Fr. Barron turns the reins of his all encompassing blog over at Word on Fire to his seminarian intern who reflects on the relationship between Scouting and vocations to the Priesthood:
Many Catholics in America speak of a “vocations crisis,” or the decline in men seeking to become Catholic priests. Recently, Catholics have observed a spike in vocations wherein many talented men are beginning seminary studies. This has resulted in many seminarians throughout the country finding their communities full. Admittedly, there are many factors that affect this increase in vocations, but a significant percentage of the men ordained priests today are the fruit of one American institution, the Boy Scouts of America.
more
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
RTL Summer Speaker Series
Right to Life of Greater Cincinnati, for whom I serve as a spiritual advisor, announces their 2nd Annual 'Summer Speaker Series' event coming up August 11, 2011:
Summer Speaker Series
You are invited to attend Cincinnati Right to Life's 2nd annual Pro-Life Summer Speaker Series featuring compelling national speaker Rev. Arnold Culbreath, Urban Outreach Director, Protecting Black Life for Life Issues Institute. Join us Thursday, August 11, 2011, 7-9 p.m., the Kolping Center, 10235 Mill Road, Cincinnati, OH 45231.
For the past 4 years, Arnold has been a member of the NAACP, collaborating with other national Black pro-life leaders to persuade the NAACP to use its influence to educate its members about this silent annihilation. And his efforts are paying off!
At the Cincinnati NAACP's May meeting, Arnold participated in a panel discussion with representatives from Planned Parenthood, the leading promoter and provider of abortions in our nation, addressing abortion's devastating effects on the African American community.
This event is free & open to the public. Any free will donations will be given to Protecting Black Life.
I've hear him speak, you will not regret it! Rev. Culbreath is passionate about the subject and brings a great zeal for life to his ministry.
Summer Speaker Series
You are invited to attend Cincinnati Right to Life's 2nd annual Pro-Life Summer Speaker Series featuring compelling national speaker Rev. Arnold Culbreath, Urban Outreach Director, Protecting Black Life for Life Issues Institute. Join us Thursday, August 11, 2011, 7-9 p.m., the Kolping Center, 10235 Mill Road, Cincinnati, OH 45231.
For the past 4 years, Arnold has been a member of the NAACP, collaborating with other national Black pro-life leaders to persuade the NAACP to use its influence to educate its members about this silent annihilation. And his efforts are paying off!
At the Cincinnati NAACP's May meeting, Arnold participated in a panel discussion with representatives from Planned Parenthood, the leading promoter and provider of abortions in our nation, addressing abortion's devastating effects on the African American community.
This event is free & open to the public. Any free will donations will be given to Protecting Black Life.
I've hear him speak, you will not regret it! Rev. Culbreath is passionate about the subject and brings a great zeal for life to his ministry.
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Friday, July 15, 2011
"I will take the cup of salvation...
and call on the name of the Lord"
Today's Psalm response reminded me of the priest's preparation for the reception of the Most Precious Blood during the Extraordinary Form of the Mass, prayers athat are not in the Novus Ordo Missal of Paul VI. After he has received the Precious Body, the rubrics state: 'He pauses for a moment, and in thanksgiving says some verses from the Psalms (115:3-4 and 17:4):
Quid retribuam Comino pro omnibus quae retribuit mihi? Calicem salutaris accipiam, et nomen Domini invocabo.
Laudans invocabo Dominum, et ab inimicis meis salvus ero.
Trans: What shall I render to the Lord for all the things that He hath rendered to me? I will take the chalice of salvation, and I will call upon the name of the Lord.
Praising, I will call upon the Lord, and I shall be saved from my enemies.
Perhaps a good thing to note down and pray as you prepare to receive the Chalice, if you choose to do so, during Mass.
Today's Psalm response reminded me of the priest's preparation for the reception of the Most Precious Blood during the Extraordinary Form of the Mass, prayers athat are not in the Novus Ordo Missal of Paul VI. After he has received the Precious Body, the rubrics state: 'He pauses for a moment, and in thanksgiving says some verses from the Psalms (115:3-4 and 17:4):
Quid retribuam Comino pro omnibus quae retribuit mihi? Calicem salutaris accipiam, et nomen Domini invocabo.
Laudans invocabo Dominum, et ab inimicis meis salvus ero.
Trans: What shall I render to the Lord for all the things that He hath rendered to me? I will take the chalice of salvation, and I will call upon the name of the Lord.
Praising, I will call upon the Lord, and I shall be saved from my enemies.
Perhaps a good thing to note down and pray as you prepare to receive the Chalice, if you choose to do so, during Mass.
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
More thoughts on the walk...
At one point late Friday/early Saturday (time started to blend together after a while), the other chaperones and I had a wonderful and frightening thought at the same time: This is the high point of our career with youth ministry kids; we will never have a group of 10 teens like this again.
What do I mean by this? Well, best described by an example:
Wednesday night, half way through the journey, hot, tired, sore. We had gone through Dayton that day, see the post below for specifics, and were ending up at St. Charles Borromeo, Kettering for dinner and sleep. As I developed the habit since I couldn't walk, I would meet them outside, toss water bottles, bring them in to wherever we were meeting/eating/praying/whatever.
As they approached at about 8 pm, and we started at 6 am that day, I met them on the sidewalk: 'Great to see you guys, dinner's ready, come on in.' I started to walk to the room where we were eating, which passed by the Eucharistic Chapel. I got to the meeting room, turned around and felt like a failed dad: no one was behind me.
They all stopped in the Chapel to pray. "Of course they did, that's what these kids do!"
Boy, didn't I feel like an idiot going into the chapel as the preist to say the following: 'Guys, I know you want to pray, and as a priest, I love that you love to pray, but they are waiting on you to eat, so you have to stop praying now. Relax, we do have a Holy Hour later.'
They lifted each other up, carried burdens for each other, encouraged each other, stayed back on the bus so that no one would be alone, sang, prayed, chanted, translated Latin, discussed theology: 'What does it mean that Jesus is the Son of Man?' among so much else as we walked, slowly, from Maria Stein to the Cathedral.
