APOSTOLICAM ACTUOSITATEM and the dumbing down of lay expectations

Decree on the Apostolate of the Laity  click here

On another blog, there is a discussion on the laity. Fr. Blake has started an important conversation about those who know the Faith and those who perhaps do not. I have a great memory of the document on the laity which came out in 1965 and challenged an entire generation of us youth to look at ourselves in a new and exciting manner. Pope Paul VI taught us lay people not only our responsibilities in the Church, but challenged us to meet those, not as clericized lay people, but as people who are to bring the Gospel into the world. I have written on this earlier here on this blog and in the past. The laity of 2012 in too many places have accepted no responsibility for their own growth in the Faith and have not grown up to take ownership of their own consciences.

To blame priests, or bishops for not leading is a lame excuse for not being a saint. See my post almost two weeks ago on this point. What has arisen on Fr. Blake's blog is the question of maybe a two-tiered Church, of those who know or are in the know and those who are not.

We have only ourselves to blame for a lack of knowledge. And the document clearly sets forth the idea that we all have different talents to use within the Church, which we know from St. Paul's great letter, First Corinthians, Chapter 12. The problem is not a recognition of gifts, but an acceptance of responsibility.

Look at one of the sections of this document, which I studied in high school and college, and which my parents studied in an adult faith formation group in their parish in the middle to late 1960s.


Since Christ, sent by the Father, is the source and origin of the whole apostolate of the Church, the success of the lay apostolate depends upon the laity's living union with Christ, in keeping with the Lord's words, "He who abides in me, and I in him, bears much fruit, for without me you can do nothing" (John 15:5). This life of intimate union with Christ in the Church is nourished by spiritual aids which are common to all the faithful, especially active participation in the sacred liturgy.(5) These are to be used by the laity in such a way that while correctly fulfilling their secular duties in the ordinary conditions of life, they do not separate union with Christ from their life but rather performing their work according to God's will they grow in that union. In this way the laity must make progress in holiness in a happy and ready spirit, trying prudently and patiently to overcome difficulties.(6) Neither family concerns nor other secular affairs should be irrelevant to their spiritual life, in keeping with the words of the Apostle, "What-ever you do in word or work, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, giving thanks to God the Father through Him" (Col. 3:17).
Such a life requires a continual exercise of faith, hope, and charity. Only by the light of faith and by meditation on the word of God can one always and everywhere recognize God in Whom "we live, and move, and have our being" ( Acts 17:28), seek His will in every event, see Christ in everyone whether he be a relative or a stranger, and make correct judgments about the true meaning and value of temporal things both in themselves and in their relation to man's final goal.


Read the entire link above, as this is a great motivational document. Now, what happened? How is it that this clarion call was not heeded except by a few?

I blame the same educational dumbing down which happened in all the schools as connected to this phenomenon of the laity not taking responsibility for learning the Faith and acting out that Faith in the market place. When expectations for learning were destroyed by a false egalitarianism, when no one was allowed to be better than anyone else in the classroom, when mediocrity won the day (my famous story of all the kindergarten children-all-getting awards on award day so that no one would feel left out), when the kids' baseball team stopped having try-outs, when tracking in schools was stopped so that no one would be hurt by being in the lower tracks, and so on, the laity got used to being lazy about the Faith. The message of one of my favorite plays which I used to teach, Amadeus, is that mediocrity wins over excellence in these times. The Salieris have killed the Mozarts.

As a teacher and a lay person I can say that the most rewarding times I have had in catechesis have been when I have taught the Mystagogia, or Mystagogy classes after the RCIA first or second year, which were absolutely not required but attended by those who wanted to grow in the Faith. What a fantastic experience it was to teach those who wanted to learn more about the Mysteries of the Faith. All the laity should want to do this, and it was free!

So, why are people "too busy", "too tired", "too stressed" to take advantage of Adult Faith Formation when offered? Is it offered everywhere? As I have noted elsewhere, Bishop Finn in the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph has a wonderful program. This type of thing could be happening everywhere.

