“Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them…”

Posted on 15 April 2012 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

"Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them..."The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.
Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you.
As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”
And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them,
“Receive the Holy Spirit.
Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them,
and whose sins you retain are retained.”

From today’s Gospel reading (John 20:20-23).

Our Lord gave His own power to the Apostles to forgive or to retain sins.  Validly ordained bishops and priests have Christ’s own power to forgive sins and they do so validly with the Church’s permission, indicated by a “faculty”.

There is no sin so great that any of us can commit that a confessor cannot absolve, for it is Christ absolving as the confessor absolves.

The penitential season of preparation for Easter may be behind us, but we must still examine our consciences and go to confession when our examen has brought mortal sin into focus.  There are sins of commission and sins of omission, which as sometimes harder to discern.

Commenting on these verses of John 20, St. Jerome (+420) wrote:

You say that the Church was founded on Peter (Matthew 16:18), although elsewhere the same is attributed to all the apostles, and they all receive the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and the strength of the Church depends on them all alike, yet one among the twelve is chosen so that when a head has been appointed, there may be no occasion for schism. (Adversus Iovinianum 1.26).

Our Lord gives us what we need so that we know we belong to Him in His Body the Church and so that we know that our sins have been forgiven.

Say a prayer of thanks to the Most Holy Trinity for the gift of certainty about both membership in the Church Christ founded and also confidence in forgiveness for our sins through the Sacrament of Penance.  And while you are at it, ask the Holy Spirit to strengthen the unity of the Church by bringing the SSPX into clearer unity with Peter and also to inspire a revitalization of the Sacrament of Penance.

 

Posted in "How To..." - Practical Notes, GO TO CONFESSION, Liturgy Science Theatre 3000, Our Catholic Identity, Patristiblogging | Tagged , , , , ,
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Spitfires! Very cool story.

Posted on 15 April 2012 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

I saw this at Sancte Pater from the Daily Mail.

One of the coolest airplanes evvvver.

The new Battle of Burma: Find 20 buried Spitfires and make them fly

By Kirsty Walker

Spitfires! Very cool story.(Mail Online) Twenty brand-new RAF Spitfires could soon reach for the sky following a deal reached with Burma yesterday.

Experts believe they have discovered the locations of around 20 of the Second World War fighters buried at airfields around the country.

David Cameron has secured an agreement that they will be returned to Britain

Historians say the Spitfires were shipped out to Burma in the summer of 1945, two weeks before atomic bombs were dropped on Japan which brought the war to a sudden end.

The British campaign to push the Japanese out of Burma was the longest and bloodiest of the war, beginning after the Japanese invaded in late 1941.

Spitfires helped to support the Chindit special forces on the ground – and proved a huge boost to morale. They played a crucial role in defeating the enemy and covering the subsequent Allied advance through Burma, protecting the ground troops and providing vital supplies.

But the Mark II Spitfires in the secret haul never saw action. Earl Mountbatten issued an order for them to be hidden in 1945 to prevent foreign forces from getting their hands on them as the British army demobilised. The aircraft, straight from the production line, were buried in crates at a depth of 4ft to 6ft to preserve them.

Their whereabouts became lost after the RAF struck off their locations from their records.

But aviation enthusiasts, aided by experts from the University of Leeds and a Second World War veteran who witnessed their burial, believe they have now discovered their locations using ground penetrating radar technology.

Downing Street said the Government wants to unearth the aircraft and restore them to their former glory.

The condition of the cargo boxes and aircraft, whose wings and body are buried separately, is unknown. But experts are hopeful that they are well preserved.

A Downing Street source said that Mr Cameron had secured an agreement from the Burmese president to help Britain excavate the aircraft in a joint heritage project.

‘The Spitfire is arguably the most important plane in the history of aviation, playing a crucial role in the Second World War.

‘It is hoped this will be an opportunity to work with the reforming Burmese government to uncover, restore and display these fighter planes and get them gracing the skies of Britain once again,’ they said.

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The Mercy of God: A truth for some uncomfortable, even offensive.

Posted on 15 April 2012 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

There is no sin so horrible that we little mortals can commit which our infinite and willing God will not forgive, provided we truly repent and seek forgiveness.

