Quote for the Day

Posted on July 7, 2011 by Deacon Bob

“We have witnessed a true moral miracle.” — Cardinal Eduardo F. Pironio following the election of Papa Luciani

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Why Papa Luciani in 1978?

Posted on July 7, 2011 by Deacon Bob

As I do frequently, I try to read what is available about Pope John Paul I, Papa Luciani. I hope to keep his name alive and in the minds of many as long as I can. As I have said many times in the past, I believe he will be declared a saint someday, and I hope to be alive when this happens and in attendance at the canonization Mass. Wouldn’t it be great if I could assist as deacon at that Mass? (I know God, I am asking a bit much there…. but maybe??)

I was reading this evening a short quote from Cardinal Silvio Oddi who shortly after Luciani’s election said (my translation of the Italian):

After the first vote, there immediately surfaced a name. Unexpectedly. “Luciani. Why not?” many said. A good person, intelligent and pious. And the consensus rapidly spread. We thought of him like a new Pius X, also a patriarch of Venice. A good and holy pope, yet decisive in defending doctrine. We felt the need for him after the confusion of the post-conciliar period.

If this reflects the mind of the cardinal electors during the conclave of August, 1978, then it opens up an interesting avenue to study and consider. In what ways were Luciani and Pope St. Pius X similar in spirituality, approach and manner? Oddi’s comment seems to indicate that Luciani was considered a “conservative” candidate in terms of his orthodoxy and pastoral approaches. It will be interesting to learn in what ways, if any, was the piety of Luciani and Pius X similar and dissimilar.

If any of my readers have looked into this, I am all ears and would like to know whatever you may have found.

 

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Church of the Week

Posted on July 7, 2011 by Deacon Bob

Sacred Heart Catholic Church

Hayfield, Minnesota

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A Heartfelt Response…..

Posted on July 6, 2011 by Deacon Bob

Fr. Sam Medley, SOLT, the webmaster for the Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity has written a heartfelt response to the saddening developments within their community vis a vis John Corapi.

I include a link here Fr. Sam Medley. I think it is worth your time to link over and to read.

There are so many who are hurting over all of this. Let us all pray for healing and unity….

Let us remember, it is Jesus Christ who unites us as one body in one faith. No one man does this except Jesus. Our love and our faith are in him, and in his body the Church. He alone heals us. Let us attach ourselves to him ever more closely in these days.

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A Plea for Unity and Healing Among Us All

Posted on July 5, 2011 by Deacon Bob

Yesterday, I posted a section of Pope St. Clement I from the Office of Readings. He wrote eloquently of unity in the Church.

Please read it again, and pray.

Let us remember that it is Jesus who unites us in his Spirit and brings us all back to the Father. No one priest supplants Jesus, the sacraments or the collective wisdom of the Church. Our hearts are with the Lord and his Body, the Church.

I sincerely ask everyone to pray for unity among us now, an end to division, and an attitude of charity toward all.

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Quote for the Day

Posted on July 5, 2011 by Deacon Bob

“Give praise to Him because He is good; exalt Him by your deeds, for He has sent you into the whole world for this reason: that in word and deed you may bear witness to His voice and bring eveyone to know that there is no one who is all-powerful except Him.” — St. Francis of Assisi

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Good News from China

Posted on July 4, 2011 by Deacon Bob

Agenzia Fides, the information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies, reported on June 20, that the ordinations of ten deacons and two priests were signs of hope for the Chinese people.

Bishop Joseph Xing Wen Zhi, the auxiliary bishop of the diocese of Shang Hai ordained seven deacons on June 18 with over a thousand of the faithful and 78 priests in attendance. More than 1,900 people attended the ordinations of two priests of the dioceses of Ba Meng, Inner Mongolia on May 31.  The diocese of Kaohsiung in Taiwan celebrated the ordination of three deacons also.

Can you imagine? Nineteen-hundred people coming to see the ordination of two priests?

May God bless and protect the Church in China.

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Gratitude for Independence Day

Posted on July 4, 2011 by Deacon Bob

Today is Independence Day, of course. Looking out of my room here there is nothing but sunshine, a breeze and much greenery. A German family was traveling down the River Road recently (i.e., U.S. Highway 61 along the Mississippi River not far from here) and they commented to my wife how lush and green the river valley is. Truly it is.

My daughter-in-law asked for special prayers today for all those who are not as fortunate as us, all those known to us who are struggling in life. It leaves me with the awareness that there is so much for which to be grateful, living in this country as a citizen.

Let us thank God this day for our freedom and independence. Let us ask Him too for vigilance in protecting the freedoms that have been ours, but which seem ever so slowly to be given away out of fear or ignorance.

And we pray for all men and women who are in the Armed Forces in places of danger and battle.

