POPE FRANCIS, THE DEATH PENALTY & HERESY

When there was such a thing as institutional slavery, the Church recognized this as a fact of the world and gave teachings based on those given in Scripture on how those who “owned” slaves should treat their servants.  Over the course of time, the Church recognized that, because each human person has an inalienable dignity, nobody could possibly be “owned” by anybody and to be a person who “owned” slaves was inherently evil.  This happened at a time when the Christian world was sufficiently awakening to the evil of this practice it was possible to bring this abomination to an end.  

This was not a change in the teachings of the Church.  It was a development in the understanding of the inherent worth of each individual human soul.  It was a slow and painful path.  But the moment there was any recognition that the oppressed person was in fact a person with a soul, with dignity and worth, who was saved by the Passion of Jesus Christ, it was inevitable that slavery would be done away with.  The very idea of a “slave owner” was poisoned with the first drop of Christ’s blood and every subsequent teaching and recognition of the value of life brought it closer and closer to death.

In my opinion, the recent teaching of Pope Francis on the death penalty can be seen in the same light.  What he now says (though I understand the difficulty in the way he said it) does not negate the realities and teachings of the past.  By the time we get to St. John Paul II, because of the advancement of culture and our ability to detain and isolate persons who are a serious threat to society, he had difficulty imagining any scenario in which the death penalty could be used.  He stood at the precipice of the seamless garment of the respect of human life, unable to imagine the need for civilized Christians to resort to killing an otherwise detained person for the sake of the salvation of the world.

As there was a point in which slavery was no longer a tenable option for Christians, Pope Francis says such has the time come for the death penalty.  

Many will disagree.  Many will disagree with the way he said it.  Many will disagree with the format in which he said it.  Indeed, the reader of his article may think the pope was either premature in this declaration or a bit of a Pollyanna in his worldview or that he took one step too far, but, in my opinion, the one wagon that no one should jump on is that he has been speaking heresy.  It is not only unhelpful to the conversation it does not display an understanding of how the Church has operated for 2,000 years.  

I HATE POPE FRANCIS

Despite his rockstar status, in many circles, there are those who are very wary of Pope Francis and they let me know it.  It is a completely different group from those who were very wary of Pope Benedict and let me know it; which was a somewhat different group from those who didn’t care for Pope John Paul II.  Was it ever thus?  St. Paul had a run in with St. Peter and sought him out to set his straight.  Then there were those who didn’t care for Jesus much either, even among His most intimate brethren.

Is there cause for concern with Pope Francis?  I will admit that every once in a while he says something that causes my right eyebrow to rise up slightly higher than the left.  Objectively, he has not changed anything of the fabric of the faith.  The most serious accusations thus far (at least it seems to me) is that he thinks a bit too much out loud and may be a cause of scandal particularly for those whose faith is weak (adult children, grandkids, friends.)  

Conversely there are those crowing because they are back on some sort of “winning side.”  With Pope Francis they see the hope of some flagging dreams for the Church spark and catch on once again.  

Every pope brings his with him his human strengths and weaknesses.  They are men after all.  Pope Francis seems to think out loud.  A lot.  John Paul II - excuse me - St. John Paul (the great?) - was not a great administrator.  But if you really want scandal, especially of the moral kind, it is easy enough to find in the history of the line of popes in the Catholic Church.

But the faith has never been compromised.  Sometimes God uses his popes as sons, sometimes as tools.  Even the most morally corrupt pope was what the Church needed at the time - saving the Church from bankruptcy, making it possible for some of our most beloved art to exist - but never did God allow the Church to fall away from truth in any official manner and I dare say he won’t under this pope either.

There are two reasons for this:  The first is that there are just far too many safeguards in place.  A pope may say, “I have decided that polygamous marriages are a good idea,” but that does not mean that the Church will allow it.  (Have you witnessed one change to faith and morals in the past century during a time that mainstream Protestantism went through wholesale overhauls of 2,000 years of beleif?)  The second is that the Holy Spirit is ultimately in charge.  He always has been in charge and He always will be in charge.  Men and women may do unintelligent and unholy things, but the Church, the spotless Bride of Christ the Bridegroom, will never be so sullied.

So if you don’t like, agree with or are nervous about a particular pope, pray for him and for the Church.  I guarantee you he is making mistakes and needs prayers.  It’s difficult enough trying to manage a parish, I can’t imagine trying to manage 1.3 billion Catholics of different languages, customs, practices, cultures, etc., some of whom are cheering you, others booing, some passionate, some disconnected.  

