When we have to reply to someone who speaks harshly to us, we must always do it with gentleness. If we are angry, it is better to keep silence.
-St. Alphonsus
_________________________
From Mary, Help of Christians
Part VI, Thoughts and Counsels of the Saints for Every Day of the Year
Compiled by Fr. Bonaventure Hammer, OFM (© 1909, Benziger Brothers)
Monday, November 12, 2007
Meditation for November 13, Sanctity and the Cloister
In the third or fourth centuries it took nothing less than the desert to construct the edifice of perfection. Later on, when religious decided to live in the heart of cities or in their neighborhood, they surrounded themselves by high walls, protected themselves by grills; they could not imagine the fervent practice of asceticism without the cloister. St. Francis de Sales failed in his attempt to organize religious life without enclosure.
It would not be true to say that sanctity runs the streets, if by that we mean that the street is its most frequent habitat; it is correct to say, however, that it runs the streets if by that we understand that sanctity is not the exclusive privilege of deserts and cloisters. There are saints in families; in the factories; in drawing rooms. As someone has wittily said, "A Madame Leseur serves a cup of tea amiably; a Leon Harmel speaks to us of the latest stock quotation on cotton; a Guy de Fontgalland hurls himself heedlessly against our legs while running too fast."
But if it is true that one finds saints in the world, it would be a great misfortune if one did not find any at all in the religious life, where one would expect to find more, since that state provides so many more helps, and a program of life in which everything leads to God.
Do I profit by my vocation as I ought; of all that my vocation offers to sanctify me? What is the value of my prayer, of my devotion, of my obedience, of my zeal at work, of my charity, of my fidelity to the rule? I am not asked to strike my breast, as did St. Jerome, with a piece of rock, nor to pass my life on a pillar like a Stylites, or in a wall like a recluse; all that exterior show is not sanctity.
How far am I really convinced of this?
_________________
Adapted from Meditations for Religious
by Father Raoul Plus, S.J. (© 1939, Frederick Pustet Co.)
It would not be true to say that sanctity runs the streets, if by that we mean that the street is its most frequent habitat; it is correct to say, however, that it runs the streets if by that we understand that sanctity is not the exclusive privilege of deserts and cloisters. There are saints in families; in the factories; in drawing rooms. As someone has wittily said, "A Madame Leseur serves a cup of tea amiably; a Leon Harmel speaks to us of the latest stock quotation on cotton; a Guy de Fontgalland hurls himself heedlessly against our legs while running too fast."
But if it is true that one finds saints in the world, it would be a great misfortune if one did not find any at all in the religious life, where one would expect to find more, since that state provides so many more helps, and a program of life in which everything leads to God.
Do I profit by my vocation as I ought; of all that my vocation offers to sanctify me? What is the value of my prayer, of my devotion, of my obedience, of my zeal at work, of my charity, of my fidelity to the rule? I am not asked to strike my breast, as did St. Jerome, with a piece of rock, nor to pass my life on a pillar like a Stylites, or in a wall like a recluse; all that exterior show is not sanctity.
How far am I really convinced of this?
_________________
Adapted from Meditations for Religious
by Father Raoul Plus, S.J. (© 1939, Frederick Pustet Co.)
Cures Without Cloning Initiative Campaign
Cures Without Cloning - St. Charles County has scheduled three meetings for this weekend. These meetings are designed for you and anyone who is interested in the Cures Without Cloning Citizens' Initiative effort. The attendees will be brought up to date on where we are in the effort, what the strategy for St. Charles County is, and how individuals can help. There will also be an opportunity for anyone who may need to be trained to circulate a petition to do so at the end of the meeting. Attached is a flyer regarding the meetings. Please invite anyone you know that is interested in this issue. One only needs to attend one of the meetings.
The "Cures Without Cloning" campaign will begin to gather signatures very soon for the Initiative Petition required to place the cloning issue back before the voters in 2008.
Signatures will be gathered in a variety of places: churches, neighborhoods, individuals contacting family and friends, etc. Volunteers will be able to participate in whatever venues they are most comfortable.
Gathering signatures must be done according to the specifications of the Secretary of State, and must be done only by those who are registered.
There are three special meetings scheduled for November 17, 18, or 19. These meetings are being held to give those attending the information on this campaign thus far - the grand plan, the situation with the Secretary of State, and the strategy for St. Charles County. There will also be an opportunity to be trained in petition circulating at the end of the official meeting. Please plan to attend one of the meetings or see that someone from your church attends.
Saturday, Nov. 17 at 9 am
Spencer Rd. Library, 427 Spencer Rd., St. Peters
Sunday, Nov. 18 at 2 pm
Liberty Christian Church, 709 Crestview Dr., O’Fallon
Monday, Nov. 19 at 7 pm
McClay Library, 2760 McClay Rd., St. Charles
For more information call
Bev Ehlen at 314-608-0168
Darlene Loeb at 314-440-2061
A Morning Star Christmas
On Friday and Saturday, the 21st & 22nd, of December, our friends at Theater of the Word Incorporated will produce a variety show called A Morning Star Christmas in the Pope John Paul II Theater at The Cardinal Rigali Center in Shrewsbury. Evening performances Friday and Saturday start at 8 P.M., and there will be a 2 P.M. matinée on Saturday. Credo members may remember the founder and creative director of the Theater of the Word, Kevin O'Brien, from the September Forum. And we know quite a few Credo members attended the first two shows at the Rigali Center.
The show will have Christmas carols (not "holiday songs"), comedy, and two one-act plays. The program features The Morning Star Players, two young women, Mary LaHood and Elizabeth Bauer, who perform shows across the country with themes of chastity, modesty, pro-life issues, the lives of the saints and other topics. They're making their St. Louis debut in this show, and would love to be booked for other shows, which are performed mainly for young adults.
The two plays were written just for us.
WHO KILLED CHRISTMAS? - A PROPHECY FOR MODERN TIMES stars Ebenezer Scrooge, Bing Crosby, Jimmy Stewart, and Andy Griffith. The Spirits of Christmas Past, Present, and Future visit Scrooge again to help him recapture the joy he felt after their last visit.
MAKING ROOM - THE STORY OF THE INNKEEPER'S WIFE - Have you ever wondered who told Mary & Joseph there was no room at the inn? In this bittersweet tale, we tell the story of the Innkeeper's Wife, a woman who has no room for shepherds, her neighbors, or even the Holy Family on that blessed night - until something she sees in Mary makes her cold heart begin to thaw.
Get your tickets from The Theater of the Word, Incorporated at 314-894-9673. $15 for all performances. Tickets also available at all Metrotix locations, and on the Metrotix website , or charge by phone at 314-534-1111.
November 18-Celebrate the Feast of St. Rose Philippine Duchesne
St. Rose Philippine Duchesne
St. Rose Philippine Duchesne, a member of the Society of the Sacred Heart, was one of Missouri’s foremost pioneer women. She lived in the St. Ferdinand convent from 1819 to 1827 and again from 1834 to 1840. Pope John Paul II canonized her in Rome on July 3, 1988.
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2007
Tours of Old St. Ferdinand Shrine from 1:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Holy Mass at 7:00 p.m.
Music by St. Angela Merici Church Choir
Reception following
Historic Old St. Ferdinand Shrine
1 Rue Saint Francois Florissant, Missouri
Sponsored by
St. Joseph Radio and Friends of Old St. Ferdinand Shrine
For more information or to volunteer, please contact us:
St. Joseph Radio at: lucortese@earthlink.net or 636-244-0089
Shrine at: oldstferdinandshrine@gmail.com or 314-837-2110
November 17-The Family Treasure Chest
The Family Treasure Chest
Marriage and Family:
The Heart of the Home and the Future of the Church
OUR SPEAKERS:
Fr. Patrick D. Ryan - Pastor of St. Robert Bellarmine Church, St. Charles, Missouri. "Life is lived forward but understood backward," says Kierkegaard. Father will look at ways to reflect on personal values, life stories, being with people you love and on the meaning of unavoidable suffering.
Patty Schneier - wife, mother, cantor and radio show host. She will share the story of her challenge to God and His daily response. The results were life changing! Her conversion marks the beginning of a totally new life in Christ, a renewed marriage and a ministry in public speaking.
Frank and Mary Ann Daub - married for 40 years and parents of 12 children. Frank is Director of Development for the American Life League and Mary Ann is a full time mother and grandmother who loves to volunteer for politically incorrect causes. Both are activists for their church and community.
SCHEDULE: The Keys to the Family Treasure Chest
8:30 a.m. Registration
9:00 a.m. Talk 1: Patty Schneier, “Come and Go”: Living the Sacramental Life in a Secular World
10:15 a.m. Talk 2: Fr. Patrick D. Ryan, Winter Grace: Finding the Meaning of Life in Older Age
11:30 a.m. Holy Mass, Celebrant: Fr. Patrick D. Ryan
12:30 p.m. Lunch
1:15 p.m. Talk 3: Frank and Mary Ann Daub, Keeping Our Children Catholic: The Challenges and the Reward
2:30 p.m. Talk 4: Patty Schneier, God, I Really Don’t Have Time for This!: Discovering the Hidden Treasure
4:00 p.m. Closing
Saturday November 17, 2007 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Historic Old St. Ferdinand Shrine 1 Rue Saint Francois • Florissant, Missouri
BRING YOUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS!
Freewill Donations Appreciated! Reservations required for lunch – please call 636-244-0089
For more information or to schedule a speaker for your parish event or organization, please contact:
St. Joseph Radio • P.O. Box 2983 • Orange, California 92859 • Phone: 714-744-0336 • Fax: 714-744-1998
No help from the Left Coast
Bishops to consider excluding pro-abortion politicians from communion, but California’s prelates unlikely to support such a banThe documented statements from California's bishops are more than troubling. Apparently too few seem to be praying for their bishops and priests.
A four-day meeting of U.S. bishops begins today at the posh Baltimore Marriott Waterfront Hotel. On the bishops’ agenda, among other items, is a revision of their statement on “faithful citizenship,” a guide for Catholics on political issues....
Archbishop Raymond Burke of St. Louis is probably the strongest advocate of denying communion to pro-abortion politicians as a disciplinary measure. In a recent interview published by the Archdiocese of St. Louis’ Office of Communications, Burke minced no words when asked if the majority of bishops supported this discipline: “It is not a question of what number of bishops agree or disagree with the discipline. It is the discipline of the universal Church, which every bishop is required to uphold.”
Those favoring denial of communion to Catholic politicians who defy Church teaching point to Canon 915 of the Code of Canon, and particularly to a clause that says those “who obstinately persist in manifest grave sin are not to be admitted to communion.” In 2004, Pope Benedict XVI (then Cardinal Ratzinger) sent a memorandum to U.S. bishops specifically about the issue of denying communion to politicians. The memo said defiant politicians should be given “due process” of prior warning, but insisted that denial of communion was the next step...
More here.
The choice between Abp. Burke and Bp. Paprocki
Dr Edward Peters writes:
Before finding out which candidate, Abp. Raymond Burke of St. Louis or Chicago auxiliary bishop Thomas Paprocki, has been elected to chair the USCCB Committee on Canonical Affairs, I write to say only that both candidates are highly qualified and widely recognized among American bishops for credentials, competence, and orthodoxy. Each one has a doctorate in canon law (both from the Gregorian), and while Burke has extensive Roman judicial experience, Paprocki is a licensed civil lawyer. It's a happy day, folks, when the choice is between two such excellent lawyers.Read more it at: http://www.canonlaw.info/2007/11/choice-between-abp-burke-and-bp.html
Gospel for Nov 12, Memorial: St Josaphat, bishop and martyr
From: Luke 17:1-6
On Leading Others Astray, Fraternal Correction
[1] And He (Jesus) said to His disciples, "Temptations to sin are sure to come; but woe to him by whom they come! [2] It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were cast into the sea, than that he should cause one of these little ones to sin. [3] Take heed yourselves; if your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him; [4] and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, and says, `I repent,' you must forgive him."
