Thursday, February 16, 2006
Gospel for Thursday, 6th Week in Ordinary Time
From: Mark 8:27-33
Peter's Profession of Faith
[27] And Jesus went on with His disciples, to the villages of Caesarea Philippi; and on the way He asked His disciples, "Who do men say that I am?" [28] And they told Him, "John the Baptist; and others say, Elijah; and others one of the prophets." [29] And He asked them, "But who do you say I am?" Peter answered Him, "You are the Christ." [30] And He charged them to tell no one about Him.
Jesus Foretells His Passion and Resurrection. Christian Renunciation
[31] And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. [32] And He said this plainly. And Peter took Him, and began to rebuke Him. [33] But turning and seeing His disciples, He rebuked Peter, and said, "Get behind Me, Satan! For you are not on the side of God, but of men."
______________________
Commentary:
29. Peter's profession of faith is reported here in a shorter form than in Matthew 16:18-19. Peter seems to go no further than say that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah. Eusebius of Caesarea, in the fourth century, explains the Evangelist's reserve by the fact that he was the interpreter of St. Peter, who omitted from his preaching anything which might appear to be self-praise. The Holy Spirit, when inspiring St. Mark, wanted the Gospel to reflect the preaching of the prince of the Apostles, leaving it to other evangelists to fill out certain important details to do with the episode of the confession of Peter.
The sketchiness of the narrative still show Peter's role quite clearly: he is the first to come forward affirming the messiahship of Jesus. Our Lord's question, "But who do you say that I am?", shows what Jesus is asking the Apostles for--not an opinion, more or less favorable, but firm faith. It is St. Peter who expresses this faith (cf. note on Matthew 16:13-20).
31-33. This is the first occasion when Jesus tells His disciples about the sufferings and death He must undergo. He does it twice more, later on (cf. Mark 9:31 and 10:32). The Apostles are surprised, because they cannot and do not want to understand why the Master should have to suffer and die, much less that He should be so treated "by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes." But Peter, with his usual spontaneity, immediately begins to protest. And Jesus replies to him using the same words as He addressed the devil when he tempted Him (cf. Matthew 4:10); He wants to affirm, once again, that His mission is spiritual, not earthly, and that therefore it cannot be understood by using mere human criteria: it is governed by God's designs, which were that Jesus should redeem us through His passion and death. So too, for a Christian, suffering, united with Christ, is also a means of salvation.
________________________
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.
Peter's Profession of Faith
[27] And Jesus went on with His disciples, to the villages of Caesarea Philippi; and on the way He asked His disciples, "Who do men say that I am?" [28] And they told Him, "John the Baptist; and others say, Elijah; and others one of the prophets." [29] And He asked them, "But who do you say I am?" Peter answered Him, "You are the Christ." [30] And He charged them to tell no one about Him.
Jesus Foretells His Passion and Resurrection. Christian Renunciation
[31] And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. [32] And He said this plainly. And Peter took Him, and began to rebuke Him. [33] But turning and seeing His disciples, He rebuked Peter, and said, "Get behind Me, Satan! For you are not on the side of God, but of men."
______________________
Commentary:
29. Peter's profession of faith is reported here in a shorter form than in Matthew 16:18-19. Peter seems to go no further than say that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah. Eusebius of Caesarea, in the fourth century, explains the Evangelist's reserve by the fact that he was the interpreter of St. Peter, who omitted from his preaching anything which might appear to be self-praise. The Holy Spirit, when inspiring St. Mark, wanted the Gospel to reflect the preaching of the prince of the Apostles, leaving it to other evangelists to fill out certain important details to do with the episode of the confession of Peter.
The sketchiness of the narrative still show Peter's role quite clearly: he is the first to come forward affirming the messiahship of Jesus. Our Lord's question, "But who do you say that I am?", shows what Jesus is asking the Apostles for--not an opinion, more or less favorable, but firm faith. It is St. Peter who expresses this faith (cf. note on Matthew 16:13-20).
31-33. This is the first occasion when Jesus tells His disciples about the sufferings and death He must undergo. He does it twice more, later on (cf. Mark 9:31 and 10:32). The Apostles are surprised, because they cannot and do not want to understand why the Master should have to suffer and die, much less that He should be so treated "by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes." But Peter, with his usual spontaneity, immediately begins to protest. And Jesus replies to him using the same words as He addressed the devil when he tempted Him (cf. Matthew 4:10); He wants to affirm, once again, that His mission is spiritual, not earthly, and that therefore it cannot be understood by using mere human criteria: it is governed by God's designs, which were that Jesus should redeem us through His passion and death. So too, for a Christian, suffering, united with Christ, is also a means of salvation.
________________________
Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland.
Reprinted with permission from Four Courts Press and Scepter Publishers, the U.S. publisher.
Wednesday, February 15, 2006
Sister Helen Prejean testifies that Ryan is 'a man of honesty'
. . .U.S. District Judge Rebecca R. Pallmeyer barred the 66-year-old Dominican nun from New Orleans from mentioning the issue that brought her together with Ryan - the crusade to repeal the death penalty in America.More.
