YOUR URGENT PRAYER REQUESTS

Posted on 8 October 2014 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

YOUR URGENT PRAYER REQUESTSPlease use the sharing buttons! Thanks!

Registered or not, will you in your charity please take a moment look at the requests and to pray for the people about whom you read?

Continued from THESE.

I get many requests by email asking for prayers. Many requests are heart-achingly grave and urgent.

Right now it seems … well, something is up, because I’m getting lots of requests for prayers.  More than usual.

As long as my blog reaches so many readers in so many places, let’s give each other a hand. We should support each other in works of mercy.

If you have some prayer requests, feel free to post them below. You have to be registered here to be able to post.

I still have a pressing personal petition.

Posted in SESSIUNCULA |
22 Comments

9 OCT – LONDON – MASS for Feast of Bl. John Henry Newman

Posted on 8 October 2014 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

On Thursday, 9 October, a Solemn Mass in the Ordinariate use of the Roman Rite will be offered at the Ordinariate central church in London, Our Lady of the Assumption and St. Gregory (Warwick St.).

The Mass will be celebrated by Mgr Keith Newton and the guest preacher will be Fr Michael Lang, parish priest of the London Oratory.

9 OCT - LONDON - MASS for Feast of Bl. John Henry Newman

9 OCT - LONDON - MASS for Feast of Bl. John Henry Newman

My friend Fr. Lang is sure to give a fine sermon.  I’d like to be there to hear it.

I hope to get to London in January after the Confraternity of Catholic Clergy conference in Rome.  I wouldn’t weep to have a speaking gig of some kind while in London.

Posted in Events, Our Catholic Identity, The Campus Telephone Pole | Tagged ,
3 Comments

Thoughts about the Synod and simplifying the “annulment” process

Posted on 8 October 2014 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Thoughts about the Synod and simplifying the "annulment" processAt the National Schismatic Reporter (aka Fishwrap) Jesuit Thomas Reese is going out to the edge of the cliff:

Simplified annulment process coming from synod

This is part of the “lemmings to the cliff” dynamic being stirred by the Synod of the Media.

If you follow news about the Synod (“opinion” pieces), doesn’t it seem that many assume automatically that dumbing down the process for review of marriage cases simply has to be done or OMG!! the sky is going quite simply to fall?  We can’t be a Church of “mercy” unless we jettison all – or at least a lot – of this legalistic mumbojumbo and finally become the compassionate Church we have never ever been!

It’s a foregone conclusion.

Right?

If, however, the Synod of the Synod recommends a streamlined annulment process to the Pope, it remains to be seen what that would look like. How to do that without undermining also the Church’s teaching on marriage?

Paul VI, in his 1966 Apostolic Constitution on Fast and Abstinence Paenitemini didn’t fundamentally change the Church’s teaching on fasting, abstinence, doing penance, etc. He changed the laws concerning the practice of those things which the Church teaches we must do.

The result today is – and I don’t think I am exaggerating – that hardly any Catholics practice any meaningful fasting, abstinence, penance or mortifications of any kind.

Thus there has been lost to all of us, the Church as a whole, tremendous, incalculably valuable spiritual benefits.

Let’s now talk about changing juridical practice concerning marriage cases and declarations of nullity.

That won’t change what people believe?

When changes were made to Holy Mass in the 60’s (and with illicit experimentation and abuses far into the 70’s and 80’s) many people had the impression that, “If Mass can change, anything can change… including doctrine!”

Decades of bad translations and Communion in the hand, while standing… they haven’t affected people’s belief in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist, have they?

All manner of expectations are being raised by the eager, oh so eager, Synod of the Media.

I’ve been quizzing canonists I trust for their opinions on what could be done that wouldn’t make the serious discernment process, aimed at arriving at truth and justice, into a something that unintentionally signals that the Church’s practice is a sham and that doctrine can change.  More on that another time.

Meanwhile, if American diocesan tribunals are a model that some (of the most eager for CHANGE) think should be followed (precisely because they were though to be annulment mills), then why did His Holiness not appoint a single American to the commission charged with overhauling the process?

Posted in One Man & One Woman, Our Catholic Identity, The Drill | Tagged , , , , , ,
39 Comments

ASK FATHER: How to record SSPX sacraments in regular sacramental registers?

Posted on 8 October 2014 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

ASK FATHER: How to record SSPX sacraments in regular sacramental registers?From a priest…

QUAERITUR:

We have a woman who was baptized in an SSPX Parish [not a parish… just some sort of chapel]. She attends Mass there. She recognizes that the SSPX lacks the jurisdiction for a Catholic Marriage. [Exactly, they don’t act as a witness for the Church, which results in lack of proper form.] She has approached the local parish in the Diocese about getting married there.  [Good for her!]

