AND FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT IN ROME

ROME, ITALY “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” is a new document promulgated by Pope Benedict XVI this past week in response to the maelstrom of controversy over the Catholic Church’s latest pronouncement that it alone was the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church through which salvation is granted. Though this belief is recited by Catholics everywhere in the creed each Sunday, the idea that it would be said in a way that aids others who wish to engage the Catholic Church in dialogue know her position has struck Church watchdogs around the world as “cheeky.”

A protestant minister in Iowa who spoke with us under the condition that she remains anonymous stated her concern over Rome’s assertion that they were the one true church. “If true,” she stated, “that could put me and whole lot of other people out of work. Does Rome really want to contribute to world unemployment?” Her congregation gathered earlier in the week to discuss this latest revelation in a town hall meeting. “There was a lot of hurt,” she reports. “There were questions such as, ‘Does this mean we have to become Catholic?’ and “I though we were the one true Church.’ This contention of Catholics that they are Christ’s true Church does nothing but spread confusion and hurt.”

Even non-Christians have noted how politically incorrect the claim is. “This is just not how polite people talk,” said a popular etiquette columnist. But others have noted that if one does not assert that they have truth, there is not really much point in engaging them in conversation. The president of “Deists In Search of a Religion” was quoted as saying, “If someone does not believe they are speaking truth, what’s the point in having a conversation with them? It all becomes about sharing feelings then. I don’t need therapy I need a religion. And I want to talk to someone who at least thinks they know what they are talking about [and has] something to offer me. I wouldn’t vote for someone who is wishy washy about their beliefs, why would I entrust my soul to someone who is wishy washy about how salvation occurs?”

But in the end, it was the outcry of those “left behind” that caught Rome’s ear and today the pope released “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” to ease feelings and help others build self-esteem. “It really brings down the Church's teaching on being the one and holy church to the level of an interoffice memo,” says a Vatican insider. “We know it is true in our hearts but if nobody asks us, we just won’t make a thing out of it. We will still say the creed at mass but when we say, ‘We believe in one, holy, catholic, and apostolic church,’ we will simply not specify who we mean.”

The document does not go into effect until August 17th, the feast of St. Perfidia. When a diocesan spokesperson was asked what a priest’s reaction should be when asked if the Catholic Church is the one true Church after this date he said, “We are recommending that he smile, arch his eyebrows thusly and shrug his shoulders. That should make everyone happy.”

(N.B. Satire Alert)

WE INTERUPT THIS BLOG TO BRING YOU A SPECIAL VIDEO

KAZ from New York sent this. It couldn't wait for Sunday. I hope you enjoy it.




Granted, this smacks of gloating, something of which I disapprove. But I still find it funny.

At the other end of the spectrum a brother priest, who is no fan of the Missal of John XXIII, mentioned yesterday his disappointment with some of our fellow brethren who speak sneeringly about "those people", the priests and laity alike who have some connection with this Missal. People who would never dream of offending our separated brethren of the Protestant denominations look upon our fellow Catholics with the utmost disdain. Is it any wonder then that there is gloating? Is it in turn any wonder that there is in return some amount of disdain? And in return . . .

Don't be part of the cycle. On this feast of Saint Benedict let us take to heart the Offertory prayer which says in part, "By following his example in seeking You, may we know unity and peace in your service."

TUESDAY QUOTE OF THE WEEK XXI

FINDING TRUTH WHEREVER IT MAY BE FOUND: “Why then do you try to pervert the truth in wishing to be praised when you do good and blaming God when you do evil?” – Saint Augustine.

QUOTE II – “Love is a substitute for chocolate.” – Unknown

IN OTHER NEWS:

I was looking for something else for you and came across this that gives some information on saints and the symbols associated with them.

Some of you sent in some sites about symbolism that others of you might enjoy here, here, and here.

The e5 Man fasts for his bride to imitate Jesus as described by Saint Paul in his letter to the Ephesians, chapter 5 (for which e5 is named). Fasting is eating only bread and water. It is not only for married men but for men who intend on marrying also. To find out more look here.

Check this out: Catholic Therapists.com

Sylvana sent this is:

My Peculiar Aristocratic Title is: Lord John the Tenuous of Hopton Goosnargh Get your Peculiar Aristocratic Title

OUR CHILDREN ARE NOT THE FUTURE OF THE CHURCH

THEY ARE THE CHURCH – The Rev J. Glenn Murray SJ

You who have been with Adam’s Ale for awhile know that the parish in which I grew up tended to be about ten to twenty years behind the rest of the Church. At times this served us well and inadvertently made us cutting edge and sometimes just made us out of step.

