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... 

Fracture since the Second Vatican Council. Are we creating a New Tower of Babel? - "...the new translation is to be accompanied by catechesis on re-sacralising the liturgy - reverence and paying attention to the rubrics is something we are supposed to have been doing with the old missal but many people didn't bother." 

Why Obama is in Danger of Losing the Catholic Vote in 2012 - "...we’ll need all hands on deck to keep Catholics in the column of the candidate and party that best represents Catholic social teaching on foundational issues as life, marriage, family, subsidiarity, and religious freedom in 2012." 

Next Election, Don’t Count on the Seniors - "...the mainstream media utterly abandoned whatever responsibilities to the public trust to which it still felt obliged, tossed presumptive-nominee Hillary Clinton aside and—rejecting any-and-all discomfiting questions about his experience, background, past-operations, education, friendships or capabilities—hoisted candidate Barack Obama upon their shoulders and carried him into the White House in triumph."

 

Why I Was a Pro-Choice Vegetarian - "When I began researching Catholicism, one of the many things that immediately resonated as true was the Church’s teaching on the dignity of man. This idea that every single one of us has dignity—a dignity that exists simply by virtue of being human, regardless of our of size, intelligence, consciousness, or any other observable traits—was like an articulation of a truth that had been written on my heart all along."

Catholic Orthodoxy is Not Bigotry: A Response to the Hate-Filled Comments Received by a Catholic Blogger - "So much for the 'tolerance' of many of our interlocutors. And yet it is we who are called hateful, bigoted, phobic and so forth."

This statement is not bigotry: Public displays of homosexual affection should be illegal - "While it is certainly possible that some might disagree with the claim that homosexuality is immoral and harmful to society, that is a point which can be debated; but is anyone so narrow-minded as to think that one who questions the morality of homosexuality is therefore a hate-filled 'bigot'?"

What Mormons can teach Catholics about online evangelization - "Stephen Allen, head of the Mormons’ missionary department, explained in a recent Washington Post article that, 'If we don’t show up in the top 10 results on Google, we don’t exist.' The same holds true for Catholics. If we’re missing from search results — or if the results are antagonistic toward Catholicism — then we’re losing out."


Why Virginity Matters - "I’m sure there are all sorts of deep theological reasons for the virgin designation so commonly seen after the names of the saints...but it strikes me that one of the practical benefits of the practice is that it’s a reminder that people can have good lives—great, history-making, God-glorifying lives, in fact—without ever having sex."

Did Mary Write the Bible?  - "Practically, the fact that an entire portion of Scripture is indebted to the witness of Mary should demonstrate her central role in the life of the early Church."

Study reveals many "Da Vinci Code" fans are irrational, illogical, and scared of death - "...contra the 'wisdom' of the day, religious adherents are more open to logic, arguments, and facts than are non-religious folks.

Padre Pio on Hell - "Padre Pio was asked what he thought about modern people who didn't believe in hell. 'They'll believe in hell when they get there.' he replied."

New Translation - It is not a good idea to shield children from difficult words. Better that they know them and are fascinated by them and then learn more about them as they grow older.

Archbishop Fulton Sheen credited with baby's stunning recovery - "Bonnie held her motionless baby for a few brief moments before he was quickly taken away for CPR while an ambulance was called."

Relic Video: The Liquifying Blood of St Januarius - [This is just cool!]

Quote of the Week

"[T]here are many other things which most properly can keep me in [the Catholic Church’s] bosom. The unanimity of peoples and nations keeps me here. Her authority, inaugurated in miracles, nourished by hope, augmented by love, and confirmed by her age, keeps me here. The succession of priests, from the very see of the apostle Peter, to whom the Lord, after his resurrection, gave the charge of feeding his sheep [John 21:15–17], up to the present episcopate, keeps me here. And last, the very name Catholic, which, not without reason, belongs to this Church alone, in the face of so many heretics, so much so that, although all heretics want to be called ‘Catholic,’ when a stranger inquires where the Catholic Church meets, none of the heretics would dare to point out his own basilica or house"

- Saint Augustine - Against the Letter of Mani Called "The Foundation" 4:5 [A.D. 397]

Monday Musings

A few random thoughts and ponderings to start the week... 

