Overheard at Techmonkey Dave's Pad i.e. The Alternate Rectory of Solitude

Fr. T: That's the problem. My humor relies on the assumption that I am better than everyone else.
Dave: Was there some doubt?
Fr. T: It has to be proved. I am through a large part of the Z's.

A Little Rumor Mongering
Well, it's not technically rumor mongering if I am trying to run down the real story. A friend in NJ mentioned to me on the phone that NEA (the educator's union) commissioned a study like the one the U.S. Bishops did. Apparently, this friend reports, the report was so outrageous that it could mean the end of public education (his words, not mine). Anyone heard about this or have some links or info. on this?

Overheard at the Chrism Mass

Fr. X: You sound awful. Is there something wrong with your sinuses?
Fr. T: Yes. I think it's a sinus infection coming on.
Fr. X: Man, you need to take something for that, you know, that allergy pill, Zoloft.
Fr. T: Ah...Zoloft is for mood disorders. I think you mean, Zytrek.
Fr. X: Oh, wow. Talk about a Freudian slip.
Fr. T: How so?
Fr. X: A Freudian slip is when you say one thing but you meant your mother.

Novi Panem et Circeonem

I was watching "The Price is Right" with the sound off. It struck me funny because it reminded me of the Hollywood depictions of the Roman Colosseum in its hey day. The brightly colored shirts, the intense competition, there is even a Master of the Games, Bob Barker. The bread is metaphorical but wonderful prizes will count. The only thing missing is no one gets thrown to the lions and Bob doesn't hold their fate in his hands. Perhaps, next season...

(P.S. The phrase above means the New Bread and Circus Games. I tried to remember the phrase exactly but it's been years since I cracked a Latin textbook. Help me if I am off. Also, does anyone know of a sleek CD-ROM that teaches ecclesiastical Latin.)

Thoughts on Specified Ministry
In the Archdiocese, an important conversation is going on amongst the priests concerning the future of Hispanic ministry in the diocese. Now, I admit that ministry to Hispanics is an integral part of the life of Oklahoma City. We are the recipient of many immigrants coming to the U.S. for a theoretically better life. But there are some wrinkles to Hispanic ministry that most folks don't appreciate. First, unlike previous waves of immigration which bolstered our native amber waves, these immigrants can go back to their native country, especially the wealthier ones. Even those of modest income can still more readily return to Mexico than could their predessors. In some sense the population fluxuates during given times and seasons. Second, while the older members of this immigration do not speak English adequately to outwardly participate in the Liturgy or sacramental formation, just to give two examples, their children do. This impacts then the question of for whom are we providing Hispanic ministry. Third, there is the question of pan-Hispanism. Anyone who had visited Mexico, Central America, South America, and Spain, or any combination thereof, recognizes that language and custom and culture are not exactly the same. In some sense, it could actually complicate ministerial interactions if a South American brings anti-Mexico biases to the table. Therefore, it becomes a question of whether similarity of language is sufficient. Fourth, and related to this previous point, Hispanic ministry has to be more than a language issue. If you are going to integrate Hispanics into the parish, you must provide cultural expressions of the devotional life of these people, and there will be variation between certain groups.

But here's my problem. There is a contingent of priests who assume the only thing we are to do is provide Hispanic ministry. Or that's what their behavior seems to suggest. And I don't want to get into that here. What I guess bothers me is that this group of priests is suggesting that every parish will have the same sort of Hispanic ministry, a plug-and-play matter. It seems to me every parish in the metro OKC area will need to have at least one Mass celebrated in Spanish, some Hispanic devotions, and Hispanic baptismal formation. (BTW, providing Novus Ordo Masses in Latin would assist this as well.) After that, I am not sure what they will need, and that needs to be assessed on a parish by parish case. Also, not every parish is going to have the same concentration of Hispanic folks that others are, and that has to be factored in. It's like they want to exchange the biretta for the somberero. Further, just because there are Hispanics present doesn't mean that all other ministries have to be put on hold. Again, I don't think that they are proposing this, but from the rhetoric that gets thrown around, it does sound that way.

Lastly, I think it is a good idea for all priests who are in dioceses like mine, when they are parochial vicars, to get away from a month of intensive language studies focusing upon sacramental ministry needs. While in the seminary, they should be able to take at least a year of Spanish to familiarize themselves with basic vocabulary and grammar. If they show ability and interest, then the powers that be can encourage and help them develop this obvious gift for language and ministry to a specific culture.

Just to answer your question, yes, I took Spanish in college and spent a month in Guadalajara, Mexico. I can celebrate Mass but not really effectively hear confessions. I really have trouble assimilating language. My interest in language is more like a scholar. I want to know the language so I can read a book, not so that I can talk to folks.

A Liturgical First
Priests routinely joke about the liturgical days when you "get stuff" (like palms today). But, today, I had a "liturgical" first that I could only incredulously laugh about as I walked back to the rectory. Actually, the event was, at most, a "paraliturgical" first since it happened after the last Mass.

As I walked back to the rectory, I heard a voice call out, "Uh, sir!" I stopped, and looked into the covered drive at the church's entrance. There was an older woman, probably in her sixties, in a blue Oldsmobile that has seen better days. I responded, "Yes?" She said, "Can I get a palm?" (Here the questions began flooding my mind!) I said, "Well, did you go to Mass?" "No," she admitted with a bit of a chuckle, adding "it is sort of hard for me to get to church." I replied, "Well, you got in the car." She gave a conciliatory laugh as she said, "Well, that's a good point. I suppose you're right." So, I went back inside the church and retrieved a palm, delivering it to her through the open window of her running car. She said, "I guess I didn't tell you this is for my sister. She is homebound and can't get to church." The woman claimed that she herself is not a parishioner, and so I would not see her at Mass anyway. She simply wanted to get a palm because it would mean a great deal to her sister. I told her that was great and that she herself was also always welcome here. We got a good laugh over the confusion.

At any rate, I now can honestly claim to have had a Palm Sunday "Drive Thru Visitor"!

Learning to Ask All the Right Questions

Since I am in the process of engaging in a bit of narcissitic autobiography for Crisis, and what is a blog but a live action autobiography, I will sharpen my writing skills here and tell you how I became a Catholic. How I became a priest comes later.

I guess the first person we have to talk about is my mother. My parents divorced when I was very young, somewhere in the neighbor of one or two years old. It wasn't an acrimonious split but it was splitsville. I saw my father probably no more than 2 or 3 times a year. I can still remember vividly the afghan I would sit on in the backroom of the Dairy Queen. My mother was the manager. I would sit in the back and watch Sesame Street on a portable television. This was in the early 70's where the concept of day care was a decade away. For now, this would have to suffice. If it had not been for those times, I don't think I would have seen my mother at all. It taught me to be still. I couldn't run around in my backyard. I had no backyard. In the course of my childhood years, I moved to a new home or apartment every 2 years on average.

As I grew, my mother's job would change and she would begin to work as a certified medical aide in the local nursing homes. I spent many of my formative years in the presence of medicine and the elderly. Even now, I really can't tell the age of most people by looking at them. It is these places where many families placed their loved ones because they could not care for them or, more often the case, the families dumped a person they could not be bothered with. I know that sounds harsh. You have to see a 90 year old woman wail continuously on a visitor's day, "Where are they?, Why didn't they come?," to understand why that harshness is present. I am sure that if the family knew the sorrow they inflicted on their mothers and fathers they would have put in an appearance. But they never stopped in to find out.

From my mother I learned some of the first important questions that must be asked. First question: is that right or wrong? My mother was and is a very moral person. It tinges every aspect of our conversations. She will get upset about something or the other and say, "That's not right." Now, I am not claiming my mother always got the moral analysis on target, but that she asked those sorts of questions taught me to ask what is right and wrong. Questions of morality are the doorway to the questions concerning divinity. Morality rests upon the meaning of the act and the actor. Only God reveals the full meaning of the human person. Therefore, I was knocking on heaven's door with these questions.

Second question: What can I give/do? My mother for most of my life was absent. I raised myself in large part. I am lucky that I am not a drug dealer or anything else that can happen because of minimal parental involvement. My mother was absent though not because she didn't want to be there. My mother for about 10 years worked 16 hours a day to keep the family afloat. In the 70's and early 80's, no one had heard of dead beat dads. As I recall it, and memory is faulty, my dad was not always forthcoming with the child support. So my mother worked. And worked. And worked. This taught me that if you love someone, you will do anything to keep them alive and happy. Happiness was present, but I really only recall a lot of silence. And a lot of wishing...I wish I had my mom. I wish I had a dad. But I had neither. Both were taken away from me.

Third question: Is that all there is? Because I watched my mother suffer, and I felt in the depths of my person the sorrow and confusion her suffering caused, I was led to that question. Is that all there is? You work like a dog, you stumble through life only to get up in the morning and do it again. Compounding this was the experience of death. I often spent the night with my mother as she worked the night shift at the nursing home. Often I would go looking for one of my surrogate grandparents, I never got to know my biological ones, and find the room empty, swept clean. My mother had to explain to me that the person had died. It was sobering for a fourth grader to deal with death repeatedly. It taught the most valuable lesson. Life is short. Everyone, I mean everyone, has to die. Nobody gets out alive. If you are going to go looking for God, this is one of the realities that will make you get up and look.

Like I said, my childhood had its deprivations, but it was a happy childhood more or less. I was a reasonably bright child and therefore did well in school. Boy, school was happy in lots of ways. Because I mastered lessons very quickly, I bonded quickly with my teachers, excepting one. They nurtured my gifts and talents and encouraged me to live up to my potentials. My God, when I think on all the dedicated and excellent educators I had the pleasure of knowing, providence takes on a human face. Every one of my teachers were people who loved children and genuinely wanted them to succeed. If anyone of you are reading this tonight, thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

Now, school had its hard spots as well. Because I had experienced all these things because of my parents' divorce, I was different than the other children. The experiences aged me. They could smell the difference on me, probably literally. One time I got asked by my enrichment teacher if I had been smoking. I had to take my older brother's hand-me-down jacket because I had out grown mine. And my brother was and is a nicotine fiend. So the ferocious exposure to smoke had permanently stained the jacket with that smell. When I got to school, you would have thought I belonged in a biker bar from the aroma around me.

But the search for God began in earnest in the 8th grade. When I was in the 6th grade, I had a teacher for science who was aces, Mrs. Joswick. One day when we talking about photosynthesis, she made this observation. Notice how in tune plants and we are. They put forth oxygen and take up carbon dioxide. We do it just the other way around. And yet this action doesn't get out of whack. And then she dropped the bomb. She said, "This must mean that there is a god." Now folks, this was PUBLIC SCHOOL. And it was a throw away line. She didn't develop it any further but moved on into the lesson. But that was the open door. The Existence of God could be demonstrated from human reason. That was the notion that wedged itself into the linkages of my brain and never came free.

In the 8th grade, I really hit the bottom. Puberty by itself is hell. But also I was really feeling on the fringe. And all of the turmoil of those years, I think I was starting to feel the pain of my childhood then, started coming to the surface. Compounded by the poor living conditions, it led to suicidal thoughts. One night, I had really reached the end. I had made the plans. I had picked the means. The only thing left was executing the plan. As I lay in bed weeping I cried out, "God, if you do exist, you better say or do something. Otherwise, I am not going on." And in that moment God spoke to me. I mean this as literally as I am sitting here at my keyboard typing this, God spoke to me. "If you do that, then they will have won and you will have proved them right. If you kill yourself, your life really is meaningless." And then silence. But the words burned in my soul. They rang through the cathedral heights of the inner world of myself. They rang true. I put away the means of my own destruction that night. And things started to change.

Now, in the background of this story, the other members of my family are searching for God as well. I have three living siblings. My mother lost several children to miscarriage. The conservative estimate she gives is two children between each living sibling. So that means I have six brothers or sisters waiting to see me in heaven. If they are worth their salt they better be praying for me as well. My older sister was in the process of church hopping and she often took me along. First was the United Methodist Church. Then it was the Evangelical Church of Christ. Finally she went to the Mormons where she remains today. But I escaped. The capper to the Mormon experience was when I told them that the Book of Mormon was a rehash of Babylonian mythology. That didn't go over well.

It wasn't until I was in high school that my introduction to the Catholic Church began. My oldest sister, after a bad divorce, returned to the Church. You see, my family was Catholic except yours truly. After my parents' divorce, there were literally no opportunities for church. I was never baptized. I was never catechized, although given what passed for catechesis in the 70's and 80's, I was spared a lot of nonsense.

And my oldest sister deserves some mention as well. She nurtured my intellect in subtle and not so subtle ways. I was the only fifth grader on intimate terms with Pink Floyd's The Wall as well as Alan Parsons Project and The Beatles' Abbey Road. She would always sit me down to watch Nova and 60 Minutes with her. Watching those shows sharpened my mind to be inquisitive and examining of all sides of an issue. Of course she would be the catalyst for my becoming Catholic.

On my own, I had looked into various other world religions and Christian denominations, but was never fully satisfied. I shunned the Catholic Church because I believed the common portrayal of the Church by the media and the world. But it was my sister who said, "You should go to the Catholic Church. I think you would like it." And she was right. From the first night in RCIA, when we talked about Revelation, I knew I was home. I realized how all my life I had been a Catholic and not even known it.

Even though he is dead now, Fr. John Petuskey, the pastor of St. John's in Edmond, did me a marvelous good. He saved my life. He saved my soul. When I think of him, the lines from Les Miserables come to mind: It's the story of those who always loved you. Your mother gave her life for you and gave you to my keeping. In some way, my life was in the hands of God and those along the way guided me safely. But he is the one who nurtured the life and gift of faith in me. I am not sure if he ever knew how much I owed him, but he knows now.

For me, being a Catholic was the realization of all the things that had bothered me over the years with Protestant Christianity. You had to lose something to be a Protestant. You gain the fullness by being a Catholic. For me, the Catholic Faith is simply the continuation of what God began with Israel. Without the Church, you would have no worship, no European history, no Bible, no theology, nothing. As a loving Mother who works her fingers to the bone, the Church has preserved the fullness of the Faith as she received it from Christ.

That's how I became a Catholic. It wasn't careful study alone, but that helped. And it wasn't a bolt out of the blue, though there were some near hits. It was the reality of suffering that brought me to the Church. Everything tells you suffering has no meaning. But through the fullness of Faith as transmitted by the Church, love shows itself in suffering. And love is the only solution to suffering. And only the Catholic Church knows what to make of suffering because she has held fast to her master.

Sorry to go on so long. I hope that helps.

Curious Lack of Allies
Since The DaVinci Code has made its appearance on the scene, many good critiques of the book have appeared in recent weeks. But here is what I find curious. Why aren't Protestants up in arms about this book?

The book is not only about the Catholic Church. It also has the goal of "deconstructing" the person of Christ into someone the ancient and venerable Faith would not recognize. If it is true that Jesus married Mary Magdalene and fathered a slew of children who then become the leading heads of Europe, then only two conclusions remain. Either A.) Jesus is not God and therefore there is no reason to have any sort of faith in Him (should that be capitalized?) or B.) Jesus might be a god, but he's a swinging god, like Zeus or Bacchus. Despite whatever differences exist between the Catholic Faith and other Protestant faiths, the essential centrality of Jesus Christ should lend allies all over the place in opposition to this book. But it doesn't.

The reason, I suspect, is that they can't see the forest for the trees. They like the "bash the Catholics" part and therefore embrace the book, or at minimum, don't say anything about it. They miss, however, that there will be little credibility for their latter assertions, "No, that book was about the Catholic Jesus. Our Jesus is different." So, in their glee at watching Holy Mother Church get a black eye from Dan Brown's boobery, they fail to apprehend the crowbar being laid against their own ecclesial communities.

For the record, I am planning on publishing somethings on this sooner to the release of the movie whenever that is exactly. I know that people read, but far more hit the movie theaters.

