Jesus said if anyone wanted to follow him, they should take up their cross and get behind him...currently you have two movements going on:
The presentation of the horrid suffering of the Cross
and...
The denial that there is any cross in life.
I continue to post a daily look at how the cross of Christ is a beacon to the way we approach our lives, click on the gate to the right to view today's entry.
Sunday, March 7, 2004
If Britany Can--Why Can't He?
There are reports out there that the current rush of same sex marriages is part of a campaign to legitimize same sex relationships in the minds of the "average" person. One comment that I've seen quoted over and over, two examples come to mind--one being below, the other in "My Turn" in the current issues of Newsweek, is the comment that relates to the cheapened way marriage was treated by Brittany Spears (this makes me suspicious if even that isn't a part of this overall scheme).
Now, Episcopal Bishop Eugene Robinson who is the "pope" of this whole movement and is at the forefront of moving this agenda into the public eye wants to be married--and you know what? The same Episcopal bishops who elected him a bishop ought to do the ceremony and then declare themselves followers of bishop Robinson and publicly declare that they are followers of the Son of Robin rather than the Son of God...
From Breakingnews.ie:
Robinson, whose election as the US church?s first openly gay bishop last year had divided Anglicans throughout the world, said yesterday ? , two days before he was due to become the Episcopal Church?s leader in New Hampshire ? that the gay marriage issue was one of civil rights.
?It is very irritating to me that Britney Spears, when she traipsed off to be married in Las Vegas, instantly had what my partner and I of 15 years do not have,? he said.
Robinson takes over tomorrow from retiring Bishop Douglas Theuner at a time when the debate over gay rights, including marriage, is making headlines nationwide.
Now, Episcopal Bishop Eugene Robinson who is the "pope" of this whole movement and is at the forefront of moving this agenda into the public eye wants to be married--and you know what? The same Episcopal bishops who elected him a bishop ought to do the ceremony and then declare themselves followers of bishop Robinson and publicly declare that they are followers of the Son of Robin rather than the Son of God...
From Breakingnews.ie:
Robinson, whose election as the US church?s first openly gay bishop last year had divided Anglicans throughout the world, said yesterday ? , two days before he was due to become the Episcopal Church?s leader in New Hampshire ? that the gay marriage issue was one of civil rights.
?It is very irritating to me that Britney Spears, when she traipsed off to be married in Las Vegas, instantly had what my partner and I of 15 years do not have,? he said.
Robinson takes over tomorrow from retiring Bishop Douglas Theuner at a time when the debate over gay rights, including marriage, is making headlines nationwide.
Saturday, March 6, 2004
Mel Gibson's Triumph
From Mel Gibson's Triumph:
"On coming away from a first, full viewing of Mel Gibson's 'The Passion of the Christ,' among the questions that came to mind was: What in heaven's name was all the howling about?
For the all-powerful impression this emotionally draining film leaves one with is that this is what the Son of God went through for our sins and our salvation. Those who called 'The Passion' anti-Semitic without seeing it, who tried to censor it and keep it out of theaters, and who trashed it as pornographic as soon as it appeared on Ash Wednesday have made perfect fools of themselves.
For Catholics, this first week of Lent was a decidedly mixed one. The magnitude of the scandal of pedophile and pervert-priests, now fully documented, testifies that Pope Paul VI was right when he warned, post Vatican II, that the smoke of Hell had entered the vestibule of the Church.
But Gibson's 'Passion' gives us a Lenten masterpiece, a beautiful moving work of art. To cradle Catholics who can recite the lines of each episode before they are uttered, it is faithful to the Gospels, to the Stations of the Cross, to the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary.
But what you come out of this film with depends on what you took in. If you are looking for evidence of Jewish villainy, you can find it in Caiphas, the sinister high priest of the Sanhedrin who was the driving force in the mob's demand for the crucifixion and death of Jesus. And in the pathetic figure of Judas the betrayer. But almost all the heroines and heroes are also Jews.
For this is, after all, a Jewish and Roman story, though Caiphas appears as a cartoon villain alongside Pilate, the more interesting figure. For Pilate is gripped by a moral dilemma, and takes the weakling's way out, ordering Christ crucified --though he believes Christ to be innocent"
"On coming away from a first, full viewing of Mel Gibson's 'The Passion of the Christ,' among the questions that came to mind was: What in heaven's name was all the howling about?
For the all-powerful impression this emotionally draining film leaves one with is that this is what the Son of God went through for our sins and our salvation. Those who called 'The Passion' anti-Semitic without seeing it, who tried to censor it and keep it out of theaters, and who trashed it as pornographic as soon as it appeared on Ash Wednesday have made perfect fools of themselves.
For Catholics, this first week of Lent was a decidedly mixed one. The magnitude of the scandal of pedophile and pervert-priests, now fully documented, testifies that Pope Paul VI was right when he warned, post Vatican II, that the smoke of Hell had entered the vestibule of the Church.
But Gibson's 'Passion' gives us a Lenten masterpiece, a beautiful moving work of art. To cradle Catholics who can recite the lines of each episode before they are uttered, it is faithful to the Gospels, to the Stations of the Cross, to the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary.
But what you come out of this film with depends on what you took in. If you are looking for evidence of Jewish villainy, you can find it in Caiphas, the sinister high priest of the Sanhedrin who was the driving force in the mob's demand for the crucifixion and death of Jesus. And in the pathetic figure of Judas the betrayer. But almost all the heroines and heroes are also Jews.
For this is, after all, a Jewish and Roman story, though Caiphas appears as a cartoon villain alongside Pilate, the more interesting figure. For Pilate is gripped by a moral dilemma, and takes the weakling's way out, ordering Christ crucified --though he believes Christ to be innocent"
Friday, March 5, 2004
Martha Stewart Convicted of All Counts
Guess she should have taken the stand.
From Martha Stewart Convicted of All Counts (washingtonpost.com)
Martha Stewart was convicted Friday of obstructing justice and lying to the government about a superbly timed stock sale, a devastating verdict that probably means prison for the woman who epitomizes meticulous homemaking and gracious living.
From Martha Stewart Convicted of All Counts (washingtonpost.com)
Martha Stewart was convicted Friday of obstructing justice and lying to the government about a superbly timed stock sale, a devastating verdict that probably means prison for the woman who epitomizes meticulous homemaking and gracious living.
Let Us Exalt the Lord!
From The Orthodox Page:
"LET US EXALT THE LORD
WHO WAS EXALTED ON THE CROSS, RAISING UP THE WORLD
AS WE ARE RAISED ABOVE THE PASSIONS THAT CREEP ON THE EARTH
THROUGH OUR FASTING.
WITH FULL AWARENESS LET US DRINK THE CUP OF CONTRITION;
LET US CALL TO MIND THE DAY AND HOUR
WHEN WE SHALL STAND BEFORE THE ETERNAL JUDGE!"
"LET US EXALT THE LORD
WHO WAS EXALTED ON THE CROSS, RAISING UP THE WORLD
AS WE ARE RAISED ABOVE THE PASSIONS THAT CREEP ON THE EARTH
THROUGH OUR FASTING.
WITH FULL AWARENESS LET US DRINK THE CUP OF CONTRITION;
LET US CALL TO MIND THE DAY AND HOUR
WHEN WE SHALL STAND BEFORE THE ETERNAL JUDGE!"
Thursday, March 4, 2004
Weeping Statue of Mary at Church Due to Close
Now overwhelmed with crowds... in the Boston Archdiocese.
From The Boston Globe:
Two weeks ago, a delivery man told a rectory worker that the life-sized statue outside the red-brick church near Tufts University was weeping. By yesterday at noon, the devout and the curious were arriving at the statue every few minutes.
"I think she's crying because this church may close," said Stephanie Pucillo of Medford, who visited the statue yesterday during her lunch break after her mother told her about it. "Is it real? I don't know. But the timing is ironic, with everything that's going on."
Last month, Archbishop Sean P. O'Malley informed all the 357 parishes that due to dwindling Mass attendance, a shortage of priests, and financial constraints, some churches would be forced to close by the end of the year. He instructed priests and parish officials to meet and identify which parishes ought to be slated for closing.
The five Catholic parishes in Medford have decided that if one of them must close, it should be St. James Parish, and if two churches must close, then Sacred Heart Church has been recommended, according to Sacred Heart's church bulletin.
The Rev. Christopher J. Coyne, the archdiocesan spokesman, was on vacation and unavailable for comment.
But Sacred Heart's pastor, the Rev. Robert Doherty, said: "The statute is not weeping. It's just an outdoor statute."
He said that streams of water have been rolling down the statue's face from one or both eyes. Doherty said that given all the troubles that the Catholic churches has faced lately, from the sex-abuse scandal to the proposed church closings, it makes sense that devout Catholics believe the statue is weeping. "I think the Blessed Mother is crying, but I don't think the statue is," he said.
Doherty said the statue has been in front of the church for years, and until recently, it was entirely white. About two years ago, a parishioner added blue hues to the icon's robe, and flesh colored paint to its face.
From The Boston Globe:
Two weeks ago, a delivery man told a rectory worker that the life-sized statue outside the red-brick church near Tufts University was weeping. By yesterday at noon, the devout and the curious were arriving at the statue every few minutes.
"I think she's crying because this church may close," said Stephanie Pucillo of Medford, who visited the statue yesterday during her lunch break after her mother told her about it. "Is it real? I don't know. But the timing is ironic, with everything that's going on."
Last month, Archbishop Sean P. O'Malley informed all the 357 parishes that due to dwindling Mass attendance, a shortage of priests, and financial constraints, some churches would be forced to close by the end of the year. He instructed priests and parish officials to meet and identify which parishes ought to be slated for closing.
The five Catholic parishes in Medford have decided that if one of them must close, it should be St. James Parish, and if two churches must close, then Sacred Heart Church has been recommended, according to Sacred Heart's church bulletin.
The Rev. Christopher J. Coyne, the archdiocesan spokesman, was on vacation and unavailable for comment.
But Sacred Heart's pastor, the Rev. Robert Doherty, said: "The statute is not weeping. It's just an outdoor statute."
He said that streams of water have been rolling down the statue's face from one or both eyes. Doherty said that given all the troubles that the Catholic churches has faced lately, from the sex-abuse scandal to the proposed church closings, it makes sense that devout Catholics believe the statue is weeping. "I think the Blessed Mother is crying, but I don't think the statue is," he said.
Doherty said the statue has been in front of the church for years, and until recently, it was entirely white. About two years ago, a parishioner added blue hues to the icon's robe, and flesh colored paint to its face.
The Meaning of Suffering
“Why?” by John F. Downs is the true story of one man’s battle with suffering as a quadriplegic, and Mother Teresa’s advice to him to “be more visible”.
It is a testimony of the life and faith journey of the author, who became a quadriplegic after a trampoline accident in high school. The main theme of this autobiography, the spirituality of suffering, is not necessarily an attractive topic. In fact, the notion of suffering is scary for many. We wonder why God allows suffering, especially for the innocent.
John Downs captures the truth about the meaning of suffering: the only way to salvation is through the cross. Suffering is not meaningless. It has purpose. In fact, would you believe that it is a “gift”? This book shows how seeking God’s plan for our lives can change an angry “Why?” to an interior union with Christ crucified.
Mother Teresa once told John Downs that he should “be more visible.” I heartily agree. When you read his story, you are drawn to the sacrifices of love by this one man, John Downs, and through it, you grow closer to God. The book is truly, as the author hoped it would be, “a doorway to the discovery of life’s true purpose: a right relationship between creature and Creator.”
John Down's book “WHY?” has been in progress for the past 5 years and is finally ready for release. It is only fitting that his book be released at the beginning of Lent. Be among the first to experience this power book.
They are offering a FREE copy of Chapter 4 – “An End and A Beginning”. Click here to get the FREE chapter.
It is a testimony of the life and faith journey of the author, who became a quadriplegic after a trampoline accident in high school. The main theme of this autobiography, the spirituality of suffering, is not necessarily an attractive topic. In fact, the notion of suffering is scary for many. We wonder why God allows suffering, especially for the innocent.
