Showing posts with label confirmation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label confirmation. Show all posts

Friday, June 8, 2012

The Pope; Vatileaks; Seven Gifts; and Looking Beyond the End of Time

Everybody has a vocation, a "calling or destiny we have in this life and hereafter." (Catechism, Glossary) Mine is being a married man, part of the laity. Besides being husbands, fathers, wives, mothers, and children, the laity are:
"...in the Church and in the world, their own assignment in the mission of the whole People of God.' 387 Finally, 'from both groups [hierarchy and laity] there exist Christian faithful who are consecrated to God in their own special manner and serve the salvific mission of the Church through the profession of the evangelical counsels.'388..."
(Catechism of the Catholic Church, 873)
Maybe that sounds highfalutin. I've been around long enough to know that fancy-sounding titles and important positions generally include work. Lots of work.

The New Evanglization and Me

One of the 'new' jobs for the laity is the 'new evangelization.' (April 12, 2012) It's not, really, all that new: just the latest wrinkle in the millennia-spanning "call for laypeople to publicly witness to their faith." (www.catholicvoicesusa.org)

I live too far away from America's major metropolitan areas to join the formal parts of this country's new evangelization. But that doesn't let me off the hook. Thanks to Information Age technology, I can share what I'm learning about my faith, and why it matters. Which is where this blog comes in. And my weekly 'my take on the news' post.

A Long, Hard Path: Surrounded by Beauty and Wonder

This week's news includes opportunities for me to get distressed, distracted, and dismayed. I could indulge in hand wringing: maybe even make it seem very 'spiritual.'

On the whole, though, I don't see the percentage in doing that. Particularly since I realize that if I lift my eyes from the path and look around: I'm surrounded by vistas of wonder. And the best is still ahead. (June 3, 2012)

Here's my take on this week's news:
  1. World Meeting of Families, 2015
  2. Vatileaks - The Butler Did It
  3. Called to Great Things

1. World Meeting of Families, 2015

CNA (Catholic News Agency) ran an article that's mostly about the next scheduled World Meeting of Families and Benedict XVI's plans for that get-together.

Since Philadelphia and Catholics are involved, Americans who follow the news are likely to remember a the recurring story of the pedophile priests. I might as well get that out of the way first:
"...The Philadelphia archdiocese faces continuing fallout from sex abuse scandals and has been forced to close dozens of Catholic schools because of a lack of financial resources...."
(CNA)
I've posted about what some priests did during the last half-century:
Moving on.

The Pope's Choice, Plans, and Hope

"Pope to attend World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia"
Kevin J. Jones, CNA (Catholic News Agency) (June 6, 2012)

"Pope Benedict XVI personally chose Philadelphia as the site for the next World Meeting of Families and, health permitting, will attend the 2015 event, Philadelphia Archbishop Charles J. Chaput said.

"...He said he hoped to be there, but he reminded me he's 85 years old and he'd be 88 at that time, and God willing he will be with us,' Archbishop Chaput said. 'He's a man who trusts God's providence, and I do too.'

"The World Meeting of Families, sponsored by the Pontifical Council for the Family, takes place every three years. It brings together hundreds of thousands of people to pray, celebrate and study marriage and family life. Archbishop Chaput and Pope Benedict attended the 2012 event in Milan...."
(CNA)
I hope that Benedict XVI will be with us for the 2012 World Meeting of Families. But if he's not, I'm about as sure as I can be that the authority held by the 265th successor to Peter will have been passed along - and that the Pope will be there.

"Hope" hasn't been fashionable for much of my lifetime. That's understandable, given the silly optimism about the "inevitability of progress" that came before.

I was cautiously hopeful before I became a Catholic. I'd noticed that, although there were setbacks on a scale of years, decades, and sometimes centuries: from millennium to millennium, on average, people learned more effective ways to:
  • Grow and distribute food
  • Deal with injuries and disease
  • Cooperate
After my conversion, I learned a bit more about why this has been happening, and that's another topic.

I've posted about hope, progress, and getting a grip, before:

Milan, Attendance, and Statistics

"...Archbishop Chaput attended the final Mass with a military family from South Carolina who represented the United States.

" 'Surprisingly, the six of them and myself were invited to lunch, and not only to lunch, but to the same table as the Pope,' he said.

"The archbishop said a 'large number of people' usually attend the World Meeting of Families, and typically the Pope visits for the final days of the event. The closing Mass for the 2012 gathering in Milan was attended by 1 million people...."
(CNA)
Even by American standards, a get-together with 1,000,000 attendees is pretty big. But I suppose someone could draw attention that only about 1/1,000 of the world's living Catholics attended that Mass: and express either anguish or triumph, depending on personal outlook.