Up until my high school years we were mercifully behind the times in the way CCD was taught. While most of the rest of the country had declared the Baltimore Catechism one step away from heretical and got on with the important business of making felt banners, we were still forced to learn why God made us. (To know Him, to love Him, and to serve Him in this world and be happy with Him forever in the next.)

Father Ozimek would brag from the pulpit that we had the best attendance in the diocese (would you want to explain to Fr. O why you weren’t there) and the whole kit and caboodle was run pretty strictly. We had examinations and report cards and the support (or perhaps threat) of the community.

Then in high school, with all the good intensions in the world, some well meaning people came into save and modernize our CCD program. The name changed to Confraternity of Catholic Dogma (CCD) to Parish School of Religion (PSR) and we gradually slipped out of a school environment into something between therapy and art class. We began to split up into discussion groups and talk our feelings about Jesus and His teaching and then gather around tables and make banners, which mercifully never made it into our little English Gothic Church. I understand the effort. I understand the well-meaning intentions. But we as students knew full well that we had stopped learning anything except that Jesus loved us and how each of us happened to feel about it.

This was not unusual in U.S. Catholicism. It just happened earlier in most places. The worst part of this great American experiment in religion education is that two generations (maybe three) of parents came of age not knowing their faith. Whereas at least before there was a snowball’s chance in July of parents being able for fill in gaps in religious savvy, now many times the parents are equally as uniformed about their faith as their children.

There is a perspective out there that many people believe that says youth gatherings of any type must be entertaining in order to draw people in and that they need to be social and accepting so that all feel welcome. These are nice ideas but not as primary objectives especially if that means sacrificing substance so that we end up with pizza parties and dances instead of kids knowing what the Eucharistic elements are or knowing how to answer the bishop (and our bishops in this diocese are becoming much more serious about this) when he quizzes them at confirmation. Pizza parties and dances are the job of the local recreation center. We can do such things but they must be clearly subject to the completion of our primary mission: the catechizing of our children. If we fail at that, we fail at our reason for being. Period. We might as well close our doors and send everyone to the pool.

We can’t suck kids in to Church by doing bad catechesis and entertaining them into sticking around until they are adults and hope that they will learn their faith by osmosis and be persuaded to put a few bucks in the collection basket. There are plenty of Churches that do that. We cannot be one of them. Our message is too important. Eternity depends on it. Everybody is willing to serve children candy. It is our business to give them meat.

Then, after they are fed, have the dance. But you won’t be failing your mission statement if you do not have one.

SUNDAY VIDEO ON TAP XXI

Over at Roman Catholic Vocations this video was posted. Yes, it's six minutes of cheese, but I like cheese - maybe it's a guy thing. It is a good lesson for how we should live the faith in this life however.

IN OTHER NEWS:

The latest Catholic Carnival is up.

From the (somewhat) unsubstantiated rumors department: Our new bishop spoke to some of our youth ministers. He was noted as saying that we are not about dances and pizza parties, we need substance and catechesis. Our youth are our future and we must stop ingraining in them that Church is nothing but a social organization. While not saying that they need to be done away with altogether, he has stated that he would rather we lose out on these practices rather than continue to raise up Catholics ignorant of their faith. Way to go bishop!

SYMBOLIC SATURDAY - A RED LETTER DAY

VIP
ESP
ID
IV
PIN

EWTN

When you see these letters you know that they stand for something. VIP is not a word but stands for Very Important Person. We use letters too in our symbolic language to refer to other things.

IHS is a very common group of letters in our churches. It is sometimes mistaken for the Latin phrase, “In hoc signo” meaning, “In this sign”, a reference to the story of Constantine seeing a cross in the sky and being told, “In this sign you will conquer” which precipitated his, and consequently all those under him, conversion to the Catholic Church. It is also sometimes thought to be an acronym for, “Jesus hominum salvator” or “Jesus, savior of men.” These are both nice and perhaps clever definitions of these symbols but historically incorrect. They are actually the first three letters of the Greek word “Ihsus” or Jesus. If Jesus had a plush terrycloth bathrobe, this would be one of the monograms he might have embroidered on it.

