May 2002 Archives

but I can't find Andrew Sullivan's post to make any additional comments.

He's just down the road from me at St. Louis Parish in Alexandria, VA. Within the parish is the Poor Clare Monastery of Mary, Mother of the Church. I believe I have attended Mass at the the monastery with Fr. Jim presiding. It is my singular distinction that an old girlfriend of mine from college is in that monastery. I'll save that story for another day unless our readers demand I drop everything and tell it.

I entered the contest going on over at Kairos and now I have to go to confession. Sorry, Jesus. Sorry, Brian.

My wife gave me the greatest gift for our 3rd anniversary - a homemade Rosary. The beads are blue crystal from eastern Europe, it has a St. Cecilia medal attached and a silver papal cross. She said it took 6 hours to make, she made it while I was at class. What a thoughtful gift. She is the greatest.

I wish Bishop Baker had been with me. He would have just kept yelling "Be chaste, avoid the devil, and dress modestly! Be chaste, avoid the devil, and dress modestly!"

Look at the AmChurch! Survey over at Mallon's Media Watch.

Just wanted to make sure everyone knew that. We need another recipe, John. And I need what the mortals call "dinner."

Do you remember this blog has two bloggers? Probably not since my bro moved all my posts to the archive since he's been posting so much.

I had a great anniversary trip to Saint Michaels, MD with my gorgeous, devoted and loving wife of 3 years, Teresa. We went to Mass on our anniverary day, May 28th at St. Peter and St. Paul in Easton, MD. The pastor there is the most gracious priest I've ever spoken to on the phone - between my wife and I, we called 3 times researching Mass times and directions and each time he answered and was pleasant and cordial. It's a blessing to have a pastor who is engaged and active in every day things such as giving directions to out of towners, although I do feel a tinge of guilt in taking up his time on the phone.

Sad to see Onealism has left the building - but he did get a good one in on the way out.

Michael Shirley now has his own blog. We've been friends ever since he told me I was churlish! We don't agree on everything and that's good. If we all agreed on everything the world would be a very, very boring place.

A reader writes about Confirmation Mass and a Bishop who has it right.

We had our Confirmation Mass last night. Numbers are up -- we used to do this only every other year, but in 2000 we had 36 in the class, so they decided to move it to every year instead.
Our Bishop, Robert Baker, gave an excellent homily. He wasn't afraid to tell the kids to be chaste, avoid the devil, and dress modestly -- three things they may not be hearing at home.

Be chaste, avoid the devil and dress modestly. Sounds easy enough. I have one thing to add. Get rid of your television.

It was also refreshing last night to see the Bishop whip out a dog-eared Bible and (gasp!) *read from it* during his homily. Most of my family (dyed in the wool Babdists all) would be surprised to see that he even owns one. He read from the passage about the fruits of the spirit, which are much bruited about in the Babdist church, but hollowly -- they think you're supposed to get St. Vitus' Dance when you 'catch the Spirit,' it seems. And I know -- I used to be a Babdist myself.

I've got a few thoughts on this. First, I think it's wonderful the Bishop pulled out a Bible. We hear readings from Scripture every time we go to Mass but do we read the Bible enough? I know I don't. I am in Bible study with some dear Christian friends of mine. I disgree with them about the Bible being the only source of Truth but I greatly admire their faith and the charity they always show. I have to admit when I started doing this Bible study last year I didn't have many of the answers on certain Catholic teachings, but you better believe I found them really quick. For me it has been a faith-affirming experience and I have also grown in love and understanding of our Christians brothers and sisters. I would never question their faith or their love of Christ. Some of their beliefs and practices I disagree with because they don't contain the fullness of Truth of the Catholic Church. Much of the contention comes down to definitions for crucial words like baptism, saved/salvation, faith, works, law, etc. What is amazing to see is their love the Scripture as the Living Word of God - it is spiritual food for them. It isn't God Himself (as the Eucharist is) but it is the story of God and His relationship with His people. I don't find it to be such a leap of faith to accept the Eucharist as the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of our Lord. But then you get into whether His sacrifice was "once for all" as in over and done with or "once for all" as in accomplished and perpetual. When you look at the practice of sacrifice in the Old Testament you see Christ's sacrifice in the same manner, not over and done but perpetual. I am preaching to the choir here but I will blog about it further to touch on issues that have come up in this Bible study.

The important thing in any Scripture study is to get a good translation and read the Bible with the Church. The easiest way to do that is get a Catholic study Bible with notes and commentary. The Navarre Bibles are excellent, as well at the Ignatius Study Bibles. If your Church does have Bible studies or small communities of faith you must write your pastor a letter, meet with him, tell him you'll volunteer your time to assist in the effort of creating such groups. They are crucial to community building and growing in faith and love! Religious education does not end when you are young and they tell you "God doesn't make junk."

No doubt Alexandra from Oremus will have comments on this as well. Her husband, one of my best friends, used to be a Baptist. They still go to his parents church some times though. She also has a lot to say about religious education I am sure. I don't want to steal her thunder on this - just watch her blog.

Finally, the Bishop also touched very tastefully on the subject of the Crisis. We have just had allegations surface here about a Msgr. Evitt of Aiken, SC -- that he allegedly molested someone while he was at the Cathedral in Charleston in the late 1970s. Msgr. just had a heart attack last month -- maybe he knew the victim was about to go public -- and this might just finish him off. But the Bishop didn't talk about 'different ways of loving;' he didn't blame the victims; and he didn't make excuses of any kind. He said "There can be no charity without chastity," and "this is a failure of chastity *and* charity." I was so relieved to hear an apostolic successor unafraid to tell the truth!

The failure of charity and chasity. I'll have to blog about that later - I've got work to do!

Lots of words out there about Eileen McNamara's column today in the Boston Globe. The title says it all. This is it: "A catholic alternative"

Note that's a lower-case "c" meaning universal in a generic sense, not the Universal Church that is the mystical Body of Christ. Does the Body of Christ include other Christian faiths outside of Catholicism? The Church says it does. Jehovah's Witnesses and Mormons excluded for obvious reasons. These folks below have said just about everything I think that can be said. I will add one thing. Christ said "Do this in memory of me" not "pick and choose what you are going to do in memory of me." Here are links to what our friends at other blogs are saying:

Fool's Folly
Ad Orientem
In Formation

Oh, one last thing - Christ did mention something about schismatics in His private revelations to St. Faustina. It wasn't favorable. At least that's what she said that He said. I'm going to have to look it up.

over at Ad Orientem. The best thing to do when bring an issue (i.e. lamenting your local liturgical lounge lizards) to the attention of your pastor is to suggest a solution. We'll support you if you want our input - just drop us a line. I think John even has a repertoire list for our choir for different times of the Church year.

on inclusive language. Sort of.

Got this email someone other than Alan Keyes but he says this is what Alan Keyes said about inclusive language:

...he gave a long explanation about the creation story from Genesis, pointing out that, while God had pronounced every thing good as soon as he had made it, he didn't pronounce man complete until he had *also* created woman. He said that this showed the special nature of man -- that our race is not complete without both sexes -- and that to gender-neutralize liturgical language is not only aesthetically distasteful, but also contrary to the revealed truth of scripture and the church.

Of course I can't repeat it as eloquently as he ex-temped it. No one could!

Nope, no one could. I have the utmost respect for Alan Keyes. Our anonymous reader goes to say:

When I print programs for use at my church I troglodytize the pronouns -- defiantly, because our pastor is a 60's reprobate.

I don't know what "troglodytize" means, but I do know we need fewer 60's reprobates in the priesthood.

at The View from the Core on what the "Pope" said about celebs wearing crosses. Of course the media jumps all over a statement that wasn't even made by the Pope and the overlook the 'Jenin Massacre' hoax perpetrated by Arafat's propaganda machine.

Anyone know where I can procure rosary beads with 15 decades on them without becoming a Dominican? White doesn't have enough of a slimming look.

I see if we want to keep up with the Bloggers next door we'll have to add comment capability to our site. I'm against it. Not only do I enjoy the email, I don't get enough of it. I guess I don't get enough email because everyone agrees with me! What if I start a liturgical troupe that sings and dances and wears spandex? The colors of spandex would change with the Church calendar, of course. There will be no audtions but admission will be limited to potato-shaped males only. We'll call ourselves the Brother of Perpetual Corpulence and we will sing "Be Not Afraid" all the time. Look for us at your kid's First Communion next year.

I did not see this mentioned in the article, but wasn't it the OCP who was one of the first to make the words of traditional Christmas carols politically correct by removing "sexist" language?

I still remember the first time I opened it up and was checking out what carols we would sing this year, when I came across "God Rest Ye Merry, Christian Friends" That was a moment that raised the hairs on the back of my neck.
And it got worse. In "Joy to the World" we get the phrase,
"let all their songs employ", plus there is the constant twisting of words and phrases to avoid saying "men" or "man" or using "Father" to refer to God.

To change the subject, and to refer to something you have often said - the liturgy is powerful in and of itself, yet many liturgical directors do so much to tart it up. This past Good Friday, I went to a church where they did the entire liturgy in semi-darkness. The priests processed up the aisle and then sat with the congregation, and stayed there reading prayers for almost the entire service. The Passion was read by a team of lectors (with dramatic lighting and sound effects) and I was left feeling like I had been at a performance, not a liturgy. Frankly, I was saddened by it all, and I will avoid that church next year.

I don't know what OCP's involvement was in the so-called "inclusive language" movement. Maybe some of our readers can comment? Here's the problem with changing pronouns to remove someone's idea of gender specificity. It's insulting. The English language doesn't express or imply that in a context like "For us men and for our salvation" that the word "men" limits it to only males of the species. To posit this is to assume that people are ignorant about the language they read and speak. That's insulting, and I know many women who think that is insulting.

To refer to God with a word like "Mother" flies in the face of Scripture and what Jesus Himself said of God. Even to call God the Father "brother" I think is incorrect, but I'm not going to start a crusade about it.

Regarding the Good Friday Show at your church, that is truly regrettable. I have seen the Passion read in the manner you describe and I think that's appropriate. When we have a crowd of people yelling "Crucify Him! Crucify Him!" we know it is our sin that crucified our Lord. The sound effects and light show can go though. What that church needs is a traditional Good Friday liturgy with the Reproachments. I need to dig up the text of them and post them.

