Why is this day called Palm Sunday?
In memory of our Saviour's triumphant entry into Jerusalem, when the multitude strewed palm branches before Him, for which reason the Church, on this day, blesses palms, and carries them in procession.
Why are palms blessed?
That those who carry them with devotion, or keep them in their houses, may receive protection of soul and body, as prayed for in the blessing; that those who carry the palms may, by means of the prayers of the Church, adorn their souls with good works and thus, in spirit, meet the Saviour; that, through Christ whose members we are, we may conquer the kingdom of death and darkness, and be made worthy to share in His glorious resurrection and triumphant entrance into heaven.
St. Augustine writes of the palms: “They are the emblem of praise, and sign of victory, because the Lord by death conquered death, and with the sign of victory, the cross, overcame the devil, the prince of death."
Therefore, preceded by the cross, we go in procession around the church singing hymns of praise; when we come to the church door, we find it locked; the priest knocks at it with the cross. Heaven was closed to us by the sin of Adam, and it is opened to us by reconciliation through Jesus on the cross.
From "The Church's Year" by Fr. Leonard Goffine
Saturday, March 19, 2005
Bush Returning to Washington Over Schiavo
CRAWFORD, Texas - President Bush (news - web sites) is changing his schedule to return to the White House on Sunday to be in place to sign emergency legislation that would shift the case of a brain-damaged Florida woman to federal courts, the White House said Saturday.
Archdiocese offers severance package...
The St. Louis Archdiocese said Friday that parish employees who lose their jobs in church consolidations will get a severance package if they are not covered by a contract. But for teachers, any severance beyond their contracts will have to be reviewed by a committee.Post Dispatch article
Abusive priests often end up in St. Louis
Vianney Renewal Center, near Dittmer in Jefferson County...and a nearby facility called RECON are the only two places in the country where bishops can permanently send dangerous pedophile priests.Complete Article here
"For those who need to be in a completely supervised environment there are two centers, which as providence would have it, are both in this archdiocese in the United States," said St. Louis Archbishop Raymond Burke in a recent interview.
House & Senate Agree to Compromise Bill
A bipartisan and bicameral bill has been reached according to Rep Tom Delay.
They are confindent that food and water will be restored while an appeal is considered. The House will meet tomorrow, Palm Sunday, to vote on the legislation.
Pray that this is resolved within the next 24 hours.
As reported on Fox News.
*** Updated at 08:00PM CST ***
Article here
They are confindent that food and water will be restored while an appeal is considered. The House will meet tomorrow, Palm Sunday, to vote on the legislation.
Pray that this is resolved within the next 24 hours.
As reported on Fox News.
*** Updated at 08:00PM CST ***
Article here
Operation Rescue Vows to Risk Arrest to Feed Terri Schiavo
OR has issued an update (which I received via E-Mail) and is posted below:
"We will not stand idly by while an innocent woman is starved."
**** Updated 3/19 @ 4:00pm CST ****
"We will not stand idly by while an innocent woman is starved."
Pinellas Park, FL - Mar 18, 2005 Operation Rescue vows to risk arrest to offer food and water to Terri Schiavo, who began her court- ordered starvation this afternoon.May God look favorably on this effort and may He grant all of the graces needed to change the hardened hearts of those who are intent on murdering an innocent woman.
Operation Rescue and a number of other individuals from faith-based organizations will peacefully attempt to offer Terri bread and water.
Where: The Woodside Hospice, where Terri Schindler Schiavo lives, located at 6774 102nd Avenue N. (near 66th Street N and 102nd Avenue N) in Pinellas Park, Florida
When: Saturday, March 19, at 11 AM
Who: Operation Rescue and a number of other faith-based groups
""We will not stand idly by while an innocent woman is starved," said OR President Troy Newman. "Operation Rescue vows to peacefully intervene to offer Terri Schiavo bread and water. It is our duty as Christians to rescue those unjustly sentenced to death. That is a higher law from a Higher Judge than Judge Greer, and if that means we must spend time in jail, then it is the least we can do for this helpless young lady." - Troy Newman, President, Operation Rescue
**** Updated 3/19 @ 4:00pm CST ****
OR will defer attempts to feed and hydrate Terri until political remedies are exhausted.
Tallahassee, FL - Mar 19, 2005 On March 18, the court-ordered dehydration and starvation of Terri Schiavo began. The Bible is clear that Christian love is expressed in action. Matthew 25 tells us that when we offer a cup of water to a thirsty soul in an attempt to alleviate his suffering, it is like we are doing it for Christ Himself.
It is in that spirit of Christian love that Operation Rescue stands ready to peacefully offer nutrition and hydration to Terri Schiavo. However, out of respect for the wishes of Terri's family, we will refrain from doing so until such a time as seems correct and appropriate.
Currently there are negotiations in the US Congress and the Florida Legislature that we have every confidence in and we want to give those an opportunity to work. Because of that, we are going to Tallahassee for the next few days to continue prayer and lobbying efforts on Terri's behalf.
Pope Appeals to Priests to Respect Liturgy
In his annual letter to priests, John Paul II appealed for respect of liturgical norms in the celebration of the Eucharist.Full Zenit article here.
When presenting the letter to the press today, Cardinal Darío Castrillón Hoyos, prefect of the Vatican Congregation for Clergy, commented that the use of more popular language in the celebration of the liturgy does not always help people understand what they are living.
Asked about the topic of obedience in the letter, to which the Holy Father said priests commit themselves "on the day of their ordination," the cardinal replied: "From the press one learns that there is no lack of abuses in the sacred rite of the Eucharist."
Terrorism in Florida..Day 1 of Murder by Starvation and Dehydration
Would not beheading be more humane than starvation?
Are these barbarians truly as gutless and perverted as they appear.
What do barbarians and terrorists look like? Has there been a resurrection of Hitler and his henchmen?
And let's not forget the Gestapo...
May God have mercy on their souls!
Are these barbarians truly as gutless and perverted as they appear.
What do barbarians and terrorists look like? Has there been a resurrection of Hitler and his henchmen?
And let's not forget the Gestapo...
May God have mercy on their souls!
A Transcript of McGraw Milhaven Interview of Richard Bach
This is a transcript that I made of McGraw Milhaven's interview with Richard Bach before Ash Wednesday. I made this transcript to verify my understanding, based upon Richard Bach's own words, that he has been deeply involved in the St. Stanislaus Parish for the past 40 some years, yet a 22+ year parishioner of the same Church says Mr. Bach did not regularly attend Mass there. Considering that there was only one Polish Mass on Sunday, and that between 100-120 people normally attended, it certainly would not be difficult to know who was going to Mass with you...
I found the part of the interview which led me to the conclusion that Mr. Bach was an integral and regular member of St. Stanislaus...The segment is located at about 4 minutes, 50 seconds into the interview and is so marked below.
McGraw Milhaven's comments/questions are in italics.
Richard Bach's comments are in normal type.
My comments will be enclosed in [brackets].
***********************************************
[Some preliminaries skipped]
Richard Bach, your official position is that you are the spokesperson for the
six member board, is that not correct?
I'm the spokesperson for St. Stanislaus Kostka.
You're the spokesperson for the whole church?
Correct.
Not just the board?
Correct.
Alright, well, for those just joining us, St. Louis Archbishop Raymond Burke
released a statement today saying that his extraordinary patience in dealing with the board has officially evaporated and that he is beginning the process to lead, to impose, an interdict on the sex member board. What are your thoughts, starting off?
Well, you can't help but feel anger, remorse, disillusionment, in this whole process. I mean, let me ask you, how would you feel, being bullied, in the bathroom, having your head bashed in, and then having a PR person tell you you're supposed to feel good about giving that bully your money. And then, you're paying that guy's salary on top of it.
[The insinuation that the Archbishop is "bashing your head in" is beyond contempt - the only plausible reason for such wording is to foster hostility or hatred toward the Archbishop, in violation of Canon 1373 and the the Eighth Commandement of the Decalogue]
Well, le...let's...
That's what we're dealing with here. They're telling you a story that is not true. And what is happening here, is that you're getting half-truths, you're getting misinformation, and, you know, like for instance, we proposed, we gave them four proposals - they received four proposals. When those things happen, we don't receive a proposal. Yet, just a few moments ago, he referred to those proposals, and this one, as the same thing.
Gee, I thought they didn't get those proposals.
Alright, he said, Jamie Allman said last segment that there was a proposal that Roger Krasnicki said, boy, this looks really good, I'll bring it to the board...He said that proposal was there and it sounded like you guys had some type of agreement. Speak to that comment.
That's not true. The closest agreement that we have come to, from a step away from what they had was something that occurred a couple of months ago. And that was a step closer. And so they had made an inch. Now we are no longer, no further along now than we were back in March. Our...our concerns have never, ever, been addressed by the Archbishop. What he's telling you as far as wresting control, or taking authority away, doing something illegal, those aren't true. We have never done anything illegal. They have never wrested control away from anything.
The Board of Directors are answering to the parishioners. The corporation has always had control of that property. We did not get it from the Archdiocese. It was a parish that was started for the purpose of the Polish community here in St. Louis and there's nothing to be returned. That money that's there that they want is a separate fund from the operating fund. That money was designed for the purpose of keeping and maintaining the property of the church and everything else when people aren't around. When there's only one person coming into church and they need the money in order to maintain it. It was left there by our predecessors and by current people for that purpose.
[If the corporation has always had control of the property, then how is it possible that Archbishop Kenrick deeded the property to the corporation in 1891 if the corporation already owned it?]
The operating fund has always been under the control of the person which was a pastor and lately an administrator, not a pastor but an administrator and he wrote the checks. His control wasn't taken away from any of that money until the end of July when we, as the parishioners, did not receive answer with regard to questionable expenses which did not have invoices, statements, or bills, or anything else that correspond with money that was spent by Fr. Bene and we wanted those answers. And instead of getting an independent audit as we requested, we were told "Just deal with it", and then we decided, and the board of directors with their fiduciary responsibility, pulled his signature off the account.
Then he was taken away in retaliation of that. The question lies here, why can't we get an independent audit of that operation fund?
Jamie Allman says they have made assurances to you that they don't want to take your land -do you agree with that?
NO!
Jamie Allman says they have made assurances that they don't want to close the church...
It's, you know, we have never gotten anything in writing from the Archbishop that specifies the word "church". What we have received is the word parish. Parish is the group of individuals that can move from location to location as is now being done with the consolidations and the closures - so you can move the parish of St. Stanislaus over to St. Joseph's in Clayton and still have the parish of St. Stanislaus in existence but the church itself can be closed. So, you know, that's the whole point of what we're saying with these half-truths and this misinterpretation and misinformation. You have to, and, and, by doing that you're intentionally lying because you're not telling the whole truth.
[And the insinuation is that the Archbishop is LYING?]
[At approx 4:50 minutes into the interview]
I've been involved in this for 40 years, McGraw, that was the parish I was born in. I'm not stepping into this now just as a job two months ago. I can tell you what's happened in the parish for the last 40 years, FIRSTHAND!
[This statement is contradicted by a letter written by a 20+year parishioner]
Jamie Allman also says they have made assurances that they don't want your money
That's not true, either, because that's the first they they do, they take control of the money, they put it in to trusts and into funds that only the Archbishop, the dean, the Vicar General or the pastor or administrator would have control of. So what response do we have? And let me tell you, there is a document that they are surprised that we can read, I guess, because they want to know where we got it, but it's in their own book. It's titled "Closure of Parishes". What happens is the diocese takes a loan against your property or takes a loan against those monies.
Gee, there's a debt. So then, what happens is, when a parish is closed, when they decide to liquidate those assets, the first thing to get paid off is those loans. The second thing to get paid off is any expenses the diocese has for running your property. The third thing that gets paid off are any expenses that the diocese incurs in having this whole process disseminated. Then the last thing that they can do is move no more than a half a million dollars to the location wherever they move the parishioners. That is in black and white - in their book - in their processes.
[And the point is what?]
Jamie Allman also says that it is not just Archbishop Burke, it is also the Vatican that is telling you and the board and the church to come back into compliance with the Catholic Church.
Again, there are people who have been misinformed at the Vatican - cardinals, bishops, we have been speaking to them. In fact we had a meeting with a bishop just this past weekend and they are misinformed with the way this entire process has been established with this church. They did not know, in fact this bishop, in particular did not know that the archdiocese did not own the property prior to. They NEVER owned the property. There are many churches in Europe, in Canada, in the US, all over the world that are configured this way - that are owned by the lay people.
[Who are these cardinals and bishops at the Vatican with whom you have spoken and who are those who have been misinformed? How about some facts which can be verified? And again, how was the deed transferred by Archbishop Kenrick?]
That's the way it was in the older days. You had villages where the people controlled the church. The priest came in, gave you the spiritual benefit that he had and you were providing the facility. And that's exactly what we were here anticipating this entire time, that's what we had - the priest has always had the spiritual guidance of, of the people. He has always been in control of that spiritual guidance - we never wrested control of that, we have never taken that away.
This question all arose over money and property and nothing else. And as far as the Vatican directive, it was - it stated in there specifically that Roger's appeal could not be heard and it was denied because he didn't have proper authority to file the appeal. That is what that directive says. And then, on top of that, we're supposed to communicate and deal with the archbishop. Well, how are we allowed to communicate and deal with the archbishop if there's been a lack of communication, a lack of interest in compromise? His attitude has always been, "It's my way or no way." I mean, we've never been in violation of any doctrinal law or practice. And it's just a shame that egos are replacing the morals and true leadership in this case.
[Whose egos are getting in the way? Who is blinded by his pride?]
The six member board is facing an interdict which means that they are not allowed to received any of the Roman Catholic Sacraments - we are headed into Lent. Tomorrow is Ash Wednesday. What are they saying inside St. Stanislaus?
What's changed? We've been without a priest and we've been denied the Sacraments since this entire thing started...
[No Sacraments were denied. This is an outright lie! McGraw seems to know this because he states:]
You could get Sacraments somewhere else...
Hhhhhuh...OK, Do they have a mug shot book? How do they know? These people will go ahead and deny to honor this. They have this ???? process...They can do this, they can say, "I don't honor this". This goes into a cold, huge drawn-out process of appeal where there have been many of these that have been overturned on the basis of doctrine and faith and this is not doctrine and faith. This is property and money.
Are you saying...
So obviously and ultimately, we have faith that this will be corrected. But, in the meantime, we're tired of getting our head bashed in by a person standing there with a bat in his hand because he has the authority to do so.
[Here again, for the second time, the allusion to an horrendous act of physical violence being perpetrated on you and others is despicable. I implore you to publicly recant these malicious and inflammatory statements!]
Are you saying that they will receive Communion somewhere else and defy the interdict?
