SUNDAY VIDEO ON TAP - XLII

It always seems that it's either feast or famine. There are a host of videos that I'd like to post today, one being stolen from Uncle Jim, but R. B. sent in another one that took the blue ribbon this week:


IN OTHER NEWS:

My sister sent this one in. It is a better rant on the Merry Christmas ban than the usual whining drivel. This guy makes some good points. Click on the red light.

Cara put me in touch with Catholic Greeting. Send a Catholic greeting to someone!

Jay announces that Catholic Carnival 148 is up and running over at Bryan Murdaugh.

Matthew sends his report for the first GK Chesterton meeting along with some pictures here. To read the minutes click on "Report". They are looking for more GKC enthusiasts! Contact Mathew if you are interested at gkcleveland@gmail.com

Lillian Marie sent this note along to let all of you know, "Pilgrims who visit any public sanctuary, shrine or other worthy place dedicated to Our Lady of Lourdes may receive (an) indulgence for nine days from 2 February." Those who live anywhere near Cleveland are fortunate as we have a Lourdes Shrine right here!

Finally, the Diocese of Cleveland E-Newsletter reports that the Holy Father has said, "St. Chromatius reminds us that Advent is a time of prayer," said the Holy Father, and that it is necessary to be in contact with God. God knows us, he knows me, he knows all of us, he loves me, he won't leave me." Read more here.

SYMBOLIC SATURDAY - SHARED SYMBOLS

Here is an interesting building.

This is where symbols crash. Early on in this series it was mentioned that symbols only have the meaning that we assign to them. I did not know what this building was when I saw it being built, but I did have some guesses based on what I thought the symbolism was saying.

Notice the canapies over the front doors. To me they appear as two stylized hands stretching out over those approaching the building. One can imagine the four fingers held together and thumbs opposed to each other in a manner like a priest extending his hands to give a blessing. Moreover, there are skylights in the center of the hands. To me this was the resurrected Christ extending his blessings on those who enter this Christian building.

Not so!

The building is actually Park Synagogue East. According to the architect they are part of "three large organic shapes (that) burst from the box - a Jerusalem stone sanctuary and two great copper canopies leading to a two-story lobby. These two entrances of equal importance - one for the school, the other for the sanctuary, library, and offices - bend towards each other in a gesture of welcome and blessing."

Just interesting to note what happens when symbols collide. Context becomes very important. What may seem like obvious Christian symbolism in the hands of Christian artists and architects may not seem so in the hands of others. Best to read the sign before entering to sign up for RCIA.

THIS TOPIC IS TAXING

Financially it is a blessing that churches in the United States are free from paying many taxes, but it is not left entirely tax free. No property taxes are paid by your parish on buildings and grounds that are used specifically for church purposes. And like non-profit organizations, purchases made by your parish for parish purposes are exempt from sales tax.

You parish does however pay taxes on the rectory. And if the rectory also has parish offices in it, the parish pays taxes on the portion of the house that is used for living space. Of course, all the usual employment taxes are also paid by your parish.

Your diocesan priests also pay taxes. Any purchases that they make for anything that is not for use by the church is subject to sales tax. Occassionally someone will say, “Of course, I won’t charge you the sales tax for that,” and I’ll have to correct them by saying that it is a personal purchase and that I do indeed need to pay the appropriate taxes.

There is of course a tax to be paid by the priest on the rectory. Living there is considered an income and so he must pay a tax on it (called a parsonage tax).

The Social Security tax is an odd duck. Any clergy person may opt out of the Social Security system but it must be done within a certain time frame following ordination. I have known a few people to do this, but most men do not and so we pay into it as anybody else would. This point might skew the answer to the question on the poll. That being said, priests pay into this fund as independent contractors. The oddity of that will be seen in the next paragraph.

Of course, income taxes must be paid on the city, state, and federal level. Like death, there is just no getting around it (unless you are taking a vow of absolute poverty.) But unlike Social Security taxes, for these taxes priests are considered employees. (Why the double classification I have no idea and no one has been able to explain it to me.)

