Saturday, July 31, 2010

A 'Traditional' Catholic? Yes and No

Every once in a while, I run into someone online who writes something like "I'm a traditional Catholic." Sometimes what they mean is that they go to Mass regularly, accept the teaching authority of the Holy See, and try to live in fidelity to what's taught.

By those standards, I'm a "traditional Catholic."

But I'm not likely to identify myself that way: not without an explanation.

Holier Than the Pope

There's a place, not all that far from my town here in Minnesota, that's marked as a Catholic church. My family and I noticed it one day: as I recall, we were looking for a place where we could celebrate Mass.

The setting was quite pleasant: a side road leading down through woods to a graveled parking area.

Surrounded by very plain white buildings. Some of them resembled barracks, one of them was a very plain white church: apparently. The place had been used, quite recently, judging by the mowed grass and well-worn footpaths. But we didn't see anybody. At all.

I turned the van around and left.

We may have missed an opportunity to meet some nice - and possibly rather colorful - people, but I think I made the right decision.

There were, and probably still are, some groups in America who are convinced that:
  • They're Catholics
    • The only 'real' Catholics left
  • The Holy See isn't Catholic
    • Vatican II proved that
    • Their priest says so
A fair number of them would have described themselves as "traditional Catholics." Who were, as I've heard it put, "holier than the Pope."

Quite a few were also convinced that the Mass must always be celebrated in Latin.

Latin, Mass, Getting a Grip

There's nothing wrong - at all - with using Latin when celebrating the Mass.

I've been to a Latin Mass - in St. Mary's Cathedral in Fargo, North Dakota. Which is the seat of the Diocese of Fargo. Definitely in communion with Rome.

One of my daughters speaks and reads Latin.

Latin is a lovely language, and the universal language of the Church. It's the language our official documents are written in - and then translated into local languages, like English.

We've got lots of rules about the Mass, but there's no rule from the Holy See that says that everybody must celebrate the Mass in Latin. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1322-1419: and that's just the basics)

Which apparently upset some folks in America who were Catholic, and liked their Latin Mass.

So they decided that Rome was wrong, that this priest they knew who agreed with them was right - and they set up their own little churches.

Which, according to them, were the only 'real' Catholic Churches in the world.

I don't see it that way: but then I think that the Pope is the person who currently has the authority that my Lord gave Peter, about 2,000 years back. (Catechism, 551-553, 880-887, for starters)

I've discussed why I converted to Catholicism before.

About leaving the Catholic Church because I don't like something I've heard or felt? The answer to that is in the Q & A in John 6:67-69. I'm with Simon Peter: There isn't a second option.

But Vatican II Ruined Everything?!

There's more to it than a preference for Latin during Mass.

Back in the sixties, the Holy See published the documents of Vatican II. In Latin, and in English translation. Today they're available online, including the English translation.

Back in the sixties, quite a few American priests could have gotten English translations of the Vatican II documents in print format.

But apparently it was easier to read what Newsweek, or Time, or The Atlantic, had to say about Vatican II. I'll admit that the English translations of Vatican II documents tend to be a bit on the dry, academic side, in terms of style.

Here in America, in quite a few churches, altar rails were taken down, the Tabernacle hidden, and weirdly screwball versions of the Mass were presented - "in the spirit of Vatican II."

Was that liturgical two-step mandated by Vatican II? No: but that's not what many folks at the grassroots level heard.

Little wonder that some of them panicked and ran.

That was then, this is now: and I like to think that the damage done by those hotshot wannabe 'reformers' is being repaired.

"Traditional?" Yes and No

Back to being a "traditional" Catholic: I
  • Am a convert to Catholicism
  • Accept the authority of the Pope
    • It's the authority given by the Son of God to Peter
      • Handed down through the ages as empires rose and fell
  • Accept my duty to know and love God
I am a Catholic. How "traditional" I am - that depends on what's meant by "traditional."

Almost-related posts:

Friday, July 30, 2010

Friday: I Could Wait For Inspiration, or Go With This

There's a story I heard, several decades back, about this guy who was stuck on the roof of a building during a flood.

Odds are, you've heard this before. If so, skip to the first heading.

Anyway, he prayed, "God, save me from this flood."

Later somebody came by in a boat and offered him a ride out of the flood. He refused, saying that God would rescue him.

Still later, somebody else came in another boat. Same thing.

As flood waters rose to the peak of the roof, this guy saw a helicopter coming, with a ladder dangling under it. He waved it off, shouting that God would rescue him.

Then the flood waters washed him off the roof, and he drowned.

After being processed in Heaven, he stomped up to God's throne, demanding an explanation.

God told him, "I sent you two boats and a helicopter: what were you waiting for?"

This is the First Heading

Some days, I have a pretty good idea about what I'm going to write for A Catholic Citizen in America. Other days, not so much.

Then there are days like this, when I haven't a clue.

It's not that I don't have any topics. I've got three: I just don't see any of them as the topic for today's post.

I could ponder, contemplate, meditate, and/or pray: which I've done.

Still, three ideas.

I could try cobbling together some half-baked bit of roll-your-own theology about the Trinity: but
  1. That kind of trouble I don't need
  2. That's a horribly mixed metaphor
So - another metaphor - I'm taking that sack of ideas, turning it upside down and giving it a good shake. Here they are:

Everybody Who Doesn't Agree With Me is Going to Hell?!

NOT!

This is one reason that I converted to Catholicism: Thanks to the Bible, Tradition, and the Magisterium (look it up), we have the answer to those simple, yes-or-no questions.

In the case of "does a person have to be a Catholic, to go to Heaven," the answer is - apparently - yes.

And, no.

Remember, I speak with the full authority of some guy with a blog. I have about as little teaching authority as a person can have, and still be breathing.

I ran across part of what I'll be quoting earlier today, and that got me curious.
"How are we to understand this affirmation, often repeated by the Church Fathers?335 Re-formulated positively, it means that all salvation comes from Christ the Head through the Church which is his Body:
"Basing itself on Scripture and Tradition, the Council teaches that the Church, a pilgrim now on earth, is necessary for salvation: the one Christ is the mediator and the way of salvation; he is present to us in his body which is the Church. He himself explicitly asserted the necessity of faith and Baptism, and thereby affirmed at the same time the necessity of the Church which men enter through Baptism as through a door. Hence they could not be saved who, knowing that the Catholic Church was founded as necessary by God through Christ, would refuse either to enter it or to remain in it.336
"This affirmation is not aimed at those who, through no fault of their own, do not know Christ and his Church:
"Those who, through no fault of their own, do not know the Gospel of Christ or his Church, but who nevertheless seek God with a sincere heart, and, moved by grace, try in their actions to do his will as they know it through the dictates of their conscience—those too may achieve eternal salvation.337"
(Catechism of the Catholic Church, 846, 847)
Does this mean that it doesn't matter what you believe, as long as you're sincere? That may cut it with the Great Pumpkin in Peanuts, but out here in reality - not so much.

Again, I'm some guy with a blog. I have just about zero teaching authority in the Church.

