When evening had come

"So what is Jesus trying to teach us in Sunday's Gospel reading?"

"That nothing can overcome Him."

"Yes. Not even monstrous storms. What else?"

"That we should put our trust in Him."

"Absolutely. Let's talk about the ship. What does it symbolize?"

"The Church."

"Yes. With that in mind, what do you think Jesus is teaching?"

"The ship -- the Church -- won't sink."

"We call that indefectibility -- that the Church will continue to stand until the end of time. That's Jesus' promise. What about the fact that He was sleeping?"

"Not sure."

"Sometimes we think He's not paying attention, not concerned with us, and so we panic. 'Jesus, life is hard. My life is a mess. The Church is in trouble. Yet you won't help us.' We shouldn't think that way. In Sunday's reading, He's saying that He's always with us. Have faith in Him. Pray to Him. Put it all in His hands."

The Backyard Mass, Sr. Joan, and The Shack

Mike from DOR Catholic has the details. Rather than play liturgical roulette, my Rochester readers should consider worshiping at OLV/SJ; at the very least they can occasionally drop in for a sanity check.

BXVI to priests: There's an answer to empty confessionals

Zenit highlights a critical excerpt from Pope Benedict's letter marking the beginning the Year of the Priest

"Priests ought never to be resigned to empty confessionals or the apparent indifference of the faithful to this sacrament. In France, at the time of the Cure of Ars, confession was no more easy or frequent than in our own day, since the upheaval caused by the revolution had long inhibited the practice of religion.

"Yet he sought in every way, by his preaching and his powers of persuasion, to help his parishioners to rediscover the meaning and beauty of the Sacrament of Penance, presenting it as an inherent demand of the Eucharistic presence.

[Ed. note: In his apostolic exhortation Sacramentum Caritatis, Pope Benedict identified the "intrinsic connection" between the Eucharist and Confession.]

"He thus created a 'virtuous' circle."

Pope Benedict goes on to say, "Later, the growing numbers of penitents from all over France would keep him in the confessional for up to sixteen hours a day."

Let's remember this letter is addressed to priests. Among other things, he's telling them that the "check the box" approach to confession, i.e., 45 minutes on a Saturday afternoon, plus a communal penance service in Advent and Lent for good behavior, isn't going to get it done.

Read the whole letter here.

The matter at hand

Note to the bishops gathered in San Antonio:

You might want to curtail your discussion of immigration reform to make way for an agenda item that's a bit more pressing.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado, June 17, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Catholic couples who undergo marriage preparation based on the teachings of the Church are drastically more likely to agree to abstain until marriage and use Natural Family Planning (NFP), suggests a survey of Catholic couples participating in an online preparation course.

While 90-95% of engaged Catholic couples are believed to be sexually active before marriage, 76% of couples who took the Catholic Marriage Prep Online course signed a pledge card to remain abstinent until marriage. 22% said they "want to discuss the matter further," while only 2% said they would not abstain.

Also, 72% of couples said they would practice NFP, a natural method of spacing births, with 5% refusing outright. About 80% of all Catholic couples use artificial contraception, which is opposed to Church teaching.

"Couples who want the Truth and that are ready to follow the teachings of the Catholic Church are in the large majority," commented Catholic Marriage Preparation Inc. (CMP) regarding the survey results.

"When the teachings of the Church are well explained ... and presented in a respectful, non-judgmental environment, couples are more inclined to accept them and cling to them as their own."

CMP also notes that "the way instructors approach the couples is as important as the content of each class," saying that success depends on building trust between instructor and couple, sharing personal stories from married Catholic couples, and on meeting the couples "where they are" to achieve understanding. ...

(And I realize there likely is an element of self-selection in the course results. But unless we believe there is no value to catechesis at all, they should be taken seriously.)

Tip, Gene.

Honoring His Father

A regnocentric* Father's Day meditation from Sister Carol Gaeke, O.P., appears in this week's Catholic Telegraph of Cincinnati:

Jesus’ relationship with His Father is complex honoring — doing His Father’s will. This did not mean choosing a violent death, but in living a life that resulted in a violent death. Honoring His father meant announcing the reign of God — a very unpopular message. The poor were be raised up, the powerful dispossessed, the enemy received in friendship. The powers of religion and state were to be upended. The message was that love was to be transformative, that it could cause a person to abandon oneself for others, for justice, for family and state it in a whole new way. Jesus’ relationship with His father was to show us the way to honor God.