One of the problems is the emphasis by some on experiential religion alone. We are in an Age of Anti-Intellectualism, see below again....I personally blame the over-emphasis on feeling (see Picard below) and the seeking of comforts from God-wanting the lollipops and not the meat. St. Paul in the same epistle mentioned above states that he wants to give meat to the people but they can only take milk and milk is baby food. Adult Catholics must decide to start eating meat and give up the bottle. This is our responsibility and not the priest's. If there is a two-tiered system of Catholics, we have only ourselves to blame.

Wow, from Rorate Caeli today--direct quote and see side link

For the first time in decades, a cerimoniere pontificio - Monsignor Marco Agostini, an official in the State Secretariat who has also been since June 2009 in the staff of the Office for the Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff, headed by Mgr. Guido Marini - celebrated the Traditional Mass publicly. It took place yesterday in the Personal Parish of Santissima Trinità dei Pellegrini, the parish entrusted to the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter (FSSP) in the Diocese of Rome.

[Source & tip: Osservatore Vaticano blog]

An Unusual, Controversial Catholic Subject-Celibacy in Marriage

Now, I am not married, but I live a celibate life-style. However, I have an increasing number of friends, traditional Catholics, who have opted for celibacy in their marriages. This is not a new ideal in the Church, and although Christ wants most married couples to be fruitful and multiply, that is, to have the wonderful children God desires them to have, there have been and are couples, who for the sake of the kingdom, have chosen a different way. Of course, the norm, having children as God gives, creates saints, such as Blessed Louis and  Blessed Zelie Martin, Blessed Karl and Empress Zita, SS. Joachim and Anna, SS. Isidore and Maria (who vowed abstinence later in their marriage), and so on. This is not an exhaustive list.

However, the emphasis on celibacy should be rare, but seen as a call within a call. I also think there has to be good reason for not having children. The grand example are two of my favorite Catholics, Jacques and Raissa Maritain, who on the Isle of Wight, as Benedictine Oblates, took a vow of celibacy "for the sake of the Kingdom". Raissa writes in her diary, which I practically have memorized, that it was difficult for her, but she could see that Jacques was called to be in the world and she was his prayer backup, companion in holiness, and confidant, as well as best-friend. They shared philosophy, theology, and the dedication to bringing the Gospel into the workplace in the extreme. God called them to this.

I first met celibate married couples about twenty-five years ago. The first couple I met were in their forties and had a close relationship with the Church and the priest who was the pastor. They were very active in the Church, but did not have normal marital relations. They had chosen that way and had married later in life. The man had been in the Jesuit seminary for years, but left, as he did not think he had a priestly vocation. He found a wife who would support him in his spiritual walk. The second couple I met were in their early sixties. They had decided that past child-bearing age, they would make a celibate commitment. Since then, I have met another couple who have decided the same thing. Their "extra" time is spent in good works, praying and fasting. Obviously, these couples have spiritual directors. This call within a call is, also, obviously, by mutual consent.

Those with a worldly mindset and even some good Catholics may find this call repelling or unnatural. I would say that this call is rare, but not unnatural. I think that those who decide to live in the world, or are called so by God to remain among the laity, can exhibit a variety of calls "for the sake of the Kingdom". And, to be in a relationship which is celibate may be a sign of contradiction to the world as well as giving two people the necessary, daily support a brother and sister in Christ may give to each other. Intimacy has many faces, and the physical side of intimacy is only one aspect of relationship. I have written this to support my friends who have chosen this way and to encourage those who feel the need for companionship without sex to be comforted in that they are not alone. We are all called to be saints, and there are many ways, in Christ, through Mary, to be saints.

In addition, God did not intend people to live all alone. The fact that there are so many single, lonely individuals needs to be addressed by the Church. Those who for whatever reason cannot be a priest or nun or sister, have some options, but loneliness should not be the norm. Church communities have failed, especially in America, to support their singles. Many Catholics are singles for many reasons. There exists a judgmental attitude, which excludes those singles from the larger interaction in the Church. And, for those who desire celibacy in the world, that is an option, but it does not have to equal loneliness. I am very fortunate, as I do not experience the gnawing type of loneliness some do. I may miss my dear friends when apart from them, but that is different than the vague experience of loneliness many feel. We all need to reach out to those who feel this need, pray for them, and include them in our busy lives. To do otherwise is not to be Christian.

