FRIDAY POTPOURRI: CALLWAITING

Continuing our look at Lumen Gentium - paragraph 40

The title of this section is interesting in and of itself: “The Call to Holiness.”  That there is a call and an expected response means something.  The faithful life is more than just saying, “I accept You my God as my Lord and Savior.”  Actions are expected of us.  If I adopt you and move you into my home, it would not be enough for you to call me “Dad,” there are certain behaviors that I would expect from you.

 

That being said, there is nothing that you can do to win your salvation.  Jesus did that.  We are “called to God not in virtue of (our) works, but by His design and grace, and justified in the Lord Jesus” and have been made sons and so truly sanctified.

 

But not Christ, or the disciples, or the early Church Fathers, or the Christian Church for most of the history of Christianity said that was enough.  We are called to holiness – to purify ourselves.  “You, therefore, must be perfect, just as your Heavenly Father is perfect.”  We are to “live as is fitting among saints” (Eph 5:3) and to “put on as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassion, kindness, lowliness, meekness and patience (Col 3:2).  In fact, the New Testament is positively dripping with calls to works and conforming our lives.  Though salvation may be freely given, its effects can be lost.  We can throw it away.  There is no such thing as “once saved, always saved.”  The saved are called to something.

 

However, we will sin.  The best among us will stumble and fall.  Perfection is not that to which we are called in this life.  We can’t do it.  If we could, we wouldn’t need Jesus.  But our call is in untiring striving.  For the rest, we rely on God’s unfailing mercy for His children.  If we follow this plan, we will grow in holiness.  It is a proven path.  One only need look at the history of those carved in stone or wood, or whose images are captured in glass, to know that this is path Christ marked out for us.

RANT - COUNTER RANT: SOME REFRESHING ARGUMENTS

I must say that I started off enjoying Mark Ira Kaufman’s letter to the editor in 11 September’s edition of the Akron Beacon Journal supporting abortion rights.  Not that I agree with him, but that he supplied some different things about which to think – until he fell into the pothole of mudslinging at the end.  But if you don’t mind, let us take a look at what he said.

 

Concerning whether a pregnant woman is one person or two, he makes the arguments that it is completely subjective and up to the woman.  Those who see things otherwise “cannot distinguish between an acorn and an oak tree.”  Using his same metaphor I would argue that the actually is referring to himself.  The root of the word semen means “seed.”  There is the seed, not after it has been sown.

 

Referring to another letter he writes, “the writer and her ilk insist that one is a person from conception.  Do they calculate their ages from conception of from birth?”  This is a clever argument though he is debating a convention, nothing scientific or theological.  That is why they are called “birth”days and not “having become a person” days.  Can you imagine trying to calculate when a person was conceived (especially in ages before modern science?)  With some couples it might be easy, with others – it could have been any number of times.  Celebrating birthdays is a convention, not a theological declaration.

 

“Do they demand citizenship for the conceived?”  Yes.  Well, at least protection from the government that is charged for the protection of all in their care.  But once again, it is highly impractical.  If one travels out of the country much, how does one prove where one is conceived?  It is far easier to prove where one is born.  This again is a convention, not a statement on personhood.

 

“How about habeas corpus for unlawful incarcerated “citizen” inside a pregnant prison inmate?”  Interesting but silly.  This one made me smile.  Of course the natural place for a baby is in the womb.  That is where the baby experiences health and the baby’s most ideal freedom.  That is true almost wherever the mother is.  The baby is not also incarcerated, he is where he is supposed to be.

 

“Can a pregnant woman take a tax deduction the moment the test strip turns blue?”  No she can’t.  But this argument supposes that the state has the power to make morals.  It does not have that power unless there is no God.  If there is no God, then those with power make the morals.  If there is a God, persons have dignity no matter what the state says since it is their inalienable right given to them by their Creator and not by any human person or action. 

 

So can a woman be the only person who can decide if she is two persons or one?  No.  Either a person is a person or they are not.  If the issue is in doubt, we must err toward the possibility that we are dealing with a human person.  If we are willing to take the risk that we are killing off thousands of our own human beings, then I throw Mr. Kaufman’s line back at him with slight modifications: 

 

Any nation allowing its mothers to kill the babies in their wombs surrenders the privilege of self-identifying as civilized. 

 

The rest of his letter is unsubstantiated statements and little mudslinging and not worthy of comment.

