ADAM'S ALE

SPECIAL EDITION: Bishops decry HHS rule, urge Catholics to stand up for religious liberty and conscience rights in homilies at Vigil for Life

2012-01-27T17:28:00.000-08:00

ACTION ALERT!

The following was sent to all parishes late Friday from Bishop Lennon:

“This week the federal government’s Department of Health and Human Services issued a mandate which required religious non-profits to cover sterilization, contraceptive services, and some abortion-inducing drugs as part of their employee healthcare benefits.”

Even if you believe in these things this disregard for our Constitution has far reaching implications. If the establishment clause can be ignored than all of the Constitution may eventually be ignored. Taking action on this new law should be a high priority of all citizens regardless of their personal beliefs.

This weekend a letter concerning the action of our diocese will be read at all Masses and distributed to all Catholics in the Diocese of Cleveland. It is not yet available on-line as of this posting. Please make sure that you read it and ACT!

Here is a post on the Diocese of Cleveland site.

Here is even more information on the USCCB website on what you can do right now.

Please pray.

FRIDAY POTPURRI: DEFINING YOUR PARISH PART II

2012-01-27T11:54:00.000-08:00

Thus far you have collected all readily available material. Now some further research should be done. Let us start with the windows. Your information may not be complete or it might not appear to be quite correct. There are a number of avenues to help you out. One is to figure out what the general theme (if there is one) of the windows are. For example, if a series of windows depict the Beatitudes or the Ten Commandments, you may be able to figure out what a window is supposed to be but not necessarily why.

It is a good idea to record all the symbols in a window. Some may have been glossed over by previous persons doing your project. If the artists used traditional symbolism there are a few good references that you might employ to assist you in deciphering the window.

My favorite book is “Signs and Symbols in Christian Art” by George Ferguson. It is very user friendly and unlike many books out there concentrates on Catholic/Christian specifics. It has been in print since 1954 so may have to search for it though my addition was printed in the 80s I believe. Another book is “Saints, Signs, and Symbols” by W. Ellwood Post. While not exhaustive, these books have most of the basics.

There are some excellent websites as well. Seiyaka.com has a lot of great information. Fish Eaters is pretty good, and Christiansymbols.net is excellent.

There are times, however, when these resources will fail you. It might be because the artist has chosen to use innovative symbols that unless you are familiar with the artist’s intent they may confound you. For example, at one parish the windows were depicting the Ten Commandments and artist used red circles to mean “don’t!” Fortunately we came across an old paper that told us of this. (Don’t covet was interesting.) But how would we have known otherwise?

That leads us to your next step if you are desperate (and lucky.) In the corner of one of your windows (assuming they are all made from the same company) there very well may be (usually in the lower right hand corner) the name of the company responsible for the windows. At one parish it was the choir loft window, at another that last in a series in the nave of the church, at St. Sebastian it is in window off to the side of the sanctuary. It might be the artist and his studio itself, or the company that hired the studio to make them and then they stuck their own name on it. In any case this will give you some information. At the very least it will provide some historical data for you. If you are lucky, it might give you everything you want to know.

There was one set of windows that confounded me to no end. The artist was very creative and once you got into his mindset they made a lot of sense – but we needed a key. I found the name of the creator of the windows and then found someone at the company that would sneak out the blue prints for me. I ran down to the library and copied them as quickly as possible along with the artist’s notes. (Can you imagine trying to copy blueprints on 8 ½ by 11 sheets? – the taping together later was horrendous!) But the result was great! All the mysteries of the windows were cleared up and they became great tools for catechetical instruction.

WHY I HATE RELIGION BUT LOVE JESUS - A CATHOLIC RESPONSE

2012-01-26T08:28:00.000-08:00

If you did not see yesterday’s post, you may want to peruse it before you have a gander at today’s.

I hope you had a chance to think it over a bit and draw some of your own conclusions. What follows are some of my thoughts. Here are a few caveats however: He does not say that he is speaking about the Catholic Church but about Christianity in general, but this response will be from a Catholic specific standpoint. For the most part, issues already addressed in the videos will not be rehashed. And finally, these are just some immediate thoughts, not a complete thesis on the video.

So here we go. When I was in Junior High School, my “girlfriend” took me with her youth group to a local amusement park. On the way home on the bus she said she had something she wanted to talk to me about. We hunched down in our seats and she said, “You know, you Catholics worship statues and make Mary like a god and God specifically banned these practices and condemned such people to hell.”

While the conclusion of the argument may be correct, the premise was false. I remember leaning back in my seat and saying, “Whoever told you that Catholics worship statues or Mary for that matter was either seriously misinformed or lying.” To this day I find this a common practice. Someone will announce that the Catholic Church believes “X” and then go on to condemn the Church because of “X” when in fact the “X” itself is completely or mostly false.

The young man in the video makes a lot of scandalous accusations against religion. I agree with every point he makes – if and when they are true. For example; he accuses religion of building large building but failing to feed the poor. That is an outrage. But is it true? What evidence does he supply? None. What can we offer in return? That the Church (Catholic) is the largest charitable organization in the world bar none. Catholic Charities in northeast Ohio is the largest Catholic Charities in the world. (I am starting to encroach on the third video so I will leave it there.)

But what about those “large buildings?” They are for the poor also. The poor need more than food – they also need beauty. If they desire to part of the faith there is a pew for those of us who are poor - nobody pays for the holy water or the blessings. Those who can do (and have an obligation to do so) but that does suggest not having money means that the building is not for you.

Another accusation is that religion tells single moms that God does not love them if they’ve had a divorce. I would like one document, one official statement, one example of this being true for where and if it exists it should be condemned. Divorce, in the Catholic Church, does not even keep you from the Blessed Sacrament. You might find somebody who says that it does, but they would be wrong. Getting remarried while not separated from your spouse in the eyes of the Church would keep you away from the Blessed Sacrament true (as it would get you arrested for getting married while not getting a civil divorce first by the government) but never does God cease to love. Ever. Period. And all things are correctable. The idea is to protect that woman and the integrity of the sacrament not punish people for a failing marriage.

The idea that we can dress up on the outside but still be notorious sinners on the inside is acceptable to men of religion is just, once again, false. “Rend your hearts, not your garments.” Religion is there to help people do this who are open to it. Want an example of someone who acts religious but keeps sinning – I’ll give you plenty of examples. But an abuse does not negate the value of something that others find transformative. Sacraments of healing and forgiveness, of drawing closer and giving praise to God, recognizing the dignity of others – this is what good religion is supposed to do.

You get the idea.

Then some of his sweeping and misleading claims grow broader. “God does not support the self righteous.” This is true and I agree. But his inference is that all men of religion are self righteous – is an oddly self righteous statement. It is a kin to a statement made at the beginning of his video that simply calling someone else blind does not mean that you can see – could be a statement that ricochets back on him.

And does it have to be one way or the other? It is not about man searching for God but about God searching for man? Is it not both?

Did Jesus come to abolish religion? No, I believe He came to abolish bad religion. To say straight out that all religion is condemned by God requires the ignoring or fancy footwork around a LOT of Biblical evidence. Not the least of which is the Bible itself which was solidified for us by . . . the Church in the fourth century. Religion.

Okay – this is getting way to long. I hope you had fun thinking this through yourself and maybe had some conclusions that were not even touched upon by either this short essay or in the other videos. To tell the truth I like this young man. Think about it: He seems utterly sincere in his love of Jesus and he went through some considerable effort to spread what he sees as the Good News. Even if I disagree with him spreading what comes down to his version of religion (ironic), I am jealous for my own youth they are not all out there doing the same.

WHY I HATE RELIGION BUT LOVE JESUS

2012-01-25T06:50:00.000-08:00

Okay Adam's Alers - time to put your thinking caps on. This first video is eating up the Internet. As of this writing it has had over sixteen million views! Quite incredible. This young gentleman is making the argument that Jesus came to destroy religion. Listen to it with a critical mind. Many of us will be confronted with one of points or another that he makes here. How would you respond?

Before you read (or view) on, think about what he said. Bearing in mind what you know about the faith how would you respond? Where might you find flaws in his commentary? Do you know enough about your faith to make comment?

Below is one response from Fr. Robert Barron from Word on Fire. Of course it is not as slick or entertaining and unfortunately he seems rather annoyed (maybe exasperated) with the young man. But here is a beginning of a good response.

Responses are coming in spades from all over the place and you can see them on Youtube. Here is another young man making a different tact from the one above.

I like his style, his respect, and his sincerity. But how would you go even further? Was there anything in that first video that struck you as not quite right? It is a great exersize to watch it and respond if to nobody else to yourself so that when you are thusly confronted you will have had the advantage of thinking it over already.

I will try tomorrow (time willing) to give just some responses that I have to the video.

TUESDAY QUOTE OF THE WEEK CCXLVI

2012-01-24T07:48:00.000-08:00

FINDING TRUTH WHEREVER IT MAY BE FOUND: "God is in the intrusions. God is in the interruptions." Fr. Richard Rhor

QUOTE II: "Divinity is always in the least place you would expect it." Archbishop Sheen

IN OTHER NEWS:

The Rev. Damian Ference has another article to see on Word on Fire. "Beyond the prolific writing career, the fascinating personal life, and the peacocks (lots of peacocks) Flannery O'Connor was a devout and inspirational Catholic. Word on Fire contributor Father Damian Ference takes a look at the writer today on the Word on Fire blog." Read the article here. Good show brother.

Brother priest GDB sent this picture:

"I'm on top of the world looking down on creation . . ." as the song goes. Thanks R. U. for sending in this panoramic view from the top of Mount Everest.

From the Diocese of Cleveland Enewsletter, "Did you know, the First Friday Clubs Page is now updated with speaker information for the three club luncheons that will be taking place in early February?" Read more here.

R B sent this in about Mark Wahlberg's reversion to the faith. We need many more like him in Hollywood. God bless him.

MONDAY DIARY: ALMOST EXCRUSIATINGLY TRUE REMINISCENSE

2012-01-23T11:45:00.000-08:00

Not too long ago I told you about the story of my sister and I almost knocking out Saint Joseph during my time as a seminarian working at Saint Augustine in Barberton. That brought to mind another story that took place that summer. Now that I think of it - it is amazing that they kept me employed there.

This took place before the bell incident. I was sent up into the bell tower to see what condition it was in. To get up to the bell one has to climb a number of stories on a rung ladder that has not breaks in it all the way up. It was quite a climb.

The bell housing itself was in pretty poor condition and there were a couple projects that needed attention. One would be to paint the metal so that it would stop rusting.

The other job was to clean out years of accumulated bird donations. This was not a fun job but I was grateful to have something to do to earn money to return to seminary so I got a shovel and some industrial sized plastic bags and got to work.

Now, the trick was trying to get the donations from the birds OUT of the bell tower. I couldn't just toss it out onto the city sidewalk below. No, it had to be carried down the ladder and disposed of properly. That meant trying to climb a vertical ladder with only one hand and my chin.

The above is what I saw. The bag was so heavily full of bird droppings that the industrial bag slowly started to rip. What could I do? I could not let go of the ladder. Even if I did, then what? Like watching an inevitable car wreck, there was nothing to do but watch the bag rip away from my hand.

And that it did, plummeting seven or so stories straight down the bell tower into the upstairs sacristy where it made a terrible explosion of filth. But that was not the worst of it. The disgusting cloud was not content to remain confined in the upstairs sacristy, it sent it's deathly plume up the tower like a chimney - or like an explosion in an elevator shaft in some actions packed movie.

It was horrible. And the door to the server's sacristy downstairs was also open and so the whole place filled with years of disintegrated droppings. I would have fired me at that point. But kindly Mrs Z said not to worry and she helped me clean up as much as possible.

Now I always buy quality trash bags.

FRIDAY POTPOURRI: DEFINING YOUR PARISH PART I

2012-01-20T11:38:00.000-08:00

At most of the parishes with which I have been associated I have created a document unlocking all of the symbolism contained in the parish, have taught a class, and usually given numerous tours helping people become more aware of the building they call their spiritual home. It almost always elicits and “I never saw that,” or a, “I never realized what that meant.”

Over the past five years of Adam’s Ale we have explored an incredible amount of Christian symbolism. We’ve also explored books and websites that I have recommended. But we never have really looked at how you might attempt this at your parish. So we will try that for a spell.

When starting out there are a couple of things that will make the process easier if you settle on them right away. The first is to get your clergy on board. Depending on the scope of your project you will have to spend a lot of time in your church (assuming it is not iconoclastic in nature) and you will need to do a certain amount of snooping – more likely in older church buildings where interesting symbolic pieces may be somewhat hidden.

The next thing you will want to decide is the scope of your project. Do you want to do just the windows? That is one thing. Do you want to do all the artwork? That is another. How about every last scrap of meaning you can drag out of a building, that is yet quite another. The first will be easy, the last may require finding blueprints and trying to locate companies and all kinds of research.

So let’s say that you are going for the whole enchilada. The first step is to try to save yourself some time by locating information that has already been accumulated for you. Often a parish directory has been produced and often there is a description of the windows or other art. Perhaps a pamphlet has been produced at a significant anniversary or at the consecration of the church.

Most parishes have an archives room or at least a good sized archives file cabinet. This is a good place to start looking. (Be very careful! Keep things neat and in order and be sure to return them so that you and your project can move forward without people becoming upset. These items can be difficult to replace and can be jealously guarded.) Scan or copy interesting articles and descriptions. You will most probably find that something is wrong in the descriptions, but they are an excellent beginning point.

It is a good idea to already begin separating your information into categories. “Windows, statuary, paintings, architecture, and such.” Names of artists and companies may serve you very well in the future so it is an excellent idea to have this information if available. Small pieces of history are also very good. “Made in Italy and shipped to the United States and 20 pieces. Assembled . . . etc.” While not directly part of your mission, it is none-the-less interesting to many people and rarely part of a comprehensive document. And again, dates, locations, and the like may serve your research later.

IN THIS SAND, I THEE WED

2012-01-19T12:03:00.000-08:00

Occasionally a phone call will come into the parish that goes something like this:

“Hello. Am I talking to the priest?”

“Yes, how may I help you?”

“I’m planning in getting married on June 3rd and I would like to get married (INSERT ONE OF THE FOLLOWING: ON THE BEACH, IN THE BACKYARD, PARK, PARTY CENTER, ON A BOAT, WHILE SKY DIVING . . .) and I was wondering if you would do the service.”

The next question out of my mouth will be, “Are you both Catholic?” If they say yes, chances are that I will not be able to assist them in the matter. After initial sounds of disappointment the question will arise, “Why can’t we get married in the (wherever)?”

Of course the Church (or the bishop or the parish or the pastor) comes off as the party spoiler who wants things their way. I understand the concept. Part of this is due to the “service” paradigm in existence in many other Churches. This sees “Church” as something akin to the banquet facility. I want a banquet and so I call a caterer to give me the reception of my dreams. Similarly, a bride (usually) has been dreaming of a certain wedding “since I was a little girl” and so assumes, logically enough, that I call my parish and for a modest sum, they will provide me with it.

Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on what you believe, this runs counter to how the Church envisions the marriage ceremony. It is a public event. It is not too different at all from ordination. We could not say to the bishop, “We have a dream of being ordained in Forest Lodge Park. It is the center of our community and plus we will be in the middle of nature that we love so much.” The bishop would rightly answer, “Boys, it’s not about you. This is not a private ceremony. It belongs to the Church. And we will have it at the cathedral, the central worship placed of our local Church, and throw open the doors to any who wish to attend.”

Marriage, too, is a public event and it belongs to the whole community. It is a sacred event and thus has a special connection to the faith life of the Church. This is exemplified by the banns being published the three weeks leading up to the wedding. The public has a right to know about and have a right to voice objections should there be any true impediments to this marriage. The ceremony belongs to the Church (and by Church I mean all the people) and most technically there would be no such thing as a “private” wedding. (There may be some legitimate reasons for it to be that way in practice, but not in ideology.) The bells ring 5 minutes before the wedding Mass not to call your guests in but anyone in the community who wishes to be a witness. A wedding is an event of the Church, not simply a perfect day for the wedding couple, though if properly catechized, the two should really be one – an event for the Church and a perfect day for the couple.

So almost all weddings between two Catholics take place in a church, the place of the community, the sacred space where sacraments are performed. As a general rule, the show is not taken on the road.

GOLD MINES IN YOUR OWN BACK YARD

2012-01-18T06:11:00.000-08:00

This past weekend I went to a concert at one of our local churches; Westminster Presbyterian. The Akron Baroque Orchestra was in performance. It was well attended, of high quality, in a beautiful a setting with great acoustics, and within walking distance of the rectory. What more could one ask for?

There is a great tradition of churches, particularly the Catholic Church, of being patronesses of the arts. In different times of our history the church may have been used for concerts (of certain sorts – never any age’s equivalent of acid rock or the like) and the courtyard of monasteries, often the center of old European towns, have had stages set up in them for everything from an orchestra concert to an opera.

The few churches in our area have had a wonderful concert season. This year one could hear everything from the Akron Symphony Chorus, Apollo’s Fire, Summit Choral Society, to local choirs. It is an outstanding opportunity not only to hear quality music and excellent settings, but (I dare say) an even greater opportunity to introduce families to the art of listening to a concert. (Please don’t take you kids unless you are willing to do the work to teach them how to attend a concert because chances are I will be sitting next to you and say a rosary against you if you let your kids talk and play.)

Often the concerts are of a shorter nature and usually free (save for a free will offering) or much cheaper than a more professional venue making them idea to take a family of five, six, or seven. Instead of paying $50 dollars a head, for a donation of $20 or so the family can learn (and they MUST learn from their parents – no school can do it for you) how to sit still and listen for an extended period of time AND unless they are VERY careful, they may develop a taste for higher music over time.

The unfortunate part is that there is not a community wide listing of concerts. It would be cool if somebody who has a lot of money and does not know what to do with it would put together a flier (that could also be used as a program) that listed the Churches in the part of town and all of the concerts that they provide that could go out to the community (as is found in many communities) letting them know of the gold mine – the outstanding opportunities that they have right in their own backyard.

TUESDAY QUOTE OF THE WEEK CCXLV

2012-01-17T04:27:00.000-08:00

FINDING TRUTH WHEREVER IT MAY BE FOUND: "You say grace before meals. All right. But I say grace before the play and the opera, and grace before sketching, painting, swimming, fencing, boxing, walking, playing dancing; and grace before I dip pen in ink." G. K. Chesterton

QUOTE II: "The way to love anything is to realise that it might be lost." David Fagerberg in Gilbert Magazine

IN OTHER NEWS:

This is awesome. Draw a stickman. Thanks M. W. for sending it in. Have fun with this.