Then give thanks that you are not the pope.

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.  

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.

FRIDAY POTPOURRI: THAT WHICH BLOCKS BECOMING THAT WHICH HELPS YOU THROUGH

Conclusion of Lumen Fidei

 

Last night we had a classical guitar concert at Forest Lodge.  The man who performed, a convert to the faith, talked about a book he was reading about the Blessed Virgin Mary.  He told about how, as a Protestant, one of the things that kept him from coming into the faith earlier was the Church’s attention of Mary.  Once he figured out what the Church was really saying and doing  It reminds me of the Bishop Fulton J. Sheen quote,

, he fell head over heels in love with her, embraced the Church, and last night I blessed his new rosary, the old one having worn out.

 

“There are not 100 people in the United States who hate the Catholic Church, but there are millions who hate what they wrongly perceive the Catholic Church to be.”

 

At the end of Lumen Fidei, Pope Francis urges us to look to Mary as an icon, the model of what a follow of Christ is to be.  In a beautiful use of words he said that she, “conceived faith and joy.”  That is why I cringe ever so slightly when I see our Catholic artwork of the saints.  They all look so serious, concerned, and full if purple, pious poop. We have only one statue with a smile on his face.  (Then again, I also dislike the goofy, “come play soccer with me” look.  I am not easily pleased.)  Mary is our “perfect icon.”  We can, through her, learn to see through Jesus’ eyes.

 

Any ideas on what to do next on Friday Potpourri?

FRIDAY POTPOURRI: TO DREAM THE IMPOSSIBLE DREAM

Lumen Fidei chapter 4

 

Chesterton talks about how, when Christianity comes on the scene, God brings into the world the completely unreasonable virtues of faith, hope, and charity.  We are asked to have charity for the unpardonable.  Hope is only helpful when its cause seems lost.  And faith is the seemingly unreasonable hope of life after the crucifixion.  Yet it is these things, this in breaking of the Kingdom of God and of His love, that makes it possible for us to live together, to love each other and not use each other in utility.  It makes the world a better place.

 

Faith is not “for the faint hearted.”  It calls us to build just governments, to respect the created gifts given us, to respect life, and live in harmony.  It is essential to the proper functioning of humankind and therefore we must never grow shy about proclaiming the faith and inviting others to enjoy it.

 

This is a brutally short and synopsis of this chapter.  If it interests you, there is much more to read on the Vatican website!

FRIDAY POTOURRI: IT'S ABOUT US.

Lumen Fidei chapter 3

 

There is a lot of truth that we accept that is simply handed to us.  If I tell you that I typed this post on my computer and posted it, though you have no way (or even if you did you wouldn’t bother) of testing and knowing for fact the veracity of this supposed truth, you would most likely accept it for any number of reasons.  We also accept all sorts of other things because we are part of the community of man.  We receive our name.  We know a spoon is called a spoon and not a dump truck.  Community stores this collective knowledge and passes it on.  That is why we are Church and not a collection of “Me and Jesus” people.

 

We are most Church when we celebrate the sacraments and follow the teaching of our Church, which is kept safe for us through apostolic succession and Tradition.  When we step outside of these things we run the risk of losing truth (or truth becoming relative) and the unity of man (and man with God) is in jeopardy.

 

If this intrigues you, I invite you to read the whole thing which is much deeper than this little synopsis. 

CATHOLIC DOGS GO TO HEAVEN

Though dubious, when NPR reported that Pope Francis had said that dogs will go to heaven and thinking of my dog Sebastian, I texted Fr. Pfeiffer who has always maintained that dogs do not have immortal souls that, “HA!  IN YOUR FACE!  POPE SAYS DOGS GO TO HEAVEN!” though inside I was wondering, “How on earth can he say that?”

 

Well, as it turned out he said nothing of the kind.  There was a retraction in the New York Times the next day.  The “alleged” quote is now being attributed to Pope Paul VI who apparently said it to a young boy who he found crying in St. Peter Square.  “Paradise is open to all God’s creatures,” is the supposed quote though there is no hard and fast proof of it.  And, as one Catholic reporter for CNN wrote, “It’s called being pastoral.”  He was not trying to teach a crying boy doctrine but was trying to comfort him.  And this comment could be taken well within Catholic doctrine anyhoo . . . Scripture says there will be a new creation at the end times and what exactly that means we don’t know.

