Oklahoma's Highest Elevation
I had a great Memorial Day yesterday. After celebrating the Holy Mass in the morning, I hit the road heading an hour and a half west to Kenton, Oklahoma, in order to hike the Black Mesa. At 4,973 feet above sea level, the Black Mesa is Oklahoma's highest point. Also nearby are some fossilized dinosaur tracks in a dried up creek bed. The information about the Mesa provided by the State Park indicates that one should allow 4 hours to hike up the Mesa and back, at a fairly constant pace. I had tried to hike the Mesa last year, but I did not realize of the time requirements and so I didn't have the time to do it.
I made the hike with a parishioner at one of my parishes in Boise City, Oklahoma (about 35 miles or so from the Mesa). I have to say, this parishioner's presence made the hike a lot more adventurous than I probably would have pulled off by myself. I think I would have simply followed some trail the distance of the 4.2 miles to the summit of the Mesa. Instead, we basically climbed straight up the mesa and had to do some rock climbing to accomplish the goal of getting to the summit. I admit, there was one point where I was convinced that I was going to loose my footing, fall off the rock and tumble to my death. It was one of those "no turning back moments" where your ambition and pride have managed to get you into a situation where it is just as precarious to try to go back down as it is to keep moving up. I kept struggling to readjust my footing (there weren't many options of places to put my feet) and I kept trying to find better hand holds in the rocks. Finally, with my foot in a terribly awkward incline, hugging the rock tight, and pulling myself up, I managed to keep my footing and move to a better location.
It was a great day. It had rained quite a bit the evening and morning before the hike, so temperatures were mercifully less high. The skies were very overcast, but it was worth sacrificing some of the view from the Mesa's top, in order to skip out on the sun's heat. Oh, and there was an added bonus: No Prarie Rattlesnakes were seen or encountered! Signs at the trailhead and stories from locals all communicate the same thing: the Prarie Rattler is the most venemous of the rattlesnakes and a rather hostile creature. After finishing the hike, I went back to the parish in Boise City and as I gazed upon the statue of Mary standing on the serpent, I couldn't help but think that she had protected her boys that day.
We made the roundtrip hike in 3 hours and 15 minutes, with a few nice breaks to catch the breath and take in the view. I will post some pictures below. I'm not sure they will show very well, due to the overcast skies yesterday.
Tuesday, May 31, 2005
The Truth about Abortion and W
Maggie Gallagher, an independent write whom I admire, gave me the heads up about this article. I recall arguing with several Catholics who wanted to justify they vote for Pro-Abortion Senator Kerry by saying, "Well, President Bush is not really Pro-Life, after all the number of abortions in the US went down under President Clinton but up under President Bush's first term."
Let the truth be known! Now I am NOT endorsing a particular political candidate nor political party (frankly, when pollsters ask me my political affiliation I tell them I am a "Catholic/Christian Democrat in the historical sense." Let them figure out what that means). I bring this article up because I am passionate about Jesus Christ, the Way, the TRUTH, and the Life. In fact, I am personally disgusted with politics and all political parties. While I know that there are exceptions, it strikes me that most are motivated more by self-interest than the common good.
Let the truth be known! Now I am NOT endorsing a particular political candidate nor political party (frankly, when pollsters ask me my political affiliation I tell them I am a "Catholic/Christian Democrat in the historical sense." Let them figure out what that means). I bring this article up because I am passionate about Jesus Christ, the Way, the TRUTH, and the Life. In fact, I am personally disgusted with politics and all political parties. While I know that there are exceptions, it strikes me that most are motivated more by self-interest than the common good.
Sunday, May 29, 2005
Just a few days remain
Since my ordination to the Priesthood in 1999, I have held the "title": Youngest Priest of the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City. As I feel the need to remind readers, that is youngest by calendar age, not most recently ordained. As a few years of ordination passed (and Fr. Tharp, who is just a few months older than I, turned 30), I became the only priest of the Archdiocese in his 20's. That soon passed too, and now, this Friday, I will relinquish the "title" to the now-Deacon Joseph Irwin, who is set to be ordained a priest in our Cathedral on Friday evening. He is the first priest ordained since my year who is younger than I. He is 28 and I am 32. With this event I think it is only fitting that I be named a monsignor or given some other impressive-sounding title that is less paternal-sounding and ultimately meaningless! LOL!
Since my ordination to the Priesthood in 1999, I have held the "title": Youngest Priest of the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City. As I feel the need to remind readers, that is youngest by calendar age, not most recently ordained. As a few years of ordination passed (and Fr. Tharp, who is just a few months older than I, turned 30), I became the only priest of the Archdiocese in his 20's. That soon passed too, and now, this Friday, I will relinquish the "title" to the now-Deacon Joseph Irwin, who is set to be ordained a priest in our Cathedral on Friday evening. He is the first priest ordained since my year who is younger than I. He is 28 and I am 32. With this event I think it is only fitting that I be named a monsignor or given some other impressive-sounding title that is less paternal-sounding and ultimately meaningless! LOL!
Take that Fr. Hamilton
You may have taken education in Rome, but the quiz doesn't lie.
You are Pope John Paul II. You are a force to be
reckoned with.
Which Twentieth Century Pope Are You?
You may have taken education in Rome, but the quiz doesn't lie.
You are Pope John Paul II. You are a force to be
reckoned with.
Which Twentieth Century Pope Are You?
Corpus Christi Procession 2005, St. Peter Church, Guymon, OK
Here is a shot of the procession after our last Mass of the day. The processional cross and candles lead the procession. Behind them are some of the 98 kids who made their First Holy Communion this year. I asked that they come in their outfits for this procession. You can see that only some managed to do that. Nonetheless, it was a good showing of kids and they were most excited (as were their parents). I had the procession after the 10:00 a.m. Mass this morning, so, unfortunately, I don't have any photos of that one to show.
Here is a shot of the procession after our last Mass of the day. The processional cross and candles lead the procession. Behind them are some of the 98 kids who made their First Holy Communion this year. I asked that they come in their outfits for this procession. You can see that only some managed to do that. Nonetheless, it was a good showing of kids and they were most excited (as were their parents). I had the procession after the 10:00 a.m. Mass this morning, so, unfortunately, I don't have any photos of that one to show.
Here is a good shot of the procession moving around the perimeter of the parking lot. In the foreground are some of the children who made their First Holy Communion a few weeks ago. They are holding white carnations and occupying a special place in the front of the procession. Further back, if you look carefully, you can see the monstrance. Finally, in the background you can also see the people filing around behind the Blessed Sacrament.
Hunger Strike: Report #1
A few days ago I posted my demands for a peace settlement with the good folks over at Johnlet. Little John Francis is the star over at Johnlet and we here at CRM have enjoyed the photo updates his good parents post on their blog. There is no doubt about it, John Francis is pretty darn cute! I mean, yes, he did sort of win us over by sporting a Ragemonkey baby bib, but with all objectivity, he's a cute little baby. And, oh, does he play the camera!
CRM staff understands that John's parents are first time, young parents (we think) and so there is much to learn as they embark on the adventures a growing family brings. We don't expect them to be perfect. After all, some lessons can only be learned the hard way. Such is the case, with what CRM perceives as a slight by the staff at Johnlet. They apparently traveled from their home in Colorado to Houston, passing through at least a part of Oklahoma. We have no evidence that they stopped to visit even one Reverend Ragemonkey. Thus began some posting on CRM's part that we feel slighted.
In my last post on this matter, I demanded that little John Francis slap together a special photo essay dedicated to CRM, with at least one photo of him in a full monkey suit. Friends, to date, there have been no new posts over at Johnlet and no evidence that their staff is even aware of the tensions that have arisen between us. As threatened, I have begun a hunger strike until such time as Johnlet complies with our demands. The hunger strike has only been going for a few days now, but I assure you I am making huge sacrifices. I mean, for instance, I can report to you in this first hunger strike report, that I am really hankering for a delicious steak fromage, a lovely filet with blue cheese filling, with asparagus topped by hollandaise sauce, a nice garden salad, and some fresh bread.
BUT, I am not going to give in! I'll just eat regular food until Johnlet complies!
A few days ago I posted my demands for a peace settlement with the good folks over at Johnlet. Little John Francis is the star over at Johnlet and we here at CRM have enjoyed the photo updates his good parents post on their blog. There is no doubt about it, John Francis is pretty darn cute! I mean, yes, he did sort of win us over by sporting a Ragemonkey baby bib, but with all objectivity, he's a cute little baby. And, oh, does he play the camera!
