Monday Musings

Random thoughts and ponderings to start the week...

Not much to say today... Just a reminder to show your support for traditional marriage by eating at Chick-fil-A on Wednesday, August 1. If you've been living under a rock you may not realize that the CEO of Chick-fil-A made comments recently expressing his support of traditional marriage. Those comments have sparked a firestorm of hate from the Left. They have called for boycotts and some elected officials have even threatened to block the restaurant chain from doing business in their jurisdiction. So to counter this anti-Christian hatred please show your support by eating at Chick-fil-A as often as possible, but especially this Wednesday, which is the agreed upon date for a national show of support.

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Continuing this theme here's an excerpt from a piece written by Pat Archbold over at National Catholic Register:

The mark of the beast (public allegiance to a faith opposed to truth who is Christ) as requirement to do business is not some far off prediction of the bible, it is today's reality. It is reality in Chicago, Boston, and so on.

If you believe in the Church's teaching on traditional marriage and by saying so publicly you foreswear that secular religion (which is opposed to Christ) which demands your allegiance, in the view of many people in and out of government, you forfeit your right to do business.

If you believe in the Church's teaching on abortion and contraception and you are inconveniently still breathing, you are no longer able to run your business in a way compliant with that belief.

All in the name of tolerance, of course.

The piece is titled The Mark of The Beast and Chick-Fil-A, and as usual for this author it is spot on. The whole post can be read here.

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In case you forgot:

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...

Pro-Life Encyclical Humanae Vitae Celebrates Its 44th Birthday - "You may be forgiven for not knowing that July 25 is the 44th anniversary of encyclical Humanae Vitae. Who, after all, is going to remind you?"

The Campaign for Humanae Vitae - [An interesting little history of the document.]

Natural Family Planning Builds a Culture of Life - "In our secular contraceptive culture, it is assumed that a married couple will, as a matter of course, avoid pregnancy. Only for very narrow windows of time does a couple welcome the conception of a child, if they do at all. Contrast this with the Catholic marriage that makes openness to life the default position."

A Religious Response to the Colorado Killings - "The following are some of the things that should have been heard in America’s churches this past Sunday..."

The Church and the End of the Welfare State - "A new generation of bishops is not quite as sure as its predecessors that 'social justice' always equals 'government program.' The rise of aggressive secularism within both state and federal social welfare agencies has also been a sobering experience..."

Mainstream Media Invents Gay Marriage Chick-fil-A Controversy - [Is anyone surprised?]

Are You a Hater or a Bigot? Or Are You Just Intolerant? - "Does being against Gay Marriage automatically make me a hateful person or oppressive person?"

For more on the Chick-fil-A controversy click here... and don't forget to show your support for traditional marriage by eating at Chick-fil-A on Wednesday, August 1.

Why I Don’t Call Myself a Gay Christian -  "I refuse to identify myself as gay because the label 'gay' does not accurately describe who (or what) I am. More fundamentally, I refuse to use that label because I desire to be faithful to the theological anthropology of the Church."

A Catholic Reply to “How to Suck At Your Religion” - [This is a really well done rebuttal to a very dumb, anti-Catholic cartoon. I think it's a great example of how intelligent the Catholic response can be compared to the ignorance of our enemies.]

Crash Course on the Crusades - "It is worth our time to be versed in the facts and especially to recall the tremendous faith, sacrifice, and courage that inspired the vast majority of the Crusaders to act in defense of Christendom."

"Pro Multis." The Pope's Translation Is Gaining Support - He has ordered that it be translated 'for many,' instead of 'for all.' Against the view of the Italian bishops. But now, from none other than Italy, two scholars of the Bible and the liturgy are agreeing with Benedict XVI, although with a few distinctions."

Why Does God Allow Misfortune to Fall on Us? - "God is sovereign and He orchestrates these annoyances so that we might grow in virtue on earth and glory in Heaven. This is a hard teaching. It's much easier to blog about than it is to pray about when one is in the midst of frustration, sickness, or pain."

American exorcist-in-training shares his experience - "...he is one of a new generation of exorcists-in-training following a decision by the U.S. bishops in November 2010 to vastly increase the number of exorcists, which might number as low as 50 in America."