I think it's a fairly good turnout for this sort of an event. More topics.

The Pope's view of the Milan World Meeting of Families:

2. Vatileaks - The Butler Did It

"Cardinal Bertone speaks of 'ferocious' Vatileaks attack on Pope"
David Kerr, CNA (Catholic News Agency) (June 6, 2012)

"The Vatican's Secretary of State, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, believes the continued leaking of confidential papal information to the media is 'ferocious, biting and organized.'

" 'Attacks have always existed, in all times' he told Italian television station RAI on June 4.

" 'This time, however, it seems that the attacks are more targeted, sometimes also ferocious, biting and organized.'...
I remember the trailing edge of McCarthyism. I grew up in an area where radio preachers were almost as enthusiastic about the communist menace as they were about the latest End Times Bible prophecy. With my background, someone expressing the idea that 'it's a plot' tends to make me dubious.

Still, the Vatican's Secretary of State has almost certainly been paying more attention to Vatileaks than I have: and has sources of information that I don't.Maybe there actually is an organized media attack on the Catholic Church. It's quite possible.

It's also possible that the Vatican's Secretary of State has slipped a cog, and will shortly be claiming that the Pope's being controlled by radio waves from outer space. Possible: but not likely. At all. My opinion.

Not Organized: Just Like-Minded?

I think it's possible for what appears to be an organized media campaign to happen, without being organized. my take on news, bias, and unconsidered assumptions, posted yesterday:
Basically, when a relatively small number of people who share very nearly the same assumptions and biases get the same information at about the same time: I'm not surprised that they all tend to report it pretty much the same way.

Vatileaks may be one of those unintended consequences of old-school assumptions colliding with Information Age technology. Sort of like the 'flash crash' of 2010. Or, not. Here's a pretty good analysis of what went wrong:

No, Really: The Butler Did It

"...This is the first time Cardinal Bertone has commented publicly on the so-called 'Vatileaks' scandal that has rumbled on since January 2012.

"So far, the only person charged by Vatican police as part of the ongoing investigation is the Pope's butler, Paolo Gabriele. The Secretary of State's statement that the leaks are "organized" seems to suggest that he believes Gabriele was not acting alone....

"...The latest batch of leaked papal documents appeared in the Italian newspaper La Repubblica over the June 2-3 weekend. They included a confidential letter written by the American Cardinal Raymond Burke to Pope Benedict in January 2012...."
(CNA)
What interests me more than business-as-usual in news media is Cardinal Raymond Burke's letter, and related correspondence.

Correspondence, Clarification, and Getting a Grip

It's not that I enjoy reading other people's mail: this is an opportunity to see how the Catholic Church works.
"...In his correspondence, Cardinal Burke expressed surprise and dismay after receiving an invitation to an event that seemed to be celebrating the Vatican's approval for the liturgies used by the new movement, the Neocatechumenatal Way.

"He explained to the Pope that he did 'not recall having heard a consultation regarding a particular liturgy for this ecclesial movement' and that 'such liturgical innovations' do not seem 'coherent with the liturgical magisterium of the pope.'

"After reading the letter, Pope Benedict attached a handwritten note agreeing with Cardinal Burke's sentiments with the instruction that they should be passed onto the Congregation for Divine Worship.

"After the cardinal's letter was sent it emerged that the Vatican's approval only applied to non-liturgical prayers within the Neocatechumenatal Way's catechesis and not to the Mass or other liturgies of the Church."
(CNA)
I'm not shocked and horrified that a Cardinal wrote the Pope, expressing concern over the Vatican's apparent approval of an offbeat liturgy. Given screwball antics done 'in the spirit of Vatican II' in this country: I'd be concerned if a Cardinal didn't ask Rome what was going on.

This isn't 'dissension,' or 'chaos.' This is how a two-millennia-old outfit works: asking questions and getting answers. Or, in this case, a clarification.

By the way, I'm also not shocked and horrified that the Pope didn't rant about Satanic heretics who would go to Hell because they had new ideas. I've been over this before, too:

3. Called to Great Things

"Pope to Youth: God Calls You to Great Things Today"
ZENIT.org (June 4, 2012)
"Explains Holy Spirit's Gifts to Those to Be Confirmed"

"During his trip to Milan for the 7th World Meeting of Families, Benedict XVI reminded youth that God is calling them each day to something great. He exhorted them to have high ideals and to strive to be saints, saying sanctity is for everyone, also for the young.

"The Pope said this Saturday in an address to young people who are about to receive the sacrament of confirmation, or have recently been confirmed.

