Saturday, November 22, 2008

Principles and Practices - November 23

LOSS OF GOD'S PRESENCE

To live in God's presence is the only way to perfection. When we lose sight of Him, we walk as in the dark; we choose shadows for substances, we fall into snares and errors, we are exposed to our enemies; our infirmities, etc. 'I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, whence cometh my help' (Ps. cxx, 1). Looking down at our feet - human prudence - is not suffi­cient to secure us. Look upwards.

-A Master of Novices.
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From Principles and Practices
Compiled by Rev. J. Hogan of The Catholic Missionary Society
Published by Burns Oates & Washbourne Ltd., Publishers To The Holy See
Nihil Obstat; Eduardus J. Mahoney, S.T.D. Censor deputatus.
Imprimatur; Edm. Can. Surmont, Vicarius generalis.
First printed in 1930

Thoughts of St Augustine for November 23

MEANWHILE our Head intercedes for us at the right hand of the Father (Rom. xiii, 35). Some members he is receiving and others cleansing, others consoling, others creating, others cal1ing, others recalling, others correct­ing, others renewing.
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Click here for more information.

From Thoughts of St Augustine for Every Day
by Kathleen Mary Balfe (© 1926)
Nihil Obstat: Georgius D. Smith, S.T.D
Imprimatur: Edm. Can. Surmont

Thoughts from St Alphonsus for Every Day-November 23

THE ancient Fathers held a conference to determine which was the exercise most useful and most necessary for eternal salvation; and they determined that it was to repeat over and over again the short prayer of David: Incline unto my aid, O God.
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From Thoughts from St Alphonsus for Every Day
Compiled by Rev. C. McNeiry, C.SS.R.
Imprimatur: Joseph Hull, C.SS.R., Prov. Angl. Sup.
Nihil Obstat: Innocentlus Apap, O.P., S.T.M., Censor Deptutatus.
Imprimatur: Edm. Can. Surmont, Vicarius Generalis.
Westmonasterii, Die 9a Junii, 1927.
First published 1927

Gospel for Nov 23, Solemnity: Our Lord Jesus Christ the King

From: Matthew 25:31-46

The Last Judgment

[31] "When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. [32] Before Him will be gathered all the nations, and He will separate them one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, [33] and He will place the sheep at His right hand, but the goats at the left. [34] Then the King will say to those at His right hand, `Come, O blessed of My Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; [35] for I was hungry and you gave Me food, I was thirsty and you gave Me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed Me, [36] I was naked and you clothed Me, I was sick and you visited Me, I was in prison and you came to Me.' [37] Then the righteous will answer Him, `Lord, when did we see Thee hungry and feed thee, or thirsty and give thee drink? [38] And when did we see Thee a stranger and welcome Thee, or naked and clothe Thee? [39] And when did we see Thee sick or in prison and visit Thee?' [40] And the King will answer them, `Truly I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of My brethren, you did it to Me.' [41] Then He will say to those at His left hand, `Depart from Me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; [42] for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink, [43] I was a stranger and you did not welcome Me, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.' [44] Then they also will answer, `Lord, when did we see Thee hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to Thee?' [45] Then He will answer them, `Truly, I say to you, as you did it not to one of the least of these, you did it not to Me.' [46] And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."
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Commentary:

31-46. The three parables (Matthew 24:42-51; 25:1-13; and 25:14-30) are completed by the announcement of a rigorous last judgment, a last act in a drama, in which all matters of justice are resolved. Christian tradition calls it the Last Judgment, to distinguish it from the "Particular Judgment" which everyone undergoes immediately after death. The sentence pronounced at the end of time will simply be a public, formal confirmation of that already passed on the good and the evil, the elect and the reprobate.

31-33. In the Prophets and in the Book of Revelation the Messiah is depicted on a throne, like a judge. This is how Jesus will come at the end of the world, to judge the living and the dead.

The Last Judgment is a truth spelled out in the very earliest credal statements of the Church and dogma of faith solemnly defined by Benedict XII in the Constitution "Benedictus Deus" (29 January 1336).

35-46. All the various things listed in this passage (giving people food and drink, clothing them, visiting them) become works of Christian charity when the person doing them sees Christ in these "least" of His brethren.

Here we can see the seriousness of sins of omission. Failure to do something which one should do means leaving Christ unattended.

"We must learn to recognize Christ when He comes out to meet us in our brothers, the people around us. No human life is ever isolated. It is bound up with other lives. No man or woman is a single verse; we all make up one divine poem which God writes with the cooperation of our freedom" ([St] J. Escriva, "Christ Is Passing By", 111).

We will be judged on the degree and quality of our love (cf. St. John of the Cross, "Spiritual Sentences and Maxims", 57). Our Lord will ask us to account not only for the evil we have done but also for the good we have omitted. We can see that sins of omission are a very serious matter and that the basis of love of neighbor is Christ's presence in the least of our brothers and sisters.

St. Teresa of Avila writes: "Here the Lord asks only two things of us: love for His Majesty and love of our neighbor. It is for these two virtues that we must strive, and if we attain them perfectly we are doing His will [...]. The surest sign that we are keeping these two commandments is, I think, that we should really be loving our neighbor; for we cannot be sure if we are loving God, although we may have good reasons for believing that we are, but we can know quite well if we are loving our neighbor. And be certain that, the farther advanced you find you are in this, the greater the love you will have for God; for so dearly does His Majesty love us that He will reward our love for our neighbor by increasing the love which we bear to Himself, and that in a thousand ways: this I cannot doubt" ("Interior Castle", V, 3).

This parable clearly shows that Christianity cannot be reduced to a kind of agency for "doing good". Service of our neighbor acquires supernatural value when it is done out of love for Christ, when we see Christ in the person in need. This is why St. Paul asserts that "if I give away all I have...but have not love, I gain nothing" (1 Corinthians 13:3). Any interpretation of Jesus' teaching on the Last Judgment would be wide of the mark if it gave it a materialistic meaning or confused mere philanthropy with genuine Christian charity.

40-45. In describing the exigencies of Christian charity which gives meaning to "social aid", the Second Vatican Council says: "Wishing to come to topics that are practical and of some urgency, the Council lays stress on respect for the human person: everyone should look upon his neighbor (without any exception) as another self, bearing in mind, above all, his life and the means necessary for living it in a dignified way, `lest he follow the example of the rich man who ignored Lazarus, the poor man' (cf. Luke 16:18-31).

"Today there is an inescapable duty to make ourselves the neighbor of every man, no matter who he is, and if we meet him, to come to his aid in a positive way, whether he is an aged person abandoned by all, a foreign worker despised without reason, a refugee, an illegitimate child wrongly suffering for a sin he did not commit, or a starving human being who awakens our conscience by calling to mind the words of Christ: `As you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.'" ("Gaudium Et Spes," 27).

46. The eternal punishment of the reprobate and the eternal reward of the elect are a dogma of faith solemnly defined by the Magisterium of the Church in the Fourth Lateran Council (1215): "He [Christ] will come at the end of the world; He will judge the living and the dead; and He will reward all, both the lost and the elect, according to their works. And all these will rise with their own bodies which they now have so that they may receive according to their works, whether good or bad; the wicked, a perpetual punishment with the devil; the good, eternal glory with Christ."
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Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland. Reprinted with permission from Four Courts Press and Scepter Publishers, the U.S. publisher.

2nd Reading for Nov 23, Solemnity: Christ the King

From: 1 Corinthians 15:20-26, 28

The Basis of Our Faith (Continuation)


[20] But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. [21] For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. [22] For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. [23] But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. [24] Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. [25] For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. [26] The last enemy to be destroyed is death.

[28] When all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to him who put all things under him, that God may be everything to every one.
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Commentary:

20-28. The Apostle insists on the solidarity that exists between Christ and Christians: as members of one single body, of which Christ is the head, they form as it were one organism (cf. Rom 6:3-11; Gal 3:28). Therefore, once the resurrection of Christ is affirmed, the resurrection of the just necessarily follows. Adam's disobedience brought death for all; Jesus, the new Adam, has merited that all should rise (cf. Rom 5:12-21). "Again, the resurrection of Christ effects for us the resurrection of our bodies not only because it was the efficient cause of this mystery, but also because we all ought to arise after the example of the Lord. For with regard to the resurrection of the body we have this testimony of the Apostle: 'As by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead' (1 Cor 15:21). In all that God did to accomplish the mystery of our redemption he made use of the humanity of Christ as an effective instrument, and hence his resurrection was, as it were, an instrument for the accomplishment of our resurrection" ("St Pius V Catechism", I, 6, 13).

