The Curt Jester

I am still going through stages of assimilating the Holy Father declaration that he renounced the ministry of the Bishop of Rome. It is not exactly like the common stages of grief. Although there was an initial denial that the story was true. Didn’t exactly go through anger or depression. More like selfish feelings of loss in having him taken away from me. This was a Pope who never phoned in a speech and you could count on hearing the profound whether he was speaking to the whole world or just to the Vatican police and fire brigade. A Pope who could speak to any audience and considered all audiences of being capable to hear the truth.

My selfishness rebels at the idea of his going into a life of prayer and silence in a monastery. I can overact to this and think like Gandalf  “He has fallen into shadow.” Yet this very act reminds me of other basic truths. His new hidden life of prayer reminds me of the rest of the hidden Body of Christ in prayer. Even when Pope Benedict XVI does indeed die he will still be hidden from us but still praying for us. Somehow the acceptance of this has helped me to some degree to see more into the reality of the Communion of Saints as something more than just theological belief. My long years as an atheist did not prepare me for a life of prayer. While I do pray to the saints it mostly feels like a cold one-sided conversation. My acceptance of the theology helps me to make those acts of faith. Faith seeking understanding and understanding seeking faith.

Via Ed Peters:

Cardinal Tim Dolan just delivered an excellent address to the USCCB. It needs to be read, and even listened to, in its entirety. Here I’ll underscore just one of his points: “The work of our Conference during the coming year includes reflections on re-embracing Friday as a particular day of penance, including the possible re-institution of abstinence on all Fridays of the year, not just during Lent” (my emphasis).

For what it’s worth, I unequivocally endorse the re-institution of Friday abstinence in the US. This decision lies quite within the authority of the USCCB (see 1983 CIC 455, and 1249-1253) and, among other things, would render moot, once and for all, nagging questions about whether the episcopal conference ever really got around to substituting “other forms of penance” for abstinence from meat back in 1966, or 1983/1984, or whenever.

Still I can hear it now: “Okay, Peters, if you’re so gung-ho in Friday abstinence, do you abstain from meat on Fridays now, and even if you do, why should it be made a law for everybody?” Fair enough.

First, I don’t abstain on most Fridays now. Most times I simply forget; moreover, I’m pretty good at talking myself out of inconvenient observances if they are largely personal. I need the directives toward goods (like penance) and away from evils (like presumption) that law by its very nature offers. Second, abstaining from meat on Fridays would not be to introduce a new rule, but rather, to eliminate a variance on or exception to the common (and ancient*) rule of abstinence that is already set out in canon law, above. Third, the corporate example of all Catholics engaging in some sort of common religious exercise outside of Sunday morning is, I think, desperately needed in a world that wants to relegate religious observances to a six-hour window once a week.

Ex labiis Cardinalis Dolan ad aures episcoporum nostrorum!

If the bishops of the England and Wales could reinstate Friday Abstinence than we certainly can. Maybe we could have a piety war with England and see which country could out piety the other.

On the personal side to answer the same question Mr. Peter’s answered, my selected Friday penance is to fast by only eating one meal on Friday’s. I would gladly (if forced) mix that with mandatory abstinence and for me eating fish is a bit of a penance.

The previous action of the predecessor of the USCCB not to specify a form of penances has meant that hardly anybody choose to perform any penance at all. I think this was a serious mistake and followed up by another mistake. It is one thing not to specify the penance, it is quite another to put no effort into educating Catholics that they “must perform an alternative penance.” Ask a Catholic what form of penance they are performing on Fridays and it is almost guaranteed that you will get a blank stare instead of an answer.

I know fasting on Friday’s really helps me to focus more on Good Friday and the reasons I need a savior in the first place. I must admit though that I really like the “Solemnity Loophole” where when a Solemnity occurs on Friday you should not be doing any penance. People have learned the “Solemnity Loophole” when the Feast of St. Joseph occurs on Fridays during Lent and this gives you something to look forward to throughout the year. Food tastes extra good on Solemnities. Some people might take on an extra penance of eating a Fish Filet sandwich at McDonalds.

So I guess I will be ironically fasting and praying for a return of Friday Abstinence.

Let nothing disturb you,
Let nothing frighten you,
All things are passing away:
God never changes.
Patience obtains all things
Whoever has God lacks nothing;
God alone suffices.

– St. Teresa of Avila

This is true regardless of how the election turns out. I know this is a message I must be reminded of to keep from falling into a nervous tension awaiting results.  Regardless who wins we are still called to be saints and repentance and overcoming our own sins is a daily shovel-ready job.

I get quite annoyed by people who wear their scapulars on the outside of their clothing.

Though the real reason I get annoyed is that I would like to show how pious I am by wearing mine on the outside also. But I am too prideful to want show how prideful I am of my piety. I wonder if I am blogging about this to mention that I wear the Brown Scapular? Or am I simply blogging my struggles with prideful piety? I don’t know, but darn my prayer life seems too much like the movie Inception at times in how convoluted my motivations are.

I really should be quite humble considering just how many opportunities God provides to humble me. For example some talk about the “gift of tears”, I seem to have that at times when at Mass or praying alone tears will come to my eyes. This is really quite annoying since I am usually quite distracted with my thoughts anywhere but deep in worship and prayer. I seem to have the “ironical gift of tears” that do not synchronize with the inner self. As a sign it only sharpens how distracted I usually am and I find it embarrassing to be providing a false sign of my inner self. Maybe this “gift” is just another reminder to get my house in order.

I guess wanting any outward piety to match the inward disposition is a good thing and recognizing how unmatched they usually are is a step towards unity of the two.

In the spiritual life it is so easy to hit the snooze button on a more dedicated life of prayer. On alarm clocks the snooze button lets us pretend we are setting a goal by setting the alarm knowing that we can also just keep hitting the snooze button to advance that goal just a little bit farther into the future.

It is so easy to set the snooze button in the life of prayer by “Well I will get more serious in Lent.”, or “Just as soon as I get passed this current hectic phrase of life.” Of course when Lent comes and goes that spiritual snooze button gets hit once again and that hectic phase of life just never seems to end.

When you come across scripture such as St. Paul saying to “pray always”, well you will get around to it tomorrow or perhaps at another milestone.   Start praying the Rosary more regularly – hit the spiritual snooze button and you will get around to it later.

Now if I can only find a way to disable my own spiritual snooze button, sounds like a good job for tomorrow.