Reality Therapy and Feetgate

So, this morning someone brought up women priests. Do not symbolic actions mean something?

I am also discouraged by a conversation between good Catholic priests which indicated that now some priests will see that they have a right to any type of liturgical bending of the rules.

I am also discouraged by the false dichotomy of  "rules" versus "the spirit".

There is no such dichotomy.

What is happening in Rome affects us all in the parishes we attend.

And, what about the "sons of Benedict"? Those thousands of seminarians who have entered expecting a renewal of the NO and not a backtracking to the 1970s.

Perhaps we laity get the clergy we deserve. Perhaps we get the Pope who has been formed by the liturgical chaos of the past fifty years.

I am not a happy puppy.

The Doctors of the Church series will resume at the end of the week.

At least one post today....the politicizing of the Mass

It is Easter Monday. I am concerned about something which I saw starting in the 1980s when I was at Notre Dame.

I call it the politicizing of the liturgy.

Liturgy should never be used for political statements.

The Liberation Theology priests did this in the 1970s and some priests did this in the 1960s in America in the Civil Rights Movement.

It is very "Dorothy Day" to use the liturgy as a platform for political ideas.

Liturgy is for the worship of God.

I do not want my Church arguing points within the context of the Liturgy.

No.

I want GOD not people to be the source of inspiration and focus.

A thought on Easter Monday.

Христос Воскресе- Christ is Risen- Old Slavonic

While you are celebrating Easter today, pray for our persecuted brothers and sisters in Christ

http://www.jihadwatch.org/2013/03/libya-head-of-parliament-human-rights-committee-flees-country-after-threats-as-christian-persecution.html

Obedience Three

II. THE PRECEPTS OF THE CHURCH

2041 The precepts of the Church are set in the context of a moral life bound to and nourished by liturgical life. The obligatory character of these positive laws decreed by the pastoral authorities is meant to guarantee to the faithful the very necessary minimum in the spirit of prayer and moral effort, in the growth in love of God and neighbor:

2042 The first precept ("You shall attend Mass on Sundays and holy days of obligation and rest from servile labor") requires the faithful to sanctify the day commemorating the Resurrection of the Lord as well as the principal liturgical feasts honoring the mysteries of the Lord, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and the saints; in the first place, by participating in the Eucharistic celebration, in which the Christian community is gathered, and by resting from those works and activities which could impede such a sanctification of these days.⁸²

The second precept ("You shall confess your sins at least once a year") ensures preparation for the Eucharist by the reception of the sacrament of reconciliation, which continues Baptism's work of conversion and forgiveness.⁸³

The third precept ("You shall receive the sacrament of the Eucharist at least during the Easter season") guarantees as a minimum the reception of the Lord's Body and Blood in connection with the Paschal feasts, the origin and center of the Christian liturgy.⁸⁴

2043 The fourth precept ("You shall observe the days of fasting and abstinence established by the Church") ensures the times of ascesis and penance which prepare us for the liturgical feasts and help us acquire mastery over our instincts and freedom of heart.⁸⁵

The fifth precept ("You shall help to provide for the needs of the Church") means that the faithful are obliged to assist with the material needs of the Church, each according to his own ability.⁸⁶

The faithful also have the duty of providing for the material needs of the Church, each according to his own abilities.⁸⁷

Obedience Two

Here are some helpful quotations from the CCC on our duties as laity: (my boldface type).

.

 I. MORAL LIFE AND THE MAGISTERIUM OF THE CHURCH

2032 The Church, the "pillar and bulwark of the truth," "has received this solemn command of Christ from the apostles to announce the saving truth."⁷⁴ "To the Church belongs the right always and everywhere to announce moral principles, including those pertaining to the social order, and to make judgments on any human affairs to the extent that they are required by the fundamental rights of the human person or the salvation of souls."⁷⁵

2033 The Magisterium of the Pastors of the Church in moral matters is ordinarily exercised in catechesis and preaching, with the help of the works of theologians and spiritual authors. Thus from generation to generation, under the aegis and vigilance of the pastors, the "deposit" of Christian moral teaching has been handed on, a deposit composed of a characteristic body of rules, commandments, and virtues proceeding from faith in Christ and animated by charity. Alongside the Creed and the Our Father, the basis for this catechesis has traditionally been the Decalogue which sets out the principles of moral life valid for all men.

