Buon Compleanno / Tanti Auguri

Those wondering where the Black Biretta was for the past few weeks can have their curiosity aleviated. March 25-27 I attended the fourth annual Opus Dei seminar for Priests at Arnold Hall in Pembroke, MA. Father Roger Landry of the Diocese of Fall River has spearheaded this gathering since 2005.

Father Ken Brighenti and I were some of the old timers who remembered attending the annual Opus Dei Seminar for Seminarians back in the 1980's. Back then, many seminaries had Easter week off as vacation, so lots of us could attend this Msgr. Escriva Palooza just south of Boston. At its zenith, over 150 seminarians from across the continential USA gathered from east to west and from north to south. Many came from heterodox seminaries that were infested with dissident theologians and where all kinds of liturgical, doctrinal and moral abberations plagued the place from top to bottom. Deo Gratias, we had one week of unadulterated orthodoxy and a booster shot of authentic, Roman and very reverent orthopraxy (in terms of sacred liturgy).

During the school year, some of us in minor and major seminary got all kinds of bizarre theology so we drooled in expectation of our annual reunion at Arnold Hall. Prudentially, the mail we got inviting us was marked New England Theological Forum, which sounded so Protestant and liberal that some faculty members actually smiled seeing that return address. Little did they know that much like the clandestine acting group Studio 38 and the Rhapsodic Theatre in Poland where Karol Wojtyla defied Nazi occupation, the NETF allowed orthodox seminarians loyal to the Magisterium and Holy See to network with other like minded seminarians and support each other.

Father George Rutler was one of our regular favorites as were Fr. Benedict Groeschel, CFR; Msgr. William Smith of Dunwoodie; Msgr. Lorenzo Albacete; Fr. Ken Baker, SJ, of Homiletic & Pastoral Review; Fr. Joseph Fessio, SJ, of Ignatius Press; Bishop Thomas Welsh of Allentown; Dr. John Haas; Dr. Janet Smith; et al. Five days of erudite and orthodox speakers combined with Holy Mass, Benediction, Rosary, Stations of the Cross and other devotions done so reverently, so elegantly and so liturgically correct, that it literally sustained for an entire year. Some seminarians would leave Arnold Hall to go back into the belly of the beast. Their seminaries were dens of iniquity and houses of deformation. Doctrine was distorted and church discipline ridiculed while witch-hunts for 'rigid' 'conservatives' made life seem like a concentration camp at times. Were it not for the Seminar for Seminarians, I would not have persevered. Though I had the prayerful support of holy and devout priests like Father Bob Levis and my pastors Msgr. Ennis Connelly and Msgr. Wilfrid Nash, I also needed the support of very good friends like Ken Brighenti and others who gave us hope to keep going.

After a while the seminaries changed their Easter vacation and they were no longer coordinated. So the seminars ended. We, the sons of those seminars, however, are grateful that they have been resurrected and now exist for ordained priests. Three days (Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday) after Easter is not much to plan but it is worth every day, hour and minute. Whether the recent papal encyclical or lineamenta of an upcoming document or just practical issues an average parish priest needs to address, these seminars are fantastic.

I religiously attend the seminar for priests and of course the annual convocation of the Confraternity of Catholic Clergy. These two annual gatherings give me a personal and professional boost I desperately need. Priests and deacons MUST give each other FRATERNAL support. It is not enough to attend the mandatory diocesan functions. We also need to get together with like minded fellows and give brotherly support to each other. Vatican II (Presbyterorum Ordinis), Canon Law, Pope JP2 (Pastores Dabo Vobis) and the Directory on the Ministry and Life of Priests all concur that priests NEED associations to promote ONGOING spiritual, theological and pastoral formation in a fraternal setting. Opus Dei and the CCC are but two entities that try.

March 31st I celebrated my 46th birthday with Father Brighenti and some friends. Both of us celebrate 20 years of priesthood this coming May (2008) and my friend Father Dennis Dalessandro and our bishop, the Most Rev. Kevin Rhoades, celebrate their silver jubilee of 25 years of priesthood this month, too. With Pope Benedict coming to the States this month as well, I am grateful to be able join my brother priests at the public papal Mass in Washington, DC on April 17th. Could not think of a better anniversary present than that.

PRIESTHOOD

Pope Benedict XVI washed the feet of 12 priests from the diocese of Rome this year at the Maundy Thursday Mass of the Lord's Supper at the Basilica Cathedral of St. John Lateran. The pedelavium is a poignant reminder to all in holy orders that each man is called to serve and not be served. Whether bishop, priest or deacon, the ordained ministry is one of service to Holy Mother Church and has nothing to do with personal or self-aggrandizement. This is why celebrants are warned in the rubrics not to insert their own agenda nor are they to introduce illicit innovations let alone proliferate outright liturgical abuses for any reasons whatsoever since they are ordained to serve the Mystical Body of Christ. The People of God deserve valid and licit and reverent Sacraments and they deserve nothing but the best that Jesus Christ gave His Church for the sanctification of souls. Anything less is equivalent to sacerdotal malpractice.

A growing concern, however, is for the orthodox, devout, parish priest who literally says the black and does the red is that he may inadvertently neglect his spiritual NEEDS. Too many good and doctrinely sound priests and deacons burn out or become discouraged, disenchanted and disillusioned. These men have NOT lost their faith, but they are very close to losing HOPE. These men do not leave the priesthood, but they can lose their zeal and their love of what they do IF they do not take care of their own spiritual needs.

Secular progressive bishops who use a corporate business paradigm to run the diocese instill a dangerous mindset among the presbyterate. If BEING a priest becomes less important than DOING priestly things, trouble is not far behind. As B16 (and Fr Z) have pointed out, Catholicism is the religion of the great et ... et (BOTH ... AND) as opposed to the aut ... aut (EITHER ... OR). Hence, the Church needs men to BOTH BE priests AND to DO priestly things (i.e., ACT like priests).

American pragmatism has infiltrated priestly formation, both seminary and ongoing. Many priests convince themselves that they are good priests as long as they spend their entire day, week, month, year, etc., DOING priestly things. Certainly, no one can argue that men are ordained deacon, priest or bishop to serve the Church in that particular ministry. Priests are ordained to celebrate Mass, to hear confessions, to anoint the sick, to marry couples, to baptize babies, to preach and teach the truths of our faith, to solace the sick and dying, et al. YES, YES, YES. We are ordained to do these sacerdotal works of mercy (spiritual and coporal). Each priest is ordained to be an ALTER CHRISTUS so that he can act IN PERSONA CHRISTI when he administers and celebrates the Sacraments. The Sacred Liturgy is the zenith of what a priest DOES.

