And miles to go

Fiscal Report and Da Vinci Code

I wish to address two topics within the framework of a "good news/bad news" report. The first issue is a financial report for fiscal year 2004-5 which you will find in a splendid diagram (page 10) in today's Prairie Catholic. The "good news" is that we broke even. As you can see, our revenue stream ($2,798,257) covered our diocesan expenses ($2,776,662) with a little left over ($21,595). I am grateful to Tom Holzer and his staff at the Diocesan Pastoral Center who so carefully monitor this process all year long. I am also grateful to all those who through DUF, bequests or contributions to the Endowment Fund support so generously the activity of this local Church.

The "bad news" of this picture lies in the fact that 26% of our revenue ($744,732) comes from grants and bequests. This is "soft" money in the sense that it is given only on a one-time basis.

If the Home Missions, for example, decided to send their $140,000 to a diocese affected by Hurricane Katrina or if no estates are given to the Diocese in a particular year, we would be in big trouble. This is why a Diocesan Ministries Appeal is so essential for our future. An annual appeal is not just about increased programming, which is so urgently needed - it is also about fiscal security to ensure that the good works done on a diocesan level will continue.

My second topic is the Da Vinci Code which has already sold millions of copies and will appear in movie theatres on May 19. This is anti-Catholic propaganda pure and simple. The novel is based on fraudulent assertions and invented history. It is an attack against all who believe in Jesus Christ and the Church which He founded. It seeks to confuse the young, whose faith may be weak, and lead them astray. I personally will say that it is pure Evil in its intent.

I am grateful to the members of our diocesan staff who have offered resources refuting this novel's claims. Please call our Communication's Office if you desire those references. The U.S. Bishops' Conference also has a Web site to contact: www.jesusdecoded.com.

What is also so sinister about the Da Vinci Code and which has received little recognition is the fact that it promotes a New Age ideology. This reference may be found toward the end of the work when the reader is told that the Holy Grail need not be the chalice used by Jesus, nor the womb of Mary Magdalene, but whatever a person "thinks" it may be. In other words, each person is the final determinant of his or her own truth. Accordingly, there is no objective truth. One carries his or her subjective or private truth within.

The New Age philosophy denies the need for the Transcendent (i.e. God) because "the power" lies latent in human nature. All that is required is a "breakthrough" to a "new consciousness" which allows the individual to find the limitless potential of his or her own divinity. Entry points to this "enlightenment" can be varied: sensory isolation and sensory overload; biofeedback; music; self-help networks; hypnosis and self-hypnosis; meditation; Sufi stones and koans; seminars like Silva Mind Control, Lifespring, etc. In the novel, Brown uses pentagrams, anagrams, numerology, astrology for the same purpose. New Age proponents look for a synthesis of Eastern mysticism and Western occultism to mask what is essentially a new Pantheism, denying that God is separate from the created order.

Commentators have described the New Age Movement as part of a "cult of self-worship" so characteristic of our contemporary age. Historically, it is a reaction to the totalitarianism of the last century (i.e. Nazi Germany) and the skepticism that resulted from the wrongful use of authority. The result is that the modern skeptic desires to judge for the "self" what is right or wrong and, in fact, what is true or false. And so, a man or woman alone decides that sexual intercourse is not intended for the gift of life. A woman decides for herself that the baby in her womb is not a human person. A gay activist decides himself that the definition of marriage is not limited to one man and one woman. In other words, the human person, not God, becomes the ultimate source for the norm of truth.

The "good news" in all of this is that the Da Vinci Code has proposed these fraudulent ideas so that they can be unmasked and rejected so that the truth may be proclaimed. But this will take the concentrated effort of believers who are willing to ask the critical questions and search for the right answers. I hope our Pastoral Leaders will lead the way in offering this challenge to their parishioners.

God bless you!

May, 2006

Falta Mucho por Recorrer

Quisiera empezar con "buenas y malas noticias." El primer tema es el Reporte Financiero del año fiscal 2004-2005, la cual encontrarán en esta publicación un diagrama magnifico. La buena noticia es que ni perdimos, ni hubo ganancias. Como pueden ver nuestra fuente de ingreso fue(2,798,257) cubriendo nuestros gastos diocesanos ($2,776,662) restando (21,595). Estoy agradecido a Tom Holzer y a su personal administrativo en el Centro Pastoral Diocesano por monitorear cuidadosamente este proceso por todo el año. También estoy agradecido a todos los que aportan con el DUF (Fondo Diocesano), herencias o contribuciones a la fundación por apoyar generosamente las actividades de la Iglesia local.

La "mala noticia" es que el 26% de nuestro ingreso ($744,732) lo adquirimos mediante herencias y donaciones. Podemos decir que ese dinero lo recibimos una sola vez.  

Por ejemplo si la colecta para las Misiones decide enviar su donación de $140,000 a una diócesis  afectada por el Huracán Katrina o si en algún año en particular no se le da a una diócesis, estaríamos en un gran problema. Por esa razón la Súplica para Servicios Diocesanos es vital para nuestro futuro. Esta súplica anual no es para añadir otro programa solamente, la cual se necesita urgentemente - pero también para que continué el buen trabajo a nivel diocesano.

El segundo tema es sobre el Da Vinci Code que ya ha vendido millones de copias y que se podrá ver en la pantalla grande a partir del 19 de mayo.  Claramente es una propaganda anti-católica. La novela se basa de declaraciones fraudulentas y una historia inventada. Es una agresión contra todos los creyentes en Jesucristo y en su Iglesia que él fundó. Aquello intenta confundir a los jóvenes, cuya fe podría ser débil y los podría guiar por el mal camino. Personalmente diría que su objetivo es de pura maldad.

Estoy muy agradecido a los miembros de nuestro personal diocesano ofrecieron recursos que desmienten las demandas de la novela. Si desea esas referencias por favor llame a nuestro departamento de Comunicaciones o la página de Internet  de la Conferencia de los Obispos de los Estados Unidos www.jesusdecoded.com.

May, 2006