One of the alert readers here picked this up from Badger Catholic. I, too, had to share it.
Great message. (And it involves Guinness! What’s not to like?)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwndLOKQTDs&feature=player_embedded
Powerful images and sounds.
Marshall McLuhan famously concluded that the “medium is the message”.
If only we could figure out how to harness this medium more effectively.
Some of those Catholics Come Home commercials were pretty good, weren’t they.
First, pray for Thom Peters’ continued recovery.
The well-known canonist, Thom Peter’s father, has a great post at his place, In The Light Of The Law. My emphases and comments.
About ‘women’s ordination’, what if Gabriel appeared and said…
Except to offer a quick prayer for the ladies who apparently like playing church the way my daughters liked to play house (you know, it looks sort of real, and participants take it very seriously, but, c’mon, it’s still pretend), my main reaction to the most recent “ordination” of a woman was to yawn. I see no point in trying to explain why, say, these women should take canon law seriously, or what the effects of excommunication really are (or are not, for that matter), for they’ve already declared such concerns irrelevant. Fine.
I pause, though, to comment for observers of such antics that, every time these women boast that they have priestly orders by dint of the orders first ‘conferred’ on a woman by a renegade (male) bishop, they miss a crucial point of John Paul II’s ap. lit. Ordinatio sacerdotalis (1994),the document precluding, forever, the possibility of female priests.
The central assertion in Ordinatio is not, repeat not, sacramental (about the nature of orders) nor even ontological (about the nature of women). It’s ecclesiological (about the nature of the Church). Grasp that, and one has the essence of the thing.
No one disputes that the bishop who first simulated conferral of orders on a woman could himself confer orders, and no one (who’s actually read it) claims that Ordinatio formally addresses the capacity of women to receive orders.
Rather, Ordinatio asserts something about the Church, namely, that “the Church has no authority whatsoever to confer priestly ordination on women”. Ordinatio is not about orders, nor even about women, it’s about the Church and about what Jesus authorized his Church to do, or not do, with priestly orders in regard to women. Mind, there might well be sacramental and ontological obstacles to female ordination, [There are… but Dr. Peters point is what we are focused on now like lasers. … What was it again?] but all we know for sure from Ordinatio is that there are ecclesiological obstacles to women priests. Permanent, insurmountable obstacles.
Think of it this way: If Gabriel himself appeared in fiery splendor above St. Peter’s Basilica and proclaimed “Just so you know, women are ontologically capable of receiving priestly Orders!”, not one jot [nor one tittle] of Ordinatio would have to be changed, why? because Ordinatio is not about women or orders, it’s about the Church. The pope, shielding his eyes, could say to Gabriel, “I’m confused, does this mean that we can ordain women priests after all?” Gabriel would respond [with a face-palm], “No! for Pete’s sake, because Jesus did not give that authority to his Church! Read Ordinatio, people. It’s correctly stated in there.”
Given, by the way, the ecclesiological import of Ordinatio, it’s not hard to see why those acting in disregard of it are threatened precisely with excommunication, in that….oops, sorry, I’m starting to talk canon law again, and as we’ve already been informed, ‘women priests’ just ignore canon law.
What a sad group of deluded people.
They need prayers.
The ones I get far more angry with are the protestant heretics who spit on one of the most sacred rites and realities the Catholic Church has by allowing those fake ceremonies in their churches. I have written about that HERE without mincing words.
American Catholic got it just right.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-LJ9qLbNJI&feature=player_embedded
Even Linus’s first line is on target for Pres. Obama’s Syrian “red line”: Never jump into a pile of leaves with a wet sucker.
Who would have thought that a year into the second term we would be able to call a former KGB Colonel the Leader of the Free World? What surprises await us in his third term?
On the site of Legatus Magazine you can read the text of a talk given this year’s Napa Institute by His Excellency Most Reverend John Nienstedt, Archbishop of St. Paul and Minneapolis. He spoke about the family as the foundation of culture.
He has some tough-love comments for proponents of same-sex “marriage”.