We did a wonderful piece called "O Mortal Man" during the Triduum this year. The liturgy director said that at her old church they changed the lyrics to "O Mortal One." We did it as written. Maybe we can change all the words around on Inclusive Language Sunday when they add it to the Church calendar.

I just discovered your site. Considering your theme, I think you might enjoy checking out my site. I am the Catholic "Weird Al". http://www.nickalexander.com

Also, Crisis Magazine posted my letter in response to the anti-OCP article that you're now parading. It was printed in the March issue. http://www.crisismagazine.com/march2002/letters.htm
Have a good one!

If you read Mr. Alexander's letter to the editor in Crisis, read also the author's reply.

Cheese-flavored Yasser Arafat potato chips. The Egyptians can't get enough of them.

Arafat potato chips take Egyptian market by storm from the Bahrain Tribune

Cashing in with Arafat chips from the Washington Times

The chips are bagged in Palestinian colors - green, red, black and white - and carry the likeness of Mr. Arafat, rotund and wide-eyed, saluting with one hand and holding a Palestinian flag in the other. He's dressed in his trademark military fatigues and black-and-white checked headgear. For every 50 bags sold the company that makes this travesty of a snack food donates the equivalent of 5 cents to the Palestinian cause. Each bag says "The more you buy, the more you build." Build what? Arafat had his chance for peace at a Palestinian state. ["The 'Jenin Massacre' hoax" by Charles Krauthammer]

Twenty-one months ago, Israel offered a total end to the occupation, ceding 100 percent of Gaza and 97 percent of the West Bank to the first Palestinian state ever. The Palestinians turned that down and took up the suicide bomb. By the Orwellian logic of today, the Palestinians are justified in perpetrating one massacre after another to end an occupation that Israel offered to remove almost two years ago.

Rather than choose peace Arafat chose to slaughter innocents again and again. Now he has no power over the other terrorists that continue to use human beings as weapons. 5 cents for 50 bags of chips to the Palestinian cause. 25,000 dollars from Saddam for the family every suicide bomber. This is madness. For the most part the international community, especially the Arab world, supports this terror war. But clearly the Palestinian cause is not for a Palestinian state that coexists with Israel. Their friends in Egypt can't have just one chip, and they themselves can't have just one state - they have to destroy Israel. The recent wave of anti-semetic violence in Europe shows they are not alone.

How long, O LORD? I cry for help but you do not listen! I cry out to you, "Violence!" but you do not intervene. Why do you let me see ruin; why must I look at misery? Destruction and violence are before me; there is strife, and clamorous discord. This is why the law is benumbed, and judgment is never rendered: Because the wicked circumvent the just; this is why judgment comes forth perverted. Look over the nations and see, and be utterly amazed! For a work is being done in your days that you would not have believed, were it told. Habakkuk 1:2-5

Amy Welborn posted this last night from Crisis Magazine.

We were complaining about this over at Care and Feeding of a Catholic Choir some time ago but didn't suggest a course of action as this author does.

The truth is that no one is happy with the state of Catholic liturgical music — least of all musicians — and the OCP is a big part of the problem. So, what can you do? Step 1 is to get rid of the liturgical planning guides and use an old Scripture index to select good hymns that have stood the test of time (if you absolutely must continue to use the OCP's materials). Step 2 is to rein in the liturgical managers and explain to them that the Eucharist, and not music, is the reason people show up to Mass Sunday after Sunday. Step 3 is to get rid of the OCP hymnals and replace them with Adoremus or Collegeville or something from GIA (no, none of these is perfect, but they are all an oasis by comparison).

Finally, reconsider those innocuous little missalettes. These harmless-looking booklets may be the source of the trouble. Parishes can unsubscribe — accept no OCP handouts or volume discounts. There are plenty of passable missalettes and hymnals out there, and all the choral music you'll ever need is now public domain and easily downloadable for free (www.cpdl.org).

In his book, The Spirit of the Liturgy (Ignatius Press, 2000), Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger states clearly that popular music does not belong at Mass. Indeed, it's part of "a cult of the banal," and "rock" plainly stands "in opposition to Christian worship."

This is very strong language from the cardinal. And yet we know that many liturgy teams in American parishes will continue to do what they've been doing for decades — systematically reconstructing the liturgy to accommodate pop aesthetic sensibilities. The liturgy is treated not as something sublimely different but as a well-organized social hour revolving around religious themes.

It's up to you to decide the future course of your parish's liturgy: reverent worship or hootenanny. Despite what the OCP might tell you, you can't have both.

The emphasis above is mine, of course. Where did we fall away from the Truth that the Mass is the celebration of the perpetual sacrifice of our Lord? It is His prayer to the Father. It is the perpetual sacrifice that redeems us and makes us holy. I have always thought that calls for reverance and not hootenanny. Oh, and I'm not sure if any of you noticed but the short intro to the OCP "Celtic Alleluia" sounds like someone falling down a short flight of stairs.

Ad Orientem by Mark C. N. Sullivan, a writer for the news bureau of a Catholic college in Massachusetts and a freelance journalist. Don't just look at the pictures!

Ad Orientem is now at the top of our fully alphabetized blog links.

I am not sure what this guy's real name is, but he's conservative, Catholic and likes Opera. He can't be all bad. He's got a unique contest going on - very different from Emily Stimpson's yesterday. We are still awaiting the results of that, Emily!

by St Alphonsus Liguori

We did this setting of the Way of the Cross in Emittsburg yesterday. This part, which is repeated at nearly every station, is very powerful:

I love you, my Jesus, and I repent of ever having offended you. Never permit me to offend you again. Grant that I may love you always; and then do with me what you will.

I don't think any of them would work, but they are funny nonetheless. Patrick Madrid’s Top Ten Orthodox Catholic Pickup Lines.

Emily Stimpson is compiling a list over at her place. I can't wait to see what everyone comes up with.

You know what single, orthodox Catholic men are asking? "What do single, orthodox Catholic women want?"

I accompanied about twenty people from my parish to the Basilica of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton and Mount St. Mary's Seminary yesterday. We toured the grounds of the shrine and though the Basilica is closed on Mondays a very kind sister let us in and prayed with us. It is truly one of the most beautiful churches I have ever seen. There is a side chapel that depicts the Agony in the Garden. The room is semi-circular with a mosaic on the wall of garden, complete with the three Apostles taking their rest. There is a statue of Christ in the middle of chapel. He is taking a cup that is being passed to him by an angel. A more moving sculpture of that event I have not seen. I wish I had brought my camera! I'll have to go up there again soon and take some pictures. We prayed the Stations of the Cross in the cemetary, then toured the Basilica, had Mass in the chapel at Mount St. Mary's, ate lunch, went to the grotto on the hill and prayed the rosary, then piled back on the bus and went home. Here is the website for the shrine - I wish they had more pictures on the site.

John is on vacation this week. He and his beautiful wife, Teresa, are celebrating their third wedding anniversary. Email him to send your regards! I will be here all week. Today I was in Emmitsburg, Maryland at the Basilica of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton on a pilgrimage for vocations. It was wonderful! I'll write more about that tomorrow. Right now I am very tired!

Our deacon punted during his homily - he said he couldn't explain the Trinity to us. He spoke about relationships instead, saying the fundamental aspect of Christianity is that we are united in faith by the Holy Spirit. I don't think preachers should shy away from preaching about the mysteries that unite us. The fact is he didn't have to fully explain - who could - but he could have given a whack at it I think. Read this entry in the Catholic Encyclopedia if you wish.

Traffic to the website is very light this weekend. No doubt all our regular readers are grilling hotdogs, eating apple pie and waving American flags! God bless all you! On this day let us pause to remember those who have gone before us while protecting our freedom. Those of whom Lincoln said "gave their last full measure of devotion."

Life is too short to not laugh.

I met some very neat people last night after the Latin Mass at St. Mark's in Vienna. Two are young men, Danny and Marcel, who are very serious about becoming priests, one is a woman, Jackie, considering life as a Carmelite. Pray for them and for all vocations!

We've added links for Minute Particulars and a new blog by Francis Mooney called Xavier+. The links are alphabetized as well, which shows our ongoing commitment to providing the best experience possible for our readers. Actally, it shows I have an IQ of more than 60 and I that learned something in elementary school....

I thought a bit more about the Vatican's statement on celebs wearing fancy crucifixes as jewelry. In all the news clips and photos I saw they don't appear to be wearing crucifixes, but rather crosses without the corpus of our Lord. Are they protestants perhaps? It takes me back to what St. Francis of Assisi said about the empty cross. He called it "the cross of the bad thief."

Note to amatuer and pro bloggers alike - always check your sources! And your spelling!

Who are the victims? Rod Dreher says they are the Catholics in Milwaukee. This from NRO today:

Here's a tiny portion of what the Free Man of Milwaukee has meant for the Church in his city: He directed Catholic schools there to teach kids how to use condoms as part of AIDS education, and approved a graphic sex-education program for parochial-school kids that taught "there is no right and wrong" on the issues of abortion, contraception and premarital sex. He has advocated for gay rights and women's ordination, bitterly criticized Pope John Paul II, denounced pro-lifers as "fundamentalist," and declared that one could be both pro-choice and a Catholic in good standing.

A local church riven with heresy and anti-Roman dissent, a bare, ruined cathedral, demoralized priests, and a scandalized flock: This, tragically, is the legacy of Rembert Weakland.

And I said: Hear, you leaders of Jacob, rulers of the house of Israel! Is it not your duty to know what is right, you who hate what is good, and love evil? You who tear their skin from them, and their flesh from their bones! They eat the flesh of my people, and flay their skin from them, and break their bones. They chop them in pieces like flesh in a kettle, and like meat in a caldron. When they cry to the LORD, he shall not answer them; Rather shall he hide his face from them at that time, because of the evil they have done. MICAH 3: 1-4

From the Catholic League. And before you read this, here's the news story.

And let me just say that this is the dumbest thing I have ever seen from the Catholic League. How do we "Chill Out" about stuff like this when the people accused have not even dealt with the issues? It's a standing Archbishop who was accused of sexual misconduct and paid out a $450,000 settlement. That is serious, serious business. There's no statute of limitations on what we'll see come Judgement Day - which is why I'm praying to God for mercy.

