The many obstacles and barriers to faith in this age are obvious to most professing Christians. However of this present age there is, I believe, a change in the worlds approach to addressing our beliefs and our way of life. There have been many times in the past where the worlds answer to our creed was simply to try to destroy it and stamp it out as one would a fire. This approach however has proved futile time and time again, the persistence of faith into this time and the legacy of the holy martyrs is proof of this. Persecution is often taken as a sign of contradiction, a painful but encouraging sign of following the Lord. This age however has chosen a different approach to dealing with the Faith. Instead of outright condemnation in most cases especially in interactions between two individuals the approach is to correct us. Someone with poor knowledge of Church teachings could easily be lead astray by the secular worlds countless excuses for birth control, abortion, gay marriage, women ordination and a host of other beliefs they feel need to take issue with. However Fr. Thomas Merton puts it best when he says of the secular world "but what do THEY know about it". This rehabilitative approach has proved quite devastating. It has the nasty habit of turning peoples natural inclination towards good too an evil end. This combined with the "American" spirit of hyper-individualism makes for a deadly synthesis that has infected many of the Faithful in America.
Today's events provide for many examples. In nursing, a field that is still 95 percent women, I have struggled to find my place and hold my own at times. I became drawn into a conversation between my clinical instructor and another student concerning a variety of topics including abortion, women ordination, and birth control. Both of these persons were raised catholic and at least remain so nominally. Of course they both would "never" have abortions themselves but fully support others freedom to procure them. We went round and round with the same old tired arguments until they suggested if abortion were made illegal what about all the women who would die trying to perform illegal, unsafe abortions? I simply said what is the lesser evil, truly it would be sad that women would die from the results of illegal abortions, but how many unborn children die each day now from abortion? They said with that, they understood my position although still did not agree with it. Birth control is another matter, I told them the sexual act divorced from in procreative aspect, is against the natural law and contrary to the dignity to the human person. I know sounds like a line out of the catechism, but I always take time to explain what I mean. My fellow student continued to return to one point. "So you are saying sex is only for procreation?". I explain again, I never said that "I said the love and life giving aspects are inseparable, just as the soul is from the body, to separate the two reduces the act to something selfish and directed towards pleasure rather than true love. The issue of womens ordination went over much better, thanks to an excellent article I found written by an Antiochean Orthodox Christian in which he explains that if the Holy Spirit did not call women to ordination in the age of the earliest Christians what has changed now? I also told them that Christ chose only men to be his apostles and the apostles followed his example on down the line. But what about the social norms at the time? Christ must have know he could only choose men? I respond "Right so the Son of God, who upset the order of so many things and said things that made so many leave so many times decided not to buck the social order on this one. All of Christs actions have a purpose, surely this action was for a reason". They let it go.
Of course not all of my explanations were to their satisfaction. Some didn't take. Then I begin to hear from my clinical instructor how her priest has "encouraged the use of birth control" and that he "understands". She often would make the point of how the Church doesn't understand "real life" and that what could a bunch of old men in the Vatican know about how I should live my life. Ohhhh right those old men (and women) who have devoted their entire lives to God and his Church and live to study and instruct us on the Faith. What could they possibly know about life? Just what is this real life anyway? I have found that when people are talking about real life they are talking about the world. The same world we are suppose to have died too; the same world we are suppose to be in, but not apart of. Is not a tenant of our faith the belief that obedience to Christ is what leads to true freedom? All to often what I hear at the heart of these conversations is me, me, me, me, me. I want; I want, but not what God wants. At one point my fellow student made the statement "I have a bit of a problem with authority". I said "wait; listen to what you have said, you know that Christ was a bit of an authority figure". She said well maybe that's part of it.
Part of it? How about a very large part of it. The link between obedience to Christ and to the Church he founded is something many Catholics today have forgotten. We give our souls away to some many people and things; to our passions, our lovers, our sins, our selfish desires, to this world and not to the Lord, the only one we ought to give it too. I expect to hear this from pagans and from non-Catholics, but to hear it from fellow "Catholics" reminds me of how wounded our Church has become. As the Church bleeds so does our Lord, there is a choice before us of who to be. Will we be like the jeering crowds along the way; will we be like the Centurions goading him on, or will we be Simon and help him carry the cross, or Veronica and wipe the blood from his face.
