FRIDAY POTOURRI: INDULGE ME

I could swear that I’ve done a post on indulgences before. So sure was I that when someone asked to have a post on them I thought I even remembered the title of the post and was just going to link them to it. But I can’t find it and so . . .

. . . Indulge me on this post . . .

The whole idea of indulgences stem from the fact that Jesus gave the keys of the kingdom of heaven to Peter and through Peter to the Church. “Whoever sins you forgive are forgiven, whoever sins you retain are retained.” There is not a whole lot of other explanation after that. It is like giving your kid $100. “I’m giving you the power to purchase things. I am not going to tell you how to use that $100, just that you have $100.” So nowhere, even in the thickest Bible, will you see instructions even for building a small chapel with a screen in it, a couple of seats, and a light on the outside that lets you know if it is occupied or not, in which we are to confess your sins. That is simply what the Church, according to the authority given her, decided to do with the keys.

This, of course, is not the only way that our sins can be forgiven. There are a number of ways though confession is the normative and most efficacious. Every time we celebrate a sacrament the forgiveness of sins is involved in some way which is why we have the penitential rite at the beginning of Mass.

Now, another way for sins to be forgiven is through indulgences, which, by the way, were never done away with in the Church. As a matter of fact in 1968 the “Handbook of Indulgences; Norms and Grants” was put out by the Apostolic Penitentiary and updated in the United States as late as 1988.

An indulgence is not an “easy way out.” In fact I find the practice of attempting to gain one FAR more daunting than going to confession. But let us take a look.

An indulgence brings about the remission of the temporal punishment for sins, and therefore the giving of satisfaction owed to God for one’s sin. An indulgence can either be plenary (when all punishment is satisfied) or partial (just as the name implies.) They can either be gained for oneself or for a soul in purgatory.

In order to gain an indulgence one must perform the action to which the indulgence is attached. For example, according the handbook, “A plenary indulgence is granted the Christian faithful . . .when they devoutly assist at a First Communion Mass.” (That means you come and truly pray the Mass with those who are receiving First Holy Communion.) But that is not all!

Though the rules on partial indulgences are rather lax, in order to receive the benefits of a plenary indulgence, “Besides the exclusion of all attachment to sin, even venial sin (!), the requirements for gaining a plenary indulgence are the performance of the indulged work and the fulfillment of three conditions, 1) sacramental confession, 2) Eucharistic communion, and 3) prayer for the pope’s intentions.” The idea behind this is that the gaining of a plenary indulgence assumes a full conversion to Christ on the part of the person trying for one. (After all – it supposes that you have feed yourself from an attachment to sin of any kind!) It is a radical decision for God. Which is why there is only one day in your life that it is possible for you to receive more than one plenary indulgence and that is on the day you die. You can receive partial indulgences as you please.

Can you see now why selling indulgences is so wrong? An indulgence and in fact even sacramental confession calls for a radical turning of one’s life to Christ for it to be efficacious. Dropping a penny in pot does not constitute this.

Here is online version of the Handbook on Indulgences.

RANT COUNTER RANT: DEVIOUS VS DEFIANT

There was a series of letters in the Plain Dealer the other day concerning a parish in the Diocese of Cleveland that began meeting on their own in a rented space when it was announced that their parish was closing. The three letters were placed under the heading “Defiant Parish or Devious Bishop?” The three letters were equally polar in their declarations. Of course each declared that Jesus was on their side.

All truth is almost never all on one side of any debate yet there is a tendency for this illusion to be touted as true and so in the end there can only be a winner and loser – nothing in between. Too bad.

Added to this debacle is the misinformation that is thrown around as fact. It says that the congregation stands against “great odds and threats . . .” Think about that for a moment. What could they possibly be threatened against? Can the bishop stop them in any way? Can he shut them down? Make them disperse? Take their money? Take their things? Control their minds so that it is impossible for them to pray? No. The fact is they can do exactly as they please. The only piece they cannot control is if they can carry the “Catholic” label on the tag in the back of their shirts.