Lenten Reflection #12 is up

You like us...You really like us!

With all due apologies to Sally Field, I add more links to our site from other places in the blogoverse. Remember if we missed you, just send an email.

New this week:
Disputations
Christus Medicus
De Fidei Oboedientia
Xavier+
Santificarnos
Fiat Lux!
Summa Mamas
Catholic Packer Fan (Go Cheeseheads!)
Eve Tushnet

Props to Crisis!
An outburst of shameless self-promotion!

Just to let everyone know, I heard from the editor over at Crisis Magazine today. I have been asked to compose a 3000 word essay (or tone poem) on what it's like to have three parishes and being a rural pastor. It's supposed to be conversational and full of humor. Essentially the article will be stories about the people who make up the world I live in. Could be fun...could be scary.

I'll keep you posted.

A Little Slice of Heaven!

In case you are wondering, this is what my little church in Alva, OK looks like.






We are in the midst of a light renovation and this is the effects of the first two phases. More when more is done. If you want a mini slideshow of the features of my parish, you can see it here.

Because folks asked, I will explain the three steps to the renovation of my little slice of heaven. First, the Blessed Sacrament was in a little alcove off to the side. I moved it from the alcove where He was ignored to "center stage." Second, the altar had been offcenter to the right as you look at the sanctuary. The altar was disassembled and moved. Then the platform was recut to fit the shape better. Those two steps are done. The next and final step will be to install a confessional where the Blessed Sacrament had been at one time. Ah, those progressive 70's. Also, new hymnals, new vestments, new altar linens. It's going to be AWESOME.

How the time flies!

I looked at the calendar today and realized what had just past. Yesterday was the 13th anniversary of my entrance into the Catholic Church. I was baptized, confirmed, and received first Holy Communion at the Easter Vigil on March 31, 1991. I can't believe how long it has been.

Pray today for all the candidates and catechumen of the Church who will celebrate the Easter Sacraments in a few days.

No Joke! First, a priest, then a super hero, and now...


You are a GRAMMAR GOD!


If your mission in life is not already to
preserve the English tongue, it should be.
Congratulations and thank you!


How grammatically sound are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

Breaking News...in your colon!?
I have the Today Show on as I blog. Apparently, this whole week has had as a theme the raising of awareness regarding colon cancer. Now, I think we need to promote health awareness, especially when so many problems and illnesses can be avoided through early prevention. Per Fr. Tharp's earlier post, we must have compassion for those who suffer from any cancer and pray for them. BUT (ahem!), I'm not sure what I think about the following. Apparently, furthering the theme, Al Rocher, Today Show meteorologist, will get a colonoscopy on tomorrow's show. I guess I never imagined the day would come when our media personalities would bare their butts and send a camera up the chute. Do we really need to see the wall of Al's colon?

Orphaned for 128 days...
...but no longer. Wichita has a bishop! Or should I say the phrase heard ringing in the halls of the Wichita Chancery? Ecclesia Wichitensis habet Episcopum! And though there is great rejoicing, there is some sadness and anxiety here on this blog. Why? Fr. Tharp has been named Bishop of Wichita. This will certainly make his schedule more busy. Will he be able to continue blogging? What will this mean for our blog? Might I become the Alpha male ragemonkey of this blog? Oh, the possibilities!

Of course, I will be away from blogging during Bishop-elect Tharp's Episcopal Ordination and Installation, which is set for May 32, 2004. (If you are still with me on this one you should do two things. (1) Check the date of this post; and, (2) For goodness sake, don't tell anyone you bought this hook, line, and sinker!)

Distracted
I have been away from the parish for the past few days, helping with our diocesan trip to Conception Seminary's "Come & See" weekend and, today, with a day of reflection for the Senior Class at one of our high schools. Also, my computer is at the doctor, getting some service and cleaning. So, I have been away from regular blog posting and will be away until the weekend. Infrequent use of mom's computer is the best I can do for now.

The trip to Conception Seminary was great. It was my third time to assist the priests from the Vocations Office as a chaperone. Conception runs a weekend "Come & See" retreat twice a year, once in the Spring and once in the Fall. Our diocese always attends the Spring one. We try to get enough interest to take one bus load up rather than two smaller trips. I have always enjoyed this trip and the retreatants, almost exclusively high school aged young men, always seem to value the time too. It is certainly my duty as a priest to assist vocations efforts. In addition, while I still retain some youthful appearance, giving "face time" at vocations events is that much more important. I don't know what the measurable return is from this trip, as far as is concerned guys who actually sign up for seminary, but there are always a few who express serious interest in the seminary and, I am sure, the retreat at least gets each guy thinking about God's Will.

Regardless of the vocation chosen, how can that be anything but positive for the Church?

A Latin Term Everyone Should Know

Anyone recognize this term? Furens Simia Catholica

That's right. That's the name that will be used when the Vatican finally gets around to censuring us.

Lenten Reflection #11 is up
I apologize for any confusion on which blog today's reflection would be published. I just returned a bit early from helping at a high school retreat and am now able to publish the reflection on the Lenten blog. Earlier this morning I was not anticipating the ability to be at my computer at the promised hour of reflection posting, so I had noted that today's reflection would post on Ragemonkey. Now that has all changed and all is as it should be...

In Advance of Holy Week

I really love Magnificat magazine. For those who are not yet familiar with this publication, it is a monthly missal that contains fabulous art, excellent articles, and other good stuff in it. One of the most useful things that Fr. Peter John Cameron, O.P., the editor, puts in the Holy Week issue is an examination of conscience for priests.

For those not in the know, priests every year renew their promise of obedience and respect for their bishop during the Chrism Mass. This is my favorite element of the Mass. It reminds me that as a priest I am not a "Lone Ranger." I am part of a larger whole and am called to remain in communion with the greater reality. In preparation for this renewal, Fr. Cameron has made it easier for priests to make a good, if not a great, confession. In the continuing effort to help my brother priests be greater priests, I reprint the examination here.

Have I been diligent in devoting time and energy to preaching the Gospel?
Have I been reverent in offering the holy sacrifice of the Mass?
Have I devoted myself to the Word of God?
Am I faithful in going to confession frequently?
Is my love of God evident in my conversation and actions?
Am I faithful to praying the Liturgy of the Hours?
Do I live in a recollected manner?
Am I faithful to daily private prayer?
Have I been compassionate and merciful in the confessional?
Have I shown pastoral charity to those seeking counsel?
Am I generous with my time?
Have I been present and generous to the hospitalized, the elderly, the imprisoned, and the homebound?
Have I taken the initiative in the religious education of children? I would add initiatives for adult formation.
Am I generous in showing special concern for the poor?
Have I cultivated deeper love of the Blessed Virgin Mary?
Am I obedient to my Ordinary?
Do I live with missionary zeal?
Am I faithful to Church teaching and to the Magisterium?
Do I witness to the Gospel through a modest lifestyle?
Do I make time for spiritual reading and theological study?
Is commitment to holiness the chief priority behind my pastoral planning?
Is my life one of loving, self-sacrificing service?
Do I welcome the cross in my life and devote myself to Gospel penance?
Have I applied myself to ongoing priestly formation?
Have I made time this past year for a retreat?
Have I been a good listener to those in need?
Have I been open, patient, kind, friendly, caring, and loving to God's people?
Am I committed to giving a good example to other as another Christ?
Do I stoop to wash the feet of others?
Do I live in intimate friendship with Jesus?
Do I live the grace and gift of ministry with a sense of unending thanksgiving?
Am I devoted to becoming more like Jesus Christ in every way?
Have I lived up to the title "Father"?
Have I made visible the love of the heart of Jesus to all those I meet?

I invite any priest reader to add further matters in the comments area.

Where Fr. H gets upset, I get angry!

Well, now is my time to vent about the general lack of knowledge most people possess concerning the Catholic Faith and its practices. Yesterday, I received a phone call from a parishioner who wanted us information concerning her daughter's upcoming wedding put in the bulletin. In the midst of phone call, the parishioner mentioned how the wedding was going to be outside and how difficult it had been to get things arranged, et cetera. Immediately, my Spidey Sense started tingling but I held off, thinking, maybe the daughter was a Protestant. In other words, I was hoping for a good reason.

Well, that failed to materialize. Today, I received in the mail the announcement for the wedding shower. First, the parent noted on the card that the daughter was a parishioner. That is not the case as I have NEVER seen this girl in my 18 months here in Alva and its missions. Also, since membership in a parish is designated by where one lives, unless she is living in that town or near to, she is not my parishioner any more. Second, as of yesterday, this is the first I have heard of this marriage. If the girl is a Catholic and has not formally defected from the Faith, then this marriage will be invalid. Permit me a few choice quotes from the 1983 Code of Canon Law.

Can. 1059 Even if only one party is Catholic, the marriage of Catholics is governed not only by divine law but also by canon law, without prejudice to the competence of civil authority concerning the merely civil effects of the same marriage.

Can. 1066 Before a marriage is celebrated, it must be evident that nothing stands in the way of its valid and licit celebration.

Can. 1096 §1. For matrimonial consent to exist, the contracting parties must be at least not ignorant that marriage is a permanent partnership between a man and a woman ordered to the procreation of offspring by means of some sexual cooperation.
§2. This ignorance is not presumed after puberty.

Can. 1108 §1. Only those marriages are valid which are contracted before the local ordinary, pastor, or a priest or deacon delegated by either of them, who assist, and before two witnesses according to the rules expressed in the following canons and without prejudice to the exceptions mentioned in cann. 144, 1112, §1, 1116, and 1127, §§1-2.
§2. The person who assists at a marriage is understood to be only that person who is present, asks for the manifestation of the consent of the contracting parties, and receives it in the name of the Church.

So you can imagine there are some problems with this situation. Furthermore, because of the timeline, the marriage is scheduled for the beginning of May, there is no way I can perform the ceremony without permission of the bishop. They have received no preparation from me as their pastor, so even if I wanted to preside at the nuptials, I couldn't. I would not be certain this is a valid bond. I would lack the moral certainty that the parties in question could assent to the consent being proposed. Third, there is no way on God's little green acre that I will receive permission to do the marriage out of doors which is the plan. Marriages are sacramental celebrations and as such they are to be performed in the parish church unless a serious cause, e.g. they are dying in a hospital, intervenes.

So, I tried to call the parents today so that this issue could be brought to their attention. No big surprise, no answer. But I tell you, right now, I am not advertising the wedding shower in our bulletin. If I had the wherewithal, I would announce AT SUNDAY MASS that none of the parishioners were to go to this sham, but I have some sense. It isn't the eleventh century anymore. =sigh=

This is really aggravating. I can't figure out how this gets past people. I don't accept the idea that "they weren't taught this so how can you blame them?" What? Are people so irrational that they think "Marriage isn't that big a deal, they just have sacramental celebration of them in the church?" I can't accept that. I might not have known the specifics of the law of the Church when it came to marriage when I became a Catholic, but I know I would have asked someone. That this never even crossed their mind is what astounds me.

What to call...

our frequent readers? Star Trek fans are called "Trekkies" or the more acceptable "Trekkers" and Star Wars fans are called "obsessed geeks." (Can anyone guess which side of that debate I come down in favor of?)

So what handle do we give to those who read the blog regularly? I don't like "faithful reader." It sounds to much like what Stephen King calls his readers. Suggestions can be left below.

Update from the Moloch Front

Moloch in every age demands the sacrifice of another human person to be satisfied. This generation has two outlets for this: abortion and euthanasia. As abortion begins to be a more politically difficult position to hold, you can watch for advances in the cause of the unborn. But for the critically ill, that's another story. In the name of efficiency and expediency, many people will be put to death not because of their own choice, which is morally dicey to begin with, but because of the decision of judges and family members with gainful motives in mind.

Case in Point? Terry Schiavo. Yes, Terry's case has taken a southward turn just recently. Fr. Johansen at Thrown Back has been working closely on the case. Check him out.

Also, remember to pray for the judge and all those involved in the case. Of course asking for a miraculous cure for Terry would not be out of place either.

Novena to St. Peregrine

You are invited to list a friend or relative who has cancer or other difficult disease in our comments area. Please remember all who leave the name of a friend or loved one in our comments area when you pray this prayer.

Glorious wonder-worker, St. Peregrine, you answered the divine call with a ready spirit, and forsook all the comforts of a life of ease and all the empty honors of the world to dedicate yourself to God in the Order of His holy Mother. You labored manfully for the salvation of souls. In union with Jesus crucified, you endured painful sufferings with such patience as to deserve to be healed miraculously of an incurable cancer in your leg by a touch of His divine hand. Obtain for me the grace to answer every call of God and to fulfill His will in all the events of life. Enkindle in my heart a consuming zeal for the salvation of all men. Deliver me from the infirmities that afflict the human body. Obtain for me also a perfect resignation to the sufferings it may please God to send me, so that, imitating our crucified Savior and His sorrowful Mother, I may merit eternal glory in heaven.

St. Peregrine, pray for me and for all who invoke your aid.

A POD Notion whose time has come!

I have several parishioners with cancer. It has come literally out of the wood work. I think that as a thanksgiving after Mass and an encouragement for all those with cancer, that after every Mass, we will pray the novena to St. Peregrine. What do you all think?

If you would like, we could continue it here. I will post a novena prayer for all of us to use. If you have someone you would like to have remembered just leave it in the comments area. Then when we pray the novena, our intention will be for all those listed in the comments area. I will try to get this up tonight but it might be tomorrow.

"Pork Caramel"

A brief funny story from last Sunday's penance rite. Because it is such a long drive back to Guymon from Alva, Fr. Hamilton stayed over at my place. To think, double the rage, double the monkeys. Anyway, I was working on cleaning up the kitchen, a project which took a couple of days, and had pulled the cooking liquid from the pork roast to reduce it to a sauce. Well, folks, there was way too much sugar in the solution for sauce. As it reduced the solution thickened and darkened and became...syrupy. It was really delicious, but I had a bad feeling about it. So I poured it off into a storage container. It was incredibly viscous as it cooled. I was beginning to have my doubts.

The next day, I pulled the substance from the refrigerator to find that the compound had set up solid. It was like taffy. Dark and lovely, smelling of apricots and pork seasonings, it had become ... well... caramel. I had created a savory candy which I dubbed "pork caramel." I would not expect the people at Russel Stover's or Godiva to carry the stuff anytime soon. Now, before the naysayers reading here run for a Tums, I would like you to think about potential applications.

For example, smear some apples in this stuff and then roast them with a pork roast over low heat in the oven. Or use it as a cement for pulled pork sandwiches. This was my favored technique with this batch. It held together marvelously. Not a loose scrap of pig meat in the house. I think you could also use it as a potent flavoring agent for stir-fried rice and other dishes where you need a flavor boost.

Anyone want the recipe?

Give me a title!

Got this one via email. What should this picture be called?

Who coined this?

Two simple questions. First, who coined the term "AmChurch?" Second, what exactly does the word mean? Both connotation and denotation.

A further comment about the Prodigal Son, only a week late

I was on the phone with another priest of my diocese who will be permitted to live if my regime comes to power. He made an interesting observation about the prodigal son parable that I had never noticed.

Notice that each major character is associated with an animal. The prodigal son is associated with the swine. Why this would be is no big surprise. Swine are considered unclean and what better way to suggest the young man's denigration than to associate him with this unclean animal. The father is associated with the fattened calf. In temple worship, the fattened calf was used in communion sacrifices, sacrifices in which part of the sacrifice, the fat and other innards, went back to God, another part went to the priest as his inheritance, and the remaining was shared as the sign of the unity of the offerer to God. The elder son is associated with the goat. The goat, I think, was used only for one sacrifice, the scapegoat.

Now follow me on this one...The prodigal son is mired in sin represented by the swine. The father restores the boy to full sonship as represented by the communion sacrifice of a fattened calf. The elder son wants to pass judgment and misses his own role and place in the father's house. He has only one place, associated with the goat. He will either join the celebration or he will be sent into the darkness. The scapegoat is selected from between two goats one to three years old. The scapegoat bears all the sins of the people and is driven out into the darkness. The other goat is used in sacrifice.

