Grazie; Danke; Gracias; Domo; Merci; Dziękuję

As our nation celebrates THANKSGIVING, it behooves us as Catholic Christians to ponder what that word really means. We know that the word "Eucharist" comes from the Greek word for 'thanksgiving' but most people never get beyond that.

Using the via negativa method (which Aquinas was fond of) we first see what thanksgiving or gratitude is NOT.

It is not QUID PRO QUO in the same way I pay someone ten dollars to shovel snow off my driveway. Barter or commerce is based on a mutual agreement of exchange of money, services or materials for something of equal value. The donor, unlike the merchant, acts spontaneously and gives without restrictions. The recipient, unlike the customer, is expected to realize it is a gift, not payment.

It is not mere formality or just good manners. Saying 'thank you' is a necessary component, not the only one, however. At the same time, they are not just words one should speak casually like 'hello' and 'good-bye'.

It is not an option. The Angelic Doctor says gratitude is a form of justice. We owe the giver of a gift our gratitude. To NOT be grateful is to be an INGRATE. Ingratitude is more than rude and impolite, it is also UNJUST. Morally, though not legally, we are obliged to be grateful, to express our appreciation and to demonstrate it in a tangible way (often called repaying the favor).

It is not restricted to expensive or only very valuable gifts. One should not be grateful only for big things, but as Saint Therese of the Little Flower reminds us, we should be grateful for all things, big and small, that come from the Lord.

Saint Thomas lists three degrees of gratitude in his Summa Theologica.

a) RECOGNITION of the gift or favor bestowed
b) EXPRESSION of appreciation (verbal or written 'thank you')
c) DEMONSTRATION of gratitude (symbolic or ritual)

A man reaches the first degree of ingratitude when he "fails to repay a favor;
the second when he declines to notice and indicate that he has received a favor;
the third and supreme degree is when a man fails to recognize the reception of a favor, whether by forgetting it or in any other way."

Further, ingratitude turns into the opposite of gratitude; hence:

"it belongs to the first degree of ingratitude to return evil for good, to the second to find fault with a favor received, and to the third to esteem kindness as though it were unkindness."

You and I ought to be GRATEFUL to God for creating us; for redeeming us; and for the many times He forgives us. We also ought to appreciate the many gifts and blessings He has given us. Ironically, many times we focus on what we do NOT have but what someone else has. We ENVY others' possessions while not appreciating what we do have ourselves. Saying grace before and after meals and going to church one day a week is not even the bare minimum but pathetically, it is the full extent some so-called Christians are willing to do.

The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is the supreme and most perfect, eloquent and proper manner in which human beings can show their appreciation and gratitude to God. The Scriptures and prayers and hymns remind us of WHAT we should be grateful for and WHY. The worship of God is HOW we express that gratitude. Kneeling, genuflecting, bowing, etc., are part of that. Giving an hour or more of your time as many days as you can is the best sign possible. This is why we do NOT go to Mass for what we GET out of it, rather, we go to GIVE BACK to God what we OWE Him, i.e., worship, adoration, gratitude, honor, etc.

If we neglect to thank human beings for all gifts, large and small, then we will eventually omit our thanks to God and vice versa. INGRATITUDE is not merely bad manners, it is an act of INJUSTICE. So, on this Thanksgiving Day, let us pray we can all be grateful to God and our family and friends for every GIFT given to us. After BEING grateful, let us EXPRESS our thanks and let us perform ACTS of gratitude as well. Holy Hours, Rosaries, Pilgrimages, Litanies, Novenas, et al. are wonderful ways to show God our thanks.

Doing unexpected or spontaneous favors for others in return for their previous acts of kindness and generosity are things we can do to each other. It is important to DO it and to allow others to do it TO US as well. This is why we celebrate birthdays and anniversaries and why we exchange gifts at Christmas and why we have going away parties for people when they leave or move or are transferred.

And that simple "thank you" to the waitress, waiter, cab or bus driver, flight attendant, office secretary, postal worker, delivery-man, cashier, nurse, etc., can become more than just an exercise in politeness. Christians need to be polite because it shows RESPECT and that is one way to demonstrate our LOVE OF NEIGHBOR. You cannot love someone you do not respect. Hence, even in Old Testament as well as in Gospel times, hospitality was more than good manners. It was a sign of faithfulness to the covenant.