This is eight and half minutes but very worth it! Thanks for sending it in!

There are a couple of messages that a friend of mine, Sr. Brigid (Sister of Life!) sent in for me to post to you. Here they are:

"For those coming to the March for Life Ralley in Washington D. C. you are all invited to you come visit our You and Me Exhibit that we hosted at WYD in Spain this year. It is a multimedia exhibit which draws you into an encounter with six people who are faced with challenging situations in their lives and the freedom and joy they find in making that choice to sacrifice for love. We will be hosting it at the JPII Shrine (which was the JPII Cultural Center) Friday through Sunday." More information here. Sister has recommended that you preregister which you can do on their website here.

She also wrote this great news: "I hear your friend Dawn is getting ready to publish a new book... Mother wrote the forward. I believe the book will be a great source of healing for many. Praise God!" Here is more information on Dawn Eden's new book. Long time AA friends know that Dawn was instrumental in the start of this blog which will be five years old this February. Congratualtions Dawn. You may see advance praise for this book and order it here.

This was also sent in: "I wanted to share with you that the Franciscan Sisters TOR are now on facebook for all of you who are on there! Please like the page and share it with your friends! The sisters will be using this as a way to share photos, news and updates from the community with those who are on facebook!' This is the address: http://www.facebook.com/FranciscanSistersTOR

From the Diocese of Cleveland Enewsletter, "YouTube videos created and produced by students at Archbishop Hoban High School in Akron and Lake Catholic High School in Mentor tell the stories of people who are part of newly merged parishes along with stories of church properties which have been sold and are now being reused." See more here.

Lastly but not least(ly?) here is a list of the Pope's intentions for the year 2012:

The Pope's entire list of prayer intentions for 2013 is as follows:

January
General: That during this “Year of Faith” Christians may deepen their knowledge of the mystery of Christ and joyfully bear witness to the gift of faith in Him.
Missionary: That the Christian communities of the Middle East, which frequently suffer discrimination, may receive the strength of fidelity and perseverance of the Holy Spirit.

February
General: That migrant families, in particular mothers, may be sustained and accompanied in their difficulties.
Missionary: That peoples experiencing war and conflicts may be the protagonists in the building of a future of peace.

March
General: That respect for nature will grow, with the awareness that all creation is the work of God entrusted to human responsibility.
Missionary: That bishops, priests and deacons may be tireless proclaimers of the Gospel to the ends of the earth.

April
General: That the prayerful and public celebration of the faith may be a source of life for the faithful.
Missionary: That the particular Churches in mission territories may be a sign and instrument of hope and resurrection.

May
General: That those who administer justice will always act with integrity and upright conscience.
Missionary: That seminarians, especially from mission Churches, may always be pastors according to the heart of Christ, fully devoted to the proclamation of the Gospel.

June
General: That a culture of dialogue, listening and reciprocal respect may prevail among the nations.
Missionary: That in the areas where the influx of secularization is strongest, Christian communities may learn to effectively promote a new evangelization.

July
General: That the World Youth Day taking place in Brazil may encourage all young Christians to become disciples and missionaries of the Gospel.
Missionary: That throughout the Asian continent, doors may be opened to the messengers of the Gospel.

August
General: That parents and teachers may help the new generations to grow up with a upright conscience and a consistent life.
Missionary: That the particular Churches of the African continent, faithful to the Gospel proclamation, may promote the building of peace and justice.

September
General: That the men and women of our time, often immersed in noise, may resdiscover the value of silence and learn to listen to the voice of God and their brothers and sisters.
Missionary: That Christians who suffer persecution in numerous regions of the world may be prophets of the love of Christ by their testimony.

October
General: That those who feel weary from the heaviness of life, and even long for its end, may sense the closeness of God’s love.
Missionary: That the celebration of World Missions Day may make all Christians aware that they are not only recipients but also proclaimers of the Word of God.

November
General: That priests experiencing difficulties may be comforted in their sufferings, sustained in the doubts and confirmed in their fidelity.
Missionary: That the Churches of Latin America may send missionaries to other Churches as a result of the continental mission.

December
General: That children who are victims of abandonment and of every form of violence may find the love and protection they need.
Missionary: That Christians, enlightened by the light of the incarnate Word, may prepare humanity for the coming of the Savior.

MONDAY DIARY: Producing A PAINTING IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS of rhetoric

2012-01-16T08:46:00.000-08:00

Back in the seminary, during my more idealistic days, I got into a debate with one of my professors about art and the Catholic Church. Standing firm that the Church as patroness of the arts should never, ever order their “art” from a catalogue, the professor kindly (tried) to point out that if a parish could not raise the funds to commission an artist to produce an original piece of art this might be a sound alternative. That idea was rebuffed. “If a community cannot raise the funds for true art!” I fumed, “then they don’t really want it!”

Since then my views have somewhat, but not entirely, softened. Catalogue art is safe art. There are no worries. You know exactly up front what it is that you are getting and if you are a little hesitant, just go to one of twenty parishes that already has your piece in it in order to see if you really do like it. Commissioning art is risky. One never knows exactly what one will get! There is a reason it is called original. But without taking that chance, we will never discover new talent; never experience new pieces.

From time to time I put my wallet where my rhetoric is. Most recently I commissioned a work of our patron saint by Eric Armusik. (You might remember him from this post a number of months ago.) I sent him the dimensions of a painting for which I was looking and some possible subject matter and then let him go to town. A few months later a giant package arrived in the mail. A kind parishioner and friend was there and I asked if she wished to stick around for the grand unveiling (or unwrapping I suppose) and she readily agreed and took these pictures. (Thanks J. D.)

The knife was in my hand and ready to cut when the secretary came back and said that some new parishioners had just registered and wanted to meet me. So I had to leave and greet a delightful young couple who had just moved to the area and hide my angst concerning the contents of the package in the hall.

After they left I leapt back into the hall. The camera was still poised to snap and now we were joined by our business manager and the unwrapping began. Let me tell you – this thing was wrapped to be towed by submarine across the Atlantic. It seemed to take forever to carve through the cardboard, plastic, and wood. (Sebastian – the dog - was very helpful.) And then – there it was! Saint Sebastian being nursed back to health by Saint Irene! Exquisite! A snippet in the life of our patron forever captured in a new piece of art.

This painting (on semi-permanent loan to the parish for as long as I am here) will hang in the rectory dining room. However, in honor of our feast day, this weekend it will be on display in the church building in the McDonough Resource Library (the old baptistery) if you would like a viewing.

Eric Armusik, the artist, lives in Hamburg, PA with his wife and three children. He was first inspired by the artwork of his home parish growing up and now hopes to continue in the fine tradition of creating works for the Church. He also does other projects as well but hopes to be able to do more commissions for and about the faith. If you would like more information you can find out more about him at his website here.

FRIDAY POTPOURRI: TRAVEL DAY

2012-01-13T07:10:00.001-08:00

Today is a travel day so there will be no post.

However:

HAPPY ST. HILARY DAY TO OUR FRIENDS DOWN THE STREET!

SPRING IS BUSTING OUT ALL OVER

2012-01-12T10:22:00.000-08:00

On my couple days away from the parish I happened to be walking along a great body of water and hearing a couple talking as I passed them. The woman was speaking to the gentleman, “Mother said that those old Communion Cups and St. X were just terrible. Men would come up with bushy mustaches and . . .” That is all I heard. To listen any more would be to need to go to confession.

It made me chuckle however and reflect on how much direct Catholicism I had encountered in the past couple of days. It made me think of Las Vegas (of all things) where you knew if you scratched the surface there was nothing but dessert underneath. Though society seems completely secular, scratch hard enough and you find faith.

Yesterday dinner was had at a restaurant that had tables out-of-doors next the sidewalk. As we ate a young man walked by holding hands with a young lady. After passing I noticed that he was wearing a brown scapular. It must have inched its way up out of his collar and was riding high on his neck. If it would have been convenient I would have commended him.

Have you ever seen the movie Seabiscuit? I highly recommend it (save for a minor spot of nudity and cursing.) It is a very pro-life movie in many respects. In a hospital scene one of the lead characters was praying the rosary. (I get far too excited about these things. It was nice to know just the same that the horse was a Catholic.)

This morning reading the newspaper there was a picture about a trial taking place in Peru. In the background on one of the tables – quite blurry but of no doubt – was a table crucifix! “Hey look!” I exclaimed to my breakfast mates, “Is that a crucifix in the courtroom?” Lucky Peruvians.

None of these were advertised for others to see. They were “caught” as it were – snatches of people’s lives. Sometimes these speak louder than grand monuments.

SO WE KNOW THAT THEY GO TOGETHER - BUT HOW DO THEY GO TOGETHER?

2012-01-11T08:19:00.000-08:00

Pope Benedict has gone a long way in making the extraordinary form of the Mass not only permissible, but as available as possible for those who wish to pray in that manner. Elbow room in the Catholic Church just got bigger. So now we know we can do it, but it is not entirely clear how we do it. It is another great experiment within the Church.

My parish is on the cutting edge of this movement. It is a strong, typical parish and did not need to begin celebrating the extraordinary form Mass in order to lure more people in the doors so that we could keep the lights on as is the case in many places. The Mass was begun as a service to the community in response to a real need in the area owing to a number of circumstances in play.

The pope has made it clear that there are not to be “extraordinary form” parishes but that both forms must coexist. This may sound easy enough but it requires much more than simply adding another Mass to the schedule. There are all kinds of “I never thought of that”s that come into play as we discover how one parish can provide both legitimate forms of the Mass.

To begin, the calendars do not necessarily coincide. For example there may be a feast in the ordinary form that is on a different day in the extraordinary form. At one Mass the altar may be decked out in green and the next one would need purple. This may seem minor and in many ways it is, but it something that one needs to be mindful about when doing anything in the church.

The cycle of readings is also most often different. A priest may have to prepare one homily for the ordinary form and another for the extraordinary.

Is it possible to simply redo the calendar for the extraordinary form? Perhaps. It would be wonderful to add some Masses such as for Saints that are more recently canonized. But I can only imagine the work involved in this process. If it took English speaking countries so long to come with our current English Missal, what might it be like to try to get the whole world to produce a new common Latin extraordinary form Missal?

Another area to look at is rubrical changes that affect the extraordinary form. Some laws do not change – especially those governing the Mass itself. Others do change. One is the Eucharistic fast. One need not fast from midnight until one receives Communion at the extraordinary form because the universal law has been changed. Nowhere however, as far as I am aware, are all of these things systematically written out and much advice must be sought.

Perhaps most importantly of all is the uniting of the entire community. We work hard to not have those who attend those who attend the extraordinary form of the Mass appear to be “the Latin Mass community at Saint Soandso.” Some of this is being very careful about the language that is used. One must guard against terms such as “their Mass” and “our Mass.” They are all just the Mass and we are one community. (As a side note, the extraordinary form of the Mass in not the “Latin Mass.” Any Mass may be prayed in Latin. The proper term is the extraordinary form.)

It also takes awhile to be vigilant on making sure that all parishioners are treated equally – such as in remembering to invite all to everything. This may seem obvious and easy enough, but it can be trickier than you think. Here are two examples. One is Donut Sunday. We have parish groups that volunteer to do this. That used to mean that a parish group might have to be going about the business of set up and serving donuts from about 8AM until 1PM. All of sudden beginning one weekend it meant 8AM until about 3PM. That is a long Sunday for volunteers. So how do you handle that? (Only wet babies like change.)

Even when you are sensitive to these issues things fall through the cracks. An usher’s meeting was held just before Christmas and during the opening prayer I realized to my horror that nobody had thought of inviting the new ushers from the extraordinary form of the Mass! Needless to say that became the first topic on the agenda and I had to apologize profusely to the 1:00 ushers (who were pretty good chaps about it.)

The idea of equal treatment extends to other things as well. Not wanting to treat any group of people within the parish as a separate community, we as priests at our parish often have the discussion about if we do something at one Mass, are we willing to do them at all Masses. And what of special requests – what does the parish offer the community at large and when can exceptions be made and where is the line that drawn so that exceptions don’t start dividing the community?

So far it has been a wonderful experiment. We’ve had some bumps but fortunately most people are understanding. There has also been promising developments of persons on both sides of the ordinary/extraordinary preferences visiting back and forth between forms. (That is a sign of health in my view.) The extraordinary form is also attracting additional converts to the parish we might not have had before; a couple to be welcomed into the Catholic Church within the next month and hopefully a few others on their way.

This is a unique period within the life of the Church. Those in such parishes are pioneers. We could certainly do things better and we most likely will as we cautiously figure our way, doing our best to navigate a parish community that likes everything from the ordinary form and folk music to the extraordinary form and Gregorian chant. It is a microcosm of a much larger Church that is incredibly diverse yet holds together at its center: the Eucharist.

TUESDAY QUOTE OF THE WEEK CCXLIV

2012-01-10T10:03:00.000-08:00

FINDING TRUTH WHEREVER IT MAY BE FOUND: "As we know good theology can only begin with God and a clear understanding that we are totally dependent on Him. He is the Source of all Good. Submission to His will is key to worthily living life as a human being created in His image, best accomplished by serving the common good." James (son of Alpheous) Miller.

QUOTE II: "Unless some sweetness at the bottom lie, who cares for all the crinkling of the pie?" William King as reported in the book "The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie" by Alan Bradley

IN OTHER NEWS:

There are some Catholic videos here if you are of a mind.

Arrrg! I forgot that we would be switching Breviary volumes today and here I am away from home without it! Never fear, Universalis is here!

The Diocese of Cleveland Enewsletter reports, "The annual Cleveland March for Life will take place at noon on Cleveland's Public Square on Saturday, January 14, 2012. Participants will march one-half mile to the historic Halle Building on Euclid Avenue for the indoor program." Read more here.

F S sent this in: "I'm not surprised to learn that such technology exists. It uses your IP address and finds the exact location of any Internet user in seconds. It uses a sophisticated time based algorithm to do so. Try it and find your PRECISE location on the earth,Then watch your screen as the system briefly analyzes your data...then displays your PRECISE location...Your location will pop up in a new window in about 10 seconds or so." Click here.

To make up for that last one he also sent this video of Amazing Grace. Thanks!

MONDAY DIARY: VACATIONS AND VOCATIONS

2012-01-09T12:59:00.000-08:00

What genera of book would think this was if you picked out the following dialogue from a book:

“Sir, face the wall. Spread you feet sir. A little more. Put your hands over your head and remain still.”

If you guessed going through airport security in one of those new scanners you would be correct.

I stupidly overdressed for traveling (a couple of days away from the parish.) My miraculous metal medal, studs in my collar, difficult shoes, belt, ring, pockets full of stuff. I know better. I wasn’t thinking.

You know, I would never undress to the extent that I did in the airport in any other gathering of people outside of a men’s locker room where I was about to work out. It is interesting to see how people handle it. Some feel like they are at a pajama party and others struggle desperately to clutch onto their dignity.

Although people may talk to strangers quite a bit in the queue leading up to the stripping point, once the stripping begins until the subsequent dressing is finished, it is as if we all try to pretend that the other strangers are not there. “I don’t see you and you don’t see me.”

I have gone someplace warm for a few days away from the parish for a few days. (There may be some days when there is no post.) It was interesting to see how other people in the plane dressed. Some clearly knew where they were going and had left winter clothes behind and were wearing very light clothing. Some were still bundled up. They would be hot once they got off of the plane. Pick your poison I suppose. Freeze now or boil later.

I like to travel in clerics. Many an interesting conversation has arisen and although I have always feared the person that would cling to me and talk and talk and talk that has never happened. (I am not a big talker particularly on planes.) The only time that did happen to me was when I was not in clerics. Most people are polite.

Before I was a priest I would love to see people in ecclesiastical garb out and about. I felt a twinge of pride such as when you see someone wearing a jacket from your favorite college. There was always an instant connection and if I saw a nun in the mall or some such place, I would always go up and say, “I don’t want to interrupt your day, I just wanted to say hi sister,” or father or what have you.

When I was first ordained I used to notice people noticing me. I don’t anymore. My sisters do however. “Why is everyone being so nice and smiling at us?” And that after a pause: “Oh! I’m with you,” the “you” not being emphasized in the most flattering manner.

Sometimes it is not always a flattering or pleasant situation when someone sees a color – kind of like wearing a Steeler’s jersey to a Browns game. But it is always an opportunity – a momentary yanking of a person out of the secular matters spiritual – even if it is only me catching an image of my colar reflected in a window.

FRIDAY POTPOURRI: FRIENDS, ROMANS, COUNRYMEN

2012-01-06T07:02:00.000-08:00

Let’s stick with the head while we are there.

Consider the ear. Well, symbolism wise there is not much to consider. If you saw a man, probably in a robe taking a sword and cutting of the ear of another man in a Roman soldier outfit in the middle of a garden, you would immediately know what story is being told. Or if there was a montage of pictures such as a rooster, a bag of 30 coins, and an ear, you would know that Christ’s betrayal is being portrayed. But unless you can think of anything else, I am at a bit of a loss as to any other time the ear plays an important role in paintings, windows, or statuary.

Of course there are a lot of literary references. “He who has ears ought to listen” (Mt 11:15) and so forth. Perhaps more significantly is what you don’t see with ears or with eyes for that matter. A saint is never seen with any type of device to help them hear better or glasses to help them see better. This is because in heaven there are no such maladies. Before God we will “see” and “hear” perfectly, comprehending and understanding all there is.

“Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely. 1 Corinthians 13:12”

There is an exception that proves the rule however. Saint Maxamilian Kolbe is most often depicted with glasses on. This is understandable I suppose since he almost always wore his glasses in this life never appearing in a photograph without them. They are rather iconic. However, my suggestion is to lose them. It should not be about what makes us comfortable. There is a message about Saint Kolbe to be given out. He is in heaven. He longer needs glasses to “see.” There does seem to be depictions of him out there sans glasses though they are few and far between.

COULDN'T SAY IT BETTER SO I WONT

2012-01-05T10:28:00.000-08:00

I’m cheating today. Priestly duties have claim on most of my time today and so I am recommending another article to you on the blog of Word on Fire! One of our own, Fr. Damian Ference, a priest of the diocese of Cleveland, has begun writing for the site. St. Sebastianites might remember him as he preached here a couple of times, especially rememberable was his Good Friday homily a couple of years ago.

