Author: Sal

Saint Josemaría Escrivá and the infallibilty of canonization

Our blogging brethern have spent a lot of bits and bytes on the canonization of Saint Josemaría Escrivá and Opus Dei.
Amy Welborn and Mark Sullivan link to an article on The Spectator from a former member of Opus Dei.

The comments on their posts are not particularly illuminating. We find those who are supportive of the movement and many who are vehemently against it. In terms of its exclusivity or the allegedly “cult-like” recruiting tactics, the movement could be doing the opposite of what St. Francis did when he founded the Friars. He welcomed thousands into the Friars. I’ve heard it said by Franciscans today that many men joined in those days who should not have. The hairshirts, poverty and celibacy just weren’t what they were called to. Opus Dei could be at the other extreme.

Whether one personally supports Saint Josemaría Escrivá’s canonization, this is a matter where the Church does not err. St. Thomas Aquinas wrote the following about the infallibility of canonization:

Since the honour we pay the saints is in a certain sense a profession of faith, i.e., a belief in the glory of the Saints [quâ sanctorum gloriam credimus] we must piously believe that in this matter also the judgment of the Church is not liable to error.

Mailbag :: Local politics revisited

I received this email from from a staffer, a relative and staffer actually, on Frank Creel’s campaign. For the record, Eric, I post it as reader comment, not an endorsement for Mr. Creel’s campaign.

While perusing Catholic Light blogspot archives,(http://catholiclight.blogspot.com/2002_09_29_catholiclight_archive.html), I thank you for mentioning Frank Creel’s (my father) campaign website, http://frankcreel.org.
I’ve recently posted a summary of Davis’s voting record that may interest you as well (http://frankcreel.org/archive/davis_record.html). Indeed, “We need an unabashedly pro-life representative in that seat.”
In addition, though a state issue, Dr. Creel is against the proposed sales tax hike in Virginia, whereas, Davis has been heavily promoting this referendum’s passage with the two Warners.
Please keep my father and all the hard-working ‘Creel for Congress’ volunteers in your prayers.

Prayers requested

Please pray for Erwin, the uncle of a friend of mine, who passed on last night after suffering for years with cancer. The Chaplet of the Divine Mercy would be wonderful, but any prayers for the repose of his soul in Heaven are appreciated.

I got beat up at work again…

I didn’t need my equalizer this time because I had the right answer. One of my co-workers apparently didn’t believe me last week when I told him I was Catholic and happy about it. Around the lunch table he asked again, “You’re Catholic??” I told him, yes, I am Catholic and happy about it.

“Do you think your works save you?”

“No, I think Jesus saves me,” I replied.

Nods and smiles all around. An “Amen!” was heard. Maybe they have never heard a Catholic say something like that. Maybe they think they are slowly converting me.

Wait until I tell them the Bible is a Catholic book!