I want to thank by former Bishop Kevin Rhoades for his five years as shepherd of our Diocese (Harrisburg). Our loss is Fort Wayne-South Bend's gain. We will painfully miss him. Orthodox and reverent AND respectful. And while we give thanks today for all God's blessings (life, faith, family & friends), in this YEAR FOR PRIESTS I thank the Good Lord for giving me a priestly vocation and I thank him for my priests friends, especially my classmate, co-author and best friend Fr. Ken Brighenti; my mentor, Fr. Bob Levis and very dear friend and diocesan colleague, Fr. Dennis Dalessandro.

Opinion: Chris Matthews should be fired for his Offensive Interview of Bishop Tobin - Catholic Online

Opinion: Chris Matthews should be fired for his Offensive Interview of Bishop Tobin - Catholic Online

Chris Matthews Beans Bishop Tobin

 

MSNBC television talk show host Chris Matthews bullied and attacked Bishop Thomas Tobin (Providence, RI) on his show (Hardball) yesterday. Like a pitcher who intentionally throws a baseball at the head of the batter, Mr. Matthews did all he could to throw everything but the kitchen sink at his 'guest' (better to say 'victim') He never gave the Bishop adequate time to answer his questions as he kept interrupting and resorted to non sequitur and ad hominum arguments which anyone in first year college Logic class learns are FALLACIES.

Thank God for courageous shepherds like Bishop Tobin. After an unprovoked attack and inaccurate description of Catholic teaching by U.S. Congressman Patrick Kennedy, Bishop Tobin used fraternal correction and exercised his lawful right to impose a canonical penalty in the hope that the offender would repent and reconcile himself with God and the Church. One cannot advocate and support abortion and still claim to be a good Catholic since the Church condemns all abortions as the unjust killing of innocent life (a.k.a., murder or homicide) The doctrine on the sanctity of human life from conception to natural death is inviolable as it is rooted in BOTH the Natural Moral Law and the Divine Positive Law.

Chris Matthews was offensive, rude and showed no impartiality. I thought journalists were supposed to REPORT the news and interview people, not ambush them and defend ideologies of a political persuasion. At best, he should demonstrate a neutrality on the issue of abortion instead of coming out of the bullpen presuming the so-called 'right to abortion' is Constitutionally guaranteed. Imagine a reporter interviewing a civil rights advocate like the late Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and acting as if racial segregation is an exercise of personal freedom of those business owners who want African-Americans to sit in allocated parts of the bus or restaurant. Racism and segregation were and are immoral, unjust and sinful. However, both were legal in the USA at one time and even upheld by Congress and even the illustrious Supreme Court had defended slavery. Courageous religious leaders led the way to challenge the civil toleration of these gross injustices. It was religious people who started the Abolition movement to end slavery. It was Rev. King and others who peacefully and non-violently marched and protested to overturn racist laws and practiced. Bishop Desmond Tuttu helped the fight to end apartheid in South Africa.  In all cases, no one today would say that the religious leaders were overstepping their authority or violating the first amendment.

"What laws would you write" was his constant harassment, implying the Bishop was attempting to usurp the Congressman's civil authority as a lawmaker. This irrational argument never goes away. Neither Bishop Tobin nor the USCCB make any claim to have the right to legislate civil law. As religious leaders, however, they have the MORAL right and by our Constitution have a CIVIL right to TEACH. Part of teaching is to enunciate and explain PRINCIPLES. The application of those are the job of each individual but they are still subject to ethical assessment. For example, the principle that it is never right to intentionally end the life of an innocent human being is absolute. Murder is never allowed. Justified killing is limited to very specific instances (e.g., self-defense, just war, etc.) Killing the innocent, as in abortion and euthanasia, is always wrong, evil, immoral and sinful. It is also un-Constitutional since every human being is endowed by their Creator with an inalienable RIGHT TO LIFE. So, when a Bishop tells a politician that the laws he writes or supports violate the Natural Law, they are de facto bad laws.  Immoral laws are non-binding. Citizens, both voters and politicians, are obliged to eradicate unjust laws. The essence of law is the pursuit of the COMMON GOOD. Killing unborn children, slavery, racial segregation, et al. are UNJUST and IMMORAL and any laws that protect, tolerate or promote these evils are bad laws that need to be abolished.