I can just see the headlines now:
Catholic League Calls on Everyone to Chill Out

Finally, here's the quote -

THE CASE OF ARCHBISHOP WEAKLAND:
TIME FOR AN ETHICAL STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS

Responding to reports that Archbishop Rembert Weakland paid $450,000 to a man who accused him of sexual assault two decades ago is Catholic League president William Donohue:

“Any priest who violates his vow of celibacy is guilty of wrongdoing. Married men and women who break their marital vows are also guilty of wrongdoing. But it needs to be asked what social good is served when current disclosures of past indiscretions are made public. The time has come to invoke an ethical statute of limitations.

“Rumors abound everyday about the alleged sexual misconduct that a clergyman once committed. The motives are not pure. Some are interested in making headlines; some are engaged in blackmail; and others are promoting politics. This kind of sexual McCarthyism serves no constructive purpose.

“To be sure, American society is culturally schizophrenic: we sponsor a libertine understanding of sexuality that puts a premium on genital liberation and yet are appalled by the psychological and physical consequences that such a vision entails. We also expect that every person of the cloth will at all times restrain his libido while everyone else is free to throw constraint to the wind. The immaturity that characterizes this response is deep-seated.

“Voyeurism is usually considered an individual property but in the United States it has taken on a collective identity. It is now a society-wide phenomenon and is sustained by an appetite that is apparently insatiable. But that does not justify its perverse indulgence. To make matters worse, those who always harbored an agenda against their most-hated prelate think it’s time to rejoice. Count the Catholic League out. It’s time everyone—on the left and on the right, straight as well as gay—chilled out. Enough is enough.”

I'm not on the Parish council of St. Blog's, but think it's a appropriate to open the floor for discussion of launching a St. Blog Capital Campaign. The financial needs of the parish I see are as follows:

Development of a Crying Room for all the whiners who complain about my posts.

Installing Organ Pipes near my computer workstation to enhance overall sound quality

Removal of ads from all bona-fide Catholic blogs (we'll need a Catholic Blog Inquisition.. er... Review Committee to make sure the blogs are legit.)

Upgrades to Blogger Pro for all Bloggers receiving > 1,000 hits per day.

Catholic Outreach: Buying Mark Shea's, Amy Welborn's and Michael Dubruiel's books and air-dropping them over wayward Catholic institutions such as all Jesuit residences in the USA.

I will personally smack anyone who says we need to remove the communion rail. Seriously - I will look you up on four11.com, find you, and smack you.

Fr. Oneal is getting transferred to a new parish. Please pray for him and all priests who go to new assignments. I'm going to miss his blog, but he'll be posting holimies on Nota Bene.

A priest friend of mine is a member of an old and distinguished order. I remember him telling me about a meeting between members of his order from America and members of his order from the third world. The americans showed up in casual clothes though the rule of the order requires habits. They lounged around in flip-flops and jeans and frowned when the other brothers showed up in habits. They began to discuss difficulties in their ministry. The americans talked about inclusive language. Ordaining women. How they wish Ratzinger would take a dirt nap. The priests from the third world talked about their poverty. Their ministry to the orphans. The fact it was hard to get enough money together to get habits for the men in novitiate.

American Catholics are generally speaking the spoiled children of the Church. Our tummies are full, our liquor cabinets are stocked, we have facilities, phones, offices, libraries, schools, pipe organs, sound systems, priests that drive late-model luxury cars and real estate worth hundreds of millions. Comfort has taken away our our sense of real need. Comfort fills the void that should be filled by God. And since we are comfortable, we have less of His spirit and are more concerned with maintaining the luxury than we are of becoming other-Christs.

We need to be led Bishops and priests that are poor and yearn to be filled with the grace of God. In place of Cardinal Soundbite I'd like to see an Archbishop that has worn out shoes and is carted around major cities in a Ford Taurus not built after 1996. We can only get back to God if we embrace the life of his Son.

Dave Pawlak launched "Pompous Ponderings" yesterday. We made his list of favorite blogs. Clearly he has excellent taste!

John's wife took issue with the size of the poor boxes in church a while ago. I think the poor box in our church is the same size as the suggestion box in Hell.

if you think in the present state of the Church that it matters if we prove the Earth orbits the Sun.

over at Gregorian Rant about readings on Pentecost:

This past Sunday the Bible readings in my parish were done in about a dozen different languages, in an effort to underscore the idea that the apostles were given the gift of 'speaking in tongues' by the Holy Spirit. The only real problem is that they apparently forgot to announce before the mass that they would be doing that, so quite a few parishoners were left wondering what the heck was going on, including myself.

I, of course, attended the same Mass my brother did this past weekend. I heard part of the reading from Acts in Russian, German and French. While this was great for the Russians, Germans and French folk in the congregation, the Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, Asia, Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, Libya, Cretans and Arabians couldn't understand a word of it.

Karl writes:

It is a custom in Eastern churches to sing the gospel in multiple languages. I did it in German one year. Lots of fun. By this we commemorate the reversal of the confusion of tongues at Babel. Of course, that doesn't mean it is a custom in the latin rite. But I thought you should know it is not necessarily screwy.

Here's my contribution to someone else's Blog today. You'll understand when you go there if you haven't been already.

"Onealism Has Left The Building"
"Onealism is a Journey, Not a Destination"
"Onealism Tastes Great With an '88 Barolo"
"Heterodoxy is someone else's Doxy: Onealism is my Doxy."
"Hello, My Name is Onealism"
"What This Stew Needs Is A Bit More Onealism"
"Look Both Ways Before Crossing Onealism"
"Holy Onealism, Batman"
"Tune Your Clock Radio to Onealism"
"Today: Heavy Rain With A Slight Chance of Onealism"

I would love to hear from people who experience the trotting out everyone who knows a language besides English to read part of the first reading on Pentecost. I heard it twice at my parish because I went to both the Vigil and morning Mass with my choir. Driving away from church, I asked my wife, "Honey, do you think I'm stupid? Does someone need to draw me a picture of what happened on X day of salvation history? Do they need to light a bush on fire when Moses runs into God? Do I need to see Zacheus fall out of tree? I understand the concept of the miracle of the Apostles speaking in other languages."

She laughed and said, "You're not *that* stupid."

over at Emily Stimpson's place. I couldn't have said it better if I tried.

I will add that we should choose our words carefully describing the present crisis and its solution. I hate to see it called "The Situation" or "The Scandal." It is more than each of those. It is a whole mess of situations and scandals that add up to a crisis for the Church. If I had my way we would call it "the Crisis." The answer is not reformation, it is restoration. Transformation should occur on the part of individuals by the working of the Holy Spirit - perpetrators, victims and innocents alike. God willing it will occur and those who have damaged or who have been damaged by the Crisis will come back to the fold. Hope and pray. Trust in the mercy of God!

takes a long walk off a short pier into the river Styx today in his blurb about homosexuality and the Church. Under the heading "USING THE CHURCH'S CRISIS AGAINST GAY RIGHTS" Sullivan writes:

But now the Church stands almost alone in its inability to confront or even discuss the matter of homosexuality, while the broader society has changed beyond recognition. The result is the current catastrophe. Gay Catholics - priests and laity - are caught between these two worlds. One world is pushing them toward liberation, self-esteem and responsibility; the other is still infantilizing, pathologizing and marginalizing them. In such a context, human beings can lose their way - especially when the Church refuses even to articulate or discuss its own doctrines about homosexuality - or indeed any sexuality.

The Church and secular societies have almost always been at odds - this is nothing new. A government can declare something a right but that doesn't make a divine right. Take abortion for instance. And what of gay rights? Because a state allows civil unions between homosexuals does it mean the Church must change the truths that have been revealed in Scripture and tradition?

The Church articulates it's doctrine on sexuality very clearly in the CCC. Kicking the woman who can't cut fabric straight off the art commitee is up for debate. As is what books are going to be used for religious education. Doctrine is not up for debate - it is doctrine. What is liberating about justifying sinfulness? Not just sinful sexual behavoir, but any kind of sin? This only makes sin more oppressive to our souls.

Regarding applause in church, Karl of Summa Contra Mundum writes:

We don't applaud because the songs are supposed to be prayers. We don't applaud prayers.

I am probably more churlish than you!

In response to my beef with applause in church, Michael Shirley writes:

You do realize that applause is an expression of gratitude and appreciation, a way of saying "thank you," and that becoming angry at such an expression of thanks is quite churlish? Don't you? How do you know that's not God's way of acting through others?

If I were to say to someone who thanked me or complimented me on my singing "You shouldn't say that; I'm storing up riches in heaven and I don't do it for the thanks," then I've spent all those riches and then some.

He also adds:

When a congregation wishes to thank a choir for their efforts, applause is about the only way to do it as a group. I imagine that one of the difficulties here is that musicians, who normally receive applause in a secular context for a performance, have difficulty seeing applause for their efforts in any context other than performance. Why not interpret it as gratitude for wonderful leadership in prayer? I'm sure God would appreciate applause now and then (although probably not at the consecration).

Be grateful for their prayers too, and if applause makes you uncomfortable, ask yourself if the problem is yours, not theirs.

Michael has a point about my lack of charity. I regret using the word "cheesed" to describe my feelings. "Cheesed" isn't even a word! Let me restate my position. I think the focus should always be on the Mass - the perpetual sacrifice of Christ and His prayer to the Father. When fifty or so adults receive the Sacrament of Confirmation they deserve an enthusiastic acknowledgment of their full initiation in the Church. The congregation instead clapped for the choir. Applause for a musician or musicians makes their participation seem like a performance rather than leading in prayer or making a musical offering. Why not interpret it as gratitude for wonderful leadership in prayer? The priest brings us the Blessed Sacrament through his prayers, do we applaud for him at Mass?

John read this and said he was more churlish than me when it comes to applause for a musical group in Church. He sang "O Holy Night" during the Preparation of the Gifts at midnight Mass one Christmas Eve. When the song ended the entire church erupted in thunderous applause. When the church was silent again the pastor said "Pray, brethern, that our sacrifice be acceptable..." John was mortified.

over at Oremus. Read it. All I can say is "yipes!" Dancing just isn't liturgical in this country. In other cultures dancing might be associated with the sacred. And in other cultures "Madonna" refers to the Mother of God.

over at Emily Stimpson's place is an excellent blurb on what marriage and ordination mean in terms of the Heaven and our relationship to Christ. It's wonderful to see someone break it down so succintly.

Homily today: Ordinatio Sacerdotalis

Much to the consternation of about .0005% of the congregation today, our Assc. Pastor mentioned JP II's encyclical that declares the Church does not have the authority to ordain women to the priesthood. It didn't tie in gracefully with Pentecost, but it did tie in with The Situation did tie in nicely with his theme in the last few weeks of the question: Is Jesus God?

