Gospel for Thursday, 31st Week in Ordinary Time

Memorial Bl. John Duns Scotus
Old Calendar: Holy Four Crowned Martyrs

From: Luke 15:1-10

Parable's of God's Mercy

[1] Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear Him (Jesus). [2] And the Pharisees and the scribes murmured, saying, "This man receives sinners and eats with them."

The Lost Sheep

[3] So He told them this parable: [4] "What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost, until he finds it? [5] And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. [6] And when he comes home he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, `Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost.' [7] Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in Heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.

The Lost Coin

[8] "Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she lost one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and seek diligently until she finds it? [9] And when she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, `Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin which I has lost.' [10] Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents.

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Commentary:

1-32. Jesus' actions manifest God's mercy: He receives sinners in order to convert them. The scribes and Pharisees, who despised sinners, just cannot understand why Jesus acts like this; they grumble about Him; and Jesus uses the opportunity to tell these Mercy parables. "The Gospel writer who particularly treats of these themes in Christ's teaching is Luke, whose Gospel has earned the title of `the Gospel of mercy'" (John Paul II, "Dives In Misericordia", 3).

In this chapter St. Luke reports three of these parables in which Jesus describes the infinite, fatherly mercy of God and His joy at the conversion of the sinner.

The Gospel teaches that no one is excluded from forgiveness and that sinners can become beloved children of God if they repent and are converted. So much does God desire the conversion of sinners that each of these parables ends with a refrain, as it were, telling of the great joy in Heaven over sinner who repents.

1-2. This is not the first time that publicans and sinners approach Jesus (cf. Matthew 9:10). They are attracted by the directness of the Lord's preaching and by His call to self-giving and love. The Pharisees in general were jealous of His influence over the people (cf. Matthew 26:2-5; John 11:47) a jealousy which can also beset Christians; a severity of outlook which does not accept that, no matter how great his sins may have been, a sinner can change and become a saint; a blindness which prevents a person from recognizing and rejoicing over the good done by others. Our Lord criticized this attitude when He replied to His disciples' complaints about others casting out devils in His name: "Do not forbid him; for no one who does a mighty work in My name will be able soon after to speak evil of Me" (Mark 9:39). And St. Paul rejoiced that others proclaimed Christ and even overlooked the fact they did so out of self-interest, provided Christ was preached (cf. Philippians 1:17-18).

5-6. Christian tradition, on the basis of this and other Gospel passages (cf. John 10:11), applies this parable to Christ, the Good Shepherd, who misses and then seeks out the lost sheep: the Word, by becoming man, seeks out mankind, which has strayed through sinning. Here is St. Gregory the Great's commentary: "He put the sheep on His shoulders because, on taking on human nature, He burdened Himself with our sins" ("In Evangelia Homiliae", II, 14).

The Second Vatican Council applies these verses of St. Luke to the way priests should approach their pastoral work: "They should be mindful that by their daily conduct and solicitude they display the reality of a truly priestly and pastoral ministry both to believers and unbelievers alike, to Catholics and non-Catholics; that they are bound to bear witness before all men of the truth and of the life, and as good shepherds seek after those too who, whilst having been baptized in the Catholic Church, have given up the practice of the Sacraments, or even fallen away from the faith" ("Lumen Gentium", 28). However, every member of the faithful should show this same kind of concern--expressed in a fraternal way--towards his brothers and sisters, towards everyone on the road to sanctification and salvation.

7. This does not mean that our Lord does not value the perseverance of the just: He is simply emphasizing the joy of God and the saints over the conversion of a sinner. This is clearly a call to repentance, to never doubt God's readiness to forgive. "Another fall, and what a fall!... Must you give up hope? No. Humble yourself and, through Mary, your Mother, have recourse to the merciful Love of Jesus. A "miserere", and lift up your heart! And now begin again" ([St] J. Escriva, "The Way", 711).

8. This silver coin was a "drachma", of about the same value as a denarius, that is, approximately a day's wage for an agricultural worker (cf. Matthew 20:2).
___________________________
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.