Those links could take you to what I quoted - and the footnotes include reference to one of those "secret" Catholic documents you hear about. Like so many others, this one's available in English translation on the Holy See's Website:
  • "Lumen Gentium"
    Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, Solemnly Promulgated by His Holiness Pope Paul VI (November 21, 1964)
The bit that's referenced is Lumen Gentium, paragraph 16.

As to whether it's a good idea to get into God's outfit?

Let me put it this way -

I don't particularly like having others tell me what to do, I've had issues with authority, and I have very little respect for folks who claim that I should do things their way because God says so.

And I converted to Catholicism.

Yeah, I'd say it's a good idea.

And Now, For Something Completely Different

Matthew Warner posted this on his Fallible Blogma:He got the list from Patrick Madrid, who modeled it on a Chuck Norris-isms.

Maybe I'm not the only one who came up a little short on good ideas today?

Nope: Look at the post's date. I leaned about it today, but it's been out for months.

Google, Vatican.va, and What Happened

From today's news:
"Vatican website phenomenon could have been 'page hacking' "
EWTN News (July 30, 2010)

"Google's error in placing pedofilo.com ahead of the Vatican's website in a search for the word 'Vatican' was not 'Google bombing,' according to an Italian computer expert. The phenomenon, rather, was likely due to 'page hacking,' the orchestrated use of duplicated content to gain authority in a web search.

"The Italian search engine optimizer (SEO) Andrea Vit, who dedicates himself to increasing the ranking of websites in web searches, explained his take on the technology behind the placement of pedofilo.com as the top result on a Google search for the Vatican.

"Vit explained to EWTN News that in a search, every website has a value or 'page rank' assigned to it by Google based on the site's 'authority.' Authority is assigned to a site according to the number of links to that site from others. The higher the page rank, the higher the site's placement as a result in a search...."
Google corrected the situation shortly after it was discovered.

As for the standard-issue 'the Catholic Church shields pedophiles and is icky' thing, I've posted about that before.

How to Waste Your Vote

Finally, here's something from Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life (MCCL):
"Third parties fall on the fringe of public opinion"
Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life State and Federal PAC (undated)

"Minnesotans reject extremist Green, Independence pro-abortion parties

"The 2002 election revealed many of Minnesota's political nuances. Among these was a clear lack of support for so-called third party candidates. Following much fanfare and media coverage, the Independence Party was able to claim only one victory in the entire state, picking up a single seat in the state Senate. Other parties such as the Green Party and the Constitution Party were completely thwarted in their efforts to win elections.

"Statewide support among the electorate for mainstream pro-life candidates was partly responsible for preventing marginal third parties from gaining ground in the Nov. 5 election. This widespread pro-life constituency helped repudiate the third parties still able to claim major party status: the pro-abortion Green and Independence parties.

"Thinly disguised extremism...."
Some Minnesotans voted for third-party candidates. Given human nature, if you campaigned heavily enough you could probably get write-in votes for a Furze Party candidate ("You Could Do Gorse!").

America's midterm election is coming in November. Since I'm a Catholic, I have to be an informed citizen, and vote. And I've posted about that before, too:
A tip of the hat to CatholicNotions, MCCL_org and MatthewWarner, on Twitter.

Thursday, July 29, 2010

About as Close to St. Peter's in Rome as I'm Likely to Get

From yesterday's news:
"Holy See website unveils virtual tour of St. Peter's Basilica"
EWTN News (July 28 2010)

"The Vatican has just released a unique virtual tour of St. Peter's Basilica through its web portal. The 3-D tour was created by students and faculty from Villanova University, but it is not the first project completed by the school for the Vatican.

"Images now available online through the Holy See's website, www.vatican.va, provide an exceptional look both at the interior and exterior of St. Peter's Basilica. The tour joins those already offered for the Basilica of St. John Lateran, the Basilica of St. Paul Outside-the-walls and the Sistine Chapel...."
There's a link on vatican.va's English-language home page - to this English-language version of the tour: "Papal Basilica of St. Peter. I visited that page, and followed links to the eight viewpoint locations:
  1. Apse
  2. Altar
  3. North Transept
  4. South Transept
  5. Nave
  6. Choir Chapel
  7. Pieta
  8. St. Peter's at Night
The last is near the obelisk in St. Peter's Square. Each is one of those spherical-360 viewers that you can pan around - and zoom. The one downside I found was that I had to use my browser's 'back' button to go back to the opening page: but that's a quibble.

I felt a little bashful, using the Altar viewpoint.

This was the first I remember seeing the Choir Chapel: like the rest of the basilica, it's impressive.

St. Peter's is huge: but it's a beautifully-proportioned building, with the sort of rich attention to detail that was so remarkably absent during much of the 20th century in the West. Which is another topic.

Impressive. It's late, and that's the only word that comes out just now, for what I saw.

And heard. There's a vocal sound track: a choir.

10 Fun Facts: Why Didn't I think of That?

Noted, in another blog:Several folks commented, to split hairs on #9. It involved Cannon law. The person who posted the blog clarified what was meant, BTW. I don't see that exchange of ideas as being 'picky:' But then, I don't mind a community of 1,160,000,000-plus people having to have rather carefully-defined rules.

It sure beats the alternatives. Which is another topic.

The list is in a familiar reverse-order format, with #1 coming last. My favorites, as of this moment, are the last two:
"...2 - The Catholic Church is not anti-science. In fact, many of the major scientific discoveries have been made by Catholics (some who were priests). The Vatican even has an observatory.

"1 - The Catholic Church is the mother of the modern university."
(Aggie Catholics)
It's really nice to see an upbeat post: which is something I maybe should remember, myself.

Posts with Catholic trivia - and not-so-trivia:

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Saints, Martyrs, Catholics, and Rules

Father Stanley Rother spent 13 years in Guatemala. He was a parish priest in a small town named Santiago Atitlan. Near-constant wars - including one that lasted 36 years - made Santiago Atitlan a risky place to live.

Father Rother returned to Oklahoma in 1981, but returned to Guatamala some months later: "after recognizing that his heart was with the people," as the Catholic News Agency (CNA) put it.

Then, on July 28, 1981, three men broke into the mission rectory and killed him.

Martyr? Maybe

Is Father Stanley Rother a martyr? A saint? Those are good questions. I don't have answers, because Rome hasn't spoken on the matter yet.

I'm a Catholic, and we've got - what else? - rules about this sort of thing.

Father Rother certainly has a sort of cheering section:
"...The local archbishop expressed his conviction during the homily that the missionary is both a martyr and a saint...."
(CNA)
Does that mean the archbishop is on one side, and Rome on another? No. It means that the local archbishop thinks that Father Rother is a martyr and a saint. Which wraps up the archdiocese-level work in the canonization process. Next step: Rome. The Holy See.

It's Just a Popularity Contest!

Wrong.

I've written about saints before. Bottom line, a saint isn't recognized as a saint until he or she has been linked to two verified miracles. And yes, miracles happen.

I'll grant that the process of declaring someone to be a saint depends on at least a few people who are more-or-less at the grassroots level getting the ball rolling. But no amount of hoopla and publicity is going to change the process - apart from letting the folks at the Holy See know that there's a lot of hoopla and publicity about Joe Doaks, or whoever is being hyped.