Although St Paul here is referring only to the resurrection of the just (v. 23), he does speak elsewhere of the resurrection of all mankind (cf. Acts 24:15). The doctrine of the resurrection of the bodies of all at the end of time, when Jesus will come in glory to judge everyone, has always been part of the faith of the Church; "he [Christ] will come at the end of the world, he will judge the living and the dead; and he will reward all, both the lost and the elect, according to their works. And all those will rise with their own bodies which they now have so that they may receive according to their works, whether good or bad; the wicked, a perpetual punishment with the devil; the good, eternal glory with 'Christ" (Fourth Lateran Council, "De Fide Catholica", chap. 1).

23-28. St Paul outlines very succinctly the entire messianic and redemptive work of Christ: by decree of the Father, Christ has been made Lord of the universe (cf. Mt 28:18), in fulfillment of Ps 110:1 and Ps 8:7. When it says here that "the Son himself will also be subjected to him who put all things under him", this must be understood as referring to Christ in his capacity of Messiah and head of the Church; not Christ as God, because the Son is "begotten, not created, consubstantial with the Father" ("Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed").

Christ's sovereignty over all creation comes about in history, but it will achieve its final, complete, form after the Last Judgment. The Apostle presents that last event --a mystery to us--as a solemn act of homage to the Father. Christ will offer all creation to his Father as a kind of trophy, offering him the Kingdom which up to then had been confided to his care. From that moment on, the sovereignty of God and Christ will be absolute, they will have no enemies, no rivals; the stage of combat will have given way to that of contemplation, as St Augustine puts it (cf. "De Trinitate", 1, 8).

The Parousia or second coming of Christ in glory at the end of time, when he establishes the new heaven and the new earth (cf. Rev 21:1-2), will mean definitive victory over the devil, over sin, suffering and death. A Christian's hope in this victory is not something passive: rather, it is something that spurs him on to ensure that even in this present life Christ's teaching and spirit imbue all human activities. "Far from diminishing our concern to develop this earth," Vatican II teaches, "the expectancy of a new earth should spur us on, for it is here that the body of a new human family grows, foreshadowing in some way the age which is to come. That is why, although we must be careful to distinguish earthly progress clearly from the increase of the Kingdom of Christ, such progress is of vital concern to the Kingdom of God, insofar as it can contribute to the better ordering of human society.

"When we have spread on earth the fruits of our nature and our enterprise--human dignity, brotherly communion, and freedom--according to the command of the Lord and in his Spirit, we will find them once again, cleansed this time from the stain of sin, illuminated and transfigured, when Christ presents to his Father an eternal and universal kingdom of truth and life, a kingdom of holiness and grace, a kingdom of justice, love and peace ("Roman Missal", preface for the solemnity of Christ the King). Here on earth the Kingdom is mysteriously present; when the Lord comes it will enter into its perfection" ("Gaudium Et Spes", 39).

24. "When he delivers the kingdom to God the Father": this does not quite catch the beauty of the Greek which literally means "when he delivers the kingdom to the God and Father". In New Testament Greek, when the word "Theos" (God) is preceded by the definite article ("ho Theos") the first person of the Blessed Trinity is being referred to.

25. "He must reign": every year, on the last Sunday of ordinary time, the Church celebrates the solemnity of Christ the King, to acknowledge his absolute sovereignty over all created things. On instituting this feast, Pius XI pointed out that "He must reign in our minds, which should assent with perfect submission and firm belief to revealed truths and to the teachings of Christ. He must reign in our wills, which should obey the laws and precepts of God. He must reign in our hearts, which should spurn natural desires and love God above all things, and cleave to him alone. He must reign in our bodies and in our members, which should serve as instruments for the interior sanctification of our souls, or, to use the words of the Apostle Paul, as instruments of righteousness unto God (Rom 6:13)" ("Quas Primas").

28. The subjection of the son which St Paul speaks of here is in no way opposed to his divinity. He is referring to what will happen when Christ's mission as Redeemer and Messiah comes to an end, that is, once final victory is won over the devil, sin and its consequences. The final victory of Jesus Christ will restore to all creation its original harmony, which sin destroyed.

"Who can realize", St Bernard comments, "the indescribable sweetness contained in these few words: God will be everything to everyone? Not to speak of the body, I see three things in the soul--mind, will and memory; and these three are one and the same. Everyone who lives according to the spirit senses in this present life how far he falls short of wholeness and perfection. Why is this, if not because God is not yet everything to everyone? That is why ones' mind is so often mistaken in the judgment it makes, that is why one's will experiences such restlessness, why one's memory is thrown into confusion by many things. The noble person is, without wanting to be, at the mercy of this triple vanity, yet he does not lose hope. For he who responds so generously to the desires of the soul must also provide the mind with fullness and light, the will with abundance of peace, and the memory with visions of eternity. O truth, O charity, O eternity, O blessed and blessing Trinity! This wretched trinity of mine, sighs for thee, for it is unfortunately still far from thee" ("Sermon on the Song of Songs", 11).
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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.

1st Reading for Nov 23, Solemnity: Christ the King

From: Ezekiel 34:11-12, 15-17

The Lord, the Shepherd of Israel


[11] ”For thus says the Lord God: Behold, I, I myself will search for my sheep, and will seek them out. [12] As a shepherd seeks out his flock when some of his sheep” have been scattered abroad, so will I seek out my sheep; and I will rescue them from all places where they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness. [15] I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I will make them lie down, says the Lord God. [16] I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the crippled, and I will strengthen the weak, and the fat and the strong I will watch over;” I will feed them in justice.

[17] ”As for you, my flock, thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I judge between sheep and sheep, rams and he-goats.
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Commentary:

34:11-22. Ezekiel says that God has made himself a shepherd for his people (v. 11); he always looks out for them (vv. 12-16), neglecting none. This solicitude includes the practice of justice (vv. 17-22); in this new stage it becomes clearer that divine love and mercy are compatible with condemnation of the wicked (v. 20): in fact, love can never exclude justice. This beautiful oracle resounds in our Lord’s parable of the Good Shepherd who takes care of his sheep (ef. Jn 10:1-21), in what he says about the Father’s joy on finding the lost sheep (cf. Mt 18:12-14; Lk 15:4-7), and in things he has to say about the Last Judgment as reported by St Matthew (Mt 25:31-46). In a sermon on pastors, St Augustine comments: “He stands guard over us when we are awake and while we sleep. If an earthly flock is safe in the vigilant care of a human shepherd, how much mor secure are we, who have God as our shepherd, not only because he desires to teach and help us, but because he is our creator. "As for you, my flock, thus says the Lord God: Behold, I judge between sheep and sheep, rams and hegoats" (Ezek 34:17). Why are he-goats to be found among God’s flock? Goats who will be sent to the left, and sheep that will be called to the right side of God, are to be found in the same fields and by the same streams; and He tends together those who will later be separated. The meek patience of sheep is an imitation of the patience of God. He will separate the flock later, sending some to the right and some to the left” ("Sermones", 47).
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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.

Friday, November 21, 2008

Gospel for Nov 22, Memorial: St Cecilia, Virgin and Martyr

Saturday, 33rd Week in Ordinary Time
Old Calendar: St. Cecilia

From: Luke 20:27-40

The Resurrection of the Dead

[27] There came to Him (Jesus) some Sadducees, those who say that there is no resurrection, [28] and they asked Him a question saying, "Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man's brother dies, having a wife but no children, the man must take the wife and raise up children for his brother. [29] Now there were seven brothers; the first took a wife, and died without children; [30] and the second [31] and the third took her, and likewise all seven left no children and died. [32] Afterward the woman also died. [33] In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife will the woman be? For the seven had her as wife."

[34] And Jesus said to them, "The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage; [35] but those who are accounted worthy to attain to that age and to the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage, [36] for they cannot die any more, because they are equal to angels and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection. [37] But that the dead are raised, even Moses showed, in the passage about the bush, where he calls the Lord the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. [38] Now He is not God of the dead, but of the living; for all live to Him." [39] And some of scribes answered, "Teacher, You have spoken well." [40] For they no longer dared to ask Him any question.
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Commentary:

27-40. The Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection of the body or the immortality of the soul. They came along to ask Jesus a question which is apparently unanswerable. According to the Levirate law (cf. Deuteronomy 25:5ff), if a man died without issue, his brother was duty bound to marry his widow to provide his brother with descendants. The consequences of this law would seem to give rise to a ridiculous situation at the resurrection of the dead.

