One Deacon's Idle Musings

An old coot's memories of a change in the Mass

2011-11-28T12:37:00.000-08:00

You know you are old when your nieces start looking to you as a source of living history. Of course I feed that impression with statements like, "It was cold that winter at Valley Forge... damned cold."
Today I received a few questions from Catie, my youngest niece, which dealt with my memories of the implementation of the liturgical changes following Vatican II.
I thought I would share those questions and my responses.

1. Was it weird having the priest face you after the change in Vatican II?

Anytime you have a change from what had been standard practice for centuries it is safe to say that the change might seem “weird,” and so it was for me. Prior to that time we all faced the same way (note that I don’t put it that the priest had his back to us he didn’t, he stood in front of his flock as a shepherd would his sheep. He was leading us and facing the Lord just we were). It was particularly strange for me because I had spent a couple of years serving as an altar boy and had to change everything I did as well. So I really had a front row seat for all the changes.
By the way – Vatican II never said the priest was to face the people although it did allow for that possibility. Furthermore, if one were to read the General Instruction of the Roman Missal (the GIRM or rule book for the Mass), one would realize that it is clearly envisioned that the priest and the people would still be facing the same way for much of the Mass. Indeed, Bishop Slattery of Tulsa has now made it his practice whenever he is celebrating Mass at his cathedral that he will celebrate Ad Orientem, that is facing east (in this case liturgical east which means facing the same way as the people). For a bit more info check:
http://www.rev-know-it-all.com/2010/2010---11-07.html, or a few thoughts I put down here: http://deaconchick.blogspot.com/2010/10/whatchu-lookin-at.html

2. Before the change, did you understand what was occurring during mass?

Yes, in part because I think there was better training of the people (what we call catechesis now days) but mainly because everyone used a missal which had the Latin on the left side and the English translation on the right. If you ever attend a Mass celebrated according to the Extraordinary form (the old Latin or Tridentine Mass) you will note how much silence there is in the Mass. Many of the priest’s prayers were to be said quietly. Even so, people would be following along in their missals and the prayers always speak to what the actions signified. There was a greater sense of mystery to the Mass, but that is in the sense of the Greek origin of the word not indicating that we don’t know what is going on, but rather that this is something sacred, something special, something available only to the initiates – i.e. the baptized. These are things of Heaven and not of the world.

3. (yes or no) Did you know any Latin?

You expect a yes or no answer from me!!?? I never studied Latin but had much of it ingrained in me from the Mass itself (especially while following along in my missal) and from training as an altar boy. So the answer is a qualified “no”, I mean "yes," well maybe "some".

4. Were you told in advance that there were going to be changes in the mass, or did you go to mass one day and it was completely different?

Yes to both. We knew that changes were to take place and generally what they would be, even so the reality of the changes were sudden (and as I indicated earlier many of the changes were not actually mandated by the documents of Vatican II but rather by a group of “liturgists” with their own agenda.)

5. If you knew that there were going to be changes, how long before the change did you have?

It’s hard to recall how much advance preparation we actually had, but it wasn’t much. As an altar boy who had to facilitate the changes, I got a bit more training than most but, all in all, the reasons for the changes weren’t very well communicated.

6. How did you find out about the changes?

I was in Catholic grade school, so we got some information in the classroom, I got a bit more as an altar server, and some information was in the secular press as well. We received laminated cards which had the new prayers and responses – much as my parish this Sunday had in the pews laminated cards with the revised translation of the people’s part. The change in the Mass following the Council was a radical change so it was news in both the church and secular worlds.

7. Was it hard getting used to the changes?

Hard – not really. I was a kid and as a kid it was like getting a new toy and having fun with finding out how it worked. Unfortunately there were some church professionals who approached it in the same childlike manner and failed to adhere to the rubrics. There were things I missed from the Latin Mass, but this was an exciting time and change seemed like fun.

8. How did your parents handle it?

They accepted the changes with an obedient spirit as did the majority of people. It was so different from the way they had prayed all their lives it had to be hard, but we were told that this is what the Vatican Council had decided and that this is the way it was to be done. The head of the local church is the bishop. The bishop said to make the changes and we followed his instructions. In essence my parents and those of the generations before me recognized the authority of the bishops but also recognized in the new liturgy those core elements of the sacrifice of the Mass and an underlying theology that remained the same. In the end it was about trusting the Holy Spirit, following the bishop and worshiping God.

9. Is there one memory you have about Vatican II that you would like to share?

Throughout the period of the council, the church was in the news. There was a sense that this was something new and exciting. Ecumenical Councils were and are a rarity. After Pope John XXIII died we weren’t sure what would happen, then Pope Paul VI continued with the council. The death of Pope John was a significant moment; we didn’t know what would happen from there.

10. Do/did you like the mass before or after Vatican II better? Why?

Ask your parents which of their children they love more. It sounds cliché, but I love both liturgies. I attend the Latin Mass about once a month and I really admire the sense of the sacred that permeates that form of the Mass. It invites a fully-embodied participation. You watch what is going on, hear the choir, join in the responses, smell the incense, sit, stand, kneel; and all is directed toward God. It is a communal sacrifice that is intensely personal. One can also enter into the silence – “Be still and know that I am God.” Ps 46:10
One of the things I like most about the old form of the Mass is the reception of communion by kneeling at the altar rail. Too much of the sense of the sacred is lost when communion is distributed as if handing out cookies to a conga line of people. Granted, many recipients are deeply devout and approach communion with reverence – but it takes a much greater act of the will to attain and maintain that reverence. When one kneels at a communion rail (which serves as does the iconostasis in an Orthodox or Eastern Rite church as a visible symbol demarking the place where Heaven meets earth; the sacred meets the profane) one’s mind focuses much more readily on the sacred character of the reception of communion. Furthermore you can tell by the look on the face of the young children when they see their parents on their knees to receive the Eucharist that this is a tremendous form of catechesis – these kids recognize something special, something very out of the ordinary is taking place.
But I really love the post-Vatican II ordinary form of the mass as it heightens the sense of communal action while (when done properly) retaining a large amount of the sacred. The horizontal and the vertical elements are both in place. This sense is enhanced when the rubrics are followed and the liturgy is not used to by priest, liturgist or music minister to have the Mass serve as the mechanism for them to express their inner poet. Personally, it allows me as a deacon to have a significant role in the liturgy that is not available in the extraordinary form except as part of a solemn high Mass.
Whether it is the ordinary form or the extraordinary form, the important thing is that the Mass is the Mass is the Mass. There is, was, and has been only one Mass throughout history. Each time at Mass we are transported and join the communion of saints in the upper room on Maundy Thursday as Christ institutes this memorial feast. Each time we place ourselves at the foot of the cross on Calvary with the Blessed Mother, St. John and the others and watch as the Lamb of God is sacrificed and His blood poured out on the earth, marking the home of those redeemed by His sacrifice ─ just as the blood of lambs marked the lintels of the homes of the Hebrew slaves redeemed in Egypt during that first Passover. I think it sometimes takes greater effort of will to experience this in the ordinary form because that is a liturgy designed for a very holy priest and a holy people, but the essentials are the same be it the old Latin Mass or the Mass that has been normative for the past 45+ years. Now that we are using a language that is less banal, truer to the scripture and the theology and letter of the original Latin, this loftier language may serve to recapture more of the sense of the sacred that had been left behind.

On a side note, a few months back I attended a Latin Mass and brought along my old missal. In that missal I still had the laminated card with the (then new) English translation of the Mass into English from 1964. That translation is almost exactly the same as the translation implemented with the beginning of Advent this year. We do not have a new translation so much as a more accurate one.

Where is the respect for life?

2011-10-18T08:00:00.000-07:00

October is "Respect Life Month" and a good time to reflect on the unique gift that life is and how we reverence it. Many parishes, including my own, are involved in the 40 Day for Life campaign praying for an end of the sacrifice of human beings to the false gods of luxury, convenience and self-indulgence that is abortion. At the same time we are actively involved in fund-raising to support the Women's Center to provide aid to those mothers with problem pregnancies.
In the midst of these efforts and as I have been personally reflecting on what it means to value life, it was particularly distressing to read of the story from China of the two-year old who was run over twice by a van and left lying as 18 people went by and ignored her. The video of this incident has caused international outrage, but I can't help but wonder why when we so blithely ignore so many who are victims of apathy in society and the world. The major difference between this two-year old and the untold thousands who are aborted is simply a matter of a little bit of time.
If we show no regard for the unborn, it it any surprise we show little regard for humans of any age?
On the positive side, it was good to see that other inhabitants of this world apparently have a greater respect for life as indicated by this story of a dog which risked its own life to come to the aid of another dog which has been struck while crossing a busy expressway. (video here)
Maybe this dog will teach us how to be a little more human.

Homily in memory of Michael Roberts

2011-09-17T13:00:00.000-07:00

Three weeks ago today a young man, Spc. Michael C. Roberts, made a decision to place the lives of others ahead of his own. Three weeks ago.

Was it just three weeks ago? Seems like yesterday… seems like months or years ago… It was a lifetime ago.

I read the email from Joanne informing me of Michael’s death late that Saturday night. Like many of you I was stunned and immediately began to think back to the last time I got to see him, the last time I spoke with him.

(As an aside, the last time I got to hear his voice, Michael was at Fort Campbell and was on the phone with his grandmother who was then in the hospital. Mrs. Ryan asked him, “Michael, do you go to church?”

“Yes, gramma.”)

Michael dominated my thoughts as I tried to sleep that night and as I got up early the next morning. He was in my thoughts all that day and much of most every day since. But especially that day.

You see, early the next morning I was at church preparing for Mass when I would proclaim the gospel of the day, as I did so I was taken aback. For on that day the scriptures we read at Mass reminded us that: "Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.”

In light of Michael’s death, those lines hit especially hard that morning, and they took on an importance like never before. “He must deny himself and take up his cross…”

That is why we are here today, because Michael ─ who many here may first think of as a little baby; or a laughing, running little boy playing with his brothers; or a goofy, lively, teen wearing a band uniform and playing his tuba ─ Michael, who grew into a remarkable young man and an exemplary soldier, mustered the courage to deny himself, and sacrifice his life so that others might live. “Greater love hath no man….”

There is a Latin phrase which I believe is apropos. Nomen est omen – literally name is omen. This phrase carries the sense that a name might tell us something of one’s destiny.

Michael is from the Hebrew and means – Who is like God? In the New Testament Michael is the leader of heaven's armies, and thus is considered the patron saint of soldiers.

Nomen est omen. Christopher, of course, means bearer of Christ. I’m sure when Dave and Kathy were deciding what name to give to the son who was the latest addition to their family, Michael Christopher sounded good. In light of how he lived his life and particularly in light of how he used his life, that name is perfect.

Jesus said, “I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly.” Toward that end he surrendered his life so that death might be conquered and eternal life restored. Michael too gave his life that others might live. This was Michael’s gift to the world ─ his life that others might live. Our challenge is to honor that gift. Do not let it be squandered.

To be sure, there is the pain of loss. That pain is but a reminder of how much he was loved. If that pain of loss is the price we have to pay for the gift having had Michael in our lives for this all too brief period of time, that price is worth it.

Dave, Kathy, Patrick, Brian, all the Roberts and Ryan families and friends, honor Michael’s gift. Use it. The more abundantly you live your lives, the greater is his gift.

There is a saying that funerals are for the living, not for the dead. And, indeed the Christian funeral should bring hope and consolation to the living. But the primary purpose is to affirm the union of the living with the departed and commend the dead to God’s merciful love.

In the sacrifice of the Mass we offer our greatest gift, our greatest prayer to the Father for Michael. In this re-presentation of the paschal mystery we join ourselves with the Blessed Mother and with all those at the foot of Christ’s cross and share the anguish of loss at the death of a son, a brother, a friend, a loved one. But we also gather in the sure and certain hope of the resurrection.

As I mentioned, the gospel reading on the Sunday following Michael’s death challenged us to deny ourselves and take up our own crosses. I failed to mention the concluding line of the gospel that day. The passage ended, “For the Son of Man will come with his angels in his Father's glory, and then he will repay all according to his conduct."

“Repay all according to their conduct.” The judgment of men regarding the conduct of Spc. Michael Christopher Roberts is evident. He earned the Purple Heart and his actions saving the lives of others was recognized by the Department of Defense with the Bronze Star, He earned the NATO Medal, and Combat Action Badge and judging from their comments, the love, admiration and appreciation of all those with whom he served.

His life earned him respect and brought laughter and smiles to his family, friends and comrades serving us on the front lines of a war which, until I heard of Michael’s death, I thought was a world away. His death, along with pain, brings pride in having been privileged to know him.

As we continue with the Mass and recognize our own confused mingling of pain and pride at this tragic loss from heroic sacrifice, we do so with firm confidence that a merciful and loving God will find Michael deserving of the eternal reward promised us through Christ Jesus, Our Lord.

Thank you Michael, and may your soul and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.

It's no longer an intellectual exercise....

2011-08-30T12:22:00.000-07:00

A friend tells a story of when he was a teenager in driver’s education. He had a great grasp on theory from the work in the classroom, but the first time he was actually in the car he had a mishap when he mistook the accelerator for the brake, went over a curb and damaged some landscaping. His instructor informed him that he would receive a failing grade because of the incident. My friend protested, “But I got 100% on all the tests!”

The instructor simply replied, “Son, you’ve got to realize that driving is not simply an intellectual exercise.”

This story came to mind for me as I meditated upon my response to something that has been weighing greatly on my mind this week. With the approach of the 10^th anniversary of the attacks of 9/11, I have spent time reflecting on what has occurred in the aftermath of those attacks. Initially, our response as a nation was to launch a “War on Terror.” I recall shaking my head at the level of hubris as our former president made a promise to eliminate evil. Within a short period of time American troops were on the ground in Afghanistan in a quest to find Osama bin Laden, mastermind of the attacks.

No one ever wins a war in Afghanistan; ask the Russians, or the British, or the Persians, or the Mongols, or the Greeks. Of course when the United States went in, much of the opposition consisted of the Taliban ─ the people we armed and supported when they were fighting the Soviet Army.

It appears that the mountainous regions of Afghanistan and neighboring Pakistan provide excellent hiding places ─ at least they served well for Mr. bin Laden for the better part of a decade. Meanwhile we began to hear more and more about the evil of Saddam Hussein. At first I wondered if our leaders were confused or I was. I felt somewhat like Winston Smith as I recalled the faint memory that it was somebody with the name Osama rather that Saddam whom we held responsible for the terrorist attacks of 9/11. But it seemed the rhetoric from the District of Columbia began to focus more and more on Saddam and a bit less on Osama and my attention span began to lag.

It didn’t take long before we were engaged both in Iraq and Afghanistan, looking for Saddam or Osama or whoever was the target of the moment. I may have had some qualms about what we were trying to achieve and questioned the decision making of those in charge. But, like most Americans, I was not directly affected so I simply continued to pay my taxes while maintaining emotional distance and a comfortable attitude of moral and intellectual superiority -- in essence saying to myself, “These guys are idiots, but what can you do?” The war was, for me, merely an intellectual exercise.

That changed for me very suddenly on Saturday night when, right before going to bed, I checked my email. I had one new message in my inbox from Joanne Ryan. It was then that I learned her nephew, Michael, had been killed. Specialist Michael Roberts, a 23-year old soldier whom I have known since he was about eight years old, died Saturday when insurgents attacked his military police unit using an improvised explosive device. Michael was on his second tour of duty, having previously served in Iraq.

With Michael's death the war became real. This was the death of a someone who was not just another unrecognized name on an ever expanding list, but a name I knew -- one with a face, a smile, and a voice that I recognized. This was a little kid I once joked with who had become a remarkable young man with whom I shared a beer while listening to his stories of a soldier’s life in Iraq. Suddenly this war that I had managed to ignore, or dispassionately witnessed as if seen in my peripheral vision, was no longer a mere intellectual exercise but a source of deep pain carrying with it an acute sense of loss.