NO ONE PERSON CAN SOLVE THIS PROBLEM - BUT EVERYONE CAN

Michelin makes tires.  They have made tires for a very long time.  It is difficult for us to think of a time when they needed to come up with an idea to get people to drive more in order that their tires might be used more thereby requiring people to buy more of them.  (Not a problem today.)  One of the brilliant things that they did (and still do today) is to start rating restaurants.  This was not just a nice service that a benevolent company performed for travelers who want to find a good meal wherever they happen to be, it was an attempt to get people to drive to the next town, province, state, country, or what have you in order to make their way to a destination restaurant.  How did they get there?  On Michelin tires.  Today we think nothing of driving to the next town in order to get a good meal.  They may not have been solely responsible for this change in our cultural driving habits, but they did help.  They did something.

 

That is the idea behind the Academy of Culture and Arts at St. Sebastian.  Far too many of our churches order their “art” out of catalogues.  Few are truly trained in writing or performing music for the liturgy.  Trained organists are disappearing from the musical scene.  And the only people really paying for “art,” and thereby providing the only meat on which our artists can chew (both figuratively and literally) is the secular world.  There is becoming a dearth of Christian and in particular Catholic artists.

 

The problem is almost too vast to imagine.  Nobody can solve it.  But all of us can do something to make it better, to start forming a culture, to start planting seeds in order that some day things will be different.  We can’t just be happy to point out the problem.  We must do something.

 

The Academy is one of these efforts.  We are going to provide people of all ages in our community the opportunity to learn and be exposed to the arts.  We hope (eventually) to be offering a wide range on instruments, others arts, and languages, to provide a quality concert series to inspire, bring in speakers, and create opportunities to present the arts not only so that decently trained artists might be formed, but even for those who will find themselves not quite as talented as they might hope, will be able to appreciate good art and in appreciating it will, when they are adults, hopefully not settle for ordering their art out of catalogues and will want to train their children in the arts.

 

Several arts organization are coming together in order to make this project work and it will be a slow process of growing and trying.  Eventually it is hoped that a blue print for such an academy, which is a bit more than a school enrichment program, might be offered to other schools that are interested in starting such an endeavor.  As public funds start to dry up for such important ventures in our public schools, we need to ramp up.  Art is far too important to let fester.

 

Starting such a program takes a lot of resources.  If  you (or anyone you can think of) can be of assistance, please let me know!  There is a fund raiser coming up this weekend ($15!) if you are interested.  See more information here.

TUESDAY QUOTE OF THE WEEK CCCIX

FINDING TRUTH WHEREVER IT MAY BE FOUND:  "One could easily seek forgiveness from God, but from one's neighbors?  They were an entirely different matter."  from Jeff Sypseck's, "Becoming Charlemagne"

 

QUOTE II:  "But rude people are notoriously oblivious to shame . . ."  Miss Manners

 

IN OTHER NEWS:

 

MOTHER THOMAS:  There was no post on Monday.  Things are busy around here for a number of reasons one of which is a project coming up this weekend at which Mother Thomas of the Poor Clares in Cleveland will be giving a talk on Art and Contemplation during a champagne luncheon served after the 11:00 Mass celebrated by Bishop Gries OSB this weekend.  Mother Thomas is a cloistered nun who has not left the convent since the 1950s save for medical purposes.  A respected artist, she is helping us announce a new Academy of Culture and Arts at the parish.  Read more about her here. 

 

ACA:  The event at which she is speaking is to help us announce a parish initiative to promote arts and culture.  The Academy of Culture and Arts will provide lessons in art, music, and languages for people of all ages in the community.  The event is open to all and is only $15.  You can read more about the Academy here and order tickets here.

 

A National Catholic Reporter article:  7 trends to watch in the discussion over religious vs gay rights.  Read more here.

 

Frank sent this 4:17 video in.  Interesting.  Thanks.

Mary sent this 6 minute video in concerning the question as to whether there is such a thing as architectural theology for churches.  It is part one of ten.  I hope you enjoy.

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.

ABSURD BEAUTY

A parishioner made an interesting observation the other day.  It was the end of Eucharistic adoration.  She had spent some time adoring Our Lord who was exposed on the altar in a fancy monstrance.  “You removed the Blessed Sacrament,” she said, “and left the door open on the monstrance and just set it to the side as though it didn’t mean much more than a gum wrapper.”  (At least that was the gist of what she said.) 

 

The beauty of the monstrance became absurd – its meaning gone.  That which it was meant to glorify and to which it was designed to draw attention was taken away and it became beauty without purpose.  The sun rays and jewels no longer pointed to something greater, but became beauty unto itself without purpose like a body from which the soul has departed.  It may still be beautiful but so what?

