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...

April: The Month of the Blessed Sacrament - "The practice of Eucharistic adoration on earth not only brings us grace but prepares us for our life in Heaven."

9 things you need to know about Divine Mercy Sunday - "Millions of people look forward to and are profoundly moved by this day. What is it, and why is it so important to them? Here are 9 things you need to know."

Hæc Nox Est... - Homily of Pope Francis for the Easter Vigil Mass

Pope Francis becomes first pontiff to visit St. Peter's tomb - "The site is where pagans and early Christians were buried, and has been restored after extensive archaeological excavations began in 1965." [Includes short video]

Pope Francis’ General Audience focused on women. Feminists aren’t going to be happy. - [A presentation of Pope Francis' words along with commentary from Fr. Z.] See also: Pope Francis on the Role of Women

Have we entered an age of a new gnosticism? - "What this foot washing issue does is reveal how vast the gulf is now that divides those who maintain that order, law and reason are necessary in the Church and society and those who, like gnostics who possess secret powers of interpretation of even more secret teachings, apply super-principles which trump lesser matters such as reason, law and order."

A Simple Prayer Method From A Simple Pontiff - "It is a lovely way to pray, and it showcases Pope Francis’ sense of simplicity, his priority for family, his love for the poor and also his recognition that prayer is powerful."


Pope Francis’ Ideas of What Is at the Heart of the Church - "...for Pope Francis, the heart of the Church is, well, the heart. That is, the human heart and its transformative relationship with God’s heart."

Can't chant, can't speak English? Pope says it's because he's tone-deaf - "After a musically proficient and polyglot Pope Benedict XVI, it came as a surprise to many that Pope Francis doesn't sing or chant at Mass or speak foreign languages in public."

The Devil and Pope Francis - "An emerging theme of the young pontificate seems to be that of spiritual battle against the devil, expressed in direct, simple language."

Recovering the Real St. Francis - "St. Francis of Assisi is often represented with a skull because he constantly contemplated death.  In fact he knew even before his death that he would die from the wounds of the Stigmata that he would eventually receive.  Moreover, the skull in Catholic art generally represents man's triumph over death."

Pope Francis’ Poverty Will be Forgotten - "When Pope Francis gets down to work things will change. When his love of poverty shifts to criticism of the rich and powerful we’ll find that suddenly the media and the champagne socialists will not love him so much." See also: Benedictine and Franciscan Poverty

Should Pope Francis sell off the Vatican’s art collection and give the money to the poor? The answer is an emphatic ‘No’ - [I hate it when people suggest this! It just shows their ignorance about the purpose of church decoration and how little such a move would affect global poverty.]

Making Sense of the Shroud - "Even if the Shroud were not Christ’s burial linen, its origin would still be one of the world’s great mysteries. Its image of a body bearing the marks of torture and crucifixion was not painted on or burned in; it’s not berry juice or coffee or Sharpie. Indeed, we’re not sure how it was created..." See also: New experiments on Shroud show it’s not medieval, and: Shroud of Turin: Let’s include the basic facts, please

Is America Still a Good Country? - "'Not until I went to the churches of America and heard her pulpits aflame with righteousness did I understand the secret of her genius and power. America is great because she is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great.' So wrote Alexis de Tocqueville."S See also: Samuel Gregg: What Tocqueville Knew

So… how did it go? Summarizing the marriage trials at the Supreme Court - "It is sobering to realize how little information our country currently has regarding the impact redefining marriage could have on children, families, and society at large.  Even more notable is just how young the conversation of 'What is marriage?' is in our country."

Why the Catholic Church and ‘gay marriage’ cannot coexist - "In addition to the numerous implications that a redefinition of marriage would have on society and children, the Church is gravely concerned about the legal redefinition of marriage because it would threaten its fundamental ability to exist and exercise its ministry fully."

Felix and Oscar: A Post-Modern Marriage - "The thing that a married man and woman do, that no one else can do, is to consummate the marriage, bringing it to its fullest realization.  The marital act unites across the chasm of the sexes and across the generations, from the past into the future. "

The Right to Redefine Marriage? - "The state has no public interest in romantic relationships as such. But the state does have an interest in recognizing and promoting marriage because the bond of marriage unites men and women to each other and to whatever children may result from their union."

Gay son defends the stance of anti-gay marriage Congressman father -[I think people need to realize that those of us who support traditional marriage are not haters - we do not wish ill toward gays.]