The Power of Faith
[5] The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith! [6] And the Lord said, "If you had faith as a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this sycamine tree, `Be rooted up, and be planted in the sea', and it would obey you."
___________________
Commentary:
1-3. Our Lord condemns scandal, that is, "any saying, action or omission which constitute for another an occasion of sin" ("St. Pius X Catechism", 417). Jesus is teaching two things here: the first is that scandal will "in fact" happen; the second, that it is a grave sin, as shown by the punishment it earns.
The reason why it is so serious a sin is that it "tends to destroy God's greatest work, that of Redemption, through souls being lost; it kills one's neighbor's soul by taking away the life of grace, which is more precious than the life of the body, and it is the cause of a multitude of sins. This is why God threatens with the most severe punishment those who cause others to stumble" ("ibid"., 418). See [the notes on] Matthew 18:6-7; 18-8; 18:10.
"Take heed to yourselves": a serious warning, meaning that we should not be a cause of scandal to others nor should we be influenced by the bad example others give us.
People who enjoy authority of any kind (parents, teachers, politicians, writers, artists, etc.) can more easily be a cause of scandal. We need to be on the alert in this respect in view of our Lord's warning, "Take heed to yourselves."
2. Millstones were circular in shape with a large hole in the center. Our Lord's description, therefore, was very graphic: it meant that the person's head just fitted through the hole and then he could not get the stone off.
3-4. In order to be a Christian one must always, genuinely, forgive others. Also, one has to correct an erring brother to help him change his behavior. But fraternal correction should always be done in a very refined way, full of charity; otherwise we would humiliate the person who has committed the fault, whereas we should not humiliate him but help him to be better.
Forgiving offenses--which is something we should always do--should not be confused with giving up rights which have been justly violated. One can claim rights without any kind of hatred being implied; and sometimes charity and justice require us to exercise our rights. "Let's not confuse the rights of the office you hold with your rights as a person. The former can never be waived" ([St] . Escriva, "The Way", 407).
Sincere forgiveness leads us to forget the particular offense and to extend the hand of friendship, which in turn helps the offender to repent.
The Christian vocation is a calling to holiness, but one of its essential requirements is that we show apostolic concern for the spiritual welfare of others: Christianity cannot be practiced in an isolated, selfish way. Thus, "if any one among you wanders from the truth and some one brings him back, let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins" (James 5:20).
5. "Increase our faith!": a good ejaculatory prayer for every Christian. "Omnia possibilia sunt credenti". Everything is possible for anyone who has faith.' The words are Christ's. How is it that you don't say to Him with the Apostles: `"adauge nobis fidem"! increase my faith!'?" ("The Way", 588).
___________________________
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.
On Leading Others Astray, Fraternal Correction
[1] And He (Jesus) said to His disciples, "Temptations to sin are sure to come; but woe to him by whom they come! [2] It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were cast into the sea, than that he should cause one of these little ones to sin. [3] Take heed yourselves; if your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him; [4] and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, and says, `I repent,' you must forgive him."
The Power of Faith
[5] The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith! [6] And the Lord said, "If you had faith as a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this sycamine tree, `Be rooted up, and be planted in the sea', and it would obey you."
___________________
Commentary:
1-3. Our Lord condemns scandal, that is, "any saying, action or omission which constitute for another an occasion of sin" ("St. Pius X Catechism", 417). Jesus is teaching two things here: the first is that scandal will "in fact" happen; the second, that it is a grave sin, as shown by the punishment it earns.
The reason why it is so serious a sin is that it "tends to destroy God's greatest work, that of Redemption, through souls being lost; it kills one's neighbor's soul by taking away the life of grace, which is more precious than the life of the body, and it is the cause of a multitude of sins. This is why God threatens with the most severe punishment those who cause others to stumble" ("ibid"., 418). See [the notes on] Matthew 18:6-7; 18-8; 18:10.
"Take heed to yourselves": a serious warning, meaning that we should not be a cause of scandal to others nor should we be influenced by the bad example others give us.
People who enjoy authority of any kind (parents, teachers, politicians, writers, artists, etc.) can more easily be a cause of scandal. We need to be on the alert in this respect in view of our Lord's warning, "Take heed to yourselves."
2. Millstones were circular in shape with a large hole in the center. Our Lord's description, therefore, was very graphic: it meant that the person's head just fitted through the hole and then he could not get the stone off.
3-4. In order to be a Christian one must always, genuinely, forgive others. Also, one has to correct an erring brother to help him change his behavior. But fraternal correction should always be done in a very refined way, full of charity; otherwise we would humiliate the person who has committed the fault, whereas we should not humiliate him but help him to be better.
Forgiving offenses--which is something we should always do--should not be confused with giving up rights which have been justly violated. One can claim rights without any kind of hatred being implied; and sometimes charity and justice require us to exercise our rights. "Let's not confuse the rights of the office you hold with your rights as a person. The former can never be waived" ([St] . Escriva, "The Way", 407).
Sincere forgiveness leads us to forget the particular offense and to extend the hand of friendship, which in turn helps the offender to repent.
The Christian vocation is a calling to holiness, but one of its essential requirements is that we show apostolic concern for the spiritual welfare of others: Christianity cannot be practiced in an isolated, selfish way. Thus, "if any one among you wanders from the truth and some one brings him back, let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins" (James 5:20).
5. "Increase our faith!": a good ejaculatory prayer for every Christian. "Omnia possibilia sunt credenti". Everything is possible for anyone who has faith.' The words are Christ's. How is it that you don't say to Him with the Apostles: `"adauge nobis fidem"! increase my faith!'?" ("The Way", 588).
___________________________
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.
Sunday, November 11, 2007
Two Women Claim to be Ordained Priests
Yesterday, Charles Jaco of Fox2 News reported on two women to be "ordained" as priests in St Louis today at a Jewish synagogue and who will be having 'services' starting December 1 at a Unitarian church...
His report with video is here. The same old tired arguments are put before the viewers again and some may actually buy into it.
More video from KMOV TV...
Extended interview with newly-ordained priests (from KMOV)
And the Post Dispatch reports:
Cheering crowd attends disputed ordination of two women as priests
His report with video is here. The same old tired arguments are put before the viewers again and some may actually buy into it.
And that story and video is here.
So today, Sunday, two new Catholic priests were ordained, but chances are you'll never see them at the pulpit in a Catholic church. The priests are women, and they're going up against centuries of tradition and church law. Their decision could get them kicked out of the church they want to represent. FOX 2's Andy Banker has the story.
More video from KMOV TV...
Extended interview with newly-ordained priests (from KMOV)
And the Post Dispatch reports:
Cheering crowd attends disputed ordination of two women as priests
Thoughts and Counsels - November 12
If humble souls are contradicted, they remain calm; if they are calumniated, they suffer with patience; if they are little esteemed, neglected, or forgotten, they consider that there due; if they are weighed down with occupations, they perform them cheerfully.
-St. Vincent de Paul
_________________________
From Mary, Help of Christians
Part VI, Thoughts and Counsels of the Saints for Every Day of the Year
Compiled by Fr. Bonaventure Hammer, OFM (© 1909, Benziger Brothers)
-St. Vincent de Paul
_________________________
From Mary, Help of Christians
Part VI, Thoughts and Counsels of the Saints for Every Day of the Year
Compiled by Fr. Bonaventure Hammer, OFM (© 1909, Benziger Brothers)
Meditation for November 12, The Gift of Self
Great courage is necessary to leave the world and to give oneself entirely to God in the religious life.
I ought to thank God, my Savior, for having given me this courage.
But once in the religious life, there is another step to make; in the novitiate one feels animated by a very great fervor. Then years are added to years, and if the soul is not vigilant, it becomes contented with mediocrity. Oh, exteriorly everything seems all right; the religious disedifies no one; is always at work; and causes no trouble to the superiors. But God demands more and the soul resists the absolute gift of self.
At times there is even a reclaiming of the gift; some real taking back, negligences consented to in prayer; curiosities unduly satisfied, comforts granted with only half good faith, and other similar weaknesses.
A Breton Jesuit of the seventeenth century, Father Rigoleuc, encouraged himself to take the definitive step, to cut all bonds, to profit by his third year, with the following thoughts:
_________________
Adapted from Meditations for Religious
by Father Raoul Plus, S.J. (© 1939, Frederick Pustet Co.)
I ought to thank God, my Savior, for having given me this courage.
But once in the religious life, there is another step to make; in the novitiate one feels animated by a very great fervor. Then years are added to years, and if the soul is not vigilant, it becomes contented with mediocrity. Oh, exteriorly everything seems all right; the religious disedifies no one; is always at work; and causes no trouble to the superiors. But God demands more and the soul resists the absolute gift of self.
At times there is even a reclaiming of the gift; some real taking back, negligences consented to in prayer; curiosities unduly satisfied, comforts granted with only half good faith, and other similar weaknesses.
A Breton Jesuit of the seventeenth century, Father Rigoleuc, encouraged himself to take the definitive step, to cut all bonds, to profit by his third year, with the following thoughts:
"Will you always be unable to overcome yourself? Once for all give yourself completely to God. For such a long time He has inspired you with the plan for it and offered you the necessary grace without your yielding to His loving pursuits. Perhaps this is your last chance; you may never have another occasion like this to testify your zeal for His glory, and the desire you have for perfection. The time is short."I, too, must examine myself. Do I live in the constant habit of a total gift of self? For what am I waiting to sacrifice my last reserves? The time is short. The present invitation is perhaps the last for me.
_________________
Adapted from Meditations for Religious
by Father Raoul Plus, S.J. (© 1939, Frederick Pustet Co.)
Reparation for San Francisco Sacrilege planned
From Tradition Family Property:
The controversy around the sacrilegious scandal at Most Holy Redeemer Parish in San Francisco still rages. It was terrible to see two transvestites dressed as nuns receiving Holy Communion from the Archbishop’s hands.Click here for more information.
While many have reacted to the scandal by protests, the sacrilege itself remains largely without reparation.
That is why we have announced a Holy Hour of Reparation on November 16. We want to storm heaven with our prayers of reparation. After over 2,000 Public Square Rosary Rallies, we would like to see thousands sign up to participate in their hour before Our Lord. Read about our prayer vigil and register now by clicking here. Mark your calendar and attend!
Remember, at Fatima Our Lady herself spoke of such sacrileges and the need for reparation: “Do you want to offer yourselves to God to bear all the sufferings that He may wish to send you, in reparation for the sins with which He is offended and in supplication for the conversion of sinners?”
AmP Reader Poll: The '08 USCCB Nominees
From American Papist:
This week the USCCB is meeting in Baltimore where, among other things, they will vote in a new vice-president and elect several important committee chairs.
Lay people, of course, don’t have a vote in these elections, but I thought it would be interesting to see which nominees St. Blogs would vote for if they could.
The poll already has a few hundred votes, but I’d like to see a wider sampling of the Catholic blogosphere:
http://www.americanpapist.com/2007/11/amp-reader-poll-08-usccb-nominees.html
The USCCB Vote to Watch This Week
From CWNews we read:
Diogenes' concluding comments are here...
The US bishops hold their annual meeting in Baltimore this coming week, with a few interesting items on the agenda. There will be an open discussion about the bishop's role in political debates; that promises to be lively and revealing. There will be new report from John Jay researchers on the causes of the sex-abuse crisis. (In preparing this report, the researchers asked members of Voice of the Faithful to answer an opinion survey. Did they ask for your opinion, too? No, I didn't think so. Do you see where this is going?) And then there are the elections.Can anyone guess who one of the nominees for VP is? None other than Bishop Trautmann........How discerting is that?
Cardinal George will become president of the USCCB. That's a foregone conclusion; the vice-president is always tapped to succeed a president ending his 3-year term. More interesting is the choice of a new vice-president, who will step into the limelight in 2010.
