Guilt by INVITATION not just association

Imagine the furor and outrage if a Catholic college such as Ave Maria University, Christendom College, Thomas Aquinas College or Franciscan University of Steubenville invited Bishop Richard Williamson to be Commencement Speaker at Graduation. Could not the chancellor of the college claim that the mere invitation should not be construed as any endorsement or even toleration of the anti-Semitic remarks previously made by the speaker in question? And who would believe it? It would never happen, of course. None of these Catholic colleges would dream of extending the HONOR and PRIVILEGE of being Commencement Speaker to someone who publicly espoused ideas contrary to church teachings on faith and morals. The same press and media and liberal intellgensia who would repudiate any Catholic college for inviting Bishop Williamson, ironically see no problem with the University of Notre Dame inviting U.S. President Barak Obama to be Commencement Speaker. While not espousing any anti-Semitic theories, President Obama has consistently denied the right of the unborn to be defended from unjust death via abortion. His support for Roe v. Wade alone makes him ineligible as an appropriate Commencement Speaker for any Catholic college, but his recent Presidential decisions and appointments compound the problem and make the moral matter even more grave. All the pro-life legislation enacted since Roe is being undone bit by bit thanks to the Obama administration. The President seeks to deny doctors and nurses their constititional and moral right to refuse to participate in any unethical procedure, be it sterilization, euthanasia or abortion.

Yes, the President of the United States deserves respect for his office. Hence, were the President to visit any Catholic College, he should be welcomed with the same respect and dignity of any head of state or any civil leader (governor, senator, congressman, etc.).  Showing HOSPITALITY is not the same however as INVITING someone to speak and the distinct HONOR of being Commencement Speaker de facto confers an implicit approval of the speaker's position on any and all issues. Being courteous and hospitable to a visiting government official is merely showing honor to the office. Inviting the person to SPEAK cloaks them with a form of endorsement. While not an imprimatur, nevertheless, giving the podium to someone and giving them the privilege of addressing graduates and their families is more than just good manners. It is a PUBLIC SIGN of CREDIBILITY for the speaker.

President Obama did not HAVE to be invited to be Commencement Speaker. He SHOULD NOT have been invited at all because of his overt pro-abortion position and his recent policies and appointments which further jeapordize the lives of all the unborn. He is the legitimate head of state for the USA and were he to visit anyone, anywhere in this country, he should be given all the honor and respect due his office. His pro-abortion policies however make him ineligible to be the invited speaker for graduation at any Catholic school, college or university. No honorary degrees or awards should be extended. Yet, every courtesy, respect and honor for the Commander in Chief and Head of State is owed to him in justice, as was to each and every one of his predecessors.

Since Notre Dame would never invite Bishop Williamson as Commencement speaker because of his anti-Semitic remarks, then neither should President Obama be invited to the same venue because of his pro-abortion position, policies and appointments. Yes, there can and should be civil discourse that allows debate and discussion among those who disagree but it should be in the proper CONTEXT at all times. When the Angelic Doctor and his contemporaries held the great disputations, they were never afraid or hesitant to engage in a full, healthy, vigorous and intelligent debate. Heretical ideas need to be exposed for their irrationality so the wisdom of the Magisterium can be seen and appreciated. A graduation commencement, however, is not the time nor the place for such 'discussions.' Being asked to be Commencement Speaker is more than an honor, it is an awesome RESPONSIBILITY. The audience is more than the graduates but they are a significant factor.

If the President wanted to debate with Professor Ralph McInerny of the Philosophy Department, I myself would go and listen (even though I would be cheering and rooting for our nation's premier expert on Saint Thomas Aquinas). I would boycott, however, the graduation ceremonies since a pro-abortion politician, even though President of the United States, has been invited to be Commencement Speaker. The right to address the graduation class of 2009 is not a political right, it is moral obligation for those who adhere to the Natural Moral Law. Abortion violates the NML as egregiously as did slavery, segregation, apartheid and anti-Semitism. Supporting legalized abortion is as immoral as supporting legalized racism. Both are morally and ethically WRONG. Both have been civilly legal and illegal at different times in different places.

When Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi met with Pope Benedict, he granted her an audience because of her political office as ranking member of the House of Representatives. She did not, however, get any medal, award or even photo-op due to her open and consistent support for abortion. She was not allowed to make any speeches on Vatican property but she was allowed to visit as is the entire public on the planet.

The University of Notre Dame is violating ex corde ecclesiae by inviting President Obama to be Commencement Speaker insofar as it gives respectability to his pro-abortion ideas and policies by giving him a public platform on school property. The person who addresses the graduating class should be someone whose ideology coincides with the mission of the university. IF Notre Dame wants to be CATHOLIC then it must teach and defend Catholic doctrines and morals to her students. It was not the President who asked if he could speak, rather, it was the university who sought the President, knowing his positions and policies which conflict and contradict church teaching on many life issues.

Catholic laity and clergy alike can and must always be well-mannered, respectful and courteous even with our most intense opponents and enemies. That does not mean we give them access on our property to indoctrinate our youth with their propoganda. We can and must refute the illogical and irrational arguments that underpin the immoral and unethical policies, doctrines and ideologies which threaten innocent human life, marriage and the family. Notre Dame and other colleges and universities which claim to be "Catholic" must be so in FACT and not just in their foundation, history or heritage. Imagine if John Hopkins University invited as Commencement Speaker a proponent of good old fashioned 'blood-letting' just because he or she was also a visiting head of state. Or if Harvard Law School invited someone who promoted "trial by ordeal" for the same reason, PUBLICITY. It would not happen.

Alumni of Notre Dame should not donate one cent or dollar until this matter is resolved by "un-inviting" President Obama as Commencement Speaker for the Graduating Class of 2009.

Just as it is wrong and dangerous to take a Scripture quote out of CONTEXT, so, too, it is wrong to take the symbolic value of Commencement Speaker out of context. It is not a venue for dialogue or discussion. It is a gesture of respect but also one of ENDORSEMENT since the speaker is speaking on school property, on school time, and to school students. It has the umbrella of tacit approval at least and official endorsement at worst. This is why celebrities per se should not be invited merely because of their popularity. Comics, actors, politicians, et al. may bring publicity but the crux of the issue is WHAT they are saying rather than WHO is saying it. When I graduated from Gannon University in 1983, we had John Cardinal Krol as Commencement Speaker. Some of my classmates complained since they wanted someone like Bruce Springstein or Barbara Walters due to their fame. Well, had we been a school of music or journalism, then you could possibly make a case for each one respectively. Yet, my alma mater was a CATHOLIC college which sought to teach a real and classical liberal arts education as envisioned by the masters of yester-year.

On another note, not related to this whatsoever, PLEASE in the charity of your prayers, remember the departed soul of my paternal Uncle Frank Trigilio, who died today in Erie after a lengthy illness. 

Buona Festa di San Giuseppe

          

Saint Joseph's Altar in a Sicilian Home


 

Litany of St. Joseph

Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy.

Lord, have mercy. Christ, hear us.

Christ, graciously hear us.

God, the Father of Heaven, have mercy on us.

God the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy on us.

God the Holy Spirit, have mercy on us.

Holy Trinity, One God, have mercy on us.

Holy Mary,

pray for us.

St. Joseph,

pray for us.

Renowned offspring of David,

pray for us.

Light of Patriarchs,

pray for us.

Spouse of the Mother of God,

pray for us.

Chaste guardian of the Virgin,

pray for us.

Foster father of the Son of God,

pray for us.

Diligent protector of Christ,

pray for us.

Head of the Holy Family,

pray for us.

Joseph most just,

pray for us.

Joseph most chaste,

pray for us.

Joseph most prudent,

pray for us.

Joseph most strong,

pray for us.

Joseph most obedient,

pray for us.

Joseph most faithful,

pray for us.

Mirror of patience,

pray for us.

Lover of poverty,

pray for us.

Model of artisans,

pray for us.

Glory of home life,

pray for us.

Guardian of virgins,

pray for us.

Pillar of families,

pray for us.

Solace of the wretched,

pray for us.

Hope of the sick,

pray for us.

Patron of the dying,

pray for us.

Terror of demons,

pray for us.

Protector of Holy Church,

pray for us.