Thoughts and Counsels - November 8

The best preparation for death is a perfect resignation to the will of God, after the example of Jesus Christ, who, in His prayer in Gethsemani prepared Himself with these words, "Father, not as I will, but as Thou wilt."

-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 8, For All Eternity

Thinking of death, a great artist, who was unfortunately a pagan, the Countesse de Noailles, felt herself broken in advance at the realization that one day there was to be an end.

"To have received all and cease to know.
What then? I was life and I am going to cease to be
For all eternity?"

For her, scarcely believing at all in the immortality of the soul, death was the end of all. Instead of imagining the tomb as an arch of triumph, an open door to the beyond, she saw it as a hole; an abyss; there is no outlet; it is closed in by the earth on both sides. She pitied herself, sorrowing at this eternal destruction of what she had felt so vibrant in life.

"Could it truly be that the universe destroys
Its most ardent creation?"

Ah yes, it is true that one day death will overtake me, and this life below, so warm, so full of desires, of curiosities, of thirsts of all kinds, will find its end. Ah, if one could only stop the march of the hours!

"Alas, if we could only tell fleeting time to wait."

No, no, time rolls on impassable. At each minute I am dying a little, but I am not aware of it. Only the last minutes of my life will be called, wrongly it is true, the time of my death. Every minute contributes to the approach of my last minute, which will definitely cut the thread of my existence. As the sentence, often written upon sun dials, expresses it: "Every hour strikes, the last kills."

I will try to remember well in this season that I am always dying. I will use this thought as an incentive truly to live every moment, that is to say, to give to each of my days its complete fruit for souls and for God.
_________________
Adapted from Meditations for Religious
by Father Raoul Plus, S.J. (© 1939, Frederick Pustet Co.)

Fox2 News on "Catholic" Women Priestesses

Local Fox2 News has a video of a short interview with Elsie Hainz McGrath and Rose Marie Hudson who are scheduled to commit an act of schism this Sunday resulting in automatic excommunication...

(KTVI - myFOXstl.com) -- It is a first for St. Louis, and it's giving rise to another battle with St. Louis Archbishop Raymond Burke. Two Catholic women are about to be ordained priests. FOX 2's Andy Banker reports on the firestorm that's ignited on so many fronts.

Archbishop Burke Issues Warning of Automatic Excommunication

From the Post Dispatch:

St. Louis Archbishop Raymond Burke has warned two Roman Catholic women that if they go through with a planned ordination Sunday, they will be automatically excommunicated for an act of schism.

The two women, Elsie Hainz McGrath (pictured right) and Rose Marie Hudson (on the left) , are scheduled to be ordained as priests of an organization called Roman Catholic Womenpriests at Central Reform Congregation, a synagogue in St. Louis. Only men are ordained as priests in the Roman Catholic church.

In letters delivered by courier to the two women Monday evening, Burke admonished them "to renounce your intention to attempt to receive priestly ordination" and "to retract publicly any denial or contrary affirmation regarding the Church’s Catholic Doctrine...that women cannot validly receive the Sacrament of Holy Orders."

The archbishop continued: "Should you refuse to comply, in order to protect the faithful from grave spiritual deception...you will incur automatically...the censure of excommunication..."

The archdiocese would not comment on the letters Wednesday, saying that all correspondence from the archbishop is private.

Here it comes!

Source

The Archdiocese of St Louis has more on this here, titled "The Nature of Priestly Ordination: Theological Background and Some Present Concerns"

A Daughter of "Father" Mother writes...

From the combox regarding this post we read:

I have thoroughly enjoyed reading all of your comments. I only tuned in because my mom's name came up in the article (and I will leave that up to you all to figure out which one that is) but I must say I have had quite a laugh with all this ridiculous back and forth about laws, canons, blah blah blah.

I can't seem to find any mention of canon law in the post but then, it was probably hidden between the lines and I'm too obuse to see it....

I guess my only question would be, what are you so scared of? Talking? Figuring out how to solve the priest shortage in the Catholic Church? Being accepting of all people? Not rejecting someone just because of how they were born? Maybe focusing truly on the work of Jesus?Hmmm...this is truly interesting.

