Two very different evenings of entertainment
Last night was an outrageous evening at the Oklahoma City Civic Center seeing "Mamma Mia!" with Fr. Tharp and tonight was the movies with my dad and stepmom seeing "Hotel Rwanda".

Weeks and weeks ago Fr. Tharp had asked if I would like to see "Mamma Mia!" This is a musical written around songs from the 1970's (and a bit into the 80's) international hit band ABBA. Of course, ABBA's songs, despite having disbanded in 1982, still play on and are known by a rather large audience. We've all probably heard the music. The notion of a musical written around this music, I will admit, both horrified and intrigued me. On the one hand, it sounds like a hopelessly stupid scheme to pass as a musical; on the other hand, the music is rather nostalgic and, in its time, it was rather innovative. I think the beginning of the musical itself actually capitalized on these sentiments. A faceless voice over the sound system made the typical announcements for live theatre (regarding no flash photography, recording devices, or cell phones and other electronic devices in use) but added something like this, "A fair warning to our patrons: White spandex and platform boots will be in use during the performance!" It was certainly loads of fun to hear the songs done live. Until last night I had only heard the songs on the radio or on CD. But, what really surprised me was that there is really a story, a legitimate plot to the show. Granted, the plot may be a bit thin, but it wasn't nearly as thin as I had anticipated. There was minor tragedy, conflict, and resolution. And the writers really were clever at how they incorporated ABBA songs into the script. In addition, the very simple set was superbly employed and the actors themselves moved props and helped change scenes in a manner that can only be described as part of the choreography for the show (only done with low lighting). All in all, it was very enjoyable and clever. It certainly won't stand the test of time as memorable drama and -- I pray -- generations from now won't look back on us and see "Mamma Mia!" and the likes as what we ourselves viewed as normative theatre. I admit, I am a bit worried about this sign of our cultural times because "Mamma Mia!" is not the only musical out there incorporating pop songs. We shall see.... I'll let Fr. Tharp add any more details about the show that he might want to share.

Tonight was a very heavy drama about the genocide in Rwanda in 1994. It was an excellent film based on historical events that told the real life story of a man in the midst of this sadly real human drama. The film captured the atrocity and the weight of the tragedy without showing gratuitous violence and without being oppressively bloody. In the midst of the ugliness of the tragedy, the beauty of human goodness was also visible (reminds me somewhat of "The Passion of the Christ"). I think the lead actor (I don't remember his name) performed exceedingly well. As an African man he was very much involved in, and overwhelmed by, the events of the unrest in his country. But the movie also showed how his role as the manager of a hotel-turned-refugee-camp placed on him a certain duty or role that he had to play -- a certain facade he had to keep up -- in order to bring some sense of stability to terribly frightened people. Ultimately, of course, this was a role he played to save lives. It was gripping film. It made me think about the larger connections we all ought to know and feel as members of the human race. It made me think how easy it is to see such terrible storied on the news and to go on, leading my daily life with little impact or even thought to the depth of human tragedy in other parts of the world.

I would highly recommend "Hotel Rwanda" to anyone and, should "Mamma Mia!" come to your town, I think you would enjoy a little 70's flashback!

Notice to Television Executives, et al.
You are likely playing with fire (read: eternal fire (read: damnation)) with programs such as Medium and others!

The Liturgy of the Hours today has a selection from Leviticus, which prompted me to do some biblical research and to open the corresponding section of the Catechism. Leviticus 19:31 reads:

"Do not go to mediums or consult fortune-tellers, for you will be defiled by them. I, the Lord, am your God."

The Catechism goes on to develop this divine injunction:

"Divination and magic
2115 "God can reveal the future to his prophets or to other saints. Still, a sound Christian attitude consists in putting oneself confidently into the hands of Providence for whatever concerns the future, and giving up all unhealthy curiosity about it. Improvidence, however, can constitute a lack of responsibility.
2116 "All forms of divination are to be rejected: recourse to Satan or demons, conjuring up the dead or other practices falsely supposed to "unveil" the future.48 Consulting horoscopes, astrology, palm reading, interpretation of omens and lots, the phenomena of clairvoyance, and recourse to mediums all conceal a desire for power over time, history, and, in the last analysis, other human beings, as well as a wish to conciliate hidden powers. They contradict the honor, respect, and loving fear that we owe to God alone.
2117 "All practices of magic or sorcery, by which one attempts to tame occult powers, so as to place them at one's service and have a supernatural power over others—even if this were for the sake of restoring their health—are gravely contrary to the virtue of religion. These practices are even more to be condemned when accompanied by the intention of harming someone, or when they have recourse to the intervention of demons. Wearing charms is also reprehensible. Spiritism often implies divination or magical practices; the Church for her part warns the faithful against it. Recourse to so-called traditional cures does not justify either the invocation of evil powers or the exploitation of another's credulity."

So, consider yourselves warned. Do not seek power apart from God Himself and do not have recourse to "forces" other than a confident, filial trust in God's providential care for us, His children.

Liturgical Footnote #6
By Fr. J.C. Garrett

After the more somber tone of the Penitential Rite in which we recall our sinfulness and ask God’s mercy and forgiveness, the whole mode of the Mass changes rather dramatically as all present burst out in the Gloria. “The Gloria is a very ancient and venerable hymn in which the Church, gathered together in the Holy Spirit, glorifies and entreats God the Father and the Lamb” (GIRM #53). This is a triumphant hymn of great joy for the redemption we have received. In the Gloria, using snatches from Scripture, we praise Jesus who, like the scapegoat in the Old Testament, has taken on the burden of sin of the enter world and has set us free.

As a hymn, it is preferred that the Gloria be sung; and always with joy! The text of the Gloria may never be replaced with some other text (GIRM #53). If the Gloria is not sung, it is to be recited by the priest and congregation together. It is always to be sung or said on solemnities and feasts, and on all Sundays outside the seasons of Advent and Lent. “Because of the triumphalist joy of the Gloria, it is omitted completely when the whole Mass is of a penitential or simple character, in Advent and Lent and on ordinary weekdays” (Fr. Francis Randolph, Know Him in the Breaking of the Bread: A Guide to the Mass, Ignatius Press, p. 59).

Some Random Thoughts on Church Architecture
I mentioned in my "I'm Back" post that during my vacation to Williamsburg, VA I had the opportunity to visit two new churches, and that I would make some comments about the architecture. First allow me to make this caveat: I AM NOT AN ARCHITECT, Jim ( ala Dr. McCoy for all you Star Trek fans). My advance degrees are in Counseling Psychology and Theology. The Theology degrees give me some understanding of ecclesiology, which should be somewhat reflected in church architecture, as well as having me read some documents on the subject, so the following is my somewhat education but FAR from expert opinion. Agree or disagree with me as you want, as long as we keep it charitable.

The one parish I visited was St. Bede parish in Williamsburg, VA, and the other was Immaculate Conception BVM parish in Birdsboro, PA (where I picked up my priest friend). Both are not new parishes persay, rather both where parishes which outgrew their current facilities and built new ones. I think this is an important distinction because this means that each parish had a history, people in the past had donated funds and items for the original churches, so there was something of a legacy to perserve.

St. Bede's was still being worked on when my friend and I visited it, but they were clearly already using it for worship. The day we visited the big project was installing a very large organ. The church is designed in the round. Personally, I do not care for churches in the round, but I recognize that this is a traditional design for churches. From what I read, ideally in a church in the round the central focus of the design should be the Altar of sacrifice. When we first entered St. Bede's there was a large "gathering space" (I still prefer the term narthax) and off to the sides were a couple of hallways with offices (presumably for the parish). I even noticed a kitchen. On either side of the main doors into the church itself were some legacy artwork from the original church: one was a wood carving (I think they call it something like a redoube) with the Trinity and the BVM. It had a high Middle Ages/English design to it, and was very beautiful. Opposite to it was a large, iconish painting of the life of St. Bede; also very traditional and very beautiful. Then we entered the church. As should be the question whenever you enter a church, we both asked ourselves, "Where's Jesus?" In other words, "Where is the tabernacle?" Certainly our eyes did not quickly spy where they had taken our Lord. While the Altar was in the center of the circle, it was dwarfed by the HUGE organ they were installing. Clearly the central focus of this "worship space" was the music. While I love beautiful, liturgical music (and I am not sure that would be the type of music offered at St. Bede's) it is a creation of Man, the creature. We turned to our left, and there behind us to the left, in a room all to Himself, with a nice window to the church, was our Lord. If there was stain glass it was hardly memorable. The ceiling of the church seemed low, certainly no real vertical dimension to lift our spirits upwards towards heaven. While not the ugliest church that I have ever seen, it was just another very forgetable modern church that hardly inspired any sense of the sacred. With very little modification you could turn it into a lecture hall or performance hall. As we turned to leave we noticed the final "insult" -- a "feel good" incipid "Covenant" with the local Lutheran parish, basically pledging friendship and joint worship opportunities. Parishioners were encouraged to go to the "covenant" partner parish for some Sunday worship. No mention was given that it would not suffice for the Catholic's Sunday obligation. Disappointing is to state things very mildly.