I read recently an interesting thought concerning the perceived tension between religion and science. Among other things the author pointed out that religion and science are both seeking Truth, and so there can be no real conflict between authentic religion and authentic science. One cannot pass judgement on the other, for truth cannot contradict truth, faith and science must always be in harmony. To paraphrase the author's words: We cannot judge Truth; Truth judges us.

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Just under 7 weeks until the introduction of the new Mass translation! My only question is, when will missals be available in stores?

 

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I have continued to make frequent use of Latin in my private devotions, and I strongly encourage others to take up the practice. Praying in this ancient language of the Church has many spiritual benefits, of which I have written here before. With that in mind, I am considering creating a permanent page on this blog with some of the basic Catholic prayers in English and Latin as a quick reference for those interesting in praying in the language of the Church. I will experiment with the layout for this page and post more here if anything comes to fruition.

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...

The Cosmopolitan Conservative - "...liberalism has become insular and narrow-minded. It lacks the capacity for the generous appreciation of other points of view needed in a pluralistic society. That capacity is more likely to be found today among conservatives, particularly religious conservatives." 
   

Forgiveness at Mass - "...I become irritated with the concept of Mass as fellowship meal being made the main image of understanding the Mass. It's not. It's a secondary image. The primary understanding of the Mass is now, and always has been, a re-presentation of the cross of Christ."

Judgement day has come for Lefebvrians and the Vatican - "The Holy See considers the acceptance of the document as an essential condition for full communion, which would also provide for a legal settlement for the Fraternity founded by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, probably through the constitution of a similar ordinariate to the one expected for the Anglicans."

Society of St. Pius X Has Meeting at the Vatican: Presented Statement of Principles - "...if all goes well, the likely status of the Society of St. Pius X would be a personal prelature - a Church jurisdiction without geographical boundaries designed to carry out particular pastoral initiatives. At present, the only personal prelature in the Church is Opus Dei."

Revisiting External Markers of Our Faith - "As one of my friends tells me, we’re too much into 'Catholic lite.'  And it’s backfiring, I’m afraid.  I hear our Catholics tell me, “We don’t want Catholic lite; we want to be 'lights to the world!'"

 

Jobs Act Usurps Liberty, Christian Charity - "If one relies on government programs to help the poor, how can one be blamed for asserting 'I gave at the office' rather than ponying up at the Salvation Army drum or the church collection basket, or buying a Christmas goose for the laid-off father of the family at the end of the block?"

Faith and Work, Politics and Jobs - "The faith in government evident here is really just astonishing. Politicians promising jobs is just another example of making grandiose promises that they can’t hope to fulfill. It’s really just telling us what we want to hear (or at least what they think we want to hear), rather than what we need to hear."


Of Atheists and Their Pretensions - "The interview below with Dr. David Berlinski from Peter Robinson’s Uncommon Knowledge represents for me one of those great moments when one can revel in hearing someone much smarter than you agree with the reasonableness of your position."

“Conscience” in a Culture without Truths? - "We are flying an important banner when we unfurl the cause of 'conscience,' but we are flying that banner in a culture that no longer understands us as we understand ourselves. Most people around us think we are simply invoking intense, personal beliefs when we invoke claims of conscience on abortion."

Funding the Couch Bum - "It was kind of like the moment when mom and dad realize that their son’s college friend, who’s been crashing on the couch for the last eight months, can afford an iPhone, a motorcycle, and a $70 pair of jeans, but somehow never manages to scrape up enough cash to pitch in for the rent.  He smokes pot and brings home skeezy girlfriends, and they’re fairly sure he has fleas."

