Fr. Z's Blog | Formerly entitled: "What Does The Prayer Really Say?" – Clear, straight commentary on Catholic issues, liturgy and life by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf o{]:¬)

Pope Francis on sin, the virtue of feeling shame, and confession

Posted on 29 April 2013 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Pope Francis continues to talk about sin and confession.

I have no idea if Francis’ little fervorini are going to wind up published in Acta Apostolicae Sedis, but they have some real meat. He is speaking more or less “a braccio“, off-the-cuff, but you can tell that he has some game.

One of the reasons why I like Francis’ preaching is that he is concrete. In some ways he is more concrete than Benedict was. I also like the fact that Francis is willing to reveal unpolished moments.

From the site of Vatican Radio we find a partial account (rather than a full text) of Pope Francis’ daily fervorino.

Commenting on the First Letter of St. John, which states ” God is light, and in him there is no darkness at all,” Francis Pope pointed out that “we all have darkness in our lives,” moments “where everything, even our consciousness, is in the dark”, but this – he pointed out – does not mean we walk in darkness:

“Walking in darkness means being overly pleased with ourselves, believing that we do not need salvation. That is darkness! When we continue on this road of darkness, it is not easy to turn back. Therefore, John continues, because this way of thinking made him reflect: ‘If we say we are without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us‘. [Watch this…] Look to your sins, to our sins, we are all sinners, all of us … This is the starting point. But if we confess our sins, He is faithful, He is so just He forgives us our sins, cleansing us from all unrighteousness…The Lord who is so good, so faithful, so just that He forgives.”

“When the Lord forgives us, He does justice” – continued the Pope – first to himself, “because He came to save and forgive“, [“Save”? It is almost as if Francis believes in propitiation!]welcoming us with the tenderness of a Father for his children: “The Lord is tender towards those who fear, [“Fear”? It is almost as if Francis believes in reverence.] to those who come to Him “and with tenderness,” He always understand us”. He wants to gift us the peace that only He gives. ” [Here we go! Sacrament of Penance…] “This is what happens in the Sacrament of Reconciliation” even though “many times we think that going to confession is like going to the dry cleaner” to clean the dirt from our clothes:

“But Jesus in the confessional is not a dry cleaner: it is an encounter with Jesus, but with this Jesus who waits for us, who waits for us just as we are. “But, Lord, look … this is how I am”, we are often ashamed to tell the truth: ‘I did this, I thought this’. But shame [It: vergogna] is a true Christian virtue, [“Shame”? The readers of the Fishwrap aren’t going to like this.] and even human … the ability to be ashamed: [Here is one of those moments I mentioned at the top…] I do not know if there is a similar saying in Italian, but in our country to those who are never ashamed are called “sin vergüenza’: this means ‘the unashamed ‘, because they are people who do not have the ability to be ashamed and to be ashamed is a virtue of the humble, of the man and the woman who are humble. ”

Pope Francis continued: “ we must have trust, because when we sin we have an advocate with the Father, “Jesus Christ the righteous.” And He “supports us before the Father” and defends us in front of our weaknesses. But you need to stand in front of the Lord “with our truth of sinners”, “with confidence, even with joy, without masquerading… We must never masquerade before God.” And shame is a virtue: “blessed shame.” “This is the virtue that Jesus asks of us: humility and meekness”.

“Humility and meekness are like the frame of a Christian life. A Christian must always be so, humble and meek. And Jesus waits for us to forgive us. We can ask Him a question: Is going to confession like to a torture session? [Excellent. I have often remarked that the confession is not The Rack.] No! It is going to praise God, because I, a sinner , have been saved by Him. And is He waiting for me to beat me? No, with tenderness to forgive me. And if tomorrow I do the same? Go again, and go and go and go …. He always waits for us. This tenderness of the Lord, this humility, this meekness …. ”

This confidence, concluded Pope Francis “gives us room to breathe.” “The Lord give us this grace, the courage to always go to Him with the truth, because the truth is light and not the darkness of half-truths or lies before God. It give us this grace! So be it. “

I am please, dear readers, to report that Pope Francis wants you to examine your consciences, to feel shame for your sins, and then to …

GO TO CONFESSION!

Posted in Francis, GO TO CONFESSION, Liturgy Science Theatre 3000, Our Catholic Identity | Tagged confession, examination of conscience, Pope Francis, sacrament of penance, shame, sin
35 Comments

Video from the Mass in Boston (FANTASTIC BOYS CHOIR ALERT!)

Posted on 28 April 2013 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

The other day I had the great privilege of celebrating a Solemn Mass at St. Paul’s, the parish for Harvard University. The music was provided by the Boston Archdiocesan Boy’s Choir. They have the only boys’ choir school in the United States. And can they sing!