At the end of the vacation, when I dropped my friend back at his parish, we went to the new parish complex that is being built. The school and the church are complete, and they are finishing the rectory and parish office. The parish is named Immaculate Conception BVM, and I am connecting a link to some photos of the church. In my humble opinion, simply put, this represents some of the best in contemporary church design. While it is true that the granite and marble masterpieces of the past are probably not possible for most parishes (both economically and practically because so much of the artisans needed no longer exist), it does not mean that just because you have to use more affordable and available materials that the church has to be ugly. Immaculate Conception BVM sits about 900, so it is big, but at the same time it does not feel as if people are sitting a far distance from the altar. It is a cruciform design (OK, I prefer that so it might have made me a bit more positively disposed). There is a good size narthax in the back. For first thing I noticed was that the church had some color. Too often, IMHO, modern churches have dark earthtones. While some may disagree with the choice of color (the walls of the main church were something of a peach color, though in two shades, and the tabernacle was in space with what I thought was a very nice dark red), I thought it was nice. The first thing you notice is the huge crucifix which is hanging right over the Altar of Sacrifice. It is very nice, though I think a tad too big -- reduce it 20% and I think it would still be significant but not over dominanting. Next you noticed the very nice baptismal fount at the back of the church. I did not get the full history of the fount, so I am not sure if it is new, used or from the original parish. It does have what seems to be part of an old altar rail around it. It is marble and very classic in design. A closer look at the Altar shows that it is designed in the same pattern as the baptismal fount. The church has nice wooden pews, on a tile floor. The ceiling is high. The stations of the Cross are mosaics, and I am told that they were originally in a church that was closed. The stain glass windows were from a closed parish in Philadelphia, and of a craftsmanship that is hard to find today. Since they wanted larger windows, the original stain glass windows are surrounded by what looks to be blown, white glass borders. In the four "corners" of the where the arms of the cruciform comes together they have alcoves for four statues of saints. I was informed that they are the same saints whose statues were in the original church, although the statues themselves are new. There are devotional candles infront of each alcove. There are two huge stained glass windows in the center part of the church (where the "arms" are), also classic designs from a closed parish in Philadelphia. Behind the main Altar there is a beautiful grill, behind which is a big tabernacle tower of marble with a lovely tabernacle. I am told that the tower and tabernacle was from usedchurchgoods.com, a site that "rescues" church art from churches that are closed, mostly from Europe. So while the main part of the church was of contemporary materials (the walls, floors, etc.) there was enough classic church art to tie the church to the tradition. The lighting is modern, but excellent; designed to call attention to the particular worship happening in the church. In other words there was a setting for "between Masses", another for "Weekday Masses", one for "Adoration" (almost all dark, with spots on the Altar where the Monsterance would be), and then very bright for Sundays and Solemnities. I was hugely impressed, and cannot wait for my friend to put even more photos of the church on the parish website. Truly a testament that modern churches can invoke a deep sense of the sacred was still being affordable.

How Utterly Fitting


You are 'Latin'. Even among obsolete skills, the
tongue of the ancient Romans is a real
anachronism. With its profusion of different
cases and conjugations, Latin is more than a
language; it is a whole different way of
thinking about things.

You are very classy, meaning that you value the
classics. You value old things, good things
which have stood the test of time. You value
things which have been proven worthy and
valuable, even if no one else these days sees
them that way. Your life is touched by a
certain 'pietas', or piety; perhaps you are
even a Stoic. Nonetheless, you have a certain
fascination with the grotesque and the profane.
Also, the modern world rejects you like a bad
transplant. Your problem is that Latin has
been obsolete for a long time.


What obsolete skill are you?
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Rose day ... liturgically speaking
Shucks ... only the second time the liturgy allows the use of Rose-colored vestments has come and gone for another liturgical year. The characteristic of joy is highlighted on Laetare Sunday, the Fourth Sunday of Lent. The lighter color vesture serves as a reminder that we are more than halfway through Lent, approaching the great feast of Christ our Light (the Resurrection), and that joy and repentance are not mutually exclusive traits for the Christian. We can, and should, be joyful in the midst of our penances, in the midst of the simplified and somber season of Lent, because we are being drawn closer to Christ and renewed in his likeness! How could we not be joyful? Laetare Sunday, now past, reminds us that this season of penance and conversion is joyful, indeed, as one of the Lenten prefaces states (perhaps that has sounded awkwardly in our ears if we have heard it before): "Lord, each year you give us this joyful season..."

Sometimes, due to having ashes smeared on our heads, reflecting on our sinfulness, and struggling with our unruly body's demand for the thing given up for Lent, we forget how joyful we should be that Christ freely bestows on us his grace that our baptismal dignity may be restored!

Laetare Sunday (The Fourth Sunday of Lent), Year A
Readings: I Samuel 16:1b, 6-7, 10-13a; Psalm 23; Ephesians 5:8-14; John 9:1-41

Most of us know the unique torture that is a bad case of flu. You can feel it come on; you can feel your strength go away until you are too weak to anything more vigorous that watch TV. Then, that happy day comes, when you recognize that you are on the mend. You aren't well, but you aren't going to get sicker. That is what this Sunday of Lent is like.

The Fourth Sunday of Lent is traditionally called Laetare Sunday. It is a Sunday in which to rejoice but at the same time, knowing that Lent isn't over. We haven't reached Easter, but we can see it coming. This Sunday brings us to examine our sources of joy. Joy is different from happiness, but it might be hard to see.

When we think of David, we normally put him at the end of the journey of his life, crowned as King of Israel and Uniter of the Kingdom. His Kingdom is a reflection of the Heavenly Kingdom. He gives us the first transitory taste. In today's first reading, however, the story is completely the opposite. Here, we see the runt of the litter, from a family with little or no influence, from a family with no money or power, elevated to the office of King. What's the underlying message? The only reason David is King of Israel is because God chose him to be.

When we encounter the man born blind, we deal with someone else who is also an absolute nothing, from the world's perspective. Being blind means you are as good as dead. You couldn't take care of yourself; you were unproductive. Compound this with the fact his being born blind creates the stigma that somehow a MAJOR SINNER has caused this to happen. That's the background to the behavior of both the disciples and the Pharisees. When Jesus heals this man's blindness, we see the catestrophic reversal for the goods of the world. This man is not the most forgotten by God; this man has been watched and tended by God for this hour of healing. The man born blind, and other like him, are most especially God's possession.

What do these two men have in common? Both of these men are lowly. They have no other resource to defend themselves, except for the intervention of God. The shocking fact is God spends a heck of a lot of time dealing with the lowly. The powerful don't seem to be on the radar; they probably aren't on the radar because they have used their wealth, fame, and power to cloak their movements and cloak their hearts from God.

This brings us to a question about ourselves. If I were to ask for a show of hands of those who consider themselves lowly or would want to be lowly, I don't think I would get many takers. (N.B. When I preached this, I phrased it as "Raise your hand if..." Nobody raised their hands.) We like to present ourselves and all together in charge. However, when we are alone, the truth pushes back on this facade of self-reliance. We are forced to say, "I am lowly because I am sick. I am lowly because I can't pay my bills. I am lowly because I sin." Over and over again, lowliness presents itself as the more truthful state of affairs.

Here then is the secret of Joy. Joy comes from lowliness. It comes from knowing that no matter how disregarded or discarded we are by the world, God never neglects the lowly. He sustains; therefore, we can always hold out hope, and that hope leads to joy. Happiness vanishes all too readily. Happiness from physical beauty vanishes with the first wrinkle. Happiness from a beautiful car vanishes the moment a deer bolts out into road. Happiness from wealth vanishes the moment the stock market crashes.

My pastor when I became a Catholic had a classic line, "Happiness is over rated." I agree. Only those whose blindness has been removed by the waters of baptism, can see that happiness flees, but joy endures.

Beautiful and Delicious

Just when you can't imagine a more interesting use for someone's melons...and get your minds out of the gutter.

In communion with St. Peter's successor
We had a special First Saturday Mass this morning for the Pope. It was fairly well attended. Given the Pope's latest hospitalizations and his weakness, I figured it would be a good idea to have a special parish Mass for him. It was good to join the Church universal in praying for our beloved Holy Father who has so faithfully confirmed the brethren in the faith and has been the rock solid foundation of the Church's unity.

I've got you, Babe...
I couldn't find a good link for this news item, but apparently Cher is suing a company owned by Time/Warner for back royalties that have gone unpaid for the past few years. I suggest the executives of the production studios begin singing Cher's "If I Could Turn Back Time" as a sign of their regret for dissing Cher.

And I really hope that things won't turn ugly for Fr. Tharp, too, for his unroyaltied use of "I've Got You, Babe" at his parish weddings!

Opening Night
Last night was the opening night of "Annie" at the Guymon Community Theatre. It was one of the best opening nights attendance-wise in recent years. And the show went very well. I was able to pastorally attend the parish fish fry, attend Stations of the Cross and assist the associate pastor (who lead Stations) with Benediction at the conclusion, and then, put on my costume and get over to the theatre with plenty of time to spare (my brief scene is at the start of Act II). The schedule works out nicely, especially on Saturday nights when I have Mass first and still have time to get over to the theatre.

Everyone seemed to enjoy the show and I know I enjoyed being involved in it. I think the brief cameo role is the perfect role, generally speaking. You get the benefits of being a cast member and enjoying the excitement, without the anxiety of being on stage the whole time and having to memorize endless lines. There was a day when I was gunning for the lead roles; but, not anymore, thanks be to God!

It's All So Blessed- Damian-of-Molokai-esque

I have a good friend named Grace Gallagher who lives and works with Hispanic seminarians in the Diocese of Puero Plata, Dominican Republic. If that were not enough she also helps to coordinate funds and support for various charitable enterprises in the DR. Her activities remind me so much of the work of Blessed Damian of Molokai. Blessed Damian, before preaching the Gospel in words, built housing and improved sanitation conditions on the island. In essence, he preached with his hands as much as with words. In the end, he shared every sorrow they did. He shared in the death of leprosy. The only part of him that was unaffected were his fingertips where he held the Sacred Host.

Take this as a lesson, faithful readers. We do as much with a strong back and charity to promote the Gospel as clever well formed arguments might achieve.

If you are interested in helping Ms. Gallagher with this work you can contact her at Mustard Seed.

Some Addictive Fun . . . though not Politically Correct.
My sister's father-in-law sent me this link which I have found very amusing. The instructions are simple; click once to get the penguin to jump, click a second time to get the Yeti to swing, and see how far you can go.