Is she in need of making an act of faith prior to the marriage?

Where should such a marriage, that takes place in the diocesan parish, be recorded? It isn’t as if she is being received in to the Church.

The SSPX is not in formal schism.  Therefore, she would not need to make a Profession of Faith.  She is Catholic, albeit in an irregular situation.

I strongly urge this thoughtful lady to make a good confession to a priest with faculties, if she’s been going to confession to an SSPX priest over the years.  They don’t have faculties to receive sacramental confessions and therefore they do not absolve validly under normal circumstances (but they do in danger of death).

Record keeping.  That’s a puzzle.  Here’s a solution, the best I know so far.

SSPX chapels are located within the boundaries of a real parish associated with local diocese.  All the baptisms and 1st Communions and confirmations that take place irregularly within the boundaries of the diocesan parish are the “property”, so to speak, of the local diocesan parish.   Therefore, I suppose you would send a note to the parish whose boundaries include that SSPX chapel.  Include all the information you can gather.

Ideally, we could go to the SSPX chapel and take possession of their sacramental record books, because those valid Catholic sacraments took place, not in the SSPX chapel, but truly in the Latin Catholic parish.  So, when news came down of a marriage for someone who had been baptized at St. Athanasius the Long Suffering Chapel of District 529 of the SSPX a record would be written into the register at Our Lady Queen of Holy Popes Catholic Church recording as much information as could be gleaned.  Thereafter, all the people in question, receiving sacraments, should be told that all sacramental records should be asked for from OLQHP, and any future notations should be sent there.

I look forward to the day when these things are resolved.

Posted in "How To..." - Practical Notes, ASK FATHER Question Box, SSPX | Tagged , ,
4 Comments

Good question: When you change language, do you change belief?

Posted on 8 October 2014 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

The short answer is “yes”.

We know that when you change liturgical texts, you change the belief of the people.  It takes a while, but it happens.  You know the adage “lex orandi lex credendi“.

So, Edward Pentin has a piece today at the National Catholic Register:

[…]

Much stress is being put on the fact that a change of doctrine is not up for discussion. But concerns remain that, even if that is the case, changing how the Church is presented will make it appear to have been altered.

The issue of language is a case in point: synod participants heard today of a wish to tone down the use of terms such as “living in sin”, “contraceptive mentality” and “intrinsically disordered”. The suggestion appeared to have been warmly received.

But such a change risks making it seem that the Church no longer believes, at least as strongly as she once did, the truths she is compelled to teach. It’s a concern that’s yet to be raised at the synod. Or maybe it has been.  [Since the Synod is so closed, it would be hard to find out.]

Words have meanings.  When you start playing around with words, you risk changing the concepts.

That said, in all seriousness, are there better ways to say:

  • “living in sin”
  • “adultery”
  • “intrinsically disordered”

?

We have to stipulate that language you use in a scholarly article is not the same as you use in a sermon or in a coffee shop.

If there are better ways to express these things, without vastly long circumlocutions or vague euphemisms, I’d like to know what they are so that I can use them.

Posted in "How To..." - Practical Notes, I'm just askin'..., The Drill | Tagged , , , , ,
38 Comments

More bile from CRUX

Posted on 8 October 2014 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Crux Watch continues.  Are you starting to get a picture of what Crux is like? I am.

Here is a taste from today by Margery Eagan.  Tell me if this doesn’t drip bitterness and really make you want to adhere to the Church’s teachings and laws.

My ‘aunt’ was abandoned by her husband. What was her sin, exactly? [Get it?  The Church punished the aunt.]

I was still in my teens when I realized Roman Catholicism could be more cruel than merciful, no matter what the gospel says. [No matter what the gospel says, Margery knows better.] That was when a woman I’d grown up with, like an aunt to me, was abandoned by her husband. He left her for her best friend. She never saw it coming. [That’s the Church’s fault?]

She was a Portuguese immigrant and a devout Catholic who did not dare question her parish priest or the church’s edict: [“edict”, because the nasty old punishing Church issues edicts that hurt women like her aunt] divorced Catholics who remarry without an annulment cannot receive Communion. [Whoa! Another piece of information!  She was abandoned, which is genuinely sad and perhaps not her fault, though we don’t know that.  And then she remarried without an annulment.  THAT’s why she can’t receive Communion, not because she was “abandoned” sic et simpliciter.] In her mind, that meant her romantic life was over. She was still in her 30s. [Never mind that the afterlife is forever and that our choices in this life have consequences for the next.]

What was her sin, exactly?

I mention this today because the Synod of Bishops on the Family has begun. Pope Francis has urged bishops to show more mercy toward the divorced and remarried who are barred from receiving Communion. And there is hope this time around for change. [Sounds like an Obama campaign ad, no?]

It is much needed.