You know, those individuals will have to answer for their conscience but in the meantime, they can't continue on the way they are now and if this entire appeal process, it follows through, however, however it goes through, they can go ahead until it is formalized, until there is an end to it, until it is deemed by the Vatican or by whoever through the Congregation for the Clergy that this is legitimate, they can go on with their processes as they are now...
If the interdict is imposed and while they are fighting this through the appeals, one of the six members dies, they will nor be allowed a Catholic funeral?
I guess that's what he's saying. Isn't that something? Here we have the shepherd of the Catholic Church telling you that you are not allowed to do this because you won't turn over your property and give him your money.
[Mr. Bach speaks often of distortions and lies. Here is a perfect example of another of his.]
Well, now...
It's just amazing.
They say that they have given you all those assurances, you either don't believe them....
I just told you! What assurances! If they put their people, clergymen that answer directly to the bishop, in charge, we have no way to touch that money or control it. What assurance is there? We've asked for them to give us control that will stand up in civil court. They refuse. This last proposal wanted the operating of the church to - we were willing to rent it out to them, lease it out to them, just as St. Anselm's does and, for zero cost and they refused to do that. Now you've got a corporation here, St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church that continues to operate that way.
[St. Anselm's is run by the Benedictines and St. Francis Xavier, by the Jesuits...they are not diocesan priests. The example given by Mr. Bach is flawed and without any foundation. But then, should we expect anything else?]
You know, we're not the only ones here. This is a matter of, because, ya know, why are we so attractive all of a sudden? This just has to be brought under the fold? Well, it just happens to coincide with the redevelopment and growth in that area and the values there. And let's not fool anybody here, you know, he says there's money set aside to handle pedophile cases. Where's that money come from? And how do we know that's legit? You know, we have never seen a full accounting of any of these monies. You know, people sit there and donate money to the Archdiocese and they're getting tired of this whole process with the sex abuse cases and everything else. Where's this money go?
[Another distraction from the issues, Mr. Bach?]
Richard? Richard, I'm short on time, I have to take a break, I'll let you go, but one last question for you. Is there any talk inside St. Stanislaus of them leaving the affiliation of the Roman Catholic Church?
St Stanislaus Kostka has been a Roman Catholic Church since the beginning. The people are Roman Catholic faith, they want to stay Roman Catholic faith, and that is the intention.
Alright. Richard Bach, spokesperson for the church, St. Stanislaus. Thank you very much for your time.
Thank you. McGraw.
I found the part of the interview which led me to the conclusion that Mr. Bach was an integral and regular member of St. Stanislaus...The segment is located at about 4 minutes, 50 seconds into the interview and is so marked below.
McGraw Milhaven's comments/questions are in italics.
Richard Bach's comments are in normal type.
My comments will be enclosed in [brackets].
***********************************************
[Some preliminaries skipped]
Richard Bach, your official position is that you are the spokesperson for the
six member board, is that not correct?
I'm the spokesperson for St. Stanislaus Kostka.
You're the spokesperson for the whole church?
Correct.
Not just the board?
Correct.
Alright, well, for those just joining us, St. Louis Archbishop Raymond Burke
released a statement today saying that his extraordinary patience in dealing with the board has officially evaporated and that he is beginning the process to lead, to impose, an interdict on the sex member board. What are your thoughts, starting off?
Well, you can't help but feel anger, remorse, disillusionment, in this whole process. I mean, let me ask you, how would you feel, being bullied, in the bathroom, having your head bashed in, and then having a PR person tell you you're supposed to feel good about giving that bully your money. And then, you're paying that guy's salary on top of it.
[The insinuation that the Archbishop is "bashing your head in" is beyond contempt - the only plausible reason for such wording is to foster hostility or hatred toward the Archbishop, in violation of Canon 1373 and the the Eighth Commandement of the Decalogue]
Well, le...let's...
That's what we're dealing with here. They're telling you a story that is not true. And what is happening here, is that you're getting half-truths, you're getting misinformation, and, you know, like for instance, we proposed, we gave them four proposals - they received four proposals. When those things happen, we don't receive a proposal. Yet, just a few moments ago, he referred to those proposals, and this one, as the same thing.
Gee, I thought they didn't get those proposals.
Alright, he said, Jamie Allman said last segment that there was a proposal that Roger Krasnicki said, boy, this looks really good, I'll bring it to the board...He said that proposal was there and it sounded like you guys had some type of agreement. Speak to that comment.
That's not true. The closest agreement that we have come to, from a step away from what they had was something that occurred a couple of months ago. And that was a step closer. And so they had made an inch. Now we are no longer, no further along now than we were back in March. Our...our concerns have never, ever, been addressed by the Archbishop. What he's telling you as far as wresting control, or taking authority away, doing something illegal, those aren't true. We have never done anything illegal. They have never wrested control away from anything.
The Board of Directors are answering to the parishioners. The corporation has always had control of that property. We did not get it from the Archdiocese. It was a parish that was started for the purpose of the Polish community here in St. Louis and there's nothing to be returned. That money that's there that they want is a separate fund from the operating fund. That money was designed for the purpose of keeping and maintaining the property of the church and everything else when people aren't around. When there's only one person coming into church and they need the money in order to maintain it. It was left there by our predecessors and by current people for that purpose.
[If the corporation has always had control of the property, then how is it possible that Archbishop Kenrick deeded the property to the corporation in 1891 if the corporation already owned it?]
The operating fund has always been under the control of the person which was a pastor and lately an administrator, not a pastor but an administrator and he wrote the checks. His control wasn't taken away from any of that money until the end of July when we, as the parishioners, did not receive answer with regard to questionable expenses which did not have invoices, statements, or bills, or anything else that correspond with money that was spent by Fr. Bene and we wanted those answers. And instead of getting an independent audit as we requested, we were told "Just deal with it", and then we decided, and the board of directors with their fiduciary responsibility, pulled his signature off the account.
Then he was taken away in retaliation of that. The question lies here, why can't we get an independent audit of that operation fund?
Jamie Allman says they have made assurances to you that they don't want to take your land -do you agree with that?
NO!
Jamie Allman says they have made assurances that they don't want to close the church...
It's, you know, we have never gotten anything in writing from the Archbishop that specifies the word "church". What we have received is the word parish. Parish is the group of individuals that can move from location to location as is now being done with the consolidations and the closures - so you can move the parish of St. Stanislaus over to St. Joseph's in Clayton and still have the parish of St. Stanislaus in existence but the church itself can be closed. So, you know, that's the whole point of what we're saying with these half-truths and this misinterpretation and misinformation. You have to, and, and, by doing that you're intentionally lying because you're not telling the whole truth.
[And the insinuation is that the Archbishop is LYING?]
[At approx 4:50 minutes into the interview]
I've been involved in this for 40 years, McGraw, that was the parish I was born in. I'm not stepping into this now just as a job two months ago. I can tell you what's happened in the parish for the last 40 years, FIRSTHAND!
[This statement is contradicted by a letter written by a 20+year parishioner]
Jamie Allman also says they have made assurances that they don't want your money
That's not true, either, because that's the first they they do, they take control of the money, they put it in to trusts and into funds that only the Archbishop, the dean, the Vicar General or the pastor or administrator would have control of. So what response do we have? And let me tell you, there is a document that they are surprised that we can read, I guess, because they want to know where we got it, but it's in their own book. It's titled "Closure of Parishes". What happens is the diocese takes a loan against your property or takes a loan against those monies.
Gee, there's a debt. So then, what happens is, when a parish is closed, when they decide to liquidate those assets, the first thing to get paid off is those loans. The second thing to get paid off is any expenses the diocese has for running your property. The third thing that gets paid off are any expenses that the diocese incurs in having this whole process disseminated. Then the last thing that they can do is move no more than a half a million dollars to the location wherever they move the parishioners. That is in black and white - in their book - in their processes.
[And the point is what?]
Jamie Allman also says that it is not just Archbishop Burke, it is also the Vatican that is telling you and the board and the church to come back into compliance with the Catholic Church.
Again, there are people who have been misinformed at the Vatican - cardinals, bishops, we have been speaking to them. In fact we had a meeting with a bishop just this past weekend and they are misinformed with the way this entire process has been established with this church. They did not know, in fact this bishop, in particular did not know that the archdiocese did not own the property prior to. They NEVER owned the property. There are many churches in Europe, in Canada, in the US, all over the world that are configured this way - that are owned by the lay people.
[Who are these cardinals and bishops at the Vatican with whom you have spoken and who are those who have been misinformed? How about some facts which can be verified? And again, how was the deed transferred by Archbishop Kenrick?]
That's the way it was in the older days. You had villages where the people controlled the church. The priest came in, gave you the spiritual benefit that he had and you were providing the facility. And that's exactly what we were here anticipating this entire time, that's what we had - the priest has always had the spiritual guidance of, of the people. He has always been in control of that spiritual guidance - we never wrested control of that, we have never taken that away.
This question all arose over money and property and nothing else. And as far as the Vatican directive, it was - it stated in there specifically that Roger's appeal could not be heard and it was denied because he didn't have proper authority to file the appeal. That is what that directive says. And then, on top of that, we're supposed to communicate and deal with the archbishop. Well, how are we allowed to communicate and deal with the archbishop if there's been a lack of communication, a lack of interest in compromise? His attitude has always been, "It's my way or no way." I mean, we've never been in violation of any doctrinal law or practice. And it's just a shame that egos are replacing the morals and true leadership in this case.
[Whose egos are getting in the way? Who is blinded by his pride?]
The six member board is facing an interdict which means that they are not allowed to received any of the Roman Catholic Sacraments - we are headed into Lent. Tomorrow is Ash Wednesday. What are they saying inside St. Stanislaus?
What's changed? We've been without a priest and we've been denied the Sacraments since this entire thing started...
[No Sacraments were denied. This is an outright lie! McGraw seems to know this because he states:]
You could get Sacraments somewhere else...
Hhhhhuh...OK, Do they have a mug shot book? How do they know? These people will go ahead and deny to honor this. They have this ???? process...They can do this, they can say, "I don't honor this". This goes into a cold, huge drawn-out process of appeal where there have been many of these that have been overturned on the basis of doctrine and faith and this is not doctrine and faith. This is property and money.
Are you saying...
So obviously and ultimately, we have faith that this will be corrected. But, in the meantime, we're tired of getting our head bashed in by a person standing there with a bat in his hand because he has the authority to do so.
[Here again, for the second time, the allusion to an horrendous act of physical violence being perpetrated on you and others is despicable. I implore you to publicly recant these malicious and inflammatory statements!]
Are you saying that they will receive Communion somewhere else and defy the interdict?
You know, those individuals will have to answer for their conscience but in the meantime, they can't continue on the way they are now and if this entire appeal process, it follows through, however, however it goes through, they can go ahead until it is formalized, until there is an end to it, until it is deemed by the Vatican or by whoever through the Congregation for the Clergy that this is legitimate, they can go on with their processes as they are now...
If the interdict is imposed and while they are fighting this through the appeals, one of the six members dies, they will nor be allowed a Catholic funeral?
I guess that's what he's saying. Isn't that something? Here we have the shepherd of the Catholic Church telling you that you are not allowed to do this because you won't turn over your property and give him your money.
[Mr. Bach speaks often of distortions and lies. Here is a perfect example of another of his.]
Well, now...
It's just amazing.
They say that they have given you all those assurances, you either don't believe them....
I just told you! What assurances! If they put their people, clergymen that answer directly to the bishop, in charge, we have no way to touch that money or control it. What assurance is there? We've asked for them to give us control that will stand up in civil court. They refuse. This last proposal wanted the operating of the church to - we were willing to rent it out to them, lease it out to them, just as St. Anselm's does and, for zero cost and they refused to do that. Now you've got a corporation here, St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church that continues to operate that way.
[St. Anselm's is run by the Benedictines and St. Francis Xavier, by the Jesuits...they are not diocesan priests. The example given by Mr. Bach is flawed and without any foundation. But then, should we expect anything else?]
You know, we're not the only ones here. This is a matter of, because, ya know, why are we so attractive all of a sudden? This just has to be brought under the fold? Well, it just happens to coincide with the redevelopment and growth in that area and the values there. And let's not fool anybody here, you know, he says there's money set aside to handle pedophile cases. Where's that money come from? And how do we know that's legit? You know, we have never seen a full accounting of any of these monies. You know, people sit there and donate money to the Archdiocese and they're getting tired of this whole process with the sex abuse cases and everything else. Where's this money go?
[Another distraction from the issues, Mr. Bach?]
Richard? Richard, I'm short on time, I have to take a break, I'll let you go, but one last question for you. Is there any talk inside St. Stanislaus of them leaving the affiliation of the Roman Catholic Church?
St Stanislaus Kostka has been a Roman Catholic Church since the beginning. The people are Roman Catholic faith, they want to stay Roman Catholic faith, and that is the intention.
Alright. Richard Bach, spokesperson for the church, St. Stanislaus. Thank you very much for your time.
Thank you. McGraw.
Gospel for March 19, Solemnity: St. Joseph, Husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary
From: Matthew 1:16, 18-21, 24
The Ancestry of Jesus Christ (Continuation)
[16] And Jacob, (was) the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ.
The Virginal Conception of Jesus, and His Birth
[18] Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child of the Holy Spirit; [19] and her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to send her away quietly. [20] But as he considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit; [21] she will bear a son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins." [24] When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him.
*********************
Commentary:
16. Jewish genealogies followed the male line. Joseph, being Mary's husband, was the legal father of Jesus. The legal father is on a par with the real father as regards rights and duties. This fact provides a sound basis for recognizing St. Joseph as Patron of the whole Church, since he was chosen to play a very special role in God's plan for our salvation; with Joseph as his legal father, Jesus the Messiah has David as his successor.
Since it was quite usual for people to marry within their clan, it can be concluded that Mary belonged to the house of David. Several early Fathers of the Church testify to this--for example, St. Ignatius of Antioch, St. Irenaeus, St. Justin and Tertullian, who base their testimony on an unbroken oral tradition.
It should also be pointed out that when St. Matthew comes to speak of the birth of Jesus, he uses an expression which is completely different from that used for the other people in the genealogy. With these words the text positively teaches that Mary conceived Jesus while still a virgin, without the intervention of man.
18. St. Matthew relates here how Christ was conceived (cf. Luke 1:25-38): "We truly honor and venerate (Mary) as Mother of God, because she gave birth to a person who is at the same time both God and man" ("St. Pius V Catechism", I, 4, 7).
According to the provisions of the Law of Moses, engagement took place about one year before marriage and enjoyed almost the same legal validity. The marriage proper consisted, among other ceremonies, in the bride being brought solemnly and joyously to her husband's house (cf. Deuteronomy 20:7).
From the moment of engagement onwards, a certificate of divorce was needed in the event of a break in the relationship between the couple.