Even More Separated at Birth

Readers know of my pechant for noting when other folks who think like me and act like me end up looking a lot like me. You can consider my previous observation about the similarity between myself and Mark Shea. Well, after my interview today, we have found another "brother from another mother."

You can compare first, my very small visage in the upper right of the column. I am the one in the black shirt.

Here's Sean Herriot, one of the hosts of Morning Air:


However, much to her credit, Sally Robb, the other host of Morning Air, looks nothing like me:

(Isn't she as cute as a button?)

The jury is still out on whether or not their news voice, Glen Lewerenz, fits the bill:

Edmond Middle School Students Return After Evacuation

This may explain why Techmonkey Dave was looking for some tools and plumbing implements...

All Said and Done

Ahhhh....That cyber-sigh comes from the depths of my soul. The interview is over. I don't think that I made a boob of myself, but others will have to judge that. I think we will have a segment link available soon, but you can catch the replay of the show tonight, from 6-9 p.m. I think that the interview will be on from 8:00-8:30 p.m., but quite frankly, you should listen to the whole show.

What Pontiff is This?

I have to admit, I don't see it. What say you?

Well, I wanted to get the attention of Cardinal Pell...

Last afternoon, I got back to the parish after a couple of days of business in Oklahoma City. On Sunday, I had my regular 3rd Order Dominican Meeting which was wonderful. I gave a little lecture on how to pray the Liturgy of the Hours, and accordingly Evening Prayer went much more smoothly. On Monday, I took part in the UCO Catholic College Students Fundraiser. This project began under the leadership of Fr. Hamilton when he was the parochial vicar at St. John's in Edmond. The fundraiser consists in a prominent speaker lecturing and a dinner before it. This year's speaker, Dr. Teresa Burke, the creator of the Rachel's Vineyard Retreat, blew people away with the facts about abortion's occurance and the aftermath of abortion. On Tuesday, I sat down and tried to chew through my jugular vein as I attended a Business Meeting for the Priests of the Archdiocese. In truth, it was rendered much more pleasant by having dinner with beloved brother priests, especially my fellow blogger, Fr. H. Also, we came up with an exciting idea, we that is the dinner group, but more on that later.

As I was saying, I returned to the parish yesterday and found a packet from The Record, the diocesan newspaper from Perth in Western Austrailia. Apparently, the paper did a cover piece on CRM and the review was very favorable. However, I forgot to ask for copies for Fr. H and Fr. G, so if the editor is reading this, send me an email so that I can give you their addresses and they can have a copy as well. As for me, I will be slicing this out and having it framed. I am not sure if the article will bring accolades from Cardinal Pell, but we will see.

There was one interesting paragraph that I wanted to share with you all. The unnamed author writes:

Another interesting aspect of what they are doing, although I'm not sure that this was specifically their intention, is that when orders such as the Dominicans first started out they went out into the highways and byways, the markest and the pubs and places like these to preach the Gospel of Jesus. Today, I wonder where are we, as Catholics, doing this? A place called Almost Precious Nowhere, is my guess. But one possible answer is the Internet; it is in many ways, the marketplace of ideas for the 21st century.

To answer these questions, 1.) yes, there was that intention in the blog's origin. Techmonkey Dave, once the blog really hit, said, "What you are doing in the quintessence of the New Evangelization." 2.) Given my third order status, isn't that interesting that he compared the blog to the work of the Dominicans. If I find that the article is available online, I will link it back here.

Only 15 minutes more...

Perhaps, you are sucking down some coffee before dashing off to work. Maybe you are getting ready to go to your morning Chem Lab. Whatever the reason, sit down and click on the link to Relevant Radio and listen to the interview with me, Fr. T, which will kick off in about 12 minutes.

Update: my bad, the interview starts at 8:00 a.m. If you listened, you got the bonus coverage of the great spiritual classic, Abandonment to Divine Providence.

Tentacles galore!
I often comment to Fr. Tharp that his many (worthwhile) pastoral initiatives, which he shares with other parishes (sending them his adult formation series The Borromeo Project, and speaking in other parishes), are analogous to tentacles from his megalomaniacal ego stretching out, spreading his influence far and wide. Of course, this is done in all jest and Fr. Tharp, to be fair, does not have a megalomaniacal ego (his is pretty close, but not quite that bad!).

Well, he's not the only one with tentacles folks! No, I haven't grown dreadlocks, but I, too, am preparing to headline a group of speakers in the coming weeks on the topic of marriage and family life. Longtime CRM readers may recall that last spring Fr. Tharp and I were among the speakers at a marriage and family life conference put on by another pastor in the archdiocese. Well, that pastor was moved to a new parish this past summer and guess what? Now in a new parish and with a college campus ministry program, that pastor has asked us to speak again. This time, rather than doing it all in one day as we did last time, we are each coming on a Wednesday night to speak on our subject matter. So, the influence is spreading far and wide, thanks to greedy tentacles and the pastoral vision of Fr. Mark Mason who has now organized this important formation at two parishes! May God bless his work and ours!

Tonight's Pastoral Extravaganza
You may recall that my parish's Advent Penance Rite had to be canceled due to inclement weather. Tonight was our Lenten Penance Rite and weather permitted! So, here's a summary for all CRM readers of tonight's pastoral extravaganza: 9 priests hearing confessions and almost 300 people receiving this Sacrament (including around 80 First Confessions for the kids)! Christ has renewed so many in this parish by reinstating their baptismal dignity!

I'M BACK...
Hi devoted CRM readers. In case you did not notice, I been away for awhile. I actually tried to post a piece about 10 days ago, but Blogger continues to displays bouts of discrimination against Mac users, and no matter what I did, it would not publish my meanderings from the month of February.

I went away for a week of R&R with a priest friend of mine from the Diocese of Allentown. My parents bought a time-share last year and had a bonus week to use up by March, and they graciously gave it to their loving son. I cashed it in for a week in Williamsburg, VA. I tried to go someplace warmer, but they were all booked. The main goal was just to get away from the ringing phones. A time-share is basically an apartment you rent for a week or so; this one was a nice two bedroom one. Actually they apparently had a lot of activities at this place, but we opted to to rest, did a lot of reading, and explored some of our nation's history.

First let me say, that based on the "off-season" ticket price to get a badge for Colonial Williamsburg, history is not cheap. Wow! it was nearly $30/person for a 1-day pass. We opted to just walk around the "town". What was truly a bargain was the combo ticket for the Jamestown Visitors' Center and Yorktown Victory Center. I highly recommend spending time at both locations. It was $17 for the combo, and you did not have to do both on the same day. In fact, we were not sure if we wanted to do both and they told us to get the pass for just the one (Jamestown) for $11.75, hold on to our receipt, and if we went to Yorktown just show it and ask for the upgrade. Both sites had very nicely organized galleries for looking at artifacts from the respective sites, nice information, a decently done short film -- all before you got to the main attraction. At Jamestown first you go through a reconstructed Powhatan Native American village. There "interpreters" (historical actors) did a fine job explaining some of the basics of Powhatan life, you could even ground corn if you wanted (it was too early to work the fields). Then we went to the replicas of the three ships which brought the settlers in 1607. You could pretty much go all over the ships, and an the interpreters were exceedingly knowledgeable and friendly. Finally we went to the reconstruction of the actually fort; again you could go all over, handle different objects, watch tradesmen work. The actually site of the fort was thought to have sunk into the James River, but has been recently discovered and is about a mile from the reconstructed one. We spent nearly 4 hours there. Yorktown was the same basic format; this time it was a troop camp and a colonial farm.

Today I spent the day finding my desk under a pile of mail, and addressing issues that had been awaiting my return. As we are expecting a snowstorm, and the cook was off, I cooked dinner for the four of us -- hopefully there will still be four of us in the morning. The one thing that nearly brought a tear to my eye from my vacation (besides a visit to the "new" St. Bede's parish in Williamsburg which epitomizes all that is HORRIBLE in modern "worship space" design, but that is another blog piece, to correspond with a marvelously designed new church which my friend is stationed at) was that as we were driving back a stone was kicked up and cracked the windshield of my NEW car (only 4 weeks old today). It is good to be back.

Cognitive dissonance
Sometimes you come across two things which, standing on their own, wouldn't get much notice, but when put together create some cognitive dissonance. Such was the case when I opened the mail a couple of days ago. I read the opening line of one letter:

"The Easter holiday brings with it a time to reflect on the life, death, and resurrection of Christ and the tremendous impact that has had on our lives." The use of "holiday" aside, why the dissonance?

Because of the letterhead. Twentieth Century Fox, Beverly Hills, California. I think Fr. Tharp got this promotional letter too.

Jacob's well: Homily Third Sunday of Lent
I don't usually make a post regarding my homilies, simply because I normally don't have a script and I don't want to take the time to type one out. Today, since the gospel was very long, I had some simple thoughts and so I feel that I can manage to share them without getting bogged down in typing. Actually, I will post the ideas and the story of my homily, rather than the homily as it was given.

I chose to focus my thoughts on the rather simple statement at the beginning of the gospel for the Third Sunday of Lent, a statement that set the scene: "Jacob's well was there." This simple sentence, so easy to pass by, struck me because of what I read a few years ago while doing homily preparation as I was reading a scriptural commentary. The commentary mentioned that if John (the gospel's author) was trying to consistently use "Jacob" imagery in this selection from the fourth chapter of his gospel, we can note that the well was a place of courtship in the story of Jacob's life. To understand this you have to go back to the Book of Genesis 29:1-12. It was at a well where Jacob first laid eyes upon Rachel and fell in love with her, rolling back a large stone to release water to relieve the thirst of the flock that Rachel was tending. Jacob kissed Rachel there and sought to marry her.

