From the "Too Little, Too Late" Files

It's stories like these that make my general shunning of newsmagazines completely justified.

Something to Try

Normally, I read movie reviews to help cement my opinion of a movie. The trailer generally tells me enough to make an initial decision -- occasionally supplemented by more information from a good review. The faithful padawan already knows my question, "And who is a good reviewer?"

Over the years, I have come to trust Roger Ebert's reviews. They are brutally honest but at the same time, never insist a movie be more than the movie claimed it was going to be. But for the novices among us, how can they find their own Jedi Master? Well, try this.

Get a copy of Entertainment Weekly or some mag like it and flip to the movie review section. Then write down the movies in ascending order of review, starting from low and going to best. Then watch said movies in that order. The number of films that you would move around tells you how much in sync you are with the reviewer's sensibilities.

P.S. Don't do this all in one day though. Your head might explode.

Ragemonkey Red Alert! Misdirection and the Coming of 1984

This is exactly the moment to whip out my whirling spin-kick of charity and combo it with my fury swipe of justice. Ideas and observations are not abstract unreal things. They carry immense power in their wake and the fact Newsweek ran this story which proved one, untrue and two, destructive to the common good only demonstrates my point. Words on a screen, words on a page are real and are meant to convey real things. When you toy with them you toy with dangerous things indeed.

Now, as I don my Boots of Come-Uppance Rending +2, I contemplate what should happen to Newsweek. "We're Sorry," isn't going to cut it. Mansfield Fox needs to open his grab bag of legal knowledge and suggest some ideas. Given the response and the damage caused by the article, wouldn't Afghanistan be justified in charging the editors at Newsweek with treason or some such thing? After all, the reckless of act of not checking your facts, and running with Hearst's scissors in your hand, fashioning mountains out of pure imaginative vapor, have resulted in the undermining of their country. Isn't that treason? Further, what about a tasty cup of libel thrown in by our own government? Point being, heads had better be prepared to roll at Newsweek. If they don't, I can't see how anyone could take that news mag seriously anymore.

As I write these words I fully understand the irony. My words are strong, perhaps excessively so. I place the words for your consideration. I might be simply angry and feeling powerless over the reckless way some people play with the lives and emotions and safety of others. But I also take responsibility for them. That's why there is a comments box. When news companies feel this free to massage the news, we aren't too far from Big Brother. The only switch will be that those who sought to defend our freedom and protect us from the aggressor will be the aggressors themselves.

Apart from the first response, the rest of the list is just as illuminating and disturbing...

This is how my philosophical universe plays out.

You scored as Divine Command. Your life is directed by Divine Command: Your god and religion give you meaning and direction. “Know therefore that the LORD thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations.” --King James Version of the Bible “Even as a tree has a single trunk but many branches and leaves, there is one religion--human religion--but any number of faiths.” --Mahatma Gandhi More info at Arocoun's Wikipedia User Page... Divine Command 100% Existentialism 85% Kantianism 80% Justice (Fairness) 65% Hedonism 50% Utilitarianism 45% Strong Egoism 45% Apathy 0% Nihilism 0% What philosophy do you follow? (v1.03) created with QuizFarm.com

The real question for our readers is "Are you surprised?"

I guess I'll find something else to do this evening, which is always for the good.

I am deeply hurt!

You know, some people come to our state and they don't visit. I mean, even just guessing where they are coming from in CO, they could have stopped to see Fr. H.

Solemnity of Pentecost 2005, St. Peter Catholic Church, Guymon, Oklahoma. Here is the main altar decorated for Pentecost. Can any astute reader recognize the inspiration for the flower arrangement? 

Perhaps this close-up arial shot will highlight the theme I am hoping you will recognize. 

A culture of death indeed.

Yet more fascinating information about the after effects of abortion. There is something I want to say here. Isn't it curious how the body rejects and fights and reacts weirdly to every action that compromises how it is supposed to work?

Pretty Darn Cute...

although I do have to wonder about the orthodoxy of the couple. Given the sleeping position John is in, one must suspect that Yoga is spoken freely in that house. Mmmmm, syncretism....

=wink!=

An inside peek!

Many people have commented that Fr. H and I have a very interesting relationship and often speculate aloud what our conversations must be like. In the interest of full disclosure, and hopefully not a source of scandal or embarassment, I thought I would show you what those conversations generally are like.



Tip o' the biretta to Comics.com.

Complete the thought...
Here are the clues for what you must complete: Rice-a-Roni, trollies, Golden Gate Bridge and ....??? Anyone? Anyone? The newly nominated Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Archbishop William Levada, until now Archbishop of San Francisco! The Vatican announced today that Pope Benedict XVI has replaced himself the position he vacated by being elected Pope. I had heard rumors that Archbishop Levada might be the replacement. May he serve the Church well in this new post!

Is there anything to this?

Okay, because I believe the summer should not be a time of rest, I am preparing to bring the beatdown on complacency in our vision of our parishes. In January, the editor of Crisis, Brian Saint Paul, published, via e-letter, a list of 23 things that signal that a parish is a faithful parish. In defense of this list, this isn't his idea; he simply trolled for opinions via an earlier e-letter and then tallied the results. So, don't send nastiness to him -- he's just reporting the news.

Here's the list:
23 Ways To Identify a Faithful Parish
1. There is at least one daily Mass. Obviously, if a parish shares a pastor with other parishes, this may not always be possible. But barring that, a parish needs to offer daily Mass.
2. Confession is offered for a set time... not just "by appointment only." The absolute importance of that sacrament must not be diminished.
3. The tabernacle is inside the main church in a prominent place. It's always frustrating to have to play "Where's Jesus?" when you walk into a parish for the first time. I recall once when visiting a church I'd never been in before, I confusedly genuflected to everything from the cantor to a statue of St. Therese before I figured out where the tabernacle was.
4. The church has kneelers. Period.
5. The church doesn't have a sign in the front that describes itself as a "Catholic Community." I know, this one seems petty at first, but it tends to be true. If a parish has an objection to the word "church," that's a good indication that a larger problem exists. And if that parish magnifies the nonsense with a sign that says something like, "An Open, Inclusive Community of Catholic Christians Who Care and Share," stop, turn around, run.
6. As you enter the church, you see people in the pews in prayer or, at least, reverent silence. If, on the other hand, it looks like social time down at the bingo parlor, that's a bad sign.
7. The Mass is not intentionally altered through the use of inclusive language.
8. The Mass is said according to the General Instruction of the Roman Missal and the instructions of the local bishop. Improvisation is great in jazz. Mass isn't jazz.
9. The gospel is not being read, nor the homily given, by someone other than a priest or deacon.
10. Latin has pride of place in the Mass. It's right there in the documents of the Second Vatican Council. That should be reflected in the liturgy itself.
11. The bread for the Eucharist isn't made with added ingredients not allowed by the Church. Honey, for example.
12. The liturgical music focuses on God, not the community. We are there, after all, to worship Him, not ourselves. And there's never a good reason to sing songs about bridges over troubled waters. You can do that at home, Mr. Garfunkel.
13. Extraordinary ministers do not outnumber the parishioners. There's a reason, after all, that we refer to them as EXTRAORDINARY ministers. We only use them when there are too many people for the priest and deacon to handle.
14. If you're able to find the mission statement of the parish (it's often carried in the bulletin), make sure it says something about fidelity to the Magisterium of the Church.
15. And while you're thumbing through the bulletin, see if there are other good groups there, like the Knights of Columbus, Legion of Mary, St. Vincent de Paul, and Holy Name Society. A faithful Bible study group is also a great sign.
16. The parish offers some form of Eucharistic adoration.
17. The parish has an active Pro-Life ministry, as well as a ministry that cares for the poor.
18. The priest wears his collar. Now, obviously, if you see your local pastor jogging one morning, he's not going to be wearing his clericals. But a priest should generally look the part. It's an important witness to the secular world and a sign that he recognizes the great value of his own vocation.
19. The pastor isn't afraid to preach on the tough issues: abortion, divorce, contraception, cloning, etc. That's not to say that every homily should cover those topics. But a priest should truly believe the Church's teaching and defend them without pause.
20. The parish's marriage preparation program includes instruction in Natural Family Planning (NFP). And if someone involved in the program describes NFP as "the rhythm method," go immediately limp and drop to the ground. With luck, he'll think you passed out and will take you to the emergency room, far, far away from that parish.
21. The church has a vibrant religious education program for both children and adults based on the Catechism of the Catholic Church. You might also try to find out who's involved in the program and where they received their own formation.
22. The church's Website doesn't link to dissident groups like Call to Action, Voice of the Faithful, or Catholics for a Free Choice.
23. If there's a literature rack in the church, look at the publications the parish is carrying. Dissident magazines or newspapers tend to go hand in hand with a dissident parish. On the other hand, should you see a copy of Crisis in the rack, join that parish. The pastor is clearly a man of great taste and refinement.