Here is his post on la bella figura. I hope you enjoy it.

Rev. Damian J. Ference is a priest of the diocese of Cleveland. He is an Assistant Professor of Philosophy and a member of the formation faculty at Borromeo Seminary in Wickliffe, Ohio. He is the newest Word on Fire blog contributor.

HOW TO ORGANIZE THE WORLD

2012-01-04T06:07:00.000-08:00

Every month the diocese sends out the Diocesan Memorandum giving updates about important things around the diocese about which we should be aware. You might be surprised how often we receive warnings about persons impersonating priests who might be in the area.

The Church is rather particular about appropriate persons doing the right things in the right place. Sometimes it might seem that it is overly concerned. But when you are trying to keep things clear, easy, licit, and valid for over a billion people it serves to be particular about such things.

Just for example, let us say that you want to get married and need a copy of your baptismal certificate. Where is it? Why at the parish at which you were baptized of course. It will always be there. It does not matter where your actual home parish is. If you uncle, a priest, baptized you at St. Soandso, you baptismal certificate and all subsequent sacramental information about you (confirmation, marriage, holy orders, public perpetual vows of chastity etc) will all be shipped to this parish even if your actual parish is St. Whatsoever. The rule is the rule is the rule and everybody will always know where to look for your certificate.

This also helps when trying to determine of a sacrament is both licit and valid. Is the priest actually a priest? If he is from outside the diocese he will need a letter of suitability from his bishop. Within the diocese he will need permission from the local pastor to perform many sacraments. How does this help? First it helps us avoid people who are impersonating priests. (Again, you would be surprised.) It helps keep records straight. And it safeguards, for those to whom it matters, against having a person perform your sacrament who may no longer have faculties to do them. Many a man who left active ministries or who has been removed has declared himself still active and goes about performing ceremonies just the same. This is the case with the rather famous Rent-a-Priests. A person who uses them may consider themselves married or confirmed or even ordained, but it is not in any way recognized within the Church. This also goes for “Catholic Churches” no longer in union with Rome even of the priest was ordained validly. He has no faculties and no jurisdiction.

There is an exception to all this of course. At the point of death, any priest, even if he is outside of his jurisdiction, even if he left the priesthood, even if he was kicked out may perform emergency sacraments (confession, anointing) and it is both valid and licit.

TUESDAY QUOTE OF THE WEEK: CCXLIII

2012-01-03T07:57:00.000-08:00

FINDING TRUTH WHEREVER IT MAY BE FOUND: "Obedience is a hard won virtue. All love requires obedience." Unknown

QUOTE II: "If children are not bitten by sows today, it is not because they are better supervised. It is because we don't keep sows in the kitchen." from Bill Bryson's "At Home"

IN OTHER NEWS:

RB sent this in. Nothing really connected with this blog but interesting none-the-less. Thanks.

PW sent this in thinking that you would like it.

From the Diocese of Cleveland Enewsletter: "Bishop Richard Lennon sat down for an interview with News Channel 5's Leon Bibb. In this installment of My Ohio (originally aired on Dec 23rd), Bishop Lennon talks Christmas, northeast Ohio poverty, reconfiguration and his call to the priesthood" See more here.

PW sent this in! Three minutes. Thanks!

MONDAY DIARY: PRETTY CLOSE TO EXCRUSIATINGLY TRUE STORIES

2012-01-02T08:05:00.000-08:00

According to Bill Bryson's book, "At Home," the idea of a weekend did not exist until the 19th century. Until then the weekend was considered Sunday at that was it. The term itself did not even exist until 1879 and even then it meant the latter part of Saturday (after work) and Sunday. So having Saturday AND Sunday off is a rather modern thing for which we should be very thankful.

Unless you do not have Saturday and Sunday off. There are plenty of these. Postmen, firefighters, policemen, many of those who work in the medical field, clerks, cooks, waitresses, . . . the list could go on and on.

Priests could be added to that list also. It depends, of course, how busy one's parish is and how much you are willing to work, but the weekend is not generally a "day off." Even after the Mass schedule is over we usually might have a program or service or event to attend - or even help out with one of the evening Masses at a local parish. But once in a blue moon, for example New Year's Day, there was NOTHING.

Well that is not entirely true. Fr. Pfeiffer had something to do - but I had NOTHING and nobody wanted anything from me. "Got no deeds to do, no promises to keep . . ."

The last of our people left around 3PM and I locked the doors and daydreamed about what to do with the remainder of the day.

Okay, I'll admit to not doing anything exciting by other people's standards - but by me, it was a glorious afternoon! The rectory always - ALWAYS - has people in it. It is very rare to have the whole joint to myself. So I did things I usually can't - walk around in PJ's, drinking coffee, playing music too loudly (I don't even like to do it but the point is that I could) and left the toilet seat up in the downstairs necesarium.

Another advantage to living at a church is that there is so much stuff to do when there is nothing to do. I enjoy going up in the choir loft and playing the pipe organ. Since you use your feet, you can play Heart and Soul all by yourself.

Just kidding. I would never play Heart and Soul in the church. But even if you do not know how to play the organ there is an advantage, if you are adventuresome, to having a pipe organ. One can go exploring among the pipes.

This is not so interesting if you have an electric organ.

Same goes for climbing the bell tower to look at the bells.

That reminds me of a story from when I was a seminarian. I was working at St. Augustine to help earn money for the school year. They had fake bells in the bell tower BUT they also had a real bell that was not longer in use. When it was time to take a break, I would turn off the artificial bells, take my lunch up into the bell tower and ring the Angelus manually.

My sister joined me one time. I warned her that it was going to be MUCH louder than she could imagine. She did not believe me.

So we were up there ringing the Angelus when all of a sudden the bell just went absolutely quiet. It still swung back and forth but it was no longer going BONG! BONG! BONG! After a few moments it occurred to me that the clacker, the big heavy thing inside the bell responsible for making it go BONG had fallen out!

Now this was particularly disturbing because the way to get into the bell areas was through a trap door located DIRECTLY UNDERNEATH THE BELL. From there it was SEVEN STORIES straight down. At the base of the bell tower is the shrine to St. Joseph. At first the only thing we could think of was that this heavy bar of medal had fallen seven stories right on top of St. Joseph's head.

Fortunately, it has missed the trap door (by inches) and had landed safely (safely being a relative term) on the floor of the bell chamber. The pin that held the clacker in place and shimmied out so my sister did her best to hold it back in place while I tried to put the pin back in.

We were very thankful that more damage was not done than there was.

Since then the bell has been taking out of the tower for safety reasons.

I hope we did not have anything to do with that decision.

HAPPY NEW YEAR.

FRIDAY POTPOURRI: THE EYES HAVE IT

2011-12-30T08:59:00.000-08:00

Eyes are the window to the soul so they say. Perhaps that is why they are so important in symbolism. They tell you so much.

There was a parish in Cleveland that recessed lighting in its very high and flat ceiling. Around one of the lights a giant eyeball was painted. This was the eye of God that tells us He is all knowing, all seeing, every present. (Now that I think if it, that eye was kind of creepy, which is probably why I liked it so much. It has since been painted over and the building closed.)

The eye in a Triangle is a symbol of the Trinity. Accompanying it will often be an areola. If the eye is alone, it is usually a depiction of God the Father.

Where eyes are looking is often very telling. Eyes cast down might be grief, humility, or shame depending on the greater context. Eyes looking to heaven might be prayer, inspiration, pleading, or the eyes of someone seeing a vision (think of St. Stephen.)

Eyes directed at you means the painting or statue is trying to tell you something directly – even if it is just “be holy.” Eyes looking elsewhere are trying to direct you to something else more important. It might be to an action or a person that is supposed to be the focus. Of course blindness and the ability to see, whether real or symbolic are very important in the spiritual life.

Very little direction to where one’s eyes are supposed to be are given in the General Instruction of the Roman Missal. One direction that is given is in the Roman Canon (or Eucharistic Prayer one.) When the priest says, “With eyes raised to you . . .” the rubric states that the priest is to look up toward heaven. However, where a priest looks is very important during the Mass. A lot of misinformation can be given by where he chooses to look, so powerful are our eyes. For years I thought that the Eucharist prayer was directed to the congregation because the priest made such a big point about staring at the people as he said the prayers. In fact, almost none of it is. It is directed to the Father and we are supposed to be joining the priest in this action. Not even the phrase, “Take this all of you and eat it,” is directed to the congregation. We are reminding the Father what the Son said in order that God will make the bread and wine into the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus.

There are a few places that the priest SHOULD look at the people because he is directly addressing them. These are such times as when he says, “Let us pray,” or “Behold the Lamb of God,” or giving the homily or proclaiming the Gospel. (Though I understand it is difficult not make the wrong impression at times since we are standing face to face even when we are not addressing each other. But good efforts should be made.)

Eyes on a plate are a symbol of St. Lucy. Prior to her martyrdom she was tortured by having her eyes gouged out.

In iconography the eyes are extremely important. They are a window to heaven and as we gaze at the image of the saint, one should “look through their eyes” into heaven itself and contemplate things of God.

Much more could be written but this is just a taste (just think of what is done to eyes by Hollywood especially in spookier movies! That is how important they are.) But this gives you a taste (or should I say a glimpse?)

YOU SAY TO-MAY-TOE AND I SAY ORANGE

2011-12-29T13:28:00.000-08:00

A Catholic pastor that I know, a good man, makes the statement that he wants his parish to become the “megachurch” of Catholic Churches. This makes me sad in that it shows a complete misunderstanding of what it is to be Catholic.

Before I rail on him too much, there is some aspect to his desire that is laudable. He has a goal of bringing more souls onto the parish roles. He also has a deep desire to see what it is about other Churches that attract so many people. These people are going to other Churches for a reason – perhaps there is something there about which we need to pay attention and see if there is something we can make part of the Catholic experience in order to keep souls closer to the sacraments. This is all good.

There are a couple of points however that need some serious review. To begin with, a Catholic parish will almost never compete with a mega Church precisely because they are not the same thing. It would be like a city trying to compete with a state for numbers and recognition. They are two completely different categories of institutions. One is a Church, one is a parish. The local mega Church may have 10, 20, 30 Xs the amount of people than the local parish. It may have five campuses. But if we are going to compare oranges to oranges, the “local” Catholic Church is not a parish but the diocese. The parish is simply the particular worship space of the local Church. So in Akron, The Chapel is not to be compared to St. Bernard/St. Mary parish, but with the local Catholic Church which is the Diocese of Cleveland.

Another reason the parish/Church comparison does not make any sense is that the area of draw is much different. The parish is exceedingly limited. The megachurch draw is as far as people are willing to travel – or, about the size of your average diocese.

Lastly (at least for the purpose of this post) there is a huge difference in the idea of belonging. In the Catholic Church you are not just another name on the roles. One cannot just sign up and be a member. There is the expectation of discipleship, initiation, and expectation of becoming the Church itself, not simply being a member of an institution. You are Church and not a member of it the way you might be a member of the local YMCA.

You will find exceptions to every one of these. There will be the mammothly large Catholic parish some place. There are Catholic parishes that draw from far outside their parish limits. (This is the case even with St. Sebastian because of the extraordinary form of the Mass) and we all know individuals who use the Catholic Church as a service and treat it as something of which they are a member and not of which they are an essential part. But these are exceptions to the rule or at least not in the spirit of what it is to be Catholic.

TUESDAY QUOTE OF THE WEEK: CCXLII

2011-12-27T07:34:00.000-08:00

FINDING TRUTH WHEREVER IT MAY BE FOUND: “There was an evil in the world that God was powerless to combat without the help of men; a mystical partnership was being offered, stunning in concept and in its power to elicit the best in life.” from Michner’s, “The Source” (the perhaps “powerless" is not exactly true.)

QUOTE II: “There is nothing wrong with the love of beauty. But beauty, unless she is wed to something more meaningful, is always superficial.” from Donna Tartt’s, “The Secret History”

IN OTHER NEWS:

Frank sent this in:

The Diocese of Cleveland Enewsletter asks, "Did you know, the Diocese of Cleveland and our colleagues at FOX8 produce a weekly half-hour long 'TV Mass' for the homebound Catholic community in Northeast Ohio? The Diocese of Cleveland's Mass is broadcast every Sunday morning on Cleveland's FOX8 at 6:30 a.m."

From the same source, here is Bishop Lennon's Christmas message.

There was an excellent presentation at the last First Friday Club of Greater Akron by Mr. John Allen, Senior Vatican Correspendant for NPR. The title of the talk is "Rome is from Mars, America from Venus." I highly recommend it.

E. L. sent this picture in from her perch at Mass at Christmas. Thanks!

Finally some people have asked that this year's children's Christmas ryhm be posted. I warn you it doesn't translate very well to reading. It should be up at some point however on our parishe's website under homilies.

Twas the night before Christmas
And packed was the Mass.
Not a creature was stirring?
Not even a chance.

The cars were all parked
In imaginative places
For in the small lots
There were no more spaces

And many a wife
To her husband thus talked
“We parked so far away
We could have just walked”

All the people were stuffed
10 or 12 to a pew
Perched 2 to a chair
Such a crowd the Mass drew.

Each grown up was fussing
With some consternation
Trying to follow
The new Mass translation.

Fr. Pfieff in the rectory
Said gifts he was wrapping
But between you and me
He’s most probably napping.

And mid crying babies
And cell phones a ringing
Shuffling feet
And off key folks singing

Betwixt kneelers a banging
And noses a sniffling
And pleads to go bathroom
From the sniffling one’s sibling

When in a manger
Amid all this clammer
Was a babe born
In the humblest manner

Whom angels proclaimed
And shepherds laud
On whom the star shown
And ox stood awed

In Mary’s lap
With Joseph beside
I knew He’s the one
Prophets prophecied

The cause of our presence
Can you guess His Name?
It’s Jesus of course,
The Christ! Him the same!

Now think of the name
Of this wonderful day
We call it Christmas
“Merry Christmas” we say

The first part if Christmas
Is His very name
Keep Christ in Christmas
For it’s Christ who came

And lo and behold
The suffix (if I may)
Is M-a-s “Mass”
This is Christ’s Mass Day

He came here befriending
The world: me and you
Not just for one day
But the entire year through

In January, February,
March, April, May
Each Sunday in June
And July I dare say.

Through August, September,
October, November.
Which brings us right back
To this day in December

So in all that we do
From work, rest, or play,
Or opening presents
On this special day

Has a reason and purpose
and is full of meaning
for now heavens our future
and God is our King

So please remember
With the day’s each delight
The reason we celebrate
This special night,

Is Jesus, is Jesus
So at bed time tonight
Pray thank you to Him
With all of your might.

Help them remember
You moms and you dads
And pray along with them
That wouldn’t be bad

Then pray each day
That you might grow
To a friendship with Him
Your God – and lo!

You will have received
The best gift of all
A friendship with God
Whom we call Father of all.

So ending this now
(this fanciful flight)
Merry Christmas to all
And to all (who will actually get some sleep tonight)
Goodnight!

MONDAY DIARY: MERRY CHRISTMAS AND GOOD NIGHT

2011-12-26T14:34:00.000-08:00

Don't bother trying to tell me that people do not go to confession anymore. This past week we heard confessions coming out of ears. Of course, part of it was that we found out that we were almost the only parish in the area that were having confession the two days before Christmas and so we were a little inundated. (That's a good thing I know. We are very lucky.)

On the other hand there were a LOT of people I never saw before in my life. When we were done I had to ask someone how they even found at that we were having confessions for they were definitely from some distance away.

The Christmas weekend went relatively smoothly around here. Another thing that we do that less and less parishes are doing is have midnight Mass at midnight of all times. But that makes for a late night (and an early morning.) But it is so worth it.

Afterwards we have a little "after glow" to talk about the Mass and talk ourselves off of the high so that we can fall asleep for a couple of hours.

I think we were finally able to lock the place up and go join our families around 3PM. The problem is that we have not sleep very much while our families are all full of vim and vigour. My cousins always put on a GREAT spread but I am always so zonked trying to enjoy it. It is a bit of joke among my family members how rough I usually look at the Christmas gatherings.

Food is of course followed by the opening of presents. They are so very kind to wait for me before this takes place. The least I could do is try to stay awake for it.

I find ways to sneak in naps during the day when I can.

There is a definite negative side effect however. I'm just finally rested and ready to go when they are ready for bed.

But I would not change anything for being a priest in the world. Thank you Jesus!

And God bless each and every one of you.

FRIDAY POTPOURRI: MERRY CHRIST'S MASS!

2011-12-23T07:30:00.000-08:00

So what are we celebrating at Christmas?

The word “Christ” is easy to pick out. That is why we see so many people using the first part of this word to remind us to “keep CHRIST in Christmas.” The suffix “mas” may not be so simple. To some it simply means festival. So the word would mean “Christ’s Festival” referring either to the day or the season.

However that is not the origin of the word. Before 1150 Middle English the word would have been spelled in this fashion: cristmasse; in Old English Cristes mǣsse. Literally this means “Christ’s Mass Day” or the day on which one celebrates Mass to commemorate the Nativity of Jesus. Other similar words survive to this day. Candlemas Day is the day we bring candles to church in order to have them blessed. Michaelmas Day is the day on which we celebrate Mass calling to mind Saint Michael.

The Catholicity of this word is ancient and few people realize that they are wishing people a happy day on which we celebrate at Mass the birth of Jesus.

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU!

LET IT BE DONE TO ME ACCORDING TO THY WORD

2011-12-22T11:32:00.000-08:00

“Abusus non tullit usum.”
translated:

“The abuse of anything does not abrogate the lawful use thereof.”

Anything can be abused – even Christianity (at which point it ceases being Christianity.) Ideas can be very good an legitimate until they are abused. When someone abuses the idea the whole idea tends to be thrown out as suspect.

Take the idea of obedience. Citizens of the United States have a particular revulsion of this word. We know the abuse of it and so are on guard against the slightest hint of it that would brush up against our will. Because of this it is a difficult concept about which to preach or to assist fellow Catholics to believe in. Immediately one’s abuse antenna goes up and examples of times when abuses have been practiced on others who were too willing to obey.

Obedience cannot be mindless. Proper however leads to freedom.

A young person came to see me the other day and wanted to know about the laws of God and why we should obey them. I asked him what was one his favorite things to do. “Go on roller coasters,” he replied.