Pallmeyer ruled that the death penalty issue was irrelevant to charges that Ryan steered big-money state contracts and leases to friends and got free vacations and gifts in return.
Prejean testified that she had repeatedly met with Ryan to discuss "public policy" and "social policy" issues.
Archbishop Burke meets with St. Stanislaus' priest
By Tim Townsend
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
Perhaps, Archbishop Burke was informing him of the next step in the process - that about which Dr Ed Peters commented on Dec 20 2005:
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
St. Louis Archbishop Raymond Burke met Tuesday with a priest he declared excommunicated in December. The Rev. Marek Bozek, who was hired as pastor of St. Stanislaus Kostka parish late last year, confirmed Tuesday afternoon that he had met with the archbishop but would not comment on their conversation.Perhaps our friends from St. Stanislaus would care to comment?
Bozek, a Polish national who has worked as a Catholic priest in southwestern Missouri for three years, left his home diocese of Springfield Cape-Girardeau without the permission of his own bishop, John J. Leibrecht, to lead St. Stanislaus.
Leibrecht suspended Bozek on Dec. 2, and the priest was immediately hired by St. Stanislaus's lay board of directors. The parish had been without an ordained leader since August 2004, when Burke removed its priests.
By hiring Bozek, the six members of the board also brought excommunication on themselves by committing a schismatic act, according to Burke. The archbishop has since "suppressed" St. Stanislaus, meaning the parish north of downtown is no longer part of the Archdiocese of St. Louis.
Phone calls to the archdiocese seeking comment were not returned Tuesday afternoon.
Perhaps, Archbishop Burke was informing him of the next step in the process - that about which Dr Ed Peters commented on Dec 20 2005:
Fr. Bozek needs to know something here: contumacy for an excommunication imposed for an act of schism is itself punishable, this time, by penal dismissal from the clerical state (1983 CIC 1364 § 2). Moreover, once imposed, penal dismissal from the clergy--not being a censure (1983 CIC 1336 § 1, 5°)--is not reversible by what amounts to offering a sincere apology. Indeed, reinstatement of a "defrocked" priest is reserved to Rome (1983 CIC 293) and is so rare as to be non-existent.
Not too surprising...
..."Evidence Doesn't Matter" in American Psychological Association Abortion Advocacy
Springfield, IL (Feb. 15, 2005) -- According to a spokesperson for the American Psychological Association, the APA's pro-choice position, first adopted in 1969, is based on a civil rights view, not on scientific proof of any mental health benefits arising from abortion.More at LifeSiteNews
More on Ferder and Heagle
Ferder and Heagle's web site is called "Tender Fires", The Spiritual Promise of SexualityThese two are scheduled to be here in St Louis on February 24-26 at the Mercy Center, for a Workshop for Voice of the Faithful, St Louis, on: Sexuality & Spirituality.
Archbishop Burke has been notified of this pair's coming to the Archdiocese at the request of another dissenting organization (VOTFSL) in our midst. Let us pray that those who would choose to pervert the teachings of the Church and of the natural moral law are admonished to cease or, at least, to take their poison elsewhere.
From Our Lady's Warriors, we read about TARA (Therapy and Renewal Associates):
The following link contains a list of books recommended by the Dominican Sisters of Springfield, IL.
From a "DANGEROUS to the FAITH" website:
There is so much more, but I will have to post a followup. I must gratefully thank D. Meyers for for her tremendous help and courage in putting so much time and effort into exposing this poison in the Diocese of LaCrosse and elsewhere.
Archbishop Burke has been notified of this pair's coming to the Archdiocese at the request of another dissenting organization (VOTFSL) in our midst. Let us pray that those who would choose to pervert the teachings of the Church and of the natural moral law are admonished to cease or, at least, to take their poison elsewhere.
From Our Lady's Warriors, we read about TARA (Therapy and Renewal Associates):
Described as an outpatient psychotherapy resource for clergy, members of religious communities, lay ministers, other professional adults, couples and families, and co-directed by dissenters Sr. Fran Ferder and Fr. John Heagle, they counsel that sodomy and a homosexual lifestyle is perfectly acceptable.Emphasis below is mine:
Dr. Ludwig, director of university ministry and professor of Catholic studies at De Paul University in Chicago, author of Reconstructing Catholicism for a New Generation, is an expert at "deconstructing Catholicism" — as his signature in support on the Voice of the Faithful petition indicates.. . .Ludwig's appearance in Des Moines, along with the recent appearances of high-profile dissidents in other dioceses — such as Australian ex-priest Michael Morwood in Los Angeles, New Age proselytizer St. Jose Hobday in Altoona-Johnstown, Pa., Sr. Fran Ferder and Fr. John Heagle in Boise, Idaho — not only demonstrates the commitment of a significant number of bishops to the ongoing destruction of the Church in America, but most importantly signals the determination of the hijackers of Vatican II to take advantage of the sex abuse scandals to maintain control and continue Amchurch's triumphal march...(Link: Catholic Culture)===============
... The mobilizing metaphor of this council document (Lumen Gentium, specifically its description of the Church as The People of God) remains the image of the church as a community of faith in history. The result has been a revolution in Catholic consciousness that is stronger than our words and deeper than our symbols. It is a shift from understanding the church primarily as the hierarchical institution to experiencing it as a community of disciples. It is a way of recognizing the primordial dignity of baptism as the basis for all mission and ministry. (7. Partnership: Men & Women in Ministry, by Fran Ferder and John Heagle, Ave Maria Press, 1989, pp. 116-117.)===============
(Link: The Wanderer)
The author sees a close connection between the human being, adam, and ‘earth’ which is adamah in Hebrew. Human beings are a mixture of matter and spirit, of rootedness in the earth while having their origin in God’s creative breath. Since the earthy being had as yet no gender, in English it should be referred to as ‘it’. We translate it as ‘earth-creature’.1===============In Hebrew, ‘he’ and ‘it’ are the same word; about `earth creature', see F.FERDER and J.HEAGLE, Partnership, Notre Dame 1989, pp. 31-46.(Link: WomenPriests.org)
The following link contains a list of books recommended by the Dominican Sisters of Springfield, IL.