CRM staff understands that John's parents are first time, young parents (we think) and so there is much to learn as they embark on the adventures a growing family brings. We don't expect them to be perfect. After all, some lessons can only be learned the hard way. Such is the case, with what CRM perceives as a slight by the staff at Johnlet. They apparently traveled from their home in Colorado to Houston, passing through at least a part of Oklahoma. We have no evidence that they stopped to visit even one Reverend Ragemonkey. Thus began some posting on CRM's part that we feel slighted.
In my last post on this matter, I demanded that little John Francis slap together a special photo essay dedicated to CRM, with at least one photo of him in a full monkey suit. Friends, to date, there have been no new posts over at Johnlet and no evidence that their staff is even aware of the tensions that have arisen between us. As threatened, I have begun a hunger strike until such time as Johnlet complies with our demands. The hunger strike has only been going for a few days now, but I assure you I am making huge sacrifices. I mean, for instance, I can report to you in this first hunger strike report, that I am really hankering for a delicious steak fromage, a lovely filet with blue cheese filling, with asparagus topped by hollandaise sauce, a nice garden salad, and some fresh bread.
BUT, I am not going to give in! I'll just eat regular food until Johnlet complies!
Trying not to laugh while baptizing
I had three baptisms yesterday, which is always a joy. I think yesterday's bring me up to 110 baptisms since I was ordained almost six years ago. We are all quite accustomed to the baby's wearing a white garment for his baptism. However, I saw one yesterday that takes the cake. The little boy was in an outfit that made him look like the Pope! No joke! I almost couldn't stop from chuckling it was so cute. But I managed to compose myself so that I wasn't laughing while baptizing anyone.
The kiddo was in a long white robe with buttons down the front, with a half length shoulder cape, a broad belt/band around his waist which dangled down one side with gold fringe on the ends, and finally a little white cap (not quite the bishop's zucchetto, but darn close!). When I saw him I just stopped and looked at the parents and said, "He looks like the Pope." They said, "Yeah, we know." I did, however, make the boy take off the pectoral cross, gold ring, and drop the crozier before I would perform the baptism. Just kidding! It was just one of the cutest things I have seen in a while.
I had three baptisms yesterday, which is always a joy. I think yesterday's bring me up to 110 baptisms since I was ordained almost six years ago. We are all quite accustomed to the baby's wearing a white garment for his baptism. However, I saw one yesterday that takes the cake. The little boy was in an outfit that made him look like the Pope! No joke! I almost couldn't stop from chuckling it was so cute. But I managed to compose myself so that I wasn't laughing while baptizing anyone.
The kiddo was in a long white robe with buttons down the front, with a half length shoulder cape, a broad belt/band around his waist which dangled down one side with gold fringe on the ends, and finally a little white cap (not quite the bishop's zucchetto, but darn close!). When I saw him I just stopped and looked at the parents and said, "He looks like the Pope." They said, "Yeah, we know." I did, however, make the boy take off the pectoral cross, gold ring, and drop the crozier before I would perform the baptism. Just kidding! It was just one of the cutest things I have seen in a while.
Friday, May 27, 2005
Playing Email Catch Up: Edition 1, Volume 1, Post 5
When East Meets West
Athanasius over at Summa Contra Mundum has gotten embroiled in a very interesting and potentially very worthwhile project. He is in on the ground floor of a whole new vision of Catholic education with an Eastern Catholic flava. Check out Transfiguration College! I think I speak for all the readers when I say "We're expecting big things from you!"
When East Meets West
Athanasius over at Summa Contra Mundum has gotten embroiled in a very interesting and potentially very worthwhile project. He is in on the ground floor of a whole new vision of Catholic education with an Eastern Catholic flava. Check out Transfiguration College! I think I speak for all the readers when I say "We're expecting big things from you!"
Playing Email Catch Up: Edition 1, Volume 1, Post 4
He may be gone but he is not forgotten.
Thanks to the Ragemonkey Sibling for this material link!
He may be gone but he is not forgotten.
Thanks to the Ragemonkey Sibling for this material link!
Playing Email Catch-Up: Edition 1, Volume 1, Post 3
Suffering is a most baffling thing. The best response I can find to suffering and its meaning lies in St. John's Gospel. When the apostles come upon a man born blind, they ask the logical question: "What caused this?" Jesus's response is telling: "It is not the cause that is important; it's the purpose it will serve." The blindness becomes the stage for revelation. Perhaps we have another dimension for concern concerning the Terri Schiavo matter -- we don't like suffering because it reveals nothing to us.
At any rate, here is an interesting, albeit old, news piece to point up my point. Thanks to Robert Badger (Bobby the Badger for those who love him) for the heads up.
Suffering is a most baffling thing. The best response I can find to suffering and its meaning lies in St. John's Gospel. When the apostles come upon a man born blind, they ask the logical question: "What caused this?" Jesus's response is telling: "It is not the cause that is important; it's the purpose it will serve." The blindness becomes the stage for revelation. Perhaps we have another dimension for concern concerning the Terri Schiavo matter -- we don't like suffering because it reveals nothing to us.
At any rate, here is an interesting, albeit old, news piece to point up my point. Thanks to Robert Badger (Bobby the Badger for those who love him) for the heads up.
Playing Email Catch Up: Edition 1, Volume 1, Post 2: Right Nationality, Wrong Resemblance
Gilbert Chesterton and Hillare Belloc were so great a pair of friends that people, wags mostly, used to refer to them as the Chesterbelloc. Well, one member of my third order chapter sent this little ditty composed by Hillare. However, I will remind Kevin that Chesterton is much more the match for me. Oooo, that gives me a marvelous idea for a Halloween costume. But where will I find nez pierce glasses that actually work and have black ribbons?
Okay, here it is:
Pelagius lived at Kardanoel
And taught a doctrine there
How, whether you went to heaven or to hell
It was your own affair.
It had nothing to do with the Church, my boy,
But was your own affair.
No, he didn't believe
In Adam and Eve
He put no faith therein!
His doubts began
With the Fall of Man
And he laughed at Original Sin.
With my row-ti-tow
Ti-oodly-ow
He laughed at original sin.
Then came the bishop of old Auxerre
Germanus was his name
He tore great handfuls out of his hair
And he called Pelagius shame.
And with his stout Episcopal staff
So thoroughly whacked and banged
The heretics all, both short and tall --They rather had been hanged.
Oh he whacked them hard, and he banged them long
Upon each and all occasions
Till they bellowed in chorus, loud and strong
Their orthodox persuasions.
With my row-ti-tow
Ti-oodly-ow Their orthodox persuasions.
Now the faith is old and the Devil bold
Exceedingly bold indeed.
And the masses of doubt that are floating about
Would smother a mortal creed.
But we that sit in a sturdy youth
And still can drink strong ale
Let us put it away to infallible truth
That always shall prevail.
And thank the Lord
For the temporal sword
And howling heretics too.
And all good things
Our Christendom brings
But especially barley brew!
With my row-ti-tow
Ti-oodly-ow
Especially barley brew! -- Hillaire Belloc
Gilbert Chesterton and Hillare Belloc were so great a pair of friends that people, wags mostly, used to refer to them as the Chesterbelloc. Well, one member of my third order chapter sent this little ditty composed by Hillare. However, I will remind Kevin that Chesterton is much more the match for me. Oooo, that gives me a marvelous idea for a Halloween costume. But where will I find nez pierce glasses that actually work and have black ribbons?
Okay, here it is:
Pelagius lived at Kardanoel
And taught a doctrine there
How, whether you went to heaven or to hell
It was your own affair.
It had nothing to do with the Church, my boy,
But was your own affair.
No, he didn't believe
In Adam and Eve
He put no faith therein!
His doubts began
With the Fall of Man
And he laughed at Original Sin.
With my row-ti-tow
Ti-oodly-ow
He laughed at original sin.
Then came the bishop of old Auxerre
Germanus was his name
He tore great handfuls out of his hair
And he called Pelagius shame.
And with his stout Episcopal staff
So thoroughly whacked and banged
The heretics all, both short and tall --They rather had been hanged.
Oh he whacked them hard, and he banged them long
Upon each and all occasions
Till they bellowed in chorus, loud and strong
Their orthodox persuasions.
With my row-ti-tow
Ti-oodly-ow Their orthodox persuasions.
Now the faith is old and the Devil bold
Exceedingly bold indeed.
And the masses of doubt that are floating about
Would smother a mortal creed.
But we that sit in a sturdy youth
And still can drink strong ale
Let us put it away to infallible truth
That always shall prevail.
And thank the Lord
For the temporal sword
And howling heretics too.
And all good things
Our Christendom brings
But especially barley brew!