My thoughts these last several days certainly have been on Michael, his parents, brothers and family, and on what might have been. But there have also been thoughts of reproach for clinging so long to the illusory idea that this war does not touch my world. The death of Michael Roberts has given me a heightened awareness of the truth of John Dunne’s reminder, “Ask not for whom the bell tolls, it tolls for thee.”

May God give you rest Michael, and may He have mercy on me.

What we don't hear....

2011-08-18T07:28:00.000-07:00

I'm not a big fan of conspiracy theories (you can hear a "but" coming here about now can't you?) however (fooled ya!) I am intrigued by a few things I did not read or hear from the major media sources in the past two weeks. Consider:

Item 1: On August 10, 2011, two new bishops were ordained for the Archdiocese of Chicago. The two men, Bishop Andrew Wypych and Bishop Alberto Rojas are now major figures in serving the 2.3 million Catholics in Lake and Cook Counties, IL. I guess that is less significant the the three men who were going to be spending 24 hours living in a tree in Lincoln Park -- a story the Sun Times did find worth covering at the same time. My lack of a journalism degree apparently prevents me from understanding that editorial choice.

Item 2: Michelle Bachmann wins the Iowa caucus. Question: Who was second? To listen to the major broadcasters you would think it was Texas Gov. Perry or Mitt Romney as the pundits declared that the race for the Republican presidential nomination is now a three-tier race between Bachmann, Perry and Romney. Leave it to Jon Stewart to be the one to question why Ron Paul's performance is being ignored.

Item 3: A group of young girls from St. John Cantius marched through Chicago and up Michigan Avenue carrying bright yellow balloons emblazond with the word "LIFE". These balloons were strung together as a rosary. From one pro-life site that did pay attention to the event we hear:

For the school girls, there were lessons to be learned in the response of onlookers like the homeless people who gave high fives, street preachers who burst into the singing of Gospel songs, and in the semi-truck drivers who shook the streets sounding their truck horns in approval.

“I was completely ecstatic the whole time. I loved seeing how many people on a random street corner were thrilled. It is a lot more than we tend to think,” said one participant.

“A passerby tweeted, “A balloon rosary in the air. My faith confirmed:)”, while another surprised Chicagoan wrote, “What the ...giant balloon rosary, with cross just floated heavenward from the Michigan Avenue bridge.”

After coming to the Chicago River the girls launched their balloon rosary with the Wrigley Building and Trump tower as a backdrop. It made for a compelling video, but one that was completely ignored in the major print and broadcast media.

I can speculate as to why the media seems to have such a selective awareness of events, but doubt that it would be of much use. I am encouraged to recall that Jesus told us that "... the ruler of this world has been condemned." Therein lies my hope.

Why wear that collar?

2011-08-17T07:39:00.000-07:00

From the time of the restoration of the Diaconate as a permanent order in the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church, barrels of ink have been spilled regarding the issue of whether permanent deacons should wear clerical garb. In some dioceses, it is assumed that deacons will wear "clerics" so that they are readily recognized as members of the clergy.
Other dioceses, including my own Archdiocese of Chicago, have an established practice that permanent deacons not wear the collar unless they are actively engaged in areas such as prison ministry or hospital chaplaincy in which the wearing of such distinctive garb helps facilitate that ministry.
For myself, as I have commented to the Vicar of Deacons on several occasions, "I don't like wearing a tie. why would I want to wear a Roman collar?" Well, those days may be at an end for me and this change has caused me to reflect on what the wearing of the collar might mean.
A few months back, our parish began to serve as a temporary home for a congregation of Chaldean Catholics who had sold their facility which they had outgrown but who did not as yet have a larger church in which to celebrate Mass. As my pastor had another obligation on the first weekend our visitors would be at the parish, I was to be the member of the clergy to represent the St. Lambert parish community to welcome our guests. While my own parishioners have been long used to seeing me in my role as deacon, I was an unknown to this other congregation and not readily identifiable as a deacon.
It was then that my pastor suggested that he would like to see the deacons in the parish wear clerical garb on Sundays to both serve as a ready identifier and reinforce in the minds of all the people the clerical status of deacons. So that we would not be mistaken for presbyters, the pastor suggested we wear black trousers and grey clerical shirts. Like it or not, I was going to be wearing a Roman collar.
Last weekend was the first time that I wore that collar. I anticipated some remarks from friends and parishioners questioning whether I was bucking for a promotion or trying to pretend I was a priest (the type of comments I would make were I in their shoes). But the reactions I got weren't quite the ones I anticipated.
Most people seemed to feel that it not only looked good, but that it seemed appropriate. There were, to be sure, several people who addressed me as "Father", but no more than normal. I was surprised however when one parishioner -- with whom I've been acquainted for several years, but with whom I have had little interaction -- approached me to ask a few questions regarding the Scriptures. It may have been coincidental and only because the pastor was engaged in conversation with someone else while I happened to be standing there -- but she had not done anything like that before and I could not help but think the wearing of the collar had increased my credibility in her eyes.
Again, the reactions were positive and affirming and led me to reflect on what the collar means and, more specifically, what it means to me. All of my life, I have accorded special respect to those men who wore Roman collars, a respect that was directed as much to the person as to the position. However, I know all too well the person that I am and that I am the same person with or without the collar. I know that I was not ordained because of any qualities particular to me, but simply in response to an undeserved calling.
Suddenly I am caused to view the collar in a different way and I can only call to mind the words of Jesus expressed in Matthew 11:29-30, "Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for your selves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light."
Suddenly it began to make sense to me. At least in my case, the collar is a yoke, serving to indicate one who is but a beast of the field whose only purpose to do the bidding of the Master. Considered in that light, I can not only wear the collar, I find it quite appropriate.

In whom do you place your faith?

2011-07-07T09:21:00.000-07:00

Perhaps one of the benefits of my aging is that I have had the opportunity to learn just how unrealistic it is to expect those whom I hold in high regard to be any more free of human failings than I am myself. Be the arena one of sports, politics, social justice or religion, may times I felt let down by men and women who fell short of my idealized version of them.
However they may have tried to hide their shortcomings from public awareness, my heroes were certainly not unaware of their frailty. St. Paul is one of those heroes who was both aware of his failings and acknowledged them. In 2COR 12:7 he reminds us "... that I might not become too elated, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, an angel of Satan, to beat me, to keep me from being too elated," and he refers to himself as the "...least of the apostles."
As years go by, I no longer expect those whom I hold in some esteem to be paragons of virtues in all areas of their lives. Nonetheless, when one I admire is shown to be less than I hoped, whether it be a politician, actor, athlete or religious figure, there is some sense of betrayal. This is playing out for many in the case of Fr. John Corapi.
He brought many people into or back to the faith by his personal witness and powerful preaching. He never avoided and indeed boldly confessed the many failings of his early life and used his own example to point the way to Christ. The compelling nature of his story and the energy he brought to evangelization and catechesis made him somewhat of a "rock star" among Catholic preachers.
It appears now however that he is something of a fallen star.
A press release from the Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity, his (former) religious order, indicates that there are grounds to believe that Fr. Corapi may not have been as exemplary in his personal life as his many admirers might have hoped. There are many feeling a sense of pain and betrayal because of these revelations. All we can do is to pray for Fr. Corapi and for all parties involved including the many who are now experiencing confusion and hurt.
The faith of some may be shaken, however it was never about John Corapi. I am sure that he would be the first to remind us all that it is Jesus Christ who is the foundation of our faith. Whatever the failings of His ministers, Christ is the center of our faith and we have the opportunity to unite ourselves to Him in the Eucharist.
J.R.R. Tolkien made this point in a letter to his son when he wrote, "I put before you the one great thing to love on earth: the Blessed Sacrament." He further emphasized that it is Christ and not His ministers on whom we rely when he went on to advise:

Also I can recommend this as an exercise (alas! only too easy to find opportunity for): make your communion in circumstances that affront your taste. Choose a snuffling or gabbling priest or a proud and vulgar friar; and a church full of the usual bourgeois crowd, ill-behaved children – from those who yell to those products of Catholic schools who the moment the tabernacle is opened sit back and yawn – open necked and dirty youths, women in trousers and often with hair both unkempt and uncovered. Go to communion with them (and pray for them). It will be just the same (or better than that) as a mass said beautifully by a visibly holy man, and shared by a few devout and decorous people. It could not be worse than the mess of the feeding of the Five Thousand – after which our Lord propounded the feeding that was to come.

I pray for all those affected by the current situation and hope that is comes to a good conclusion. However it turns out, we still have Jesus Christ, "...the same yesterday, today and forever."

What is the compelling interest of the state?

2011-06-27T07:46:00.000-07:00

With the recent passage of legislation in New York State recognizing homosexual "marriage," I am prompted to ponder what the role of the state is in regulating marriage. In ages past the argument was made that the state had an interest in the encouragement and fostering of families as the building block of society. As redefined in recent legislation marriage is itself divorced from the very concept of family.
In 1974, the Washington Court of Appeals ruled that, “The fact remains that marriage exists as a protected legal institution primarily because of societal values associated with the propagation of the human race.” (Singer v. Hara, 522 P.2d 1187, 1195) Indeed, this same purpose has been repeatedly cited in other court cases. But we are now living in a world in which a vast number of individuals seek to separate sex from procreation. Simply put, one large segment of the population seeks sex without children while, at the same time, another segment is seeking to have children without sex. What a world!
When a state recognizes a marriage, it bestows upon the couple certain benefits which are costly to both the state and other individuals. Collecting a deceased spouse’s social security, claiming an extra tax exemption for a spouse, and having the right to be covered under a spouse’s health insurance policy are just a few examples of the costly benefits associated with marriage. In a sense, a married couple receives a subsidy.
Absent the interest in promoting procreation and protecting the traditional family as the optimal environment for raising children, what is the compelling interest of the state in recognition of "marriage"?
The cynic in me predicts that the parties who will benefit most from this redefined institution are the divorce lawyers

Where's the focus?

2011-05-09T11:01:00.000-07:00

A reporter noted that Francis Cardinal George has written books reflecting on the role of God and the Church in the world and asked the Cardinal if he had considered writing a more personal memoir. Cardinal George responded: (full story here)

I'm not very good at that. A priest is supposed to point to Christ, not to himself. I really believe that firmly. … I found that strange when I first got to Chicago. They were all very interested in my personality and all the rest. … All of a sudden charisma became the qualification for leadership. If you're not charismatic, you can't lead. Whereas the church is very different. It's the office that counts. I'm going to be gone. It's the office that's important, not me the officeholder. … Priesthood is an office, and we're trained, well trained, to disappear behind the office.

This seems to have a tone strikingly different from that adopted by Fr. Michael Pfleger, another Chicago-based Catholic churchman, who went to a nationally broadcast radio show to express his thoughts on the possibility that he might be asked to change assignments at the request of the local ordinary to whom he made a promise of obedience: (full story here)

"I want to try to stay in the Catholic Church," Pfleger said. "If they say 'You either take this principalship of (Leo High School) or pastorship there or leave,' then I'll have to look outside the church. I believe my calling is to be a pastor. I believe my calling is to be a voice for justice. I believe my calling is to preach the Gospel. In or out of the church, I'm going to continue to do that."

There certainly seems to be a difference in focus.... just sayin'.

Here is a battle that probably won't be fought...

2011-04-25T15:03:00.000-07:00

I have been spending a little time studying the 3rd edition of the Roman Missal which is to be put into use beginning at the start of Advent this year. Among the things I have been looking at are the rubrics of that Missal to compare them to the currently used missal. I have been paying particular attention to those rubrics which address the relative orientation of the priest to the people. It is evident from a close reading of the rubrics that the document assumes the priest is facing in the same direction as the people for much of the liturgy.

The revised missal seems to retain in spirit the rubrics of the second typical edition of the Missale Romanum (1975), March 1, 1985 although the language varies slightly
The matter of orientation of the priest relative to the people is addressed in only a few instances.
The current missal seems to allow for the priest facing the altar for the sign of the cross and then turning toward the people for the greeting, while the revised missal seems to envision that both the sign of the cross and the greeting be done facing the people.
The Penitential Rite, Opening Prayer and Profession of Faith give no indication as to orientation.
Specific instructions to face the people are given at the Orate Fratres (Pray Brethren) in both instances.
The Eucharistic prayer indicates the consecrated body and blood of Christ are to be “shown” to the people but does not indicate that this "showing" requires facing the people.
The elevation at the doxology omits any reference to the “showing” of the host or chalice.
No indication of orientation is given for the Pater Noster , however the revised missal instructs the priest to face the people for the greeting of peace.
Specific instructions to face the people are given for both the Ecce, Agnus Dei and the closing prayer

Though not explicit, it is convincingly evident that the Fathers of Vatican II and the Congregation for Divine Worship clearly anticipate that normally the priest would be facing the same direction as the people. This is indicated by the apparent necessity to include explicit instructions for the priest to "face the people" or "turn toward" the people at specific times. Such instructions would be unnecessary were the priest already facing the people.

I note however that the General Instruction of the Roman Missal indicates:

299. The altar should be built apart from the wall, in such a way that it is possible to walk around it easily and that Mass can be celebrated at it facing the people, which is desirable wherever possible.

There is ambiguity inherent in this instruction as to whether it is the circumambulation of the altar, the facing of the people, or both which is considered “desirable”, moreover the original Latin would more commonly be translated "useful" rather than "desirable". In either case, it is plainly evident that a posture versus populum, or facing the people, is optional and not mandated.

In short, the missal apparently envisions that the priest's posture for the much of the Mass would have him in a position to pray with, rather than at, the people. Unfortunately many people would react by saying, "The priest is turning his back to us," and fail to recognize that the priest is instead facing God along with them.

Alas, I'm sure there are many who would have a difficult time accepting this interpretation and that there are few priests willing to fight that battle.

Signs of the times

2011-03-03T07:54:00.001-08:00

Long time... no post. I've been weaning myself of the delusion that the thoughts that go through my head are worthy of notice, but this exercise is mainly for me as I try to knit a few things together. As is the case today when reading two stories that struck me for different reasons.

In one corner we have the story of the Northwestern University prof who decided he could best advance his students education by having a couple (not married, but at least affianced) engage in a live demonstration of the use of sex toys. (story here) Tuition at NU is over $40,000 per year. There are men who, although lacking the academic background of the esteemed professor, could provide the students with a more in depth and hands on experience for considerably less. They are known as pimps.

Meanwhile, out west, the #3 ranked Brigham Young University men's basketball team suffered a loss to New Mexico. Apparently the BYU team was hampered in part due to the loss of 6-foot-9 forward Brandon Davies who was booted off BYU's team for breaking the school's honor code. Davies' offense? He was dismissed from the team Tuesday for having premarital sex, according to reports in the Salt Lake Tribune. (story here)

The disconnect between these stories is remarkable. It is also remarkable for me to consider which university is going to come under the greater fire.

There are lies, damned lies and statistics

2011-01-27T07:26:00.000-08:00

The Chicago Sun Times reports this morning that a study shows that abortion does not increase mental health woes. (story here)
According to the story:

Researchers compared the rate of mental health treatment among women before and after a first abortion. Within the first year after an abortion, 15 per 1,000 women needed psychiatric counseling — similar to the rate seeking help nine months before an abortion.

The proportion of first-time moms seeking help after giving birth was dramatically higher. About 7 per 1,000 women got mental health help within a year of giving birth compared with 4 per 1,000 women pre-delivery.

Those who deliver need mental health care at a rate of 7 per thousand. Those who abort at a rate of 15 per thousand. So abortion is better for your mental health? Twain was right... lies, damned lies and statistics.

A difficult move explained without pretense....

2011-01-04T11:34:00.000-08:00

The Archdiocese of Milwaukee announced today that it is filing for a chapter 11 reorganization under US bankruptcy regulations. The press will assuredly report widely on this story and I'm sure the commentators will have much to say. I am pleased to see that Archbishop Jerome Listecki, in his typical fashion, had the courage to state the truth prompting this decision simply, starkly and boldly. "We are here because of one reason: priests sexually abused minors. For that, I feel deeply ashamed."
There is much background information on the archdiocesan web site, but the statement of the Archbishop entitled "Love One Another" certainly bears reading.

No Mom, she's just my roommate, housing assigned her to me.

