The Men of St. Joseph

Pat Arensberg: the canon of Scripture

2012-02-03T07:30:00.000-06:00

“It was by the apostolic Tradition that the Church discerned which writings are to be included in the list of sacred books.” -Dei Verbum #8

What was the measuring stick that the Church used to determine which books were inspired, and therefore deserving of being included in the canon of Scripture, and which books were merely human? There were several:

Does the message of the book in question conform to the message alive within the Tradition of the Church?
Can the book be attributed to someone who knew Jesus? (The Gnostic Gospels were rejected for many reasons, but one of the main reasons is because they were all written in the late third or early fourth century)
Is the book used in only one or a few locations, or is it universally used? The thinking was that if the Holy Spirit inspired the book then it would have a broad acceptance and not just a local following.

There were many local Councils (or meetings of Bishops) that discussed this and there was basically universal agreement after them (Council of Hippo in 393 a.d. and the Council of Carthage in 397 a.d.). However, the Church often does not define things until someone is rejecting the truth. The Church does not feel compelled to teach/clarify or define things that everyone accepts. So, the Universal Church did not define which books were definitively in Scripture until the Council of Trent in 1545 a.d. But, please remember that this is because of the Church from about the 4th century forward accepted the books of the Bible as defined by Hippo and Carthage).

Finally, I would like to remind the gentle reader that none of the books of the Bible were written in English. Anytime you crack open a Bible it is a very good thing, but remember that you are reading an interpretation. Because any time you translate a document you must make decisions about how to translate certain words and concepts. So, be careful about trying to arrive at doctrinal conclusions using just an English Bible!

About Pat Arensberg
Patrick Arensberg is the Director of Religious Education for the Archdiocese of Mobile. Previously, he taught for 17 years at McGill-Toolen Catholic High School, where he served as Chairman of the Theology Department. He attended the Gregorian University in Rome and holds an M.A. in Theology from Notre Dame Seminary in New Orleans. He is married to Connie and they live in Mobile with their 5 children.

John Martignoni: Salvation is a process

2012-02-02T07:31:00.002-06:00

Question:
As a cradle Catholic, I certainly agree with the good points you’ve raised in your articles regarding salvation. Nevertheless, I have a Protestant (Presbyterian) friend who brought up Galatians 2:16 and most of the verses in Galatians 3 where Paul states that we are not justified through works of the law, but rather through faith. How does this correlate to your statements that both faith and works are necessary for salvation?

Answer:
The key phrase in Galatians, that Paul uses over and over again, is “works of the law.” In chapter 3 of Galatians, Paul tells us that the law “came four hundred and thirty years” after Abraham. He is quite obviously speaking of the Mosaic law. So, if “the law” spoken of here refers to the Mosaic Law, then the “works of the law” are referring to all of the rites and rituals that were part of the Mosaic Law. Circumcision, which pre-dates the Mosaic Law, was included as part of the “works of the law” because it was only after one was circumcised that they were bound to keep the “works of the law.”

What was happening in Galatia was that some Jewish Christians were telling the new Gentile Christians, that in addition to the gospel message that they had been taught by Paul, they also needed to accept circumcision and the tenets of the Mosaic law in order to be justified (or saved). The overall message of Paul to the Galatians, however, is that the Old Covenant law does not save anyone. If it did, then there would have been no need for Christ to become man and to be crucified.

Paul goes on to tell the Galatians (chapter 5) that if they accept circumcision - which would mean they are, in effect, accepting the Mosaic Law in place of the new law in Christ - then Christ would be “of no advantage” to them. He tells them they would be foolish to accept the old law.

In other words, when Paul is telling the Galatians that they are justified by faith and not by works of the law, what he is saying is that the Mosaic Law has been perfectly fulfilled in the person of Christ and that the Old Covenant has been superceded by the New Covenant. The Mosaic Law no longer needs to be followed. He is not telling them that they are saved by “faith alone” and that good works have nothing to do with salvation as many Protestants would like to interpret these verses.

And, just to re-visit the previous articles on faith and works, it is important to emphasize that, as Catholics, we do not believe we receive our justification because of our works or even because of our faith, but we receive our justification through our faith (or the faith of our parents), by the grace of God, in the Sacrament of Baptism. However, once we have been baptized into Christ, once we have been justified, we must pick up our cross daily to follow Christ (Lk 9:23) and we must bear good fruit (John 15:1-6) or we can lose our justification.

Salvation is a process. Our initial justification is by God’s grace alone, but once we have received the grace of our initial justification, then it is through our faith and works - all by the grace of God - that we remain justified. Or, as the Scripture says in Galatians 5:6, “For in Christ Jesus, neither circumcision nor uncircumcision are of any avail, but faith working through love.”

About John Martignoni
John Martignoni is the Director of Evangelization for the Diocese of Birmingham in Alabama and also the President of the Bible Christian Society. John's column, Apologetics 101, appears regularly in the diocesan newspaper, the One Voice. If you have a question about the Catholic Faith, please send an email to: jmartignoni@bhmdiocese.org. And check out John's free audio and written apologetics materials at: www.biblechristiansociety.com.

Pat Arensberg: How did the Gospels come to be?

2012-02-02T07:30:00.000-06:00

“Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded.” -Matthew 28:19-20

Jesus commanded his disciples to preach and baptize. We cannot find any commissioning to write Gospels or letters. The first disciples taught by preaching the Word, much like Jesus did. Most expected that Jesus would return (his second coming) within the lifetime of those first followers. There was not time to write; they had to prepare for that second coming. And there was no need of writing because there would be nobody left to read it. As the decades passed it became clear that Jesus’ second coming might not occur within the lifetime of that first generation of followers (since many of them were in fact dying!). They realized that the eyewitness accounts needed to be written while the eyewitnesses were still around.

Paul’s letters were certainly the first books written, even before the Gospels. In fact, when St. Paul refers to Scripture he is speaking of the Old Testament since most of the New Testament had yet to be written, not to mention defined as being inspired. Not all books written about Jesus or as letters to Churches were ultimately included in the “canon” of Scripture (canon means a measure or rule used to judge). I think it would be helpful to look at how the Church determined which books were in the Bible and which were not, but the most important point to remember is that it was in fact the Church which determined which books were inspired and which were not. The Church exercised authority of what was in the Bible to begin with.

Pat Arensberg: God is the true author of Scripture

2012-02-01T07:30:00.000-06:00

“The divinely revealed realities, which are contained and presented in the text of Sacred Scripture, have been written down under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.” -Dei Verbum 11

We say that God is the true author of Sacred Scripture, but what does this mean? Does it mean that God put pen to paper (or papyrus)? Certainly not! He used human authors. But, how does that teamwork function? In the middle-ages they thought of it as dictation. In fact, there are several famous works of art depicting an angel dictating the Gospel to a human author. This is not the accepted view. The Church teaches that the human authors of Scripture, “made use of their powers and abilities, so that with Him acting in them and through them, they, as true authors, consigned to writing everything and only those things which He wanted.” Dei Verbum #11 In other words they received the inspiration from God and then wrote as true authors, using their own way of speaking, their own judgment as to how to tell the story.

So it is very useful to study the history and language of the time. It is vital to understand any idioms that the human authors might use. However, it is also important to remember that the Holy Spirit guided the entire process. The human authors did not inject anything the Holy Spirit did not want included. They included everything the Holy Spirit wanted included and nothing more.
In a few days we will cover ways to interpret or understand Scripture, but for now let us at least say that not all the Bible is written as a historical book, or as a scientific book. We must understand the genre of the particular book in order to understand the truth that the Holy Spirit is wishing to communicate.

Pat Arensberg: Scripture and Tradition

2012-01-31T07:30:00.000-06:00

“Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture, then, are bound closely together and communicate one with the other. For both of them, flowing out from the same divine well-spring, come together in some fashion to form one thing and move towards the same goal.” Dei Verbum #9

God’s Word is one. In fact it is a person, Christ Jesus. This unique word is not just transmitted or communicated through Sacred Scripture. In fact, if you think about it the Word was communicated to humanity long before any Scripture was written. Obviously, the Word can be communicated other than through the written Scriptures. And certainly after Jesus’ ascension to the Father there was no Scripture for quite a while. Even after some of the books were written there was no consensus on which books should be considered inspired. For an at least an entire generation the “gospel” was communicated through the preaching of the Apostles and their successors. We call this Sacred Tradition. As Catholics we believe that the Word has been and is communicated through these two vessels (Sripture and Tradition).

Scripture itself attests to this. In 1 Thessalonians 2:15 Paul says, “Therefore, brothers, stand firm and hold fast to the traditions that you were taught, either by an oral statement or by a letter of ours.” Paul understands that the Gospel he preached is authoritative and an authentic passing on of the Gospel. At the end of John’s Gospel (21:25) he makes it very clear that what he wrote is not the entirety of the Gospel.

As we look at the history of the early Church we see many cases of people who misunderstood the written Word. Arius, a priest from Alexandria at the end of the 3rd century, argued from Scripture that Jesus was super-human, but not equal to God the Father. The early Church addressed this error by reflecting on the living message as handed on from the Apostles (and by looking at the whole of Scripture).

The teaching authority left by Jesus to his Apostles and their successors (bishops) interprets the Word of God found in Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition. (And, of course by Sacred Tradition we are not referring to traditions that we have developed as Catholics, but rather the living transmission of the Word of God within the Church)

Todd Sylvester: The Big Ones

2012-01-30T13:00:00.000-06:00

My six year old was organizing the change in her tiny purse as we settled in the pew for Sunday Mass. I tried to help her to lessen the jingling noises. “Do you need help?” I asked.

“No thank you, Daddy,” she responded.

As she continued to take longer than my patience could handle, I asked again. “Are you sure you don’t need help counting?”

“I’m not counting,” she responded with that look of ‘Daddy, you’re so silly.’

“Then what are doing?” I asked.

“I’m getting all the BIG ONES- THOSE ARE THE ONES I GIVE TO GOD.”

I immediately asked myself if that was true in my life. Are my greatest treasures the ones I give to God? Are my greatest gifts the ones I give to God. Are the most important things to me, those things that I give to God. Or do I save the dull pennies for Him?

Let’s look again at our lives and be sure we are giving to God the ‘BIG ONES.’

About Todd Sylvester
Todd Sylvester has worked in Church Ministry for almost 20 years. His love for Christ in the Eucharist is evident as he strives to lead his wife and ten children to the heavenly banquet. Todd is a writer, singer/songwriter, radio show host, teacher, and above all else, Lover of God. His child-like perspective is not only poignant, but helps reveal the reality of God in our everyday living.

Pat Arensberg: Personal God

2012-01-30T09:11:00.001-06:00

“The human person: With his openness to truth and beauty, his sense of moral goodness, his freedom and the voice of his conscience, with his longings for the infinite and for happiness…In all this he discerns signs of his spiritual soul.” CCC #33

All of Aquinas’ proofs are good, but one other compelling argument for the existence of God can be found in our very nature as humans. This argument is a bit like Aquinas’ proof from gradation, but much more personal. We long for truth and beauty. We seek moral goodness and nobility. These sentiments are echoes of our eternal souls. The presence of an eternal soul is, in a certain sense, a proof for God’s existence.

However, I would like to add a bit of a caution with regards to trying to prove God’s existence: You can’t. We can demonstrate that it is reasonable to believe. Our greatest way of knowing the God exists is to live in a loving relationship with him. I know God exists because I have experienced his love. In fact, isn’t it a bit insulting to spend a great deal of time trying to prove that God exists? I mean, what do you think my wife’s reaction would be if I spent a great deal of time and energy trying to prove to myself that she exists? To paraphrase Pope Benedict (by paraphrasing I don’t have to look up the exact quote!), much of the problem with modern relationships is our constant search for “proof” of the other’s love. By seeking that proof we end up destroying the relationship. We can do that with God too.