Would you arrest a woman for having an abortion, was Matthews' question to Bishop Tobin. Making abortion illegal is conforming civil law to the Natural Moral Law just as is the outlawing of slavery and segregation; rape and murder. Nazi Germany had enacted racial laws that allowed the government to incarcerate Jews and seize their property, land and assets. Anti-Semitism was legalized by the Nuremberg Laws of the 1930's but the Nuremberg Trials at the end of WWII made it clear that legalized immoral laws have no authority and must be opposed and disobeyed.  Outlawing abortion does not demand the imprisonment of women who obtain them but do we not have laws that prohibit certain behavior but only incur fines and other penalties without throwing the perp into jail? Arresting the doctor who performs the abortions is something which would be more effective. Fining women for having illegal abortions would be more prudent. Criminalizing the act, however, is not a choice. If we outlaw in civil law such injustices as theft, lying (perjury), assault, homicide, rape, etc., then we must also outlaw abortion and euthanasia since both are forms of murder (killing of innocent human life).

Bishop Tobin does not have to come up with specific legislation, that is the job of civil lawmakers. HOWEVER, it is the job of the Bishop as a religious leader to make a moral judgment on the laws that are made and to assess them as either conforming to the Natural Law or not.  This is not just a Catholic leader telling Catholic followers what to believe or how to behave. The Natural Law was used in the Nuremberg Trials to convict Nazis who claimed they were only obeying orders or just following the law. Cicero and Aristotle, as well as St. Paul and St. Thomas Aquinas, speak of the Natural Law being known to ALL human beings who have the use of reason. Unlike ecclesiastical law which binds those of a specific church, the Natural Law is rooted in reason which is part of our human nature (intellect) and thus applies to everyone, everywhere, anytime.

Matthews was insisting that the Bishops have no business to interfere with legislation. Is that not what we heard before the Civil War by those who claimed it was an issue of States' Rights to own slaves? Did not the states that permitted or promoted racial segregation claim it was not the Federal government's business? The civil rights of the unborn transcend state and federal law and transcend any Supreme Court decision. These rights come from God, not the government. Just as a parent cannot murder their toddler or adolescent, likewise, no parent has the moral or legal right to kill their unborn child, either. Worse, however, is the doctor who performs these ghastly murders in the womb. The woman is often stressed and under enormous anxiety whereas the abortionist and his/her assistants are more culpable as they are less emotionally attached and supposedly more objective.

Bishop Tobin was in his civil and canonical rights to reprimand Rep. Patrick Kennedy since he claims to be a Catholic and furthermore claims he can support abortion. As a lawmaker, he can be guilty of material if not formal cooperation in evil, by facilitating the legalization of abortion. He can also be guilty of heresy in denying the official church teaching that abortion is a grave evil and that human life begins at conception. It would be a sin of omission and spiritual negligence had Bishop Tobin remained silent once the Congressman spouted off in the media as he did on these issues. Chris Matthews should REPORT not MAKE the news.

Manhattan Declaration

Father Miguel, MFVA, mentioned on the televised Mass for Christ the King the Manhattan Declaration that he and I and many others have signed online. It is a joint effort by Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox and Evangelical Christians to stand up and speak out against abortion and euthanasia and to defend and support religious liberty and traditional family (one man + one woman in a permanent, faithful and hopefully fruitful union).

Christ the King (Christus Rex)

       

Today we celebrate the feast of Christ the King. Unlike Presidents and Prime Ministers, Kings are not elected and therefore are not submissive to opinion polls. Special interest groups, lobbyists, and the media have no influence over the crown. One either accepts the authority of King and complies with his will OR they reject his rule and suffer the consequences. The question Christians must ask themselves is: WHO IS MY KING? 

Some like the crowd before Pilate, proclaim: 'we have no King but Caesar'  They are the secular progressives who pander to public opinion. They go with the majority even when it is wrong. Those who said women have no right to vote; those who said slavery was a personal choice; those who said states should decide for themselves if they want racial segregation; they are in reality saying WE HAVE NO KING BUT CAESAR. Caesar is the world, secular culture, and business and politics devoid of morality.  Those who advocate or tolerate abortion, euthanasia, same sex marriage, etc., reject the Divine Law and Natural Law given us by God. They repudiate the reign of God and therefore refuse to obey His Will or His Bride, the Church. Politicians and voters and sadly even ecclesiastics who place popularity over propriety have no King but Caesar. Whether it is the State, the secular culture, business, political parties, or the politically correct, none of these outranks the majesty of God. None of them are superior to the Supreme Being.