2010-11-23T12:38:00.000-08:00

In case there had been any remaining doubt, I guess that I am officially a neanderthal. Hearing that Georgetown University, a Jesuit school, is considering "gender blind housing" for incoming students, I have apparently been caught simply napping at the station as the cultural express blazed through town.
One Georgetown student opined that such a change would be beneficial to the community as, "It would be helpful to the many people on campus who have friends of the opposite sex and who have different sexual orientations." I don't think I would have had the courage to try to sell that one to my parents.

Not quite "Man bites dog" -- but it is unusual

2010-11-15T06:51:00.000-08:00

I am somewhat surprised to hear that a bishop actually exercised his authority and demanded an apology from a priest who had determined that he and not the pope, bishops, or magisterium should determine what is appropriate.
Fr. Larry McNally, pastor of Ascension Parish in Oak Park apparently was held to account for his pandering to secular news agencies and a segment of his parish in issuing a call for the ordination of women in the Catholic Church in spite of two-thousand years of practice and consistent teachings on the subject throughout the years. Bishop John Manz apparently demanded a public apology which has been made. I may doubt the sincerity of the apology, but I am thankful to Bishop Manz for asking for it. (story here)

Quote for today...

2010-11-09T07:45:00.000-08:00

From Msgr. Charles Pope in the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C. speaking on the need for the laity to assume greater responsibility for spreading the faith:

It is simple to say the priests should do something, but it is also a fact that shepherds don't have sheep; sheep have sheep.

h/t to Greg Kandra

Under persecution -- stay or go?

2010-11-08T07:14:00.000-08:00

A curious disconnect between the first reading for the 32nd Sunday in Ordinary time for year C which was proclaimed at Mass yesterday and the report of a Syrian Orthodox Archbishop in London encouraging Iraqi Christians to abandon their homes (story here) in the face of the "ethnic cleansing" being perpetrated on the community.
The Reading taken from 2 Maccabees 7 is the one in which a mother encourages her seven sons her sons to remain faithful to the Lord to the point of death under torture. It is tough to imagine a mother able to take such a stance, yet lest we consign the possibility of such sacrifice to the pages of history perhaps we should take into account the example of the parishioners of Baghdad's Our Lady of Salvation church who gathered together for Mass just one week after Islamic militants attacked that congregation and left 58 people dead. This suffering community gathered again yesterday and offered prayers for their persecutors as well as for the victims. (story here). Iraq's top Catholic prelate, Chaldean Cardinal Emmanuel III Delly, has encouraged the country's remaining 1.5million Christians to stay.
The Syrian Archbishop demonstrates a loving concern for Christians in Iraq and offers sage counsel. The Cardinal and the Catholic community of Our Lady of Salvation church are inspiring in their reliance upon God for protection. I can only prayerfully consider what choice I might be led to make under similar circumstances and ponder if there is a point at which courage and faith become foolhardiness.
Meanwhile in the United States perhaps 25% of those who describe themselves as Catholic managed to find time to worship God this weekend. As Americans we tend to value things according to their relative cost and too readily fail to recognize the treasures we have.

More names added to the list of All Saints...

2010-11-01T09:13:00.000-07:00

As I prepared to leave the house this morning to head toward church for Mass in observance of All Saints Day, I was saddened to hear of the death (martyrdom) of Catholics in Baghdad. (story here) The Church is being assailed by a secular culture here in the United States, but at least to date we are being spared the level of persecution that is rampant in places such as Iraq, Sudan and many other nations in which Christians and particularly Catholics live with a target on their backs.
We are called to be saints. Indeed, scripture tells us that we are to be conformed to the image of Christ. The crucifix serves as a reminder of that calling. A head crowned not with glory but with thorns in a mockery of kingship. The hands that set the stars in the heavens pinned to the tree in impotence, arms spread wide in love and in the emptying of self. A heart pierced and pouring out blood marking the very earth in the same manner that the blood of lambs marked the homes of those to be saved in Egypt.
I doubt that many of the 52 slain in Baghdad anticipated how close they would come to the cross as they gathered to worship. May those who paid with their lives for the faith we often take for granted inherit the promise of the kingdom and serve as an example for us as we remember all the saints this day.

Didn't see this coming...

2010-10-29T08:49:00.000-07:00

Interesting to read that in Britain, Mohammed (under various spellings) now tops the list of the most popular name for boys with Oliver, Jack and Harry next in order. Bet you didn't expect that, did you Nigel? (story here)

Whatchu lookin' at...

2010-10-26T13:05:00.001-07:00

I'm still processing my reactions to an experiment we tried last Saturday following the conclusion of a conference focused on the lessons of the Fathers of the Church.
The conference featuring Mike Aquilina, Rod Bennett and Carl Sommer was impressive in itself and provided much material for thought and reflection. But the thing that is sticking with me is the experience of celebrating the vigil Mass for the 30th Sunday of Ordinary Time according to the ordinary form (novus ordo) but facing ad orientem, that is toward the east or the same direction as the congregation for the offertory and consecration.
Predictably, although we had made people aware we would be trying this and have no plans to implement it as standard practice, some had their feathers ruffled. To those who said, "You had your back to me!" I replied, "No, I was facing God just as you were." Of those who protested that Vatican II mandated that the priest face the people, I ask "Where is that found in liturgical instructions." Not only is such an instruction not in the documents, a careful reading indicates that the assumption is that the priest would be normally facing away from the people.
Liturgical nitpicking aside, what I found remarkable in this experiment was the sense that, when the prayers were directed to God and we were all facing the same way, that prayer was being offered as from one congregation to our creator and not to one another. I experienced a heightened sense of reverence. In short, I felt a retention of those characteristics that make the Mass of Vatican II so approachable and engaging and a re-emphasis on that sense of wonder characteristic of the extraordinary form of the Mass. We retained the community identity and enhanced the realization of the Mass as sacrifice.
In theater the actors face and perform for the people, but in liturgy the only audience is our heavenly Father. This simple change of orientation eliminated any sense of performance and re-focused me on prayer.

Dolan does it again...

2010-10-21T09:01:00.000-07:00

Is there a churchman who speaks the truth more clearly, concisely and boldly than Archbishop Dolan of New York? Once again he has had the audacity to use his blog to point out to the New York Times their obvious bias. (posting here)

In an era in which too many of our catholic leaders are willing to repeat Kevin Bacon's line from Animal House, "Thank you sir... may I please have another?", it is refreshing to hear someone say, "Enough already!"

Do you believe in God? Well then, how about Calvin Klein?

2010-10-11T12:23:00.000-07:00

My good friend Deacon Richard Hudzik drew my attention to a study done by a Duke University marketing professor and colleagues in New York and Tel Aviv. Their paper, "Brands: The Opiate of Non-Religious Masses?," appears currently online in the journal Marketing Science. (story here)
The study revealed that the brand name logo on a laptop or a shirt pocket may do the same thing for some people that a pendant of a crucifix or Star of David does for others. Put another way, those who have no religion tend to place greater emphasis on brand names, or perhaps worship at the altar of consumerism. The more religious the individual, the less the brand name seems to matter.
Interesting food for thought.

Faith requires action

2010-10-04T07:10:00.000-07:00

Issuing a call for Filipinos to take a stand against a proposed Reproductive Health Act that would lead to wide spread government distribution of artificial birth control devices Bishop Nereo Odchimar of Tandag, Philippines, president of the Catholic Bishop's Conference of the Philippines made the following statement.

“We think faith is only believing, forgetting the important point which is doing what we believe. Remember that through faith, impossible things become possible. We don’t have to be complacent. Our problem is that we always want the easy way out."

(story here and here.)

Can he still call himself a football player?

2010-09-28T13:55:00.000-07:00

Fr. George Koeune has written the following for his parish bulletin to encourage parents to examine their attitudes toward Sunday Mass attendance. I doubt it will make any notable impact, but perhaps some will think about it. I do enjoy the manner in which he makes his point across and his willingness to bring up the Sunday obligation when so many priests and deacons are hesitant to challenge their parishioners.

A Football Player

A football player decided not to review any of the plays in the play book the coach had given him. The football player decided it was not worth his time to learn any more details involving the intricacies of the game. The football player then decided that he did not need to practice. After all, the practices were very repetitive, somewhat boring, and he wanted more entertainment and less structure.

The football player stopped exercising. A little while later he stopped going to the weekly games. Eventually, he went to the football stadium only for the yearly homecoming games. Before long, the football player stopped going even on those days. Weeks turned into months, months turned into years, and the football player never went to the stadium to see any games. The football player spent a lot of his free time criticizing the coaches and the rules of the game.

The football player was often heard saying: “I don’t need to be on a team. I don’t care for organized sports.” The football player never exercised. He never practiced. He never tried to learn anything new about the game. Yet, he still considered himself to be a football player. He also believed that he would do just fine if he were to step onto the playing field tomorrow.

After reading all of this, do you think he would really be a good football player? Do you think it is accurate to even call him a football player? He does not practice, he does not continue to learn, he does not exercise. He may consider himself a player, but what kind of a player will he be when he takes the field?

Yours in Christ, Fr. George

We have got to do better!!

2010-09-28T07:27:00.000-07:00

I have spent more that a few hours over the past several weeks in conversations with pastors, priests, deacons, catechists, religious education instructors and parents about the lamentable state of catechetics among American Catholics today. It appears that our evaluation of the level of religious ignorance is not overstated according to a survey released today by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life.
It was particularly disturbing to hear that forty percent of Catholics have no understanding of the real presence and that atheists and agnostics are more knowledgeable about religion in general.
The only bright side that I see to this study lies in its potential to serve as a wake up call forcing those of us who are called to teach the faith to re-examine our efforts. What we have been doing is not working. We have too many "cultural Catholics" who think they have rejected the faith when they have no idea of what the faith really is.
Can we tear it all down and start over?

Evil??? ...I find that comforting

2010-09-22T12:22:00.000-07:00

Noted atheist Christopher Hitchens engaged in a debate with self-described secular Jewish agnostic David Berlinski in Birmingham, Alabama on September 7. Hosted by the Fixed Point Foundation, the debate premise was "Atheism Poisons Everything," a spin off of the subtitle of Hitchens' book, God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything.
The debate was recorded for broadcast on C-Span and can be seen here.
From a quick scan of blogs reviewing the exchange, I would surmise that most people heard what they wanted and believe that their position triumphed. I have not yet listened to the full exchange, but was particularly intrigued by one segment reported in the Washington Times.

When asked which of Jesus’ teachings he believed to be evil, Hitchens responded that the “concept of vicarious redemption is a disgusting and immoral doctrine.” He went on to say that the “moral rot of Christianity is vicarious forgiveness.”

In essence, I am hearing Hitchens find the mystery of the Cross as the greatest evil. Most Christians seem to regard John 3:16 which tells us, "God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life," as the scripture that best defines the Christ experience and the ultimate statement of God's love for us. That Mr. Hitchens finds this thought so repugnant is great fodder for contemplation.

I was just stupid... what's their excuse?

2010-09-13T11:59:00.000-07:00

Back in my college days, during the "sloppy agape" days of Catholic Liturgy of the early 1970's, one of the more popular Masses for the dormitory residents on campus at the Jesuit University I attended was the 11:00 pm Mass offered in the student union on Sunday nights. A main reason for the popularity of this Mass was the availability of coffee and donuts following the service. It was then no surprise that this service soon became regularly referred to as the Coffee and Donut Magic Show.
I've often felt contrite about my referring to the unbloodied re-presentation of the sacrifice of Calvary in such a disrespectful manner. But I was young and stupid -- at least the former condition has changed.
However there is a noted lack of contrition on the part of the organizers for the upcoming visit of Pope Benedict XVI to the UK who came up with their "helpful terms" in the official booklet to be used for the papal Masses. The Vicar of Christ is described as analagous to a "headline act" and the liturgy itself as a "gig". (story here)
I'm sure Fr. Dalton, the beloved pastor of my youth, would have had a suitable dope slap ready for me had I dared used such terms -- but then, he had standards.

So affirming... so saddening

2010-09-02T06:52:00.000-07:00

I spent a part of last night at the Chicago Catholic Campaign for Human Development Awards Event which honored the 2010 recipients of grants from the CCHD in support of their work addressing the roots of poverty. Both community and parish based programs benefit from these grants and these programs represent initiatives directed toward:

Access to Justice: enabling low-income persons and communities to have access to justice to legally protect their human and statutory rights;
Community and Economic Development: community organizing efforts, economic development, job development and employment training;
Human Development: programs that build up human dignity in individuals and social capital in disadvantaged communities, especially through education, thereby attacking root causes of poverty;
Life and Family Initiatives: projects and programs that defend human dignity, life and authentic human communities.

I was in attendance because of my involvement with Emmaus Ministries one of the grant recipients this year. It was enlightening and affirming to hear of the amount of work being done by so many grass roots organization engaged in initiatives including immigrant aid, violence prevention, worker rights, pregnancy assistance, defense of life, racial justice, family wellness and much more.
As representatives of the individual organizations responded to Fr. Rocky Hoffman's questions about their work, a common theme became evident. Each organization expressed a goal of bringing hope to the hopeless; a hope consists in a knowledge of and relationship with Jesus Christ. One could not help but feel energized by this sense of shared mission manifesting itself in so many different ways.
Perhaps that is why I was so saddened to learn that Planned Parenthood and the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) hijacked a World Youth Conference to not only railroad their anti-life agenda, but to silence as "infiltrators" those who would promote abstinence education. (story here) Particularly disturbing is manner in which Planned Parenthood and UNFPA have evidently targeted the Girl Scouts to shape the minds of young girls into an acceptance of a "sexual rights" agenda that demeans women by placing sole emphasis on their sexual activity and ignoring their intellectual, moral, or spiritual development.
Will they ever come to realize that the human person consists of much more than just genitalia?

Words do have meaning...

2010-08-26T10:47:00.000-07:00

The thought strikes me that we no longer reverence language. Certainly many appreciate the marvelous way in which masters such as a Shakespeare can give new life to ordinary words, or how a poet such as a Dickinson, Browning or Yeats in their poetry can elevate language to the level of art. Nevertheless, it appears that we are all too ready to sit by as words are co-opted and contorted to express concepts that are counter to their actual meaning.
Witness how supporters describe the "ella drug" which was recently approved by the FDA. Supporters choose to describe this drug as contraceptive when in actuality the drug begins working days after conception. This is the "morning after" pill designed to be taken up to 120 hours (five days) after intercourse. The very description of the effects of this drug make it evident that it is an abortifacient, not a contraceptive. But the creative use of language makes it appear much more benign. (information here)
Perhaps we will get to the point that we allow infanticide to be termed "post-natal contraception."

Let's celebrate youth by exterminating some of them!

2010-08-25T13:54:00.000-07:00

George Orwell grows in my estimation with each passing year. ZENIT reports today on the observation made by L'Osservatore Romano that the International year of youth that the United Nations began this month is becoming a forum to promote abortion.

"On UNFPA's Web page are several U.N. initiatives [...] oriented to the promotion of universal access to sexual and reproductive health services, language that, as is known, makes reference to contraception and abortion, as well as to the promotion of brazen sexual education," the Vatican newspaper explains.

"Distressing as well," the paper adds, is the fact that "in the provisional documents published before the preparatory conference that is being held in Leon, Mexico, from Aug. 23-27, no mention is made of the Convention for the Rights of Children."

"This document is certainly not perfect, but it stresses the basic rights and duties of parents to educate and raise their children," the article notes. Meanwhile in the draft statement of the preparatory conference, no mention is made of the terms "child" and "parents."

The Vatican daily characterized this report as manifesting a "radical conception of youthful autonomy, which seeks to break all bonds between parents and children."

"[T]o strike the heart of the family does not help young people," the article affirmed.

In opposition to this trend, L'Osservatore Romano suggested taking into account the Magna Carta of Values, presented at the United Nations on Aug. 13 by the World Youth Parliament.

Magna Carta of Values at World Youth Parliament site: www.wyparliament.org/index/

Unity lost when the Bishop is rejected...