Still more interesting will be the vote for chairman of the relatively obscure Committee on Canonical Affairs and Church Governance.Archbishop Burke will be noticably absent as he is in Rome on business...
The candidates are Archbishop Raymond L. Burke of St. Louis and a Chicago auxiliary, Bishop Thomas Paprocki.
Diogenes' concluding comments are here...
Gospel for the 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time
Old Calendar: Twenty-Fourth Sunday after Pentecost
From: Luke 20:27-38
The Resurrection of the Dead
[27] There came to Him (Jesus) some Sadducees, those who say that there is no resurrection, [28] and they asked Him a question saying, "Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man's brother dies, having a wife but no children, the man must take the wife and raise up children for his brother. [29] Now there were seven brothers; the first took a wife, and died without children; [30] and the second [31] and the third took her, and likewise all seven left no children and died. [32] Afterward the woman also died. [33] In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife will the woman be? For the seven had her as wife."
[34] And Jesus said to them, "The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage; [35] but those who are accounted worthy to attain to that age and to the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage, [36] for they cannot die any more, because they are equal to angels and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection. [37] But that the dead are raised, even Moses showed, in the passage about the bush, where he calls the Lord the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. [38] Now He is not God of the dead, but of the living; for all live to Him."
______________________
Commentary:
27-40. The Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection of the body or the immortality of the soul. They came along to ask Jesus a question which is apparently unanswerable. According to the Levirate law (cf. Deuteronomy 25:5ff), if a man died without issue, his brother was duty bound to marry his widow to provide his brother with descendants. The consequences of this law would seem to give rise to a ridiculous situation at the resurrection of the dead.
Our Lord replies by reaffirming that there will be a resurrection; and by explaining the properties of those who have risen again, the Sadducees' argument simply evaporates. In this world people marry in order to continue the species: that is the primary aim of marriage. After the resurrection there will be no more marriage because people will not die anymore.
Quoting Sacred Scripture (Exodus 3:2, 6) our Lord shows the grave mistake the Sadducees make, and He argues: God is not the God of the dead but of the living, that is to say, there exists a permanent relationship between God and Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, who have been dead for years. Therefore, although these just men have died as far as their bodies are concerned, they are alive, truly alive, in God--their souls are immortal--and they are awaiting the resurrection of their bodies.
See also the notes on Matthew 22:23-33 and Mark 12:18-27.
[The note on Matthew 22:23-33 states:
23-33. The Sadducees argue against belief in the resurrection of the dead on the basis of the Levirate law, a Jewish law which laid down that when a married man died without issue, one of his brothers, according to a fixed order, should marry his widow and the first son of that union be given the dead man's name. By outlining an extreme cases the Sadducees make the law and belief in resurrection look ridiculous. In His reply, Jesus shows up the frivolity of their objections and asserts the truth of the resurrection of the dead.]
[The note on Mark 12:18-27 states:
18-27. Before answering the difficulty proposed by the Sadducees, Jesus wants to identify the source of the problem--man's tendency to confine the greatness of God inside a human framework through excessive reliance on reason, not giving due weight to divine Revelation and the power of God. A person can have difficulty with the truths of faith; this is not surprising, for these truths are above human reason. But it is ridiculous to try to find contradictions in the revealed word of God; this only leads away from any solution of difficulty and may make it impossible to find one's way back to God. We need to approach Sacred Scripture, and, in general, the things of God, with the humility which faith demands. In the passage about the burning bush, which Jesus quotes to the Sadducees, God says this to Moses: "Put off your shoes from your feet, for the place on which you stand is holy ground" (Exodus 3:5).]
___________________________
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.
From: Luke 20:27-38
The Resurrection of the Dead
[27] There came to Him (Jesus) some Sadducees, those who say that there is no resurrection, [28] and they asked Him a question saying, "Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man's brother dies, having a wife but no children, the man must take the wife and raise up children for his brother. [29] Now there were seven brothers; the first took a wife, and died without children; [30] and the second [31] and the third took her, and likewise all seven left no children and died. [32] Afterward the woman also died. [33] In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife will the woman be? For the seven had her as wife."
[34] And Jesus said to them, "The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage; [35] but those who are accounted worthy to attain to that age and to the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage, [36] for they cannot die any more, because they are equal to angels and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection. [37] But that the dead are raised, even Moses showed, in the passage about the bush, where he calls the Lord the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. [38] Now He is not God of the dead, but of the living; for all live to Him."
______________________
Commentary:
27-40. The Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection of the body or the immortality of the soul. They came along to ask Jesus a question which is apparently unanswerable. According to the Levirate law (cf. Deuteronomy 25:5ff), if a man died without issue, his brother was duty bound to marry his widow to provide his brother with descendants. The consequences of this law would seem to give rise to a ridiculous situation at the resurrection of the dead.
Our Lord replies by reaffirming that there will be a resurrection; and by explaining the properties of those who have risen again, the Sadducees' argument simply evaporates. In this world people marry in order to continue the species: that is the primary aim of marriage. After the resurrection there will be no more marriage because people will not die anymore.
Quoting Sacred Scripture (Exodus 3:2, 6) our Lord shows the grave mistake the Sadducees make, and He argues: God is not the God of the dead but of the living, that is to say, there exists a permanent relationship between God and Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, who have been dead for years. Therefore, although these just men have died as far as their bodies are concerned, they are alive, truly alive, in God--their souls are immortal--and they are awaiting the resurrection of their bodies.
See also the notes on Matthew 22:23-33 and Mark 12:18-27.
[The note on Matthew 22:23-33 states:
23-33. The Sadducees argue against belief in the resurrection of the dead on the basis of the Levirate law, a Jewish law which laid down that when a married man died without issue, one of his brothers, according to a fixed order, should marry his widow and the first son of that union be given the dead man's name. By outlining an extreme cases the Sadducees make the law and belief in resurrection look ridiculous. In His reply, Jesus shows up the frivolity of their objections and asserts the truth of the resurrection of the dead.]
[The note on Mark 12:18-27 states:
18-27. Before answering the difficulty proposed by the Sadducees, Jesus wants to identify the source of the problem--man's tendency to confine the greatness of God inside a human framework through excessive reliance on reason, not giving due weight to divine Revelation and the power of God. A person can have difficulty with the truths of faith; this is not surprising, for these truths are above human reason. But it is ridiculous to try to find contradictions in the revealed word of God; this only leads away from any solution of difficulty and may make it impossible to find one's way back to God. We need to approach Sacred Scripture, and, in general, the things of God, with the humility which faith demands. In the passage about the burning bush, which Jesus quotes to the Sadducees, God says this to Moses: "Put off your shoes from your feet, for the place on which you stand is holy ground" (Exodus 3:5).]
___________________________
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.
2nd Reading for the 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time
From: 2 Thessalonians 2:16-3:5
The Need for Steadfastness (Continuation)
[16] Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, [17] comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word.
Paul Asks for Prayers
[1] Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may speed on and triumph, as it did among you, [2] and that we may be delivered from wicked and evil men; for not all have faith. [3] But the Lord is faithful; he will strengthen you and guard you from evil. [4] And we have confidence in the Lord about you, that you are doing and will do the things which we command. [5] May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ.
__________________
Commentary:
16-17. God chose believers without any merit on their part; that choice marks the first stage in their path to salvation; the journey to the goal of salvation involves cooperation between God's grace and man's freedom. Man needs the help of the "good hope" which comes from recognizing that he is a son of God. "In my case, and I wish the same to happen to you", Monsignor Escriva writes, "the certainty I derive from feeling--from knowing--that I am a son of God fills me with real hope which, being a supernatural virtue, adapts to our nature when it is infused in us, and so is also a very human virtue [...]. This conviction spurs me on to grasp that only those things that bear the imprint of God can display the indelible sign of eternity and have lasting value. Therefore, far from separating me from the things of this earth, hope draws me closer to these realities in a new way, a Christian way, which seeks to discover in everything the relation between our fallen nature and God, our Creator and Redeemer" ("Friends of God", 208).
By inspiring us with hope, God fills our hearts with consolation and at the same time encourages us to put our faith into practice in daily life--"in every good work and word."
1. The whole Church, not just the Apostles, is given the task of spreading the message of Jesus. All believers can and should play an active part in this, at least by way of prayer. The Apostle's request for prayers also shows that he realizes that the supernatural work entrusted to him is beyond him and yet he does not shirk the work of apostolate. St John Chrysostom comments on St Paul's approach: "The Apostle [...] now encourages them to offer prayers to God for him, but he does not ask them to pray God to free him from dangers he ought to face up to (for they are an unavoidable consequence of his ministry); rather, he asks them to pray 'that the word of the Lord may speed on and triumph'" ("Hom. on 2 Thess, ad loc.").
The "speed and triumph" is evocative of the Games, which had such a following in Greece: the winner of a race was given a victory wreath. The victory, the triumph, of the word of the Lord is its proclamation reaching everyone and being accepted by everyone.
2. "Not all have faith": literally, "faith is not something that belongs to all", that is, not everyone has believed the Apostle's preaching though he has excluded no one from it. The "wicked and evil men" may be a reference to certain Jews hostile to Christianity who had persecuted Paul in Macedonia and were now putting obstacles in his way at Corinth.
It must be remembered that faith is a supernatural virtue, a gift from God, and cannot be obtained by man's unaided effort: "Even though the assent of faith is by no means a blind impulse, still, no one can assent to the gospel preaching as he must in order to be saved without the enlightenment and inspiration of the Holy Spirit, who gives all men their joy in assenting to and believing the truth" (Vatican I, "Dei Filius", chap. 3).
God "desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth" (1 Tim 2:4) and so to all men he gives his grace and offers the gift of faith; however, they are free to reject or accept the light he offers them.
3. "But the Lord is faithful": and therefore, unlike those who are unfaithful (v. 2), we should put our trust in God: "Do not doubt it", Chrysostom comments, "God is faithful. He has promised salvation, he will save you. But, as he said, he will do so on one condition--what we love him, that we listen to his word and his Law. He will not save us unless we cooperate" ("Hom. on 2 Thess, ad loc.").
"He will strengthen you and guard you from evil": These words may be meant to echo the prayer contained in the Our Father (cf. Mt 6:13; cf. Mt 5:37).
4-5. The Apostle is confident that the Thessalonians will stay true to Christ, and he asks God to give them the endurance they need in the midst of their difficulties. "The steadfastness of Christ" may be a reference to the example Christ gave during his passion by enduring unto death on the cross, out of love for the Father and for us; believers should love God in that kind of way (cf. Heb 12:1). However, "the steadfastness of Christ" can also be interpreted as referring to the need for Christians to be patient as they wait for the second coming of Christ (cf. 1 Thess 1:3).
Love and steadfastness are two Christian virtues which make us resemble God: "Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God" (Eph 5:1-2). So, love and endurance are interconnected and complement each other "Jesus came to the Cross after having prepared himself for thirty-three years, all his life! If they really want to imitate him, his disciples have to turn their lives into a co-redemption of Love, by means of active and passive self-denial" ([St] J. Escriva, "Furrow", 255).
___________________________
Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland. Reprinted with permission from Four Courts Press and Scepter Publishers, the U.S. publisher.
The Need for Steadfastness (Continuation)
[16] Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, [17] comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word.
Paul Asks for Prayers
[1] Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may speed on and triumph, as it did among you, [2] and that we may be delivered from wicked and evil men; for not all have faith. [3] But the Lord is faithful; he will strengthen you and guard you from evil. [4] And we have confidence in the Lord about you, that you are doing and will do the things which we command. [5] May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ.