Among new friends in Dublin...

archived photo of St. Kevin's

I spent a lovely morning at the Tridentine Mass at St. Kevin's in Dublin and then had coffee and such with some of the regular traddies. What a warm and friendly group this is, and I would recommend anyone in the area to check out the beautiful Mass and community there. The conversation over coffee at the hotel coffee shop shifted from politics (and as an Iowan I can match any Dubliner talking politics), to the Latin Mass, to Modernist heresies, to Freemasonry, to the lack of catechesis among adults, to the beauty of Shakespeare. I was in traddie heaven. Sadly, I shall not be able to go for a long time, as the buses do not connect from my village that early and my ride was a one-off. However, one is comforted by the fact that there are wonderful, educated (mostly self-educated), happy, traditional Catholics scattered throughout Europe. I also was "in" a much smaller, but equally good-willed, happy, educated and dedicated group in Malta, but there, without the regular Mass, which here is offered at this exquisite church daily. Plus, the choir was "heavenly". And, the sermon superb (about real marriage, the brave priest mentioning that same-sex unions were not marriages-yippie) and the congregation well-trained in responses and customary rubrics. Sigh, wish I could go every day to such a Mass, or even a low TLM. Join me in prayer, please, that I could be part of a parish like this for the rest of my life...traddie heaven.

Narcissism and the Costa Concordia

Men did not make room for women and children  Click here for eyewitness report.

Check this out. Chivalry is dead. Some of us have known this for a long time. Men did not make room for women and children.

Men are no longer men, but boys. This is the triumph of narcissism. It does not matter whether they were fathers not wanting to leave their wives and children. Sacrifice is asked of the mature and the brave. The West is dead...if chivalry and sacrifice are no longer automatic responses to crises.

Illiteracy and religion, plus one of my favorite books

I have been doing a mini-study for an article on illiteracy in 2012. I noticed something very interesting...Note the countries with the lowest literacy rates in the world and, you tell me what they have in common? Does Christianity help education and one's standard of living? Good Socratic Method involves asking questions. Data is from the CIA World Factbook.

1 Niger 84.3%

2 Burkina Faso 77.%

3 Afghanistan 63.7%

4 Sierra Leone 63.7%

5 Gambia 63.5%

6 Guinea-Bissau 62.7%

7 Senegal 62.7%

8 Benin 62.5%

9 Ethiopia 61.3%

10 Mauritania 60.1%

The following book should be read by every Catholic educator and all homeschooling moms and dads.

This book, along with the ideas of Maria Montessori, literally, changed my life.

I could not have said it better; thanks Mr. Voris, for the charity and clarity. Pray.

Do we know longer believe in
tough love, that is, love which is real it based on Truth and not on feel-good nicety-nicety? Pray for the bishops, priests, seminarians that they all follow the Teaching of the Holy Catholic Church.

More power to POTUS? I am Spartacus...

Is Congress going to give Obama more power?   Where is the rebellion?

Link above. This is scary. Why give POTUS more power for anything before Congress knows exactly what he is going to do with it?

Have we become completely lost to a historical perspective? This is how tyrants of old, even in the 20th Century, gained power, by seeming to be streamlining bureaucracy, but in reality, creating a top-heavy system. The Constitution limits the power of the president and that political philosophy should remain strong and clear and in place. Americans impatient for change only have to vote accordingly in November.

New, not so revolutionary or reactionary, order at Maynooth

St. Patrick's College, Maynooth has a few new items of order which will help the seminarians have an identity separate from the rest of the college. Now, I taught in a seminary which was in the middle of nowhere in the United States, which many, but not all, are. This move to help the sems have their own space and create more of a community among themselves is a good thing. One wonders why it was not more obvious until now. Here is the rest of the story: Changes

Outgoing Ambassador Makes Statement RE: Ireland's Lack of Presence in Rome

Ambassador Tim Fischer noted in the press today here in Ireland that the lack of a diplomat in Rome is a problem. Here is part of his statement: "The Vatican is not entirely a closed shop, but you have to know where to look, which conferences to attend, which contacts to pursue.  And if you’re only flying in for four times a year from Dublin or from the Hague or from Geneva, then that becomes very difficult to do in a comprehensive and professional way,” he explained in an interview with CNA.