Ferder, Fran and Heagle, John. Partnership: Women and Men in Ministry. Notre Dame, Ind.: Ave Maria Press, 1989.===============
(Link: Dominican Sisters, Springfield IL)
From a "DANGEROUS to the FAITH" website:
WHY HAVE YOU (Fran Ferder) AND JOHN HEAGLE, two celibate people, chosen to work in the area of sexuality? . . .===============
You talk about diversity and inclusivity as an essential teaching of Jesus—that we need to let everyone come to the table.
That is definitely a central message that we want to communicate. Often it's around issues that deal with sexuality that people don't feel included in our church. I don't see a lot of people who are pro-capital punishment feeling like they're not part of our church or that they can't participate in the sacraments. But someone divorced and remarried without an annulment is explicitly excluded, unless they are refraining from sex with their spouse.
This is where genital behavior—what you do or don't do with your genitals—becomes the defining issue in Catholic morality. And we need to move away from that.
(Link: The Claretians)
Those Who Feel Called to Priesthood===============
An Experience of Priesthood
by Fran Ferder, F.S.P.A., Ph.D.
New Woman, New Church, New Priestly Ministry
Proceedings of the Second Conference on the Ordination of Roman Catholic Women
November 1978, Baltimore, U.S.A. pp 101-109.
Fran Ferder, FSPA, authored Called to Break Bread?, a psychological investigation of 100 women who feel called to priesthood in the Catholic Church. She holds a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Loyola University, Chicago, and is a member of the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration, LaCrosse, Wisconsin. She currently serves on the staff of the Quixote Center, Mt. Rainier, Maryland.
(Link: WomenPriests.org)
Ferder and Heagle have co-authored several books, including: Partnership: Women and Men in Ministry and Your Sexual Self: Pathway to Authenticity. Their most recent book Tender Fires: The Spiritual Promise of Sexuality (Crossroad Publishing) was released this fall.===============
I reached Ferder and Heagle by telephone in Seattle to talk about their new book.
by Gerry McCarthy, Editor of The Social Edge
(Link: The Social Edge)
There is so much more, but I will have to post a followup. I must gratefully thank D. Meyers for for her tremendous help and courage in putting so much time and effort into exposing this poison in the Diocese of LaCrosse and elsewhere.
Who said, "Ya can't fix stupid"?
During the 2004 campaign, John Kerry was subjected to bitter invective from religious leaders and pundits for his stance on abortion. Raymond Burke, the Roman Catholic archbishop of St. Louis, went so far as to forbid Kerry Communion in his diocese, and Fox News commentator Sean Hannity opined that if Kerry couldn't support a major tenet of his religion "... he can go to another church."As if there is no hypocrisy in Franken's words? This is from a review of Al Franken's book, "The Truth with jokes".
All of this might be considered fair play except -- as Franken notes, no pro-choice Republican Catholics, including such notables as Rudolph Giuliani, Arnold Schwarzenegger and even a member of George Bush's own cabinet, were ever subjected to these sanctions or criticisms.
Franken quips that Hannity, a Catholic and a staunch proponent of the death penalty, may have since left the church in search of a religion that is "more bloodthirsty." While Hannity might be allowed some partisan license, it's difficult to see any appropriateness in Bishop Burke's hypocrisy.
Apparently had he done any research at all or read any of the pastoral letters by Archbishop Burke, he might not come off as a clueless "comedian"...
Fr Heagle and Sr Ferder - Soon To Be Here
Breach of Faith
On behalf of the Seattle Archdiocese, a nun and a priest teamed up to evaluate or counsel priests accused of sex abuse. They also counseled victims, one of whom is suing over this conflict of interest.. . .This article will be followed up with a number a links which demonstrate very profound problems with this "team".
Their co-written book, Tender Fires: The Spiritual Promise of Sexuality, makes the case for a new, healthier vision of Christian sexuality based on joy rather than sin. They have also issued support for homosexuality, a position that has earned them the title of "dissidents" among orthodox Catholics and put them at odds with Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI, whom Ferder once called "woefully ignorant of recent findings on human sexual development."
Honduran Cardinal Speaks on Global Poverty, and more...
As well as other things...
Link.