Tomorrow we will begin to look at how God reveals himself. This revelation is necessary since “man cannot possibly arrive at [some knowledge of God] by his own powers;” CCC #50. God reveals himself to us so that we may know and love him better.

Our God is Holy, Holy, Holy

2012-01-27T11:12:00.000-06:00

BY DAVID O’BRIEN

God is holy. In fact, according to the bible, God is holy, holy, holy (Is 6, Rev 4). We repeat these scriptures every week at Sunday Mass when we pray the Sanctus.

To describe God as thrice holy is the biblical way of saying God is super holy, mega holy, muchisimo holy; that no one or no thing is as holy as God.

But precisely what is the holiness of God? Simply put, it is the description of the Lord’s otherness. God is not like anything else. Even humanity, made in the image and likeness of God, is far from being God.

The Lord himself says in Hosea 11:9-"For I am God and not a man, the Holy One present among you."

On a practical level, scripture invokes God’s holiness to distinguish the God of Israel from the false gods of other nations. Yahweh is not like the gods of Israel’s neighbors or the pagan idols of Egypt. God’s thoughts are different. God’s ways are different. God’s expectations of humanity are different.

In fact, God tells us: "You shall be holy; for I, the Lord, am holy, and I have set you apart from other peoples to be my own." (Lv 20:26)

In other words, God’s people are meant to be holy, holy, holy-different, different, different--set apart, a city on a hill, a light to the nations. The people of God have been chosen to mirror God’s distinctive ways in the world through faithfulness to God’s unique plan.

Throughout the scriptures, the Lord teaches us what it means to be holy in every aspect of life.

We see this beginning with the covenant between God and Israel. After 400 years of suffering under the unjust systems of the Egyptians, God outlines in the covenant how Israel is to avoid repeating the sins of Egypt but rather structure their new nation in the Promised Land to reflect God’s design.

The covenant describes a society based on the holiness of God, a society where every person matters, political power is shared and economic resources are meant for all. In God’s society, the vulnerable have a right to special care, especially the widow, the orphan and the immigrant. (Ex 22:20-3; Dt 10:17-19; Zech 7:10)

The Fourth Commandment illustrates this radical call to be God’s holy (different) people. It states: "Keep holy the Sabbath day" (Ex 20:8-11; Dt 5:12-15). Most of us were taught that the Sabbath is a day for religious observance- Saturday for Jews, Sunday for Christians. But the Ten Commandments never mention that.

Instead, the Fourth commandment brings up the fact that the Israelites were slaves in Egypt (Dt 5). And how many days do slaves get off from work to rest? None! So God orders Israel to not be like Egypt, or the other nations that exploit people. They are to be holy, different, because God is holy. And God cares for all people, especially the weak and oppressed. Therefore, in Israel everyone gets a day off including the children, the resident aliens (immigrants), slaves and even the animals.

As disciples of Christ and children of the New Covenant, we are expected to reflect the attitudes and priorities of the Lord in our personal lives and our communal lives, in our political, economic and religious decisions. Our behavior and our choices should differ dramatically from the ways of the world.

To conform to society’s values, which are often subtle forms of idol worship, is to violate the holiness of God, in whose image we are created.

We do well, then, to consider the awesome and fearful duties that come with being sons and daughters of a holy God. If we dare stand before the Lord in all honesty, we might fall on our face and cry out with the prophet Isaiah: "Woe is me, I am doomed! For I am a man of unclean lips, living among a people of unclean lips". (Is 6:5)

About David O’Brien
David O’Brien is the Associate Director of Religious Education for Lay Ministry for the Archdiocese of Mobile. His column, Everyday Faith, appears regularly in the archdiocesan newspaper, the Catholic Week. Email David at dobrien@mobilearchdiocese.org.

Abp. Dolan addresses "Jesus is all we need, not religion" nonsense

2012-01-27T07:05:00.002-06:00

Archbishop Dolan writes in today's Catholic New York:

Jesus Christ and His Church are one.
Now, that’s a revealed truth that needs repeating today.
What we’ve got now, if the scholarly research is accurate—and I’m afraid it is—is a growing tendency to split Christ from His Church. More and more seem to be claiming such things as:
“Oh, I’ve got faith. I just don’t need the Church.”
“Faith is great; religion stinks.”
“I believe. I just don’t want to belong.”
“I got Jesus. Why bother with the Church?”
“I pray how and when I want. What’s the big deal about the Mass and Church on Sunday?”
St. Paul would take exception. So would Jesus.

When God chose Israel he selected not a person but a people. Faith in God is communal by its very nature.

Like our Jewish neighbors, we Catholics have always believed that God chooses us and gives us the supernatural gift of faith. It’s not that we decide our faith. You bet, we freely decide how firmly and generously we will live out our faith, but we are “born into” a Church. Faith is a gift from God given us on the day of our baptism into His Church.

Just like we’re “born into” a natural family. We are a member of a human family. That family is often flawed and imperfect. In fact, there are times when we’re angry at it and might even drift away from family events. But, family membership is in our blood.

Read Archbishop Dolan's entire column

Catechism 101: Review divine revelation

2012-01-27T05:00:00.000-06:00

BY PAT ARENSBERG

Thank you so much for reading so far. I thought I would use today’s blog to review and summarize the Catholic view of divine revelation.
The most important principles with regard to divine revelation are these:

God takes the initiative, not us
He does so because he loves us and longs to be as close to us as possible
We can know something about God through natural reason, but the knowledge is very limited, fallible and certainly impersonal.
God wanted more for us, so he introduced himself
Using natural reason, St. Thomas Aquinas demonstrated that God must exist in five ways (from motion, from efficient cause, from possibility and necessity, from gradation and finally from governance)

About Pat Arensberg
Patrick Arensberg is the Director of Religious Education for the Archdiocese of Mobile. Previously, he taught for 17 years at McGill-Toolen Catholic High School, where he served as Chairman of the Theology Department. He attended the Gregorian University in Rome and holds an M.A. in Theology from Notre Dame Seminary in New Orleans. He is married to Connie and they live in Mobile with their 5 children.

Three Wiseguys' Roadmap From Christmas To Easter

2012-01-26T13:52:00.001-06:00

BY FATHER JAMES J.M. REYNOLDS, STB, STL

Well, dear Academicians, the Christmas Season has come to its completion. The next highlight of the Church's Liturgical Year will be Ash Wednesday (which will come earlier this year, on February 22, 2012).

The Three Magi's liturgical visit with the Infant Christ, the Holy Virgin Mother, and holy Saint Joseph has come to its completion. They are departing us to go home. So, we wave goodbye to the Balthasar, Caspar, and Melchior, watching them return to their liturgical homelands until next Epiphany.
But, what's this? I find that they have left you and me a"see you next year" gift! They are an exceptionally wise and generous triumvirate, those three Magi!

Their gift to us is a roadmap: a set of directions for journeying successfully toward Easter and through the rest of this Liturgical Year!

About Father Reynolds

Reverend Father James J.M. Reynolds, STL, serves as the chaplain of the Men of St. Joseph chapter, Diocese of Rockville Centre. He writes his own blog at www.catholicjediacademy.com.

Catechism 101: Aquinas - proof from governance

2012-01-26T05:00:00.000-06:00

BY PAT ARENSBERG

“You spread out the heavens like a tent; you raised your palace upon the waters. You make the clouds your chariot; you travel on the wings of the wind….You fixed the earth on its foundation, …” -Psalm 104:2-5

Congratulations! You made it to Aquinas’ fifth and final proof or demonstration that there must be a God. This one may be the most intuitive of them all.

Aquinas argues that the complexity of the universe would not be possible unless there were some intelligent designer. (Please do not confuse this with the modern rejection of the possibility of biological evolution that is often referred to as “Intelligent design”)

Think of it this way. If you were walking down along a remote beach and you found a watch, would you assume that it was the product of random forces of nature, or would you immediately know that some intelligent being made it? The complexity of the watch and the fact that it acts toward a specific purpose or end argues for a watchmaker.

We, and the universe for that matter, are so much more complex that a watch! Think about the complex things your body is doing right this very second. Your digestive tract is working on breakfast, you are filtering waste from the blood, you are respirating and oxygenating all of your cells, not to mention what your eyes and brain are doing. Wow! You are pretty cool and complex.
This proof does not mean to imply that God has made the universe and now is just letting it run like the watchmaker does. That is called “deism” and we reject that idea. Imagine a watchmaker who so loved his creation that he was willing to become a part of that watch! This is our God.

Media Stupidity at The March For Life

2012-01-25T12:18:00.000-06:00

BadCatholic has a great post on the stupidity of the media in its non-coverage of the March for Life. You can read it here.

Catechism 101: Aquinas - proof from gradation

2012-01-25T05:00:00.000-06:00

“From Zion God shines forth, perfect in beauty.” -Psalm 50:2

Thanks for reading these brief blogs. You know the plan is to expose you to virtually the entire Catechism of the Catholic Church over about a one year period. Just 5 minutes a day of this reading will get you there!

We are looking at St. Thomas Aquinas’ demonstrations from natural reason that there must be a God. We arrive today at his fourth demonstration from “Gradation.” He notices that we speak of things as being more or less beautiful and more or less true and more or less good. He then argues that for this to be the case there must be such a thing as goodness, beauty and truth. He argues that the being who contains all of these qualities in their fullness we call God (or perhaps the being who is goodness, beauty and truth). This warrants some reflection and should bring up a question too.

If you follow Aquinas you might be wondering if this proof unwittingly proves that there are two gods (one good, true and beautiful and one bad, false and ugly). Remember that evil is not so much a thing as the absence of good. Evil is actually less real than good; just like darkness is not really a thing by itself since it is just the absence of light. In fact when you get darkness and light together you don’t get anything but light. Light dispels the darkness. Evil is not evil per se, it is the absence of good.

So one of the things that blows my mind is that, strictly speaking, God does not love me. God IS love with me. Love is not something God does; it is something he is. This means he can never stop loving. It also means that anytime I love God is somehow present there.

Catechism 101: Aquinas - proof from possibility and necessity

2012-01-24T05:00:00.000-06:00

BY PAT ARENSBERG

“But,” said Moses to God, “when I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ if they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what am I to tell them?” God replied, “I am who am.” Then he added, “…I AM sent me to you.” Exodus 3:14

As we continue to look for ways, using natural reason alone, to arrive at the conclusion that God exists we not turn our attention to St. Thomas Aquinas’ third demonstration, “From possibility and necessity.” This is likely the most difficult for me to explain in this brief format, so I would like to begin with the conclusion. Aquinas arrives at the conclusion (again using natural reason) that there must be a being whose existence is not just possible, but in fact necessary. That being is God.

You see we all have an existence that is possible but not necessary (so does everything in the universe). We know it is possible for us to exist because we do, and we know that it is not necessary for us to exist because there was a time when we did not. Everything in the universe is in the same existential boat, namely having an existence that is possible but not necessary. Aquinas argues that there must be something that has a necessary existence otherwise the universe would not be here. He says that everything would have fallen into the state of non-existence at the same time and that state would have continued forever.

This is probably my least favorite demonstration in terms of its power to convince, but it is my favorite in terms of insights into God. He revealed himself as “I am Who am.” In essence he told Moses 2,700 years before Aquinas, “I am existence; I am the one who must exist.” I think that is kind of cool.

Catechism 101: Aquinas - proof from efficient cause - what's that mean?

2012-01-23T05:00:00.000-06:00

BY PAT ARENSBERG

“Created in God’s image and called to know and love him, the person who seeks God discovers certain ways of coming to know him. These are also called proofs for the existence of God…” CCC #31

We are looking at St. Thomas Aquinas’ proofs (or demonstrations might be a better label) for the existence of God. Friday, we saw his first proof from motion. The demonstration that we will look at today shares some of the same logic but is based on what “efficient cause.”