Our Lord replies by reaffirming that there will be a resurrection; and by explaining the properties of those who have risen again, the Sadducees' argument simply evaporates. In this world people marry in order to continue the species: that is the primary aim of marriage. After the resurrection there will be no more marriage because people will not die anymore.

Quoting Sacred Scripture (Exodus 3:2, 6) our Lord shows the grave mistake the Sadducees make, and He argues: God is not the God of the dead but of the living, that is to say, there exists a permanent relationship between God and Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, who have been dead for years. Therefore, although these just men have died as far as their bodies are concerned, they are alive, truly alive, in God--their souls are immortal--and they are awaiting the resurrection of their bodies.

See also the notes on Matthew 22:23-33 and Mark 12:18-27.

[The note on Matthew 22:23-33 states:
23-33. The Sadducees argue against belief in the resurrection of the dead on the basis of the Levirate law, a Jewish law which laid down that when a married man died without issue, one of his brothers, according to a fixed order, should marry his widow and the first son of that union be given the dead man's name. By outlining an extreme cases the Sadducees make the law and belief in resurrection look ridiculous. In His reply, Jesus shows up the frivolity of their objections and asserts the truth of the resurrection of the dead.]

[The note on Mark 12:18-27 states:
18-27. Before answering the difficulty proposed by the Sadducees, Jesus wants to identify the source of the problem--man's tendency to confine the greatness of God inside a human framework through excessivereliance on reason, not giving due weight to divine Revelation and the power of God. A person can have difficulty with the truths of faith; this is not surprising, for these truths are above human reason. But it is ridiculous to try to find contradictions in the revealed word of God; this only leads away from any solution of difficulty and may make it impossible to find one's way back to God. We need to approach Sacred Scripture, and, in general, the things of God, with the humility which faith demands. In the passage about the burning bush, which Jesus quotes to the Sadducees, God says this to Moses: "Put off your shoes from your feet, for the place on which you stand is holy ground" (Exodus 3:5).]
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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.

Principles and Practices - November 22

SUFFERING STRENGTHENS VIRTUE

A soul beginning to give itself up to piety is a fair sight. Like a tender plant, pushing up its fragile stem above the earth, its colour is lovely and delicate. But if it is pleasing to the eye on account of its freshness, it is also sensitive and frail. A blast of wind can wither it, the sun can fade it. But when it shall have withstood tempests, heat, and inclemencies of weather, it will be stronger and less exposed to danger. So the soldier of Christ who has suffered aridities, temptations, and tribula­tions of every kind, has acquired strength, provided always that he has borne all these things with patience and love. Thus only will he be invincible and his enemies will be powerless against him.

-Saudreau.
_________________
From Principles and Practices
Compiled by Rev. J. Hogan of The Catholic Missionary Society
Published by Burns Oates & Washbourne Ltd., Publishers To The Holy See
Nihil Obstat; Eduardus J. Mahoney, S.T.D. Censor deputatus.
Imprimatur; Edm. Can. Surmont, Vicarius generalis.
First printed in 1930

Thoughts of St Augustine for November 22

IF they are made members of Christ and say that they are not holy, they are doing an injury to their Head, whose members are not other than holy. Do look where thou art and take thy dignity from thy Head.
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Click here for more information.

From Thoughts of St Augustine for Every Day
by Kathleen Mary Balfe (© 1926)
Nihil Obstat: Georgius D. Smith, S.T.D
Imprimatur: Edm. Can. Surmont

Thoughts from St Alphonsus for Every Day-November 22

WHEN you have to correct anyone, you should choose a time when neither you nor the person who is to be corrected is excited, otherwise the correction will prove more hurtful than useful.
_________________
From Thoughts from St Alphonsus for Every Day
Compiled by Rev. C. McNeiry, C.SS.R.
Imprimatur: Joseph Hull, C.SS.R., Prov. Angl. Sup.
Nihil Obstat: Innocentlus Apap, O.P., S.T.M., Censor Deptutatus.
Imprimatur: Edm. Can. Surmont, Vicarius Generalis.
Westmonasterii, Die 9a Junii, 1927.
First published 1927

Dr Edward Peters: Copernicus-Motor terrae, solisque Stator

Dr Peters writes:
With your indulgence, I post a second item today, this time to make a lighter point: that ecclesiastical scholars are in the front ranks of those helping the world to better understand itself. News of the discovery of Copernicus’ grave in Poland, the canon lawyer who revolutionized astronomy, prompts my brief notice.
Read more here.

November 21 - The Presentation of Mary

"O thou most beautiful among women." Canticles 5:9.

Do you ever read seed catalogues, especially the announcements of flower growers? Ordinarily I don't either, because I do not have the gift of the "green thumb," the talent of a good gardener. However, while giving a mission for a priest who was quite a flower fancier, I learned a little about the care of flowers in their early stages.

On the floor of the clothes closet in the guest room assigned to me were several glass jars with some fairly good-sized bulbs in each. In a light vein I asked the pastor if he was raising onions. He showed me the catalogue from which he had ordered the bulbs. There, I read the directions for their care:
"Keep them in a dark room where there is just enough warmth to start them growing slowly. This will cause the bulbs to throw out roots while the leaves remain at comparative rest. This is very impor­tant. If exposed to light and too much heat, the leaves will be stirred to sprout rapidly, while the roots have not yet had a chance to reach and spread out to insure a sufficient supply of nourishment. Result: a weak and imperfect flowering. Let the roots spread and grow first. Then gradually increase the light and heat, and you will have flowers like those illustrated above."

Whether the good father ever reaped such rosy results, I did not make it a point to find out, but often since the thought has occurred that here was an illustration from nature of the importance of the hidden life as a preparation for public work. It is an apt illustration of the girlhood of the Mother of God. In this case the Father of all reared the most beautiful Flower that ever grew.

Of Mary's hidden life Scripture tells us nothing. Of her presentation in the temple, which we celebrate November 21, the inspired writings give no word. Nevertheless, we do have the testimony of tradition, which in turn is based on accounts from apostolic times. For instance, in the Proto-evan­gelium of St. James, which is apocryphal, we read:
"And the child was two years old, and Joachim said: 'Let us take her up to the temple of the Lord, that we may pay the vow which we have vowed, lest perchance the Lord send to us, and our offering be not received.'

And Anna said: 'Let us wait for the third year, in order that the child may not seek for father and mother.'

And Joachim said: 'Invite the daughters of the Hebrews that are undefiled, and let them take each a lamp, and let them stand with the lamps burning, that the child may not turn back, and her heart be captivated from the temple of the Lord.'

And the priest received her, and kissed her, and blessed her, saying: 'The Lord has magnified thy name in all generations. In thee, on the last of the days, the Lord will manifest His redemption to the sons of Israel.'

And he set her down upon the third step of the altar, and the Lord God sent grace upon her; and she danced with her feet, and all the house of Israel loved her."
Another book called The Nativity of Mary adds this note:
"But the parents having offered up their sacrifice, according to the custom of the law, and perfected their vow, left the Virgin with the other virgins in the apartments of the temple, who were to be brought up there, and they returned home."
St. John of Damascus expresses the belief of the early Christians in a way that brings out our thought of Mary's hidden life being like that of a plant or flower being nurtured for better things:
"The Holy Virgin first saw the light in Joachim's house hard by the Probatica and was brought to the temple. There, having been planted in the House of God, and nourished by the Spirit, like a fruitful olive tree, she became the home of every virtue, turning her mind away from every carnal and secular desire, and thus keeping her soul as well as her body virginal, as was meet for her who was to receive God into her bosom: for as He is holy, He finds rest among the holy."

It is believed that the girl Mary remained in the temple until her fourteenth year. What did Mary do during those tender years? What occupied her heart, her head and her hands? We know there was a set schedule of balanced prayer and labor followed by these maidens in the temple.

A great deal of time was devoted to prayer - alone and with others. There were three set times for prayer: morning prayer at sunrise; after­noon prayer about three o'clock; evening prayer at sunset.

In between the praises of God Mary worked at weaving and working with wool. In addition she and the other girls took care of the sick who came to them, helped to keep the sacred precincts clean, and devoted much time to the poor.