Back to Father Rother. The last two paragraphs of that CNA article are a pretty good summation:
"...Citing a 'spontaneous outpouring of prayer and devotion,' in Guatemala and in the U.S. since his death, Archbishop Beltran said, 'We believe and we are convinced that Father Rother was martyred and is now a saint in heaven.'

"To make beatification possible, the postulator must now prove to the Vatican congregation for saints that Fr. Rother was killed solely for his faith, that his death was violent and that he accepted such a death for the faith."
(CNA)
Key points:
  • There's been a "spontaneous outpouring of prayer and devotion" to Father Rother's memory
  • Father Rother's death
    • Was violent
    • May have been only because of his faith
      • Or, not
    • May have been something he accepted for the faith
      • Or, not
Don't get me wrong: There's an archbishop who says that Father Rother was a martyr and a saint. I'm just some Catholic layman. My view is that odds favor the archbishop being right about Father Rother.

But the archbishop is, as far as I can tell, doing this by the book: he's decided that the evidence favors the idea that Father Rother is a saint and a martyr. Now the archbishop is passing the matter on to Rome for consideration.

I'm waiting to see what Rome says about Father Rother.

That's just how we work.

Somewhat-related posts:In the news:

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Wheat, Weeds, and a Tax Collector

I got involved in a discussion today when someone asked, I think rhetorically, if the weeds were going to grow with the wheat until the harvest.

I live in a small town in Central Minnesota - we're more corn and cattle than wheat around here, but the agricultural realities are the same. One of the frustrations of farming is that it's hard to distinguish the crop from the weeds - and I'm not going to get sidetracked with a discussion of herbicides and agribusiness.

Where was I? Wheat. Weeds. Harvest. Right.

That 'wheat and weeds' question refers to Matthew 13:24-30, where Jesus makes a point by describing a farmer who lets weeds and wheat grow together until the harvest, because he wants to be sure that no wheat is mistaken for a weed.

The question about wheat and weeds gets answered fairly clearly:
"Let them grow together until harvest; 11 then at harvest time I will say to the harvesters, 'First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles for burning; but gather the wheat into my barn.' "
(Matthew 13:30)
I don't mind the idea that wheat and weeds will grow side-by-side at all: since I've looked a whole lot like a weed, from time to time.

I'm pretty sure that I'm not the only person in that position, and I'm quite willing to wait until I face my Lord and get sorted out. ("Particular judgment" is the technical term for that. More in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1020-1022, 1051)

Terribly 'Virtuous' Folks, and a Man With Sense

Then there's the Luke 18:9-14 thing, where Jesus told about a Pharisee who was quite thankful:
" 'The Pharisee took up his position and spoke this prayer to himself, "O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity--greedy, dishonest, adulterous--or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week, and I pay tithes on my whole income." ' "
(Luke 18:11-14)
You know how that parable ends: the tax collector, who's got a much more realistic understanding of the situation and simply asks for mercy, comes out as the preferred role model.

Being Right, Acting Right, and Remembering Who We are

I've noticed that people don't, as a rule, react well when someone else insults them and ridicules their beliefs. People don't seem to appreciate condescension, either: not when they're the object of it.

Given my beliefs and way of life, I'm apt to tune out someone who refers to me as one of those "crazy religious people," and explains that anybody who thinks that God exists is obviously quite unintelligent. What can I say? I'm a human being.

Folks living in this world who aren't exactly like me - aren't really all that different, either. As I've written before, "those heretics may not like being called heretics." Technically, I've been a heretic for a substantial portion of my life. I didn't know that I was, and converted to Catholicism after I figured out what the score was: but the fact remains that I haven't always been a Catholic: and thus was, in a sense, a heretic.

The process of my conversion might have taken longer - or not happened at all - if I'd been harangued by some Catholic equivalent of a fire-and-brimstone preacher. I know that I'm a sinner - and that we're all in need of God's mercy. I'm not impressed when someone else seems to think that he and his buddies are the good guys, and that folks who aren't just like them - well, aren't.

Railing about 'those sinners over there' and extolling the virtues of folks who agree with me might feel good. But on the whole, I'd rather not explain why I indulged in that sort of self-righteousness to my Lord, when I meet Him one-on-one.

I don't think he approves of that sort of thing.

Communicating When Not Everybody's Just Like Me

I've put together another set of posts, in "What do I Really Feel About [___]," on communicating:

Monday, July 26, 2010

Vatican Brick-and-Mortar Library Reopening This Fall

Both of my parents were, among other things, librarians. One of the few things I miss, living in a small town in central Minnesota, is ready access to university libraries.

Part of my feeling at home in the back stacks of a library comes, I think, from my parents. Part of it comes from my interest in three things:
  • That which exists within the universe
  • That which exist beyond
  • That which might exist
Happily, the Internet gives me access to a vast storehouse of data.

One of the places I visit fairly often is the Holy See's website, vatican.va.The last I checked, it's available in Deutsch, English, Español, Français, Italiano, Latine, and Português. I know: That's a rather narrow selection of languages. But the odds are that if what you speak at home isn't on the list, you understand at least one of that set. I've written about languages and the Internet in another blog.

Vatican Secret Archives: Online

I suspect that someone with a wry sense of humor put "Vatican Secret Archives" on the Vatican's English-language home page. I think there's a dry sort of humor there, anyway.

I grew up in a virulently anti-Catholic part of America. My parents weren't Catholic, but they weren't anti-Catholic either. I think the nuns who were determined to not let my mother die as an infant had a hand in that. And that's another story.

The same folks who are convinced that the Pope is the Antichrist or at least in league with Satan, tend to be convinced that those nasty foreigners in the Vatican have all sorts of secret papers and stuff like that. (a little more about that in a footnote to a November 12, 2008, post)

It's true, sort of. There are a vast number of documents stored at the Vatican. Including one, from the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, titled "The Church and the Internet." A great number of the "secret" documents of the Church are available online: many in English translation.

The Church Online: We're There, and We're Learning

Although some of the Holy See's efforts to engage people online have been criticized, I think that the Catholic Church is doing fairly well. From my point of view, it's impressive that this nearly-2,000-year-old institution has put so many of its documents online, and is making an effort to develop new procedures that will accurately and effectively present Catholic teachings in this rapidly-evolving online culture.

Put another way: There's more involved with setting up something like Pope2You.net (May 26, 2009), than there is in running a chat service for Lindsay Lohan fans.

It Started With Three Computers

I remember, back in 1997, when the Vatican's Internet Office went online with three servers: Gabriel, Michael and Raphael. I'd like to think that quite a few Catholics would recognize those as the names of archangels - but that's another topic.

There's a pretty good writeup of another milestone in the Vatican's online presence at CatholicTranscript.com: "Second Vatican Web Site Will Debut in the Fall" (September 12, 2005).

There's Virtually Nothing Like Being There

What got me started was an item in today's news. The Apostolic Vatican Library is scheduled to reopen in the fall. It's a pretty big deal. The CNA article ends with this:
"...A week before the date chosen for this fall's inauguration, the Vatican librarian, Cardinal Raffaele Farina, will present the entirety of the project in a press conference. He will also highlight future plans for the facilities, including the next item of business: remodeling the Sistine Hall of the Vatican Library to be a reading room.