I don't believe anyone is scared or afraid, except to the extent we might fear the loss of the souls of our sisters in Christ - after all, we are joined by baptism and their actions, objectively, place their souls in grave danger. For this, we should all be fearful and pray for conversion.

The comments about the priest shortage are completely devoid of any sense of rational thinking since this sham 'ordination' ritual does absolutely nothing to address the issue. It merely causes scandal and division within the Church, inflicting more pain in the Body of Christ.

And what does "being accepting of all people" mean in the context of the 'discussion'? That some propose to become heretics or engage in schismatic acts does not require that the faithful pretend that nothing is wrong and we "accept" these women as faithful Catholics. Did not our Lord tell his disciples to leave those, shaking the dust from their sandals, who would not hear the Good News? The two women and their supporters also choose to reject Him and the One Who sent Him...

Then comes the specious claim that these women are "rejected" because of how they were born - I assume this means "as female." Lord, please have mercy on us!

And of course, they could do the work of Jesus if they had not chosen to reject Him and His Church - but facts merely cloud the important things - like prideful arrogance and a lust for some hidden power...

Well folks, thanks for the laugh! It really was a pleasure. Oh, and before you start discussing it amongst yourselves, yes, I do have a degree in Theology and Pastoral Ministry...yes, CATHOLIC theology.

Erin

Well now we get to the meat and potatoes - we've been dealing with a woman who has a "degree" in Theology and Pastoral Ministry, and in Catholic theology, no less! I wonder if these degrees are passed from one generation to the next. Maybe Erin is next in line to be ordained - Just think, this could become a family thing.

Lastly, I don't think it makes any difference who her mother is. I don't care to guess. Both are extremely confused, wrong, and heading for disaster and both need our prayers. That they have succumbed to the lures and promises of the evil one is regrettable indeed.

Woman rabbi takes the heat for Catholic ordinations

What a title from the National Catholic Distorter...But I suspect that there will be a litttle more "heat" after the so-called ordinations occur - if you catch my drift.

Pamela Schaeffer writes:

Two Catholic women are being ordained by Roman Catholic Womenpriests here Nov. 11, prompting outrage from Catholic officials -- outrage that, surprisingly, is directed less at the women aspiring to the Catholic priesthood, or at the movement ordaining them, than toward a rabbi who agreed to host the event.

The women to be ordained are Elsie Hainz McGrath, a retired writer and editor for a Catholic publishing house, and Rose Marie Dunn Hudson, a former teacher. Bishop Patricia Fresen, who was for many years a Dominican nun, ordained the women as deacons Aug. 12 and will perform the ceremony here. The women are among a growing number of deacons, priests and bishops ordained in the Roman Catholic Womenpriests movement. Based on responses to formal invitations, Hudson said organizers are expecting 300 to 400 to attend.

Quite the gala, this pretend ordination will be.

In keeping with a form developed by Roman Catholic Womenpriests, both McGrath and Hudson have completed a course of pre-ordination studies and were previously ordained as deacons. Both women are converts and both have long been involved in service to the church. Each has four children and 11 grandchildren....

Hudson, a longtime teacher, was certified by the St. Louis archdiocese as a lay pastoral minister in 1998, after completing a two-year formation program,...

A 'lay pastoral minister' - How nice!

and received a master’s degree in pastoral studies in an extension program offered by Loyola University, New Orleans. She was the first woman to serve as parish council president at her former parish, St. Joseph Catholic Church in Farmington, Mo.

As others have repeatedly stated, this 'ordination' sham is all about power and pride...

McGrath worked with the St. Louis archdiocese to develop a family life commission, earned an undergraduate degree in theology at St. Louis University while working as a secretary in the theology department in the 1980s.

Might be part of the problem...? Maybe others know about the 1980s theology department at SLU?

Invited to join the editorial staff at Liguori, the Catholic publishing house, she stayed for 12 years, while earning a master’s degree from Aquinas Institute of Theology in 2002. Her late husband was an ordained deacon in the St. Louis archdiocese, and she attended courses with him throughout a rigorous formation program.

