April 2003 Archives

A Benevolent Dictator with an Eye for Democracy

While we're on the topic of Iraq, Daniel Pipes, one of my favorite Catholic political commentators, posts an excellent piece over on Catholic Exchange. The title of the piece is: Needed: An Iraqi Strongman. I can agree with what he's saying, namely, that the UK and US have a difficult balancing act to perform in Iraq now that will take years if they want to see democracy succeed there. I first came to this conclusion while studying canon law at Saint Paul University. Opus Dei had a residence for male college students near the university, and would often host these lively evening lectures on various topics. The topic one evening turned to Iraq, and we got an insider's view to the whole situation as one of the student-residents was a Muslim from one of the Middle-East countries bordering on Iraq. He basically said the same thing as Pipes is now saying, namely, given the culture of the Middle-East, a strongman is needed to maintain control of any country.

Speaking of Saeed al-Sahhaf, the US Reportedly Refuses His Surrender

The following story published by the BBC, if true, is a real tragedy: Saddam's mouthpiece 'seeks surrender'. Apparently al-Sahhaf fears for his life, but US forces have refused to take him into custody because he is not on the top 55 list and being a Shiite Muslim is not considered to have been a powerful force in Saddam's regime. If this report is true, I think it is mistake not to take him into custody. Despite having blown all his credibility during the war, he nevertheless is the one Iraqi that has emerged from the war as a cult-celebrity. While I could make the usual jokes about turning him over to the talent agent of his own choice, I actually feel that al-Sahhaf could play a serious role in bringing democracy to Iraq. Because nobody takes him seriously, he can speak plainly and openly without being considered a threat.

Not a Good Week for Bob Sungenis

At one time many considered him the best debater to emerge from the Catholic Apologetics movement. Yet the last couple of weeks do not appear to have been kind to Bob Sungenis and Catholic Apologetics International. To begin, Bob got hammered by fellow traddy Mark Cameron in a debate over Catholic Tradition and the future conversion of the Jews. Then a bunch of Protestant apologists actually did a pretty funny job lampooning him in The Catholic Apologetics International Enquirer. Jake Mitchell, the only other regular contributor to Catholic Apologetics International, resigns.. Finally, the Curmudgeon over at The Lidless Eye Inquisition posts a hilarious spoof in which the former Iraqi Information minister defends CAI's more recent controversies. In my opinion, it is time for Bob to throw in the towel, renounce the trajectory he has taken since the geocentrism fiasco last year, and retreat from apologetics for a while. I really feel that he should take some time off to read the Pope John Paul II's Catechism of the Catholic Church and St. Thomas Aquinas' Summa Theologiae cover-to-cover to with an open heart and an open mind. He could then emerge refreshed and begin to rebuild his reputation among mainstream Catholic apologists.

A Little Help?

Here is a question for all our well informed members and readers: Where can I get a really nice set of sanctuary bells (the three joined bells rung during the Elevation)? I had ordered a set from Catholic Direct, but I have to say that the bells they sent me were not of a very good quality... the little ringer things didn't move freely, and the sound was less than impressive. I know a priest who has a set, and my chuch has two, but I need them for a secular purpose (for the premeire of a new piece for wind ensemble) and so I don't think it would be appropriate to ask for their loan for the month that I would need them, especially since I know that, at my church, they are used at least every Sunday.

Thanks!

"Squash the wretched thing!" In this case, the thing needing to be squashed was the self-promotion of a phony mystic who brought her "messages" from Scottsdale to Maryland and tried to start a lay movement around herself. The Vatican has confirmed that Cdl. Keeler had the right to put a stop to Gianna Talone-Sullivan's prayer meetings. CNS says:

Vatican affirms Baltimore cardinal's decision against alleged visions

BALTIMORE (CNS) -- The Vatican has confirmed Baltimore Cardinal William H. Keeler's September 2000 decision to prohibit prayer services at a Maryland church in which a woman claimed to receive messages from the Blessed Virgin Mary. Gianna Talone-Sullivan said she received messages from Mary during Thursday evening prayer services at St. Joseph Church in Emmitsburg from 1993 until the archdiocesan ban. In an April 2 letter to Vincentian Father William O'Brien, pastor of St. Joseph, Cardinal Keeler reported the Feb. 15 ruling of Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, that Baltimore's archbishop is in a position to conclude the matter with a decree that the alleged apparitions are clearly not miraculous ("constat de non supernaturalitate"). Cardinal Ratzinger said his opinion on the decree was made after careful consideration of the report of a three-member theological Commission of Inquiry appointed by Cardinal Keeler. The commission concluded there was nothing supernatural going on and that there were, in fact, "negative elements" contained in some of the apocalyptic prophecies that Talone-Sullivan made public.

Phony apparitions and locutions were really a scourge of the Church from the '70s to the '90s, luring the faithful into various kinds of error and sometimes apocalyptic sectarianism. While they demand great credulity, they are harmful to the virtue of faith, which believes what is revealed by God without seeking constant reassurance from miracles, visions and oracles. A faithless generation demands signs and wonders (cf. Matt 12:39).

Cardinal Keeler's panel, after interviewing worshippers who attended the services and conducting a 16-month investigation, wrote in its review that with a worldwide "growing addiction to the spectacular, we think that the Church should not promote or encourage persons claiming to have extraordinary channels to God."

