The Power of Your Voice by Teya Skae

Friends, I found this very intersting article that I want to share with you, about
“the sound or sounds uttered through the mouth of living creatures, especially of human beings in speaking, shouting, singing, etc. a range of such sounds distinctive to one person, or to a type of person or animal” … Our Voice!

Published in Nova Healthwatch, Australia July 2007

The Power of Your Voice
by Teya Skae

“In the beginning was the word and word was Sound”

Did you know that the human voice is a mirror of our inner universe? Our voice reveals our moods, fears, intentions, hopes, tensions, thoughts, desires and reflects who we truly are. The sound of our voice can tell us more about a person than words can ever communicate.

According to Karina Schelde, a Danish born, professionally trained singer turned sound/voice therapist, our voice not only reflects our state of our mind, moods and our emotions but it is also an expression of our soul. Karina, an internationally acclaimed sound practitioner, lecturer and workshop leader since 1985 has been pioneering her knowledge of sound into her Voice and Sound Healing workshops. Her book entitled, Soul Voice is a practical and transformational resource that provides effective exercises based on her Soul Voice Method, which Karina teaches around the world, for promoting personal and spiritual development. The Soul Voice Method teaches us how to use our voice to heal and empower ourselves.

When we release suppressed emotions, which are stored in our bones, muscles, tissues and organs, we are in fact facilitating our self-healing. When we allow ourselves to sigh, cry, groan or moan we feel a sense of freedom because we are bypassing our control mechanism, our conscious mind that controls our speech and our voice.

All our issues first arise in our subconscious mind, which will always disrupt our energy flow as a result. When our energy flow is disrupted we experience feelings and tension. It is our feelings that influence our biochemical/molecular structures in our body, and when we find a way to release emotional blocks in the subconscious we naturally experience liberation and promote self-healing as a result. Using our voice allows us to directly access the powerful, stored, often suppressed, repressed and denied feelings in our body and energy field. How does this happen?

It happens naturally due to the fact that sound has a powerful ability to break through barriers, through crystallizations of thought forms, belief systems and penetrate the subconscious mind and release these blockages, even physical blockages.

According to Karina, “everything that has happened to you in your life culminates in the tone and the pitch of your voice and 80 percent of what we say is delivered by the tone of the voice.” Therefore, the tone of our voice is more important than the actual words we use to communicate. Words may lie, but the tone reflects our true intention whether it is expressed or suppressed. The voice reveals our character and personality. Our voice remembers what we have forgotten through conscious or unconscious suppression of our painful memories/experiences.

This is because our emotions are contained in the vibration of our voice. When we listen to a person’s voice it may attract, repel, manipulate or give us a feeling of release or excitement and we respond to it on an intuitive, emotional level. The voice tells us where we are at, mentally, emotionally and spiritually.

Sound shapes the universe as sound is a vibration, a frequency, and we now know from quantum physics that the whole universe is made up of energy fields and technically vibrational fields of energy. Therefore, everything in the universe is made up of vibrations including our physical bodies. What is sound? Sound is a vibration, a specific frequency.

As Pythagoras said, “A stone is frozen music”.

Pythagoras (c. 580–500 B.C.), a very wise teacher of ancient Greece, knew how to work with sound. He taught his students how certain musical chords and melodies produce definite responses within the human organism. He demonstrated that the right sequence of sounds, played musically on an instrument, can change behavior patterns and accelerate the healing process.

Let’s have a look at some recent science that supports this view.

According to CBC News of Friday, March 9, 2007
(http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2007/03/09/science-nervessound-20070309.html#skip300x250), our nerves do not transmit electricity as we were taught to believe, they in fact transmit sound. “The common view that nerves transmit impulses through electricity is wrong and they really transmit sound”, according to a team of Danish scientists.

The Copenhagen University researchers argue that biology and medical textbooks that say nerves relay electrical impulses from the brain to the rest of the body are incorrect.

“For us as physicists, this cannot be the explanation,” said Thomas Heimburg, an associate professor at the university’s Niels Bohr Institute. “The physical laws of thermodynamics tell us that electrical impulses must produce heat as they travel along the nerve, but experiments find that no such heat is produced.”

Heimburg, an expert in biophysics who received his PhD from the Max Planck Institute in Goettingen, Germany – where biologists and physicists often work together in a rare arrangement – developed the theory with Copenhagen University’s Andrew Jackson, an expert in theoretical physics.

According to the traditional explanation of molecular biology, an electrical pulse is sent from one end of the nerve to the other with the help of electrically charged salts that pass through ion channels and a membrane that sheathes (protects) the nerves. That membrane is made up of lipids and proteins.

Heimburg and Jackson explain that sound propagation is a much more likely explanation. Although sound waves usually weaken as they spread out, a medium with the right physical properties could create a special kind of sound pulse or “soliton” that can propagate without spreading or losing strength.

