A Voter's Guide for "Cafeteria" Catholics...
Jeff Miller (The Curt Jester) has done a great job by developing a handy guide for the individual who professes to be Catholic but who refuses to form his conscience according to reason, the natural law, and the teachings of the Church.

It's ideal for those who, while claiming to be Catholic, are actually espousing protestant beliefs. I would not be surprised if many Protestant Christians are more Catholic in many respects than most of the self-described "faithful Catholics" who support Pro-Death politicians.

See the guide here.
It's great for the "Catholic" for Kerry types.

- posted by LRS @ 10:13 PM   

 
Catholic Bishop Blasts Kerry in New Ad
The text:

This is Bishop Rene Henry Gracida

All Catholics, all Christians, have a serious moral obligation to vote responsibly with a clear conscience in this year's general election.

Voting responsibly this year means voting for candidates who are pro-life.

Candidates who are pro-life are opposed to all acts of violence against innocent human life.

Such as abortion, euthanasia, and fetal experimentation.

Before one can give priority to social questions such as war, the economy, social security and health care issues one must recognize that all such issues must first of all be based on respect for human life.

Paid for by Vote Catholic. Not affiliated with any candidate. Visit our website at Catholics Against Kerry.com to learn more.

Source.
- posted by LRS @ 7:06 PM   

 
Hypocrisy on abortion

Why does no one challenge the obvious hypocrisy? Kerry says he opposes abortion but will not impose his beliefs on others. If he means that, he should abstain on votes on that matter. But he hasn't. He has voted against any restrictions at all. With those votes, he is imposing his pro-abortion views on others.

Tom Jeffrey
South County

It is evident from the facts of Kerry's record and his statements that he is an agent for evil, an agent of Satan. He has strayed from the path that Christ wishes all to follow. Pray for his conversion and his return to Christ and His Church.

Several other letters enumerating the flawed thinking of John Kerry on many others issues can be read here.
- posted by LRS @ 10:08 AM   

 
Archbishop O'Malley AWOL?

Kerry claims faith, denies Catholic teachings;
Where is Boston’s Archbishop O’Malley?

Any public official who touts Catholicism as his faith, while supporting the heinous crime of abortion, is spitting in Christ's face and demeaning the very Church he claims to love. To make matters worse, the archbishop of Boston – Kerry's home diocese – is, through his silence, avoiding his responsibility to teach and uphold the faith. Archbishop Sean O'Malley, to my knowledge, has yet to take definitive action against this scandal. The very idea that Kerry repeats his "pro-choice Catholic" mantra almost daily with no official response from Archbishop O'Malley is deeply disturbing.

This is not about politics; this is about defending the body of Christ from sacrilege and the Catholic Church herself from heresy. We pray that Archbishop O'Malley and every bishop will have the courage to stand up and rebuke those who perpetrate such fraudulent notions.

Many others have wondered precisely the same thing. The scandal is being perpetuated because the Archbishop has done nothing publicly to bring an end to this situation.

American Life League post.
- posted by LRS @ 9:55 AM   

 
Bishop of Arlington Reminds Voters of Fundamental Life Issues

As my brother bishops and I have stated in "Faithful Citizenship: Civic Responsibility for a New Millennium," the critical principles by which we should judge those who run for elected office are the protection of human life, the promotion of family life, the pursuit of social justice and the practice of global solidarity.

The foundation for these principles is the first, the protection of human life, since without it the other three would be rendered meaningless. If we do not uphold and protect human life in its beginning at conception, there will be no life to uphold and protect thereafter.
...
Proportionate reason does not mean that each issue carries the same moral weight; intrinsically evil acts such as abortion or research on stem cells taken from human embryos cannot be placed on the same level as debates over war or capital punishment, for example. It is simply not possible to serve and promote the common good of our nation by voting for a candidate who, once in office, will do nothing to limit or restrict the deliberate destruction of innocent human life.

Bishop Loverde's Pre-Election Letter here.
- posted by LRS @ 8:45 AM   

 
31st Sunday in Ordinary Time
From: Luke 19:1-10

The Conversion of Zacchaeus
---------------------------
[1] He (Jesus) entered Jericho and was passing through. [2] And there was a rich man named Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector, and rich. [3] And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not, on account of the crowd, because he was small of stature. [4] So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him, for He was to pass that way. [5] And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and said to him, "Zacchaeus, make haste and come down; for I must stay at your house today." [6] So he made haste and came down, and received Him joyfully. [7] And when they saw it they all murmured, "He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner." [8] And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, "Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have defrauded any one of anything, I restore it fourfold." [9] And Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. [10] For the Son of Man came to seek and save the lost."
*******************
Commentary:
1-10. Jesus Christ is the Savior of mankind; He has healed many sick people, has raised the dead to life and, particularly, has brought forgiveness of sin and the gift of grace to those who approach Him in faith. As in the case of the sinful woman (cf. Luke 7:36-50), here He brings salvation to Zacchaeus, for the mission of the Son of Man is to save that which was lost.

Zacchaeus was a tax collector and, as such, was hated by the people, because the tax collectors were collaborators of the Roman authorities and were often guilty of abuses. The Gospel implies that this man also had things to seek forgiveness for (cf. verses 7-10). Certainly he was very keen to see Jesus (no doubt moved by grace) and he did everything he could to do so. Jesus rewards his efforts by staying as a guest in his house. Moved by our Lord's presence Zacchaeus begins to lead a new life.

The crowd begin to grumble against Jesus for showing affection to a man they consider to be an evildoer. Our Lord makes no excuses for his behavior: He explains that this is exactly why He has come--to seek out sinners. He is putting into practice the parable of the lost sheep (cf. Luke 15:4-7), which was already prophesied in Ezekiel: "I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the crippled, and I will strengthen the weak" (34:16).

4. Zacchaeus wants to see Jesus, and to do so he has to go out and mix with the crowd. Like the blind man of Jericho he has to shed any kind of human respect. In our own search for God we should not let false shame or fear of ridicule prevent us from using the resources available to us to meet our Lord. "Convince yourself that there is no such thing as ridicule for whoever is doing what is best" ([St] J. Escriva, "The Way", 392).

5-6. This is a very good example of the way God acts to save men. Jesus calls Zacchaeus personally, using his name, suggesting he invite Him home. The Gospel states that Zacchaeus does so promptly and joyfully. This is how we should respond when God calls us by means of grace.

8. Responding immediately to grace, Zacchaeus makes it known that he will restore fourfold anything he obtained unjustly--thereby going beyond what is laid down in the Law of Moses (cf. Exodus 21:37f). And in generous compensation he gives half his wealth to the poor. "Let the rich learn", St. Ambrose comments, "that evil does not consist in having wealth, but in not putting it to good use; for just as riches are an obstacle to evil people, they are also a means of virtue for good people" ("Expositio Evangelii Sec. Lucam, in loc."). Cf. note on Luke 16:9-11).

10. Jesus' ardent desire to seek out a sinner to save him fills us with hope of attaining eternal salvation. "He chooses a chief tax collector: who can despair when such a man obtains grace?" (St. Ambrose, "Expositio Evangelii Sec. Lucam, in loc.").
******************
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.
- posted by LRS @ 7:42 AM   

 
Saturday, 30th Week in Ordinary Time
From: Luke 14:1, 7-11

[1] One Sabbath when He (Jesus) went to dine at the house of a ruler who belonged to the Pharisees, they were watching Him.

A Lesson About Humility
-----------------------
[7] Now He told a parable to those who were invited, when He marked how they chose the places of honor, saying to them, [8] "When you are invited by any one to a marriage feast, do not sit down in a place of honor, lest a more eminent man than you be invited by him; [9] and he who invited you both will come and say to you, `Give place to this man' and then you will begin with shame to take the lowest place. [10] But when you are invited, go and sit in the lowest place, so that when your host comes he may say to you, `Friend, go up higher'; then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at table with you. [11] For every one who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.
***********************
Commentary:

11. Humility is necessary for salvation that Jesus takes every opportunity to stress its importance. Here He uses the attitudes of people at banquet to remind us again that it is God who assigns the places at the Heavenly banquet. "Together with humility, the realization of the greatness of man's dignity--and of the overwhelming fact that, by grace, we are made children of God--forms a single attitude. It is not our own efforts that save us and gives us life; it is the grace of God. This is a truth which must never be forgotten" ([St] J. Escriva, "Christ Is Passing By", 133).
************
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.
- posted by LRS @ 1:08 AM   

 
Saved from closure but still unhappy
It came as a 'eye-opening' surprise to many of those who watch some of the "goings on" in the archdiocese, especially with respect to dissident or heterdox groups or individuals, that one of the parishes that many thought would be closed, was recommended to remain open. Rather than express gratitude that, so far, they have been spared the prospect of closing, this is in last Sunday's bulletin:

The South City Plan recommends that St. Cronan’s lose its territorial status and become a personal parish. The Parish Council is questioning this change, because in reality we are very invested in this neighborhood.

In various conversations, people have communicated complete disbelief at the South Deanery plan. Several people wonder if the Archbishop is aware of the things going on there.

Another has suggested that, in making this a personal parish having no boundaries, it might be a attempt to keep the people in one place, rather than have them 'branch out' to other parishes. This makes some sense, although from what is posted on the parish website, one can easily come to the conclusion that they were comfortable starting their own little community of 'believers', if the church was to be closed. Maybe others have a different perspective.

Source.
- posted by LRS @ 12:15 PM   

 
All Saints, All Souls feasts to be observed Nov. 1-2
A listing of some of the Masses in the Archdiocese.
- posted by LRS @ 7:43 AM   

 
A Failure to Teach in Altoona-Johnstown
***Updated*** 11/17/04
It was brought to my attention that I was, perhaps, too critical of Bishop Adamec's column and will clarify my position. All updates will be in brackets[].

****
This certainly isn't the first time confusion has been sown among the faithful.
Bishop Joseph Adamec writes his column, "WHAT’S IN A PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION?", but he, like many others, proposes something which is a grave error. He states:

It is very likely that there will be some evil coming along with the good that we wish to choose when we vote for any particular candidate. So, how is our choice to be made? As is so often said: “Very carefully.”

As I see it, this particular election is primarily about life, that greatest and most basic of gifts from our Creator. We are called to promote life, as a God-given right, at all its stages. That includes before birth as well as after, when inconvenient as well as when convenient, for the guilty as well as for the innocent, and for those who disagree with us as well as for those who agree. In that regard, we may not kill indiscriminately (such as in abortion or war) and we may not use another person’s life simply for the enhancement of our own (such as in stem cell research or political opportunity).

One wonders if he understands what directly procured abortions are - the intentional, discriminate killing of an unborn child. To suggest that abortion is the indiscriminate killing of another demonstrates complete and utter negligence, at best.

[My use of the term 'indiscriminate' is based on an understanding that the word would be synonomous with 'haphazd, unrestrained, unselective, random, or arbitrary'. The bishop may mean something else. The direct, intentional killing of an unborn baby, I maintain, cannot be labeled as 'indiscriminate' for it is neither random nor unselective but it is, precisely, very 'selective' - a unique and unrepeatable human being has been chosen - singularly selected - to be murdered.]

At its worst, it is a lie which distorts the teaching of the Church. The clear and unambiguous teaching of the intrinsic evil of directly procured abortions should not be compared with the unintended deaths of civilians which occur in times of war.

[Here, I stand corrected on failing to make a proper distinction. It must be noted that the discriminating and intentional killing of an innocent person in time of war would be gravely immoral as would be the intentional, indiscriminate killing of people. Having said this, the United States neither endorses nor condones the intentional and indiscriminate killing of innocent people during times of war.]

It is a grave failure for a bishop, or anyone charged with imparting the faith to others, to make such a declaration.

[My reference here refers specifically to the equating of abortion (which does occur appproximately 4,000 time per day) with 'indiscriminate killing of innocents during war' (which rarely happens today by US troops). I maintain that the comparison used was, at the very least, wrongly worded and confusing.]

Pray that the faithful of that diocese understand the truth and pray for [the] bishop that he might speak the truth with clarity.

Bishop Adamec's letter is here.

- posted by LRS @ 7:05 AM   

 
Abp. O'Brien: dissenting politicians shouldn't take Communion

Catholic politicians who "choose to disregard (the) tenets of their professed faith and, in fact, actively promote opposite ones" should refrain from receiving Communion, said Archbishop Edwin F. O'Brien of the U.S. Archdiocese for the Military Services, at a Mass for judges, law enforcement officers and attorneys in southern New York state. Archbishop Edwin F. O'Brien of the U.S. Archdiocese for the Military Services

Source.
- posted by LRS @ 6:44 AM   

 
A perspective on General Intercessions
From George Weigel's, Lord, please don’t hear this prayer:

...the subscription services that supply many parishes with their general intercessions often turn the petitions into mini-sermons in which various messages, theological and political, are encoded.

I particularly dislike the now-widespread custom of jumping immediately from a pro forma prayer for the universal Church or the Pope to a second, much lengthier petition for some political desideratum, often accompanied by a protracted secondary clause suggesting, not too subtly, that all social goods are to be secured by government action.

I have, for years, remained silent when some of General Intercessions were read. Perhaps, a better solution is to say," Lord, Don't hear our prayer".

Article.
- posted by LRS @ 6:38 AM   

 
Davenport diocese settles abuse claims

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Davenport agreed Thursday to pay $9 million to settle 37 claims of sexual abuse by priests - a deal that could lift any immediate threat of bankruptcy.

Link.
- posted by LRS @ 6:30 AM   

 
St. Agatha's Latin Mass schedule for this coming week
10:00 Sunday, 10/31 - High Mass for Christ the King (old calendar..last Sun of Oct)
Benediction afterwards

7:00pm Monday, 11/1 - High Mass for Feast of All Saints

7:00pm Tuesday, 11/2 - High Mass for Feast of All Souls

Thanks to Marc P. for the update.
- posted by LRS @ 6:12 AM   

 
Sacred choral music resonated well at the Cathedral Basilica

They arrived late - at 7 p.m., they were still unloading their truck at the rear of the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis - but despite the last-minute nature of their acquaintance with that vividly resonant space, conductor Bernard Labadie and his matched ensembles, Les Violons du Roy and La Chappelle du Quebec, delivered a solid performance in sacred choral music by Mozart.

Link.
- posted by LRS @ 6:09 AM   

 
Archbishop Burke's Reflections on Holy Land Pilgrimage

I conclude with one final reflection. Throughout the pilgrimage, I had a profound sense of the presence of the Mother of God, drawing me to her Divine Son. In each holy place, I was led to reflect upon the irreplaceable role of Mary in our salvation, a role which she continues to carry out by her intercession on our behalf before God the Father. The Virgin Mary, who is our model in going on pilgrimage, intercedes for pilgrims, in a special way, that they may find Christ more fully in their lives. She accompanies pilgrims with the maternal counsel which best expresses her vocation and mission. The counsel is her last recorded words in the Gospels, her words to the wine stewards at the Wedding Feast of Cana: "Do whatever He tells you" (John 2:5).

Full article here.
- posted by LRS @ 6:02 AM   

 
Friday, 30th Week In Ordinary Time
From: Luke 14:1-6

Jesus Cures a Dropsical Man on the Sabbath
------------------------------------------
[1] One sabbath when he (Jesus) went to dine at the house of a ruler who belonged to the Pharisees, they were watching him. [2] And behold, there was a man before him who had dropsy. [3] And Jesus spoke to the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, "Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath, or not?" [4] But they were silent. Then he took him and healed him, and let him go. [5] And he said to them, "Which of you, having an ass or an ox that has fallen into a well, will not immediately pull him out on a
sabbath day?" [6] And they could not reply to this.
***********************
Commentary:

1-6. Fanaticism is always evil. It often causes blindness and leads a person, as in this case, to deny the principles of justice and charity and even basic humanitarianism. We should never be fanatical about anything--no matter how sacred it is.
***********************
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.
- posted by LRS @ 5:01 AM   

 
La Crosse Diocesan Lawyer Steps Aside

Diocesan lawyer steps aside after CWN story

La Crosse, Oct. 28 (CWNews.com) - The attorney for the Diocese of La Crosse, Wisconsin, has recused himself from involvement in any future decisions regarding the tax-exempt status, after being criticized in a CWN story for recommending against the distribution of a popular voting guide.

In a press release issued on Thursday night-- just hours after the CWN story appeared-- the diocese announced that James Birnbaum had made the decision himself, in order "to avoid even the appearance of even the appearance of a conflict of interest and to end any controversy" about his decisions.

The voting guide he rejected was the Catholic Answers Voter's Guide for Serious Catholics. CWN reported earlier of Birnbaum's contributions to anti-life politicians.

Full Story
- posted by LRS @ 10:21 PM   

 
Vermont Catholics urged no shaking hands, no common chalice

Parishioners in Vermont urged to stop sharing chalice, shaking hands to stop flu
Associated Press
10/27/2004

BURLINGTON, Vt. (AP) -- You can pray you won't get the flu, but Vermont's Catholic bishop is urging other steps as well.

Bishop Kenneth Angell has urged worshippers of the state's largest religion to abstain from the Mass customs of sharing a chalice of wine and shaking hands for the next six months.

Coming from a secular source, we can see a problem right away. The chalice does NOT contain wine at all - although it appears to many people to be wine, it is not wine, but the Precious Blood of our Lord, Jesus Christ.

Catholics traditionally shake hands with parishioners in pews beside them when a priest calls for a "sign of peace" during Mass. They then receive a piece of communion bread and may sip from a shared chalice.

Once again, Catholic doctrine needs to be reinforced - after the consecration, the bread ceases to be bread - it has become the Body of our Lord. Only the accidents (those things perceived by the senses-taste, looks, feel, etc.) remain for the substance has been changed by the action of the Holy Spirit. This mystery is transubstantiation

Article here.
- posted by LRS @ 7:13 AM   

 
Letter to the Editor from Catholic Action Network
This stuff is so old...Anyone with half a brain knows exactly what nonsense is coming. It hasn't changed a bit. The stale, moldy leftover ideologies from the rebellious sixties are still being promoted in an attempt to convince others that the truth is not being taught to the faithful by our Archbishop. But alas, Jenny Truax and the dissenters and malcontents are here to enlighten those of us who believe what the Church teaches abd what Archbishop Burke has handed on to us.

A partisan guide

Archbishop Raymond Burke's support of the so-called "Voter's Guide for Serious Catholics" is an unfortunate attempt to sway Catholic voters towards a right-wing, Republican agenda. Catholics should see through this thinly-veiled partisan attempt, and choose candidates who protect the poor, promote global peace, and who fund education, health care, and environmental initiatives.

These are pro-life issues, and have been mostly neglected lately. The archbishop's narrow focus on only five issues suggests that the lives and daily struggles of factory workers, homeless people, and senior citizens (all attacked by the policies of our so-called pro-life president,) are of little consequence. A long history of Church teaching says that Catholics should consider a full range of issues when making political judgments. By severely limiting the issues that Catholics should consider important, Burke and others are defying these teachings and promoting an extremist agenda that pays little heed to the struggles of everyday citizens.

Jenny Truax
Program Coordinator
Catholic Action Network
for Social Justice
St. Louis

This letter is from that same group which supports women's ordination and homosexuality. Rather than following the teachings of the Church and recognizing the fundamental and primary right to life, without which these other issues are irrelevant, the group continues to espouse it own "theology".

Some people are so blinded that they cannot see the light. Distortions of fact are a rule. An inversion of reality has occurred where 'Lies are proclaimed as truths and truths are dismissed as lies.' Abortion is not mentioned here, but the promotion of the slavery of welfare is exalted. The 'gift' of homosexuality is to be embraced as a wonderful benefit to society and to families.

As I posted earlier, this same group, "Catholic" Action Network (in conjunction with Soulforce) is conducting a "vigil" on the steps of the Cathedral in an effort to 'convince' the Archbishop of the legitimacy, sanctity, and goodness of homosexuality.

Link to Letter here.
- posted by LRS @ 6:55 AM   

 
Pro-Life Candidates in Your State
This is a handy resource to have.

Check it out here.
- posted by LRS @ 6:55 AM   

 
Does "Faithful Citizenship" confuse priorities of magisterial teaching?

Pope John Paul II, and the Bishops who teach in union with the Pope, [1] speak loud and clear what the church's priorities are for voting as a Catholic. They teach that one may not consider other human conditions without giving first predominant consideration of the five most important conditions of the right to life: abortion, euthanasia, embryonic stem cell research, cloning and same-sex marriage.

In contrast, many 'faithful' Catholics [demographers call them 'church-attending Catholics'] as well as many 'devout' Catholics [those who attend daily Mass] are saying they will be voting for pro-abortion John Kerry. In addition, the usual suspects — the 'unchurched' lukewarm Catholics — can be relied on to support Kerry's abortion stance.

The Church has never taught, nor does it teach now, that 'global solidarity' and 'social justice' are the same equivalent as the right to life of the unborn, the infirmed, and the elderly. The Church has always clearly condemned abortion, sodomy, euthanasia, cloning, and embryonic stem cell research in all instances. Without the 'right to life,' no other rights are possible.

The Church's social teachings are important human concerns, but, as the Pope often and adamantly speaks, no other human rights are as significant or crucial as the 'right to life' of the unborn, the infirmed, and the elderly:

Complete article here.
- posted by LRS @ 6:54 AM   

 
Parish in Minnesota ordered to remove Gay Pride material from website

A Catholic church in Minneapolis known for its progressive stands on social issues has been ordered by the Vatican and the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis to remove Gay Pride material from its Web site and stop allowing unordained guests to speak during mass.

The order was delivered by two bishops in person two weeks ago to the pastor of St. Joan of Arc and again in a statement issued Wednesday.

This parish is known for its open dissent against the teaching of the Church regarding homosexuality:

St. Joan of Arc has a vibrant number of gay and lesbian partners with children. St. Joan of Arc's GLBT Families Group was initiated to meet this diverse group's needs.

The parish is now in emotional turmoil.

Parish administrator Peter Eichten said church members have met twice to discuss the order. Emotions at the meetings ranged from fear to anger, he said.

"We've really tried to avoid creating a we-versus-them type of situation," he said. "We've never felt that we've done anything contrary to the teachings of the church. We would not do that. We feel that the gospel demand is to be open and hospitable to all people, no matter who or what they are."

The church has run afoul of Catholic leaders in the past. [The pastor, Rev. George] Wertin said he met with the same two bishops more than a year ago over another dispute. In May 2003 the archdiocese rescinded an award of excellence that was to be given to religious educator Kathy Itzin at St. Joan's after Wertin was told that she was a lesbian.

"We are in the process of an in-depth self-examination that will help us get better in touch with our identity as a Catholic community that teaches us to promote justice, peace and inclusivity," he wrote.

Sounds like one particular parish here in St. Louis.

Article.
- posted by LRS @ 6:33 AM   

 
Many of us will miss this on Nov 9 at the Dinner/Talk with Archbishop Burke

"People of Faith for Gay Rights" Vigil

Join the members of our Holy Families working group, in conjunction the national group Soulforce and dozens of vigils across the country.

We will call for an end to the anti-gay rhetoric and practices of the Catholic hierarchy both in St. Louis, and nationally.

Meet on the Cathedral steps (4431 Lindell) at 7:30pm.

We will have time for both silence and sharing.
Bring a candle, sign, song, or poem to share.

"Holy Families" is a group formed at St. Cronan Parish (first reported on here) - a parish is the South City deanery that has been initially slated to remain open, while others are closed. The question of "Why?" comes to mind...Why is this 'parish' allowed to continue to foster dissent from the teachings of the Church and disunity within the Church?

Here is what Soulforce has planned and which "Holy Familes" and Catholic Action Network are supporting:

National Call for Prayer and Vigils at local Catholic Chanceries, November 9, 2004

On November 9, 2004, all across the nation, people of faith will be standing vigil with Soulforce local groups outside local Catholic Chanceries to denounce the leadership role the Catholic hierarchy has taken to deny gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender individuals their equal civil rights under the law.

Here is the Link to this scandalous affair.

Fortunately, the Archbishop won't be there to witness this open rebellion to God - he will be speaking on “Catholic Moral Teaching and the Common Good”. Perhaps these people would be better served if they would listen to the wisdom of the Church as handed on to us by Archbishop Burke?
- posted by LRS @ 1:48 AM   

 
Jill Stanek: Abort pro-choice retirees from Social Security program

Almost 32 years ago these gods [pro-choice senior citizens] decreed themselves the right to abort the very young people they now demand pay for their Alaskan cruises and bingo games, if they somehow managed to survive. Incredible.

If I were a person born after January 22, 1973, I would say, “Let them eat dog food.”
...
I wonder, as the growing number of unwanted old people increases, will Kate Michelman of NARAL Pro-Choice America take on the battle cry, “Every old person a wanted old person”?
...
That leads me to wonder, when Kate is alone at night with her nightmares of chopped up babies, does she now worry about her own future?

I expect when old pro-aborts are as helpless as the babies they put to death so many years before, they will finally understand what all the fuss was about.

Jill Stanek offers a just proposal for those aging seniors who promoted the abortion of the unborn. This is an insightful view of "reaping what one sows" or in this case, "what one fails to sow."

For those who may not be aware, Jill Stanek became a leader in the Illinois conservative movement when she fought to stop "live birth abortion" after witnessing one as an RN at Christ Hospital in Oak Lawn, Illinois.

The complete article is here.
- posted by LRS @ 1:05 AM   

 
What Is Gained by Praying the Rosary Daily
According to Theologian Father Jesús Castellano Cervera

****
How difficult is it to pray the Rosary? How can one find the time to do it?

Praying the Rosary is not difficult, especially if one has a 15-20 minute or more commute to work. A tape or CD of the Rosary is ideal during drive time, although, at times, one's contemplation may be distracted from the mysteries by the demands of weather or traffic. Nevertheless, it still provides a personal time of conversation with our Lord and our Lady which brings a special peace and tranquility to one's mind.

Develop a "habit" of doing this daily - especially during this year of the Eucharist. The Rosary is our "special weapon" against the darkness of the world. It will help prepare one to face the world with the spirit of a Christian and help one in their daily efforts of evangelization and conversion.


- posted by LRS @ 12:49 AM   

 
Bishop Serratelli: Politics And Logic

We are at a crossroads in our nation's history. We need to disengage reason from rhetoric. We need to face squarely the principles that inform our choices and the consequences that follow them. Not financial gain, but truth; not popular acclaim, but truth; not party spirit, but truth is the foundation for sound judgments and responsible choices.

The ancient Greek philosophers gifted us with an indispensable tool in the inquiry for truth. They taught us logic. Today there are well over 200 different definitions of logic. But quite simply, logic is the science and art of reasoning. It directs the mind to attain clarity in thinking and consistency in judgment. Before we make any choice, we need to think logically. Only with careful reasoning can we hope to arrive at truth-apart from the slant of the polls and the prejudice of the press.

Some adopt as their political shibboleth such oft-repeated sayings as "My religion is one thing; my politics, another;" or "I am personally opposed to abortion; but I will not let this influence my vote."

Has logic been banished from our land? How can someone personally hold that abortion is murder and yet say, "because my constituency wants it, I will support abortion?" How can anyone logically say my religion does not affect my decisions on these issues of life?

Bishop Serratelli's complete article is here.


- posted by LRS @ 12:30 AM   

 
Feast: Sts. Simon and Jude, Apostles
From: Luke 6:12-16

The Calling of the Apostles
---------------------------
[12] In these days He (Jesus) went out into the hills to pray; and all night He continued in prayer to God. [13] And when it was day, He called His disciples, and chose from them twelve, whom He named Apostles: [14] Simon, whom He named Peter, and Andrew, his brother, and James and John, and Philip and Bartholomew, [15] and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon who was called the Zealot, [16] and Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.
*************************
Commentary:
12-13. The evangelist writes with a certain formality when describingthis important occasion on which Jesus chooses the Twelve, constituting them as the apostolic college: "The Lord Jesus, having prayed at length to the Father, called to Himself those whom He willed and appointed twelve to be with Him, whom He might send to preach the Kingdom of God (cf. Mark 2:13-19; Matthew 10:1-42). These Apostles (cf. Luke 6:13) He constituted in the form of a college or permanent assembly, at the head of which He placed Peter, chosen from among them (cf. John 21:15-17). He sent them first of all to the children of Israel and then to all peoples (cf. Romans 1:16), so that, sharing in His power, they might make all peoples His disciples and sanctify and govern them (cf. Matthew 28:16-20; and par.) and thus spread the Church and, administering it under the guidance of the Lord, shepherd it all days until the end of the world (cf. Matthew 28:20). They were fully confirmed in this mission on the day of Pentecost (cf. Act 2:1-26) [...]. Through their preaching the Gospel everywhere (cf. Mark 16:20), and through its being welcomed and received under the influence of the Holy Spirit by those who hear it, the Apostles gather together the universal Church, which the Lord founded upon the Apostles and built upon Blessed Peter their leader, the chief cornerstone being Christ Jesus Himself (cf. Revelation 21:14; Matthew 16:18; Ephesians 2:20). That divine mission, which was committed by Christ to the Apostles, is destined to last until the end of the world (cf. Matthew 28:20), since the Gospel, which they were charged to hand on, is, for the Church, the principle of all its life for all time. For that very reason the Apostles were careful to appoint successors in this hierarchically constituted society" (Vatican II, "Lumen Gentium", 19-20).

Before establishing the apostolic college, Jesus spent the whole night in prayer. He often made special prayer for His Church (Luke 9:18; John 17:1ff), thereby preparing His Apostles to be its pillars (cf. Galatians 2:9). As His Passion approaches, He will pray to the Father for Simon Peter, the head of the Church, and solemnly tell Peter that He has done so: "But I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail" (Luke 22:32). Following Christ's example, the Church stipulates that on many occasions liturgical prayer should be offered for the pastors of the Church (the Pope, the bishops in general, and priests) asking God to give them grace to fulfill their ministry faithfully.

Christ is continually teaching us that we need to pray always (Luke 18:1). Here He shows us by His example that we should pray with special intensity at important moments in our lives. "`Pernoctans in oratione Dei. He spent the whole night in prayer to God.' So St. Luke tells of our Lord. And you? How often have you persevered like that? Well, then...." ([Blessed] J. Escriva, "The Way", 104).

On the need for prayer and the qualities our prayer should have, see the notes on Matthew 6:5-6; 7:7-11; 14:22-23; Mark 1:35; Luke 5:16; 11:1-4; 22:41-42.

12. Since Jesus is God, why does He pray? There were two wills in Christ, one divine and one human (cf. "St. Pius X Catechism", 91), and although by virtue of His divine will He was omnipotent, His human will was not omnipotent. When we pray, what we do is make our will known to God; therefore Christ, who is like us in all things but sin (Hebrews 4:15), also had to pray in a human way (cf. "Summa Theologiae", III, q. 21, a. 1). Reflecting on Jesus at prayer, St. Ambrose comments: "The Lord prays not to ask things for Himself, but to intercede on my behalf; for although the Father has put everything into the hands of the Son, still the Son, in order to behave in accordance with His condition as man, considers it appropriate to implore the Father for our sake, for He is our Advocate [...]. A Master of obedience, by His example He instructs us concerning the precepts of virtue: `We have an advocate with the Father' (1 John 2:1)" ("Expositio Evangelii sec. Lucam, in loc.").

14-16. Jesus chose for Apostles very ordinary people, most of them poor and uneducated; apparently only Matthew and the brothers James and John had social positions of any consequence. But all of them gave up whatever they had, little or much as it was, and all of them, bar Judas, put their faith in the Lord, overcame their shortcomings and eventually proved faithful to grace and became saints, veritable pillars of the Church. We should not feel uneasy when we realize that we too are low in human qualities; what matters is being faithful to the grace God gives us.
*******************
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.
- posted by LRS @ 12:02 AM   

 
ICEL official tells Canadian bishops inclusive language debate lives....
And, evidently, Liturgiam Authenticam is dead - defying what the Holy See has stated.

Article here.
- posted by LRS @ 11:39 PM   

 
Adult catechism for U.S. Catholics on bishops' agenda

One of the major items on the U.S. bishops' agenda when they meet this November will be the country's first national Catholic catechism intended specifically for adults.

The proposed adult catechism must be approved by at least two-thirds of all active bishops and then receive "recognitio," or confirmation, from the Holy See before it becomes official. The 456-page proposed text was sent out to the bishops in advance of the meeting.

Catholic World Report reviewed the proposed catechism and produced a report on it here.

Excerpts of the report were posted here last December. Hopefully, many of the suggested changes were implemented. Perhaps this could be a catechetical text of which we could be proud. Let us pray to God that it be so.

Source.
- posted by LRS @ 11:25 PM   

 
If only our Bishops would do likewise
After 14 years!

The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) has received approval (recognitio) from the Holy See for the ordinances that will implement the Vatican document Ex Corde Ecclesiae in Canada.

The document states: “Every Catholic university is to maintain communion with the universal Church and the Holy See; it is to be in close communion with the local Church and, in particular, with the diocesan bishop of the region or the nation in which it is located.”

Source.
- posted by LRS @ 7:18 AM   

 
"Catholics for a Free Choice" Calls IRS on Denver Archbishop Chaput

DENVER, October 26, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The pro-abortion, anti-Catholic and fraudulent Catholics for a Free Choice has complained to the US tax watchdog, the Internal Revenue Service, about Denver Archbishop Charles Chaput. CFFC, a strong supporter of John Kerry, is complaining about what it calls partisan comments in a column the Archbishop published in The New York Times Friday.

Frances Kissling and her anti-life and anti-Catholic organization continue a frontal assault on the Church. As an agent of Satan and a fierce defender of and cooperator in evil, she has once again demonstrated why some sort of ecclesial action should be taken as soon as possible. Discipline requires true love.

As any parent knows, discipline can be hard at times. Nevertheless, it is something which can not be overlooked if one truly loves one's child.

Source.
- posted by LRS @ 7:06 AM   

 
We need president with good morals and willing to back them up
And One More...

TO THE EDITOR:
I am writing in responses to Tom Murphey's letter in the Oct. 13 edition of the Clarion. In his letter, Mr. Murphey stated "let me first say that being raised in a Christian family, I was taught not to hate people."

My question to Mr. Murphey is this: Being raised in a Christian family, were you also taught not to kill? Hundreds of innocent people are killed everyday by abortion, which Mr. Kerry very strongly supports.

In addition, being raised in a Christian family, were you taught it was all right to make babies for the sole purpose of using their body parts for research? Kerry also supports this in stem cell research.

It isn't easy to stand up for what we believe in. It is much easier to go along with the "popular demand." Mr. Kerry also proves this when he goes against his beliefs as a "professed Roman Catholic."

My concerns are, is Mr. Kerry willing to go against his beliefs just in order to become elected as president or would these policies carry on in his term where he to become president?

The United States of America is a great moral crossroads. Our Supreme Court has gotten rid of prayer in schools and most public places. The Ten Commandments are no longer allowed in many public places.

The entire meaning of "family" is being threatened with same sex marriages. Babies are made and killed because their birth would be a great inconvenience to someone's life style.

At this time, more than any other, we need a president to lead our country who not only has good morals but is willing to back them up even at the risk of not being "popular."

Ruth Wessel
Columbia

Ruth gets right to the point. Can those to whom she directs her questions respond in a coherent manner? The answer would be no, unless one wishes to engage in moral relativism.

It must be understood that John Kerry has no belief system, no conscience, no guiding moral principles. His only claim to Catholicism is that he purportedly was baptized at some point in his life. Other than that and his constant claim to be Catholic (and an altar boy), he bears no sign or indication that he is, truly, Catholic. His actions demonstrate that he has rejected the Catholic faith.

It is shameful that any professed Catholic can support this man and his anti-life policies with a clear conscience - that being, a conscience that is rightly formed in the truth.

Source.
- posted by LRS @ 6:48 AM   

 
Baer letter nailed it right on head
From Today's Post...

TO THE EDITOR:
Finally someone has nailed it right on the head.

Hats off to Julie Baer of Granite City and her knowledge of the "blood guilt" which plagues that city. As long as Granite City allows the continuous murders of the unborn, the blood guilt will lie upon the hands of its leaders and the residents will live under that blood guilt.

She quoted John Kerry stating he is a Catholic and he "deeply respects the belief about life and when it begins." He can "respect" all the beliefs he wants, but he does not stand up for the unborn and protect them from being murdered.

So in stating he is a Catholic does not mean he supports the Catholic beliefs that murder is wrong. He is playing on the hopes that by throwing out the fact that he "is a Catholic" will win him the confidence of other Catholics.

We have a neighboring Catholic leader in Missouri who feels if you support abortion in any form you should not be able to take communion within the Catholic church, yet John Kerry wants to run our country, tell the people he's a Catholic all the while allowing our children to be murdered on a daily basis.

Mr. Kerry needs to go find and dust off his Bible, since his religion "helped lead him through a war, and it leads him today" and read what it says about murder. It is a sin.

James 1:8 seems fitting to describe Mr. Kerry—"he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does."
Mary Frierdich
Millstadt

(Emphasis mine)

Source
- posted by LRS @ 6:32 AM   

 
Wednesday, 30th Week in Ordinary Time
From: Luke 13:22-30

The Narrow Gate
---------------
[22] He (Jesus) went on his way through towns and villages, teaching, and journeying toward Jerusalem. [23] And some one said to him, "Lord, will those who are saved be few?" And he said to them, [24] "Strive to enter by the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. [25] When once the householder has risen up and shut the door, you will begin to stand outside and knock at the door, saying, 'Lord, open to us.' He will answer you, 'I do not know where you are from.' [26] Then you will begin to say, 'We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.' [27] But he will say, 'I tell you, I do not know where you come from; depart from me, all you workers of iniquity!" [28] There you will weep and gnash your teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God and you yourselves thrust out. [29] And men will come from east and west, and from north and south, and sit at table in the kingdom of God. [30] And behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last."
***************

23-24. Everyone is called to form part of the Kingdom of God, for he "desires all men to be saved" (1 Tim 2:4). "Those who, through no fault of their own, do not know the Gospel of Christ or his Church, but who nevertheless seek God with a sincere heart and, moved by grace, try in their actions to do his will as they know it through the dictates of their conscience: those too may achieve eternal salvation. Nor shall divine providence deny the assistance necessary for salvation to those who, without any fault of theirs, have not yet arrived at an explicit knowledge of God, and who, not without grace, strive to lead a good life. Whatever good or truth is found among them is considered by the Church to be a preparation for the Gospel and given by him who enlightens all men that they may at length have life" (Vatican II, "Lumen Gentium", 16).

Certainly, only those who make a serious effort can reach the goal of salvation (cf. Lk 16:16; Mt 11:12). Our Lord tells us so by using the simile of the narrow gate. "A Christian's struggle must be unceasing, for interior life consists in beginning and beginning again. This prevents us from proudly thinking that we are perfect already. It is inevitable that we should meet difficulties on our way. If we did not come up against obstacles, we would not be creatures of flesh and blood. We will always have passions that pull us downwards; we will always have to defend ourselves against more or less self-defeating urges" ([St] J. Escriva, "Christ Is Passing By", 75).

