This Week's Headlines

As another week comes to an end, this is your chance to top off your glass with a final helping of news, current events, and just plain interesting stuff that may not have made into the mainstream media. A chance to linger for a few more moments before we close the door on the week. Below are some links to articles, blogs, and miscellaneous happenings that caught my eye over the past few days. Sample what you like - I'll serve up more next Friday...

Putting the Christmas Back in Christ   - "We must never suppose that Jesus abandoned the innocence of that night in Bethlehem. We must not transform Him into those sorts of grownups we readily understand and readily dismiss: as if the 'real' Jesus would only appear once He began to preach in Galilee and Judea, or once He began to reinterpret the old covenant and the law of Moses."

Paradoxes of Christmas - "As we approach Christmas I would like to list some of the paradoxes of Christmas....the word paradox means something that defies intuition or the common way of thinking. It unsettles or startles us to make us think more deeply."

Fathers of the Church - "My Christmas present to readers of this electronic journal this year will be to tell you to go read the Church Fathers...I'd been disposed, by the Protestant environment in which I was raised (as everyone in North America is raised), not to expect the earliest Christian writers to be very Catholic. Only recently has this "nervous twitch" been entirely cured..."

The Christmas Light in the Shopping Madness - "Christmas is a match struck to darkness; its steady light—despite the best efforts of Mad Men and Marketers—still pierces and warms our awareness; we are not wholly overcome."

Facing the scandal of Christmas, will we turn away? Or believe and obey? - "No one, other than the occasional Scrooge, is opposed to celebrating family or giving gifts or singing joyful songs. The scandal of Christmas, however, is that the Incarnation is not a vague, sentimental concept, but a stunning, concrete reality. It is an Event that is a Person. And that Person, Jesus Christ, requires a response."

Defending Christmas in a Secular world - "As Christians, our response should always be: We’re here to share a gift of eternal life and peace with Our Lord Jesus Christ during our time on earth - and turning all your sorrow into joy."

Archbishop Fulton Sheen on the Advent and Christmas Mystery - "With characteristic insight and eloquence, he penetrates to the heart of the Christian life with practical reflections on love, holiness, spiritual power, miracles, and Christ-like living."



The Old Testament and the Messianic Hope - "The Messianic expectation of ancient Israel consisted of several strands, some of which were highlighted or stressed more at one time or by one prophet than others, but all together they introduce this multifaceted Messianic hope, which God presented in a more and more definite way over the course of the salvation history of the Old Covenant."


Did St. Joseph suspect the Blessed Virgin Mary of sin? - Interesting analysis (from Traditional sources such as the Church Fathers) of Joseph's motives in initially wishing to "quietly divorce" Mary upon finding her "with child." 

2010: The year that Christmas surrendered to mob rule - "...many shopping centers, food courts and malls, from Cleveland to Seattle, have staged these wonderful 'spontaneous' performances of the 'Hallelujah Chorus.'"
 

Christmas Without Apologies - "NPR legal correspondent Nina Totenberg reached the front lines in the perennial 'Christmas Wars' with an odd comment during a roundtable discussion "

Barbara Walters’ Question on The View Gives Pregnant Pause - "The View co-host Barbara Walters is getting an earful from popular pro-life blogger and family advocate Rachel Campos-Duffy." 

Take a Virtual Tour of the Sistine Chapel  - "The level of detail is superb, making it almost as if you were there, inside the room itself where conclaves are held and popes are elected. Check it out."

Being on God’s Side: An Open Letter to the Religious Right  - "There are those who call us 'Christianists' and claim we are attempting to 'impose a theocracy' - because name-calling and scaremongering are easier than engaging us in debate."

 

Why Taking Marriage for Granted Fails - "...equality and justice are indeed crucial to the debate over civil marriage law, but that to settle it—to determine what equality and justice demand—one must answer the question: what is marriage? So this is what the debate is ultimately about."

The Repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell - "Yes, we respect the dignity of all human beings. But the homosexual agenda is about changing our moral order."

New Census Numbers Make Obama 2012 Re-Election Tougher - "Ultimately, states voting against Obama in 2012 gained eight electoral votes while states supporting him in 2008 lost eight — a total shift of 16 electoral votes."

Keeping 'Mary' After Christmas

As Advent comes to a close, another reflection on a passage from Pope Benedict’s Images of Hope...

