NewsVocations

Anonymous gift allows Indiana teacher to pay debt, enter religious life

by Jeffrey Miller
written by Jeffrey Miller

INDIANAPOLIS – At the start of June, Jennifer Prickel was still wondering when God might allow her to follow her call into religious life.

More than $50,000 in student loan debt stood in the way of the 23-year-old Indiana teacher fulfilling her desire to serve God and the church as a member of the Sisters of Reparation to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, based in Steubenville, Ohio.

But 10 days after her story appeared in May 28 issue of The Criterion, Indianapolis archdiocesan newspaper, Prickel’s prayers were answered in a dramatic way.

On June 7, a woman called Prickel, a member of St. Anthony Parish in Morris, and told her she felt that she was supposed to pay off her debt. The woman wanted to know the exact amount needed to do that, and asked to meet Prickel later that day.

When Prickel met the woman, who wishes to remain anonymous, she gave the aspiring religious a cashier’s check for approximately $52,000.

Prickel, who was teaching at St. Nicholas School in Ripley County, now expects to enter the Sisters of Reparation as a postulant Aug. 5 – and she couldn’t be happier.

“The overwhelming feeling has just been joy and peace,” she said. “I’ve just been so joyful and just so excited about being able to finally fulfill this desire that I’ve had to live in a religious community, and dedicate my time to God in prayer. I just can’t stop smiling, especially when I tell people.”

The story continues with reactions and information on Mater Ecclesiae Fund for Vocations.

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News

Here and There

by Jeffrey Miller
written by Jeffrey Miller

This was sent in by a reader about an effort by the Diocese of Syracuse, NY.

The Office of Vocation Promotion here, headed by Fr. Joe O’Connor, is holding the first annual “Men in Black” Soccer Game to promote vocations and to provide an opportunity for laity to support the priests and seminarians of the diocese.  The game is scheduled for Saturday, July 17, at 10:00am, with a family cookout to follow.
The priests and seminarians will take the field against the soccer team of Holy Cross Academy in Oneida, NY, 25 miles east of Syracuse.  One reason for the game’s location is that the HCA 2010 Valedictorian, Dan Collins, is entering the seminary for diocese this fall and will be the starting goalie for the diocesan team.  Dan was the HCA goalie for its championship soccer teams in 2008 and 2009.
Fr. Joe O’Connor thought that with the excitement of the World Cup going on now, and also the success of the “Clericus Cup” in Rome, a soccer match would offer a prime opportunity for young people to interact with priests and seminarians.  The “Men in Black” theme also has been used for annual basketballs games which pit the priests and seminarians against local parish teams.  With the success of the basketball games, Fr. Joe decided to move on to another popular sport in Upstate New York – soccer.
Fr. Joe has been the Vocations Director since 2008, was ordained in 2005, and is a graduate of Franciscan University.  He has done great work here in Syracuse and I hope Bishop Robert Cunningham plans to keep him around for a while!

Sounds like a great idea as long as there is no blessing of the Vuvuzela.

Here is a cool new radio show with Dolores Meehan co-founder of the Walk for Life West Coast and Gibbons Cooney in the San Francisco area.

• On June 28 and July 5, Dolores Meehan will interview Fr. Michael Sweeney, President of the Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology, on “Authentic Catholic Education—and the Impact of the Land O’ Lakes Conference.”

• July 12: Bishop Salvatore Cordileone, of Oakland, on “The Manhattan Declaration: A Call to Christian Conscience.”

• July 19: Fr. Robert A. Sirico, President of the Acton Institute, on a neglected area of Catholic social teaching “The Principle of Subsidiarity and the Service to the Poor.”

• July 26, bioethicist/author Dr. Janet Smith, of Sacred Heart Major Seminary on “The Right to Privacy.”

Future guests include:

• Father Joseph Fessio, SJ;

• the very interesting Ave Maria University Professor of philosophy Maria Fedoryka on “The Gift of Woman”;

• a fascinating (and scary) three-part interview with Mr. Brian Fairchild, an expert on Salafist Islamic groups in the U.S.;

• and the renowned authors and thinkers Mrs. Mary Eberstadt, Dr. Jennifer Roback Morse, and Dr. Anthony Esolen.