If Jesus was God, could he have chosen apostles who were women? Or do we think that our pal Jesus just a historical figure that was bound by the customs of his time?

Someone explain this to me: Why do some people think that the socio-economic changes that ocurred in America since the 1960's should also be applied to the 2,000 year old Church of Christ? Do they know more than JP II what's good for the Church? More than St. Catherine of Sienna? More than St. Francis? St. Teresa Avila? St. Paul? Or even Jesus - who made the choice Himself?

God on earth. He did a lot of things that were "counter-cultural" including die on the cross for us.

and not the tasty kind that comes in a can!

Got this in my electronic mail today:

I have visited www.catholiclight.blogspot.com and noticed that your website is not listed on some search engines.

The message goes to plug a service we can use to make this site more visible. If it would draw some visitors from the Vatican I might just do it. At this time, however, being listed on other Catholic blogs is quite enough!

My brother had enough time today to alphabetize our blogs links. That's nuts.

and told you He had someone very dear to Him that He needed you to take care of. Someone that no one else could fully provide for, nurture, care for, feed, clothe, respect, get to church on Sundays, teach about life and faith and the sacraments, pray with, pray for and most of all, love. Jesus would tell you this person is a temple of His Spirit. Someone whose arms and hands Jesus would use for as instruments of His mercy and kindness. Someone whose mouth He would use to preach his Gospel. Someone who He wanted in Heaven with Him forever. Someone who suffered and died for, someone for whom He suffers still.

On this day of Pentecost realize Jesus has done just that with each one of us. That someone is you. He’s given you YOU. “Love your neighbor as you love yourself” is not only a commandment, it is a fact. We will love others to the extent we love ourselves.

when he changes the title on his blog.

This just in from Michael Tinkler, our favorite cranky professor:

The 11:00 mass at St. Francis de Sales, Geneva, New York (http://www.genevarcc.org/) ends. I go to my car. The electronic carillon from Hell starts up - it's playing "On the Street Where You Live."

From Hell indeed! An electronic carillon is one thing, but some idiot programming it with pop tunes is another matter entirely. He's probably hoping someone will open up a bar next door so he can be the world's first carillon lounge lizard. Or maybe they'll change the name of the church to "Our Lady of Luck" so he can play "Luck be a Lady!" What do they play on vocation Sunday? "It's Raining Men?"

It never ceases to amaze me - whether or not it's First Communion or Confirmation there is still some kid in a white tuxedo.

I'll write about the Mass later. One thing really cheesed me - the Bishop thanked the different groups involved in preparing and executing the Mass. The last group he mentioned was the newly-formed Diocesan Choir. He spread it on really thick and everyone clapped. So much for storing riches up in Heaven by volunteering.

One last thing - a ton of people in choir thought I was John. Not since High School have so many people called me "John." We accepted each other's diplomas at our graduation. That was a hoot. All our friends knew but the principal didn't have a clue.

Woo-hoo!

Instead of inserting our name when we post it's putting in complete garbage. It's like the Blogger database has incorrect links to our user data. This stuff makes my brain hurt.

He's in formation to be a Diocesan priest. Read his blog and pray for him! Goodness knows we need more good priests!

coming out soon. “First Comes Love: Finding Your Family in the Church and the Trinity.”

From an interview on zenit.org

ZENIT -- Of the 10 books you’ve authored or co-authored, you say this is your most important. Why?

HAHN -- Because this is the first book in which I’ve been able to give the big picture of why I became Catholic. My other books bore fruit in a systematic or apologetic way, which many people appreciated. But none of that would have been possible without the biblical theology you find in “First Comes Love.” With this book, I’m getting to the roots, which, for me, come down to three ideas: covenant theology, family solidarity, and the mystery of the Trinity. When I was a Protestant, I affirmed all of these; I just never connected them. What I found, over time, was that the three converge in Catholicism.

for linking to us. Check him out. He's sensible, orthodox, reads NRO, and he writes a whole lot. Clearly he's one of the good guys!

Church was Good Shepherd Catholic Church in Mount Vernon, Virginia. Decade was, not surprisingly, the 70's. I have been crawling the net for any mention of this but I'm coming up with nada. Do you I have to call the Blue Stone Toad Society? Does St. Anthony help you find things on the net you're looking for?

We welcome the Catholic Blog for Lovers.

Good Emily Stimpson has jumped on today's liturgical dance bandwagon. My story might beat her's. This is up there with the Circus Mass and the infamous blue stone toad. It has to do with my old parish in Alexandria, VA, though it happened long before my time. On Easter Sunday the pastor, dressed in a bunny suit, drove a VW Beetle up the isle and came out of the sun roof to begin Mass. I couldn't find any info on the net about this but maybe some of our readers can dig it up? John was out west and mentioned the name of the parish to a local priest. His face lit up and he said, "Oh yeah! That's where the pastor jumped out of a beetle in a bunny suit, right?"

Who is going to start on the book about the worst post-Vatican II liturgical abuses?

Robert Sungenis of Catholic Apologetics International posts a comprehensive article on the scandal and why we should not fear for the future of the Church. I previously slammed him pretty hard over his ideas about orbital mechanics, but I will say again, his books are wonderful and he is one of the most knowledgable apologists we have.

I'll say it again - we must pray for our leaders in the faith, for the victims, for the direct and indirect perpetrators of this evil, and for our Church. Trust in God's unfathomable mercy, His love and His promises of salvation and the resilence of the Church in this age. We must also work to be His vehicles of mercy and love - Jesus has no hands but ours with which to heal those who are suffering. He is all-seeing and listens with His whole heart to our prayers. He is be present in the Blessed Sacrament, but it is each of us that He sends forth to be ministers of His love and peace to each other and the world.

I've seen liturgical dancing once. As genuine an expression of faith and joy it might have been for the dancers, it was not shared by the congregation. Just the opposite in fact. It was deeply troubling - like driving by a 20-car pile-up. You didn't want to watch but you had no choice. Time seemed to stand still in the horror of it all. If these women had worn something besides a leotard it might not have been so heinous. The rule in church as in life is dress for your body size and shape. At least that's the rule I've been following. Maybe they hadn't heard that one. Just when I thought I would rather staple myself to a burning building than see any more it ended. And there was much rejoicing.

I think Alexandra over at Oremus has something to add!

I'll say that it can be the same way with music in church. The folk-psalmist is singing their heart out on a bluesy rendition of a psalm. It makes the congregation uncomfortable to see someone emote in that manner. I've heard music in church that has given me that feeling. I'm sure I'm not alone. As a private devotion that music is wonderful but music in the Mass is like most everything else in the Mass, a communal prayer. And music in church is not performance, it is prayer - a musical offering. If it looks like a performance, or if someone is acting like it's a performance, that makes the offering less genuine. Not unlike making a show of a offering in the temple while the widom gave all she had to live on without making a big to-do of it.

This is why liturgical dancing is forbidden in the Western world.

I had to explain this to my choir one time and got lots of surprised looks. I said, "Liturgical Dancing is forbidden in the Western World." *GASP* Forbidden? It can't be FORBIDDEN?? How about discouraged? Could it be frowned upon now, and then a little tacky depending on execution, but after Vatican III can happen every week?

Ok only a couple of people sort of reacted that way. I went on to explain the reason, which is crystal clear in the link above: Americans associate dancing with all manner of sexual immorality.

Our archive keeps disappearing. I hope that's not a sign we should stop blogging...

Let me be the first to welcome Alexandra Baldwin to Catholic blogdom! She has launched Oremus - Adventures in Orthodoxy. Crunchy Catholics beware!

Alexandra and her husband Bryan are very close friends of mine. We've known each other since college. They didn't condemn back then when I was a heathen. Now I think they might name their first child after me!

I fell on the floor laughing when I read what Sean Gallagher wrote about combining priestly ministry with a Broadway career over at Nota Bene.

A very disturbing piece by Rod Dreher today on the human cost of our shepherd's transgressions. What is the Church for? To bring souls to Christ, the only source of salvation. Look at the cost of this scandal in terms of the human cost and money doesn't much matter. We need openess and accountability from our bishops and cardinals. We need to help the victims of this abuse heal fully. We need action on their part to eliminate this abuse in the future. We need to pray.

A reader gives his comments on my comments on Mark Jordan's Freudian sloop. He also sent me some junk from Time magazine that I will comment on later.

You are spot-on with your analysis of Mark Jordan and others who share his view. It would be laughable if it were not so serious. I suspect you have seen this article from Time magazine. Not to put too fine a point on it, but persons who view the world primarily through the grid of their sexual attractions can't see straight. This is, of course, true of heterosexuals as well as homosexuals. Sexual attractions ought not define us as persons. If they do, then there's something terribly
wrong. The answer is not cultural change or new ways of seeing. The answer is the same as it's always been: conversion of hearts and minds so we might experience the saving power of the Paschal Mystery.

Mark Shea is dead on today in his commentary on Islam and the Islamic world. We stand with you, Mr. Shea. Give them my number if they call.

This disturbing story from the Washington Times on the conduct of the Palestians and the Franciscans during the seige on the Church of the Nativity. Stockpiles of food were seized and voraciously consumed by the Palestinians. They boozed like sailors. Orthodox priests didn't have anything good to say about their "guests" or their Franciscan brothers:

Angry Orthodox priests yesterday showed two reporters about 20 empty bottles of whiskey, champagne, vodka, cognac and French wine on a kitchen shelf and on the floor of two rooms.
"They should be ashamed of themselves. They acted like animals, like greedy monsters. Come, I will show you more," said one priest, who declined to give his name.

He gestured toward empty bottles of Israeli-brewed Maccabi beer and hundreds of cigarette butts strewn on the floor.

The priest then took the reporters to see computers taken apart and a television set dismantled for use as a hiding place for weapons.

"You can see what repayment we got for 'hosting' these so-called guests," said Archbishop Ironius, another cleric, as he showed reporters the main reception hall of the Greek Orthodox Monastery.

"All the media concentrated on the Franciscan [Catholic] quarter, where little damage was done," the archbishop said. "Why? The Franciscans actually let the gunmen in, then guided the gunmen to our rooms."

Is it true? If it is it appears my outrage wasn't properly placed at only the Palestinians who occupied the church where Christ was born.

Mark Shea has some very interesting thoughts on what the Holy Father is thinking. If Christ's Passion has any lesson for us it is that suffering matters.