A Mainline Collapse: The Twilight of Liberal Christianity? - "In 2006, the Episcopal Church's presiding bishop, Katherine Jefferts Schori, told the New York Times that Episcopalians were not interested in 'replenishing their ranks by having children.' Instead, the church '[encouraged] people to pay attention to the stewardship of the earth and not use more than their portion.'" [That's funny, I seem to remember God saying, "Be fruitful and multiply." Could it be that the Episcopal Church does not speak God's Word?]

Change in the World of Catholic Music - "There is more talk of chant, more emphasis on Mass propers, a greater degree of willingness to rethink prevailing practices."

Our Lady of Quito prophesied that in the 60s there would be spiritual catastrophe in the Church; then, through the faith of the just, a ‘complete restoration’ - [I just found this interesting...]

Male-Only Priesthood, Part 2

Last week I introduced this series of reflections on the male-only priesthood. This is not intended to be a scholarly or thorough treatment of the topic, but merely a few brief thoughts on the subject as I have been pondering the issue over the last few weeks.

Last week I posted some thoughts on the Catholic practice of calling priests "Father." The idea of "fatherhood" as it relates to the priesthood, I think, is a key to understanding the male-only nature of Holy Orders. In other words, we call priests "Father" because there are certain aspects of the priestly ministry that point to a fatherly role (rather than motherhood). For example, a priest as "Father" compliments the "Motherhood" of the Church: at baptism, we are born into the Church - the Church becomes our Mother and this birth is witnessed by a Father/priest.

But more than a symbolic "father-figure," the priest as minister of the Church, represents Jesus Himself. Those who have received the Sacrament of Holy Orders embody the very priesthood of Christ. As the Catechism states:

In the ecclesial service of the ordained minister, it is Christ himself who is present to his Church as Head of his Body, Shepherd of his flock, high priest of the redemptive sacrifice, Teacher of Truth. This is what the Church means by saying that the priest, by virtue of the sacrament of Holy Orders, acts in persona Christi Capitis:

    It is the same priest, Christ Jesus, whose sacred person his minister truly represents. Now the minister, by reason of the sacerdotal consecration which he has received, is truly made like to the high priest and possesses the authority to act in the power and place of the person of Christ himself (virtute ac persona ipsius Christi).

    Christ is the source of all priesthood: the priest of the old law was a figure of Christ, and the priest of the new law acts in the person of Christ.

Through the ordained ministry, especially that of bishops and priests, the presence of Christ as head of the Church is made visible in the midst of the community of believers. In the beautiful expression of St. Ignatius of Antioch, the bishop is typos tou Patros: he is like the living image of God the Father. (1548-49)

So the priest acts "in the person of Christ" and is like a "living image of God the Father."

This does not mean that the priest becomes God. He is still very much a human being, capable of sin and in need of God's grace. But ordination does bring about a change...a real change in the very essence of the one receiving ordination. It is a change that permanently alters the individual:

This sacrament configures the recipient to Christ by a special grace of the Holy Spirit, so that he may serve as Christ's instrument for his Church. By ordination one is enabled to act as a representative of Christ, Head of the Church, in his triple office of priest, prophet, and king.

As in the case of Baptism and Confirmation this share in Christ's office is granted once for all. The sacrament of Holy Orders, like the other two, confers an indelible spiritual character and cannot be repeated or conferred temporarily

 It is true that someone validly ordained can, for grave reasons, be discharged from the obligations and functions linked to ordination, or can be forbidden to exercise them; but he cannot become a layman again in the strict sense, because the character imprinted by ordination is for ever. The vocation and mission received on the day of his ordination mark him permanently. (Catechism, 1581-83)

Just as biological fatherhood cannot be undone, so too priestly fatherhood is a new state of being that cannot be undone for an ordained priest. The question is, can a woman receive this change? Can a woman be a true embodiment of Christ?

Many who argue in favor of female ordination would insist that women are fully capable of doing what a male priest does: women can preach, hear confession, say the words of consecration, officiate at ceremonies, etc.  And this is all true - a woman can do all of those things. But priesthood is not just about doing these things. It is about being...

To be continued.