Aquinas notes that things exist (profound, right?). He further notices that everything that does exist is caused by something else (he actually notices that most things have many “secondary causes” for their existence, but one cause is the central or “efficient cause”). He then observes that as he looks back for the ultimate cause of existence he cannot go back forever (can’t regress infinitely). Eventually, we must posit a being who caused itself to be (an uncaused cause). This being we call God.

Looks a lot like yesterday’s and I think both can be boiled down into modern language something like this. “Well, ok so where did all that stuff that banged in the big bang come from?” The point is that scientific explanation is great and valuable but will always have a hole at “the beginning.” Science studies matter, and it cannot, but definition, define how matter was created out of nothing by a spiritual being. Eventually science hits a wall.

Matthew Kelly: "You Are Not Too Old"

2012-01-20T06:49:00.001-06:00

Catechism 101: Aquinas and the first demonstration

2012-01-20T05:00:00.000-06:00

BY PAT ARENSBERG

1-20-12
“I answer that the existence of God can be [demonstrated] in five ways.” -St. Thomas Aquinas Summa Theologica First Part, Question 2 Article #3

God respects our freedom and never compels us to belief in him. Nonetheless, there are powerful demonstrations of his existence. St. Thomas Aquinas, the preeminent 12 century theologian and Doctor of the Church, articulated five proofs, or demonstrations for the existence of God. I will describe each of these over the next few days. They are not proofs in the sense that they will compel belief; that would violate our freedom and make love impossible.

His first proof is “From Motion.” Aquinas argues that everything in the universe is in motion (or has moved from potentially existing to actually existing). He further notes that nothing moves (from potency to actuality or moves physically) without being moved by something else that is already in motion or actualized. As we trace back searching for the ultimate cause of motion we realize that we can’t go backwards forever (we cannot regress infinitely). Eventually we must posit a being (we must admit that there is a being) who moved and became actual without being moved on by anything else (an unmoved mover). This being is what or who we call God.
Remember, that Aquinas believes in a personal God who is our Father and became Incarnate, but at this point he is simply trying to prove that there is a God. He is not, in this section, trying to explain who God is beyond that.

Allen Hunt: Wear at tie. Try it.

2012-01-19T15:12:00.001-06:00

BY ALLEN HUNT

My most memorable moment of 2011 may well have come on the day I spent in a metro Atlanta traffic court - with my daughter (but that's another story). When I say a day, I mean the whole day. Hundreds of people. Courtrooms were too small to hold the offenders so people were lined up around the outside of the building for hours in the hot sun just to get in - to face justice. I try to make it a habit not to visit traffic court very often, and now I remember why!

Two important lessons emerged for me in this experience:

1) Wearing a coat and tie makes a difference. In the crowd, I counted three men (myself included thanks to my dad's lessons installed early in my life) wearing a coat and tie. It never ceases to amaze me how differently you are treated when you are dressed nicely. Multiple people asked me throughout the day if I was an attorney (answer = NO!). But the sheriff's deputies looked far more kindly on those of us in suits than on those who needed to be asked to take their ball caps off. Same trick works at the bank and at the airport too. Wear a tie. Try it.

2) Patience and humility do not come easily. These two virtues are not my strengths. But a few hours in line, in the sun, and in a courtroom can be your friend. Our judicial system is a great leveler - traffic court reminds you that we are all created equal (and miserable) in the eyes of lady justice and her authorities. I do not particularly like to be taught patience and humility. But I have to admit, they are good for the soul.

About Allen HuntAllen Hunt is a former Senior Pastor of an evangelical mega-church. He became Catholic in 2008 and now partners with Matthew Kelly to serve as the Vice-President for Strategy and Content at the Dynamic Catholic Institute. Allen is a speaker, writer, and radio host on News Talk WSB in Atlanta. He is the author of Confessions of a Mega-Church Pastor: How I Discovered the Hidden Treasures of the Catholic Church.

Catechism 101: Revelation respects human freedom

2012-01-19T14:33:00.000-06:00

BY PAT ARENSBERG

“Believing is possible only by grace and the interior helps of the Holy Spirit. But it is no less true that believing is an authentically human act.” -CCC 154

God gently reveals himself to humanity and we are invited to respond. People who choose to believe that there is no God will often argue, more or less, “If there is a God why does he not make himself more manifest? Why doesn’t he show himself more?” To this I would answer, “Well, what exactly do you want? Do you want him to become a man and walk the earth? Do you want him to speak to some people directly? What exactly do you want?” It seems to me that God has made himself very manifest, and yet we are not content. If he “came on stronger” there would still be people who would reject him and reject the very idea that he exists. The only way for God to remove all of the objections to his existence is to make himself so manifest that we would have no choice but to accept him. God respects us too much to do that to us.

If we are not free to reject him, then we are also not free to accept him. In other words, we would not be able to love him. We would be slaves, but not sons and daughters. Our God wants more for us. He longs to be our Father and invites us into a filial relationship.

O'Brien: Is this what we’re supposed to be doing?

2012-01-11T15:07:00.000-06:00

BY DAVID O'BRIEN

Ok, so I go to work, come home, go to work, come home. Drive the kids to practice for the Christmas play. Kiss my wife as she rushes out to the next thing. Catch her words as she flies down the driveway. Evidently, there is a list for me on the kitchen counter.

The dishes are still in the sink from this morning. Before we know it, the time has come to pick up the kids. A late dinner, a little homework, carry the baby while my wife punches out a priority email and then we are into the bedtime routine.

Even after the kids are down, three hours of work lie before us. We hope to be in bed by midnight.

The thing that bothers me is that I know it all starts again tomorrow. In fact, the weeks, months and years are blurring together these days, obscured by the onslaught of daily tasks that never get conquered but instead seem to breed somewhere in the back room of our house.

Wasn’t it just yesterday that we were on our honeymoon, the world lie before us and we were dreaming about all the great things we could accomplish together? Now, married with four children, a mortgage, leaky faucets, a house begging for a paint job, stacks of administrative work piled up on my desk, I wonder: "Is this what we’re supposed to be doing with our lives?"

Already, we see the window closing as we reach our forties. Where did our youth go? The years are flying by so fast. Did we miss something along the way?

My sisters are farther down the road than us. They have children in high school and college. When we talk, they are asking the same questions. We commiserate in our shared search for answers and meaning in the midst of the daily doings of family life.

This morning I awoke at 3:00 a.m. My daughter’s baptism is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. The list of to-do’s is racing through my mind, disturbing my sleep. I try to calm my thoughts, breathing deeply, fi xing my focus on the Lord, offering my little girl into His loving arms. I feel the tightness in my hands recede and I slide into a half conscious state, somewhere between distraction, peaceful slumber and meditation.

My mind recounts the story my wife told me earlier in the week. She is holding our baby girl who is playing Jesus in a live Nativity scene in front of our church. A man approaches my wife. Not a parishioner, he appears shy, awkwardly slow and a little bit off. She is cautious at first but notices the innocence in his eyes. He asks her in all sincerity: "Can I see the baby Jesus?" She watches in awe as his face beams with profound joy, staring at the holy child, our daughter.

At the baptism, I look around at the room full of friends, parents, grandparents, godparents, children, children, children and a baby dressed in a white gown. The dress is made of fabric given to us by a women we know who lives on a garbage dump outside of Mexico City. She presented us with the material as a gift for sponsoring her daughter, who died of multiple sclerosis. Somehow, I imagine her questions about the meaning of life are different than mine. For her, all of life is a gift and she is grateful, even on a garbage dump, even though her daughter died. I pray that her spirit characterizes our family in the years ahead.

On the baptismal font sits the bowl that carried the Eucharistic bread at our wedding. A friend made it for us as a wedding gift. It has been the basin for the baptisms of each of our children.

The priest prays over us that we would be good parents to our daughter and help her know the Lord’s love for her. Surrounded by God’s grace, we feel more like lottery winners at that moment than the overwrought couple we thought we were a week ago.

At the little reception in the parish hall, my wife’s mother and brother sing "O Holy Night" followed by a trio of spiritual songs performed by my older kids, songs they learned at all those play rehearsals I drove them to night after night. They sit on a table and belt out in full voice: "I’d rather have Jesus than silver and gold." My sisters wipe the tears from their eyes and smile at me.

I’m not sure what I thought we were supposed to be doing with our lives but when I pay attention to what we are doing, I’m tempted to say these ordinary, mundane, every day, monotonous demanding elements of family life might just be holy.

I doubt the history books and the New York Times will seek to immortalize 99.9% of our lives. But God is paying attention and I’m starting to think God is doing something extraordinary, even if we are too distracted, busy and preoccupied to notice most of the time.

About David O’Brien

David O’Brien is the Associate Director of Religious Education for Lay Ministry for the Archdiocese of Mobile. His column, Everyday Faith, appears regularly in the archdiocesan newspaper, the Catholic Week. Email David at dobrien@mobilearchdiocese.org.

Martignoni: The Catholic Church killed millions? Is that true?

2012-01-06T15:31:00.000-06:00

BY JOHN MARTIGNONI

Question:
My brother, who left the Church several years ago, has recently started accusing the Catholic Church of genocide because of what the Church did during the Inquisition. He said the Church killed millions of people during the Inquisition. Is that true?

Answer:
I have had people say to me that the Catholic Church killed as many as 63 million people during the Inquisition. The problem is, the entire population of Europe at any given time during the 15th and 16th centuries, when the Inquisition was the most active, is estimated to have been around 30-35 million people. So, did the Inquisition kill the entire population of Europe twice over? I don’t think so.

There are many myths about the Inquisition, particularly the Spanish Inquisition, that got started with some very good Protestant propaganda written in the late 16th century when things between Catholics and Protestants were not very pleasant, to say the least, and relations between Protestant England and Catholic Spain were rather hostile. Unfortunately, those myths have been perpetuated for hundreds of years down to our day and age, so that the average person, including many Catholics, swallow them hook, line, and sinker.

Now, I don’t want to whitewash what occurred during the Inquisition, since in any such endeavor that involves human beings there will be mistakes made, sins committed, and evils perpetrated, but I do want to set some of the facts straight so that the Inquisition can be properly judged within its historical context.

Not too long ago, I believe it was in the 90’s, the Vatican released literally thousands of records pertaining to Inquisition cases that had never before been studied by scholars. Those historical documents have changed the view of many in regards to the Inquisition. For example, when most people think of the Inquisition, they think of torture and executions. The Vatican records, however, which are the actual records of the court cases that were made at the time, show that torture was very seldom used. Compared with the frequency of torture in the civil courts of those centuries, the Inquisition courts were a few hundred years ahead of their time.

Over the approximately 450 year history of the Inquisition, in several different countries, it is now estimated that somewhere around 5000 people who went through Inquisition courts wound up being executed by the civil authorities. A much lower number than most people have in their minds when they think of the Inquisition, and certainly not 63 million. One might say, “Fine, but 5000 people killed for heresy is 5000 too many.” Indeed, but you need to take into account the times they were in. Heresy was not just a religious crime, it was usually a crime against the state as well, and that was true throughout Europe – Catholic and Protestant Europe. Just think of all the Catholic martyrs there were in England, for example. Heresy and treason were pretty much considered one and the same crime.

Also, the Inquisition courts were superior to the civil courts of the time in terms of the burden of proof that was required to convict and in terms of the legal representation that was given to the accused. The prisons of the Inquisition were also far more humane than the prisons of the secular authorities. Scholars have found instances of prisoners in secular criminal courts blaspheming in order to get into the Inquisition prison.