Zeal for your house devours me, and the insults of those who insult you fall on me
-psalms 69:9
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Nursing Days
So here is how my day at school went. I arrived extra early in order to study for the exam I hadn't studied for the night before.While outside Jessica P (Jessica P: Dark, adventurous brunette with an air of mystery, but is surprisingly simple when explored, but nevertheless a nice, well meaning person) comes out and pauses to hug me before she runs over the Hospital. I print out my notes, spend some time studying them while eating my breakfast/lunch. I break to attempt to find a quiet place to saying the office of readings (I got up to late for Lauds). Derek (Derek: my independent christian friend; bitter and cynical. He adheres to a strict diet and workout regime. I have a feeling he struggles with many things from his past) arrives shortly after I finished. I explain to him, 1 Corinthians 7 and we spend some time going over the study guide he has made together outside, while I smoke. We then proceed inside, where I notice that Kelsey is in the atrium (Kelsey: I fell in love with her the first day I saw her, stunningly beautiful, intelligent, but ultimately not a good fit for me, but I can't seem to shake my strong feelings for her), which is odd because she attends the morning class and is not suppose to be at school anymore. Unfortunately I don't have any time to think about it because I have to go take the research exam. I tell Derek that we should sit up from near Jessica H (Jessica H: Cute blonde, committed democrate, who once told me she couldn't understand how I could be a republican and a christian. Needless to say I have this lust/hate thing for her), but the desk behind her are left handed so we shift to the right, which defeated the whole purpose (I never sit up front unless I have too). I take the exam, ace it, and press on out into the atrium to try to find someone from my research group to touch base with.
I find Hannah (Hannah: More Dereks friend than mine, nice country girl, who really doesn't fit with most of the student body) and she tells me that our topic is no good anymore, due to lack of relevant literature. I also see Courtney (Courtney: Someone I began to fall for later on in the program. A lovely, natural beauty with a sweet disposition. Very warm, good humored, and extremely kind, she unlike Kelsey is a good fit for me, but alas she turned down my offer to take her out) is she is sitting down at the same table Hannah is at. I tell her that she looks tired and ask if everything is okay. She tells me everything is fine and that she doesn't know why she is so tired. I leave things at that and proceed out for another cigarette with Derek. When we go back in Kelsey is now seated at a table set up selling baked goods for the geriatric interest group she is a member of. Derek suggests I go buy something from her, but I reject the idea. He goes up instead and I follow him.
"Good morning boys" she says. Derek ends up buying a brownie, which is ironic since he adheres to a strict diet and would never consider actually eating it.
"Who are you going to give it too?" Kelsey asks. I hold out my hand.
"You going to give it to your new friend?" Kelsey says to him. He gives it to me and I promptly turn and head back towards the main lecture hall. I head on in as quietly as I can (I should be in that lecture, but wanted to leave early to ensure I didn't get stuck in traffic with bad weather) and knowing Courtney would be in the back row slide to the right and come up behind her and place the brownie on her desk. She leans back and smiles at me as I head back towards the exit.
"Who did you give it too?" Derek asks
"Courtney" I respond
"Which one is she again?"
I sigh because I have told him a million times who she is. "the one wearing the pink, when we were talking to Hannah"
"Ohhh right, I remember now" He exclaims
We walk past Kelsey again on our way out, pause to smoke and have some light conversation before going our separate ways.
I suppose this is sort of a in media res kinda thing. I'm sure I will get around to explaining who Courtney, Kelsey, and all these other women are. They form a very large part of my social life right now, which makes sense give that the school eats up most of my time. Well all in due time, all in due time.
Will James ever confess his love for Kelsey? Will the research group find a solution to their project woes? How will Courtney react to James' gesture of affection? Will all be revealed or will the status quo be maintained? Find out what happens on the next Nursing Days post.
I find Hannah (Hannah: More Dereks friend than mine, nice country girl, who really doesn't fit with most of the student body) and she tells me that our topic is no good anymore, due to lack of relevant literature. I also see Courtney (Courtney: Someone I began to fall for later on in the program. A lovely, natural beauty with a sweet disposition. Very warm, good humored, and extremely kind, she unlike Kelsey is a good fit for me, but alas she turned down my offer to take her out) is she is sitting down at the same table Hannah is at. I tell her that she looks tired and ask if everything is okay. She tells me everything is fine and that she doesn't know why she is so tired. I leave things at that and proceed out for another cigarette with Derek. When we go back in Kelsey is now seated at a table set up selling baked goods for the geriatric interest group she is a member of. Derek suggests I go buy something from her, but I reject the idea. He goes up instead and I follow him.
