TUESDAY QUOTE OF THE WEEL CCCCXXII

FINDING TRUTH WHEREVER IT MAY BE FOUND:  "Else liked Catholicism, not so much the ethics as the aesthetics, and had explained to him how everything in the church building, even the basic elements such as bricks, mortar and stained-glass windows, was endowed with a religious symbolism that bordered on the comical.  And yet this simple symbolism possesed a gravitas, a subtext, a historical context and the faith of so many thinking people that it was impossible to dismiss."  from Jo Nesbo's, "The Son"

QUOTE II:  "A son's responsibility isn't to be like his father, but to be better than him."  same source.

IN OTHER NEWS:

From the Diocese of Cleveland Newsletter:  Bishop Lennon recounts his experience his experience with the Pope during his recent visit.  Read and see video HERE.

You might have read here a lot about a Mother Mary Thomas painting a giant mural and I said that there was a reason for this painting.  It was originally intended for a parish in Philadelphia, which unfortunately closed before the painting was completed.  It was then thought that it could be given to the Pope when he visited the United States.  Funny thing that - it isn't finished yet.  So a copy was brought to New York during the Pope's visit and unveiled and the hope is to offer a finished painting next year.

FOX news coverage of the painting HERE.

You may find the Plain Dealer coverage and photos HERE.

WORST POSSIBLE WEEK EVER

This is turning out to be the worst possible week to take off ever.  Planned a year in advance as the only week this time of year that it seemed NOTHING was going on, it turns out, at the last minute, that just about everything that could be going on - is.

And the best part about that is . . . It doesn't matter because I'M ON VACATION!

Whoohoo

I'll catch up with you on Monday next!

FRIDAY POTPOURRI: DO YOU HAVE A READ ON THIS?

Paragraph 59 of the GIRM

Okay, I was wrong.

Live and learn.

So one of the very few sadnesses that I have becoming a priest is no longer having the opportunity to read Paul.  Too often he is read like this (which I know some people prefer)  

You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh[a]; rather, serve one another humbly in love. 14 For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”[b] 15 If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other. ;>)

How fun he can be to read however!

YOU, my brothers and sisters, were CALLED. TO. BE. FREE.            But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh[a]; rather, serve one another.  Humbly.  In love. 14 For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”[b] 15 If you BITE and DEVOUR each other, watch out! or you will be destroyed by each other.

As the celebrant, it is rare that we do not have a reader so I don't get to read him.  Almost as rarely do I get to read the Gospel because we have a VERY dedicated and great deacon who assists at almost every Mass.  UNFORTUNATELY he broke his ankle (stay off ladders dude!  There are plenty of people in the parish who will climb them for you!) so the job of reading the Gospel was opened for a spell. 

So I'm all excited that I get to read the Gospel for a spell.  THEN - preparing for today's post I read that perhaps I was not the preferred person to read the Gospel.  (sigh)

Here is the scoop on who is to read what:

Proclaiming the readings is not a presidential function (done by the celebrant) but a ministerial one.  First preference is that the readings are done by a lector or reader.  The Gospel is most properly proclaimed by a deacon.  If there is no deacon ANOTHER PRIEST (who is not the celebrant.)  Ah!  We had an embarrassment of riches for a short spell here at St. Sebastian, which came to and end yesterday of all days.  As a matter of fact, we had three priests on for Mass yesterday morning.  I was the celebrant and as such was not the one to read the Gospel.  It was properly the role of one of the other priests.  ONLY IF the deacon and other priests are not present should the celebrant read the Gospel.  And if there is no "suitable reader"  (it is not a right, one MUST be able to to do this well) then the celebrant may read the readings.

Now, I know to many it may appear that all these rubrics seem rather silly.  "Who cares who reads what?"  Right?  But there is always a reason behind every one of these rubrics.  Remember that we had 2,000 years to work up to this and many things are put into place to solve problems and misunderstandings.  When even simple things are misunderstood, they can lead to much larger misinterpretations that speed and cause huge problems.  So - proclaiming Paul - is this a presidential function?  Can nobody else do this?  Is the person who proclaims Paul acting in persona Christi?  Does one need to be ordained to do this?      (These were just a few things off the top of my head - I'm sure there are much better reasons if given a chance to think about it.)

WHAT CAN THE CATHOLIC CHURCH LEARN FROM THE APPLE CORPORATION?

I had an occasion to go to an Apple store recently.  For the first time I went unaccompanied by an adult in the computer world.  I was intimidated.  I didn't know what I was doing, what questions to ask, or even really what I needed.  I felt out of place and out of touch.  But I put my big boy pants and went.