25-28. As at other times, Jesus describes eternal life by using the example of a banquet (cf., e.g., Lk 12:35ff; 14:15). Knowing the Lord and listening to his preaching is not enough for getting to heaven; what God judges is how we respond to the grace he gives us: "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven" (Mt 7:21).

29-30. Generally speaking, the Jewish people regarded themselves as the sole beneficiaries of the messianic promises made by the prophets; but Jesus proclaims that salvation is open to everyone. The only condition he lays down is that men freely respond to God's merciful call. When Christ died on the cross the veil of the temple was torn in two (Lk 23:45 and par.), a sign of the end of the distinction between Jews and Gentiles. St Paul teaches: "For he [Christ] is our peace, who has made us both one, and has broken down the dividing wall [...] that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby bringing the hostility to an end" (Eph 2:14-16). Therefore, "all men are called to belong to the new people of God. This people therefore, whilst remaining one and only one, is to be spread throughout the whole world and to all ages in order that the design of God's will may be fulfilled: he made human nature one in the beginning and has decreed that all his children who were scattered should be finally gathered together as one" (Vatican II, "Lumen Gentium", 13).
******************
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.
- posted by LRS @ 5:18 AM   

 
I love Wednesdays - They are Post Dispatch "SoundOff" Days...
...and people get to make complete fools of themselves:

Stay out

Archbishop Burke should stay out of voting booths and re-read Matthew 22:21. "Render therefore unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's and to God the things that are God's." I will vote for an honest man rather than for a strutting hawk, and confess nothing.

An "honest man"???? Is someone ever confused? Evidently, far too many are:

A question

Is Burke denying Communion for all the Catholics that are for the death penalty?

Source.
- posted by LRS @ 5:10 AM   

 
Frs.Di Noia & Cole, The Truth will not be Suppressed!
A long, detailed article on the recent Marc Balestrieri "controversy."
- posted by LRS @ 12:20 PM   

 
From the Coalition to Protect Marriage in Missouri
I received this email this morning from Coalition to Protect Marriage in Missouri:

Most American citizens are realizing that the Judiciary is a lot of the time out of their bounds in interpreting the laws by “legislating from the bench.” The Massachusetts Supreme Court ruling regarding same sex marriage made it necessary for our state on August 3rd to amend our State Constitution to clarify that in Missouri, marriage is between one man and one woman.

Thank you, again, for your support and dedication to protect traditional marriage in Missouri. But our efforts are not over.

In November there will be retention votes for a Missouri Supreme Court judge and several appellate court judges. A “Yes” vote to retain is a vote of affirmation on that particular judge. A “No” vote on retention is the “people’s impeachment” of a judge. Attached is information on Richard Teitelman, who was appointed by Governor Holden in 2002 and is up for his first vote for retention.

Kerry Messer of Missouri Family Network calls him “Missouri’s Most Liberal Judicial Activist” (see attached documentation). Besides several liberal rulings, he was one of the judges who sided with those who opposed Amendment 2 and voted to put the resolution on the August ballot instead of the November ballot where more Missourians would have a voice in the matter. Judge Teitelman sided with those who wanted to duck the voters and defeat Amendment 2.

The November 2 election is an opportunity for pro-family voters to make their voices heard regarding judicial activism. Please read the enclosed information and vote your values on November 2.

Listed below is the information on the judges on the appellate court on which you will be voting as well as further information on Missouri Supreme Court Judge Richard B. Teitelman. The percentage listed beside the judge’s name is the Missouri Bar Association’s opinion on retention based on courtroom demeanor and procedure (not rulings). Also listed is the date of appointment and the governor who made the appointment.

Missouri Supreme Court
Teitleman...80.8%...2002...Holden

Eastern District
Ahrens...84.9...1991...Ashcroft
Crane...84.2%...1990...Ashcroft
Cohen...80.8%...2003...Holden
Shaw...89.5%...2002...Holden
Norton...81.8%...2002...Holden

Western District
Breckenridge...88.9%...1990...Ashcroft
Spinden...88.5%...1991...Ashcroft

Southern District
Parrish...90.8%...1990...Ashcroft
Prewitt...93%...1979...Teasdale
Shrum...90.9%...1990...Ashcroft

Thank you for making an informed vote. Please share this information with others who care about protecting traditional values in Missouri.

Sincerely,
Bev Ehlen
Grasroots, Coordinator
Coalition to Protect Marriage in Missouri

Vote “NO” to Retain MO Supreme Court Judge Richard B. Teitelman



- posted by LRS @ 7:41 AM   

 
La Crosse Diocese Lawyer Supported Pro-Abort Politicians
And some have suggested that this is the reason he advised the diocese against using the Catholic Answers Voter's Guide.

La Crosse, Wisconsin, Oct. 26 (Culture of Life Foundation/CWNews.com) - A diocesan attorney who instructed pastors in the Diocese of La Crosse, Wisconsin, not to distribute a pro-life voting guide has given thousands of dollars to pro-abortion candidates in state and national elections.

James G. Birnbaum, who serves as a lawyer for the La Crosse diocese, recently sent a letter to pastors and administrators of parishes in the diocese, telling them not to allow the distribution of Catholic Answer's "Voter's Guide for Serious Catholics" "on your parish grounds or during your parish activities."

As expected, Birnbaum would not return any phone calls regarding this matter.

Source.
- posted by LRS @ 7:31 AM   

 
Post Dispatch: Election turns faith into action

Religious activists from the pews and pulpits are invoking issues such as abortion and same-sex marriage on Bush's behalf and health care and jobs on Kerry's.

- posted by LRS @ 7:08 AM   

 
Group files IRS complaint against St. Louis Archdiocese

An abortion rights organization planned to file a complaint with the Internal Revenue Service today against the Archdiocese of St. Louis, saying that Archbishop Raymond Burke violated the diocese's tax-exempt status. Burke, the complaint said, has "clearly crossed the line into political intervention."

The organization, Catholics for a Free Choice, also said it filed a complaint Monday with the IRS against the Denver archdiocese and its archbishop, Charles J. Chaput.

"Catholics" for a Free Choice have been taking aim at everyone and every group which proclaims those truths as revealed by God and proposed by the Church for our belief.

The group said that in Burke's pastoral letter, "On Our Civic Responsibility for the Common Good," "Catholics are led to believe they cannot vote for candidates who take positions that differ from the archdiocese's position on these issues."

When is Frances Kissling going to be "formally" excommunicated for her attacks on the Church and her attacks on Truth?

Article.
- posted by LRS @ 6:59 AM   

 
Bishops' Adherence to Truth Rankles Homosexuals

Bishop Kevin Boland and Archbishop John Donoghue call marriage between a man and a woman the "most basic building block of society."

In an open letter they are asking over 372,000 Catholic parishioners to vote "yes" on Amendment 1.

Gay activists like Kevin Clark of the gay rights group, Georgia Equality, says the letter crosses the line separating of church and state.

"This flies in the face of the spirit of Christianity. They should be ashamed of themselves. It also violates the principles of church and state," said Clark.

The spirit of Christianity, for some, would allow anyone to do whatever he wishes - all in the name of freedom. The confusion between freedom and license is rampant today, even in our own churches. Sin is detrimental. It causes blindness. It kills the conscience. It leads to slavery - a slavery of the soul - an enduring darkness. Those who speak the truth, like our Lord, will be ridiculed and persecuted because the darkness does not want the light of truth to shine. We should pray for those bishops who have the courage and strength to speak the truth in a climate of decadence and adversity. We should pray also for those who need to accept the graces God bestows on them so that they, too, will proclaim those hard truths which are like beacons of light leading us on our path toward heaven.

Article.
- posted by LRS @ 6:41 AM   

 
Liberal Catholics profess their "faith" in Kerry...
...They do this, presumably, while denying their belief in God and the Church.

So, when several hundred Columbus-area Catholics, including a nun and several priests, gathered Sunday afternoon for a "Catholics for Kerry" rally, the event had the air of a coming-out party. The speakers on stage embraced each other as each one finished addressing the audience. "It feels good, doesn't it?" said Sen. Dick Durbin, a Democrat from Illinois.

Denying the truth, opposing Christ, His teachings, and His Church in order to support a person dedicated to upholding the slaughter of millions of innocent children - "feels good" - what warped and confused people these are. It's unfathomable how anyone could be so blinded!

Eric McFadden, the man who organized the event through his Web site... said he doesn't like it when the Bush campaign shows photos of the president with members of the Knights of Columbus, a Catholic organization. As a fourth degree Knight, "That's an affront to me, because he does not walk with Christ," McFadden said.

Moral blindeness affects the whole person. the person becomes incapable of coherent, moral , and rational thought.

"Bush does not walk with Christ" but apparently John Kerry does? What kind of insanity is this that results from embracing evil and failing to recognize perversions of the truth?
Here is a perfect example:

Father John Ardis, Kerry's pastor from the Paulist Center in Boston, explained that Kerry's Catholic faith dictated his support for Democratic slogans like "closing the gun show loophole" and "extending the assault weapons ban."

I am beginning to think that we have been invaded by aliens!
It takes me a great deal of restraint to remain calm when reading or listening to these folks. It's harder yet, to invoke quick prayers for their conversions, as they have, evidently, lost the Faith (assuming that they had any faith to begin with).

The scandal caused by people like this is so great and so pervasive. May God have mercy on their souls!

Article.
- posted by LRS @ 6:21 AM   

 
Vatican handbook spells out teachings on social issues

VATICAN CITY - A Vatican handbook released Monday laid out Roman Catholic Church teaching questioning preventive war and denouncing abortion as a "horrendous crime." But Vatican officials sidestepped questions on whether the war in Iraq was illegal or whether Catholics can vote for candidates who back laws permitting abortion.

Associated Press Article.
- posted by LRS @ 6:11 AM   

 
Cardinal George on Participation in Political Life

The U.S. Bishops last June, bringing once again the question of conscience to participation in political life, said that voting to protect legal abortion is a form of cooperating in the evil of abortion itself.

Should Catholic “pro-choice” politicians receive Holy Communion? Objectively, no;

Should a minister of Holy Communion give a “pro-choice” politician the Body of the Lord? If a voting record is evidence of “manifest and obstinate” sin, no. The objection is raised that voting for abortion isn’t the only political sin, even though abortion and euthanasia are the moral bottom line. Nevertheless, a firm case can be made that refusing Communion, after pastoral counseling and discussion, is a necessary response to the present scandal.

If I haven’t made it in this Archdiocese, it’s primarily because I believe it would turn the reception of Holy Communion into a circus here.

Complete letter.
- posted by LRS @ 6:10 AM   

 
Bishop Lucas: Seven principles to take with us to voting booth

We have a moral obligation to avoid cooperating in evil. Neither you nor I can eliminate evil laws, practices or structures with one vote. However, we can use our votes and voices to demonstrate an unwillingness to support evil, as well as a desire to limit its effects. By voting and speaking out, we help keep important issues affecting human life and dignity at the center of the civil discussion of the common good.

Prayers do work.

Source.
- posted by LRS @ 6:07 AM   

 
Florida Bishops' Statement on Voting

From a moral perspective, the issues of concern are not always of equal importance or urgency. Some are more fundamental and therefore more pressing than others. Pope John Paul II reminds us in the Gospel of Life, “It is impossible to further the common good without acknowledging and defending the right to life, upon which all other inalienable rights of individuals are founded and from which they develop.”

Source.
- posted by LRS @ 5:58 AM   

 
Tuesday, 30th Week In Ordinary Time
From: Luke 13:18-21

Parables of the Grain of Mustard Seed and of the Leaven
-------------------------------------------------------
[18] He (Jesus) said therefore, "What is the Kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it? [19] It is like a grain of mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his garden; and it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air made nests in its branches."

[20] And again He said, "To what shall I compare the Kingdom of God? [21] It is like leaven which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal, till it was all leavened."
***************
Commentary:

18-21. The grain of mustard and the leaven symbolize the Church, which starts off as a little group of disciples and steadily spreads with the aid of the Holy Spirit until it reaches the ends of the earth. As early as the second century Tertullian claimed: "We are but of yesterday and yet we are everywhere" ("Apologeticum", 37).

Our Lord "with the parable of the mustard seed encourages them to have faith and shows them that the Gospel preaching will spread in spite of everything. The Lord's disciples were the weakest of men, but nevertheless, because of the great power that was in them, the Gospel has been spread to every part of the world" (St. John Chrysostom, "Hom. on St. Matthew", 46). Therefore, a Christian should not be discouraged if his apostolic action seems very limited and insignificant. With God's grace and his own faithfulness it will keep growing like the mustard seed, in spite of difficulties: "In the moments of struggle and opposition, when perhaps `the good' fill your way with obstacles, lift up your apostolic heart: listen to Jesus as He speaks of the grain of mustard seed and of the leaven. And say to Him: `"edissere nobis parabolam": explain the parable to me.' And you will feel the joy of contemplating the victory to come: the birds of the air lodging in the branches of your apostolate, now only in its beginnings, and the whole of the meal leavened" ([St] J. Escriva, "The Way", 695).
***************************
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.
- posted by LRS @ 5:39 AM   

 
John Kerry was an altar boy...
...so was Adolf Hitler

Presidential candidate, Senator John Kerry is urgently pressing uncatechised or 'dumbed down' Catholic voters to believe he is a faithful Catholic that best represents the Church's defined teachings. Nothing could be farther from the truth.

He woos the ignorant Catholics, laity, and clergy alike, by reminding them he was an altar boy. Adolf Hitler, a/k/a Adolf Schicklegruber, was also a Catholic altar boy, so this snippet of past religiosity tells us nothing of the man today — except that Kerry certainly has come a long way from being an altar boy.

"I believe today that my conduct is in accordance with the will of the Almighty Creator" [Adolf Hitler, Mein Kampf, pp. 46]. Does this sound familiar?

Article by Barb Kralis.
- posted by LRS @ 12:05 AM   

 
Kerry Runs Against His Religion

“I love my church. I respect the bishops. But I respectfully disagree,” with those who want to “write every doctrine into law.” After Kerry said those lines, the mostly Protestant crowd erupted in a standing ovation.

Catholic League Press Release about Kerry's Speech.
- posted by LRS @ 5:30 PM   

 
What happened to the sense of morality?
In a Sunday Post Dispatch article, Betty Cuniberti writes about "Moms for Kerry" and about one woman, in particular, who professes to be a devout Catholic yet intends to vote for the anti-life Kerry:

So, which of these things do you think describes the woman who started the Greater St. Louis Moms for Kerry?

* Never been a Democrat activist
* Lives in Wildwood
* Stay-at-home mother
* Devout Catholic
* Born a Busch
* A home-schooler
* A nun for 11 years
* Opposes abortion
* Primary residence in St. Croix

OK, that last one's a joke. But all the rest apply to Tina Busch-Nema, no relation to beer royalty, just a 46-year-old mom who tools around West County in a minivan bearing the bumper sticker "I'm a Catholic for Kerry and it's not a sin."

Yeah, right. Tell that to Archbishop Raymond Burke.

Actually, she did. He wrote back sticking to his view that Catholics who knowingly vote for a pro-choice candidate are committing a grave sin.

Tina agrees with the late Chicago Archbishop and Cardinal Joseph Bernardin, who spoke of a "seamless garment" of many pro-life social issues, opposing not only abortion but also the death penalty, euthanasia, war and poverty.

Burke, Tina says, is "being irresponsible and dangerous telling Catholics to vote based on one issue. He talks about gay marriage - that's not a life issue. The people I go to church with are outraged about it."

The same mantra that's always used by those who have not a clue about what they are talking. It's depressing to see Catholics ignore the teaching of the Church about the evils of abortion and thinking that all issues are of equal weight.

Article here.
- posted by LRS @ 6:38 AM   

 
Kerry says social justice would guide presidency
I really cannot believe what I read or what I saw. The man who professes to be Catholic yet promises to support the violent murder of millions of unborn children has the nerve to say:

"The ethical test of a good society is how it treats its most vulnerable members," he said, arguing that the government has an obligation to protect the environment, fight AIDS, reduce poverty and defeat terrorism.

"I love my church, I respect the bishops, but I respectfully disagree," Mr. Kerry said, to one of the wildest ovations of the speech.

"My task, as I see it ... is not to write every doctrine into law. That is not possible or right in a pluralistic society," he said. "But my faith does give me values to live by and apply to the decisions I make."

Article here.
- posted by LRS @ 6:29 AM   

 
Monday, 30th Week In Ordinary Time
From: Luke 13:10-17

Jesus Cures a Woman on the Sabbath
----------------------------------
[10] Now He (Jesus) was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. [11] And there was a woman who had had a spirit of infirmity for eighteen years; she was bent over and could not fully straighten herself. [12] And when Jesus saw her, He called her and said to her, "Woman, you are freed from your infirmity." [13] And He laid His hands upon her, and immediately she was made straight, and she praised God. [14] But the ruler of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, said to the people, "There are six days on which work ought to be done; come on those days and be healed, and not on the Sabbath Day." [15] Then the Lord answered him, "You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his ass from the manger, and lead it away to water it? [16] And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath Day?" [17] As He said this, all His adversaries were put to shame; and all the people rejoiced at all the glorious things that were done by Him.
***************
Commentary:

10-17. As was the custom, our Lord used to go to the synagogue on the Sabbath. Noticing this poor woman He uses His power and mercy to cureher. The ordinary people are delighted, but the ruler of the synagogue, apparently zealous about fulfilling the Law (cf. Exodus 20:8; 31:14; Leviticus 19:3-30), publicly upbraids our Lord. Jesus energetically censures this warped interpretation of the Law and stresses the need for mercy and understanding, which is what pleases God (cf. Hosea 6:6; James 2:13).
***************
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.
- posted by LRS @ 1:32 AM   

 
Bishop Wilton D. Gregory said he's ready for a retreat...
...After dealing with the sex abuse issue for almost his entire three-year term as president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

In mid-November, the U.S. bishops will elect new conference officers. Bishop Gregory said he plans to take some time to reflect on a term that was largely consumed by the priestly sex abuse scandal.

Bishop Gregory said that, in retrospect, the dimensions of the sex abuse problems clearly called for the kind of drastic measures that were eventually adopted.

In retrospect, drastic measures were needed decades ago...Drastic measures are needed today - Abundant grace is needed, prayer and repentance is called for. Maybe we will continue to see Bishops of fidelity and strength emerge to lead the Church here in the U.S.

Having said this, a new USCCB President will be elected in November:

Two cardinals in the running to head bishops' conference

For the first time in 12 years, the list of 10 nominees for the next president and vice president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops includes cardinals.

The two top-ranking prelates on this year's list of nominees for president and vice president are Cardinals Francis E. George, archbishop of Chicago, and Justin Rigali, archbishop of Philadelphia. The list includes four other archbishops and four bishops. They are Archbishops Daniel M. Buechlein of Indianapolis; Charles J. Chaput of Denver; Timothy M. Dolan of Milwaukee; and William J. Levada of San Francisco; and Bishops Skylstad; Blase J. Cupich of Rapid City, S.D.; Gerald F. Kicanas of Tucson, Ariz.; and Donald W. Wuerl of Pittsburgh.

Pray that the right man is chosen - one who can help correct the course of the Catholic Church in the U.S., with fidelity to the truth.

Source.
- posted by LRS @ 3:01 PM   

 
30th Sunday in Ordinary Time
From: Luke 18:9-14

Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector
---------------------------------------------
[9] He (Jesus) also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and despised others: [10] "Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. [11] The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, `God, I thank Thee that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. [12] I fast twice a week, I give tithes of all that I get.' [13] But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to Heaven, but beat his breast, saying, `God, be merciful to me a sinner!' [14] I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for every one who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted."
******************
Commentary:

9-14. Our Lord here rounds off His teaching on prayer. In addition to being persevering and full of faith, prayer must flow from a humble heart, a heart that repents of its sins: "Cor contritum et humiliatum, Deus, non despicies" (Psalm 51:19); the Lord, who never despises a contrite and humble heart, resists the proud and gives His grace to the humble (cf. Peter 5:5; James 4:6).

The parable presents two opposite types--the Pharisee, who is so meticulous about external fulfillment of the Law; and the tax collector, who in fact is looked on as a public sinner (cf. Luke 19:7). The Pharisee's prayer is not pleasing to God, because his pride causes him to be self-centered and to despise others. He begins by giving thanks to God, but obviously it is not true gratitude, because he boasts about all the good he has done and he fails to recognize his sins; since he regards himself as righteous, he has no need of pardon, he thinks; and he remains in his sinful state; to him also apply these words spoken by our Lord to a group of Pharisees on another occasion: "If you were blind, you would have no guilt; but now that you say, `We see,' your guilt remains" (John 9:41). The Pharisee went down from the temple, therefore, unjustified.

But the tax collector recognizes his personal unworthiness and is sincerely sorry for his sins: he has the necessary dispositions for God to pardon him. His ejaculatory prayer wins God's forgiveness: "It is not without reason that some have said that prayer justifies; for repentant prayer or supplicant repentance, raising up the soul to God and re-uniting it to His goodness, without doubt obtains pardon in virtue of the holy love which gives it this sacred movement. And therefore we ought all to have very many such ejaculatory prayers, said as an act of loving repentance and with a desire of obtaining reconciliation with God, so that by thus laying our tribulation before our Savior, we may pour out our souls before and within His pitiful heart, which will receive them with mercy" (St. Francis de Sales,
"Treatise on the Love of God", Book 2, Chapter 20).
***********************
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.
- posted by LRS @ 1:11 AM   

 
Distorted Citizenship by Fr. Frank Pavone

We seem to have a major problem in the Church in the area of reading comprehension. The problem is most obvious when the reading material asserts the primacy of abortion among issues that voters have to consider in elections.

Statements of the Pope, various Vatican officials, committees and officials of the USCCB, and the entire body of US bishops, all point to abortion as the fundamental human rights issue of our day. Even Cardinal Joseph Bernardin, who during his life was a key spokesperson for the "consistent ethic of life," pointed out repeatedly that the fundamental right is the right to life.

To illustrate how profound the reading comprehension problem is, just take a look at the list of quotes I have added at the end of these remarks. Then determine for yourself whether they are clear or not.

Meanwhile, we have people in various positions within the Church saying that all the issues are equal. Excuse me, but not only does that violate Catholic teaching, it violates common sense. Ask any parent whether, among their daily activities caring for their children, all issues are of equal importance. In fact, you can ask the children themselves. They seem to know the answer better than some Church officials do.

I’ve been acquiring a whole file of letters sent out, often from offices of "social ministry" in various dioceses, which state that voters have to consider a wide range of issues. So far, so good. But then these letters say that no issue is more important than another. And that’s where the lack of reading comprehension reveals itself. Either they have never seen the quotes below, or they are deliberately ignoring them.

And neither is appropriate for a person who has the responsibility to convey Church teaching.

Two explanations can be offered for why some would distort the teaching.

The first is simply loyalty to the Democratic party. The problem has to be faced honestly that the loyalty of some Church ministers to the Democratic Party is deeper than their loyalty to Catholic teaching.

There is nothing wrong with belonging to a political party and being loyal to it. But when that party promotes the widespread, daily, legal killing of children, the voice of protest must be heard. Silence is not an option, neither for Democrats, Republicans, or anyone else - most certainly Catholics.

The second explanation for the reading comprehension problem is a legal concern. Unfortunately, the Church has been fed for decades with legal advice which is far more restrictive of the Church’s freedom than the IRS or the FEC has ever been. And this is wrong. Not only are the IRS/FEC restrictions on the Church minimal, but the enforcement policy is even looser.

No Church has ever lost its tax exemption by teaching about abortion, or the primacy of the right to life, or the duty of public officials and voters to advance the Culture of Life by voting. No Church has ever lost its tax exemption for doing what it exists to do, namely, convey the teachings of the Church.

No Church has ever lost its tax exemption for distributing materials that did not cover a wide-enough range of issues; in fact, no Church has lost its tax exemption for distributing voter guides, period.

Despite all this, various Church officials will go into all kinds of contortions to protect their assets from legal problems that they think will arise if the Church says that the right to life is primary among all the issues. Of course, the problem here is that this kind of legal advice, if it were accurate, would prove too much. Statements of the US Bishops themselves, like "Living the Gospel of Life" (1998), would constitute illegal activity under such an erroneous framework. The best way to describe the current problem with some of our attorneys is the bumpersticker that says "I Brake for Hallucinations."

The solution to all of this is for all of us, clergy and laity alike, to bear faithful witness to the teachings of the Church, no matter what the political implications may be. Bear witness to the consistent ethic of life, and to that which makes it consistent - the right to life. Proclaim that there are many rights, and proclaim the foundational right.

And be sure to keep your reading skills in top shape!

To read the quotes from the Church, Pope, and Bishops, visit this link:

Abortion: The Primary Issue According to Statements from the Pope and Bishops

- posted by LRS @ 1:22 AM   

 
Saturday, 29th Week In Ordinary Time
From: Luke 13:1-9

The Need for Repentance
-----------------------
[1] There were some present at that very time who told him of the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. [2] And he answered them, "Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered thus? [3] I tell you, No; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish. [4] 0r those eighteen upon whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who dwelt in Jerusalem? [5] I tell you, No; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish."

Parable of the Barren Fig Tree
------------------------------
[6] And he told this parable: "A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. [7] And he said to the vinedresser, 'Lo, these three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and I find none. Cut it down; why should it use up the ground?' [8] And he answered him, 'Let it alone, sir, this year also, till I dig about it and put on manure. [9] And if it bears fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.'"
****************************
Commentary:

1-5. Our Lord used current events in his teaching. The Galileans referred to here may be the same as mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles (5:37). The episode was fairly typical of the times Jesus lived in, with Pilate sternly suppressing any sign of civil unrest. We do not know anything about the accident at Siloam other than what the Gospel tells us.

The fact that these people died in this way does not mean that they were worse than others, for God does not always punish sinners in this life (cf. Jn 9:3). All of us are sinners, meriting a much worse punishment than temporal misfortune: we merit eternal punishment; but Christ has come to atone for our sins, he has opened the gates of heaven. We must repent of our sins; otherwise God will not free us from the punishment we deserve. "When you meet with suffering, the Cross, your thought should be: what is this compared with what I deserve?" ([St] J. Escriva, "The Way", 690)

3. "He tells us that, without Holy Baptism, no one will enter the Kingdom of heaven (cf. Jn 3:5); and, elsewhere, that if we do not repent we will all perish (Lk 13:3). This is all easily understood. Ever since man sinned, all his senses rebel against reason; therefore, if we want the flesh to be controlled by the spirit and by reason, it must be mortified; if we do not want the body to be at war with the soul, it and all our senses need to be chastened; if we desire to go to God, the soul with all its faculties needs to be mortified" (St John Mary Vianney, "Selected Sermons", Ash Wednesday).

6-9. Our Lord stresses that we need to produce plenty of fruit (cf. Lk 8:11-15) in keeping with the graces we have received (cf. Lk 12:48). But he also tells us that God waits patiently for this fruit to appear; he does not want the death of the sinner; he wants him to be converted and to live (Ezek 33:11) and, as St Peter teaches, he is "forbearing towards you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance" (2 Pet 3:9). But God's clemency should not lead us to neglect our duties and become lazy and, comfort-seeking, living sterile lives. He is merciful, but he is also just and he will punish failure to respond to his grace.

"There is one case that we should be especially sorry about--that of Christians who could do more and don't; Christians who could live all the consequences of their vocation as children of God, but refuse to do so through lack of generosity. We are partly to blame, for the grace of faith has not been given us to hide but to share with others (cf. Mt 5:15f). we cannot forget that the happiness of these people, in this life and in the next, is at stake. The Christian life is a divine wonder with immediate promises of satisfaction and serenity--but on condition that we know how to recognize the gift of God (cf. Jn 4:10) and be generous, not counting the cost" ([St] J. Escriva, "Christ Is Passing By", 147).
*********************
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.
- posted by LRS @ 12:22 AM   

 
Bishops cite range of issues
Bishops cite range of issues

This is the excuse many use to support an avowed, unrepentant, committed supporter of violence against unborn children.

Here is a letter to the editor from a person who has not a clue and who sounds as if she is reading from a "Catholics for Kerry" talking points memo:

I am a Catholic. I will vote for John Kerry. I am guided by "Faithful Citizenship 2004," a voting guide issued by the National Conference of Catholic Bishops, and thus endorsed by virtually all the bishops in the United States.

I would like to see the proof that virtually all US Bishops endorsed this. Can someone point to that proof, please?

The bishops caution Catholics that the "Christian faith is an integral unity, and thus it is incoherent to isolate some particular element to the detriment of the whole of Catholic doctrine. A political commitment to a single isolated aspect of the Church's social doctrine does not exhaust one's responsibility towards the common good."

The Holy Father has been been clear about this - all others rights (& issues) are meaningless if the inviolable right to life is not protected. Archbishop Burke recently re-confirmed this teaching. It is erroneous to believe that issues such as free/socialized health-care, increasing the minimum wage, and other such issues are as important as the right of the unborn to life.

In addition to the single issue or three issues emphasized by a few bishops to the exclusion of other issues, the bishops teach Catholics that they must consider the following: (a) reduction of nuclear weapons (Kerry will end the development of nuclear weapons); (b) the banning of anti-personal landmines (Kerry co-sponsored a landmine elimination and victim assistance bill); (c) provision of a just wage (Kerry will fight for a minimum wage of $7 an hour).

The bishops also say "Affordable and accessible health care is ... a fundamental human right and an urgent national priority. A priority of John Kerry is to provide "the range of high-quality, affordable plans available to members of Congress, and extend coverage to 95 percent of Americans."

Finally, the bishops say they "have raised serious moral concerns and questions about pre-emptive or preventive use of force," an official policy of the current administration.

Patricia Chaffee
St. Louis

This woman needs our prayers so that her mind might be enlightened because she has been deceived.

Source.
- posted by LRS @ 7:37 AM   

 
Archbishop Chaput: Faith and Patriotism
Archbishop Charles Chaput's Op-ed in the New York Times:

...I hear more lectures about how Roman Catholics must not "impose their beliefs on society" or warnings about the need for "the separation of church and state." These are two of the emptiest slogans in current American politics, intended to discourage serious debate.

Catholics have an obligation to work for the common good and the dignity of every person. We see abortion as a matter of civil rights and human dignity, not simply as a matter of religious teaching. We are doubly unfaithful - both to our religious convictions and to our democratic responsibilities - if we fail to support the right to life of the unborn child. Our duties to social justice by no means end there. But they do always begin there, because the right to life is foundational.

For Catholics to take a "pro-choice" view toward abortion contradicts our identity and makes us complicit in how the choice plays out. The "choice" in abortion always involves the choice to end the life of an unborn human being. For anyone who sees this fact clearly, neutrality, silence or private disapproval are not options. They are evils almost as grave as abortion itself. If religious believers do not advance their convictions about public morality in public debate, they are demonstrating not tolerance but cowardice.

As James 2:17 reminds us, in a passage quoted in the final presidential debate, "Faith without works is dead." It is a valid point. People should act on what they claim to believe. Otherwise they are violating their own conscience, and lying to themselves and the rest of us. (all emphasis is mine)

Great article by Abp. Chaput
- posted by LRS @ 7:34 AM   

 
Bishop Schmitt Calls Abortion 'Greatest Evil of Our Age'

As my brother’s keeper, I feel guilty that I have said nothing to the priests of our Diocese to encourage them to preach the Gospel of Life each Sunday and to make the defense of innocent human life a pastoral priority. I would hate to come before the Lord our God and say that I was a Shepherd but that I did nothing to teach the people about the evils of abortion. Because I am my brother’s keeper, I never want it to be said that I was willing to tolerate evil or any cooperation in it.

All evils are not equal. Abortion, representing as it does an attack on the most innocent of all human life and the most sacred of all human relationships, is so grave and profound an evil that it calls all men and women of good will to action.

And so, I want to reiterate what I have said: abortion is the greatest moral evil of our age. In light of that truth, a Catholic who deliberately votes for a candidate precisely because of the candidate’s permissive stand on abortion is guilty of formal cooperation in grave evil. When a Catholic does not share a candidate’s stand in favor of abortion, but votes for that candidate for other reasons, such an action can only be permitted in the presence of proportionate reasons. I cannot think of a value to put on innocent human life and the right to life; others, in conscience, may be able to.

Here is the letter of Bishop Bernard W. Schmitt, Bishop of Wheeling-Charleston


- posted by LRS @ 7:05 AM   

 
Archbishop Burke: all bishops should follow canon law

Burke quietly told about 200 people at the Pewaukee dinner that it should be routine for all bishops to withhold Holy Communion from Catholic politicians whose votes support abortion or euthanasia because canon law allows no other option when people stubbornly persist in such grave public scandals.

"People have asked me if I regret having taken the action that I did, and all of the publicity that has resulted, especially people who know that by nature I'm not very fond of controversy. And my response to that is, my only regret is that it took me so long to figure out what I needed to do and to do it."

Source.
- posted by LRS @ 6:50 AM   

 
South Deanery plan released

It is a recommendation — a draft proposal that is expected to be changed in its final form.

St. Agatha Parish would merge with the territorial parish of St. Wenceslaus and the 1962 Roman Missal Mass community would move to St. Frances de Sales Church. On a typical weekend the parish has 770 worshippers. Parish finances are seen as strong.

St. Louis Review article.
- posted by LRS @ 6:10 AM   

 
Friday, 29th Week in Ordinary Time
From: Luke 12:54-59

The Coming of Christ
--------------------
[54] He (Jesus) also said to the multitudes, "When you see a cloud rising in the west, you say at once, `A shower is coming'; and so it happens. [55] And when you see the south wind blowing, you say, `There will be scorching heat'; and it happens. [56] You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearances of earth and sky; but why do you not know how to interpret the present time?"

[57] "And why do you not judge for yourselves what is right? [58] As you go with your accuser before the magistrate, make an effort to settle with him on the way, lest he drag you to the judge, and the judge hand you over to the officer, and the officer put you in prison. [59] I tell you, you will never get out till you have paid the very last copper."
*****************
Commentary:

56. Jesus' listeners knew from experience how to forecast the weather. However, although they knew the signs of the Messiah's coming announced by the prophets, and were hearing His preaching and witnessing His miracles, they did not want to draw the logical conclusion; they lacked the necessary good will and upright intention, and they just closed their eyes to the light of the Gospel (cf. Romans 1:18ff).

This attitude is also found to be very widespread in our own time, in forms of certain kinds of atheism denounced by the Second Vatican Council: "Those who willfully try to drive God from their heart and to avoid all questions about religion, not following the biddings of their conscience, are not free from blame" ("Gaudium Et Spes", 19).
******************
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.
- posted by LRS @ 1:05 AM   

 
United Nations Chief Kofi Annan Endorses Human Cloning

Breaking with customary neutrality on highly contested issues, United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan has come out publicly in favour of human cloning for research purposes just as the General Assembly commenced two days of critical hearings on the issue.

Source.

The actions of this man are beyond contempt.

Here are more:
UN Secretary General Kofi Annan Supports Homosexual 'Marriage'

Kofi Annan Enthusiastically Accepts Award from Radical Abortion Promoters


- posted by LRS @ 11:16 PM   

 
35 Catholic Leaders Sign Open Letter to John Kerry

An open letter to John Kerry from over 35 of the brightest and most influential non-clergy Catholic leaders in the United States has been published in major newspapers across the country. The letter calls Kerry to account for his claim to hold the Catholic faith while he continues to support abortion.

Signatures include those of famed Catholic evangelist Scott Hahn, a Professor of Theology and Scripture at Franciscan University in Steubenville Ohio; Princeton Professor Robert George; Retired US Major General John Roth; and Former Baseball Commissioner Bowie Kuhn.

The letter concludes, "As Americans and Catholics, both faith and reason lead us to President George W. Bush as the choice for life, compassion and justice for all. For that reason, we are urging fellow Catholics to join us in voting for the President on November 2."

Great work by this group of truly committed Catholics!!! Now if only more of our bishops and priest would follow suit.

Source.
- posted by LRS @ 11:10 PM   

 
If Pastor Preaches for Kerry, Remind Him of the USCCB's Guidelines
Political Activity Guidelines for Catholic Organizations, 15 March 2004
- posted by LRS @ 10:55 PM   

 
The Cardinals Win the Pennant!!!
We're off to the WORLD SERIES!

The Cardinals beat the Astros 5-2 this evening in game 7....We're off to Boston to play the Red Sox in Game 1 on Saturday night at Fenway Park.

This ought to be a great match up...the last time the Cardinals & Red Sox met was in 1967. These teams also played in the 1946 Series. And, St. Louis won both of the match ups.

The only thing I really missed was the voice of Jack Buck with Mike Shannon's announcing the National League Champs!

- posted by LRS @ 10:24 PM   

 
Kerry’s Auxiliary Bishops
George Neumayr has written the above titled article for The American Spectator. I can't say that I disagree with him. As a matter of fact, I can agree with his observations, as troubling as they are.

Here a couple of excerpts:

The presidential race is full of religious ironies, pitting a Protestant who quotes the Pope against a Catholic who rejects the Pope.

In one more irony and historical marker of clerical decadence, the Catholic candidate will receive a higher percentage of support from the Catholic episcopate than the Catholic laity...

They [the Catholic hierarchy] have no problem supporting an open heretic like Kerry, because their faith in Catholicism is as ambivalent as his.

For the Democratic bishops, infanticide and minimum wage are weighted the same.

The story, ['Vatican Denies It Responded To Lawyer Seeking Kerry’s Excommunication'] came from the Catholic News Service, the propaganda outlet the bishops use whenever they want to muddy an issue to the benefit of a pro-abortion Catholic.

Kerry has rejected Catholic teachings Martin Luther didn’t touch, yet CNS was frantic to dispel the notion that he is a heretic.

Hope I didn't spoil it...Here is the link.

And we must remember to keep our bishops and priests in our prayers.
- posted by LRS @ 1:36 PM   

 
Ed Peters: Retrospectives on the Balestrieri Matter

Perhaps it is too soon for retrospectives, events might not have come to rest yet. But here goes.

Details here.
- posted by LRS @ 12:16 PM   

 
Marc Balestrieri Update
Details are here.
- posted by LRS @ 6:16 AM   

 
Don't make us protect the Holy Eucharist from profanation!

Priests urge bishops not to deny politicians Communion over abortion

ST. FRANCIS, Wis. (CNS) -- An organization of priests in the Milwaukee Archdiocese has urged that the U.S. bishops not refuse Communion to Catholic politicians who support abortion legislation that is contrary to Catholic teaching. The priests made the comments in a letter to Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick of Washington as head of the U.S. bishops' Task Force on Catholic Bishops and Catholic Politicians...

The priests expressed concern that using the Eucharist as a sanction may cause confusion among the faithful.

That's right, it will cause confusion. Catholics might begin to think that sin is real, or that there might really be something special about the bread and wine which becomes consecrated at Mass. We certainly don't need anything like this in our parishes these days. Why - someone may even begin to question if there really is a....Hell! This would seem like a return to the Middle Ages! A turning back the clocks from our freedom to believe anything, post Vatican II.

