This morning I had several calls from someone (clearly from India) purporting to be from “technical support”, who started asked stupidly invasive questions.
Friends, legitimate tech support for your products does NOT call you out of the blue and tell you to do things.
NEVER NEVER NEVER do what these people ask or offer.
See my
Also, please know that this blog is under constant attack. I will need some real help real soon to correct some things.
From a reader…
QUAERITUR:
I hope you are doing well! First, I want to thank you for your blog. Your writings have been very educational and inspirational. I’m hoping you might share your thoughts on an example that came up during a discussion with fellow Catholics on irregular marriages.
(Please forgive my errors in grammar. I have a disability and my errors were “excused” and never corrected in school. I’m working through some textbooks trying to improve.)
Several Catholics insisted divorce was not a “real” option for a
couple, with children, in an invalid marriage. If both adults do not agree to live as brother and sister, it would be preferable for them to continue to have relations and stay together rather than raise their children in divorced homes.They insisted it was better to not partake in Confession and
Communion. They insisted the Church would never be in the business of breaking up families. They really weren’t open to discussion on this.I was taught trying to keep sin at bay without the sacraments is a fool’s errand. While divorce is less than ideal, it is not necessarily sinful. Once sin takes root, it grows. Alcoholism, drug addiction, anger issues, and abusive attitudes do not spring up out of nothing. Children are vulnerable targets.
This idea seems terrifying to me. It seems somewhat arrogant. The idea that “good” Catholics cannot fall. That we can limit and conquer sin without obeying God’s law. I will confess it angers me this idea is promoted for the sake of the children who will be the ones who pay the price if this all goes south.
It is possible my opinion is being colored far too much by my own experiences, but would the Church really insist it is better to stay in sin and away from the sacraments rather than put children through a divorce?
Discussing situations like these in the abstract is fraught with difficulties, because people want to go from the particular situation to the general principles, and then back to another particular, which may be entirely dissimilar to the original situation discussed.
Divorce is bad.
The effects of divorce upon society are bad. The effects of divorce upon the couple are bad. The effects of divorce upon children, other family members, neighbors, friends and coworkers are bad.
Worse than divorces are invalid marriages.
A couple who remain in a marriage which they know to be invalid, and continue to live as husband and wife, to engage in all that activity that should be exclusively shared by a husband and wife, are act perilously.
By the way… “knowing” that one is in an invalid marriage is a delicate proposition. The people involved are not the judges of these things. The Church reserves to Herself, to Her tribunal system, the right to determine whether a marriage has been proven to be invalid. The opinions of the parties are not wholly probative (can. 1536, 2).
If one has doubts about the validity of one’s marriage, that person should immediately seek the counsel of a trusted priest.
There are situations and circumstances where I could envision advising someone to remain in the conjugal home, particularly if there are children involved who would be unduly harmed by their parents’ separation and divorce. I would not advise someone in such a situation to stay away from the sacraments. Hence, that means not engage in intimacies with his or her purported spouse.
The Church is definitely not in favor of breaking up families. But neither is the Church in favor of the pretense of marriage when it is clearly false.
In some cases, I could see myself advising the couple to separate, preferably by utilizing the Church’s process for separation while the bond remains (canon. 1151-1155 & 1692-1696, which allows the party to separate from bed and board on his or her own volition, can. 1153). Cases of abuse, situations where the children’s safety or well-being are in doubt, situations where the common life has deteriorated to such a degree that no one, least of all the children (who tend to be very perceptive) is fooled by the pretense of normalcy, … all these situations could warrant a legitimate separation and even permit the parties to turn to the civil courts and pursue a divorce.
Since this is delicate, comment moderation is ON and I may be slow to review the queue.
From a reader…
QUAERITUR:
Father, Is it permissible for a priest to instead of giving a homily at a Sunday Mass, “Open up that time to the congregation for a Q&A on any topics they would like to discuss?” I am pretty sure this is not ok but wanted to double check that this is in fact not permitted, as our priest informed us. he will be doing this next Sunday. Thank you!
No.
It’s not okay, and frankly, it’s rather silly.
I would recommend going. Ask the question:
“Father, when did the Church give you the authority to mess around with our Liturgy and turn the homily into a Town Hall Meeting?”
