Venerable Bede on John the Baptist

"His persecutor had demanded not that he should deny Christ, but only that he should keep silent about the truth." (Office of Readings, Feast of the Beheading of St. John the Baptist)

Remember, there is such a thing as a sin of omission.

H/T to Fr. Z

Recent Reading: Dominus Est, Bishop Schneider

I went to visit Fr. Peter Stravinskas last Saturday, to give him a draft copy of Praying the Mass and for some conversation.  I received a copy of Bishop Athanasius Schneider's book Dominus Est! ("It is the Lord!")  This book is about the traditional way the Western Church has shown reverence to the Eucharist, receiving it on the tongue while kneeling.  It's a very quick read — it's only 50 pages or so — but it presents a lot of early Church Father texts interspersed with modern magisterial documents, all supporting the need for clear signs in the presence of the Most Blessed Sacrament.  I recommend this book to anyone, especially those considering the practice of receiving Communion on the tongue and/or kneeling.

Proud to Announce the Launch of...

PrayingTheMass.com is the official web site for the promotion of my first book, Praying the Mass: The Prayers of the People.  The book will be available for purchase in mid-September, costing only $12.00.  A percentage of the proceeds will go towards certain Catholic charities which I support (and think you should too!).

The web site will have reviews of and excerpts from the book.

BOOK: Praying the Mass: The Prayers of the People

(Updated on August 31st)

(Reminder: check out the USCCB Committee for Divine Worship web page for Missal Formation on a regular basis)

I wrote a book (hopefully the first volume of a set) about the new English translation of the Mass to be used starting in Advent of 2010 or 2011. The book is called Praying the Mass: The Prayers of the People. I'm self-printing and self-publishing it through CreateSpace.com.  It will be available for purchase ($12) in the middle of September 2009.

You can find out more information, and buy the book, at the book's official promotional web site, PrayingTheMass.com.

Copyright Permissions
I have received copyright permissons from the International Committee on English in the Liturgy (ICEL) for the English text of the Mass!  After meeting with Fr. Peter Stravinskas recently, I learned that my book does not need approval from the CDWDS in Rome to use the Latin texts (for the same reason it didn't need ecclesiastical approval from my diocese).

Diocesan Approval
I have sent a copy to my diocesan office to apply for a nihil obstat and an imprimatur. On August 3rd I heard back from the diocese: Reverend Monsignor William Benwell, JCL (the Vicar General of the diocese) has determined that ecclesiastical approval for my book is not necessary.

Foreword
My brother, Fr. Charlie (ordained 17 years!), has completed his foreword. I am very pleased with it, and I thank him profoundly for it. You can read the whole thing here:

It is with great pleasure and fraternal pride that I welcome you to this immensely useful and inspiring work. Great pleasure – because I am sure that those who read it will be edified in their approach to participating at Mass. Fraternal pride – because the author is my younger brother and godson!

In 1992, at my Mass of Thanksgiving the day following my ordination to the priesthood, altar server Jeffrey helped lead the way as the crucifer. Now it is my turn to lead the way into a great work of faith on his part.

Praying the Mass is a helpful and accessible volume for anyone who would like to enter more deeply into the experience of the Eucharistic liturgy. And it is especially useful because of the pending implementation of the new translation of the Roman Missal.

Jeffrey skillfully weaves together theology, history and spirituality to explain why we pray, how we pray and what we pray at Mass. While this book is written primarily to guide lay people, I expect that priests and deacons will also find much to nourish their own prayerful participation at Mass as well.

In his 2009 homily on the Solemnity of Corpus Christi, Pope Benedict warned of the risk of “a formal and empty Eucharistic worship, in celebrations lacking this participation from the heart that is expressed in veneration and respect for the liturgy.” This book contributes to the movement to stir “participation from the heart” and is most timely indeed.

Rev. Charles Pinyan
Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, 2009

Thanks!
Thank you to all who helped read and review my book.  And I am especially grateful to those who prayed for this project of mine.  I hope it will be of great benefit to all English-speaking Catholics around the world.

I have begun research for the second volume, The Prayers of the Priest.

Milestones: A Simple Faith

Continuing my series of excerpts from Cardinal Ratzinger's Milestones:

I have often reflect since then on this remarkable disposition of Providence: that, in this century of progress and faith in science, the Church should have found herself represented most clearly in very simple people, in a Bernadette of Lourdes, for instance, or even in a Brother Konrad [of Parzham], who hardly seemed to be touched by the currents of the time. Is this a sign that the Church has lost her power to shape culture and can take root only outside the real current of history? Or is it a sign that the clear view of the essential, which is so often lacking in the "wise and prudent" (See Mt 11:25), is given in our days, too, to little ones? I do this that precisely these "little" saints are a great sign to our time, a sign that moves me ever more deeply, the more I live with and in our time. (p. 9)

Recent Reading: Milestones, Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger

During my week-long vacation down to Sanibel Island, Florida, I brought a bunch of books with me to read. I did a lot of the driving, and I have a tendency to get distracted a lot while reading (especially when there are four other people nearby — like in the car), so I read depressingly slowly, even by my standards. I completed one book and made it half-way through another. (I also bought two books at an antique store -- Ben Hur, and Literature and Dogma by Matthew Arnold.)

The first book I read, which I finished, was Milestones: Memoirs 1927-1977, by Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger. It was an interesting and quaint journey through the first 50 years of his life. There is some humor, some drama, some sadness... a well-rounded life, I would say.

Over the next several days, I'll post some excerpts from the book that I found notable for sharing or else personally meaningful:

I was born on Holy Saturday, April 16, 1927 [...] I was baptized immediately on the morning of the day I was born with the water that had just been blessed. (At that time the solemn Easter Vigil was celebrated on the morning of Holy Saturday.) To be the first person baptized with the new water was seen as a significant act of Providence. I have always been filled with thanksgiving for having had my life immersed in this way in the Easter mystery, since this could only be a sign of blessing. To be sure, it was not Easter Sunday but Holy Saturday, but, the more I reflect on it, the more this seems to be fitting for the nature of our human life: we are still awaiting Easter; we are not yet standing in the full light but walking toward it full of trust. (p. 8)

ZENIT: Pope is not "undoing" Vatican II

Here are some excerpt's from a ZENIT article today:

Benedict XVI's closest collaborator is denying media rumors that the Pontiff is working to gradually "undo" the changes implemented after the Second Vatican Council. Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the Pope's secretary of state, stated this in an interview with L'Osservatore Romano published Thursday.

He addressed the debate surrounding false rumors in the Italian media about supposed documents that would reverse changes in the Church since Vatican II, especially regarding the liturgy. The cardinal asserted that in order to understand the Holy Father's intentions and actions, it is necessary to consider his personal history, one that included involvement "as a genuine protagonist" in the Conciliar Church. These other rumors about "presumed documents of reversal are pure inventions," he stated. ...

True change

As regards the "reform of the Church," the cardinal affirmed "that it is above all a question of interiority and holiness." For this reason, he said, the Pontiff concentrates on recalling "the source of the Word of God, the evangelical law and the heart of the life of the Church: Jesus, the known, loved, adored and imitated Lord."

This is the reason he is currently working on the second volume of his book "Jesus of Nazareth," the prelate explained.

Vatican II and the Church that Jesus Founded: Peter and his successors

What did Vatican II teach about the Church which Jesus Christ founded? This series is meant to show what elements of the Church Vatican II teaches as being ordained by God rather than invented by man. This installment looks at the Petrine office: the Pope.


Peter was specially chosen by Christ
"This is the one Church of Christ which in the Creed is professed as one, holy, catholic and apostolic, which our Saviour, after His Resurrection, commissioned Peter to shepherd, and him and the other apostles to extend and direct with authority, which He erected for all ages as 'the pillar and mainstay of the truth'." (Lumen Gentium 8)

"And in order that the episcopate itself might be one and undivided, [Jesus Christ] placed Blessed Peter over the other apostles, and instituted in him a permanent and visible source and foundation of unity of faith and communion." (Lumen Gentium 18)

"[T]hese apostles [Jesus Christ] formed after the manner of a college or a stable group, over which He placed Peter chosen from among them." (Lumen Gentium 19)

"In order to establish this His holy Church everywhere in the world till the end of time, Christ entrusted to the College of the Twelve the task of teaching, ruling and sanctifying. Among their number He selected Peter, and after his confession of faith determined that on him He would build His Church." (Unitatis Redintegratio 2)


Peter's office is permanent
"And just as the office granted individually to Peter, the first among the apostles, is permanent and is to be transmitted to his successors, so also the apostles' office of nurturing the Church is permanent, and is to be exercised without interruption by the sacred order of bishops." (Lumen Gentium 20)


Peter's office enjoys a certain infallibility
"And this infallibility with which the Divine Redeemer willed His Church to be endowed in defining doctrine of faith and morals, extends as far as the deposit of Revelation extends, which must be religiously guarded and faithfully expounded. And this is the infallibility which the Roman Pontiff, the head of the college of bishops, enjoys in virtue of his office, when, as the supreme shepherd and teacher of all the faithful, who confirms his brethren in their faith, by a definitive act he proclaims a doctrine of faith or morals. And therefore his definitions, of themselves, and not from the consent of the Church, are justly styled irreformable, since they are pronounced with the assistance of the Holy Spirit, promised to him in blessed Peter, and therefore they need no approval of others, nor do they allow an appeal to any other judgment." (Lumen Gentium 25)


Peter and his successors have primacy over the whole Church
"In this Church of Christ the Roman pontiff, as the successor of Peter, to whom Christ entrusted the feeding of His sheep and lambs, enjoys supreme, full, immediate, and universal authority over the care of souls by divine institution." (Christus Dominus 2)

"This Church constituted and organized in the world as a society, subsists in the Catholic Church, which is governed by the successor of Peter and by the Bishops in communion with him..." (Lumen Gentium 8)

"And in order that the episcopate itself might be one and undivided, He placed Blessed Peter over the other apostles, and instituted in him a permanent and visible source and foundation of unity of faith and communion." (Lumen Gentium 18)

"[T]hese apostles [Jesus Christ] formed after the manner of a college or a stable group, over which He placed Peter chosen from among them. " (Lumen Gentium 19)

"For our Lord placed Simon alone as the rock and the bearer of the keys of the Church, and made him shepherd of the whole flock; it is evident, however, that the power of binding and loosing, which was given to Peter, was granted also to the college of apostles, joined with their head." (Lumen Gentium 22)

"These individual Churches, whether of the East or the West, although they differ somewhat among themselves in rite (to use the current phrase), that is, in liturgy, ecclesiastical discipline, and spiritual heritage, are, nevertheless, each as much as the others, entrusted to the pastoral government of the Roman Pontiff, the divinely appointed successor of St. Peter in primacy over the universal Church." (Orientalium Ecclesiarum 3)

"Jesus Christ, then, willed that the apostles and their successors — the bishops with Peter's successor at their head — should preach the Gospel faithfully, administer the sacraments, and rule the Church in love." (Unitatis Redintegratio 2)

"We believe that Our Lord entrusted all the blessings of the New Covenant to the apostolic college alone, of which Peter is the head, in order to establish the one Body of Christ on earth to which all should be fully incorporated who belong in any way to the people of God." (Unitatis Redintegratio 3)

"All bishops, as members of the body of bishops succeeding to the College of Apostles, are consecrated not just for some one diocese, but or the salvation of the entire world. The mandate of Christ to preach the Gospel to every creature primarily and immediately concerns them, with Peter and under Peter." (Ad Gentes 38)

USCCB web site on the new English translation

Check out http://www.usccb.org/romanmissal/. The USCCB is really doing a great job promoting the new English translation of the Roman Missal!

Don't know how to pray for someone?

This comes from a recent Twitter. Commit to memory and personalize Colossians 1:9-14:

[9] I have not ceased to pray for you,
asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will
in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,
[10] to lead a life worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him,
bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.