Today, many evil forces have set their sights on the dissolution of marriage and the debasing of family life. Sodomy, abortion, contraception, pornography, the redefinition of marriage, and the denial of objective truth are just some of the forces threatening the stability of our civilization. The source of these machinations is none other than the Father of Lies. Satan knows all too well the value that the family contributes to the fabric of a good solid society, as well as the future of God’s work on earth.
This will cause a spittle-flecked nutty or two.
Go read the whole thing. It is valuable.
Fr. Z kudos for the straight talk.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvH7NBAK89g&feature=player_embedded
The National Schismatic Reporter’s Michael Sean Winters continues that non-Catholic site’s onslaught on orthodox bishops.
Here is a sample:
My colleague Brian Roewe reported yesterday on an interview given by Bishop Thomas Paprocki of Springfield, Illinois. There is much that is – how to put this as kindly as possible – jarring about the bishop’s comments. His comparison of the situation of the Church today in America to that of the early Christians in imperial Rome was histrionic to say the least: Whatever one thinks of Obama, he is not Nero or Diocletian. [Indeed. He is not. Nero and Diocletian were already living in a pagan culture of death. Obama is actively promoting the conversion of our nation to a pagan culture of death.] Paprocki’s comments on homosexuality exhibited a fifth grade understanding of the issue. [What did Paprocki really say? “Homosexuality and same sex relationships have been around for centuries. There is nothing new in that. What is new is argument that somehow that it is a good thing and that it somehow should be celebrated rather than it being seen as somehow sinful.” Is is that MSW thinks that it should be celebrated?] But, what was most alarming were the bishop’s remarks about the sex abuse crisis. Those who criticized the Church’s handling of the issue are dismissed as anti-Catholic bigots. [What did Paprocki really say? He was was asked about a mendacious and nasty jab at the Catholic Church made on TV by David Letterman, namely, “I am telling you if there is anything kids can’t get enough of it’s a 76-year old virgin. Come on, world youth day, or as the Vatican calls it, a salute to altar boys.” Paprocki said in reaction to that: “You ask what else could it be other than anti-Catholic bigotry – well, it certainly is that. What else could it be? It certainly is ignorance. Profound ignorance for anyone to make comments like that. For one thing it shows the ignorance of someone who identifies the Catholic Church and, particularly the priesthood, with sexual abuse. Certainly, we have had our unfortunate share of scandals and sin and the church is dealing with that.” He goes on to say that the Church has addressed the sexual abuse issue well and that there are other institutions that need yet to address it. In the interview he shifts the interviewer’s proposal that “bigotry” causes such nasty remarks over to “ignorance” as the probable cause.] Many bishops have forthrightly confronted the issue of clergy sex abuse, to be sure. Others, not so much. And the Holy See has so far failed to establish a procedure for removing bishops who do not enforce the canonical norms that have governed the Church’s response since 2002. Bishop Robert Finn is still the Bishop of Kansas City-St. Joseph. Archbishop John Myers is still the Archbishop of Newark. [Remember that MSW defended LA’s former auxiliary Gabino Zavala. “Nothing we learned yesterday, nor anything we are likely to learn in the days ahead, can detract an iota from Bishop Zavala’s record as one of the outstanding bishops in the United States. “] By refusing to admit any wrong-doing, [?] but sweeping everything under the proverbial rug, [?!? Did he actually do those things?] by blaming the media for its coverage, Paprocki looks like no one so much as the tobacco executives who once insisted that smoking cigarettes had nothing to do with causing cancer. Paprocki is an embarrassment, not to me, but to his brother bishops and his cavalier comments and histrionic casting of aspersions [Look in the mirror.] on everybody else undermines the hard work of those bishops who really have tried to right the wrongs that were done and put the Church on a better path. He is like a character out of an opera – “the gods are against me!” – except, of course, this is not an opera, or even a stage, it is the Church. [Yes, the image of the diva does come to mind.]
Read for yourselves the interview Bp. Paprocki gave. HERE
Make up your own minds.
Sirens are blaring. The low rumble of enemy bombers fills the night sky. The Blitz is on.
I have to pull myself away from fighting for truth, justice and the American Way.
Not since Lend Lease has it been so necessary for us Yanks to send help to Ol’ Blighty.
An alert reader sent me a link to a Sunday bulletin for the parish for Oxted and Warlingham in the Diocese of Arundel and Brighton.