AP coddles illegal immigrants with style change edict - [When a major news agency changes words in order to cover the truth... how can we say that there's no media bias?] Another example of the media pushing an agenda: Media Encourage Elderly to Commit Suicide, Call it "Rational" and this: Goodbye, Marriage

Guns and babies: A tale of two massacres - "The gun lobby is often accused of resisting any new gun law as if it were the proverbial camel's nose under the tent. The liberal editors who are keeping Kermit Gosnell's case off the air should ask themselves whether they aren't taking sides in the culture war."

Planned Parenthood Opposes Bill Protecting Babies Born After Botched Abortions - [Unbelievable! - A Planned Parenthood representative supports allowing to die infants born alive during abortions. See video at this link.]

Unborn Babies Learn Language in Womb, as Early as 30 Weeks - "New reports of fascinating research show babies can distinguish between their native language and foreign languages when they’re just a few hours old. A new study found that and suggests they start absorbing language before birth."

Cardinal George: “I’m religious but not spiritual” - "Cardinal Francis George of Chicago, in his weekly column, takes the notion of 'spiritual, not religious' and gently turns it just like it should be turned – upside down."

Is Prayer Synonymous With Worship? - "When Catholics say we are praying to God and praying to saints we are talking about qualitatively different things as different as a monkey is to a man. The Protestant generally only has one species in mind when he thinks of prayer—prayer to God that necessarily includes adoration."

Authentic Creativity and the Liturgy - "Much like the norms that govern ethical behavior lead to a perfected freedom, which in turns opens a space for authentic creativity, so too do the rubrics of the Mass open up a space for authentic freedom."

What the Church Needs Now - "The Vatican needs purgation at the top, to enable real renewal from below. And the church as a whole needs to offer and embody proof — in Rome, the local parish and everywhere in between — that the alternative Catholicism preaches can actually be lived."

A Catholic's Guide to the End of the World as We Know It - [The world is crazy...these are five tips for surviving it.]

iIncarnate: Meet Jesus in Mary’s Womb - [Interesting app...I thought of this about two years ago. Too bad I didn't do anything about it.]

Abortion Double-Speak

I’ve gone through a writing dry spell that has lasted about a year now. I have just not been motivated to write anything. I need a spark...some event that triggers the need to put my ideas down in print. Usually I see something in my own life, perhaps a conversation or a family situation, that I find compelling or instructive and it gets the creative juices flowing. I guess I just haven’t had any of those moments...or perhaps I’ve just not been paying attention. (Or maybe I’ve been a little lazy, too.)

Internet debates are a good source for blog material, and I’ve recently engaged in a few discussions that might make a post or two. Until I get the time and energy to write something more substantial, I thought I would share a post from a friend of mine. He recently engaged in a heated online debate concerning abortion. His primary objective was to challenge the often repeated slogan:

"Just because you support a woman's right to choose doesn't mean you are pro-abortion."

Think about that. You support the right to abortion...yet you oppose abortion?

As my friend pointed out, no other crime against humanity is afforded such deference. No other evil perpetrated by mankind is protected with such double-speak. Do morally sound people support a man's "right to choose rape," or someone's "right to drive while intoxicated"? No, because if you support a person's right to choose these things, then you implicitly condone the consequences of that choice. By supporting a woman's right to choose abortion, you are giving support to abortion itself.

It would be illogical for me to claim on the one hand that I support everyone's right to drink a case of beer and then get behind the wheel of a car, while at the same time claim that I am opposed to drunk driving...the one logically leads to the other. So too with abortion. One cannot be both pro-choice and anti-abortion. Perhaps a parallel can be drawn using the current national debate over gun control. Imagine a paraphrase of our slogan above:

"Just because you support the Second Amendment doesn't mean you want people to own guns."

Logically, that makes no sense. The Second Amendment ensures the right to keep and bear arms. By supporting that right, you must accept the fact that people will indeed act on that right. You cannot be in favor of the right to own guns and at the same time be opposed to actual ownership. And that's the core fallacy of the abortion slogan we read above: supporting a person's choice to do something implies your support of them actually acting on that choice.

Now there is a subtle distinction that needs to be made here. Some pro-abortonists would modify the above slogan and say the following:

“I support a woman’s right to choose, but I would never make that choice myself.”

This, I think is a plausible statement. Though I vehemently disagree with it’s sentiment, it is at least a logical position to take. This would be akin to saying, “I support the Second Amendment, but I could never own a gun myself.”

But let’s be clear. The original slogan we are addressing here does not leave such wiggle room. There are pro-choice advocates who try to play both sides of the political fence by “publicly supporting” but “privately opposing” abortion. Sadly many Catholic politicians are among those who do this. They claim to support the right to choose, while at the same time claiming that they personally see abortion as murder. They claim to agree with the Church’s teaching that abortion is intrinsically evil, while also vocally (and with the force of law) supporting a woman’s “right” to commit this evil. This confused morality is a product of relativism. It is a symptom of the “dictatorship of relativism” about which Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI warned us.