...the panel also noted that Mrs. Talone-Sullivan's proclamations included "apocalyptic forebodings and the prediction of catastrophic events," such as the death of all the fish in the world. (AP)

(Thanks, Amy, for mentioning the announcement.)

The self-nomination process is already underway, as intrepid Pew Lady Kelly Clark reports.

From the Whys Guys.

It was a pleasure to hear and to meet David Morrison at Boston College Monday night. He spoke in a two-man panel discussion with Andrew Sullivan on "Homosexuality in a Catholic Context: What Has Been Said About It? What Else Can Be Said?"

Homosexuality has probably been much talked about at BC lately, given that the school has recently given approval to a "gay-straight alliance" student group. Assurances that the group won't reject Catholic teaching on chastity don't give much confidence to skeptics, and neutrality on this subject is simply not enough.

Morrison did an able job of setting the Church's teaching in a larger context, or rather two larger contexts. The teaching on homosexuality has to be seen as part of the larger picture of sexual ethics, and the decision to pursue chastity has to be seen as part of Christian discipleship. The story of his conversion to Christ and to the Catholic Church drew the attention of the audience, and his personal testimony of how he chose chastity out of love for his partner -- and maintained their close and supportive relationship afterward -- stood in contrast to Sullivan's claim that the Church was commanding gays into a despairing, lonely life.

Early in his talk, Morrison read a quote from the Catechism that could well serve as the banner of Courage:

Homosexual persons are called to chastity. By the virtues of self-mastery that teach them inner freedom, at times by the support of disinterested friendship, by prayer and sacramental grace, they can and should gradually and resolutely approach Christian perfection.

Feast of Mercy

From the Diary of St. Faustina

On one occasion, I heard these words: My daughter, tell the whole world about My Inconceivable mercy. I desire that the Feast of Mercy be a refuge and shelter for all souls, and especially for poor sinners. On that day the very depths of My tender mercy are open. I pour out a whole ocean of graces upon those souls who approach the fount of My mercy. The soul that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion shall obtain complete forgiveness of sins and punishment.* [our emphasis] On that day all the divine floodgates through which grace flow are opened. Let no soul fear to draw near to Me, even though its sins be as scarlet. My mercy is so great that no mind, be it of man or of angel, will be able to fathom it throughout all eternity. Everything that exists has come forth from the very depths of My most tender mercy. Every soul in its relation to Me will I contemplate My love and mercy throughout eternity. The Feast of Mercy emerged from My very depths of tenderness. It is My desire that it be solemnly celebrated on the first Sunday after Easter. Mankind will not have peace until it turns to the Fount of My Mercy. (Diary 699)

Sgt. Eric M. Johnson checks in

From Iraq, published in the Washington Times.

God bless him, his family, and every other person who has made tremendous sacrifices to make this world a better place.

(Thanks for the link, Eric.)

In the Roman rite, the Easter Vigil service of Holy Saturday night starts with the blessing of fire and the lighting of the Paschal candle. The Orthodox churches have a similar rite in the Divine Liturgy said on Great and Holy Saturday, called the "Blessing of the New Light": "Shine, shine, O new Jerusalem, for the glory of the Lord has shone upon you."

In Jerusalem's Church of the Holy Sepulcher (a/k/a the Church of the Resurrection), the arrival of the New Light is taken as an annual miracle in which fire descends from Heaven to the candle of the Orthodox patriarch who prays for it in the tomb of Christ; and from there it is given to the faithful in a rush of candle-lighting. The miracle, so it is said, happens in various forms.

The Telegraph says that tensions between the various churches sharing the basilica were a bit high this year, understandably enough:

Relations between the clergy who preside over the miracle have been inflamed since last year when the ceremony was marred by a brawl within the shrine.

Out of sight of the faithful, the two churchmen - the Armenian participating for the third time, the Greek for the first - fiercely disagreed on a matter of precedence. Should the Greek patriarch emerge first with the Holy Fire or the Armenian? Would the Greek or the Armenian Orthodox community be first to receive the light?

When Patriarch Irineos fought his corner by twice blowing out the Armenian's candle, the Armenian felt obliged to resort to a shameful expedient to obtain some Holy Fire.

"In this worst situation I had to use my emergency light, a cigarette lighter," he later admitted.

As the Telegraph writer mentions, Catholics do not participate in this rite, even in years when our Holy Saturday falls on the same day as that of the Orthodox; and I don't think Catholics are obliged to believe any related claims of miraculous goings-on. In fact, an inside participant has given his description of what really happens at the tomb.

(But if you are looking for a visible miracle to celebrate, let's just rejoice in the fact that the old Soviet Communist station Radio Moscow has been sufficiently converted that it reports this Christian event favorably.)

Where would you like your heart buried? Apparently it used to be a grand romantic gesture to ship it off someplace else when you die. That's why Chopin's heart is in a church in Warsaw, while the rest of him's in France.

This sort of thing is out of fashion now, but maybe it'll make a comeback, at least as this week's animal-rights stunt (last week's having gone nowhere). PETA founder Ingrid Newkirk wants to give animals her last full measure of devotion by having her body cooked and recycled into protest props, but she wants to save her heart for use in an homage to auto racing. There's a country song in here somewhere: bury my heart with Pennzoil, but roast me with A-1.

By the way, since "pet" is not the politically correct term for a companion animal, why does her group still have such a retrograde name?

