tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20758174796031791462024-03-17T08:03:39.785-04:00DC-Laus DeoA website celebrating spiritual from Washington DCDC Calamityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00410579037445829658noreply@blogger.comBlogger1101125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2075817479603179146.post-79065119353503680372023-04-02T21:24:00.000-04:002023-04-02T21:24:27.522-04:00Pondering the Passion-tide <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<i><span face=""arial" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.6667px;">This time</span></i></div>
<i></i><br />
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<i><i><span face=""arial" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.6667px;">there will be no flight into Egypt.</span></i></i></div>
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<span face=""arial" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.6667px;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<i style="background-color: transparent;"><span style="line-height: 18.6667px;">This donkey has too much to carry,</span></i></div>
</span><span face=""arial" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.6667px;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<i style="background-color: transparent;"><span style="line-height: 18.6667px;">and too far.</span></i></div>
</span><span face=""arial" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.6667px;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<i style="background-color: transparent;"><span style="line-height: 18.6667px;"></span></i></div>
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<i><span face=""arial" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.6667px;"></span></i><br />
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<i><span face=""arial" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.6667px;"><i style="background-color: transparent;"><span style="line-height: 18.6667px;">The shadows wait for me,</span></i></span></i></div>
<i><span face=""arial" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.6667px;">
</span><span face=""arial" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.6667px;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<i style="background-color: transparent;"><span style="line-height: 18.6667px;">around the table at Passover,</span></i></div>
</span><span face=""arial" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.6667px;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<i style="background-color: transparent;"><span style="line-height: 18.6667px;">among those in high places</span></i></div>
</span><span face=""arial" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.6667px;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<i style="background-color: transparent;"><span style="line-height: 18.6667px;">in the condemned cell,</span></i></div>
</span><span face=""arial" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.6667px;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<i style="background-color: transparent;"><span style="line-height: 18.6667px;">on the hill outside.</span></i></div>
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<i><span face=""arial" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.6667px;"></span></i><br />
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<i><span face=""arial" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.6667px;"><i style="background-color: transparent;"><span style="line-height: 18.6667px;">Fear haunts my waking moments</span></i></span></i></div>
<i><span face=""arial" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.6667px;">
</span><span face=""arial" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.6667px;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<i style="background-color: transparent;"><span style="line-height: 18.6667px;">and I cannot sleep.</span></i></div>
</span><span face=""arial" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.6667px;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<i style="background-color: transparent;"><span style="line-height: 18.6667px;">Why has God forsaken me?</span></i></div>
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<i><span face=""arial" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.6667px;"></span></i><br />
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<i><span face=""arial" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.6667px;"><i style="background-color: transparent;"><span style="line-height: 18.6667px;">The crowd today is with me,</span></i></span></i></div>
<i><span face=""arial" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.6667px;">
</span><span face=""arial" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.6667px;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<i style="background-color: transparent;"><span style="line-height: 18.6667px;">but not for long.</span></i></div>
</span><span face=""arial" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.6667px;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<i style="background-color: transparent;"><span style="line-height: 18.6667px;">They are the powerless ones</span></i></div>
</span><span face=""arial" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.6667px;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<i style="background-color: transparent;"><span style="line-height: 18.6667px;">(the ones who matter).</span></i></div>
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<i><span face=""arial" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.6667px;"></span></i><br />
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<i><span face=""arial" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.6667px;"><i style="background-color: transparent;"><span style="line-height: 18.6667px;">The ones who count</span></i></span></i></div>
<i><span face=""arial" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.6667px;">
</span><span face=""arial" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.6667px;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<i style="background-color: transparent;"><span style="line-height: 18.6667px;">are counting.</span></i></div>
</span><span face=""arial" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.6667px;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<i style="background-color: transparent;"><span style="line-height: 18.6667px;">Time is running out.</span></i></div>
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<i><span face=""arial" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.6667px;"></span></i><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span face=""arial" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.6667px;"><i style="background-color: transparent;"><span style="line-height: 18.6667px;">This time</span></i></span></i></div>
<i><span face=""arial" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.6667px;">
</span><span face=""arial" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.6667px;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<i style="background-color: transparent;"><span style="line-height: 18.6667px;">there will be no flight into Egypt.</span></i></div>
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DC Calamityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00410579037445829658noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2075817479603179146.post-45216831555344206542023-04-02T21:10:00.001-04:002023-04-02T21:10:56.998-04:00Palm Sunday Usus Antiquior Style 2023 <p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"> As there is an embarrassment of riches in worshipping in the America's capital city, I often explore interesting liturgies during Holy Week which are not my common round.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">With the promulgation of Pope Francis' <i>moto propio: </i><a href="https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/motu_proprio/documents/20210716-motu-proprio-traditionis-custodes.pdf" target="_blank"><i> Traditionis Custodes</i> </a>(2021) and further restrictions on the pre-1962 Mass imposed by Cardinal Roche at the Congregation for Divine Worship, I felt compelled to attend the Palm Sunday Mass in the <i>Usus Antinquior </i>at the Franciscan Monastery in Washington DC before proponents of the "Spirit of Vatican II" entirely quash the Mass of the Ages.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">It is curious how uninformed much of the laity is about the Liturgy Wars, even as it heats up. Just before Passion Week, I was sharing my plans with some theology graduate students at Catholic University. Of course they were aware that the Traditional Latin Mass (TLM) was celebrated in Latin but seemed fuzzy about the differences in lectionary, vestments and gesticulations which makes the Mass of Pope John XXIII and its Tridentine predecessors so distinct. However, even proponents of the TLM seemed unaware of how restricted is the celebration of what Pope Benedict XVI dubbed "the extraordinary form" in his <i>moto propio</i>: "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Summorum_Pontificum" target="_blank"><i>Summorum Pontificum" </i></a> (2007). Moreover, several with traditional pious preferences did not know other local locations of the Traditional Latin Mass. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">The TLM Palm Sunday Mass needed to be started almost an hour earlier than normal due to the length of the liturgy and the tight timeline allotted for traditional worship at the shrine. The procession took place on a sunny but brisk morning with gusts of strong winds, but that did not deter the people of God from memorializing Jesus' triumphant entrance into Jerusalem as the messianic Son of David. Hosanna!-- Pray, save us! </span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt="TLM Blessing of the Palms" border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="1800" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0IZLXyy7yryuNmYUuMvv1Dl4d_EVkxTkeYgdGobfY9uYIN10Ty2pA0dZqaxFAxO43ct6Hp6OMk0R0Zat2vBrTZa3ENyvv9K_xjzyienDUoIfXhE2MZ83DfqkIqaSEoNSD90LkSpbFDMx9UXpQECCO0NlGhZ79c79iZHR5zKSl1pzbeBaPDFUHnFjPyg/w288-h640/Entrance%20Gospel.jpg" title="TLM Palm Blessing Franciscan Monastery, Washington DC 2023" width="288" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0IZLXyy7yryuNmYUuMvv1Dl4d_EVkxTkeYgdGobfY9uYIN10Ty2pA0dZqaxFAxO43ct6Hp6OMk0R0Zat2vBrTZa3ENyvv9K_xjzyienDUoIfXhE2MZ83DfqkIqaSEoNSD90LkSpbFDMx9UXpQECCO0NlGhZ79c79iZHR5zKSl1pzbeBaPDFUHnFjPyg/s4000/Entrance%20Gospel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOrwow9nJML3f_QTQ0KAI-VIynnWlg4R47NC-GWw6tpXNHZOYWGD1RM6ofd33C3eJPI8kXL0DsAa2-N_DL42ZYc99OvbPnHsxdptJVO4XUUgk3vcimtQiZLoI-WUz7Avh536Yy8sFLCqRiBw3ZBeB91rP5RUNvMPlNGpea_JzdD5E4UlYoBUoKURl1lg/s4000/Procession.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><img alt="TLM Palm Sunday Triumphant Procession thru the Holy City" border="0" data-original-height="1800" data-original-width="4000" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOrwow9nJML3f_QTQ0KAI-VIynnWlg4R47NC-GWw6tpXNHZOYWGD1RM6ofd33C3eJPI8kXL0DsAa2-N_DL42ZYc99OvbPnHsxdptJVO4XUUgk3vcimtQiZLoI-WUz7Avh536Yy8sFLCqRiBw3ZBeB91rP5RUNvMPlNGpea_JzdD5E4UlYoBUoKURl1lg/w613-h276/Procession.jpg" title="TLM Palm Sunday 2023 Procession, Franciscan Monastery Washington DC" width="613" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">One of the rituals to which I was unaccustomed was how the presiding priest used the processional cross to knock three times on the church doors before it was opened. This gesture had a strong impact on me, as I recently learned from Fr. Mitch Pacwa's <a href="https://catholicnyc.com/event/ecce-homo-prayer-and-the-paschal-mystery-online-lenten-retreat/" target="_blank">Ecce Homo lecture </a>that when traveled from Bethany to Jerusalem in his triumphant entry into the Holy City, he took an extent bridge from the Mount of Olives to the Temple and tradition has it that he preached from several days. Thus a humble itinerant preacher who was not a priest and raised the ire of the Sanhedrin proverbially busts into the Temple and proclaims the Kingdom of God. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifzNLJkx864Hv4mrrasZnQrI4QDlUQrT8YmdiwXVMwfsJZvEhCVisrP2xC1R0BN6GX_c6sK4G3btAjCPQWMbEyprQJWzBZNyV-ymXB3rJFgDYbjBvPtxCZaecXWxpCLN990eH9unYgNKiBtGEKqRHfEZ6EeI3MrCgOQXnKvLpZTGdsMGca3lmoP-yZdA/s2882/Procession%20Church%20Doors.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><img alt="TLM Palm Sunday, Knocking at the Temple Gate" border="0" data-original-height="2882" data-original-width="1800" height="608" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifzNLJkx864Hv4mrrasZnQrI4QDlUQrT8YmdiwXVMwfsJZvEhCVisrP2xC1R0BN6GX_c6sK4G3btAjCPQWMbEyprQJWzBZNyV-ymXB3rJFgDYbjBvPtxCZaecXWxpCLN990eH9unYgNKiBtGEKqRHfEZ6EeI3MrCgOQXnKvLpZTGdsMGca3lmoP-yZdA/w381-h608/Procession%20Church%20Doors.jpg" title="TLM Palm Sunday Church Entrance, Franciscan Monastery Washington DC" width="381" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Another thing that I noted is the changes in vestments and adornments during the TLM Palm Sunday. The presiding priest switched from a scarlet chasuble for the entry into Jerusalem into a penitential Lenten purple vestment during most of the TLM liturgy, except during the chanting of the Matthean Passion Gospel, in which he was stripped to his white alb. I also noted that between the start of the procession to the altar, the processional and altar crucifixes were clad in purple. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhARnx19C2vF3asB0tsJ4rkLww4NajN0nwvhOOm9g6qR3gjw-19b2Zu1w9HV1khf8XXAn7eSbt-SUPL-SwP9ghVRj4upHSJilkr3FfFA13r-_xyMQSlcRyNIoPWLeIdbNLURDlLdgRhvOm-g2VSaHMivEa2bGfaUPqpGcxcsh0lt3O1eWdNnj7_x75k7A/s4000/Incense%20Altar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><img alt="TLM Palm Sunday 2023, Passion Liturgy" border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="1800" height="775" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhARnx19C2vF3asB0tsJ4rkLww4NajN0nwvhOOm9g6qR3gjw-19b2Zu1w9HV1khf8XXAn7eSbt-SUPL-SwP9ghVRj4upHSJilkr3FfFA13r-_xyMQSlcRyNIoPWLeIdbNLURDlLdgRhvOm-g2VSaHMivEa2bGfaUPqpGcxcsh0lt3O1eWdNnj7_x75k7A/w348-h775/Incense%20Altar.jpg" title="TLM Palm Sunday 2023, Passion Liturgy Franciscan Monastery Washington DC" width="348" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">This "Extraordinary Form" Latin Palm Sunday <i>Missa Cantata</i> had many participants. The schola consisted of twelve singers. There were at least fourteen altar servers, most of whom seemed like seminarians. Several additional priests assisted in the proclamation of the Passion narrative. With an ensemble that large, it was vital that one of the seminarian altar servers acted as a silent Master of Ceremony with a commanding clap noting when to kneel. At times, I was so close to the action that I could hear an acolyte holding the edge of the celebrant's vestment tell him when to turn. Also due to my positioning, I was directly behind the thurifer, hence some snapshots with rising smoke.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDxcceg08Kwg_BdZSgnvyogZ_LjM0Pz1VNxH-m8T-bdcLbMhz4WEOnXY5jmJHu5deIqLsadZAXG1CqXaV3TwoIFFHMkrFbCgXQQUrqjPaiOu68E1imyUnfiNoVqBdrqzlh3ToD0yd1tueaMFyEpQjIYi51ION3qDbM_x59XQolCCdd0QFk8rssZD9jFA/s3225/Incense%20Ascension.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><img alt="TLM Palm Sunday 2023, Ascension Altar Franciscan Monastery Washington DC" border="0" data-original-height="3225" data-original-width="1452" height="707" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDxcceg08Kwg_BdZSgnvyogZ_LjM0Pz1VNxH-m8T-bdcLbMhz4WEOnXY5jmJHu5deIqLsadZAXG1CqXaV3TwoIFFHMkrFbCgXQQUrqjPaiOu68E1imyUnfiNoVqBdrqzlh3ToD0yd1tueaMFyEpQjIYi51ION3qDbM_x59XQolCCdd0QFk8rssZD9jFA/w318-h707/Incense%20Ascension.jpg" title="TLM Palm Sunday 2023 Ascension Altar" width="318" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">As I neither have a pre-1962 missal nor do I prefer to read the Mass, I reveled in the mystery evoked during the liturgy. I had already heard the <i>Novus Ordo</i> readings for Palm Sunday and my less than proficient Latin could pick out keywords to discern where we were in the liturgy. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Being s a Vatican II baby, my instinct is to interpret the "full and active participation" in the Mass as called for in <i>Sacrosanctum Concilium</i> (1963) as listening attentively and vocalizing liturgical responses. Earlier in the year, Monsignor Pope made a poignant point that proclaiming scripture in "dead languages" like Latin is not meaningless. as it gives due to the Lord in worship using a sacred language. If one take one's faith seriously and prepares for the "'Sunday Obligation", this foreign sounding proclamation may offer unexpected insight through its reverence and beauty. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">As I could not do my usual active vocal participation, I was moved to align my frail human gifts with the Lord's during the Eucharistic prayers and was felt profoundly moved. The reverence and relative silence is a rarity in our overstimulated culture. Moreover singing melodies from the <a href="https://stlouisjesuits.com/about/" target="_blank">St. Louis Jesuits</a> sometimes harkens to faded glory of the 1960s rather than the majesty of scripture filled motets composed in the 1560s.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">The church was about 90 percent full. Most were formally dressed. Many (but not all) women wore chapel veils. There were a fair number of small children present, dressed nicely without portable snack bowls or need for a cry room. All partaking in the Eucharist received it kneeling on the tongue. Many attendees remained after Mass for post liturgical thanksgiving prayers. <a href="https://www.thecatholicthing.org/2016/08/24/a-smaller-church/" target="_blank">Pope Benedict XVI predicted</a> that the contemporary church may become smaller but more intentional and devote. These are the faithful who should be supported to that end. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Indubitably, this was a long two hour liturgy. The suit and tie attire for worship generally is not my style. My preference is not to need to rely on a missal when I worship at Mass. That being said, I do not understand the harshness during this pontificate for the faithful who prefer the Traditional Latin Mass. They are not <i>sede vacantists</i> who deny the legitimacy of sitting Pontiffs. They do attend <i>Novus Ordo</i> liturgies also but prefer the Mass of the Ages. They are well catechized. And the demographics skew younger, with many young families with several children, unlike the Rock of the Ageds guitar masses at many N<i>ovus Ordo</i> parishes. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">This pontificate professes to give more local autonomy and "synodality". Alas, the <a href="https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2020-02/final-document-synod-amazon.html" target="_blank">Synod of the Amazons </a>(2019) has brought the scandal or<a href="https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/this-week-pachamama-and-other-scandals/" target="_blank"> Pachamama </a>as well as recently approved <a href="https://the-american-catholic.com/2023/03/23/mayan-rite/" target="_blank">Mayan rite </a>messes Masses with purely pagan elements. And the <a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/253842/german-synodal-way-approves-same-sex-blessings-lay-preaching-and-reexamination-of-priestly-celibacy" target="_blank">German Synodal Way</a> is instituting heterodox Catholic practices. Yet the one group that does not experience synodality are traditionally worshipping Catholics. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Again, I feel fortunate living in an urban area with many Catholic churches-- some of which strive to have reverent liturgy, including a few licit Mass of the Ages. I suspect that soon the latter option will be further suppressed. I wish that I could understand why. </span></p>DC Calamityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00410579037445829658noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2075817479603179146.post-18594124269942908122023-04-02T18:12:00.000-04:002023-04-02T18:12:46.640-04:00Christopher Hitchens on Atheism<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://dcbarroco.files.wordpress.com/2016/05/160505a-christopher-hitchens.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Christopher Hitchens on Socialism" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-16635" height="665" src="https://dcbarroco.files.wordpress.com/2016/05/160505a-christopher-hitchens.jpg" width="433" /></a></div>
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DC Calamityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00410579037445829658noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2075817479603179146.post-66185932622510610692022-01-30T08:32:00.004-05:002022-04-15T14:17:45.199-04:00Dorothy Parker on Money <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjVI_fZEQDpnEeaXm-_FdfU4UwxGh8L_WU7_9Lc1PQ7WqPEn8vyv9BaBq4hb1Gi_4uQHwYSzdLdaqaFPdl_Y-14tktHTX4SvNrnG8_ZwiazwfWoRszWW7bGX17kV_z736e9olKW9aSqcZGgH2XWNYBfRVDzRCKs0djQzzCqffuZfjMYsa5j9ThOudd9Cw=s622" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="622" data-original-width="495" height="709" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjVI_fZEQDpnEeaXm-_FdfU4UwxGh8L_WU7_9Lc1PQ7WqPEn8vyv9BaBq4hb1Gi_4uQHwYSzdLdaqaFPdl_Y-14tktHTX4SvNrnG8_ZwiazwfWoRszWW7bGX17kV_z736e9olKW9aSqcZGgH2XWNYBfRVDzRCKs0djQzzCqffuZfjMYsa5j9ThOudd9Cw=w565-h709" width="565" /></a></div><br /> <p></p>DC Calamityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00410579037445829658noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2075817479603179146.post-47340594729390587392022-01-28T08:37:00.002-05:002022-01-28T08:37:44.888-05:00St. Thomas Aquinas on Faith<p> <br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgeOQFMNw6JikNavdor584-0jY-daQldqkpo2dLlPPHc8gFINDkimvrmrqY-Xx3VCBIA62Loo25mbiBCfW1dcPafNGO9uOEHhzFbBGOrC8m-sya9yWRmHAZhvayfmiSAL8A_6Qh8hL-kNbYUE7kG4E6iTxmh5ZRwZDipEaynR7RK4e9dGBqDwsDCsF_Eg=s803" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="803" data-original-width="528" height="769" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgeOQFMNw6JikNavdor584-0jY-daQldqkpo2dLlPPHc8gFINDkimvrmrqY-Xx3VCBIA62Loo25mbiBCfW1dcPafNGO9uOEHhzFbBGOrC8m-sya9yWRmHAZhvayfmiSAL8A_6Qh8hL-kNbYUE7kG4E6iTxmh5ZRwZDipEaynR7RK4e9dGBqDwsDCsF_Eg=w505-h769" width="505" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p>DC Calamityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00410579037445829658noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2075817479603179146.post-20842256164262016242021-04-28T18:40:00.006-04:002021-11-08T07:34:27.543-05:00Contrasting Low Mass Expectations with Aggiornamento Aspirations <p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8Vh0i6Ua0vk/YInfOop8JOI/AAAAAAAAQEg/L5sMiTnYYncZoqNC-DoUCv-tsnZdrY14QCLcBGAsYHQ/s1040/worship-wars.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="801" data-original-width="1040" height="308" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8Vh0i6Ua0vk/YInfOop8JOI/AAAAAAAAQEg/L5sMiTnYYncZoqNC-DoUCv-tsnZdrY14QCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h308/worship-wars.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /> </span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;">Recently, when an old friend was visiting the area, I agreed to go to a Traditional Latin Mass with him. While I firmly agree the Pope Benedict's</span><i style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;"> motu propio <a href="http://www.