The reason Catholics (and other supposedly pro-life persons) use this verbal trickery (being “opposed to” and “in favor of” abortion at the same time), is to appear tolerant and understanding toward those who disagree. But the cold, hard reality is that when this principle is put into practice the most hedonistic, amoral code wins the day. By accepting the right to choose evil, we accept the evil that results. Your “tolerance” is a passive acceptance of abortion. Substitute the word “rape” for “abortion” and the picture becomes clear.

“Just because you support a man's right to choose rape doesn't mean you are pro-rape."

Uuuh...well, yes it does! It most emphatically does! And this is where my friend got into a heated debate. He pulled back the curtain and exposed the lie for what it is. Kudos to him. It sparked a lively debate and it gave him a great blog post. You check out the post here.

I need a little spark like that. I need to go stir up some trouble...or maybe just open my eyes and stop being lazy. Maybe we all should.

Catechism for the Year of Faith

Part of a continuing series.A selected quote from the Catechism of the Catholic Church in honor of the Year of Faith (October 11, 2012 - November 24, 2013)

811 "This is the sole Church of Christ, which in the Creed we profess to be one, holy, catholic and apostolic." These four characteristics, inseparably linked with each other, indicate essential features of the Church and her mission. The Church does not possess them of herself; it is Christ who, through the Holy Spirit, makes his Church one, holy, catholic, and apostolic, and it is he who calls her to realize each of these qualities.

812 Only faith can recognize that the Church possesses these properties from her divine source. But their historical manifestations are signs that also speak clearly to human reason. As the First Vatican Council noted, the "Church herself, with her marvelous propagation, eminent holiness, and inexhaustible fruitfulness in everything good, her catholic unity and invincible stability, is a great and perpetual motive of credibility and an irrefutable witness of her divine mission."

I. The Church is One

813 The Church is one because of her source: "the highest exemplar and source of this mystery is the unity, in the Trinity of Persons, of one God, the Father and the Son in the Holy Spirit." The Church is one because of her founder: for "the Word made flesh, the prince of peace, reconciled all men to God by the cross, . . . restoring the unity of all in one people and one body." The Church is one because of her "soul": "It is the Holy Spirit, dwelling in those who believe and pervading and ruling over the entire Church, who brings about that wonderful communion of the faithful and joins them together so intimately in Christ that he is the principle of the Church's unity." Unity is of the essence of the Church:

What an astonishing mystery! There is one Father of the universe, one Logos of the universe, and also one Holy Spirit, everywhere one and the same; there is also one virgin become mother, and I should like to call her "Church."

816 "The sole Church of Christ [is that] which our Savior, after his Resurrection, entrusted to Peter's pastoral care, commissioning him and the other apostles to extend and rule it. . . . This Church, constituted and organized as a society in the present world, subsists in (subsistit in) the Catholic Church, which is governed by the successor of Peter and by the bishops in communion with him."

The Second Vatican Council's Decree on Ecumenism explains: "For it is through Christ's Catholic Church alone, which is the universal help toward salvation, that the fullness of the means of salvation can be obtained. It was to the apostolic college alone, of which Peter is the head, that we believe that our Lord entrusted all the blessings of the New Covenant, in order to establish on earth the one Body of Christ into which all those should be fully incorporated who belong in any way to the People of God."

820 "Christ bestowed unity on his Church from the beginning. This unity, we believe, subsists in the Catholic Church as something she can never lose, and we hope that it will continue to increase until the end of time." Christ always gives his Church the gift of unity, but the Church must always pray and work to maintain, reinforce, and perfect the unity that Christ wills for her. This is why Jesus himself prayed at the hour of his Passion, and does not cease praying to his Father, for the unity of his disciples: "That they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be one in us, . . . so that the world may know that you have sent me." The desire to recover the unity of all Christians is a gift of Christ and a call of the Holy Spirit.

II. The Church is Holy

823 "The Church . . . is held, as a matter of faith, to be unfailingly holy. This is because Christ, the Son of God, who with the Father and the Spirit is hailed as 'alone holy,' loved the Church as his Bride, giving himself up for her so as to sanctify her; he joined her to himself as his body and endowed her with the gift of the Holy Spirit for the glory of God." The Church, then, is "the holy People of God," and her members are called "saints."

824 United with Christ, the Church is sanctified by him; through him and with him she becomes sanctifying. "All the activities of the Church are directed, as toward their end, to the sanctification of men in Christ and the glorification of God." It is in the Church that "the fullness of the means of salvation" has been deposited. It is in her that "by the grace of God we acquire holiness."

