A reader sent me a link to this Onion piece which is pretty funny.
VATICAN CITYPope Benedict XVI on Saturday set the founder of the Knights of Columbus, one of the world’s largest lay Catholic groups, on the path to possible beatification and sainthood, the Vatican said.
The pope recognized the “heroic virtues” of the Rev. Michael J. McGivney, who in 1882 created a fraternal society for Catholic men who suffered discrimination because of their religion and immigrant origins.
Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) – Dear
young people, this city of Rome is in your hands. It is up to you to
make it spiritually beautiful with your testimony of a life lived in
the grace of God and far from sin, responding to all that the Holy
Spirit calls you to be, in the Church and the world. In this manner,
you will become visible signs of the grace of Christs abundant mercy
that flows from His side, pierced for us on the Cross. This was the
exhortation given by Pope Benedict XVI to the youth gathered in St.
Peters Basilica in the evening on Thursday, March 13. The Holy Father
heard the confessions of several of the young people present, mainly
from the Diocese of Rome, in preparation for the 23rd World Youth Day,
that will be celebrated on Palm Sunday with the theme: You will
receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be
my witnesses (Acts 1:8) and that will culminate in Sydney in the
world-wide encounter in July.
…Recalling one of his own meditations on Pentecost, as Archbishop of
Monaco-Frisinga, the Pope continued, A human being cannot throw away
his own soul, in a literal sense, because it is the soul that makes him
human… Yet he does have the frightening possibility of being inhuman,
of remaining a person but at the same time selling or losing his own
humanity. The distance between the human person and the inhuman being
is immense, yet it cannot be demonstrated. Likewise, the Holy Spirit
cannot be seen with the eyes. Whether it enters into a person or not,
it cannot be seen or demonstrated; but it changes and renews all the
perspectives of human life. The Holy Spirit does not change the
exterior situations of life, but the interior…This afternoon, the
Holy Spirit wants to descend into our hearts, to forgive us our sins
and renew us interiorly, filling us with a power that will make us,
like the Apostles, courageous in announcing that Christ has died and
risen!.
The Pope later encouraged the young people to prepare themselves well
for their confession, enabling them to experience true joy, the joy
that derives from the mercy of God, flows into our hearts and
reconciles us to Him. He told them to be bearers of this joy,
offering a testimony with their lives to the fruits of the Spirit.
Always remember that you are ‘temples of the Spirit’. Allow Him to
dwell in you and humbly obey His commands, in order to make your own
contribution to the building of the Church and to discern the type of
vocation to which the Lord calls you.
It appears that three times the charm in regards to making Dr.
Suess’ movies in recent years. The Jim Carrey Grinch move was
just bad, The Cat in the Hat went beyond bad into hateful. I
heard Steven D. Greydanus review on Catholics Answer for Horton Hears a
Who! and I was delighted at the very positive review. I love
his reviews because they are enjoyable in and of themselves even if you
have no desire to see the movie reviewed. This time he gives a review
using Suessian verse and it is a wonder in itself.
DONUTISM (Not to be confused with old
heresy known as Donatism) Donutism is the propensity for some Catholics
to leave their parish and join a denomination based on the quality of
the donuts and coffee that that is served before, after, and during
Sunday services.
Be sure to read Fr. V’s whole list.
Canon Lawyer Ed Peters on the Archbishop
Burke’s excommunication of
three “women priest.”
I would like to say that Abp. Raymond
Burke’s excommunication of three women who recently participated in a
pseudo-ordination in Saint Louis is a “text-book illustration” of how
(non-judicial) excommunication is supposed to be applied in the Church
today, but I can’t say that: Why not? Because Abp. Burke’s attention to
juridic details and his provisions for the pastoral care of the people
entrusted to his care so exceed what the textbooks teach, that it is
the textbooks that must copy from him, not him from the textbooks.
The four-page decree of excommunication deserves to be read in its
entirety, but I’ll summarize the sanctions themselves, for they are
quite interesting.
1. All three women (Fresen, Hudson, & McGrath) are declared to
have incurred latae sententiae (automatic) excommunication under Canon
1364.1 for schism. The consequences of excommunication are set out in
Canon 1331.2.
2. All three women are also declared to have incurred ferendae
sententiae (formally imposed) interdict under Canon 1371.1 for
pertinaciously rejecting a definitive truth of the Faith (namely, that
women cannot be ordained priests) subsequent to a specific warning to
avoid such conduct. The consequences of interdict are set out in Canon
1332.
3. One of the women (Fresen) is declared to have incurred ferendae
sententiae excommunication under Canon 1379 for simulating a sacrament
other than the Eucharist or confession (here, holy orders). The
consequences of excommunication are set out in Canon 1331.2.
