Hollywood Hypocrite

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

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

Missa Pro Defunctis

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


       

Communion of Saints

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

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

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

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

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

Did You Pray for Your Parish Priest Today?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

It's worth a try.

Humanae Vitae Priests - Catholic Online

Humanae Vitae Priests - Catholic Online

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

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

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SANCTE PATER: THE Z-TEAM!

SANCTE PATER: THE Z-TEAM!

Rubric Goombas

   

    

RESCUE INK. 

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

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

Feast of the Holy Archangels Michael, Raphael and Gabriel

    


Holy Archangels Michael, Raphael and Gabriel


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

BUON COMPLEANNO

Lobster fra diavolo: mi piace



Pasta Padre Brighenti & Drs. Keith and Christina Burkhart

Saturday we celebrated the Festa di San Gennaro and the birthday of Dr. Tina Burkhart with a delicious dish of Lobster Fra Diavolo prepared by Chef (and Fr.) Ken Brighenti.

Giada De Laurentiis has some serious competition, let me tell you.

My contribution? Sicilian Blood Orange Screwdrivers. (note the martini glasses) and a chocolate cannoli cake via Vacarro's Pastry Shop.

BTW, we used the home and hospitality of another Physician friend, Dr. Elizabeth Frauenhoffer, to cook and eat this splendid meal. She made an incredible NINE LAYER Hungarian Chocolate cake. Schmeckt sehr gut.

Whenever I read in the Gospel about Jesus visiting the home of Martha, Mary and their brother Lazarus, I think how important it is for us priests to have some good lay friends as well as as our good clergy friends. Our Divine Lord had both in His Apostles and in people like Martha's family. Whenever my mother visits from Erie, I make sure to bring her to my friends' homes (like the Burkhart's, Tom & Carla Lang, Liz Frauenhoffer, etc.) as well as to my priest friends (like Fr. Ken Brighenti, Fr. Dennis Dalessandro, etc.) Then it occurred to me that Jesus most likely did the same and brought His Blessed Mother to meet his friends, too. Although He was a Divine Person with a divine nature, Christ also had a truly human nature also and as the Gospel attest, Our Lord was not a workaholic nor was He all business and no pleasure. He worked but He also relaxed and spent time with family and friends. Remember, His public ministry was only three years. He spent the first thirty in Nazareth with Mary and Joseph. Striking that happy balance is crucial today since we see too many examples of the extremes. Some clergy are spiritual couch potatoes and some are obsessive workaholics. Some, however, try to do as God Himself did, work AND rest. That is why Joy and Sorrow is part of everyone's life, especially a priest (deacon or bishop). His parishioners must work all week and when they come home, there is plenty of housework and chores just as every student has some homework and studying to do. This is why Sunday, the DAY OF THE LORD (Dies Domini) gives us a chance to take a necessary 'time out' and spend some quality time with family and/or friends. It also a day of precept where we are obliged to worship and adore our God via the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Sadly, many people do not MAKE TIME for prayer and worship but have plenty of time for work or leisure. I even know some clergy who busy themselves with many sacerdotal tasks but run out of time by the end of the day and discover they left out prayer. As Mother Teresa told a priest who admitted to being 'too busy to pray' : "If you are too busy to pray, then you are just too busy." She made no accommodations or excuses. IF someone as busy as she was in Calcutta could MAKE and FIND time to pray, especially before the Blessed Sacrament (note that, Fr. McBrien) and then work a full day with the poorest of the poor, then how can ANY of us laity or clergy not do likewise? As we continue the YEAR FOR PRIESTS, please pray for us priests. We NEED it.

CLERGY CONFERENCE IN ROME

 


ATTENTION ALL PRIESTS AND DEACONS (membership in the CCC not required to attend this historic gathering of English speaking Catholic Clergy from the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Great Britain and Ireland):

LAY FAITHFUL: want to give your pastor, parochial vicar, or deacon a once in a lifetime Christmas, ordination or anniversary gift? Offer to pay their conference fee OR airfare so they can attend this wonderful opportunity in the YEAR FOR PRIESTS.  Donations accepted to help those clergy who otherwise would not be able to afford this unique gathering. 

Go to www.catholic-clergy.org

Register online NOW.  If you register before September 25th, you can get the early-bird rate of $800 and save $85 from the regular price. 

Conference Fees INCLUDE accommodation at Casa Bonus Pastor from 4-8 January 2010 and in-house meals only. 

Conference Fees EXCLUDE airfares and on the ground transportation costs.

click here for registration page

Arrive at Casa Bonus Pastor on Monday 4th January.

Conference registration from Noon-4.00pm, with formal commencement and welcome at 4.00pm.

The programme includes the daily celebration of Holy Mass in the great basilicas, and on some days Vespers and Benediction.

Our celebrants will include:

His Eminence, William Cardinal Levada,
His Eminence, Antonio Cardinal Canizares,
His Eminence, James Cardinal Stafford,
His Excellency Archbishop Mauro Piacenza, and
His Excellency Archbishop Raymond Burke.

We hope to be at the Holy Father's Mass on the Solemnity of the Epiphany.

Forty Hours (part III)

During this YEAR FOR PRIESTS, we have meditated these past few days on the intimate union between the priesthood and the Blessed Sacrament. We have looked at how Holy Orders and Holy Eucharist are inseparably connected from their very institution by Our Lord in the Upper Room at the Last Supper. Sunday evening we pondered the mystery of Christ the Priest who SANCTIFIES us with His own Precious Body & Blood, Soul & Divinity. Monday evening we examined the mystery of Christ the Priest who TEACHES us about Divine Love; that it is BOTH possessive AND oblative, as Pope Benedict explained in Deus Caritas Est. The Holy Eucharist is the sacrifice of the Son to the Father so that we may receive salvation, redemption and eternal life. Just as Divine Love gives and receives; just as God wants us to be His children and wants us to be with Him forever, He also gives us His Son as a sign of that love. The Eucharist therefore challenges us to die to self and the surrender our will and allow the will of God to replace ours.

This last evening we shall look at Christ the Priest who shepherds and leads us to Heaven via the Holy Eucharist. The Blessed Sacrament points to our final destiny. We were made for heaven and heaven is where we belong since it is perfect UNION with God. Although Jesus sacrificed His body and blood for us and the Holy Eucharist is most certainly his precious body and blood, soul and divinity, it is not the dead flesh and blood of our Savior we receive in Holy Communion. We are given the RISEN CHRIST, His risen body which is reunited with his blood because HE IS ALIVE. He is no longer dead, but ALIVE. So, in that monstrance on the altar is the RISEN LORD with His Risen Body and Blood in that one Host as He is in every Host and in every drop of the Precious Blood as well.

Saint Thomas Aquinas said in his Summa (III, Q. 73, a. 4) that the Holy Eucharist connects us to the past, present and future. It makes what happened 2,000 years ago in the past, namely, on Holy Thursday and Good Friday, now present to us each time Mass is celebrated. It unites everyone in our present who partakes of Holy Communion as members of one body, the Mystical Body of Christ. It finally points to our future, i.e., to our DESTINATION. The Holy Eucharist is a foretaste of Heaven, which is where we should want to go and end up for all eternity. The Church gives the name VIATICUM to the Holy Eucharist administered to the dying. It is spiritual food FOR THE JOURNEY.