Clearly, there is a sense of humor in at least the last comment. That brings up an interesting question. I wonder if Crisis and Envoy have a parish subscription rate?

Using this list, my parishes score overall a 17 out of 23 or a 73%. I felt that six of the statements need review. On #10, I have tried bringing Latin into the liturgy but there has been a general malaise (non-responsiveness) to its presence. That would suggest a new tack is needed. On #12, I need to review the parish's music and the selection. Granted, I think generally this is a major struggle because of the generally poor selection of really theological excellent music available in English. But there are some that just need to be expunged or at least talked about. On #14, the only mission statement hangs in one of the mission parishes I serve. If there is no mention of fidelity to the Magisterium, then it will come down. Personally, I think that mission statements for parishes are silly. If a parish wants an excellent and faithful mission statement, then I would refer you to Matthew 28:18-20: "Then Jesus approached and said to them, 'All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me.Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit,teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.'" On #17, I am not sure how to make that happen given the very small size of my parishes. However, the parish has a reputation in town as one that helps people, especially with financial assistance. On#19, I have a problem with this one only because I feel particularly compelled to preach from the Lectionary. Therefore, the texts don't often don't tie directly to those issues. This is not to say that I haven't preached on these things. The parishioners did not know what they were in for on Divine Mercy Sunday where the homily tied together Divine Mercy, the death of John Paul, and the execution of Terri Schiavo. (Basic point of that homily: our society is doomed because it worships at the altar of cruelty for the sake of convenience.) It's just some times I have to remind myself to address it again. On #22, we don't have a website so I didn't give myself any credit for not linking to those creeps.

If anyone is now interested in moving to Alva, driving directions and other information can be provided. If you are currently in orbit, this is what you are looking for.

Yet another favor received

With the news that the cause for canonization of John Paul opened, I thought I would share this with all the readers. I received this via email yesterday.

"The other night I had a crying session at Church due to my frustration over searching for the right job. I have been job hanting for a few months now and (embarrassingly) have sent more than a hundred resumes with no responses. I recited the prayer for Pope John Paul. Lo and behold, the next day, I received two phone calls for job interviews. I consider these miracles because I just submitted my resume to both companies two days ago."

God is so good in all his works!

Santo Subito!

For those who scoffed at my immediate composition of a prayer for John Paul's canonization, I will simply make the sound of raspberries in my rectory for your benefit. You will have to imagine what they sound like.

If you can spare a prayer...
say a quick one for me and for the classmates and friends of Martin (my young parishioner who died two weeks ago). Tomorrow, Friday morning, I am going to visit the Junior High to speak to the kids and to have lunch with them. I have never gone before a group of kids in this kind of situation before. I don't have a plan of what to say and I don't know what they may want to talk about or what they will ask. I am simply planning on sharing their pain and reminding them that there is hope. I'll leave the bulk in God's hands through your prayers. Thanks in advance!

Was the secret base under an active volcano too much of a giveaway?

I'm A 1950s Geek

You're smart... and also slightly maniacal. There's just no hiding plots for world domination, sorry.

find your geek decade at spacefem.com

The Gauntlet's Down

Fr. Tucker challenged me (and the rest of the CRM troupe) to respond to this question: "List five things that people in your circle of friends or peer group are wild about, but you can't really understand the fuss over. To use the words of Caesar (from History of the World Part I), 'Nice. Nice. Not thrilling . . . but nice.'"

So here they are in no particular order...

1.) Hilary Clinton-related Hand wringing. I know, I know, my standing in lots of circles went down lots of points on this one but what can I say? I don't care. Generally, politics only interests me in the sense of what someone should do. This means that generally I hold the door open for anyone who is willing to dive in and give it the old college try. But the instance a politician or elected official tries to make evil good or black white there will be a response. So, if she runs for president, so what? As the last election demonstrated, the people are not as foolish as we might suspect. If the word gets around, the ship will go down.

2.) Alternate Endings to Movies. For me, this is exactly the explanation for why the qualities of movies have gone swirling down the loo for the last 2o years or so. If you write a story that is logical, consistent, has well-formed and well-developed characters, then the story cannot suddenly end up elsewhere. The only way that can happen is to back up and change an aspect of the story's plotting or action, and then this means re-casting and re-developing a character. In short, if you can write an alternate ending for a movie, the movie's rubbish.

3.) This year's assignments in the Archdiocese. Normally, I am out there handicapping the race every year. I enjoy the idea of who is, in my opinion, a good match for a parish, who might be good for a particular position in the diocese, et cetera. It's like an armchair episcopacy. But this year, I don't care. One, I'm not moving so that kills a lot of suspense. Two, while I enjoyed handicapping, for five consecutive years running, I have missed them all by a wide berth. Usually I could name some one who was moving but miss where they were headed. So, I am hanging up my green visor and leaving that idle speculation to others.

4.) American Idol and all reality TV. Except for one brief obcession with Survivor: Pearl Islands, this stuff is just lost on me. Again, it demonstrates that there is only one god for Americans, and it's name is fame. People will do anything and everything to possess it.

5.) Sports. Yes, this is all sports. Every last one of them. I can appreciate things like soccer, but quite frankly, if the conversation persists longer than say, 16 minutes, check for a belly button. You may be dealing with one of the many clone soldiers that an unscrupulous group has put together.

For those who need a basic refresher on the topic

This may disappear so go there now! It's Mr. Potato Head engaging in the 7 Deadly Sins. Egad! Potato Porn! How embarassing!

It's an embarassment to note that I am ...

It's fitting given the approach of Ordinary Time

you are chartreuse #7FFF00

Your dominant hues are green and yellow. There's no doubt about the fact that you think with your head, but you don't want to be seen as boring and want people to know about your adventurous streak now and again. Your saturation level is very high - you are all about getting things done. The world may think you work too hard but you have a lot to show for it, and it keeps you going. You shouldn't be afraid to lead people, because if you're doing it, it'll be done right. Your outlook on life is very bright. You are sunny and optimistic about life and others find it very encouraging, but remember to tone it down if you sense irritation.

the spacefem.com html color quiz

MORE ON ST. DYMPHNA
I found this, as one of many links, which tells a little something about St. Dymphna. One interesting note about St. Gerebanus, the priest who fled with St. Dymphna (along with the court jester and his wife), this article says that the bones of St. Gerebanus was "transferred" to Xanten. That's a rather kind description of what happened; the town folks of Xanten wanted to add to their relics in their church so one night they "invaded" Gheel and stole the bodies of both St. Dymphna and St. Gerebanus. The people of Gheel went in quick pursuit, engaged them in battle, got the body of St. Dymphna back, and according to Fr. Lovasik's book, had a literal tug-of-war over the body of St. Gerebanus, with the people of Gheel getting his head while the people of Xanten made off with the rest of him. Thanks to one of our readers for finding the website for US National Shrine to St. Dymphna.

