Wish I'd known

I would have turned on the flood lights over the garage, mircrowaved a pork roast, and blow-dried my hair to mark the occasion.

Jesus wasn't always nice

The next time you're accused of being "not nice," divisive, or uncharitable for raising your voice in defense of Church teaching, show your accuser Bishop Thomas Tobin's (of Rhode Island) latest column:

The other premise of my critics seems to be that because we are Christians we should never be angry or challenge others. We should always be charitable, tolerant, kind and nice, they suggest. After all, isn’t that what Jesus would do?

Well, in fact, no. The Gospels are very clear that in confronting moral evil Jesus wasn’t at all nice or kind. We usually think of Jesus as a prophet of peace, and indeed He was. But His preaching also created bitter controversy and division. “I have come to set the earth on fire . . . Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division.” (Lk 12: 49, 51)

Think of Jesus cleansing the Temple, an incident recorded in all four Gospels. Jesus entered the Temple angrily, confronted the merchants and money-changers, made a whip out of cords, drove them away and upset their tables and booths. Doesn’t sound too charitable to me!

Jesus railed against the towns of Chorazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum for their lack of faith, and predicted a terrible judgment day for those towns. “You will go down the netherworld,” He warned. (Mt 11: 23) Doesn’t sound too charitable to me!

And of course there’s Jesus’ withering condemnation of the Scribes and Pharisees. He repeatedly called them hypocrites. He described them as “blind guides . . . whitewashed tombs . . . serpents . . . brood of vipers . . . and murderers.” (Cf. Mt, Chapter 23) Doesn’t sound too charitable to me!

There are other examples, but you get the point. In confronting moral evil, Jesus wasn’t nice, kind, gentle and sweet. He lived in a rough and tumble world and He took His message to the streets. He was a fearless prophet who spoke the truth sometimes with harsh and angry language. Jesus’ condemnations infuriated public officials and religious leaders, so much so that they were determined to kill Him. And indeed they did.

In using condemnatory language was Jesus being “uncharitable?” Of course not. It was precisely because He loved people, because He was concerned for their salvation, that He spoke the truth, that He condemned their immoral, sinful behavior.

And that should be the mission of the Church today. ...

"Obama's reasoning causes alarm"

Fr. Michael Seger of Mount St. Mary's of the West seminary has a typically incisive column in this morning's Cincinnati Enquirer on the topic of Obama and stem cells. Here is a generous excerpt:

Obama knows that the question of the dignity of human life and its protection in both ethos and law will not disappear. Nor should it disappear. Many Americans, who believe that human life begins at conception and merits protection under the law, look to Obama for balanced leadership tempered by a good faith exploration of the values at stake. On March 9 Obama lifted the presidential order withholding federal support of research using embryonic stem cells. We citizens who believe that genetic science as well as faith convictions argue that using stem cells harvested from discarded human embryos shatters moral boundaries recoil at his decision. His decision and reasoning both disappoint and alarm.

The disappointment merits no great explanation. Anyone who thought that candidate Obama would suddenly gain insight into the value of human life in all its stages as [President] Obama reaps the reward of the willfully naïve.

But Obama's reasoning causes alarm as well. As an ethicist when Obama elides past deep human values issues with a verbal sleight-of-hand alarm bells go off. In his high-profile press conference announcing his lifting the ban on federal funding of research using embryonic stem cells he said, "Rather than furthering discovery, our government has forced what I believe is a false choice between sound science and moral values. In this case, I believe the two are not inconsistent. As a person of faith, I believe we are called to care for each other and work to ease human suffering."

No one disputes the need for sound science to alleviate human suffering. The Catholic Church joins our brothers and sisters of good will who celebrate and support science in adult stem cell research. The moral issue remains the question of where one obtains the stem cells. The latest Vatican text Dignitas Humanae (December 2008) applauds the use of adult stem cells but draws the line when a human embryo forfeits its life to supply raw material for research. No one is forcing a "false choice" on anyone. Science as a human enterprise must align its goals and methods with human values or risk a willful naiveté of its own. Research dollars may flow in but moral vision grows blind.