John Downs captures the truth about the meaning of suffering: the only way to salvation is through the cross. Suffering is not meaningless. It has purpose. In fact, would you believe that it is a “gift”? This book shows how seeking God’s plan for our lives can change an angry “Why?” to an interior union with Christ crucified.
Mother Teresa once told John Downs that he should “be more visible.” I heartily agree. When you read his story, you are drawn to the sacrifices of love by this one man, John Downs, and through it, you grow closer to God. The book is truly, as the author hoped it would be, “a doorway to the discovery of life’s true purpose: a right relationship between creature and Creator.”
John Down's book “WHY?” has been in progress for the past 5 years and is finally ready for release. It is only fitting that his book be released at the beginning of Lent. Be among the first to experience this power book.
They are offering a FREE copy of Chapter 4 – “An End and A Beginning”. Click here to get the FREE chapter.
Wednesday, March 3, 2004
Slight Setback for Father Groeschel
From Letter 3/2/04:
"Believe it or not, today we had a bit of a setback. Yes, at eight o'clock this morning Father's heart began to race, things began to beep and blink, and they had to roll in Father's old friend - the ventilator. The brief but startling ordeal frightened Father who called for a priest to receive the sacrament of the sick. He also asked that the Blessed Sacrament be reserved in his room. The doctors and other professionals on the scene were not terribly shaken; they've seen this many times. No doubt, getting off the ventilator after so many weeks is tricky business. So, instead of tap dancing, Fathers' doing the 'one step forward, two steps back' routine. "
"Believe it or not, today we had a bit of a setback. Yes, at eight o'clock this morning Father's heart began to race, things began to beep and blink, and they had to roll in Father's old friend - the ventilator. The brief but startling ordeal frightened Father who called for a priest to receive the sacrament of the sick. He also asked that the Blessed Sacrament be reserved in his room. The doctors and other professionals on the scene were not terribly shaken; they've seen this many times. No doubt, getting off the ventilator after so many weeks is tricky business. So, instead of tap dancing, Fathers' doing the 'one step forward, two steps back' routine. "
More Hate Crimes Against Christians in Florida
This time in St. Augustine...
From staugustine.com: Local News: Vandals strike, uproot hundreds of crosses at church 03/02/04:
"When Al Wolff saw more than 200 uprooted crosses Monday morning at the Mission of Nombre de Dios, he wasn't enraged.
Instead, he felt sorry for the people who did it.
Wolff is the caretaker of the 4,500 white 18-inch crosses that have been placed at the church annually for the past 16 years. The crosses signify the number of fetuses aborted each day, he said. The exhibit is sponsored by St. Augustine's St. Gerard Campus, an agency aimed to help pregnant, unwed mothers.
Along with the uprooted crosses, Wolff said he saw about 20 wire coat hangers around some of the crosses and in the ground.
'They're not educated,' Wolff said about the vandals. 'They don't understand. I pray for them.'
It is clear that pro-abortionists made the statement, Wolff said.
'They were prepared. They had the hangers,' he said. 'They're trying to show they're view.'"
From staugustine.com: Local News: Vandals strike, uproot hundreds of crosses at church 03/02/04:
"When Al Wolff saw more than 200 uprooted crosses Monday morning at the Mission of Nombre de Dios, he wasn't enraged.
Instead, he felt sorry for the people who did it.
Wolff is the caretaker of the 4,500 white 18-inch crosses that have been placed at the church annually for the past 16 years. The crosses signify the number of fetuses aborted each day, he said. The exhibit is sponsored by St. Augustine's St. Gerard Campus, an agency aimed to help pregnant, unwed mothers.
Along with the uprooted crosses, Wolff said he saw about 20 wire coat hangers around some of the crosses and in the ground.
'They're not educated,' Wolff said about the vandals. 'They don't understand. I pray for them.'
It is clear that pro-abortionists made the statement, Wolff said.
'They were prepared. They had the hangers,' he said. 'They're trying to show they're view.'"
Tuesday, March 2, 2004
Lenten Meditations
I continue to post Lenten Mediations on the page that you can access by clicking on the image of the gate to the right. I've changed the focus a bit. The post will be reflective of the day's Gospel reading, on Sundays it will be reflective of the Gospel for cycle A. The overall focus is the "power of the cross." All of this eventually will be a book, so comments, critiques of various entries are appreciated.
Image of Jewish Woman Destroyed in Clearwater, FL
Might this act of anti-Semitism be the result of the movie The Passion of the Christ? I'll bet when they catch the culprit they'll find a connection.
Believers, believe that the image will reappear if the window panes are replaced. Now, if that happens, let me say that I'll also believe!
From the Tampa Tribune:
Reed said a group of a half- dozen of the faithful were at the site until about 9 p.m. Sunday, leaving the site unattended for roughly 10 hours until the volunteer arrived.
Clearwater police spokesman Wayne Shelor said investigators discovered among the shards of glass one with the imprint of a ball bearing.
They are surmising from this and other evidence that the bearings did not cause the panes to shatter immediately. Rather, they caused weblike cracks in the three panels, which over time caused the glass to fall to pieces.
All three ball bearings have been recovered, Shelor said. Because there are no signs of black powder on the ball bearings, or any evidence of rifling, detectives don't think a firearm was used, Shelor said.
``The operating premise is it is something like a slingshot,'' Shelor said. It is also believed, Shelor said, that the culprit fired the bearings from the site, where many have come to say the rosary, light a candle, or leave flowers or donations.
Investigators have viewed images from a Web camera on the property that is aimed at the image of Mary so the faithful can view the visage on computers worldwide. But at least until 5:15 a.m., the image is intact, Shelor said. That means the vandal took his shots afterward, or the glass hadn't disintegrated yet, Shelor said.
Investigators also are aware that neighboring businesses at the busy intersection of Drew Street and U.S. 19 have surveillance cameras that might provide clues, he said.
Behind the panes was a prayer room where Shepherds of Christ holds occasional religious services. Visitors witnessing the destruction Monday from the outside could look in and see the altar from which the services have been held. A piano also stood in the room, one of its legs partly buried by shards of glass.
Reed called the panes of glass ``irreplaceable.'' Still, the broken pieces of glass will be preserved, she said.
``Only God can replace the window,'' she said. ``If he wants it replaced, it will happen.'' Some at the site Monday speculated that if the mirrored glass were replaced, Mary's head would instantaneously reappear and attach itself to the rest of the image.
Believers, believe that the image will reappear if the window panes are replaced. Now, if that happens, let me say that I'll also believe!
From the Tampa Tribune:
Reed said a group of a half- dozen of the faithful were at the site until about 9 p.m. Sunday, leaving the site unattended for roughly 10 hours until the volunteer arrived.
Clearwater police spokesman Wayne Shelor said investigators discovered among the shards of glass one with the imprint of a ball bearing.
They are surmising from this and other evidence that the bearings did not cause the panes to shatter immediately. Rather, they caused weblike cracks in the three panels, which over time caused the glass to fall to pieces.
All three ball bearings have been recovered, Shelor said. Because there are no signs of black powder on the ball bearings, or any evidence of rifling, detectives don't think a firearm was used, Shelor said.
``The operating premise is it is something like a slingshot,'' Shelor said. It is also believed, Shelor said, that the culprit fired the bearings from the site, where many have come to say the rosary, light a candle, or leave flowers or donations.
Investigators have viewed images from a Web camera on the property that is aimed at the image of Mary so the faithful can view the visage on computers worldwide. But at least until 5:15 a.m., the image is intact, Shelor said. That means the vandal took his shots afterward, or the glass hadn't disintegrated yet, Shelor said.
Investigators also are aware that neighboring businesses at the busy intersection of Drew Street and U.S. 19 have surveillance cameras that might provide clues, he said.
Behind the panes was a prayer room where Shepherds of Christ holds occasional religious services. Visitors witnessing the destruction Monday from the outside could look in and see the altar from which the services have been held. A piano also stood in the room, one of its legs partly buried by shards of glass.
Reed called the panes of glass ``irreplaceable.'' Still, the broken pieces of glass will be preserved, she said.
``Only God can replace the window,'' she said. ``If he wants it replaced, it will happen.'' Some at the site Monday speculated that if the mirrored glass were replaced, Mary's head would instantaneously reappear and attach itself to the rest of the image.
Monday, March 1, 2004
Vandalized!
From BayNews9.com - News:
"Someone has defaced an internationally known religious landmark.
The top three panels of the nine-panel glass window were broken at the Clearwater building with the Virgin Mary image. Police believe it happened between 5:15 and 6:45 Monday morning.
The damage was discovered by a woman who came to pray. Clearwater police say they think a vandal used a sling shot to propel ball bearings at the window, causing the glass to splinter and break. "
"Someone has defaced an internationally known religious landmark.
The top three panels of the nine-panel glass window were broken at the Clearwater building with the Virgin Mary image. Police believe it happened between 5:15 and 6:45 Monday morning.
The damage was discovered by a woman who came to pray. Clearwater police say they think a vandal used a sling shot to propel ball bearings at the window, causing the glass to splinter and break. "
Clearwater Image of Mary Destroyed
Not sure what happened...but its clear that three window panes have been knocked out where the image once was...some are claiming to see the image of Jesus in the missing panels.
The Shepherds of Christ were at the Christian Bookseller's Association book show last year in Orlando handing out cards that showed pictures of the image that they say went dark days before 9/11 and then returned to their normal appearance.
This appears to be vandalism.
Live web cam image
The Shepherds of Christ were at the Christian Bookseller's Association book show last year in Orlando handing out cards that showed pictures of the image that they say went dark days before 9/11 and then returned to their normal appearance.
This appears to be vandalism.
Live web cam image
Accused Clergy had Influential Posts
In Springfield, Mass. Of course, this is one of the greatest dangers in a system that is modeled more on the monarchies of the middle ages then the Church of the first millenium.
From Accused clergy had influential posts:
"The vast majority of 14 local priests recently accused of sexual misconduct held positions of considerable power in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield, some ascending steadily through the ranks while they allegedly engaged in sexual misdeeds with minors.
Among them were the recently retired bishop, a secretary to two bishops, the executor of one bishop's estate and the head of diocesan schools. Another was the chief recruiter of young seminarians, a man who was later entrusted with diocesan records.
The exceptional proximity to power - and documents that may show some clerics abused it - have triggered questions about whether personnel files and other paperwork that may have revealed a pattern of abuse were destroyed or mishandled.
And, while their numbers represent just a fraction of the 120 priests in the diocese, the accused provide evidence that a powerful 'cabal' of abusers had free reign to prey on victims over decades, according to lawyers for alleged victims. "
From Accused clergy had influential posts:
"The vast majority of 14 local priests recently accused of sexual misconduct held positions of considerable power in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield, some ascending steadily through the ranks while they allegedly engaged in sexual misdeeds with minors.
Among them were the recently retired bishop, a secretary to two bishops, the executor of one bishop's estate and the head of diocesan schools. Another was the chief recruiter of young seminarians, a man who was later entrusted with diocesan records.
The exceptional proximity to power - and documents that may show some clerics abused it - have triggered questions about whether personnel files and other paperwork that may have revealed a pattern of abuse were destroyed or mishandled.
And, while their numbers represent just a fraction of the 120 priests in the diocese, the accused provide evidence that a powerful 'cabal' of abusers had free reign to prey on victims over decades, according to lawyers for alleged victims. "
Cardinal Mahony's Cross
Quo vadis?
I'd say he's done a pretty good job of fleeing it.
From heraldtribune.com: Southwest Florida's Information Leader:
"Cardinal Roger Mahony called on parishioners Sunday to accept their personal crosses, noting he has accepted the sex abuse crisis in the Roman Catholic Church as his burden.
During Mass on the first Sunday in Lent at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Angels, Mahony called the allegations of sex abuse against some clergy 'a horrible chapter in the life of the church' and said he often wished God had sent him a different challenge.
'In my own life, the last couple of years have been very difficult because of the sexual conduct problems of some clergy,' he said. 'Very often I (say) 'Anything but that, Lord. Change this cross to something easier to bear, change this cross for me.''
Mahony, 68, made no reference to a report released Friday that found the Los Angeles archdiocese had 656 sexual abuse claims and 244 clerics accused of abuse - the highest numbers in both categories in California.