Lamb of God, who take away the sins of the world, spare us, O Lord!.

Lamb of God, who take away the sins of the world, graciously hear us, O Lord!.

Lamb of God, who take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us. .

V. He made him the lord of his household.

R. And prince over all his possessions.

Let us pray. O God, in your ineffable providence you were pleased to choose Blessed Joseph to be the spouse of your most holy Mother; grant, we beg you, that we may be worthy to have him for our intercessor in heaven whom on earth we venerate as our Protector: You who live and reign forever and ever. R. Amen.

                   

zeppole                                                                                 

What the Pope really said about AIDS and condoms

Aboard the papal plane, Mar 18, 2009 / 11:35 am (CNA).- Yesterday the international media played host to a raft of experts railing against Pope Benedict’s brief words on the use of condoms in the fight against AIDS. However, the incident was the result of the Pope’s words being pulled from his defense of the Church’s personalistic approach to the AIDS crisis.

The vast majority of the Pope’s words were dedicated to explaining how the best response to AIDS is to promote a spiritual and human renewal of people’s understanding of sexuality and to be willing to live true sacrificial friendships with those who suffer from AIDS.

A full transcript of the exchange follows.

A journalist from French state TV asked Pope Benedict:

“Holy Father among the many evils that affect Africa there is also the particular problem of the the spread of AIDS. The position of the Catholic Church for fighting this evil is frequently considered unrealistic and ineffective.

“Will you address this issue during your trip? Holy Father, could you please respond in French to this question?” he asked.

Although the Pope responded to a previous question from the French newspaper La Croix in French, he gave this in-depth answer in Italian.  

“I would say the opposite.”

"It is my belief that the most effective presence on the front in the battle against HIV/AIDS is precisely the Catholic Church and her institutions. I think of the Community of Sant’ Egidio, which does so much, visibly and invisibly to fight AIDS, of the Camillians, of all the nuns that are at the service of the sick.

“I would say that this problem of AIDS cannot be overcome with advertising slogans. If the soul is lacking, if Africans do not help one another, the scourge cannot be resolved by distributing condoms; quite the contrary, we risk worsening the problem. The solution can only come through a twofold commitment: firstly, the humanization of sexuality, in other words a spiritual and human renewal bringing a new way of behaving towards one another; and secondly, true friendship, above all with those who are suffering, a readiness - even through personal sacrifice - to be present with those who suffer. And these are the factors that help and bring visible progress.

“Therefore, I would say that our double effort is to renew the human person internally, to give spiritual and human strength to a way of behaving that is just towards our own body and the other person’s body; and this capacity of suffering with those who suffer, to remain present in trying situations.

“I believe that this is the first response [to AIDS] and that this is what the Church does, and thus, she offers a great and important contribution. And we are grateful to those that do this.”

Copyright @ CNA
(www.catholicnewsagency.com)

The secular press and modern media don't get it.  They promote and proliferate the SOUND-BYTE where everything can be reduced to a slogan. I call it Salada Tea Bag morality as it is based on pedestrian wisdom and popular sayings. There is no grounding in the Natural Moral Law, however. Reason is avoided like the plague so sentimentality and emotionalism can prevail, no matter how devastating and pronounced the bitter consequences.  Condoms are not the panacea as erroneously proposed by the secular humanists of today. Pope Benedict XVI aptly points out that slogans will not cure or prevent AIDS. Re-humanizing sexuality AND human solidarity are the means by which this horrible ailment will be overcome. Sex has become another commodity and perceived as an innate and absolute right. It is not. It is a divine gift by which human beings differentiate themselves from the animal kingdom. Sex is a holy and sacred act when done by the right persons for the right reason. It is the sign and sealing of the covenant between a MAN and WOMAN who have become HUSBAND and WIFE. That faithful, permanenent and God-willing fruitful union is a sign of the covenant between Christ and His Church.

When the Hebrews were unfaithful to God by engaging in idolatry, especially Baal worship, it was tantamount to a spouse cheating on her husband. When married couples commit adultery or when single people commit fornication, it is a type of blasphemy for it shows contempt and disdain for the unique and special relationship God had forged through Abraham and ultimately through Our Lord Jesus Christ. Sexual infidelity is rooted in a selfish drive to appease the personal wants while ignoring the essential needs of holy matrimony.

Is it love to hand out condoms so that promiscuity continues? Is it not better to re-educate and re-catechize the faithful about the holiness of human sexuality, a GIFT and not a right, which needs to be cherished, protected and esteemed? Those who do contract horrible diseases, either by accident or their own fault deserve compassion and respect at all levels of their illness. Mercy is not pity. Mercy is Christian compassion whereby the Mystical Body of Christ affirms that we are one in Christ.

Imagine a school in the innner city issuing Kevlar bullet proof vests to students just in case one of them brings an automatic weapon to school and starts shooting innocent victims. While security measures are prudent and necessary, sometimes the prevention can lure some into a false sense of security. If the odds of becoming pregnant or contracting an STD are remote, can they also tempt someone to flirt with death and see how far the line can be pushed? Abstinence IS difficult but it is also SAFE and FOOLPROOF. Virtue before and during marriage involves sexuality and mutual respect. The birth control pill gave many married persons the ILLUSION that only getting caught was the worse case scenario.  How many divorced and remarried can single out infidelity as the major catalyst in the break-up of their marriage? Treating your own spouse as a sex OBJECT and source of personal pleasure is pure hedonism, plain and simple. Real covenanted marriage is about SACRIFICE and RESEPCT. Contraceptive sex makes the holy act between husband and wife a merely biological act but it is intrinsically disordered as it frustrates the Will of God for husbands and wives.

Mother Theresa of Calcutta ministered to those with AIDS and HIV+ but she did so with REVERENCE for life and for human sexuality. She did not dilute nor distort the moral teachings of the Church merely to get 'quick-fix' solutions. She showed LOVE to those suffering from AIDS no matter how they contracted the disease. At the same time, she worked arduously to encourage married couples to RESEPECT and REVERENCE each other at all times.  

Happy Saint Patrick's Day

PRAYER OF SAINT PATRICK

I bind to myself today
The strong virtue of the Invocation of the Trinity:
I believe the Trinity in the Unity
The Creator of the Universe.

I bind to myself today
The virtue of the Incarnation of Christ with His Baptism,
The virtue of His crucifixion with His burial,
The virtue of His Resurrection with His Ascension,
The virtue of His coming on the Judgement Day.

I bind to myself today
The virtue of the love of seraphim,
In the obedience of angels,
In the hope of resurrection unto reward,
In prayers of Patriarchs,
In predictions of Prophets,
In preaching of Apostles,
In faith of Confessors,
In purity of holy Virgins,
In deeds of righteous men.

I bind to myself today
The power of Heaven,
The light of the sun,
The brightness of the moon,
The splendour of fire,
The flashing of lightning,
The swiftness of wind,
The depth of sea,
The stability of earth,
The compactness of rocks.

I bind to myself today
God's Power to guide me,
God's Might to uphold me,
God's Wisdom to teach me,
God's Eye to watch over me,
God's Ear to hear me,
God's Word to give me speech,
God's Hand to guide me,
God's Way to lie before me,
God's Shield to shelter me,
God's Host to secure me,
Against the snares of demons,
Against the seductions of vices,
Against the lusts of nature,
Against everyone who meditates injury to me,
Whether far or near,
Whether few or with many.

I invoke today all these virtues
Against every hostile merciless power
Which may assail my body and my soul,
Against the incantations of false prophets,
Against the black laws of heathenism,
Against the false laws of heresy,
Against the deceits of idolatry,
Against the spells of women, and smiths, and druids,
Against every knowledge that binds the soul of man.

Christ, protect me today
Against every poison, against burning,
Against drowning, against death-wound,
That I may receive abundant reward.

Christ with me, Christ before me,
Christ behind me, Christ within me,
Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ at my right, Christ at my left,
Christ in the fort,
Christ in the chariot seat,
Christ in the poop [deck],
Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks to me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in every ear that hears me.

I bind to myself today
The strong virtue of an invocation of the Trinity,
I believe the Trinity in the Unity
The Creator of the Universe.