Others reject the kingship of Christ AND of the world. They make themselves king (as did Lucifer, Adam & Eve, Sodom and Gomorrah, et al.) since their pride and ego refuse to bow to anyone else. They are self-anointed experts and know-it-alls who condescendingly look down on those of us who faithfully submit to the Magisterium. They refuse to get mandatums and imprimaturs since both are exercises of legitimate teaching authority.

Those who herald CHRIST OUR KING obey Him and His Vicar on earth. The Pope represents Christ and has been given FULL, SUPREME, UNIVERSAL and IMMEDIATE authority to govern the Church. When teaching on matters of faith and morals, he is infallible. The radical left and the reactionary right often sleep in the same bed when they embrace HERESY and/or SCHISM. Saint Ambrose said it well and said it all when he coined the phrase UBI PETRUS IBI ECCLESIA. While the prudential judgments of the Roman Pontiff are not infallible, his authority cannot be appealed and therefore his decisions bind us and oblige us to submit intellect and will. Reject the authority (governing or teaching) of Peter's Successor and you reject the One Who gave it to him (Jesus Christ).

SANCTE PATER: sede vacante

SANCTE PATER: sede vacante

sede vacante

 

The Most Rev. Kevin C. Rhoades

Sad news permeated the Diocese of Harrisburg this morning.  Pope Benedict XVI appointed our beloved bishop to take over the Diocese of South Bend-Fort Wayne, Indiana.  Just a few weeks ago, Bishop Rhoades was celebrant at Mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, DC. There were at least FOUR THOUSAND (4,000) souls from the Diocese at the Shrine, one of the largest ever. Bishop Rhoades and Fr. Ray LaVoie (Vocation Director) brought our seminary census to over 45, beating the archdiocese of Philadelphia for the first time ever.

A native son from Lebanon, PA, Bishop Rhoades had been a pastor of St. Francis of Assisi parish in Harrisburg and then taught as a professor and finally became rector of Mount Saint Mary Seminary, Emmitsburg, Maryland.   During his short five years here in our diocese, we have seen a stable and permanent Extraordinary Form parish (Mater Dei) erected under the care of the Fraternity of Saint Peter; lots of vocations to the priesthood; restoration of the permanent diaconate. When the Cathedral was renovated, Bishop Rhoades insisted the Tabernacle be restored to its proper place in the middle and center of the sanctuary. At only 52 years of age, Bishop Rhoades will most likely be promoted again in the near and foreseeable future to become an archbishop and probably cardinal of a major see in the USA.

We are praying to the Holy Spirit and Our Lady, Mother of the Church, that we be sent another gem like Bishop Rhoades. Not an accountant or manager bishop, but a teacher/pastor bishop who also knows how to shepherd rather than relinquishing authority to sycophant bureaucrats who have political agendas and not the good of Holy Mother Church in their minds. PRAY FOR US.

Most of us priests consider ourselves blessed if our our bishop is at least friendly toward us. But even if he is not, it is far more important and necessary that he be a just, honest, orthodox, reverent, compassionate and courageous bishop. Just like parents should not seek to be 'friends' to their children, bishops do not need to be 'friends' they need to be pastors. Friendly, yes; friends, maybe; pastors, always. Bishop Rhoades is a pastor bishop. Friendly but still in charge. I went to seminary with a bishop (he wasn't one then, but became one later, of course)  Byzantine Bishop William Skurla of the Eparchy of Passaic for the Ruthenians. We were friends and schoolmates. But he is not my boss. My boss was one of the few bishops who despite his fullness of priesthood and his episcopal authority, nevertheless showed appreciation and respect to his brother priests. That goes a long way. Like the Captain or Admiral, Colonel or General in the military, you have the authority to give orders but the respect of your men is something you earn by the way you treat them. Bishop Rhoades is the first bishop to personally thank me for the books on religion I wrote and for the shows I taped for EWTN. He is the first bishop to show enthusiastic support for the Confraternity of Catholic Clergy (a national association of priests and deacons committed to ongoing spiritual, theological and pastoral formation in a fraternal setting).  Previous bishops simply said nothing. I was grateful they never ordered me to stop doing what I was doing on my own free time, but he was the first to actually AFFIRM and THANK me and my colleague (Father Ken Brighenti) for utilizing our time and talents, first in the parish and then for Holy Mother Church at large.