"O'Connor Retiring"

I saw that headline on The Corner and thought - here comes an acrimonious Supreme Court nomination battle. Turns out it's about the retirement of rock and roll's very own sour-puss butch, Sinead O'Connor.

The article says O'Connor has been "known for her angry visage and for wearing baggy clothes." Also known for tearing up a picture of Pope JP II on Saturday Night Live. I say good riddance, and if you decide to use the term "sour-puss butch" in your everyday life remember you heard it here first.

I mean Torontans, or Torontonians... (uh, Pete?)

Because of the dangers of SARS, the Marian Fathers in Stockbridge, Mass., have asked Toronto pilgrims to stay home and not attend this Sunday's observance at the National Shrine of Divine Mercy. (Please note that the notice on their website is incorrectly worded: it doesn't apply to Canada in general.)

The current flap over Senator Rick Santorum's remarks brings attention to the efforts of "gay" activists to have same-sex orientation treated as a characteristic like ethnicity: based on genetics, inherited and unchangeable, and in fact a plus for social diversity. The claim doesn't happen to be true: a newly updated statement on "Homosexuality and Hope" from the Catholic Medical Association confirms that same-sex attraction is a matter of human development and is treatable and even preventable.

Boston area readers may be interested in hearing Courageous David Morrison and, um, dissenting Andrew Sullivan in a panel discussion Monday, April 28 at Boston College.

The bishop of Calgary has reminded the clergy that eulogies are not permitted during funeral Masses. Hm: I wonder why that is....

The Newark archdiocese cited one eulogist who spoke for 43 minutes during the mass, another who ran to a piano and began accompanying himself, and a third who told a joke about Osama bin Laden.

Bettnet has the story on where Monday's SSPX reconciliation rumor came from: mere speculation.

What does one do?

The announcement that the band director at Bishop Ireton High School (run by the Salesians for the Diocese of Arlington and a most desirable job for a band guy) is retiring after 30+ years at the school makes me ask:

What happens if, as an employee in a Catholic high school, one encounters false or un-Catholic teaching in one's colleagues or un-Catholic leadership in one's administrators? Things at BI (or any other Catholic high school) may be fine and dandy right now, making the pay cut one would take to be able to work there seem inconsequential, but it dosen't take long for things to go downhill. Have you ever been in this situation?

I work in the public school system and expect things to be secular. I think I would just die if I were teaching in a Catholic school and encountered the same problem.

Their whole problem

In the Washington Times (Washington's premier newspaper) yesterday, an AP story about the problems the Presbyterians are having with (or without) dogma quoted an offending clergyman as saying

I just have to be true to myself, and that's the best I can do.

Indeed.

Father must have been a band director

My wife picked up a bulletin while she was visiting a local church. In his weekly letter, the pastor thanks

the choirs and the musicians (italics added) for their service during the Easter season.

Comments from an enraged (or just weary) choir director to follow? John? Sal?

From Today's Washington Post

One Diocese's Early Warning On Sex Abuse

I'll reserve comments until I have time to digest. In the mean time - this is of interest because it refers to incidents that started in 1957 and includes detail on how then Bishop Matthew F. Brady responded:

...he wrote letter after letter -- at least 15 in all -- warning other bishops not to let the priest back into parish work.

Sal@work: But for the Grace of God there am I

Follow the logic of Spirit-filled Christian Guy:

Christ has one body.
He sits at the right hand of the Father.
Born-again Christians are part of Christ's body.
Therefore, (drum roll, please) born-again Christians are already in Heaven

What to say?

The word came out last week that Cardinal Castrillon Hoyos, president of the Ecclesia Dei commission, had decided to celebrate the old form of Mass in the basilica of St Mary Major on May 24. It's a milestone in itself: the first such celebration in a major basilica since 1970, and undertaken at the cardinal's own initiative, not at the request of the laity. Members of a chant choir in Paris were invited to sing for the Mass, leading to the suggestion that there weren't enough cantors in Italy familiar with the old rite to do the occasion justice.

Today's report (subscription required) that three of the four bishops of the Lefebvre movement will return to ecclesial communion and mark the event at that Mass (see also Ad Orientem) is a very hopeful sign.

Even the bad news -- the one bishop not including himself in the reconciliation -- is sort of good news. Given his reputation for bizarre opinions, Bp. Williamson does not really seem to be suitable for the episcopal dignity.

From the 'Sublime to the Ridiculous' Department

The most recent issue of the Adoremus Bulletin graced our mailbox this past Saturday, replete with articles about the newest encyclical and two excellent articles of interest to any church choir director (John, take note!) The Bulletin is published by the Society for the Renewal of the Sacred Liturgy, and each issue creates something of a stir in our household, due in large part to the 'Letters' section. We actually receive two copies of this worthy publication each month, and Bryan and I spent a very entertaining afternoon reading aloud, from our respective copies, the more outrageous letters from distressed Catholics nationwide who are unable to understand the wackier Liturgical 'innovations' that continually crop up, especially around significant dates in the Church year. Entertaining, but frustrating, of course.

