Dear @Moses: I’m Jewish and I support:
- Baal
- Golden Idols
- Going back to Egypt
- Eating unclean animals
- Non-Aaronic priesthood
Next time I go to the Tabernacle,
I dare you to have the earth swallow me up.
Ed Condon at The Pillar asks Do the bishops need a document on the sacrament of penance, too?
Had the bishops of previous decades offered an unapologetic presentation of the moral consequences of cooperating in abortion then, when the appearance of partisanship was less acute, the matter would be nowhere near as politically contentious as it is today.
When you kick the can down the road, the can is still there. In this case, the can is now considered weaponized.
The appearance of some bishops to emphasize that we are all sinners almost to the point of inferring that, since all of us are, none of us need to worry about it, can be seen as a real contributor to the current pastoral crisis. This too, has been a generational problem for the U.S. bishops, born out of an ecclesial culture of the 1970s, which bought into a wider popular cultural ridicule of so-called “Catholic guilt.”
The deemphasis of the Sacrament of Penance over at least the last fifty years has its foreseen results. This, combined with cultural Pelagianism and the loss of the sense of sin, is a toxic cocktail within the Church. The loss of the understanding of sin means that there is no need of a savior. We don’t need to be saved from our sins if we are “only human” and thus imperfect. We acknowledge our failings and want to do better but have lost the connection in how we have offended God. We are trying to put band-aids on problems instead of addressing that our wounds are healed by the wounds of Christ in this sacrament. We were created to give glory to God and our very telos (perfection) is to do so. The grace given us in confession when our sins our forgiven help us to realize our utter dependence on God for everything. We can develop gratitude and thankfulness, which enables us to enter into worshipping God more fully. In turn we can also enter more deeply into the great mystery of Jesus in the Eucharist.
The USSCB has been planning over the last year for a multi-year National Eucharistic Revival (details). This is partly in response to polls taken on belief in the Eucharist among even Mass-going Catholics. I am not aware of polls regarding belief in the Sacrament of Penance and its necessity, likely they would be even more dismal. Possibly, we also need a National Confession Revival. The Pillar article asks if the conference should write document on the Sacrament of Penance? Consider me skeptical regarding USSCB efforts in the first place. I can’t think of any of their documents or efforts that can be categorized as brilliant successes. The more visible Fortnight for Freedom program had no apparent effect during the President Obama years to curtail the assault on religious freedom. Maybe this would have been worse without it?
Most Catholic here are unaware, for the most part, of these conference efforts. Usually, it is only Catholic policy wonks, such as myself, who even read their documents. Bishop conferences are historically a relatively new thing and so far we have no examples of them sparking a revival. It has always been saints that have done so. Individuals or small groups have called others to personal revival through their example and holiness. Still, I wish them luck as possibly it can inspire individual bishops and individuals to focus on the reality of the Eucharist. We should be praying that God raises up saints for us for such a revival.
“Now in history there is no Revolution that is not a Restoration. Among the many things that leave me doubtful about the modern habit of fixing eyes on the future, none is stronger than this: that all the men in history who have really done anything with the future have had their eyes fixed upon the past.” – G.K. Chesterton
So a new document on confession should at least be seen as part of the same effort for Eucharistic revival. My opinion is that primarily confession needs once again to be more visible. “If you have it, they will come” is my “Field of Dreams” theology here. In most parishes, as far as I can tell, confession is available publicly sometime before the Saturday Vigil Mass. So for many Catholic it is hidden and out of the way. Many will not see people in line to confession as a regular occurrence. In the parish I came into the Church in, they have confession before every single Mass. My current parish has it available every day. It gives me a feeling of joy to see people in line for confession. It is both a reminder of my own need for the sacrament and a feeling of joy knowing others are having their sins forgiven and given grace. The Church builds on the constant conversion of each of us.
When I saw the New York Times’ Headline Pope’s Silence Speaks Volumes on Controversial Communion Vote by U.S. Bishops I knew it would be worth a laugh.
As mind-numbing stupid as I expected.