In an interview, Rodriguez Maradiaga said an issue recently in the news in the U.S. - bishops in favor of denying Holy Communion to Catholic politicians who support abortion rights - is not relevant in Honduras "because those people never come to church."The greater public scandal would be to allow a so-called "Catholic" who supports and facilitates the murder of innocent children to receive Holy Communion...I'm afraid the good cardinal is a bit confused on this point.
But, he said, "personally, I could never deny Holy Communion to a person. It would be a public scandal. Those who know they shouldn't be accepting the Eucharist have their own consciences. In my capacity as a pastor, I would never decide that for someone else."
Link.
Disordered?
Homosexual activists are never "satisfied". The objectively disordered inclination they have, directly affects, for many, their ability for rational thought. Being "possessed", as it were, to a certain unnatural depravity, they continue to ask for, and in some cases, demand that they be permitted to "have their way" with teenagers as this recent article explains:
Prayer, sacrifice, acts of penance and mortification are needed to atone for the enormous sins against life and against God that we are witnessing today. May God grant us the grace to see what is happening to us and to repair the damage we are inflicting upon ourselves by rejectng His moral order and principles.
Lifesite Article here.
Gay Activists Ask Canada to Lower Age of Consent for Anal Sex, National Post AgreesThe promotion, advocacy and approval of homosexual vices (or any sort of sins against Chastity) fosters a complete rejection of God and the rejection of any sense of objective morality. It leads to moral decay and rot within any society. It becomes the means by which society inflicts upon itself - suicide - a sexual suicide. More and more we think our "liberation" has set us free, yet, as history demonstrates, we are becoming more and more enslaved by the addiction of sexual perversity and deviance. And the ultimate consequence of this will be death.
TORONTO, February 14, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Homosexual activists have long sought to distance themselves from pedophiles, however Canada's most prominent homosexual activist group has now demanded the lowering the age of consent for anal sex to 16 from 18. Surprisingly, Canada's National Post, regarded by some as a 'conservative' paper has come out in favour of the proposal...
Prayer, sacrifice, acts of penance and mortification are needed to atone for the enormous sins against life and against God that we are witnessing today. May God grant us the grace to see what is happening to us and to repair the damage we are inflicting upon ourselves by rejectng His moral order and principles.
Lifesite Article here.
Gospel for Wednesday, 6th Week in Ordinary Time
From: Mark 8:22-26
The Curing of a Blind Man at Bethsaida
[22] And they came to Bethsaida. And some people brought to Him (Jesus) a blind man, and begged Him to touch him. [23] And He took the blind man by the hand, and led him out of the village. And when He had spit on his eyes and laid His hands upon him, He asked, "Do you see anything?" [24] And he looked up and said, "I see men, but they look like trees, walking." [25] Then again He laid His hands upon his eyes; and He looked intently and was restored, and saw everything clearly. [26] And He sent him away to his home, saying, "Do not even enter the village."
________________________
Commentary:
22-25. Normally the cures which Jesus worked were instantaneous; not so in this case. Why? Because the blind man's faith was very weak, it would seem, to begin with. Before curing the eyes of his body, Jesus wanted the man's faith to grow; the more it grew and the more trusting the man became, the more sight Jesus gave him. In this way Jesus acted in keeping with His usual pattern: not working miracles unless there was a right predisposition, yet encouraging a good disposition in the person and giving more grace as he responds to the grace already given.
God's grace is essential even for desiring holy things: "Give us light, Lord. Behold, we need it more than the man who was blind from his birth, for he wished to see the light and could not, whereas nowadays, Lord, no one wishes to see it. Oh, what a hopeless ill is this! Here, my God, must be manifested Thy power and Thy mercy" (St. Teresa, "Exclamations of the Soul to God", 8).
________________________
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 Curing of a Blind Man at Bethsaida
[22] And they came to Bethsaida. And some people brought to Him (Jesus) a blind man, and begged Him to touch him. [23] And He took the blind man by the hand, and led him out of the village. And when He had spit on his eyes and laid His hands upon him, He asked, "Do you see anything?" [24] And he looked up and said, "I see men, but they look like trees, walking." [25] Then again He laid His hands upon his eyes; and He looked intently and was restored, and saw everything clearly. [26] And He sent him away to his home, saying, "Do not even enter the village."
________________________
Commentary:
22-25. Normally the cures which Jesus worked were instantaneous; not so in this case. Why? Because the blind man's faith was very weak, it would seem, to begin with. Before curing the eyes of his body, Jesus wanted the man's faith to grow; the more it grew and the more trusting the man became, the more sight Jesus gave him. In this way Jesus acted in keeping with His usual pattern: not working miracles unless there was a right predisposition, yet encouraging a good disposition in the person and giving more grace as he responds to the grace already given.
God's grace is essential even for desiring holy things: "Give us light, Lord. Behold, we need it more than the man who was blind from his birth, for he wished to see the light and could not, whereas nowadays, Lord, no one wishes to see it. Oh, what a hopeless ill is this! Here, my God, must be manifested Thy power and Thy mercy" (St. Teresa, "Exclamations of the Soul to God", 8).
________________________
Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland.
Reprinted with permission from Four Courts Press and Scepter Publishers, the U.S. publisher.