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en/letters/2007/documents/hf_ben-xvi_let_20070707_lettera-vescovi.html" target="_blank">Summorum Pontificum</a></i><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;"> (2007) which confirmed the licitity a Tridentine Mass, my prior experiences, particularly of Low Masses, had not fed my soul. Alas, this particular Extraordinary Form of the Sacrifice of the Holy Mass also lived up to my Low Mass expectations. So many traditionalists gush about about the Mass of Pope (St.) Pius V. As I appreciate history and I love languages, I am not intimidated by the </span><i style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;">Usus Antiquior.</i><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;"> Moreover, I was prepared to occasionally being lost in the mystery of liturgical worship. With all of that in mind, so many elements of the </span><i style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;">Missa Privata</i><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;"> left me cold.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;">Granted, I am a child of Vatican II who appreciates worshiping in the vernacular. However, I can see the beauty of centuries of tradition contained in the Traditional Mass. I appreciate the silent reverence of the People of God when inside the sanctuary. This solemnity is also reflected by communicants at the altar rail (made more tolerable by padding at the edge of the marble altar). Yet is seems that the Low Mass in the Extraordinary Form seems to lack the full, conscious and active participation of the faithful which was envisioned from the Vatican II constitution <i><a href="https://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_const_19631204_sacrosanctum-concilium_en.html" target="_blank">Sacrosanctum Concilium</a></i> (1963).</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-l-Ed2GzA6PA/YInkCXfzBzI/AAAAAAAAQE4/LYUmuOYD1TAGDesA99y470Tj58aC5dqBwCLcBGAsYHQ/s581/Rad%2BTrads.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="227" data-original-width="581" height="194" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-l-Ed2GzA6PA/YInkCXfzBzI/AAAAAAAAQE4/LYUmuOYD1TAGDesA99y470Tj58aC5dqBwCLcBGAsYHQ/w497-h194/Rad%2BTrads.JPG" width="497" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;">Radical Traditionalists (“Rad Trads”) will insist that only the Old Mass is legitimate and ought no be changed. This is echoed in the motto </span><i style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;">Semper Idem</i><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;"> (“Always the Same”) of Cardinal Ottaviani, a leading proponent of the </span><i style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;">Usus Antiquior</i><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;"> during Vatican II. Such a train of thought convicts some like the </span><a href="https://wdtprs.com/2021/04/ask-father-what-does-sspx-stand-for/" style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;" target="_blank">Priestly Society of Pius X (SSPX)</a><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;">, to reject all of Vatican II. This leads some to to adhere to sedevacantism (believing that the Chair of St. Peter has been empty since 1958). “Mad Trads” still have papal allegiance but chauvinistically believe that the 1962 Mass is superior worshiping than the 1969 </span><i style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;">Novus Ordo</i><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;"> Mass of Pope (St.) Paul VI. </span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;">“Glad Trads”, like Scott Hahn and Matt Fradd, joyfully embrace the Extraordinary Form of the liturgy. Glad Trads may hope that that elements of the Traditional Mass may make it back into the Novus Ordo (echoing the hopes of Pope emeritus Benedict XVI). </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DhKbrbyVFYA/YIniWb8vgvI/AAAAAAAAQEo/vyDSc0AURmMSjIzdfRmGZL0zkq0UDmcMACLcBGAsYHQ/s738/Glad%2BTrads.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="447" data-original-width="738" height="307" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DhKbrbyVFYA/YIniWb8vgvI/AAAAAAAAQEo/vyDSc0AURmMSjIzdfRmGZL0zkq0UDmcMACLcBGAsYHQ/w507-h307/Glad%2BTrads.JPG" width="507" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;">Alas, that seems unlikely given the <a href="https://www.lifesitenews.com/blogs/third-cardinal-publicly-opposes-vatican-letter-banning-private-masses-at-st-peters-basilica" target="_blank">recent row at the Vatican prohibiting side altar Masses at St. Peter’s Basilica.</a> This questionably issued procedure relegates the Traditional Latin Mass to the intimate grotto St. Clementine Chapel. Many appreciate this move as another example of the ever simmering Liturgy Wars which seems to suppress the licit Extraordinary Form which is skeptical about the patrimony of so called “Mass of the Ages”. More poignantly, </span><a href="https://wdtprs.com/2021/04/a-jesuits-brilliant-notions-about-needed-liturgical-reform-what-could-go-wrong/" style="font-family: arial;" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Fr. Tom Reese recently suggested that young people should be prohibited from attending the Traditional Latin Mass. </span></a><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;">While I am unaccustomed to the practice, I appreciate the <i>ad orientem</i> orientation of the priest celebrant on the altar in the Traditional Latin Mass, as the whole congregation ought to be facing liturgical East when worshiping. </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"> </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6Pkeh4tcHbQ/YInjLCUYIDI/AAAAAAAAQEw/Bg9Cw1zJdA0mH3p4Z-VPMBm3qnrIZXjyACLcBGAsYHQ/s512/Ad%2BOrientem.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="238" data-original-width="512" height="223" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6Pkeh4tcHbQ/YInjLCUYIDI/AAAAAAAAQEw/Bg9Cw1zJdA0mH3p4Z-VPMBm3qnrIZXjyACLcBGAsYHQ/w479-h223/Ad%2BOrientem.jpg" width="479" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;"><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></p>But the brief gestures towards the congregation of </span><i style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;">"Oremus"</i><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;"> struck me as pro forma and almost gratuitous as he recited the Divine Liturgy. For me, as the old Low Mass progressed, the silence became deafening. It seems logical that the cleric would lead on the propers portion of worship, but there seemed to be no opportunity for the congregation to participate in prayers at a Low Mass, aside from the </span><i style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;">Agnus Dei</i><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;"> and the prayer of Divine Access ("Lord I am not worthy"). The faithful recited more prayers verbally at the foot of the altar after mass ended than during the actual liturgy. </span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;">When the third translation of the Roman Missal was promulgated in English speaking countries in 2011, a big deal was made over the linguist change of "I believe" being said during the Nicean Creed in the Ordinary Form of the Mass rather than using a communal voice. In this Low Mass, the Priest definitely said <i>"Credo"</i> but no one else, even my Latin fluent friend, joined in. So much for a personal creed.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;"> There was also communal silence beyond the altar during the <i>Pater Noster,</i> the perfect prayer which Jesus taught His believers to say. The congregation mostly sat there quietly, with some praying a rosary during Mass. Not only is the Lord’s Prayer a unifying prayer throughout Christendom, but if we deeply reflect on its tenants, it challenges our practice of faith. But when the “Our Father” is said <i>sotto voce</i> from a celebrant on the High Altar during a Low Mass, it risks becoming a mere ritual.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;">These observations highlight the philosophical difference between the Tridentine and <i>Novus Ordo</i> Mass. The Old Form emphasizes humanity's sinfulness and unworthiness save the grace of Christ dying on the Cross at Calvary. The <i>Novus Ordo</i> seems to have a more communal narrative, focusing on the institution of the Eucharist. This re-presentation of the Last Supper feeds the communicant's soul and is made more profound by active participation in the Liturgies of the Mass. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;">Some Protestants bristle at the Sacrifice of the Mass. They mistakenly believe that Catholics re- crucify our Savior during the Liturgy instead of appreciating that we celebrate the new Passover when Jesus freely gave his Body and Blood during the Last Supper to forgive our sins and nourish the faithful via the Eucharist (i.e. Communion). This is made more evident by emphasizing the Lord's Supper in the <i>Novus Ordo</i>.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;">Another sticking point for me of the Extraordinary Form was how the Liturgy of the Word is conducted. Traditionalists will suggest that we should be adhering to the original language of Latin, yet the history is a little more complicated. While the Roman Church is steeped in its Latin tradition, the Mass originated in Aramaic and Greek (which was the <i>lingua franca</i> of the Roman Empire until Latin became the language of liturgy). This shows some evolution of worship and proclaiming the Good News in the vernacular. Citing <i>lex orendi, lex credendi</i>, I can appreciate having the ordinary portions of the Traditional Mass being recited in Latin. However, what good is proclaiming scripture in Latin when it has to be repeated in a rushed reading before announcements and the sermon?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;">At the Low Mass, I missed having the Old Testament proclaimed. In the New Mass, the first reading from the Old Testament reminds us of God's love affair for His people and it usually gives dimension to the Gospel reading with which it is paired. This practice makes typology more evident to those faithful in the pews. Without that connection with the Hebrew Scripture, it misses out on the depth of God's love letter to his "very good" creation and adopted children in scripture. Moreover, it can further the division between followers of "The Way" with God's chosen people fostering an unfortunate lingering veneer anti-Semitism. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;"> During the Easter season, <i>Novus Ordo</i> Masses are blessed with readings from the Acts of the Apostles, to appreciate how the early Church lived out the Good News of Jesus Christ’s sacrificial death, resurrection and ascension. Since there was only the Epistle and the Gospel, an E.F. homily runs the risk of being a quick restatement of the reading or an opportunity for an unrelated doctrinal sermon. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;">Prior to Vatican II, there was not a three year Lectionary in which the bulk of Salvation history is proclaimed from the ambo, but a non-rotating one year cycle. In the Old Mass, daily mass readings either echoed the prior Sunday or the Saints day or Ember days. I greatly appreciate the liturgical cycle from Vatican II, as we revisit scriptural readings every few years. This cycle of scriptural readings allows an attentive Mass goer an opportunity to listen to a familiar scripture and process it with some life experience or hearing a parable with different emphases rather than tuning out a too familiar yearly text. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;">My traditionally oriented friend lamented with all of the options for Eucharistic Canons and prayers that it threatens the unity of the Catholic church. Of course, this ignores that Catholicism has 24 particular churches, along with Ordinariates. Even the Roman Catholic church has historically had different rites, some of which remain to this day, such as the Ambrosian in Milan (Italy) the Mozarabic in Toledo (Spain) and the Braga rite in Portugal. In fact, then<a href="https://wikimili.com/en/Rite_of_Braga" target="_blank"> Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger cited the Braga rite in 1998</a> to show that variety in the Latin Church demonstrates that unity does not require liturgical uniformity.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;">To allay my objections to the laity's passive role in the Traditional Latin Mass, a parable about active participation was proposed. I was asked to consider an atheistic boyfriend being dragged to Mass each week by a pious Catholic girlfriend. After a while, the atheist learns the proper responses (presumably in the vernacular <i>Novus Ordo</i> Mass) and recites them without truly believing them. Then there is Mrs. McGillicuddy, who cannot hear the quietly uttered Extraordinary Form prayers, much less understand them in Latin, but who uses the reverential silence in the Mass to pray the Rosary. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;">The dialectical question posed from this pious parable is who is actively participating? Parables are succinct didactic stories to illustrate a deeper point, but often they have the effect off making a listener feel uncomfortable as one can sympathize with both viewpoints. A traditionalist is inclined to believe that the active participant is Mrs. McGillicuddy who is reverently praying. Granted, she is piously praying and doing the best that she can. But Mrs. McGillicuddy was praying a personal prayer rather than actively uniting herself to the Liturgy (public worship). On the other hand, the atheistic boyfriend lacks faith but he is participating in the public worship of the Church. Granted, these prayer recitation may remain as a ritual to ingratiate himself to his girlfriend. But this active participation in the liturgy may create an opening for a moment of grace to inspire a metanoia which inspires faith. I have heard enough stories of how the Holy Spirit can break down barriers to those attentive to Catholic Church liturgies, from <a href="https://padreperegrino.org/2020/10/kingfinalaud/" target="_blank">Satanists (Zachary King</a>) to <a href="https://www.catholiceducation.org/en/religion-and-philosophy/apologetics/the-scott-hahn-conversion-story.html" target="_blank">Presbyterians (Scott Hahn)</a>. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;">Seeking direction from <i>Sacrosantum Conciliam,</i> the laity are extolled to not be silent spectators but they should take part in the sacred action conscious of what they are doing with full devotion and collaboration (para. 48). In fact, in communion the faithful are not just nourished by the hands of the priest in the Eucharist but are urged to offer themselves through Christ our Mediator. This echoes the pious practice of "offering up" your tribulations during the consecration as taught in the <a href="https://www.catholicity.com/baltimore-catechism/" target="_blank">Baltimore Catechism</a>. This is hard to do if one can not follow the Liturgy due to language and amplification, thus one opts to use the sacred time to rattle off a rosary.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;">Traditionalists bristle at the infiltration of Modernism in the Catholic Church. Many look askance at the products of the Second Vatican Council, and champion skeptics like Archbishop LeFavre. But LeFevre voted for all sixteen documents of Vatican II in the mid 1960s, ten years later rejected them in <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Accuse-Council-Archbishop-Marcel-Lefebvre/dp/0935952683/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8" target="_blank">"I Accuse the Council"</a> (1976).</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eU6fUrGzhLw/YInej5hYgFI/AAAAAAAAQEY/uwkmZroQC58h0c2tSprAbrL_oAfLNyveQCLcBGAsYHQ/s533/LeFavre%2BI%2Baccuse.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="352" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eU6fUrGzhLw/YInej5hYgFI/AAAAAAAAQEY/uwkmZroQC58h0c2tSprAbrL_oAfLNyveQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/LeFavre%2BI%2Baccuse.JPG" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;"><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></p>Later in 1981 LeFevre accepted Vatican II in the light of tradition and then recanted. LeFebvre was not exactly a rock of faith, but he was a bishop that prized the faith and tradition of the old Latin Mass. Thus LeFevre had concerns with the implementation in the Spirit of Vatican II, which often barred little resemblance to the documents of the Council.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;">It is understandable to balk at what <a href="https://www.thegregorian.org/2017/bishop-barron-on-how-to-accompany" target="_blank">Bishop Robert Barron calls the Banners and Balloons Beige Catholicism </a>from wild and wooly Catechism of the 1970s (some may compare it to the Rolling Stones compilation album "Sucking in the Seventies"). </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qQvX_JDBe_o/YInd6kBO3mI/AAAAAAAAQEQ/5kmQdjQqMLsvXqWzlaRnkbPGVdqK79TlwCLcBGAsYHQ/s851/Rolling%2BStones%2B70s.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="851" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qQvX_JDBe_o/YInd6kBO3mI/AAAAAAAAQEQ/5kmQdjQqMLsvXqWzlaRnkbPGVdqK79TlwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Rolling%2BStones%2B70s.jpg" /></a></span></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;">Then there was the improv license which some priests took from the dynamic translation of the Second Translation of the Roman Missal making them the center of secular attention. The renovations (a.k.a. “wreckifications”) of many churches during this period smacks of Modernism. But these excesses do not negate the </span><i style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;">"aggionamento" </i><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;">aspirations of Vatican II to encourage full and active participation in the Mass and dialog with the outside world.</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;">Personally, I am happy to see implementation of the Hermaneutic of Continuity in some parishes, in which some portions of the Mass which contain Latin and Greek have been integrated into response that the laity actively participate. When followed, the new Missal abates many of the liturgical abuse associated with the Spirit of Vatican II. In accompanying Catechumens into the Church, I can appreciate how they are drawn to the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist as emphasized through the recapitulation of the Last Supper. Prior to the Coronavirus 19 pandemic, the Church was <a href="https://www.churchmilitant.com/news/article/seven-in-ten-catholics-dont-believe-in-real-presence" target="_blank">scandalized by polls showing the dearth of belief by American Catholics in the Real Presence in the Eucharist.</a> As Churches again resume normal liturgy, we will see if the faithful will return to Mass and if they hunger for the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity contained in Communion. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;">I also welcome Glad Trads who faithfully reverence the Traditional Latin Mass. Even though my several experiences with the Low Mass have been uninspiring, I appreciate the beauty and history of the <i>Missa Cantata.</i> Moreover, the regality of the Papal Traditional Latin Mass is awe inspiring. May they continue to be spiritually nourished in celebrating "The Mass of the Ages". </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;">That being said, I am put off when “Frozen Chosen” proponents of the Traditional Latin Mass deride the <i>Novus Ordo</i> as a "Man Made Mass" or imply that it is inherently inferior. Often they tout the history of the liturgy, which is undeniable. They will allude to the reverence, which is also quite evident. They point to the beauty, which from my perspective can be diminished by a lackluster Low Mass in which the priest silently does everything. What I find it lacking is fully conscious and active participation by all. As a layperson, I lack the faculties to confect the Eucharist, but my baptism makes me part of the ordinary priesthood which should not be effectively sidelined in the Holy Mass, which is considered to be the source and summit of our Faith.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;">I have found most elements of the Traditional Latin Mass liturgy paired with the vernacular language and active participation by the faithful at Masses in the Anglican Ordinariate, also made possible by Pope Benedict XVI’s <i>moto propio<a href="http://www.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en/apost_constitutions/documents/hf_ben-xvi_apc_20091104_anglicanorum-coetibus.html" target="_blank"> Anglicanorum Coetibus </a></i>(2009). But it can be hard to find parishes with the Anglican Patrimony which swam the Tiber and rejoined Mother Church. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;">It is my hope that Catholics can appreciate the faith that unites us in Christ, understand that this religiosity may rightly be expressed in various manners and that we can be strengthened in faith with the plurality of pieties. Not everything which emanated from the Second Vatican Council was bad, though some of the latter documents (1964-65) suffered from the ambiguity of trying to reach 90% consensus. However, not every innovation said to be done in the “Spirit of Vatican II” was good. And it was lamentable how some citing the direction of the “Spirit of Vatican II” unmethodically discarded what they believed were dated liturgical practices and Catholic Culture.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;">Now that we have had over a half a century to digest implement and reconsider Vatican II, we ought to be able to discern the goods from the pastoral council and reconsider unanticipated liturgical mistakes and excesses. On the one hand, those in authority in the Church ought to quit trying to stifle licit and legitimate traditional forms of the liturgy, and be responsive to some of the younger faithful who are drawn to the reverence of the Traditional Latin Mass. On the other hand, the TLM faithful need to drop the <i>sub rosa </i>Liturgy War superciliousness and chauvinism which are premised on the notion that their form of liturgy is the only right rite. No doubt that some “innovations” seem ill advised or perhaps even heterodoxical. But we should appreciate that much like differences in the Gospel or the practice of our many rites, the form may be slightly different as it highlights different aspects of our one true Catholic faith.</span></p><div><br /></div>DC Calamityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00410579037445829658noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2075817479603179146.post-59829334416930740372021-02-03T11:29:00.004-05:002021-11-08T07:40:13.486-05:00Watering Down Baptism?<p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"> While listening to Personally Speaking, a Catholic interview program hosted by Monseigneur Jim Lisante, the prelate host shared <a href="https://youtu.be/SnlAY--W4h8?t=1224" target="_blank"><i>sua sponte </i>that he recently was approached by two lesbians who sought to have their child baptized.