 

 

It’s like this:  When someone is very sad about the death of their pet and they ask me if they are going to see the animal in heaven I say (and this is where Fr. Pfeiffer and I butt heads) God guarantees you absolute happiness in heaven and IF you your absolute happiness depends on your pet being there, he will be there.”  Now that “IF” is a mighty powerful word and gets me out of a lot of theological trouble.  “I guarantee to make you pope IF another arm suddenly grows out of the top of my head at 2 o’clock today.”

 

ALL THIS GOES TO SAY don’t believe everything you read about the pope or the Church in popular media.  Don’t fly off the handle or start complaining to everyone in ear shot about the latest stupid thing someone in the Church did especially since the chances are it is exaggerated, mis-focused, or, as in this case, not true.  (Remember a couple of Easters ago they found the coffin of Jesus?)  This is just the latest in a long string of false or misleading reports AND IT IS GOING TO GET WORSE AS WE GET CLOSER TO THE POPE’S VISIT AND AS WE GET CLOSER TO THE 5OOTH ANNIVERSARY OF PROTESTANTISM IN 1017.  I beg you to exercise great prudence, patience, and fact checking when you hear something that sounds plausible, but just a bit off.

CAN YOU BELIEVE ThE POPE DID THAT?

It amazes me when people are SURE FIRE about something about which they have no real means to know if it is true or not.  It amazes me even more when somebody points out to ME that I am adamant about something about which I have no real means to know if it is true or not.  We act on our prejudices and assumptions often unawares.

 

For example, a Grand Jury decided recently in a controversial police shooting that the officer was acting correctly.  A huge swath of people including much of my news sources have jumped on the band wagon condemning the police officer, police departments, and the justice system none of whom were there, attended the trial, or knew the people involved.  So sure, where there is smoke there is fire, but how can they be so sure in direct condemnation?

 

Today people have absolute ideas about the pope, what he said, what he meant, what he did, what his intentions are, and these are largely gleaned from blurbs from newspaper articles that are more interested in stirring up brouhaha than giving a fair, balanced, and full reports.  It doesn’t help the matter that our diocesan newspaper does little to counterman this.

 

Recently, Catholics in Akron were given two deeper glimpses into what is going on with our pope.  The first was Fr. Haydu, International Director of the Friends of the Vatican Museums, who said the reason many practicing Catholics are bristling at some of the things that come from the lips of our pontiff (assuming that it is being reported correctly) are missing out on the idea that they are not his audience.  We are the 99 sheep that he is allowing priests, bishops, and cardinals to tend and he is going after the 1 lost sheep.  That is his target audience.  And we can be like the prodigal son’s brother upset with the dad not giving him the fatted calf. 

 

The second opportunity was Mr. John Allen, senior correspondent to the Vatican for CNN.  He cautioned us about the media’s focus on a rift between the pope and the American bishops.  This will be exaggerated as we prepare to greet him in Philadelphia next year.  While there are certainly some bishops that do not agree with Pope Francis, there have been contingencies of bishops that did not like Benedict or John Paul II or any pope in history.  Today it is being highlighted and being made to seem larger or more important than it is.

 

Another caution he offered was buying into the “Benedict bad, Francis good” mentality.  Many of the things Pope Francis is (rightly) getting great credit for was also done by Benedict (though nobody knows of it) or are initiatives begun by Benedict and being implemented by Francis.

 

These are just two examples (and not very flushed out owing to the limited space of a post in this blog) but they point to something about which we need to remember: Don’t believe everything you hear.  Just because it is in writing does not mean that it is true.  If something sounds overly controversial to you, we have means to look into it more deeply.  John Allen’s articles are always considered excellently done.  You may find it HERE.  Or you may check out the Vatican websites themselves as well as other reputable Catholic sites.

 

We can be much more in the know.

FRIDAY POTPOURRI: OPIUM IS THE OPIATE OF THE MASSES

Chapter 2 of Lumen Fidei

 

“Christianity is the opiate of the masses!” or so said Karl Marx and it is absolutely true if faith is not wedded to truth.  If faith is not wedded to truth than it is no better than a sit com on TV that allows us to forget our worries and be happy for a little spell. 