Bryan and I are fortunate to belong to a parish that is firmly aboard the Barque of St. Peter (as opposed to some which seem to be perched precariously on one of the lifeboats towed behind) but my parents, residing in the Diocese of Richmond, are not so lucky. Their church is, to continue with the same imagery, a dinghy bobbing aimlessly in shark infested waters. As my Father counts down the days to the retirement of Bishop Walter 'Jaws' Sullivan, my Mother catalogues (have at it, Nihil) the more unusual theatrics of the unimaginative Liturgy Committee.

Unimaginative, because most of the innovations they come up with are, more often than not, taken from the 1979 edition of that well-known publication 'Kute and Kreative Katholic Koncepts' written, as I am sure you remember, by Sister Nouveu Mary. That industrious lady has since released at least ten updates to the above mentioned playbook, and I can't understand why the committee has not yet availed itself of the newest edition. I suppose the recent purchase of 900 copies of the 'Gather' hymnal (ARRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHH, it doesn't even fit in the pew book holder, ARRRGGGGHHH) sapped the budget (although, I did hear there was a special discount on 'KKKK' given to GIA customers... maybe I heard wrong.)

Just this past week, however, my Mom related to me a new and exciting addition to the Good Friday service which I think you should all be aware of, just in case you would like to bring it to the attention of your Liturgy Nazi... I mean, Committee Leader. Also, I would love to hear if anyone else 'experienced' the same thing. It went like this: When, during the reading of the Passion, the congregation kneels after Christ has given up His Spirit to the Father, someone dashed into a room off the Sanctuary. Moments later, the scratchy sounds of a thunderstorm record filled the church. Moments later, the sounds of my Mom's uncontrollable giggling... no, that isn't true. My Mom has excellent Custody of the Face.

Now, you might think I disdain this idea because the very notion of using a scratchy record to enhance the solemn liturgy during Holy Week is in Poor Taste. There, however you would be wrong. What bothers me is the manner in which this delightful idea was executed! A thunderstorm record? Let's move with times, people! I have in my possession a complete set of Sister Mary's 'Atmospheres of the Liturgical Year' on CD! Here is a liturgical accessory everyone should have and no one should be without! For example, use track 2, 5, and 13 (ocean waves, whale song, tweeting birds) for the Creation account. How about track 27 (trumpet fanfare) for that imperialist Jericho incident? When Jesus walks on water to the Apostles, just think how the reading would be enhanced by track 12 (fierce storm)? You could also use track 11 (water splash) for St. Peter's momentary stumble on the waves, if you so choose. Track 29 (harp glissando) could be used to good effect whenever an angel is mentioned, and, on CD 2, the Crowd Murmurs (track 4) is useful for a variety of Biblical texts, from the Feeding of the 5,000 to the Sermon on the Mount!

Unfortunately, the collection has its flaws. The supplemental music CD is of fairly poor quality, the content having been transferred from audio tapes of Sister's earlier recording ventures. Still, it contains material not to be heard anywhere else; The auditory joys of hearing your favorite 'Kontemprary Katholic Klassics' played by Sister herself on the nose flute (with accompaniment from 'enthusiastic others' on the headless tambourine, rainstick and egg shaker) are not to be missed. All in all, I think you should order your copy today... or you can send me $5.00 and I'll dub you a copy.

Varia

Today is Easter when we celebrate the ressurection of Our Lord, and by extention, new life in Christ. Which brings me back to something I've pondered over the weekend. I think it was Mother Teresa of Calcutta who made the original comment during a visit to North America, namely, that one seldom sees pregnant women in our society. This is really strange when you consider how much we are saturated with sex in our Western culture. But then again, ours is a culture that separates sex from marriage, and both from procreation.

What got me thinking about this was the whole Laci Peterson case that has come to a head this weekend with the arrest of her husband Scott. Reportedly, Scott's extra-marital affair began when Laci became pregnant. Laci's death, and that of the couple's child, came during the last month of her pregnancy. My guess? This is someone who took the separation between sex, marriage and procreation to a new extreme. We're likely going to discover in the coming months that Scott was also a severe pornography addict..

Our Risen Lord

On the third day the friends of Christ coming at daybreak to the place found the grave empty and the stone rolled away. In varying ways they realised the new wonder; but even they hardly realised that the world had died in the night. What they were looking at was the first day of a new creation, with a new heaven and a new earth; and in the semblance of the gardener God walked again in the garden, in the cool not of the evening but the dawn.

- G.K. Chesterton, The Everlasting Man

Inflatible church?

LONDON, England (Reuters) -- A British designer has made what he says is the world's first inflatable church -- a gray plastic building with a blow-up organ, pulpit, altar, Gothic arches and fake stained glass windows.

Michael Gill says the church, which stands 47 feet high to the tip of its steeple, could revolutionize the Anglican Church, suffering from dwindling attendance for years.

Vicars could carry it around with them on the back of a truck and set it up on patches of grass or in village squares for impromptu services, he said.

"This could change the whole perception of what the Church of England stands for," Gill told Reuters. "It's revolutionary. It's moving with the 21st century."

Insert your own hot-air joke here.

The Divine Mercy Novena

I just realized I should have posted this link and started the Novena yesterday though I did neither. I'll do day one and day two today, thus glorifying God's mercy in my own forgetful way.

Retreat!