Someone posted on YouTube a couple mobile phone videos from the Mass. The videos aren’t great, but you can hear something of the wonderful music. They did Victoria’s Missa Quarti Toni and Palestrina’s Sicut cervus, which almost always leaves me choked up.

Introit:

I think they need to work a bit on shaping the beginnings and ends of phrases. But, hey!

Sicut cervus

Sanctus – Consecration – Benedictus

This was the first time that the Boys Choir sang from the choir loft in, apparently, many years. It was a huge success and they sounded spectacular.

The Mass was wonderful. Everyone involved in the organization and celebration have reason to be proud of the beautiful thing that was done for God.

The great Fathers Jay Finelli and Thomas Kocik were there in choir! Bloggers both. It was a pleasure to see them.

An action shot.

Posted in "How To..." - Practical Notes, Liturgy Science Theatre 3000, New Evangelization, Our Catholic Identity | Tagged Archd. Boston, boys choir, De Victoria, Palestrina
43 Comments

Women-priest fakers allow Protestants to define who Catholics are. There must be consequences.

Posted on 28 April 2013 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

When anti-Catholic ecumenical atrocities take place, Catholic bishops should act.

Here is an example which calls for consequences.

From WTAX in Kentucky:

Kentucky woman ordained as priest in defiance of Roman Catholic Church [Note either the carelessness or the bias? She was not ordained as anything.]

By Mary Wisniewski

LOUISVILLE, Kentucky (Reuters) – In an emotional ceremony filled with tears and applause, a 70-year-old Kentucky woman was ordained a priest [No. She went through a fake ceremony.] on Saturday as part of a dissident group operating outside of official Roman Catholic Church authority. [Liberals often use the word “official” as code. Watch for code.]

Rosemarie Smead is one of about 150 women around the world who have decided not to wait for the Roman Catholic Church to lift its ban on women priests, but to be ordained and start their own congregations.

In an interview before the ceremony, Smead said she is not worried about being excommunicated from the Church – the fate of other women ordained outside of Vatican law.

“It has no sting for me,” said Smead, a petite, gray-haired former Carmelite nun with a ready hug for strangers. [What slop.] “It is a Medieval bullying stick the bishops used to keep control over people and to keep the voices of women silent. I am way beyond letting octogenarian men tell us how to live our lives.” [Wayyyy beyond.]

The ordination of women as priests, along with the issues of married priests and birth control, represents one of the big divides between U.S. Catholics and the Vatican hierarchy. [And it is the writer’s objective to widen the divide. Note also how the “issues” are not easily related.] Seventy percent of U.S. Catholics believe that women should be allowed to be priests, according to a New York Times/CBS News poll earlier this year.

The former pope, Benedict XVI, reaffirmed the Catholic Church’s ban on women priests [“ban on women priests” requires the premise that there is such a thing as a woman priest. There isn’t.] and warned that he would not tolerate disobedience by clerics on fundamental teachings. Male priests have been stripped of their holy orders [No. That’s impossible. Holy Orders confer an indelible mark on the soul that can’t be “stripped”. They have been “stripped” of permission to function as a priest.] for participating in ordination ceremonies for women.

In a statement last week, Louisville Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz called the planned ceremony by the Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests a “simulated ordination” in opposition to Catholic teaching.

“The simulation of a sacrament carries very serious penal sanctions in Church law, and Catholics should not support or participate in Saturday’s event,” Kurtz said.

The Catholic Church teaches that it has no authority to allow women to be priests because Jesus Christ chose only men as his apostles. Proponents of a female priesthood said Jesus was acting only according to the customs of his time.

They also note that he chose women, like Mary Magdalene, as disciples, and that the early Church had women priests, deacons and bishops. [Which is not true.]

[HERE, folks, is a big problem….] The ceremony, held at St. Andrew United Church of Christ in Louisville, was attended by about 200 men and women. Many identified themselves to a Reuters reporter as Catholics, but some declined to give their names or their churches.

[…]

The rest of the piece is rubbish.

Here’s the bottom line. Antics like this should have consequences for ecumenical dialogue.

The women’s ordination thing is silliness. It is a circus.

A Protestant church hosted the circus. They gave the Catholic Church the finger.

There should be consequences.

We either take ecumenism seriously or we don’t. If we do – and I believe we must – we have to react strongly when ecumenical ideals are so grossly violated by Protestants who invite or permit these “women priest” ceremonies in their churches.

The most sacred rites of the Catholic Church are Holy Mass and ordination to Holy Orders.

They effectively trampled rites that we Catholics hold as sacred.

These silly Catholic women-priest supporters are committing sacrilege in simulating Mass and Orders.