* In Pope Benedict's Jesus of Nazareth, he critiques the theology one senses in this piece. You can find a related post with a generous excerpt from the book here.

A love-letter on the priesthood

Pope Benedict released his early awaited letter to priests for this Friday's start to the Year of the Priest. It's a rich, poignant effort -- like a love-letter on the priesthood. He reflects on his days as a young priest, the urgency of sacramental service, and the witness of St. John Mary Vianney, whom he quotes extensively:

"Without the Sacrament of Holy Orders, we would not have the Lord. Who put Him there in that tabernacle? The priest. Who welcomed your soul at the beginning of your life? The priest. Who feeds your soul and gives it strength for its journey? The priest. Who will prepare it to appear before God, bathing it one last time in the blood of Jesus Christ? The priest, always the priest. And if this soul should happen to die [as a result of sin], who will raise it up, who will restore its calm and peace? Again, the priest. ... After God, the priest is everything! ... Only in heaven will he fully realise what he is". These words, welling up from the priestly heart of the holy pastor, might sound excessive. Yet they reveal the high esteem in which he held the Sacrament of the Priesthood. He seemed overwhelmed by a boundless sense of responsibility: "Were we to fully realise what a priest is on earth, we would die: not of fright, but of love. ... Without the priest, the passion and death of our Lord would be of no avail. It is the priest who continues the work of redemption on earth. ... What use would be a house filled with gold, were there no one to open its door? The priest holds the key to the treasures of heaven: it is he who opens the door: he is the steward of the good Lord; the administrator of His goods. ... Leave a parish for twenty years without a priest, and they will end by worshipping the beasts there. ... The priest is not a priest for himself, he is a priest for you".

We'll discuss Pope Benedict's letter during my next Monday (7:35 am) segment on the Son Rise Morning Show. Also, I'll be participating tomorrow morning (Friday) in the show's pledge drive at 8:10 am. Join us, and please support Sacred Heart Radio.

"a true shepherd in the biblical sense of the word"

You will recall that Rochester's Father Dan Holland, outgoing pastor of one of my boyhood parishes, St. Pius X, used his bulletin last summer to stump for women's ordination. In this Sunday's edition, he devotes his column to the legacy of "one of the best bishops in America":

On this coming Friday, June 26th, Bishop Clark will celebrate the 30th anniversary of his installation as the Bishop of Rochester. You may recall that he was ordained a Bishop by Pope John Paul II in Rome on May 27, 1979. Bishop Clark has served our diocese longer than any other bishop except for our first Bishop, Bernard McQuaid, who served from 1868 until 1909. Please remember to offer a prayer of thanks for Bishop Clark on Friday this week. He has been our Bishop for 30 of my 44 years as a priest. Actually, I was among the first group of priests he appointed as pastors in our diocese - September 1979, I was appointed to St. Patrick's in Elmira.

In his history of our diocese written in 1993, Father Robert McNamara describes Bishop Clark's call to serve as one to lead a "Church in dialogue." I find that a very apt description of our Bishop's leadership style - dialogue. Well versed in the religious sciences, Bishop Clark has demonstrated an extraordinary understanding of what the Second Vatican Council`, 45 years ago, asked of all church leaders: while treasuring our faith, update its preaching, and continue to learn its implications for living in today's world with joy and hope. A gifted teacher of faith; a tireless servant especially to those thought of as "outsiders;" an initiator of unique covenants with the Rochester Jewish community and Muslim community; a prophet challenging us church members to grow in faith - that's Bishop Clark. Whenever I have visited other areas of our country, for retreats, conferences, course work, I have always been proud to identify him as our Bishop. And, most priests around our country say, "you have one of the best bishops in America." I agree.