 

But true faith is all about truth.  Today’s Catholic cannot lose sight of this.  On the one hand there are those who only believe in things that can be measured, viewed, and reproduced.  At the other end of the spectrum are those who only hold to what is true for the individual (it’s true for me even if it isn’t true for you.)  But there is a deeper understanding of truth that lies in humanity’s memory.  It grounds faith and far from being a hard dictator, is something that brings us freedom when properly understood.

 

If we do not think of freedom as something that we possess, then we can engage others in faith.  Truth is rather something that possess us and therefore we can walk with others who have are on a sincere search for truth and faith.  It is this truth and faith for which all sincere seekers are looking.

MONDAY DIARY: ALMOST EXCRUCIATINGLY TRUE STORIES: DISCOVERING YOUR TRUE SELF

This past weekend St. Sebastian had a visiting priest, Fr. Mark Haydu LC, who is the International Director of the Patrons of the Arts of the Vatican Museums at the Vatican.  (He is also an Akron boy who done good.)  He just came out with a new book, Reflections on Vatican Art: Angels, and came to St. Sebastian as part of a book tour.  He also celebrated 9:00AM Mass, which I concelebrated with him. 

 

I like to think that I am open to how other priests celebrate Mass when they come here.  "Just do what you do and we'll try to adjust" is something I say a lot but I am dubious as to how much I actually mean it.

 

Here is a prime example:  We are almost at the end of Mass.  Everybody is seated and we await Father to pray the collect after communion.  Some priests jump right into it.  I like to wait a little to give people time to pray and am always happy when other priests do the same.

So when we doubled the time that I like to sit quietly I started getting nervous.

Then full pastor mode kicks in and I start thinking logistics of people sticking around to meet Father and the cars coming in for the next Mass . . .

So much for being open and flexible.  Anyhoo . . . at the end of the homily he talked about being in Rome.  "What's going on in Rome with the Pope?" he reported people constantly asking him.  He told us that, unlike our previous two pontiffs, the primary audience for the pope is not the people sitting in the pews, but those who SHOULD be in the pews but are not.  The pope is not speaking to us.

 

He likened it to the story of the prodigal son.  The Father lavishes attention on the son who was off doing whatever it was he was doing and tried to make him feel comfortable, loved, and secure being home again.  MEANWHILE the son that was home, comfortable, and secure is grousing, "HEY!  HELLO!  Remember ME, the SON that is RIGHT HERE and WANTS YOUR CONTINUED ATTENTION?  What about ME!  I, after all, DESERVE IT much more than this son of YOURS who was off gallivanting around."

 

"Essentially," said Fr. Haydu, "we are that faithful son who is upset that our father is paying too much attention to the wayward son and we are feeling ouchy."

 

I am willing to buy that.  It makes sense.  But . . . hey . . .

FRIDAY POTPOURRI: JUMP IN, THE WATER'S FINE

On a retreat once a man was speaking about swimming in a pool with his very young son.  The son stood at the edge of the pool where the water would be over his head as it came up to chest level of his father who stood in the pool.  The man coaxed his son to jump in.  “Don’t worry.  I will catch you.”  It took quite a bit of encouragement because the boy’s fear needed to be overcome by his faith, trust, and hope in his father.  Finally he takes the risk and jumps in.  His father does catch him and after the initial shot of fear, he laughed, held securely and safely in his father’s arms.

 

In large part, this is what this whole next chapter is about in Pope Francis’ “Lumen Fidei.”  If you remember, last week we diagnosed a problem: our society needs the light of faith once again.  In this section the pope is reminding us through evidence of past events why our Father is one in whom to place our trust and our hope.  Remember Abraham and how God guided and cared for the people of Israel through all the ages.  The coming of Jesus shows proof of God’s love for us when Jesus even dies for our sake.  To see His mangled body might cause one to lose one’s faith, “How could God let this happen?”  But it is in precisely that He was willing to submit to the cruelty of man in order to give to men the means of salvation that we have our faith strengthened.  But it is in His resurrection that we understand that this is a reliable love.

 

But it is not enough simply to be saved by His great action.  It is also about relationship.  If good business is about location, location, location, salvation is about relationship, relationship, relationship.  We are called to be in relationship with God and only in this way do we gain from Him a way of seeing the world, understanding it, and living in it.  Through this we are transformed.

 

This faith is necessarily lived out in the Church, in the faith community.  It is never “God and me.”  It is the Church and God.  Faith, since it saves all, is not a private matter but one to be lived within the Body of Christ and the Church is the Body of Christ.

