St. Dominic Savio

As a theme of this week has been youth, today I salute St. Dominic Savio. Here is a young man who was saintly at a very young age, proving the point that the virtues may be encouraged in children.

So many parents cannot imagine saintly children, but as I wrote in an earlier post, families can be holy and can pass on holiness.

The story of this sweet saint may be found here. St. Dominic Savio, pray for us and all young people throughout the world today.

Joan of Arc and Hope

Today I am thinking of St. Joan of Arc. She is a young hero for today's youth. She is a role model for personal holiness and fidelity to one's conscience. She is an example of a young person who cooperated with grace, a particular grace for a particular time. Her authenticity was based on Hope, the virtue of the soldier and the Church Militant. That she died by treachery is part of the same story we see around us today, the story of betrayal, even of Christian by Christians. That St. Joan puts her mysterious life before us as a symbol of hope, is something I would want to share with all the youth in Ireland, under the age of thirty. Without hope, there is no springtime of youth.

Above is a photo of the young St. Therese, Doctor of the Church, in a drama, as St. Joan of Arc. Also, there is the famous statue of St. Joan. The two women, both young, could not be more different. That this gentle and increasingly ill little nun, whose writings have changed the world, looked to a militant woman, who led one of the greatest armies of the world at her time, is an amazing thought. We need heroes. We need role models. We need greatest shown to us in order to make the best decisions. I pray that parents and educators everywhere inspire youth with such models.

Perfection Part Seven-Stability

As those who have read my blog now and in years past know, my basic spirituality, as best as I can manage in the lay world, is Benedictine. The balance of work, prayer and study has always touched my heart as a student and as a teacher. The trilogy of such different types of focus have helped me stay focussed on the present moment, the sacrament of the time we have now.

One of the best books I ever read as a young person, was Consider Your Call: A Theology of the Monastic Life Today, edited by Daniel Rees. I highly recommend this book for all, to glean something for our daily lives from the riches therein. The other book which actually changed my life is Jean LeClerq's The Love of Learning and the Desire for God, which taught me that the innate love to know, to study, to find Truth is a path to God Himself. I knew this instinctively, to find one's self placed firmly in the Benedictine spirituality is a gift. I recommend this book, especially for scholars.

But, in today's post, I am going to refer to something in the Rule of Benedict, which is not found in the other religious orders and which is a must for the laity in today's crazy, mobile world.

We live in the age of mobility. We move to go to college and university, to obtain work, to get married and live with a spouse from, perhaps, even another country rather than our own. We move daily to and from work, Church, shopping for necessities and even meeting friends. The fidelity to place has been lost in most of our lives through travelling, choice and even, tragedy. My family came to America from Europe, breaking the stability of place in Luxembourg, Moravia and Bohemia. All my siblings, bar one, and myself included, do not live in the town of our birth. As one who moved to England, and also lived in many states for my job and jobs, I moved. But, the Benedictine ideal of stability is what I desire and have always desired. That the modern cultures of most countries demand that we move, stability becomes not only a mirage, but an ideal only seen in the lives of previous generations.

Now, people did travel, even in ancient times, as we know. Britain was visited by St. Joseph of Arimithea and St. Patrick went to Ireland. The saints of the Middle Ages, positively moved back and forth over the mountains and plains of Europe, finally coming to America as missionaries and parents.

The Benedictines are the only order which take an additional vow of stability. Perseverance, even in entering, was a mark of a vocation to St. Benedict. I would like to emphasize that the vow of stability is about “coming home”.

We travellers all know the excitement and joy of moving out of the ordinariness of our daily lives into the new and strange through travel. And, yet, we delight in coming home again. The stability, the symbol of commitment, love and rest all reside in the word “home”. For some of us, homes can be denied us through events in our lives outside of our control. In today's chaotic economics, one can lose one's home, and become a dweller of apartments, or flats. One can even lose one's entire family through tragedies, such as war and illness, or even sin.

 But, the Benedictine ideal of stability teaches us that to be in a place is the only way to face ourselves and become the person God has called us to be. If we are given gifts, we cannot use our gifts easily, if we are constantly moving about. We may even make bad choices which effect the rest of our lives when we lose our roots.

Rootedness is a sign of spiritual contentment. To be rooted in Christ, is the message of St. Paul, who was called to be a missionary, and indeed, some still are called to give up rootedness for such evangelization. Stability of place allows for stability of the heart and mind. As in a good marriage, commitment brings depth. In the Benedictine Rule, stability brings life to the inner person. I connect stability with the idea of the Sacrament of the Present Moment. If I can concetrate and live in the NOW, I can be stable interiorly. If one has a pattern of life, exteriorly, one can develop this pattern interiorly. How many of us get up at the same time daily without the use of an alarm clock? How many of us feel lost if we do not pray and go to daily Mass? These are the marks of a stable heart, even if one is in the world of mobility.

The interior life needs stability so that we are not confused or taken up with novelty and change. Stability allows for growth, like the plant in the ground,which grows from roots.

For me, stability, either interiorly or exteriorly, means that I know that God is with me. He is, like Julian of Norwich told us, the “still point of the turning world”.

And, the virtues of perfection come with stability. Perseverance in the face of sameness and repetition is a virtue. Suffering, from facing the same trials and even people, brings life. Patience, one of the greatest virtues missing in this modern world, comes from waiting and enduring suffering. Like perseverance, it comes only with practice. And, the life of the virtues is what God calls all of us to live.

I suggest that Satan is the great mover who wants to keep us moving and not settling down. He knows that novelty and confusion cause a weakening of focus and even Faith, Hope and Charity. In Dante's Divine Comedy, so many of the souls in hell must keep moving, in a fury of ceaseless, anxious frenzy, as part of the punishment for their sins. If we do not stop moving, we shall never know ourselves, see our sin, wait for God.

St. Benedict's vow is one all the laity should consider, if at all possible. And, if God, through His mysterious plan denies someone stability, one must develop the interior disposition for it, as a missionary would do in a foreign land.

That the missionaries went out in twos or more, was a sign of the need for stability. In company, one can keep schedules for prayer, fasting, charity. Such were those who came to America, such are those who go into the world daily on trains, buses, undergrounds.

Stability=resting in God Alone. Hopefully, we can find others to share in that stability. Such is a real community of grace. Such is holy companionship.

Be not afraid! A repeated message for youth and the not so young, to love, to live

Blessed John Paul II in his Crossing the Threshold of Hope states this: (Youth) is a time given by Providence to every person and given to him as a responsibility. During that time, he searches, like the young man in the Gospel, for answers to basic questions; he searches not only for the meaning of life but also for the concrete way to go about living his life.

As a teacher of youth for years and years, I knew this. Part of it was my excellent Montessori training, wherein I learned that every person has the desire to create the person he or she is called to be by God, and that we cooperate with that natural instinct. Parents must be clued into this fact and guide their children accordingly, to find and help God in the creation of the adult they will become.

What happened? If we desire to be our own person and to help create that person, what happened to that impetus, which is natural and God-given? To desire guidance and mentoring was a natural phenomenon in the family and in schools for centuries. What happened?

Blessed John Paul II notes that, the fundamental problem of youth is profoundly personal. In life, youth is when we come to know ourselves. It is also a time of communion. Young people, whether boys or girls, know they must live for and with others, they know that their life has meaning to the extent that it becomes a free gift for others. Here is the origin of all vocations....

Wow, so the lack of youth following or responding to the call to the priesthood, the religious life, and marriage is a basic indication of the falling off of facing responsibility and coming into one's own personhood, which should happen at the time of youth.

What happened? Earlier, I wrote that hope is lacking. Now, I see as well, that love is missing.

Think back to your youth. Did you not want to love and be loved? Was there not a natural, even actual grace to want to give of one's self to another, to be committed to something or someone?

A certain energy came from this search for communion, as Blessed John Paul II calls it. The personal fullfillment of the self, albeit by dying to self, gave us energy to seek out ourselves, our talents, our place in society and others, even the “significant other”.

To be in love and to love took up so much time in our youth that when I look back I am amazed we studied, ate, grew physically. But, psychologically, we were healthy in our pursuit of communion. Without the others, we knew we were shrivelled shells, with dried peas rattling around inside of us.

I remember coming across a young girl in my generation and a young man who were afraid of love. To me, this was and is the saddest condition of youth. The young woman, who was beautiful and successful, fell into depression. She was afraid to be rejected and therefore would not go out of herself into the world of love. I wonder what happened to her. She could not face the fear of rejection, so she did not sally forth out of herself.

A young man, again handsome and accomplished, wealthy and full of promise, buried himself in the dreams of others, instead of finding his own self. He was too afraid of love and life to seek out who he was in the world, beyond the safety of a group which was unhealthy and cultic. He could not see himself without the props of someone else's vision. Something beautiful died within him when he was in his twenties. Like the young woman above, I do not know what happened to his soul. He wanted to be correct and right so much, he was afraid of making a mistake for love. He was afraid of what, I wonder? Loneliness, rejection, being wrong...? Love takes chances and youth is the time to do so. How many vocations are lost to fear?

And, can one be afraid of love? Can a young person reject love because he or she fear to be known? To me, this is so sad, as to be known and loved is one of the greatest joys in the world. In fact, in a young marriage, such a joy creates three people-the father, the mother and the new baby. Creation wants to create and love wants to love and be loved.

Somewhere, somehow, some youth lost this ability to want to love and be loved. I say this to them, no matter how old they are now, desire love and love will come to you. He is a Person and He is God, but He uses us all to bring love into this world. Take the chance. Here is my challenge to all, to reach out and be the person God wanted you to be. As Blessed John Paul II said so eloquently, “Be not afraid.”

Three Posts for Seminarians in America and Elsewhere

My three posts today all relate to seminarians. I start with the interesting Norms for Priestly Formation. I have been looking at two recommendations which are missing in some of the seminary courses across the United States. I sincerely hope the European seminaries are better in these regards. Firstly, the emphasis on Canon Law surprised and delighted me. I have known many seminarians get to the stage of the temporary deaconate without classes in Canon Law. What has happened in so many seminaries, as in Catholic universities, is that the instructors are allowed to base coursework on their own interests. In other words, the idea of a “core course” is either completely missing, or involves so many alternatives that the courses to which the Norms refers are lacking, or only offered now and then. Here is a quotation from the Norms, which references Lumen gentium:

The Church is inseparably, although under different aspects, a community of grace and a hierarchical Society. One can also see that her structures are and must ever be profoundly determined in their nature by a supernatural point of view. Between the divine and human elements in the Church, the kind of relationship must be maintained which was established by Christ Himself. In the light of the conciliar ecclesiology, therefore, the place and the necessity of Canon Law appear more clearly. The “Law” acquires greater value because its function in the Church's life is better understood.

And again, from the document: It flows from this (emphasis on Christology of Canon Law), there

is a severe need for the proper preparation of canonists. Nobody can deny that even a priest who is directly occupied with the care of souls needs an adequate training in law to carry out suitably his pastoral ministry in the way a good shepherd should.

Now, the problem lies in the interpretation of what has been called “pastoral theology”. Classes, even at the graduate level, discuss such stupid topics as how not to offend benefactors of certain ethnic gifts to the Church, to the sensitivity to the lgtb agenda, with research papers due which I would not have accepted at the undergraduate level in a secular university-that is, with less than five resources and less than perfect grammar and form.

What has happened is the tyranny of the professors, who, instread of following Rome's guidelines, and indeed, ignoring such a phrase as “Instruction in Church Law must be given in such a way that future priests will grasp the principles and norms of the Code, comprehending these principles and norms as ordered to the pastoral life.”

In the minds of too many teachers, there is both a separation between pastoral life and Canon Law, which in reality does not exist. This mind-set is similar to the one which states that the interior life of the soul and the exterior life may be separated by conscience. The other problems involve an over-reaction to false ecumenism, which waters down Canon Law principles, and, indeed, is a heresy of ignoring the differences to supposedly become unified. What is truly missing is the teaching of Logic. This subject, which I had in freshman year of high school, in the good, old days of Classical Education, and which I taught for years at the college and university level, has not been required in some seminaries. How can students learn Canon Law, composition, theology, indeed everything, without Logic?

That the seminaries have dumbed down curriculum, and I am thinking of one of the supposedly most prestigious ones in America, which, again, has lowered the standards for papers and discussion to less than high school level, is a proof of three serious problems:

One, seminaries in America are not favouring intellects. The best and the brightest get bored. The levelling of education into the lowest common denominator reveals an anti-intellectual bias. The States and others places, perhaps, are producing uneducated and perhaps, unteachable priests. Anti-intellectualism is a Protestant bias as well.

Two, even though psychologically and physically the students are being chosen by strict standards, there has been a lowering of expectation on entrance. Too many students, for example, can opt out of Latin, if they are Spanish speakers and can pass the Spanish exam. This is a travesty of high education and disobedience to Rome, which demands Latin in order to study both Scripture and theology. No all less than adequate students are St. John Vianneys and I am personally tired of hearing that as an excuse in lowering academic requirements.

Three, some instructors are chosen who should not be teaching in seminaries, either because they have not been asked to sign the oath and promise to only teach Church doctrine and to live according to the teachings of the Catholic Church, but because they do not understand what a seminarian actually is—in other words, some instructors treat seminarians merely as normal students rather than future priests and even, future bishops. This is a serious lack of understanding at a basic level of the vocation to the priesthood.

To be continued...see below for second and third posts...Let me say that the light of the Church needs excellent and educated young men coming out of the seminaries. Let us pray for more vocations and for obedience to Rome.

Second post....

In the Norms quoted below, and I write this on the great feast of St. Thomas Aquinas in the old calendar, March 7^th, the Church emphasizes the teaching of the greatest philosopher in Church history. Here, I am going to highlight a few references to him in the document which supposedly directs our seminaries.

One, Aquinas hold the principal place among doctors. The Norms quote Pius XII's Address to Seminarians, 24 June 1939. Let teachers listen with respect to the Doctors of the Church, among whom St. Thomas Aquinas holds the principal place. For so great is the power of the angelic Doctor's genius, so sincere his love of truth, and so great his wisdom in investigating the deepest truths, in illustrating them, and linking them together with a most fitting bond of unity, that his teaching nis a most efficacious instrument not only for safeguarding the foundations of the faith, but also in gaining the fruits of healthy progress with profit and security.

Now, my famous story goes back to 1970,when I was taking philosophy classes for a degree, the only girl in courses full of seminarians. One day, I raised my hand and asked the instructor, a priest who recently passed away, when were we going to study St. Thomas Aquinas? The answer,
“Aquinas is passe.” In four years of theology and philosophy, we did not study him once. My seminarian friends, have to take either one or two classes, depending on their choice, and the topics discussed are up to the instructor. There is in at least two major seminaries with which I am familiar, no core coursework of Aquinas.

Two, The Norms clearly note that Aquinas did not separate moral from dogmatic theology. Oh my goodness! This may be the number one error of most teaching in the seminaries. Again, let me quote the document; it is necessary, above all, to have a lively awareness of the link between moral and dogmatic theology, so that moral questions can be treated as a true and fitting theological discipline, in conformity with all the fundamental epistemological and methodological rules that are valid for all of theology. With regard to this it would be as well to refer to St. Thomas Aquinas, who, like other great masters, never separated moral from dogmatic theology, but, instead, inserted it in a unified scheme of systematic theology, as a part that conerns the process by which man, created in the likeness of God and redeemed by the grace of Christ, tends toward his full realization, according to the demands of his divine calling, in the context of the economy of salvation historically realized in the Church.

In 2012, my seminarian friends have never heard of this connection, nor Aquinas' example or study. And some of them will be made deacons soon. Wow, what a loss and what an indication that the Church has not changed much in some institutions with regard to the seriousness of seminary renewal---

Third, the document states that It is under the impulse of the (living patristic) tradition and in the lights of the teaching of St. Thomas Aquinas that theology can and should progress and its teaching be conducted.

In other words, before all, such as the contemporary and modern theologians and philosophers, Aquinas holds not only primary place, but all teaching should be conducted in light of his works.

I can tell you this is NOT happening. With two friends coming up to their deaconate year, only two courses in six years have touched on Aquinas, and one was optional.

Let me end with this quotation: The Decree Optatam totius requires that for “making the mysteries of salvation known as thoroughly as they can be, students should learn to penetrate them more deeply with the help of speculative reason exercised under the tutelage of St. Thomas.”

When the Visitations from Rome occurred in America several years ago, one of the most important criticisms of all the seminaries was the lack of Marian Devotion. Now, this may astound some readers, but I had seminarians tell me in the past several years, that they were disappointed at the lack of celebrations for Marian feasts, including Our Lady of Guadalupe, which were treated as just another feast day, without extras.

The other criticism from sems was the lack of a group rosary, or the organization of rosary time. Instead, at these seminaries, rosaries were considered “private prayer only”, to be said by the seminarians individually, but never as a group. Unless the seminarians took it upon themselves to organize group rosaries, nothing was done.

Now, there are different indulgences for rosaries said publicly rather than privately, and for those seminarians which may not have grown up with this devotion, such a group rosary would provide an impetus and support to say the rosary daily.