OK, all this sounds rather macabre, but given the fact today that most people will walk into a church without the slightest acknowledgment of the real presence of Jesus in the Tabernacle, such devotion to relics of the saints, while extreme, does point out something of what has been lost.

My Anniversary

LayingOnofHandsJC2
Originally uploaded by frjcmaximilian

Actually this is more of just a test to see if I have figured out how to post pictures to the Blog via Flickr. Since I use a Mac, Blogger makes posting anything except for basic text more challenging.

However, my first anniversary of being a priest is this Sunday (Pentecost), May 15. Not only is it Pentecost this year, but May 15 is the feast day of St. Dymphna (no longer on the liturgical calendar), the patron saint of those with mental illnesses and those who work with people with mental illnesses. Since I am a psychologist, I have a devotion to St. Dymphna so I thought is a signal grace to be ordained on her feast day. Interestingly, I am on duty this Sunday, so I have the baptisms, and the only child's mother's name is Dymphna, the only living Dymphna I have known.

The first year as a priest has been a real blessing, even though it has had a big cross, namely finding out I have cancer. I keep meaning to sit down and write a "reflection" on my first year as a priest, but finding the time, especially now that we are down a priest (he got recalled by his diocese in the Philippines), is a challenge.

OK, let's see if this works.

GO TOFFEES!!
I realize that for most people reading CRM this means nothing, but for Kate in Geneva and I, this is a major reason to celebrate. Everton FC clinched a berth next year in the Champions League, and more importantly they beat out their archrivals, Liverpool. My grandfather played on one of the youth Everton teams in the 1920s. Historically, Everton Football Club (soccer for Americans) was the FC for Catholics, since Liverpool FC, which was literally across the park (now they have a new stadium I understand) would not allow Catholics. It is difficult for me, here in the US, to follow the Toffees, but I do, and I love the way the leagues are set up there in European Football. Not only do teams compete to win their conference, but they are compete to avoid "RELEGATION" -- that is the bottom teams are sent down to the lower division while the winners of the lower division moves up.

I, bizarrely, see an important faith lesson in this. In the US sports, the focus is always just on winning the championship, and certainly we should keep our eyes on that goal, of doing our best. Similarly we should keep our eyes on our true, eternal goal -- Heaven. However, in the US there is little real concern or attention given to the "ceiler dwellers", as if there is no consequence to doing poorly. Similarly, here in the US there seems to only be a discussion of Heaven, most wakes and funerals seem to "canonize" the deceased, and almost presume that they are in heaven. One priest I know was "progressive" because he reminded people that Heaven was not the only place we might end up, saying that there is Purgatory. While this is "progress," we must also remember that Hell exists and it is a real possibility for those who live a life opposed to God. Hell is the ULTIMATE Relegation because there is no "next season" to win the division to get promoted up.

U.F.O.?
Well, by now news should be buzzing around Boise City, Oklahoma, a town in the far western edge of the Oklahoma Panhandle -- the location of one of my mission parishes, Good Shepherd Church. I was there last night for first Confessions.

Last night word circulated through town that a diamond-shaped and brilliantly lit object could be seen in the southwest sky. I stood outside to view it. It was very bright. It appeared to be or have its own source of light. I looked through some binoculars at the object and it really looked quite literally like a diamond, facets and all.

Apparently, is was a weather balloon and its brightness was the setting sun reflecting off of it. Sure enough, as the sun went further down, it became less and less bright. Anyway, I suppose I didn't help news reports any because after seeing this object in the sky, I went inside and wrapped myself in aluminum foil and began walking "robotically" in the field outside the church. If only I could have convinced people to donate money to the parish church to avoid impending world doom and destruction, it could have been rather lucrative!

Out of the mouths of babes
Speaking of world doom and destruction (read my post immediately above) ... Last night I instructed the children before they made their first confessions. I explained to them how the Sacrament proceeded and told them not to worry. I reassured them that the priest, whoever is present when they go to confession, is there to help them. I reminded them that they should keep practicing and learning their prayers, especially the ones used in confession. And I added that if they forgot one of their prayers, the priest would help them, that the most important thing to remember is that this Sacrament is an experience of Jesus' forgiveness, and I capped it all off by saying, "So, if you forget a prayer, it's not like it will be the end of the world."

One young boy quickly chimed in, "Oh, I'm not worried about that. I know God would never let that happen."

I literally was left stumbling over, not words, but guttural sounds that never properly formed into words in my mouth. I quickly decided that was not the moment to open up certain Biblical passages or to reference a theology text on eschatology. I guess we'll talk about that subject later! I think I responded by saying something like, "Well, okay, so let's just remember Jesus' love for us and try our best to learn our prayers anyway..."

The Men in Blue
I have been in an emotionally exhausted fog for several days now, but a simple, small act of kindness today really brightened my morning. I thought I would share it with you.

Today was my Sunday to go to our mission parish an hour away. I had to get gas before leaving town, so I stopped at a local gas station. I used the handy debit card pump to get the car filling up, while I ran inside for another grand breakfast-on-the-run: gas station coffee and some company's version of a cheese danish (can anyone say: moist ball of flour and sugar?!). I stepped inside the station store and noticed two local police officers were getting some soda. One greeted me, "Good morning, Father." They moved off to purchase their drinks. I got my coffee and picked out my delicious danish. I went to the counter to pay and as I was reaching for my wallet I noticed that same police officer who had greeted me (now outside) was walking away from my car. He waved and moved back in the direction of his car. I wasn't quite sure what was going on. I finished my transaction inside the store and went back outside to find that the police officer had gone over to my car and topped off my gas tank, so that it was full and ready to go by the time I exited the store!

Now, that was an incredibly easy task. It didn't take long. He accomplished it with one free hand (the other holding an enormous beverage). And he must have read my mind, noticing my tendency to top off the gas with nice, round numbers (It was a right-on-the-nose $24.00 of gas!). A simple task that really made my morning. As I pulled out of the gas station, I told myself that I need to pass that kindness on to someone else some day. Perhaps you can too. So, here's to our police officers who bravely protect us and proudly serve us! God bless you and keep you!

Where to file this one

I have a feeling this belongs in the "Doomed to Be Repeated" File. Granted, I am not sure who will be repeating this, but you catch the drift...

Ah, the clash of long swords...

Well, I kinda of saw this coming. Of course, this simply means that I will have to review all of my information on the Crusades because I know that my newspaper column will have to cover it eventually. Oh gooody!

May Crowning 2005

We had the May Crowning at Mass this morning. Below the table on which the statue is placed is an assortment of all sorts of plants and flowers. May our Mother and Queen pray for us, extend God's compassion to us, and help to keep us on the narrow path leading to her Son and life everlasting! Amen.

To think, prayer actually works!

With this change in the air, it permits me to consider (note, only consider) starting up a subscription. Let's see if America magazine will become cooperatores veritatis.

First Favor In!