This morning's edition also includes an unimaginative take on the Obama-Notre Dame scandal from the editorial page editor:

For my money, I’d prefer expansion rather than stifling, challenge rather than conformity. Which is why I shake my head at all the protest over President Barack Obama being invited to be commencement speaker at Notre Dame, one of the best known Catholic universities in the country. I’ve received several calls and letters from the outraged, and news accounts suggest that thousands may show up to protest. And there are a couple of bishops who have spoken against the invitation, including one who says the invitation was an “act of disobedience” by the president of the university.

I understand that Obamas policies on stem-cell research and abortion are offensive to many, including many members of the Catholic Church.

But would the protesters object if the invited speaker were the premier of China, where religious persecution has been well-documented? How about a if the speaker were to be a former president who sent troops into what the Church considered an unjust war?

It does not taint your morals to listen to someone with whom you disagree.

And there is always the chance you might learn something, or maybe even teach something.

Quote of the day

Why does there have to be a utilitarian, ceremonial purpose to every floor pattern? Is your carpet only allowed to be burgundy if you're planning on sacrificing sheep in the middle of it?

-- Maureen, in the comment box for the Sacred Heart Cathedral "labyrinth" post.

The realm of superstition

The Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati have an entire web page devoted to "Reiki," offering training, coursework, and, presumably, the massages that go with this goofy New Age therapy. Earlier this week, the Committee on Doctrine for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops released a document answering the question, "What is the Church's position on such therapies?"; it came to some interesting conclusions:

For a Catholic to believe in Reiki presents insoluble problems.

In terms of caring for one’s spiritual health, there are important dangers.

…a Catholic who puts his or her trust in Reiki would be operating in the realm of superstition…Superstition corrupts one’s worship of God.

Since Reiki is not compatible with either Christian teaching or scientific evidence, it would be inappropriate for Catholic institutions,…to promote or provide support for Reiki therapy.

Tip, Gene.



Update. I'll see your Reiki master and raise you one shaman. Gene has a post about a Rochester priest (and university chaplain) whose resume includes so much more than Reiki: "kinesiology and dowsing, he has studied and practices Tibetan, and Chinese healing methods, Christian laying-on-of hands, Therapeutic Touch, esoteric and psychic healing methods, he has trained as a shaman with a Native American healer, uses color, sound and music healing methods, Cymatics, Radionics, Rapid Eye Technology, EMF Balancing Technique, Spiritual Clearing ..."

"... he should step aside"

The current edition of the Catholic Telegraph runs the CNS story on the Notre Dame scandal and adds a few paragraphs from the Right to Life of Greater Cincinnati:

In a March 23 statement, Right to Life of Greater Cincinnati decried Notre Dame’s decision. “Barack Obama promised to be our most pro-abortion president ever, and so far he is delivering on that promise,” the statement said.

“Yet Father John Jenkins, President of the University of Notre Dame, decided to invite this pro-abortion public official to be commencement speaker and to present him with an honorary degree.

“Right to Life of Greater Cincinnati has a special tie to Notre Dame, as four current members of the board of directors are alumni. Thus we are especially saddened that this institution, which has great capacity for good, has instead chosen scandal. If Father Jenkins refuses to uphold the Catholic Christian character of Notre Dame University, he should step aside. If he will not resign, university trustees should remove him.”

Meanwhile, the Cardinal Newman Society's petition has swelled to over 170,000 signers, and Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted of Phoenix writes a stinging rebuke of Fr. Jenkins.

"labyrinth orientation sessions"

It's one thing to impose a New Age fad on your flock. It's quite another thing to fabricate history to support it. This week's bulletin for the Sacred Heart "Cathedral Community" features an announcement of "labyrinth orientation sessions" with a fanciful treatment:

PRAYER LABYRINTH THIS WEEK IN SACRED HEART CATHEDRAL

Our community will have a unique opportunity this week to experience a different form of devotional prayer. The use of the prayer labyrinth dates back to the Middle Ages. The labyrinth that will be laid down in our cathedral is a replica of a labyrinth built around 1200 A.D. in the floor of Chartres Cathedral near Paris, France. In the past, the labyrinth was walked as a pilgrimage and/or for repentance. As a pilgrimage, it was a form of a searching journey with the hope of becoming closer to God. When used for repentance, pilgrims would walk on their knees. Because this devotion would sometimes serve as a substitute for an actual pilgrimage to Jerusalem it came to be called the Road of Jerusalem.