And let's not forget that Liguori was still selling her pamphlets and booklets as of last week.

And is a master's from AI something of which to be proud? And how "rigorous" exactly was the diaconate program years ago? Mind you, I'm asking questions because I do not know? What I do know is that there has been a miserable failure in the past about some of these programs which has led, it seems, to an attitude of rebellion and dissent...It's no wonder there are so many so-called Catholics who pick and choose what they believe - if they believe anything at all.

One can only hope and pray that the Archbishop of St Louis addresses this scandalous behavior, if and when the event occurs. There's still time for these two ex-Catholic women to repent and be reconciled with the Church.

NCR article here.

More articles on this subject are here.

Russell Shaw asks: Can bishops agree on Communion for politicians?

I guess it depends on what one means by "agree"...but the short answer, lacking divine intervention, is probably "no."

"The bishops are not of one mind in discussing this question," Cardinal Francis George of Chicago diplomatically told an interviewer...

They've been arguing about that since 2004, and up to now the closest they've come to agreement was a statement three years ago saying each bishop could do as he thought best in his own diocese...

...there are several important differences between 2004 and 2007 where this issue is concerned...

Certainly everyone recalls that Archbishop Burke stated that John Kerry would be denied Holy Communion if he were to come to the St Louis Archdiocese. And as bishop of La Crosse, Bishop Burke had previously taken that step with other politicians supporting the killing of the unborn.

And many of us painfully recall what happened next, with countless weak-kneed bishops refusing to protect the Holy Eucharist.

... Among the critics of Archbishop Burke's position were prominent members of the hierarchy such as Cardinal Theodore McCarrick of Washington and Cardinal Roger Mahony of Los Angeles.

Prominent members of the hierarchy? Only in these eyes of a few...

It's not difficult to see the polarization caused by Mahony and McCarrick on this issue. But they weren't the only ones...

Bishop Donald W. Wuerl of Pittsburgh -- now, archbishop of Washington -- complained about unilateral action by one bishop on a matter affecting them all. He called for a "process, mechanism or procedure" for reaching consensus.

Consensus...how accommodating for the bishop/politician - a pathetically sad example of being "lukewarm."

Next week the bishops meet in Baltimore to 'discuss' this matter some more...a matter which should have been settled by Cardinal McCarrick's failed special "Task Force" to formulate a 'report' and 'recommendations' about this issue.

Bishops who oppose refusing Communion say that would politicize the Sacrament, though it isn't clear what they mean by that.

They probably don't know either, it's just a nice sound bite which gives them cover in doing nothing...

Helping set the stage for the bishops' discussion in Baltimore -- along with Pope Benedict's remarks last May -- is the fact that several current presidential contenders are pro-choice Catholics. Another factor is a recent article by Archbishop Burke arguing his position in a canon law journal. Although it's no secret that the bishops are divided, the coming debate is likely to take place in executive session.

In his interview, Cardinal George called some Catholic politicians' voting records "scandalous," but he questioned whether the bishops could agree on a uniform policy.

One can only pray that, between now and the meeting, our Lord will give more of our bishops the courage, zeal and wisdom that so few seem to possess, especially when it comes to proclaiming the truth, and protecting the Holy Eucharist from sacrilege by those who publicly proclaim their support for the murder of the most innocent unborn sons and daughters of God.

Shaw's complete article is here.

Gospel for Wednesday, 31st Week in Ordinary Time

From: Luke 14:25-33

Conditions For Following Jesus

[25] Now great multitudes accompanied Him (Jesus); and He turned and said to them, [26] "If any one comes to Me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple. [27] Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after Me, cannot be My disciple. [28] For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? [29] Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, [30] saying, `This man began to build, and was not able to finish.' [31] Or what king, going to encounter another king in a war, will not sit down first and take counsel whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? [32] And if not, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends an embassy and asks terms of peace. [33] So therefore, whoever of you does not renounce all that he has cannot be My disciple."
_________________________

Commentary:

26. These words of our Lord should not disconcert us. Love for God and for Jesus should have pride of place in our lives and we should keep away from anything which obstructs this love: "In this world let us love everyone," St. Gregory the Great comments, "even though he be our enemy; but let us hate him who opposes us on our way to God, though he be our relative [...]. We should then, love, our neighbor; we should have charity towards all--towards relative and towards strangers--but without separating ourselves from the love of God out of love for them" ("In Evangelia Homiliae", 37, 3). In the last analysis, it is a matter of keeping the proper hierarchy of charity: God must take priority over everything.