The priest that is spear heading this movement is portrayed by the same writer as, “far more an example of what Christ is like than the bishop will ever be.” This is in reference to the priest starting his own church in order to minister to his people. It would be a fun exercise to see how this could be shown through Scripture and/or Tradition. You might be able to pull some select things out of context but the great themes in Scripture and Tradition are always about unity – particularly unity with one’s bishop and Church that was established by Jesus Christ. It is possible to deny this and most Christian denominations do, but then you stop playing on the Catholic playing field. At that point the bishop no longer is excommunicating anybody – he is simply recognizing that which already exists. There is a group of people who would rather not be connected to the local Catholic bishop. If you are not – you are not Catholic no matter what you want to believe.

Would Jesus be excited about what is happening the Diocese of Cleveland? Who knows? It is impossible to read the Divine Person’s mind. But I think I would be safe in saying this: Will anybody be kept from the sacraments by this decision of closing? I believe Jesus would say sacrifice all to stay close to the sacraments, to the universal Church, to the core of the faith.

The same could be said of your life. If it is choice between life and sacrificing your faith the only true path is the choice of the martyrs. It may be terrible – but we do not look for justice in this world but in the next.

MONSIGNOR MANNERS WEDDING TIP

It is my day away and Fr. Pfeiffer is on vacation but it is terrible outside and so I’m not going anywhere and it appears nobody is coming here! FUN DAY!

Here is a short one for today since nobody will be at work to read today’s post I suspect.

This is Monsignor Manners tip number #35 for really enjoying your wedding reception if I might be so bold.

There was a time in this diocese that ordination receptions were a bit over the top. I had three dinner receptions – two of them with a band and all. It was not that I actually planned it that way – it just sort of happened and I am very grateful for it provided many great memories.

One of the receptions I actually planned. As I was starting the process Mother Valencheck took me aside and gave me this bit of information: Don’t throw a party for yourself, throw it for your family and friends. Don’t make it about being THE perfect event for you, make it an enjoyable event for everyone else.

IMHO she was absolutely right. There was no need to freak out when everything was not going completely the way wanted it to in the set up or while it was taking place so it was easier just to enjoy the events as everyone else did in the way they wished, and then after we just talk about how great it was and not how the table arrangements were not exactly what they were intended to be.
(How many times have I heard about couples [brides mostly] not enjoying their wedding receptions or who were so stressed out that it was not a positive, memorable experience for them?!)

A couple of months later my sisters and I then threw Mom and Dad and 50th wedding anniversary party using Mom’s maxim. Now, there were things that needed managing (it’s time for the toast etc . . .) but that too we were able to enjoy turning the focus of the party to others. I dare say a good time was had by all. (I will admit there was stressful part when we found out that what we wanted to do was illegal [shock!] and so had to hurry at the last minute to change our plans. Who knew?)

So young couples I pass on Mother Valencheck’s advice to you: Throw a party for others and enjoy it. Don’t throw one for yourself. It’s not party to do that.

TUESDAY QUOTE OF THE WEEK CLXLCX

FINDING TRUTH WHEREVER IT MAY BE FOUND: “Part of the fun of being Catholic is knowing the difference between an indelicacy and an indecency.” Fr. Griffin

QUOTE II: “The failed life is the life that alternates between the stagnation of routinized conduct and vision and the restless craving for momentary release.” Unger

QUOTE III: “Our hearts are restless until the rest in You O Lord.” St. Augustine

IN OTHER NEWS:

Can you stand another cute picture of Sebastian? News from the Diocese of Cleveland Enewsletter. It is Catholic Schools Week! "The theme for Catholic Schools Week 2011 celebrates the fact that Catholic schools are an added value for the nation. Because of their traditionally high academic standards and high graduation rates, all supported by strong moral values, Catholic schools and their graduates make a definite, positive contribution to American society." Read more here. This is the FOX8 Catholic Schools of Northeast Ohio webpage. Finally here is St. Sebastian School!

From the same source: "Three bills currently in the U.S. House of Representatives would help ensure that adequate protections are in place for the consciences of taxpayers and health care providers and against federal funding of abortion. In three letters, Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of Galveston-Houston, chairman of the Committee on Pro-Life Activities of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), urged House members to support the bills." Read more here.

From the same source: "The 15th celebration of the annual World Day for Consecrated Life will be celebrated in parishes in the United States the weekend of February 5-6. World Day for Consecrated Life, traditionally observed February 2, marks an opportunity to highlight the ordinary and extraordinary contributions of consecrated men and women in this country and to pray for vocations to the consecrated life." Read more here.

