They worshipped Him

You often hear progressive Christians claim that the Gospels are silent about Christ's divinity outside of John's testimony, which is dismissed as being written too late to be credible. (Xavier University's Art Dewey has spun this line on occasion.) Christ's divinity develops over centuries, according to this view, and is open to interpretation and nuance. Yet at the end of Matthew's Gospel, which is tomorrow's reading, the evangelist states matter-of-factly that the apostles "worshipped" Him, and Jesus claims, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me" -- indicating He shares the Father's omnipotence. For more, consult the Navarre Bible commentary.

"Dear God, get heaven ready"

You can read the AP's account of slain abortionist George Tiller's canonization ceremony here. You might pour yourself a stiff drink first.

Goofy, mime-like

Good Shepherd parish of Rochester, one of Bishop Clark's hotbeds of liturgical disobedience, has opened its own YouTube channel. You'll recall that an "independent" YouTube effort, which documented the parish's repeated use of lay homilists in defiance of clear norms to the contrary, was taken down. Their initial offering is a goofy, mime-like "Living Stations of the Cross" staged ('natch) in what appears to be the sanctuary.

The zeal and loyalty of Boniface

'Should have posted this one earlier in the day. Enjoy Fr. Robert McNamara's life of St. Boniface, the Apostle of Germany, whose feast day is today. Fr. McNamara, Rochester's venerable priest-historian, died late last month at the ripe old age of 98. My hope is that a publisher will at some point wander onto this site and recognize that Father's work is worthy of publication.

This time, Pope Gregory consecrated Boniface a bishop (722), with authority to organize the German church. Armed also with the all-important safe-conduct of the Frankish ruler, Charles Martel, he returned to Hesse. There on the advice of the Hessian Christians, he personally chopped down the oak of Geismar. This dramatic destruction, with impunity, of their sacred tree, moved many pagans to embrace the Catholic faith. The bishop then went on to Thuringia.

Admiring the zeal and loyalty of Boniface, the Holy See raised his rank to archbishop in 732 and named him papal legate in 738, with the duty of setting up dioceses throughout Germany and convoking councils for the enactment of norms and reforms. In 747, the pope assigned him a see, the diocese of Mainz, and designated him primate of Germany.

Boniface had founded a monastery at Fulda in 744. One of the secrets of his success in Germany was the setting up of many abbeys. Not only were they bulwarks of the Faith; they also housed many Englishmen and Englishwomen whom he invited to people them. This English personnel served to further the missionary work. One fact that favored the whole German enterprise was that the Anglo-Saxon language, then spoken by Englishmen, was not all that different from the Germanic tongues spoken in Frisia and in "upper" Germany.

Even after he had been assigned a fixed see and the German primacy, Boniface, though now on in years, was still a missionary at heart. In 752, indeed, he resigned the diocese of Mainz and set out on one last missionary journey to Frisia. At first his efforts met with success, and he scheduled a ceremony of confirmation for new converts at Dokkum in northern Holland. However, while he and his party were there preparing for the rite, they were beset on June 5, 754, by a crowd of pagan Frieslanders. Archbishop Boniface refused to allow his attendants to defend him. He urged them to trust in God and welcome the grace to die for the faith. When the pagans attacked, they massacred him and his 53 companions.

The body of this revered leader was brought back in stages to the monastery of Fulda. His tomb there has ever since been regarded as the center and heart of German Catholicism.

"So Rich, the Magisterium is your God?"

That was the most recent bleat from one of the worshipers at Bellarmine Chapel, Xavier University's shrine to progressive vanity. The jig is up.

Twenty years ago today ...

... I worked as a title examiner and was terrible at it. Between trying to hold down two summer jobs, save money for new band equipment, and maintain a long-distance relationship with the future Mrs. Leonardi, pouring over deeds at the county recorder's office just didn't hold my interest. We were mostly college students and recent graduates; I was about to enter my senior year. One of my co-workers was a Chinese studies major. She gave us an "insider's" view of the events in Beijing during late May, though always with a sense of foreboding, as though she knew how delicate the situation was. And she did.