It was absolutely awesome. Of the 10 young people, they are all seriously considering a call to priesthood and/or religious life. I could easily see 8 of them enter formation, if not all ten. There will never be another group like them, that's for sure.
It gives great hope for what this group, as well as their peers, will do into the future.
What do I mean by this? Well, best described by an example:
Wednesday night, half way through the journey, hot, tired, sore. We had gone through Dayton that day, see the post below for specifics, and were ending up at St. Charles Borromeo, Kettering for dinner and sleep. As I developed the habit since I couldn't walk, I would meet them outside, toss water bottles, bring them in to wherever we were meeting/eating/praying/whatever.
As they approached at about 8 pm, and we started at 6 am that day, I met them on the sidewalk: 'Great to see you guys, dinner's ready, come on in.' I started to walk to the room where we were eating, which passed by the Eucharistic Chapel. I got to the meeting room, turned around and felt like a failed dad: no one was behind me.
They all stopped in the Chapel to pray. "Of course they did, that's what these kids do!"
Boy, didn't I feel like an idiot going into the chapel as the preist to say the following: 'Guys, I know you want to pray, and as a priest, I love that you love to pray, but they are waiting on you to eat, so you have to stop praying now. Relax, we do have a Holy Hour later.'
They lifted each other up, carried burdens for each other, encouraged each other, stayed back on the bus so that no one would be alone, sang, prayed, chanted, translated Latin, discussed theology: 'What does it mean that Jesus is the Son of Man?' among so much else as we walked, slowly, from Maria Stein to the Cathedral.
It was absolutely awesome. Of the 10 young people, they are all seriously considering a call to priesthood and/or religious life. I could easily see 8 of them enter formation, if not all ten. There will never be another group like them, that's for sure.
It gives great hope for what this group, as well as their peers, will do into the future.
Called to be More
I apologize for the Radio Silence last week, well unless you follow my twitter feed or to the right, as I was on pilgrimage.
Sadly, no, not to Compestello or Guadalupe, but right here in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati.
Last summer, two seminarians wanted to get to know the diocese better, so they spent two weeks visiting parishes and walking up then back across the diocese (they got rides, too.)
Their journey inspired a young lady who is discering a religious vocation to do the same thing, only with a group of teens, and since it was to be vocation oriented, I was recruited to go along.
To say I was skeptical (it's my nature) is an understatement, but I have returned with a new appreciation for what our teens can do.
(To read thoughts from the teens as to why they were doing this, see Emily's blog at Unshakeable Hope, pictures, too.)
On July 3rd, ten teens (5 boys, 5 girls from around the Cincinnati area), four other adult chaperones (2 seminarians, 2 young women (both current or former chastity educators)), and I spent the day on retreat preparing for our walk. Most gathered for Mass at St. Gertrude Church in Madiera, where the Eastern Province of the Dominicans have their novitiate. Turns out, their Vocation Director was also in town and gave a great talk on the call to holiness. As the afternoon got later, we jumped on a small tour bus and rode to the Spiritual Center of Maria Stein, roughly 120 miles from Cincinnati (near Sidney, Ohio.) After dinner and a holy hour, a few last minute details and time to bunk down.
To explain how the walking worked, the bus stayed with us all week to transport gear and keep water and gatorade cold. A group would leave walking, and the bus would go up three miles or so. When that group would get there, a new group would set out. Sometimes, walkers would continue, sometimes they would jump on the bus. Sometimes, to make up time, the next group left as soon as the bus pulled up to the three mile mark, etc. It played out more smoothly than I anticipated.
July 4th began the walk and we visited Holy Redeemer, New Bremen; St. Augustine, Minster (with a quick visit from my sister!); St. Michael's, Fort Loramie; and concluded at St. Remy, Russia. 20+ miles of walking. We ended with a cookout out a local family's house, where they even let us have showers! (stay tuned for next shower update....) We bunked down in the parish hall, first night of 'floor sleeping.' As one of the seminarians said: 'Father, I thought my time of sleeping on the floor in a bag was over.' I agreed, but sleep came relatively quickly after all that walking. Some had blisters already, legs were sore, but spirits remained high, as they would all week.
July 5th was a long day: St. Remy to St. Boniface, Piqua (newly renovated/restored, and it looks better in person than pictures), to St. Patrick, Troy, to St. John the Baptist, Tipp City. By the time was got there, my legs were really sore, but I thought I could keep going. I was wrong.
July 6th, Tipp to St. Chris in Vandalia, 6 miles. I did the 2nd shift, and it turned out to be my last. By this point, my left shin was in piercing pain and I stumbled around during Mass. The other adults bussed me for the rest of the day, thinking I would be better tomorrow.... The walking continued to St. Peter's, Huber Heights and on to St. Barbara, Byzantine Chapel and Holy Family, Dayton, a parish assigned to the Priestly Fraternity and dedicated to the Extraordinary Form of the Mass. These two stops really helped broaden some of the teens understanding of the 'catholicity' of the Church present in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati and provided great fodder over the next few sessions of walking about priestly celibacy, the nature of Mass and worship, Latin in the liturgy, etc. As a fellow chaperone quipped: 'I didn't know I needed a Ph.D. in Theology to be on this trip!' so deep were the questions being asked, and worked out, by the teens. From there, we made it down to St. Charles Borommeo, Kettering.to eat and spend the night, another long day, but another close w/ a Holy Hour, nursing sore blisters, knees and ankles, and quickly falling to sleep.