2010-08-17T08:46:00.000-07:00

The continuing saga of St. Stanislaus Kostka parish in St. Louis seems no closer to coming to an end. A story in the New York Times last week gives an update and overview on the long running dispute between a renegade congregation and the local ordinary. This entire episode serves to reinforce the importance of maintaining unity with the bishop in the local church.

The controversy, involving the control of the temporal goods of the parish, centered on whether the property and monetary assets would be controlled by a pastor appointed by the archbishop, which is the canonical norm, or by a lay board of directors. The controversy began under Cardinal John J. Glennon and continued under Cardinal Joseph Ritter, Archbishop John L. May, Cardinal Justin Rigali and continued under Archbishop Emeritus Raymond Leo Burke.

After Archbishop Burke removed the priests from the parish, the lay board sought their own priest and convinced Fr. Marek Bozek to leave his diocese of Springfield-Cape Girardeau without the permission of his ordinary. Fr. Bozek incurred excommunication for creating a schism and was laicized. The lay board members also incurred the penalty of excommunication.

But the story keeps getting better. After the Vatican upheld the actions of Archbishop Burke in announcing the excommunications and in suppressing the parish, the members of the lay board reconciled themselves fully to the Catholic Church. However, Mr. (formerly Fr.) Bozek installed a new lay board and continues to hold services.

It seems that Fr. Bozek has an agenda of his own in calling for the ordination of women to the priesthood, dropping of celibacy, and opening priesthood to practicing homosexuals. Most of the former parishioners have left St. Stan's, but Bozek apparently has attracted a sufficient number of new "progressive" congregants that a proposed settlement with the Archdiocese was rejected by a vote of 257 to 185. It should be noted that those former parishioners who chose to not support the now laicized Bozek and went to other Catholic Churches, were not allowed to vote.

One can follow the rather dizzying trail of this story on the web site of the Archdiocese and the numerous statements and articles archived thereon. (link here) It is a sad and painful tale that is still unfolding. Pray for the people of St. Stanislaus Kostka.

No free market for monks...

2010-08-16T15:09:00.000-07:00

It strikes me as strange that Benedictine monks would have to go to federal court in order to be allowed to sell the caskets that they make, but that is apparently the case in Louisiana. (story here)
I am familiar with caskets made by other monastic communities such as at St. Meinrad, Indiana, the Trappists at New Melleray, Iowa, and by the Benedictines monks of the Holy Cross in Chicago (www.monsterycaskets.com). I have admired the simple elegance of these caskets when I have seen them used in services and have appreciated that these represent a reasonably priced option for families who are often taken advantage of during a time of grief.
It seems that funeral directors in Louisiana were willing to act as a clearing house for sale of the caskets, but they wanted to buy the caskets for half of the $1,500 to $2,000 charged by the monks and then tack on $1,000 for their effort. I fail to see what interest that State of Louisiana has in requiring that caskets be sold only by licensed funeral directors -- particularly as their laws do not require that a casket be purchased at all. Perhaps it is just the interest of the legislators who wish to benefit from the financial support of the funeral industry.

Now let us continue to go forward...

2010-08-10T08:12:00.000-07:00

I was pleased to see that attorney William McMurry who has made a living pursuing sexual abuse charges against priests has decided to drop his lawsuit against the Vatican and the Pope. I acknowledge that Mr. McMurry has helped bring a modicum of justice to some legitimate victims but have felt that he was over zealous at times in his quest for clients.
Now that we are saved the distraction of this particular law suit, there is an opportunity to increase the efforts we are putting forth in seeking assistance for victims and in assuring that policies and procedures are in effect at each of our parishes and schools to prevent future instances of abuse.
The problem of child sexual abuse is a societal problem and not merely a Catholic issue. I am proud of the steps that have been taken by dioceses across the nation in recent years to educate people about the issue of sexual abuse, to provide them with the tools to become more effective protectors of children and to assure the safety of children in our churches and schools. We now have a chance to step up those efforts and provide a model for public schools and institutions whose issues with the same problem has long been ignored.

Excommunicate her? Don't bother, she has already left.

2010-08-04T14:38:00.000-07:00

Judge Sheila O'Brien published an op ed piece in today's Chicago Tribune which definitely caught my attention. (article here). In short, she lambastes the Catholic Church with unsubstantiated allegations, manufactured arguments, and ad hominem arguments. When she states, "We have waited for the civil authorities to empanel grand juries and bring indictments, but that has not happened," I wonder why as a sitting judge she hasn't done anything? She accuses the Church of protecting pedophiles but fails to cite a single instance. She claims the "hierarchy" will not open their books so they can see where the money goes, so I assume she has never reviewed the reports issued by the Archdiocese in which she resides which are available on line and published in the Archdiocesan paper.
Her piece is entitled, "Excommunicate me please!" I can only assume she lacks the courage of her apparent convictions.

Homily for 18th Sunday of Ordinary time

2010-07-31T21:12:00.000-07:00

Marian Anderson (born Feb. 27, 1897, Philadelphia, Pa., U.S. — died April 8, 1993, Portland, Ore.) U.S. singer. She was immediately recognized for the beauty of her voice and her artistry at her New York City debut in 1924, but the fact that she was black made a concert or opera career in the U.S. impossible. Her London debut in 1930 and tours of Scandinavia established her in Europe, where she worked exclusively until 1935. When she was denied use of Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C., by the Daughters of the American Revolution in 1939, Eleanor Roosevelt arranged for her to sing at the Lincoln Memorial, and the concert was broadcast to great acclaim. Her debut at the Metropolitan Opera, the first performance there by a black singer, took place in 1955, when she was in her late 50s.

The concert impresario Sol Hurok once remarked that Marian Anderson had not simply grown great, she had grown great simply:

"A few years ago a reporter interviewed Marian and asked her to name the greatest moment in her life. I was in her dressing room at the time and was curious to hear the answer.

"I knew she had many big moments to choose from. There was the night Toscanini told her that hers was the finest voice of the century. There was the private concert she gave at the White House for the Roosevelts and the King and Queen of England. She had received the $10,000 Bok Award as the person who had done the most for her home town, Philadelphia. To top it all, there was that Easter Sunday in Washington when she stood beneath the Lincoln statue and sang for a crowd of 75,000, which included Cabinet members, Supreme Court Justices, and most members of Congress."

Which of those moments did Anderson choose? "None of them," Hurok recalled. "Miss Anderson told the reporter that the greatest moment of her life was the day she went home and told her mother she wouldn't have to take in washing anymore."

I spent a day and a half last weekend at a seminar at Cardinal Stritch retreat house in Mundelein. The object of the seminar was to discuss the presentation of the Church’s position on same sex union in a manner that is both true and charitable.

Coleen Kelly Mast, one of the hosts of "The Doctor is In" on Ave Maria radio, in speaking on traditional marriage made a very telling distinction that, I believe, ties in well with the Scriptures today. She made the point that the ultimate goal of marriage is fulfillment for the individuals. That fulfillment comes from seeking the good of the other; it is a fruitful, mutual, self-giving. By contrast, same sex unions are by nature unfruitful and have the less lofty goal of gratification rather than fulfillment.

The thought of the distinction between gratification and fulfillment has remained with me for much of the past week. We live in a culture that constantly tells us to seek gratification, yet we long for fulfillment. The advertising industry is based upon implanting the thought in our minds that our lives are incomplete. They create false needs and then offer products designed to satisfy those needs.

We have become a nation of addicts seeking satisfaction, seeking gratification in the things of the world. As junkies seek heroin or cocaine, or alcoholics seek booze for momentary gratification, we are taught to seek money, power, prestige, possessions to satisfy our own needs.

Yet, like the junkie and the alcoholic, we never have enough. There is always the larger salary, the bigger home, the more luxurious car, the more exotic vacation, the newer video game that holds the promise of gratification. But none of these offer fulfillment.

You see, gratification is directed to the self and is sought outside the self. Fulfillment is directed toward others and toward God and is to be sought within ourselves and within our relationships.

Like Marian Anderson, we find our greatest moment, our fulfillment not in personal achievement, but in living for others. As Christians we judge our success not by the square footage of our homes, the number or cost of our automobiles, the balances in our bank or investment accounts, but rather in how closely we conform to the image of Christ.

As Christians, how do we measure our success? We look into the mirror and ask how closely we resemble the figure on the cross. As Paul said, “Stop lying to one another… You have taken off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self.” So we are to seek what is above.

John Paul II put it this way in his address to the youth of the world gathered in Rome in 2000:

It is Jesus in fact that you seek when you dream of happiness, he is waiting for you when nothing else satisfies you; he is the beauty to which you are so attracted; it is he who provokes you with that thirst for fullness that will not let you settle for compromise; it is he who urges you to shed the masks of a false life; it is he who reads in your hearts your most genuine choices, the choices that others try to stifle. It is Jesus who stirs in you the desire to do something great with your lives, the will to follow an ideal, the refusal to allow yourselves to be ground down by mediocrity…..

That is why we come here today and every Sunday. We come not for the gratification of hearing some preacher, beautiful music or elaborate pageantry. We come for the fulfillment of uniting ourselves with Jesus Christ. We come here to receive that to which we aspire. By nourishing ourselves with the body of Christ, may we conform ourselves more closely to Him and strive for the wealth that will last forever.

For in the end, we take with us only that which we have given away.

the homily as delivered in in mp3 format at http://chickoleary.com/homilies/8-1-10%20Chick%2018th%20Sun%20Ord.mp3

This looks good... but,.........

2010-07-29T19:44:00.000-07:00

I'm too much of a cynic to trust the University of Illinois, however I am encouraged to see that they have invited Prof. Ken Howell to teach there again in the fall. But now he will be paid by the University and not by the Diocese of Springfield as was previously the case. On the surface it looks good... but I've been around the block before.
(story here)

Shuffle off this mortal coil in comfort and style

2010-07-27T07:27:00.000-07:00

There is the old joke about the beggar who stood outside church each Sunday. Each week one congregant made a point to give the beggar $10. But one Sunday he handed the man a single five-dollar bill.
"What's the matter?" the beggar asked, "You usually give me $10!"
"I'm having a tough year," his benefactor responded.
"You're having a tough time," the beggar echoed, "so why should I suffer?"
I suspect that Dr. Stuart Weisberg could identify with the thinking of the beggar. Dr. Weisberg is a psychiatrist operating in Portland, Oregon who is opening a "Dignity House" to take advantage of the financial opportunities created by Oregon's "Death with Dignity Act."
Dr. Weisberg will be offering a range of services to those who wish end their lives including options such as media relations, a professionally edited video documenting the grand event, music, beautician services, catering, and even an option to spend three hours with Dr. Weisberg and his "therapy dog" for only $1200. (fee schedule here)
I'm sure the good doctor is simply concerned with allowing suffering people to find peace, and if he can pocket about $5,000 per head so much the better.

An interesting journey

2010-07-27T07:06:00.001-07:00

I have been following news stories about Ken Howell, the adjunct professor at the University of Illinois fired for expressing the Catholic Church's teaching in a course on Catholicism and modern Catholic thought. (I know, it sounds ridiculous but there you have it)
Yesterday in searching for news stories updating the case, I ran across an article published in the Champaign/Urbana News-Gazette giving background on professor Howell. I was surprised to learn that he is a former Presbyterian minister who came into the Catholic Church in 1995 and that part of his journey came from an appreciation of the concept of redemptive suffering so valued in Catholicism. I came away with even great respect for professor Howell.
The story can be found here.

When I say "Body of Christ," you respond "arf!"

2010-07-26T08:41:00.000-07:00

The late Pope John Paul II and Benedict XVI both demonstrated a commitment to ecumenism in an effort to restore unity to the Body of Christ that is the Church. I laud their efforts however I stop short of wishing for the inter-communion evidenced by at least one Toronto Anglican minister (story here). Perhaps I am simply anti-canite (to coin a Seinfeldesque term) intolerant of those who share communion with man's best friend.

Honesty... the best policy

2010-07-21T12:02:00.000-07:00

I won't comment on the morals of either of the principals involved in this story, but the implications of an individual being convicted of "Rape by deception" are most intriguing. For the "players" out there you might want to think twice before you answer the question, "Will you respect me in the morning?", or "Gee, are you really a neurosurgeon?"
(story here)

What's a good confessional worth?

2010-07-21T11:36:00.000-07:00

In Austria it was determined that the auctioning of items used in dispensing the sacraments was not appropriate. Unfortunately in the US a similar item might be listed as "Like New -- Never been used!"

VIENNA — Some Catholics may well sweat in the confessional as they admit to things they shouldn't have done. But Vienna's archdiocese has ruled that the box-like structure where believers confess their sins cannot be turned into a sauna.
Bidding on a confessional described on eBay as ideal for conversion into a one-person sauna, a small bar or a children's playhouse was ended when the archdiocese stepped in.
Archdiocese spokesman Erich Leitenberger told the daily Salzburger Nachrichten that auctioning "objects that were used for dispensing the sacraments is not acceptable."
Confessionals "should not be converted into saunas or bars," he was quoted Tuesday as saying. Leitenberger did not return calls to the AP.
The confessional was offered for auction by a Vienna church undergoing renovations.
Curiously, the highest reported amount offered by one of the 40 bidders before the item was yanked from the internet Monday was 666.66 euros.
The number 666 is commonly associated with the Antichrist — or the devil.

Copyright © 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

The Claude Newman story

2010-07-12T07:41:00.000-07:00

Yesterday a St. Lambert parishioner who took note of my surname inquired whether I had a relation who had been a priest in the Society of the Divine Word. Though I am unrelated to the Fr. O'Leary she was thinking of, she thought I might appreciate the story with which he is connected. At her suggestion I googled for the story of the conversion of Claude Newman. I followed her suggestion and was glad I did. This is too good not to share.

The True Account of Prisoner Claude Newman (1944) by John Vennari, from the March 2001 issue of “Catholic Family News.”

[Edited by Catholic Dispatch]

The following true story of Claude Newman took place in Mississippi in 1944. The account was told by Father O’Leary, a priest from Mississippi, who was directly involved with the events. He has left for posterity an audio recording it.

Mary the teacher

Claude Newman was a negro man who worked the fields for a landowner. He had married when he was 17 years old to a woman of the same age. One day, two years later, he was out plowing the fields. Another worker ran to tell Claude that his wife was screaming from the house. Immediately Claude ran into his house and found a man attacking his wife. Claude saw red, grabbed an axe and split the man’s head open. When they rolled the man over, they discovered that it was the favorite employee of the landowner for whom Claude worked. Claude was arrested. He was later sentenced for murder and condemned to die in the electric chair.

While he was in jail awaiting execution, he shared a cell-block of some sort with four other prisoners. One night, the five men were sitting around talking and they ran out of conversation. Claude noticed a medal on a string around another prisoner’s neck. He asked what it was, and the Catholic boy told him that it was a medal. Claude said, “What is a medal?” The Catholic boy could not explain what a medal was or what its purpose was. At that point, and in anger, the Catholic boy snatched the medal from his own neck and threw it on the floor at Claude’s feet with a curse and a cuss, telling him to take the thing.

Claude picked up the medal, and with permission from the prison attendants, placed it on a string around his own neck. To him it was simply a trinket, but he wanted to wear it.

O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee!

During the night, sleeping on top of his cot, he was awakened with a touch on his wrist. And there stood, as Claude told the priest later, the most beautiful woman that God ever created. At first he was very frightened. The Lady calmed down Claude, and then said to him, “If you would like Me to be your Mother, and you would like to be My child, send for a priest of the Catholic Church.” With that She disappeared.

Claude immediately became terrified, and started to scream, “a ghost, a ghost”, and fled to the cell of one of the other prisoners. He then started screaming that he wanted a Catholic priest.

Father O’Leary , the priest who tells the story, was called first thing the next morning. He arrived and found Claude who told him of what had happened the night before. Then Claude, along with the other four men in his cell-block, asked for religious instruction, for catechism.

Initially, Father O’Leary had difficulty believing the story. The other prisoners told the priest that everything in the story was true; but of course, they neither saw nor heard the vision of the Lady.

Father O’Leary promised to teach them catechism, as they had requested. He went back to his parish, told the rector what had happened, and returned to the prison the next day to give instruction.