[Ed. note: Doreen Prydes, a professor of medieval history at the University of Notre Dame, states there is absolutely no evidence of labyrinth walking in the Middle Ages.]

In walking the labyrinth, one journeys through each of the four quadrants several times before reaching the goal, creating a hopeful expectancy. The four arms of the design symbolize the Cross.

Joy Bergfalk, the person who brings us the labyrinth, will provide two optional "labyrinth orientation sessions" on Monday at 1:00 PM and again at 7:00 PM. You may walk the prayer labyrinth:

- Mon., March 23rd from 1:00 to 9:00 PM and
- Tue., March 24th and Wed., March 25th from 7:00 AM - 9:00 PM (except during the 12:10 PM Masses or any funerals that may get scheduled.) Instructions will be posted, you may spend as much, or as little, time as you like.

Update. One of Gene Michael's "agents" snapped a photograph:



Gene has more on the Labyrinth leader here. (Would it surprise you to learn she's also a booster of Ennegrams and Reiki?)

Patron of the lost and found

Six months ago, I lost one of my prized Westminster Cathedral cuff links, a memento from my fall 2005 trip to London. (Doesn't that date seem like a world away?) Last night, after resolving that I would never find it, I said a brief, heel-dragging prayer to St. Anthony of Padua. "St. Anthony, I generally don't go for these very particular intercessory prayers, but if you can help, I certainly would be grateful." Ten minutes ago, as I was packing my clothes for tomorrow, both cuff links appeared on my dresser. "You'll never believe it!" I said to Mrs. Leonardi, and I told her the story. "I found it last week under one of the beds; I've been meaning to tell you. ..."

"The Church stands and falls with the Liturgy"

I stumbled across this essay from Anthony E. Clark on "Pope Benedict and the Liturgy" from April 2005 -- very early in the Holy Father's pontificate. Dr. Clark explains the new pontiff's liturgical world view and offers hints of what may come. Four years later, after Summorum Pontificum, Sacramentum Caritatis, and scores of addresses and remarks, the theme of "continuity rather than rupture" predicted by Clark (and fleshed out later that year by Pope Benedict in his famous Christmas address) has emerged clearly. Here are the essay's two concluding paragraphs:

What, then, might transpire during the pontificate of Benedict XVI regarding the Mass? There is, of course, no way of knowing exactly how the Holy Spirit will guide him, but his views on the subject are clearly and consistently expressed in his past writings and talks. He insists that the rich liturgical heritage of the Church should appear as continuity rather than rupture. And this is not just talk: in 1991, Benedict XVI celebrated the Tridentine Latin Mass in Weimar, Germany, in a crowded church, which included many priests and seminarians. In 2001, while at the Fontgombault conference, Cardinal Ratzinger sang the Tridentine Latin Mass.

In his preface to Franz Bried’s Die heilige Liturgie, Benedict XVI wrote that, "The Church stands and falls with the Liturgy." The way Holy Mass is celebrated is clearly of paramount importance to our Holy Father. In his homily given during the Tridentine Mass he celebrated in the Abbey at Fontgombault, he stated: "Let us pray to the Lord to help us — to help the Church — to celebrate the Liturgy well, to be truly at the feet of the Lord, to receive the gift of true life, the essential and necessary reality, for the salvation of all, the salvation of the world. Amen." It is a prayer for all Catholics, regardless of the particular rite and Mass they participate in.