Variants on this might be “JHS” or “IHC” as Is and Ss are sometime interchangeable in our alphabetical character schema with Js and Cs.

The X with the P superimposed over it is called the “Chi Rho,” the first two letters of the word Christ in Greek. This is another bathrobe monogram.

This is a symbol for Christ the Conqueror. Starting at the upper right corner we see “IC” the first and last letters in IHCUC or Jesus. Next is “XC”, the first and last letters of Christ. And across the bottom we have “NIKA” or conqueror. Thus we have, “Jesus Christ, Conqueror!”

The Alpha and Omega symbol also refers to Jesus. They are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. In revelations 1;8 Jesus referring to himself said, “I am the Alpha and the Omega . . . the one who is and who was and who is to come, the almighty.”

The Tau, the last letter of the Hebrew alphabet, can call to mind the cross. St. Francis calls us to put on the cross of Christ and the Franciscan habit, if laid out flat would roughly form this shape. The "T" can also refer to God as it is the first letter of in the Greek word for Theos.

INRI, I was once told, stood for, “I never regretted it.” Of course it really stands for “Jesus Nazarenus Rex Judaeorum” or “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews” which comes to us from John 19;19.

There are a few really cool monograms for Mary, but I can't find examples of them easily shared on the Internet and they are too difficult to explain. Perhaps I'll get around to scanning them some Sunday.

Enjoy the weekend!

I SEE WHAT YOU ARE SAYING

A while back on my day away from the parish I went on a pilgrimage of sorts. I owed God a thank you for taking care of my family during a rough go of it and so hopped on my bike and rode the Ohio Canal Trail from close to my Dad’s house down to Massillon where my Dad had been hospitalized. On my many previous trips down there I took to getting off on and exit that was not quite convenient but took me past this gorgeous Catholic Church. Knowing the Blessed Sacrament was contained within I would say a prayer as I passed by asking for His aid. This day I stopped by to say thanks.

I am ashamed to say that if St. Mary had looked a bit more like a Walmart than a Catholic Church (which we are trending toward) I probably would not have thought to go out of my way all those days in order to drive by and ask for His assistance. But there is something about this building that says, “I AM HERE, WHAT DO YOU NEED?”

The place where modern architects make their goof is that while they may be creating interesting shapes, challenging engineering feats, playing games with shadows and light, maybe even creating art, they forget the basic premise, the purpose of this type of building, which is not to inspire man but to inspire man toward God, the common man toward God, to look up, praise God, think on Him, give hint to His presence within, to stand out as different from other buildings because this building is different as well as more important than all the others. If one drives past a church and has to read the sign in order to know that is a Catholic Church, the architect has failed. If one could easily change the cross to a crescent moon or a Star of David and nobody would see an incongruity, the architect has failed. If there is not some comfort for a Catholic to gaze upon his Church as a point of contemplation of its promise and beauty, the architect has failed.

The edifice does not have to be nearly as dramatic in scale, art or symbolism as this and in fact most are not, and they still work and work quite well. But let's take a moment to look at Saint Mary Church (even though this is not symbolic Saturday) and dissect this façade and why it works.

Notice the basic Gothic structure of the building. Everything about it points upwards to the heavens. The towers themselves dwarf humans and seem to dissipate into the sky. If you spend any time gazing at this building your eyes will automatically be drawn upward. There is no denying that this is a church and a Catholic one to boot. No sign needed here. And there is such beauty one is attracted to it. I couldn’t even tell you what is across the street.

At top center is a statue of Mary, patroness of this parish. The statues to the right and left who keep guard over the entrance to the church are Peter and Paul who brought Christ to the world. The center of the rose window has a star. Often the star has been used to symbolize the five wounds of Christ. I am guessing that this is what this window represents as just above this window there is the “IHS” and the three nails of his crucifixion. The three doorways leading in are united in the architecture as one giving testimony to our God, three in one.

Wanting to go inside I found the doors locked, both frustrating and understandable, so I offered my prayers on the steps (would I feel silly doing that at St. Walmart?) I was scared however when I say the giant windowpanes were of faceted glass. I have an aversion to the art form, perhaps because so much of it is bad. Maybe yet I’ll find some that I really like. But even more distressing is that in such a grand edifice as this; it is usually a sign of a really awful 1970’s wreckovation. But peering in the one window in which I could see revealed a glimpse of an ornate communion rail and pulpit so perhaps all is well in Massillon.