[11] May you be strengthened with all power,
according to his glorious might,
for all endurance and patience with joy,
[12] giving thanks to the Father,
who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.

[13] He has delivered you from the dominion of darkness
and transferred you to the kingdom of his beloved Son,
[14] in whom you have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Liturgy: Facing the East for Worship

This is from the 1996 Instruction from the Congregation for the Eastern (Catholic) Churches concerning the liturgical prescriptions of their canon law, Pater Incomprehensibilis.

107. Prayer facing the east
Ever since ancient times, it has been customary in the prayer of the Eastern Churches to prostrate oneself to the ground, turning toward the east; the buildings themselves were constructed such that the altar would face the east. Saint John of Damascus explains the meaning of this tradition: "It is not for simplicity nor by chance that we pray turned toward the regions of the east (...). Since God is intelligible light (1 Jn. 1:5), and in the Scripture, Christ is called the Sun of justice (Mal. 3:20) and the East (Zech. 3:8 of the LXX), it is necessary to dedicate the east to him in order to render him worship. The Scripture says: 'Then the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and he placed there the man whom he had formed' (Gen. 2:8). (...) In search of the ancient homeland and tending toward it, we worship God. Even the tent of Moses had its curtain veil and propitiatory facing the east. And the tribe of Judah, in as much as it was the most notable, encamped on the east side (cf. Nm. 2:3). In the temple of Solomon, the Lord's gate was facing the east (cf. Ez. 44:1). Finally, the Lord placed on the cross looked toward the west, and so we prostrate ourselves in his direction, facing him. When he ascended to heaven, he was raised toward the east, and thus his disciples adored him, and thus he will return, in the same way as they saw him go to heaven (cf. Acts 1:11), as the Lord himself said: 'For just as lightning comes from the east and is seen as far as the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be' (Mt. 24:27). Waiting for him, we prostrate ourselves toward the east. It is an unwritten tradition, deriving from the Apostles." (John of Damascus, Expositio accurata fidei orthodoxae IV, 12: PG 94, 1133-1136)

This rich and fascinating interpretation also explains the reason for which the celebrant who presides in the liturgical celebration prays facing the east, just as the people who participate. It is not a question, as is often claimed, of presiding the celebration with the back turned to the people, but rather of guiding the people in pilgrimage toward the Kingdom, invoked in prayer until the return of the Lord.

Such practice, threatened in numerous Eastern Catholic Churches by a new and recent Latin influence, is thus of profound value and should be safeguarded as truly coherent with the Eastern liturgical spirituality.

The recent Latin influence would be that of the past few decades, when the Latin Church "spontaneously" abandoned the centuries old tradition of worshiping facing the east. Reclaiming worship ad orientem is part of the new liturgical movement, be sure of that. Pope Benedict's is setting a good example, and other bishops are following suit, including the Bishop Slattery of Tulsa, Oklahoma.

"Please, Father, Help Me to Be Holy"

I just read an excellent blog post from Edward Mechmann of the Archdiocese of New York: Please, Father, Help Me to Be Holy. I loved it (and so did Father Z). He expresses my feelings about priestly fidelity to the Church's liturgy eloquently, without sounding pretentious, police-y, or scrupulous. I think you should read it too!

Praying the Mass: Complimentary copies for Bishops

I'm trying to come up with a list of Bishops to send complimentary copies of my book upon its completion, in an effort to promote the book itself and the general need for catechesis on the new liturgical translation.

Here's my list so far. Who might you suggest?

• Bishop Paul Bootkoski, Metuchen, NJ (my bishop)
• Bishop Arthur Serratelli, Paterson, NJ (chairman of the USCCB CDW)
• Francis Cardinal George, Chicago, IL (president of the USCCB)
• Archbishop Charles Chaput, Denver, CO
• Bishop Thomas Wenski, Orlando, FL (recommended by @Proud_Lion)
• Archbishop Allen Vigneron, Detroit, MI (recommended by Tim of Army of Martyrs)
• Archbishop Myers, Newark, NJ
  

I'm looking for Bishops who have identified themselves as supporters of the new translation or who generally have a high opinion of liturgical catechesis and formation.

Update: Fr. Z suggested I send it to all the Bishops on the USCCB CDW:

• Most Rev. Arthur J. Serratelli (Bishop of Paterson, Chairman)
• Justin F. Cardinal Rigali (Archbishop of Philadelphia)
• Most Rev. Daniel M. Buechlein, OSB (Archbishop of Indianapolis)
• Most Rev. Charles J. Chaput, OFM Cap. (Archbishop of Denver)
• Most Rev. Wilton D. Gregory (Archbishop of Atlanta)
• Most Rev. George H. Niederauer (Archbishop of San Francisco)
• Most Rev. Kevin J. Farrell (Bishop of Dallas)
• Most Rev. Ronald P. Herzog (Bishop of Alexandria in Louisiana)
• Most Rev. Octavio Cisneros (Auxiliary Bishop of Brooklyn)

I might also send a copy to Rev. Msgr. Anthony F. Sherman, the Executive Director of the USCCB Secretariat of Divine Worship.

The two participations in the priesthood of Christ

The "ordained priesthood" (CCC 1120) is also called the "ministerial priesthood" (CCC 1545, 1552, 1553, 1592, 1596) and the "hierarchical priesthood" (CCC 1547).

The priesthood of all believers is known as the "royal priesthood" (CCC 782, 803, 1141, 1174, 1268), "baptismal priesthood" (CCC 1120, 1132, 1188, 1273, 1322, 1546, 1591, 1669), "common priesthood" (CCC 1141, 1143, 1268, 1305, 1535, 1547, 1592).

It should be noted that "common" does not mean "plebian" or "base". Rather, in the Latin term Sacerdotium commune, the word commune means "common, joint, public; general, universal; shared by all". Thus, it is "common" to all the baptized, "shared by all", "universal" among believers. It is a communal priesthood.

Vacation

I'm on vacation with my wife, her brother, and their parents for a week or so. We're driving down to Sanibel Island, FL, with a stop in Savannah, GA.

It'll be pretty quiet here.