Again, all of this is not to say that there were no wrongs done during the Inquisition, but rather to make sure the history of the Inquisition is accurate and is considered in its proper context. Were people put to death for heresy in the Inquisition courts? Yes. But, in England at the time, you could be put to death for things such as damaging the shrubbery in a common garden. In France you could be disemboweled for sheep stealing. And, in all of those countries, and even in our country today, you could be put to death for treason which, as I’ve already mentioned, was what heresy was often viewed as.

Also, it needs to be mentioned, that the Inquisition courts, in the Catholic countries where they operated, quite often prevented a number of “witches” from being burned at the stake. There was no such restraint in the Protestant countries of the time.

Finally, one needs to consider that over a period of 450 years, in medieval Europe, approximately 5000 people who were tried in Inquisition courts received the death penalty. Over a period of 38 years, since the Roe v. Wade court case, in the modern day United States of America, approximately 50 million people, who were never given a trial, have received the death penalty. Who should be judging whom?

Our Lady of Fatima, Kazan, Soufanieh and Walsingham: Busy Lady!

2012-01-02T18:25:00.000-06:00

BY ROB MORELAND

Over the New Year’s weekend, I read about the apparitions of Our Lady of Soufanieh, to a woman in Damascus, Syria, beginning in 1982. Our Lady has appeared to a Melkite Catholic woman named Myrna Nazzour, wife of a Syrian Orthodox man named Nicholas Nazzour. They live in a neighborhood of Damascus, not far from where St. Paul was converted, called Soufanieh, hence the title Our Lady of Soufanieh.

I first learned of Marian apparitions when I read a book about Our Lady of Fatima, some 30 years ago. In 1917, she appeared to the three children in Fatima, Portugal, and the story of those apparitions left a lasting impression on me. In fact, just prior to Christmas, I reread Fr. Apostoli’s excellent book, Fatima for Today.

Perusing the Internet over the holidays, I stumbled across YouTube videos of Myrna Nazzour receiving the stigmata while in ecstasy. The videos were part of a video documentary put together by Rick Salbato of Unity Publishing. The documentary has the Imprimater of the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Damascus.

Testimonials to the authenticity of the phenomenon at Soufanieh have come from bishops and patriarchs of Catholic and Orthodox churches.

Looking for additional information on Myrna, I found a book on Our Lady of Soufanieh at the Fatima Family Apostolate International website, authored by the late Fr. Robert J. Fox, and published in 2002. This is the book I read over the New Year’s weekend. I’m quite impressed with how active Our Lady is in our world.

The Soufanieh miracles began in 1982, when pure olive oil began to exude from a small icon of Our Lady of Kazan in the home of Nicholas and Myrna Nazzour. Olive oil also began to exude from the palms of Myrna’s hands. Our Lady indicated to Myrna that her home should be open to the faithful and it has ever since. She and Nicholas’ home is always open to the faithful and all are welcome into their home to venerate the icon.

So, what is the message Our Lady and Jesus conveyed to Myrna? She and Jesus communicate with Myrna while she experiences ecstasy during their apparitions to her. They ask for Unity. They want unity of Christians, beginning with the unification of the Catholic and Orthodox churches.

Who wouldn't want that? Unfortunately, there are many who want unity, but only on their own terms.

And speaking of Unity, this brings me to the news of January 1st, on which date Pope Benedict XVI, established a home for U.S. Anglicans and Episcopalians, that wish unity with the Roman Catholic Church, but wish to retain distinctive elements of their theological, spiritual, and liturgical patrimony. The new home is called the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter.

By the way, the ordinariate is under the protection of Our Lady of Walsingham.

Our Lady sure stays busy!

Rob Moreland is the Communications Director for the Men of St. Joseph.

Bill Harkins: Obadiah, a Model of Average Guy Heroics

2011-12-28T15:00:00.000-06:00

Have you ever heard of Obadiah? If so, you might be thinking of the prophet who is credited with writing one of the smallest books in the Bible. That’s not who I am talking about. I am talking about another Old Testament figure, who only shows up for 20 short verses in 1 Kings 18:1-20.

This Obadiah was a faithful servant of God, who worked as Chief of Staff for an evil King named Ahab. In this story, Elijah, the great prophet is returning from hiding in order to be God’s instrument to end the terrible drought and famine brought on by Ahab and his wicked wife, Jezebel. Among multiple bad behaviors, the royal couple worshiped Ba’al and other false Gods.

Obadiah’s role is that he ensures Elijah and Ahab meet face to face, starting an episode that leads to a great showdown between the Prophet and hundreds of Ba’al priests, a large dose of fire from above and all the prophets being killed. When the smoke clears and the blood is cleaned up, Elijah invites the King to a covenant meal with God.

A thing for us to think about is that God used a regular guy, Obadiah (maybe his friends called him Obi for short?) to link the two key men in this scenario together. Our Lord could have accomplished this in all kinds of ways, but he chose Obadiah, who is not heard from again after this event is over. By the way, the big O is also described as saving a hundred of God’s prophets, hiding them in a cave and ensuring they were fed and had water – this during a drought and famine. Not an easy task.

Obi shows his humanity by arguing with Elijah about being sent to announce the prophet to Ahab. Read the story. Our man, really, really, does not want to do this. He does though, and the rest is truly history.

What I am getting to is this: we are like the big O, just regular guys with heroic tasks in front of us from time to time. When you are placed in a situation like this, think of Obi and how his faith pulled him through some tough situations. God placed him there for a purpose, he places you where you are for a reason too. I challenge you to read through the Bible, looking for some of the regular folks. What can you learn from them? Why are they in our Scriptures? Through them, God to speaks to us.

I am now a fan of Obadiah, I pray that I have his strength, even when I am fearful. God Bless!!

About Bill Harkins
Bill Harkins is a husband and father, retired Marine, theology student, and candidate for the permanent deaconate for the Archdiocese of Mobile. He is an active member of St. Ignatius Parish, Mobile, Alabama.

Martignoni: Where is Purgatory found in the Bible?

2011-12-28T13:55:00.000-06:00

BY JOHN MARTIGNONI

Question:
I have an Evangelical friend at work who claims that the Catholic belief in Purgatory is not scriptural. What should I say to him?

Answer:
2 Sam 12:13-18, “David said to Nathan, ‘I have sinned against the Lord.’ And Nathan said to David, ‘The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die. Nevertheless, because by this deed you have utterly scorned the Lord, the child that is born to you shall die.’ And the Lord struck the child that Uriah’s wife bore to David, and it became sick…On the seventh day the child died.” Catholic Scriptural Principle #1 – there is punishment for sin even after one has received forgiveness.

Rev 21:27, “But nothing unclean shall enter it…” The New Jerusalem – Heaven. Catholic Scriptural Principle #2 – nothing unclean, nothing with the stain of sin, will enter Heaven.

Mt 5:48, “You, therefore, must be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.” That’s because of Principle #2 – nothing unclean will get into Heaven.

Heb 12:22-23, “But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living god, the heavenly Jerusalem...and to a judge who is God of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect…” The spirits of just men, made perfect. Catholic Scriptural Principle #3 – there is a way, a process, through which the spirits of the “just” are “made perfect.”

1 Cor 3:13-15, “…each man’s work will become manifest; for the Day [judgment day] will disclose it, because it will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work which any man has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.” Where is this place that a man, after he dies, suffers loss, as through fire, but is still saved. Hell? No, once you’re in Hell, you don’t get out. Heaven? No, you don’t suffer loss in Heaven.

Mt 12:32, “And whoever says a word against the Son of man will be forgiven; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.” Implies forgiveness in the age to come. Where can you go to be forgiven in the age to come? Heaven? You don’t need forgiveness. Hell? There is no forgiveness. Catholic Scriptural Principle #4 – there is a place, or state of being, other than Heaven or Hell.

Now, let’s summarize these four scriptural principles: There is punishment for sin even after one has received forgiveness. We have to be perfect as the Father is perfect, because nothing unclean will enter Heaven. There is some way, or process, by which the spirits of the just are made perfect. There is a place besides Heaven or Hell where you can suffer loss, yet be saved, but only as through fire; and where you can be forgiven of sins from a previous age. It all adds up to one inevitable conclusion - the Catholic teaching on Purgatory is indeed scriptural.

About John Martignoni
John Martignoni is the Director of the Office of Evangelization for the Diocese of Birmingham in Alabama and also the President of the Bible Christian Society. John's column, Apologetics 101, appears regularly in the diocesan newspaper, the One Voice. If you have a question about the Catholic Faith, please send an email to: jmartignoni@bhmdiocese.org. And check out John's free audio and written apologetics materials at: www.biblechristiansociety.com.

Fr. Barron on "dumbed down" Catholicism

2011-12-28T10:35:00.001-06:00

Is God With Us? A Christmas Story

2011-12-22T12:06:00.000-06:00

BY DAVID O’BRIEN

Christmas serves as a concrete reminder that God is with us and God is active, not just on December 25 but every moment of every day. Often God’s work goes unnoticed like when he slipped in behind enemy lines on that first Christmas morning.

The task is to stay attentive to the signs, to sit with the unknowns and allow God to lead us to the Christ child.

We won’t always know where God is working in our lives or in human history. But the Christmas account is proof positive that God is among us. The question is: are we open and available?

Some years ago, a couple, Sara and Joe, took a pilgrimage. Not an ordinary pilgrimage, mind you. This would be a journey completely dependent upon God.

The plan was to start in China where Sara had worked as a Catholic missionary in the underground Church. From there they would go where the Spirit led them. The only other contact they had was a priest in India.

With an openness to God that would seem reckless to most, they began. In each village, they introduced themselves as missionaries and servants of Christ. If they were welcomed, they stayed. If not, they moved on. (Lk 9:4-5) They ate what they were offered and slept where they could lay their heads.

Often, the people of the village would invite them into their homes or their churches, asking them to share a message with them. They spoke of their journey, their adventures and how God miraculously provided for them. Mostly though, they witnessed to the love of God, available for all people through Christ.

Sometimes, after hearing their witness, someone would say "I must introduce you to my brother". Joe and Sara took that as a sign that the Spirit was directing their next step. So they went. Little did they know that "the brother" lived 14 hours away in Tibet, Nepal or Bangladesh.

Country to country, village to village, church to church they followed God’s lead for over six months. Without a car or much money, they relied on God to direct their steps and provide for their needs.

When Christmas arrived, they were in a remote Muslim area of Turkey without access to a Christian church of any sort. Despite all the ways God had taken care of them and the incredible opportunities they were given to share Christ’s love, they felt alone and cut off that Christmas Eve.

They knew God was everywhere. After all, the central message of Christmas is that God is with us (Emmanuel). Still, they longed for a Christian community with which to celebrate the savior’s birth. They desired to receive the Eucharist and experience that holy communion between God and humanity, a communion incarnated on that first Christmas morning.

Disheartened, they turned to prayer, reading the stories of Joseph and Mary, the shepherds and the angels, the donkeys and the sheep. They imagined them all gathered in that dusty, remote outpost of the Roman Empire. They pictured the glow of awe and wonder on their faces as they welcomed the Christ child.

Noticing the similarities between their rugged reality and the cave that housed the baby Jesus, Sara suggested to Joe: "Let’s go off by ourselves for an hour to listen to the Lord speak to us of Christmas. When we return, we will know how to celebrate and worship the newborn king."

An hour passed and they both returned with the same idea. "Let’s create a manger scene right here".

With single-hearted devotion, they whittled branches, gathered rocks, collected moss, grass and twigs until, as the sun set, they knelt before a hand carved Christmas crèche, complete with animals, angels and the Holy Family.