The entire account of Jesus' birth teaches, through the different fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah 7:14 (which is expressly quoted in verses 22-23) that: 1) Jesus has David as His ancestor since Joseph is His legal father; 2) Mary is the Virgin who gives birth according to the prophecy; 3) the Child's conception without the intervention of man was miraculous.
19. "St. Joseph was an ordinary sort of man on whom God relied to do great things. He did exactly what the Lord wanted him to do, in each and every event that went to make up his life. That is why Scripture praises Joseph as `a just man'. In Hebrew a just man means a good and faithful servant of God, someone who fulfills the divine will (cf. Genesis 7:1; 18:23-32; Ezekiel 18:5ff.; Proverbs 12:10), or who is honorable and charitable toward his neighbor (cf. Tobias 7:6; 9:6). So a just man is someone who loves God and proves his love by keeping God's commandments and directing his whole life towards the service of his brothers, his fellow men" ([St] J. Escriva, "Christ Is Passing By", 40).
Joseph considered his spouse to be holy despite the signs that she was going to have a child. He was therefore faced with a situation he could not explain. Precisely because he was trying to do God's will, he felt obliged to put her away; but to shield her from public shame he decided to send her away quietly.
Mary's silence is admirable. Her perfect surrender to God even leads her to the extreme of not defending her honor or innocence. She prefers to suffer suspicion and shame rather than reveal the work of grace in her. Faced with a fact which was inexplicable in human terms she abandons herself confidently to the love and providence of God. God certainly submitted the holy souls of Joseph and Mary to a severe trial. We ought not to be surprised if we also undergo difficult trials in the course of our lives. We ought to trust in God during them, and remain faithful to Him, following the example they gave us.
20. God gives His light to those who act in an upright way and who trust in His power and wisdom when faced with situations which exceed human understanding. By calling him the son of David, the angel reminds Joseph that he is the providential link which joins Jesus with the family of David, according to Nathan's messianic prophecy (cf. 2 Samuel 7:12). As St. John Chrysostom says: "At the very start he straightaway reminds him of David, of whom the Christ was to spring, and he does not wish him to be worried from the moment he reminds him, through naming his most illustrious ancestor, of the promise made to all his lineage" ("Hom. on St. Matthew", 4).
"The same Jesus Christ, our only Lord, the Son of God, when He assumed human flesh for us in the womb of the Virgin, was not conceived like other men, from the seed of man, but in a manner transcending the order of nature, that is, by the power of the Holy Spirit, so that the same person, remaining God as He was from eternity, became man, which He was not before" ("St. Pius V Catechism", I, 4, 1).
21. According to the Hebrew root, the name Jesus means "savior". After our Lady, St. Joseph is the first person to be told by God that salvation has begun.
"Jesus is the proper name of the God-man and signifies `Savior' - a name given Him not accidentally, or by the judgment or will of man, but by the counsel and command of God" [...]. All other names which prophecy gave to the Son of God - Wonderful, Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace (cf. Isaiah 9:6) - are comprised in this one name Jesus; for while they partially signified the salvation which He was to bestow on us, this name included the force and meaning of all human salvation" ("St. Pius V Catechism", I, 3, 5 and 6).
*********************************
Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland.
Reprinted with permission from Four Courts Press and Scepter Publishers, the U.S. publisher.
The Ancestry of Jesus Christ (Continuation)
[16] And Jacob, (was) the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ.
The Virginal Conception of Jesus, and His Birth
[18] Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child of the Holy Spirit; [19] and her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to send her away quietly. [20] But as he considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit; [21] she will bear a son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins." [24] When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him.
*********************
Commentary:
16. Jewish genealogies followed the male line. Joseph, being Mary's husband, was the legal father of Jesus. The legal father is on a par with the real father as regards rights and duties. This fact provides a sound basis for recognizing St. Joseph as Patron of the whole Church, since he was chosen to play a very special role in God's plan for our salvation; with Joseph as his legal father, Jesus the Messiah has David as his successor.
Since it was quite usual for people to marry within their clan, it can be concluded that Mary belonged to the house of David. Several early Fathers of the Church testify to this--for example, St. Ignatius of Antioch, St. Irenaeus, St. Justin and Tertullian, who base their testimony on an unbroken oral tradition.
It should also be pointed out that when St. Matthew comes to speak of the birth of Jesus, he uses an expression which is completely different from that used for the other people in the genealogy. With these words the text positively teaches that Mary conceived Jesus while still a virgin, without the intervention of man.
18. St. Matthew relates here how Christ was conceived (cf. Luke 1:25-38): "We truly honor and venerate (Mary) as Mother of God, because she gave birth to a person who is at the same time both God and man" ("St. Pius V Catechism", I, 4, 7).
According to the provisions of the Law of Moses, engagement took place about one year before marriage and enjoyed almost the same legal validity. The marriage proper consisted, among other ceremonies, in the bride being brought solemnly and joyously to her husband's house (cf. Deuteronomy 20:7).
From the moment of engagement onwards, a certificate of divorce was needed in the event of a break in the relationship between the couple.
The entire account of Jesus' birth teaches, through the different fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah 7:14 (which is expressly quoted in verses 22-23) that: 1) Jesus has David as His ancestor since Joseph is His legal father; 2) Mary is the Virgin who gives birth according to the prophecy; 3) the Child's conception without the intervention of man was miraculous.
19. "St. Joseph was an ordinary sort of man on whom God relied to do great things. He did exactly what the Lord wanted him to do, in each and every event that went to make up his life. That is why Scripture praises Joseph as `a just man'. In Hebrew a just man means a good and faithful servant of God, someone who fulfills the divine will (cf. Genesis 7:1; 18:23-32; Ezekiel 18:5ff.; Proverbs 12:10), or who is honorable and charitable toward his neighbor (cf. Tobias 7:6; 9:6). So a just man is someone who loves God and proves his love by keeping God's commandments and directing his whole life towards the service of his brothers, his fellow men" ([St] J. Escriva, "Christ Is Passing By", 40).
Joseph considered his spouse to be holy despite the signs that she was going to have a child. He was therefore faced with a situation he could not explain. Precisely because he was trying to do God's will, he felt obliged to put her away; but to shield her from public shame he decided to send her away quietly.
Mary's silence is admirable. Her perfect surrender to God even leads her to the extreme of not defending her honor or innocence. She prefers to suffer suspicion and shame rather than reveal the work of grace in her. Faced with a fact which was inexplicable in human terms she abandons herself confidently to the love and providence of God. God certainly submitted the holy souls of Joseph and Mary to a severe trial. We ought not to be surprised if we also undergo difficult trials in the course of our lives. We ought to trust in God during them, and remain faithful to Him, following the example they gave us.
20. God gives His light to those who act in an upright way and who trust in His power and wisdom when faced with situations which exceed human understanding. By calling him the son of David, the angel reminds Joseph that he is the providential link which joins Jesus with the family of David, according to Nathan's messianic prophecy (cf. 2 Samuel 7:12). As St. John Chrysostom says: "At the very start he straightaway reminds him of David, of whom the Christ was to spring, and he does not wish him to be worried from the moment he reminds him, through naming his most illustrious ancestor, of the promise made to all his lineage" ("Hom. on St. Matthew", 4).
"The same Jesus Christ, our only Lord, the Son of God, when He assumed human flesh for us in the womb of the Virgin, was not conceived like other men, from the seed of man, but in a manner transcending the order of nature, that is, by the power of the Holy Spirit, so that the same person, remaining God as He was from eternity, became man, which He was not before" ("St. Pius V Catechism", I, 4, 1).
21. According to the Hebrew root, the name Jesus means "savior". After our Lady, St. Joseph is the first person to be told by God that salvation has begun.
"Jesus is the proper name of the God-man and signifies `Savior' - a name given Him not accidentally, or by the judgment or will of man, but by the counsel and command of God" [...]. All other names which prophecy gave to the Son of God - Wonderful, Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace (cf. Isaiah 9:6) - are comprised in this one name Jesus; for while they partially signified the salvation which He was to bestow on us, this name included the force and meaning of all human salvation" ("St. Pius V Catechism", I, 3, 5 and 6).
*********************************
Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland.
Reprinted with permission from Four Courts Press and Scepter Publishers, the U.S. publisher.
Friday, March 18, 2005
Source: Schiavo's Feeding Tube Is Removed
If this story is true, then a premeditated act of murder has begun. Greer's court order cannot, in any way, be seen as a legitimate or lawful act of government. He and Michael Schiavo and anyone else complicit in this act should be immediately arrested and charged with attempted murder and Terri Schiavo must be immediately removed from her chamber of torture and be given the care she so desperately needs and which has been denied to her.
PINELLAS PARK, Fla. - Doctors removed Terri Schiavo's feeding tube Friday despite an extraordinary, last-minute push by Republicans on Capitol Hill to use the subpoena powers of Congress to keep the severely brain-damaged woman alive, a source close to the case told The Associated Press.Source.
Judge OKs Removal of Schiavo Feeding Tube
Florida Judge Says Brain-Damaged Terri Schiavo's Feeding Tube Can Be Removed Despite Senate EffortsSource.
PINELLAS PARK, Fla. Mar 18, 2005 — The presiding judge in the case of Terri Schiavo ruled Friday that the feeding tube keeping the brain-damaged woman alive can be removed despite efforts by congressional Republicans to block the move by seeking her appearance at hearings.
Pinellas Circuit Judge George Greer refused a request from U.S. House attorneys to delay the removal, which he had previously ordered to take place at 1 p.m. EST. Greer determined that it should go forward about an hour after another judge issued a temporary delay blocking the tube's removal.
There was no immediate word on when the tube might be removed.
Subpoena Delivered to Schiavo's Hospice
PINELLAS PARK, Fla. - As a deadline loomed, a subpoena was delivered Friday at the hospice where severely brain-damaged Terri Schiavo lives, and an attorney for her parents said they hoped an invitation from U.S. Senate Republicans would buy them more time.More here.
The hospice where Terri Schiavo lives received a subpoena late Friday morning, spokeswoman Louise Cleary said. Officials declined to say who was subpoenaed and did not disclose their next steps.
"It is a contempt of Congress to prevent or discourage someone from following the subpoena that's been issued," David Gibbs, the attorney for her parents, said. "What the U.S. Congress is saying is, `We want to see Terri Schiavo.'"
A Letter to the Editor of the Post, Which Won't Be Printed
**** Updated ****
I have moved this post to the top, so that it doesn't become buried or lost.
*******************
This is another response to the Post Dispatch's biased reporting of the St Stanislaus issue.
The following letter comes from one of the displaced parishioners of St Stanislaus who was interviewed by Aisha Sultan, the reporter for the Post Dispatch for her recent article here. This man has been a parishioner at St Stanislaus for some 22 years. He sent me his letter to the Post Dispatch, which I graciously accepted. Since the chances of the Post printing a letter exposing the biased reporting of its journalist is unlikely to be printed within its own pages, I feel privileged to be able to post it here.
-----------------------------------------
To the Editor
Thank you for quoting some of the facts, that I gave your reporter Aisha Sultan during our conversation on March 13, in article "250 attend Mass backing (Archbishop) Burke in St. Stanislaus Kostka Fight" issued in March 14, 2005 St. Louis Post-Dispatch. However, I am a little disappointed that she did not make any mention, in her article, of any of the facts that I emphasized repeatedly during our conversation regarding the history of our parish.
I mentioned to her that our parish had two Masses on each Sunday, one in Polish and the other in English. The Polish Mass was attended by 100 to 120 parishioners each Sunday. The English Mass was attended by 20 to 40 parishioners. As a point of reference, the Polish Masses in our temporary church at St. John the Apostle and Evangelist Church are attended by 80 to 100 parishioners. This number roughly constitutes around 80% the Polish speaking St. Stanislaus Kostka Parishioners that regularly attended services at the St. Stanislaus Kostka Church. Overall the 80 to 100 parishioners that attend Mass at St. John the Apostle and Evangelist Church represent approximately 60% of all parishioners who actively participated in the weekly religious life of our parish.
These are the facts that have not been told by the directors. Most of the board supporters did not actively participate in the weekly religious life of our parish. Most of these supporters visited our church 2 to 4 times a year - for social events. These are the facts that I asked her to include in her article.
Case in point of this is the example of one the most vocal of these supporters [of the board], Mr. Richard Bach, who she cites in her article. He, himself, is a member of a different parish and did not regularly attend our Masses for as long as I can remember (over 20 years). For all these years, he did not need the St. Stanislaus Church, to which now, he is so attached. In reality, these 'so-called' friends and supporters, along with the board of directors, are hijacking the St. Stanislaus Parish, week in and week out, from the parishioners of St. Stanislaus Church. This is the story that she was suppose to tell.
My biggest disappointment in her article is a distorted fact about St Stanislaus Church that is constantly repeated by every media outlet. This being the following: "St.Stanislaus ..... has been controlled by its own board since 1891." This is a lie. If the directors had legally controlled our parish for so many years, why did they secretly and illegally changed the original by-law in 2001? This fact can easily be verified by reading the original deed and the original by-laws on the Archdiocesan website. The original deed was made out to the Polish Roman Catholic St. Stanislaus Parish - not to the board of directors. From the beginning the parish was legally controlled by the Pastor and the Archdiocese not by the board of directors. The Pastor always was the president of the board, and was always legally responsible for the finances and the administration of the parish. This was true until the illegal change of the by-laws took place in 2001. The present dispute reached critical mass in August 2004 when the board of directors formally took all financial control of our Parish’s assets from our Pastor. These are the facts that need to be told.
Sincerely,
E. Brzyski
--------------------------------------------
I find the information about Mr. Richard Bach extremely interesting considering the statements he has made to the press for the past several months. Frankly, I was under the impression he has been attending St. Stanislaus religiously for the past 40 years - since he was baptized....Evidently, I will need to review the audio clips and other information to determine why I was led to believe this apparent fabrication.
A Special Thanks to Mr. Brzyski who is helping to expose the truth!
I have moved this post to the top, so that it doesn't become buried or lost.
*******************
This is another response to the Post Dispatch's biased reporting of the St Stanislaus issue.
The following letter comes from one of the displaced parishioners of St Stanislaus who was interviewed by Aisha Sultan, the reporter for the Post Dispatch for her recent article here. This man has been a parishioner at St Stanislaus for some 22 years. He sent me his letter to the Post Dispatch, which I graciously accepted. Since the chances of the Post printing a letter exposing the biased reporting of its journalist is unlikely to be printed within its own pages, I feel privileged to be able to post it here.
-----------------------------------------
To the Editor
Thank you for quoting some of the facts, that I gave your reporter Aisha Sultan during our conversation on March 13, in article "250 attend Mass backing (Archbishop) Burke in St. Stanislaus Kostka Fight" issued in March 14, 2005 St. Louis Post-Dispatch. However, I am a little disappointed that she did not make any mention, in her article, of any of the facts that I emphasized repeatedly during our conversation regarding the history of our parish.