Vatican II and Theologians

I'd like to let you know what (little) Vatican II had to say about the role of theologians in the Church, because in the decades since the Council (especially upon the promulgation of Humanae Vitae by Pope Paul VI in 1968) it seems that the thing for theologians to do is dissent from the Church's traditional teaching and provide their own opposing teaching.

1. Theologians are to avoid exaggerating or narrowing Mary's dignity as Mother of God, and must not lead anyone (especially Catholics or other Christians) away from the true doctrine of the Church concerning Mary.

This most Holy Synod deliberately teaches this Catholic doctrine and at the same time admonishes all the sons of the Church that the cult, especially the liturgical cult, of the Blessed Virgin, be generously fostered, and the practices and exercises of piety, recommended by the Magisterium of the Church toward her in the course of centuries be made of great moment, and those decrees, which have been given in the early days regarding the cult of images of Christ, the Blessed Virgin and the saints, be religiously observed.

But it exhorts theologians and preachers of the divine word to abstain zealously both from all gross exaggerations as well as from petty narrow-mindedness in considering the singular dignity of the Mother of God. Following the study of Sacred Scripture, the Holy Fathers, the doctors and liturgy of the Church, and under the guidance of the Church's magisterium, let them rightly illustrate the duties and privileges of the Blessed Virgin which always look to Christ, the source of all truth, sanctity and piety. Let them assiduously keep away from whatever, either by word or deed, could lead separated brethren or any other into error regarding the true doctrine of the Church.

Let the faithful remember moreover that true devotion consists neither in sterile or transitory affection, nor in a certain vain credulity, but proceeds from true faith, by which we are led to know the excellence of the Mother of God, and we are moved to a filial love toward our mother and to the imitation of her virtues.

(Lumen Gentium 67)

2. Theologians are to adhere to the teaching of the Church when engaging in ecumenical doctrinal dialogue with other Christians.

The way and method in which the Catholic faith is expressed should never become an obstacle to dialogue with our brethren. It is, of course, essential that the doctrine should be clearly presented in its entirety. Nothing is so foreign to the spirit of ecumenism as a false irenicism, in which the purity of Catholic doctrine suffers loss and its genuine and certain meaning is clouded. At the same time, the Catholic faith must be explained more profoundly and precisely, in such a way and in such terms as our separated brethren can also really understand.

Moreover, in ecumenical dialogue, Catholic theologians standing fast by the teaching of the Church and investigating the divine mysteries with the separated brethren must proceed with love for the truth, with charity, and with humility. When comparing doctrines with one another, they should remember that in Catholic doctrine there exists a 'hierarchy' of truths, since they vary in their relation to the fundamental Christian faith. Thus the way will be opened by which through fraternal rivalry all will be stirred to a deeper understanding and a clearer presentation of the unfathomable riches of Christ.

(Unitatis Redintegratio 11)

3. Theologians, as members of the People of God, should judge the "voices of our age" in light of divine revelation, ensuring that the truth is always presented in a way that it may be understood and lived.

[The Church's] purpose has been to adapt the Gospel to the grasp of all as well as to the needs of the learned, insofar as such was appropriate. Indeed this accommodated preaching of the revealed word ought to remain the law of all evangelization. For thus the ability to express Christ's message in its own way is developed in each nation, and at the same time there is fostered a living exchange between the Church and the diverse cultures of people.

To promote such exchange, especially in our days, the Church requires the special help of those who live in the world, are versed in different institutions and specialties, and grasp their innermost significance in the eyes of both believers and unbelievers. With the help of the Holy Spirit, it is the task of the entire People of God, especially pastors and theologians, to hear, distinguish and interpret the many voices of our age, and to judge them in the light of the divine word, so that revealed truth can always be more deeply penetrated, better understood and set forth to greater advantage.

(Gaudium et Spes 44)

4. Theologians are to communicate the doctrine of the Catholic Church, with its meaning intact, in ways suitable to the understanding of men of their times.

Although the Church has contributed much to the development of culture, experience shows that, for circumstantial reasons, it is sometimes difficult to harmonize culture with Christian teaching. These difficulties do not necessarily harm the life of faith, rather they can stimulate the mind to a deeper and more accurate understanding of the faith. The recent studies and findings of science, history and philosophy raise new questions which effect life and which demand new theological investigations.

Furthermore, theologians, within the requirements and methods proper to theology, are invited to seek continually for more suitable ways of communicating doctrine to the men of their times; for the deposit of Faith or the truths are one thing and the manner in which they are enunciated, in the same meaning and understanding, is another. In pastoral care, sufficient use must be made not only of theological principles, but also of the findings of the secular sciences, especially of psychology and sociology, so that the faithful may be brought to a more adequate and mature life of faith.

(Gaudium et Spes 62)

There! Nothing about dissent. Nothing about competing (with or against) the Magisterium. Would somebody let the theologians know? :)

Gregorian Chant Pilgrimage to DC

On September 25-26, I'll be down in Washington, DC, at the National Basilica Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, for the Church Music Association of America's fall Gregorian chant pilgrimage.

Friday, September 25
12:30pm – 1:30pm: Registration @ JPII Center
1:30pm – 1:45pm: Welcome @ JPII Center Auditorium
1:45pm – 2:45pm: Chant rehearsal @ JPII Center Auditorium
2:45pm – 3:00pm: Break
3:15pm – 4:30pm: Chant rehearsal @ National Shrine, Upper Church, Blessed Sacrament Chapel
4:45pm – 6:00pm: Reception @ JP II Center, Rotunda

Dinner on your own


Saturday, September 26
9:00am – 9:30am: Coffee and Pastries @ JPII Center Auditorium
9:30am – 10:45am: Chant rehearsal @ JPII Center Auditorium
10:45am – 11:00am: BREAK
11:00am – 12:00pm: Chant rehearsal @ JPII Auditorium
12:00pm – 12:45pm: Catered Lunch @ JPII cafe
1:00pm – 1:45pm: Lecture: “Active Participation and Listening to Chant,” Dr. William Mahrt @ JPII Auditorium
2:00pm – 3:45pm: Chant rehearsal @ National Shrine, Crypt Church
3:45pm – 4:00pm: BREAK
4:15pm: Recitation of the Rosary @ National Shrine, Upper Church, Blessed Sacrament Chapel
5:00 pm – Mass in the Extraordinary Form @ National Shrine, Crypt Church

Vatican II and the Church that Jesus Founded: Marriage

What did Vatican II teach about the Church which Jesus Christ founded? This series is meant to show what elements of the Church Vatican II teaches as being ordained by God rather than invented by man. This installment looks at marriage as both an institution and a sacrament.


Marriage was established by God
"The intimate partnership of married life and love has been established by the Creator and qualified by His laws, and is rooted in the [con]jugal covenant of irrevocable personal consent. ... For, God Himself is the author of matrimony, endowed as it is with various benefits and purposes." (Gaudium et Spes 48)

"Firmly established by the Lord, the unity of marriage will radiate from the equal personal dignity of wife and husband, a dignity acknowledged by mutual and total love." (Gaudium et Spes 49)


Marriage was ordered to the begetting of children
"By their very nature, the institution of matrimony itself and conjugal love are ordained for the procreation and education of children, and find in them their ultimate crown." (Gaudium et Spes 48)

"Marriage and conjugal love are by their nature ordained toward the begetting and educating of children. Children are really the supreme gift of marriage and contribute very substantially to the welfare of their parents." (Gaudium et Spes 50)


Marriage is not only ordered to the begetting of children
"Marriage to be sure is not instituted solely for procreation; rather, its very nature as an unbreakable compact between persons, and the welfare of the children, both demand that the mutual love of the spouses be embodied in a rightly ordered manner, that it grow and ripen. Therefore, marriage persists as a whole manner and communion of life, and maintains its value and indissolubility, even when despite the often intense desire of the couple, offspring are lacking." (Gaudium et Spes 50)


Marriage is the conjugal union of one man and one woman
"Thus a man and a woman, who by their compact of conjugal love "are no longer two, but one flesh" (Matt. 19:ff), render mutual help and service to each other through an intimate union of their persons and of their actions." (Gaudium et Spes 48)


Marriage is an irrevocable (i.e. permanent) bond
"The intimate partnership of married life and love has been established by the Creator and qualified by His laws, and is rooted in the [con]jugal covenant of irrevocable personal consent. Hence by that human act whereby spouses mutually bestow and accept each other a relationship arises which by divine will and in the eyes of society too is a lasting one." (Gaudium et Spes 48)


Marriage is a sign of the relationship between Christ and his Church
"Christ the Lord abundantly blessed this many-faceted love, welling up as it does from the fountain of divine love and structured as it is on the model of His union with His Church." (Gaudium et Spes 48; cf. Eph. 5:21-33)


Marriage is governed by Christ and his Church
"Authentic married love is caught up into divine love and is governed and enriched by Christ's redeeming power and the saving activity of the Church, so that this love may lead the spouses to God with powerful effect and may aid and strengthen them in sublime office of being a father or a mother. For this reason Christian spouses have a special sacrament by which they are fortified and receive a kind of consecration in the duties and dignity of their state." (Gaudium et Spes 48)

Vatican II and the Church that Jesus Founded: The Ministerial Priesthood

What did Vatican II teach about the Church which Jesus Christ founded? This series is meant to show what elements of the Church Vatican II teaches as being ordained by God rather than invented by man. This installment looks at the ministerial priesthood.


The office of Bishop was ordained by God
"For the nurturing and constant growth of the People of God, Christ the Lord instituted in His Church a variety of ministries, which work for the good of the whole body. For those ministers, who are endowed with sacred power, serve their brethren, so that all who are of the People of God, and therefore enjoy a true Christian dignity, working toward a common goal freely and in an orderly way, may arrive at salvation. This Sacred Council, following closely in the footsteps of the First Vatican Council, with that Council teaches and declares that Jesus Christ, the eternal Shepherd, established His holy Church, having sent forth the apostles as He Himself had been sent by the Father; and He willed that their successors, namely the bishops, should be shepherds in His Church even to the consummation of the world." (Lumen Gentium 18)

"Christ, whom the Father has sanctified and sent into the world, has through His apostles, made their successors, the bishops, partakers of His consecration and His mission. They have legitimately handed on to different individuals in the Church various degrees of participation in this ministry. Thus the divinely established ecclesiastical ministry is exercised on different levels by those who from antiquity have been called bishops, priests and deacons." (Lumen Gentium 28)

"Since the apostolic office of bishops was instituted by Christ the Lord and pursues a spiritual and supernatural purpose, this sacred ecumenical synod declares that the right of nominating and appointing bishops belongs properly, peculiarly, and per se exclusively to the competent ecclesiastical authority." (Christus Dominus 20)


The office of Priest was ordained by God
"Thus the divinely established ecclesiastical ministry is exercised on different levels by those who from antiquity have been called bishops, priests and deacons." (Lumen Gentium 28)

"The same Lord, however, has established ministers among his faithful to unite them together in one body in which, 'not all the members have the same function'. ... Christ, through the apostles themselves, made their successors, the bishops, sharers in his consecration and mission. The office of their ministry has been handed down, in a lesser degree indeed, to the priests. Established in the order of the priesthood they can be co-workers of the episcopal order for the proper fulfillment of the apostolic mission entrusted to priests by Christ." (Presbyterorum Ordinis 2)

"God, who alone is holy and who alone bestows holiness, willed to take as his companions and helpers men who would humbly dedicate themselves to the work of sanctification. Hence, through the ministry of the bishop, God consecrates priests, that being made sharers by special title in the priesthood of Christ, they might act as his ministers in performing sacred functions." (Presbyterorum Ordinis 5)


The office of Deacon was ordained by God
"For the nurturing and constant growth of the People of God, Christ the Lord instituted in His Church a variety of ministries, which work for the good of the whole body. For those ministers, who are endowed with sacred power, serve their brethren, so that all who are of the People of God, and therefore enjoy a true Christian dignity, working toward a common goal freely and in an orderly way, may arrive at salvation." (Lumen Gentium 18)

"Thus the divinely established ecclesiastical ministry is exercised on different levels by those who from antiquity have been called bishops, priests and deacons." (Lumen Gentium 28)


Men are called to the Priesthood by God
"The effective union of the whole people of God in fostering vocations is the proper response to the action of Divine Providence which confers the fitting gifts on those men divinely chosen to participate in the hierarchical priesthood of Christ and helps them by His grace." (Optatam Totius 2)

Making Sense of Sunday: 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B), August 9, 2009

This series, Making Sense of Sunday, is meant to be an aid both to lectors and the people in the pews. I cover both the First Reading and the Second Reading, usually giving more attention to the Second Reading, since it's usually omitted from the homily and only rarely topically related to the First Reading and the Gospel.

