It is quite galling in terms of the outright lies that the young woman has relayed to her.

Now, it is likely that not every Planned Parenthood conducts themselves in this way. But even if it is just one, it should raises serious Red Flags at Planned Parenthood's HQs. If Planned Parenthood really was concerned about what it says it is concerned about, they should be taking decisive action to fix this problem. I am not optimistic we will see that.



One cannot help but wonder (as many have long suspected) that Planned Parenthood is not concerned about responsible family planning, but is perhaps first and foremost an abortion proponent, propagandist and provider. Where is the Media on this issue?

Mary Immaculate

Today the Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception. It is also a Holy Day of Obligation throughout the Church for Catholics.

The Immaculate Conception was promulgated as a dogma of the Catholic Church on December 8th, 1854 by Pope Pius IX in Ineffabilis Deus. The Immaculate Conception holds that Mary was conceived without the stain of Original Sin. This is not to conclude that Mary did not need a savior. Jesus was His Mother’s Savior. Indeed, one could call Mary the “daughter of her Son”. Through the grace and power of God, Mary was saved from sin by the future sacrifice of her Son on the Cross. This preservative grace was a singular grace and blessing from the Father. As St. Peter writes in his second letter, God’s concept of time is not our concept and he is not limited by it: “But do not ignore this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years and a thousand years like one day” (2 Peter 3:8).

Mary was also the Mother of God (she did not give birth to His divine nature, but she gave birth to Jesus who had two natures). She bore divinity in her womb; she is the New Ark of the Covenant. Mary Theotokos (God-Bearer) was definitively established by the Ecumenical Council of Ephesus in A.D. 431. The Ark of the Covenant was the Holy of Holies. It contained the most important relics of the Old Testament. It was so holy that no hand, no matter how pure or clean, could touch it. The Priest Uzzah reached to steady the Ark as they carried and was struck down (2 Samuel 6:6-7). The Ark was Holy yet made by human hands. Mary bore the Son of God, the God-Man Jesus Christ, how much more important of an Ark was she?

The Fourth Century Church Father St. Ephraim was a Deacon of the Church in Syria. Writing in the late fourth century he wrote about the doctrine that would become the Immaculate Conception in the Nisibene Hymns (Faiths of the Early Fathers, volume 1):

You alone and your Mother
Are more beautiful than any others;
For there is no blemish in you,
Nor any stains upon your Mother.
Who of my children
Can compare in beauty to these?

On the Feast of the Immaculate Conception we focus not on Mary, but on what God did for Mary in order to “Prepare the Way of the Lord”. Mary always will point us toward the Son, toward Jesus Christ. The Feast of the Immaculate Conception points us toward Christmas when Heaven met Earth and the Word became Flesh and dwelt among us.

For more information and Apologetics on Catholic Marian Dogmas let me suggest Catholic Answers here and here.

A Day Which Will Live In Infamy

Today is December 7th, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's words provide all the emphasis that is required.