 

I’ve often thought that about beautiful Church objects in museums that no longer serve their purpose: monstrances, reliquaries, chalices . . . At least illuminated books still glorify Scripture and prayer, but these other objects have lost their meaning.

 

Should art, in general, always point beyond itself?  If it is just beauty for beauty’s sake, is it not then a technique waiting to be applied?  Can beauty really have meaning on its own or does it become absurd changing us into not much more than a wild bird that likes to collect shiny objects?  Beauty should have the power to move men’s souls, not simply tickle his fancy.  If it simply tickle’s his fancy, then it is pretty – if it moves your soul, it is a reflection of the Divine which is the source of all True Beauty and it is that which feeds us.

SO YOU THINK YOU DON'T HAVE WHAT IT TAKES TO MAKE A HOLY HOUR?

What in the world are you supposed to do for an hour before the Blessed Sacrament?  It is a question that would have plagued my father.  When we asked him to go to New York to see his daughter the question that kept nagging his was, “But what would we do?”

“Visit with your family.”

 

“Yes, but what would we do?”

 

“Visit.”

 

“And do what?”

 

We didn’t go.

 

In this age we need never not be distracted.  If the radio and computer can’t fill the space, the ever present television should do the trick.  They are installed now in cars, check out lines, and increasingly, much to my chagrin, in non-sports bars restaurants.  But should even that fail you, get out your magic phone and it can adequately distract you from thinking or being with yourself in just about every way the above gadgets could do for you.

 

Then after that, we are expected to sit in a church for an hour with Jesus present to us as the Blessed Sacrament.

 

“But what are we supposed to do?”

 

There is a parish close by that has had perpetual adoration since I was a little kid.  Late at night I would stop there from time to time and most of the time people simply prayed but there were some odd things.  Once there was the student that brought a typewriter (tells you how long ago this was) to work on term papers with Jesus.  Clearly there are some things that are more appropriate than others.  How would you like someone coming over to spend time with you and then become wholly occupied with texting?

 

If you are gearing up to start doing a holy hour but the “what am I going to do” monster is making you nervous, start with a holy 10 minutes.  Pay attention to any positive effects after having completed the time.  Notice that you neither died nor went insane.  Next time add a few more minutes. 

 

But as far as what you are to do, ideally it would be to contemplate.  Did you ever spend a lazy afternoon staring out the window?  Here too, “just be still and know that I am God.”  When you find yourself very distracted there are two options: 1) Gently bring yourself back contemplation.  2) See if whatever it is that you think is distracting you is God trying to talk to you about something.

 

If you need to have an agenda consider praying the Liturgy of the Hours.  Do a Rosary.  Read next Sunday’s readings and come up with your own homily – listen to ideas from God.  Get a hymnal out and sing to God in your head.  If things get rough, stand up, shake it off (discreetly) and move to another spot.

 

If you want more ideas, look here or here or here.

 

But most importantly: GO!

TUESDAY QUOTE OF THE WEEK CCCVII

FINDING TRUTH WHEREVER IT MAY BE FOUND:  Beauty is rarely soft or conciliatory.  Quite the contrary.  Genuine beauty is always quite alarming."  from Donna Tart's "Secret History"

 

QUOTE II:  "The beauty of the body is found entirely in the skin.  If people could see what is underneath the skin, as it is said in Boethia that the lynx can do, they would find the sight of women sickening.  Her charm consists of slime and blood, of wetness and gall.  Consider what lies hidden in the nostrils, in the throat, and in the belly: nothing but filth . . . And if we cannot bring ourselves to touch vomit and feces, not even with our fingertips, how can we bring ourselves to embrace the dirt bag itself?"  from Johan Huizinga's, "The Autumn of the Middle Ages"  (interesting question no?)

 

IN OTHER NEWS:

 

This was sent in by Ellen:  "Remember that radio interview I did in March about our local Chesterton Societies? Here is a link (below) to the program recording, if you want to listen. It aired the end of May.  How did I do? (I can't bear to listen to it myself!)"  Hear the program here.  (You did smashingly)

 

From Mary:  "Thought you'd be interested in knowing that both Dawn Eden and Fr. Damien will be on EWTN's Life on the Rock over the next two weeks. These shows will be available later for viewing on EWTN's YouTube Channel's Life on the Rock playlist. Plus Dawn Eden can be seen on video on a couple of other venues."

