BS Aquino Mental Health--Revisiting the Bulatao Report & Pedrosa's Challenge

I got this copy of the controversial Bulatao report concerning the mental health of BS Aquino. The article was written by The Daily Tribune columnist Jonathan de la Cruz, in his Crossroads, last 22 February 2012. The said report was denied by Fr. Jaime Bulatao, SJ himself and was criticized by the Aquino group as a bad campaign and propaganda by the Villar group against BS Aquino during the last presidential elections in 2010. News has it that Manny Villar's NP and BS Aquino's LP (along with Danding Cojuango's NPC) will be forming a coalition in the coming 2013 elections. Will NP deny its role in the dissemination of Aquino's psychiatric report? The unconventional, even disturbing, behavior of BS Aquino in confronting his critics, particularly his recent tirades against TV Patrol newscast and its anchor Noli de Castro, can be viewed from his mental health. (I'll be writing another article on the said incident.) I also include here the video of the respected Philippine Star columnist Carmen Pedrosa concerning the mental capability of BS Aquino to lead the country as its president.

---oOo---

The Bulatao report

Jonathan de la Cruz

Crossroads, The Daily Trinue

2/22/2012

Dive documents are supposed to be the complete psychiatric evaluation conducted on patient, Benigno Aquino III born on Feb. 8, 1960 with MRN 084 which we downloaded from the blog “goodmorningclass.wordpress.com.” We are excerpting significant entries in this evaluation report now commonly known as “The Bulatao Report” which was taken more than 30 years ago on Aug. 9, 1979 by Fr. Jaime Bulatao, S.J., who was then connected with the Ateneo de Manila University Central Guidance Department for the benefit of our readers and students of psychology and public policy.

BS Aquino Speech at 25th Anniversary of the Philippine Star

Speech
of
His Excellency Benigno S. Aquino III
President of the Philippines
At the 25^th Anniversary of the Philippine Star

[Delivered at the Makati Shangri-La Hotel on July 28, 2011]

Earlier this year, we celebrated the 25^th anniversary of People Power—of millions of Filipinos flocking to the streets of Manila to overthrow an oppressive regime. We celebrated our freedom from a dark period in our history, where our hopes were trampled upon, and where our right to speak was stifled.

It was five months after that revolution when the Philippine Star was established. While it was one of many other newspapers sprouting up after the winter of oppression, to many, it was a symbol of the recovery of free speech. And today, this recovery of free speech is what we are commemorating.

But today should remind us not just of the freedom our press enjoys—not just of our victories—but also of the challenges we face in the present. I know and am grateful for your ability to protect the public’s right to voice an opinion and to guard our freedoms. I know and commend you for your ability to report with integrity the events that occur in this country.

BS Aquino Speech at 25th Anniversary Philippine Dialy Inquirer

Speech

of

His Excellency Benigno S. Aquino III

President of the Philippines

During the 25^th Anniversary of the Philippine Daily Inquirer And Launching of the coffee table book, “From Ninoy to Noynoy: 25 Years of The Philippine Daily Inquirer”

[December 1, 2010, Rizal Ballroom, Makati Shangri-La]

Vice President Jejomar Binay; Ms. Marixi Prieto, Chair of the Philippine Daily Inquirer; Ms. Sandy Prieto-Romualdez, President; Ms. Letty Jimenez-   Magsanoc, Editor-in-Chief; former Chief Justice Artemio Panganiban; Excellencies of  the Diplomatic Corps; Mr. Manny Pangilinan; Mr. Ramon Ang; Mr. Andrew Tan; Don Jaime Zobel de Ayala; Fernando; Mr. Tony Tan  Caktiong; Mr. Lance Gokongwei; Atty. Gozon; Tessie Sy and a lot of others that I didn’t see, I apologize; honored guests; mga minamahal kong kababayan:

Magandang gabi po sa inyong lahat.