Fortunately, there are more bishops like Bishop Rhoades who do not see their mission as accountant, business manager or politician. They see the diocese as a pastor sees his parish. Pope John Paul the Great told us that pastors must love their parishioners like a groom loves his bride (like Jesus loves the Church). It does not matter if the guy is a scholar or academic, a great orator or preacher, or an efficient organizer. What the People of God want and what the priests, deacons, religious and laity deserve is a man of God, loyal to the Roman Pontiff; strong enough to do what has to be done and say what has to be said (especially to his clergy and to Catholic politicians); and humble enough to know he makes mistakes like the rest of us but can also learn from them and do better again and again. Like the Apostles, bishops as their successors need to support their priests, challenge us, guide us, correct us, and love us. We promised respect and obedience to the bishop and his successors. The bishop swears an oath of fidelity.

God has blessed us with great popes in recent history and with some phenomenal bishops as well. It is easy to take pot-shots and gripe about the bad or mediocre ones. The same can be said of us priests and pastors, too. Better for us to identify and support the good ones and let the others become extinct on their own. In this YEAR FOR PRIESTS we priests need to pray for one another but we also need to pray for our bishops. It is not public opinion polls or legal advice that our shepherds need, it is divine grace from Holy Orders and their personal commitment to place the common good of the diocese before all else

I hope and pray (and trust) the Lord will bless us again with another superb, competent and wonderful bishop to shepherd our diocese.

Hollywood Hypocrite

Director Roland Emmerich admitted that he has no time for organized religion. His latest movie 2012 is based on a pagan Mayan prophecy that the world ends that calendar year (December 21). Bad enough he gives credence to ancient folklore, worse yet he trashes Christianity, especially Roman Catholicism, while leaving Islam unscathed. One scene has Saint Peter's Basilica rolling onto the multitude of clergy and laity praying for divine assistance. Every national monument and religious icon is destroyed EXCEPT the the Kaaba, the cube-shaped structure located in the center of Mecca, the site of the Hajj. Why? Is the director a Muslim? No. But he fears offending Muslims and incurring a fatwa. So, no Islamic symbol is pulverized in the movie but Christian ones fall like dominoes. PATHETIC. Would a threat of excommunication saved the Vatican? I doubt it. Today, the atheists, agnostics and secular progressives and politically correct FEAR offending anyone of the Muslim faith. How about offending NO ONE, Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, or Muslim? How about not offending any religion? Either all are exempt or all are fair game. If the bishops and clergy called for a boycott of the movie, some Catholics would go just to be defiant; others out of pure curiosity. REMEMBER LOT'S WIFE !!! One thing you will NEVER see Hollywood ever depict: an apparition of the Virgin Mary calling all men and women on earth to pray the rosary to avert the great chastisement. Why? Just too Catholic. You can show the Devil and the Anti-Christ and aliens and now pagan mythologies but not anything too Christian and certainly not too Catholic.

Growing up, me and my younger brother Joe (who was killed at the age of 33 by a 19 year old underage drunk driver) used to watch the old Hammer Studios horror movies every Friday night. They were all B movies, no gore but plenty of scare (from your own imagination). Greats like Vincent Price (who died a Catholic), Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, Boris Karloff, Peter Lorre, et al., would always have a battle between good and evil. Good always won and whenever Satan was being fought, the hero always turned to the local parish PRIEST (not the minister) since he needed Holy Water, or silver blessed in Latin (to make bullets), etc. Even Dracula was defeated by the town's Monsignor who knew that anything holy could destroy vampires or calling out the baptismal name could cure the werewolf. Crosses were good, but crucifixes were better and more efficient. Sure, all fantasy, sci-fi, horror film but the church and the clergy came off as competent authorities on how to defeat evil. That lasted through the gore of the Exorcist and the Omen but then Hollywood decided to make the priest and the Catholic Church the idiotic fools who no longer believe in the devil and diabolical evil OR who have no faith in the supernatural. The heroes now turn to the Evangelical pastor for wisdom and guidance. Then the university professor who is either agnostic or atheist becomes the next expert. He can help translate pagan languages and interpret the pagan rituals of pre-Christian cultures which now Hollywood portrays as the real saviors. Pagans or aliens or technology are held up as sources of hope in the battle between good and evil. Organized religion is seen as part of the problem, not part of the cure. So, movies now have Christians, particularly Catholic clergy being the first to die or mess up or be the token zealot, while the new college scholar or scientist or pagan shaman saves the day. Of course, never cast a shadow on anyone or anything of Islam lest you get a fatwa. But trash the Vatican, Opus Dei, priesthood, sacraments, etc. That is what is shown today on the silver screen. And I think the Devil quite enjoys it.