Father Burkert, who is also pastor of St. Roman Parish in Milwaukee, said in his view, "if Jesus could share the Eucharist with Peter and Judas -- and they would both deny and betray him -- then maybe we could be as generous as Christ in extending the Eucharist."

Hey Padre, Peter hadn't sinned yet (by denying our Lord) and there is no definitive proof from the Gospels that Judas actually received the Eucharist.

CNS News Brief

- posted by LRS @ 2:37 AM   

 
What is taught in journalism these days? Anything meaningful?
The Post Dispatch is carrying this story:
Kerry is no heretic, says unnamed Vatican source.

The first paragraph caused me to spew my coffee all over my monitor and keyboard:

The Roman Catholic Church's official news service is quoting an unnamed Vatican official saying that John Kerry is "not a heretic" for his stance on abortion rights.

And I always thought the National Catholic Reporter was the "official news service" of the "Roman Catholic Church". Maybe the New York Times got this bit of information from the unnamed Vatican official as a bonus for writing the article?

The article continues, using the phrase "conservative Catholic" to describe both Marc Balestrieri and the group "DeFide". I supposed this would be opposed to a "heretical Catholic"?

The story is not up-to-date, which is probable why the Post printed it. If you like reading old news, which is also inaccurate, go here.

- posted by LRS @ 2:21 AM   

 
Yes, Catholic Brothers & Sisters, the Truth Is Controversial
The headline reads:
Catholics here get controversial voters guide
and we are pleased!!!

Since June, the Archdiocese of St. Louis has distributed 50,000 copies of a controversial voters guide to nearly half of its parishes. St. Louis is the only diocese in the country that ordered the guide to distribute to its parishes, according to Frank Norris, a spokesman for the organization that publishes the guide.

The message in the "Voter's Guide for Serious Catholics" is similar to part of the message in Archbishop Raymond Burke's recent pastoral letter and is at odds with parts of a voting guide published by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

I think it should be noted here, if memory serves, that the USCCB documnt, Faithful Citizenship, was published by the "Administrative Committee" of the USCCB - whatever that is...I could not find a reference in the 'Departments' section of the web site.

Faithful Citizenship: A Catholic Call to Political Responsibility was developed under the leadership of the Committees on Domestic and International Policy, with the Committee on Priorities and Plans, in collaboration with many other USCCB committees and offices. It was reviewed and approved in September 2003 by the Administrative Committee and is authorized for publication by the undersigned. [Msgr. William P. Fay]

The unfortunate aspect in all of this is the fact that Catholics who know and understand their faith, find nothing controversial in the Catholic Answers Voter's Guide for Serious Catholics but detect that a lack of prioritization of gravely sinful matters in the Bishops' guide to be troubling and confusing. It also seems that those who are opposed or ignorant of the Church's teaching on the grave moral issues discussed in the Catholic Answers Voter's Guide are the ones who are creating the controversy.

The Post provides this bit:

This spring, the conference's legal counsel issued a document warning Catholic organizations to be wary of "outside groups" and their "voter education materials."

It certainly is not because their materials are so wonderful. It's not as though the USCCB has a corner on Catholicism.

Later on in the article the mention this again, albeit in a different way.

The bishops' attorneys warned Catholic organizations: "Outside voter education materials should be approached with extreme caution." (italics theirs).

...or the IRS will get you! Actually, they follow up with this bit of wisdom and prescient knowledge:

"Among other things, the issues covered in outside voter education materials typically do not illustrate the wide range of issues of importance to the church, but rather reflect the issue focus of the preparing organization."

Much like the many "foci" (or "focuses") of the USCCB which do not need any discussion as it encompasses all that is good and true. Others can do a much better job with the proliferation of some of the useless documents emanating from the committees and subcommittees composed of completely objective, non-partisan, faithful, orthodox employees and others from the USCCB.

The Post then comments on the opinions of the chancellor of the Archdiocese of St. Paul-Minneapolis:

"We did not feel that the publication complied with the necessary broad range of issues - it only mentions five," said [archdiocesan chancellor, William] Fallon.

"Secondly, if you finish reading it, you can only come to one conclusion, and that is, if you vote for John Kerry, you're going to go to hell."

Well, I guess I can agree with the chancellor on part of his statement. Those who voluntarily and freely vote for Kerry would by committing a mortal sin by encouraging and promoting the perpetuation of gross immorality, of unspeakable evils.

Why did Archbishop Burke approve the Catholic Answers Voter's Guide?

"'Faithful Citizenship' diminishes the specific issues the 'Voter's Guide for Serious Catholics' addresses as fundamental issues, and that Archbishop Burke set forth in his letter," said Molly Corcoran Kertz, director of the archdiocesan pro-life office. (my emphasis)

"He reviewed them all, and decided the 'Voter's Guide for Serious Catholics' was the most consistent," said Kertz.

Of course, some of our priests have refused to use it, preferring instead the "Catholic-Lite" voter guide - 'Faithful Citizenship'.

Article here.
- posted by LRS @ 2:18 AM   

 
Thursday, 29th Week in Ordinary Time
From: Luke 12:49-53

Jesus the Cause of Dissension
-----------------------------
(Jesus said to His disciples,) [49] "I came to cast fire upon the earth; and would that it were already kindled! [50] I have a baptism to be baptized with; and how I am constrained until it is accomplished! [51] Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division; [52] for henceforth in one house there will be five divided, three against two and two against three; [53] they will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against her mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law."
******************
Commentary:

49-50. In the Bible, fire is often used to describe God's burning love for men. This divine love finds its highest _expression in the Son of God become man: "God so loved the world that He gave His only Son" (John 3:16). Jesus voluntarily gave up His life out of love for us, and "greater love has no man than this, that a man lays down his life for his friends" (John 15:13).

In these words reported by St. Luke, Jesus Christ reveals His abounding desire to give His life for love of us. He calls His death a baptism, because from it He will arise victorious never to die again. Our Baptism is a submersion in Christ's death, in which we die to sin and are reborn to the new life of grace: "We were buried therefore with Him by baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life" (Romans 6:4).

Through this new life, we Christians should become set on fire in the same way as Jesus set His disciples on fire: "With the amazing naturalness of the things of God, the contemplative soul is filled with apostolic zeal. `My heart became hot within me, a fire blazed forth from my thoughts' (Psalm 38:4). What could this fire be if not the fire that Christ talks about: `I came to cast fire upon the earth, and would that it were already kindled' (Luke 12:49). An apostolic fire that acquires its strength in prayer: there is no better way than this to carry on, throughout the whole world, the battle of peace to which every Christian is called to fill up what is lacking in the sufferings of Christ (cf. Colossians 1:24)" ([St] J. Escriva, "Christ Is Passing By", 120).

51-53. God has come into the world with a message of peace (cf. Luke 2:14) and reconciliation (cf. Romans 5:11). By resisting, through sin, the redeeming work of Christ, we become His opponents. Injustice and error lead to division and war. "Insofar as men are sinners, the threat of war hangs over them and will so continue until the coming of Christ; but insofar as they can vanquish sin by coming together in charity, violence itself will be vanquished" (Vatican II, "Gaudium Et Spes", 78).

During His own life on earth, Christ was a sign of contradiction (cf. Luke 2:34). Our Lord is forewarning His disciples about the contention and division which will accompany the spread of the Gospel (cf. Luke 6:20-23; Matthew 10:24).
***********
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.

- posted by LRS @ 12:42 AM   

 
Theresa Heinz-Kerry Promises Acceptance of Gays Top Priority as First Lady
They can't impose their morality on anyone...if they have none.
But they can impose their immorality on everyone - like it or not.
- posted by LRS @ 10:42 PM   

 
Catholic Diocesan Lawyers Continue to Ban Voting Guides

According to documents obtained by Culture & Cosmos, officials of the Dioceses of San Bernardino and La Crosse have instructed pastors and parish administrators not to allow the distribution of "Voter's Guide for Serious Catholics," published by Catholic Answers. With two weeks remaining before election day, the dioceses' actions are another episode in the political drama surrounding the question of the Catholic vote.

This seems extremely strange to me, especially for the Diocese of La Crosse. Archbishop Burke, the former Bishop of La Crosse, has approved the distribution of the Voter's Guide here in St. Louis.

In a Aug. 20 letter from Diocese of La Crosse attorney James G. Birnbaum to pastors and administrators, Birnbaum said the "Voter's Guide" ought not to be distributed on parish grounds or during parish activities. The "Voter's Guide" cites papal and Vatican documents and identifies five issues it calls "non-negotiable": abortion, euthanasia, fetal stem cell research, human cloning and homosexual "marriage." Supporting any of these issues, according to the guide, would disqualify a candidate as a viable option for a faithful Catholic.

Birnbaum said the "listing of issues is too narrow to pass legal muster" according to the provisions of the tax code that govern non-profit organizations like churches. He said that a voter guide from the Wisconsin Catholic Conference that had not yet been published at the time the letter was written was the "only guide we believe is safe to distribute or rely upon at the parish level."

I wonder if this would be happening if Archbishop Burke were still there?

Source.
- posted by LRS @ 10:23 PM   

 
Voting for Known Pro-Abortion Candidates is a Sin
Responding to a question about voting for pro-abortion politicians and it's sinfulness, the Archbishop [Charles Chaput] explained:

"Does our voting for someone make us responsible for what that person does as a legislator or as a judge?…And the answer is yes, because we are in some ways materially -- we use the word "materially" -- cooperating in that person's activity because we've given [him or her] the platform to be elected."

"Now, if the person does something wrong, are we responsible for that? Well, if we didn't know they were going to something wrong, our participation is remote, but if we knew they were going to do something wrong and we approved of it, our responsibility would really be close, even if we knew they were going to do something wrong and we voted for them for another reason, we would still be responsible in some ways."

"The standing is that if you know someone is going to do evil and you participate in that in some way, you are responsible. So it's not…'if you vote this way, should you go to confession?' The question is, 'if you vote this way, are you cooperating in evil?' Now, if you know you are cooperating in evil, should you go to confession? The answer is yes."

"A lot of Catholic Democrats, whether they are clergy or laity, have used the "seamless garment" as an excuse to sideline the abortion issue, making it one among many others. And, we can't do that."

John Kerry has stated repeatedly that he will do everything possible to ensure that the "right to choose" an abortion is a fundamental right which he will protect.

John Kerry will only nominate individuals to the federal bench whose records demonstrate a respect for the full range of constitutional rights, including the right to privacy and the right to choose.

He is wrong on every one of the disqualifying/no-negotiable issues. It is clear that a Catholic who would vote for or support this man, would be cooperating in the promotion of legislation that would permit, prolong, or strengthen these evils. As such, it would be objectively sinful.

Source.
- posted by LRS @ 10:04 PM   

 
South City Deanery Church Closings...Updated

A sigh of relief settled over parishioners at St. Gabriel the Archangel Catholic church. The Archdiocese of St. Louis recommended the parish remain open, but many parishioners pointed out that not everyone will be so lucky.

The task force has recommended closing St. Mary of Victories, 744 S. Third St., and St. John Nepomuk, 1625 S. 11th St.

St. Agatha, 3239 S. 9th St., where Latin Masses are now celebrated will be closed and the parish merged with St. Francis de Sales, 2653 Ohio Ave.

But the Latin Mass will continue, from all accounts I have heard. Let me stress that, as far as I know, no official word to that effect has been issued.

Article.
- posted by LRS @ 7:37 AM   

 
Some "Sound Off" Comments
These were in the Post Dispatch this morning:

Freedom to vote

Many people, as well as myself, are shocked that Archbishop Burke has the nerve to tell the Catholic population how to vote. This is a free country, and people have the right to vote as they see fit.

I have a suggestion - read the Pastoral Letter. I have read it 3 times. Nowhere does he tell anyone how to vote. He gives us the teaching of the Church about those things which are evil in and of themsleves, as well as principles for informing our consciences so that we may vote with prudence.

And lest we forget, God gave everyone a free will to choose Him or to reject Him. We know the consequences of each choice.

Archbishop's letter

I can imagine the Republican Party's headquarters was ecstatic when the archbishop's letter was written, but I also wonder how much it cost them to have it written.

I heard reports from the RNC that there was a BIG party when the Archbishop released his letter, and they paid not one red cent...as Fr. Corapi has stated so many times, "You just can't fix stupid!"

Divisive leaders

Bush and Burke are the most divisive leaders I have ever known in my 75 years. Both are egotists who cannot tolerate anyone who questions their opinions or actions. Both say that God talks to them. I'll bet this is news to God.

My guess is that you will be quite surprised when leave this world for the next one which will be for eternity - and it seems that your departure time is getting nearer. I hope you don't feel the same way about our Lord since he was such a "divisive leader" as well? But then again, maybe you do.

So there we have it...of the three "Sound Off" comments regarding Archbishop Burke, all were nasty and negative. But rest assured, there is no agenda at the Post.

Again, I make a clarion call to keep praying for Archbishop Burke. Even those in his own flock turn against him for speaking that which Christ and the Church demands that we hear.

Source.

- posted by LRS @ 7:12 AM   

 
Washington exhibit pays tribute to women religious

"God's Women: Nuns in America," the newest exhibit at the Pope John Paul II Cultural Center in Washington, celebrates the impact religious sisters have had on American history and culture.

"It's meant to be a celebration of the women," Dan Callahan, director of the center, told the Arlington Catholic Herald, newspaper of the Diocese of Arlington, Va. The overarching theme of the exhibit is joy: The women called to serve God are filled with joy in their vocation, which reaches out to the people they serve and to society as a whole.

Source.
- posted by LRS @ 6:58 AM   

 
Unrepentant voter???
This is from today's "Town Talk" in the Post-Dispatch:

I AM A 46-year-old married Catholic woman who has been working all my life. I am totally disenchanted with Archbishop Burke and his comments about how we should vote. It's none of his business. We have soldiers that are dying every day in this war and stem cell research would greatly help many living, breathing Americans who are walking around with diseases like Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, lupus and muscular dystrophy. Why are the people who are ill with some kind grave disease or our soldiers any less important than an unborn fetus? I think Archbishop Burke needs to grow up and get in the real world and find out what life is like in the 21st century. I'm voting for John Kerry and it's not a sin. (my emphasis)

This woman apparently has some issues and some problems which are clouding her intellect.

Source.
- posted by LRS @ 6:39 AM   

 
And another one, titled "Vote your [malformed] conscience"

Vote your conscience

TO MY FELLOW Catholic voters: Please vote your conscience for whom you think will best help our country overcome all the problems that affect us, not just one. The decision to have an abortion boils down to only one person and that person is the woman who decides that she wants to have an abortion, whether it is legal or illegal. That will never change regardless of who is in political office. Archbishop Burke, please stop using this important election to divert attention away from the sex abuse scandal and the attempted cover-up.

This appears to be another professed Catholic who denies that the Church has the authority to teach authoritatively in matters of faith and morals. It is a most grievious sin to counsel others to ignore the infallible teaching of the Church with regard to direct abortion (or on any article of faith). Archbishop Burke has recently restated the constant teaching of the Church, confirmed again by the Holy Father, on the intrinsic evil of abortion, yet some, including priests, reduce the importance of the right to life to "just one of many issues".

These confused people are in dire need of grace. Pray that their minds might be enlightened and that their wills may be conformed to the will of Christ. There have always been those who have refused to follow our Lord. Keep them in your prayers so that they may be converted.

Another "Town Talk" post here.
- posted by LRS @ 6:27 AM   

 
At least it wasn't a Catholic priest who said it...

As for the words, "This is my body," Jesus said something similar in John 6:53-54 - "Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you; he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day." Such words, taken literally, gave rise to the accusation that the early Christians were cannibals. Of course they were not. Jesus was speaking figuratively, not literally, as he explained, "It is the spirit that gives life, the flesh is of no avail; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life" (John 6:63).

When it comes to the words of institution, we need to take them seriously, which means not taking them literally. "This is my body" is ultimately another way of saying: These are your brothers and sisters in the faith; treat them right.

This comes from a Presbyterian minister...At least we can be thankful it was not a quote from a priest.

However, having said that, we have this statement from a Catholic priest, in the same article:

On the other hand, the Rev. Kenneth Lasch, a retired priest who counseled with Haley's mother, said, "To think that, all of a sudden, God says I will not be present in a form other than wheat is a very literal and fundamentalist approach." He said, "The church needs to revisit this."

Of course, Fr. Lasch, is thankfully retired so, hopefully, and with God's blessing, his influence on other members of the faithful will be minimized.

Article here.
- posted by LRS @ 6:26 AM   

 
Diocese of Davenport prepares for Bankruptcy

If the Davenport Catholic Diocese files for bankruptcy protection this week - which officials have said they will do if they don't win a delay in a child sexual-abuse lawsuit - the claims of more than three dozen men who say priests abused them will be frozen.

The diocese has asked for a four-month delay in the first abuse lawsuit, which is set for trial Nov. 1. Bishop William Franklin said he would file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy Friday if the delay wasn't granted. The bankruptcy case would be only the third such filing by a U.S. Catholic diocese.

Franklin said the diocese was contemplating major downsizing, including dismissal of many of his "dedicated staff" and the sale of the St. Vincent's Center.

Article.
- posted by LRS @ 6:22 AM   

 
Fr. William Faherty's Newest Book Reviewed
There was a review in the archdiocesan newspaper some time ago, but this is the first time I have seen it in the Post Dispatch. His book is titled, "The St. Louis erman Catholics".

As a noted St. Louis historian, Fr. Faherty has written a number of books and is a guest speaker on our local Catholic radio station here, WRYT AM1080.

Those of German ancestry might well enjoy this book, as should all of those interested in St. Louis history.

This short book about the history of St. Louis' German Catholics summarizes a lifetime of study of St. Louis and Catholicism. Beginning with the first expressions of religious faith in pre-American St. Louis

It is primarily a thoroughly researched examination of the rise of Catholicism among the German population in the years of rapid growth (1830-1870) and the consolidation of this development in the following years.

Faherty's work should take its place alongside Walter Erlich's two volumes on the history of Jews in St. Louis and Gary Mormino's similar history of the Italian-American experience here.

Full review here.
- posted by LRS @ 2:03 AM   

 
Wednesday, 29th Week in Ordinary Time
From: Luke 12:39-48

The Need for Vigilance and the Parable of the Steward (Continuation)
-----------------------------------------------
(Jesus said to His disciples,) [39] "But know this, that if the householder had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would have been awake and would not have left his house to be broken into. [40] You also must be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect."

[41] Peter said, "Lord are you telling this parable for us or for all?" [42] And the Lord said, "Who then is the faithful and wise steward, whom his master will set over his household, to give them their portion of food at the proper time? [43] Blessed is that servant whom his master when he comes will find so doing. [44] Truly I tell you, he will set him over all his possessions. [45] But if that servant says to himself, `My master is delayed in coming,' and begins to beat the menservants and the maidservants, and to eat and drink and get drunk, [46] the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know, and will punish him, and put him with the unfaithful. [47] And that servant who knew his master's will, but did not make ready or act according to his will, shall receive a severe beating. [48] But he who did not know, and did what deserved a beating, shall receive a light beating. Everyone to whom much is given, of him much will be required; and of him to whom men commit much they will demand the more."
*********************
Commentary:

40. God has chosen to hide from us the time of our death and the time when the world will come to an end. Immediately after death everyone undergoes the Particular Judgment: "just as it is appointed for men to die once, and after that comes judgment..." (Hebrews 9:27). The end of the world is when the General Judgment will take place.

41-48. After our Lord's exhortation to vigilance, St. Peter asks a question (verse 41), the answer to which is the key to understanding this parable. On the one hand, Jesus emphasizes that we simply do not know exactly when God is going to ask us to render an account of our life; on the other--answering Peter's question--our Lord explains that His teaching is addressed to every individual. God will ask everyone to render an account of his doings: everyone has a mission to fulfill in this life and he has to account for it before the judgment seat of God and be judged on what he has produced, be it much or little.

"Since we know neither the day nor the hour, we should follow the advice of the Lord and watch constantly so that, when the single course of our earthly life is completed (cf. Hebrews 9:27), we may merit to enter with Him into the marriage feast and be numbered among the blessed (cf. Matthew 25:31-46) and not, like the wicked and slothful servants (cf. Matthew 25:26), be ordered to depart into the eternal fire (cf. Matthew 25:41)" (Vatican II, "Lumen Gentium", 48).
**********************
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.
- posted by LRS @ 1:58 AM   

 
Balestrieri Response

To All Concerned,

This opinion is free to be released to all, because it is the truth. I expect the truth to be spoken and taught high and low in all circumstances, even if the consequences are dire in defense of the Faith and Sacraments.

During the last week in August of this year, I went to Rome to consult a dozen experts, both inside and outside the Vatican, with the goal of building support both theoretically and practically for the case filed against Senator John F. Kerry, in as much as he was a baptized Catholic publicly and stridently professing heresy.

Until then, I had consulted just about everyone except the Vatican in the matter. At the end of my trip, before leaving, I decided to go the the Palazzo del Sant'Ufficio, in the Vatican City State, and request an appointment with the Very Rev. Augustine di Noia, O.P., Undersecretary for the Congregation. This was on 30 August 2004, per Fr. Cole in his letter. Wholly unexpectedly, I "made contact" and was received by the Rev. Diaz Pedro Miguel Funes, 2nd Class "Addetto di Segreteria" as listed on page 1081 of the 2004 Edition of the Annuario Pontificio, the official directory of the Holy See.

As an official member of the Congregation, Fr. Funes explained to me that Fr. di Noia had just come back from the States, and was not available for a meeting. I explained to Fr. Funes that I was a Canon lawyer submitting these dubia strictly seeking a theoretical clarification of the two issues concerned, and confirmation of the conclusions of my research. No names were ever mentioned in the conversation. He and I had a one-half hour long meeting whereby I verbally submitted my dubia to the Congregation. He diligently took them down by handwriting. Fr. Funes then said he would transmit the dubia to Fr. di Noia.

Upon my return to the States, on 9 September 2004, I received a call at approximately 0800 from Fr. Basil Cole, O.P., explaining, I cite, that he had been "delegated" by the Very Rev. Augustine di Noia, O.P. to respond to my queries. That term had been used, as I noted in my journal. Fr. Cole asked me to clarify what the two dubia were which I submitted to the Congregation as he had received a fax from the Vatican which he said was difficult to read. At the completion of our conversation, he further stated that he would have a response for me completed in three days' time. I sent him an e-mail with the two dubia in Latin as my e-mail records show. I received the Response from Fr. Cole, O.P., as promised. We exchanged correspondence by e-mail on numerous occasions.

On 16 September 2004, I went to Washington D.C. to attend the Public Witness/Public Scandal conference at the National Press Club. A number of experts were gathered there for the stellar assembly of speakers. Being in the City, I then went on 18 September 2004 to visit Fr. Cole to thank him for the response, and receive confirmation of what I had personally understood as the doctrinal interpretation and consequences of the text of the Response. I explained that I was a Canon lawyer who was seeking this response in regards to a canonical case of heresy, and a possible doctoral dissertation based on the issues at hand. In conscience, I was honest, and described the purpose of the dubia having been submitted: canonical case of heresy, and possible doctoral dissertation on the exact topic. At no point in time, moreover, was any request for further information about those circumstances made to me. At the end of a very good meeting, Fr. Cole confirmed the interpretation contained in the Press Release of 18 October 2004. The theologian said explicitly that I was free to publish the document "to the whole world if I wanted to."

A short while after, I called Fr. Cole in Detroit, Michigan where he happened to be for a weekend, seeking a second verification of the scope of the document's use. He explicitly said to me that he was acting "under orders" in writing the document, and as such, he said that he had to defer to the Congregation.

Last Monday, I called Fr. di Noia at his private residence in Rome, in order to achieve absolute clarity in the matter about the scope of permission of use, as I did not want to take the risk of using a response which could easily fall into the public domain against the wishes of the Vatican. Having finally made contact, which I was attempting to do for more than a month, prior to releasing the document, the Undersecretary and I spoke. Fr. di Noia stated explicitly to me that he had read the text, that he thought the response was "excellent and solid." When I explained to him that Fr. Cole deferred to the Congregation regarding how the document could be used, Fr. di Noia stated, "The reply was prepared by Fr. Cole. As such, he is free to publish the text if he so chooses." I called Fr. Cole, upon di Noia's request, and informed him of the tenor of our conversation. Fr. Cole, upon hearing of the Undersecretary's clarification, stated, "Well by all means use it, no restrictions whatsoever."

From that moment onwards, I had no doubts about either the verbal approval given by both the Very Reverend Undersecretary and the Reverend Dominican Father, nor their word.

My phone, e-mail, and travel records all corroborate my rendering of the afore-cited facts. For anyone to claim otherwise is a misstatement of the facts.
...
Finally, Fr. di Noia told me verbally by phone that it was an "excellent and solid" response.

The Response was an unofficial response prepared by an eminent theologian, Father B. Cole, OP, after he had been delegated the task of responding to my dubia by the Undersecretary of the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith, the Very Reverend Augustine di Noia, OP. Fr. di Noia chose to respond to my request by referring the matter to Fr. Cole to answer in his stead. It is the content of the Response that matters, not the absence of the signatures of the Prefect and Secretary of the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith on the Response.

I sincerely hope that in publicly denying any “official” or formal emanation of the text from the Vatican, which had never been claimed, that certain individuals not risk their salvation by denying the material, infallibly official, and sub gravi binding core conclusions of the Response.

"Utilius scandalum nasci permittitur, quam veritas relinquatur," Pope St. Gregory the Great once said. "Better for scandal to be permitted to be born, than for the Truth to be forsaken."

This certainly seems very different than the report from Catholic News Service...hmmm...What's the deal here, folks? Someone appears to be mistaken as to the facts.

Source here.
- posted by LRS @ 11:41 PM   

 
"No Injustice is of a Greater Magnitude than the Injustice of Abortion"
Our former Auxiliary Bishop Michael Sheridan, the current Bishop of Colorado Springs, spoke these words as he 'shared the history of the civil rights movement from slavery to the present and drew a correlation to the current plight of abortion during his homily at the Mass concluding the International Week of Prayer and Fasting October 11.'

He reminded those in attendance of the words of President Lincoln that "the law cannot give mankind the right to do what is morally wrong". More than a million babies have died each year in America since Roe vs. Wade, creating terribly violent times, "leading to a new kind of violence that shocks even the most hardened, that being the frequency with which children kill other children."

Remember to keep Bishop Sheridan in your prayers. Those committed to teaching the Truth need our prayers just as much as those who lack the necessary virtues to do likewise.

Article here.
- posted by LRS @ 10:20 PM   

 
An Interesting Observation....
...Vatican Has Not Denied Automatic Excommunication of John Kerry

News which broke yesterday about a Vatican consultant's response to a question about canon law application to Catholic politicians who support abortion, has created a media uproar and contradictory statements about the Vatican's involvement in the response.

Source.

This is observation, I think, was missed in the ensuing "hoopla" over the reports over the weekend and through today.

Also, Marc Balestrieri has posted his response to the "uproar" here. I am more inclined to believe his account rather than the anonymous "Vatican sources" supposedly contacted by Catholic News Service earlier.
- posted by LRS @ 10:03 PM   

 
Seven Conclusions of International Eucharistic Congress

Cardinal Jozef Tomko, the papal legate, presented these conclusions:

1. It is urgent to emphasize the importance of Sunday Mass, central part of the congress.

2. The feast and procession of Corpus Christi (the Body and Blood of Christ) must be emphasized again.

3. Eucharistic adoration in all its forms must be revalued, including nocturnal adoration.

4. Emphasize the importance of frequent and worthy Communion, coupled with the sacrament of reconciliation.

5. Encourage the spirit of mission, which stems from the Eucharist.

6. Share one's table and Mass with the poor, in the service of charity. Combine spiritual commitment with the need of the poor.

7. Renew faith, sacrifice, communion and service in the Eucharist, as a sign for the Catholic Church and the world.

I hope that these will be implemented here.

It is somewhat disconcerting that, at least here in St. Charles county, so few Corpus Christi processions are held. One would obviously think that, at least, the larger parishes would be happy to do this. I pray that more of the pastors of our parishes will take the recommendations to heart and do more to help develop a sincere devotion to our Lord and spend more time in company with Him in prayerful conversation, especially when He is alone in the tabernacles of our churches.

Source.


- posted by LRS @ 7:30 PM   

 
Marc Balestrieri's Response
This is his response (posted on Bettnet) regarding the various statements which have been issued of late.

This opinion is free to be released to any one you choose, because it is the truth. I expect the truth to be spoken and taught high and low in all circumstances.

The plot thickens some more....
- posted by LRS @ 1:58 PM   

 
Another Update From Ed Peters

Busy day, it seems. CDF has just denied issuing anything official in the Kerry heresy case. You can read my OCTOBER 19 update below, or go to: http://mywebpages.comcast.net/enpeters/blog.htm for the fuller story.

Update: October 19

Fr. Augustine DiNoia, op., undersecretary for the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in Rome, has denied that Dominican Fr. Basil Cole's letter to Marc Balestrieri represents an official Vatican determination of any aspect of the Kerry case. Catholic News Service article here. This will not surprise readers of the October 18 Canon Law Blog above. Cole himself has reiterated the private and unofficial character of his opinions.

It is a pity that a refined and thoughtful letter by a thinker of Fr. Cole's credentials was so mischaracterized (as if it were a Vatican determination on a key point in Balestrieri's case), and that so many people (eager perhaps for something finally to be done about the Kerry scandal) relied on those mischaracterizations (despite the plain wording of Cole's letter itself!) and circulated them uncritically.

Whatever else happens now (and I fear several repercussions actually), I think a gaff like this appears to be is going to make it even more difficult for Balestrieri to pursue his heresy case against Kerry, a case that was already facing some significant procedural and substantive canonical hurdles. Now, I yield to no man in my desire to see canon law used to, among many other things, protect the unborn, but I repeat that such efforts have to be undertaken with scrupulous regard for canonical correctness, lest debates about the intricacies of Church law and governance distract from our efforts to uphold the values that law and governance are meant to serve.

First, I would not trust much of anything which comes from the "Catholic News Service," particularly in this case. In many cases, they are no more reliable than the "Distorter", in my opinion.

Secondly, I think there is much more to this story than what we know so far. We can conclude quite easily, I believe, that someone is not being truthful. Questioning "Who" it is, however, is a question which doesn't seem prudent to answer at the present time. Someone, no doubt, is upset with response to the dubia.

I think we'll need to search for the "facts", first.
- posted by LRS @ 1:35 PM   

 
Vatican denies it responded to lawyer seeking Kerry's excommunication

An official at the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith said a California canon lawyer seeking a formal decree of heresy against Sen. John F. Kerry of Massachusetts, Democratic presidential nominee, has misrepresented his contact with the Vatican office.

"The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has had no contact with Mr. (Marc) Balestrieri," said Dominican Father Augustine DiNoia, undersecretary of the congregation.

The CNS writer, Cindy Wooden, continues later in the article:

The questions Balestrieri wrote in Latin and sent to the congregation asked whether the church's condemnation of abortion is a matter of Catholic faith and dogma for which opposition would constitute heresy.

When he wrote to the congregation, Balestrieri did not identify himself as the head of De Fide, he did not mention Kerry or politicians in general and he said he did not inform the congregation that he was trying to formally sue Kerry for heresy in the Archdiocese of Boston.

This is completely irrelevant and has no bearing on the letter or the responses being given now. The questions were quite clear and the fact that Balestrieri was involved in other issues should have no bearing on the answers to the questions, unless, of course, one is opposed to telling the truth or giving honest answers to honest questions.

It appears that there are a number of people trying to distance themselves from the story and to retreat from their obligations to fully enunciate and clarify the issues which Mr. Balestrieri has asked - and which many more Catholics would liked answered, as well.

What a pity...It appears that many are running from another perfect teaching moment.

Article.


- posted by LRS @ 12:46 PM   

 
Broken compass?

John Kerry's moral compass is broken. Nothing exhibits his wayward thinking more than his convoluted answer to the question on abortion during the debate at Washington University.

While flaunting his altar boy credentials, in the same breath he denounced a non-negotiable tenet of his Catholic faith. In other words, he was against abortion before he was for it.

Sandra Y. Smith
Des Peres

Another letter to the editor of the Post. Source. All emphasis above is mine.

I posted a comment on another blog recently about the Senator's refrain, "I was an altar boy," everytime a question arises concerning his "faith" (or lack therof). As I stated then, considering the numerous inaccuracies of his past statements, I am skeptical of his claim (altar boy) - especially considering the amount of study and discipline that was required to be an altar boy prior to the Mass of Paul VI. Just an observation.


- posted by LRS @ 6:35 AM   

 
Two city parishes learn of plans for closings

Two more Catholic churches and a grade school have been recommended for closing in the archdiocesan review of its parishes in south St. Louis and north St. Louis County.

They are Resurrection of Our Lord, 3900 Meramec Street, and St. Aloysius Gonzaga, 5608 North Magnolia Avenue. Resurrection's parishioners were told of the recommendation on Sunday; St. Aloysius' parishioners were informed last week.

More of the story here.
- posted by LRS @ 6:30 AM   

 
Tuesday, 29th Week in Ordinary Time
From: Luke 12:35-38

The Need for Vigilance and the Parable of the Steward
-----------------------------------------------------
(Jesus said to His disciples,) [35] "Let your loins be girded and your lamps burning, [36] and be like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the marriage feast, so that they may open to him at once when he comes and knocks. [37] Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes; truly, I say to you, he will gird himself and have them sit at table, and he will come and serve them. [39] If he comes in the second watch, or in the third, and finds them so, blessed are those servants!"
**********************************
Commentary:

35-39. In the preaching of Christ and of the Apostles we are frequently exhorted to be watchful (cf. Matthew 24:42; 25:13; Mark 14:34)--for one thing, because the enemy is always on the prowl (cf. 1 Peter 5:8), and also because a person in love is always awake (cf. Song of Songs 5:2). This watchfulness expresses itself in a spirit of prayer (cf. Luke 21:36; 1 Peter 4:7) and fortitude in faith (cf. 1 Corinthians 16:13). See the note on Matthew 25:1-13.

[The note on Matthew 25:1-13 states:
1-13. The main lesson of this parable has to do with the need to be on the alert: in practice, this means having the light of faith, which is kept alive with the oil of charity. Jewish weddings were held in the house of the bride's father. The virgins are young unmarried girls, bridesmaids who are in the bride's house waiting for the bridegroom to arrive. The parable centers on the attitude one should adopt up to the time when the bridegroom comes. In other words, it is not enough to know that one is "inside" the Kingdom, the Church: one has to be on the watch and be preparing for Christ's coming by doing good works.

This vigilance should be continuous and unflagging, because the devil is forever after us, prowling around "like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour" (1 Peter 5:8). "Watch with the heart, watch with faith, watch with love, watch with charity, watch with good works [...]; make ready the lamps, make sure they do not go out [...], renew them with the inner oil of an upright conscience; then shall the Bridegroom enfold you in the embrace of His love and bring you into His banquet room, where your lamp can never be extinguished" (St. Augustine, "Sermon", 93).]

35. To enable them to do certain kinds of work the Jews used to hitch up the flowing garments they normally wore. "Girding your loins" immediately suggests a person getting ready for work, for effort, for a journey etc. (cf. Jeremiah 1:17; Ephesians 6:14; 1 Peter 1:13). Similarly, "having your lamps burning" indicates the sort of attitude a person should have who is on the watch or is waiting for someone's arrival.
*********************
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.
- posted by LRS @ 12:56 AM   

 
Canonist Ed Peters Comments on the Balestrieri Letter

Obviously, and despite some pretty dramatic press descriptions to the contrary, Cole’s excellent letter is not and plainly does not purport to be an official statement by the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith, let alone is it an authentic interpretation (1983 CIC 16 § 1) of the canons in question (incl. 1983 CIC 750, 1321, 1331, 1364, and 1398) or an endorsement of the canonical case prompting the letter. Cole's letter is several steps removed from any kind of official Vatican decision in this case.

Cole’s theological analysis does, however, move us closer to the central canonical question raised in this matter, namely: whether advocacy of abortion, by a knowledgeable Catholic, in and of itself, is heresy. Now, for the reasons ably outlined by Cole, obstinate doubt or denial of Church teaching on abortion may well be regarded as heresy. But our concern is different: is disregard of Church teaching on abortion, perhaps even chronic contempt for it, necessarily heretical? Consider: If I deny the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist, I commit heresy. But if I throw the Eucharist in the gutter, I commit the crime of sacrilege (1983 CIC 1367), not heresy (1983 CIC 1364).

Full article here.
- posted by LRS @ 9:49 PM   

 
Kerry said to be excommunicated

The current action could be significant as it could undercut the entire debate over denying Communion to pro-abortion politicians. An excommunicated Catholic may not receive any of the sacraments of the Church, including the Eucharist, marriage, and even Christian burial. The type of excommunication outlined in the new information is called latae sententiae, which means that it occurs automatically and does not require a formal pronouncement by any Church official.

I would certainly like to hear how Archbishop Burke views this from a canonical perspective...

Catholic World News Article.
- posted by LRS @ 7:42 AM   

 
The Holy Father Inaugurates the Year of the Eucharist

With a solemn Mass celebrated in St. Peter's Basilica, John Paul II early this evening opened the Year of the Eucharist, which will end in October 2005. The inauguration took place concomitantly with the closing of the 48th International Eucharistic Congress in Guadalajara, Mexico.

Another article, "The Eucharist is light among the shadows that threaten the world, the Pope says" is here.
- posted by LRS @ 7:08 AM   

 
Christmas Music (and more) from the Vatican
Music for the Liturgical Year in mp3 format.

- posted by LRS @ 6:40 AM   

 
Intellectual Dishonesty or Plain Ignorance?
A Letter from this morning's Post Dispatch

Cafeteria morality
Archbishop's Raymond Burke's cafeteria morality is a new concept. Am I allowed to vote only for a president who is responsible for the deaths of tens of thousands in a war based on fraud and deceit, a president who has lifted the ban on assault weapons that may result in the deaths of thousands of police, a president who has forced thousands of senior citizens to choose between eating or paying for the high cost of drugs under a Medicare drug law that prohibits the federal government from negotiating prices with the drug companies?

I am not aware that the pope has placed his imprimatur on cafeteria morality.

Donald Lundgren
Osage Beach

Tens of thousands of deaths from a war based on fraud & deceit? This has been refuted several times already.

The President lifted the ban on assault weapons??? Does this man even know that the ban primarily affected cosmetic characteristics only, such as bayonet lugs and flash hiders???...or that Congress refused to take this up, or that statistics had already demonstrated that the AWB did nothing do reduce crime?

Bush is responsible for higher drug prices? Okay...The president is a convenient scapegoat.

And finally, is Archbishop Burke really engaged in a sort of "Cafeteria Morality"? I think we can safely assume that Mr. Lundgren has not read the Archbishop's Pastoral Letter. The Pastoral Letter gives us the principles we need, especially today, to confront the evil around us and to work as Christians, in promoting the common good.