July 7th, I taped up my shin, hoping it would be better. It swelled up in protest, to the point I couldn't see my ankle, staying on the bus..... We left St. Charles after Mass and headed down to St. Francis of Assisi, Centerville. From there, to Our Lady of Good Hope, Miamisburg and St. Augustine's, Germantown (up a massive hill, too. The bus barely made it, they prayed a rosary up the ascent, taking only two decades.) Sadly, St. Augustine's was locked up like Ft. Knox, we still prayed, reflected and then hit the road to Holy Family, Middletown, where we were welcomed by their Thursday night Bocce League. We joined them for food, conversation and an explanation of just what exactly we were doing before heading in to Church for another Holy Hour. Luckily, we had reinforcements to help in the walking: one chaperone's boyfriend and a local youth minister heard us on the radio and wanted to walk, too. It was greatly appreciated.
July 8th, Friday, red shirts for the Passion, still a swollen ankle. The YM returned to walk a few shifts again this morning as we went from Middletown to Our Lady of Sorrows, Monroe, for Mass. (While we were welcomed everywhere we went, OLSorrows was particularly gracious in their hosting us for Mass.) From there, St. Max in Liberty Township for lunch, to Dr. Martin Haskell's new place in Sharonville. (He developed the partial-birth abortion procedure and has opened a new abortuary, we felt it important for the teens to stop there, too.) A quick jaunt to St. Michael's in Sharonville prior to stopping at Sts. Peter and Paul in Reading for dinner, Holy Hour, and sleep. This was the next place showers were available, and I (who wasn't walking at all) was the only one to take advantage. Luckily, we had more 'fill-in' adult walkers to help, too. By this point, we couldn't smell our own stink, but I think I saw paint peeling from walls of places we stopped....
July 9th, blue shirts for the Blessed Mother, saw us complete our walking: Sts. Peter and Paul, to St. Cecilia, Oakley for Mass and breakfast, to Immaculata in Mt. Adams to Old St. Mary's for lunch, to st. Francis Seraph for a visit with the Franciscans, and finally concluded at St. Lawrence, Price Hill where we joined their festival for dinner and a quick visit in the Church. More fill-ins helped spell the adults who were present, too. We drove to the Holy Spirit Center to sleep (AND SHOWER!!!!!), and of course, one last Holy Hour.
Sunday, we visited St. Francis Xavier, downtown and St. Louis, downtown, prior to Mass at the Cathedral. Lunch, and a return to St. Gertrude's to send them back to their parents, and for the adults to collapse!
That's our itinerary, I'll keep posting more reflections through the rest of the week. 150 miles, total. I did maybe 20 before being sidelined. The teens all walked between 50 and 120 miles out of the 150. They were awesome in how they lifted each other up, supported when they needed breaks and prayed, sang, conversed along the way. As far as I know, not one argument in 7 days of pretty intense physical stress. God truly was with us.
Sadly, no, not to Compestello or Guadalupe, but right here in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati.
Last summer, two seminarians wanted to get to know the diocese better, so they spent two weeks visiting parishes and walking up then back across the diocese (they got rides, too.)
Their journey inspired a young lady who is discering a religious vocation to do the same thing, only with a group of teens, and since it was to be vocation oriented, I was recruited to go along.
To say I was skeptical (it's my nature) is an understatement, but I have returned with a new appreciation for what our teens can do.
(To read thoughts from the teens as to why they were doing this, see Emily's blog at Unshakeable Hope, pictures, too.)
On July 3rd, ten teens (5 boys, 5 girls from around the Cincinnati area), four other adult chaperones (2 seminarians, 2 young women (both current or former chastity educators)), and I spent the day on retreat preparing for our walk. Most gathered for Mass at St. Gertrude Church in Madiera, where the Eastern Province of the Dominicans have their novitiate. Turns out, their Vocation Director was also in town and gave a great talk on the call to holiness. As the afternoon got later, we jumped on a small tour bus and rode to the Spiritual Center of Maria Stein, roughly 120 miles from Cincinnati (near Sidney, Ohio.) After dinner and a holy hour, a few last minute details and time to bunk down.
To explain how the walking worked, the bus stayed with us all week to transport gear and keep water and gatorade cold. A group would leave walking, and the bus would go up three miles or so. When that group would get there, a new group would set out. Sometimes, walkers would continue, sometimes they would jump on the bus. Sometimes, to make up time, the next group left as soon as the bus pulled up to the three mile mark, etc. It played out more smoothly than I anticipated.
July 4th began the walk and we visited Holy Redeemer, New Bremen; St. Augustine, Minster (with a quick visit from my sister!); St. Michael's, Fort Loramie; and concluded at St. Remy, Russia. 20+ miles of walking. We ended with a cookout out a local family's house, where they even let us have showers! (stay tuned for next shower update....) We bunked down in the parish hall, first night of 'floor sleeping.' As one of the seminarians said: 'Father, I thought my time of sleeping on the floor in a bag was over.' I agreed, but sleep came relatively quickly after all that walking. Some had blisters already, legs were sore, but spirits remained high, as they would all week.
July 5th was a long day: St. Remy to St. Boniface, Piqua (newly renovated/restored, and it looks better in person than pictures), to St. Patrick, Troy, to St. John the Baptist, Tipp City. By the time was got there, my legs were really sore, but I thought I could keep going. I was wrong.
July 6th, Tipp to St. Chris in Vandalia, 6 miles. I did the 2nd shift, and it turned out to be my last. By this point, my left shin was in piercing pain and I stumbled around during Mass. The other adults bussed me for the rest of the day, thinking I would be better tomorrow.... The walking continued to St. Peter's, Huber Heights and on to St. Barbara, Byzantine Chapel and Holy Family, Dayton, a parish assigned to the Priestly Fraternity and dedicated to the Extraordinary Form of the Mass. These two stops really helped broaden some of the teens understanding of the 'catholicity' of the Church present in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati and provided great fodder over the next few sessions of walking about priestly celibacy, the nature of Mass and worship, Latin in the liturgy, etc. As a fellow chaperone quipped: 'I didn't know I needed a Ph.D. in Theology to be on this trip!' so deep were the questions being asked, and worked out, by the teens. From there, we made it down to St. Charles Borommeo, Kettering.to eat and spend the night, another long day, but another close w/ a Holy Hour, nursing sore blisters, knees and ankles, and quickly falling to sleep.