President Gives Doctor Frankenstein Green Light

     

Dr. Victor von Frankenstein had no comment yesterday after President Obama signed an executive order reversing the ban on federal funding of embryonic stem-cell research. Professor Abraham van Helsing, however, a vocal opponent to Frankenstein's previous experiments, warned reporters yesterday that the green light has now been given to immoral medical research. "Is it not pure evil to create human life in embryonic form merely to harvest physiological research material?  If society would not tolerate the digging up of corpses to harvest body parts to be spliced together in attempts to resuscitate dead people, why would they allow scientists to experiment on human embryos?"  Van Helsing pointed out that it is a more grave evil to intentionally fertilize human eggs with sperm just to produce human embryos as research 'material.'  Dr. Josef Mengele, notorious Nazi and concentration camp physician during WWII, performed numberless experiments on living men, women and children seeking to find a process to turn Jews and Eastern Europeans into becoming members of the perfect Aryan race. Ironically, more data has been established to demonstrate that adult stem cells have more potential for long term, sustained and diversified treatment and cure of many devastating diseases. Embryonic stem cells, which must be taken from living human beings at the embryonic stage, have shown to be unstable and not as promising as previously predicted.  Adult stem cells do not require the death, torture or mutilation of human life as in the case of embryonic stem cell harvesting. Science is not the motivating denominator, rather, politics, since it is the common misconception that embryonic stem cells will easily produce cures for Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases, as well as many others. Real medical science, however, has shown that adult stem cell research, which is morally permissible, is better science and better medicine since it has a better chance of sustained and diverse success.

Overturning the ban President Bush had imposed has symbolic value of further repudiation of his previous administration but it is not something medical science has deemed as necessary for human survival.  Media coverage, on the other hand, makes it sound as if human beings are doomed unless we experiment on human embryos.  What if science concluded that it would be more advantageous to experiment on older fetuses, say six to nine months in the womb, and not just embryos from the first several weeks of conceived human life?  What if infants and toddlers had the raw material needed?  What happens if the food supply runs short and someone finds a way to commercially produce nutritious substitutes based on synthesizing human cadavers?  Would there not be some in Washington attempting to promote a version of cannibalism if it became politically correct to do so?

While there is no Dr. Frankenstein or Professor van Helsing, there is President Obama who did reverse the federal ban on public funding of embryonic stem cell research.  While the intentions are good (discovery of treatment and cures for horrible diseases), as Saint Paul says in Romans 3:8 and as known by the Natural Moral Law, THE ENDS NEVER JUSTIFIES THE MEANS.   Niccolo Machiavelli and Nazis like Mengele believed the opposite.  Killing innocent human beings in their embryonic stage is nothing less than murder no matter what medical benefits can be obtained from their unjust deaths.  The fact that more medical knowledge and better results can be achieved morally through adult stem cell research has been eclipsed by the radicals who want to keep abortion legal no matter what.

Embryonic stem cell research based on the harvesting and destruction of human embryos is intrinsically evil and immoral and has less scientific promise than the morally preferred method of adult stem cell research.  Yet, if there is any possibility of a profit margin for embryonic production at a commercial level, guess what happens to ethics and morality?  Will not modern scientists and doctors more resemble Victor von Frankenstein whose monster eventually destroyed even his creator?

Blistering Cold Weather But Warm and Friendly Bishop

BISHOP EDWARD BURNS
Diocese of Juneau, Alaska

Although the temperature will often be frigid and bone-chilling, the zeal and enthusiasm of the faith will perennially be as hot as sun with the recent (March 4th) ordination & consecration of Msgr. Edward Burns as the Bishop of Juneau, Alaska. His disarming smile is only matched by his sense of humor and his genuine commitment to complete and unabashed hospitality. "Pittsburgh's loss is Juneau's gain" said Bishop Zubik of Pittsburgh (one of the co-consecrators).

I met His Excellency several years ago at the Fall meeting of the USCCB when he was executive director of the Secretariat for Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations. Accompanied by our mutual friend and his seminary classmate (and roomate) from Mount Saint Mary's, Emmitsburg, MD, Father Dennis Dalessandro, I attended the Mass at Saint Paul Cathedral, Pittsburgh. Several of Bishop Burn's classmates from the Dioceses of Harrisburg, Allentown, Arlington and Altoona-Johnstown were guests of honor and had an enormously fun time going down memory lane. Even the Apostolic Nuncio could not resist the temptation and kidded with the Bishop-Elect at the luncheon just hours before the ordination when he remarked that Pittsburgh was ten degrees COLDER than Juneau that very same day. And brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrh, was he right. Despite the bone-chilling cold wind, 300 priests concelebrated the Mass along with a couple dozen bishops and at least a thousand or more laity and religious. Father Dalessandro and I could not help but notice the overt friendliness we encountered throughout the Pittsburgh area, from Catholics and non-Catholics alike. Everyone went out of their way to be polite, courteous and friendly, just like Bishop Burns (who is the plethora of niceness). I thought I was back in Alabama visiting EWTN, also known for his hospitality. Usually in the northeast, you get a much COLDER response from the locals when you visit a place. Yet, in Steeler-Pirate-Penguin country (a.k.a. Pittsburgh), visitors are treated as royalty.

Mount Saint Mary Seminary can be proud that a multitude of alumni have become successors of the Apostles. My own bishop, Most Rev. Kevin Rhoades, was former rector. Bishop Burns is the most recent. Likely, more will come due to the orthodoxy and piety of this excellent place of priestly formation.

Requiescat in pace, Mother Eliane, OCD

Sister Eliane Cooper, OCD

Here is the obituary for a dear friend and a very holy nun, Mother Eliane, a discalced Carmelite in Erie, PA.

Sister Eliane of the Mother of God, OCD, (Margaret Cooper), age 96, of the Carmelite Monastery of Erie, passed away Thursday, February 26, 2009. She was born in Phoenix, Arizona, to Carl and Harriet May (nee McKay) Cooper on November 27, 1912. Her family relocated to southern California where Sister Eliane converted to the Catholic faith while studying at Ramona Convent Secondary School. She attended Mills College. Sister’s family lived close to the Carmelite Nuns and Friars in Alhambra, Calif., and their friendship strongly influenced her desire to enter the Carmelite Order. Sister Eliane was directed to the Carmel in Wheeling, W.Va. At age 21, she took leave of her family and friends, boarded a bus by herself, and traveled cross-country to enter the Carmelite Monastery in Wheeling on December 7, 1933. She was clothed with the Holy Habit of Our Lady of Mount Carmel on October 3, 1934, and made her Profession of Solemn Vows on December 14, 1938. Sister was given the name ‘Eliane’, after the 9th-century BC, Hebrew prophet Saint Elijah (also called ‘Elias’), “Leader and Father’ of the Carmelites. Holy Scripture describes Saint Elijah’s encounter with the living God on Mount Carmel, in present-day northwestern Israel. His words are the Carmelite motto: “With zeal I have been zealous for the Lord God of Hosts.” Sister Eliane was insurmountable in zeal, holding many responsible positions in Wheeling, including the Office of Sub-prioress. In 1957, after 24 years in Wheeling, Sister Eliane was chosen as one of the original foundresses of the Carmel of Holy Family in Erie, Pa. Sister helped design and maintain the Monastery and held various positions throughout her 52 years in Erie, including the Office of Prioress. At the time of her death, Sister Eliane held the following offices: Subprioress, First Council Sister, Novice Mistress, Turn Sister or Portress (greeting through the covered gate all who visited the Monastery), Infirmarian, Provisor, Bookkeeper. Sister also enjoyed gardening and reading. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her brothers, James Cooper and his son Max, and Donald Cooper, including his wife Bea, and their son David. Survivors include one brother Robert Neal Cooper and his wife Gei of Honolulu, Hawaii, sister-in-law- Susan Cooper of Calimesa, Calif., two nieces, devoted Janet (Jackie) Cooper of Concord, Calif., and Leslie Cooper of Millbrae, Calif., two nephews Robert Vei Cooper of Honolulu, Hawaii, and Todd Cooper, grandniece Carrie Cooper Loibl, and her husband David of Marietta, Ga. Sister Eliane was a true Carmelite and an example of unbounded generosity for more than 75 years. She is already greatly missed by her Community, family, and innumerable friends who she so faithfully greeted, comforted and counseled for many years at the turn by the Monastery entrance. Special thanks to the Staff at St. Vincent Hospital and the Sisters of Mercy Infirmary for their tender loving care and support. All are welcome to the viewing in the Chapel at the Carmelite Monastery, 510 E. Gore Road, on Tuesday, March 3, from 7:30 a.m. through 7:30 p.m. and Wednesday, March 4, from 7:30 a.m. through 2:30 p.m. The Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated in the Monastery Chapel by the Most Reverend Donald Trautman, STD, SSL, Bishop of Erie on Wednesday, March 4, at 3:30 p.m. May our beloved Sister rest in the Eternal Peace of Christ. Arrangements are under the direction of A. Brugger & Sons F.H., LLP, 845 E. 38th St. Condolences at www.bruggerfuneralhomes.com.