825 "The Church on earth is endowed already with a sanctity that is real though imperfect." In her members perfect holiness is something yet to be acquired: "Strengthened by so many and such great means of salvation, all the faithful, whatever their condition or state - though each in his own way - are called by the Lord to that perfection of sanctity by which the Father himself is perfect."

II. The Church is Catholic

830 The word "catholic" means "universal," in the sense of "according to the totality" or "in keeping with the whole." The Church is catholic in a double sense:

First, the Church is catholic because Christ is present in her. "Where there is Christ Jesus, there is the Catholic Church." In her subsists the fullness of Christ's body united with its head; this implies that she receives from him "the fullness of the means of salvation" which he has willed: correct and complete confession of faith, full sacramental life, and ordained ministry in apostolic succession. The Church was, in this fundamental sense, catholic on the day of Pentecost and will always be so until the day of the Parousia.

831 Secondly, the Church is catholic because she has been sent out by Christ on a mission to the whole of the human race:

All men are called to belong to the new People of God. This People, therefore, while remaining one and only one, is to be spread throughout the whole world and to all ages in order that the design of God's will may be fulfilled: he made human nature one in the beginning and has decreed that all his children who were scattered should be finally gathered together as one. . . . The character of universality which adorns the People of God is a gift from the Lord himself whereby the Catholic Church ceaselessly and efficaciously seeks for the return of all humanity and all its goods, under Christ the Head in the unity of his Spirit.

834 Particular Churches are fully catholic through their communion with one of them, the Church of Rome "which presides in charity." "For with this church, by reason of its pre-eminence, the whole Church, that is the faithful everywhere, must necessarily be in accord." Indeed, "from the incarnate Word's descent to us, all Christian churches everywhere have held and hold the great Church that is here [at Rome] to be their only basis and foundation since, according to the Savior's promise, the gates of hell have never prevailed against her."

836 "All men are called to this catholic unity of the People of God. ...And to it, in different ways, belong or are ordered: the Catholic faithful, others who believe in Christ, and finally all mankind, called by God's grace to salvation."

848 "Although in ways known to himself God can lead those who, through no fault of their own, are ignorant of the Gospel, to that faith without which it is impossible to please him, the Church still has the obligation and also the sacred right to evangelize all men."

IV. The Church is Apostolic

857 The Church is apostolic because she is founded on the apostles, in three ways:

- she was and remains built on "the foundation of the Apostles," the witnesses chosen and sent on mission by Christ himself;

- with the help of the Spirit dwelling in her, the Church keeps and hands on the teaching, the "good deposit," the salutary words she has heard from the apostles;

- she continues to be taught, sanctified, and guided by the apostles until Christ's return, through their successors in pastoral office: the college of bishops, "assisted by priests, in union with the successor of Peter, the Church's supreme pastor"...

858 Jesus is the Father's Emissary. From the beginning of his ministry, he "called to him those whom he desired; ...And he appointed twelve, whom also he named apostles, to be with him, and to be sent out to preach." From then on, they would also be his "emissaries" (Greek apostoloi). In them, Christ continues his own mission: "As the Father has sent me, even so I send you." The apostles' ministry is the continuation of his mission; Jesus said to the Twelve: "he who receives you receives me."

861 "In order that the mission entrusted to them might be continued after their death, [the apostles] consigned, by will and testament, as it were, to their immediate collaborators the duty of completing and consolidating the work they had begun, urging them to tend to the whole flock, in which the Holy Spirit had appointed them to shepherd the Church of God. They accordingly designated such men and then made the ruling that likewise on their death other proven men should take over their ministry."

862 "Just as the office which the Lord confided to Peter alone, as first of the apostles, destined to be transmitted to his successors, is a permanent one, so also endures the office, which the apostles received, of shepherding the Church, a charge destined to be exercised without interruption by the sacred order of bishops." Hence the Church teaches that "the bishops have by divine institution taken the place of the apostles as pastors of the Church, in such wise that whoever listens to them is listening to Christ and whoever despises them despises Christ and him who sent Christ."

863 The whole Church is apostolic, in that she remains, through the successors of St. Peter and the other apostles, in communion of faith and life with her origin: and in that she is "sent out" into the whole world. All members of the Church share in this mission, though in various ways. "The Christian vocation is, of its nature, a vocation to the apostolate as well." Indeed, we call an apostolate "every activity of the Mystical Body" that aims "to spread the Kingdom of Christ over all the earth."

865 The Church is ultimately one, holy, catholic, and apostolic in her deepest and ultimate identity, because it is in her that "the Kingdom of heaven," the "Reign of God," already exists and will be fulfilled at the end of time. The kingdom has come in the person of Christ and grows mysteriously in the hearts of those incorporated into him, until its full eschatological manifestation. Then all those he has redeemed and made "holy and blameless before him in love," will be gathered together as the one People of God, the "Bride of the Lamb," "the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, having the glory of God." For "the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb."

Monday Musings

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

I missed the Friday news headline round-up, and since last week was a big news week for two important reasons, I thought I would use this Monday's post to share some articles on those two topics: 1) Pope Francis and Holy Week, 2) the gay marriage debate. So, here are a few headlines I selected...

Pope Francis and Holy Week...

Pope Francis' Easter Urbi et Orbi Message - Full Text - "What a joy it is for me to announce this message: Christ is risen! I would like it to go out to every house and every family, especially where the suffering is greatest, in hospitals, in prisons…" See video here.

Palm Sunday Homily: We Must Live the Faith with a Young Heart - "Following is the whole text of Pope Francis' homily during the Palm Sunday Mass that begins the Holy Week celebrations."

Viri Selecti: Who Can Have Their Feet Washed? - [A lot of debate about this among Catholic traditionalists.  I must admit I am one of those who would rather see the male-only foot washing.] Jimmy Akin throws in his two cents here: How Should We Understand Pope Francis Washing Women's Feet?; And here is Simcha Fisher's thoughts on the subject: Unclean

Is Pope Francis’ Pontificate a continuation of Benedict’s? - "In fact, there are several signals of continuity between Benedict and Francis, yet they put into practice their ideas in slightly different ways."

The Pope, the Media, and the Endless Nonsense - "This has been the unrelenting theme of the press: Pope Francis vs. Benedict XVI. They are covering this in an identical fashion to the way they cover presidential politics."

Choosing Freedom: Pope Francis and Social Justice - [Not exactly what liberal Catholics make it out to be.]

Pope Francis to live in Vatican guesthouse, not papal apartments - "Pope Francis has decided not to move into the papal apartments in the Apostolic Palace, but to live in a suite in the Vatican guesthouse where he has been since the beginning of the conclave that elected him..."

Same symbols, different details: Papal coat of arms undergoes changes - [Not really that noteworthy, but I find such things interesting.]

Gay Marriage and the Supreme Court...

Government should get out of the marriage business - [This is one of my favorite articles that I read last week on gay marriage... It is well written and it makes the same argument that I have been making for years. If you only read one of these articles on gay marriage - read this one.]


Supreme Court: Oral Argument on Same-Sex Marriage - [From day one of the two days in which the Supreme Court heard arguments about gay "marriage."] "Suffice it to say that today’s oral argument certainly does not tell us clearly how the Court will rule on this issue.  There is even some question whether the Court will rule at all on the merits of the case." And also: The ‘Science’ of Same-Sex Marriage

Supreme Court Finally Asks the Tough Questions on Same-Sex Marriage - "The justices—and not just the conservative ones—were the first notable culture leaders who asked sound, tough questions."

'Gay Marriage’s' Looming Battle - "The secular belief that we can define our sexuality and, hence, our notion of marriage any way we please is, for Pope Emeritus Benedict, a sign of the most blinding hubris, the pride of those who reject God and then elevate themselves in his place."

Reaping the Whirlwind: A reflection on the deepening darkness that celebrates homosexual unions and activity. - "The fact is, traditional marriage has been in a disgraceful state for over 50 years, and heterosexual misbehavior has been off the hook in the same period."

Same-Sex Marriage: Our Agreements Solve Our Disagreement - "Instead of spewing insults and getting into heated arguments, I'd like to propose a better solution to the debate over same-sex marriage. Let's start from positions bothsides of the debate agree on. Then let's see whose particular view of marriage best explains this agreement." See also: Same-sex Marriage and the Infertility Objection

Rebuttals to arguments for same-sex marriage - "In this article, we’ll examine the 10 most common ones made in favor of same-sex marriage, many of which you’ve probably heard before. By pointing out the flaws, we’ll show how each argument ultimately comes up short."

“Why is the Catholic Church against homosexuals?” - "Many people often misunderstand or misrepresent the Church’s teaching on homosexuality.  The Church is not against homosexuals as persons.  It never has been and never will be. " See also: Gay, Catholic, and Doing Fine 

"The Political Debate on Same-Sex Marriage is Over"...? - "There’s a real problem with making categorical statements like this: they ignore the ongoing nature of politics and immutability of Truth."

+        +        +

Finally...and most importantly...

Happy Easter!!!