I mentioned to her that our parish had two Masses on each Sunday, one in Polish and the other in English. The Polish Mass was attended by 100 to 120 parishioners each Sunday. The English Mass was attended by 20 to 40 parishioners. As a point of reference, the Polish Masses in our temporary church at St. John the Apostle and Evangelist Church are attended by 80 to 100 parishioners. This number roughly constitutes around 80% the Polish speaking St. Stanislaus Kostka Parishioners that regularly attended services at the St. Stanislaus Kostka Church. Overall the 80 to 100 parishioners that attend Mass at St. John the Apostle and Evangelist Church represent approximately 60% of all parishioners who actively participated in the weekly religious life of our parish.
These are the facts that have not been told by the directors. Most of the board supporters did not actively participate in the weekly religious life of our parish. Most of these supporters visited our church 2 to 4 times a year - for social events. These are the facts that I asked her to include in her article.
Case in point of this is the example of one the most vocal of these supporters [of the board], Mr. Richard Bach, who she cites in her article. He, himself, is a member of a different parish and did not regularly attend our Masses for as long as I can remember (over 20 years). For all these years, he did not need the St. Stanislaus Church, to which now, he is so attached. In reality, these 'so-called' friends and supporters, along with the board of directors, are hijacking the St. Stanislaus Parish, week in and week out, from the parishioners of St. Stanislaus Church. This is the story that she was suppose to tell.
My biggest disappointment in her article is a distorted fact about St Stanislaus Church that is constantly repeated by every media outlet. This being the following: "St.Stanislaus ..... has been controlled by its own board since 1891." This is a lie. If the directors had legally controlled our parish for so many years, why did they secretly and illegally changed the original by-law in 2001? This fact can easily be verified by reading the original deed and the original by-laws on the Archdiocesan website. The original deed was made out to the Polish Roman Catholic St. Stanislaus Parish - not to the board of directors. From the beginning the parish was legally controlled by the Pastor and the Archdiocese not by the board of directors. The Pastor always was the president of the board, and was always legally responsible for the finances and the administration of the parish. This was true until the illegal change of the by-laws took place in 2001. The present dispute reached critical mass in August 2004 when the board of directors formally took all financial control of our Parish’s assets from our Pastor. These are the facts that need to be told.
Sincerely,
E. Brzyski
--------------------------------------------
I find the information about Mr. Richard Bach extremely interesting considering the statements he has made to the press for the past several months. Frankly, I was under the impression he has been attending St. Stanislaus religiously for the past 40 years - since he was baptized....Evidently, I will need to review the audio clips and other information to determine why I was led to believe this apparent fabrication.
A Special Thanks to Mr. Brzyski who is helping to expose the truth!
A Letter of Gratitude to Archbishop Burke
Editor:Source.
The magnificent structure of St. Francis de Sales Church, the so-called "Cathedral of South St. Louis," is a very appropriate setting for the beauty and piety of the Traditional Mass. Its pre-existing accommodations (air conditioning, parking, church basement, two school buildings, rectory and a convent) provide the opportunity for a great future for the Latin Mass apostolate and for a lot of new activities.
The new canonical status of an oratory grants much broader possibilities for the pastoral needs of the faithful and for the development of the Latin Mass in St. Louis. As the number of faithful attending the Latin Mass at St. Agatha has already grown during the last two months from 300 to around 500 on a normal Sunday, St. Francis de Sales, the biggest church of the archdiocese after the Cathedral Basilica, will allow for further growth of the apostolate.
Therefore the decision of the Most Reverend Archbishop to transfer the Latin Mass Apostolate to St. Francis de Sales Church is indeed a great and generous gift to all of us in the archdiocese. The necessary structural work will take some time and effort, but it is worthwhile to assure the great future of the Latin Mass in St. Louis, the "Rome of the West." Generous donors have assured their help to make necessary improvements.
With gratitude towards his Excellency, Archbishop Burke, and to all the faithful who have welcomed us here, we look forward to a fruitful apostolate at St. Francis de Sales and the opportunity to serve the Church at large in the Archdiocese of St. Louis.
Msgr. Michael R. Schmitz, Rector of St. Agatha
U.S. Provincial Superiore
Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest
April 11-14, Parish Mission with Fr. Pablo Straub
Parish mission
St. Theodore Parish, 5051 Highway P, Wentzville, MO. will host Catholic television evangelist Father Pablo Straub for a parish mission open to all, Monday-Thursday, April 11-14.
Each evening will begin with the rosary at 6:30, followed by Mass at 7 p.m. Father Straub will deliver his message on a different subject each evening during the Mass.
A missionary priest of the St. Alphonsus Redemptorist order, he has lived the last 12 years in rural Mexico. He also is on EWTN Catholic television. Call (636) 332-9269 for more information.
St. Theodore Parish, 5051 Highway P, Wentzville, MO. will host Catholic television evangelist Father Pablo Straub for a parish mission open to all, Monday-Thursday, April 11-14.
Each evening will begin with the rosary at 6:30, followed by Mass at 7 p.m. Father Straub will deliver his message on a different subject each evening during the Mass.
A missionary priest of the St. Alphonsus Redemptorist order, he has lived the last 12 years in rural Mexico. He also is on EWTN Catholic television. Call (636) 332-9269 for more information.
The Holy Father's Letter to Priests for Holy Thursday
VATICAN CITY, MAR 18, 2005 (VIS) -In the Holy See Press Office this morning, Cardinal Dario Castrillon Hoyos, prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy, presented the Pope's Letter to Priests for Holy Thursday 2005. Also present at the press conference were Archbishop Csaba Ternyak and Msgr. Giovanni Carru, respectively secretary and under-secretary of the congregation.More here.
The eleven-page document, dated March 13, has been published in English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian and Polish.
Cardinal Castrillon affirmed that this year's Letter has a special resonance because it was signed in "a place marked by the Cross of Christ," Rome's Gemelli Hospital.
The Full Letter of the Holy Father to Priests for Holy Thursday 2005 is here.
Ancient devotional service returns to New Cathedral
Great News!
A Tenebrae service will return to the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis after an absence of several decades.More.
The approximately hourlong devotional practice will begin about 9 p.m. Holy Thursday, March 24, at the cathedral basilica, Lindell Boulevard and Newstead Avenue in the Central West End. It follows the Mass of the Lord’s Supper that evening.
Tenebrae is Latin for "darkness" or "shadows." The ancient service of sung psalms and scriptural readings during Holy Week dates from medieval times. It focuses on Christ’s passion and death, ending with the "hope for His resurrection that we’ll celebrate on Easter," said Tenebrae coordinator Father Thomas G. Keller, co-director of the Office of Worship.
Archbishop Burke: The Paschal Mystery
A great article on the Paschal Mystery and the Easter Triduum.
Some highlights (at least for me):
Archbishop Burke further reminds us:
Some highlights (at least for me):
An ancient tradition in the Church holds that Christ died on the cross on the same date as He was conceived by the Holy Spirit in the womb of the Virgin Mary, that is, March 25. The liturgical practice of the Byzantine Rite respects the inseparable connection of the Incarnation and the Crucifixion. To quote a great theologian of our time, the late Hans Urs von Balthasar: "To say Incarnation is to say Cross" (quoted in John Saward, The Mysteries of March, Washington, D.C.: The Catholic University of America Press, 1990, page 3). The whole reason of the Incarnation is the Redemption of man on the Cross. God the Son’s total outpouring of self by taking our human nature in the womb of the Virgin Mary reached its fullest expression when He died on the cross for us.And Archbishop Burke reminds us of our Lord's infinite love for us and His perfect obedience:
In truth, we will never understand fully the depth of Christ’s love, what His suffering and dying meant for Him. As we recall Christ’s triumphal entrance into Jerusalem, with the crowds hailing Him as King, we also the repeated cry of the people: "Let Him be crucified" (Matthew 27:22-23). We meditate upon the obedience of Christ in carrying out the mission which the Father had entrusted to Him from the moment of His Incarnation in the womb of the Virgin Mary. Christ prays in the Garden of Gethsemane: "My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, Thy will be done" (Matthew 26:42). In the celebration of the Eucharistic Sacrifice, we participate in the fruit of Christ’s perfect obedience, His perfect union with the Father. In the Holy Eucharist, Christ pours out anew, now in an unbloody manner, His life for us.And again, we are reminded:
Participation in Holy Mass on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of Holy Week would be a wonderful way of accompanying Christ during these days. If participation in Mass is not possible, it would be good to make a visit to the Blessed Sacrament each day. For all, some time in quiet prayer each day will keep us united to Christ during these holiest of days. Praying the rosary is especially helpful for our meditation upon the mystery of the Redemptive Incarnation.Good Friday has a special and different meaning for me since last year. Despite whatever readings and prayers and other religious activities in which I may have participated, the movie, "The Passion" forced me to come face-to-face with the reality of what our Lord suffered and endured to accomplish our redemption. Good Friday is a day of somber reflection on both our Lord's love for us and the offensiveness and evil of sin - especially our personal sins and transgressions.
....
I remind you that Good Friday is a day of abstinence and fasting. In our homes, we should make a special effort to foster silence on Good Friday to honor our Lord in His Suffering and Dying.
Archbishop Burke further reminds us:
As archbishop, as your shepherd, I urge you to plan now your full participation in the sacred liturgies of Holy Week and, especially, of the Sacred Triduum. If you have not yet confessed your sins and received our Lord’s forgiveness in the Sacrament of Penance in preparation for your participation, please do so in these days.Full article here.
One of the Consequences of Separating from the Church...
...one begins to journey in darkness...
Old Catholic order ordains three gay menMore.
While the Episcopal Church in the United States endures a moratorium on the ordination of all bishops because of the worldwide Anglican backlash over out New Hampshire bishop V. Gene Robinson, a smaller U.S. Christian religious order is continuing to fill its ranks with openly gay clergy. The Benedictine Order of St. John the Beloved, which follows the teachings of the Old Catholic Church, ordained three new clergy on March 12.
...
Founded in Germany, the Old Catholic Church broke away from the Roman Catholic Church in 1870, when the pope in Rome declared himself infallible. It therefore traces its roots back directly to St. Peter. The Benedictine order is based in Pennsylvania.
Bishop Brom Denies Catholic Funeral for Night Club Owner
The owner of a popular local nightclub with a gay clientele can't have a funeral in the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego because the church has deemed his business "inconsistent with Catholic moral teaching."More.
None of the 98 Catholic churches in San Diego or Imperial counties will be allowed to provide services for Club Montage owner John McCusker as a result of the decision by San Diego Bishop Robert Brom.
Chancellor Rodrigo Valdivia, a diocese spokesman, said the bishop's order applies to all 98 parishes within the diocese's jurisdiction.
...
After finding out about the diocese's decision, McCusker's family called Councilwoman Toni Atkins, who is lesbian. She steered the family to St. Paul's Cathedral. ( Episcopal )
"Our basic philosophy at the cathedral is whoever you are and wherever you find yourself on the journey of faith, we welcome you," said the Very Rev. Scott Richardson, dean of the Episcopal church on Sixth Avenue.
A Vibrant Holy Week for the Vatican Aristocracy
Ratzinger gets the Easter vigil, to Sodano goes the “Urbi et Orbi,” to Ruini the Palm Sunday procession... These ceremonies unveil the power structure. But John Paul II is still at the helmThe choice of the word "Aristocracy" is a poor one, I think. I know of no faithful, committed Catholic who would view the hierarchy as an "aristocracy".
by Sandro Magister
I noticed this bit in the article, of which I was unaware:
Now more than ever, the leading Vatican authorities are teaming up. There is a comparison to be made with the last years of Pius XII, a pope who concentrated power in himself to such an extent that he didn’t even name a secretary of state. When he fell ill, he let everything fall apart: it is no accident that the following conclave, from which John XXIII finally emerged, was the longest and most confused of the century. It’s different with Pope Wojtyla. He has always entrusted ordinary governance to others, and it’s still that way. There are just a very few things, all his own, that drive this pope. World Youth Day is one of these. The next one will be in Cologne, Germany in August, and he wants to be there at all costs. In the meantime, he has asked that for Palm Sunday on March 20 the young people begin to fill up Saint Peter’s Square. (my emphasis)More here.
Priest Forbids VOTF from Meeting on Parish Property
MENDHAM - The local chapter of Voice of the Faithful (VOTF), a national organization formed to protect people from sexual abuse by priests, will find no welcome at St. Joseph Church.More.
The new pastor at St. Joseph’s Roman Catholic Church has notified the group that it can’t meet at the church. The group had planned to meet on April 11.
Syria's withdrawal will ease divisions, Lebanese cardinal says
Syrian troops' departure from Lebanon will remove the major reason for the Lebanese people to be divided, said Cardinal Nasrallah P. Sfeir, Maronite Catholic patriarch.Article.
Catholic on bioethics panel says he favors cloning for stem cells
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- At public meetings and in a major medical journal article, a prominent Catholic on the President's Council on Bioethics has supported cloning human embryos to extract stem cells.More.
Dr. Paul McHugh, psychiatry professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, argues that "without fooling around with it," the cloning process does not produce a viable human organism and should be regarded as tissue culture.
He would limit the existence of the cloned embryo to 14 days so as to prevent further development of the embryo that would allow for the harvesting of human organs or tissues.
Pennsylvania Police Accuse Priest of Downloading Child Porn
A Pennsylvania priest who lived at a Catholic church in West Orange in December and January was charged yesterday with possession of child pornography in Monroe County, Pa.Article here
The Rev. Virgil Bradley Tetherow, 40, of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Scranton, Pa., allegedly downloaded images of child pornography onto a computer used by a secretary at the St. Ann's Catholic Church rectory in Tobyhanna, Pa., while visiting there in January, authorities said.
Gospel for Friday, 5th Week of Lent
From: John 10:31-42
Jesus and the Father Are One (Continuation)
[31] The Jews took stones again to stone Him (Jesus). [32] Jesus answered them, "I have shown you many good works from the Father; for which of these do you stone Me?" [33] The Jews answered Him, "We stone you for no good work but for blasphemy; because You, being a man, make Yourself God." [34] Jesus answered them, "Is it not written in your law, `I said you are gods'? [35] If He called them gods to whom the word of God came (and Scripture cannot be broken), [36] do you say of Him whom the Father consecrated and sent into the world, `You are blaspheming,' because I said, `I am the Son of God'? [37] If I am not doing the works of My Father, then do not believe Me; [38] but if I do them, even though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in Me and I am in the Father." [39] Again they tried to arrest Him, but He escaped from their hands.
[40] He went away again across the Jordan to the place where John at first baptized, and there He remained. [41] And many came to Him; and they said, "John did no sign, but everything that John said about this Man was true." [42] And many believed in Him there.