The store was by far the brightest, cleanest storefront in the mall.  It's presence just stuck out like a cathedral in a medieval town.  They capitalized on the energy of the store having the entire front open so that you could see the energy of all the people.  But this was also off putting.  What am I supposed to do when I go in there???

The atmosphere was almost Church like.  Every inch of space told you exactly where you were.  Instead of a crucifix the Apple apple was prominently displayed.  Saints were picture along the walls (outrageously happy people using Apple products.)  There was a recognizable clergy of sorts wearing habits of blue shirts with crucifixes - er - I mean apples on them.

So I walk in and an extremely pleasant Apple clergyman walked up to me and said, "Good evening, how may I help you?"

I showed him the object in my hand and said, "This either doesn't work or I am ignorant.  I am not sure which."

He directed me to where in the store I should go and what I should expect.  A lady came up to me and addressed me by my first name (which I have never gone by in my life but whatever) and she heard my confession - er - I mean listened to the difficulty I was having with my product. 

She apologized profusely that she didn't know enough about the thing that I brought to her and talked into her collar (microphone of some sort) and another, extremely polite man came over and she explained the problem.  "Well, let's see what we can do for you sir.  We are here to solve problems!"  And he explained to her, "Why don't you stay with us so you can learn how to do this in the future," for which she seemed genuinely grateful.

During this time the staff interacted in a most interesting way.  One person crumpled up a piece of paper and another reached out to take it and throw it away.  One person stated that they were going to go do something and another said, "I'm on my way, let me get that for you."  It was like the whole place was an old couple still in love and anticipating the other's well known needs.  There were lots of "Thank you" and "excuse me's."  I told my cleric, "Everyone is so polite here."  He smiled and simply agreed.   Then I said, "I imagine the people with whom you deal are not always so polite back."  It was then that I saw only the mildest of breaks in the facade.  For a moment there was a ruffled brow and a deep breath and as he blew the wind out of his lungs he simply said, "Well, you know . . . " and then perked right back up.

One of the Apple clerics showed me a computer.  "This is like art!  Like a Michael Angelo the way it was constructed!"  I thought that was a little over the top but without fail they all appeared to believe in the product they were selling.  Knowing that I was a priest, he showed me how to see the Vatican on the computer.  I thought that was thoughtful.  He could have picked Disneyland I suppose.

All and all it was a positive experience where I thought I was going to be miserable.  Granted, we are doing different things.  They are selling a manmade product for profit.  We are introducing people to a Person; Jesus Christ.  The Church is not a business but there are aspects of it that are business like and we could learn a thing or two.

WHY DO WE DO IT?

Chances are that you parish does a lot of things.  There is prayer of course.  Probably a bunch of education for people of various ages.  There might be missions or talks.  Maybe some sports teams run out of your parish.  There are dances, festivals, and concerts.  There might be community events, picnics, and various social groups.  Hopefully there is a bit of social justice ministry taking place, clothing, feeding, advocating, and the sort.

But what is at the heart of it all?  Why does the parish exist?  From what does all this activity flow?

It is not an idea.  Not even a really, really good idea or theological construct such as how you will be saved or Who might do it or even if you can do it on your own.  

It is not a thing.  Not even the Bible which many stand on alone.  It is not a building, or a territory or money.

It is not a human person.  A Catholic parish is not centered on the personality of a priest or any human person.

All of the above things may be very, very important, but they are not the source and center of the Catholic parish life.  What is at the center is a Person.  A Divine Person.  God.  And not in the way that He is generally available to all at all times in a sunrise, in the flight of a bird, or in the firmament.  And not in the way we should see Jesus in every human face.  And not just in the way in which any of us could close our eyes and call on Him and He is there.

Rather, for the Catholic, his parish is centered on Christ is wholly and substantially present as he was 2,000 years ago.  This Divine Person is present in a specific locale and is immediately present to the senses.  And not just to be seen, but touched and brought into our very bodies.  It is an intimate relationship with this Divine Person that is the heart and engine of a parish.  It gives life to and flushes out everything else from what Scripture means to what the parish dance will look like.

If you want a healthy parish, it begins there.

TUESDAY QUOTE OF THE WEEK CCCCXXI

FINDING TRUTH WHEREVER IT MAY BE FOUND:  "Next to the Blessed Sacrament itself, your neighbor is the holiest object present to your senses."  C. S. Lewis

QUOTE II:  "When life shuts a door, open it again.  That's how doors work."  Captain Obvious

IN OTHER NEWS:

From the Diocese of Cleveland Newsletter:  HERE is more information about the Papal visit to the U S of A.