Catholics have a special place for Mary among the Saints. She is Queen of Heaven and Mother of God. She is our spiritual Mother and the archetype of the Church. She is the New Eve, conceived without original sin. Christmas especially highlights her role in salvation history, though we have many feasts dedicated to her throughout the rest of the liturgical year. All of this means that Mary is ever-present in Catholic spirituality and devotional practices. The Rosary, the Angelus, statuary and artwork, all bring us closer to the Mother of our Lord.

Our Protestant brethren do not share the same doctrinal beliefs and practices concerning Mary. I have often heard it said that for Protestants Mary is confined to the Nativity crèche. She is “taken out” and “dusted off” once a year, and placed next to the infant Jesus only to be “boxed up” again when the season has ended without much consideration until the next Christmas.

The Holy Father reminds us that Mary’s role as mother of Jesus did not end with His nativity. Just as the Incarnation has implications that go beyond the infancy of Jesus, so too  does Mary’s Motherhood extend beyond the stable at Bethlehem:

“…Christ counts for us not only through his work, through what he did, but above all through what he was and what he is in the entirety of his person. He counts for us differently from any other man because he is not merely man. He counts because in him earth and heaven touch, and thus in him God for us is tangible as man. The Church Fathers called Mary the holy earth from which he was formed as man. And the miracle is that God in Christ forever remains in union with the earth. Augustine expressed the same thought once as follows: Christ did not want a human father in order to make visible his sonship to God, but he wanted a human mother.

“'He wanted to take up the male sex in himself and give distinction to the female sex by honoring his mother…If Christ had appeared as man without regard for the female sex, women would have to despair of it. However he honored both, recommended both, assumed both. He is born of the woman. Men, do not despair! Christ saw fit to become a man. Women, do not despair! Christ saw fit to be born of woman. Both sexes work together for salvation. Come the male or come the female, in the faith there is neither man nor woman.'

“Let us express it a bit differently. In the drama of salvation it is not the case that Mary had a part to play before exiting the stage like an actor who has said his lines and departs. The Incarnation from woman is not a role that is completed after a short time; rather, it is the abiding being of God with the earth, with men, with us who are earth.”

Mary should not “exit the stage” when Christmas is over. She should not be packed up with the tree and the stockings, the garland and lights. These objects are used by us to celebrate the holy event of God-made-flesh; they are removed at the proper time. But Mary is not used in this way – she is an active participant not a passive symbol. God became flesh through the Virgin Mary and through her He raised up mankind. This is a fact that should be celebrated year-round, as indeed Catholics do. We should pray that all Christian find such a place for Mary long after the Christmas season has ended.

Sunday Mass Readings

December 19, 2010
Fourth Sunday of Advent
 
Reading 1

Is 7:10-14

The LORD spoke to Ahaz, saying:

Ask for a sign from the LORD, your God;
let it be deep as the netherworld, or high as the sky!
But Ahaz answered,
“I will not ask! I will not tempt the LORD!”
Then Isaiah said:
Listen, O house of David!
Is it not enough for you to weary people,
must you also weary my God?
Therefore the Lord himself will give you this sign:
the virgin shall conceive, and bear a son,
and shall name him Emmanuel.

Responsorial Psalm

Ps 24:1-2, 3-4, 5-6

R. (7c and 10b) Let the Lord enter; he is king of glory.

The LORD’s are the earth and its fullness;
the world and those who dwell in it.
For he founded it upon the seas
and established it upon the rivers.
R. Let the Lord enter; he is king of glory.
Who can ascend the mountain of the LORD?
or who may stand in his holy place?
One whose hands are sinless, whose heart is clean,
who desires not what is vain.
R. Let the Lord enter; he is king of glory.
He shall receive a blessing from the LORD,
a reward from God his savior.
Such is the race that seeks for him,
that seeks the face of the God of Jacob.
R. Let the Lord enter; he is king of glory.

Reading 2
Rom 1:1-7

Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus,

called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God,
which he promised previously through his prophets in the holy Scriptures,
the gospel about his Son, descended from David according to the flesh,
but established as Son of God in power
according to the Spirit of holiness
through resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Through him we have received the grace of apostleship,
to bring about the obedience of faith,
for the sake of his name, among all the Gentiles,
among whom are you also, who are called to belong to Jesus Christ;
to all the beloved of God in Rome, called to be holy.
Grace to you and peace from God our Father
and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Gospel
Mt 1:18-24

This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about.

When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph,
but before they lived together,
she was found with child through the Holy Spirit.
Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man,
yet unwilling to expose her to shame,
decided to divorce her quietly.
Such was his intention when, behold,
the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said,
“Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home.
For it is through the Holy Spirit
that this child has been conceived in her.
She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus,
because he will save his people from their sins.”
All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet:
Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall name him Emmanuel,
which means “God is with us.”
When Joseph awoke,
he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him
and took his wife into his home.

This Week's Headlines

As another week comes to an end, this is your chance to top off your glass with a final helping of news, current events, and just plain interesting stuff that may not have made into the mainstream media. A chance to linger for a few more moments before we close the door on the week. Below are some links to articles, blogs, and miscellaneous happenings that caught my eye over the past few days. Sample what you like - I'll serve up more next Friday...

What About Santa? - "Do you teach your kids that Santa is real? Or do you worry that such tales might interfere with their understanding of the real meaning of Christmas?"

Is the Abbreviation “Xmas” Really a Secular Slight of Christmas? Or is it Something Else? - Generally speaking I avoid the term today even though, due to my training, it does not bother me. Tactically speaking I also avoid it due to the fact that we need to unambiguously announce Jesus and “X” just doesn’t do that anymore.


Why we need the Catholic League - Archbishop Dolan: "Bill Donohue hardly needs me to defend him.  He’s well-able to do it himself, and has a lot of experience doing so.  But, he’s stood up for a lot of us before, and I am glad to express my encouragement for the work he does." See also this article.


Do You Renounce Kennedy and All His Works? - "The issue is no longer (as it was for Pope Leo XIII) whether the state should provide a basic 'safety net' to catch the unlucky victims of market vagaries. No, the modern Left wants a comprehensive nanny state that wipes every snotty nose, gives 'time outs' for every insensitive remark, and nudges every citizen toward healthy, tolerant behavior productive of the maximum long-term pleasure."

The Beginning of the End for Obamacare? - "On what basis did the Obama administration and the Congress believe they could use the force of law (IRS enforcement) to compel U.S. citizens to purchase a service, in this case health insurance, against their will? More specific, where in the Constitution is Congress given that kind of power? The answer to that question, given by Judge Hudson, is a blunt, 'nowhere.'"


“The Big Cover” of Government Solutions - "It is a deleterious slab of a 'solution' that suffocates us unless we adapt to it, and in truth make ourselves rather uncomfortable in order to accommodate it..."


Shadowing an Exorcist - "Exorcism was central to what Jesus was trying to do in his public ministry. There was spiritual warfare in the early Church, and it has been passed on to priests today who are now exorcists."


Bearing Better Witness - "Is emotional commitment between two adults what the state should care about in marriage? What should a state that does not establish any religion understand marriage to be? I think the answer is clear. The state must promote the best setting in which to nurture the next generation of wholesome citizens."

The Ethics of Profit, the Profit of Ethics - "We ought to celebrate the free market, the drive for profitability and the quest for efficiency. We ought to acknowledge and thank those business enterprises that do business the right way and realize the financial reward."

What Are We Missing? - "It’s easy to get caught up in the mainstream ideas of what’s important but the fact remains that as Christians we are called to go against the mainstream.Our children are on loan to us from God.  Are we doing what He would want us to for them to get to Heaven?"

The Joys of Boys - "I have to admit that there's a refreshing simplicity about the way that most boys handle conflicts...If they need to, they fight."

Abortion and the Occult: A Glimpse Inside Life at a Death Mill - "Seidman described her mother’s abortion clinic as 'pervaded with occult imagery and practices.' ...Seidman’s story aligns strongly with the experience of Rev. Thomas Euteneuer, an exorcist and former president of Human Life International, who has spoken for years on abortion’s connection to the occult."

The ACLU’s Not-So-Holy Trinity - "The ACLU seems unusually active right now. Maybe it’s the Christmas season, which seems to make the ACLU more miserable than usual."

CNN Clearly Hates Half the Country - "CNN has officially lost its mind. OK. That may have happened a long time ago but this is just too ridiculous."

