Monday Musings

I wasn't near a computer on Friday, so I was unable to publish a roundup of headlines. Hopefully, I'll get to it this week, with a few extras thrown in from last week.

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I had an appointment with my eye doctor last week - just a regular exam. While going through the check-in procedure at the front desk, I was asked to look into a camera mounted on the desk so that they could take my picture for their database. (?)  This, along with a few other strange questions and a much longer than usual form I had to fill out, made me wonder what was going on.

Later the doctor and I were chatting about some of these new procedures, and he explained that the new federal healthcare law requires these things. Other odd requirements for eye doctors include recording your weight and height, keeping a growth chart for children, and recording information about the patient's mannerisms - What was their mood? Were they pleasant to talk to?

My doctor admitted that he had no idea why he, as an eye doctor, should be interested in a person's weight or a child's growth rate. And if he did need to know this sort of thing, he doesn't need the federal government regulating the gathering of that information on every single patient. He also told me that his office had been through six different versions of computer software over the past year for gathering and compiling this information. Each time a new regulation was unveiled or a kink in the system was discovered, they had to recalibrate and try again. And all of this fuss was for information that they don't even need to serve their patients. This just goes to show what kind of bureaucratic mess is created when the federal government tries to manage something so personal as healthcare.

That's why the principle of subsidiarity is so important. In Catholic Social Justice the principle of subsidiarity states that a social problem should be solved by the lowest possible group or organization within society. Higher groups or authorities should not intervene in lower-level matters unless absolutely necessary, and even then it should only be in limited ways. The federal government has no business telling my eye doctor what information he should gather about my height or what "mood" I might happen to be in. If my doctor needs such information, he can gather it himself, and that should remain between me and him. The healthcare law is an obvious violation of subsidiarity. The federal government is reaching too far into the private, doctor-patient relationship, and it's only going to get worse as the law comes into full effect next year.

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I recently began reading a book entitled Women Priests and Other Fantasies, which contains a series of essays by Father Vincent Miceli. As the title suggests, at least one of these essays pertains to the issue of female ordination. All of the usual arguments against such a practice are skillfully explained by the author. But for me, one particular point stood out. Briefly, it goes as follows:

Feminists say that forbidding female ordination is an injustice against women. The reason Jesus didn't call women to be priests (according to feminists) is that He was conforming to the standards of His time - women were second-class citizens in His day, and so He simply followed that social norm. If He had lived in our age, then He would have called women to be ordained. Thus feminists argue that we must now ordain women to correct this longstanding injustice.

The author refutes this reasoning soundly by pointing out that Jesus was not a blind conformist...He broke social norms many times, especially regarding the role of women. But perhaps more importantly, if Jesus really was simply conforming to the social norms of His time by excluding women from the priesthood, then we must admit that Jesus instituted an unjust practice. He unjustly excluded women based on the social pressures of His day. This would mean that Jesus, the Son of God, is not the God of Justice. This can simply not be true. If we accept the divinity of Jesus, then the male priesthood makes sense because Jesus is the God of Justice.

Quote of the Week

"Malfunctions and defects in the Social Assistance State are the result of an inadequate understanding of the tasks proper to the State. Here again the principle of subsidiarity must be respected: a community of a higher order should not interfere in the internal life of a community of a lower order, depriving the latter of its functions, but rather should support it in case of need and help to coordinate its activity with the activities of the rest of society, always with a view to the common good." - (Pope John Paul II, Centesimus Annus)

Monday Musings

This is the first installment of what will be a weekly feature.

A few random thoughts and musings to start the week…

I just finished reading a book entitled The Reform of the Reform by Fr. Thomas M. Kocik (Ignatius Press), which assesses the liturgical situation within the Church after the reforms of the Second Vatican Council. Fr. Kocik presents a fictional debate between a “traditionalist” (who would like to see a return to the pre-Vatican II Latin Mass) and a “reformist” (a tradition-minded Catholic who accepts the changes instituted by the Council but recognizes the need for improvement within a workable framework). Also included are a few essays from various thinkers within the current reform movement who mull over ideas for effective liturgical reform, and a point-by-point comparison between the old and new rite of Mass.

This book was published in 2003 – before Benedict XVI was installed as pope. What is amazing, besides the spot-on analysis of our current liturgical troubles, is the direct correlation between what the reformists suggest (ten years ago) and what has actually happened under the current pontificate of Benedict XVI. For example, the author wrote that he believed more freedom should be given to individual priests to celebrate unhindered the Tridentine Latin Mass (though he doubts this would ever happen)…yet, here we are under Pope Benedict, with full freedom to celebrate the Latin without special permission from the local bishop. Also it is mentioned that a new English translation of the Mass, one that is more faithful to the Latin, would be a tremendous help…and again, here we are preparing for just that.

