Catholic Voice: Features

"On the tongue and while kneeling"

Mon, 01 Aug 2011 00:00:00

Cardinal Antonio Canizares Llovera, prefect of the Vatican's Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, has recommended that Catholics receive Communion on the tongue, while kneeling.

“It is to simply know that we are before God himself and that He came to us and that we are undeserving,” the cardinal said in an interview with CNA during a recent visit to Peru. His remarks came in response to a question on whether Catholics should receive Communion in the hand or on the tongue.

He recommended that Catholics “receive Communion on the tongue and while kneeling.” Receiving Communion in this way, the cardinal continued, “is the sign of adoration that needs to be recovered. I think the entire Church needs to receive Communion while kneeling.”

“In fact,” he added, “if one receives while standing, a genuflection or profound bow should be made, and this is not happening.”

“If we trivialize Communion, we trivialize everything, and we cannot lose a moment as important as that of receiving Communion, of recognizing the real presence of Christ there, of the God who is the love above all loves, as we sing in a hymn in Spanish,” said Cardinal Canizares.

In response to a question about the liturgical abuses that often occur, Cardinal Canizares said they must be “corrected, especially through proper formation: formation for seminarians, for priests, for catechists, for all the Christian faithful.”

Such a formation should ensure that liturgical celebrations take place “in accord with the demands and dignity of the celebration, in accord with the norms of the Church, which is the only way we can authentically celebrate the Eucharist,” he added.

“Bishops have a unique responsibility” in the task of liturgical formation and the correction of abuses, the cardinal said, “and we must not fail to fulfill it, because everything we do to ensure that the Eucharist is celebrated properly will ensure proper participation in the Eucharist.”

Cardinal Burke: Life Demands Greatest Respect And Care

Mon, 01 Aug 2011 00:00:00

At a Kansas City conference on end-of-life care, Cardinal Raymond Burke said that suffering does not cause a person to have less meaning in his life, nor does it give the government the right to decide if that person should live or die.

“No matter how much a life is diminished, no matter what suffering the person is undergoing, that life demands the greatest respect and care,” Cardinal Burke, prefect of the Apostolic Signatura, told CNA.

“It’s never right to snuff out a life because it’s in some way under heavy burden.”

Cardinal Burke spoke July 23 to a packed auditorium of over 350 people at the Archdiocese of Kansas City, Kan. on the “mystery” of human suffering and dying for his keynote address at the “Being Faithful, Even Unto Death” conference.

The meeting, organized by the St. Gianna Physician’s Guild, addressed medical issues surrounding those suffering and those at the end of their lives. The event was the first initiative of its kind for the group.

In his speech, Cardinal Burke said that human suffering can only be understood in light of the “gift” and “dignity” of human life.

“Human life is a gift to be accorded the highest respect and care from its beginning until natural death,” he emphasized. “We are not the creators of human life and must respect the plan of the author of life for us and for our world.”

The cardinal stressed the importance of Catholics giving end-of-life care more attention, in light of cases involving vulnerable people such as Teri Schindler Schiavo – a severely disabled Florida woman who was deprived of nutrition and hydration by court order and her husband’s request in 2005.

He underscored that nutrition and hydration are part of “basic human care” and to deprive patients of such care is not in any way “compassionate.”

Rather, “deliberately taking the life of an innocent human person is intrinsically evil and therefore, is never justified,” he said. Along with the need for Catholics in general to be more informed on Church teaching about euthanasia, Cardinal Burke put special emphasis on Catholic students and seminarians being well versed on the topic. All students, he said, should “pursue a certain number of courses of philosophy, so that in whatever field they specialize in,” they will use a logical, faith-filled approach to life issues. Ultimately, he noted, “respect for the dignity of human life is the foundation of good order in our individual lives and our society.” Without this respect, “our personal lives become profoundly disordered and society soon becomes a theatre of violence and death.” Cardinal Burke told CNA in comments following his talk that a Christian worldview isn’t necessary for people to agree that society does not have the right to determine who lives or dies. He said that “right reason” alone is enough for people from different perspectives to enter into productive dialogue on the issue.

Who Claims "Gay Marriage" As Its Poster Child?

Thu, 28 Apr 2011 00:00:00

Those who see “same sex marriage” as progress towards a more “tolerant” society will, with characteristic intolerance, label their opponents as “intolerant,” “bigoted,” “homophobic” and so on. However, to defend marriage as a monogamous union between one man and one woman is not bigotry. Nor are the efforts of those who seek to enshrine in state or federal constitutions the “traditional” understanding of marriage intolerant. We value our privacy and that of others — and so today, most agree that one’s sexual orientation shouldn’t necessarily be anyone else’s business. And even many of those who hold homosexual activity to be immoral and sinful are increasingly tolerant of homosexuality as a “private” phenomenon. They might invite the person who experiences same sex attractions to conversion and, in place of behavior viewed as sinful, propose chastity — but they do not invoke the coercive power of the state to force such a conversion. Marriage has been primarily about the raising of children (who seem to be hardwired to be best raised by a father and a mother who are married to each other). The state has had a legitimate interest in favoring such traditional marriages as a way of investing in the future of society. Of course, in recent years, the state has often retreated from vigorously promoting these interests. Sometimes this occurred through legislation (e.g. no-fault divorce laws); sometimes through judicial fiat (e.g. Roe v. Wade). In our culture wars, the two sides are fighting about the understanding of man and his relationship to truth and reality. One side — and today, “gay marriage” is its poster child — holds that anyone can essentially create his or her own reality. This side holds for a radical autonomy by which truth is determined not by the nature of things, but by one’s own individual will. The other side holds men and women are not self-creators, but creatures. Truth is not constructed, but received and thus must reflect the reality of things. Or, as the Book of Genesis says: “Male and female, He (God) created them.” (Genesis 1:27). That marriage is a life-long union between a man and a woman is certainly part of Catholic teaching, which holds it to be a sacrament. However, marriage as an institution predates both church and state. Since it is not a creation of church or state, neither has any authority to change the nature of marriage. The common good demands that the understanding of marriage as a union between one man and one woman not be lost.

Understanding the homosexual condition

Thu, 28 Apr 2011 00:00:00

Are people who experience same-sex attraction born with it, is it acquired, do such relationships last and are they really ‘happy’? Is there a psychological dimension? Can a homosexual orientation be reversed? Indeed, can it be prevented? What’s the difference between ‘Gay’ and ‘homosexual’?

I was never sure about answers to such questions until I heard a truly eye-opening talk by Dr Joseph Nicolosi, psychologist and Founder of the U.S.A, based National Association of Research and Therapy of Homosexuality (NARTH)[1]. Dr Nicolosi specialises in what he terms: “the rehabilitation of dissatisfied male homosexuals wanting to return to normal life.”

Dr Nicolosi has dealt with thousands of clients. In virtually every case study he examined he states there has been either a difficult or emotionally distant relationship with a father, a rejection or failure to identify with dad at a certain critical age, a lack of affirmation of a boy’s masculinity from dad, a failure to dis-identify with mother and connect with father, an over-involvement by mother or a combination of the above and other factors.

What’s the difference between homosexual and ‘Gay’? Dr Nicolosi makes the distinction that ‘Gay’ is a socio-political construct of only 100 years old, to more accurately describe those who are acting out their impulses and who are activists in promoting the lifestyle and its acceptance in society.

The homosexual however is someone who finds himself experiencing confusing same-sex attraction as a condition, a struggle and, for them, a problem and who does not necessarily wish to act out on his inclinations. Dr Nicolosi points out that the ‘Gay’ movement doesn’t want the general public - or those struggling with same-sex attraction - to realise this distinction. Just because one experiences such same-sex attraction does not inevitably mean that they are just ‘born that way’, that they must ‘act out’ their impulses or that they are destined to get caught up in that lifestyle.

Amongst those who have the desire and determination to change, with proper psychological, pastoral and sacramental support, there is a real possibility of return to a functioning heterosexual inclination and lifestyle. Many have done so.

The Catholic Catechism states that people with homosexual tendencies must be accepted with respect, compassion and sensitivity. Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided. [2] The catechism goes on to say that homosexual person are called to chastity – just like everyone else.