 

From the Diocese of Cleveland Enewsletter:  "Is Youth Ministry necessary? In Fr. Damian Ference's world, the answer is yes. Recently, Fr. Ference wrote a piece, "Church: The Necessity of Youth Ministry" for the popular The Word on Fire Blog. The blog is run by Fr. Robert Barron with contributions from a number of writers."  Read more here.

 

3 and half minute video:

 

MONDAY DIARY: HAPPY LABOR DAY

Greetings and Happy Labor Day!

From the whole crew of Monday Diary here at Adam's Ale we wish you God's blessings this day!

FRIDAY POTPOURRI: HOLLIER THAN THOU

I remember sitting on the front lawn of my hometown with kids from the neighborhood, each of whom when to another Church.  Of course the question on our minds was, “How can we know that we are in the right Church?”  Those innocent ponderings has always been on the mind of people of faith.  In fact, it was so wondered upon that a formula was developed – a four part litmus test – to see if a Church is the True Church founded by Christ.  You already know it though perhaps unwittingly.  Here it is: the True Church must be one, holy, catholic, and apostolic.  (Which seems easy enough though one must then go through the process of defining one’s terms.)

One, to which we now turn in our journey through Lumen Gentium (39), is holiness.  The Church is called to be “holy.”  So holy, in fact, that Christ gave Himself up for His Bride, the Church, so that she might be sanctified and made perfect.

 

“But wait,” you might say, “I know plenty of stories about the Church where not so holy stuff has happened.  In fact, there is this pastor over at . . .  well that’s a little off topic but you get what I mean.”  That the Church is holy does not mean everyone claiming to be a part of her is holy or that it can institutionally not sin.  The Church is made up of sinners and as such things happen.  We are all at different spots on the journey.

 

But what are the fruits of those who follow her well?  They end up in glass and wood and stone.  Those who most conform themselves to her purifying will are called saints for they have striven to be more like their Creator.  We call them saints. 

 

A second means by which we judge something to be holy or of God is that they are also fruitful.  Do they lead others to God?  Look at a religious order that is taking off and sustains or grows in number.  Something is happening there.  There is a perfection in love.  A sign of growing in actual holiness is that it desires and assists others to grow likewise whether privately or in a Church recognized fashion.  It desires others to be holy.

I'M SPRITUAL, NOT RELIGIOUS

Which in translation means, “I don’t like organized religion.”  Of course the alternative is disorganized religion.  And if there is anything that anybody loves more it is that which is disorganized.

 

There was a teacher I had in 6^th grade who was getting married to the other 6^th grade teacher (a woman by the way.)  One day he was sharing his philosophy with us.  His fiancé believed in organization.  He did not.  “Look at her desk,” he pointed out, “everything is where it is supposed to be.  If something is missing, it is really missing and she panics.”  Then he took us over to his desk which looked more like a pile of paper and gum wrappers.  “That, my boys, is called disorganized organization.  If something is missing, I don’t panic like she does.  I know what I need is somewhere in there and it will turn up at some point.  I think I’m a lot happier.”

 

An interesting way to live life.  I tried it for a spell.  It works Okay as long as there are no emergencies or deadlines.  In a pinch I’ll take organization any day over going through trash cans and drawers for the 3^rd or 4^th time, finally finding an important document being used as a bookmark in a spy novel.

 

Disorganized religion in translation means: no responsibility.  Nobody ask anything of me, expect anything of me, nor expect me to follow or to lead.  My religion is a private affair.  This is always a plan for building something great.

 

Art is often taught this way.  It is all about self expression.  Don’t give the child any real rules because you will stifle his creativity.  In actuality, you ARE stifling his creativity by not giving rules which are the tools by which becomes most capable of expressing that very creativity.  Great artists are first rigorously taught methods, forced to study the great ones that have come before them, and given fierce regiments to follow before the reigns are let go.  Then they can truly create what is burning in their hearts because they have been given the tools.

 

Of course, when we are talking about faith, that is about a relationship not a talent so the rules are different.  Right?  Absolutely not.  A disorganized relationship either fails or becomes “dysfunctional.”  There are all kinds of organizational aspects and ritualistic moments in relationships that really go someplace.  This is when we eat dinner.  This is when we celebrate our anniversary.  This is how we spend our vacation.  These are the people with whom we spend vacation.  This is where we call home.  This how we divide up our jobs.  These are the ways in which we show love.  This is the story of how we met – how he proposed – our first celebration of Thanksgiving – how we felt when we had our first child.