</a> Despite being turned away at two other parishes, the priest proclaimed to the couple: “There isn’t anything in the bible about being gay so it must be OK” thus he consented to perform the sacrament.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">The cleric’s superficial scriptural analysis speciously seems to ignore Jesus’ perspective on marriage in <a href="https://biblehub.com/matthew/19-5.htm" target="_blank">MT 19 </a>as a married man and woman become one flesh. That passage clearly does not include alternative arrangements. But the conundrum is on the propriety of baptizing a child to parents who manifestly are living contrary to the teachings of the church. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">While I appreciate the pastoral inclinations, the scenario calls into question the rationale for the sacrament of initiation and what is involved in infant baptism. Ideally, baptism claims the person as a child of God with an indelible mark on the soul. But an infant is unable to make baptismal promises, so those proclamations of faith are made by parents and godparents. Thus, pastoral discernment is required of the parents and godparents</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Canon 1255 anticipates that the faith promise given infant baptism be supplemented by the parents, godparents and community. In <a href="https://biblehub.com/acts/2-38.htm" target="_blank">Acts 2:38 </a>St. Peter exhorts us to “Repent and be baptized” which requires a metanoia (i.e. turning away from sin) in those professing the faith.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Practically speaking, the faith must be nurtured by the practice in the home church as well as with the People of God. The difficulty is when parents are living lives that are manifestly and publicly contrary to the tenants of the faith.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Those inclined to seek the mercy of God would surely say that an innocent child should not be punished for the sins of the parents. But baptism involve promises made in rearing the child in the faith. In this scenario, we can assume that they are living as a same sex couple and have pride in their lifestyle. If one of the couple is biologically the mother, it raises issues about artificial insemination or procreation outside of marriage. This would mean that a child would be expected to be raised in the faith by a couple co-habitating outside of sacramental marriage and with orientations that the church teaches are disordered? </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"> Despite Monseigneur Lisante’s claims, the Church in <a href="http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/p3s2c2a6.htm" target="_blank">Canon 2357 considers homosexual acts as intrinsically disordered.</a> It is unclear if the couple was civilly married but the Church does not recognize such unions as being covenantial or sacramental. Perhaps the couple was not church going and those pastors deemed the sacrament of baptism being used as a ritualistic rite of passage rather than a conferral of grace.<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Near the beginning of Pope Francis’ papacy, the <a href="https://www.theamericanconservative.com/dreher/pope-francis-on-not-making-little-monsters/" target="_blank">Holy Father chided young priests to not become “little monsters”</a> doggedly adhering to doctrine but instead to focus on compassion, evangelization and inclusion. In that spirit, pastors may be reluctant to turn away anyone from the Church, even if adherence to baptismal promises made for them seem tenuous so as to see if takes hold. This calls to mind t<a href="https://youtu.be/PyarRMo64ew?t=455" target="_blank">he conversion story of Fr. Donald Calloway </a>who was baptized at age ten at the behest of Episcopalian kin even though his parents were not practicing their faith. The only thing that he remembered from his baptismal sacrament of initiation was the donuts they eat afterwards. Hearing his hair raising testimony, the graces of baptism did not take from merely that liturgical ritual. Is it merciful to give the impression that one is saved by baptism but has no context to living properly as a Catholic Christian?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Pope Francis’ encyclical, <a href="https://dc-lausdeo.blogspot.com/2016/10/rueing-spirit-of-amoris-laetitia.html" target="_blank">Amoris Laetitia</a>, attempted to reconcile the practice of the Catholic faith with the Modern Family. Pope Francis declared that marriage was between a man and a woman for life (para. 62), same sex unions can not be equated with marriage (para. 52) and that education is the of a child is the “primary right” of parents (para. 84). It is hard to believe that the child would be brought up in the ways of the church in the aforementioned scenario, which argues against a profligate administration of baptism.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><i>Pro arguendo</i>, one could attempt to apply the logic of <a href="http://www.vatican.va/content/dam/francesco/pdf/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20160319_amoris-laetitia_en.pdf" target="_blank">Chapter Eight of Amoris Laetitia </a>in this instance. After all, Pope Francis opined that pastors ought not throw moral stones and be done with irregular situations. In footnote 351, the Holy Father sought to reconcile those in irregular marriages (Catholics civilly remarried after a divorce without obtaining an annulment) with the Church through a circuitous procedure in lieu of canon law. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">This alternative approach required extensive pastoral counseling for the couple so they could understand the wisdom of the Church and conforming their lives to the teaching. In conforming irregular marriage to the norms of the church, the couple would need to be catechized and gain an informed conscience. If children were a consideration and couples could not easily separate, so they would be enjoined from marital relations in order to receive the sacraments. And the couple would be encouraged to join another parish so as to avoid the appearance of scandal. Of course, that is asking a lot. But the Gospel exhorts us: “The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.” </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">So how would this <i>Amoris Laetitia</i> logic be applied to parents of a child seeking baptism who are flagrantly living their lives contrary to Church teachings? That’s the rub. Those making the baptismal promises are more than falling short of virtue. They are publicly living their lives contrary to the teaching of the Faith. <i>Amoris Laetitia </i>anticipates some metanoia as well as a resolve to sin no more. Is it reasonable to expect the child to be raised under the Church’s precepts, particularly with the Home Church defies the theology of the body and a sacredness of the covenant of marriage? </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">In America, we fret about the <a href="https://www.catholicleague.org/catholic-church-attendance-drops/" target="_blank">lack of Sunday Mass by many baptized Catholics</a> and of the glaring lack of understanding of fundamental precepts of faith (e.g. <a href="While listening to Personally Speaking, a Catholic interview program hosted by Monseigneur Jim Lisante, the prelate host shared sua sponte that he recently was approached by two lesbians who sought to have their child baptized. Despite being turned away at two other parishes, the priest proclaimed to the couple: “There isn’t anything in the bible about being gay so it must be OK” thus he consented to perform the sacrament. The cleric’s superficial scriptural analysis speciously seems to ignore Jesus’ perspective on marriage in MT 19 as a married man and woman become one flesh. That passage clearly does not include alternative arrangements. But the conundrum is on the propriety of baptizing a child to parents who manifestly are living contrary to the teachings of the church. While I appreciate the pastoral inclinations, the scenario calls into question the rationale for the sacrament of initiation and what is involved in infant baptism. Ideally, baptism claims the person as a child of God with an indelible mark on the soul. But an infant is unable to make baptismal promises, so those proclamations of faith are made by parents and godparents. Thus, pastoral discernment is required of the parents and godparents Canon 1255 anticipates that the faith promise given infant baptism be supplemented by the parents, godparents and community. In Acts 2:38 St. Peter exhorts us to “Repent and be baptized” which requires a metanoia (i.e. turning away from sin) in those professing the faith. Practically speaking, the faith must be nurtured by the practice in the home church as well as with the People of God. The difficulty is when parents are living lives that are manifestly and publicly contrary to the tenants of the faith. Those inclined to seek the mercy of God would surely say that an innocent child should not be punished for the sins of the parents. But baptism involve promises made in rearing the child in the faith. In this scenario, we can assume that they are living as a same sex couple and have pride in their lifestyle. If one of the couple is biologically the mother, it raises issues about artificial insemination or procreation outside of marriage. This would mean that a child would be expected to be raised in the faith by a couple co-habitating outside of sacramental marriage and with orientations that the church teaches are disordered? Despite Monseigneur Lisante’s claims, the Church in Canon 2357 considers homosexual acts as intrinsically disordered. It is unclear if the couple was civilly married but the Church does not recognize such unions as being covenantial or sacramental. Perhaps the couple was not church going and those pastors deemed the sacrament of baptism being used as a ritualistic rite of passage rather than a conferral of grace. Near the beginning of Pope Francis’ papacy, the Holy Father chided young priests to not become “little monsters” doggedly adhering to doctrine but instead to focus on compassion, evangelization and inclusion. In that spirit, pastors may be reluctant to turn away anyone from the Church, even if adherence to baptismal promises made for them seem tenuous so as to see if takes hold. This calls to mind the conversion story of Fr. Donald Calloway who was baptized at age ten at the behest of Episcopalian kin even though his parents were not practicing their faith. The only thing that he remembered from his baptismal sacrament of initiation was the donuts they eat afterwards. Hearing his hair raising testimony, the graces of baptism did not take from merely that liturgical ritual. Is it merciful to give the impression that one is saved by baptism but has no context to living properly as a Catholic Christian? Pope Francis’ encyclical, Amoris Laetitia, attempted to reconcile the practice of the Catholic faith with the Modern Family. Pope Francis declared that marriage was between a man and a woman for life (para. 62), same sex unions can not be equated with marriage (para. 52) and that education is the of a child is the “primary right” of parents (para. 84). It is hard to believe that the child would be brought up in the ways of the church in the aforementioned scenario, which argues against a profligate administration of baptism. Pro arguendo, one could attempt to apply the logic of Chapter Eight of Amoris Laetitia in this instance. After all, Pope Francis opined that pastors ought not throw moral stones and be done with irregular situations. In footnote 351, the Holy Father sought to reconcile those in irregular