I myself have been privileged to know some individuals struggling bravely with same sex attraction who do not wish to act out on their inclinations. With proper peer support, pastoral direction and the grace of the sacraments, they are heroically living each day, one at a time.

The truth is each one of us is called to chastity whatever our state in life. No-one is exempt from this call. As a single man or woman, we are all called to chaste self-mastery, steering clear of occasions of temptation, acting in mutual respect of the other. When we get married, we are called to chaste and loving acts appropriate to marriage and exclusively with spouse, in keeping with God’s plan and the dignity of others. Chastity is part of the universal call to holiness.

The beautiful act of marital intercourse is the exclusive preserve of husband and wife in lifelong marriage, open to life and union with the other. It was designed by the Creator to be solely enjoyed and exercised by husband and wife only, no-one else. No-one else.

Dr Nicolosi holds that there is only one orientation, a heterosexual one, and that some struggle with a homosexual problem. That the condition can be largely addressed and reversed for those who desire it - with proper psychological and spiritual application - points to the psychological basis of the condition. Dr Nicolosi holds that to be ‘born gay’ is one of the biggest lies that society has been persuaded to swallow, and that there is no empirical basis for a genetic origin. The figure that 10% of the population is a myth, invented by Alfred Kinsey in the 1940’s. A new study this month reports that 1.7% of USA citizens over 18 yrs identify as being ‘gay’.

From a statistical viewpoint, the ‘gay’ lifestyle throws up some pertinent facts: 74% of male homosexuals reported have more than 100 ‘partners’ during their lifetime.[3] Life expectancy is reduced by 25-30 years; Homosexual males reported to be 24 times more likely to commit suicide compared to similar aged white males; practicing homosexual men carry hugely increased level of bowel infections, blood borne infection, psychological morbidity such as depression and damaging physical effects such as bowel incontinence in one out of three practicing the lifestyle.

Yet, in the face of all this, the Gay advocacy movement want us all to ‘celebrate diversity’.

Those struggling with a same sex attraction deserve the right to hear the truth that their tendency can be reversed with proper psychological and spiritual support. Those caught up in the ‘gay’ lifestyle need to be loved into the truth, not lauded as heroes in their flaunting their condition nor condemned as inevitably destined for hell. All of us do wrong and all of us deserve the chance to make amends as all are called to according to the call of the Gospel.

Parents can do a lot to affirm healthy heterosexual identity in their children. Dad needs to be involved with the children, especially the boys. Sport, hobbies, wrestling and shared interests go a long way to establishment of a balanced self-identity in the young. The three A’s are essential – affection, affirmation and attention. Mum needs to allow dad to be dad in an appropriate manner. A good relationship with the same-sex parent is a key requirement for each child. At the critical so-called “gender identity phase”, (about 3-6yrs old) boys especially need to identify with dad and be affirmed in their masculinity and differentness from mother.

Are those who hold a Judeo-Christian view on life really so out of touch with ‘reality’? I don’t think so. Those with traditional Catholic and Christian values have often been made to feel they are feet-dragging, stuck-in-the-mud die-hards, not in touch with the new ‘modern’ Ireland. Not infrequently, many who have voiced disagreement have been treated to vilification, accusation and labels with the resultant tendency that the silent majority tends to say little.

Yes it is true that no-one, homosexual or otherwise, should be subject to unjust discrimination and victimisation. Everyone has the right to be treated with common courtesy and respect. It is incumbent upon Christians however, to inform themselves and counter mis-information and lies from whatever lobby group seeking to promote an agenda not for the common good.

[1] www.narth.com

[2] CCCn2358

[3] All statistics cited from “Homosexuality – The Medical, Social and Religious Implications”. Maranatha Community, Manchester, 1998 and “The Consequences and risks of alternative sexual practices” A Statement by a Group of Medical Professionals. The Council For Health and Wholeness, Manchester 2000

Bishop authorizes use of Prayer to St Michael

Thu, 28 Apr 2011 00:00:00

His Excellency the Most Reverend Thomas John Paprocki, Bishop of Springfield in Illinois, has authorized the public recitation of the Prayer to St. Michael the Archangel - originally composed by the Holy Father Pope Leo XIII in 1886 - following the dismissal at the end of Mass and before the recession. He announced this authorization to the priests of the Diocese at a dinner preceding the Chrism Mass Tuesday evening and to the people of the Diocese at the conclusion of the Chrism Mass.

Prayer cards with the text of the Prayer to St. Michael the Archangel were distributed after every Mass with the newly blessed and consecrated oils to be place in the pews of the parish churches throughout the Diocese. In a letter to parish leaders accompanying the cards, Bishop Paprocki explained the reason he has authorized this practice. He wrote:

One of Satan’s greatest assets is his camouflage, the belief that he doesn’t exist. Disbelief in Satan and the forces of evil leave us unable to resist them. That is why it is good to remember the Prayer to Saint Michael the Archangel. We need to remember that each time we pray we work to defeat our real enemies, not each other, but rather the devil and his evil spirits...

In recent years, a number of parishes have begun reciting the prayer once more, and many individual Catholics have kept up the practice. Both Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI have urged the faithful to pray it daily, and especially after Mass.

On the back of the prayer cards to be placed in the pews, Bishop Paprocki explains his vision for the Diocese, using some of the homily he preached at the Masses of Welcome celebrated in each of the Diocese's seven deaneries:

I envision a local Church where Catholics seek to grow in holiness, attend Mass every Sunday and participate regularly in the sacramental life of the Church. I see Catholics, who love God with all their heart, mind and soul and love their neighbors as themselves. I see the faithful who bear witness to Jesus Christ in their daily lives and promote respect for all human life from conception to natural death.

I envision an abundance of vocations with priests sufficient to staff and serve our parishes with virtuous commitment. I see dedicated deacons, nuns, brothers and lay people teaching the faith, caring for the sick, reaching out to the poor and dying. I see communities where family life is valued, homes where mothers and fathers love their children and whose children love them. In short, I envision God's kingdom already foreshadowed in the life of the Church and a foretaste of the heavenly banquet in the Eucharistic feast.

Everything that I have described is attainable. The only real obstacle in our lives is sin. Original sin is our inherited condition. The spiritual treasures of paradise were forfeited by our human ancestors. While Jesus Christ's death and resurrection have restored the gifts of heavenly treasures for us, we also have to recognize that the devil, Satan, is real, and he will do everything in his power to deflect us from our goal, which is eternal life with Christ in His kingdom. This reality should not frighten us nor lead us to despair, for Christ is more powerful than Satan.

Prayer and the sacraments are an essential part of what Saint Paul called the "armor of God" in his letter to the Ephesians. The Saint Michael prayer can help us "stand against the deceits of the devil" (Ephesians 6:11) by "taking the shield of faith" (Ephesians 6:16). God permits us to be tempted by the devil but gives us the grace to resist him through prayer in our daily lives. We can and should say the prayer to Saint Michael the Archangel at church with the assembly or on our own during the day for spiritual protection for ourselves and for others.

May God bless our diocese and our mission with every grace we need to grow in faith, hope and love. May Saint Michael the Archangel protect us from all evil, harm and temptation.

Amen.

Vial of Blood to serve as relic for Pope John Paul II Beatification

Thu, 28 Apr 2011 00:00:00

A vial of blood drawn from John Paul II will serve as a relic during the late pontiff's upcoming beatification Mass in Rome on May 1.

The Vatican announced on April 26 that the relic will to be presented to Pope Benedict XVI and exposed for veneration during the Mass in St. Peter’s Square this coming Sunday. The vial will then be stored in a shrine by the Office of Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff, along with other relics.

Four vials of blood were drawn shortly before John Paul II's death on April 2, 2005 by a personal physician, in case of the need for a transfusion. The Vatican explained in a April 26 statement that the blood in the vials is in a liquid state due to an anticoagulant substance which was present in the tubes at the time of collection.

One vial will remain in the custody of the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul at the Vatican-owned Bambino Gesu Hospital in Rome.