__________________
Commentary:
16-17. God chose believers without any merit on their part; that choice marks the first stage in their path to salvation; the journey to the goal of salvation involves cooperation between God's grace and man's freedom. Man needs the help of the "good hope" which comes from recognizing that he is a son of God. "In my case, and I wish the same to happen to you", Monsignor Escriva writes, "the certainty I derive from feeling--from knowing--that I am a son of God fills me with real hope which, being a supernatural virtue, adapts to our nature when it is infused in us, and so is also a very human virtue [...]. This conviction spurs me on to grasp that only those things that bear the imprint of God can display the indelible sign of eternity and have lasting value. Therefore, far from separating me from the things of this earth, hope draws me closer to these realities in a new way, a Christian way, which seeks to discover in everything the relation between our fallen nature and God, our Creator and Redeemer" ("Friends of God", 208).
By inspiring us with hope, God fills our hearts with consolation and at the same time encourages us to put our faith into practice in daily life--"in every good work and word."
1. The whole Church, not just the Apostles, is given the task of spreading the message of Jesus. All believers can and should play an active part in this, at least by way of prayer. The Apostle's request for prayers also shows that he realizes that the supernatural work entrusted to him is beyond him and yet he does not shirk the work of apostolate. St John Chrysostom comments on St Paul's approach: "The Apostle [...] now encourages them to offer prayers to God for him, but he does not ask them to pray God to free him from dangers he ought to face up to (for they are an unavoidable consequence of his ministry); rather, he asks them to pray 'that the word of the Lord may speed on and triumph'" ("Hom. on 2 Thess, ad loc.").
The "speed and triumph" is evocative of the Games, which had such a following in Greece: the winner of a race was given a victory wreath. The victory, the triumph, of the word of the Lord is its proclamation reaching everyone and being accepted by everyone.
2. "Not all have faith": literally, "faith is not something that belongs to all", that is, not everyone has believed the Apostle's preaching though he has excluded no one from it. The "wicked and evil men" may be a reference to certain Jews hostile to Christianity who had persecuted Paul in Macedonia and were now putting obstacles in his way at Corinth.
It must be remembered that faith is a supernatural virtue, a gift from God, and cannot be obtained by man's unaided effort: "Even though the assent of faith is by no means a blind impulse, still, no one can assent to the gospel preaching as he must in order to be saved without the enlightenment and inspiration of the Holy Spirit, who gives all men their joy in assenting to and believing the truth" (Vatican I, "Dei Filius", chap. 3).
God "desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth" (1 Tim 2:4) and so to all men he gives his grace and offers the gift of faith; however, they are free to reject or accept the light he offers them.
3. "But the Lord is faithful": and therefore, unlike those who are unfaithful (v. 2), we should put our trust in God: "Do not doubt it", Chrysostom comments, "God is faithful. He has promised salvation, he will save you. But, as he said, he will do so on one condition--what we love him, that we listen to his word and his Law. He will not save us unless we cooperate" ("Hom. on 2 Thess, ad loc.").
"He will strengthen you and guard you from evil": These words may be meant to echo the prayer contained in the Our Father (cf. Mt 6:13; cf. Mt 5:37).
4-5. The Apostle is confident that the Thessalonians will stay true to Christ, and he asks God to give them the endurance they need in the midst of their difficulties. "The steadfastness of Christ" may be a reference to the example Christ gave during his passion by enduring unto death on the cross, out of love for the Father and for us; believers should love God in that kind of way (cf. Heb 12:1). However, "the steadfastness of Christ" can also be interpreted as referring to the need for Christians to be patient as they wait for the second coming of Christ (cf. 1 Thess 1:3).
Love and steadfastness are two Christian virtues which make us resemble God: "Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God" (Eph 5:1-2). So, love and endurance are interconnected and complement each other "Jesus came to the Cross after having prepared himself for thirty-three years, all his life! If they really want to imitate him, his disciples have to turn their lives into a co-redemption of Love, by means of active and passive self-denial" ([St] J. Escriva, "Furrow", 255).
___________________________
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.
1st Reading for the 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time
From: 2 Maccabees 7:1-2, 9-14
Martyrdom of the Seven Brothers and their Mother
[1] It happened also that seven brothers and their mother were arrested and were being compelled by the king, under torture with whips and cords, to partake of unlawful swine's flesh. [2] One of them, acting as their spokesman, said, "What do you intend to ask and learn from us? For we are ready to die rather than transgress the laws of our fathers." [9] And when he was at his last breath, he said, "You accursed wretch, you dismiss us from this present life, but the King of the universe will raise us up to an everlasting renewal of life, because we have died for his laws."
[10] After him, the third was the victim of their sport. When it was demanded, he quickly put out his tongue and courageously stretched forth his hands, [11] and said nobly, "I got these from Heaven, and because of his laws I disdain them, and from him I hope to get them back again." [12] As a result the king himself and those with him were astonished at the young man's spirit, for he regarded his sufferings as nothing. [13] When he too had died, they maltreated and tortured the fourth in the same way. [14] And when he was near death, he said, "One cannot but choose to die at the hands of men and to cherish the hope that God gives of being raised again by him. But for you there will be no resurrection to life!"
___________________
Commentary:
7:1-42. This is one of the most famous and popular passages in the history of the Maccahees--so much so that traditionally (but improperly) these brothers are usually referred to as "the Maccabees". The sacred writer does not tell us the boys' names, or where it all happened; and he brings in the presence of the king to heighten the dramatic effect. The bravery of these young men, it would seem, was inspired by the good example given by Eleazar (cf. 6:28). The mother's intervention divides the scene into two parts--first the martyrdom of the six older brothers (vv. 2-19), and then that of the youngest and the mother herself (vv. 20-41).
In the first part the conviction that the just will rise and evildoers will be punished builds up as the story goes on. Each of the replies given by the six brothers contains some aspect of truth. The first says that just men prefer to die rather than sin (v. 2) because God will reward them (v. 6); the second, that God will raise them to a new life (v. 9); the third, that they will rise with their bodies remade (v. 11); the fourth, that for evildoers there will be no “resurrection to life” (v. 14); the fifth, that there will be punishment for evildoers (v. 17); and the sixth, that when just people suffer it is because they are being punished for their own sins (v. 18).
In the second part, both the mother and the youngest brother affirm what the others have said: but the boy adds something new when he says that death accepted by the righteous works as atonement for the whole people (vv. 3738).
The resurrection of the dead, which "God revealed to his people progressively" ("Catechism of the Church", 992), is a teaching that is grounded first on Moses' words about God having compassion on his servants (v. 6; cf. Deut 32:36), and the idea that if they die prematurely they will receive consolation in the next life. This is the point being made by the first brother, and it implies that God "faithfully maintains his covenant with Abraham and his posterity" (ibid.). As the mother sees it (vv. 27-28), belief in the resurrection comes from "faith in God as creator of the whole man, body and soul" (ibid., 992). Our Lord Jesus Christ ratifies this teaching and links it to faith in himself (cf. Jn 5:24-25; 11:25); and he also purifies the Pharisees' notion of the resurrection, which was an interpretation based only on material terms (cf. Mk 12:18-27; 1 Cor 15:35-53).
In what the mother says (v. 28) we can also see belief in the creation of the world out of nothing "as a truth full of promise and hope" ("Catechism of the Catholic Church", 297). On the basis of this passage and some New Testament passages, such as John 1:3 and Hebrews 11:3, the Church has formulated its doctrine of creation: "We believe that God needs no pre-existent thing or any help in order to create (cf. Vatican I: DS 3022), nor is creation any sort of necessary emanation from the divine substance (cf. Vatican I: DS 3023-3024). God creates freely 'out of nothing' (DS 800; 3025). If God had drawn the world from pre-existent matter, what would be so extraordinary in that? A human artisan makes from a given material whatever he wants, while God shows his power by starting from nothing to make all he wants" ("Catechism of the Catholic Church", 296).
The assertion that the death of martyrs has expiatory value (vv. 37-38) prepares us to grasp the redemptive meaning of Christ's death; but we should remember that Christ, by his death, not only deflected the punishment that all men deserve on account of sin, but also, through his grace, makes sinful men righteous in God's sight (cf. Rom 3:21-26).
Many Fathers of the Church, notably St Gregory Nazianzen ("Orationes", 15, 22), St Ambrose ("De Iacob et Vitae Beata", 2, 10, 44-57), St Augustine ("In Epistolam Ioannis", 8, 7), and St Cyprian ("Ad Fortunatus", 11) heaped praise on these seven brothers and their mother. St John Chrysostom invites us to imitate them whenever temptation strikes: "All the moderation that they show in the midst of dangers we, too, should imitate by the patience and temperance with which we deal with irrational concupiscence, anger, greed for possessions, bodily passions, vainglory and such like. For if we manage to control their flame, as (the Maccabees) did the flame of the fire, we will be able to be near them and have a share in their confidence and freedom of spirit" ('Homiliae in Maccabaeos", 1,3).
___________________________
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.
Martyrdom of the Seven Brothers and their Mother
[1] It happened also that seven brothers and their mother were arrested and were being compelled by the king, under torture with whips and cords, to partake of unlawful swine's flesh. [2] One of them, acting as their spokesman, said, "What do you intend to ask and learn from us? For we are ready to die rather than transgress the laws of our fathers." [9] And when he was at his last breath, he said, "You accursed wretch, you dismiss us from this present life, but the King of the universe will raise us up to an everlasting renewal of life, because we have died for his laws."
[10] After him, the third was the victim of their sport. When it was demanded, he quickly put out his tongue and courageously stretched forth his hands, [11] and said nobly, "I got these from Heaven, and because of his laws I disdain them, and from him I hope to get them back again." [12] As a result the king himself and those with him were astonished at the young man's spirit, for he regarded his sufferings as nothing. [13] When he too had died, they maltreated and tortured the fourth in the same way. [14] And when he was near death, he said, "One cannot but choose to die at the hands of men and to cherish the hope that God gives of being raised again by him. But for you there will be no resurrection to life!"
___________________
Commentary:
7:1-42. This is one of the most famous and popular passages in the history of the Maccahees--so much so that traditionally (but improperly) these brothers are usually referred to as "the Maccabees". The sacred writer does not tell us the boys' names, or where it all happened; and he brings in the presence of the king to heighten the dramatic effect. The bravery of these young men, it would seem, was inspired by the good example given by Eleazar (cf. 6:28). The mother's intervention divides the scene into two parts--first the martyrdom of the six older brothers (vv. 2-19), and then that of the youngest and the mother herself (vv. 20-41).
In the first part the conviction that the just will rise and evildoers will be punished builds up as the story goes on. Each of the replies given by the six brothers contains some aspect of truth. The first says that just men prefer to die rather than sin (v. 2) because God will reward them (v. 6); the second, that God will raise them to a new life (v. 9); the third, that they will rise with their bodies remade (v. 11); the fourth, that for evildoers there will be no “resurrection to life” (v. 14); the fifth, that there will be punishment for evildoers (v. 17); and the sixth, that when just people suffer it is because they are being punished for their own sins (v. 18).
In the second part, both the mother and the youngest brother affirm what the others have said: but the boy adds something new when he says that death accepted by the righteous works as atonement for the whole people (vv. 3738).
The resurrection of the dead, which "God revealed to his people progressively" ("Catechism of the Church", 992), is a teaching that is grounded first on Moses' words about God having compassion on his servants (v. 6; cf. Deut 32:36), and the idea that if they die prematurely they will receive consolation in the next life. This is the point being made by the first brother, and it implies that God "faithfully maintains his covenant with Abraham and his posterity" (ibid.). As the mother sees it (vv. 27-28), belief in the resurrection comes from "faith in God as creator of the whole man, body and soul" (ibid., 992). Our Lord Jesus Christ ratifies this teaching and links it to faith in himself (cf. Jn 5:24-25; 11:25); and he also purifies the Pharisees' notion of the resurrection, which was an interpretation based only on material terms (cf. Mk 12:18-27; 1 Cor 15:35-53).