With my row-ti-tow
Ti-oodly-ow
Especially barley brew! -- Hillaire Belloc
Playing Email Catch-Up: Edition 1, Volume 1, Post 1
Like everyone else in the universe, my email inbox gets jammed and then my schedule gets jammed, and then people send me flaming bags of dog poo to get even -- quite frankly, it's a mess.
So, in the effort to clear my box, I will be updating a few things here and there. First, there is Dev Thakur, Catholic medical student and blogger, who has resusciated his blog "Christus Medicus." It has a new name but I am not so organized that I can get that to you. Go check out what I mean.
Like everyone else in the universe, my email inbox gets jammed and then my schedule gets jammed, and then people send me flaming bags of dog poo to get even -- quite frankly, it's a mess.
So, in the effort to clear my box, I will be updating a few things here and there. First, there is Dev Thakur, Catholic medical student and blogger, who has resusciated his blog "Christus Medicus." It has a new name but I am not so organized that I can get that to you. Go check out what I mean.
Truth-licious!
I am a huge fan (meaning my admiration and not my waistband) of Fr. Tad Pacholczyk. He is both neuroscientist and priest and brings the truth about stem cells and other weighty matters. Read this article which only hints at Father's brilliance.
For more information of a Catholic bio-ethical nature, go here.
Thanks to Curt Jester for the tip.
I am a huge fan (meaning my admiration and not my waistband) of Fr. Tad Pacholczyk. He is both neuroscientist and priest and brings the truth about stem cells and other weighty matters. Read this article which only hints at Father's brilliance.
For more information of a Catholic bio-ethical nature, go here.
Thanks to Curt Jester for the tip.
Bringing the Pro-Life Smackdown to You!
This post is why I love Fr. Rob Johansen. This same matter came up when I was on the radio yesterday with Drew mariani so I will repeat what I said to a caller about this duplicious manner of legislating: "As Catholics, we vote for the priniciple and not the party. Don't let them off the hook. If they break their promises, vote them out of office."
This post is why I love Fr. Rob Johansen. This same matter came up when I was on the radio yesterday with Drew mariani so I will repeat what I said to a caller about this duplicious manner of legislating: "As Catholics, we vote for the priniciple and not the party. Don't let them off the hook. If they break their promises, vote them out of office."
Why these men are most fittingly called "illusionists"
(implied salty language in the link -- you were warned!)
Around grade 3, which would be what, age 9, I had a fascination with stage magic, especially slight of hand. I'm too clumsy to master the techniques (and quite bluntly, too lazy) to work my hands to pieces to get this stuff down. I liked being in the know, you know. I had the trick and they (the audience) didn't. The illusion is what matters.
Well, Penn and Teller were favorites of mine. The edgy, weird and wired manner of their act always added another dimension of surprise. As is the case with all celebrities, once they stray from entertaining to informing and/or pontificating, they immediately begin to falter. Take the case of the lovely analysis of Mother Teresa and the Missionaries of Charity. Certainly, one could make the argument that social services that merely focus upon day-to-day assistance are not in the long term wise because they do not address underlying social structures that result in widespread poverty. If they had made such an argument, then one could actually, I don't know, think through the issue. But instead they take the road of invective and useless, childish language, in an effort, I suppose to present themselves as "rebels" against the establishment, read the Catholic Church. Ladies and Gentlemen, if hurling insults for the sake of ratings is being rebellious, then it renders them rebels without a clue. As a matter of fact, didn't I catch Penn Gillette, slumming on some home repair show? Nice way to fight the man, Penn. I would suspect that much of the oppobrium leveled against the good sisters comes from the fact that their so-conceived liberal outreach (work with the poor) doesn't automatically force them to reject the Church's so-called conservative teaching on sex and marriage.
I'm not sure this exactly angers me because it is so darned silly. Anyone who can claim to have spent most of his life carrying those that everyone else stepped over -- and stepped on -- is reasonable immune to this. The work speaks for itself, and Mother Teresa did and her sisters continue to do exactly this. When Penn and Teller quit their homes in Las Vegas and do what Mother Teresa did, I might be willing to give them a hearing. Until then, I am, literally, waiting for them to put their money where their mouths are.
What might be lurking here is something that Benedict XVI alludes to in his book Introduction to Christianity. For people of unbelief, the most damning argument is not the one that is for belief but rather the one that is against unbelief. The venomous yawping of those who choke in their thunder boxes upon the poison of our age, cannot drowned out the testimony of charity, embodied, incarnated in those who are baptized. Call me the "starry-eyed optimist" but this furious nashing of teeth is nothing more than the confusion that proceeds before conversion, as one both remains attached to the vile stuff they have consumed and brutally wants to cough up the whole tainted pile. Staring, unblinking, into raw charity in a creature we assume unredeemable forces every illusion to fall leading to the unmistakable confrontation with a reality greater than we could have imagined.
(Tip o' the biretta to Ignatius Insight Scoop and Jeff Grace for the report.)
(implied salty language in the link -- you were warned!)
Around grade 3, which would be what, age 9, I had a fascination with stage magic, especially slight of hand. I'm too clumsy to master the techniques (and quite bluntly, too lazy) to work my hands to pieces to get this stuff down. I liked being in the know, you know. I had the trick and they (the audience) didn't. The illusion is what matters.
Well, Penn and Teller were favorites of mine. The edgy, weird and wired manner of their act always added another dimension of surprise. As is the case with all celebrities, once they stray from entertaining to informing and/or pontificating, they immediately begin to falter. Take the case of the lovely analysis of Mother Teresa and the Missionaries of Charity. Certainly, one could make the argument that social services that merely focus upon day-to-day assistance are not in the long term wise because they do not address underlying social structures that result in widespread poverty. If they had made such an argument, then one could actually, I don't know, think through the issue. But instead they take the road of invective and useless, childish language, in an effort, I suppose to present themselves as "rebels" against the establishment, read the Catholic Church. Ladies and Gentlemen, if hurling insults for the sake of ratings is being rebellious, then it renders them rebels without a clue. As a matter of fact, didn't I catch Penn Gillette, slumming on some home repair show? Nice way to fight the man, Penn. I would suspect that much of the oppobrium leveled against the good sisters comes from the fact that their so-conceived liberal outreach (work with the poor) doesn't automatically force them to reject the Church's so-called conservative teaching on sex and marriage.
I'm not sure this exactly angers me because it is so darned silly. Anyone who can claim to have spent most of his life carrying those that everyone else stepped over -- and stepped on -- is reasonable immune to this. The work speaks for itself, and Mother Teresa did and her sisters continue to do exactly this. When Penn and Teller quit their homes in Las Vegas and do what Mother Teresa did, I might be willing to give them a hearing. Until then, I am, literally, waiting for them to put their money where their mouths are.
What might be lurking here is something that Benedict XVI alludes to in his book Introduction to Christianity. For people of unbelief, the most damning argument is not the one that is for belief but rather the one that is against unbelief. The venomous yawping of those who choke in their thunder boxes upon the poison of our age, cannot drowned out the testimony of charity, embodied, incarnated in those who are baptized. Call me the "starry-eyed optimist" but this furious nashing of teeth is nothing more than the confusion that proceeds before conversion, as one both remains attached to the vile stuff they have consumed and brutally wants to cough up the whole tainted pile. Staring, unblinking, into raw charity in a creature we assume unredeemable forces every illusion to fall leading to the unmistakable confrontation with a reality greater than we could have imagined.
(Tip o' the biretta to Ignatius Insight Scoop and Jeff Grace for the report.)
Excellent Explanation of Liturgical Music
I discovered this parish's website after reading an article on Spirit Daily, about their monthly Novus Ordo Latin Mass. They really seem to have a good understanding of what the Second Vatican Council called for in revising the liturgy, and the appropiate use of Sacred Music.
Thursday, May 26, 2005
For the Soccer Fan
I know that not all CRM readers are soccer fans, and many may be wondering why I post this to a blog that is general about the Catholic Faith, but I have mentioned the English Premier League before, and how Liverpool is the chief rival for my team, Everton. I have also mentioned how, historically, Liverpool is the Protestant team, and Everton is the Catholic team. So I guess in the spirit of ecumenism I should say, "Well done Liverpool! Congratulations on an exciting, come from behind victory."
Now this raises an interesting issue, for Liverpool finished in fifth place in the English Premiere League this season (they had qualified to play this season in the Champions League, which is the old European Cup, based on their finish last season in the Premiere League. Only the top four teams from the English Premiere League typically are allowed to compete in the Champions League next season, which means Liverpool will not even have the chance to defend their title. Unless, of course, rules are "bent." They just better not "bend" Everton out of the Champion League next season.