Oops! This is probably WAY too late:

This has little to do with this blog other than it kept me laughing for about 4 minutes. Thanks Frank! Enjoy!

MONDAY DIARY: RESTAU - RANT

If you came to one of the Masses at which I preached this weekend you would have heard this story already. My apologies.

10 minutes later . . .

Problem solved?

What I thought was reasonable solution No. 2.

Cooperation with one's pastor when he is trying to delegate responsibility makes for much easier living.

FRIDAY POTPOURRI: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

So . . .

. . . novenas.

So terribly misunderstood and often maligned Catholic practice.

At its core a novena is a prayer said over nine days or over nine weeks with the prayer being prayed once a week. They are not necessarily for anything except being about the business of prayer although people can and often do use them as a petitionary form of prayer.

The idea of nine days of prayer is Biblically based. It takes its length from the time that St. Mary and the Apostles waited for the coming of the Holy Spirit between the Ascension and Pentecost (Friday through Saturday though that is thrown off in many diocese now that we celebrate Ascension Thursday Sunday.) In this way it is a very pious prayer and has been endorsed by the Church often over the centuries though it only really came to be popular in the seventeenth century. To this day there is a partial indulgence attached to those who take part in a publically celebrated novena before the solemnity of Christmas or the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

There are two ways to go off track with novenas. One is to cast them aside as not part of the modern Church. They are very squarely on the Catholic playing field and to dismiss them out of hand is to deny those who derive spiritual nourishment from them their ability to try to fulfill the Gospel’s command to pray always. On the other hand, that does not mean that every parish must do novenas. There is only so much that you can do. I am simply saying don’t be too quick simply to dismiss the whole notion. We should neither be holier or less holy than the Church.

The other way to go off track with novenas is to fall into the idea that a) you have to WANT something other than growing closer to Him in the praying of one, and that God HAS to grant you what you want because you prayed this magic formula. Not so.

In the end it is a form of prayer that obeys the rules of all forms of prayer. When properly used it may be very beneficial, when improperly used it can lead one astray. If it is a type of prayer for you, do it and don’t worry about it. If not, there is nothing that says one must pray this type of prayer that is so relatively new to the Church.

I WONDERED WHERE YOU ALL WERE

Rust belt Catholics: the news is not all bad. Our experience is not the experience of the world or even all of the United States.

I have been blessed to visit Florida for a couple of days. We stopped to see some of the Catholic parishes here. They are large but not large enough. One congregation in this area has collected half of the cash they need to build a larger church for all of their people. Driving down the street someone pointed out a new parish that was built to help relieve the pressure off of another burgeoning parish, “but it didn’t help much,” he reported owning to too many people coming to Mass.

One spoke about how some people at his parish never step into the church – not because they are not coming to Mass but because it is so packed that they have to stand in the narthex and for communion someone comes out to them and they never cross the threshold into the nave.

In my little corner of the world the news is about parishes and schools closing due to lack of people, funds, and priests. We deal with it. We do our best to make the remnant spectacular. But it is nice to know we are not the rule. There is life and hope. There is always life and hope.

RANT - COUNTER RANT: THOSE PESKY STRAW MEN AGAIN

Every time the Church appears in the paper it requires faithful members of the Church to hold their collective breath. Is this false, mostly false, misleading, mostly true, absolutely true, and is it good or damaging and if so did we do it to ourselves? Nothing hurts more than damaging, absolutely true and we did to ourselves. And this last scenario happens often enough that you wouldn’t think that any false or misleading scenarios would need to be invented but they are.

Appearing last week in the Cleveland Plain Dealer was an editorial that appeared in the Los Angeles Times written by Michael Kinsley concerning John Paul II’s beatification this coming May. Most of the article is the kind of writing that his author likes to see in secular media. I had no idea of he was for it or against it through most of the reading. There was a healthy balance between a positive an accurate reporting of facts, the Church’s perspective, and a healthy asking of questions that I would expect of a paper that does not purport to be Catholic or a proclaimed defender of the faith.

