Andry Hernandez Romero tells his story

I listened to Tim Miller's interview with Andry Hernandez Romero this morning, and read this account on The Bulwark. The actual interview is linked in the article, and is worth listening to. It is in Spanish, but it is translated and subtitled, so you don't need to speak Spanish to tune in to it.

I expected to be angry and beyond disappointed in the actions of our government to this man, and so many others, and I was.  But I was also inspired and humbled by what Andry said.  Read on for the link to the interview EXCLUSIVE: Andry Hernández Romero Tells His Story and excerpts from the article: 

The Presidential Fitness Test Redux

Some background from the New York Times:

Trump Is Bringing Back the Presidential Fitness Test - The New York Times

"...President Trump signed an executive order to reinstate the Presidential Fitness Test in public schools. The move is part of the administration’s goal to “restore urgency in improving the health of all Americans,” according to a statement released by the White House. 

"The test, which was introduced in 1966, has taken several forms over the years. The most recent version included a one-mile run, modified sit-ups, a 30-foot shuttle run, the sit-and-reach flexibility test and a choice between push-ups and pull-ups....the Trump administration has yet to announce which exercises will be included in the new test."

Can prayer change reality?

I may have mentioned before that one of my hobbies is listening to NDEs (near death experiences) on Youtube.  Mostly I consider it entertainment to pass the time when I am doing some boring mindless task. I don't view these accounts as holy writ or anything, but once in a while they lead to some insights. 

I find that all the accounts are different, but they all have some things in common. Those would be, a cessation of pain, a sense of profound peace and love, taking place outside of time. The narrators mention meeting a being of light, sometimes calling this entity God, or Jesus, or saying that it is an angel. I am aware that there are some unpleasant NDEs, but I don't go looking for those. I assume there must be a reason for them, but most of the accounts are positive.

Anyway, the latest NDE I listened to was this one:  I Saw How Prayer Actually Changes Reality (NDE)

The narrator was a woman who identified herself as Alice Carter.  She said she had been injured in a bad car wreck caused by a semi driver who fell asleep on the road and crossed the center line.  She was taken to a hospital and the doctors said that she had been clinically dead at one point for over 7 minutes.  

Following is a summary of her account:

How Successfully Does Christian Apologetics Deal with "Ask and You Shall Receive"?

 I asked ChatGPT the following: 

What do Christian apologists say about the unequivocal promises made by Jesus in the Gospels such as "ask and you shall receive," or "ask the Father for anything in my name and he will give it to you"?

ChatGPT said:

Great question — this is one of the classic challenges in Christian theology and apologetics, because the promises in passages like Matthew 7:7, John 14:13–14, and John 16:23–24 do appear, on the surface, to be absolute (“Ask and it will be given to you... whatever you ask in my name, I will do it”).

Apologists — both scholarly and pastoral — have developed several interpretive approaches to reconcile these verses with the reality that many prayers go unanswered. I’ll summarize the main lines of reasoning:

---

1. Contextual and Conditional Reading

Apologists often argue these statements weren’t meant as blanket guarantees.

• Alignment with God’s will

  • Key argument: “In my name” is not a magical formula but shorthand for “in alignment with my will and character” (cf. 1 John 5:14–15: “If we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.”).

  • Example: William Lane Craig argues that prayer isn’t an unconditional promise but a participation in God’s purposes.

• Audience and setting

  • Some note Jesus was addressing disciples in a specific apostolic context (John 14–16), promising them divine support for their mission, not an open-ended guarantee for every request.

Prayers of petition

This is my homily for yesterday, the 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C.  Yesterday's readings are here.

Happy feast day of Sts. Anne and Joachim

 

Sts. Anne and Joachim are the patrons of grandparents.  Which we are, and several people on New Gathering also are.  Also St. Anne would be the patron of our Anne. So happy feast day!

My mom had a devotion to St. Anne, and chose her as her confirmation saint. She was 32 at the time, but since then lived to have 12 grandchildren. Now she would have 19 great grandchildren, though she didn't live to see any of them. 

Mom visited the shrine of Ste. Anne de Beaupre in Quebec, on the trip she took to Canada.  She went with one of her sisters, who probably didn't visit the shrine, since at that time she was a bit agnostic and didn't have much use for Catholicism, and even less for the evangelical tradition she grew up in. Dad didn't like to travel, though he could be talked into it, if the destination was in easy driving distance and involved pretty scenery or and interesting historical site. Canada is not an easy driving distance from Nebraska, so he wasn't along on that trip.

Anyway, Mom happened to visit the shrine on Mother's Day, which is the same in Canada as it is here. They gave out little ribbons to the mothers in attendendance, which had printed on them, "Bonne fete Maman" in gold letters.

In the current issue of Commonweal, Mary Gordon has a piece remembering the trip her family took to St. Anne de Beaupre when she was a child.  Interesting memories, but her dad certainly was a character. A good father, but would have driven me crazy as a husband. 

Pilgrimage | Commonweal Magazine

BTW, the statue pictured is in the side chapel in our parish, St. Anne and the child Mary.

Managing MAGA

Who is actually driving the MAGA bus?