This is why clergy taxes scare me. The Diocese of Cleveland brought together a large group of tax consultants recently to help them figure out how to handle clergy taxes. There are (at least as of a few years ago) no forms specifically for clergy and none that exactly fit. I gave up trying to understand and simply gave my records over to a firm (luckily Cleveland has a firm that deals specifically with Catholic Clergy!) and told them to do whatever they needed to do and to just keep me out of jail.

There you have it! No big mystery. Although I buck at the complexity of it, it is only fair that clergy do their part to help keep the country rolling. Now, if there were only a tax break for celebacy.

BUT DID IT HAVE TO GO THROUGH RCIB FIRST?

A local parish has received the Cleveland Restoration Society’s Preservation award for 2007. If you would like to see some before and after pictures, please go here. It is truly a magnificent structure.

Unfortunately it may also cease to be a parish soon as the diocese tries to cope with shifting demographics and limits on manpower and finances. But that does not mean that the grand old place will cease to be of importance to the diocese as it will remain as a shrine.

The actual name of the church is Conversion of Saint Paul Shrine, though that is not the original name. When it was built in 1876 it was known as St. Paul Episcopal Church in the heart of Cleveland’s Millionaires’ Row. The community that lived in the area moved to the now more fashionable area of Cleveland Heights where Saint Paul’s Episcopal Church is today. So in the 1930’s, the Diocese of Cleveland purchased the building, refurbished and redecorated it and constructed a three-story monastery there to house the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration, more commonly known as the Poor Clares, whom Bishop Schrembs had invited into the diocese in 1921. They remain there to this day.

Bishop Schrembs said of the building, “The purchase of Saint Paul’s was the most providential purchase that I have ever made. It saves to Cleveland a beautiful Gothic church the destruction of which to make way for commercial uses would have caused a pang in the hearts of many Cleveland citizens. The church is to be given over to a new purpose that will make it to many generations as dear as the Basilica of Montmartre in Paris or the Church of the Blessed Sacrament in New York.”

According to the book, “A People of Faith: Parishes and Religious of the Diocese of Cleveland”, it was not until 1949 when the shrine was raised to parochial status that the name was changed to Conversion of Saint Paul Shrine in order to distinguish it from Saint Paul Croatian Parish which was very close by and thus do we put to rest the ugly conjecture that the name was intended as a slight against the Episcopalians.

If you are in Cleveland I recommend this magnificent structure on your architectural safari, but even more so for the chance to spend some time in adoration of our Lord. Information is woefully lacking on the Internet and I would call before making plans.

E. 40th Street and Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44103, (216) 431-8854

LATE NOTICE: I was just invited to have the holy hour at the shrine TODAY at 6:45 (followed by coffee and cookies at 7:45. There is a holy hour the first Thursday of every month at this time.

DEATH AND TAXES

I guess the life of a priest is still pretty mysterious in some ways to many people. Quite often at movie theaters, in restaurants, on the beach, or in a pub, people will ask, "Are priests allowed to do that?"

One often misunderstood area is in the paying of taxes. Recently a have changed something about my taxes and was explaining it to a friend. He raised his eyebrows and asked, "Priests pay taxes?" This does not happen that often, maybe because I do not talk about taxes all that much, but it happens often enough that I though I would take a pole. In the right hand column you will see a question concerning priests and taxes. You have until Friday morning at 7:00 AM to cast a vote for what has always been your particular perception of the type of taxes that your priest pays. Results will appear on Friday.

QUOTE TUESDAY - XVI

FINDING TRUTH WHEREVER IT MAY BE FOUND: “Who dares nothing need hope for nothing.” Don Carlos

QUOTE TWO – “The Gentleman is solid mahogany. The fashionable man is only veneer.” G. J. Holland

IN OTHER NEWS:

Look here to read Pope Benedict's new encyclical Spe salvi (30 November 2007).

With great joy I announce to you another person from this parish is looking into the religious life! You know her by her confirmation name(s) as she signs her posts Lillian Marie. She is serious enough about it to let it be common knowledge. If you would like to see two places that she is discerning you can look here and here. Please keep her and all looking into religious vocations in your prayers! Blessings to you Lillian Marie!