The offer is clear then. The scribes and Pharisees are like this elder son. They can enter into their Father's joy and welcome sinners who are reconciled to God through Christ. Or they can go out into the darkness, back to Azazeal.

I am not proposing this as Gospel truth. It still needs a little research. I'll keep you posted on my efforts.

Where in the world is Father Hamilton?

Like the computer game of yesterday, you too can track Fr. Hamilton's movements. If I am not much mistaken, he is accompanying a trip to Conception Seminary College in Missouri for prospective seminarians. I think we gotten a few new candidates from this little project so that's a good thing.

Then he will return to Oklahoma City and assist at a penance rite, but you will have to ask what Barney has to do with it. I'm not telling.

So he is out and about. Don't worry, faithful readers of the Lenten meditations. He has promised that he has squirreled these away on the computer so they will appear on schedule.

Me? I am at home getting ready to either rent a movie or watch the last five episodes of "Band of Brothers." I haven't made up my mind yet.

No sign of HOPE

A week or so ago, I posted a letter that I wrote to a group called HOPE operating here in Oklahoma. I left open the possibility of conversation on the point of celibate priesthood but alas no takers. Here's a link to Fr. Hamilton's comments and a link to mine.

That's what I love about these types of organizations. They are all talk, no action. Although the letter made it pretty clear what I thought of them. If I hear anything, I will let you know.

Just a Point of Silence

Since Athanasius over at Summa Contra Mundum (link below) mentioned that we were ferocious bloggers at CRM, I gave you a little break. However, tomorrow that will change. So tonight, catch up on our archive.

Lenten Reflection #10 is up

Book Club On!

Okay, I've thought about it and we are going to experiment. Old Oligarch gave some good ideas, but let's just do a test run. Thanks to everyone who commented and gave me some ideas for the long run.

So the new Book Club Blog is: A Dusty, Sunny Corner. Our first book will be announced there and the first post concerning the selected book will go up on April 1st. No Joke. I will also try to give a reading schedule with each new book. Follow that and you will keep up with everything. Then every Friday, I will make a comment about the section we should have read in last week. Comments area will be for agreement, disagreement, and development. If a particularly good thread develops, additional posts may appear during the week.

For now, I will blog alone. But it will be a success if and only if you read and participate. Go there now and get cracking.

The Inscape should not escape us.



I found this image on-line. We had a copy of it hanging up in the parish center of my first assignment.

For today's homily at Mass, I reflected upon the seeming incongruity between the season of Lent and the Solemnity of the Annunciation. Lent stirs up thoughts of penance and sacrifice and struggle. The Annunciation is a moment of exquisite joy because the long-awaited redemption of Israel is announced, is under way. It looks badly matched if one looks no deeper than the surface of the events. But if we pentrate into the inscape (a word coined by Caryl Houselander, a contemporary English theologian), we see the true threads of what is beginning here.

1. The Self-Emptying has begun. Throughout the history of Israel, prophets and visionaries hid their faces when God would be made manifest. To see the face of God is to die. Further, there was no place where God exclusively was. Certainly, God would make it clear that He was with His people through signs and wonders. But those were fleeting moments. And now, that is not true. God reveals that He has a face -- the face of the Son. And this flesh is not a mask or a put-on. It is the humanity of His immaculate Mother he bears. "A tender rose from tender branch has sprung." And now for the moment of the incipient Incarnation we can see that God has pitched His tent amongst us. The God whom the universe dare not contain welcomes to be enclosed in the womb of a mother.

2. Abandonment to the Will of God is manifested. The stage is set in all cases by this willingness to serve another. For the Son who becomes incarnate, He only does what He has been doing, even doing what He is, from all Eternity, submitting to the Father and returning to the Father the very gift of Himself. Because of this surrender to the will of the Father, the woman, the marvelous immaculate woman, both shows how Adam and Eve should have once submitted and shows how we are to submit even now. The particular irony is the exchange of submission between the Mother and the Son. The Son submits to the Father and so is incarnated in the Woman. The Woman must submit before the Incarnation can happen. As the child is raised, even though He is God, she will teach Him all the things a child must learn. He, in His human nature, can grow and develop without suffering ontological change in his divine person. This means, that the Woman teaches the Son through her own work of submission. The Son in turn shows her the depth such a surrender must touch. How much surrender must be motivated by love! And back and forth between them. Their mutual love for the Eternal Father keeps coming out in the phrase, "Your will be done" or "I am the handmaid of the Lord. Let it be done to me according to your word."

3. He still waits to be born. Baptism makes us mothers of the Word, one of the early Church Fathers observed. The seal of Baptism marks as though live the life of God through burial in the death of the Lord. Confirmation marks us with the Holy Spirit to bear all things to fulfill the mission Christ gives us. The Holy Eucharist rests upon our innards, weighty as an embryonic child, but waiting, waiting to spring up to life and to be manifested. Yes, we too are made pregnant bearers of the Word, our bellies swollen with his Heart's Blood. But why have we not given birth? Is it because we are not enough like the woman of the Annunciation? We have not given birth because we have not emptied enough of ourselves. We have not given birth because we love not the will of the Father before all things. We have not given birth because we selfishly clutch at the goodness of Christ poured out to us as though it were only for us. It is for all to be distributed by us.

Make a New Headline

In the tradition, and you can imagine how much we like tradition around here, of Fr. Sibley's Make a Caption photos, I thought you would like the chance to have fun with this story about how the Georgia State House of Representatives has moved a bill forward banning piercing, well, ... , you know, ... , down there.

Here's the link. Is there a wittier/funnier but still tasteful way to say this?

I'm not taking any chances...

The media reports connected to health and wellness worry me. The constant waffling, the shifting "Yes/No" of certain debates, quite frankly I am too tired and too busy to sort this stuff out.

Now, if music and exercise boost brainpower, all the better. But what if it doesn't, fair reader? Then I will have exposed the world to my flapping arm fat nodules for nothing.

Decide for yourself. I am grabbing a twinkie and a nap.

Just stealing forty winks!

Well, since it happened in Oklahoma, I guess I should comment on it. Of course, if I comment on it, you might think I was trying to justify his actions. Let's just say, this is the case where drinking and driving and felony robbery intersect.

First a film, then a musical, now a quiz?

I am reasonably certain that this is meant as a compliment. If it isn't...don't tell me.


Well, u-- um, can we come up and have a look?


What Monty Python Character are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

In Tribute to Number 10,000!: Ragemonkey Superstar

Wow. I mean, really, WoW. I started this blog only a month and a half ago on February 15, 2004. That's an average of 112.36 visitors each day. Thanks to repeat traffic as well as the occasional "lurker." Also, thanks go to Techmonkey Dave for encouraging me to start the blog and Fr. H, my co-monkey in crime and in rage.

So what to do with 10,000 visitors? I say we write a musical. I can see it. It would be the tragic and comic story of two priests who try to spread the Gospel anyway they can. They found a blog and this leads to lots of fun songs containing words that rhyme with "blog" and "post." Along the way, one reader at first finds them unreadable but then is slowly changed. This could work.

We could base the music on "Jesus Christ Superstar" except the name would have to be "Ragemonkey Superstar." Here's a little taste of Ragemonkey Superstar.

"I Don't Know How to Link Him" (sung to the tune "I Don't Know How to Love Him")

I don't know how to link them / What to do, how to comment
I've been changed, yes really changed / In these past few days
When I've read their stuff / I seem like someone else

I don't know why I come back / I don't see why they move me
He's a priest / They're both just priests
And I see my priest / every week
or even every day / They aren’t the same.

Should I load it up? / Should I tell my friends?
Should I comment here and / Let my feelings out?
I never thought I'd come to this / What's it all about?

Don't you think it's rather funny / I should find their blog so winning?
I'm the one / Who's always been
So calm so cool / No Blogspot fool
Running every show / They amuse me so

I never thought I'd come to this / What's it all about?

Yet / If they said they linked me / I'd be thrilled
I'd be giddy / I couldn't cope / Just couldn't cope
my eyes would clog / I'd back away
I'd want everyone to know / they linked me oh
I read them both / I love their blog!

Book Club Blog

I have had this idea stirring my grey cells for the last couple of months. I think there is great potential for an online book club. I am not sure how it would work exactly. Something like this perhaps. Once a week, post my observations and analysis concerning a chapter of a good book. Then the comments area would give people the chance to say that I am full of beans or that I am alreet, alright, alroot. Also, then side discussions could be carried on if they formed big enough threads. Then when the book is finished a post concerning the whole book.

Do you think that would work? What should be the first book? Would I need to set up another blog?

Priest bloggers submit to testing
I just read breaking news that a team of biologists at the University of Pennsylvania, together with Children's Hospital, have found what may be the genetic mutation that separates us (at least, in part) from apes.

In a related story, Fr. Tharp and I, after pursuit by animal control officers with dart guns, and consultation with our lawyers (both civil and canon), have agreed to submit to genetic testing to see if we possess said gene or not. This blog's title hangs in the balance!

This came today...

I received this news story today from one of my webgroups. Apparently, they are confused. I am a member of PETA, people eating tasty animals. Except on Fridays.

Weather Mascots

I have added WeatherPixies to our blog. I wanted you to get a sense of what the weather conditions were like in different parts of Oklahoma. Of course, what would be really useful is to have an AllergenPixie. The more congested they get the more their head swells until it explodes.

For your info., I have the purple hair. Fr. H's has a frilly shirt. I couldn't find anyone with a clerical collar.

Lenten Reflection #9 is up

Luke 15:25
"Now the older son had been out in the field and, on his way back, as he neared the house, he heard the sound of music..." Sometimes it is fun to take Scripture out of context for comedic value. I am using this quote from the Prodigal Son account to announce the end of a long drought in my life. I am returning to theatre! No, I am not leaving my day, and night, and anytime someone needs me job. The local town theatre is putting on "The Sound of Music" for two weekends in April. I have already been helping the "nuns" learn their Latin lines, as well as giving an English translation so they know what they are saying. Now, for the brief marriage scene (and thankfully a non-speaking role!) I will play the priest solemnizing the vows! My last role was in Spring of 1999 in the seminary's production of Stalag 17, in which I played Eddie Price. I'm excited.

Sucker for punishment
Well, fresh back from the trail of spin doctoring and a series of blog hall meetings to explain myself regarding the blessing of children, I may be raising another touchy subject now. Capital punishment.

First, what I hope will be the uncontroversial part. Last evening, Oklahoma executed Vietnamese national Hung Thanh Le for the brutal 1992 murder of his business partner. For the moment, lay aside whatever your opinion of capital punishment is. I think that is a fair request for the point I want to make in this paragraph. Mr. Le's execution had been twice delayed. The first time, just days before the execution, the Governor issued a stay to review the case after the Pardon & Parole Board recommended clemency (a rare recommendation in Oklahoma). The second time, the Governor, on request from Vietnam, issued a stay of execution WITHIN AN HOUR of the planned execution. The man had already eaten his "last meal" at that point and was in the cell next to the execution chamber. Now, I think that is cruel. And it is on that point that, I hope, readers will agree with me, regardless of one's opinion of capital punishment. I can't imagine what it must be like to know you are days from death and then to have it stopped. And then to be only minutes from death before it is stopped. I think that is a form of mental and emotional cruelty. Certainly, I am sure Mr. Le was thankful it was stopped, at least on two occasions, however, I can't imagine what such anticipation or anxiety must do to a person. I am not denying the terrible, brutal cruelty Mr. Le's victim experienced.

Now, the perhaps controversial part. Maybe I should post separately on capital punishment. Fr. Tharp can confirm that it is a sort of personal crusade of mine in this Archdiocese to see that the Church's authentic teaching regarding capital punishment is clearly and appropriately presented. What am I getting at? By and large, the doctrine on capital punishment is equated with the doctrine on abortion. One gets the impression, if not the outright misrepresentation of fact, that to be Catholic and in support of capital punishment is just as unallowable as to be Catholic and in support of abortion. The doctrine on capital punishment, complete with its more recent additions by Pope John Paul II, is presented as if capital punishment is never allowable under any circumstance. The entire tradition of 'legitimate defense' is ignored and, in fact, what the Church really and currently teaches regarding capital punishment is misrepresented.

The Church has always and still does recognize (no, Pope John Paul II's recent forceful and laudable addition to this doctrine has not changed this) that the State does indeed possess the right to execute someone convicted of the most heinous crimes. Pope John Paul II's development of this doctrine declares that out of respect for the dynamic reality that is the moral person, to offer time for penance and reconciliation, and to combat the culture of death, that the State ought to limit itself, to refrain from employing capital punishment. Notice what the Pope did not say. He has not denied that execution remains as a right that the State does possess. He has simply encouraged self-restraint. And notice, such wording is not the case with the far more serious issue of abortion. Catholic doctrine on abortion states that it is never allowable under any circumstance. In fact, the penalty of excommunication is attached to those who commit this grave sin with full knowledge and deliberate consent (the usual conditions applying). Such penalty does not exist regarding capital punishment. It remains that the State does have the right to do what it does.

I applaud Pope John Paul II's recent addition to the history of Catholic doctrine on capital punishment. I am encouraged by signs that society is listening and responding in certain sectors. I myself am not in support of the use of capital punishment. But, I do demand that authentic Catholic doctrine be clearly and honestly presented for what it is. I find it bothersome that many Catholic consciences have been placed in bad faith because of the misrepresentation of the doctrine on capital punishment. And I find that bothersome even as I am careful to tell such souls that if their support for capital punishment is motivated by vengeance, hatred, and blood lust, they had indeed better reform because it will not sit well with them on judgment day. But notice why I would tell such persons that -- it's because of what I judge their motivation to be, the intent of their support, not the fact of their support of capital punishment. The bottom line, questions of motivation aside, one can be a Catholic "in good standing" and be in support of capital punishment; one cannot be a Catholic "in good standing" and be in support of abortion.

Behold, I make all things new!

The first year as pastor of Sacred Heart in Alva, OK is drawing to a close. One of my little projects has been updating vestments and equipment for the sacred liturgy. I recently had several bequests come through and decided to put them to good use. Some of the money will go for new vestments and some for new hymnals. In the hymnal department, don't expect anything radical. It's a small community and I can't teach chant. But the vestments are another story.

I purchased these for the parish this morning from Holy Rood Guild. What do you think?


Now, don't panic. I only bought one set of funeral vestments. The picture of the first set of funeral vestments is only very close to the actual vestment I purchased. The purple accented vestments I have already purchased. I actually purchased 8 vestments today, but I couldn't find pictures of everything. If you are looking for gifts for the newly ordained, I heartily recommend Holy Rood Guild

The Strongest Links

Despite my cohort's mocking of Anne Robinson of "Weakest Link" fame, I like the mean English lady. But I believe in bringing out the strongest links. So to that end, I have included the following folks in our links. Check them out today. Also, if you have linked us to your blog and we haven't linked you, just send me an email. And no hints as to content except for one. The rest you just have to go check out.

New Stuff:
Against the Grain
Anti-Socialist Tendencies
A Catholic Horizon
Confessions of a Recovering Choir Director
Random Notes
Real Catholic
Sedes Sapientiae
Summa Contra Mundum
Tinabell (Amazing Artwork Site)

I shouldn't do this during Lent, but...

I received a letter from the local Catholic Charities outpost in Enid, but it wasn't for me. It was for the previous pastor. Now, I have called them, sent the letter back to the place, and sent the letter to the previous pastor. I am still getting his mail.

But this is the funny part. The letter actually says, "As a valued member of the Catholic Charities Advisory Committee for the Enid Regional Office, I would like to invite you to the next quarterly meeting." Aaaaah, WHAT! He is so valuable that they haven't noted his absence. Or is he so valuable that you are wasting a stamp to make sure that he NEVER GETS THE LETTER?