"His address centered on a brief explanation of each of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit....
ZENIT has what Benedict XVI said, full text, English, online:
The seven gifts of the Holy Spirit:
  • Wisdom
  • Understanding
  • Counsel
  • Fortitude
  • Knowledge
  • Piety
  • Fear of the Lord
    (Catechism, 1830-1832)

Spiritual Mountain Climbing

"...'The Spirit's gifts are wondrous realities that allow you to form yourselves as Christians, to live the Gospel and to be active members of the community,' he told them.

"The Holy Father compared the whole of the Christian life to a journey, saying it is 'like climbing a path that leads up a mountain - and so it is not always easy, but climbing a mountain is something beautiful - together with Jesus; with these precious gifts your friendship with him will become still more real and intimate.'

"The Pontiff encouraged the youth to take advantage of Sunday Mass and the sacrament of confession, as well as daily prayer. Regarding confession, he said it is 'a meeting with Jesus who forgives our sins and helps us to do the good; receiving this gift, beginning again, is a great gift in life, knowing that I am free, that I can start over, that all is forgiven.'..."
I like that image of climbing a path up a mountain. I've seen mountains: the ones separating my part of North America from the west coast. Being partway up a mountain is "something beautiful," even when using a car instead of walking.

Forgiveness and Decisions

I also like " '...knowing that I am free, that I can start over, that all is forgiven.'..." In the 60 years since my birth, I've had to start over: fairly often. Happily, Catholics aren't expected to be perfect people. We're 'just' expected to work toward that goal. (Catechism, 309-314, 519-521, 1693, 1698)

I believe in "one baptism for the forgiveness of sin." But I also accept the idea that, even though I was baptized, I'm not likely "to escape every wound of sin." (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 977-980)

Happily, there is no offense that the Church cannot forgive. (Catechism, 976-983) I can chose to turn away from from the Church, reject God: but that would be my decision, not an action by God or the Church. (Catechism, 1993) Telling God to leave me alone would also be an abysmally daft move.

"In Days to Come - - - "

'Climbing a mountain' is hardly a new way to look at moving toward God:
"2 In days to come, The mountain of the LORD'S house shall be established as the highest mountain and raised above the hills. All nations shall stream toward it;

"3 many peoples shall come and say: 'Come, let us climb the LORD'S mountain, to the house of the God of Jacob, That he may instruct us in his ways, and we may walk in his paths.' For from Zion shall go forth instruction, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.

"He shall judge between the nations, and impose terms on many peoples. They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks; One nation shall not raise the sword against another, nor shall they train for war again."
(Isaiah 2:2-4)
It's been a long climb, since the days of Isaiah. Today, we're more than two dozen centuries closer to "in days to come:" but my guess is that we still have a lot more climbing ahead.

God willing, I'll spend the rest of my life climbing: and enjoying the view. Then it's particular judgment for me: and others will keep climbing toward a city with "no more death or mourning, wailing or pain."1

More, about Abraham, mountains, and an eternal covenant:
Related posts:
1 You've probably run into this before:
"I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, 'Behold, God's dwelling is with the human race. He will dwell with them and they will be his people 4 and God himself will always be with them (as their God).

"He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there shall be no more death or mourning, wailing or pain, (for) the old order has passed away.' "
(Revelation 21:3-4)
I'm pretty sure that the "unfamiliar and extravagant symbolism" in The Apocalypse, or Revelation to John will make sense: when we get together after the Last Judgment. (Catechism, 1038-1041) Until then, I'm quite willing to let God handle the details.

I'm also pretty sure that the end of time and the new universe is coming "soon" - from God's point of view. Judging from the awesome scale of this creation, my guess is that God's "soon" could be a long, long way off by human standards.

I've posted about God, the universe, and size, before: More:
  • The Hope of the New Heaven and the New Earth
    (Catechism, 1042-1050)
Posted by No comments:
Labels: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Saturday, May 26, 2012

The Man Who is Truth

Readings for May 26, Vigil Mass for Pentecost Sunday 2012:

Pentecost 2012

Deacon Lawrence N. Kaas
from Homiletic and Pastoral Review
April 27, 2012

No one likes to be lied to. Even when the truth is inconvenient or uncomfortable, we still want it, on some level. The truth has a charm of its own; all the more, when we are speaking of the truth about the whole meaning of human life and existence, the truth of Jesus Christ.

Jesus promised to St. Peter, and the Apostles, that he would send them the Holy Spirit to guide them into all truth. This stable gift of Jesus to his Church is not a thing, but a Person: the Holy Spirit himself. He proceeds from the Father and the Son. He is their eternal, mutual love. He knows the Father and the Son perfectly, and so he alone is able to guide the Church into the full truth.