“What does the roller coaster operator say every time before the ride begins?”

“Put your seat belt on and keep your legs and arms in the car at all times.”

“Why do you suppose they say that?”

“So that you will be safe.”

So it is. We are obedient to this authroity in order to stay safe and so enjoy more complete freedom (as opposed to license.) And so it is with God. As our creator He knows of a way we should live so that we remain safe, that we are healthy in mind, body, and soul, and so that our relationships remain healthy. When we disobey His laws we bring harm in some fashion into the world. We call that sin. So to be obedient to God’s law is to grow in freedom because we are becoming fully human.

It must be a thoughtful obedience however. Just because a priest tells you something does not mean you have to follow it. Search long enough and you will find a priest willing to tell you what you want to hear. It doesn’t mean anything unless the priest too is obedient.

God’s ways are not always discernable. Mary is approached by an angel and told that she is about to have a son. She is confused and concerned about the vow she and Joseph took in their marriage to remain free from relations. The angel “explains” that she will be overshadowed by the Holy Spirit. Mary then says, “Yes,” as if THAT explained everything.

Now, we hear this story all the time so it might seem natural to us by now. But in my way of thinking, being told that I will be overshadowed by the Holy Spirit explains just about nothing – and consider that Mary does not have 2,000+ years of having heard this story. But she is obedient to God.

In theory, Mary could have said no. She could have fought God. But in which scenario would she have been happier? In which scenario would she have had more freedom? It is a question young people discerning a vocation to the religious or priestly life often face. They are often counseled by well meaning others to marry where they will be happier. But if you are called by God, where will you find more happiness and freedom? It is a laying down of burdens that one does not need to carry to say yes to God’s will.

Of course, the question is “what is God’s will?” That is an answer sometimes easier to answer than others. That is why this is a thinking person’s faith. That is why obedience is not blind.

SUCH IS LIFE

2011-12-21T05:40:00.000-08:00

This may seem an odd post for the last week of advent. This little thought was sitting on my computer in case of emergency - a busy day when I would not have time to post. This is one of thosse days.

When I was a kid and we drove past a cemetery we held our breaths and lifted our feet off of the floor of the car. I am not sure why but we knew if we could not hold our breath that long or hold our legs up until we cleared the cemetery, it was some sort of odious thing.

As teens we went into cemeteries at night to scare ourselves. If you watch a scary movie they so often end up in cemeteries. We create that kind of mystery and awe around them. One of my friend’s grandpas would say in an ominous voice every time (every time) we drove past a cemetery, “You know who lives there don’t you? Dead people.”

I hope you don’t feel that way around cemeteries. I was doing a committal service the other day at a cemetery, commending a soul to heaven, and looked out at the hill across from us covered with grave stones. I was not put in an eerie mood or felt a chill run up my spine. Rather it was more like looking at the graduation pictures in the hallway of my old school; all those faces who completed their time here and have gone on with great potential to live a life beyond the confines of that tiny school which seemed so big to us at the time.

I grant you, if you are missing the physical presence of someone due to death, a cemetery might break your heart – but it need not scare you; far from it. It should be a sign of hope – graduation monuments if you will.

TUESDAY QUOTE OF THE WEEK CCXLI

2011-12-19T15:47:00.000-08:00

FINDING TRUTH WHEREVER IT MAY BE FOUND: “A fool makes the same mistake over and over. A wise person makes a new mistake every time.” Author unknown.

QUOTE II: “If you don’t accept people for who they are, you start to have expectations of them.” Rev. Weigand.

IN OTHER NEWS:

A couple of you sent this very cute 4 minute video:

Lynn sent in "The Best Christmas Display Ever." I wonder how they can sleep at night.

A couple people sent this article about "A Formally Equivelant Christmas Cookie Recipe" Good for a hoot.

The Diocese of Cleveland Enewsletter reports, "Catholics Come Home" is a national television campaign that will highlight many of the good things about the Catholic Church. Please know that during this Advent and Christmas season, the pastors and people in our parish communities in the Diocese of Cleveland have open hearts and are ready to open doors to everyone. Please join us!" Read more here and see a video.

From the same source: "The New Roman Missal for the Catholic English-speaking world has changed some of the language used during our prayers at Mass. One of the most notable changes is the application of the word "Consubstantial" in the recitation of the Nicene Creed." Read more here.

From the same source: "Have you answered the latest Diocese of Cleveland web poll question yet? This week's poll question is "What Mass do you attend for the Feast of Christmas?" Vote here.

MONDAY DIARY: IT'S THE MOST BUSIEST TIME OF THE YEAR

2011-12-19T07:39:00.000-08:00

There are two things that keep a priest going in the week leading up to Christmas:

1. The grace that comes from Jesus Christ.
2. Caffeine.

Not a creature stirring? Not even a chance!

Bilocation would be a gift greatly appreciated right now. If only I were more holy. This is the gift for which I would ask.

No longer is there the task of trying to get everything done. Now is the time to start wondering what you should cut loose and do without. It reminds me of my time in the theater and opening night is quickly coming upon us. The set is behind, costumes are not finished, somebody still does not know their lines, the lighting people can’t get in to focus lights, there is a scene that for some reason nobody can pinpoint is not working, but tickets have been purchased and people are going to show up so the show must go on.

It is either maddening or completely exciting. I’m not sure which. The next order of business is to put up the barbed wire barricades for the “children’s” Mass. It is rather like the sack of Rome around here at 4:00 Christmas eve (but infantly better.) Yes I chose to misspell that word on porpoise.

Sorry to keep it so short today. Christmas is coming you know!

FRIDAY POTPOURRI: HAIR TODAY, GONE TOMORROW

2011-12-16T09:12:00.000-08:00

Hair is very important in symbolism. You will notice, to begin with, that all almost all saints have it. There is a debate between Thomist and followers of Augustine as to whether there is actually hair in heaven. I prefer to think that there is and some day we will be reunited.

Loose flowing hair is often the sign of penitence. Think of the woman who wept on Jesus’ feet and then dried them with her hair. According to George Ferguson’s book, “Signs and Symbols in Christian Art,” this is why monks often grow their hair long – a sign of penance.

In much traditional clothing from years gone by young single women would let their hair hang long and free while married women hid their hair under scarves or fancy hats. In a similar fashion many virgin saints are depicted with the same long flowing hair. Hair that is flowing and distressed, hanging over the face is a sign of great sorrow or distress.

Grey hair may be a sing of age, but it is also a symbol of wisdom. A beard is also a symbol of wisdom which is why a “lack beard” was considered someone not to be taken too seriously or at least who is young. It is interesting however that at times diocesan clergy were discouraged from having facial hair though certain orders made it a rather important tradition.

To pull at one’s hair is a symbol of great distress. To have one’s hair pulled or beard plucked is a sign of the greatest disrespect.

The way hair is cut may be very important. To have a shaved head might be a sign of a vow. A tonsure, the shaving of the head at the crown, is also a sign that a vow has been taken which is why you will see monks with that peculiar “forced” male balding pattern on their head.

A radical change in hair can mean a radical change in life. Wild hair is the symbol of evil intent or an unkempt mind. If a devil is depicted with hair it is usually in some sort of exaggerated state. It may be luscious, fully, and somewhat wild, or show evidence of a severe retreat (and be somewhat greasy) or he might be bald altogether – not because of a vow, but because his lifestyle caused it.

ROAMIN' THROUGH THE MISSALS

2011-12-15T08:12:00.000-08:00

I realize that today might have limited appeal. But there may be those who find it helpful. This is a personal review of two of the new Roman Missals recently printed and put to the test.

The above book is from LTP. It was our first choice back when we were only given a sample page or two from each of the companies. I like very much that they used original art with a certain amount of symbolism involved and a vast step above the Playschool symbols to which we have been subjected over the past years. The cover of the book looks noble, the paper was glare free and for the most part easy to read and follow.

However, as you can see above, the gold on the cover is severely worn off after just three weeks of use. Below is a book that has been in hard use for three years and the cover, for the most part, is still in decent condition. I found this very disappointing. The book also does not lay flat and worst of all, the tabs meant for easy navigation of the book during the Mass are placed such that when one uses them to flip to the section that one desires, there is then need to flip BACK one page. But not all of the time. That is an annoyance and an inconsistency that prompted me to try another company.

Below is the Catholic Book Publishers who did the above book. I found the above book to be of the highest quality but lacked much (to my mind) in the way of beauty (which was why I originally went with LTP.) I used the new one for the first time this morning at the school Mass. The servers were present at the unwrapping and immediately liked it for various reasons.

For personal taste reasons I am not excited about the artwork on the cover though it does symbolize well what the book is about. The tabs are much better placed and take you directly to where you need to go without any additional flipping.

I've heard some guys complaining about the fancy first letter of each section but I like it. If I should look away for a moment my eyes comes right back to where I need to be and it is due to the letters giving me a reference spot.

It is well laid out and there is no glare on the pages. The font is easy to read. I am not over excited about the artwork but it could be far, far worse.

Below the CBP and LTP are placed side by side respectfully. Notice that the LTP pages come all the way down almost to the edge of the cover. This makes for the pages to be more easily damaged and indeed they were damaged in shipping even before we got our hands on it. An edge also makes it easier for the severs to hold. There is also the nice gold design on the inside edge that made the servers this morning ooh and ahh.

It is difficult to tell from the below picture but the LTP ribbons are quite thin compared to the amount of pages that they are required to turn causing them to slip out more easily than the broader ribbons in the CBP.

Below is a memorial Missal which we will use only a very special occasions. It was given in memory of one of our parishioners by her friends. (It was very expensive.) It was put out by the Midwest Theological Forum. They also put out less expensive volumes. We have an all Latin text from them donated by Fr. M. in our chapel that they produced. The bindings seems very good, the books lay flat, the have broad ribbons, the text, paper, and lay out make them easier to read. The book has a noble simplicity about it and it has a goodly amount of space from the edge of the cover to where the pages begin.

If I had one complaint it would be that, although I very much like the art work and appreciate what they used, if I had my druthers I wish they would have used some current artists who are producing (IMHO) good liturgical art in order to support our artists and encourage new Catholic art to be produced.

ME: SAINT YOU:HUMAN - LET'S HOOK UP FOR SOME GOOD TIMES

2011-12-14T10:11:00.000-08:00

So to which saints do you pray? How do you pick them? Or did they pick you?

There are some easy ways to pick saints to be your patron. The most obvious is taking on a saint that has your name. I was named after John the Evangelist and I still have the eagle medal that was placed on me as an infant. I was also named after my grandpas and my middle is Anthony so he is on my list.

Another way to find a saint if you are unfortunate enough to have a name that does not even remotely sound like a saint’s name is to find one who is patron saint of something that is important to you. A couple of years ago St. John Vianney was made patron of all priests and so of course he was added to my list.

After this we start looking for saints who have chosen us. Is there a saint’s day for the day you were born? (Saint Bartholomew) I was harangued for a long time by my classmate Fr. Bline for not knowing and celebrating the day I was baptized. I struck out lucky there. There are two saints; Cosmas and Damian.

Your parish might provide a handy patron for you for that saint is patron not just of the parish property but of the entire parish boundaries and all who call that parish home. I have come to know and love St. Sebastian, my current parish patron, and still call to mind my previous parish patrons of St. Clare and St. Ambrose. We got to be pretty good friends while I was with them.

How about the saint that is celebrated on a day that something special happened to you and for which you would like extra graces? How about the day you were married or got a new job or moved into your home? St. Leo the Great was the saint who was celebrated the day I received my pastorate at St. Sebastian and the celebration was on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception.

Don’t forget your patron from your confirmation if you took a confirmation name. Mine is Joseph both for my home pastor and for the foster father of Jesus. It is not customary any more to take names at ordination but a few of us did. St. Michael was mine for deaconate and St. George for priesthood. Svete Juri (I know I misspelled that) or Saint George was the patron of the parish and village from which the Valencheck side of the family came in Slovenija. Maybe you could adopt a patron of your marriage or single vocation (or dating . . . )

Of course there may be people you just like and want to make your friends. John Paul is one of these. A couple were thrown in my lap (by Adoro) such as St. Gabriel and Saint Gregory the Great. And I have a few hopefuls that I pray for such as Frank Pareter (sp?), G. K. Chesterton, and Baraga just because they are so very cool.

Of course you could just go to this SAINT'S NAME GENERATOR. It gave me St. Cosmos. Already had him

There are saints out there for you. You don’t have to be elaborate. A simple daily “pray for me” will suffice or a once a year blow out prayer on the feast day if you are afraid of taking on a deeper devotion. Get to know these guys. They have great stories and make wonderful friends to call upon.

TUESDAY QUOTE OF THE WEEK CCXL

2011-12-12T15:55:00.000-08:00

FINDING TRUTH WHEREVER IT MAY BE FOUND: "You suffer from the same dillusion most men in your profession suffer from. You want the intitution to show you affection. Institutions don't show affection; people show affection." Unknown

QUOTE II: "A person not willing to have thier heart broken is barely alive." from Andrew O'Hagan's, "Be Near Me."

IN OTHER NEWS:

TM sent this in for a good 7 minute laugh:

News from the Diocese of Cleveland Enewsletter - This is important I think: "Cleveland Bishop Richard Lennon at his annual address to the First Friday Club of Cleveland expressed a major concern of the Catholic Bishops. The Bishops in the United States believe that the Federal Government is attempting to secularize society and eliminate Freedom of Religion." Read more and see the video here.

From the same source: "This week, visitors to the home page of the Diocese of Cleveland web site may have noticed a web poll question box located in the right hand column. This newly added feature will give the web site visitor an opportunity to respond to a question asked by the Diocesan Communications Department." See more here.

LB sent this four minute video in:

S. S. sent this in: "Check out this link asking about a new slogan for the Ohio license plates." Just in case it is true I sent mine in. Find out more here.

MONDAY DIARY: YOU CAN SAY THAT AGAIN - IF YOU NEED TO

2011-12-12T09:29:00.000-08:00

By and large the transition to the new translations have been rolling out rather well in these parts. There have been a couple of hic-ups on my part. I missed “prevenient” in my pre-reading and ran into it like a dog I once was taking care of ran into a glass sliding door when he saw a squirrel outside. I chuckle to think how priests all over the English speaking world are sounding like 5th graders in their public reading made difficult because we keep wanting to go in one direction and our eyes keep informing us that we should be going somewhere else.

I celebrated my first nuptial Mass last weekend. We spend so much time in our preparations with the Missal on the Roman Canon (Eucharistic Prayer #1) that not much else was given much attention and among those things was the wedding ritual. The priest celebrant and I were flipping through the Missal to read through the prayers before the Mass when we came upon a new rubric. (I was under the false impression that no rubrics were being changed.) The new rubric states, “The penitential Act is omitted. The Gloria in excelsis (Glory to God in the highest) is said.”

This was surprise. So we debated. “It is Advent – should we do it? But it doesn’t say, “unless it is advent – or lent for that matter.” So we did it. I think reviewing the rubrics (which were not easy to follow,) it seems to be prohibited UNLESS you read the ordo which says that ritual Masses may be said during advent weekdays (that are not already solemnities) which WOULD include the Gloria. (Time to call the liturgist of the diocese.)

There are also additional prayers that fit into the Eucharist prayers I, II, and III that were not previously there. So instead of flipping back and forth he copied the prayer and pasted it into the book. “So you say this prayer,” he informed me and I commented that I was glad my first wedding was there as I had two this coming week and I can work out all of kinks before I have to do it.

At this point the groom, already a little pale, came up and with a slight smile and nervous laugh said, “You guys are not inspiring confidence in me.” Poor chap.

This morning I had the Mass of Our Lady of Guadalupe. There is a part in the preface where there are a whole lot more choices than there used to be. I thought I had it down cold but I was concentrating so hard on the new words that when I got there it was a train wreck. It looks like this:

“. . . and to praise, bless, and glorify Your name (on the Solemnity of the Motherhood/on the feast day/on the Nativity/in veneration) of the Blessed every-Virgin Mary.”

Next time I’ll use a stick’m note. It was if I completely forgot how to read. I had to do it three times to get it right.

Is this what it was like during the changes following Vatican II? The uncertainty – the excitement of the new – new discoveries – breaking old habits and starting new ones? I am sure it was much more difficult then – and good – this is about the level of fun I want.

RANT - COUNTER RANT: A WHOLE LOT OF RANTING GOING ON

2011-12-08T08:04:00.000-08:00

First an apology for all of the ranting going on here lately.

BUT I CAN’T HELP IT!

Angela DelBrocco wrote last week in the Akron Beacon Journal’s letters to the editor that “it is not respectable or professional” for Catholic institutions to be Catholic. She then dictates what the Catholic Church is supposed to do. They are “supposed to employ and serve many individuals from different background and faiths.” This is true enough. But then to make the leap that Catholic institutions such as hospitals MUST provide services that are directly contradictory to what it stands for as an institution by mandate of law. This forcing the Church to go against what it stands for is not only anti-Catholic, it is singularly un-American. She makes the assertion that if somebody goes to a Catholic institution that simply does not offer services such as the killing of her baby in her womb that those Catholics are “imposing” their “religious beliefs” on her but apparently it does not matter that she in turn is forcing her beliefs on Catholics. Catholics offer services and you can accept them or no. She, however, would force Catholics to, in essence, worship at her altar.

Wrapping the issue up in the cloak of “essential preventative health care” (another debate) she would demand Catholic institutions to teach, offer, and pay for things that it holds as abhorrent. This may actually seem Okay to her UNTIL the same tactic would be thrown back on her to force her to do something that goes against something she deeply believes in. It is a dangerous slope to begin sliding down and once it is in motion it is almost impossible to stop. Lost will be our ideal United States. This is an example of an unthinking mentality that wants to get what it wants now and however it can without thinking of the consequences down the road.

PART 2

Today Denise Woods writes in the same paper against the so called heart-beat bill. It would restrict abortions to that period before a heart beat is detected so all of the “morning after” treatments to “cure” pregnancy could still be used such as in the case of rape victims and so forth. That the state would impose this law on women is “the most egregious violations of individual rights imaginable.” I wonder if she would agree with Angela above who would, however, not think it an egregious violation at all to force everyone around her to not only recognize her right, but also to protect it, promote it, and pay for it? I will admit that this purely speculation on my part.