Then one hits the last quarter of the article and it falls apart. Using techniques reminiscent of 1970’s values clarification, a misleading proposition is presented with implied solutions that leaves the reader siding with the author in a, “of course I couldn’t possibly accept the other position” stance. Limit the possible answers to my good one and the terrible one that I assign to my opponent and I win followers. A sneaky, disingenuous, and unhelpful technique.

A quick background: A nun was miraculously cured of Parkinson’s disease, a malady shared by both the author of the article and John Paul II. The cure was attributed to intercessory prayer made through JPII. The first question, one that is asked in every high school religion class, is why doesn’t JPII or God just eliminate Parkinson’s disease all together. This is a fair enough question and worthy of theological discussion. Nobody has the definitive answer to this question though I think C. S. Lewis made an excellent shot at tackling it in his book, “The Problems of Pain.”

But then Kinsley starts to go off course. The first false statement he makes is that the Church opposes stem cell research. Not true. It does however oppose embryonic stem cell research. It is clear he does not think there is a person in the early stages of human life. “They are not fetuses; they are clumps of a few dozen cells.” To his credit however he does add, “Of course none of this matters if you believe they are full human beings like you and me.”

Finally we get to end of the article and the part that wrinkles my liturgical underwear. (“Finally” I hear you saying.) Here is his statement: “The famous test of belief goes something like this: Suppose there was a fire destroying your house and you had the choice of rescuing either one real 1-year-old baby or two test tubes containing an embryo each. Would you really go for the test tubes and let the baby die?”

The implication is a) embryonic research really does show potential for curing anything (it hasn’t) and b) that to slavishly follow Catholic teaching means that you absolutely must rescue the test tube humans and not the 1-year-old. So let’s offer a similarly ridiculous scenario back. You are able to go back in time to the Circus Maximus and three unidentified men are being fed to the lions and you, somehow, have the ability to rescue either one man who is running and screaming away from the lion or the two other men who are unconscious. You have no idea if the two unconscious men will live or not, they will feel no pain, they are not as in immediate danger as the lion is chasing the conscious one (and a one year old is breathing smoke – not so a person in a test tube) and since they would survive longer in the situation in which they were placed, they are not immediately suffering, we do not know if they will survive already, and there is the slimmest chance that they could be rescued yet, who would not go for the man running from the claws of the lion or the child breathing in smoke? (Similarly would we be able to get the test tubes to a place that would preserve them in time? I have no idea how to preserve rescue or preserve them. I do know how to save a one year old and make sure that he is Okay.) NOBODY is less or more worthy to be saved - but one senario seems to have the best chance of succeeding with the most people.

This may not be the best answer (it most likely isn't) and there are probably moral philosophers out there cringing at these words. This was the best I could come up with fifteen minutes on my vacation, but the point is that there are other options (don't accept the one falsely assigned to you) - we do not need anyone assigning a false absolute position to the Church (a straw man) and then pointing out how ridiculous that (false) assertion is.

Manipulating emotions fails because that does not make the problems or the questions go away. Deal with the facts and grapple for a solution. It is only then that real answers begin to appear.

TUESDAY QUOTE OF THE WEEK CLXLCIX

FINDING TRUTH WHEREVER IT MAY BE FOUND: “After the murder Danny – the opposite of the criminal genius – drove around in the dead man’s van and used the dead man’s credit cards until he got arrested. His life as a free man had been destroyed by drugs, and he’d been indoctrinated by racists in prison, but he loved Jesus.” from Saint James Harris Wood’s, “Saving Danny James”

QUOTE II: “Today’s civilization is full of people who have not the slightest notion of the character or the poetry of the night, who have never even seen night. Yet to live thus, to know only artificial night, is as absurd and evil as to know only artificial day.” from Henry Beston’s, “Night on the Great Beach of Cape Cod”

IN OTHER NEWS:

Mallory sent this State of the Unborn Address 4 mins.:

Fr. P sent this over to my office. I don;t know if I'd call it freaky but it is pretty cool. "This is freaky! This year we will experience 4 unusual dates...1/1/11, 1/11/11, 11/1/11, and 11/11/11. Now take the last 2 digits of the year you were born plus the age you will be this year and it WILL EQUAL 111.... Crazy, right!?!!?"