What is the truth to which the Holy Spirit testifies? Certainly, we acknowledge all the creeds and teachings of the Church to be directed by the Holy Spirit. But we are not looking for just a collection of truths but all truth, that is, truth itself. In fact, Jesus Christ is himself the truth which we seek, the one to whom the Holy Spirit bears witness. All the individual truths of the Catholic faith, then, are not merely individual facts. Rather, they are aspects of the truth about Jesus Christ. When we study the Church's teaching, we are getting to know Jesus.

Since Christ promised to St. Peter, and the Apostles, that he would send them the Holy Spirit to guide them into all truth; and since Christ has kept this promise throughout the ages to the Holy Father, and the Bishops, in union with him; why has the world not yet been converted? Why do we still find so much error and confusion? The only answer to be found is the hardness of human hearts, and our own sluggishness and fear. It's not that God is not doing enough; it's that we don't always cooperate with him. The Holy Spirit is not lying down on the job; we are failing to bear witness as we ought.

There are so many ways that we shy away from our Catholic identity. We sometimes fail to do the simplest things to bear witness to the truth. How often have we been too self-conscious to pray grace before meals in a restaurant? Are we embarrassed about some of the Church's teachings, or do we find ourselves ignorant of them? Do we make an honest effort to study and to learn the basics of the faith? If we ought to be willing to give up our lives in testimony to the truth of the Gospel, we must learn also how to testify in each and every aspect of our lives, in every corner of our minds and hearts.

Christ makes us his witnesses to the world, in our family, in political life, in our workplace. Christ also gives us the power to carry out this mission. He knows our weakness, our spirit of indifference and cowardice, and he gives us the most perfect remedy: The Spirit of the living God: Fire, Charity. He, the Holy Spirit, brings with him his sacred seven gifts. He gives us his divine strength to fulfill Christ's divine command.

In baptism, we received the Holy Spirit with his gifts, but our Lord, knowing so well our human nature, and the depth of our fear and weakness, has given us - through the Apostles and their successors, the Bishops - the great sacrament of confirmation. Confirmation, like baptism and holy orders, imprints a spiritual character on the soul. This character is a permanent mark. It is a firm, spiritual power that cannot be taken away. Through the sacrament of confirmation, the Holy Spirit increases the strength of his gifts and the virtues in us.

Those of us who have been confirmed, have been changed forever. We have received a special spiritual power that enables us to testify to the eternal truth in this world that is passing away. We can call upon the Holy Spirit to bring us spiritual life, to warm our frozen hearts, to overcome our fear with the strength of his love. The character that has been impressed on our souls is a guarantee that he will act when we call upon him.

If the Holy Spirit is with us, then we have all that we need. Let us never forget to call upon him, to act in our lives, and to increase in us, the sacred gifts we have received through baptism and confirmation.
'Thank you' to Deacon Kaas, for letting me post his reflection here.
More reflections:
Related posts:
Posted by No comments:
Labels: , , , , , , , , , ,

Saturday, March 26, 2011

Response to "Why indeed be Catholic?" - "Me Too!"

Once in a while I run across something that helps me take stock of some part of my life. Sometimes it's how to drive during winter, dental hygiene, or website design.

This week, it was about being Catholic:
"Why indeed be Catholic?"
Therese J. Borchard, Featured Our Turn, TheCatholicSpirit.com (March 23, 2011)

"You never really know when you're going to be called on to defend your Catholic faith. I certainly wasn't prepared for it as I sat down at a job interview. However, two minutes after my interviewer reviewed my resume, he looked me squarely in the eyes and said, 'Religion is evil.'

" 'Are you a relative of Bill Maher?' I asked him....

"...'Being Catholic is a way of seeing the world. It's in the small things. It's inescapable.'...

"...The conversation made me go back and read the book “Why Be Catholic?” by Franciscan Father Richard Rohr with Joseph Martos, so that I am better prepared next time. They list eight grounded reasons to be Catholic:

"1. The appreciation of creation....

"...2. A universal vision. The Catholic Church has a worldwide faith, with many different cultures and customs....

"...3. A holistic outlook....To be Catholic means to connect your faith with your life experience....

"...4. An invitation to personal holiness....

"...5. An experience of community....

"...6. A call to social transformation. I have found that whenever you throw out Mother Teresa's name, people tend to stop their arguments about why they hate the church. They do this because she is just one example of the church's commitment to social transformation.

"7. A profound sense of history....The Catholic Church has been around for 20 centuries. That's four to five times the age of the oldest Protestant denominations and 10 times the age of the United States!

"8. An optimistic attitude....."
I recommend reading the original article - which I hope is kept on TheCatholicSpirit.com's website. An all-too-often ignored piece of website wisdom is keeping pages where visitors can find them: and that's another topic.