The cardinal did not mention a related report that called Los Angeles a 'troubled diocese' and singled Mahony out for resisting subpoenas seeking priest personnel files.
The reports were both released by the National Review Board, a panel of Catholic lay people charged by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops with investigating the abuse crisis.
Mahony was one of only four bishops - there are 195 bishops who run dioceses in the United States - criticized by name in the report. The others were former Boston Cardinal Bernard F. Law, Cardinal Edward M. Egan of New York and Bishop Thomas J. O'Brien of Phoenix."
I'd say he's done a pretty good job of fleeing it.
From heraldtribune.com: Southwest Florida's Information Leader:
"Cardinal Roger Mahony called on parishioners Sunday to accept their personal crosses, noting he has accepted the sex abuse crisis in the Roman Catholic Church as his burden.
During Mass on the first Sunday in Lent at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Angels, Mahony called the allegations of sex abuse against some clergy 'a horrible chapter in the life of the church' and said he often wished God had sent him a different challenge.
'In my own life, the last couple of years have been very difficult because of the sexual conduct problems of some clergy,' he said. 'Very often I (say) 'Anything but that, Lord. Change this cross to something easier to bear, change this cross for me.''
Mahony, 68, made no reference to a report released Friday that found the Los Angeles archdiocese had 656 sexual abuse claims and 244 clerics accused of abuse - the highest numbers in both categories in California.
The cardinal did not mention a related report that called Los Angeles a 'troubled diocese' and singled Mahony out for resisting subpoenas seeking priest personnel files.
The reports were both released by the National Review Board, a panel of Catholic lay people charged by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops with investigating the abuse crisis.
Mahony was one of only four bishops - there are 195 bishops who run dioceses in the United States - criticized by name in the report. The others were former Boston Cardinal Bernard F. Law, Cardinal Edward M. Egan of New York and Bishop Thomas J. O'Brien of Phoenix."
Sunday, February 29, 2004
The Vatican and Saint Peter's Traveling Exhibit
Amy and the rest of us saw the exhibit today in Cincinnati. Very nice, interesting, informative to a degree. Set in a tone to offer an apologetic for the role of the papacy as founded by Christ...taking one from the tomb of St. Peter to the cast "hand" of Pope John Paul II (which viewers are encouraged to touch).
Gay priests in a Barely Closed Closet
From the sounds of this piece from the Springfield, Mass. paper there are priests up there openly living an active gay lifestyle. They name names... this is in a state where the church must take a strong stand against gay marriage?
From Gay priests in a barely closed closet:
"In the magazine the Catholic World Report, Jesuit Paul Shaughnessey in 2000 wrote 'the ugly and indisputable facts: a disproportionately high percentage of priests is gay; a disproportionately high percentage of gay priests routinely engages in sodomy; this sodomy is frequently ignored, often tolerated and sometimes abetted by bishops and superiors.'
One of two men who accused former Bishop Thomas L. Dupre of sexual abuse said he was moved to come forward only after reading of Dupre's preachings against gay marriage. The man, who is gay, said he was angered by the hypocrisy.
A statement issued by the man's lawyer read, 'He believed that Bishop Dupre's comments reflected his disapproval of our client's lifestyle. ... (As a result) he began to see his relationship with Bishop Dupre in a different light and he contacted our office.'
At The Pub, the priest has been a regular for years, according to staff there.
'And he's not the only priest who comes in either,' said Pub bartender Thomas Martin, who is also a plaintiff in a clergy abuse suit.
The priest didn't return a call from The Republican, but others have acknowledged or been accused of engaging in a gay lifestyle.
The Rev. James A. Sipitkowski was living a homosexual lifestyle while assigned to Holy Family Parish in Springfield several years ago, according to a sworn statement by the Rev. Paul E. Manship, who found pictures of Sipitkowski dressed in women's clothing with other scantily clad men. The statement was included in a suit charging Holy Family Parish and a church deacon with a variety of employment violations, including sexual harassment. Sipitkowski is not a defendant in the suit.
About four years ago Sipitkowski was transferred to Sacred Heart Parish in Easthampton, where he currently works. He refused to comment on his situation, referring a call to his lawyer, who also had no comment.
Last week a Springfield man's obituary in The Republican revealed his 25-year relationship with his male partner, a period which included the last three years he served as a priest in the Springfield Diocese.
When Chicopee native and Springfield diocesan priest the Rev. Robert L. Arpin was on loan to the Diocese of San Francisco in the 1980s, he announced from the pulpit that he was gay and had AIDS. In doing so, he became the first American priest to openly discuss his sexual orientation and the illness that eventually claimed his life at age 48 in 1995.
Two other priests working in the Springfield Diocese have close ties with the gay community. They include a once high-ranking priest who performed publicly at an AIDS benefit.
In an attempt to place the abuse scandal in historical context last week, Monsignor Richard S. Sniezyk, the acting administrator in the Springfield Diocese, said some priests in the past thought it was all right to have sex with young men. He later clarified his comments, adding that sexual misconduct in any context is never acceptable, and apologized if his comments offended anyone.
The idea that there are gay priests may be as shocking to some Catholics as it was to a former Springfield resident who was enrolled in a seminary high school in the 1970s. At the time, he said, he was trying to decide whether to become a priest while simultaneously struggling with his own sexual identity. "
From Gay priests in a barely closed closet:
"In the magazine the Catholic World Report, Jesuit Paul Shaughnessey in 2000 wrote 'the ugly and indisputable facts: a disproportionately high percentage of priests is gay; a disproportionately high percentage of gay priests routinely engages in sodomy; this sodomy is frequently ignored, often tolerated and sometimes abetted by bishops and superiors.'
One of two men who accused former Bishop Thomas L. Dupre of sexual abuse said he was moved to come forward only after reading of Dupre's preachings against gay marriage. The man, who is gay, said he was angered by the hypocrisy.
A statement issued by the man's lawyer read, 'He believed that Bishop Dupre's comments reflected his disapproval of our client's lifestyle. ... (As a result) he began to see his relationship with Bishop Dupre in a different light and he contacted our office.'
At The Pub, the priest has been a regular for years, according to staff there.
'And he's not the only priest who comes in either,' said Pub bartender Thomas Martin, who is also a plaintiff in a clergy abuse suit.
The priest didn't return a call from The Republican, but others have acknowledged or been accused of engaging in a gay lifestyle.
The Rev. James A. Sipitkowski was living a homosexual lifestyle while assigned to Holy Family Parish in Springfield several years ago, according to a sworn statement by the Rev. Paul E. Manship, who found pictures of Sipitkowski dressed in women's clothing with other scantily clad men. The statement was included in a suit charging Holy Family Parish and a church deacon with a variety of employment violations, including sexual harassment. Sipitkowski is not a defendant in the suit.
About four years ago Sipitkowski was transferred to Sacred Heart Parish in Easthampton, where he currently works. He refused to comment on his situation, referring a call to his lawyer, who also had no comment.
Last week a Springfield man's obituary in The Republican revealed his 25-year relationship with his male partner, a period which included the last three years he served as a priest in the Springfield Diocese.
When Chicopee native and Springfield diocesan priest the Rev. Robert L. Arpin was on loan to the Diocese of San Francisco in the 1980s, he announced from the pulpit that he was gay and had AIDS. In doing so, he became the first American priest to openly discuss his sexual orientation and the illness that eventually claimed his life at age 48 in 1995.
Two other priests working in the Springfield Diocese have close ties with the gay community. They include a once high-ranking priest who performed publicly at an AIDS benefit.
In an attempt to place the abuse scandal in historical context last week, Monsignor Richard S. Sniezyk, the acting administrator in the Springfield Diocese, said some priests in the past thought it was all right to have sex with young men. He later clarified his comments, adding that sexual misconduct in any context is never acceptable, and apologized if his comments offended anyone.
The idea that there are gay priests may be as shocking to some Catholics as it was to a former Springfield resident who was enrolled in a seminary high school in the 1970s. At the time, he said, he was trying to decide whether to become a priest while simultaneously struggling with his own sexual identity. "
Friday, February 27, 2004
Conserve Latin in Church
Catholic World News (CWN):
"A new document on the use of Latin in the Church, and the teaching of Latin in seminaries, is expected sometime this year.
Cardinal Zenon Grocholewski, the prefect of the Congregation for Catholic Education, has confirmed that he hopes the document being prepared by that Congregation will be published in 2004.
'In order not to mutilate herself, the Church cannot fail to conserve her tradition and patrimony written in Latin,' the Polish cardinal remarked during a February 25 meeting in Rome. He pointed out that Latin remains the official language of the Roman Church, and the official documents of the magisterium are written in that language.
Therefore, he concluded, the Church needs priests who are familiar with the language, in order to ensure that they fully understand Catholic teachings. "
"A new document on the use of Latin in the Church, and the teaching of Latin in seminaries, is expected sometime this year.
Cardinal Zenon Grocholewski, the prefect of the Congregation for Catholic Education, has confirmed that he hopes the document being prepared by that Congregation will be published in 2004.
'In order not to mutilate herself, the Church cannot fail to conserve her tradition and patrimony written in Latin,' the Polish cardinal remarked during a February 25 meeting in Rome. He pointed out that Latin remains the official language of the Roman Church, and the official documents of the magisterium are written in that language.
Therefore, he concluded, the Church needs priests who are familiar with the language, in order to ensure that they fully understand Catholic teachings. "
A Comment
This was still being mouthed by professors in the 1980's...
From Catholic Review Board | Report 01: A Report on the Causes and Context of the Current Crisis in the Catholic Church.:
"In addition, in the 1960s and 1970s, there was an expectation among many that the Vatican was contemplating modifying Church doctrine on sexuality and perhaps even abolishing the discipline of celibacy for priests. As one bishop stated when discussing seminaries of the late 1960s and 1970s, 'You had professors who were saying, 'Don't worry; they're going to change the celibacy rule any day, and you will be able to get married.' So guys were going through thinking that they . . . could get married after ordination.'"
From Catholic Review Board | Report 01: A Report on the Causes and Context of the Current Crisis in the Catholic Church.:
"In addition, in the 1960s and 1970s, there was an expectation among many that the Vatican was contemplating modifying Church doctrine on sexuality and perhaps even abolishing the discipline of celibacy for priests. As one bishop stated when discussing seminaries of the late 1960s and 1970s, 'You had professors who were saying, 'Don't worry; they're going to change the celibacy rule any day, and you will be able to get married.' So guys were going through thinking that they . . . could get married after ordination.'"
Two Dioceses / Two Cardinals Singled Out in Report
Cardinal Egan and Cardinal Mahony...mentioned as "problems" in The Catholic Review Board Report:
Although this was an ambitious agenda, the Ad Hoc Committee did not have as great an impact as some of the bishops had hoped it would have. One bishop claimed that this was owing to the fact that the committee "had no teeth" and was not supported by some influential bishops, out of concern that it was an intrusion on a bishop's authority and it would increase litigation against the Church.20
Problems continued to fester in other dioceses. Litigation was filed against the Diocese of Bridgeport and then-Bishop Egan in 1993 alleging that the diocese had been aware of complaints against certain priests since at least 1982 but had failed to take actions to remove the priests from ministry. For example, according to published reports, a 1990 diocesan memorandum indicated that there was a "developing pattern of accusations" that Father Charles Carr had abused young boys. (Significantly, Carr had been admitted into a seminary years earlier despite the fact that a priest who had known him for years reportedly had recommended against his admission, asserting that he lacked the emotional maturity required for the priesthood.) Nevertheless, Carr was not suspended until 1995. Indeed, Carr was actually reinstated in 1999 and served as a chaplain in a nursing home until Bishop Egan's successor, Bishop Lori, removed him in December 2002 and instituted laicization proceedings. Shortly after Bishop Egan left Bridgeport and was installed as Archbishop of New York, Bishop Lori settled pending litigation against the diocese for more than $12 million.
Another troubled diocese was the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. After allegations were made that Cardinal Mahony, the Archbishop of Los Angeles, had allowed numerous predator priests to remain in ministry, the Archdiocese engaged in a very public spat with law enforcement authorities who questioned his level of cooperation in the criminal investigation of sexual molestation charges. The Archdiocese resisted grand jury subpoenas seeking priest personnel files by arguing that communications between a priest and his bishop were privileged. This argument did little to enhance the reputation of the Church in the United States for transparency and cooperation.