The well as a place of courtship really struck me. Now, PLEASE, in my application of this notion from Jacob's story to the gospel of Jesus at the well with the Samaritan woman, I am NOT trying to say that Jesus was courting her in a way that relates to marriage. I'm not writing the Da Vinci Code here! Rather, I think we can make an application that the well is the place where Jesus courts the soul and seeks to give it to drink of his abundance. Jesus (who really is the rock that gushes forth water and, indeed, the very well itself) at the well is an image for us of the love of God in the flesh who courts our souls.

I think most of us have some idea of what it is like to fall in love and to court someone. I think by examining some of what we do when we fall in love and court someone, we can see how we ought to respond to the love of Jesus who courts us. With no intention of giving scandal, I am going to share some sense of love and courtship from my own experience, recognizing that we often don't think of our priests as human, as persons who fall in love. [Note: Let me say in this forum, that the examples I am going to give from my own experience describe, at best, "puppy love" and may seem rather juvenile to many readers. I realize that I could have made all sorts of other examples, more mature examples, of things we do when in love and when courting someone, but the key to my homily examples was that it was my own experience. Since I entered seminary at 19 years of age, I don't have many "more mature" examples, other than the simple ones I gave. In other words, I can only share from my experience and since I wasn't dating in more mature years, I don't have anything to offer from personal experience other than "puppy love" examples. I hope this little note makes sense.]

1. When we fall in love and court someone, we desire to get information about the "other". We ask questions. We see what our friends know about the other person. We learn about the other. I can recall asking, "What are her likes and dislikes?" "Does she like U2?" "Does she like the same kinds of things I like?" We do this quite easily with natural love. What about applying this to our spiritual lives and the love with which we should respond to Jesus who courts us and our faith? Do we seek to get information and to learn about Christ through the Sacred Scriptures? Do we study our faith? Do good books about our faith gather dust at home or do we even own good books that help us learn about the faith? Is our faith taught in the home? I am amazed by the number of misunderstandings I encounter about our faith, even among "life-long" Catholics! If Jesus loves and courts us, shouldn't we respond in love, seeking to know him better, seeking information about him, seeking to know his likes and dislikes?

2. When we fall in love and court someone, we clean ourselves up, we pay attention to hygiene, to how we dress, we use cologne. It is rather embarrassing, but I can remember in high school trying to impress the girls by how I dressed. I would think about what I should wear and, well, if it is this shirt, then the sleeves have to be rolled up, and, oh yeah, the shirt has to be untucked -- that will really attract the girls. I can also remember driving in my car, seeing that I was about to pass a young lady in the other lane ... Suddenly, I was sitting up more straight, and making sure my sunglasses looked just right! We do this quite easily with natural love. What about applying this to our spiritual lives and the love with which we should respond to Jesus who courts us and our faith? Do we take care of what we might call our "spiritual hygiene," seeking to keep our baptismal garment, our baptismal dignity, unstained? We put on cologne to impress others. What about putting on the odor of sanctity as a response to Jesus' love? Recognizing that each and every one of us struggles with temptation and sin, do we get ourselves to confession, to have freedom from sin and to have our baptismal dignity restored?

3. When we fall in love and court someone, we try to be where the other is, near, close by, somewhere where we might catch a glimpse of the other or be seen by the other. "Hey, is she going to be at the party Friday night?" Maybe I wasn't planning on going before, but I will now. And why not go to the mall, and hang out near the pizza stand, because she just might walk out of the movie theatre any second. We do this quite easily with natural love. What about applying this to our spiritual lives and the love with which we should respond to Jesus who courts us and our faith? Do we seek to be where Jesus is, to be near to him, to catch a glimpse of him? What about Sunday Mass? Do we gather where Jesus is present and where his people gather? Do we recognize that we encounter Jesus each and every time we come to Mass and so, we should be here at least every Sunday, not just once in a while, not just regularly (meaning once or twice each month) but each and every Sunday? Do we make visits to the church for adoration? The Lord's Real Presence is here all day and sadly very few people are present. What about Stations of the Cross? Do we come to catch a glimpse of Jesus as he passes by on his way to Calvary, his way to our salvation?

4. When we fall in love and court someone, we talk to the other. We pass notes or send e-mails. We have friends deliver messages to the one we love. We do this quite easily with natural love. What about applying this to our spiritual lives and the love with which we should respond to Jesus who courts us and our faith? Do we recognize prayer as our talking with Jesus, as our communication with the one who loves us and who calls us to respond to him in love? Do we spend time communicating with the Lord, in a sense sending him notes? Do we ask saints and friends to pray for us, to send messages to the Lord on our behalf? Prayer is our privileged communication with Jesus. The catechism, using the imagery of today's gospel, gives a beautiful description of prayer: "The wonder of prayer is revealed beside the well where we come seeking water: there, Christ comes to meet every human being. It is he who first seeks us and asks us for a drink. Jesus thirsts; his asking arises from the depths of God's desire for us. Whether we realize it or not, prayer is the encounter of God's thirst with ours. God thirsts that we may thirst for him" (Catechism of the Catholic Church, n. 2560).

The well is the place of Jesus' courting of the Samaritan woman's faith. Jesus courts our souls too, seeking our faith. In this season of repentance and conversion we should practice some of these natural responses to love in our relationship with the Lord who loves us, who thirsts for our loving response, and who comes to us as the Savior of the world!

An Open Note to the Priests of My Archdiocese

I certainly accept the fact you and I will not always agree on matters disputable or formulate in forms standard. But I would hope that you would have the nut clusters to say it to my face so that it could actually be...oh, I don't know...fraternal correction. Just don't do what this clue-tard has pulled.

An Open Note to Lisa M.

The package arrived. The book is delightful as is the somewhat incomprehensible note from the Mark-ster. However, the howling truly erupted from both myself and Fr. H (he was on the phone when I opened it) when "the surprise inside" was revealed. Unfortunately, mine got lost but I have the surprises for Fr. H and Fr. G.

Thank you for your solicitude.

An open post to Michael:
This is a response to Michael who commented on Fr. Tharp's post regarding abortion as a sacrament of death. I began making this response in the comment box, but it became so long and it deals with such a fundamental difference between Catholics and some other Christians that I decided it might serve some purpose as its own post. You may need to go to the original post and read the comment to understand some of the context of this post. Here goes:

Michael: Yours is a rather bizarre response to the issue of Fr. Tharp's post (abortion). Whence comes the apparent anger? But to some of your points... in all charity, you don't understand what the Sacraments are and what the Catholic Church, founded by and having received her faith from Christ, actually believes about them. Sacraments are not a replacement of God's grace, they are the special, though not the only, vehicle through which He has chosen for his grace to be communicated to us. You wrote:

"I find it so amazing that we could be talking about invisible grace two thousand years after grace covered us all. To me grace is very evident and seen in the lives of all of us that are broken, love Him and have personal relationships with Him."

Notice the equivocation you made there. You assume that because grace is invisible (which it is) that Catholics mean it is not "evident". That is a wrong assumption. Something can be invisible in and of itself, but its presence can be quite evident. Sounds like a blossoming angel discussion. Grace is a spiritual reality, not made up of matter, and so as a thing in itself it is invisible. However, invisible does NOT mean, not real or not evident. In fact, your own words recognize what Catholics mean by speaking of invisible grace: We see grace operative through the things of this world. We recognize grace by its effects (like a ripple in water). You yourself made mention of this by stating that grace is evident in so many lives that are broken. Have you ever seen the wind as a thing in and of itself? But you see its effects in swaying trees, clothes on a clothes line, or a windsock at the airport. Can you describe what grace looks like on its own without recourse to its outward signs seen in creation and in lives of faith? I don't think so. Your own language is sacramental, so please don't cast stones at us who take Jesus on his word that he is present and active in ordinary things of creation which he raises to a special dignity (Sacraments).

Furthermore, when you confront Catholicism, you need to recognize a very crucial basic principle: You impose on us what appears to be a "Bible only" appeal to authority. Stating that "sacrament" isn't in the Word, leads me to this conclusion about you. The problem is that a Bible only authority is your belief system and not ours. You can't therefore use that on us to denigrate what we believe. Catholics have always believed that God's Word comes to us in two interrelated ways (as two sides of one coin): Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition. These are guarded and interpreted by the authority Jesus left to his Church, what we call the magisterium. Therefore, your appeal to "sacrament" not being in the Word, by which I presume you must mean Bible, does not create any holes whatsoever in a Catholic belief system. Furthermore, many words and ideas are not in the Bible, but I bet you wouldn't hesitate to believe or understand that they are real. But the real issue, taking on the core of your argument, is this: Is the Bible the only source of authority? Does the absence of the word "sacrament" in the Bible (the Word) mean it cannot be true? Michael, show me where the Bible says of itself that it is the ONLY source of authority. Show me where the Bible claims that ONLY those things that appear within its pages are real and to be believed. Furthermore, doesn't Jesus himself state that there are many other things he has to tell his disciples? See John 16:12. And so, since the disciples aren't ready for these many other things, what does Jesus say? He promises to send the Spirit of truth who will guide them into all truth (cf. John 16:13). That would be an awfully strange statement from the Master (the Word in flesh) were there no other truth to be guided into. What would have happened had the disciples, once Jesus ascended into Heaven, adopted a Bible only claim for authority? It seems to me such a claim would have run directly into conflict with the promised Spirit of truth, the very Spirit of God! Furthermore, how would the disciples, the early Church, have even made such a claim since the Bible wasn't compiled and finally put together for many years afterward?

I am glad you have read our blog and I hope these thoughts are helpful to you and others. May all Christians have a more evident, visible unity in the one faith established by Jesus and guarded by so many apostles and disciples!

Homily for the Third Sunday of Lent, Year A
Readings: Exodus 17:3-7; Psalm 94; Romans 5:1-8; John 4:5-42

(Please note that this will be most brief as the Gospel is reeeaaalllyyy long this Sunday. Also, this is only the gist; it still needs some work.)