Last weekend, I attended, for the third time, a retreat for men conducted by Opus Dei. (I would be remiss to fail to mention that these retreats were subsidized by my generous and kind father-in-law.) I don't see much reference to Opus Dei on this blog. You should be aware that Opus Dei is a personal prelature whose founder, St. Josemaria Escriva, was canonized in 2002. The priests of Opus Dei, among other things, conduct monthly Evenings of Recollection for men and women as well as weekend retreats. If you have never heard of the prelature, or if you have only heard negative things said about the Work, you should investigate their website. The mission is to live one's faith in everyday obligations and to sanctify one's work. The priests are good, holy men, and Opus Dei is worth checking out.

Someone tell Mother Angelica...

Today on the EWTN homepage is an image of Our Lord crucified between the two theives. Click on the image and you're sent to the EWTNkids website. Cackling kiddie laughter accompanies the page. I humbly offer that this is a might puerile for Good Friday.

Many thanks for the prayers

Teresa and I are doing better vocally, the allergies seem to be subsiding.

I hope everyone has a blessed Good Friday.

Good Friday

I received this via a mailing list this morning and was compelled to share.

Matthew 27:46

And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, "Eli, Eli, lama sabach-thani?" that is, "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?"

"There were solitudes beyond where none shall follow. There were secrets in the inmost and invisible part of that drama that have no symbol in speech; or in any severance of a man from men. Nor is it easy for any words less stark and single-minded than those of the naked narrative even to hint at the horror of exaltation that lifted itself above the hill. Endless expositions have not come to the end of it, or even to the beginning. And if there be any sound that can produce a silence, we may surely be silent about the end and the extremity; when a cry was driven out of that darkness in words dreadfully distinct and dreadfully unintelligible, which man shall never understand in all the eternity they have purchased for him; and for one annihilating instant an abyss that is not for our thoughts had opened even in the unity of the absolute; and God had been forsaken of God." -- G. K. Chesterton, The Everlasting Man

From Drudge: The Weekly Standard reports that Bp. Robert Carlson of Sioux Falls has told abortion-supporting Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle to stop promoting himself as a Catholic in good standing. Thank you, Bishop Carlson!

A couple of newly announced episcopal appointments suggest possible movement in Vatican-Russian relations.

Bishop Jerzy Mazur, SVD, has been named bishop of the city of Elk in Poland. Since 1998 he served as bishop in Irkutsk in Siberia, but after the Pope formally established Bp. Mazur's territory as a diocese in 2002, Russian authorities revoked his visa and have impeded him from returning there.

Bishop Cyryl Klimowicz, now an auxiliary in Minsk (Belarus), has been named to succeed Bp. Mazur. Is this Rome's way of finessing the conflict?

The Pope is scheduled to sign it later today at the Holy Thursday evening liturgy.

Here's a quick translation of some excerpts:

(10)... I trust this encyclical will contribute effectively to dispel the shadows of unacceptable doctrines and practices, that the Eucharist show forth brilliantly in all the splendor of its mystery....

(25) The worship given to the Eucharist outside of Mass is of inestimable value in the life of the Church. This worship, is inextricably united with the celebration of the eucharistic Sacrifice. The presence of Christ under the sacred species which continues after the Mass -- a presence that endures as long as the species of bread and of wine subsist -- derives from the celebration of the Sacrifice and is directed toward sacramental and spiritual communion. It is for the Pastors to encourage, including with their personal testimony, eucharistic worship, particularly the exposition of the Most Holy Sacrament and the adoration of Christ present under the eucharistic species.

It is beautiful to be with Him and, leaning upon his breast as did the beloved disciple, to feel the infinite love of his heart. If Christianity needs to distinguish itself in our time above all by the "art of prayer", how shall we not feel a renewed necessity to spend much time in spiritual conversation, in silent adoration, in an attitude of love, before Christ present in the Most Holy Sacrament? How many times, my dear brothers and sisters, have I had this experience and in it have encountered strength, consolation, and support! ...

(38)... The Eucharist, being the supreme sacramental manifestation of communion in the Church, requires that it be celebrated in a context of integrity of the links, including the external ones, of communion. In a special way, in order that it be "the consummation of spiritual life and the end toward which all the sacraments are directed", it requires that the bonds of communion in the sacraments be real, particularly Baptism and priestly Ordination. No one may give communion to an unbaptized person or to one who rejects the integral truth of the faith regarding the eucharistic Mystery. Christ is the truth and gives testimony to the truth; the Sacrament of his body and his blood does not permit fictions."

The Holy Father's encyclical on the Eucharist is scheduled to be released on Holy Thursday.
A copy in Spanish is circulating on the net (Acrobat/PDF format, 114 KB).

Prayer Request

My wife Teresa and I are suffering from severe allergies and basically can't sing. This is very bad since we have the Triduum litguries coming up and both of us are supposed to fulfill cantor duties. Please say a prayer we can make a full recovery by Holy Thursday.

More shame for CNN from the Ed and Op-Ed pages of the Washington Times today

CNN's disinformation campaign

Corruption at CNN

piffle n. talk, writing, action, etc. regarded as insignificant or nonsensical.

A group of atheists in Madison, Wis., is complaining that the image of Mother Theresa on a mass transit pass is an improper violation of the separation of church and state, reports The Capital Times. The Freedom From Religion Foundation says a picture of Mother Teresa on the Madison Metro System's April bus pass is "an insult to Madisonians who value women's rights, and the separation of church and state," says Anne Nicole Gaylor, president of the foundation. "Mother Teresa lived in parts of the world where she saw firsthand the overwhelming poverty and tragedy resulting from women's lack of access to birth control. Yet she campaigned stridently throughout her life at every opportunity against access to contraception, sterilization and abortion for anyone," Gaylor said.