He added that, being so close to the Vatican allows governments to tap into an unparalleled diplomatic network. "

“It is the oldest organisation in the world, and it does have a huge network,” he said.  In fact, “as recently as the Balkans War, some of the best information as to what was really happening on the ground was not held by the CIA or the KGB but, in fact, right here in Rome by the Holy See.”

Rest of article here

As most know, the Irish government pulled its Embassy staff from Rome last year. Fischer also stated that is was the opinion of most diplomatic staffs that the Irish move was political and not budgetary. Are we surprised?

The Hammer of the Heretics

Today is the Feast of St. Hilary, Doctor of the Church, and Hammer of the Heretics. He was not afraid to excommunicate the Arians, possibly the largest group of heretics, until modern times, who were publicly against him and the Church.. He was, for four years, exiled  by the Arian supporters in the government. Not only did he write doctrinal treatises, but apologetics against the Arians. He encouraged the setting up of at least one monastery by Martin of Tours, whom he baptized (picture), and, although none of his works are extant, wrote Latin hymns for liturgical use.

Hmmm...where are the Hammers of the Heretics? We have a few.

What people forget is that heretics are in the Church, not outside it. Heretics are Catholics who are not in obedience to Rome on a subject, such as those errors leading to liturgical abuse. We have developed in the Church a laxity toward heresy to the point where it is hardly noticed in some places. This laxity has come from poor catechesis and an emphasis on the experiential rather than the doctrinal. St. Hilary would be working hard writing and preaching today against Modernism and liturgical abuses.

I always liked this day as it was the traditional starting of the new term-at Oxford and at Dublin. Hilary's Term was based on an earlier legal system from England, the courts running from January to April. January is a special month in my family, as four of us have birthdays and my parent's have their anniversary in this month. St. Hilary's Day adds to the festive character of January.

St. Hilary, send us new and strong bishops to lead our Church in these heretical times. Here is a selection from the TLM reading from Timothy:

..preach the word: be instant in season , out of season: reprove, entreat, rebuke in all patience and doctrine. For there shall be a time when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires they will heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears, and will indeed turn away from hearing the truth, but will be turned unto fables.

Homeland Security and You and Me

Big Brother

See the above link to Drudge Report and an article from The Atlantic Wire.

Not only is this a waste of taxpayers' money, but an invasion of privacy never seen before on this scale. Isn't one of the symptoms of Narcissism paranoia?

Oh No, More Confusion Rippling Out from Chicago-the Fog and Murkiness of Political Correctness

Ramifications of Cardinal George's Backtracking  Click here.

Journals online and newspapers have been following Cardinal George's apology and the follow-up statement which is not only confusing, but wrong.

On the above link from LaSaletteJourney, the editor posted an excellent refutation, using Blessed John Paul II's own words, to clarity the horrible confusion which is following the Cardinal's backtracking. Even using the term, "gay liberation" is against the Pope's rational point that the homosexual agenda is not liberating.

Not only was the apology an error, which I noted earlier on this blog, but it has caused a murkiness in Catholic circles and has not appeased those who were "offended". This news is from catholicculture , check it out.


Of course, people are offended by the Truth. Jesus Christ, Our Lord was crucified because some in the Sanhedrin were offended. Instead of taking offense, one should be humble and listen to the plea for conversion. If we are afraid to offend, the Gospel will never be preached. Paul writes in Romans1:16:

For I am not ashamed of the gospel. For it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth, to the Jew first, and to the Greek.

As a Midwesterner, I have been following the Archdiocese of Chicago, as my hometown diocese sometimes sends young men there for seminary. I had hopes that what I had seen from the Archdiocese was improving. These attitudes and teachings have fallen into the miasma of political correctness, yet again.

Sometimes, I prefer secular humanism...

We are in the Post-Star Trek Age. Now, we have fallen into the age of superstition. Many of my fellow traddie Catholics are obsessed with private revelations. Now, Holy Mother Church states that we do not have to believe in any private revelation. The problem is not that there are some approved private revelations, but that there are too many not condemned revelations. The number of condemned private revelations is small-Bayside comes to mind. But, the number of revelations which have neither been condemned nor been approved is astoundingly large. There are at least 800 private revelations in the past fifty years or less which have not received any approbation or condemnation by the Church.