Face it, folks, this kind of incompetence is what my contribution to Catholic Charities goes to. St. Josemaria Escriva used to mention that doing your job well was a step toward introducing the Gospel to others. I guess they didn't get the message.

Impulse buy
The Hallmark store in town recently moved into a larger space, complete with swanky coffee bar. At their old location they are having a 75% off sale. So, after picking up my cappuccino this morning, I stepped in to see what they had. I found a suitable gift for Grandma's birthday. I also found a relatively undamaged plaster Roman column. Previously it sold at $54.50. On sale it became $13.63. So, I bought it to remind myself of days in Rome. Hey, the allergies are kicking up now just like they did in the Eternal City, so I might as well have a column to go along with it, huh?

I think I will place a candle on it. Or perhaps, in true Roman style, I can convince a stray cat to nest on top of it! Not that the column is that big.

Hmmm...what superpower would I want?

Frequent readers here know of my interest in comic books and superheroes, especially the Dark Knight. I found this link on a recent blog crawl.

So, here's the poll question of the day. What superpower would you want? You only get one. I would be torn between flight, super speed, or telepathy.

Thank you, I'll have another

I was feeling badly about having a scotch last night after vespers. Now, it seems I was just looking out for my heart. For more on swiftly tilting world of medicine, where researchers serve up more waffles than an average IHOP on Saturday morning, read about alcohol for your health.

Otto and O.O., this serves as an alert. O.O., be prepared to crack out those crazy martini glasses. Otto, may I recommend a jigger of the Dimple or Glenmorangie. The port variety is exceeeeellent.

The Lord of The Jungle:The Return of the Monkey King!

Holy Moley! I didn't realize we had a following in China. And then the Bangladeshis consider the monkey a source of blessing. Of course, breaking and entering is wrong when I do it but the monkeys are a blessing...

Steph, this is my second post concerning sports. Impressed, yet?

Grace dependent on human reason?
Under current practice of the Roman Rite, the eligibility of baptized children for other Sacraments comes later, at such time when it is hoped that their having reached the age of reason will help them cooperate more fully with God's grace -- in no way understood as if God's free gift of grace is dependent on human reason.

There is room both for the Orthodox Church practice and the current practice of the Catholic Church. Is it really problematic to suggest that a better grasp of what one receives in a Sacrament (which we hope comes with age and preparation) is indeed beneficial as regards one's cooperation with God's free gift? That is the point of the Catholic practice. To claim this practice exhibits that children, after baptism, are "excommunicated" for some years is a misapplication of the term "excommunicate." Likewise, the benefit of preparing for the later reception of a Sacrament should not be understood as if God's grace depends on the recipient's rational faculties. It should not be understood that way, because that is not what the Catholic Church means by the practice.

In addition, when someone not eligible (by reason of age) for further Sacraments is in some serious danger of death (either proximate or remote) they can be given the other Sacraments. Furthermore, a pastor, after careful study, may admit certain "under age" persons to the Sacraments if he judges their readiness. In fact, in this very Archdiocese, I know of two cases this year where a pastor petitioned the archbishop for delegation to confirm two young girls, still several years under the typical confirmation age.

Breaking the silence
I have been rather silent about the "issue" we have had with one commentator. In addition, I have been rather surprised at how much seems to have been read into my post on the blessing of children, evidenced by several comments. I am thankful to other commentators who rebutted some of the mistaken assumptions of some readers.

The comment activity has interested me, even worried me. I'm not sure I even want to address the series of comments that seem to me to be both rude and illogical. At least in the case of one person's comments, I don't feel that whatever else I might post by way of rebuttal will be respected and received fairly. I can only assume that what is being revealed in those comments is a sign that something else is "the issue". That's not a game I can play. But, I can and I have taken up Fr. Tharp's excellent exhortation to pray. A bit to my surprise, I even found myself thinking of that intention during my Sunday Masses when we pray "Lord, may this sacrifice, which has made our peace with you, advance the peace and salvation of all the world" (Eucharistic Prayer III). Amen. May it be so.

We've Evolved!

Thanks to our ticker on the sidebar, we can figure out where we are on the relative food chain of blogging. We are now a flappy bird. It's so exciting...

Hey, what about Pokemon based on Fr. H and myself? Like Priestachu or Blessasaur. Then they could evolve. Priestachu becomes Episcochu and more "powers." Blessasaur could become Praisaur and finally end up as a Worshipsaur.

Just imagine him in a collar and you have the right idea.

Just be thankful I don't have Photo Shop and be tempted to produce these cards.

A change of policy

I have to thank "filefolder" for bringing many interesting questions to light. However, when I started this blog and invited Fr. H to come along for the ride, I hadn't intended for this to be a running commentary on other folks' comments. So that the blog doesn't become a place to answer one person, I am proposing a change.

I would like to continue the conversation about some of the points he brings up via email. You can find it above. That way other readers don't have to slog though our back and forth. File, rest assured that many of the things you have mentioned have crossed my mind and deserve treatment.

Okay, everyone, back to what you were doing. Nothing to see here...

Alternate Blessing?

In the further controversy concerning if and when to bless folks at Mass, DWB makes this astute comment, He says, "So I guess my question is, would a blessing at another point in the mass for those feeling unworthy to receive communion a valid option to wean people off the assumption that they can go up in the communion procession and receive a blessing from the priest?" Great question but I am not sure it would help. Here's why.

First, blessing people who feel unworthy to go to Holy Communion at any point obscures the real deal: what is causing the "unworthiness?" The problem for me would be the potential for thinking that my blessings is an adequate substitute for Holy Communion. Instead, the source of the unworthiness will have to be addressed. Is it mortal sin? Go to confession and combat that sin. Are you in an invalid marriage? Then get to work on straightening out the matter. Are you a Non-Catholic who is deeply interested in becoming Catholic but are afraid to try? BE NOT AFRAID! Go talk to the priest and begin afresh

Second, no one would take part in it because it would be like advertising the separation.

Third, it would mean introducing yet another innovation where one is not permitted. This reminds me though. Most formal blessings do have a form for use during Mass. I didn't want someone to think I was saying no to the blessing of throats on St. Blase's day.

Thanks for the question, DWB.

But what about...
...other developments of the Roman Rite? A person whose comments are signed DWB has raised some interesting observations. They appear under Fr. Tharp's "I concur" post. I thank that person for commenting and I offer some observations.

DWB raised the issue of kneeling during the Agnus Dei in the United States, which, though not established in Universal Church law, has become a part of law in the Bishops' Conference of the United States. If that practice is acceptable, DWB went on to comment (and I'm assuming meant to type), "then why WOULD blessings...be extinguished from the Roman Rite?" It seems to me the kneeling at the Agnus Dei that has become customary in the US is at least consistent with the liturgical action at that point of the Holy Mass -- adoration, reverence, a posture of humility before the Most Blessed Sacrament. I contend that the blessing of non-communicants introduces a new ritual into the action at hand.

DWB also comments on something witnessed in Hong Kong, where a group was invited up for a blessing. The Church does have rites within the Holy Mass (though usually immediately after the homily) for those who are preparing to enter the Catholic Church at Easter. This group (commonly referred to in the US as the "RCIA") really constitutes two subsets: those who are not yet baptized, and those baptized non-Catholic Christians who desire to enter the Catholic Church. The comment correctly notes that at times this group is invited up, they are prayed for, given a minor exorcism, and blessed, and even sent out of the Mass after the Liturgy of the Word since they are not yet able to fully participate in the Liturgy of the Eucharist. But this ritual (actually intended it seems only for that part of the group not yet baptized) is to prepare them to turn from sin, and to grow in faith SO THAT they may be baptized.

Now, applying this to the blessing of children, in most cases the children in question are already baptized. They have already received the grace of Christ in that first Sacrament. They are already real members of the Church. They receive grace in prayer, from the witness of the community, from (we hope) their parents whose duty it is to evangelize them, from the Sacred Liturgy (though they too are not yet able to fully participate). Their relationship to Christ is truly different (on the level of Sacrament) than that of the non-baptized, and their communion with the Church is truly different than those baptized Christians not yet received into the Catholic fold.

So, could we develop some other rite of blessing for those not receiving Holy Communion, perhaps modeled on the RCIA? I suppose the Church could. If she did, I would gladly follow the directives and employ whatever options exist. However, I do not believe it is anyone's place -- not even a priest's -- to take upon himself the authority to add to, or subtract things from, the Sacred Liturgy. It comes down, once again, to a matter of obedience in my mind. The Church establishes what the Sacred Liturgy is; I do not. I am merely its servant and guardian. I contend that the blessing of non-communicants DURING the distribution of Holy Communion is nowhere envisioned in the Roman Rite and is an unwarranted practice. Furthermore, I think it may even cheapen the anticipation a child should develop because it introduces a distraction into the very purpose of that line -- the reception of the Sacrament of Sacraments! In that sense, I think it can be said that I have even thought of this issue from the child's perspective. Please do not assume I am condemning your local experiences and opinions. I do, however, think that what I have suggested would find agreement in the directives for the Sacred Liturgy. Though I have no animosity toward those who practice or think differently on this matter, I think the burden of proof to demonstrate a positive support of said practice lies with those who have introduced it into the Sacred Liturgy.

Personally, I would not be in favor of further adapting the Sacred Liturgy to make everyone feel catered to. I think too many mistakes, perhaps well-meaning, have been made in the last decades that radically reorient the focus of the Sacred Liturgy to a man centered, rather than God centered, activity. Though we, God's people, certainly occupy an important role in the Sacred Liturgy, it seems to me that the Sacred Liturgy is first and foremost about God, it is His work in sanctifying us. Please read my words very carefully and do not go off on a tangent. I am not denying the importance of man's role in the Sacred Liturgy. But I contend the Sacred Liturgy is first and foremost the work of God, and secondarily our participation in that work. We do not save ourselves. Therefore, it seems to me, the primary work of the Sacred Liturgy must come from the One Who can save us -- God. And so, man's participation in that work (Yes, both are intimately connected, I know) is to direct the focus of worship to God, that His grace may descend to us. But these days, it seems one often encounters a sentimentality that drives liturgical considerations based on feelings. Adaptations are offered and even forced upon the Sacred Liturgy based largely on what is "meaningful to us". I think that is a dangerous practice. How far does one carry the movement to cater liturgy to this and that group? Is the Holy Mass the Mass? Does it unite the whole community in the oneness of Catholic worship of God (a mark of the Church)? Or is it rapidly becoming (is it already?) the stuff of personal whim, priest-ego, and special interest groups?

An old error back for a retread

Our friend "filefolder" is back with an appropros question given the news today. In the comments he says, "Let's talk about gay marriage vs. the gay haven of the catholic 'semen'ary." Let's see if I can shed a little light on this matter.

Now, I admit that I am reading between the lines of the comment, but I think the question being asked is this:"How does the Church seriously expect to stand against gay marriage when homosexuality has proven a serious matter of public scandals in Catholic seminaries? Isn't that hypocritical?"

Excellent question. First, we have to knock down my theoretical straw man. That there have been seminaries where students for the priesthood have indulged and promoted their same sex attraction disorder is beyond dispute. In my days in the seminary, we had nicknames for places like these which I won't go into here. But that hardly represents the majority of seminary administrations whose task of forming excellent men into top flight priests stands uppermost in their minds. The seminary I went to was not a haven or a breeding ground for an underground culture to promote the same sex attraction lifestyle. Quite the opposite. Several men were dismissed from the seminary for just such issues. Do some men still make it through the net? Probably so. But that is the limitation of the human person. You do your best.

But as I have mentioned on this blog before, it was and is a great tragedy when someone takes the great gift of priesthood and uses it for selfish gain. If you, reader, have ever been hurt or abused by a parent or a priest or a coach or anybody, I am truly sorry. I pray that you will have the courage and support of family and friends and that you can find a professional counselor to assist you in your healing.

Second, filefolder, based upon the words I have placed in his mouth, also makes the point that the Church makes concerning same sex attraction, marriage, and the priesthood. Based upon the disordered nature of this activity, same sex attractions distort the realities that it is imposed upon. If one uses the priesthood as a means for furthering his disordered lifestyle, don't be surprised when disorders and new sins emerge. When marriage's essential reality as a unitive and procreative bond between a man and a woman is distorted by a putative redefinition, then don't be surprised when new problems emerge. In short, it isn't good for either reality.

What filefolder has had the good graces to point out to us is the persistent and tempting error of Donatism. In its original form, Donatism was applied to the validity of sacraments. Here, we are applying it to the teaching office. Because mistakes were made by some, therefore it vitiates the reliability of the teaching. This of course is absurd. A proposition is true because of its nature. When the Church teaches definitely on matters of faith and morals, she is able to declare this because she discerns the truth based on both reason and Revelation. When people don't practice what they preach, it can kill the credibility of the messanger but it doesn't change the truthfulness of what was proposed.

Man as a creature before God is endowed with the twin beauties of a mind to reason and a will to believe. Therefore, both are employed in the service of God and neighbor for the building up of God's kingdom.

Hope that helped.

I concur!

I will endeavor to be brief. I find it interesting that people are reacting so strongly to Fr. H's post on this matter of giving blessings in the communion procession. What Fr. H is doing is no different than what St. Peter in the Acts of the Apostles did when he led the Apostles in one of the first "councils" of the Church. What Fr. H is doing is no different when St. Paul directs the congregations under his responsibility to follow certain admonitions he imposes. Fr. H is exercising the power of the Keys. In Matthew's Gospel, first to Peter and to the rest of the Apostles, Christ hands over authority to bind and loose. Each priest in virtue of his ordination and befitting his office in the Church shares in the exercise of this power.

In the first sense, this is meant in the realm of conscience, i.e. sin. But it also applies to governance and power use of those things that are placed in the purview of a priest. This is not one of those instances.

The communion line is not a place for blessings. It is to facilitate receiving Holy Communion. Period. Nowhere in the rubrics is the priest directed to bless anyone or anything. It is simply not envisioned. If one were to argue that because the rubrics don't say that you can't bless people in the communion line, you could. This opens you to an immediate reduction to absurdity. Based on what is not said, I think next Sunday I will slaughter a lamb and sprinkle the people with it, so they will understand the roots of the sacred Liturgy. It doesn't say I can't do it. And it might help people "experience" what it means to be washed in the blood of the Lamb.

The nature of a rubric is simultaneously descriptive and proscriptive. By the description of the standard or proper form of celebration, one understands what the Liturgy looks like, sounds like, even smells and tastes like. Based on this description, certain matters and practices become proscribed and eliminated from the table. Through the Church, the reality of the sacraments is both distributed and preserved for harmful admixtures.

Fr. Hamilton is in the final analysis exercising obedience and not imposing a personal decision upon a matter that someone else has already decided what its purpose is. A priest is not an independent contractor of the Liturgy nor a private entity. He is the servant of the Mysteries of God and the representative of the Church. While there is variance in the manner of administration of the sacraments and sacramentals in various ritual churches, that doesn't mean that I or any other priest is free to simply skip around as they see fit.

Sorry if that rambled or didn't make sense. By the way, just for everyone's information, I also don't bless people in the communion line due to a couple of incidents in the past. If you want to hear about them, just mention it in the comments.

I am bringing back the maniple!

With allergy season in full and unpredictable swing, I am making a unilateral decision. For some reason, I will get into the Eucharistic prayer and my nose will start to run...like a faucet.

So we need a solution. And I say its bringing back the maniple. No fishing in my pockets for my hankie. Just dab and go!

I guess we have a fan...

Our raging has drawn many people to enjoy our blog. Apparently, someone who goes by the code name "File Folder" isn't as thrilled. Well, that is to be expected.