Shame.

SciAm: "...reproductive cloning of primates, including humans, is unachievable using current techniques."

This news is a year old, but I just happened to hear about it today. After 168 years in their current home, the Benedictine nuns of Stanbrook Abbey (Worcester, England) have decided to sell the property and move. Maybe the place is too much for a community of only 28.

Here's a piece telling the story of how the nuns bought the property in the first place, hiding their identity from the unfriendly owner.

Just in time for Holy Week

Surprise your friends with your mystical powers. Say to them, "You should get to Confession before Easter. You know why!"

When he had seen the sun's rays hidden and the temple veil torn asunder while the Saviour died, Joseph went to Pilate and cried:

Give me that Stranger,
who had wandered since his youth as a stranger.
Give me that Stranger,
by hatred slain, as a stranger.
Give me that Stranger,
whom I behold with wonder, seeing him a guest of death.
Give me that Stranger,
cut off from this world by envious men.
Give me that Stranger,
that I might lay him in a tomb,
who, being a stranger, has no place to rest his head.
Give me that Stranger,
to whom his Mother cried when she saw his dead:
"My Son, wounded are my senses and my heart burns
as I behold you dead!
Yet I praise you for I trust in your Resurrection!"

-Byzantine Troparion of the Burial of Christ

Palm Sunday

The Word of God the Father,
the Son who is coeternal with Him,
whose throne is heaven, whose footstool is the earth,
today has humbled himself by riding into Bethany on
a donkey.
So the children of Israel praise him,
bearing green branches and crying:
"Hosanna in the highest! Blessed is he who comes,
the King of Israel!"

-from the Byzantine Vespers,
Stichera for Palm Sunday

Special Prayer Request

I don't normally blog these, but this one comes from a good friend and the issue is rather serious. I have, however, changed names and anonymized certain other information in order to protect the privacy of those involved....

Dear friends:

Please pray for a young lady here, "Ophelia" (a minor),who is about four months pregnant. Her sonogram indicates the baby has many physical problems: deformed brain, heart and other organs outside the body, etc. Her doctor says the chances of survival are nil and wants to "induce labor" next Monday (IE, abort the baby), as he says there is no hope. Her Mom, "Hilda", is scared and asking for help. So please get this out to your prayer group(s), that they will be strengthened to do God's will, not her physician's.

Ah, our family really enjoyed ourselves at the Holy Family Conferenceco-hosted by CUF Tucson and the Southern Arizona Life Team, but it feels good to be back in Florida and back at Catholic Light. As I mentioned elsewhere, my talk was on how the Rosary and artificial contraception are squaring off in the battle over marriage. Basically, I consider artificial contraception a chemical weapon of the culture of death, whereas for the Culture of Life the Rosary is our greatest weapon of mass conversion within marriage. A little melodramatic, I admit, but from my tribunal experience I feel the contrast is appropriate. I was going to post excerpts from my talk, but it looks like CUF-Tucson will be posting an audio file of the talk in the coming month. Additionally, CUF has asked me to expand this section of my talk into an article for an upcomming issue of their magazine The Lay Witness which will have the Rosary as its theme.

Speaking of the rosary, btw, the latest book project to which I've contributed is now out. It is called 101 Inspirational Stories of the Rosary and is edited by Sister Patricia Proctor, a Poor Clare sister. She felt inspired to bring together this project in response to Pope John Paul II declaring this the Year of the Rosary. Here's a pic of the cover...



But getting back to Tucson, our family really enjoyed itself. We met with a number of friends from Catholic Light and St. Blog's, including one of my favorite bloggers, Gordon Zaft. As Gordon notes on his blog, I had a bad cold the day we got together for lunch. I thank Gordon for his gracious words, but truth be told, I was a little out of it that day. Still, I enjoyed meeting Gordon and was glad he and Mike Mohr (president of CUF-Tucson) hit it off quite well and were able to carry the conversation amidst my sniffles. Both Gord and Mike are RCIA instructors with a common vision of catechesis. As Mike and Gord are both great individuals, I hope they will stay in touch and collaborate on future projects together. Here's a pic I took of them over lunch at a great Mexican restaurant Gord picked out:

For bloggers interested in arranging regional meetings, I've put together a list of "St. Blog" weblogs by country and US state, to the extent I could figure them out. Please drop me a note if you can help fill in the missing info, or have any corrections. My list is based on Gerard Serafin's roster.

Newsflash: Rep. Jim Moran in trouble again!

A Jewish civil rights organization and some Alexandria Democrats have criticized Rep. James P. Moran Jr. (D-Va.) for suggesting at a recent party meeting that a major American pro-Israel lobbying group will raise $2 million and "take over" efforts to unseat him next year.
David Friedman, D.C. regional director for the Anti-Defamation League, said Moran's remarks were divisive and intended to isolate and exaggerate the role of his Jewish critics: "This only confirms what we already knew: that Jim Moran is a bigoted man who perpetuates age-old canards and stereotypes about Jews."