I’ll share the parish priest’s (USA: pastor’s) blurb on the front of the bulletin:
A Call to Action (A.C.T.A).
A simple movement to keep alive within the Church of England and Wales the vision and spirit of Vatican 2. It has been growing momentum over the past twelve months, and its aim is to support the Bishops who are still hard at work implementing Vatican 2. Unfortunately many of the aberrations are becoming the rule – e.g. Family Sunday Mass is in the extraordinary form and in Latin – you must kneel for communion – no communion in the hand – even you must go to Confession before receiving communion. [Confession before Communion?!? The horror!] There is an open meeting on Saturday 28 September from 2 till 5 at the Sacred Heart Church, Caterham and the guest speaker will be Fr. Tom O’Loughlin – a priest of our diocese who has a degree in liturgy and is in the Theology Department at Nottingham University. Go along to hear more and make your views known. [YES! Do.] The Arundel and Brighton group of A.C.T.A would like to listen to what you have to say.
Father John
The “Father John” in question is Fr. John Olliver.
This is, in part, an attack on good priests such as Fr. Ray Blake, Fr. Olliver’s diocesan brother.
Such courage!
Where were these guys when Benedict was Pope? All this courage … now? Where were they when the Soho Masses were being shut down? Where were they when Bp. Davies and Bp. Egan were being appointed?
Now that Benedict is gone, they are jumping up and waving their arms around.
Courage such as this we haven’t seen since The Bench sided with Henry VIII.
My note to Fr. Olliver: The “Church of England” already exists as a separate entity. They pretty much own the name. How ’bout letting them keep it?
But since your heart seems to be over there, perhaps you could take the rest of yourself along.
You, like I, have been hearing a lot these days about a Church of “the poor” and a rehabilitation of Liberation Theology. This has caused concern for some who are doctrinally coherent and orthodox and elation for liberals.
The following article has bias we need to watch out for. At RNS Alessandro Speciale wrote:
Liberation theology finds new welcome in Pope Francis’ Vatican
VATICAN CITY (RNS) A progressive theological current that emphasizes the Catholic Church’s closeness to the poor and the marginalized but was subject to decades of hostility and censure is now finding increasing favor in the Vatican under Pope Francis.
Francis, who has called for “a poor church for the poor,” will meet in the next few days with the Rev. Gustavo Gutierrez, a Peruvian theologian and scholar who is considered the founder of liberation theology.
The meeting was announced on Sunday (Sept. 8) by Archbishop Gerhard Ludwig Mueller, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the Vatican’s doctrinal watchdog, during the launch of a book he co-authored with Gutierrez.
It’s a remarkable about-face for a movement that swelled in popularity but was later stamped out by the conservative pontificates of John Paul II and his longtime doctrinal czar, Benedict XVI.
[…]
This sure sounds like another example of pitting Francis against Benedict, no? Francis v. Benedict and John Paul.
I direct you to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith’s Instruction on Certain Aspects of the “Theology of Liberation“.
In the preamble to the Instruction, we find this paragraph… from the horrible old docrinal “czar”… Joseph Card. Ratzinger:
This warning should in no way be interpreted as a disavowal of all those who want to respond generously and with an authentic evangelical spirit to the “preferential option for the poor.” It should not at all serve as an excuse for those who maintain the attitude of neutrality and indifference in the face of the tragic and pressing problems of human misery and injustice. It is, on the contrary, dictated by the certitude that the serious ideological deviations which it points out tends inevitably to betray the cause of the poor. More than ever, it is important that numerous Christians, whose faith is clear and who are committed to live the Christian life in its fullness, become involved in the struggle for justice, freedom, and human dignity because of their love for their disinherited, oppressed, and persecuted brothers and sisters. More than ever, the Church intends to condemn abuses, injustices, and attacks against freedom, wherever they occur and whoever commits them. She intends to struggle, by her own means, for the defense and advancement of the rights of mankind, especially of the poor.
Pretty repressive, huh?
Theologians such as Gustavo Gutiérrez are not the problem. Not every strain or aspect of Liberation Theology is unacceptable. So say both Card. Ratzinger and B. John Paul II. In fact, every sound theology is a “theology of liberation”. As a shorthand way of thinking about this, Liberation Theology without Marxism can fairly be called “Catholic Social Teaching”.