But at the same time, the comments he/she has left, suggests to me that he/she has either a.) received a lot of bad information about the Catholic Church and the ministerial priesthood or b.) has been badly treated by either members of the faithful or one of my brother priests. If that is the case, I am truly sorry and offer my apologies.

I would invite all those who read the blog to please pray for this person. I would suggest offering your Holy Communion tomorrow for his/her intentions. I will offer one of my Masses for his/her needs as well.

As I suspected...

When I took medical moral theology, the topic of removal of feeding tubes came up. I came down on the side of not removing until really the person is either truly dead or absolutely cannot keep food down. In the later case, then you switch to IV nutrients.

Turns out that the Holy Father agrees. Nice company to keep, huh? Also, I was edified by his comments, that "no one is ever a vegetable."

If someone finds the text of the whole speech, leave the link in the comments area please.

Also, note the tasteful Rose vestment.

A Reprieve

Because of the death of the comments area, I am extending the latest round of Name That Heresy! Please refer to this link for more hints and info. I will end this round on Monday at noon. Remember that there are prizes and no one has gotten the right answer. So get in the game.

TechMonkey Dave here. We changed the commenting system from Enetation to Haloscan. The issue was ability to manage the comments section more efficiently, and dependability. It seems your previous comments, dear readers, are lost in cyberspace, unfortunately, but keep up the good work in the future.

It was my fault for having chosen Enetation in the first place, and Frs. Tharp and Hamilton have given me an appropriate penance for my frowardness in this regard. They've decreed that I must flagellate myself with a rolled up copy of "Commonweal" and what's worse, I then have to unroll it and read it cover to cover.

Lenten Reflection #8 is up

Redux of the Borromeo Project

A couple of comments and emails have arrived asking what the Borromeo Project is. It is my evil brainchild. Here was my problem.

In my little time as a priest I have encountered this phenomenon. Most Catholics are well meaning but woefully ignorant. Also, when a priest wants to lead adult formation class, he is left with a scatter shot method for bringing the truths of the faith to the table principally because no good standard curriculum exists. Lastly, in larger parishes people don't know each other because of the Mass Bubble that people exist in. So what's a priest to do?

I created a program of adult formation that centers on daily readings and weekly discussions. The year is divided into four ten-week sessions. Participants have short readings for themselves for each day of the week. The daily questions focus upon mastering the content of the material read. Then in the weekly sessions, the small group, ideally lead by a priest, explores the implications of what they have read. The book would come in two forms, the participant’s manual and the leader’s manual. The only difference between them would be that the leader’s manual has an answer key and a full text for the weekly prayer sessions.

I have dubbed this The Borromeo Project. The first year will focus on the Catechism, the second year on the VII documents, and the third year, the encyclicals of John Paul II. It is in my mind to also create an accompanying format for high school youth groups but that will have to wait. If I can get the parents to convert more fully to the demands of Faith in Christ, then the sky's the limit after that.

Please pray for me and for the success of this work. Michael O'Brien said something interesting to me about this. He said, "The work must stand on its own." I recognize that this might not be Ignatius Press's cup of tea. It might be better distributed through OSV or a publisher that specializes in educational formats.

The Fellowship of the Project. Part Two

I just checked with the USPS, and this is the message I got back.

"Your item was processed and left our SAN FRANCISCO, CA facility on March 19, 2004. Information, if available, is updated every evening. Please check again later. "

So, the Borromeo Project is in their hands now. I am not one to go looking for signs, but how providential that my submission to Ignatius Press, whose submission editor is Fr. JOSEPH Fessio, landed on his desk on the Solemnity of St. Joseph. Ooooh, I am all a twitter.

I know that this doesn't guarantee a thing, but a boy can dream can't he?

A new way to encourage fasting during Lent?

I spotted this on Yahoo News. I guess this is one way to get kids to stop eating candy during Lent.

A Blast from the Past!

The internet is a wonderful tool for reconnecting with folks you have lost touch with. Case in point, Summa Contra Mundum. I read with interest the lastest post on the need for a New Eroticism as I was doing one of my blog crawls.

I couldn't get the comments area to open which is becoming a problem for me. I can't ever access HaloScan and Squwak Box systems. If you use these, you might check and make sure the system is working. I sent an email and the name that popped up was familiar. So I emailed and I was right. The author of the blog and I went to seminary for a couple of years. He went on to the vocation of marriage and a doctorate in Philosophy. I would suspect that his speciality is either medieval or modern philosophy, but I forgot to ask. I stuck out the seminary and here we are.

I fondly remember the "discussion" we had over the relative merits of "Briscoe County, Junior" versus "The X-Files." In the long run, he was right about the weaknesses of the X-Files. Oh, well, you can't win them all.

When things get too wishy-washy over here, sample a little of his bracing brew.

"Because I am a mean man who hates children!"
"Isn't that what everyone is saying?" That's the "ice breaker" answer I give nowadays when asked why I don't bless children (or anyone for that matter) in the line for Holy Communion. I usually let that answer soak in ever so briefly before I laugh and slap the interrogator on the back for good comic measure. Then I proceed to explain my reasoning. For readers who may be interested in a priest's account of why the practice is not recommended, and, perhaps for priest-readers who may need help responding to similar inquiries, I offer my reasons as I have them to date.

(1) The teleological answer: Quite simply, the line for the distribution of Holy Communion is precisely for that, and that only. It is not the intent of the ritual that it be a line for other things, however worthwhile they may be in their own right.

(2) The theological answer: The Church teaches the Holy Eucharist is "the source and summit of the Christian life" (Const. on the Church, 11). If asked, most of us would easily point to the consecration as the most important part of the Holy Mass. If we thought a bit more, I think we would naturally extend that to also include the reception of Holy Communion (not because the validity of the Holy Eucharist depends upon its reception, but because the Holy Eucharist is ordered toward reception). In any event, worthy reception of the Holy Eucharist is the most perfect form of participation in the Sacred Liturgy. With that in mind, at the precise moment when the climax of the Holy Mass is reached, when we arrive at that to which the whole Mass is directed and from which it flows, the reception of Holy Communion is replaced with a blessing? As if anyone's blessing, even a priest's, could possibly take the place of reception of the Sacrament?

(3) The liturgical answer: The Fathers of Vatican II describe the Sacred Liturgy as "the summit toward which the activity of the Church is directed; it is also the font from which all her power flows" (Const. on the Sacred Liturgy, 10). Because of this, the Church closely regulates the Sacred Liturgy. It is not the private or local property of anyone, not even a bishop or priest. It is the common patrimony of the Universal Church. It should come as no surprise, then, that the Church establishes rubrics that direct the sacred action proper to each participant in the Sacred Liturgy. The rubrics surrounding the Holy Eucharist and the various rites for its adoration (note especially how Benediction is given by a cleric with veiled hands, and the rubrics governing Exposition and Adoration when immediately following the Holy Mass) make it clear that a cleric is not to give "his" blessing in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament exposed. This does not, I know, automatically exclude the blessing of children. However, and though I would not be in agreement with what follows, it would at least be more liturgically consistent to give a Benediction to non-communicants, since the Blessed Sacrament is exposed at that point of the Holy Mass. (Notice how attention to this would also clarify the awkward practice of extraordinary ministers giving blessings with hands, as does a cleric. Since a cleric is not to do that when the Blessed Sacrament is exposed, certainly neither should a lay person.) In addition, the priest's blessing upon the people is specifically situated at the end of the Mass, not during Holy Communion. Furthermore, the implementation of Vatican II can be said to be marked by a simplification of rites. Numerous signs of the Cross were removed from the Holy Mass. Couldn't it be said, then, that the multiplication of blessings during Holy Communion is contrary to the direction of the liturgical renewal we have been given? Finally, this practice is yet another unintended change of the Sacred Liturgy. Though perhaps minute, it seems to be another manifestation of a foreign attitude that seeks to co-opt the Sacred Liturgy, making it the production of the local community, rather than a font of grace received from beyond ourselves.

(4) The pastoral answer: (a) Dispensing blessings during Holy Communion promotes, I believe, the false idea that "everyone gets something," perhaps even going so far as to promote more frequent unworthy reception of the Sacrament by people who feel compelled to simply come forward in the Holy Communion line, regardless of their state of soul, because everyone else is. This is especially the case when we are blessed to have non-Catholic visitors who are ignorant of the Holy Eucharist and unaware of how to alert that they should receive only a blessing. (b) As a minister I find the practice confusing. I am not a good judge of age, even less so when trying to focus on my duties at the Holy Mass. It happens often that the sign requesting a blessing (hands folded over chest) is not followed, leaving me unsure why the person stands before me. This is especially noted in the case of older children and adults, who by appearance certainly could be old enough to receive, but who have not yet made First Holy Communion. (c) It seems to me there is value in waiting, praying, and preparing for something. This corresponds to the virtue of patience, something we are rapidly loosing all vestige of in society. Being cheated out of the anxious waiting can cheapen the expectation proper to more full participation at Holy Mass.

(5) The historical answer: I realize that the giving of a Benediction (notice, I did not say blessing) at the time of Holy Communion does occupy a place in history, in the Traditional Rite. But, also notice that the giving of the Benediction with the Sacred Host was given to the person receiving the Sacrament, not as a replacement of reception. While reciting the formula for distribution, the cleric would give Benediction with the Sacred Host, which was then placed on the communicant's tongue.

(6) The asthetical answer: The often fevered attempts of elders, on the approach for Holy Communion, to force small children to place their hands over their chests (and to pretend that they just might stay that way...this time!) is, to put it lightly, very distracting. I doubt it promotes proper focus for the elder who struggles with a child down the entire aisle of church. I know it distracts me.

(7) The analogical answer: I would venture to guess that most of us would find it inappropriate if someone were to present himself in the line for Holy Communion, not for the Sacrament, but to have a Rosary blessed. The priest, despite the sad appearance of many of our modern church structures, is not some sort of "sacral vendor," dispensing Holy Communion here, blessed medals there, holy cards here, rosaries there. Just as I would refuse to bless a Rosary at that moment of the Holy Mass, so do I refuse to bless a child. Yes, I realize the limitations of this analogy, as all analogies are limited. No, my refusal would have nothing to do with my dislike of the Rosary, just as my refusal has nothing to do with a dislike of children. And, no, my refusal should not be interpreted to mean that blessing rosaries is bad, just as it should not be interpreted that blessing children is bad. That moment of the Holy Mass is, quite simply, not the place for blessing rosaries. Likewise with the blessing of children.

And if all the above fails to appease an offended parent, I am always happy to bless individually any and all children who come to me after Holy Mass, when my hands are not otherwise occupied and when I can even pick them up, and have some time to say a few words to them!

You too can own a piece of Fascist History

I may not be up on my political parties but wasn't the Peronist Government under Juan and Evita a fascists movement? It explains why so many Germans repatriated there at the end of the war.

Well, you too can be part of the action. Christie's Auction House in an outburst of remarkable bad taste will auction off items from the late, great Eva Peron. Included in the items for auction is the hand woven BURIAL SHROUD the late dictator's squeeze was buried in.

Get there early so as not to miss the bargains.

Why, yes Ms. De Vil, we have puppies. Why do you ask?

I knew that the dog industry was a big deal, but this is ridiculous.

This is not a meat market!

With all due respect to Fr. H's brother, I didn't establish this blog to be a dating service. He can find his own dates. Cf. the comments box for more info.

The Fellowship of the Project

I sent the draft chapters of the Borromeo Project Part One to the publishers yesterday. I will be posting regularly to let you know when it arrives in San Fran. Ignatius Press I realize may not jump at the chance, but thankfully there are other publishers out there. I have so much enjoyed their books over the years, I would love to be in the roster.

Gross Misrepresentation!

I don't recall saying that I looked like the devil children from TPOTC. I think I used this image.





I look like someone punched me in the face. Probably someone's fantasy. Anyway, the doctor gave me some pills so by tomorrow the swelling should be down....I hope.

Civil War

Spring is definitely in the air in the great State of Oklahoma...and the allergens are sweepin' down the Plains. Russian Thistle (AKA Tumbleweed) is in bloom in my part of the state and tree pollen across the state is at 97%. It's as if our sinuses are seceding from the personal unity that is our selves. It's Civil War!

Mine are bad enough with the itching and sneezing, but Fr. Tharp assures me that his sinuses are so bad he appears as one of those weird devil children from "The Passion of the Christ". Sounds as if another miracle in Alva is needed.

In Tribute to Our 7500th Visitor

Yes, from humble beginnings can come mighty forces with which to be reckoned! We appreciate your visits and we look forward to your comments and suggestions.

D'Oh!

Sure, these quizzes are fluffy, but I like this outcome so much...


You are Homer! An epic poet circa 800 B.C., Homer
is the expression of the ancient Greek ideal.
His characters embark upon long and wordy
quests and engage in battles of heroic length.
Monsters are slain and cities are razed. Fun
and glory all around!


Which famous poet are you? (pictures and many outcomes)
brought to you by Quizilla

Blugged!

In an effort to promote better Internet lingo, I refer you to the concept, "blug." To blug is to plug a blog.

I bring this up because of this blog's blug at Thrown Back. Fr. Johansen went to seminary with me for 2.5 years at Saint Charles. He went on to finish his formation at another seminary. So check him out and check his blug for us. Thanks, Fr. J.

What does this have to do with St. Patrick? His blog is green...?

Steps to Authentic Reform: St. Patrick

St. Patrick started out as a slave. Captured by hostile raiders from Ireland, he was dragged to a foreign land. While there he learned their language and eventually returned home. Now, ask yourself what you would do? If it were me, I would settle down in my mud hovel with my wife and have lots of kids. Not for St. Pat. He leaps up and relatively promptly moves back to Ireland. Only the heart of missionary zeal and charity explains that.

Step Five: Missionary Activity Anyone surprised by this one? If you want reform and transformation, you must be willing to go out and bring the Gospel to others. It follows that the missionary must be fully conversant with the tenets and implications of their Faith. And of course, being a missionary means that one must daily grow in Charity to keep your words and deeds from being vapid mouth noises.

Is Lenten food supposed to taste this good?
I am still in the clouds following my extremely easy, quick, and delicious lunch. I made myself a portobello mushroom wrap. I sauteed some onion and garlic in just a bit of butter and olive oil. Once the onion had softened, I added thick slices of the portobello mushroom (I would actually recommend grilling the mushroom, but I don't have a grill. To sautee them brings out too much liquid that makes it sloppy to eat. Fr. Tharp informs me that to substitute for a grill, I can turn the oven on broil and quickly cook the portobello whole.). I cooked the mushroom in the mixture for some minutes, sprinkling kosher salt, fresh cracked pepper, oregano, and ground cumin on each side of the slices. I then prepared a flour tortilla, melted some deli Swiss cheese on it, placed some of the portobello and onion mixture on top, placed a piece of red leaf lettuce on top of that and rolled it up. By the way, the green of the lettuce qualifies for the "Irishness" of this post!

Lenten Reflection #7 is up
A reminder that the link "Lenten Reflections 2004" in the sidebar at right will give access to the entire series of Lenten e-conferences.

[Ooops! I forgot what Fr. Tharp posted earlier about today's posts all treating St. Patrick in some way. In that event, the above should read: "St. Patrick says, 'Lenten Reflection #7 is up'."]

A Miracle in Alva?

Last night, my foot was really bad. I mean, can't walk around the room bad. I guess the trip to Wal-Mart was too much.

This morning, I lay in bed and thought, "I'm not going to be able to get up." I was going to cancel Mass and I wouldn't be able to get anything done today. Remembering that day was the commemoration of Saint Patrick, I prayed that he would obtain a healing of my foot. I put my foot on the floor and it was a little tender, but I could walk on it.

So I guess this is a favor won by Saint Patrick. The pain is not completely gone probably because I offered the pain for the intentions of a few friends of mine.

It may be POD to say but prayer obtains all things.

Hail, Glorious St. Patrick!