Here’s Dolo’s mission statement:

“Bay Area Catholics are some of the strongest Catholics in the country. Reclaiming the Culture grew out of the desire to show that the Catholic Church in the Bay Area has the resources to confront the prevailing secular culture. Our purpose is to introduce great thinkers to listeners who may not have the opportunity to pursue an authentic, classical, Catholic education at, say, the Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology in Berkeley. We see this as a chance to share the wisdom of the Catholic Church, which is far greater than many people realize, and is easily up to the task of engaging the prevailing secular culture. We want to move beyond catechesis and apologetics, important as they are, and enter into the arena where faith meets reason.”

In other news the Carmelite Monks of Wyoming are working to build a gothic monastery in the Rockies.

Plus here is a blog that details the making of a Rosary with a 30 foot loop and beads created by a ceramic artist.

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NewsPro-life

The handwriting is on the wall – but it’s not mine!

by Jeffrey Miller
written by Jeffrey Miller

You know how he always hear about the Church and science and how generally religious believers are at war with science? ESCR was a prime example of that meme.

One of the defenses of Kagan’s revisions to the ACOG statement is that they really were just editorial, that they didn’t change the thrust of the statement. Let’s look at that argument.

The statement, prior to Kagan’s edits, reads in relevant part as follows: “However, a select panel convened by ACOG could identify no circumstances under which this procedure, as defined above, would be the only option to save the life or preserve the health of the woman.” Kagan did not delete that sentence (and I never suggested she did). It remained in ACOG’s final statement. What she changed was the following sentence, which had read: “Notwithstanding this conclusion, ACOG strongly believes that decisions about medical treatment must be made by the doctor, in consultation with the patient, based on the woman’s particular circumstances.” That innocuous statement is little more than a statement of policy; ACOG was simply saying that, notwithstanding their inability to find any medical circumstances in which the procedure would be the only appropriate procedure, the medical association’s board concluded that the doctor should still have medical discretion to use the procedure, and a legislature shouldn’t get involved. Fair enough.

What Kagan did was insert a statement of medical opinion into that sentence. Her full suggested edit was: “An intact D&X, however, may be the best or most appropriate procedure in a particular circumstance to save the life or preserve the health of a woman, and a doctor should be allowed to make this determination.” ACOG’s final statement adopted the first half of that sentence in toto. The final sentence read: “An intact D & X, however, may be the best or most appropriate procedure in a particular circumstance to save the life or preserve the health of a woman, and only the doctor, in consultation with the patient, based upon the woman’s particular circumstances can make this decision.”

There is little question that Kagan’s edit changed the substance of the ACOG statement, not merely its policy implications. Previously, the draft had read that there were no such medical circumstances in which it was the only method to save the health or life of a woman; Kagan inserted language to water down or hedge that medical opinion, asserting — notwithstanding what her notes had shown regarding the lack of evidence regarding such circumstances — that the procedure still “may be the best or most appropriate procedure in particular circumstances.” That is not a statement of policy; it is a statement of medical opinion. [source]

So Kagan edited a medical opinion to give a policy dimension to justify sucking the brains out of children just before being born. If you can’t handle the truth, edit it till it fits. Nothing new for abortion supporters when it comes to science and how rhetoric is always used instead of scientific fact. Father Pavone noticed this when talking to pro-abortion supporters that when he brought up scientific facts they would reply with metaphysical ones instead.

The sad thing is the people who will confirm a judge that willingly subverted the truth. Great judge she will make. Even worse is that her subversion of the ACOG statement was used by the Supreme Court to strike down the Nebraska ban on Partial Birth Abortion.

“Did you write that memo?” Hatch asked.

“Senator, with respect,” Kagan began, “I don’t think that that’s what happened — ”

“Did you write that memo?”

“I’m sorry — the memo which is?”

“The memo that caused them to go back to the language of ‘medically necessary,’ which was the big issue to begin with — ”

“Yes, well, I’ve seen the document — ”

“But did you write it?”

“The document is certainly in my handwriting.”

You would never know that she had been a President Clinton hire.

Wow, what an answer. It is up there with one of my favorites when Joshua L. Steiner, the Clinton Treasury Secretary’s chief, when questioned about notes in his diary concerning a meeting replied that “I lied to my diary.”