The Paschal Triduum

The Triduum begins tonight with Holy Thursday celebration of the institution of the Eucharist and memorial of the Last Supper... it continues tomorrow with the commemoration of Christ's crucifixion and death on Good Friday... and concludes Saturday evening with the Easter Vigil. I wish everyone blessings during this solemn time. I decided not to post anything this week, and instead will be spending my time in quiet reflection, prayer, and enjoying the company of my family. I suggest you do the same in preparation for Easter.

I know there are some big stories this week, and I have been keeping up on them. I'll post a few links on Monday to make up for my lack of Friday Headline Round-up. Until then... have a blessed Triduum and Easter celebration.

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...

Inaugural Homily of Pope Francis Invites Us All to be Protectors - "How does Joseph respond to his calling to be the protector of Mary, Jesus and the Church? By being constantly attentive to God, open to the signs of God's presence and receptive to God's plans, and not simply to his own." [Includes video]

Greek Patriarch to Attend Papal Inaugural Mass for First Time Since 1054 - "...this is an unprecedented event in modern times, and Bartholomew noted that, even before the schism, a patriarch from Istanbul did not usually attend a papal inauguration."

What I Saw at the Installation Mass - "Some details about the events of March 19 appear below..."

9 things you need to know about Pope Francis's inaugural Mass

Video: Pope Francis before his Inaugural Mass stepping down from popemobile to bless disabled man. Very moving.

Video: Pope Francis prays before the tomb of St. Peter

Pope Francis greets parishioners outside church after Mass - [One more video that shows Pope Francis' unique style.]

Should We Be Concerned About Pope Francis's Inaugural Mass? - [Jimmy Akin does a great job answering some liturgical concerns people may have had before the Inaugural Mass...and also here.] See also: Is Pope Francis a Liturgical Liberal? and this: The Liturgical Direction of Pope Francis: A Diatribe Against the Diatribes

Pope Francis and the Case for (Guarded) Traditionalist Optimism - "If Pope Francis strikes down Summorum Pontificium then we can start worrying.  Yet why don't we wait until that happens, and not before?"

What Does The Pope’s Motto Really Say? The Latin motto explained - The motto of Pope, 'Miserando Atque Eligendo' has aroused some people to send me questions." And this: Pope Francis’ coat of arms and motto, explained

Pope Francis in no hurry to move into papal apartment - "More than a week after his election, he’s still residing in the Vatican’s modern guest house, the Domus Sanctae Marthae, where he eats meals with others in the common dining room and can walk to some of his appointments in the Vatican." See also: Black Shoes and In the Vatican, The Pope of Chaos also this:Vatican guards find Pope Francis' openness a handful

Pope Francis takes over Vatican's top secret dossiers -"Fr. Georg has the task of guiding Bergoglio in his journey through the Vatican's secrets"

The early signs are clear. Pope Francis is a reformer. - [This piece is from just a couple of days after the Conclave...but it still rings true.]

On Holy Thursday, Pope To Prison - "In a sudden announcement this morning from the Holy See, Pope Francis has yet again turned Vatican protocol on its head – shredding the earlier plan to begin the Easter Triduum in St Peter's Basilica, the new pontiff has instead opted to go to a juvenile prison in Rome to celebrate Holy Thursday's Evening Mass of the Lord's Supper, at which he'll wash the feet of 12 inmates."

'Unpredictable pope' to wash feet of 12 prisoners - See also: Unclean - "He's really going to put his example of service right in front of our faces, over and over again until we get it."

In Defense of Benedict XVI: The Diametric Diatribes - "First, the pundits will say that Francis is a model of humility.  There is nothing wrong with this of course, except for the unspoken suggestion that Benedict was not.  Humility comes in many forms."

Benedict XVI Put Liturgy Front and Center - "The revivification of true liturgical reform was inspired not so much by the Holy Father’s words, as important as they were. It was primarily inspired by his actions. He had a devotion to the liturgy that was manifested in the joyful and solemn way he celebrated it."

Holy Father’s Election: Surprise Within Continuity - "We’re all obviously still getting to know him, but what can we say about Pope Francis thus far? How does he compare to his recent predecessors?"

A New Francis - "I am a Benedictine oblate and will always love St Benedict and love Benedict XVI for his amazing papacy, but I’m ready now for a Franciscan spirit in the church and look forward to the next amazing chapter in the great saga of Christ’s One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church."

Mary Untier of Knots - Pope Francis' Favorite Marian Image - "It is interesting that this Marian devotion of Pope Francis is rooted in Bavaria - it therefore creates a bridge between the Pontificate of Pope Benedict XVI and that of Pope Francis."