Someone removed the page about Earth being the center of the universe on Catholic Apologetics International! I expect this one to be deleted pretty soon too. It states that aether, a medium that permeates the entire universe, is the cause of gravity. Einstein's theories on the curvature of space-time have been proved beyond any doubt. This section compares Einstein's theories with the idea of the aether.

But it is just as likely that the earth is stationary and the aether is moving against it. The aether, in turn, would hold the sun and stars, and the whole thing would revolve around the earth once every 24 hours.

Just hold that lightbulb up to the socket and the universe will screw it in.

I heard from a local priest that he was about to Baptize an infant and the parents, with no clue about latin, named the beautiful child "Regina Caeli."

Let's hope they don't name their second child "Agnus Dei!"

This is from one of our beloved spanish-speaking readers:

You Wrote regarding Carter's Visit to Cuba:
CARTER: It really hurt my feelings when you used to call me "Peanut Man."
CASTRO: Lo siento mucho. ¿Qué si le llamo las "tuercas del señor?" which means I'm very sorry. What if I call you "Mister Nuts?"
POOR TRANSLATION
The real flavor of the translation: (An expression that is unprintable appeared here) Would you prefer it if I called you "The Man's Wing Nuts?"

Apparently the phrase "tuercas del senor" is an idiomatic expression which is a lot like saying "go play in traffic" only it involves an part of the male anatomy. It has nothing to do with wing nuts or peanuts. Let's just say mi madre would wash my mouth out with soap if I had said that around her.

To our readers who actually understand spanish I say estoy muy, muy apesadumbrado.

Evening folks. Can I tell you a quick pet peeve? If you are one to let little tidbits like this distract you at Mass, I suggest you scroll down to Steve's posts below.

At daily Mass, during the intercessions, the floor is often open for spoken prayers from the congregation. There's one parish my wife and I go to on Saturday mornings where they go like this:
Leader: Are there any intentions from the assembly?

Congregant 1: For a special intention...
Congregant 2: For a special intention...
Congregant 3: For a special intention...
Congregant 4: For a special intention...

This sometimes strikes me - first as a misuse of the English language. Is your intention really "special?" If so, it could be like this:
Congregant 1: For a special intention...
Congregant 2: For a more special intention...
Congregant 3: For a super-duper intention...
Congregant 4: For a deluxe intention...

It's a *private* intention. Special is weird - private is not.

Three cheers for Amy Welborn! She's given us all a name - St. Blog's Parish.

I've been reading the coverage on Carter in Cuba and it made me remember a great piece by P.J. O'Rourke. 50+ reasons why Carter was a better President than Clinton. This appeared in The American Spectator - one of my favorite magazines. They don't have a website anymore. Trees are apparently cheaper than bits and bytes.

The funniest one from this list is missing:

Mariel Boatlift? Does Hillary know about her?

I was poking around on Mark Shea's site and happened on this link regarding earth's rotation (or lack thereof) by Robert Sungenis. He says the earth is sitting still - it doesn't rotate. And the moon is made of cheese. And on a clear day you can see forever. This is complete crap. I'm not a rocket scientist but I have a friend who is. I'll get him to write something up. In the meantime I will go out on a limb and tell you that GPS satellites don't depend fully on geostationary orbits in order to work. I found this on the inTARnet:

How GPS Receivers Work

The other thing to note is the difference between rotation (earth spinning on it's axis) and revolution (earth orbitting around the sun). I guess putting some nimrod opinion up on the net about how this isn't happening does just about as good as having a vote on whether it is happening or not. When all is said and done it's still happening.

I must say I own and love Dr. Sungenis's books and that you should buy them, or at least read them.

I’ve had time to read and mull over "What makes the priesthood so attractive to gay men?" by Mark D. Jordan in the Orlando Sentinel from May 12.

I don’t have time right now to refute the all his assertions that I believe to be false. The most distressing to me is what he refers to as homoeroticism as part of the institution of the Church.

Our public discussions of priestly sexuality won't make any progress until we can begin to talk about the homoeroticism written into Catholic imagination and its institutions.

His opinion “the Catholic Church is and has long been both loudly homophobic and intensely homoerotic.”

The fact is we as individuals are more than our sexual preference. Professor Jordan, faculty of the religion department at Emory University, confuses being gay with actually being.

He posits some questionable reasons as to why gay men would be attracted to the priesthood. I won’t pretend to know or understand exactly what God is doing when he calls someone to a religious vocation. On the human side I would say the initial answer to the call is, or at least the beginning of discernment is:


- A desire to do God’s will alone and thereby deny oneself many things this world has to offer, material and immaterial

- A desire for holiness and sanctity

- A desire to minister the sacraments, to preach and engage in other aspects of priestly ministry

Professor Jordan goes on to say:

The Roman Catholic Church entices us gay men to fall in love with it much before we ever consider its policies. We have long found a home in this church because many of its symbols and roles, its beauties and gifts, are so evidently our own.

Whether or not altar girls are permitted is a Church policy. The teaching on homosexual behavior is dogma. It is not policy. Policy is changeable, dogma is not. This is from a religion professor who is an adult convert to Catholicism. Yikes.

Apart from confusing policy with dogma I see here the author is doing two things. First, he is wrapping his sexual preference around his whole being. Second, he is reflecting that gay persona around the Church. It seems to be the lens through which he sees himself and the Church. I don’t believe our sexual preference is wholly who we are as children of God. We can't look at ourselves, the world and the Church in terms of gayness or straightness. We are so much more than our sexual preference.

:: Diocesan choir again!

I just got back from our second rehearsal. What a great group of volunteers there is this group! One woman drives 2.5 hours one way to participate. We ended about 9:50. Which means I will have been in Kingdom of Morpheus for about an hour before she even gets home. The choir is praying at the Diocesan Confirmation and the Diaconate Ordination Masses. What a gift it is to have a group that can do this, and to be able to sing in it!

Contrast two ways to begin Mass:

1. Priest, partially vested, walks to the front of the pews with a hand-held mic and introduces himself: "Welcome to St. Joe's. I'm Fr. Marty. I'm so happy to see you all! Who are the visitors here today?" eager hands go up and he walks to congregants as they sit in the pews, a la Phil Donohue, "Where are you from, sweetheart?" And an elderly lady responds, "I'm visiting here from Ohio. My grandson was just born." And the Father bellows into the hand-held mic, "That's wonderful! How much did he weigh? Was he a big boy?" etc etc etc etc until Mass beings at 10 past the hour.

2. A bell. The simple ringing of a bell after a few minutes of collected silence in the church. "Ding, Ding!" All rise. Music starts.

What's more reverent? What's more "Vatican II?" What makes a congregation think they are in presence of God? What makes a congregation think that that entertainment is about to start at a Spaghetti Dinner?

Interesting post over at Sursum Corda.

The Priest has an article by Father William Sheridan about how some Catholics tend to view celebrations of the sacraments—particularly matrimony—as a private event that they should shape to meet their personal preferences. Rather than merely condemning this trend, Sheridan wisely counsels pastors to seize the “teachable moment” of preparation for a sacrament to convey its fundamentally ecclesial nature. With regard to matrimony, he notes that “marital preparation is a good opportunity to challenge the effects of the wedding ‘industry’ and overly personal, consumerist approaches to the sacrament.”

Here's my impression of 80% of Catholic wedding formation. Their thoughts in italics.

Priest: "How long have you known each other?"
Woman: "We met 2 years ago in May" don't ask us if we live together...
Man: This is so boring
Priest: "Are you planning on having children?"
Man: oh, let's not go there padre.
Woman: Well, we are thinking about having kids eventually. I mean, I'm finishing law school in the fall and need to pass the bar and will have to put in 10 years+ in order to become a partner. crap... I shouldn't have said that partner part.
Priest: "What do you think about kids, Bobby?"
Man: busted!!! Think fast, Jackson! Well Father, I like kids. I mean, kids are great. So we'll probably have kids eventually. cool. That should do it. yeah. That was smart.
Priest: "Well, we have some options for the liturgy. You can celebrate the sacrament of matrimony within the Mass, or by itself with the Liturgy of the Word. What are you thoughts on that?"
Woman: My mom wants to have the song "Born Free" when she comes in.
Man: crap.

and it goes on...

My cats are wondering why I just had a conniption. I read this piece of opinion about what makes the priesthood attractive to gay men. More about it later. I'm out for a while now - got Diocesan Chior rehearsal tonight.

There is Haugen hysteria over at Care and Feeding. Please don't click on this link if you're name is "Marty Haugen."

Lots of blogging out there about congregational participation in the liturgy. Something lost on many liturgists is that participation at Mass cannot be measured in decibels: rather it manifests itself in holiness and reverence. There should be no pat on the back after a big, loud Mass. When we get to heaven we can have a big group hug and experience firsthand the results of "participation."

Astronomy is extremely cool. Just when you are tempted to think you have control over your little corner of the universe you get a reminder of the immensity of it all, and the paradox of man: supremely tiny compared to all creation, but created to be one with God.

I saw the dill sauce recipe but I have no salmon - what do you think it would taste like over Spam?

Has anyone noticed the dill sauce recipe in the sidebar?

:: Red-hot button issues like celibacy, various inclinations, Church teaching and vegetarian chili

I was reading the most excellent musings of Catholic blog queen Amy Wellborn and happened upon this link to an article on washingtonpost.com. The short version: A priest in Mexico falls in love with a female parishoner back in 1997, is relieved of his priestly duties by the bishop, but continues to offer Mass and performs marriages. The marriages are not recognized by the church. The Eucharist is illicit but valid - meaning Jesus is there but he doesn't want to be. It boggles the mind how much trust our Lord has put in priests. They can make Him present to us in the Eucharist even if He doesn't want to be. Our God is truly a humble God.

The story about this priest in Mexico touches on a number of things we're blogging and reading about - priestly celibacy, openess and honesty from Church leaders, and yes, even homosexuality. Mike Hardy has very thoughful coverage of this over at Enemy of the Church? as well. You might have to do some reading on those other blogs before this makes any sense.

I don't have the brain power to go on and on about this now, but I do have some incoherent thoughts. If we're all born either heterosexual or homosexual, that is if you believe sexual preference is genetic, realize we're all born with something else - the inclination towards sin. That's why God became Man, suffered and died - because we as humans can't help being what we are. A heterosexual priest falls in love, wants to marry a female parishoner and is laicized. It is sinful to fall in love? I depends how one falls in love. Is it sinful to break one's vows? I think so. Is it possible for a priest to fall in love and leave the priesthood without commiting grave sin? I think it is.