BRAVO to Bishop Martino

Scranton's Bishop Martino orders priests: no Communion for public sinners

Feb. 27, 2009 (CWNews.com) -

Bishop Joseph Martino-- who has emerged during the past year as the American bishop most determined to call pro-abortion politicians to account-- has now issued an order that in his Scranton, Pennsylvania diocese, "Those whose unworthiness to receive Holy Communion is known publicly to the Church must be refused Holy Communion in order to prevent sacrilege and to prevent the Catholic in question from committing further grave sin through unworthy reception."

Bishop Martino's directive was conveyed by the diocesan chancellor, James Earley, in an official notice dated February 26. The crucial concluding portion of notice reads:

Therefore, His Excellency, the Most Reverend Joseph F. Martino, Bishop of Scranton, reminds all ministers of Holy Communion, ordinary and extraordinary, that:

1. To administer the Sacred Body and Blood of the Lord is a serious duty which they have received from the Church, and no one having accepted this responsibility has the right to ignore the Church’s law in this regard;

2. Those whose unworthiness to receive Holy Communion is known publicly to the Church must be refused Holy Communion in order to prevent sacrilege and to prevent the Catholic in question from committing further grave sin through unworthy reception.

The official notice does not mention any individual by name. However it is impossible to overlook the fact that on the same day, February 26, the Scranton diocese also posted an open letter from Bishop Martino of Pennsylvania Senator Robert Casey, in which the bishop-- for the second time-- reminded the Catholic lawmaker of his moral obligation "to oppose abortion and other clear evils." [See CWN headline story on the bishop's letter.]

Earlier in the month, in a first rebuke to Senator Casey, Bishop Martino had warned that the senator's vote against an extension of the Mexico City policy-- which prohibited US taxpayer funding of abortion advocacy abroad-- was a violation of the legislator's moral obligation. “Your failure to reverse this vote will regrettably mean that you persist formally in cooperating with the evil brought about by this hideous and unnecessary policy,” the bishop wrote.

The February 26 notice from the Scranton diocese notes that the #915 of the Code of Canon Law instructs Eucharistic ministers not to administer the Blessed Sacrament to Catholics "who have been excommunicated or interdicted after the imposition or declaration of the penalty and others obstinately persevering in manifest grave sin." [emphasis added] The official notice goes on to quote then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, in his 2004 message to the bishops of the United States:

Regarding the grave sin of abortion or euthanasia, when a person’s formal cooperation becomes manifest (understood, in the case of a Catholic politician, as his consistently campaigning and voting for permissive abortion and euthanasia laws), his Pastor should meet with him, instructing him about the Church’s teaching, informing him that he is not to present himself for Holy Communion until he brings to an end the objective situation of sin, and warning him that he will otherwise be denied the Eucharist.

Thus Bishop Martino has clearly drawn the connection between public support for legal abortion and obstinate perserverance in grave sin, pointing toward the inevitable conclusion that a lawmaker who supports abortion must be barred from receiving the Eucharist.

Continuity vs Discontinuity

 

A British magazine has attacked Father Tim Finigan, author of the blog HERMENEUTIC OF CONTINUITY and has given a soapbox for recalcitrant dissidents and disgruntled parishioners. They allege he has force-fed the Extraordinary form of the Roman Rite upon unsuspecting faithful. Poppycock.  Here is what is at stake:

 
reverent, sacred, licit and valid; edifying and efficacious
Mass at Father Finigan's parish

     
    irreverent, sacrilegious, illicit and nauseating
    Clown Mass


Ironically, the media never interferes with the worship rituals in the local mosque or synagogue. Only the Catholic Mass attracts such attention. When was the last time you read about a Rabbi or Imam not being 'popular' with 100% of his congregation? But if a Priest has one vocal opponent to complain that he is 'too traditional', it mysteriously gets more press coverage than you can imagine.

Well Done, My Good and Faithful Servant

     Bishop Thomas J. Welsh (founding Bishop of Arlington, VA; retired Bishop of Allentown, PA)


One of the good ones were called home to the Lord this week. Bishop Thomas Welsh died February 19th at the age of 87. He was born (1921), raised and ordained (1946) a priest of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.  Ordained an Auxiliary Bishop in 1970, Bishop Welsh was appointed the founding Bishop of Arlington in 1974.

During his administration, the Diocese of Arlington mushroomed with vocations from around the nation. Known for his personal piety and orthodoxy and his staunch pro-life support, many men came to the diocese discerning the call to priesthood. I was one of them. Born and raised in Erie, PA, I first entered High School Seminary in 1976 after graduating Catholic grade school. While in college seminary (and attending Gannon University), and thanks to the help of Father Bob Levis, I switched dioceses from Erie to Arlington. Arlington was sending college seminarians to Erie to attend Gannon just as I was for the Diocese of Erie at the time. Personable, humble, reverent and affable, Bishop Welsh showed a keen interest and true affection for all his seminarians. So much did he interact with his potential future priests, that he insisted on pitching every year at the softball game for the annual seminarian picnic. On several occasions he met with seminarians, whether for a pizza party or to have a one-on-one conversation. My prior experience with diocesan bishops had not been pleasant or encouraging. Bishop Welsh went out of his way to make you feel WANTED and APPRECIATED. He thanked his seminarians for considering a priestly vocation. He and the diocese of Arlington made you feel like FAMILY.

Unfortunately, Bishop Welsh was transferred from Arlington to Allentown just before I was to begin studies at Mount Saint Mary's Seminary, Emmitsburg, MD. Some shenanigans and skulduggery took place before I realized what had happened and I ended up without a diocese and without a seminary with just one month to go before graduating from college seminary. Thanks to Father Levis, I got into Holy Apostles Seminary, CT, at the eleventh hour just before the school year began in 1983. One year later, I was accepted into the Diocese of Harrisburg, PA, and sent to Mary Immaculate Seminary, Northampton, PA, which is in the Allentown Diocese. In just one month, I met Bishop Welsh again when he came to the seminary for candidacy. He remembered me from my brief stint of being a college seminarian for a year and half in the Diocese of Arlington while studying at Gannon University in Erie. When he learned I was accepted into Harrisburg, he expressed genuine relief and joy and he himself would give me the ministries of Lector and Acolyte during my time in Northampton.

Bishop Welsh was also a strong supporter and member of the Confraternity of Catholic Clergy. His last talk to the CCC took place when we met at EWTN in Alabama (Irondale, Hanceville and Cullman) in 2000 for our 25th anniversary. He refused any and all honoraria and stipends as a speaker and only asked for reimbursement for airfare. What a gentleman.  Every time he met my mom and dad, he went out of his to thank them for giving the Church their son to be a priest.

I will always remember Bishop Welsh with fondness and I mourn with my sacerdotal brethren in Arlington and Allentown. He may not have been a clone of Cardinal Krol (my all time hero), but in his own, quiet, strong and faithful way, he was a true son of the Church and served the Lord VERY WELL.

requiescat in pace

 

puzza di morto

 


Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, recently made an official visit to the Vatican as second in line to the Presidency (after the Vice President).

Despite efforts with fancy perfume, she still exuded the 'smell of death' [puzza di morto] for her staunch pro-abortion support as a US politician.