Although this was an ambitious agenda, the Ad Hoc Committee did not have as great an impact as some of the bishops had hoped it would have. One bishop claimed that this was owing to the fact that the committee "had no teeth" and was not supported by some influential bishops, out of concern that it was an intrusion on a bishop's authority and it would increase litigation against the Church.20
Problems continued to fester in other dioceses. Litigation was filed against the Diocese of Bridgeport and then-Bishop Egan in 1993 alleging that the diocese had been aware of complaints against certain priests since at least 1982 but had failed to take actions to remove the priests from ministry. For example, according to published reports, a 1990 diocesan memorandum indicated that there was a "developing pattern of accusations" that Father Charles Carr had abused young boys. (Significantly, Carr had been admitted into a seminary years earlier despite the fact that a priest who had known him for years reportedly had recommended against his admission, asserting that he lacked the emotional maturity required for the priesthood.) Nevertheless, Carr was not suspended until 1995. Indeed, Carr was actually reinstated in 1999 and served as a chaplain in a nursing home until Bishop Egan's successor, Bishop Lori, removed him in December 2002 and instituted laicization proceedings. Shortly after Bishop Egan left Bridgeport and was installed as Archbishop of New York, Bishop Lori settled pending litigation against the diocese for more than $12 million.
Another troubled diocese was the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. After allegations were made that Cardinal Mahony, the Archbishop of Los Angeles, had allowed numerous predator priests to remain in ministry, the Archdiocese engaged in a very public spat with law enforcement authorities who questioned his level of cooperation in the criminal investigation of sexual molestation charges. The Archdiocese resisted grand jury subpoenas seeking priest personnel files by arguing that communications between a priest and his bishop were privileged. This argument did little to enhance the reputation of the Church in the United States for transparency and cooperation.
The Catholic Review Board Report
A research study conducted by the John Jay College of Criminal Justice...Catholic Review Board | Reports:
Why did so many priests sexually abuse minors?
Although it is not possible to pinpoint any one "cause" of the problem of sexual abuse of minors by priests, there were two overarching contributing factors:
Dioceses and orders did not screen candidates for the priest¬hood properly. As a result, many sexually dysfunctional and immature men were admitted into seminaries and later ordained into the priesthood.
Seminaries did not form candidates for the priesthood adequately. As a result, seminarians were not prepared for the challenges of the priesthood, particularly the challenge of living a chaste, celibate life.
In addition, although neither the presence of homosexually-oriented priests nor the discipline of celibacy caused the crisis, an understanding of the crisis is not possible without reference to these issues. There are, no doubt, many outstand¬ing priests of a homosexual orientation who live chaste, celibate lives, but any evaluation of the causes and context of the current crisis must be cognizant of the fact that more than eighty percent of the abuse at issue was of a homosexual nature. Likewise, celibacy does not cause sexual abuse; but the Church did an inadequate job both of screening out those individuals who were destined to fail in meeting the demands of the priesthood, and of forming others to meet those demands, including the rigors of a celibate life.
Why did so many priests sexually abuse minors?
Although it is not possible to pinpoint any one "cause" of the problem of sexual abuse of minors by priests, there were two overarching contributing factors:
Dioceses and orders did not screen candidates for the priest¬hood properly. As a result, many sexually dysfunctional and immature men were admitted into seminaries and later ordained into the priesthood.
Seminaries did not form candidates for the priesthood adequately. As a result, seminarians were not prepared for the challenges of the priesthood, particularly the challenge of living a chaste, celibate life.
In addition, although neither the presence of homosexually-oriented priests nor the discipline of celibacy caused the crisis, an understanding of the crisis is not possible without reference to these issues. There are, no doubt, many outstand¬ing priests of a homosexual orientation who live chaste, celibate lives, but any evaluation of the causes and context of the current crisis must be cognizant of the fact that more than eighty percent of the abuse at issue was of a homosexual nature. Likewise, celibacy does not cause sexual abuse; but the Church did an inadequate job both of screening out those individuals who were destined to fail in meeting the demands of the priesthood, and of forming others to meet those demands, including the rigors of a celibate life.
Author of "Jesus the Christ"
Congratulations to Father Weinandy! I worked with him on a book that Our Sunday Visitor published called "Jesus the Christ."
From U.S. Catholic Bishops - Office of Communications:
"Father Thomas G. Weinandy, O.F.M., Cap., of the Faculty of Theology, Oxford University, has been named Executive Director of the Secretariat for Doctrine and Pastoral Practices, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).
He will succeed Msgr. John Strynkowski who has held the post since 2001.
The appointment, which is effective January 1, 2005, was announced by Msgr. William Fay, USCCB General Secretary.
'Father Weinandy is a leading scholar in the Church today, and a prolific writer, at both the academic and popular levels,' Msgr. Fay said. 'He is held in the highest esteem by his colleagues and the students who have taken his courses in this country and abroad. He has inspired numerous people through the days of recollection, retreats and parish missions he has conducted in the United States, Canada, Ireland, England and Scotland. I am confident that his work with the Bishops' Conference will make an enormous contribution to the life of the Church in our country.'
'I also want to pay tribute to the dedicated service and accomplishments of Msgr. Strynkowski,' Msgr. Fay continued. 'The USCCB will remain in his debt for many years to come.'"
From U.S. Catholic Bishops - Office of Communications:
"Father Thomas G. Weinandy, O.F.M., Cap., of the Faculty of Theology, Oxford University, has been named Executive Director of the Secretariat for Doctrine and Pastoral Practices, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).
He will succeed Msgr. John Strynkowski who has held the post since 2001.
The appointment, which is effective January 1, 2005, was announced by Msgr. William Fay, USCCB General Secretary.
'Father Weinandy is a leading scholar in the Church today, and a prolific writer, at both the academic and popular levels,' Msgr. Fay said. 'He is held in the highest esteem by his colleagues and the students who have taken his courses in this country and abroad. He has inspired numerous people through the days of recollection, retreats and parish missions he has conducted in the United States, Canada, Ireland, England and Scotland. I am confident that his work with the Bishops' Conference will make an enormous contribution to the life of the Church in our country.'
'I also want to pay tribute to the dedicated service and accomplishments of Msgr. Strynkowski,' Msgr. Fay continued. 'The USCCB will remain in his debt for many years to come.'"
A New Era?
Passion of Christ the top movie, radio stations dropping Howard Stern and Bubba the Love Sponge, partial birth abortions banned...could it be that we are entering a new era?
Of course at the same time we see Rosie O'Donnell and her "wife" appearing on the courthouse steps splashed all over television...
Of course at the same time we see Rosie O'Donnell and her "wife" appearing on the courthouse steps splashed all over television...
Thursday, February 26, 2004
A Post on the Beginning of The Passion of the Christ
I've posted some comments about the beginning of the movie, along with the Gospel accounts and Anne Catherine Emmerich's account for your enrichment. They are over here.
The Passion of the Christ
I have two sets of comments about the film, one is in the Lenten Meditations to the right, the other is below under "It is as it was."
Do You Recognize This Jesus?
Ken Woodward's comments on The Passion from Op-Ed Contributor: Do You Recognize This Jesus?:
"Most Americans worship in churches where the bloodied body of Jesus is absent from sanctuary crosses or else styled in ways so abstract that there is no hint of suffering. In sermons, too, the emphasis all too often is on the smoothly therapeutic: what Jesus can do for me.
More than 60 years ago, H. Richard Neibuhr summarized the creed of an easygoing American Christianity that has in our time triumphantly come to pass: 'A God without wrath brought men without sin into a kingdom without judgment though the ministrations of a Christ without a cross.' Despite its muscular excess, Mr. Gibson's symbol-laden film is a welcome repudiation of all that.
'The Passion of the Christ' is violent -- no question. Although Mel Gibson the believer identifies with a traditionalist movement that rejects Vatican Council II, Mel Gibson the artist here displays a thoroughly Catholic sensibility, one that since the Middle Ages has emphasized Jesus as the suffering savior crowned with thorns. Martin Luther, too, would have recognized in this film his own theology of the cross."
"Most Americans worship in churches where the bloodied body of Jesus is absent from sanctuary crosses or else styled in ways so abstract that there is no hint of suffering. In sermons, too, the emphasis all too often is on the smoothly therapeutic: what Jesus can do for me.
More than 60 years ago, H. Richard Neibuhr summarized the creed of an easygoing American Christianity that has in our time triumphantly come to pass: 'A God without wrath brought men without sin into a kingdom without judgment though the ministrations of a Christ without a cross.' Despite its muscular excess, Mr. Gibson's symbol-laden film is a welcome repudiation of all that.
'The Passion of the Christ' is violent -- no question. Although Mel Gibson the believer identifies with a traditionalist movement that rejects Vatican Council II, Mel Gibson the artist here displays a thoroughly Catholic sensibility, one that since the Middle Ages has emphasized Jesus as the suffering savior crowned with thorns. Martin Luther, too, would have recognized in this film his own theology of the cross."
It is, as it was
Well, I saw it. Overall I liked it.
I thought it did a great job in portraying the cultic action of the Jewish priesthood offering the "lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world". God is the supreme actor in the Passion as Jesus reminds Pilate, and I did hear what Jesus says to Pilate (that is from the Scripture) in a way that I never heard before..."what do we do with the power that God has given us?"
I've heard a ton of talk about the movie since I've seen it. Rabbi Marc Gelman liked it and thought it resurrected a "real" portrayal of the roots of Christianity in a day when religion is often portrayed in a cartoonish way.
Other rabbi's have condemned it, one saying that all the Jews had "bad teeth." Since everyone in the movie was either a Jew or Roman and Jesus had great teeth, I'm not sure what movie he saw.
But perhaps that is the point about a movie like this, we see what we want to...we go to it looking for confirmation of our preheld views.
Some things that I liked in particular were:
Seeing the Passion from the view of the Blessed Virgin Mary...
Seeing the Eucharist from the view of John...
The interspersing of scenes that in someway made the gave additional interpretation to the events that were taking place.
Overall the movie serves as an excellent meditation on Christ's passion and it's lack of focus on the resurection (only hinted at) gives the viewer a way to apply the passion of Christ to their daily life.
Things that I think were weak:
The opening Garden scene I thought was poorly done. The focus was on the devil (another weakness...), the apostles after being told to stay awake--literally wake up and do watch Jesus (they don't in Scripture--rather they go back to sleep), and Jesus is never sent an angel to strengthen him. I know that some aspects of Anne Catherine Emmerich's vision has supplied this scene, but even her vision is more intersting as the devil displays before Christ all the misinterpretations of his message and the futility of his suffering on the mass of the future humanity--this could have placed the whole passion in context).
I thought there could have been more focus on the cultic action of the Temple and tied that in with Jesus' passion and the hostility of the Jewish priests.
I would have like to have seen the "darkness" that overtakes the whole land to be more eerie than just an impending thunderstorm.
But overall, here is a Passion of Christ that portrays Christ as a man not a wimp, as someone entering a battle and fighting it courageously until it is finished.
I thought it did a great job in portraying the cultic action of the Jewish priesthood offering the "lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world". God is the supreme actor in the Passion as Jesus reminds Pilate, and I did hear what Jesus says to Pilate (that is from the Scripture) in a way that I never heard before..."what do we do with the power that God has given us?"
I've heard a ton of talk about the movie since I've seen it. Rabbi Marc Gelman liked it and thought it resurrected a "real" portrayal of the roots of Christianity in a day when religion is often portrayed in a cartoonish way.
Other rabbi's have condemned it, one saying that all the Jews had "bad teeth." Since everyone in the movie was either a Jew or Roman and Jesus had great teeth, I'm not sure what movie he saw.
But perhaps that is the point about a movie like this, we see what we want to...we go to it looking for confirmation of our preheld views.
Some things that I liked in particular were:
Seeing the Passion from the view of the Blessed Virgin Mary...
Seeing the Eucharist from the view of John...
The interspersing of scenes that in someway made the gave additional interpretation to the events that were taking place.
Overall the movie serves as an excellent meditation on Christ's passion and it's lack of focus on the resurection (only hinted at) gives the viewer a way to apply the passion of Christ to their daily life.