Now this raises an interesting issue, for Liverpool finished in fifth place in the English Premiere League this season (they had qualified to play this season in the Champions League, which is the old European Cup, based on their finish last season in the Premiere League. Only the top four teams from the English Premiere League typically are allowed to compete in the Champions League next season, which means Liverpool will not even have the chance to defend their title. Unless, of course, rules are "bent." They just better not "bend" Everton out of the Champion League next season.
Following the Design Protocol
The lives of men are filled with moments worth remembering. Birthdays, wedding anniversaries, graduation, and many more events punctuate the otherwise unremarkable roll of day to night succeeding down the generations. Today is such a day for myself. Five years ago, in the Cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, I laid down on the floor, and pledged to give my life for the Gospel as a priest of Jesus Christ.
To tell you that every day has been wonderful would be to put forth a terrible piece of revisionist history. But this year, I have had the experience of seeing what it is I am made for.
Since your ordination anniversary is not a day off, I celebrated the Sacred Mysteries this morning. Then after puttering around all morning, doing paperwork, I got up and did some sick calls and then made a visit to the local jail. At the hospital, the woman I visited was clearly out of the woods, but I visited because I was worried about her spiritual health. She is (hopefully soon to be was) a lapsed Catholic who lapsed many moons ago. We chatted and then I enquired about the lapse in practice. In those moments, I try to stress that one need not stay outside -- you can always come home. Then I swung over to the nursing home and visited a couple of the residents. I was particularly struck by the moment when I imposed my hands before anointing one gentleman. He began to tremble -- not convulsively, but clearly in pain. As I placed my hands on his head, I could not help but think of the times my mother placed her hands on my head when I was feverish. From there, I swung over to the country jail to visit an inmate. He had been a parishioner but had lapsed in practice as of late. Frankly, I thought he had moved away. It wasn't clear how long he would be in or when he would be transferred. As the day ended, I ran to the local Kinko's to make copies for this weekend's Third Order Dominican Meeting in OKC.
Now, to forestall commentary, I don't tell you this to toot my horn or to elicit "well done" from anyone. I just know that I more often miss the mark of pastoral excellence. Quite frankly, I would suspect that most priests do exactly the same sorts of things in their average day. This is what makes priesthood greater than its attendant complications. What part of life did I not reach into, not because I am particularly astute or gifted but because I was given the sacred power via the sacrament of Order to do so. When you do what you are made for, then you can be called "Father" and not find in it a title of honor but rather a vocation to live up to.
I consider it divine justice that I was ordained on the Feast of St. Philip Neri. He was a priest known for his orthodoxy and his joy, his fidelity and his simplicity. I pray that today, every priest, throughout the world, thanks to the intercession of St. Philip, may have his heart expanded so that he may make greater room in it to love God and to love his little flock.
St. Philip Neri, pray for them.
St. John Vianney, pray for them.
Bl. Damien of Molokai, pray for them.
The lives of men are filled with moments worth remembering. Birthdays, wedding anniversaries, graduation, and many more events punctuate the otherwise unremarkable roll of day to night succeeding down the generations. Today is such a day for myself. Five years ago, in the Cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, I laid down on the floor, and pledged to give my life for the Gospel as a priest of Jesus Christ.
To tell you that every day has been wonderful would be to put forth a terrible piece of revisionist history. But this year, I have had the experience of seeing what it is I am made for.
Since your ordination anniversary is not a day off, I celebrated the Sacred Mysteries this morning. Then after puttering around all morning, doing paperwork, I got up and did some sick calls and then made a visit to the local jail. At the hospital, the woman I visited was clearly out of the woods, but I visited because I was worried about her spiritual health. She is (hopefully soon to be was) a lapsed Catholic who lapsed many moons ago. We chatted and then I enquired about the lapse in practice. In those moments, I try to stress that one need not stay outside -- you can always come home. Then I swung over to the nursing home and visited a couple of the residents. I was particularly struck by the moment when I imposed my hands before anointing one gentleman. He began to tremble -- not convulsively, but clearly in pain. As I placed my hands on his head, I could not help but think of the times my mother placed her hands on my head when I was feverish. From there, I swung over to the country jail to visit an inmate. He had been a parishioner but had lapsed in practice as of late. Frankly, I thought he had moved away. It wasn't clear how long he would be in or when he would be transferred. As the day ended, I ran to the local Kinko's to make copies for this weekend's Third Order Dominican Meeting in OKC.
Now, to forestall commentary, I don't tell you this to toot my horn or to elicit "well done" from anyone. I just know that I more often miss the mark of pastoral excellence. Quite frankly, I would suspect that most priests do exactly the same sorts of things in their average day. This is what makes priesthood greater than its attendant complications. What part of life did I not reach into, not because I am particularly astute or gifted but because I was given the sacred power via the sacrament of Order to do so. When you do what you are made for, then you can be called "Father" and not find in it a title of honor but rather a vocation to live up to.
I consider it divine justice that I was ordained on the Feast of St. Philip Neri. He was a priest known for his orthodoxy and his joy, his fidelity and his simplicity. I pray that today, every priest, throughout the world, thanks to the intercession of St. Philip, may have his heart expanded so that he may make greater room in it to love God and to love his little flock.
St. Philip Neri, pray for them.
St. John Vianney, pray for them.
Bl. Damien of Molokai, pray for them.
Announcing Something New!
In February 2004 I heard the word "blog" for the first time, from Fr. Tharp when he told me about his and Fr. Hamilton's endeavor to create Catholic Ragemonkey. Since then I have gone from a "frequent commentor" to last August becoming the East Coast correspondent for CRM. It has been a hoot.
Now, I'm not leaving CRM. I have, however, decided to start my own blog, Fr. JC Maximilian. Mostly I will be posting my Sunday homilies, and other spiritual reflections (i.e., reflections on spiritual books I am reading, bulletin pieces I write about the liturgy, saints, etc.). I have been sending my Sunday homilies to my sisters, parents, and a few friends. Well, they have been sharing them with their friends, so now I have a bunch a folks (especially in St. Louis, MO where my one sister and her family live) who wants them. I think it will be just as easy to post them to my own blog. Plus, hopefully with the help and guidance of our CRM techmonkeys, I will learn more about "html", whatever that is (I know it is some kind of computer lingo). I will be saving my more witty, at times sarcastic social and Church commentary for CRM.
If you check out "Fr. JC Maximilian" please keep in mind that it is still a work in progress.
Now, I'm not leaving CRM. I have, however, decided to start my own blog, Fr. JC Maximilian. Mostly I will be posting my Sunday homilies, and other spiritual reflections (i.e., reflections on spiritual books I am reading, bulletin pieces I write about the liturgy, saints, etc.). I have been sending my Sunday homilies to my sisters, parents, and a few friends. Well, they have been sharing them with their friends, so now I have a bunch a folks (especially in St. Louis, MO where my one sister and her family live) who wants them. I think it will be just as easy to post them to my own blog. Plus, hopefully with the help and guidance of our CRM techmonkeys, I will learn more about "html", whatever that is (I know it is some kind of computer lingo). I will be saving my more witty, at times sarcastic social and Church commentary for CRM.
If you check out "Fr. JC Maximilian" please keep in mind that it is still a work in progress.
The Numbers are Looking Better!
I know that many people who read CRM have been praying for me as I continue my treatment for thyroid cancer. Last month the main number they look at, TSH (which stands for "Thyroid Stimulating Hormone") was at 84. Now for folks without thyroid cancer a TSH over 5 is considered high (which means that I do not have enough TH, or Thyroid Hormone), and for people like me, for whom the TSH can stimulate the growth of the cancer, they want the TSH to be 0.0-something. Obviously mine was sky high, leaving me exhausted, irritable and depressed. My endocrinologist immediately increased my dosage of Synthroid to 200 mcg.
Since then I have been feeling merely tired all the time, not exhausted, and the smile on my face is more natural and less forced. I have been feeling more like my old self. I saw my doctor again today and my TSH is down to 5.6, which is MUCH closer to "normal." Now we are just fine tuning the dosage of Synthroid. Of course a major imbalance in part of your metabolism throws off other parts as well -- my LDL is back to normal, though a liver factor is still high as is my triglyserides. Over all, I am doing much better, so thank you all so much for your prayers.
Since then I have been feeling merely tired all the time, not exhausted, and the smile on my face is more natural and less forced. I have been feeling more like my old self. I saw my doctor again today and my TSH is down to 5.6, which is MUCH closer to "normal." Now we are just fine tuning the dosage of Synthroid. Of course a major imbalance in part of your metabolism throws off other parts as well -- my LDL is back to normal, though a liver factor is still high as is my triglyserides. Over all, I am doing much better, so thank you all so much for your prayers.