What does this priest's story have to do with homosexuality? I'm looking at this story and the Mystical Body of Christ in terms of what we are inclined to do as sexual beings. Is it a sin to be straight or gay? No more than it is a sin to be human. We're born with an inclination to sinfulness as a result of Adam's fall. What makes us sinners is what we think and do and what we fail to think and do. Being inclined or disposed of a certain behavior is not the same as engaging in that behavior. That covers all sinful thoughts and actions, like my attitude when I'm driving. The Church doesn't teach that the homosexuals are disordered souls, it teaches that the behavior is disordered. All sin is disordered, whether it is promiscuous heterosexual activity or homosexual activity. If you have other ideas on this please let me know. I would like to understand this issue better and get other perspectives. I am a non-practicing heterosexual so I don't have the same challenges that gay Catholics have.

When people ask me what I think on a certain moral or ethical issue I tell them I agree with Church teaching on the matter. If I don't know what the Church teaches I find out with intellectual gusto. For me the key to believing and understanding is not by simply learning what the Church teaches, but also learning why the Church teaches it. The important thing to note is that we are talking about truths, not opinions. I happen to think vegetarian chili is an abomination which God never intended. That's my opinion. I'm convinced that chili without meat is a sign of the end of History. You think I'm nuts. Whether vegetarian chili is actual chili or a demonic soy-farmer conspiracy is a debatable point. The One Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church founded by Jesus and nutured by Scripture and Church tradition is not.

How about some Sunday Morning Smackdown?

Amy Welborn has a post about a pastor in the midwest who has a random mom do the homily on Mother's day.

For the love of God, can I get a lead-shepherd to give this jr. shepherd a good back-o-the hand smack? What happened to doing the right thing for the right reason?

I am just not getting enough email for some reason.

Looky over at "Care and Feeding of a Catholic Church Choir" for a few hundred words about why I am sick of Marty Haugen's music.

Thanks to all that prayed for my choir, we ended up doing fine except for a small train wreck near the end. We ended together on the right pitches which generally leaves the congregation with the impression that you did it correctly... at least I hope. Start well, end well and people will probably forgive you for what's in the middle.

Connected Tidbit: did you know the Vatican II documents encourage the use of chant and sacred polyphony in the Mass. Tell that to someone next time they tell you the choir shouldn't be "performing those Latin pieces" or they say, "chants are so boring." There's plenty of Happy Fun Masses out there if you think chant is boring. And you can tell them they are not speaking in the spirit of Vatican II. Shazam!

Carter arrived in Cuba this morning. Castro used to call him "Peanut Man." I think that's funny.

I don't believe former Presidents should act as diplomats. Outside of office they can't really represent any interest other than their own. It's one thing to attend the Christmas party at the Mexican embassy, another all together to go some place like Cuba for the purposes of "dialogue."

CARTER: It really hurt my feelings when you used to call me "Peanut Man."
CASTRO: Lo siento mucho. ¿Qué si le llamo las "tuercas del señor?" which means I'm very sorry. What if I call you "Mister Nuts?"

If Peanut Man's visit helps the people of Cuba in some way it's worth it. Religious freedom especially. The 40-year-old embargo sure hasn't.

"Bless me father for I have sinned. It's been 13 minutes since my last confession. I did the penance you gave me in front of the Blessed Sacrament and got in my car to drive home. I was waiting patiently to make a right hand turn, and one of God's children pulled up on my left and cut me off to make the right hand turn before me. Without thinking I cursed at his bright purple car, then the side of his head, then when he looked at me I cursed at him directly, and when he was in front of me on the road I cursed at the back of his head. He got on the ramp to the Beltway and when I was on the bridge overlooking it I saw it was totally jammed. I said outloud something like 'Serves that #$!!@$% right getting caught in the !#$!$#!$!% traffic right after #$!#%$!% cutting me off! Look whose in a hurry now #!@#$@$!' Then I turned around and came back here. Can I paint the rectory for my penance? I've got my sackcloth and ashes right here - I keep them in the car."

Has anyone seen my golden calf?

I was reading Karl Keating's "The Usual Suspects" and came upon some wisdom. He says he asks the audiences of his talks what was wrong with the Jew melting down their jewelry to make a golden calf? His answer: nothing. It was worshipping the golden calf as a false god that was the problem.

So what have I melted down lately? What are my golden calves? What's in between me and God? What's replacing God in my life?

Too bad I'm way to busy to respond to Fr. O'Neal's weekend homework challenge...

Where's my cheese grater? I am speechless about this article regarding a U.N.-financed sex education manual used in South America from the Washington Times, a newspaper I can usually read without having a conniption. Apparently the US Agency for International Development (USAID) has funded production of the manual in El Salvador with "very graphic pictures." 10 year-olds are seeing this.

The UNICEF-funded manual from Mexico, whose title translated into English is "Theoretic Elements for Working With Mothers and Pregnant Teens," suggests: "Situations in which you can obtain sexual pleasure: 1. Masturbation. 2. Sexual relations with a partner — whether heterosexual, homosexual or bisexual. 3. A sexual response that is directed toward inanimate objects, animals, minors, non-consenting persons."

Note to self: Check with U.N. personnel office. Find out if Satan is actually on the payroll or if he's volunteering.

Because stories like this make me want to grate cheese. This is about Judith Levine's new book "Harmful to Minors: The Perils of Protecting Children From Sex."

The antidote was Jonah Goldberg's NRO column yesterday.

... as Irving Kristol noted long ago, if you believe that a book or a movie can't hurt people, you also pretty much have to believe a book or a movie can't help them either.

I wrote this a while ago, and people still seem to be enjoying it. No one is too bourgeois to enjoy opera.

I didn't know you were allowed to do this in Cuba.

:: Verichip

A Florida family becomes the first cyborgs when implanted with the new Verichip. Veri referring to the latin for true, truth, real, truthfulness, and chip for, well, a silicon device that holds information in the form of ones and zeds. That's a spooky, spooky name. Why not something like Viachip, Medichip or Vitachip? It doesn't contain truth - it contains medical and personal data. Don't try to put one of those things in me! If I want you to know you my name and the fact that I am a few pounds over my ideal weight I will tell you.

My prediction is that it won't be too long before someone suggests tracking non-citizens residing in this country with that device. You didn't hear it here first, though - I want someone else to take the blame for that idea.

More info on the Church of Nativity. The captors were making food and coffee on the altar. The monks asked them not to sleep in the grotto and they complied.

This is the place were the God's innocence, humility, love, and mercy was born on this Earth. That should mean something to everyone, believers and unbelievers alike.

:: Church of the Nativity seige ends...

Thank God this is over. I'm seeing video of the inside of the church on TEEvee. What a mess! They need to air the place out!
Some of these terrorists are getting a vacation in the posh Flamingo Island Hotel in Cyprus while people haggle over where to send them. I heard a Palestinian jabbermouth on Foxnews say it was awful how these men are being exiled from their homeland. The question of homeland is debatable for sure. Regarding exile, perhaps they'd like to be jailed in their homeland instead? I'm still torqued about these thugs invading the church where Christ was born. If an armed band of People for the Ethical Treatment of Red Heifers occupied the temple mount Jews and Muslims everywhere would be passing megaliths through their large intensines. I still don't understand where the outrage wason the part of Christians. Maybe we, especially us Catholics, just have too much to be outraged about.

No surprise that Janet Reno drives a little red truck.

I watched Episode 1 of Star Wars tonight on television when in just a few short weeks George Lucas will be laughing all the way to the bank with Episode 2. I forgot how bad this movie was the first time. I was in the theater on opening day. I'd won a drawing with six other lucky co-workers to take a limo ride into DC to see it at the Uptown. That was the heyday of the dot-com era when companies could spend a bit of their millions in venture cash to make a few geeks very, very happy. They could not, however, afford popcorn at the concession stand without more capital. The cost of one large bag of popcorn with butter, large coke and box of junior mints to throw at people who are talking during the movie? 1.8 billion dollars, payable in cash. Who's got that kind of money these days? Thanks to us, George Lucas does. I'm kidding of course - I have no clue what his net worth is but I would imagine it would be nice to have him in your parish. Especially if he tithed. Let's see, 39.6% to the feds, 10% to the church, and the rest to give his hair and beard body and lift.

Episode 1 was in no way as enjoyable as The Fellowship of the Ring. I'll tell you why in a very short while. First, I have a confession to make. I've seen LOTR five times in the theater. And to answer your next question, yes, I have kissed a girl before. It's been a while but I'm not like the comic book guy in the Simpsons or the guys who go to Star Trek conventions dressed as Klingons. I've seen LOTR a few times because it's a great movie. It's because in Tolkien's books he created a world with a mythos, a Christian mythos, and all the aspects of story are driven by it. George Lucas woke up one day and decided to make a movie. It turned out to be so long he split it up into three movies, or three scripts anyway. By the time all three movies got to video he'd made so much bread he figured he'd make three more. I heard, though I can't substantiate this, that the reason there was such a long period of time between Return of the Jedi and Episode 1 was that Lucas signed an agreement with his wife at the time that she'd make some huge sum of cash off any additional Star Wars movies he made within a 20 year time frame. I could be mistaken on some of the details here regarding their rather unique nuptial arrangement. Regardless, there is no driving force in the Star Wars saga other than good people doing stupid things, bad people doing evil things, and aliens being gross charicatures of different racial groups. It is so unlike the force of destiny, you might say the will of the God, that bids poor Frodo to take up his cross despite its difficulty. In Star Wars people with impossible-to-spell names (Yoda excluded) do the bonehead thing of training a little brat to be a Jedi. He turns out to be the biggest monster their universe has ever known.

No doubt I'll have more to write about Episode 2, but here are some thoughts. Forget about Christian mythos - the action in all the Star Wars movies is driven by Lucas's cinematic one-trick pony. Here's the untalented stallion I am referring to: the bottomless pit. In Episode 1 that's where the Darth dude falls after Obi-Wan cuts him in half. Just before that our hero is hanging precariously in the same seemingly infinite drop, looking like he's about to buy the Jedi farm. He jumps out and give the Darth guy a Jedi wuffo. That's means "what for" - he gave him the Jedi what for. In the Empire Strikes Back the fight between Luke and Darth Vader takes place over another naked abyss. This is where Luke gets his hand cut off and cries like a little girl. At the end of Return of the Jedi the evil Emperor is thrown into still another measureless chasm. It is ever-present in Star Wars. The whole scene with Jabba's love barge in the desert takes place over that sand monster and it is the same thing. The same deep ravine, same inconceivable depth, same big hole in something. That's the equus caballus that lost the show and went to the glue factory. I'll betcha the price of popcorn, a coke and a box of junior mints he does the same damn thing in Episode 2.