There, they spontaneously praised the great gift of God, who held nothing back to show His love. There, in the hills of Turkey with only stars for light and roaming animals to keep them company, they heard God speak: "The people in darkness have seen a great light...For unto us a child is born, a son is given...They name him Wonder-Counselor, God-Hero, Father-Forever, Prince of Peace." (Is 9)

Years have passed and Sara and Joe now have four children of their own. Each Christmas they pull out that sacred homemade crèche set, still lovingly preserved. Now, however, there are four new pieces, equally handcarved in a spirit of reverence and praise. The children love to see themselves as little fi gurines kneeling in front of the baby Jesus. Joe says, "it makes them feel like they were there. We like it because it reminds us that God is with our children."

Christmas comes once a year, but Christ is born again and again to those who are not too busy to notice.

About David O’Brien

David O’Brien is the Associate Director of Religious Education for Lay Ministry for the Archdiocese of Mobile. His column, Everyday Faith, appears regularly in the archdiocesan newspaper, the Catholic Week. Email David at dobrien@mobilearchdiocese.org.

Heavyweight Fight: Santa Claus vs. Saint Nicholas Should there be a battle to see who is the best symbol of Christmas spirit?

2011-12-21T08:13:00.000-06:00

BY CHRIS TEAGUE

It would be great to see the spiritual foundations of Santa Claus….Sankt Niklaus…Saint Nicholas make a comeback in the United States. Obviously Santa Claus has been high jacked by the commercial interests in this country and therefore he is almost seen as evil in some fundamentalist circles. But, I think Catholics families should want to help “devolve” Santa back to who he really is. We need to bring out the REALITY of Santa Claus, and maybe Santa could once again become a symbol of Christ not just a symbol of Christmas commercialism. At his core Santa Claus is still St. Nicholas however we simply fail to recognize the patron saint of children beneath all the layers of commercialism our culture has placed on him.

One article on www.stnicholascenter.org put the situation nicely,

“It's been a long journey from the Fourth Century Bishop of Myra, St. Nicholas, who showed his devotion to God in extraordinary kindness and generosity to those in need, to America's jolly Santa Claus, whose largesse often supplies luxuries to the affluent. However, if you peel back the accretions, he (Santa Claus) is still Nicholas, Bishop of Myra, whose caring surprises continue to model true giving and faithfulness.”

From a practical standpoint, I don’t know if it’s possible to truly purge Santa Claus from American Culture (or if we want to) however, I do think it is possible to restore his saintly heart….give Santa Claus a much needed spiritual makeover. Use that symbol to promote Christ and His Church, not just to promote Coke and Wal-Mart.

Below is another gem from www.stnicholascenter.org and was written by J. Rosenthal & C. Myer.

Santa Claus belongs to childhood;
St. Nicholas models for all of life.
Santa Claus, as we know him, developed to boost Christmas sales—the commercial Christmas message;
St. Nicholas told the story of Christ and peace, goodwill toward all—the hope-filled Christmas message.Santa Claus encourages consumption;St. Nicholas encourages compassion.

Santa Claus appears each year to be seen and heard for a short time;
St. Nicholas is part of the communion of saints, surrounding us always with prayer and example.
Santa Claus flies through the air—from the North Pole;
St. Nicholas walked the earth—caring for those in need.
Santa Claus, for some, replaces the Babe of Bethlehem;
St. Nicholas, for all, points to the Babe of Bethlehem.
Santa Claus isn't bad;
St. Nicholas is just better.

Chris Teague

Chris is the Evangelization Director for the Men of St. Joseph.

An Advent Spiritual Exercise: Lord, This Is The People Who Long To See Your Face! The Face Of Christ by Joe Castillo, SandStory® Artist

2011-12-21T06:58:00.000-06:00

BY FR. JAMES J.M. REYNOLDS, S.T.L.

With the death of King David, whom many Israelites presumed to be the promised Messiah, God's People, Israel, waited 1,037 years for the advent, the coming of the Christ.

During all that time, a small remnant of God's holy and devout People continued praying, fasting, doing penance, and expecting God's promised Messiah to come during their lifetime. The Psalms express their yearning and prayers for a Savior:

"Who shall ascend the mountain of the LORD? And who shall stand in his holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false, and does not swear deceitfully. He will receive blessing from the LORD, and vindication from the God of his salvation. Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek the face of the God of Jacob." (Psalm 24:3-6)

Psalm 105:4-6 also captures this yearning as it advises God's people to seek Him:

"Seek out the LORD and his might; constantly seek His Face. Recall the wondrous deeds he has done, his wonders and words of judgment, You descendants of Abraham his servant, offspring of Jacob the chosen one!"

Here's the story of a man who longs to help others to seek and recognize the Face of God, in Jesus Christ. The man's name is Joe Castillo.

Joe Castillo grew up in Mexico. His love for art and storytelling was strongly influenced by his mother, who taught painting, and his father, who owned a graphic design company. By age five he was enrolled in his mom’s art class for the neighborhood children. By eight his father was teaching him to hand letter brush script.

Then, at fourteen, he attended an artist’s chalk talk at a Christian youth camp in Mexico. He was so moved by the drawing and the powerful message that he accepted Christ that night. For the next forty years his love of art and his passion for God would inspire and guide his life.

After his father’s death in 1963, the Castillo Family moved back to the US.
Joe finished high school, studied at the Ringling School of Art in Sarasota and enrolled at Florida Bible College, where he received a Bachelor’s degree in Bible.

Joe developed a love for writing, teaching and using his artwork for telling stories. He became a regular speaker at youth camps and churches.

Joe created his own advertising firm, and worked in that field for twenty years. But, during the entire time, Joe entertained and captivated thousands of audiences -- in both English and Spanish -- by telling and drawing stories that inspire, motivate and touch the heart.

After eighteen years in advertising and the loss of his wife of twenty-six years to breast cancer, he sold his ad agency, went back to school and graduated from Asbury Seminary.

His profound love of teaching the scriptures inspired him to illustrate what he was learning in a new way. These illustrations attempted to present the Bible in an intricate story-form that grew out of the Biblical passages.

His latest adventure in storytelling is something Joe calls SandStory®.

Drawing in sand on a light table, he is able to create powerful, fluid illustrations for large audiences with an overhead video camera projected on a large screen.

His presentations have been seen by thousands of people leaving them with a sense of awe.

He has created performances for CBS, NBC, BBC, TED, over thirty Fortune Five hundred companies, Kings, presidents and dignitaries in more than 18 countries around the globe.

Joe Castillo without question is the top SandStory artist in the world today!

Here is an excerpt from a blog for and about illustrators, called Mark Armstrong, Illustration. In this excerpt, entitled, Joe Castillo’s Face Of Christ, Mark Armstrong tells us:

A friend of mine sent me a copy of The Face of Christ by Joe Castillo. I was enormously impressed. As you can see, the artist has incorporated major events from Christ’s life and ministry into the drawing, mostly in the beard and hair.

The rolled away stone of the empty tomb corresponds nicely to where the ear would be, and the stars in the eyes provide a sense of scale for the Star of Bethlehem, which is tucked into the shadow of the nose. I think my favorite touch is using the Sea of Galilee and its mountain backdrop for the right eyebrow.

Here is Joe’s portrait of Our Lord, called, The Face Of Christ. Look closely.

There are several smaller drawings which comprise the portrait of the Lord’s Face.

These smaller drawings tell the whole story of Our Lord Jesus’ life.

In case you have trouble recognizing them, here’s the portrait done up with the references to the events of Christ’s life, death, and resurrection (taken from Mark Armstrong, Illustration, who based it on the references given at this tribute site: http://jerryjeffries.net/FaceOfChrist.html):

Here's an easy and profitable Advent spiritual exercise, using Joe's The Face Of Christ:

Print out the Face above. Sit and look into this Face for a little while. It can help you focus on "The Reason" for the Christmas Season. And it can help you to make the connections between all of the major events in Our Lord Jesus Christ's thirty-three years on earth with us.

In The Book Of Exodus (33:18-33), God reveals to us through Moses, that no mere mortal may see God's Face directly. We would not be able to survive the experience of seeing absolute goodness, absolute truth, and absolute holiness. Not understanding this yet, Moses presses God for a glimpse of Him:

Then Moses said, “Please let me see your glory!” The LORD answered: I will make all my goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim my name, “LORD,” before you; I who show favor to whom I will, I who grant mercy to whom I will. But you cannot see my face, for no one can see me and live." "Here," continued the LORD, "is a place near me where you shall station yourself on the rock. When my glory passes I will set you in the cleft of the rock and will cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will remove my hand, so that you may see my back; but my face may not be seen."

With the coming of God's Son, God-in-Human-Flesh, Jesus, mortal men have finally seen the Face of God! And lived! And even more than simply surviving it, we see Christ's Face and He leads us into eternal life with Him!

As you study Joe Castillo's The Face Of Christ above, remember:

Every event depicted in this Face was accomplished for you personally -- and for all of us!

Try reading the Scripture Passages indicated for each event. And allow yourself to pray to Our Lord, and ask Him to return, to come again, and to eternally establish His Heavenly Kingdom here on earth.

God bless you!

Fr. James J.M. Reynolds

Reverend Father James J.M. Reynolds, STL, serves as the chaplain of the Men of St. Joseph chapter, Diocese of Rockville Centre. He writes his own blog at www.catholicjediacademy.com.

David O'Brien: You Can Come Home for Christmas

2011-12-12T09:52:00.000-06:00

BY DAVID O'BRIEN

I once spoke at a parish about God’s loving mercy. My main point was that there is no sin too heinous, no fault too great as to permanently cut you off from God’s inexhaustible compassion and forgiveness.

After the talk, a disheveled man in his 50’s approached me to talk. I noticed his ratty clothes and his unkempt appearance. But what leapt out at me more than anything was the pungent odor emitting from him, a sickening combination of sweat, bad breath, booze and urine.

He explained that he had been brought up Catholic but that his addiction to alcohol left him in his current state. He admitted, "I rarely come here because I don’t belong with these good people." Then he pointed to the Deacon in the front of the church and told me: "That is my brother."

I could see the sadness and self-hatred in his eyes. "I don’t even feel worthy to be in this church. I’m not like my brother and all these people," he confessed.

"You said up there that God loves everyone and will forgive anything," he recounted to me, leading up to the heart wrenching question I knew was coming. "Do you think He still loves me? I mean, after everything I’ve done. Do you think He could still forgive me?"

Fighting back my tears, for I knew this man was one of Jesus’ lost sheep (Lk 15:4-7), I told him that God loved him more than ever and always would. "You are still that little baby boy that He held in His arms the day you were born. You will always be His precious child," I assured him.

I could tell that this man doubted my words and despaired of God’s love, so I prayed with him and encouraged him to unload his guilt in confession. I hope he found his way back to the Lord and that the people in his parish welcomed him home with open arms.

A few months ago I heard from another searching person who had been inactive in her Catholic faith for some 25 years. Although she hadn’t read The Catholic Week in a while, something caused her to open a recent issue and she read my column. Whatever she read inspired her to email me and ask me how she might begin her return to the Church.

I found out where she lived and connected her to Becky Goff, a parishioner near her who had a heart for returning Catholics.

On October 28 this email popped up: "It started with you and your column. Thank you. I went to confession this week and asked Becky to come with me. Fr. McKenna was nice and very patient. This has been very emotional for me but I know I am on the right path. Becky met me at Mass the following day and we had communion together. Thank you again from the bottom of my heart."

In both these cases, it didn’t take much for me to extend an invitation to these people to reconnect with God and the Church. Likewise, for the people in your life who are struggling to find where they fi t with our Catholic community. Could you extend an invitation to them as we approach Christmas?

To make it easier, just pass along this website www.catholicscomehome.org. It includes some commercials that will air on TV across the country during Advent. They are excellent.