In such an atmosphere, hidden from the world, barred from the blazing sun of public gaze, Mary grew in virtue and grace. Always "full of grace," the cloistered Maid developed in purity and patience, in charity and humil­ity, and in the spirit of prayer. Her heart sank deep roots into the sources of grace. Her development was hidden.

She was giving herself to God. Would that we could do that in some small measure. She was setting the pattern for those who would serve the Lord through the centuries. May ours be the prayer of the Church on the feast of the Presentation:

"O God, who didst will that Blessed Mary ever-virgin, the dwelling of the Holy Ghost, should today be presented in the temple, grant, we beseech Thee, that, through her intercession, we may merit to be presented in the temple of Thy glory. Through Jesus Christ, our Lord."
Amen.
__________________
Adapted from Feasts of Our Lady
by Msgr. Arthur Tonne

News Updates, 11/21

Top Vatican-watcher predicts key Vatican appointment is imminent
A respected Vatican-watcher is predicting that the Vatican will soon announcement the appointment of a new prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship....

"Misuse of funds”
Groups urge Catholics not to give to Catholic Campaign for Human Development, but bishop pleads for faithful “to continue to give generously”

Vatican Cardinal: "A New World Order is Gaining Ground"
Speaking at the opening of the 23rd plenary assembly for the Pontifical Council for the Laity, the president of the Council, Cardinal Stanislaw Rylko, warned, "The idea of creating a 'new man' completely detached from the Judeo-Christian tradition, a new 'world order,' a new 'global ethic,' is gaining ground."

Jesuit leader: liberation theology deserves more support
Father Adolfo Nicolas, the new superior general of the Jesuit order, has expressed his disappointment that liberation theology has not gained wider acceptance. Calling liberation theology "a courageous and creative response to an unbearable situation of injustice in Latin America," he said that the theological school needed a "vote of confidence" from Church leaders....

Obama Names Pro-Abortion Lawyer, Ex-NARAL Staffer to Judicial Team
In a move that underscores Barack Obama's dedication to promoting abortion, the incoming president has named a prominent pro-abortion attorney to serve as a member of his Department of Justice Review Team. Dawn Johnsen is a professor at the Indiana University School of Law. But she is more than that -- she is a longtime abortion advocate and worked for one of the leading abortion advocacy groups. Johnsen was the Legal Director for NARAL from 1988-1993.

Hindu groups offering rewards to kill Christians
'The going price to kill a pastor is $250' in India

Muslim religious leaders' behavior condemned
Report: Imams condoning rape, domestic violence, polygamy

Is Vatican newspaper 'making too much noise'?
Commentaries are raising objections from some Catholics

Sainthood probe starts in US for Rosary Priest
'The family that prays together stays together'

Pope clarifies Luther's idea of justification
Benedict says it's true, if faith is not opposed to love

Doctors facing ethical dilemma over in-vitro
With multiples more apt to have medical problems

Pope had 'prophecy' of market collapse in 1985
Ratzinger said decline in ethics would be the cause

Kenyan cardinal will resist pro-abortion move
Efforts afoot in Nairobi to legalize the procedure

The View Co-Host, Joy Behar, Calls Homeschoolers “Demented”
In a pair of squabbles with conservative co-host Elisabeth Hasselbeck, The View’s Joy Behar labeled homeschoolers “demented” and Sarah Palin an “airhead.”

Planned Parenthood responds to Cardinal O'Malley
Boston prelate pointed to racist origins of abortion group

Second Bioethics Advisor Shows Obama Promoting Embryonic Research, Cloning
Barack Obama has appointed another bioethics advisor whose appointment, pro-life observers say, makes it clear he will force taxpayers to fund embryonic stem cell research. The appointment of Alta Charo, a former member of Bill Clinton’s Bioethics Advisory Commission, also could pave the way for human cloning.

Thursday, November 20, 2008

Dr Edward Peters: "Same-sex marriage" in medieval canon law

Dr Peters writes:
For those interested in how historical texts might be plumbed for insights into contemporary debates, I provide here an interesting passage from a famous medieval canonical treatise which rejects “same sex marriage” centuries before it was even contemplated.
For more, click here.

Gospel for Nov 21, Memorial: Presentation of Mary

Friday, 33rd Week In Ordinary Time
Old Calendar: The Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary; St. Columban, Abbot


From: Luke 19:45-48

Jesus in the Temple

[45] And He (Jesus) entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold, [46] saying to them, "It is written, `My house shall be a house of prayer'; but you have made it a den of robbers."

[47] And He was teaching daily in the temple. The chief priests and the scribes and the principal men of the people sought to destroy Him; [48] but they did not find anything they could do, for all the people hung upon His words.
_________________________
Commentary:

45-48. Jesus' indignation shows His zeal for the glory of His Father, to be recognized at this time in the temple itself. He inveighs against the traders for engaging in business which has nothing to do with divine worship (cf. Matthew 21:12; Mark 11-15). Even the priests allowed some of these abuses to go on--perhaps because they benefited from them in the form of taxes. The traders did perform services necessary for divine worship but this was vitiated by their excessive desire for gain, turning the temple into a marketplace.

"My house shall be a house of prayer": Jesus uses these words from Isaiah (56:7; cf. Jeremiah 7:11) to underline the purpose of the temple. Jesus' behavior shows the respect the Temple of Jerusalem deserved; how much more reverence should be shown our churches, where Jesus Himself is really present in the Blessed Sacrament. (cf. notes on Matthew 21:12-13; and Mark 11:15-18).

[The notes on Matthew 21:12-13 states:
12-13. Although God is present everywhere and cannot be confined within the walls of temples built by man (Acts 17:24-25), God instructed Moses to build a tabernacle where He would dwell among the Israelites (Exodus 25:40). Once the Jewish people were established in Palestine, King Solomon, also in obedience to a divine instruction, built the temple of Jerusalem (1 Kings 6-8), where people went to render public worship to God (Deuteronomy 12).

Exodus (23:15) commanded the Israelites not to enter the temple empty-handed, but to bring some victim to be sacrificed. To make this easier for people who had to travel a certain distance, a veritable market developed in the temple courtyards with animals being bought and sold for sacrificial purposes. Originally this may have made sense, but seemingly as time went on commercial gain became the dominant purpose of this buying and selling of victims; probably the priests themselves and temple servants benefited from this trade or even operated it. The net result was that the temple looked more like a livestock mart than a place for meeting God.

Moved by zeal for His Father's house (John 2:17), Jesus cannot tolerate this deplorable abuse and in holy anger He ejects everyone--to show people the respect and reverence due to the temple as a holy place. We should show much greater respect in the Christian temple--the Christian churches--where the eucharistic sacrifice is celebrated and where Jesus Christ, God and Man, is really and truly present, reserved in the tabernacle. For a Christian, proper dress, liturgical gestures and postures, genuflections and reverence to the tabernacle, etc. are expressions of the respect due to the Lord in His temple.

[The notes on Mark 11:15-18 states:
15-18. Our Lord does not abide lack of faith or piety in things to do with the worship of God. If He acts so vigorously to defend the temple of the Old Law, it indicates how we should truly conduct ourselves in the Christian temple, where He is really and truly present in the Blessed Eucharist. "Piety has its own good manners. Learn them. It's a shame to see those `pious' people who don't know how to attend Mass--even though they go daily,--nor how to bless themselves (they throw their hands about in the weirdest fashion), nor how to bend the knee before the Tabernacle (their ridiculous genuflections seem a mockery), nor how to bow their heads reverently before a picture of our Lady" ([St] J. Escriva, "The Way", 541).]
___________________________
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.

Principles and Practices - November 21

REASON CONTROLS

A good and devout man first arrangges in his own mind those duties which he has outwardly to perform; neither does he in the performance of them yield to the desires of a corrupt inclination, but regulates his actions by the dictates of sound reason.

-The Imitation
_________________
From Principles and Practices
Compiled by Rev. J. Hogan of The Catholic Missionary Society
Published by Burns Oates & Washbourne Ltd., Publishers To The Holy See
Nihil Obstat; Eduardus J. Mahoney, S.T.D. Censor deputatus.
Imprimatur; Edm. Can. Surmont, Vicarius generalis.
First printed in 1930

Thoughts of St Augustine for November 21

CERTAINLY a work of mercy does good, both in the rich and in the poor; in the rich by will and work conjoined, in the poor by will alone. When such are the rich man's dis­positions and he despises in himself all that there is to puff him up with pride, then is he God's poor man.
_________________________
Click here for more information.