There have been tiny Catholic Churches with a fraction of the symbolism and art that can inspire like actions, it simply (ha, simply) requires all involved in the project to remember basic premises and purposes of the building. We are not a “with it” organization. Besides, as Archbishop Ambrozic once wrote in a note to me, “There is many an “it” that is not worth being with.” That goes for architecture as well.

I CAN READ YOU LIKE A BOOK

One of the greatest sadnesses of my priesthood is that I rarely get to proclaim Paul anymore. Like him or hate him, you have to admit his passion and his gut wrenching emotion shine through in these powerful epistles. This is true even for those who think that our current translations are abysmal. So it kills me to hear somebody proclaim him with all the passion of reading aloud a grocery list.

Love is patient
Love is kind
Love is not jealous
Love is not pompous
Love is not inflated
Two cans of tomato paste
Butter
Milk
Lettuce
Bag of Dan Dee Cheese Curls: economy size

On Pentecost Day there was a reading form the Acts of the Apostles (2:1-11). The people, it says, were astounded and amazed! They were all from different places where different languages were spoken yet each heard what was being said in his native tongue. It would be as though we were saying, “There were guys there from Italy and Greece. There was a couple we met from Zimbabwe and a nice lady from El Salvador. There was a youth group from Russia and some sisters from Argentina, brothers from Singapore, priests from Hong Kong and some teens from Canada yet all of us heard what the apostles were saying in our native languages! It was mind blowing! We all stared at each other filled with the Holy Spirit and amazement!” Yet one of the renditions I heard was a close imitation of the teacher in “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” reading the attendance sheet, “Bueller . . .Bueller . . .Bueller . . .”

I will grant you there is a fine line in proclaiming between simply reading and being theatrical. Grandiose theatrics can be as annoying as reading deadpan can be uninspiring. Read it like a letter (which it is) written specifically to you and this community (which it is) with the awe and wonder of having the privilege of reading to this people as if it is new for you and the first time those gathered to hear it. To that end, here are a few humble suggestions (HA!) I offer lectors in their ministry.

Never (make it an exception to the rule when you do) emphasize a pronoun, they emphasize themselves. When you do over emphasize them your listeners may miss the truly important point of the sentence. For example, do not read, “Not that HE might not offer HIMSELF repeatedly . . .” but rather, “Not that he might not offer himself REPEATEDLY . . .”

To that end, it is wise to find the important words in a sentence (this gets easier with practice) and make sure your inflections emphasize them. For example, “May the EYES of your HEARTS be ENLIGHTENED . . .”

When reading lists of things do not read them like a grocery list nor read everything as if it were all equally important (even if it is). To deemphasize everything is to lead your listener into daydreams of the BBQ that they will be having later, and to emphasize everything as being important is to render everything bland. The trick is to find gems in the list that are important to you and emphasize those. That will catch your listener’s attention.

Love is patient,
Love is kind.
IT IS NOT JEALOUS,
It is not pompous.

Study what you are going to read. What is the point of the whole reading? Make your proclamation build to that point. Is there more than one point? Choose one to emphasize. Talk to the homilist of the mass, is there a particular line from the reading that he is building upon which you can help emphasize? Determine what kind of writing it is. Is it a story? Is it an admonition? Is the writer angry, excited, or happy? All these will determine how you proclaim the reading.

Practice. Record yourself occasionally. Do you sound interesting to you? Do you sound like a credible witness to the truth of the message?

Buy yourself a little pronunciation guide. Look up words. There has been more than one parish that has had “flaming brassiere” read instead of “flaming brazier”. Don’t be that person!

Forever I would preach on a certain passage that came up every year during the week. As fate would have it, each year the same lector would read about the “Eeknocks.” Year in and year out, “Eeknocks”. And year in and year out I would say, “And then the Eeknocks, some people call them eunuchs . . .”

In all seriousness lectors, you have a terribly awesome responsibility. It is not to be taken lightly. If you feel this is too much work, think about stepping down. For those who strive to carry on this ministry, remember to pray. Pray the readings to be proclaimed, pray that you proclaim them well, pray for those who will hear you, pray that all who hear including yourself will be challenged and transformed by Him.

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!

REMEMBER! - Let freedom ring! (Just not in church. Turn off your cell phone!)

This was a favorite song as a little kid.



Be safe and enjoy the day.

Thank you to those who serve or work today so that we may celebrate.