First Reading: 1 Kings 19:4-8
Context
Elijah was a prophet during the period of the divided kingdom. After Saul, David, and Solomon, the kingdom of Israel was split into a northern half (called Israel) and a southern half (called Judah). The northern kingdom was ruled by wicked king after wicked king, many of whom were killed by the man who succeeded him on the throne! The eighth king of Israel (the northern kingdom) was Ahab, who married a pagan woman named Jezebel. It was during the reign of Ahab (circa 874-853 B.C.) that Elijah manifested the power and presence of God, in the northern kingdom.

In 1 Kings 18, Elijah challenges Jezebel's prophets who are loyal to the false god Ba'al. On Mount Carmel, the false prophets and Elijah present sacrifices. The prophets cry aloud and even cut themselves with blades to try and get Ba'al to answer them and receive their sacrifice, but it is to no avail. Then, Elijah — whose name means "the LORD is God" — takes his sacrificial offering, douses it with water three times, and calls upon the Lord, Who answers by consuming the holocaust with a flame from the heavens which even dries up all the water around the altar! The LORD is God indeed! Elijah has the false prophets slain. This does not please Jezebel in the slightest, and she returns the favor, slaughtering almost every loyal prophet of God in the northern kingdom.

I have included the verses 1-3 and 9-13a in italics and placed between { and }. These verses are not part of the pericope (the liturgical reading), but they provide a fuller context to why Elijah is on the run, and what happens when he arrives at Mount Horeb.

Reading

{ [1] Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done —
that he had put all the prophets to the sword.
[2] Jezebel then sent a messenger to Elijah and said,
“May the gods do thus and so to me
if by this time tomorrow I have not done with your life
what was done to each of them.”
[3] Elijah was afraid and fled for his life,
going to Beer-sheba of Judah.
He left his servant there[.] }

[4] Elijah went a day’s journey into the desert,
until he came to a broom tree and sat beneath it.
He prayed for death saying:
“This is enough, O LORD!
Take my life, for I am no better than my fathers.”
[5] He lay down and fell asleep under the broom tree,
[CCC 332]but then an angel touched him and ordered him to get up and eat.
[6] Elijah looked and there at his head was a hearth cake
and a jug of water.
After he ate and drank, he lay down again,
[7] but the angel of the LORD came back a second time,
touched him, and ordered,
“Get up and eat, else the journey will be too long for you!”
[8] He got up, ate, and drank;
then strengthened by that food,
he walked forty days and forty nights to the mountain of God, Horeb.

{ [9] There he came to a cave, where he took shelter.
But the word of the LORD came to him,
“Why are you here, Elijah?”
[10] He answered:
“I have been most zealous for the LORD, the God of hosts,
but the Israelites have forsaken your covenant,
torn down your altars, and put your prophets to the sword.
I alone am left, and they seek to take my life.”
[CCC 2583][11] Then the LORD said,
“Go outside and stand on the mountain before the LORD;
the LORD will be passing by.”

A strong and heavy wind was rending the mountains
and crushing rocks before the LORD —
but the LORD was not in the wind.
After the wind there was an earthquake —
but the LORD was not in the earthquake.
[12] After the earthquake there was fire —
but the LORD was not in the fire.
After the fire there was a tiny whispering sound.
[13] When he heard this,
Elijah hid his face in his cloak
and went and stood at the entrance of the cave. }

Themes

• Fear and resignation in the midst of carrying out the will of God (vv. 3-6)
• Miraculous provision from God (vv. 6-8)
• The presence of God in quiet majesty (vv. 11-13)
  

Comments
Jezebel promises to take Elijah's life, and so he flees. During his journey, he gets tired and falls asleep under a broom tree. He is awakened by an angel, and he finds food and drink provided for him. He eats and drinks... but then goes back to sleep! The angel has to wake Elijah again and tell him to eat and drink and then go! The food is not "pity food" for Elijah during his depression, but is meant to energize him for the journey. At the end of his journey, Elijah has an encounter with the Lord on Mount Horeb (which is Mount Sinai).

Elijah was afraid and resigned during his journey... until the angel admonished him. Notice Elijah's demeanor in verse 4, where he asks God to take his life, for he was "no better than [his] fathers," and contrast that with his answer to God in verse 10. Elijah has been energized by the food and by the journey to Horeb.

Have you ever received spiritual nourishment from God, only to waste it? Have you ever had a spiritual encounter so powerful that you tried to recreate or hold on to the feeling rather than move forward with the energy of that encounter? Too often Christians fall into emotionalism, latching on to feelings rather than faith. Back in January, on the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul, as I was proclaiming the First Reading at Mass (from Acts 22), I began to weep at the ambo. By the last verse, my voice broke. To speak the words of Sts. Paul and Ananias touched my very core. I have no doubt that I had an intense spiritual encounter with God that morning. It manifested itself in feelings of humility and sorrow for my own sin, in tears.

I have never had that reaction while reading at Mass before, and have not had it since... and I'm okay with that. I do not try to recreate the scenario or recapture that feeling. Instead, I remember the effect the feeling had, I remember how it changed me, I remember the encounter. I pray I will never forget it. I do not need to be moved to tears in front of the congregation at Mass to remember the power of God in the life of St. Paul and in my own life. If I kept trying to be moved to tears while reading, instead of moving forward from this encounter, I would be like Elijah, eating and drinking and then going back to sleep. The angel told Elijah that the food was meant to give him strength for a journey, and that if he did not eat and drink and go soon, he would not have the energy to make it all the way to Horeb.