A quite contrary view of Mary

Britain's Catholic Herald runs an excerpt from Eamon Duffy's new book on Mary Tudor, the maligned burner of heretics; it is a sympathetic portrait:

In the early months of Mary's campaign against heretics the Imperial ambassador in London, Simon Renard, accused the bishops of being too "hot and hasty" against heresy, but the evidence suggests on the contrary that the relatively small numbers proceeded against in the spring of 1555 reflected episcopal caution, informed not only by worries about the likely public reaction to the burnings, but also by concern for the spiritual welfare of the accused. Even after episcopal determination hardened in the face of perhaps unexpectedly sustained Protestant resistance, a recurrent feature of the surviving examinations and trials throughout the reign was the manifestly sincere and sometimes long-drawn-out efforts made by bishops and their officers to convert rather than condemn the men and women before them.

Foxe himself drew attention to these attempts to persuade the victims to conformity. He of course took the worst possible view of them, either as bids to discredit Protestant constancy to the Gospel with "some forged example of a shrinking brother, to lay in the dish of the rest who were to be examined", or as devilish last-ditch attempts to seduce the victims from their allegiance to Christ, and so to damn them. The real motives were less lurid and, in part at least, more creditable. The judges were priests, charged with the salvation of souls, and they had for the most part a genuine horror of the eternity of torment they believed awaited unrepentant heretics. Their frequent pleadings with the accused to "cast not your selfe away" had eternal damnation in mind as well as the horror of the death sentence itself. In any case, a repentant heretic was a potent witness to the error and inconstancy of Protestantism: a dead one might be deemed a martyr. ...

And speaking of things English and Catholic, Leo Knowles' Saints Who Spoke English arrived with today's mail. I thoroughly enjoyed his Prey of the Priest Catchers, a book about the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales, and look forward to this other collection of saintly sketches. Knowles writes with the simple, economical style of a journalist, and I'm surprised his books, written in the late 70s and early 80s, are generally overlooked by fans of the period.

This sacred Council

Join Brian Patrick and me tomorrow morning at 8:10 am EST on the Son Rise Morning Show, as we discuss Sacrosanctum Concilium, Vatican II's Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, in the next installment of our new series "Council of Continuity."

A deeper deception

Over at What Does the Prayer Really Say?, Fr. Z ably fisks a specious column on Obama and Vatican II by Jesuit priest John W. O'Malley that appeared in America magazine. I won't repeat his points here, but I will address one false statement made by Fr. O'Malley, that an extraordinary synod of bishops assembled in 1985 to mark the twentieth anniversary of the conclusion of Vatican II gave the concept of the "Spirit of Vatican II" an official standing. In fact, the synod did quite the opposite, issuing a rebuke to those who pit the Council's spirit against its letter. Moreover, the synod also urged a hermeneutic of continuity when interpreting conciliar documents, stating "the Council must be understood in continuity with the great tradition of the Church." Here is the key paragraph from the synod's final report:

5. A deeper reception of the Council

These and other deficiencies show the need for a deeper reception of the Council. And this requires four successive phases: a deeper and more extensive knowledge of the Council, its interior assimilation, its loving reaffirmation and its implementation. Only interior assimilation and practical implementation can make the conciliar documents alive and life-giving.

The theological interpretation of the conciliar doctrine must show attention to all the documents, in themselves and in their close inter-relationship, in such a way that the integral meaning of the Council's affirmations–often very complex–might be understood and expressed. Special attention must be paid to the four major Constitutions of the Council, which contain the interpretative key for the other Decrees and Declarations. It is not licit to separate the pastoral character from the doctrinal vigor of the documents. In the same way, it is not legitimate to separate the spirit and the letter of the Council. Moreover, the Council must be understood in continuity with the great tradition of the Church, and at the same time we must receive light from the Council's own doctrine for today's Church and the men of our time. The Church is one and the same throughout all the councils.

You can read the late Cardinal Avery Dulles' thoughtful analysis of the synod and the Council in a piece that appeared, ironically, in America magazine.

Pro-life Democrat: "Don't stereotype pro-lifers"

Or, "Why no one takes pro-life Democrats seriously."

I am a proud supporter of Democrats For Life and have my "Another Pro-life Democrat" bumper sticker prominently displayed on my car along with my "Obama '08" bumper sticker. I am also in what is probably the one-person progressive wing of Warren County Right to Life.