This is just a cool site: Juke box plays the hits from the 50's through the 80's in the background while you work. As if you didn't need yet another distraction. Thanks Faba.

The Diocese of Cleveland E-Newsletter has a link to the rest of this article from the Catholic News Service, "WASHINGTON (CNS) -- To answer the question that is increasingly being asked of officials with the archdioceses of Washington and New York -- and pretty much anyone else who works for the Catholic Church in the region -- you can't yet get tickets to any events during Pope Benedict XVI's visit to those cities in April."

The DOCEN also have a link to the Catholic Internet Broadcasting TV. Check it out.

Lots of goodies from the DOCEN this week. Here is a story about the formation of a new parish in the diocese from what was once three.

BOOK REVIEW: THE SHEPHERDS' PRAYER

From time to time I recommend books on this site but this is the first time I was asked to do so I thought I’d warn you by announcing, “BOOK REVIEW.”

Years ago one of the jobs I had included having to go to yard sales (can you believe it?) and from time to time personal treasures would be purchased. One of these treasures was an ancient, leather bound book by the title, “Night Scenes in the Bible.” In it, the author used his imagination to fill in gaps in the Biblical stories with pious fiction to lead the reader deeper into the mysteries of otherwise well known passages. One story in particular that really stayed with me over the years was “The Road to Emmaus.” I was in the seminary making a private holy hour and reading this book and was transported so deeply into the story that from that point on it became one of my favorite accounts from Scripture. It helped me see the story from different angles and place myself squarely in the prose.

“The Shepherds’ Prayer; A Christmas Novel” by Richard M. Barry does much the same thing. I must say that it never occurred to me that good citizenry of Bethlehem may not been overly thrilled about the Messiah being born in their town. Barry says of it, “. . . there was also great sadness that resulted in Bethlehem when Herod ordered the killing of all the male babies. Not much has been written or is ever said about that traumatic event and how it must have impacted the people of Bethlehem and their attitudes about the poor Galilean child who was the target of Herod’s wrath.” Don’t worry though; it is not a gruesome tale but one full of hope and joy, a tale truly for the Christmas season.

The term “novel” however might be a bit of an overstatement. When I was contacted they actually wanted to send two different books and when I heard the term “novel” I recommended they send only one as I would not have time to read and review two before Christmas. Well, as it turns out it is much shorter book than anticipated and the average reader could knock it out in a sitting or two. It is definitely not a literary masterpiece by any stretch of the imagination, but it is a good contemplative story. I would probably recommend it more for younger readers who enjoy reading or for families that read and listen to stories together. If I had a family I would probably enjoy reading them a chapter at night (there are eight chapters) but as it is, I do think I’ll send copies to my Godchildren. There is a nice gift plate inside the book for such purposes.

If you go to their website HERE you can find out more about the book, read the first two chapters to make sure you would like it and if so, order copies of it or of the audio version.

SUNDAY VIDEO ON TAP XLI

R. B. supplied this week's Video On Tap. I can't inbed it so you have to go to the site to watch it. I'm not sure my pastor would be crazy about me having this as my new ministry here - but with the way that I cook it might do more harm than good anyway.

After going here you will have to click on the trailer.


IN OTHER NEWS:

If you would like to look into more of Fr. Leo's ministry, look here.

This is for you Christmas fanatics!

Jay announces that Catholic Carnival 147 is up and running over at Living Catholicism!

ATTENTION!

Here is important news for G. K. Chesterton fans (who happen to live in the Cleveland area)! G.K.Cleveland will have their first meeting on 2 December at 2PM at John Carroll University Library. Meet for a tour of GKC archives and then stay for coffee and company! Enter JCU at South Belvoir veer left around campus. Look for Grasselli library and parking on the campus great maps can be found here. For more info, contact Matthew Lewis gkcleveland@gmail.com.

SYMBOLIC SATURDAY - ADVENT

Advent is a time of waiting and so the symbols seem to center around waiting. The purple that we use to decorate for this season puts us in anticipation. We are waiting for the big event. It is something like having a sheet over a new sculpture and we are waiting until it is unveiled and can have the party.