I can only hope that someone would be kind enough to give a copy of the Archbishop's pastoral letter to Mr. Lundgren and that he would read it prayerfully.

Source.


I sometimes wonder if someone at the Post-Dispatch gets a special pleasure from printing letters of this nature. If it wasn't so sad, it would certainly be good for a laugh.
- posted by LRS @ 6:16 AM   

 
Oct 18, Feast: St. Luke, Evangelist
From: Luke 10:1-9
The Mission of the Seventy Disciples
------------------------------------
[1] After this the Lord appointed seventy others, and sent them on ahead of Him, two by two, into every town and place where He Himself was about to come.
[2] And He said to them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; pray therefore the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.
[3] Go your way; behold, I send you out as lambs in the midst of wolves.
[4] Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals; and salute no one on the road.
[5] Whatever house you enter, first say, `Peace be to this house!'
[6] And if a son of peace is there, your peace shall rest upon him; but if not, it shall return to you.
[7] And remain in the same house, eating and drinking what they provide, for the laborer deserves his wages; do not go from house to house.
[8] Whenever you enter a town and they receive you, eat what is set before you;
[9] heal the sick in it and say to them, "The Kingdom of God has come near to you.'"
***************************
Commentary:

1-12. Those who followed our Lord and received a calling from Him (cf. Luke 9:57-62) included many other disciples in addition to the Twelve (cf. Mark 2:15). We do not know who most of them were; but undoubtedly some of them were with Him all along, from when Jesus was baptized by John up to the time of His ascension--for example, Joseph called Barrabas, and Matthias (cf. Acts 1:21-26). We can also include Cleopas and his companion, whom the risen Christ appeared to on the road to Emmaus (cf. Luke 24:13-35).

From among these disciples, our Lord chooses seventy-two for a special assignment. Of them, as of the Apostles (cf. Luke 9:1-5), He demands total detachment and complete abandonment to divine providence.

From Baptism onwards every Christian is called by Christ to perform a mission. Therefore, the Church, in our Lord's name, "makes to all the laity an earnest appeal in the Lord to give a willing, noble and enthusiastic response to the voice of Christ, who at this hour is summoning them more pressingly, and to the urging of the Holy Spirit. The younger generation should feel this call to be addressed in a special way to themselves; they should welcome it eagerly and generously. It is the Lord Himself, by this Council, who is once more inviting all the laity to unite themselves to Him ever more intimately, to consider His interests as their own (cf. Philippians 2:5), and to join in His mission as Savior. It is the Lord who is again sending them into every town and every place where He Himself is to come (cf. Luke 10:1). He sends them on the Church's apostolate, an apostolate that is one yet has different forms and methods, an apostolate that must all the time be adapting itself to the needs of the moment; He sends them on an apostolate where they are to show themselves His cooperators, doing their full share continually in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord their labor cannot be lost (cf. 1 Corinthians 15:58)" (Vatican II, "Apostolicam Actuositatem", 33).

3-4. Christ wants to instill apostolic daring into His disciples; this is why He says, "I send you out", which leads St. John Chrysostom to comment: "This suffices to give us encouragement, to give us confidence and to ensure that we are not afraid of our assailants" ("Hom. on St. Matthew", 33). The Apostles' and disciples' boldness stemmed from their firm conviction that they were on a God-given mission: they acted, as Peter the Apostle confidently explained to the Sanhedrin, in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, "for there is no other name under heaven by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12).

"And the Lord goes on," St. Gregory the Great adds, "Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals; and salute no one on the road.' Such should be the confidence the preacher places in God that even if he is not provided with the necessities of life, he is convinced that they will come his way. This will ensure that worry about providing temporal things for himself does not distract him from providing others with eternal things" ("In Evangelia Homiliae", 17). Apostolate calls for generous self-surrender which leads to detachment; therefore, Peter, following our Lord's commandment, when the beggar at the Beautiful Gate asked him for alms (Acts 3:2-3), said, "I have no silver or gold" ("ibid.", 3:6), "not so as to glory in his poverty", St. Ambrose points out, "but to obey the Lord's command. It is as if he were saying, `You see in me a disciple of Christ, and you ask me for gold? He gave us something much more valuable than gold, the power to act in His name. I do not have what Christ did not give me, but I do have what He did give me: In the name of Jesus Christ, arise and walk' (cf. Acts 3:6)" ("Expositio Evangelii Sec. Lucam, in loc".). Apostolate, therefore, demands detachment from material things and it also requires us to be always available, for there is an urgency about apostolic work.

"And salute no one on the road": "How can it be", St. Ambrose asks himself, "that the Lord wishes to get rid of a custom so full of kindness? Notice, however, that He does not just say, `Do not salute anyone', but adds, `on the road.' And there is a reason for this.

"He also commanded Elisha not to salute anyone he met, when He sent him to lay his staff on the body of the dead child (2 Kings 4:29): He gave him this order so as to get him to do this task without delay and effect the raising of the child, and not waste time by stopping to talk to any passer-by he met. Therefore, there is no question of omitting good manners to greet others; it is a matter of removing a possible obstacle in the way of service; when God commands, human considerations should be set aside, at least for the time being. To greet a person is a good thing, but it is better to carry out a divine instruction which could easily be frustrated by a delay ("ibid.").

6. Everyone is "a son of peace" who is disposed to accept the teaching of the Gospel which brings with it God's peace. Our Lord's recommendation to His disciples to proclaim peace should be a constant feature of all the apostolic action of Christians: "Christian apostolate is not a political program or a cultural alternative. It implies the spreading of good, `infecting' others with a desire to love, sowing peace and joy" ([St] J. Escriva, "Christ Is Passing By", 124).

Feeling peace in our soul and in our surroundings is an unmistakable sign that God is with us, and a fruit of the Holy Spirit (cf. Galatians 5:22): "Get rid of these scruples that deprive you of peace. What takes away your peace of soul cannot come from God. When God comes to you, you will feel the truth of those greetings: My peace I give to you..., peace I leave you..., peace be with you..., and you will feel it even in the midst of troubles" ([St] J. Escriva, "The Way", 258).

7. Our Lord clearly considered poverty and detachment a key feature in an apostle. But He was aware of His disciples' material needs and therefore stated the principle that apostolic ministry deserves its recompense. Vatican II reminds us that we all have an obligation to contribute to the sustenance of those who generously devote themselves to the service of the Church: "Completely devoted as they are to the service of God in the fulfillment of the office entrusted to them, priests are entitled to receive a just remuneration. For `the laborer deserves his wages' (Luke 10:7), and `the Lord commanded that they who proclaim the Gospel should get their living by the Gospel' (1 Corinthians 9:14). For this reason, insofar as provision is not made from some other source for the just remuneration of priests, the faithful are bound by a real obligation of seeing to it that the necessary provision for a decent and fitting livelihood for the priests are available" (Vatican II, "Presbyterorum Ordinis", 20).
************************
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.
- posted by LRS @ 12:05 AM   

 
Oct 21, ICD Catholic Voter Information Night

ICD CATHOLIC VOTER INFORMATION NIGHT

On Thursday, October 21st, at 7pm, in the ICD Parish Hall, I (Fr. Robert Reiker) will be addressing the issue of a responsible Catholic being a responsible voter in the upcoming election on November 2nd. This will be followed by a question-answer period.

One of our greatest blessings as a citizen of the United States of America is our right to participate in the political decisions of our nation. Elections are a time for discussions and decisions about political issues and moral values. The U.S. bishops offer Catholic principles for Catholic voters to consider in a document entitled "Faithful Citizenship: A Catholic Call to Political Responsibility".

Archbishop Burke has issued a pastoral letter on Catholics voting that was in your October 1st issue of the St. Louis Review and also available on-line at www.archstl.com. Please take time to read this letter and the materials sent to every ICD home.

This was in Sunday's Bulletin.

Immaculate Conception Parish
7701 Highway N
Dardenne Prairie, MO 63366
- posted by LRS @ 5:10 PM   

 
Vatican Responds (unofficially) to Balestrieri Heresy Dubia
***** Originally posted 10/16/04 @ 1:36am *****

Fr. Basil Cole, OP, STD, in response to a request by Very Reverend Augustine DiNoia, OP, the undersecretary of the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, sent a letter to MarC Balestieri, a canon lawyer who filed a heresy charge against John Kerry.

That response can be read here. Mr. Balestieri was to appear on EWTN's "The World Over" with Raymond Arroyo. I missed it but will try to catch one of the re-runs .

***** Updated *****

After watching the interview with Mr. Balestrieri, all I can say is it looks like things may really start heating up.

The responses to his dubia are clear:

The Church's teaching against abortion is of Divine and Catholic Faith. It requires the assent of theological faith. Obstinate denial or doubt of this teaching results in the mortal sin of heresy and automatic excommunication.

Likewise, one who believes or supports the so-called "right to choose (an abortion)" is also guilty of heresy, a mortal sin, and may incur automatic excommunication.

This is devastating news for those like Kerry, who, while claiming to be personally opposed, support a woman's "right to choose" - he has already incurred automatic excommunication. Also those Catholics who support the pro-choice (anti-life) movement are guilty of heresy and automatically excommunicated. (per the letter)

Mr. Balestieri stated he is now ready to file 4 more complaint charges of heresy. He said he was selecting those who are the most notorious Catholics who support abortion and cause grave scandal to the faithful. He named four:
Ted Kennedy
Tom Harkin
Mario Cuomo
Susan Collins

My guess is all of those on American Life League's Deadly Dozen will be subject to a charge of heresy.

This is something (heresy and automatic excommunication) which many have believed should have been resolved years ago. The Code of Canon Law seems pretty clear, but then it's a canonical issue that must be resolved through the proper channels, I suppose.

One should read:
Ad Tuendam Fidam ,
Professio Fidei,
The Doctrinal Commentary on the Concluding Formula of Profession Fidei,
and/or this Summary of Categories of Belief in Professio fidei.

The fireworks will certainly be interesting to watch.

**** Updated 10/17/04 @ 4:30pm
I finished watching a re-run of the EWTN interview and Mr. Balestrieri stated that he was ready to file 4 additional charges of heresy, not 40 as I had previously posted...
- posted by LRS @ 4:34 PM   

 
Will the silence of most U.S. Catholic Bishops ...
...help elect a Presidential candidate... who promotes procured abortion and supports same-sex marriage?

Sixty million U.S. Catholic laity is scandalized and confused by the refusal of most Bishops to dutifully govern and correct pro-abortion candidates.

The Democrat Presidential candidate, John Kerry, proclaimed recently to all Americans that he is a 'faithful Catholic' in good standing, yet promised that if elected:

"I will not overturn Roe v Wade; I will not appoint judges hostile to 'choice;' I will allow poor women to have free abortions; I will never outlaw abortion; I will increase American taxpayer's dollars on population control efforts around the world."

Is the silence of this majority of Bishops sending a loud, clear message to all Americans that being pro-abortion is not a grave offense against God?

Could another reason be U.S. Bishops fear losing more money donated in weekly offertory collections? Do some U.S. Bishops fear offending powerful Democrat parishioners?

Article here.
- posted by LRS @ 1:23 PM   

 
Some Political Issues Should Be More Important Than Others for Catholics

How can someone consistently prolife hold some life issues to be more important than others? The answer is simple. Some threats to human life are more immediate, more far-reaching, and graver than other threats.

protecting the right to life has a practical priority over the right to a certain condition or standard of life, even though the latter is also important. Why? Because unless you’re alive, we can’t talk meaningfully about the conditions of your life. Unless you have the right to life, it’s nonsense to talk about having other rights. Pope John Paul II put it this way:

The common outcry, which is justly made on behalf of human rights—for example, the right to health, to home, to work, to family, to culture—is false and illusory if the right to life, the most basic and fundamental right and the condition for all other personal rights, is not defended with maximum determination (Christifideles Laici, no. 38). [my emphasis, LRS]

Catholics have an obligation to form their consciences according to the teaching of the Church. That teaching allows a wide range of conscientious judgments on a number of important, political issues. Abortion, euthanasia, embryonic stem cell experimentation, human cloning, and same-sex marriage are not among those issues. On these subjects there is but a single legitimate “Catholic position.” When it comes to legal support for these issues, one can be Catholic or “prochoice,” but not Catholic and “prochoice.”

This is an excellent article by Mark Brumley to help explain the hierarchy of issues to others.

Link.
- posted by LRS @ 1:04 PM   

 
THE VATICAN ACTS TO END THE ABORTION HERESY?

Canon lawyer Marc A. Balestrieri announces on EWTN that the Vatican has joined his heresy case against John Kerry

On October 15, 2004, Marc A. Balestrieri, the young canon lawyer who boldly denounced Senator Kerry as a heretic in an ecclesiastical proceeding, appeared on the Eternal World Television Network’s The World Over with Raymond Arroyo to announce that he had received confirmation from the Vatican that support for abortion is heresy.

On August 30, 2004, with his heresy case against Senator Kerry stalled in the Boston Archdiocese, Mr. Balestrieri made a written request to the Vatican’s Congregation for Doctrine of the Faith to confirm the principles on which his heresy case is based.

At the request of the undersecretary of the Congregation, Mr. Balestrieri received a letter dated September 11, 2004 unofficially responding to his request that he made public on October 15.

That letter concluded:

”To commit the sin of heresy, you do not have to deny solemnly defined truths of the faith only. It suffices to deny truths contrary to the manifest understanding of the Sacred Scriptures, such as denying the truth of any of the ten commandments Thomas himself occasionally calls people heretics who deny the manifest and obvious sense of biblical texts. This isn’t to say that moral teachings cannot be defined because some very few have been defined solemnly by the Church especially the Council of Trent on marriage, and against polygamy.

“So, if I obstinately deny by teaching and preaching, or doubt that abortion is not intrinsically evil, I commit the mortal sin of heresy. All things being equal, I am automatically excommunicated according to the provision of Can. 1364, § 1, provided that the presaumptions of knowledge of the law and penalty (Can 15, § 2) and imputability (Can. 1321, § 3) are not rebutted in the external forum:

With due regard for can. 194, § 1, n. 2, an apostate from the faith, a heretic or a schismatic incurs automatic excommunication….

***

”It should be obvious from all that I’ve said that for anyone to maintain a right to abortion piggybacks on the heresy and becomes part of its darkness,

“Consequently, if a Catholic publicly and obstinately supports the civil right to abortion, knowing that the Church teaches officially against that legislation, he or she commits that heresy envisioned by Can. 751 of the Code. Provided that the presumptions of knowledge of the law and penalty (Can. 15, § 2) and imputability (Can. 1321, § 3) are not rebutted in the external forum, one is automatically excommunicated according to Can. 1364, § 1.”

***

The Archbishop of Boston should declare without further delay that Senator Kerry is an excommunicated heretic and urge him to recant and repent.

The United States Conference of Catholic Bushops should unanimously resolve to end the public scandal of giving Holy Communion to pro-abortion “Catholic” politicians.

And the bold Mr. Balestrieri is owed a great debt of gratitude not only by Catholics but by all persons of good will who disdain manipulation, obfuscation and intimidation and want to know the truth about politicians.

At the least, Los Angeles Cardinal Roger Mahony should rehire and promote Mr. Balestrieri.

The full article by Michael Gaynor for Catholic Citizens of Illinois is here.
- posted by LRS @ 11:31 AM   

 
John Paul II Renews Universal Call to Holiness

John Paul II says the message and life of St. Seraphim of Montegranaro (1540-1604) is an "eloquent witness of the universal vocation to holiness."

- posted by LRS @ 10:44 AM   

 
How Should U.S. Catholics Vote in the Elections?
Bishops Focusing Attention on a Critical Question


- posted by LRS @ 10:27 AM   

 
29th Sunday in Ordinary Time

From: Luke 18:1-8

Persevering Prayer. Parable of the Unjust Judge
-----------------------------------------
[1] And He (Jesus) told them a parable, to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart.
[2] He said, "In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor regarded man;
[3] and there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him saying, `Vindicate me against my adversary.'
[4] For a while he refused; but afterward he said to himself, `Though I neither fear God nor regard man,
[5] yet because this widow bothers me, I will vindicate her, or she will wear me out by her continual coming.'
[6] And the Lord said, "hear what the unrighteous judge says.
[7] And will not God vindicate His elect, who cry to Him day and night? Will He delay long over them?
[8] I tell you, He will vindicate them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?"
*******************************
Commentary:

1-8. The parable of the unjust judge is a very eloquent lesson about the effectiveness of persevering, confident prayer. It also forms a conclusion to Jesus' teaching about watchfulness, contained in the previous verses (17:23-26). Comparing God with a person like this makes the point even clearer: if even an unjust judge ends up giving justice to the man who keeps on pleading his case, how much more will God, who is infinitely just, and who is our Father, listen to the persevering prayer of His children. God, in other words, gives justice to His elect if they persist in seeking His help.

1. "They ought always to pray and not lose heart." Why must we pray?
"1. WE MUST PRAY FIRST AND FOREMOST BECAUSE WE ARE BELIEVERS.

"Prayer is in fact the recognition of our limitation and our dependence: we come from God, we belong to God and we return to God! We cannot, therefore, but abandon ourselves to Him, our Creator and Lord, with full and complete confidence [...].

"Prayer, therefore, is first of all an act of intelligence, a feeling of humility and gratitude, an attitude of trust and abandonment to Him who gave us life out of love.

"Prayer is a mysterious but real dialogue with God, a dialogue of confidence and love.

"2. WE, HOWEVER, ARE CHRISTIANS, AND THEREFORE WE MUST PRAY AS CHRISTIANS.
"For the Christian, in fact, prayer acquires a particular characteristic, which completely changes its innermost nature and innermost value. The Christian is a disciple of Jesus; he is one who really believes that Jesus is the Word Incarnate, the Son of God who came among us on this earth.

"As a man, the life of Jesus was a continual prayer, a continual act of worship and love of the Father and since the maximum_expression of prayer is sacrifice, the summit of Jesus' prayer is the Sacrifice of the Cross, anticipated by the Eucharist at the Last Supper and handed down by means of the Holy Mass throughout the centuries.

"Therefore, the Christian knows that his prayer is that of Jesus; every prayer of his starts from Jesus; it is He who prays in us, with us, for us. All those who believe in God, pray; but the Christian prays in Jesus Christ: Christ is our prayer!

"3. FINALLY, WE MUST ALSO PRAY BECAUSE WE ARE FRAIL AND GUILTY.
"It must be humbly and realistically recognized that we are poor creatures, confused in ideas, tempted by evil, frail and weak, in continual need of inner strength and consolation. Prayer gives the strength for great ideas, to maintain faith, charity, purity and generosity. Prayer gives the courage to emerge from indifference and guilt, if unfortunately one has yielded to temptation and weakness. Prayer gives light to see and consider the events of one's own life and of history in the salvific perspective of God and eternity. Therefore, do not stop praying! Let not a day pass without your having prayed a little! Prayer is a duty, but it is also a great joy, because it is a dialogue with God through Jesus Christ! Every Sunday, Holy Mass: if it is possible for you, sometimes during the week. Every day, morning and evening prayers, and at the most suitable moments!" (John Paul II, "Audience with Young People", 14 March 1979).

8. Jesus combines His teaching about perseverance in prayer with a serious warning about the need to remain firm in the faith: faith and prayer go hand in hand. St. Augustine comments, "In order to pray, let us believe; and for our faith not to weaken, let us pray. Faith causes prayer to grow, and when prayer grows our faith is strengthened" ("Sermon", 115).

Our Lord has promised His Church that it will remain true to its mission until the end of time (cf. Matthew 28:20); the Church, therefore, cannot go off the path of the true faith. But not everyone will remain faithful: some will turn their backs on the faith of their own accord. This is the mystery which St. Paul describes as "the rebellion" (2 Thessalonians 2:3) and which Jesus Christ announces on other occasions (cf. Matthew 24:12-13). In this way our Lord warns us, to help us stay watchful and persevere in the faith and in prayer even though people around us fall away.
***************
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.

- posted by LRS @ 6:31 AM   

 
Oct 21 - ICD Voter Information Night
On Thursday evening, October 21 at 7:00pm, Immaculate Conception Church in Dardenne, MO. will have a "Catholic Voter Information Night" in the Parish Hall. The pastor, Fr. Robert Reiker, "will be addressing the issue of how a faithful Catholic decides who to vote for. This will be followed by a question and answer period."

Here are some excerpts from the letter I received:

The Archbishop also encouraged parishes to distribute a booklet (without an acknowledged author) entitled "Voter's Guide for Serious Catholics" which I decided to also enclose with this mailing.

First, I could not help but notice the "dig" taken at the Catholic Answers Voter's Guide - (an unnamed author). A few months ago there was a concerted efforted by some parishioners to have the Voter's Guide distributed at the parish (at our own cost) and with the Archbishop's approval but this effort was rebuffed at the time by the pastor. I do not know why he changed his mind and decided to send them out but I am pleased that it was sent out.

How to decide who we should vote for has stirred a lot of discussion.

It seems that the only 'stirring' discussion is among those who are trying to rationalize voting for a politician who openly defies the Church's teaching and who adamantly supports the murder of innocent babies.

I encourage you to read and reflect on the above mentioned documents.

These are:
USCCB: Faithful Citizenship: A Catholic Call to Political Responsibility
Archbishop Burke: On Our Civic Responsibility for the Common Good
Catholic Answers: Voter's Guide for Serious Catholics

There is much discussion in the letter regarding following one's conscience. He does state that we must make every effort to have a properly informed conscience before one makes a final decision. Extensive quotes from the Catechism follow: Nos. 1782, 1783, 1787, & 1788.

Finally there is this:

Is clear that no Catholic can in good conscience directly choose something that is evil. Normally, in an election we have to make a conscious decision based on a great number of issues. Certainly there is a priority of issues. At the same time we must in conscience decide if a candidate is credible in their positions and committed to carrying out these positions. Then we as a faithful follower of the Lord must decide how our vote can truly further the Kingdom of God here on earth. Then we can be confident that we are in good standing with the Lord and within our faith community, the Church. (the emphasis is mine)

The above highlighted sentence causes me some concern. I have learned to be skeptical of what is stated - I am not comfortable with what is now being said.

I hope and pray that this "Voter Information Night" is a period of prayerful reflection and authentic catechesis based on the teaching which Archbishop Burke provided and of which he reminds us to follow. I hope and pray it does not turn out to be a forum for confirming moral relativism and malformed consciences which would permit professed Catholics to reject the hierarchy of issues and thus work against the common good.

I hope I can go...I'll need a dispensation from class.


- posted by LRS @ 7:43 PM   

 
Updated list of "Mandatum" Colleges/Universities
It's getting better but it's a far cry from where Catholic Higher Education needs to be.

The list is here.
- posted by LRS @ 6:09 PM   

 
An update on Liturgical Dysfunction
The Curt Jester has updated his post on Liturgical Dysfunction. This must be a new disorder as it has yet to be listed in DSM-IV, although there are many similarities with other disorders.

His newest addition to the list of Liturgical Disorders is that of:

Leotardation:

This extremely strange physical and mental psychosis causes the person to have the urge to dress in leotards and prance around the sanctuary. This is often associated with additionally waving banners, streamers, or other props around in some rhythmic movement. If this is observed do not approach the individual but immediately call your local institute for the liturgically insane.

Here is a picture (from my parish) of Leotardation in action:



To see The Curt Jester's post on LD, go here.
- posted by LRS @ 5:44 PM   

 
Givin' him "what fer"!
Mark Finn of Florissant takes Gary Siegel and his editorial to task...

...we certainly don't need high-profile, uninformed, unanswered editorials like Siegel's exacerbating the problem.

Finn offer a three point rebuttal to Siegel's flawed opinion piece:

Gary Siegel's Oct. 11 commentary on religion and politics presented three points that are misleading at best, dead wrong at worst.

1. His example pitting politicians against each other is misleading. He portrays one as being against banning first-trimester abortions "to save the life of the mother" and the other authorizing a military campaign that would "inevitably include ... the killing of innocent children." Politicians are rarely against life-saving abortions, and there really are few of these anyway. Authorizing a military campaign often results in innocent casualties for the overall better good. The latter might result in the taking of innocent life; the former certainly does.

2. His point about pro-choice politicians not personally approving abortion is the same old ridiculous excuse. If something is wrong, it's wrong. Individuals don't get to decide. You don't hear politicians saying, "Well, I personally think it's wrong to steal a car, but I don't think government should tell people if they can steal cars or not".

3. His final blather about religious leaders overstepping their bounds when they "rant like a tent revivalist about the evils of sin" is just plain wrong. He makes Jesus out to be some kind of flower child who let everyone get away with whatever. Has Siegel even read the Gospels? Yes, Jesus spoke of loving one another, but people often conveniently forget how much he called sinners to account. Religious leaders should follow his example and do likewise.

This is the sort of thing that people don't hear. In my opinion, moral issues like these are the most important in this election. The positions of the candidates on other issues are so full of baloney that it's easy to mistrust them to follow through on anything they say.

One thing is sure: We're fed so much misinformation from the candidates themselves, we certainly don't need high-profile, uninformed, unanswered editorials like Siegel's exacerbating the problem.

Mark S. Finn
Florissant

Anyone who has read the Gospels would know that our Lord was not a pacifist who confirmed everyone in their sins. He continually challenged those who would hear Him, to conversion, to turning from sin, to change one's life. Those who intentionally mislead or confuse others, are certainly not following in Jesus' footsteps, but are following the path of the evil one.

Post Dispatch letter here.
- posted by LRS @ 5:20 PM   

 
Saturday, 28th Week in Ordinary Time
Gospel: Luke 12:8-12

Various Teachings of Jesus (Continuation)
-----------------------------------------
(Jesus said to His disciples,)
[8] "And I tell you, every one who acknowledges Me before men, the Son of Man also will acknowledge before the angels of God;
[9] but he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God.
[10] And every one who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven; but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.
[11] And when they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, do not be anxious how or what you are to answer or what you are to say;
[12] for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say."
****************************
Commentary:

8-9. This follows logically from Christ's previous teaching: worse than physical evils, worse even than death, are evils of the soul, that is, sin. Those who out of fear of temporal suffering deny our Lord and are unfaithful to the demands of the faith will fall into a greater evil still: they will be denied by Christ Himself on the Day of Judgment; whereas those who are penalized in this life because of their faithfulness to Christ will receive the eternal reward of being recognized by Him and will come to share His glory.

10. Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit consists in maliciously attributing to the devil actions which have God as their origin. A person who does that prevents God's pardon from reaching him: that is why he cannot obtain forgiveness (cf. Matthew 12:31; Mark 3:28-30). Jesus understands and excuses the weakness of a person who makes a moral mistake, but He is not similarly indulgent to someone who shuts his eyes and his heart to the wonderful things the Spirit does; that was the way these Pharisees acted who accused Jesus of casting out demons in the name of Beelzebul; it is the way unbelieving people act who refuse to see in Christ's work a sign of the goodness of God, who reject the invitation God offers them and who thereby put themselves outside the reach of salvation (cf. Hebrews 6:4-6; 10:26-31). See the note on Mark 3:28-30.

[The note on Mark 3:28-30 states:
28-30. Jesus has just worked a miracle but the scribes refuse to recognize it "for they had said `He has an unclean spirit'" (verse 30). They do not want to admit that God is the author of the miracle. In this attitude lies the special gravity of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit--attributing to the prince of evil, to Satan, the good works performed by God Himself. Anyone acting in this way will become like the sick person who has so lost confidence in the doctor that he rejects him as if an enemy and regards as poison the medicine that can save his life. That is why our Lord says that he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not forgiven: not because God cannot forgive all sins, but because that person, in his blindness towards God, rejects Jesus Christ, His teaching and His miracles, and despises the graces of the Holy Spirit as if they were designed to trap him (cf. "St. Pius V Catechism", II, 5, 19; St. Thomas Aquinas, "Summa Theologiae", II-II, q. 14, a. 3).]
***********************
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.
- posted by LRS @ 12:10 AM   

 
St. Stanislaus Update....
Parishioners of St. Stanislaus Kostka Parish who support Archbishop Raymond Burke’s request for a restructuring plan have written a letter to their fellow parishioners urging a reuniting of the community of faith and a resumption of religious services at the historic North St. Louis church.

Supporters of archbishop write letter to others at St. Stanislaus
- posted by LRS @ 11:51 PM   

 
Abp. Burke urges education on moral law

Archbishop Raymond Burke has said time and again that it is a bishop’s duty to help form the consciences of his flock.

But while doing this, the archbishop has found that among local Catholics, there is "a shocking ignorance of the natural moral law, held and handed down in the Church’s teaching."

The archbishop also said that, as he noted in a pastoral letter he wrote while serving in the Diocese of LaCrosse, Wis., a lack of respect for human life did not begin with the U.S. Supreme Court’s Roe vs. Wade decision. Rather, it stemmed from an earlier time with the acceptance of artificial birth control.

By using artificial contraceptives, "we are well on the way to convincing ourselves that we also may decide when human life begins or when it is no longer worthy of our protection and care," he said. Couples preparing for the Sacrament of Marriage should receive a "strong formation" of the Church’s teaching on procreation. Couples already married within the Church who have not already received this formation should do so, he added.

Source.
- posted by LRS @ 12:29 PM   

 
Liturgical Dysfunction Disorder
Does your parish have any of these Liturgical Dysfunction Disorders?

Our parish has several - here are a couple of the afflictions:

Levitating Hand Magnetism Syndrome
This seems to be a very common syndrome that infected the populace sometime in the 60s or 70s. People who have LHMS will display the following symptoms. During the Our Father their hands will start to levitate up in the air and then magnetically attach themselves to the hands of someone else with LHSM)

Chant Deafness (CD)
This is similar to tone deafness. With Chant Deafness the person not only can't hear the beauty of chant, but even worse, believes that many hymns found in modern hymnals are beautiful. Those who are tone deaf normally can't find a job as a choir director. Those that are Chant deaf actually for some unknown reason appear to be predominantly chosen as choir directors. While we should have empathy for those afflicted with such a horrible syndrome - I think equal opportunity for this problems goes to far.

I think I'll send this to our "Liturgy Committee". They're sure to appreciate this observation. Why, they might even begin to seek a "cure"...

Thanks to "The Curt Jester" for his wonderful insights!
- posted by LRS @ 12:17 PM   

 
Paging Cardinal Rigali....

Scandal at St. Joseph's University

When you think the Holy Catholic Church cannot possibly endure further attacks or dissent from within, something painfully happens to prove the contrary.

The official web site of St. Joseph's University - a Jesuit institution established in 1851 in Philadelphia - openly announces a pro-homosexual event called "Rainbow Week." According to information posted on this website, a "Mass for Rainbow Week" on October 10 was celebrated in the campus chapel to mark the beginning of the weeklong program.

Among other pro-homosexual activities, a morally offensive exhibit titled "Love Makes a Family" will display photos of "Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender People and Their Families" in Campion Lounge.

From Tradition, Family and Property (TFP.org)
- posted by LRS @ 12:05 PM   

 
The Post prints another letter from an informed Catholic
But this is about the extent of it. They occasionally print responses in the Letters section, but rarely with the Post allot valuable space for an article which deals with issues from a truly Catholic perspective. More often than not, the Post relies on people who exhibit a fundamentally flawed perspective on Catholic teachings.

We should rejoice everytime the Post permits a letter to be published from a person who presents an informed Catholic response to issues. Today we have such a response from Rocco Russo Jr. of St. Charles:

Church's teaching

The headline of Gary Siegel's Oct. 11 article, "A Catholic's first duty: Follow your conscience," was right on the money. Unfortunately, that is where it ended. Talk about flawed!

I am a Catholic father of seven children. One of my sons is an Army reservist stationed in Baghdad risking his life trying to help the Iraqi people defend themselves and hold a democratic election. He is not there for the purpose of killing innocent children.

If Siegel had done a little more research on our faith's teaching about conscience and abortion, he would know that the first duty is to make decisions based on an informed conscience. He must have missed that class. Had he not done that, he would know that there is an exception for saving the life of the expectant mother. It is based on self-defense.

Rocco Russo Jr.
St. Charles

Source.
- posted by LRS @ 7:39 AM   

 
Archbishop Burke Meets with Local Voice of the Faithful
I received a copy of this newsletter over a week ago and I have been praying about what to do with it. I had so hoped the Newsletter would be made public on the Internet and, lo and behold...It now is!

On Wednesday evening, September 29, 2004, the leadership of VOTFSL met with Archbishop Burke for nearly two hours at the Catholic Center.

I have been receiving the VOTF-SL Newsletters, aprently because of my attendance at their past conference with Fr. Donald Cozzens as keynote speaker. My report on that conference is here. The Newsletter contines:

The purpose of the listening sessions with priests, held by VOTF, was explained; that we hope to create a channel of communication for our faithful priests; we asked Archbishop’s support in this endeavor. He is reconstituting the Pastoral Council of priests who act as advisors to him onparish matters.

We further asked for recognition as a legitimate Catholic organization. Archbishop asked us to present documents relating our history, purpose, and goals so he may pursue appropriate channels for recognition.

Certainly, no documents that are detrimental to VOTF-SL will be presented Archbishop Burke. It would seem that Archbishop Burke may need additional material in order to be fully informed.

We spoke of structural change being promoted and accomplished through adult education courses, specifically regarding the role of the laity in the spirit of Vatican II.

"Structural Change"? In the "spirit of Vatican II"?

The document calls all Catholics to be active members of the Church. Adult education would help us to know, to seek, and to develop ways of bringing about
structural change.

I'm afraid I don't understand the document which calls for "structural change"...And just what is truly meant by this? It is ambiguous enough to cause concern, especially considering the past history of VOTF and the actions of some of the people running the local chapters.

It would seem prudent for concerned and faithful Catholics to forward legitimate critiques and articles about Voice of the Faithful to Archbishop Burke. I mean by "legitimate", articles from reputable sources which can be verified.

The Voice of the Faithful-St. Louis Newsletter is here.
- posted by LRS @ 7:35 AM   

 
US says NO to UN Population Control Propaganda Exercise

The United States has declined to take part in a group of 250 world figures urging the UN to implement its population control programme in the guise of women's rights.

The US delegation's refusal to participate in the promotion of the latest statement was based on objections to the term "sexual rights," which had no "agreed definition," a State Department letter said.

Link.
- posted by LRS @ 7:13 AM   

 
Cardinal Arinze: Eucharist Makes Christian Testimony Possible

The Eucharist is the strength that makes Christians witnesses of Christ to the point of sacrificing their lives, says Cardinal Francis Arinze.

This is what every Catholic, indeed every Christian, is called to - to be a martyr for Jesus Christ, a witness. This is why we must die to our own desires daily and conform our wills to His will and proclaim Christ, crucified and risen, even when it might be difficult or inconvenient for us.

Cardinal Arinze reminded the participants that the Eucharist sends us on a mission, either as lay faithful, consecrated individuals, or clerics.

"It is the Eucharist that makes it possible for the Church to give testimony of Christ; for martyrs to give their lives for Jesus; and for missionaries to go to distant lands to proclaim Christ," he said.

"It is the Eucharist that strengthens virgins to give witness of a consecrated and sacrificial love for Jesus; that enables priests to spend themselves so that Christ will be known, spouses to live conjugal life in an exemplary way, and lay faithful to take the spirit of Christ to different areas of daily life," the cardinal emphasized.

Zenit article here.

Speaking of Cardinal Arinze, I received my copy of Serra International Magazine yesterday which featured the keynote address by Cardinal Arinze at a recent Serra convention. I have yet to read it, but I can imagine that it is an excellent speech and look forward to reading it over the weekend.
- posted by LRS @ 6:44 AM   

 
May our pastors take this to heart!
Vatican wants more Latin, Gregorian chant

The Vatican document [only in Italian right now] encourages seminaries and houses of formation to cultivate "the bond between theological formation and spiritual experience of the Eucharistic mystery"; to pay attention to "interior and exterior participation in the celebration of the Mass"; to know "liturgical theology" and the rite of the Mass; to be familiar with Gregorian chant and Latin; and to promote Eucharistic adoration.
>

Source...

And we have this article:

Catholic News Agency reports that the document, titled The Year of the Eucharist: Suggestions and Proposals, encourages "familiarity of Latin, indicating its necessity, especially in housed of formation and in seminaries, for prayer and singing in Latin, particularly Gregorian chant".

The Congregation "suggestions and proposals" include:

• Preparation of documents promoting the Year of the Eucharist, and reflection by priests and faithful local doctrinal and pastoral problems such as the lack of priests, low Sunday Mass attendance, and abandonment of Eucharistic adoration.
• Promoting national Eucharistic congresses.
• Encouraging knowledge of the saints.
• Increasing perpetual adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.
• Eucharistic adoration for young people around Palm Sunday.
• Dedicating space to the theme of the Eucharist in diocesan magazines, internet sites, and local media.
• Teaching the faithful to behave "properly" when entering a Church.

Would this be a wonderful beginning? I'm looking forward to the next Eucharistic Congress here as well.

We should pray that this "Year of the Eucharist" will be a time of renewal for the faithful and for our priests.

Source.
- posted by LRS @ 6:32 AM   

 
Some churches feel pressure of politics

What is church doctrine for some is viewed as voter bullying by others

When the pastor at his Catholic church started talking politics, suggesting parishioners vote for the “pro-life party,” during a recent homily, Rick Skarzynski had had enough.

“I stood up and said, ‘This has gone far enough. Excuse me, Father, I didn’t know we were holding an open forum on politics,’” he said. “‘I am a Democrat, but I am against abortion.’ At that point, a woman in front of me said, ‘Maybe you should leave.’”

The value-laden politics of the 2004 presidential election are dividing faith communities across the country, especially Catholics, who have traditionally been more Democratic than Republican. The issues of abortion, euthanasia, the death penalty, the war in Iraq and gay marriage are tearing congregations apart.

Some people are repulsed by the light of truth.

Article here.
- posted by LRS @ 6:24 AM   

 
Oct 15, Memorial: St. Teresa of Jesus, Virgin & Doctor of the Church

Gospel: Luke 12:1-7

Various Teachings of Jesus
--------------------------
[1] In the meantime, when so many thousands of the multitude had gathered together that they trod upon one another, He (Jesus) began to say to His disciples first, "Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.
[2] Nothing is covered up that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known.
[3] Whatever you have said in the dark shall be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in private rooms shall be proclaimed upon the housetops."
[4] "I tell you, My friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that, have no more that they can do.
[5] But I will warn you whom to fear: fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into Hell; yes, I tell you, fear Him!
[6] Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? And not one of them is forgotten before God.
[7] Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows."
*********************
Commentary:

3. Most Palestinian houses had a roof in the form of a terrace. There people would meet to chat and while away the time in the hottest part of the day. Jesus points out to His disciples that just as in these get-togethers things said in private became matters of discussion, so too, despite the Pharisees' and scribes' efforts to hide their vices and defects under the veil of hypocrisy, they would become a matter of common knowledge.

