Fr. Z's Blog | Catholic commentary by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Hunger Bones

Posted on 15 June 2013 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

I recently saw a movie called Hunger Games (another in a long troop of dystopian movies/books). I guess the movie is part of a series, because I saw a preview of another movie… which figures.

There is great restlessness in our hearts right now, isn’t there. Great restlessness. Very great restlessness. We know something is afoot.

I digress.

My point about Hunger Games was that I recognized the actress from a far better movie: Winter’s Bone. This movie is… gritty. It is a view of our human dark side and the fearsome conditions of life many face.

The actress, Jennifer Lawrence, has talent. But the talent is more evident in Winter’s Bone, which is, I am sure, why she got the part given the connection to the poverty imagery in the beginning of Hunger Games.

I’ll put the Hunger Games books on my Kindle wish list.

So much dystopian stuff going on. Soon World War Z is coming out, for which I am already getting hazed.

What’s up? Zombies! Vampires! End of the world movies! Spectacular CGI of destruction of cities in movies!

I think we feel… we hear… that TEOTWAWKI is in the air, even if it is like the thin peep of the flitting bat at twilight.

Posted in TEOTWAWKI, The Drill | Tagged Hunger Games, Jennifer Lawrence, TEOTWAWKI, Winter's Bone
30 Comments

QUAERITUR: Vernacular only readings in traditional Low Mass?

Posted on 15 June 2013 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

From a reader:

We have a priest that insists on reading the epistle & gospel in the vernacular for each Low Mass only. No one cares for it and it doesn’t even sound right. It impacts the integrity and fluidity I think of the Mass. Despite resistance we are left with no choice as he does it anyway. How do you feel about this?

I have written about this before. It concerns Summorum Pontificum 6. The explanatory document from the PCED, Universae Ecclesiae, says:

26. As foreseen by article 6 of the Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum, the readings of the Holy Mass of the Missal of 1962 can be proclaimed either solely in the Latin language, or in Latin followed by the vernacular or, in Low Masses, solely in the vernacular.

So:

In Solemn Masses or Sung Masses, Latin only or Latin followed by vernacular. Never vernacular alone.

In Low Masses, Latin alone, Latin followed by vernacular, or vernacular alone.

I do NOT think that what is permitted here should be imposed on congregations who don’t want vernacular alone. That would be a terrible idea, if people don’t want it. People should respectfully, politely, express their request for Latin only, or Latin followed by vernacular. Politely… did I mention politely?

Remember, Summorum Pontificum permits this. I can think of some occasions when I might be good to do. I bet you can too.

But to impose the vernacular only option – non-traditional option – on a congregation that clearly doesn’t want it that way? Let’s call that arrogant insensitive clericalism.

Posted in "How To..." - Practical Notes, ASK FATHER Question Box, Liturgy Science Theatre 3000, SUMMORUM PONTIFICUM, Universae Ecclesiae | Tagged clericalism, SP 6, SUMMORUM PONTIFICUM, UE 26, Universae Ecclesiae, vernacular
15 Comments

Different confessional practices/customs around the world

Posted on 14 June 2013 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Under another entry concerning “confessional etiquette” a commentator raised the good point that people from different language/ethnic backgrounds have different formulae for beginning and ending their sacramental confessions.

Most Americans of a certain age learned to begin “Bless me Father, I have sinned…” and to conclude “For these and all the sins…”.

There are people from all over the world who read this blog.

Mind you, there is a lot of flexibility in these practices. I think people should have a regular way of confessing in harmony with their region. This helps them be at ease. This is especially important for children.

Let’s talk about some of the different practices!

And more importantly…

GO TO CONFESSION!

Posted in "How To..." - Practical Notes, GO TO CONFESSION, Linking Back, Liturgy Science Theatre 3000, Our Catholic Identity | Tagged confessional, confessions, etiquette, sacrament of penance
50 Comments

CLERGY and CLERGY ON CALL Car Magnets

Posted on 14 June 2013 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Sometimes when priests respond to a call for help they run into parking problems. It can help to have a plate or sign in the car to put in the windshield when parking at the hospital. It occurred to me that having a visible car magnet might be good for these situations.

Hey! Even when visiting a downtown parish and looking for a little short term free parking… I’m just sayin’…

I looked around and didn’t find any I like. I like BLUNT.

So, I made my own and put them in my cafepress store.

I have variations in Black and White, Red and White, Red and Black.

I have some that simply say

CLERGY

Some have

CLERGY
ON CALL

I even have a couple spiffy car FLAGS for the more flamboyant priest.