The remaining two vials are now in the possession of Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz, the Archbishop of Krakow and former secretary of John Paul II and will be installed in a Polish church soon after the beatification.

Piotr Sionko, the spokesman for the John Paul II Center in Krakow, said the vials will be encased in crystal and built into the altar of a church in the city. The church, which is still under construction in Krakow’s Lagiewniki district, will open sometime after the May 1 beatification. The building is part of a planned center devoted to cultivating the memory and teachings of the late Pope, a former archbishop of Krakow.

Sionko said that Cardinal Dziwisz proposed the idea of using the blood as a relic, saying that the cardinal “is of the opinion that this is the most precious relic of John Paul II and should be the focal point of the church.”

As part of Catholic tradition, the veneration of relics is a practice that recognizes the God-given sanctity of a saint or blessed and anticipates his or her bodily resurrection.

Critique of modern Church music echoed by Scottish composer

Thu, 28 Apr 2011 00:00:00

A renowned Catholic composer says he fully agrees with the critique of modern Church music mounted by Grammy Award winner Joseph Cullen.

Cullen, the choral director of the London Symphony Orchestra, told the English Catholic publication The Tablet that since the 1960s there’s been a “glaring lack of sympathy” for “worthy sacred music.”

Now the composer James MacMillan has told CNA that Cullen is spot on. “The Church should not ignore this timely and expert insight into the crisis in our liturgy. We have ignored our music and our musicians for too long,” he remarked.

MacMillan is currently in Minneapolis, Minn. for the premiere of his third piano concerto, “The Mysteries of Light,” which is inspired by Pope John Paul II’s Luminous Mysteries of the Rosary. In 2004, Queen Elizabeth bestowed MacMillan with the title of Commander of the British Empire for his musical contributions. Last year he also composed much of the liturgical music for the Papal Visit to the U.K.

In MacMillan’s view, many “faithful sons and daughters of the Church who have great musical skills” are being ignored. “It is a shame that they are being peripheralized at the expense of an increasingly mocked, dumbed down and aesthetically inappropriate utilitarianism in liturgical musical thinking.

“There will be those who accuse Joseph Cullen of elitism, but they will be wrong,” he said.

Most controversially, Cullen also accused diocesan musical directors of frequently indulging in practices that “would be regarded as corrupt in any other field” by commissioning and promoting their own work.

It’s an accusation that the Bishops’ Conference of England & Wales seems to reject. Martin Foster of their Liturgy Office told CNA, “To be honest I am unclear what Joseph Cullen might be referring to as I presume he has particular instances in mind. In England and Wales there has not been a separate Church Music Committee since about 2002 – its role has been part of the Liturgy Committee. I am trying to think of any projects that might be open to his accusation but none come to mind.”

Cullen is now calling for a greater adherence to the Church’s documents on sacred music and increased training for parishes by those schooled in the choral traditions of the Church.

Pope Benedict XVI: Only in God can we discover life's meaning

Tue, 26 Apr 2011 00:00:00

On the first day of his Easter vacation, Pope Benedict XVI told Christians to turn to the risen Christ if they wish to discover the purpose of their lives.

"Only if we turn to God, to pray, can we discover the deepest meaning of our lives, and our daily journey will be illuminated by the light of the Risen One," he told those gathered in the courtyard of the papal holiday residence at Castel Gandolfo, 15 miles southeast of Rome.

"Truly the Lord is risen! Hallelujah! The Resurrection of the Lord marks the renewal of our human condition. Christ has conquered death, caused by our sin, and brings us back to eternal life," the Pope said one day after celebrating Easter at the St. Peter's Basilica in Rome.

Drawing upon various sources the Pope asked, "How can we meet the Lord and become His most authentic witnesses?”

Pope Benedict turned to St. Maximus of Turin for the answer, recalling his quote: ‘Whoever wants to reach the Savior, first must put his faith into the right hand of God and ... he must learn to constantly gaze with mind and heart upon the heights of God, where Christ is risen."

Pope Benedict then led those in attendance in praying the "Regina Coeli" or "Queen of Heaven."

In the weeks following Easter Sunday, the Regina Coeli is the standard midday prayer of the Holy Father and the wider Catholic Church. It replaces the usual noontide "Angelus" prayer. The "Regina Coeli" recalls the resurrection of Jesus Christ with special reference to his mother Mary.

The Pope concluded his address by looking forward to his forthcoming visit to Venice on this the feast day of the city's patron, St. Mark the Evangelist.

In Defence of the New Missal

Wed, 20 Apr 2011 00:00:00

Every once and a while an issue surfaces in the Church that challenges Catholics in their acceptance of her teaching authority. The year 1967 brought one such challenge, when Pope Paul VI in his encyclical, Humanae Vitae, taught that the use of the contraceptive pill within marriage was morally wrong. Another challenge came during the pontificate of Venerable John Paul II, when in his apostolic letter Ordinatio Sacerdotalis, he taught that the Church did not have the authority to ordain women to the priesthood – a teaching that was to be held ‘definitively’, he said, by all the faithful. Now under the Pontificate of Benedict XVI a new issue has emerged; a decidedly liturgical one that is eliciting strong reactions both for and against from Catholic clergy and laity. The issue in question is the planned introduction on the first Sunday of Advent this year of the English translation of the third ‘typical edition’ of the Missale Romanum or Roman Missal. Already the Association of Catholic Priests (ACP) here in Ireland has indicated that they find this new translation ‘unacceptable’ and have called on our Bishops to defer its introduction for at least five years. Their concerns about the new texts for the Mass have already received a broad and sympathetic hearing from a media who are only too happy to give air-time and column inches to those groups whose views put them at variance with the Vatican. And with one priest already indicating that he couldn’t ‘in conscience’ use the new translation, this looks set to be an issue that will run and run. But of course we shouldn’t expect otherwise - the path of authentic liturgical renewal never runs smooth.

Liturgical Respiration!

Much has been made by the ACP at their recent press conference about the language of the new translation. The more accurate rendering of the Mass prayers from the Latin into English is something that has clearly irked them. So too has the retention of words such as ‘mankind’ and ‘men’ which they regard as sexist and non-inclusive. Then there is the issue of the length of some of the sentences which apparently are a minefield of clauses and sub-clauses with not a full-stop in sight for seventy or eighty words! This prompts the question: should the laity be concerned about their priests dropping dead on the sanctuary due to the lack of the intake of oxygen during the recitation of these sentences? The possibility of this happening is causing me great anxiety. Much as I would love to be a martyr for the liturgy, I just would prefer not to ruin the Mass for my congregation by, like, dying on them in the middle of it. Imagine what a liturgical downer that would be for people, especially if it happened before Communion time and they didn’t get to receive. I have already started a novena to St. Bernadine of Siena who is the patron saint of lungs. I recommend all priests to do likewise. May his heavenly assistance promote respiratory health and strength in all of the clergy (especially asthmatics) as we prepare for the (apparently) oxygen-draining, heart attack inducing, alveoli obliterating new translation of the Missal.

ICEL and the Linguistic Gaps.

The issue of language, and specifically, the liturgical translation of texts from Latin into the vernacular and the principles that should guide this endeavour, is always a process fraught with difficulties. No translation can ever capture the depth, richness, nuances and often layers of meaning to be found in the text of another language. There is always some falling short of what is expressed in the original; an uncomfortable discrepancy, a linguistic gap that we are forever trying to bridge. This awareness of the ‘falling short’ in the work of liturgical translation has been most keenly felt by many orthodox Catholics in this part of the English speaking world since 1975. This was the year when the first edition of the Roman Missal in English was introduced into parishes here in Ireland. The group responsible for producing this translation was the International Commission on English in the Liturgy (ICEL), a body constituted by a number of Episcopal conferences in the English speaking world in the wake of the Second Vatican Council. Its remit was to provide English translations of the liturgical books of the Roman Rite. In approaching this important work, ICEL favoured what is called a ‘dynamic equivalence’ approach to translation whereby instead of producing a literal and accurate translation from Latin to English, they sought instead to capture the overall meaning of the Latin, often through simply paraphrasing the source text. The result, needless to say, was a translation that was unfaithful to the original Latin and in the opinion of many commentators, quite simply banal.