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Pro-lifePunditry

Power!!!

by Jeffrey Miller
written by Jeffrey Miller

You just got to love The Guardian for its breathless coverage of the Catholic Church. You can pretty much read their coverage of the Church to the soundtrack from Jaws. From the story with the headline Pope gives top job to abortion hardliner

The pope handed one of the most powerful jobs in the Vatican to a cardinal who said recently that abortion was wrong, even in cases of rape.

Oh the horror – a bishop that believes in Church teaching!!!  Cool though that prefect of the Congregation for Bishops is now a powerful job!  Cardinal Marc Quellet is such a mean abortion hardliner for not wanting the execution of an innocent child in the womb for the grave sin of the father.

The prefecture is often regarded as the third most important job in the Vatican administration since its incumbent can prevent even the most gifted priest from rising to a position of leadership in the church. Ouellet has in the past been touted as a successor to Benedict.

They always see things in terms of power.  It is never about the fact that he will be serving the Church by helping to choose faithful shepherds who will safeguard the flock. No the lens viewed through is always in terms of power – he can block appointments!!  Of course the media always saw then-Cardinal Ratzinger through the same lens as Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.  They saw him as a man using power, when in fact he would have been quite happy to be able to retire and to live a simple life of reading and writing living with his brother.  No forget that – its always about power don’t  you know.

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LiturgyParody

iRomanMissal

by Jeffrey Miller
written by Jeffrey Miller

I know this story has been out for a couple of weeks, but I am just getting around to comment on it.

(AP) ROME (AP) – An Italian priest has developed an application that will let priests celebrate Mass with an iPad on the altar instead of the regular Roman missal.

The Rev. Paolo Padrini, a consultant with the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Social Communications, said Friday the free application will be launched in July in English, French, Spanish, Italian and Latin.

Two years ago, Padrini developed the iBreviary, an application that brought the book of daily prayers used by priests onto iPhones. To date, some 200,000 people have downloaded the application, he said.

The iPad application is similar but also contains the complete missal – containing all that is said and sung during Mass throughout the liturgical year. Upgrades are expected to feature audio as well as commentaries and suggestions for homilies as well as musical accompaniment, he said.

“Paper books will never disappear,” he said in a phone interview from his home parish in Tortona, in Italy’s northern Piemonte region. But at the same time “we shouldn’t be scandalized that on altars there are these instruments in support of prayer.”

Padrini, 36, said he expected priests who have to travel a lot for work would find the application most useful, noting that he recently had to celebrate Mass in a small parish where the missal was “a small book, a bit dirty, old.”

“If I had had my iPad with me, it would’ve been better than this old, tiny book,” he said

I had used Father Padrini’s iBreviary app and then iBreviary Pro for the Liturgy of the Hours on my iPod Touch since it was first released. Though I started to use Universalis instead since it is formatted for the iPad and iBreviary Pro does not yet have a full screen version for the iPad.

Much of the coverage of this story you will not be surprised was not exactly accurate. Headlines like coming to an Altar near you were prevalent and they made it seem this had full Vatican approval.

He stressed that the iPad application, like the iBreviary, was launched at his own instigation and with his own money and is not an official Vatican initiative. Vatican officials have previously praised the iBreviary as a novel way of evangelizing. [Source]

This does present some interesting questions though. The intersection of technology and the Mass is nothing new. We forget about how the printing press changed liturgical books used in the Mass in going from hand-written volumes to ones created via the mechanical printing press. In modern times the use of wireless microphones and sound equipment has become quite prevalent – though not everybody is happy about that technological transition either.

The Vatican has gotten involved at an official level before when it came to using technology during the liturgy or in our churches for that matter. After the invention of the electric light the question came up about using an electrical lamp for the sanctuary to indicate the presence of Christ in the Tabernacle. The General Instruction of the Roman Missal (GIRM), No. 316, states: “In accordance with traditional custom, near the tabernacle a special lamp, fueled by oil or wax, should be kept alight to indicate and honor the presence of Christ.”

I once went to a parish with electric votive lamps where you inserted coins for a lamp to light for a certain period of time. Surely someone thought this was great way to reduce insurance premiums but it was unbelievably tacky looking – seemed more like a machine from an amusement park.  Asking someone to turn on a candle for you is just not the same.
Electric Votive Candles
(This example looks much better than the one I saw – but still tacky)

The invention of the telephone brought questions about using a telephone for confessions. In modern times the same question was asked about confession over the internet and was answered in the negative for really the same reasons phone confessions would not be valid.

