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I made the point that we can’t who we are until we know and confess who Jesus is. . .
http://hancaquam.blogspot.com/2013/06/heirs-according-to-promise.html
Fr. Philip Neri, OP
For the first time ever at a Mass in the Ordinary Form, I heard a priest say in his homily that belief in Christ requires us to oppose things such as the HHS Mandate and Plan B being available over the counter. He actually mentioned the words “contraception” and “abortion”. I even heard a barely-audible “Yes!” from the guy sitting next to me in the pew.
I know many people thanked him after Mass for saying that.
The priest pointed out that in view of Jesus’s teaching, he was mad, or bad, or God – there is no fourth option. That Christianity is a religion of longing, and that longing is a vital part of the human condition (he mentioned that one of the things sent into space in the 1970s was a recording of the cavatina from Beethoven’s Op.130, on the score of which the composer had written ‘Sehnsucht’) That the Latin word ‘desiderium’ reflects the belief of the ancients that what is longed for is beyond earthly concerns – the stars symbolizing this (I confess this had never occurred to me).
Good for him! I am not sure our pastor believes in Hell. Today he told us that all we need is love and we will all be saved!
In his excellent homily, Father exhorted us to seek sanctity! We need not look at it as being ‘perfect’ in the sense that we work hard to see results here on earth (so not like our academic straight A’s and whatnot). The Evangelists gave us such moments of grace as in today’s OF Gospel, and such moments of failure like the denial of Christ by Simon Peter to show us that if these men became remained faithful, through all their failures, then so can you. He also mentioned Blessed Teresa of Calcutta’s period of the dark night, and that the most holy men and women suffer. I think Supertradmum would have liked it. :)
Father stressed that “picking up our cross daily” was a part of our faith ……… and that we should be prepared to be opposed, even persecuted for our beliefs and practices. Two brothers, Christians from Palestine, were with us for worship and we heard some of their family’s story of being caught in the middle (in Bethlehem) between the Jews and the Muslims. Father also provided (and encouraged us to pray) the daily guide from the USCCB for the Fortnight of Freedom, reminding us that our practice as Christians should NOT be taken for granted. Following Jesus means sharing the burden (and joy) of the Cross.
Most people were vocally supportive, if not all.
Our Priest exhorted us to be willing to speak when someone is not living in the truth. He also said that we do not have the same God as the Muslims,that we believe in a Trinitarian God. I was immediately thinking of what a Cardinal recently said “that we worship the same God” as the Muslims. Father also reminded us that St. John the Baptist was willing to speak and willing to suffer for it. We are called to the same courageous faith.
Our pastor talked about the coming persecution and exhorted parents to get their children to Mass more than once a week so as to fortify them. He pointed out that we are not being persecuted for our doctrines such as the Trinity or transubstatiation, but for trying to live a moral life in keeping with God’s law. This was an EF Mass.
My pastor reflected on the feast of the nativity of John the Baptist this coming week. He talked about how John’s birth is celebrated near the summer solstice and Jesus’ near the winter solstice. The days after John’s birthday grow shorter and shorter, those after Jesus’ grow longer and longer. He compared this to John’s statement that “I must decrease and he must increase.”
My pastor also discussed John the Baptist’s nativity. He said that John was a martyr for marriage, comparing the unholy union of Herod & Herodias to the distortions in our own culture. Then in a firm, deliberate voice he added, “marriage between one man and one woman”.
I attended Divine Liturgy at Mt. Tabor Monastery in Redwood Valley, California. The occasion was the installation of the new abbot. Today’s gospel in the Byzantine liturgy was Matt 8:28-34 — the Lord’s exorcism of the Gadarene demoniac.
In his homily, the bishop recounted his personal encounter with the evil one as a young priest, when he was called on to exorcise a young child who was possessed. The bishop’s message was the reality of the Evil One, how much the world is under his influence, and how all Christians must be on constant guard lest they become enslaved by sin. The exorcism was successful.
I based my homily on: “Who do you say that I am?” All got it wrong except for Peter, inspired by the Father. Many today want to create their own god/ religion to suit their own sins, desires, whims … Only thing fuzzy about Jesus was His beard. He told it as it was/ is. In this Year of Faith, we must deepen our knowledge and faith in Jesus Christ, so we may respond with Peter & his successors: “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God,” and merit eternal life with Him.