This video is a 10 minute segment from the movie "Compulsion," which you can watch on Apple TV.  It's an interesting pro-life speech given by Orson Welles concerning the death penalty in a case that involved the ruthless and brutal murder of a child.

MONDAY DIARY: ALMOST EXCRUCIATINGLY TRUE STORIES: WHEN YOU KNOW YOU ARE NEWS SATURATED

In case you were wondering how you might know if you've been paying too much attention to the media, this little scenario, that happened this Sunday morning, might help you determine that:

Gee but did I have a long hard laughing fit after they went into the church.

FRIDAY POTPOURRI: WHY IS RAMBO ESSENTIAL TO MASSES CELEBRATED WITH THE PEOPLE?

The story you are about to read is true.  Only the names and location has been obscured to protect the semi-innocent.

So I was a young seminarian attending a Mass at which a prominent person from another religion was in attendance.  The presider, wanting to show how open, welcoming, and progressive we are decided to change one of the readings at the Mass to a reading from this very non-Christian tradition (along with some interesting rite and prayer from the honored guest after Communion.)

Now, I know there will be people who say, "Great!  It is about time that Catholics stop naval gazing and open wide the doors to everybody.  We are not so fragile that letting someone in to do something like this will make us fall apart.  Get over it and broaden your horizons."

I am not one of them. 

Now, don't get me wrong.  I am not opposed to experiencing someone else's "scripture" or even witnessing their rites (within reason - well, my reason.)  Just not at the Mass.

The Mass is the very epicenter of our covenant.  The very epicenter of the marriage covenant is the "marital act."  You don't (or should't) just let anybody into the bed with you in order to broaden your horizons and show how open you are.  It is the same with Mass.  The Bridegroom is giving Himself in the most intimate way to His Bride.  That is why we don't have what was once called, "Eucharistic hospitality."  You either are in this marriage or you are not.  If you are, welcome.  But there are no strange bedfellows here.  (Did I just take the analogy too far?)

"In the readings," paragraph 57 of the GIRM states, "the table of God's Word is spread before the faithful, and the treasures of the Bible are opened . . ."  These contain the words of love and longing of our Father for His children and of the Bridegroom longing for His Bride (aka salvation history.)  They are the prelude to this most intimate moment between our God and us.  Therefore, not only may we not substitute another faith's reading, we may not even substitute another Christian reading as has been done, for example, by music groups substituting a song for the psalms or having a reading of Dr. Martin Luther King replace the first reading on Martin Luther King Day.  

Even where the readings are read during the Mass is not something with which to trifle.  These readings belong to the Church and we have a right (and a duty) to them.  Therefore, in Masses with the people, says paragraph 58, "the readings are always read from the ambo."  (Funny, my computer kept changing ambo to Rambo.)

FIVE THINGS MANY CATHOLICS TEND TO GET WRONG

We haven't has a quiz for a very, very long time.  How about one today?

True or False?

1. If you are divorced, you may not go to communion.

Being divorced has no status whatsoever because the Church does not recognize legal divorce except for the legal separation of property.  If a person does not act as though they are single (by dating etc) before they receive a decree of nullity, they may go to communion.  So the answer is false.

2. The Sign of Peace at Mass is not mandatory.

Recently Rome was asked this question and they responded that occasionally the sign of peace should even be skipped.  So the answer is true.

3. It is still Church law not to eat meat on Friday.

The bishops of the United States said that if you want to eat meat on Friday, you should do another penance instead.  So the answer is true but with qualifications.

4. Purgatory is a theological construct that was never an official part of Church teaching largely done away with after Vatican II.  It's purpose was to take a stab at understanding God's mercy in difficult situations.

The reports of Purgatory's demise are great exaggerated.  It is and always has been an official teaching of the Catholic Church though largely misunderstood.  The above description is a better answer for the idea of Limbo.  So the answer is false.

5.  Lectors and Acolytes are official offices in the Church into which one must be installed by the bishop and are not open to lay people.

Most of the people that you see reading at and serving Mass are not lectors and acolytes, they are readers and altar servers.  It is true that there is an actual office of lector and acolyte but they are open to lay persons though, for various reasons, bishops tend not to install them.  In fact, there was a long tradition of actual acolytes serving at our cathedral until a former bishop decided to bring the practice to an end.  For all these reasons the above statement is false.

NOW THIS IS NEWS

You probably heard a lot about annulments and the Catholic Church today.