Wednesday, May 25, 2005
A Good Day Off
Yesterday was my day off. To be honest, I am rather protective of my day off; God wanted Man to have a day of rest, to count his blessings and to be re-created, and priests generally do not get to do a lot of that on Sundays. Yesterday I had a very nice day off.
After my early morning Mass (6:25 a.m.), I made a "mini-pilgrimage." Since May is a Marian month, another priest and I decided to go to a church, named in honor of Our Lady, to pray three decades of the Rosary. We decided to go to a church we had not been to before, and about half way between us. Our Lady of Mercy in Englishtown, NJ fit the bill quite nicely. Our Lady of Mercy is a small, country church. While not a Gothic church, the church was very tasteful decorated, and the stain glass windows, while small, were very nice. The design of the church showed the devotion of the people who built it. One of the first things I noticed were the TWO Respect Life signs outside the church. It was great to see them boldly proclaiming the truth of the sanctity of human life.
Fr. Juan (my friend, the Opus Dei priest in Princeton) and I prayed the first decade in the devotional chapel, then another in the main body of the church, with meditations from St. Josemaria's book on the Rosary. After going to the rectory to pay our respect to the pastor of Our Lady of Mercy, we prayed our final decade standing outside the church, in front of the statue of our Lady. It was a relaxing, refreshing hour and a half.
The mini-pilgrimage was a wonderful idea of Fr. Juan's, demonstrating that you do not have to go far to make a special morning of prayer. Fr. Juan and I have been discussing forming a group for priest of the diocese to have monthly discussions of living and growing in the virtues as we minister as priests. Something to which those who participate can be supported and accountable. Not a religious order, but a bit more structured than the typical "priest support" group which often ends up being just a social group (which is great, too). Of course in the seminary we were held more accountable in our formation. As priests, while we are still suppose to work on on-going priestly formation, the activities of the parish can often "bump" that if it is just done on one's own. We don't know if there will be much interest, but we will pray about it.
After the morning of prayer, I slipped out of my new cassock, under which I had my "day off" clothes (jeans, golf shirt), I went to see Star Wars, Episode III. OK, I am of the age when the first Star Wars (Episode IV) was a life altering experience for some people. I just really liked that movie and "Empire Strikes Back." "Return of the Jedi" was fine, but IMHO not the same quality as the first two. Episodes I & II, well, I frankly thought blew big baby chunks. They struck me as really long comercials for merchandise. Of course I wanted to see Episode III just to see how the "Saga of Anakin" wrapped up, and left us primed for the "Saga of Luke" (the "Saga" bit is more my own organizational framework). However, two people told me that they thought that the Jedi Council vs. the Chancellor dynamic was interesting, and left you wondering which was the really "good" side. I do not want to give away any plot, and I don't think I will, but just in case YOU MIGHT WANT TO STOP READING HERE BECAUSE IT MIGHT BE CONSIDERED A SPOILER (there, I warned you).
I actually thought the dynamic left less of a confusion of who were the "good," but seemed to demonstrate the deceptiveness of Modernist and Post-Modernist thought. The Chancellor tries to woo Anakin by playing largely on emotivism, and a false philosophy of tolerance. The Jedis are "dogmatic" whereas the Chancellor wants Anakin to see that other perspectives could be just as good; that there is no real Truth. For the Chancellor, self-interest and power is the ultimate goal, even if it is dressed up in terms of "order," "justice", and "protecting democracy." Now, I am not saying that the Jedi Council is ideal, they do seem to speak in platitudes a lot; but I think the "unfairness" that Anakin rales against so much, is really more do to the Council wanting him to learn patience. While the two friends of mine who brought up the issue seemed to question which side was truly the right one, I did not see much confusion. In the end, I still do not think that this was a very good movie. I like character development, and in this film there were huge leaps, and basically just trying to do too much. While I have like Natalie Portman as an actress ever since I saw her in "Leon/The Professional" she did nothing for me in this film. The dialogue between Padme and Anakin sounded like something a 14 y/o would write -- it was sappy. I know that they had to end with Luke and Leia being born, to set up the "Saga of Luke," but besides that they could have cut Padme out of the film for the little it contributed to the film. They could have found another emotional cause, more closely related to the dynamic between the Jedi Council and the Chancellor for Anakin to be conflicted over, that would lead to his becoming Darth Vader, so that more attention could be given to developing that part of the plot. The large battle scene in the first 20 minutes of the film was visually very pleasing, but was largely wasted film for it did little to advance the story. This is in contrast to the large battle scenes at the end of Episodes IV and VI, where the story comes to a resolution in the battle. In this film the battle scene seemed to be there just to demostrate the special effects; we already knew that there was a war going on. While the film did not ruin my day off, it is not something which excited me as Episode IV still does, over 25 years after I saw it for the first time. I am glad that the series is finished, but in hindsight I think it would have been better to end with only 3 films (IV, V, VI).
After my early morning Mass (6:25 a.m.), I made a "mini-pilgrimage." Since May is a Marian month, another priest and I decided to go to a church, named in honor of Our Lady, to pray three decades of the Rosary. We decided to go to a church we had not been to before, and about half way between us. Our Lady of Mercy in Englishtown, NJ fit the bill quite nicely. Our Lady of Mercy is a small, country church. While not a Gothic church, the church was very tasteful decorated, and the stain glass windows, while small, were very nice. The design of the church showed the devotion of the people who built it. One of the first things I noticed were the TWO Respect Life signs outside the church. It was great to see them boldly proclaiming the truth of the sanctity of human life.
Fr. Juan (my friend, the Opus Dei priest in Princeton) and I prayed the first decade in the devotional chapel, then another in the main body of the church, with meditations from St. Josemaria's book on the Rosary. After going to the rectory to pay our respect to the pastor of Our Lady of Mercy, we prayed our final decade standing outside the church, in front of the statue of our Lady. It was a relaxing, refreshing hour and a half.
The mini-pilgrimage was a wonderful idea of Fr. Juan's, demonstrating that you do not have to go far to make a special morning of prayer. Fr. Juan and I have been discussing forming a group for priest of the diocese to have monthly discussions of living and growing in the virtues as we minister as priests. Something to which those who participate can be supported and accountable. Not a religious order, but a bit more structured than the typical "priest support" group which often ends up being just a social group (which is great, too). Of course in the seminary we were held more accountable in our formation. As priests, while we are still suppose to work on on-going priestly formation, the activities of the parish can often "bump" that if it is just done on one's own. We don't know if there will be much interest, but we will pray about it.
After the morning of prayer, I slipped out of my new cassock, under which I had my "day off" clothes (jeans, golf shirt), I went to see Star Wars, Episode III. OK, I am of the age when the first Star Wars (Episode IV) was a life altering experience for some people. I just really liked that movie and "Empire Strikes Back." "Return of the Jedi" was fine, but IMHO not the same quality as the first two. Episodes I & II, well, I frankly thought blew big baby chunks. They struck me as really long comercials for merchandise. Of course I wanted to see Episode III just to see how the "Saga of Anakin" wrapped up, and left us primed for the "Saga of Luke" (the "Saga" bit is more my own organizational framework). However, two people told me that they thought that the Jedi Council vs. the Chancellor dynamic was interesting, and left you wondering which was the really "good" side. I do not want to give away any plot, and I don't think I will, but just in case YOU MIGHT WANT TO STOP READING HERE BECAUSE IT MIGHT BE CONSIDERED A SPOILER (there, I warned you).
I actually thought the dynamic left less of a confusion of who were the "good," but seemed to demonstrate the deceptiveness of Modernist and Post-Modernist thought. The Chancellor tries to woo Anakin by playing largely on emotivism, and a false philosophy of tolerance. The Jedis are "dogmatic" whereas the Chancellor wants Anakin to see that other perspectives could be just as good; that there is no real Truth. For the Chancellor, self-interest and power is the ultimate goal, even if it is dressed up in terms of "order," "justice", and "protecting democracy." Now, I am not saying that the Jedi Council is ideal, they do seem to speak in platitudes a lot; but I think the "unfairness" that Anakin rales against so much, is really more do to the Council wanting him to learn patience. While the two friends of mine who brought up the issue seemed to question which side was truly the right one, I did not see much confusion. In the end, I still do not think that this was a very good movie. I like character development, and in this film there were huge leaps, and basically just trying to do too much. While I have like Natalie Portman as an actress ever since I saw her in "Leon/The Professional" she did nothing for me in this film. The dialogue between Padme and Anakin sounded like something a 14 y/o would write -- it was sappy. I know that they had to end with Luke and Leia being born, to set up the "Saga of Luke," but besides that they could have cut Padme out of the film for the little it contributed to the film. They could have found another emotional cause, more closely related to the dynamic between the Jedi Council and the Chancellor for Anakin to be conflicted over, that would lead to his becoming Darth Vader, so that more attention could be given to developing that part of the plot. The large battle scene in the first 20 minutes of the film was visually very pleasing, but was largely wasted film for it did little to advance the story. This is in contrast to the large battle scenes at the end of Episodes IV and VI, where the story comes to a resolution in the battle. In this film the battle scene seemed to be there just to demostrate the special effects; we already knew that there was a war going on. While the film did not ruin my day off, it is not something which excited me as Episode IV still does, over 25 years after I saw it for the first time. I am glad that the series is finished, but in hindsight I think it would have been better to end with only 3 films (IV, V, VI).