Missing from this equation is the belief of Christianity for almost all of its history and continues to be so in the Catholic, Orthodox, and a portion of the Protestant Churches that abortion is the most egregious violation of individual rights imaginable; that a mother would actively seek to have her child done away with. Somehow seeing that person as someone with dignity, worth, and having certain unalienable rights is forcing religion on others but being able to declare life that is singularly human and will be nothing but human is nothing – a life that can be snuffed out with no more moral concern that having a wart removed - is not somehow forcing belief on anybody. Indeed she accuses anybody of supporting life as having “ideological blindness,” but I would suggest that she cannot see the value of life past what she can see and touch.

CHOOSE TO BE HAPPY

2011-12-07T11:28:00.000-08:00

There has been a LOT of press lately about how awful the new translation of the Missal is. If you are an Adam’s Ale reader you know that I am very for it as are, I take it, most of my readers. After all, the banner at the top of the blog proclaims this to be a place for Catholics “who are happy to be Catholic.”

But there has been a whole host of drones lining up to whine to the press how terrible things are. It sports the usual line up of people who are invariably the first to complain about just about ANYTHING that the Church does. Locally we can just about guess what is going to be said by certain individuals just by reading the by-line of the article. (I suppose the converse might be said of this blog!)

Of course there will not be the headline, “The Vast Majority of Practicing Catholics Who Actually Show Up at Mass on Sunday and Support Their Parishes Are Either Thrilled with the New Translation or At Least Willing to Give It a Go.” Nor will the headline be seen, “We’ve Found a Very Disgruntled Catholic Who Is Opposed to the New Translation.” No, it is meant to sound like the very ground itself is swelling up in revolt.

Some things are going to happen: it is going to snow in northeast Ohio, Cleveland sports teams are not going to win any national honors, and the Catholic Church which has the job of trying to help over a billion people get to heaven is going to do something that you don’t like. I don’t like the “dewfall” or the phrase, “Graciously grant” (I find it hard to say) but you know what – MAKE IT WORK. We have to do it and it won’t help anyone get to heaven groaning over it. You might even find you grow to like it as much as I do already. Either that or choose to be miserable, but know that that is a deliberate choice.

If you know of someone who is having difficulties, here is a great video to show them. Thanks to Fr. B for bringing it to my attention.

TUESDAY QUOTE OF THE WEEK CCXXXIX

2011-12-06T07:59:00.000-08:00

FINDING TRUTH WHEREVER IT MAY BE FOUND: “Belligerence = A trait ever cultivated by fools.” from Leif Unger’s “Peace Like a River”

QUOTE II: “Conscience was the traitor within the gates.” from “Of Human Bondage”

IN OTHER NEWS:

P sent this 12 minute video in about Russia and population growth:

On the lighter side, L sent this short video in about changes in the liturgy:

E. G. sent this in. It is a link to NPR debates about the liturgy and contraception.

P. Also sent this in: "The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently denied a federal grant to the USCCB for its work with victims of human trafficking, apparently because their services do not include abortion, contraception and sterilization. The U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform is investigating this denial of funding. Read more here.

The USCCB recently posted a response to this issue. The full article can be found here.

Hello from Thomas Jones, Catholic pianist and HeartBeat Records artist! I thought you might be interested in listening to my peaceful piano renditions of familiar and beloved Catholic songs and classic pieces which I have recorded for prayer, meditation or just plain relaxation. My music is available for purchase either by downloading CDs or individual tracks, or by purchasing CDs through my website.

Catholicvote.org runs this interesting commercial:

Interesting: New Vatican commission cracks down on church architecture.

I lost who sent this in - The Catholic Thing

Give the gift of Chesterton the Christmas!

MONDAY DIARY: THE REASON FOR ALWAYS DOING ONE'S HOMEWORK

2011-12-05T14:04:00.000-08:00

Sorry this is late and short today. Lots of business around here between Christmas coming and the diocesan capitol campaign going on.

So I was sitting here thinking what was the most interesting thing that happened here this past week. It is perhaps the thing that people have been asking me about the most.

This past Friday we had a karaoke night to HELP raise money for the organ project. Because we are having the diocesan capitol campaign we cannot really do a big ask so we resort to such things as this which I will admit I thought was going to be HORRENDOUS but which turned out to be quite a success (save for a couple of the videos I could have done without.)

There was one particularly interesting part however. It reminded me of that scene in Arrested Development when Michael Bluthe was going to sing with his cousin Maybe (sp?) during a similar karaoke event. The song they chose was Afternoon Delight not realizing what the song was about until they were half way through finding themselves in a very awkward position.

So a very nice parishioner put my name in to sing a song with her. It was from the musical Grease. If you are familiar with that musical it is about as innocent as musicals can be and is often staged by high schools – which might be Okay still, but if one is going to sing that song with a person of the fairer sex, one should check out the words before one sings it especially if that person is a priest vowed to celibacy.

In particular was this part:

[Sandy]
He got friendly, holding my hand

[Danny]
While she got friendly down in the sand

[Sandy]
He was sweet, just turned eighteen

[Danny]
Well she was good you know what I mean

Funny how the audience suddenly was paying close attention. Funny how my ears burned. Funny how I lost my voice at that very moment.

It just goes to show you: You can’t trust Broadway.

FRIDAY POTPOURRI: A LEG UP ON SYMBOLISM

2011-12-02T06:50:00.000-08:00

Though almost none of the Christian symbolism books write about it, the legs contain a lot of information for us. Very important symbolically in other systems, the leg is a passive symbol in Christianity; that is, we would not look at a leg and say, “Oh, this means . . .” but we could look at a leg to give us clues about what is going on.

Saint Rocco is usually depicted lifting his garment and showing the wounds on his legs, often with a dog licking the wounds. If we see bare feet with the marks of the crucifixion on them, we know that they belong either to the resurrected Christ or to one of the saints that were no known for experiencing the stigmata. If we see a man in shackles around his ankles we can assume it is somebody like St. Paul in prison.

Saint are almost always shown standing. It is a sign of power to stand. If a person is seated it most likely will be God on His throne or Mary Queen of Heaven or a else a great sinner on slovenly repose. If one is on their knees it is either a person in prayer such as the children at Lourdes praying before the Blessed Virgin, or someone under trial such as Jesus in the Garden or the prodigal son seeking forgiveness.

Bare legs are most often a sign of some sort of trial or sensuality. With few exceptions, most saints are pictured with their legs completely covered as if to say, “What I stand for is more important than my well turned leg!” Exceptions to this would be saints such as St. Sebastian in order to better show his suffering or Saint Michael in order to demonstrate his great power. Notice Satan, devils, and persons of loose morals are often showing off their legs. Rarer is the depiction of the Prince of Darkness in a long flowing robe, he is more of the miniskirt kind. Other times he has not human legs at all.

That is not to say that nudity/the body is something bad. When it is displayed for inappropriate reasons, then it is a sign of something gone wrong in the world. But when displayed modestly or for noble purposes, it is a thing of exquisite beauty.

RANT - COUNTER RANT: DUCK! THE MUD IS FLYING

2011-12-01T09:23:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I wonder how certain letters wind up in the letters to the editor of our local newspapers. Sometimes they are so misinformed and so lacking in fact checking, at times making such outrageous claims that, if printed as an article by a reporter in the paper, it would be in trouble and the writer fired. Not so with letters it seems. So I wonder, are letters picked that match what the paper wishes it could say or is it truly a case that nobody intelligent is writing letters to the editor? (I am limiting myself to topics of importance to the Catholic Church.) Could it be that nobody takes the editorials seriously anymore or simply that practicing Catholics don’t bother with them because they know how pointless it is?

This time we turn to a letter written Thursday, November 24th in the Akron Beacon Journal by Mr. John A. Denker entitled, “Personhood in the Extreme.” “Extreme” in this case means that it is too much to consider a human person a human person when a uniquely and indisputable human life is begun. I rather thought “personhood in the extreme” was giving personhood status to animals, plants, or inanimate objects. No alternative is given for when “personhood” should be applied to a person or any explanation offered as to why it is unreasonable to consider a human life as a person.

Without sighting any evidence, proof, studies, surveys, polls, or articles of any kind, Mr. Denker makes the sweeping statement that the “anti-choice crowd” is “pro-war, pro-capital punishment, anti-social safety net, and anti contraception.” Being that the largest sector of the pro-life movement is Catholic, I will grant him the last part. But as to the rest of his assertions, I will counter that Mr. Danker has not the slightest clue as to Catholic social teaching which is against war, against capital punishment, and it is the Catholic Church that has the most well thought out, oldest, and most “person centered” social teaching in the world. You will indeed find persons that might fit his scenario, but his assertions as a generalization are either mean spirited or ill informed.

His letter goes on to claim that the pro-life movement does “not care what happens to the baby after it is born.” Again, absolutely nothing is offered as proof of this other than what appears to be an illusion to a failed levy of some sort. Once again I challenge Mr. Denker. Not taken into consideration are the great works of the people of north east Ohio to take care of these persons and their families after they are born. There are institutions and people helping not only families that have chosen life, but we too take care of parents who have chosen abortion and are now coming to the realization of the horror of what they have done. A very simple Google search would have helped Mr. Danker come to this realization. Further, the Catholic Charities in the Diocese of Cleveland is the largest in the world taking care of the very people he accuses us of not caring about. They do their best not to turn anybody away.

Further, the largest charitable organization in the world is the Catholic Church (including nations.) The very group he rails so strongly against is the one group that is doing what he wishes they would. We not only preach it, we live it. I submit that handling a difficult situation is far more humane than his solution, which has been tried throughout the history of man and has always, always, always proved to do more harm than good: that is, strip a certain troublesome segment of humans of their personhood and then treat them as you will.

In a weak argument he states, “Nicholas Kristof of the New York Times said in a recent column, ‘contraceptives no more sex than umbrellas cause rain.’” This statement alone should cause one to give pause and wonder at the New York Times’ and Mr. Kristof’s position as moral giver. It does not even make sense. It would make sense if rain caused humans to become wet and umbrellas were invented to keep us dry. Then the question would be does having umbrellas mean that more people will go out in the rain. Yes. If one can have sex with the thought that there will be no consequences, will they be more likely to have sex? That is the question.

In the end Mr. Denker softens his position with the statement that he supports reasonable limits on abortions. His parameters are not given. He does not state when it is Okay to strip a human of personhood status and do away with them. When is that “reasonable?” How does one keep it contained once a human is able to be classified with a non-person status?

Once again I ask how is a letter like this helpful to the conversation? If we do not deal with real issues and only sling half truths about, the only result will be further division.

HISTORY MAY NOT REPEAT, BUT IT DOES RHYME

2011-11-30T05:55:00.000-08:00

You can’t have a bishop who is not bishop of some place. That is, there are no bishops out there who are just roaming around with no diocese attached to their name. Therefore Bishop Pevec is the bishop of Mercia, Bishop Gries is the bishop of Presidio, and Bishop Quinn is the bishop of Socia.

Interestingly enough all these bishop are also auxiliary bishops of Cleveland. They live and minister right here in the Diocese of Cleveland. The places mentioned are their titular titles. The dioceses are no longer in existence. In fact, the bishops are forbidden to travel there because then they would be obliged to take control and claim the see of the diocese. Interesting reason to not be able to go some place – I wonder how many other similar situations there are like that in the world. . .

Now, admittedly it is a sad a tragic thing that 50 some odd parishes closed in the diocese of Cleveland, but it is not historically unique. Parishes and schools, convents and as seen above even dioceses have grown up and then disappeared. At times, the faith of an entire country can all but dissipate into thin air.

When I was a kid my parish school had already closed (this is the very early 1970s.) My sisters had attended that school but when my time came they were afraid to take me so they closed the school – or so my sisters explained it to me that way. The next parish over had closed their school too and one more on the far side of town would be closed within the next few years. There is still one open in town and doing its best to survive. It was simply a matter of big industry leaving town, the baby boom being over, the nuns pulling out (because they were already experiencing a shortage) and the increasing cost; factors not so different from today.

I still mourn the closing of the parishes and schools in Cleveland. I wish they could stay open forever – the communities, the architecture, the art, the history. . . But this sad state of affairs cannot be viewed, through the lens of history, as terribly unique or unprecedented – just sad. This is the constant state of the Church and will continue to be as long as this earth endures.

TUESDAY QUOTE OF THE WEEK CCXXXVIII

2011-11-29T06:49:00.000-08:00

FINDING TRUTH WHEREVER IT MAY BE FOUND: “My own reading is all about divorce these days. All the books talk about “what’s best” – I have to think what’s best for me. People actually say these words to one another with a straight face. Nobody ever asks what might be best for the planet, or for little girls who get orphaned out in snowstorms. Nope, we are all individual solar systems, each with its own light source and climate and fenced-in backyard. But what if it turned out we were all in it together? What if Jake and I decided it might be important to behave with honor, with kindness even, to the world and one another? What if we thought our actions mattered? What if, at the end of the day, there is right and there is wrong, and they are not the same?” from the short story, “You Choose” by Linda McCullough Moore in “The Sun”

IN OTHER NEWS:

I want this guy standing before the Blessed Sacrament at all times! Sent in by F. S. - 42 seconds.

P sent this in: "On December 8th, the Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception (National Shrine of The Divine Mercy, Stockbridge, MA) will launch the Mary app. A complete resource for information on Our Lady, the app is designed to help people come to know and love our Blessed Mother more deeply, so as to draw closer to Jesus Christ. The app is free and will consist of three sections: Marian Doctrine (Church teaching, plus FAQs about Mary), Devotion to Mary (rosary, feasts, prayers), and Mary-Plus (Marian images, Church-approved apparitions, shrines)." See more here.

16 minutes fun video from the Skit Guys:

MONDAY DIARY: LAUNCH SUCCESSFUL!

2011-11-28T07:59:00.000-08:00

So like that we went from, “and also with you” to “and with your spirit.”
I was expecting something like this:

I was expecting a train wreck. I was expecting protests in the streets. I was expecting SOMETHING dramatic but it seems that the parish made an honest go of it and the whole thing came off pretty much without a hitch. So much for excitement (for which I am very grateful.)

There is a prayer that a priest can traditionally say before celebrating Mass. It goes thusly, “Priest of God, say this Mass as though it were you first Mass, as though it were your last Mass, as though it were your only Mass.” Even though we practiced, praying this Mass pretty much felt as though it were my first Mass. I was nervous, my nose stuck to the book, and slightly unsure of myself.

Most of the parts that changed belonged to the priest. Often is was like having driven the same way to work for 10 years and then one day going somewhere else and it feeling like the car was fighting you to go to your usual place of employment. The cadences and flow were off. It meant staying more alert than usual, reading ahead, analyzing, and keeping the ship on course.

By and large it went fine except for the blessing of the deacon before the Gospel. I had typed up a cheat sheet and kept it next to my chair for his new blessing. When it came time for the it I could not find it. “You’ll have to make do with an approximate blessing,” I told him when he came over for his blessing.

In the end it went much more smoothly than I expected. The reaction of people leaving was interesting. There were a few who said they weren’t exactly happy but that they would be good soldiers. There were a number of people who liked it for various reasons. Those who came to our parish from other nations said that they were very happy with the translations because it is what they were used to in their home countries. It turns out there a more people in the parish who studied Latin than I would have guessed and they were happy with it as well as those who remember their old missals for the new translation is pretty close to that old translation.

As odd as it may sound, it did not really occur to me that this is the translation that we would be using every day now. I was so focused on this weekend that I never really thought past to Monday and forever. Tomorrow will be another Eucharistic prayer and another go at it.

I can’t wait.

FRIDAY POTPOURRI: A COUPLE OF FEET CLOSER TO HUMILTY

2011-11-25T09:36:00.000-08:00

I don’t think as we went through symbolism that we ever touched on all the parts of the human body and what they mean. So let’s get to the foot of the matter and work our way up.

The foot is the hard worker of the body. It carries the weight of the rest of the body and is constant contact with the ground and the dirt, earthiness, and all things that fall to the ground (think of the injunctions to “cover one’s feet.) It comes in contact with filth so that the rest of the body does not have to. Conversely it may also be the reason that Moses was asked to remove his sandals before the burning bush. He is told that the ground and which he stood was holy – God, as it were, thought to be connected to a place, and by removing his sandals even his body now is in contact with that which is holy.

That being said, most of the time to be a foot is a very humbling thing, certainly not one of the more glorified parts of the body. So imagine the woman washing Jesus’ feet with her tears or Jesus washing the feet of his disciples, or John the Baptist saying that he is not worthy to loosen the strap of Jesus’ sandal; these are all acts of great humility and of great honor to the person to whom they are done.

In art when objects are placed under the feet of a person (picture the snake under Mary’s feet, or the dragon below Saint George, or a statue of the Resurrections with symbols of His Crucifixion under His feet) it means that they have conquered whatever those objects signify; they are even below this most humble part of this person for they have been completely set below them.

WISHING THE EVIL EMPIRE TO SAVE US AND THEN GO AWAY

2011-11-23T06:35:00.000-08:00

The diocese is an evil empire.

At least that is the way it seems to appear to many.

There is the good and wholesome parish that serves and tends our needs and then there is the diocesan empire, the overlords that could crush us in an instant if they so choose.

And why not have this vision? It seems supported in our language and our practices. It is even cultivated in the press. In reporting there is a certain wedge that is put between the people of the parish which is something we can touch and understand and the diocese that seems distant and cold and mysterious. “These people were happy until the “the diocese . . .”

Even we, as young(er) priests, were taught to love and focus on our parishes. “Our parish at all costs” was kind of the way we saw it. We were very locally minded. So it was a paradigm shift to think of working together in the greater way as we are asked to do so today. Recognizing our interdependence is a new (sometimes difficult) but quite frankly Christian objective.

But even I, unfortunately, use language that seems to work against this all of the time. “The diocese did such and so” or “We have to because it is the mandate of the diocese . . .” Just recently “the diocese” was preparing a report and for some odd reason that I appreciate the people in charge asked me what I thought about it. There were a few sentences that said something about a parish not being able to afford something so “the diocese” paid for it. There is nothing wrong with that sentence but its construction adds to illusion that there is some bureaucracy out there that just somehow exists and does things to us – even good things.

“The diocese” that in this case came to the rescue was in fact you and me. We are the diocese. That cost was not paid for by some mysterious entity, it was absorbed by the greater diocese, all the parishes and people who live within it.