The ordinary means of God definitively extending His mercy to us in a way which we can depend on is the Sacrament of Penance.

I picked this up from the blog Good Jesuit Bad Jesuit:

Soon after his appointment, Archbishop Wojtyla approached Jesuit theologian Ignatius Rozycki and asked him to review Sister Faustina’s writings. Initially skeptical, Fr. Rozycki spent ten years in an exhaustive study of the Sister and her notebooks, which the Vatican had condemned in 1958. Father Rozycki’s findings were published and the prohibition lifted in 1978. Beatified in 1992, St. Faustina was canonized in the year 2000; on the latter occasion Pope John Paul II declared the first Sunday after Easter “Divine Mercy Sunday.”
A few weeks ago I came upon a thought-provoking homily by Father Matthew Kelty, O.C.S.O., which was given on Divine Mercy Sunday, 2006. It seems that during the former Commandant’s solitary confinement in Krakow, where he awaited execution for his war crimes, Rudolph Hoess heard the bells of the local Carmel and was reminded of the Faith he had observed as a child but had long since rejected. He called for a German-speaking priest.

The local Jesuit provincial, Fr. Ladislav Lohn, S.J., went to the convent of Sister Faustina and asked the Sisters to pray earnestly while he went to hear the prisoner’s confession. In the end Hoess was reconciled with the Church and received Holy Communion. Later Hoess wrote his wife and five children, expressed sorrow for his crimes, and begged forgiveness of the people of Poland. Hoess was executed April 16, 1947.

In his homily, Father Kelty contends that, though he may rightly spend an eternity in Purgatory, by the mercy of God even a man like Rudolph Hoess could be saved. This is an uncomfortable truth for some, even offensive to those whose sense of justice could be satisfied with nothing less than eternal damnation for such a “monster.”

Link (here)

Posted in "How To..." - Practical Notes, Brick by Brick, GO TO CONFESSION, Liturgy Science Theatre 3000, Non Nobis and Te Deum, Our Catholic Identity, Pray For A Miracle | Tagged , , , , , , , ,
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Operation HOT MIC!

Posted on 14 April 2012 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Perhaps this could be run as an ad from now until the election in November?

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Posted in Dogs and Fleas, Our Catholic Identity, Religious Liberty | Tagged , , , , , ,
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US Bishops: Bloggers play ‘critical role’ in defending Church. Fr. Z makes a proposal.

Posted on 14 April 2012 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

US Bishops: Bloggers play ‘critical role’ in defending Church. Fr. Z makes a proposal.When the Obama Administration began to attack the 1st Amendment, Catholic bloggers rose up.

When the U.S. Bishops called for rallies for religious freedom, Catholic bloggers posted links and dates and places.

When the USCCB and Card. Dolan and Bp. Lori made statements or gave interviews, Catholic bloggers spread the word.

Catholic bloggers are to the establishment and the dissident Catholic media what talk radio and cable are to the old time news and entertainment establishment.

The great majority of Catholic bloggers would (and perhaps might have to) go to the wall for the Catholic bishops in a good cause and with good leadership.

From Life News:

US Bishops: Bloggers play ‘critical role’ in defending the Church
BY PATRICK B. CRAINE

Relations between Catholic bloggers and Church officials have at times been quite strained as the new media has developed in the last couple years. Some prelates, clergy, and chancery officials have expressed strong reservations about the Catholic blogosphere, with some even speaking quite derogatorily. [Is that a fact?  I am willing to let bygones be bygones.]

Church leaders have been angered by the penchant of many bloggers to call them out on their failures to expound and defend controversial Catholic teachings on moral issues like contraception, homosexuality, and abortion.

The difficulties got to the point that last year the Vatican convened a special conference for bloggersto try to build bridges and learn more about this new method for advancing the Gospel.

But now even the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops is saying Catholic bloggers have a “critical role” in defending the Church.

In a new statement on religious freedom released today they write:

The Catholic Church in America is blessed with an immense number of writers, producers, artists, publishers, filmmakers, and bloggers employing all the means of communications—both old and new media—to expound and teach the faith. They too have a critical role in this great struggle for religious liberty. [NB:]We call upon them to use their skills and talents in defense of our first freedom.