From Thoughts of St Augustine for Every Day
by Kathleen Mary Balfe (© 1926)
Nihil Obstat: Georgius D. Smith, S.T.D
Imprimatur: Edm. Can. Surmont

Thoughts from St Alphonsus for Every Day-November 21

(THE PRESENTATION OF MARY IN THE TEMPLE)

THERE never was and never will be an offering on the part of a pure creature greater or more perfect than that which Mary made to God, when, at the age of three years, she presented herself in the temple to offer him, not aromatical spices, nor calves, nor gold, but her entire self, consecrating herself as a perpetual victim in his honour.
_________________
From Thoughts from St Alphonsus for Every Day
Compiled by Rev. C. McNeiry, C.SS.R.
Imprimatur: Joseph Hull, C.SS.R., Prov. Angl. Sup.
Nihil Obstat: Innocentlus Apap, O.P., S.T.M., Censor Deptutatus.
Imprimatur: Edm. Can. Surmont, Vicarius Generalis.
Westmonasterii, Die 9a Junii, 1927.
First published 1927

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

News Updates, 11/20

Sainthood cause begins for Father Peyton
Archbishop Edwin O’Brien of Baltimore will preside today over the opening session of the sainthood cause of Father Patrick Peyton. The famed ‘Rosary priest’ was born in Ireland in 1909 and died in 1992....

Picking Pockets in the Pew—the CCHD Scandal
On November 23rd in Catholic churches around the country ushers will pass collection baskets for the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD). Millions of trusting Catholics will contribute “to help the poor.” What many don’t know is that their hard-earned dollars will pour into the coffers of liberal organizations promoting causes they oppose and which often hurt the poor.
TAKE ACTION: When the ushers pass the basket on November 23rd faithful Catholics should drop in a note saying why they will never put a penny in the CCHD collection until it follows Catholic social justice teachings instead of serving as a conduit for left-wing liberal extortionists. Then write a check to a local charity that truly serves the poor.

Unconstitutional amendment?
California Supreme Court agrees to hear challenges to Proposition 8

Supreme Court to review Obama's citizenship
A case that challenges President-elect Barack Obama's name on the 2008 election ballot citing questions over his citizenship has been scheduled for a "conference" at the U.S. Supreme Court...
Read more about Leo Donofrio's suit here
Scheduled for full conference Dec 5.

At the Vatican, One Newspaper Is Making Noise. For Some, Too Much (Chiesa)
It's "L'Osservatore Romano." Twice in recent months, it has prompted negative reactions from part of the hierarchy and the Catholic world, over organ transplants and euthanasia. But on other issues as well, its commentaries are raising discussion, within the Church and outside of it. For example, about Pius XII and the Jews...

The Coming "War" Between the Obama Administration and the Catholic Church
The possible signing of the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA) by President-Elect Barack Obama would be "the equivalent of a war" an unnamed senior Vatican official recently told TIME magazine.

Barack Obama Picks Pro-Abortion Senator Tom Daschle as Health Secretary
In his second major decision as the president-elect, Barack Obama has chosen pro-abortion former U.S. senator Tom Daschle of South Dakota as his Health and Human Services Secretary. Daschle will replace pro-life advocate Mike Leavitt, who has been working on protecting pro-life doctors and nurses.

English CatholicEnglish Catholic Bishops have Failed to Admit “Sickness” of Dissent in the Church: Lancaster Bishop“We have all witnessed with alarm many who profess to be Catholics disavowing the Church's teaching authority ... dismissing apostolic traditions and the doctrines of the Fathers and giving the place of honour to the fashionable opinions of society.”
[Many have been shouting this FOR YEARS!]

CNN calls cardinal's Obama criticism a diatribe
Wolf Blitzer refers to comments as a 'scathing rant'
[No surprises here, is there?]

Potential Euthanasia Victim Lauren Richardson Saved, Parents Reconcile
Delaware resident Lauren Richardson nearly became a euthanasia victim this summer as her mother and father feuded over her life that reminded observers of the debate over Terri Schiavo. Richardson is a 24-year-old woman who overdosed on heroin in August 2006 while she was three months pregnant with a baby girl.

Bishops: Ending stem cell ban will alienate many
President-elect could reignite emotional national debate

New York Catholic school enrollments plunge
Trend has recently closed dozens of diocesan schools

Will the Pope and Obama clash over abortion?
Vatican official: 'There's more fear here than wrath'

Priests, nun held for Sister Abhaya murder
Arrests come more than 16 years after the death

Al-Qaeda No. 2 insults Obama with racial slur
Implies President-elect 'does bidding of whites'

Al Qaeda orders Iraqi Christians to leave country
Bishop told to depart 'immediately and permanently'

Poland's Cardinal Wyszynski proposed Wojtyla
Late Warsaw archbishop's journal reveals 1978 conclave

Murtha seeks immunity from suit
A Marine who sued U.S. Rep. John Murtha for defamation urged a federal appeals court Tuesday to order the Johnstown Democrat to testify under oath in the case.
[What a pathetic coward!]

Scalia: Foreign law isn't ours
Judges who use foreign laws to interpret the U.S. Constitution are rewriting it rather than respecting its founders, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia told a roomful of judges and top lawyers in Houston on Monday night...

Vermont Country Stores Lowers Standards, Begins Selling Sex Toys, Aids

Some may be familiar with "The Vermont Country Store" (VCS)from its catalog or one of its stores. It's been understood by mmost that VCS has been a source of quality, hard-to-find, and unique items such as toys, apparel, food & candy, etc. Some see it as a business geared to satisfying traditional family-oriented needs.

The website for the business states:

In 1945, Vrest and Ellen Orton printed their first catalogue—just 12 pages and 36 products—and mailed it to the folks on their Christmas card list. Vrest, a frugal Yankee at heart, insisted that the merchandise be durable and above all practical. His wife Ellen, who grew up on the Wilcox dairy farm in nearby Manchester, Vermont, made certain the new business was as practical as the products it sold....

The Family Tradition Continues
Third and fourth generation storekeepers and still going strong


The Vermont Country Store is owned by Lyman Orton and sons Cabot, Gardner, and Eliot, 7th & 8th generation Vermonters, and 3rd & 4th generation storekeepers, who still adhere to the old-fashioned values set forth by Vrest and take pride in being The Purveyors of the Practical and Hard-to-Find...

"We still go to great lengths to find products that aren't sold anywhere else," said Eliot Orton.
Now, it seems, that the business has decided to sell "Adult" items that many people find offensive. Apparently, management feels the need to cash in on the nation's widespread immorality and wrap the packages up in "Family Tradition" - this looks better, I suppose, than the plain brown wrappers that the "Adults only" sex/perversion shops use for shipping.

It looks as if America has suffered another casualty in the culture war now that owner, Lyman Orton, has decided to include these "hard-to-find" items in the Christmas catalog and on the web site. Unfortunately, family values and morality takes another hit. It should come as no surprise that Orton's decision will result in negative consequences. We can understand why families and individuals, who still believe in virtue and morality and who are prepared to spend their hard earned money with like-minded businesses, will abandon VCS for other suppliers. I would certainly support such an effort. Any business that wraps itself in in a veneer of family values and tradition while promoting products geared to sexual immorality is unworthy of my business.

Some have already scratched "The Vermont Country Store" from their Christmas shopping lists. More, no doubt, will follow.

HT to Mark S. for the info.

Gospel for Thursday, 33rd Week in Ordinary Time

Old Calendar: St. Felix of Valois, confessor

From: Luke 19:41-44

Jesus Weeps Over Jerusalem


[41] And when He (Jesus) drew near and saw the city He wept over it, [42] saying, "Would that even today you knew the things that make for peace! But now they are hid from your eyes. [43] For the days shall come upon you, when your enemies will cast a bank about you and surround you, and hem you in on every side, [44] and dash you to the ground, you and your children within you, and they will not leave one stone upon another in you; because you did not know the time of your visitation."
_____________________

Commentary:

41-44. When the procession reaches a place where there is a good view of the city, they are disconcerted by Jesus' unexpected weeping. Our Lord explains why He is weeping, by prophesying the destruction of the city which He loved so much: not one stone will remain on another, and its inhabitants will be massacred--a prophecy which was fulfilled in the year 70, when Titus razed the city and the temple was destroyed. These historical events will be a punishment for Jerusalem failing to recognize the time of its visitation, that is, for closing its gates to the salvific coming of the Redeemer. Jesus loved the Jews with a very special love: they were the first to whom the Gospel was preached (cf. Matthew 10:5-6); to them He directed His ministry (cf. Matthew 15:24); He showed His word and by His miracles that He was the Son of God and the Messiah foretold in the Scriptures. But the Jews for the most part failed to appreciate the grace the Lord was offering them; their leaders led them to the extreme of calling for Jesus to be crucified.