God gave me that encounter for a reason. Yes, it was a witness to the congregation. But it was also a special grace to me, and that grace was meant as strength for a journey. If I don't go forward in that grace, if I waste it just waiting for it to happen again, or trying to manufacture it again, I may not have the strength to go on further down the line.

There's a reason why Catholics (with rare exceptions) are only permitted to receive Holy Communion twice a day. Lay Catholics do not belong in the church, morning, noon, and night: lay Catholics have an apostolate in the world. (See Apostolicam Acuositatem from Vatican II.) When we receive Holy Communion (the miraculous spiritual food prefigured in the First Reading), it is meant to sustain us on our mission. We are dismissed at the end of Mass, sent out, sent forth. We should not be like sleepy Elijah, but like determined Elijah.

Second Reading: Ephesians 4:30 - 5:2
Context
Last week, St. Paul continued comparing and contrasting the pre-Christ way of life and the post-Christ way of life. This week, we hear him continuing to exhort the Ephesians to live a genuinely Christian way of life, characterized by the absence of evil attitudes ("bitterness, fury, anger, shouting, ... reviling, [and] malice") and the exercise of true charity ("be kind [and] compassionate, forgiving one another").

I have included verses 3-8b of chapter 5, which are some the verses in between this Sunday's and next Sunday's Second Reading.

Reading

Brothers and sisters:

[Isa. 63:10][30] Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God,
[CCC 1274, 1296]with which you were sealed for the day of redemption.
[31] All bitterness, fury, anger, shouting, and reviling
must be removed from you, along with all malice.
[32] And be kind to one another, compassionate,
[CCC 2842]forgiving one another as God has forgiven you in Christ.

[CCC 1694][5:1] So be imitators of God,
as beloved children, and live in love,
[CCC 616;[2] as Christ loved us and handed himself over for us
Ex. 29:18; Ezek. 20:41]as a sacrificial offering to God for a fragrant aroma.

{ [3] Immorality or any impurity or greed
must not even be mentioned among you,
as is fitting among holy ones,
[4] no obscenity or silly or suggestive talk,
which is out of place, but instead, thanksgiving.
[5] Be sure of this,
that no immoral or impure or greedy person, that is, an idolater,
has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.
[6] Let no one deceive you with empty arguments,
for because of these things the wrath of God
is coming upon the disobedient.
[7] So do not be associated with them.
[8] For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. }

Themes

• Avoiding lack of charity (vv. 4:30-31, 5:3-5)
• Showing the merciful love of God in Christ (vv. 4:32, 5:1-2)
• Conversion from darkness to light (vv. 5:7-8)
  

Comments
This reading challenges us to face the hurtful and hateful attitudes that are so prevalent in our day and age. How often throughout the day do we, almost unknowingly, manifest "bitterness, fury, anger, shouting, ... reviling, [and] malice" to those around us? How about "immorality or ... impurity or greed" or "obscenity or silly or suggestive talk"? It's a shame we don't hear this sober reminder in the reading at Mass: "no immoral or impure or greedy person, that is, an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God." That should wake us up to our sins, especially those against charity.

Our model is nothing short of God Himself! "Be imitators of God," St. Paul says. "Live in love as Christ loved us." The commandment of "love your neighbor as yourself" is transformed by Christ into "love your neighbor as I have loved you". Our love for one another must be so great as to manifest itself as a sacrificial self-offering to God for the good of the other person. Where do we find the energy to love one another to such a degree? The Eucharist, the spiritual food which God gives to us for the journey.

Plenary Indulgence offered tomorrow, the Feast of St. John Vianney

From ZENIT:

For the faithful, a plenary indulgence can be obtained on the opening and closing days of the Year for Priests, on the 150th anniversary of the death of St. Jean-Marie Vianney, on the first Thursday of the month, or on any other day established by the ordinaries of particular places for the good of the faithful.

To obtain the indulgence the faithful must attend Mass in an oratory or Church and offer prayers to "Jesus Christ, supreme and eternal Priest, for the priests of the Church, or perform any good work to sanctify and mould them to his heart."

The conditions for the faithful for earning a plenary indulgence are to have gone to confession and prayed for the intentions of the Pope.

...

A partial indulgence is offered to the faithful when they repeat five times the Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be, or any other duly approved prayer "in honor of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, to ask that priests maintain purity and sanctity of life."

The Pope's intentions this month are:

• General: That public opinion may be more aware of the problem of millions of displaced persons and refugees and that concrete solutions may be found for their often tragic situation.
• Mission: That those Christians who are discriminated against and persecuted in many Countries because of the name of Christ may have their human rights, equality and religious freedom recognized, in order to be able to live and profess their own faith freely.

I make a habit of praying three Hail Mary's for priests (one for the purification of those in Purgatory, one for the sanctification and conversion of priests living today, and one for future priests that their vocations be fostered and encouraged). Now that I'm aware (again) of the partial indulgence offered, I should "upgrade" that habit to five Our Father's, five Hail Mary's, and five Glory Be's.

[H/T to Diane at Te Deum laudamus]

Sacrament of Penance: Prayer of Absolution

This is a bit out of order — I plan on doing a post (or series of posts) comparing the Extraordinary Form of the Sacrament of Penance with the Ordinary Form — but I thought I'd share this little tidbit with you ahead of time.

This is the prayer of absolution from the Sacrament of Penance (also called Confession and Reconciliation) in English and Latin (and my own attempt at a Latin translation), with Scriptural annotations.

(2 Cor. 1:3)God, the Father of mercies,
through the death and resurrection of His Son
(2 Cor. 5:19; cf. Rom. 11:15; Col.1:20)has reconciled the world to Himself
(John 20:21-23)and sent the Holy Spirit among us for the forgiveness of sins;
(2 Cor. 5:18-20)through the ministry of the Church
(Luke 7:50; Col. 1:14)may God give you pardon and peace,
and I absolve you from your sins
in the name of the Father, and of the Son, +
and of the Holy Spirit.