This week we celebrated St. Sebastian Day (and Sebastian the Dog celebrated his 4th birthday.) Elena sent this sight in with a collection of images of our great patron. Click here.

Do you need to smile for the next five minutes click here and watch this video sent in by Lynn. Apparently God has an English accent. We've been shellfish.

Here is three and a half more minutes of pure happiness. Knowing that I am Slovenian, Frank sent this video in. "The video is of the insanely popular Slovenian choir Perpetuum Jazzile (Vocal Ecstasy) singing the most played instrumental tune by Avsenik – Polka Na Golici (Trumpet Echo Polka)."

From the Diocese of Cleveland Enewsletter: "Pope Benedict XVI approved a miracle attributed to Pope John Paul II's intercession, clearing the way for the late pope's beatification on May 1, Divine Mercy Sunday. Pope Benedict's action Jan. 14 followed more than five years of investigation into the life and writings of the Polish pontiff, who died in April 2005 after more than 26 years as pope. Click HERE to open the Catholic News Service CROSSPLAYER video page to watch a brief video."

From the same source: "Two separate marriage initiatives in February affirm the priority of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) to support and strengthen marriage, said Bishop Kevin Rhoades of Fort Wayne-South Bend, Indiana, who oversees the bishop's efforts in this area.

"In a January 13 letter to all Catholic bishops of the United States, Bishop Rhoades, the new chairman of the USCCB Committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth, highlighted World Marriage Day, National Marriage Week USA and numerous resources offered by the USCCB, saying, "I encourage you to share this information with the clergy and lay leaders of your diocese so that together we might strive to become 'marriage building' communities of faith and action." Read more here.

Finally: Jeanette sent this article in about the identity of Catholic schools. Thanks!

MONDAY DIARY: STRANGERS IN THE NIGHT

Sebastian is barking like there’s a boogey man in the house. I roll over and see my clock: 3:30AM. Sheesh. “Maybe he’ll stop and the problem will go away.” He stops barking. Then I hear a noise. I am now fully awake. I put on some clothes and start walking downstairs. This time Sebastian stays in his closet – he must figure that I am going to take care of it now - and I think, “Wait a minute. This is HIS job.” So I go pull him out of bed and make him go before me. Now he thinks it is a game and takes off barking. Somehow I already know who it is.

I wonder if there are as many people who innocently run into police officers in their pajamas as I do. Apparently one of our doors did not lock and the police came to check things out when the alarms went off. It could have been anything including the wind blowing. But I took Sebastian with me anyway to walk through the church. If anyone was in there, everyone would know about it soon.

There was nothing of note to tell you but now I was wide awake and needed to up in an hour and half to catch a plane. I was in a phase for a while of not wearing my clerics while traveling. Quite honestly they are not the most convenient clothes in which to travel these days. I prefer loose fitting, simple clothing for the strip down at the security center at the airport. About a year ago a security guy in Chicago after checking my picture ID asked with a broadening smile, “Traveling incognito Father?” So now I don’t. The slight inconvenience seems worth the witness value.

There is a certain amount of risk. You are about to sit, trapped next to someone for a couple of hours. You hope that their inclination toward the Church is at least civil of not sane. The conversation usually begins, “Excuse me, are you a Catholic priest?” Why we don’t just start saying to everyone, “Before we begin, yes, I am a Catholic priest” is beyond me.

There is the slight holding of the breath for a moment until the next words come out of the other person. “How interesting,” she says, “I grew up the child of a minister!” Breathe easy.

As it turned out both she and her husband were children of Evangelical preaching fathers. She readily offered that there are “good Catholic people” and I agreed that there were one or two. She asked about how I felt being celibate and whatnot (I LOVE this! Would you ever think to a ask a random stranger how they like being married?) As it turns out however, her oldest grandchild strongly desires to become a Catholic priest. So we talked about the implications and I assured her that if God were truly calling him to this, it would be what would make him happy. She showed me his picture and I promised to say a prayer for him (maybe you could too.)

All made possible by a black band with a white block on it. Would that have happened with a polo shirt and pair of jeans. Maybe, but maybe not as likely.

FRIDAY POTPOURRI: WHY DOESN'T THIS THING WORK THE WAY I WANT IT TO?