Tuesday, February 14, 2006
The Creator and Mankind
It has been demonstrated in our previous reflections that the Maker of all things imposed His will on them. In the firmament and in the elements of earth this will is expressed in what we call nature's laws. They are inflexible. In animals it is instinct which governs invariably. But what rules man? Conscience. This is God's will conveyed to man, telling him to do right and to avoid wrong.
As an example of how conscience acts, take a child who tells his first lie. When for the first time he says what he knows is not so, a blush comes to his countenance. This blush is the external sign of the shock within as nature cries out against falsehood. A confirmed liar shows no external disturbance because he has silenced conscience. Some nations and some individuals have more delicate consciences than others, but there are certain fundamental things which every people and every person feel to be obligatory.
Conscience is the bond between the Creator and the creature. And just as an individual may by carelessness or selfishness or licentiousness distort or destroy conscience, so may nations. We have an instance of this in the degraded and unblushing immorality of ancient Rome, even at the very height of her civilization. But the Creator has nevertheless asserted Himself. Nation after nation that has turned from righteousness has come to a sad end.
And so it is with the individual. He who sows the wind reaps the whirlwind. Often, however, the wicked prosper and the just suffer, but this is because God, if He always rewarded the good and punished the wicked here below, would be a mere employer, not the Lord and Creator. God could stop all the evil in the world instantly if He wished to, but He would then be interfering with the free will He has bestowed on man. For if He punished transgressions of His law on the spot, man would be morally forced to keep it and could give no external manifestation of his submission and loyalty.
So God permits evil in order to leave man free to choose between good and evil. For if there were no evil in the world, man would have no exercise of his liberty, which consists in absolute freedom of choice. If a man could only do right, he would be bound, not free.
Now with liberty goes responsibility. Man must answer for the use he makes of his wondrous gift. This brings him in direct relation with his Maker. The greatest transgressions may be those unseen by one's fellow-man. God alone knows all and sees all. Hence the necessity of a guiding code of morals by which man will be judged. This code is written on the heart of man. It was also given on Mt. Sinai in the Ten Commandments. Even apart from Mt. Sinai's promulgation, is there any one of the Ten Commandments that any decent man would wish to see revoked? Would you respect God if He permitted lying, or stealing, or dishonor to parents, or the lust that would rob you of your wife's affection or your daughter of her virtue? Would you respect God if He did not demand your reverence and obedience?
If God is entitled to our obedience, He is hound to make known to us His law. He might do this in various ways. It is not for us to say how He shall do it. He could command us directly and personally, He could do it by the ministry of angels, He could write His law in the firmament so that all might read it. But He has not chosen to do so. Instead He has made a covenant with mankind, employing human agencies to make known His dispensations. This is a statetnont. It requires proof, which we shall proceed to give shortly.
The covenant between God and man is called religion. Religion comes from the two Latin words re and ligo, which mean to bind back. It signifies the bond by which man is brought back into right relations with God. We, like sheep, had gone astray; individuals and nations had departed from right. God would bring back His erring children, and the ordinary means is by religion. This bond between the Creator and His creature we shall now consider.
I ask you to take up the matter in a fair way, as far as possible without prejudice. Prejudice kills right judgment. In a law suit, see how each party misjudges the other. That is why they must appear before a judge, who hears both sides. In our Civil War see how the North viewed the South and the South the North.
A person who is not a Christian, with difficulty views the Church rightly. Among Christians, behold how one sect regards another, and, above all, see how the sects regard the Catholic Church. Persons who have joined the Catholic Church from other denominations marvel at the way in which they had misunderstood her. Their first and strongest feeling after conversion is how they could have so mistaken and misrepresented her. As a rule, they burn with zeal to have others see her truth and beauty once they have beheld her as she is.
Christ said, speaking of His Church: "As the world has hated me, so will it hate you." In connection with this saying, I have an occurrence to relate. It is given by the late Father Gallwey, the noted Jesuit. Three English gentlemen, who were very literary, had the custom of meeting at one another's homes in turn and discussing literary topics. They read, each time they met, portions of the great masters, - Homer, Virgil, Horace, Dante, Shakespeare, etc. They always concluded by reading a passage from the Bible, the King James version.
It happened that one day they touched on that part wherein Christ uses the words I referred to: "As the world has hated me, so will it hate you." One of the gentlemen remarked on hearing the phrase that it had a meaning for him which it had never had before. Christ, he said, was here giving a characteristic of His Church, - it was to be hated and persecuted by the world. "Now, my friends," he continued, "which of the Christian churches does the world today hate and persecute?"
They went into the matter and concluded that there was but one church in the world with which the world was in opposition, and always had been, the Catholic Church. All the other churches had made friends with the world, were living on good terms with the world. From the Apostles down to the present day, the Catholic Church stood out against the spirit of the world, and the world stood against it.
After these reflections, the three agreed that it was worth while looking into the claims of such a church. They did so, and found to their astonishment that all their lives they were opposed to a church that they did not know. They had taken for granted the statements of her opponents and had arrayed themselves against her. On investigating for themselves, they saw things differently, and were convinced that she was the true Church of Christ. They had the strength of their convictions, for they sought out a priest and applied for admission into the Church. Father Gallwey was the priest and he it is who gives us these particulars.