(thanks to American Papist for photo)

'Profound sadness' regarding Maciel scandal

from Matt Abbott's column in RenewAmerica

'It is with profound sadness that I learned of the scandalous revelations recently disclosed on the late founder of the Legionaries of Christ, Father Marcial Maciel Degollado. Anytime any of the clergy misbehave, it is not only a stain on the Church and the priesthood, but it is also a personal blow to every individual cleric since Holy Orders ontologically unites us together as ordained brothers in Christ the High Priest.

'On the one hand, we recall the common wisdom of 'There but for the grace of God go I,' meaning that none of us is without sin, none of us is perfect, and none of us can cast the first stone, so to speak. On the other hand, we cannot and should not sweep under the carpet any misdeeds especially when it involves the abuse — physical, emotional, sexual or spiritual — of children or adolescents.

'While personal weaknesses can often be overlooked if someone is trying to recover and repent, harm to any minor is something which cries to God for justice in this life as well as the life to come. If a priest, deacon or bishop has a gambling, drinking, or other addiction/problem, so does a similar percentage of the lay population. Abuse of children and teenagers, however, is reprehensible, inexcusable and repugnant and down right evil in its fullest sense. Other moral weaknesses harm the sinner more than anyone else. Abusing children, however, injures more innocent victims than one can imagine.

'Perfect men are not ordained and imperfect men are not ordained as perfect priests. Though we are all sinners, we are all called to persevere and never give up the struggle to do and to be better. Saints are not sinless human beings, rather, saints were sinful human beings who never quit and who never stopped trying to do and to be better. They all had weaknesses. Saints just did not make excuses for them nor did they rationalize them. Instead, by God's grace, they overcame their shortcomings and sins by hanging in there to the bitter end.

'That being said, no one should be surprised that there were some skeletons in Father Maciel's closet. Allegedly siring children out of wedlock and allegedly abusing teenage boys are bad enough but worse when done by a priest. Now that he is dead, we should still pray that the Good Lord would have mercy on his soul knowing that the justice of God cannot and will not be outmaneuvered.

'I know many good, orthodox, devout, pious and morally upright priests and seminarians and laity (Regnum Christi) in the Legionaries of Christ. The institute has done a lot of good in terms of vocations, catechesis, evangelization and the corporal and spiritual works of mercy. No sins or faults of the founder should tarnish the reputation or diminish the efficacy of the apostolates engaged and performed by the followers of this foundation.

'That being said, that does not mean that corrections are not in order. Besides the moral scandals involving the founder, the prudential judgment of other members is open to review. Certain editorials, editorial policies and public statements, made not by Father Maciel but followers of his, are not beyond scrutiny. Mistakes are made in seminaries, dioceses, religious communities and so on. Prudential judgments are open for interpretation and evaluation. Moral behavior is easily judged when one uses the wisdom of God found in the natural moral law and the divine positive law (as found in Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition) as the litmus.

'Perhaps a papal legate or visitator should be appointed by the Roman Pontiff to make whatever adjustments, improvements, or sanctions deemed necessary to preserve and enhance the Legionaries of Christ, Regnum Christi and Familia. We all need to pray for the members who have consistently and perennially remained faithful to their vows and who have not strayed from the path of righteousness. We need to thank and support the good, honest and often holy men and women, clergy and laity of the Legion who have brought nothing but honor and integrity to the Church.

'Every association, order, community, congregation and movement must also be vigilant about hero worship insofar as the founder is sometimes given too much emphasis. Saint Francis of Assisi, Saint Dominic, Saint Ignatius, Saint Benedict, Saint Augustine and Blessed Theresa of Calcutta and many others certainly attracted many vocations because of their personalities, which influenced the charisms of their societies.

'At the same time, these saintly men and women would never want their followers to have anyone other than Christ as supreme role models. The cult of personality does not always deteriorate into a full blown cult as the secular world uses the term. No saint who was not pope ever enjoyed infallibility and, other than Our Lady, no one has enjoyed impeccability, either. This is why followers today have no problem making adjustments or even improvements to constitutions devised by the original founder or foundress.

'The Legion will survive and might be a little leaner, but a lot stronger, too. The good done in the past and present should never be forgotten or ignored and the good yet to come should be appreciated and anticipated.

'(Likewise, a full and complete reconciliation and reintegration of the Society of St. Pius X is possible, and necessary, but it too will have to eliminate any hero worship of the late Archbishop Lefebvre and certainly will also entail a repudiation of the egregious and abhorrent proclamations of Bishop Richard Williamson. Since he is still alive, he can and ought to repent and recant and then he can be truly reconciled after some form of public penance has been made. I would advocate an early retirement and not allow any return to seminary rectorship nor to any exercise of episcopal authority.)

'The Legionaries of Christ have been and continue to be blessing to the Church, but just like Opus Dei and Communion and Liberation, it is not for everyone. Their spirituality is not the only valid or effective one. Many valid forms and flavors exist (hence the mark of universality or Catholicity) that remain orthodox and authentically Catholic. Cursillo and the Charismatic Movement do not exhaust the varieties of ways the Holy Spirit can lead souls into the Church. All valid ecclesial communities and their respective founders are here for one purpose, to facilitate the will of God, not the will of one man or one woman, but the will of the one, triune God.

'I hope and pray there is no witch hunt or purge in the Legion because of the recent revelations. My prayer is that Rome takes a strong and personal interest in helping the community whereas the enemies and opponents of the Legion merely want revenge.

'When Saint John of the Cross and others reformed their orders, they met with adversity but later were vindicated by the fruits of their labors. Maybe the Legion needs a major overhaul or reform, or it may need only a good fine-tuning and adjustment. A papal legate or visitator with full authority from the Holy Father should decide that or recommend to the pope himself. Everyone else should leave internal matters to those who are in the family.

'This is the beauty and wisdom of God that Jesus founded the Church on one person, Peter and his successors. Founders and foundresses may have some spiritual guidance but only the Vicar of Christ enjoys the charism of infallibility and the awesome responsibility of full, supreme, immediate and universal authority.'

© Matt C. Abbott

EWTN is in and with the REAL Church

Father Zuhlsdorf recently exposed the ludicrous and absurd claims of a professor of moral theology (Keith Soko, PhD) at St. Ambrose University, Davenport, Iowa. This 'expert' pontificates (in the tradition of Luther, Zwingli, Hus, et al.) that EWTN "offers an outdated view of the church." Sadly, his caustic remarks were printed as an editorial on the diocesan newspaper, The Catholic Messenger. Here is my comment as posted on WDTPRS:

Pathetic diatribe. The good professor claims EWTN is pre-Vatican II and yet he embraces an ecclesiology totally alien to the Second Vatican Council. Lumen Gentium reiterated what Pope Pius XII taught in Mystici Corporis and found in the epistles of Saint Paul, namely, that the church IS the Mystical Body of Christ. Jesus = Church. “He who hears you, hears Me.” Why did Christ say to Saint Paul on the road to Damascus “Saul, Saul why do you persecute me?” The Church IS the living, teaching, sanctifying, governing presence of Christ on earth. Jesus the Prophet teaches through His Body, the Church, via the Magisterium. Jesus the Priest sanctifies through His Body, the Church, via the Seven Sacraments. Jesus Christ the King governs through His Body, the Church via the Hierarchy.

Hence, the Church is more than a TOOL. The Bride of Christ is also the Mystical Body of Christ. She is an extension of Christ in the modern world. Dr. Soko is inaccurate when he presents the Church as some mere incidental as opposed to an essential element of salvation. Christ is the sole mediator, redeemer and savior and His Church speaks, teaches, sanctifies and governs IN HIS NAME. To reject the Church is to reject Christ, the founder, the bridegroom, the head of the Mystical Body.

EWTN does a phenomenal job showing the splendor of the Church, from the Papacy to the ordinary baptized member of the Christian faithful. Clergy and laity alike work at EWTN and are on the air. Respect and obedience to the legitimate authority of the institutional and, as V2 affirmed in chapter three of LG, HIERARCHICAL church is the hallmark of EWTN. His notion of the church being some ‘idol’ that EWTN proselytizes over the airwaves is absurd and ludicrous. EWTN is not the Vatican and never claimed to be. Neither is it the CDF. It is a precious vehicle by which the Bride of Christ and the Mystical Body of Christ is served faithfully. The Protestant Reformers of the 16th century, however, would have embraced his bizarre ecclesiology, but not Trent, V1 and most especially not V2. God bless Mother Angelica and EWTN.