In a Church with sacraments and the sacramental view of things the types of materials used at Mass are not insignificant questions. The type of material used for the chalices should be made of solid and noble material that is not easily breakable or corruptible, is another example of how the Church takes seriously these questions.

So we come down to is should an iPad with the Roman Missal be used on the altar?  Now as a self-professed geek who is a lover of both technology and theology, and Apple and Jesus fanboy I have mixed feelings about this.  Technically I know of no liturgical law that would prevent an iPad or any other similar device from being used for this purpose as the Roman Missal used in Mass.  The question would be more of a prudent one for now.  I would expect though that this might be a question answered by the Vatican sometime in the future, though they are notoriously slow in answering questions of this type.  I can certainly see why some priests would appreciate and electronic version of the Roman Missal.  It would be much harder to loose your place and in fact easier to find the correct section each day.  I love electronic versions of the Liturgy of the Hours because it makes it so easy to read the LOTH without having to thumb through a bunch of ribboned book marks.  Liturgy of the Hour apps replaced my four-volume set of the LOTH and I would not like to have to go back to the old way.  I can spend more time praying/reading the LOTH instead time spent getting to the right page.

As St. Paul said that just because something is lawful it does not mean that it should be done.  That there are other things to take into account such as the reaction of people to an electronic device used for the Roman Missal.   Would people be scandalized by and iPad Roman Missal?  Surely there would be some who would be.  Or it could just be something that people get use to and just think odd at first.  For my part I would not be scandalized by such use, even so I think that if such devices are used I think that they should be adapted materially for use.

An iPad is a rather striking looking device and quite pleasing aesthetically, yet the aluminum case would look out of place in the sacred liturgy.  An elegant and specially manufactured case for liturgical use might be a good idea.  A leather case such as the above would be a good place to start.

As an iPad user I have found the iPad to have amazing battery life of ten hours or more on a charge.  An iPad used just as a Roman Missal would have an even longer battery life. So with ten hours or more it could even be used by a someone such as Padre Pio who was know for long Masses.  Of course it would introduce technological problems.  While the iPad hardly ever crashes – it of course could do so during Mass.  Or the device could just die.  So for practical purposes you would have to have a backup iPad that the Altar boy could grab in such an emergency.   Altar boys would much prefer holding the iPad in front of the priest than the much heavier Roman Missal.  The font size can be changed to adapt to priests with macular degeneration.

The paper copy Roman Missal of course will never crash or need to be rebooted.  The only power it needs is enough light to be able to read it.  The paper copy has no fancy features and can not download a new version – but it is rock solid with proven Gutenberg technology.

I think Steve Jobs with his liking for black shirts really missed his calling.  Here is an imagined Father Steve Jobs presenting the iRomanMissal.  A Father Steve Jobs would be pretty awesome if he hated sin as much as Adobe’s Flash.  Though I would be annoyed if he said “Just one more thing” before the closing prayer.

Now there is another question about people using devices such as phones/tablets during the Mass.  I have used my iPod Touch in confession before. No not because I needed to be able to remember a long list of sins – well okay  I do, but for the act of conviction which I always seem to be forgetting.  I have been tempted to use my iPod Touch for the Latin when used in Mass – which would be better than the printed out version I have used.  I am just not humble enough to use the device at Mass without worrying that somebody will be thinking I am checking my email or something.  I have also been tempted to bring my iPad to Adoration for spiritual reading, but also have not for the same reasons.  Maybe one day.

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ParodyPro-life

Death Stars

by Jeffrey Miller
written by Jeffrey Miller

Anybody who has ever seen the Star Wars movies can easily identify the Death Star the super-weapon able to totally destroy a planet.  In the Star Wars film “A New Hope” the Death Star destroyed Princess Lei’s home world Alderaan – a planet with a population just under 2 billion.

When the planet was destroyed Obi-Wan Kenobi said “I felt a great disturbance in the Force, as if millions of voices cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced. I fear something terrible has happened.”

The Death Star as a super-weapon even if only in a movie is a rather terrifying weapon. A whole population just wiped out.

In our own world we don’t have to worry about such a super-weapon.  No country is building such a device. All of our attempts to blow up each other are pretty much limited to parts of the earths’ surface.