The diocese as a whole is the local Church with the bishop as the head. We are parishes within that local Church. We are only as healthy as a parish as we are as a diocese and visa versa. There are a dozen rotten instances that anybody could name that would go against this idea, but it is the way the Catholic Church is and always has been constructed. It is part of our strength. And I will grant that “the diocese” needs to change as much as the parishes to make this vision of “A” local Church a reality in the hearts of all – and it begins with having the proper vision and understanding of Church.

TUESDAY QUOTE OF THE WEEK CXXXVII

2011-11-22T07:23:00.000-08:00

FINDING TRUTH WHEREVER IF MAY BE FOUND: “Our planet has been so blanketed by the glare of artificial light that if you live in a town or city, or close to one, you will not see more than a handful of stars visible to the naked eye. The wonders of the night sky, the greatest show on earth, which our ancestors took for granted, have become only memories. The universe has grown dark and silent; it may be the most measured, and quantified universe in history, but it is surely the least known.” from Moyra Doorly’s, “No Place for God”

QUOTE II: I lost the exact quote and the reference but it goes something like this, “Artists are the reports of Beauty.”

IN OTHER NEWS:

Not one of their best but Okay Thanksgiving Skit Guy's special:

E. M. sent this article in about the Catholic Church purchasing the Crystal Cathedral. Read more here.

The Diocese of Cleveland Enewsletter reports: "For over 30 years the United States Bishops have issued a document to coincide with the year leading up to the Presidential Election. This all began following the Supreme Court rulings legalizing abortions in the United States.

"The documents focused on helping American Catholics form their consciences as they prepared to enter into the election process, realizing that they had responsibilities relative to living out their faith in a way that would enhance our American society." Read more here.

P. V. sent this in: "In case you haven't seen the news, the company which was engaging in clinical trials to treat spinal cord injuries using embryonic stem cells has halted the research. The trials were providing no benefit to the patients. The company will now turn its funds to cancer research.

"This news is important because the media had made a big deal of it when the trials first began. Will this news receive the same exposure? In contrast, adult stem cell treatments have achieved at least limited success for some patients with this type of injury, but the media does not widely publicize such progress." Read more here.

M. B. sent this amazing nature video in:

Murmuration from Sophie Windsor Clive on Vimeo.

P. V. sent this 4 minute video in concerning the pill RU-486. It may be hard to watch. Use caution. Bet this does NOT happen in the doctor's office.

Tim sent this in for a lighter video treat:

David Garibaldi: Jesus Painting from Thriving Churches on Vimeo.

Anon. sent this link to Saint's Books.

From the same source is this Catholic Books Blog.

L. F. sent this video in about Church music. Granted it is about Protestant Churches but it is interesting.

MONDAY DIARY: DAWN IN DARKNESS

2011-11-21T08:22:00.000-08:00

There was a death in Cleveland recently. Without getting into any details it was quite a bit in the news and there is, in fact, still an investigation going on. Every day I read the newspaper waiting to see if there will be any finality to the case. So far there is none.

A priest friend of mine had the funeral. It ripped him up pretty bad for it is a very sad story with lots of complications. What do you say to the family? How does one deal with the tragedy of the event and rectify it to a loving God when people are feeling so poorly?

It is an interesting thought that for most of the sensational deaths one reads about in the papers, there is a minister of some sort staying up that night praying (hopefully) trying to figure out what to say at the funeral.

The notification at the parish usually begins, as it did last week here, with a phone call from a funeral home to our secretary. My first notice of it will be the funeral chalkboard in the back hallway. This chalkboard has “Funerals” written at the top and often has things written on it such as, “Cleveland Browns” or “Indians” – not by my hand however – I like my teams. These will be carefully erased and more serious information written allowing everyone from priests, musicians, to those who work in the church building to know what to expect and when the buildings would be busy.

Such was the case last week when a funeral came in that was as difficult is one my friend had the week before. Generally the next step is to call the family and let them know we are praying for them and thinking of them and invite them in to talk about their loved one and plan the funeral. Sometimes these are joyous meetings, filled with great memories and hope in God’s promises. Sometimes they are tragic and difficult.

Vigil prayers are held during the calling hours. The calling hours is a time that the family very much wants to connect with their support group and it is always a blessing to me that they make the time to stop a pray for a couple of minutes. Sometimes this is easy, sometimes a challenge when those who want to stop by and pay their last respects are waiting in a line out the door in the snow or rain.

Then comes the business of writing the homily – the eight to ten minutes we have to remind people of their faith, their hope for the deceased, our God’s great mercy, the joy under our tears that we can walk out of this Mass with. Sometimes it is easy, sometimes it is not.

This last one was one of the more difficult ones. Not much was coming to mind. The morning of the funeral I woke very early. Making a cup of coffee and gathering all kinds of materials I sequestered myself in our study (dubbed the Chesterton Room) and sat down for a couple of hours trying to formulate some words.

The funeral actually turned out to be a buoy for me. Often at funerals people are so distraught (or they have been so out of touch with their faith) that much direction must be given. “Please stand now as we . . .” “Please be seated as the . . .” This particular funeral was chuck full of college students who knew their faith. They showed early for Mass. Some prayed the rosary, some made Stations of the Cross, they made the responses at Mass loudly and clearly, and no direction was needed to be given.

It was a terribly sad situation, but the faith of these young people filled me with such joy. What a blessing they were. What hope they gave.

FRIDAY POTPURRI: PREPARE TO LAUNCH THE MISSALS

2011-11-18T12:37:00.000-08:00

So next Sunday we will start with the new translation of the Mass.

After Vatican II the book from which we read all the prayers of the Mass has been known as the Sacramentary. A cool name I think. But every wonder why the newspaper print book that many of you hold during the Mass for the readings or to follow along with prayers of the Mass is called a Missalette and not a Sacramentaryette?

Originally the book used at the mass was called the Roman Missal or “Missale Romanum.” (Hence the poor joke that used to go around that the only date allowed for a seminarian during the summer was with Miss Sally Romanum. Yuck yuck) This book contained just about everything needed for the Mass. With Vatican II the amount of readings were increased as well as the available prayers. To put them all into one book would have been crushed some poor server trying to hold the book. We would only be able to have weightlifters as altar servers.

The book was divided into the book for prayers and the book for readings. The book for prayers was called the Sacramentary, the book for readings was then called the Lectionary. (The Lectionary then being divided into numerous other books . . .)

Now I don’t mind one way or the other. It is simply stating the fact that for some reason yet to be explained to me we will no longer refer to the book containing the prayers for the Mass the Sacramentary. Starting next Sunday it is to be referred to once again as the Missal which in the long run fits our nomenclature much better. “Missalette” and “missal stand” will once again make much more sense.

WHO AM WE ANYWAY?

2011-11-17T10:32:00.000-08:00

The deepest desire we have is for a person (divine or human) to know everything there is to know about us and to love us anyway. A person who knows we want to be good but that we are real stinkers from time to time; someone who doesn’t want to change us on order to love us (even for our own good) but just plain loves us.

All of us want to change at least something about ourselves physically, mentally, or spiritually. And perhaps we even want that person to make it possible (or at least give the support needed) to make that happen. But we don’t want it to be a condition of the love they have for us.

That being said, if there was one piece of advice that I would love couple coming to me for marriage often ignore (right after “go to Mass and pray together”) is to marry the person that they come to marriage prep with. Marry that man or that woman, not the one you hope they will become or that you hope to change them into. Don’t marry a hope – marry a person.

SHATTERED

2011-11-16T06:49:00.000-08:00

A little less than half of all Christians in the world are Protestant.

Within that group there thousands and thousands of denominations each promising to have the handle on God’s truth. It is the great scandal of the Christian Church that we are not all one.

Jesus’ message was supposed to bring us together into unity. “That they may be one,” He said. Yet we are anything but when almost half of Christians belong to that segment of Christianity that “Protests” not only against the other half, but internally with the protesting denominations themselves. (And to be honest we often protest right back.)

There are two wrong approaches in addressing this reality. (No solutions here – just a couple of those things that should be avoided.)

The first mistake is not recognizing that there are any difference between us. If we do not recognize any differences then there is little impetus to work toward unity. An example of this would be Communion in the Catholic Church. It is not unusual for a priest to be upbraided for not giving Communion to anybody who shows up at such times as funerals or weddings. Before Communion I generally make an announcement which states that although we are honored to have non-Catholics with us and that they are most welcome, I may only offer Communion to those Catholics who are properly disposed.

There are those within the Church who are angry because this appears rude to them. “Can’t we all just get along?” No. We don’t. Then there are those outside the Church who are angry because they feel excluded from Catholic Eucharist. Of course they are welcome if they want to hold and believe what Catholics do. Most of the time there is no intention.

Yet if we glossed over this moments and pretended there was unity, what would ever change? What issues would be discussed? What reality recognized? It is this very act that has been the genesis for many discussions and reconciliations. Would they have occurred if we pretended our divisions did not exist?

At the other end of the scale is inappropriately celebrating the divisions. Rather than celebrating there should be great mourning and penance that the Christian Church is divided. Triumphalism and disdain have no role in the life of any Christian in any denomination.

A Methodist minister recently wrote this:

“[O]ur daughter has been asked to play organ music for today’s worship in her Chicago church that is appropriate for Reformation Sunday. In many Protestant churches, today will be celebrated in remembrance of Martin Luther’s posting of 95 Theses on the castle church door in Wittenberg, Germany October 31, 1517. Luther’s simple act is often regarded as the beginning of the Protestant Reformation.

“I have not asked a church to celebrate the Protestant Reformation in 25 years. I came quickly to the point as a pastor when I could not lead a church in celebrating division. We have been schooled to call it the Reformation, yet the division of the church into Protestant and Catholic was finally a failure of love. Why would Christians want to celebrate brokenness when Christ has called his church to be a sign of unit in the world? When people break off from a denomination or church to form new congregations, no one is sadder than Jesus.”

This is a man with whom you could engage in a conversation and perhaps work at the true issue of healing division within Jesus’ Church.

TUESDAY QUOTE OF THE WEEK CXXXVI

2011-11-15T07:16:00.000-08:00

FINDING TRUTH WHEREVER IT MAY BE FOUND: “What the world needs today is a three hundred pound, cigar smoking saint.” Dale Alquist at a talk about Chesterton and education this past Saturday in Cleveland

QUOTE II: “We all wish that we were Chesterton, but we are more probably like Belloc.” Same.

IN OTHER NEWS:

This past weekend a few of us from the Saint Sebastian Chesterton Society went to the Mayfield Country Club to hear a talk by Dale Alquist. It was a fundraiser for the Lyceum, a Catholic classical education high school. Our group has a quirk requirment for membership. We will only accept certain names and so our membership is Matt, Matt, Matt, Mike, Mike, Mike, John, John, and one Elizabeth. Actually that't just the way it turned out. We do seem to have a difficult time keeping ladies at our meetings. It might have something to do with the cigar smoke.

The presentation was excellent - here's a shout out to our friends from the other Ohio and western PA Chesterton Societies. It was great to see all of you for such a great event and at such a wonderful venue.

There is a cause to see if Chesterton might be recognized as a saint. This is an old article but might answer some of your questions. If anyone has current information I would appreciate it. Chesterton pray for us!

This in: "This is Martin from John Paul the Great Catholic University. I'm writing to introduce you to our new entertainment blog.

"JP Catholic's new entertainment blog looks at the film industry from the perspective of professionals working to make a positive impact. It will feature content from JP Catholic faculty and graduates who are currently working within the industry." See it here.

From the Diocese of Cleveland Enewsletter: "Did you know, the Catholic War Veterans of the United States of America is the only Catholic based organization whose membership is solely made up of military veterans and whose main focus is to help other veterans in need?" See more here.

No videos today. Something is messed up with our computers and I cannot see any videos.

MONDAY DIARY: IT'S A DOG'S LIFE

2011-11-14T08:00:00.000-08:00

Great is my dog. Warrior is his name!

To tell the truth this past week with a couple of notable exceptions, which will come up in later posts, was pretty office oriented – LOTS of sitting. Nothing great to report for the Monday Diary entry.

Sebastian however is having a banner day.

I was once given a lecture by my vet about how hard it is to be a dog. I rolled my eyes. “You have to understand,” he told me, “that your dog is alone all day, has to fend for himself, has to hold on if he needs to go to the bathroom . . . it’s a long lonely day.”

I roll my eyes. He has no idea. Sebastian, being a rectory dog, is a celebrity.

Last night we went for our walk and ran into a friend of his. Notice I say “of his.” From across town people stop and say, “LOOK! IT’S SEBASTIAN.” It reminds me of when, in the 90’s, I played Barney (shudder) at a parish carnival, stepped out of the rectory, in an ill-fitting purple suit, and immediately heard screeches of excited children coming from the four corners of the earth signaling the beginning of a stampede and had to run for my life. Such is the reaction to Sebastian. Usually after fawning over him and petting him and speaking to him in baby talk his friends MIGHT look up at me and say, “Oh, hi Father.”

I think people in general just know if they are in our neighborhood that they should carry treats in their pockets. I barely need to feed the dog. His friend last night brought him a bone as long as my femur. Of course he was ecstatic.

This morning I took him for his early morning airing out. He took off and caught a squirrel. Caught it! Played with it. Then he would not put it down. “Look,” I said, “I can’t take you back in front of the school with that thing hanging out of your mouth. You will traumatize the kids.”

He was absolutely full of himself – prancing around with – well you can imagine. Let me tell you, it is not nearly as cute as when he trots around with one of his plush toys in his mouth. All of a sudden even that seems sinister. Finally he buried the thing – VERY CAREFULLY.

Back at the rectory when people start showing up I say, “Don’t accept kisses today. I would not recommend it. Don’t ask why.”

He is well loved. People all day play with him, pay attention to him, bring treats. This dog is not lonely during the day. And today he got mail. Yes, Sebastian got mail. And it is not the first time. One of his VERY BEST FRIENDS was not able to be here to bring him his usual treat SO SHE MAILED IT IN. Sebastian went nuts. I opened the envelope and he grabbed it out of my hand and trotted around the rectory with it. Finally I was able to get enough of the plastic off of it so that he could truly enjoy it.

Such is the lonely existence of a rectory dog.

IMAGINE THAT

2011-11-10T07:15:00.000-08:00

A study from the University of California states that material wealth cannot buy happiness and that happiness cannot be found, for long anyway, in material goods. If one has money, spending it on experiences that lift the soul (my words, not theirs) such as concerts and education brings about some amount of happiness. Delayed satisfaction is also a good area to invest for happiness. Giving money and gifts to others, building bonds and community is an ideal way to use one’s money and receive back a certain amount of happiness in this world.

Now we know! I’ve always wondered and now the mystery of the universe is unveiled!

Now that I’ve got the sarcasm out of my system, the truly good part of this finding is this: faith and science should walk hand in hand. They are both seeking truth. When one is out of sync with the other then one needs to look more deeply into the matter. God made man and there is a way in which he thrives and others in which he does not. Faith and science are not competitors, they are pillars of the same objective.

HELP (DESPERATELY) WANTED: BUT NOT YOU

2011-11-09T08:00:00.000-08:00

A man is released from jail with a felony conviction. He has been out of work for some time, does not have a great support system or savings. He comes to the Church and says that he has had a great conversion. His life is in order and has been for some time. He desperately needs a job and he wants to do something for the Church that has brought him hope and encouragement; that has helped him get his life together. Maybe he is even interested in the priesthood.

I cannot hire him. He has a felony conviction and I have a school. It would be illegal and I would be opening myself and the Church to a lawsuit if someone found out and even worse if something happened even if it would not have mattered as much if a person without a conviction had done it. And the Church is under such a powerful magnifying glass that we would most likely not allow his to enter into our seminary no matter how sincere he is. As much good as he has done, Fr. Carapi has made many in the Church even more nervous about “the great converted” serving in such a fashion. You would be surprised how often this scenario arises.

Most religious orders are not far away from this. Traditionally a convent or abbey could be a place where a person who could not quite make it in the world could go. Now most places want you to be well educated, of sound mind, of clean background, and debt free. Of course they do.

At the opposite end is disappearance from rectories of live-in help. Social Security brought that to an end. The Church is no longer needed to provide shelter and a modest income for a widow who was facing a difficult time. And now we probably would not do it because of the expense and the microscope of scandal.

In some ways, roles in Church life are quite limited. It is often not the bastion for those who need a place to be who can’t find another way to make it in the world. On the one hand this is good. I like to know that nobody working around children, who are among the vulnerable, who handle finances in the Church come from “respectable” backgrounds (all the more scrutinized these days both inside and from without the Church.)

On the other hand – where is the hope for the great conversions – the person with a questionable background (Saint Paul) or of questionable abilities (Saint John Vianney)?

We want both – I want both – I want to know that everyone in the Church is as capable and sound of mind and body as possible – I also want to give people the second chance or the chance to do something that the world does not seem able to give them.

What would you do?

TUESDAY QUOTE OF THE WEEK CCXXXV

2011-11-08T08:06:00.000-08:00

FINDING TRUTH WHEREVER IT MAY BE FOUND: “God attaches pleasure to the things He really wants us to do – that’s necessary for our survival. So it is a pleasure to eat, drink, sleep, and have intercourse – thought that is not the purpose. We are called to do it at the right time, place, manner, with the right person, and in the right way.” A lost the reference for this quote.

IN OTHER NEWS:

P sent this in: "Dear Fr. Valencheck, Five episodes of Fr. Robert Barron's series on Catholicism will be shown on EWTN next week (Wednesday Nov. 16 through Saturday Nov. 19).

Fr. Barron will be interviewed on EWTN Live (November 16) at 8:00 PM (ET). An introduction to the series will immediately follow at 9:00-9:30 pm. The first and second episodes will then follow at 10:00 and 11:00 PM (ET). Full program schedule (November 16 through 19.) For more information go here.

The Diocese of Cleveland Enewsletter asks, "Did you know, this weekend and next weekend you could be an audience member for tapings of the TV show "Living Right with Dr. Ray"?

"Dr. Ray Guarendi, a nationally syndicated radio and TV personality will be tapings shows at the studios of Eastern Christian Media located off of W. 117th Street at 12801 Berea Road in Cleveland." Read more here.

J P sent this in. It is blog post at Young Fogeys that she thought was pretty good. Here it is - though I fear he is preaching to the choir.

Elena sent this picture over of a Slovenian at Octoberfest.