TUESDAY QUOTE OF THE WEEK XX

FINDING TRUTH WHEREVER IT MAY BE FOUND - "Many brave men lived before Agamemnon, but all unwept and unknown, they sleep in endless night, for they had no poets to sound their praises." Horace

QUOTE II - "Rings and Jewels are not gifts, but apologies for gifts. The only true gift is a portion of thyself." Emerson

IN OTHER NEWS:

This is an interesting site called Prayerbook. It is a various and sundry collection of things Catholic.

Here is a site to help you look things up that have not been mentioned yet on Symbolic Saturdays.

If you're looking for something short to read, this is pretty interesting.

WHAT'S DA MOTU YOU?

I do not understand all the brouhaha over the motu proprio.

About once a month or so my family and I would go to one of the indult masses in Cleveland. We did this after we attended mass at our own parish. (We were musicians. We would fulfill our ministry and worship with our community and then go to the Latin Mass to fulfill some inner desire we had.)

At our home parish we sang all the parts of the mass in Latin on Wednesdays and on some high holydays. I actually did not realize that not everyone (or rather almost no one) did this except the parishes in my little Catholic ghetto until I went into the seminary. (Ah! I was so naive!) Though now looking back, I think my home parish, at least in this one respect, was much closer to what Vatican II actually said (rather than what people want it to say).

47. According to the Constitution on the Liturgy, “the use of the Latin language, with due respect to particular law, is to be preserved in the Latin rites.”(30)
However, since “the use of the vernacular may frequently be of great advantage to the people” (31) “it is for the competent territorial ecclesiastical authority to decide whether, and to what extent, the vernacular language is to be used. Its decrees have to be approved, that is confirmed by the Apostolic See.”(32)
[But]. . . Pastors of souls should take care that besides the vernacular “the faithful may also be able to say or sing together in Latin those parts of the Ordinary of the Mass which pertains to them.” (33) (Instruction on Music in the Liturgy)

Good ole’ Father Ozimek was cutting edge and didn’t even know it.

Anyway, I’ve lived both, love both, and see merit in both (though I am hardly qualified to be celebrant of the earlier form of the mass).

So I find it a bit troublesome that the very people who taught me that, “Unity does not mean uniformity!” would be the very ones who are most against this permission for greater usage of something that is already permitted in the Church albeit in a limited fashion. There is no reason why this should be seen as a great division in the Church.

The greatest proponents of the Norvus Ordo mass state that it is a natural outgrowth of the previous way of praying the mass: that nothing has essentially changed. We are, in essence, doing the same thing. That is all the less reason to be upset. Why those who would see nothing wrong with liturgical dancers or inclusive language at a mass in the United States go apoplectic at the thought of a Tridentine Mass existing somewhere is interesting. Besides nobody is going to be forced to attend (just as nobody is forced to attend a rock and roll mass or a polka mass.)

The New York Times (Thursday, June 28th) sited the Rev. Keith Pecklers, a Jesuit scholar at the Gregorian University in Rome as worrying that relations between Catholics and Jews may be harmed by the move. He sites as an example the Good Friday mass, which includes a prayer for the conversion of the Jews. If this were in fact a true concern, Fr. Pecklers and those who agree with him should be the first to rejoice that motu proprio has come out. In a more complete way the rite will become part of the living tradition of the Church once again rather than a historical anomaly that we keep alive. The rite, now that it will have to be taken a bit more seriously, will become susceptible to natural evolution. We know this is true from when it was still the universal rite of the Latin Church. The Holy Week services changed quite a bit in the 1940s. Pope John XXIII added, “We honor Joseph her husband” (sed et beati Joseph, eiusdem Viriginis Sponsi) to the canon of the mass. Now those parts of the mass that might be found objectionable to modern sensibilities might be more subject to change.

The charge in this article is also made that clergy will be overburdened, but that is in the paragraph just before it states, “there seems to be no widespread demand for it.” So which way is it guys?

Let’s be frank, most priests cannot even say the mass anymore. New churches are not designed for the rite and our grand old dames have often been so severely wreckovated that it would not even be possible to say the mass there anyway.

Still I call on those who would cry out “sensus fidelium!” to take a dose of that same medicine. It has been over four decades since the close of the Second Vatican Council. If there is still a hue and cry for this apparently legitimate way to pray the rite, maybe we are being told something. Who knows? If it is of God we will know soon enough. If it is not, it will die out of its own accord.