That eight-point list gives me an opportunity to:
  • Do a little navel-gazing
    • Re-evaluate my attitude toward my faith
  • Review this blog, and
    • See what I've been missing
    • And what I haven't
The navel-gazing, or self-examination, or whatever it's called, is going to take more time than what I've allotted for this post. Review of this blog, in light of that list: that, I've got time for:
  1. "The appreciation of creation"
    • The article's author limited this to the sacraments:
      • Baptism
      • Confirmation (or Chrismation)
      • Eucharist
      • Penance
      • Anointing of the Sick
      • Holy Orders
      • Matrimony
    • Some I've paid some attention to in this blog
      • Eucharist
      • Penance
      • Matrimony
    • Others, not so much
      • Baptism
      • Confirmation
      • Anointing of the Sick
      • Holy Orders
  2. "A universal vision"
    • This, I have opined about
  3. "A holistic outlook"
    • I've written "too heavenly minded to be any earthly good" quite a bit
  4. "An invitation to personal holiness"
    • As a Catholic, I'm expected to conform my will to God's
      • How much of that I accomplish is another matter
  5. "An experience of community"
    • For me, this is mostly my family
      • But everybody's different
  6. "A call to social transformation"
    • This may not mean what it seems
  7. "A profound sense of history"
    • Almost 20 centuries
      • And counting
    • And that's just since the Incarnation
  8. "An optimistic attitude"
    • You've probably met someone who thinks that gloominess is next to Godliness
      • So have I
    • Behind all that fasting and penance is Jesus
      • Whose first miracle was getting drinks for a wedding party
Now, rehashing some of what's in that list - - -

About the Sacraments

There's a lot to learn about the sacraments. A pretty good place to start, I think, is Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1210. The sacraments that I haven't discussed all that much are those that aren't quite as closely woven into my daily life, like Holy Orders. Although that's tied into the Eucharist - and I do write about Mass quite a bit. Anointing of the Sick isn't practiced all that much in my part of the world, even by Catholics. Our loss, I think.

"A Universal Vision"

This is an aspect of Catholicism that I have focused on. I'll link to some of the posts later on.

"A holistic outlook"

This sounds like some of the goofier health fads of recent decades: but as defined in the article, it's a good point. A 'faith' that doesn't affect a person's view of the world and our place in it is - useless, in my opinion. At best.

"An invitation to personal holiness"

Invitation, yes. Accomplished, hardly. Working on it, yes. Moving on.

"An Experience of Community"

I'm not the most 'social' person in the world. A lifetime of undiagnosed major depression and ADHD-inattentive probably has something to do with that. That said, the community of believers is a wonderful aspect of the Catholic Church. In my opinion.

"A call to social transformation"

I've run into folks who seem convinced that
  • God is
    • A Republican
    • A Democrat
    • An American
Then there's Fred Phelp's "God Hates America" church. (see Another War-on-Terror Blog, "Tolerance Only Goes So Far" (October 31, 2007)) This ties into the "universal vision" mentioned earlier. Bottom line, as I see it, is that we are supposed to help those who are sick, hungry, or imprisoned. (Matthew 25:35-40) I also think it's a good idea to consider "social justice." Which doesn't mean that I'm a bleeding-heart liberal, or an uncaring conservative.

There's quite a bit written about social justice, by authoritative Catholic resources. (Catechism, 1928-1942, for starters)

I'm about as sure as I can be that curing the ills of society doesn't mean turning the clock back to the 'good old days' of '50s in America. Which is almost another topic. Again, I'll be linking to some related posts.

"A Profound Sense of History

Another aspect of Catholicism that I keep coming back to.

"An Optimistic Attitude"

This is important: particularly since American culture tends to assume that Christianity is Calvinism. In my opinion. And that's another topic.

"An Appreciation of Creation"

The article's author - correctly, I think - focused on the sacraments.

I think that an "appreciation of creation" in Catholicism also displays itself in the Church's attitude toward science. Which isn't the 'ignorance is bliss' notion that's endemic to America's frightfully faithful folks. I've discussed this before.

Not-entirely-unrelated posts:
More:
  • "Why indeed be Catholic?"
    Therese J. Borchard, Featured Our Turn, TheCatholicSpirit.com, Official Publication of the Archdiocese of St. Paul & Minneapolis (March 23, 2011)
Posted by 4 comments:
Labels: , , ,

Thursday, September 24, 2009

Marriage, Catholic Beliefs, and This Catholic

Or, "Marriage, Sacraments, and All That"

My second-oldest daughter got married on the fifth of this month. I started writing this post before the wedding, but I've been a bit distracted, mostly by the impending death of my father.

One thing I'll say: My life hasn't been boring.

Yeah: My Wife's Catholic: and You Know What That Means, Heh Heh Heh!

Actually, quite a few people don't.