Quote of the Week

"Priests have received a power which God has given neither to angels nor to archangels. It was said to them: ‘Whatsoever you shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatsoever you shall loose, shall be loosed.’ Temporal rulers have indeed the power of binding; but they can only bind the body. Priests, in contrast, can bind with a bond which pertains to the soul itself and transcends the very heavens. Did [God] not give them all the powers of heaven? ‘Whose sins you shall forgive,’ he says, ‘they are forgiven them; whose sins you shall retain, they are retained.’ What greater power is there than this? The Father has given all judgment to the Son. And now I see the Son placing all this power in the hands of men. They are raised to this dignity as if they were already gathered up to heaven."

- John Chrysostom

Monday Musings

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


So I was thumbing through our hymnal at Mass on Sunday, trying to find the hymn that we were on (I was caught totally off-guard and it took me until well into the second verse to find the right page), when I came across hymn #666. Now I must admit that I have rather specific taste in church music. I have many times closed the book in silent protest when I hear a song that was published post-Vatican II that captures that "spirit of the age" that so many guitar-strumming folk artists have passed off as hymns in recent decades. So I was pleased to see that hymn #666 was exactly that type of song! I forget the title, but it was something about dancing with the Lord, and I think hand-clapping may have been mentioned more than once in the lyrics. Anyway, it was the perfect song to receive the designation 666. When I did finally find the correct song (O Sanctissima...in Latin!) I sang it with a smile on my face.

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Speaking of O Sanctissima... Here's a great version for your listening pleasure (including pictures and the Latin text).

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Since O Sanctissima is a hymn of the Blessed Virgin then in keeping with that Marian theme the picture of the week:

A couple of final thoughts: Keep in prayer this week those who were killed in the theater shooting in Colorado. Also remember farmers who have been affected by the drought.

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...

Denver Bishops Mourn With Community Over Theater Tragedy - "We stand in solidarity with our brothers and sisters cast into that darkness. They do not stand alone. As Catholic bishops, we 'weep with those who weep,'”

Some Healthcare Questions to Ponder - "...why should an x-ray cost $1,100? Why should a night in the hospital cost thousands? Why should a 15 minute office visit to the doctor or specialist be $90-180? I wonder if market forces had predominated all along, would prices would be this high?" [He asks some great questions...and a John Stossel video at the end - can't go wrong there!]

The Heresy of President Obama - "President Obama’s recent and much-discussed remark to business owners – 'If you’ve got a business — you didn’t build that. Somebody else made that happen.' – reflects a heresy bent out of shape at the unfairness of life."

The above article brings me to my second "picture of the week":

[Do a search for "You didn't build that meme" and you'll find a ton of these.]

The Uniqueness of Christianity - "...if you confess that you believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, you will find yourself suddenly alone, with a distinct chill in the air. Here are twelve of the commonest forms of this objection, the odium of elitism, with answers to each."

How Many Souls will be Saved? - "The answer to this question has been argued in the Christian era for 2,000 years. Why is that? Did not Jesus answer that question? Do not the Gospels of St. Luke and St. Matthew record his answer? Well, let us see."

Do Women Need to Wear Head Coverings at Mass? - [An interesting question for me since my daughter recently expressed an interest in this practice and we have seen a few young women and girls at our parish wearing chapel veils.]

Lying to Your Kids and 7 Other Catholic Parenting Notes - "...I thought I’d share a few of the lessons I’ve learned that other Catholic parents could use.  These are especially helpful if you are expecting for the first time."

Is It Possible to Raise Your Kids to Be Open-Minded About Religion? - "To take it a step further, I would encourage modern parents to shun the concept altogether, and embrace the search for objective truth instead."

Three Arguments Against Atheism from Pope Benedict - [Case closed!]

The Decline And Increase Of Mainstream Religions In The USA: With Pictures! - [Some good news for Catholics!]

Three Lessons from the Decline of Mainstream Protestantism - "The two words most often used to describe mainline Protestantism in North America are 'crisis' and 'decline,' both of which seem justified in light of recent trends."

Book Review: “The Singularity is Near,” A Transhumanist Manifesto - [The stuff of science fiction nearer than we think?]