If he pulls out a ukelele… well… that’s, as they say, another whole ball of wax.
Was there a good point or two in the sermon you heard for your Sunday Mass of obligation?
I’ll bet some of you heard some odd things about the Trinity.
Here is a little Trinity Sunday question for you.
In your Sunday sermons today, did you hear the preacher make an analogy for the Trinity?
Did he says something like…
The Trinity is like water, which can be steam, ice or water. (Modalism)
The Trinity is like an egg, which can be shell, yolk and white. (Tritheism)
The three Persons are like three wine bottles of the same wine.
The Father is like the Sun, the Son like Light, the Spirit like warmth.
What did you hear?
Good? Not so good?
We can understand that people resort to analogies when speaking of the Trinity. Do they get it right?
UPDATE:
There has been a bit of a dust up in the last days about the Third Secret of Fatima. Was the whole of the Third Secret truly released? Some say that it wasn’t.
One blog recently posted some claims about what Joseph Ratzinger told a German professor about the Third Secret.
Now it seems that Benedict XVI has said he never told anyone that the publication of the Third Secret of Fatima in the year 2000 was incomplete, and he confirmed the document was published in its totality.
A Communiqué was published Saturday by the Holy See Press Office on various articles regarding the Third Secret of Fatima:
“Several articles have appeared recently, including declarations attributed to Professor Ingo Dollinger according to which Cardinal Ratzinger, after the publication of the Third Secret of Fatima (which took place in June 2000), had confided to him that the publication was not complete,” – the Communiqué reads – “In this regard, Pope emeritus Benedict XVI declares ‘never to have spoken with Professor Dollinger about Fatima’, clearly affirming that the remarks attributed to Professor Dollinger on the matter ‘are pure inventions, absolutely untrue’, and he confirms decisively that ‘the publication of the Third Secret of Fatima is complete’.”
Take that for what it’s worth.
First and foremost, I am very grateful for the monthly donations which have come in since the beginning of May. I have been behind the eight-ball for quite a while and, hence, I haven’t been updating the sidebar where I usually post initials of generous givers. I have everyone marked down, however, so that when I say Masses for my benefactors, you will be remembered.
Speaking of remembering, on Sunday I head to Rome.
26 May will be my 25th Jubilee of ordination.
Thanks to those who have already sent cards.
Right now, my plan is to say Mass on the 26th at the tomb of St. Philip Neri at the Chiesa Nuova. I’ll also try to get to the Capella Clementina in the crypt of St. Peter’s where I said my first Mass.
While I am in Rome, I will – for sure – say a Mass for the intention of my benefactors, those who make donations or who send items from my wish list, as well as a handful of others who have been giving important support in other ways.
And so, speaking of remembering, I would ask the readership to remember me in your prayers.
ORIGINAL Published 11 May 2016
First, where is a good herald when you need him? I want to do a decent version of my coat-of-arms (I will revert to my family’s which is part of the one I was using). Hopefully technology has advanced to the point where the image can also be used for machine embroidering, as on vestments, etc.
Second, are there traditionally-minded priests out there who are interested in forming oratories?
Third, for the umpteenth time, this blog needs serious work.
UPDATE:
Some of you have written to suggest whom I should contact or to offer me the services of others.
What I need are contacts from the very people who would do the heraldic work or the server/software work.
That said, I want to give one guy a plug. He reached out to contact me himself! That’s what I am talking about.
Once I get the arms sorted, this fellow could do embroidery. HERE
UPDATE 20 May 2016:
I have some good news on the heraldry front!
First, several people reached out to me both about the art (the coat-of-arms itself) and about the embroidery. Thanks to everyone.
One of you, however, dug right in and got to work. I think he did a great job. I have also already put him in touch with a potential client.
So… here is my stemma, which is my family arms without the extra stuff I had added some time back.
He sent a fairly large version, which I will probably get printed and framed.
The next stage will be to find someone who will do the embroidery!
NB: If you want to contact this herald for some work, drop me a line and I will forward your email to him.
This morning early I received an SMS: “Parolin announces ‘clarification’ of CIC by which no diocesan institute of religious can be erected validly without Vatican OK.”