Simultaneously, the priest must also tend to his own spiritual welfare just as he does his physical. Physiological and psychological health are in the hands of each priest himself. So, too, the SPIRITUAL health of priests, deacons and bishops. We all have our own dentists, doctors, mechanics, and tax advisors. How many ordained clergy still have and use a SPIRITUAL DIRECTOR, however? Seminary forced you to have one and use one. If you missed your monthly meeting, he came looking for you just like if you missed Mass, class or Liturgy of the Hours. Once ordained, however, even those who faithfully pray their Breviary do not always show the same commitment to monthly or bi-monthly spiritual direction. Some priests fool themselves into thinking that they are 'too busy' to take a day off or take a vacation. Yet, canon law and local diocesan policy guarantee and exhort clergy to take some time off. Jesus was no workaholic. He took a nap in the boat; He ate at Zaccheus' home; He frequented the home of Martha, Mary and Lazarus. He preached in the synagogues and in the streets and fields. He WORKED and He RESTED.

Clergy (deacons, priests and bishops) who consistently ignore or avoid regular days off and vacation are not martyrs for the cause but they will drive others to seriously consider making them a martyr. ONGOING FORMATION of the clergy, as demanded and called by Vatican II (presbyterorum ordinis), Canon Law and the Directory on the Ministry and Life of Priests, is not a suggestion or an option. It is a MANDATE. The ordained NEED to promote and facilitate ongoing SPIRITUAL, THEOLOGICAL and PASTORAL formation in a FRATERNAL setting.

Besides days off and vacation, canon law DEMANDS clergy take an annual RETREAT. It also STRONGLY encourages participation in workshops and/or seminars designed specifically for the ordained ministry. Fraternal associations are also given full and enthusiastic support. Sadly, many priests and deacons NEGLECT these important resources.

As President of the Confraternity of Catholic Clergy, I see the invaluable and priceless worth of ONGOING FORMATION. I also know of priests who only get to confession once a year when they are on retreat or at the annual gathering of priests in their diocese for the Chrism Mass. To be a good confessor, we priests need to be good penitents ourselves. Since we are in the confessionals most if not every Saturday, it is difficult for us to get to confession in comparison to the laity who come to us week after week, month after month.

MONTHLY confession is possible if a cleric is part of an association or group of priests/deacons who meet regularly for an afternoon, morning or evening of recollection. Opus Dei and the Legionnaires of Christ, e.g., sponsor such monthly gatherings as do local chapters of the Confraternity of Catholic Clergy. Yet, we often hear from orthodox, pious and dedicated priests that they cannot come every month because they have other commitments to the parish. If he had a cavity, Father MAKES TIME to get to the dentist. If his car breaks down, he MAKES TIME to go to the local garage. If his soul NEEDS regular spiritual direction and frequent confession, then he MUST MAKE TIME.

Visiting the nursing homes, teaching RCIA or CCD or Pre-Cana, preparing your Sunday sermon, attending parish council and finance committee meetings, etc. are all part and parcel of being a priest or deacon in a typical parish in 2008. If the cleric, however, does not spend some QUALITY time (weekly or monthly) with other solid colleagues for fraternal support, he will eventually turn elsewhere, and it may not always be a good place at that.

I ask Bishops to urge their priests and deacons to make their spiritual health a PRIORITY. Just as we NEED a healthy diet of good food and exercise to stay physically fit, we need regular direction and frequent confession as well as our annual retreat and occasional workshops or seminars. We would all love to fulfill the romantic vision of one day falling over dead while celebrating Mass or going on a sick call, i.e., to die ON THE JOB. It is a noble thought but not probable. Most of us will die of disease, accident or old age like our parishioners, late at night. If the priest or deacon or bishop neglects his spiritual need for direction, confession, fraternity and prudent leisure time, then the probability is that he will become mean, nasty, bitter, ornery, cantankerous, obnoxious or completely insane. Burned out, stressed out clergy either leave the active ministry or they stay and become resentful that they are not appreciated; they they have been overlooked; that no one is ever satisfied; that no good deed goes unpunished.

Bad enough diocesan bureaucrats, episcopal sychophants, and other ambitious 'professional' clergymen get good assignments, promotions, honors, recognition, support and appreciation from their superiors, but when the real good guys who defend the Magisterium and celebrate valid, licit and reverent sacraments and who spend their lives in service to their parish, diocese or religious community, get nothing but disdain and grief from their own kind, then a solid foundation is all the more necessary.

A house built on rock rather than on sand, will survive the storm. So, too, clergy who make their spiritual well being a PRIORITY are like the fathers of families who make sure they are physically and emotionally fit so as to live a long and healthy life in order to best take care of their wives and children. Clergy need to BE good priests as well as DO priestly work.

Are two or three hours a month too much to ask to maintain a healthy spirituality? Once a month gathering with brother priests for an afternoon or morning of recollection, with time before the Blessed Sacrament, Benediction, spiritual conference, rosary, Divine Office, and time for confession followed by an opportunity for FRATERNITY --- are not our people worth it for us to be at our best so we can in turn give them our best? If we do not make time now and then for ourselves, we can be tempted to compensate with other avenues. Annual retreats need ongoing sustenance via regular spiritual direction. Frequent confession and participation in theological discussions help to better serve our parishioners. The CCC and Opus Dei have helped FORM me before and after ordination. Sadly, I know too many priests and deacons who are 'too busy' for their own spiritual needs. That is negligence, I hate to say. No different than someone who neglects their physical health.

Imagine a priest who did not bathe for over a month. As Martha said in the Gospel of John, "surely, Lord, there will be a stench." Bishops have had to tell priests who neglected their physical health to go get help. We may need that for the spiritual health as well. Problem is that unlike the stinky cleric who has B.O., the one who has not been on retreat for several years, and/or has not been to confession for over a year and/or who has not read or discussed a theological document since seminary days does not have the same 'odor'.

Parishioners, if you love your priests and deacons, urge and encourage them to remain orthodox in their teaching. Thank them for their daily prayer and for their service every day, every week, every month and every year to the parish. Show appreciation for their time to others BUT also urge them to give their own souls time, too. I had several parishioners from across the nation ask what can they do to help their pastor, parochial vicar or deacon. I told them to give them gift subscriptions to orthodox Catholic newspapers and magazines; offer to help pay their travel expenses to attend a seminar or workshop (like the annual Convocation of the Confraternity of Catholic Clergy this July 14-17 in Baltimore). The diocese or parish usually gives them a stipend to pay some if not all the fees to attend retreats, seminars and workshops but not travel expense. An inexpensive bus, train or plane ticket might make an excellent birthday or anniversary or ordination gift for a favorite priest or deacon. There have even been a few laity who drove their pastor to several of our annual gatherings.