An advent wreath is really a calendar. It was originally intended us a focal point of prayer that is non-liturgical. It was meant for the home and refectory. It consists of a wreath of evergreens with four candles. Each week of advent an additional candle is lit to mark the great countdown until Christmas. Traditionally (but not necessarily so) three of the four candles are purple while one, the one that marks the third week of advent (or Gaudete Sunday) is Rose. Gaudete means “Rejoice!” and is the first word of the mass in Latin that day (the introit). We are celebrating that we are half way to Christmas and so we use a lighter shade of purple (not pink!)

You do not even need to have wreath. If you are radical (and if you are celebrating advent instead of Christmas you already are) you can have an advent log – or be creative. An advent calendar, at least one with a faith-filled theme, can fulfill much the same purpose.

Can’t wait to put your tree up? Consider having a Jesse Tree. Decorate your tree with symbols that represent Jesus’ family line. This idea comes from the prophecy, “There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse.” Notable personages for the tree would include Noah, Jacob, Moses, Ruth, Jesse, David, Mary, Jospeh, etc. . . Doing this you learn about these people and their symbols and then later can decorate the tree with all of your regular bulbs.

Whatever you do, help bring prayer and an awareness of the season to your home and may this advent bring you many blessings!

LIFE COMES AT YOU FAST. GET TO CONFESSION

It is 2:45 in the morning and I can't get back to sleep. I heard a noise that sounded like something falling over in my quarters but when I turned the light on there was nothing there. I took the occasion to use the little Monsignor's room and when I came back my room was lit up like a Christmas tree - well, a blue and red one at least.

It turns out that there a had been a rather spectacular accident out front. A telephone pole had been snapped off from it's base and a car was laying on its side in our front lawn. I dressed in warm but not very fashionable clothes and headed out with my oils. Because of the telephone pole situation the whole street was blocked off with flares and various vehicles with flashing lights. (Wow! more keep coming even now. I hope this many people come to morning mass.)

They weren't too thrilled about a person (I didn't look too much like a priest) coming on the scene because of the telephone pole situation. But I was able to ask a kindly fireman if anybody needed anointing. Despite the terrible crash scene, the only person involved was sitting quite placidly on the curb. Praise God.

(The wrecker is on the scene now and cones are set up so that some traffic can go by now on this main road.)

First of all, thank God for the men and woman who work at this hour for just such emergencies. Blessings on you policemen, firemen, EMEs, wrecker drivers and the like. Thank you that I can go back to bed while you are out there capably dealing with this mess. (Darn, I missed the car being flipped back on its wheels.)

And secondly, like the commercial says, "Life comes at you fast, make sure you are ready for it." (Here comes the power line people. God bless you too.) Please get to confession.

IN OTHER NEWS:

This was going up on Sunday and I realized it was going to be too late. Now that I am up I'll tell you now.

GKCleveland - pass on the good news! News from the Cleveland, Ohio Chesterton club. FIRST meeting December 2nd at 2pm at John Carroll University Library. Meet us for a tour of the GKC archives and afterwards for coffee. Enter JCU at South Belvoir veer left around campus. Look for Grasselli library and parking on the campus great maps can be found here: http://www.jcu.edu/about/map.htm For more info, contact Matthew Lewis gkcleveland@gmail.com

Okay *YAWN*, back to bed.

IT'S THAT NERDY ADVENT KID AGAIN

It is time for the oft-neglected stepchild of the liturgical calendar to make his appearance. Poor advent, the middle child stuck between the ever-dependable ordinary time child and the exuberant Christmas child. When he comes into the room he sits so quietly in the corner that he is almost not noticed at all. It’s not that he is disliked; he is just so – well – adventy. Who can compare to his big brother Christmas? He is the quiet, studious one who seems often lost in a book in a corner while his older, outgoing, good looking brother, the star of the football team and all around good guy (though maybe he parties just a wee bit too much) brings a celebration with him wherever he goes.