I am going to order a few of the mags for priests I know and for myself.

I’ll bet your parish priests AND BISHOPS might like to have one or two of these.

I even have a couple variations of license plates.

CLICK TO ORDER

Posted in Priests and Priesthood, The Campus Telephone Pole | Tagged car magnets, clergy, hospital calls
12 Comments

Want a TLM in your parish? Here is how it was done in one place!

Posted on 14 June 2013 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

I have written a few times (since the election of Francis – for example HERE) that it is time to push forward in the implementation of Summorum Pontificum. People who have been wringing their hands or resting on the laurels or sitting on their hands waiting for someone else to do something for them have to get to work. Use the provisions and work the system and supply the elbow grease and the money and the time.

For example, a very small group of men got the now daily TLM going at Holy Innocents in Manhattan! It has greatly helped that parish and provided spiritual well-being for many. It’ll will continue if people want it to. They have to use well and protect what they have been given on a silver platter pounded out by the work of a few.

In the pages of the recent number of The Remnant I read of another instance, which if memory serves I posted about here at one time… I think.

Do you know what happened in the Diocese of Charlotte, North Carolina?

In the past, the former bishop had been petitioned many times, “to no avail”. More recently, a group of people, about 50 families, approached their parish priest (Fr. Timothy Reid at St. Ann’s) asking for the older form of Mass. The number of people then grew.

At first, Fr. Reid and Bp. Jugis said no. There was a reasonable practical problem: priest shortage and too many Masses. Fr. Reid was already stretched too thin.

At the urging of the priest and bishop, the group wrote to the Pontifical Commission “Ecclesia Dei“.

The VP of the PCED, Archbp. DiNoia, wrote back asking Bp. Jugis to provide for the desires of the people. [THIS IS THE TURNING POINT.]

So, the over-worked Fr. Reid – friendly to the project – then had a firmer basis to change the parish schedule. As everyone knows, Mass schedules are among the most volatile issues in a parish. Even though some resisted, Father was able to say “Roma locuta est!”. He changed the Spanish Mass to a TLM (!!!) and encouraged everyone to come all the same, that there would be booklets and aids provided, etc.

Hmmm… instead of keeping two groups in a parish divided, they are now worshiping together! Hmmmm….

If only the Church had some … I dunno… common language we could all participate in equally. If only there were some… whaddya call it… rite? … some rite which was so consistent that it never favored …. PFFFT! What am I thinking?

Anyway, it seems that Mass attendance is up for that TLM at St. Ann’s.

Also, the coetus fidelium who wanted the older Mass raised funds for sets of Roman vestments for the priest, deacon, subdeacon, for Solemn Masses.

Let’s review.

The people persevered. They wrote the PCED. The PCED responded. At that point it was possible to move forward more boldly and do something as dramatic as replace a Mass in highly favored Voz del Pueblo with one that includes everyone.

There is another dimension of the story which I found amusing, given the strange comments Pope Francis might have made the other day about a spiritual bouquet that had been given to him, about how the people actually counted the Rosaries offered.

I read in The Remnant that the lay group, while using the formal recourse to the PCED also gathered a spiritual bouquet of 4700 Rosaries for their pastor and the bishop! And, “following the news of a positive result of their petition from the PCED, the lay faithful provided 12,000 Rosaries in thanksgiving….”

When I’m Pope, I’ll happily accept all the spiritual bouquets I can get! And I’ll like that people counted the prayers, too. I promise.

Use the provisions of Summorum Pontificum! Use the tools of prayer and good will!

I have often suggested to groups that they offer spiritual bouquets to their bishops, especially the bishops who seem the most unfriendly to their causes. Who doesn’t like spiritual bouquets?

Get a group of people together and make formal petitions. Be willing to be cordial in your dealings with the priest and bishop. Get it done, keep pushing forward, and don’t whine about it.

As I wrote before, Pope Benedict gave you over the course of his 8 years, a beautiful new bicycle! He gave you a direction, he gave you encouragement, he promised you a snow cone, and gave you a running push. Now, take off the training wheels and RIDE THE DAMN BIKE!

Now is the time to push forward.

Posted in "How To..." - Practical Notes, Benedict XVI, Linking Back, Liturgy Science Theatre 3000, New Evangelization, Our Catholic Identity, Priests and Priesthood, SUMMORUM PONTIFICUM, The Drill, The future and our choices | Tagged Benedict XVI, Bp. Jugis, D. Charlotte NC, Fr. Reid, Holy Innocents, La Voz del Pueblo, Pope Francis, SUMMORUM PONTIFICUM
29 Comments

QUAERITUR: Confessional etiquette

Posted on 14 June 2013 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

From a reader:

When going to confession, if you know the priest is a Monsignor (name plate on confessional) would you begin, “Forgive me, Monsignor, for I have sinned,” or stay with the simple, “Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned?”