We had the life of Mother Mary Elias of the Blessed Sacrament, a Carmelite prioress, and her and her community’s hardships during the 1910 Mexican Revolution. Would we be able to withstand similar persecution?
Vigil Mass at Holy Ghost in Denver, Father Michael Warren OMV spoke about the Fortnight for Freedom. He told us about Blessed Humphrey Pritchard, martyred for being a Catholic near Oxford on 5 July 1589 along with Blessed Fr. George Nichols, Blessed Fr. Richard Yaxley and Blessed Thomas Belson. In this day and age would we be willing to pay the same price for our faith?
The Catholic Oxford Martyrs
I don’t think it’s what I was supposed to remember, but share your gas coupons. I raced out to get to Vespers at the Byzantine Rite parish, in honor of its patron, St. John the Forerunner.
Our pastor noted that we often give up in the spiritual life because we focus on the pain and not the gain of saying “no” to ourselves. He ended by saying that if you can’t say “no” to yourself, then you can’t say “yes” to God.
Lucked out here in the relic-free, peoples republic of Massachusetts. I fortunately did not hear the homily.
I think listening to the Franciscan Friars online preaching substantial ideas poorly has ruined my ability to tolerate bad ideas preached well. (i.e. I am happy that we as Catholics sacrificed our first amendment rights in order to feed the poor. Now we need to sacrifice our second amendment right so that there will no more guns and violence.)
Are we ready to confess Jesus? Father said that we can’t confess Jesus is Lord without knowing who He is, and the credo is our confession….also made mention that it’s not a coincidence that pigs were where the demons wanted to go into….
Do not compromise.
eg St Thomas More He did not compromise regardless of his friends and family’s wishes.
(He could have thought- Look how much good I could do if I compromised, but he did not.
Father has touched on the subject more than once. He feels the responsibility of his state in life in a most profound manner. He believes that priests – include bishops and popes – have a hard time saving their own souls. To whom much is given, much is expected. The marvelous honor of being able to bring Our Lord to their flocks is the supreme gift, along with the power in the confessional to forgive sins. The responsibility for the souls under their care is enormous. How well do they do their job? Are they teaching and preaching truth or are they leading their people down the wrong path? He asked that we pray – daily – for priests and for vocations.
Our Permanent Deacon preached the homily. He start with pointing out that after St. Peter got the right answer to “Who do you say I Am?” Christ told the Apostles not to tell anyone. He pointed out that since Christ was not the kind of Messiah that Israel expected it was not yet time to announce who He (Christ) was, the cross had to come first.
He then pointed out how even today, when we have had access to both the New Testament and the Tradition of the Church that many people still can’t answer the question, and the forty years of bad catechesis and a society who would rather believe that Christ was “either a myth, legend, or a really good guy who lived 2000 years ago and has nothing to say about life today,” haven’t helped the situation.
He then went on to say that it comes down to a matter of truth. If Christ is who he said he is then its a matter of absolutes. He then brought in Relativism and how that philosophy is flawed, but more, how it is leading to a nation and world incompatible with Christian principles.
He finished up talking about the Fortnight for Freedom as a response to that, and asked us to participate at the Fortnight Perpetual Adoration that a nearby parish is holding.
No. I still attend the Church of Nice. And the deacon gave the homily this week.
At the OF Mass yesterday, Father introduced the theme by how we are identified by our names and impressed upon us the need to have respect for the name of Jesus, and reminded those of a certain age (myself included) how our teachers made us bow our heads at the name of Jesus.
I just heard one of the best sermons ever today on the Feast of Peter and Paul, which is a holy day of obligation moved to the Sunday today. Father Dominic Rolls talked about Catholic identity through the Church’s apostolic succession. His sermon revolved around the fact that being Catholic was the unity we all have with Christ through, His Church and through the protection which the Church has given us concerning Scripture, and us not being a religion of sola Scriptura or sola Fide. Father remarked that being a Catholic is not creating your religion, but entering into the mystery of the Church which Christ established through Peter. Bravo, Father Dominic