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)
Friday, February 20, 2004
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.
Wednesday, February 18, 2004
More on Albany
They've hired a Mary Jo White to investigate the claims against Bishop Hubbard. And the intrigue around the priest who wrote Cardinal O'Connor with claims against Hubbard only grows...
From Fox News:
The Albany County Coroner tells Fox 23 News autopsy results on Father John Minkler's body were inconclusive, and they are waiting for more tests to determine exactly how he died. But today we spoke with several people who say they spoke with Father Minkler just days before his death.
Stephen Brady is the director of Roman Catholic Faithful, an Illinois-based group which investigates clergy corruption allegations. Brady faxed us documents which he says are just some of his correspondence with Father John Minkler.
The signature on the cover letter appears similar to the one on the affidavit Minkler gave the Diocese on Friday. In the affadavit, Father Minkler said he never wrote a 7-page letter to Cardinal O'Connor citing improprieties by Bishop Howard Hubbard.
Brady claims Minkler sent him the letter in 2001 and made it clear he wanted to remain anonymous. “He made it clear he wanted to be very careful. He in no way wanted Bishop Hubbard to ever find out who was behind this, who was going to O'Connor behind his back, and who was looking into information in the Diocese regarding misconduct, especially homosexual activity,” said Brady. The editor of “The Wanderer,” a national Catholic weekly published in Minnesota, tells Fox 23 News Father Minkler has been informing him about problems within the Albany Diocese for 13 years. Paul Likouidis says he spoke with Father Minkler on Friday, just two days before Minkler was found dead in his Watervliet home.
He alleges Minkler told him he was called into the Diocese office and asked to sign this affidavit. “He went into an office and his longtime friend Father Ken Doyle had a document for him to sign and all Doyle said was sign this,” said Likoudis. “What he said to me was ‘Hubbard forced me to lie,’ and he felt very bad about that.”
Likoudis says he advised Father Minkler to call Father Joseph Wilson of St. Luke's Church in Queens for advice. Father Wilson says he too spoke to Minkler on Friday, and he was distraught. “I don't remember his exact phrase, but the connotation was he was trying to put out the fires caused by his mention. He did concede to me that he had written on the bishop and he had handed that report into Cardinal O'Connor,” said Father Wilson.
The Diocese issued a statement late today saying, “Father John Minkler denied four times to officials of the Albany Diocese that he had written a letter critical of Bishop Howard Hubbard." The statement goes on to say, “at no time did anyone associated with the Albany Diocese seek to pressure Father Minkler to meet with diocesan officials or to deny the letter or to sign a statement denying the letter. At no time was Father Minkler summoned to the Diocesan Pastoral Center. He came willingly..."
From Fox News:
The Albany County Coroner tells Fox 23 News autopsy results on Father John Minkler's body were inconclusive, and they are waiting for more tests to determine exactly how he died. But today we spoke with several people who say they spoke with Father Minkler just days before his death.
Stephen Brady is the director of Roman Catholic Faithful, an Illinois-based group which investigates clergy corruption allegations. Brady faxed us documents which he says are just some of his correspondence with Father John Minkler.
The signature on the cover letter appears similar to the one on the affidavit Minkler gave the Diocese on Friday. In the affadavit, Father Minkler said he never wrote a 7-page letter to Cardinal O'Connor citing improprieties by Bishop Howard Hubbard.
Brady claims Minkler sent him the letter in 2001 and made it clear he wanted to remain anonymous. “He made it clear he wanted to be very careful. He in no way wanted Bishop Hubbard to ever find out who was behind this, who was going to O'Connor behind his back, and who was looking into information in the Diocese regarding misconduct, especially homosexual activity,” said Brady. The editor of “The Wanderer,” a national Catholic weekly published in Minnesota, tells Fox 23 News Father Minkler has been informing him about problems within the Albany Diocese for 13 years. Paul Likouidis says he spoke with Father Minkler on Friday, just two days before Minkler was found dead in his Watervliet home.
He alleges Minkler told him he was called into the Diocese office and asked to sign this affidavit. “He went into an office and his longtime friend Father Ken Doyle had a document for him to sign and all Doyle said was sign this,” said Likoudis. “What he said to me was ‘Hubbard forced me to lie,’ and he felt very bad about that.”
Likoudis says he advised Father Minkler to call Father Joseph Wilson of St. Luke's Church in Queens for advice. Father Wilson says he too spoke to Minkler on Friday, and he was distraught. “I don't remember his exact phrase, but the connotation was he was trying to put out the fires caused by his mention. He did concede to me that he had written on the bishop and he had handed that report into Cardinal O'Connor,” said Father Wilson.
The Diocese issued a statement late today saying, “Father John Minkler denied four times to officials of the Albany Diocese that he had written a letter critical of Bishop Howard Hubbard." The statement goes on to say, “at no time did anyone associated with the Albany Diocese seek to pressure Father Minkler to meet with diocesan officials or to deny the letter or to sign a statement denying the letter. At no time was Father Minkler summoned to the Diocesan Pastoral Center. He came willingly..."
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