Quite a number of Protestant denominations take Ephesians 5:22 quite seriously. Odds are that you have heard this:
"Wives should be subordinate to their husbands as to the Lord."
(Ephesians 5:22)
The problem is, that all too many people - men and (a bit surprisingly) women - stop reading there.

As a result, 'way too many couples live for years with the lord and master getting everything he wants. Then, if the jerk is lucky, the woman files for a divorce, or just runs away. Sometimes we end up reading another one of those 'black widow' news stories.

I suppose I need to say this: That's not how the Catholic Church operates.

I know: You may have had a run-in with a whack job of a Catholic layman, or maybe a priest, who was really big on keeping women barefoot, pregnant, and in the kitchen. Some priests and alleged Catholic theologians have said some really odd things from time to time. (August 26, 2009)

Read the Book! It says be Subordinate to Each Other!

Here's the deal: That part of Ephesians runs like this:
"5 Be subordinate to one another out of reverence for Christ. 6

"Wives should be subordinate to their husbands as to the Lord.

"For the husband is head of his wife just as Christ is head of the church, he himself the savior of the body.

"As the church is subordinate to Christ, so wives should be subordinate to their husbands in everything.

"Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ loved the church and handed himself over for her

"to sanctify her, cleansing her by the bath of water with the word,

"that he might present to himself the church in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.

"So (also) husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.

"For no one hates his own flesh but rather nourishes and cherishes it, even as Christ does the church,

"because we are members of his body."
(Ephesians 5:21-30) [emphasis mine]
I'm one of those people who read a manifest, or a contract, before signing it. It takes a little time, but I like to know what I've given my word on.

With an agreement as important as marriage, I was particularly careful to know just what I was signing on for.

Even before I met my wife, I knew about that Ephesians thing. Not just the culturally-normative 'wives, thou shalt bring hubby his beer' part: the whole thing.

I also knew what Jesus had done for His Church. Knowing what was going to happen, he walked back to Jerusalem to be tortured to death. I'd just as soon not endure an agonizing death in order to serve my wife. But, if necessary, that's what I'd be required to do. Like it says, "...even as Christ loved the church and handed himself over for her...."

That doesn't mean I'm some kind of ideal husband - or even close to it. But I do know what's expected of me.

Marriage isn't All Death-By-Torture: There's Diaper Changing, Too

I haven't run into this in Holy Writ, but I think it's a good idea: change the diapers and clean out the toilet. Actually, I don't think it matters who does what when it comes to chores: as long as they get done, and everybody pitches in.

Let's See, Where Was I?

This post has been written over a span of about four weeks, so my writing's a bit more non-linear than usual.

Let's see:
  • "Be subordinate to one another out of reverence for Christ."
    • Got that
  • Change diapers - make yourself useful
    • Right
I didn't go into that "Husbands, love your wives" thing as much as I could - but that's a key point.

A Catholic Marriage is a - "Sacrament"?!

I ran into a handy FAQ about marriage, Catholic style, on the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops website. Here's the first point:
"1. Why does the church teach that marriage is a sacrament?

"The sacraments make Christ present in our midst. Like the other sacraments, marriage is not just for the good of individuals, or the couple, but for the community as a whole. The Catholic Church teaches that marriage between two baptized persons is a sacrament. The Old Testament prophets saw the marriage of a man and woman as a symbol of the covenant relationship between God and his people. The permanent and exclusive union between husband and wife mirrors the mutual commitment between God and his people. The Letter to the Ephesians says that this union is a symbol of the relationship between Christ and the Church...."
("Frequently Asked Questions about Marriage," Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth, USCCB)
So, as a Catholic couple, we're a living symbol of Christ and the Church. Hey, no pressure - - -.

Okay, so Marriage is a Sacrament: What's That?

There are seven sacraments: There are seven sacraments in all:
  • Baptism
  • Confirmation
  • Eucharist
  • Penance
  • Matrimony
  • Holy orders
  • The anointing of the sick
    • (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1210)
Okay. There are seven, and that's what they're called. But what's a sacrament?
"Christ instituted the sacraments of the new law. There are seven: Baptism, Confirmation (or Chrismation), the Eucharist, Penance, the Anointing of the Sick, Holy Orders, and Matrimony. The seven sacraments touch all the stages and all the important moments of Christian life: they give birth and increase, healing and mission to the Christian's life of faith. There is thus a certain resemblance between the stages of natural life and the stages of the spiritual life."
(Catechism, 1210)
That'll have to do for now. I've put a link to the section of the Catechism that kicks off, down in "Background" - it's Section Two.
" 'The matrimonial covenant, by which a man and a woman establish between themselves a partnership of the whole of life, is by its nature ordered toward the good of the spouses and the procreation and education of offspring; this covenant between baptized persons has been raised by Christ the Lord to the dignity of a sacrament.' "
(1601)
After that there's a whole lot of counter-cultural stuff about loving each other, indissoluble unions, having children, and raising them with a love of God.