Doctors, lawyers, politicians, and teachers network with each other and make professional friendships. Priests and deacons are no different. We NEED to support each other. We need our people to understand Father may not be physically on the property 24/7, so don't wait until someone is on their deathbed to call the priest for the last rites. Call the rectory regularly for someone to bring Holy Communion to the sick and for occasional anointing of the terminally ill rather than wait until it may be too late. And encourage your parish clergy to aggressively pursue regular ONGOING spiritual, theological and pastoral formation in a fraternal setting. It will benefit him and you in the long run. Priests who LOVE the priesthood and love their people must also love themselves enough to take care of and provide for their own spiritual NEEDS otherwise they will not be able nor be around to take care of the spiritual needs of their parishioners.

Dressed to the Nines

His Excellency, Terrence T. Prendergast, SJ, Archbishop of Ottawa, celebrating the TLM.

Roman Days Are Here Again

A Blast From the Past (and here to stay!!!)

Catholic Clergy to honor Humanae Vitae's 40th at Annual Gathering

3/20/2008 - MARYSVILLE, PA (MARCH 20, 2008) - The Confraternity of Catholic Clergy will hold its annual convocation July 14-17 (2008) in Baltimore, MD. This year marks the 40th anniversary of Humanae Vitae and the bicentennial of the archdiocese of Baltimore. Conferences will be at the Radission Cross Keys in Baltimore and daily Mass at the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen.

Tentative invited speakers include:

Archbishop Edmund O'Brien

Fr. Thomas Euteneuer

Fr. Frank Pavone

Dr. Janet Smith

Dr. Alveda King

Dr. Helen Alvare

Cost is $150 for conference and $129/night hotel

Open to all priests, deacons and seminarians in good standing with their respective diocese or religious community

Contact: CONFRATERNITY OF CATHOLIC CLERGY

www.catholic-clergy.org

Rev. Dr. John Trigilio, Jr - President, 717 - 957-2662

PARISHIONERS: Encourage your priests to go to this orthodox vehicle of ongoing spiritual, theological and pastoral formation in a fraternal atmosphere. Makes a great ordination or anniversary gift for your pastor, parochial vicar, deacon, seminarian or clergy classmate.

Cardinal Arinze: True Liturgical Reform Must be in Continuity with Tradition and Faithful to Rubrics

NAIROBI (CNA) - Francis Cardinal Arinze, the Church’s “liturgist-in-chief,” recently made a speech at an African university in which he criticized liturgical abuses and protested Masses where the recklessly innovative priests act as “Reverend Showman”.

The Cardinal discussed sentiments that cause errors in worship, such as regarding everyone as an expert in liturgy, extolling spontaneity and creativity to the detriment of approved rites and prayers, seeking immediate popular applause or enjoyment, and ignoring approved liturgical texts. He said that liturgical abuses were often due to an ignorance that rejects elements of worship whose deeper meaning is not understood or whose antiquity is not recognized. Cardinal Arinze clarified the nature of the reforms of Vatican II, saying they must be seen as continuous with the past rather than as a dramatic break. “The Catholic Church is the same before and after Vatican II. It isn’t another Church,” he said.

LEX ORANDI, LEX CREDENDI

ombrellino

More goodies from the Papal cedar closet. The ombrellino was used at the Maundy Thursday Mass of the Lord's Supper, held in the Cathedral church of St. John Lateran.

Love it.

Coming This Spring to a Heterodox Seminary Near You

Lex orandi, lex credendi

Msgr Guido Marini: BRAVISSIMO

Deo Gratias, B16 has Guido Marini (instead of Piero) at the helm of papal ceremonies. First, the good copes and mitres come out of the pontifical closets and now, the magnificent papal crosses (see right)

Who knows, the tiara (papal crown) might just suddenly re-appear one day (te Deum laudamus) which would give many liberals a cardiac arrest.

photos thanks to Cafeteria is Closed

Buona Festa di San Giuseppe

This year the Solemnity of Saint Joseph was moved from Wednesday, March 19th to Saturday, March 15th, since it fell on Holy Week. While that may not have bothered some people, those of Italian (especially Sicilians) heritage still had our St. Joseph tables (La Tovala di San Giuseppe) loaded with Sfinge and Zeppole (cream puffs filled with either custard or sweetened ricotta). When this feast is not pre-empted by Holy Week, it is a Solemnity which means that Canon Law dispenses all Catholics from fast and abstinence if this feast falls on a Friday in Lent. This is because Saint Joseph is the Patron of the Universal Church.

Sadly, San Giuseppe has fallen on hard times. First of all, although the 1983 Code lists March 19th as a Holyday of Obligation (Can. 1246), the national conferences of bishops of every country got Rome to dispense them or commute the precept. Hence, only in Vatican City is it a day of obligation. Second, most Americans are more familiar with March 17th, the Feast of Saint Patrick, due to the wave of Irish immigrants in the late 19th century. Yet, the spouse of Our Lady has been neglected time and time again. His statues are missing in many churches; his litany is rarely recited anymore. Pope John Paul the Great (of hapy memory) wrote an eloquent encyclical Redemptoris Custos in 1989, but it is not as well read as is Redemptor Hominis or Redemptoris Mater.

It is the patronal feast of Pope B16 since his baptismal name is Joseph (Ratzinger). Pope John XXIII added him to the Roman Missal in the Eucharistic Prayer I (Roman Canon) in November 1962. Pope Benedict XV had previously inserted Saint Joseph into the Divine Praises at Benediction in February, 1921.

Saint Joseph is conspicuously quiet in the Bible. Some contemporary theologians try to persuade people to believe that he was previously married and had some children before being widowed and then marrying the Virgin Mary. This is a bizarre attempt to protect the perpetual virginity of Mary while maintaining the Jesus had several stepbrothers and stepsisters when the Gospel refers to the 'brothers and sisters' of Jesus. While a better explanation than the Protestant theory that Joseph and Mary had other children AFTER the birth of Christ, it is not based on sound evidence. The 'brethren' of Jesus listed in Mk. 6: 3, 3: 21, 31, Mt. 13: 56, Jn. 7: 5, Gal. 1: 19 are ADELPHOI in Greek, which is the plual of ADELPHOS. It can be translated as brother but also as cousin, relative, kinsman, as we see in Sacred Scripture when Abraham and his NEPHEW Lot (the son of Abraham's brother, Haran) in Genesis 11 & 14. Renown Scripture scholar, Saint Jerome, taught that the alleged siblings of Jesus were actually cousins, sons of Joseph’s brother or Mary’s sister. Hence, Jesus had many RELATIVES (cousins, kinsmen, etc.) but He had NO biological or half-brothers nor half-sisters.

We need a renewal and renaissance of devotions to Saint Joseph (like his litany but also the Joys and Sorrows of St. Joseph) so that more husbands and fathers will look up to this unque person as a true rold model of how REAL MEN love and protect their families. Priests, too, can benefit from imitating the chastity and humility of Good Saint Joseph and staying close to Our Lady and Our Divine Lord.