Headline: The First Green Pope - [Not exactly... Read the article to find out why. The media tries desperately to find their story and often get it wrong.]

Liberals will soon turn on Pope Francis - [Insightful piece from Fr. Z.] See also: MSM Starts Its Smear Campaign Against Pope Francis

The media wants ‘reform’ but what we really need is renewal - "The perceived demand for reform needs, then, to be contrasted with the evidence that the Church is not so much dying, but evolving."

Suffereing the Unsufferable Fools - "It’s hard for you to grasp this, I know, but the Church belongs to Christ, not you. Christ is not impressed by your ideas. Christ is not intimidated by your pompous arguments. Christ is not persuaded to change the Truth to suit you or anyone else. If the gates of Hell itself will never prevail against His Church, what makes you think you will?"

Biden: I Must Attend Mass for Pope Francis or “I’ll Lose My Soul” - [Uuuumm... If you think that's how the deal works, then you have some big problems.]

Doubters of Darwin, here's your evidence - "If the research is confirmed, then it will add itself to the growing mountain of evidence that supports the widely accepted consensus that Darwinian evolution is the mechanism by which organisms evolve."

Astronomers photograph the fingerprint of God - "The data explains why the universe takes the form and structure that it does now. The distribution of galaxies, the clumping of matter, and the appearance of everything is well explained by the data."

Discounting Parents’ Rights - "According to our esteemed Attorney General, the right to choose the best education for your child is not a fundamental individual liberty. When it comes to the education of our children, the government – not the parents – is the final authority."

The Supreme Court’s First Assault on Marriage - "In its forthcoming decision, the Court may give marriage the legal coup de grace. Or it may surprise us, redeem itself, and use the occasion to correct the drift of legal thought on sexuality, marriage, and the rights of children. All three are inextricably linked."

I’m Gay and I Oppose Same-Sex Marriage - "The notion of same-sex marriage is implausible, yet political correctness has made stating the obvious a risky business. Genderless marriage is not marriage at all. It is something else entirely."

Cookie Cutter Christians - "The reason that the Church is the world’s most aggressive adversary against mindless passivity and blind conformity is precisely because she stands by the truth."

Top 10 Reasons our Kids Leave Church - [This piece is about evangelical Christians...but the lessons learned there can certainly translate into a better understanding of our Catholic faith and our youth.]

Interesting short video from Fr. Barron: Is beauty really all in the eye of the beholder?

Catechism for the Year of Faith

Part of a continuing series.A selected quote from the Catechism of the Catholic Church in honor of the Year of Faith (October 11, 2012 - November 24, 2013)

751 The word "Church" (Latin ecclesia, from the Greek ek-ka-lein, to "call out of") means a convocation or an assembly. It designates the assemblies of the people, usually for a religious purpose. Ekklesia is used frequently in the Greek Old Testament for the assembly of the Chosen People before God, above all for their assembly on Mount Sinai where Israel received the Law and was established by God as his holy people. By calling itself "Church," the first community of Christian believers recognized itself as heir to that assembly. In the Church, God is "calling together" his people from all the ends of the earth. The equivalent Greek term Kyriake, from which the English word Church and the German Kirche are derived, means "what belongs to the Lord."

752 In Christian usage, the word "church" designates the liturgical assembly, but also the local community or the whole universal community of believers. These three meanings are inseparable. "The Church" is the People that God gathers in the whole world. She exists in local communities and is made real as a liturgical, above all a Eucharistic, assembly. She draws her life from the word and the Body of Christ and so herself becomes Christ's Body.

753 In Scripture, we find a host of interrelated images and figures through which Revelation speaks of the inexhaustible mystery of the Church. The images taken from the Old Testament are variations on a profound theme: the People of God. In the New Testament, all these images find a new center because Christ has become the head of this people, which henceforth is his Body. Around this center are grouped images taken "from the life of the shepherd or from cultivation of the land, from the art of building or from family life and marriage."

763 It was the Son's task to accomplish the Father's plan of salvation in the fullness of time. Its accomplishment was the reason for his being sent. "The Lord Jesus inaugurated his Church by preaching the Good News, that is, the coming of the Reign of God, promised over the ages in the scriptures." To fulfill the Father's will, Christ ushered in the Kingdom of heaven on earth. The Church "is the Reign of Christ already present in mystery."

765 The Lord Jesus endowed his community with a structure that will remain until the Kingdom is fully achieved. Before all else there is the choice of the Twelve with Peter as their head. Representing the twelve tribes of Israel, they are the foundation stones of the new Jerusalem. The Twelve and the other disciples share in Christ's mission and his power, but also in his lot. By all his actions, Christ prepares and builds his Church.