Last night I visited my neighbors and told them about the commercials. This morning I opened my email to find that they had sent the website to all their contacts and posted it on their Facebook pages. Easy. Invitational. Helpful. People already responded to my neighbors about how great the commercials are and how they will be sending them to other Catholics they know.

St. Paul told us that our job is to plant seeds and allow God to do the rest. (1 Cor 3:6) We never know what is going on in the hearts of other people. Maybe they are waiting for a simple invitation to come home to the Catholic Church this Christmas.

Remember, Jesus said that there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one lost sheep who is found than over the 99 who never left. (Lk 15:7) Why not give God a reason to throw a party this Christmas?

About David O’Brien

Allen Hunt: A Christmas reminder from my friend, Albert.

2011-12-06T16:02:00.001-06:00

BY ALLEN HUNT

Merry Christmas! For my final blog post of 2011, allow me to give you a Christmas reminder from my special friend, Albert, who shared his favorite memory of Christmas past, as part of a tradition we had. Albert was a leader, solid in every way. I loved that man.

He grew up poor, not different from anyone else at the time. His parents were sharecroppers, and hard work defined their existence. As the youngest child, Albert's older siblings cared for him a lot. He got 5 cents each Saturday to walk to town, see a movie or to get ice cream. He could not afford both.

Each year at Christmas, he wished for the same gift - a bicycle. Each year it did not come. Instead, he always received the same gift - 2 oranges, a banana and an apple. When Albert was 9, he again wished to Santa for a bike. Albert asked his mother, and prayed to God, "Please bring me a bike." That Christmas, he woke up - and discovered, yet again, no bike had arrived. Just the same basket of 2 oranges, a banana, and an apple.

As lunch approached, his older sister, Ruth, a mill worker in the cotton mill in town came walking in the house. She worked hard to scrounge together enough to feed her own three kids.

After Christmas lunch, Ruth said, "Albert, I brought you my present." Albert quickly ran outside to see - and there it was - a new red bicycle - salvation had come to a 9 year old boy!

That bike meant something to Albert. It meant he had finally received what he had been hoping for for years. It also meant he had a sister who loved him immensely. Best of all, it meant someone really, really cared. So Albert did what any boy would do, he slept with his bike. For a whole year!

May one of your gifts remind you that there is Someone who loves you immensely. Someone who really, really cares.

About Allen Hunt
Allen Hunt is a former Senior Pastor of an evangelical mega-church. He became Catholic in 2008 and now partners with Matthew Kelly to serve as the Vice-President for Strategy and Content at the Dynamic Catholic Institute. Allen is a speaker, writer, and radio host on News Talk WSB in Atlanta. He is the author of Confessions of a Mega-Church Pastor: How I Discovered the Hidden Treasures of the Catholic Church.

Martignoni: Should Priests Face the Altar at Mass?

2011-12-06T14:01:00.001-06:00

BY JOHN MARTIGNONI

Question:
You seem to be saying in your last few articles that the Church got it wrong when it turned the altars around to face the people. I do not, however, wish to make an unwarranted assumption and so I’ll just ask: Do you believe the Church was wrong to turn the altars to face the people and are you advocating for a return to the old way with the altar facing the tabernacle?

Answer:
Not trying to be elusive here, but those are the wrong questions. The main point of these articles has not been what I believe or what I would or would not like to see. The whole reason for these articles was because of the question I received from someone who was feeling a bit put out by the use of Latin in the liturgy and the new life given to the Traditional Latin Mass. Her question seemed to indicate a fear of, and even anger towards, anything Latin. I have to be honest and say that I am always somewhat stunned when I see that kind of visceral reaction directed towards the liturgy – any authentic liturgy - whether it be directed toward the Traditional Latin liturgy, or it be directed to the new liturgy (the Novus Ordo). So, what I attempted to do with my articles was to educate folks as to why we are seeing and hearing more about Latin and the Latin Mass these days.

And, the reason why we are seeing and hearing more about Latin and the Latin Mass, is because Pope Benedict is making a deliberate attempt to bring about what he believes is a much needed reconciliation between the pre- and post-Vatican II liturgies. As he said in a letter to the Bishops regarding his reasoning for wanting the Traditional Latin Mass to be more available, “I now come to the positive reason which motivated my decision to issue this Motu Proprio…It is a matter of coming to an interior reconciliation in the heart of the Church.”

The reason we are in need of a liturgical reconciliation, according to Pope Benedict, is that there was a bit of a disconnect between the intent of Vatican II and the implementation of Vatican II, “Many people who clearly accepted the binding character of the Second Vatican Council, and were faithful to the Pope and the Bishops, nonetheless also desired to recover the form of the sacred liturgy that was dear to them. This occurred above all because in many places celebrations were not faithful to the prescriptions of the new Missal, but the latter actually was understood as authorizing or even requiring creativity, which frequently led to deformations of the liturgy which were hard to bear.”

These deformations of the liturgy that the Pope speaks of, caused great wounds within the Church. The Pope is trying to heal those wounds by slowly bringing the liturgy back to what he believes was intended after Vatican II. He is moving slowly, it seems, in order to first educate the faithful and to allow for reasoned dialogue on these matters. Too often in the past, discussion of all things liturgical has resulted in passionate and sometimes heated exchanges, with each side putting labels on the other, that tended to deepen the wounds rather than heal them.

Our Holy Father is calling for a new paradigm for the discussion of such matters: “The Congregation's response should thus make for a new, more relaxed discussion, in which we can search for the best ways of putting into practice the mystery of salvation. The quest is to be achieved, not by condemning one another, but by carefully listening to each other and, even more importantly, listening to the internal guidance of the liturgy itself. The labelling of positions as 'preconciliar', 'reactionary', and 'conservative', or as 'progressive' and 'alien to the faith' achieves nothing; what is needed is a new mutual openness in the search for the best realization of the memorial of Christ."

So, my last few articles have, I hope in at least some small way, served to educate the faithful as to what is going on in regards to the liturgy of late, and why. I also hope that they will help to stimulate more discussion, in a reasoned and respectful manner, regarding the liturgy, so that the reconciliation Pope Benedict desires can continue to progress. The more educated we are on the liturgy, which is the source and summit of all that we are as Catholics, the better it will be for each of us individually, for our parishes, and for the Church as a whole.

Am I advocating for the altar to be turned back around to face the tabernacle rather than the people? Let’s just say that I am advocating for what Pope Benedict is advocating for – interior reconciliation within the heart of the Church.

Why Do We Eat So Much on Thanksgiving?

2011-11-29T06:30:00.000-06:00

BY DAVID O’BRIEN

Have you ever noticed that we spend much of our lives pursuing some sort of goal or dream?

When we are younger, we long to be like our older brother or sister, or the older kids in school. We can’t wait until we make it to 8th grade, senior year or make the varsity team.

Later we hope to get into college, land that first job, prove ourselves at work, get our first new car, apartment, house, find that special guy or girl, and finally get married and have children.

As the years go by, our dreams shift. We work to give our kids the best we can, help them succeed and set them up for a better life than we had.

For ourselves, we strive to do well in our careers, maybe find that dream home, be respected by our peers, set ourselves up for retirement and stay relatively healthy.

Some of these goals are realized, some are not.

But even when we achieve them, as great as they are, there seems to be a certain hollowness to them. We ask: "Is that it? Is there nothing more?"

We may spend years pursuing a goal but once we achieve it, we want more. We don’t just plop down on our Lazyboy in the living room and spend the rest of lives reveling in that moment when we made the honor roll in 11th grade.

It is as if we are a bag of walking desires. We are never satisfied.

In all of creation we are unique in this way. I’m never met a dog that wanted to be a cow or a tree that longed to be a butterfly.

But every person I’ve ever known, including myself, wants to be more, know more, do more and have more. What is happening here? Is there flaw in the design of humanity?

Think about what happens every year at Thanksgiving. We load up our plates as if we are creating a model of Mt. Everest . Then we proceed to shovel the equivalent of four full meals down our gullet. The clothes we dressed in that morning begin to constrict around our waists but we still go back for that last piece of turkey and just a little more dressing, please.

Finally, at the brink of a gastronomical catastrophe, we waddle away from the table uttering a solemn oath: "I will never eat again."

But somehow, just one football game and a nap later, we are back in the refrigerator looking for that piece of pie.

We are never permanently satisfied. We always want more.

The marketers on Madison Avenue realize this about us and gear all their advertising to prey upon our unremitting sense of dissatisfaction-try this, buy that, upgrade, you deserve it, isn’t it time, act now.

So we buy, upgrade and indulge but those things don’t satisfy either. What is our problem?

Many preachers, spiritual writers and church people see this unrelenting human desire for more as the source of much of our sin. They direct us to suppress our desires and reign in that urge for more.

St. Augustine disagrees. He says that God places within us this insatiable desire so that eventually we will find our way to Him. In other words, when we get tired of seeking satisfaction and placing our hopes in finite, passing things, eventually we will turn to the Lord, who alone can totally fill our hunger for more and who never is used up.

With God, there is always more and it is always better.

We are made to long for more than this world can ever offer because we are built for eternity. Our souls are hardwired for the infinite goodness that is God. How could anything-any goal, any accomplishment, any success, any material possession, any relationship- ever satisfy a heart that yearns for communion with the creator of all that is? No wonder we are never fulfilled in this life.

So don’t kill that recklessness within you. Don’t squelch that desire for the best, the most, the ultimate that burns in your gut. That is God’s Spirit driving you to Him, the only one who can really meet our every need and satisfy our every desire.

About David O’Brien

Baltimore MOSJ chapter leader and wife volunteer time to aid Philippines

2011-11-24T10:33:00.001-06:00

Doug and Cita Brown volunteer in the Philippines

[Note: Doug Brown is a leader of the Men of St. Joseph chapter at St. Ursula, in Baltimore. Reprinted from Catholic Review, official newspaper of the Archdiocese of Baltimore.]

BY LISA HARLOW

While Cita Brown calls the United States home, she has not forgotten the poorest of the poor in her native country, the Philippines. The parishioner of St. Ursula, Parkville, Maryland and her husband, Douglas, are actively involved with FAPI, the Foundation for Aid to the Philippines Inc.

FAPI aims to reduce poverty and promote self-sufficiency in the Philippines.

Founded in 1997 and based in Cockeysville, FAPI has provided grants for medical care, livelihood and nutrition projects, housing and education. Medical missions to the Philippines are vital, as proper medical care is often unavailable to the poor due to the country’s healthcare system, which requires patients to pay for their own medicine and medical supplies.

Cita, a registered nurse who works in the operating room at Union Memorial Hospital in Baltimore, went on her first FAPI medical mission to the Philippines in 2009. Douglas accompanied her on her second mission there, in late January.

She was among a team of approximately 40 medical professionals, which included eight or nine surgeons. It took the group two days to travel to Leyte, a rural area about an hour’s flight from Manila.

FAPI purchased all of its supplies – vitamins, antibiotics and surgical equipment – totaling 50 boxes. Board member and surgeon Alberto del Corro, and his wife, FAPI secretary Karen del Corro, a registered nurse, packed and shipped the supplies to the public hospital in Leyte.

In five days, the FAPI team saw more than 3,000 patients in the hospital’s outpatient clinic.

“The townspeople knew about the mission months in advance,” Douglas said. “They traveled for days to get to town – some even traveled for a week, by foot and by boat. When we arrived, we had 500 people signed up and pre-screened for surgery. Over five days, they handled 75 major surgeries.”

The surgeons also worked on approximately 200 minor cases, involving cleft lips and palettes, hernias, tumors and OB/GYN issues.

Because Douglas is a career consultant and not a medical professional, he handled non-medical tasks.

While the hospital staff was friendly and helpful, the conditions of the building were not acceptable by American standards.