"The first major initiative set to take place in the library this fall, according to the library's newsletter, is a conference in November to examine it as 'a place for research and as an institution at the service of scholarship.' "
(CNA)
And yes: the Vatican Library is online, too: vaticanlibrary.va. Which is a happy circumstance for me, since I'm unlikely to ever be on that side of the Atlantic.

In the news:

Sunday, July 25, 2010

Mother Teresa of Calcutta's Sandals; Relics, and Minnesota

Relics of Bl. Mother Teresa of Calcutta will be a few hour's drive down the road from me, tomorrow evening. Her sandals, crucifix and rosary, a lock of her hair and drops of her blood contained in reliquaries will be on display for about an hour, at the St. Paul Cathedral (in St. Paul, Minnesota - as you might have guessed) before a special 7:00 p.m. Mass.

I won't be going. Neither will any member of my family, to the best of my knowledge.

A Devout Catholic Not Trekking to See Mother Teresa's Sandals?!

I'm a practicing Catholic, in solidarity with the Magisterium, and quite interested in Mother Teresa of Calcutta. But I'm not driving down to the Cities to see Mother Teresa's sandals.

I've got pretty good reasons.

The trip would cost a certain amount of money: in the neighborhood of $20 for gasoline, if nothing else.

More to the point, the family hasn't been feeling well. I don't think it's prudent to drive 125-plus miles to St. Paul, Minnesota, work our way in through what I suspect will be quite a crowd of folks at the Cathedral, and then drive back.

One Guy With a Blog's Take on Mother Teresa, a Centurion, and Jesus

Besides, I see the matter of going to see those relics as a sort of Matthew 8:5-9 situation. That's when a centurion asked Jesus to heal his servant.

When my Lord said that he'd go, the centurion replied:
"The centurion said in reply, 6 'Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof; only say the word and my servant will be healed. For I too am a person subject to authority, with soldiers subject to me. And I say to one, "Go," and he goes; and to another, "Come here," and he comes; and to my slave, "Do this," and he does it.' "
(Matthew 8:8-9)
As footnote 6 (NAB) in that chapter explained,
"Acquainted by his position with the force of a command, the centurion expresses faith in the power of Jesus' mere word."
(footnote 6 in Matthew 8, NAB)
I'm no centurion, but I understand hierarchical systems and chains of command. I'm also quite certain that when God's saints are concerned, 125 miles' distance isn't much of an obstacle.

Anyway, it's Blessed Mother Teresa for now. It'll take another verified miracle to get her canonized. Which is another topic.

Relic? Isn't That Something Old?

The secular meaning for "relic" includes these definitions:
  1. "An antiquity that has survived from the distant past
  2. "Keepsake, souvenir, token, relic (something of sentimental value)"
    (Princeton's WordNet)
The second definition is close to what a relic is, in the Catholic sense.

And, naturally, the Catholic Church has rules about relics. We've even separated them into three classes:
"What is a relic?

"A relic is something that is associated with a saint, such as a part of the body, a piece of clothing, or something the saint had come in contact with. There are three classes of relics. A first-class relic is a part of the saint's body. A second-class relic is something used or touched by the saint. A third-class relic is something that has been touched to a first-class relic. The St. Damien relic is a first-class relic, as it is a bone from the saint's heel."
(Frequently Asked Questions | The Relic of St. Damien of Molokai, Archdiocese of Detroit)
I've written about St. Damien of Molokai before. (May 11, 2010)

Recapping what's on the Archdiocese of Detroit's page:
  • A relic is something associated with a saint
  • There are three classes of relics:
    • First-class relic
      • A part of the saint's body
    • Second-class relic
      • Something the saint
        • Used
        • Touched
    • Third-class relic
      • Something touched by a first- or second-class relic
Since informed Catholic sources have referred to Mother Teresa's sandals, hair, and blood as "relics," looks like the term can be used to describe stuff associated with 'Blesseds,' too.

Worshiping Relics is Wrong, Right?

Right.

Catholics may venerate relics: which isn't the same as worshiping them. (July 12, 2010)

Venerating relics is okay. I think veneration of relics is a good idea, since we're human beings. People like us seem to focus better when we've got something physical to pay attention to.

The Holy See is okay with expressions of popular piety like what's going on in St. Paul, Minnesota, tomorrow evening. They've got more to say on the subject than just 'it's okay,' of course. Here's a sample:
"Popular piety is characterized by a great variety and richness of bodily, gestural and symbolic expressions: kissing or touching images, places, relics and sacred objects; pilgrimages, processions; going bare-footed or on one's knees; kneeling and prostrating; wearing medals and badges... . These and similar expressions, handed down from father to son, are direct and simple ways of giving external expression to the heart and to one's commitment to live the Christian life. Without this interior aspect, symbolic gesture runs the risk of degenerating into empty customs or mere superstitions, in the worst cases."
("Principles and Guidelines," Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy, 15)
Which isn't the same as "venerating relics is superstitious." Which is yet another topic.

Related posts:More:In the news:About Relics:
  • "Principles and Guidelines," Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy
    Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, Vatican City (December 2001)

A tip of the hat to catholicseeking, on Twitter, for the heads-up on the Catholicseeking blog post.

17th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Readings for July 25, 2010, 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time 2010:

14th Sunday in Ordinary Time

By Deacon Lawrence N. Kaas
July 5, 2010

Just a few words on the readings for today and then I want to talk to you about family as it pertains to National Natural Family Planning Awareness Week.

We find in our first reading from Gen: 20-32 of an account of Abraham bartering with God over the lives of the innocent of Sodom and Gomorrah. God allows this - for He trusts Abraham as Abraham trusts God. You will recall that the barter comes down to the last ten and Abraham come to know, then that God protected the innocent.

We are invited not to fear the plan of The Lord - as awesome/awful as it may seem. His plan is perfect, and He protects those who trusts Him.

Psalm 138: "Lord, on the day I called for help, You answered me." This is a psalm of thanksgiving, for the psalmist has learned to trust in the Lord. All we have to do is call upon Him. As we are aware of our need, we realize all the more that God will provide.

From the second reading we are aware that we are raised with Christ through faith in the power of God. Even when dead, in sin, He has not forgotten us, but has forgiven all our trespasses.

Even when we feel we have messed up real bad, maybe in the area of openness to life and trusting in God's plan for our marriage, the Lord comes as salvation. We are never so far removed that His power, His life, is not stronger. Let us not be afraid to let go of our old way of life, and trust Him to care for us and our needs.

Then from Luke, Jesus teaches His disciples to pray, giving us the 'Lord's prayer'. He continues to teach about perseverance in Prayer. He reminds us that our prayer is always heard and answered. Even more, He gives the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!

It is impossible to trust without prayer. Prayer is that privileged place of openness and trust that allows true conversion to take root and grow. We can be confident that when we pray, especially as He had taught, that we are not talking to ourselves, but that He hears and answers. Really, He is waiting for us to open ourselves to Him in prayer, that He may give us the greatest good, His Holy Spirit. This is the perfect love that takes away all fear.