We shall now, with unprejudiced mind, I trust, consider the matter of religion and its relation to ourselves personally. Please leave others out of the question and reflect on the points which follow as a personal matter between you and your Maker. God and Myself.
_________________________
Adapted from God and Myself, An Inquiry into the True Religion (©1917)
by Martin J Scott, S.J.
As an example of how conscience acts, take a child who tells his first lie. When for the first time he says what he knows is not so, a blush comes to his countenance. This blush is the external sign of the shock within as nature cries out against falsehood. A confirmed liar shows no external disturbance because he has silenced conscience. Some nations and some individuals have more delicate consciences than others, but there are certain fundamental things which every people and every person feel to be obligatory.
Conscience is the bond between the Creator and the creature. And just as an individual may by carelessness or selfishness or licentiousness distort or destroy conscience, so may nations. We have an instance of this in the degraded and unblushing immorality of ancient Rome, even at the very height of her civilization. But the Creator has nevertheless asserted Himself. Nation after nation that has turned from righteousness has come to a sad end.
And so it is with the individual. He who sows the wind reaps the whirlwind. Often, however, the wicked prosper and the just suffer, but this is because God, if He always rewarded the good and punished the wicked here below, would be a mere employer, not the Lord and Creator. God could stop all the evil in the world instantly if He wished to, but He would then be interfering with the free will He has bestowed on man. For if He punished transgressions of His law on the spot, man would be morally forced to keep it and could give no external manifestation of his submission and loyalty.
So God permits evil in order to leave man free to choose between good and evil. For if there were no evil in the world, man would have no exercise of his liberty, which consists in absolute freedom of choice. If a man could only do right, he would be bound, not free.
Now with liberty goes responsibility. Man must answer for the use he makes of his wondrous gift. This brings him in direct relation with his Maker. The greatest transgressions may be those unseen by one's fellow-man. God alone knows all and sees all. Hence the necessity of a guiding code of morals by which man will be judged. This code is written on the heart of man. It was also given on Mt. Sinai in the Ten Commandments. Even apart from Mt. Sinai's promulgation, is there any one of the Ten Commandments that any decent man would wish to see revoked? Would you respect God if He permitted lying, or stealing, or dishonor to parents, or the lust that would rob you of your wife's affection or your daughter of her virtue? Would you respect God if He did not demand your reverence and obedience?
If God is entitled to our obedience, He is hound to make known to us His law. He might do this in various ways. It is not for us to say how He shall do it. He could command us directly and personally, He could do it by the ministry of angels, He could write His law in the firmament so that all might read it. But He has not chosen to do so. Instead He has made a covenant with mankind, employing human agencies to make known His dispensations. This is a statetnont. It requires proof, which we shall proceed to give shortly.
The covenant between God and man is called religion. Religion comes from the two Latin words re and ligo, which mean to bind back. It signifies the bond by which man is brought back into right relations with God. We, like sheep, had gone astray; individuals and nations had departed from right. God would bring back His erring children, and the ordinary means is by religion. This bond between the Creator and His creature we shall now consider.
I ask you to take up the matter in a fair way, as far as possible without prejudice. Prejudice kills right judgment. In a law suit, see how each party misjudges the other. That is why they must appear before a judge, who hears both sides. In our Civil War see how the North viewed the South and the South the North.
A person who is not a Christian, with difficulty views the Church rightly. Among Christians, behold how one sect regards another, and, above all, see how the sects regard the Catholic Church. Persons who have joined the Catholic Church from other denominations marvel at the way in which they had misunderstood her. Their first and strongest feeling after conversion is how they could have so mistaken and misrepresented her. As a rule, they burn with zeal to have others see her truth and beauty once they have beheld her as she is.
Christ said, speaking of His Church: "As the world has hated me, so will it hate you." In connection with this saying, I have an occurrence to relate. It is given by the late Father Gallwey, the noted Jesuit. Three English gentlemen, who were very literary, had the custom of meeting at one another's homes in turn and discussing literary topics. They read, each time they met, portions of the great masters, - Homer, Virgil, Horace, Dante, Shakespeare, etc. They always concluded by reading a passage from the Bible, the King James version.
It happened that one day they touched on that part wherein Christ uses the words I referred to: "As the world has hated me, so will it hate you." One of the gentlemen remarked on hearing the phrase that it had a meaning for him which it had never had before. Christ, he said, was here giving a characteristic of His Church, - it was to be hated and persecuted by the world. "Now, my friends," he continued, "which of the Christian churches does the world today hate and persecute?"
They went into the matter and concluded that there was but one church in the world with which the world was in opposition, and always had been, the Catholic Church. All the other churches had made friends with the world, were living on good terms with the world. From the Apostles down to the present day, the Catholic Church stood out against the spirit of the world, and the world stood against it.
After these reflections, the three agreed that it was worth while looking into the claims of such a church. They did so, and found to their astonishment that all their lives they were opposed to a church that they did not know. They had taken for granted the statements of her opponents and had arrayed themselves against her. On investigating for themselves, they saw things differently, and were convinced that she was the true Church of Christ. They had the strength of their convictions, for they sought out a priest and applied for admission into the Church. Father Gallwey was the priest and he it is who gives us these particulars.