"Good morning boys" she says. Derek ends up buying a brownie, which is ironic since he adheres to a strict diet and would never consider actually eating it.
"Who are you going to give it too?" Kelsey asks. I hold out my hand.
"You going to give it to your new friend?" Kelsey says to him. He gives it to me and I promptly turn and head back towards the main lecture hall. I head on in as quietly as I can (I should be in that lecture, but wanted to leave early to ensure I didn't get stuck in traffic with bad weather) and knowing Courtney would be in the back row slide to the right and come up behind her and place the brownie on her desk. She leans back and smiles at me as I head back towards the exit.
"Who did you give it too?" Derek asks
"Courtney" I respond
"Which one is she again?"
I sigh because I have told him a million times who she is. "the one wearing the pink, when we were talking to Hannah"
"Ohhh right, I remember now" He exclaims
We walk past Kelsey again on our way out, pause to smoke and have some light conversation before going our separate ways.
I suppose this is sort of a in media res kinda thing. I'm sure I will get around to explaining who Courtney, Kelsey, and all these other women are. They form a very large part of my social life right now, which makes sense give that the school eats up most of my time. Well all in due time, all in due time.
Will James ever confess his love for Kelsey? Will the research group find a solution to their project woes? How will Courtney react to James' gesture of affection? Will all be revealed or will the status quo be maintained? Find out what happens on the next Nursing Days post.
Introduction
I will not go into my conversion “story” if you will right now, that is for another time. I am mainly here to discuss how my faith affects my daily life and interactions with people. I will also probably give a theological discourse every now and again. I am currently attending nursing school in
See therefore, brethren, how you walk circumspectly; not as unwise, but as wise: redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
-Ephesians 5:15-16
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Ramblings for Life
Today is the annual March for Life in Washington DC and on this anniversary of Roe v Wade we look to a brighter future where the most fundamental right (and only true right) of all, the right to life, is honored from conception to natural death.
In an age of technology, where our future lies not on the shoulders of men but on the tiny back of a microchip or inside the mysterious depths of flasks and vials, little things like the definition of conception, life and humanity can slip by the side and be lost in the blinding glory that is science. Man's mastery of God's creation is celebrated, and in many cases rightly so: We can save many lives with modern medicine that would have been lost even a decade ago, we can communicate over vast distances in a fraction of a second and our lives can be made better by newer and more modern appliances and computers. But every technology has another side and our insistence on exploring this darker side "in the name of science" threatens to whittle away our humanity and our spirit. Case in point, the recent case of the so-called "cancer free baby", hand chosen from more than a few embryos in vitro, those who were not wanted were simply thrown away. According to the doctors these were not truly conceived as they were merely fertilized, not implanted in the mother's womb. Aside from the terrifying implication that we can now "shop" for our children, we find the definition of conception blurred and essentially re-written so the doctors and families that engaged in this travesty can sleep easy at night, never questioning their actions or mourning their great loss.
Our president wishes that we would explore these dark and twisted halls in the name of a stronger America. He wishes that the unborn be sacrificed for stem cells that may or may not be any more useful than those found in adults, wishes that women have access to abortion on demand so that they won't have to live with their mistakes or raise a child in difficult circumstances and he wishes that people won't notice that in granting the "right of choice" to a few, he silently rips away the rights of those that oppose him, destroys the most fundamental right for millions of children that would be. Pride, greed and selfishness are the true motivators here.
It seems fitting that the March takes place only two days after the inauguration of possibly the most anti-life president to ever run our country. We stand on the verge of evil times and this event stands like a candle in the dark...seemingly insignificant but made all the brighter by the surrounding gloom. Today we remember that even the faintest glimmer of hope, hope against all that threatens to overwhelm and consume us, can brighten the darkest night.
I think that this is an excellent day to pray a rosary or two. May the souls of the more than 40 million aborted children find their rest in the eternal care of the Father. May His hands always be open to welcome those countless innocents home to the Kingdom. May He grant wisdom to our president Barak Husein Obama so that a future generation is not destroyed by his law and may we see the end of the culture of death in our lifetime.