Liturgicam authenticam

While many liturgists still favour the ‘dynamic equivalence’ theory of translation and are content to sacrifice fidelity to the Latin on the altar of ‘creative’ translations that favour inclusive language, this is not the approach advocated by Rome. The awareness there (and indeed shared by orthodox Catholics) is that the renewal of the liturgy in the English speaking world and elsewhere, has not been well served by the translations we have been given. It was with a view to improving matters in liturgical translation, that the Venerable Pope John Paul II promulgated the document Liturgicam authenticam on April 25, 2001. As the fifth Instruction on the implementation of the Second Vatican Council's liturgical reform, this document established new guidelines for the use of vernacular languages in the books of the Roman Liturgy. It mandated that from now on liturgical translation is to be ‘exact in wording and free from all ideological influence’ and ‘creative innovation’. The fundamental purpose of translation, it said, is to render ‘the original texts faithfully and accurately into the vernacular language . . . without paraphrases or glosses’. In other words, ‘dynamic equivalence’ has had its day.

The Re-Sacralisation of the Liturgy.

The promulgation of Liturgicam authenticam was clearly a watershed moment and the norms of translation it mandated have guided the work on the new missal. Behind these norms is the desire to recover what has been lost in our liturgical celebrations over recent decades: solemnity in our worship; a sense of the sacred; awe and respect before God; a sacral vocabulary; beauty and richness in linguistic expression, and yes, greater formality of style, syntax and grammar. For far too long the liturgy has been subject to a programme of ‘de-sacralisation’ whereby under the misnomer of ‘renewal’, liturgical celebrations and places of worship were stripped of their sacral character. Even the focus of liturgy became distorted: from honouring and worshipping God, we were encouraged to honour and celebrate ourselves.

But this era is clearly drawing to a close. A ‘re-sacralisation’ of liturgical celebrations is already well under way and the new missal will certainly become a lynchpin underpinning and promoting this development. Many of the keenest implementers of this ‘programme of re-sacralisation’ are the younger clergy, whose love and respect for the liturgy and commitment to the liturgical vision of Pope Benedict XVI stands at the core of their priesthood. They value the liturgy highly because growing up they witnessed its ritual abuse. They do not regard themselves as its master but only as its servant. They are keen to celebrate the Mass according to the established norms and do not experience the freedom, as some do, in discarding these norms. As a result, some accuse them of narrow-mindedness and liturgical fundamentalism. They prefer to see it as fidelity.

Conclusion

There is a time when issues emerge within the Church for raising one’s concerns and enunciating objections. The ACP has used this recent time well in this regard. They have articulated their objections and spelt out their position on the new Missal. But a time also comes when nothing less than a response of fidelity and obedience will do. Many Catholic priests in 1973 had serious misgivings about the new missal they were given, but despite these misgivings, in a spirit of fidelity and obedience, they implemented that missal in their parishes. Let us hope that the ACP in the coming months will follow their example and do likewise.

New Missal translation a 'gift' says US bishop

Fri, 01 Apr 2011 00:00:00

Auxiliary Bishop of Denver James D. Conley praised the new translation of the Roman Missal, calling it the Church's “gift to our generation.”

“In order for the Church to realize the full potential of this gift, it is vital that we understand why we need this new translation,” he pointed out.

“The changes are not superficial ritualism,” Bishop Conley said in an April 25 address to the Midwest Theological Forum in Indiana. “There is a deep liturgical and theological aesthetic at work.”

The U.S. bishops have announced that parishes will begin using the new translation in Advent of 2011. While the essentials of the Mass have not changed, the bishops say the new translation offers a richer way to explain and proclaim the Catholic faith.

Bishop Conley clarified in his remarks on Monday that he is committed to the new order of Mass that emerged from the Second Vatican Council's liturgical reforms.

“I was ordained a priest and a bishop in the Novus Ordo,” he said. “I have spent my entire priesthood praying this Mass with deep reverence.”

The Novus Ordo “has helped the Church to rediscover the Eucharist as the source and summit of our lives” he said. It has also “nourished and sanctified the spiritual lives of countless souls over the past 40 plus years,” including “two great figures of our generation – Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta and the soon-to-be Blessed John Paul II.”

However, Bishop Conley explained that the subsequent translation of that Mass into English has been problematic.

“Something has been lost,” he said. “Something of the beauty and grandeur of the liturgy. Something of the reverence, the mystery, the sense of the transcendent. This has been a persistent criticism since the Council – and not only from so-called traditionalists.”

The “problem is not the Novus Ordo – but the license that people sometimes take in celebrating it.”

“There is a banal, pedestrian quality to much of the language in our current liturgy,” he said. “The weakness in the language gets in the way and prevents us from experiencing the sublime spiritual and doctrinal ideas woven into the fabric of the liturgy.”

Bishop Conley also said that the use of “abstract terms” in the current translation effects how “we speak of God” and presents the danger of “undermining our faith in the Incarnation.”

He praised the new translation of the Mass instead, saying that it “restores this sense of the liturgy as transcendent and transformative” and “restores the sacramentality to our liturgical language.”

He gave an example from the new translation of the Communion Rite, which says, “Blessed are those who are called to the Supper of the Lamb.”

“For the last 40 years we have erased this heavenly reference in the Communion Rite with our bland translation: Happy are those who are called to his Supper,” he said.

“The Mass is truly a partaking in the worship that St. John saw around the throne and the altar of God,” Bishop Conley noted. “This is not a beautiful idea, but a sacred reality.”

He went on to emphasize that the “essential matter” of the Eucharist is its participation in the liturgy of heaven. “In other words, that’s what the Eucharist is all about. The Eucharist we celebrate on earth has its source in the heavenly liturgy.”

“Yet how many of our people in the pews – how many of our priests at the altar – feel that they are being lifted up to partake in the heavenly liturgy?” he asked. “This is why this new translation is so important.”

The Mass is “not only about praying beautiful words,” Bishop Conley said. “In the liturgy, we are praying to God in the very words of God.”

“They are not words alone, but words that have the power to do great deeds. They are words that can accomplish what they speak of.”

“As Pope Benedict has said, our Eucharistic mystagogy must inspire 'an awareness that one’s life is being progressively transformed by the holy mysteries being celebrated,'” Bishop Conley said.

“That is the great promise of this new translation and new edition of the Missal. The promise of a people nourished and transformed by the sacred mysteries they celebrate.”

Vatican Official Says Mission of Catholic Journalism "to give rigorous and correct religious information"

Mon, 01 Nov 2010 00:00:00

The Future Depends on Fidelity

“What future does the Catholic press have at the height of a digital revolution that is bankrupting many newspapers?”

That is the question posed by the president of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, Archbishop Claudio Celli, in his opening address at the Catholic Press Congress held in Rome in early October. 230 communicators from 85 countries participated in the four day gathering to discuss the both the challenges and the opportunities Catholic journalists must confront today. The meeting ended with an audience with His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI.

The Archbishop proposed an answer that was short, clear and to the point: “The future will depend on the capacity of Catholic journalism to be faithful to its mission.” He went on to say that the mission of Catholic journalism is "to give rigorous and correct religious information, above all when that offered by a good part of the secular press is not very objective today and at times creates confusion."

Irish Media Bias Against Catholic Teaching

Consider, for example, the recent series of letters to the editor published from 7 - 22 Oct 2010 in The Irish Times under the heading “Nobel Prize for Infertility Work.” Patty Agnew’s article (6 Oct) led to the letters. Mr Agnew’s article was a straightforward report of the Pontifical Academy for Life’s statement of protest at the selection of Robert Edwards for the Nobel Prize for Medicine. Prof Roberts was the inventor of in vitro fertilization (IVF), a practice clearly condemned by official Church teaching.

All the letters chosen for publication were, except for two, in favour of IVF. One letter submitted by a priest on 7 Oct clearly broke ranks with Church teaching. Not only did he indicate his support for IVF, but he did so in a manner that was seriously disrespectful towards the Mother of God, St. Joseph, and ultimately Jesus Christ.