St. John Chrysostom with some…unusual advice - "...go up to him and rebuke him; and should it be necessary to inflict blows, spare not to do so. Smite him on the face; strike his mouth; sanctify your hand with the blow,"

Fragmented Liturgy - There are far too many different ways of celebrating the Mass within the Roman Rite. For the sake of its mission, it's time to restore unity in the Church.

The Massgoer's Guide To Full and Active Participation - [tongue-in-cheek look at what it takes to participate at Mass]

Liturgical Thoughts: Twisting the Mass

Most people are familiar with the game Twister: A plastic sheet, printed with a series of brightly colored circles, is spread out on the floor. Players take turns placing a hand or a foot on one of the circles as determined by spinning a wheel designed to randomly choose the next move for each participant. The object of the game is to see who can “twist” their body into an ever more complex configuration without collapsing onto the floor in a tangle of arms and legs, thus eliminating themselves from the game. As with any game, Twister can be great fun in an appropriate setting. The Catholic Mass is not such a venue.

Now, to be fair, I have not yet seen the colorful Twister mat laid out on the floor of any Catholic parish, but I have seen some dreadful contortions and bizarre body knots undertaken in the middle of Mass that would surely win the aforementioned game. I refer to the practice of holding hands during the Our Father.

Hand-holding during Mass seems to be a regional phenomenon (at least from my limited observation). I have been to Mass at various churches from Nebraska and Minnesota, to Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio and Pennsylvania and across New England. I have also talked to others who have attended Catholic parishes in regions where I have not. From what I can tell, holding hands during the Lord’s Prayer is most often encountered in the Midwest and South. So this is not a universally accepted practice. It is obviously a culturally influenced addition to the liturgy.

From what I have read and heard, Catholic hand-holding began in the folksy 1970s, when guitar Masses and the Protestant-izing of the Church was in full swing after Vatican II. During this time many unofficial changes and experimentations were done to the Liturgy (with or without approval from Rome or local bishops). I gather that the practice in question was a grassroots movement, primarily a spontaneous act of the people, but perhaps also encouraged by certain priests or “liturgists” as the movement gained ground. Today there are even hand-holding circles on the altar, with the priest in the middle and extraordinary ministers of the Eucharist and servers flanking him.

But the real show to watch is the people in the seats. Arms stretch out across pews, one hand behind the back, across the aisle, over the shoulder…one foot on red, the other on blue, and spin the wheel for the next challenge. Can you hold that position until the concluding doxology?

What irritates me most about this practice is not the hand-holding itself (although I personally am not a full-contact worshiper - I prefer to keep my hands and arms to myself), what really frustrates me is the broad assumption among these hand-holders that their practice is a required action within the liturgy. I have received more than one dirty look and snooty reaction from those to whom I have denied my hand during the Lord’s Prayer. They seem to believe that I am the one going against the rubrics. But the reality is that hand-holding during this point of the Mass is a distortion of the real purpose behind the Our Father. Hand-holding and the Our Father point to two different Christian concepts…

I have asked some of these hand-holding Christians why they choose to participate in this game of faux-Twister and they usually respond by saying that holding hands demonstrates our unity as brothers and sisters in Christ - the whole congregation linked together as one, (hands-across-America style). The problem is that the Our Father is not that sort of prayer. The words given to us by Jesus in the Our Father form a prayer of supplication. We are asking for things such as “daily bread” and for God to “deliver us from evil.” Sure we are united in our prayer request, but the words simply do not express that concept explicitly. A far better point of unity would be when we recite the Creed. It is at that point that we are praying a prayer of Christian unity – coming together in a verbal confession of faith. So the symbol of holding hands is misplaced within the Mass.