And now a little piece of culture, just to liven things up.

Male-Only Priesthood, Part 1

Recently a friend asked a question that has been asked many times before, but always deserves a fresh response: “Why do Catholics call their priests ‘Father’? Didn’t Jesus tell us to call no one on earth ‘Father’?

I briefly replied:

Yes, Jesus did say, “Do not call anyone on earth ‘father.’” (Matthew 23:8-11) This passage is often used to “prove” that Catholics are disobeying Christ and that we are un-Biblical. I would answer by pointing out that in this same passage Jesus also tells us to call no one “teacher.” So if we are supposed to follow Jesus’ words here literally, then any time we call someone “teacher” we are likewise disobeying Jesus. Obviously no one believes that Jesus was forbidding the use of the word “teacher,” and so it stands to reason that He was also not forbidding the use of the word “father.

Catholics do not see this command of Jesus as a literal ban on the word “father.” In fact there are examples of Christians in the Bible using the term “father” to describe spiritual leaders.  And even Paul calls himself a “father” to Christians. He writes: “For if you were to have countless teachers in Christ, yet you would not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel.” (1Corinthians 4:15) If Jesus commanded us to call no one on earth “Father” then why would such a verse appear in Scripture?

During the course of this exchange between me and my friend, we discussed what it means to be a priest in the context of “fatherhood.” I gave my friend a few points to ponder on this subject:

-Your father (your parent) is the head of the household and represents the primary authority for your family. Your parish church is like a family (we are all brothers and sisters in Christ) and the priest represents the head of that parish family. So we call him “Father” to show that we see him as the head of the family.

-When we are baptized a priest is the ordinary minister of baptism, and so he receives us into the Church when we are “born again” in the waters of baptism. The priest is present beside us as we emerge from the waters just as our biological father is present as we are born from the womb. The Church is often called our “Mother” – she gives birth to us in baptism – and the priest is a “Father” to us because he instructs us and guides us and works with the Church, just as a mother and father would work together to raise a child.

-You might object by saying that GOD is our “Father” in baptism…not the priest. And that is true. A priest is only a pale comparison to God. He can only really be a “step-father” of sorts. But even Jesus had a step-father. He loved and obeyed Joseph and lived under his authority as any son would a father. So a priest can rightly be called a father in the same sense that Joseph was a father to Jesus. We certainly recognize God as our true Father, but just as Jesus accepted Joseph as a father, we accept the earthly “father” that God gives us – the priest.

-We have a custom in the United States of calling people like George Washington and Thomas Jefferson our “Founding Fathers.” Likewise in the Church we have a custom of calling the ancient Christian leaders the “Church Fathers.” People like Saint Clement, Saint Ignatius, Saint Irenaeus, and Saint Augustine are all called “Fathers.” This term “Father” came to mean someone who taught authentic doctrine through their writings and the examples that they made of their lives. It became a term of respect for someone who represented the truth of the faith in ancient times. At some point in history the term Father was also used by Christians to refer to any man who received ordination and became a primary teacher of the faithful. Just as the early Church Fathers were great teachers, so too a priest is called to fill such a role.

- No father on earth is perfect. My dad was a pretty great father, but I know he had his flaws. Only God is a perfect Father. He is the model for all fatherhood. As a dad I am supposed to imitate God’s Fatherhood in my own parenting. By calling a priest ‘Father,’ we are pointing to God as a role-model for the priesthood. We are saying that the priest is called to imitate God’s fatherhood just as my dad and your dad and every man who has children is called to imitate God’s fatherhood. So calling a priest Father is meant to remind the priest of his overwhelming responsibility and to remind him to be humble in that calling.

These are just a few examples that came to mind when answering my friend’s question. It seemed to satisfy his curiosity and so I put the conversation to rest and that was that. Then a few weeks later I came across another discussion in which female ordination was being debated amongst Protestants. This piqued my interest. The Catholic concept of priestly “fatherhood” certainly points to a male-only priesthood and I immediately thought of the before-mentioned conversation on that subject. What I’ve posted above is a good place to start on the issue of male-only priesthood, but in the next few weeks I plan on adding more thoughts and attempt to explore this topic from several angles.