This is my first venture into the 7 Quick Takes arena. Hopefully there will be many more. Let me start by introducing my self. My name is Terry Brennan. Everyone must come from somewhere. Even though I was born in West Virginia, I have lived in Kansas since I was 9 years old so I call myself a Kansan. First and foremost, I am a Catholic and a Christian. I am also a 3rd degree member of the Knights of Columbus. My faith is important to me. I am also a sports fanatic. I am a die-hard St. Louis Cardinals fan. I am also interested in politics and consider myself to be a conservative.
Why am I doing this? As you can see from my blog, I have been neglecting it lately. This is an attempt to jump start something that I enjoy doing. I probably won’t be here every Friday as I also have a 9-6 job. But hey, at least it’s a start.
If you haven’t noticed, Wichita and Kansas have been in the news recently. I am proud to announce to this community that as of last week, the Catholic Diocese of Wichita will have a new bishop. We have been without a bishop since April of 2013 when now-Archbishop Michael O Jakels was named head of the Archdiocese of Dubuque, Iowa. Msgr. Carl A Kemme of the Diocese of Springfield, Illinois will become the 11th bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Wichita on May 1st. Welcome to Wichita Bishop-elect Kemme!
If you are a sports fan, then you might have noticed that a basketball team from Kansas is now the only undefeated team in the country. No it’s not the Kansas Jayhawks, although they are also having a good year too, having clinched at least a share of the Big 12 title for the 10th straight season. It’s the Wichita State Shockers. After a final 4 run last season, the Shockers are 30-0 so far this year. Coach Greg Marshall recently spent a day on the ESPN networks, and last week they showed up on the cover of Sports Illustrated beating the famous jinx by winning their next two games after that issue came out. Actually it was Syracuse who lost their first game of the season the day that the issue came out. I can’t predict when this team will lose their first game, but in Wichita, we are enjoying the ride
Recently, the Kansas Legislature attempted to pass a bill that would give conscience protection to Christian business who refused to do business by participating or validating the marital choices or civil union choices of their customers. This is a right that is protected by the 1st Amendment of the US Constitution. But in many states, Christians businesses, and churches have been sued for refusing to do business with and participating in homosexual marriages. The house passed the bill but the Senate decided not to pursue it because it was too broad. I am hoping that the Senate will take up the issue at some time maybe with a bill similar to the one in Arizona as we really need to protect our freedom to exercise our religions as we want, not as some government official or activist group thinks we should practice it. Here’s a great article that tells why this legislation is needed. http://m.cjonline.com/blog-post/contra-mundum/2014-02-14/why-hb-2453-needed-now
Speaking of homosexual marriage, I have always known that according to the Bible it is wrong. Until just recently I have never had the occasion to defend the teaching of the Church on this subject. At some point I hope to do a more extensive blog post on this subject. In the meantime, here are some excellent links to articles and resources that would help a Catholic or Christian in defending these attacks on the Sacrament of Marriage.
http://www.catholic.com/documents/gay-marriage
http://streetevangelization.com/homosexuality/
https://www.osv.com/TabId/735/ArtMID/13636/ArticleID/8254/
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/03/21/archbishop-cordileone-gay-marriage-catholic-church/2001085/
While watching The Journey Home this week on EWTN (a show on Catholic television where converts or reverts to the Catholic faith are interviewed about their journey) the guest, Rick Fee, a former Lutheran, said that he set out to prove the Catholic Church wrong. I'm not sure how many times I've heard converts say that same thing only to find out that the Catholic Church was the one and only true church founded by Jesus Christ. I challenge anyone who thinks the Catholic Church is wrong on any one of their teachings to do the study and research. But beware. You might be surprised to find out how wrong you have been.
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