PRESS RELEASE FROM CONFRATERNITY OF CATHOLIC CLERGY

Catholic Clergy Stand Behind B16

HARRISBURG, PA (February 6th, 2009) - The Confraternity of Catholic Clergy, a national association of 600 priests and deacons publicly reaffirm our obedience and respect for the Holy Father. We furthermore declare our unequivocal support for Pope Benedict XVI as the Vicar of Christ and Supreme Pontiff. We pledge our continued prayers for His Holiness especially in light of the recent slander being leveled against the current Successor of Saint Peter for his pastoral decision to rescind the excommunication of the four bishops of the Society of Saint Pius X. Those who distort the facts would have us believe that the individual prejudices of one man represent an entire group. The only person who has admitted and professed to hold bizarre and reprehensible notions diluting or mitigating the full horror and pure evil of the Nazi Holocaust has been Bishop Richard Williamson. It is unfair, unjust and unreasonable to assume the clergy and laity who identify and associate themselves with the Society of Pius X share any of these repugnant notions. Likewise, the Confraternity wishes to underscore that the decision of the Holy Father to remove the canonical penalties incurred by the four bishops illicitly consecrated by the late Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre without papal mandate is based solely and totally on the Pope’s pastoral desire for reconciliation. His decision was meant to heal a twenty year old schism involving thousands of persons around the world and had nothing to do with the personal and private, albeit reprehensible, ideas of one bishop. It is a non-sequitur to infer that lifting a penalty implies endorsement of the ideology of the offender. A purely juridical act employed to bring healing is now being misrepresented and misunderstood as some form of tolerance to anti-Semitism. Bishop Williamson’s own superior Bishop Bernard Fellay rebuked him and his remarks. Pope Benedict publicly stated UNEQUIVOCALLY that he and the entire Roman Catholic Church express FULL AND INDISPUTABLE SOLIDARITY with Jews and warned against ANY DENIAL of the horror of the Shoah. Rabbi Kula, President of the National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership, New York, said the official American Jewish reaction to the Pope’s lifting of the excommunication was disproportionate and “outrageously over the top.” He shows more common sense than some Catholic dissidents calling for B16’s resignation. The CCC stands with Benedict in his condemnation of anti-Semitism and his pastoral desire to bring unity to the Church.

Papal Bumperstickers - Well, Almost

VistaPrint allows you to upload a picture and create your own magnetic car door signs. I adapted the Support Pope Benedict XVI and added my touches and am awaiting my two signs at $4.99 each

support the pope

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. The recent 'demand' of German Chancellor Angela Merkel that Pope Benedict XVI make an 'adequate' clarification on the Vatican's position on the Holocaust in light of Bishop Richard Williamson's unfathomable and unconscionable remarks is equally as unfathomable and ludicrous. The Holy Father already stated UNEQUIVOCALLY that he and the entire Roman Catholic Church express FULL AND INDISPUTABLE SOLIDARITY with Jews and warned against ANY DENIAL of the horror of the Nazi Holocaust. She is merely pandering to the press for publicity.

Liberal Catholic theologian Hermann Haering was even more outlandish and uttered this incredible (as well as horribly offensive) statement:

"If the pope wants to do some good for the Church, he should leave his job," as told to the German daily Tageszeitung. (We know who SHOULD leave, or rather should be thrown out, and it ain't B16, that's for sure)

This GERMAN Pope made a visit to a synagogue in Germany and the USA; he has reiterated the total condemnation of the Shoah (Holocaust). But there are those who have another agenda. One seeks to derail the reconciliation of the SSPX (Society of Saint Pius X) with Rome, the other seeks to discredit anything and everything Pope Benedict does and says, regardless of the issue. Bishop Williamson may have intended this to happen, I do not know. His offensive remarks went beyond imprudent, they were reprehensible. If he calculatingly did this after the excommunications were lifted in order to sabatoge the reconciliation, then he is more cunning than anyone suspected. If, however, he was just stupid, then someone else is taking advantage of the faus pax and cranking it up to thermonuclear proportions. There is more than meets the eye here, to be sure. We know that dissidents who hated Cardinal Ratzinger also loathe Pope Benedict for the same reasons: orthodoxy. Restoring the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Missal angered many liturgical-nazis and ultra-liberal ideologues who perverted the documents of Vatican II to advance their own agenda. These lefties would love to discredit B16 AND the SSPX in one fell swoop and ride the wave which they hope would also eliminate the Fraternity of Saint Peter and the Institute of Christ the King.

I say it is time for all loyal Catholics, whether you like the Ordinary or Extraordinary Form, Latin or Vernacular, Oriental or Roman Rite, to stand up and be counted. UBI PETRUS IBI ECCLESIA. WE STAND WITH PETER. The sad reality is that the far left and far right have something in common: their dislike and disobedience for the Holy Father. And they say politics makes stange bedfellows.

3 February --- Happy Saint Blaise Day

Feb. 2nd, Feast of the Presentation of Our Lord (Candlemas)
Feb. 3rd, Feast of Saint Blaise (Blase)

Per intercessionem Sancti Blasii, episcopi et martyris, liberet te Deus a malo gutturis, et a quolibet alio malo. In nomine Patris, et Filii +, et Spiritus Sancti. Amen.

Through the intercession of St. Blaise, bishop and martyr, may God free you from ailments of the throat and from any other evil. In the name of the Father, and of the Son + and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.

(thanks to FrZ at WDTPRS)

Papal Ejector Seat

 

The Vatican Car Salesman shows the Holy Father a new feature in his Popemobile:
an EJECTOR SEAT for those occasions when he has a dissident theologian or rebel bishop sitting next to him;

James Cardinal Bond was the previous owner of this particular vehicle.

The More Things Change, The More They Stay the Same

Angelic Doctor

Today is the feast of Saint Thomas Aquinas, OP (in the Ordinary Form calendar; March 7th in the Extraordinary Form calendar), also known as the Doctor Angelicus (Angelic Doctor) or the Doctor Communis (Common Doctor). Other doctors in the church include St. Augustine (Doctor Gratiae); St. Bonaventure (Doctor Seraphicus); St. Anselm (Doctor Magnificus); St. Bernard (Doctor Mellifluus); St. John of the Cross (Doctor Mysticus); St. Therese of Lisieux (Doctor Amoris); and the famous mentor of Aquinas, St. Albert the Great (Doctor Universalis); to name a few.

ROME, DEC. 3, 2008 (Zenit.org).- Moral theology based on St. Thomas Aquinas is among one of theology's most popular branches today, says a Vatican official, but this popularity has come about only after decades of disdain.

Archbishop Jean Louis Bruguès, secretary of the Congregation for Catholic Education, spoke about his journey with moral theology when he delivered an address at a conference last Friday in Rome, which marked the 30th anniversary of the St. Thomas Aquinas International Society.

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17. Among the Scholastic Doctors, the chief and master of all towers Thomas Aquinas, who, as Cajetan observes, because "he most venerated the ancient doctors of the Church, in a certain way seems to have inherited the intellect of all."(34) The doctrines of those illustrious men, like the scattered members of a body, Thomas collected together and cemented, distributed in wonderful order, and so increased with important additions that he is rightly and deservedly esteemed the special bulwark and glory of the Catholic faith. With his spirit at once humble and swift, his memory ready and tenacious, his life spotless throughout, a lover of truth for its own sake, richly endowed with human and divine science, like the sun he heated the world with the warmth of his virtues and filled it with the splendor of his teaching. Philosophy has no part which he did not touch finely at once and thoroughly; on the laws of reasoning, on God and incorporeal substances, on man and other sensible things, on human actions and their principles, he reasoned in such a manner that in him there is wanting neither a full array of questions, nor an apt disposal of the various parts, nor the best method of proceeding, nor soundness of principles or strength of argument, nor clearness and elegance of style, nor a facility for explaining what is abstruse.

