Clean, colorful comedy

"Clean comedy is easy. Funny comedy is hard." (From comedian Tim Hawkins’ bio)

It must be true, as the majority of modern comedy seems to stem from shock value rather than actual humor. (Whatever happened to the comedic styles of Cary Grant and Lucille Ball?) Comedian Tim Hawkins, however, opts for the clean approach. With more than 200,000 Facebook fans, 100 million YouTube views and 120 sold out shows each year, he is building quite a following.

Hawkins performs at evangelical Christian churches nationwide. He uses quality stand-up material in conjunction with priceless vocal imitations of pop songs and figures like Lynyrd Skynyrd, Bono and John Mayer — all without resorting to crudeness.

As noted in his bio:

"It is this ability to show the brokenness of our human nature and simultaneously marvel in its hilarity which makes Tim such a unique artist. 

With four munchkins of his own and a beautiful wife who is winning her battle with breast cancer, Hawkins develops new material daily by simply absorbing the world around him. The perils of marriage, parenting, and homeschooling may not exemplify the rock-star life, but they sure make for great comedy."

Check out these videos and see for yourself:

More videos and information about Tim Hawkins can be found at timhawkins.net.

Jennifer Rey is the web editor of Our Sunday Visitor Publishing.

St. Louis priest, author declares himself openly gay

Shutterstock photo

Father Gary M. Meier, from the Archdiocese of Saint Louis, Mo., declared in a blog post for Huffington Post that he is openly gay, releasing the second edition of his book, "Hidden Voices, Reflections of a Gay, Catholic Priest" — this time no longer anonymous.

In his post, Father Meier presents the Catholic Church's belief as damaging:

"[T]hat's precisely the message our Church is sharing. LGBT youth are hearing that they are disordered, diseased, defective, damaged goods, wrong when they should be right. … 

I want others to know that homosexuality is a gift. That you can live and love as God created you to love. We are created by love for love. Homosexuality is not a cross, it's not a curse, it's not an intrinsic disorder; it is a gift, created by love for love. It is a life-giving gift from God that embodies the infinite ways God's love can be manifested in our world."

In response, Marc Barnes, author of the blog "Bad Catholic" on Patheos.com, addresses the problem with Father Meier's philosophy and interpretation. Barnes describes how Father Meier and society at large have sadly reduced humanity to mere sexuality, a view that fails to embrace the totality of the human person.

From Barnes:

"Our culture defines individuals by their genital urges, and thus any rejection of a sexual behavior is immediately heard as a rejection of the individual. If who you are is a homosexual, then there is no distinction between being told 'homosexuality is disordered' and 'you are disordered.' While blurring this distinction and allowing ourselves to exist as walking erections certainly allows for easy, sure-fire, and oh-so-safe criticism of the Catholic Church, how small it renders the human person! What a piece of work becomes man, how lacking in depth, how easily negated, how boring and how bored! … 

We are not souls trapped in biological cages, souls that might find — to their disappointment — that they 'got the wrong body' and thus must explore the label 'transgender.' No, we are our bodies. Any integration of the sexuality into the whole person that ignores the body or settles for being opposed to the body is no integration at all. If the body that I am is male, oriented in its inescapable biology to be fruitful with woman, than my personal integration of body and soul cannot be the embrace of homosexual acts, for in this embrace I leave the body behind. I perform acts that contradict the reality of my body, my personal design and my relation to the physical Cosmos. I welcome a ghostliness that neatly separates the reality of my body from the reality of me, as if I could be a me without my body."

Do you agree with Barnes that we live in a society so obsessed with sexuality that we no longer grasp the reality of the human person?

The Archdiocese of St. Louis also released a statement about Father Meier and the Church's teaching on sexuality.

Jennifer Rey is the web editor of Our Sunday Visitor Publishing.

Boston's Cardinal O'Malley boycotts college commencement

By Christine M. Williams

Calling abortion a "crime against humanity," Boston Cardinal Seán P. O'Malley declined to attend Boston College's graduation ceremony May 20. He cited the Jesuit university's decision to confer an honorary law degree on Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny as the reason in a May 10 statement.

Cardinal Seán O'Malley
CNS photo

The graduation took place Monday with about 50 people protesting Kenny's recognition, including members of the Catholic Action League of Massachusetts, who called Kenny's award "an appalling betrayal of the Church and the pro-life movement in Ireland."

Cardinal O'Malley, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops Committee on Pro-Life Activities, said Kenny is "aggressively promoting abortion legislation" on the Emerald Isle. The proposed bill in question would allow doctors to authorize an abortion in cases where a pregnant woman's life is endangered, including when the mother is suicidal.