Now to what I really want to talk to you about: you will note that the key word of all that I have already shared with you is Trust and trust that God should give us the greatest of His Goodness.

Often I will say to young people, "I worry about you!" I do not fear the evil that could come your way but that because of lack of trust in God, that His goodness may not fill you with the fullness of His Joy and Mercy. What does that have to do with Natural Family Planning (NFP) you may ask? First of all I want to assure you that I believe and know that NFP as taught in Pre-marriage is very well done and very important. But life issues must begin long before that point, even before engagement. Of course that is were those of us who are older must be the example to the young. How do we relate to family, how do we relate to the children. Do we see them as a burden to our own wants or do we see them as a very precious gift from God. When did you ever hear of having children so as to populate Heaven? You may respond, so that is My gob? You bet it is!

When you consider the reality of eternal life and come know that you will share Heaven with the members of your family you will begin to understand how important family is here on earth. Agnes said to me days before she died that she was going to heaven to hold her baby! I have no doubt that when I join her, that is exactly what she will be doing. We lost a baby in miss-carriage, she never really got over that.

The very young must know that they are valued members of the family as preparation for the time when they too, will welcome new members into their own families. I'm not about to go into NFP, for we have people who can do a better job the I can. But what I really want to do, even impose upon you is the importance of engagement and the commitment we make when we become engaged, for this commitment has eternal consequences. When we become one flesh in marriage we are in a life long journey onto Eternal Life, that is together.

So what I want from everyone of you here is to know and to push that every couple who plan to marry to call me and make arrangements to have their engagement blessed. In other words let us all who plan for marriage get off on the right foot, so to speak. One of the questions I always ask, is it your intention to raise a Catholic Christian family? A committed YES!, gives them a whole lot to work with. A family committed to the teaching of Christ and the Church are going to make it into Eternity together. After all, isn't that what life here on earth is all about?
'Thank you' to Deacon Kaas, for letting me post his reflection here.
More reflections: Related post:More about NFP:

Saturday, July 24, 2010

Pope Benedict XVI's Face on 50-Cent Euro

About two million coins bearing Pope Benedict XVI's face are in circulation now, being used to provide change at places like a gas station, pharmacy and post office.

Inside the Vatican's walls.

The new coins are Euros - the currency that the Holy See has used since January, 2002. Coins with the Pope's likeness have been made - but until now, only to be sold as part of collections. The Hole See made a deal with the European Union in December, 2009, that allows - or requires - coins with the Pope's face to be put in circulation.
"...According to the fine print of this agreement, reported France's I-Media, the Vatican was obligated to put at least 51 percent of the nominal value of its coinage in circulation. However, in order to protect value in the important trade of collections, the 50 cent coins are the only ones in circulation and they will only be given out in pairs: two per customer...."
(EWTN News/CNA)

Coins, Being 'Spiritual,' and the Catholic Church

I grew up before the 'prosperity gospel' got traction in American culture, and some of the frightfully-spiritual folks I heard were - let's say ambivalent about having money. These days, I seem to run into same old 'those wealthy folks are so sinful insensitive' line coming from another direction - but that's another topic.

I suppose I could rant and rave about the evils of wealth and how a spiritual place like the Vatican should be spiritual and not worldly and anyway why should anybody have more money than me.

Not gonna happen.

It's true: the Holy See has a remarkable number of art treasures and other incalculably valuable stuff. When you've been around for almost 2,000 years, stuff accumulates.

I'm not upset that the central headquarters of the Catholic Church photographs well. I've written about that before. (February 4, 2010) Like it or not, the people we deal with are human beings - and folks like us tend to take an outfit more seriously, if it operates out of something a trifle upscale.

The 'wealth of the Vatican' doesn't keep us from helping folks who can use a hand. I've written about that before, too. (April 10, 2010)

So the Vatican raises a little money by selling collectible coins, and circulates a four-bit Euro that doesn't look just like every other Euro in Europe. The Catholic Church exists in a world where people use money to keep track of who owes how much to who - so the Church had better deal with money, or we'll be 'so heavenly-minded that we're no Earthly good.'

And that wouldn't be good.

Back to that rather cool-looking coin: The words below Pope Benedict XVI's face are "Citta del Vaticano 2010."

Vaguely-related posts:In the news:

Friday, July 23, 2010

Catholic Vestment Colors: Symbols of Our Beliefs

Color matters. There's a reason why you're not likely to find a lot of bright red and yellow in an investment company's advertisement - or deep greens and rich browns on the sign of a fast-food joint.

Or people wearing white armbands at a funeral. Actually, in some parts of the world: you might. What colors mean is at least partly a matter of culture.1

Here in the West, the Catholic Church's color for (most) funerals was black. Now, it's black or white. I mentioned that yesterday.

Catholic Vestment Colors Mean Something

There's a reason for the priest celebrating Mass in a different color on different days - and it's not because he got bored with green. All those colors mean something: white; red; green, violet, black, and (around here) rose.

I didn't mention blue. That's because this blog is about a Catholic's experiences and outlook in America. Blue is an important color for vestments in some places: but not in this part of the world.2 Not yet, anyway.

The symbolism of vestment colors in America is also what I could check on personally, without making a long-distance call. I'll get back to that.

The Catholic Church has a rich heritage of symbols - which I think could be discussed more often. But that's another topic. Here in the West, about a century back, these were what vestment colors meant:
  • White
    • Light
      • Innocence
      • Purity
      • Joy
      • Glory
  • Red
    • Fire and blood
      • Burning charity
      • Martyrs' generous sacrifice
  • Green
    • Plants and trees
      • Hope of life eternal
  • Violet
      Gloomy cast of the mortified
      • Affliction and melancholy
  • Black
    • Mourning
      • Sorrow of death
      • Sombreness of the tomb
    (Source: "Liturgical Colours," The Catholic Encyclopedia (1908), via New Advent)
About 50 years after that, this was the symbolism attached to the colors of vestments:
  • White
    • Purity of soul
    • Holiness
  • Red
    • The shedding of blood
    • Burning love
  • Green
    • Hope
  • Violet
    • Penance
    Black
    • Mourning
  • Rose
    • Joy in the midst of penance
  • Gold
    • Used on solemn occasions in place of white, red, or green vestments
    (Source: "Baltimore Catechism," Lesson 27, via EWTN.com)
Less than an hour ago, I called a deacon whose knowledge of the Church I've learned to trust: and he tells me that the colors mean the same thing now.

American English has shifted a little during the last century, but that seems to be the most significant change in discussion of vestment colors mean.

Related post:
1 Posts about color, in another blog:2 Catholics live and worship in Spain, Portugal, Mexico, South America, the Philippines, and many other places: but the American experience is what I know about first-hand.

Thursday, July 22, 2010

Colorful Catholics: Vestment Colors For Every Season

A priest in the Netherlands got in trouble with his superiors recently, apparently for wearing orange vestments - that uniform worn by priests during Mass. ("Dutch Catholic Priest Suspended for Liturgical Abuse," Christopher's Apologies (July 20, 2010))

He was showing great team spirit, since orange is the color for his country's team in the soccer World Cup. Problem was, this was a Mass.