We shall now, with unprejudiced mind, I trust, consider the matter of religion and its relation to ourselves personally. Please leave others out of the question and reflect on the points which follow as a personal matter between you and your Maker. God and Myself.
_________________________
Adapted from God and Myself, An Inquiry into the True Religion (©1917)
by Martin J Scott, S.J.
Building a Catholic Action Plan for Reform
A very timely article from Catholic Culture:
Among the concerns of many Catholics across the world is how to faithfully deal with a bishop who manages his diocese in a manner that undermines or offers little support to the teachings of the Church or its disciplines and norms. Many Catholics feel called to action, but nearly as many feel that they are without an action plan.
I’m one of those tortured souls who have been – especially at times – frustrated into immobility. However, I’m also one of the lucky ones who live in a community with many faithful Catholics. In the absence of this support, it is easy to feel like you are on an island, and the sheer agony of this aloneness has driven many to the point of despair. I’m keenly aware of the pain suffered by many of our readers, whose impassioned letters detailing their untenable situations have given me a window into their plight.
So what to do? Ask your parish priest how one may morally show disagreement with one’s bishop without exhibiting disobedience? Even with a good priest, this would be a very awkward discussion – and many people are without a sound spiritual director to turn to for consultation.
Pope, curial officials discuss proposal to reconcile with SSPX
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Benedict XVI presided over his first major meeting with top Roman Curia officials, an encounter that sources said focused on a proposal to reconcile with followers of the late French Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre.As I understand it, Cardinal Arinze is not please with a universal indult, but until something definite is available, we can pray that the next meeting on March 23 may be fruitful...
More than 20 heads of congregations and pontifical councils attended the Feb. 13 meeting, which was to be followed up by a similar session in late March. No details of the February meeting were made available by the Vatican press office...
Link.
Another look at the report is here at Spero News
Promoting the Culture of Death
"It took just one generation to turn what was considered a war crime into a so-called act of compassion by a husband..." A quote from a Dutch journalist during the Terri Schindler Schiavo murder as reported by Fr. Wade Menezes at the recent Annual Marian Conference here in St. Louis.
So who is on the speaking circuit under the auspices of "bioethics"? None other than two of those most responsible for the horrific murder of Terri Schiavo - her estranged "husband", Michael, and the incompetent judge in pronouncing the death sentence for an innocent woman, the dishonorable George Greer. It is uncertain what direction this symposium will take, but it seems a bit far-fetched to conclude that these two would participate in The University of Pennsylvania Center for Bioethics 10th Anniversary Symposium if they were to be challenged about their gravely immoral and repugnant actions.
So who is on the speaking circuit under the auspices of "bioethics"? None other than two of those most responsible for the horrific murder of Terri Schiavo - her estranged "husband", Michael, and the incompetent judge in pronouncing the death sentence for an innocent woman, the dishonorable George Greer. It is uncertain what direction this symposium will take, but it seems a bit far-fetched to conclude that these two would participate in The University of Pennsylvania Center for Bioethics 10th Anniversary Symposium if they were to be challenged about their gravely immoral and repugnant actions.
WCC Meets in Brazil
VATICAN CITY, FEB 14, 2006 (VIS) - Cardinal Walter Kasper, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, is due to participate in the inaugural session of the ninth general assembly of the Geneva-based World Council of Churches (WCC). The meeting is being held at Porto Alegre, Brazil, from February 14 to 23 on the theme: "God in Your Grace, transform the world." . . .Source.
VATICAN CITY, FEB 14, 2006 (VIS) - Benedict XVI has written a message to Cardinal Walter Kasper, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, for the occasion of the ninth general assembly of the Geneva- based World Council of Churches (WCC), which is being held at Porto Alegre, Brazil, from February 14 to 23.Link for this article.
What wrong with this picture?
New San Francisco Archbishop Thinks Gay Propaganda Film Brokeback Mountain is "Very Powerful"
I think I'm going to be sick! Maybe we aren't praying enough?
I think I'm going to be sick! Maybe we aren't praying enough?
Activism: Write to "L'Osservatore Romano" to capitalize pronouns when referring to God
An email making the rounds (and this is a major pet peeve of mine, as I always try to ensure that I follow this respectful practice). I'm passing this on as received:
Dear Friends,
Ave Maria!
As you all know, it has been the centuries-old tradition in the vernacular languages to capitalized pronouns and possessive pronouns referring to Almighty God and to our Divine Lord Jesus. Faithful translations of the Popes' letters and addresses into the vernacular tongues have always maintained this important sign of respect for the majesty of God and the divinity of Our Blessed Lord. The English translations coming now from the English Edition of the Osservatore Romano have systematically stopped this Catholic protocol, most recently in the Pope's encyclical.
Fortunately the expert translators of Papal material into the Portuguese, Italian and Spanish tongues continue to follow this respectful practice which exists also in their own traditions. It is certainly evident that the clergy and faithful in these countries would not accept the introduction of referring to the Divinity in the lower case, and it is equally certain that we should not accept anything less regarding our own Catholic tradition. The respectful reference to God in the upper case, incidentally, is a practice followed also by devout Protestants.