This verse must be understood, therefore, in the context of all of our Lord's teachings (cf. Luke 6:27-35). These are "hard words. True, `hate' does not exactly express what Jesus meant. Yet He did put it very strongly, because He doesn't just mean `love less,' as some people interpret it in an attempt to tone down the sentence. The force behind these vigorous words does not lie in their implying a negative or pitiless attitude, for the Jesus who is speaking here is none other than that Jesus who commands us to love others as we love ourselves and who gives up His life for mankind. These words indicate simply that we cannot be half-hearted when it comes to loving God. Christ's words could be translated as `love more, love better', in the sense that a selfish or partial love is not enough: we have to love others with the love of God" ([St] J. Escriva, "Christ Is Passing By", 97). See the notes on Matthew 10:34-37; Luke 2:49.

As the Second Vatican Council explains, Christians "strive to please God rather than men, always ready to abandon everything for Christ" (Vatican II, "Apostolicam Actuositatem, 4).

27. Christ "by suffering for us not only gave us an example so that we might follow in His footsteps, but He also opened up a way. If we follow that way, life and death becomes holy and acquire a new meaning" (Vatican II, "Gaudium Et Spes", 22).

The way the Christian follows is that of imitating Christ. We can follow Him only if we help Him bear His cross. We all have experience of suffering, and suffering leads to unhappiness unless it is accepted with a Christian outlook. The Cross is not a tragedy: it is God's way of teaching us that through sin we can be sanctified, becoming one with Christ and winning Heaven as a reward. This is why it is so Christian to love pain: "Let us bless pain. Love pain. Sanctify pain....Glorify pain!" ([St] J. Escriva, "The Way", 208).

28-35. Our Lord uses different examples to show that if mere human prudence means that a person should try to work out in advance the risks he may run, with all the more reason should a Christian embrace the cross voluntarily and generously, because there is no other way he can follow Jesus Christ. "`Quia hic homo coepit aedificare et non potuit consummare! He started to build and was unable to finish!' A sad commentary which, if you don't want, need be made about you: for you possess everything necessary to crown the edifice of your sanctification--the grace of God and your own will." ([St] J. Escriva, "The Way", 324).

33. Earlier our Lord spoke about "hating" one's parents and one's very life; now He equally vigorously requires us to be completely detached from possessions. This verse is a direct application of the two foregoing parables: just as a king is imprudent if he goes to war with an inadequate army, so anyone is foolish who thinks he can follow our Lord without renouncing all his possessions. This renunciation should really bite: our heart has to be unencumbered by anything material if we are able to follow in our Lord's footsteps. The reason is, as He tells us later on, that it is impossible to "serve God and Mammon" (Luke 16:13). Not infrequently our Lord asks a person to practice total, voluntary poverty; and He asks everyone to practice genuine detachment and generosity in the use of material things. If a Christian has to be ready to give up even life itself, with all the more reason should he renounce possessions: If you are a man of God, you will seek to despise riches as intensely as men of the world seek to possess them" ([St] J. Escriva, "The Way", 633). See the note on Luke 12:33-34.

Besides, for a soul to become filled with God it must first be emptied of everything that could be an obstacle to God's indwelling: "The doctrine that the Son of God came to teach was contempt for all things in order to receive as a reward the Spirit of God in himself. For, as long as the soul does not reject all things, it has no capacity to receive the Spirit of God in pure transformation" (St. John of the Cross, "Ascent of Mount Carmel", Book 1, Chapter 5, 2).
___________________________
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.