Jesus visits every one of us; He comes as our Savior; He teaches us through the preaching of the Church; He gives us forgiveness and grace through the sacraments. We should not reject our Lord, we should not remain indifferent to His visit.
___________________________
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.

Principles and Practices - November 20

THE VIRTUE OF FAITH

Faith is the highest honour we can render to Divine truth. It is also a debt we owe to God; He has a right to expect implicit trust in His word, and we should give proof of this trust when He tries our faith. Such tests are the law of life; they strengthen the virtue which is tested and add lustre to it; above all, they are occasions for glorifying and rendering homage to God.

-Saudreau.
_________________
From Principles and Practices
Compiled by Rev. J. Hogan of The Catholic Missionary Society
Published by Burns Oates & Washbourne Ltd., Publishers To The Holy See
Nihil Obstat; Eduardus J. Mahoney, S.T.D. Censor deputatus.
Imprimatur; Edm. Can. Surmont, Vicarius generalis.
First printed in 1930

Thoughts of St Augustine for November 20

HE is prayed to, therefore, in the form of God; he prays in the form of a servant; there as Creator, here as the created, assum­ing without change the Created Nature that he was to change, and making us one man with himself, Head and Body. We pray then, to him, through him, in him; we speak with him and he speaks with us.
_________________________
Click here for more information.

From Thoughts of St Augustine for Every Day
by Kathleen Mary Balfe (© 1926)
Nihil Obstat: Georgius D. Smith, S.T.D
Imprimatur: Edm. Can. Surmont

Thoughts from St Alphonsus for Every Day-November 20

IF beggars do not receive the alms they ask they do not cease asking; they return to ask again. If the master of the house does not show himself any more, they set to work to knock at the door. This is what God wishes us to do: to pray, and to pray again, and never to leave off praying.
_________________
From Thoughts from St Alphonsus for Every Day
Compiled by Rev. C. McNeiry, C.SS.R.
Imprimatur: Joseph Hull, C.SS.R., Prov. Angl. Sup.
Nihil Obstat: Innocentlus Apap, O.P., S.T.M., Censor Deptutatus.
Imprimatur: Edm. Can. Surmont, Vicarius Generalis.
Westmonasterii, Die 9a Junii, 1927.
First published 1927

News Updates, 11/19

Commentary: If a hate crime takes place in a forest, and nobody hears it,...
In San Francisco's Castro district, a handful of homosexual activists were peacefully chanting slogans when they were set upon by a mob of angry fundamentalist Christians, who surrounded and hounded them, shouting obscenities and threatening to kill them. One woman was thrown to the ground and kicked. Police intervened in time to prevent further violence, and escorted the small group...

Catholics Who Vote for Freedom of Choice Act Could Face Automatic Excommunication
When asked last week whether a Catholic politician voting for the Freedom of Choice Act would incur automatic excommunication from the Catholic Church, Cardinal Francis George of Chicago said the question would need to be discussed once the actual language of the bill was known. FOCA would impose nationwide abortion on demand and government funding of abortion.

When it comes to Church teachings, “I pick and choose“
California’s First Lady says she’s ‘a Cafeteria Catholic’

ABC Special Touts Sex Changes as Normal
Barbara Walters promised she would “raise the whole question” of what is a man and what is a woman. She never answered the question, she just preached 'tolerance'.

Religious Groups Want Obama to OK Tax-Funded Abortion, Zap Pro-Life Laws
A coalition of pro-abortion religious groups and denominations has sent incoming president Barack Obama a letter asking him to promote abortion. The groups want Obama to okay forcing taxpayers to fund abortions and urge him to sign a bill overturning pro-life laws nationwide. The letter is signed by the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice and several Jewish and mainline Protestant bodies.

Sparks fly as gay activist mob swarms Christians
'We're going to kill you. We know who you are'

Poland denies Barack Obama cannibal 'joke'
Episode could strain relations between Warsaw, Washington

"Homophobic" Speech Ruling Overturned in France
Deputy Christian Vanneste was convicted in 2006 of "homophobic" speech after stating that "homosexuality is inferior to heterosexuality. If it were universalized it would be dangerous for humanity."

Muslims converting to Christianity in Balkans
Albanians increasingly returning to the Church

Keyes sues to prove Obama's citizenship
President-elect says he was born in Hawaii in 1961
[Paternal granny says he was born in Kenya, Obama website admits 'dual citizenship']

Bishop: Educated Catholics have sown dissent [and Heresy, Schism]
Graduates spreading skepticism and confusion in Church?

Italian nuns refuse to carry out court order in 'right-to-die' case
Despite an Italian court's order, the religious who administer a hospice in Milan have refused to discontinue the feeding and hydration of Eluana Englaro, a severely disabled woman whose father won legal permission to end her life.

Fargo bishop prays for Obama's conversion
... to recognize dignity of human life from conception
[Others pray he converts from Mohammedanism to Christianity]

Convicted Arizona priest arrested in San Francisco
Violated probation in 2005, manhunt comes to an end

And with another view of this story we have:
“Roaming the streets targeting hitchhikers and runaways”
Fugitive ex-priest arrested outside San Francisco’s Most Holy Redeemer parish
[MHR seems to really have an attractive draw for the weirdos and the bizarre - well, it is in San Fransicko (as some say)]

Some abortion foes shifting focus to 'reduction'
...frustrated by failure to overturn Roe v. Wade

New Obama Advisor Backs Embryonic Stem Cell Research, Despite Failures
During the presidential campaign, there was little question that Barack Obama would reverse President Bush's limits on making taxpayers fund embryonic stem cell research. The person Obama named to manage transition activities related to bioethics issues appears to guarantee Obama's direction.

Charles plans to be 'Defender of Faith'
Dropping 'the' to appeal to multi-faith Britain

German Homeschooling Family Applies for Asylum in US
PURCELLVILLE, Virginia, Nov. 18, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A homeschooling family who recently fled Germany has filed for political asylum in the United States.

Cow Tax Proposal Would Threaten Agriculture Viability
“With the economy in bad shape and the possibility of a deep recession looming, the Environmental Protection Agency is proposing to levy new taxes—on cows and pigs,” American Farm Bureau Federation Director of Regulatory Relations Rick Krause told Wyoming Farm Bureau members at their annual meeting. Krause spoke in Sheridan on Nov. 7.
[Doesn't oppressive taxation brings about "Revolution"?]

Al-Qaida No. 2 insults Obama with racial epithet
CAIRO, Egypt – Al-Qaida's No. 2 leader used a racial epithet to insult Barack Obama in a message posted Wednesday, describing the president-elect in demeaning terms that imply he does the bidding of whites...In al-Qaida's first response to Obama's victory, al-Zawahri also called the president-elect — along with secretaries of state Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice — "house negroes."

Assisted Suicide, Euthanasia, Mercy-Killing: Other Names for Murder

Keep in mind that this was written over 50 years ago:
============

Too much page one publicity was given several years ago to the case of a doctor in New Hampshire who deliberately used a treatment that could cause, if it did not actually cause, the death of a patient. The inci­dent gave promoters of so-called painless killing a lot of free propaganda.

On the other hand the story set all of us thinking. For one thing the event made us realize that there are many so-called healers of men's bodies, and unfortunately a large number of so-called healers of men's souls, rudderless preachers of the Gospel, who favor putting innocent people to death.

They call this form of murder mercy-killing, which means the ad­ministration of an easy, painless death to one who is suffering from an incurable and often agonizing ailment. Mercy-killing is also called euthanasia, which means easy and painless death.

Let us sweep aside the screen of sickly sentimentality which sur­rounds the subject. Then we can get down to sound reasoning. Mercy­-killing stands condemned on several counts, some of which are moral, some of which are material or physical. We mention both because often people who propose or favor this method of helping the diseased are influenced only by arguments rooted in the material.