God bless us and  America!

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Pope St. Clement I on Church Unity

Posted on July 4, 2011 by Deacon Bob

Today’s Office of Readings includes a selection from Pope Clement I’s letter to the Corinthians, written not long after the original twelve Apostles lived. It is a splendid reflection on unity within the Church. As always, I use an Italian text, so the English translation below is mine.

It is written: Be united with the holy ones so that they who follow will be sanctified. In another passage: With the innocent man you will be innocent, with the elect you will be elect, but with the perverse you yourself will be perverse. (Ps 17) Therefore, let us be united with the innocent and the just, because they are the elect of God.

Why the spats, the anger, the discord, the schisms and the wars among you? Do we not have the one God, one Christ, one Spirit of grace upon us, one calling in Christ? Why the tearing and slashing at the members of Christ, why the rebellions against his very body to the point of delirium,  forgetting that we are members of one another?

Remember the words of Jesus our Lord. He said, “Woe to that man! It would have been better if he were not to have been born than to have brought scandal to my chosen ones. It would be better if he were to put a millstone around his neck and be submerged in the sea than to draw into evil one of my chosen ones.” (Lk 17: 1-2) Your divisions have misled many, have thrown many into doubt, all of us into sadness; and your divisions remain even now.

Take in hand the letter of Saint Paul the apostle. What did he first write to you at the beginning of his message? Certainly it is under divine inspiration that he wrote to you a letter about himself, Peter, Apollo because until that time there were among you a tendency to factions. Such caused you a little sin, since you preferred famous apostles of clear reputation as well as men approved by them. Now however, you listen to men amounting to nothing, to people that pervert you and toss discredit on your fraternal cohesion, such that they make themselves celebrities to you. This is a dishonor that we must eliminate as soon as possible. We throw ourselves at the feet of the Lord and plead with him with tears… that he may restore to us his friendship and reestablish us in a magnificent and chaste fraternity of love.

I think it well worth our reflection to consider to whom in our lives we spend time listening, and to what extent do we place them in some “celebrity” status. Many there are who compete for our allegiance when it comes to our spiritual lives. Many are the books and CDs and other media out there that would have us believe they are sources of direction and reliance in our religious lives.

Remember, our Lord Jesus Christ himself established the apostles to carry on his work as shepherd of the flock. To Peter specifically he gave special position and responsibility, a position and responsibility that has been passed down to others who have occupied the Chair of Peter, the bishop of Rome. One cannot go astray if one listens to these men when they speak in the areas of faith and morals.

To the others who occupy space in our spiritual lives, the question can always be, “Do they maintain cohesion and unity, in the spirit of obedience, to the bishops and to the Pope?” If no, then we need turn our attention elsewhere.

God calls us to that unity.

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Quote for the Day

Posted on July 3, 2011 by Deacon Bob

“If you don’t think God has a sense of humor, go ahead and tell him your plan.” — Anonymous

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Social Doctrine of the Church – The Obligation of Participation

Posted on July 2, 2011 by Deacon Bob

Our earlier posts on subsidiarity and the common good imply an obligation which we bear — to participate in the development of society and the human person. We cannot refuse this obligation to participate by withdrawing from public discourse and life.

A strong moral presence is needed in public life to ensure that public administration will be the result of a shared responsibility of each individual with an eye to the common good.

Our obligation to participate in the areas of work, economic activity, culture and politics is one that we must fulfill consciously with the common good foremost in our minds.

Catholic social doctrine states that participation in community life one of the greatest aspirations of the citizen and one of the pillars of all democratic orders and one of the guarantees of the permanence of the democratic system.  The right and obligation to participation is abridged in totalitarian and dictatorial systems, which is one reason the Church opposes such social and political systems whenever possible.

For a more extensive discussion of this, go to the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, Nos. 189-191.

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Archbishop Sartain Receives the Pallium

Posted on July 1, 2011 by Deacon Bob

 

Congratulations to Archbishop J. Peter Sartain of Seattle. He received the palllium from Pope Benedict two days ago at the Vatican.

Archbishop Sartain and I were students together at the North American College in Rome back in 1977-78. He attended the Angelicum and I the Gregorian. He has an astounding memory for names, even after many years of not seeing someone. He is not only someone who truly loves the Church and Jesus Christ, but a gentlemen in the true sense of that word.

The last time I was able to talk to him was in Fayetteville, Arkansas several years ago when I was there as sponsor for my nephew’s confirmation and Sartain was the bishop of Little Rock at the time.

For those who don’t know it, he plays the guitar well and sings a great rendition of Mr. Bojangles.

God bless you, Peter!