marriages (Catholics civilly remarried after a divorce without obtaining an annulment) with the Church through a circuitous procedure in lieu of canon law. This alternative approach required extensive pastoral counseling for the couple so they could understand the wisdom of the Church and conforming their lives to the teaching. In conforming irregular marriage to the norms of the church, the couple would need to be catechized and gain an informed conscience. If children were a consideration and couples could not easily separate, so they would be enjoined from marital relations in order to receive the sacraments. And the couple would be encouraged to join another parish so as to avoid the appearance of scandal. Of course, that is asking a lot. But the Gospel exhorts us: “The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.” So how would this Amoris Laetitia logic be applied to parents of a child seeking baptism who are flagrantly living their lives contrary to Church teachings? That’s the rub. Those making the baptismal promises are more than falling short of virtue. They are publicly living their lives contrary to the teaching of the Faith. Amoris Laetitia anticipates some metanoia as well as a resolve to sin no more. Is it reasonable to expect the child to be raised under the Church’s precepts, particularly with the Home Church defies the theology of the body and a sacredness of the covenant of marriage? In America, we fret about the lack of attendance of Catholics going to Mass and of the glaring lack of understanding of fundamental precepts of faith (e.g. the Real Presence in the Eucharist). So many poorly catechized Catholics are poached by Evangelical denominations since they hunger for the divine, but are sacramentalized but not catechized. So much for the fruits from the Church of Nice. For seekers of Divine Truth, it is disheartening if they discover that were holy fools for playing by the rules because mercy to the unrepentant overrides all. While it sounds merciful to baptize a child from a proud lesbian couple, sadly it seems that the child would be left as a spiritual orphan through a perfunctory ceremony which waters down the sacrament." target="_blank">the Real Presence in the Eucharist</a>). So many poorly catechized Catholics are poached by Evangelical denominations since they hunger for the divine, but are sacramentalized but not catechized. So much for the fruits from the Church of Nice. For seekers of Divine Truth, it is disheartening if they discover that were holy fools for playing by the rules because mercy to the unrepentant overrides all.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">While it sounds merciful to baptize a child from a proud lesbian couple, sadly it seems that the child would be left as a spiritual orphan through a perfunctory ceremony which waters down the sacrament.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><br /></p>DC Calamityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00410579037445829658noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2075817479603179146.post-60262556675673021912021-01-25T10:03:00.000-05:002021-01-25T10:03:54.760-05:00Clarence Thomas on Going to Mass <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dbb4WPSoi8w/YA7dfL0yTkI/AAAAAAAAP-Y/AtYBnOV_KFIirQBl3J_44kRwvAPNV5ozACLcBGAsYHQ/s825/210125a%2BClarence%2BThomas.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="825" data-original-width="543" height="813" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dbb4WPSoi8w/YA7dfL0yTkI/AAAAAAAAP-Y/AtYBnOV_KFIirQBl3J_44kRwvAPNV5ozACLcBGAsYHQ/w536-h813/210125a%2BClarence%2BThomas.JPG" width="536" /></a></div><br /> <p></p>DC Calamityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00410579037445829658noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2075817479603179146.post-12085420367342588322021-01-24T16:59:00.001-05:002021-01-24T16:59:43.307-05:00St. Francis de Sales on Inner Peace<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JWMOmaPcvo0/YA3sxu92YWI/AAAAAAAAP-M/DjaDY7PSDY04MqCm5hhPu_XaAo0nI4HaQCLcBGAsYHQ/s806/210124a%2BSt%2BFrancis%2Bde%2BSales.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="806" data-original-width="512" height="694" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JWMOmaPcvo0/YA3sxu92YWI/AAAAAAAAP-M/DjaDY7PSDY04MqCm5hhPu_XaAo0nI4HaQCLcBGAsYHQ/w440-h694/210124a%2BSt%2BFrancis%2Bde%2BSales.JPG" width="440" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">These are calming words of wisdom from a Doctor of the Church at a time when it feels as if the sky is falling.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Hallelujah for the patron saint of Catholic writers and the Catholic press. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><br /><p></p>
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/yXEmrmOd4RA" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>DC Calamityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00410579037445829658noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2075817479603179146.post-39387509873859298712020-09-15T11:10:00.001-04:002020-09-15T11:10:28.592-04:00Commemorating Our Lady of Sorrows<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: #f8f9fa; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 12.32px;">Seven Swords Piercing the Sorrowful Heart of Mary in the Church of the Holy Cross,<br />Salamanca, Spain</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">On September 15th, the Roman Catholic Church commemorates the Solemnity of Our Lady of Sorrows. The feast grew in popularity during the 12th Century, but was not formally introduced until it was a regional feast in Cologne in 1423. In 1482, the feast was put on the Church calendar as "Our Lady of Compassion". In 1723, Pope Benedict XIII extended the feast to the entire Latin Church under the title: "<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><i>Septem dolorum B.M.V.</i>". The Code of Rubrics issued by Pope St. John XXIII reduced Our Lady of Sorrows to a Commemoration.</span></span><br />
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The Friar Servants of Mary (a.k.a. The Servites) have been praying the Rosary of the Seven Sorrows since the 13th Century and thereby reflecting on the suffering of Mary in union with her Divine Son, Jesus Christ.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The Seven Dolores devotion was approved by Pope Pius VII in 1815.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">1. The Dark Prophecy of Simeon at Jesus' presentation at the Temple (LK 2:33-35)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">2. The Flight of the Holy Family into Egypt (Mt 2: 13-15)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">3. The Child Jesus Is Lost in the Temple (Lt 2: 41-52)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">4. Jesus Encounters Mary on the Via Dolorosa (Jn: 19: 17)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">5. The Crucifixion and Death of Jesus (Jn 19: 25-30)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">6. Jesus Is Taken Down from the Cross (Ps 25:15, Jn 19: 31-37)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">7. Jesus Is Buried in the Tomb (Is 53:8, Jn 38:42)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The Friar Servants of Mary (a.k.a. The Servites) have been praying the Rosary of the Seven Sorrows since the 13th Century and thereby reflecting on the suffering of Mary in union with her Divine Son, Jesus Christ</span>.</div>
DC Calamityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00410579037445829658noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2075817479603179146.post-9756598885199763272020-04-10T18:39:00.000-04:002020-04-10T18:39:39.541-04:00Sound the Strepitus <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">An Obituary and Eulogistic Meditation of Yeshua bar Yahosef bar Yaqub</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Strepitus is the sudden loud clatter that symbolizes how the Earth convulsed at the physical death of the only begotten Son of our Lord. In Matthew 27:46-53, when Christ gave up His spirit on the Crucifix, there was a tumultuous earthquake. It is the jarring closing of a Tenebae Service, which is done in preparation for the Paschal Triduum.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Some churches have the Tenebrae on <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spy_Wednesday">Spy Wednesday</a>. Others choose to extinguish the lights after celebrating the Last Supper on <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maundy_Thursday">Maundy Thursday</a> or even <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_and_Holy_Friday">Great and Holy Friday</a>. Regardless of the time, it is a ritual that reminds us of how the Light of the World was briefly extinguished to fulfill scripture as an expiation for mankind’s sinfulness.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">While it is difficult to watch Mel Gibson’s cinematic masterpiece <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Passion-Christ-Definitive-Blu-ray/dp/B001JNNDGA/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1303414405&sr=8-3">The Passion of the Christ (2004)</a> for its depiction of the savage brutality inflicted by the Roman overlords on a political prisoner who challenged the religious practices and expectations of the Jewish hierachy. The teardrop from heaven is incredibly moving.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">When Salvador Dali painted <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christ_of_Saint_John_of_the_Cross">Christ of Saint John of the Cross (1951)</a>, Jesus was depicted without wounds on a Cross that floated above the Earth. Dali listened to the color of his dream that indicated that depicting the nails, blood and crown of thorns would mar the image. Dali wanted the emphasize the Trinity with the positioning of Jesus hanging on the Cross to represent the nucleus of the atom. Clearly, the cross hovering over the Earth shows the cosmic significance of the passion and death of our Lord Jesus Christ. In a modern manner, Dali celebrates Eastern Christian Church's emphasis mystagogy of Jesus' Divine Sacrifice by death on the cross.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But during a Tenebrae service, the faithful were reminded that unlike even in classical depictions of <a href="http://www.rc.net/wcc/israel/golgatha.htm">Golgatha</a> (the place of the skull) where Jesus was crucified, the crosses of Calvary were not necessarily hung that high in the air. Since those being executed had their feet nailed bound to prevent them from moving as they slowly suffocated on their crosses, they may have been only a couple of feet above the ground.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Such crosses would serve the Roman overlords as tangible examples of what happens to brigands, rabble rousers and revolutionaries. The low positioning would allow most passers-by to look into the eyes of the executed. This makes the taunts from the crowd and Jesus’ words of forgiveness all the more remarkable.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It is easy to gloss over how the expiation of mans’ sins required a blood sacrifice to seal the New Covenant. By cognitively sounding the Strepitus over Christ's crucifixion, we may <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecce_Homo">"Ecce homo"</a>.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">While some ears may find it as painful as the Stepitus, the <a href="http://www.goldcoastchronicle.com/human-interest/glenns-easter-essay/" target="_blank">Christ’s Passion has been told by Glenn Beck </a>using a motif of Pink Floyd’s<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Dark-Side-Of-The-Moon/dp/B000SXOI66/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1303418364&sr=8-1"> Dark Side of the Moon</a> (1973). Whether we use pop parables, cinematic accounts, scriptural studies, communal worship or prayerful personal reflections, it is worthy to reflect on how God's only begotten Son chose to be the suffering servant to right the relationship between God and mankind.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">[This piece originally ran at DCBarroco.blogspot.com]</span></span></div>