Creativity and adaptation

Since his arrival in Cincinnati three months ago, Coadjutor Archbishop Dennis M. Schnurr has been a breath of fresh air. He has spoken enthusiastically about the importance of priestly vocations, maintained an exhausting travel schedule to meet members of his flock, and proved to be very accessible to the secular and Catholic media. Indeed, I met him before and after his wide-ranging interview for the Son Rise Morning Show a few months ago. A somewhat open question is where he stands on liturgical matters. The most encouraging news on that front is a letter he wrote in September of 2007 on the implementation of Summorum Pontificum in the Diocese of Duluth:

In the cover letter to the bishops that accompanied “Summorum Pontificum,” Pope Benedict mentions what prompted him to make access to the pre-Vatican II Mass more available: “At the time of the introduction of the new Missal, it did not seem necessary to issue specific norms for the possible use of the earlier Missal. .. . Afterwards, however, it soon became apparent that a good number of people remained strongly attached to this usage of the Roman Rite. . . . [Others] desired to recover the form of the sacred liturgy that was dear to them . . . because in many places celebrations were not faithful to the prescriptions of the new Missal, but the latter actually was understood as authorizing or even requiring creativity, which frequently led to deformations of the liturgy which were hard to bear. . . . And I have seen how arbitrary deformations of the liturgy caused deep pain to individuals totally rooted in the faith of the Church.”

These latter comments of Pope Benedict XVI echo those of his predecessor, Pope John Paul II: “It must be lamented that, especially in the years following the post-conciliar liturgical reform, as a result of a misguided sense of creativity and adaptation, there have been a number of abuses which have been a source of suffering for many. A certain reaction against ‘formalism’ has led some, especially in certain regions, to consider the ‘forms’ chosen by the Church’s greatest liturgical tradition and her Magisterium as non-binding and to introduce unauthorized innovations which are often completely inappropriate.

“I consider it my duty, therefore, to appeal urgently that the liturgical norms for the celebration of the Eucharist be observed with great fidelity. These norms are a concrete expression of the authentically ecclesial nature of the Eucharist; this is their deepest meaning. Liturgy is never anyone’s private property, be it of the celebrant or of the community in which the mysteries are celebrated.. . . Our time, too, calls for a renewed awareness and appreciation of liturgical norms as a reflection of, and a witness to, the one universal Church made present in every celebration of the Eucharist. Priests who faithfully celebrate Mass according to the liturgical norms, and communities which confirm to those norms, quietly but eloquently demonstrate their love for the Church” (“Ecclesia de Eucharistia,” 52).

With these words, we are reminded that, in the churches and chapels of this diocese, the observance of liturgical norms cannot be arbitrary. If Mass is to be celebrated according to the extraordinary form, it must be celebrated by a priest who has the minimum rubrical knowledge of the Mass as it was celebrated before the Second Vatican Council and minimum linguistic ability to reverently and precisely recite the prayers of the Mass in the Latin language. In such instances, too, the congregation must participate in the Mass by observing all the liturgical norms and using prayer books that translate the prayers and rubrics for them.

When Mass is celebrated in our churches and chapels, whether according to the ordinary rite or the extraordinary rite, there are also important liturgical norms that help to raise the mind and heart to God through the sacred mysteries celebrated. Here I mention just a few, but I encourage those who are interested to give a full reading to the “General Instruction of the Roman Missal” (GIRM) promulgated by Pope John Paul II in 2001.

Inspiring, no? Note that he zeroed in on Benedict's and John Paul's words about the prevalence of liturgical abuses. So it will be interesting to learn what he does with this Saturday's "Mass to Celebrate the Gifts of Africa" at St. Francis De Sales Church; themed Masses like these aren't exactly conducive to the ars celebrandi.

Open access

Reader and blogger Maureen informs us that Ohio State University Press has provided "open access" to many of its titles, including Roger Fortin's Faith and Action: A History of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, 1821-1996. I skimmed the chapter on the "Post-Vatican II" era, and it isn't very impressive -- mostly a by-the-numbers description of budgets, committees, and chancery activities.

How to help Auntie Joanna

If you want to help Joanna Bogle, who is still under attack from various leftwing blogs for pointing out that condoms will not solve Africa's AIDS problem (try Googling "Joanna Bogle" and "condoms"), feel free to leave comments on those sites and to write Jon Snow, the host of the BBC Channel 4 program on which she appeared. You might remind these ideologues that a Harvard AIDS expert supports Joanna's (and the Church's) contention.