I am a Catholic, like so many others, who has separated my faith and prayer life from the politics of a morally challenged Church hierarchy. One upside of the sex abuse crisis: [gotta get that in there] it freed many from taking bishops’ prejudices and hypocrisies seriously.  [So, if the bishops (actually, the Pope) doesn’t let Catholics in objectively adulterous relationships receive Communion, then the bishops (actually, the Pope) are prejudiced and hypocritical.]

Yet in the days leading up to the synod, it’s become clear how many divorced and remarried Catholics still obey the hierarchy [Stupid dupes! They should just write off the hierarchy and do what they want!  This is the 21st century!] and are devastated by the Communion ban — [It’s not as if it is was surprise.] including a devout remarried mother who wrote to Crux about sitting in the pew while her teen-aged daughters receive Communion without her.

[…]

Brilliantly bilious, isn’t it.

She goes on:

Pope Francis, in one of his famous back-of-the-plane press chats in 2013, actually referred to the Orthodox practice when telling reporters the Church needs a more pastoral and less punitive approach to the divorced. Could this be that approach?

She needs to read the book.  HERE  The book obliterates the Eastern “oikonomia” suggestion.

Posted in CRUX WATCH, Liberals, One Man & One Woman, Our Catholic Identity, The Coming Storm, The Olympian Middle | Tagged ,
36 Comments

Islam’s central problem

Posted on 8 October 2014 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

I saw this at Jihad Watch and thought…. “Yep.”

On the heals of the Feast of the Holy Rosary (Our Lady of Victory)…

Professor at Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome: Islamic State not un-Islamic, “model is Muhammad himself”

Where is the border between Islam and Islamism? The media says that the two are different as night and day; Islam is a religion of peace, and the Islamists have stolen the name. [Does anyone believe that?] Others believe that Islamism represents the traditional, pure Islam, true to the Koran.

This latter view is advanced, remarkably enough, by a theologian Martin Rhonheimer from a university endorsed by the Pope. He is a professor at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome and wrote an essay on this particular distinction in the Neue Zürcher Zeitung.

You do not hear many official Muslim voices condemning Islamic State, says Rhonheimer. And when it finally happens, it is usually only to condemn the bestiality because it harms Islam’s reputation. The Islamic State is no heresy, [that is, straying from core Islam] but “a recurring pattern in the history of violent expansion. The model is Muhammad himself.”

“Islamic State’s legitimation finds its basis in the Koran and Islamic law, the Sharia,” believes the Catholic professor. He states: “You will find no arguments within Muslim theology that can be used to condemn Islamic State’s behavior as un-Islamic.”…

Martin Rhonheimer then goes through the suras in the Quran that prescribe what should happen to the conquered Christians and Jews, and points out that the Islamic State strictly adheres to these regulations. Islam would like to influence the state and society in details, emphasizes Rhonheimer.

“Islam is more than a religion. It is cult with political and social rules and unites religion and and political and social order in one. And it has always been violent,” he says.[…]

Moderate Islam has its advocates, often professors at Western universities.

“But they are confronted with Islam’s central problem: when they return to Islam’s origin, they come across the warlike, expansionist Islam from Medina, the legitimacy of killing for Allah’s honor and a violent Muhammad,” writes Rhonheimer.

Take a look also at the combox under that entry.

Posted in Religious Liberty, The Coming Storm, The future and our choices, The Religion of Peace | Tagged , , ,
24 Comments

SHOCK! A Catholic bishop who speaks like – *gulp* – a Catholic bishop!

Posted on 7 October 2014 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

SHOCK! A Catholic bishop who speaks like - *gulp* - a Catholic bishop!As you know, not to long ago Bp. Howard Hubbard was retired from his looooong tenure as Bishop of Albany.  He was succeeded by Bp. Edward Scharfenberger.

Recently Bp. Scharfenbeger gave a speech to an interfaith group in Albany.   At least one Protestant didn’t like what he had to say.

From the Times Union of Albany, NY.

Rev. Sam Trumbore
First Unitarian Universalist Society of Albany [Unitarian Universalist… what is that, I wonder.]

Bishop Scharfenberger’s after dinner speech last night at the Capital Region Theological Center Fall fundraising dinner seriously missed his audience and likely ruffled a few feathers in the interfaith, largely Protestant audience of about 230 community leaders.

Many of us in attendance were very interested to hear the recent replacement for long serving Bishop Hubbard, to hear what his message to the interfaith community might be. The Capital Region Theological Center is a wonderful ecumenical organization founded by the collaboration of the founding partners: The Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, Reformed Church of America, Presbyterian Church (USA) and the United Church of Christ. […] Their values welcoming and supporting all faith communities seeking peace, justice and a more sustainable planet and a spirit of collaboration, discussion over judgment, and diversity rather than uniformity line up well with the values of my Unitarian Universalist congregation.