July 7th, I taped up my shin, hoping it would be better. It swelled up in protest, to the point I couldn't see my ankle, staying on the bus..... We left St. Charles after Mass and headed down to St. Francis of Assisi, Centerville. From there, to Our Lady of Good Hope, Miamisburg and St. Augustine's, Germantown (up a massive hill, too. The bus barely made it, they prayed a rosary up the ascent, taking only two decades.) Sadly, St. Augustine's was locked up like Ft. Knox, we still prayed, reflected and then hit the road to Holy Family, Middletown, where we were welcomed by their Thursday night Bocce League. We joined them for food, conversation and an explanation of just what exactly we were doing before heading in to Church for another Holy Hour. Luckily, we had reinforcements to help in the walking: one chaperone's boyfriend and a local youth minister heard us on the radio and wanted to walk, too. It was greatly appreciated.
July 8th, Friday, red shirts for the Passion, still a swollen ankle. The YM returned to walk a few shifts again this morning as we went from Middletown to Our Lady of Sorrows, Monroe, for Mass. (While we were welcomed everywhere we went, OLSorrows was particularly gracious in their hosting us for Mass.) From there, St. Max in Liberty Township for lunch, to Dr. Martin Haskell's new place in Sharonville. (He developed the partial-birth abortion procedure and has opened a new abortuary, we felt it important for the teens to stop there, too.) A quick jaunt to St. Michael's in Sharonville prior to stopping at Sts. Peter and Paul in Reading for dinner, Holy Hour, and sleep. This was the next place showers were available, and I (who wasn't walking at all) was the only one to take advantage. Luckily, we had more 'fill-in' adult walkers to help, too. By this point, we couldn't smell our own stink, but I think I saw paint peeling from walls of places we stopped....
July 9th, blue shirts for the Blessed Mother, saw us complete our walking: Sts. Peter and Paul, to St. Cecilia, Oakley for Mass and breakfast, to Immaculata in Mt. Adams to Old St. Mary's for lunch, to st. Francis Seraph for a visit with the Franciscans, and finally concluded at St. Lawrence, Price Hill where we joined their festival for dinner and a quick visit in the Church. More fill-ins helped spell the adults who were present, too. We drove to the Holy Spirit Center to sleep (AND SHOWER!!!!!), and of course, one last Holy Hour.
Sunday, we visited St. Francis Xavier, downtown and St. Louis, downtown, prior to Mass at the Cathedral. Lunch, and a return to St. Gertrude's to send them back to their parents, and for the adults to collapse!
That's our itinerary, I'll keep posting more reflections through the rest of the week. 150 miles, total. I did maybe 20 before being sidelined. The teens all walked between 50 and 120 miles out of the 150. They were awesome in how they lifted each other up, supported when they needed breaks and prayed, sang, conversed along the way. As far as I know, not one argument in 7 days of pretty intense physical stress. God truly was with us.
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
The Scandal of the Cross
My latest runs this week in the Catholic Telegraph:
With the advent of the 24-hour news channels, it seems that there is now a greater desire to, in a way, manufacture news. With 168 hours of news coverage to fill per week, there is a great deal of time to rehash and recover stories that even just 10 years ago might have fallen quickly to the wayside, especially when those stories center around the fall from grace of a public figure who has become bigger than the law, the constituents, the cause which he or she serves.
Recently, Rep. Anthony Weiner resigned from the U.S. House of Representatives over a texting scandal. Hollywood stars and starlets seem to live for the front page of the tabloids. Even the vicar general for the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph has had pressure applied for failing to uphold his responsibility in the protection of children.
My point in this article is to not argue that a free pass should be offered to anyone, but rather to muse on the question of how it has come to this, specifically in regards to the people involved, and on the phrase from the investment scandals and the bank bailouts which has returned to the front of my mind: “Too Big to Fail.”
Lord Acton’s oft-quoted summary seems to apply once again: “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” Original sin continues to manifest itself, as the initial refrain from the evil one echoes through the ages: “I will not serve.”
Power, hubris, thinking that one is above the law, all are rooted in the most ancient, yet most modern of sins: pride. It is so easy to read your own press clippings, to ignore the criticisms rightly leveled, to rationalize one’s behavior while scoffing at the right reasoning of others; suddenly, the world does revolve around me and everything should serve my purposes.
As we have found out, even priests are not immune to this trap. We are complimented frequently, people tend to listen to what we say and we can be treated very kindly by strangers for nothing other than being a priest. It is easy to think that I can walk on water, instead of pointing to the One who actually did walk on water.
How is one to combat these temptations to pride? It certainly is not easy, but we have great examples of those who have come before us to follow. In 2 Samuel 16:5 and following, as David is leaving Jerusalem in scandal and fleeting from his son, Absalom, Shimei, a man from the same clan as David’s predecessor, Saul, starts throwing rocks and insults at the downtrodden king. Many who are traveling with David want to rush upon Shimei for these insults, yet David recognizes that he speaks for the Lord God and humbly takes his punishment.
In the New Testament, Peter is often chastised for his hubris before Our Lord, yet he is humbled by his inability to stay true to his promise to be with Jesus ‘even to the point of death’ during His passion and death. Yet, returning to the Lord, has there ever been a greater statement of faith than his pleading: “Lord, you know everything, you know that I love you! “(John 21:17)
So many saints who have been wrongly accused, even by the church, responded with a quiet submission and trust in God’s providence and care. They knew it was never about them, but rather always about leading others to Christ. If their suffering helped that to happen, they rejoiced with St. Paul that they had been found worthy to suffer for the sake of the Gospel.
As we all face those temptations to pride, those temptations to hubris, to putting our selves above the law, let us always turn to the cross of Christ, for only in Him do we find our strength. Every saint has lived under some version of St. Ignatius of Loyola’s motto: “All for the Greater Glory of God.” May we, too, echo these same words.