The physicists say because the nerve membrane is made of a material similar to olive oil that can change from liquid to solid through temperature variations, they can freeze and propagate the solutions.”

In summary, this research states that we transmit sound, not electrical impulses, as a means of communicating with our organs and glands. Yet, this is not an entirely new body of evidence. In the 1960’s a Swiss scientist Dr. Hans Jenny, demonstrated how sound shapes matter.

Dr Jenny placed sand granules on to a metal plate and then played a few bars of notes from composers such as Mozart and Bach. The sand granules formed constant shapes to the vibration of the sound, and extraordinary patterns were observed.

Jenny then went further with his observation, saying that sound has a direct influence on our human biology and thus influences our health. This is because every cell in our body has its own vibrational frequency. Human cells are composed of atoms and molecules that resonate according to their mutual harmonies. Many cells together form tissues and organs that are part of a biological system. This system then vibrates according to new harmonies.

So, from these researches we can say that sound sculpts us. All out tissues, organs, bones and cells are made up of sound. We are held together by sound as each part of our body has its own sonic frequencies which travel and pulsate like a wave, in an inhaling and exhaling breath.

In practical terms then, any part of the person that is out of balance, having headaches or back pain, weight problems or fatigue, emotional, mental or spiritual problems, can respond to healing with sound.

Scientist Fabien Maman has done extensive research in music and sound and has proven that the voice has the ability to bring us into what he calls our crystal-clear self. In Hindu tradition, all things have their own hidden and secret sound. Our voice is as unique as our fingerprints… Our voice has a soul print that we have been trying to come into contact with since birth. Our voice signifies our whole story, our make as well as our origins.

As emotions affect our body’s chemical structure, we are called to learn how to balance our emotional body by using our own voice as a self-healing modality. Dissonant sounds, for example are an excellent conductor for bringing us into contact with the emotional body, as well as releasing any false beliefs and negative programming. When we expand our vocal range we are also expanding our view of life and we are transcending our self-imposed limiting beliefs about experience our true Self.

What is the Soul Voice Method?

The human voice is one of the most powerful tools available to humankind. Every word we speak carries the tone of our sound as an instrument of communication and selfhealing. Understanding how to tune and use this instrument effectively shifts not only our own consciousness, but also that of those who receive (hear) our sounds.

Sound healing is an ancient healing tool. Sound has the ability to penetrate the cells of the body, the conscious and the unconscious mind, the seen and the unseen. It can travel across space and time. Sound is powerful, yet gentle and effective and has the power to correct any condition, because it is a vibration.

“There is a longing in human beings today to fully open up the throat chakra,” says Karina, “to communicate the truth and come into mastery of self-expression. There is a cry, a call deep within our hearts that wants to be heard. There is a longing for the liberation of the voice and soul – in this way re-discovering the grandeur of who we truly are – a force of the highest vibration and creation.”

Karina confirms what many psychologists say, that the emotional shutdowns we carry in the throat are huge. Our grief and anger for example, that are not expressed, causes illnesses and blockages. If we are able to release it by using our voice, we are in fact, releasing that pain and blockage in our body.

As a clinical kinesiologist I work with people that have chronic back pain, hip, neck and shoulder injuries. I felt inspired to use the Soul Voice process on a client who has lived with ongoing hip problems for over 20 years.

Guiding her to release only the sounds that felt natural and effortless to her and using my own voice along with her, she went into a form of wailing as a little girl of 5 years old would, as though she was left all alone in the darkness of the woods. It was incredible to witness how this woman’s voice which is so controlled and poised most of the time, took her to the core of her hip pain as well as under active thyroid.

The intense suppressed grief which her inner child held for all these years was the key to finally release this emotional block that caused pain and muscle tension in her hip. After some minutes of integration, she felt a distinct adjustment take place within her pelvic region and the pain subsided. Some people might see this as a miracle; I would see it as accessing our truth with the power of our own voice.

In essence, sound is a powerful tool for healing and transformation, and it is much more powerful and effective when we are using our very own voice instead of to just listening to CD’s alone. When we use our own voice, we are accessing our direct source of power, our suppressed emotions and the essence of our soul. This happens a lot quicker then listening to music or someone else’s voice, as our voice contains everything about us. Using other people voices or sounds, as therapeutic as it may be, would not have the same organic effect.

Our voice reflects all parts of our being including our soul. For this reason, it is a priceless tool for anyone who wants to experience their true self and live an inspired life. Using our voice in this way makes us better at communicating, clearer, happier, more alive and more present in our life. It touches us in places we haven’t visited before, as the voice also contains our untapped potentials.

Our voice is our natural source of power and liberation because it helps us to remember and recognise our true nature in the struggle of our human experience. Our voice longs to be explored with trust, love and acceptance of what we are here to experience in our life.