There are lots of old sayings about Monsignors. I am, for example, reminded of a story told about the late Bp. Alphonse Schladweiler, great old gent. At a confirmation he once said, in his booming voice, “Now children, the bishop has been asking you questions. Do have any questions for the bishop?” Always dangerous. One lad piped up, “What’s a Monsignor?” The priest at the place was a Monsignor. Without missing a beat the old bishop said “Why, sonny, a Monsignor is the cross that hangs around the bishop’s neck!”

No, you don’t have to say “Bless me, Monsignor…”. Any Monsignor worth his salt relishes the title “Father” as the one dearest to his heart. You can say, “Bless me, Monsignor,…” if you want, but the confessor is really there in his capacity as a spiritual father and in the place of the Just Judge who is also Mercy.

As far as etiquette is concerned, you might say “Thank you” at the end.

Since I am on Monsignors,…. and don’t get me wrong! I’d enjoy being a Monsignor enormously, especially since I am a Lutheran convert: what an honor to be associated with the Holy Father in that way? Is there some bishop out there who… I digress.

You know what difference there is between an absolution given by a Monsignor or a poor little garden variety priest like me? Absolutely none. How about the difference in the consecration of the Eucharist? (Trick question.)

More about Monsignors. It seems that the Sacrament of Monsignor has matter and form. The matter is the fancy cassock and the form is “Come apart and rest awhile”.

Yes, folks, I’m here all week. Next week I’ll be at Ha Ha‘s in Cleveland. Be sure to tip your waitresses.

UPDATE:

GO TO CONFESSION!

Posted in "How To..." - Practical Notes, ASK FATHER Question Box, GO TO CONFESSION, Lighter fare | Tagged confession, confessional, Monsignor, reconciliation, sacrament of penance
21 Comments

Catholic League’s head: Pope Francis should expel Vatican’s ‘Gay Lobby’

Posted on 14 June 2013 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

This doesn’t need a lot of commentary.

From NewsMax:

Catholic League’s Bill Donohue: Pope Must Oust Vatican’s ‘Gay Lobby’

The “gay lobby” Pope Francis says is at work in the Vatican must be ousted to prevent further damage to the Catholic Church, says Bill Donohue, president of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights.

“The gay lobby needs to be rooted out and hopefully [Pope Francis] follows the footsteps of Pope Benedict in doing exactly that,” Donohue told “The Steve Malzberg Show” on Newsmax TV.

“It’s no secret … A gay lobby means that you’ve got a nest of homosexual priests who are covering for each other.”

On Thursday, it was revealed that Francis, in private remarks to a Latin American church group, acknowledged that a “gay lobby” is indeed in existence at the Vatican and must be dealt with.

For months, Italian newspapers have reported that powerful prelates who are gay exist in the Vatican and that some have become the victims of blackmailers who have threatened to out them.

Donohue said that over the years, but to a lesser extent now, gay lobbies have also existed in seminaries and parishes.

“[Bestselling author and Rev.] Andrew Greeley … referred to them as the Lavender Mafia. We shouldn’t have any of these people acting on their own with their own agenda,” Donohue said.

“You’ve got to crack this open. You’re either a priest committed to Jesus and everything else has to be secondary and once you have competing interests, whether it be sexuality or otherwise, then you’re the problem and you need to go.”

UPDATE:

A couple points.

When homosexuals become activists, promoting the “correctness” or “virtue” or “goodness” of an actively homosexual lifestyle, even if it is not open or public, we must look them in the eye and say “No.” We must say “No.”, carefully and with respect for the person.

Since the post started with one firebrand, let’s continue with another. This video from Michael Voris can add a good perspective to the conversation, lest anyone fall into the trap of suggesting, even vaguely, that homosexuals are not welcome in the Church or that they have no right claim Catholic identity (if they are trying to live Christian lives with all that implies).

Other writers or speakers have presented the point Voris tries to make, but since some of his critics might not expect this from him – because they think they have him figured out, and not in a good way – let’s give a few minutes to one of his old videos.

Posted in Francis, One Man & One Woman, Our Catholic Identity | Tagged Michael Voris, NewsMax, Pope Francis, Wm. Donohue
76 Comments

Human rights? Over-rated.