Team spirit's okay: As long as you remember which team you're on. Those orange vestments made it look like the priest might be putting allegiance to a sports team ahead of allegiance to the Lord of Hosts. I trust that's not what he had in mind - but symbols matter.

The Catholic Church uses lots of symbols: including what colors are on the vestments worn by priests at Mass. That orange outfit roused my curiosity, so I dug around a little. Here's what the uniform colors are in America:
  • White
    • Offices and Masses during the Easter and Christmas seasons
    • Celebrations of
      • The Lord other than of his Passion
      • The Blessed Virgin Mary
      • The Holy Angels
      • Saints who were not Martyrs
      • The Solemnities of All Saints (1 November)
      • The Nativity of Saint John the Baptist (24 June)
      • The Feasts of Saint John the Evangelist (27 December)
      • The Chair of Saint Peter (22 February)
      • The Conversion of Saint Paul (25 January)
  • Red
    • Palm Sunday of the Lord's Passion
    • Good Friday
    • Pentecost Sunday
    • Celebrations of the Lord's Passion
    • The feasts of the Apostles and Evangelists
    • Celebrations of Martyr Saints.
  • Green
    • The Offices and Masses of Ordinary Time
  • Violet or purple
    • Advent
    • Lent
    • It may also be worn in Offices and Masses for the Dead
      • See White or black
  • White or Black
    • Vestments of these colors may be worn at funeral services and at other Offices and Masses for the Dead in the Dioceses of the United States of America.
  • Rose may be used, where it is the practice, on
    • Gaudete Sunday (Third Sunday of Advent)
    • Laetare Sunday (Fourth Sunday of Lent)
  • On more solemn days, sacred vestments may be used that are festive, that is, more precious, even if not of the color of the day.
  • Gold or silver colored vestments may be worn on more solemn occasions in the dioceses of the United States of America.
(adapted from "The Requisites for the Celebration of Mass," Chapter VI, section IV, paragraph 346)

Those colors mean something: but it's getting late in my time zone, and that'll have to wait for another day.

Posts about symbols:More:
  • Chapter VI
    "The Requisites for the Celebration of Mass," Committee on Divine Worship, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops

Update (July 23, 2010)

Vestment Colors, continued:

"Conflict Minerals," Politics, and Making Sense

I'm learning to defer judgment until after I get enough data. That's not as easy as it may sound, when 'hot button' topics are concerned.

Like 'benevolent' restrictions on what sort of business Africans are allowed to conduct.

I ran into the term "conflict minerals" recently, in context of a financial reform bill that will probably pass soon. The sketchy description I read seemed to say that Africans would be helped a whole lot, by American companies being forced to not buy "conflict minerals" from them.

After doing time in American academia I was dubious, at best, about the wisdom of refusing to do business with African companies. 'For their own good.' I'd run into 'way too many proposals to help those Africans over there - which involved seeing to it that there would be a whole lot fewer Africans in a few years. 'For their own good,' of course. (May 6, 2010)

When In Doubt: Ask

I could have jumped to the conclusion that "conflict minerals" was another plot to do something I didn't like. Or, I could have asked an outfit that had mentioned "conflict minerals." The latter course seemed more sensible.

I got a response - with a URL to a post on a Catholic Relief Services blog.

Here's an excerpt from the end of that post:
"...Additional provisions that reach beyond the Congo require companies to disclose the payments they make to foreign governments for the natural resources they extract. This greater transparency will help local communities to hold their governments accountable for how the income generated by natural resources is used to benefit the common good in their countries.

"In his most recent encyclical, Caritas in Veritate, Pope Benedict XVI notes the need for 'institutional means' to better regulate natural resource extraction-a process which often 'gives rise to exploitation and frequent conflicts between and within nations. These conflicts are often fought on the soil of those same countries, with a heavy toll of death, destruction and further decay' (no. 49).

"Passage of these provisions is a great victory for all of us who seek peace, justice, and global solidarity with our sisters and brothers overseas."
(CRS Voices)
I gathered that the part of the financial reform bill which is concerned with "conflict minerals" "...requires companies registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission to report on what they are doing to assure that the metals they use in their products are not financing violence in the eastern Congo...."

Ideally, it wouldn't be necessary to add another layer of paperwork for companies to handle. But, again ideally, not-nice people in Africa wouldn't be killing other people and supporting their violence by selling mineral resources.

I'm no great fan of regulations - but this particular one seems to make sense.

How Can I Say That?! Don't I Realize Who's Going to Sign That Bill?!!

America's midterm elections are over three months away, and I've already noticed remarkably silly assertions flying through the air. I can't simply ignore them - they're part of America's political discourse, and I'll need to vote in the upcoming election. Which is another topic, sort of. (September 24, 2008)

I can't let the strident shrieks from all sides get me too emotionally charged, though. Emotions and reason don't play well together: and my considered opinion is that it's better to feel with my endocrine system and think with my central nervous system - not the other way around. (December 23, 2008, in another blog)

The president of the United States right now is Barak Obama: the first Hawaiian to hold that post. It sounds like he'll be getting credit for the parts of the new financial reform bill that work - or at least don't have particularly disastrous consequences. He may have had a hand in forming some of the bill's provisions.

I don't know enough about the bill as a whole to have an opinion.

The portion of the bill which deals with conflict minerals seems, on consideration, to be reasonable.

That doesn't mean that I'm "for Obama." I'm not "against Obama," either: although I did not vote for him in the presidential election. At this time, he is the chief executive of the country I live in. Some of his policies I emphatically do not support. Others, I can.

'My Party, Right or Wrong' Misses an Important Point

I've run into folks who appear to believe that everything done by one particular person, or party, is right. Sometimes it's the other way around - and a particular political figure or party is always, no matter what, wrong.

I'll grant that maintaining an attitude like that makes life a little simpler, by removing the need for thinking about issues. On the other hand, I don't think it's reasonable.

I heard a story, quite a few years ago, about a woman living in a country which had been occupied by Germany during WWII. She was surprised to learn that the skin of potatoes had nutritional value. The reason she was surprised was that she had heard the same thing: from a German. She had assumed that, since the Germans were doing bad things, everything they said was a lie.

That story is not intended to imply that some person is a Nazi. The idea is that anybody can tell the truth from time to time - or have a practical idea.

It does not, in my opinion, make sense to attack an idea or a policy simply because 'one of them' is associated with it. That attitude may win praise from one group, for a fully-committed partisan. That 'get my guy into office at any cost' approach misses, I think, the reason we have governments: to help a community "endure and develop." (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1919)

I would rather encourage those in office to exercise their power "within the limits of the moral order" and support policies which appear to be just and charitable. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1923, and see1897-1927)

Even if 'the other guy' is involved.

Related posts:More, about thinking and feeling:More, about conflict minerals:
A tip of the hat to , on Twitter, for helping me learn more about "conflict minerals."

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Social Media Guidelines from American Bishops

Mahatma Gandhi is supposed to have said, "I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ." I've felt that way, too often. Happily, my faith doesn't depend on my liking the folks who insist that they're Christians and Catholics: I don't need to feel that they're exemplars of the Lord we worship. And that's another topic.