However, the Protestants who host them are assisting in a mockery of our Holy Mass and a mockery of our priesthood.

For a long time progressivist Catholics were staging Jewish sedar meals in their churches. Some Jews were angered by this. We got the message from the Jews and stopped doing what was offensive to them.

By allowing this group of fakers into their churches, those Protestants accepted the premise that what those women play at is actually a Catholic ordination and a Mass.

How dare PROTESTANTS decide what a Catholic Mass is?

And if they respond, “Gee, we mean no disrespect. We are just giving space to this group”, then what they are doing is aiding a protest against the Catholic Church.

There is no way around this.

Protestants who give these fakers aid are either on their side, and thus support their claim that what they are doing really is an ordination and Mass, or in claiming not to be taking sides they are still giving support to an anti-Catholic protest.

Bishops have to take action when offensive, anti-Catholic things like this take place.

Upon hearing the news that this ceremony is going to take place (or has taken place), the local Catholic bishop must call the pastor of that Protestant parish and say, “I’m the Catholic Bishop. Do not allow this sacrilege to be committed in your church. You wouldn’t do this for a group of dissident Jews wanting to ordain rabbis, but we are Catholics so you don’t care what offense you give us. Until an apology is issued, don’t look for us to dialogue with you again.”

Then that Catholic bishop should call the head of the denomination and convey the same message.

Then that Catholic Bishop should send an informative note to the USCCB’s ecumenical office and to the CDF and to the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity to let them know the facts of the sacrileges that took place and who helped them.

Then that Catholic bishop should call the press and give them his view about the offense the Protestants gave and the damage they inflicted on ecumenical dialogue.

True ecumenism does not consist in lying down and letting some other church kick you and define what Mass is for you, or say who can be ordained, or stick their “F-You” finger in your face by hosting these sacrilegious fakers.

Posted in "How To..." - Practical Notes, Liberals, Liturgy Science Theatre 3000, Our Catholic Identity, The Drill | Tagged Archbp. Kurtz, Archd. Louisville, ecumenical dialogue, ecumenism, graviora delicta, women's ordination
98 Comments

My view for a while

Posted on 27 April 2013 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

With regret, leaving Boston.

It was a great trip. Thanks to everyone, especially my kind host at Harvard.

Posted in On the road, What Fr. Z is up to | Tagged Boston, Harvard
12 Comments

“Mr. Jesuit”

Posted on 27 April 2013 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

I spent some time today with students at Boston College (which for a fan of Golden Gopher hockey took some doing).

Among the many interesting things I saw and heard about was a statue of St. Ignatius of Loyola, variously described as Ignatius holding an invisible baby in a hurricane and, by tour guides, “Mr. Jesuit who founded Boston College.”

The trees are flowing. All around the area there are magnificent flowers. Every time I travel to the East Coast I remark on how beautiful the flowers and trees are.

I then went over to see something of nearby St. John’s Seminary and talk with some seminarians. They have a beautiful chapel, which is going to see more renovation, which will include putting Our Lord back in the center.

Sadly, I was not able to greet the new rector (after his first full year still new, I guess), Msgr. Moroney, a fellow warrior in the translation campaigns of yore. I hear good things about what is going on at St. John’s. Small confirmations that the silly season really is coming to a close in most places.

Posted in Brick by Brick, On the road, Seminarians and Seminaries, What Fr. Z is up to | Tagged Archd. Boston, Boston College, Msgr. Moroney, St. John's Seminary
14 Comments

A day can hardly be better than this!

Posted on 27 April 2013 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Yesterday I was able to spend the whole day with students from Harvard, Boston College, Oxford and Princeton, in the Boston Museum of Fine Arts and then at Fenway Park for a ball game.

What a great day. Wonderful company. Being with these young people was a shot in the arm. It is a little harder for me to maintain my prickly, cynical facade after such an experience. But just a little.

I may have to return to Boston.

Posted in On the road, What Fr. Z is up to |
7 Comments

The effects of secularism at the Marathon’s finish line

Posted on 27 April 2013 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

This morning the parish priest where I am staying in Cambridge pointed out a piece in the Boston Globe (Friday 26 April).

At the finish line of the Boston Marathon, clergy were not allowed to reach the victims of the bombing.

On the one hand, in such a case, you can understand that first responders would want to keep the chaos down by limiting the number of people in the area.

On the other hand, there was a time when first responders knew who priests were, what we did, and why. Priests were allowed in any where.

Many are the times when, while driving, I have stopped near to the emergency vehicles and asked if there was need for a priest. Most of the time the young guys stare blankly for a few moments. Shortly, the light bulb will click on over the head of one of them and either tell me that things were okay or, possibly, yes, there was need.

I have heard stories of chaplains for emergency or law enforcement entities being told that they shouldn’t mention God.