6-7. Nothing--not even the most insignificant thing--escapes God, His Providence and the judgment He will mete out. For this same reason no one should fear that any suffering or persecution he experiences in following Christ will remain unrewarded in eternity.

The teaching about fear, contained in verse 5, is filled out in verses 6 and 7, where Jesus tells us that God is a good Father who watches over every one of us--much more than He does over these little ones (whom He also remembers). Therefore, our fear of God should not be servile (based on fear of punishment); it should be a filial fear (the fear of someone who does not want to displease his father), a fear nourished by trust in Divine Providence.
***********************
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.

- posted by LRS @ 3:27 AM   

 
Thursday, 28th Week in Ordinary Time

Gospel: Luke 11:47-54:

The Hypocrisy of the Scribes and Pharisees (Continuation)
--------------------------------------------
(Jesus said to the Pharisees,)
[47] "Woe to you! for you build the tombs of the prophets whom your fathers killed. [48] So you are witnesses and consent to the deeds of your fathers; for they killed them, and you build their tombs.
[49] Therefore also the Wisdom of God said, `I will send them prophets and apostles, some of whom they will kill and persecute,'
[50] that the blood of all the prophets, shed from the foundation of the world, may be required of this generation,
[51] from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who perished between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, it shall be required of this generation.
[52] Woe to you lawyers! for you have taken away the key of knowledge; you did not enter yourselves, and you hindered those who were entering."
[53] As He went away from there, the scribes and the Pharisees began to press Him hard, and to provoke Him to speak of many things,
[54] lying in wait for Him, to catch at something He might say.
****************************
Commentary:

51. Zechariah was a prophet who died by being stoned in the temple of Jerusalem around the year 800 B.C. because he accused the people of Israel of being unfaithful to God's law (cf. 2 Chronicles 24:20-22). The murder of Abel (Genesis 4:8) and that of Zechariah were, respectively, the first and last murders reported in these books which the Jews regarded as Sacred Scripture. Jesus refers to a Jewish tradition which, in His own time and even later, pointed out the stain of the blood of Zechariah.

The altar referred to here was the altar of holocausts, located outside, in the courtyard of the priests, in front of the temple proper.

52. Jesus severely reproaches these doctors of the Law who, given their study and meditation on Scripture, were the very ones who should have recognized Jesus as the Messiah, since His coming had been foretold in the sacred books. However, as we learn from the Gospel, the exact opposite happened. Not only did they not accept Jesus: they obstinately opposed Him. As teachers of the Law they should have taught the people to follow Jesus; instead, they blocked the way.

53-54. St. Luke frequently records this attitude of our Lord's enemies (cf. 6:11; 19:47-48; 20:19-20; 22:2). The people followed Jesus and were enthusiastic about His preaching and miracles, whereas the Pharisees and scribes would not accept Him and would not allow the people to follow Him; they tried in every way to discredit Him in the eyes of the people (cf. John 11:48).
******************************
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.

- posted by LRS @ 10:24 PM   

 
Judge Rules City of San Diego Rightful Owner of Mt. Soledad
For those who may have heard of the controversy surrounding the 43-foot cross that has stood on the mountaintop of Mt Soledad for over 50 years, I received this update this morning:

RANCHO SANTA FE, CA —A federal judge ruled late Tuesday that the contested land atop Mt. Soledad in San Diego, California is rightfully owned by the City of San Diego. Tuesday’s decision effectively puts a stop to plans by the Mt. Soledad Memorial Association to remove a 43-foot cross that has stood on the mountaintop for over 50 years.

The veterans group had privately agreed with an ACLU backed atheist to remove the cross in exchange for a halt to his 15-year old lawsuit aimed at tearing down the cross. San Diego voters will now vote in November on whether to authorize a new sale of the land to a private owner that would have the option of preserving the cross.

The West Coast Regional office of the Thomas More Law Center had filed a brief in federal court challenging the attempt by the Memorial Association to remove the cross. The Law Center’s brief was filed on behalf of a former Navy fighter pilot who is enlisting the support of other veterans to oppose removal of the cross.

Richard Thompson, Chief Counsel of the Thomas More Law Center, commented on the judge’s ruling, “We are tremendously pleased with the Judge’s decision. Hopefully, the Memorial Association will now re-examine its private deal with the plaintiff to remove the cross, and join the fight to preserve it. It would be the right thing to do.”

The cross was erected in 1954 and today honors veterans of World War I and II and the Korean War. The San Diego landmark has been the subject of a fifteen-year court battle between an atheist and the City of San Diego. The City has twice attempted to sell the land containing the cross, the second time to the Mt. Soledad Memorial Association in 1998.

After taking possession of the property, the veterans group invested hundreds of thousands of dollars in improvements to the land, adding landscaping and over 3000 plaques honoring military veterans, only to have the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals rule the sale unconstitutional. The leadership of the Memorial Association, to the dismay of many of its members, responded by privately agreeing with an ACLU backed atheist to move the cross 1000 yards down the hill out of full public view.

Anticipating that the land would be returned to the City of San Diego, the Law Center argued that because of the extensive improvements to the property carried out by the Memorial Association, effectively incorporating the historical cross into a war memorial, a new hearing must be held. Law Center attorneys suggested that a new hearing would determine whether the changed circumstances no longer create a Constitutional violation in the form of the government’s endorsement of religion.

The City of San Diego has now proposed “Proposition K” requesting voter authorization to sell the property to a new owner that will have the option of keeping the cross.

Charles S. LiMandri, West Coast Regional Director of the Law Center, observed, “With the City of San Diego now declared the rightful owner of Mt. Soledad, it is critical that Proposition K be passed by two-thirds of the voters. This is the best chance to preserve the cross on top of Mt. Soledad, one of San Diego’s most treasured landmarks.”

- posted by LRS @ 6:48 AM   

 
NYT story on Archbishop Chaput - Slanted or Fair?

In the interests of accuracy, archdiocesan staff recorded the interview. A heavily truncated and framed version of the archbishop’s views appeared in an October 12 New York Times story. Read story here.

A transcript of the full interview appears below. Readers are invited to compare the published New York Times story and the actual interview transcript, and then decide for themselves whether the October 12 Times story is slanted or fair; complete or misleading.

PDF Transcript of Interview here.

Source.
- posted by LRS @ 6:40 AM   

 
Two More South City Deanery Churches Face Consolidation

Sts. Mary and Joseph, St. Pius V get word

Members of two more Catholic churches have been told that theirs have been recommended for closing under a plan to consolidate some parishes in south St. Louis and north St. Louis County.

The two are St. Pius V, at 3310 South Grand Boulevard; and Sts. Mary and Joseph, at 6304 Minnesota Avenue in the Carondelet neighborhood. Members who attended the meetings said St. Pius' territory would be divided and absorbed by two neighboring parishes, and Sts. Mary and Joseph would become part of St. Stephen Protomartyr parish to its west.
...
Ruth Ehresman, a member of St. Pius' parish council, said parishioners were preparing a campaign to keep it open.

"St. Pius has a reputation for lively liturgy and a strong commitment to diversity," said Ehresman.

Lively Liturgy? Strong commitment to diversity? Maybe those reasons are included in the formula...

Article here.
- posted by LRS @ 6:30 AM   

 
Year of the Eucharist: Suggestions and Proposals

The Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of Sacraments today published a document entitled "The Year of the Eucharist: Suggestions and Proposals," in answer to a idea put forth by Pope John Paul in his October 7 Apostolic Letter "Mane nobiscum Domine." Today's document, published in Italian, is expected to be available shortly in other major languages.

The Holy Father suggested in Article 18 that:

This year let us also celebrate with particular devotion the Solemnity of Corpus Christi, with its traditional procession. Our faith in the God who took flesh in order to become our companion along the way needs to be everywhere proclaimed, especially in our streets and homes, as an expression of our grateful love and as an inexhaustible source of blessings.

I hope more pastors take this suggestion to heart. There are but a handful of parishes in the archdiocese which do this. What better way to emphasize the Feast of Corpus Christi?

I also found Article 17 particularly helpful also. One would hope that pastors listen when the Pope says:

The Eucharist is a great mystery! And it is one which above all must be well celebrated. Holy Mass needs to be set at the centre of the Christian life and celebrated in a dignified manner by every community, in accordance with established norms, with the participation of the assembly, with the presence of ministers who carry out their assigned tasks, and with a serious concern that singing and liturgical music be suitably “sacred”.

The Holy Father made another suggestion for helping the faithful understand more deeply the mystery and the reasoning behind the actions of the Holy Mass:

One specific project of this Year of the Eucharist might be for each parish community to study the General Instruction of the Roman Missal.

I know Fr. Eugene Morris has been doing a radio show locally covering the Institutio, although I have been unable to listen to it when it's on. WRYT may have CDs of his talks, though.

If you have chance to hear Fr. Morris speak, you should make every effort to do so.

Anyway the link to the article is here.
- posted by LRS @ 6:24 AM   

 
Kerry Responds to Question about Bishops

SCHIEFFER: Senator Kerry, a new question for you.

The New York Times reports that some Catholic archbishops are telling their church members that it would be a sin to vote for a candidate like you because you support a woman's right to choose an abortion and unlimited stem-cell research.

What is your reaction to that?

KERRY: I respect their views. I completely respect their views. I am a Catholic. And I grew up learning how to respect those views. But I disagree with them, as do many.

I believe that I can't legislate or transfer to another American citizen my article of faith. What is an article of faith for me is not something that I can legislate on somebody who doesn't share that article of faith.

I believe that choice is a woman's choice. It's between a woman, God and her doctor. And that's why I support that.

Now, I will not allow somebody to come in and change Roe v. Wade.

The president has never said whether or not he would do that. But we know from the people he's tried to appoint to the court he wants to.

I will not. I will defend the right of Roe v. Wade.

Now, with respect to religion, you know, as I said, I grew up a Catholic. I was an altar boy. I know that throughout my life this has made a difference to me.
And as President Kennedy said when he ran for president, he said, I'm not running to be a Catholic president. I'm running to be a president who happens to be Catholic.

My faith affects everything that I do, in truth. There's a great passage of the Bible that says, What does it mean, my brother, to say you have faith if there are no deeds? Faith without works is dead.

And I think that everything you do in public life has to be guided by your faith, affected by your faith, but without transferring it in any official way to other people.

That's why I fight against poverty. That's why I fight to clean up the environment and protect this earth.

That's why I fight for equality and justice. All of those things come out of that fundamental teaching and belief of faith.

But I know this, that President Kennedy in his inaugural address told all of us that here on Earth, God's work must truly be our own. And that's what we have to – I think that's the test of public service.

I was waiting for the line, "I was an altar boy." As I commented on another blog, I cannot believe him. Being an altar boy at that time required a diligent study of the Latin responses and of the actions of the server. I remain skeptical.

And once again, Kerry affirms that he has rejected the faith when he says, "I will not allow somebody to come in and change Roe v. Wade...I will defend the right of Roe v. Wade."

He is affirming the murder of the most innocent ones of this nation. Contrary to his repeated mantra, his faith does not affect anything he does. It seems that eccleisial justice and mercy would demand his excommunication, both for his sake and for the sake of others.

Source.


- posted by LRS @ 6:15 AM   

 
A recent email to my pastor and Pro-Life Committee
To: Fr. R....... and the Pro-Life Committee

Today I received the Messenger, our parish newsletter. The Pro-Life page dealing with voting was very well done and those responsible are to be commended. There is, however, a rather glaring negative on the page. One of the websites listed in the Messenger and on the ICD website is none other than that of Pax Christi USA. This is shocking to me and to others who are familiar with this website and organization.

Pax Christi USA has recently stated that voting for the common good involves many issues.  While this statement is true, in a certain way, it is misleading as presented by the organization which has a current campaign called "Life Does Not End at Birth" which undermines the pastoral letter of Archbishop Burke.

Archbishop Burke, in his role as teacher of the faithful under his charge, has recently stated:

"...there is no element of the common good, no morally good practice, that a candidate may promote and to which a voter may be dedicated, which could justify voting for a candidate who also endorses and supports the deliberate killing of the innocent, abortion, embryonic stem-cell research, euthanasia, human cloning or the recognition of a same-sex relationship as legal marriage."

The Holy Father has stated:

...the common outcry, which is justly made on behalf of human rights--for example, the right to health, to home, to work, to family, to culture--is false and illusory if the right to life... is not defended with maximum determination.

Some time ago I wrote an article for the Messenger which advised, in accordance with a document from the US Bishops regarding prudent Internet usage, that websites which claimed to be "Catholic" should be verified before being used or promoted as legitimate sources of Catholic faith and moral issues.

At that time, there was an organization called PetersNet (Now known as Catholic Culture) which reviewed various "Catholic" sites and provided a site review for Catholics concerned about protecting themselves and their families from sites which were deemed to be espousing principles or ideas which were at odds with authentic Catholic teaching.

The Pax Christi USA website was initially reviewed on September 28, 2000, and was most recently reviewed again on June 4, 2004.  The Pax Christi USA website is labeled with a DANGER rating with respect to Fidelity. 

The Fidelity rating is used to indicate the degree to which a web site represents sound, authentic Catholicism -- or fidelity to the mind of the Church. This is by far the most important grade given by Catholic Culture (formerly PetersNet).  The fidelity grade includes four elements:

1. Orthodoxy: Fidelity to the Church as Teacher
   The sine qua non of a Catholic web site is orthodoxy, or fidelity to the official teachings of the Church. Sites which reveal a pattern of dissent or which place error on an equal footing with Truth will have the lowest Fidelity grades.
   
   
2. Obedience: Fidelity to the Church as Ruler
   The next most important factor is obedience, or fidelity to the Church's governing or disciplinary authority. Again, sites which refuse to accept the authority of the Holy See (including its liturgical authority) will have low Fidelity grades, even if their materials are, strictly speaking, orthodox.
   
   
3. Fortitude: Fidelity to the Church's Prophetic Mission
   The third element in the Fidelity grade is Fortitude -- a site's willingness to advance or defend the Faith in the face of a hostile culture. Sites which are characterized by theological minimism, devotion to fashionable causes, or failure to state the Faith clearly in areas opposed by the modern world will have mediocre CatholicCulture grades even if they are, strictly speaking, both orthodox and obedient.
   
   
4. Prudence: Fidelity to the Church as Sanctifier
   Finally, the prudence of a site must be taken into account. It is possible for a web site to devote itself to its subject matter in such a way that the mind of the Church in spiritual matters is not honored. One common example would be the lack of spiritual discretion shown by sites which uncritically promote alleged apparitions and locutions before the Church herself has reached a judgment. Such sites cannot win the highest CatholicCulture grade for Fidelity.

The review states:

According to their mission statement Pax Christi USA "rejects war, preparations for war, and every form of violence and domination. It advocates primacy of conscience, economic and social justice, and respect for creation.... Pax Christi USA works toward a more peaceful, just, and sustainable world." Unfortunately, their version of violence and domination is often at odds with the Church and her teachings. They seem to care more about finding common ground with abortionists and the gay rights lobby than about working for true peace.

With regard to examples which give rise to a Danger rating in Fidelity, Catholic Culture lists the following:

"Mission statement includes language to give serious Catholics pause."
"Primacy of conscience" and "sustainable world" are typical buzz phrases for the radical left promoting views opposed to Catholic teaching such as population control, contraception, etc. Since the site articulates no Catholic doctrine on any of the issues discussed, all terminology is vague and open to personal interpretation.

"Several articles encourage Pax Christi USA members to lobby to overturn the ban on the homosexual ministry of dissident New Ways Ministry founders, Sr. Jeannine Gramick and Fr. Robert Nugent. "
Articles reference uncritically the flawed committee document of the USCC on homosexuality, "Always Our Children." In several places "homophobia" and "heterosexism" are condemned. They too are undefined. Catholics are called to "commit their hearts to acceptance and inclusion of gay and lesbian people." In view of the support for Gramick and Nugent one can only interpret this as calling for acceptance of the gay lifestyle.

"Among the dozens of articles opposing war and capital punishment there is only one on Pax Christi's USA abortion stand, supporting the "seamless garment" approach."
The statement takes a swipe at pro-lifer's saying, "Women are too often criminalized or condemned by those committed to the unborn." They end their statement with a commitment to finding "common ground" with pro-abortionists. Interestingly, there is no mention of finding "common ground" with those who disagree with Pax Christi USA's stands on war or capital punishment. The violence of abortion which has taken more lives than all other wars combined is notably absent from Pax Christi USA's "priorities" statement, although the environment is included.

And finally:
Many unorthodox Catholic, Protestant, and secular links 

It is unfortunate that this website is promoted in a Catholic parish website or publication which every parish family receives.  This tacit approval of Pax Christi USA as a legitimate source does not permit peace and justice issues to be discussed in an authentic Catholic manner.

It is a disservice, not only to those who strive to present true Catholic teaching in this area, but also to those unsuspecting families who, perhaps lacking a certain necessary discerment, are led to believe or accept positions promoted by Pax Christi USA which are contrary to the Church and her teachings.

For what it is worth, the Holy See plans to publish its long-awaited "Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church" on October 25.  This document, written by the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace and introduced by a letter of Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Angelo Sodano, will present in a systematic manner the principles of the Church's social doctrine in diverse areas of public life. (Source, Zenit 10/10/2004).

I hope that someone seriously considers removing the Pax Christi USA link and reference as a legitimate source for learning Catholic teachings on peace and justice issues. One additional item which should be added is a link to Archbishop Burke's recent Pastoal Letter. These changes would make, what might be considered a decent parish publication, a great source for parishioners.
- posted by LRS @ 9:43 PM   

 
English Version of "MANE NOBISCUM DOMINE" is available
I have not yet read it but I look forward to it.

It can be reviewed here.


- posted by LRS @ 7:55 AM   

 
Don't let ‘blood guilt' cover the whole nation
A very good Letter to the Editor by Julie Baer. An excerpt of the letter follows. You should read the entire letter.

...a friend gave me a book entitled, "Their Blood Cries Out." I was able to understand why these two city employees felt the need to profess their religion to me. They were experiencing something called "blood guilt." When a person knows full well that abortion is wrong, knows that killing unborn children is truly murder, understands that God despises the shedding of innocent blood, and claims to follow the gospel of Jesus Christ, but then turns his eyes away and does nothing, this person is experiencing "blood guilt."

When Senator John Kerry made the identical statement, "I'm Catholic" on national TV, I realized that our whole nation would be covered with "blood guilt" if he is elected president.

So true...

Letter here.
- posted by LRS @ 7:44 AM   

 
New religious order founded in Diocese of Columbus

These days, she [Mary Jane Goffena ]wears an ankle-length white garment with a collar, a sleeved purple scapular, and a white and purple veil. A rosary hangs around her waist. Around her neck hangs a pendant of a crucifix and monstrance. Today, she is Sister Margaret Mary, foundress of the Children of Mary, a semicontemplative order formed under the guidance of Columbus Bishop James A. Griffin for women between the ages of 18 and 36, who feel called to live simply while working and praying. One of the order's missions is to promote eucharistic adoration. [This is a] new order of religious women consecrated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

Let us thank our Lord for His graces and pray for the success of this new order.

Article here.
- posted by LRS @ 7:16 AM   

 
Catholics discuss consolidation plan of Northeast Deanery

Last week's Gathering of the Laity meeting was intended to solicit ideas on how to adjust a plan to consolidate Catholic schools and parishes in the Northeast County Deanery.

However, the head of the deanery, the Rev. John Brockland, often found himself defending the proposal or the task force that created it.
...
One man, whose children attend Corpus Christi school, thought that closing Corpus Christi parish and school sends the wrong message to African-Americans.

"Corpus Christi is 82 percent African-American, and we're talking about closing the church," said Marvin Sullivan, pastor of St. John African Methodist Evangelical Church in St. Charles. "What are you saying when you take our money and then close our school? You can't evangelize us and then close the door on us."

Many of the African-American children attending the school are not Catholic, Sullivan noted.

If proper and fruitful evangelization were taking place, people would be entering the Church. This is, after all, the purpose for evangelization and ecumenism - to proclaim Christ and His Church in all truth and charity so that that those who hear will desire to follow Him.

It will be interesting to see how this plays out.

Article here.
- posted by LRS @ 7:14 AM   

 
Not In Good Conscience
Kerry would perpetuate a great evil.

Robert P. George and Gerard V. Bradley dismantle and refute the position of Mark W. Roche, dean of the College of Arts and Letters at Notre Dame, whose essay was published in the New York Times on Monday. The link to Roche's illogical mental gymnastics, in an attempt to justify how a Catholic could vote for Kerry in utter defiance of right reason and Catholic morality, is posted below.

Roche is right that abortion is in our day what slavery was in Lincoln's. To vote for John Kerry in 2004 would be far worse, however, than to have voted against Lincoln and for his Democratic opponent in 1860. Stephen Douglas at least supported allowing states that opposed slavery to ban it. And he did not favor federal funding or subsidies for slavery. John Kerry takes the opposite view on both points when it comes to abortion. On the great evil of his own day, Senator Douglas was merely John Kerry-lite.

Article here.
- posted by LRS @ 6:52 AM   

 
Tax the Church....?

Tax the Church

If Archbishop Burke is allowed to send out letters telling Catholics how to vote, I want the Church to be charged taxes. And personally, a president who invaded another country and has gotten over 1,000 of our young troops killed does not deserve the Catholic vote.

This little gem was found in today's Post Dispatch "Sound Off" section.

There is a BIG difference in telling someone how to vote (using morality to guide one's conscience) and for WHOM to vote. But again, this critical distinction may be too complicated for many to comprehend.

Source (with other interesting comments).


- posted by LRS @ 6:49 AM   

 
Today's Post-Dispatch "Town Talk"
Today the Post prints three comments about Archbishop Burke and his recent Pastoral Letter. Good money says that none of the people who made the comments have read the letter - but, apparently that's perfectly fine since the Post and other organizations have distilled the letter's essence into manageable sound bites which seem intended to obscure rather than illuminate the truth.

Burke's law

I KNOW RELIGIOUS leaders aren't supposed to endorse political figures, but Archbishop Burke might as well walk around with a tattoo on his forehead that says "Bush-Cheney" and a bumper sticker on the big limousine he rides around in. I hope Catholics aren't taken in by this man's rhetoric. The death penalty is all right. All of the lives in Iraq that are being lost, that's all right. But he's pushing the abortion issue and the gay marriage ban. Those are exactly the same things Bush and Cheney are running on.
*****
I JUST READ in the paper that Archbishop Burke is telling Catholics who to vote for in the November election. Who does he think he is? We don't want or need him here. He has caused too much grief in the short time he has been here. It is none of his business how you vote. Don't let him take away your freedom to vote your choice. Sounds like a dictator to me.
*****
I READ IN the Oct. 3 Sunday Post-Dispatch that Archbishop Burke's pastoral letter was meant to clarify the subject of voting that has been confusing for St. Louis Catholics. Up until reading his letter and other statements he has made, I was not confused. But now I am confused as to how the Catholic Church can remain a tax-exempt organization and dictate who to vote for. Also, since the archbishop has crossed the line separating church and state, even though he denies it, shouldn't we as Catholics be able to vote him out?

I wonder if any of these three people are Catholic?

I am reminded of what I was told by several people who attended a Pro-Life Mass at my parish last week. I normally attend these Masses but was unable to last week as my eldest son had just arrived home from Boston. The priest was denigrating (or at least, minimizing the Archbishop's pastoral letter during his homily and one woman was overheard saying that Archbishop Burke should pack his bags and go).

Perhaps it was providential that I was unable to attend? I no longer have the patience to listen to dissenting priests and others spew their venom or heterodoxy, particularly at Mass or in a liturgical setting. This priest and I have had our "debates" in the past over what is irreversible teaching and what is not, and I am at a loss to explain how a priest in the Catholic Church could be so ignorant of doctrinal matters which are unchangeable.

Depending on what was said (and I'll probably hear more about the Mass tonight), I'm not certain what I would have done - I may have even walked out during his homily - who knows? I do know that these priests need our prayers so that God may grant them graces necessary to be courageous in proclaiming the truth. Many of them are afraid of the truth, as if it were something to be feared.

Anyway, I think we can see by the reaction of those who can not or will not accept the Archbishop's message and teaching on Catholic morality that it may be pricking the conscience of those who scream in pain the loudest. It is tough medicine for many, and a much needed and welcome relief for others.

We need to continue to pray for Archbishop Burke and the other bishops who, in union with the Holy Father, teach us and guide us on our pilgrim journey toward eternity in heaven.

Source.
- posted by LRS @ 6:08 AM   

 
Wednesday, 28th Week in Ordinary Time

Gospel: Luke 11:42-46

The Hypocrisy of the Scribes and Pharisees (Continuation)
---------------------------------------------------------
(Jesus said to the Pharisees,) [42] "But woe to you Pharisees! for you tithe mint and rue and every herb, and neglect justice and the love of God; these you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. [43] Woe to you Pharisees! for you love the best seat in the synagogues and salutations in the market places. [44] Woe to you! for you are like graves which are not seen, and men walk over them without knowing it."

[45] One of the lawyers answered Him, "Teacher, in saying this You reproach us also." [46] And He said, "Woe to you lawyers also! for you load men with burdens hard to bear and you yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers."
**********************
Commentary:

42. The Law of Moses laid down that the harvest had to be tithed (cf. Leviticus 27:30-33; Deuteronomy 12:22ff; etc.) to provide for the worship offered in the temple. Insignificant products were not subject to this Law.

Rue is a bitter medicinal plant used by the Jews in ancient times. Did it have to be tithed?: the Pharisees, who were so nit-picking, said that it did.

44. According to the Old Law, anyone who touched a grave became unclean for seven days (Num 19:16), but with the passage of time a grave could become so overgrown that a person could walk on it without noticing. Our Lord uses this comparison to unmask the hypocrisy of these people He is talking to: they are very exact about very small details but they forget their basic duty--justice and the love of God (verse 42). On the outside they are clean but their hearts are full of malice and rottenness (verse 39); they pretend to be just, appearances are all that matters to them; they know that virtue is held in high regard, therefore they strive to appear highly virtuous (verse 43). Duplicity and deceit mark their lives.
*******************
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.

- posted by LRS @ 1:58 AM   

 
Trick or Treat for UNICEF?
Hopefully not!

UNICEF Demands Abortion for Underage Girls without Parents Knowledge
Reminder Not to Donate to UNICEF at Halloween

- posted by LRS @ 10:49 PM   

 
A special voting email I received today...
I received the following email today from the Catholic Voting Project, a site which purports to be Catholic and follows the USCCB document Faithful Citizenship: A Catholic Call to Political Responsibility. One thing, among many, which this group fails to understand is that John Kerry professes to be a devout Catholic - after all, he was an altar boy, and since he makes this claim he should more readily embrace and assent to the teachings of the Church. George Bush, on the other hand, is not under the same obligation as Kerry in this regard, yet the Catholic Voting Project seems to dismiss this.

The Catholic Voting Project launched today a new animation that exposes the platforms of both Presidential candidates Bush and Kerry as "Cafeteria Catholic," picking and choosing only the Catholic issues that suit them, and tossing the rest out the window. In the animation, the candidates are pictured dining at a fine Catholic restaurant, but when they cannot order the full pro-life entree to the Bishop waiter's satisfaction, he sends them to the Catholic Cafeteria across the street.

You can view the animation at www.CafeteriaCatholics.com.

The animation is designed to educate Catholic voters about the full breadth of Catholic Social Teaching so they can make informed, conscientious voting decisions. The Catholic Voting Project uses as its framework the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' document "Faithful Citizenship," which lays out some fifty "moral priorities for public life" relevant to the upcoming presidential election.

Check out www.CafeteriaCatholics.com and be sure to spread the word to friends! The Catholic vote is critical this election year, and we need to make sure that everyone is aware of the full Catholic menu.

The Catholic Voting Project Team

I hesitate to post this site and the information, however, I believe it is prudent to know what is going on in the realm of alleged Catholic voting undertakings.

For instance, most are aware of the excellent Catholic Voter Guides by Catholic Answers and EWTN's Fr. Stephen Torraco (listed on the side of this page). As a matter of fact, Archbishop Burke has approved the Catholic Answer's Voter's Guide for distribution in our Archdiocese. Yet we see on Catholic Voting Project website this statement:

There are many other voter guides for the 2004 elections that claim to be "Catholic", yet they focus on only a handful of issues, depending largely on the ideology of the sponsor. Some voter guides look only at abortion, stem cell research, and homosexual marriage—issues on which from a Catholic perspective President Bush gets better marks than Kerry.

So the Catholic Answers Voter's Guide is NOT "Catholic"? Someone better inform Karl Keating! I bet he would like to know this.

Other voter guides focus only on domestic economic issues, such as tax policy and social programs for the poorest Americans—issues on which Senator Kerry prevails.

Perhaps this refers to groups like Call to Action, NetworkLobby, or CatholicActionNetwork (which rely, by the way, in large part , on the USCCB document Faithful Citizenship)...Proof? See this.

The Catholic Voting Project's voter guide is unique in that it considers all the issues highlighted by the U.S. Catholic Bishops.

Ah yes, the glorious document, Faithful Citizenship...which, when put in the hands of some, becomes twisted and distorted.

But this isn't all. On October 4, the group posted a Press Release titled: The Catholic Voting Project Responds to Archbishop Burke's Pastoral Letter which states, in part:

Catholic Voting Project spokesperson Chris Korzen said, “Archbishop Burke’s pastoral letter is his personal theological opinion and is intended as guidance for voters within his archdiocese. Speaking as a collected assembly, however, the U.S. Bishops have consistently promoted Faithful Citizenship as the standard that American Catholics should use to inform their conscience when weighing electoral choices. The Bishops explicitly warn against single-issue voting in Faithful Citizenship, and assert that ‘it is incoherent to isolate some particular element to the detriment of the whole of Catholic doctrine.’”

Archbishop Burke is expressing his own personal theological opinion???...This is the same mantra we always hear when a bishop speaks out against the evils of the age which must be addressed because they are always and everywhere evil and sinful. But that's not all...

“The content and wording of Archbishop Burke’s letter is strikingly similar to the ‘Voter’s Guide for Serious Catholics,’ a publication of a lay organization called Catholic Answers. Although Archbishop Burke has promoted the Catholic Answers guide and has sanctioned its distribution in local parishes, such actions have been eyed warily by the U.S. Bishops as a whole.”

I really cannot believe that someone actually has the nerve to write what I just read here..."such actions have been eyed warily by the U.S. Bishops as a whole”? It seems that for a number of years, the U.S. Bishops, generally speaking, have viewed strong and orthodox bishops "warily". The fact of the matter is that the Archdiocesan website has links to both the Catholic Answers Guide and Faithful Citizenship. Perhaps, it's this menu selection that Mr. Korzen finds disturbing, or maybe it's because Archbishop Burke, like a few other god bishops, are concerned for the education of the faithful and concerned for their salvation?

But there is one more point:

“Using Faithful Citizenship as the benchmark, the Catholic Voting Project urges American Catholics to approach voting guides like the Catholic Answers guide with a critical eye. Voting guides that isolate issues without taking into consideration the full richness and breadth of Catholic Social Teaching risk putting a partisan agenda before Catholic principles. They also fail to reflect the spirit of Faithful Citizenship, in which each individual is called to inform his or her conscience and examine it personally when making difficult voting decisions.”

It seems to me, that in this age of little to no catechesis. a guide such as that by Catholic Answers is the perfect beginning point for Catholics as this deals with those issues about which the Church permits of NO exceptions, NO debates, NO dissent...
- posted by LRS @ 9:32 PM   

 
Archbishop Chaput: Voting for pro-abortion candidate is a sin

In an interview in his residence here, Archbishop Chaput said a vote for a candidate like Mr. Kerry who supports abortion rights or embryonic stem cell research would be a sin that must be confessed before receiving Communion. (my emphasis)

"If you vote this way, are you cooperating in evil?" he asked. "And if you know you are cooperating in evil, should you go to confession? The answer is yes."

Tell it like it is, your Excellency!

Article.
- posted by LRS @ 6:39 AM   

 
We want some attention, too!

Clamor over Burke's words drowns out other voices of faith
By Katherine Hawker

Yesterday's story in the editorial section of the Post included this complaint that the Post was paying too much attention to Archbishop Burke and not enough attention on what other "religious leaders" had to say.

I am a pro-choice Protestant clergywoman

Should this be an oxymoron, if it isn't already?

who campaigned this summer against Missouri's Amendment 2 (which banned gay marriage),

Natural Moral Law?

and as such I read Burke's thesis as reported in the Post-Dispatch with care. I disagree with many of Burke's premises, and I strongly disagree with his conclusions. Like many people of faith, I am appalled at his conclusion that some "evil" is more "intrinsic" than others.

Basic Moral Theology 101...I can understand why she would refer to herslef as "protestant" - and no offense meant to "Protestants".

How can one claim to be representative of Christian "clergy" when one rejects basic moral law? But this realy isn't the reason shw wrote:

...I am deeply troubled that the only such story in town seems to be Burke. My own denomination has an eloquent leader who has been speaking forthrightly and receiving no press attention.

There is more to the article here.
- posted by LRS @ 6:34 AM   

 
Archbishop Chaput: Vote for pro-abortion candidate is a sin

In an interview in his residence here, Archbishop Chaput said a vote for a candidate like Mr. Kerry who supports abortion rights or embryonic stem cell research would be a sin that must be confessed before receiving Communion. (my emphasis)

"If you vote this way, are you cooperating in evil?" he asked. "And if you know you are cooperating in evil, should you go to confession? The answer is yes."

Tell it like it is, your Excellency!

Article.
- posted by LRS @ 6:25 AM   

 
Dean of Notre Dame: Vote Conscience, not Religion

First, abortion is not the only life-and-death issue in this election. While the Republicans line up with the Catholic stance on abortion and stem-cell research, the Democrats are closer to the Catholic position on the death penalty, universal health care and environmental protection.

This is certainly not the first time Mark Roche has spoken out in a manner contrary to the Church. It is more than reprehensible to equate abortion and embryonic stem cell research with the death penalty, the environment or socialist health care.

He later quotes statistics showing that the rate of abortion decreases when there is a Democratic president in office - due to enhanced welfare programs.

Editorial


- posted by LRS @ 6:18 AM   

 
Germany Headfscarf Ruling Affect Nuns...

A federal court in Germany has ruled a ban on Muslim teachers wearing headscarves in public schools must also apply to Christian nuns.

I think that should probably be "Catholic" nuns, but maybe I'm not aware of others.

Another fine example of political correctness gone awry...

Link.
- posted by LRS @ 5:59 AM   

 
Tuesday, 28th Week in Ordinary Time

Gospel: Luke 11:37-41

The Hypocrisy of the Scribes and Pharisees
-------------------------------------
[37] While He (Jesus) was speaking, a Pharisee asked Him to dine with Him; so He went in and sat at table.
[38] The Pharisee was astonished to see that He did not first wash before dinner. [39] And the Lord said to him, "Now you Pharisees cleanse the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside you are full of extortion and wickedness.
[40] You fools! Did not He who made the outside make the inside also?
[41] But give for alms those things which are within; and behold everything
is clean for you."
************************************
Commentary:

39-52. In this passage (one of the most severe in the Gospel) Jesus determinedly unmasks the vice which was largely responsible for official Judaism's rejection of His teaching--hypocrisy cloaked in legalism. There are many people, who under the guise of doing good, keeping the mere letter of the law, fail to keep its spirit; they close themselves to the love of God and neighbor; they harden their hearts and, though apparently very upright, turn others away from fervent pursuit of God--making virtue distasteful. Jesus' criticism is vehement because they are worse than open enemies: against open enemies one can defend oneself, but these enemies are almost impossible to deal with. The scribes and Pharisees were blocking the way of those who wanted to follow Jesus: they were the most formidable obstacle to the Gospel. Our Lord's invective against the scribes and Pharisees is reported even more fully in chapter 23 of St. Matthew. See the note on Matthew 23:1-39.

[The note on Matthew 23:1-39 states:
1-39. Throughout this chapter Jesus severely criticizes the scribes and Pharisees and demonstrates the sorrow and compassion He feels towards the ordinary mass of the people, who have been ill-used, "harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd" (Matthew 9:36). His address may be divided into three parts: in the first (verses 1-12) He identifies their principal vices and corrupt practices; in the second(verses 13-36) He confronts them and speaks His famous "woes", which in effect are the reverse of the Beatitudes He preached in Chapter 5: no one can enter the Kingdom of Heaven--no one can escape condemnation to the flames--unless he changes his attitude and behavior; in the third part (verses 37-39) He weeps over Jerusalem, so grieved is He by the evils into which the blind pride and hardheartedness of the scribes and Pharisees have misled the people.]

40-41. It is not easy to work out what these verses mean. Probably our Lord is using the idea of cleaning the inside and outside of dishes to teach that a person's heart is much more important than what appears on the surface--whereas the Pharisees got it the wrong way round, as so many people tend to do. Jesus is warning us not to be so concerned about "the outside" but rather give importance to "the inside".
Applying this to the case of alms: we have to be generous with those things we are inclined to hoard; in other words, it is not enough just to give a little money (that could be a purely formal, external gesture); love is what we have to give others--love and understanding, refinement, respect for their freedom, deep concern for their spiritual and material welfare; this is something we cannot do unless our interior dispositions are right.

In an address to young people, Pope John Paul II explains what almsgiving really means: "The Greek word for alms, "eleemosyne", comes from "eleos", meaning compassion and mercy. Various circumstances have combined to change this meaning so that almsgiving is often regarded as a cold act, with no love in it. But almsgiving in the proper sense means realizing the needs of others and letting them share in one's own goods. Who would say that there will not always be others who need help, especially spiritual help, support, consolation, fraternity, love? The world is always very poor, as far as love is concerned" (28 March 1979).
************************
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

- posted by LRS @ 5:43 AM   

 
Archbishop Chaput-Divided Hearts: Americans, Religion, National Policy

One of the books that shaped my thinking as a teenager was George Orwell’s Animal Farm. Most of you know that it’s a political fable.

Orwell imagined an English farm where the animals revolt and throw out their human master. But instead of creating a utopia, they get a regime run by pigs. The pigs behave even worse than the humans. And whenever anyone tries to question the rules, the pigs bring in a chorus of sheep, who bleat “Four legs good, two legs bad; four legs good, two legs bad,” again and again, until everyone gets confused and goes home.

I’ve been thinking about those sheep all year long. I remember them every time someone tells me that Catholics shouldn’t try to impose our beliefs on society. I remember them every time somebody warns me that religious believers need to respect the separation of Church and state.

I think these two concerns – “don’t impose your beliefs on society” and “the separation of Church and state” -- aren’t the real concerns at all. They’re slogans. They’re sound bites designed to shut down serious thought.

Good article by Archbishop Chaput.

Full article here.
- posted by LRS @ 7:31 AM   

 
Statement of Culture of Life Foundation on the passing of Christopher Reeve

For immediate release

For further comment, call
Austin Ruse, 646-322-4420

THE DEATH OF CHRISTOPHER REEVE
STATEMENT OF CULTURE OF LIFE FOUNDATION PRESIDENT AUSTIN RUSE

"Today we mourne the passing of the great entertainer Christopher Reeve. Our sincere condolences go to his brave family and friends who supported him through his long years of struggle."