On this feast of the birthday of the Virgin Mary, we are reminded that just a month ago we celebrated the feast of her Assumption. She who was of the earth is now in heaven, thanks to her Son, Jesus Christ. That same Christ present on our altar and in our tabernacle, will also raise us up, body and soul, and will take us up into heaven to be with him forever. The Holy Eucharist is a memorial of what Jesus did in the past on Holy Thursday and Good Friday. It is also spiritual food for us TODAY in the present. But the Holy Eucharist is ultimately the sign and beacon which leads us to our eternal home. It points heavenward. Earthly bread becomes the BREAD FROM HEAVEN. The Holy Eucharist is the RISEN LORD hidden behind the veil of the accidents of bread and wine. Only in heaven will we be able to see him face to face. Yet, what we see before us is no replica and no imitation. IT IS THE LORD HIMSELF. IT IS HIS BODY and BLOOD, SOUL and DIVINITY. The more frequently we spend TIME with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament and the regularly we WORTHILY receive Him in Holy Communion, the better prepared we become for the completion of our journey. We are pilgrims traveling to our destination and Christ gives us His very Body and Blood to nourish and sustain our souls during the voyage. His Mystical Body the Church is the ship which transports us and the Holy Eucharist is also the compass which guides and directs us so we can faithfully follow the maps and charts given us by Divine Revelation.

Cardinal Arinze addressed the Eucharistic Congress in 2004 at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. He said that the Holy Eucharist UNITES HEAVEN AND EARTH. It is the Incarnate Word, the God-Man, Who makes present His Body and Blood in the Holy Eucharist.

The Book of Revelation speaks in prophetic and apocalyptic language with the Jerusalem temple worship as background. But it also speaks of the Church beginning to spread in the world and presents Jesus Christ as the Gospel Lamb, the King of the universe, the High Priest, the Lord of history and the immaculate Victim on his throne.

In the Apocalypse, divine worship is praise of heaven begun on earth. The cult images are powerful and clearly liturgical. Examples are adoration of the immolated Lamb on his throne, hymns and canticles, acclamations of the crowds of the elect dressed in white, descent of the Church of heaven on earth, the Jerusalem of which the Lord Jesus is the temple. And the people are a priestly and royal one. The visions recall many cult elements: seven candlesticks (seven sacraments), the long white robes of the Son of Man and of the old men and of the Saints (white albs), the altar, the Amen and the exultant Alleluia ...

The Holy Eucharist brings us to tend towards the life to come. “When you eat this bread, then, and drink this cup, you are proclaiming the Lord’s death until he comes”, St. Paul tells the Corinthians. Christ promised his Apostles his own joy so that their joy may be complete. The Eucharist is a foretaste of this joy. It is a confident waiting “in joyful hope for the coming of our Saviour, Jesus Christ”.

When we receive Jesus in Holy Communion one of the results is that we get a pledge of eternal life, of our bodily resurrection, since Jesus promised that those who so receive him in this sacrament have eternal life and he will raise them up at the last day. Therefore St. Ignatius of Antioch called Holy Communion “a medicine of immortality, and antidote of death”

Scott Hahn and others have interpreted the allegory in the apocalyptic literature of the Book of Revelation to represent the Divine Liturgy IN HEAVEN, especially at the end of time. The symbols and metaphors used are not just clandestine ways to escape Roman persecution. They also POINT TOWARD the ultimate DESTINY of man. Heaven is a continuous celebration of the worship and adoration of the Holy Trinity. It is a perpetual liturgy where the angels and saints give continuous praise to the Lord.

While we sojourn here on earth as on pilgrimage, we are given the Holy Eucharist as a beacon of light to guide us to our journey's end. It is food for today to give strength in the spiritual war of good vs evil but it is also food for others and food for the journey from this world to the next. This then explains what Jesus meant when he said "He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood shall have eternal life."

Forty Hours (part II)

MONDAY

Christ the Priest SANCTIFIES us by Divine Grace, via the Sacraments, especially the Blessed Sacrament, which IS His Body & Blood, Soul & Divinity. He also TEACHES us through this august sacrament. We are taught the mystery of Divine Love.

Pope Benedict expounded on this in his first encyclical DEUS CARITAS EST. Scripture tells us that God IS love. Unfortunately, many people are ignorant of what real love is about. The secular world treats love as though a commodity you can buy and sell on eBay or the Internet. The worldly see loves as merely something physical or biological. They reduce love to the sex act. Animals have sex but they do not so so to express love. Their animal instinct moves them to copulate and reproduce and thus continue the species. Human beings, however, are made in the image and likeness of God. Therefore, human sexuality is HOLY and SACRED when done properly. Human sexuality is the sign of the covenant between man and woman to live as husband and wife. Recreational, extra-marital, pre-marital and contaceptive sex (as well as homosexual sex) are all wrong, sinful and immoral because they distort the original design of the Creator. God created human sexuality to express the total commitment of husband and wife to live a permanent, faithful and fruitful union. Selfish love is not love, it is self-gratification. REAL LOVE is better.

Pope Benedict reminded us that real love is BOTH possessive (eros) AND oblative (agape). It is willing to GIVE as well as RECEIVE. Real Love is willing and capable of making SACRIFICE, again and again. It also is patient to endure and it never gives up and never quits.

Possessive love is reflected in the Holy Eucharist in that Jesus fulfills the request made at Emmaus "mane nobiscum Domine" (stay with us Lord). Providentially, this was the last letter Pope John Paul the Great wrote before his death. It was on the Holy Eucharist. Jesus loves us so much, He wants to BE with us and He wants us to BE WITH Him. When a couple is in love, they spend time together. They dislike being apart. They long for the time they can reunite. Likewise, Jesus loves us so much, He says "I am with you always" How is He with us always if He ascended into heaven? He is WITH US in His Real Presence. He is THERE in the Blessed Sacrament. He is THERE in the Tabernacle, 24/7.

When asked 'how are we to pray?', Christ replies, "say, OUR Father, who art in heaven, ..." Note the possessive pronoun OUR. You and I can rightfully say OUR Father since we are adopted children of God by virtue of our baptism. We can and must say that Christ is OUR brother. That is healthy possessive love. But if love only remains possessive, it will deteriorate eventually and become selfish love. Here is where the pornographic distortion of eros occurs and what the world calls 'erotic love' is nothing more than self-satisfaction. It is NOT love since it is not centered on the relationship; rather, it is centered on the ME (the ego).

Yet the Holy Father says that God shows possessive (eros) love in that He wants to have us with him for eternity. "I will be YOUR God and you will be MY people." Jesus said he was building HIS Church and Saint Paul says WE are the Mystical Body of Christ, the living Church on earth. The Holy Eucharist UNITES the believers as ONE.