An oft-repeated criticism of Christian faith goes this way. "You Christians don't care about what's happening around you. Because you hope for Heaven, you can put off the things of today." The image conveyed is that Christians exist like Little Orphan Annie -- The sun can come out tomorrow; we don't need it today. Nothing could be further from the truth and our encounter with the Samaritan woman demonstates this.

The encounter begins in confusion and ends with true clarity. That's what's behind the discussion about what to drink. In the ancient world, before pumping stations and purification, water came in two forms. You could get water from a cistern which was drinkable but usually brakish and stale. It was better to get water from a spring, a source of water that is always fresh. The euphamism for spring water is "living water." Hence, she's taking about fresh water; Jesus talks about water that remains always fresh. Because Christ leads her from confusion to see that which her heart has longed for. Jesus leads her though to healing from her sins and thus she is changed. The source of her shame, the multiple husbands issue, becomes the agency for proclaiming the Messiah to her neighbors. "Come see the one who told me everything I had ever done."

Thus transfiguration that we desire is already available: the life of faith and the sacraments of the Church. The life of faith opens the vista of not only one's own existence but also the foundations of reality. The last thing, the very last thing, this woman expected to happen today was stumbling upon her Savior. She encounters him, not in the unusual moment, but in the midst of everyday work. I am willing to bet that all of us want a more profound life of faith. The Samaritan woman shows us that Jesus is waiting, thirsting for our expression of our faith, and He is waiting beside your kitchen sink, your office desk, behind the steering wheel of your car. He is waiting for you to ask, to give you living water to nourish your daily living of the faith.

The life of the Sacraments also allow us to taste living water. Jesus directs her to see that true worship is not locked into a location. Real worship is in spirit and in truth. Each of the sacraments give us grace so that all the dimensions of our lives become consecrated to His purposes. Even if we are separated by time and space, the worship we offer is real because we live a spiritual life rooted in grace and the truth of our faith.

The Rising Sun of the Beatific Vision of Heaven will come out on some tomorrow. Through Faith and the Sacraments however, the finger shafts of dawn dance about the fringes of our horizon. So that we may finish this Lent well, through our penances, let us beg for the living water we need to live.

They couldn't be more wrong if they tried.

I am referring to the headline that Drudge gave to this report: "Pope Silenced." Sorry to burst your bubble, Matt, but he speaks more eloquently now. The blood of the surgery theater cries out to heaven on our behalf. We should do the same. Offer tomorrow's penances for the sake of the Holy Father.

From Bad to Worse...

Folks, I hate to be the pessimist, but I think this is the final hour for our Holy Father. I cannot think of a better tribute to this man who has guided the Church these years than to say that without him, I would not be the priest I am today. While in the seminary, a Jesuit professor from Fordham, Fr. Joseph Koterski, came and lectured about the Holy Father. This was around the time of the release of Fides et Ratio. Because of that lecture, I spent the next year reading and reflecting on the encyclicals of John Paul II. His breadth of knowledge and profundity of insight changed me, I would hope for the better.

He has weathered many storms. The hour of our captain's passing is here. May God grant him peace and securite, true contrition, and a place in the Wedding Feast of the Lamb.

You're never fully dressed without...
...a smile! That is the song I sing in the local community theatre production of Annie. I am Bert Healy, the host of the Oxydent Hour of Smiles radio program in the beginning of Act II. It is a very small, but very manageable, role for a busy pastor. Apparently the local theatre usually hurts to find enough men to fill the roles, so they asked if I could pick up this part. The show opens in a week or so.

Two nights ago at rehearsal I had an interesting conversation with a woman and her teenage son. They attend the local Nazarene ecclesial community. We were chatting along when the woman made mention of Lent and what her son had given up. I paused the conversation and said, "Wait a minute, you all do Lent?" "Oh, yeah," she said, "and all the youth group has to give something up. We do the ashes and everything." I responded, "Wow, that is really interesting. You're just picking up all sorts of Catholic practices." She responded, "Yeah, I asked a few people at our church, isn't this [Lent and ashes] Catholic? But, we do it." Then the son and I proceeded to talk about what he had given up and the nature of what a lenten sacrifice is supposed to be (i.e., we forego a LAWFUL pleasure, not a vice).

I was really fascinated by this. It made me wonder if we aren't on the verge of seeing some Protestants (at least some mainline ones) become more and more Catholic until, who knows, maybe they re-join Mother Church. I pray so.

Your tax dollars at work...
Well, I had to renew my driver's license yesterday. Oklahoma has moved to a very new look for the license. The photos are now digital and scanned onto a credit card type card and your right and left index fingers are scanned and, I guess, put into some electronic bar code on the card itself. Anyway, the lady working at the local Tag Agency couldn't have seemed less interested with my presence and my prompt attention to my duty to have a valid license if she had tried. Even if she wanted to seem less interested, she wouldn't have been able to generate enough energy to pull it off.

She tapped on some photo device as she told me to look "here" for the photo, but she initiated the photo at the very same time as she gave this direction, with the result that I was in the process of looking up and blinking as the camera went off. Folks, my photo on the new license makes it appear as if I am trying to wake up from heavy sedation. It is ridiculous. I have to live with it until 2009. When I saw the photo, I said, "That's a pretty bad picture." I thought the lady might offer to take it again, since the whole thing is digital (it's not like any photo paper would be wasted). Instead, she said, "They all look bad," and she clicked on "process license" to begin the making of the new card.

And to top it all off, you don't even get to keep your old license anymore. You have to surrender it and they turn it into some Department of Public Safety office. That sort of hacks me off. We are basically paying a tax to have a license and then you don't even get to keep the taxed thing you paid for!

Pope readmitted to Rome hospital

Remember the Holy Father in your prayers and sacrifices today. I have been putting off writing a tribute to the Holy Father but I think I will have to start soon. I can't imagine that his body can take much more punishment.

Prayer for the Pope
V. Let us pray for John Paul, the Pope.
R. May the Lord preserve him, give him a long life, make him blessed upon the earth, and may the Lord not hand him over to the power of his enemies.

V. May your hand be upon your holy servant.
R. And upon your son whom you have anointed.

V. Let us pray.
O God, the Pastor and Ruler of all the faithful, look down, in your mercy, upon your servant, John Paul, whom you have appointed to preside over your Church; and grant, we beseech you, that both by word and example, he may edify all those under his charge; so that, with the flock entrusted to him, he may arrive at length unto life everlasting.
R. Amen.

That is so cool

I just got off the phone with a reporter from the Miami Herald. She came across the blog and wanted to do a story on it in connection with Lenten observances. She was a real charmer and it was a good chat. As soon as I have an online link I will post it here. Let's hope I didn't make too much of buffoon of myself.

P.S. Just to quell rumors, I did mention other people's blogs and did mention that Fr. H and Fr. G write here as well. So, you can close that comment, Fr. H.

Catholic Answers Weighs In

I received this via email from Harold in PA and from Catholic Answers in CA. Since I write from the midsection, I want to fill in the gap.

A woman is about to be murdered, and you probably already know her name--Terri Schiavo. Please help us rescue Terri from a horrible death by starvation! The moment her feeding tube is removed, Terri will begin a long, slow, painful death by starvation and dehydration.We need your help NOW to rescue Terri from her cruel executioners. They've already tried to kill her once before, and she fought to stay alive. But this may be the last chance Terri gets. Will you help save her life?

MEDIA LIES
If you've heard about Terri only through the news media, you've probably been led to believe things like this: * Terri brain dead. * She is in a coma. * She's a vegetable. * Extraordinary means are being used to keep her alive. * She wants to die but her parents stubbornly won't let it happen. None of these things are true! Terri is NOT brain dead. She is NOT in a coma. She is NOT in a "persistent vegetative state." And she is not on ANY life-support system.

THE FACTS THE MEDIA HIDES FROM YOU
When her parents visit her, Terri laughs, she cries, she moves, and she makes child-like attempts at speech with her mother and father. Sometimes she will say "Mom" or "Dad" or "yeah" when they ask her a question. And when they kiss her hello or goodbye, she looks at them and "puckers up" her lips.She's able to sit in a chair, she loves to listen to her favorite music, and she recognizes her brother and sister when they come to visit.Board-certified neurologist Dr. Jacob Green of Jacksonville, Florida, who examined Terri, said unequivocally: "She is not in a vegetative state." When asked if it would be ethical to remove her feeding tube, he said, "I'd call it murder."Terri receives food and liquid through a feeding tube because she can't swallow. In other words, Terri depends on food and water to stay alive-just like everybody else! But her husband, Michael, wants to disconnect her only means of food so that she will slowly starve to death. Medical experts all agree that death by starvation and dehydration is perhaps the most painful, the most tortuous, and the most agonizing way to die.Yes, Terri's injury left her disabled. But there are tens of thousands of disabled people who depend on gastro feeding tubes every day, and they live otherwise normal lives. Terri can breathe for herself. She is not on a ventilator. Her vital organs are working fine, which means she is not hooked up to a machine. Furthermore, she is NOT dying or being "kept alive" by artificial means. She does not have a terminal disease, and she will be able to feel pain if she is starved to death.And that could start to happen in the next few days.

THE IMMEDIATE CRISIS
Time is running out for Terri. Her feeding tube could be removed THIS WEEK!!! There is one last court procedure that is being tried to save Terri's life, but if it fails her feeding tube could be removed Wednesday.If that happens then only thing that may save her might be action by Florida Governor Jeb Bush. Governor Bush has already fought to save Terri's life. The last time her feeding tube was removed he stepped in and snatched her back from the brink of death. The Florida legislature even passed a special law--"Terri's Law"--to give him the authority to keep her alive.But then the law was struck down by a judge, putting Terri's life on the line once again. If the courts continue their anti-life crusade against Terri and others like her, the only thing that may save her would be action by Governor Bush.