Some have very unfairly criticized Bishop Clark for some management decisions, especially in reference to closing catholic schools and some church buildings in recent years. (The critics never offered real alternatives!) Instead, we should be praising him for making difficult decisions. People too easily forget that Rochester has lost 100,000 people, and Kodak no longer employs 60,000 Rochesterians. Of course such facts affect church life and ministry! Cardinal Egan was similarly criticized in New York before his retirement for closing 10 parishes in Bronx and Manhattan, merging 11 others, and closing 23 city schools. Demographics, as well as the priest shortage, greatly impact the organization of church life. Too few people in some areas; too few leaders; too much property - such problems only compound when they are left unaddressed. I'm grateful to our Bishop for making the needed tough decisions. If middle class Catholics do not choose to use Catholic Schools, more will have to close. (Thank God, St. Pius X School has already registered 357 students for next year! - Of course, we are blessed to have the best Principal in the diocesan system!)

As I approach my retirement from any active ministry assignment, I want to publicly thank our Bishop for his leadership; for his loving ministry among us - always a joy when he visits our parish; for his personal support of me and of all our diocesan priests through these years - a true shepherd in the biblical sense of the word. I know that you join me in asking God to continue to bless him and his ministry among us; to bless him with good health, and deep joy as he reflects on his 30 years of service to our diocese. Pope John Paul II made a great choice, when with the Holy Spirit's help, he chose Matthew Clark to be our Bishop.

Prophecy

Last summer when speculation was rampant in Cincinnati about who would succeed Archbishop Pilarczyk, one name that consistently made everyone's short list was Bishop Blase J. Cupich of Rapid City, South Dakota. (Interestingly, Archbishop Schnurr was on nobody's list back then.) Given that Bishop Cupich's public stance during the election that gave us our rabidly pro-abortion president is now cited approvingly by the editors of the dissident magazine Commonweal, I'm thinking things turned out rather well for us.

Some conservative Catholics are now demanding that the University of Notre Dame be formally censured or disciplined by the bishops. Given the moral seriousness of Obama’s speech there and the positive response it received from Catholics and non-Catholics alike as a kind of model for civil discourse, perhaps the bishops will listen to cooler heads. Last November, Bishop Blase J. Cupich of Rapid City, South Dakota, urged his fellow bishops to eschew a prophecy of denunciation for “a prophecy of solidarity with the communities we serve and the nation we live in, which needs healing. We must be, and be seen to be, pastors as well as faithful teachers.” Too few bishops heeded Cupich then. Will more listen now?

Good news Thursday

Fr. Z often invites his readers to share good news, and a handful of friends and I conducted a similar exercise via email yesterday. Consider this an open thread to spread the good word, especially for developments in Cincinnati and Rochester. Please try to keep the snark to a minimum.

(1) Benedict XVI, the great catechist of our age, is our Holy Father
(2) Our omnipresent new coadjutor archbishop has been a tonic for Cincinnati
(3) The reform of the reform is a short drive away
(4) Holy priests and devoted laity are among my friends
(5) There's a noticeable buzz in the air about priestly vocations
(6) The Leonardi family celebrated all three sacraments of initiation this spring
(7) Confession still produces elation

Stark message

First-rate reporter Dan Horn of the Cincinnati Enquirer has a lengthy story in this morning's edition about the recent -- and rapid -- decline of the religious press. His article centers on St. Anthony Messenger Press, but the Catholic Telegraph is also mentioned. The lead paragraphs are telling. SAMP's products have a mostly liberal cast and appeal to a stagnant and aging base of baby-boomer Catholics. It makes you wonder how its acquisition Servant Books, with its more Magisterially oriented catalog, is faring. (Ditto for publishers like Ignatius Press, Pauline Media, and Our Sunday Visitor). Regardless, some of our fellow Catholics in Cincinnati are being negatively impacted by this turn of events, and you might keep them in your prayers.

The Rev. Dan Kroger braced for bad news a few weeks ago when he asked a focus group of college students what they thought of the St. Anthony Messenger, the Catholic magazine he publishes in Cincinnati.

Only two of the 12 students had heard of the monthly magazine, and none subscribed to it or read it.