In an age of technology, where our future lies not on the shoulders of men but on the tiny back of a microchip or inside the mysterious depths of flasks and vials, little things like the definition of conception, life and humanity can slip by the side and be lost in the blinding glory that is science. Man's mastery of God's creation is celebrated, and in many cases rightly so: We can save many lives with modern medicine that would have been lost even a decade ago, we can communicate over vast distances in a fraction of a second and our lives can be made better by newer and more modern appliances and computers. But every technology has another side and our insistence on exploring this darker side "in the name of science" threatens to whittle away our humanity and our spirit. Case in point, the recent case of the so-called "cancer free baby", hand chosen from more than a few embryos in vitro, those who were not wanted were simply thrown away. According to the doctors these were not truly conceived as they were merely fertilized, not implanted in the mother's womb. Aside from the terrifying implication that we can now "shop" for our children, we find the definition of conception blurred and essentially re-written so the doctors and families that engaged in this travesty can sleep easy at night, never questioning their actions or mourning their great loss.
Our president wishes that we would explore these dark and twisted halls in the name of a stronger America. He wishes that the unborn be sacrificed for stem cells that may or may not be any more useful than those found in adults, wishes that women have access to abortion on demand so that they won't have to live with their mistakes or raise a child in difficult circumstances and he wishes that people won't notice that in granting the "right of choice" to a few, he silently rips away the rights of those that oppose him, destroys the most fundamental right for millions of children that would be. Pride, greed and selfishness are the true motivators here.
It seems fitting that the March takes place only two days after the inauguration of possibly the most anti-life president to ever run our country. We stand on the verge of evil times and this event stands like a candle in the dark...seemingly insignificant but made all the brighter by the surrounding gloom. Today we remember that even the faintest glimmer of hope, hope against all that threatens to overwhelm and consume us, can brighten the darkest night.
I think that this is an excellent day to pray a rosary or two. May the souls of the more than 40 million aborted children find their rest in the eternal care of the Father. May His hands always be open to welcome those countless innocents home to the Kingdom. May He grant wisdom to our president Barak Husein Obama so that a future generation is not destroyed by his law and may we see the end of the culture of death in our lifetime.
Friday, January 16, 2009
Greetings!
Good day to you all!
My name is James Murdock and the purpose of this blog is to share the opinion of one who so often feels stranded and alone in an ideology rapidly becoming more and more unacceptable in today's "modern" and "secularist" society. This will also serve as a sounding board (or soap box, if you will) for my commentary and editorial on the goings on in the world, whether political, religious or personal.
As an Orthodox Catholic in the 21st century there is pressure from every side of life. Politically we must fight new and deadly measures against abortion, assisted suicide and embryonic stem cell research; Socially we must defend our position for traditional marriage and to maintain our own equality and freedoms; Locally we have a duty to restore our own parishes and diocese to the beauty and splendor lost for a generation. In short, we have an obligation to stand strong to the Truth, for there is but one Truth and her heart beats in Rome and she needs our combined effort and strength.
Why I write is simple: something has to be done, and one more conservative and orthodox voice on the blogosphere is currently what I have to offer. Too, the urge to comment and use my voice to help fight for the soul of a culture rapidly losing theirs, and to bring a voice of reason, logic and value to bear on some of the greatest cultural follies of our time (at least from this point on til I can't write any more!)
Stay tuned for more, especially once I get this blog nonsense ironed out!
My name is James Murdock and the purpose of this blog is to share the opinion of one who so often feels stranded and alone in an ideology rapidly becoming more and more unacceptable in today's "modern" and "secularist" society. This will also serve as a sounding board (or soap box, if you will) for my commentary and editorial on the goings on in the world, whether political, religious or personal.
As an Orthodox Catholic in the 21st century there is pressure from every side of life. Politically we must fight new and deadly measures against abortion, assisted suicide and embryonic stem cell research; Socially we must defend our position for traditional marriage and to maintain our own equality and freedoms; Locally we have a duty to restore our own parishes and diocese to the beauty and splendor lost for a generation. In short, we have an obligation to stand strong to the Truth, for there is but one Truth and her heart beats in Rome and she needs our combined effort and strength.
Why I write is simple: something has to be done, and one more conservative and orthodox voice on the blogosphere is currently what I have to offer. Too, the urge to comment and use my voice to help fight for the soul of a culture rapidly losing theirs, and to bring a voice of reason, logic and value to bear on some of the greatest cultural follies of our time (at least from this point on til I can't write any more!)
Stay tuned for more, especially once I get this blog nonsense ironed out!
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