With the advent of the 24-hour news channels, it seems that there is now a greater desire to, in a way, manufacture news. With 168 hours of news coverage to fill per week, there is a great deal of time to rehash and recover stories that even just 10 years ago might have fallen quickly to the wayside, especially when those stories center around the fall from grace of a public figure who has become bigger than the law, the constituents, the cause which he or she serves.
Recently, Rep. Anthony Weiner resigned from the U.S. House of Representatives over a texting scandal. Hollywood stars and starlets seem to live for the front page of the tabloids. Even the vicar general for the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph has had pressure applied for failing to uphold his responsibility in the protection of children.
My point in this article is to not argue that a free pass should be offered to anyone, but rather to muse on the question of how it has come to this, specifically in regards to the people involved, and on the phrase from the investment scandals and the bank bailouts which has returned to the front of my mind: “Too Big to Fail.”
Lord Acton’s oft-quoted summary seems to apply once again: “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” Original sin continues to manifest itself, as the initial refrain from the evil one echoes through the ages: “I will not serve.”
Power, hubris, thinking that one is above the law, all are rooted in the most ancient, yet most modern of sins: pride. It is so easy to read your own press clippings, to ignore the criticisms rightly leveled, to rationalize one’s behavior while scoffing at the right reasoning of others; suddenly, the world does revolve around me and everything should serve my purposes.
As we have found out, even priests are not immune to this trap. We are complimented frequently, people tend to listen to what we say and we can be treated very kindly by strangers for nothing other than being a priest. It is easy to think that I can walk on water, instead of pointing to the One who actually did walk on water.
How is one to combat these temptations to pride? It certainly is not easy, but we have great examples of those who have come before us to follow. In 2 Samuel 16:5 and following, as David is leaving Jerusalem in scandal and fleeting from his son, Absalom, Shimei, a man from the same clan as David’s predecessor, Saul, starts throwing rocks and insults at the downtrodden king. Many who are traveling with David want to rush upon Shimei for these insults, yet David recognizes that he speaks for the Lord God and humbly takes his punishment.
In the New Testament, Peter is often chastised for his hubris before Our Lord, yet he is humbled by his inability to stay true to his promise to be with Jesus ‘even to the point of death’ during His passion and death. Yet, returning to the Lord, has there ever been a greater statement of faith than his pleading: “Lord, you know everything, you know that I love you! “(John 21:17)
So many saints who have been wrongly accused, even by the church, responded with a quiet submission and trust in God’s providence and care. They knew it was never about them, but rather always about leading others to Christ. If their suffering helped that to happen, they rejoiced with St. Paul that they had been found worthy to suffer for the sake of the Gospel.
As we all face those temptations to pride, those temptations to hubris, to putting our selves above the law, let us always turn to the cross of Christ, for only in Him do we find our strength. Every saint has lived under some version of St. Ignatius of Loyola’s motto: “All for the Greater Glory of God.” May we, too, echo these same words.
Received with Warmth and Affection
This year, the Feast of Sts. Peter and Paul, takes on a special significance. Yes, the new Metropolitan Archbishops will be in Rome to receive their Pallia, but they also will join with the Holy Father in celebrating his 6oth Anniversary of Ordination.
To commemorate this most august occassion, and to launch the new Vatican News Portal (again, I LOVE this Pope!), News.vanews.va runs a commemoration of Pope Benedict thinking back to the day he was ordained to the Priesthood by Cardinal Faulhaber in Munich with his brother and 42 other young men!
A snippet:
To commemorate this most august occassion, and to launch the new Vatican News Portal (again, I LOVE this Pope!), News.vanews.va runs a commemoration of Pope Benedict thinking back to the day he was ordained to the Priesthood by Cardinal Faulhaber in Munich with his brother and 42 other young men!
A snippet:
On the day of our first Holy Mass, our parish church of Saint Oswald gleamed in all its splendor, and the joy that almost palpably filled the whole place drew everyone there into the most living mode of “active participation” in the sacred event, but this did not require any external busyness. We were invited to bring the first blessing into people’s homes, and everywhere we were received even by total strangers with a warmth and affection I had not thought possible until that day. In this way I learned firsthand how earnestly people wait for a priest, how much they long for the blessing that flows from the power of the sacrament. The point was not my own or my brother’s person. What could we two young men represent all by ourselves to the many people we were now meeting? In us they saw persons who had been touched by Christ’s mission and had been empowered to bring his nearness to men. Precisely because we ourselves were not the point, a friendly human relationship could develop very quickly.
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Irony
did anyone else find a certain, umm..., irony between today's Gospel reading and Feast?
First, we celebrate Sts. Thomas More and John Fisher, martyrs of the English Reformation, beheaded for their resistence to Henry VIII's Act of Supremecy and refusal to take the Oath. Bound by their conscience, they stayed true to their Catholic Faith while Henry took command of the Church of England.
After 500 years, we have a bit of perspective on how that worked out, I suppose.
And today's Gospel reading, from Matthew 7:15-20, shouuld have been warning enough:
Jesus said to his disciples: “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but underneath are ravenous wolves. By their fruits you will know them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Just so, every good tree bears good fruit, and a rotten tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a rotten tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. So by their fruits you will know them.”
First, we celebrate Sts. Thomas More and John Fisher, martyrs of the English Reformation, beheaded for their resistence to Henry VIII's Act of Supremecy and refusal to take the Oath. Bound by their conscience, they stayed true to their Catholic Faith while Henry took command of the Church of England.
After 500 years, we have a bit of perspective on how that worked out, I suppose.
And today's Gospel reading, from Matthew 7:15-20, shouuld have been warning enough:
Jesus said to his disciples: “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but underneath are ravenous wolves. By their fruits you will know them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Just so, every good tree bears good fruit, and a rotten tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a rotten tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. So by their fruits you will know them.”
Monday, June 20, 2011
Delivers, as Promised
My review of Dr. Edward Sri's guide to the new Missal: 'A Biblical Walk through the Mass: Understanding what We Say and Do in the Liturgy' at Amazon:
I was very pleased to receive a review copy of Edward Sri's 'A Biblical Walk Through the Mass' about a month ago and have finally had the chance to read through this excellent work.