God Bless You, Sister

I was a product of Catholic education. My parents were middle-class ethnic Americans who sacrificed so that all four of their sons could attend parochial grade school. Back then, the Sisters of Saint Joseph wore their habits and they predominated the faculty. A laywoman was secretary to the principal and another was school nurse. Before going to high school seminary in 1976, I had gone through eight years of Catholic education. First grade, I had Sister Dolorosa (aptly named); second grade, Sr. Ann Louis; third grade, Sr. Gertrude; fourth grade, Sr. Claudia; fifth grade, Sr. John Frances; then in sixth grade the tide turned and the nuns were outnumbered three to one. By the time I graduated eighth grade, just a token amount of sisters remained. My younger brothers fared worse with fewer nuns teaching year after year until finally only the principal and the kindergarden teacher were women religious. Gone, too, were the old habits. Modified veils were followed by lay clothing with a religious pin on the lapel. We coined the phrase RN for real nuns (those in traditional habit, veil and whimple); LPN for likes to play nun (those in modified habits, usually a dark dress and short veil); and CCG for Christ Career Girls (those who wore only secular clothing and barely had a cross or pin)

Look at those wonderful orders and communities which taught MILLIONS of Americans from the 1770's to the 1970's. We learned our catechism and our reading, writing and arithmetic. Sister instilled a reverential FEAR of the Lord. If you misbehaved in school, you got paddled in the principal's office only to get a worse beating at home when your father got in from work. We learned good manners, grammar, history, science, art, music, geography, spelling, etc. And we were in church not only every Sunday for Mass but also once a month if not more for school Masses and devotions (like the Rosary and Benediction).

Once the nuns stopped looking like nuns, many of them stopped speaking and acting like nuns, hence vocations began to drop geometrically. Vocations shrinked in those dioceses where they were most incognito. Traditional communities like the Nashville Dominicans Nuns and the Carmelite Sisters of the Most Sacred Heart of Los Angeles, who kept the habit and who continue to teach, continue to have vocations and they greatly influence a lot of people over a long period of time. Too often, the local parish school has one nun or sister as principal and one or two more as teachers. While MANY wonderful lay women teach for peanuts in parochial schools, it is not the same as having a total or at least a predominant staff of nuns teaching in every grade.

The suriving orders need to CONSOLIDATE so they can staff an entire school (or at least a majority amount) and be a WITNESS to the youth. Back to basics with the Catechism, solid discipline and lots of devotions give an invaluable patrimony to our Catholic boys and girls so they can learn to BE Catholic and to LIVE as a God-fearing Christian. Urban legends of Sister Mary Sanctuary Lamp beating kids with rulers is 99% of the time hyperbole. What most of us got was not red knuckles but properly formed consciences based on the Magisterium. Several generations owe a lot to the good sisters who taught us well how to be good Christian ladies and gentlemen and most of all how to be good practicing Catholics. They sacrificed a lot and got little in return (at least in earthly terms) but their labors were not in vain. I owe my priestly vocation to holy priests like Fr. Bob Levis and my late Pastor Msgr. Ennis Connelly and my cousin Fr. Stefan Katarzynski. At the same time, in a secondary but still important way, the nuns who taught me in Catholic grade school, the Carmelite nuns who lived behind the minor seminary and the prayers and example of the cloistered Dominican Nuns in Lancaster and Mother Angelica and the Poor Clares in Irondale (now in Hanceville), kept me going and preserved my vocation when times were tough. I remember them all in my daily prayers.

Sure, we had a few femme-nazi nuns who taught in the major seminary and wanted to be priests and who hated then Cardinal Ratzinger. These militant miscreants always had a sour look on their face. They were angry women who resented the Catholic Church not being in the mold they wanted it to be. Their communities are dying off, one by one, since they are not attracting many new vocations. Why would a young woman give up a family or career to dress like a laywoman and live with a small group of angry, bitter has-been hippies when she could join an order that has kept the traditional habit and where the community is filled with happy, orthodox and very prayerful sisters who help each other grow in holiness?

Maronite Shrine of Our Lady of Lebanon

While preaching a mission at the Maronite National Shrine of Our Lady of Lebanon, North Jackson, OH, I had the pleasure of visiting the Dominican parish in Youngstown, OH (St. Dominic's) It has the most magnificent mural depicting notable saints from the Order of Preachers. Plus the Friars stationed there are 101% orthodox & very Catholic.

Above is a picture (from my phone) of the Dominican Church and below is a shot from the Maronite Shrine

Here is the sanctuary. The Maronites are the only Eastern Catholics who never went into schism. They have always been and remain in union with Rome and the Successor of St. Peter, the Pope. Their Divine Liturgy is like the Byzantine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom but their liturgical language is not Greek or Old Slovanik, rather Syriac (Aramaic), the tongue of Jesus Himself. I highly encourage Latin Rite Catholics to visit our Eastern Catholic churches, like the Ruthenian, Ukrainian, Melkite, Maronite, etc. Their Divine Liturgy is awesome, reverent, traditional and no one leaves early.

Rt. Rev. Msgr. Anthony Spinosa, rector, and yours truly

(what a Dynamic Duo, like Cosmas & Damian;

Cyril & Methodius; Boris & Gleb)

thanks to Fr. Tim Finigan in the U.K.

The recent Vatican statement from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, February 1, 2008, declaring all baptisms invalid which do not use the valid form "I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" exposes a persistent grave evil attacking the church. Valid matter, form and intention are necessary for all seven sacraments but especially for the most necessary of them all, baptism, since it is the gateway for the other six and for the life of grace.

When I was in the seminary, we had a liturgy workshop in between fall and spring semester. The liturgical nazi who instructed us proliferated the week with politically correct nomenclature and dialogue, such as "in the name of the Creator, the Redeemer and the Sanctifier." Feigning a sacrament is one of the worst kinds of sacrilege. When a priest, bishop or deacon knowingly and willingly suffers a sacrament to invalidity, he is in BIG TROUBLE. Purposely using invalid words of consecration or for baptism are as attrocious as using invalid matter, such as rice cakes and orange juice for Holy Mass.

It is tantamount to spiritual malpractice for an ordained minister to infect the lay faithful with invalid or illicit sacraments. Maybe if some of the good people took these miscreants to canonical court for their liturgical abuses we might see a decline.

Ach du lieber Himmel! Grüß Gott
Katholizismus Fur Dummies is sehr gut.

Mea culpa. Sorry for the unadulerated promotion of our book,
but just couldn't resist after seeing this photo on the internet.

Senator McCain, DISAVOW Pastor Hagee NOW

Republican Presidential hopeful John McCain NEEDS to publicly disavow the recent endorsement by notorious anti-Catholic televangelist John Hagee, who refers to the Catholicism as an Apostate Church. This rhetoric would NOT have been tolerated had Hagee made similar remarks about Judaism or Islam. Ironically, Senator McCain can glibly say he separates himself from some of Hagee's religious convictions and opinions.