For us in the United States, all this moaning and fussing is really quite silly. What I do understand however are those in authority in such places as France where much energy has been spent suppressing this rite against those who feel the Church has gone astray and want us to return celebrating the way mass as it was before Vatican II because of it. They spent a lot of their authority capitol making the point that we have moved on and there is no returning. I felt the same way when defending parishes not allowing altar girls. I would say, “That is not our tradition, we are not allowed, Rome has spoken.” Well, then they spoke again and I felt as though I had enough egg on my face to feed a small 3rd world country. But you know what, if this is that to which we are called, you move on. The problem will be having both sides agree to play nicely with others and not run with scissors. When celebrated well, neither is “better” than the other. Both are mass. And as Christ is the ultimate celebrant of every sacrament, though we may get more out of one way than the other, the Christ proclaimed and the Body and Blood receive at both are exactly the same.

Perhaps I am really missing something here (and that is very possible) so file this under the, “nobody asked for my opinion” and “like what I think matters anyway” column, but let us wait and see and not get our liturgical underwear in a bunch in the mean time.

SUNDAY VIDEO ON TAP XX

Thanks to Lilly, I won't have to search high and low for interesting videos for you anymore. Catholic Tube collects them all! Here are two example from this week. This first one might be of interest to those who have been following "Symbolic Saturday"s.








Thanks Lilly!

IN OTHER NEWS:

Jim sent this link to a cool Tic Tac Toe game.

The Diocese of Cleveland E-Newsletter wants you to know about the Catholic Health Association of the United States. It exists to support and strengthen the Catholic health ministry in the U.S., seeking to achieve a vision that is inspired by Biblical justice and informed by the church's social tradition.

Sylvana sent this interesting story about a new television show coming up about priests. I pray it isn't one of those, "If it seems too good to be true" senarios.

SYMBOLIC SATURDAY - FIGURING OUT WHICH WAY TO GO

Size does matter, as does orientation. Take for example Michael Angelo’s David. Notice the size of his hands; they are all together out of proportion to the rest of the statue. This is not an accident or due to lack of talent, but a point is being made, a tie in to his story. The artists wanted you to notice his hands.

If the artist knows what he is doing he will often distort perspective in order to make specific statements. You may have noticed in century’s old paintings an almost complete disregard for perspective. Sometimes this is intentional. Important people in the picture are presented much larger than others who, if this were a snapshot, should have been the exact same size. But the representations are manipulated to make a point about who is most important in the group.

Center and height denote importance and precedence also. Right tends to be better than left. Our word sinister comes from the Latin word for left, sinistir. Jesus sits at the right hand of the Father. The goats are placed on his left and the sheep on his right.

You can see this played out somewhat in the rear wall of the Sistine Chapel. Heaven is higher, hell is lower, Christ is located in the upper center. When we come to understand this it is of little wonder that so many people became upset (and still are) when the tabernacle is moved from the high, center spot of the large main alter to a side spot. We are messing with the symbolic system and few parishes did it well making inadvertent statements about the Eucharist.

Direction is also very important. (Remember that this symbolic language was developed in Europe so symbolically some of this might not make sense if you live south of the equator.) You don’t put your plants in a north window because we get the least amount of light from the north. It is the direction of cold and night. That is also the direction in which the barbarians lived earlier in the history of the Church.

South is the seat of light and warmth. That is where (for us in the northern hemisphere) where the equator is.

East is where the sun rises, the Son of the universe. It is holy.

West is the seat of darkness, the abode of demons and California. (I realize this is only funny for those living in the east. Sorry.) (Really.)

So Churches before Vatican II were often built facing east. If they were not, they were built facing what was deemed “liturgical east”. For the mass everyone, including the priest, faced east or the Son. The liturgy faced God, uniting them as a people before their God, the priest acting much the same fashion of Moses leading the people through the desert.

The New Testament Epistle was read from the south side of the altar bringing us the light and warmth of the Scriptures. The Gospel was read from the north side of the altar, symbolic of our desire to convert the barbarians.

The rear of the Church faces west, the furthest point away from the Son. The rose window in this wall let the last light of the day shine on the Gospel on the altar, bringing light to those who sit in darkness.

Most interesting however was that axis of many large ancient Churches fell upon the exact line upon which the sun travels on the feast day of the parish. By a clever method, two points would be established on the ground marking exactly where the sun rose and set on the day of the feast after the which the Church would be named. The center of the Church was then placed along this east/west line. So technically, if the name of a parish would ever be forgot, if one could figure out the day on which the sun traveled the spine of the roof, match that day to the Church calendar, the patron of the parish could be discovered.