As priests have long known, the Mass is a Biblical prayer: there are hints and allusions to the Scriptures in everything that is done at the Mass. In this work, Sri helps to make those connections for the average reader who may not have the working knowledge of Scripture or the Mass required to make these connections. Plus, with the upcoming changes in the English translation for the Mass, some terms and phrases will not roll off the tongue as easily, leading many to ask: 'Why?' Sri answers these questions with ease and an accessibility for the average reader.
The book is broken down into the four major sections of the Mass: Introductory Rites, Liturgy of the Word, Liturgy of the Eucharist, and the Concluding Rites. He begins each section with a general overview of what that moment in Mass is meant to convey and then walks through each section of Mass, highlighting the Biblical connections and also applying the lessons for today's readers. When warranted, he highlights specific changes in the text for Mass, giving both the Biblical and Theological rationale for the new text.
Of particular note is his explanation on pp. 112-3 of the change from 'for all' to 'for many' in the consecration of the Chalice. I was very pleased to see the connections to the Prophet Isaiah highlighted and the explanation that 'each individual must choose to welcome the gift of salvation and live according to this grace, so that he or she may be among "the many" who are described in this text.'
I did not notice any significant locunae in the text; however, serious scholars should note that this is directed more towards the parishioners in the pew than in-depth scholarship on the Eucharistic and Liturgical Theology. That being said, this will be among the very few books that I recommend to parishioners who are seeking a deeper understanding of what we celebrate every week at Mass.
I was very pleased to receive a review copy of Edward Sri's 'A Biblical Walk Through the Mass' about a month ago and have finally had the chance to read through this excellent work.
As priests have long known, the Mass is a Biblical prayer: there are hints and allusions to the Scriptures in everything that is done at the Mass. In this work, Sri helps to make those connections for the average reader who may not have the working knowledge of Scripture or the Mass required to make these connections. Plus, with the upcoming changes in the English translation for the Mass, some terms and phrases will not roll off the tongue as easily, leading many to ask: 'Why?' Sri answers these questions with ease and an accessibility for the average reader.
The book is broken down into the four major sections of the Mass: Introductory Rites, Liturgy of the Word, Liturgy of the Eucharist, and the Concluding Rites. He begins each section with a general overview of what that moment in Mass is meant to convey and then walks through each section of Mass, highlighting the Biblical connections and also applying the lessons for today's readers. When warranted, he highlights specific changes in the text for Mass, giving both the Biblical and Theological rationale for the new text.
Of particular note is his explanation on pp. 112-3 of the change from 'for all' to 'for many' in the consecration of the Chalice. I was very pleased to see the connections to the Prophet Isaiah highlighted and the explanation that 'each individual must choose to welcome the gift of salvation and live according to this grace, so that he or she may be among "the many" who are described in this text.'
I did not notice any significant locunae in the text; however, serious scholars should note that this is directed more towards the parishioners in the pew than in-depth scholarship on the Eucharistic and Liturgical Theology. That being said, this will be among the very few books that I recommend to parishioners who are seeking a deeper understanding of what we celebrate every week at Mass.
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Inadequate
At the risk of saying something I might regret down the road, I have to admit I am pretty drained tonight, having completed a run of a few very tiring days, most of which I can't discuss.
To top it off, as I was returning to my office from lunch, my phone rang. A family I know from a previous parish assignment was on the way to Children's Hospital for an emergency surgery for their granddaughter, who was not yet Baptized. "Um..., Father, what do we do?!?!" "I'm on my way."
Of course, I hit every red light, got behind every slow truck, etc. on my way there. (At least I didn't get lost and Children's isn't terribly far from downtown.)
I managed to get to the room as they were getting ready to take her into surgery, I grabbed a cup, some water and poured and said the right words. That's that.
I couldn't leave, so spent the rest of the afternoon with the family as the little one was in surgery, pretty heart wrenching stuff, I have to admit. We have, reportedly, one of the best Children's Hospitals in the country here in Cincinnati, and the people who work there are absolutely fantastic in making the kids feel as much at home as possible; but it drains me to be there.
Why the child's life was never in danger, she is going to face an uphill battle and some adjustments. Please pray for a quick recovery for her, peace for her parents and grandparents, and thanksgiving for the doctors and nurses who work so tirelessly at our hospitals and clinics around the country, especially those who work with children. I'm spent, and I didn't do much besides be there, which can sometimes be comfort enough.
If you can, spare a prayer for me, too, please. Because despite doing a (hopefully) good deed today, work still needs to be done and I don't have the energy to do it right now. Some days, the best you can do is feel inadequate and hope God makes up the difference.
To top it off, as I was returning to my office from lunch, my phone rang. A family I know from a previous parish assignment was on the way to Children's Hospital for an emergency surgery for their granddaughter, who was not yet Baptized. "Um..., Father, what do we do?!?!" "I'm on my way."
Of course, I hit every red light, got behind every slow truck, etc. on my way there. (At least I didn't get lost and Children's isn't terribly far from downtown.)
I managed to get to the room as they were getting ready to take her into surgery, I grabbed a cup, some water and poured and said the right words. That's that.
I couldn't leave, so spent the rest of the afternoon with the family as the little one was in surgery, pretty heart wrenching stuff, I have to admit. We have, reportedly, one of the best Children's Hospitals in the country here in Cincinnati, and the people who work there are absolutely fantastic in making the kids feel as much at home as possible; but it drains me to be there.
Why the child's life was never in danger, she is going to face an uphill battle and some adjustments. Please pray for a quick recovery for her, peace for her parents and grandparents, and thanksgiving for the doctors and nurses who work so tirelessly at our hospitals and clinics around the country, especially those who work with children. I'm spent, and I didn't do much besides be there, which can sometimes be comfort enough.