DC Calamityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00410579037445829658noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2075817479603179146.post-11758696947333742582019-03-24T17:27:00.003-04:002021-05-01T22:55:30.439-04:00Handicapping Episcopal Bracketology for the ADW<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-j662-HC-vxE/XJfpt8lVKwI/AAAAAAAAPKM/dsim1HffHrUWFN3ocA8xlAoQQAGO4k-MgCLcBGAs/s1600/Defrocked%2BMcCarrick.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="417" data-original-width="623" height="213" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-j662-HC-vxE/XJfpt8lVKwI/AAAAAAAAPKM/dsim1HffHrUWFN3ocA8xlAoQQAGO4k-MgCLcBGAs/s320/Defrocked%2BMcCarrick.JPG" width="320" /></a><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">The Catholic Archdiocese of Washington has been rocked with scandals involving two Cardinals which touched upon the sexual molestation of minors. Disgraced former Cardinal Archbishop now Mr. Theodore McCarrick was defrocked in February 2019 for a credible allegation of abuse four decades before. But "Uncle Ted" had quite the reputation for having special relations with promising seminarians. </span><br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-T-zSf4mvZHI/XJfp6_rPKJI/AAAAAAAAPKQ/-m7X68iJcOsv078sJxnZ23CGw_pg6aOuACLcBGAs/s1600/Wuerl%2Bresigns.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="208" data-original-width="197" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-T-zSf4mvZHI/XJfp6_rPKJI/AAAAAAAAPKQ/-m7X68iJcOsv078sJxnZ23CGw_pg6aOuACLcBGAs/s1600/Wuerl%2Bresigns.JPG" /></a><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"> His successor, Cardinal Donald Wuerl, was the Archbishop of Pittsburgh when he seemingly let a couple of clerical bad apples get off easy for credible abuse of minors in the 1990s. Wuerl resigned his role as Archbishop under pressure in October 2018 but has remained as the Apostolic Administrator.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">For nearly eight months, the Archdiocese of Washington has been praying for a new shepherd for to the flock. To whimsically work off the anticipation of Pope Francis' momentous choice to fill the See of DC, longtime Vatican reporter Rocco Palmo likened the selection to the NCAA March Madness Sweet Sixteen.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Such piquant playfullness in ecclesial politics is welcomed at DC-LausDeo. After all, the supposed contenders for the <a href="https://dc-lausdeo.blogspot.com/2013/03/the-papabili-pontificate.html" target="_blank">2013 Conclave were presented in a Survivor style motif.</a></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brussels Cardinal Gotfried Danneels </td></tr>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">During Conclave 2013, then Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio (Buenos Aires) did not even make the brackets because the arbitrary age cut off was 72 and he was 75 when elected as Pope. While proceedings of any Conclave are supposed to be kept secret, there have been some chatty Cathy Cardinals (particularly <a href="https://nieuws.vtm.be/binnenland/159605-danneels-zat-soort-maffiaclub/?referer=https://www.churchmilitant.com/news/article/saint-gallen-mafia-cardinal-dies" target="_blank">Cardinal Archbishop Gotfried Daneels</a> of Mechelen-Brussels) who have leaked about the left-leaning St. Gallen Group which was said to be instrumental in electing Pope Francis.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">The handicapping of a choice for a new episcopal leader of the Archdiocese of Washington is considerably more challenging because of the wider selection pool. While Papal Conclaves almost exclusively select within their own ranks, so that means only 125 conceivable "candidates", our Holy Father has plenty of bishops from which to choose. And it is not out of the question that a cleric might ascend the ranks if he is the right choice for the ADW.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Having not been discouraged by the Sweet Sistine shutout of 2013, it is amusing to muse on Episcopal Bracketology.</span><br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-onRMNFvTSzQ/XJfrOQu7_UI/AAAAAAAAPKk/twST-ie-OLI2GKePQ5rwHGEQZonbcP2ZACLcBGAs/s1600/ADW%2Bcrest.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="282" data-original-width="240" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-onRMNFvTSzQ/XJfrOQu7_UI/AAAAAAAAPKk/twST-ie-OLI2GKePQ5rwHGEQZonbcP2ZACLcBGAs/s200/ADW%2Bcrest.JPG" width="170" /></a><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">It is instructive to consider the Washington See. The Archdiocese of Washington is the home to nearly three million Catholics (about 22% of the area's population). It is located in the Nation's Capitol and thus has increased prominence. </span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Almost since its separation from the Archdiocese of Baltimore was complete in 1947, the ADW it has been graced with a Cardinal at the helm. That being said, the past two Cardinals have left under scandal, which involves the hot button issues of clerical chastity and sexual abuse of minors. The Archdiocese of Washington is one of four American diocese under scrutiny by the US Conference of Catholic Bishops for reports of sexual abuse. No wonder Rocco Palmo sees this choice to be the singular move which will define Pope Francis' stewardship in America.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">So the stakes concern a large and very prominent Archdiocese which has been plagued with sexual scandal surrounding two preceding shepherds. </span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Our Holy Father ought to discern (a fine Ignatian term) if his choice is deliberately free from ties which plagued predecessors , if a choice with local ties would help, charism which suit the See, and if he wants to make a statement with the selection.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cardinal Joseph Tobin with Pope Francis (circa 2016)</td></tr>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Initially, I anticipated that Cardinal Joseph Tobin to be shifted from Newark down to DC. After all, shortly after the small Diocese of Indianapolis was elevated to a Cardinalate See in 2016, with Tobin at the helm, he was transferred to the Archdiocese off Newark, which has a significant Catholic population, thought previously overshadowed by the Archdiocese of New York and Philadelphia. Tobin made headlines in 2014, warning American Catholics not to be balkanized as right wing or left wing, progressive or traditional.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"> One might conclude that Tobin had favor under Pope Francis' pontificate and a supra political leader would be well suited for the leadership of a prominent archdiocese. However, when news arose that McCarrick may have orchestrated the appointment of Tobin and Cardinal Cupich of Chicago, it tied him to the disgraced prelate. Furthermore, there were reports that Tobin dismissed "rumors" that McCarrick slept with seminarians as it was incredulous. Thus, it is unlikely that Tobin will ascend to the helm of the Nation's Capital. Tobin did not even make Rocco's bracket.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bishop Kevin Vann (Orange, CA) and Christ Cathedral </td></tr>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">As there is an increasing need for outreach to prominent and vibrant ethnic minorities in the American Catholic Church, multi-lingual proficiency may be an influential factor. Bishop Kevin Vann of the Diocese of Orange (California) speaks Vietnamese and Spanish, two important sub cultures in the ADW. However, linguist acumen may not be the deciding factor in getting the episcopal nod in Washington. The fact that Bishop Vann is overseeing the major<a href="https://youtu.be/TfpaWSJ9bTE" target="_blank"> transformation of the historic Protestant Crystal Cathedral into a Catholic Christ Cathedral</a> may show more crucial leadership and managerial skills.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Baltimore Archbishop William Lori</td></tr>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">If local ties and a distance from still raw scandals then Baltimore Archbishop William Lori would be a natural selection. Lori became an auxiliary bishop in the Archdiocese of Washington. Lori has no connections to McCarrick or Cardinal Wuerl. In fact, Lori has been tasked to clean up sexual scandal in the suffragan diocese of Wheeling-Charleston. Lori also headed the Fortnight for Freedom campaigns for religious liberty. But a couple of those advantages also work against serious consideration of Lori for the ADW. Baltimore is the mother Archdiocese in America so moving to Washington would at best be a lateral move. Lori's strong oversight of Wheeling began in the fall of 2018, so shifting diocese would create complications in two other dioceses. Even though Lori's experience with the <a href="https://dc-lausdeo.blogspot.com/2013/06/fanfare-for-fortnight-for-freedom.html" target="_blank">Fortnight for Freedom </a>demonstrates experience in navigating religion in political waters, this may not be the sort of political experience which would be valued by the Vatican today. In addition, Lori has been leader of a major American See for seven years, yet has not been named a Cardinal, which might be a signal about his favor within the Holy See.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Some of the names in this ecclesial bracketology are familiar, such as former USSB chair Archbishop Kurtz (Louisville) and Archbishop (Wilton) Gregory (Atlanta). But both of those prelates are over 70, which effectively would be a short term appointment (as Bishops are asked to turn in their resignations by age 75, but as 78 year old Cardinal Wuerl has demonstrated, retirement is not automatic--even after one has "resigned" the post).</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">San Diego Bishop Robert McElroy at Social Justice conference </td></tr>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">One name did jump out for its notoriety, Bishop Robert McElroy of San Diego. McElroy is widely regarded to be a supporter of progressive policies of Pope Francis. Moreover, McElroy has been in the forefront of opposing the Trump Administration on immigration issues. McElroy argues against denying public officials the Eucharist for public officials because of their political positions, arguing that a traditional "theology of scandal" should be invoked. McElroy sports a Jesuit education, writes for America Magazine and focuses on social justice issues. </span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">All of those attributes would seem to suit the opening in the ADW under this pontificate. But McElroy received a letter from a clerical sex abuse expert in 2016 warning about now Mr. McCarrick, but McElroy did nothing about it as he could not determine the credibility of the source. There is also a recent San Diego diocese scandal in which the bishop sided with a<a href="https://www.churchmilitant.com/news/article/bishop-mcelroy-defends-diocesan-employee-in-same-sex-marriage" target="_blank"> diocesen employee who was openly homosexual and shut out traditional Catholic dissenters</a> during some of his listening sessions on clerical abuse in the fall of 2018.