Though there are Death Stars here on Earth that are equally dangerous and have destroyed populations in the past and are continuing to do so in the present and into the foreseeable future.  These Death Stars are not obvious gigantic structures in orbit around a planet, but something much smaller and more portable.

I refer to Culture of Death Stars.  Culture of Death Stars are those celebrities in the Culture of Death who advocate the murder of innocents.  The targeting devices included in Culture of Death Stars are aimed at multiple locations.  These targeted locations include, but are not limited to:

  • The innocent in the womb
  • So-called leftover embryos from IVF
  • Created embryos to destroy for stem-cell extraction
  • Those suffering from pain or depression
  • Those whose life has been deemed a life not worth living

Unlike Luke we can not take a well-placed shot using the force to destroy a Culture of Death Star, which is the very opposite of what we must do.  A well placed prayer using grace will be much more effective. The Culture of Death Stars must be converted or barring that kept from power. If there were truly Jedi Knights they could not live on Earth in our modern culture.  The continual destruction of life would elicit continual Obi-wan Kenobi cries about the great disturbance in the force.  The truth is that the destruction of millions of human beings has caused a great disturbance which should be felt by all.  The massive destruction of innocent lives entailed by abortion is truly horrifying.  That so many are deaf to the slaughter of so many only adds to this evil.

Luke and company really had it easy when it comes to Death Stars.  They are so large and easy to find and the Emperor could not afford to build many of them.  Culture of Death Stars on the other hand are way to numerous and operate all over the world.  You can find them in every country and when a country is not fully given to the Culture of Death you can feel the pressure of the Culture of Death Stars as they work to warp those countries to their will.

Now you might wonder what a Culture of Death Star looks like?  Well they are different in every country, but here in the United States I will display some examples.  While many of Culture of Death Stars are destructive there is a subcategory of these Culture of Death Stars that are even more dangerous.  The Catholic Culture of Death Stars go against their Catholic programming and instead of helping the innocent seek out to kill them instead.

Vice President Joe Biden.  A long time abortion supporter but this Culture of Death Star’s programming finds that it is okay to murder those in the womb, but that Partial Birth Abortion was beyond the pale.  While we are thankful for this glitch in this super-weapons programming – it is rather inconsistent.  Kenya is considering opening towards allowing abortion and the Vice President said “We are hopeful, Barack Obama is hopeful, I am hopeful that you will carry out these reforms to allow money to flow.”  Reforms being of course to allow abortion and promising money if they too decided to kill their children in the womb.  Killing black children in the womb is a positive development for a Culture of Death Star.

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi:  Nancy Pelosi does not have the inconsistent programing of the Joe Biden Culture of Death Star.  Not only does she fully support abortion, but supported partial birth abortion  and even declared the ban on this practice as unconstitutional.  This Culture of Death Star fancies herself a Catholic Theologian and has even lectured the Catholic bishops on issue of morality.  Will I guess there is the same moral glitch in the circuity of all Culture of Death Stars to one degree or another.  There was an attempt by the Pope at fixing the obviously glitch in her programming when he said “Catholic politicians and legislators cannot back abortion rights.”  Unfortunately the update did not take and she is still running the unpatched Culture of Death Software.

Francis Kissling, former president of Catholics for Choice (CFC), formerly Catholics for a Free Choice.  The programming in this Catholic Culture of Death star is wildly erratic.  A nun for six months she later directed an abortion clinic and became the founding President of the National Abortion Federation, later joined the board of Catholics for a Free Choice and was its president for 25 years.  The group is largely founded by anti-Catholic organizations totally opposed to what the Church teaches.  The groups name makes as much sense as “Jews for Jihad” would.  While the groups actual connection to the Church is only in its name of course they have come to be on the speed dial of the media and are often asked to give their view in support of abortion.

Unfortunately when it comes to the Catholic variety of the Culture of Death Stars I could go on for a very long time creating a post taking months to read.  The Culture of Death Stars have their network of technicians who have maintained them.  These technicians and programmers also known as theologians enable the erratic programming.  The object of dissident programmers is to introduce moral bugs, not eliminate them.  The advice given to Ted Kennedy and Mario Cuomo might have been some of the worst moral code written in the “Personally opposed but, ” function – still it was and is quite destructive. These theologian technicians were enabled by others over them such as bishops and priests who allowed them to write bad moral code and encouraged them by their inaction.  Social Justice became a Trojan Horse  program with a bunch of pro-abortion and other Culture of Death types hidden within. A lot of good people downloaded the Culture of Death Trojan horse which directed them to helping some of the poorest of the poor while at the same time totally ignoring the poorest of the poor in the womb or in the hospital bed.