I received an email the other day that I had to share with the readers. This person, who would like the details of the whole story left vague, emailed me to say that he had received the particular favor he had been praying through the intercession of John Paul. So, scroll down to wherever I left the prayer for canonization -- I told you to commit your toughest cases to him!

Memorials for Martin
I have been really touched by the number of comments left on my post below about the death of Martin Palomares. Several of you have rightly inferred that Martin's is a simple, humble family. His mother works very hard to provide for her children and the father is in Mexico. I don't really know much more than that. Anyway, several comments asked if there was some way to help Martin's family or if some memorial fund had been set up. Because several have asked, I am posting this link to an article in our local newspaper. At the end of the article it mentions that memorials may be sent to the Funeral Home and it provides the address. If anyone feels inclined to send a memorial, I suppose sending it to the Funeral Home is the best plan. The bottom line is that the family could use some help and there were some significant medical expenses from Martin's ambulance and ICU care. May God bless you all for your charitable care for the family of a young man named after a saint known as Martin "the Charitable". Thanks!

Martin Palomares, R.I.P.
Well, it has been an emotionally challenging past few days and this is only the build-up. I was enjoying my time off last week, spending it with family in Oklahoma City and doing some errands, when I got a call early Friday morning about a young parishioner, Martin Palomares. I was told he was in Pediatric ICU in Oklahoma City and that he was dying.

It was very Providential that I was already in Oklahoma City (more than four hours away from the parish) because it allowed me to minister to this boy and his family (though his mother doesn't speak any English and I don't speak near enough Spanish to deal with this tragedy). Had I been in my parish, I doubt I would have been able to make the long drive down to OKC. When I got to the hospital, Martin was all but dead. The only functions being maintained by his brain were his heart and erratic gasps for air. Apparently young Martin had been on a field trip to OKC with some of his 8th Grade classmates. The story is sketchy, but the bottom line is that it seems a group of boys went to the swimming pool at the hotel where they were staying (without waiting for an adult sponsor) and somehow Martin drowned. When it was finally discovered that he was missing, he had been underwater for more than 30 minutes. The paramedics weren't able to re-establish a pulse and beating heart until just before they arrived at the hospital.

Martin was a good boy who had to take on maturity past his years. His father is in Mexico and only he, his mother and younger sister lived in Oklahoma. His mother speaks no English and so Martin was really her ears and mouth in this culture. He had to be more responsible, I would guess, than most other boys at 14 years of age. The last many days, Martin and his mother and sister attended our various novenas mourning John Paul II and praying for the Conclave and Pope Benedict. I gave Martin his First Holy Communion on April 23 (yes, he was rather late in making that) and I guess that was the only Holy Communion he ever received.

When I arrived at the hospital on Friday, Martin had already been anointed by a priest on-call. However, as his pastor, I discovered that he had never been confirmed. So, I confirmed him on his death bed (giving him the name John Paul), gave him absolution, and the Apostolic Pardon. I prayed the Rosary at his bed side and simply tried to put my arm around his mother (I can't say much of anything to her in Spanish). She is rightly hysterical. He died Friday afternoon. His funeral will be Wednesday. I was most grateful that one of our Religious Sisters had accompanied Martin's family to Oklahoma City -- that helped provide more of a presence and someone who can speak Spanish. In addition, another parishioner came down along with Martin's Junior High Principal. Also, I should express my thanks to Father Tharp. After seeing Martin, I called Fr. Tharp up and asked him to begin praying for Martin using the prayer he (Fr. Tharp) has written for the canonization of Pope John Paul. I suppose we will not know how those prayers assisted Martin until we all meet (hopefully) in the glory of Heaven.

I just have this sick-sad feeling about this boy's death. It is such a tragedy and I just don't understand how it came about. Martin didn't know how to swim and so I wonder what he was doing near that pool, when he had apparently stayed away from it on previous school trips. How did this transpire? I am sick for his mother who feels very isolated now. I am sick for the promise of a young boy's life that, at least to our worldly eyes, seems unfulfilled. I am sick at the thought of the fear and struggle in his final moments of conscious life. And I guess there is a serious dose of cognitive dissonance because child and death are not realities that seem to go together. Just days before, he had been dressed up for his First Holy Communion. We had posed for pictures and talked about the new Pope. He had been kneeling behind me in the church as I led the group in the Rosary. And now... I guess it is a shepherd's broken heart. It is a not-so-welcome reminder that the priest is a spiritual father and the loss of a spiritual child, and particularly one who is a child, is a pain that is part of life. And I guess that doesn't even come close to the pain of a physical father who loses a child, or does it? Whatever the case, it is my pain.

READING THE BCL NEWSLETTER, SHAKING MY HEAD
I actually meant to publish this post yesterday, on the Memorial of St. Pope Pius V, the wonderful Dominican Pope (why the Pope now wears white) who did so much to implement the teachings of the Council of Trent, and gave us the Tridentine Mass which we celebrated for over 400 years. However I was busy with two sections of First Holy Communions yesterday.

I subscribe to the "BCL Newsletter" (the BCL is the Bishops' Committee on the Liturgy), and as I was reading the most recent one, I started to do a slow burn. The US Bishops, in their wisdom (read the sarcasm) re-elected Bishop Donald Trautman as the BCL Chairman. Bishop Trautman likes to make himself out as a liturgist supreme, but that would only be true if the concept of liturgy was only invented since the late 1960s and had nothing to do with the Divine. It was largely due to his political agenda when he was first the BCL Chairman, in the early 1990s, that relationship between ICEL and the US BCL, and the Vatican's Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments went from bad to worse, resulting in the fact that there are many important, liturgical works which has been promulgated by the Vatican which we still do not have an English translation of. The two most distressing for me are, the Liturgia Horarum, editio altera ("Liturgy of the Hours" which was published in 1986) since as a priest I am celebrate teh Liturgy of the Hours everyday for the welfare of the Church, and the Ordo Celebrandi Matrimonium, editio altera (1990) for the celebration of Marriage. Rather the BCL seems more interested in cranking out things like "Sunday Celebrations in the Absence of a Priest," of which we have had TWO editions published in the USA since 1989 (hmmm, maybe that is part of the agenda, to do away with the priesthood completely. Seems to fit since the two liturgies which priests are called to celebrate daily, the Mass and the LOH are two which has been so delayed in getting a worthy English translation).

Anyway, in the recent BCL Newsletter, it is noted that at the March meeting of the BCL it was decided to request from the Vatican a number of adaptations to the Order of the Mass in the new Roman Missal. These are all adaptations which were approved for the 1985 Edition of the Sacramentary (which we still are forced to use since ICEL is still, after 3 years, working on an English translation of the 3rd Edition of the Roman Missal). These include the seven additional versions of Penitential Rite form C (for Fr. Tharp, I checked my Missale Romanum, editio typica tertia, and the only form C is, using the English, "You were sent to heal the contrite, Lord have mercy. You came to call sinners, Christ have mercy. You plead for us at the right hand of the Father, Lord have mercy."), four alternative intoductions to the Lord's Prayer, etc. None of these greatly upset me, but the reasoning was laughable. I qoute, "The Committe suggested that since the use of these options has shaped the liturgical formation of two generation of Catholics, their disappearance from the Mass could cause confusion and consternation as people try to adjust to new translations."