WHERE YOU COME IN
The attorneys who are fighting for Terri's life have a few more possible ways to prevent Terri's murder. But these are last-ditch efforts that may or may not work. The courts are decidedly on Michael's side--not Terri's.So that means we have to come to Terri's aid-especially through the amazing power of prayer and sacrifice--but also by sharing this story with everybody you know, and encouraging Governor Jeb Bush to do everything he can to rescue Terri once again.Here's what you can do . . . 1.) First, PRAY for Terri--harder than ever before! Not enough people are praying for Terri right now. And she needs our prayers now more than ever.2.) Second, FAST along with Terri if and when her feeding tube gets removed--and then offer up your sacrifices for her. 3.) Third, please ENCOURAGE Governor Bush to do everything he can to rescue Terri. Since time is of the essence, we recommend that you send him an e-mail by clicking this link: mailto:jeb.bush@myflorida.com Or, if you prefer, you can call his office at the Florida State Capitol at (850) 488-4441. 4.) And finally, please FORWARD this e-mail to everyone on your e-mail list. The more people who know the true story about Terri Schiavo and how she is in imminent danger of being murdered, the greater our chances of achieving a victory in this life-or-death struggle between good and evil. It's hard to believe, but there are many hard-hearted people out there who believe that, due to Terri's condition, she is "better off dead." Words cannot describe the pain and anger such sentiments cause Terri's family. This is their daughter, their little girl. And even in her disabled condition, she still has the right to life and the right to be loved and cared for by her family.Terri doesn't have to die. If you'll carry out the steps above, we can win this battle and save Terri's life. Please do your part--immediately--because tomorrow may be too late.

The Sacrament of Death

Without being too inflammatory, our culture engages in sacramental thinking without knowing it. After all what is a sacrament? A sacrament is a visible sign instituted by Christ to give invisible grace. The problem for the sacraments of the world is that their institution is from Satan. In abortion, we see the garden of Eden replayed, where prideful man wants to re-write the rules of engagement. Sex is no longer about bonding and babies -- it's just recreation.

With that said, I also want to acknowledge that the second biggest lie involved in abortion, the first is that the baby in the womb is neither a baby or a person, is that of choice. After working with Rachel's Vineyard for the last several years, the stories you hear from women who have had abortions or those who facilitated them, center on the absence of choice. Usually, there is force or fear involved. This doesn't make it any better; it makes it worse. It points up clear the destructive nature of the act is not limited to what happens in the womb. It reaches spiny tentacles out to corrupt relationships, self-identity, and even the very purpose of our human nature.

May eternal light shine upon the woman who died. May the grace of almighty God remove this blight from our lands and from our hearts.

Silent Before the Shearer

In 1973, we had a critical hour for the life of the unborn. It seems, if I may speak so broadly, that we have reached a critical hour yet again in the life of the U.S. This time, we are asked to determine the purpose and value of the suffering and the weak in our society. Terry Schiavo's case has taken a new turn and possibly a turn to life. What I find distressing is the misunderstanding and superficial analysis of the media. For example, just to take one, you may add more in the comments box, that somehow this is a right to die case. Well, first, the only person who is able to tell us Terry's wishes in this case is her husband, and given her husband's behavior, I am not sure if he is reliable. Second, she's not dying; she simply needs assistance in taking in nutrients. Otherwise, the only thing "wrong" with Mrs. Schiavo is severe brain damage. So Terry is not receiving life support in the technical sense. She is simply being fed. What's so wrong about that? Certainly, if Terry reaches a point where she can't assimilate food anymore, then she would be dying, and the feeding tube becomes life support. Third,

What are we going to do about this? Well, most folks would say call your representative or Gov. Bush or those public officials in Florida. The only problem is that this smacks of activism and not Gospel activity. Let's take this instead as a first step. This week, take one day and fast. When I say fast, I mean eat nothing. Unite your hunger pains to the pains of Terry and her family, and for Michael and his conversion as well. We have to show a love for friend, neighbor, stranger, and even the enemy. If you can't fast, then abstain from an extra thing -- not just the meat on Friday. Third, spend extra time in prayer. After you have done these things, then call the people mentioned above.

I have been very remiss in not mentioning this sooner, but I would like to commend my brother priest, Fr. Rob Johansen. From the beginning of this case, he has been working diligently with Terry's parents to bring this case to a positive resolution. He has shown himself a capable and diligent warrior for the gift of life. A tip of the biretta goes out to him. He currently, I think, is in Florida helping the Schiavo family even as you read this. Here you can read his article "Saving Terry's Life" from Catholic World Report. Or you can see his reprint of the Catholic Doctors' Opinion of the Schiavo matter.

Bust out the Green M&M's

Well, folks, it's official. Things just got weird for the Alpha Ragemonkey. I was called today by the producer of Morning Air, the morning show hosted by Sean Herriot (author of Meet Joe Convert) and Sally Robb (does she have a blog home?) on Relevant Radio. Apparently, Sean and Sally want to interview me on the air (hopefully with a 5 second delay given my propensity to Tourlette's-like swearing) about my vocation and the blog itself. Yes, I will mention the other bloggers here, nor will I try to act as though I have the only blog in the universe.

It's going to be a phone interview, and that's the depressing part. Because I won't be in studio, I won't be able to make the ludicrous demands that my rock star priest status requires. Oh, it is a small price to pay. I will be on air at 7:30 central Thursday, March 3. You can listen online via the link on our sidebar.

My apologies to Fr. Garrett for the delay in getting this posted. Steph

Liturgical Footnote #5
By Fr. J.C. Garrett


After the opening Sign of the Cross, and the Greeting, the next part of the Mass is the Penitential Rite. Some people often wonder why we have such a “down note” at the beginning of Mass, after all Mass is suppose to be a joyful expression of thanksgiving. But why do we have such joyful thanksgiving? Certainly it is because of the redemption and salvation won for us by the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Therefore, the intention of the Penitential Rite is show our need to break away from sin so to be ready to enter into the real action of the Mass.

The priest introduces the rite by inviting all present to recall their sins, and reminding them of God’s loving mercy. This is followed by a short period of silence so that all present, priest and people, can recall their sins and ask the Lord for forgiveness. Note well that the priest is not merely leading the people in the Penitential Rite; he is participating in it himself. No one is fit to stand before the Lord in righteousness, for all have sinned. Yet Christ Jesus redeems all. In the old Mass this was shown by the priest turning to face the people and confessing his sinfulness first, then the people would respond by confessing their sinfulness. In the New Mass priest and people confess their sinfulness together.

The Penitential Rite has four forms. The most common is the Confiteor (Latin for the first two words, “I confess”). We actually use a shorten form of an ancient prayer in which we confess not only to God but to each other and the angels and saints so that we can all pray for each other. When we get to the words, “through my fault” we should gently strike our breast. The second form is not used often, not for any particular reason, and is very short, being composed of two invocations with a response. The other very common one is also an ancient liturgical form, and combines the Penitential Rite with the Kyrie, and is a troped Kyrie, using the invocations, “Lord have mercy, Christ have mercy, Lord have mercy.” Each verse (“tropes”), which introduces the invocation, expresses faith in Jesus, our appreciation of His work of salvation, and our confidence in being forgiven. Some of the most beautiful pieces of Western music are various Chant forms of the Kyrie, and the preference is still for this to be sung, although it can be recited. Strictly speaking the Kyrie is a separate part of the Opening Rites of Mass, thus it is not omitted when one of the other forms of the Penitential rites, which does not incorporate it, is used. The Kyrie, being Greek, unites us with the Greek foundation of our faith, after all the New Testament was first written in Greek.

The fourth option for the Penitential Rite is the Asperges, or Sprinkling Rite. This is most commonly only used during the Easter season, although it can be used during Ordinary Time as well. We are only baptized once, but the Church wants us to be regularly reminded of our baptismal promises to turn away from sin and to be faithful to the Gospel. That is why we use Holy Water so often, to remind us of our baptism, when we first were freed from sin, and became children of God. During the Sprinkling Rite it is appropriate for an appropriate chant to be sung as the priest sprinkles the congregation with Holy Water.

The Penitential Rite concludes with the priest reciting a prayer of absolution. This absolution does NOT have the efficacy of the Sacrament of Penance as it only absolves venial sins. Even though many people do so, you should not make the Sign of the Cross as the priest says this prayer of absolution.

A note Concerning a Death in the Family.

I had the pleasure of having a very swanky dinner in NYC with Otto before his tragic demise. He reveled in dragging me all over the Yale Club and it was a wonderful evening. His blog will be missed, I am certain.

I choose you, Priestachu!

I forgot when we got on this subject last but it had to do with the evolution of this blog. If you hook up with The Truth Laid Bare, he will automatically track your popularity and rate it as an animal phyla. I noticed today that we moved to "Large Animal" after many months of floundering as a marsupial. (It would have been too precious to note that we had been a floppy fish.)

In jest, we thought of making Pokemon cards featuring the Ragemonkey staff as various Pokeman beasties. For myself, I am Priestachu because of my electrical powers of making connections and shorting out arguments. I will leave the others to stake their claim. I also enjoy the fact that Priestachu gains even more powers when he evolves into Bishopchu

Homily for Second Sunday of Lent
Readings: Genesis 12:1-4a; Psalm 33; 2 Timothy 1:8b-10; Matthew 17:1-9

On the First Sunday of Lent, the Gospel reading called us to re-examine ourselves in the light of Christ, to strive anew against the power of temptation, to resist sin. At this point, although, a pertinent question comes up. Why should we battle against sin and temptation? Certainly, the society outside the Church doesn't quite understand what all the hubbub is about. If anything the message of our society is "Lighten up; it's not that important, is it?" On the Second Sunday of Lent, we are given the answer.

