What Does The Prayer Really Say?
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On CNN’s "Late Edition" Donna Brazile said this to host Wolf Blitzer about Gov. Sarah Palin.

BLITZER: Let me bring Donna in on the whole issue of [Sen. Obama] being a community organizer. Now we know a lot of those community organizers are in the big urban areas and there are some suggesting that when they—when the Republicans, whether Giuliani or Sarah Palin went after Obama for being a community organizer there was a racial overtone there. Do you believe that?

BRAZILE: First of all, I don’t think they understand the role of a community organizer, often to help people who are in distress, they’ve lost their jobs, they’ve lost their homes, they’ve lost their health care. And for many of us, it’s a time honored tradition to give back, especially those who have been rewarded with so much.

The Bible says to whom much is given much is required and it comes out of that tradition. So it was insulting to see both, you know, the governor as well as Mayor Giuliani criticize people. There’s some on the Internet now that Jesus was a community organizer, Pontius Pilate was a governor. And perhaps they should understand the role of a community organizer, do help people in distress.

Hmmmm…

In interesting news, Denver’s Archbishop Charles Chaput’s book Render Unto Caesar: Serving the Nation by Living our Catholic Beliefs in Political Life is on the New York Times Beseller List at #27.

I wonder if you readers can help push it upward? 

I got a question by e-mail:

I’m a new subscriber to your blog, so naturally I thought of you after a recent conversation with our parochial vicar. He does not give blessings to children during communion. When my 3 year old asked why he didn’t receive a blessing Fr. M said (and I’m paraphrasing), that by not touching him, he "does not get host crumbs on your skin." I can respect the rationale behind his decision.

But when I asked, "why not just motion the sign of the cross and bless them?" He claimed that, "technically priests are not supposed to give multiple blessings during mass – that the blessing at dismissal should be the only one." This brought my next question, "then why do you place the host in parishioners hands (our family receives by mouth, but we are the minority), since the crumbs are bound to spill – not to mention all of the disastrous possibilities of giving someone the host?" He replied, "I know, and I feel strongly that people should receive in the mouth."

I felt a bit let down. I’m not sure if I should be offended – he won’t bless kids but he’ll place the host in someone’s hands. Why not stand up then and insist that parishioners at his mass receive only by mouth (since he’s calling the shots anyway). I probably wouldn’t be all worked up about it if it wasn’t for our other pastor and eucharistic ministers who DO bless the children.

What is your take on blessing children?

First, the people who help distribute Communion are not "Eucharistic Ministers".  They are "Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion".   But let’s move on.

The priest is correct is saying that the moment for blessing people, other than the deacon about the read the Gospel, is at the end of Holy Mass.  You yourself referred to this moment saying: "He does not give blessings to children during communion".

Communion time is for just that… Communion.

I wonder sometimes about this practice.  

Perhaps it evolved because people were going forward who knew they shouldn’t receive, but were embarassed not to go foward.  Getting rid of row by row Communion would help with that, as would reviving the three hour Eucharistic fast.

Perhaps it evolved because children fussed that "they didn’t get something too".  So, people came up with something for them to get.  That of course would have come from parents always bringing all their children forward.  

Once upon a time it might have been that many people could more easily get to Mass even by walking, and mom could watch the kids while dad went to Mass, and vice versa.  So.. there weren’t as many small children at Mass.  With the advent of travelling across town to a Mass you "like", parents have to bring their children along… everyone goes to Mass and… well… you see.

I think people should ask priests for blessings… outside of Holy Mass.  Holy Mass ends with the priest’s blessing, in the proper moment. 

 

Let Communion time be Communion time.

Finally, I think the priest’s argument was not very good: I don’t bless because of particles of the Host… etc..  But then he gives Communion in the hand.

Two things.  First, it is an unhappy fact that the law allows people to receive in the hand.  Father may not deny them Communion simply because they stick their hands out, unless there is danger of profanation.

However, nothing in the rubrics of Mass or the Church’s laws say that priests should give a blessing at Communion.

Vice Presidential candidate Sen. Joseph Biden (D-DE) was on Meet The Press today with Tom Brokaw.

Two weeks ago, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi was on MTP and committed scandal on a grand scale by her obfuscation of what the Church’s teaching is about the beginning of human life.  Also, she said that it shouldn’t make a difference when life started, insofar as abortion is concerned.  She and her spokesman later referred to ancient debates and quoted Augustine, etc. etc., despite the Church’s clear and well-known teaching about the sanctity of human life and abortion.

Now Catholic pro-abortion Senator and candidate Biden steps into the cage. Brokaw through him the necessary knuckler.

Here is the transcript and link to video.  My emphases and comments.

MR. BROKAW: You’re a lifetime communicant in the Catholic Church. You’ve talked often about your faith and the, and the strength of your feelings about your faith.

SEN. BIDEN: Actually, I haven’t talked often about my faith.  I seldom talk about my faith. [Ironically, when he is next asked about Sen. Lieberman, he says "We Catholics believe in redemption".  I think he might talk about it fairly often in some way or another.]  Other people talk about my faith.

MR. BROKAW: I’ll give you an opportunity to talk about it now.

SEN. BIDEN: Yeah.

MR. BROKAW: Two weeks ago I interviewed Senator Nancy Pelosi—she’s the speaker of the House, obviously—when she was in Denver. When Barack Obama appeared before Rick Warren, he was asked a simple question: When does life begin? And he said at that time that it was above his pay grade. That was the essence of his question. When I asked the speaker what advice she would give him about when life began, she said the church has struggled with this issue for a long time, especially in the last 50 years or so. Her archbishop and others across the country had a very strong refutation to her views on all this; I guess the strongest probably came from Edward Cardinal Egan, who’s the Archbishop of New York. He said, "Anyone who dares to defend that they may be legitimately killed because another human being `chooses’ to do so or for any other equally ridiculous reason should not be providing leadership in a civilized democracy worthy of the name." Those are very strong words. If Senator Obama comes to you and says, "When does life begin? Help me out here, Joe," as a Roman Catholic, what would you say to him?

SEN. BIDEN: I’d say, "Look, I know when it begins for me."  [When it begins… for him...] It’s a personal and private issue.  [Okay… for me, Sen. Biden, it begins, say… just after your next calendar birthd