The other necessary element of love is oblative (sacrificial). God so loved the world that he GAVE us His only begotten Son. The Son so loved us that He gave His very life for us. The lover is willing to surrender, to give, to sacrifice for the other. That is agape love as opposed to eros love which is the having and receiving aspect of love.

The Holy Eucharist is not only the means by which we RECEIVE Jesus, it is also the sacrifice He makes on our behalf. Christ willingly gave up His life in atonement for our sins. He ransomed us from the Devil. He sacrificed His body and blood on the Cross. Even the elements Jesus used at the Last Supper which every priest continues to use today at every Mass: wheat bread and grape wine; these are fruits of SACRIFICE. Grains of wheat must be GROUND and PULVERIZED to become flour before combining with water and baked in the oven to become bread. Likwise, grapes must be CRUSHED and juice feremented before becoming wine. You and I must be willing to be GROUND and to be CRUSHED; to be BROKEN and POURED OUT just as Jesus was.

The Holy Eucharist is above all else a sacrifice (Dominicae Cenae #9) There can be no Sacrament without a Sacrifice. Possessive love NEEDS oblative love to complete and perfect it. It is not a matter of EITHER ... OR but a matter of BOTH ... AND that is, true real love is BOTH possessive and oblative. It gives and receives.

We receive Jesus in Holy Communion but we must also SURRENDER (give) our wills to be replaced by His will. "Take up your cross daily and follow me" is about SACRIFICE. It is sacrificial love, which every parent knows well. When you have children they demand you give up your free time to care for them. But as they grow up, they must learn the value of giving as well as receiving. As they enjoy the fruits of YOUR sacrifice, they need to cultivate a desire to sacrifice FOR others.

Hence, the Holy Eucharist is the plenitude and plethora, the epitome and quintessence of Divine Love, possessive and oblative. When we make a small sacrifice and take time out of our busy schedules to make a visit to the Blessed Sacrament, the fruit of our offering will be the quality time we are now able to spend in the Real Presence of our Lord and Savior.

Unless the grain of wheat dies, it cannot bear fruit. We must die to self and sacrifice our will and allow the Will of God to fill the void. In a secular era where pleasure and convenience are almost deities unto themselves, human beings NEED to know how fragile life is and how precious and valuable real sacrifice can be. Nothing of value is free. Salvation and redemption had a high price. The Messiah died FOR us so we could OBTAIN eternal life. We need the Eucharist to sustain our ability to balance possessive and oblative love in our own lives.

40 Hours Eucharistic Devotions

I have the honor and privilege of preaching the parish Forty Hours in my friend's (Fr. Luis Rodriguez) church (Mary Mother of the Church, Mt Joy, PA) Sun-Tue, Sep. 6-8. Here is a summary of my talk:

SUNDAY

Since our Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI has declared this to be the Year for Priests, it would be helpful for us to meditate on the connection and bond between the Blessed Sacrament and the Priesthood; between the Holy Eucharist and Holy Orders. Without a valid priesthood, there can be no valid Eucharist. Only validly ordained priests can confect the Blessed Sacrament by using valid matter, form and intention. Likewise, the very raison d'être of the Priesthood is the Holy Eucharist. We priests are ordained to celebrate the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. The other things we do, while important, can be done by others. Deacons can baptize and witness marriages. They can proclaim the Gospel and preach the homily. Laity can also teach as catechists and they can visit the sick and give spiritual direction. While only priests and bishops can absolve sins in the sacrament of Penance, in periculo mortis whenever there is no priest available, a person can make a PERFECT ACT OF CONTRITION which will suffice. However, when there is no priest, there is no Eucharist. Extraordinary Ministers can only give Holy Communion after a priest has consecrated hosts beforehand.

It was no coincidence that Our Divine Lord instituted BOTH Holy Orders and Holy Eucharist at the same time (Last Supper).

As we enter into the annual Forty Hours Devotions for this parish, let us focus on the mystery of the Holy Eucharist and Holy Orders; on the Blessed Sacrament and the Priesthood. Specifically, we will look at the way in which Christ the Priest via the Holy Eucharist continues His priesthood to sanctify, to teach and to shepherd His people.

The Holy Eucharist is the source and summit of Christian life, the Second Vatican Council tells us (Lumen Gentium #11). The Catechism teaches us:

1391 Holy Communion augments our union with Christ. The principal fruit of receiving the Eucharist in Holy Communion is an intimate union with Christ Jesus. Indeed, the Lord said: "He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him." Life in Christ has its foundation in the Eucharistic banquet: "As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats me will live because of me."

On the feasts of the Lord, when the faithful receive the Body of the Son, they proclaim to one another the Good News that the first fruits of life have been given, as when the angel said to Mary Magdalene, "Christ is risen!" Now too are life and resurrection conferred on whoever receives Christ.

1392 What material food produces in our bodily life, Holy Communion wonderfully achieves in our spiritual life. Communion with the flesh of the risen Christ, a flesh "given life and giving life through the Holy Spirit," preserves, increases, and renews the life of grace received at Baptism. This growth in Christian life needs the nourishment of Eucharistic Communion, the bread for our pilgrimage until the moment of death, when it will be given to us as viaticum.

1393 Holy Communion separates us from sin. The body of Christ we receive in Holy Communion is "given up for us," and the blood we drink "shed for the many for the forgiveness of sins." For this reason the Eucharist cannot unite us to Christ without at the same time cleansing us from past sins and preserving us from future sins:

For as often as we eat this bread and drink the cup, we proclaim the death of the Lord. If we proclaim the Lord's death, we proclaim the forgiveness of sins. If, as often as his blood is poured out, it is poured for the forgiveness of sins, I should always receive it, so that it may always forgive my sins. Because I always sin, I should always have a remedy.

1394 As bodily nourishment restores lost strength, so the Eucharist strengthens our charity, which tends to be weakened in daily life; and this living charity wipes away venial sins. By giving himself to us Christ revives our love and enables us to break our disordered attachments to creatures and root ourselves in him

Christ the Priest SANCTIFIES us through His Precious Body & Blood, Soul & Divinity. We are made holy by what and whom we receive. Our intimate contact and indeed UNION WITH (communio) THE Holy of Holies; the Holy Trinity, sanctifies us by just being in the presence and proximity to the fullness of all holiness. Since Holy Communion IS the real, true and substantial Body & Blood, Soul & Divinity of Christ, we can and rightfully must say that the Holy Eucharist IS God Himself. As we cannot separate the Divine Persons of the Trinity, where one is, there are all three. If Jesus, the Son, is really present in the Holy Eucharist, then so are God the Father and God the Holy Spirit. Look at the holiness of the Blessed Virgin Mary. She was preserved from all sin by a special singular grace but she was also the closest human being to Jesus Christ. Not just geographically but spiritually and emotionally as well. The closer you get to pure holiness, the more you feel and you become sanctified by what you are approaching.

Not only is there physical contact (eating the Host) and spiritual (sacred food for the soul) but there is also a UNITY of all the parts of the Mystical Body. Just as the heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, bones, brain, etc. are connected and WORK AS ONE under the guidance of the soul (intellect & will), so, too, the Mystical Body of Christ directs and unites all the parts (you and I and all the baptized). We are made holy by our contact with the Lord God Himself.