1. Mercy-killing is outright murder on the part of the one who admin­isters the drug or other means that will bring about death.

2. Mercy-killing is suicide on the part of the patient who requests or consents to any means of shortening life or destroying life.

3. God and God alone has the direct right to dispose of human life. The Almighty has definitely condemned murder and suicide. In mercy kill­ing, a doctor or a group of doctors, the patient or his relatives, take to themselves this right of God. Here is the fundamental reason that euthanasia is wrong from the moral standpoint.
­
4. Mercy-killing not only fails to take into account man's supernatural life; it denies it. It disregards the value of pain and suffering; it rejects all idea of merit gained by suffering; it ignores entirely the word of Christ:
"If anyone wishes to come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me." St. Luke, 9:23.
5. Mercy-killing helps no one and solves no problems. Rather it creates problems, a problem for the patient who is seriously sick. He will be in mortal fear that the doctor will shorten his life. It creates a problem for the doctor who has a conscience - he will be unwilling to grant the request of the patient or the relatives, should they desire euthanasia. It creates a problem for society and especially for our courts in the form of expensive, tax-paid prosecutions and investigations.

6. The practice of killing off the incurable, the insane, the crippled, and the defective, stands condemned by the science of medicine. Here is a telling point in any argument with the material-minded proponents of putting people to death. Who is to say that a disease is incurable? Within the last few generations medical science has made enormous strides forward in curing disease. Thousands upon thousands lie dead in our cemeteries from diseases which since their death have found a cure and a remedy. Kill off the so-called incurable, the so-called fatally diseased, the so-called criminally insane, and the research doctors, the explorers and discoverers in medical science will have no subjects to work with, no basis, no specimens for their observations and examination.

7. The public approval and practice of mercy-killing will gradually and eventually lead us into the horrible slaughter of the sickly and insane that shocked the world when we heard how it was carried on in Nazi concentration camps. Practically the same methods are stili carried on behind the Iron Curtain.

8. Life would become cheapened even more and civilization would be pushed back even farther to pagan times when undesirables were exposed to die, to the pagan practices of some in China and Aftica today who leave unwanted children to be devoured by wild beasts or to perish by starvation.

A few moments' reasoning proves that mercy-killing is against God's law and against nature's law. It is immoral and unscientific. I would also like to point out that it is un-American.

As a nation we believe in God [or at least, we used to]. We believe that all our blessings have come from the Creator. We repeat with conviction the words of our Declaration of Independence:
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, and that among these are the right to LIFE, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."
The right to LIFE was given by God and can be taken away directly only by God.

In the New Hampshire case we do not know whether or not the patient asked the doctor to end her suffering. But our euthanasia socie­ties pound that point - if the patient insists, the physician must admin­ister the killing drug. Do they realize that a person wracked with pain is in no position to think clearly? He wants relief from pain at any price. He needs to be protected from himself.

You will encounter people who lean a little, or even strongly, to this pagan practice. A large number of doctors and even a group of clergy commended the murder. That proves we have all too many ministers who are miles from their moral moorings, and that we have too many doctors who are traitors to their Hippocratic Oath, namely:
"I solemnly swear that I will treat the sick only with a view to helping them and never in order to inflict injury. I will not give anyone a deadly poison, even if requested to do so, nor will I suggest such a way of acting."
Yes, it's murder - only with different names.
__________________
Adapted from Occasional Talks, Volume 2
by Fr. Arthur Tonne, OFM (©1954)

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Gospel for Wednesday, 33rd Week in Ordinary Time

From: Luke 19:11-28

Parable of the Pounds

[11] As they heard these things, He (Jesus) proceeded to tell a parable, because He was near to Jerusalem, and because they supposed that the Kingdom of God was to appear immediately. [12] He said therefore, "A nobleman went into a far country to receive kingly power and then return. [13] Calling ten of his servants, he gave them ten pounds, and said to them, `Trade with these till I come.' [14] But his citizens hated him and sent an embassy after him saying, `We do not want this man to reign over us.' [15] When he returned, having received the kingly power, he commanded these servants, to whom he had given the money, to be called to him, that he might know what they had gained by trading. [16] The first came before him, saying, `Lord, your pound has made ten pounds more.' [17] And he said to him, `Well done, good servant! Because you have been faithful in a very little, you shall have authority over ten cities.' [18] And the second came, saying, `Lord, your pound has made five pounds.' [19] And he said to him, `And you are to be over five cities.' [20] Then another came, saying, `Lord, here is your pound, which I kept laid away in a napkin; [21] for I was afraid of you, because you are a severe man; you take up what you did not lay down, and reap what you did not sow.' [22] He said to him, `I will condemn you out of your own mouth, you wicked servant! You knew that I was a severe man, taking up what I did not lay down and reaping what I did not sow? [23] Why then did you not put my money into the bank, and at my coming I should have collected it with interest?' [24] And he said to those who stood by, `Take the pound from him, and give it to him who has the ten pounds.' [25] (And they said to him, `Lord, he has ten pounds!') [26] `I tell you, that to every one who has will more be given; but from him who has not, even what he has will be taken away. [27] But as for these enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here and slay them before me.'"

The Messiah Enters the Holy City

[28] And when He had said this, He went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem.
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Commentary:

11. The disciples had a wrong concept of the Kingdom of Heaven: they thought it was about to happen and they saw it in earthly terms: they envisaged Jesus conquering the Roman tyrant and immediately establishing the Kingdom in the holy city of Jerusalem, and that when that happened they would hold privileged positions in the Kingdom. There is always a danger of Christians failing to grasp the transcendent, supernatural character of the Kingdom of God in this world, that is, the Church, which "has but one sole purpose--that the Kingdom of God may come and the salvation of the human race may be accomplished." (Vatican II, "Gaudium Et Spes", 45).

Through this parable our Lord teaches us that, although His reign has begun, it will only be fully manifested later on. In the time left to us we should use all the resources and graces God gives us, in order to merit the reward.

13. The "mina", here translated as "pound", was worth about 35 grammes of gold. This parable is very like the parable of the talents reported in St. Matthew (cf. 25:14-30).

14. The last part of this verse, although it has a very specific context, reflects the attitude of many people who do not want to bear the sweet yoke of our Lord and who reject Him as king. "There are millions of people in the world who reject Jesus Christ in this way; or rather they reject His shadow, for they do not know Christ. They have not seen the beauty of His face; they do not realize how wonderful His teaching is. This sad state of affairs makes me want to atone to our Lord. When I hear that endless clamor--expressed more in ignoble actions than in words--I feel the need to cry out, `He must reign!' (1 Corinthians 15:25)" ([St] J. Escriva, "Christ Is Passing By", 179).

17. God counts on our fidelity in little things, and the greater our effort in this regard the greater the reward we will receive: "Because you have been `in pauca fidelis', faithful in small things, come and join in your Master's happiness. The words are Christ's. `In pauca fidelis!... Now will you neglect little things, if Heaven itself is promised to those who mind them?" ([St] J. Escriva, "The Way", 819).

24-26. God expects us to strive to put to good use the gifts we have received--and He lavishly rewards those who respond to His grace. The king in the parable is shown to be very generous towards his servants--and generous in rewarding those who managed to increase the money they were given. But he is very severe towards the lazy servant who was also the recipient of a gift from his Lord, who did not let it erode but guarded it carefully--and for this his king criticizes him: he failed to fulfill the just command the king gave him when he gave him the money: "Trade till I come." If we appreciate the treasures the Lord has given us--life, the gift of faith, grace--we will make a special effort to make them bear fruit--by fulfilling our duties, working hard and doing apostolate. "Don't let your life be barren. Be useful. Make yourself felt. Shine forth with the torch of your faith and your love. With your apostolic life, wipe out the trail of filth and slime left by the corrupt sowers of hatred. And set aflame all the ways of the earth with the fire of Christ that you bear in your heart" ([St] J. Escriva, "The Way", 1).

28. Normally in the Gospels when there is mention of going to the Holy City it is in terms of "going up" to Jerusalem (cf. Matthew 20:18; John 7:8), probably because geographically the city is located on Mount Zion. Besides, since the temple was the religious and political center, going up to Jerusalem had also a sacred meaning of ascending to the holy place, where sacrifices were offered to God.