"We regret that his passing, like that of Ronald Reagan, will provide the opportunity for some to make the false case for embryo-destructive research."

"The fact is that after twenty years and many millions of dollars, embryo- destructive research has not successfully treated a single patient or a single disease. Embryo-destructive research was no where close to helping Mr. Reeve walk again. To suggest otherwise does a disservice to those who suffer by raising profoundly false expectations that will not be realized."

"While embryo-destructive research has cured no person and no disease, adult stem cell research has already treated thousands of patients and more than 100 diseases. In fact, adult stem cell therapy has already helped those with severe spinal cord injuries to walk again, two of whom testified before the US Senate last month. One of those who testfied even suffered from quadrapelgia just like Christopher Reeve."

"Embryo-destructive research is morally problematic because it kills a human embryo in the process. On the other hand, adult stem cell research poses no such moral dilemma. Polls also show that a majority of Americans prefer research that does not kill the human embryo."

- posted by LRS @ 7:28 AM   

 
Another Theologian "Wanna Be" writes for the Post
The Post Dispatch has opted to print another article from one who is opposed to Archbishop Burke's Pastoral Letter. The author is one Gary Siegel of Kirkwood, who, as the paper states, is the director of the Institute of Applied Research, a St. Louis public policy research firm that specializes in human services systems. He states he was in the seminary before and that Cardinal George was his teacher and spiritual advisor for a time. That certainly qualifies, I suppose, as sufficient reason to clutter the pages of the Post with his "logic". Unfortunately, having been in the seminary at one time or having Cardinal George as a teacher is not a guarantee that one proposes is credible or worthy of belief. This is especially the case when it openly contradicts the teaching of the Church as explained by the Archbishop.

One wonders why the Post chooses these people? At least, Frank Flinn has some credentials, even though the ideas in his article were similarly flawed.

Some excerpts of the three problems Gary has with understanding the Archbishop:

First, the problem of logic: As I understand the archbishop's position, when faced with two flawed candidates, one who supports acts that are "intrinsically evil," such as abortion and homosexuality, and a second who promotes acts that are evil but not intrinsically so, such as war and capital punishment, a Catholic must choose the second over the first. To do otherwise would be sinful.

Gary then procedes to create a hypothetical which would likely, in his mind, cause a problem for him...

Since Archbishop Burke clearly explained the problems in his pastoral letter, it is apparent that some cannot understand even the simplest language. In the current situation, we are dealing with facts - not hypotheticals intended to give one "wiggle room" to avoid doing what one is obliged to do, morally.

Next we have a "profound" insight as explained by Mr. Siegel.

With respect to politicians and public policy, capital punishment and war are explicitly institutional acts, acts of government; abortion and homosexuality are personal acts. Further, most politicians who support abortion rights do not advocate or promote abortion. Rather, they oppose the intrusion of government into this area, preferring legislation that allows individual women to exercise their own moral judgment.

One may wish to deceive oneself with these ideas, but the fact remains that those who support non-existent "rights" to abortion must also support abortion, either implicitly or explicitly.

Is the author so naive to think that the government does not interfere with people's private choices? This happens all of the time. There is nothing intrinsically noble about choice. There are many choices societies simply can't allow individuals to make. Total freedom for each individual is anarchy.

Third, a bishop may have an obligation to teach, but he still has choices. He can teach with words or through his example, with his arguments or with his actions. He can rant like a tent revivalist about the evils of sin, or he can model the life of Christ in his pastoral concern for the poor and the troubled.

Here we have the classic case of the "Either/Or" mindset so prevalent among protestants and many professed Catholics. As others have stated, Catholics should embrace a both/and mentality regarding things of this sort.

Regardless, I have yet to see Archbishop Burke "rant like a tent revivalist" so perhaps Nr. Siegel can provide us with an example rather than with baseless insinuations? If anything, it seems that Archbishop Burke models Christ in his dealings with others.

Lastly, the Post's newest theologian gives us this bit of advice:

Fortunately, a Catholic's first obligation in moral decisions is not to follow his bishop but his conscience. As Cardinal John Henry Newman stated it: "To conscience first, and to the pope afterwards."

Surely, Cardinal Newman appreciates the plug, however, I'm certain he would not appreciate being quoted in this context. He would understand, as do many, the need to properly form one's conscience BEFORE invoking the primacy of conscience defense. One would think that a person who claims to be a former seminarian would have, at least, a rudimetary understanding of the Church's basic teaching on "conscience" and other issues.

The Post-Dispatch should keep looking, they have yet to find anyone who can refute the truths explained to us by Archbishop Burke.

Article is here.


- posted by LRS @ 6:40 AM   

 
Archbishop Joseph Naumann, Keynote Address MCC

...Catholic voters must realize that even to vote for a pro-abortion/pro-choice politician, not because of their pro-abortion position but in spite of it (because they favor other matters supported by this politician), one must have "proportionate" reasons.

Thus, they must answer the question “What could be a proportionate reason to the deaths of 40 million innocent children and 40 plus million adults scarred by their involvement in abortion?” Personally, I cannot conceive in our present circumstances what would qualify as a proportionate reason.

Keynote Address here.
- posted by LRS @ 6:33 AM   

 
Monday, 28th Week in Ordinary Time

Gospel: Luke 11:29-32

The Sign of Jonah
-----------------
[29] When the crowds were increasing, He (Jesus) began to say, "This generation is an evil generation; it seeks a sign, but no sign shall be given to it except the sign of Jonah.
[30] For as Jonah became a sign to the men of Nineveh, so will the Son of Man be to this generation.
[31] The queen of the South will arise at the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them; for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something greater than Solomon is here.
[32] The men of Nineveh will arise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here."
*********************
Commentary:

29-32. Jonah was the prophet who led the Ninevites to do penance: his actions and preaching they saw as signifying that God had sent him (cf. note on Matthew 12:41-42).

[Note on Matthew 12:41-42 states:
41-42. Nineveh was a city in Mesopotamia (modern Iraq) to which the prophet Jonah was sent. The Ninevites did penance (John 3:6-9) because they recognized the prophet and accepted his message; whereas Jerusalem does not wish to recognize Jesus, of whom Jonah was merely a figure. The queen of the South was the queen of Sheba in southwestern Arabia, who visited Solomon (1 Kings 10:1-10) and was in awe of the wisdom with which God had endowed the King of Israel. Jesus is also prefigured in Solomon, whom Jewish tradition saw as the epitome of the wise man.
Jesus' reproach is accentuated by the example of pagan converts, and gives us a glimpse of the universal scope of Christianity, which will take root among the Gentiles.

There is a certain irony in what Jesus says about "something greater" than Jonah or Solomon having come: really, He is infinitely greater, but Jesus prefers to tone down the difference between Himself and any figure, no matter how important, in the Old Testament.]
***************
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.

- posted by LRS @ 1:36 AM   

 
Catholic teachers group gives Burke all F's

The Association of Catholic Elementary Educators issued a "report card" Saturday for Archbishop Raymond Burke, giving him all F's in nine categories on his performance on labor and social justice issues.
Mary Chubb, president of the association, said Burke has been unwilling to meet with her or recognize her group's decade-long effort to achieve recognition of the union and collective bargaining for teachers.

"We're really concerned because schools are closing and there is no set formula for rehiring or placing teachers who lost their jobs," Chubb said. "It's an anything-goes situation."

There's no formula for rehiring? Or for placement of those who have lost jobs? Maybe there's somrthing to this....maybe because of the widespread use of contraception and the corresponding decline in the birthrate, fewer teachers are needed, particularly ones who refuse to accept the decision of the Archdiocese and promote dissension among other unions toward the Church.

This coupled with the fact that those Catholics who have not succumbed to the "culture of death" by practicing contraception have larger families and may even home-school, might lessen the demand for these teachers.

I wonder what kind of grade these teachers would receive if they were to be judged on the results they produce?

Source of Article.
- posted by LRS @ 9:27 AM   

 
28th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Gospel: Luke 17:11-19

The Ten Lepers
--------------
[11] On the way to Jerusalem He (Jesus) was passing along between Samaria and Galilee. [12] And as He entered the village, He was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance [13] and lifted up their voices and said, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us." [14] When He saw them He said to them, "Go and show yourselves to the priests." And as they went they were cleansed. [15] Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; [16] and he fell on his face at Jesus' feet, giving Him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan. [17] Then said Jesus, "Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? [18] Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?" [19] And He said to him, "Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well."
**********************
Commentary:

11-19. The setting of this episode explains how a Samaritan could be in the company of Jews. There was no love lost between Jews and Samaritans (cf. John 4:9), but shared pain, in the case of these lepers, overcame racial antipathy.

The Law of Moses laid down, to prevent the spread of the disease, that lepers should live away from other people and should let it be known that they were suffering from this disease (cf. Leviticus 13:45-46). This explains why they did not come right up to Jesus and His group, but instead begged His help by shouting from a distance.

Before curing them our Lord orders them to go to the priests to have their cure certified (cf. Leviticus 14:2ff), and to perform the rites laid down. The lepers' obedience is a sign of faith in Jesus' words. And, in fact, soon after setting out they are cleansed.

However, only one of them, the Samaritan, who returns praising God and showing his gratitude for the miracle, is given a much greater gift than the cure of leprosy. Jesus says as much: "Your faith has made you well" (verse 19) and praises the man's gratefulness. The Gospel records this event to teach us the value of gratefulness: "Get used to lifting your heart to God, in acts of thanksgiving, many times a day.

Because He gives you this and that. Because you have been despised. Because you haven't what you need or because you have.

"Because He made His Mother so beautiful, His Mother who is also your Mother. Because He created the sun and the moon and this animal and that plant. Because He made that man eloquent and you He left tongue-tied....

"Thank Him for everything, because everything is good" ([St] J. Escriva, "The Way", 268).
*****************
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

- posted by LRS @ 7:22 AM   

 
Cardinal Arinze's Presentation of Apostolic Letter "Mane Nobiscum Domine"

Here is a translation of the address that Cardinal Francis Arinze gave today when presenting John Paul II's apostolic letter "Mane Nobiscum Domine." The text of the letter, published in Italian, has not yet been translated into other languages. The cardinal is the prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments.

The Letter has an Introduction, four chapters, and a Conclusion.

Cardinal Arinze provides some good insights into the Letter. The four chapters are:

Chapter 1: In the Wake of Vatican Council II and the Jubilee
Chapter 2: The Eucharist, Mystery of Light
Chapter 3: Eucharist, Source and Manifestation of Communion
Chapter 4: Eucharist, Principle and Plan of Mission

You can read the address here.
- posted by LRS @ 9:05 PM   

 
"The Meandering Mind of a Seminarian" reports on the Kerry Rally
There is an excellent report of a group of seminarians and laity gathered to offer a pro-life witness at the Kerry/Edwards Debate Watch Party and Rally held at the America's Center downtown St. Louis last night.

The party of tolerance and diversity rejected them because of their pro-life witness and, probably, clerical garb.

The report is well worth the time to read and the pictures are great!


- posted by LRS @ 8:39 PM   

 
Kerry's Answer to Debate Abortion Question
Kerry confirms, in a certain sense, that he supports taxpayer funded abortions:

GIBSON: Going to go to the final two questions now, and the first one will be for Senator Kerry. And this comes from Sarah Degenhart.

DEGENHART: Senator Kerry, suppose you are speaking with a voter who believed abortion is murder and the voter asked for reassurance that his or her tax dollars would not go to support abortion, what would you say to that person?

KERRY: I would say to that person exactly what I will say to you right now.

First of all, I cannot tell you how deeply I respect the belief about life and when it begins. I'm a Catholic, raised a Catholic. I was an altar boy. Religion has been a huge part of my life. It helped lead me through a war, leads me today.

But I can't take what is an article of faith for me and legislate it for someone who doesn't share that article of faith, whether they be agnostic, atheist, Jew, Protestant, whatever. I can't do that.

But I can counsel people. I can talk reasonably about life and about responsibility. I can talk to people, as my wife Teresa does, about making other choices, and about abstinence, and about all these other things that we ought to do as a responsible society.

But as a president, I have to represent all the people in the nation. And I have to make that judgment.

Now, I believe that you can take that position and not be pro- abortion, but you have to afford people their constitutional rights. And that means being smart about allowing people to be fully educated, to know what their options are in life, and making certain that you don't deny a poor person the right to be able to have whatever the constitution affords them if they can't afford it otherwise. (this seems to be a confirmation to me)

That's why I think it's important. That's why I think it's important for the United States, for instance, not to have this rigid ideological restriction on helping families around the world to be able to make a smart decision about family planning.

You'll help prevent AIDS.

You'll help prevent unwanted children, unwanted pregnancies.

You'll actually do a better job, I think, of passing on the moral responsibility that is expressed in your question. And I truly respect it.

He respects nothing...what a utterly pathetic example of a "Catholic"...and his defense of his opposition of the Partial Birth Abortion Ban is reprehensible - What did the Archdiocese of Boston do with Mark Balestrieri's heresy charge against Kerry? His own words convict him...

I wonder if he has a plan to return to the Church, his faith being so important to him? He says he has a "plan" for everything else.

And I forgot this response about appointing Supreme Court justices which occurred prior to the abortion question:

KERRY: What I want to find, if I am privileged to have the opportunity to do it -- and the Supreme Court of the United States is at stake in this race, ladies and gentlemen.

The future of things that matter to you -- in terms of civil rights, what kind of Justice Department you'll have, whether we'll enforce the law. Will we have equal opportunity? Will women's rights be protected? Will we have equal pay for women, which is going backwards? Will a woman's right to choose be protected?

These are constitutional rights, and I want to make sure we have judges who interpret the Constitution of the United States according to the law.

Judges who interpret the Constitution of the United States according to the law?

Isn't this BACKWARDS? Aren't judges to interpret laws according to the Constitution? And he is a lawyer? And where in the Constitution can one find a woman's right to choose to murder an unborn child? What an intellectually and morally bankrupt man he is...

Charity demands that we pray for his conversion.

- posted by LRS @ 7:21 PM   

 
Pope urges Christians to display faith symbols

Pope John Paul II exhorted Christians on Friday to display signs of their faith more forcefully, contending the practice neither infringes on separation of church and state nor breeds intolerance.

His comments appeared to be a clear reference to raging debates over laws such as France's recent ban on wearing Islamic headscarves, Jewish skull caps or large Christian crosses in schools.

In Italy, a Muslim activist's efforts last year to remove crucifixes from public school classrooms stirred widespread resentment in the overwhelmingly Roman Catholic country.

Source.
- posted by LRS @ 1:56 PM   

 
Post Dispatch Letters and Editor's Note
Readers respond to archbishop's letter on voting and sin

EDITOR'S NOTE
We received 124 letters this week in response to Archbishop Raymond L. Burke's letter on Catholics' voting obligations. A total of 82 letters were critical of him; 34 supported him; 8 could not be classified.

An interesting bit of information is provided by the Post Dispatch. This means that about 27% of the letters were supportive of the Archbishbishop, a statistic which closely corresponds to that provided by Margaret Sullivan in her letter here stating that only about 25% of Catholics attend Mass regularly on Sunday.

In today's Letters section, five of the seven letters show support for, or agreement with, the Archbishop.
- posted by LRS @ 10:26 AM   

 
Saturday, 27th Week in Ordinary Time

Gospel: Luke 11:27-28

Responding to the Word of God
-----------------------------
[27] As He (Jesus) said this, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, "Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts that You sucked!" [28] But He said, "Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!"
***************
Commentary:

27-28. These words proclaim and praise the Blessed Virgin's basic attitude of soul. As the Second Vatican Council explains: "In the course of her Son's preaching she [Mary] received the words whereby, in extolling a Kingdom beyond the concerns and ties of flesh and blood, He declared blessed those who heard and kept the word of God (cf. Mark 3:35; Luke 11:27-28) as she was faithfully doing (cf. Luke 2:19_51)" ("Lumen Gentium", 58). Therefore, by replying in this way Jesus is not rejecting the warm praise this good lady renders His Mother; He accepts it and goes further, explaining that Mary is blessed particularly because she has been good and faithful in putting the word of God into practice. "It was a complement to His Mother on her "fiat", `be it done' (Luke 1:38). She lived it sincerely, unstintingly, fulfilling its every consequence, but never amid fanfare, rather in the hidden and silent sacrifice of each day" ([St] J. Escriva, "Christ Is Passing By", 177). See the note on Luke 1:34-38.

[Note on Luke 1:34-38 states:

34-38. Commenting on this passage John Paul II said: "`Virgo fidelis', the faithful Virgin. What does this faithfulness of Mary mean? What are the dimensions of this faithfulness? The first dimension is called search. Mary was faithful first of all when she began, lovingly, to seek the deep sense of God's plan in her and for the world. `Quomodo fiet?' How shall this be?, she asked the Angel of the Annunciation [...]."

"The second dimension of faithfulness is called reception, acceptance. The `quomodo fiet?' is changed, on Mary's lips, to a `fiat': Let it be done, I am ready, I accept. This is the crucial moment of faithfulness, the moment in which man perceives that he will never completely understand the `how': that there are in God's plan more areas of mystery than of clarity; that is, however he may try, he will never succeed in understanding it completely [...]."

"The third dimension of faithfulness is consistency to live in accordance with what one believes; to adapt one's own life to the object of one's adherence. To accept misunderstanding, persecutions, rather than a break between what one practises and what one believes: this is consistency [...]."

"But all faithfulness must pass the most exacting test, that of duration. Therefore, the fourth dimension of faithfulness is constancy. It is easy to be consistent for a day or two. It is difficult and important to be consistent for one's whole life. It is easy to be consistent in the hour of enthusiasm, it is difficult to be so in the hour of tribulation. And only a consistency that lasts throughout the whole life can be called faithfulness. Mary's `fiat' in the Annunciation finds its fullness in the silent `fiat' that she repeats at the foot of the Cross" ("Homily in Mexico City Cathedral", 26 January 1979).]
********************
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.

- posted by LRS @ 3:49 AM   

 
The Latin Catholic Mass is returning to Covington.

Covington Bishop Roger Foys announced Friday that he will begin celebrating what is known as Tridentine Mass at the Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption starting Nov. 21.

He will celebrate the first Mass at 2 p.m. On subsequent Sundays, the Latin Mass will be celebrated in the cathedral at 12:15 p.m.

Foys announced the Latin service Friday and said it was being reinstituted in response to requests from members of the diocese.

Source.
- posted by LRS @ 8:33 PM   

 
Oct-14, Stem cell research lecture
Catholic ethicist, Father Edward Richard, MS, will lecture on stem cell research at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 14, at the Cardinal Rigali Center, 20 Archbishop May Drive in Shrewsbury.

Father Richard is vice rector and dean of students at Kenrick-Glennon Seminary.

Refreshments will be served at 7 p.m. Call K. Diane Daly at (314) 997-7576.

- posted by LRS @ 7:30 AM   

 
Committee seeks voters' pro-life support

An organization called the Committee of Faithful Catholics has been formed in the archdiocese "to put candidates on notice and assist citizens to vote responsibly on election day."

The committee’s members include a number of St. Louis Catholics who publicly have pledged that they "will not knowingly vote for or support any candidate for public office who supports legalized abortion, euthanasia, embryonic stem cell research, human cloning or homosexual marriage," said Linus Pottebaum, a committee member and parishioner at the St. Louis Cathedral Basilica Parish.

"We are pleased to invite thousands upon thousands of our fellow Catholics to sign our pledge," Pottebaum said. "We intend to publish a statement including all the names of the signers in the St. Louis Review before election day, Nov. 2," he added.

Pledge forms are being circulated throughout the archdiocese.

I received one of these forms at the Cathedral last weekend and later distibuted copies. I have been unable to located an online source for the forms which would make it easier to distribute. If noting can be found online, then I hope to be able to reproduce the form here by this weekend.

St. Louis Review Article
- posted by LRS @ 7:22 AM   

 
Every letter of support deserves a letter of opposition
Or so it seems when reading the editorial pages of the Post. As a followup to Fr. Brennan's letter correctly exposing the contempt for the Archbishop that the Post exhibits, it seems that it has to reaffirm its position by printing letters opposing and ridiculing Archbishop Burke.

Church and state
As a lifelong 67-year-old Catholic, I think that you had the wrong headline on your Oct. 3 article, "When does a vote become a sin?" I would suggest instead, "When does an archbishop become ridiculous?"

Certainly, this is someone who has not read the Pastoral Letter. One would rightly be suspect of her claim to "Catholic" as well.

I clearly remember the 1960 election during which I assured non-Catholics that the Catholic Church would never tell politicians how to think or "the faithful" how to vote. If I knew where all of those people are, I guess I'd have to call them to apologize for my error.

Who would be so naive to listen to a 23 year old about what the Church might or might not do? Bishops must proclaim the truth and this should have been understood. Perhaps, she can call and apologize for presuming to have the authority to speak for the Church.

There may be 550,000 Catholics in the archdiocese but, according to recent surveys, something less than 25 percent attend Mass on a regular basis. Maybe Archbishop Burke ought to ponder why he has become irrelevant to most of us, rather than concerning himself with how we vote.

Margaret Sullivan
Creve Coeur

Does she include herself in that 75% who no longer attend Mass regularly? Did 75% of "Catholics" quit going to Mass when Archbishop Burke came to St. Louis? This is the only the only conclusion that one can draw for the assertion of irrelevancy.

It's always a sad commentary when professed Catholics reject any attempts by the Church to bring the light of Christ to them. Christ admonished the disciples about this very thing, and all Christians, but Catholics especially, should heed His words: "Whoever hears you hears me. Whoever rejects you rejects me. And whoever rejects me rejects the One who sent me." (Lk 10:16)

Our Lady asks us to pray for the conversion of souls so that they may not be lost to eternal damnation. We should continue to pray those who have been misguided or who have failed to respond to the graces God has bestowed on them.

Letter can be found here.
- posted by LRS @ 7:12 AM   

 
Kudos to Fr. Lawrence Brennan
...Vice Rector and Academic Dean, Kenrick-Glennon Seminary, whose letter to the Post takes the editors to task for their elitist views and denigration of Archbishop Burke. He voices many of the same objections a number of people have made regarding the innuendos of the Post writers. Here is his letter:

Archbishop gets our attention
An Oct. 6 editorial asks, "Will the flock pay any attention to the shepherd?" Hello? What city does this editorial writer live in? The flock has read the pastoral letter.

Some of the flock are consoled by its courage and clarity, some are confused by the change of values that it urges, some are outraged that it confronts their equivocation on the paramount social issue of our time - but most of them are talking about it.

The results of the "referendum" on Archbishop Raymond Burke's influence are in already. He has posed the question of voting responsibilities in a way that has compelled attention, and even if electoral numbers remain unchanged, the fact that the conversation is taking place at all is to his credit. It should have started decades ago, when the "personally opposed but can't impose" political subterfuge was first made to seem statesmanlike.

"Burke's Law," the Post-Dispatch sneers - his attempt to "settle" the question, his "absolutist position" - amount to nothing more than "his interpretation" or "his own conscience and opinion." What's more, he keeps iterating it. How could he not know, for instance, that only the media settle questions and render absolute verdicts, and that they did so to him some time ago?

In the Post-Dispatch summary of Catholic theology, bishops interpret God's will for man, and conscience simply complies. This is a caricature, of course, meant to alarm anyone concerned about autonomy. But why bother with nuance when the intention is to get liberal voters to the polls? To arms, citizens! Those priest-ridden Catholics are at it again.

The Rev. Lawrence C. Brennan
Vice Rector and Academic Dean,
Kenrick-Glennon Seminary
Shrewsbury

Source.
- posted by LRS @ 6:59 AM   

 
Holy Father Releases Apostolic Letter to Open the Year of the Eucharist
The Apostolic Letter, Mane Nobiscum Domine, is addressed to the Bishops, Priests and Faithful.

An English translation was not available when I looked but I suspect there will be one shortly. Those, however, who can read Italian, can review it now.

The link is here.
- posted by LRS @ 6:57 AM   

 
Archbishop Burke discusses "The Year of the Eucharist"

Through the observance of the Year of the Eucharist, we will recover the wonder of the first disciples at the gift of the Eucharistic Sacrifice, the wonder which was ours on the day of our First Holy Communion.

The Year of the Eucharist provides us with a time of grace to purify our celebrations of the Sacred Liturgy, so that they express more fully the mind of Christ. I urge parish priests, catechists in the Catholic schools and parish schools of religion, and all Catholics to draw upon the grace of this special year to grow in knowledge and love of the eucharistic mystery and to give witness, through teaching and example, to the truth of the holy Eucharist, which is at the heart of our Catholic faith.

Archbishop Burke also notes that at next year's Gateway Liturgical Conference, Cardinal Francis Arinze, prefect of the Congregation of Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, will give the keynote address. This is an event which you won't want to miss.

Archbishop Burke commends those who participate in Eucharistic Adoration and reminds us that "an excellent form of eucharistic devotion in the home is the Enthronement of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Consecration to the Sacred Heart." For those who have not yet done this, information is available at the archdiocese.

Full text of the Archbishop's column is here.
- posted by LRS @ 6:21 AM   

 
Two historic Catholic churches may close

Two historic Catholic churches south of downtown are among those recommended for closing in the archdiocesan plan to reduce the number of parishes on St. Louis' south side.

St. John Nepomuk, at 1631 South 11th Street, and St. Mary of Victories, at 1417 South Ninth Street, would be merged into a new regional parish.

Here's some news about St. Francis de Sales which I had not seen in the paper before:

Under the plan, St. John Nepomuk and St. Mary of Victories would be merged into a new regional parish under a new name at St. Wenceslaus, 3014 Oregon Avenue. St. Francis de Sales, a towering church four blocks from St. Wenceslaus, would become the new St. Louis-area home for Masses in Latin, which now are celebrated at St. Agatha's, next to the Anheuser-Busch Cos. Inc. brewery.

Still no mention of the Institute of Christ the King, Sovereign Priest...

More details here.
- posted by LRS @ 6:14 AM   

 
McBrien Implies Cardinal Ratzinger is a "Proportionalist"
And this is in a diocesan newspaper (in the Los Angeles archdiocese, of course). Why anyone would give this man a platform to espouse is views is beyond me - unless of course, one happens to agree with.

How this "theologian" can come up with these preposterous ideas is also beyond me. Rather than speak truthfully (perhaps he cannot), he confuses two separate issues entirely - that of proportionalism and that of "proportionate reasons".

Perhaps McBrien is part of our punishment - for failing to abide in Him and keep His commandments?

Article.


- posted by LRS @ 6:05 AM   

 
Friday, 27th Week in Ordinary Time

Gospel: Luke 11:15-26:

The Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Satan
-------------------------------------------
(Now Jesus was casting out a demon that was dumb; when the demon had gone out, the man spoke, and the people marvelled.) [15] But some of them said, "He casts out demons by Beelzebul, the prince of demons"; [16] while others, to test Him, sought from Him a sign from Heaven. [17] But He, knowing their thoughts, said to them, "Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and house falls upon house. [18] And if Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say that I cast out demons by Beelzebul. [19] And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they shall be your judges. [20] But if it is by the finger of God that I cast out demons, then the Kingdom of God has come upon you. [21] When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are in peace; [22] but when one stronger than he assails him and overcomes him, he takes away his armor in which he trusted, and divides his spoil. [23] He who is not with Me is against Me, and He who does not gather with Me scatters."

[24] "When an unclean spirit has gone out of a man, he passes through waterless places seeking rest; and finding none he says, `I will return to my house from which I came.' [25] And when he comes he finds it swept and put in order. [26] Then he goes and brings seven other spirits more evil than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man becomes worse than the first."
***********************
Commentary:

14-23. Jesus' enemies remain obstinate despite the evidence of the miracle. Since they cannot deny that He has done something quite extraordinary, they attribute it to the power of the devil, rather than admit that Jesus is the Messiah. Our Lord answers them with a clinching argument: the fact that He expels demons is proof that He has brought the Kingdom of God. The Second Vatican Council reminds us of this truth: The Lord Jesus inaugurated His Church by preaching the Good News, that is, the coming of the Kingdom of God, promised over the ages in the Scriptures [...]. The miracles of Jesus also demonstrate that the Kingdom has already come on earth: "If it is by the finger of God that I cast out demons, then the Kingdom of God has come upon you (Luke 11:20); cf. Matthew 12:28). But principally the Kingdom is revealed in the person of Christ Himself, Son of God and Son of Man, who came `to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many' (Mark 10:45)" (Vatican II, "Lumen Gentium", 5).

The strong man well armed is the devil, who has enslaved man; but Jesus Christ, one stronger than he, has come and conquered him and is despoiling him. St. Paul will say that Christ "disarmed the principalities and powers and made a public example of them, triumphing over them" (Colossians 2:15).

After the victory of Christ the "stronger one", the words of verse 23 are addressed to mankind at large; even if people do not want to recognize it, Jesus Christ has conquered and from now on no one can adopt an attitude of neutrality towards Him: he who is not with Him is against Him.

18. Christ's argument is very clear. One of the worst evils that can overtake the Church is disunity among Christians, disunity among believers. We must make Jesus' prayer our own: "That they may be one; even as Thou, Father, art in Me, and I in Thee, that they may also be one in us, so that the world may believe that Thou hast sent Me" (John 17:21).

24-26. Our Lord shows us that the devil is relentless in his struggle against man; despite man rejecting him with the help of grace, he still lays his traps, still tries to overpower him. Knowing all this, St. Peter advises us to be sober and vigilant, because "your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking some one to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith" (1 Peter 5:8-9).

Jesus also forewarns us about the danger of being once more defeated by Satan--which would leave us worse off than were before. The Latin proverb puts it very well: "corruptio optimi, pessima" (the corruption of the best is the worst.) And St. Peter, in his inspired text, inveighs against corrupt Christians, whom he compares in a graphic and frightening way to "the dog turning back to his own vomit and the sow being washed and then wallowing in the mire" (cf. 2 Peter 2:22).
*********************
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.

I cannot recommend enough the Navarre Bible for reading and for study.
If at all possible, the 12 volume set of the New Testament, would be better (in my opinion) as it has more in depth commentary.

A very useful addition would be the 7 volume set "In Conversation with God" also by Scepter Publishers. It has mediations for each day of the year and follows the liturgical calendar.

BTW, the Daughters of St. Paul bookstore usually has these in stock.
- posted by LRS @ 1:30 AM   

 
House urges committee to include 'sexual orientation' in federal law

The House of Representatives has voted to urge a conference committee to add "sexual orientation, gender and disability" to federal hate-crimes law, a development some observers say would muzzle Christians who speak out against homosexuality.

On Sept. 28, the House voted 213-186 to pass a procedural motion encouraging a conference committee to include the hate-crimes legislation in the final version of the Defense Authorization Act (H.R. 4200).

Time to call and write your representatives.

Article.
- posted by LRS @ 1:08 AM   

 
Diocese of Davenport considers bankruptcy filing

Davenport Bishop William E. Franklin has raised the possibility of the diocese filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy under the U.S. Bankruptcy Code and discussed other potential financial fallout from the clergy sex abuse crisis.

Source.

One of the reasons is Davenport diocesan priest, Father James Janssen, who is a co-defendant in 10 clergy sex abuse lawsuits filed against the diocese, and who was recently laicized.
- posted by LRS @ 12:05 AM   

 
Bishop Olmsted: Catholics must vote as ‘faithful followers of Christ

“Lay people have a particular calling to engage in the political process as a means of promoting the common good,” said the bishop, however adding that this should always be done in a manner consistent with the teachings of the Church.

Remember to keep our good bishops and priests in your prayers. But let us not forget those others who are in need of our prayers as well. We must do all we can to support and encourage our bishops and priests, with prayer, penance and sacrifice. Send a card or letter of thanks when they are courageous in proclaiming the Gospel.

Article is here.
- posted by LRS @ 10:55 PM   

 
***** Pro-Life Event in St. Louis *****

Some of you may have seen the cover story of the Sept. 19-25 issue of the National Catholic Register. It describes how a group of 500 students from Franciscan University of Steubenville showed up as a peaceful, prayerful pro-life witness at a campaign event held in Steubenville for Sen. John Kerry.

As you may know, the senator will be having a similar event here in Forest Park after this Friday night's debate. A number of us felt that it would not be right to let this go by without offering a similar witness to the sanctity of life and the incongruity of the position which Senator Kerry represents. The archbishop was informed of our idea this evening, and gave us his blessing on the undertaking.

See The Meandering Mind of a Seminarian blog for details.
- posted by LRS @ 10:37 PM   

 
Exclusive: Bishop Raymond Burke on His New Pastoral

The archbishop of St. Louis, Raymond Burke, answers Inside The Vatican's questions on his landmark October 1 pastoral letter on politicians and abortion, and discusses the upcoming US presidential election

ITV: Some in your flock are claiming that you are interfering in the voting process, telling them how to vote. How do you respond?

Archbishop Burke: I’m not telling anybody how to vote in this sense: I’m not telling them for whom they should vote. But I am telling them how to vote in the sense of what are the moral requirements for the right exercise of the right to vote. In other words, I’m setting forth for them the moral considerations of which they have to take note in voting. But I’m not telling them for whom they should vote.

People have to read the pastoral letter – there isn’t anything in the pastoral letter which is new; it’s all what the Church has taught perennially. Then it’s a matter of their conscience. In that sense, I suppose to put it simply, I’m telling them how to vote in the sense that I’m telling to vote according to their conscience and helping them to form that conscience correctly.

Link.

- posted by LRS @ 7:52 AM   

 
Archbishop Burke on Voting Responsibly and his Relationship with the USCCB
Says bishops not subordinate to Conference of Bishops and have right to act independently

Archbishop Raymond Burke of St. Louis has given an exclusive interview to Inside the Vatican reporter Tom Szyszkiewicz concerning his latest pastoral letter on voting and abortion. His letter, (covered on LifeSiteNews.com at http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2004/oct/041
00405.html) is a clear articulation of Church teaching on voting, which notes that voting for unequivocally pro-abortion candidates is a sin.

The Archbishop says that while he was able to have his opinion heard at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), that "it's clear that Cardinal [Theodore] McCarrick and his (USCCB) committee did not accept at all what I had done."

See the full interview from Inside the Vatican:
http://archives.insidethevatican.com/new
s/index.php?fdate=20041005&window=showfi
le#085602

- posted by LRS @ 7:40 AM   

 
Is anyone free next Saturday?
Catholic Action Network is hosting a conference called "The Spirit is Set Free". I think I know about which spirit they are referring - and I don't think it is "Holy".

Anyway it is claimed that this is " An Important Conference for All Catholics..." and that it is a means of "Thinking Outside the Box".

Well, what is about, you ask? This conference is here, just in time to capitalize on the feelings of sadness many may be experiencing:

Frustrated With Your Church?
In a time of parish and school closings and the clergy-abuse scandal many Catholics feel alienated from their Church. Come to this groundbreaking conference to talk about alternative Catholic models, see a woman priest preside over liturgy, and share discussion in large and small groups.

Denise Donato was ordained a priest in the Spiritus Christi Community by a bishop of the Old Catholic Church in 2003. This 1,000+ member community describes itself as “a Christ-centered Catholic community reaching beyond the institutional church to be inclusive of all.” Come hear their story, and explore what it means here in St. Louis.

I recall reading somewhere recently that this thriving community of 1,000+ has dwindled to perhaps 300...The "Spirit" must still be moving people in different directions!

For those who are looking for real close, first-hand knowledge of this "movement", here are the details:

Saturday, October 16th, 2004 8:30am-2pm
Evangelical United Church of Christ (204 E. Lockwood, Webster Groves)
On Lockwood, right next to the YMCA

Tickets:
$15/pre-registered by Oct. 8th $20/at door
(includes lunch, call for low-income rate)

I'm not sure that I really want to part with $20...or the time...but I bet it would be "educational" and both fun & sad at the same time. Who knows, it's a great opportunity to evangelize and maybe bring someone back to the Church.

- posted by LRS @ 7:22 AM   

 
Both Bush and Kerry fall behind in Catholic support

Sen. John Kerry is having trouble wooing fellow Roman Catholics in Iowa and Wisconsin and President George W. Bush is short of his expected Catholic count in Michigan and Minnesota, polling shows.

Four years ago, Democrat Al Gore edged Bush among Catholics, 50-47, according to exit polls.

What could possibly explain this aberration?

Catholics who don't worship regularly tend to back Kerry, according to the AP-Ipsos poll.

Of course, this explains it. Baptised individuals who have objectively, abandoned the faith tend to back those who support the murder of the unborn. But let us be reminded that:

Kerry offers himself as a practicing and believing Catholic who nonetheless holds positions contrary to the church's on abortion rights and embryonic stem cell research.

Some Democrats have urged him to highlight those differences. Others simply want him to keep attending Sunday Mass. "If Kerry has a problem with Catholics, it's that too few Catholics know he's one of them," said Jim Jordan, his former campaign manager.

And those of us who are Catholic, pray for him that he might have his eyes opened to the truth and repent before it is too late.
AP Article here

- posted by LRS @ 7:00 AM   

 
Campion College closes...

In late July Campion College, San Francisco's upstart Catholic college, announced that it was shutting its doors after two years of operations.

- posted by LRS @ 6:54 AM   

 
Bishop Sheridan:No leeway in abortion-rights voting

[Bishop] Sheridan writes that not even the elimination of poverty justifies "the direct murder of just one human being," and that the narrow criteria for supporting an abortion-rights candidate are basically unattainable.

Sheridan writes that a voter could presumably vote for an abortion-rights candidate if a greater evil was being avoided or if the good accomplished by that candidate would "outweigh the holocaust of abortion." But he argues that is unobtainable for a reasonable person, saying it is "virtually inconceivable" to find a greater evil than abortion and that no good could outweigh abortion.

The faithful of Colorado Springs are blessed to have a man such as Bishop Sheridan as their shepherd.

Article here.
- posted by LRS @ 6:25 AM   

 
Thur, 10/7, Memorial: Our Lady of the Rosary

The Gospel, Luke 11:5-13

Effective Prayer
----------------
[5] And He (Jesus) said to them (the disciples), "Which of you who has a friend will go to him at midnight and say to him, 'Friend, lend me three loaves; [6] for a friend of mine has arrived on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him'; [7] and he will answer from within, 'Do not bother me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot get up and give you anything'? [8] I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him whatever he needs. [9] And I tell you, Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. [10] For every one who asks receives, and he who seeks find, and to him who knocks it will be opened. [11] What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; [12] or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? [13] If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!"
******************************
Commentary:

5-10. One of the essential features of prayer is trusting perseverance. By this simple example and others like it (cf. Luke 18:1-7) our Lord encourages us not to desist in asking God to hear us. "Persevere in prayer. Persevere even when your efforts seem barren. Prayer is always fruitful" ([St] J. Escriva, "The Way", 101).