This makes one wonder what else that is mentioned in this book might be in store for the Church with regard to liturgical renewal. The book also suggests encouraging priests to face in the same direction as the people (to the “liturgical East” – that is, with his back to the people), an increased use of Latin chant, and a renewed emphasis on symbolic gestures. Is Pope Benedict moving the Church toward a more traditional style of liturgical worship? It certainly seems so…and I pray it continues.

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Along with summer comes summer vacations. And as Catholics we are obliged to attend Mass every Sunday, even if we are on the road. Why not turn this religious duty into an integral part of your vacation by treating it as a mini "pilgrimage." Find an important church (maybe a basilica or a shrine) that is near where you plan to spend your vacation, or perhaps along the route to or from your vacation spot. Spend a few hours visiting and praying there and then attend Mass. It takes some planning, but it can be very rewarding and it becomes a highlight of the trip instead of just an afterthought. Such a pilgrimage is part of our plan this summer. I’ll post more about this later.

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Today is the Fourth of July, so I’ll end with a quote from one of the Founding Fathers appropriate for this occasion…

“…We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion. Avarice, ambition, revenge, or gallantry, would break the strongest cords of our Constitution as a whale goes through a net. Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” - (John Adams, Message to the Officers of the First Brigade of the Third Division of the Militia of Massachusetts, October 11, 1798)

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...

Four reasons why the Bread of Life Discourse cannot be a metaphor - "Most, though not all, Protestants wiggle and fidget as they come to the Bread of Life Discourse in the sixth chapter of the Gospel according to St. John; and they have good reason to be disturbed! "

The Most Effective and Radical Remedy Against Idolatry - Pope Benedict XVI: "Adoring the Body of Christ, means believing that there, in that piece of Bread [with a capital-B], Christ is really there, and gives true sense to life, to the immense universe as to the smallest creature, to the whole of human history as to the most brief existence.”

A new Consistory after summer - "Noises are being made in the Vatican about a possible Consistory for the creation of new cardinals in autumn or possibly later, in the first few months of 2012."

In New York, Marriage "Altered Radically and Forever" - "...after weeks of heated debate and charged negotiations, the New York Senate approved a same-sex marriage bill by a 33-29 vote, making the Empire State the sixth -- and, by far, most consequential -- Stateside jurisdiction to enact full legal status for gay unions.

How to Destroy a Culture in five Easy Steps - "...while Americans may profess to worship Allah, Jehovah, or Jesus, we mostly worship an American Idol—ourselves. That is why social libertarianism has become our country’s fastest-growing cult."

‘Gay Marriage,’ Libertarians, and Civil Rights - "'Gay marriage' in fact represents a vast expansion of state power: In this instance, the state of New York is declaring that it has the competence to redefine a basic human institution in order to satisfy the demands of an interest group looking for the kind of social acceptance that putatively comes from legal recognition."

Two Reasons Same-Sex Marriage Is Gaining Ground - "...marriage laws are by definition discriminatory. They discriminate FOR families (not against non-married persons) in order to build up what is good for society."

Two Questions: Do We Need to Use a Different Word for Marriage in the Church? and, Should Catholic Clergy Cease Signing Civil “Marriage” Licenses?

Redefining Marriage - Part I and Part II [In my opinion, Part II is especially good.]

How to Be Immodest About Modesty - "After a certain point, thinking about modesty all the time is just another way of thinking about sex all the time.  No matter how you got there, it’s not a good place to be."


Sixth Circuit’s Obamacare Decision on the Way to the Supreme Court - "By granting Congress such broad powers under the Commerce Clause, the appellate court has created a new kind of power not previously known to the jurisprudence, which effectively grants the federal government state police power, thereby rendering any notion of the constitutionally mandated federalism dead letter law.  This is a dangerous precedent.”
 

The Church Built on Peter - [Interesting article on the history of Peter's tomb] "When the tropaion of Peter was found underneath the high altar during archaeological excavations in 1941, there was great rejoicing, because it matched what Gaius had written at the end of the second century. Even more exciting was the fact that they found bones in what was clearly Peter’s tomb underneath the victory monument."