The comments stung, but Kroger wasn't shocked. It was just one more reminder that his 116-year-old magazine, one of the largest religious publications in the country, needed to adapt to a rapidly changing world.

"These are the realities," said Kroger, the magazine's publisher since 2007. "It's either change or die."

The same, stark message is being heard at religious newspapers and magazines across the country as tough economic times and changing demographics threaten their viability and - in some cases - their survival.

Publications as varied as Baptist newspapers in Idaho and Utah, the United Church of Christ's newspaper in Cleveland and a Jewish lifestyle magazine in Canada all have either closed or moved exclusively online in recent months.

The St. Anthony Messenger's circulation has fallen from 350,000 to 250,000 in just five years, and dozens of other publications have experienced similar drops.
...
Kroger still is working out the details, but his goal is to make the magazine and dozens of other publications he oversees healthy and competitive for years to come.

As CEO of St. Anthony Messenger Press, the Cincinnati-based nonprofit that produces the magazine, newsletters, videos and about 40 books a year, Kroger is at the heart of the struggle. The economic and cultural shifts of the past few years have affected every aspect of his business.

Sales are down about 10 percent across all of the company's product lines this year and the magazine lost about 30,000 subscribers last year.

The company, which has an annual budget of $15 million, recently closed its call center, eliminating 44 part-time positions. It's also looking to reduce its 90-person workforce through voluntary early retirements.

Kroger knows those are temporary solutions. To survive, he said, the company will have to revamp or eliminate some products, expand its online presence and appeal more to young people.

"We want to be more market-driven," Kroger said.

Similar moves are under way at other religious publications, and the results have been mixed.

"There's a lot of concern out there," Walter said. He said circulation among Catholic publications has fallen from 14 million to 11 million in the past five years and rising postal rates are crushing budgets, since most rely heavily or exclusively on the mail to reach subscribers.
...
Tricia Hempel, editor of Cincinnati's Catholic Telegraph, has no plans to eliminate the print version of her paper.

But she's hedging her bets.

The Telegraph recently revamped its Web site in hopes of drawing more readers to photo galleries, school events and other content that might not make it into the paper every week. Hempel said the goal is to have as strong and busy a site as possible in case the paper one day must move more or all of its content to cyberspace.

The paper has about 60,000 readers while the online edition draws about 8,000 hits a month, Hempel said.

"I'm still hanging on to the print edition," Hempel said. "The paper is 178 years old and I'd hate to give up the print edition on my watch. On the other hand, I don't want to be stubborn about it." ...

iPhone

I'm about ready to retire my Blackberry and am thinking about making the switch.

Pros? Cons?

Favorite apps?

This one looks good.

An enquiring fidelity

“If you hear any Catholic say or teach something that goes against the teaching and discipline of the Church, as safe-guarded by the Pope, politely, but firmly, challenge them, be they a lay catechist, teacher, deacon, priest or even a bishop.”

-- Most Rev. Patrick O’Donoghue, (recently) retired Bishop of Lancaster, U.K., and author of "Fit for Mission? Church" and "Fit for Mission? Schools"

Inculturation and Newport, Rhode Island

Today's Wednesday general audience address by Pope Benedict was devoted to Ss. Cyril and Methodius, apostles to the Slavs. The complete text isn't yet available, but the Vatican Information Service has released a summary, which is posted below. Longtime readers may recall how these two saintly brothers nearly "caused" a bar fight in Newport, Rhode Island.

VATICAN CITY, 17 JUN 2009 (VIS) - Sts. Cyril and Methodius, apostles of the Slavs and co-patrons of Europe, were the subject of the Holy Father's catechesis during his general audience, which was held this morning in St. Peter's Square.

The Pope sketched a brief biography of the saints explaining how Cyril, born in Salonika around the year 826, received a careful education and was ordained a priest at an early age. Soon afterwards his older brother Methodius, born about the year 815, abandoned his own administrative career and retired to a monastery on Mount Olympus in Bithynia where he was subsequently joined by Cyril.

Some years later the imperial government entrusted Cyril with a mission to the peoples living around the Sea of Azov who had asked to be sent "a man of letters capable of discussing with Jews and Saracens". On his return to Constantinople, the emperor Michael III, who had been a school friend of Cyril, sent the two brothers to Moravia where Prince Ratislav had requested "a teacher capable of explaining the true faith to us in our own language.