The worst part for advent is that his brother is always showing up earlier than he says he will. In fact, he shows up earlier and earlier every year. Advent comes home hoping to have a quiet conversation, be a little reflective only to find his more popular brother already arrived having decorated for a party and mixing the rum punch. “Hey lil’ advent, have a cup of this and tell me what you think. And get out of that purple and wrap a little tinsel around your head.”

It’s hard being the middle, forgotten, stepchild. But he has so much to offer. “Still waters run deep” so the saying goes. He is the intellectual side of the family. He gives the partying his big brother promotes meaning and hope. He is quiet, but he has so much to say to someone who will take the time to sit with him and listen.

It is hard to say no to Christmas with his hardy laugh and his constant temptations to stop yabbing so much and get on with the party. But resist him. Hold him back at least a little. He’s a big boy he can handle it. He won’t go away. He might pout, but it will be good for him. Invite advent to take center stage for just a little bit. Listen to what he has to say. He loves his big brother and his joyful anticipation can infect you. In fact, getting to know him better, you get to understand his big brother better and all will be closer because of it.

Really. He is an Okay kid. Spend some time with him.

FREE TO BE CATHOLIC

Dear fellow Catholics,

You count. Your thoughts matter. You are not an anomaly. You are a United States citizen and your beliefs on how the country should governed are just as legitimate as anybody else’s. There is no such thing as some neutral belief system that is open to all. All positions have a mandated way of living that comes with it’s own set of theological presuppositions that in the public realm are no less tenable than your own. You are not betraying an American ideal by voting, living, promoting what you believe true even though it stems from your faith.

A news program recently on public radio made the distinction between acceptable public opinion verses privately held beliefs. This distinction is a fallacy. You are the public and you have an opinion. This subtle distinction makes it appear as though there are generally acceptable beliefs one may have as a public figure and other views which must be held privately in your own little corner of the world. Poppycock. The reason you believe as you do is because you believe that there is a right way to live that will bring the most benefit to those around you. That your beliefs run along the lines of the Catholic Church makes your stance no less tenable. It is either right or it is not. (You either really believe it or you do not.)

If someone challenges your position as being from a privately held belief, challenge them on that statement. First, since when is it wrong to have strong convictions about how the country should be run? Secondly, that the statement was made shows that they have theory of how the country should be run that mimics very much a religious standpoint which then should be deemed every bit as unallowable. There are no “neutral” standpoints. That is a fallacy.

Being Catholic is not something you do, it is who you are. As a Catholic your voice is as valid as any other voice in this democracy. Do not be intimidated into thinking that you are somehow intruding on the American game with your active vote or that your belief system is any less worthy than those who think otherwise. Challenge that sentiment! In this land you have a vote – YOUR vote – and it represents what you believe. Don’t be talked out if it!

SPEAK UP! I CAN'T HEAR YOU!

One of the better compliments that you can give a priest is telling him some months after a given homily that it has been on your mind. People may say that they enjoyed a homily on the way out of the church, sometimes as a matter of rote – I’ve had people tell me that even when I wasn’t even the one preaching – or that they like a priest’s homilies in general. But that something sparked a period of thought in your life, or caused some discussion among your family members, or is a thought that stuck with you over the past month or so, letting him know that is a compliment. It says that what he said was worth saying and was listened to and that it had some effect.

A priest sees little of the effects of much of his ministry. He might help someone out of a jam or a spiritual problem and when the problem is gone, so is the person. The priest is not needed anymore. Many a newly engaged couple is so happy Father so and so would do their wedding, but rare is the couple that comes to mass a few month after the honeymoon to say thanks or to say, “Things are going great with us! We are so happy to be married!”

This is not by way of complaint! A good formation program prepares its future priests with the warning that you will not see the results of much of your work. It goes with the territory and reminds the priest that what happens in the life of a Christian is not so much his work as it is that of the Holy Spirit. In other words, get over yourself.

But it is a good thing to keep in mind when you are contemplating mentioning a matter of faith to someone. Who knows what seed you might plant? Even if you are rebuffed, will the thought start to germinate? You might never know what even a little action on your part might blossom in another individual.