Video of Pope Benedict XVI launching new website via iPad

Quote of the Week

"It is allowed to no one else to participate in that food which we call Eucharist except the one who believes that the things taught by us are true, who has been cleansed in the washing unto rebirth and the forgiveness of sins and who is living according to the way Christ handed on to us. For we do not take these things as ordinary bread or ordinary drink. Just as our Savior Jesus Christ was made flesh by the word of God and took on flesh and blood for our salvation, so also were we taught that the food, for which thanksgiving has been made through the word of prayer instituted by him, and from which our blood and flesh are nourished after the change, is the flesh of that Jesus who was made flesh. Indeed, the Apostles, in the records left by them which are called gospels, handed on that it was commanded to them in this manner: Jesus, having taken bread and given thanks said, 'Do this in memory of me, this is my body.' Likewise, having taken the cup and given thanks, he said, 'This is my blood', and he gave it to them alone."

- Justin Martyr,  Apology, I.66-67, (A.D.155)

Some thoughts on Corpus Christi

Catholics are often accused of "idolatry" because we fill our churches with statues and depictions of saints and religious figures and use them in our prayer life. But anyone who knows anything about Catholic devotional practices can tell you that we do not worship these images. They merely provide physical reminders of our faith and serve to heighten our awareness that all of creation gives glory to God. Everything of beauty in the physical world (from a breathtaking sunrise to Michelangelo’s Pieta) points us to the reality of God’s divine glory. Catholics use physical beauty as a reminder of this truth.

However, if ever there was a plausible reason to accuse Catholics of idolatry it would be the Eucharist. According to Catholic teaching, the bread and wine at Mass cease to be bread and wine, and become the body and blood, soul and divinity of Jesus Christ. In other words, we believe that the bread becomes the incarnate Son of God, the second person of the Blessed Trinity. We really do bow down and worship that little wafer of “bread” and adore Him as God. We do nothing of the sort to our statues, paintings, mosaics, or stained glass. But to the Eucharist we fall down on our knees and worship.

So if Catholics are wrong about this belief – if the bread does not really become God – then what we do is truly idolatrous. We worship a thing that is not God. Go ahead and accuse us of it, and then we can discuss the merits of your argument.

But if Catholics are right – if the bread and wine truly do transform into Jesus – then other Christians should be flocking to the Catholic Church so that they too can be in His presence. If we are right, then other Christians are missing out on Jesus’ physical presence among us.

So…it is either one, or the other: either Catholics are idol-worshipers or the rest of the Christian churches are denying God’s true presence.

Ave verum corpus, natum

de Maria Virgine,

vere passum, immolatum

in cruce pro homine,

cuius latus perforatum

fluxit aqua et sanguine:

esto nobis praegustatum

in mortis examine.

O Iesu dulcis, O Iesu pie, O Iesu, fili Mariae.

Miserere mei. Amen.

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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...

"You Will Not Change Me into Yourself... You Will Be Changed Into Me"  - "...here's the Vatican's English rendering of B16's homily at yesterday's traditional outdoor Mass for Corpus Christi at St John Lateran."
A Lutheran Pastor Shows the Need for the Catholic Church - "So Luther turned to sola Scriptura not because Scripture says so (It doesn't), but because it means he doesn't have to concede he's wrong, when he doesn't feel like he's wrong."



 Heaven, Hell, and Progressive Catholics - "When it comes to Catholics, hell’s disappearance and the ensuing trivialization of the hope of heaven has resulted in some effectively redefining their faith so that it becomes almost exclusively focused on various political agendas with utopian flavors ('end poverty forever'). It’s especially characteristic of those religious orders whose numbers have collapsed over the past 40 years."



The Magisterium and Catholic Social Teaching - "We are bound to obey in those social issues that are strictly defined (abortion, marriage, pornography, contraception, etc.). However, in the great majority of social, political, and economic questions, the Church gives principles that allow the laity to apply them as best they can, according to their understanding of the problem."

The Failure of Our Gay Marriage Argument - "Why have many of us in the anti-SSM camp been unwilling to deploy the argument that homosexual behavior is immoral/unnatural? For one, we have been intimidated by the gay movement’s very formidable propaganda machine."

On the Fearful Fruits of False Freedom - "One of the terribly destructive philosophies is a false notion of freedom. The sinful world, going all the way back to Satan’s deceit in the garden, thinks of freedom as being able to do whatever I please."

Wisconsin to Defund Planned Parenthood - "Wisconsin will join Indiana, Kansas and North Carolina in passing similar legislation. Each cut funding to the health care and abortion provider earlier this year."

Movies, Beauty, Truth, and Swear Words - "If you've seen movies like The Blind Side and X-Men or TV series like "Lost" and "24," you've been exposed to projects that have been worked on by alumni or faculty of the Act One program in Hollywood."

...It was a long week, and I had very little time to gather articles for this Friday's post. I recomend the following sites to find more interesting Catholic links:

New Advent
Pew Sitter
Ignatius Insight
Catholic Online
Creative Minority Report
Crisis Magazine