"Their mission", the Pope added, "soon met with unexpected success. By translating the liturgy into Slavic the two brothers earned great affection among the people. This, however, also aroused the hostility of the Frankish clergy who had arrived in Moravia earlier and considered the territory as part of their own ecclesial jurisdiction". Travelling to Rome to justify their actions, the brothers stopped in Venice where they opposed the "so-called trilingual heresy, ... which sustained that there were only three languages in which God could legitimately be praised: Hebrew, Greek and Latin".

The brothers eventually reached Rome to request the support of Pope Hadrian II. That Pontiff "understood the great importance of their exceptional mission" because he thought "the Slavic peoples could act as a bridge between East and West, helping to maintain the unity of Christians on both sides of the empire. Thus he did not hesitate to approve the brothers' mission in Great Moravia, accepting the use of the Slavic Language in the liturgy".

While in Rome Cyril fell seriously ill and died on 14 February 869. Methodius returned to Moravia and Pannonia in 870 "where he worked actively in organising the Church and in forming a group of disciples". He died on 6 April 885.

"To give a brief spiritual profile of the two brothers", the Holy Father continued, "we must first note the passion with which Cyril studied the writings of St. Gregory of Nazianzus from whom he learnt the importance of language in transmitting the Revelation". In this context, Benedict XVI recalled how, even before their mission to Moravia, Cyril and Methodius "were working on a plan to gather Christian dogmas into books written in Slavic. This entailed the need for new graphic symbols, closer to the spoken language, and from here arose the Glagolitic alphabet which, subsequently modified, became known as 'Cyrillic' in honour of the person who inspired it".

"Cyril and Methodius were convinced that individual peoples could not claim to have fully received the Revelation until they had heard it in their own language and read it in the letters of their own alphabet". Thus they are, he went on, "a classic example of what today we call 'inculturation': each people must integrate the revealed message into their own culture and express the truths of salvation with their own language".

In this context, the Pope concluded, "the brother saints have left a testimony ... from which the Church today continues to draw inspiration and guidance".

"Please feel free to comment below"

How do you spot an online publisher with a potential control problem?

When the following edict comes standard with every post:

RULES FOR COMMENTS: We want to host a constructive but civil discussion among mature adults. With that in mind:

1. No name calling or personal attacks; stick to the argument, not the individual.

2. Assume the goodwill of the other person, especially when you disagree.

3. Don't make judgments about the other person's sinfulness or salvation. You are not the Inquisition.

4. Within reason, stick to the topic of the thread; no conversation hijackers, please.

5. Encouraging or threatening violence against anyone will get you banned immediately.

6. If you don't agree to the rules, don't post.

We reserve the right to block or edit (tone, not content) any posts that violate our usage rules. And we will freely ban any commenters unwilling to abide by them.

...

The priest behind the priest

Today is the feast of St. John Francis Regis, the priest who reportedly inspired the vocation of St. John Vianney, the Cure of Ars. As you may know, St. John Vianney is the patron saint of the Year of the Priest, which begins with this Friday's celebration of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. Like St. John Vianney, St. John Francis Regis' principal spiritual weapons were the catechism and the confessional. Here is the text from Pauline Media's Saints for Young Readers, a great two-volume read-aloud resource for families who would like to spend time with the saint of the day:

This French saint was born in 1597. When he was eighteen, he entered the Jesuit order. In the seminary, John's love for God and his vocation showed in the way he prayed. He was also eager to teach catechism in the parishes when he could. After he was ordained a priest, St. John Francis began his work as a missionary preacher. He gave very simple talks that came right from his heart. He especially spoke to the poor, ordinary folks. They came in great crowds to hear him. He spent his mornings praying, performing the sacrament of Reconciliation and preaching. In the afternoon, he would visit prisons and hospitals. To someone who said that the prisoners and bad women he converted would not stay good for long, the saint answered: "If my efforts stop just one sin from being committed, I shall consider them worthwhile."