Why so many of my dear friends are obsessed, or at least, distracted by private revelations may be based on four points. Number one reason: not all traddies are well catechized in the Teachings of the Catholic Church. Simply put, there is a lack of interest and passion for the beautiful teachings of the Catholic Church. Ignorance does not feed interest, knowledge does. The second reason is that some traddies think that experiential religion is more important that rational religion. This may seem odd, or even out-of-character for a traddie, but some want the TLM for the experience rather than the theology. Third, Gnosticism is alive and well in some traddie circles-that is, people who feel that have special or inside knowledge of spiritual things gravitate either to New Age groups or traditional groups. Last, superstition is the lazy evil of the age. It is easier to accept emotional causality, which is basically anti-intellectual. The anti-intellectuals are not all liberals.

God would not tell the Mayans something outside of Revelation

Narcissism is destroying Japan

Japan

Narcissism can ruin a country. In Japan, on this link, one sees one of the reasons for the plunging birthrate.  Young people are not "falling in love". Generations of selfish pursuits and the cult of childhood created a narcissistic culture where young people not only do not want to sacrifice, but do not know how to sacrifice. The greatest joys of love, real love, wanting to please the other, giving up time, energy, money, even talents to have children, dying to self in order to love freely without expectation--all of these experiences and virtues seem a fantasy to these youth, or they do not even imagine such joys can exist.

How sad. How very sad. What is needed is evangelization-Christians to share the good news of real Love, and His Name is Jesus Christ.

Two Real Men from Cabrini-Green-on victim thinking

One of the reasons, and there are many, why I left academia, was this prevalence of victim thinking. Thankfully, if the "cases" in the college classroom became particularly obstructive to the class as a whole, I had the entire backing of the administration. One of the most wonderful people on the staff was a man who had grown up, yes, in the Cabrini-Green estates. Let just say he grew up in hell. His mother had two sons and she instilled in them the love of learning and the love of God-a Benedictine ideal, but as a Baptist, this wonderful woman was following her grace and role as a mom, and being counter-cultural in her little, no big, way.

My friend, Adam, said that all the kids around him were learning how to deal drugs, kill and be killed. Out of all his friends in Cabrini-Green, all but his brother, are either dead or in prison for life. I asked him to come into my class and give a motivational talk to my 26 students, most of whom were immersed in victim thinking and/or narcissism. He did not succeed inspiring anyone but me. The ho-hum attitude was like jelly being smeared all over the classroom. Dull and icky. However, Adam was not upset, and offered to come into the class again. Later, one young man, who wants to be a sports-trainer, came back to me and said it was "cool", a word still used in the Midwest.

Well, Adam, his brother, and his mom are heroes against the Post-Modernism malaise filling our country. The fact that the Cabrini-Green estates were ever built was an example of false utopianism. Such estates just put all the baddies in one place-how convenient. Oh, and for my European friends, or those few saints who have seen The Blues Brothers at least five times, C-G was in Chicago.

Victim thinking will destroy America as it has destroyed Britain. British youth, except for a golden minority, belong to what I call the Grape Generation-step on them lightly and they give a little whine...

The last Cabrini-Green estate was demolished in the past year. At least two heroes emerged, and I hope more. But, there exists two, strong, Christian men, Adam and Joshua, with a message. A person is responsible for his own life and he can break out from victim-hood, if he wants to do so.

For Michael Voris, A Little Encouragement--Can You Imagine This Today?

Or this...

Pope on education and the family...good stuff

The Pope's message yesterday on education and on children is beautiful and worth reading. As parents are the first educators of their children, this message fits into one the themes of this blog. Here is a snippet.

"The true educator does not bind people to himself, he is not possessive," Benedict XVI said. "He wants the child, or the disciple, to learn to know the truth and establish a personal relationship with it. The educator does his duty to the end, he does not withdraw his attentive and faithful presence; but his objective is that the learner hears the voice of the truth speak to his heart and follows it on a personal journey."