It was then that the priest learned that Claude Newman could neither read nor write at all. The only way he could tell if a book was right-side-up was if the book contained a picture. Claude had never been to school. And his ignorance of religion was even more profound. He knew nothing at all about religion. He did not know who Jesus was. He did not know anything except that there was a God.

Claude began receiving instructions, and the other prisoners helped him with his studies. After a few days, two of the religious Sisters from Father O’Leary’s parish-school obtained permission from the warden to come to the prison. They wanted to meet Claude, and they also wanted to visit the women in the prison. On another floor of the prison, the Sisters then started to teach some of the women-prisoners catechism as well.

Several weeks passed, and it came time when Father O’Leary was going to give instructions about the Sacrament of Confession. The Sisters too sat in on the class. The priest said to the prisoners, “Okay, boys, today I’m going to teach you about the Sacrament of Confession.”

Claude said, “Oh, I know about that!”

“The Lady told me,” said Claude, “that when we go to confession we are kneeling down not before a priest, but we’re kneeling down by the Cross of Her Son. And that when we are truly sorry for our sins, and we confess our sins, the Blood He shed flows down over us and washes us free from all sins.”

O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to Thee!

Father O’Leary and the Sisters sat stunned with their mouths wide open. Claude thought they were angry and said, “Oh don’t be angry, don’t be angry, I didn’t mean to blurt it out.”

The priest said, “We’re not angry. We’re just amazed. You have seen Her again?”

Claude said, “Come around the cell-block away from the others.”

When they were alone, Claude said to the priest, “She told me that if you doubted me or showed hesitancy, I was to remind you that lying in a ditch in Holland, in 1940, you made a vow to Her which She’s still waiting for you to keep.” And, Father O’Leary recalls, “Claude told me exactly what the vow was.”

This convinced Father O’Leary that Claude was telling the truth about his visions of Our Lady.

They then returned to the catechism class on Confession. And Claude kept telling the other prisoners, “You should not be afraid to go to confession. You’re really telling God your sins, not this priest, or any priest. We’re telling God our sins.” Then Claude said, “You know, the Lady said [that Confession is] something like a telephone. We talk through the priest to God and God talks back to us through the priest.”

About a week later, Father O’Leary was preparing to teach the class about the Blessed Sacrament. The Sisters were present for this too. Claude indicated that the Lady had also taught him about Holy Communion, and he asked if he could tell the priest what She said. The priest agreed immediately. Claude related, “The Lady told me that in Communion, I will only see what looks like a piece of bread. But She told me that THAT is really and truly Her Son. And that He will be with me just for a few moments as He was with Her before He was born in Bethlehem. And that I should spend my time like She did, in all Her time with Him, in loving Him, adoring Him, thanking Him, praising Him and asking Him for blessings. I shouldn’t be bothered by anybody else or anything else. But I should spend those few minutes with Him.”

Eventually they finished the instructions, Claude was received into the Catholic Church, and the time came for Claude to be executed. He was to be executed at five minutes after twelve, midnight.

The sheriff asked him, “Claude, you have the privilege of a last request. What do you want?”

“Well,” said Claude, “you’re all shook up. The jailer is all shook up. But you don’t understand. I’m not going to die. Just this body. I’m going to be with Her. So, can I have a party?”

“What do you mean?”, asked the sheriff.

“A Party!” said Claude. “Will you give Father permission to bring in some cakes and ice cream and will you allow the prisoners on the second floor to be turned loose in the main room so that we can all be together and have a party?”

“Somebody might attack Father,” cautioned the warden.

Claude turned to the men who were standing by and said, “Oh no, they won’t. Will you fellas?”

So, the priest visited a wealthy patron of the parish, and she supplied the ice cream and cake. They had their party.

Afterwards, because Claude had requested it, they made a Holy Hour. The priest had brought prayer books from the Church and they all said together the Stations of the Cross, and a had a Holy Hour, without the Blessed Sacrament.

Afterwards, the men were put back in their cells. The priest went to the chapel to get the Blessed Sacrament so that he could give Claude Holy Communion.

Father O’Leary returned to Claude’s cell. Claude knelt on one side of the bars, the priest knelt on the other, and they prayer together as the clock ticked toward Claude’s execution.

Fifteen minutes before the execution, the sheriff came running up the stairs shouting, “Reprieve, Reprieve, the Governor has given a two-week reprieve!” Claude had not been aware that the sheriff and the District Attorney were trying to get a stay of execution for Claude to save his life. When Claude found out, he started to cry.

The priest and the sheriff thought it was a reaction of joy because he was not going to be executed. But Claude said, “Oh you men don’t know. And Father, you don’t know. If you ever looked into Her face, and looked into Her eyes, you wouldn’t want to live another day.”

Claude then said, “What have I done wrong these past weeks that God would refuse me my going home?” And the priest said that Claude sobbed as one who was brokenhearted.

The sheriff left the room. The priest remained and gave Claude Holy Communion. Claude eventually quieted down. Then Claude said, “Why? Why must I still remain here for two weeks?”

The priest had a sudden idea.

He reminded Claude about a prisoner in the jail who hated Claude intensely. This prisoner had led a horribly immoral life, and he too was sent to be executed.

The priest said, “Maybe Our Blessed Mother wants you to offer this denial of being with Her for his conversion.” The priest continued, “Why don’t you offer to God every moment you are separated from Her for this prisoner so that he will not be separated from God for all eternity.”

Claude agreed, and asked the priest to teach him the words to make the offering. The priest complied. At the time, the only two people who knew about this offering were Claude and Father O’Leary.

The next day, Claude said to the priest, “That prisoner hated me before, but Oh! Father, how he hates me now!” The priest said, “Well, that’s a good sign.”

Two weeks later, Claude was executed.

Father O’Leary remarked, “I’ve never seen anyone go to his death as joyfully and happily. Even the official witnesses and the newspaper reporters were amazed. They said they couldn’t understand how anyone could go and sit in the electric chair actually beaming with happiness.”

His last words to Father O’Leary were, “Father, I will remember you. And whenever you have a request, ask me, and I will ask Her.”

Two months later, the white man, who had hated Claude, was to be executed. Father O’Leary said, “This man was the filthiest, most immoral person I had ever come across.” His hatred for God, for everything spiritual,” said the priest, “defied description.”

Just before his execution, the county doctor pleaded with this man to at least kneel down and say the Our Father before the sheriff would come for him.

The prisoner spat in the doctor’s face.

When he was strapped into the electric chair, the sheriff said to him, “If you have something to say, say it now.”

The condemned man started to blaspheme.

All of a sudden the condemned man stopped, and his eyes became fixed on the corner of the room, and his face turned to one of absolute horror.

He screamed.

Turning to the sheriff, he then said, “Sheriff, get me a priest!”

Now, Father O’Leary had been in the room because the law required a clergyman to be present at executions. The priest, however, had hidden himself behind some reporters because the condemned man had threatened to curse God if he saw a clergyman at all.

Father O’Leary immediately went to the condemned man. The room was cleared of everyone else, and the priest heard the man’s confession. The man said he had been a Catholic, but turned away from his religion when he was 18 because of his immoral life.

When everyone returned to the room, the sheriff asked the priest, “What made him change his mind?”

“I don’t know ” said Father O’Leary, “I didn’t ask him.”

The sheriff said, “Well, I’ll never sleep if I don’t.”

The Sheriff turned to the condemned man and asked, “Son, what changed your mind?”

The prisoner responded, “Remember that black man Claude – who I hated so much? Well he’s standing there [he pointed], over in that corner. And behind him with one hand on each shoulder is the Blessed Mother. And Claude said to me, ‘I offered my death in union with Christ on the Cross for your salvation. She has obtained for you this gift, to see your place in Hell if you do not repent.’ I was shown my place in Hell, and that’s when I screamed.”

This, then, is the power of Our Lady.

We see many parallels between these facts of Claude Newman story and the Message of Fatima in 1917. There is the emphasis on:

Sacramental Confession,
Holy Communion,
Making sacrifices for Sinners,
the vision of Hell.
“Many souls go to Hell” said Our Lady of Fatima, “because they have no one to pray and make sacrifices for them.”

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
This article courtesy of:
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———————————

Icon of “Mary the Teacher” © Copyright 2004 Brother Claude Lane, OSB Mount Angel Abbey

I am grateful to Br Claude in addition for the following footnote:

The promise Fr. O’Leary made to Our Lady in 1940 from a ditch in Holland (the proof Claude gave the priest that Our Lady really was appearing to him) was this: that when he could, he would build a church in honor of Our Lady’s Immaculate Conception. He did just that in 1947. He had been transferred to Clarkesdale, Mississippi in 1945 when a group Black Catholic laymen asked to have a church built there. The Bishop of Natchez had been sent $5000 by Archbishop Cushing of Boston for the “Negro missions.” The church is still there today.

One more for the "George Orwell was an optimist" file

2010-07-10T07:54:00.000-07:00

Do you recall in the debate over the University of Notre Dame's decision to present an honorary doctorate to President Obama that many of the defenders of that decision argued that universities are places for the frank exchange of ideas, places where differences can be expressed, explored and discussed?
Well, maybe not so much. Witness the University of Illinois' decision to fire adjunct professor Ken Howell for teaching the Catholic Church's position on homosexuality in a course on modern Catholic thought. The rationale -- this was hate speech.
(story here)

Forgiveness and the one who lived

2010-07-02T06:54:00.000-07:00

I was out at University of St. Mary of the Lake last week for a scripture seminar. As I went around the lake on the grounds of the campus my mind wandered back to a tragic auto accident that occurred there several years back. Two young seminarians were killed when the car driven by a third seminarian crashed into some trees. The three young men had been out for pizza and some drinks and were traveling well in excess of the posted speed limit.
One of the seminarians killed was Matty Molnar whom I had met about five months prior to that accident. I recalled how impressive Matty was -- an accomplished musician, a warm and engaging individual, and a devout Christian. He would serve the Church well. Alas, he never got the chance.
As I recalled that tragic accident, I wondered what happened to that third seminarian. I knew he pleaded guilty to charges from the accident and left the seminary. Whatever became of the one who lived?
Today I see a posting on The Deacon's Bench that references an article which answers that question. This is a story of loss, of reconciliation and of the power of forgiveness.
God is good!

Hyundai pulls ad

2010-06-15T06:29:00.000-07:00

In response to objections voiced by Catholics, Hyundai has reportedly pulled the "Wedding" commercial which I was not alone in finding offensive. While I applaud their quick response, I am still amazed no one in their marketing department or advertising agency had the awareness to foresee the problem.
Perhaps that is why Sam Gustin, in his report on this in Daily Finance, presents the speculation that the marketing plan might have been to elicit outrage in order to ensure "viral value" for the internet video of the commercial. (story here)

This well sell a lot of Hyundais... but not to me.

2010-06-14T13:27:00.000-07:00

Hyundai apologists will certainly say that they are not mocking Catholic liturgy, merely using this to demonstrate the rabid loyalty of their customers. However, I believe that they are complicit in using the mockery of others in an attempt to sell vehicles.

Maybe this is part of a series of commercials and the next one shows a muezzin calling people to prayer from a minaret and then chanting in Arabic, "There is no God but God, and soccer is his game!" while people face Mecca and prostrate themselves.
But somehow I think that is not the case.

Quote of the day....

2010-05-26T07:00:00.000-07:00

It is a "...particularly regrettable irony that the one person in all of occupied Europe who did more than anyone else to halt the dreadful crime and alleviate its consequences is today made the scapegoat for the failures of others."
Jewish Holocaust scholar Jeno Levai speaking of Pope Pius XII. (story on Zenit)

Here is a commentary I didn't expect to see...

2010-05-10T04:55:00.000-07:00

For men of my generation, Raquel Welch was the icon for the sexuality of the '60's and '70's.
For that reason I was surprised to see this quote on The Deacon's Bench

if an aging sex symbol like me starts waving the red flag of caution over how low moral standards have plummeted, you know it's gotta be pretty bad. In fact, it's precisely because of the sexy image I've had that it's important for me to speak up and say: Come on girls! Time to pull up our socks! We're capable of so much better.

Her full commentary is on CNN (here)

There's a whole lotta shakin' goin' on...

2010-04-19T15:26:00.001-07:00

An Islamic cleric asserts that "...attractive women who wear makeup, snub traditional Islamic attire and dress 'inappropriately' incite extramarital sex, which causes more earthquakes." (story here)
Well, back in the day -- i.e. before I promised celibacy -- I acknowledge that a comely lass could easily turn my head, cause my heart to skip a beat, or perhaps even set my knees to a knockin'. But I don't think I ever met the one that could rock my world in the way this cleric envisions.
Perhaps I don't get around enough.

Just tell the truth and own up to your bias...

2010-03-30T15:17:00.000-07:00

You have to admire Archbishop Dolan for his forthrightness and willingness to speak the truth even when that involves stepping on toes.
Witness this post on his blog.

Putting the record straight

2010-03-30T11:00:00.000-07:00

It seems the presiding judge for the Archdiocese of Milwaukee in the trial of the late Rev. Lawrence Murphy is dismayed at the lack of competence and professionalism exhibited by reporters of the New York Times in reporting on this matter and their apparent haste to find a means to implicate Pope Benedict in the (mis)handling of this case.
Had the NYT been interested in accurate reporting it seems to me that someone would have tried to contact those intimately involved in the case -- especially when they are quoting those persons.
Fr. Thomas Brundage's article in the Catholic Anchor is quite illuminating.

h/t The Deacon's Bench

Who caused the delay?

2010-03-26T11:30:00.000-07:00

It seems that the retired Archbishop Rembert Weakland, former head of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, in an interview with the BBC stated that he thought it took the Vatican took too long to address the child sexual abuse case of the late Rev. Lawrence Murphy who was accused of abusing many of his charges during his time running a school for the deaf in Milwaukee in the 1950's, '60's and '70's. (story here)
This is in regards to the 2-year span between the time that Archbishop Weakland sent a letter to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in 1996 and the recommendation in 1998 by the Congregation to not pursue canonical proceedings against Murphy who was not in public ministry, had no allegations of misbehavior in the intervening 25 years, and was in poor health. Indeed, Murphy died a few months later.
Isn't it disingenuous of the former Archbishop to make a claim of an unwarranted delay on the part of the Vatican in responding to his letter, when he had been Archbishop of Milwaukee since 1977, or about 19 years before he got around to sending the letter in the first place?

Divide and conquer

2010-03-19T12:24:00.000-07:00

It seems that the White House was instrumental in orchestrating a public statement by a group of 55 religious women in support of the administration's proposed health care bill in a break with the US Conference of Catholic Bishops. (story here)
White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs disclosed that President Barack Obama actively promoted the Catholic Health Association's public break with the American Catholic bishops to support his health care legislation.
This group purported to represent 59,000 religious women in the US. However Mother Mary Quentin Sheridan, president of the Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious which represents over 100 congregations of women religious was quick to step up to affirm their opposition to the legislation as currently proposed and support for the USCCB in their stance. (story here)
It is amazing how elusive and malleable truth can be in the hands of experts.

Someone you should know...

2010-03-18T06:57:00.000-07:00

The Archdiocese of Chicago made this announcement yesterday:
"Francis Cardinal George, O.M.I., Archbishop of Chicago, has announced that Fr. Augustus Tolton’s cause for sainthood is being introduced in the Archdiocese of Chicago. The Cardinal has appointed Most Rev. Joseph N. Perry, Auxiliary Bishop of Chicago, as the Postulator for the cause of Fr. Tolton. Bishop Perry will be responsible for making Fr. Tolton better known and encouraging prayer to him."
The introduction of Fr. Tolton's cause for sainthood will allow many who had never heard of him to come to an appreciation of this pioneer of the American church who died entirely too young.
A bit of his story can be found here.

"How'd ya like to try my s'mores...."

2010-03-17T06:37:00.000-07:00

OK, so maybe I'm just an old frustrated prude, but the following piece I found disturbing. It seems that the objectification of women is now encouraged to begin at least by age 10, and that the satisfaction of one's own animal desires trumps any sense of personal responsibility. Unnerving at the very least.