Respect for life:
Singapore archdiocese takes measures to reduce SARS risk

Maybe not quite so good a respect for life:
Hit-and-run nuns on the loose in Bergamo

The board of the Catholic Charitable Bureau of the Archdiocese of Boston has voted to accept a donation (with strings attached) from the dissenters of VOTF. Bp. Lennon, the apostolic administrator, is exercising some forbearance and not sacking them.

Board leaders declined to give the exact tally, but it was nearly unanimous, according to chairman Neal F. Finnegan.

The decision followed a private meeting Friday at which Finnegan and vice chairman Peter Meade said they told Lennon they were caught between obeying him or taking money to help the poor.

I guess it's time for me to drop CC a note and ask them to refund whatever donations I made to them in the past. There are plenty of organizations fulfilling the Gospel's calling to help the poor.

(1) Do try to give up the cussin' and blasphemin', especially during Lent.

(2) Don't use your real name.

(3) Vary your modus operandi.

(Hey, Mark Shea, are these going to be useful in your new job?)

I never heard of this German pop duo "Riviera" before, but their a cappella rendition of the folk song Maria durch ein Dornwald ging ("Mary walked through a thorny wood") is very sweet.

[Update: Here's an English lyric I made up, for those of you who aren't polygons:]

Once Mary walked through thorny wood, Kyrie eleison;
Where seven year no leaf had stood; O Jesus, O Mary.

What bore she under her heart-beat? Kyrie eleison;
'Twas Jesus Christ, our Lord most sweet; O Jesus, O Mary.

And as they wandered on that morn, Kyrie eleison;
A rose sprang up from every thorn; O Jesus, O Mary.

The grandson of Protestant theologian Francis Schaeffer follows his Christian vocation in an unexpected direction:

ABC: John Schaeffer's decision to enlist as a Marine after high school baffled his family and community. He was the product of a New England prep school, a young athlete and poet from a family of intellectuals.

John's unorthodox decision profoundly changed the way he and his father thought about each other, about family, community and even their country. Together they wrote a book, Keeping Faith, recounting their journey.

Unlike the other services the Marines did nothing to sweeten the pill. When Genie, looking concerned and somewhat drawn, turned to one and asked, "But when he's done with the Marines, I mean, what will he have?" The recruiter replied, " 'Have,' ma'am? I don't understand you."

"I meant what will he, uh, get out of it?"

The recruiter sat up a little straighter and his cheeks flushed. "He'll be a United States Marine, ma'am!"

According to Father [Denis] Como [S.J.], “every day I spend time with these refugees, celebrating Mass for them, trying to explain why the U.S.A. that says their leader is evil to his people, won’t let this same people [emigrate to] the U.S.A.”

“My toughest moment is when I am celebrating the Chaldean Mass, facing the people so crowded in the church that they come a foot from the altar, and hearing them sing so loud and from their guts that I could cry aloud,” he says.

John Paul II, we love you!

Is it too much to hope for that the Holy Father might be a Catholic Light reader?

From the Byzantine Akathist Hymn:

NINTH CHANT

Priest: O Mother of God, we see the best of speakers become as mute as fish in your regard, for they could not explain how you could give birth while remaining a virgin. As for us, while marvelling at the mystery, we cry out to you with faith:

Hail, O Container of God's Wisdom;
hail, O Treasury of His Providence!
Hail, O Reproof of Foolish Philosophers;
hail, O Confusion of Speechless Wise Men!
Hail, for you perplexed the inquisitive minds;
hail, for you dried up the inventors of myths!
Hail, for you ripped the Athenians' meshes;
hail, for you filled the Fishermen's nets!
Hail, O Retriever from the Abyss of Ignorance;
hail, O Lamplight of Knowledge to Many!
Hail, O Ship for Those Who Seek Salvation;
hail, O Harbor for the Sailors of Life!
Hail, O Bride and Maiden ever-pure!

Resp.: Hail, O Bride and Maiden ever-pure!

KONTAKION

P.: Desiring to save the world, the Creator of All came down to it of His own will. Being at the same time our Shepherd and our God, He appeared among us, a human like us. And so the like called upon the Like, and as God He heard: Alleluia!

R: Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

[Those Byzantine folks are allowed to use the A-word during Lent.]

What do we need all this penace, prayer and fasting for?

Why not just get a one-way ticket to Heaven? Brought to you by the eternal fire insurance salespilgrims at Crystal Cathedral Ministries. (link via Fr. Sibley and some guy named Tom.)

A related question:

Would more Catholics attend Sunday Mass if it was called the "Hour of Power"?

Finding your purpoise

Make lunch, not war

PETA flippers the bird

Dolphin safe, tuna angry

The best news to come out of the war since the rescue of Pfc. Jessica Lynch is the Navy found its missing mine-sniffing dolphin.

And from the land of fruits and nuts, PETA issues a statement:

"Wars are human endeavors. While a person, a political party, or a nation may decide that war is necessary, the animals never do. Like civilians, they often become the victims of war, but now, the U.S. military is deliberately putting animals in harm’s way. These animals never enlisted, they know nothing of Iraq or Saddam Hussein, and they probably won’t survive."

The dolphins in service of the Navy get 20 pounds of fish per day. Sign me up!

Maggie Gallagher sums up why the UN is not (and probably cannot be) the moral voice of the international community:

We stopped short at the Kuwaiti border last time because that is what the United Nations wanted us to do. U.N. mandates are not concerned about the fate of the Iraqi people. Once the aggression against Kuwait was repelled, the United Nations was satisfied. Bush the elder knew that pushing forward to Baghdad would have sparked international outrage, as this war has.