No vacation from vocation
The modern media can be quite useful to the mission of the Church, even if not without some dilemmas. There is a helpful service at masstimes.org, which I am publishing in the parish bulletin. This service allows parishes to post their pertinent information and sacramental schedule so that faithful travelers can search out churches as they plan their vacations away from home. I have recently updated the listings for my three parishes: St. Peter, Guymon; Good Shepherd, Boise City; and Sacred Heart, Hooker. Don't forget about this great service and make your early planning for Mass a little act of faith in the midst of holiday planning. We have been called to be Christ's faithful people and, as regards Holy Mass, to "do this in remembrance of" him. There is no vacation from our vocation!
The modern media can be quite useful to the mission of the Church, even if not without some dilemmas. There is a helpful service at masstimes.org, which I am publishing in the parish bulletin. This service allows parishes to post their pertinent information and sacramental schedule so that faithful travelers can search out churches as they plan their vacations away from home. I have recently updated the listings for my three parishes: St. Peter, Guymon; Good Shepherd, Boise City; and Sacred Heart, Hooker. Don't forget about this great service and make your early planning for Mass a little act of faith in the midst of holiday planning. We have been called to be Christ's faithful people and, as regards Holy Mass, to "do this in remembrance of" him. There is no vacation from our vocation!
No, not vacation
Well, readers, I am back with a few posts. No, I have not been on vacation. I suppose I have not blogged much for a combination of reasons: grief at the death of my young parishioner, distractions galore at this busy time of year full of solemnities and special events (First Holy Communion, May Crowning, graduations, planning Corpus Christi...), and attending to some issues in the diocese (helping to intervene in the situation of which Fr. Tharp has posted, and helping one of our retired priests realize he needs to move into an assisted living center).
The bottom line is that I have not felt much like posting on the blog and/or I have been too busy to get around to it. But I am still around and I am doing fine. Now if only I could get rid of all of this paperwork on my desk...
Well, readers, I am back with a few posts. No, I have not been on vacation. I suppose I have not blogged much for a combination of reasons: grief at the death of my young parishioner, distractions galore at this busy time of year full of solemnities and special events (First Holy Communion, May Crowning, graduations, planning Corpus Christi...), and attending to some issues in the diocese (helping to intervene in the situation of which Fr. Tharp has posted, and helping one of our retired priests realize he needs to move into an assisted living center).
The bottom line is that I have not felt much like posting on the blog and/or I have been too busy to get around to it. But I am still around and I am doing fine. Now if only I could get rid of all of this paperwork on my desk...
Adios, Amigo!
In the sad news department, Fr. Sibley has decided to conclude his blog. Certainly, I felt a friendly sort of rivalry with him, since I was trying to be Mr. Funny Man...sorry, Fr. Funny Man. His presence in the blogosphere will be duly missed.
In the sad news department, Fr. Sibley has decided to conclude his blog. Certainly, I felt a friendly sort of rivalry with him, since I was trying to be Mr. Funny Man...sorry, Fr. Funny Man. His presence in the blogosphere will be duly missed.
Know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em
Several days ago Fr. Tharp posted on feeling hurt that the good folks over at Johnlet, who had apparently traveled through Oklahoma, did not stop to visit at least one Reverend Ragemonkey. I, too, was alarmed at the discovery and I demanded reparation in the form of a new and cuter-than-ever photo essay of John Francis (the little star of Johnlet) specifically dedicated to Catholic Ragemonkey.
Well, days have passed since I "anted up" and I see no response on Johnlet. So, I am turning up the heat with this post. If a photo of little John Francis dressed in a full monkey outfit is not posted on Johnlet soon, I will ... I will ... I will shut down Fr. Sibley's blog, A Saintly Salmagundi! Oh, wait, Fr. Sibley has already decided to do that himself. Okay. Well, then, I will ... I will begin a hunger strike! That's it! I will refuse to eat and drink until the good folks at Johnlet comply. Be looking for hunger strike updates, dear readers!
Several days ago Fr. Tharp posted on feeling hurt that the good folks over at Johnlet, who had apparently traveled through Oklahoma, did not stop to visit at least one Reverend Ragemonkey. I, too, was alarmed at the discovery and I demanded reparation in the form of a new and cuter-than-ever photo essay of John Francis (the little star of Johnlet) specifically dedicated to Catholic Ragemonkey.
Well, days have passed since I "anted up" and I see no response on Johnlet. So, I am turning up the heat with this post. If a photo of little John Francis dressed in a full monkey outfit is not posted on Johnlet soon, I will ... I will ... I will shut down Fr. Sibley's blog, A Saintly Salmagundi! Oh, wait, Fr. Sibley has already decided to do that himself. Okay. Well, then, I will ... I will begin a hunger strike! That's it! I will refuse to eat and drink until the good folks at Johnlet comply. Be looking for hunger strike updates, dear readers!
Can you tell that I have been busy?
My apologies for not blogging more over the last couple of days. There has been a lot of chaos here at my parish trying to tie up loose ends and making a list of new things that need dealing with. There is one matter however that I wanted to mention to all readers and to ask their intercession.
This time, last week, I left a message saying that I had to attend to a small emergency. The emergency entailed an intervention on the behalf of one of the priests of the diocese. I am not at liberty to go into details (and I strongly recommend that readers from OK who are in the know don't go into details either) but this priest has some personal problems of a non-moral nature that have been brewing and needed dealing with. He is currently receiving treatment for this matter and we hope to have him back in the diocese soon. I would ask then for two things from readers.
One, please pray for this priest and for all priests who feel overwhelmed. Speaking as the pastor of three parishes, life feels awfully scattershot when you are juggling three places. Two, please, some time soon, thank your pastor and the parochial vicars for what they do. Priests invariably hear 20 times the criticism compared to the praise. And not that priests should work or live for praise. But it is awfully lonely to feel as though you are dragging the flock, kicking and screaming, toward salvation with no one of the flock all that interested in going the way you are. So, do him and yourself and favor and mention one positive thing that you think he specifically brings to the parish.
Thanks for your assistance in this matter.
My apologies for not blogging more over the last couple of days. There has been a lot of chaos here at my parish trying to tie up loose ends and making a list of new things that need dealing with. There is one matter however that I wanted to mention to all readers and to ask their intercession.
This time, last week, I left a message saying that I had to attend to a small emergency. The emergency entailed an intervention on the behalf of one of the priests of the diocese. I am not at liberty to go into details (and I strongly recommend that readers from OK who are in the know don't go into details either) but this priest has some personal problems of a non-moral nature that have been brewing and needed dealing with. He is currently receiving treatment for this matter and we hope to have him back in the diocese soon. I would ask then for two things from readers.
One, please pray for this priest and for all priests who feel overwhelmed. Speaking as the pastor of three parishes, life feels awfully scattershot when you are juggling three places. Two, please, some time soon, thank your pastor and the parochial vicars for what they do. Priests invariably hear 20 times the criticism compared to the praise. And not that priests should work or live for praise. But it is awfully lonely to feel as though you are dragging the flock, kicking and screaming, toward salvation with no one of the flock all that interested in going the way you are. So, do him and yourself and favor and mention one positive thing that you think he specifically brings to the parish.
Thanks for your assistance in this matter.
Sunday, May 22, 2005
Saturday, May 21, 2005
A day of Joy for the Diocese of Trenton
Today I went to the Priestly Ordination for the Diocese of Trenton. We had three men ordained priests (a fourth one was ordained "early" last December because his mother had terminal cancer and she would not have lived to see her son a priest). The three men come from a variety of backgrounds, and each went to a different seminary.
Fr. Ian is the youngest of the three at 29. He is also the tallest; I think he is 6'9". He not only earned his undergraduate degree in psychology before entering the Theological College at Catholic University, but had started his own school for children with special, mostly behavioral, needs. He has been assigned to St. Joan of Arc in Marlton, NJ.