*******************
Commentary:
31-33. The Jews realize that Jesus is saying that He is God, but they interpret His words as blasphemy. He was called a blasphemer when He forgave the sins of the paralytic (Matthew 9:1-8), and He will also be accused of blasphemy when He is condemned after solemnly confessing His divinity before the Sanhedrin (Matthew 26:63-65). Our Lord, then, did reveal that He was God; but His hearers rejected this revelation of the mystery of the Incarnate God, refusing to examine the proof Jesus offered them; consequently, they accuse Him, a man, of making Himself God. Faith bases itself on reasonable evidence--miracles and prophecies--for believing that Jesus is really man and really God, even though our limited minds cannot work out how this can be so. Thus, our Lord, in order to affirm His divinity once more, uses two arguments which His adversaries cannot refute--the testimony of Sacred Scripture (prophecies) and that of His own works (miracles).
34-36. On a number of occasions the Gospel has shown our Lord replying to the Jews' objections. Here He patiently uses a form of argument which they regards as decisive - the authority of Sacred Scripture. He quotes Psalm 82 in which God upbraids certain judges for acting unjustly despite His reminding them that "You are gods, sons of the Most High, all of you" (Psalm 82:6). If this psalm calls the sons of Israel gods and sons of God, with how much more reason should He be called God who has been sanctified and sent by God? Christ's human nature, on being assumed by the Word, is sanctified completely and comes to the world to sanctify men. "The Fathers of the Church constantly proclaim that what was not assumed by Christ was not healed. Now Christ took a complete human nature just as it is found in us poor unfortunates, but one that was without sin, for Christ said of Himself that He was the one `whom the Father consecrated and sent into the world'" (Vatican II, "Ad Gentes", 3).
By using Sacred Scripture (cf. Matthew 4:4, 7, 10; Luke 4:1, 17) Jesus teaches us that Scripture comes from God. Therefore, the Church believes and affirms that "those divinely revealed realities which are contained and presented in Sacred Scripture have been committed to writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Holy Mother Church, relying on the belief of the Apostles, holds that the books of both the Old and New Testament in their entirety, with all their parts, are sacred and canonical because, having been written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit (cf. John 20:31; 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:19-21; 3:15-16) they have God as their author and have been handed on as such to the Church. [...] Therefore, since everything asserted by the inspired authors or sacred writers must be held to be asserted by the Holy Spirit, it follows that the books of Scriptures must be acknowledged as teaching firmly, faithfully, and without error that truth which God wanted put into the sacred writings for the sake of our salvation" (Vatican II, "Dei Verbum", 11).
37-38. The works which our Lord is referring to are His miracles, through which God's power is made manifest. Jesus presents His words and His works as forming a unity, with the miracles confirming His words and His words explaining the meaning of the miracles. Therefore, when He asserts that He is the Son of God, this revelation is supported by the credentials of the miracles He works: hence, if no one can deny the fact of the miracles, it is only right for Him to accept the truth of the words.
41-42. The opposition offered by some people (cf. John 10:20, 31, 39) contrasts with the way other people accept Him and follow Him to where He goes after this. St. John the Baptist's preparatory work is still producing results: those who accepted the Baptist's message now look for Christ and they believe when they see the truth of what the Precursor said: Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God (John 1:34).
Work done in the Lord's name is never useless: "Therefore, My beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain" (1 Corinthians 15:58). Just as the Baptist's word and example had the effect of helping many people later to believe in Jesus, the apostolic example given by Christians will never be in vain, even though the results may not come immediately. "To sow. The sower went out... Scatter your seed, apostolic soul. The wind of grace will bear it away if the furrow where it falls is not worthy.... Sow, and be certain that the seed will take root and bear fruit" ([St] J. Escriva, "The Way", 794).
***************
Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland.
Reprinted with permission from Four Courts Press and Scepter Publishers, the U.S. publisher.
Jesus and the Father Are One (Continuation)
[31] The Jews took stones again to stone Him (Jesus). [32] Jesus answered them, "I have shown you many good works from the Father; for which of these do you stone Me?" [33] The Jews answered Him, "We stone you for no good work but for blasphemy; because You, being a man, make Yourself God." [34] Jesus answered them, "Is it not written in your law, `I said you are gods'? [35] If He called them gods to whom the word of God came (and Scripture cannot be broken), [36] do you say of Him whom the Father consecrated and sent into the world, `You are blaspheming,' because I said, `I am the Son of God'? [37] If I am not doing the works of My Father, then do not believe Me; [38] but if I do them, even though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in Me and I am in the Father." [39] Again they tried to arrest Him, but He escaped from their hands.
[40] He went away again across the Jordan to the place where John at first baptized, and there He remained. [41] And many came to Him; and they said, "John did no sign, but everything that John said about this Man was true." [42] And many believed in Him there.
*******************
Commentary:
31-33. The Jews realize that Jesus is saying that He is God, but they interpret His words as blasphemy. He was called a blasphemer when He forgave the sins of the paralytic (Matthew 9:1-8), and He will also be accused of blasphemy when He is condemned after solemnly confessing His divinity before the Sanhedrin (Matthew 26:63-65). Our Lord, then, did reveal that He was God; but His hearers rejected this revelation of the mystery of the Incarnate God, refusing to examine the proof Jesus offered them; consequently, they accuse Him, a man, of making Himself God. Faith bases itself on reasonable evidence--miracles and prophecies--for believing that Jesus is really man and really God, even though our limited minds cannot work out how this can be so. Thus, our Lord, in order to affirm His divinity once more, uses two arguments which His adversaries cannot refute--the testimony of Sacred Scripture (prophecies) and that of His own works (miracles).
34-36. On a number of occasions the Gospel has shown our Lord replying to the Jews' objections. Here He patiently uses a form of argument which they regards as decisive - the authority of Sacred Scripture. He quotes Psalm 82 in which God upbraids certain judges for acting unjustly despite His reminding them that "You are gods, sons of the Most High, all of you" (Psalm 82:6). If this psalm calls the sons of Israel gods and sons of God, with how much more reason should He be called God who has been sanctified and sent by God? Christ's human nature, on being assumed by the Word, is sanctified completely and comes to the world to sanctify men. "The Fathers of the Church constantly proclaim that what was not assumed by Christ was not healed. Now Christ took a complete human nature just as it is found in us poor unfortunates, but one that was without sin, for Christ said of Himself that He was the one `whom the Father consecrated and sent into the world'" (Vatican II, "Ad Gentes", 3).
By using Sacred Scripture (cf. Matthew 4:4, 7, 10; Luke 4:1, 17) Jesus teaches us that Scripture comes from God. Therefore, the Church believes and affirms that "those divinely revealed realities which are contained and presented in Sacred Scripture have been committed to writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Holy Mother Church, relying on the belief of the Apostles, holds that the books of both the Old and New Testament in their entirety, with all their parts, are sacred and canonical because, having been written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit (cf. John 20:31; 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:19-21; 3:15-16) they have God as their author and have been handed on as such to the Church. [...] Therefore, since everything asserted by the inspired authors or sacred writers must be held to be asserted by the Holy Spirit, it follows that the books of Scriptures must be acknowledged as teaching firmly, faithfully, and without error that truth which God wanted put into the sacred writings for the sake of our salvation" (Vatican II, "Dei Verbum", 11).
37-38. The works which our Lord is referring to are His miracles, through which God's power is made manifest. Jesus presents His words and His works as forming a unity, with the miracles confirming His words and His words explaining the meaning of the miracles. Therefore, when He asserts that He is the Son of God, this revelation is supported by the credentials of the miracles He works: hence, if no one can deny the fact of the miracles, it is only right for Him to accept the truth of the words.
41-42. The opposition offered by some people (cf. John 10:20, 31, 39) contrasts with the way other people accept Him and follow Him to where He goes after this. St. John the Baptist's preparatory work is still producing results: those who accepted the Baptist's message now look for Christ and they believe when they see the truth of what the Precursor said: Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God (John 1:34).
Work done in the Lord's name is never useless: "Therefore, My beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain" (1 Corinthians 15:58). Just as the Baptist's word and example had the effect of helping many people later to believe in Jesus, the apostolic example given by Christians will never be in vain, even though the results may not come immediately. "To sow. The sower went out... Scatter your seed, apostolic soul. The wind of grace will bear it away if the furrow where it falls is not worthy.... Sow, and be certain that the seed will take root and bear fruit" ([St] J. Escriva, "The Way", 794).
***************
Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland.
Reprinted with permission from Four Courts Press and Scepter Publishers, the U.S. publisher.
Thursday, March 17, 2005
Citizen's Arrest Attempt of Michael Schiavo, Judge
Green Beret Bo Gritz intervened in Ruby Ridge to escort family to safety.
Full story here.
I hope he succeeds and others in the area join with him...The moment the feeding tube is capped or removed is the moment at which the deliberate act of premeditated murder begins. Any who help facilitate this intentional murderous act are willing accomplices in the crime of murder. Judge Greer has already demonstrated that he is incapable of fulfilling his office and his decision must be seen as a breach of his duties and obligations and, as it is a gross violation of the rights of an innocent person and an imposition of an horrendous death sentence, it must be opposed. I cannot, in any way, be binding - morally or ethically.
Full story here.
I hope he succeeds and others in the area join with him...The moment the feeding tube is capped or removed is the moment at which the deliberate act of premeditated murder begins. Any who help facilitate this intentional murderous act are willing accomplices in the crime of murder. Judge Greer has already demonstrated that he is incapable of fulfilling his office and his decision must be seen as a breach of his duties and obligations and, as it is a gross violation of the rights of an innocent person and an imposition of an horrendous death sentence, it must be opposed. I cannot, in any way, be binding - morally or ethically.
USCCB Statement re: Vatican Notification about "Jesus, Symbol of God"
WASHINGTON (March 17, 2005)—The Committee on Doctrine of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has issued a statement welcoming the recent Notification from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith concerning the book Jesus, Symbol of God by Jesuit Father Roger Haight. The Doctrine Committee said the statement was issued “in order to clarify any misconceptions, to affirm our support for the decision of the Holy See, and to reassert the importance of authentic theological inquiry.”Statement here.
Terri Schiavo Action Alert from Culture of Life Foundation
Email received:
Please help in this matter if you possibly can.
Dear Colleague,
You must act today to save Terri Schiavo's life. As you know, she is scheduled to be taken off food and water tomorrow at 1 PM (eastern). There is action in US Senate to stop her deliberate starvation.
I am writing you to contact your US Senators and urge them TO PASS 'TERRI'S LAW' IMMEDIATELY!!!!
Last evening the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Protection of Incapacitated Persons Act of 2005, also known as “Terri’s Law,” by voice vote. The bill would provide the Schindler family access to a federal court to argue for the life of their daughter, Terri Schindler-Schiavo.
Now, your help is needed TODAY to urge your senators to support the bill in the U.S. Senate. A vote may occur today (March 17) or on Friday, March 18, which is the last day before a two-week congressional recess.
PLEASE ACT NOW! Under court order, Terri’s feeding tube is scheduled to be removed at 1:00 pm EST Friday, March 18.
To contact your senators go to the National Right to Life website:
http://www.capwiz.com/nrlc/issues/alert/?alertid=7222571&type=CO
Simply type your zip code in the "Take Action Now" box.
Urge them TO PASS "TERRI'S LAW" IMMEDIATELY. DO NOT WAIT.
You must act now. We must flood the Senate with your messages that Terri
must be saved NOW!
Yours sincerely,
Austin Ruse
President
Culture of Life Foundation
Some People "Get It"
Changing Demographics Most Likely Reason for Closings
Why now? That was the question many parents of St. Clement High School students were asking this week when they learned the Archdiocese of Detroit had included the Center Line school on a list of closings.Article.
Macomb County Planning Director Steve Cassin believes the closures are most likely a matter of demographics. As more people decide to live in the county's northern suburbs, the need for more services arises.
"It absolutely isn't just a parochial school problem, you see some public schools closing down as the student population declines," Cassin said Wednesday.
Bishop Morlino Heads Bioethics Board
The field of bioethics is an ever more complicated one, said Madison Bishop Robert Morlino, with rapidly changing technology that makes keeping up to date a challenge.More.
But the underlying principles are simpler, Morlino said in an interview last week. "The destruction of human life is always and intrinsically evil," he said.
[Bishop] Morlino was elected chairman of the board of the National Catholic Bioethics Center during a workshop in January for Catholic bishops held in Dallas. Bioethics was an area of specialization for his doctorate in moral theology from Gregorian University in Rome.
Theological talks called vital to Catholic-Jewish ties
From a Jewish perspective...?
Forty years after Catholics re-evaluated their relationship with Jews in the Nostra Aetate, is it time for Catholic-Jewish dialogue to arrive in "the Promised Land"?More...
A Vatican official used that biblical metaphor last week to express hope that the relationship between the two faiths could reach a higher level.
But other clergy and scholars at a colloquium at Catholic University's Columbus School of Law countered that for such progress to be made, Jews must be ready and willing to discuss theology -- a topic that has not been a priority of dialogue in the American Jewish community.
Muslims Want Apology From the Vatican for Crusades
Egyptian highest religious authority Al-Azhar has requested the Vatican to present official apologies on Christian crusades carried out against Muslims seven centuries ago.The nerve to even make such a request is a sign of sheer idiocy....
Sheikh Fawzi Zafzaf, President of the Interfaith Dialogue Committee of Al-Azhar, said during a press conference that his committee has sent a request to the Pope last February, demanding an official apology on Christian crusades against the Muslim world, following the example of the Jews.
The principle of demanding apology from the Vatican germinated following Pope Jean Paul II's visit to Syria and Egypt a few years ago, and the apologies the Catholic Church presented to the Jewish and some other Christian doctrines, explained Sheikh Zafzaf. “Al-Azhar is only asking for a similar treatment,” he added.
The Vatican's ambassador to Egypt has abstained from commenting, saying that Al-Azhar's request is now being considered by the Holy See.
Source.
Blessed Sacrament Rescued as Cathedral Burned
[Bishop] Morlino said he will not tire of telling the story as he travels the country about how Madison firefighters went into an unstable and burned-out St. Raphael to rescue the Blessed Sacrament..."They went in there and had to cut their way through, and brought it out with great reverence," he said.Article
Eucharistic Whisperings - After Having Sinned
I have scarcely courage enough to appear before You, I am so sadly
disfigured! My poor soul is all stained - what a plight for me to be
in!
But, O my Savior, it is just because I feel how great is my misery,
just because I see how much I am at fault, that I am urged on more
mightily still by the sweet necessity of being in Your presence.
Death, more than anything else, teaches me how necessary life really
is. And You are my life, O loving Jesus!
Yes, I have sinned; I have proven myself a thankless creature. So
many times and so often have You filled my soul with rapture in Holy
Communion...And I?...I went away and tried to satisfy my hunger with
miserable husks, with poisonous fruits.
After the pure and holy joys of the Supper Chamber, I gave thanks by
preparing for You the pains of Golgotha! You enclosed me so lovingly
in Your arms....And I?...I gave You the kiss of Judas.
And yet...despite my sins, I feel the need of coming here to You, of
drawing near the tabernacle, the witness of so many promises, so many
sweet vows of truest love, to You, for, after all, I cannot but feel
that I still love You.
I am indeed burdened with guilt, but from now on, help me to be all
Yours, my Jesus.
Two things are made manifest to me here: one is Your perfection,
Divine Savior; the other is my unworthiness. What a contrast! But,
at the same time, what light for my understanding! And when I
compare my heart with Yours - a twofold world; one of divine
beauties, and another of human imperfections.
I simply must cast a glance at opposites such as these, if I wish to
know better the Love I have so sorely injured, if I wish to realize
the enormity of the sins I have committed.
Therefore, my Jesus, let me stay a little while with You here; here
before You in the tabernacle, let me learn the sad state of my soul,
hideously wounded by the ugliness of sin.
Adapted from Eucharistic Whisperings, Winfrid Herbst,SDS, The
Society of the Divine Saviour, 1929
disfigured! My poor soul is all stained - what a plight for me to be
in!
But, O my Savior, it is just because I feel how great is my misery,
just because I see how much I am at fault, that I am urged on more
mightily still by the sweet necessity of being in Your presence.
Death, more than anything else, teaches me how necessary life really
is. And You are my life, O loving Jesus!
Yes, I have sinned; I have proven myself a thankless creature. So
many times and so often have You filled my soul with rapture in Holy
Communion...And I?...I went away and tried to satisfy my hunger with
miserable husks, with poisonous fruits.
After the pure and holy joys of the Supper Chamber, I gave thanks by
preparing for You the pains of Golgotha! You enclosed me so lovingly
in Your arms....And I?...I gave You the kiss of Judas.
And yet...despite my sins, I feel the need of coming here to You, of
drawing near the tabernacle, the witness of so many promises, so many
sweet vows of truest love, to You, for, after all, I cannot but feel
that I still love You.
I am indeed burdened with guilt, but from now on, help me to be all
Yours, my Jesus.
Two things are made manifest to me here: one is Your perfection,
Divine Savior; the other is my unworthiness. What a contrast! But,
at the same time, what light for my understanding! And when I
compare my heart with Yours - a twofold world; one of divine
beauties, and another of human imperfections.
I simply must cast a glance at opposites such as these, if I wish to
know better the Love I have so sorely injured, if I wish to realize
the enormity of the sins I have committed.
Therefore, my Jesus, let me stay a little while with You here; here
before You in the tabernacle, let me learn the sad state of my soul,
hideously wounded by the ugliness of sin.
Adapted from Eucharistic Whisperings, Winfrid Herbst,SDS, The
Society of the Divine Saviour, 1929
Gospel for Thursday, 5th Week of Lent
From: John 8:51-59
Jesus Warns the Unbelieving Jews (Continuation)
(Jesus said to the Jews,) [51] "Truly, truly, I say to you, if any one keeps My word, he will never see death." [52] The Jews said to Him, "Now we know that You have a demon. Abraham died, as did the prophets; and You say, `If anyone keeps My word, he will never taste death.' [53] Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? And the prophets died! Who do You claim to be?" [54] Jesus answered, "If I glorify Myself, My glory is nothing; it is My Father who glorifies Me, of whom you say that He is your God. [55] But you have not known Him; I know Him. If I said I do not know Him, I should be a liar like you; but I do know Him and I keep His word. [56] Your father Abraham rejoiced that he was to see My day; he saw it and was glad." [57] The Jews then said to Him, "You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?" [58] Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am." [59] So they took up stones to throw at Him; but Jesus hid Himself, and went out of the temple.
******************
Commentary:
51-53. "He will never see death": our Lord promises eternal life to those who accept His teaching and remain faithful to it.
Sin, as the Fourth Gospel teaches, is death of the soul; and sanctifying grace, life (cf. John 1:4, 13; 3:15, 16. 36; etc.). Through grace we enter eternal life, a pledge of the Glory we shall attain beyond this earthly life and which is the true Life. Blinded by their hostility, the Jews do not want to listen to the Lord and therefore they fail to understand Him.
55. The knowledge our Lord is speaking about implies more than intellectual knowledge. The Old Testament speaks of this "knowing" in the sense of love, faithfulness, generous self-surrender. Love for God is a consequence of the certain knowledge we have of Him, and at the same time the more we love God, the better we get to know Him.
Jesus, whose holy human nature was intimately united (though not mixed) with His divinity in the one Person of the Word, continues to assert His singular and ineffable knowledge of the Father. But this accurate language of Jesus is absolutely incomprehensible to those who close themselves to faith: they even think He is blaspheming (cf. verse 59).
56. Jesus presents Himself as the fulfillment of the hopes of the Old Testament patriarchs. They had stayed faithful, eager to see the Day of Salvation. Referring to their faith, St. Paul exclaims: "These all died in faith, not having received what was promised, but having seen it and greeted it from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth" (Hebrews 11:13). The most outstanding of those patriarchs was Abraham, our father in faith (cf. Galatians 3:7), who received the promise of being father of an immense people, the chosen people from whom would be born the Messiah.
The future fulfillment of the messianic promises was a source of great joy for Abraham: "Abraham, our father, who was set apart for the future accomplishment of the Promise, and who hoped against hope, receives when his son Isaac is born the prophetic firstfruits of this joy. This joy becomes transfigured through a trial touching death, when this only son is restored to him alive, a prefiguring of the resurrection of the One who was to come: the Son of God, promised for the redeeming sacrifice. Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing the Day of Christ, the Day of Salvation: he "saw it and was glad" (Paul VI, "Gaudete In Domino", II).
Jesus moves on a plane superior to that of the patriarchs, for they only saw prophetically, from "afar", the day of Christ, that is, the actual event of the Redemption, whereas it is Christ who brings it to pass.
58. Jesus' reply to the skeptical remarks of the Jews contains a revelation of His divinity. By saying "Before Abraham was, I am" our Lord is referring to His being eternal, because He is God. Therefore, St. Augustine explains: "Acknowledge the Creator, discern the creature. He who was speaking was a descendant of Abraham, but that Abraham might be made, before Abraham He was" (St. Augustine, "In Ioann. Evang.", 43, 17).
The Fathers recall, in connection with the words of Christ, the solemn theophany of Sinai: "I AM WHO I AM" (Ex 3:14), and also St. John's distinction in the prologue to his Gospel, between the world which "was made" and the Word which "was" from all eternity (cf. John 1:1-3). The words, "I am", used by Jesus so absolutely are the equivalent therefore, of His affirming His eternity and His divinity. Cf. note on John 8:21-24.
[The note on John 8:21-24 states:
21-24. At the outset of His public ministry, Jesus could be seen to have all the features of the promised Messiah; some people recognized Him as such and became His followers (cf. John 1:12-13; 4:42; 6:69; 7:41); but the Jewish authorities, although they were expecting the Messiah (cf. John 1:19ff), persisted in their rejection of Jesus. Hence the warning to them: He is going where they cannot follow, that is, He is going to Heaven, which is where He has come from (cf. John 6:41ff), and they will keep looking out for the Messiah foretold by the prophets; but they will not find Him because they look for Him outside of Jesus, nor can they follow Him, for they do not believe in Him. You are of the world, our Lord is saying to them, not because you are on earth but because you are living under the influence of the prince of this world (cf. John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11); you are his vassals and you do his deeds (cf. 8:44); therefore, you will die in your sin. "We are all born with sin", St. Augustine comments, "all by our living have added to what we were by nature, and have become more of this world than we then were, when we were born of our parents. Where would we be if He had not come, who had no sin at all, to loose all sin? The Jews, because they did not believe in Him, deserved to have it said to them, You will die in your sin" ("In Ioann. Evang.", 38, 6).
The salvation which Christ brings will be applied to those who believe in His divinity. Jesus declares His divinity when He says "I am He", for this __expression, which He repeats on other occasions (cf. John. 8:28; 13:19), is reserved to Yahweh in the Old Testament (cf. Deuteronomy 32:39; Isaiah 43:10-11), where God, in revealing His name and therefore His essence, says to Moses "I AM WHO I AM" (Exodus 3:14). In this profound way God says that He is the Supreme Being in a full, absolute sense, that He is dependent on no other being, that all other things depend on Him for their being and existence. Thus, when Jesus says of Himself, "I am He", He is revealing that He is God.]
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Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland.
Reprinted with permission from Four Courts Press and Scepter Publishers, the U.S. publisher.
Jesus Warns the Unbelieving Jews (Continuation)
(Jesus said to the Jews,) [51] "Truly, truly, I say to you, if any one keeps My word, he will never see death." [52] The Jews said to Him, "Now we know that You have a demon. Abraham died, as did the prophets; and You say, `If anyone keeps My word, he will never taste death.' [53] Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? And the prophets died! Who do You claim to be?" [54] Jesus answered, "If I glorify Myself, My glory is nothing; it is My Father who glorifies Me, of whom you say that He is your God. [55] But you have not known Him; I know Him. If I said I do not know Him, I should be a liar like you; but I do know Him and I keep His word. [56] Your father Abraham rejoiced that he was to see My day; he saw it and was glad." [57] The Jews then said to Him, "You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?" [58] Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am." [59] So they took up stones to throw at Him; but Jesus hid Himself, and went out of the temple.
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Commentary:
51-53. "He will never see death": our Lord promises eternal life to those who accept His teaching and remain faithful to it.
Sin, as the Fourth Gospel teaches, is death of the soul; and sanctifying grace, life (cf. John 1:4, 13; 3:15, 16. 36; etc.). Through grace we enter eternal life, a pledge of the Glory we shall attain beyond this earthly life and which is the true Life. Blinded by their hostility, the Jews do not want to listen to the Lord and therefore they fail to understand Him.
55. The knowledge our Lord is speaking about implies more than intellectual knowledge. The Old Testament speaks of this "knowing" in the sense of love, faithfulness, generous self-surrender. Love for God is a consequence of the certain knowledge we have of Him, and at the same time the more we love God, the better we get to know Him.
Jesus, whose holy human nature was intimately united (though not mixed) with His divinity in the one Person of the Word, continues to assert His singular and ineffable knowledge of the Father. But this accurate language of Jesus is absolutely incomprehensible to those who close themselves to faith: they even think He is blaspheming (cf. verse 59).
56. Jesus presents Himself as the fulfillment of the hopes of the Old Testament patriarchs. They had stayed faithful, eager to see the Day of Salvation. Referring to their faith, St. Paul exclaims: "These all died in faith, not having received what was promised, but having seen it and greeted it from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth" (Hebrews 11:13). The most outstanding of those patriarchs was Abraham, our father in faith (cf. Galatians 3:7), who received the promise of being father of an immense people, the chosen people from whom would be born the Messiah.
The future fulfillment of the messianic promises was a source of great joy for Abraham: "Abraham, our father, who was set apart for the future accomplishment of the Promise, and who hoped against hope, receives when his son Isaac is born the prophetic firstfruits of this joy. This joy becomes transfigured through a trial touching death, when this only son is restored to him alive, a prefiguring of the resurrection of the One who was to come: the Son of God, promised for the redeeming sacrifice. Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing the Day of Christ, the Day of Salvation: he "saw it and was glad" (Paul VI, "Gaudete In Domino", II).
Jesus moves on a plane superior to that of the patriarchs, for they only saw prophetically, from "afar", the day of Christ, that is, the actual event of the Redemption, whereas it is Christ who brings it to pass.
58. Jesus' reply to the skeptical remarks of the Jews contains a revelation of His divinity. By saying "Before Abraham was, I am" our Lord is referring to His being eternal, because He is God. Therefore, St. Augustine explains: "Acknowledge the Creator, discern the creature. He who was speaking was a descendant of Abraham, but that Abraham might be made, before Abraham He was" (St. Augustine, "In Ioann. Evang.", 43, 17).
The Fathers recall, in connection with the words of Christ, the solemn theophany of Sinai: "I AM WHO I AM" (Ex 3:14), and also St. John's distinction in the prologue to his Gospel, between the world which "was made" and the Word which "was" from all eternity (cf. John 1:1-3). The words, "I am", used by Jesus so absolutely are the equivalent therefore, of His affirming His eternity and His divinity. Cf. note on John 8:21-24.
[The note on John 8:21-24 states:
21-24. At the outset of His public ministry, Jesus could be seen to have all the features of the promised Messiah; some people recognized Him as such and became His followers (cf. John 1:12-13; 4:42; 6:69; 7:41); but the Jewish authorities, although they were expecting the Messiah (cf. John 1:19ff), persisted in their rejection of Jesus. Hence the warning to them: He is going where they cannot follow, that is, He is going to Heaven, which is where He has come from (cf. John 6:41ff), and they will keep looking out for the Messiah foretold by the prophets; but they will not find Him because they look for Him outside of Jesus, nor can they follow Him, for they do not believe in Him. You are of the world, our Lord is saying to them, not because you are on earth but because you are living under the influence of the prince of this world (cf. John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11); you are his vassals and you do his deeds (cf. 8:44); therefore, you will die in your sin. "We are all born with sin", St. Augustine comments, "all by our living have added to what we were by nature, and have become more of this world than we then were, when we were born of our parents. Where would we be if He had not come, who had no sin at all, to loose all sin? The Jews, because they did not believe in Him, deserved to have it said to them, You will die in your sin" ("In Ioann. Evang.", 38, 6).
The salvation which Christ brings will be applied to those who believe in His divinity. Jesus declares His divinity when He says "I am He", for this __expression, which He repeats on other occasions (cf. John. 8:28; 13:19), is reserved to Yahweh in the Old Testament (cf. Deuteronomy 32:39; Isaiah 43:10-11), where God, in revealing His name and therefore His essence, says to Moses "I AM WHO I AM" (Exodus 3:14). In this profound way God says that He is the Supreme Being in a full, absolute sense, that He is dependent on no other being, that all other things depend on Him for their being and existence. Thus, when Jesus says of Himself, "I am He", He is revealing that He is God.]
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Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland.
Reprinted with permission from Four Courts Press and Scepter Publishers, the U.S. publisher.
Wednesday, March 16, 2005
$1 Million Judgment to Newdow Set Aside By Court
$1 Million Judgment Awarded To “Pledge” Challenger Michael Newdow Set Aside By CourtEmail Update from the Thomas More Law Center
ANN ARBOR, MI – Michael Newdow, who gained national attention for his near successful efforts to have the words “under God” removed from the Pledge of Allegiance only to be thwarted by the Supreme Court on technical grounds, has suffered another court loss. This time a California state court has set aside a $1 million dollar default judgment Newdow obtained against Reverend Austin Miles for libel.