In what the mother says (v. 28) we can also see belief in the creation of the world out of nothing "as a truth full of promise and hope" ("Catechism of the Catholic Church", 297). On the basis of this passage and some New Testament passages, such as John 1:3 and Hebrews 11:3, the Church has formulated its doctrine of creation: "We believe that God needs no pre-existent thing or any help in order to create (cf. Vatican I: DS 3022), nor is creation any sort of necessary emanation from the divine substance (cf. Vatican I: DS 3023-3024). God creates freely 'out of nothing' (DS 800; 3025). If God had drawn the world from pre-existent matter, what would be so extraordinary in that? A human artisan makes from a given material whatever he wants, while God shows his power by starting from nothing to make all he wants" ("Catechism of the Catholic Church", 296).
The assertion that the death of martyrs has expiatory value (vv. 37-38) prepares us to grasp the redemptive meaning of Christ's death; but we should remember that Christ, by his death, not only deflected the punishment that all men deserve on account of sin, but also, through his grace, makes sinful men righteous in God's sight (cf. Rom 3:21-26).
Many Fathers of the Church, notably St Gregory Nazianzen ("Orationes", 15, 22), St Ambrose ("De Iacob et Vitae Beata", 2, 10, 44-57), St Augustine ("In Epistolam Ioannis", 8, 7), and St Cyprian ("Ad Fortunatus", 11) heaped praise on these seven brothers and their mother. St John Chrysostom invites us to imitate them whenever temptation strikes: "All the moderation that they show in the midst of dangers we, too, should imitate by the patience and temperance with which we deal with irrational concupiscence, anger, greed for possessions, bodily passions, vainglory and such like. For if we manage to control their flame, as (the Maccabees) did the flame of the fire, we will be able to be near them and have a share in their confidence and freedom of spirit" ('Homiliae in Maccabaeos", 1,3).
___________________________
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.
Saturday, November 10, 2007
Thoughts and Counsels - November 11
Meditation for November 11. The Measure of my Sanctity
We sometimes hear it said that it depends upon ourselves...and upon ourselves only...whether or not we become a St. Theresa, a St. Margaret Mary, a St. Thomas Aquinas, or a St. Francis.
That is not true. God does not necessarily destine everyone for the same degree of sanctity as his neighbor, and my problem is not how to sanctify myself with my neighbor's grace, but with my own grace, with my own measure of sanctity.
How am I to know this measure of sanctity?
For me it is determined to a large extent by the very nature of my Institute. As a Carmelite I do not hawe to sanctify myself according to the Rule of a Visitandine; as a Little Sister of the Poor, I do not have to sanctify myself according to the manner of a Bernardine or a Canoness of St. Augustine.
Even within the same religious family, there is still room for diversities without number, according to particular attraction; special divine inspiration; lights received; difference in physical or moral resistance; different reading done; different comprehension of the same things according to different spirits.
In his treatise on the Love of God (Bk. ii, Chap. vii), St. Francis de Sales explains well how admirable Divine Providence is in the diversity of graces that it distributes. I will be able with profit to meditate upon it.
"I can and ought to be a saint, I understand it now, Lord. Give me the grace to become the saint You wish to see me become in truth."
_________________
Adapted from Meditations for Religious
by Father Raoul Plus, S.J. (© 1939, Frederick Pustet Co.)
That is not true. God does not necessarily destine everyone for the same degree of sanctity as his neighbor, and my problem is not how to sanctify myself with my neighbor's grace, but with my own grace, with my own measure of sanctity.
How am I to know this measure of sanctity?
For me it is determined to a large extent by the very nature of my Institute. As a Carmelite I do not hawe to sanctify myself according to the Rule of a Visitandine; as a Little Sister of the Poor, I do not have to sanctify myself according to the manner of a Bernardine or a Canoness of St. Augustine.
Even within the same religious family, there is still room for diversities without number, according to particular attraction; special divine inspiration; lights received; difference in physical or moral resistance; different reading done; different comprehension of the same things according to different spirits.
In his treatise on the Love of God (Bk. ii, Chap. vii), St. Francis de Sales explains well how admirable Divine Providence is in the diversity of graces that it distributes. I will be able with profit to meditate upon it.
"I can and ought to be a saint, I understand it now, Lord. Give me the grace to become the saint You wish to see me become in truth."
_________________
Adapted from Meditations for Religious
by Father Raoul Plus, S.J. (© 1939, Frederick Pustet Co.)
Gospel for Nov 10, Memorial: St Leo the Great, Pope and Doctor
Old Calendar: St. Andrew Avellino, priest; Sts.Tryphon, Respicius and Nympha, virgins and martyrs
From: Luke 16:9-15
The Unjust Steward (Continuation)
(Jesus said to His disciples,) [9] "And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous mammon, so that when it fails they may receive you into the eternal habitations.
[10] "He who is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much; and he who is dishonest in a very little is dishonest also in much. [11] If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will entrust to you the true riches? [12] And if you had not been faithful in that which is another's, who will give you that which is your own? [13] No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon."
[14] The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all this, and they scoffed at Him. [15] But He said to them, "You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts; for what is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God."
_______________________
Commentary:
9-11. "Unrighteous mammon" means temporal good which have been obtained in some unjust, unrighteous way. However, God is very merciful: even this unjust wealth can enable a person to practice virtue by making restitution, by paying for the damage done and then by striving to help his neighbor by giving alms, by creating work opportunities, etc. This was the case with Zacchaeus, the chief tax collector, who undertook to restore fourfold anything he had unjustly taken, and also to give half his wealth to the poor. On hearing that, our Lord specifically declared that salvation had that day come to that house (cf. Luke 19:1-10).
Our Lord speaks out about faithfulness in very little things, referring to riches--which really are insignificant compared with spiritual wealth. If a person is faithful and generous and is detached in the use he makes of these temporal riches, he will, at the end of his life, receive the rewards of eternal life, which is the greatest treasure of all, and a permanent one. Besides, by its very nature human life is a fabric of little things: anyone who fails to give them their importance will never be able to achieve great things. "Everything in which we poor men have a part--even holiness--is a fabric of small trifles which, depending upon one's intention, can form a magnificent tapestry of heroism or of degradation, of virtues or of sins.
"The epic legends always relate extraordinary adventures, but never fail to mix them with homely details about the hero. May you always attach great importance to the little things. This is the way!" ([St] J. Escriva, "The Way", 826).
The parable of the unjust steward is a symbol of man's life. Everything we have is a gift from God, and we are His stewards or managers, who sooner or later will have to render an account to Him.
12. "That which is another's" refers to temporal things, which are essentially impermanent. "That which is your own" refers to goods of the spirit, values which endure, which are things we really do possess because they will go with us into eternal life. In other words: how can we be given Heaven if we have proved unfaithful, irresponsible, during our life on earth?
13-14. In the culture of that time "service" involved such commitment to one's master that a servant could not take on any other work or serve any other master.
Our service to God, our sanctification, requires us to direct all our actions towards Him. A Christian does not divide up his time, allocating some of it to God and some of it to worldly affairs: everything he does should become a type of service to God and neighbor--by doing things with upright motivation, and being just and charitable.
The Pharisees jeered at what Jesus was saying, in order to justify their own attachment to material things; sometimes people make fun of total commitment to God and detachment from material things because they themselves are not ready to practice virtue; they cannot even imagine other people really having this generosity: they think they must have ulterior motives. See also the note on Matthew 6:24.
[The note on Matthew 6:24 states:
24. Man's ultimate goal is God; to attain this goal he should commit himself entirely. But in fact some people do not have God as their ultimate goal, and instead choose wealth of some kind--in which case wealth becomes their god. Man cannot have two absolute and contrary goals.]
15. "Abomination": the original Greek work means worship of idols, and, by derivation, the horror this provoked in a true worshipper of God. So the __expression conveys God's disgust with the attitude of the Pharisees who, by wanting to be exalted, are putting themselves, like idols, in the place of God.
___________________________
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.
From: Luke 16:9-15
The Unjust Steward (Continuation)
(Jesus said to His disciples,) [9] "And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous mammon, so that when it fails they may receive you into the eternal habitations.
[10] "He who is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much; and he who is dishonest in a very little is dishonest also in much. [11] If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will entrust to you the true riches? [12] And if you had not been faithful in that which is another's, who will give you that which is your own? [13] No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon."
[14] The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all this, and they scoffed at Him. [15] But He said to them, "You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts; for what is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God."
_______________________
Commentary:
9-11. "Unrighteous mammon" means temporal good which have been obtained in some unjust, unrighteous way. However, God is very merciful: even this unjust wealth can enable a person to practice virtue by making restitution, by paying for the damage done and then by striving to help his neighbor by giving alms, by creating work opportunities, etc. This was the case with Zacchaeus, the chief tax collector, who undertook to restore fourfold anything he had unjustly taken, and also to give half his wealth to the poor. On hearing that, our Lord specifically declared that salvation had that day come to that house (cf. Luke 19:1-10).
Our Lord speaks out about faithfulness in very little things, referring to riches--which really are insignificant compared with spiritual wealth. If a person is faithful and generous and is detached in the use he makes of these temporal riches, he will, at the end of his life, receive the rewards of eternal life, which is the greatest treasure of all, and a permanent one. Besides, by its very nature human life is a fabric of little things: anyone who fails to give them their importance will never be able to achieve great things. "Everything in which we poor men have a part--even holiness--is a fabric of small trifles which, depending upon one's intention, can form a magnificent tapestry of heroism or of degradation, of virtues or of sins.
"The epic legends always relate extraordinary adventures, but never fail to mix them with homely details about the hero. May you always attach great importance to the little things. This is the way!" ([St] J. Escriva, "The Way", 826).
The parable of the unjust steward is a symbol of man's life. Everything we have is a gift from God, and we are His stewards or managers, who sooner or later will have to render an account to Him.
12. "That which is another's" refers to temporal things, which are essentially impermanent. "That which is your own" refers to goods of the spirit, values which endure, which are things we really do possess because they will go with us into eternal life. In other words: how can we be given Heaven if we have proved unfaithful, irresponsible, during our life on earth?
13-14. In the culture of that time "service" involved such commitment to one's master that a servant could not take on any other work or serve any other master.
Our service to God, our sanctification, requires us to direct all our actions towards Him. A Christian does not divide up his time, allocating some of it to God and some of it to worldly affairs: everything he does should become a type of service to God and neighbor--by doing things with upright motivation, and being just and charitable.
The Pharisees jeered at what Jesus was saying, in order to justify their own attachment to material things; sometimes people make fun of total commitment to God and detachment from material things because they themselves are not ready to practice virtue; they cannot even imagine other people really having this generosity: they think they must have ulterior motives. See also the note on Matthew 6:24.
[The note on Matthew 6:24 states:
24. Man's ultimate goal is God; to attain this goal he should commit himself entirely. But in fact some people do not have God as their ultimate goal, and instead choose wealth of some kind--in which case wealth becomes their god. Man cannot have two absolute and contrary goals.]
15. "Abomination": the original Greek work means worship of idols, and, by derivation, the horror this provoked in a true worshipper of God. So the __expression conveys God's disgust with the attitude of the Pharisees who, by wanting to be exalted, are putting themselves, like idols, in the place of God.
___________________________
Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland. Reprinted with permission from Four Courts Press and Scepter Publishers, the U.S. publisher.
Friday, November 09, 2007
Thoughts and Counsels - November 10
There is more security in self-denial, mortification, and other like virtues, than in an abundance of tears.
-St. Teresa
_________________________
From Mary, Help of Christians
Part VI, Thoughts and Counsels of the Saints for Every Day of the Year
Compiled by Fr. Bonaventure Hammer, OFM (© 1909, Benziger Brothers)
-St. Teresa
_________________________
From Mary, Help of Christians
Part VI, Thoughts and Counsels of the Saints for Every Day of the Year
Compiled by Fr. Bonaventure Hammer, OFM (© 1909, Benziger Brothers)
Meditation for November 10, For What Ideal
At Genoa there is a cemetery called lIe Campo Santo; it is filled with magnificent tombs of granite and marble which make it a point of interest for travelers. Sometimes the inscriptions are singularly revealing. One imposing slab of stone indicates that the person whose grave the mausoleum marks was an honest fruit dealer; she had cherished only one ambition in her life, to save, to hoard, to economize, that she might buy before her death a monument high enough to suit her.