I won't kid you: marriage isn't for wimps. But do it right, and it's a hoot. In the case of me and my wife, I'm quite sure that God's been holding us up. It's not by my strength, that's sure.

The Catholic Church Has - You Guessed it - Rules About Marriage

For starters, the Church insists that those getting married be
  • Human
  • One man and one woman
    • No
      • Polygamy
      • Polyandry
    • Even if your culture says otherwise
    (Catechism, 1601-1658, Leviticus 20:15)
There are some minimum requirements too. Mostly that the two parties:
  1. Are free to marry
  2. Freely exchange their consent
  3. They have the intention to
    • Marry for life
    • Be faithful to one another
    • Be open to children
  4. Give their consent
    • In the presence of two witnesses
    • Before a properly authorized Church minister
    (United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), "Frequently Asked Questions about Marriage")
That last requirement, #4, can be waived - but the waiver has to be approved by a church authority. (USCCB)

Getting married in the Catholic Church isn't as simple as getting hitched by Viva Las Vegas Wedding Chapels Inc. - but then, the Church is helping you get ready for a lifetime commitment as a symbol of Christ's relationship with His Church.

Which can mean the psychological and spiritual equivalent of a decades-long marathon. Or, as in the case of my son-in-law's first marriage, the devotion, joy, sadness and loss of those decades packed into a very short span.

Either way, you're well-advised to get ready before tying the knot.

Catholic marriage being a sacrament is another reason why it has to be in a church (a cathedral will do, too) - unless there's a really good reason for doing it somewhere else. And then, you have to get clearance.

There's a Lot of Fun, Too

If you do it right, marriage can be a wonderful experience. I have a hard time imagining life without our six children - the four who lived to be born, and the two who didn't.

It hasn't been one long sweetness-and-light session. This morning, for example, my son and I had a few rather tense words about a particular activity: but we're okay now, and he's learned a bit about himself, I trust. So have I, for that matter. (I'd be more specific - but I'd have to clear it with him first: And I'm not delaying this post another day.)

And now, if I'm going to be a halfway-decent husband and father tomorrow, I have to tie this post up and get to bed. Goodnight, and my God bless you.

Related posts:
Background:
Posted by 1 comment:
Labels: , , , , , , , ,

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Swine Flu and Mexico City: No Baptisms, No Confirmations, No Mass - But Plenty of Faith

It looks to me like people in Mexico city are taking the swine flu outbreak seriously: soccer stadiums, and the cathedral, are almost empty.

But Catholics there are praying: and took out the Lord of Health icon for the first time in about three centuries.

"Mexico City locks itself in amid swine flu fears"
The Associated Press (April 27, 2009)

"MEXICO CITY (AP) — The cardinal said Mass in a shuttered cathedral. Soccer teams played to empty stadiums. A televised variety show filled its seats with cardboard cutouts...."

"...Mexico City residents - chilangos, they're called - are accustomed to living in public view...."

"...But on Sunday even the enormous Zocalo plaza,...was all but empty. A handful of women wearing surgical masks knelt on the plaza's stones and prayed, their arms reaching upward in a lonely vigil.

"Soldiers in surgical masks shooed away the faithful at the cathedral, pointing to a board with pieces of paper.

" 'There are no baptisms,' one read.

" 'No confirmations,' read another.

" 'No Masses,' said a third.

" 'Inside, Cardinal Norberto Rivera delivered a sermon to nearly empty pews, his pleas for divine intervention relayed over television and radio.

" ' 'Grant us the prudence and serenity to act with responsibility and to avoid being infected or to infect others,' he appealed to the Virgin of Guadalupe, Mexico's patron saint. 'Give help to health workers, keep vigil for the recovery of the sick and console those in mourning.'

" 'For the first time in 300 years, the cathedral also removed from storage an icon of the Lord of Health, which was placed on the principal altar by a procession of worshippers [!], Mexico's government news agency Notimex reported...."

Those Superstitious, Idolatrous, Ignorant Catholics!

I learned quite a bit about about Catholics and the Catholic Church, growing up in a virulently anti-Catholic area. Nearly all of it's wrong: and the rest is inaccurate.

About icons and other images. Unlike some Protestant churches, the Catholic Church doesn't design its sanctuaries along the lines of sensory deprivation chambers. We've got color, pictures, words: anything that will remind people of whose house they're in, and why they're there.