“It was hot and unsanitary,” Douglas said. “Patients with major problems had to wait in the hallways for days. There was an orthopedic patient, his foot had been crushed. It’s really a sad situation. They can’t get medical care. If you don’t have the money, you just can’t get treated there.”

According to FAPI, more than 60 percent of the 80 million Filipinos live below the poverty level. In the metropolitan Manila area alone, unemployment is more than 30 percent.

Cita recalls another late-arriving patient.

“We were packed up and ready to go,” she said. “There was a lady who needed a C-section. The lady had been having contractions since the previous day, but she had no money to buy the IV medicines or supplies to do the surgery.

“We got to that lady just in time. She needed a blood transfusion. Her blood pressure had dropped tremendously. The baby was OK. I was praying in the OR for God to please save them. It was a real humbling experience.”

Leftover medicines, instruments and medical supplies were donated to the public hospital.

“This was my first trip with FAPI and my second missionary trip,” Douglass said. “On both trips I truly felt that I received more than I gave. The people we served were so humble in the midst of extreme, desperate circumstances.”

FAPI is already planning for its next medical mission, in November 2012.

“It takes time to raise money,” Cita said. “Most of the volunteers pay their own way, and many supplies have to be purchased. The government of the Philippines has to approve everything, and there are certain requirements for the people going on the trip. They go to a different area every time, finding the neediest towns.

“This is a real grassroots effort.”

For more information about FAPI, visit fapi.org.

Why Latin?: Part 4 - Conclusion to John Martignoni's response to a question about the return of Latin to the Liturgy

2011-11-23T06:00:00.000-06:00

By JOHN MARTIGNONI

Why Latin: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3

Question:
I have been attending a Catholic Church in the diocese in which the priest and congregation sing some of the parts in Latin. I am curious as to why the Catholic Church is bringing this back and in some parishes even saying the mass entirely in Latin. It appears that the Church is going back to traditionalism. How does this (Latin) entice new people to the Catholic faith? If I were looking for a Christian faith to join and visited a parish with Latin, I would take Catholicism off my list. I, myself, have considered looking elsewhere for a new faith because of this. Shouldn’t the church be looking forward and seeking out modern ways to entice newcomers? To many outsiders, the Catholic Mass is already very dry and boring with all of its prayers through Mass, let alone adding in Latin. Please advise and help me understand the Latin importance in this modern age.

Answer:
You are not the only person that I have seen or heard getting angry when it comes to Latin and to the Traditional Latin Mass (TLM). But, what you need to understand, is that when the Novus Ordo Mass was introduced, and the TLM was abandoned virtually overnight, it created some deep wounds...wounds within the Body of Christ...that needed to be healed. A lot of people felt like they had had their heart ripped out. Many tried to adapt and adjust, but then they were almost immediately faced with a certain amount of "creativity" in the liturgy that only wounded them more deeply.

In spite of the words of Vatican II, individual priests began to tinker with the liturgy to make it more in line with their own personal opinions of what the Mass should be and with their own private vision of the "spirit of Vatican II." Some priests would often change the wording of prayers - adding words here, taking them out there - or they would ignore the rubrics and other such liturgical abuses. Such abuses, among other things, led to a schism here and a schism there and to many people simply leaving the Church altogether. The Body of Christ was wounded. There were also many who did not go into schism, but were deeply wounded by these abuses, nonetheless. And, as Scripture tells us, what affects one part of the Body affects all parts of the Body.

The liturgy of the Church - any authentic liturgy of the Church - whether in English or in Latin, should not be a source of pain, nor a source of anger and bitterness, for anyone who calls themself a Catholic. That is why Pope Benedict has taken steps to, in essence, reevaluate the liturgical reforms of the 60’s and 70’s in light of the Church’s ancient liturgical tradition. And the first step in this reevaluation is to go back – back to the point where the wounds were inflicted, back to the point of rupture between the old and the new – and try to restore the connection between the two forms of liturgy. This, he hopes, will heal wounds, promote harmony, and create an atmosphere where an authentic renewal of the liturgy may flourish.

In a letter to the Bishops that accompanied his Motu Proprio, “Summorum Pontificum” (a document from the Pope making the Traditional Latin Mass more available to all), Pope Benedict said, “I now come to the positive reason which motivated my decision to issue this Motu Proprio…It is a matter of coming to an interior reconciliation in the heart of the Church.”

In making the TLM more available, the Pope is helping this reconciliation to occur by allowing each of us to rediscover our liturgical heritage and to participate in this liturgical “treasure,” as he has called it. And it seems our Pope knows his business, because his actions have already led to some healing in the Body of Christ, as we have seen right here in our own diocese. And they have led to discussions that may result in even greater healing in the Body in the future.

As I have stated previously, Latin is not necessarily my cup of tea, so I can somewhat understand where you’re coming from. But, instead of reacting with anger and bitterness, we need to be a bit more open-minded and try to understand what the Church is doing and why. And, we need to do our part to help promote the healing, the reconciliation, and the authentic liturgical renewal that our Pope is trying to engender. If that means that we have to come out of our comfort zones a bit, well then, so be it. Just look at the Cross and ask yourself if He would do any less for you. As Archbishop Fulton Sheen used to say, “Jesus came to comfort the afflicted, and to afflict the comfortable.”

Why Latin: Part 3

2011-11-20T17:26:00.001-06:00

Answer:
Having discussed in my last article the reason for the increased use of Latin in the Novus Ordo (the new Mass), I want to now address the question of the resurrection of the “traditional Latin Mass” (TLM), also known as the Extraordinary Form of the Mass. Why is the Church bringing back the TLM, or “going back to traditionalism” as you put it?

The very question itself displays the reason why. Blessed John Paul II, along with Pope Benedict, both of whom were participants in Vatican Council II, recognized that the changes in the Mass, in the liturgy, that occurred after Vatican II, went beyond what the Fathers of that Council intended. The Council Fathers wanted a reform of the liturgy or, I think it is more proper to say, they wanted an authentic renewal of the liturgy, but somehow things went a bit too far. It is apparent from reading the documents of Vatican II, that the Council Fathers wanted a renewal of the liturgy that built upon the old and which reflected continuity between the old and the new. Instead, the baby was tossed out with the bath water, so to speak.

The fact that you, as well as many others, are asking questions like this, speaks to the point – we Catholics are generally ignorant of our liturgical patrimony, our liturgical heritage. This is because the liturgical reforms of the 60’s and 70’s, which were supposed to make Catholics more aware of what is going on at the Mass, to draw Catholics into a deeper participation in the Mass and a deeper understanding of the Mass have, for the most part, failed in their purpose and intent. Ignorance of our liturgical heritage, of which the TLM is a significant part, has led to us being generally even more ignorant of the liturgy than we were before. Why do we do what we do at Mass? What is the meaning of the Mass? What are the meanings of the words, the prayers, the actions of the priest and the congregation? What is the purpose of the Mass? In large measure, Catholics generally have little to no understanding of the underlying purpose and meaning of the Mass, nor of its connection to the Old and New Testaments and to the Sacred Tradition of the Church.

I would argue that a liturgical rupture of sorts, occurred between the Traditional Latin Mass and the Novus Ordo, and that rupture has led to Catholics being less knowledgeable about the Mass and less engaged in the Mass than would have been the case if there had been greater continuity between the old and the new. If the actual words of Vatican II had been followed, I believe we would have seen a much smoother transition between the two forms of the Mass.

As I mentioned in my last article, if one actually reads the documents of Vatican II, they would see that nowhere does the Council call for the wholesale abandonment of Latin in the liturgy. In fact, it is just the opposite (Sacrosanctum Concilium, #36). Nowhere does the Council call for Gregorian chant to be abandoned. In fact, it is just the opposite: “Gregorian chant, as proper to the Roman liturgy, should be given pride of place,” (Sacrosanctum Concilium, #50). Nowhere does the Council call for individual “tinkering” with the Mass. In fact, it is just the opposite: “Therefore no other person, even if he be a priest, may add, remove, or change anything in the liturgy on his own authority,” (Sacrosanctum Concilium, #22). Nowhere does the Council call for, and I know this is a hot button issue with a lot of folks, but nowhere does the Council call for the priest to turn around and face the people rather than face God.

To quote then Cardinal Ratzinger on this, “To the ordinary churchgoer, the two most obvious effects of the liturgical reform of the Second Vatican Council seem to be the disappearance of Latin and the turning of the altars towards the people. Those who read the relevant texts will be astonished to learn that neither is in fact found in the decrees of the Council.”

Abandoning, almost overnight, the more than thousand year heritage of the Traditional Latin Mass has led to an even greater liturgical ignorance among Catholics than otherwise would have been the case and has resulted in many, such as yourself, having what seems to be a visceral reaction to that heritage and anything associated with it, and it has also left some open wounds – wounds that need to be healed. And, it has led to some liturgical “creativity” which I’m sure the Council Fathers never intended.

Next week: Healing the wounds.

A Humble Man Cannot Be Humiliated

2011-11-15T09:30:00.000-06:00

BY DAVID O’BRIEN

Humility is a desirable virtue. It confronts our egos, reminds us not to take ourselves too seriously and curtails our tendency to overvalue our opinions. Nothing is more obnoxious than a person who thinks their way is the only way, their truth is the Truth. That kind of arrogance is hard to be around.

A person who exudes humility, on the other hand, is everyone’s friend. He recognizes and affirms the giftedness of others. He is quick to forgive when offended because he knows he has hurt many along the way through his stupidity and sin.

Humbleness avoids the temptation to over assert one’s rights-- "How dare she talk to me like that!" "Don’t they know who I am?" or "He can’t treat me like that."

Humility accepts inconvenience for the good of others.

I want God to teach me to be humble, meek and poor in spirit (Mt 5:3, 5). But, ugh, I hate it when He answers that prayer.

Last week, my family attended a children’s event at a museum. I arrived ahead of my wife and kids and I found an open parking spot for them. Rachel asked me to save it for her as she would arrive in less than one minute.

As I hung up the cell, a Honda Civic going the wrong way down a one way street raced up to the parking spot. I stood in the space and watched the driver begin to back towards me.

Holding my hands up, I directed the person to stop. The guy behind the wheel abruptly jumped out of the car and aggressively confronted me. His wife, children and motherin- law watched from the car as he struck his best Alpha male pose.

Shocked and somewhat unnerved, I explained that I was saving the spot for my wife. I pointed to our minivan and said: "She is right there."

"My car is right here," he countered.

"But I’m standing in this spot," I noted, trying to remain calm.

"Fine," he rebutted as he turned back to his car. "Keep standing there while I run you over."

Not quite sure I had heard the guy right, I watched as he re-engaged his car and backed up directly towards me.

I quickly stepped aside and thought, "what a jerk!"

As I walked around the corner to my wife’s new parking spot, I told myself, "I should’ve videotaped him with my phone and then sued him for hitting me."

My wife was equally offended when I told her what happened. "Here, you carry the baby so he will feel bad when he sees that we have a newborn."

"Yeah," I thought. "Too bad my wife isn’t nine months pregnant."

We bumped into a handicapped friend on the way into the museum. Now, I couldn’t wait to see that guy again inside. An infant and a person in a wheelchair. When he sees us, he might just burst into tears and confess to me how much of a loser he is.

These thoughts dominated my mind for nearly an hour. Realizing I was obsessing, I prayed to let go of my anger and desire for revenge. I thought I had put it behind me but when I returned to my car I had to fi ght the urge to slash the guy’s tires.

Now, I don’t know what you call these thoughts and desires, but they don’t fall under the category of humility.

Instead of enjoying my children, I spent my energy hating, being offended and acting as if my whole world was collapsing. Over what? A parking spot.

Admittedly, this guy’s behavior was inappropriate. But what exactly was Christ-like about my response? How did my attitude mirror that of Jesus who had railroad spikes hammered into him and then forgave the guys who did it?