☑ Quoting Austen Ivereigh
☑ CDF Document seen as slap-down
☑ US dominant Conservative bishops not following Pope Francis’ more pastoral approach
Apparently they are totally unaware that of the text produced by Latin American bishops in 2007 led by then Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio. Or that he might have even coined the term “Eucharistic Coherence”. Or even the existing document by the USCCB on the subject.
Most reporting on the Church should just redirect to The Pillar so that you get informed, not POV-slanted-narrative.
- Has Pope Francis weighed in on ‘Eucharistic coherence?’ – The Pillar
- What the USCCB already teaches about ‘Eucharistic coherence’ – The Pillar
- CDF head calls for ‘extensive and serene’ debate on Communion by US bishops – The Pillar
Plus we have the flurry of politicians and celebrities weighing in with opinions that show they have not spent 1 second looking into why their gotcha-proof-of-hypocrispy just might be vaporous. Straw prices will probably climb with the scarcity due to all the straw men being constructed.
I am a bit tired of being lectured by those who think murdering the pre-born is A-OK, but denying the Eucharist (which they probably don’t even believe in the reality of) as a high crime.
I saw one Catholic Congressman tweet a list that would make a fine list of items to go into confession with to repent of. Instead it is a brag and a dare to the USCCB.
Plus I want every single one of these critics to become saints. I want them to love Jesus in the most Holy Sacrament so much that worldly fascinations with the spirit of the age will seem like a mess of pottage that they were tricked into receiving (thus rejecting somebody else’s birthright – to be born).
Last year when I started working at home at the start of the pandemic, I set up shop in my Florida room. I needed space to work with both my work laptop and my personal one. At the time, our VPN was limited to only corporate-owned machines. So I retasked a folding long picnic table as the base for all this equipment and cables to share a monitor. So I lived with this Adhoc setup for quite a while. It was very functional and an aesthetic eyesore. This disorder annoyed me, but hey, it was only a temporary situation!
I had learned over this time that working and using my Florida Room was pretty great as far as having sunlight and a view of the weather. Even during storms, it was much preferable to a cubicle farm. Plus, being able to listen to music and podcasts without headphones is also great. I had started using my guitar FRFR speakers as also computer speakers. So a mixer takes input from my computer, iPad, and guitar effects processor. The downside was all the visible cable and power strips.
During this last week, I decided to remedy the situation and to simplify and set up a more permanent solution. Before the pandemic, I had an iMac and a desk that added a collapsible standing desk. Unfortunately, this went unused since I needed room for two laptops at the time. I moved my main computer table into this location instead. I also traded in my laptop for a Mac Mini – it covered the cost.
So it has been a long week organizing and setting up the new computer. I am somewhat compulsive about setting up new machines. I have documented notes I maintain regarding what I want to install and set it up to my tastes. I rarely restore from a backup. I love that new minty-fresh OS feeling optimized to what I had learned since the last time.
I do like to stand while working because it kind of changes your attitude. It is easy to get comfy in a chair and not move about except to make coffee and to – ah – dispose of processed coffee. I can now unrhythmically prance about while listening to music for one thing. Plus, when I collapse the desk back down to sit for a while, I feel that it is a deserved rest.
This version of The Weekly Francis covers material released in the last week from 8 June 2019 to 16 June 2021.
The Weekly Francis is a compilation of the Holy Father’s writings, speeches, etc which I also post at Jimmy Akin’s blog.