A whole existence spent to obtain at death a slab of stone that would not look insignificant!
Most probably I find this fruit dealer perfectly ridiculous.
But at the same time, if someone were to read my conscience, the motives which influence me, the reasons for my effort, as for example to succeed in the occupations which have been confided to me, or to please a superior or official, would I not appear just as ridiculous?
Much more so, perhaps. The good merchant of Genoa did not have the graces of light that I have, nor was she called as I to the perfection of Christianity, to the perfection of detachment.
But I, how justly could others ridicule me, if they could read in me the true motives of my zeal, of my devotion, of my obedience. I will seek to purify my actions; purify my intentions. God alone!
_________________
Adapted from Meditations for Religious
by Father Raoul Plus, S.J. (© 1939, Frederick Pustet Co.)
A whole existence spent to obtain at death a slab of stone that would not look insignificant!
Most probably I find this fruit dealer perfectly ridiculous.
But at the same time, if someone were to read my conscience, the motives which influence me, the reasons for my effort, as for example to succeed in the occupations which have been confided to me, or to please a superior or official, would I not appear just as ridiculous?
Much more so, perhaps. The good merchant of Genoa did not have the graces of light that I have, nor was she called as I to the perfection of Christianity, to the perfection of detachment.
But I, how justly could others ridicule me, if they could read in me the true motives of my zeal, of my devotion, of my obedience. I will seek to purify my actions; purify my intentions. God alone!
_________________
Adapted from Meditations for Religious
by Father Raoul Plus, S.J. (© 1939, Frederick Pustet Co.)
Funeral Prompts Forced Resignation of Priest
Baltimore's new Roman Catholic archbishop removed a priest who was pastor of three South Baltimore parishes for offenses that include officiating at a funeral Mass with an Episcopal priest, which violates canon law.Do people no longer use their God-given intellects anymore? What was this priest thinking?
Archbishop Edwin F. O'Brien personally ordered the Rev. Ray Martin, who has led the Catholic Community of South Baltimore for five years, to resign from the three churches and sign a statement yesterday apologizing for "bringing scandal to the church."
Martin led the funeral Mass on Oct. 15 for Locust Point activist Ann Shirley Doda at Our Lady of Good Counsel with several clergy, including the Rev. Annette Chappell, the pastor of the Episcopal Church of the Redemption in Locust Point, Martin said.
Sean Caine, a spokesman for the Archdiocese of Baltimore, said this was one example of repeated administrative and liturgical offenses Martin had committed in more than a year...Figures...another advocate of the "Do-it-yourself" Mass...
Chappell did not participate in the consecration of the Eucharist but read the Gospel at the service, Martin said. Someone at the service reported to the archdiocese that Martin gestured to Chappell to take Communion, though Martin said he did not recall doing so...Good for Archbishop O'Brien! No doubt, he will be subjected to ridicule from those who understand little, if anything, about the Holy Mass or about the Catholic faith - and this unfortunately includes some Catholics.
Martin, who has not been defrocked, said he has been barred from celebrating Mass publicly. He will go on an extended retreat and counseling at a monastery in Latrobe, Pa., he said.
The statement Martin signed will be read at weekend Masses at the community's three parishes, Our Lady of Good Counsel, St. Mary's Star of the Sea and Holy Cross parishes, Martin said...Decades of catechetical failure may be one of the reasons for such ignorance. It could also be due to an attitude of dissent, especially considering the pries was admonished before and gave such a bad example when it came to liturgical necessities...
"What, are we in the Dark Ages again? This is absolutely ridiculous," [said Joyce Bauerle, a longtime friend of Shirley Doda.]
Bait & Switch - Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD)
Diogenes writes (and a growing number of us concur):
Read Diogene's entire commentary here.
Yes, it's that time of year again. Thanksgiving is coming, and on the Sunday before the feast, Catholic Americans will be asked once more to contribute to the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD), the bishops' project to change the world through citizen activism...I quit contributing to the CCHD years ago and will never give it another dime. I don't need leftists and bureaucrats at the USCCB choosing which groups to give my charitibale contributions to...Most people are mature enough to figure out which groups are really deserving of financial assistance and which ones are not - a capability seemingly absent at the CCHD.
...the bishops have to work hard to keep the funds flowing into the CCHD coffers. This week, out in Portland, Oregon, Archbishop John Vlazny is doing his best. Along the way, the good archbishop acknowledges that there are cynics out there questioning the value of the CCHD approach...
It's one thing to give $5 to a panhandler, hoping that he'll buy himself lunch, and learn with disappointment that he promptly spent the money on booze. It's quite another thing to hand him the money as he stands at the doorway of the tavern.
The list of CCHD recipients is pockmarked with leftist groups whose aspirations clash with the basic principles of Catholic morality. The conflicts are inevitable. But that's not the only problem. Because it was designed to promote social change-- "a relic of early-1970s social activism," as I put it recently, CCHD's activities raise political questions even when there are no clear moral principles at risk...
Read Diogene's entire commentary here.
Archbishop Burke: Attempted ordinations to the priesthood
I write with great sadness about the announced attempt to ordain two women of the Archdiocese of St. Louis to the Order of Priests, on this coming Nov. 11 at the synagogue of the Central Reform Congregation, located at 5020 Waterman Ave. in the City of St. Louis. The attempted ordination is a violation of what is most sacred to us in the Church, one of the sacraments. It imperils the eternal salvation of the women seeking the attempted ordination and the woman, claiming to be a Roman Catholic bishop, who proposes to attempt the ordination. It generates confusion among the faithful and others who are not Catholic regarding an infallible teaching of the Catholic faith. What is more, the hosting of the attempted ordination by the Central Reform Congregation constitutes a grave violation of the mutual respect which should mark the relationship between the Jewish faith and the Roman Catholic faith...Archbishop Burke's complete column is here. As always, his explanation is worth reading in its fullness so that one might fully understand the gravity of the situation. So many seem incapable of that understanding today and he provides us with the means to respond to others who question our Church and her teachings.
What is most painful about the proposed attempted ordinations is the calculated and grave offense they will offer to our Lord Jesus Christ and His Church. From the teaching in the Holy Scriptures, faithfully handed down to us in the Magisterium, there is no doubt that our Lord Jesus Christ chose only men for the Holy Priesthood, even as He, at the Last Supper, consecrated only men for the priestly office and ministry...
A Catholic who continues to have a question in the matter is bound to inform himself or herself more fully about the Church’s teaching, so that the question may be resolved in accord with the Catholic faith.
In addition to the sacrilege of the attempted ordinations to the Sacred Priesthood, there is added the sacrilege of any attempts by the women involved to offer the Holy Mass, after their supposed ordination. They have, in fact, announced that they will "co-pastor the Thérèse of Divine Peace Inclusive Community on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. beginning Dec. 1, 2007," which will meet in Hope Chapel at the First Unitarian Church of St. Louis at 5007 Waterman Ave. One has to suppose that they will attempt to offer the Holy Mass, a most grave offense against our Lord and His Church...
Given the most sacred nature of the sacraments which will be simulated, the women involved and any Catholic who knowingly and deliberately assists them risks the eternal salvation of their souls. They commit mortal sin. Because of the most grave, public and obstinate nature of the proposed act of attempted ordination, the Church automatically applies medicinal penalties to the parties who complete the act. Medicinal penalties, for example, excommunication and interdict, are aimed at calling the persons away from their sin and to reconciliation with Christ and His Church...
I urge you, therefore, to offer fervent prayers for the women involved, that they will repent and be reconciled with the Church. Please pray, too, for all who will be confused and led astray by their sinful action...
Another painful aspect of the proposed attempted ordinations is the hosting of the event by a Jewish synagogue. To host an event which is offensive to the faith of the Roman Catholic Church is profoundly disrespectful and a most serious violation of the relationship which has developed between leaders of the Jewish faith and the archbishop of St. Louis...
I hope that my reflections will lead you to pray for the conversion of heart of the women involved, for the sake of their eternal salvation and for the sake of the many whom they will lead into confusion about the Church’s teaching and practice...
And, as always, we should pray for the conversion of these women and for others whose might place their eternal salvation at risk.
Traditional Latin Mass Moves Forward in Monterey Diocese
Monterey Bishop Richard Garcia has begun to fulfill his promise of assuring celebration of the Traditional Latin Mass in his diocese.
In July, the Diocese of Monterey announced that it would have two Tridentine Masses in place by September -- one at the northern end, the other at the southern end of the diocese. Initially, the Tridentine Mass was to be celebrated twice a month at both northern and southern non-parish locations.
In a September pastoral letter entitled “In Him We Live,” Bishop Garcia reiterated his promise – but noted that the number of intended locations for celebrating the Tridentine Mass had risen to three. The third location for the Mass, said the bishop, will serve the central region of the diocese...
Federal Court: Druggists May Deny Emergency Pill
SEATTLE (AP) — A federal judge has suspended Washington state's requirement that pharmacists sell "morning-after" birth control pills, a victory for druggists who claim their moral objections to the drug are being bulldozed by the government.Let us pray that this is more than just a temporary reprieve from the tyranny and persecution that the pro-death advocates wish to impose on others...
In an injunction signed Thursday, U.S. District Judge Ronald Leighton said pharmacists can refuse to sell the morning-after pill if they refer the customer to another nearby source. Pharmacists' employers also are protected by the order...
Archdiocese Q&A Regarding St Stanislaus Kostka Corporation
Considering the recent news concerning St Stanislaus Church, the Archdiocese has posted a brief Q&A on the matter here.
Other posts on the St Stanislaus situation on this site can be found here:
Various St. Stanislaus Posts 2005
And More Posts from 2004
You can also try searching by using keywords of "stanislaus" or "bozek".
Other posts on the St Stanislaus situation on this site can be found here:
Various St. Stanislaus Posts 2005
And More Posts from 2004
You can also try searching by using keywords of "stanislaus" or "bozek".
Dr. Edward Peters: Civility, yes, but fairness and accuracy too
I have nothing against platitudes. Though simplistic, platitudes tend to be true, and these days many people need to have simple truths reiterated. To the extent that the Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good statement, A Catholic Call to Observe Civility in Political Debate, simply reiterates some obvious truths about needing to observe "civility" in public discourse, I say fine. But there is more to the CACG statement than that. Despite their genteel demeanor and above-the-fray tone, I suggest that the CACG is firmly supporting one side in a crucial "partisan" debate (the wrong side, at that) and that they are discouraging Catholics from exercising some fundamental canonical rights...Great commentary!
Colorado Bishops' Statement Regarding Planned Parenthood
In early November, Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains (PPRM) broke ground on a new headquarters and clinic in northeast Denver. Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains purchased this property secretly under the guise of Fuller 38 LLC.Source.
Planned Parenthood told the Denver Post that PPRM planned to complete the entire project in secrecy to avoid protests and delays that other Planned Parenthood buildings have encountered around the country. The new PPRM location is 7155 E. 38th Ave.in Denver. The entire project is scheduled to be completed in the summer of 2008 and the general contractor for the project is the Weitz Company LLC.
The public deserves to know the facts about Planned Parenthood. The national organization is among the leading abortion providers, performing across the nation 264,943 abortion procedures in 2005 alone, a 29% increase since 2000. Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains has stated that it served 125,000 patients in five states, including Colorado, last year and of those 8,800 received abortions.
Teens and young people are the primary customers for their services and information, which include the distribution of contraception, emergency contraception and chemical and surgical abortions. Nationally 70 % of Planned Parenthoods customers are under age 25 and 27% are under age 19. Furthermore, Planned Parenthood is a supplier of graphic and explicit sex educational materials. These materials are being used in some Colorado’s public schools.