 

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Papa Luciani on Marriage and the Family

Posted on July 1, 2011 by Deacon Bob

I thought it would be worthwhile to take a look at what Pope John Paul I (Papa Luciani) had to say during his pontificate about marriage and the family.

The following is an excerpt from his address to the American bishops on September 21, 1978.

Although we are new in the Pontificate – just a beginner – we too want to choose topics that deeply touch the life of the Church and that will be very relevant to your episcopal ministry. We believe that the Christian family is a good place to start. The Christian family is so important, and its role so basic in transforming the world and in building up the Kingdom of God, that the Council called it a “domestic Church”. Let us never grow tired of proclaiming the family as a community of love: conjugal love unites the couple and is procreative of new life; it mirrors the divine love, is communicated, and in the words of “Gaudium et Spes”, is actually a sharing in the covenant of love of Christ and his Church. We were all given the great grace of being born into such a community of love; it will be easy for us to uphold its value…… It is up to us to keep this realization strong, by supporting and defending the family – each and every family…. Ours too is the role of encouraging families to fidelity to the law of God and the Church….. safeguard the marriage bond..give witness to its indissolubility in accordance with the teaching of Jesus, and to assist families in need. The holiness of the Christian family is indeed the most apt means for producing the serene renewal of the Church which the Council so eagerly desired.…. Let us do everything we can for the Christian family, so that our people may fulfill their greatest vocation in Christian joy and share ultimately and effectively in the Church’s mission – Christ’s mission – of salvation. (Italics mine.)

Read it all at: Address of John Paul I to a Group of American Bishops on their “Ad Limina” Visit.

The holiness of the family is the “most apt means for producing the serene renewal of the Church.” I suspect, if he were alive today, Papa Luciani would add, “and of the world.”

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Fighting for Marriage: Update

Posted on July 1, 2011 by Deacon Bob

After I wrote my last post earlier today, I ran across this article written in my local newspaper, the The Winona Daily News. It is written by Dick Houck, president of the Catholic Defense League.

His article is entitled, Marriage Based on Children, Not Love. He does a great job of defending marriage. He especially speaks well of the whole “civil rights” issue that is so often raised in objection.

Log on to: Dick Houck to read it in its entirety.

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Fighting for Marriage

Posted on July 1, 2011 by Deacon Bob

I am confused. Why are we not more energized and vocal about the assault on marriage that is occurring throughout our country at this time? Yes, the bishops are speaking out eloquently. Here in Minnesota, Archbishop Nienstedt of St. Paul/Minneapolis, my bishop John Quinn from Winona, Bishop Kinney of St. Cloud, Bishop Le Voir of New Ulm, Bishop Hoeppner of Crookston, Bishop Sirba of Duluth, and all the auxialliary bishops in the state are speaking out about the constitutional admendment to define marriage as the union of one man with one woman. This amendment will be put to the voter next year. It must pass.

Why is it that scarcely anyone seems to be speaking of this in daily discourse? I hear no one in the course of my day bring it up. It is being written about in the newspapers. It is being discussed by the hierarchy. It is being published by the Minnesota Catholic Conference.  Why the silence among the rest of us?

Too much is at stake here. Despite the rhetoric of those who are pushing the gay “marriage” initiatives in various states, this is not a matter of civil rights. It is a matter of human rights, the rights of children to be parented by a father and a mother and to be raised in a home with both parents present. It is about of restrengthening the foundation of society: marriage and family.

All of us have to become more active in this struggle. If same-sex “marriage” becomes acceptable, then the meaning of marriage dissolves. There becomes no legal reason, it would seem, to exclude from the definition of marriage the union of several people, or the union of what we know to be incestuous relationships. This is a very ominous path we could walk down.

The way I figure it, the reason so many of us are quiet is because we have become so accepting of the roots of the deconstruction of marriage, i.e., we have bought into the contraceptive mentality and in to the tyranny of relativity. Somewhere in the 1960s, Catholics and others began to see contraception as morally neutral and acceptable, and began to also accept such things as premarital sex — all of which loosens the relationship between sexual intimacy, fertility, and the marital relationship. Too many silently accept and live this in their lives, which I believe silences their voices when faced with the whole same-sex “marriage” issue. Sexual intimacy and fertility/fruitfulness have been disconnected, opening the door to other forms of sexual activity that deconstruct marriage.

Blessed Pope John Paul II spoke so well of this in his Theology of the Body. Go to your local Catholic bookstore and buy one of the many books on this topic. It will change your understanding of the beauty of sexuality and marriage.

We have come also to believe that we are the definers of truth and goodness in our lives, that all is relative to the situation of the individual. This is simply not true. God is the definition of truth and goodness. He teaches us all about this. We are to listen and learn and live. We are not Him.

Please, let us speak up in defense of marriage as a union of one man and one woman. We cannot wait.

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