A Deo et Rege

As of September 14th, the old mass is now available to all Catholics around the world, regardless (in theory anyway) of intransigent bishops, aghast DRE’s, and outraged professional liturgists. And for all those in the media and diocesan newspapers who insist on saying so, this is not about Latin. It’s about tradition, continuity, and a restoration of a “something” that was lost following Vatican II. I’ve never been one to advocate for the Latin mass. And, I think Vatican II, at least in the letter, was a necessary and important council. However, following its implementation, a reform of the reform is definitely needed. And I believe this motu proprio is a good step in preserving the Church’s wonderful heritage for future generations.

The Tories in Great Britain, recognizing the spiraling cost of healthcare suggest that the obese and smokers be denied treatment until they clean up their act. They suggest giving incentives, similar to frequent flier miles, for those who have or develop healthy lifestyles. This news coincides with a CNN story that focuses on two businesses that save money by either penalizing those with unhealthy lifestyles in the form of higher insurance premiums or rewarding those who are healthy with lower out of pocket costs. The firm that practices the rewards saw no premium increase when the average firm saw the prices rise by 8.8%.

My thoughts? The Tory plan has some merit, but it would have to be implemented in a somewhat forgiving manner, at least at the start. The plan of penalizing or rewarding an employee financially sounds great. A healthy person should not have to pay more to cover people who show an indifference to health. I’ll bet some habits will change when the wallet thins.

1. The first Ohio State football game of the year

2. Starbucks starts selling “pumpkin spice” frappuccinos and lattes.

The Jesuit run Creighton University is creating headaches for the archdiocese of Nebraska. The school is promoting speakers with views that run very counter to Catholic morality and has theologians that contradict Church teaching. Universities have the job of teaching students and also allowing open academic debate. Catholic universities have this job in addition to promoting Catholic theology and spirituality. Other Catholic universities have found a balance between open debate and faithfulness to the Church, so I’m sure the many Jesuit run institutions can as well. The question remains: do they want to?