In regard to the Boston bombings I have written about the prayer of Catholics through the centuries that God preserve us from “unprovided” sudden death, that is, death without the chance to repent or to receive the last sacraments.

Preventing priests from reaching the victims is not good. Even if the victims are not Catholic or Christian, it is not good.

In any event, I bring this to the attention of the readership.

You should be able to click the image below for a larger, more readable version.

UPDATE:

The text at WJS:

Faith at the Finish Line in Boston

Barred from the chaotic scene of the bombing, priests nonetheless found ways to provide solace.

Article
Comments (54)
By JENNIFER GRAHAM
Boston

The heart-wrenching photographs taken in the moments after the Boston Marathon bombings show the blue-and-yellow jackets of volunteers, police officers, fire fighters, emergency medical technicians, even a three-foot-high blue M&M. Conspicuously absent are any clerical collars or images of pastoral care.

This was not for lack of proximity. Close to the bombing site are Trinity Episcopal Church, Old South Church and St. Clement Eucharistic Shrine, all on Boylston Street. When the priests at St. Clement’s, three blocks away, heard the explosions, they gathered sacramental oils and hurried to the scene in hopes of anointing the injured and, if necessary, administering last rites, the final of seven Catholic sacraments. But the priests, who belong to the order Oblates of the Virgin Mary, weren’t allowed at the scene.

The Rev. John Wykes, director of the St. Francis Chapel at Boston’s soaring Prudential Center, and the Rev. Tom Carzon, rector of Our Lady of Grace Seminary, were among the priests who were turned away right after the bombings. It was jarring for Father Wykes, who, as a hospital chaplain in Illinois a decade ago, was never denied access to crime or accident scenes.

“I was allowed to go anywhere. In Boston, I don’t have that access,” he says.

But Father Wykes says he has noticed a shift in the societal role of clergy over the past few decades: “In the Bing Crosby era—in the ’40s, ’50s, ’60s—a priest with a collar could get in anywhere. That’s changed. Priests are no longer considered to be emergency responders.”

The Rev. Mychal Judge is a memorable exception. The New York City priest died on 9/11, when the South Tower collapsed and its debris flew into the North Tower lobby, where Father Judge was praying after giving last rites to victims lying outside. The image of the priest’s body being carried from the rubble was one of the most vivid images to emerge from 9/11.

But Father Judge had been the city’s fire chaplain for nine years, knew the mayor, and was beloved by the firefighting force.

For police officers securing a crime scene, and trying to prevent further injuries and loss of life, the decision to admit clergy to a bombing site is fraught with risk. Anyone can buy a clerical collar for just $10, and a modestly talented seventh-grader with a computer and printer can produce official-looking credentials.

Father Carzon, the seminary rector, said he was “disappointed” when he wasn’t allowed at the scene of the bombing, but he understood the reasoning and left without protest. “Once it was clear we couldn’t get inside, we came back here to St. Clement’s, set up a table with water and oranges and bananas to serve people, and helped people however we could.”

By that point, spectators and runners who had been unable to finish the marathon were wandering around, “frightened, disoriented, confused and cold,” he said. Father Carzon was able to minister to a runner who wasn’t injured but had assisted a bystander with catastrophic injuries. Two hours later, the runner, a Protestant, was still walking around the area in shock and disbelief.

“He came over, and said, ‘You’re a priest, I need to talk to someone, I need to talk,’ and he was able to pour out some of the story of what had happened,” Father Carzon said. “Then there was an off-duty firefighter who was there as a spectator, and he, too, got pushed out of the perimeter, and he ended up here to pray. There was a feeling of helplessness we had when we couldn’t get close. But doing the little that we could—putting out a table with water and fruit, being there—I realize how much that ‘little’ was able to do.”

In light of the devastation in Boston, the denial of access to clergy is a trifling thing, and it might even have been an individual’s error. (The Boston Police Department did not respond to a request for comment on its policy regarding clergy at the scenes of emergencies.)

But it is a poignant irony that Martin Richard, the 8-year-old boy who died on Boylston Street, was a Catholic who had received his first Communion just last year. As Martin lay dying, priests were only yards away, beyond the police tape, unable to reach him to administer last rites—a sacrament that, to Catholics, bears enormous significance.

As the Rev. Richard Cannon, a priest in Hopkinton, Mass., where the marathon begins, said in a homily on the Sunday after the bombings, “When the world can seem very dark and confusing, the presence of a priest is a presence of hope.”

Ms. Graham, a former religion reporter, is a writer and editor in Boston.

A version of this article appeared April 26, 2013, on page A17 in the U.S. edition of The Wall Street Journal, with the headline: Faith at the Finish Line in Boston.