“Gosh!”, or words to that effect, “So much for the collegiality and decentralization that libs so crave”, quoth I.
Buried on page 8 of the number of Saturday, 21 May L’Osservatore Romano we read that the Congregation is concerned that there might spring up new institutes which might not have “l’originalita del carisma… originality of (their) charism”.
Does every new institute have to have an “original charism”? One that no other institute has ever had? Anyway…
Can. 579 says: “Provided the Apostolic See has been consulted, diocesan Bishops can, by formal decree, establish institutes of consecrated life in their own territories.”
That doesn’t speak to validity.
Looking at the actual wording of the new rescript, as of 1 June 2016, diocesan bishops will have to “consult” with the Congregation in order “validly” to erect a Diocesan Institute of Consecrated Life in his diocese.
NB: The bishops do not need to obtain permission. He needs to consult.
Say Bp. Noble of Black Duck receives some priests from the neighboring Diocese of Libville where Bp. Fatty McButterpants is persecuting traditional Catholics. They set up an Oratory at a sleepy inner-city parish with a fading school, near to the university and a couple hospitals. Bp. Noble “consults” with the Congregation. During the “consultation”, the Prefect, not known to be a friend of things traditional, gives a negative view of the project. Bp. Noble smiles, thanks the Prefect, returns to Black Duck and then sets up the Oratory. He has “consulted”.
I have no idea what the background story is here, but I think that somebody, somewhere, is nervous about the kind of institutes that are springing up, where they are on the ecclesiastical spectrum. I suspect, I don’t know but I suspect, that someone wants slow down a certain type of institute.
Meanwhile, the decision still rests with the diocesan bishop.
Bottom line: This seems to be more of a change of attitude than of law.
UPDATE 21 May:
The esteemed Vaticanista Marco Tossati has a similar view at La Stampa. HERE
He concludes (my translation):
In brief, this means that bishops, individual bishops are less free; and their authority as successors of the apostles – because that’s what we’re dealing with – is undergoing a severe limitation, in favor of a Roman Congregation, the one that handles religious life. They have to pass through its consensus to approve new diocesan religious institutes.
Good grief! Haven’t we heard at every turn about decentralization, synodality, and all that jazz?
The Spirit blows, as we know, where He will; but from now on He will have to make a phone call ahead of time to Card. Joao Braz de Aviz. And maybe even first get a recommendation from a theologian of Liberation Theology….
Tosatti, as you can see, has a somewhat negative view of this move. Also, it may be that, if I am reading this correctly, he misses the point that bishops – provided that they have backbones – are still free to establish institutes of consecrated life, provided that they “consult”… “consult”, not “obtain permission”.
The other day I chatted for a bit with Raymond Arroyo of EWTN, who stopped at our table at the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast. When I got home from DC, I found waiting for me a copy of his new book about Mother Angelica.
Grand silence… that is a churchy term which refers to the silence imposed on religious communities during the night after the ringing of a particular bell. Think about it: grand silence… religious life… a stroke… work that still needs to be done….
Raymond provides some amazing new material about Mother, including details about a trip she made to the far East after she had her stroke and about torments by the Devil in her cell.
Mother was an amazing woman and she accomplished so much of great benefit to many.
Here is an important point: some of the proceeds of the sales will go to supper Mother’s community of sisters.
Meanwhile, check out Storyented!
Raymond also interviewed an interesting Catholic author, N.D. Wilson:
The author wanted to create a mythos for American children. So much magnificent literature comes from English authors. Perhaps an American mythos is needed?
He works real evil into his books for children, he wants to scare, because children need to get it. He wants to equip kids for reality.
This was sent by a priest friend.
“OUCH!” doesn’t quite capture my reaction.
Let me preface your viewing by saying that the older, traditional form of the Roman Rite is not susceptible to this sort of madness.
BTW… the real hurt-locker starts at about 5:30. We’ve seen it before on this blog, alas, but not juxtaposed to solemn Divine Liturgy.
Talk about Liturgy Science Theatre 3000!
After watching this, we might be a bit clearer about why the Orthodox are leery of Rome.
Another example of how Benedict XVI is the Pope of Christian Unity!
Coat of Arms by D Burkart
A Daily Prayer for Priests
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