After several failed attempts and some major editing, I managed to have a letter published 14 Oct specifically responding to the issues initiated by the 7 Oct letter. Meanwhile it was hopeful seeing another letter by an Irish priest who spoke about Natural Procreation Technology (NaPro Technology) as a more effective alternative to IVF. His letter, however, was much more subtle than mine which addressed the doctrinal issues head on. It would have been wrong to just give the 7 Oct letter a pass.

In the days following my letter a number of other letters were published highly critical of both the content and tone of my letter. All of them, disagreeing with Church teaching against IVF, defended their views by refuting things I never actually said or implied in my letter. The Irish Times, however, never published my follow-up letters (submitted in two different versions) to clarify my position in support of Church teaching. Oddly enough, I was even given a copy of another unpublished letter written by a female ObGyn in defence of Church teaching in response to another ObGyn who offered grossly exaggerated statistics and fallacious arguments supporting IVF.

It makes one wonder how many other letters defending Church teaching were left unpublished. The point is that despite their incessant claims of objectivity, secular media are anything but unbiased. Rather, they play no small role in shaping public opinion on important issues. For example, Catholics who are not well-informed on the issues concerning IVF and who read the series of letters in The Irish Times would be at risk of moral confusion. The sad thing is that some key information was deliberately withheld from them by the almighty media powers that be.

Facing the Challenges

Zenit reports Vatican Spokesman, Fr Federico Lombardi, as saying “that harsh anti-Catholic reactions in the press are understandable, since the Christian message ‘goes against the secularized world’ and since the Church is often ‘unarmed’ -- with few ways to defend itself.” Commenting on the communications challenge, the director of L'Osservatore Romano, Giovanni Maria Vian, said that more attention given both to good information and solid formation, both in the world and within Catholicism. According to Zenit, he “lamented new stereotypes that have arisen about the Holy See, such as that it is an enemy of science, or incapable of maintaining the rhythm of communications media.’

The president of Our Sunday Visitor Publishing (USA), Gregory Erlandson, said according to Zenit, "The lack of knowledge of the faith has led in turn to an inability to distinguish what is truly unique about the faith. This also means that there is less of an impulse to seek out Catholic-identified books and publications."

Several of the Congress’ participants pointed out the Church’s credibility problem arising from the sexual abuse scandals. Zenit quotes Archbishop Celli as saying, "that although these revelations have been a shock for the Pope and for the Church, as Benedict XVI himself said to journalists accompanying him on the plane to Scotland, this grave and shameful sin does not in any way call into question the vocation and mission of the Church to be at the service of man with love." He added, “that the communications crises and scandals that the Church has gone through in recent years emphasize even more the need to have means of communication with a Catholic vocation.”

According to Zenit, “The current context in which the Catholic press moves, said Archbishop Celli, is that of ‘a dictatorship of relativism, where we witness the attempt to reduce the action of the Church and of religion to a private realm, without public importance, de-legitimizing it as if it were an enemy of man, of his liberty and dignity, in this age of sad passions.’”

Moving from Challenge to Opportunity

John Thavis, of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops' Catholic News Service, offered some strong observations to those gathered at the conference. He asked, "How well do we really communicate with the modern world, the wider world, beyond our own ecclesial borders?” For example, as the scandal erupted in Europe at the beginning of 2010 and many secular newspapers seemed to try to lay the blame at the feet of Benedict XVI, the Catholic press knew that the Pope had been ‘methodical and determined and patient’ in trying to deal with the problem since the 1990s.”

Thavis added, “What worries me is that Catholic communicators, with all their perspective, context and fairness on the sex abuse story, have not really had much impact beyond their own limited audience. We feel frustration at times over how the mainstream media treats the Church, but this frustration is often translated into a kind of closed-circuit discussion among ourselves. There's a risk of becoming too self-congratulatory," he cautioned.

It seems to me that too often Church initiatives attempt to engage the world by selling out to the secular. What has become clear to me through the series of letters in The Irish Times was that people no longer speak with a Church vocabulary, nor do they understand it. That means that Catholic journalists need to engage the world on her terms without letting go of “the pearl of great price” which is our Catholic faith. This is what the Church is asking; this is our mission--hopefully many will choose to accept it.

November - Devotion to the Holy Souls in Purgatory

Mon, 01 Nov 2010 00:00:00

Each month the Catholic Church has a special devotion for the month, during which we focus ourselves to the special prayers and devotions that are laid before us. We can also find various sources in which to explore the particular devotion and find out what it means for our spiritual life and in particular what it means for the life of the Church in general. As a reminder of our duty to pray for the suffering faithful in Purgatory, the Church has dedicated the month of November to the Holy Souls. The Holy Souls are those who have died in the state of grace but who are not yet free from all punishment due to sins already forgiven sacramentally but which satisfaction is still to be made, unless they receive the plenary indulgence before dying. The plenary or full indulgence is part of the treasury of the Church (through the merits of Christ) and is imparted by the Pope twice a year at the Urbi et Orbi blessings or on some other important occasion, like a Jubilee year.

There are also other ways to obtain the plenary indulgence. The usual criteria is for confession within 8 days (weekly confession) praying the creed, and to pray for the intentions of the Holy Father. One must also receive Holy Communion and to have no attachment to sin of any kind. There must also be a firm purpose of amendment of one’s life, away from that which is evil and harmful to the soul, toward keeping the commandments and precepts of the Church. If one should die after receiving the plenary indulgence then they would go straight to heaven, however if they don’t then there is a likelihood that there will be temporal punishment due, even though the sin is forgiven through the sacrament of confession. If we can put it this way, suppose one was to break the window of a house of a neighbour for what ever reason. (Let us call this the sin) They we go to the neighbour and ask forgiveness for what we have done (confession) The neighbour forgives us (absolution) but now the problem is that the window is still broken ( so we need to make restitution) We must somehow pay for the broken window, so that we will not only have the forgiveness but will have made full restitution. When we sin we offend the “Majesty” of God and the “Justice” of God and it is precisely for this fact that we must pay restitution one way or another. We either go to purgatory to do so, or we can avail of the plenary indulgence shortly before we die so that no temporal punishment is due.

A safe point of departure on this subject is to consult the Church’s teaching on this matter. In the Catechism of the Catholic Church there is a reference which is only three paragraphs long (CCC 1030-1032). In essence, there are only three points for consideration on this matter which the Catholic Church insists on: firstly that there is a purification after death. 2, that this purification involves some kind of pain or discomfort, and 3, that God assists those in this purification in response to the actions of the living, namely by prayer, through the mass, the rosary or by gaining a plenary indulgence for the departed. They are certain of entering Heaven, but first they must suffer in Purgatory, where they are cleansed of the effects of sins so that when they appear before God they will be shining like gold, purified by fire in the furnace. (1 Peter 1; 7) The Holy Souls cannot help themselves because for them the night has come, when no man can work (John 9:4). It is our great privilege of brotherhood, in charity, that we can shorten their time of separation from God by our prayers, good works, and, especially, by offering the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass for them or for some loved one specifically.

The final purification may take place in the immediate presence of God In fact, in his book on eschatology, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger now Pope Benedict XVI, describes purgatory as a fiery, transforming encounter with Christ and his love:

"Purgatory is not, as Tertullian thought, some kind of supra-worldly concentration camp where one is forced to undergo punishments in a more or less arbitrary fashion. Rather it is the inwardly necessary process of transformation in which a person becomes capable of Christ, capable of God [i.e., capable of full unity with Christ and God] and thus capable of unity with the whole communion of saints. Simply to look at people with any degree of realism at all is to grasp the necessity of such a process. It does not replace grace by works, but allows the former to achieve its full victory precisely as grace. What actually saves is the full assent of faith. But in most of us, that basic option is buried under a great deal of wood, hay and straw. Only with difficulty can it peer out from behind the latticework of an egoism we are powerless to pull down with our own hands. Man is the recipient of the divine mercy, yet this does not exonerate him from the need to be transformed. Encounter with the Lord is this transformation. It is the fire that burns away our dross and re-forms us to be vessels of eternal joy." It is a purifying fire, not a destructive fire as we would know, but some kind of fire that cleans the soul and perfects all virtue, so that when we see God as He is, we will be perfect, as He is.