Planned Parenthood calls itself pro-child, pro-woman, and pro-family. Yet it is an organization based on falsehoods about the human person, the family and community life.
When a minor comes to Planned Parenthood, she is provided information on contraception, sex education and treatment of STDs without parental notification. How can Planned Parenthood justify calling itself pro-family or pro-child when it intrudes itself between a child and parent?
Planned Parenthood vigorously opposes any legislation that would provide advance medical information pertaining to an abortion procedure, and opposes any legislation that would provide a woman, who is seeking an abortion, knowledge of her unborn child’s development or information regarding alternatives to abortion. Considering the psychological and physical effects of abortion on a woman, how can it Planned Parenthood call itself pro-woman and oppose widespread access to advanced information?
We, the Catholic bishops of Colorado, deplore the negative impact of the actions and philosophy of PPRM. We urge the Catholic community and all people of good will to defend themselves and their beliefs against Planned Parenthood by every legal and ethical means at their disposal. We ask all Catholics to pray, within their families and parish communities, that the dignity and sanctity of every human life will be upheld at all stages of development.
Most Reverend Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap. - Archbishop of Denver
Most Reverend Arthur N. Tafoya, D.D. - Bishop of Pueblo
Most Reverend Michael J. Sheridan, S.T.D - Bishop of Colorado Springs
Gospel for Nov 9, Feast: Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome
Old Calendar: Dedication of the Archbasilica of Our Holy Savior; St. Theodore, martyr
From: John 2:13-22
The Cleansing of the Temple
[13] The Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. [14] In the temple he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the money-changers at their business. [15] And making a whip of cords, he drove them all, with the sheep and oxen, out of the temple; and he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables. [16] And he told those who sold the pigeons, "Take these things away; you shall not make my Father's house a house of trade." [17] His disciples remembered that it was written, "Zeal for thy house will consume me." [18] The Jews then said to him, "What signs have you to show us for doing this?" [19] Jesus answered them, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." [20] The Jews then said, "It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?" [21] But he spoke of the temple of his body. [22] When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this; and they believed the scripture and the word which Jesus had spoken.
__________________________
Commentary:
13. "The Passover of the Jews": this is the most important religious feast for the people of the Old Testament, the prefiguring of the Christian Easter (cf. note on Mt 26:2). The Jewish Passover was celebrated on the fourteenth day of the month of Nisan and was followed by the festival week of the Azymes (unleavened bread). According to the Law of Moses, on those days every male Israelite had to "appear before the Lord God" (Ex 34:23; Deut 16:16)--hence the pious custom of making a pilgrimage to the temple of Jerusalem for these days, hence the crowd and all the vendors to supply the needs of the pilgrims; this trading gave rise to abuses.
"Jesus went up to Jerusalem": by doing this Jesus publicly shows that he observes the Law of God. But, as we shall soon see, he goes to the temple as the only-begotten Son who must ensure that all due decorum is observed in the House of the Father: "And from thenceforth Jesus, the Anointed of God, always begins by reforming abuses and purifying from sin; both when he visits his Church, and when he visits the Christian soul" (Origen, "Hom. on St John", 1).
14-15. Every Israelite had to offer as a passover sacrifice an ox or a sheep, if he was wealthy; or two turtle-doves or two pigeons if he was not (Lev 5:7). In addition he had to pay a half shekel every year, if he was twenty or over. The half shekel, which was the equivalent of a day's pay of a worker, was a special coin also called temple money (cf. Ex 30:13); other coins in circulation (denarii, drachmas, etc.) were considered impure because they bore the image of pagan rulers. During the Passover, because of the extra crowd, the outer courtyard of the temple, the court of the Gentiles, was full of traders, money-changers etc., and inevitably this meant noise, shouting, bellowing, manure etc. Prophets had already fulminated against these abuses, which grew up with the tacit permission of the temple authorities, who made money by permitting trading. Cf. notes on Mt 21:12-13 and Mk 11:15-18.
16-17. "Zeal for thy house will consume me"--a quotation from Psalm 69:10. Jesus has just made a most significant assertion: "You shall not make my Father's house a house of trade." By calling God his Father and acting so energetically, he is proclaiming he is the Messiah, the Son of God. Jesus' zeal for his Father's glory did not escape the attention of his disciples who realized that what he did fulfilled the words of Psalm 69.
18-22. The temple of Jerusalem, which had replaced the previous sanctuary which the Israelites carried around in the wilderness, was the place selected by God during the Old Covenant to express his presence to the people in a special way. But this was only an imperfect anticipation or prefiguring of the full __expression of his presence among men--the Word of God became man. Jesus, in whom "the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily" (Col 2:9), is the full presence of God here on earth and, therefore, the true temple of God. Jesus identifies the temple of Jerusalem with his own body, and by so doing refers to one of the most profound truths about himself--the Incarnation. After the ascension of the Lord into heaven this real and very special presence of God among men is continued in the sacrament of the Blessed Eucharist.
Christ's words and actions as he expels the traders from the temple clearly show that he is the Messiah foretold by the prophets. That is why some Jews approach him and ask him to give a sign of his power (cf. Mt 16:1; Mk 8:11; Lk 11:29). Jesus' reply (v. 20), whose meaning remains obscure until his resurrection, the Jewish authorities try to turn into an attack on the temple--which merits the death penalty (Mt 26:61; Mk 14:58; cf. Jer 26:4ff); later they will taunt him with it when he is suffering on the cross (Mt 27:40; A 15:29) and later still in their case against St Stephen before the Sanhedrin they will claim to have heard him repeat it (Acts 6:14).
There was nothing derogatory in what Jesus said, contrary to what false witnesses made out. The miracle he offers them, which he calls "the Sign of Jonah" (cf. Mt 16:4), will be his own resurrection on the third day. Jesus is using a metaphor, as if to say: Do you see this temple? Well, imagine if it were destroyed, would it not be a great miracle to rebuild it in three days? That is what I will do for you as a sign. For you will destroy my body, which is the true temple, and I will rise again on the third day.
No one understood what he was saying. Jews and disciples alike thought he was speaking about rebuilding the temple which Herod the Great had begun to construct in 19-20 B.C. Later on the disciples grasped what he really meant.
___________________________
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.
From: John 2:13-22
The Cleansing of the Temple
[13] The Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. [14] In the temple he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the money-changers at their business. [15] And making a whip of cords, he drove them all, with the sheep and oxen, out of the temple; and he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables. [16] And he told those who sold the pigeons, "Take these things away; you shall not make my Father's house a house of trade." [17] His disciples remembered that it was written, "Zeal for thy house will consume me." [18] The Jews then said to him, "What signs have you to show us for doing this?" [19] Jesus answered them, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." [20] The Jews then said, "It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?" [21] But he spoke of the temple of his body. [22] When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this; and they believed the scripture and the word which Jesus had spoken.
__________________________
Commentary:
13. "The Passover of the Jews": this is the most important religious feast for the people of the Old Testament, the prefiguring of the Christian Easter (cf. note on Mt 26:2). The Jewish Passover was celebrated on the fourteenth day of the month of Nisan and was followed by the festival week of the Azymes (unleavened bread). According to the Law of Moses, on those days every male Israelite had to "appear before the Lord God" (Ex 34:23; Deut 16:16)--hence the pious custom of making a pilgrimage to the temple of Jerusalem for these days, hence the crowd and all the vendors to supply the needs of the pilgrims; this trading gave rise to abuses.
"Jesus went up to Jerusalem": by doing this Jesus publicly shows that he observes the Law of God. But, as we shall soon see, he goes to the temple as the only-begotten Son who must ensure that all due decorum is observed in the House of the Father: "And from thenceforth Jesus, the Anointed of God, always begins by reforming abuses and purifying from sin; both when he visits his Church, and when he visits the Christian soul" (Origen, "Hom. on St John", 1).
14-15. Every Israelite had to offer as a passover sacrifice an ox or a sheep, if he was wealthy; or two turtle-doves or two pigeons if he was not (Lev 5:7). In addition he had to pay a half shekel every year, if he was twenty or over. The half shekel, which was the equivalent of a day's pay of a worker, was a special coin also called temple money (cf. Ex 30:13); other coins in circulation (denarii, drachmas, etc.) were considered impure because they bore the image of pagan rulers. During the Passover, because of the extra crowd, the outer courtyard of the temple, the court of the Gentiles, was full of traders, money-changers etc., and inevitably this meant noise, shouting, bellowing, manure etc. Prophets had already fulminated against these abuses, which grew up with the tacit permission of the temple authorities, who made money by permitting trading. Cf. notes on Mt 21:12-13 and Mk 11:15-18.
16-17. "Zeal for thy house will consume me"--a quotation from Psalm 69:10. Jesus has just made a most significant assertion: "You shall not make my Father's house a house of trade." By calling God his Father and acting so energetically, he is proclaiming he is the Messiah, the Son of God. Jesus' zeal for his Father's glory did not escape the attention of his disciples who realized that what he did fulfilled the words of Psalm 69.
18-22. The temple of Jerusalem, which had replaced the previous sanctuary which the Israelites carried around in the wilderness, was the place selected by God during the Old Covenant to express his presence to the people in a special way. But this was only an imperfect anticipation or prefiguring of the full __expression of his presence among men--the Word of God became man. Jesus, in whom "the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily" (Col 2:9), is the full presence of God here on earth and, therefore, the true temple of God. Jesus identifies the temple of Jerusalem with his own body, and by so doing refers to one of the most profound truths about himself--the Incarnation. After the ascension of the Lord into heaven this real and very special presence of God among men is continued in the sacrament of the Blessed Eucharist.
Christ's words and actions as he expels the traders from the temple clearly show that he is the Messiah foretold by the prophets. That is why some Jews approach him and ask him to give a sign of his power (cf. Mt 16:1; Mk 8:11; Lk 11:29). Jesus' reply (v. 20), whose meaning remains obscure until his resurrection, the Jewish authorities try to turn into an attack on the temple--which merits the death penalty (Mt 26:61; Mk 14:58; cf. Jer 26:4ff); later they will taunt him with it when he is suffering on the cross (Mt 27:40; A 15:29) and later still in their case against St Stephen before the Sanhedrin they will claim to have heard him repeat it (Acts 6:14).
There was nothing derogatory in what Jesus said, contrary to what false witnesses made out. The miracle he offers them, which he calls "the Sign of Jonah" (cf. Mt 16:4), will be his own resurrection on the third day. Jesus is using a metaphor, as if to say: Do you see this temple? Well, imagine if it were destroyed, would it not be a great miracle to rebuild it in three days? That is what I will do for you as a sign. For you will destroy my body, which is the true temple, and I will rise again on the third day.
No one understood what he was saying. Jews and disciples alike thought he was speaking about rebuilding the temple which Herod the Great had begun to construct in 19-20 B.C. Later on the disciples grasped what he really meant.
___________________________
Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland. Reprinted with permission from Four Courts Press and Scepter Publishers, the U.S. publisher.
Thursday, November 08, 2007
Thoughts and Counsels - November 9
Meditation for November 9, With the Dead
Do I often ask for the souls in Purgatory, refreshment, light and peace, as we do in the liturgy of the Requiem?
Poor Souls! All the stage scenery of painted pasteboard, that is the earth, which interested them so much, has collapsed. Nothing is definitely catalogued as nothing. On looking back, nothing draws them; on looking forward, everything attracts them. Not that they have seen God face to face, in the particular judgment, but they have understood, and with what conviction, that God is their only good. It is still impossible to reach Him. Between their present state and God there is an insuperable abyss. It is like the suffering of a child who, seeing his tenderly loved mother on the opposite bank of a river, stretches forth his arms to her, powerless, and calls to her desolately.
Doubtless, great loving souls endure this agony even on earth, although naturally in a lesser degree, since their understanding of God is less clear.
To wish to embrace God, to dart with all one's desire toward Him and never to attain Him, never to discover Him, unless through a veil, and in obscurity, a hidden God. . . what a crucifixion!