This post is somewhat compulsory given Fr. H's and my background. I believe that Fr. H is full blood Irish, while I am myself, at least half Irish, thanks to contributions from both parents. Also, on my father's side, I am fractionally Welsh, which gives me a double claim to the great Saint.

Here's to you, St. Patrick. Without you, the faith would not have been permitted to spread throughout Europe. Without you, the serpents of false religion and paganism would have nested permanently on those Emerald shores. By your intercession, may the people of the British Isles recall the true and historical faith she once possessed.

Learn more about St. Patrick from the following resources:
About the man
About his writngs and prayers
Novena to St. Patrick (oops, wish I would have found this 9 days ago.)
Chaplet of Saint Patrick
Take a pilgrimage
For the Kids

Also, for today, every one of my posts today will have something to do with St. Patrick or Ireland.

No correct answers so far!

So far this round of Name that Heresy has got folks stumped. Here are two hints. For the A. setup, you are looking for a person pre-1000 A.D. For the B. setup, pay attention the reference to Scooby Doo. It is not a throw away comment.

Also, phase one of the priests' dinner has started. Roasted two large red bell peppers in the oven and it smells great...

Happy Birthday!
A shout out to my little brother, John, whose 23rd birthday is today. He's currently on spring break in San Diego, a place I, too, have enjoyed visiting. No doubt, he's having wonderful weather. Happy Birthday, bro!

Letters to a Young Catholic

George Weigel has another book out. Read an interview about it here and a review of it here. Though I have not yet read his latest work, I am sure this book will be still more supporting evidence that George may just be an auxiliary member of the Trinity! George: Deus es! [The previous acclamation is not to be taken as a formal creedal statement in whole or in part. It does not reflect the faith of Fr. Hamilton or Fr. Tharp. Catholic Ragemonkey blog and any subsidiary it has directly inspired professes Catholic faith in the Trinity.] I am privileged to call George a friend. We came to know one another while he stayed at my seminary during his work on the biography of Pope John Paul II.

George was interviewed on the Today Show this morning by Campbell Brown. Poor Miss Brown couldn't even pronounce George's last name, saying "Wee-gul". She demonstrated almost a total lack of vocabulary for the realm of faith, along with the requisite admission that she "had been raised Catholic". In addition, what left me rolling on the floor laughing, was that the topic of faith and the rising generation of young Catholics was immediately followed by an overpowering version of "Who Let the Dogs Out?" as the next segment was about dogs! I think I suffered media whiplash once again. But, I suppose given the trait of loyalty often associated with dogs, George may not have minded sharing a stage with canines. The impoverished media...they just don't get it.

Ragemonkey Award
Fr. Sistare at the "Not So Quiet" Catholic Corner has an absolutely hysterical idea for how to ignite an appropriately raging Easter fire! Sadly, it doesn't seem that he will run out of kindling any time soon. Should he be Ragemonkey of the week?

Steps to Authentic Reform: St. Therese

This is embarrassing to admit but St. Therese was very hard reading for me. Not for the sublimity of what she wrote or experienced. I envied her. I envied her because of her family. I think that I have mentioned here that my parents are divorced. They divorced when I was very young, say, 6 months old. So when St. Therese describes her family I wanted to retch and to sit around the table with them.

On the other hand, St. Therese made me look like a wimp. If you haven't given it any thought, try this on for size. When you die of tuberculosis, you suffocate on your own blood. The lining of your lungs rips and you bleed into your lungs. And she cheerfully suffered this physical torment and a spiritual torment as well AT THE SAME TIME! Her family rooted her soundly in the love of God and love of neighbor necessary to endure all things.

And that is the great irony of St. Therese. For a little girl who joined a Carmelite convent at a young age, she is more famous than many world leaders. When the relics came to Philadelphia while I was in the seminary, the Archdiocese estimated 30,000+ people came by to see the relics. More came out to the seminary where the relics remained overnight. And from her example, she has scattered roses of conversion from her place in heaven.

Step Four: Vicarious Redemptive Suffering If we want to see reform, we must win graces for the weak and with real compassion, we must suffer with those whose faith or resolve seems to falter. That's the root of the word "compassion," to suffer with. And I am not suggesting that you start scourging yourself. Look around you. Is there a household chore you hate? Offer it up and do it cheerfully. Okay, work on the cheerfully part. Is there someone with whom you work that you would like to fire out of a cannon? Offer it up and have lunch with them.

This sort of suffering does us some good as well it should be noted. Through suffering we find ourselves detached from the world and attached to the person of Christ, by whose stripes we were healed.

Is this a good idea?

I am not the censor of the universe. But even I know when something is not a good idea. This is one of those well-intentioned but really dumb ideas.

The place is called XXXChurch and it is an effort between two Protestant Youth Ministers. Not bad, right? Porn is bad for everyone. It distorts our identity as sexual being. It manipulates the person who purchased it and the person who produced it.

But the capper is the Operation: Save the Kittens Website. Apparently, to discourage masturbation in folks, they promote the notion (tongue in cheek) that God kills a kitten every time you pleasure yourself. You know what I mean, wink wink nudge nudge.

Why is this dumb, you ask? Well...let's think this through for a minute. Has it ever occurred in the past that by making light of a serious matter that the matter is resolved? Maybe Rosa Parks should have worn a shirt that said,"Every time I am forced to sit in the back of the bus, God stomps on a puppy." The answer is NO. Why? It wasn't because you couldn't buy a T-shirt. It's because it denigrates the issue that you are bringing out. Essentially, you are saying, "This is serious enough for me to mention to you, but not serious enough for me to really engage you about." So while they wildly suggest that pastors get in the gutter and confront these matters, they throw up this little website.

And that's another thing that cheeses me off. I am in the gutter with these people. It's called Confession. Every time I hear a confession, we assume the person wants to change and move out of the gutter and come to street level. How does this happen? Through the office of priesthood the priest counsels and exhorts and finally dispenses the GRACE OF THE CROSS to the person. He encounters humanity in its worst state when he encounters it in the confessional. Furthermore, in the last year alone, I have brought up in three different homilies and multiple times in RCIA the destructive power of Porn. So where does he get off telling pastors and ministers to deal more agressively with it.

You need to check this out today. And if anyone wants to buy me a gift while you are there, I would suggest either this


or this


But remember I am a large and in charge and in control Catholic Priest. Largest size on the site is suggested.

More on this to come...

A sad upside to being a Priest

I just received word today that a classmate of mine from high school died last week after a prolonged bout with cancer. I could kick myself for not seeing him before he died. Well, if you have a moment remember Mike Kelly in your prayers.

Funny story. When Mike and I were in high school, we took Calculus AB together. He was having trouble with the subject and so we met for a tutoring session before the AP test. We met at the local Dairy Queen and worked in a booth for about 3 hours. He got a horrified look on his face when I mentioned that my mother used to work at the very Dairy Queen we were sitting in. But he was a good fellow. And I think a lapsed Catholic.

Requiescat in Pace.

Now here's a worthy cause for Stem Cell Research!

You see, dear readers, I have always been a cynic. Derive it from my hard scrabble childhood, but when people say to me, "Hey, we can do good with this," I immediately sit down and put my back against the wall. Someone's getting ready to stab me in the back.

So now, in an effort to bring stem cell research full circle, check this out. Now hairless mice, I would hope naked mole rats who have been oppressed far too long, can now be hairy like their brethren. Yeah, that's a good reason to wipe out a generation of humans.

Thank God It's Sunday!

Or at least it will be. Next week, 6 priests will be here to hear confessions for my parishioners. Would everyone who reads this blog pray for all those who will come and those who are hesitant to come to confession?

For the loverly dinner before the penance rite, this is what I am planning to serve:
Cream of Red Pepper Soup
Roasted Beet Salad on a Bed of Beet Greens
Some sort of Beef (Roast or Steaks), Pasta with lovely red sauce made by Fr. H (Shush! Ancient Italian Secret), and a vegetable medley
and for dessert...Homemade Blueberry Ice Cream with a cookie

Sounds good doesn't it...

Tanti auguri Santo Padre!
Today, Pope John Paul II becomes the third longest reigning pontiff in Church history. I can still remember his election because my kindergarten teacher, Sr. Mary Samuel, O.P., gathered us before a television to watch the news of the election. Though I can recall the death of Pope John Paul I, for all intents and purposes, Pope John Paul II is the only pope I have ever known. Viva il Papa!

Steps to Authentic Reform: St. Padre Pio

For a Sunday, this hardly seems a cheery thought but it applies to reform. I am amazed at all the crap Padre Pio had to put up with. Not just cluelessness from superiors which often thinly disguised malice, but physical and spiritual ailments. But through it all, that is how he functioned. Because He believed that God would deliver him, any problem and strife was tolerable. It simply had to be offered up.

Step Three: Perservere in the Face of Opposition. Because we believe or know the righteousness of our actions, we find opposition hard to cotton. After all, if I am correct, why don't more folks want to come along for the ride? The problem comes when you figure out what you are trying to change. Change a behavior is one thing, and plenty hard by the way. Change the heart requires repentance and conversion, as the cycle C gospel reminds us, and can't provide that for anyone. That is up to them to come up with. So work like it matters and pray like it's in God's Hands.

Only one caveat. There is a distinction between perserverence and pigheadness. Prudence sides with perserverence but not with pigheadedness.

Like an oasis in the desert
I just discovered some interesting news that a new English translation of the ordinary parts of the Holy Mass may be out as soon as early 2005. It apparently -- and finally! -- translates the response to "The Lord be with you" as "And with your spirit." The Confiteor may once again see "through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault." And I am sure there is more. Finally! Yes! I hope it is true and that the oasis my eyes are focusing on (at least in English) is not another liturgical mirage!

Yikes! Now, this is a different take on The Passion!
Look at what I stumbled upon today while trying to find the Hebrew for the inscription on Jesus' Cross. (By the way, if anyone can help with what the Hebrew would have been, please e-mail or comment.) Here are some excerpts:

"It is a Catholic movie. It is based on the traditions of Rome, rather than the Bible. It was produced, directed, acted, and endorsed by Catholics. It is a catechism and commercial for Catholicism. Rome’s history of opposition to the Bible and present practices contrary to the Bible make this a grave concern. The movie is based on the Rosary’s five sorrowful mysteries, follows the Stations of the Cross, emphasizes Jesus on a crucifix, includes many Catholic superstitions, and gives Mary a preeminent role....

"Mel used the Mass for inspiration. What is the Mass? It is a staged act where a priest turns a cracker into God and sacrifices Him again, and again, and again. It is called transubstantiation – transforming the substance of a cracker into God. Catholics assassinate their senses to believe the cracker has become God, because it still looks, tastes, smells, feels, and sounds like a cracker! It is the most abominable religious act in the world. Mel and J.C. went to Mass every day during filming to be “squeaky clean”....

"Mel requires the Tridentine Mass. Mr. Gibson is a serious Catholic. He wants Mass in Latin. Think movie! He imported priests to do it the original way. For 1500 years until 1965, Catholics only watched the stage act and admired the pictures at church, for Mass was in Latin. Mel began each day crucifying a cracker Jesus in Latin! What Baptists and Protestants once despised as blasphemy, they now think are Mel’s godly devotions. They now buy popcorn and watch a Catholic movie together … in Latin!

I bet there's plenty more where these came from!

Why not save us all some time?
As I ate a late dinner tonight after Holy Mass, I had the television on (something I largely try to avoid) and something came to me. First, I noticed a commercial for Average Joe: Adam returns. So, let me get this straight, this guy, Adam, loses out on Average Joe and now he gets his own show where the nonsense can start all over again. What a joke these shows are! Immediately following that commercial, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit began.

So, I thought, hey, why not save us all some time and maybe some Hollywood money by combining the always-ridiculous Average Joe-type shows with the ever-subdividing Law & Order shows. It is still in its seminal phases but it could go something like this:

The losers from Average Joe, rather than being voted off, are "disposed" of in various ways. Perhaps they mysteriously disappear. Perhaps they are charged with a crime, arrested, and taken away. Perhaps their bodies are found face down in a vat of pudding. Here the Law & Order folks come in to investigate the crime scene and we follow the legal developments. The method by which an Average Joe loser is disposed, would dictate which Law & Order actors would be present (Criminal Intent, Special Victims Unit, etc.).

What do you think? Have any ideas?

Hey, I have an idea!
Could this lady's community service be completed here?

Steps to Authentic Reform: St. Paul

Frequently in the New Testament, St. Paul and others commend us to imitate their faith and their behavior. For example, in 2nd Thessalonians, you find this: "For you know how one must imitate us. For we did not act in a disorderly way among you, nor did we eat food received free from anyone. On the contrary, in toil and drudgery, night and day we worked, so as not to burden any of you. Not that we do not have the right. Rather, we wanted to present ourselves as a model for you, so that you might imitate us. [2 Th 3:7-9]" Or see this from the Letter to the Hebrews: "Remember your leaders who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith [Heb 13:7]." One last citation. Look at this from the 3rd Letter of John: "Beloved, do not imitate evil but imitate good. Whoever does what is good is of God; whoever does what is evil has never seen God[3 John 1:11]."

Living the faith well is not something we have to invent on our own. We can take from a great cloud of witnesses the example of their lives and make application to ours.

Step Two: Befriend a Saint. How does one befriend a saint? Here's how. First, get know some saints. Read their biographies and read and pray some of the prayers they composed. Second, once you find a couple of particular saints, regularly ask for their intercession on certain matters. Third, practice the virtues in the way that they did. Take a direct cue but adapt it for today.

Cancer runs rampant because it convinces other cells to malfunction, or at least, that is the theory. The Church is a Body and each of us a living stone, or said another way, cells within the body. Are you a cell that will be easily swayed to become cancerous? Let the saints fortify you against all destructive forces.

And to get you started, here are two who still influence me greatly: and

And your point is...?
I recently overheard a priest from another diocese responding to a layman's comment about his not being in clerical attire. He raised some apparently historical account of the future Pope John XXIII (Angelo Roncalli) who, at the time he was Apostolic Delegate in Turkey, faced government persecution of the Church. Clergy there at that time, so the account goes, were not permitted to wear religious garb. I guess a priest decked out in mufti apologized to the Apostolic Delegate Roncalli for his not being in clerical attire. Roncalli is said to have responded to the effect: certainly you know, Father, the clothing doesn't make the priest. The priest whose comment I heard then went on to report to the layman that Roncalli even ordered priests in Turkey at the time to offer the Holy Mass in the vernacular. Apparently, there were significant numbers of French priests in Turkey at that time and they had been proclaiming the readings and the homily in French.

First, let me comment on the vernacular before going on. You know, Roncalli's command that priests in TURKEY cease using FRENCH at Holy Mass really doesn't strike me as all that amazing. Of course, the invoking of the name of the future pope and blessed, I guess is supposed to convince us that the use of the vernacular is an 11th Commandment! Is Roncalli's order all that surprising? He was giving a pastoral direction for Turkish people who, I guess, didn't know a lick of French. Duh! And, though I haven't checked (because I really don't care), I'm not sure that Roncalli's directive meant that Latin for the ordinary parts of the Holy Mass was totally abandoned. Rather, his directive could have simply put an end to the proclaiming of the readings and homily in a language that was not that of the local people.

So, I guess this priest thought these historical stories demonstrated something for his local situation and the explanation for his own lack of clerical attire. I almost released a ragemonkey on him! I wanted to approach him and say, "And your point is? Certainly, the clothing doesn't make the person, but, uh, the last time I checked, Father, we live in a land of freedom, it is 2004, and we aren't under any overt government persecution! So, please, walk us back through 1930's Turkey, grab our hands, and help us jump with you across the enormous irrational canyon you just crossed, because I fail to see how your example provides ANY compelling explanation for your frequent inability to wear clerical attire!"

I'm not saying a priest must always and everywhere be in clerical attire. But for the most part, I believe his donning of mufti should not be a regular practice. And, don't even get me started on this priest's wacky liturgics and poor theology.