In Wellness!

Teya Skae
Kinesiologist/Nutritionist/Lecturer
M.A., B.A., ATMS. AKA
Dip Health Sciences
Dip Clinical Nutrition

http://www.empowered-living.com.au

References:
Karina Schelde, Soul Voice, 2006 http://www.soundandvoice.com
Richard Gerber, M.D. Vibrational Medicine 2001.

Does Catholic money cause a Catholic impact?

Let me begin by stating that I respect the ‘handful’ Catholic investors out there, who successfully help Catholic causes! Thank you for them, and may God bless them richly…but they are not enough!

I want to focus here on those Catholic investors who are engaged in diversified investments (mutual funds etc.). This type of investment strategy leads to statements like “ My portfolio manager handles this. Personally I do not know where my money actually was invested into.”

Now, aren’t there numerous mutual funds and portfolios that receive hundreds of millions from Catholic investors each year?

Obviously they have no problem taking ‘Catholic’ money. Money that obviously doesn’t talk…on the contrary it remains silent.

What is the ‘Catholic’ impact in our society that ‘Catholic Money’ causes, through diversified investments, except the impact that it causes on the bank account of those who invest, those who manage it and those who receive it?

How does this Catholic money change the secular landscape into a more Catholicism based landscape?

Why is our society, and the commercial market still so Anti Catholic?

I say that Catholic portfolio investments cause little to nothing in our secular, anti Catholic, anti Christian religion society.

Hot industries, new stock offerings, or guess at market cycles, is part of the standard criteria for wealth managers. Also a handful of standard ‘Christian’ moral and ethical aspects. But in the end it is all about profits. Profits not generated by a Catholic impact in the market, but by a secular impact.

I believe that our good God does not bless people with financial wealth so they just multiply it, and give ‘some’ to the poor and the needy?

Take a look at the world around us. I think it is urgent time for wealthy, serious Catholic investors not to invest in mutual funds and all sorts of portfolios, but to invest their money directly into ventures (in whatever corporate, legal, shape and form these ventures need to be set up to accommodate the investors and entrepreneurs) that are controlled and run by magisterium faithful, practicing Catholic entrepreneurs.

Today, more then ever before, we need Catholic products and services that have the potential to cause a great Catholic impact on our secular society. Also don’t forget that great impact generates great returns and great profits!

This can only be accomplished through selected direct investments.

There is that stigma that Catholic product & services, for the most part, are non profit, charity endeavors, donation supported, without any profit potential. And no doubt, there are non profit organizations that need that type of support.

However, there is a growing group of professional, Catholic entrepreneurs (like myself) who have concepts and business plans for Catholic ventures, that will cause a huge Catholic impact in our secular society, and has great profit potential.

We have no lack of experience and knowledge, no lack of devotion to our Catholic faith, but only lack of money for the realization of our projects!

This should be viewed also as part of our call for the New Evangelization!

Motivated Catholic investors coupled with professional Catholic entrepreneurs will cause a powerful, lasting Catholic impact in the secular market. And that is needed now!

We will not be judged based on our success or failure, but only based on our true intentions and efforts!

(Note: Please forgive this German if there are any grammatical mistakes. I tried my best. But even errors won’t change the message!)

Thoughts by a Catholic about ‘John 3:16′ TV commercial

Focus on the Family Airs National TV Commercial During Tonight’s (Jan 14th) Broncos-Patriots Playoff Game.

As wonderful as it looks at first sight, the promotion of our Lord Jesus Christ by children, yet to me it is another sad example where the Catholic Church (All Catholics incl. myself) is, when it comes to communicate Catholicism to a mass audience, on secular TV.

Imagine how much money it cost to place a 30 sec. commercial on national TV during the playoffs ? Millions! AND once again, our ‘fallen away from the universal Holy mother Church Christian brothers and sisters’ put their money where ‘their faith’ is!

I do not want to condemn them, and I do not at all want to condemn a commercial about Jesus on prime time TV.

No doubt that the impact of that commercial will confirm and lead many people directly to the ‘Me and Jesus’ approach, and eventually to an Evangelical Christian or Non Denominational Church “near you”. Just children on screen, speaking about Jesus.. no priest, no clergy. But that seems to be part of the calculated objective behind this commercial. Or do you think that Focus on the Family is doing this just to promote Jesus?

Let’s say they do. But why then don’t they point at another important aspect of Jesus’s mission, namely that He establish His church through Peter and gave him the churches mission! Jesus without His organized, hierarchical, church? To me an incomplete ‘picture’ of Jesus, and why he came.

I am a convert to Catholicism. But does it really matter whether to be a Lutheran, Baptist or else or organized religious Catholic? After all we all have one thing in common : We all believe in the same Jesus, don’t we?

I say provocatively: If we really believe in the same Jesus… then why are we not all Catholics. One God, One Jesus, one Faith, one Church?