But besides that, the Liturgy already provides us a physical symbol of Christian unity in the Exchange of Peace. You can shake hands, hug, kiss, or offer any other tasteful symbol of unity at this point of the Mass, and the rubrics actually specifically call for such actions. Why introduce an unnecessary gesture into the wrong point of the Mass when the symbol is already present in the appropriate place.

And anyway, the hand-holding just looks plain silly. The congregation stretches into the aforementioned Twister positions; old ladies lose their balance; young kids are stretched out like rubber bands; people stand in the aisles trying to link up with the other side of the congregation, sometimes only able to grasp at fingertip. Is this really liturgically desirable? Does this add or subtract from the solemnity of the Mass? We all need to step back and really look at what this practice has produced.

The Church provides for us the liturgical rites and practices that shape proper Christian worship with the desire that we might worship as one Body. The Liturgy of the Mass is not ours to add to or subtract from as we please. It is not our place to manipulate the rites of the Mass for our own purposes. The Liturgy of the Eucharist is not “family game night” where we get to decide how we want to engage in each activity. I think it is time to roll up the Twister mats and put away our games.

Quote of the Week

"Reprimand and rebuke should be accepted as healing remedies for vice and as conducive to good health. From this it is clear that those who pretend to be tolerant because they wish to flatter - those who thus fail to correct sinners - actually cause them to suffer supreme loss and plot the destruction of that life which is their true life."

- St. Basil the Great

Monday Musings

A few random thoughts and ponderings to start the week...

During the September 11th commemorations this weekend I got to hear again the lyrics of some of the later verses of America the Beautiful. Obviously, the first verse has the words "God shed His grace on thee," but the religious references continue throughout. I was particularly struck by the words: "Confirm thy soul in self-control," in the second stanza. In this age of instant gratification and self-centeredness, at a time when people want all of the pleasure in life without the pain and none of the consequences, this lyric should tell us something about the true fabric of American identity... as it once was. Maybe during these times when we remember the sacrifice of others we can examine our own lives and see where we might benefit from a little more self-control.

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A woman who attends church with us allows her 7-year-old son to wonder up and down the aisles during the sign of peace, shaking everyone's hand as quickly as he can before the opening notes of the Angus Dei. Usually he is still tromping back to his seat from the furthest reaches of the church while everyone else is focused on the Blessed Sacrament and preparing to receive Communion, stopping as he goes, expecting a handshake long after the sign of peace has ended. Needless to say, this presents a bit of distraction.

I recently heard the mother remark, "Some people may think that it's inappropriate for him to run around like that in church, but I see the smiles on people's faces and I just know that it's OK."

Now I do believe that the Mass should bring us joy. Awaiting the reception of the Eucharist might certainly bring a smile to our faces. But that is not the same thing as being distracted by an amusing romp from a seven-year-old during a solemn moment of the liturgy. Is it really "OK" just because it makes people smile? There are any number of things we might do at Mass that would bring a smile to people's faces, but the question is: Are those things appropriate? Are we shifting the focus away from Christ just to get an emotional reaction?

If we just want to make people smile, we could have a comedian do a five minute stand-up routine just before Communion. That would bring a smile to people's faces. We could have the priest wear a clown costume and floppy shoes. We could do many things that bring a smile to people's faces, but the liturgy is not ours to manipulate. Making people smile by distracting them from the Eucharist is not a valid excuse to allow your children to wonder through the aisles unattended.

My wife and I have three young kids. We know that they can be disruptive at Mass, but we try to teach them how to behave appropriately in that setting. We set certain limitations. Obviously there will be occasional outbursts, and misbehavior. I don't mind that (...in fact, I expect it). When that happens, we do what is necessary to correct the situation and then hope that they do better next time. People around us are very understanding when our kids misbehave. They usually smile a "knowing" smile and get a little chuckle. It is puzzling to me that a parent would use such a smile from a stranger as a valid excuse to allow (and even encourage!) their child to continue the disturbance.

"...I see the smiles on people's faces and I just know that it's OK." - Well, no, actually it's not.