 

Francis wrote much more and much more beautifully in this chapter, but this gives you a taste.  We have only to look to see that God has always been with us and guided us.  Today, we take the jump of faith into the pool of Christ’s body which is expressed in this world by the Church.

FRIDAY POTPOURRI: AANotes: LUMEN FIDEI: KNOCK OFF PAGANS

In general I am opposed to CliffsNotes versions of things that we are “supposed” to read.  But it is also understandable that after a day at work, home chores and responsibilities, and with the one hour you have to relax, you probably are not going to cozy up with a Church encyclical for some satiating reading.  So for the next few weeks on Friday Potpourri we will have the AANotes on Lumen Fidei, our Popes encyclical addressed to all the faithful, so that you will at least have a decent idea on what our pontiff wishes to know though the fullness of what is being said can only be grasped by reading it.

 

Here is the main gist of the entire preface: 

 

The faith is a light for all of humanity to help us understand who we are, how we are supposed to live, to give us worth, dignity, direction, and hope for the future.  G. K. Chesterton talks about the pagan world (so does Francis here though he doesn’t mention my buddy G. K.) and how it gave way to the Christian world.  It lacked that ultimate light for which it strove.  Nobody “has ever died for his faith in the sun” wrote St. Justin Martyr.  Still, true paganism (unlike today’s knock off brand of it) had a very strict moral code, grave ideas of honor and respect and sacrifice, but it could not carry the weight, need, and the divine spark of the human person.  That is why it passed when Christianity came on the scene.  That is why to return to paganism is not a cure especially when used by those who employ it with the grave misunderstanding that it provides a framework for engaging in any human endeavor the particular individual wants license to engage in.  That was NOT the paganism of old.

 

We know that Western culture is enamored with itself.  Like so many past generations it is self impressed with its technological advances, it growing collection of facts, and its television reruns, and so has figured it has now arrived, can work out life on its own, and can relinquish faith.  In fact, as it has so many times in the past, it now sees faith as darkness, a step backward, full of emotionalism and superstition.

 

But the experiment has once again failed.  Lost as society is, it has even lost its nerve to say anything is true.  The idea of the dignity and worth of man is in free fall and the ability to say for sure what is good and what is evil is escaping us. 

 

Because of this there is a great need for the light of faith to help inform us who we are, and, in knowing who we are, how we are to live in order to be most fully and healthily human and what is our ultimate end and how can we get there.  We are aware that faith can be a fragile thing and that we once again must nourish and promote it like a grape vine lest it be overcome by weeds and fail to produce fruit.

 

That’s the set up largely in my own words.  We just went through two and half pages of small, single spaced document.  We’ll start the first chapter next week.

MONDAY DIARY: ALMOST EXCRUCIATINGLY TRUE STORIES: OUT OF THE MOUTHS OF BABES

It is always interesting to hear what you tell kids and what comes back out.

A Mom came up to me at Mass this past weekend and told me the story about her son.  At St. Sebastian Parish School we require the boys to wear ties for Mass day.  Usually Mass is on Thursday mornings but occasionally for various reasons it is on another day.  Such a day was a couple of weeks ago.  And this took place:

So she asked him to find out why he had to wear his tie that day.  Apparently somebody didn't read my bulletin article.  (If you are reading this - I'm just kidding.) 

 

The reason we had Mass that day was because we were on the last day of our 40 Hours (Eucharistic Devotions.)  Also at that Mass we introduced the new parochial vicar at St. Sebastian.  I'll let him introduce himself here.

Yes, he's one of those.

Anyway, Fr. K will be with us for the next 10 months (well, just slightly over 9 now) and he was introduced to the school that day.  The following was the result.

Actually, with this pope, it seems feasible. 

WINDOWS VS WALLS

Here is a typical scenario:  I am walking my dog in the park and meet up with some people from the neighborhood who once had some association with the Catholic Church but have moved on for various reasons (kids no longer in the parish school – found something different – do nothing now) and they mention the pope.  “This guy just might get me back into the Church.”