That great specialist in the most authentic descriptions of Purgatory, St. Catherine of Genoa, could not have spoken so well of the Purgatory of the beyond without having experienced to the full the Purgatory of earth.
She relates that one day she had a vision of the Savior conversing with the Samaritan woman and she cried, "O Jesus, give me a little drop of water that you gave to the woman from the well of Jacob, because I cannot endure any longer this great fire which burns me entirely." Immediately she received a drop of the divine water, and was marvelously refreshed.
Adapted from Meditations for Religious
by Father Raoul Plus, S.J. (© 1939, Frederick Pustet Co.)
Poor Souls! All the stage scenery of painted pasteboard, that is the earth, which interested them so much, has collapsed. Nothing is definitely catalogued as nothing. On looking back, nothing draws them; on looking forward, everything attracts them. Not that they have seen God face to face, in the particular judgment, but they have understood, and with what conviction, that God is their only good. It is still impossible to reach Him. Between their present state and God there is an insuperable abyss. It is like the suffering of a child who, seeing his tenderly loved mother on the opposite bank of a river, stretches forth his arms to her, powerless, and calls to her desolately.
Doubtless, great loving souls endure this agony even on earth, although naturally in a lesser degree, since their understanding of God is less clear.
To wish to embrace God, to dart with all one's desire toward Him and never to attain Him, never to discover Him, unless through a veil, and in obscurity, a hidden God. . . what a crucifixion!
That great specialist in the most authentic descriptions of Purgatory, St. Catherine of Genoa, could not have spoken so well of the Purgatory of the beyond without having experienced to the full the Purgatory of earth.
She relates that one day she had a vision of the Savior conversing with the Samaritan woman and she cried, "O Jesus, give me a little drop of water that you gave to the woman from the well of Jacob, because I cannot endure any longer this great fire which burns me entirely." Immediately she received a drop of the divine water, and was marvelously refreshed.
"Give me, O Great Saint, a thirst for God; intensify my desire to possess God eternally and to arrive at the greatest possible union with Him, here on earth. Give me also a great pity for the souls who suffer in the place of purgation. Let me obtain for many a speedy termination of their sufferings, and bring them more quickly to the joy of the contemplation of God whom they so much desire."_________________
Adapted from Meditations for Religious
by Father Raoul Plus, S.J. (© 1939, Frederick Pustet Co.)
A Poll: Should women be ordained as Roman Catholic priests?
Brought to you by the St Louis Post Dispatch.
As I read the poll and voted I could not help but recall the quote of then Cardinal Ratzinger, "Truth is not determined by a majority vote."
The count so far, which is not surprising:
And for even more "enlightenment," you can read others' comments here. (including those of our lost friend Joe)
As I read the poll and voted I could not help but recall the quote of then Cardinal Ratzinger, "Truth is not determined by a majority vote."
The count so far, which is not surprising:
65% YesChange the results here (See the "Related" box
35% No
Votes: 944
Polls are unscientific, reflecting only the views of those who choose to participate.
And for even more "enlightenment," you can read others' comments here. (including those of our lost friend Joe)
Shock therapy for freshmen at St. Thomas shockingly trite
by Katherine Kersten, Star Tribune, MinneapolisAnd here comes a tactic employed by the board members of St Stanislaus some years back to exclude the Archbishop from the board:
Nov. 8--The University of St. Thomas' latest attempt at freshman shock therapy is in full swing. The vehicle is the school's "common text" -- a book, chosen annually, that all freshman English students must read and discuss.
If you've ever wondered where the idea comes from that colleges and universities have become liberal indoctrination camps, well, it comes from rituals like this.
As usual, this year's common text isn't a literary classic by a Dead White Male. It's "The Handmaid's Tale," an ideologically freighted polemic by feminist novelist Margaret Atwood.
Here's a summary: Right-wing Christian fanatics have taken over America and imposed a theocratic state. Women are virtual slaves, the continent is awash in pollution, abortionists are executed. Many fertile women must become "handmaids" -- reproductive machines -- who are compelled to breed with male "Commanders."The Handmaid's Tale" portrays the dominant Christian culture of the future as totalitarian and consumed with hatred toward women. The book includes graphic scenes of sexual abuse.
[snip]
For decades, the archbishop of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis has led the university's board, automatically serving as chair. The incoming archbishop, John Nienstedt, has a reputation for orthodoxy and might be expected to exert his influence now.
On Oct. 25, they effectively bumped the incoming archbishop from the board. They did so by voting to eliminate ex officio members, and then inviting back as individuals those -- such as retiring Archbishop Harry Flynn -- who have not interfered in the past with the institution's leftward tilt.Sounds so familiar. There are good Catholic colleges and universities (click here for more information).
St. Thomas spokesman Doug Hennes says the bylaws change has been under discussion for several years, and is unrelated to Nienstedt's appointment...
Barbara Kralis writes:
St. Thomas is trying to pull a fast one on a Bishop whom they know will "right the ship". Please get the article and disseminate and then pray pray pray. This not only affects the college but the seminary where the Bishop has the right to determine rector and faculty. A shrewd liberal tactic for sure. Anyway Flynn is with the school and is privy to their shenanigans and is also part and parcel of the decision. Nienstedt needs lots of prayers for an afternoon meeting today, Nov. 8th.Keep this situation in your prayers if you can...there is no end, it seems, to the corruption taking place in so called Catholic colleges...
HT to Darla for the tip!
Radical Homosexual Campaign Launched by UN Officials
From C-FAM, the Catholic Family and Human Rights Institute:
We report today on yet another radial social initiative launched this week at UN headquarters. A number of governments and UN officials endorsed a radical homosexual document they hope to foist on the General Assembly and the Member States of the UN.
Spread the word.
Yours sincerely,
Austin Ruse
President
Women warned against Catholic ordination
In another story (this one from the AP), readers gain more insights into the mindset of two women who are soon-to-be excommunicated...
ST. LOUIS—The St. Louis Archdiocese has warned two Roman Catholic women that they will be excommunicated if they are ordained as priests on Sunday.Of course, both will ignore Archbishop Burke.
Rose Marie Dunn Hudson, 67, and Elsie Hainz McGrath, 69, are set to be ordained by a former nun as part of the Roman Catholic Womenpriests movement that began in 2002.
"It's a typically hierarchical form of intimidation, and we will not be intimidated," McGrath said.McGrath's response is no surprise. Church history has numerous examples of heretics and schismatics speaking the same way all throughout history. For someone who supposedly has a "theology" degree, one would think she would understand that the CHurch is a hierarchically structured institution.
"What is he going to do, burn us at the stake, or what?" Hudson asked...Were we living in the middle ages, where such a punishment might have been inflicted, would these women claim to be so brave? Of course not - their alleged "calling" would be ignored for what it truly is, a temptation from the father of lies.
"We're going to just totally ignore it. This is not unexpected. We wondered why it took so long."Likewise, they ignore the King of kings and the Lord of lords, Who granted His authority to His Church...
Women as priests? Plans test alliance...
Next, men will pretend to be women priestettes...
Tim Townsend, from the Post Dispatch, appears to be quite busy these days, following stories of "Catholic" dissent and rebellion...
Yes, children, actions have consequences...
Tim Townsend, from the Post Dispatch, appears to be quite busy these days, following stories of "Catholic" dissent and rebellion...
A ceremony set for Sunday to ordain two women as priests in a Central West End synagogue is testing long-standing alliances among St. Louis religious leaders...May have been a mistake? There's no question about it. Nevertheless, these two grandmothers, would have found some other place to exercise their defiance and rebellion...
St. Louis Archbishop Raymond Burke has reacted strongly, and Jewish leaders are questioning the synagogue's decision to host the ceremony.
The president of the Interfaith Partnership of Metropolitan St. Louis, who is Jewish, said the decision by Central Reform Congregation may have been a mistake.
Hudson, 67, is a grandmother of 11 from Festus who retired three years ago after 40 years as a teacher, the last 21 in the St. Louis public school system. McGrath, 69, of St. Louis, has eight great-grandchildren and recently retired after a dozen years as an editor at a Catholic publishing house. Before that, she was a campus minister at St. Louis University.I wonder if anyone has interviewed the children or grandchildren? Are they Catholic, quasi-Catholic, anti-Catholic, or what? What sort of problems will such matronly arrogance and pride bring to the children and grandchildren? Are they supportive of such lunacy?
Yes, children, actions have consequences...
The two women will be ordained as priests of an organization called Roman Catholic Womenpriests, which, in its constitution, defines itself as "an international initiative within the Roman Catholic Church"...Some mentally challenged individuals insist that they are God, Superman, or who knows what else...and all of them are wrong.
The group insists that it is Roman Catholic, but the church says it is not. Church leaders say that Womenpriests is like any other Christian denomination that breaks away from the church because it dislikes its doctrine.
...in letters delivered by courier Monday evening, Burke told Hudson and McGrath "to renounce your intention to attempt to receive priestly ordination." If not, he said, "you will incur automatically … the censure of excommunication. …"The new priestettes evidently don't advocate a policy of openess and transparency.
The women agreed to allow a Post-Dispatch reporter to read most of Burke's letter, including his signature, Wednesday. But they refused to reveal parts of it.
Harvey Schneider, president of the Interfaith Partnership of Metropolitan St. Louis, said Talve made a mistake. "Susan may have meant well, but in retrospect it may not have been such a great idea," he said. "I hope if there is a chasm that develops, it can be healed."Talve appears to be unreliable - it may be in the Church's best interest to avoid her in future dealings - it seems prudence is not one of her strong points...
A Response to a Jesuit who ‘Came Out’ at Campus Mass
Another traitor among the Jesuits...
And what a disgrace and scandal this priest is to Our Lord, St Ignatius, the Jesuit order, and the priesthood. Will anything be done by his superiors to correct this outrage? When pigs fly, maybe?
More at HLI.
FRONT ROYAL, VA — The Rev. Thomas J. Euteneuer, STL, president of Human Life International, (HLI) today published an “open letter” to Father Thomas J. Brennan, SJ, who declared that he was a homosexual during a student Mass, admitting that it was one of “the worst kept secrets” on campus.Fr Euteneuer hits the ball out of the park with this statement.
Father Euteneuer’s response, “Homosexual Jesuit Needs Refresher Course in Priestly Love” was published in his weekly email newsletter, Spirit & Life, available Thursday after 3:00 PM EST on the HLI website (http://www.hli.org). The letter called for Brennan to apologize to his congregation.
Father Euteneuer said, “There is something just plain wrong about abusing people’s trust in the priesthood in such a public way, and since you chose to ‘go public’ with this matter, a public response to your outrageous ‘outing’ is merited.”
“First of all,” Father Euteneuer said, “Holy Mass is not a forum for your self-expression. You chose the sacred liturgy and the pulpit reserved for preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ as the launching pad for your personal testament to homosexuality … You’ve read the same documents I’ve read about the liturgy, and none of them say the liturgy is your personal stage.”
He continued, “[Celibacy] is a form of Christian chastity to which you and I are called, and I trust that you are faithful to it. … A heterosexual celibate renounces his natural desire for wife and children in order to embrace the Bride of Christ in a direct spousal relationship. A homosexual celibate renounces an unholy desire for members of the same sex: that is a renunciation of a disorder, not the embrace of a Bride.
“When even a celibate priest chooses to go public about his homosexual identity as an expression of ‘diversity’ or ‘pride’, the faithful are rightfully confused and scandalized. Not only do you owe them an apology, you owe them a better example of priesthood. They deserve a priest who is clear about the Church’s doctrine about homosexual acts and who teaches it unambiguously. … If you do not clearly witness the Church’s teaching about your own vocation, how can you teach others to be faithful to theirs?
And what a disgrace and scandal this priest is to Our Lord, St Ignatius, the Jesuit order, and the priesthood. Will anything be done by his superiors to correct this outrage? When pigs fly, maybe?
More at HLI.
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