"Christian iconography expresses in images the same Gospel message that Scripture communicates by words. Image and word illuminate each other:

"We declare that we preserve intact all the written and unwritten traditions of the Church which have been entrusted to us. One of these traditions consists in the production of representational artwork, which accords with the history of the preaching of the Gospel. For it confirms that the incarnation of the Word of God was real and not imaginary, and to our benefit as well, for realities that illustrate each other undoubtedly reflect each other's meaning." (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1160)

That second paragraph is a quote from the second Council of Nicaea: in translation, of course. English wouldn't exist for about a thousand years, when those ideas were recorded.

Given the Church's track record for reaching out to everybody - not just those are good readers and have eidetic memory - I don't think Catholicism is going to stop using icons any time soon. There's more in the Catechism: 972, 1161, 1162, and 2705.

Veneration and icons are covered to, including: 1159, 1192 and 2131.

God hasn't been shy about using visual aids: there's that business with the bronze serpent (Numbers 21, 5-9), and that rather detailed description of how vestments (Exodus 28) and the ark for the covenant (Exodus 25) were supposed to look.

The way I see it, God made us with eyes. He's used visual aids Himself, to get points across. I don't see a problem with following His lead.

Thanks to CatholicSpirit on Twitter, for giving the heads-up on American Mass adjustments.

Related post:
Posted by No comments:
Labels: , , , , ,
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)

Like it? Pin it, Plus it, - - -

Pinterest: My Stuff, and More

Visit Brian H.'s profile on Pinterest.

Advertisement

Unique, innovative candles


Visit us online:
Spiral Light Candle  • Find a Retailer
• Spiral Light Candle Store

Popular Posts

Label Cloud

1277 abortion ADD ADHD-Inattentive Adoration Chapel Advent Afghanistan Africa America Amoris Laetitia angels animals annulment Annunciation anti-catholicism Antichrist apocalyptic ideas apparitions archaeology architecture Arianism art Asperger syndrome assumptions asteroid astronomy Australia authority balance and moderation baptism being Catholic beliefs bias Bible Bible and Catechism bioethics biology blogs brain Brazil business Canada capital punishment Caritas in Veritate Catechism Catholic Church Catholic counter-culture Catholicism change happens charisms charity Chile China Christianity Christmas citizenship climate change climatology cloning comets common good common sense Communion community compassion confirmation conscience conversion Corpus Christi cosmology creation credibility crime crucifix Crucifixion Cuba culture dance dark night of the soul death depression designer babies despair detachment devotion discipline disease diversity divination Divine Mercy divorce Docetism domestic church dualism duty Easter economics education elections emotions England entertainment environmental issues Epiphany Establishment Clause ethics ethnicity Eucharist eugenics Europe evangelizing evolution exobiology exoplanets exorcism extremophiles faith faith and works family Father's Day Faust Faustus fear of the Lord fiction Final Judgment First Amendment forgiveness Fortnight For Freedom free will freedom fun genetics genocide geoengineering geology getting a grip global Gnosticism God God's will good judgment government gratitude great commission guest post guilt Haiti Halloween happiness hate health Heaven Hell HHS hierarchy history holidays Holy Family Holy See Holy Spirit holy water home schooling hope humility humor hypocrisy idolatry image of God images Immaculate Conception immigrants in the news Incarnation Independence Day India information technology Internet Iraq Ireland Israel Italy Japan Jesus John Paul II joy just war justice Kansas Kenya Knights of Columbus knowledge Korea language Last Judgment last things law learning Lent Lenten Chaplet life issues love magi magic Magisterium Manichaeism marriage martyrs Mary Mass materialism media medicine meditation Memorial Day mercy meteor meteorology Mexico Minnesota miracles Missouri moderation modesty Monophysitism Mother Teresa of Calcutta Mother's Day movies music Muslims myth natural law neighbor Nestorianism New Year's Eve New Zealand news Nietzsche obedience Oceania organization original sin paleontology parish Parousia penance penitence Pentecost Philippines physical disability physics pilgrimage politics Pope Pope in Germany 2011 population growth positive law poverty prayer predestination presumption pride priests prophets prostitution Providence Purgatory purpose quantum entanglement quotes reason redemption reflections relics religion religious freedom repentance Resurrection robots Roman Missal Third Edition rosaries rules sacramentals Sacraments Saints salvation schools science secondary causes SETI sex shrines sin slavery social justice solar planets soul South Sudan space aliens space exploration Spain spirituality stem cell research stereotypes stewardship stories storm Sudan suicide Sunday obligation superstition symbols technology temptation terraforming the establishment the human condition tolerance Tradition traffic Transfiguration Transubstantiation travel Trinity trust truth uncertainty United Kingdom universal destination of goods vacation Vatican Vatican II veneration vengeance Veterans Day videos virtue vlog vocations voting war warp drive theory wealth weather wisdom within reason work worship writing

Marian Apparition: Champion, Wisconsin

Background:Posts in this blog: In the news:

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.