Catholics should put the Senator on notice that our vote is not 'presumed' and he should remember another famous Republican from Arizona who once said moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue (Barry Goldwater). One cannot tolerate or give a blind eye to such injustice as bigotry. Had a racist remark been made by a political backer, McCain would have rightly repudiated and disavowed himself not only from the remark but also from its source. Likewise, the would-be president for 2008 should rebuke Hagee PERIOD.

Requiescat in pace

Nov. 24, 1925 - Feb. 27, 2008

William F. Buckley, Jr., was my hero while I was in high school seminary. I used to religiously (pardon the pun) watch his weekly television show on PBS, Firing Line. I was so impressed by his erudite debates with his guests and by his prolific use of polysyllabic words, that I imitated his style in most of my essays and term papers. Some faculty members detected WFB's influence and used every opportunity to attempt discrediting this perspicacious intellect.

Secretary of the Congregation for Divine Worship Reiterates: It's Time to Rethink Communion in the Hand

Bruno Volpe, of Petrus, recently interviewed the Secretary of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments

Bruno Volpe: Your Excellency, let us come to the question of Communion in the hand: What do you think about it?

Msgr. Albert Malcom Ranjith: I 'simply' believe that this practice needs to be reviewed. How to do it? To begin with, a good catechesis. You know, unfortunately, many are not even aware of Whom they receive in the Communion, that is Christ, and so approach the Eucharistic banquet with scarce concentration and very little respect.

Volpe: Specifically, what needs to be done?

Ranjith: We need to recover the sense of the sacred. I speak only for myself, but I am convinced of the urgency of reviewing the practice of Communion given in the hand, returning to giving the particle to the faithful directly in the mouth, without them touching it, reinforcing thereby that in the Eucharist there is really Jesus and that everyone must receive Him with devotion, love and respect.

Volpe: Would it not be appropriate to return to kneeling at the moment of Communion?

Ranjith: I think so. This gesture would represent a true act of respect towards the gift and the mystery of the Eucharist.

Volpe: But some, even inside the Church, seem to express “embarrassment” only at the idea of seeing restored kneeling before the Blessed Sacrament.

Ranjith: Beyond the office I occupy in the Vatican, as a Catholic I ask myself and wonder: why be ashamed of God? Kneeling at Communion would be an act of humility and recognition of our nature as children of God.

_____________________________________________________

Fr. Zuhlsdorf has consistently spoken of a gravitational pull between the ordinary and extraordinary forms of the Roman Rite, with which I totally and unequivocally agree. Many of us believe Pope B16 intends that both the TLM and the Novus Ordo mutually enhance one another insofar as the future of Catholic sacred worship is concerned. Since Divine Liturgy is integral to Catholic dogma (lex orandi, lex credendi), it is obvious that in this post Vatican II (and post JP2) era, a liturgical renaissance is unfolding. While still in the advent of such an epic moment, the most important element of contemporary worship is the decline in REVERENCE.

Just as Communion in the Hand was banned in the Middle Ages after abuses became prolific, it may very well need to be re-banned again. While currently a legitimate option in many American dioceses, the Roman Pontiff can easily revise that prior decision of his predecessor. If the modern liturgists are so convinced that their 'preference' of receving 'in the hand' is so beneficial, why not put their theory to the test? Observe parishes where one method is the overwhelming preference of the entire congregation (and parish). I maintain that places where people receive Holy Communion on the tongue rather than in the hand tend to show more respect and reverence for the REAL PRESENCE.

If universally (in the Latin Rite) we only allowed communion on the tongue AND required communicants to KNEEL or GENUFLECT, you would see a pronouned difference and improvement in the overal REVERENCE given to the Most Blessed Sacrament. Combine this celebrating the vernacular Mass (Novus Ordo) ad orientem AND insist that unchangeable common parts of the Mass be retained in LATIN (or Greek for the Kyrie) such as the Gloria, Credo, Sanctus, Canon (Eucharistic Prayer), Pater Noster and Agnus Dei, not only would the reverence to the Holy Eucharist be enhanced, but the dogma of the Real Presence would simultaneously be REINFORCED and re-emphasized.

Wherever the Most Blessed Sacrament is adored and worshipped with proper reverence and respect, we see a pronounced INCREASE in vocations to the priesthood but also to the diaconate and religious life. Banal and pedestrian worship is not edifying nor does it INSPIRE man to ASPIRE to seek the HOLY. Yet, God created man (male and female) to seek the TRUE and the GOOD. Only in pursuing sanctity can man become holy by God's divine grace. Yet, man has no desire for holiness if his 'common' worship gives him the false impression that there is no transcendent reality beyond this world. Catholic worship is centered on the union of body and soul, material and spiritual, earth and heaven. We are INCARNATIONAL. Hence, our worship uses our five senses of this world to lure us into the next. Sadly, all too often modern liturgy has not led men to God and to heaven. When done properly (according to the rubrics) and well (reverently) the Ordinary form (Novus Ordo) of the Roman Rite is dignified, eloquent, didactic and inspiring. When done improperly, it deteriorates from divine worship into human deification.

BOTH the Ordinary and Extraordinary forms of the Roman Rite are here to STAY, Pope Benedict XVI has said, and this is a good thing. In this spring time of renewal, let us hope and pray that the sacred mysteries of faith will once again find their rightful place in the hearts and minds of all the Catholic faithful.

Priests becoming disobedient

Cardinal complains of worldly values in Church

(ANSA) - Vatican City, February 14 -

A top Vatican cardinal complained on Thursday that Catholic priests are becoming worldlier, less obedient and increasingly reluctant to wear a cassock.



Absorbing the values of western society, priests are also less and less interested in prayer and community living and more interested in personal freedom, said Cardinal Franc Rode' in a conversation with ANSA.


''A drift towards bourgeois values and moral relativism are the two great dangers that weaken religious life,'' said Rode', who heads the Vatican department which governs monks, nuns and priests not attached to parishes.


The often-cited fall in vocations to the priesthood was actually not the main worry, the Slovenian prelate continued, noting that in 2006 vocations fell only 0.7%


''The biggest problem today is the climate of secularisation present not only in western society but also within the Church itself,'' he said. Without citing any names or specific episodes, Rode' listed a number of ways in which this change was visible among priests and members of religious communities.


They were: ''Freedom without constraints, a weak sense of the family, a worldly spirit, low visibility of religious clothing, a devaluation of prayer, insufficient community life and a weak sense of obedience''.


Despite the decline in standards, many young people were still attracted to the contemplative life of the monk or nun in an isolated community, Rode' said


''They are attracted because it is a radical life choice,'' he said.