Devotions are notoriously misunderstood, especially those that come with promises. “Do this and your prayers will be answered.” Or “Do this and you will get into heaven.” Particularly to Protestants and devotional shy Catholics this can sound heretical.

That is because they can be.

They cross the line when we think that they have some sort of magical power over God and if we do certain things we can control God. “All I have to do is say this prayer and leave copies of it in the Church for five consecutive days and then God will make sure I get my rent money.” We cannot cause God to jump through hoops no matter what we do.

On the other hand he does say, “Truly, truly, I say to you, if you ask the Father for anything in My name, He will give it to you,” and, “Ask and you shall receive.” So a few questions must be asked. To begin is what is being petitioned to God an actual prayer or is it a wish? Is what is being asked something that pertains to the kingdom of God or more something that you would really like? If I find a “devotion” that says, “pray this prayer and God will give you whatever you ask as long as you are sincere,” and pray for a full head of thick, luxurious hair, I bet it doesn’t happen no matter how sincere I am.

Another question to ponder concerns God’s power. Does the petition concern things God does not interfere with such as free will. Just because I want someone I love to become a good, practicing Catholic does not mean that if they are determined not to become so God will take away their free will to choose the devil over him.

Also, promises of devotions come with LOTS O’ strings attached to them. Does your devotion promise heaven? Even a scapular will not get you into heaven should you be so lucky enough to die with one on. It is not a lucky charm. It is a charge to live a certain life. It is a reminder and assumes that you do your best to stay in a state of grace, practice the sacraments, grow in love, say your prayers, and fulfill the requirements of the devotion etc. etc. etc. If I die in a gun shoot out as a robber in a bank I can’t rest easy because I got my scapular on.

And it must be kept in mind that simply because a prayer was not answered in the way that you wanted it to be does not mean that it was not answered. “What father gives his son a snake when he asks for a fish?” God can only give us what is actually good for us. We may think we know what is best but we might not know the inside scoop.

When I was in grade school our teacher taught the young girls in the class to pray to Saint Ann in order to find a husband. “Ann, Ann, find me a man!” “But,” she warned, “If you ask, you have to take whoever she sends you!” Unlike a friend who may give you want you want in order to remain your friend, God will give you what you need. And what you or someone else needs may be painful.

Hence the line, “Be careful what you pray for – you just might get it.”

HAPPY SAINT SEBASTIAN DAY

The story of Saint Sebastian (patron of my parish and whose feast day it is) is a great story. You can read more about it here if you wish. But the best part of the story was his clinging to Christ and His teachings despite social pressure not to. The emperor Diocletian would have just been the tip of the iceberg though that was quite enough to get you killed alone. Imagine the social pressure among his fellow soldiers, among the citizenry and clergy who wielded power in his day and would apply pressure to try to get everyone to conform to the present day social norms. At work, about town, probably even among his acquaintances there would always be the constant threat to His love of God and the Eucharist save for that bit of time he had with like minded persons in prayer and sacrament. Yet through it all he stood as a strong and sure peg in a storm.

He is a model not only for us but for the Church in general – particularly in this country. Go back five hundred years and the Christian world (consisting almost entirely of Catholics and Orthodox) would have been in agreement on social and doctrinal issues to the greatest extent. Today, sadly, the Christian Church is divided more than ever. In 2002, 82% of persons in the United States declared themselves Christian. Approximately 24% of all Christians in the U.S. consider themselves Catholic. 76% of that number consider themselves Protestant or that part of the Christian world that is not Catholic. It is difficult to say how many Protestant denominations there are because some Protestants do not consider themselves a denomination and many ecclesial communities come and go on a regular basis. That being said there are approximately 217 denominations but somewhere between 300,000 and 600,000 church communities.

Keeping that in mind, in 1930 the Anglican community divided from the commonly held belief that contraception was a sin for married couples to use. Since that time the Catholic Church has come to stand virtually alone in U.S. concerning the combined topics of contraceptives, abortion, premarital sex, the indissolubility of marriage, masturbation, marriage between one man and one woman, and the dignity of every single human being. ALONE! Like St. Sebastian it matters not what the government says, what our entertainment world says, what our friends (other Christian ecclesial communities) say, what today’s experts say, the Church, and she alone stands alone with truth not caring what arrows are thrust at her. Why? Because she believes that it is true and best for all her people spiritually, mentally, and physically, and will not tell you otherwise because that is what you may want to hear.