Particularly in the Gospel of St. Luke, our Lord's whole life is seen in terms of a continuous ascent towards Jerusalem, where His self-surrender reaches its high point in the redemptive sacrifice of the Cross. Here Jesus is on the point of entering the city, conscious of the fact that His passion and death are imminent.
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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.

Principles and Practices, November 19

ON THE WAY OF THE CROSS
You see, my children, only the first step is painful. Our greatest cross is the fear of crosses....We have not the courage to carry our cross, and we are very much mistaken; for,whatever we do, the cross holds us tight - we cannot escape from it. What, then, have we to lose? Why not love our crosses and make use of them to take us to heaven?

-The Spirit of the Cure of Ars.
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From Principles and Practices
Compiled by Rev. J. Hogan of The Catholic Missionary Society
Published by Burns Oates & Washbourne Ltd., Publishers To The Holy See
Nihil Obstat; Eduardus J. Mahoney, S.T.D. Censor deputatus.
Imprimatur; Edm. Can. Surmont, Vicarius generalis.
First printed in 1930

Thoughts of St Augustine for November 19

ONCE we are like him, how shall faintness or distraction be possible? Let our minds be at rest on this point, brethren, the praise of God and love of God will never cloy us.
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Click here for more information.

From Thoughts of St Augustine for Every Day
by Kathleen Mary Balfe (© 1926)
Nihil Obstat: Georgius D. Smith, S.T.D
Imprimatur: Edm. Can. Surmont

Thoughts from St Alphonsus for Every Day-November 19

WHOEVER would become a saint, must during this life resemble the lily among thorns, which, however much it may be pricked by them, never ceases to be a lily; that is, it is always equally sweet and serene. The soul that loves God maintains an imperturbable peace of heart.
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From Thoughts from St Alphonsus for Every Day
Compiled by Rev. C. McNeiry, C.SS.R.
Imprimatur: Joseph Hull, C.SS.R., Prov. Angl. Sup.
Nihil Obstat: Innocentlus Apap, O.P., S.T.M., Censor Deptutatus.
Imprimatur: Edm. Can. Surmont, Vicarius Generalis.
Westmonasterii, Die 9a Junii, 1927.
First published 1927

Monday, November 17, 2008

News Updates, 11/18

Muslim Group Orders All Christians Out of Iraq
A Christian bishop received a threatening letter written by Ansar al-Islam, a Kurdish Muslim group affiliated with al-Qaeda in Iraq. The letter ordered the Christians to leave Iraq en masse and stated it is sending a final warning to Christians in Baghdad and other Iraqi governorates to leave Iraq permanently.

Cardinal: Obama is 'disruptive and apocalyptic'
American prelate delivers frank address at Catholic U.

“Cultural earthquake”
Cardinal describes Obama as ‘aggressive, disruptive and apocalyptic,’ predicts U.S. Catholics will weep ‘hot, angry tears of betrayal’ in years to come

Obama and the bishops are talking the same platform
Kmiec speech at St. John’s Seminary attracts pro-life protesters [

Abortion opponents protest U.S. bishops' 'support' for Obama
[For some (most?) is seems that party politics comes BEFORE loyalty to Christ and His Church]

Father Bourgeois heading to Rome to appeal threatened excommunication
Father Roy Bourgeois says that he plans a trip to the Vatican, accompanied by sympathetic priests and at least one bishop, to lobby against the formal excommunication that has been threatened because of his public support for the ordination of women and his involvement in illicit "ordination" ceremonies...
[Any dibbs on who this "bishop" might be? Remy de Roo? Gumbleton?]

Maine diocese: Same-sex unions not marriage
Bishop Malone voices strong opposition to activist calls

Fr. George W. Rutler: No place for amateur soldiers in the army of the Lord
Many have warned about the consequences of yielding the Faith to false messiahs.

Bishops condemn 'silent genocide' in Congo
Widespread massacres, targeted killings, systematic rapes

US Army returns college to Chaldean Catholics
Seminarians, students and staff left in January 2007

'Ad limina' visits no longer occur every 5 years
U.S. bishops will have an extra year to report to Pope

Italian nuns refuse to kill Eluana Englaro
Hospice won't carry out court order to remove hydration

No infant euthanasia reported in Netherlands
First year after laws on mercy killings were expanded

Do outspoken bishops lose conference elections?
Has Archbishop Chaput been marginalized for strong stance?
[Should faithful orthodox bishops start a truly Catholic national conference and let the heterodox faction whither away?]

Obama warned of 'huge threat' from al-Qaeda
Security officials fear 'spectacular' during transition

Divided Loyalties, Obama’s Eligibility Problem
Judah Benjamin, an historian and former journalist, has written a two-part series challenging the Constitutionality of Barack Obama’s eligibility to be President. It is exhaustively researched, and lengthy compared to most blog entries....Barack Obama has been a citizen of multiple nations. And even if his citizenship outside the US was renounced, Article II of the U.S. Constitution prohibits him from being President, for the same reason that naturalized citizens are prohibited: divided loyalties....Part 1 & Part 2

Catholic Citizens of Illinois calls for Boycott of the Catholic Campaign for Human Development

Some of us have refused to participate in this sinful activity for years - With God's help and blessings, maybe more Catholics will thumb their noses at the CCHD and contribute to truly worthy causes?

By Catholic Citizens of Illinois

When the Catholic Bishops of the United States established the Campaign for Human Development in 1970, they mandated the Campaign to fund "such projects as voter registration, community organizations, community-run schools, minority-owned cooperatives and credit unions, capital for industrial development and job training programs, and setting up rural cooperatives." It was subsequently renamed the Catholic Campaign for Human Development, with prohibitions on funding of projects that were not in conformity with Catholic moral teaching.

The CCHD was sold to Catholic parishioners with a slogan of "a hand up instead of a hand out," but instead, CCHD has heavily invested in the political organizing techniques of Saul Alinky, a Marxist organizer from Chicago who founded the nationwide Industrial Areas Foundation, which in the Chicago area is known as United Power. United Power has been financed by various mainline Protestant churches and has made great inroads into the Catholic Church in Chicago, recruiting parish ministers and receiving funding from various parishes through dues and contributions. For all practical purposes, United Power is an extension of the far left wing of the Democrat Party....
Continued here.

Pass it on to your Catholic family and friends! Someone needs to clean the rats out at the USCCB.

Gospel for Tuesday, 33rd Week in Ordinary Time

Optional Memorials of the Dedication of the Churches of Peter and Paul, apostles; St. Rose Philippine Duchesne, virgin (USA)
Old Calendar: Dedication of the Basilicas of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul


From: Luke 19:1-10

The Conversion of Zacchaeus

[1] He (Jesus) entered Jericho and was passing through. [2] And there was a rich man named Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector, and rich. [3] And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not, on account of the crowd, because he was small of stature. [4] So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him, for He was to pass that way. [5] And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and said to him, "Zacchaeus, make haste and come down; for I must stay at your house today." [6] So he made haste and came down, and received Him joyfully. [7] And when they saw it they all murmured, "He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner." [8] And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, "Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have defrauded any one of anything, I restore it fourfold." [9] And Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. [10] For the Son of Man came to seek and save the lost."
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Commentary:

1-10. Jesus Christ is the Savior of mankind; He has healed many sick people, has raised the dead to life and, particularly, has brought forgiveness of sin and the gift of grace to those who approach Him in faith. As in the case of the sinful woman (cf. Luke 7:36-50), here He brings salvation to Zacchaeus, for the mission of the Son of Man is to save that which was lost.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Administrator of the Catholic Diocese of Charleston stepped in it

Remember the story about the Charleston priest, Father Jay Scott Newman, JCL, who had the courage to tell his parishioners the truth regarding Church teaching and voting?
"Voting for a pro-abortion politician when a plausible pro-life alternative exists constitutes material cooperation with intrinsic evil, and those Catholics who do so place themselves outside of the full communion of Christ's Church and under the judgment of divine law. Persons in this condition should not receive Holy Communion until and unless they are reconciled to God in the Sacrament of Penance, lest they eat and drink their own condemnation."

Recall also that the diocese's temporary Administrator, Msgr. Martin Laughlin, became adamant and defensive that any priest who would say such things...

Well, Barbara Kralis, has written about this episode of ecclesiastical backpedalling and the scandal and confusion caused by Msgr. Laughlin's tirade against the understanding of Church teaching which all faithful Catholics understand.

Her article is in 2 parts: Part 1 is here, Part 2 is here.

Excellent articles, well worth reading!