You may think, that the audience that watches the commercial, does not have such deep thoughts about it. And it is true that people do not have deeper thoughts about most, if not all, product commercials they see on TV. But they don’t need to… because TV advertisement works subliminal ! That’s why product companies spent hundreds of millions of dollars each year to advertise their product on TV.

Now, is this commercial good for the greater Image of Christianity, in particular in times like this. Yes, I believe it is!

But from the perspective of a Catholic, lets not make any mistake, and lets not get carried away, because in the end this commercial is a recruiting tool by Evangelical Christians!

That’s why I am not full of joy when I read about this project, and instead am saddened that Catholics seem not to get something like this, of that scale, off the ground. Because of a lack of money?

God bless you for reading this!

Do you give from your heart or from your purse!

Between 2001 and 2003 I had the great privileg to work for homeless people on Skid Row in Los Angeles , through my own 501 C 3 Ministry (That was long before I became Catholic).

I drove with my old Ford Econoline Van into the streets, approaching homeless people, asking them if they want to end their homelessness and if they let me assist them.

Most didn’t believe what they heard, but some did. I also produced an award winning (Communicator Award) TV program that documented my efforts.

To make a long story, I did that because I had just become a Christian (“accepted Jesus Christ as my personal lord and savior”) and took Jesus’ words in Matthew 25 very serious.

I remember one day when I was driving in my Van with one African American homeless man, Mustafa (he converted to Islam in the 60′s while in prison) through Watts, a poverty stricken part of Los Angeles, passing by a Church building. “These churches give so much money to help homeless people”, I said. Mustafa looked at me in disbelieve, ” They are not really giving anything!”. I almost couldn’t believe my ears “What do you mean… they’re not really giving anything?”. Mustafa raised his voice “They are only giving because people see them giving..but they are not really giving from their heart!”. What a statement from a man who was homeless in the streets for over 12 years, and was helped by many Christian organizations . (By the way , I did not see any Islamic or Jewish homeless ministries in the streets of L.A, but only Christians!)

I agree with Mustafa!

I do not want to be misunderstood. I know there are many members of churches and other individuals who are truly giving from the heart. But I am afraid that most philanthropists and donors of charity organizations give because they receive a tax deduction, and others want their name mentioned or even engraved into the church walls (in particular large corporations that rediscover their charity
side always close to the end of the [tax] year).

Point and case (Not mine but Jesus’) :

Matthew 6:2 “So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.”

Jesus does not condemn those who give to be seen, but he makes clear that in that case “they have received their reward in full” already here on earth.

But isn’t it our goal as Christians to store up treasures in heaven ?

Mathew 6:20 “But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.”

So next time before we decide to help a homeless person, or to donate services, goods, money, time, work force to a charity or Non Profit Organization or our church … lets think for a moment and be honest with ourselves.

Because if we truly give from our heart … there is no season for it, no tax receipt and no headline news !

Thanks for taking the time to read this.

God bless you All.

“Where are Courageous Catholic Film Financiers?”

You heard about the movie ‘Courageous’. While on one hand I think that it is wonderful that the
film is such a success, I am on the other hand frustrated why there are no movies like this in the market,
financed and supported by Catholics, marketed and released by a major studio ?

This film is released by Tri-Star Pictures, a Columbia Pictures company , both owned by Sony Pictures.
The VP of production at Columbia is an evangelical Christian (also good friend of Bishop T.D. Jakes).
The film itself was financed by Sherwood Baptist Church, in Albany, Georgia. Pastor Michael Catt is
the Executive producer and Alex Kendrick, associate pastor, the director of the film.

Without a doubt, the underlying message comes from an Evangelical Christian perspective. As
Catholics we must remember that this is the offspring of Martin Luther’s break with the Catholic
Church. Ecumenism and humanism that waters down the identity of the Catholic Church and her doctrine is Liberal Catholicism.
That leads to liberal Christianity, and that leads to secularism. Look at Europe and the situation of the Catholic Church in Germany in particular, and the tendencies here in the US.

I do not want to criticize our Evangelical brothers and sisters efforts, and their truly great love for the
Lord. But as a convert to the Catholic Church , and now practicing and magisterium and Holy Father
obeying person, I must remind fellow practicing Catholics, that Evangelical Christians, remain fallen
away Catholics.

Perhaps the movie “Courageous’ doesn’t preach a Baptist specific message on the surface. It certainly does subliminally. The whole executive team that made the film are Baptists and tied in with Sherwood Baptist Church. What message do you expect?

And then there are those who claim “We all believe in the same Christ?”.

I like to provoke and ask “Do we ?”

I hope we do, and pray that those will read John 6:53-59. This is what Jesus himself has
said. He did no mean that symbolically but literally. So if we truly love him we must follow him
accordingly.