18. Moreover, the Angelic Doctor pushed his philosophic inquiry into the reasons and principles of things, which because they are most comprehensive and contain in their bosom, so to say, the seeds of almost infinite truths, were to be unfolded in good time by later masters and
with a goodly yield. And as he also used this philosophic method in the refutation of error, he won this title to distinction for himself: that, single-handed, he victoriously combated the errors of former times, and supplied invincible arms to put those to rout which might in after-times spring up. Again, clearly distinguishing, as is fitting, reason from faith, while happily associating the one with the other, he both preserved the rights and had regard for the dignity of each; so much so, indeed, that reason, borne on the wings of Thomas to its human height, can scarcely rise higher, while faith could scarcely expect more or stronger aids from reason than those which she has already obtained through Thomas.

19. For these reasons most learned men, in former the highest repute in theology and philosophy, after mastering with infinite pains the immortal works of Thomas, gave themselves up not so much to be instructed in his angelic wisdom as to be nourished upon it. It is known that nearly all the founders and lawgivers of the religious orders Thomas, fearful least any of them should swerve even in the slightest degree from the footsteps of so great a man. To say nothing of the family of St. Dominic, which rightly claims this great teacher for its own glory, the statutes of the Benedictines, the Carmelites, the Augustinians, the Society of Jesus, and many others all testify that they are bound by this law.

20. And, here, how pleasantly one's thoughts fly back to those celebrated schools and universities which flourished of old in Europe - to Paris, Salamanca, Alcalá, to Douay, Toulouse, and Louvain, to Padua and Bologna, to Naples and Coimbra, and to many another! All know how the fame of these seats of learning grew with their years, and that their judgment, often asked in matters of grave moment, held great weight everywhere. And we know how in those great homes of human wisdom, as in his own kingdom, Thomas reigned supreme; and that the minds of all, of teachers as well as of taught, rested in wonderful harmony under the shield and authority of the Angelic Doctor.

1. But, furthermore, Our predecessors in the Roman pontificate have celebrated the wisdom of Thomas Aquinas by exceptional tributes of praise and the most ample testimonials. Clement VI in the bull In Ordine; Nicholas V in his brief to the friars of the Order of Preachers, 1451; Benedict XIII in the bull Pretiosus, and others bear witness that the universal Church borrows lustre from his admirable teaching; while St. Pius V declares in the bull Mirabilis that heresies, confounded and convicted by the same teaching, were dissipated, and the whole world daily freed from fatal errors; others, such as Clement XII in the bull Verbo Dei, affirm that most fruitful blessings have spread abroad from his writings over the whole hurch, and that he is worthy of the honor which is bestowed on the greatest Doctors of the Church, on Gregory and Ambrose, Augustine and Jerome; while others have not hesitated to propose St. Thomas for the exemplar and master of the universities and great centers of learning whom they may follow with unfaltering feet. On which point the words of Blessed Urban V to the University of Toulouse are worthy of recall: "It is our will, which We hereby enjoin upon you, that ye follow the teaching of Blessed Thomas as the true and Catholic doctrine and that ye labor with all your force to profit by the same."(35) Innocent XII, followed the example of Urban in the case of the University of Louvain, in the letter in the form of a brief addressed to that university on February 6, 1694, and Benedict XIV in the letter in the form of a brief addressed on August 26, 1752, to the Dionysian College in Granada; while to these judgments of great Pontiffs on Thomas Aquinas comes the crowning testimony of Innocent VI: "His teaching above that of others, the canonical
writings alone excepted, enjoys such a precision of language, an order of matters, a truth of conclusions, that those who hold to it are never found swerving from the path of truth, and he who dare assail it will always be suspected of error."(36)

22. The ecumenical councils, also, where blossoms the flower of all earthly wisdom, have always been careful to hold Thomas Aquinas in singular honor. In the Councils of Lyons, Vienna, Florence, and the Vatican one might almost say that Thomas took part and presided over the deliberations and decrees of the Fathers, contending against the errors of the Greeks, of heretics and rationalists, with invincible force and with the happiest results. But the chief and special glory of Thomas, one which he has shared with none of the Catholic Doctors, is that the Fathers of Trent made it part of the order of conclave to lay upon the altar, together with sacred Scripture and the decrees of the supreme Pontiffs, the Summa of Thomas Aquinas, whence to seek counsel, reason, and inspiration.

23. A last triumph was reserved for this incomparable man-namely, to compel the homage, praise, and admiration of even the very enemies of the Catholic name. For it has come to light that there were not lacking among the leaders of heretical sects some who openly declared that, if the teaching of Thomas Aquinas were only taken away, they could easily battle with all Catholic teachers, gain the victory, and abolish the Church.(37) A vain hope, indeed, but no vain testimony.

24. Therefore, venerable brethren, as often as We contemplate the good, the force, and the singular advantages to be derived from his philosophic discipline which Our Fathers so dearly loved. We think it hazardous that its special honor should not always and everywhere remain,
especially when it is established that daily experience, and the judgment of the greatest men, and, to crown all, the voice of the Church, have favored the Scholastic philosophy. Moreover, to the old teaching a novel system of philosophy has succeeded here and there, in which We fail to perceive those desirable and wholesome fruits which the Church and civil society itself would prefer. For it pleased the struggling innovators of the sixteenth century to philosophize without any respect for faith, the power of inventing in accordance with his own pleasure and bent being asked and given in turn by each one. Hence, it was natural that systems of philosophy multiplied beyond measure, and conclusions differing and clashing one with another arose about those matters even which are the most important in human knowledge. From a mass of conclusions men often come to wavering and doubt; and who knows not how easily the mind slips from doubt to error? But, as men are apt to follow the lead given them, this new pursuit seems to have caught the souls of certain Catholic philosophers, who, throwing aside the patrimony of ancient wisdom, chose rather to build up a new edifice than to strengthen and complete the old by aid of the new-ill-advisedly, in sooth, and not without detriment to the sciences. For, a
multiform system of this kind, which depends on the authority and choice of any professor, has a foundation open to change, and consequently gives us a philosophy not firm, and stable, and robust like that of old, but tottering and feeble. And if, perchance, it sometimes finds itself scarcely equal to sustain the shock of its foes, it should recognize that the cause and the blame lie in itself. In saying this We have no intention of discountenancing the learned and able men who bring their industry and erudition, and, what is more, the wealth of new discoveries, to the service of philosophy; for, of course, We understand that this tends to the development of learning. But one should be very careful lest all or his chief labor be exhausted in these pursuits and in mere erudition. And the same thing is true of sacred theology, which, indeed, may be assisted and illustrated by all kinds of erudition, though it is absolutely necessary to approach it in the grave manner of the Scholastics, in order that, the forces of revelation and reason being united in it, it may continue to be "the invincible bulwark of the faith."(38)

25. With wise forethought, therefore, not a few of the advocates of philosophic studies, when turning their minds recently to the practical reform of philosophy, aimed and aim at restoring the renowned teaching of Thomas Aquinas and winning it back to its ancient beauty.

...

31. While, therefore, We hold that every word of wisdom, every useful thing by whomsoever discovered or planned, ought to be received with a willing and grateful mind, We exhort you, venerable brethren, in all earnestness to restore the golden wisdom of St. Thomas, and to spread it far and wide for the defense and beauty of the Catholic faith, for the good of society, and for the advantage of all the sciences. The wisdom of St. Thomas, We say; for if anything is taken up with too great subtlety by the Scholastic doctors, or too carelessly stated-if there be anything that ill agrees with the discoveries of a later age, or, in a word, improbable in whatever way-it does not enter Our mind to propose that for imitation to Our age. Let carefully selected teachers endeavor to implant the doctrine of Thomas Aquinas in the minds of students, and set forth clearly his solidity and excellence over others. Let the universities already founded or to be founded by you illustrate and defend this doctrine, and use it for the refutation of prevailing errors. But, lest the false for the true or the corrupt for the pure be drunk in, be ye watchful that the doctrine of Thomas be drawn from his own fountains, or at least from those rivulets which, derived from the very fount, have thus far flowed, according to the established agreement of learned men, pure and clear; be careful to guard the minds of youth from those which are said to flow thence, but in reality are gathered from strange and unwholesome streams.