Missa Pro Defunctis

I celebrated my three All Souls Day Masses today, one of which was offered for the departed souls of my Dad (John Trigilio, Sr.), my two younger brothers (Michael and Joseph), my cousin (Fr. Stephen Katarzynski) and my childhood pastor (Msgr. Ennis Connelly).  The chalice I used belonged to my cousin. He was an elderly priest when the police found him murdered in his rectory right after Easter. No one was ever caught but rumor had been that local devil worshipers and occultists probably broke into his parish to steal Consecrated Hosts for their blasphemous and sacrilegious rituals. Someone smothered him with a pillow and killed him in his own bed. He had been assigned to the worst part of the diocese, in the redneck boondocks. It took him four and half hours to drive to the See city which he did once a month to visit my parents and encourage me to persevere in the high school seminary. His love of the Priesthood and that of my first pastor, in addition to the love and support of my family, made me recognize the call to serve Holy Mother Church as a Priest. So, in 1976, I graduated eighth grade from Blessed Sacrament grade school and entered the High School Seminary. Twelve years later (1988), I was ordained for the Diocese of Harrisburg. Here are the vestments and appointments I used for Holy Mass today.  (yes, Black chasuble with burse and veil).  I normally wear purple for Funeral Masses but wear the black stole over my cassock and surplice with biretta for graveside prayers at the cemetery. 


       

Communion of Saints

Resurrexit sicut dixit.  After nearly three weeks of battling flu like symptons which later developed into bronchitis, I am finally on the mend, just in time for All Saints and All Souls

When I was a child, I would immediatey turn to the comics page of the newspaper. As a seminarian, I would read the editorials. Now, at age 47, I read the obits just like my mom and dad did when we were growing up. I'm not old enough to be looking for classmates and contemporaries, mind you. I read the obituaries to see if there were parishioners or fallen away Catholics in my area who died but who did not have any funeral Mass or Catholic burial rites. Sadly, I see more and more. Former daily communicants or at least regular Sunday church-goers having only a viewing at the parlor and private ceremonies at the cemetery. Often, the adult children of the deceased who no longer practice their baptized religion, deny their own parents the last precious gift, a Catholic funeral and burial. Just because Johnny and Susie are in their fourth or fifth invalid marriage and cannot receive Holy Communion is no reason to deny their mom or dad a Catholic funeral. But it happens. Other times, even the deceased is lukewarm or non-practicing. Many times I get a call from the undertaker and do not recognize the name of the deceased because they have not gone to Mass in more than 20 years.

Read some of the obits. "Liked fishing" "enjoyed scrabble" "loved travel" etc.  RARELY, if ever, do you read: "was devout Catholic Christian" or "faithful church-goer and parishioner". Earthly accomplishments fill the obit. Don't get me wrong, I think we should honor the dead who served our nation and community. My dad was a WWII and Korean veteran from the Navy. A Knight of Columbus.  A loving husband and father. But he was also a God-fearing Christian; a devout Catholic. It is pathetic that virtually no spiritual connections or activities are found in many obituaries. Community service, yes.  Unless the person were a church secretary, however, you rarely read about their exemplary giving of time volunteering at their local parish. Then the funeral homily almost canonizes the person. No need for Masses for the dead, right, if the deceased must be in heaven already. What happened to PURGATORY? My two parishes get so few Mass intentions despite the usual number of deaths and funerals. Why? Because too many of my colleagues never preach on purgatory and on the efficacy of the Mass for departed souls. When I was a kid growing up in Erie, PA, everyone had a two day (afternoon and evening) viewing at the funeral parlor. Flowers were abundant but equally were the Mass cards from all the guests. No one would dare come to a Catholic viewing and not leave at least one Mass intention. Normally, the local parish (or the missions) received those and numerous Masses throughout the year were offered for that dead person.