The moral operating systems of  Culture of Death Stars and their supporters has been corrupted by a virus that Moloch would be proud to have crafted.  They believe themselves to be doing good while doing quite the opposite.

Luckily architectural plans for Culture of Death Stars have been stolen and we know what to do about them.  Unfortunately prayer and fasting might not appeal as the best solution to eliminate Culture of Death Stars, but really it is the only real solution. While political action can in part work to minimize the destructive power of Culture of Death Stars it is really persevering in holiness and each of us becoming saints that will convert the Culture of Death Stars to Culture of Life Stars protecting life.

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News

Falling in love with Our Lady

by Jeffrey Miller
written by Jeffrey Miller

Worcester, Mass., Jun 26, 2010 / 01:14 pm (CNA).- “When I grow up, I want to be like him,”  The 5-year-old was talking about the priest. But while still a child the boy fell in love – with the image of Our Lady of Fatima. “If I find a woman who looks like her, and has her characteristics, I’ll marry her,” he decided.

“For 34 years I’ve never met that woman,” he says now. “I guess the Blessed Mother wants me. I’m all hers. Like John Paul II said, ‘Totus Tuus Maria.’”

This is the story of Deacon Lowe Bretaña Dongor, who is to be ordained a priest today at St. Paul Cathedral. Now he’s sparking an interest in priesthood in today’s children.

Deacon Dongor, son of Nelly Bretaña Dongor and the late Ramon Dongor, was born Feb. 17, 1976 in Barotac Nuevo, Iloilo, in the Philippines. He is the first Filipino to be ordained for the Worcester Diocese.

His parents had the most important influence on his vocation, taking him and his siblings to church, he says.

Also influential was his great-aunt, Dominican Sister Vincenta Bretaña, a religious for 50 years. She said devotion to the Eucharist and the Blessed Mother were most important, and those devotions kept him in seminary, he says.

“When you see the Virgin Mary carrying the baby, that’s me,” Deacon Dongor says, telling about his collection of Madonna and Child statues. “She’s my Mother. Especially being a priest, there are times in your life when you’re down. In the Philippines, when we get hurt, we always cry, ‘Mom!’”

“When I leave the country, will you be my mother?” he asked her before coming to the United States.

That opportunity came because of priestly aspirations. He’d attended Barotac Nuevo High School, and, in Manila, the University of Santo Tomas and Adamson University. He was at Our Lady of the Angels Seminary in Quezon City when he met Father Peter R. Precourt. Father Precourt, an Augustinian of the Assumption then with the congregation in Worcester and now pastor of St. Anne and St. Patrick Parish in Sturbridge, was meeting with men interested in an Assumptionist vocation.

In 2003 he and other Filipinos came to Worcester to live with the Assumptionists and study at Assumption College. After a couple years, Deacon Dongor left.

“I enjoyed more working with the people in the parish,” he says. “I felt that I was called to be a diocesan priest.” He found the diocese’s priests very supportive, he says. His parish summer internships were at St. Joseph’s, Charlton; Holy Angels, Upton; St. Christopher’s, Worcester, and St. Bernadette’s, Northborough.

He recently invited students at St. Bernadette’s Elementary School to his ordination and talked about vocations, he says. A third-grader said he wanted to be a priest and marry a model. He explained that priests don’t marry, and the child later announced, “I dumped that model; I want to be a priest.”

Or maybe the third-grader could become a model priest.

Via CNA

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Punditry

Submission

by Jeffrey Miller
written by Jeffrey Miller

A very thoughtful letter from David Meyer that he writes to the members of the Presbysterian church he had attended and the reasons he is in the process of converting to the Catholic Church. I read the letter this weekend and the points he made have been in the back of my mind since then.  I encourage you to read it first since it is well worth your time.

He notices that families have been leaving this church for reasons others than ones central to the Reformed faith and the reasons they left do to some aspect of authority.  The problem with Sola Scriptura especially in regards to authority is an important one.  What it always comes down to is to whose interpretation of scripture do you hold to and ultimately you become that interpreter since you pick the interpret that agrees with you.