I am involved in many progressive causes including opposition to the death penalty, advocacy for low- and moderate-income people and disability advocacy. I am outspoken in favor of equal rights for gays. I am also known for my belief that stereotyping and bigotry are wrong.

The murder on Sunday of Dr. George Tiller, an abortion provider in Wichita, was a despicable act committed by a hypocrite and a murderer who quite obviously was not pro-life. Tiller's family and friends lost someone dear to them due to the actions of a vile person. The sympathy of pro-lifers goes out to them.

Those of us who are Democrats also need to be outraged at those who would falsely stereotype pro-lifers as potential violent terrorists. We have seen too many conservatives justify universal condemnation of Muslims based on the actions of a tiny few. We have seen too many conservatives justify racial profiling by police officers based on crimes committed by a small number people who are African-Americans.

Recently in Fairfield, we have seen some base their opposition to a group home for people with disabilities on the misinformed notion that its residents will be dangerous to the community. And we have seen conservatives absurdly stereotype gays as threats to our culture.

But if we allow ourselves to believe that pro-lifers - including conservative pro-lifers - are to be viewed as being like the murderer of Dr. Tiller, then how are we any different? And as Democrats, shouldn't opposition to that kind of stereotyping be one of our core values?

A very simple but true recognition

In the comment box for the "How Mass is celebrated at Xavier" post, a contentious exchange took place between defenders of liturgical fidelity and a worshiper from Bellarmine chapel. In his wonderful history of Vatican II -- which I've been reading to prepare for my "Council of Continuity" series on the Son Rise Morning Show -- Professor James Hitchcock explains why this fidelity is so important. Here's a snippet:

So you cannot simultaneously cite the Second Vatican Council as your authority for liturgical change if you are also going to turn around and say the Fathers of the Second Vatican Council were affected by the same disease of legalism, because they said quite explicitly that nobody is to tamper with the sacred text. Is this mere legalism? No. It rests upon a very simple but true recognition. No individual, no group of people are wiser, holier, or more insightful than the Church as a whole. The Church as a whole collectively through its hierarchy, through its councils, through its many many years of experience has determined what is appropriate liturgy, has determined what are appropriate readings and prayers which adequately, truly, profoundly express the meaning of Catholic life. And it's presumptuous of an individual priest, or a liturgical committee, or an individual congregation to say, We know better. You don't know better, even if it should turn out that eventually the rest of the Church should agree with you and say, Yes, I think that's a decided improvement. A sense of the community of the Church, a sense of charity towards others, a sense of real belonging in the Church would dictate that you not do this on your own, that you continue to participate in the universal liturgy, the universal prayer, which is the prayer of the entire Church.

Read the whole transcript.

Confession confusion

'Wonder why the person ahead of you in line takes so long in the confessional?

He may not know what he's there for:

VATICAN CITY (AP) - A Vatican official is lamenting that many faithful no longer confess their sins, and says some confuse a psychologist's couch for a confessional booth.

Archbishop Mauro Piacenza has told Vatican Radio the sacrament of penance has been experiencing a "deep crisis" for decades. Piacenza, an official for the Vatican office on clergy, says fewer people distinguish between good and evil, and as a result don't go to confession.

The archbishop said in the interview Tuesday that if faithful don't have a sense of sin, they might "confuse" confession with "the couch of a psychologist or a psychiatrist."

He says the Vatican plans to publish this year a kind of handbook on confession to drum up enthusiasm among Catholics toward the sacrament.

Quote of the day

"Blaming the Pro-Life Movement for the death of Tiller, is like blaming Martin Luther King for the Black Panthers. It is possible to want something, while using either the right way or the wrong way to attain it."

-- David Alexander, a.k.a., Man with Black Hat

Prayerful listening

In Pope Benedict's May 26 speech to the Ecclesial Congress of Rome, he stressed the importance of a well-informed and active laity sustained by the Eucharist and "prayerful listening to the Word of God through the practice of lectio divina." For the second form of sustenance, one might consult the Daily Word service that I've mentioned before. It takes the Navarre Bible and commentaries and indexes them to the lectionary. Here is today's entry for the famous "Render Unto Caesar" passage in Mark's Gospel:

On Tribute to Caesar
------------------------------
[13] And they sent to him some of the Pharisees and some of the Herodians, to entrap him in his talk. [14] And they came and said to him, "Teacher, we know that you are true, and care for no man; for you do not regard the position of men, but truly teach the way of God. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not? [15] Should we pay them, or should we not?" But knowing their hypocrisy, he said to them, "Why put me to the test? Bring me a coin and let me look at it." [16] And they brought one. And he said to them, "Whose likeness and inscription is this?"