The libel judgment was based on a news article written by Reverend Miles in which he opined that Newdow had lied to the court when he claimed his daughter was forced to recite the words “under God” as she was actually a Christian who willingly said the Pledge of Allegiance in school.
This past June, Newdow convinced a judge in a California state court to enter a default judgment against Miles in the amount of $1 million, because Miles had failed to respond to the lawsuit, even though Miles had never been served with a copy of the complaint and was not aware of the lawsuit.
After learning of the $1 million dollar judgment, Miles contacted the Thomas More Law Center to represent him. After a lengthy hearing this past December, the court issued an order lifting the default judgment and allowing the case to proceed to trial. The court explained that Miles had made a sufficient showing that he lacked actual notice of the lawsuit to warrant the default to be set aside. The court explained that Miles’s lack of actual notice “was not caused by his avoidance of service or inexcusable neglect.”
Edward L. White III, the Thomas More Law Center attorney handling the case, stated: “We are pleased with the court’s decision. We will now be able to demonstrate that Newdow’s action against Reverend Miles is meritless.”
Holy Father's Letter to Priests to Be Presented Friday
VATICAN CITY, MAR 16, 2005 (VIS) - The Holy Father's Letter to Priests for Holy Thursday 2005 will be presented in the Holy See Press Office at 11.30 a.m. on Friday March 18. The conference will be attended by Cardinal Dario Castrillon Hoyos, Archbishop Csaba Ternyak, and Msgr. Giovanni Carru, respectively prefect, secretary and under-secretary of the Congregation for Clergy.
Patriarch Sfeir meets Bush today
Lebanese delegation expects US to back Lebanon in claiming full sovereignty from Syria. It also seeks US support to get the Shebaa Farms area from Israel, whose occupation has given Hezbollah a pretext to remain armed.Article here.
Beirut (AsiaNews) – US President George W. Bush will receive Maronite Patriarch Nassrallah Sfeir at 1:40 pm today (GMT -5) in the White House. Sources close to the Patriarch told AsiaNews that the prelate will talk to the President about his country’s current crisis as well as the relevant facts that led to it: civil war and its causes, foreign involvement, the Taef Agreement and the failed planned Syrian pullout. He will also inform Mr Bush of what his country expects from the United States, namely help to regain its independence and sovereignty and support to take its place in the concert of free nations.
The Institute of Christ the King, St. Louis Web Page
The Most Rev. Raymond L. Burke, Archbishop of St. Louis, has granted the Institute of Christ the King an apostolate in St. Louis. Initially based at St. Agatha Church, the apostolate will soon be moving to its permanent location at St. Francis de Sales Church. This beautiful church in neo-Gothic style -- coincidentally dedicated to the co-patron of the Institute -- was once considered the “Cathedral of the South Side ” for its beauty and grandeur. Here the Institute will also operate a pre-seminary house of formation for young American aspirants to the priesthood.The Institute has an updated web page for its St. Louis location here.
Thanks to Marc P. for the update.
Legionaries of Christ Restricted in LA
The Legionaries of Christ, a controversial religious order that has been banned by bishops from St. Paul, Minn., and Columbus, Ohio, dioceses, has been denied permission to launch a high school near Los Angeles, and had its activities severely curtailed in the archdiocese.This story comes from the National unCatholic Reporter.
Perhaps, if the order were to participate in the highly touted Religious Education Congress in LA, they would fare better?
Town Talk for March 16
Parish administrationThere is no $9 million dollar surplus. This is what the Board tells everyone who will listen. Much of that "surplus" consists in an estimated value of real estate - which may or may not be accurate. Nor is it accurate to state that ALL of parishes under archdiocesan control are closing - in fact, to make such a statement suggests one is woefully ignorant of the facts or is intentionally attempting to deceive others.
ISN'T IT STRANGE that the one church that's being run by a board of directors, St. Stanislaus, has a $9 million surplus? The church has been renovated, yet all the other churches that are run by the archdiocese are closing one at a time. Doesn't that tell you something? Maybe a board of directors should run the Catholic churches and not the St. Louis archdiocese? Maybe it's time something in Rome is done about this. I say it's rather uplifting when you read about St. Stanislaus and their surplus and how great their church has been taken care of.
Lastly, the primary purpose of of the Church is to help and assist one attain one's ultimate end, and that end is eternal life with our Lord in heaven, not the amount of money and wealth a parish of group of parishioners has amassed while here on earth, nor how beautifully they have maintained their church.
Religious discordThose "Catholics" who feel alienated by Archbishop Burke were already in a position of doubt and self-imposed alienation BEFORE Archbishop Burke arrived here. There are those, Catholic and non-Catholic alike, who prefer darkness to light, error to truth. It would have made no difference to them who the Archbishop was IF he demonstrated fidelity to Christ and His Church. They are only happy when others continue to confirm them in their errors. There are only contented when others fail to point out the proper path to them.
JUST AS ST. Louis Cardinals fans dread facing the Houston Astros because of the "Killer Bees" we now have a new set of "Killer Bees," Archbishop Burke, George Bush and Gov. Blunt. In a short time in St. Louis, Archbishop Burke has managed to alienate most of the few remaining Catholics in town and doesn't understand the hostility that is directed toward him.
Surely, then, Archbishop Burke will have his detractors because he understands that his vocation is to help as many people as possible reach the Kingdom of God. Those detractors, ultimately, are opposed to him performing this obligation. Many Catholics, and others, give thanks to God every day, because He has given us a shepherd who knows the way and can guide us on the path of salvation.
Shutter all the Catholic churchesThis is a sad commentary on the state of catechesis in our time. One wonders if this mother attends Mass? And if so, she, no doubt, probably receives Holy Communion while in a state of objective mortal sin. One wonders if ever a homily was heard discussing the evils and the gravity of sin, especially those which are violations against chastity and the scandal which results from them? One may wonder also, what, if any, religious education is occurring in the school. All children need to have a firm foundation in the faith, especially when our culture continually tries to tear that foundation apart. Also, why does it seem that so few practice the spiritual works of mercy today?
MY COMMENT IS on closing all the Catholic churches. I firmly believe they should close all the Catholic churches. I live in a Catholic neighborhood and one of the mothers in that neighborhood is Catholic and her boyfriend lives with her. She has a 13-year-old daughter who goes to that school. I'd really like to know what she is instilling in her daughter that mommy can live with her boyfriend, but we don't have to be married. I'd like to know what the Catholic Church is teaching that family. Obviously nothing. That is why the Catholic churches really need to be shut down because they're not teaching the children or mothers anything anymore.
We are all called to live a life of holiness - and there are many times that we fail. It is scandal, such as that in the above story, which we must always be on guard against, lest we lead others astray.
Today's Town Talk page.
Mahony, in legal battle, insists church has right to secrecy
Since June 2002, when the scandal-plagued Catholic bishops met in Dallas to adopt a youth protection charter, Cardinal Roger Mahony has cast himself as a reformer, an image that is jarring to many people immersed in the legal saga here in which the archdiocese has waged a fierce battle to keep sensitive documents secret.These men are criminals who happen to be priests. They are not part of a privileged class beyond the arm of the law. It's sad for everyone, most especially, the victims.
“If priests are indicted and some end up in prison or whatever, that’s going to be very sad for them, for the church,” Mahony told the Los Angeles Times in the weeks following that 2002 meeting. “But if that is required to move beyond, that’s what we’re going to have to go through.”
Two and a half years later, amid the slow grind of court proceedings, Mahony spoke of his own “terrible journey” in a Feb. 12 telephone interview with NCR. “It’s easy to look back through lenses of today to 15, 20, 30 years ago. You just wish you had known then what I know now” about the way sexual offenders behave.Sheer stupidity! Everyone with half a brain has known for centuries that these perverted individuals must be confined...Then again, the real issue is being averted - the issue of homosexuality.
Archbishop Tarcisio Bertone, a canon lawyer working at the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the office that processes cases of priests to be defrocked, told an Italian journal in 2002: “If a priest cannot confide in his bishop because he is afraid of being denounced, it would mean there is no more freedom of conscience.”Source
Bertone, who has since become the cardinal archbishop of Genoa, Italy, insisted: “Civil society must also respect the ‘professional secrecy’ of priests.”
Professional secrecy is the heart of Woods’ motion to quash the district attorney’s subpoenas of clergy files and plays a key role in the thinking of the Vatican.
Vatican appoints official Da Vinci Code debunker
Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the Archbishop of Genoa and a possible successor to the Pope, has been appointed by the Vatican to rebut what the Catholic church calls the "shameful and unfounded errors" contained within The Da Vinci Code. He is organising a series of public debates focusing on the conspiracy theories and what the Vatican sees as the blurring of fact and fiction at the heart of the thriller, the first of which will be held in Genoa tomorrow. [Actually today]Source
Gospel for Wednesday, 5th Week of Lent
From: John 8:31-42
Jesus Warns the Unbelieving Jews (Continuation)
[31] Jesus then said to the Jews who had believed in Him, "If you continue in My word, you are truly My disciples, [32] and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free." [33] They answered Him, "We are descendants of Abraham, and have never been in bondage to any one. How is it that you say, `You will be made free'?"
[34] Jesus answered them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, every one who commits sin is a slave of sin. [35] The slave does not continue in the house for ever; the son continues for ever. [36] So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed. [37] I know that you are descendants of Abraham; yet you seek to kill Me, because My word finds no place in you. [38] I speak of what I have seen with My Father, and you do what you have heard from your father."
[39] They answered Him, "Abraham is our father." Jesus said to them, "If you were Abraham's children, you would do what Abraham did, [40] but now you seek to kill Me, a man who has told you the truth which I heard from God; this is not what Abraham did. [41] You do what your father did." They said to Him, "We were not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God." [42] Jesus said of them, "If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded and came forth from God; I came not on My own account, but He sent Me."
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Commentary:
30-32. Of those Jews who do believe in Him Jesus asks much more than a shallow faith resulting from superficial enthusiasm: they should be true disciples; Jesus' words should imbue their whole life. That kind of faith will bring them to know the truth and to become really free persons.
The knowledge of the truth which Christ is speaking about is not just intellectual knowledge; it is rather the maturing in the soul of the seed of divine Revelation. That Revelation's climax is to be found in Christ's teaching and it constitutes a genuine communication of supernatural life (cf. John 5:24): He who believes in Jesus, and through Him in the Father, receives the wonderful gift of eternal life. Knowing the truth is, in the last analysis, knowing Christ Himself, God become man to save us; it means realizing that the inaccessible God has become man, our Friend, our Life.
This is the only kind of knowledge which really sets us free, because it removes us from a position of alienation from God--the state of sin and therefore of slavery to the devil and to all attachments of our fallen nature--and puts us on the path of friendship with God, the path of grace, of the Kingdom of God. Therefore, the liberation we obtain is not just light which shows us the way; it is grace, which empowers us to keep to that way despite our limitations. "Jesus Christ meets the man of every age, including our own, with the same words: `You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free' (John 8:32). These words contain both a fundamental requirement and a warning: the requirement of an honest relationship with regard to truth as a condition for authentic freedom, and the warning to avoid every kind of illusory freedom, every superficial unilateral freedom, every freedom that fails to enter into the whole truth about man and the world. Today also, even after two thousand years, we see Christ as the One who brings man freedom based on truth, frees man from what curtails, diminishes and as it were breaks off this freedom at its root, in man's soul, his heart and his conscience. What a stupendous confirmation of this has been given and is still being given by those who, thanks to Christ and in Christ, have reached true freedom and have manifested it even in situations of external constraint!" (John Paul II, "Redemptor Hominis", 12).
"Christ Himself links liberation particularly with knowledge of the truth; `You will know the truth and the truth will make you free' (John 8:32). This sentence testifies above all to the intimate significance of the freedom for which Christ liberates us. Liberation means man's inner transformation, which is a consequence of the knowledge of truth. The transformation is, therefore, a spiritual process, in which man matures `in true righteousness and holiness' (Ephesians 4:24). [...] Truth is important not only for the growth of human knowledge, deepening man's interior life in this way; truth has also a prophetic significance and power. It constitutes the content of testimony and it calls for testimony. We find this prophetic power of truth in the teaching of Christ. As a prophet, as a witness to truth, Christ repeatedly opposes non-truth; He does so with great forcefulness and decision and often He does not hesitate to condemn falsehood" (John Paul II, "General Audience", 21 February 1979).
St. Thomas Aquinas explains the meaning of these words of our Lord in this way: "In this passage, being made free does not refer to being freed of every type of wrong [...]; it means being freed in the proper sense of the word, in three ways: first, the truth of His teaching will free us from the error of untruth [...]; second, the truth of grace will liberate us from the slavery of sin: `the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set me free from the law of sin and death' (Romans 8:2); third, the truth of eternity in Christ Jesus will free us from decay (cf. Romans 8:21)" ("Commentary on St. John, in loc.").
"The truth will set you free. How great a truth is this, which opens the way to freedom and gives it meaning throughout our lives. I will sum it up for you, with the joy and certainty which flow from knowing there is a close relationship between God and His creatures. It is the knowledge that we have come from the hands of God, that the Blessed Trinity looks upon us with predilection, that we are children of so wonderful a Father. I ask my Lord to help us decide to take this truth to heart, to dwell upon it day by day; only then will we be acting as free men. Do not forget: anyone who does not realize that he is a child of God is unaware of the deepest truth about himself. When he acts he lacks the dominion and self-mastery we find in those who love our Lord above all else" ([St] J. Escriva, "Friends of God", 26).
33-34. For centuries the people of Israel were ruled by other nations (Egypt, Babylon, Persia...), and now they were under the dominion of Rome. Therefore, the Jews thought that He was referring to political bondage or dominion--which in fact they had experienced but never accepted. In addition, since they belong to the people chosen by God, they regarded themselves as free of the moral errors and aberrations of Gentile nations.
They thought that true freedom was a matter of belonging to the chosen people. Our Lord replies that it is not enough to belong to the line of Abraham: true freedom consists in not being slaves of sin. Both Jews and Gentiles were subject to the slavery of original sin and personal sin (cf. Romans 5:12; 6:20 and 8:2). Only Christ, the Son of God, can liberate man from that sorry state (cf. Galatians 4:21-51); but these Jews do not understand the redemptive work which Christ is doing and which will reach its climax in His death and resurrection
"The Savior", St. Augustine comments, "is here explaining that we will not be freed from overlords, but from the devil; not from captivity of the body but from malice of soul" ("Sermon", 48).