This is why frequent (and worthy) reception of Holy Communion is ESSENTIAL. Frequent and regular visits to the Blessed Sacrament (perpetual adoration) SANCTIFIES us and makes us HOLY. When Catholics stay away from the Holy Eucharist, they deprive their soul of necessary grace just as depriving lungs of needed air or depriving the heart of needed blood.

Well Said

Fr Roger Landry of Fall River has an excellent editorial on the Kennedy funeral



http://catholicpreaching.com/index.php?content=articles&articles=20090904anchor

What ???

OK, we knew that pastoral sensitivity for the grieving and mourning family precluded any stern admonitions of the late Senator Ted Kennedy's inexcusable pro-abortion stance at his funeral. Yet, we did not expect nor deserve the bizarre liturgical aberrations witnessed at the funeral liturgy, either.

The symbols, gestures and prayers of the Catholic funeral rite speak for themselves and do not need extraneous diatribe. The Roman Ritual (Ordinary or Extraordinary) has a very brief prayer before the casket is sprinkled with holy water to remind us of baptism and the placing of the funeral pall, another reminder of baptism and the resurrection of the body on the last day. The priest who said the opening prayer, however, had some extra verbiage which always spurs on the question, why? The Funeral Mass of Christian Burial is the SAME for a Senator or a citizen; a general or a private; an admiral or a sailor. SAY THE BLACK AND DO THE RED is what should have been done across the board.

The homily is NOT to be a eulogy but a theological meditation on the mystery of life, death and resurrection. It almost sounded like a canonization ceremony which is too common as it is already in many parishes. While prudence and pastoral compassion prevented a reading of the spiritual riot act for the Senator's obstinate support of abortion legislation, nevertheless, it was more than mere negligence to completely omit ANY mention of purgatory or the power of intercessory prayer FOR the dead. I pray and hope that Ted died in the state of grace with all his sins forgiven. At the same time, too many Catholics and other Christians overlook the reality that we are all sinners. Ted made mistakes, as did you and I. He sinned, as do you and I. Even if, God willing, he died with true repentance, the horror of millions of unborn babies being killed by abortion thanks to his legislative cooperation requires some purgation.

Even President Obama was more Catholic in his eulogy (which should not take place after Communion or in Church but should be done at the funeral parlor the night before OR at the graveside AFTER the burial services are concluded) where he delicately stated that Senator Kennedy was not perfect and he did make some imprudent decisions as well as some regrettable choices. The priest who preached could have used the golden opportunity to explain WHY we Catholic Christians BURY our dead (doctrine of the resurrection) and WHY we PRAY for the dead (doctrine of purgatory and doctrine of the communion of saints). Many Catholics and Protestants have embraced the heretical notions of reincarnation or that there is no hell let alone a purgatory. He could have briefly mentioned the beautiful theology by which the love we experience on earth does not unravel with death; that the dead in purgatory or heaven still love us and we love them. They pray for us and we pray for them (those in purgatory since those in heaven need nothing.)

Rather, we got a typical travelogue on the accomplishments of a US Senator. Fine, we do that at most funerals since the sad reality is that many of the deceased we bury are not regular church going Catholics who come every weekend or everyweekday to Mass or who go to confession once a month or more. You cannot say Fred or Barney were devout Catholics if they missed Mass on a regular basis. You cannot say Wilma or Betty were pillars of the parish if they were also radical feminists who supported Planned Parenthood. Yes, a few of the authentic devout Catholics do die and the parish is at a great loss when it happens. Sadly, we have more clergy and laity who are just NICE and who live a GOOD and decent life. But Jesus, the Bible and His Holy Church tell us poignantly and bluntly that one must become HOLY to enter heaven.

Gratia non tollit sed perfecit naturam, Aquinas said (grace does not destroy but perfects nature). Hence, we must first cultivate a VIRTUOUS life before we can adequately develop a life of HOLINESS and SANCTITY. Supernature builds upon nature. Holiness begins with goodness. We've lowered the standards, however, over the past 50 years so that people no longer fear hell but presume most if not everyone is going to heaven.

Only the good, just and merrciful Lord can and will judge Sen. Ted Kennedy, for all his good deeds and all his bad ones. For the sins of comission and omission; for his spiritual and corporal works of mercy.

Even the holiest person wants their surviving family and friends to PRAY FOR THEM after they die. No wonder the number of requests for Mass intentions has fallen dramatically these past 25 years. If everyone goes directly to heaven, why do they need a Mass for their immortal soul? Why bother with a wake service or rosary the night before? Why even have a Funeral Mass? I hate to say it, but all too often, even regular, Sunday church going Catholics do not always have a Funeral Mass before their burial. Some of the adult children who no longer practice or who are in their second or third invalid marriage and cannot receive Holy Communion tell the undertaker to tell the priest, WE DON'T WANT A MASS just a short prayer service at the parlor or at the grave.

The Catholic practice of having Masses offered FOR the souls of the faithful departed goes back to Apostolic times. When some of the lapsi (Christians who denied their faith during the time of Roman persecutions) repented and came back to the Church, they very much wanted prayers and Masses offered for them POST MORTEM (after death). The efficacy of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is beyond our feeble understanding.

But, no, Father had to wax eloquently on the private and political life of a US Senator. Everyone in that church knew he supported abortion most if not all his political life and that is formal cooperation in evil. We give him the benefit of the doubt that he had final penitence and made a good confession before receiving the last rites. If God willing he did die repentant, his soul might and most probably would need some cleansing (purgation) for all the children who died in the womb thanks to his legislation. If he is in Purgatory, he WANTS and NEEDS our prayers. Yet, from what we heard at the funeral homily, his good work for the poor outweighed and trumped any sins he may have committed. He most likely did do more good than evil but unless someone is declared a saint by the pope, we HOPE the person is either IN heaven or WILL BE in heaven (since they are preparing themselves in Purgatory).

The Prayers of the Faithful were the next attrocity. It is nice that each member of his family participated, HOWEVER, using Ted Kennedy's own words as substitutes for licit petitions is just WRONG. At least one or two of them were blatant, political and partisan slogans and NOT appropriate as prayers of the faithful, which, by the way, are in the same Funeral Ritual which tells the priest what to say and do IF he says the black and obeys the red.

The cameras conspicuously avoided showing us WHO went and received Holy Communion, unlike previous Papal Masses in the USA where notorious pro-abortion politicians approached and were given the Blessed Sacrament. We hope and pray that did not happen at the funeral Mass. The USCCB statement, while accurate, needs to be EDITED. The first line says 'we welcome everyone to this Eucharistic celebration' and only in the THIRD paragraph does it mention that the Church is unable to offer Communion to those who are not IN communion with the Catholic Church. It should say that in the FIRST paragraph AND in the FIRST line. 'While we regret we cannot give Communion to non-Catholics or Catholics not properly disposed, it is not because we are making an moral or spiritual judgment, rather, the tradition and doctrine of the Catholic (and Eastern Orthodox) Churches has been and remains that being IN communion is a prerequisite to RECEIVING Communion. In other words, one must be united with the Catholic Church in ALL of her teachings (doctrine) on faith and morals; be united with the Catholic Church in ALL her laws (discipline); be united with ALL her legitimate authorities, namely, the Pope and Bishops united with him (hierarchy); and be united with ALL seven sacraments and the Church's liturgies (divine worship). We hope and pray for the day when all Christians will be united de facto in word and sacrament under one shepherd at which time we can fully share Holy Communion. In the meantime, we respectfully ask that you respect our traditions and beliefs and if not a Catholic in full communion and in the state of grace and properly disposed, please do not come up to receive Communion BUT pray for greater unity among the churches so that one day all may be one. Thank you for your invaluable assistance and cooperation." or words to that effect.

I do not think Senator Kennedy should have been denied a Funeral or a Funeral Mass but I expected more adherence to the official rubrics of the Roman Ritual which apply to everyone, Senator, Congressman, Governor, President or just any regular citizen, be it Joe the Plumber or Bob the Autoworker. I do not think every jot and tittle of this funeral liturgy were given advance warning to His Emminence the Cardinal Archbishop of Boston. The priests who were celebrant and homilist and who prepared the liturgy knew what they were doing. Yes, by all means give the man a decent funeral and show the non-Catholic world the sublime beauty of the Catholic funeral rites. But follow the book and realize that next week and next month, pastors all over America are going to get bizarre requests for funerals of their loved ones based on what was seen on television.

Personally, I would have worn violet or purple or black vestments, to show mourning of Holy Mother Church over the death of one of her children AND to instill some sober thoughts of penance and praying for the dead that their sins be forgiven. The white pall and holy water and Easter (Paschal) Candle all represent the joy of Resurrection. But even Our Blessed Lord WEPT at the grave of Lazarus His dear friend, moments before He raised him from the dead. Often, the white vestments and the near canonization of the deceased at the homily eclipse any thought of praying FOR the deceased. Yet, that is our PRIMARY reason for Funeral Masses and the SECONDARY is the consolation of the grieving and mourning survivors, not vice versa.

Another reason eulogies do not belong at the tailend of a Catholic Funeral Mass is often the family and friends of the deceased who do speak either do so unintelligibly due to grief and cannot be understood OR they espouse totally non-Christian ideas about life after death. I have heard too many eulogies where the person speaking asked the congregation to keep the deceased 'alive in our memories.' The deceased IS alive even if our memories fail us and we forget. The immortal soul NEVER DIES and the body we commend to the earth with burial will be resurrected on the Last Day and reunited with its original soul. I don't get the impression that a lot of 'Christians' still believe that, however. Often, you get the impression from what they say that being a nice guy was the most important thing so that everyone liked you and therefore they will remember you fondly. That is NOT Chritian theology. We believe that we are made in the image and likeness of God; that we are made of a body and soul which is temporarily separated at death but will be reunited at the Resurrection of the Dead when Jesus returns for His Second Coming to Judge the living and the dead at the end of the world. Once created at CONCEPTION, every human being has an immortal soul which never dies and will spend eternity in heaven or hell. Our goal and mission in life is to discern the will of God and then do it so we can be with Him forever. God made us to KNOW, LOVE and SERVE HIM IN THIS LIFE SO AS TO BE HAPPY WITH HIM FOREVER IN THE NEXT LIFE. That is much more and is more profound than a simple fond memory in the brains of our relatives and friends, is it not? I agree that Ted Kennedy's accomplishments and the good he did be told and revealed to the public. We must also admit he was wrong to support abortion and we ought to presume he made peace with God before his death and repent of his past sins. If he made a good confession and was anointed, he still deserves our PRAYERS just in case there was still some temporal punishment due to sin left on his soul. I prayed for the soul of beloved brother Michael today. He would have been 43 years old August 29th had he not died of Muscular Dystrophy at the age of 26. He sufferend immensely from his disease with several painful operations, leg braces, wheelchair and being bedridden at the end. His cross was a million times heavier than anything I have ever been asked to endure my entire life. But I still have a Mass offered for his soul and I pray for his soul, and the soul of my other departed brother Joe, my departed sister Mary and my beloved father, John Trigilio, Sr. All of them were much holier and far better persons than I will ever be but I still pray FOR them and ask that they do likewise and pray FOR ME.

Catholic RAP is not my cup of tea but 'de gustibus non disputandum est'

Found this, too, on the Hermeneutic of Continuity Blog. While I am with Fr Finigan in terms of musical preference, it is still refreshing to actually hear orthodox lyrics and see edifying pictures while listening to 'rap'. Maybe some of our Catholic Youth will be spared the Dark Side of the Force their parent's generation endured when there was heterodox teaching from the pulpit and fluff in the catechisms. (pre-JP2)

Ain't That True

from the Hermeneutic of Continuity

Quote of the day

Well my evening was already good with Rosary and Benediction well attended. This put the icing on the cake :-)

“If St. John Vianney himself were in many of our American parishes there would be an abundance of letters from concerned parishioners about the direction in which he was taking the parish.”    Bishop Robert Vasa

Rest in Peace

 

No matter what your opinion of Senator Ted Kennedy, Christian charity demands we pray for the repose of his immortal soul and for his grieving family.  It is also bad form to speak ill of the dead, especially before they are buried. I have no desire to go through a litany of issues I feel the Senator was on the wrong side of the fence. His political affiliation was different than my own.  de gustibus non disputandum est. While I feel it is inappropriate and improper to demonize someone just as they leave this earth to meet their particular judgment, at the same time, it is important that his supporters not canonize him this week, either. His accomplishments need to be noted.  He did write and support legislation for the poor and disadvantaged.  He did help the working man by supporting unions. There was a lot of good the man did.  While we can quibble about economic policies and political stategies, one sad reality remains.  Like other Catholic politicians, Kennedy supported abortion. There is a latitude of debate on health care, the economy, the environment, defense, the war on terrorism, immigration, public education (and vouchers for parochial schools), et al.  Where there is no gray area and no room for compromise, however, is the right to life, especially the innocent unborn.  I will pray for Senator Kennedy's soul because only the Good Lord can and will judge his motives and actions.  We who remain here on earth, however, cannot take comfort when any of our elected public officials espouse our holy religion and defy our most sacred tenet, that innocent human life must always be protected.  Patrick Madrid wrote an excellent response to an article in America Magazine. While, I, too, could empathize with Senator Kennedy since we both buried two brothers and a sister, I could not identify with his staunch pro-abortion position. While it is laudable to fight for the rights of women and minorities, the right to life is a basic and inalienable right which no person or group has the authority to rescind. Whether we call them zygotes, embryos or fetuses, those unborn are HUMAN and they are human beings with an immortal soul, made in the image and likeness of God.