Why the lack of the Marian devotion? Such a lack points to several problems with the American Catholic Church. Why the lack of the rosary?

Let me start with the second question first. Blessed John Paul II in his Apostolic Letter, Rosarium Virginis Mariae, now almost ten years old, noted this: Listening and meditation are nourished by silence. After the announcement of the mystery and the proclamation of the words, it is fitting to pause and focus one's attention for a suitable period of time on the mystery concerned, before moving into vocal prayer. A discovery of the importance of silence is one of the secrets of practising contemplation and meditation. One drawback of a society dominated by technology and the mass media is the fact that silence becomes increasingly difficult to achieve. Just as moments of silence are recommended in the Liturgy, so too in the recitation of the Rosary it is fitting to pause briefly after listening to the word of God, while the mind focuses on the content of a particular mystery.

In some seminaries, contemplative prayer is not taught at all. That the rosary is the first form of contemplative prayer one can learn, even as a child, this lack of learning even the basics of meditation and contemplation is shocking. I had a long conversation in the past few months with a young man on his way to the deaconate who did not even know the differences between contemplation and meditation. He had never had a class on the classical types of prayer or how to learn these. The rosary is a beginning.

Returning to the first question, why no Marian devotion, I am going to answer this in a radical fashion. I believe that the lack of love for the Theotokos is tied to homosexuality. The homosexual loves only the self, only the same sex, and is incapable or refuses to love the Other, the female.

If a priest loves Mary, the Mother of God, I see that as a healthy, priestly relationship to a woman in his life, The Woman.

If a priest does not love Mary, the Mother of God, that is a serious psychological as well as spiritual problem. If I were a rector in a seminary and the young man coming forward for the deaconate did not love or have a devotion to Mary, the Mother of God, I would not ordain him. Something is radically wrong with the lack of interest in the Blessed Virgin Mary, and the fact that the Visitation listed the lack of Marian devotion as a serious problem in American seminaries points to the problem of homosexuality as still present in the seminaries, as the level of administration and hierarchy, as well as in the student body. Openness to Mary, The Woman, is a sure sign of a true vocation.

Let me end with a quotation from the above Apostolic Letter: In the process of being conformed to Christ in the rosary, we entrust ourselves in a special way to the maternal care of the Blessed Virgin. She who is both the Mother of Christ and a member of the Church, indeed her “pre-eminent and altogether singular member”, is at the same time the “Mother of the Church”. As such, she continually brings to birth children for the mystical Body of her Son. She does s through her intercession, imploring upon them the inexhaustible outpouring of the Spirit. Mary is the perfect icon of the motherhood of the Church.

Those Who Hate Christ, Hate Us. Those Who Hate the Jews, Hate Us

The Great Spencer has an article on his site concerning the desecration of war graves in Libya. Why can't we realize that this is a clash of cultures bigger than what is seen in the media? That those who hate Christ hate us must be a given....


Headstones at the Benghazi War Cemetery have been torn down and crucifixes smashed with hammers by a mob of extremists, some carrying guns and dressed in combat fatigues. [...]

Graves of RAF pilots were among those shattered by the thugs. It was their job to fly bombing raids – just as the RAF did last year – to assist Lieutenant General Montgomery’s Eighth Army and support commandos clearing routes for tanks.....

As they discover a Jewish grave bearing the Star of David, one of the men says: ‘Look at what it says on it. There is even Israeli writing . . . in Hebrew.’

And in one of the most disturbing sequences, one protester attaches a ladder to the Cross of Remembrance next to the cemetery. He climbs up it and begins hacking at the memorial with a hammer. Then he shouts: ‘Watch out young people. It’s going to fall.’ The cross is then smashed off...

Shame on the BBC, yet again....

You would not believe this unless it came from the horses' mouth, as it were. The Beeb admitted that to mock Jesus is fair-game, but to mock Mohammed, a man, is not. Check this out. Here is a quotation from the Christian Institute site.

Mr Thompson says the BBC would never have broadcast Jerry Springer The Opera – a controversial musical that mocked Jesus – if its target had been Mohammed.

He made the remarks in an interview for a research project at the University of Oxford.

Mr Thompson said: “The point is that for a Muslim, a depiction, particularly a comic or demeaning depiction, of the Prophet Mohammed might have the emotional force of a piece of grotesque child pornography.

Each priest must stand or fall with Rome

Check out this blog for a sad story of priests standing up for the Church being persecuted. No wonder priests back down, and do not serve their parishes.

The English Martyrs

On V for Victory, find this article on Father Guarnizo. Either we stand with Rome, or we fall. 

-- Canon 915 of the Code of Canon Law provides:

Those who have been excommunicated or interdicted after the imposition or declaration of the penalty and others obstinately persevering in manifest grave sin are not to be admitted to holy communion.

What happened to the Work Ethic? The Politics of Envy and Rage vs. Christ

I was raised in the Midwest, in Iowa, to be exact. We inherited, as children, the Work Ethic from our parents and grandparents, even though some were academics. Everyone in my family, cousins, brothers, uncles, aunts, work hard and still do. But, I am in a country where the culture is different. Now, to be fair, if one did not work on the prairie, one would probably die. My ancestors were on the Oregon Trail. They had to work hard. They had to survive and did. My European ancestors worked in Europe. They were government officials, politicians, judges, dairy farmers, writers, mothers, priests, nuns. They worked hard.

Motivation for work can vary. as some people work for material benefits. Some to "get by", some for the shear joy of working. There are "work alcoholics", but I think that is a dying race. A certain energy came from the Church's teaching on the worthiness of work in and of itself. We have the great Pope Leo XIII's encyclical on Work.  Here is the Vatican link. Here is a bit of this masterpiece.

To remedy these wrongs the socialists, working on the poor man's envy of the rich, are striving to do away with private property, and contend that individual possessions should become the common property of all, to be administered by the State or by municipal bodies. They hold that by thus transferring property from private individuals to the community, the present mischievous state of things will be set to rights, inasmuch as each citizen will then get his fair share of whatever there is to enjoy. But their contentions are so clearly powerless to end the controversy that were they carried into effect the working man himself would be among the first to suffer. They are, moreover, emphatically unjust, for they would rob the lawful possessor, distort the functions of the State, and create utter confusion in the community. 

5. It is surely undeniable that, when a man engages in remunerative labor, the impelling reason and motive of his work is to obtain property, and thereafter to hold it as his very own. If one man hires out to another his strength or skill, he does so for the purpose of receiving in return what is necessary for the satisfaction of his needs; he therefore expressly intends to acquire a right full and real, not only to the remuneration, but also to the disposal of such remuneration, just as he pleases. Thus, if he lives sparingly, saves money, and, for greater security, invests his savings in land, the land, in such case, is only his wages under another form; and, consequently, a working man's little estate thus purchased should be as completely at his full disposal as are the wages he receives for his labor. But it is precisely in such power of disposal that ownership obtains, whether the property consist of land or chattels. Socialists, therefore, by endeavoring to transfer the possessions of individuals to the community at large, strike at the interests of every wage-earner, since they would deprive him of the liberty of disposing of his wages, and thereby of all hope and possibility of increasing his resources and of bettering his condition in life. 

6. What is of far greater moment, however, is the fact that the remedy they propose is manifestly against justice. For, every man has by nature the right to possess property as his own. This is one of the chief points of distinction between man and the animal creation, for the brute has no power of self direction, but is governed by two main instincts, which keep his powers on the alert, impel him to develop them in a fitting manner, and stimulate and determine him to action without any power of choice. One of these instincts is self preservation, the other the propagation of the species. Both can attain their purpose by means of things which lie within range; beyond their verge the brute creation cannot go, for they are moved to action by their senses only, and in the special direction which these suggest. But with man it is wholly different. He possesses, on the one hand, the full perfection of the animal being, and hence enjoys at least as much as the rest of the animal kind, the fruition of things material. But animal nature, however perfect, is far from representing the human being in its completeness, and is in truth but humanity's humble handmaid, made to serve and to obey. It is the mind, or reason, which is the predominant element in us who are human creatures; it is this which renders a human being human, and distinguishes him essentially from the brute. And on this very account - that man alone among the animal creation is endowed with reason - it must be within his right to possess things not merely for temporary and momentary use, as other living things do, but to have and to hold them in stable and permanent possession; he must have not only things that perish in the use, but those also which, though they have been reduced into use, continue for further use in after time. 

The envy of the poor must be addressed. In America and in Europe, there is a hatred of wealth, which is against the Catholic Faith. God has not created all men with the same talents, nor has He endowed all peoples with the same gifts to gain wealth. Tragedies, set-backs, even natural disasters, such as Katrina and floods in the Midwest, or tornadoes. can cause instant poverty. Ill health can cause poverty. But, the poor must never be incited to envy, which is happening all over the world. I have written on this before. That the poor accept their status is a crucial point in Catholic teaching. Did not Christ Himself state that, "For the poor you have always with you; but me you have not always." John 12:8

But, it suits POTUS and others in Europe to fan the flames of class warfare and keep using the language of Marx, so that even Catholics do not see that they have absorbed an evil class hatred. The Work Ethic, which many ascribe to the Protestant idea that if a person is saved, God blesses one in this life as a sign of Predestination. The key book on this is The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism by Max Weber, which I read in college and studied keenly. If you have not read this, take time to do so. 

While not getting into detail here, I think that the problem of the lack of the work ethic has spread from a frankly, slothful attitude of procrastination and envy purposefully encouraged by the Politics of Envy and Rage. If Western Civilization is going to fall, and it is crumbling, the anarchists who want no government but all benefits, no morality but all the cookies and milk, will win the day.

Fulton J. Sheen 

Catholic parents must pass on the duties of chores, work, and the dignity of poverty to their children. That God Himself chose to be poor in this world is not spoken of enough. Here is one of my favorite passages in Scripture. But emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men, and in habit found as a man. Philippians 2:7

That God emptied Himself of Glory to enter the world as a Man is hardly alluded to from the pulpit. How can we imagine Christ's sacrifice without knowing what a great poverty this was? Is not the Eucharist the Perfect Example of God's Poverty in the world?

Prayers for Priests-Eight

His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI's Prayer for Priests

LORD JESUS CHRIST,
eternal High Priest, you offered yourself to the
Father on the altar of the Cross and through the
outpouring of the Holy Spirit gave your priestly
people a share in your redeeming sacrifice.
Hear our prayer for the sanctification of our priests.
Grant that all who are ordained to the ministerial
priesthood may be ever more conformed to you,
the divine Master. May they preach the
Gospel with pure heart and clear conscience.
Let them be shepherds according to your own Heart,
single- minded in service to you and to the Church
and shining examples of a holy,simple and joyful life.
Through the prayers of the Blessed Virgin Mary,
your Mother and ours,draw all priests and the flocks
entrusted to their care to the fullness of eternal life where
you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.

AMEN

BENEDICTUS PP. XVI 

Another Great Latin Mass

Praise Be to Jesus Christ for His Goodness.

Got to another Latin Mass and am still surprised at the lack of these in Ireland.

See this website for sermons.

Do not tell me Eire is Catholic--Fianna Fail supports gay "marriage"

Here is the link with the news. And, there is another link. The Republican party here in Ireland has approved as part of their party platform civil gay marriage.

Here is a long quotation for the "there" link:


Marriage Equality have welcomed news that Fianna Fáil delegates at this weekend's Ard Fheis have voted in favour of giving equal marriage rights to all people, regardless of race, religion, gender or sexual orientation, as well as backing a motion calling for same-sex couples to be given full adoption rights as heterosexual couples.

"The importance of today's vote cannot be overstated," said Marriage Equality Director Moninne Griffith. "We are delighted that Fianna Fáil delegates agree with the majority of Irish people who support marriage equality, and voted in favour of equal rights for same-sex couples, our families and our children."

Delegates at the Ard Fheis supported both motions, reportedly despite Fianna Fáil's Justice Spokesperson Dara Calleary's recommendation that the issues be left under the remit of the Government's upcoming Constitutional Convention. Marriage Equality is committed to fully engaging with the Constitutional Convention, and has urged supporters to contact their elected representatives to ensure that the voices of those affected by the marriage ban - gay and lesbian couples, their families and children - are heard during the process.

If the clergy do not speak up against this, and the people do not stop supporting this party, they are all participating in evil. Period.

R.I.P. Isabelle

Remember weeks ago when I asked you to pray for Isabelle, a friend of a student at Dublin University? She died yesterday afternoon, a young girl, lovely, in her twenties, of a brain tumor and complications. God have mercy on her and pray for her family. Thank you.

Pro-Life in Ireland

I shall get back to less provincial posts, but as I am in Ireland, I thought it was important to share with Catholics the real status of the Church here, both in the clergy and in the laity.

The pro-life movement here is practically non-existent, despite the fact that the Irish government want to introduce abortion and the fact that here, at this center in Dublin, a woman can get any anti-life advice and products she desires. At this, Marie Stopes Clinic, the morning after pill, an abortifacient, is available. I talked with six Irish adults who are Latin Mass Catholics, who did not know this. Why? Why are so many Irish in denial as to what is happening right under their noses, and blocks away from their churches?

The Irish problem with pro-life is a three-fold problem. As an American Catholic who has seen pro-life movements in many states and been involved a bit both in England and in the States, I can spot the problems.

One, the laity do not organize themselves here readily. There is no grass-roots political movements. When I lived and worked in Missouri, the pro-life movement, which is strong and vibrant, was organized both at the diocesan level and at the parish levels, by the laity. This is OUR JOB. We are the ones who have babies and families and pass on the pro-life message to the next generation.

To blame the priests is a lame excuse for the lack of political activity. It is shameful for adults to blame their priests for their own lack of activism.

Second, the larger Catholic community here is in denial as to the abortion machine in Ireland and continually blame the European Union for laws or clinics. No, the youth and even the middle-aged Catholic woman wants contraception. I saw this is Malta as well, where the birthrate is 1.2 babies per woman, proving that the 98% of women who claim to be Catholic are not.

In Ireland, there is a myth about the Catholic in the pew, which must be faced if real evangelization is to occur. I can see that Catholics are in denial about the pain about the apostasy, pretending it doesn't matter that their children do not go to Mass, live with their partners and contracept.

Third, and this is most serious, without pointing to any names, or parties, the pro-life movement is too connected to the Republican movement. This must end. I cannot believe that strong pro-lifers blame Great Britain for the secularization of the Irish Republic, thinking wrongly that if all of the island was united, there would be no abortion or contraception. This is false, for the reasons stated above. Republicanism is a disease, which blinds the eyes and hardens the heart. The pro-life movement must be freed from any influences and be international, a universal Catholic movement, joining Catholics and Christians who are pro-life. This is the strength of Truth. In addition, the Catholics are not more holy or more pure than their Protestants brothers and sisters. The secularization and materialism of the younger generations proves this.

God must bring some lay men and women to the fore who are freed from the hatred, yes, hatred of the past and move on in order to have a strong pro-life movement in Ireland.

It is a question of forgiveness, which I wrote about months ago. Unless the Irish Catholic gets over the past, there will be no future for the Catholic Church in Ireland. And, the Eucharistic Congress is a misguided attempt, as I noted below, of a false ecumenism. Only the realization that one must work in differences and with differences, can the pro-life movement work here. One cannot deny the Catholic connections, nor can one exclude Protestants. God help all the babies destroyed today and their mothers and fathers. God help the pro-life movement in Ireland.

The Deadly Heritage of Socialism in Ireland

What an odd thing happened in the Emerald Isle. While no one was paying attention, the vast majority of Irish have become die-hard socialists and many, communists. That such political positions are heresies seems to have missed the sensitivities of the voting public. Every single Irish man and woman with whom I have had interesting conversations here in the past ten weeks, every one has supported the political ideology of socialism. I am astounded.

Unlike the American Traditional Catholics, who hate socialism and tend to be GOP or Independents, the Traditional Catholics and Liberal Catholics here see nothing wrong with socialism. I have tried to point out the long history of condemnation of this sinister form of ideology over and over again in healthy and respectful discussions over coffee and tea. There is a total blindness concerning the evils of socialism and Marxism. Several Latin Mass Catholics have told me that all of the three main parties are socialist and one is especially Marxist, but these good people vote for such candidates despite this knowledge. No one tries for alternative parties.

Why? Why is there no grass roots party or Independent movement here in Eire, a party which would be blatantly pro-life, anti-socialist, anti-communist, and pro-family? Why is it that those in the pew are so meek and accepting of political activity which is so against the teaching of the Catholic Church? Why are there Catholic Marxists in Ireland?

One realizes that in many EU countries, the communist party is actually outlawed. But, Marxism can sneak in under different titles, such as labour unions, or social services. That the priests in the pulpit have ignored such teachings from the excellent Popes from 1846 on is a true scandal.

The Republic of Ireland is not a republic. It may be in the imaginations of those who remember the past in song and myth, but in reality, there is no republican government as an American would define the term.

That the heresies of socialism and Marxism run amok unchallenged show me that these will be the death of the Republic of Ireland. Some trad Catholics talk to me of the Republican desires for a united Ireland. Why? If the Republic is just as socialist as Great Britain, or even more so, what is the point of reunification? That Catholics believe in socialism, and thus have traded the God of the Catholic Church for the god of the State will call down a judgement on this lovely island. God is a Jealous God and His Justice will not stand aside for the injustice of socialism. And socialism is unjust, taking the individual and recreating him into a child of the all­-powerful State. Eire is a real
nanny state, and no one is standing up against this insidious entrenched political philosophy, so contrary to Church teaching.

A Catholic Carpe Diem

A Catholic Carpe Diem, this post is for bloggers. And, I claim Fulton J. Sheen as one of my patrons on the Net. A day in the life of a blogger depends on the person's real job. Now, for most bloggers, a vocation to the priesthood, married life, motherhood and fatherhood may be part of the blogging day. A job or profession most likely marks most Catholic bloggers, who can be Canon lawyers, secular lawyers, university professors, artists, journalists, writers, students, computer “guys”, or home schooling moms. Blogging is an addition to the busy schedule of most. The quality of the blog depends upon the time and technological skills of the bloggers. For example, for one blogger, a posting may take 20 minutes. For another, 30 minutes, and for some bright sparks, 10 minutes. But, the real mark of every blogger is passion.

The passion of the Catholic blogger is to communicate the beautiful Faith of our Catholic Church, and give of the five loaves and two fishes which have been given to that writer, especially in a busy schedule. A blog may be what is left over in the baskets at the end of the day, or even the week. Or, the blog could be one of the five loaves.

For most Catholic and traditional bloggers, a blog is a means of evangelizing, in the “new evangelization” of Blessed John Paul II. The Internet may very well not always be a place of truly free speech. I am not writing this out of paranoia, but have already shown below in some articles, the coming United Nations effort to bow to less than free cultures regarding electronic communication. We in the West expect to be able to stand on our virtual soap-box and say what we will, without being harrassed. This may not always be the case. And, so, the passion of the blogger is to get across as much real Truth, real Catholic information as possible in a short period of time. Hence, the needed passion to communicate falls within a framework of the “now”. What is important “now” for Catholics?

By the “now”, I do not mean the ephemeral or the trendy. I mean what is important for the corporate life of the Faithful. Sometimes the now means sharing a prayer, or being a prophet, or a teacher. Sometimes the now means answering questions, or communicating important local and international Catholic events, both good and not so good. One can imagine examples in the last three months where the Catholic blogging community has worked more hours than usual on the question of Catholic freedom of conscience in America. And, that is not the only issue.

I am convinced that I am part of a growing number of bloggers who try to make up what has been missing in the catechesis of two, maybe three, generations. One person here in Ireland, four years older than myself, was never taught Catechism in school. The lack of education for some has created the Catholic Traditional Blog, which attempts to fill in the gap for adult education for those who are on the computer and on the Internet. I have read that sixty-percent of the Irish public have Internet access at home. This is not my personal experience, quite the contrary. Or, if there is access, only the very young, or under thirties use it regularly and not those older. Access is limited elsewhere, as I have already noted on this blog.

Was is appalling are the numbers of adults who are not on the computer and not on the Internet, who do not have access to the real teaching of the Catholic Church, or simply, do not know where to find the resources. Such adults will remain as children and even may be endangering their salvation by remaining in ignorance. Any adult who remains in ignorance of the teachings of the Church in 2012 is guilty of sloth or disinterestedness. The second is a serious sin of neglect.

I have been told over and over again in England and in Ireland that adults “do not have time for religious learning”. The pursuit of mortgages, cars, careers and even a developed social life have pushed the responsibility to learn and appropriate the Faith to the back-burner.

I have written on this before, almost two months ago. We shall be judged on our own merits, or lack thereof, and not on the merits of Father ABC, who did not teach us the Faith.

The blogging community wants to share the Faith, Hope and Love given to us by Christ with the whole world. If some Catholics are not interested or are too busy to pursue learning the Truth of the Teaching Magisterium of the Church, we can only hope that some day soon, the little light of realization will show them that now is the time to grow in Faith and Reason, knowledge and grace. We may not have the leisure or the means “later”.

I compare blogging with missionary work. In my home town, the oldest existing Church was founded by an Italian missionary priest, who travelled on horseback along the Mississippi River spreading the Gospel and setting up parishes. He moved with whatever was available at the time-a horse, backpack, Bible, Missal, Mass kit, vestments, food and water. He may have travelled with others, like a tracker, or guide, or a few lay assistants. But, he moved, from Italy to Iowa and then up and down the edges of the Great River.

If he had not done this, many families would have died in the Faith. We are the missionaries of the world of the Internet. I would like to think that in any little way, we encourage the Faith.

The missionary priests, and my great-uncle was one who came to help the Czech community in northern Iowa, faced horrible dangers and inconveniences--weather, unfriendly natives, unfriendly Protestants, lack of provisions, lack of books, even lack of housing and clothing. We who sit in our dens, classrooms, living rooms, or Internet cafes, face no problems except perhaps not enough change for a second cup of coffee, or the temporary loss of electricity, or travelling through a “dead zone”. But, this may not always be the case. Blog away, fellow bloggers, while you can. The days of freedom may be shorter than one would hope.

The Parish Priest Has No More Power In Ireland

Talking with local Irish men and women, I discovered that as late as forty years ago, the priest's word was respected, was “law” in the countryside of Eire. If two lads were in a fight, the threat of someone getting the local priest involved was enough to stop the fight. If there were domestic problems, the priest was called in and both husband and wife would listen to his advice. If the problems were financial, or job related, the priest was consulted.

The priest was the local police and advisor all rolled into one. He was respected and looked up to, almost to a point where the adult population responded in humility like children. In some cases, this could be a bad thing, but the culture demanded a local guru, and the village or town parish priest fulfilled that role.

Now, those Catholics who are honest, will tell you that this respect fell away before the sex scandals. The less than honest ones will blame everything on the scandals, like the media does here, almost like a blood sport.

But, the lessening of the power of the local priest happened much earlier than the knowledge of those priests who not only sinned against God, but against children.

Respect for the priest faded away with the love affair of the Irish with material wealth and ostentatious show of money. Those older ones in the villages have memories of an Ireland in the fifties and sixties which proved that Ireland, even as late as 1962 has the standard of living of a third world country. Young people were immigrating to America, Australia, and Canada, like some are today, for the good life. Those who stayed behind waited, being, perhaps, less adventurous, or more careful of the old ways. As one of the men I met recently in the “sticks” said to me, “The best men went to America, the worst to England, and those who could not make up their minds, stayed here.”

Two things changed the role of the priest in the villages as far as I can glean from the locals. First, was the growing desire for material welfare, the hearkening of the siren song of the EU for a higher standard of living and a lifestyle more in keeping with the more materialistic nations of the world. In other words, America's worst sin, that of greed and gross materialism, entered the Irish imagination. Connected to the pursuit of wealth was the lower class desire for showy wealth. One of my friends here said that if one could buy a Mercedes and live in a cheesy flat, the Irish would chose the flashy car. The copycat idea of everyone owing their own house became an obsession. Unlike the people on the continent, the Irish must own a house and a little land. It seems to be in the blood. Whereas I have had friends in Paris or Rome content with fantastic flats in the center of the cities, here, the desire for the land reminds me very much of the words of Katie Scarlett O'Hara's father in Gone With the Wind. “Land is the only thing that matters.” And, indeed, this desire seems to have destroyed a simplicity of life.

With the preoccupation with the material life comes a lessening of the pursuit of sacrifice and the spiritual life. And, as Americans know first-hand, once the treasure of the heart becomes material comfort, the spirit begins to die. The priest, therefore, is seen as the enemy of progress, of personal wealth, an extension of the hated old ways of doing things. His power bleeds away from lack of attention.

Secondly, the priest lost power when social and Marxism became the real religion of so many Catholics here. I see over and over again that many Catholics in Eire have no idea of the Church's teachings from the last one-hundred and fifty years against socialism and communism. It is as if the
“errors of Russia” have totally replaced the loyalty to Rome.

Socialism seems to be an acceptable replacement for democracy, or indeed, charity. That the Catholics have fallen into the false ideals of the socialist definitions of the individual and individual responsibility is one of the saddest phenomenonI have seen here. The replacement of the Catholic Faith for the idolatry of the State is almost complete here. In fact, I would venture to state that Ireland can be seen as a bad example of the total secularization and paganism of the real socialist doctrines of the idolization of political power and the State. How Ireland goes will go all of Europe.

The priest is no longer important as the State answers all the problems with this social service and that. Who needs to bring the PP into an argument or domestic violence when there is a governmental service to deal with such problems? Who needs the priest for advice on a job or vocation, when the government has places which will answer such pertinent questions.

As to daily Mass or even Sunday Mass, the country churches, barring one or two very small Latin Mass communities, are devoid of youth and young families. The youth have given their loyalties to the State, and the State has taken away their freedom of thought and initiative. As one man told me a few days ago, the young have no motivation. “Where is their motivation?” He asked me, a stranger. The youth are in the pubs, late and in the entertainment centers, but not in Church. The priest has no influence over the vast majority.

The population of Ireland is very small. God has blessed the countryside with incredible, quiet beauty, but the old ways are gone. The priest has been replaced by the cold, central government. And, the fighting Irish are dead.

The Deadly Heritage of Socialism in Ireland

What an odd thing happened in the Emerald Isle. While no one was paying attention, the vast majority of Irish have become die-hard socialists and many, communists. That such political positions are heresies seems to have missed the sensitivities of the voting public. Every single Irish man and woman with whom I have had interesting conversations here in the past ten weeks, every one has supported the political ideology of socialism. I am astounded.

Unlike the American Traditional Catholics, who hate socialism and tend to be GOP or Independents, the Traditional Catholics and Liberal Catholics here see nothing wrong with socialism. I have tried to point out the long history of condemnation of this sinister form of ideology over and over again in healthy and respectful discussions over coffee and tea. There is a total blindness concerning the evils of socialism and Marxism. Several Latin Mass Catholics have told me that all of the three main parties are socialist and one is especially Marxist, but these good people vote for such candidates despite this knowledge. No one tries for alternative parties.

Why? Why is there no grass roots party or Independent movement here in Eire, a party which would be blatantly pro-life, anti-socialist, anti-communist, and pro-family? Why is it that those in the pew are so meek and accepting of political activity which is so against the teaching of the Catholic Church? Why are there Catholic Marxists in Ireland?

One realizes that in many EU countries, the communist party is actually outlawed. But, Marxism can sneak in under different titles, such as labour unions, or social services. That the priests in the pulpit have ignored such teachings from the excellent Popes from 1846 on is a true scandal.

The Republic of Ireland is not a republic. It may be in the imaginations of those who remember the past in song and myth, but in reality, there is no republican government as an American would define the term.

That the heresies of socialism and Marxism run amok unchallenged show me that these will be the death of the Republic of Ireland. Some trad Catholics talk to me of the Republican desires for a united Ireland. Why? If the Republic is just as socialist as Great Britain, or even more so, what is the point of reunification? That Catholics believe in socialism, and thus have traded the God of the Catholic Church for the god of the State will call down a judgement on this lovely island. God is a Jealous God and His Justice will not stand aside for the injustice of socialism. And socialism is unjust, taking the individual and recreating him into a child of the all­-powerful State. Eire is a real
nanny state, and no one is standing up against this insidious entrenched political philosophy, so contrary to Church teaching.