This is great news for people who want an annulment but is meeting with mixed reviews by those who will be in charge of granting them.  So here are a couple of things to keep in mind while this gets sorted out.

1. The Church is not in the business of granting annulments, the state is.  Tell a canon lawyer that you want an annulment and he will sigh and roll his eyes and say as much.  It is impossible for the Church to nullify a marriage, the Church can simply recognize that there was a "fatal flaw" of sorts and that a sacramental marriage was never truly established.  

2. Pope Francis wants the costs greatly reduced.  In many places, such as the Diocese of Cleveland, it is already a free service of the diocese.  But for those in other places this is great news.

Now to be sure, the nullity process is cumbersome and I have long wished that it could be simplified. But part of the lengthening of the process was to put safeguards in place to protect the people involved as well as the upholding of the sanctity and indissolubility of marriage.  So now, many of the safeguards that were put in to place to make sure that there were no abuses to the system are being removed which will greatly cut down on the time and fuss.  

If I read correctly, the final buck stops with the bishop to make the final call (there has GOT to be a way around this) instead of a Tribunal judge.  The bishop must already confirm every Catholic in the diocese, approve all major work projects, run seminaries, hospitals, and school systems, speak out on important topics, and a billion other things that I won' even think of (please. Lord, NEVER make me a bishop) and now he must determine every nullity case in the diocese.  So now, not only does he have to review every case, there is now a time limit set by the pope.  How careful will a bishop be able to be?

So here is the problem that each bishop much work out before December 9th:

1. You will have to find a new way to pay for this process.

2. You will have to personally find a way to handle the cases.

3. You must do it more quickly.

It reminds me of a sign I saw in store once: 

You may pick two of the following:

You may have your project done - 

       1. Quickly

       2. Cheaply

       3. Well

Alright bishops:  There is your mandate.  You do not get to choose to you must do all three.

I am both excited about this and worried.  

TUESDAY QUOTE OF THE WEEK CCCCXX

FINDING TRUTH WHEREVER IT MAY BE FOUND:  "People always get used to beauty."  from  John Green's "A Fault in Our Stars"

QUOTE II:  "Grief does not change you . . . it reveals you."  same source

IN OTHER NEWS:

Fr. K sent this picture in:

He asked the question, "Why do we need to help children become foster parents?" budum bump

From the Diocese of Cleveland Newsletter: Are you curious as to the Pope's eternally in the U.S.?  Look HERE.

Want more on the reports about abortion and absolution?  Look HERE.  Same source.  (This is a practice already in use in this and most other American dioceses.

Abortions are still in the 10s of thousands in Ohio, but they are down.  Read more HERE.  Same source.

Along those lines, Jason sent THIS cartoon in.

Interesting:

This ALWAYS makes me laugh.  I hope you enjoy it.

FRIDAY POTPOURRI: EVEN THE LIBRARY HAS GIVEN UP

If you celebrate it, they will come.

Seriously.

Advertise that your Sunday Mass is only 20 minutes long and people will drive an hour to get there.

This hardly leaves time for any silence.

The mere size of the sanctuary at St. Sebastian helps fight against this.  When the first reading is done, it just plain takes a little while for the cantor to make it to the microphone.  Voila!  Pre-packaged silence.

Of course, most of us American HATE silence.  It is time being wasted when something productive (or at least entertaining) could be accomplished.  Sitting?  In the quiet?  With nothing "happening?"  Not so much.

This makes paragraph 56 perhaps one of the most neglected (and under appreciated) paragraphs in the whole GIRM.  It says, "The Liturgy of the Word (LOTW) is to be celebrated in such a way as to favor meditation."  Be honest, how many people, when thinking about what happens at Mass, say, "We go there to group meditate on God."  Sing?  Yes.  Be entertained?  Yes.  Listen?  Yes.  Read, sing, shake hands, take up gifts, if you're lucky pray along with the Mass?  Yes.  But meditate?  Never heard anyone say it.

"Haste," it says, "is clearly to be avoided."  So much for a 20 minute Mass.  (How do they even do that?)  Periods of brief silence are to be introduced for example before the LOTW begins, at the end of the readings, and at the conclusion of the homily.  (I think this makes the Catholic Mass startling unique from much of the rest of the Christian world.)  This is so that those who are there to pray and exercise their priestly ministry may have a moment under the guidance of the Holy Spirit to digest what they heard and so remember it.  

The periods of silence are something to be used, not endured.  Something IS happening there if individuals take advantage of it.  For example you might ask yourself, "What stood out in that reading for me?"  The celebrant may go in an entirely different direction with his homily, but something that was meant to touch you will still come in to your heart.