Now, maybe it is just me, but that seems like a load of something. First, let's set aside the whole "two generation" bit (since it seems like 20 years is only one generation). Are you telling me that most Catholics would even know that there was a difference? After all, too many priests just make up the parts which they are mostly talking about (Penitential Rite, Intro to the Lord's Prayer, Dismissal), so most people would not know what the "approved" variants are. Secondly, what about the hundreds of years of Gregorian Chant and Latin being an integral part of the liturgy of the Mass, forming truly generations of Catholics, and which the Second Vatican Council, and nearly every Pope since, has said must not only be preserved, but all things being equal must be given a place of pride and priviledge? Liturgist of the ilk of Bishop Trautman, did not show one ioda of concern for the "confusion and consternation" of the Catholic people when they ejected them from the Mass. As a result of their hasty ejection of the true liturgical traditions of the Roman Catholic Church Sunday Mass attendance has plummetted from over 75% prior to the liturgical changes of the late 1960s to less than 25% in the USA. It is only worse in Europe which seems to pride itself on being "post-Christian." Now, I am not saying that we need to return to the Tridentine Mass. There were accretions, and need for some renewal. I actually believe that the Novus Ordo, if done as the Second Vaitican Council prescribed, with an appropriate mix of Latin and the venacular, and truly SACRED music is a beautiful, deeply spiritual encounter with Christ. Just look at the beautiful liturgies for the funeral of Pope John Paul the Great, and the Installation of Pope Benedict XVI.

St. Pius V, pray for us.

Would some dear person go and find my kidney?

I was laughing so hard it popped out of my back. Thanks, Jeff...I hope the doctors can get the dust bunnies off of it.

I don't know how to feel about this

The Reasons for Feeling Conflicted are (in no particular order):
1.) As I went to a very good seminary for graduate studies, and even the college was generally above average with some serious exceptions, it's hard for me to get excited about "cleaning house." The best you will get from me is Schadenfraude at the collapse of other houses of cards.
2.) Upon what standard are these seminaries going to be evaluated? Generally speaking, when a group of people from very different backgrounds get together to write up a standards sheet, the goals tend to skew low, aiming for the lowest common denominator.
3.) Upon whose evidence are they going to evaluate these seminaries? Granted that asking only seminary administration is not going to garner great information -- certainly nothing probative of any real problems -- neither is going to students with an axe to grind. Further, there has to be a "safe" way to spill the beans for the seminarians. Yes, I know that this is supposed to be a seedbed for vocations but like any situation, some men will not feel free to divulge sensitive information with the cover of anonimity. Yes, I also realize that this is a potential for baseless or even loony accusations to be taken too seriously. Yes, I also recognize that the evaluators should ask those who made it to ordination whether or not the priests trained at these places feel they were well-prepared and well-formed for priesthood and what should have been added. Again, if you were to ask me, there were only a few issues missing which I might discuss here at another time.
4). Then there is the "So What?" factor. Again, this is true of us all but generally if there is no punishment, there is no motivation to change. I can speak to my own experience of the seminary on this one. If I didn't loathe meeting with my formation advisor or the dean of men each and every time I missed morning prayer, and if you missed you had to check in with either of these two men, then would I have been so quick to change my ways? It is a valid question. So the same thing applies here. If they find a den of iniquity at a particular seminary (not mentioning names -- just throwing out a theoretical), then what? If you don't shape up, we close you down? What would happen if a bishop said "Thanks for the input, but nothing's going to change?" Could he lose his see? See my problem. Without some threat of exposure, I can't see how merely wagging a finger and saying "Shape up" is going to change anything? My apologies if that sounds cynical, but that is the downward inertia of the human heart after the fall.
5.) Who is going to do the evaluating? If there is a concern that American faculties are too lax or too whatever (but don't use that word "liberal" otherwise I will have to pull out the pastoral photon torpedo launcher of hope and use it -- like David Banner, I don't think you would like me armed and angry), then who is going to stand there as the judge and arbitor? Further, wouldn't this weaken what ever criticism is leveled as "they don't understand, not being American"?

With all this said, don't misunderstand. I really am pleased that intervention is happening, I am just not convinced it will have any demonstrable results.

Another incentive to healthy living

Although, I must admit an undying affection for those delightful Samoas and the shortbread cookies are rapturous as a crust for cheesecake.

Please, Sir, put down the chalupa...that's right the salsa, too.

Talk about how things have changed. The biggest searched for item when I was in middle school was chewing gum. Now, mexican food and contraband weapons met in an ugly altercation for both. Yeessh, I don't know if this should go into my file on pro-homeschooling or on don't-make-me-the-high-school-chaplain.

Fascinating!

Oh, this is just what I needed...

I remember reading Marvel comics and being fascinated with the possibility of mutation -- especially the X-Men. This didn't trouble me, then or now, because these powers and aberrations were hiding in the DNA. They didn't ask for these powers; they just got them. However, when a character called the "High Evolutionary" appears on the scene and has been fiddling with DNA, then I got uncomfortable. I am more so now. Folks in science, go grab a copy of Jurassic Park and read the exchange between Ian, the mathematician and the psycho-freaky old guy. Just because you can do it, doesn't mean you SHOULD do it. Well, I guess this is just envitable -- Sign me up to be mingled with a walrus since our body shapes and dental histories are very similar...

In Case You Were Wondering

I just love Benedict's sense of ... well, what do you call it? ... full sensory assault with all things that are Catholic. Just looking at the papal coat of arms recalls so much of history and his personal heritage serves to remind us how Christ still walks by the roads of our world and seeks those who would follow him.

Suffering from a Neologism

I have no excuse for the scarcity of my posts as of late. The only thing I can attribute it to is a bad case of blog exhaustion. I am just worn out from Lent and Easter, the death and election, finishing up two Bible studies (which were subpar from my own personal analysis), and from wrapping up TBP in two places. In short, my brain is so empty that all I have interest and energy sufficient to do is read, read, read. I have already finished two books that I was reading (Our Lady and the Church by Hugo Rahner, S.J. and Helena by Evelyn Waugh) and will finish two more tomorrow I think. This opens the field to two more books to take their place. I think I will read a little more Waugh if for the only reason that he is expanding my vocabulary some thing fierce. Actually, I owe a tip of the biretta to Amy Wellborn for sending that book by Waugh and several others for my perusal. They are all well timed tonic to my barren brain pan.

Okay, so I don't have much to say right now other than I wish I could make myself read faster with more comprehension -- but welcome to life after the fall.

BENEDICTUS PP. XVI

Sunday's Papal Installment Mass

He looks marvelous

Pope Benedict's Coat of Arms

WOW! WHEN DID THIS HAPPEN?
As I was checking the news from around the world on Google, I ran across this paragraph in an article written by Sandi Dolbee, writing for the San Diego Union Tribune:

"Representatives from more than 140 governments and religious groups sat in long rows near the statues of St. Peter and St. Paul. Among them: Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (leader of the U.S. delegation), Prince Albert II of Monaco, King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia of Spain, Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams and Martha Sahagun, wife of Mexican President Vicente Fox. All are Catholic."

I realize that for the last few months I have been in something of a fog due to extreme hypothyroidism, but when did the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Rowan Williams, end his schism and come into full Communion with the Catholic Church? This is a major coup for the forces of truth. Does this mean that we get Lambeth Castle and all the other property which the Anglicans took from the Catholic Church?

Or is this just another example of how utterly clueless most members of the American MSM (mainstream media, thanks to whomever introduced that abbreviation to me) are when it comes to matters of religion?

For the Fifth Sunday of Easter, we had to make other arrangements since the Easter Lillies have finally died. This weekend is very special in the parish for two reasons: one local and one universal. The local reason is that it is First Holy Communion weekend. Now the challenge for CRM readers is to see if you can explain the color choices for this weekend's floral arrangements. I think you can see the colors of the flowers easily enough. The bows are gold and silver with a tiny bit of red draping over. First comment to explain it gets CRM fan points! 

Here you can see the Paschal Candle near the ambo. The wreath design for the Paschal Candle is something new which we have never asked the florist to do before. 

And finally, a close-up of the bottom of the Paschal Candle stand. 

Church sign
While in Oklahoma City yesterday for my priest support group meeting I saw a sign outside of a church which read:

The Lord says:

You catch 'em.

I'll clean 'em.

Now, I love fishing (though it has been some time since I have been able to do it) and I understand the analogy the Lord himself used with regard to fishing for fish versus fishing for men, however, I think this is going a bit too far with the analogy. I understand the Lord cleans us by washing our souls and bodies with his mercy, but the image of the Lord gutting me with a knife and taking out my air bladder ... I don't know ... maybe.

A Touching Tribute

Even though the all-wise bear saying that this blog links us, I couldn't find the link. So until then, they stay off the roll. But at the same time, go scroll through the beautiful array of political cartoons in tribute to John Paul on the site.

O, to have been a fly on the wall or to possess telepathy...

This is a largely ceremonial gesture for those who are wondering. What I love about this particular article is the comment about having to reinterpret how people have portrayed him. The only people who don't understand that this is part and parcel of Benedict's style, a style of boundaries that are gradually enforced, are the media, who to all appearances have abandoned the notion of absolute truth (an irony not lost on me) and thus are shocked when someone says that a particular proposition is not true and the Catholic who has received his formation as a Catholic from MSM (I don't mean our local OKC Catholic High School Mount Saint Mary's). Clearly, I must stop rolling my eyes at the breathlessness of the reporting because one of them is going to get stuck up there.

Also, I found this quote emblematic of the media's desire to drum up controversy (thus creating news) where none could exist. The quote reads "The Italian daily La Repubblica, meanwhile, reported that Benedict before being named pope had been working on a document to allow divorced couples who remarry to receive Communion. The Vatican had no comment. " Okay, let's think this through. First, Benedict would have had no authority to draft such a document as it pertains to how the Sacraments are celebrated. I could buy something collaborative btwn the two relevant congregations, but otherwise pfiffle. Second, Benedict did not possess the authority to change this as the restriction of Holy Communion and the other sacraments while in the state of a putative marriage derives from not only the Code of Canon Law but from the general universal teaching of the Church. In other words, I am reasonably certain that this cannot be reformed.

Once again, this shows to me how much people don't strive to think with the mind of the Church. I am not the brightest bulb in the marquee of life but even I can figure this stuff out. It's such a pity.

And so it begins...

Granted, some will say that this isn't that important and won't be that effective because it is just an example of the big, bad Church chittering away in its absolute refusal to get with the times. However, before one can lay the groundwork for the attack, you must know whose side you are on and what is it that you stand for. Then, with that said, you are free to act. Therefore, let us hope that this is simply the opening salvo and that a useful encyclical will help us strategize our next move. Love ya, Benedict!

Benedict XVI. . . May He Live a Hundred Years!
I was on my way to a deanery meeting with my pastor when I heard that there was white smoke over the Vatican. When we arrived at the parish hosting the meeting, fortunately, instead I getting to the business of discussing diocesan assessments, we went into the hosting pastor's living room to watch the historical event. Sadly they had ABC on, so I had to endure the insipid comments of Rev. Richard McBrien. When Pope Benedict XVI was announced, I think I was the only one to cheer. At least it shut the yap of McBrien -- I don't think he was able to talk for 5 minutes he was so distaught.

Then the delusional talk of the left began. One of the group I was with actually put forth that this was just an "honorary" thing, and that there was probably an agreement in place that he would resign the papacy when he turned 80. Then it was, "Well, I heard that he really tried to temper the conservatism of Pope John Paul II. Remember he was considered a liberal theologian at the 2nd Vatican Council, so maybe he will show his true colors." Ah, yes, his "true colors" is that he is an orthodox Catholic who believes in teaching and living the authentic teaching of the Church, including the "spirit and letter of the Second Vatican Council" (I think I have Cardinal Schonborn to thank for that phrase to contradict the insipid, "spirit of Vatican II"-ers; maybe "Jack" isn't the only one who cannot read, maybe we should get "hooked on phonics" for all the crazy liberal/heterodox theologians so they could actually read the documents of the 2nd Vatican Council).

The reaction of too many clerics have been SHAMEFUL. On permanent deacon, I am told, in front of a group of Protestant ministers, when he heard the news said "I quit! Do any of you need a deacon?" If I was there I would have said, "Don't let the door hit you on the way out," then I would be on the phone to the chancery to have his faculties revoked. My sister's pastor (in NC) also felt it necessary to publicly gripe about the new Vicar of CHRIST. The whole thing reminds me of Scripture (see, since they can't read, they don't know Scripture either) when Gamaliel, "the teacher of the law," warned the Sanhedrin about possibly opposing God (cf. Acts 5:33-39).

Thus once more I say to His Holiness, Benedict XVI, "May you live a hundred years."

Need a Suggestion

I am in need of new stationery for the parish. Any suggestions of how to get this done. I usually buy pre-printed stuff but now that I am pastor the parish deserves good stuff in my humble opinion.

The New York Times >I do love their idiocy

The Grey Lady did an okay job with the commentary concerning Benedict. For the most part it was balanced and not sniping at all. However, the idiocy of people in some sectors of the Church continues to shock and appaul me. A woman afraid to give her last name because her critical comments might jeopardize her daughter's upcoming marriage?! Since when? How ignorant and ridiculous! If you are that afraid of the Church, you need to talk to a psychiatrist or a canon lawyer, but certainly not the NYT.

As our own pithy aside, one of the priests of the diocese was present for the election and was quoted in the same article. "A few steps away, the Rev. M. Price Oswalt, a priest who serves two parishes in Oklahoma City, was exultant about the cardinals' choice.
'He'll correct the lackadaisical attitudes that have been able to creep into the lives of Catholics,' he said. 'He's going to have a German mentality of leadership: either get on the train or get off the track. He will not put up with rebellious children.' "

How's that for not gloating?

Consummatum Est!

Well, it is finished. I just finished the last page of the first year of the Borromeo Project. This is my ongoing adult formation program based on the Catechism of the Catholic Church. The copier is whirring away make copies for the use of my people. Also, happily the parish in Woodward, OK is also running a pair of test groups. So, thanks to everyone who prayed for me while I was writing this and please remember me as I search for a publisher.

Tongue tied
I have not yet "messed up" in the Eucharistic Prayer of the Holy Mass either by saying John Paul's name after his death or by accidently saying John Paul now instead of Benedict. But just to be sure, I put a little post-it note in the Missal that said "Benedict". Even still, as I said the Holy Mass this evening, looking directly at the post-it note, I really had to force my tongue, mouth, and vocal chords to move and form the necessary shapes to make the sound that we recognize as the word "Benedict". It is so weird. I mean, I said Benedict's name, but the feeling as I was saying it was very forced and my mouth really wanted to naturally make the shape for John Paul. It will take some time to adjust, but it will come.

New Pontificate, New Saint?

I had made the decision to do this back when the Holy Father, John Paul, died. Now I am prepared to reveal what I have been working on. I personally think that John Paul should not only be called the Great but also Saint John Paul. Without being sacriligious, personally, he went to Heaven so directly, there were skid marks on the carpet of the papal apartment. I wanted to share this prayer for canonization which I composed with all of you. Use it generously and dedicate your tough petitions to him. John Paul, through the grace of God, took down communism. Anything you and I offer are peanuts in comparison.

