The iPadre Catholic Podcast

When I first heard of and saw Google’s new social networking site, I was really excited.  It looked like a great alternative to Facebook.  I like the ability of placing people in different categories.  Facebook has become so out of control, that there are many people following me whom I have no connection with at all.  They are just friends of friends of friends who saw me and decided to add me as a friend and found my profile through a roll of the dice.

There are other people who befriended me on Facebook that I had to remove.  I don’t want self starts and men who have been ordained by some “other Catholic” church using my credibility drawing innocent people into their fold.  Just as and example, I had two men claiming to be the legitimate successors of St. Peter as friends.  There are others who started out as a priest and a few weeks later, they are bishops of their own domain.  Many of these men are just as much a bishop as my golden retriever.

I also have friends on Facebook because they are my “real” family members.  I have people from every day life (you know, the real world), friends, and co-workers.  I have a good number who are members of the Catholic Podcast community.  There are people I went to school and graduated with but haven’t seen since that day long ago.

However good and important many of these people are, they are all mixed up in the same pot of stew.   There are things that I want to share with everyone, there are also things I want to share with collaborators on a project, and things that I want to share only with my family and friends. There are some things that I don’t want to share with complete strangers and wisdom tells us that we darn well had better not.  Well, you get the idea!

I want a way to separate all of my friends into different groups and move them around at will.  I want to message one group, three groups all all at once.  I want to be able to have as many or as few friends as I choose.  And, I want to have complete control over who views my information.  I want my information to remain my personal property and not give my rights to some overgrown self start company like Facebook or Google.

I heard some things about Google’s new service, so I did a little investigating into the Terms of Service and I don’t like what I read.  Read on and see if you are willing to agree to Google’s terms.

11. Content license from you

11.1 You retain copyright and any other rights you already hold in Content which you submit, post or display on or through, the Services. By submitting, posting or displaying the content you give Google a perpetual, irrevocable, worldwide, royalty-free, and non-exclusive license to reproduce, adapt, modify, translate, publish, publicly perform, publicly display and distribute any Content which you submit, post or display on or through, the Services. This license is for the sole purpose of enabling Google to display, distribute and promote the Services and may be revoked for certain Services as defined in the Additional Terms of those Services.

11.2 You agree that this license includes a right for Google to make such Content available to other companies, organizations or individuals with whom Google has relationships for the provision of syndicated services, and to use such Content in connection with the provision of those services.

11.3 You understand that Google, in performing the required technical steps to provide the Services to our users, may (a) transmit or distribute your Content over various public networks and in various media; and (b) make such changes to your Content as are necessary to conform and adapt that Content to the technical requirements of connecting networks, devices, services or media. You agree that this license shall permit Google to take these actions.

11.4 You confirm and warrant to Google that you have all the rights, power and authority necessary to grant the above license.

So, it’s possible that I post my profile picture and suddenly see it advertising some immoral product or service by Google or one of their collaborators.  They might take portions out of my podcasts to give a message contrary to my beliefs and or morals.

As long as Google has such unjust terms of service, they can keep their social network!

Science fiction meets reality in this cool new printer.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZboxMsSz5Aw&feature=youtube_gdata_player

This is the scene from the Exorcist that we never saw:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGb8pMIeY6w

“Boston’s gay Mass rescheduled” states the Boston Globe.  So, does that mean all those who proclaim they are gay and attending the so called “gay Mass” are living celibate lives?  If they are living celibate lives, they should have more “gay Masses” because only in the Mass will they find the power needed to remain faithful to Christ.

If you have to call a Mass a “gay Mass”, there must be a a reason for the name.  What is their point.  I can’t speak for them, but I will assume it is the typical gay agenda. They would have us believe that “Gays were created like they are by God, and since they were created that way, well gay sex is not sinful.”  If that is the intention of the “gay Mass”, it is a horrific scandal and sacrilege, and anyone who would allow it through consent or by avoiding the issue is guilty of grave sin.

St. Paul makes if very clear that anyone who receives the body of Jesus Christ with a knowledge of receiving Him in sin is eating their own judgment.  “Let a man examine himself, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup.  For any one who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment upon himself.” (1 Cor 11:28-29)  It is not enough to believe in Christ and claim to be a member of the Church.  Jesus said: “repent and believe in the good news”.

In his book “The Spirit of the Liturgy”, Cardinal Ratzinger, reminds us that the chosen people were not freed from slavery so that could go into the wilderness to worship God.  Everyone around them worshiped their own gods in the wilderness.  All of these religions offered sacrifice to their gods.  The difference between the chosen people, us, and our neighbors is that we live according to the precepts of the God we worship.  My old Liturgy professor often said: “Liturgy is morality”.  This statement reminds us all that our lives must conform to the Liturgy we pray.  It is not enough for us to worship God, must conform ourselves to HIS commands.

So, if you want to have Mass for a group of people, who are struggling and fighting with their inner self to be faithful to Jesus Christ and His commandments, so be it.  But if we are going to celebrate Mass for a group of people who are boasting about their sinful lives and trying to turn the Church away from the teaching of Her master that’s another story.  The Lord Jesus Christ would warn the priest and organizers to be forewarned that they are causing grave scandal.  And we know what Jesus said about anyone who causes scandal.  “It would be better for him if a millstone were hung round his neck and he were cast into the sea, than that he should cause one of these little ones to sin.” (Lk 17:2)