Someone once said, “Why do dissenters stay in the Church? That is a mystery. It is also why you need a pope and a teaching magisterium.” When the waves of public opinion, the winds of change, the storm of controversy hit she stands firm on her rock foundation with the teachings that have been hers for 2000 years – hers alone – and though her standard is perhaps a bit frayed at the edges, the colors remain true and like St. Sebastian she will stand firm even through the threat of barbed arrows.

THE SMALL UNIVERSE

There was much speculation over a question asked early on in the life of the Church concerning how one could know the true Church when one found it. This was the birth of the Four Marks of the True Church. You know them already. You say them every week in the Creed: “We believe in one, holy, catholic (or universal), and apostolic Church.”

Catholicity and unity are interesting aspects. In part it means to be Catholic is to be Catholic. You are never a visitor at a Catholic Mass. That is why it is patently inappropriate for the priest to ask visitors to “stand up and be welcomed by the community” just prior to Mass starting. You are not a member of a local branch church, you are the universal Church and at home at Mass, not a location. The Church is northern hemisphere and southern, it is poor and it is rich, it speaks all languages, sees all horizons, embraces all cultures. It did so yesterday, it did so today, and it will do so tomorrow. And even if Saint Ewe-no-hoo closed tomorrow in your neighborhood, the Church would not close, it would still flourish in you and in the form that you know it though perhaps not the way it once did at that exact spot.

So in the paper a couple of days ago it was announced that a megachurch was opening close to our neighborhood. There is much excitement in that ecclesial community about their expansion into Akron. “We have become a multicultural church, one in multiple locations . . .” This branch, according to an article in the Akron Beacon Journal, is an effort on their part toward an “overall goal to become more diverse.”

I will admit that being a lifelong Catholic this type of thinking confuses me a bit. It is not so much reinventing the wheel as it is reinventing roundness but making it less encompassing. Diversity and multiculturalism is a great goal but is what is preached on Market Street going to be a unified message to what is preached in the slums of China or among the fashionable in the Riviera? If you were moved by your company would you still have a home in Kentucky or would a new search need to begin?

This may sound biting but it speaks to Christ’s message: “That they may all be one.” On the one hand it may sound noble to take my one location church and expand it so that it is more encompassing but it is an encompassing of an incredibly small universe. It may include minorities, languages, sexes, and world views, but only as they exist in the present in the Greater Cleveland area.

I do envy them the excitement they must be feeling at the moment and how wonderful it must feel to see, in some sense, God’s Word spreading. There is attractiveness in the new. It certainly sells. But will it be Christ yesterday, today, and tomorrow? Christ in Whom there is no east or west? Will it be one, holy, catholic, and apostolic? Or is it Christ sufficient for a day?

TUESDAY QUOTE OF THE WEEK CLXLCVIII

FINDING TRUTH WHEREVER IT MAY BE FOUND: “One had to be patient to thrive in Rome, where time is measured not in centuries but in millennia, where patience and the long view have always distinguished political life.” from Mary Doria Russell’s, “The Sparrow”

QUOTE II: “There is a special place in the lower edges of Purgatory for priests who make up the canon – who think, “I can improve on 2000 years of traditions off the cuff.” Fr. Groeschel CFR

IN OTHER NEWS:

This came in: "This is Martin from John Paul the Great Catholic University. JP Catholic will be hosting their first Biblical Theology webinar with Dr. Michael Barber on January 28th at 4pm (pacific). Dr. Barber will speak about how the second Luminous Mystery of the Rosary, the Wedding at Cana, reveals the New Creation." You can find more information here.

The Diocese of Cleveland Enewsletter reports, "The annual Youth Rally for Life will take place at noon on Friday, January 21, 2011 on Cleveland's Public Square at Superior Avenue & Ontario Street. This event is sponsored by Cleveland Right to Life. Students or young people 26 or younger are encouraged to let your Pro Life voice be heard on January 21. Teachers are encouraged to allow their students to attend and participate in this life changing rally." Read more here.





Sorry so short today! God bless!