You can unfold the Transfiguration in various layers. They peel back to reveal a deeper reality than the surface might suggest. The first layer concerns the two fellows that appear in the midst of the Transfiguration: Moses and Elijah. Moses represents the fullness of the Law as God revealed it on Mount Sinai. This Law forged the people of Israel into a elected, covenental people of God. Elijah represents the fullness of prophecy, being the most important of all the prophets. While all the prophets enjoyed intimacy with God, only Elijah is swept away at the end of his life in a fiery chariot to be with God. These two pillars, Moses and Elijah, the Law and the Prophets, speak to the importance of this moment of transfiguration. You could even say, that this was the reason for which the Law and the Prophets existed, to see this moment. This leads to the next layer.

The second layer concerns the one who is transfigured. Jesus in this moment appears other-worldly. His face explodes with the divine radiance that is properly His. His clothing in even changed to that which no hand on earth could render so white. The divinity of Christ is revealed by placing this transfiguration side-by-side with Moses' own faded glories. When Moses stood in the presence of God, his face would glow. This effect so disturbed the people of Israel that they could not look on this reflected and fading glory. From where does the majestic transformation of Jesus derive? It comes from him: it streams out in every direction. Moses had to reflect; Jesus Christ is the Sun of Glory in human guise.

The third layer concerns the witnesses of the Transfiguration. Peter, James, and John stand mute, struck dumb before the majesty of God manifested in their humble Master. It is most unexpected. But in this moment, in the presence of this apostolic inner circle, we see the beginnings of what the Church will be. In the light of the Transfiguration, Peter wants to stay, and I don't blame him. What every human heart and mind seeks, Peter sees. This inner circle are getting a little hint of what the Resurrection will be. That is what Peter will have to proclaim, and James live, and John write of. "...We saw his glory, the glory as of the Father's only Son, full of grace and truth" (John 1:14b). The Transfiguration then is not only an insight into the ministry and mission of Jesus, or even into the nature of the Trinity. In the Transfiguration, we see the whole made clear: everything has been arranged from the beginning to work to reveal the person of God and to guide all to salvation. Every event, every tree, every molecule exists so that God's glory made be made clear. And this is where the Transfiguration ensnares us.

Notice that the divine glory that shine forth from Jesus isn't hampered by His human body. It's quite the opposite. The human flesh is akin to a lens by which this light is focused into our world. This means that humanity is not somehow opposed to God. Rather, humanity was made to share in God's very essence. What Jesus Christ is by His nature, God, He wants all of us to share in by adoption and participation in His life. The radical destiny for man is deification, to exist by sharing in what God is by His very nature. Here's the hard part.

In my limited pastoral preaching experience, I have tried a lot of different ways to get this point across to people. I have tried nice ways and sneaky ways and indirect ways, and thus far, nothing's worked. The confessional lines are short; the communion line is long. So, I am left to say this the hard way. Every one of us sins. Sometimes we sin seriously, gravely, mortally. When we sin mortally, we don't just make a boo-boo; we kill the life of Grace in us. There is no Transfiguration for us.

When we sin mortally, we are spiritual zombies. We look alive but we are stone dead, and therefore, we are not eligible to receive the Sacraments. If we receive a Sacrament in the state of mortal sin, we multiply the wrong: we compound our previous sin with the Sin of Sacrilege. It is truly a Sacrilege to receive such a noble thing, like the Most Blessed Sacrament, in such a state -- to be so ... casual, so indifferent to what we are taking into our Hands. There is only one solution to mortal sin, and that is the Sacrament of Penance. The Sacrament of Penance is necessary because our sins affect not only us but others as well. Through the Sacrament of Penance, we can begin again because this Sacrament restores the life of Grace in us.

I am sorry that I have to say this in such a "not nice" manner, but it really isn't nice. But it is real. There is a real absence of Transfiguration in our world. I know that when I get up in the morning, the radiance of God's only begotten Son doesn't radiate from my sleep encrusted eyes. My bathrobe isn't shining white as no fuller could render it. So long as we wallow in sin, refusing to fight it, there can't be Transfiguration, for any of us.

So, here we have the answer to the question posed at the beginning. Why bother with avoiding temptation and sin? We avoid temptation and shun sin because we are made for Transfiguration. We are made sharers in the Divine Nature by the gift of Baptism. Now is the time to clear off the windows of the soul, through our true contrition and celebration of Penance, and let the light of Christ's grace pour forth from us.

Another anniversary
Fr. Tharp, in his remarks about the one year birthday of this blog, threatened unilateral blog format changes. He pulls this every once in a while, making sure not to consult me, in some pathetic move to remind me that he actually started the blog from day one and that at any moment, totally dependent upon his graciousness (or lack thereof), he can do whatever he wants with it without consulting me or others. It is always back to the original battle with Fr. Tharp -- maintaining alpha male ragemonkey status.

So, since I apparently can't control the things above, I thought I would at least remind readers of today's important CRM anniversary (yes, another one!). It was one year ago today that the blest Oklahoma addition to the blog was made: Yours truly began blogging with CRM on this day last year. I choose to focus on this and other happy events rather than Fr. Tharp's power plays.

An apt description of how I feel most days...
Some people think of me as a relentless pessimist because I point out the flaws in things, like, oh say, people's logic. Some people think of me as a restless optimist because I try to see the good in things while not being naive in the process. However, today's Get Fuzzy nailed my sentiments exactly.

An Impetus to Evangelization

Here's the process. First, find your county. Then, figure out what percentage your county is. Third, if the result is less than 100%, get up off your couch and get to it!

THIS & THAT
I have been rather busy here in the parish, thus the reason for being quieter, even on the comments boards, than usual. Not only have I been catching up on all that I had to postpone due to my illness, but February already had a bunch of stuff.

First there was the "surprise" Catholic Schools' Week Mass for all 1100 students in our High School. Yes, it was a surprise. We had asked the HS campus minister what was planned for Catholic Schools Week, but he never got back to us until the Friday before when he said that he had, without consulting the HS chaplain nor any of the parish priests, planned a Mass in the gym for the entire school for the following Wednesday (both the chaplain's and my day off). He said the time was non-negotiable, so if we could not do it he would just lead a prayer service. I'm not the chaplain, nor the pastor, so I will let them address the inappropriateness of treating the priests as his flunkies who will just jump whenever he calls.

The next day was St. Blaise so I had to be at all three Masses (starting at 6:25 a.m.; yes, THAT IS early), plus bless the students and staff in both schools. While it made for a very long day, I did enjoy going to the pre-school, telling them about St. Blaise, demonstrating the blessing on their teachers, and then watching the young ones come up for a blessing. Some were very excited, others were nervous but you could see them screwing up their courage. They were very cute.

The following Saturday was first Penance. Due to the number of children we had two sessions. I was the celebrant for both. The teachers and parents, and children, really enjoyed it. Yes, enjoyed it. I receive many compliments, and one letter, from parents for how well I put the kids at ease. Several kids asked afterwards if they could come back to Confession again soon. One surprising discoveries since becoming a priest is that I have a gift for working with children. As a psychologist I was not very comfortable doing therapy with children, but I do seem to be able to bring the Faith to a level that children understand, and even can get excited about. And I don't do anything silly. Only for the first Children's Mass did I use one of the Eucharistic Prayers for Masses for Children. They truly are TERRIBLE! Not again! I generally do not even use the Lectionary for Masses for Children because I do not think it is necessary.

Ash Wednesday was another LONG day. Five Masses and four services. I steadfastly would NOT give ashes to people who did not come to a Mass or service, and when I preached at Mass I told them that if they left after receiving ashes, before receiving the Eucharist then they were acting just like the people Jesus criticized in the Gospel. That the ashes were merely a reminder that without God we are nothing, but that the Eucharist IS God. I even made the front page of the local paper.

I started training the new Altar Servers, and Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion, in addition to the typical activities of a priest. I even got paid as a writer for the very first time; for an article I wrote which appeared in the February issue of Homiletics and Pastoral Review. I have been published before, but I was surprised that someone would actually pay me for something I wrote.

Sunday, after the 7 a.m. Mass I am off for some R&R. A week of no phone calls. Of relaxing and reading and sleeping. YEAH!

I sincerely hope someone swabs those chairs with Lysol

Yet another reason to either a.) order in or b.) cook it yourself.

With this wine and with this music,/ how can anything be clear?/ Just wait and see,/ next year may be, the perfect year...
Joe Gillis to Norma Desmond, Sunset Boulevard (musical)

Fr. Hamilton marked the last day of a Year of Ragemonkey; it's my task to mark the first day of a whole new Year. When I think on how this blog began, it's really quite funny. I didn't want to start it. It was the badgering of Techmonkey Dave that put the idea in my head. It didn't hurt matters that I have multiple opinions and many ways to express said opinions. In other words, I am loud mouth that needed another venue to bark from, or should that be screech from. When the blog was only a few days old, I decided that a stategic inclusion was needed; if I hadn't, my comments boxes would be full of his comments. So, under the rubric of "keep your friends close and your enemies closer" I drafted Fr. Hamilton into the troop and I never regretted the decision. (Okay, okay, I occasionally regret it but not for long.) Only recently we added (and here it is the royal "we", meaning me) brought a third into the circle. That gives us our third monkey, Fr. J.C. Garrett, our official east coast corespondant.

This history lesson is for those who were not here in the heady days when the blog began and a readership was formed. Over the last 12 months, there have been squabbles, minor and major. There have been people who read and left, and those who read and stayed. We have strived to cover everything, from the sublime to the ridiculous, with some success I might add. The most rewarding aspect of this work though has been knowing the role that we have played in the Faith formation and Faith support (nay, dare I say, fellowship) of literally thousands of people, about 115,000 at most recent count. Most recently, I received an email from the editor of the diocesan newspaper in Perth, Austrailia concerning an article one of his minions wrote. Without leaving little Alva, nestled against the Kansas border, or a border town in the panhandle of Oklahoma, or the confines of Mercer County, NJ, we have played some small part in the lives of others. For those who have stayed with us, through thick, and my eventual thin, I thank you and you are remembered in my prayers today. Let me also thank our technical staff, Dave and Steph, for their dedication and assistance of the work done. They share in all of the credit for our success; all of the failures are purely on the part of the authors.