Take this example. One of the reasons many men give who thought of the priesthood but did not enter the seminary is that nobody ever suggested it to them. They did not feel the community thought them worthy. When I was a very young alter boy I used to come off of the sanctuary during morning mass and one or the other of the very old ladies would hand me a dollar from time to time and say, “Some day you would make a great priest.” I would say thank you very much and pocket the dollar.

But it worked.

Well, it played a huge roll in my thinking about the priesthood. And those ladies would have never known the effect of their actions. But it doesn’t matter. They acted. They trusted. And so must we.

TUEDAY QUOTE OF THE WEEK XL

FINDING TRUTH WHEREVER IT MAY BE FOUND: "Christ did not suffer, die, and resurrect so that we might have coping skills, but that we could be set free." Christopher West.

QUOTE II - "Still, how could you possibly tell if you're paranoid when worrying about being paranoid is a symptom of paranoia?" - Jess Walter

IN OTHER NEWS:

I was going through some old files and came across this that a girl-friend gave me in high school. Imagine still having it after all these years.

SEX

That anyone would have a negative reaction to the title of this post is not the work of God or the Church but of the devil. It is a gift from God and a powerful one at that. It is beautiful, unifying. It changes the face of the earth.

Think how powerful it is. It creates life! It creates entire peoples. Contracept one sexual union between your father and mother and you would not have been born. Go back one more generation and your parents nor your brothers and sisters, nieces and nephews would have been born. Go back one more generation and contracept just one more sexual union and your great grandmother or grandfather would not have been born, none of your Aunts and Uncles, nor your cousins (and their kids) would have been born. Beyond that the number of people can become staggering. What a powerful thing!

When the Church teaches that sex should be saved for marriage, it is not because it is dangerous or dirty or a tool of the devil, but because it is beautiful and powerful and God provides us a way whereby we can engage in sex in the environment in which it is best lived out.

It is interesting to look at the statistics and for premarital sex and cohabitation. Just look at the first page of a search on Google. There reports of divorce rates are three times higher than for couples who wait for marriage. Two other good articles are here and here. The one that suggests anything remotely different is one that says that as long as the only sexual union is with the future husband things may be Okay. It does go on to say however that more than one partner raises the results back through the roof. So if you date someone and have sex (and the average length of relationship is 21 days once sex enters in) the chances are great that the relationship will end and that automatically puts you into the multiple partner relationship category if you ever have sex again.

So why risk it? If you knew that eating Chinese food was bad for your and your partner’s soul and that you raised your chances of divorce in the scores of percentiles you would avoid Chinese restaurants like the plague. There we touch on the why the Church teaches as she does. She wants you to be successful. She wants your relationship to last. She cherishes your marriage. She wants your love to be life long. Do want it too? Statistically and faithfully she teaches the way to do it.

“But our love is different.” So everyone thinks. I hope it is. But why risk it? Rather risk success. Risk being statistically life long partners. Risk chastity. Risk holiness. Give God the benefit of the doubt. Risk offering your spouse holiness. Risk loving to that extent. Risk it all and risk less.

MARRIAGE STATISTICS


(What we are doing as a society is not working!)


1. Of the 2.3 million marriages in 2006, about half (53%) take place in a religious setting.
2. The average cost of a wedding is $27,500.
3. Married households are barely above 50%. Of the U.S. 111 million households, 52% are now made up of married couples with and without children.
4. 25th Wedding Anniversary becoming more rare. There is less than a 50% chance that couples currently married will reach their 25th anniversary.
5. Divorce Rate continues about 50%. While the average divorce rate is 50%, it is 40% for first marriage, 60% for second marriages and 73% for third marriages.
6. The seven year itch continues. Couples separate on the average seven years after marriage and divorce after eight.
7. Over 90% of people get married once. But those marrying are waiting until they are older and they are less likely to remarry following a divorce. Rate of Cohabitation Escalates. Over 6 million couples now cohabit, a dramatic increase from only 500,000 cohabiting couples in 1970.