Leo XIII, Aeterni Patris, 1879

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31. If one considers all this well, he will easily see why the Church demands that future priests be instructed in philosophy "according to the method, doctrine, and principles of the Angelic Doctor," since, as we well know from the experience of centuries, the method of Aquinas is singularly preeminent both of teaching students and for bringing truth to light; his doctrine is in harmony with Divine Revelation, and is most effective both for safeguarding the foundation of the faith and for reaping, safely and usefully, the fruits of sound progress.

Pius XII, Humani Generis, 1950

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The recommendation of Leo is still valid: 'those who to the study of philosophy unite obedience to the Christian faith are philosophers indeed; for the splendor of the divine truth, received into the mind, helps the understanding and not only detracts in no wise from its dignity, but adds greatly to its nobility, keenness, and stability ... The immortal Pontiff recalled that the method, the principles and the teaching of Aquinas had, down the centuries, been specially favored not only by learned men but by the supreme teaching authority of the Church... If today also, he insisted, philosophical and theological reflection is not to rest on an 'unstable foundation' which would make it 'wavering and superficial'... it will have to draw inspiration from the 'golden wisdom' of St. Thomas... Now that a hundred years of the history of thought have passed we are able to appreciate how balanced and wise were these appraisals. With good reason, therefore, the Supreme Pontiffs who succeeded Leo XIII, and the Code of Canon Law itself ... have repeated them and made them their own ... The words of the [Second Vatican] Council are clear: the Fathers saw that it is fundamental for the adequate formation of the clergy and of Christian youth that it preserve a close link with the cultural heritage of the past, and in particular with the thought of St. Thomas; and that this in the long run, is a necessary condition for the longed-for renewal of the Church

John Paul II, allocution Perennial Philosophy of St. Thomas for the Youth of Our Times, L'Osservatore Romano, Dec. 17, 1979

Msgr William Smith Dead at 69

The Archdiocese of New York has lost another giant.  Only two weeks ago they said good-bye to Father Richard John Neuhaus.  Today it was Msgr. William Smith.  Smith was a brilliant scholar, moral theologian and seminary professor (St. Joseph, Dunwoodie).  bio

 

A regular host on EWTN, Monsignor Smith was also a permanent fixture at Saint Joseph Seminary, Dunwoodie.  His staunch orthodoxy annoyed a few ecclesiastical bureaucrats so he never moved up or fast on the church food chain, but to those of us who had the privilege of being his students and disciples, he was like an American version of Cardinal Ratzinger.  Dry wit, Smith was the quintecential faithful son of the Church.  Loyal to the Magisterium and obedient to the Roman Pontiff, he never diluted what he taught for the sake of political correctness.  Had he been rector of some of the more problematic seminaries in the USA, you can be sure he would have removed dissident theologians A.S.A.P. and there would not have been any immoral shanannigans going on in the wee hours of the night, either.  We could have used a cadre of Bill Smiths to reform and renew the seminaries across America and restore orthodox doctrine, reverent worship and moral probity.  I never had the honor of attending Dunwoodie as a seminarian but I did have Msgr. Smith as a guest professor for the annual seminarian seminar sponsored by Opus Dei at Arnold Hall every Easter week while I was in the seminary.  He also spoke on seversl occasions for the Confraternity of Catholic Clergy.  He, Fr. George Rutler and Fr. Ken Baker, SJ, were regulars when Fr. Bob Levis had our annual convocations for 19 years at Gannon University in Erie, PA.  If he had been bishop, that diocese would have been a pinnacle of wisdom and grace and many vocations would have come from it.  I had to telephone him on several consultations involving medical moral and bioethic problems and Msgr. Bill Smith cut through the fat and got right to the meat.  A modern day Aquinas when it came to moral theology.  He will be sadly missed on earth and richly rewarded in heaven.

March for Life 2009

If you ask me, it looked like 500 priests and almost twice as many seminarians attended the Vigil Mass for Life at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception on Wednesday evening, Jan. 21st. Two dozen bishops and about half a dozen cardinals concelebrated the Holy Mass with a standing room only congregation (seating capacity 3,500). The following day, anywhere from 250,000 to half a million (500,000) men, women & children marched to the Supreme Court. Most secular news agencies boycotted any and all coverage of the March, despite the huge volume of pro-life anti-abortion protesters in attendance. Not surprising since the same secular media were conspicuously silent when 300,000 young people came to Word Youth Day in Rome, 2000. If 1% of the number who attended this years March for Life had been there on the Mall to support same-sex marriages, the press would have given it gavel-to-gavel coverage and told viewers that thousands attended. We could have had a million or more Pro-Life marchers, and the press would have kept quiet OR causually remark that a few thousand participants were in attendance.

More distressing than the miniscule (if any) media coverage of the March for Life is the plethora of rationalizations being offered by Catholics for voting Obama-Biden undid 35 years of Pro-Life blood, sweat and tears of Pro-Life work. Some have commented that the Pro-Life movement needs to forget the political process of changing immoral laws and opt for changing the hearts of citizens to abandon immoral ideas like supporting abortion. What these people do not realize is that it is NOT a question of EITHER/OR (aut ... aut in Latin), rather as Pope Benedict points out on numerous occasions, Catholicism is the religion of the great BOTH/AND (et ... et in Latin). In other words, we need to change the hearts of citizens AND change the laws. Immoral laws do not force good people to do bad things, but they do enable people of weak will or weak morals to do evil under the guise of legality. Good laws will not force people to be good but will make doing good easier and will help those of weak will resist since what they contemplate is illegal. Saint Thomas Aquinas gave the best definition of law:

rationis ordinatio ad bonum commune, ab eo qui curam communitatis habet, promulgata

ORDINANCE OF REASON PROMULGATED BY HE WHO HAS CARE OF THE COMMUNITY FOR THE COMMON GOOD

Hence, for any law to be morally binding, it must be RATIONAL and it must serve the COMMON GOOD. Abortion is irrational since the unborn child is no threat to the mother. There is never a medical condition that requires the killing of the fetus. There may be complications in giving birth but the baby can always be allowed to be born (or removed without directly killing him/her) and also save the lfe of the mother. It is a false argument to invoke the threat to the life of the mother as OB-GYN doctors attest that despite difficult pregnancies, they never HAVE to kill one to save another. Neither baby nor mother need to be murdered. One may die INDIRECTLY and NATURALLY but then there is no unjust killing. Check out the NICU in most hospitals and you will find premature babies being treated and surviving many problems and conditions which are feasibly overcome, yet often a doctor somewhere along the way advises to 'terminate the pregnancy' to avoid a 'complication.' In other words, KILL the baby without even trying to save his or her life. Imagine if we did that to toddlers and teenagers or to middle agers or the retired. Extraordinary means are never obligatory but ordinary means of today were once the extraordinary means of yesteryear.

Abortion is not only IRRATIONAL it is also a crime against the COMMON GOOD. There is more than one victim in abortion. Besides the unborn, the mother suffers from her crime, the biological father suffers, the doctor and nurse who performed the heinous deed hurt themselves (in their conscience), and all of human society suffers whenever an INNOCENT PERSON is UNJUSTLY KILLED. How many diseases could have been cured by now HOWEVER, the discoverer of the cure for cancer was aborted and not allowed to live? Could there have been peace already between the Israeli's and Palestinians had the right diplomat been allowed to be born rather than aborted? God could be sending us the medical, political, economic, scientific and religious heroes we desperately need, yet our sick society has prevented the rescue due to the legality and availability of ABORTION. We could be our own worst enemy.

Therefore we NEED to change the immoral laws just as our nation needed to outlaw slavery and segregation. Should Rosa Parks have not committed civil disobedience in 1955? Should she have gone to the back of the bus and waited for hearts to change in the South? Of course not. She and Dr. Martin Luther King sought to change BOTH hearts and laws and thus restore JUSTICE to all men and women, regardless of color or creed. Why then are Pro-Lifers been told to go to the back of the bus and wait for the hearts of pro-choice pro-abortionists to change? Even the 13th and 15t amendments did not eradicate all forms and instances of racism but the law is still there which the racist cannot deny and if he disobeys can be prosecuted. We need the law of the land, federal and state, to protect the civil and human rights of unborn human children just as we have laws to protect citizens of color, gender and religion. That is serving the COMMON GOOD.