270 per hour

The protest against President Obama's scheduled appearance at Notre Dame is accelerating:

As of 10:00 a.m. on Monday, March 23, more than 18,000 people have joined the nationwide campaign urging the University of Notre Dame to rescind the honor of selecting President Barack Obama as its commencement speaker on May 17. The campaign was launched at 6:00 p.m. Friday, March 20 immediately after The White House and Notre Dame made the announcement that Notre Dame would honor President Obama.

The campaign is organized around The Cardinal Newman Society sponsored website, NotreDameScandal.com, which includes an online petition to Notre Dame president Rev. John Jenkins, CSC, and contact information for the university. Catholics are urged to join the campaign, and the petition is being circulated among leaders of other Catholic organizations.

The petition has averaged more than 270 signatures per hour since its launch, and The Cardinal Newman Society is pleased to announce that CatholicVote.org has joined the campaign as a cosponsor of the petition effort.

The decision to honor President Obama has drawn quick and sharp criticism from Notre Dame alumni and Catholic leaders across the country.

Dr. Ralph McInerny, a professor at Notre Dame for more than 50 years, has written on the popular website The Catholic Thing that “By inviting Barack Obama as commencement speaker, Notre Dame is telling the nation that the teaching of the Catholic church on this fundamental matter [abortion] can be ignored.”

Thomas Peters at the American Papist blog has reported that Denver Archbishop Charles Chaput has encouraged Catholics to write to Notre Dame to protest the honor. ...

More from Weigel, Shaw, McInerney, and others here.

A troublesome overall teaching mentality

The most notable thing about Madison Bishop Robert Morlino's sacking last week of a dissident pastoral associate is what it took to give her the boot. In 2003, Ruth Kolpack wrote an entire thesis about why Catholics are free to thumb their collective noses at the definitive teachings of the Church's Magisterium -- the "oppressive hierarchy" in her lexicon. Six years and countless complaints later, she was finally sent packing. In the meantime, she's undoubtedly spread her poison to members of her parish. "We may disagree about who should be priests and how we organize the Church, but in the end we're all Catholics in good standing." One wonders what lesson the bitter-enders take from this story. Vent my dissentient spleen and maybe lose my job in six years. Moreover, how many DREs and pastoral associates share these views but are too clever -- or lazy -- to publish them?

MADISON, Wisconsin, March 18, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Bishop Morlino, who has come under fire in the past for proclaiming Catholic Church teaching on life and family, is again facing the ire of liberal Catholics. This time, the Madison bishop is facing protests for sacking a pastoral associate who advocates dissident liberation and feminist theology.

Ruth Kolpack, who has served as pastoral associate at St. Thomas parish since 1995, was dismissed by the bishop on Thursday after she refused to recant a 2003 Master's degree thesis extolling the use of female pronouns in describing God, and questioning obedience to Church hierarchy.

"I'm concerned about women, about young girls, who grow up in a patriarchal, male-dominated society. What does it do to their self-esteem?" said Kolpack in defense of her thesis after the firing.

Prior to her dismissal, the bishop told Kolpack she could agree to denounce her thesis, make a profession of faith, and take an oath of loyalty in order to keep her post at St. Thomas. She said she would agree to the last two conditions, but would not denounce the thesis. Call to Action, a dissident Catholic group backing Kolpack, stated in a news release that such a move would be "not true to her work" and "risk her reputation as a scholar and academician."

While unwilling to get into details, the bishop told protesters that the thesis wasn't the only issue, as he had found her overall teaching mentality "troublesome" as well. Kolpack participated in diocesan educational programs.

Brent M. King, director of communications of the Diocese of Madison , explained in response to a National Catholic Reporter query that church personnel "must uphold the faith and morals of the church ... through what they publicly teach and claim to believe, what they associate themselves with, and by their actions."

Call to Action, America's leading dissident Catholic group and famed for its rejection of the Church's teaching on life and family, reportedly urged its constituents to write to the Papal Nuncio to condemn Morlino. On Saturday, a group of about 45 people holding placards in protest of the firing awaited Bishop Morlino, who invited the heckling crowd to discuss the matter later that day. ...