JUST ME AND MY SHADOW

N.B. – The following post mentions topics that sensitive readers might find objectionable.

Ask any golfer (or at least golfers as poor at the sport as I am) what will happen if, when they are getting ready to swing at the ball, they think to themselves, “Don’t hit that tree. Don’t hit that tree.” Unable to hit the tree intentionally on their next twenty swings, that one time they will hit it square in the center.

A spiritual director of mine once said this is due to the body’s inability to hear the word, “Don’t”. In effect, what was being said to the body was, “Hit that tree. Hit that tree.”

Many people try to overcome masturbation in much the same way. Christopher West calls it, “White Knuckling It”. We, especially men, grit out teeth, tense out muscles, and say, “I’m not going to do it. I’m not going to do it.” Anybody who works my side of the confessional screen will tell you that this method does not seem to work well. First of all, the mere fact that you are repeating this line keeps the thought alive, and secondly the body is only perceiving the positive, “I’m * going to do it. I’m * going to do it.”

So let’s say that you visit this sin often and want to stop. The first step is to stop punishing yourself too harshly about it. Be clear, I am not saying that it is not sinful, ripe for regular confession or that we shouldn’t strive to stop it, but that overly punishing yourself will only dig you deeper into it. Because why do people masturbate in the first place? Usually to feel better, to escape, or to relieve tension. What happens when you punish yourself too severely? You feel guilty, shameful, and full of tension. Well, what can you do to relieve these feelings? Ah! The horrible cycle builds on itself. So, take it to confession, keep working to eradicate this cycle from your life, but don’t over react to it – don’t give it too much power over you.

Next, don’t try to quit under your own power. Start trusting God to help you. Give the problem over to Him. Be humble. Ask for His saving help. Admit your weakness and need for assistance. Learn to rely on Him.

A priest once told us boys when we were growing up to run laps or do push ups to help overcome the urge. Well, that works as far as the adage “Idle hands are the Devil’s workshop,” but every little bit helps. And it helps to avoid being hungry, angry, lonely, or tired. But sometimes all these are out of our control.

It helps to treat your body like a temple of the Holy Spirit, treating yourself with respect and adorning your body with modesty. It helps to train yourself to start looking at others as human beings worthy of respect rather than sex objects (including those found in advertisements, television, and movies). That also means being careful what you watch and read also. Don’t place yourself in a near occasion of sin. If you know your weaknesses, avoid putting yourself in a situation that will exploit them as far as possible.

Other acts of self-denial help us learn the discipline needed to be chaste. It also helps to have a regular confessor, spiritual director, as well as a trusted friend so that the two (or more) of you can keep each other challenged and accountable to chastity. Deep prayer, perhaps holy hours, and use of the Sacraments are of course essential.

Saint Augustine once said, “The worse thing about sin is that the body remembers.” Some people have indulged in this sin for many years and the solution to getting out of it does not most usually happen overnight. One has to change his perception of humanity and sexuality. New thinking patterns during idle times or times of stress need to develop. And the start of the process can be painful. It takes time for the wound to heal and to gain your strength.

Why does the Church care about this topic anyway? Because it wants you to enjoy your God given freedom. If you know someone struggling with this issue you know that it is a destroyer of freedom. Like many vices, it is not something that a person chooses freely to do or not to do but feels a compulsion. That is not freedom. And when one is not completely free, that person cannot give him or herself completely to another. Nor can they find complete happiness because as with many such vices, it ultimately fails to satisfy. Our faith wishes to restore us to true freedom, joy, and honest fulfillment. It may be a hard battle to win, but the fight is well worth the effort!

IN OTHER NEWS:

I almost did not post yesterday’s quiz but I am sure glad I did. You guys had me laughing all day! C.O. I think had the best answers but Bob got it right. (I really thought it would be easy!)

The answers to yesterday’s picture quiz: These are different kinds of tans that are traditionally named after various jobs.

Upper left: Priest tan.
Upper right: Trucker tan.
Middle: Farmer’s tan.
Lower left: Man pretending to a nun in full habit.
Lower right: Lifeguard

Thanks for the laughs one and all.

FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO WOULD BE BORED BY TODAY'S POST THERE'S THIS

Of what are these graphs?