The Answer is...

No flourishes. Let's get to it.

The Answers for Last Round

A. Marcion: Many people guess Martin Luther but as I had just used him I would hope that most folks would have eliminated him. Also, the move to exclude certain books from the Bible was more about avoiding Catholic doctrine than treating them as though they were unnecessary. Now, Marcion was a different story. Marcion was a first century heretic who rejected the Old Testament wholesale and large swathes of the New Testament with it.

B. Utraquism: I think that is how you spell it. This heresy was and is becoming more popular. This heresy rejects the notion of natural concommitance in reference of the Holy Eucharist. In answering the question of how is the Lord present in the Blessed Sacrament, the Church teaches, in line with St. Thomas Aquinas, that the whole Christ is present under each of the eucharistic species. How is this possible? Because, if the Holy Eucharist is the real body of Christ, and it is a living sacrifice, then where the Body is, the Blood, Soul, and Divinity must also be present. The same applies to the Precious Blood. An utraquist would say that you imperfectly received communion if you only received under one species. Go back and re-read the original set-up.

Next Round

The rules are the same. I give the set up; you give me the error. Example A. is a particular person / Protestant Reformer / Religious Loony. Example B. is a defined heresy. And now a new feature: PRIZES! This is not a joke. The first person to answer correctly with their choice of one of two books. This week's selection are: A First Glance at Saint Thomas Aquinas: A Handbook for Peeping Thomists by Ralph McInerny or The Men and the Message of the Old Testament by Peter Ellis. Second Place will get the leftovers. The game runs until next Saturday when I will post the winner's name and contact you by email. Then you can send me the address to deliver your most excellent prize.

A. One of the co-owners of the bar comes in and stays to one of the bartenders, "You aren't pouring that beer correctly." To one of the waitresses, he says, "Lower that skirt." She responds, "It's already to my ankles." He says, "Lower it!" When the other owner of the bar comes in, he says, "Why are you doing this?" The first man says, "The Franchise Owner told me too." "Well, he's not here. How do you know?" "I have a very special relationship with the Franchise Owner, and He tells me." "If that is the case", the other owner says, "you can get out!"

B. A man walks into a bar and sits down. The bartender comes over and says, "Hey your father was just in here." The man pulls off a mask and says, "I am my father and I would have gotten away with it if it weren't for you meddling bartenders."

One Day More...
Another day, another destiny / this never ending road to Calvary...

The latest round of Name that Heresy will come to a close tomorrow. Scan through the archives and get into the game.

And next round...Prizes!

In response to Frustration
In the comments area, Jim commented on his frustration. I am glad he felt he could voice his sense of distress at the situation. It sounds like for lots of our readers there are a couple of lights in the clerical sky where they live. But I suspect Jim is not alone in this. So I offer this observation. It might not comfort. It might even be a little incendiary. So proceed with fair warning.

In the seminary and in my previous assignments, I would often get down or feel lonely or desperate. I especially felt this way when it seems like no one was on my side or I was in a particular constant screw up mode. Then while I was in seminary, in my personal prayer time before morning prayer, and I don't know what made me say this to myself, but I said, "Shane, you have one friend in the seminary. His name is Jesus Christ. In the final analysis, His is the only friendship that matters, so don't blow it. If Jesus turns some of his friends to you, that's a bonus. But you have one friend in the seminary. He is Jesus Christ."

For those who are frustrated you must fast and pray. By coming to know the only friend you have in that parish or diocese, his name is Jesus Christ, He will direct you to others who are His friends. Or His Priests. Pray that He would send someone who is His friend to be your pastor or your bishop. I know of a place that was mismanaged and mangled by a pastor for more than a decade. One of the parishioners said to me, "We have prayed for all this time for a real priest. Now we have one."

Giggle!
I am putting the letter to HOPE in the post today. Someone email me in two weeks and remind me to check for a response...

Can I borrow your cell phone?

I need it for George Carlin. Now he can call someone who cares?! Oh, for the days of Lenny Bruce, who worked blue, granted, but was oh, original and witty and, well, you get the picture...

George Carlin is foul and frankly, quite anti-Catholic. I don't know about Lenny Bruce. Although to Carlin's credit, his early stuff is very funny and original. Now, he sounds like an old hippie winding down...

Lenten Reflection #6 is up

Steps to Authentic Reform: St. Barnabas
For the next couple of weeks, I will be putting up some ideas I have been having about Reform in the Church. The idea is to give an idea and a way to implement it. The most important part is that they are relatively simple and can be done by anyone. Reform doesn't require a big pointy hat to make happen.

I have always found this comment from the Acts of the Apostles interesting. Acts 4:36 reads, "Thus Joseph, also named by the apostles Barnabas (which is translated "son of encouragement"), a Levite, a Cypriot by birth." Barnabas is not the man's given name, it's a nickname that describes the character of his apostolate. Therefore, it seems that encouragement is a necessary assistance to those who have apostolic ministry.

So, Step One: Encourage a good priest. As pastor, I have come across this strange paradox. Your enemies are the most outspoken. The people who support you never or rarely open their mouths. In situations where a new pastor is trying to clean up old messes, he needs all the support he can get. Today, or at least on Sunday, encourage the orthodox, excellent priests of your parish universe.

How? Compliment them on the things that they are doing that promote the Gospel and especially the Gospel of Life. If they are good homilists, compliment that. Or good counselors. Or what ever. It could be a note or a dozen cookies, although I would deliver cookies after Lent. Give the compliment now. But whatever it is, be specific. Generic comments are not as helpful.

Why? Priests are like the front line soldiers and nothing is more disheartening than run out into the battlefield of the world only to find yourself alone. Make your presence seen in the army of the Lord. I can guarantee that knowing that the people support him, this will embolden him to go for more.

Faithful in Small Matters = Faithful in Large Matters?

For those who wonder about reform in the Church and who long for it, I have got a counter culture claim to make. If you are looking at big changes and saying, "Wow, that's a good sign," forget it. Big Changes are usually cosmetic. If you are looking for reform, look for small changes. More on this when I respond to Fr. H's earlier and excellent post.

I have finally found the source of the Red Sox Curse. They eat meat on Good Friday, or at least, they encourage it. Here's the relevant link My reason for bringing this to your attention though is different. I say, "Way to Go, Boston Archdiocese." After all, Good Friday should be a day of particularly acute penance. What are people thinking? "We'll go to the 3 o'clock service and then catch the game. A beer will really help wash down that piece of bread. Too bad they didn't serve wine today. [I know that it is no longer bread or wine. Don't send me comments.] Oh, and by the way, thanks Jesus for saving me FROM NOTHING!"

But this is why I think real reform might be on the way. If people pay attention to the details of the faith, there is a reasonable assumption that the major issues of the faith will be taken seriously. Just call me a starry eyed optimist.

I'm at a total loss
I really don't think I am terribly naive or ridiculously optimistic, but certain things simply are not conceivable on the radar of my world vision. Fr. Tharp can tell you how very often we have a conversation in which I express surprise, outrage, disbelief at something (not necessarily always church related). Usually, after I spit out whatever I find shocking, once I get the issue out on the table, he usually says something like, "And you find that surprising?" And then I know it is another one of those conversations where I must appear really naive.

Before I reveal the latest thing to bring out my surprise, allow me to direct words to any reader who may be a current parishioner: understand my words are motivated from a shepherd's heart who really fears for his people, especially for the younger generation. I do not intend this post to be a blanket condemnation of any parent or religious education teacher here. Sadly, I guess I am realizing, this is probably not a unique situation. Okay, on to the meat...[Dope! It's Lent].

Last evening I led our 7th and 8th grade youth group through the Stations of the Cross. They have two very dedicated teachers. It always impresses me when RE teachers ask a priest to spend time with their classes and suggest pious prayers and devotions. So I happily gathered in the church with the kids. I had prepared a brief statement about the devotion of the Stations, explaining a bit of its history and the notion of a spiritual pilgrimage. I gave a general run down of what we do at each station and practiced with them singing the Stabat Mater (in English). Now, I recognized a good portion of these kids (sadly, I can't say that of them all) as ones who attend Mass. Of the group, only three had ever been exposed to the Stations before. That is sad enough. It got worse.

As we began with the first station, I discovered many of these kids didn't know what the direction "genuflect" meant in the Station booklet. They had no idea what the word meant! It is something we learn from a very early age, something we do each and every time we enter and leave church, and yet they had no idea what the word meant? How is this possible? If these were small tikes, I could understand. These were 7th and 8th graders. It is simply unthinkable to me that one could grow up Catholic, be raised Catholic, and not know the word "genuflect" and the accompanying action it calls for. I was utterly astounded.

It made me re-think not just everything I had said to them that evening, but almost the entirety of my share in Christ's teaching office. I mean I had just spoken briefly about spiritual pilgrimage and Franciscans developing traditions and these kids don't even know what a genuflection is. What incomprehensible niceties the people must be hearing when I homilize (no jokes, please!) because I assumed we at least had genuflection down. How much lower can I set the bar? Can it even be truthfully said, in any sense, that these kids are being raised "Catholic"? And please don't think I am pointing fingers at parents who do all they can, only to have children leave the faith, but if I were a Catholic parent and my teenage child didn't know what a genuflection was...I would be worried for my salvation. I certainly knew we had lost generations to extremely poor catechesis, but I thought we at least had the genuflection down.

What a thought!
Just when I thought that God would simply permit California to fall off into the sea, there appears to be some semblance of rationality and order in that part of the country. Here's the headline.

I recognize it is a small win. But a necessary change of direction needed to stem the flow of those who assumed it was a done deal.

But here's a question for the con lawyers out there. By adapting the definition of marriage and placing the civil expression of marriage in direct contravention of religious definition of marriage, doesn't this violate both the establishment and free exercise clauses of the First Amendment? I mean, I am not a lawyer, but I could play one on T.V. You can see, the big beard, the Armani suit. Have your people call my people.

Miss Me?
Sorry to be away for the last couple o' days. Had my priest support group and then preached a penance rite in Duncan, OK. Best part of Duncan was reconciling a person to the Church who had been away for 60 YEARS! Man, Grace is Awesome!

Back on the letter to HOPE, thanks for all the positive feedback. Yes, these people are sneaky and really need a good solid shake. Some of you wondered what "perichoretic" meant. Perichoresis is the technical theological term in Greek for the interpentration and circumincession of the persons of the Holy Trinity. It is meant to describe the complete gift of self and return of that gift within the Godhead. Someone told me once that it derives from a type of Greek circle dance where the dancers move in and out of the ring, hence the connection to the Trinity. However, my systematics prof at St. Charles in Philly dismissed this.

Link update
I just noticed that Fr. Jeffrey Keyes, C.PP.S., has moved his blog, The New Gasparian, over to St. Blog's. Our link has been updated; yours should be too. His old address on blogspot will remain as an archive of material up to this date.

And while I'm at it [Part III]

Shouldn't the animals at least go to Confession before receiving Holy Communion? Look at the sin we find in the animal kingdom. The drug abuse alone among roving bands of adolescent animals is truly disturbing. What else could they be getting into that might separate them from the Sacraments?

And for the record [Part II]
I am anticipating the response to my post directly below and taking a preemptive strike. For the record, I am an animal lover. I have no problem with pet blessings (outside, not in church) on the Feast of St. Francis. I took Francis of Assisi as my Confirmation name. I have a picture of my late dog with Santa -- one framed and one in my wallet. I cried when my beloved dog died (which I don't expect to see in heaven). So, please don't paint me a cold-hearted animal hater. But a clear line needs to be drawn between valuing a pet according to its place in the hierarchy of being and craziness that extends to pets rational capacities and even excessive medical care that we don't manage to give to certain impoverished persons in society!

At what age should pets receive Holy Communion? [Part I]
Thanks to Fr. Sibley's blog for alerting me to this. This is so crazy! Talk about the wrong focus for worship. Uh, hello, worship is, first and foremost, directed toward GOD!!! GOD!!! NOT DOG!!! Nor any other creature, whether angelic, human, animal, vegetable, mineral, etc. AAAAAGGGGGHHHHHH!!!!

The article seems to suggest both that pets are given "Holy Communion" and that they are blessed in the distribution line. Lord, I hope it is, at most, the latter! Of course, since the places that do these pet services probably don't have a Holy Communion that is Christ's true Body and Blood, I suppose I should tone down the raging. NOT!!!

I knew the article would be chuck full of poor theology and utter stupidity. And I found it in some unexpected places. Here are some examples:

"For devout pet lover Kathleen Eickwort, of Ocala, Fla., these developments are welcome. When her dog, Sarge, was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma in June, she made religion a part of his treatment. In addition to chemotherapy, Sarge received a 20-minute visit from the rector of Ms. Eickwort's Episcopal church, who touched him and prayed for his recovery. Sarge also went to church twice. Now, his cancer is in remission." The dog underwent chemotherapy?! OH, please! Make Sarge comfortable for as long as you reasonably can, and then give him some sleepy juice! I mean, come on!

"Mary Wilkinson was happy that she had brought Purr Box Jr. in to be blessed for his digestive problems. Now, she says she plans to come back each month, rotating her 11 other cats." Uh, yeah, can anyone say nut case? TWELVE freakin' cats?! Could twelve cats in one domicile possibly be the origin of Purr Box, Jr.'s problems? I don't know, I'm just thinking the putrid stench of the litter boxes for 12 cats can't possibly aid one's digestion!

And finally,
"Last summer, a member of St. Francis Episcopal Church in Stamford began bringing her King Charles Spaniel on Sunday mornings; soon, several other attendees were regularly bringing their dogs." Couldn't anyone have told this person to STOP?! I mean, I suppose what we have here is the canine equivalent to Call to Action or Voice of the Faithful -- changing things by simply taking authority that is not theirs. OH, gosh, excuse me, that should have been "Bark of the Faithful!"

Lenten Reflection #5 is up

In Tribute To Our 5,000th Visitor

We here at Catholic Ragemonkey never anticipated the many and varied reactions our blog would receive. Only weeks ago, the notion of thousands of people putting up with Fr. Tharp's hostile foaming at the mouth, in order to read my humor, commentary, and inspired reflections seemed far fetched at best. But here we are: 5,000 visitors. We thank you, dear readers. I suppose we erroneously presumed our blog's hostile take over would be more along this pace. As proof that there has not been any Floridian-like tampering with the visitor count, we offer the above photo of a protest now taking place outside of Catholic Ragemonkey Headquarters. While we are flattered by the desire of some visitors to vote more than once, we refuse to lower our ethical standards.

It's mine, mine, mine...
I just mailed my LAST car payment! It's mine, mine, mine...the P-R-E-C-I-O-U-S!!! Okay, calling a 2000 Buick Regal with 85,000 miles on it "the precious", is probably a bit much. But it is mine! Now if it can only remain road-worthy for several more thousand miles...

From the "More Rage, Less Monkey" file...

In a previous post, Fr. Hamilton shared with you, our faithful readers, a letter he was sending to a group called HOPE, that is active in the Archdiocese. This group is VOTF and Call to Action lite. Same agenda, same nonsense. The bishop has gone so far as to prevent them from meeting on diocesan property, but I am still waiting for the throat crushing.

Anyway, so that you would not think that I am a big wuss, I decided to post my letter. Mine is of a different tenor than Fr. H's. Mine is more Rage, less Monkey. As someone invested with the teaching office of Christ due to my ordination to the Priesthood, I feel it is my obligation to shake people ever now and again.

Comments are welcome, but I am taking this draft to the bishop to look over. So it will probably will go out on Friday.

March 9, 2004

Dear HOPE:

I read with interest your recent letter to the priests of the Archdiocese. I apologize for not responding sooner. That is how the life of a busy pastor goes.

Frankly, I was a little nervous about responding to your letter. I was not, as your letter implied, nervous that the ordinary would find out about this communication. I was nervous that my acknowledgment would lend credence to both your proposal and your methods. Permit the opportunity to comment on both.