For a PDF of the bishops’ statement click HERE.

Okay, let’s double-down.

I, in turn, call upon the U.S. Bishops to do what the Holy See did: host a conference… call a meeting with bloggers.

I ask fellow Catholic bloggers to pick up and renew this proposal on their own blogs.  Propose that the bishops organize a blogger summit, a blogger confab, a blogger powwow, a blognic on steroids.

Do they mean it, or not?  Are Catholic bloggers valued, or not?  Are these just words?  Vapor?

Your Excellencies…

“Blow the trumpet in Zion; sanctify a fast; call a solemn assembly; gather the people. (Joel 2:15)

 

Posted in "How To..." - Practical Notes, Biased Media Coverage, Blognics, Brick by Brick, Dogs and Fleas, New Evangelization, Our Catholic Identity, Religious Liberty, The Drill, The future and our choices, The Last Acceptable Prejudice, Wherein Fr. Z Rants | Tagged , , , , , , , , ,
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EXPLOSION ABOARD ODYSSEY! 42 years ago on Friday 13th

Posted on 13 April 2012 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

EXPLOSION ABOARD ODYSSEY! 42 years ago on Friday 13thJimmy Akin reminded me today that it is the anniversary of the day an oxygen tank exploded in the Service Module of Apollo 13 on its way to our great natural satellite’s Fra Mauro Highlands, named after the 15th c. Camaldolese monk and mapmaker.

Talk about time flying: 42 years ago! Can it be true?

It was also on a Friday 13.

I remember it so well.  This was one of those TV/space events that captivated and was burned into my young mind.

The Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo programs fueled my youth and sparked my interest in natural sciences and heavenly spheres.

The aggressively pro-abortion Pres. Obama has aborted our space program, killed jobs and the imaginations of young people, and performed the infanticide he supported as state senator in Illinois for human babies also on NASA’s infant Constellation program with the Ares boosters and the Orion and Altair .

Three “BOOOOOs” for Pres. Obama!

I shall watch the movie tonight, if it is on.  I think I saw it in the TV/movie schedule.

EXPLOSION ABOARD ODYSSEY! 42 years ago on Friday 13th

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The Feeder Feed: Scruffy and Christological Goldfinch Edition

Posted on 13 April 2012 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

I haven’t posted much about the birds at the feeder.  This, and a recent trip to the Detroit Institute of Art, gives me a chance to use a feature the blog’s software offers and which I have never used.

Here are the feeder pic in a “gallery”.

First, a curious but striking shot of the sky at sunset.  There follow a Junco with a singular white tail feather, a very scruffy male Goldfinch, and a Red-breasted Nuthatch doing what it does best – hang around upside down.

Well… I am not sure I like this “gallery view”.

During a recent visit to the Detroit Institute of Art I spotted a Virgin and Child in which our little Lord has a firm grasp on a Christological Goldfinch.

The Feeder Feed: Scruffy and Christological Goldfinch Edition

The Feeder Feed: Scruffy and Christological Goldfinch Edition

I seldom lose an opportunity to post shots of … or even write out… a Christological Goldfinch.

Guess who painted this Virgin and Child, who happens to have a Christological Goldfinch.

(Hint: at the bottom of the painting we read: “BENOZZO GOZZOLI PINXIT”.)

 

 

Posted in On the road, The Feeder Feed | Tagged , , , , , , ,
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Was a Council necessary? Explain in 200 words or less.

Posted on 13 April 2012 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Was a Council necessary? Explain in 200 words or less.Fr. Bede Rowe of A Chaplain Abroad has an amusing post about the observance of the anniversary of the Second Vatican Council.

He begins:

There was a world wide consultation of Bishops before the initial preparation of the Council began.

I think of it as the beginning of one of my exams:

—————————————–

Name:   ……………………
Class*:  ……………………

Answer the following question in ink using only one side of the paper provided.

Question 1

“What do you think the coming Vatican Council should discuss?”

*In case of confusion, put your Diocese.

[…]

I would be tempted to move that asterisk down to the question itself!