If you can, spare a prayer for me, too, please. Because despite doing a (hopefully) good deed today, work still needs to be done and I don't have the energy to do it right now. Some days, the best you can do is feel inadequate and hope God makes up the difference.
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Don't have a ticket?
to today's Ordination of Bishop Joseph Binzer, as Auxiliary of Cincinnati?
Listen to the proceedings on Sacred Heart Radio:
740 AM in Cincinnati
89.5 FM in Hamilton, Ohio
online at www.sacredheartradio.com
Should be exciting, only my 2nd Episcopal Ordination ever attended.
Looks like it will be streamed here.
Listen to the proceedings on Sacred Heart Radio:
740 AM in Cincinnati
89.5 FM in Hamilton, Ohio
online at www.sacredheartradio.com
Should be exciting, only my 2nd Episcopal Ordination ever attended.
Looks like it will be streamed here.
Monday, June 6, 2011
Contraception and Vocations
My friend Emily BizNet (theology of the Body Educator at Ruah Woods) points from her blog to a post by Fr. Dwight Longenecker about the impact that the contraceptive culture has on vocations to the priesthood and religious life. A snippet of Fr. Longenecker's article:
The second shift due to contraception is buried more deeply within the observable societal changes. We have experienced a radical change in the deeper understanding and expectations of marriage. Before the sexual revolution, a young Catholic boy or girl experienced a family context in which being a husband or wife, father or mother, would have demanded a natural kind of self sacrifice.
In most families, the man would have worked hard to support a wife and many children, and the woman would have given her life in bringing up a large family. Both the man and woman were expected to lay down their lives in a vocation of self-sacrifice, and the Catholic young man or woman would have accepted this vocation within marriage as the norm.
It was within this context of self-sacrificial family life that a young man or woman’s vocation to the priesthood or religious life would have been formed. The young person therefore did not question the demand for a life of self-sacrifice; it was assumed that this was the foundation of a good life. The question, then, was which manner of sacrifice is best for the individual: Dying to self through marriage and family, or dying to self through a religious vocation?
Now, because of artificial contraception, the whole underlying assumptions and expectations about marriage have shifted. Marriage is no longer a way to give all, but a way to have it all. Therefore, when a young person today considers a religious vocation, they are not choosing between different paths of self-sacrifice; they are choosing between a life that seems to have it all and a life that seems to have nothing. They must choose between a home in the suburbs, 2.5 nice children, and a double income or total self denial. The choice is between a familiar form of hedonism or an inexplicable form of heroism
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Homily from Votive to the Sacred Heart
My homily from Solemn Mass Friday night in the Extraordinary Form, in which I give a bit of a defense as to why I endeavored to undertake such a task:
As I begin, I would like to offer a word of thanks and gratitude to Fr. Juarez, pastor here of Old St. Mary’s, for both hosting this monthly Mass and for allowing me to assist over the last few months and to ‘step to the center’ here tonight. On behalf of many, thank you for making such a beautiful Church available for this liturgy.
Also, the MC for tonight’s Mass has been invaluable in preparing me for this occasion. Mr. Paver, thank you for taking the time to walk me through this process, to provide constructive feedback and encouragement; I greatly appreciate it. As I mentioned to you after the Mass of the Lord’s Supper during Holy Week: this has been a process that has helped to transform my own understanding of the priesthood and the Mass, and I am eternally grateful.
As I have been preparing for this occasion, I have had, on occasion, a number of questions as to why I, or so many of my brother priests (and seminarians) are desirous of celebrating Mass according to this Rite, or Form. I wanted to take this opportunity to provide a sort of ‘Apologia’ or defense of striving to do this, for as I just mentioned, this has been a transformative process for me, and I wish for others to understand.
What initially attracted me to this Form of the Mass, which I first attended while in College Seminary at the Josephinum, was the ‘otherworldliness’ of the approach to the Mass. To enter into these mysteries is to truly step out of time. Our physical senses are prevented from fully grasping what is happening so that our spiritual sense might become in tune with the mystery we celebrate: Latin forces the brain to relax and take it in, rather than mindlessly follow a text; the hiddenness of the priest celebrating towards the altar, instead of against the people, stresses that we cannot ‘see’ what is happening, but can only experience; the silence and stillness of so much of what happens might cause a bit of a reaction when we are so used to being engaged in everything that we do, this is somehow different, this is timeless, this is not ‘entertainment,’ this is ‘worship.’ When we confuse those two concepts, we have failed dramatically.
As a priest, there is even more to it than these. In the current translation of the Ordinary Form of the Mass, the language that is used is sometimes, umm…., presumptive. Even after only seven years as a priest, there is an idea that I say those words and it happens. As a priest, I am not proud to admit, but it can at times be easy to shut the mind off, and just go through the motions.
When one celebrates this Mass, these two traps: presumption and mindless recitation, are simply not possible. When I finish celebrating this Mass, even when said privately, I know something has been done. It takes focus, precision, and dedication to celebrate this Mass well and competently. When I hear that it was usually said in 12 minutes, rushed through and no homily and very detached from the life of the people, I simply respond: it didn’t have to be. And, honestly, is the newer form often said much differently?
More importantly, however, is the lack of presumption on the part of the priest. As I continue to learn the private prayers of the priest of this Mass, I continue to be struck by the, umm…, supplication that is included there-in. We plead and beg that this Sacrifice which is being offered might be found acceptable to God the Almighty Father, aspects which are sorely lacking in the current Ordinary Form, but will gladly be restored with the implementation of the new translation this coming Advent.
There is one prayer which I would like to highlight in how it exemplifies this difference, the ‘Placeat tibi’ which said following the dismissal and just prior to the Blessing. In English, it is rendered:
May the homage of my bounden duty be pleasing to You, O Holy Trinity; and grant that the sacrifice which I, though unworthy, have offered in the sight of Your majesty, may be acceptable to You, and through Your mercy be a propitiation for me and for all those for whom I have offered it. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
As I read and pray this prayer at the end of the Mass, what strives to the fore is the humility required. The humility required to celebrate this Mass, that it is not about me as a priest, but about worshiping God. The humility that is required to assist at this Mass, that I am not here to be entertained, but to be united to Christ, and Him Crucified. The humility that is required for us all to approach our Lord and God in fear and trembling.