9-10. Do you see the effectiveness of prayer when it is done properly? Are you not convinced like me that, if we do not obtain what we ask God for, it is because we are not praying with faith, with a heart pure enough, with enough confidence, or that we are not persevering in prayer the way we should? God has never refused nor will ever refuse anything to those who ask for His graces in the way they should. Prayer is the great recourse available to us to get out of sin, to persevere in grace, to move God's heart and to draw upon us all kinds of blessing from Heaven, whether for the soul or to meet our temporal needs" (St. John Mary Vianney, "Selected Sermons", Fifth Sunday after Easter).

11-13. Our Lord uses the example of human parenthood as a comparison to stress again the wonderful fact that God is our Father, for God's fatherhood is the source of parenthood in Heaven and on earth (cf. Ephesians 3:15). "The God of our faith is not a distant Being who contemplates indifferently the fate of men--their desires, their struggles, their sufferings. He is a Father who loves His children so much that He sends the Word, the Second Person of the Most Blessed Trinity, so that by taking on the nature of man He may die to redeem us. He is the loving Father who now leads us gently to Himself, through the action of the Holy Spirit who dwells in our hearts" ([St] J. Escriva, "Christ Is Passing By", p. 84).

13. The Holy Spirit is God's best gift to us, the great promise Christ gives His disciples (cf. John 5:26), the divine fire which descends on the Apostles at Pentecost, filling them with fortitude and freedom to proclaim Christ's message (Acts 2). "The profound reality which we see in the texts of Holy Scripture is not a remembrance from the past, from some golden age of the Church which has since been buried in history. Despite the weaknesses and the sins of every one of us, it is thereality of today's Church and the Church in all times. 'I will pray to
the Father,' our Lord told His disciples, 'and He will give you another Counsellor to be with you for ever.' Jesus has kept His promise. He has risen from the dead and, in union with the eternal Father, He sends us the Holy Spirit to sanctify us and to give us life" ([St] J. Escriva, "Christ Is Passing By", 12).
********************
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.

- posted by LRS @ 6:06 AM   

 
On EWTN tonight at 9:00PM CDT
GATE OF HEAVEN: THE SOLEMN CONSECRATION OF ST. MARY'S ROMAN CATHOLIC ORATORY OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION (60:00) NEW

On May 31st, 2003, this Solemn Consecration was performed by the Most Rev. Bishop of La Cross, Raymond L. Burke. This ceremony is shown in all its parts:
(1) The purification & dedication of the Church;
(2) The translocation of the relics;
(3) Consecration of the Church; and,
(4) Celebration of the first Pontifical High Mass, using the traditional Latin rite of the Liturgy

Wednesday October 6, 2004 10:00 PM eastern
Saturday October 9, 2004 1:00 PM eastern
Sunday October 10, 2004 10:00 AM eastern

- posted by LRS @ 7:19 AM   

 
The Post Dispatch continues its "analysis"...
However, in its editorial, the Post cares little for the truth and unpretentiously criticizes Archbishop Burke's position as "absolutist". It further suggests that the Archbishop's position of the moral law is based on his own "interpretation".

In order to support this position of the Post, they call on Ronald E. Modras, a professor of theology at St. Louis University, who confirms their assertions by saying:

"Even some conservative Catholics find [his] message to be extreme...He's giving us Catholic moral tradition, but interpreting it according to his own conscience and opinion."

Mr. Modras was also quoted by the La Crosse Tribune back in January, when referring to Archbishop Burke, he said:

"He's identified with the radical right of the Catholic Church, not going with the rest of the bishops."

A question which immediately comes to mind is whether Mr. Modras has signed the mandatum and received approval from the bishop to teach theology. Based on his comments, I certainly would not want my children being taught theology by someone who espouse views such as his.

Every reputable reference book or article on Moral Theology that I can find and that I have read is in complete agreement with and supports the position and "interpretation" of Archbishop Burke.

The Post sems to lament the fact that if area Catholics voted according to Catholic moral principles, George Bush would be re-elected:

If all the registered voters among the archdiocese's 550,000 Catholics were to be guided by the archbishop's position, it probably would insure a GOP sweep in Missouri.

But Mr. Modras says, in error, that:

"You can have an informed Catholic conscience and come to a different conclusion [regarding for whom to vote]."

It is impossible to have an truly informed Catholic conscience and vote for a candidate such as John Kerry who supports so many intrinsic evils and is on record as saying he would perpetuate the murder of unborn children by selecting on "pro-choice" individuals to be judges.

The Post concludes:

By staking out his position so boldly, Archbishop Burke has added a new question to the November ballot: an informal referendum on his own influence.

What a gross distortion! What we will see in November is the extent of professed Catholics who have an informed Catholic conscience. Archbishop Burke has put before all Catholics the fundamental principles by which we are to vote and work for the common good. We must always remember that there will be many among us who will betray Christ and deny the truth which He revealed to us and which has been handed on to us by the Church. Archbishop Burke continues this Apostolic work by helping us to understand exactly what it means to be a Catholic in today's world. Pray for him!

The Post editorial is here.
- posted by LRS @ 7:17 AM   

 
New Austrian Bishop Appointed after Scandal

The Vatican chose a new bishop on Monday to take over an Austrian diocese from Kurt Krenn, who resigned after a child pornography scandal rocked the Roman Catholic Church in the Alpine state, Austrian TV reported.

Austrian television ORF cited unnamed Vatican sources for the report, which said Pope John Paul would name Bishop Klaus Kueng to take over Krenn's former diocese of St Poelten.

Source.
- posted by LRS @ 6:59 AM   

 
Liturgical Dance: Is it permitted at Mass?

Although not specifically mentioned in the instruction "Redemptionis Sacramentum," dance can be included in the overall prohibition on introducing elements not contemplated by the liturgical books.

This was the position I held and about which I asked a few months ago to some in the Archdiocese if that position was correct. The answer I received: It's unclear at the present time.

On recent occasions Cardinal Francis Arinze, prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments, has publicly criticized certain forms of introducing dance into Western liturgy especially in forms which reduce the sacred rite to a spectacle.

Spectacle is a rather nice way to put it...I have a few other choice words which I will not use. I have a report and some pictures of one of these "spectacles" here.

Zenit article here.
- posted by LRS @ 6:50 AM   

 
Islamist Terrorism: What the Vatican Really Thinks

The terrorists of today seek to create fear and anxiety in the world, and thus weaken their adversaries, forcing them to spend enormous sums to defend themselves from attack, to restrict the space for the freedom and movement of their citizens, to keep them constantly in anxiety and alarm, knowing that terrorism is now international and can strike in any place and at any time.

This is why they make use of the means of communication. Unfortunately, the Western media, granting ample space to terrorist exploits – a space, it should be noted, that is all the greater as the ferocity of the act is more disturbing – perform a great service for terrorism, which it could never have hoped to obtain with its own means.

Article here.
- posted by LRS @ 6:45 AM   

 
A decent letter of support for Archbishop Burke

Church doctrine

I applaud Archbishop Raymond Burke for having the courage to not be politically correct by speaking out against gay marriage and abortion and encouraging all Catholics to remember this when they go to the polls on Nov. 2.

I am angered by those who have written to this newspaper calling themselves Catholic but feel that they must vote for the pro-choice candidate, John Kerry. They want to be Catholics, yet they do not agree with the church's stance on key moral issues.

You cannot pick and choose what you believe in. If you are a Catholic, you should be willing to follow the church's teaching. Archbishop Burke is merely echoing what the Bible teaches us on these subjects.

Some try to dismiss the archbishop's views as only his personal stance. But that is not true. This is an opinion that is held by the church and goes all the way up to the pope.

The archbishop is doing his job, being a moral leader and taking a stance against those things that, not just he, but the Bible calls intrinsically evil. If those pro-choice, pro-gay Catholics aren't willing to follow the church's teachings, maybe they should find a church that is more in agreement with their liberal ideologies.

Debbie Werner
South County

Link
- posted by LRS @ 6:32 AM   

 
Wed, Oct 6, 27th Week in Ordinary Time

From: Galatians 2:1-2, 7-14

Visit to Jerusalem
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[1] Then after fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus along with me. [2] I went up by revelation; and I laid before them (but privately before those who were of repute) the gospel which I preach among the Gentiles, lest somehow I should be running or had run in vain. [7] But on the contrary, when they saw that I had been entrusted with the gospel to the uncircumcised, just as Peter had been entrusted with the gospel to the circumcised [8] (for he who worked through Peter for the mission to the circumcised worked through me also for the Gentiles), [9] and when they perceived the grace that was given to me, James and Cephas and John, who were reputed to be pillars, gave to me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised; [10] only they would have us remember the poor, which very thing I was eager to do.

Peter and Paul at Antioch
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[11] But when Cephas came to Antioch I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. [12] For before certain men came from James, he ate with the Gentiles; but when they came he drew back and separated himself, fearing the circumcision party. [13] And with him the rest of the Jews acted insincerely, so that even Barnabas was carried away by their insincerity. [14] But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas before them all, "If you, though a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you compel the Gentiles to live like Jews?"
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Commentary:

1-10. St Paul had ended his first apostolic journey by returning to Antioch in Syria, from where he had set out. We know that the Christian community in that city, which was an important crossroads of race and culture, had developed as a providential result of the dispersal of Jerusalem Christians following on Stephen's martyrdom (cf. Acts 11:19-26). Some of these refugees had brought the new faith to Antioch but had confined themselves to preaching and converting Jews. Later, through the activity of other Christians, Jews of the Diaspora, that is, domiciled outside Palestine, and pagans also began to adopt the new religion. Barnabas had been commissioned by the Jerusalem church to organize the young Christian community in Antioch (cf. Acts 11:19-24). He later chose Paul, who had been living quietly in Tarsus, to act as his assistant (cf. Acts 11:25-26).

The disciples in Antioch, where the name "Christians" was first used to describe them, belonged to the whole gamut of social and ethnic backgrounds, as we can see from the short list of "prophets and teachers" of the church at Antioch (cf. Acts 13:1-3): some were of African origin, like Symeon "who was called Niger"; others came from the western Mediterranean, like Lucius of Cyrene; Manaen was from the household of Herod the tetrarch; and there were Jews from communities outside Palestine--for example, Barnabas and Saul themselves.

Among these different types, we find some Christians of Jewish background who felt that pagan converts to Christianity should observe the prescriptions of the Mosaic Law (including the detailed precepts which Jewish tradition kept adding to that Law); these guardians of the gate of entry into the chosen people were requiring that pagan converts be circumcised, as all Jews were.

When these "Judaizers" from Jerusalem (cf. Acts 15:1) asserted that circumcision was necessary for salvation, they were raising an issue which went much deeper than simply conforming to the Law of Moses: was the Redemption wrought by Christ enough, of itself, for attaining salvation, or was it still necessary for people to become part of the people of Israel, conforming to all its ritual requirements?

Clearly, this question was a source of considerable division. Acts 15:2 refers to its causing "no small dissension". The present passage of Galatians shows that Paul, receiving a revelation from God, decided to grasp the nettle by stating unequivocally that Christ's redemption--on its own, and alone--brings salvation. In other words, circumcision was not necessary, nor did the elaborate ritual regulations of Judaism apply to Christians. In Jerusalem Paul expounded "the Gospel" he had been proclaiming to the Gentiles. He was accompanied by Barnabas, and by a young disciple, Titus, the son of pagan parents, quite possibly baptized by Paul himself (cf. Tit 1:4, where he calls him his "true child"), who would later became one of his most faithful co-workers.

1. Between his conversion and the date of his letter, St Paul had visited Jerusalem three times (cf. Acts 9:26; 11:29-30; 15:1-6). Of these three journeys he here mentions only two, omitting the time he and Barnabas went there (cf. Acts 11:29-30), because that visit was not particularly significant.

The Judaizers' demands were inadmissible and clearly dangerous. That was why Paul and Barnabas had opposed them openly at Antioch, and in fact it was their failure to achieve unity and peace on this point that had led them to go up to the Holy City to obtain a decision from the Apostles themselves and the priests living in Jerusalem.

10. The Acts of the Apostles show us how concerned the early Church was about looking after the material needs of its members. We can see this, for example, when it tells us about "serving tables", which refers to the work of giving help to the needy: this began to take up more and more time, with the result that the seven deacons were appointed to allow the Apostles to concentrate on their own specific work--prayer and the ministry of the word or preaching (cf. Acts 6:1-6).

St Paul was faithful to this charge about not forgetting the poor, as we can see from many references in his letters to collections for the poor (cf. 1 Cor 16:1-3; 2 Cor 8:1-l5; 9:l5; etc.). Indeed, one of the reasons for his last visit to Jerusalem was to hand over the monies collected in the Christian communities of Greece and Asia Minor.

11-14. In his dealing with Jews, St Paul sometimes gave way in secondary matters, provided that this did not take from the essence of the Gospel: he had Timothy, whose mother was Jewish, circumcised "because of the Jews that were in those places" (Acts 16:3), and he himself kept to Jewish practices in order to allay suspicion and jealousy (cf. Acts 21:22-26). Similarly, he recommends patience and certain understanding towards those "weak" in the faith, that is, Christians of Jewish origin who held on to some Jewish observances connected with fast days, clean and unclean food and abstinence from the flesh of animals sacrificed to idols (cf. Rom 14:2-6; 1 Cor 10:23-30). But on the key issue of Christians' freedom from the Mosaic Law, the Apostle was always firm and unambiguous, relying on the decisions of the Council of Jerusalem.

Paul's correction of Peter did not go against the latter's authority. On the contrary, if it had been just anyone, the Teacher of the Gentiles might have let the matter pass; but because it was Cephas, that is, the "rock" of the Church, he had to take action in order to avoid the impression being given that Christians of Gentile origin were obliged to adopt a Jewish lifestyle.

Far from undermining the holiness and unity of the Church, this episode demonstrated the great spiritual solidarity among the Apostles, St Paul's regard for the visible head of the Church, and Peter's humility in correcting his behavior. St Augustine comments: "He who was rebuked was worthier of admiration and more difficult to imitate than he who made the rebuke [...]. This episode serves as a fine example of humility, the greatest of Christian teachings, because it is through humility that charity is maintained" ("Exp. in Gal.", 15).

12. When he speaks of these Judaizers as coming "from James", this does not mean that they had been sent by that Apostle. It is, rather, a reference to their coming from Jerusalem, where, after the persecution organized by Herod Agrippa and the forced flight of St Peter (cf. Acts 12-17), St James the Less remained as bishop. But what is probable is that these Christians, who had not given up the Mosaic Law and Jewish observances, made use of that Apostle's name: as "the brother of the Lord", he enjoyed universal veneration and respect.
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Gospel
From: Luke 11:1-4

The Our Father
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[1] He (Jesus) was praying in a certain place, and when He ceased, one of His disciples said to Him, "Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught His disciples." [2] And He said to them, "When you pray, say: `Our Father, hallowed be Thy name. Thy Kingdom come. [3] Give us each day our daily bread; [4] and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive every one who is indebted to us; and lead us not into temptation.'"
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Commentary:

1-4. St. Luke gives us a shorter form of the Lord's Prayer, or Our Father, than St. Matthew (6:9-13). In Matthew there are seven petitions, in Luke only four. Moreover, St. Matthew's version is given in the context of the Sermon on the Mount and specifically as part of Jesus' teaching on how to pray; St. Luke's is set in one of those occasions just after our Lord has been at prayer--two different contexts. There is nothing surprising about our Lord teaching the same thing on different occasions, not always using exactly the same words, not always at the same length, but always stressing the same basic points. Naturally, the Church uses the longer form of the Lord's Prayer, that of St. Matthew.

"When the disciples asked the Lord Jesus, `Teach us to pray', He replied by saying the words of the `Our Father', thereby giving a concrete model which is also a universal model. In fact, everything that can and must be said to the Father is contained in those seven requests which we all know by heart. There is such simplicity in them that even a child can learn them, but at the same time such depth that a whole life can be spent meditating on their meaning. Isn't that so? Does not each of those petitions deal with something essential to our life, directing it totally towards God the Father? Doesn't this prayer speak to us about `our daily bread', `forgiveness of our sins, since we forgive others' and about protecting us from `temptation' and `delivering us from evil?'" ([Pope] John Paul II, "General Audience", 14 March 1979).

The first thing our Lord teaches us to ask for is the glorification of God and the coming of His Kingdom. That is what is really important--the Kingdom of God and His justice (cf. Matthew 6:33). Our Lord also wants us to pray confident that our Father will look after our material needs, for "your Heavenly Father knows that you need them all" (Matthew 6:32). However, the Our Father makes us aspire especially to possess the goods of the Holy Spirit, and invites us to seek forgiveness (and to forgive others) and to avoid the danger of sinning. Finally the Our Father emphasizes the importance of vocal prayer. "`Domine, doce nos orare. Lord teach us to pray!' And our Lord replied: `When you pray say: "Pater noster, qui es in coelis"...Our Father, who art in Heaven...'. What importance we must attach to vocal prayer!" ([St] J. Escriva, "The Way", 84).

1. Jesus often went away to pray (cf. Luke 6:12; 22:39ff). This practice of the Master causes His disciples to want to learn how to pray. Jesus teaches them to do what He Himself does. Thus, when our Lord prays, He begins with the Word "Father!": "Father, into Thy hands I commit My spirit" (Luke 23:46); see also Matthew 11:25; 26:42, 53; Luke 23:34; John 11:41; etc.). His prayer on the Cross, "My God, My God,..." (Matthew 27:46), is not really an exception to this rule, because there He is quoting Psalm 22, the desperate prayer of the persecuted just man.

Therefore, we can say that the first characteristic prayer should have is the simplicity of a son speaking to his Father. "You write: `To pray is to talk with God. But about what?' About what? About Him, about yourself: joys, sorrows, successes, failures, noble ambitions, daily worries, weaknesses! And acts of thanksgiving and petition: and love and reparation. In a word: to get to know Him and to get to know yourself: `to get acquainted!'" ([St] J. Escriva, "The Way", 91).

2. "Hallowed be Thy name": in this first petition of the Our Father "we pray that God may be known, loved, honored and served by everyone and by ourselves in particular." This means that we want "unbelievers to come to a knowledge of the true God, heretics to recognize their errors, schismatics to return to the unity of the Church, sinners to be converted and the righteous to persevere in doing good." By this first petition, our Lord is teaching us that `we must desire God's glory more than our own interest and advantage." This hallowing of God's name is attained "by prayer and good example and by directing all our thoughts, affections and actions towards Him" ("St. Pius X Catechism", 290-293).

"Thy Kingdom come": "By the Kingdom of God we understand a triple spiritual kingdom--the Kingdom of God in us, which is grace; the Kingdom of God on earth, which is the Catholic Church; and the Kingdom of God in Heaven, which is eternal bliss [...]. As regards grace, we pray that God reign in us with His sanctifying grace, by which He is pleased to dwell in us as a king in his throne-room, and that He keeps us united to Him by the virtues of faith, hope and charity, by which He reigns in our intellect, in our heart and in our will [...]. As regards the Church, we pray that it extend and spread all over the world for the salvation of men [...]. As regards Heaven, we pray that one day we be admitted to that eternal bliss for which we have been created, where we will be totally happy" ("ibid.", 294-297).

3. The Tradition of the Church usually interprets the "bread" as not only material bread, since "man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God" (Matthew 4:4; Deuteronomy 8:3). Here Jesus wants us to ask God for "what we need each day for soul and body [...]. For our soul we ask God to sustain our spiritual life, that is, we beg Him to give us His grace, of which we are continually in need [...]. The life of our soul is sustained mainly by the divine word and by the Blessed Sacrament of the Altar [...]. For our bodies we pray for what is needed to maintain us" ("St. Pius X Catechism", 302-305).

Christian doctrine stresses two ideas in this petition of the Our Father: the first is trust in Divine Providence, which frees us from excessive desire to accumulate possessions to insure us against the future (cf. Luke 12:16-21); the other idea is that we should take a brotherly interest in other people's needs, thereby moderating our selfish tendencies.

4. "So rigorously does God exact from us forgetfulness of injuries and mutual affection and love, that He rejects and despises the gifts and sacrifices of those who are not reconciled to one another" ("St. Pius V Catechism", IV, 14, 16).

"This sisters, is something which we should consider carefully; it is such a serious and important matter that God should pardon us our sins, which have merited eternal fire, that we must pardon all trifling things which have been done to us. As I have so few, Lord, even of these trifling things, to offer Thee, Thy pardoning of me must be a free gift: there is abundant scope here for Thy mercy. Blessed be Thou, who endurest one that is so poor" (St. Teresa of Avila, "Way of Perfection", Chapter 36).

"And lead us not into temptation": it is not a sin to "feel" temptation but to "consent" to temptation. It is also a sin to put oneself voluntarily into a situation which can easily lead one to sin. God allows us to be tempted, in order to test our fidelity, to exercise us in virtue and to increase our merits with the help of grace. In this petition we ask the Lord to give us His grace not to be overcome when put to the test, or to free us from temptation if we cannot cope with it.
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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.

- posted by LRS @ 2:06 AM   

 
A Letter to the Post Dispatch
This was graciously forwarded to me to post. I am grateful for the opportunity to share this letter.

Dear Editor,

Professor Flinn claims that Archbishop Burke has added to the confusion many have regarding the Catholic Church¹s teaching on abortion. This claim is surprising. His Grace has been quite clear: Abortion is profoundly evil, and we have a duty to do what we as Christians and responsible citizens can do to stop it. If anyone has added to the confusion over this matter, it is not his Grace but Professor Flinn.

It is false to claim, as Flinn does claim, that ³Catholic teaching on abortion has never been unanimous.² His support for this is the debate over when the soul enters the fetus, but this is a red herring. Augustine and all the schoolmen of the Middles Ages who asserted that ensoulment took place weeks after conception never denied the very grave evil of abortion even in the very first stages of pregnancy. It should also be noted that this theory of delayed ensoulment was based, as Flinn notes, on Aristotelian science which modern embryology and genetics have long since rendered
obsolete. This theory, it should also be noted, had no basis in the Bible or the Catholic liturgical tradition which celebrates the conception of Christ on the Feast of the Annunciation. Catholics have never celebrated the day of Christ¹s ³ensoulment².

Flinn tries to cite the changes in ecclesiastical penalties attached to abortion as evidence against a constant teaching against abortion, but this, too, is a distraction. Ecclesiastical penalties are part of the Church¹s positive law and as such can be changed, but changes in the positive law do not change moral teaching. If the Church decided to attach an ecclesiastical penalty to, say, shoplifting, that would not mean that the Church thought shoplifting was fine and dandy before she imposed the penalty. It is simply deceit to suggest, as Flinn does, that the Church did not condemn all abortion until Sixtus V attached the ecclesiastical penalty of excommunication to abortions in every stage of pregnancy.

Finally, Flinn argues that a Catholic may be obliged to vote for a pro-choice candidate who promises to follow employment policies that will radically reduce the slaughter of the unborn. One wonders what Flinn means by a radical reduction. During the '90s when we had a greatly expanding economy and record lows of umemployment, there were more than a million abortions each and every year. But, more importantly, while, of course, economic justice is important to the Catholic tradition, it can only be a handmaid to the sacredness of human life. Catholics do not obey Bertolt Brecht¹s notorious dictum, ³First comes the feed, then comes morality.² Human life is a given and must be defended in good times and in bad times, during both booms and busts.

Joe Griesemer

We shall see if the Post Dispatch allows this letter to be printed. After all, it isn't from a "Professor of Religious Studies" who claims to know what Church history is and what the Church teaches, but from a Catholic layman, who notes with clarity, the errors and obfuscations in Flinn's article.


- posted by LRS @ 12:10 PM   

 
Apostolic Letter on the Holy Eucharist to be released Friday

An apostolic letter by Pope John Paul II, welcoming the Year of the Eucharist, will be released on Friday, October 8.

Cardinal Francis Arinze, the prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship, will introduce the apostolic letter at a press conference in Rome. He will be accompanied at that conference by Archbishop Domenico Sorrentino, the secretary of the same Congregation; Msgr. Piero Marini, the director of pontifical liturgies; and Msgr. Mauro Parmeggiani of the vicariate of Rome.

Article here.


- posted by LRS @ 7:24 AM   

 
Oct 5, Tuesday, 27th Week in Ordinary Time

From: Luke 10:38-42

Martha and Mary Welcome Our Lord
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[38] Now as they went on their way, He (Jesus) entered a village; and a woman named Martha received Him into her house. [39] And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to His teaching. [40] But Martha was distracted with much serving; and she went to Him and said, "Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me." [41] But the Lord answered her, "Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things; [42] one thing is needful. Mary has chosen the good position, which shall not be taken away from her."
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Commentary:

38-42. Our Lord was heading for Jerusalem (Luke 9:51) and His journey took Him through Bethany, the village where Lazarus, Martha and Mary lived--a family for whom He had a special affection, as we see in other passages of the Gospel (cf. John 11:1-14; 12:1-9).

St. Augustine comments on this scene as follows: "Martha, who was arranging and preparing the Lord's meal, was busy doing many things, whereas Mary preferred to find her meal in what the Lord was saying. In a way she deserted her sister, who was very busy, and sat herself down at Jesus' feet and just listened to His words. She was faithfully obeying what the Psalm said: `Be still and know that I am God' (Psalm 46:10). Martha was getting annoyed, Mary was feasting; the former coping with many things, the latter concentrating on one. Both occupations were good" ("Sermon", 103).

Martha has come to be, as it were, the symbol of the active life, and Mary that of the contemplative life. However, for most Christians, called as they are to sanctify themselves in the middle of the world, action and contemplation cannot be regarded as two opposite ways of practising the Christian faith: an active life forgetful of union withGod is useless and barren; but an apparent life of prayer which shows no concern for apostolate and the sanctification of ordinary things also fails to please God. The key lies in being able to combine these two lives, without either harming the other. Close union between action and contemplation can be achieved in very different ways, depending on the specific vocation each person is given by God.

Far from being an obstacle, work should be a means and an occasion for a close relationship with our Lord, which is the most important thing in our life.

Following this teaching of the Lord, the ordinary Christian should strive to attain an integrated life--an intense life of piety and external activity, orientated towards God, practised out of love for Him and with an upright intention, which expresses itself in apostolate, in everyday work, in doing the duties of one's state in life. "You must understand now more clearly that God is calling you to serve Him IN AND FROM the ordinary, material and secular activities of human life. He waits for us every day, in the laboratory, in the operating room, in the army barracks, in the university chair, in the factory, in the workshop, in the fields, in the home and in all the immense panorama of work. Understand this well: there is something holy, something divine, hidden in the most ordinary situations, and it is up to each of you to discover it [...]. There is no other way. Either we learn to find our Lord in ordinary, everyday life, or else we shall never find Him. That is why I can tell you that our age needs to give back to matter and to the most trivial occurrences and situations their noble and original meaning. It needs to restore them to the service of the Kingdom of God, to spiritualize them, turning them into a means and an occasion for a continuous meeting with Jesus Christ" ([St] J. Escriva, "Conversations", 114).
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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.

- posted by LRS @ 7:00 AM   

 
Examples of Catholics who don't know their faith
A friend of mine who is a deacon related a story to me the other night. He has a prayer group of about twelve people. A discussion ensued during one of the meetings one night during which he suggested that the group review what the Church says about the subject in the Catechism. Only three of the twelve knew what the Catechism is.

His next objective was to work the Catechism into one of his Sunday homilies, which, I understand, he did quite successfully. Several people after Mass were moved in such a way as to go to the parish office and purchase a Catechism. I suggested that a table be manned in the vestibule of the Church where we could offer Catechism for sale. That may yet be a possibility. It would require, however, more than just one homily in order to direct those who are yearning for answers and the Truth. The priests of the parish must be more supportive of promoting the Catechism as a means to truly learn what the Church teaches. This would be a necessary prerequisite.

And this brings me to the focus of this post. It is an embarrassment when one who professes to be Catholic and attempts to prove his Catholicity by stating all of the organizations he belongs to and all of the activities he does as proof of his faith. These are merely externals which may demonstrate a desire of Faith but do not, by themselves, prove that a man possesses the Faith.

Faith, as the Catechism tells us, is:

the theological virtue by which we believe in God and believe all that He has said and revealed to us, and [all] that Holy Church proposes for our belief, because He is truth itself.

A necessary element of faith is that we must believe in all that Holy Mother Church proposes for our belief. If one denies some truth which the Church proposes for our belief, one does not really possess the fullness of that virtue. One sins, objectively, by refusing to assent to that which must be believed.

And this brings me to the point of the post. A Letter to the Editor today reveals:

What it means to be Catholic

I am 40 years old and have been Catholic all of my life. I attended Catholic schools. I belong to the Secular Order of the Servants of Mary. I belong to the Knights of Columbus. I teach Rite of Christian Initiation and Baptism classes at my parish. My children have attended Catholic school. I coach and referee CYC sports.

The experiences I've had and the relationships I've built are an integral part of who I am. Archbishop Raymond Burke has stated that war and the death penalty "are not intrinsically evil," but abortion and same-sex marriage are. That appears to me a very human judgment from someone people look to for spiritual leadership.

I do not support abortion and I am not gay, but I do know that God creates all life. Is it up to humans to judge and grade the innocence of that life? I voted for George W. Bush in the last presidential election. I am not happy about how he has handled our relationship with the rest of the world and would not consider his actions "pro-life." I will vote for Sen. John Kerry, hoping that he'll do a much better job.

Does the act of voting make it a sin, or should I repent now for my intention? I believe that Bush and Burke are good men doing their best to lead their people, but I must disagree with their methods. They throw around words like "evil" to devalue the humanness of those who are different from them. They then use fear and blind patriotism to justify the destruction of humans both physically and emotionally and then discredit those who disagree with them. I want this to end.

The stand that my church's leadership is taking makes me question what it means to be Catholic. Am I Catholic because I was born into the faith and attend services in a Catholic church? Am I Catholic because I toe the party line?

God's presence does not end or begin at the doors to the church. It does not end or begin in the womb or on the battlefield or in the bedroom or in prison.

How we live our lives illustrates our respect for life. It does not boil down to where we stand on a couple of issues. My decision to vote for Kerry is based on my faith. I am who I am, and if my beliefs make me "not Catholic," then so be it.

Bob Kozlowski
South County

The teaching of the Church as expressed so eloquently in Archbishop Burke's Pastoral Letter will not be heard by those whose ears will not listen nor seen by those whose eyes are closed. Some have hardened their hearts and closed their minds to God, to His Church and to those whom He has appointed to lead us on our journey to the heavenly kingdom.

Next we see another letter from one who professes to be Catholic. These people talk of experiences which make them "Catholic". Being Catholic is more than 'experiences' - like true love, it is an act of the will - a conscious effort that the believer makes to know and do God's will. What we are witnessing seems to be the result of decades of failed doctrinal and spiritual formation which apparently was replaced by the "feel good" fuzzies of experiential modernism which leads to the rejection of the authority of Church and to a denial of fundamental doctrines required for true Faith.

The Catechism further states about faith:
Service of and witness to the faith are necessary for salvation: "So every one who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven; but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven."

Burke's priorities

After reading Archbishop Burke's letter, I must think otherwise when it states he is not endorsing a particular candidate. My inferential reading skills are quite good after 12 years of Catholic school education. This education and my faithful Mass attendance embolden me to vote for Sen. John Kerry.

The archbishop's plea for President George W. Bush using this relatively new prioritization of Catholic-values rhetoric does nothing to influence me. Shaped by 35 years of Catholic experiences, I will not let Burke guilt me into a confessional for my Catholic beliefs.

In the spirit of Christ's love, I am for the poor. I am for health care for all. I am for economic justice for blue-collar workers here and for workers abroad who are paid a pittance by big U.S. businesses. I am pro-public schools and believe it is our government's responsibility to give each of Christ's little ones, rich and poor, a quality education. I am for energizing the government's efforts to protect Social Security benefits.

I am pro-life, and that means I am against capital punishment, too. I am antiwar, and I will not apologize for believing Bush deceived us about Iraq, subsequently killing thousands of innocent people.

I respect Burke's prioritization for himself, but I will not let him nullify the Catholic person I have become with the help of his own Church's schools, teachings, clergy and lay faithful.

Tracy Fisher
St. Louis

Those who wish to reject the teaching of the Church should recall this:

Mindful of Christ's words to his apostles: "He who hears you, hears me",[49] the faithful receive with docility the teachings and directives that their pastors give them in different forms. (Catechism #87)

Source for the various letters.

- posted by LRS @ 6:52 AM   

 
A Twelve Step Program for Bishops to Deal with Pro-Abortion Catholic Politicians

Bishop Rene Henry Gracida, Bishop Emeritus of Corpus Christi Texas, has submitted to LifeSiteNews.com his twelve step program for bishops to deal effectively and charitably with the problem of pro-abortion Catholic politicians.

Bishop Gracida describes his Twelve-Step Program as "clear, coherent with the Faith, and in accordance with the requirements of canonical equity." He notes that if church penalties "are now to be dusted off and brought out of the cupboard within which they have lain dormant for almost half-a-century, it is because the balm of mercy and discretion of measure have failed to heal the growing infection of error and scandal inside the Church and the genocide increasing daily in the world around us." He concludes, "The time for half-measures and fear of reprisal, loss of position, temporal advantage, or career opportunity is over - the time for action is now."

Kudos to Bishop Gracida! This looks to be an excellent guide to for bishops (perhaps some Canon lawyers could comment? Ed Peters?

In his first step, he states, in part:

Any public and obstinate support, by word or by vote, of either abortion, or absent that, “only” the civil “right-to-choose abortion” qualifies as heresy.

This statement can be confirmed in the the Doctrinal Commentary of the Professio Fidei of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

The Twelve Step Program for Bishops
- posted by LRS @ 1:30 AM   

 
Eucharist as an Answer for Mankind

The Catholic Church is about to begin a year of reflection and deeper awareness of the Eucharist, "mystery of the faith."

The Year of the Eucharist, convoked by John Paul II, will begin next Sunday with the International Eucharistic Congress, in Guadalajara, Mexico. The Year will close in October 2005 with a Synod of Bishops.

For a perspective on these initiatives, ZENIT interviewed Cardinal Josef Tomko, retired prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples and president of the Pontifical Committee for International Eucharistic Congresses.

- posted by LRS @ 9:50 PM   

 
Is there a link here?
I accidently discovered a coincidence that I had not seen before as I was reviewing my post regarding Frank Flinn's article, "Balance on abortion has basis in history".

While doing some research, I came across another article which echoed much of what was in Mr. Flinn's article. The source of this other article is none other than the infamous anti-Catholic, pro-abortion group, "Catholics for a Free Choice".

The similarities were striking (FF=Frank Flinn, CFFC=Catholics for a Free Choice):

FF: Catholic teaching on abortion has never been unanimous.

CFFC: There has been no unanimous opinion [by the Church] on abortion at any time.
*******
FF: There are early second-century documents,like the Didache...against abortion.

CFFC: One of the earliest church documents, the Didache , condemns abortion...
*******
FF: ...none of the papal or Vatican teachings issue from the explicit infallible authority of the church.

CFFC: ...no pope has proclaimed the prohibition of abortion an "infallible" teaching.
*******
FF: St. Thomas Aquinas...subscribed to Aristotle's teaching...that the rational or specifically human faculty of the soul is infused not immediately at conception.

CFFC: St. Thomas Aquinas agreed [with Aristotle and St. Augustine], saying abortion was not homicide unless the fetus was "ensouled..."

There are more similarities between the two documents. Does it suggest similar beliefs and attitudes toward the Church?
- posted by LRS @ 9:45 PM   

 
Catholic Answers Voter's Guide Video...

Dear Friend of Catholic Answers,

A friend of our apostolate has made an online video out of our "Voter's Guide for Serious Catholics."

The last few weeks we have been working on the scripting, professional voice-overs, and matching the visuals to the voice.

And now it is done. We have uploaded the video to our web site at:

http://www.catholic.com/mm/video_vg1.asp

We are sending this link to you and to thousands more via e-mail.

The short video--about eight minutes long--is available in several file formats and will be viewable by those with either high-speed or dial-up connections.

Also available is another short video by popular Catholic apologist, Patrick Madrid. He covers the biblical basis behind the pro-life position in this 9-minute video:

http://www.catholic.com/mm/madrid_vg1.asp

Please forward the URL links for these pages to your friends and family members, and ask them to review it and share with others. The more people who vote in accord with basic moral principles, the better off our country will be.

And please remember to vote according to Catholic principles on Election Day.

Pax Christi,
Karl Keating

- posted by LRS @ 7:17 PM   

 
Catholics react pro and con to letter by Burke

Catholic parishioners leaving church Sunday morning gave mixed reviews on Archbishop Raymond Burke's letter defining his tough stance against voting for political candidates who support abortion and same-sex marriage.

Of course, this was to be expected. Can we guess who may have been disappointed or upset with Archbishop Burke's letter?

Burke's earlier declarations that it is a sin to vote for candidates who support abortion rights had already upset several area Democratic officeholders. Those officeholders say that by taking his stance, Burke is backing solely Republican candidates, who generally support his views.

It upset area politicians because no one was supposed to call upon them to account for their support of abortion and other evils.

And the implication that the Arcbishop is backing Republicans because of his views is a lie. First, the Archbishop is giving the teaching of the Church, not his personal views. Second, if it seems as if the Archbishop is giving support to the Republican party, it may have everything to do with the Democratic party's abandonment of morality.

On North Grand Boulevard stands St. Alphonsus "Rock" Catholic Church. Six parishioners there on Sunday who were willing to talk about Burke's letter were split on whether to follow his wishes.

Barbara Harris, who has attended the Catholic church since she was 8, said it was none of Burke's business how she votes.

"He's out of line," she said. "He doesn't have the right to tell people who to vote for. That's each person's personal right and freedom."

It is the Archbishop's duty to teach - even obstinate people such as this whose pride blinds thems and keeps them in darkness. Some people have been in the darkness so long, that even the dimmest ray of light causes them severe pain. Thay have made themselves slaves to darkness.

Lifelong Catholic Kevin McKinney says he is torn over Burke's letter. He said that in some instances - such as pregnancies of rape victims and young teenagers - abortions should be acceptable.

"But the Catholic church doesn't believe in it," said McKinney, adding that Burke's remarks would have no effect on how he would vote.

The priest of the parish needs to have a talk with people like this who fail to grasp the consequences of what they are saying - Why should it be permissible to execute the innocent children who have been conceived in an act of violence? Although we must show compassion and help those who are victimized by rape or incest, we must not forsake the innocent child. The unborn child who is conceived by this act of violence is no less of a child merely because he or she came into existence by a deplorable act. It is inexcusable to assume that unborn children are deserving of the death penalty for crimes of their fathers.

Off-duty St. Louis police Lt. Luther Black was securing the parking lot at St. Alphonsus. A lifelong Catholic, Black said Burke's letter violated federal law and showed Burke was too controlling.

"Burke has come in like a storm trooper," Black said. "The Catholic Church should not be involved in politics because they are getting everything tax-free. I think it's up to the individual. His vote is his privilege in a free society."