Angelus
General Audiences
Homilies
- 8 June 2019 – Vigil of Pentecost
- 12 December 2019 – Holy Mass on the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe
- 15 December 2019 – Holy Mass for the Filippino Community
Messages
- 13 June 2021 – Fifth World Day of the Poor, 2021: “The poor you will always have with you” (Mk 14:7)
Papal Tweets
- “Perseverance is the gift of God by which all His other gifts are maintained. Let us pray that, as individuals and as Church, we might persevere in doing good, and not to lose sight of what counts.” @Pontifex 10 June 2021
- “I invite each one of you to look with confidence to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and to repeat often, especially during this month of June: Jesus, meek and humble of heart, transform our hearts and teach us to love God and our neighbor with generosity.” @Pontifex 11 June 2021
- “Children are the future of the human family: all of us are expected to promote their growth, health and tranquility. #NoChildLabourDay” @Pontifex 12 June 2021
- “Mary’s heart is like a pearl of incomparable splendour, formed and smoothed by patient acceptance of God’s will through the mysteries of Jesus meditated in prayer. #ImmaculateHeartofMary” @Pontifex 12 June 2021
- “The seed of our good works can seem like a small thing, yet all that is good pertains to God, and thus it humbly, slowly bears fruit. Good always grows in a humble, hidden, often invisible way. #GospelOfTheDay” @Pontifex 13 June 2021
- “I am particularly close to the people of Tigray, Ethiopia, affected by a serious humanitarian crisis. Let us #PrayTogether so that the violence ceases, food and health assistance is guaranteed to all, and social harmony is restored as soon as possible.” @Pontifex 13 June 2021
- “Today is World Blood Donor Day. I sincerely thank the volunteers and I encourage them to continue their work, bearing witness to the values of generosity and gratuitousness.” @Pontifex 14 June 2021
- “How evangelical it would be if we could say with all truth: we too are poor, because only in this way will we truly be able to recognize them, to make them part of our lives and an instrument of our salvation. Message” @Pontifex 14 June 2021
- “Where there is no honour for the #eldery, there is no future for the young. #WEAAD” @Pontifex 15 June 2021
- “Our prayers are fulfilled and completed when we intercede for others and take care of their concerns and needs. #Prayer does not separate us or isolate us from anyone, as it is love for all. #GeneralAudience” @Pontifex 16 June 2021
Papal Instagram
This version of The Weekly Francis covers material released in the last week from 23 May 2021 to 9 June 2021.
The Weekly Francis is a compilation of the Holy Father’s writings, speeches, etc which I also post on Jimmy Akin’s blog.
Angelus
Unknown
General Audiences
Homilies
Messages
- 4 June 2021 – Message of the Holy Father for the Launching of the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration
- 9 June 2021 – Video message of the Holy Father to mark the meeting of the “John 17 Movement” at the Saint Joseph’s Seminary of New York
- 9 June 2021 – Video Message of the Holy Father to participants in the Forum “Where do we stand with Amoris laetitia? Strategies for the application of Pope Francis’ Apostolic Exhortation”
Papal Tweets
- “The Eucharist, source of love for the life of the Church, is the school of charity and solidarity. Those who are nourished by the Bread of Christ cannot remain indifferent to those who do not have their daily bread. #CorpusDomini” @Pontifex 3 June 2021
- “During this month of June, dedicated in a special way to the Heart of Christ, we can repeat this simple prayer: “Jesus, make my heart resemble yours”. In this way, our own hearts will slowly but surely become more patient, more generous, more merciful…” @Pontifex 4 June 2021
- “We need an integral human ecology that can transform our way of living, our relationship with the earth’s resources, and that involves not only environmental questions, but the entire human person responding to the cry of the poor. #WorldEnvironmentDay” @Pontifex 5 June 2021
- “In this Decade on #Ecosystem Restoration, we must restore the various levels of ecological equilibrium: within ourselves, with others, with nature and other living creatures, and the spiritual equilibrium with God. #WorldEnvironmentDay” @Pontifex 5 June 2021
- “The #Eucharist heals because it unites with Jesus: it makes us assimilate his way of living, his ability to be broken up and given to brothers and sisters, to respond to evil with good. #CorpusDomini” @Pontifex 6 June 2021
- “In the #Eucharist fragility is strength: the strength of God’s love that becomes small so as to be welcomed and not feared; the strength of the love that is broken and shared so as to nourish and give life; the strength of the love that is split apart so as to join us in unity.” @Pontifex 6 June 2021
- “The #Eucharist gives us the courage to reach out with love toward the fragility of others. As God does with us. This is the logic of the Eucharist: we receive Jesus who loves us and heals our fragilities in order to love others and help them in their fragilities.” @Pontifex 6 June 2021