 

People come in to the Church for all kinds of reasons, some better than others.  Hence the phrase, “Lord, I was duped and I let myself be duped.”  But I am always a bit wary of numbers growing because of the personality of the pope, the priest, or even the youth director.  When the emphasis is too much on the personality of a person, faith in God can remain anemic.  So when the youth director must move on, the youth program disintegrates.  When the priest is moved, the people drift away.  When the pope says or does something unpopular (and he will – it’s the nature of the job – even Jesus found Himself in that position), then those who needed an excuse to go to Church find the reason to stay at home in bed.

 

At all times we are to be fingerposts, always pointing away from ourselves toward God and the Eucharist.  I must decrease and He must increase.  After all, we are finite and fallible.  We will disappoint and get in the way.  Rather, during that brief, glorious moment with a person when our charisma might, by the grace of God, have some sway, we welcome and rejoice and then point the way deeper inside.

KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON

There is a legend that Pope John XXIII (soon to be saint it seems) was asked the question, "How many people work at the Vatican," and he replied, "About half."  Whether the stuff of legend or not, might it not shed some light on a current comment by our current pontiff? 

 

My sister was somewhat upset that Pope Francis was going to do away with the "court" aspect of the Vatican.  I think she interpreted that to mean that he is doing away with all that is dignified about the Vatican and indeed the pope does seem to tend toward the more simple yet elegant.  But I don't think that is that to which this current statement refers.  It seems to lean toward those who hang around the Vatican like courtiers of a king or queen who seem to make do by their association with "the court" rather than actually doing anything beneficial.  I picture Pope Francis with a broom and taking it to the backside of some idle flatterer drinking his espresso in the papal palace (where the pope himself has refused to sleep) and saying, "Get out there!  DO something!  This is about the people, particularly those in need!  Not hanging around the house drinking my coffee and sleeping in until all hours!"  (This, I hope, is a grave hyperbole, but you get my point.)

All sorts of popes have reforms; reforms of the clergy, reforms of the liturgy, and now we will have a reform of Vatican life particularly the bank!  The problem is that we do not exactly know what is changing or why and that can be scary. 

 

I recently was in a beautiful church in Ontario and there was scaffolding up in the nave.  "What's going on here?" I asked what turned out to be the maintenance man.

 

"Oh, they're redoing the church."

 

"Are the renovating or restoring?"

 

He thought about it a little bit and then said, "I think renovating."

 

What does that mean?  Are they painting and fixing up or are they replacing the pews with prayer mats and hanging lava lamps from ceiling?  I have no idea and if it were my parish, I would be nervous about not knowing.

 

So if you read something about the pope that makes you nervous (and there are plenty of nervous - and some excited,)  PLEASE do not take what you are reading in the paper is the truth, the WHOLE truth, and nothing but the truth.  There are so many places to look on line to find the complete statement and in context. 

SYRIA IN MY HUMBLE OPINION

Today we are taking a break from Friday Potpourri to answer a great comment post by an anonymous reader.  It kept me thinking all day and was a topic of discussion last night with some friends in the rectory.  Here is the comment if you missed it:

 

“So I have been scouring your blog this week in hopes there’d be conversation on Syria.  Did I miss it?  Or is it too new for comment?  Are Catholics obliged to follow the Pope’s stance?  Should we be fasting on Saturday?  Do you have a position?  I am still contemplating as you may imagine.”

 

Truth be told anonymous, I am still contemplating also though that does not keep me from having a strong opinion of my own - though you may be disappointed by it.  There is a saying that goes, “Americans are informed just enough to be violent.”  It is sad but true that we only know what is going on in Syria through what has been told to us.  What the government has released and what the news media has been able to glean and consequently deem newsworthy enough is all we know.  I fully believe that a gas attack has taken place, but do I really know anything else?  Yet American citizens have serious positions on the matter – but I ask the question: Based on what?  Are you willing to stake your soul on your position from the information that you have?

 

Russia (and Syria) have asked that whatever military action we take, we first demonstrate proof that we are using forces against those who truly deserve it.  Pope Francis pleads, “lay aside the futile pursuit of a military solution.”  So who is right?

 

There are two things to consider here:  The first is that punishment of this kind rarely works.  We may subdue an enemy for a spell but he merely goes and licks his wounds and then comes back after he has regained his strength.  Similarly when someone has a complaint against the parish and they come at me with both guns blazing the thought that immediately goes through my head is not, “Oh my gosh!  I need to change my position!”  That someone believes they can win someone over to their side by being mean amazes me.

 

Secondly, in contrast, sometimes people need to be kicked in their cabooty.  “We can tolerate this far and we can tolerate no further.  If you try this again this is a warning that we will be back.  You may not treat human beings this way.”