Today, people only want a Mass IF they can attend as well. That means weekday Masses are the most forgotten. Yet, if only the priest and a server are present, the Communion of Saints is still at that Mass. The Saints in Heaven and the Souls in Purgatory as well as the universal church participate in the Mass for that deceased man or woman. The primary fruit of the Mass is for the departed soul but another fruit is the donor (as well as the priest who offers and those who attend the Mass). But today, minimalism rules. One token Mass intention is often the extent some Catholics remember their dead. I have to beg other parishes and dioceses to get weekdays Masses since we do not get enough from our own people. Yet, there are many dead parishioners with surviving relatives. As a priest, I very deliberately and carefully mention the name of the deceased at the proper place in the Eucharistic Prayer. Other priests mention it at the Prayers of the Faithful. Some only do it quietly at the altar. No matter how it is done, every priest offers every Mass for some intention, be it the departed soul or the special intentions of the living or for the people of the parish (pro populo). The Mass is the highest and most eloquent of all prayers and sadly, many Catholics deny this awesome gift to their deceased loved ones. If in heaven, it is no waste as the merits of the Mass are applied to someone else in need. But if our loved one IS in purgatory, how grateful will he or she be that we remembered AND assisted them the best way possible?

I will have to leave a note in my will to designate a certain amount of the estate (modest though it may be) be allocated to Masses for my immortal soul. IF I am lucky enough to get to Purgatory, I will WANT and NEED every Mass possible for my departed soul.

Did You Pray for Your Parish Priest Today?

Yes, we have seen and continue to see scandalous behavior from the clergy, be they deacons, priests or bishops. No excuse. The faithful deserve nothing less than pure, unadulterated, sound and orthodox doctrine that conforms to the Magisterium. They deserve nothing less than licit, valid and reverent celebration of the sacred mysteries of faith we call the Sacraments. They also deserve competent, unbiased, and compassionate leadership that puts the common good before anything else and is not afraid to correct, discipline or defend.

It is easy today to recognize and identify the warts and blemishes on the clergy because we have been so careless and casual in how we obtained them. While there has always been sin and failure in ordained ministry, the same can be said for marriage and religious life. Every vocation and career has seen its examples of rotten apples. Who can say they have never heard of a bad doctor, bad cop, bad soldier, bad coach, bad teacher or bad parent? They exist and so do bad priests. As Christians, we are challenged to hate the sin and love the sinner.  We must repudiate and denounce bad behavior and even punish it while at the same time pray for and seek repentance. Jesus said he came not to cure the healthy but to cure the sick; not to help the righteous but to help sinners. He never condoned nor excused any sin and neither should we. At the same time, we are asked by our holy religion to pray for the conversion of sinners. To ask for God's grace that those who misbehave would STOP. That they would REPENT. Is there not more joy in heaven over one repentant sinner?  Imagine how much joy over one repentant bad priest or bishop?  Purgatory and jurisprudence exist to ensure justice and punish the guilty while protecting the innocent. Divine Justice cannot be thwarted and will be achieved in this life or the next.  Divine Mercy is as necessary and important as Divine Justice.

That is why during this YEAR FOR PRIESTS we need to pray for more good priests.  Pray for those men in the seminaries that they persevere and become good priests when ordained.  Pray that bad seminaries get better or close.  Pray that mediocre or bad priests have a change of heart, a conversion, a metanoia (they love that word) and return to orthodoxy and reverent worship.  BAD TEACHING + BAD LITURGY = BAD BEHAVIOR.  In other words, heretical doctrine combined with liturgical abuse will inevitably produce and sustain bad morality and vice versa.  We therefore need to pray and do mortification during this YFP to save the souls of all priests (deacons and bishops, too).

Since Jesus Christ instituted Holy Orders on Holy Thursday, how about we all make an effort to make a holy hour for priests, especially the lonely, discouraged, persecuted, maligned, ostracized priests whose only crime is that they are loyal to the Holy Father and the Magisterium? Theses are the fellows who usually are not made Monsignors or Knights of Malta (Holy Cross, Jerusalem, et al.) nor are they typically advisers to the bishop. They are the ordinary parish priests or the hospital chaplains or the seminary or college professors who do their best to be a better priest day by day, year by year.