Some of the Saints who have special devotions to the Holy Souls were, Saint Nicholas of Tolentino O.S.A, Blessed Mary of Providence, Foundress of the Society of the Helpers of the Holy Souls, Saint Catherine of Genoa, daughter of Saint Bridget of Sweden, Saint Pio of Pietrelcina, Saint John Massias , Saint Gertrude the Great and Saint Odilo of Cluny, Abbot of Cluny. Archdeacon Kavanagh of Knock and Pope John Paul II also has a great devotion to the Holy Souls.

Praying for the dead, especially for those we have known, is a requirement of Christian charity. (We are duty bound to pray for them, for they too form part of the Church, albeit the Church suffering) Our own prayers and sacrifices can be offered up to relieve their suffering. Some or all of the following prayers can be incorporated into our daily prayers during this month, let us help and commemorate them. “If Job’s sons were purified by their father’s sacrifice, why would we doubt that our offerings for the dead bring them some consolation? Let us not hesitate to help those who have died and to offer our prayers for them.” (St. John Chrysostom; Homilies on First Corinthians 41, 5 (392 AD)

To Help the Holy Souls in Purgatory:

1. Have the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass offered up for them.

2. Pray the Rosary and or the Chaplet of Divine Marcy for them, or both.

3. Pray the Stations of the Cross.

4. Offer up little sacrifices and fasting.

5. Spread devotion to them, so that others may pray for them.

6. Attend Eucharistic Adoration and pray for them.

7. Gain all the indulgences you can, and apply them to the Holy Souls

8. Visit to a Cemetery

Indulgences

An indulgence, applicable only to the Souls in Purgatory, is granted to the faithful, who devoutly visit a cemetery and pray, even if only mentally, for the faithful departed. The indulgence is plenary each day from the 1st to the 8th of November; on other days of the year it is partial. (Unless the Church decrees otherwise)

Visit to a Church or Oratory on All Souls Day [November 2] A plenary indulgence, applicable only to the Souls in Purgatory, is granted to the faithful, who on the day dedicated to the Commemoration of all the faithful departed piously visit a church, a public oratory .

The above indulgence can be acquired either on the day designated above or, with the consent of the Ordinary, (local Bishop) on the preceding or following Sunday or the Feast of All Saints [November 1].

The above indulgence is contained in the Apostolic Constitution the Doctrine of Indulgences, Norm 15, (Pope Paul VI, January 1^st 1967 Indulgentiarum Doctrina) with account being taken of proposals made to the Sacred Penitentiary in the meantime.

In visiting the church or oratory, it is required, according to Norm 16 of the same Apostolic Constitution, that "one Our Father and the Creed be recited." and prayers for the Popes intentions. (Subject to the norms contained earlier)

A plenary indulgence is granted, if the Rosary is recited in any church or public oratory or in "a family group, a religious Community or pious Association; [a partial indulgence is granted in other circumstances].

Eternal rest grant to them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace.

Prayer for the Souls in Purgatory, through the intercession of Our Lady

MOST loving Jesus, I humbly beseech You, that You Yourself would offer to Your Eternal Father on behalf of the Holy Souls in Purgatory, the Most Precious Blood which poured forth from the Sacred Wounds of Your adorable Body, together with Your agony and death. And do You likewise, O Sorrowful Virgin Mary, present unto Him, together with the dolorous Passion of Your dear Son, Thy own sighs and tears, and all the sorrows You did suffer in His suffering, in order that, through the merits of the same, refreshment may be granted to the Souls now suffering in the fiery torments of Purgatory, so that, being delivered from that painful place, they may be clothed with glory in Heaven, there to sing the mercies of God for ever and ever. Amen.

Prayer for the Poor souls that have no-one to pray for them

Absolve, O Lord, the Souls of all the faithful departed, who have no one to pray for them, from every bond of sin, that with Your gracious assistance they may deserve to escape the pains of purgatory and enjoy happiness and peace with You forever.

Prayer for Deceased Parents

O God, Who hast commanded us to honour our father and our mother, in Your mercy have pity on the souls of my father and mother, and forgive them their trespasses, and make me to see them again in the joy of everlasting Life, through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Efficacious Prayer for the Faithful Departed

O Most compassionate Jesus, have mercy on the Souls detained in Purgatory, for whose redemption You did take upon Yourself our nature and endure a bitter death. Mercifully hear their sighs, look with pity upon the tears which they now shed before You, and by virtue of Your Passion, release them from the pains due to their sins. O most merciful Jesus let Your Precious Blood reach down into Purgatory and refresh and revive the captive souls who suffer there. Stretch out to them Your strong right hand, and bring them forth into the place of refreshment, light and peace. Amen.

Litany for the Holy Souls in Purgatory

The just shall be in everlasting remembrance;

He shall not fear the evil hearing.

V. Absolve, O Lord, the souls of the faithful departed

from every bond of sin,

R. And by the help of Thy grace

may they be enabled to escape the avenging judgment,

and to enjoy the happiness of eternal life.

Because in Thy mercy are deposited the souls that departed

in an inferior degree of grace,

Lord, have mercy.

Because their present suffering is greatest

in the knowledge of the pain that their separation from Thee is causing Thee,

Lord, have mercy.

Because of their present inability to add to Thy accidental glory,

Lord, have mercy.

Not for our consolation, O Lord;

not for their release from purgative pain, O God;

but for Thy joy

and the greater accidental honour of Thy throne, O Christ the King,

Lord, have mercy.

For the souls of our departed friends, relations and benefactors,

grant light and peace, O Lord.

For those of our family who have fallen asleep in Thy bosom, O Jesus,

grant light and peace, O Lord.

For those who have gone to prepare our place,

grant light and peace, O Lord.

(For those who were our brothers [or sisters] in Religion,)

grant light and peace, O Lord.

For priests who were our spiritual directors,

grant light and peace, O Lord.

For men or women who were our teachers in school,

grant light and peace, O Lord.

For those who were our employers (or employees),

grant light and peace, O Lord.

For those who were our associates in daily toil,

grant light and peace, O Lord.

For any soul whom we ever offended,

grant light and peace, O Lord.

For our enemies now departed,

grant light and peace, O Lord.

For those souls who have none to pray for them,

grant light and peace, O Lord.

For those forgotten by their friends and kin,

grant light and peace, O Lord.

For those now suffering the most,

grant light and peace, O Lord.

For those who have acquired the most merit,

grant light and peace, O Lord.

For the souls next to be released from Purgatory,

grant light and peace, O Lord.

For those who, while on earth,

were most devoted to God the Holy Ghost,

to Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament,

to the holy Mother of God,

grant light and peace, O Lord.

For all deceased popes and prelates,

grant light and peace, O Lord.

For all deceased priests, seminarians and religious,

grant light and peace, O Lord.

For all our brethren in the Faith everywhere,

grant light and peace, O Lord.

For all our separated brethren who deeply loved Thee,

and would have come into Thy household had they known the truth,

grant light and peace, O Lord.

For those souls who need, or in life asked, our prayers,

grant light and peace, O Lord.

For those, closer to Thee than we are, whose prayers we need,

grant light and peace, O Lord.

That those may be happy with Thee forever,

who on earth were true exemplars of the Catholic Faith,

grant them eternal rest, O Lord.

That those may be admitted to Thine unveiled Presence,

who as far as we know never committed mortal sin,

grant them eternal rest, O Lord.

That those may be housed in glory,

who lived always in recollection and prayer,

grant them eternal rest, O Lord.

That those may be given the celestial joy of beholding Thee,

who lived lives of mortification and self-denial and penance,

grant them eternal rest, O Lord.

That those may be flooded with Thy love,

who denied themselves even Thy favours of indulgence

and who made the heroic act

for the souls who had gone before them,

grant them eternal rest, O Lord.

That those may be drawn up to the Beatific Vision,

who never put obstacles in the way of sanctifying grace

and who ever drew closer in mystical union with Thee,

grant them eternal rest, O Lord.