Again I command and thank these filmmakers for their actions to place an uplifting, family friendly
movie with into the mainstream market.

However I must admonish my Catholic brothers and sisters, that we cannot stand on the sidelines and
only applaud those films, we must do the same!

In particular if we follow the Holy Fathers call to a New Evangelization. Because that’s what movies are, they spread a philosophy, ideology, faith, they Evangelize.

As of the date of this blog article (10/30/2011) the Box office results of the film “Courageous” are
$25,843,879, in position 10 on the list of Top Grossing movies.

In comparison “The Way”, a wonderful, well done Catholic themed film, ended up in position -17and grossed only $1,251,757.

The latest Catholic financed and produced movie ‘The mighty Macs’ ended up in position -13 and grossed only $1,285,694 .

Why ?

Because of the smart, professional, marketing and distribution strategy of the Evangelical Christians who cooperated and used the Hollywood mainstream system (Sony Pictures), and the Catholic filmmakers who believed in their own marketing strategy and tried an independent grass root strategy.

Remember, the numbers ($$$) translate into how many people watched the movie.

I hope this article attracts Financiers, who are practicing Catholics, and who want to make a difference by using established Hollywood system, proven film marketing methods to successfully placing our Catholic message into the secular, mainstream market !

Lets be “Courageous” Catholics.

About the author: Christian Peschken (56), a German Native. He was the chairman of the ‘Social
Awareness Committee’ at the Producers Guild of America in the late 90′s, and produced and co- financed over 15 films in Hollywood before he became Catholic. Today he produces television
programs for EWTN, and documentaries for Non Profit Organizations in the field of
Homelessness, and currently has several motion picture projects and a TV show in active development to communicate the Catholic world view into the mainstream market.

You can reach Mr. Peschken at peschken@aol.com.

His website at http://www.christianpeschken.com

The Role Of A Bishop In The Roman Catholic Church

Friends, regarding the slowly getting really questionable situation with Fr. Frank Pavone and his bishop, I found this article about the role of the bishop. Regardless how you personally think about the Fr. Frank case, this is worth reading:

The Vatican’s Vision of a Bishop: Father, Brother and Friend for the Common Good
In exercising his ministry, the Bishop relates to his priests not merely as a ruler towards his subjects, but rather as a father and a friend… The Bishop should encourage a spirit of initiative among his priests, avoiding anything that might lead them to understand obedience in a passive and irresponsible manner. He should ensure that each gives his best and does so generously, placing his own capacities in the service of God and of the Church, with the mature freedom of the sons of God.

Apostolorum Successores, 76: The Bishop: Father, Brother and Friend of Diocesan Priests

Introduction
One of the most misunderstood realities of the Church, both historically and presently, is
the Bishop’s relation to the priests and faithful he serves. The Congregation for Bishops in the Vatican has provided a document to clarify precisely this relationship: The Directory for the Pastoral Ministry of Bishops Apostolorum Successores. To properly view the current situation between Bishop Patrick Zurek and Father Frank Pavone, this document is crucial to understand the role of the Bishop as the Vatican and the Church herself understand it and NOT as any particular individual – no matter how well known, scholarly, or powerful – desires that it be understood.

General Principles: Truth, Justice, Use Talents of Your Priests Wisely for the Common Good
The Vatican says that the Bishop must be guided by certain fundamental principles:

The Principle of Truth
The Bishop must have truth at the heart of his pastoral action. “Pastoral activity is authentic when it is anchored in truth” and thus inauthentic when it is not. (57) A Bishop is not allowed to lie to his priests, lie about his priests, or ruin the good reputation of his priests. Restitution is required if this is done. Further, if a priest provides his bishop with information he requested, and then the bishop cannot claim that he does not have it.

The Principle of Communion
The Bishop must promote unity with legitimate diversity: The Bishop should “work constantly for the common good of the diocese, mindful that this is subordinated to the good of the universal Church” (58) Priests for Life is a worldwide catalyst for the healing of women and families affected by abortion throughout the world. Countless numbers of children are saved by their efforts every day. A ministry which greatly benefits the most sensitive pastoral missions of the universal church today – hurting women and mothers, wounded fathers, and unborn children – exemplifies this greater good par excellence.

The Principle of Cooperation
The Bishop must involve all Christians in the one mission of the Church. “In fact all
Christians, individually and collectively, have the right and the duty to cooperate in the mission which Christ entrusted to his Church, each according to his own particular vocation and gifts received from the Holy Spirit.” (59) Father Frank Pavone has been individually gifted with the ability to effectuate great good for salvation of souls and common good in a particular arena: the sanctity of life and the healing of women and men from abortion. Denying the Church and society this gift, by constraining him arbitrarily, does injustice to the Universal Church and especially the women and children who will suffer from this. One only has to ask Jane Roe/Norma McCorvey – whose conversion from the most vivid symbol of abortion in America to now outspoken
Pro Life leader was due in a large part to Fr. Frank – to verify this.