We should acknowledge the good done by this public servant.  We should not trash him the very week he died, least of all until his funeral Mass and Christian burial.  Once the mourning subsides, however, we cannot let history be silent about the facts.  Good was done but also much harm to the pro-life cause. I truly pray that in the midst of his terrible suffering from cancer, the Senator found full repentance and firm purpose of amendment for his prior support of abortion.  I hope and pray he died in the state of grace with all his sins forgiven.  That should always be our prayer for everyone who dies.

Sadly, as a priest, I have seen too many funerals become canonization events where the person is literally declared present in heaven because he or she was a 'good' person or because 'we all end up in the same place, don't we?'  Nothing could be farther from the truth.  Being 'good' or just being a 'nice' guy will NOT get you into heaven. One must be HOLY to enter the Holy of Holies.  Holiness comes from grace which comes from God. Look at the obituaries in your local paper today.  Most if not all tell you esoteric things about the deceased like: they belonged to the Rotary Club, or the Elks, the Moose, Loyal Order of Waterbuffalos, etc.  He or she liked fishing, shopping, travel, sewing, playing cards, ice cream cones, etc. They tell os of mundate and trite things the person did. The most important aspect, however, is not their extracurricular activities, their employment or their social life.  Bottom line is their FAITH.  Did they BELIEVE in God?  Did they faithfully WORSHIP him every day and every Sunday?  Did they OBEY his moral laws and Ten Commandments?  Yes, I agree that those who served our nation and defended her in times of war and peace via our military ought to be recognized.  That is a commendable act of patriotism.  But we also need to hear about those brave souls who bore the cross of Christ in their own bodies and did so with dignity and deep faith.  We need to hear about the sacrifices made for marriage and the family.  We need to hear about those who struggled and persevered to live a devout life close to their God. I would rather read that than see a bunch of hooey telling me the hobbies of a dead person.

The doctrine of Purgatory is GREAT.  It allows us to be purified when we are not fully detached from all stain of sin.  The temporal punishment due to sin for an entire lifetime may be great or it may be small.  While most of us are not Mother Teresas ready for the Pearly Gates the day we die, hopefully we are not Lucifers either, ready for the pain and torments of hell either.  Purgatory is where most of hope to end up with the sure and certain hope we will eventually get to Paradise. Whatever sins we may have committed in life can still be remitted while there is still air in our lungs and blood being pumped from our heart. Pray for the dead and pray for the conversion of sinners. The battle to end abortion and euthanasia is far from over.

USCCB - Roman Missal | Assembly

USCCB - Roman Missal | Assembly

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USCCB - Roman Missal | Celebrants

USCCB - Roman Missal | Celebrants

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Wedding Garment

Today's Gospel was the parable about the wedding garment, or lack thereof. Although other guests had been invited to the wedding feast, all of them backed out and refused to attend. The host then told his servants to get other guests from the highways and bi-ways. Finally, anyone on the street was invited, including one fellow at the last minute. But he entered without wearing a 'wedding garment'. When the host spotted a guest not in proper attire, he asked him about it. The Scriptures say the man was 'reduced to silence.' HE HAD NO ANSWER.

Today, many feel bad for the poor fellow and wonder why he was so roughly treated (bound hand and foot and thrown outside). Unlike the first invited guests, this guy had no advance notice. He was asked at the last minute. So why expect him to be dressed up? Well, our society and culture does not get it. At the time of Jesus, EVERY Jew had and was expected to have a 'wedding garment' to be worn at weddings and other formal religious celebrations. It did not matter how much it cost nor did it matter what material it was made from. What mattered was that you, as an invited guest, showed RESPECT to the host by wearing this garment. Rich people would obviously have expensive and designer garments, but even the poorest Jew had a simple, inexpensive but decent wedding garment. To arrive without one was an INSULT. And as the man was 'reduced to silence' he, too, knew that he had no valid or legitimate excuse.

People today have trouble with this parable. We live in a SUPER, ULTRA-casual age. Formality is passe. When I was growing up, we had "church clothes" which were worn every Sunday to go to Mass. We would never have been allowed to leave the house and to church wearing 'blue jeans' and a 'tee-shirt.' Today, every Tom, Dick and Harry, from teenagers to middle-agers to the elderly; all wear blue jeans and sneakers to Mass, be it during the week or on the weekend.

One summer I celebrated Mass several times for an African-American parish in Erie. Mostly poor people on public assistance, yet EVERY Sunday, a full crowd would come to Mass and 'dressed to the nines'. EVERY woman had a chapel veil or white hat and wore gloves; EVERY man wore a button dress shirt, tie and suit jacket. NO EXCEPTIONS. They wore their 'church clothes' because it was a great honor and privilege to go the the Lord's House as His guest of honor. Their reverence and piety put the rest of the parishes in the diocese to shame. No one came late and no one dared leave early from Mass. Their attire and their demeanor was one of LOVING RESPECT. I was in awe and edified each time I celebrated Mass for them.

Then I go to suburbia and see Super Casual take over like an Ecoli epidemic. Every school and place of employment now has 'dress down' days. When dressed up, in formal or business ware, the idea of LOOKING special helped people to do their job WELL.

Sunday was (and still is) DIES DOMINI (the day of the Lord). Gone is the family meal when everyone gathered around the table for a home cooked meal. Now, each person goes to his or her own parish or church (if they go at all) and meals are like the rest of the week: on your own or microwaved frozen food. Me and my brothers, however, went to Mass every Sunday with our mom and dad as a family and then we had an afternoon meal at grandma's (which usually lasted until the evening). Usually five to seven courses of pasta and meats with various vegetables, it was expected that everyone be there and likewise it was expected that one had gone to Mass beforehand. We had to dress for church and for Nonna's house. Play clothes could be worn AFTER the meal, but never during. Men wore button shirts and slacks and you could take off your tie and jacket EXCEPT for holidays like Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter. Jacket and tie, though, were worn for church just as the women were expected to wear a dress and some head covering, from a hat to a chapel veil.

That formality was important because it conveyed a sense of DIGNITY and RESPECT for God and for home; for faith and for family. Home was the domestic church and the local parish was the divine church. Both were sacred in their own right. Paper plates and plastic ware and paper napkins were never used on Sundays or holidays, either. Linen tablecloths and metal flatware and cloth napkins every weekend.

When the extreme-casual craze hit church, we saw the demise of the burse and veil on the chalice, the absence of the amice and cincture, the pedestrian vestments and banal music. I noticed that I myself needed to make Sunday special even as a parish priest. If I did, maybe my parishioners would follow suit. So, I've made an effort to wear my cassock or my suit jacket whenever seen outside of Mass on Sundays. I wear my french cuff long sleeve shirts under my alb and have a separate set of vestments just worn on Sundays and Holydays and a simpler set for weekdays. I always use the burse and veil but on Sundays, we light ALL the candles (like the old High Mass of the EF). I chant more of the prayers at the Sunday Mass, like the Our Father, opening and closing prayers, preface, etc. Outside of Ordinary Time I use incense, too.  Just little ways to convey that the DAY OF THE LORD is special in church and at home. I schedule no meetings or appointments on Sunday and visit the sick on other days of the week (unless an emergency, of course)

Weekday Mass is not sloppy by any means but besides the omission of the Gloria, Creed and second reading before the Gospel, I want to subtly convey the importance of Sunday Mass while at the same time preserving the awesome respect and reverence for ANY and EVERY Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. So, the proper vestments are always worn and no illicit shortcuts taken.