As to the methods of this survey, I cannot express how offended I am. Your suggestion that I need the cloak of anonymity to approach my archbishop concerning controversial matters is simply astounding. If you are not aware of this, but on the day of my ordination to the diaconate, I made a promise of respect and obedience to my archbishop. I renewed that promise the night I was ordained a priest of Jesus Christ. For the last three years, and again this year, I intend to renew that same promise of obedience and respect to my archbishop. People who respect one another say things to each other directly, face to face. I don’t need an anonymous survey to discuss things with him. I can bring any concern, problem, or difficulty to him at any time.

As to the purpose of this survey, again I am offended by your action. If a group of my brother priests in Milwaukee want to open a discussion concerning mandatory celibacy, I can respect that. I might not agree but I can respect that. They must live by this regulation and therefore, they are the ones to open that discussion. But sir, I don’t know you from Adam. You don’t share the hardships and joys of the office of priesthood with me or my brothers in this diocese. I am shocked that you would make this proposal for me. It would be equivalent in my mind if I opened a discussion on your behalf to permit polygamy. This is why, I suspect, that you and the group you represent do not have the best of motives or intentions when it comes to this topic.
As my sainted mother used to say, “Only thieves and thugs hang out in the shadows.”

As to the question of a discussion of mandatory celibacy, I found this most amusing. What do you think I did with those seven years of formation in the seminary? Do you think that the question of living chaste celibacy a.) never crossed my mind and b.) never was discussed? Every year when I was in the seminary, we discussed, prayed about, and practiced this discipline and I have come to love the gift and charism of celibacy. We don’t need the discussion because it has already taken place in the intimate depths of the soul.

A discussion of mandatory celibacy is not needed; a renewal of its meaning is. Divesting the Western Church of this charism would destroy the iconic character of ministerial priesthood. The ministerial priest is a three fold icon. He is first the icon of Christ the Bridegroom. His celibacy chastity signs in his flesh the covenantal love of Christ for His Church, for whom he gave up his life. He is also the icon of Christ the High Priest. By his celibacy, he signs in his flesh a dedication of his life, above and before all else, in service to God. Through his configuration to Christ both through the sacramental character and an outward conformity, the ministerial priest is the perfection of the priesthood of Aaron and the Levites. He is the icon of Christ, our eschatological future. In heaven there will be no marriage or giving in marriage. When one looks at a celibate ministerial priest, or a consecrated religious, he should see that glory of our future where all will be directed to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, in a perichoretic gift of self.

In closing, if any of my comments need further elaboration I would be more than happy to meet with you or your group and spell out these matters in greater detail.

In Christ, Our True Savior,

Rev. Shane Tharp
Pastor, Sacred Heart, Alva.

cc: Most Reverend Eusebius J. Beltran

Pass Out the Cigars! New Bishops Are Born!

Or at least being reassigned. Yes, I have been checking the Vatican website for information about the appointment of bishops to open sees. And no, I haven't sent the order form for my miter just yet. But it is filled out and sitting on my desk should the call come.

Anyway congratulations to the following (arch)dioceses: Ad multos annos!

WORCESTER, MA : S.E. Mons. Robert Joseph McManus
OGDENSBURG, NY : Mons. Robert Joseph Cunningham
SPRINGFIELD, MA : S.E. Mons. Timothy Anthony McDonnell
KANSAS CITY-SAINT JOSEPH, MO (Co-adjutor) :Mons. Robert W. Finn

That mischievous spirit
As Fr. Tharp and I explored the wild, wacky world of sedevacantist schismatics, that mischievous spirit came over me. I viewed the photo gallery for the "true Catholic Church" and I just couldn't resist. On the home page for "His Holiness, Pope Pius XIII," I noticed an option to e-mail the "Papal Secretary." So, I devised the following e-mail (it may only make sense if you visit their site and look at the photos, especially here, and here):
8 March 2004

To Whom It May Concern:

I have just visited your web site and I have viewed your many wonderful photos.

What an exciting time this must be for the true Catholic Church! And I can see from your photo gallery that the Holy Spirit must surely be with you. I give you that compliment because I can tell that you have responded to the promptings of the Second Vatican Council. It is abundantly evident from your photos that you have been moved toward the "noble simplicity" in liturgical rites, called for in the Council's magnificent document on the Sacred Liturgy. You are to be congratulated on simplifying rites, using less grandiose sanctuaries, and bringing the liturgy so close to the people, it is actually in their living rooms! This is truly a fruit of the Council. May you continue to serve as credible witnesses to the Second Vatican Council. May the rest of the Church follow!

And I was graced with this response:

I must say that yours is a very odd email. If you read the website, even cursory reading, you would know that V2 invented a new non-Catholic religion. The Catholic Church under Pope Pius XIII has condemned V2 and its leaders and its fruits. Your email implies that the Catholic Church is pro-V2...how WRONG that is.

In subsequent reading of your email, it appears that you have written this as a parody, perhaps as an attempt to mock God's one true Church. If so, may God have mercy on you.

Fr. Lyons

A parody? Moi? You think so?

Genius and a Happy Life Oft Meet Not

I was saddened to read of the untimely death of Spalding Gray. Mr. Gray was a very talented author, actor, and monologist. I became acquainted with his work in the movie, "Swimming to Cambodia," where Gray tells the story of his part in the movie, "The Killing Fields." He had a passionate, almost neurotic, obsession with observation and language.

Of course with genius came some self destructive tendencies, and these apparently got the better of him. May he rest in peace.

New Ecumenical Efforts

As a convert to the Catholic Faith, ecumenism is, almost, by nature, a subject of interest to me. "After all, I was able to scale the fence why can't they", I say. But I am dubious that excepting the Orthodox and certain sedevadicanist groups we will see the traditional arm of Protestantism return to the Church en masse. So here at CRM, I would like to introduce you to one of my favorite anti-Popes, Pope Pius XIII. Here's a picture of him at his election.



Looks good, right? Of course running the new papal states can be expensive, so I would like to suggest to "His Holiness" that he think of creating a "brand". All of the products could include the word "Papal" as part of the franchise.

Take a look at this picture from the burning of the ballots of his election.



What does that remind you of? It reminds me of pancake syrup. So the ad line might be, It's so wonderful / to start your day / the Papal Maple Syrup way. Then a shot of thick wonderful maple syrup pouring over pancakes or waffles. The announcer could explain how early each morning the "Holy Father" goes out with the only priest he has ordained, Fr. Robert Lyons, to gather each golden drop of maple sap for their syrup. They would wear a feriola and a gremial because face it, the feriola is so darned pratical and the gremial would be wonderfully functional in this case. Of course, you would have to run a separate ad for Lent so that no bacon or sausage would be featured. After the syrup spreads over the plate, the announcer voice comes back on, saying Papal Maple Syrup. It's infallibly delicious and indefectably good!"

For more pseudo-pontifical hijinks, surf over to True Catholic. But if it starts making sense, lay down, take a shot of bourbon and place the Catechism on your head.

It's Either This or That!

Please check out this picture from the Kerry Campaign. I picked it up at the Drudge Report. Here's a link to the associated article.



Now, where do you think he is speaking? It looks like a church. So here is today's this or that. Either this is a case of someone exploiting the DUMBEST Catholic priest in town or that John Kerry loves his Catholic Faith so much that he will spend Sunday in a Protestant Church. Either way, the U.S. loses.

What's a priest to do?
I was really flabbergasted. Back in December a young Hispanic boy came to the rectory door, a running truck with tinted windows was waiting for him in the parking lot. I assume the truck contained a parent, probably his father. The boy was looking for some youth meeting of dancers in preparation for the celebration of the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Since I was not aware of where the meeting was taking place, I led him over to the parish hall. And then I saw it.

On the gate of the truck bed was an ENORMOUS white Playboy Bunny. I couldn't believe it. I mean, folks, you can't miss this thing -- it takes up the entire center portion of the truck gate. The driver, presumably a male parishioner, drives around town advertising pornography and, most likely, his addiction to it. And, I guess he sees nothing wrong with it. After all, anyone who sees the truck can't miss this ad. Furthermore, I can only assume as much since he must feel comfortable parking this truck in the church parking lot. He even brings his son to parish events in it. I can't imagine driving around town with such a thing on my car, much less actually coming to church and parking my car in the lot.

And, the next concern I have as a priest, is that young boy. What is he learning? How likely is he to grow in holiness, to be serious about discipleship and conversion, when he realizes (if he hasn't already) what that bunny means?!

I don't know what to do. It seems like something should be said. The next time I see that car parked somewhere in town, I think I am going to find the driver, ask him if he is a parishioner, and then question him on the bunny.

Wait a minute! Is that...
...Andrea Bocelli and Celine Dion or maybe Josh Groban and Charlotte Church at the parish penance service? One would think so, considering that the popular song "The Prayer" was used after the first reading at one parish I visited to assist with Confessions. No, it was not my parish, or Fr. Tharp's. By the way, I really like the song -- I sing along with it when I hear it -- but in NON-LITURGICAL settings, please!

When will the madness end? How long, O Lord...?

A welcome surprise

Well, kids, I didn't think I would have anything to blog about. Silly Rabbit. Thanks to Jeff, the Curt Jester and Victor at Et Cetera for this. This is going to push up my pitching of the series based on my fantasy life as a secret agent, "Fr. Tharp, Priest of Rome." I thought Dave was working on the PITCH but SOMEONE dropped the ball...(Just a jest, we have been kicking that around the office for a couple of years now.)

And speaking of rabbits...this is both strange and wonderful.

No Soliciting
What does that mean? It is clearly posted at the entrance to this town's movie theatre complex. Would you think it ought to apply to a local Baptist pastor handing out his ecclesial community's fliers WITHIN the theatre complex, directly in front of the entrance to the particular screen showing "The Passion?" But apparently that is what happened. A seminarian from this parish informed me the pastor was handing out fliers as people were exiting the screening of "The Passion."

I have a good mind to call the theatre, not to lodge a formal complaint, but simply to ask when I may come and invite movie patrons to Stations of the Cross -- assuming the manager would want to offer equal time to all of the clergy in town. If nothing else, I am sure my assumption of equal opportunity would alert the manager to enforce his own policy before things get out of hand with every minister requesting an opportunity. If it weren't for the fact that the manager gave that special free screening to local clergy, I would probably call him.

Of course, but the real issue is what I see as taking advantage of people who have just had an intensely emotional (and spiritual?) experience. Perhaps my cradle Catholicism a priori sets me against such street corner, doorbell ringing, typically Protestant methods of "evangelization." But isn't there something objectively wrong with this too?

Graces in the Panhandle
Last night was my parish's Lent Penance Rite, where we invite many priests to come and assist with Confessions. The priests represented five states: Oklahoma, Kansas, Texas, New Mexico, and Colorado! Yes, ministry out here in the far western reaches of Oklahoma requires cooperation with priests from other states who are nearer to us than the rest of our own archdiocese. Fr. Tharp was also here to assist; I will return the favor at his parish in a few weeks.

Considering penitents, the service was well-attended. I know I heard about 19 confessions. Assuming that was about average (I know some priests heard more, some less), then we had at least 200, maybe upwards of 225, people in attendance.

I had not one native English speaker come to me. I wasn't expecting that. Certainly a large part of my work in this parish is Hispanic ministry -- Hispanics are the majority of our parishioners. A significant portion of that majority speak no English whatsoever. If truth be told, Hispanics are also the reason this town has not dried up. They come here for jobs, largely at the local hog farms and the pork processing plant, and they prop up the population since, by and large, Anglos aren't reproducing.

Though I say the Holy Mass in Spanish and do Baptisms too, I try to avoid confession because I don't have much conversational ability. I can read the language perfectly, without an American accent, but that's because I am reading from a book or text. When it comes to speaking and understanding what someone is saying to me, it is much harder. But I guess that so many of these people have seen me offer the Holy Mass in their language, they naturally assume I must be able to handle it. I didn't do half bad, but it isn't a very comfortable experience for me. Most of the people who came to me last night were Hispanic children making their first Confession. In retrospect, it doesn't surprise me they came to me. I had spoken personally to each class in preparation for this Sacrament to explain what to do, to show them the Confessional, and to answer their questions. I am sure since they saw me in an other-than-Mass setting, I was a bit more of a familiar, friendly face. I don't write any of this to say I regret last night, it's just another one of those experiences I never thought I would have. I suppose their is one regret: I wish more of our Anglos would come to Confession.

Teach me how to pray!
Following the prompting of at least two gospels from this past week and today's account of Jesus ascending the Mount of the Transfiguration, my homily this week was about prayer. Specifically, I think a lesson we can learn from Peter's being too quick to speak and to plan and to do, is precisely what the voice from the cloud said: "This is my chosen Son; listen to him." And then Peter, John, and James, "fell silent." We too need to go away to a quiet place, to listen and to be silent. Lord knows we provide ourselves enough distractions in prayer (a problem the Catechism calls a habitual difficulty, cf. CCC 2729).

Anyway, thinking about prayer and the constant work to grow in its exercise, tenderly calls to mind what I think is my first memory of prayer. It comes from a prayer card given to my Holy Child Academy Kindergarten class in Memphis, TN, by our teacher, Sr. Mary Samuel, O.P., of the Nashville Dominicans, now one of the four foundresses of the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist. She can be seen on the far right of this picture. Here is the prayer:Lovely Lady dressed in blue-----
Teach me how to pray!
God was just your little boy,
Tell me what to say!

Did you lift Him up, sometimes,
Gently on your knee?
Did you sing to Him the way
Mother does to me?

Did you hold His hand at night?
Did you ever try
Telling stories of the world?
O! And did He cry?

Do you really think He cares
If I tell Him things-----
Little things that happen? And
Do the Angels' wings

Make a noise? And can He hear
Me if I speak low?
Does He understand me now?
Tell me----for you know.

Lovely Lady dressed in blue
Teach me how to pray!
God was just your little boy,
And you know the way.

Care to share your first memory of prayer?

Killing me softly with his song
And who is he? Tom Conry. It is the start of the second week of Lent and it finally happened. Ashes -- the song! If truth be told, it should really be "killing me swiftly." Aaaaagggghhhhh!

See Fr. Keyes' treatment of this at the New Gasparian. Also, an article by George Weigel on sacred music is quite good, as are most things George does.

The other thing that kills me is the replacement of the responsorial psalm chosen by the Church with songs adapted from or loosely based upon a psalm. What happens when I, as the homilist, want to make hefty reference to the psalm, only to have it pulled out from underneath my homily like some worn rug? It reminds me how much the priest needs to be involved in clearly training those who assist in any fashion, as well as training the whole parish, about the very essence of the Holy Mass.

And this is not the fault of the laity. I believe priests have been for many decades now largely laissez-faire regarding the Sacred Liturgy. The laity who are paid or who volunteer to plan and play music are often just thrown into the project with no theological or pastoral training. They do the best they can and they presume, and rightly so, that hymns found in approved books are fair game. Sadly, I'm not impressed with many of the contemporary choices in approved hymnals. I think priests need to be far more involved in all aspects of the planning of the Sacred Liturgy. We need to be far more discriminating regarding musical selections. And please, please, do not withhold Latin from parishes until Lent, promoting the idea that using the Church's sacred treasury of Latin is some sort of "penance."

Psalm 74 has become my cry when considering the ruins of what has been the rape and pillage of the Sacred Liturgy, lo these many decades.

"Turn your steps toward the utter ruins, toward the sanctuary devastated by the enemy. Your foes roared triumphantly in your shrine; they set up their own tokens of victory. They hacked away like foresters gathering boughs, swinging their axes in a thicket of trees. They smashed all your engraved work, pounded it with hammer and pick. They set your sanctuary on fire; the abode of your name they razed and profaned. They said in their hearts, "Destroy them all! Burn all the shrines of God in the land!" (Ps. 74:3-8).