Please give me some of that ol' time religion! - "I have seriously considered becoming Orthodox as of late..."

Fr.Paul, Fried Chicken and the Immaculate Conception  - Note: This post is a little old since the Immaculate Conception was celebrated on December 8, but I couldn't pass up this quote: "We believe in the Immaculate Conception because the Pope tells us to. Pass the fried chicken."

A Christmas People

As Christmas approaches I thought I would share a passage from the book Images of Hope: Meditations on Major Feasts, by Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI). In this excerpt, the future Holy Father highlights for us the humility of God in the Incarnation, and also how fitting it is that God’s Son should take the form of a child:

“…God truly became ‘Emmanuel,’ God with us. No barrier of majesty or distance divides us from him. He has drawn so near to us as a child that we unabashedly address him familiarly and can have direct, personal access to the child’s heart.

“In the child Jesus, the defenselessness of God is apparent. God comes without weapons, because he does not wish to conquer from the outside but desires to win and transform us from within. If anything can conquer man’s vainglory, his violence, his greed, it is the vulnerability of the child. God assumed this vulnerability in order to conquer us and lead us to himself.

“Meanwhile, let us not forget that the highest title of Jesus Christ is ‘the Son,’ Son of God. The divine dignity is designated by one word that shows Jesus as the eternal child. His being a child stands in a unique correspondence to his divinity, which is the dignity of the ‘Son.’ Thus his being a child gives direction, tells us how we can come to God, how we can come to divinization. It is in this respect that we are to understand his words: ‘Unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven’ (Mt 18:3).

“Whoever has not understood the mystery of Christmas has not understood what is decisive in being Christian. Whoever has not accepted this cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven…”

Earlier in the same text, Cardinal Ratzinger points out that the original feast of Christianity was not Christmas, but Easter. “For indeed it was the Resurrection that established Christian faith and let the Church come to be… Being a Christian means living from Easter, that is, from the Resurrection that is celebrated every week on Sunday.” Thus it is the Passion, death and Resurrection of Jesus that marks the beginning of the Catholic Church.

Yet Jesus’ birth (the celebration of Christmas) has great significance for us as well. Certainly Jesus tells us we must take up our cross and follow Him; that we must die to this life so that we might rise with Him to new life; we must conform our lives to the life and death of the adult Jesus. But He also says that we must become like children, we must have the faith of a child, and humble ourselves as He did in taking human form. We are sons and daughters of God as He is the Son of God and the son of Mary.

Certainly Christians are called to be an Easter people, but so too are we a Christmas people. Before the empty tomb there was a stable in Bethlehem. Before the cross there was the wood of the manger.

Bearing Witness to Marriage

I just read a great article at First Things that makes the case in favor of heterosexual marriage. While the author is specifically addressing Evangelicals who are waffling on the issue of same-sex marriage, the overall substance of the argument in favor of traditional marriage is important for all of us (Catholic, Christian, or otherwise). I was very pleased to see that the author used exactly the same reasoning that I have employed in this debate. This is the type of logical, reasoned argument (appealing to natural law and common sense) that is needed on this issue. Below is an excerpt:

"Many Americans, including substantial numbers of evangelical youth, ask: How does granting a state marriage license to that 5 percent of the population that is gay hurt the 95 percent that is heterosexual? How can we deny the rights and privileges of marriage to gay people without violating the principles of justice, equality, and respect for individual freedom? Many Americans embrace the libertarian principle that we should maximize the freedom of each individual except where that harms others, and most believe that marriage is 'primarily a way in which two adults affirm their emotional commitment to one another,' as gay activist Andrew Sullivan has written.

"If that is the proper definition of marriage, it is indeed unfair for the state to deny that privilege to a few when it grants it to the majority. But everything depends on the definition. If marriage is not about bringing up children, but about how adults solemnize their emotional commitment to each other, gay marriage becomes plausible. Other relationships become plausible as well. Why should marriage be limited to two people, for example? In fact, in 2006, prominent pro-gay activists, including Gloria Steinem and professors at Yale and Columbia, urged the state to recognize polygamous marriages and relationships of multiple sex partners.

"Is emotional commitment between two adults what the state should care about in marriage? What should a state that does not establish any religion understand marriage to be? I think the answer is clear. The state must promote the best setting in which to nurture the next generation of wholesome citizens.