V. Eternal rest give unto them, O Lord,

R. And let perpetual light shine upon them.

Let Us Pray

Be mindful, O Lord,

of Thy servants and handmaids,

N. and N.,

who are gone before us

with the sign of faith

and repose in the sleep of grace.

To these, O Lord,

and to all who rest in Christ,

grant, we beseech Thee,

a place of refreshment,

light and peace,

through the same Christ Our Lord.

Amen

SS Peter and Paul Cork

Mon, 01 Nov 2010 00:00:00

On St. Bridget of Sweden: Together, Christian Spouses Can Follow a Path of Sanctity

Wed, 27 Oct 2010 00:00:00

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

On the fervent eve of the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000, the Venerable Servant of God John Paul II proclaimed St. Bridget of Sweden co-patroness of the whole of Europe. This morning I would like to present her figure, her message, and the reasons why this woman has much to teach -- even today -- to the Church and to the world.

We know well the events of the life of St. Bridget because her spiritual fathers wrote her biography to promote her process of canonization immediately after her death, which took place in 1373. Bridget was born 70 years earli er, in 1303, in Finster, Sweden, a nation of Northern Europe that had received the faith three centuries earlier with the same enthusiasm with which the saint received it from her parents, who were very pious individuals, belonging to noble families close to the reigning House.

We can distinguish two periods in the life of this saint.

The first was characterized by her condition as a happily married woman. Her husband was called Ulf and he was governor of an important district of the Kingdom of Sweden. The marriage lasted 28 years, until Ulf's death. Eight children were born to them, the second of whom, Karin (Catherine), is venerated as saint. This is an eloquent sign of Bridget's educational commitment in regard to her children. Moreover, her pedagogic wisdom was appreciated to the point that Magnus, the king of Sweden, called her to the court for a certain time, in order to introduce his young wife, Blanche of Namur, to Swedish culture.

Bridget, spiritually guided by a learned religious who initiated her in the study of the Scriptures, exercised a very positive influence on her own family that, thanks to her presence, became a true "domestic church." Together with her husband, she adopted the Rule of the Franciscan Tertiaries. She practiced works of charity towards the indigent with generosity; she also founded a hospital. Together with his wife, Ulf learned to improve his character and to advance in the Christian life. On returning from a long pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela, taken in 1341 with other members of the family, the spouses matured the plan to live in continence, but shortly after, in the peace of a monastery to which he had retired, Ulf concluded his earthly life.

The first period of Bridget's life helps us to appreciate what today we could define an authentic "conjugal spirituality": Together, Christian spouses can follow a path of sanctity, supported by the grace of the sacrament of Marriage. Not infrequently, as happened in the lives of St. Bridget and Ulf, it is the wife who with her religious sensibility, with delicacy and gentleness, is able to make the husband follow a path of faith. I am thinking, with recognition, of so many women who, day in day out, still today illumine their families with their testimony of Christian life. May the Spirit of the Lord fuel the sanctity of Christian spouses, to show the world the beauty of marriage lived according to the values of the Gospel: love, tenderness, mutual help, fecundity in generating and educating children, openness and solidarity to the world, participation in the life of the Church.

The second period of Bridget's life began when she became a widow. She renounced further marriage to deepen her union with the Lord through prayer, penance and works of charity. Hence, Christian widows can also find in this saint a model to follow. In fact, on the death of her h usband, after distributing her goods to the poor, though without ever acceding to religious consecration, Bridget established herself in the Cistercian monastery of Alvastra. Here is where the divine revelations began, which were with her for the rest of her life. They were dictated by Bridget to her confessor-secretaries, who translated them from Swedish into Latin and gathered them in an edition of eight books entitled "Revelationes" (Revelations.) Added to the books was a supplement, entitled "Revelationes Extravagantes" (Supplementary Revelations).

St. Bridget's Revelations present a very varied content and style. At times the revelation is presented in the form of dialogue between the Divine Persons, the Virgin, the saints and also the demons; dialogues in which Bridget also intervenes. At other times, instead, it is the narration of a particular vision; and at others she narrates what the Virgin Mary revealed to her on the life and mysteries of her Son. The value of St. Bridget's Revelations, sometimes the object of doubt, was specified by the Venerable John Paul II in the letter "Spes Aedificandi": "Yet there is no doubt that the Church," wrote my beloved predecessor, "which recognized Bridget's holiness without ever pronouncing on her individual revelations, has accepted the overall authenticity of her interior experience." (No. 5).

In fact, reading these Revelations we are faced with many important topics. For example, the description returns frequently, with very realistic details, of the Passion of Christ, to which Bridget always had a special devotion, contemplating in it the infinite love of God for men. On the mouth of the Lord who speaks to her, she puts these words: "O, my friends, I love my sheep so tenderly that, if it were possible, I would like to die many times again for each one of them, in the same way that I suffered for the redemption of all" (Revelat ions, Book I, c. 59). Also Mary's sorrowful maternity, which made her Mediator and Mother of Mercy, is an argument that is repeated often in the Revelations.

Receiving these charisms, Bridget was conscious of being the recipient of a gift of great predilection on the part of the Lord: "My daughter," we read in the first book of the Revelations, "I have chosen you for myself, love me with all your heart ... more than everything that exists in the world" (c. 1). Moreover, Bridget knew well, and was firmly convinced that every charism is destined to build the Church. Precisely for this reason, not a few of her revelations were directed, in the form of warnings, including severe ones, to the believers of her time, including the religious and political authorities, so that they would live their Christian life coherently; but she did this with an attitude of respect and complete fidelity to the magisterium of the Church, in particular to the Successor of the Apostle Peter.

In 1349, Bridget left Sweden for the last time and went on pilgrimage to Rome. Not only did she wish to participate in the Jubilee of 1350, but she also wished to obtain from the Pope the approval of the rule of a religious order that she wanted to found, dedicated to the Holy Savior, and made up of monks and nuns under the authority of an abbess. This is an element that should not surprise us: In the Middle Ages there were monasteries founded with masculine and feminine branches, but with the practice of the same monastic rule, which provided for the direction of an abbess. In fact, the great Christian tradition recognizes the dignity proper to women, as well as -- taking as an example Mary, Queen of the Apostles -- her own place in the Church that, without coinciding with the ordained priesthood, is also important for the spiritual growth of the Community. Moreover, the collaboration of consecrated men and women, always with respect toward th eir specific vocation, is of great importance in today's world.

In Rome, in the company of her daughter Karin, Bridget dedicated herself to a life of intense apostolate and prayer. And from Rome she went on pilgrimage to several Italian shrines, in particular to Assisi, homeland of St. Francis, to whom Bridget always had great devotion. Finally, in 1371, she crowned her greatest desire: her trip to the Holy Land, where she went in the company of her spiritual children, a group that Bridget called "the friends of God."

During those years, the Pontiffs were in Avignon, far from Rome: Bridget addressed them earnestly, urging them to return to the See of Peter in the Eternal City.

She died in 1373, before Pope Gregory XI returned definitively to Rome. She was buried provisionally in the Roman church of St. Lawrence in Panisperna, but in 1374 her children Birger and Karin, took her back to her homeland, to the monastery of Vadsten a, headquarters of the religious order founded by St. Bridget, which immediately enjoyed a notable expansion. In 1391, Pope Boniface IX canonized her solemnly.

Bridget's sanctity, characterized by the multiplicity of gifts and experiences that I wished to recall in this brief biographic-spiritual profile, makes her an eminent figure in the history of Europe. Coming from Scandinavia, St. Bridget attests how Christianity had permeated profoundly the life of all the peoples of this continent. Declaring her co-patroness of Europe, Pope John Paul II hoped that St. Bridget -- who lived in the 14th century, when Western Christianity had not yet been wounded by division -- can intercede effectively before God, to obtain the much-awaited grace of the full unity of all Christians. We want to pray, dear brothers and sisters, for this same intention, which we consider so important, so that Europe will be able to be nourished from its own Christian roots, invoking the powerful intercession of St. Bridget of Sweden, faithful disciple of God, co-patroness of Europe.