There are lots of issues which could be discussed concerning the Second Vatican Council.  One of them might be:

Was a Council necessary?

Explain in 200 words or less.

Pius XII had thought about a Council to conclude the work of Vatican I, which had been interrupted.  He was advised against having a Council and, in fact, scrapped the idea.  John XXIII, on the other hand, seemed determined to have one.  Once it was underway, as some report, he seem to have tried to get it back into the box and failed.  Then he died.

The Second Vatican Council still causes a lot of confusion, principally because people who talk about it a lot haven’t actually read the documents.

HEY! Here’s a novel idea!

Discussion of the Council might start with a close reading of the documents!  (Dont have them?  Buy them.  USA HERE and UK HERE.)

Was a Council necessary? Explain in 200 words or less.And as you begin your project, how about a nice hot mug of Mystic Monk Coffee?

I have it from the highest authority that if the Council Fathers had had Mystic Monk Coffee… or Tea for that matter… none of the confusion that has devastated the Church for the last few decades would have occurred!  Trust me on this one.

Do you want to cause confusion?  No!

Do you want to issue documents that will be accused of ambiguity and even heresy?  No!

Do you want to force Pope’s to use phrases such as “smoke of Satan” and “hermeneutic of continuity”? No!

Take it from me, friends, you had better refresh your supply of Mystic Monk Coffee right now!

Was a Council necessary? Explain in 200 words or less.How about trying the Monk’s Four Favorite, which comes also with a sample pack you could even give as a hostess gift! People still give hostess gifts, right?

Do it for… the children.

Mystic Monk Coffee…. it’s swell!

Posted in Dogs and Fleas, Mail from priests, New Evangelization, Our Catholic Identity, Religious Liberty, The Drill, The future and our choices | Tagged , ,
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When the Global Killer Asteroid arrives, let’s do better than the Great Successor!

Posted on 12 April 2012 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

How are we going to get Bruce Willis up to 2011 AG5, that killer asteroid that’s heading our way?!?

Don’t ask North Korea’s Great Successor Kim Jong-un!

Whatever their next act is, Ladies and Gents, it’ll be a blast too.

I think I’ll watch a movie tonight.

UPDATE 13 April 0250 GMT:

Okay, I watched a movie and I regret watching it in the evening.

Do not watch Contagion before you go to bed.

And it is definitely NOT a good airplane movie.

I may have to watch some Lucille Ball episodes to get that TEOTWAWKI stuff out of my head or it is going to be a looong night..

Posted in Global Killer Asteroid Questions, Lighter fare, TEOTWAWKI, The future and our choices | Tagged , , , , , ,
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What about Pres. Obama’s surrogate Hillary Rosen? Huh?

Posted on 12 April 2012 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Hillary Rosen, the left-wing political and lesbian activist and Obama operative, thinks that Ann Romney, the DCIS cancer surviving, MS enduring mother of five, has

“actually never worked a day in her life”.

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Does that jive with your experience of women who stay at home to raise children?  They’ve never worked a day in their lives?

In one article I read about this dust up, Hillary Rosen, who has among other things worked for Huffington Post, is described as:

Rosen has twins with Elizabeth Birch, with whom she separated in 2006. She was in 2004 the interim director for the Human Rights Campaign, a leading gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender lobbyist organization. Birch was the executive director of the group for eight years

Hillary Rosen is very interesting.

Hillary Rosen is – or was – an Obama surrogate.

Now that real America is rising up in anger at Rosen’s comments the Obama campaign is pushing her off the cliff, even though they think what she thinks.

They have a distorted view of women and the family.  Let us never forget that Pres. Obama’s choice for HHS secretary said that part of the strategy of paying for Obamacare is to reduce the number of live births, state-senator Obama was a proponent of infanticide legislation, and candidate Obama said that he would want to see his daughters “punished” with a baby.

The Obama campaign treats women as objects of their lust for office and power.

The problem for the Obama people is that Rosen made the mistake of saying what she – and her overseers – really think.   

I would love to hear what you women readers think about Hillary Rosen’s attack on Ann Romney.

Posted in The Drill, The future and our choices, Throwing a Nutty | Tagged , , , , , , , ,
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