St. John Francis journeyed to wild mountain parishes even on the coldest days of winter to preach his missions. "I have seen him stand all day on a heap of snow at the top of a mountain preaching," one priest said, "and then spend the whole night hearing confessions." Sometimes he would start off for a far-away town at three o'clock in the morning with a few apples in his pocket for his day's food.

Once, on his way to a village, St. John Francis fell and broke his leg. But he kept on going, leaning on a stick and on his companion's shoulder. When he reached the village, he went at once to hear confessions. He did not have his leg taken care of. At the end of the day, when the doctor looked at it, his leg was already completely healed.

St. John Francis died on one of his preaching missions. He became very ill while lost at night in the woods. Just before he died, he exclaimed: "I see Our Lord and his mother opening heaven for me." He died on December 31, 1640.

In 1806, a pilgrim joined the crowds going to pray at the shrine of St. John Francis Regis. The pilgrim believed all his life that this saint obtained his vocation to the priesthood. That man was St. John Vianney, the Cure of Ars. His feast is celebrated on August 4.

You might also enjoy the late Fr. Robert McNamara's "Saints Alive" entry on St. John; it begins with a humorous bit about New York's St. Regis Hotel.

Brick by Kentucky brick

A reader from Northern Kentucky recently formed a schola and has begun singing the Chant in area parishes.

Check out the website devoted to his efforts and say hello.

You don't say?

In an article about the Vatican's forthcoming confession handbook, a Newark priest makes the startling observation that mid-afternoon on a Saturday is not an ideal time for would-be penitents:

At Blessed Sacrament Church in Newark, Father Jonathan Wilson recently added another confessional time on Tuesday evening in addition to every Saturday. He realizes the weekend is not always the most convenient time and added the Tuesday to be more accommodating.

And how will Fr. Wilson get members of his flock to show up on Tuesdays?

He promotes the sacrament of confession through his preaching and instruction in the schools.

I do look forward to this handbook. No, it won't change things overnight, but it will "force" something of a conversation about the sacrament. My sense is that there are a lot of parents who understand that something "just isn't right" about the current situation and would be receptive to a straightforward, Church-approved resource for reviving the sacrament. And although this may be a vain hope, a section explaining that the communal penance service -- reserved exclusively for Advent and Lent in most parishes -- was never intended to replace individual confession would be most helpful.

Follow me to Panera

Here's one for the "Your pastor isn't so bad" file:

"Schism isn't the only way!"

While conducting a Google search for a comment on another site,I came across an article from 1995 by Donna Steichen on Catholic feminists and the Women's Ordination Conference. It seems that the conference once considered softening its insistence on the ordination of Catholic priestesses in the wake of Ordinatio Sacerdotalis. What follows are the reactions Joan Sobala and Nancy DeRycke, two current pastoral administrators over parishes in the Diocese of Rochester; you'll likely find DeRycke's line about the needlessness of schism, from which this post takes its title, eerily prophetic:

"If Women's Ordination Conference is giving up the struggle for renewing priestly ministry, then I cannot buy in," said Sister Joan Sobala, SSJ, of Rochester, NY. Sobala served on the WOC staff from 1979-1982. while the organization was engaged in formal "dialogue" with the national bishops' Committee on Women in the Church and in Society. "Part of the genius of the organization in those early years was the single focus," she said. "I want us to live and celebrate the discipleship of equals-and I want us to continue the struggle within the institution. I think it should be both."
...
"If WOC is thinking about giving up the agenda of renewing the church, where does that leave everybody who has been trying so hard?" wailed Sister Nancy DeRycke, another Rochester SSJ. "For 20 years we've been saying 'It's our church!' We can't just drop it and start something else from scratch! Schism isn't the only way! Ordination doesn't have to mean subordination."

And evidently they are on friendly terms. From "Pastor" Nancy DeRycke's front-page column in this week's bulletin for Good Shepherd parish:

Dear Friends,

Do you ever look back and reflect on your life? In this fast paced world where things keep getting piled on us, sometimes we need the moments of pause....

I remember my High School teacher at St. Agnes, who also has been a wonderful friend through the years (Sr. Joan Sobala, SSJ), saying:

"The difference between a Crisis and an Adventure is in one's Attitude." ...