So I am asking all of you, who feel so inspired, to send a letter or e-mail to the Director of the Osservatore Romano, Signor Mario Agnes, expressing your displeasure at this callous and disrespectful practice and requesting that the editors correct the texts on the internet and in any future printed versions.
The email address of the Osservatore is:
ornet@ossrom.va
or [via snail mail to:]
Direttore MARIO AGNES
"L'Osservatore Romano"
00120 Cittá del Vaticano
"And I say to you: Whosoever shall confess Me before men, him shall the Son of Man also confess before the angels of God. But he that shall deny Me before men shall be denied before the angels of God" (Lk. 12, 8-9).
Thank you all and may God bless you.
In Christ,
Father Thomas Carleton
Gospel for Feb 14, Memorial: St. Cyril, Monk, & St. Methodius, Bishop
From: Mark 8:14-21
The Leaven of the Pharisees (Continuation)
[14] Now they had forgotten to bring bread; and they had only one loaf with them in the boat. [15] And He (Jesus) cautioned them, saying, "Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod." [16] And they discussed it with one another, saying, "We have no bread." [17] And being aware of it, Jesus said to them, "Why do you discuss the fact that you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive or understand? Are your hearts hardened? [18] Having eyes do you not see, and having ears do you not hear? And do you not remember? [19] When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?" They said to Him, "Twelve." [20] And the seven for the four thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?" And they said to Him, "Seven." [21] And He said to them, "Do you not yet understand?"
________________________
Commentary:
15-16. In another Gospel passage--Luke 13:20-21 and Matthew 31:33--Jesus uses the simile of the leaven to show the vitality of His teaching. Here "leaven" is used in the sense of bad disposition. In the making of bread, leaven is what causes the dough to rise; the Pharisees' hypocrisy and Herod's dissolute life, stemming from their personal ambition, were the "leaven" which was poisoning from within the "dough" of Israel and which would eventually corrupt it. Jesus seeks to warn His disciples about these dangers, and to have them understand that if they are to take in His doctrine they need a pure and simple heart.
But the disciples fail to understand: "They weren't educated; they weren't very bright, if we judge from their reaction to supernatural things. Finding even the most elementary examples and comparisons beyond their reach, they would turn to the Master and ask: `Explain the parable to us.' When Jesus uses the image of the `leaven' of the Pharisees, they think that He's reproaching them for not having purchased bread....These were the disciples called by our Lord. Such stuff is what Christ chose. And they remain just like that until they are filled with the Holy Spirit and thus become pillars of the Church. They are ordinary people, full of defects and shortcomings, more eager to say than to do. Nevertheless, Jesus calls them to be fishers of men, co-redeemers, dispensers of the grace of God" ([St] J. Escriva, "Christ Is Passing By", 2). The same thing can happen to us. Although we may not be very gifted, the Lord calls us, and love of God and docility to His words will cause to grow in our souls unsuspected fruit of holiness and supernatural effectiveness.
__________________________
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 Leaven of the Pharisees (Continuation)
[14] Now they had forgotten to bring bread; and they had only one loaf with them in the boat. [15] And He (Jesus) cautioned them, saying, "Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod." [16] And they discussed it with one another, saying, "We have no bread." [17] And being aware of it, Jesus said to them, "Why do you discuss the fact that you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive or understand? Are your hearts hardened? [18] Having eyes do you not see, and having ears do you not hear? And do you not remember? [19] When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?" They said to Him, "Twelve." [20] And the seven for the four thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?" And they said to Him, "Seven." [21] And He said to them, "Do you not yet understand?"
________________________
Commentary:
15-16. In another Gospel passage--Luke 13:20-21 and Matthew 31:33--Jesus uses the simile of the leaven to show the vitality of His teaching. Here "leaven" is used in the sense of bad disposition. In the making of bread, leaven is what causes the dough to rise; the Pharisees' hypocrisy and Herod's dissolute life, stemming from their personal ambition, were the "leaven" which was poisoning from within the "dough" of Israel and which would eventually corrupt it. Jesus seeks to warn His disciples about these dangers, and to have them understand that if they are to take in His doctrine they need a pure and simple heart.
But the disciples fail to understand: "They weren't educated; they weren't very bright, if we judge from their reaction to supernatural things. Finding even the most elementary examples and comparisons beyond their reach, they would turn to the Master and ask: `Explain the parable to us.' When Jesus uses the image of the `leaven' of the Pharisees, they think that He's reproaching them for not having purchased bread....These were the disciples called by our Lord. Such stuff is what Christ chose. And they remain just like that until they are filled with the Holy Spirit and thus become pillars of the Church. They are ordinary people, full of defects and shortcomings, more eager to say than to do. Nevertheless, Jesus calls them to be fishers of men, co-redeemers, dispensers of the grace of God" ([St] J. Escriva, "Christ Is Passing By", 2). The same thing can happen to us. Although we may not be very gifted, the Lord calls us, and love of God and docility to His words will cause to grow in our souls unsuspected fruit of holiness and supernatural effectiveness.
__________________________
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.
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