Fr. Charles, a.k.a. Chuck, is 49. He was raised a devout Methodist, but at age 14 he took a part-time job which prevented him from making the service at the local Methodist church, so he started to attend the local Catholic church. 23 years later, in 1993, he and his sister-in-law became Catholics. He had worked for Oceanspray (NJ is the leading producer of cranberries in the US) for a long time, before responding to God's call to become a priest. He first attended college at the Franciscan University at Steubenville, and then Immaculate Conception Seminary at Seton Hall University. He has been assigned to St. Mary's Church in New Monmouth, a neighboring parish of St. James where I am.
Fr. Mark is also 49 (I think). Originally from north NJ, after completing his MS in meteorology, he lived in FL teaching physics at a community college in Tampa-area. In the summers he had a neat job -- he came up to NJ and was the technician for a roller-coaster at one of our broadwalks. I never realized how much fine adjustments -- based on temperature, humidity, etc. -- had to be made everyday to the cars on a roller-coaster so that people don't fly out. He then took a job for Noah -- Oops!, make that N.O.A.A. (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) -- in Princeton. He actually completed one year in the Diocese's permanent deacon program when he knew God was calling him to priesthood, so he attend St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Philadelphia (where Fr. Tharp & I attend, and why I know more about him). He has been assigned to St. Thomas More Church in Manalapan.
Fr. Mike is the guy who was ordained "early," and he is 37 (I think). His father is a permanent deacon, and Fr. Mike worked in retail electronics before entering first St. Andrew's minor seminary at Seton Hall University, and then Immaculate Conception. I know that he is a sports fan, especially soccer, as he and I have attended a few Metrostars games in the past. I will have the great honor of getting to know Fr. Mike better as he has been assigned to St. James in Red Bank, where I am currently assigned. Fr. Mike has been one of the Trenton guys that I have been closest too since I entered the program here, so I am excited to be working with him.
May the Immaculata draw each of these new sons of hers close, and may they be abundantly blessed as they start their first assignments as priests.
Fr. Ian is the youngest of the three at 29. He is also the tallest; I think he is 6'9". He not only earned his undergraduate degree in psychology before entering the Theological College at Catholic University, but had started his own school for children with special, mostly behavioral, needs. He has been assigned to St. Joan of Arc in Marlton, NJ.
Fr. Charles, a.k.a. Chuck, is 49. He was raised a devout Methodist, but at age 14 he took a part-time job which prevented him from making the service at the local Methodist church, so he started to attend the local Catholic church. 23 years later, in 1993, he and his sister-in-law became Catholics. He had worked for Oceanspray (NJ is the leading producer of cranberries in the US) for a long time, before responding to God's call to become a priest. He first attended college at the Franciscan University at Steubenville, and then Immaculate Conception Seminary at Seton Hall University. He has been assigned to St. Mary's Church in New Monmouth, a neighboring parish of St. James where I am.
Fr. Mark is also 49 (I think). Originally from north NJ, after completing his MS in meteorology, he lived in FL teaching physics at a community college in Tampa-area. In the summers he had a neat job -- he came up to NJ and was the technician for a roller-coaster at one of our broadwalks. I never realized how much fine adjustments -- based on temperature, humidity, etc. -- had to be made everyday to the cars on a roller-coaster so that people don't fly out. He then took a job for Noah -- Oops!, make that N.O.A.A. (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) -- in Princeton. He actually completed one year in the Diocese's permanent deacon program when he knew God was calling him to priesthood, so he attend St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Philadelphia (where Fr. Tharp & I attend, and why I know more about him). He has been assigned to St. Thomas More Church in Manalapan.
Fr. Mike is the guy who was ordained "early," and he is 37 (I think). His father is a permanent deacon, and Fr. Mike worked in retail electronics before entering first St. Andrew's minor seminary at Seton Hall University, and then Immaculate Conception. I know that he is a sports fan, especially soccer, as he and I have attended a few Metrostars games in the past. I will have the great honor of getting to know Fr. Mike better as he has been assigned to St. James in Red Bank, where I am currently assigned. Fr. Mike has been one of the Trenton guys that I have been closest too since I entered the program here, so I am excited to be working with him.
May the Immaculata draw each of these new sons of hers close, and may they be abundantly blessed as they start their first assignments as priests.
Direction, Examination, Implementation
Call it one of those "unsubtle" hints that God throws my way from time to time. While reading, actually finishing up, Salt of the Earth, an extended interview with the then Cardinal Ratzinger, the good Cardinal mentioned the positive influence of ecclesial movements within the Church. Then I picked up my copy of John Paul the Great, a series of essays on the influence and importance of the late Holy Father, available via Ignatius Press, and the essay by Ian Ker noted the supremely central importance of John Paul in the promotion of many ecclesial movements. (For those who insist, quotes will be forthcoming.) As I had some encounters with Regnum Christi, Communion and Liberation, and the NeoCatechumenal Way, I was hardly an ecclesial movement virgin. It however did leave me with an interesting question. Actually it was more like an interesting set of questions.
How do you promote such ecclesial movements at the parish level? Which ones should you promote? Which ones should you avoid?
Instead of my usual pensive noodling, I thought I would throw the floor open for comments and ideas. Most importantly, I would ask that everyone keep in mind that my parish is quite small (average Sunday attendance = 110) despite the presence of a university in town (more on that later). Also, I will accept the statement "I canna be done, Captain!" but please refrain from making that the first comment.
Update -- Round One
Since so many folks have commented, I thought I would help focus discussion by making more general comments. Here we go.
1.) An ecclesial movement is an organization of Catholics, lay or clerical, who come together with a common vision and a common strategy to more perfect re-vitalize the life of the Church. This activity is generally rooted in a manner of prayer, a common life with other members of the movement, and can aim at either the local or universal dimensions of the Church.
2.) Cursillo is an ecclesial movement -- it is not a retreat program. You don't send folks to it so that they can find what they are to do. If one finds in the Cursillo community what is needed, then one practices the life of Cursillo. I would say though, that given my experience of being on a Cursillo team, many folks do find the weekend an appropriate springboard to finding what they should be doing in reference to their own spiritual life.
3.) I am not thinking of any one movement at this time. I mentioned those other movements because I have experience with them. It's a question about abstract priniciples. See number #6 and #9
4.) Irony: There was a time in the Church when various groups like the Carmelites and the Dominicans were treated with suspicion because they were "too new to be trusted." Thankfully, various Popes have endorsed and protected these movements. Therefore, when commentors say that ecclesial movements should be avoided because they are new, they demonstrate why a.) John Paul was a genius and b.) the Church has a papacy. I think I will hang with JPII on this one.
5.) This question is not about devotional practices. We have those in my parish. The question concerns ecclesial movements that will aid them in more expertly applying the Gospel to their lives.
6.) The comments about sodalities and confraternities are not helpful for a number of reasons. A.) Like an ecclesial movement, I still have no clue how to kick off a sodality or confraternity. B.) I find that sod's and con's are a little narrow in their focus, based on what I have read about them. It seems that in the U.S. a greater sense of the universal Church is needed. C.) Finding one sodality that fits the bill is trickier than the ecclesial community. It is related to point B.)
7.) Again, parish missions already happen here and they do not provide the big picture solution that an ecclesial movement should provide. Cf. Louise's comments if you need further clarification of the point.
8.) For Cursillo to work, I would need to identify some leaders in the parish and then go from there. Hmmm...
9.) The only helpful suggestion has been to demonstrate openess. Follow-up question: how does one demonstrate a proper openness to an ecclesial movement?
10.) That's it for now. Looking forward to the new comments.
Call it one of those "unsubtle" hints that God throws my way from time to time. While reading, actually finishing up, Salt of the Earth, an extended interview with the then Cardinal Ratzinger, the good Cardinal mentioned the positive influence of ecclesial movements within the Church. Then I picked up my copy of John Paul the Great, a series of essays on the influence and importance of the late Holy Father, available via Ignatius Press, and the essay by Ian Ker noted the supremely central importance of John Paul in the promotion of many ecclesial movements. (For those who insist, quotes will be forthcoming.) As I had some encounters with Regnum Christi, Communion and Liberation, and the NeoCatechumenal Way, I was hardly an ecclesial movement virgin. It however did leave me with an interesting question. Actually it was more like an interesting set of questions.
How do you promote such ecclesial movements at the parish level? Which ones should you promote? Which ones should you avoid?
Instead of my usual pensive noodling, I thought I would throw the floor open for comments and ideas. Most importantly, I would ask that everyone keep in mind that my parish is quite small (average Sunday attendance = 110) despite the presence of a university in town (more on that later). Also, I will accept the statement "I canna be done, Captain!" but please refrain from making that the first comment.
Update -- Round One
Since so many folks have commented, I thought I would help focus discussion by making more general comments. Here we go.