Things that I think were weak:
The opening Garden scene I thought was poorly done. The focus was on the devil (another weakness...), the apostles after being told to stay awake--literally wake up and do watch Jesus (they don't in Scripture--rather they go back to sleep), and Jesus is never sent an angel to strengthen him. I know that some aspects of Anne Catherine Emmerich's vision has supplied this scene, but even her vision is more intersting as the devil displays before Christ all the misinterpretations of his message and the futility of his suffering on the mass of the future humanity--this could have placed the whole passion in context).
I thought there could have been more focus on the cultic action of the Temple and tied that in with Jesus' passion and the hostility of the Jewish priests.
I would have like to have seen the "darkness" that overtakes the whole land to be more eerie than just an impending thunderstorm.
But overall, here is a Passion of Christ that portrays Christ as a man not a wimp, as someone entering a battle and fighting it courageously until it is finished.
Wednesday, February 25, 2004
Great Book on Prayer--Excellent Book for Lent!
This is without a doubt one of the best books on prayer, gestures and growing closer to God through Christ that has appeared on the scene in the last fifty years...
Day of Ashes
I am posting Lenten meditations that are bits and pieces of a book that I'm currently working on at a another site that you can access by clicking on the "gate" at the right.
Here is origin of this day from CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Ash Wednesday:
"The name dies cinerum (day of ashes) which it bears in the Roman Missal is found in the earliest existing copies of the Gregorian Sacramentary and probably dates from at least the eighth century. On this day all the faithful according to ancient custom are exhorted to approach the altar before the beginning of Mass, and there the priest, dipping his thumb into ashes previously blessed, marks the forehead -- or in case of clerics upon the place of the tonsure -- of each the sign of the cross, saying the words: 'Remember man that thou art dust and unto dust thou shalt return.' The ashes used in this ceremony are made by burning the remains of the palms blessed on the Palm Sunday of the previous year. In the blessing of the ashes four prayers are used, all of them ancient. The ashes are sprinkled with holy water and fumigated with incense. The celebrant himself, be he bishop or cardinal, receives, either standing or seated, the ashes from some other priest, usually the highest in dignity of those present. In earlier ages a penitential procession often followed the rite of the distribution of the ashes, but this is not now prescribed. "
Here is origin of this day from CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Ash Wednesday:
"The name dies cinerum (day of ashes) which it bears in the Roman Missal is found in the earliest existing copies of the Gregorian Sacramentary and probably dates from at least the eighth century. On this day all the faithful according to ancient custom are exhorted to approach the altar before the beginning of Mass, and there the priest, dipping his thumb into ashes previously blessed, marks the forehead -- or in case of clerics upon the place of the tonsure -- of each the sign of the cross, saying the words: 'Remember man that thou art dust and unto dust thou shalt return.' The ashes used in this ceremony are made by burning the remains of the palms blessed on the Palm Sunday of the previous year. In the blessing of the ashes four prayers are used, all of them ancient. The ashes are sprinkled with holy water and fumigated with incense. The celebrant himself, be he bishop or cardinal, receives, either standing or seated, the ashes from some other priest, usually the highest in dignity of those present. In earlier ages a penitential procession often followed the rite of the distribution of the ashes, but this is not now prescribed. "
Boston Abuse Victim Found Dead
From My Way - News:
"Patrick McSorley, a victim of defrocked pedophile priest John Geoghan who spoke openly of the deep scars left by clergy sexual abuse, has been found dead, his lawyer said on Monday.
Mitchell Garabedian, who represented McSorley and dozens of others who said they had been abused by Geoghan, confirmed reports that McSorley's body had been found in downtown Boston, but declined further comment on the cause of death.
Boston police declined to comment, but said they had responded to a report of a 'sudden death' in that neighborhood early on Monday.
'He was a loving father, a caring son, and a hero to all survivors of clergy abuse,' Garabedian said. He said he had spoken with McSorley on Friday and that he seemed 'fine' at the time.
McSorley, 29, was a public face of the victims during the clergy sexual abuse scandal that erupted in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston two years ago."
"Patrick McSorley, a victim of defrocked pedophile priest John Geoghan who spoke openly of the deep scars left by clergy sexual abuse, has been found dead, his lawyer said on Monday.
Mitchell Garabedian, who represented McSorley and dozens of others who said they had been abused by Geoghan, confirmed reports that McSorley's body had been found in downtown Boston, but declined further comment on the cause of death.
Boston police declined to comment, but said they had responded to a report of a 'sudden death' in that neighborhood early on Monday.
'He was a loving father, a caring son, and a hero to all survivors of clergy abuse,' Garabedian said. He said he had spoken with McSorley on Friday and that he seemed 'fine' at the time.
McSorley, 29, was a public face of the victims during the clergy sexual abuse scandal that erupted in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston two years ago."
Tuesday, February 24, 2004
Not a Violation of Church Law Then...?
Here is a strange story with the reasoning that when he might have done it wouldn't have been a violation of Church law? Perhaps this explains what we'll be reading about on Friday. Evidently, according to who ever made this statement at the Vatican, it was okay then but not now. Unbelievable!
From Seattle Post-Intelligencer: AP - U.S. Headlines:
"The Vatican has reinstated a U.S. Navy chaplain as an active priest after he was placed on administrative leave amid sex abuse allegations, Detroit Roman Catholic leaders said.
The Rev. Brian Bjorklund, 64, was suspended last summer over allegations he molested a 17-year-old boy in his early years in the ministry. He was ordained in 1966.
Vatican leaders say the alleged contact was not a violation of church law at the time, though it is now."
From Seattle Post-Intelligencer: AP - U.S. Headlines:
"The Vatican has reinstated a U.S. Navy chaplain as an active priest after he was placed on administrative leave amid sex abuse allegations, Detroit Roman Catholic leaders said.
The Rev. Brian Bjorklund, 64, was suspended last summer over allegations he molested a 17-year-old boy in his early years in the ministry. He was ordained in 1966.
Vatican leaders say the alleged contact was not a violation of church law at the time, though it is now."
Why are these People so Crazy?
Here is a group that you would think would be exemplary in their outlook but when you hear what they have to say about others you begin to see how they are more a "cult" than faithful followers of Jesus Christ. It is sad and perhaps a good example of what happens when people exhalt themselves against the Church.
I grew up just a few miles from where they are located. They weren't there when I lived there over twenty-five years ago, but even when I was living there the area was a refuge for hippie communes and other seeking to flea the city. Granted, the Boston Globe probably was fishing for just such quotes but sadly it looks like they got more than there share.
For the full story go to the Boston Globe, here is a snipet of the more sane part of the story:
In Richmond, a small town south of Keene, those traditions are immediately on display, ideas and rituals so powerful that people are willing to live at odds with their own church hierarchy to preserve them.
On Sunday mornings, 200 to 300 people gather in a hilltop chapel, a low-ceilinged basement with wooden pews. The families are huge, some with as many as 11 children, displaying, a community leader says, "their noncontraceptive glory."
Before the Mass, they recite the rosary aloud, in unison, a chorus of Our Fathers and Hail Marys, as one man walks, praying, along the Stations of the Cross. Women wear black veils. A group of celibate women in black habits with white wimples sing Gregorian chant.
The priest faces a high altar, not the assembly, as he celebrates the pre-Vatican II Tridentine Rite Mass. He distributes Communion over a rail to communicants kneeling as they receive the Eucharist in their mouths.
"We're Catholic, and to be Catholic means to be traditional," said Sister Marie Therese, 35, the prioress and the principal of the community's school, which has 37 students. "It can't be something new."
The St. Benedict Center, a 200-acre complex featuring a few church buildings and land that is being sold to sympathetic families, is headed by a Catholic priest and is home to five celibate brothers and six celibate sisters, who are part of a religious order called the Slaves of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Worship services attract between 200 and 300 each Sunday. Since 1989, about 20 to 30 families have moved to the area to be near the church.
This community, like others around the country, is out of step with the official Catholic Church. The residents are so-called Feeneyites, followers of the Rev. Leonard J. Feeney, a Boston priest who was silenced by Cardinal Richard J. Cushing in 1949 and dismissed from the Jesuit order because of his insistence that there is no salvation outside the church, a doctrine that runs contrary to current church teaching that anyone, even non-Christians, can get to heaven. Feeney died in 1978.
I grew up just a few miles from where they are located. They weren't there when I lived there over twenty-five years ago, but even when I was living there the area was a refuge for hippie communes and other seeking to flea the city. Granted, the Boston Globe probably was fishing for just such quotes but sadly it looks like they got more than there share.
For the full story go to the Boston Globe, here is a snipet of the more sane part of the story:
In Richmond, a small town south of Keene, those traditions are immediately on display, ideas and rituals so powerful that people are willing to live at odds with their own church hierarchy to preserve them.
On Sunday mornings, 200 to 300 people gather in a hilltop chapel, a low-ceilinged basement with wooden pews. The families are huge, some with as many as 11 children, displaying, a community leader says, "their noncontraceptive glory."
Before the Mass, they recite the rosary aloud, in unison, a chorus of Our Fathers and Hail Marys, as one man walks, praying, along the Stations of the Cross. Women wear black veils. A group of celibate women in black habits with white wimples sing Gregorian chant.
The priest faces a high altar, not the assembly, as he celebrates the pre-Vatican II Tridentine Rite Mass. He distributes Communion over a rail to communicants kneeling as they receive the Eucharist in their mouths.
"We're Catholic, and to be Catholic means to be traditional," said Sister Marie Therese, 35, the prioress and the principal of the community's school, which has 37 students. "It can't be something new."
The St. Benedict Center, a 200-acre complex featuring a few church buildings and land that is being sold to sympathetic families, is headed by a Catholic priest and is home to five celibate brothers and six celibate sisters, who are part of a religious order called the Slaves of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Worship services attract between 200 and 300 each Sunday. Since 1989, about 20 to 30 families have moved to the area to be near the church.
This community, like others around the country, is out of step with the official Catholic Church. The residents are so-called Feeneyites, followers of the Rev. Leonard J. Feeney, a Boston priest who was silenced by Cardinal Richard J. Cushing in 1949 and dismissed from the Jesuit order because of his insistence that there is no salvation outside the church, a doctrine that runs contrary to current church teaching that anyone, even non-Christians, can get to heaven. Feeney died in 1978.
Happy Fasnacht!
Leave it to the English to turn it into "pancake Tuesday", there is something a little more interesting about the German name, probably because I hadn't heard of it before.
From EPICURIOUS: ENGLAND: SHROVE TUESDAY:
"Shrove Tuesday, the eve of Lent -- also known as Mardi Gras (literally 'fat Tuesday' in French), Carnival (from the Latin for 'farewell to the flesh'), and Fasnacht (the Germanic 'night of the fast') -- is celebrated across the world with riotous merrymaking and feasting.
While Brazilians samba in the streets of Rio, and New Orleans throws its most famous party of the year, the English celebrate with Pancake Tuesday. It may seem an unlikely last indulgence, but pancakes use up rich ingredients like butter and eggs from the larder before the pious Lenten fast. Families gather for sweet and savory pancake suppers, and housewives still compete in the peculiar tradition of donning their aprons and racing each other holding pancake-filled skillets. "
From EPICURIOUS: ENGLAND: SHROVE TUESDAY:
"Shrove Tuesday, the eve of Lent -- also known as Mardi Gras (literally 'fat Tuesday' in French), Carnival (from the Latin for 'farewell to the flesh'), and Fasnacht (the Germanic 'night of the fast') -- is celebrated across the world with riotous merrymaking and feasting.
While Brazilians samba in the streets of Rio, and New Orleans throws its most famous party of the year, the English celebrate with Pancake Tuesday. It may seem an unlikely last indulgence, but pancakes use up rich ingredients like butter and eggs from the larder before the pious Lenten fast. Families gather for sweet and savory pancake suppers, and housewives still compete in the peculiar tradition of donning their aprons and racing each other holding pancake-filled skillets. "
Monday, February 23, 2004
My Bookreview of Stalking the Divine
Scroll down on Marly Rusoff Literary Agency's web site to Stalking the Divine: Contemplating Faith With the Poor Clares by Kristin Ohlson is heralded as a modern classic by Catholic News Service. Click on "Read more..." and you'll notice that I'm the "reviewer."