Posted on 14 June 2013 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

From the New York Post:

NYU booting blind Chinese dissident Chen Guangcheng amid Shanghai expansion: sources
By JAMES COVERT

NYU isn’t letting a pesky thing like human rights stand in the way of its expansion in China.

The university has booted a blind Chinese political dissident from its campus under pressure from the Communist government as it builds a coveted branch in Shanghai, sources told The Post.

Chen Guangcheng has been at NYU since May 2012, when he made a dramatic escape from his oppressive homeland with the help of Hillary Rodham Clinton.

But school brass has told him to get out by the end of this month, the sources said.

Chen’s presence at the school didn’t sit well with the Chinese bureaucrats who signed off on the permits for NYU’s expansion there, the sources said.

“The big problem is that NYU is very compromised by the fact they are working very closely with the Chinese to establish a university,” according to one New York-based professor familiar with Chen’s situation, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

“That’s their liability,” the source said. “Otherwise, they would be much less constrained on issues like freedom of speech.”

The outspoken Chen — whose many supporters include actor Christian Bale, who tried to visit him in China with a TV crew in 2011 — recently inflamed Chinese authorities again when he agreed to visit its archenemy Taiwan in the coming weeks, a source said.

NYU officials claim that Chen was never meant to stay there long-term and that the politics of the new Shanghai campus had nothing to do with his ouster.

[…]

Read the rest there.

May I say that the Post is my favorite NYC paper? Remember the Rabat story?

Posted in Liberals | Tagged Chen Guangcheng, human rights, NYU
4 Comments

Nancy Pelosi: late-term abortion “sacred ground”

Posted on 13 June 2013 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

LifeSiteNews:

Catholic Nancy Pelosi: Issue of late-term abortions is ‘sacred ground’

WASHINGTON, D.C., June 13, 2013 (LifeSiteNews.com) – In response to a question today from a reporter about a late-term abortion ban that is being proposed in Congress, Democratic Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said that the issue of late-term abortion is “sacred ground” for her. [I have to ask… did she take off her shoes when she said that?!?]

“As a practicing and respectful Catholic, [GAH!] this is sacred ground to me when we talk about this,” Pelosi said. “This shouldn’t have anything to do with politics.” [See what she is doing? “Faith” is only private.]

A Weekly Standard reporter had pointed out that the bill was proposed by legislators in response to the horrific case of late-term abortionist Kermit Gosnell, who was found guilty of murder for “snipping” the spinal cords of three babies born alive.

“They argue that there really isn’t much of a moral difference between what someone like Dr. Gosnell did to infants born at 23, 24, 25 weeks into pregnancy, and what can happen [legally] at a clinic down the road in Maryland where a doctor says he’ll perform an elective abortions 28 weeks into pregnancy,” asked the reporter. “So, the question I have for you is what is the moral difference between what Dr. Gosnell did to a baby born alive at 23 weeks and aborting her moments before birth?”

Pelosi responded by saying that what Gosnell did was “reprehensible,” but then said that the bill is also “reprehensible,” suggesting that it shows “disrespect” to “a judgment a woman makes about her reproductive health.” [So late-term abortions are “sacred ground”.]

The bill would ban abortions after 20 weeks based upon evidence that by that age the unborn child can feel the pain of the brutal procedure, which in some cases involves dismemberment while the baby is still alive.

The reporter continued to push Pelosi, asking her what the difference was between a 26 week abortion, and killing the baby after birth.

Pelosi responded that “this is not the issue” and suggested that the proposed bill would say that “there’s no abortion in our country.”

When the reporter tried once again to get Pelosi to answer the question, she shot back, “I’m not going to have this conversation with you, because you obviously have an agenda. You’re not interested in having an answer.”

That was when she also made the remark about the issue being “sacred ground.”

The Weekly Standard reporter complained: “It was a simple question. You didn’t answer.”

Pelosi, despite being one of the most pro-abortion legislators in Congress, has repeatedly said that she is a devout Catholic, and has defended her pro-abortion views in light of her faith.

Pelosi told Newsweek’s Eleanor Clift in 2010 that she had “some concerns” about the Catholic Church’s positions on abortion and homosexuality.

“I am a practicing Catholic, [GAH!] although they’re probably not too happy about that. But it is my faith,” said the former Speaker. “I practically mourn this difference of opinion because I feel what I was raised to believe is consistent with what I profess, and that is that we are all endowed with, a free will and a responsibility to answer for our actions. And that women should have that opportunity to exercise their free will.”

The Congresswoman has been publicly rebuked by numerous Catholic bishops over her position on moral issues.