 

To tell the truth – institutional religion can be a pain.  Institutions do not love people – only people love people.  Institutions are interested in keeping things on track, organizing, building, expanding, growing, keeping a pulse on the mission, self examining, calling back to the fold, can be plodding, dictatorial, and blind to a person’s short comings.  People are then added into the fold to love.  The combination allows great things to happen.  Minds and souls are expanded, we are forced to break out of ourselves and reach out toward the other in a more radical way, we become part of a greater cause larger than ourselves, we hold accountable and are made accountable, the best within us is encouraged and the worst suppressed. 

 

Institutions sometimes fail and in a grand way – but never like when we go at it alone.  And when they do go awry who brings them back?  People.  And when people go awry what mechanism is there to bring them back to truth?  Institutions.

 

From an article by Rabbi Peter Wolfe:  “But institutions are also the only mechanism human beings know to perpetuate ideologies and actions. If books were enough, why have universities? If guns enough, why have a military? If self-governance enough, let’s get rid of Washington. The point is that if you want to do something lasting in this world, you will recall the wise words of French Catholic writer Charles Péguy: “Everything begins in mysticism and ends in politics.” Got a vision? Get a blueprint.

Spirituality is an emotion. Religion is an obligation. Spirituality soothes. Religion mobilizes. Spirituality is satisfied with itself. Religion is dissatisfied with the world.

To read more of his article, go here.

I HAVE SOMETHING I NEED TO CONFESS TO YOU

“Yes, I saved America from complete annihilation.  But you have to understand, I was having a good day, my spouse was being extra kind, I was caught up at work and just received a raise, my son had just told me that he loved me and all that combined with a little bit of grace and luck made it all possible.  But yes, I did it.”

 

Okay, once in a blue moon you might hear someone speak thusly, but most of the time it’s, “Yah, I did that.  It was difficult, but I pulled it off in the end.  Thanks to everyone who helped me achieve such a great thing.”

 

The opposite seems to happen when we have sinned.  In a way, I think this is good.  We strongly desire to be aligned with the good and so want to identify the good more closely with ourselves.  And realizing that evil is ugly, disordered, destructive, and disdainful, often a person will, perhaps even unwittingly, try to distance himself from the action.

 

“Yes, I tried to annihilate America.  But you have to understand, I was having a very bad day, my spouse was nagging me, I was swamped at work and my boss was breathing down my neck, my kids were rebelling, and all that combined with a little drink and some sleepless nights led me to do it.  But, yes, I tried to do it.”

As a confessor, though in this latter scenario I can see true symptoms of goodness, (they are confessing after all!  Fantastic!  And they are trying to distance themselves from evil.  Good.) it seems to me they are just one final step away from greatness.  Responsibility and freedom.

 

Let me preface this by saying that confessions is not supposed to be a counseling session as an emergency room is not a place to have physical therapy.  Different arrangements are made for each of these.  The confessional is an emergency room for the soul.

 

So when someone comes in who is serious about finding healing for their wounds, it can be pretty impressive, but not as much so when followed by, “But . . .”  The “but” might be completely legitimate, but in this moment, is the penitent taking ownership of their actions, or are they saying that in some great extent, it really wasn’t their fault?  If it really wasn’t the penitent’s fault, that he was coerced, or forced, or deranged, then it really wasn’t completely in their free will that the person acted and then, perhaps, if completely coerced, not really a sin at all.  Put away the tickertape and the streamers, this heroic confession just turned ordinary.

 

In truth, I don’t think that the penitent really wants to deny that a particular action was really a sin (he or she is confessing it after all) and perhaps he is just trying to understand how he could have done such a thing.  So it isn’t really something on which to dwell in the confessional.  But here is a secret – according to the laws of the universe in relation to Free Will, we can only love to the extent that we can hate.  Not that we have to actually hate (or love) but we must be capable of it.  If we can not but love, then we have no Free Will – we are puppets on a string and we do not need a Savior.  But as it is, we are capable of hate (Sept. 11^th) and therefore capable of astronomical acts of love (World Youth Day).

 

In 1521 Martin Luther said, “If you sin, sin boldly!”  I do not hold to his advice but rather, “If you have sinned, confess boldly!”  In this way we take full ownership not only of our good works but of our sinful ones.  Presenting ourselves naked as it were before God, we can trust more boldly in his mercy, be that much more open to His grace, that much more unburdened, have that much more joy, be much more healed, experience that much more freedom, and be reminded also how great a capacity we have for love.