Be alert when you see discussions of Liberation Theology in the future.
The sort of Liberation Theology that Pope Francis eventually became interested in is not the strain that involves Marxism. This is a good opportunity to “Read Francis Through Benedict”.
The Left will try to use this opening, the renewal of interest in Liberation Theology, to rehabilitate notions that are not acceptable.
Over at CMR there is a story about how a couple of Lesbians brought a child to an Anglican vicar asking for baptism for the child.
The Lesbians wanted to be, both of them, listed as “mother”.
The vicar refused.
(I know you know what comes next.)
The Lesbians went to the press!
(I know you know what comes next.)
The Anglican Church reversed the vicars decision!
CMR adds the conclusion:
If you’d like to know why the Anglican Church is dying, here it is.
She is dead on about where the focus of the TLM is. She also gets that true liturgical worship is hard. Indirectly, she touches on the point I am constantly making about how Mass must bring about an encounter with mystery.
I suggest to her that, as she continues to attend the TLM, she hold in mind during Holy Mass that the true Actor is Christ the High Priest.
Youthful intensity!
PS: I don’t condone the use of “Latin Mass” for the Extraordinary Form or (pick your term). “Latin Mass” should also apply to the Novus Ordo.
At the blog of The Catholic Gentleman:
International Buy a Priest a Beer Day!
Did you know that this coming Monday, September 9, is International Buy a Priest a Beer Day? On this festive day, faithful Catholics all over the world take their priests out for a beer and get to know them better. It’s a beautiful Catholic tradition that goes back to the time of St. Hopswald of Aleyard, the first man to take his priest out for a beer.
Okay, if you’re getting suspicious by now, there’s a good reason. Buy a Priest a Beer Day is not a real holiday. But I would argue that it should be! [Do I hear an “Amen!”?]
Believe it or not, priests are real people, and they enjoy socializing over good food and drink as much as anyone. They also have a thankless and difficult job, a job that we couldn’t get to heaven without. Priests are the lifeblood of the Church, and they deserve some appreciation.
So with that in mind, I would challenge you to do something concrete to show appreciation to your priest in the month ahead. Yes, it could be taking him out for a beer, or it could be inviting him over to share dinner with your family. Be creative if you want, but give back to your priest somehow, and let him know that his ministry is making a difference.
Of course, your priest may be insanely busy and unable to schedule a time for a lengthier visit. That’s okay. You could offer a rosary or a holy hour for him and his intentions (or better yet, more than one), and let him know that you are regularly praying for him. At the very least, express to him your gratitude, in person or via a note, for his faithful ministry and his answering God’s call to the priesthood.
I fully expect there to be a lot of happy, encouraged priests by the end of the month. If you want to participate, leave a comment saying, “I’m in!” Ready, set, go.
My correspondent who sent me the link and alerted me to this sacred event, wrote:
Apparently, amazon doesn’t sell beer, so I dropped a $20 into your tip jar so you can pop out and choose something interesting.
;o)
I like that idea.
Here’s my donation button!
UPDATE:
Something fun happened. One of the gals who looks after us here (cleaning, laundry, finding useful stuff, reading my blog, etc.) came with a basket of clothes and …
And it’s cold!
UPDATE Monday 2020 GMT:
So far I have been given only ONE real, physical, beer.
However, I have been getting some donations and some have messages. Here’s one:
Enjoy your beer, Father! God bless you and your work. My family (siblings,parents,husband) and I check in on a regular basis to see what trouble you are stirring up. Keep it up. We could use more trouble makers, and I mean that in the best possible way. May Our Lady protect and bless you, always
And:
Specially for the “Buy a priest a beer day”. Greetings from Germany.
I assume that some of the others for for IBAPABD too. When you send a donation, send a message/comment, too!
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Did you know that this coming Monday, September 9, is International Buy a Priest a Beer Day? On this festive day, faithful Catholics all over the world take their priests out for a beer and get to know them better. It’s a beautiful Catholic tradition that goes back to the time of St. Hopswald of Aleyard, the first man to take his priest out for a beer.