The Principle of Respecting the Competence of Others
The Bishop must recognize the talents of those he serves. The Bishop “should show respect for the legitimate competence of others, granting appropriate faculties to his co-workers and encouraging healthy initiatives, individual or collective, among the faithful.” (60) There is no initiative more timely regarding the Universal Church’s mission to safeguard the sanctity of life and common good of the family than Priests for Life, especially during this extremely important time leading up to the presidential election in the USA.

The Principle of the Right Person for the Right Post
The Bishop upon recognizing the talents present, then must allow them to be developed and used appropriately in the proper place. “Therefore he should look first of all to the good of souls, respecting the dignity of persons and making use of their talents in the most appropriate and beneficial way, in the service of the community, always assigning the right person to the right post.” (61) Father Pavone is undoubtedly the right person for the Director for Priests for Life, and undoubtedly the wrong person for pastor of a diocesan parish because this would waste his God given talents, experiences, and unrepeatable personal relationships of trust forged through the years.

Justice and Legality
“The Bishop, in guiding his diocese, should observe the principles of justice and legality, knowing that respect for the rights of all in the Church requires that everyone, including himself, be subject to canon law. For the common good and the good of every baptized person, the faithful, in fact, are entitled to be guided in a way that takes account of the fundamental rights of the person, the rights of the faithful, and the general discipline of the Church….He should avoid governing according to an unduly personal interpretation of ecclesial life.” (62) Bishops are accountable for their actions, can be punished by Rome, and are limited by the norms set out for them in Church teaching, Canon Law, and basic principles of the Christian Life such as charity. Harm they cause must be corrected: whether it be to personal or professional reputation, financial, or otherwise.

Power: Not Arbitrary
The document states that in treating problems and in making decisions, the salvation of souls is the supreme law. Thus the Bishop should not act oppressively, or arbitrarily. He “will rise above personal interests, avoiding undue haste or partisan spirit.” (65) The Bishop “does not act as if he were above the law, but observes the same rule of justice which he applies to others” (66) The Bishop “should avoid authoritarianism in the exercise of his power.” “The Bishop should recognize and accept the great diversity that exists among the faithful, their different vocations and charisms, taking care not to impose a rigid uniformity, and avoiding unhelpful constraints or authoritarian measures. This does not exclude, but rather presupposes the exercise of his authority, as well as his counsel and exhortation, so that the roles and activities of each person may be respected by others and rightly ordered to the common good.” (66)

Priests and Faithful in Canon Law: A Right to be Heard and a Right to be “Right”
In the case that a Bishop’s conduct does not comport with the above standards, Priests and faithful have the right to seek justice according to Canon Law. Thus while the “blindness” of obedience is nuanced in a certain sense – these rights enshrined in Canon Law seek to ensure that the “blindness of justice” is not.

First, all Christ’s faithful, irrespective of their social or ecclesial status, have certain inalienable rights that cannot be violated. Second, no one has the right to deny or unduly restrict the exercise of those rights without a serious and just cause. Third, Priests and faithful have the right to defend and vindicate their rights before the competent ecclesiastical forum in accordance with the law. Fourth, when judged before a competent court, they have the right to be judged in accord with the provisions of law, to be applied with equity. Fifth, the application of penalties must be done in strict compliance with the norms of law. (See Can. 219-223)

Conclusion
Servant of God Fulton J Sheen clashed severely with ecclesial authority over issues of finances and was vindicated by the Vatican, and later told by John Paul II he was a loyal son of the Church. Likewise, Father Frank Pavone is correctly defending his rights according to Rome’s vision of the Bishop to Priest/Faithful Relationship. The view that Ecclesial Authority can be exercised arbitrarily and unjustly is not an authentically Catholic or Christian view. History and numerous cases appealed to Rome illustrate that the Vatican will not tolerate unjust treatment by Bishops toward priests and the faithful. Thus according to Apostolorum Successores one would assume that a Bishop would take the time to visit the organization of one of his priests which he is in position to harm, especially when he has been invited numerous times. One would also assume if he chooses to leave the country for vacation or other reasons he would at least – as father, brother, and friend – be present to receive the one he is attempting to punish. One would assume he would look to the greater good of the countless women and children involved, and act only upon well founded evidential grounds. Actions speak louder than words, and in this case let us pray for a quick resolution, as the greater good of the Universal Church – particularly the well being of so many hurting women who already feel alienated from the Church and their unborn children – depends on it. Surely Rome will not look kindly upon such damaging and arbitrary Episcopal conduct, and illustrate, as they have done in the past, that their actions indeed correspond to their words of commitment to Women, Life, and the Integrity of the Episcopacy.

(This article copyright and written by http://www.freefrfrank.com )

A FREE (will) COUNTRY?