1.) An ecclesial movement is an organization of Catholics, lay or clerical, who come together with a common vision and a common strategy to more perfect re-vitalize the life of the Church. This activity is generally rooted in a manner of prayer, a common life with other members of the movement, and can aim at either the local or universal dimensions of the Church.
2.) Cursillo is an ecclesial movement -- it is not a retreat program. You don't send folks to it so that they can find what they are to do. If one finds in the Cursillo community what is needed, then one practices the life of Cursillo. I would say though, that given my experience of being on a Cursillo team, many folks do find the weekend an appropriate springboard to finding what they should be doing in reference to their own spiritual life.
3.) I am not thinking of any one movement at this time. I mentioned those other movements because I have experience with them. It's a question about abstract priniciples. See number #6 and #9
4.) Irony: There was a time in the Church when various groups like the Carmelites and the Dominicans were treated with suspicion because they were "too new to be trusted." Thankfully, various Popes have endorsed and protected these movements. Therefore, when commentors say that ecclesial movements should be avoided because they are new, they demonstrate why a.) John Paul was a genius and b.) the Church has a papacy. I think I will hang with JPII on this one.
5.) This question is not about devotional practices. We have those in my parish. The question concerns ecclesial movements that will aid them in more expertly applying the Gospel to their lives.
6.) The comments about sodalities and confraternities are not helpful for a number of reasons. A.) Like an ecclesial movement, I still have no clue how to kick off a sodality or confraternity. B.) I find that sod's and con's are a little narrow in their focus, based on what I have read about them. It seems that in the U.S. a greater sense of the universal Church is needed. C.) Finding one sodality that fits the bill is trickier than the ecclesial community. It is related to point B.)
7.) Again, parish missions already happen here and they do not provide the big picture solution that an ecclesial movement should provide. Cf. Louise's comments if you need further clarification of the point.
8.) For Cursillo to work, I would need to identify some leaders in the parish and then go from there. Hmmm...
9.) The only helpful suggestion has been to demonstrate openess. Follow-up question: how does one demonstrate a proper openness to an ecclesial movement?
10.) That's it for now. Looking forward to the new comments.
Friday, May 20, 2005
Confession Schedule
OK, I need to vent a bit, and well, I am partial owner of this blog, so I get to do that. I have mentioned it previously, that here at St. James, we offer the sacrament of Reconciliation frequently -- like, everyday except for Sunday. We hear Confessions Monday through Friday after our 8am Mass, and Saturdays from 11:30am to Noon (2 priests), 4pm to 5pm (2 priests), and after our 7:30pm Vigil Mass.
Now I am NOT venting about us offering the sacrament too much. OK, there are times when I might grumble a little when I have to head over to hear Confessions, but that is my failing (usually it is because I am behind in some other project). However, once I get in the confessional (it is a box; while we offer face to face, I estimate 95% go behind the grill) I am awe struck by the grace of God working through me; all grumbling is forgotten. Only celebrating the Eucharist makes me feel as complete as a priest.
What I am venting about is the flack I get from other priests about our confession schedule. They all seem to think we are nuts. I can't tell you how often I have heard, "Boy, you must have a lot more sinners there." This week I got together with my classmates from the seminary, and one of them just really went on and on about how we were just fostering scrupples. I tried to tell him that most of our folks coming to confession are coming maybe once a month, but that our people (not to mention that we get a lot of folks from other parishes because their parishes do not offer the sacrament except "by appointment") really value the mercy of God. They probably are no bigger sinners than parishioners anywhere else, but they have a sense of sin, and more importantly a sense of God's mercy. I also pointed out that the sacrament, while principally is for the forgiveness of sins, it also provides the grace needed to grow in holiness.
There...I vented. I think it is a GOOD thing that we offer the sacrament as much as we do. I trust the other priests here that, like me, if someone is struggling with scrupples, they address it in a pastoral manner. However, mostly we are just trying to help people grow in virtue.
Now I am NOT venting about us offering the sacrament too much. OK, there are times when I might grumble a little when I have to head over to hear Confessions, but that is my failing (usually it is because I am behind in some other project). However, once I get in the confessional (it is a box; while we offer face to face, I estimate 95% go behind the grill) I am awe struck by the grace of God working through me; all grumbling is forgotten. Only celebrating the Eucharist makes me feel as complete as a priest.
What I am venting about is the flack I get from other priests about our confession schedule. They all seem to think we are nuts. I can't tell you how often I have heard, "Boy, you must have a lot more sinners there." This week I got together with my classmates from the seminary, and one of them just really went on and on about how we were just fostering scrupples. I tried to tell him that most of our folks coming to confession are coming maybe once a month, but that our people (not to mention that we get a lot of folks from other parishes because their parishes do not offer the sacrament except "by appointment") really value the mercy of God. They probably are no bigger sinners than parishioners anywhere else, but they have a sense of sin, and more importantly a sense of God's mercy. I also pointed out that the sacrament, while principally is for the forgiveness of sins, it also provides the grace needed to grow in holiness.
There...I vented. I think it is a GOOD thing that we offer the sacrament as much as we do. I trust the other priests here that, like me, if someone is struggling with scrupples, they address it in a pastoral manner. However, mostly we are just trying to help people grow in virtue.
OK, this is way cool.
A few weeks ago I upgraded my Mac OS to "Tiger." One of the new "whistles" is their Dashboard, which is basically Konfabulator. I have been playing with Dashboard for a while. I has a neat translator program, all I need to do is type something in English and it will translate it into one of about a dozen languages (no, not Latin, only modern languages, nuts!). I recently added a widget (the little programs that run on the Dashboard) called "ShowTime" which gives me what is playing at the local theaters. There is the local weather widget, dictionary, YellowPages, calculator, world clock, Package Tracker.
This evening I found one called "Dash Blog" which allows me to post an entry to CRM. I can't do the text things, like bold or italics, without typing html code myself, but that has been my life as a Mac User, since Blogger really does not support Safari. Oh well. Now maybe I will dash off quick blogs more regularly.
This evening I found one called "Dash Blog" which allows me to post an entry to CRM. I can't do the text things, like bold or italics, without typing html code myself, but that has been my life as a Mac User, since Blogger really does not support Safari. Oh well. Now maybe I will dash off quick blogs more regularly.
Why do people do this?
We are a bit sadden here at St. James in Red Bank. Twice this week someone has come into our lovely little church and vandalized it. They have sliced several of the kneelers. We are hosting the ordination of the transitional deacons in a few weeks, so we really wanted the church looking nice. Normally we keep the church open from 6am to 6pm, but until we install some security cameras we have to keep it locked. This morning, in addition to telling the people why I had to chase them out after the Rosary, I had everyone pray for the person who has been doing this vandalism, that whatever hurt (real or imagine) which is causing them to lash out at the Church in this fashion might be healed by Christ Jesus.
Tuesday, May 17, 2005
A Small Emergency
Just placing a vague request on the blog. I have a personal matter that came to my attention. Would you all mind offering a prayer of intercession for the matter in question? I'm sorry to be so indirect, but it's necessary because the matter isn't public. Thanks in advance.
Our Lady of Czestochowa, pray for us.
St. Michael, pray for us.
St. Maximilian Kolbe, pray for us.
Bl. Damien of Molokai, pray for us.
John Paul the Great, pray for us.
Just placing a vague request on the blog. I have a personal matter that came to my attention. Would you all mind offering a prayer of intercession for the matter in question? I'm sorry to be so indirect, but it's necessary because the matter isn't public. Thanks in advance.
Our Lady of Czestochowa, pray for us.
St. Michael, pray for us.
St. Maximilian Kolbe, pray for us.
Bl. Damien of Molokai, pray for us.
John Paul the Great, pray for us.
Monday, May 16, 2005
From the "Too Little, Too Late" Files
It's stories like these that make my general shunning of newsmagazines completely justified.
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.
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.
Sunday, May 15, 2005
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.
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.
The real question for our readers is "Are you surprised?"
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...
What philosophy do you follow? (v1.03) created with QuizFarm.com |
The real question for our readers is "Are you surprised?"
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.
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.
Saturday, May 14, 2005
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?
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!=
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!=
Friday, May 13, 2005
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.
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!
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.
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!
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.
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.
Thursday, May 12, 2005
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!
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.
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!
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 fitting given the approach of Ordinary Time
#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. |
Wednesday, May 11, 2005
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.
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.
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.
Tuesday, May 10, 2005
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!
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..."
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..."
Sunday, May 08, 2005
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!
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...
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!
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!
Saturday, May 07, 2005
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.
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.
Friday, May 06, 2005
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.
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!
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!
Monday, May 02, 2005
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!
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!
Sunday, May 01, 2005
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.
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
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.
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.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