Msgr. Perl of the Ecclesia Dei Commission discusses upcoming document on Summorum Pontificum

From the Una Voce Arkansas Ozarks Regional Newsletter:

Msgr. Perl of the Ecclesia Dei Commission on an Upcoming Document (from the Italian Papal news website Petrus):

"It is true, we are writing a document-instruction on the correct interpretation of the Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum which has liberalized the Mass according to the liturgical books of Saint Pius V, as modified by Blessed John XXIII."

Thus says Monsignor Camille Perl, Secretary of the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei, in an exclusive interview to Petrus, who adds:

"Though not a Congregation, we have been granted the faculty to prepare this note for the definition of some aspects of the Papal Motu Proprio as, for example, that of the stable group. We will thus clarify what is understood as stable group, how many people should precisely ask their Parish Priest to celebrate in the pre-Conciliar rite."

Monsignor Perl, the instruction is due to the several objections raised by Bishops and Priests opposed to the new rules of access to the Mass in Tridentine Rite?

"The situation is under the eyes of all. Regardless of that, after the Pope's Motu Proprio, it was legitimate to expect contrasting reactions. Some have expressed enthusiasm, some have not. Nevertheless, it is enough to recall that the Motu Proprio did not come down from heaven, but is the result of a long path."

This should be interesting - while the motu proprio was quite clear, it's evident that some have difficulty understanding things which are unambiguous or not unintelligible...

And we are also informed of "An Extraordinary Event in Little Rock"

At a clergy continuing education event on October 16-18, fifty-seven priests and deacons learned more about Summorum Pontificum.

Held at the St. John Center in Little Rock, the group heard Father Laurent Demets, FSSP, current chaplain for the St. John the Baptist Latin Mass Community in North Little Rock, Cherokee Village, and Mountain Home, and former chaplain Father Joseph Portzer, FSSP, lead a program in which the Motu Proprio and its implications were covered in some depth....

Wonderful news!

[This is a ".doc" file]

Thoughts and Counsels - November 7

True humility consists in being content with all that God is pleased to ordain for us, believing ourselves unworthy to be called His servants.

-­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 7, The Greatest Evil

A monarch of ancient times, in the kingdom of Persia, one day called together three of the wisest philosophers then known, and asked them what they regarded as the greatest evil on earth.

The first answered: the greatest evil is sickness.

The second declared: the greatest evil is old age.

The third explained: the greatest evil is to have to admit in the face of death that you have bungled your life.

I hope earnestly, by the mercy of God, not to waste my life but to assure my salvation. The true problem is, however, to know whether I shall have acquired for God during my life the merits He expects; if I shall have saved in my lifetime all the souls that were dependent on my sanctity; if I shall have procured for the Lord all the glory that He wished.

To bungle my life. The expression is very strong. But be­tween bungling my life and making it productive of the greatest returns, there is an enormous distance, a tremendous range. If I have to appear before God today, what would I think of my life? Would I be completely satisfied with it? Does it offer, truly, completely, honestly, the expected fruit of my existence?

"O my God, am I not deluded? Is that what a life of a religious means? But no, let me see. Well, but then, what do I expect?"

_________________
Adapted from Meditations for Religious
by Father Raoul Plus, S.J. (© 1939, Frederick Pustet Co.)

Excommunication for New St Stanislaus Board Members?

St. Louis Archbishop Raymond Burke has warned two recently-elected members of the St. Stanislaus Kostka Church board that by joining the church’s leadership they have committed an act of schism, and he has summoned them to the Catholic Center on Lindell to defend themselves.

Stan Rozanski, 59 of south St. Louis County and Bernice Krauze, 65 of south St. Louis received letters Friday telling them the Rev. Thomas Doyle, their choice of a canon lawyer to represent them before Burke, had been rejected by the archbishop. Instead, Burke assigned them legal representation from within the archdiocese.

These two were interviewed on a very brief news report this evening but I was not quick enough to capture it...maybe I can later. They did not seem too concerned about this - after all, most of those in schism reject lawful authority and make for themselves a new church based on their own desires. They ignore the seriousness of their actions.