I am not proud of myself for how I reacted. Still, I am grateful to God because He has shown me how far I still need to go.

Even my 4 year old son seems more humble than me. When he later encountered the guy in the museum, he said: "Isn’t that the man who was mean to Daddy?"

My wife answered "yes", adding: "And what do we do to people who treat us badly?"

Without thinking twice my son offered, "we treat them with kindness." Now that takes humility.

About David O’Brien

Hope from a Roman Prison

2011-11-02T16:57:00.000-05:00

BY ALLEN HUNT

Today I am working on a Bible study tentatively called "The Good Life." How do you have the good life? That's a great question when times are tough and all the news seems bad, huh?

If you know me, you know that I look for hope in a Roman prison. Ancient Roman prisons were dark, dank and desperate. Full of death. Often all you could hear outside the prison was the wailing and moaning of prisoners. Prisoners were usually held in a cave beneath the ground and often were not fed unless they had friends who brought food. Most prisoners died there in custody from starvation and deprivation. You get the picture - ancient prisons were hellish places.

And that is where the apostle Paul wrote his letter to the Philippians. Easily the most joyful text in the Bible. The words "joy" or "rejoice" appear 16 times in this little letter written from the most desperate of places, a prison. An average of 4 times per chapter. Joy in the darkest of places.

Perhaps the greatest line comes toward the end of the letter when Paul writes Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

There is a great lesson here. Believers possess a deep joy. That joy saturates their lives, even when they are suffering, desperate, or in prison. That joy cures anxiety and leads to peace. They are not defined by what they own or how much they have. Believers know they belong to God. Their citizenship is in heaven. And that God will never abandon them. Ever. That allowed the apostle Paul to write more powerful words from the most desperate place ... I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.

How do you have the good life? Very simply, by remembering that faith overcomes fear.

Why Latin? Part Two

2011-11-02T07:00:00.000-05:00

Answer:

Having discussed last week why being upset over an increased use of Latin in the liturgy is not a good reason to look “elsewhere for a new faith,” I want to now turn my attention to the use of Latin in the liturgy. There are two distinct, yet related, issues here: first, the use of Latin in the Novus Ordo (the new Mass), which is the Mass we are all familiar with; second, the more frequent use of the Latin Mass itself, also known as the Extraordinary Form of the Mass, and all of the recent commotion around it.

Okay, so why Latin? Why are we seeing more parishes use Latin in parts of the Mass, the Agnus Dei (Lamb of God), for example? Well, the biggest reason I can think of is: because the Church tells us to. At the Second Vatican Council, the Church said, “The use of the Latin language...is to be preserved in the Latin rites,” (Sacrosanctum Concilium, #36). Yet, contrary to the very clear words and intent of the Council Fathers, the Latin language was quite often abandoned wholesale in the years immediately following Vatican II.

Commenting on that situation, Bishop Slattery of Tulsa had this to say, “...it was not a wise decision to do away with Latin in the Mass. How that happened, I don’t know; but the fathers of the Council never intended us to drop Latin. They wanted us to hold on to it and, at the same time, to make room for the vernacular...”

But, why does the Church tell us to hang on to Latin in the liturgy? Well, one reason is because Latin is the official language of the Church. All Church documents are promulgated first and foremost in Latin. The papal encyclicals - first done in Latin. The Catechism - first done in Latin. All documents, liturgical or otherwise - first done in Latin. Truth be told, it is a bit of a misnomer to call the old Mass the “Latin” Mass, because the Novus Ordo, the new Mass, was first promulgated in Latin. Which is why we are soon to get a new Mass translation, because the current English translation was not as faithful to the Latin as it could have been. So, both the old and the new Mass can rightly be called “Latin” masses.

Another reason the Church tells us to hang on to Latin in the liturgy, is because it connects us to the past, to our traditions. For over a thousand years our forefathers in the faith worshipped in Latin. To banish Latin to the outer darkness is like banishing grandpa to the outer darkness because he only speaks Italian, or Polish, or whatever. The Latin language is a part of our story, a part of who we are, a part of our heritage, as Catholics.

I mentioned last week that I am not a “big fan” of the Latin language. That does not mean, however, that I do not respect the language. I simply prefer English to Latin. That is the result of an American nativistic bias more than anything else, though. I suppose if Latin were used in some prayers on a regular basis, not just once in a blue moon, and if our missalettes had the Latin version of some of the prayers, I could grow more accustomed to the language. You know, as Christians, I think to harbor bias that is based more on a lack of familiarity with someone or something, rather than anything else, is not really becoming of us. I think we should try to be more tolerant and open-minded with regard to such things.

Next week...The Resurrection of the Extraordinary Form of the Mass.

Go and Do What?

2011-10-31T06:30:00.000-05:00

BY DAVID O’BRIEN

At the end of Mass, the priest or deacon dismisses us with the words: "Ite, missa est", or as we are used to hearing "Go in peace to love and serve the Lord (and one another)." These words are as much a dismissal as a commissioning to live what we have received in Holy Communion.

We get the English word "mass" from the Latin "missa" which means "to be sent", implying that we are being given a mission every week at church. (CCC #1332)

Each Sunday we gather to worship, acknowledge our sinfulness, hear God’s word, join our lives to the sacrifice of the Lord on the altar, seek peace with one another and receive the Body and Blood of Christ. To all this we respond "Amen, so be it" and the Church says to us: "Good. Now get out of here and bring God’s love to a world so desperately in need of it."

This mission is made even more obvious with the new phrases to be introduced in Advent with the New Roman Missal. "Go and announce the Gospel of the Lord," and "Go in peace, glorifying the Lord by your life."

So, if our mission is to announce the Gospel, what does that mean concretely?

When Jesus explained what it meant to live His gospel message, He said: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor, freedom to those in bondage, sight to the blind, liberty to the oppressed and a year of favor from the Lord." (Lk 4:18-19)

According to Jesus then, announcing the gospel has something to do with how we choose to live together in the world. The mission goes beyond our personal spiritual growth and learning church teaching. It even exceeds what goes on at our parishes. It is about living like Christ and bringing His priorities to society.

This is the hardest part of our faith, taking Jesus seriously and actually doing what He says in the real world. It is much easier to focus on our own relationship with God or to invest our efforts into learning about the faith. But, as good as those things are, the Church doesn’t let us get away with stopping there.

Every Sunday we are reminded that the Gospel drives us beyond ourselves, our families and our personal concerns. To receive Christ on Sunday is to join Him in His mission.

"Go", we are told. The mission is out there.

From biblical times until today, this has been our magnifi cent Catholic worldview.

In the 4th century, St. John Chrysostom wrote: "Do you wish to honor the body of Christ? Do not ignore him when he is naked."

Pope Benedict XVI insisted that "a Eucharist which does not pass over into the concrete practice of love is intrinsically fragmented" (Deus Caritas Est, #14). He adds that this "food of truth demands that we denounce inhumane situations" such as violence, poverty, inequality and exploitation (Sacramentum Caritatis, #90).

Pope John Paul II, who calls the Mass "the school of active love for neighbor" (Dominicae Cenae, #6), said the Eucharist "increases, rather than lessens, our sense of responsibility for the world today".

Our Sunday worship is where we practice living as God intended from the beginning. We partner with creation- water, fi re, bread, wine, candles, flowers, ashes, etc.-in praise and worship of the Almighty. We are one family in Christ, responsible to and for one another -black, white, Asian, Hispanic, seniors, children, singles, married, conservative, liberal, well off and those living on government assistance. And we give glory to God, our Father and creator, from whom all good things come.

Mass is like a dress rehearsal for heaven because it calls us to build "a world fully in harmony with God’s plan" (JPII, Ecclesia de Eucharistia, #20).

This experience of communion each Sunday is what gives us hope to face the complex problems in the world and in our everyday lives.

So go! Announce this gospel of hope! Glorify the Lord by your life! Go become what you have received so that the world may know that Christ is not dead and buried. He is alive! And He is sending out missionaries from every Catholic parish every Sunday to bring the His sacred, loving heart to a hurting world.

About David O’Brien

Is the use of Latin in the Liturgy a turnoff?

2011-10-26T07:00:00.000-05:00

BY JOHN MARTIGNONI

Question:
I have been attending a Catholic Church in the diocese in which the priest and congregation sing some of the parts in Latin. I am curious as to why the Catholic Church is bringing this back and in some parishes even saying the mass entirely in Latin. It appears that the Church is going back to traditionalism. How does this (Latin) entice new people to the Catholic faith? If I were looking for a Christian faith to join and visited a parish with Latin, I would take Catholicism off my list. I, myself, have considered looking elsewhere for a new faith because of this. Shouldn’t the church be looking forward and seeking out modern ways to entice newcomers? To many outsiders, the Catholic Mass is already very dry and boring with all of its prayers through Mass, let alone adding in Latin. Please advise and help me understand the Latin importance in this modern age.

Answer:
There are a number of things here that I would like to address, so it seems that this will undoubtedly be a two or three part response. First of all, I am very concerned that you would look elsewhere for “a new faith,” because Latin is being used more often in the liturgy. The question I would ask you is this: On what do you base your faith? Either you believe that the Catholic Church has the fullness of the truth, or you don’t. I believe the Catholic Church does indeed have the fullness of the truth, as given to us by Jesus Christ through His Apostles, so if the Church started using Tuareg, Aramaic, ancient Greek, Taushiro, Kaixana, or even Klingon, in the liturgy, I would still be Catholic, because my faith is not based on the language or languages used by the Church in its liturgy. It is based upon Jesus Christ and His truth.

So, if you believe the Catholic Church has the fullness of the faith as given by Jesus Christ to His Apostles, and as transmitted by those same Apostles to their successors, the Bishops, and to us by the Bishops, guided by the Holy Spirit, down through the centuries, then could singing a few prayers in Latin really cause you to walk away from the truth of Jesus Christ? Conversely, if you do not believe the Catholic Church has the fullness of the truth as given to us by Jesus, then you need to either examine more closely the claims of the Church, or you need to go in search of that church that does indeed have the fullness of the truth of Jesus Christ. You see, Jesus founded a church, and the church Jesus founded does not have partial truth or half truth, it has the whole truth and nothing but the truth. And, if the Catholic Church doesn’t have the fullness of the truth, then it is not the Church founded by Jesus, and you need to be out there looking for the church that was. So, you really need to think about and pray about, what exactly it is you base your faith on.

Now, regarding the Latin. I’ll be honest and say that I am not necessarily a big fan of the Latin language, either. Yet, even though it is being used more in the liturgy, I am still Catholic. I’m also not a big fan of bad singing, bad homilies, bad theology, or bad liturgy, and I have experienced plenty of all of those things at one or more of the parishes I’ve been in during the 22 years since I’ve come back into the Church. Yet, I am still Catholic. I am also not a big fan of the oftentimes unnecessary use of extraordinary ministers at Communion, the general lack of reverence at Mass, the lack of modesty in dress at Mass, and don’t even get me started on the state of catechetics and evangelization in the Church. Yet, I am still Catholic. And, you know what, I have never ever liked the whole sign of peace thing. Yet, I am still Catholic.

In other words, things are not the way that I necessarily would like them to be in the Church, either. Well, too bad for me. So, am I going to leave the Eucharist, the Sacraments, the true priesthood, the Communion of Saints, the Vicar of Christ, and possibly jeopardize my eternal salvation because of all of these things that I don’t like? I don’t think so. The truth is the truth, and to stick with the truth oftentimes requires sacrifices – sometimes big sacrifices, and sometimes small sacrifices.

Whenever something goes on in the Church that I don’t like, all I have to do is look at the Crucifix and I think to myself, “I guess He didn’t much like being nailed to a cross, either, did He?” And my problems get put in their proper perspective.

Next week: Why Latin?