Prayer for the Canonization of John Paul the Great

God of Mercy and of Justice,
you graciously deigned to give to your Church
a firm foundation stone as she travels
her pilgrim way in the world.
Your Son called Simon the Apostle, Peter, making him the rock
upon which the Church would be founded.
In the successors of St. Peter, we hear you speaking, strengthening the faith
of your children, demonstrating that you have not left us orphans.
You have, in every age and in every place, led the people
claimed by your Son
through the visible shepherd of our unity.
We praise you for your generous care for our souls.

In our own time,
you have blessed the Church with an outstanding example
of truth and virtue in the person of John Paul II.
He made of himself a gift, freely and totally given, to your Son
through His Blessed Mother.
Despite sorrow in his life, he has called us, in your name,
to be not afraid,
to set out into deep water,
to not settle for mediocrity.
We praise you and thank you for your generosity.

If it be in accordance with your will,
raise this holy man to the glories of the altar.
Manifest in our times signs and wonders
which demonstrate that he rests now in the glory of Heaven.
By his intercession, I bring my petition to you. (Mention your petition here.)

Glory and honor to you, through your Son, in the power of the Holy Spirit,
now and until the ages of man run dry.

We ask these things through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Here is the door into St. Peter Church, Guymon, Oklahoma. The black bunting has been removed and the yellow and white (the colors of the Vatican flag) bunting is now up. 

I was really loving the idea that people on the road were reading messages of joy and excitement about a new Pope. 

This message could be seen yesterday for all 265 miles of my journey back to my parish. 

More Shameless Self-Promotion

Are you looking for something fun to do that involves speaking a language you already know. Then come with Mark Shea and myself on a tour of Britian. After the debacle with a previous attempted tour of France, you would think I would take the hint. I guess I will never learn. Below is the relevant information in the form of a press release.

Fr. Shane Tharp and Mr. Mark Shea, prominent Catholic author and speaker, are proud to offer a tour of Britain. This twelve day tour will include stops in London, Stratford-upon-Avon, Oxford, and Cambridge. Tour highlights include Westminister Abbey, Westminister Cathedral, the Tower of London, Anne Hathway’s Cottage, reserve seat at a London theater production, walking tour of Oxford University, and other events to be announced. Special emphasis will be placed upon the history of the Catholic Church in England and prominent literary figures. The tour runs from October 3 to October 14, 2005. The cost of this tour package is $2350.00 and includes round trip air Oklahoma City to London, round trip transfer from airport to hotel, first class hotel accommodations with private bath, service charges, tips and taxes. Escorted from Oklahoma City by Fr. Tharp and from Seattle, WA by Mr. Shea, this tour promises to give you a little taste of the old country today.
Reservations are now being accepted through Sunshine Travel. Contact Bob Reichert at 405-948-8642 or 800-522-5809. Payment Schedule: a deposit of $250.00 is required to book this tour with the balance due on August 3, 2005. Limited number of single supplements and triple reductions available on request.

Celebrating Pope Benedict by myself
As Fr. Tharp already posted, I had my long drive from Oklahoma City to my parish in Guymon today. It was sort of tough being on the road for a bit over 4 hours and not being able to talk with anyone on the phone (cell reception in non-existent for much of the trip). So, I did the only thing any fun-loving, young priest could do to feel more connected to the new Pope from Germany. I stopped at a convenience store and purchased "Black Forest Gummi Bears" to eat as I drove along. It was just my little way of celebrating Pope Benedict XVI by myself, since I had no one else to share the joy with.

Upon returning to the parish I led the novena prayers, spoke with the RCIA class (now doing mystagogia) about our new Pope, and then had a Latin Mass, using the name of the new Pope for the first time! It was wonderful. I am so excited.

Tomorrow I need to order outrageous amounts of yellow and white flower arrangements and speak to the local newspaper. I already have the yellow and white bunting up on the church door. I will have to take a photo of it to post tomorrow. I still can't believe this has happened and on the fourth ballot!

Text of the speech delivered by Joseph Ratzinger, elected pope Tuesday, from the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica.

``Dear brothers and sisters, after the great Pope John Paul II, the cardinals have elected me - a simple, humble worker in the vineyard of the Lord.

``The fact that the Lord can work and act even with insufficient means consoles me, and above all I entrust myself to your prayers.

``In the joy of the risen Lord, trusting in his permanent help, we go forward. The Lord will help us and Mary his very holy mother stands by us.''

All I can say is this. If he considers himself insufficient, I tremble to think where that puts me. Ah, yes, there is that zing of powerful teaching and conviction from the Holy Spirit I was waiting for. "Father, it's time to grow in humility!"

Congratulations for the New Pope

Yes, I know that this is a blatant steal from EWTN, but it's really good stuff. BTW, the Cardinal Ratzinger Fan Club is down, probably from everyone on the surface of the planet accessing it.

It must be killing him!

No, not some psycho liberal, but Fr. Hamilton (oh, wait...aren't those the same thing?). He is driving back to his parish in the Oklahoma Panhandle and therefore is incapable of blogging. For several hours, I have unlimited control. Bwahahahahahahaha!

I was reflecting on some thing that I saw elsewhere on the blogosphere concerning the name of Benedict for our new Holy Father. I, of course, linked up with Benedict XV, but someone else mentioned that St. Benedict is very fitting in his own right. After all, St. Benedict helped to spark a cultural transformation of Europe, and as co-patron of Europe, he would be a fitting person to invoke if one were out to set Europe on fire again for the Gospel.

This reminds me. If Americans are essentially heirs to European culture and value assessment, then could we please please please have a cultural transformation as well?

Home Run!

Actually, anyone the conclave would have selected would have been fine with me, but as a fellow Bavarian (in part), I can't help but be pleased. Many people have asked me what, if any, significance the Holy Father's name holds. Generally, it is common wisdom that the name indicates in whose footsteps or general plans and emphases the new Holy Father wishes to go. With that in mind, I offer you a list of Benedict XV resources so that you might gain a hint of what is to come. And there are sixteen of them for obvious reasons.

1. The Holy See - The Holy Father, Benedict XV
2. A Brief Summary of Highpoints
3. A Brief Biographical Sketch with emphasis upon Benedict XV's role in WWI
4. Wikipedia's very complete entry
5. Pope Benedict XV's Peace Proposal (I love that first line)
6. Another Good Article on Benedict XV's stance on WWI
7. Interesting Encyclical on St. Ephrem
8. Pope Benedict XV as Prophet of Peace (note who rejected the Christmas Truce overture)
9. A stirring and lyrical article as well
10. A handy resource for all the encyclicals
11. The Biographical Sketch from the Legion of St. Michael
12. Monument to Benedict XV
13. Another list of highlights with an interesting note about his connection to Fatima
14. The Litany of Peace
15. Benedict XV in context of papal succession
16. Historical Notes relating to Benedict's Papacy

I make no comments about other things one might find on these sites. The one thing I could say easily is that Benedict XV had a large world interest for being the prisoner of the Vatican that he was. Also, it bears noting (although Fr. Hamilton's Rome time trumps my next comment) that one of my seminary professors worked in the office of the CDF. I think I will have to dig up his phone number and see what the chances of getting an audience are. Okay, last thought, was it just me or did Ratzinger's comment about his precedessor, calling him the Great John Paul, sending a tingle down their spine.

Viva il Papa, Benedictus XVI!

It's official. It's so bizarre to see Ratzinger, excuse me, Benedict in the white. I am so filled with joy that my hands are shaking. The future is so bright right now, my biretta is going to need a visor.