Information Age technology, and the illusion of anonymity that many perceive while engaging with others online, has been blamed for the abyssal lack of charity that some folks show online. I'm old enough to grouse about the decline of everything since 'the good old days,' but I won't.

I was born during the Truman administration, and my memory's pretty good. Some folks were profoundly obnoxious back when color television was cutting-edge technology.

I think the difference is that these days we have opportunities to be obnoxious to more folks than we did before.

We've also got opportunities to act as if we understand what Jesus and His Church has been trying to teach us for almost 2,000 years now. I think that's the more prudent choice.

Noted, yesterday:
"USCCB issues guidelines for use of social media"
TheCatholicSpirit.com (July 20, 2010)

"The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has issued a set of guidelines for using social media, especially as social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter continue to gain in popularity.

" 'Social media are the fastest growing form of communication in the United States, especially among youth and young adults,' the guidelines say. 'Our church cannot ignore it, but at the same time we must engage social media in a manner that is safe, responsible and civil.'

" 'My hope is that they'll be a useful resource to people, especially to dioceses and parishes that are interested in using social media,' said Helen Osman, USCCB secretary for communications, in a July 19 interview with Catholic News Service...."

"...The USCCB's own Facebook site lays out ground rules: 'All posts and comments should be marked by Christian charity and respect for the truth. They should be on topic and presume the good will of other posters. Discussion should take place primarily from a faith perspective. No ads please.' The guidelines recommend 'always' blocking usage by anyone who does not abide by an established code of conduct. 'Do not allow those unwilling to dialogue to hold your site and its other members hostage,' it said.

" 'You would think as Catholics you wouldn't have to remind us to play nice, but it was in every set of guidelines I looked at,' Osman told CNS...."
The article includes a link to:
(Title and link updated November 28, 2011)

The USCCB's document seems to be mostly for "...'church personnel' ... anyone - priest, deacon, religious, bishop, lay employee, or volunteer - who provides ministry or service or is employed by an entity associated with the Catholic Church."

I don't think I'm in the "church personnel" category - although in a sense I'm "employed" by my family as their husband/father, and the family is an entity associated with the Catholic Church in that we are all Catholics. But I think that's carrying the definition a bit far.

So, although the USCCB document's discussion of its Facebook page does say "no ads please," I think I'm safe in leaving advertising on this blog. Like I said, it takes quite a stretch of the imagination to think that I'm employed by an entity associated with the Catholic Church.

Implied endorsement of products and services aside, though, I think the USCCB "Social Media Guidelines" are a good thing to study for any Catholic who has an online presence. Make that 'for anyone.'

Particularly the advice to "play nice."

It's that Golden Rule thing: ""Do to others whatever you would have them do to you...." (Matthew 7:12) (Luke 6:31, too) The idea isn't unique to the Gospels, or to Christianity. Either in the positive form that we've got, or the negative 'don't to to others what you don't want them to do to you,' that basic rule of behavior shows up in many cultures. In my opinion, it's a pretty good example of natural law at work - and that's yet another topic.

Update (July 22, 2010)
Links to related post and a recent op-ed on the Church and social media.

Related posts:
More:

A tip of the hat to catholicspirit, on Twitter, for the heads-up on this article.

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

New on the Blogroll: Christopher's Apologies

I've added Christopher's Apologies, "Apologia: A defense especially of one's opinions, position, or actions," to this blog's Blogroll/Catholic Links page, under blogs.

Christopher's Apologies' author drew my attention to his blog today. It's relatively new. He published his first post on May 14, 2010, a few months ago.

Like me, Christopher is an American. His experience of Catholicism has, I'm sure, been different from mine. He's about two decades younger than I am; and is a "cradle Catholic," where I am a convert.

Judging from the posts I've read, I think you'll find Christopher's Apologies worth following.
A tip of the hat to crsmith89, on Twitter, for the heads-up on his blog.

Police Raid on Belgian Church: Background

Last month, Belgian police raided a Catholic church, confiscated computers and data, and drilled into a couple of tombs because somebody had said that somebody had maybe hidden something in them.

I grew up in a part of America where hating Catholics and Catholicism was considered a great 'Christian' virtue by quite a few people.

As a result, this news from Belgium - I got much of my information from BBC - looked like more of that drearily familiar anti-Catholic sentiment, played out by latter-day Keystone Kops in Belgium.

Looks like the situation is a little more complicated than that.

An article in today's online National Catholic Reporter gives a brief overview of what's happened in Belgium recently, and Belgian culture.

I recommend reading the article.

Belgian Police: Determined to Look Good This Time?

Apparently, the Belgian judicial system blundered in a high-profile sex-abuse case involving a Belgian serial killer, Dutroux, who abused and killed some children in the mid-1990s. He was tried in 2004.

I can see where something like that could be embarrassing.

It's understandable, that the Belgian police probably wouldn't want to seem lax about another alleged case of child abuse.

So they drilled into a couple of tombs in a Catholic church.

There's a little more to it than that. Seems that Belgian culture encouraged people to solve problems and discuss issues in private, behind closed doors. Belgian priests and bishops acted the same way.

So the Belgian police rushed in like gangbusters and carted away 50 computers.

The Belgian police may have had reasons for what they did, other than a sort of psycho-social disorder.

It does look like Belgium is going through a sort of transition from a 'keep things private' way of dealing with issues, to a 'transparency' approach. They may be justified in doing so.

But playing Tomb Raider in a Cathedral's crypt still doesn't feel quite right to me.

Related post:Cultural & historical background of police and Church in Belgium:
A tip of the hat to lukecoppen, on Twitter, for the heads-up on the NCR story.

Monday, July 19, 2010

Dark Night of the Soul? No, More Like a Dim Monday Morning

I've written a little about the 'dark night of the soul' before: that sort of spiritual dryness, when the emotional perks of faith just aren't there. (August 26, 2009)

I didn't go through that today.

On the other hand, parts of today have definitely felt like Monday. I've been feeling tired, had trouble finding the right words to use - nothing serious, just mildly annoying.

Which is okay.

I think it would be a little unsettling if life was one enormous bit of drama after another, or an unbroken epic struggle.

So I'll be content with my dim Monday morning of the soul.

Sunday, July 18, 2010

Caritas in Veritate: Time, Change, and the Church

I mentioned, in my last post about Caritas in Veritate, that the encyclical's section 11 is 500 word long. That's a long paragraph.

The two paragraphs I'm reading today are shorter: an average of about 253 word each.

No wonder so many seem to read the 'gospel according to Newsweek,' instead of keeping up on what the Holy See is saying.

That's not a criticism of the Vatican's literary style. I could condense those 500 words of section 11 to "God matters:" but I'd be leaving out a very great deal of important detail.

The point is, I'm jotting down a few points I notice while reading. If you want what Caritas in Veritate says: read it. I'm using the Vatican's English translaiton, online.

'Vatican II Changed Everything?'

One thing about the Catholic Church that I think quite a few folks - Catholic and otherwise - have trouble with is that its teachings never change - and are always changing.