- “Let us #PrayTogether for the victims of the massacre that took place in a village of Burkina Faso. I am close to the family members and all the Burkinabé people suffering greatly because of these repeated attacks. Africa needs peace, not violence!” @Pontifex 6 June 2021
- “ join the Canadian Bishops and the whole Catholic Church in Canada in expressing my closeness to the Canadian people, who have been traumatised by shocking discovery of the remains of two hundred and fifteen children, pupils at the Kamloops Indian Residential School.” @Pontifex 6 June 2021
- “These difficult times are a strong call for everyone to turn away from the colonial model and walk side by side in dialogue, mutual respect and recognition of the rights and cultural values of all the daughters and sons of Canada.” @Pontifex 6 June 2021
- “To celebrate the #Eucharist, we need first to recognize our thirst for God, to sense our need for him, to long for his presence and love, to realize that we cannot go it alone. Homily” @Pontifex 7 June 2021
- “We cannot break bread on Sunday if our hearts are closed to our brothers and sisters. We cannot partake of that Bread if we do not give bread to the hungry. We cannot share that Bread unless we share the sufferings of our brothers and sisters in need.” @Pontifex 7 June 2021
- “Today at 1:00 pm International Catholic Action is calling for the dedication of ”one minute for peace“, each according to his or her own religious tradition. Let us pray in particular for the Holy Land and for Myanmar.” @Pontifex 8 June 2021
- “Our Eucharistic celebrations are transforming the world to the extent that we are allowing ourselves to be transformed and to become bread broken for others.” @Pontifex 8 June 2021
Papal Instagram
In the middle of May this year, I traveled to Ohio to appear on The Journey Home program.
This was rather exciting for me since I have watched this show on EWTN for the last 24 years and before I officially became Catholic. I had even seen the show live where Mother Angelica rather sandbagged Marcus Grodi about doing a show such as this. It was not a request he was expecting. In this show, men and women from varied Christian (and even non-Christian) backgrounds are interviewed about their journey into the Church. I have always loved this show learning about the people interviewed and their various stories: the commonalities and the differences of each unique conversion story.
I have also seen many friends and acquaintances of mine interviewed on the show and daydreamed about being on the show myself.
So when Matt Swaim contacted me about being on the show, there was no hesitation to my affirmation. Matt is a cohost on the Son Rise Morning Show and Outreach Manager for the Coming Home Network. I knew a bit about Matt since for quite a while as we had traded bad puns on Twitter. I had also heard him regularly on Gary Michuta’s Hands on Apologetics Podcast. I also had read his conversion story in My Name Is Lazarus: 34 Stories of Converts Whose Path to Rome Was Paved by G. K. Chesterton.
It was an absolute pleasure that on the day I flew in to have dinner with him and the extended talks we had as we drove back and forth from the location of the Coming Home Network where their studio is. It was rather cool to find out he had been reading my blog when he was still a Protestant. There was a period on my way into the Church where I had restricted myself to Christian music only – but not really the top-of-the-charts CCM stuff. I knew from our Twitter conversations we had some of the same tastes in these lesser-known bands. To discover that as a bassist in his Christian Punk Rock Group that he had opened up for some of my favorite obscure bands was delightful. Or that we had scoured the same [webzine][jm] looking for such bands. This would have been a great trip just for the conversations we had.
They go a long way to not inconvenience their guests. You are flown in the day before and tape the program the following day. After lunch, it was back to the airport to go home. So the experience goes by all too quickly. I would have loved to be able to have spent more time hanging out with the staff. The staff lunch only whetted my appetite for intelligent and fun conversation. Before the taping, at least I had an excellent talk with Bill Bateson, their Studio Manager. I would have loved to have done the same with everyone there. That conversation also turned to music and the similar tastes we have. I got to hear a little of his story into the Church.
The actual taping of the show is recorded without edits. Marcus Grodi interviewed me knowing little about me other than that I was a former atheist. Since the show is taped ahead of time it will be a couple of months before it airs on EWTN. The interview itself is kind of a blur to me now. Especially leading up to this, I had been accessing my own story and the fact that we hardly know ourselves. That often we learn about ourselves and our motivations later on. So this had given me some opportunity to think through some of this with now two decades past since entering the Church. Very bittersweet thinking about my late wife’s role in my conversion and just how much of an arrogant jerk I was (well still working on this). How my worldview and actions had poisoned so much. It is painful looking at the reality of this.