766 The Church is born primarily of Christ's total self-giving for our salvation, anticipated in the institution of the Eucharist and fulfilled on the cross. "The origin and growth of the Church are symbolized by the blood and water which flowed from the open side of the crucified Jesus." "For it was from the side of Christ as he slept the sleep of death upon the cross that there came forth the 'wondrous sacrament of the whole Church.'" As Eve was formed from the sleeping Adam's side, so the Church was born from the pierced heart of Christ hanging dead on the cross.

767 "When the work which the Father gave the Son to do on earth was accomplished, the Holy Spirit was sent on the day of Pentecost in order that he might continually sanctify the Church." Then "the Church was openly displayed to the crowds and the spread of the Gospel among the nations, through preaching, was begun." As the "convocation" of all men for salvation, the Church in her very nature is missionary, sent by Christ to all the nations to make disciples of them.

768 So that she can fulfill her mission, the Holy Spirit "bestows upon [the Church] varied hierarchic and charismatic gifts, and in this way directs her." "Henceforward the Church, endowed with the gifts of her founder and faithfully observing his precepts of charity, humility and self-denial, receives the mission of proclaiming and establishing among all peoples the Kingdom of Christ and of God, and she is on earth the seed and the beginning of that kingdom."

771 "The one mediator, Christ, established and ever sustains here on earth his holy Church, the community of faith, hope, and charity, as a visible organization through which he communicates truth and grace to all men." The Church is at the same time:

- a "society structured with hierarchical organs and the mystical body of Christ;
- the visible society and the spiritual community;
- the earthly Church and the Church endowed with heavenly riches."

These dimensions together constitute "one complex reality which comes together from a human and a divine element":

The Church is essentially both human and divine, visible but endowed with invisible realities, zealous in action and dedicated to contemplation, present in the world, but as a pilgrim, so constituted that in her the human is directed toward and subordinated to the divine, the visible to the invisible, action to contemplation, and this present world to that city yet to come, the object of our quest.

O humility! O sublimity! Both tabernacle of cedar and sanctuary of God; earthly dwelling and celestial palace; house of clay and royal hall; body of death and temple of light; and at last both object of scorn to the proud and bride of Christ! She is black but beautiful, O daughters of Jerusalem, for even if the labor and pain of her long exile may have discolored her, yet heaven's beauty has adorned her.18

775 "The Church, in Christ, is like a sacrament - a sign and instrument, that is, of communion with God and of unity among all men." The Church's first purpose is to be the sacrament of the inner union of men with God. Because men's communion with one another is rooted in that union with God, the Church is also the sacrament of the unity of the human race. In her, this unity is already begun, since she gathers men "from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and tongues"; at the same time, the Church is the "sign and instrument" of the full realization of the unity yet to come.

776 As sacrament, the Church is Christ's instrument. "She is taken up by him also as the instrument for the salvation of all," "the universal sacrament of salvation," by which Christ is "at once manifesting and actualizing the mystery of God's love for men." The Church "is the visible plan of God's love for humanity," because God desires "that the whole human race may become one People of God, form one Body of Christ, and be built up into one temple of the Holy Spirit."

787 From the beginning, Jesus associated his disciples with his own life, revealed the mystery of the Kingdom to them, and gave them a share in his mission, joy, and sufferings. Jesus spoke of a still more intimate communion between him and those who would follow him: "Abide in me, and I in you. . . . I am the vine, you are the branches." And he proclaimed a mysterious and real communion between his own body and ours: "He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him."

788 When his visible presence was taken from them, Jesus did not leave his disciples orphans. He promised to remain with them until the end of time; he sent them his Spirit. As a result communion with Jesus has become, in a way, more intense: "By communicating his Spirit, Christ mystically constitutes as his body those brothers of his who are called together from every nation."

789 The comparison of the Church with the body casts light on the intimate bond between Christ and his Church. Not only is she gathered around him; she is united in him, in his body. Three aspects of the Church as the Body of Christ are to be more specifically noted: the unity of all her members with each other as a result of their union with Christ; Christ as head of the Body; and the Church as bride of Christ.

792 Christ "is the head of the body, the Church." He is the principle of creation and redemption. Raised to the Father's glory, "in everything he [is] preeminent," especially in the Church, through whom he extends his reign over all things.

795 Christ and his Church thus together make up the "whole Christ" (Christus totus). The Church is one with Christ...

808 The Church is the Bride of Christ: he loved her and handed himself over for her. He has purified her by his blood and made her the fruitful mother of all God's children.

809 The Church is the Temple of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is the soul, as it were, of the Mystical Body, the source of its life, of its unity in diversity, and of the riches of its gifts and charisms.