Priests are disobedient because they were TAUGHT to be so, either in the seminary or in the diocese. All too often, theological dissent and liturgical abuse are tolerated if not endorsed in certain seminaries. Disobedience to the Magisterium and disregard for liturgical rubrics as found in the Roman Missal only leads to disobedience in other areas. Why should we expect clergy to obey their bishops and respect their pastors when they were trained by dissident theologians? A posteriori learning, obviously. When your superiors show contempt and disdain for their superiors and openly defy their rules and regulations, you learn and imitate that same behavior.

Many of us were persecuted for wearing a cassock, in the seminay and then in the rectory. Wordliness was experienced in the seminary, then in the rectory. Simple, humble and modest lifestyle was considered 'too pious'

After defending the Roman Pontiff and Magisterium in the seminary, many of us found we had to do it all over again in the parish. You expected some of the faithful to have been indoctrinated and brainwashed by the dissidents who flourished after the public repudiation of Humanae Vitae by Charles Curran, et al. What you did not expect was the cold shoulder if not open hostility experienced from your own diocesan colleagues. Peers in the local presbyterate are sometimes as dissident and disobedient as some of the radical faculty members from seminary days.

Sadly, in some dioceses, the priests and even chancery personnel who defy papal authority and who disregard liturgical norms and who contradict most of the catechism, are often given no reprimand. In fact, some of them are championed as avant garde progressives and get appointments to diocesan councils, committees, etc. Given almost guru status, these micreants often tell young clergy 'don't be too rigid or else you will be labeled a conservative.' Wearing a cassock in the rectory, using a chalice veil and burse at Mass, wearing a biretta at Stations of the Cross, wearing a cape at the cemetery, wearing cassock and surplice rather than an alb at a liturgical service outside Mass, ... these are considered omens and portents of a CONSERVATIVE. Pastors and diocesan officials cringe. If he has a Latin breviary, he will inevitably want to celebrate the TLM!!! Even the Novus Ordo in Latin and giving blessings in Latin are still considered taboo in some places. The sad reality is that the good guys never imposed their opinions or taste on others, whereas the radical left always wants to prevent a legitimate exercise of a valid option IF they themselves do not prefer it. Wearing a cassock is a matter of choice (DE GUSTIBUS NON DISPUTANDUM EST) If I choose to wear mine, it is my preference where and when (within reason and in accord with canon law). If my fellow clergy prefer to wear simple clerical garb (roman collar & suit), it does not bother me. However, my wearing a cassock bothers some priests. Wear french cuff under your cassock and they accuse you of being a closet Legionnaire of Christ or Opus Dei. Wear an expensive colored silk shirt and you are considered 'balanced.' The pathetic thing of it all is that the false doctrines and liturgical abuses being proliferated on the People of God often get ignored for a witch hunt to uncover those clerics who like to wear more traditional attire..

LEX ORANDI, LEX CREDENDI, LEX AGENDI If a priest is exposed and taught to celebrate the Divine Liturgy with reverence and to do it faithfully according to the rubrics, then he will do that in his parish. When he sees liturgical abuse in the seminary, he may imitate that in the parish. Defying liturgical law only inspires one to deny or distort doctrine since what we believe is intimately connected to how we worship. Reverence for the Mass, especially the Most Blessed Sacrament, is the backbone to believing in the dogma of the Real Presence. Disregard for the rules in the Sacramentary will entice one to ignore the Catechism since they both come from the same authority.

If a priest is trained to be disobedient in liturgical matters and/or is taught dissident heterodox theology, then he will infect his parishes where he is assigned unless he is able to recognize the contagion when it first appears. Opus Dei saved my vocation and a plethora of many others when they had an annual seminar for seminarians the week after Easter. Guys from around the country would gather at Arnold Hall retreat center to listen to Fr. George Rutler, Fr. Benedict Groeschel, CFR, Msgr. Wm. Smith, Dr. Janet Smith, Msgr. Lorenzo Albacete, Bishop Fabian Bruskewitz, Archbisop Raymond Burke, et al. We got more orthodox theology and liturgy in one week than in an entire year of seminary.

Unfortunately, even when men are sent to solid, orthodox seminaries, they may be sent after ordination to a very liberal parish run by a heterodox pastor who has general confession, lets non-ordained preach at Mass, insists that the faithful stand during the Eucharistic Prayer, and sits in his chair while Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion distribute the Blessed Sacrament. This same pastor will never preach against abortion, euthanasia, same-sex unions, contraception, or premarital fornication. He will, however, tell people that Jesus did not multiply the loaves of bread and two fish to feed five thousand, rather that He was able to get everyone to SHARE what they already had in their backpacks. This pastor who dislikes being called "Father" and prefers to be known as "Scott" rarely wears his roman collar and often ad libs prayers in the Mass.

A newly ordained gets sent there for his first 3 years of priesthood. Who wins and who loses? Say anything and they label you a troublemaker. Be faithful to the Church results in you disobeying the pastor (who in reality is disobeying Holy Mother Church) Once identified as someone leaning to the right, all your next assignments will be in liberal parishes with liberal pastors to help 'deprogram' you and make you less 'rigid' so you can be 'pastoral' rather than 'orthodox.'

We absolutely NEED good, solid and totally orthodox seminaries (and close those that are not). Our bishops need to keep an eye not only on seminary formation but also continuing formation of the clergy. Annual worshops and seminars (like those currently sponsored by Opus Dei and the Confraternity of Catholic Clergy) help priests of all ages at all stages to maintain their orthodoxy and to foster a pious and healthy spiritual life. Things have been improving with recent episcopal assignments and overhauls of some seminaries, yet there is still a lot to be done.

Too many good priests get DISILLUSIONED and then DISCOURAGED when heterodox colleagues get diocesan positions, promotions and honors while orthodox men, loyal to Rome and reverent in their Masses are ignored, ostracized and often villified. Worse yet is when a bishop or diocese places the highest priority on fiscal health of a parish over the spiritual health. Saving souls should be the PRIME DIRECTIVE, not saving dollars and cents. Teaching the TRUTH is what priests and deacons are ordained to do, rather than acting like corporate business managers who spend more time on the budget than on the catechism.

I noticed early on that the priests who joyfully threw out gold chalices and patens and raped the sanctuaries of their invaluable art did so under the false guise of showing solidarity with the poor. These same ICONOCLASTS, however, drive expensive cars, take expensive vacations, and dine at only the best restaurants. Apparently, once you skimp on God in His House, you can compensate yourself in minor luxuries, or so they think.