35-36. The words slave and son are reminiscent of the two sons of Abraham: Ishmael, born of the slave woman Hagar, who would be given no part in the inheritance; and Isaac, son of the free woman Sarah, who would be the heir to God's promises (cf. Genesis 21:10-12; Galatians 4:28-31). Physical descent from Abraham is not enough for inheriting God's promises and attaining salvation: by faith and charity one must identify oneself with Jesus Christ, the true and only Son of the Father, the only one who can make us sons of God and thereby bring us true freedom (cf. Romans 8:21; Galatians 4:31). Christ gives "power to become children of God [to those] who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God" (John 1:12-13). Thus, a person who identifies himself with Christ becomes a son of God and obtains the freedom proper to sons.
"Freedom finds its true meaning when it is put to the service of the truth which redeems, when it is spent seeking God's infinite Love which liberates us from all forms of slavery. Each passing day increases my yearning to proclaim to the four winds this inexhaustible treasure that belongs to Christianity: `the glorious freedom of the children of God!' (Romans 8:21). [...] Where does our freedom come from? It comes from Christ our Lord. This is the freedom with which He has ransomed us (cf. Galatians 4:31). That is why He teaches, `if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed' (John 8:36). We Christians do not have to ask anyone to tell us the true meaning of this gift, because the only freedom that can save man is Christian freedom" ([St] J. Escriva, "Friends of God", 27 and 35).
37-41. Our Lord replies to the Jew's objection: yes indeed, they are Abraham's children, but only in a natural sense, according to the flesh; this is something which does not count any more; what matters now is acceptance of Jesus as the One sent by the Father. Jesus' questioners are spiritually very far away from being true children of Abraham: Abraham rejoiced to see the Messiah (cf. John 8:56); through his faith he was reckoned righteous (cf. Romans 4:1ff), and his faith led him to act consequentially (cf. James 2:21-24); this was how he attained the joy of eternal blessedness (cf. Matthew 8:11; Luke 16:24). Although those Jews "derived from him the generation of the flesh, they had become degenerate, by not imitating the faith of him whose sons they were" (St. Augustine, "In Ioann. Evang.", 42, 1). Those who live by faith, St. Paul says, are the true sons of Abraham and like him they will be blessed by God (cf. Galatians 3:7-9). In point of fact, the people who are arguing with our Lord have not only rejected His teaching: their own deeds indicate that they have a radically different affiliation: "You do what your father did" is a veiled accusation that they are children of the devil (cf. verse 44).
The false security Jews felt on the grounds of being descended from Abraham has its parallel in a Christian who is content with being baptized and with a few religious observances, but does not live up to the requirements of faith in Christ.
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Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland.
Reprinted with permission from Four Courts Press and Scepter Publishers, the U.S. publisher.
Jesus Warns the Unbelieving Jews (Continuation)
[31] Jesus then said to the Jews who had believed in Him, "If you continue in My word, you are truly My disciples, [32] and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free." [33] They answered Him, "We are descendants of Abraham, and have never been in bondage to any one. How is it that you say, `You will be made free'?"
[34] Jesus answered them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, every one who commits sin is a slave of sin. [35] The slave does not continue in the house for ever; the son continues for ever. [36] So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed. [37] I know that you are descendants of Abraham; yet you seek to kill Me, because My word finds no place in you. [38] I speak of what I have seen with My Father, and you do what you have heard from your father."
[39] They answered Him, "Abraham is our father." Jesus said to them, "If you were Abraham's children, you would do what Abraham did, [40] but now you seek to kill Me, a man who has told you the truth which I heard from God; this is not what Abraham did. [41] You do what your father did." They said to Him, "We were not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God." [42] Jesus said of them, "If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded and came forth from God; I came not on My own account, but He sent Me."
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Commentary:
30-32. Of those Jews who do believe in Him Jesus asks much more than a shallow faith resulting from superficial enthusiasm: they should be true disciples; Jesus' words should imbue their whole life. That kind of faith will bring them to know the truth and to become really free persons.
The knowledge of the truth which Christ is speaking about is not just intellectual knowledge; it is rather the maturing in the soul of the seed of divine Revelation. That Revelation's climax is to be found in Christ's teaching and it constitutes a genuine communication of supernatural life (cf. John 5:24): He who believes in Jesus, and through Him in the Father, receives the wonderful gift of eternal life. Knowing the truth is, in the last analysis, knowing Christ Himself, God become man to save us; it means realizing that the inaccessible God has become man, our Friend, our Life.
This is the only kind of knowledge which really sets us free, because it removes us from a position of alienation from God--the state of sin and therefore of slavery to the devil and to all attachments of our fallen nature--and puts us on the path of friendship with God, the path of grace, of the Kingdom of God. Therefore, the liberation we obtain is not just light which shows us the way; it is grace, which empowers us to keep to that way despite our limitations. "Jesus Christ meets the man of every age, including our own, with the same words: `You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free' (John 8:32). These words contain both a fundamental requirement and a warning: the requirement of an honest relationship with regard to truth as a condition for authentic freedom, and the warning to avoid every kind of illusory freedom, every superficial unilateral freedom, every freedom that fails to enter into the whole truth about man and the world. Today also, even after two thousand years, we see Christ as the One who brings man freedom based on truth, frees man from what curtails, diminishes and as it were breaks off this freedom at its root, in man's soul, his heart and his conscience. What a stupendous confirmation of this has been given and is still being given by those who, thanks to Christ and in Christ, have reached true freedom and have manifested it even in situations of external constraint!" (John Paul II, "Redemptor Hominis", 12).
"Christ Himself links liberation particularly with knowledge of the truth; `You will know the truth and the truth will make you free' (John 8:32). This sentence testifies above all to the intimate significance of the freedom for which Christ liberates us. Liberation means man's inner transformation, which is a consequence of the knowledge of truth. The transformation is, therefore, a spiritual process, in which man matures `in true righteousness and holiness' (Ephesians 4:24). [...] Truth is important not only for the growth of human knowledge, deepening man's interior life in this way; truth has also a prophetic significance and power. It constitutes the content of testimony and it calls for testimony. We find this prophetic power of truth in the teaching of Christ. As a prophet, as a witness to truth, Christ repeatedly opposes non-truth; He does so with great forcefulness and decision and often He does not hesitate to condemn falsehood" (John Paul II, "General Audience", 21 February 1979).
St. Thomas Aquinas explains the meaning of these words of our Lord in this way: "In this passage, being made free does not refer to being freed of every type of wrong [...]; it means being freed in the proper sense of the word, in three ways: first, the truth of His teaching will free us from the error of untruth [...]; second, the truth of grace will liberate us from the slavery of sin: `the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set me free from the law of sin and death' (Romans 8:2); third, the truth of eternity in Christ Jesus will free us from decay (cf. Romans 8:21)" ("Commentary on St. John, in loc.").
"The truth will set you free. How great a truth is this, which opens the way to freedom and gives it meaning throughout our lives. I will sum it up for you, with the joy and certainty which flow from knowing there is a close relationship between God and His creatures. It is the knowledge that we have come from the hands of God, that the Blessed Trinity looks upon us with predilection, that we are children of so wonderful a Father. I ask my Lord to help us decide to take this truth to heart, to dwell upon it day by day; only then will we be acting as free men. Do not forget: anyone who does not realize that he is a child of God is unaware of the deepest truth about himself. When he acts he lacks the dominion and self-mastery we find in those who love our Lord above all else" ([St] J. Escriva, "Friends of God", 26).
33-34. For centuries the people of Israel were ruled by other nations (Egypt, Babylon, Persia...), and now they were under the dominion of Rome. Therefore, the Jews thought that He was referring to political bondage or dominion--which in fact they had experienced but never accepted. In addition, since they belong to the people chosen by God, they regarded themselves as free of the moral errors and aberrations of Gentile nations.
They thought that true freedom was a matter of belonging to the chosen people. Our Lord replies that it is not enough to belong to the line of Abraham: true freedom consists in not being slaves of sin. Both Jews and Gentiles were subject to the slavery of original sin and personal sin (cf. Romans 5:12; 6:20 and 8:2). Only Christ, the Son of God, can liberate man from that sorry state (cf. Galatians 4:21-51); but these Jews do not understand the redemptive work which Christ is doing and which will reach its climax in His death and resurrection
"The Savior", St. Augustine comments, "is here explaining that we will not be freed from overlords, but from the devil; not from captivity of the body but from malice of soul" ("Sermon", 48).
35-36. The words slave and son are reminiscent of the two sons of Abraham: Ishmael, born of the slave woman Hagar, who would be given no part in the inheritance; and Isaac, son of the free woman Sarah, who would be the heir to God's promises (cf. Genesis 21:10-12; Galatians 4:28-31). Physical descent from Abraham is not enough for inheriting God's promises and attaining salvation: by faith and charity one must identify oneself with Jesus Christ, the true and only Son of the Father, the only one who can make us sons of God and thereby bring us true freedom (cf. Romans 8:21; Galatians 4:31). Christ gives "power to become children of God [to those] who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God" (John 1:12-13). Thus, a person who identifies himself with Christ becomes a son of God and obtains the freedom proper to sons.
"Freedom finds its true meaning when it is put to the service of the truth which redeems, when it is spent seeking God's infinite Love which liberates us from all forms of slavery. Each passing day increases my yearning to proclaim to the four winds this inexhaustible treasure that belongs to Christianity: `the glorious freedom of the children of God!' (Romans 8:21). [...] Where does our freedom come from? It comes from Christ our Lord. This is the freedom with which He has ransomed us (cf. Galatians 4:31). That is why He teaches, `if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed' (John 8:36). We Christians do not have to ask anyone to tell us the true meaning of this gift, because the only freedom that can save man is Christian freedom" ([St] J. Escriva, "Friends of God", 27 and 35).
37-41. Our Lord replies to the Jew's objection: yes indeed, they are Abraham's children, but only in a natural sense, according to the flesh; this is something which does not count any more; what matters now is acceptance of Jesus as the One sent by the Father. Jesus' questioners are spiritually very far away from being true children of Abraham: Abraham rejoiced to see the Messiah (cf. John 8:56); through his faith he was reckoned righteous (cf. Romans 4:1ff), and his faith led him to act consequentially (cf. James 2:21-24); this was how he attained the joy of eternal blessedness (cf. Matthew 8:11; Luke 16:24). Although those Jews "derived from him the generation of the flesh, they had become degenerate, by not imitating the faith of him whose sons they were" (St. Augustine, "In Ioann. Evang.", 42, 1). Those who live by faith, St. Paul says, are the true sons of Abraham and like him they will be blessed by God (cf. Galatians 3:7-9). In point of fact, the people who are arguing with our Lord have not only rejected His teaching: their own deeds indicate that they have a radically different affiliation: "You do what your father did" is a veiled accusation that they are children of the devil (cf. verse 44).
The false security Jews felt on the grounds of being descended from Abraham has its parallel in a Christian who is content with being baptized and with a few religious observances, but does not live up to the requirements of faith in Christ.
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Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland.
Reprinted with permission from Four Courts Press and Scepter Publishers, the U.S. publisher.
Tuesday, March 15, 2005
A Must Have!!! SINBOT - Search & Destroy
In this this day and age there are increasing threats to your MOS (Moral Operating System). Everywhere you look in the culture are moral viruses and immoral messages disguising themselves as movies, television shows, books, advertisements etc. Downloading to your eyes what at first appears to be valid program you might be surprised at all the bad content piggybacking on it. This sinware is bombarding your MOS constantly. What is sinware? Simply, sinware is immoral information associated with content that is being downloaded to your MOS via the optic or aural bus without your specifically realizing it. Sinware has always been around and was first accidentally downloaded via an apple.
Avoid the Rush - Order Yours Today!
Is There Some Hidden Agenda Here?
Let's look at this paragraph from Aisha Sultan's latest Post Dispatch article:
This is interesting, especially if we consider that this is the same terminology used by the Congregation of the Clergy to describe the St. Stanislaus Board of Directors' (BOD) actions. The Congregation's admonition to the BOD in its Nov 2004 letter stated, "you have attempted to wrest control of the parish from the Local Ordinary."
Uncannily similar, is it not? Would one be foolish to suspect that this is merely a strange coincidence?
Is Aisha Sultan's article biased? Slanted? Informed? Objective? Can any of these terms be used to describe the article?
Last year about this same time, Aisha Sultan wrote an article (which I can not find on the Post archives, BTW), in which she claims to have quoted Archbishop Burke. These are the links from last year reports: here, here, and here.
My email (in one of the above links) to Aisha Sultan (3/8/04)states:
About 250 worshippers attended a "solidarity" Mass Sunday at St. John the Apostle and Evangelist Church downtown to show support for Archbishop Raymond Burke and his efforts to wrest control of the church's governance from a lay board of directors. (My emphasis)Pay close attention to the highlighted words above...
This is interesting, especially if we consider that this is the same terminology used by the Congregation of the Clergy to describe the St. Stanislaus Board of Directors' (BOD) actions. The Congregation's admonition to the BOD in its Nov 2004 letter stated, "you have attempted to wrest control of the parish from the Local Ordinary."
Uncannily similar, is it not? Would one be foolish to suspect that this is merely a strange coincidence?
Is Aisha Sultan's article biased? Slanted? Informed? Objective? Can any of these terms be used to describe the article?
Last year about this same time, Aisha Sultan wrote an article (which I can not find on the Post archives, BTW), in which she claims to have quoted Archbishop Burke. These are the links from last year reports: here, here, and here.
My email (in one of the above links) to Aisha Sultan (3/8/04)states:
The first sentence of your report titled "Burke cites "hedonistic culture" as a factor in church's problems" on Februrary 27, states:Her response (3/12/04), which I never posted is:Archbishop Raymond Burke blamed society's "hedonistic culture" as the most significant cause of sexual abuse within the church...Nowhere in the rest of the article do you specifically and directly quote what the Archbishop said about this "hedonistic culture".
Can you please provide a direct quotation which substantiates your claim that Archbishop Burke stated that the "most significant cause" of sexual abuse within the Church is society's "hedonistic culture"?
Without some sort of substantiation of the claim you make in your article, I'm afraid the readers of the Post-Dispatch are left no choice other than to question the veracity of your other statements, not only in this article but in other articles which you may write.
That statement is a direct quote from the Archbishop. I asked him to elaborate and the only example he would offer was pornography, which is stated further below in the story.I requested that she provide a complete quote rather than a paraphrasing of her own words, and she was unable or unwilling to do so. As we can see by this exchange from last year and her most recent article, refuted and clarified by Jarek Czernikiewicz here, it seems that a reasonable and prudent individual would be negligent if he did not view her articles with suspicion and skepticism with regard to their veracity.
One of the spokesman was told after the press conference that I'd like discuss this aspect of his comments further, but the Archbishop did not elaborate. The archdiocese officials were also present at this press conference. If they felt something was inaccurate, I'm sure they would have asked for a correction. In the editorial Burke wrote for the editorial pages following this story, he never denied saying what he was quoted as saying.
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