TUESDAY QUOTE OF THE WEEK CCCVI

FINDING TRUTH WHEREVER IT MAY BE FOUND:  This week's quotes taken from last month's Chesterton Society of St. Sebastian reading of the first half of, "The Man Who Was Thursday."

 

QUOTE I: “It may be conceded to the mathematicians that four is twice two. But two is not twice one; two is two thousand times one.” 

 

QUOTE II: “Thieves respect property; they merely wish the property to become their property that they may more perfectly respect it.” 

 

QUOTE III: “Moderate strength is shown in violence, supreme strength is shown in levity.” 

 

IN OTHER NEWS:

Mike, a member of our Chesterton Society sent this link to an article about Chesterton the mystic.  Thanks

Fr. Damien Ference, one of my favorite writers in the diocese, has a great article on Michelle Knight's mercy.  You may read it here.  Good going brother.

From the Diocese of Cleveland Enewsletter, "The three First Friday Club luncheon speakers series in the Diocese of Cleveland will hold their respective luncheons beginning at noon on Thursday, September 5, and at noon on Friday, September 6, 2013."  Read more here.

Do you want to know how many priests there are in the US?  How many graduate school seminarians?  How about how many parishes there are in the whole world?  How many parishes do not have a pastor or are run by non-clergy?  Find out the answer to these questions and more here.

 

Fran sent this short video on.  Nothing but fluff here - but it is cute.  But is it real??

MONDAY DIARY: ALMOST EXCRUSIATINGLY TRUE STORIES: ARE YOU ALLOWED TO WRITE A BLOG?

This past Friday I was walking my dog Sebastian around the park and a lady stopped me and asked if I were a Catholic priest.  (I imagine that does not happen too often to priests and ministers who do not walk around in any kind of identifiable garb.)  She was just curious and wanted to ask some questions . . .

 

There is still a certain amount of mystery surrounding the priesthood.  I think that simply because we don't get married sometimes people get the idea that this extends to all kinds of areas in our lives . . .

But really, in most aspects of our lives, we live just like most people.  When people ask me if I am allowed to do something while they themselves are engaged in the exact same actions I generally tell them, "If you are uncomfortable seeing your priest doing this, chances are that you should not be doing it either." 

 

It occasionally is annoying to be asked if we may do what other people take for granted but to tell the truth, every once in a blue moon, somebody is right.

FRIDAY POTPOURRI: FOR WHAT ARE YOU WAITING? GO! MAKE DISCIPLES

“DON’T – JUST DON’T!”  It is one of the great failings of the teachers and catechists of the Church that much of our teaching is conveyed via negativa.  In this way it seems much more like we are a faith of limiting, stifling, of making life boring.  What a tragic and huge mistake!  The purpose of the faith is to do exactly the opposite!  As these last two paragraphs of Lumen Gentium make clear that we are “constituted to live in royal liberty and, by self abnegation of a holy life, overcome the reign of sin in (our)selves.”  Where most of the world desires license to do as one wants, the faith desires that you have the liberty to thrive, physically, mentally, and spiritually in joy – now and for all eternity – in the way that you were created to be!

 

I went to the doctor and he gave me a long list of foods that he said I had to give up.  It was the most depressing meeting.  And fish, of course, was not his negative menu.   What would have been better was a course on great food and encouragement on how great it would be for me.  Instead it was, “Olives will kill you.   Do not eat olives.”  I’ll get right on that.”

Summing up this section, every Catholic lay person is anointed priest, prophet, and king and is responsible for the spreading of the kingdom.  As you do this, bear in mind the goal: to bring people to life, joy, and true freedom.  This is a much better line than, “Stop that or you’re going to hell.”  It may be true, but does living with such negative people sound any more appealing?

 

To this end, the laity has the right to ask from the Church what it needs to accomplish these goals.  The laity also has the right to express their opinions to the institutional Church as it pertains toward these goals.  There is a certain amount of obedience that is called for then.  Not a happy topic.  But somehow a decision must be made concerning which direction we will head because until that is done, we can’t really move forward.  So pray for those acting on behalf of the institutional Church that they may be wise, active, and full of the Holy Spirit that we may accomplish all of these lofty goals.

 

Pastors must recognize the rights of the laity and foster their works.  Not everything can be or should be done by the ordained or even necessarily controlled by the ordained.  Go!  Spread the Good News without me!  There is more than enough work for everybody! 

 

Next time:  Call to Holiness