Wednesday, February 24, 2016

Superman Got it wrong

Superman burst on the stage in 1938; well if not the stage, into the consciousness of the American people, and those of us in Canada as well, in comic book stories about "The never ending battle for truth, justice, and the American way."

Or so we were told.  The reality is that truth and justice are subservient to "the American way", and not necessary for the American way to prevail, and that's how WE roll both in the USA, and in Canada.

Contrast that with the quote on the left side of this blog from Blaise Pascal a 17th century philosopher and mathematician who said:
“He that takes truth for his guide, and duty for his end, may safely trust to God's providence to lead him aright."
If that does not get your attention then how about Father John Hardon, as quoted by Father Gordon MacRae at his latest posting at These Stone Walls
“Our duty as Catholics is to know the truth; to live the truth; to defend the truth; to share the truth with others; and to suffer for the truth.”.
For those of us who are Catholic or catholic, both quotes should be our guides in our daily lives.  

Our North American cultures are on a precipice today, waiting to fall into the sea.  Our economies are shaky, our morals are long over the cliff, and our hearts are along for the ride.

The American way (which is not limited in any sense to America) has become about expediency and me, and truth and justice have gone by the boards.

The trust that Americans (and Canadians as well, from my personal experience) now have in politicians and in the justice system to mete out truth and justice is at an all time low, and deservedly so.

We have politicians in Canada and the USA, proclaiming to be Catholic, while dispensing lies about abortion, same sex relationships, setting themselves above the Catholic Church, and bearing false witness to all who hear their words.  Our Catholic bishops have failed to speak out publicly about the lies put forward to us by the Nancy Pelosi's, Joe Biden's and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada.

This is nothing new, of course.  In an article in October 2012, called Take Them to the Woodshed Bishops, I urged Canadian Catholic bishops to speak out to our Ontario Catholic politicians, who were in grave error, in that instance in the Provincial political sphere.

But, what I have mentioned above is life at the macro level, and it impacts the lives of people like you and me at the micro level, the personal level.

This is becoming more evident in legal cases we are seeing of prosecutorial misconduct that are coming forward with greater frequency as investigative methods and availability of information make them more easily detectable.

The truth behind the disgusting trials and incarceration of Father Charles Englehardt and Monsignor William Lynn, and the ultimate tragic death of Father Charles were uncovered by journalist Ralph Cipriano, who has finally had his take on the unraveling of injustice in an article published very recently in Newsweek entitled Catholic Guilt? The Lying Scheming Altar Boy Behind a Lurid Rape Case.  But, this case and others where truth is taking a back seat, was described in some detail previously in My Cipriano's Big Trial Blog.

After Father Gordon first wrote about this in January 2015, in A Rolling Stone Gathers No Facts, Just Dirt I added my own take with Ringing True and Tickling Ears, though I did not publish my piece until December 22, 2015.

Father Gordon has had more to say, including urging us to follow the words of Father Hardon quoted above in The Lying, Scheming Altar Boy on the Cover of Newsweek, published on February 24, 2016.
As Father Gordon's own case attests, the Englehardt/Lynn cases are not isolated incidents, but are exemplars of availability bias, particularly availability bias manipulated by those in power, with the main stream media as their shills.

We are in the season of Lent, a time for Catholics and people of goodwill to contemplate the saving actions of Jesus Christ, and what it means for us in our own lives.

One thing we are undoubtedly called to is truth.  In this year declared by Pope Francis as the Year of Mercy, he has let us know clearly that mercy depends on truth to be authentic.  It is not sufficient to follow what tickles our ears, nor to subject ourselves to availability bias.  The truth is often much deeper, and requires discernment.  To grasp at whatever passes our eyes is to be slothful.

May our eyes be opened to all injustice that comes to our attention, and may we seek to know how we are to respond to bring mercy to those in need.

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