Archbishop Burke's Vision For The Future

From our local Fox station:

In Good Faith: Archbishop Burke's Vision For The Future
By Dan Gray

(KTVI-myFOXstl.com) -- Seeing the Archbishop greet parishioners after a Sunday mass at the St. Louis Cathedral Basilica, he comes across as a friendly man with a great smile. At every event he stays until every person who wants to meet him has a chance to do so. He speaks with a soft voice but at times he carries the church's hard line.
"First of all as Archbishop, I have to be concerned about the whole flock whether they like me or not or whether they like what I'm doing or not, so that's the number one thing. I never deliberately intentionally alienate anyone and I don't write anybody off," Burke said...

"In the world in which we live some people don't accept everything the church teaches and I'm sorry about that, some Catholics don’t and I'm sorry about that. I have to try and help them understand but my point is I need to keep teaching the faith..."

"...The Catholic identity is very much in danger. Why? Because we live in a culture that's completely secularized. A kind of relativism, a kind of hedonism, materialism and so forth, these kinds of tendencies of our culture, for us we have to resist them. My vision for the Archdiocese, I’ve always used the words, the new evangelization to lead the faithful of the Archdiocese to live their Catholic faith with a new enthusiasm and a new energy that will make a difference in our world."

Something worth noting, as Archbishop Burke tells us, is that Kenrick-Glennon seminary has seen a 50 percent increase in the number of seminarians since last Spring (112 this fall). God is so very generous when his children practice and live a fervent prayer life and are faithful to Christ and His Church.

More here with video.

HLI Condemns Action of NJ Governor and State Senator as ‘Tyranny’

From a Press Release from Human Life International:

FRONT ROYAL, VA — The Rev. Thomas J. Euteneuer, STL, president of Human Life International, (HLI) today said, “When a state rejects the protection of individual consciences, that state loses its soul.”

Father Euteneuer was commenting on a New Jersey law sponsored by state Senator Joseph Vitale and signed into law by Governor Jon Corzine that effectively forces pharmacists in that state to violate their consciences by filling prescriptions for abortifacient—abortion-causing—contraception...

Day by day, we seem to fall further into an abyss of totalitarianism, where an individual's true freedom is rejected by the state and politicians suffer from illusions of grandeur and power.

Religious persecution of the state, taking the form of coercion under duress, is just one of a number of attempts to impose paganism and tyranny among those who have a sense of moral decency and obligation. The only difference, as I see it, between pagan Rome and a pagan America is that currently the state or federal government does not yet deprive Christians of life - only liberty and livelihood...But this, too, could change - if history is any indicator.

Read HLI's Press Release here.

KMOV Interview of Newest St Stanislaus Board Members

Archbishop Raymond Burke threatens two more local Catholics with excommunication

{KMOV) - St. Louis Archbishop Raymond Burke is threatening two more local Catholics with excommunication. They are parishioners at St. Stanislaus Catholic Church. That parish has been battling Archbishop Burke practically since he was installed...

Stan Rozanski and Bernice Krauze are the newest board members of St. Stanislaus Kostka Church...

News 4 spoke to those parishioners and an archdiocese spokesman about this new confrontation.

Link here

Video here

Bishop Vasa: Lessons in Obedience...

Lessons in obedience and God's will are part of daily life

BEND — Discerning and discovering God’s will is one thing; determining what one will do once that will is known or manifested is quite another...

There are some, especially some in the Church, who claim that the opinions of those members of the 1968 papal commission who proposed that contraception should be acceptable, needed to be heeded and followed.

Instead, Pope Paul VI issued the encyclical, “Humanae Vitae,” concerning the transmission of human life, in which the longstanding teaching of the Church which proscribes the use of artificial contraception was reaffirmed. God’s will had been manifested. Yet, despite that encyclical, now approaching its 40th anniversary, many in the Church have determined that God’s will for them is that they not listen to or heed this voice of the Church...

Bishop Vasa relates an ordeal with a county planning board which nade a decision on a matter not to his liking...Nevertheless he acknowledges that he is required to obey the ruling - despite the fact that he disagrees with it. But this decision does not bear the mark of infallibility as does Humanae Vitae.