IVF Mentality: Symptom of a Social Schizophrenia

Sun, 24 Oct 2010 00:00:00

A World of Elusive Hallucinations

It recently occurred to me how easily and conveniently people can selectively ignore and disregard some aspects of reality in order to justify the otherwise unjustifiable. This leads to the distortion of the truth. What is accepted as truth by individuals is in fact often a perversion and in some cases even an outright lie. On the larger scale such selective breaks from reality might best be described as “social schizophrenia.” Schizophrenia, of course, is a psychotic disorder featuring severely impaired thinking, emotions and behaviours--a break with reality. Instead of living freely in the world as God created it, well meaning people find themselves confined to a world of confusing and elusive hallucinations that seems really real to them.

In extreme examples from slavery to oppression such as the penal times in Ireland, from the many historical accounts of genocide to today’s terrorism, it is simple see what is being highlighted here. American history, for instance, is marred by the sad fact that at one time African slaves were considered to be three-fifths of a person. Today we can easily see just how twisted it is to disregard the remaining two-fifths. It is a self-evident dictate of reason that a person must be acknowledged as a person in his or her totality, that is body and soul. For one to accept the notion of African slaves as three-fifths of a person is unreasonable because it denies their human dignity and destiny. In order to do so one has to be lacking in awareness by either consciously or subconsciously breaking from reality. The point is that what is unconscionable to us now was sadly at one time the so-called politically correct worldview, a way of thinking wrought with denial.

Jesus Freaks and Other Strange Birds

More challenging, perhaps, is diagnosing--or rather accepting--the “social schizophrenia” manifest in an increasingly secular-mined contemporary Ireland. Just compare the running of the State to that of the Church. Faith is no longer seen as reasonable, yet it is believed to be entirely reasonable to place one’s hopes and dream, one’s destiny, in the hands of the political machine.

It strikes me as strange that our party politicians, and other people who support party politics, have no qualms over towing the party line. One’s own humanity, that is freedom of thought, conscience and expression, is reduced to party policies where dissension would come at a dear price. How great it would be if someone who really cared about you and doing right could buck the system and rise to the top? Yet breaking ranks with one’s party would be considered unreasonable if not freakish. It is somewhat reminiscent of a cult mentality only washed up and sanitized. Talk about blind faith!

Yet, the opposite is true of those who strive to be faithful to certain Church teachings. If one wants to become a media darling, all he or she has to do is publicly dissent from Church teachings. This is especially true he is a priest and the dissension pertains to women’s ordination, homosexuality, or some other highly controversial moral issue. Any attempt to reprimand the renegades results in emotionally charged outcries of the inquisition or the crusades. So it goes that the dissenter receives accolades whilst the Church is considered medieval and the faithful remnant are slagged off as fundamentalist enemies of reason--yes, even Jesus freaks.

In reality, no political regime has ever been as concerned about the full-flowering of the human person and his destiny as Catholic Church. One would find this no less true today if he were to take an honest, rational look at the whole reality. It is faith that motivated medieval Catholic scholars to not only found universities but even to invent them in the first place. The same is true of hospitals and many charitable and educative works. It was faith that motivated the greatest artists and musicians. All of these have allowed humanity to grow in proportion to its experience of transcendent truth, goodness, oneness and beauty where human life is no longer drudgery but destined to share in God’s glory. These things were not even on the agenda of the secular nobility who routinely exploited its common subjects. The fact is that secularism ultimately dehumanizes whereas Catholicism faithfully lived humanizes.

Frozen Embryo Decision is Schizophrenic

Consider as a case in point the Supreme Court’s decision in the frozen embryo case (Dec 2009). The Court held that frozen embryos created through in vitro fertilization (IVF) are not the unborn protected by the Irish constitution. The fact is that the embryos are unborn and therefore are part of the protected group referred to as the unborn. The Court has capriciously created two classes of unborn embryos: those constitutionally unborn and those not, the former afforded legal protection while the latter not. They can be bought or sold like slaves, denied basic human rights because they happen to not be from a privileged class of people, wantonly murdered, or fall prey to technology terrorists who claim the higher good of science. Somewhere along the way there were severe breaks from reality so that the thoughts, emotions and behaviours of individuals became impaired, nay, schizophrenic. This has sadly spread on a large scale so that we can even speak of an IVF mentality.

The Politically Correct Symptoms...

No doubt I would find a lot more sympathizers if I stayed on safe ground, for example, explaining how bankers and politicians killed the celtic tiger which proved to be more of a celtic stray cat. Now there’s a hallucination for you! How painful it has been for this reality to set in.

Then again there was the hallucination that the pilgrim Church in Ireland (or elsewhere) is perfect. Somehow we missed the fact that the Church is composed of sinners on a journey to heavenly perfection with the help of God’s grace. We all confused religiosity for holiness and left our humanity on the back-burner. At some point we really stopped needing God, but no one would dare admit that. More damaging is the fact that churchmen themselves lost sight of reality. Consequently they stopped relying on god’s grace to overcome human weaknesses, be they sexual, administrative or otherwise. The sooner we all humbly seek a deeper, more personal relationship with Jesus Christ in the Church, the sooner we discover authentic humanity, and the sooner we rediscover the Way to real holiness. Only by acting in authentically human ways can inhumanity in all its ugly forms be stopped.

Why an IVF Mentality is Schizophrenic

Yes! It would be so easy to stay on the politically correct topics. Yet, I will return to the far less popular proposition that among many other things the IVF mentality in Ireland is symptomatic of “social schizophrenia.”

Ireland claims to be pro-life. Many IVF supporters, however, conveniently push aside their opposition to the deliberate destruction of innocent embryo persons because of the one fortunate embryo chosen to survive. In reality, the lives of those dead embryos is no less valued than the life of the survivor. You may sometimes hear the term “IVF baby.” Maybe “IVF survivor” would be more appropriate. In fact, most times IVF is not even successful resulting in only dead embryos. The emotional weight of battling infertility is certainly heavy enough to cloud sound judgement. After all the desire for a baby is good. But here the dictate of Romans 3:8 must be remembered, namely, that the end does not justify the means.

Some IVF supporters take a more highbrowed approach saying that nature is wasteful when it comes to embryos. They dogmatically pronounce that 50% (1 in 2) of the embryos that are implanted in their mothers’ uteruses do not survive till birth. This is pure speculation. Research from the prestigious Mayo Clinic for example places the rate of miscarriage of known pregnancies somewhere between 10-20% (between 1 in 10 and 1 in 5). The Mayo Clinic literature also notes that usually miscarriages are caused by chromosomal abnormalities which make human life unsustainable. In some cases, an embryo never even forms as in the case of a blighted ovum (i.e. anembryonic pregnancy). In no cases, however, are embryos destroyed by murderous human intervention.

Besides the inherent deception that is part and parcel of the “nature is wasteful” notion (I am reminded of Dr Bernard Nathanson’s account of how pro-abortionists grossly exaggerated the number of death from back-ally abortion to gain emotive support for legalization), two other problems come to mind. (1) That dead embryos are “waste.” Remember the three-fifths of a person debacle? Would one refer to their deceased mother as “waste?” I think not! (2) Justifying the deliberate destruction of embryos because “nature is wasteful” disregards the moral substance of such actions to the extent that one is just acting naturally, just doing what nature does. But this removes those actions from the human realm. In other words, one’s impaired reasoning reduces his actions to the inhumane--the destruction of innocent human beings. It is like justifying putting carcinogens in drinking water because sometimes cancer happens anyway.

Then there is the reality by which procreation is naturally linked to the marital act in the context of exclusive marital love. IVF can sometimes involve third and forth parties from outside the marriage. But even if the genetic material is restricted to the married couple and it could be guaranteed that no embryos would be deliberately destroyed, the children conceived by IVF come into being in the technical sphere of a laboratory rather than in the human sphere of a specific act of marital love. Certainly technology has many extraordinary uses, but never in violation of God’s created order.

In the final analysis, an IVF mentality is a flashing neon sign that says we have forgotten who God is and who we are, a sign which indicates a schizophrenic inversion of reality that cries out for one thing--CONVERSION!