"In a fascinating article in the Public Interest called 'The Liberal Case Against Gay Marriage,' Susan Shell argues that the state’s central concern is to secure 'the relation between a child and a particular set of parents.' In marriage, Shell notes, 'A husband is, until otherwise proven, the acknowledged father of his wife’s offspring, with recognized rights and duties that may vary from society to society but always exist in some form. And a wife is a woman who can expect a certain specified sort of help from her husband in the raising of her offspring. All other functions of marriage borrow from or build upon this one.'

She asks: 'Can those who are not even potentially partners in reproduction, and who could never under any circumstances have been so, actually ‘marry’?' Her answer is no. Whatever else one may want to say positively about the emotional commitment of two men or two women to each other, it is simply not marriage. If the central concern of the state in marriage law is to secure a good relationship between a child and its biological parents, then by definition marriage can only involve a man and a woman.

"Other things being equal, it is better for children to grow up with their biological parents. Marriage to the mother is by far the best way to ensure responsible fatherhood. When not married to the mother, few men are effective fathers. As far as the state is concerned, the first concern of marriage law must be to protect the interests of children and thereby create an ongoing, stable, wholesome social order."

The piece is titled "Bearing Better Witness," and the author is Ron Sider, president of Evangelicals for Social Action and professor of theology, holistic ministry, and public policy at Palmer Seminary at Eastern University. Read the whole article here.

Sunday Mass Readings

December 12, 2010
Third Sunday of Advent

Reading 1
Is 35:1-6a, 10

The desert and the parched land will exult;
the steppe will rejoice and bloom.
They will bloom with abundant flowers,
and rejoice with joyful song.
The glory of Lebanon will be given to them,
the splendor of Carmel and Sharon;
they will see the glory of the LORD,
the splendor of our God.
Strengthen the hands that are feeble,
make firm the knees that are weak,
say to those whose hearts are frightened:
Be strong, fear not!
Here is your God,
he comes with vindication;
with divine recompense
he comes to save you.
Then will the eyes of the blind be opened,
the ears of the deaf be cleared;
then will the lame leap like a stag,
then the tongue of the mute will sing.
Those whom the LORD has ransomed will return
and enter Zion singing,
crowned with everlasting joy;
they will meet with joy and gladness,
sorrow and mourning will flee.

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 146:6-7, 8-9, 9-10.

R. (cf. Is 35:4) Lord, come and save us.
or:
R. Alleluia.
The LORD God keeps faith forever,
secures justice for the oppressed,
gives food to the hungry.
The LORD sets captives free.
R. Lord, come and save us.
or:
R. Alleluia.
The LORD gives sight to the blind;
the LORD raises up those who were bowed down.
The LORD loves the just;
the LORD protects strangers.
R. Lord, come and save us.
or:
R. Alleluia.
The fatherless and the widow he sustains,
but the way of the wicked he thwarts.
The LORD shall reign forever;
your God, O Zion, through all generations.
R. Lord, come and save us.
or:
R. Alleluia.

Reading 2
Jas 5:7-10

Be patient, brothers and sisters,
until the coming of the Lord.
See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth,
being patient with it
until it receives the early and the late rains.
You too must be patient.
Make your hearts firm,
because the coming of the Lord is at hand.
Do not complain, brothers and sisters, about one another,
that you may not be judged.
Behold, the Judge is standing before the gates.
Take as an example of hardship and patience, brothers and sisters,
the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.

Gospel
Mt 11:2-11

When John the Baptist heard in prison of the works of the Christ,
he sent his disciples to Jesus with this question,
“Are you the one who is to come,
or should we look for another?”
Jesus said to them in reply,
“Go and tell John what you hear and see:
the blind regain their sight,
the lame walk,
lepers are cleansed,
the deaf hear,
the dead are raised,
and the poor have the good news proclaimed to them.
And blessed is the one who takes no offense at me.”
As they were going off,
Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John,
“What did you go out to the desert to see?
A reed swayed by the wind?
Then what did you go out to see?
Someone dressed in fine clothing?
Those who wear fine clothing are in royal palaces.
Then why did you go out? To see a prophet?
Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet.
This is the one about whom it is written:
Behold, I am sending my messenger ahead of you;
he will prepare your way before you.
Amen, I say to you,
among those born of women
there has been none greater than John the Baptist;
yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.”