Right now, I am not all that confident in how the actual interview went. Having introvert tendencies, I can at times switch into performance mode. It is certainly not unknown for introverts to also be class clowns, as I was. So I hope it comes across more like a conversation as we talked. I also have a pretty good vocabulary. It is just that apparently I don’t have access to it when writing or talking. It just returns in hindsight. I hope it comes across how much I love the faith and that this is a well of mystery that will never dry up for me.
Before and after the recording, I had been praying that God could use this even if what I said was only helpful for one person. I learned while there that the impact of the program could also be years later in reruns. I have to constantly fight the temptation to making everything “all about me” as my various insecurities come forth and seek to rule me. So, of course, I write a post all about me and my appearance.
St. John the Baptist pray for me that I might decrease and that Jesus increase in me.
I was theologically grilled by two Orthodox Christians from Egypt.
I was not fooled by them playing good Copt, bad Copt with me.
This version of The Weekly Francis covers material released in the last week from 27 May 2021 to 2 June 2021.
The Weekly Francis is a compilation of the Holy Father’s writings, speeches, etc which I also post on Jimmy Akin’s blog.
Angelus
General Audiences
Messages
- 29 May 2021 – Video message of the Holy Father on occasion of the tenth anniversary of the creation of “Rezandovoy”, a project of the Society of Jesus in Spain, 29 May 2021
- 29 May 2021 – Message of the Holy Father for the funeral celebration of His Beatitude Gregory Peter XX Ghabroyan, Patriarch of Cilicia of the Armenians
Speeches
Papal Tweets
- “The first advice offered by the Holy Spirit is, “Live in the present”. There is no better time for us: now, here and now, is the one and only time to do good, to make our life a gift. Let us live in the present!” @Pontifex 27 May 2021
- “Secondly, the Holy Spirit tells us, “Look to the whole”. The Paraclete impels us to unity, to concord, to the harmony of diversity. He makes us see ourselves as parts of the same body, brothers and sisters of one another. Let us look to the whole!” @Pontifex 27 May 2021
- “Finally, the third advice is, “Put God before yourself”. Only by emptying ourselves, do we leave room for the Lord; only by giving ourselves to him, do we find ourselves; only by becoming poor in spirit, do we become rich in the Holy Spirit. Let us put God in first place!” @Pontifex 27 May 2021
- “May the Holy Spirit teach us to view the world with God’s eyes and to treat our brothers and sisters with the gentleness of His heart.” @Pontifex 28 May 2021
- “The Holy Spirit impels us to love not only those who love us and think as we do, but to love everyone, even as Jesus taught us. He enables us to forgive our enemies and the wrongs we have endured. He inspires us to be active and creative in love.” @Pontifex 29 May 2021
- “The mystery of the Most Holy Trinity is an immense mystery, which exceeds the capacities of our minds, but that speaks to our heart, because we find it encompassed in that expression of Saint John which summarizes all of Revelation: “God is love”.” @Pontifex 30 May 2021
- “If we forget the good, our hearts shrink. But if, like Mary, we remember the great things that the Lord does, if at least once a day we offer a short #prayer of praise, our hearts will expand and joy will increase. #Visitation” @Pontifex 31 May 2021
- “We pray to you, Blessed Mother, that you might untangle the knots that oppress us so that we can witness with joy to your Son and our Lord, Jesus Christ.” @Pontifex 31 May 2021
- “Video – The Beauty of Marriage” @Pontifex 1 June 2021
- “Even if our prayers might ramble and be weakened by a wavering faith, we must never stop putting our trust in Jesus. Supported by Jesus’ #prayer, our timid prayers rest on eagles’ wings and soar up to heaven. #GeneralAudience” @Pontifex 2 June 2021
Papal Instagram
Sometimes at Mass, the Eucharist gets caught in one of my teeth.
So of course I have pondered the cons and pros of this.
On the pro side: Since the Eucharist will end up being more slowly digested it is with me longer. Today I thought of this being a Toothernacle.
Con, it just doesn’t seem quite appropriate for me. So I try to dislodge it away with my tongue. Sometimes it seems quite stuck and I would be tempted to use a toothpick. Yet I do not want to become like Longinus.