Planned Parenthood tells Girl Scouts to “talk dirty”

The World Association of Girl Scouts and Girl Guides hosted a panel this week where Planned Parenthood was allowed to hand out a brochure encouraging girls to “talk dirty” to their sex partners, to engage in aberrant sex, and claiming there is no right or wrong way to have sex. The no-parents-invited Girl Scout panel was a part of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women.

The brochure, published by International Planned Parenthood Association and entitled “Healthy, Happy and Hot,” says that young people living with HIV have the “right to sexual pleasure” and “have the right to decide if, when and how to disclose their HIV status.” It goes on to say that laws requiring young people to disclose their HIV status to sexual partners “violate the rights of people living with HIV by forcing them to disclose or face the possibility of criminal charges,” and tells them to complain about any agency that tells them they should not have sex, and to shop around for a place where they feel more respected.

According to the Catholic Family and Human Rights Institute:

The Girl Scouts…have been co-moderating a young women’s caucus that included an “Intergenerational Conversation” side event on “universal access” and “reproductive health.” One recent Girl Scout project “aims at securing the right of women, men and adolescents aged between ten and twenty-five, to better reproductive and sexual health.”
(full story here)

A case of impaired vision

2010-03-10T05:00:00.000-08:00

As if the United States wasn't crazy enough, Zenit reports this case out of Poland. The lady claimed her pregnancy affected her eyesight, perhaps as in blinding her to the humanity of her child.

Polish Catholic Paper Punished for Abortion View

Loses Appeal in What's Seen as Freedom of Speech Battle

ROME, MARCH 9, 2010 (Zenit.org).- The Catholic weekly published by the Archdiocese of Katovice has lost an appeal and is being obliged to pay compensation and apologize to a woman who has become a symbolic figure for the pro-abortion campaign in Poland.

A statement from the "Gosc Niedzielny" reacted to the Friday decision confirming that "we consider this sentence unjust and limiting of the freedom of speech. Once again 'Gosc Niedzielny' must ask for pardon for words it has never written."

The newspaper said the appeals court decision is a "dangerous precedent" by which courts can interpret the context and general message of newspaper articles.

"This implies not only a serious limitation of the freedom of speech, but also a serious limitation of the right of Catholics to take part in the public debate," it added.

The case regards the situation of Alicja Tysiac, a mother of three who sought to abort her third child on the grounds that the pregnancy affected her eyesight.

In Poland, abortion is illegal except for cases in which the mother's life is in danger, the baby is seriously malformed, or the pregnancy is a result of rape or incest.

Tysiac was unable to get approval to abort her child (who was born in 2000) and took the case to the European Court of Human Rights. The court found in her favor in 2007, obliging the Polish government to pay €25,000 (now about $34,000) in damages.

This led the "Gosc Niedzielny" to lament that "we are living in a world where a mother is granted an award for the fact that she very much wanted to kill her child, but was forbidden to do so."

The editorial also compares abortion to the horrors of the Nazi concentration camps.

Monsignor Jozef Kloch, spokesman of the Polish episcopate, commented on the appeals court ruling, saying: "This verdict makes us see how the pro-abortion lobby intends to stealthily introduce in Poland abortion by request."

Does this make sense to you?

2010-03-09T07:38:00.001-08:00

Consider this, Illinois is facing an almost $13 billion budget shortfall next year. The total budget is about $56 billion, but half of that is earmarked for federal programs, dedicated road funds and other things that can't be touched. The state's regular working budget is about $26 billion — which means that, without major new revenue, about half of it would have to be cut to get it in balance.

Against that backdrop Illinois legislators who are part of the pro-abortion lobby are resurrecting the "Reproductive Health and Access Act" (HB6205), which is essentially the same FOCA bill rejected a year ago, in an effort to make sure the state makes funds available to kill the unborn. (OK, so my choice of language may be a bit polemical, but I grow angry at those who sit back and, under the innocent sounding description "choice" try to ingrain the right of one person to choose that another person should die.) At a time when the state's working budget exceeds revenue to fund it by 100%, this bill's sponsors want to not only fund abortions but also in vitro fertilization for those who are on Medicaid.

Even if I were not revolted by the thought that some people are so quick to designate some lives as undeserving of life, when I can't meet half of my existing bills, I would not be in a rush to pay for services that go to fund organizations such as Planned Parenthood which profit from the business of death especially while targeting specific racial and economic groups. But then, that's just me.

Social Justice = Communism??!!

2010-03-08T15:23:00.000-08:00

Glen Beck is definitely the guy I turn to for reasoned insight and compassion. Look at the America Magazine take on his pronouncement to "...look for the words 'social justice' or 'economic justice' on your church Web site. If you find it, run as fast as you can. Social justice and economic justice, they are code words. Now, am I advising people to leave their church? Yes." (story here)
Whatta guy!

Turning the other cheek is tough...

2010-03-08T13:29:00.000-08:00

A lot of people think I'm either too sensitive or paranoid re: attacks on the church today. But just because I'm paranoid doesn't mean they are not out to get me.
In the news today, more than 500 Christians were murdered by the Muslim Fulani ethnic group in Nigeria where the Catholic Church has been under persecution for years. (story here) A few months back I had the opportunity to share some time with a young priest from Nigeria who related several stories that I found hard to understand in this day and age. Persecution is alive and well.
In another story on Saturday I read of the Muslim journalists who apologized after having boasted that they had desecrated the by receiving and spitting out a communion wafer in Malaysia. The apology claims that any insult was unintentional and resulting from ignorance. (story here)
I'm sure the Christian response will be a bit more moderate that might be expected of the Muslim community had the tables been turned.
At least in the United States persecution of the Church tends to be more limited to attempts on the part of politicians and secular society to marginalize Christians or to deny Catholic bishops the right to weigh in on moral issues in the public sphere.

Have you had your "Death Cookie" today?

2010-03-05T05:48:00.000-08:00

The Deacon's Bench carries the story of the Baptist church in Tennessee publishing a pamphlet which in addition to describing the pope as the anti-christ, refers to the eucharist as a "death cookie." (link here)
I often wonder how these "Bible Believing" groups manage to skip over so much of the Bible and contort themselves to creatively interpret John 6.

Time sure flies...

2010-03-02T08:29:00.000-08:00

Apparently the magnitude 8.8 quake that rocked Chile last week shifted Earth's axis re-distributing the planet's mass and shortening the day by 1.26 microseconds. (story here) Here I thought the days seemed shorter just because I'm older.

Got time for a "quickie'?

2010-02-26T08:29:00.001-08:00

Fr. Michael Kenny of Galway has garnered attention for the number of worshippers flocking to his "quickie" Mass. (story here) To attract people who have to go to work, Fr. Kenny moved his Mass time from 9 am to 7:30 am and limits the duration of the Mass to 15 minutes.
I definitely have mixed feelings about this. While I laud initiatives that succeed in getting people to address their spiritual life, I can't help but recall that two of my favorite saints -- St. Pio of Pietrelcina (Padre Pio) and St. John Vianney -- were noted for Masses that ran great lengths of time causing people to enter more fully into the mystery of the Eucharist.
Getting crowds is a good thing, but are we merely putting our schedules first and expecting God to adapt, thereby avoiding the metanoia required to adjust our lives to Him?

A little black spot on your head today...

2010-02-17T06:45:00.000-08:00

Greg Kandra has this on "The Deacon's Bench" but it is too good not to share on Ash Wednesday.

I guess it's just funnier if they are Catholic...

2010-02-10T07:44:00.000-08:00

Bill Donohue of the Catholic League makes an interesting point between how sexual abusers in public schools are treated far differently from those in the Catholic Church.

Good Script for ComediansThere is no end to the comedians who like to rip the Catholic Church for the sexual abuse scandal, but precious few seem to have any interest in the contribution that the public school industry has made to this problem. That’s too bad, because there is plenty of script available.
Take New York City, for instance. The New York Post reported on Feb. 9 that Alan Rosenfeld has been charged with ogling girls as young as 13, but still manages to keep his job. Though he hasn’t worked since 2001—he is assigned to what they call a “rubber room”—he has managed to receive $700,000 in salary.
Rosenfeld is not alone. There are more than 600 educators who are being bankrolled by the taxpayers for doing nothing: they, too, occupy a seat in the “rubber room.” One teacher, Francisco Olivares, allegedly impregnated a 16-year old when he began teaching 32 years ago. He still collects $94,000 a year.
Why is this happening? Because of the teachers unions and antiquated laws that give them cover.
This story never ends, yet the Bill Mahers of this world never open their mouths when it comes to teachers and their unions. Even though conditions in the priesthood have improved markedly, while the sexual abuse scandal continues to grow among the ranks of teachers, it’s still priests the so-called comedians go after.
And some wonder why the Catholic League, which fights anti-Catholicism, is busier than ever.

Which organization is more likely the culprit?

2010-02-09T07:56:00.000-08:00

The International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) has issued a report entitled Stand and deliver - sex, health and young people in the 21st century. In that report "young people" are defined as those between 10 and 25 years of age. As might be expected, IPPF targets the Catholic Church (along with Islamic madrasas) as imposing "..barriers that prevent young people, particularly, from obtaining information and services related to sex and reproduction."
IPPF likes to point to growing rates of teen pregnancy and HIV/AIDS infection as evidence of the failure of religious groups reliance upon teachings of abstinence and chastity. They fail to note that the growth of these problems more directly coincides with a secular society treating sex as mere recreation.
Does not the growth of the problems of promiscuity, teen pregnancy and STD infection rates more closely mirror the growth in influence organizations such as IPPF have had on society?
It appears to me the problem stems not from the degree of sanctity with which religious institutions regard human sexuality, but rather the low esteem in which it appears to be held in secular society as encouraged by the ilk of IPPF. They treat sex as something which could be substituted for Coca-Cola in the old ad campaign "Have a Coke and a smile."

But everybody knows it won't work...

2010-02-02T07:55:00.000-08:00

For years those who have argued for sexual abstinence education have been roundly mocked as being out of touch with reality. Such education could not work and would only lead to the growing spread of teen pregnancy and STD's (and that doesn't stand for Doctorate of Sacred Theology).
There must be a sense of vindication to be found then in the article published in the Los Angeles Times reporting on a study showing that abstinence education might be effective.

George Orwell couldn't have thought this up...

2010-01-28T11:50:00.000-08:00

As Margaret Hamilton is famous for saying, "Oh, what a world... what a world!"
My friend Deacon Richard Hudzik made me aware of curricular guidelines drafted by North Carolina’s Department of Public Instruction strongly encouraging students to view pro-life legislation as an example of “oppressive government” akin to laws that permitted segregated public schools and allowed for the internment of Americans of Japanese ancestry during World War II. (story here)
I can't help but opine that, given a choice, babies might prefer internment or "separate but equal" facilities over death. Are educators in North Carolina equally concerned by the oppressive government when it comes to laws against possession, use and distribution of narcotics; or laws labeling as "child abuse" what some parents view simply as discipline?
Oh!, what a world!

Women's groups protest life ad

2010-01-27T06:44:00.000-08:00

Isn't it curious that various U.S. women's groups feel threatened that a mother and son would be provided a platform to opine that life is a good thing? (story here)

It seems that they think that issue is "controversial". However, I note that those complaining tend to be alive themselves. Don't they have the courage of their apparent convictions?

Renewed in service...

2010-01-25T08:01:00.000-08:00

The Order of Deacons was restored as a permanent order in the Catholic Church as a result of the second Vatican Council. Though the order of deacons has been part of the structure of the church from the Apostolic era (see Acts VI), it had primarily been relegated to simple transitional status -- a milepost along the path to priesthood -- in the Latin Church since the middle ages.
In the 40 years since the council, the restored diaconate, particularly in the United States where it has come into broadest use, has had the unique challenge or opportunity of defining its role in the modern church. The liturgical functions of deacons are very well defined. However, as living icons of Christ the servant, deacons are called to be engaged with the world as the voice for the poor and marginalized and as the local bishop's eyes and ears. Those roles tend to play out in as many varied ways as there are deacons, and frequently individual deacons find the majority of their ministry ends up being conducted far removed from a parish setting and apart from their connections with their brother deacons.
This is part of the reason that I found the Deacon Convocation of the Archdiocese of Chicago on January 23-24, 2010 such a special event. For one thing, the convocation brought together nearly 400 deacons plus about 300 deacon's wives for what may have been the largest ever gathering of deacons in the United States. More important was the palpable level of energy shared among those so actively engaged in prayer, service and evangelization.
The deacons present varied widely in age, race, language, experience, income level and national origin. The diaconate mirrors the diversity of the universal church. These men and their wives all share a love of Christ, His Church and His people.
There were deacons who run soup kitchens and homeless shelters; others are involved in immigrant rights, others in prison ministry. Among the groups specifically ministered to by deacons are infants, the elderly, men, women, teens, the mentally ill, the physically and sexually abused, the unemployed, widows and orphans. Their work directly touches the lives of people not only in Chicago, but throughout the United States and the world. They are involved in programs to provide clothing, housing, employment, job skills, education, legal assistance, nutrition, medical care, tax assistance, addiction recovery, grief counseling and much more. Most frequently these deacons work as individual ministers even when they function within or as part of large organizations.
The convocation allowed for the opportunity for all those present to re-engage as a community of ministers motivated by a shared desire to witness to Jesus as servant. I left this weekend humbled by the love and service rendered by my brother deacons, and re-energized in my own ministry. Indeed, God is good!

Some of the best... and then there is the other side

2010-01-15T08:42:00.001-08:00

Disasters often have a way of bringing out the best in people, unfortunately sometimes they allow strange things to crawl out from the woodwork. Witness some of the response to the earthquake in Haiti. I am aware of many good people who reacted immediately with an outpouring of financial support and prayers.
Then there is that intellectual light of the age, Pat Robertson, who shared with the world his knowledge that the earthquake was simply the inevitable result of the pact that Haitians made with the devil to free themselves from French colonization. No to be outdone, Rush Limbaugh also weighed in on the situation with the level of compassion I have come to expect of him.
There is also the gentleman who came into the rectory office demanding to know what the Catholic Church is doing to help. He asked the question but did not really want to hear the reply. He got aggravated when told that, in addition to a general call for prayers (as Catholics our first option is generally to go to the Lord in prayer), Catholic Relief Services immediately committed $5 million to relief efforts, the bishops have asked that special collections be held this weekend to aid the effort, and that multiple Catholic organizations do not have to go down to Haiti because they have been there all along ministering to the people of that impoverished country, or as Archbishop Dolan of New York put it, "We don't have to parachute in. We're there anyway. We're on the scene. We know the terrain. We've got the trucks. We've got the supplies."

The gentleman left in a snit after being asked, "And what are you doing?"

A tragedy stirs memories....

2010-01-13T12:18:00.000-08:00

Several years back I had the privilege of traveling to Haiti for a week with the aid organization Food for the Poor which works throughout the Caribbean and Central America. We spent most of that week in Port-au-Prince and the immediate surrounding area. That trip was eye opening for me in many ways. I was struck by the beauty of the country and the graciousness of the people, and most of all I was staggered to witness the degree of poverty, particularly in Cite de Soleil -- a level of poverty and want that may be matched only in the slums of Calcutta.
Despite this, the people of Haiti radiated generosity, joy and faith. My sense was that this was a nation that should be a paradise but which had been turned into a hell due to greed, corruption and the pursuit of private political agendas. This was a failed society -- but the people were absolutely marvelous.
I wanted to go to Haiti in large part because a substantial number of my parishioners are Haitian. I wanted to get a sense of who these people were by witnessing the work that was being done in their homeland.
I will never forget returning home after a week of exposure to unspeakable poverty. The day after my return I stopped in at Sam's Club. As I walked the aisles stacked to the 24-foot ceilings with merchandise in testimony to our excess, I overheard a couple shopping. "Do we need this?" the husband asked. "We want this," the wife responded. I began to tremble with memories of what I had seen in Haiti and quickly exited the store.
It is with that background that I heard of yesterday's earthquake, and was moved to again at least send a little of my excess to help out. I join my prayers with those of the people of Haiti who seek the intercession of their patron, Our Lady of Perpetual Help.

Think before you answer..