Empress Zita and her children are a good example for us mums.

He also continued to explain how we are all children. What a lovely concept to keep in mind daily, that we are children of a Loving Father.


"We are children in our relationship to God also," the Pontiff continued. "God is at the origin of the existence of every creature, and he is Father of every human being in a unique way: God has with him or her a special, personal relationship. Each one of us is willed, is loved by God. And in this relationship with God as well we can, so to say, be 'reborn,' that is, become what we are. This happens through faith, through a profound and personal 'yes' to God as origin and foundation of our existence. With this 'yes' I receive life as a gift of the Father who is in heaven, a Parent whom I do not see but in whom I believe and in the depths of my heart feel to be my Father and the Father of all my brothers in humanity, an immensely good and faithful Father."

On subjectivity, relativism, narcissism and victim thinking

I have been listening to the speech of the person in the street, and in particular groupings, such as church congregations, either at coffee mornings or in the cyber cafes and so on. One of the things that has been noticeable, is that young people and older alike, are perceiving the language in a new way. This way once would have been described "defensive behavior", attributed to a few people who we all have met, who are "prickly", take every statement personally, and psychologically are on the "defensive". In the past, before, I would note, two years ago, this type of response to facts was a rare occasion. Now, the response is widespread, and I am convinced is related to three things.

The first is that the younger generations, in their 20s and 30s, have not been trained in logical discourse, also known as critical thinking, and do not think or hear objectively. For example, a friend of mine was in a grocery store in the Autumn and a mother was abusive to both of her children by literally screaming at them in the store and these children were very small. She merely said to the woman with her, "The woman is yelling at her children"; she was considering whether the extent of the problem was serious enough for her to step in. The children were afraid of the mother. The companion said, "Oh, do not judge her." My friend had not. She had made a statement of truth-noting that a mother was yelling at her children. Again, with a young man in his twenties, I noted that "Caroline is going into hospital for mental illness and we need to pray for her." The response was, again, "Do not criticize." Factual statements are being taken as judgement, which in times past, was not the case. Again, I noted the other day that more Coptic Christians were being persecuted in the continent of Africa. The response, "Well, we shouldn't judge." If one shares facts, without comment, without harsh or even unambiguously objective words, such things are taken as "criticisms" or judgement.

I label that the lack of objective thinking and the lack of separating fact from criticism. 

The second reason for this phenomenon is that the modern mind has been formed by relativism and narcissism.  Despite the fact of objectivity being a lost as a rational art, relativism has permitted a cultural attitude, now reflected in language, where one cannot say anything about differences or categories. Example, I was in a conversation with two seminarians about hell and the heresy of universal salvation, the most common heresy in the West and a serious problem in at least two seminaries in the States.

We were looking at the Scriptures relating to Judas, and the statements said by Christ, that he was the "son of perdition"-John 17:12, and that The Son of man indeed goeth, as it is written of him. But woe to that man by whom the Son of man shall be betrayed. It were better for him, if that man had not been born--Matthew 26:24.

In fact, modern Protestant Biblical Criticism does not interpret that passage as referring to Judas at all. One of the young men said we could not judge. My response is that we were looking at the passages and trying to understand what Christ meant. I said that the possibility of Judas been in hell can be discussed.

If one has cogent or necessary criticisms, the problem is worse, as one cannot even appeal to hierarchies of any kind. This is not merely a street problem but one of academia. Last year, some of my peers were afraid to discuss certain political issues in the coffee room, as others were responding "personally", taking offense at the common parlance of politics.

The third reason is the victim attitude of a many, many people, who perceive themselves and others as victims of circumstances, of financial difficulties, in relationships, etc. Victim attitudes are clear in the way one particular "false religion" relates to the Western governmental philosophies. This playing of the victim card, this blaming others for one's discomfort or perceived lack of freedoms, has been encouraged by the present governments of Britain and America. This problem of groups seeing themselves as victims of Western political ideals, democracy or religion will increase with the growing narcissism of the mind set of the young and old who cannot think objectively, do not have moral or religious frameworks with which to judge correctly, and who are so politically correct that they will lose their own freedoms to the more aggressive groups.