Lets reflect on what free will has created lately :

1) The free will to reject God and his commandments, yet expecting God to deliver on his promises.
2) The free will to kill the Unborn (Abortion)
3) The free will of few to infiltrate minds of others with pornography (in particular children).
5) The free will of few public servants (judges) to ignore the peoples will (Prop 8 in Calif. i.e.), take the law into their own hands, to force laws and rules, changes of the US constitution, on the majority of people.
6) The free will to accept that public schools infiltrate our children minds with one sided data about creation, religion, history, biology.
7) The free will to remain silent in the face of injustice.

Why do some people fight so hard, manipulate, and impose on others the concepts of their personal interpretation of free will?

Why is it that only those who exercise their free will by imposing rules and regulations on others, are the only ones that benefit from these rules and regulations and are protected by them?

A TV news commentator said “Come on, we are in the 21st century”. As it is not dangerous enough to have people like that in leading positions on TV but how naive and misleading this mind set is. As if mankind accomplished the change of Evil and Good. Mankind sure changed the perception of Evil and Good, but not the difference and true nature of the two.

What is true freedom, what makes us really free ?

Everything mentioned under 1-7 above does not represent truth, but a lie. Lies make us prisoners. The father of lies is the Devil himself, and if he convinced you that he doesn’t exist, he accomplished already an important part of his mission: To destroy and kill. Keep in mind it was God who created Lucifer. He is a fallen angle by choice. He is not the master of hell, he is a prisoner in hell.

Free will uncontrolled always causes destruction, it will never lead to freedom or make us free.

Only truth will make us free!

But what is truth ? Pontius Pilate asked Jesus that question.
John documented what Jesus had to say about it in John 14:6 . Jesus is Truth … and those who saw him , saw the Father (God) ! … So. God is Truth.

Everything, it doesn’t matter how you, or the mass media twists and turns it, always point’s to God.

With a little bit of common sense it is easy to understand, if we follow his commandments, we follow truth.

Only truth will make each of us free and will make our country a truly free country.

Times Never Change

Allow me some brief reflections in my very own, imperfect, words.

You probably heard this expression many times from co-workers, friends, family and the media “Times change”, they say.

But do times really change ?

Lets take a closer look.

I believe that 8 AM or 11AM or 1 second, 1 hour, a month a year or a century, has not changed since the beginning of time itself, even though people may not have had a clock or calendar at first.

When God our creator, who has no beginning and no end, created the rhythm of life for his creation, us… time was created.

Even the atheist must acknowledge, that time exist, and that he can’t eliminate nor create time nor can he shorten or increase it. (reference Matthew 6:27).

Some of us are being confused or fooled by the so called achievements of man kind. Technology, Science and such. There is nothing under the sun that wasn’t there already before it was discovered, or should I say, before God allowed it to be revealed to his creation.

Now… I don’t know about you, but no man or woman has ever given him or herself wisdom and talent.

Knowledge is something everyone can acquire. Ability is something anyone can learn … but wisdom and talent ?

However without talent and the wisdom how to use it one will never achieve outstanding goals or develop outstanding abilities to widen the horizon to all of man kind.

Today’s main stream attitude is “I can do anything if I put my mind into it”. But the reality is, that without wisdom and talent you will only end up with mediocrity, or worst, and will limit the horizon of man kind.

You may ask “What has this to do with the original question”, the question “Do times change?”

It not only has a lot to do with it, but in fact it is a part of it.

In short : Whether you are a Believer or not…it must be obvious to you that the creator, who himself is timeless, created time as a means for us to experience a structured, organized, rhythm of life… ‘like a swiss clockwork’.

He also gave us a manual of life (Bible).. because he loves us and wants us to do what’s best for us ( And who would know what’s best for us except He who created us?)

A quick side remark:
The bible, God’s word alone won’t do. God / Jesus established also the teaching office of the church to translate ‘the manual’. To translate it on your own, or have it translated and / or interpreted by ‘anyone’ is the same thing as trying to repair the engine of your car or your computer by yourself instead of seeking help from a professional. Otherwise you will be confused and misled and that ultimately leads to malfunction or even destruction.

So, ‘do times really change?”

I want to give you a short answer and encourage you to reflect on it :

The basics never changed. Good and evil never changed. Laughing and Crying never changed. Man kinds suffering never changed. Man kinds search and need for security and love never changed. The family (Father, Mother, Children) as the foundation of every society, never changed.

Yes, the appearance of things may have changed (Main stream media makes Evil look good, and Good look Evil).

But God never changed nor will he ever change. Therefore Evil committed (‘sin’) at the beginning of time , is the same ‘sin’ if comitted today.. and that applies for Good committed as well!

So ‘Times never change” only people do ! Because people received the gift of ‘free will’ from God.