Da Vinci Code Confusion?
Amy answers all of your questions with her new book, De-Coding Da Vinci: The facts behind the fiction of The Da Vinci Code...available April 5th, order your copy now atDe-Coding Da Vinci by Amy Welborn
"For the man who hit me."
Latest update on Father Benedict from Father Glenn:
"Father's arm is in great pain. He asked Brother Daniel and I to adjust the pillow under his hand; he grimaced. The wound on his head is healing nicely; his leg I couldn't see since it was covered. Considering the severity of the accident, he looked quite good. In fact, he spoke to me about the accident. He whispered, 'The car hit me at forty-five miles an hour', and then widened his eyes. 'A van stopped for me, but a car went around the right side and hit me'. Of course, Father remembers nothing after getting hit; in fact he was surprised when I told him Joe Campo and I were by his bed days after the accident. When I asked him with a smile if his life passed before his eyes or if he went through a white tunnel, he simply gave me his typical 'no, don't be stupid' look. It was so good to see that look!
Fr. Gene Fulton and I stood by his bed and celebrated Mass while Brother Daniel served. Actually, Father concelebrated as he lie there with Cardinal Cooke's simple white stole draped around his neck. My eyes kept darting in his direction to see if he was engaged during the Mass; he was, especially during the elevation. His eyes were locked on the host. The Mass was brief but very beautiful. During the Prayer of the Faithful, Father Gene offered a few petitions, then paused for us to offer our own. Father B mouthed the words, 'For the man who hit me'. What a beautiful example of love."
"Father's arm is in great pain. He asked Brother Daniel and I to adjust the pillow under his hand; he grimaced. The wound on his head is healing nicely; his leg I couldn't see since it was covered. Considering the severity of the accident, he looked quite good. In fact, he spoke to me about the accident. He whispered, 'The car hit me at forty-five miles an hour', and then widened his eyes. 'A van stopped for me, but a car went around the right side and hit me'. Of course, Father remembers nothing after getting hit; in fact he was surprised when I told him Joe Campo and I were by his bed days after the accident. When I asked him with a smile if his life passed before his eyes or if he went through a white tunnel, he simply gave me his typical 'no, don't be stupid' look. It was so good to see that look!
Fr. Gene Fulton and I stood by his bed and celebrated Mass while Brother Daniel served. Actually, Father concelebrated as he lie there with Cardinal Cooke's simple white stole draped around his neck. My eyes kept darting in his direction to see if he was engaged during the Mass; he was, especially during the elevation. His eyes were locked on the host. The Mass was brief but very beautiful. During the Prayer of the Faithful, Father Gene offered a few petitions, then paused for us to offer our own. Father B mouthed the words, 'For the man who hit me'. What a beautiful example of love."
The Late William Simon and a Golden Rosary
I've had several rosaries turn to gold, but I've never taken one to a jeweler for an appraisal. The late Secretary of the Treasury did and the jeweler told him that it was solid gold...
From Spirit Daily - Daily spiritual news from around the world:
"In the book, A Time for Reflection (Regnery), Simon, a multi-millionaire, then drops this bombshell:
'At Medjugorje, I was actually the recipient of a miracle. Medjugorje ('between the hills') is a small village in Bosnia-Hercegovina (formerly Yugoslavia) where, since 1981, the Blessed Mother has been appearing and giving messages to the world, mainly through six young people. Since the first apparitions in 1984, millions of people of all fgaiths have visited Medjugorje. Countless have been healed and converted.
'After our first Mass at Medjugorje, I remember telling my son Billy, 'That is the closest I've ever felt to Heaven on earth.' I then pulled out the old, inexpensive rosary beads that I had bought about ten years earlier, and noticed that the chain was glittering in the sun.
'That was strange. The chain was just some cheap, dull alloy, yet it suddenly appeared radiant and golden and vibrant and remained so. I wasn't quite sure what to make of it, and upon my return brought the rosary to a jeweler for an appraisal. He confirmed that the chain, inexplicably, had turned to solid gold. I can't explain the transformation, either of the rosary or my own life, except as a sign of Divine intervention.'"
From Spirit Daily - Daily spiritual news from around the world:
"In the book, A Time for Reflection (Regnery), Simon, a multi-millionaire, then drops this bombshell:
'At Medjugorje, I was actually the recipient of a miracle. Medjugorje ('between the hills') is a small village in Bosnia-Hercegovina (formerly Yugoslavia) where, since 1981, the Blessed Mother has been appearing and giving messages to the world, mainly through six young people. Since the first apparitions in 1984, millions of people of all fgaiths have visited Medjugorje. Countless have been healed and converted.
'After our first Mass at Medjugorje, I remember telling my son Billy, 'That is the closest I've ever felt to Heaven on earth.' I then pulled out the old, inexpensive rosary beads that I had bought about ten years earlier, and noticed that the chain was glittering in the sun.
'That was strange. The chain was just some cheap, dull alloy, yet it suddenly appeared radiant and golden and vibrant and remained so. I wasn't quite sure what to make of it, and upon my return brought the rosary to a jeweler for an appraisal. He confirmed that the chain, inexplicably, had turned to solid gold. I can't explain the transformation, either of the rosary or my own life, except as a sign of Divine intervention.'"
Why Evangelicals are Cheering a Movie with Catholic Sensibilities
Here is the question that I've been asking all along being dealt with in Christianity Today. He raises the issue but I'm not sure I found the answer to the question. About the foundation of the movie and Anne Catherine Emmerich...
From Christianity Today:
The vision thing
Mel Gibson is in many ways a pre-Vatican II Roman Catholic. He prefers the Tridentine Latin Mass and calls Mary co-redemptrix. Early in the filming of The Passion, he gave a long interview to Raymond Arroyo on the conservative Catholic network EWTN. In that interview, Gibson told how actor Jim Caviezel, the film's Jesus, insisted on beginning each day of filming with the celebration of the Mass on the set. He also recounted a series of divine coincidences that led him to read the works of Anne Catherine Emmerich, a late-18th, early-19th-century Westphalian nun who had visions of the events of the Passion. Many of the details needed to fill out the Gospel accounts he drew from her book, Dolorous Passion of Our Lord.
Here is one such detail from Emmerich:
"[A]fter the flagellation, I saw Claudia Procles, the wife of Pilate, send some large pieces of linen to the Mother of God. I know not whether she thought that Jesus would be set free, and that his Mother would then require linen to dress his wounds, or whether this compassionate lady was aware of the use which would be made of her present. … I soon after saw Mary and Magdalen approach the pillar where Jesus had been scourged; … they knelt down on the ground near the pillar, and wiped up the sacred blood with the linen which Claudia Procles had sent."
Gibson does not follow Dolorous Passion slavishly, and at many points he chooses details that conflict with Emmerich's account. But the sight of Pilate's wife handing a stack of linen cloths to Jesus' mother allows Gibson to capture a moment of sympathy and compassion between the two women, and the act of the two Marys wiping up Jesus' blood gives Gibson the opportunity to pull back for a dramatic shot of the bloody pavement.
Evil unmasked
Another detail picked up from Dolorous Passion is just as dramatically powerful, but much more significant theologically. Emmerich writes that during Jesus' agony in the garden, Satan presented Jesus with a vision of all the sins of the human race. "Satan brought forward innumerable temptations, as he had formerly done in the desert, even daring to adduce various accusations against him." Satan, writes Emmerich, addressed Jesus "in words such as these: 'Takest thou even this sin upon thyself? Art thou willing to bear its penalty? Art thou prepared to satisfy for all these sins?'"
From Christianity Today:
The vision thing
Mel Gibson is in many ways a pre-Vatican II Roman Catholic. He prefers the Tridentine Latin Mass and calls Mary co-redemptrix. Early in the filming of The Passion, he gave a long interview to Raymond Arroyo on the conservative Catholic network EWTN. In that interview, Gibson told how actor Jim Caviezel, the film's Jesus, insisted on beginning each day of filming with the celebration of the Mass on the set. He also recounted a series of divine coincidences that led him to read the works of Anne Catherine Emmerich, a late-18th, early-19th-century Westphalian nun who had visions of the events of the Passion. Many of the details needed to fill out the Gospel accounts he drew from her book, Dolorous Passion of Our Lord.
Here is one such detail from Emmerich:
"[A]fter the flagellation, I saw Claudia Procles, the wife of Pilate, send some large pieces of linen to the Mother of God. I know not whether she thought that Jesus would be set free, and that his Mother would then require linen to dress his wounds, or whether this compassionate lady was aware of the use which would be made of her present. … I soon after saw Mary and Magdalen approach the pillar where Jesus had been scourged; … they knelt down on the ground near the pillar, and wiped up the sacred blood with the linen which Claudia Procles had sent."
Gibson does not follow Dolorous Passion slavishly, and at many points he chooses details that conflict with Emmerich's account. But the sight of Pilate's wife handing a stack of linen cloths to Jesus' mother allows Gibson to capture a moment of sympathy and compassion between the two women, and the act of the two Marys wiping up Jesus' blood gives Gibson the opportunity to pull back for a dramatic shot of the bloody pavement.
Evil unmasked
Another detail picked up from Dolorous Passion is just as dramatically powerful, but much more significant theologically. Emmerich writes that during Jesus' agony in the garden, Satan presented Jesus with a vision of all the sins of the human race. "Satan brought forward innumerable temptations, as he had formerly done in the desert, even daring to adduce various accusations against him." Satan, writes Emmerich, addressed Jesus "in words such as these: 'Takest thou even this sin upon thyself? Art thou willing to bear its penalty? Art thou prepared to satisfy for all these sins?'"
Sunday, February 22, 2004
What is Truth?
By now you probably have read Bishop McGrath, the Bishop of San Jose's comments on The Passion of the Christ:
While the primary source material of the film is attributed to the four gospels, these sacred books are not historical accounts of the historical events that they narrate. They are theological reflections upon the events that form the core of Christian faith and belief.
Going down this route, the bishop, on a week that will see the release of the clerical abuse report has made one of the all time biggest blunders in recent history. While Evangelical Christians are handing out flyers to movie goers of the Passion, Bishop McGrath is pre-empting the viewing with a line that, oh well none of its based on history anyway--merely some reflections of a few pious souls.
This "theory" is the basis of everything that you've read over the past umpteen years about the "historical Jesus", the attempt to get beyond the "reflections" and find out who the real Jesus is...But in fairness to that crowd, the passion of Jesus is usually the one item they all agree is historical!
The ealiest sources, outside of the Scriptures, about the origins of the Gospels--all point to a very traditional understanding of their origins. Mark is the interpreter of Peter, who writes down the his gospel from the recollections of the Apostle. Matthew is a tax collector, Luke is a physician who accompanied St. Paul, John is the Apostle John. Although modern scholars love to go back to the original sources, they conveniently ignore the earliest sources when it comes to the gospels and use rather a tests of their own making--such as dropping anything miraculous or keeping anything that seems especially strange and out of character. In the end the "history" they come up with usually reflects whatever they believe or in the case of feminist theologians, the "herstory" they come up with reflects a struggle between Magdalene and Peter.
Bishop McGrath's statement has become the modern creed of mainline churches and to some segments of the Catholic Church. Once preachers buy into this theory they no longer preach with conviction, and what you usually here immediately after the Gospel proclaimed is something akin to "well we really don't know what happened." Talk about letting the air out of the balloon.
Listen, we all grew up with an understanding that the four Gospels told the story of Jesus from different viewpoints. Just in the way that modern people watch the details of the a news event on Fox or CNN and expect to hear a slightly different version of the account, slanted according to an ideology--but nonetheless something that is based on a factual event. Watching coverage of the horrors of 9/11, regardless of what the slant, we know by the hole one encounters in lower Manhattan now that the event happened. Plus the account of what happened that day as told by someone who was fleeing the falling buildings, or someone who lost a spouse in the fall, or someone living in the Midwest who watched it on television is all going to be vastly different, a reflection no doubt but historical also.
How far we go with the "reflection" vs. the "history" of the events told to us by the Gospel writers goes a long way in determining our own way of looking at what impact Christ makes in our lives. My sense is that there is a lot more history in the Gospels, that led to there being something to reflect upon---then there is reflection that would lead to anyone putting their lives on the line.