They said to him, "Caesar's." [17] Jesus said to them, "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." And they were amazed at him.

**************************************************************
Commentary:

13-17. Jesus uses this situation to teach that man belongs totally to his Creator:

"You must perforce give Caesar the coin which bears his likeness, but let you give your whole being to God, because it is his likeness, not Caesar's that you bear" (St Jerome, "Comm. in Marcum, in loc.").

Our Lord here asserts a principle which should guide the action of Christians in public life. The Church recognizes the rightful autonomy of earthly realities, but this does not mean that she has not a responsibility to light them up with the light of the Gospel. When they work shoulder to shoulder with other citizens to develop society, Christian lay people should bring a Christian influence to bear:

"If the role of the Hierarchy is to teach and to interpret authentically the norms of morality to be followed in this matter, it belongs to lay people, without waiting passively for orders and directives, to take the initiative freely and to infuse a Christian spirit into the mentality, customs, laws and structures of the community in which they live. Changes are necessary, basic reforms are indispensable; lay people should strive resolutely to permeate them with the spirit of the Gospel" (Paul VI, "Populorum Progressio", 81).

Fourteen-part indoctrination

Frank Walker of PewSitter.com picks up the story of Rochester's two "abortionist's deacons" and their participation in an anti-Catholic campaign against Pope Pius XII and the Church. You'll find enlightening information on the track records of the parties involved. It's only a matter of time before the story is covered by a national media outlet beyond the blogosphere.

Who's going to join us?

Clan Leonardi will be among thousands of "walkers" joining Son Rise Morning Show host Brian Patrick and Cincinnati Coadjutor Archbishop Dennis M. Schnurr at the Cross the Bridge for Life this Sunday, June 7.

Seminary stimulus

"In Duluth, we had 25 seminarians a year. Cincinnati is nine times the size of Duluth. You do the math."

-- Coadjutor Archbishop Dennis M. Schnurr of Cincinnati on his projected number of seminarians

Bully priest

Uber-blogger Fr. Z links to my post on the priestly aberrations that took place at Sr. Joan Sobala's fiftieth anniversary Mass in Rochester and adds a few thoughts of his own:

In the USA, congregations are to kneel from after the Sanctus to after the Amen following the Doxology.

In Italy, congregations are to kneel for the consecration. from the epiklesis until the "acclamation" following the consecration.

I don’t believe there is anywhere in the world in the Latin Church where people are not supposed to kneel for the consecration.

First,... the report is that the priest invited people to something against the Church’s liturgical law at the time of the consecration. If you search the Roman Missal there is no option for this.

No one is to add anything to the texts or rubrics on his own authority.

If the priest did this, he hijacked the Mass and abused the congregation for his own selfish agenda. He turned the Mass and the people there into objects to be utilized in the advancement of his ideology.

He is a bully.

And what is this "lest we commit venial" sin, is simply snide. By invoking the category of sin, he is mocking the pre-Conciliar Missale Romanum, which in the praenotanda referred to venial and mortal sin for defects and violation of rubrics. He is also mocking people who are interested in deeper liturgical decorum through obedience. ...

Tiller

George Tiller is not the first abortionist to come to a violent end.

As everyone worries about what this morning's events will mean for the pro-life movement, it’s important to bear that in mind.

For the first time in living memory, a majority of Americans self-identify as pro-life.

Any punitive measure pursued by the Obama administration will occur against this backdrop, as should any suggestion offered by the Church's college of faint hearts that pro-lifers "moderate their tone" or "abandon a failed strategy."

In the meantime, pray.