Less than 6 minutes:

MONDAY DIARY: IT'S MORE THAN JUST "IF THE SHOE FITS"

2011-11-07T06:27:00.000-08:00

Regularly stories are told about how families struggle to have together time. Sports, school, work, extracurricular and parish activities pull the family in so many directions that they do not have time to eat together and the home seems more like a boarding house.

Rectories can be like that too. The priests here at Saint Sebastian work hard at having dinner together four times a week and try to pray at least Night Prayer together. You think that would be easy in a rectory but “it ain’t necessarily so.” It is a fierce battle not to allow things that require our attention to creep into the dinner hour (and some is invariably chipped away.)

This weekend was an example of how we can go most of a day and barely even see each other save for passing in the garage or hallway. High schools, parishes, and retreats requesting confession and Mass help kept our cars and Mass kit in constant use; an old World War II U.S. Army Mass Kit that is built like a tank and weighs about the same.

Anyway, at the end of my first Mass, someone pointed out to me that I had two different shoes on; one very shiny and dressy, the other dull and casual. My intent was to go over to the rectory and change one of them but became distracted by the grand opening of one of our new buildings called Forest Lodge and so went over there in mismatched shoes.

By the time that was done it was time for me to give a talk before the next Mass concerning the changes to the Missal that were coming up. No time to change! But I would right after. Coming off of the altar Fr. Pfeiffer reminded me that I had only twenty minutes to make it out to camp to say Mass for a youth retreat and so grabbed the Mass kit and ran out the door only realizing that I had two different shoes on when I was half way there.

I was not going to bring attention to myself until it became apparent that many of the kids would be sitting on the floor right in front of me at about knee level and surely they would notice. So I thought to bring it up before they started whispering about it. Apparently it was even funnier than I thought I would be.

Back at the ranch Sebastian was desperate for an airing out and I was to set up for the next Donut Sunday round and so we headed out without checking my feet again. By this point I had given up hope correcting the problem. A little break was had then before heading for the funeral parlor. Time to change shoes, one now warm and the other cold. But if this was the worst thing to happen today, it was a pretty great weekend.

FRIDAY PORPOURRI: HELP GET THE WORD OUT!

2011-11-04T08:05:00.000-07:00

This is an emergency addition of Friday Potpourri.

Apparently we are having a concert here at St. Sebastian this Saturday night. Because of a series of miscommunications (nobody’s fault – working through some kinks) we failed to realize that the Akron Regional Chamber Orchestra (ARCO) is performing at Saint Sebastian this Saturday night.

So new are they that you won’t much of a presence for them on the internet. You can find their website here but the concert information was incorrect as of this morning. This parish, taking seriously its role as patroness of the arts, has given them space to rehearse and perform and so they have become an “orchestra in residence” and will be giving their first performance here this weekend. We would have advertised it like all get out but did not have the chance to do it! (We will do better in the future.)

The performance will be held in the Church at 8PM Saturday, November 5th. They will perform pieces by Mozart, Holst, Bartlow, and a selection from the movie “Mission.” If you think you might be able to come and support this budding musical organization but are unfamiliar with Saint Sebastian, here is a campus map. The concert is in the main church, building 1, parking lot P1. (Map is printable.)

Come support a new group!

Hope to see you there!

KNOCK, KNOCK. "WHO'S THERE REALLY?"

2011-11-03T07:33:00.000-07:00

A priest recently said, “people do not know how to suffer.”
That was a rather provocative statement to say the least.

Suffering has been the age old question mark concerning God. Why is their suffering? Why do good people suffer? Great minds have tackled this problem with varying degrees of satisfaction. I like C. S. Lewis’, “The Problem with Pain.”

Others have said, “God’s wrath and God’s mercy are two sides of the same coin.” That is, if there is suffering God is trying to use it to bring a person closer to Himself the only way the person might listen.

But what this priest was saying is that suffering, desiring, yearning, are all finger posts pointing us to God. We want something (or want something to stop) and so we can imagine something greater – a better world – a better way of being that seems to, yet seems to not quite exist here – but does exist somewhere. What our desiring is pointing to is God and heaven.

For example, the explosion of porn and porn addiction in our country, what is that really about? Men (mostly) are yearning for something. Is that something really just images? If you ask (most) men if they feel fulfilled by porn – especially after they are finished, you will receive a very mournful and emphatic NO! But there is a deep yearning there and porn can be a quick fix; empty calories to fill the stomach so to speak. The only problem is that it fails to satisfy. Afterwards men are left feeling even emptier (which may lead them back to the porn for more consolation, which make them feel worse – and a vicious cycle has begun.)

No real man really wants porn; they want something greater – something to fill a great need inside of them. They desire love, and communion, and a sense of self worth. Marriage can help this need. It will never completely fill it but it can last us for this life. That is why we have celibates in the Church – to point us toward something even greater. Ultimately these men sho use porn and all of us want – yearn for – that greatest good where we are completely and utterly loved and accepted for who we are and Who we can love back so completely and with utmost trust. As Chesterton said, “Every man who knocks on the door of a brothel is looking for God.”

When we yearn, our eyes should turn from the thing we think we desire and realize what we want most deeply is God. Stare at the piece of chocolate cake for which you are not really hungry, and realize that you want the goodness of heaven which is far sweeter, far more comforting, and infinitely less fattening.

This is not a complete answer but gives us something to think about when we are tempted or are suffering.

A SPOON FULL OF SUGAR

2011-11-02T05:58:00.000-07:00

There was an interesting column in the paper the other day. It talked about some research in which people who were suffering pain were given treatment. Divided into to two groups, one group received fake pills, the other fake acupuncture. The group that receive fake acupuncture did quite a bit better than the ones that received fake pills. Of this, Ted Kaptchuck who led the experiment said, “Performing fake acupuncture is more elaborate than taking fake medicine. Being checked in by a smiling secretary, plus the professional attention, uniforms, even the paintings on the walls – ‘careful manipulation of such rituals could make all types of treatment more effective’ he says.”

It makes me think of Catholic rituals and art. The touching, eating, smelling, talking, standing, kneeling, hearing, singing, and soon, the elevated language, all these combine to make worship, for those who engage the ritual, more effective for the human condition. The whole person is engaged, inside and out, and thus the whole person is affected. We, like the medical personal, should pay close attention to ritual, not down playing it, not doing a cheap version, elevating our art to make worship more affective, not for God, but for us.

TUESDAY QUOTE OF THE WEEK CCXXXIV

2011-11-01T06:34:00.000-07:00

FINDING TRUTH WHEREVER IT MAY BE FOUND: "Friendship only is indeed genuine when two friends, without speaking a word to each other, can never-the-less find happiness in being together." from Georg Ebers, "Homo Sum"

QUOTE II: "Pleasure became her torment, for the sweetest wine is repulsive when it has been tasted by impure lips." ibid.

IN OTHER NEWS:

CK sent this link in to the blog to BAD CATHOLIC, an 18 year old blogger who is Catholic and one who appreciates that beauty as one of the basic tenets of bringing faith to the world.

RB sent this video in. It is a surprising take on the old table cloth trick. I will admit I was wowed by it.

News from the Diocese of Cleveland Enewsletter: "Recently, Cleveland Auxiliary Bishop, Most Rev. Roger Gries, addressed the First Friday Club of Akron and explained many of the changes that Catholics will experience at Mass beginning with the first Sunday of Advent, November 27, 2011. We've posted short videos explaining the changes that will take place." See the video here.

From the same source: "On Saturday, October 22nd, the Most Reverened Roger W. Gries, O.S.B. (Auxiliary Bishop of Cleveland) ordained 3 men into the Sacred Order of the Deacon." Read more here.

MONDAY DIARY: AN ALMOST EXCRUCIATINGLY TRUE LIGHT HEARTED STORY

2011-10-30T15:01:00.000-07:00

One of the last duties of the day for Fr. P and I is to air out the dog and take a turn around the campus to make sure all is settled and that all the unnecessary lights are off. It kills me to have lights on when nobody is in the buildings. I'm afraid that I drive Fr. P crazy with my angst over a rogue burning light bulb.

I think that this tendency was cultivated by my father. He too would stomp through the house grousing about things such as, "Who left the lights on in the basement?!" Usually it was Mom. "Bill! I'm going right back down! It's better than turning the lights off and on all of the time."

Like all young people I was afraid of the dark for a spell and could not fall asleep unless there was a light on. We also did not have air conditioning so we used fans. But it drove my father to distraction to have them on all night long when were supposed to be unconscious sleeping so he, unable to sleep while the electric bill went up, would stay up and then sneak into our rooms and turn the lights and fan off.

Of course this only served to wake me up and I spent the night afraid and hot.

The years went by and I started donating to my parish. I was proud that with my first job I was able to give $5 a week or so. Especially when I looked at the totals from the last week and thought, "Wow, we collected $1,125 this week. If it had not been for my contribution it would have only been $1,120."

So when I see a light on that somebody forgot to turn off I have extreme guilt feelings about someone who sacrifices to put a little money in the Sunday basket. I think loathingly (is that a word?) about that sacrificed few dollars burning away for no reason and that the money could not go for something more constructive such as teacher's salaries or a repair around the grounds or anything that adds to the life of the parish.

So, yes, I think I drive people nuts occasionally. "Do you really need ALL these lights on?" But nothing is as disturbing to me as opening a door in the morning and finding all my work was for not; that a light had been on all night. I suffer.

FRIDAY POTPOURRI: MERRY HOLLOWMAS

2011-10-28T07:57:00.000-07:00

All-Hollow’s-Eve is just about here. Must be time to get ready for Christmas.

That was sarcasm there.

Lots of interesting things end up in manger scenes. I like the cat having a litter of kittens. It is the whole idea of the incarnation – Jesus was born into the real world of babies and blood, life and death. Why not have a cat having a litter of kittens to remind us of that? Real life did not stop for Jesus. He was one like us in all things but sin right?

In Barcelona there is the tradition of a red capped peasant squatting down and creating fertilizer in the manager too. Kind of a stark reminder of the world in which Jesus was born.

I remember seeing my teachers for the first time outside of school in “real” clothes and having to go to the bathroom. “They DO that?” I remember thinking. Well of course they did. And of course that is the world Jesus was born into. That too, did not stop for the birth of the Messiah.

PARISH MITOSIS

2011-10-27T08:23:00.000-07:00

A Church just bought a local theater that went under a few years ago. The Baptist Church needed a place to grow and the building needed a buyer. It was a perfect match. It also exemplifies one of the great differences between many Protestant Churches and the Catholic Church.

The article mentioned the pastor’s name and reported that under his leadership the church had grown significantly. The growth under this pastor made their current facilities inadequate for the congregation and so they simply moved to a bigger building in a new location.

Now think of what happens when the same thing happens to a Catholic parish. There is a reason we are called parishes and not churches. We are the Catholic Church, and the local Church is the diocese. So around here where Adam’s Ale is written, we belong to the Church of Cleveland and are parishes in that local Church. When one of our parishes starts to grow dramatically we first might add a priest and few Masses and expand the building. But if the parish continues to grow from there it would not mean that the parish would move in most cases or that a professional football stadium sized church would be built, we would create another parish.

One reason we do this is because the success of a parish should not be about the personality of the priest (though a good priest certainly helps.) It is about Jesus and the sacraments. Keeping our parishes from becoming too large based on the cultic personality of the priest helps keep our focus on what is important and also from being stuck with gigantic buildings that empty after the priest is moved to another parish and those who were only there for the personality of the priest disappear.

NEW PARISH - NOW WHAT?

2011-10-26T06:51:00.000-07:00

Every parish should have a welcoming committee that knows when a new family has moved into the neighborhood and they should send a delegation out to greet them with information about the parish and invite them to come to Mass with them. Every parish should also have alert greeters and ushers that recognize new faces and help them get situated at the Mass. People at every parish should be welcoming, friendly, and ready to give up the pew that they sat in for the last 25 years to someone who does not know better. Every priest should be able to tell when someone is new and welcome them heartily to the parish.

All this should be true.

But most likely it is not at your parish.

Sometimes for good reason.

One reason might be that at larger parishes where there is the possibility of a couple thousand people passing through the doors on any given weekend at any given Mass, just because you don’t recognize someone doesn’t mean that they are not a lifelong parishioner. “Welcome to Saint Weallgetalong.” “I’ve been a member here for 50 years sonny! I helped build this place! I just usually come to the 4:30.”

Also, people are basically shy. As afraid as you might be of saying hi, they are nervous about approaching a new person and saying hi. It is a gamble both ways.

It would be nice, say for example, when you switch parishes because of a job move or some such thing that the Catholic community into which you move would be there to greet you with open arms. But remember often we are talking about the population of a small city. It gets complicated. If you want a good experience, bite the bullet and don’t wait for your new parish to take the initiative.

Here are some various ideas to try:

If there are ushers, come up with a question that perhaps you don’t even need an answer to. “Hi! I’m new. Could you tell me where the restrooms are?” That might start a conversation.

Don’t sit behind the pillar in the back of the church, in the dark, with your arms crossed and your head down. You are telling everyone “I JUST WANT TO BE LEFT ALONE TO PRAY!”

After Mass as you are crunched together to get out turn to someone and say, “Hi. My name is Sue. I’m new here. You have a beautiful church.” (You might find out that they are new too and are looking for someone to talk to!)

REGISTER! Become part of the parish. Ask the person who registers you to tell you more about the parish and how you might become involved.

Join something – or better yet VOLUNTEER! How do you get to know 6,000 people? Start by getting to know 10 well. Everyone wants to be asked to do something – few just volunteer. “Do you need volunteers to clean up after the dance?” You will instantly become gold if they have been looking for someone.

Go on a men’s or women’s retreat – a smaller group of people than say a parish mission.

Don’t go to donut Sunday – volunteer for donut Sunday.

Do you have a unique talent that you might offer the parish? Let the pastor know.

Participate in commitment weekend.

If after giving a decent amount of time and all that effort you do not feel welcome at a particular parish – it is just that – an unfortunate experience at a particular parish – not the Catholic Church. You then have basically two choices: Decide that you are staying to try to make this parish a more welcoming place for others being that welcoming presence for others that was not there for you (the Adam’s Ale recommendation) – or – seek out another parish that will appreciate you better.

TUESDAY QUOTE OF THE WEEK CCXXXIII

2011-10-25T06:44:00.000-07:00

FINDING TRUTH WHEREVER IT MAY BE FOUND: “Whose ever been saved by a discourse? If they did, God would not have sent His Son in the flesh, He would have sent a memo.” Fr. Peter John Cameron OP

IN OTHER NEWS:

Well, I thought my new Email came up automatically on this site but apparently it doesn’t as some of you have let me know. My new Email, the only one getting thought to me at the moment is FATHERVALENCHECK@GMAIL.COM

The early morning fog was pretty neat the other morning and I just happened to have my camera with me as I walked Sebastian.

Marton Sheen came back to the Catholic faith a while back. Of it he says, "I came back to a totally different church," Sheen said. "I didn't want to come back out of fear or guilt or you know, anxiety over condemnation. I came back out of love and service. I have a phrase that kind of encapsulates it. Mother Teresa drove me back to Catholicism. But (Jesuit Father) Daniel Berrigan keeps me there. I came back to the Church a peace and social justice activist. My actions in social justice, in peace and social justice issues, was a reflection of my faith. The last 30 years of my life have been by far the most difficult and equally the happiest because I became myself." Read more from an article on his new movie "The Way" on the Diocese of Cleveland official site.

My sister sent in this real neat optical illusion.

She also sent this game. It is completely aggrivating. WARNING: Addiction level MODERATE

MONDAY DIARY: JUST AS PLANNED

2011-10-24T08:04:00.000-07:00

Generally most of my mornings start out the same way. The alarm clock goes off, a wind up that rings bells. Far more reliable that something that plugs into the wall and tends to go hay wire when the electricity goes out. Or maybe that is just my excuse to rely on old technology.

The first thing that I do is turn on the little light next to my bed, grab my breviary and pray my morning prayers. For me this is an absolute delight! A slow waking up! Staying under the covers and thinking things about God before taking on the world.

After that I grab the Lectionary and read the readings for the day. Only then is it time to start engaging the world. In the shower I contemplate the readings and think about what I am going to say that morning. After dressing I sit down and make a few sentences on yellow stick'm notes to have with me in the pulpit since I have the remembering capacity of a turnip.

Saturday mornings take a little more time than usual. There is no deacon so I have to come up with some petitions and there is no organist so I also get to choose the opening hymn. This is all done before I step foot in the church, usually just a couple minutes before the bells in the tower ring and we start the Mass. Such was the case this past Saturday. I walked in and gave a "good morning" to the ministers and one of our cracker jack sacristans greeted me with:

Uhm . . .

That would be no.

This past Saturday was rather historic. Those attended Mass were among the very first to celebrate a Mass in memory of Blessed John Paul II and to hear the prayers and readings for that day. Actually, originally I was not supposed to have this Mass, Fr. Pfeiffer was. But the calendar got crazy this weekend and so I ended up having the Mass. But when notification for the Mass came from the diocese, I put it out of mind because I would not be saying a normal daily Mass that day. So I gave the information to the sacristan so that THEY would remind the forgetful priest that day.

Which turned out to be me.

Of course, now my homily made absolutely no sense. I had about 30 seconds to come up with a song, (easy one - Be Not Afraid - not my favorite but it fits JPII), change the petitions, rewrite a homily - not time.

So I read the Gospel and went on with the Mass hoping something would pop into my mind while waiting to read the Gospel. I know guys who have said, "Do you know when I write my morning homilies? On my way from the chair to the pulpit." I, however, can't get up in front of a group of people to announce that someone has left their headlights on in the parking lot without notes. Just thinking about that now makes me nervous.

Add to that my itsy bitsy brain trying to remember what the Gospel is while trying to pay attention to the rest of the Mass.

Well, something came to mind. I think it was Okay. I really don't remember.

FRIDAY POTPOURRI: AS I WAS SAYING

2011-10-21T07:32:00.000-07:00

There are three types of speaking that a priest does at the Mass. 1) Those parts that he must be faithful to the text 100%. He has no right to change them for any reason (and those in the pew have the right to hear them.) And even if the priest AND a particular congregation agree that it would be Okay to change the texts, the Church, you and I, have the right to know that they are praying with us and hearing the same thing.