We need to pray for the ambitious, lazy, workaholic, political, worldly or naive priests that the grace of Holy Orders wake them up and make a concerted effort to clean up their act and remember why they got ordained in the first place. Remember how the nuns (when you knew they were nuns because of the habit they wore) used to tell us in Catholic grade school, 'pray for the conversion of Russia.'  The USSR fell and Communism was defeated, thanks to Pope John Paul II, President Ronald Reagan and the multitude of prayers offered all during the Cold War.

In addition to or in place of a Holy Hour for Priests, how about a voluntary abstinence of meat or a voluntary fast on Thursdays (only one full meal and two smaller collations)? How about a rosary for deceased priests on Thursdays?  Just a few suggestions.

Doesn't mean we won't be watching and alerting you about the weird and bizarre when it comes to clerical nonsense. Even Peter had to be rebuked on one occasion by Our Lord but He never rescinded the authority He gave him, either. Of the twelve, only one stayed at the foot of the Cross while one denied Him, one betrayed Him, one doubted Him and the rest abandoned Him. All could have been forgiven yet one obstinately refused. It was Jesus prayer for them in the Garden before His Passion that ultimately came to fruition after the Resurrection.

So let's pray in thanksgiving for the good priests of the past who inspired and encouraged us; for the good priests of today who nourish, teach and care for us; and for the good priests of tomorrow, those in the pipeline at the seminary, so they may persevere in their vocation and that they never lose hope.

We ought to pray, though, for the bad priests that they stop being bad. That they repent and recant. That they renew their original promise and vow to be a holy priest of Jesus Christ in loving service to Holy Mother Church.

It's worth a try.

Humanae Vitae Priests - Catholic Online

Humanae Vitae Priests - Catholic Online

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Bishop's Ax Falls on Obama. And on the Vatican Curia - Catholic Online

Bishop's Ax Falls on Obama. And on the Vatican Curia - Catholic Online

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SANCTE PATER: THE Z-TEAM!

SANCTE PATER: THE Z-TEAM!

Rubric Goombas

   

    

RESCUE INK. 

airs weekly on the National Geographic Channel. It is about former wise-guys, tough-guys, cops, feds, narcs, undercover, etc., who now devote themselves to eradicating animal abuse. You DON'T want Big Ant, Angel, Joey, and Batso showing up at your door especially if you are guilty of neglecting or mistreating your dog or cat. 

WHAT IF ... we could get these same fellows to form RUBRIC, INK. to visit those parishes where deacons, priests or other clergy, violate every rubric in the Roman Missal? Imagine how many more priests would actually SAY THE BLACK AND DO THE RED?  WHAT IF ... we called them the Z-Team (remember the old A-Team with George Peppard and Mr. T?) Liturgical Abuse finally bites the dust !!!

Feast of the Holy Archangels Michael, Raphael and Gabriel

    


Holy Archangels Michael, Raphael and Gabriel


Unlike the naked cherubs floating as bodiless heads with wings, real Angels are powerful, beautiful, intelligent beings who are metaphysically superior to us humans. They are more agile (having no physical bodies) and much more powerful and certainly more intelligent (having infused rather than acquired knowledge) than we are. Their rivals are the fallen angels now living in hell and who go by the name of devils or demons. So we human beings should be in awe of these lofty creatures. At the same time, we surpassed them in glory ever since the Incarnation when God the Son took on a human nature. Ever since then, divinity and humanity have been united in one divine Person. Angelic nature has not been so blessed. Metaphysically, angels surpass men and women but spiritually, because of the God-Man Jesus Christ, humans have become the adopted children of God being able to call Jesus our brother and being able to pray to God "our Father". Angels must look upon Christ as their sovereign King whereas we see our brother and Savior. His Blessed Mother, the Virgin Mary, is our adopted mother, too, while angels can only relate to her as the Queen Mother. This special relationship human nature has with divinity is why Satan, a fallen angel, hates us so much. We have been elevated higher than angelic nature could ever achieve on its own. The Devil's pride just cannot stomach it, so he reviles and loathes us. We should never take that position of honor for granted, however. It came at a high price. Our brother, Jesus Christ, died for us and shed His blood to ransom and redeem us.