Now That's a Procession

B16 opens Lent with CLASS and ELEGANCE

Examination of Conscience

In the Sacrament of Penance the Faithful who confess their sins to a Priest, are sorry for those sins and have a purpose of amendment, receive from God, through the absolution given by that Priest, forgiveness of sins they have committed after Baptism, and at the same time they are reconciled with the Church, which by sinning they wounded. (Canon 959)

Act of Contrition: O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee, and I detest all my sins because I dread the loss of Heaven and fear the pains of hell, but most of all, because they offend Thee, my God, who art all good and worthy of all my love. I firmly intend with the help of Thy grace to confess my sins, to do penance and to amend my life. AMEN

Examination of Conscience

I. “I am the Lord, thy God, thou shalt not have strange gods before Me.”
Have I sinned against Religion by seriously believing in New Age, Scientology, Astrology, Horoscopes, Fortune-telling, Superstition or engaging in the Occult? Did I endanger my Catholic Faith or cause scandal by associating with anti-Catholic groups & associations (e.g., the Freemasons)? Have fame, fortune, money, career, pleasure, etc. replaced God as my highest priority? Have I neglected my daily prayers?

II. “Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.”
Have I committed blasphemy by using the name of God and Jesus Christ to swear rather than to praise? Have I committed sacrilege by showing disrespect to holy objects (crucifix, rosary) or contempt for religious persons (bishop, priests, deacons, women religious) or for sacred places (in Church). Have I committed sacrilege by going to Holy Communion in the state of mortal sin without first going to confession e.g., after missing Mass on Sunday or a Holyday? Did I violate the one-hour fast before Communion? Did I break the laws of fast and abstinence during Lent? Did I neglect my Easter duty to receive Holy Communion at least once? Have I neglected to support the Church and the poor by sharing my time, talent and treasure?

III. Remember to keep holy the Sabbath day.
Did I miss Mass on any Sunday or Holyday of Obligation? (Bad weather and being sick do not count) Have I shown disrespect by leaving Mass early, not paying attention or not joining in the prayers? Did I do unnecessary work on Sunday which could have been done the day before? Have I been stingy in my support for the Church? Do I give of my time & talent?

IV. Honor thy Father and Mother.
Parents: Have I set a bad example for my children by casually missing Mass, neglecting prayer, or ignore my responsibility to provide a Catholic education by either sending my children to parochial school or to C.C.D. (Religious Education Program)? Do I show little or no interest in my children’s faith and practice of it? Have I showed disrespect for those in authority, government or church? Have I not expressed my moral values to them?
Children: Have I been disobedient and/or disrespectful to my parents or guardians? Did I neglect to help them with household chores? Have I caused them unnecessary worry and anxiety by my attitude, behavior, moods, etc.?

V. Thou shalt not kill.
Did I consent, recommend, advise, approve, support or have an abortion? Did I realize that there is an excommunication for anyone who procures an abortion? Did I actively or passively cooperate with an act of euthanasia whereby ordinary means were stopped or means taken to directly end the life of an elderly or sick person? Have I committed an act of violence or abuse (physical, sexual, emotional or verbal)? Have I endangered the lives of others by reckless driving or by driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol? Do I show contempt for my body by neglecting to take care of my own health? Have I been mean or unjust to anyone? Have I held a grudge or sought revenge against someone who wronged me? Do I point out others’ faults and mistakes while ignoring my own? Do I complain more than I compliment? Am I ungrateful for what other people do for me? Do I tear people down rather than encourage them? Am I prejudiced against people because of their color, language or ethnic-religious background?

VI. Thou shalt not commit adultery.
IX. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife.
Did I have any sex before or outside of marriage? Do I view pornographic material (magazines, videos, internet, hot-lines)? Have I gone to massage parlors or adult book stores? Did I commit the sins of masturbation and/or artificial contraception? Have I not avoided the occasions of sin (persons or places) which would tempt me to be unfaithful to my spouse or to my own chastity? Do I encourage and entertain impure thoughts and desires? Do I tell or listen to dirty jokes? Have I committed fornication or adultery?

VII. Thou shalt not steal.
X. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s goods.
Have I stolen any object, committed any shoplifting or cheated anyone of their money? Did I knowingly deceive someone in business or commit fraud? Have I shown disrespect or even contempt for other people’s property? Have I done any acts of vandalism? Am I greedy or envious of another’s goods? Do I let financial and material concerns or the desire for comfort override my duty to God, to Church, to my family or my own spiritual well-being?

VIII. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.
Have I told a lie in order to deceive someone? Have I told the truth with the purpose and intention of ruining someone’s reputation (sin of detraction)? Have I told a lie or spread rumors which may ruin someone’s reputation (sin of calumny or slander)? Did I commit perjury by false swearing an oath on the Bible? Am I a busybody or do I love to spread gossip and secrets about others? Do I love to hear bad news about my enemies?

We Adore Thee O Christ,

And We Praise You

Because By Thy Holy Cross, Thou Hast Saved the World

Reform of the Reform

Where have all the hippies gone?

Long time passing

Where have all the liberals gone?

Long time ago

Where have all the clown Masses gone?

Our Youth have ditched them every one

When will they ever learn?
When will they ever learn?

Cheers

Father Timothy Finigan from the United Kingdom is not only an extremely orthodox priest, but also a very cultured one, at that. Note the beer he is pouring.

Ironically, if you sold beer here in the USA with a name like "Bishop's Finger" it may be listed as bitters but not for tasting reasons, if you know what I mean.

Loyal Opposition? No, Just Plain Old Dissent

Coach Rick Majerus (St. Louis University basketball, who publicly proclaimed his support of abortion and embryonic stem cell research at a Hillary Clinton rally) may be a nice guy and may be a great coach, but he is not a good Catholic if he refuses to give submission of mind and will to the authentic Magisterium of the Church on matters of faith and morals. While the Archbishop of St. Louis (and the Pope for that matter) have no authority to tell him how to play basketball, ethical issues such as abortion, euthanasia and embryonic stem cell research are totally and completely under the purview of the Church and her official leaders.

One hundred and nine years ago, on January 22, 1899, Pope Leo XIII issued his encyclical Testem benevolentiae nostrae which condemned the heresy of Americanism. This pernicious theological error proposed that there are no absolute moral principles or immutable doctrines. It held that truth was relative and that the personal conscience is the sole and supreme arbiter of ethical behavior. Americanism denied the necessity of cultivating a well formed conscience, tested and guided by the Natural Moral Law and the Divine Positive Law of God Himself.

Coach Majerus should get his money back from the Jesuits at Marquette who taught him. They did not teach him the truth. Morality is not subjective but objective. Imagine if a basketball player tells the coach he disagrees with him and will follow his conscience instead. How long will he be playing? If any player personally chooses to reject one or more of the rules of the game or if they refuse to yield to the authority of the referee, will he not be asked to leave? What about his freedom? If you want to play basketball, you agree to follow the rules, to obey the coach and to obey the officials. If you want to be a Catholic Christian, you obey the Pope and the Magisterium. Period.