It, of course, would be useless speculation about how this pontificate will be different from the predecessor's but one does wonder about the future.

UPDATE
Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger has been elected the 265th Pope of the Holy Roman Church and has taken the name Benedict XVI. I was already prepared to be delighted with whomever was elected. That Cardinal Ratzinger was elected is just that much better! I have already used my white shoe polish (first employed for some antics on Fr. Tharp's car at the Chrism Mass) to write the message on my car: "Viva il Papa!"

Habemus Papam!
We are still waiting for the announcement of who was elected and what his name as Pope is. Let me just say, I am so excited for this time period in the Church. Even though I do and will continue to miss Pope John Paul II, I am looking forward to continuing to live my share of Christ's Priesthood in obedience to another successor of St. Peter, whoever he may be!

Adventures in Work Avoidance

I know I should be working on my article for the diocesan newspaper which is due in about three hours, and I promise to get right to it, as soon as I tell you this idea I had and make myself an expresso. Here it is.

I have a new story line for Star Trek. Yes, I know, I was the first to dance with glee around the corpse of Enterprise, but I think my idea will work. I call it Star Trek: Civil War. The premise is that the Klingon Empire decides that they want to be part of the Federation and seek entrance. At the same time, Bajor seeks admission to the Federation while simultaneously building relations with Cardassia. As a sign of the momentous union of the Federation and Klingon Empire, an agreement is struck to build a pair of space stations -- Klingon design in orbit around Earth and Federation design above Qu'Nos. And everything is going great, until...the Federation station explodes on the day of its dedication. This sets the stage for an investigation that spans the entire galaxy, giving a great opportunity to revisit places and events that might have more meaning now. Mainly, the hope is to expose how many people are truly dissatisfied with the Federation, thus creating thousands of possible suspects. The investigation leads to the outbreak of civil war when the true instigators are uncovered, probably somewhere in the middle of season two.

I haven't ironed out the crew and the storylines but what I like about this idea is it allows for very complex story telling that isn't necessarily resolved in 44 minutes. Of course, that means it won't sell, but you heard it here first.

The New York Times > International >Strike Two!

I would suspect that the problem is some candidates perceived leniency on the question of whether or not one commits gluttony if one consumes the entire pint of Ben and Jerry's in one sitting. They, at this time, are leaving the moral cooperation of television in binge snacking out of the equation.

Clueless, Party of Everyone at the AP

Okay, folks, get ready for some ill-formed but well-founded rage. Once again, you would think that the Church runs like the world. For all those aspiring Woodward and Bernsteins out there, you might as well bag it. The pope isn't going to resign because secret allegations suddenly surface. The pope needs no vote of confidence from me or from anyone else in the WORLD because it doesn't depend on us. If that sort of posture makes me ultramontanist, then I am ultramontasist and loving it!

Sarcastic humor? Moi?
Today, I helped at an end-of-the-year "closure"/retreat for the Senior class of Bishop McGuinness High School (my alma mater) here in Oklahoma City. My main duty was to offer the Holy Mass in the morning for the start of this day.

One of the activities the kids had to do was a challenge for which they were divided into teams and given different tasks at about nine different stations. I was the moderator for the intellectual challenge. The groups would come and have their choice of one sealed envelope containing a question they were to solve in order to get points. Keep in mind that I had not participated in writing the questions and I had not even seen the questions before the students themselves opened the envelopes and worked on them. I only had the answer key provided to me. I thought I would share one of the questions and some of my sarcasm when the kids would ask me questions about the question-writer's intentions (which, of course, I had no knowledge of since I was only moderating this particular challenge).

The question was something like this. "It is common knowledge that when smoking a cigar a portion of it is necessarily left unsmoked -- the butt. Five cigar butts is roughly equivalent to one cigar. You have 25 cigar butts. Putting the butts together, how many cigars could you then smoke?"

The kids were doing the math and trying to see if there was any trick to the question and they kept asking me if these were standard-sized cigars etc. I finally said: "Kids, if you are asking me what I think about this, I would say this is an uncultured act of desperation to be piecing together cigar butts in order to make a cigar. If that is what is going on, I would say this is a clear indication that it is time to get a job and buy real cigars like any other sensible person would do!"

Strike One!

Well, what did you expect?

Aren't I a Stinker?

Last night, Fr. Hamilton called me right as I was headed to bed. After a brief conversation, he threw down an ultimatum that I had to contact him immediately, and he would do the same for me, if I heard anything about a new Holy Father. I returned the favor. I just sent a text message which said the following:
Habemus Papam! B. Streisand, Joan II.

The New York Times > International > International Special > Top Cardinal Extols Catholic Doctrine as Conclave Begins

I hate to say that I am campaigning for anyone, but ooooh, it makes me giggle with delight at the thought here in the U.S. of Ratzinger as Pope.

MOBY-DICK OF NJ
For Lent I gave up watching TV. In addition to reading spiritual works, and finishing a latch hook pillow for my sister, I finally read "Moby Dick". I cannot say I enjoyed the novel all that much, but then I saw the above in the news and I thought God must have been preparing me for something. Wednesday is my day off, and I plan to visit my parents who live in Trenton, so the only question that remains is "Where did I put my harpoon?"

Liturgical Footnote #10
By Fr. J.C. Garrett

As has been already noted, the first reading at Sunday Mass is from the Old Testament; with the exception of during the Easter Season when we read from the Acts of the Apostles. In Catholic Bibles there are 46 books in the Old Testament. Most of these books were first passed down orally before being written down. They were composed over several centuries, and contain various literary styles. While we can look at each book as a separate work, we must also look at the entire Old Testament as a single Revelation. God loves us, and He wants to share (communicate) His life with us. God reveals Himself to us in His Creation, but He has also made Himself known to us through the Holy Spirit inspiring Sacred Scripture. Of course the most complete revelation of God is Jesus Christ. In a very real way, all of Scripture has a common author, the Holy Spirit. The “Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation” (Dei Verbum; DV) issued by the Second Vatican Council teaches that the Holy Spirit is the principle author of Sacred Scripture. There are a few erroneous ways of considering the relationship between the Holy Spirit and the human authors of the works with compose Sacred Scripture. On the one hand, it is not a mere mechanical dictation, with the Holy Spirit telling the human author word for word what to write for DV clearly teaches that the human authors are real authors who employed their skills (given to them, of course by God). On the other hand, the Holy Spirit did not just give the Divine “seal of approval” to works written by the human authors. God had a definite message that He wanted revealed to us, thus DV states, “that the books of Scripture, firmly, faithfully and without error, teach that truth which God, for the sake of our salvation, wished to see confided to the sacred Scriptures.” It is very important to keep both the Holy Spirit (primary) and human beings as true authors.

St. Augustine noted in one of his famous sayings that the New Testament was hidden in the Old, and the Old Testament is fulfilled in the New. As we have noted, the Old Testament reading at Sunday Mass was selected because it is supposed to reflect in some way the Gospel reading for that Sunday. Sometimes this connection is more obvious than times. The study of typology, of how one thing foreshadows another, is often useful in seeing this connection. For a good introduction to typology and a basic introduction to Biblical theology, I recommend Scripture Matters, by Dr. Scott Hahn. While it is very important to solidly grounded in what the Church calls the ‘literal sense’ of the Scripture (what is really being said based on literary style, historical context, etc), as Fr. Francis Randolph notes in his book, Know Him in the Breaking of the Bread, “We must remember that we are not saved by knowing about the history and archaeology of Palestine; we are saved by knowing Jesus Christ, and the value of the Old Testament is in what it tells us about him” (p. 71).