How Mass is celebrated at Xavier

In the comment box to the latest post concerning Xavier University's Bellarmine chapel, a reader describes his experience at Mass there:

This comment is related in a tangential sense to this post on XU. It is a bit long, but I thought some may be interested. Today I attended a baptismal mass at Bellarmine chapel. I have not deputized myself the "liturgy police" but must say that I find it disturbing when a priest, any priest, treats the mass like his own personal "jazz performance"--bee-bopping and scatting in his own way, adding sentences that he finds fitting, omitting others that are just too "old church." Here are some of the low-lights from today:

(1) the omission of any reference to God as "Him"--substituting "God" instead. Example: "It is right to give God thanks and praise" as opposed to "It is right to give Him thanks and praise.";

(2) Many, many confusing references to "the spirit" or "Your spirit" and how it should "infuse us" to "make us" the church. Maybe I'm being too picky, but it had a bit of a new age vibe to me and was just plain distracting.;

(3) omitting phrases at or around the consecration. Example: "Behold the lamb of God...happy are those called to his supper." No reference to the forgiveness of sins. Odd, given that the homily was about, of all things, forgiveness.;

(4) The use of bread (for the Eucharist) that I swear came from Panera. I'm not sure if this was valid or licit (or both, or neither). The fact that I'm left asking this question is (in my mind) a big problem. Moreover, the distribution was sadly comical -- extraordinary ministers struggling to tear the bread apart, thereafter pressing it into the palms of the recipients (ostensibly to guard against the inevitability that the body of our lord would end up on the floor);

(5) A completely new/different prayer than I have ever heard after the conclusion of the body of the "Our Father" and before the "for the Kingdom, and the power" part. Luckily, I cannot recall what was said, but it sounded like something read from a book by Deepak Chopra;

(6) the very liberal and crowded use of lay people to do all manner of things at or around the altar;

(7) the absence of any real crucifix (a small cartoon arts/crafts version was carried in during the procession along with some contraption that looked like a stick with a series of bells on it-it was "twisted" by the adult alter server during the procession so as to create a very disquieting sound-truly goofy. No bells at the consecration, though). In place of the crucifix was an odd art piece that I think may have been stolen from PF Chang's;

(8) No tabernacle in sight (I may have missed it);

(9) Reaffirmation of baptismal promises that bore minimal relation to the text of the creed. Of particular interest was the omission of a call to reject Satan. Substituted in its place was some vague/opaque call to "reject evil in all of its forms" or some such words; and

(10) Very strange announcements: (a) I now know where to buy "free trade" coffee, and (b) thanks to the priest's "p.s. to my homily" I now have a link to an article from America Magazine written by a "respected theologian" entitled "Can Anyone Forgive a Child Molester"--clearly appropriate for a baptismal mass.

The long and short is that the new Bishop should take a long hard look at how mass is celebrated at Xavier [emphasis mine]. I left feeling angry. The Mass does not belong to the priest. He does not get to add to it or subtract from it. Words matter. It is clear to me that words were added and words were omitted for a reason. And that reason was not faithful adherence to the Magisterium.

In order for Archbishop Schnurr to take that long hard look, he's going to need a "view"; my reader should consider compiling his observations into a letter. Yes, the Archbishop is surely getting many such letters, but he ought to know that the faithful here care about doctrinal and liturgical fidelity. The alternative is to let his initial view be mediated by members of the chancery.

The People of God

Tomorrow (Monday) at 7:35 am on the Son Rise Morning Show, Brian Patrick and I will discuss Pope Benedict's recent address to his Ecclesial Congress, which took place last week in Rome. In the address, Pope Benedict applies the hermeneutic of continuity to often misunderstood concepts like "People of God" and "Body of Christ." Join us!

Sign of victory and celebration

From a Rochester reader:

I was in attendance at Sr. Joan's 50th anniversary mass at OLOL tonight at 5PM. (I didn't stay for the after-party.). Too many peculiarities to review here; but...with Fr. Lawlor presiding (as he apparently was 25yrs ago..."Now I'M the one talking; and now I'm HIS boss."...laughter and applause...) During the consecration, he (as usual) invited the (packed) congregation to remain standing "as a sign of victory and celebration." I was expecting that. What I was not prepared for was his reference to some early church somebody (I was too stunned to retain the specific reference) suggested that "kneeling at this time could be construed as a venial sin." I paused (as he did) and went into hypervigilant mode, only to hear him say (verbatim), "Lest we commit venial sin, let us continue to stand." !!?!?!??"