The officer who professes to be Catholic has no understanding what it means to be Catholic. What a shameful spectacle this is!

I doubt that very many of those who are so opposed to the truth have read the Pastoral Letter. It is far more likely that many of them are picking up little morsels here and there, many of probably have very little to do with what Archbishop Burke stated. The truth is also a casuality of this spiritual battle.

Article.
- posted by LRS @ 6:53 AM   

 
Population shift forces parishes to weigh future
The Post-Dispatch provides an update on a meeting Wednesday night to hear Monsignor Dennis E. Doerhoff and others present ideas and invite comments on the future of the parishes in the South City Deanery. The South City Deanery has 35 churches and 18 schools.

Some statistics of which I was unaware were these:

Studies show that the number of Catholics in the northeast part of the county dropped to 54,000 from 107,000 in 1970. The Catholic population on the South Side dropped in that time to 44,800 from 96,800.

Article here.
- posted by LRS @ 6:45 AM   

 
Oct 4, Memorial: St. Francis of Assisi, Religious
From: Galatians 1:6-12

A Warning
---------
[6] I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and turning to a different gospel--[7] not that there is another gospel, but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. [8] But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to that which we preached to you, let him be accursed. [9] As we have said before, so now I say again, If any one is preaching to you a gospel contrary to that which you received, let him be accursed.

[10] Am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still pleasing men, I should not be a servant of Christ.

God's Call
----------
[11] For I would have you know, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not man's gospel. [12] For I did not receive it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came through a revelation of Jesus Christ.

***************************************
Commentary:

6-9. The Galatians had suddenly begun to go off course, for no sooner had St Paul preached to them during his second visit, than enemies of his appeared on the scene seeking to undermine his authority and had won over the Galatians, especially on the matter of circumcision.

In view of this, the Apostle clearly and forcefully spells out to the Galatians that there is only one Gospel, only one way to attain salvation. "These people", St Jerome explains, "wanted to change the Gospel, to twist it; but that is something they cannot succeed in doing, for this Gospel is such that it cannot be true if it is
tampered with" ("Comm. in Gal", 1, 7).

The content of Revelation--the deposit of faith--cannot be interfered with. The Apostles, as their very title implies, were sent to pass on, in all its integrity, what had been entrusted to them (cf. 1 Cor 11:23). That is why St Paul tells his assistants in the government of the Church, Titus and Timothy, to guard very carefully the truths he has taught them (cf. 1 Tim 6:20; 2 Tim 1:14; Tit 1:9; 2:1; etc.).

St Paul is extremely insistent on the need to protect the deposit of faith, and he reacts very forcefully against those who seek to adulterate it, as we can see in this present text. Any attempt to replace the true Gospel of Jesus Christ with a different teaching does indeed warrant the severe judgment which the Apostle here delivers in God's name. In the same way, "the Church which received the office of safeguarding the deposit of faith along with the apostolic duty of teaching, likewise possesses the right and duty of proscribing [...] opinions that are known to be opposed to the doctrine of the faith" (Vatican I, "Dei Filius", chap. 4).

There is, then, no "new Christianity" waiting to be discovered. "The Christian economy, therefore, since it is the new and definitive covenant, will never pass away; and no new public revelation is to be expected before the glorious manifestation of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Vatican II, "Dei Verbum", 5).

10. One of the accusations directed against St Paul was that, in order to make it easier for people to become Christians, he tried to win them over by not requiring Gentiles to undergo circumcision. In fact the Apostle's only aim was to serve Christ; for him, as St John Chrysostom put it, "to love Christ was life, the world, heaven, present well-being, the kingdom, the promise, immeasurable good; outside of this he did not concern himself with classifying things as sorrowful or joyful, nor did he regard anything that one might have in this world as disagreeable or pleasant" ("Second Hom. in Praise of St Paul").

St Paul can assert that he did not mind if there were people who did not understand him or even rejected his teaching. He had plenty of experience of opposition to the demands of the Gospel; and this never led him to play down the reality of the Cross in order to make more acceptable the truth he was proclaiming. In addition to lack of response from Gentiles, his faithfulness to Christ had also earned him enmity and persecution from Jews (cf. Acts 13:50).

We can learn a great deal from Paul to help us not to be cowed by "what people may think". Although Christian living does sometimes clash with the environment around us, we should not desist from trying to be faithful to the demands of the Gospel. "Therefore, when in our own life or in that of others we notice something that is not going well, something that requires the spiritual and human help which, as children of God, we can and ought to provide, then a clear sign of prudence is to apply the appropriate remedy by going to the root of the trouble, resolutely, lovingly and sincerely. There is no room here for inhibitions, for it is a great mistake to think that problems can be solved by inaction or procrastination" ([St] J. Escriva, "Friends of God",157).

St Teresa, for her part, writes: "We are trying to attain union with God. We want to follow the counsels of Christ, on whom were showered insults and false witness. Are we, then, really so anxious to keep intact our own reputation and credit? We cannot do so and yet attain to union, for the two ways diverge" ("Life", chap. 31). If we are truly to serve God we must be ready to face indifference and misunderstanding whenever it may arise. "You must indeed have purified your intention well when you said: From this moment on I renounce all human gratitude and reward" ([St] J. Escriva, "The Way", 789).

11-12. "What shall I do, Lord?" (Acts 22:10), Paul asked at the moment of his conversion. Jesus replied, 'Rise, and go into Damascus, and there you will be told all that is appointed for you to do" (ibid.). The former persecutor, now under the influence of grace, will receive instruction and Baptism through the ordinary course of divine Providence--from a man, Ananias. Thereby Jesus led him to humility, obedience and abandonment. The Gospel which St Paul preached was identical with that preached by the other Apostles, and already had the character of "tradition" in the nascent Church (cf. 1 Cor 15:3; Gal 2:2). This is compatible with Paul's claim--made in this passage--that his Gospel does not come from any man but through a revelation from Jesus Christ. Firstly, because on seeing the risen Christ he was given supernatural light to understand that Jesus was not only the Messiah but also the Son of God; and also because this first revelation was followed by many others to which he refers in his epistles (cf. 1 Cor 11:23; 13:3-8 and especially 2 Cor 12:1-4).

***********************************************
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.
- posted by LRS @ 5:43 AM   

 
Holy Father Makes a Rosary Appeal

The Pope made his appeal today in St. Peter's Square at the end of the Mass in which he proclaimed five new blessed.

On this first Sunday of October, month dedicated in a special way to the Virgin of the Rosary, I invite you to recite this beautiful prayer, imitating also in this the new blessed," the Holy Father said.

Source.
- posted by LRS @ 7:39 PM   

 
Theologians discuss criteria for voters when candidates back abortion

A Catholic would be cooperating in evil by voting for a candidate for public office simply because of the candidate's support for legal abortion or euthanasia, said moral theologians contacted by Catholic News Service.

But -- with one major exception -- most of the theologians also concluded that a Catholic might still find morally acceptable reasons to vote for such a candidate in spite of the candidate's support for abortion or euthanasia.

Some theolgians insist in making simple matters more complicated than they are. In discussing "proportionate reasons":

Dominican Father Kevin O'Rourke, Christian ethics professor at the Neiswanger Institute for Bioethics and Health Policy at the medical school of Loyola University in Chicago, said when the footnote speaks of a "proportionate reason" needed to vote for a candidate who supports permissive abortion or euthanasia laws, it refers to what moral theology calls "an application of the principle of double effect."

"When you foresee that your good action will also have an evil effect which you don't intend," he explained, "you justify that evil effect by saying there's a proportionate reason -- or, what I like to say, there's an adequate reason -- for allowing the evil."

In our current presidential debate, this is an exercise in hypotheticals. It is clear that there are no "proportionate reasons" that would allow a Catholic, who possesses a fully and rightly formed conscience, to cast a vote for or otherwise support John Kerry. While George Bush may think it is permissible to allow for abortion in the case of rape or incest, Kerry advocates the primacy of the so called "right to choose" - an unlimited and unrestricted choice to murder innocent unborn children. A Catholic is obligated to choose the candidate who would limit the evil - in this case, that would be George Bush.

A Catholic who has a fully and rightly formed conscience would agree with Germain Grisez:

But moral theologian Germain Grisez of Mount St. Mary's Seminary in Emmitsburg, Md., argued in effect that there would be almost no proportionate reason to vote for a candidate who opposes banning abortion over one who supports a ban, in view of the scope and horror of abortion.

..objectively, anyone who's supporting abortion in this country is a very unjust person," he added. "To justify voting for a person like that, one has to be in a situation where the only alternative is someone who's just as bad as that and worse. ... It goes straight to the character of the person and it's a very fundamental, horrible kind of wickedness -- someone who's willing to tear apart little babies and rip them to pieces and flush them down and do it on a grand scale, day after day, millions and millions of them, that's sickeningly wicked."

In this country alone, about 1.5 million children are summarily murdered annually. Globally, the number seems to be in excess of 60+ million per year. Nothing in the history of mankind can be viewed as worse than this atrocity, this plague which will doom our country and all others which embrace it. Those who suggest otherwise should pray to God for enlightenment.

Article here.
- posted by LRS @ 1:54 PM   

 
Catholic News Service continues its support of questionable organizations
By refusing to comment or question the statements of Pax Christi USA, CNS, in effect, demonstrates an endorsement of the flawed philosophies of that group.

The statements of this group are in direct opposition to the teachings of the Church.

I noticed the statement of Auxiliary Bishop Gabino Zavala of Los Angeles, bishop president of Pax Christi USA, last Friday and decided not to say anything about. But now that Catholic News Service has decided to promote it, it cannot be left unchallenged. Unfortunately, the theme "Life does not end at birth" is inadequate for it does not address the fundamental issue that some are denied the right to life or, more appropriately in today's society, the opportunity to be born.

To work for the common good Catholics must base their political votes "on the full range of issues," Pax Christi USA said Oct. 1 in a statement titled "Life Does Not End at Birth." Its statement, also signed by more than 200 Catholic organizations, was published Oct. 1 as a full-page paid advertisement in daily newspapers in Erie and Allentown, Pa.; Columbus, Ohio; and Morgantown, W.Va.

I suppose we will have to see who these 200 "Catholic" organizations are. Certainly they must be stalwart defenders of the faith!
First, Catholic Culture recently re-evaluated CNS and Pax Christi for fidelity, and as a result, CNS was given a "Caution" rating:

Catholic News Service was created in 1920 by the bishops of the United States. CNS is editorially independent and a financially self-sustaining division of the U.S. Catholic Conference. CNS specializes in reporting the news which affects Catholics in their everyday lives. This site is filled with news and articles, but needs to be used with caution as some of the articles contain some very questionable material. A better source for national and world news affecting the Church would be Catholic World News or Zenit.

And Pax Christi was given a rating of "Danger!":

According to their mission statement Pax Christi USA "rejects war, preparations for war, and every form of violence and domination. It advocates primacy of conscience, economic and social justice, and respect for creation.... Pax Christi USA works toward a more peaceful, just, and sustainable world." Unfortunately, their version of violence and domination is often at odds with the Church and her teachings. They seem to care more about finding common ground with abortionists and the gay rights lobby than about working for true peace.

Archbishop Burke, echoing the Holy Father, in presenting the teaching of the Church, tells us:

Some Catholics, too, have suggested that a candidate's position on other issues involving human rights are as important as his or her position on the right to life. Our Holy Father Pope John Paul II has reminded us that, in order to defend all human rights, we must first defend the right to life.

Catholic News Service is in need of extraordinary oversight by bishops of courage and fortitude. It should be cleansed of those who continue to use their positions to degrade or corrupt the teachings of the Church.

CNS Article here.
- posted by LRS @ 12:21 PM   

 
The Post Dispatch continues to sow weeds among the wheat
In today's issue of the Post-Disgrace, we have Frank K. Flinn, an adjunct professor of religious studies at Washington University in St. Louis, doing what he can to sow confusion among the faithful by appealing to the flawed scientific understanding of ensoulment as held by people such as St. Thomas Aquinas and using that as an argument to justify abortion.

Frank Flinn teaches, among other subjects, Christianity in the Modern World at Washington University. (Faculty Page here) This, I suspect, is what makes him emminently qualified to teach the faithful about Catholic moral theology, both in his mind and the mind of the Post - in direct opposition to the man appointed to be our spiritual father in the Faith.

Evidently, the Post thinks that he is more qualified to lead the faithful down the path of truth than Archbishop Burke. While Flinn does speak accurately about some of the historical data, he is incorrect regarding the moral absolutes to which we must conform our lives and his attempt to suggest that Archbishop Burke is flirting with the heresy of Donatism is disgraceful.

He suggests that there has been a "balanced view" of abortion throughout Church history. "Balanced view" is a term which seems to suggest that abortion was permitted by the Church at one time, but I'm certain this is not the case. It is not surpising that many who seek to rationalize an acceptance of the evil of abortion could make such a leap. The first attempt to confuse readers is this:

Catholic teaching on abortion has never been unanimous. The New Testament says nothing about abortion per se. There are early second century documents, like the Didache and the Epistle of Barnabas, and a few teachers, like Tertullian of Carthage, who spoke strongly against abortion.

The professor is wrong in his assertation. From the Catholic Encyclopedia, we read:

The Fathers of the Church unanimously maintained the same doctrine [that abortion is the murder of human beings]. In the fourth century the Council of Eliberis decreed that Holy Communion should be refused all the rest of her life, even on her deathbed, to an adulteress who had procured the abortion of her child. The Sixth Ecumenical Council determined for the whole Church that anyone who procured abortion should bear all the punishments inflicted on murderers. In all these teachings and enactments no distinction is made between the earlier and the later stages of gestation. For, though the opinion of Aristotle, or similar speculations, regarding the time when the rational soul is infused into the embryo, were practically accepted for many centuries still it was always held by the Church that he who destroyed what was to be a man was guilty of destroying a human life.

But other great Catholic teachers were not so adamant. St. Augustine, St. Anselm, St. Thomas Aquinas and the medieval jurist Gratian all subscribed to Aristotle's teaching about the human soul.

The professor is trying to confuse the issue with selected factual evidence condemning abortion with private opinions held by some of the early Church theologians regarding "ensoulment".

For the record, it is a fact that criminal abortion ceased wherever Christianity became established. This was due to the belief that directly willed abortion was sinful and to be condemned. While it may be true that very learned men accepted varying hypostheses of when "life" actually began - when ensoulment occurred, the Church and science state with certainty that at the very moment of conception, or fecundation, the embryo begins to live a distinct individual life.

Some people, such as Mr. Flinn, point out that St. Thomas Aquinas thought the soul did not come to the fetus ("ensoulment") until sometime after conception, but the fact remains that he considered abortion gravely sinful even before this time. He taught that it was a "grave sin against the natural law" to kill the fetus at any stage, and a graver sin of homicide to do so after ensoulment.

The teaching against abortion is and always has been independent of theories about ensoulment and the beginning of personhood, precisely because abortion challenges God's dominion over the entire process of human development, and also because even when in doubt, the willingness to kill what is probably human is the willingness to kill what is human (See Evangelium Vitae,#60).

The exact moment when the fetus becomes animated or ensouled has no practical significance as far as the morality of abortion is concerned, because every direct abortion is an act of murder by intent.

If a person does not know for certain that his action is not killing what might be a human being, he must accept the responsibility for murder if he continues by doing so. Anyone who is willing to kill what may be a human being is, by his very intention, willing to kill what is a human person. Regardless of when a fetus is animated or ensouled, to destroy it is to usurp a right that belongs only to God - not to man.

In addition, and contrary to the assertions of the professor, there are any number of biblical proof texts condemning abortion implicitly by condemning the precursor of abortion - contraception. This is not a theological leap but a natural consequence of rational thought.

The professor further seems to minimize the teaching authority of the Church:

It is of vital importance for Catholics and others to keep in mind three things in this debate. First, none of the papal or Vatican teachings issue from the explicit infallible authority of the church. There is obvious disagreement in the tradition despite what some church leaders want people to believe.

These statements are incorrect. The Church has consistently, throughout her history, condemned directly willed abortions and continues to do so. To state otherwise, is a violation of the truth and a denial of the authority of the Church to teach in matters of faith and morals. There is no evidence anywhere that the Church permitted abortion. The the doctrine on the grave immorality of direct and voluntary killing of an innocent human being is a divinely revealed truth of God. (See the Doctrinal Commentary of the Concluding Formula of the Professio Fidei, #11 by the Congragation for the Doctrine of the Faith)

...the Church also teaches infallibly whenever her bishops, united with the Pope, proclaim that something is to be accepted by all the faithful. Thus abortion was condemned as murder by the Catholic hierarchy, under the Pope, already in the first century of the Christian era--and ever since. It is therefore infallibly true that abortion is a crime of willful homicide. (Fr. John Hardon, "Contraception: Fatal to the faith.")

As I stated before, the professor did happen to get some things right:

Second, the Catholic Church condemns direct therapeutic abortion but does allow for indirect abortions that aim not directly at the fetus but at the removal of a diseased or endangering condition such as a cancerous uterus or an ektopic pregnancy in the fallopian tube.

However, Mr. Flinn then proceeds to denigrate the hierarchy by stating something which is absolutely false and borders on slander:

Average Catholics are not aware of these exceptions, and their priests and bishops are often happy to keep them in their state of ignorance.

He then continues with a blatant mischarecterization of the Church's position. While there may have been (and may still be) some bishops and priests who embraced a separation of one's faith from one's state in life - this is contrary to the teachings of Christ:

...the Church has always allowed Catholic politicians the autonomy to seek compromises, such as laws that restrict only some abortions, or laws that address the conditions that give rise to abortion.

It can be statistically shown that an increase in employment decreases the number of unwanted pregnancies and abortions in the general population.

In this case, a Catholic politician may support a political platform that supports abortion in theory, yet also seeks to expand employment because the latter actually reduces the number of abortions.

This is the position of the "Catholics for Kerry" group and other dissident groups and it is completely without foundation and contrary to what the Church teaches. What reputable source would indicate that such statistics are true and verifiable? If this were indeed the case, certainly we would have the data available to demonstrate that during the periods of low unemployment during the past 3+ decades, abortion was significantly reduced. This claim, I believe, is a tactic used to distract people from the true evil of abortion.

The professor, then finishes his 'discourse' by claiming that "Cardinal Theodore McCarrick of Washington and most American bishops oppose Archbishop Burke's position. It seems even the Vatican's Cardinal Ratzinger has sided with Cardinal McCarrick."

Here he confuses Archbishop Burke's readiness to follow Canon Law with the Church's teaching on abortion. This, it seems, is designed to cause the reader to become further opposed to the truth which the Archbishop gives us. Because Cardinal McCarrick and others are reluctant to follow Church law is really an irrelevant point.

Mr. Flinn finally appeals to St. Alphonsus Liguori as if St. Alphonsus would choose to side side with Satan and all those who are disposed to the promotion of abortion and advancing the lies of the Evil One.

I'm certain that the Post will continue to look for others who are eager to vent their poisonous diatribes against the Church and Archbishop Burke and, in so doing, do harm to the readers who may be be taken in by the falsehoods couched in seemingly true historical and theological language.

It is our duty to pray for those souls who are confused and to enlighten those who will listen with the Gospel, regardless of the suffering that must be endured.

Pray also for Archbishop Burke, who is the subject of scorn and ridicule by those who are hell-bent on preserving the "right" to murder the innocent. He needs our prayers because of the difficult task God has given him.

The Post Article is here


- posted by LRS @ 10:40 AM   

 
Not on the radar: No one at Vatican asks about Bush, Kerry
Cindy Wooden, the author of this article by Catholic News service, writes that:

Cardinal Ratzinger's statement "has been misrepresented" by people on both sides -- those who think such politicians always should be publicly condemned and those who think bishops have no right to point out the sinfulness of supporting abortion...

"But I think the bishops feel they are at peace with what they are doing," Bishop Mulvee said. [Bishop Robert E. Mulvee is the bishop of Providence, R.I.]

It's certainly encouraging that many bishops are at peace with what they are doing or not doing. Despite the fact that some ignor explicit directives of the Church is not a reason to be concerned. Nor should one be concerned about the scandal that is given by those who are, objectively, in manifest, grave sin.

All of us (including bishops and priests)should reflect on the questions posed Friday by Archbishop Burke when he asked:

How will I answer our Lord when He asks me about my brothers and sisters who have grown weak under the burden of advanced years, grave illness or special needs, whose so-called "mercy killing" has been made legal in some places and is proposed to be made legal everywhere in our nation?

How will I answer our Lord when He asks me about what I, as bishop, have done to teach the inviolability of human life from the moment of conception to the moment of natural death?

CNS article here.
- posted by LRS @ 7:35 AM   

 
From the Post Dispatch: When does a vote become a sin ?
Tim Townsend of the Post Disgrace has written an article in which he seems to assume the role of a Catholic moral theologian, not overtly, but in a manner indicative of those who, for many decades, have attempted to undermine the teachings of the Church by causing doubt, confusion and obfuscation.

The belief among some Catholics that a candidate's position on the death penalty and war are as important as his or her position on abortion or same-sex marriage "is not true," writes Burke.

The belief of these "Catholics" is demonstrative of their failure to learn what the Church teaches or of their denial of that teaching.

Burke's words seem to be at odds, however, with a 2002 Vatican document that addresses the issue of voting. "The Christian faith is an integral unity, and thus it is incoherent to isolate some particular element to the detriment of the whole of Catholic doctrine. A political commitment to a single isolated aspect of the Church's social doctrine does not exhaust one's responsibility towards the common good. . . ," reads the Doctrinal Note on Some Questions Regarding the Participation of Catholics in Political Life.

One wonders from whom Mr. Townsend received this excerpt...Unfortunately, the quote is being taken out of context, and this is a disservice to the reader. The previous sentence of the paragraph from which the above quote was taken states:

"In this context,it must be noted also that a well-formed Christian conscience does not permit one to vote for a political program or an individual law which contradicts the fundamental contents of faith and morals."

We can plainly see that Cardinal Ratzinger, in obedience to the teaching of the Church and the Holy Father, states that one cannot isolate a particular element to the detriment of the whole - especially when one chooses to ignore that element which is fundamental and of primary importance - that element regarding the dignity and sanctity of life, the issue of opposing all laws that attack human life, particularly the life of the innocent.

But Mr. Townsend is not finished yet. By some stroke of luck, it seems, Archbishop Burke wrote something which conformed to Cardinal Ratzinger's thoughts:

Oddly, Burke's position does agree with part of Ratzinger's personal opinion, laid out in a memo to Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick of Washington in June.

This is nothing more than an attack to cast doubts on the validity and authority of the Pastoral Letter and on the Archbishop.

It is also a veiled attack suggesting that Cardinal Ratzinger's June "private memo" was nothing more than personal opinion despite the fact that what was stated concerned principles of basic Catholic moral doctrine.

Be that as it may, Mr. Townsend, our new self appointed moral theologian, continues:

The fact remains, however, according to Burke's letter, that as long as the many specific conditions are met, and the voter has weighed the proportionate reasons, a Catholic can vote for a candidate who supports abortion rights.

Voters' proportionate reasons often turn out to be social issues important to traditional Catholic moral teaching — issues such as capital punishment, war, the environment and poverty. In his letter, Burke says these proportionate reasons are not as important as his priority reasons.

Contrary to what Mr. Townsend says, Archbishop Burke did not use the term "proportionate reason" anywhere in his Pastoral Letter. This may have been a deliberate act by Archbishop Burke to avoid having those, such as Mr. Townsend, from distorting the clear principles that he enumerated in his Letter. Further, the Archbishop is quite clear that other issues do not rise to the level of those matters which are intrinsically evil. Therefore, they cannot be used in an appeal to "proportionate reasons" to vote for a pro-abortion candidate, except in a very limited case - which does not exist in our current politcal situation.

And again, the attack on the Archbishop by the use of the words >"his priority reasons" is disgraceful. It is also a distortion of truth and an injustice to the readers of the Post, Catholics in the Archdiocese and the Archbishop.

Archbishop Burke has given us the teaching of the Church, not "his priority reasons".

St. Louis Catholics should not be surprised by their new archbishop's focus on life issues.

Perhaps, some are surprised that Archbishop Burke demonstrates a fidelity to the teachings of Church and to the Holy Father and that he wishes to impart the fullness of the Faith to the faithful? Many of us, however, are thankful and we give thanks to God daily that he is our Archbishop, teacher, and shepherd.

Many of us are grateful that we have a shepherd who is not afraid to give us the truth and guide us to a better understanding of that truth. Thankfully also, we do not have to rely on the Post-Dispatch for the truth. And Mr. Townsend should keep his day job - a moral theologian he's not.

The article is here.
- posted by LRS @ 2:44 AM   

 
Oct 3, 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time
From: 2 Timothy 1:6-8, 13-14

Response to Grace
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[6] Hence I remind you to rekindle the gift of God that is within you through the laying on of my hands; [7] God did not give us a spirit of timidity but a spirit of power and love and self-control.

St Paul, Herald of the Gospel
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[8] Do not be ashamed then of testifying to our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but take your share of suffering for the gospel in the power of God. [13] Follow the pattern of the sound words which you have heard from me, in the faith and love which are in Christ Jesus; [14] guard the truth that has been entrusted to you by the Holy Spirit who dwells within us.
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Commentary:

6. "The gift of G od" is the priestly character which Timothy received on the day of his ordination. St Paul is using very graphic and precise language: by the sacrament of Order a divine gift is conferred on the priest; it is like an ember which needs to be revived from time to time in order to make it glow and give forth the warmth it contains. St Thomas Aquinas comments that "the grace of God is like a fire which does not flow when it is covered by ashes; the same thing happens when grace is covered over in a person by sluggishness or natural fear" ("Commentary on 2 Tim, ad loc.").

The gifts which God confers on the priest "are not transitory or temporary in him, but stable and permanent, attached as they are to an indelible character, impressed on his soul, by which he is made a priest forever (cf. Ps 109:4), in the likeness of Him in whose priesthood he has been made to share" (Pius XI, "Ad Catholici Sacerdotii", 17).

"The laying on of my hands": see the note on 1 Tim 4:14.

7. The gift of God, received in the sacrament of Order by the laying on of hands, includes sanctifying grace and sacramental grace, and the actual graces needed for performing ministerial functions in a worthy manner. The Council of Trent uses this text (vv. 6-7) when it solemnly defines that Priestly Order is a sacrament instituted by Jesus Christ (cf. "De Sacram. Ordinis", chap. 3).

The minister, then, must be courageous in performing his office: he should preach the truth unambiguously even if it clashes with the surroundings; he should do so with love, and be open to everyone despite their faults; with sobriety and moderation, always seeing the good of souls, not his own advantage. Since the days of the Fathers the Church has urged priests to develop these virtues: "Priests should be compassionate", St Polycarp warns; "they should show mercy to all; they should try to reclaim those who go astray, visit the sick, and care for the poor, the orphan and the widow. They should be concerned always to do what is honorable in the sight of God and men. They should avoid any show of anger, any partiality or trace of greed. They should not be over-ready to believe ill of anyone, not too severe in their censure, being well aware that we all owe the debt of sin" ("Letter to the Philippians", chap. 6).

13-14. In guarding what has been entrusted to him (cf. notes on 1 Tim 6:20 and 2 Tim 1:12), Timothy, like all the pastors of the Church, receives the supernatural help of the Holy Spirit. "Guiding the Churchin the way of all truth (cf. Jn 16:13) and unifying her in communion and in the works of the ministry, (the Spirit) bestows upon her varied hierarchic and charismatic gifts, and in this way directs her; and he adorns her with his fruits (cf. Eph 4:11-12; 1 Cor 12:4; Gal 5:22)" (Vatican II, "Lume n Gentium", 4).

The Holy Spirit has been with the Church since the day of Pentecost, ever-active in the sanctification of all believers. His action includes guaranteeing the faithful transmission of the entire body of teaching revealed by God, ensuring that it be unchanged in any way.

The First Vatican Council teaches that the Holy Spirit "was not promised to the successors of St. Peter so that they by their own revelation might make known some new teaching; he was promised so that by means of his help they might reverently guard and faithfully expound the revelation transmitted by the Apostles, that is, the deposit of faith" ("Pastor Aeternus", Chap. 4).

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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.
- posted by LRS @ 12:01 AM   

 
Extra Edition on KMOV TV (Ch 4) @ 6:30pm
Here are some of the subjects that will be featured at 6:30 this evening on "Extra Edition," a weekly half-hour news show produced by the Post-Dispatch and KMOV (Channel 4):

The Rev. Edward J. Richard, spokesman for St. Louis' Roman Catholic Archbishop Raymond Burke, discusses the archbishop's latest communication on voting and the abortion issue.

This would be a show worth watching. Father Richard will give us the Archbishop's perspective on yesterday's pastoral letter.

- posted by LRS @ 1:10 PM   

 
Oct 2, Memorial: The Guardian Angels
From: Matthew 18:1-5, 10

The "Little Ones" and the Kingdom. The Lost Sheep
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[1] At that time, the disciples came to Jesus, saying, "Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?" [2] And calling to Him a child, He put him in the midst of them, [3] and said, "Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven. [4] Whoever humbles himself like this child, he is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.

[5] "Whoever receives one such child in My name receives Me.

[10] "See that you do not despise one of these little ones; for I tell you that in Heaven their angels always behold the face of My Father who is in Heaven.

***********************************************************************
Commentary:

1-35. The teachings of Jesus recorded in chapter 18 of St. Matthew are often called the "discourse on the Church" or "ecclesiastical discourse" because they are a series of instructions on the way in which His Church is to be administered.

The first passage (Matthew 18:1-5), addressed to leaders, that is, the future hierarchy of the Church, warns them against natural tendencies to pride and ambition: even though they have positions of government, they must act with humility. In verses 6-10 Jesus emphasizes the fatherly care which pastors of the Church should have for the "little ones"--a term which covers everyone in need of special care for whatever reason (because they are recent converts, or are not well grounded in Church teaching, or are not yet adults, etc.)... God takes special care of the weak and will punish those who harm them.

Our Lord shows similar concern for those who are experiencing spiritual difficulties. Every effort, even an heroic effort, must be made to seek out the "lost sheep" (verses 12-14). If the Church in general and each Christian in particular should be concerned to spread the Gospel, all the more reason for them to try and see that those who already embraced the faith do not go astray...

Thus, the whole of Chapter 18, the "discourse of the Church", is a survey of the future history of the Church during its earthly stage, and a series of practical rules for conduct for Christians--a kind of complement to the Sermon on the Mount, (Chapters 5-7), which is a "magna carta" for the new Kingdom established by Christ.

1-6. Clearly the disciples still suffer from human ambition: they want to occupy key positions when Jesus comes to establish the Kingdom on earth (cf. Acts 1:6). To correct their pride, our Lord shows them a child and tells them that if they want to enter the Kingdom of Heaven, they must decide to be like children: children are incapable of hating anyone and are totally innocent of vice, particularly of pride, the worst vice of all. They are simple and full of trust.

Humility is one of the main pillars of the Christian life. "If you ask me", St. Augustine says, "what is the essential thing in the religion and discipline of Jesus Christ, I shall reply: first humility, second humility and third humility" ("Letter 118").

3-4. Applying these words to our Lord's virtues, Fray Luis de Granada makes the point that humility is superior to virginity: "If you cannot imitate the virginity of the humble, then imitate the humility of the virgin. Virginity is praiseworthy, but humility is more necessary. The former is recommended to us, the latter is an obligation for us; to the former we are invited, to the latter we are obliged [...]. And so we see that the former is celebrated as voluntary sacrifice, the latter required as an obligatory sacrifice. Lastly, you can be saved without virginity, but not without humility" ("Summa De La Vida Cristiana", Book 3, Part 2, Chapter 10).

5. Receiving a child in Jesus' name is the same as receiving Jesus Himself. Because children reflect the innocence, purity, simplicity and tenderness of our Lord, "In children and in the sick a soul in love sees Him" ([St] J. Escriva, "The Way", 419).

10. Jesus warns that giving scandal to little children is a very serious matter, for they have angels who guard them, who will plead a case before God against those who led them to commit sin.

In this context He speaks of children having guardian angels. However, everyone, adult or child, has a guardian angel. "By God's providence angels have been entrusted with the office of guarding the human race and of accompanying every human being so as to preserve him from any serious dangers [...]. Our Heavenly Father has placed over each of us an angel under whose protection and vigilance we are" ("St. Pius V Catechism", IV, 9, 4).

This means that we should have a trusting relationship with our guardian angel. "Have confidence in your guardian Angel. Treat him as a lifelong friend--that is what he is--and he will render you a thousand services in the ordinary affairs of each day" ([St] J. Escriva, "The Way", 562).
***********************************************************************
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.


- posted by LRS @ 2:17 AM   

 
Another example of utter idiocy
Roosevelt Quote in Courthouse to Be Covered

RIVERSIDE, Calif. (AP) - A Theodore Roosevelt quote displayed on the wall of a courthouse will be covered up after critics complained the comment about Christianity violated the separation of church and state.

Roosevelt's remark that "the true Christian is the true citizen" was part of a longer address the president gave at a YMCA convention more than a century ago.

The Anti-Defamation League sent a letter to the court in July asking that the quote be covered because it could be interpreted as a direct "endorsement of Christian faith."

Article here.
- posted by LRS @ 10:40 PM   

 
Reuters: Jews Upset as Pope to Beatify Mel Gibson's 'Muse'

Never one to shrink from criticism, Pope John Paul is again putting controversial figures on the road to sainthood, including Austria's last emperor and a mystic nun who inspired Mel Gibson's film on Christ's passion.

Jewish groups condemned the film, saying it would spur new forms of visceral anti-Semitism. They now fear that moving [Anne Catherine]Emmerick closer to the glories of the altars, as sainthood is known, will only make matters worse.

I suppose we will see a resurgence of all the violence that occurred after people saw "The Passion"...? How is it possible that some people can be so...preposterous?

Article here.
- posted by LRS @ 10:30 PM   

 
Post Dispatch weighs in on Abp. Burke's Pastoral Letter

Earlier this summer, Burke told news outlets it was a grave sin for Catholics to vote for a politician who supports abortion rights. Last month, he seemed to soften that stance by saying that only if a Catholic were to vote for a politican who supports abortion rights because of that politician's position on the issue, would the voter be committing be a grave sin.

Unfortunately, the Post determined and opined that Archbishop Burke was softening his stance. In fact, he was not. The failure of the Post to understand the theological principles and concepts in previous conversations with the Archbishop are clarified in today's Letter.

In the 8,600-word letter, Burke further explained the statements he made last month, but in the following paragraph, he seemed to backtrack, writing, "...there is no element of the common good, no morally good practice, that a candidate may promote and to which a voter may be dedicated, which could justify voting for a candidate who also endorses and supports the deliberate killing of the innocent, abortion, embryonic stem-cell research, euthanasia, human cloning or the recognition of a same-sex relationship as legal marriage. These elements are so fundamental to the common good that they cannot be subordinated to any other cause, no matter how good." [my emphasis]

As much as one may wish to view this as "backtracking", it is not. This is precisely what Archbishop Burke has consistently stated. But the Post, which appears to be dissatisfied with the clear, concise and unambiguous teaching of the Church as presented by the Archbishop, is, nonetheless, quick to "qualify" or temper the truth contained in the Pastoral Letter:

Using complicated Catholic moral teaching, Burke explained the way in which a Catholic voter must go about choosing a candidate for public office by comparing the candidate's positions to Catholic tradition.

While there are complicated principles of Catholic moral teaching reflected in the Letter, the Archbishop simplifies it - he brings it to a level for understanding by the ordinary layman who might not have a firm grasp of these principles.

The Archbishop should be praised and thanked for this Letter which is aimed at teaching the faithful of the archdiocese and others who would read it. Furthering the common good by responsible citizenship is something which one would think the Post Dispatch would embrace.

Perhaps, I am reading the Post's articles with jaundiced eyes and see things which are not really there. Experience has taught me, however, to be discerning when reading secular sources like this.

Read it yourself here.
- posted by LRS @ 12:27 PM   

 
Summary Points of the Pastoral Letter
SUMMARY POINTS
The Pastoral Letter of Archbishop Raymond Leo Burke
ON OUR CIVIC RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE COMMON GOOD

1. The Archbishop is impelled to speak to Catholics and all people of good will in the metropolitan community on Our Civic Responsibility for the Common Good on account of his responsibility as a Bishop to teach clearly the moral law.

2. Scripture teaches definitively that we are our “brother’s keeper,” good Samaritans charged to exercise our civic responsibility to promote the common good. Above all, we must promote and protect the inviolable dignity of all human life.

We are called to be “Christians Without Borders,” without boundaries to our love of neighbor.

3. Our civic responsibility to promote the common good is informed by our life in Christ, which unites us in a bond of charity.

4. As citizens of Heaven and earth we are bound by the moral law to act with respect for the rights of others and to promote the common good.

5. The right to act in accord with conscience presupposes that it is informed with the truth God has inscribed in our hearts and revealed in Sacred Scripture. Conscience is the voice of God within us, assisting us to choose good and to avoid evil, in accord with God’s law.

6. We are morally bound in conscience to choose government leaders who will serve the common good. The first priority of the common good is the protection of human life, the basis of all other social conditions.

There can never be justification for directly and deliberately taking innocent human life: abortion, destruction of human embryos, euthanasia, human cloning.

Legal recognition of same-sex relationships undermines the truth about marriage and sanctions gravely immoral acts.

For the sake of the common good we must safeguard the good of human life and the good of marriage and family life.

The death penalty and war are different from procured abortion and same-sex “marriage”, since these latter acts are intrinsically evil and therefore can never be justified. Although war and capital punishment can rarely be justified, they are not intrinsically evil.

7. To insure the common good Catholics have a responsibility to vote for a worthy candidate, because the welfare of the community depends upon the persons elected and appointed to office.

8. It is never right to vote for a candidate in order to promote immoral practices; this is “formal cooperation” in evil.

In some circumstances it is morally permissible for a Catholic to vote for a candidate who supports some immoral practices while opposing other immoral practices. This is called “material cooperation” and is permissible under certain conditions and when it is impossible to avoid all cooperation with evil, as may well be true in selecting a candidate for public office.

There is no element of the common good that could justify voting for a candidate who also endorses, without restriction or limitation, the deliberate killing of the innocent, abortion, embryonic stem-cell research, euthanasia, human cloning, or same-sex marriage.

9. If a candidate supports abortion in a limited number of cases, but is opposed otherwise, Catholics may vote for this person. This is not a question of choosing a lesser evil but of limiting all the evil one is able to limit at the time.

10. As Catholics we cannot remain silent. We have a serious obligation to bring the moral law to bear upon our life in society, so that the good of all will be served.

The Pastoral Letter and these summary points make it clear that those who have attempted to justify various peace and justice issues as having equal weight or have even attempted to justify them to the exclusion of the primary issues of abortion and other intrinsic evils, are, in fact, in serious error.

The Archbishop's unambiguous enunciation of our obligations as Catholics is clear.

- posted by LRS @ 7:48 AM