Two more things about Episode 1 and what I can see happening in 2. First, the Jedi ORDER needs to institute a vow of obedience and some Jedi Canon Law. Obi-wan tells Yoda he's training Annakin whether the council likes it or not. Yoda caves. I guess that's why we had three movies to begin with and we'll have two more. Second, it looks as though the Jedi do take some kind of vow of celibacy or at least some mamby-pamby "I won't date royalty from another planet" vow. The older Annakin breaks this vow, it seems, in Episode 2. So I suppose it's cool for the Jedi to have a vow of celibacy but not Catholic Priests in the Latin Rite? Maybe if they handed out light sabers in the seminary it would be.

How did I get started on this? Oh yeah - how Star Wars needs some Christian mythos. I need to get out of the house more.

Pray the Divine Office online or download it daily to your PDA or WAP-enabled phone here. The site looks like a throw-back from the early days of the web minus the BLINK tag but man does not live by cascading style sheets and fancy shmancy graphics alone.

:: Captain Crunch no more!

I have a contract on my boat. As anyone in sales knows it ain't done until the money is in the bank, so I am cautiously optimistic. John called me "Captain Crunch" for the one time I took the family out on the vessel and gently nudged the dock when we were coming back in. I am now considering buying a kayak to get more exercise and and to get in touch with the side of me that has never fallen into the Potomac River or its tributaries.

I will miss STEEMBOAT, a handsome SeaRay Sundancer, but I'm through frittering all my time away on the river with a light buzz from the beer or the gin or the scotch and bad breath from the cigars. It was good while it lasted but way too decadent and costly. If you meet someone with a power boat, here's how you get invited back on it after your first trip. Offer to give the Captain some money for gas. If you want boat rides for life fork over some money for gas and give El Capitan a hand cleaning the wessel up.

If any of our growing number of regular readers are considering the purchase of a power boat or sail boat of any kind drop me a line. I will talk you out it unless you have about 10-15K of disposable income you don't mind disposing of for each year that you own the craft. And if you do have that kind of cake laying around I suggest you make some donations.


Center for Family Development

Phone: (301) 365-0612 Fax: (301) 469-7522

The website isn't up yet - they have some kind volunteers working on it.

Quick prayer request - that my choir retain what we worked on last night. The Stravinsky Ave Maria sounds great, but the Palestrina is still rough around the edges. My singers work extremely hard and we had a great rehearsal, I just wish we had another 2 hours or so to smooth it out.

Here's a place to go to find music files if you'd like to hear the tunes we're talking about. You have to download an app, register, etc. etc. etc. but it's worth it.

Mother's Day is almost here and I have two suggestions.

First, go out to your local Mall and buy some Tommy Girl or Cashmere Mist fragrance*. Your mom will be delighted - I promise.

Second, Teresa gave the family an ultimatum: write your mom a thank you letter and we'll give them to her on Sunday. Teresa said my dad wrote something beautiful.
Here's mine.

Dear Mom - I just want you to know that I learned how to be a gentleman from you. In this age, that may seem trite to some people, but you and I both know that it's honorable and respectable to be a gentleman. A gentleman is someone who says something kind and gracious when he can, and keeps his mouth shut otherwise (unless he's around family, which means he can say just about anything) A gentleman treats everyone with the dignity given to them by God. A gentleman knows that holding a door open for a lady and letting them pass through first is the right thing to do regardless of how liberated said lady is. A gentleman knows that kindness and affection are something that every family needs. A gentleman is polite and respectful to all people, especially their elders. Because I was a gentleman in High School, lots of parents wanted me to date their daughters. Conversly, because the parents wanted me to date their daughers, their daughters did not want to date me. This worked out just fine of course. A gentleman knows that it's best to be reverent in Church, and reverance is key to growing in holiness. Teresa would have only married a gentleman, and our marriage has brought me great joy.

I love you mom. Thanks for everything.

Your son, John

*re: Tommy Girl or Cashmere Mist - They smell great and Mom will be happy.

Poor Box

My wife had an observation as we left choir rehearsal last night - "Why are the poor boxes here so dinky? You can hardly fit a folded dollar bill in the slot. At St. Mary's in old town, the poor boxes were huge! People were emptying their pockets as they walked out of the church. Our poor boxes look like the brick walls so you can't even see them." and she ended with the Lay Person's Call To Action: "I'm going to write the pastor a letter!"

She's right. The poor boxes at our church look like little bricks. It's certainly not a reminder of our responsibility. And it's particularly fitting the we have options for directed giving that might not necessarily end up applied toward legal fees or court settlements.

:: Palestrina is food for the soul - keep eating

Not in the same sense as the Eucharist of course, but still it feeds the soul. As John has told you, the choir is doing "O Rex Gloriae" at Mass this Sunday. It is an awesome piece of music. When you take time to understand the words and see how Palestrina has set them it will rock your world. I mean it! I am too tired to reach for my score to type out the latin and the translation but maybe I'll do it tomorrow.

That brings me to another point - music in church should be liturgically relevant. You don't sing "On the journey to Emmaus" during Advent. Everyone knows that, right? For the same reason though will better taste you wouldn't do "O Rex Gloriae" on the Feast of Christ the King. That is one of things that makes song prayer, when it belongs in the Mass of that particular day.

We should start up an in-TAR-net listening club and discuss this music of this kind! Who is with me? Pass the Palestrina, please!

Catholic blogger Peter Nixon sounds off about sex in Sursum Corda this past Saturday.

Sexuality is the divine fire within us. It is the awareness that we are incomplete, the longing for union that God has placed in our hearts. If received with proper reverence, it becomes a vehicle of grace, something that will lead us to become spiritually whole and life-giving. But if treated casually, sexual energy can be enormously destructive, both to individuals and communities.

I have not heard of sexuality being described as "the divine fire within us." I agree with Señor Nixon on some points here though. Sexuality, however, is more than engaging in sexual intercourse, it is having gender physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually. We "have" sex in that sense all the time. Be sure you kids tell that to Sister Mary Francis the next time you see her at school! Nuns love that! Sexuality as gender isn't the divine fire within us. Longing for Communion with God in Heaven is. Peter Kreet calls it "The hearts deepest longing." In our sinfulness we substitute such little things in this life for God's grace and His promise of future Communion in Heaven. Sexual intercourse is one of them.

Sexuality lies very close to the core of our being. To have sex with someone is to give the gift of oneself and to receive the gift of another. It is an act of union. That union cannot be separated without emotional and spiritual consequences. To turn ourselves into people who can have sex without those consequences is to turn ourselves into something less than fully human.

Again, sexuality is not having sexual intercourse. Inside or outside of marriage to have sexual intercourse with someone is not necessarily an act of giving, Just the opposite, it can be a greivously selfish act of taking rather than giving. I'm not talking about rape. In commiting the mortally sinful act of sexual intercourse outside of the convenant of marriage you are involving another person, causing them to sin, alienating yourself and your partner from the presence of sanctifying grace in your soul. What an awful act of taking that is! There is nothing giving about it! How selfish is it to engage in this behavior by ignoring the spiritual consquences! Despite how much you love your partner that love is perverted into something that is against God's will. You are not giving anything to another person in the act of sex outside the convenant of marriage.

Sexual intercourse within the convenant of marriage may not always be an act of giving either. Though I am not married and never have been, I know that gift can be abused between married couples. Don't look at the pro and con of contraception for a moment. All the aspects of our sexuality, sexual intercourse included, are a Divine gift. It is a single gift, not separate gifts. Separating the physical, spiritual, emotional, life-giving and life-affirming aspects of this gift is the beginning of sins against purity. When appreciate and understand the magnitude of that single gift, engaging in sexual intercourse can be the palest shadow of the spiritual Communion we hope to have with God in Heaven. Of course the same can be said of said of other interpersonal relationships - one doesn't have to have sexual intercourse in order to experience a relationship of pure love and understanding.

Regarding homosexuality and homosexuals, I will not judge the depth of love that people can and do have for one another. I believe one has to look at this in terms of the gift of human sexuality and what is meant by love. Two of the Greek words for love must be used in discussing this. Phileo, or brotherly love, is different than eros, or erotic love. Obviously both these feelings are experienced between people of different sexes and the same sex. Looking at the gift of our sexuality in its entirety, eros between same-sex people can be mortally sinful if it is contemplated or acted upon. As in illicit heterosexual intercourse, it is thought to be an expression of love but it is a perversion of our gift of sexuality and contrary to the will of God.

If I'm wrong here on what the Church teaches please let me know. I know everyone has their opinions but I've never been one to argue with 4,500 years of recorded history, Holy Scripture and the teachings of the Catholic Church. If by writing this I have fried your ham and the rest of your lunch meat, just remember you are someone and no one can take that away from you. Except you, that is, if you give in to mortally sinful thoughts and actions and don't repent!

On side note, English is a crappy language in which to describe some of these topics. I'm reading New Testament Words by William Barclay. This is a look at important Greek words in the NT and their meaning. Scripture scholars please pardon my relative ignorance! The nuances of the Greek language are just amazing. The perspective this gives to Scripture is crucial to understanding it. This makes me ask a troubling question - has human civilization just gotten progressively stupid with regard to how we express ourselves with language? Forget about sex ed and home ec - everyone should learn Greek in school. It would have the additional effect of promoting abstinence. If kids have to take four or five years of Greek in school they will have no time to gather empirical evidence about the birds and the bees!

:: Sacramental Baptism vs. Accepting Christ

Catholic bloggers lend me your aid! I am in a bible study with some dear mere Christian friends of mine. How does one explain the difference between a sacramental Baptism and simply accepting Christ? What is the difference between what sacramental Baptism and accepting Christ does to one's soul? Does sacramental Baptism impart sanctifying grace while accepting Christ is the result of actual grace? I mean accepting Christ is the result of a nudge by the Holy Spirit and it does not change the soul in a fundamental manner?