He then goes on with some
excellent
analysis of th Archbishop’s decree.
I need hardly add that the faithful
may,
and in charity should, join
Abp. Burke in praying for the reconciliation of all three women. Might
I suggest, in that vein, seeking the intercession of St. Hippolytus,
the some-time antipope who later reconciled with the Church and died a
martyr’s death for her about 235. Miracles happen.
An actual nice article on the TLM
in Palo Alto with zero journalist boilerplate we have come to expect on
the subject.
This year’s Templeton Prize winner
Catholic priest and cosmologist
Michael Heller on NPR says “Science without religion
is not only meaningless, it’s lame.” You can listen to a short interview here.
Well I certainly agree with that and the
whole science versus religion thing is lame. This would be
like trying to set up a dichotomy between and artist and his painting.
It annoys me when some of the tech podcasts I listen to will
bring this up about people being anti-science when what they are
referring to are people who have ethical concerns of application of
science. Surely if we called them anti-ethics they would thing this
charge is unfair. But I guess it is easier to demonize others via this
charge instead of talking about ethical limits on scientific research.
I guess anybody who objects to Dr. Frankenstein is
anti-science.
.. Some
claim that a performance of the play followed by a panel will engage
the culture and that out of such a discussion the truth will emerge.
Sadly, Ex Corde Ecclesiae is even cited in defense of this position.
But what makes a Catholic university distinctive is the conviction that
in the search for truth, we do not start from scratch; we start from
the truth that has been revealed to us in the Word of God, the person
of Jesus Christ, and the teaching of his church. The notion that truth
will emerge from a discussion in which many points of view are
represented both disrespects revealed truth and separates the search
for truth from the certainty of faith; instead, as Pope John Paul II
stated in Ex Corde Ecclesiae: A Catholic universitys privileged
task is to unite existentially by intellectual effort two orders of
reality that too frequently tend to be placed in opposition as though
they were antithetical: the search for truth, and the certainty of
already knowing the fount of truth. John Paul II, Discourse to the
Institut Catholique de Paris, June, 1, 1980, cited in Ex Corde
Ecclesiae, 1.
For these reasons, I believe that the performing of this play, even
with one or more persons willing to present Catholic teaching, is in
direct opposition to both the spirit and letter of Ex Corde
Ecclesiae. Also, because it depicts and endorses sinful sexual acts in
direct opposition to church teaching, I believe its performance to be
pornographic and spiritually harmful. This judgment is made after
prayer, reflection and dialogue and after preparing several statements
over many years.
Because of this pastoral finding, of which I am convinced, and keeping
in mind primarily the spiritual welfare of our young students, the good
name of Notre Dame and her well-earned position of academic and
Catholic leadership, and the blessed Easter week I remain hopeful
that Father Jenkins will reconsider his decision for this year and
future years. A decision not to sponsor the play is not only consistent
with academic freedom but is a right use of such freedom for it shows
respect for the truth, for the common good and the rights of others.
(ef. Ex Corde Ecclesiae, 12)
Exactly, the Bishop nails it.
You can’t present spiritual poison and then have a panel
afterwards in the hope that the poison does not cause damage.
Now if only Fr. Jenkins would realize that he has the perfect
out. He can blame the bishop for stopping the performances.
Though I would surely wish that he would do this out of obedience.
[Via Jay Anderson]
A reader sent me a link to this story.
March 11, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The
Rainbow Sash Movement, a homosexual activist group, announced their
plans to protest Pope Benedict XVI’s opposition to homosexual behavior
during his April visit to the United States.
The RSM plans to throw ashes at the Pope, because “ashes are an ancient
and appropriate greeting for a sinner who has caused the Church so much
division and pain,” stated the movement.
“We will also be greeting him with whistles; these were used by the
Polish People to show shame for the violation of human rights by the
Communist Government prior to the end of the cold war,” added a RSM
statement.
“We are a community of Catholic GLBT along with our allies who work for
change in the Church. To continue to hide our identity only enables
shame and homophobia. We are committed to working from within
the Church,” says the movement.
Somehow I think they got this whole
concept backwards. Traditionaly ashes were worn as a
sing of our sin and contrition. We don’t throw ashes at
others because we think they they are in sin and don’t have contrition.
By this silly logic counter-protesters could throw ashes at
the Rainbow Sash Movement. Previously they have made a Sash
of themselves and they continue to make an ash of themselves. But I
guess their backwards concept makes change because instead of changing
themselves and growing in holiness, they have decided that the Church
must change.
There press release is rather ironic since
they are upset about the clergy abuse scandal which they said was
caused by clericalism. Yeah clericalism caused the 81 percent
of sex crimes against pubescent boys (Ephebophilia).