[…]

So it surprised me with the new Bishop stood up after dinner and launched into a finely crafted Catholic sermon about the nature of freedom in Catholic theology. He spoke little about the work of CRTC nor much about the community gathered to hear him and gave what sounded like last Sunday’s sermon at the cathedral. There were some surprising references when he began about the common religious history of slavery among ancient peoples suggesting that the Ancient Greeks, Jews, and Christians all took it for granted. As our denomination has been keenly interested in the Catholic Doctrine of Discovery and its use to subjugate Native Americans and enslave Africans, [?] I was curious if the Bishop would talk about this, dare I say apologize for the massive death, destruction and suffering it caused. He did not.  [?!?]

I’m not going to be able to pull apart all the subtleties of his speech for us but he took us to the Garden of Eden to reiterate the Original Sinfulness of humanity and our rebellion against God. The evil in the world is our fault because we do not use our freedom wisely. We pursue power for our separate selves rather than the good and the love of God. Humanity falls into sin by choosing the freedom to get over the freedom to give. Real freedom isn’t the absence of constraints but to choose the constraints that God gives us. Most surprisingly given the liberal theological climate in Albany, he spoke about what was missing today was fear of Hell.

[…]

ROFL!

Fr. Z kudos to Bp. Scharfenberger.  ¡Hagan lío!

Read the rest over there for a good chuckle.

Meanwhile, let true dialogue begin!

 

Posted in ¡Hagan lío!, Liberals, New Evangelization, Our Catholic Identity, Religious Liberty, The future and our choices, The Olympian Middle, Throwing a Nutty | Tagged ,
75 Comments

Good News and Bad News about Ignatius Press and the “Five Cardinals Book”

Posted on 7 October 2014 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Good News and Bad News about Ignatius Press and the "Five Cardinals Book"I have been pushing the so-called “Five Cardinals Book” from Ignatius Press called  Remaining in the Truth of Christ: Marriage and Communion in the Catholic Church.

This is an important book.  More about it HERE

Ignatius Press’s handling of the release of this book has all the markings of a Goat Rodeo. They had a release date of 1 October.  Then 7 October.

Good News and Bad News about Ignatius Press and the "Five Cardinals Book"

Click to PRE-ORDER

Now people are getting emails from Ignatius Press [it seems that AMAZON is sending the emails] saying that release of the actual book, paperback, is delayed even longer.  Emails [from Amazon] say that people have to confirm that by some date in November, if they still want the book they have to confirm their order!

HOWEVER, the good news is that the book is available for KINDLE for a reduced price of $9.99, which is much less than the paperback. HERE

UK KINDLE HERE

Don’t have a Kindle yet.  What on earth are you waiting for?  USA HERE (for one type, a Paperwhite, you can surf to others) and UK HERE

This book should have been available, in concrete form, while the Synod was in full swing.

I might add that the other language versions are all available (Italian, German, French, Spanish).

This is shabby on the part of Ignatius Press.  [To be fair… here I am fisking myself! … to be fair, I wonder if this is a situation where in Ignatius did not supply enough books to Amazon, and Amazon sold more than its pre-release quota. That said, they should have known that the demand was going to be high.]  I am told that, at least, they got the pages in the right order this time.  They screwed up the first release of the collected works on liturgy by Joseph Ratzinger, not that that book was important.

And then they refused to replace mine, which was a gift.

I am not pleased at this moment with IP, as you might have been able to tell.

None of this means that this book is not important.

It will be worth the wait for the paperback.  You can get the Kindle version now.

Moreover, the hype about the issues involved is just getting started. There is a whole year of hype to endure before the more important Synod next year!

So, do support this book, even if Ignatius Press is making it as hard as possible for you to spend your hard earned money and get the product they apparently want to sell you.

I am sure there are all sorts of explanations… blah blah blah.   To quote one of my role models…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ly7oDAHbOno&feature=player_embedded

Posted in Goat Rodeos |
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8 OCTOBER TOTAL LUNAR ECLIPSE

Posted on 7 October 2014 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf
8 OCTOBER TOTAL LUNAR ECLIPSE

My shot of during an eclipse over Rome in 2007

For your information:

Space Weather News for Oct. 7, 2014

http://spaceweather.com

TOTAL ECLIPSE OF THE MOON:  The Moon is about to pass through the shadow of Earth, producing a colorful lunar eclipse.  Sky watchers in the Americas, Australia, Pacific islands and parts of Asia can expect to see the full Moon turn beautiful shades of red and turquoise for nearly an hour on Wednesday morning, Oct. 8th.  Check http://spaceweather.com for viewing times and observing tips.

 

Posted in ACTION ITEM!, Look! Up in the sky! | Tagged
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