My first thought is that we can't simply accept Christ without accepting His commandment to be baptized in a sacramental fashion. It is very hard to discuss this without appearing judgemental. Email me with your thoughts or helpful links!

So today is Cardinal Law's big day. I suppose at this point the general public knows enough to declare a verdict on Law's leadership - and we're wondering why he's still wearing the red hat in Boston. Personally, I think he'd look good in stripes. (scroll down a bit)

So this is an interesting piece on NRO about strategy related to California and the 2004 election.

A blog is born!

Another berth announcement - my boat is for sale.

:: Diocesan Choir

John's wife and I attended a rehearsal for the Diocesan Choir last night. John would have been there if not for his pesky exam. The choir is doing the Diocesan Confirmation Mass as well as the Ordination Mass coming up shortly. The group is pretty big and has a nice sound. They are guilty of a couple of choral cardinal sins that I know John harps on us about incessantly in our rehearsals. No doubt he'll have something to add about this. In fact I think he should write a paper on it and do clinics with Church choirs.

"LORRRRDHEARRRROURRRRRRRRRRPRAYERRRRRRRRR!" He's listening but I dare say He'd answer our prayers if we took the "R's" out when singing. Don't EVAH close your mouth to make an "R" sound. In this case "LAHD" with a clear "D" at the end sounds wonderful.

I dare say that all the pitch problems in a choir come from two things. They usually occur simultaneously. First, someone doesn't support the sound they are making with the proper posture and breathing. Second, they don't sing the same vowel sound as everyone else. Take "Lord" from the first example. If half the choir is singing "LAAAAAAAAAAAHD" and the other half is singing "LORRRRRRRRRRRRRD" it is going to be out of tune. Match the vowel sound and the pitch won't be a problem either. Of course you can't breath in and support the sound if you're sitting back in your chair with your legs crossed like you are sitting in front of the TV watching "Mother Angelica Live." Sit up straight with your feet on the floor, breath into your gut and support it with your diaphram and you'll be supporting the sound you're making.

Got anything to add, John?

According to Mark Shea we are "sensible blokes!" I don't know about John, but I've been called a lot worse! Mark Shea is one of the giants of Catholic Apologetics - he's widely read, seen and heard. Converts make the best apologists you know. We should all have the same passion for the faith!

I'm my circle of faithful friends I've noticed a crucial difference between many of the cradle Catholics and adult converts. Many people who grew up in the Church accept the faith because they grew up with it. Adult coverts, especially people who converted from being mere Christians or Protestants, know the faith. They'll engaged their mind and heart in search for the truth and found it in the Catholic Church. They see the richness of Scripture and Church tradition and they know it not only in the sense of believing, through their study and reflection they see it is true.

Mark Shea has written some great books about his journey. I also recommend the following:

The Lamb's Supper by Scott Hahn

Rome Sweet Home by Scott and Kimberly Hahn

The Salvation Controversy by James Akin

All these were written by converts to Catholicism. Their intellectual rigor and sincerity of faith is truly inspiring!

My choir is doing the Palestrina "O Rex Gloriae" on Ascension Sunday along with the Stravinsky "Ave Maria" since it's May.
My parish is a regular old suburban parish with over 100 volunteers spread out over 8 ensembles. Music at Mass ranges from the super-Evangelical praise-song "Awesome God" (not done much, thanks to our Awesome God) to sacred polyphony in Latin. We've got all sorts of stuff in between. It's accomplished by a different group for each of five Masses that has a different focus in terms of musical style. We have tried to standardize psalms and eucharistic acclamations in order to have some common repertiore while keeping a real balance in the final set of music for each Mass.

One big issue is music directors who got their masters in Liturgy while moonlighting at the piano bar. If any pastors read this, next time you hire a music director you'd be better off hiring someone who knows that Bach is not pronounced "Batch" and is comfortable letting the choir know the proper latin pronounciation of phrases like "Ave Verum Corpus" and "Pange Lingua" and even "Alleluia."

Errr... who am I kidding. No pastors are going to read this.

I'll write more about balance in liturgical music repertiore another time.

Well it's amazing this blog has been up for a week and we are already getting email.

What's wrong with silence during Communion? Are we so hooked on sensory overlead that quiet is so rare in our lives? Go shopping, the stores are filled with Muzak. Get in the car, turn on the radio. Go home, turn on the television. Go to church and they sing whenever there is a nook or cranny to cram in a song. The space between "Let Us Pray" and song or vocal prayer is a nano-second at best.

I have longed to have at least one Mass that would have no music and no singing at Communion for those of us who would like to use that time for silent prayer and meditation. But whenever I mention it, I am politely turned down.

Your blog is now one of my Holy Blogs of Obligation (thank for that phrase to Amy Welborn) and I am a regular morning visitor.

Silence forces us to acknowledge the still, small voice of the Holy Spirit within us. And that's exactly why some people are uncomfortable with silence - it forces us to acknowledge that outside of our distractions and the general hub-bub of our lives we need to take time to listen to God. And God might be telling us something we really don't want to hear but need to hear in order to grow in our life with Him.

On March 8, 1997, the Holy Father addressed the topic of the liturgical reform during a meeting with bishops from France during their visit ad limina apostolorum:

It is also appropriate to add here that besides the word and the hymn, silence has an indispensable place in the liturgy when it is well prepared, it enables each person to develop in his heart spiritual dialogue with the Lord.

Also, this document includes a reference that assumes there's some silence after the receipt of communion in the liturgy.

My best suggestion for getting some silence at the appropriate times is to start small: 1-2 minutes of silence after communion is not too much to ask. Ending the communion hymn sooner to accomplish this is fine, and the instrumentalists need to be on board with the idea that just because no one singing doesn't mean someone needs to start noodling on the piano, guitar or organ. If you to strike a balance betweening singing and silence, you'll probably have more success than suggesting no music.

:: What is a "Progressive Catholic?"

Someone help me with this one. Does that mean someone who is a practicing Catholic who doesn't agree with the authority of the Magisterium? A non-practicing Catholic who reads Reason magazine and swings to the left when he votes? Please 'splain it to me!

When people tell me that "The Church has a long way to go on things like abortion, birth control and homosexuality" I reply, "Cleary the Church hasn't done enough when people think killing babies and abusing the gift of our sexuality is acceptable!"

Good googly moogly look at this. It's in response by Fr. Joe Wilson to a letter to Catholic priests from someone at Priests for Life, promising to fight for them against the purported Catholic-bashers in the media. Some of things in that letter are downright scary. The enemy truly is within. Only by God's grace are we going to get through this. Remember His promise that the jaws of death will not prevail against his Church!

Pray for our shepherds and for our Church! Pray for the victims. Pray for the perpetrators of these awful sins, those who are guilty either directly or indirectly.

And this from the Diary of St. Faustina. According to St. Faustina, Jesus stated the following in one of her numerous private revelations:

My daughter, speak to priests about this inconceivable mercy of Mine. The flames of mercy are burning Me - clamoring to be spent; I want to keep pouring them upon souls; souls just don't want to believe in My goodness. (177)

Here's a question for those out there in Catholic blogdom - was my initial post on strumming and clanging too judgmental? I can't really determine if the music impedes proper reception of the Eucharist. I think music that is more reverrant is appropriate for the Mass. Should we recieve the Eucharist in a quiet and comtemplative manner? Sometimes the Communion songs just seem to serve as happy fun sonic wallpaper for the congregation.

:: Church of the Nativity seige ends?

Earlier today I was debating whether or not to blog about the hostage situation at the Church of the Nativity. I held back, realizing I should pray and not just unload on our six regular readers. Now I find out it has been resolved. Maybe. I guess most Americans were too busy thinking about non-invasive colonoscopy procedures to be outraged while this was going on.

I was alarmed by this picture but I remembered that Jesus spent a lot of time with sinners. Apparently this was part of negotiations to end the seige on the Church of the Nativity. Arafat would make a great convert - I hope the Cardinal left some pamphlets with him. I don't mean to be so glib - I just can't understand why the Cardinal is smiling like he just moved someone else's cheese. Maybe he Baptized Arafat and heard his confession?

Blog note: this is neither an endorsement of the book "Who Moved My Cheese?" nor of non-invasive colonoscopy procedures. Check back with me in twenty years and I'll tell you if I am in favor on non-invasive colonoscopy procedures.

I looked at our logs and we have 6 regular readers.

I have a prayer request for all five of our regular readers. John has an accounting exam tomorrow. Pray for him!

A number of teens received the Sacrament of Confirmation at my church last night. I sang in the choir along with my brother John and his beautiful wife Teresa. It is extremely edifying to participate in a Mass when there are Baptisms and Confirmations. I recall my own Confirmation and I can't say then I knew exactly what it meant. I certainly didn't feel any holier after than I did before. My religious education growing up was abysmal, but that is a topic for future blogging. The Holy Spirit doesn't always make sudden changes in a person though, at least not in a way that we notice. By faith we know Baptism and Confirmation changes the soul, changing the mind and heart is another matter entirely. Keeping the faith is keeping the Holy Spirit in you, being mindful of the extraordinary gift of His presence, participating worthily in a sacraments, praying, and being His witness in word and deed. I think it was St. Francis of Assisi who said, "We should always preach and sometimes use words."

I have to remind myself of two things all the time. First, as a Christian I have the Holy Spirit in my soul. My soul is a Tabernacle for the Holy Spirit. In everything I do He is here in me. How much does God love us and trust us and need us that he abides in us? When I pray it is comforting to know I don't have to go very far to reach Him because He is in me. Second is that when I remember to treat others as though the Holy Spirit dwells in them I won't say unkind or uncharitable things, I won't do them wrong, and I will see Jesus in them.

Here's one more thing to think about. I have to credit C.S. Lewis with this though I'm not sure of the book I read it in. We have one of two eternal destinies. Some day we will be Heaven with the rest of the Saints and Angels in Communion with God, or if we have rejected Jesus we remains of our soul will end up on the spiritual garbage heap of Gehenna. If I treat everyone like I will be with them someday in Heaven I won't do them wrong.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Sunday. Pray continually for our shepherds in the faith, clergy and lay people alike.

The Passion of Our Lord is what ransomed our redemption, not His resurrection.

St. Francis of Assisi said the empty cross is not the Cross of our Lord. He called it "the cross of the bad thief."

Here's a link on the Crucifix and it's placement on the Altar. The site this comes from is an excellent resource on Catholicism and Apologetics.