Marching Through Time

A few days ago, I learned that Catholic bishops in America got permission to publish a new blessing for very young people: "Rite for the Blessing of a Child in the Womb."¹ They're hoping to get it out as a booklet - in English and Spanish - in time for Mother's Day.

Looks like this blessing will be included in the next edition of the "Book of Blessings" - which gives me an excuse to put off buying a hardcopy of that resource. Those things can be *expensive.*

I'm looking forward to seeing that booklet. And maybe getting a copy. Partly because I like books, partly because I like devotional materials like this.

Another Blessing: So What?

From the looks of it, "Rite for the Blessing of a Child in the Womb" fills a gap in my culture's approved 'blessings-ready-for-use' inventory:

"...The blessing originated when then-Bishop Joseph Kurtz of Knoxville, Tennessee (now archbishop of Louisville, Kentucky) asked the USCCB Committee on Pro-Life Activities to see if a blessing existed for a child in the womb. When none was found, the committee prepared a text and submitted it to the USCCB's Divine Worship committee in March of 2008. It was approved by the full body of bishops in November 2008, and then sent to Rome for editing and final approval...."
(USCCB press release (March 26, 2012))

There's quite a lot going on there. Including a look at how the Church works. For starters, we're huge, ancient, and not a democracy. Which seems to scare some folks silly. (March 28, 2012, March 25, 2012)

We're also careful about vetting somebody's bright idea before giving official approval. That can be frustrating, as I know from my experience with the Divine Mercy devotion. (April 19, 2009) Sr. Mary Faustina Kowalska was canonized back in 2000, and that's another topic.

Having a "Committee on Pro-Life Activities" is a dead giveaway on where the Catholic Church stands on human life. If we went along with the local culture on "womens' health care," we wouldn't have a committee like that. Or we'd call it something like "Committee on Anti-Abortion Activities." Whaddaya know! That makes a pronounceable acronym: CAAA

The imaginary CAAA would most likely be acting like the House Un-American Activities Committee," from my 'good old days,' which I'm sincerely glad won't be coming back.

Counter-Cultural and Loving It

The Catholic Church has a reputation for having lots of rules. There's something to that, but I think it's because folks keep trying to weasel out of the two really, really simple rules:

• 'Love God, love your neighbor.'
  
  • Bible
    • Matthew 22:36-40
    • Mark 12:29-31
    • Luke 10:25-27
  • Catechism of the Catholic Church
    • 1822
• Everybody's our neighbor
  • Bible
    • Matthew 5:43-44
    • Luke 10:29-37
  • Catechism
    • 1825

After two millennia of weaseling, the 'extra' rules add up. Yet another topic.

The Catholic Church says we're supposed to act as if what Jesus said about loving God and our neighbors makes a difference. And that we're supposed to act as if what Jesus told us matters. That makes folks who are Catholics and take our faith seriously counter-cultural. I've been over this before. (March 4, 2012)

Pigeonholes

I've been identified as a conservative. In context, it made sense. But I'm not a conservative. I'm not a liberal, either. And I'm certainly not a moderate. Again, I've been over this before:

• "Conservative? Liberal? Democrat? Republican? No, I'm Catholic"
  (November 3, 2008)

Today's Westerners tend to sort social and political philosophies into two pigeonholes: liberal or conservative; four, if you include moderate and apathetic.

Quite a few Americans, Catholic and otherwise, seem to assume that "Catholic" and "conservative" are pretty much the same.

Pigeonholes, Assumptions, and an Ancient Church

When it comes to practical implications of 'love God, love your neighbor,' assuming that the Catholic Church must be either conservative or liberal can work, for specific issues:

• Abortion
  • Conservative
    (November 12, 2008)
• Death penalty
  • Liberal
    (October 2, 2008)
• Global economics and politics
  • "Vague"
    (July 18, 2009)

I think the apparent confusion comes from who we take orders from. We're not told to conform to the position of Optimates, Populares, Whigs, Tories, Democrats, or Republicans.

The Church recognizes an authority higher than the Democratic National Committee, Republican National Committee, or even Lady Gaga.

In Step With My Lord

For two millennia now, we've been shown Jesus: and told "do whatever he tells you."² That, and standing orders like the one in Matthew 28:19-20, haven't changed. Exactly how we're expected to carry them out is another matter: and yet again another topic.

I'm content to be 'out of step' with whatever philosophies are popular today. I think it's more important to be in step with my Lord. That's why I became a Catholic. I'm content to be part of the Church that's rooted in eternity, under the authority my Lord gave Peter,³ marching through time toward a city that hasn't been built yet.