WHAT WE NEED HERE IS SOME PROFESSIONAL CATHOLICS

Every now and then I pray that news agencies will hire somebody who knows the Catholic faith well before attempting to write a report on it.*  The simplest misunderstanding of a word can lead to grave mis-reporting.

Let's take just one example:  Who does the Catholic Church refer to when she says, "Church."

This is extremely important when considering sentences such as, "Will Pope Francis change Church teaching?"  The very phrasing of the sentence shows a Protestant mindset not consistent with the Catholic Church.  As we have seen, whether it be a storefront Church or a mainstream Protestant Church, tectonic shifts in what is considered core beliefs can change often by having a vote.  The Church, having come to a new understanding of what God intends, can take a vote and change what the Church believes.

When the Catholic Church says "Church," she does not mean Pope Francis.  She does not mean those "old men in Rome."  She does not mean all of the clergy and religious throughout the world.  She does not only mean every single Catholic alive in the world.  For the Catholic, the Church refers to every member of the Catholic Church who has ever lived.  St. Peter's mother-in-law is still a member of the Church.  A milkmaid in the middle ages is still a member of the Church.  My deceased Mother is still a member of the Church and still has a vote.  G. K. Chesterton called this the Democracy of the Dead.  What they held as true to the faith must be held by us and by those who come after us or the true faith has not only been unknown, it is unknowable.

It is categorically wrong to think that Pope Francis is going to change Church teaching.  Church discipline?  Maybe.  The WAY the faith is taught?  Sure.  But that he could change a doctrine?  It is impossible.  You might as well ask if he is going to change the laws of the universe.  The laws of the universe are not his to change nor is he capable.

Someone might point out to you something about the infallibility of the pope - another thing that is gravely misunderstood.  One of the very definitions of an infallible statement is that it does not contradict 2,000 years of Catholic teaching.  If it does so, it is not an infallible statement by definition.

Will Pope Francis change Church teaching?  That is the wrong question to ask.

* But not all the time because I would have a difficult time finding fodder for the blog.

JUST HOW EXCITED SHOULD WE BE?

NPR had a story on yesterday.  Later this year, Pope Francis is going to declare a year of mercy.  During that year, a priest may absolve penitents for the sin of abortion.  "But it is a limited time offer," NPR reminds us.  At the end of the year, things revert to they way they were.

Now, it is true that abortion is a reserved sin that may only be forgiven by the bishop.  This is because it is seen as an attack on the most vulnerable among us.  It is doing away with a life that can be hidden, legally protected, and forgotten.  And it is being reported as an extraordinary moment in the life of the Church, not to signal a change in Church teaching or to say this sin is any less severe, but to show mercy to those who need it.

The problem is, most Catholics will not notice a difference before the Year of Mercy, during the Year of Mercy, or after the Year of Mercy.  That is because as a practice, bishops have already given that authority (which is within their authority) to their priests.  It is a long standing practice already.  What does make this extraordinary is that the practice is coming all the way from the pope (for there are some bishops in the world that still adhere to this.)  Also, remember, John Paul II gave the same permission in 1983.  So although pastorally this is phenomenal, most people won't notice any real changes here.

The bigger news in my estimation (one that will show a change before, during, and after) is the recognition for a priest of the Society of Saint Pius X to hear confessions at all.  During this Year of Mercy the faithful may approach priest of SSPX, and go to a valid confession.

Wow.

Wow.

Wow.

That is news,

But it is not the Year of Mercy yet.  Go to you local priest until December and then you have a year, if you should so desire, to go to an SSPX priest.

TUESDAY QUOTE OF THE WEEK CCCCXIX

FINDING TRUTH WHEREVER IT MAY BE FOUND:  "I have never understood how people can disregard the damage they do by following their hearts.  Who was it said that following your heart is a good thing?  It is pure egoism, a selfishness to conquer all."  from Paula Hawkins' "The Girl on the Train"

QUOTE II:  "The sense of shame I feel about an incident is proportionate not just to the gravity of the situation, but also to the number of people who witnessed it."  same source

IN OTHER NEWS:

Father Pf sent THIS article in: 5 Eye Opening Things a Layman Learned from Wearing a Cassock.

Cathy sent this in:

From the Diocese of Cleveland Enewsletter:  "Retrouvaille is a three-month program to help couples struggling in their marriages.  It has three phases, starting with a weekend experience in which couples learn to re-establish communications and gain new insights into themselves as individuals and as a couple."  Read more HERE.

Here's another 5 and a half minute video: