Something Good From Starkville

Fr. John wearing a dunce cap. Haha.

My friend, Fr. John, down in Starkville was telling me how awesome his bulletin column was. Turns out, he was right!

If we priests don't take priesthood seriously, no one will. 

Dear Parishioners,


For the past several weeks I have been exploring the subject of the Eucharist and its worthy reception.  One thing occurred to me while writing these columns, however, and that is the necessity of the priest in making the Eucharist present.


As most of us realize, there is a severe priest shortage, not just in this diocese, but also in many places throughout the country and the world.  For many people, the priest shortage has yet to seriously affect them.  For example, here at St. Josephs we have been blessed to have a consistent priest presence since the parish was founded.  Other parishes in this diocese are not nearly as fortunate.  For example, just up the road in West Point, that parish has been without a resident pastor for almost two years now.


In light of this, it is important to ask the question, what happens to the Eucharist and the Church with fewer priests?  In our Catholic Tradition, only priests and bishops are able to confect (make present) the Eucharist.  Without priests and bishops, we have no Eucharist.  And without the Eucharist, the Catholic Church ceases to exist.  It’s really that simple.  But what is the solution?  What should we as a Church be doing to get more priests?


One of the most common answers to these questions is, “Let married men and women be priests.”  As most of us realize, the Roman Catholic Church has the rule of male-only mandatory celibacy for her priests (with very limited exceptions which I will explore later). This mandatory celibacy requirement is the reason most men give for not considering priesthood.  Therefore, it seems to make sense that opening the priesthood to married men and to women would immediately solve the shortage problem.


The Catholic hierarchy (Pope and Bishops) have regularly addressed these issues and have consistently said that the male-only, celibate clergy will continue to be the ordinary expression of the ordained ministry.  For many women, this is troubling and appears discriminatory.  After all, many say, women can and would be able to do just as good a job as any man at being a priest.


What many people fail to appreciate, however, is that priesthood is more than just something one does.  It is more than just a job with specific functions.  If that were the sole criteria, I would agree totally that women would do just as good (or better) a job as men.  For us Catholics, however, priesthood is about who one is, not just what someone does. The Catholic Church teaches that the priest, once ordained, undergoes an ontological change (a change in being) in which he is “conformed to Christ, the High Priest and stands in the person of Christ (in persona Christi) in his ministry.”  


And since Christ was a male, His priests should be male, as were the Twelve Apostles he chose and empowered at the Last Supper to preside at the Eucharist.  For the Church, the maleness of Christ and the Twelve Apostles was and continues to be seen as something indispensable and constitutive that His priests must continue to possess.
For many people, this reasoning is fine.  For others, this reasoning is insufficient at best and just plain absurd at worst.  Pope John Paul II, a few years before he died, wrote a defining letter regarding this very question in which he explained that the Church did not have the right to ordain women, even if we wanted to.  I will pick up there next week.                                                                               


-Fr. John

St. John Bosco

St. John Bosco

An apocryphal story about Don John Bosco:
Don Bosco was lying by a riverbed meditating and eating an apple when one of his contemporaries, a merchant, came upon him and asked, "Don Bosco! How can you just sit all day and eat apples? There is much to do!"
The priest asked, "And what things, brother?"
"Work!"
"And to what end?"
"So that you may have money!"
"And to what end?"
"So you can do things for yourself and family."
"And to what end?"
"So you can be able to retire and enjoy your life."
"And to what end is that?"
"So you can relax by the riverbed, think about the Lord and have an apple in leisure."
Don Bosco smiled and said, "Why work? I am doing that right now!"

It's like he was the Pope or something...

From Humanae Vitae:
17. Responsible men can become more deeply convinced of the truth of the doctrine laid down by the Church on this issue if they reflect on the consequences of methods and plans for artificial birth control. (...)
Finally, careful consideration should be given to the danger of this power passing into the hands of those public authorities who care little for the precepts of the moral law.(...) Who will prevent public authorities from favoring those contraceptive methods which they consider more effective? Should they regard this as necessary, they may even impose their use on everyone. It could well happen, therefore, that when people, either individually or in family or social life, experience the inherent difficulties of the divine law and are determined to avoid them, they may give into the hands of public authorities the power to intervene in the most personal and intimate responsibility of husband and wife.

The above was snatched from an email from Fr. Scott. Pertinent to the Health and Human Services (sic) announcement last week.

When I was a newly oiled priest, Father John would say over and over, "Humanae Vitae is prophetic. Everything the pope warned about has come true." I was an associate in a parish that adminstratively considered the document a matter of conscience and not to be trifled with.
Word association game. Mention "Humanae Vitae" to any priest over 60 and they will say "conscience".

Our RCIA class over the past few years has been challenged to do something that I don't think many of our diocesan people have been urged to do.
They. Have. To. READ. HUMANAE VITAE!
I even did it. Not bad! And very beautiful concerning the matter of love and marriage.

You have to admit that lines like these are pretty great:

Marriage, then, is far from being the effect of chance or the result of the blind evolution of natural forces. It is in reality the wise and provident institution of God the Creator, whose purpose was to effect in man His loving design. As a consequence, husband and wife, through that mutual gift of themselves, which is specific and exclusive to them alone, develop that union of two persons in which they perfect one another, cooperating with God in the generation and rearing of new lives.

Here, download. Read. It's prophetic!

Fight for your rights to study!

USA Today reported that this year's freshmen class is more serious about studying and getting a good job than freshmen of the recent past.

Other statistics from the class of 2016 include:

•71% said they had taken at least one Advanced Placement course, up from 67.9% in 2009, and those who had taken five or more AP courses increased from 18.7% to 21.7% in that period.

•39.5% reported spending six or more hours a week studying or doing homework as high school seniors, up from 34.7% in 2009 and 37.3% in 2010. That figure has been inching upward since 2005, when a record-low 31.9% said they spent six or more hours studying.

•69.2% said they frequently took notes during class as high school seniors, up from 66.5% in 2009 and 67% in 2010. Also, 36.4% reported being frequently bored in class, down from 38.6% in 2009 and 39.2% in 2010. 

The report also says 4.4% less of them are partying than the freshmen class of 2009. That's a bit refreshing and hopefully good for our future. But, as a product of the 80's collegiate system, I must leave you with the words of Ogre-

Girl Scouts and the Church: 100 Years is Enough?

The anti-abortion website Lifesitenews.com featured a story concerning a parish in Virginia that banned the presence of Girl Scouts from the parish grounds and adjacent school.

"St. Timothy Catholic Parish in Chantilly says Girl Scouts will not be permitted to meet or wear uniforms on church property, including at St. Timothy School, which covers preschool to grade 8.
The Girl Scouts have been under growing pressure as evidence mounts of their ties with Planned Parenthood, the world’s largest abortion provider."

100 years: Is the run done?

Back in the '90's, I was Director of Youth for the Diocese of Jackson and learned very quickly that the Girl Scouts shared a close relationship with the National Federation of Catholic Youth Ministry. So, of course, when I read this story I went to the NFCYM site. Here is what they have to say:

"Many Catholic Girl Scout leaders are feeling torn between their commitment to Girl Scouting and their commitment to their Catholic teachings because of the real or perceived relationship between GSUSA (Girl Scouts USA) and organizations like Planned Parenthood. The NFCYM approach to this complex issue has been one of engagement, rather than detachment or withdrawal. NFCYM, through NCCGSCF (National Catholic Committee on Girl Scouts and Campire Girls), needs to stay connected to GSUSA not only because thousands of Catholic girls and Catholic adult leaders are involved in scouting, but because Girl Scouting—like Boy Scouting—provides excellent character development for young people through their programs. NFCYM can only influence secular organizations by staying in relationship with them . . . by being at the table."

I can tell just by the language that where there's campfire smoke, there's hellfire. I've written enough grants and sat through enough Diocesan ministers meetings to understand the nuance of softspeak. I'll break it down.

"Many Catholic Girl Scout leaders are feeling torn between their commitment to Girl Scouting and their commitment to their Catholic teachings because of the real or perceived relationship between GSUSA (Girl Scouts USA) and organizations like Planned Parenthood.(In softspeak, they are implying that Catholic leaders imaginations may be getting away from them. Perception means "unreal"). The NFCYM approach to this complex issue has been one of engagement, rather than detachment or withdrawal(How has that engagement gone? A little Gospel of Life? Some information on the 5th Commandment?). NFCYM, through NCCGSCF (National Catholic Committee on Girl Scouts and Campire Girls), needs(Neediness is very important to softspeakers. Some of those needs are perceived.) to stay connected to GSUSA not only because thousands of Catholic girls and Catholic adult leaders are involved in scouting, but because Girl Scouting—like Boy Scouting—provides excellent character development(although maybe not Catholic character) for young people through their programs. NFCYM can only influence secular organizations by staying in relationship with them . . .(an ellipsis? Is something missing) by being at the table.(Engaged AT THE TABLE. In other words, dotty Aunt Sue who smells of mothballs is invited to Christmas dinner and hollers out from the Catechism but other than that, she's just one voice among others...at the table.)"

Snopes.com affirms that your purchase of Thin Mints does NOT support Planned Parenthood.

 I just bought 3 boxes from a Girl Scout Sunday. And we support a troop here. I figured that the NFCYM was on the watch so why peer deeper into it?

Now I see. The softspeak gave you away, NFCYM. Well, before that, your conventions filled with over 60 year olds and a disproportionate number of women in short-hair and vests sort of tipped me off but I was willing to overlook that. Because you built character.

Maybe the day of NFCYM is done as well.

Good Cheer tonight at 7pm!!!

Just a friendly reminder that Good Cheer starts back up tonight at 7 at The Library.

First drink's on us.

Yes. Seriously.

The Conversion of St. Paul

Caravaggio's Conversion of Paul

In the Office of the Hours, the first reading of the day is St. Paul's letter to the Galatians. In that letter, he recounts his own history as one who zealously persecuted the Christian community. He ends the first chapter by saying:


"Afterwards I came into the regions of Syria and Cilicia.  And I was unknown by face to the churches of Judea, which were in Christ:  But they had heard only: He, who persecuted us in times past, doth now preach the faith which once he impugned: And they glorified God because of me." 

In a few sentences, Paul expresses the organic quality of conversion. Even one who tries to destroy the faith can be a source of inspiring the faith.

Catholics believe in conversion. But for us, it is not that ONE BIG MOMENT where you have to make the choice or forever be damned. Conversion unfolds over a lifetime. It ages and matures with us. Paul would say in the first letter to the Corinthians:


"When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me."

Conversion is growth and growth makes us more childlike, not childish. Jesus says we must be as children to enter His Kingdom. There is a difference.


In the book, "A Prayer for Owen Meany", the author, John Irving, begins the novel repeating Paul's letter:

“I am doomed to remember a boy with a wrecked voice – not because of his voice, or because he was the smallest person I ever knew, or even because he was the instrument of my mother’s death, but because he is the reason I believe in God; I am a Christian because of Owen Meany.”

Owen Meany is a child and remains so throughout the book. He's a child with a strange, peculiar voice. He considers himself God's messenger. His faith is solid. He believes and brings the author to belief. In one scene, Owen is confident that his small frame can make a difficult basketball shot. His words are in CAPS to show his powerful voice.

"YOU SEE WHAT A LITTLE FAITH CAN DO?" said Owen Meany. The brain-damaged janitor was applauding. "SET THE CLOCK TO THREE SECONDS!" Owen told him.
"Jesus Christ!" I said.
"IF WE CAN DO IT IN UNDER FOUR SECONDS, WE CAN DO IT IN UNDER THREE," he said. "IT JUST TAKES A LITTLE MORE FAITH."
"It takes more practice," I told him irritably.
"FAITH TAKES PRACTICE," said Owen Meany

Faith takes practice. Practice it today. You may inspire someone else to give glory to God...because of you.

Smells Like Hulk Spirit

The upcoming Avengers movie has inspired a line of men's fragrances. You can smell like a superhero! Who needs Axe when you can smell like Captain America? Old Spice isn't as old as the Norse God, Thor!

But then there's also Hulk cologne. I've never thought of a superhero who looks like this:

To be something I'd want to smell like. I haven't had a sample, but I imagine eau de Hulk being a mixture of dirty hair, bacon and unrepented rage. In other words, the same scent as "roommate".

Francis de Sales: an example for us all

St. Francis de Sales, d. 1622.

Today, the Church remembers St. Francis de Sales. The story of his life is probably, at least in parts, somewhat familiar to our college readers. Francis was born into a well-to-do family. He was handsome and popular and his father made sure that he attended the best schools and that he had plenty of opportunities for social advancement.

In all of this social climbing, however, Francis remained very devout in his Catholic faith. That is, until college, where he had a real crisis of faith when he was first exposed to the teachings of the Protestant Reformers - namely Calvinists. Francis wanted nothing more than to please God and to be saved through Christ and he became convinced that he was predestined to hell. This so thoroughly disturbed him, that he became physically ill and bedridden for a time.

In his illness and despair, Francis visited a nearby church to pray. He re-dedicated his life to God and became convinced that whatever life had in store for him - ups and downs - it was all good, because "God is love." He came to understand that the most important thing that he could do would be to remain faithful and to serve God and his fellow man. Everything else, then, would fall into place. With this understanding, the legalistic and unhealthy doubts thats plagued him about his assurance of salvation began to fade away, and Francis grew to become an important teacher and leader in the Church. One of his most famous works is his book, An Introduction to the Devout Life, which is still considered by many to be one of the most important books on living out our Catholic faith.

Francis was eventually called to be the Catholic bishop of Geneva - a center of the Reformation. His preaching and his humble example won many back to the Church and he is remembered as a brilliant theologian, a passionate preacher and a devoted servant to the poor.

Many of us (if we are honest), have undergone some crisis of faith while in college. This can lead to despair or can lead us down a path of greater understanding and devotion. If we ignore our doubts, our questions and our problems, we are giving in to despair and, in a sense, throwing in the towel. If we use difficult questions and fresh doubts to spur ourselves on to a deeper understanding of our faith, we have done well. College is for learning more about things. The Church and the Catholic faith are no exception: learn more and ask questions.

St. Francis de Sales, pray for all who are undergoing a crisis in their Catholic faith. 


Edited 1/24/2012 to correct spelling errors. BN

Prayers up for Birmingham

Please pray for those affected by last night's storms in Alabama.

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth...

Now you're gonna think it every time.

More on Friday's bombshell...

For those of you interested in keeping up with this, here are a couple of articles about the Dept. of Health and Human Services' late Friday announcement:

Obama Administration picks a fight with Catholics

Religious leaders blast HHS over contraception mandate

LA's retired archbishop, Cardinal Mahony, blogs about Friday's HHS announcement

And, from the response video posted on the front of the USCCB's website, one of the best quotes so far on this contentious topic:


“Never before has the federal government forced individuals and organizations to go out into the marketplace and buy a product that violates their conscience,” said New York Cardinal-designate Timothy Dolan, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. “This shouldn’t happen in a land where free exercise of religion ranks first in the Bill of Rights.”

School's starting back... back to procrastination!

In honor of school starting back for the spring, here's a procrastination flowchart. Any of it look familiar?

Truth hurts, doesn't it? Ha ha. 

(click image to enlarge)

Seriously, though, CCM wishes you the best during this spring semester. Remember to come out on Wednesday nights for Good Cheer (every Wed., 7pm at The Library). Also, Eucharistic Adoration will continue each Tuesday night at the church, from 6:00pm until 8:00pm and the ever-popular Rosary Walk will begin again on Thursdays, at 5:30pm at Pat Lamar Park.

"This is what a man looks like."

From Creative Minority Report, I pass along a clip from Piers Morgan's recent interview with Mark Wahlberg.

Today I learned that Mark Wahlberg is humbly and unapologetically devoted to his family and to his Catholic faith. A good man.

Responding to Morgan's questioning, Wahlberg admitted that he visits his church every day to attend Mass and/or pray. What does he pray for?

"I pray to be a good servant to God, a father, a husband, a son, a friend, brother and uncle, a good neighbor, a good leader to those that look up to me and a good follower to those that are serving God and doing the right thing and people that I can look up to and, you know, try to emulate," said Wahlberg.

Well said. As CMR puts it, "This is what a man looks like."

Alright, this is huge...

Ever notice how potentially unpopular decisions/announcements are always made on late Friday afternoon, to avoid a week-long press cycle? The hope, of course, is that by Monday, this will be "old" news.

But this is NOT going away.

As much as we try to avoid the muddy waters of politics on SFC, this news goes beyond politics. This, my friends, affects religious liberty.

The news:

So, what's the big news? Let me deliver it to our readers in the (obviously gleeful) words of a left-leaning site, ThinkProgress (emphasis mine):


Today, in a huge victory for women’s health, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced that most employers will be required to cover contraception in their health plans, along with other preventive services, with no cost-sharing such as co-pays or deductibles. This means that after years of trying to get birth control covered to the same extent that health plans cover Viagra, our country will finally have nearly universal coverage of contraception.


Opponents of contraception had lobbied hard for a broad exemption that would have allowed any religiously-affiliated employer to opt out of providing such coverage. Fortunately, the Obama administration rejected that push and decided to maintain the narrow religious exemption that it initially proposed. Only houses of worship and other religious nonprofits that primarily employ and serve people of the same faith will be exempt. Religiously-affiliated employers who do not qualify for the exemption and are not currently offering contraceptive coverage may apply for transitional relief for a one-year period to give them time to determine how to comply with the rule.


The breakdown:

Essentially, the current administration announced late this afternoon, that it is rescinding a key exemption that was granted to religious entities by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (signed into law by President Obama in 2010). The original exemption gave broad legal assurances to churches as well as to religious-affiliated institutions (such as universities and hospitals), that they would not be required to pay for health insurance coverage for prescriptions and procedures that violated their own religious beliefs.

With today's announcement, that exemption is now being limited only to "certain religious organizations." In other words, while local religious bodies (i.e. churches, synagogues, etc.) will not have to provide contraception coverage to their paid staffs, other "[n]onprofit employers who, based on religious beliefs, do not currently provide contraceptive coverage in their insurance plan," will now - under federal mandate - be forced to provide such coverage, regardless of whether or not such actions go against the religious creeds of these employers.

Who would be affected?

Who are the "nonprofit employers" that Secretary Sebelius now excludes from a religious exemption? They would include religiously-affiliated hospitals, religiously-affiliated schools and universities, and religiously-affiliated social and charitable organizations. This means that, under this new rule, Catholic hospitals will be required by federal law to provide their employees with health insurance which pays for contraceptives (even potentially abortifacient ones) and for procedures such as sterilization - products and procedures which are explicitly forbidden in Catholic teachings. The same must be provided to employees of Catholic parochial schools, Catholic universities and of Catholic social service organizations such as Catholic Charities and Catholic-run adoption agencies.

Only religiously-affiliated employers that primarily serve and employ people of the same faith will be excluded from this new rule. Meaning, that only small and religiously-homogenous organizations will be excluded. I.e. local parish churches, dioceses and the like.

SFC analysis:

This is wrong - plain a simple. This violates the First Amendment's explicit protection of citizens' right to the free exercise of religion. To have the government force adherents of a particular religion to fund and to provide services which are clearly prohibited by the beliefs of that religion is not just wrong-headed or unfair: it is unconstitutional and, dare I say, ludicrously dangerous to the fundamental rights of all American citizens as guaranteed by the Bill of Rights.

When the president's health care bill was passed in 2010, it did so with the high-profile support of some Catholics: namely the Catholic Health Association and the head of the Leadership Conference of Women's Religious. Those who joined these groups in support of the health care bill did so in direct contradiction of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and others, who warned that they did not see sufficient legal protection for religious groups who could not, as a matter of religious belief and conscience, fund or provide coverage for contraceptives, abortifacients and sterilizations. Those Catholic groups who supported the bill against the bishops' wishes, rallied around the "religious exemption" that was written into the original health care bill. This exemption, according to the bill's loyal supporters, would remain in place and would protect religious employers.

Well, that blew up. As many suspected, the administration is now claiming that these religious exemptions were only "interim final" rules. Now, more than a year and a half later, the rules are changing. It seems that our Catholic bishops were almost prophetic in their refusal to lend any support to the health care bill. Seemingly, they were right, while the Catholic Health Association, the Leadership Conference of Women's Religious and others were either hoodwinked by some in the administration and/or were just dead wrong.

At any rate, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has already issued a response to today's late-breaking news.

Stay tuned, ladies and gentlemen, because this has just begun...

Infamous abortion clinic closes for good

Last year's March for Life. (from: ncregister.com/blog/dc_march_live_blogging)

The 39th annual March for Life will take place in Washington, D.C. next week. Some of the faithful from our state are heading that way this weekend. Please pray for their safe travels and thank them for their strong witness against the injustice of abortion in our country.

In the arena of pro life issues, some interesting news came out of Illinois in recent days. Some of you might recall stories about the Northern Illinois Women's Center in Rockford, Ill., an abortion clinic which came into the national spotlight for the hateful imagery and anti-religious displays that workers at the clinic aimed at pro life protestors who gathered for prayer vigils outside.

Here's a story from a couple of years ago about what pro life (and mostly Catholic) protestors faced from the clinic (warning: some of the images might be offensive):



The clinic was closed in September of 2011 for violations of state health laws. Now, in the face of stiff fines, it is now being reported that the clinic will not reopen.

One.... small... victory for the most defenseless in our society.

You can read the whole news story at the Catholic News Service website here.

The Lost Letters of the Vatican Dictionary

The Vatican Insider has published an online Vatican dictionary. The site promises that  you can understand your faith's terms from "A divinis" to "Zucchetto"!

However, there are still a few letters not accounted for.
J, K, Q, W, X, Y have no words as of this writing.
No "juris"? And don't we have lots of "q" words?

Not to fear, I've come up with some of the missing letters from the Diocese of Jackson and thereabouts. I even made child-friendly flashcards to go with them! The rhymes are a bit off but I'm not a poet, and I know it.
Wow..now that rhymed.

Oy vey! The Cathechism in Hebrew!

Jesus and the Pharisees: "Art thou mad, bra?"

The Catechism is being published in HEBREW! I did a double-take this morning when I read about it but it makes good sense.

L’Osservatore Romano reports that the first three volumes of the Catechism (presumably the first three parts of the Catechism of the Catholic Church) have been translated into Hebrew. Father David Neuhaus, the Latin patriarch’s vicar for Hebrew-speaking Catholics in Jerusalem, worked “silently and discreetly” on the translation, with the assistance of Father Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Franciscan Custos of the Holy Land.
Father Neuhaus explains that the Hebrew-speaking Catholics to whom he ministers “are mainly of mixed Israeli origin: relatives of Jews, children of Jews, some converted Jews and other persons who are not Jewish but have been integrated into Jewish society … We insist on Christian formation, Christian in a secular and Jewish environment.”
http://www.catholicculture.org/news/headlines/index.cfm?storyid=13031


I was even more surprised to follow a link to a community of Hebrew speaking Catholics living in Israel. The mind boggles! However, I am a bit comforted that the original hearers of the Gospel are still out there.

L'Chaim!

SOPA/ PIPA: Nefarious Papist Plot

Wikipedia is blacked out today as well as other sites to call attention to the legislation concerning internet piracy. There are two bits of legislation out there to police activity on the internet. It's not just teh evill Repbulicans!!!111 but Democrats seem also to be in favor of such laws.

What it is is sort of fuzzy so I checked around and found this:

Who is really behind the so call "Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA)" and the "PROTECT IP Act (PIPA)"? Do you know that the Pope the leader of the Roman Catholic Church have given the Order to Remove the Book of Revelation from the Holy Bible? Do you know that the Vatican removed the word "Antichrist" from the Holy Bible two years ago?
Now, you know who is really the "One" who's controlling the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate. The Vatican's pedophiles wants to take over "The free and open Internet" by using the excuses of "Piracy Act". The Cathlics wants to create another "Inqusition" by Removing from the Internet Videos, Books, eBooks and Photos of the Torture Instruments that they used in the past during the Inquisition, 2nd World War and in countries of South Americans against the Infidels and the Protestant's Christians with the help of the Jesuits "Vatican's Assassins". The Catholics wants to bring "Hell" is to your house again just like in the past.
http://www.topix.com/forum/world/T9LTONE1U3QPN8H2G

"Bring to me this Nyan cat. Its powers concern me."

Well now. It's out there. The Pope doesn't want you to see those photos of the Inquisition. Honestly, I haven't seen them either.

In honor of National Vocations Awareness Week

And here are some helpful links for those of you who might be discerning a call to the priesthood or the religious life:

- For Your Vocation
- Vocation Boom

For our readers in/from Mississippi:

- Diocese of Jackson Vocations Office
- Diocese of Biloxi Vocations Office

And from those of you from outside of the Great State of Mississippi, the National Conference of Diocesan Vocation Directors has a great map with contact information for all the dioceses within the United States.

And finally, for all of us, a new site dedicated to thanking the men of our Church who have dedicated their lives to the service of Christ and his people. Read inspiring stories of priesthood lived out to the fullest: Letters to Priests.

Inking for the Lawd!

Now I've heard of coffee shops in churches and even restaurants... but a tattoo parlor? Seriously....?

From Jackson's own Clarion Ledger:

A Michigan pastor who says he's doing everything he can to reach out to people who don't feel comfortable at a traditional house of worship has opened a tattoo parlor inside his church. 

Rev. Steve Bentley of The Bridge, a church located inside a Flint Township shopping center, said his ministry is built on the belief that mainstream religion has become ineffective and irrelevant to most people. 

To that end, he opened Serenity Tattoo. 

Tattoo artists Ryan Brown and Drew Blaisdell work by appointment or from noon until 8 p.m., Monday through Saturday, at the county-licensed tattoo shop that sits not far from Bentley's office as well as the watering trough that he uses for baptisms. 

Bentley, who has two tattoos, said he understands some don't like the idea of Serenity Tattoo inside the church, but the pastor considers tattooing a "morally neutral" practice that he likens to getting one's ears pierced. 

"We are about doing church in a different way and being relevant to people," Bentley told The Flint Journal. "You can get a tattoo in a clean environment. You can do it while still sticking to your moral code." 

Brown is a recovering alcoholic who said the atmosphere inside the church building has helped to keep him focused and on the right path. 

"I was running my own studio. I was just working. There wasn't much purpose in it," he said. "I was struggling with whether I could keep my studio" and stay sober. 

"I prayed a lot and decided the best thing was to close it and come to the church. I figured I could have a lot more positive impact" here, Brown said. 

The church owns 30,000 square feet inside the Flint-area shopping center. 

Bentley said about 1,000 people call The Bridge their home church, and up to 500 in total attend his three weekend services 

The pastor makes an effort to talk to all who visit Serenity Tattoo, he said, although not all end up checking out the church.

Let's just hope their tattoo artist is better than this guy. Of course, they could always get some ugly Mary tattoos.

How clean can you kiss a leper?

Every once in a while, a row will be kicked up concerning the liturgy by a group of parishioners who don't like the Latin, hate a bigger church with younger people and don't care for change at all.
Hrmmmm...
A group of old white people who hate foreign language, expansion of borders, young people and change?
Wow.
We gots Tea Party!

But yesterday, we sang a few congregational songs that should surely soothe the savage beasts.

One of the songs we chose has sort of a sing-songy melody and a little Janet Jacksony.

The song is called "The Summons" and the melody is an old Scottish theme called "Kelvingrove".

I did a little looking into Kelvingrove and found out that it's the tune of a ditty called "Oh the Shearin's No' for You". Which isn't about sheep, as the singers of "Burning Bridget Cleary" say in their intro to our next video, it's about a man who tells his wife "she's too old for fun". Give a listen.

Further back, as if that song weren't dreary enough, it seems the original tune was about a rape. The story is how the victim was forced to marry her assailant as she was pregnant from the attack:
Well I'll no kill you deid my bonnie lassie o
No I'll no kill you deid my bonnie lassie o
No I'll no kill you deid, nor will I harm your pretty heid
I will marry you with speed my bonnie lassie o


I guess marriage is better than being deid.

The liturgical adaptation of Kelvingrove, The Summons, has some equally disturbing bits to it.

No, the disturbing part isn't the rapid fire old folks chorus or the womyn priestess. It's the overabundance of loving, touching and leper-kissing that skeeves me out.

Will you let the blinded see
If I but call your name?
Will you set the pris’ners free
And never be the same?
Will you kiss the leper clean,
And do such as this unseen,
And admit to what I mean
In you and you in me?

Will you love the ‘you’ you hide
If I but call your name?
Will you quell the fear inside
And never be the same?
Will you use the faith you’ve found
To reshape the world around,
Through my sight and touch and sound
In you and you in me?
  
Is it just me or when a guy sings that song and even if you know it's about Jesus it makes Jesus seem creepy and needy? And a bad pick up artist.

And to the demands of Lord Touchtouchmethere, I have to answer a resounding "NO". I ain't kissing no lepers clean. I don't think I can. I don't even think I'm canonically allowed to kiss a clean leper.
And who's the 'you' I'm hiding? And why is the 'you' in quotes? What makes that you so special?

I'd expect better out of the composer. I mean, this from the guy who sang "Christmas Katie" and "Can't Get High"?

John Bell of Widespread Panic

Oh..wait...wrong John Bell.

This is the John Bell who wrote it.
John Bell is the most prolific composer of liturgical music from Scotland's Iona Community; his songs are noted equally for their solid theology, their concern for justice, and their ease for congregational singing. His work is distributed in the U.S. by GIA Publications
Iona. Justice. Congregational Singing. GIA. Wow, even Widespread would think this is too far out.

Ughh. There is nothing wholly scriptural, catechetical or just about this song. If I was in a park or maybe a skate park and sang it, I'd be tazered and Batman'd. Litmus test for Jesus songs: You can sing them around children without being pepper sprayed. This one fails.

Liturgical music for a while was all about touching, hugging and dancing but, to quote the old song:
Tak' the buckles frae yer shoon, my bonnie lassie o
Tak' the buckles frae yer shoon, my bonnie lassie o
Tak' the buckles frae yer shoon, for you've married sic a loon
An' yer dancin' days are done, my bonnie lassie o

From the "cool Catholic stuff" file...

The Catholic cathedral of St. Joseph in Buffalo, New York, recently discovered a long-lost piece of its own history, tucked away in the corner of the building's sacristy. A rare tapestry - apparently a gift from Pope Pius IX (d. 1878) to the diocese's first bishop, Bishop John Timon (d. 1867).

The design of the tapestry displays the feasts on the Church calendar (as it stood in the 1860s) for all 365 days of the year. For each feast day, a relic is sewn into the fabric. Relics of hundreds of saints are joined to the tapestry and, in the center is a relic of the True Cross - a tiny sliver of wood from what it believed to be the Cross of Christ. The relic of the True Cross is surrounded by the Latin words: "In hoc, vinces" (In this, conquer) - an ancient motto connected with Constantine, the first Christian Roman Emperor.

You can read the full article from the Buffalo News about the historic find here. Just an all around cool Catholic story. FWIW, the reliquary/tapestry is now hanging prominently in the cathedral's sacristy.

Catholic chic: Saints for Sinners... groupon!

I've written before about Saints for Sinners - the eye-catching medals straight from the heart of New Orleans. If you don't own one of their hand-painted medals, you should. And for a limited time, they have a groupon which allows you to buy two medals for the price of one. Great deal.

Do I get anything for this shameless product plug? No.

But I'm always willing to get the word out on ways that we can reclaim our Catholic identity. Wearing a saint medal or a Miraculous Medal is one definitive way to do just that. Plus, they're just cool.

I've bought these medals both online and in New Orleans and can vouch for the superb customer service and quality product that Rob provides. Just wanted to pass on to all our readers, the fact that with the groupon, you can get a great deal on a great medal. Good stuff all around.

Happy Festum Asinorum!

The Venerable Ass

Today on the medieval calendar, Churches celebrated "THE FEAST OF THE ASS".This politically incorrect tale tells us more:

The 'Festival of the Ass,' and other religious burlesques of a similar description, derive their origin from Constantinople; being instituted by the Patriarch Theophylact, with the design of weaning the people's minds from pagan ceremonies, particularly the Bacchanalian and calendary observances, by the substitution of Christian spectacles, partaking of a similar spirit of licentiousness,—a principle of accommodation to the manners and prejudices of an ignorant people, which led to a still further adoption of rites, more or less imitated from the pagans. According to the pagan mythology, an ass, by its braying, saved Vesta from brutal violence, and, in consequence, ' the coronation of the ass ' formed a part of the ceremonial feast of the chaste goddess.

 
An elaborate sculpture, representing a kneeling ass, in the church of St. Anthony at Padua, is said to commemorate a miracle that once took place in that city. It appears that one morning, as St. Anthony was carrying the sacrament to a dying person, some profane Jews refused to kneel as the sacred vessels were borne past them. But they were soon rebuked and put to contrition and shame, by seeing a pious ass kneel devoutly in honour of the host. The Jews, converted by this miracle, caused the sculpture to be erected in the church. It takes but little to make a miracle.
http://www.thebookofdays.com/months/jan/14.htm

There also was a corruption of the liturgy on this feast day that went like this:

 

Mass was continued, and at its end, apparently without awakening the least consciousness of its impropriety, the following direction (in Latin) was observed: In fine Missae sacerdos, versus ad populum, vice 'Ite, Missa est', ter hinhannabit: populus vero, vice 'Deo Gratias', ter respondebit, 'Hinham, hinham, hinham.'(At the end of Mass, the priest, having turned to the people, in lieu of saying the 'Ite missa est', will bray thrice; the people instead of replying 'Deo Gratias' say, 'Hinham, hinham, hinham.')*

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feast_of_the_Ass

The more things change...

I made up some downloadable Feast Day cards for all of you to print up and, maybe this Sunday, pass on to your Ass at Mass (rhymes!)!

Front

Back

*hinham must mean "hee haw" in Latin. Still sounds funny.

A thought-provoking Catholic response to "Jesus>religion"

If you've seen the video "Jesus>religion" (aka "Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus"), you probably nodded your head in agreement with some of the, thoughts... er, lyrics. It has a strong emotional appeal (not to mention great video editing). But is it all true?

Bad Catholic has a thought-provoking response to the video that's burning up the ether around the net:

It’s worth beginning with this: I agree with this guy on a lot of points. He reminds us Catholics of a striking truth; that without a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, religion is a joke. He speaks the truth that Christ died for our sins, once and for all. I can’t help but think, in the midst of all this, that this hating-religion-loving-Jesus thing is the logical consequence of Protestantism. For a 21st-century Protestant looking at a thousand-something churches, I imagine there is an immense temptation to say “It’s all a wash. I will follow Christ, not a religion,” and be done with it. I empathize with him, knowing that if I were a Protestant I would be in full agreement: There is either one, true religion or there is no religion at all. 

But nevertheless, there are two main problems with this video. 1. Jesus Christ would strongly disagree with it. That is to say, the creator of this video is very, very wrong. 2. He’s very, very wrong with some great video editing, good background music, a strong emotional appeal, catchy rhyme, and all in relatively well-timed YouTube moment. He’s wrong in style. When a man gains immense popularity by making blanket statements stylistically, how likely is it that his followers will read a rebuttal making specific statements prosaically? I don’t know, but rebut I must, for it is the duty of the Catholic to resist fashion and fads, no matter how unfashionable he looks doing it.

Catholicism: Taking the long, boring route to Truth since 37 A.D.

So onto the first bit of silliness — the idea that Jesus came to abolish religion. Unforgivable. He literally said the opposite: “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” What were the Law and the Prophets? Judaism. What is Judaism? A religion. What did Jesus specifically say he was NOT going to abolish? That’s right. A religion. (Aaand you just got Kris Kringled.)

This is made apparent not only in the words, but in the actions of Jesus Christ. Whether you believe in the sacraments or not, there is no doubt that Christ established ritual. It’s one thing to ignore Christ’s statement to “eat my body.” It’s another to ignore his command to “do this in memory of me.”

Christ commanded that we have ritual. The early church followed this ritual, they obeyed his command to “do this in memory of me.” We know this because Paul says: “Is not the cup of blessing which we bless a sharing in the blood of Christ? Is not the bread which we break a sharing in the body of Christ?” Does the mere Christ-follower-religion-hater obey Christ’s command to eat his body and drink his blood, and to do it in memory of Him? I do not mean ask whether they believe in the True Presence of Christ in the bread and wine, I simply mean to ask whether they follow the ritual Christ established at all? If not, it would seem that to be a Christ-follower is to ignore the commands Christ bids you follow. And there’s more of this Christ guy being ridiculously religious. 

He established a priesthood in the Apostles. If that word freaks you out, I’ll rephrase: He gave certain men very distinct roles. 

Christ gave them the power to forgive sins: ”If you forgive the sins of any, their sins have been forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they have been retained.” (John 20:23)
He gave men power to make decisions concerning doctrine: ”I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” (Matthew 18:18) 

He built a Church: “And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” (Matthew 16:18)
He called men to the sacrament of Baptism. These are not things available to the mere Christ-follower, unless he truly believes that whatever he binds on earth will be bound in heaven, and all the rest. So knowing that Christ so clearly established a Church, with rituals, with priests, and with sacraments, our man’s statement “What if I told you Jesus came to abolish religion?” can only be answered with, “What if He told you you were wrong?” 

“If religion is so great, why has it started so many wars?” says he. And honestly, thisseems to be his only real charge against religion, all else is mere personal experience. While it is true that a war may be fought over an excess of hatred, it is equally true that a war may be fought for an excess love of freedom. A man may strike another man because he is filled to bursting with bitter, archaic beliefs. He may also strike a man to stop him from killing a baby. The fact that religion starts wars could equally be held as evidence that religion is good as evidence that it is bad. For men desire good and will fight for it far more often than they will fight for bad. Did Christ not say “I have not come to bring peace, but the Sword?” And of course this is true, I know it on a personal level: I would not be tempted to fight the man who slanders me. I would be tempted fight the man who slanders my God. Christ brings me the Sword. Would I be morally justified in my desire to fight? Probably not. The point is simply that it is Iwho am accountable the fight, not my religion. If it is a bad thing to fight, my religion is the good for which I would forget myself and be bad. That is no more reason for rejecting religion than for rejecting your wife, who — when threatened — might very well lead you to kill.

Do not take away the ennoblement of the poor. 

He goes on: “Why does [religion] build huge churches, but fails to feed the poor.” I’m getting serious ‘by-religion-I-mean-Catholicism’ vibes from our man. First of all, religion does not fail to feed the poor. What — if you don’t mind me asking — is the number-one most charitable organization in the universe? The Red Cross? Nope. The Secular Humanist Aid and Relief Effort? Hahahahaha, but no. It’s the Roman Catholic Church. As for the building big churches bit, I could give an entire post on how silly of an attack that is, and how insulting it is to the poor man,but I already did. For now I’ll just say this: Go to a man in poverty who attends a beautiful church and offer to tear down the beauty that surrounds him, to melt down the gold so he can buy more food. You will never see a man more insulted. 

He then gives himself away. “[Religion] tells single Moms God doesn’t love them if they’ve had a divorce.” Alright. This is one of those few times I actually get annoyed. First of all, unless you’re the WBC, there is not a single Christian denomination that says that there is any possible way you could get God not to love you. This is a basic premise of Christianity. We are never unloved. We may reject God, but He never, ever, ever rejects us. So I’ll take his “God doesn’t love…” bit to actually mean religion is against divorce. But there is only one major Christian denomination that is opposed to divorce: The Roman Catholic Church. So when this man says ‘religion’ — in this case — he means The Roman Catholic Church. And it’s true, we have the terrible habit of believing Christ meant what he said: 

“They said, “Moses permitted a man to write a certificate of divorce and send her away.” “It was because your hearts were hard that Moses wrote you this law,” Jesus replied. “But at the beginning of creation God ‘made them male and female. For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate.”‘ 

So once again, I must ask, why is it that following Christ while disdaining religion leads to the direct contradiction of Christ’s teachings? It’s a silliness of modern Christianity, to love Christ partially — “Ah yes, he saved me, died for me, opened the gates of Heaven for me, and I accept him as my personal Lord and Savior, but not what he said about that whole no divorce thing. That was just whack and unloving.” 

A common theme throughout the video is our man’s complaint that religion is just behavior modification, a list of rules to follow, and thus doesn’t get to the core of the matter — the call to love Christ as a response to his sacrifice on the cross. First of all, this is an absolutely valid critique of what religion should not be. If it is just a set of rules and not a love affair, it is dead. You can’t have works without faith any more than you can have faith without works. But the idea that following rules is inherently contradictory to loving Christ flies in the face — yet again — not of religion, but of Christ. He says, “If you love me, keep my commandments.” Love of Christ requires obedience to his commands. You cannot have one without the other. 

Our man then clarifies — He loves the Bible. This is interesting. Did Christ hand out Bibles before he ascended into Heaven? No. The Bible is the product of a religion. A religion is called Catholicism.“If Jesus came to your church, would they let him in?”
Um, yes. We actually snagged a picture.

So this is awkward. 

But in all seriousness, the last part of the video is awesome. It’s a darn good explanation of how Christ died for our sins, how we are saved not by our own merits, but by his Grace. I’m not sure why it goes against Christ to be a religion that teaches exactly what our man is teaching in this video. 

“Because I believe that when Jesus said ‘It is Finished’, he meant it.” When Jesus said it is finished he died, and yes, without a doubt, his sacrifice was found acceptable to God. It truly is finished — nothing can take away the fact that we have been redeemed. But we can choose to reject this redemption. That’s why after the Resurrection, Christ appeared to Peter — upon whom he had said he would build His Church — and told him “feed my lambs.” Christ knew we would need instruction, guidance and example. Jesus established a Church to proclaim to the end’s of the earth that “It is Finished.” He established a religion to make known his salvation. I reject the video’s message, not simply because it wades in the shallows of theology, forever fearing to plunge into the depths of what Christ actually did here on Earth, but because it is lonely. It is a call to figure out the mysteries of God on one’s own, with nothing but a book one must deny was given to him by religion. No, this is silly. God gave us a Church to aid us on the journey, so that we might be one. To love Jesus and hate religion is equivalent to calling upon a doctor and smashing all his instruments when he arrives. 

This my basic critique. It is not a true defense of the concept of religion, which I defend not so much as something good or bad, but as an urge as primordial and wonderful as sex and song. It isn’t a small thing that we seek to understand, it is the framework of our universe, by which we understand everything else. But as usual, the Internet isn’t big enough for all that. Still, it’s only fair that if we started with a stylized, anti-religion video, we can end with a stylized pro-religion video: 

Popular Catechetics Lied To Me, pt 122

James Joyce used an ipatch to do his writing. Haha...

January 13th is the anniversary of the death of novelist, James Joyce (d. 1941). Joyce was an Irish writer, poet and, to make this about us, an influence on William Faulkner by introducing the "stream-of-consciousness" style of writing. Later known as "blogging".

During my days in seminary, there was this cute thing hip-young priests, short-haired sisters in Birkenstocks, and poofy haired housewives-cum-theologians known as DRE's, would say: "As the writer James Joyce said, 'Catholic means '"here comes everybody"''" or the even bolder, "As James Joyce wrote in his work Finnegan's Wake, 'Catholic means "here comes everybody"".



Not willing to admit that I haven't read any of Joyce's works nor familiar with Ulysses, I would laugh knowingly and puff my pipe in the drawing room along with the other lads. In my smoking jacket and slippers.

Today, thinking of Joyce's quote, I decided to check it out on the internet. The only thing that is said about him defining "Catholicism" as "Here Comes Everybody" comes from people saying he said it. Religious people. DRE kind of people. Jesuits who wear turtlenecks and use clay chalices. Holy smart people. Who wear stonewear around their neck. Smart.

But no Joyce scholar has said it and it comes up nowhere in Joyce's quotations. There's even a discussion on a dead Amy Welborn site that argues the invalidity of the statement and THE PLOT TO CORRUPT THE CHURCH by using it. But, then again, the Open Tabernacle (sic) uses it for their theme. Themes. Muhahaha. How DRE'y!

A catechetical (sic) book named for a quote that wasn't about the Church

A book on Catholic education (sic) named for the quote not meant about Catholicism.

Turns out, on the Welborn link, someone had the presence of mind to READ JOYCE and find the quote. Nothing. So the blame goes to Flannery O' Connor (I've read her stuff, by the way) who also said no such thing.

Much to my suspicions, it was untrue. And Joyce? Far from being portrayed as a struggling Catholic, was sort of comfortable with non-belief or at least a belief in a benign God who was not really invested in humanity. Or that's what the internet says.

LOL CATZ NOES MOAR THEN CATUKISTS!

Internet, Internet. You shatter again the illusions of my neo-Catholic upbringing. What's the next veil to drop? Gonna tell me that Tai-Chi isn't a Catholic form of bodily expression like the Spiritual Formation director told me in seminary? Women were not deacons in the Church like the seminars on vocations say?  I guess you'll tell me that liturgists aren't building up the city of God with glad tambourine!

Touch me with your truth, Google. I shall be healed.