 

So there is the ground world of MHO: As civilians we don’t really know anything.  Violence to counter violence does not tend to work well.  Yet sometimes it is the only resort.  So, since we can’t know, we have to have some amount of trust in those who think they do know.  But what I do know, and what I have control over, is holding my government accountable for what they do.  If an attack is declared in my name as a citizen of the United States and a Catholic, you best have all your ducks in a row, have demonstrated that you have listened to those calling for caution, and have tried every other means first or answer for it.

 

So, should we fast on Saturday?  Absolutely.  We should not cease praying for peace, for those who will die if we attack, for those who have already died, for our leaders and the leaders of all nations that the most effective solution to the problem will be found.  And then pay attention.  Don’t let this fade from your thoughts a week after it is over.  Was our president correct in his assessment?  If yes, praise him.  If not, hold him accountable.

Here and here are an article about the Pope’s position on the matter.

IT COULDN'T LAST FOREVER

The honeymoon is over.

 

The paper today reports that not everybody is happy with the new pontiff.  Actually I’m rather surprised it took so long.  Most of the brouhaha stems from the pontiff saying that if a priest is gay but repents of a lifestyle not in keeping with the priesthood, then who is he to judge. 

 

Those on the right and left are not happy.  The right is not happy because he seems too wishy-washy.  The left is not happy because he does not seem wishy-washy enough.  Which places our pontiff right smack dab in the middle, or in his own terms, he is a son of the Church and believes as the Church does.

 

There is erroneous thought out there that he can change Church teaching.  He can’t and any Catholic worth his salt knows that.  Allowing a man to become a priest who happens to have SSA is not matter of theology per se, but matter of policy.  If I were hiring a business manager, I might want someone who has at least worked in the non-profit world because that would be a lot smaller learning curve for the new employee, but that too is a matter of policy, not the official teaching of the Church.

 

In the end, what has changed?  Nothing.  Any man who wants to become a priest will have to conform his life morally to the teachings of Christ no matter his orientation.  What is far more interesting is this idea that we have to “like” or “dislike” our pontiff as if he were a Facebook page.  Either way, he is our pontiff.  Do you like your boss?  Do you like your Dad?  Do you like your president?  Like or dislike all you want, unless you want to leave you job, family, or country you can either be miserable or work with what God gave you to make something holy of your life and advance the Kingdom of God.  (Do you really think God cares if you like Christ’s vicar on earth?  But I would imagine he does care if you worked for the advancement of the kingdom or not.)

 

My Dad used to go into an absolute fit when it rained.  “I can’t ride my bike, I can’t work in the garden, I can’t go out and do anything!”  To him I used to say, “Dad, you live in northeast Ohio.  It rains.  You either find a way to enjoy the rain or you are going to be miserable.”  He chose to be miserable.

 

We have a pope.  What do you choose?

THE NEW COAT OF ARMS

Unveiled is the new papal coat of arms.  There is much fuss over how simple it is but then again, the best arms are simple.  You may remember that when John Paul II arms were revealed there was a bit of consternation for he had put a large letter "M" on it to represent "Mary" - a huge no-no in the world of heraldry.  There is general agreement that this coat of arms is a success.

 

The shield itself is blue, most often associated in the Church with Mary though in it also stands for steadfastness and fidelity.  Center top is a sun which we can see easily represents THE Son, Jesus, for the IHS (IHSUS - the first three letters for Jesus in Greek) the Cross, and the three nails which represent the three nails that held Jesus to the Cross.  This symbol incidental also is the symbol of the Jesuit order.

 

On the lower left hand corner is a gold star which represents Mary and in the lower right is what looks like an upended bunch of grapes but what is actually a nard flower.  Nope, I never heard of it either.  I looked one up and so present it here.  Apparently it represents St. Joseph though I dare say I don't know from where this comes.  It is not in my books.  I would love to know the source if anybody knows.

 

Anyway, from this we can see the pope's love of the Holy Family and perhaps an aim of his papacy - to safeguard the family.  Time alone will tell.

 

By the way, his motto is Miserando atque eligendo, from a homily of Saint Bede.  It is Latin for "Having had mercy, He called him"  This is a reference to when Jesus called Matthew to be one of his apostles despite his being unworthy.

 

For additional information about herladry in the Church in general, go here.