Isang karangalan po ang maging bahagi sa silver anniversary ng Philippine Daily Inquirer (PDI). Maging hudyat sana ang inyong ika-dalawampu’t limang taon, hindi lamang sa pagbuhos ng mas marami pang biyaya at tagumpay para sa PDI, kundi maging ang patuloy ninyong pagpapatibay sa patas at walang-kinikilingang pamamahayag.

Nagpapasalamat din po ako sa lahat ng taong nasa likod ng inilulunsad nating coffee table book: “From Ninoy to Noynoy: 25 years of the Philippine Daily Inquirer.” Dahil sa napapanahong paglilimbag ng librong ito, naniniwala ako sa kakayahan nitong ipamulat sa mga Pilipino, lalo na sa mga kabataan—na sektor po namin ni Vice President—ang mga pinagdaanan ng ating bayan sa nakalipas na dalawampu’t limang taon. Mula sa mga orihinal na litrato noong martial law, hanggang sa mga matatapang na editoryal na nagtulak sa People Power revolution, nanindigan kayo sa tapat na pamamahayag. Mula sa mga balita sa nagbabantang pagputok ng Pinatubo, hanggang sa mga artikulong bumabandila sa husay nila Manny Pacquiao at Efren Peñaflorida, naihatid ninyo ang lahat ng ito nang buo sa publiko. Samakatuwid, bawat pahina ng aklat na ito ay magsisilbing inspirasyon upang manatiling buhay sa alaala natin ang mga madilim, gayundin ang mga maliwanag na bahagi ng ating kasaysayan. Ang mga karanasan at aral nito ang magtutulak sa atin upang higit pang bantayan at patuloy na ipaglaban ang tunay na demokrasya.

BS Aquino Speech at 25th Anniversary of BusinessWorld

Speech
of
His Excellency Benigno S. Aquino III
President of the Philippines
At the 25^th anniversary of BusinessWorld
[Delivered at the Marriott Hotel, Pasay City, on July 27, 2012]

Secretary Albert del Rosario; Secretary Mar Roxas; Secretary Ramon Carandang; Secretary Butch Abad; Secretary Kim Henares (I think you are a favorite of this crowd); of course, Mr. Vergel Santos; ex-Prime Minister Cesar Virata; Mr. Anthony Cuaycong; Mr. Manny Pangilinan; Mr. Washington Sycip; other members of the business community present; other officials and staff of the BusinessWorld Publishing Corporation; fellow workers in government; honored guests; ladies and gentlemen:

Good evening.

Twenty-five years ago today, this newspaper began anew. During Martial Law, it was known as BusinessDay; and under the leadership of Mr. Raul Locsin, this paper took great effort to deliver fair, balanced reporting in an environment where the news was heavily monitored and censored as a dictator sought control of society. When Martial Law finally ended, and democracy was restored, BusinessWorld became part of what was supposed to be the renaissance of free media—free to pursue the integrity, accuracy, and balance that Raul Locsin had long espoused as a journalist.

That was the vision back in 1986; sadly, the general state of our national media makes us aware that its full realization has yet to be achieved. Nevertheless, there are those who we can always count on to fight the good fight. BusinessWorld, for example, now being steered by the steady hand of Vergel Santos, still adheres to its founder’s memory and vision.

BS Aquino's Speech at 25th Anniversary of TV Patrol

Talumpati

ng

Kagalang-galang Benigno S. Aquino III

Pangulo ng Pilipinas

Sa ika-25 anibersaryo ng TV Patrol

[Inihayag sa Manila Hotel noong ika-27 ng Hulyo 2012]

Mr. Gabby Lopez; Mrs. Charo Santos-Concio; Ms. Ging Reyes; Senator Frank Drilon; Senator Loren Legarda; Secretaries Mar Roxas, Greg Domingo, Ricky Carandang; Chairman Francis Tolentino; Bangko Sentral Governor Sy Tetangco; Mayor Alfredo Lim; Representative Sonny Angara; Commissioner Ruffy Biazon; Commissioner Kim Henares; Chair Sixto Brillantes; past and present officials and staff of TV Patrol and ABS-CBN; fellow workers in government; honored guests; mga minamahal ko pong kababayan:

Magandang gabi po sa inyong lahat.

Dito po magkakaaminan: Noon pong kabataan ko, wala pang ANC, wala pang CNN, at aaminin ko po, sa totoo lang, wala pang cable TV. Kung kailangan mo ng instant news, halimbawa, kapag may bagyo, nawalan ng kuryente, ang tutok namin noong mga panahong iyon: Radyo Patrol. Sa pag-usad ng panahon, mas naging moderno ang pagbabalita; ang tinig na rumoronda sa himpapawid, nadadagdagan ng biswal na elemento. At narito na po tayo ngayon, ipinagdiriwang ang Silver Anniversary ng isa sa mga pinakamatibay na institusyon sa pagbabalita: Ang TV Patrol.

Sa loob ng dalawampu’t limang taon, kinilala ang TV Patrol sa tapang at sigasig ng paghahatid ng impormasyon sa mamamayang Pilipino. Sa tuwing may sakuna, naroon kayo upang magbigay ng kaalaman kung paano umiwas sa peligro at disgrasya. Sa tuwing may agam-agam ang publiko ukol sa isyu, kayo ang takbuhan para sa tapat na pag-uulat. Kaya naman, sa lahat ng bumubuo ng inyong programa, mula noon hanggang ngayon, sa harap man o sa likod ng kamera: talaga namang pong isang mainit na pagbati sa inyong ikadalawampu’t limang anibersaryo.

Kapag katotohanan ang pinag-uusapan, lagi kong naaalala ang isang sikat na police drama noong ako po’y bata pa. Dragnet ang pangalan po ng programa. At sa pagkalap ng kaalaman, ang bukambibig noong isang bida, and I quote, “Just the facts, Ma’am.”

SONA 2012--President BS Aquino

SONA 2012

`Kayo po ang gumawa ng pagbabago.

SONA ito ng sambayanang Pilipino’

By President Benigno S. Aquino III

(President Benigno S. Aquino III’ s  third State of the Nation Address delivered  before a joint session of Congress at the Session Hall of the House of Representatives, Batasan Pambansa Complex, Quezon City, on July 23, 2012)

Maraming salamat po. Maupo po tayong lahat.

Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile; Speaker Feliciano Belmonte; Bise Presidente Jejomar Binay; mga dating Pangulong Fidel Valdez Ramos at Joseph Ejercito Estrada; ang ating mga kagalang-galang na mahistrado ng Korte Suprema; mga kagalang-galang na kagawad ng kalipunang diplomatiko; mga kagalang-galang na miyembro ng Kamara de Representante at ng Senado; mga pinuno ng pamahalaang lokal; mga miyembro ng ating Gabinete; mga unipormadong kasapi ng militar at kapulisan; mga kapwa kong nagseserbisyo sa taumbayan; at siyempre sa akin pong mga boss, magandang hapon po sa inyong lahat.

Ito po ang aking ikatlong SONA, at parang kailan lang nang nagsimula tayong mangarap. Parang kailan lang nang sabay-sabay tayong nagpasyang tahakin ang tuwid na daan. Parang kailan lang nang sinimulan nating iwaksi ang wang-wang, hindi lamang sa kalsada kundi sa sistemang panlipunan.

Dalawang taon na ang nakalipas mula nang sinabi ninyo, “Sawa na kami sa korupsyon; sawa na kami sa kahirapan.” Oras na upang ibalik ang isang pamahalaang tunay na kakampi ng taumbayan.

Gaya ng marami sa inyo, namulat ako sa panggigipit ng makapangyarihan. Labindalawang-taong gulang po ako nang idineklara ang Batas Militar. Bumaliktad ang aming mundo: Pitong taon at pitong buwang ipiniit ang aking ama; tatlong taong napilitang mangibang-bansa ang aking pamilya; naging saksi ako sa pagdurusa ng marami dahil sa diktadurya. Dito napanday ang aking prinsipyo: Kung may inaagrabyado’t ninanakawan ng karapatan, siya ang kakampihan ko. Kung may abusadong mapang-api, siya ang lalabanan ko. Kung may makita akong mali sa sistema, tungkulin kong itama ito.

Matagal nang tapos ang Batas Militar. Tinanong tayo noon, “Kung hindi tayo, sino pa?” at “Kung hindi ngayon, kailan pa?” Ang nagkakaisang tugon natin: tayo at ngayon na. Ang demokrasyang ninakaw gamit ang paniniil at karahasan, nabawi natin sa mapayapang paraan; matagumpay nating pinag-alab ang liwanag mula sa pinakamadilim na kabanata ng ating kasaysayan.

Ngunit huwag po nating kalimutan ang pinag-ugatan ng Batas Militar: Kinasangkapan ng diktador ang Saligang Batas upang manatili sa kapangyarihan. At hanggang ngayon, tuloy pa rin ang banggaan sa pagitan ng gusto ng sistemang parehas, laban sa mga nagnanais magpatuloy ng panlalamang.

SONA Fixations--A Folly of Power

This editorial of The Daily Tribune describes the next State of the Nation Address of President BS Aquino charting along the blame Gloria ploy. However the old trick does not work this time and it only proves the common perception that the Aquino administration has done nothing substantial. Below is the text and cartoon of the said editorial. My comments will follow after the editorial.

  

Sona Fixations

The Editorial:

The contents of Noynoy’s State of the Nation Address (Sona) were previewed by the Palace with reporters before the weekend and it seems the final cut would be a major revision since the usual formula of claiming achievements solely by blaming everything on the past administration and for which Noynoy is being criticized  heavily as he always says it is Gloria’s fault.

Constantly bashing the heads of his enemies won’t work this time and insisting on it would only strengthen perceptions that nothing indeed was achieved in the two years that Noynoy has been in in power.

The Sona is the occasion for Noynoy to persuade Congress to go along with him in the passing of urgent bills and in the past years it seems that Noynoy has a poor batting average on his administration’s priority bills passing in Congress. Thus, his legislative agenda usually ends way off target every year.

State of the Nation Address BS Aquino

While waiting for the next SONA of President Benigno Simeon [BS] Aquino, I reproduce his SONA here for easier reference.

State of the Nation Address

of

His Excellency Benigno S. Aquino III

President of the Philippines

to the Congress of the Philippines

[Delivered at the Session Hall of the House of Representatives, Batasan Pambansa Complex, Quezon City on July 25, 2011]

 Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile; Speaker Feliciano Belmonte; Bise Presidente Jejomar Binay; mga dating Pangulong Fidel Valdez Ramos at Joseph Ejercito Estrada; Chief Justice Renato Corona at ang ating mga kagalang-galang na mahistrado ng Korte Suprema; mga kagalang-galang na kasapi ng diplomatic corps; mga butihing miyembro ng Kamara de Representante at ng Senado; mga Local Government officials; mga miyembro ng ating Gabinete; mga unipormadong kasapi ng militar at kapulisan; mga kapwa ko nagseserbisyo sa taumbayan;

At sa mga minamahal kong kababayan, ang aking butihing mga boss:

Humarap po ako sa inyo noong aking inagurasyon at sinabing: Walang wang-wang sa ating administrasyon. At ngayon, patuloy nating itinitigil ito. Naging hudyat at sagisag po ito ng pagbabago, hindi lamang sa kalsada, kundi pati na rin sa kaisipan sa lipunan.

Peaceful Revolt Against Roman Absolutism

I found this article on Hans Kung's call to all Catholics for a peaceful revolution against the absolutism of the papal power published in National Catholic Reporter. Hans Kung has been a consistent critic of the Vatican's conservative bloc. The conservative bloc, with Pope Benedict XVI as its prominent leader, controlled the Vatican's Roman Curia, and responsible in appointing conservative bishops in the local churches, and in silencing Church theologians who are perceived as reformists. Formed as the restoration movement in the Church today, they do not only derail the full implementation of the Vatican II but want to reform the Vatican II reformation. With the absolute power of the Pope, the reforms of Vatican II will be set aside and the restoration efforts of the conservative bloc are now on-going. Thus, Hans Kung urges all Catholics to be vigilant to protect the fruits of Vatican II and launches a peaceful revolution against Roman absolutism. This article is a good read. I included below the full video interview and its transcript "What Went Wrong With Catholic Church?" of Hans Kung by Anthony Padovado. Plus, the earlier video interview of Hans Kung titled "Catholicism Heading Back to Middle-Ages". Kudos.

Hans Kung urges peaceful revolution 
against Roman absolutism

'few people realize how powerful the pope is,' Kung said

By Jerry Filteau

Jun. 11, 2011

DETROIT -- Famed theologian Fr. Hans Kung has called for a “peaceful” revolution by world Catholics against the absolutism of papal power.

Hypocrisy of Power: President BS Aquino's Wang-wang Mindset

What happened to BS Aquino's "no wang-wang" policy?

During his inaugural speech, President BS Aquino asked:

Kayo ba ay minsan ring nalimutan ng pamahalaang inyong iniluklok sa puwesto? Ako rin. Kayo ba ay nagtiis na sa trapiko para lamang masingitan ng isang naghahari-hariang de-wangwang sa kalsada? Ako rin. Kayo ba ay sawang-sawa na sa pamahalaang sa halip na magsilbi sa taumbayan ay kailangan pa nila itong pagpasensiyahan at tiisin? Ako rin.

[Have you ever been ignored by the very government you helped put in power? I have. Have you had to endure being rudely shoved aside by the siren-blaring escorts of those who love to display their position and power over you? I have, too. Have you experienced exasperation and anger at a government that instead of serving you, needs to be endured by you? So have I.]

Who Is My Neighbor? Lessons from an Island and a Bell

JOHN DONNE (1572-1631) was an English poet and lawyer who lived his life in poverty and yet so rich with friends (no one is so poor as to have nothing to give; no one is so rich as to have nothing to receive!); spent his life in womanizing and traveling until he settled with Anne More, his wife, with 12 children (the pro-RH advocates will make his life as a case for the quest of quality life; the anti-RH advocates will make his case into a crusade to defend life); a brilliant satirist and a charismatic preacher whose sermons exposed the folly of the sanctimonious (the Christian fundamentalists will disown him; the Vatican will silence him, even if he's a protestant.) and unveiled the idiocy of the brainiacs (the atheists will berate him as irrational; the skeptics will dismiss him as irrelevant). In listening to his sermon, the hearers were confronted with ironies, metaphors, paradoxes--all intended to plunge them into existential anxiety and doubt, and in the process, exhorting them to think and wrestle with God. In this article, I reproduce his famous Meditation XVII where we find his two most popular quotes -- "No man is an island" and "For whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee".

On Loving—Revisiting The Bridges of Madison County

The Bridges of Madison County (1992) is a best-selling novel written by Robert James Waller telling the love story between a married woman and a National Geographic photographer who visited Madison County in Iowa for a photographic essay on the bridges in the area. It is a fictional story but, as Waller said in the interview, contains “strong similarities between the main character and himself.” Entertainment Weekly described it as "a short, poignant story, moving precisely because it has the ragged edges of reality".

In 1995, Waller's novel was translated into a film bearing the same title with the plot as describe below:

In the present, siblings Michael and Carolyn arrive at the Iowa farmhouse of Francesca Johnson, their recently-deceased mother, to see about the settlement of their mother's estate. As they go through the contents of her safe deposit box and the will, they are baffled to discover that their mother left very specific instructions that her body be cremated and her ashes thrown off the nearby Roseman Covered Bridge, which is not in accordance with the burial arrangements they had known from their parents. Michael initially refuses to comply, while Carolyn discovers a set of photos of her mother and a letter. She manages to convince Michael to set aside his initial reaction so they can read the documents she has discovered. Once alone, they go through a series of letters from a man named Robert Kincaid addressed to their mother, revealing that he had an affair with her in 1965. The siblings find their way to a chest where their mother left a letter, a series of diaries and other mementos.

Hans Kung's Letter to the Bishops

I reproduce here the letter of Theologian Hans Küng to all Catholic Bishops. The open letter was first published in the Independent Catholic News last April 29, 2010 and republished on May 4, 2010. I also included his previous interview conducted by Laura Sheahen and published in Beliefnet last February 2004.

Venerable Bishops,

Joseph Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI, and I were the youngest theologians at the Second Vatican Council from 1962 to 1965. Now we are the oldest and the only ones still fully active. I have always understood my theological work as a service to the Roman Catholic Church. For this reason, on the occasion of the fifth anniversary of the election of Pope Benedict XVI, I am making this appeal to you in an open letter. In doing so, I am motivated by my profound concern for our church, which now finds itself in the worst credibility crisis since the Reformation. Please excuse the form of an open letter; unfortunately, I have no other way of reaching you.

I deeply appreciated that the pope invited me, his outspoken critic, to meet for a friendly, four-hour-long conversation shortly after he took office. This awakened in me the hope that my former colleague at Tubingen University might find his way to promote an ongoing renewal of the church and an ecumenical rapprochement in the spirit of the Second Vatican Council.

The Noble Factotum in the Church

This is a commentary to the article of Ms Asuncion Maramba where she described the religious women in the Philippines as "dakilang alalay" (noble factotum) to the priests, the bishops, and the Pope. She wrote:

Oh, yes, women are all over the Church from the Vatican bureaucracies down to parish offices, outreach projects, charity work, etc. Women keep them humming and running. Dubbed “dakilang alalay” (noble factotum), they are superior as Church workers, flocking around “Father, Father.” But no woman can call the shots. Try breaking the “purple ceiling.”

I am for the democratization of power in the Church which implies greater participation of the laity, in terms of decision-making, in the life and mission of the Church. I share Hans Kung's assessment, putting himself in the shoes of the laity, that "for as long as I can contribute advice and work, but am excluded from decision-making, I remain, no matter how many fine things are said about my status, a second-class member of this community: I am more an object which is utilized than a subject who is actively responsible. The person who can advise and collaborate, but not participate in decision-making in a manner befitting that person's status, is not really the Church, but only belongs to the Church." In this sense, I am in favor of Ms. Maramba's assessment.

Man's Search for Meaning

In his book “Take Off Your Shoes” (1972), Mark Link revisited Viktor Frankl’s experience in the Nazi concentration camps, and outlined the basic structure by which Viktor Frankl articulated his logotheraphy in his famous book, “Man’s Search for Meaning” (1956). 

Sex is considered as one of the most primitive of our human intincts which even over-rides our instinct for survival. Yet Viktor Frankl observed that the religious dimension of our human existence is more fundamental than our sexual drive. In the inhuman situation, like the Nazi concentration camps, sex drive was almost null. However, according to Viktor Frankl, our being religious became more vibrant in the cruel, atrocious, and inhuman condition where human life became absurd, meaningless, and valueless. In the concentration camp where life is reduced to the whims of those who have control over the system, the religious men and women started breaking their own bread and shared it to other prisoners who suffered the most. Our survival instinct follows its natural tendency to safeguard first ourselves and to feed our hungry stomachs, but the human spirit can rise above our condition. We transcend the forces of the environment that shaped our thinking and acting. We refuse to be determined by our environment. We shape our environment. This article of Mark Link is a good read. Kudos.

God Particle and Ex Nihilo

HIGGS BOSON has been in the reports around the globe these days. Expectedly, our local journalists, displayed their scientific prowess or lack of it, were quick to write about it. Fascinated by the term “God particle”, one journalist was inclined to look at it as an explanatory discovery about the origin of the universe, or at least as a non-religious explanation of why God made the earth. The scientific community, however, does not really look at the recent discovery as a normative and definitive explanation of the origin of the world. The other was more fascinated by the dancing scientists using rap to explain the scientific discovery to the public, especially the youth. He quickly suggested in using the video to explain this scientific discovery to the high school students. He also talked about how “religious terms” are being used by scientists in explaining their discoveries, but did not venture to comment how scientists moved from their domain into a totally different domain by making philosophical and theological interpretation of their research like the assertion that there's no God. The third one was more interesting because aside from talking about the Higgs boson, he introduced the controversial book of Lawrence Krauss, “A Universe From Nothing: Why There Is Something Rather Than Nothing”. As expected the popular journalist was quick to praise the book that “gives whole new meanings to the phrase ‘Nothing’ makes sense.” 

Mano Po

Tinulungan ko kagabi ang aking pamangkin na gumawa ng kanyang takdang aralin. Ito ang nagawa namin. 

Mando, Ang Batang Magalang

“Mano po, Inay,” kinuha ni Mando ang kamay ng kanyang ina at inilagay ito sa kanyang noo. Palagi ito ginagawa ni Mando tuwing dumating siya sa bahay mula sa paaralan. Kahit likas na mabait at magalang si Mando, natutunan niya ang “mano po” mula sa kanyang guro.

Si Mando ang panganay sa dalawang anak nila Mang Manolo at Aling Dolores. Nasa ikatlong baitang na sa elementarya si Mando. Isa sa mga natutunan niya sa paaralan ay ang paggalang sa mga magulang lalo na sa paggamit ng “mano po” at mula noon ay naging nakagawian na itong gawin ni Mando sa kanyang mga magulang at sa mga nakakatanda sa kanya.

Calling on Sophia, Naming a Feminist God?

Joyce Rupp is one of the most admired spiritual writers of our time. Her inspirational writings delve on the existential groanings of the human spirit in the modern times, and deeply grounded in sound biblical, theological and psychological principles. Here is a poem from her book, Prayers to Sophia: Deepening our Relationship with Holy Wisdom. I find this from her blog in National Catholic Reporter.

Calling on Sophia

Radiant and Unfading Wisdom,
your deep love calls to me.
I seek you with all my heart.
Hasten to make yourself known.

Sit at the gate of my heart.
Teach me your ways.
Meet me in my every thought.
Attune my mind to your perceptions.
Open all that is closed within me.
I desire your instruction.
I long to receive and to share your love.

Two Sides of a Coin: The New Atheists & the Christian Fundamentalists

In the Inq7-Disqus I often read comments criticizing the Catholic church of its “sins” or errors in history. I argued that the Church itself, in Vatican II, acknowledges its need for repentance and renewal. Indeed, the Church said in many occasions its mea culpa for its erroneous judgments and other atrocities committed in its name in history.  Like other human institutions, the Church is inhabited by human persons who constantly struggle to follow the Lord, Jesus Christ, who proclaimed the Kingdom of God, where money, power, prestige, and other worldly values are placed in the service of the poorest of the poor. 

Sadly, the new atheists made a personal crusade against the Church, expressing their moral indignation, unsystematic and often irrational attack, against the atrocities committed in the name of God to the extent of misrepresenting the teachings and practices of the Church for them to criticize with gusto and dogmatically uphold their conclusions as normative. They set aside the demand for objective study of their subject of investigation by not taking into consideration how the believers understand the teachings, for instance, of their respective religious traditions. 

The History of Universe: Two Perspectives

Philosophy of religion professor, Eric Reitan, found two contrasting narratives about the beginning of the universe and human life: (1) "History of Everything" by Robin Parry is a Christian story; and (2) "Cosmos: The History of Life by Carl Sagan" is a naturalist story. Reitan invited us to see the difference in the presentation of these two accounts, not only in voice (adolescent vs adult, baritone voice), and in storytelling style (marker drawing vs photo/video presentation), but in their perspectives (Christian story vs naturalist story of the origins of our world and the evolution of life.) Enjoy...

Video 1: The History of Everything by Robin Parry

For Video 2, click this: Cosmos: The History of Life by Carl Sagan