Our daily, super-substantial bread

Pope Benedict's Corpus Christi homily from last Friday was the subject of my Monday segment on the Son Rise Morning Show today. We covered the Holy Father's concern with a "serpentine [or insidious] secularization" within the Church, "which can convert into a formal and empty Eucharistic worship." Unfortunately, only summaries from VIS and Zenit are available. So I used Babel Fish to translate the Italian original and came across a fascinating catechetical nugget on the deeper meaning of "our daily bread" in the Our Father. Here is the translation, with my "dynamically equivalent" modifications to make it readable:

Soon we will pray the Our Father, the prayer par excellence. We will say: “Give us this day our daily bread,” thinking naturally of the bread of every day life for us and all men. This mystery also contains something deeper. The Greek term epioúsios, that we translate as “daily bread,” could allude also to “the super-substantial” bread, to the bread “of the world to come.” Some Fathers of the Church have seen here a reference to the Eucharist, the bread of eternal life of the new world that is given us today in the holy Mass, so that starting now the future world begins in us. With the Eucharist, therefore, heaven comes down to earth, the tomorrow of God descends into the present and it is as if time remains embraced by divine eternity.

(My apologies in advance for any translation errors; you're welcome to post a better version in the comment box.)

Eastside renaissance

A reader informs us that, in addition to leading a Eucharistic procession down the busy street in front of his church yesterday, the new pastor of St. Cecilia parish on the eastside of Cincinnati will be hearing confessions daily for the Year of the Priest. This is the same young priest that has been celebrating a Novus Ordo in Latin on the second and fourth Fridays of the month.

Brick by brick.

The Mass as it truly is

Fr. Martin Fox, a friend of this site and a priest from the northern hinterland of the archdiocese, posts his homily for today's Feast of Corpus Christi. (He will be leading a eucharistic procession between his two churches in Piqua this morning.) Here's an excerpt:

I am puzzled that some object
to approaching the Mass as it truly is:
a profound mystery that goes way beyond our understanding,
and so the Mass is not ours to refashion as it suits us,
and yes, the Mass is challenging, and not always “user-friendly.”

Here’s what Pope Benedict said the other day:
“There is always a strong temptation
to reduce prayer to superficial and hurried moments,
allowing ourselves to be overcome
by earthly activities and concerns.”

I would add—there is sometimes an insistence:
“Don’t make it too hard.”

Where did we get the idea that worshipping the Creator,
in all his mystery and power,
his justice and purity and mercy,
should not be something extraordinarily demanding?

Sometimes we don’t understand what’s happening—
that’s a challenge to make an effort to discover.

Sometimes the prayers are in our own language,
Or the language of our forebears in faith—in Latin,
Or in the language of the New Testament—in Greek,
Or the language of new immigrants—such as Spanish.

We’re kidding ourselves if we think we understand
what that means in any language.

Last Sunday was Trinity Sunday,
when we reflect—and are changed by our reflection—
on the fact that God is a Trinity of Persons.

God, in his own being and life, is a relationship.
Another way to put it: God, in himself, is communion.

What’s the connection?

God is relationship;
And the Eucharist and the Sacrifice of the Mass
is about bringing us into that relationship.

Communion.

Long ago, God’s people trembled to hear the Word of God.
Then God came himself, become one of us in our midst.
He said, “This is my Body”…
“this is my Blood…poured out for You.”


And then we discover this is not just for us
to witness with fear and trembling—
But—if we will be his disciples,
baptized and in union with his Body the Church,
we are bidden forth to share that life—communion.

To quote Pope Benedict once more:
“With the Eucharist, heaven comes down to earth,
God’s tomorrow descends into the present moment
and time is, as it were, embraced by divine eternity.”

Awe and wonder? Fear and trembling?
What must our response be?

Read the whole thing. Also, Carl Olson of Ignatius Press' Insight Scoop posts an excerpt from Fr. Francis Randolph's explanation of the Mass, Know Him in the Breaking of the Bread, a book I found when looking for a "Spirit of the Liturgy 'for Dummies'" a couple of years ago.