This is not the first time that Cardinal O'Malley has refused to attend a Catholic event honoring a pro-abortion politician. In 2005, he did not attend the Boston Catholic Charities banquet because the organization honored the city's mayor, Thomas M. Menino.

Cardinal O'Malley said about the most recent incident, "It is my ardent hope that Boston College will work to redress the confusion, disappointment and harm caused by not adhering to the bishops' directives."

The U.S. bishops made a declaration in 2004 that called on Catholic institutions to "not honor those who act in defiance of our fundamental moral principles" and said that such persons "should not be given awards, honors or platforms which would suggest support for their actions."

In a statement, Boston College representative Jack Dunn said Kenny was asked to speak "in light of the historically close relationship Boston College has enjoyed with Ireland." The school supports the Church's commitment to the life of the unborn, he added.

Adam Wilson, director of communications for the Cardinal Newman Society, said the university's actions set a "terrible example for graduates," adding that once Kenny's pro-abortion views were known, the school should have rescinded his invitation.

The whole controversy brings a sense of déjà vu. The University of Notre Dame honored President Barack Obama at its 2009 commencement. Protesters came to campus, and in that case, it was Mary Ann Glendon who declined the invitation to receive the Laetare Medal. At the time, Glendon stated she was concerned that Notre Dame's example could have an "unfortunate ripple effect."

Christine M. Williams writes from Massachusetts.

UPDATE: Prayers and support in wake of Oklahoma tornado

Vehicles seen amid storm debris after
powerful tornado in Oklahoma
CNS photo

AN EF-5 tornado (at the top of the Fujita scale) ripped through Moore, Okla., with winds up to 200 mph and a width of at least half-a-mile, reports CBS News. While initial reports said at least 51 people were killed, reports now say at least 24 people were killed. Among those are at least nine children, and at least 50 of possibly more than 320 injured people were also children.

This is the fourth tornado to hit the Moore community of 41,000 since 1998. The tornado on Monday destroyed an elementary school, entire neighborhoods, the city hospital and many businesses.

Children are still trapped under the rubble at the elementary school.

Join Pope Francis in prayer

Pope Francis reached out through Twitter asking the faithful to pray for those affected: "I am close to the families of all who died in the Oklahoma tornado, especially those who lost young children. Join me in praying for them."

Let us pray for the victims, their families and friends, and the emergency responders who are working tirelessly in the tornado's aftermath.

Prayer Attributed to St. Augustine

Watch, dear Lord, with those who wake or watch or weep tonight, and give your angels charge over those who sleep. Tend your sick ones, O Lord Jesus Christ, rest your weary ones, bless your dying ones, soothe your suffering ones, shield your joyous ones, and all for your love's sake. Amen.

Help the people in Oklahoma

CBS News also provided information on ways to send aid to the people of Moore, Okla.

Jennifer Rey is the web editor of Our Sunday Visitor Publishing.

New life brings healing after tragedy

Marina and Kevin Krim lost two of their children, 2-year-old Leo and 6-year-old Lulu, last October. They were allegedly killed by their nanny. Amid their grief, the Krims recently announced that they are expecting a baby, reports ABC News.

According to experts, pregnancy can help the grieving process for parents who have experienced a devastating loss like Marina and Kevin.

From ABC News:

"[T]he couple wrote they were 'filled with many emotions as we look to the future, but the most important one is hope.' 

For parents who have experienced such a traumatic loss, experts say, a pregnancy can help with the grieving process even as it brings up other emotions. … 

'There's no such thing as getting over the loss of a child. There's no such thing as moving on or having closure,' said Maron [Dr. Marlene Maron, chief psychologist for Fletcher Allen Medical Center]. '[But even knowing] what could happen, you will have new joys.' 

Maron added that, for couples like Marina and Kevin Krim who still have to care for a surviving child or decide to have another child, the day-to-day tasks of being a parent can help pull them out of the grief."

Marina and Kevin display much courage as they embrace life despite already losing two children. As the article notes, one will never "get over" tragedies like theirs, but God does give hope and opportunities for healing. With him, "[w]eeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning" (Ps 30:5b).

What grief have you experienced, and how has God worked healing in your life?

If you are in search of healing, these resources may be helpful:

• "The Power of Healing Prayer: Overcoming Emotional Blocks," Richard McAlear, OMI
• "Grieving the Loss of a Loved One: Daily Meditations," Lorene Hanley Duquin
• "Sometimes Life is Just Not Fair," Fr. Joe Krempf (for children)

Jennifer Rey is the web editor of Our Sunday Visitor Publishing.