Reflection is the buzz word of a certain school of modern Christian thought. Sadly, the "reflection" is often of the person giving it, rather than of the Savior who suffered, died and was buried and on the third day rose again from the dead."
It is the "living Jesus" that the Gospel's proclaim and quite frankly this is the kind of history that we don't find in any history book--but more likely on the front page of the supermarket tabloids that proclaim that Elvis or JFK aren't really dead. Ultimately this is what throws scholars into such a tailspin when confronted with the history of the Gospels, they don't know how to handle the miraculous and ultimately the resurection and ascension of the lead character. This is why they also can't handle the difference such an intrusion into the history of man was made by the Son of God that even the year we live is marked by his coming and that time is divided into "before Christ" and in the "year of Our Lord"--they choose to render it "before the common era" or "after the common era." Call it what you will, but the truth is that there was nothing common about the era where someone rose from the dead. But as Jesus said in one of the Reflections, "they would not believe even if one were to rise from the dead." Many modern scholars are sadly in that lot, and I fear not a few clergy too.
While the primary source material of the film is attributed to the four gospels, these sacred books are not historical accounts of the historical events that they narrate. They are theological reflections upon the events that form the core of Christian faith and belief.
Going down this route, the bishop, on a week that will see the release of the clerical abuse report has made one of the all time biggest blunders in recent history. While Evangelical Christians are handing out flyers to movie goers of the Passion, Bishop McGrath is pre-empting the viewing with a line that, oh well none of its based on history anyway--merely some reflections of a few pious souls.
This "theory" is the basis of everything that you've read over the past umpteen years about the "historical Jesus", the attempt to get beyond the "reflections" and find out who the real Jesus is...But in fairness to that crowd, the passion of Jesus is usually the one item they all agree is historical!
The ealiest sources, outside of the Scriptures, about the origins of the Gospels--all point to a very traditional understanding of their origins. Mark is the interpreter of Peter, who writes down the his gospel from the recollections of the Apostle. Matthew is a tax collector, Luke is a physician who accompanied St. Paul, John is the Apostle John. Although modern scholars love to go back to the original sources, they conveniently ignore the earliest sources when it comes to the gospels and use rather a tests of their own making--such as dropping anything miraculous or keeping anything that seems especially strange and out of character. In the end the "history" they come up with usually reflects whatever they believe or in the case of feminist theologians, the "herstory" they come up with reflects a struggle between Magdalene and Peter.
Bishop McGrath's statement has become the modern creed of mainline churches and to some segments of the Catholic Church. Once preachers buy into this theory they no longer preach with conviction, and what you usually here immediately after the Gospel proclaimed is something akin to "well we really don't know what happened." Talk about letting the air out of the balloon.
Listen, we all grew up with an understanding that the four Gospels told the story of Jesus from different viewpoints. Just in the way that modern people watch the details of the a news event on Fox or CNN and expect to hear a slightly different version of the account, slanted according to an ideology--but nonetheless something that is based on a factual event. Watching coverage of the horrors of 9/11, regardless of what the slant, we know by the hole one encounters in lower Manhattan now that the event happened. Plus the account of what happened that day as told by someone who was fleeing the falling buildings, or someone who lost a spouse in the fall, or someone living in the Midwest who watched it on television is all going to be vastly different, a reflection no doubt but historical also.
How far we go with the "reflection" vs. the "history" of the events told to us by the Gospel writers goes a long way in determining our own way of looking at what impact Christ makes in our lives. My sense is that there is a lot more history in the Gospels, that led to there being something to reflect upon---then there is reflection that would lead to anyone putting their lives on the line.
Reflection is the buzz word of a certain school of modern Christian thought. Sadly, the "reflection" is often of the person giving it, rather than of the Savior who suffered, died and was buried and on the third day rose again from the dead."
It is the "living Jesus" that the Gospel's proclaim and quite frankly this is the kind of history that we don't find in any history book--but more likely on the front page of the supermarket tabloids that proclaim that Elvis or JFK aren't really dead. Ultimately this is what throws scholars into such a tailspin when confronted with the history of the Gospels, they don't know how to handle the miraculous and ultimately the resurection and ascension of the lead character. This is why they also can't handle the difference such an intrusion into the history of man was made by the Son of God that even the year we live is marked by his coming and that time is divided into "before Christ" and in the "year of Our Lord"--they choose to render it "before the common era" or "after the common era." Call it what you will, but the truth is that there was nothing common about the era where someone rose from the dead. But as Jesus said in one of the Reflections, "they would not believe even if one were to rise from the dead." Many modern scholars are sadly in that lot, and I fear not a few clergy too.
Saturday, February 21, 2004
A Free Catholic Study Guide to The Passion
Online at Catholic Citizens
OFIA UNIT ONE Christ Confronts Evil
OFIA UNIT TWO Mary Witness to Suffering
OFIA UNIT THREE Obedience to the Father
OFIA UNIT FOUR What is Truth?
OFIA UNIT FIVE Christ's Self-Giving Love
OFIA UNIT ONE Christ Confronts Evil
OFIA UNIT TWO Mary Witness to Suffering
OFIA UNIT THREE Obedience to the Father
OFIA UNIT FOUR What is Truth?
OFIA UNIT FIVE Christ's Self-Giving Love
Bin Laden Surrounded?
If so, this could dwarf any other breaking story for the next two weeks...
From Sunday Telegraph - Bin Laden 'surrounded' [February 22, 2004]:
"A BRITISH Sunday newspaper is claiming Osama bin Laden has been found and is surrounded by US special forces in an area of land bordering north-west Pakistan and Afghanistan.
The Sunday Express, known for its sometimes colourful scoops, claims the al-Qaeda leader has been 'sighted' for the first time since 2001 and is being monitored by satellite.
The paper claims he is in a mountainous area to the north of the Pakistani city of Quetta. The region is said to be peopled with bin Laden supporters and the terrorist leader is estimated to also have 50 of his fanatical bodyguards with him.
The claim is attributed to 'a well-placed intelligence source' in Washington, who is quoted as saying: 'He (bin Laden) is boxed in.'
The paper says the hostile terrain makes an all-out conventional military assault impossible. The plan to capture him would depend on a 'grab-him-and-go' style operation. "
From Sunday Telegraph - Bin Laden 'surrounded' [February 22, 2004]:
"A BRITISH Sunday newspaper is claiming Osama bin Laden has been found and is surrounded by US special forces in an area of land bordering north-west Pakistan and Afghanistan.
The Sunday Express, known for its sometimes colourful scoops, claims the al-Qaeda leader has been 'sighted' for the first time since 2001 and is being monitored by satellite.
The paper claims he is in a mountainous area to the north of the Pakistani city of Quetta. The region is said to be peopled with bin Laden supporters and the terrorist leader is estimated to also have 50 of his fanatical bodyguards with him.
The claim is attributed to 'a well-placed intelligence source' in Washington, who is quoted as saying: 'He (bin Laden) is boxed in.'
The paper says the hostile terrain makes an all-out conventional military assault impossible. The plan to capture him would depend on a 'grab-him-and-go' style operation. "
Friday, February 20, 2004
Blood and Destruction Because of One Man…
This line from the play Jesus Christ Superstar accurately captures the effect of Jesus Christ on the modern world, after all art imitates life. The furor over The Passion of the Christ is really rather remarkable, after all there have been any number of movies about Jesus and most of them hardly merit any mention at all by the mainstream press, but this one, this movie has everyone talking.
Personally, I think this is a good thing. If there is anything that the modern world needs it is to have the Passion of Christ placed before it. Modern Christians have by and large conveniently placed the Passion of Christ off to the side, as something not to focus on—and much to the detriment of the way Christians in the affluent west have subsequently reinvented what it means to be a follower of the Jesus who said, “If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me,” (Mark 8:34). Take away the cross from Christianity and you are left with something that patently is no longer Christian.
It used to be that Catholics were known by their focus on The Passion of Christ. Walking around on Ash Wednesday with their foreheads smudged with an ashen cross, eating fish on Fridays, making the stations of the cross on Friday evenings—and kneeling before what usually was a larger than life crucifix that dominated the sanctuary of their churches. But after Vatican II and the subsequent good fortune of American Catholics, one saw a shift where new Churches or even renovated Churches place a resurrected Christ in the sanctuary, graphic stations of the cross were usually replaced with little wooden cross markers and outside of Lent, Catholics could eat whatever they wanted to eat.
While the Catholics were taking Christ off of the cross, other Christians were preaching a gospel of affluence, not unlike the hypnotic message of infomercials that run endlessly on early morning television. The message varied but it essentially promised that if you make a down payment in faith, Christ would bless you beyond your wildest dreams. Ironically, many of the great preachers of this Gospel were publicly humiliated and suffered their own public crucifixions. Perhaps that is one reason why evangelicals seem so ready to embrace a very graphic meditation on the Passion of Our Lord.
The price Catholics have paid for taking Christ off of the cross, (not officially, I know but popularly this has been the case and often claimed by the “experts” to be the case), is being displayed daily in the newspapers. Clergy no longer embracing the cross of Christ fell into horrible sins. Laity no longer focused on the demands of the cross have become indistinguishable from the world around them. Ask the Catholic laity about any issue and they are likely to reflect the exact same beliefs of those who claim no religious belief. Which has left many to wonder what exactly does it mean to be a “Catholic” or better what exactly does it mean to be a Catholic follower of Christ?
The answer all comes back to the Passion. Bishop Fulton J. Sheen used to say that the west was characterized as having Christ without the Cross. We have the ability to hear the gospel preached freely, we can worship freely but without persecution we do not really hear the gospel in the same way that those who are suffering do.
The sad reality is that we are all suffering, but our ability to distract ourselves with meaningless entertainments keeps us out of touch with our suffering…until a 9/11 or the death sentence of a doctor telling us that we are terminally ill…then we see the cross and all its horror without Christ. Sadly if we have mocked Christ by being a follower without the cross we may miss the opportunity to be saved by the cross of Christ if we have spent our lives denying that it is the integral part of the Christian message.
It is interesting to see the reactions of those who worry about what a movie that graphically presents the Passion of Our Lord will do. Evangelicals are promoting it, encouraging their congregations to view the movie, invite friends and then bring them to Church so that their questions can be answered. Catholics, with the exception of the evangelical converts, for the most part are worried about the Passion renewing anti-Semitic feelings among the viewers. Jewish groups are also worried about this.
Jesus was a Jew and to me this is what I would proclaim to anyone who sees his Passion as an excuse to think poorly of the Jewish people. Such bigotry is from the devil, is evil, ignorant and is hatred ultimately of the Lord who died on the cross where the proclamation “King of the Jews” was nailed. I have written elsewhere on these pages about how Matthew’s Gospel in particular portrays Jesus as the new Moses who ratifies a new covenant and that the way to understand “his blood be upon us and our children” is only understood by going back to the ratification of the first covenant and Moses sprinkling blood upon the heads of the people as a sign of their new relationship with God. Any Christian need only open the Bible and sit with Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well and hear, “For salvation is from the Jews,” (John 4:22) or sit awhile with St. Paul in Romans 9-11.
What should we really worry about? That we have lost the true meaning of the gospel of Christ and its radical call to repent, repentance that leads to sacrificing:
“you lack one thing; go, sell what you have, and give to the poor,” (Mark 10:21).
“every one who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery,” (Matthew 5:28)
“give to him who begs from you,” (Matthew 5:42)
“Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you,” (Matthew 5: 44).
We should fear that in our comfort and ease we have lost the true Christ who told the disciples on the road to Emmaus that it “was necessary” that the Son of Man suffer all of these things, because if we fail to see the true meaning of the Passion we will fail to see God’s design for us in our own lives and we will flee the cross like a possessed man—because indeed fear of the cross is a clear sign that something other than Christ has possession of us.
So there is confusion, what do we do with this man, for if we leave him alone the entire populace will believe in him and then our economy will be shot, our livelihood destroyed, our (fill in the blank)… This is always the inner conversation between the self God created and self that we feel we need to be to please others…the cross of Christ is the line in the sand…what will save us?