The United Nations is a collection of states, not a creation of the people. It reflects above all the interests of those in power, which means the right to stay, unmolested, in power. The United Nations exists to protect borders of existing states -- the good, the bad and the very, very ugly.

Kim Jong Il has a blog.


Here's a snippet of an IM conversation:

We now have the unofficial support of the Norwegians for the Iraq invasion

U.S. Ambassador: "Er... I mean... of course I knew it was a hoax!"

The Lights are out in Baghdad

General Franks promises to "close and lock all the windows and doors" when he is done.

Quick overview of the Just War Doctrine

From my favorite Catholic apologetics group, Catholic Answers.

Karl Keating's book, Catholicism and Fundamentalism, kept me Catholic when I got the standard sola scriptura piffle when I was in high school.

On the "Practical Christian Life" mailing list (mainly populated by Protestant folks), somebody posted a book review for a very romantic literary work, and the reviewer even quotes chapter and verse!

Summary/Advisory: Song of Songs' biggest problem is its matter-of-fact attitude toward sex.... definitely off-limits for casual dinner conversation between husband and wife....

CAMP RYAN, Kuwait (April 2, 2003) - In keeping with President George
W. Bush's promise to aid the Iraqi people, Marines from the 4th Civil
Affairs Group (CAG), headquartered at Anacostia Naval Station, Washington,
D.C., are preparing to move from here to Task Force Tarawa's forward area in
An Nasiriyah, Iraq.
Detachment C, 4th CAG, a group of twelve-Marines, will link up with
other 4th CAG Marines in An Nasiriyah who are tasked with creating and
maintaining good relationships with the Iraqi people in the areas where they
will be assigned during Operation Iraqi Freedom.
"Our military will definitely devastate the Iraqi military," said
Fairfax, Va., native Capt. Brian A. Reynaldo, detachment officer-in-charge,
Det. C, 4th CAG. "We want to prove to the Iraqi people that the fight is
not against them. It's a war against Saddam Hussein."
The best time to make a good impression is when the coalition
forces, moving across the desert, encounter indigenous people who may be
fleeing a town or relocating to avoid combat zones, according to Port
Tobacco, Md., native Master Sgt. Jeffery A. Dyson, staff
non-commissioned-officer-in-charge, Det. C, 4th CAG.
Because large groups of Iraqis travel together along paved roads,
they can create a problem for vehicle convoys trying to travel the same
roads. In that instance, the CAG would find the leader of the Iraqi
traveling party and through him, negotiate a solution that allows both
parties to continue along the road. The goal is to leave the Iraqis in a
better condition than when the encounter began.
"Most of the time, we will try to get those travelers linked up with
an international organization, like the Red Cross, or a non-government
organization, like Doctors Without Borders, so they are taken care of after
we move forward," said Reynaldo. "If we can't get them linked up with one
of those organizations, we do what we can to help them."
In helping the Iraqis, the civil affairs Marines are trained to
maximize any living necessities the people may be traveling with to ensure
the Iraqis have what they need to survive the desert environment.
"If we are near a town or even in a town when we encounter
civilians, we try to use their assets to assist them," said Dyson. "If they
have no assets, we will give them some of whatever we have as a last resort,
but everything we give them is something we have to resupply later."
Another key function of civil affairs will be creating hasty refugee
camps for Iraqi people who have been displaced by the Iraqi army. A hasty
refugee camp ensures the people have a place to live, food to eat and
relative comfort in the desert.
"We want to keep these people together and alive, because it's the
humane thing to do," said Arlington, Va., native 1st Lt. Leilani C.
Eleccion, team leader, Det. C, 4th CAG. "We want them to be comfortable and
to know they are safe with us."
A hasty refugee camp, while enclosed, is not a concentration camp.
The civilians living inside are free to come and go as they please as long
as they agree to be searched each time before each they enter the compound.
Inside the compound, they are given all the amenities they need to live
comfortably and attended to by medical personnel.
In building a hasty refugee camp civil affairs Marines will have to
take into consideration the Moslem laws and customs. For example, single
men will have to be housed separate from single women, and the chow hall
will not serve any pork products.
Once Det. C reaches Iraq, they can expect to be met with a host of
missions, but the Marines are confident that they are up to any task.
"My Marines are ready," said Reynaldo. "After sitting here for a
couple of weeks, they want the opportunity to prove themselves and be
successful."

Three Catholic nuns wanted to protect the children of Iraq with a "symbolic disarmament" when they trespassed. Maybe it was from the disarmament group they belong to.

Can someone please tell me how smearing your blood on the top of a missle silo advances the kingdom of God?

Military graphics with a Lenten flavor?

A purple B2 bomber I snagged from the WSJ website while reading Peggy Noonan's latest article "We Can Take It."

Watch out, Saddam!

Tobacco Shortage Makes Marines Irritable

Yertle the turtle goes to war

Something about Dr. Suess I never knew from an interesting piece by Suzanne Fields in the Washington Times.

Theodor Seuss Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss, author of the books in many a child's toy box, drew political cartoons during World War II. The Germans were depicted as dachshunds and the Japanese were menacing cats. He worked for PM, a left-wing daily newspaper in New York, satirizing isolationists at home as cowards afraid to fight.