Author: Steve

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.

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.