Dissidents like Charles Curran, Hans Kung, Edward Schillebeeckx and Leonardo Boff paved the way for others to dissent from official church teachings. Their rebellion spawned a generation of moral and doctrinal recalcitrant miscreants. Americanism is particularly dangerous since it appeals to the patriotism found in most everyone. Trying to adapt and morph traditional morality and ethics may have made some of these clowns delude themselves it was worth the effort. Archbishop Burke and Cardinal Ratzinger (now Pope B16) had every right, obligation and duty to correct erroneous proposals, refute heretical teachings and to discipline the disobedient to protect and preserve the common good of the entire Mystical Body of Christ, the Church. Coach Majerus is entitled to his opinions and has the freedom of speech but it is not an absolute right. He must judge his ideas against the veracity of divine revelation. All believers must embrace the teaching authority of Church, founded by Christ Himself and entrusted to Saint Peter and the Apostles and their successors, the Pope and Bishops in communion with him.

Personal liberty does not give anyone the right to deny others their inalienable human rights. Slave owners used to argue that they were free to do as they will with their own property. Sadly, they saw African-American slaves as property and not as human beings. The law of the land, thanks to the Dred Scott decision of the US Supreme Court, had been that blacks were not citizens and could never vote. Likewise, Plessy vs. Ferguson legalized racial segregation. Both were immoral, evil and sinful acts, LEGAL but WRONG. Roe vs. Wade legalized abortion but it remains a totally evil, sinful and abhorrent injustice against the innocent unborn. Nazi Germany enacted the Nuremburg Laws which legalized anti-Semitism and paved the way for the Holocaust. Were those who erroneously considered Jews or African-Americans to be partial or even totally non legal persons entitled to their opinions? Sure, as long as they kept it to themselves. Once spoken in public, it must be addressed and consequences delivered. Abortion is murder, plain and simple. Those who promote and support it are wrong and if they openly support it, they are placing themselves outside the Church.

Why do so many people consider theology, religion, morality and ethics subjects prone to opinion? Sacred Science is like Physical Science. Both are true. 2 + 2 = 4 is perennially true whether in Bedrock or in Boise. Abortion is always immoral just as is slavery, racial segregation, racism, and anti-Semitism. Euthanasia and embryonic stem cell research are equally malevolent and sinful, regardless of how many disagree. Bottom line is that if you profess to be a Catholic and you work at a Catholic institution, then your public words and actions must conform to the moral, ethical and doctrinal principles of the Catholic religion, otherwise, QUIT or be QUIET.

Coach Majerus should stick to comments on sports and leave faith and morals to the Church founded by Christ and authorized to teach in His name. No one else has such credentials. Ironically, had he espoused racist rhetoric, despite his right of free speech, he would have rightly lost his job ASAP. Free speech does not trump prudence, justice or the civil rights of others.

Bravo to Archbishop Burke for being brave enough to enforce the penal codes of canon law. These are medicinal measures meant to persuade the offender to repent and recant and come home. When more bishops and pastors do likewise to politicians and anyone who openly in public rejects church teaching on faith and morals, that is, when they publicly refuse them Holy Communion and threaten Excommunication, it is not to be mean, rather, it is tough love. Anyone can lie to you or withhold the truth from you. Only someone who truly loves you, however, will tell you the truth, no matter how difficult or painful since you deserve nothing less. A good coach not only trains his players to play well but to also to play their best and to do it honorably and honestly.

Senza Sapienza

The recent boycott of Pope B16 at La Sapienza University is a true oxymoron in the classical sense. Students protested the pontiff's planned visit under the premise that a previous pope had silenced Galileo four centuries ago. Ironically, those who advocate academic freedom denied it to Joseph Ratzinger (as Pope Benedict XVI). If these so-called students had learned some logic along their scholastic activities, they would have realized that they themselves are guilty of the same crime they accused Urban VIII.

Pope Benedict was prevented from speaking his mind to a bunch of students who protested the same treatment of Galileo in the 17th century. Odd. Truth be known, Galileo was not in trouble with the Holy Office of the Inquisition for his support of the Copernican (geocentric) theory of the solar system. While many still preferred the more archaic heliocentric theory of Ptolemy, what got Galileo in hot water was his public statement on Sacred Scripture. He openly attacked the inerrancy of the Bible by claiming the passage from Ecclesiastes 1:5 which says the "sun rises and sets" is wrong. He took a literal interpretation of the text and compared it to his scientific theory and when both did not coincide, he erroneously concluded that the Word of God was in error.

The literal sense of the passage is indeed that the sun rises and the sun sets. The literal interpretation, however, is not what the sacred author intends. As my dear mentor Father Bob Levis often says when doing Bible study - never take the text out of context lest you get a pretext. The context of Ecclesiastes chapter one is a commentary on vanity. The rising and setting of the sun are meant as idioms to refer to the passage of time. Open any contemporary newspaper today and you will see on the front page the chronological time for SUNRISE and SUNSET. Why would 21st century people use such erroneous terms if Galileo and Copernicus already disproved the heliocentric theory of our solar system? Perhaps people in 2008 still use the FIGURE OF SPEECH like 'sunrise' and 'sunset' to designate a particular moment in time rather than to describe some astronomical phenomenon.

Galileo would have been fine had he stuck to science and stayed out of biblical theology. Once he publicly repudiated Sacred Scripture, the Church had no alternative but to inquire as to his intentions and motives. Jesus said in Matthew 5:29 'if your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out ...' Why is it that no Christian denomination promotes the blinding of those who look at pornography even though it is a serious sin? Could it be that Protestant, Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Christians realize the CONTEXT of the TEXT? Jesus used a figure of speech. He employed an idiom, just as is done in the case of 'sunrise' and 'sunset' in Ecclesiastes.

Yet, Galileo was not content in staying in scientific matters, he had to make himself a scripture expert as well. He attacks the literal interpretation of the text as if it were the only interpretation. Unlike chemistry, physics and astronomy, religion and theology use idiomatic nomenclature from time to time since it is used by common parlance.

The Inquisition had issues with Galileo's imprudent and erroneous rebuke on biblical citations. He crossed the line when he left science and attempted to control religion. Faith is not based on what can be proved in the laboratory. It is rooted in hope of what cannot be seen or heard but which is nevertheless known.

Maybe if these alleged students studied more PHILOSOPHY before they make their 'scientific inquiries on dogmatic and spiritual matters, we could avoid such ludicrous remarks in the press. If these students spent as much time reading Plato, Aristotle, Mulberry, Augustine, Aquinas and Bonaventure, as they did, perhaps we would have a plethora of orthodoxy. Maybe if these same 'students' had listened to Pope Benedict's letter, who knows, perhaps one, two or even a whole comunity of believers would have stood in silent awe and wonder at the wisdom spoken by the Successor of Saint Peter.

Go EAST young man