And those are still more topics. (September 21, 2011; August 25, 2011, November 9, 2010)

Related posts:

• Holidays
  • "New Year's Day, 2012: Flannel Tongue Optional"
    (January 1, 2012)
  • "My Take on the News: Jingle Bells, Jangled Nerves, and Good Advice"
    (December 16, 2011)
  • "Palm Sunday of the Lord's Passion"
    (April 17, 2011)
  • "Halloween, Emperor Palpatine, Electric Eyeballs, and Getting a Grip"
    (October 29, 2010)
  • "Mother's Day: A Nice Cultural Tradition, and a Quite Catholic Celebration"
    (May 10, 2009)
• Living in a big world
  • " 'The Scandal of Glaring Inequalities' "
    (February 27, 2012)
  • "Freedom, 9/11, the War on Terror, and Accepting Differences"
    (September 11, 2011)
  • " 'We are Parthians, Medes, and Elamites...' "
    (August 5, 2011)
  • "Immigrants, Illegal and Otherwise, America, and Getting a Grip"
    (June 25, 2010)
    Particularly
    • Obeying the Law is a Good Idea: So is Obeying the Law
    Illegal Aliens/Undocumented Immigrants/Our New Neighbors
  • "Accommodating Indigenous Cultures: Including Ours"
    (January 10, 2010)
• Sentiments: sweet and otherwise
  • " 'The Jesus-Eating Cult of Rick Santorum' and
    'America - Love It or Leave It' "
    (February 29, 2012)
  • " '...A Savior has been Born for You Who is Messiah and Lord... "
    (December 25, 2011)
  • "America: We're Not All Sapps"
    (April 1, 2011)
  • "Giving: From the Heart, and Other Vital Organs"
    (March 17, 2011)
  • "Anger, Hate, Love, Prayer and Trashing a Maywood, California, Catholic School"
    (May 26, 2010)
• Acting like God matters
  • "We're Huge, Ancient, and Changing the World"
    (March 14, 2012)
  • " 'Love Thy Neighbor:' Putting Faith Into Practice "
    (February 5, 2012)
  • "Getting Involved in Constructing a Better Future? Sounds Like a Plan"
    (September 21, 2011)
  • "Hope, Joy, and Working for a Better World"
    (September 13, 2011)
  • "An Eternal Life I can Live With"
    (August 27, 2011)

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¹ Excerpts from the news, about:
Mother's Day

"Vatican Approves Blessing for Child in the Womb"
Zenit (March 29, 2012)

"Vatican has approved the publication of the "Rite for the Blessing of a Child in the Womb," which will be printed in English and Spanish, according to a press release from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

"It will be published as a combined booklet and should be available for parishes by Mothers' Day.

"The approval came from the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments in Rome.

" 'I'm impressed with the beauty of this blessing for human life in the womb,' said Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of Galveston-Houston, chairman of the Committee on Pro-Life Activities of the USCCB...."

---

"Vatican Approves English and Spanish Texts for 'Blessing of a Child in the Womb' "
Press release, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (March 26, 2012)

"The Vatican has approved the publication of the 'Rite for the Blessing of a Child in the Womb,' which will be printed in English and Spanish in a combined booklet and should be available for parishes by Mothers' Day. The U.S. bishops who collaborated on the development of the blessing welcomed the announcement of the recognitio, or approval, by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments in Rome.

" 'I'm impressed with the beauty of this blessing for human life in the womb,' said Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of Galveston-Houston, chairman of the Committee on Pro-Life Activities of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). 'I can think of no better day to announce this news than on the feast of the Annunciation, when we remember Mary's "yes" to God and the incarnation of that child in her the womb that saved the world.'

" 'We wanted to make this announcement as soon as possible so that parishes might begin to look at how this blessing might be woven into the fabric of parish life,' said Archbishop Gregory Aymond of New Orleans, chairman of the USCCB Committee on Divine Worship. 'Eventually the new blessing will be included in the Book of Blessings when that text is revised.'

"The blessing was prepared to support parents awaiting the birth of their child, to encourage parish prayers for and recognition of the precious gift of the child in the womb, and to foster respect for human life within society. It can be offered within the context of the Mass as well as outside of Mass.

"The blessing originated when then-Bishop Joseph Kurtz of Knoxville, Tennessee (now archbishop of Louisville, Kentucky) asked the USCCB Committee on Pro-Life Activities to see if a blessing existed for a child in the womb. When none was found, the committee prepared a text and submitted it to the USCCB's Divine Worship committee in March of 2008. It was approved by the full body of bishops in November 2008, and then sent to Rome for editing and final approval."

² That quote is from an account of what happened when folks ran out of drinks at a wedding party. (John 2:5)

³ The parish church down the street is under an authority that's been passed along in an unbroken chain, starting with the first Pope:

"Jesus said to him in reply, 'Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood ¹² has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father.

"And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, ¹³ and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.

"I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. ¹⁴ Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.' "
(Matthew 16:17-19)

I decided to join the Church, for the about the same reason Peter gave for not leaving:

"Jesus then said to the Twelve, 'Do you also want to leave?'

"Simon Peter answered him, 'Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.

"We have come to believe and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God.' "
(John 6:67-69)