2010-01-05T12:47:00.000-08:00

Here's a doozy, and another reason that if I weren't single I'd be in jail:

France will become the first country in the world to ban 'psychological violence' within marriage later this year.
The new law, which would also apply to co-habiting couples, would see people getting criminal records for insulting their loved ones during domestic arguments.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1240770/France-introduce-new-law-banning-psychological-violence-marriages.html#ixzz0blzOuBRJ

Imagine that an answer to "Honey, does this dress make my butt look fat?" could send you up the river instead of just to the dog house.

An athlete worthy of respect...

2010-01-05T07:49:00.000-08:00

I learned as a kid to expect disappointment whenever looking up to athletes as role models. Only a select few athletes have lived up to what I would like to expect of them, most notably for me was Walter Payton as one who performed exceptionally well on the field of play and perhaps equally as well in life.
Now I am cautiously beginning to look at Tim Tebow as a gifted athlete whose life away from athletics might also be worthy of emulation. Witness Tebow's choice of companion to the ESPN College Football Awards ceremony. He took home no award this year, but certainly walked away a winner in my book.

NFL scouts question whether Tebow's collegiate football success will carry over to the professional ranks in large part to an unorthodox throwing motion. However, were I an NFL executive, I would consider drafting this young man if only to have him as a face for my organization. A class act.

thanks to Deacon Richard Hudzik

Will it ever end?

2009-12-17T11:56:00.000-08:00

Every time I get to the point that I think society can sink no lower, someone takes up the challenge. Witness the following:

It was designed to provoke conversation with non-believers.
However, a risqué poster depicting the Virgin Mary lying in bed with Joseph – suggesting they have just had sex - has sparked outrage with Catholics.
The billboard shows Mary with a disappointed look on her face, with a caption underneath stating: ‘Poor Joseph - God was a hard act to follow.’
The huge poster, referencing Mary's virgin birth of Jesus, has been placed in the centre of Auckland, New Zealand.
It was designed to catch the eye of non-believers, according to the St Matthew-in-the-City Anglican church.
Protesters have now painted over the faces of Mary and Joesph in outrage.
But the vicar of the St Matthew-in-the-City Anglican church, Archdeacon Glynn Cardy, was unrepentant.
He pointed out that his form of progressive Christianity is distinctive and 'is one of robust engagement’.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1236540/Outraged-Catholics-brand-Mary-Joesph-unsatisfying-sex-billboard-offensive-disrespectful.html#ixzz0ZygxrrPm

Irony... no, we don't get that here

2009-12-16T08:18:00.000-08:00

As a fan of irony, I am guilty of a self-righteous chuckle as I read a story on the environmental impact of the Copenhagen Climate Summit published in the Telegraph. (story here)
I suppose this is not much different from banquets held to raise funds to combat hunger, but I can't help but take a certain delight in this.

Homily 2nd Sunday of Advent

2009-12-06T14:03:00.000-08:00

(delivered at the conclusion of a retreat with deacons and ministers involved in the pro-life movement)

I am fond of Pogo, the Walt Kelly cartoon character, best known for the quote “We have met the enemy and he is us.” That quote certainly applies to society today, however it is a lesser known quote that struck me in preparation for this talk. Pogo also said, “We are confronted with insurmountable opportunities.”

I think that is the position we find ourselves in today. As we have noted throughout this weekend, we are in conflict, at war with the prevailing culture. This becomes more evident with each successive news cycle. We believe in the value of all human life. Society values some lives more than others and all life is secondary to personal comfort and convenience. Self-indulgence is valued over personal responsibility.

There was a brief time when we thought Catholics had come to the point where they could be accepted in American culture while retaining an authentic catholic identity. That ship has sailed. People are allowed to call themselves “catholic” and to remain active in the culture, as long as they are willing to redefine those values that have been held by the church from the beginning. Witness the exchange between Bishop Tobin and Congressman Kennedy, or Nancy Pelosi’s assertion that there is debate within the magisterium as to when life begins so her support of abortion does not put her in conflict with church teaching.

Do you remember the days when portrayal of Catholics in popular media was characterized by things like Bing Crosby and Barry Fitzgerald in “Going My Way”, Karl Malden as the compassionate priest in “On the Waterfront” or films like “Song of Bernadette”? I cringe now days when I see there is the role of a priest in a movie or television production, because I know what is coming. I’m not saying we shouldn’t be held accountable for our sins, but that it is dishonest to pretend that some societal problems are strictly a catholic thing, or to convict an entire group for the sins of a few individuals.

We are at war with a culture. It is time to change the culture. That sounds like a daunting task, but it can be done. In fact, each of you here is already hard at work at that task. We change the culture by our willingness to stand up for truth. We change the culture through our public witness to our values. We change the culture whenever we act for the preservation of life. Our children are constantly bombarded with messages of self-indulgence, selfishness, unrestrained sexuality, materialism, and hopelessness. We change the culture when we teach lessons of responsibility, fidelity, chastity, restraint and moderation. We change the culture when we surrender to God in prayer.

Don’t underestimate the power of prayer. I recall so vividly as a child being taught to pray the rosary for the conversion of Russia. In the midst of the Cold War that seemed impossible. I felt that those prayers would be wasted. But the walls fell, religion is revived in Russia. Through the intercession of the Blessed Mother, the action of the Holy Spirit, the culture in Russia was changed in part due to the efficacy of the prayers of millions of believers.

This weekend has been in part about challenging each of us here to continue our efforts in bringing about a change in the prevailing culture. Another part of this weekend is about celebrating what has been achieved and the work that continues to be done. It was so heartening to hear as the 40 days for life was coming to a conclusion that Abby Johnson, former director of a Planned Parenthood center, left the organization after watching a baby being aborted, and is now working with those who prayed for her conversion. On Oct. 6, she quit her job as the Bryan center director. She walked across the street to the Coalition for Life, a pro-life group that was at that time joined with cities across the nation in a 40 Days for Life campaign.

David Bereit, national director of 40 Days for Life stated: "From the first campaign in 2004, we've prayed for Abby -- and for all abortion workers -- that they would come to see what abortion really is, and that they would leave the deadly business. Prayers are answered.”
One of the goals of this weekend was to re-energize those who may have begun to experience fatigue in their efforts or their prayers. In the words of Isaiah, we wanted to “…speak to the weary a word that would rouse them.” The scriptures this second Sunday of Advent speak such a word.

We are the New Jerusalem whom Baruch commands to “…stand upon the heights; look to the east and see your children gathered from the east and the west at the word of the Holy One, rejoicing that they are remembered by God.”

We look to the east for it is from the east that a new day dawns. The children we see are both those whom we have saved from the holocaust of abortion, and those whom we were unable to save but who are surely remembered by God. This vision of Israel’s return from exile speaks directly to the type of change we are called to bring about a return from culture of death to one of life and love.

Paul’s prayer for the Philippians resonates with us today: I pray always with joy in my every prayer for all of you, because of your partnership for the gospel from the first day until now. I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work in you will continue to complete it until the day of Christ Jesus.

God has begun good work in you. In my little way I am proud to partner in those efforts. We are all challenged to continue in that work until the day of Christ Jesus. To a society that deems some lives more valuable than others, we will continue to emphasize that everyone saint and sinner, rich and poor, young and old, athletic and physically disabled, the unborn child and even the abortionist ─ all persons are children of God and deserving of our love and prayers. As Katrina Zeno told us, they are in the image of God and part of God’s self-revelation to us. The world doesn’t want to hear it, but it needs to be said. All life is important.

As Christians, we have the responsibility and the opportunity to continue to deliver that message. Pogo was right, “We are confronted with insurmountable opportunities.” As we continue with this liturgy and nourish ourselves with the life-giving bread given us by the author of life, let us recommit ourselves to surmounting the insurmountable.

Thank you for all that you do. May God bless you all in this Advent season.

How's this for logic?

2009-12-02T08:59:00.000-08:00

Fans of the University of Georgia and dog lovers everywhere were saddened to learn of the sudden passing of Uga VII, the university's beloved bulldog mascot. Though a replacement mascot might be in place in advance, the search for Uga VIII is expected to take a while.
In related news the organization People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has written the athletic director of the University of Georgia encouraging him to "...honor Uga VII by choosing an animatronic or solely use a costumed mascot to represent the Georgia Bulldogs in the future." (story here)
I would have thought that PETA would encourage people to provide all animals with the type of pampered lifestyle that Uga VII enjoyed. Silly me. It seems that PETA would prefer that this particular breed, which they consider "mutated freaks" should not exist. In a logic that reminds me of Planned Parenthood's practice of defining some lives as not worth living, it seems in this case the "ethical treatment" of the breed would call for its extermination.
Curious world, isn't it?

After 20 years it's not too late...

2009-11-30T11:20:00.000-08:00

I'm a sucker for "feel good" stories so this article by Rick Reilly on ESPN.com about a father being united with the son he never new he had hit me just right. Here's hoping for a "happily ever after" on this one.

Here's one to think about...

2009-11-23T11:56:00.000-08:00

As I read the story of the man who was thought to be in a vegetative state for 23 years even though he was aware of all that was happening around him (Story here) I couldn't help but wonder how I would deal with such a situation.
Though it reads like a Rod Serling Night Gallery episode, I began to wonder if this might not be the ultimate contemplative experience. Unable to interact with the outside world, would I turn inward in a search for God or sink into insanity -- however short a trip that might be? The frustration of being unable to move or communicate with the physical world around me would put me in the position of being a spectator in my own life. Dare I admit that I find something intriguing about that idea? Perhaps it would be naught more than forced navel-gazing, but I believe I would be led to a quest for the divine.
It kinda makes ya think, but then again... that's all you could do.

Who's the boss?

2009-11-17T11:25:00.000-08:00

Apparently Cardinal George's Presidential Address to the USCCB is raising the hackles of some who feel that they can best determine who and what is authentically catholic and the bishops should simply learn to live with that.
In his remarks, the Cardinal reminded the assembly of St. Ignatius of Antioch's advice to the Phildelphians that "...all who belong to God and Jesus Christ are with the bishop" and further "…that you do nothing without your bishop…”
In a secular society that clings to the Huey Long rallying cry of "Every Man a King," this does not sit comfortably with the masses. The secular press unsurprisingly presents the Cardinal's remarks as a power grab and attempt to regain control.
In anticipation of the Solemnity of Christ the King, I am reminded that my faith, my trust is placed not it myself or my own ideas, thoughts and desires, but in Christ. The bishop serves as Christ's vicar to the local church. While recognizing they are not perfect, I feel it is unjust to immediately ascribe nefarious motives to their actions. Unity will not be found among the faithful without the bishop.

A little child can teach them...

2009-11-16T07:16:00.000-08:00

The Reverend Know-it-all frequently cites the wisdom of his friend Rabbi Philip Lefkowitz. I am honored to have had the opportunity to have a few conversations with the Rabbi and have been deeply impressed with his wisdom, humor, compassion, and the respect with which he treats all people. That respect means that he is going to tell them the truth even when that truth may make people feel uncomfortable. Part of that truth involves the reverence for life that is inherent in Orthodox Judaism, a reverence that is fully in harmony with the teachings of the Catholic Church on the issue.
For that reason, I was not surprised but very pleased to read the story from the Catholic News Service about Rachel Casey and her family. Rachel is not quite three years old and was born with Down syndrome and has various heart ailments. Her Irish Catholic family had been stationed in Israel where her father worked with United Nations Truce Supervision Organization. As the Caseys lived in an ultra-Orthodox area of Jerusalem where the United Nations is not held in high regard, they were concerned with the level of care that would be available for their daughter. In short, the level of care and acceptance far exceeded that available in their native Sligo, Ireland.
This story once again demonstrates how the least among us often serve as a catalyst for understanding between disparate groups.

A game of chicken?

2009-11-13T12:11:00.000-08:00

Legislators in Washington D.C. appear to be on a collision course with the Archdiocese of Washington whose Catholic Charities arm partners with the city to provide services to about 68,000 people. Officials of the Archdiocese are concerned that if lawmakers adopt a proposal to allow same sex "marriages" the Church might be forced to provide benefits to same sex couples and thereby recognize those unions.

The marriage legislation is expected to pass next month and has the mayor's support.

Jane G. Belford, the chancellor of the Washington archdiocese, wrote Councilman Phil Mendelson on Wednesday asking for an exemption to protect the church's religious freedoms. The church wants to be exempt from any measure that would require it to extend benefits to same-sex couples or allow gays and lesbians to adopt children.

The Councilman considers such an exemption to be a dangerous precedent. "Allowing individual exemptions opens the door for anyone to discriminate based on assertions of religious principle," Mendelson said.

Once more the tension arises between the church being in the world but not of the world.

The Bishops step up to the plate

2009-11-13T11:00:00.000-08:00

Last week for the first time in my memory, the Catholic Bishops of the United States stood up to be counted and effectively mobilized millions of Catholics to demand that the healthcare reform proposal include safeguards against public funding for the murder of the unborn.
I'm tired of using euphemisms such as "termination of unplanned pregnancies" or even "abortion", and I absolutely refuse to refer to these barbaric practices as part of "reproductive health care". Abortion is no more about health care than the showers at Birkenau were about hygiene.
Under pressure from the bishops and much of the Catholic electorate, legislators included the Stupak amendment at the last minute. For once the bishops effectively exercised their moral authority and had an impact on pending legislation. So now I am not surprised to hear the cry of "UNFAIR!" arise from many quarters -- particularly from those who formerly had been successful in forwarding their private agendas.
I am amazed however at the extent of the duplicity among these organizations. Those who loudly denounce the actions of the bishops as a violation of church and state fail to comment on religious organizations such as; the Rabbinical Assembly, Women’s League for Conservative Judaism, Episcopal Church, Society for Humanistic Judaism, Jewish Reconstructionist Federation, Union for Reform Judaism, Central Conference of American Rabbis, North American Federation of Temple Youth, United Church of Christ, United Methodist Church, Unitarian Universalist, Presbyterian Church (USA), Women of Reform Judaism, Society for Humanistic Judaism, Church of the Brethren Women’s Caucus, Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association, Lutheran Women’s Caucus, Christian Lesbians Out, YWCA, all of which support abortion coverage in the health care bill.
The loudest voices seem to be those such as Planned Parenthood, for whom the slaughter of innocents represents a major source of profit.
The battle is far from over. Indeed, I believe we are merely celebrating the the battle has finally been engaged.

Happy Veterans' Day

2009-11-06T13:31:00.000-08:00

Even I teared up at this... and they say I don't have a heart!

The Return from Iraq - The most amazing home videos are here

thx to The Deacon's Bench

Director of abortion clinic quits, joins pro-life group

2009-11-04T09:28:00.000-08:00

It was uplifting to read on ZENIT that Abby Johnson, former director of a Planned Parenthood center quit her job and joined a pro-life group after witnessing an abortion.
I am encouraged to consider that if an individual can come to this change of heart, there is hope that society may eventually come to a similar metanoia. (story here)

A Christian Science health plan... If you get sick, we'll pray for you.

2009-11-03T11:32:00.000-08:00

The Los Angeles Times reports that Sen. Orrin Hatch, with the backing of other prominent politicians, has succeeded in getting a provision into proposed health care bill that would allow Christian Science prayer treatments to be covered by insurers on the same footing as traditional clinical care.. (story here)
This approach may find footing among those who are afraid of the budgetary impact of universal health coverage. A prayer treatment costs less than an office visit co-pay under many traditional plans.

Who is the fraud?

2009-11-03T08:28:00.000-08:00

Christopher Hitchens has once again wandered off into his own loony land as he goes off on a tirade against one whose life he claims has left millions worse off. Who might this be?
Hitler? Stalin? Mao Zedong? Pol Pot?
No, in Christopher Hitchens' world only one person could be that evil... Mother Teresa of course.
Information and Bill Donohue's response is here.

Tridentine rite High Mass at St. Peter's for 1st time in 40 years

2009-10-20T10:18:00.000-07:00

The following is redacted from ZENIT. The full article can be found here.