I've used our rules about liturgical dance as an example. It's forbidden. And encouraged. Depends on where you are. That's not being inconsistent. The Catholic Church is literally universal, and dance doesn't mean the same thing in every culture.

Then there was Vatican II. Some folks here in America saw the weird antics committed 'in the spirit of Vatican II,' and got the idea that the Holy See had gone insane. The actual documents of Vatican II, the ones I've read, don't support the Cromwellian tradition-smashing that went on here. But that's another topic.

I discussed some of the Vatican II connection to Caritas in Veritate, when I wrote about my take on sections 10 and 11.

Section 12 gives what I think is a pretty good discussion of how the Catholic Church takes received truth and shines it on the times and places we pass through:
"The link between Populorum Progressio and the Second Vatican Council does not mean that Paul VI's social magisterium marked a break with that of previous Popes, because the Council constitutes a deeper exploration of this magisterium within the continuity of the Church's life[19]. ... Coherence does not mean a closed system: on the contrary, it means dynamic faithfulness to a light received. The Church's social doctrine illuminates with an unchanging light the new problems that are constantly emerging[22]. This safeguards the permanent and historical character of the doctrinal 'patrimony'[23] which, with its specific characteristics, is part and parcel of the Church's ever-living Tradition[24]...."
(Caritas in Veritate, section 12)

Times Change, The Church Doesn't - and it Does

First-century Rome wasn't like Ming Dynasty China,1 or feudal Britain, or 21st-century Minnesota. The Catholic Church has adapted its one unchanging message to many people, in many times: which explains the tree that we drag inside before Christmas each year in my part of the world. (January 10, 2010)

Section 12 wasn't about evergreen trees, of course. The topic at hand was the Church's social magisterium. Picking up where that excerpt left off:
"...Social doctrine is built on the foundation handed on by the Apostles to the Fathers of the Church, and then received and further explored by the great Christian doctors...."
(Caritas in Veritate, section 12)
At this point, Caritas in Veritate is still reflecting on Populorum Progressio, a document that was part of the Church's efforts to implement the Vatican II teachings.

Again, what the Catholic Church was trying to do with Vatican II: not what groovy gurus and magazine subscribers here in America thought was kinda now and kinda wow. My take on Populorum Progressio and Caritas in Veritate is in that other post.

Section 13 continues with Paul VI's handling of Catholic social doctrine in the 20th century. By then, the rest of the world was catching up to the Church, in terms of having globe-spanning social systems. Which was a sort of good news - bad news situation:
"...he grasped the interconnection between the impetus towards the unification of humanity and the Christian ideal of a single family of peoples in solidarity and fraternity. In the notion of development, understood in human and Christian terms, he identified the heart of the Christian social message, and he proposed Christian charity as the principal force at the service of development. Motivated by the wish to make Christ's love fully visible to contemporary men and women, Paul VI addressed important ethical questions robustly, without yielding to the cultural weaknesses of his time."
(Caritas in Veritate, 13)
Today, in at least some American subcultures, we don't have to convince folks that people living in another country are people worthy of respect and to be treated as fellow-creatures: not 'natives.' That's the good news, as I see it. The bad news is that the global culture is no more perfect than the national ones which we're more accustomed to dealing with.

I'm not discouraged, though. The successors of Peter have the same assurance that Jesus gave the fisherman. That's good enough for me. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 552, Matthew 16:18)


Links to other posts about my study of Caritas in Veritate:
1 Ming Dynasty China? Yep: Catholics were there. Franciscans.

Saturday, July 17, 2010

Sunday Obligation, Recovering From Surgery, Wild Weather, and Martha

My #3 daughter had surgery on her jaw on Thursday. She's doing about as well as you'd expect, for someone who had part of her head taken apart and put back together.

Called to Holiness: Not Stupidity

The point is, she won't be going to Mass tomorrow. Yes, Sunday is a 'day of obligation.' We're expected to help celebrate the Mass on Sunday - and, since we live in America, we can count the Saturday evening Mass as the Sunday Mass. I'll get back to that.

Is my #3 daughter sinning, because we're not hauling her to church tomorrow? I really don't think so. Yes, it's a day of obligation. We're supposed to celebrate Mass.

On the other hand, the Catholic Church is - the occasional excessively-earnest fellow notwithstanding - practical.
"The Sunday Eucharist is the foundation and confirmation of all Christian practice. For this reason the faithful are obliged to participate in the Eucharist on days of obligation, unless excused for a serious reason (for example, illness, the care of infants) or dispensed by their own pastor.119 Those who deliberately fail in this obligation commit a grave sin."
(Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2181)
There's more in the Catechism, about what we're supposed to do with our time on Sundays. (Catechism, Article 3 | The Third Commandment, 2180-2183)

I suppose I could argue that recovering from an operation isn't, technically, an "illness," but I try to be practical, too. That two-item list starts with the words, "for example." I'm taking them at face value. Besides, we've arranged for a Host to be brought to her, after Mass: according to the rules of this parish, diocese, and the rest of the hierarchy.

As I wrote, in "Catholics and the Common Cold," "We're called to holiness - not stupidity."

Rained Out

One of the high points of my year is the Sinclair Lewis Days Parade here in Sauk Centre. It's a fairly major Saturday evening event here. It generally takes about an hour for the parade to pass any given point.

I was particularly looking forward to this one, since the parade route was back on the street where I live. And this year, I was set up to 'webcast' the parade as it went by.

So, we had rain. Quite a lot. The real excitement happened in the afternoon, though, when the sirens went off, warning of a strongly-rotating cloud headed our way. That was the second time this week.



Happily, nobody seems to have gotten hurt - and I haven't heard of property damage. Still, those clouds were - impressive.

More about that sort of thing:

Mary, Martha, and Me

This week's Sunday Gospel reading is Luke 10:38-42, the account of Mary, Martha, Jesus and chores. Father Statz had the deacon time two minutes of silence in today's Mass. I went to the 'Sunday' Mass that's at 5:00 Saturday afternoon, along with my son and #1 daughter. This way, if my wife is up to it (that's another story), she can go to Mass tomorrow morning - and there will still be folks here at the house, to look after #3 daughter.

Where was I? Mary. Martha. Jesus. The deacon's watch. Right.

We'd been told to think about what we're anxious about during that two minutes of silence. I came up with a list that included technical issues with my computer, how my schedule would work if I had about 32 hours every day - or didn't have to sleep, and diabetes.

Okay: so I'm anxious about many things, like Martha. What did Jesus tell Martha?
"The Lord said to her in reply, "Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. 15There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her.' "
(Luke 10:41-42)
Maybe I should remember that advice, take a deep breath, be quite for a while - and listen.

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Marian Apparition: Champion, Wisconsin

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What's That Doing in a Nice Catholic Blog?

From time to time, a service that I use will display links to - odd - services and retailers.

I block a few of the more obvious dubious advertisers.

For example: psychic anything, numerology, mediums, and related practices are on the no-no list for Catholics. It has to do with the Church's stand on divination. I try to block those ads.

Sometime regrettable advertisements get through, anyway.

Bottom line? What that service displays reflects the local culture's norms, - not Catholic teaching.