2) There are those parts (far fewer) that can be in “these or similar words.” That is, there is a recommended text, but the celebrant is free to personalize it although it is with the understanding that it must convey a similar meaning. So at the beginning of the penitential rite it says, “. . . the priest invites the people to recall their sins and to repent of them in silence. He may use these or similar words.” He certainly cannot talk about how the Cleveland Indians are doing (or not doing) but the moment can be more personalized.

3) Then there are those parts that the priest is to create. Sometimes it is optional such as with the introduction of the Mass. “The priest . . . may very briefly introduce the Mass.” The largest section where this occurs is the homily. Outside of some guidelines it is completely generated by the priest. It is also one of the few parts of the Mass that the congregation is not required to say amen to.

Creativity does not come from throwing off all constraints but finding a way of creating something with restraints. And over rigidity where it is not needed can make even heaven on earth seem a trial. And to be quite honest, its more fun that way too.

GET READY TO LAUNCH THE MISSALS

2011-10-20T04:42:00.000-07:00

This coming first Sunday in advent we will start praying the new translation of the Roman Missal in the English speaking world. I, and most of the priests with whom I associate, are taking it rather in stride. Most do not think it all that insurmountable of a problem and many believe it to be a great thing. But perhaps that is because we have been so exposed to it that it already seems like a done deal.

There will be a few tricky pieces to the puzzle. The first year will be difficult when we go to say Mass at the nursing home or Scout camp or the like where we will have to remember to bring worship aids with us if we expect people to respond, but other than that it should be an implementation that will just require a little more attention for us while praying at Mass for us.

Many of us are, however, completely at a loss on how this change is perceived by others. By far the most common comment I have heard thus far is, “Father, why are we making such a big fuss about this? It is no big deal.” But that comment is largely from people who are very involved. A couple people are concerned about certain parts of the translation. One person did say, “When they change the ‘Our Father’ we are joining the Anglicans down the street.” “I think that was said in jest.

So what do you think? Take the quiz in the column to the right. I would find it helpful.

TO ONE THING CONSTANT NEVER

2011-10-19T12:13:00.000-07:00

“Sigh no more ladies, sigh nor more,” said Shakespeare concerning men, “One foot on sea, the other shore.” The poem seems to be lamenting the fact. But as Christians, particularly Catholic Christians, that is exactly where we are supposed to be – or rather, one foot on earth, one in heaven.

“In how many experiences have you missed a lesson from God,” asks Saint Escriva, “have you missed out on because you failed to spiritualize them?” “Man is a natural scientist, but a reluctant poet” penned another writer. This world and what happens in it gives us vision and understandings beyond the physical. Indeed for the Christian, reality is a much bigger universe with many more possibilities. It is far greater because there is more than just what we see, measure, weigh, feel, and smell.

But neither re we lost in the spiritual world. This world has much to teach us. This world is also good and has much to teach us about how to live in it. That is why priests have been and often are scientists and why “the Church” is credited with much of the scientific discoveries in this world.

Having a foot in both worlds creates the fullness of creation and all that it can give us. As a silly example, Sebastian and I went for a walk in the MetroParks today. We saw science at work. Man made paths wound their way through the woods. By paying attention to nature somebody knew how erosion works and walls of the river were shorn up, logs placed to keep dirt from being slowly stolen away from running water during rain storms, ditches were dug to control the path of water and so forth. Science kept a usable path in place.

But super naturalizing the walk gave a broader a view to a larger universe also. There were abandoned paths that were slowly turning back into wildness. Old timber steps that were rotting away and looking more and more like a fallen and long dead tree. It reminds us that this is not our home that the earth, as wonderful as it is, could shake us off like Sebastian shaking off the rain on his back. Earth is just slightly hostile toward us like a mother eagle shoving its young out of the nest telling them that it is time that they start flying. This was home, but they belong somewhere else. So do we. In heaven. So that if our mark does not remain forever, that is Okay. This is not home anyway but a place we stopped by. And our graffiti will last until it is painted over, but home will be forever and ever comforting to us.

TUESDAY QUOTE OF THE WEEK CCXXXII

2011-10-18T08:20:00.000-07:00

FINDING TRUTH WHEREVER IT MAY BE FOUND: “By now it is more or less possible to have the moon, but when the real boundary – the boundary between heaven and earth, between God and the world – does not open, even the moon is merely an additional piece of earth, and by reaching it man is not brought one step closer to the freedom and plenitude he longs for.” Pope Benedict XIV in “Called to Communion”

QUOTE II: “It’s kind of absurd that in this day and age the Church still allows priests to preach. It is old fashion. Why not just Email the perfect homily from Rome. There would be less heresy preached. It’s because it is not just about the message. It’s about the messenger. An Email cannot generate. Preaching generates. It gives life.” Fr. Peter John Cameron O.P. in a presentation given to the priests of the Diocese of Cleveland

IN OTHER NEWS:

If you read yesterday’s post you know that I lost all of my Emails, have nothing that has been mailed in to Adam’s Ale, and so have nothing to post today! Sorry. Please note my new Email address as I will never be able to open my AOL account again for reasons told in pictorial form yesterday. Here is just a couple of tidbits.

Here is another game. Frustrating but enticing. WARNING: Addiction level MEDIUM

Ed who got my new Email address already sent in this link about the difference between cats and dogs.

Sorry! That's all I have today!

MONDAY DIARY: ALMOST EXCRUSIATINGLY TRUE STORIES ARE BACK

2011-10-16T14:48:00.000-07:00

I've been in a bit of a funk lately. I have a certain feeling of betrayal that seems to be haunting me.

Fortunately it is not from anybody (or any dog) but from my technology. I will admit I am not only not very adept with technology but I also do not treat it very well. But the whole techno-world seems to be venting itself against me lately. As a matter of fact the paper that this cartoon is so crudely drawn on comes from a copier incident in which I sent a long document to the copier from my office and it printed it as gibberish about seventy five times - so there should be comics coming for a while.

My computer is has been acting up. Poor thing. I should be understanding more though. If it were a person it would be reaching the age of reason. Unfortunately computers age more quickly than even dogs.

Another piece of machinery that has betrayed me lately is our dish washer. A dish washer is not just a dish washer, it is a keeper of the peace. I found that out in spades coming home from a vacation and finding out that our dish washer was broken.

Now I would think that an "OUT OF ORDER" sign on such a machine would cause (certain) people to understand that that means one must wash one's own glasses and dishes. Nay, nay. It means that certain people start stacking their dishes on the counter. So I put up a sign.

Soon I discovered that two signs were not enough. So I put up a third. "That will teach them!" I thought.

Nay, nay. At least I hid my dirty dishes in my room until the dang thing was fixed. Two trying weeks went by and the dish washer repair man (not as lonely, it turns out, as the commercial pretends) finally got around to restoring peace and harmony to the rectory. Now everybody is happy and we get along much better.

Which brings me to the latest act of betrayal by machinery. This is by AOL. Now, I've always been relatively happy with AOL until this past week. After years of having little problems with it, turning on my computer and having my mail pop right up, this past week this came up instead:

Now you would think this would be easy enough. In fact, my code did come up also as those little black circles that you see. But when I pressed enter this came up:

"How can that be?" I asked myself. So then I tried to remember the code (that I hadn't had to remember in about four years. I actually remembered the digits in it but (apparently) not the correct order. So I made a long list and rearranged the digits in every combination I could conger but no luck. "Is God angry with me?" I mused.

"Use the name and question option" you might say to yourself. Nay, nay! This account was set up for me years ago. In fact, at the time, one still PAID to be on AOL! The person who set it up for me, God rest his soul, is no longer around for me to ask even if he should remember! I am SO distraught.

WORDS IN SEARCH OF MEANING - PROGRESSIVE

2011-10-13T07:28:00.000-07:00

One time I was being sent to a parish and the selling point given to me is that “they have gone beyond Vatican II. They are very progressive.” In case you missed the inference, they meant that as a very good thing. (What’s beyond Vatican II?)
Many parishes are known as progressive and rarely the one that deserves it IMHO. Most often this title is given to a parish that is skirting the Catholic playing field. Progress has almost become synonymous with rebellious. Is this progress?

Progress cannot be a blind journey to someplace that must be better. There must be a clear vision and an effort to achieve it. Then as we get closer to that goal, we call the process progress. Anything else is chance.

A progressive parish is not one (necessarily, there may be occasion) that breaks away from the rest of the Church to do what it deems “better” which often just means “in fashion.” It means one that has the mission of the Church in mind which has at the top of the list the wish of Jesus that we “may all be one.” Progressive means being part of the vision and doing what one can to fulfill that vision, not forcing people to limit expressions of the faith or introducing things that do not belong.

Because of this, I elect the word “progress” as a WORD IN SEARCH OF MEANING

THE BETTER TO EAT YOU WITH MY DEAR

2011-10-12T05:05:00.000-07:00

It was dangerous for me to think about kissing. While enjoyable in my dating years, if I thought about it too much, it seemed kind of bizarre to me (sometimes I think too much.) Why is it that pressing this part of the body together – this thing we eat and talk with – be so natural and pleasurable? I think Grandma Piat (not my real grandmother – but a next-door-neighbor who fulfilled the role from time to time) gave me a clue when she looked at a new grandchild. She said, “You are so cute I could just gobble you up!” Maybe that it what it is. We obviously cannot consume the other person but we can do the next best thing. (Stick with me.)

Think of a baby and how the baby gets to know the world around him. He is always sticking the new thing he finds in his mouth. Steve Jobs who is late of our company said of his products that he wanted to make them so good that people would want to lick them.

Okay – ewe – but he makes a point. When we really love something, don’t we have an instinct to make it a part of ourselves? We can own it, put our mark on it, but one of the most primitive yet satisfying ways of accomplishing this is to eat it. When I see futuristic shows about how one might be able to eat a whole meal by swallowing a pill I think, “Keep me in these dark ages where I have to see a savory steak, smell it, get its grease on my fingers (I’m a sloppy eater), chew and taste it, and feel the satisfaction of swallowing it. You have your pill and your Star Trek ride across the universe.”

Eating is so very satisfying. Done moderately well it is also good for us. “You become what you eat,” we are told. So then is it not interesting that we have a God that invites us to eat of His Body and Blood?

TUESDAY QUOTE OF THE WEEK CCXXXI

2011-10-11T08:17:00.000-07:00

FINDING TRUTH WHEREVER IT MAY BE FOUND: “The New Atheists like to snark that we Christians might as well be worshiping a Flying Spaghetti Monster, and they have a good reason for saying that: Because they are insufferable. And, sad to say, insecure. Why else would Oxford- or Cambridge-educated, highly paid writers spend thousands of cumulative pages preening about how intelligent and well-informed they are, compared to Mexican landscapers with Guadalupe tattoos or elderly Russian ladies lighting candles in front of icons?” from John Zmirak’s "The Bad Catholic's Guide to the Seven Deadly Sins"

QUOTE II: “Do ever feel like you are a pair of brown shoes in a tuxedo world?”

IN OTHER NEWS:

M sent this in and it made me laugh so I thought I would share it if you have not seen it already: " The results of a computerized survey indicate the perfect priest preaches exactly fifteen minutes. He condemns sins but never upsets anyone. He works from 8:00 AM until midnight and is also a janitor. He makes $50 a week, wears good clothes, buys good books, drives a good car, and gives about $50 weekly to the poor. He is 28 years old and has preached 30 years. He has a burning desire to work with teenagers and spends all of his time with senior citizens.

The perfect priest smiles all the time with a straight face because he has a sense of humor that keeps him seriously dedicated to his work. He makes 15 calls daily on parish families, shut-ins and the

hospitalized, and is always in his office when needed.

If your priest does not measure up, simply send this letter to six other churches that are tired of their priest, too. Then bundle up your priest and send him to the church on the top of the list. In one
week, you will receive 1,643 priests and one of them will be perfect. Have faith in this procedure.

One parish broke the chain and got its old priest back in less than three weeks."

P sent this in. Steve Jobs who died this past week could have been included in this video also.

News from the Diocese of Cleveland Enewsletter: You may have read about the the latest scandal of church closings in the Diocese in the Plain Dealer. Here is the Diocesan version of the story.

From the same source: "Sunday, September 25th was not only the Indians' final home game at Progressive Field for the 2011 season, it also marked the final celebration of Sunday Mass inside the ballpark for 2011." Read more here.

Ellen Finan sent this in: "Attention! The 31st Annual G.K. Chesterton Conference will be Aug. 2-4, 2012, at the Silver Legacy Hotel (and Casino) in Reno, Nevada. It will be the 100th anniversary of Chesterton’s novel, Manalive. To celebrate, we will be showing the world premiere of the movie, “Manalive”, directed by Joey Odendahl and starring Mark Shea and Kevin O’Brien. Featured speakers are Dale Ahlquist and Joseph Pearce And also: Mark Shea and Kevin O’Brien. And Joey Odendahl himself. We will also have Jason Jones, the producer of the movie “Bella”.

G.M. sent this interesting video in about a man painting a portrait of Jesus on stage.

JC sent this in about saving Catholic Education.

I've not posted an interesting game recently. Here is one called The Stupid Test. It is both annoying and addicting. WARNING: Addiction level MODERATE

MONDAY DIARY

2011-10-10T10:40:00.000-07:00

Another week without cartoons! Things are just too busy around here.

I readily admit that I am not a very social person. It takes an awful lot of energy for me to be with a large group of people. Interestingly enough I find most of my priest friends to fit into the same category.

Before I was a priest I used to have a little (not too much - but a little) anxiety about going to another parish for Mass. “How do they do things at this other parish and will I stick out like a sore thumb?” I would wonder. One time a remember going to a parish at which you were supposed to take a pair of tongs and put your unconsecrated host in bowl to be brought at the presentation of the gifts. I did not realize this and then worried that if I went to Communion would that mean somebody else couldn’t. Or going to another diocese where people stand and kneel at different times, or coming across a priest that has a stern policy about only receiving in the hand (or on the tongue – I always seem to be doing the very thing the locals are working against no matter how hard I try.) One time while in Switzerland I actually walked out of Mass to confirm that it was indeed a Catholic things seemed so strange to me. And the ultimate fear was in a parish where Father is walking about asking questions and my entire prayer becomes, “Please don’t come by me, please don’t come by me!” (Locals might notice I don’t to any of these things because I so loathed them as a lay person.)

Well, things have not changed much. Priests are asked to go to different parishes now and then to help out. Once again I am faced with the distress of “how do they do it here?” I envy guys that just go and do it and don’t sweat it in the least. I do. I want to know how we go in, where I am to be, how do you do Communion here, how you get out, etc. I hate to have to be thinking these things out while trying t pray the Mass.

Sometimes I purposefully ignore the “way we do it here”s. For example, if I am told that they leave out part of the required part of a Mass in a particular place I will simply say, “Well, today we are going to do it.” Other times it is not so easy. In wondering how to distribute Communion to the Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion I’ll be told, “Distribute to the people on your right first, and then the left . . .” Now, I am a little dyslexic (dyslexics untie!) and so start to sweat it out at Communion, “hand with index finger and thumb extended forms an “L” and that is your left.”

Even typing this I feel ridiculous. “Why the anxiety?” Part of it is not wanting to be a distraction – wanting the focus on the Mass and on Jesus, not on me – part of it is not wanting to look like an idiot. Interestingly the only part that does not bother me is preaching and doing the Eucharistic prayer. I always feel at home there.

How about you?

FRIDAY POTPOURRI: THE SOCIETY AGAINST ACCRETIONS

2011-10-07T08:19:00.000-07:00

Go ahead. Ask me how long our “Great Amen” lasts at Mass.

Thanks for asking. I’ll tell you. “For ever and ever. For ever. Alleluia. For ever and ever. Amen.”

If you happen to sing this particular Mass setting at your parish you understand what I meant by that.

It is interesting that everything old is new again. One of the things that Vatican II did was get rid of accretion into the Mass that evolved over the years. One of these accretions is the sequence. (There is controversy as to whether these were purposeful additions or something that just happened. I’m inclined to think the latter.) You may remember these from Easter and Pentecost when they are still required. (There are a couple more that are optional.) It seems odd to us that they are there (or at least to me.) After the Epistle everything comes to a screeching halt while we sing or recite this long poem before going into the Gospel verse.

There is not a lot of agreement on exactly how these song-poems made it into the Mass. There used to be quite a lot of them. My favorite theory goes like this: Especially in large churches where there was going to be a long Gospel procession there was need to lengthen the Alleluia. If it is to be a long procession you need a long Alleluia. So imagine writing notes for AaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaLeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeLuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa. You would not be able to run over the copy machine to make copies of the music so that everybody could read it. (We may be talking as early as the ninth century.) One theory suggests that words of praise were added to the music in order to help the choir remember all the many notes. Thus the sequence was born and ends up as a slightly odd and seemingly clunky (IMHO) intruder to the Mass. That being said most of the have been done away with today. But as we are ever repeating ourselves for both good and bad, things continue to sneak back in such as “For ever and ever. For ever. Alleluia. For ever and ever. Amen.” When a simple Amen would do.

SAFE?

2011-10-06T05:35:00.000-07:00

Many people see Church as a safe place to be. Just think of the word “sanctuary.” If you are in danger you run to a church and claim sanctuary and supposedly are afforded a certain amount of protection as long as you remain there.But church and the realm of faith is anything but safe. One need only look at the statues and stained glass windows in his local parish (if he is fortunate enough that it is thusly equipped) to see people who were stoned, beheaded, set on fire, and whose leader Himself was crucified.

If you think things are much different today you are mistaken. Martyrs are still made throughout the world. But of course one might be inclined to think, “those things happen over there though, not here.” Wrong again. I’ll grant you that we do not have martyrs in the United States. But things are not all roses. That is because the Church is involved in the world of thoughts and ideas and it is one of the very few institutions that does not put its Okay stamp on modern culture and go along with the tide of popular opinion.

What is at stake? Men and women in the medical field who want to live out their Catholic faith run the risk of losing their jobs because they refuse to perform procedures or administer drugs that the government wants to mandate ridding us of our conscience clauses. Institutions come closer every year to being in direct conflict with new government regulations in hiring and in practices that go against Catholic teaching such as supplying medical coverage for abortions (just one example.) As same sex marriages are made legal the Church runs the risk of having to recognize such marriages or face sanctions. If you do not believe this take a look at what Archbishop Broglio is facing as archbishop of the military.

Faith is not safe. If you are safe it is only because such things have not yet directly affected your life. All of this prompted Francis Cardinal George to comment, “"I expect to die in bed, my successor will die in prison and his successor will die a martyr in the public square".