The problem with this doctrine is that when a believer disagrees with the leaders he is supposed to submit to, he then finds other leaders that agree with his interpretation to submit to. This is not submitting to church authority, it is submitting to self. Submitting to yourself is just another way of saying you don’t submit at all! There is a helpful way to remember this concept:

“If I only submit when I agree, the one to whom I submit is me.”

Amen to that. Submitting only to what you want is the very pick and choose that defines heresy in the first place.

The exact same thing can be said about obedience.  A subject I have written about in the past that if you are only obedient on subjects you agree with then you are not really obedient at all.  I think of the lives of the saints which have shown us holy obedience.  That even when they were unjustly persecuted or given what might have been an task by a superior  that was not prudential that the saint would be obedient without griping about it.  Submitting ourselves to one outside of us is difficult — especially in the climate of radical individualism we have grown up in.  Ultimately it is Christ we must submit ourselves to and we learn to do this also through submitting to those God has placed over us.  Submission seems to have become a dirty word it seems — getting your way is where it is at.

So much if not all of the dissent within the Church comes down to disobedience and people submitting only to themselves or those who agree with them.  Which is why so much of the dissent within the Church is akin to Protestantism in that where you disagree with the magisterium you find other like-minded dissenters to band with.  This is true of progressives or radical traditionalists.

Those that disagree with the Church are not willing to be patient and to pray for the Church in regards to whatever they think the Church is wrong on.  If they really believed the Holy Spirit was behind the changes they sought they would pray for this instead of taking the vain “I am right, and the Church has to catch up with me.”  The vanities of the Martin Luther types against the Church thinking how brave and good they are.  They have submitted to an authority that does not extend beyond their grasp.

He determines that his options are:

A. Remain with Reformed Christianity and continue the cycle of “self submission”, knowing in my heart it is wrong.

B. Some form of non-theism,

C.“Choose-your-own-adventure” Christianity that I self consciously make up for myself and do not worry about submitting to church authority.

D. Submit to a form of Christianity that does not subscribe to Sola Scriptura and which has a interpretive authority which can plausibly claim to be led by the Holy Spirit, so as to remove myself as the authority. Christianity that I self consciously make up for myself and do not worry about submitting to church authority.

“Choose-your-own-adventure” Christianity – talk about an accurate term. This describes so much. I have also called it “Mirror Christianity” as a pun on C.S. Lewis’ book and the fact that people are really affirming themselves in what they believe.

Mr. Meyer describes his reasons for choosing “D” and specifically the Catholic Church.

The Catholic Church is the only option left. In many ways it is a bitter pill to swallow for me. I have been very critical of Catholic doctrine as a Protestant. Much that they believe I am not inclined to believe. But I will have to submit to the mind of what I must believe is the church Christ founded.

In my own conversion I came to believe in the Church before I believed in each of her doctrines. As an atheist I had less prejudices to deal with compared to Protestants coming into the Church – but still I had to work through each doctrine. The beauty of the Church is how accessible her doctrines are to reason once you are able to explore them and see the orchestra of truth that is the Catholic faith.

I pray that David Meyer and his family come to fully see that truth.

Hat tip to Francis Beckwith

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Humor

Jesus Fluid Flow Lamp™

by Jeffrey Miller
written by Jeffrey Miller

Ian at the excellent Aquinas & More Catholic Goods forwarded me the following information he received.

After careful consideration and research, we believe your organization could benefit from our newly patented technology. The Jesus Fluid Flow Lamp would make an excellent extension to your existing product line. With the proprietary intellectual property rights established through the patent allowance, we are confident this product would offer your company the benefits of having a unique product in the market along with substantial profitability.
Attached please find a product prospectus. This presentation offers additional information regarding this unique opportunity with a product overview, industry and market analysis, and a financial forecast to assist in your review of the Jesus Fluid Flow Lamp.

Of course we all remember when scripture mentions that he is the Fluid Flow Lamp of the World. I found the original patent application for this device.