He offers an interesting and easy to understand perspective, especially for those who think disobedience is the answer.

Gospel for Tuesday, 31st Week in Ordinary Time

From: Luke 14:15-24

Parable of the Invited Guests

[15] When one of those who sat at table with Him (Jesus) heard this, he said to Him, "Blessed is he who shall eat bread in the Kingdom of God!" [16] But He said to him, "A man once gave a great banquet, and invited many; [17] and at the time for the banquet he sent his servant to say to those who had been invited, `Come; for all is now ready.' [18] But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said to him, `I have bought a field, and I must go out and see it; I pray you, have me excused.' [19] And another said, `I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to examine them; I pray you, have me excused.' [20] And another said, `I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.' [21] So the servant came and reported this to his master. Then the householder in anger said to his servant, `Go out quickly to the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in the poor and maimed and blind and lame.' [22] And the servant said, `Sir, what you commanded has been done, and still there is room.' [23] And the master said to the servant, `Go out to the highways and hedges, and compel people to come in, that my house may be filled. [24] For I tell you, none of those who were invited shall taste my banquet.'"
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Commentary:

15. In biblical language the _expression "to eat bread in the Kingdom of God" means sharing in eternal beatitude, of which this great banquet is a symbol (cf. Isaiah 25:6; Matthew 22:1-4).

16-24. If God invites someone to know Him in faith, he should sacrifice any human interest which gets in the way of replying to God's call, no matter how lawful and noble it be. The objections we tend to put for- ward, the duties we appeal to, are really just excuses. This is why the ungrateful invitees are blameworthy.

"Compel people to come in": it is not a matter of forcing anyone's freedom -- God does not want us to love Him under duress--but of helping a person to make right decisions, to shrug off any human respect, to avoid occasions of sin, to do what he can to discover the truth.... A person is "compelled to come in" through prayer, the example of a Christian life, friendship-- in a word, apostolate. "If in order to save an earthly life it is praiseworthy to use force to stop a man from committing suicide, are we not to be allowed use of the same force--holy coercion -- to save the Life (with a capital) of many who are stupidly bent on killing their souls?" ([St] J. Escriva, "The Way", 399)
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Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland. Reprinted with permission from Four Courts Press and Scepter Publishers, the U.S. publisher.

Thoughts and Counsels - November 6

Death is welcome to one who has always feared God and faithfully served Him.

-St. Teresa
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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 6, The Hour of My Death

What kind of death awaits me? A gentle death or a violent death? A death in bed, a death in prison? A death resulting simply from old age; from failing strength, from sickness, from a bullet; or from a cudgel (club)? God alone knows!

If we were living in other times, such questions would be useless or extravagant. But in the period of history in which we live and in which we shall die, all is possible, and we must be ready. Fur­thermore, nowhere is it written that the era of martyrs is closed.

Assuredly, I should not get proud, believing too readily that such little virtues as mine are the seed of the martyr.

Neither ought I to live in a state of cowardice which makes me reject it, a priori, as a too beautiful end, declaring, without any proof, that it is not meant for me.

The right rule of action is to let God determine my future, and my end; I will prepare myself, with all my soul, for my end, which will demand of me the maximum of love. To do that, I will strive throughout my life, beginning today, to live in the habitual gift of maximum love. Charles de Foucauld wrote in 1897:

"Think that you must die a martyr and desire that it be today....In order that I may give you this infinite grace, be faithful, in vigilance and in carrying your cross. Consider that it is to this death that all your life must tend; see of what trifling importance many things seem in this light; think often of this death to prepare for it, and to judge things by their right value."

It was only nineteen years after having written these lines, the first of December, 1916, that Foucauld was assassinated in the Sahara.

My problem is not whether I shall die a martyr, that is God's concern. My problem is to live, and nineteen years if necessary, as someone of whom God can make a martyr.
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Adapted from Meditations for Religious
by Father Raoul Plus, S.J. (© 1939, Frederick Pustet Co.)