As for the future, look for some blog format changes, but these will be done without consulting Fr. Hamilton. Also, expect some new outlets and venues for the CRM team. I wish I had a schmaltz line to go out on, but I don't. So, just keep on doing what you have been doing. Stay tuned.

Check your other pair of trousers, please...

The completion of the first year
Well, dear readers, February 17th marks the one year birthday of this blog. Fr. Tharp began blogging one year ago tomorrow with the curious title Catholic Ragemonkey. And then, two days later on February 19th, I was sucked into the raging ego vortex. It is hard to believe that our one year anniversary is here. All of us at CRM are delighted that our first birthday will probably find us with around 115,000 visitors! We have hit so many milestones and have had so much fun with this blog that we would like to take this opportunity to thank all of you. Please continue to read and make sure to share CRM with friends!

This guy should have talked to that girl with the Listerine...

More Reasons to Feel HAPPY and WARM all over because you voted for W2

Another Reason to Feel all WARM and HAPPY inside after voting for W2

Another Disappointing Setback

Well, I received yet another rejection letter for the Borromeo Project today, this time from Our Sunday Visitor Press. I am thankful that they took the time to look at the submission at all, but it is disappointing nonetheless. I guess in the last analysis that this program is really just for me -- too idiosyncratic to translate to another venue. I think that it will be a blessing to those who will be exposed to it, but it isn't in the plan of God right now for a bigger audience.

This may be for me another lesson in humility and toning back my ambition. So there is a silver lining in everything.

The drive to relate to others
I promised a report on the Clergy Continuing Education Seminar we have had this week. It has been really excellent. The presenter is very knowledgeable, experienced, balanced, and an engaging speaker. I obviously can't get into all the details and specifics, but the topic has been well-presented. The discussion these days has focused on human sexuality and the priest's commitment to celibacy. The bottom line is that sexuality, far from being reduced to mere genital activity, is that drive within each one of us to relate to others, to share ourselves and our talents with others, to be completed by means of giving ourselves to another. This reality of sexuality is operative in every human life and, if the priest's celibacy is to be truly a gift, healthy, and productive, he needs to integrate the reality of human sexuality without ignoring it or repressing it. Rather, celibacy is a gifted response to human sexuality because it brings about unity and community (life-giving), it serves others (self-gift), and it shares with a profoundly lonely world just how the celibate finds God present in the midst of the loneliness that he encounters within the boundaries of a sexual life lived in celibate fashion.

Well, that was probably too much to try to share in this medium and it was a pretty bad summary of the seminar days. Anyway, it has been a very good continuing education event, especially given that truly authentic talk of human sexuality hasn't always been done well in seminary, not to mention that a veil of silence hangs over the topic in many a person's family upbringing.

He fits right in with the Culture of Death these awards celebrate.

If you don't believe me, think it through. Two movies up for Oscars are positive endorsements of assisted suicide, another is the "abortion-as-sacrament-of-the-heroic", and a third for "Tri-Sexuals United" (tri-sexual because they will try anything once). Ah, for the days when art was about something true, good, and beautiful.

It kills germs without any buzzkill...

Usually when someone is drinking Listerine for the alcohol, they are at the end of a very ugly process.

Ruins Support Myth of Rome's Founding

Isn't interesting how we moderns are so quick dismiss that which came before. Of course, I am still hard pressed to figure out how Mars fathered these children or how they convinced that she-wolf to give up her milk...

A Sorrowful State of Affairs.

It should go without saying that this generates feelings of great sadness for this man and his family. The part that the reality TV monster plays in this bothers me (it buzzes about my head like a hornet). Further, I am preparing not to be surprised when NBC heroically notes that they have decided to go ahead and show the program anyway.

From the Bulletin to You

I started providing CDs of various conversion stories as an effort at evangelization. But then, I realized that most folks don't know what evangelization is, so I tried to boil it down to one paragraph. Enjoy!

From the Pastor’s Desk:
After Sunday Mass, someone stopped and asked me what the word "evangelization" means. Evangelization is nothing other than sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ. What is that Good News? That despite sin, suffering, and death, Christ, by His death and Resurrection, has freed us to live eternal life. Evangelization then is the groundwork, the beginning for all the other works of the Church and our parish. The most essential work of evangelization, however, is our good example in practicing the Faith. Our daily striving to be true disciples awakens in others a curiosity about the Catholic Faith and invites them to receive Christ’s gift of eternal life. Unfortunately, people who are strangers to the Faith often turn away because we don't practice what we preach, the logic being, "If you profess it but don't live it, what is it worth?" The CDs the parish has provided are another good way to evangelize your neighbors as are the many magazines and pamphlets that are available. So, get out there and spread the Word!

In Christ, Our True Savior,
Fr. Shane Tharp.

It's another beautiful day here in the Village

Ten points to the first one who knows what I am referring to.

Self-Definitions and Self-Revelations

I was over at Church of the Masses reading Barbara's review of the movie Hitch. Normally, romantic comedies are not my speed, but I might make room for this one. It was something she mentioned in this review that made me think of the following quote for myself. I don't know if I am cribbing (which means making alterations to someone else's work) or out and out stealing (which means well, ... I stole it and don't know who to credit), but here it is.

Barbara mentioned how the film's sensibilities reflected an earlier time, namely that of the 1840's. Then she followed with the question how far back might we indeed go in the movie industry. Now, many of my fellow priests accuse me, usually in jest, of being this "draconian, cro-magnon, retrograde throwback." Thrown back to what I am not entirely certain. Then this quote popped into my mind:

"I might be thrown back. But sometimes being backward looking is exactly what is needed. If you find yourself on a dead-end street, and you realize that you can't go forward for all those pesky houses and fences, there is only one solution: you must turn around and back track to the actual mistake in the directions that you made. Progress is not a dirty word in my vocabulary; it's just not the most important one. It's not even in the top ten. For myself, the first four important words (which in fact are the same word at essence) are: true, beautiful, good, and love. If that's what I am being thrown back to, then sling shot away."

Also, appropos to this post is a quote that Techmonkey Dave and I fashioned to describe me: "Oh, yes, I am a man of the '80s...the 1380s."

Headline: Charles and Camilla wedding 'could be illegal'

Okay, I'll bite. Which law? Natural? Christian Moral? Catholic Moral? Civil? I think it is time for yet another INSIGHT FROM THE CATECHISM! The following is paragraphs 1950-1953:

1950 The moral law is the work of divine Wisdom. Its biblical meaning can be defined as fatherly instruction, God's pedagogy. It prescribes for man the ways, the rules of conduct that lead to the promised beatitude; it proscribes the ways of evil which turn him away from God and his love. It is at once firm in its precepts and, in its promises, worthy of love.
1951 Law is a rule of conduct enacted by competent authority for the sake of the common good. the moral law presupposes the rational order, established among creatures for their good and to serve their final end, by the power, wisdom, and goodness of the Creator. All law finds its first and ultimate truth in the eternal law. Law is declared and established by reason as a participation in the providence of the living God, Creator and Redeemer of all. "Such an ordinance of reason is what one calls law."
Alone among all animate beings, man can boast of having been counted worthy to receive a law from God: as an animal endowed with reason, capable of understanding and discernment, he is to govern his conduct by using his freedom and reason, in obedience to the One who has entrusted everything to him.
1952 There are different expressions of the moral law, all of them interrelated: eternal law - the source, in God, of all law; natural law; revealed law, comprising the Old Law and the New Law, or Law of the Gospel; finally, civil and ecclesiastical laws.
1953 The moral law finds its fullness and its unity in Christ. Jesus Christ is in person the way of perfection. He is the end of the law, for only he teaches and bestows the justice of God: "For Christ is the end of the law, that every one who has faith may be justified."

Now the goal for readers is figure out why these paragraphs leapt to my mind as I read this article. Poor Queen Elizabeth must spend d-a-y-s gazing into the finely crafted bone china tea cup, as she sips at her Earl Grey, thinking "Where the deuce did I go wrong with that boy?!"

Bodies in Rest, Bodies in Motion

I never quite know how to feel about the announcement of new translations of the Lectionary and the Missal. On the one hand, I am all for accuracy of translation and beauty of language. If that is what the adaptions are after, then more power to you. On the other hand, new translations mean months of explanation, months of listening to complaints of "I don't like this..." as though one's personal preferences were a valid criterion for the analysis of liturgical language, months of stumbling through the half-remember former text and the currently being assimilated new text. So, you can color me ambivalent.

However, with all that said, and tipping my hand as someone who took 2 years of Latin in high school and 1 semester of Vergil in college, that whatever is produced has got to be an improvement over the banal and superficial translation of the Canons and Collects we currently suffer with.

Did they get the idea from us?

I would hate to think that anyone thought we might support such "opposition" candidates...

Continuing Education Seminar
I can't recall if I have previously mentioned on the blog that I am a member of the Clergy Continuing Education Committee for the diocese. I joined on in, I think, October 2004, so I haven't been on it too long (the meetings are, at most, once a month). Anyway, today through Wednesday is the first continuing education offering for the priests of 2005. I am anxious to see how it turns out. The topic is on human sexuality and priestly celibacy. Many of the priests thought that, since human sexuality and a serious treatment of celibacy were lacking from their seminary formation decades ago, it would be a good topic to offer some continuing education on. I agree and I hope the presenter is good. Reports to follow.

Social Isolation, Guns and a 'Culture of Suicide'

Commentors are free to reflect upon the power of the theological virtues and their relationship to despair.