An Extraordinary Tridentine Rite MilestoneArchbishop Burke Presides Over High Mass in St. Peter's

By Robert Moynihan

ROME, OCT. 19, 2009 (Zenit.org).- There has been almost no coverage anywhere in the mainstream press about an extraordinary event that occurred yesterday morning in St. Peter's Basilica -- the celebration by Archbishop Raymond Burke, head of the Apostolic Signature, of the first High Mass according to the old Latin rite in St. Peter’s Basilica in 40 years, since 1969.

And because of that lack of press coverage, the old Mass, that "mysterious tapestry of texts and actions," as Cardinal Ratzinger once termed it -- sometimes illogical, sometimes jumbled, but nevertheless always wonderful -- returned to St. Peter’s Basilica after 40 years without any special notice at all, almost, as it were, silently, almost like "a thief in the night."

Oct. 18 was the Feast of St. Luke, author of one of the Gospels, and also of the Book of Acts.

The chapel of the Most Holy Sacrament, which is on the right side of St. Peter’s Basilica, was filled to overflowing by the time the Mass began at just after 9:30 am.

Full house

Outside, it was raining, and a bit of water pooled and glistened in different places on the marble floor where those present repeatedly knelt down on the hard stone during the celebration.

I myself found a place to stand in the back, as all the seats were taken. About 400 people were present.

Many low old rite Masses have been celebrated in different chapels of the basilica over the years, especially in the past two years since the promulgation on July 7, 2007, of "Summorum Pontificum," Benedict XVI's "motu proprio" calling for wider celebration of the old Mass.

But this was the first High Mass in the old rite since 1969.

Monsignor Guido Pozzo, recently appointed by Benedict XVI to head the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei within the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith -- the commission in charge of dialogue with the Society of St. Pius X, which wishes to celebrate the Mass only in the old rite -- was also present.

A unique spiritual experience

The two choirs, of the Franciscans of the Immaculate, one of brothers and one of sisters, were extraordinary.

As one Italian who attended put it, "It seemed we were immersed in choirs of angels. The presence of the celestial dimension of the rite was almost tangible. Believe me, I am not exaggerating."

But the morning was marked by a bit of confusion.

Instead of beginning at 10 a.m., the Mass was moved forward to 9:30 a.m. This meant that some dozens of people, who had planned to arrive at 10 a.m., found the Mass already 30 minutes under way when they arrived, and the chapel full. Many of them were turned away by Vatican ushers, as I witnessed with my own eyes, looking out the window from the back of the chapel where I standing.

But some of those present said they were puzzled why the Vatican seemed to treat this Mass like a "poor sister," assigning it to a small chapel, and changing the celebration time at the last minute.

Papal high Mass?

The question that comes to mind after attending this event is, could the Pope celebrate such a Mass in St. Peter's Basilica?

There are some impediments.

The ceremonial for a pontifical High Mass in the old rite is elaborate, and it has been so many years since one has been celebrated that many feel it would not be celebrated smoothly, if the Pope decided to do it.

And many Vatican officials seem reluctant, at best, to embrace the return of the old Mass.

No high-ranking Vatican officials were present at the Mass except for Monsignor Pozzo.

And Vatian Radio yesterday broadcast a report on a Mass celebrated elsewhere in the Basilica for the 400th anniversary of St. Leonardi, but made no mention at all of Archbishop Burke’s Mass.

And so the Mass was celebrated quietly, almost unobserved.

And after Mass, in the square, the sun broke through the clouds, and bathed the piazza in a warm October light.

* * *

Robert Moynihan is founder and editor of the monthly magazine Inside the Vatican. He is the author of the book "Let God's Light Shine Forth: the Spiritual Vision of Pope Benedict XVI" (2005, Doubleday). Moynihan's blog can be found at www.insidethevatican.com. He can be reached at: editor@insidethevatican.com.

I sense an undercurrent of triumphalism in Archbishop Burke's remarks and in Moynihan's report, but that just might reflect my ambivalence regarding the emphasis some place on the spirituality of extraordinary form of the Mass as if that weren't present in the ordinary form. There is much to be valued in each form of the Mass. I too quickly tire of those who claim a blanket superiority of one form over the other. Not surprisingly readers of the National Catholic Reporter appear to be quick to attack both the Archbishop and the extraordinary form of the Mass.

Where is the outrage?

2009-10-14T09:32:00.000-07:00

The Catholic Church has been taken to task, and rightly so, for instances of the sexual abuse of children that had committed by a few priests. The notoriety of those instances have created in the mind of the public a myth that the issue of child sexual abuse is a Catholic thing. Professionals who have studied the issue clearly understand that is not the case, yet the myth exists.
For this reason I was surprised to see the New York Times run a story on the rate of child sexual abuse in the ultra-Orthodox Jewish community and the failure of religious and civil authorities to pursue those cases.
I suffer from no delusion that these cases will receive much exposure in the mainstream media -- indeed, if reporters were actually to do their homework they would expose the rate of abuse in the public school systems of the nation. I simply wish to point out the societal hypocrisy when it comes to the issue of child sexual abuse and how failure to address the problem in cases where Catholics are not involved merely leaves our children in jeopardy.

A touch of class...

2009-10-13T07:19:00.000-07:00

It seems that every time I find myself getting too cynical about the world someone steps up and simply does the right thing and makes me feel better about people. The latest such instance for me was hearing of the young woman who finished the Kentucky High School State Championship Golf Tournament five shots ahead of her nearest competitor and then had herself disqualified.
After the final round of the tourney, Emma Talley noticed that she had signed an incorrect scorecard which understated her round by a single stroke. Her coach recalled “I think it was only her and her family who actually knew about it. If she had kept her mouth shut, she would have won the trophy. But she's not like that.” Instead, Emma reported the error to the officials and was therefore automatically disqualified.
The second place finisher, Lindsay Gahm offered the trophy to Emma who declined it. “Lindsay didn't do anything wrong,” Talley said. “She's my friend, and she felt as bad as anybody else. I'm glad she kept it. She deserved it.”
I'd like to think that I would have done the same thing, but I will never really know. I do know however that Emma Talley has won my respect... but a state championship is still a better prize.
Story here.

Debunking the debunker

2009-10-12T07:09:00.000-07:00

Last week it was widely reported in the press that Italian scientist Luigi Garlaschelli claimed to have reproduced the Shroud of Turin with materials and techniques available in the middle ages. Garlaschelli concludes therefore that the shroud to is a fake.
In response Barrie M. Schwortz, documenting photographer of the Shroud of Turin Research Project (STURP) which has spent thousands of hours studying the shroud itself, derides the reports as "science by press release". Noting that the work of scientists is normally submitted for peer review, which was not done in this case, a quick reading of the press release indicates that "...it is apparent immediately that the author knows very little about the actual Shroud of Turin." He further notes that a detailed scientific response to this press release is being drafted by the online Shroud Science Group.
The Catholic Church never has formally asserted that the shroud is the actual burial cloth of Christ but recognizes that it serves as a valuable reminder of the passion of Jesus. However it appears that, in this year when the shroud is again to be publicly displayed, opponents of the shroud feel compelled to try to undermine claims of authenticity and are willing to misrepresent science to accomplish that end.

A bit premature don't you think?

2009-10-09T07:17:00.000-07:00

I was gabberflasted this morning to wake to the news that our president has been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. This is the same man whose body of work was deemed insufficient for Arizona State University to award him an honorary degree even as they hosted him as a commencement speaker. Furthermore, nominations were due before Obama had finished even two weeks in office.
I have great hopes for Obama's presidency in spite of my opposition to his positions on life issues. By the end of his term of office may President Obama prove himself worthy of the honor he is being awarded this year. If he does, we certainly will have cause to celebrate.

A motorcycle club with style...

2009-10-03T09:37:00.000-07:00

I was intrigued by the Jewish Motorcycle club touring Germany as a means of celebrating the 19th anniversary of the reunification of East and West Germany. The name of the club? The Hillel's Angels.

Those who call the street "Home"

2009-09-30T07:21:00.000-07:00

As a board member of Emmaus Ministries which has as its mission outreach to men caught up in prostitution I often find myself struggling as I try to explain that ministry to friends and associates. How refreshing, and surprising, to see that an Archbishop in the Vatican offered a reflection that clearly addresses what Emmaus is about. The reflection states in part:

"Jesus meets people on the way, on the side of the road, in crowds and when he is alone," he said. "[...] The road is thus the place of encounter and transformation. It is the place of proclamation and evangelization, of healing and witness. In many ways it could be said that the road, the street, was both his home and pulpit."

This special significance continues today, the prelate observed, for those "who work in the service of the Gospel." The road, he suggested, "continues to be a place of both proclamation and witness and transformation and healing."

"It is the place where Christ may still be encountered," the archbishop affirmed, "where his words and life may given, through gestures and actions, where the Church may through its various apostolates channel the grace of God."

It is nice to see that somebody actually gets it.

A "Debaptism" movement...

2009-09-29T10:19:00.000-07:00

I was struck by a story I saw regarding a "Debaptism" movement which apparently is being pushed in England as sponsored by the National Secular Society (which is apparently willing to sell individuals certificates of Debaptism).
The certificate declares:

I ________ having been subjected to the Rite of Christian Baptism in infancy (before reaching an age of consent), hereby publicly revoke any implications of that Rite and renounce the Church that carried it out. In the name of human reason, I reject all its Creeds and all other such superstition in particular, the perfidious belief that any baby needs to be cleansed by Baptism of alleged ORIGINAL SIN, and the evil power of supposed demons. I wish to be excluded henceforth from enhanced claims of church membership numbers based on past baptismal statistics used, for example, for the purpose of securing legislative privilege.”

I respect the right of people to make their own choices however ill-informed and naive those choices may be. It is apparent that those who choose to go the route of "debaptism" have never benefited from being educated about the faith into which they were baptized, or from witnessing their parents living out that faith. In baptism these people may have been born into life of the Spirit, but alas it appears it was a spiritual still-birth as that new life was never nourished.
What further struck me was that I came across this story just minutes after sharing a discussion about the tragic death of a Chicago high school student who was beaten to death in a street fight. That beating death was described as an evil act demonstrating once again the need for the rediscovery of morality in our secular society. I can't help but wonder if prayer in our schools might help our young people find moral footing amidst the evils of the world around them.

Pius XII Proposed as Righteous among the nations

2009-09-21T08:42:00.000-07:00

Information released from the Vatican archives in recent years is succeeding in making more and more people aware of the Pius XII's efforts to save Jews during the second World War. Though in the years immediately following WWII the efforts of the pope toward this end seemed to be fairly widely acknowledged; for the past decade following the publication of the poorly researched and biased Hitler's Pope by British author John Cornwell, the reputation of the late pontiff has been much maligned.
For this reason I find it encouraging that the Pave the Way Foundation has announced a petition to recognize Pope Pius XII as Righteous Among the Nations at Jerusalem's Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial. (story here)

Dare a deacon question a priest?

2009-09-10T19:20:00.000-07:00

As a deacon, I know and am very comfortable with my place in the hierarchy of the Catholic Church. I am a deacon for a reason. Though as a single male, I would certainly be eligible to pursue ordination to the presbyterate, somehow that doesn't seem to be what God wants of me. I frequently quip -- and as with all my jests there is a significant amount of truth behind it -- I believe that my salvation is dependent upon God having a sense of humor, but that my pursuing the priesthood would be pushing Him beyond His limits.

That is a long way of saying that I have a tremendous respect for priests and look to them for guidance. Most of the priests I know could tell you that I am as ready with questions as with opinions, and I am never too hesitant with the latter. I have a tendency to defer to presbyters in all matters dealing with theology, but even I must draw the line somewhere.

Perhaps I am not sufficiently progressive. Perhaps I shut out the "spirit of Vatican II" when I was busy reading the documents of Vatican II. Or, maybe, I just am as dumb as a sack of bricks. Whatever the reason, I must take exception to the portrayal by Fr. Richard McBrien, the Crowley-O'Brien Professor of Theology at the University of Notre Dame, of Eucharistic Adoration as "...a doctrinal, theological, and spiritual step backward" as he puts forth on the web site of the National Catholic Reporter. posting here

For if (as I truly believe and as the Church tells me) Christ is really present -- body, blood, soul and divinity -- in the eucharist reserved in the tabernacle, what better place is there to be than kneeling before him in adoration? Alas, I cannot (or my faith is not strong enough to lead me to) spend all my time in adoration. I can only spend what time I might and hope that through the course of the day I might encounter Christ in those whom I meet and serve.

I would ask Fr. McBrien to forgive me for questioning his position... but suddenly I have little desire to approach him for absolution.

Miraculously healed Deacon to visit Newman Oratory

2009-09-09T09:21:00.000-07:00

Catholic News Agency reports that an American deacon whose cure from a crippling spine malady has been recognized as a miracle wrought though the intercession of Venerable John Henry Cardinal Newman will visit Newman’s Birmingham Oratory in November. (story here)
This story was brought to my attention by the Reverend Know-it-all who has recently posted a couple of blogs responding to a questioner asking if there have been any incontrovertible miracles.
The story of the healing of Deacon Jack Sullivan of Massachusetts is one in which the cure was immediate and permanent following prayers asking the intercession of Cardinal Newman. “For those who believe, no proof is necessary. For those who don't believe, no proof is possible.”
I just celebrate the fact that at least one deacon is worthy of curing -- for this humble blogger, the best I can hope for is a light pickling.(a little preservation humor)
(more information here)

What is the state of Catholic Higher Education?

2009-09-08T10:38:00.000-07:00

As "Catholic" institutions such as DePaul University strive to match their secular counterparts with programs such as their "Queer Studies" offering while seemingly distancing themselves from the actual teachings of Catholic Church, the question arises "What is the state of Catholic Higher Education?"
Dr. Anne Hendershott, former faculty member at the University of San Diego examines this question in her book Status Envy: the Politics of Higher Education.
Dr. Hendershott notes that, as catholic universities tend to be considered inferior to the top secular institutions, many of those catholic institutions have consciously distanced themselves from Catholic ideas and curriculum in favor of imitating secular institutions.
Presently Dr. Hendershott is a professor of urban studies at The King’s College in New York where she says she is allowed to be Catholic. (story here)

A Pastor's challenge to parents...

2009-09-02T08:06:00.000-07:00

I was pleased to see this in my Sunday bulletin:

From the Pastor’s Desk
I once asked a rabbi if there was an orthodox Jewish institution where I might study the Talmud. He said, “No.” I was a little surprised. He continued, “The Talmud exists so that the 613 precepts of the law can be correctly followed. It is a mistake to teach Talmud to someone who is not going to observe its requirements. You would be wasting our time; you would be wasting yours.”
It is well established that if a child doesn’t attend church with his family, it is rare that he grows up to be an active Catholic. We Catholics believe that to be a Catholic, you have to go to Mass on Sunday. You may have a Catholic point of view and call yourself a Catholic, but to be Catholic you have to go to Mass and Communion.
There are some people who drop their children off for Mass and religious education, but don’t attend Mass themselves. As the Rabbi said, “You’re wasting our time and you’re wasting yours.” Why would you want your children to be involved in something that has so little meaning for you? It is counterproductive.
There are two ways that people experience conversion to Christ, the Faith and the Church: growing up in a Catholic home and encountering Christ as an adult. To bring children to church when I myself don’t participate may well deny them the possibility of ever becoming active Christians.
By not going to church, you give them the message that this is not important. They will grow up to believe that Mass is something children do. They will probably be immune to faith when they are adults because you are, in effect, vaccinating them against faith by giving them a weak dose of religion in their childhood. Worse than that, you are teaching them to lie. To receive Communion is to say that I want to belong to Christ for the rest of my life. They will hear in religion class that they have a moral responsibility to go to Mass every Sunday. They will see that you don’t go to Mass. Why confuse them?
Therefore I am asking, if you are not an active Catholic who attends Mass on Sunday with your children, please don’t send your children to religious education. There are of course exceptions. If grandparents or godparents are helping to raise children and they attend Mass with the children that will be fine. If a child sincerely asks to learn the faith, knowing that his or her parents are not involved, that too, will be fine. If you have a good reason for not attending Mass please call me. I would love to hear it. There are always exceptions to every rule.

Fr. Simon