As St. Paul said, “but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God." (1 Corinthians 1:22-24)
Personally, I think this is a good thing. If there is anything that the modern world needs it is to have the Passion of Christ placed before it. Modern Christians have by and large conveniently placed the Passion of Christ off to the side, as something not to focus on—and much to the detriment of the way Christians in the affluent west have subsequently reinvented what it means to be a follower of the Jesus who said, “If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me,” (Mark 8:34). Take away the cross from Christianity and you are left with something that patently is no longer Christian.
It used to be that Catholics were known by their focus on The Passion of Christ. Walking around on Ash Wednesday with their foreheads smudged with an ashen cross, eating fish on Fridays, making the stations of the cross on Friday evenings—and kneeling before what usually was a larger than life crucifix that dominated the sanctuary of their churches. But after Vatican II and the subsequent good fortune of American Catholics, one saw a shift where new Churches or even renovated Churches place a resurrected Christ in the sanctuary, graphic stations of the cross were usually replaced with little wooden cross markers and outside of Lent, Catholics could eat whatever they wanted to eat.
While the Catholics were taking Christ off of the cross, other Christians were preaching a gospel of affluence, not unlike the hypnotic message of infomercials that run endlessly on early morning television. The message varied but it essentially promised that if you make a down payment in faith, Christ would bless you beyond your wildest dreams. Ironically, many of the great preachers of this Gospel were publicly humiliated and suffered their own public crucifixions. Perhaps that is one reason why evangelicals seem so ready to embrace a very graphic meditation on the Passion of Our Lord.
The price Catholics have paid for taking Christ off of the cross, (not officially, I know but popularly this has been the case and often claimed by the “experts” to be the case), is being displayed daily in the newspapers. Clergy no longer embracing the cross of Christ fell into horrible sins. Laity no longer focused on the demands of the cross have become indistinguishable from the world around them. Ask the Catholic laity about any issue and they are likely to reflect the exact same beliefs of those who claim no religious belief. Which has left many to wonder what exactly does it mean to be a “Catholic” or better what exactly does it mean to be a Catholic follower of Christ?
The answer all comes back to the Passion. Bishop Fulton J. Sheen used to say that the west was characterized as having Christ without the Cross. We have the ability to hear the gospel preached freely, we can worship freely but without persecution we do not really hear the gospel in the same way that those who are suffering do.
The sad reality is that we are all suffering, but our ability to distract ourselves with meaningless entertainments keeps us out of touch with our suffering…until a 9/11 or the death sentence of a doctor telling us that we are terminally ill…then we see the cross and all its horror without Christ. Sadly if we have mocked Christ by being a follower without the cross we may miss the opportunity to be saved by the cross of Christ if we have spent our lives denying that it is the integral part of the Christian message.
It is interesting to see the reactions of those who worry about what a movie that graphically presents the Passion of Our Lord will do. Evangelicals are promoting it, encouraging their congregations to view the movie, invite friends and then bring them to Church so that their questions can be answered. Catholics, with the exception of the evangelical converts, for the most part are worried about the Passion renewing anti-Semitic feelings among the viewers. Jewish groups are also worried about this.
Jesus was a Jew and to me this is what I would proclaim to anyone who sees his Passion as an excuse to think poorly of the Jewish people. Such bigotry is from the devil, is evil, ignorant and is hatred ultimately of the Lord who died on the cross where the proclamation “King of the Jews” was nailed. I have written elsewhere on these pages about how Matthew’s Gospel in particular portrays Jesus as the new Moses who ratifies a new covenant and that the way to understand “his blood be upon us and our children” is only understood by going back to the ratification of the first covenant and Moses sprinkling blood upon the heads of the people as a sign of their new relationship with God. Any Christian need only open the Bible and sit with Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well and hear, “For salvation is from the Jews,” (John 4:22) or sit awhile with St. Paul in Romans 9-11.
What should we really worry about? That we have lost the true meaning of the gospel of Christ and its radical call to repent, repentance that leads to sacrificing:
“you lack one thing; go, sell what you have, and give to the poor,” (Mark 10:21).
“every one who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery,” (Matthew 5:28)
“give to him who begs from you,” (Matthew 5:42)
“Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you,” (Matthew 5: 44).
We should fear that in our comfort and ease we have lost the true Christ who told the disciples on the road to Emmaus that it “was necessary” that the Son of Man suffer all of these things, because if we fail to see the true meaning of the Passion we will fail to see God’s design for us in our own lives and we will flee the cross like a possessed man—because indeed fear of the cross is a clear sign that something other than Christ has possession of us.
So there is confusion, what do we do with this man, for if we leave him alone the entire populace will believe in him and then our economy will be shot, our livelihood destroyed, our (fill in the blank)… This is always the inner conversation between the self God created and self that we feel we need to be to please others…the cross of Christ is the line in the sand…what will save us?
As St. Paul said, “but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God." (1 Corinthians 1:22-24)
You Wonder Why These Guys Don't Just Resign
I'm think aloud here, but it really doesn't make any sense to me why guys who have this kind of stuff in their past continue to stay. I ask it, but I think I know the answer. There is a certian arogance that continues to dominate a certian sector of the clergy.
From MassLive.com: Search:
"The former Catholic bishop of Springfield introduced the two boys, one of whom was a 12-year-old refugee, to homosexual sex and gay pornography after taking one under his wing when he was a parish priest about 28 years ago, the men said last night.
The two men, one aged 40 and the other 39, issued a statement through their lawyer detailing the alleged abuse. One of the men, who is now gay, said he was moved to anger after the Roman Catholic Church and Dupre began a crusade against gay marriage in Massachusetts.
Dupre, 70, checked himself into an undisclosed medical center and retired within a day of being confronted with questions about the allegations by The Republican last week.
Roderick MacLeish Jr., a lawyer for the men, said the bishop is being treated at St. Luke's Institute in Silver Spring, Md., which is known for treating pedophile priests. This could not be confirmed last night. "
From MassLive.com: Search:
"The former Catholic bishop of Springfield introduced the two boys, one of whom was a 12-year-old refugee, to homosexual sex and gay pornography after taking one under his wing when he was a parish priest about 28 years ago, the men said last night.
The two men, one aged 40 and the other 39, issued a statement through their lawyer detailing the alleged abuse. One of the men, who is now gay, said he was moved to anger after the Roman Catholic Church and Dupre began a crusade against gay marriage in Massachusetts.
Dupre, 70, checked himself into an undisclosed medical center and retired within a day of being confronted with questions about the allegations by The Republican last week.
Roderick MacLeish Jr., a lawyer for the men, said the bishop is being treated at St. Luke's Institute in Silver Spring, Md., which is known for treating pedophile priests. This could not be confirmed last night. "
Thursday, February 19, 2004
The Passion of the Christ
and the perfect book to guide you on a Biblical meditation of Christ's steps from the garden of Gethsemane to the garden of the empty tomb!
Red Sox Nation Raises Terror Alert to Red
Spoof...
See Red Sox Nation Raises Terror Alert to Red
The Boston Red Sox created this color-coded terror alert warning system last year to help the organization and their fans measure the threat of the Yankees winning the next World Series. Any time the Yankees trade for, or sign a player, the terror alert status rises.
Communications between the Yankees and SS Alex Rodriguez, intercepted by ESPN, indicate that the team has acquired the superstar just months after negotiations between the Texas Rangers and the Red Sox Nation fell through.
"There is no doubt, from all the intelligence we gathered, that George Steinbrenner, known in several terrorist circles as the ‘Boss’, plans to systematically dismantle each and every major league baseball team through scare techniques, intimidation, and, if needed, by buying all their good players,” said ESPN baseball analyst Peter Gammons.
See Red Sox Nation Raises Terror Alert to Red
The Boston Red Sox created this color-coded terror alert warning system last year to help the organization and their fans measure the threat of the Yankees winning the next World Series. Any time the Yankees trade for, or sign a player, the terror alert status rises.
Communications between the Yankees and SS Alex Rodriguez, intercepted by ESPN, indicate that the team has acquired the superstar just months after negotiations between the Texas Rangers and the Red Sox Nation fell through.
"There is no doubt, from all the intelligence we gathered, that George Steinbrenner, known in several terrorist circles as the ‘Boss’, plans to systematically dismantle each and every major league baseball team through scare techniques, intimidation, and, if needed, by buying all their good players,” said ESPN baseball analyst Peter Gammons.
Father Groeschel to be Moved to NY
Could be tomorrow or next week...
From Letter 2/18/04:
"Plans for Father Benedict to be transferred up to New York are presently 'set in sand'. 'Hurry up and wait' may be the name of the game. It could be as early as Friday and as late as next week. Airlifting Father to New York is being planned; although expensive, at this point we don't want to nickel and dime the situation. Besides, so many of you have been generous in helping with friars' plane fares to Florida, some of which we now don't have to schedule."
From Letter 2/18/04:
"Plans for Father Benedict to be transferred up to New York are presently 'set in sand'. 'Hurry up and wait' may be the name of the game. It could be as early as Friday and as late as next week. Airlifting Father to New York is being planned; although expensive, at this point we don't want to nickel and dime the situation. Besides, so many of you have been generous in helping with friars' plane fares to Florida, some of which we now don't have to schedule."
More on Albany
From The Record:
"A potentially explosive letter purportedly written by the late Rev. John Minkler in 1995 claims 23 priests in the Albany Diocese are actively homosexual. Furthermore, the letter says Hubbard had a relationship with two priests and names another bishop as being actively homosexual."...
...The unsigned letter is somewhat of a mystery. Whether Minkler is even the author is under some dispute. After the letter was given to the media and his name affixed to it, he went to the diocese and signed an affidavit stating he was not the author. Whether he was called to the diocese or went freely is also in question.
Rev. Joseph Wilson of Queens said he had an hour long conversation with Minkler the day a television report tied Minkler to the letter and two days before Minkler was found dead in his Watervliet home. According to Wilson, Minkler told him he had written the letter, but the two did not talk about the affidavit.
Wilson said Minkler, a priest at the Stratton Veterans Administration Hospital, was "horrified" when the conversation started, but "hopeful" by the time it ended. Minkler's cause of death may not be determined for a couple weeks, but there were reports that a note had been found and suicide has not been ruled out.
Minkler and Wilson are both conservative, orthodox priests but they had never heard of each other before the conversation. They were brought together by Paul Likoudis, the editor of The Wanderer, an ultra-conservative weekly newspaper run by lay people who cover the Catholic Church. In the past, the paper has been very critical of Hubbard and the way he runs the diocese and there is speculation that Minkler was a source of much of the information the paper published.
The letter accuses Hubbard of "varied and constant" procedural irregularities during his saying Mass, such as offering wine and bread at the same time and his use of altar girls before they were approved by Rome.
"A potentially explosive letter purportedly written by the late Rev. John Minkler in 1995 claims 23 priests in the Albany Diocese are actively homosexual. Furthermore, the letter says Hubbard had a relationship with two priests and names another bishop as being actively homosexual."...
...The unsigned letter is somewhat of a mystery. Whether Minkler is even the author is under some dispute. After the letter was given to the media and his name affixed to it, he went to the diocese and signed an affidavit stating he was not the author. Whether he was called to the diocese or went freely is also in question.
Rev. Joseph Wilson of Queens said he had an hour long conversation with Minkler the day a television report tied Minkler to the letter and two days before Minkler was found dead in his Watervliet home. According to Wilson, Minkler told him he had written the letter, but the two did not talk about the affidavit.
Wilson said Minkler, a priest at the Stratton Veterans Administration Hospital, was "horrified" when the conversation started, but "hopeful" by the time it ended. Minkler's cause of death may not be determined for a couple weeks, but there were reports that a note had been found and suicide has not been ruled out.
Minkler and Wilson are both conservative, orthodox priests but they had never heard of each other before the conversation. They were brought together by Paul Likoudis, the editor of The Wanderer, an ultra-conservative weekly newspaper run by lay people who cover the Catholic Church. In the past, the paper has been very critical of Hubbard and the way he runs the diocese and there is speculation that Minkler was a source of much of the information the paper published.
The letter accuses Hubbard of "varied and constant" procedural irregularities during his saying Mass, such as offering wine and bread at the same time and his use of altar girls before they were approved by Rome.
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