What happens in the homes I do not know but several new families to the parish have told me that they are returning to their former practice of making Sunday special as a family. Going to Mass together, dressing up in church clothes and sharing a decent meal in a dignified manner that same day. It takes effort but it is worth it.

Back to Priest-School Week

While my classmate Father Ken Brighenti begins his new assignment this week on the faculty of Mount Saint Mary Seminary, it brings back memories of my twelve years of seminary formation (high school, college and major theology).

Some of my colleagues were blessed to attend such outstanding institutions as Mount Saint Marys (Emmitsburg, MD); Saint Joseph's Dunwoodie (Yonkers, NY); Saint Charles Borromeo in Overbrook (Philadelphia, PA).  Some attended less orthodox and more esoteric locations:




 

Some priests attended a "Country Club" seminary


while some attended a "Rock"

  


(either one better than a "pink palace")

Pope calls Priests to Love Mary and Grow in Holiness

CASTEL GANDOLFO (AsiaNews) -

There is a deep relationship, "a nexus" between the Jesus’ Mother and the priesthood, between Mary and all the priests who, like St. John, "are called to accept her into their home," which means "make her part of the dynamism of their entire existence, in all that constitutes the horizon of their apostolate."

This was Benedict XVI’s message on the eve of the Solemnity of the Assumption, in this Year for Priests, to 4 thousand people in the inner courtyard of the papal palace of Castel Gandolfo for the general audience and to the thousands who, unable to fit into the inner courtyard, were in the square outside.

At the end of the meeting, the Pope also expressed his "spiritual closeness" to "many people in recent days that have been affected by the violent typhoon in the Philippines, Taiwan, in some provinces of south-eastern China and in Japan, a country, also tried by a strong earthquake”. “I call on everyone to pray for them - he added - and for those who lost their lives. I hope that the relief of solidarity and the help of material aid will not be lacking”.

Speaking to those present, the Pope also pointed to the mystery of the Incarnation, "God does not act against our freedom" and that when he decided to become man "he needed the yes of his creatures” he was “dependent on the yes of one of his creatures”.

The Incarnation, he then said, "is intended from the outset as a gift of self", so "sacrifice, the priesthood and Incarnation go together and Mary is at the heart of this mystery”.

Benedict XVI continued, saying that from the cross, Jesus sees his Mother and the beloved apostle, a very important individual, but more important he is a prefiguration of all loved people, all the disciples and especially all priests. " "It's a kind of testament”, Jesus entrusts his mother to the care of the disciple to his mother this child.

Following in the footsteps of St. John, for the priest "is not a formal thing”, but the call to introduce Mary "into the dynamism of ones entire existence, in all that constitutes the horizon of ones apostolate”. It is thus easy to understand the primary source, “the fundamental reason for the predilection Mary feels for each one of them, because just as Jesus was, they too are close to her heart, because like her they are committed to witnessing and spreading the saving love of Christ in the world. "

August 4th - Feast of Saint John Mary Vianney (universal patron of all priests)

PRAYER FOR THE YEAR FOR PRIESTS


Lord Jesus,

In Saint John Mary Vianney you have deigned to give the Church a living image of yourself and a personification of your pastoral charity.

Help us during this Year for Priests to live good lives by being close to him and his example.

Grant that we may learn from the saintly Curé of Ars how to rest contentedly before the Holy Eucharist; to know that only your Word enlightens us each day; to know how tender is the love with which you welcome repentant sinners; how consoling is the confident abandonment to the care of the Holy and Immaculate Mother; how necessary is the ever-vigilant battle against Evil.

Grant, O Lord Jesus, that from the example of the holy Curé our young men may once again realise how necessary, humble and glorious is the priestly ministry which you wish to entrust to those who open themselves to your call.

Grant also to our communities - as once your did at Ars - those wonders of grace which you bring about when a priest knows to “make his parish a place of love”.

Grant that our Christian families may find their home to be within the Church – where your ministers may always be found – and that they may enrich the domestic hearth with the beauty of the Church.

Grant that the Charity of our pastors may enliven and enkindle the Charity of all the faithful, so that every vocation and every charism, given by your Holy Spirit, may be welcomed and honoured.

But above all, O Lord Jesus, bestow upon us the ardour and truth of the heart that we may come before your Heavenly Father, making our own the same words that St. John Mary Vianney prayed to Him:

I love You, O my God and my sole desire is to love You until the last breath of my life.
I love You, O infinitely lovable God and I prefer to die loving You than live one instant without loving You.
I love You, O my God, and I do not desire anything but heaven so as to have the joy of loving You perfectly.
I love You, O my God, and I fear hell, because there will not be the sweet consolation of loving You.
O my God, if my tongue cannot say in every moment that I love You, I want my heart to say it in every beat.
Allow me the grace to suffer loving You, to love you suffering and one day to die loving You and feeling that I love You.
And as I approach my end, I beg you to increase and perfect my love of You.
AMEN.

Original Sin

There but for the grace of God go I

That familiar proverb was spoken often in the seminary in the old days. In this YEAR FOR PRIESTS it is no less true now than ever before.

In the aftermath of the clergy sex scandal we now know there have been some spiritually dysfunctional priests and bishops and even a few truly bad, evil and rotten ones who either committed heinous immoral acts on innocent children OR who culpably ignored or covered up the problem. Yet, Church history has shown there have always been periods of great sanctity and piety and periods of decadence and degradation. Human history has shown that vile acts of evil have been done by parents, siblings, teachers, coaches, scoutmasters, doctors, neighbors, etc., as well as by members of the clergy or religious life (of every religion and denomination, too). While there can never be any excuse or toleration of child abuse, be it physical, emotional, sexual or otherwise, sadly, it happens just as we see instances of rape, incest, and murder in every part of the planet being committed by rich and poor alike; believers and unbelievers. Scandal has no political or religious affiliation. It goes both left and right.

Yesterday, a 39 year old priest was murdered in India. Fr. James Mukalel was in the town of Mangalore in the Indian state of Karnataka. A dear friend of mine, Fr. Anthony Anthappa Mariappa from Bangalore has three parishes under his care. The rectory has electricity half a day and if he wants hot water to cook or take a bath, he needs to chop wood and throw it into the furnace. He had served in the USA for only a few years but I was and am impressed by his diligence, humility, dedication, piety and fraternal support. Please pray for him, his people and his nation. If every priest were more like Father Anthony, we would have less problems for sure. Please pray for the brave and courageous priests who are in danger in India, China and other places around the world.