As we approach the implementation of the new translation of the Ordinary From, may the celebration of the Extraordinary Form lead us to a deeper appreciation of the mysteries we celebrate, help us all to approach our Lord in a spirit of humility and prayer, and finally strengthen us all to become more like Christ in this world so that we might be with Him forever in the world to come.
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
A Personal Relationship with the Living God
My latest runs this week in the Catholic Telegraph.
When I was teaching high school, my final exam question was simple: “In your own words, with support from Scripture, tradition and material gleaned from class, answer the following: Who is Jesus Christ?”
The answers were always enlightening, and while some were certainly profound and showed a remarkable insight, many answers betrayed the current world-view in which we live: no longer is there belief in Jesus Christ as a personal being, He has morphed into some type of cosmic force, something that is “out there” and helps me be a good person but loves me no matter what I do, so it does not really matter.
I bring this forward not to cast aspersions on my students, but rather to point out that this type of spiritual malaise and misinformation is the driving force behind and the interpretive key to Pope Benedict XVI’s papacy. His goal is to re-introduce orthodox Christianity to what has become a post-Christian society.
This plays out in the many arenas that Pope Benedict uses to convey his message — his so far three encyclicals, two exhortations and speeches during his trips around the world. However, the venue in which to see this most clearly is his weekly Wednesday general audiences at St. Peter’s Square in Rome, as they provide a microcosm of his entire papacy.
As he ascended the throne of Peter, the pope continued a reflection on the psalms that was begun by his now blessed predecessor. However, as he concluded those reflections, he began a new tract to highlight those great men and women throughout history who have been friends of Jesus.
Beginning with the apostles and the early church fathers, working through great medieval bishops and writers and concluding with female mystics and later doctors of the church, Pope Benedict proposed these figures as those who can continue to lead us closer to Christ — not to a cosmic being, but in a dynamic relationship with the living and true God.
On Wednesday, May 4, 2011, the pope brought this to a deeper level as he began a new series of talks during his weekly general audience, now focused on prayer synthesizing all that he has spoken before, he wants to unite these various threads of the call to holiness and sanctity into a “school of prayer,” to respond to the apostles’ request of Jesus to “teach us how to pray” (Luke 11:1).
The “Marshall Plan” that Pope Benedict is outlining here is a way to reintroduce Christ to the modern world, through the life and practice of the individual believer. He has held up the example of what we should all strive to be, and now he will be giving us the steps of how to achieve that goal.
For Pope Benedict, for the individual believer, Christianity is never about a blind following of rules or a mindless obedience, but rather a great adventure in the pursuit of orthodoxy, for in coming to know Christ at a deeper and more profound level, we come to know the self at a deeper and more profound level.
As we do so, we continue to grow in love for our Lord, and then, by necessity, also in love for our brothers and sisters in Christ. What would this world be like if we each strove, just a bit more each day, to be a living example of sanctity and holiness? Truly the world would be transformed.
To find Pope Benedict’s weekly Wednesday general audiences, visit http://www.vatican.va/. For more on prayer, see the resources page at http://www.cincinnativocations.org/.
When I was teaching high school, my final exam question was simple: “In your own words, with support from Scripture, tradition and material gleaned from class, answer the following: Who is Jesus Christ?”
The answers were always enlightening, and while some were certainly profound and showed a remarkable insight, many answers betrayed the current world-view in which we live: no longer is there belief in Jesus Christ as a personal being, He has morphed into some type of cosmic force, something that is “out there” and helps me be a good person but loves me no matter what I do, so it does not really matter.
I bring this forward not to cast aspersions on my students, but rather to point out that this type of spiritual malaise and misinformation is the driving force behind and the interpretive key to Pope Benedict XVI’s papacy. His goal is to re-introduce orthodox Christianity to what has become a post-Christian society.
This plays out in the many arenas that Pope Benedict uses to convey his message — his so far three encyclicals, two exhortations and speeches during his trips around the world. However, the venue in which to see this most clearly is his weekly Wednesday general audiences at St. Peter’s Square in Rome, as they provide a microcosm of his entire papacy.
As he ascended the throne of Peter, the pope continued a reflection on the psalms that was begun by his now blessed predecessor. However, as he concluded those reflections, he began a new tract to highlight those great men and women throughout history who have been friends of Jesus.
Beginning with the apostles and the early church fathers, working through great medieval bishops and writers and concluding with female mystics and later doctors of the church, Pope Benedict proposed these figures as those who can continue to lead us closer to Christ — not to a cosmic being, but in a dynamic relationship with the living and true God.
On Wednesday, May 4, 2011, the pope brought this to a deeper level as he began a new series of talks during his weekly general audience, now focused on prayer synthesizing all that he has spoken before, he wants to unite these various threads of the call to holiness and sanctity into a “school of prayer,” to respond to the apostles’ request of Jesus to “teach us how to pray” (Luke 11:1).
The “Marshall Plan” that Pope Benedict is outlining here is a way to reintroduce Christ to the modern world, through the life and practice of the individual believer. He has held up the example of what we should all strive to be, and now he will be giving us the steps of how to achieve that goal.
For Pope Benedict, for the individual believer, Christianity is never about a blind following of rules or a mindless obedience, but rather a great adventure in the pursuit of orthodoxy, for in coming to know Christ at a deeper and more profound level, we come to know the self at a deeper and more profound level.
As we do so, we continue to grow in love for our Lord, and then, by necessity, also in love for our brothers and sisters in Christ. What would this world be like if we each strove, just a bit more each day, to be a living example of sanctity and holiness? Truly the world would be transformed.
To find Pope Benedict’s weekly Wednesday general audiences, visit http://www.vatican.va/. For more on prayer, see the resources page at http://www.cincinnativocations.org/.
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