Paul of Tarsus and Patrick Brown
You have to love conversion stories, from the very real Saul on that road to Damascus, to the fictional Scrooge on a Dickensian Christmas morning, all the way to the stories of ‘Jane Roe’ and Bernard Nathanson, of which I wrote a few days ago, and so many countless others. They warm the heart, and provide a bit of comfort to us cradle Catholics that, hey, it all really is true.
Repent and believe in the Gospel, begins the evangelical account of Saint Mark: Metanoia, as they say in the original Greek, quite literally to ‘change one’s mind’, to alter one’s perspective, on life, on eternity, and how they interconnect. For only in the light of heaven and, for that matter, the potential darkness of hell, does this transient existence make any sense at all. And it is that light that burst upon the zealous Pharisee, transforming the egotistic Saul into the humble Paul, the ‘little one’, the least amongst the Apostles, but who, by grace, did immeasurable work for God and His kingdom.
Speaking of conversions, here’s hoping the erstwhile leader of the provincial Conservatives, Patrick Brown, himself undergoes some sort of metanoia, after the recent accusations made against him by two females. I sort of pity the poor man, a 39 year old bachelor, whose private life is a mystery to the public at large. He is charged with that global and vague crime of ‘sexual misconduct’ which, in the modern, positivist, politically correct, legalistic sense, means any sexual behaviour that is even remotely non-consensual, even if after the fact. To be accused in today’s climate is itself the punishment: One is tainted forever, with an unshakeable cloud of suspicion hanging over one’s head, like poor Pigsty in those Peanuts cartoons.
Of course, the Church takes a broader and more universal view: Sexual misconduct means any sexual behaviour outside of a validly contracted and ratified marriage, from dwelling upon impure thoughts, all the way to pornography, masturbation, fornicatio simplex, adultery, sodomy and so on, whether consensual or not. The modern world, whose worldview Mr. Brown seems to have adopted, has it exactly backwards: The consent does not make the act good, but, rather, the act first being good then allows one to consent.
I would not mind hearing Mr. Brown expand upon and clarify the ‘values’ he claims, in his emotional denial, would forbid him engaging in any of the alleged ‘sexual misconduct’. What values might those be, I wonder, and are they part of the Conservative platform?
It is difficult to be a chaste and continent bachelor in this sex-sodden milieu, where modesty is quite literally cast off, even to some degree amongst well-meaning Catholics. One is helped, so the wisdom of the Church goes, by some knowledge of moral principles and human anthropology (Theology of the Body), a daily prayer life, self-reflection, with regular Communion and confession, some asceticism, along with consistent study, exercise and work, fostering healthy friendships, while also maintaining modest emotional and physical boundaries.
This is not easy, and if one is missing any of these ingredients, especially the help of sacramental grace and prayer, I, for one, do not know how it would be possible to avoid ‘sexual misconduct’ of some sort.
Whatever Mr. Brown did or did not do, he does deserve due process, and I agree with Christie Blatchford that such is now denied men: On the word of two women, who remain anonymous, he has been cut down, in hours and now, as Blatchford says, ‘any man is vulnerable’, even a saint, one might think.
In the meantime, I must confess that I am not sad to see him go, taking with him his disdain for social conservatism, and his support for all sorts of ideological idiocies, from ‘gay rights’, to a woman’s ‘right to choose abortion’, all the way to his flip-flopping on the scandalous sex-ed curriculum under Premier Wynne.
Patrick Brown was baptized and raised Catholic, and what I do hope is that this retreat, of sorts, provides him with some leisure for reflection on that gift he has been given, to ponder time and eternity and what it all means. May a light from heaven burst upon his conscience, and the scales fall from his eyes, so that, like Paul and Scrooge, he takes the longer view, and sees that life is far bigger, and far more important, than politics.
Carney’s Amoral Majority
After five defections – euphemistically described as ‘crossing the floor’ – and three by-elections, Mark Carney and his Liberals how have their coveted majority. One wonders what bowls of pottage were offered in back-room deals. In the archaic monarchical system that is the Dominion of Canada, this majority allows the newly-minted Prime Minister to rule[…]Continue reading→
Saint Kateri , Canada’s Protectress
This was the title given to Saint Kateri Tekakwitha, by Pope Benedict XVI, when he canonized her on October 28th, 2012, along with six others, in Saint Peter’ Square (she had been beatified by Pope John Paul II back in 1980). With Saint Joseph as our protector, along with the Canadian martyrs, we seem to[…]Continue reading→
A Closed, Unsustainable, Descending Loop
As a follow-up to my thoughts on Payette’s payout, here be a stark image of where are here in Canada. As the graph shows in, well, graphic terms, since 2025, the public sector has contributed to 95.5% of economic growth. The private sector – which funds the public sector, or is supposed to – has[…]Continue reading→
Remembering Father Alphonse de Valk
(Today marks the sixth anniversary of the death of Father Alphonse de Valk, C.S.B., a faithful, courageous and indefatigable Basilian priest, pro-life-and-family apostle, and the founder of Catholic Insight magazine. Here is what we wrote those on his entering into eternity five years ago, as we continue to remember him in our prayers and thoughts)[…]Continue reading→
A Tale of Two Benedicts
A grace-filled Holy Week to all our readers! As we await and prepare for the Resurrection about to dawn upon us, we might keep in mind two Benedicts: Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, requiescat in pace, elected on this day in 2005; and today’s commemoration of the mystic pilgrim, Benedict Joseph Labre, who died on this[…]Continue reading→
My Name is Bernadette
April 16th is a propitious day, for besides the anniversary of Father de Valk’s death, who founded Catholic Insight in its print form decades ago, and the commemoration of the ‘two Benedicts’, mentioned in accompanying posts, today we also recall Saint Bernadette Soubirous, the young visionary to whom the Virgin Mary appeared numerous times at[…]Continue reading→
Presidential Pardon of Weronika Krawczyk
As a good news, follow-up to our story from Poland, of the persecution of Weronika Krawczyk for her pro-life views, we heard that she has been granted a presidential pardon. One might still wonder why one needs a presidential pardon for simply holding the long-held belief that the child within the womb is a child,[…]Continue reading→
Saint Lydwina of Schiedam and Suffering Joyfully
Saint Lydwina of Schiedam (1380 – 1433) was one of the countless and glorious ‘victim souls’ in the history of the Church, those whose lives are filled with suffering, often of an unimaginable intensity, but who suffer joyfully. She was a fifteen-year old Dutch girl, out skating one day, when she fell and broke one[…]Continue reading→
The Glorious Martyrdoms of Martin and Maximus
As we enter into Eastertide, we recall on this 13th of April Pope Saint Martin I (+655), one of the noblest, if most tragic, of the successors of Saint Peter. Born in Umbria, Italy, he was of noble lineage, with great intelligence combined with charity and love of the poor and the Church. While still[…]Continue reading→
Canonizing Sister Faustina and Divine Mercy
HOMILY OF THE HOLY FATHER MASS IN ST PETER’S SQUARE FOR THE CANONIZATION OF SR MARY FAUSTINA KOWALSKA Sunday, 30 April 2000 1. “Confitemini Domino quoniam bonus, quoniam in saeculum misericordia eius”; “Give thanks to the Lord for he is good; his steadfast love endures for ever” (Ps 118: 1). So the Church sings on the Octave of[…]Continue reading→