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Some of the bishops who made the bracketology cut hail from some unlikely places, which fits in with Francis' pontificate. Like Archbishop Paul Etienne, who currently leads Anchorage, Alaska. Or Bishop Christopher Coyne of the Diocese of Burlington (Vermont). My favorite of underdog picks from far flung places is Archbishop Peter Bryan Wells, an American who serves as apostolic nuncio to South Africa, Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia and Swaziland. </span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Who will vault to top and receive "the call"? Learning from the past, only the Holy Spirit and the Pope knows for sure. But this ecclesial bracketology exercise illuminates choices in leadership. </span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"> Although it would be imprudent to lock in a name, as such prognostication will likely be wrong, it is hoped that the Archdiocese of Washington will be blessed with a shepherd after God's own heart. Being more specific, it would seem prudent to have a header who can not be facilely tied to connections of the clerical sexual abuse scandal, considering how it has rocked the ADW. It would be a blessing if the leader was not effectively an interim candidate due to age. And it be wonderful if the man chosen can diplomatically navigate delicate political issues while standing up for longstanding Catholic values. </span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Nevertheless, it is time to end the period of the Apostolic Administrator, particularly as it is occupied by the same man who resigned the Archbishoric under pressure in October 2018. It is unlikely that Pope Francis will choose a candidate during Lent. But the longer this interim administration lasts, the less confidence that faithful Catholics will have that Wuerl's resignation mattered other than to take public relations pressure off the Washington hot seat. </span></div>
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DC Calamityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00410579037445829658noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2075817479603179146.post-86517627412602109792018-11-15T12:54:00.001-05:002018-11-15T12:55:27.001-05:00USCCB President Cardinal Di Nardo on Episcopal Accountability<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">At the last minute request of the Holy See, the Fall meeting of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) was shifted away from taking concrete action about Episcopal Accountability crisis, which was sparked by revelations of former Washington Archbishop Theodore (call me "Uncle Ted") Mc Carrick. Pope Francis may do something more in the planned February gathering.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Veteran Vatican watcher <a href="http://whispersintheloggia.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Rocco Palmo </a>quoted an unnamed bishop who sardonically quipped that the Holy Father's intervention wall well unite the USCCB.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">USCCB President Cardinal Daniel Di Nardo urged the assembly to be vigilant about sexual misconduct in their dioceses. However, it was surprising that the </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">USCCB voted not to press the Vatican to release all information pertaining the <i>les affairs McCarrick</i>. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">While a bishops' conference may not canonically have the jurisdiction to reprimand a malfeasor brother bishop, the request from the Vatican to eschew action on the sexual accountability crisis was horrible optics.</span><br />
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DC Calamityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00410579037445829658noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2075817479603179146.post-1425106037126201152018-11-12T13:12:00.001-05:002018-11-12T13:12:45.979-05:00St. Vincent of Lerins on Popes <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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DC Calamityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00410579037445829658noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2075817479603179146.post-86478310240382186822018-10-04T11:21:00.003-04:002018-10-04T11:21:47.220-04:00St. Francis Assisi on Life <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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DC Calamityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00410579037445829658noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2075817479603179146.post-11199270135547819542018-10-02T18:38:00.000-04:002018-10-02T18:38:45.829-04:00On Guardian Angels <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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DC Calamityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00410579037445829658noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2075817479603179146.post-40912293534109693792018-09-30T12:00:00.000-04:002018-10-01T08:34:19.864-04:00Fulton Sheen on the Zeitgeist <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://dcbarroco.files.wordpress.com/2018/09/180930a-fulton-sheen.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Venerable Archbishop Fulton Sheen on Bigotry and Broadmindedness" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-20465" height="486" src="https://dcbarroco.files.wordpress.com/2018/09/180930a-fulton-sheen.jpg?w=604" width="604" /></a></div>
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DC Calamityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00410579037445829658noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2075817479603179146.post-86510705851749765792018-07-31T06:12:00.000-04:002018-07-31T06:12:08.782-04:00St.Ignatius of Loyola on His Pre-Repentive Life <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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DC Calamityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00410579037445829658noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2075817479603179146.post-26596109787007631192018-07-28T20:10:00.000-04:002018-07-28T20:31:36.846-04:00On the First American Martyr, Blessed Stanley Rother<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://dcbarroco.files.wordpress.com/2018/07/180728a-blessed-stanley-rother1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Blessed Stanley Rother on Being a Pastor" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-20409" height="842" src="https://dcbarroco.files.wordpress.com/2018/07/180728a-blessed-stanley-rother1.jpg" width="482" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Stanley Rother was a farmer priest coming from the Diocese of Oklahoma and Tulsa. He struggled academically and was dropped from his first seminary but was given a second chance at Mount St. Mary's Seminary in Emmitsburg, Maryland. He was ordained in 1963 and served in Oklahoma until 1968, when he answered a calling to be a missionary to Mayan Catholics in Southern Guatamala. </span></div>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tMPyQM2IXi4/W10AvnkkORI/AAAAAAAAO9Q/RxVLC18x3HAdaWFBDa8D52VHW9SiEZCUwCLcBGAs/s1600/Stanley%2BRother%2BPicture.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="469" data-original-width="323" height="400" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tMPyQM2IXi4/W10AvnkkORI/AAAAAAAAO9Q/RxVLC18x3HAdaWFBDa8D52VHW9SiEZCUwCLcBGAs/s400/Stanley%2BRother%2BPicture.JPG" width="275" /></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Fr. Rother's faith and solidarity with his rural agrarian parish endeared him to the natives and increased their faithful participation in church life. In late 1980, Fr. Rother witnessed a disappearance and torture of some of his parishioners. When Fr. Rother learned that he was also on a hit list, he briefly returned to the United States to visit family and contemplate how to fully live his vocation. Fr. Rother returned to Mount St. Mary's Seminary to discern what to do. Despite being warned that his life was in danger, he sought to return to his mission to celebrate Easter with his people.</span></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KFsMDz8lIDc/W1z_lRSwCHI/AAAAAAAAO88/Zyv1ARS3dHQQ1jlVtw7MVqje7q3akagMACLcBGAs/s1600/Stanley%2BRother%2BMemorial.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="987" height="155" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KFsMDz8lIDc/W1z_lRSwCHI/AAAAAAAAO88/Zyv1ARS3dHQQ1jlVtw7MVqje7q3akagMACLcBGAs/s320/Stanley%2BRother%2BMemorial.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Fr. Rother was murdered, presumably by paramilitaries, in his rectory on July 28th 1981. His people loved him so much that his Mayan parishioners wanted to keep the relic of Fr. Stanley's heart at their simple parish, while the rest of the remains were repatriated to Oklahoma.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Pope Benedict XVI declared Stanley Rother a Servant of God in 2009. In 2016, Pope Benedict recognized Stanley Rother as having being killed "in odium fidei". Blessed Stanley Rother's beatification mass was held before an overflow crowd of 20,000 in Oklahoma City on September 23, 2017. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Blessed Stanley Rother's feast is on day of his martyrdom when he entered into eternal life on July 28th. </span></div>
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DC Calamityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00410579037445829658noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2075817479603179146.post-26629224898520427032018-07-13T14:53:00.000-04:002018-07-13T14:53:39.277-04:00Aloysius Schwartz on Prayer <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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DC Calamityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00410579037445829658noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2075817479603179146.post-73244383149231582692018-06-08T11:29:00.001-04:002018-06-08T11:29:13.880-04:00Pope Francis on the Feast of the Sacred Heart <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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DC Calamityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00410579037445829658noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2075817479603179146.post-63632734607021787802018-05-31T11:01:00.000-04:002018-05-31T11:01:29.136-04:00St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta on Corpus Christi <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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DC Calamityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00410579037445829658noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2075817479603179146.post-46115780758846623072018-05-30T11:24:00.000-04:002018-05-30T11:32:09.338-04:00Joan of Arc on Life<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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DC Calamityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00410579037445829658noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2075817479603179146.post-16913931912586249112018-04-28T10:39:00.000-04:002018-04-28T10:40:34.509-04:00Pope St. John Paul II on Life <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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DC Calamityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00410579037445829658noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2075817479603179146.post-30968706117574668332018-04-22T08:20:00.001-04:002018-04-22T08:20:19.293-04:00Pope Pius XI on Mediocrity<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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