Thanks for reading and may God bless you with wisdom

Go Ye

 According to Mark 16 , as Christians it is our duty and mission to go into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature…

Well.. I am not a priest or religious .. I am a Lay Catholic.. and I go by means of Film , Television and Internet into All the world AND I preach (the word comes from the Latin ‘praedicare’ which means ‘to proclaim’ or ‘make known’) .. So I proclaim the Gospel and I make known the universal (meaning: Catholic) church.

More then ever, today it is important to steer against the main stream media and their lies and destructive messages.  I heard someone preaching the other day saying: If you follow main stream , you go down the river.

As far as Hollywood is concerned , many of you mat think that it is all about money and profits. Not so. I can tell you from my own experience being part of the Hollywood film industry for many, many years, that Hollywood is not only about money. Yes, it is about power, but not only money.

Consider this: Between 1995 and 2007  a little over 2400 motion pictures were produced by Hollywood rated ‘R’. These films combined grossed over 35 billion dollars.

During the same time period 1300 motion pictures where produced by the same Holywood rated ‘PG-13′ ’. These films combined grossed 51 billion. Thats almost twice of what ‘R’ rated films grossed. I did not even count ‘PG’ and “G’ rated films.

So , if this is all about money, why does Hollywood not produce family friendly films only ?

Its also interesting that it is the same Hollywood that produces family oriented messages and the exact opposite at the same time !

It’s obvious… it is not all about money , but about ideology and a never satisfied appetite for power and control over the audiences. 

In an ironic way by paying to watch good films we are enabling Hollywood to produce the bad ones too. 

There was a time where a code read, quote “No picture shall be produced that will lower the moral standards of those who see it. Hence the sympathy of the audience should never be thrown to the side of crime, wrong doing, evil or sin .” end quote. 

There was a time where Hollywood produced tons of films that where very successful at the box office.. produced under that code (aka as Production Code ore Hays Code)  “Wizard of Oz” , “Gone with the wind”, “Mr. Smith goes to Washington”, “Good bye Mr, Chip”  just to name a very few. 

But you know why Hollywood produced those type of films under that code ? Not because they where ‘nicer’ producers back then ( on the other hand , in my opinion they indeed where simply more ethical and moral driven producers, directors and stars) … fact is, that they were forced into it by an organization called ‘ The Catholic Legion of Decency’ and later ‘National Legion of Decency’ .. or in other word ‘Christians’ .

Read about the Hays code , research it please…

I would like to encourage any Christian (Evangelical or Catholic) to push our religious leaders to make use of their enormous influence and power (deliberately underrated by main stream Hollywood) . Like the Deceny Legion did in 1933 , and changed Hollywood movies for good until the early 60′s when it was replaced by a weak MPAA rating system. 

To rate films is after the fact .. but to influence the content, before they are made,  brings real change !  

Thank you for taking the time to read this.

God bless you All.

Motion Picture About ‘One Of Those Quiet Heroes’

Navy Chaplain Father Ron Moses Camarda’s book / diary TEAR IN THE DESERT, about his journey into the harsh reality of the Iraq War in 2004, soon to be a motion picture.

 November 2009, Grafton, WI / Atlantic Beach , FL

 I recently obtained the exclusive film rights of Fr. Ron Moses Camarda’s book / diary “TEAR IN THE DESERT” (www.tearinthedesert.com)

 Father Ron Camarda, a Roman Catholic Priest, was recalled to Active Duty to serve with the Marines during the Battle for Fallujah, Iraq (2004). At Bravo Surgical (Marine equivalent to a M.A.S.H. unit) he received over 1500 casualties and 81 deaths. When he returned home he found his work was not done. Walking with the widows and families left behind has been filled with great love and compassion. This is a walk with God into the war in the desert, only to find that the real war is within the human heart.

 In his book “TEAR IN THE DESERT” Fr. Ron documents the touching and horrific events that he encountered on a daily basis.

 “This story needs to be told. Now is the right time. Not only did Fr. Ron make a difference in the soldier’s life, but also in the life of their relatives. Fr. Ron is a typical anti hero, a quiet hero. His story is perfect for a movie with a strong message, namely, and I quote Pope John Paul II, ‘War is a defeat for Humanity’. 

I see this film along the lines of “Midnight Express”, and hope to have a similar success. We have interest from domestic and international distributors already. I chose to shoot the film in South Africa. Not only because of the incentives that will cover almost 30% of the budget , but also because of the great variety of locations that match Iraq”.

 At this time I am seeking private investors to fund the film, to be shot in 2010 in South Africa, Florida, and Las Vegas, NV.

I am a seasoned Film & TV producer (www.christianpeschken.com) . Since 2009 I am involved mostly with Catholic Faith related productions, that air on EWTN , Catholic TV and other Catholic media systems.

  For interviews or more about the project please contact me directly.

 peschken@aol.com