Abstract
A religious lamp has a base with a cross extending upwardly. A body of Jesus is crucified upon the cross, the head of Jesus tilting upwardly whenever the lamp is energized and tilts downwardly whenever the lamp is deenergized. A solenoid controls up and down tilting of the head of Jesus. A fluid flow system circulates simulated blood out through the body of Jesus. The fluid flow system is either a closed loop tube through which the simulated blood passes or is an open drip wire system wherein a pump pumps the simulated blood to the top of the drip wires and the simulated blood drips down the wires and is collected in a reservoir to be recirculated.

Jesus Fluid Flow Lamp Patent

The modern Christian loves the idea of Jesus’s head moving up and down so he can say yes to anything we ask him.

Now just in case you can’t envision the head movement:

Now I am sure you are excited about the Jesus Fluid Flow Lamp which has a closed loop system that pumps Jesus’ blood and water in a closed loop system.  Just remember to replace Jesus’ blood every 3000 hours of use (contact your local Jesus Lube for details).

So realistic!!!  Just like how I have mediated on his crucifixion.  The “Jesus sprung a leak” view surely it attested to by the latest medical science.

The target market for purchasing the Jesus Fluid Flow Lamp™ includes every American household. According to the American Housing Survey of 2008, there are approximately 117.2 million households in the United States. It has been estimated that there are close to 92 million Christian households currently in the U.S. The Jesus Fluid Flow Lamp™ is sure to be especially popular among these households.

Because you know the market for this is every Christian household. Estimated to cost between $300 to $6,000 for a full sized model you know the lines will be burning up to order one of these. So I would buy stock in this company immediately. I mean if you have a “Tackiest piece of Christian Stuff” contest in your neighborhood you would sure to be the winner with this piece. This certainly blows away the leg lamp the movie. “A Christmas Story.”

Personally I am waiting for the Agony in the Garden Jesus Fluid Flow Lamp with thousands of tiny circulating pipes blood showing Jesus sweat blood.

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HumorLiturgy

Rubric Information System

by Jeffrey Miller
written by Jeffrey Miller

I think there must be a new Olympic event that many Catholic parishes are preparing for.  It seems that no matter what parish I go to I observe what must be some form of training.  This form of training occurs after Communion.  What I refer to is Synchronized Sitting.

You might ask what Synchronized Sitting is?  This is when everybody sits at the same time after Communion.  The event is normally synchronized to occur at the same time as the priest/deacon finishes the purification of the sacred vessels and sits down.  If the Deacon purifies the vessels and the priest sits down for a time of reflection, then people don’t sit down yet.  A blind person would know just when the purification of the sacred vessels is complete by the sound of everybody sitting down at once.

It is interesting how these strange non-rubrics occur in the liturgy and become common practice.  People just take their cues from others for the most part.

Now as you might expect Synchronized Sitting is not referenced in the GIRM.  In fact after Communion the GIRM says:

they may sit or kneel while the period of sacred silence after Communion is observed.

So people may choose as what they feel most conductive to this sacred silence after Communion.  If they choose to sit they may sit immediately after returning to the pew.  No need to wait for the purification of the sacred vessels to be completed and the last man in the sanctuary is seated.

I myself prefer to remain kneeling until the concluding rites.  Though with everybody else sitting down I would stick up like a sore thumb.  “Oh look at Mr. Pious there remaining kneeling while everybody else is sitting down.”  So I normally sit down at the same time as everybody else. Pew pressure don’t you know.

What I also find funny when the Deacon does the purification, often what happens is that once the Deacon sits down the priest stands up for the concluding rite.  So you have this awkward everybody sitting down and then seconds later everybody standing up.  Pew calisthenics.  “Kneel, Sit, Stand” to get your heart rate going and warming up I guess for the mad dash to the parking lot you so often see at the end of Mass.

Maybe we need to use the same system they use for live TV shows to indicate to the audience what to to.  The Rubric Information System (RIS) could be placed unobtrusively in the church, maybe above the hymn indication sign so often used.  The RIS could make it clear to people what the acceptable rubrics are for that part of the Mass to end confusion.  The messages in the RIS would be standard so that parishes could not use the RIS for GIRM-defying phony rubrics. After Communion the sign would go to:

Of course I am joking about introducing something like this into Mass, but if we had it I would certainly like to see this message at times in some parishes.

In fact for special occasions when people really want to praise someone we can turn on this message.

After all what do we have that He has not given us? Reciting the Te Deum Laudamus would be perfect in these cases.

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