Deus, Pater misericordiárum,
qui per mortem et resurrectiónem Filii sui
mundum sibi reconciliávit
et Spiritum Sanctum effúdit in remissiónem peccatórum,
per ministérium Ecclésiæ
indulgéntiam tibi tribuat et pacem.
Et ego te absólvo a peccátis tuis
in nómine Patris, et Filii, +
et Spíritus Sancti.

Here's my translation of the Latin, not so much to be compared and contrasted with the present English translation, but simply as an exercise in translation.

May God, the Father of mercies,
Who through the death and resurrection of His Son
has reconciled the world to Himself
and sent the Holy Spirit for the remission of sins,
through the ministry of Church
grant you pardon and peace.
And I absolve you from your sins
in the name of the Father, and of the Son, +
and of the Holy Spirit.

Vatican II and the Church that Jesus Founded: Hierarchical Government

What did Vatican II teach about the Church which Jesus Christ founded? This series is meant to show what elements of the Church Vatican II teaches as being ordained by God rather than invented by man. This installment looks at the hierarchical governing of the Church by bishops and priests, led by the Pope.


Christ established his Church to have a visible hierarchical structure
"Christ, the one Mediator, established and continually sustains here on earth His holy Church, the community of faith, hope and charity, as an entity with visible delineation through which He communicated truth and grace to all. But, the society structured with hierarchical organs and the Mystical Body of Christ, are not to be considered as two realities, nor are the visible assembly and the spiritual community, nor the earthly Church and the Church enriched with heavenly things; rather they form one complex reality which coalesces from a divine and a human element. For this reason, by no weak analogy, it is compared to the mystery of the incarnate Word. As the assumed nature inseparably united to Him, serves the divine Word as a living organ of salvation, so, in a similar way, does the visible social structure of the Church serve the Spirit of Christ, who vivifies it, in the building up of the body." (Lumen Gentium 8)


Christ established Bishops as shepherds and rulers in the Church
"For the nurturing and constant growth of the People of God, Christ the Lord instituted in His Church a variety of ministries, which work for the good of the whole body. For those ministers, who are endowed with sacred power, serve their brethren ... Jesus Christ, the eternal Shepherd, established His holy Church, having sent forth the apostles as He Himself had been sent by the Father; and He willed that their successors, namely the bishops, should be shepherds in His Church even to the consummation of the world." (Lumen Gentium 18)

"[T]he apostles, appointed as rulers in this society, took care to appoint successors." (Lumen Gentium 20)

"[T]he Holy Spirit unfailingly preserves the form of government established by Christ the Lord in His Church." (Lumen Gentium 27)

"In order to establish this His holy Church everywhere in the world till the end of time, Christ entrusted to the College of the Twelve the task of teaching, ruling and sanctifying." (Unitatis Redintegratio 2)

"Jesus Christ, then, willed that the apostles and their successors — the bishops with Peter's successor at their head — should preach the Gospel faithfully, administer the sacraments, and rule the Church in love." (Unitatis Redintegratio 2)

"In exercising their office of father and pastor, bishops should stand in the midst of their people as those who serve. Let them be good shepherds who know their sheep and whose sheep know them. Let them be true fathers who excel in the spirit of love and solicitude for all and to whose divinely conferred authority all gratefully submit themselves." (Christus Dominus 16)


Christ ordained the primacy of the Roman Pontiff
"And in order that the episcopate itself might be one and undivided, He placed Blessed Peter over the other apostles, and instituted in him a permanent and visible source and foundation of unity of faith and communion. And all this teaching about the institution, the perpetuity, the meaning and reason for the sacred primacy of the Roman Pontiff and of his infallible magisterium, this Sacred Council again proposes to be firmly believed by all the faithful." (Lumen Gentium 18)

"And the apostles, by preaching the Gospel everywhere, and it being accepted by their hearers under the influence of the Holy Spirit, gather together the universal Church, which the Lord established on the apostles and built upon blessed Peter, their chief, Christ Jesus Himself being the supreme cornerstone." (Lumen Gentium 19)

"These individual Churches, whether of the East or the West , although they differ somewhat among themselves ... in liturgy, ecclesiastical discipline, and spiritual heritage, are, nevertheless, each as much as the others, entrusted to the pastoral government of the Roman Pontiff, the divinely appointed successor of St. Peter in primacy over the universal Church." (Orientalium Ecclesiarum 3)

"Among [the Twelve] He selected Peter, and after his confession of faith determined that on him He would build His Church. Also to Peter He promised the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and after His profession of love, entrusted all His sheep to him to be confirmed in faith and shepherded in perfect unity. Christ Jesus Himself was forever to remain the chief cornerstone and shepherd of our souls." (Unitatis Redintegratio 2)

"Jesus Christ, then, willed that the apostles and their successors — the bishops with Peter's successor at their head — should preach the Gospel faithfully, administer the sacraments, and rule the Church in love." (Unitatis Redintegratio 2)

"We believe that Our Lord entrusted all the blessings of the New Covenant to the apostolic college alone, of which Peter is the head, in order to establish the one Body of Christ on earth to which all should be fully incorporated who belong in any way to the people of God." (Unitatis Redintegratio 3)

"In this Church of Christ the Roman pontiff, as the successor of Peter, to whom Christ entrusted the feeding of His sheep and lambs, enjoys supreme, full, immediate, and universal authority over the care of souls by divine institution." (Christus Dominus 2)

Vatican II and the Church that Jesus Founded

I want to shed some light on what Vatican II taught about the Church which Jesus Christ founded. Did Vatican II teach that the Church of Christ has a hierarchy? Sacraments? Liturgy? A visible structure?

To answer these questions, I'll be providing quotes from the documents themselves which describe the elements of the Church which the Council described as being endowed, entrusted, established, instituted, mandated, or willed (or other such word) by God.

I'll start the series sometime later today.