Besides the obvious identification and removal of real or potential pedophiles and ephebophiles and the removal of heterodox dissidents, in this YEAR FOR PRIESTS we need to PREVENT future tragedies by praying for all priests, especially the most vulnerable, the weakest and most tempted. Ever see an electron microscope picture of a dust mite? Horrible looking creatures. Since they are invisible to the naked eye, we do not see them and what is not seen is often ignored and overlooked to our own peril. I am alergic to dust mites, I know.

All of us priests can and must work more aggressively to imitate the Cure of Ars, Saint John Vianney. Mediocrity is not an option and neither is heterodoxy or liturgical abuse. Bad theology + bad liturgy = bad morality. Yet, we must also include in the equation CONCUPISCENCE and a wounded, fallen human nature: both clergy and laity alike. If a priest or deacon sometimes shows rash judment or imprudent behavior, well, the same can be said of the first bishops, the Twelve Apostles. Clergy are as peccable as laity, hence we need to go to confession often and regularly. No one should rationalize their sins but acknowledge them, repent of them, confess them and do penance for them. During the golden years when Bing Crosby's Father O'Malley epitomized the typical parish priest, clergy were held up on a pedestal. That was our downfall because when you are on a pedestal, you can easily fall and be broken.

Vatican II taught that all vocations are good since they all come from God. Whether one is called to the priesthood, the diaconate, the religious life, married life or single state, ALL are good since all can lead you to heaven. Each vocation has its own source of grace to achieve its purpose, i.e., the sanctification of its adherents. It is not that priests are better than deacons or that bishops are better than priests or clergy better than laity, and so on. All vocations are equal in that sense. It is that the PRIESTHOOD itself is essential and necessary since it brings about the sacraments. The bishop has the FULLNESS of the priesthood as he can celebrate all seven sacraments. The priest has major share and the deacon a smaller portion. Nevertheless, it is the PRIESTHOOD (Holy Orders) which makes the Real Presence available via the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. It is the PRIESTHOOD which makes the forgiveness of sins possible via Penance.

Your foot doctor or your dentist are both doctors and both go to medical school and when you have a toothache or an ingrown toenail, you NEED and WANT these medical healers to do their craft. The same goes for the heart or the brain surgeon. Yet, the critical importance of the heart and brain are such that WHAT the brain surgeon or the heart surgeon does is more important than what the other doctors do. That does not make the particular surgeon BETTER than the rest. It does mean that there a smaller margin of error and a greater responsibility on one more so than the other. Mistakes in one area are usually lethal whereas in the other they are almost always minor.

That being said, when priests preach heresy or teach dissent or show flagrant disobedience to the hierarchy, it is worse since we are expected to be spiritual 'fathers' who influence many souls. On the other hand, recall Peter denied Our Lord, Thomas doubted Him, and the rest were envious of James and John who themselves fell asleep when they were supposed to be praying with Jesus. Judas betrayed Him BUT would have been forgiven had he sought forgiveneness. Likewise, priests, deacons and bishops (and historically even a few popes) have occasionally given in to temptation and over indulged in drink; lost their temper; acted imprudently; rashly jumped to conclusions; spread gossip; had some impure or violent thoughts; etc. No, I am not making excuses but am stating the obvious that we are NOT impeccable, we are not perfect. We make mistakes, we commit sins. When we do, we must own up to it, confess it and do our best to avoid them in the future. Same goes for the religious. Ask any monk or nun, brother or sister what goes on in the monastery, friary or convent. The same that goes on in ever house, school and place of employment. Temptation is everywhere.

Bottom line is that when I was growing up, people overlooked the priest's weaknesses and often treated him with unnecessary privileges. Today, a backlash from the scandals has swung the pendulum in the opposite direction. Sometimes little or no consideration or empathy is given when a priest shows his human fraility and weakness. God forbid, if anyone, clergy, religious or lay is found guilty of abusing or taking advantage of a child or teenager, he or she should be swiftly and severely punished and prevented from ever doing it again. But what about the venial sins, the minor infractions, the small incidents of imprudent judgment? I am not saying these need to be overlooked or ignored.  But they are not the same caliber as those of the sex abusers. A pimple or blackhead is not the same as a tumor, be it benign or malignant. However, we live in a time when any and all blemishes are treated with equal disdain as those given to the latter.

Sanctity and holiness is the goal of all baptized Christians. Clergy NEED to teach by example. Since we are vulnerable, weak and have a wounded nature, we all need sacraments and the divine grace they provide. As I often tell parents, your children already know you are not the perfect mom or dad and there is no such thing as a perfect family BUT we can all do BETTER and BE better if we never stop trying to IMPROVE. Priests can and must seek, like John Vianney, to be better priests. Every day I must pray to be a better priest than I was yesterday and hopefully by God's grace will continue to do and be better today and tomorrow. The same goes for every Christian, every husband and wife; every brother and sister; every mother and father; every son and daughter. Pastors and parishioners can and must admit their shortcomings, their weaknesses and seek to do better. When one of us falls, we should all PRAY that he or she GET UP. The Virgin Mary told the children at Fatima to PRAY FOR THE CONVERSION of sinners.

In this YEAR FOR PRIESTS, let us pray for all priests, especially the bad ones that they see the error of their way and repent; for mediocre or lukewarm priests, that they renew and recover their original zeal and vigor; for the average and typical priest that he realize his limitations, that he overcome his weaknesses (by God's grace) and that he vigorously pursue holiness. If this happens, not only will we see more vocations, but we will see more realistic expectations from clergy and laity alike on each other. If this happens, the people can say to themselves, 'boy, if Fr. Jim can persevere, so can I.' Leadership and shepherding does come from watching from a distance on a pedestal. It comes from being IN FRONT on the frontline, in the trenches and in the thick of battle. John Vianney fought external demons, many of us priests battle our own inside but the point is that the demon must be FOUGHT. There is no room for compromise or surrender. Our people will respect and appreciate it when we honestly and humbly admit our mistakes while we simultaneously struggle AS THEY DO to overcome temptation and persevere in seeking holiness. Sainthood is not achieved until AFTER DEATH. Perfection is post mortem in heaven, not here on earth. But the moral and spiritual battle is fought every day.

When I was a child in Catholic school, we stood up whenever a priest or nun entered the room. There were some individual priests and nuns we liked and there were some we disliked, but we always stood up because of who they were not what they did. Respect and honor can and must be given to parenthood and to priesthood even though kids today there are no perfect moms or dads, no perfect pastors or parochical vicars. We need not shower people with unnecessary privileges so they are tempted to take advantage but at the same time, we need to show respect and to honor the institutions of parenthood and priesthood. Just as we would never call our mom or dad by their first name, so, too, priests should always be called by their title "Father". It is fine line and happy balance to not go to excess in giving privileges while at the same time being compassionate and patient with a fellow human being who shares our wounded human nature in the hopes that he will by God's grace overcome his frailties and faults and do better in the future.

Perhaps this YEAR FOR PRIESTS will make us all more realistic but also more hopeful than ever before about priesthood in general and about each priest individually. Maybe we can all pray for better priests and that all priests truly try and actually become better every day. Remember the parable of the weeds and the wheat.  Sometimes you must wait for harvest to distinguish the two and then one is burnt while the other is retained.