2034 The Roman Pontiff and the bishops are "authentic teachers, that is, teachers endowed with the authority of Christ, who preach the faith to the people entrusted to them, the faith to be believed and put into practice."⁷⁶ The ordinary and universal Magisterium of the Pope and the bishops in communion with him teach the faithful the truth to believe, the charity to practice, the beatitude to hope for.

2035 The supreme degree of participation in the authority of Christ is ensured by the charism of infallibility. This infallibility extends as far as does the deposit of divine Revelation; it also extends to all those elements of doctrine, including morals, without which the saving truths of the faith cannot be preserved, explained, or observed.⁷⁷

2036 The authority of the Magisterium extends also to the specific precepts of the natural law, because their observance, demanded by the Creator, is necessary for salvation. In recalling the prescriptions of the natural law, the Magisterium of the Church exercises an essential part of its prophetic office of proclaiming to men what they truly are and reminding them of what they should be before God.⁷⁸

2037 The law of God entrusted to the Church is taught to the faithful as the way of life and truth. The faithful therefore have the right to be instructed in the divine saving precepts that purify judgment and, with grace, heal wounded human reason.⁷⁹ They have the duty of observing the constitutions and decrees conveyed by the legitimate authority of the Church. Even if they concern disciplinary matters, these determinations call for docility in charity.

2038 In the work of teaching and applying Christian morality, the Church needs the dedication of pastors, the knowledge of theologians, and the contribution of all Christians and men of good will. Faith and the practice of the Gospel provide each person with an experience of life "in Christ," who enlightens him and makes him able to evaluate the divine and human realities according to the Spirit of God.⁸⁰ Thus the Holy Spirit can use the humblest to enlighten the learned and those in the highest positions.

2039 Ministries should be exercised in a spirit of fraternal service and dedication to the Church, in the name of the Lord.⁸¹ At the same time the conscience of each person should avoid confining itself to individualistic considerations in its moral judgments of the person's own acts. As far as possible conscience should take account of the good of all, as expressed in the moral law, natural and revealed, and consequently in the law of the Church and in the authoritative teaching of the Magisterium on moral questions. Personal conscience and reason should not be set in opposition to the moral law or the Magisterium of the Church.

2040 Thus a true filial spirit toward the Church can develop among Christians. It is the normal flowering of the baptismal grace which has begotten us in the womb of the Church and made us members of the Body of Christ. In her motherly care, the Church grants us the mercy of God which prevails over all our sins and is especially at work in the sacrament of reconciliation. With a mother's foresight, she also lavishes on us day after day in her liturgy the nourishment of the Word and Eucharist of the Lord.

Obedience and the Hierarchy of the Church

A quick post. There seems to be among the laity, confusion as to the meaning of the obedience we owe the hierarchy of the Church.

Firstly, we are not under vows of obedience as are religious and orders of priests, or secular priests. We do not make vows of obedience to an abbot or mother as laity.




Secondly, we are adults, not children in the faith and, therefore have a duty to form our consciences in line with the mind of the Church.

Thirdly, we owe respect to all members of the hierarchy.

However, as to being obedient, we are obedient in Faith and Morals, to the doctrines and dogmas which come from the Chair of Peter. Contraception falls under this category.  We are also obedient to statements from the USCCB or the other country or national conferences of bishops if they are in keeping with the Teaching Magisterium of the Church, such as statements on abortion or marriage. So far, so good.

We must be obedient to the Laws of the Church regarding holy days of obligation, fast and abstinence days, financially supporting the Church and so on. See the list below.

A recent example would be the re-institution of the Friday fast in Great Britain. We laity are bound by that reaffirmation of no meat on Friday.

Period.

As adults, we must learn the Faith and keep our Baptismal promises. We must evangelize, as Christ told us to do.

Those are duties.

Following the rules of the Church are part of our duty as well. Many people do not know these. We laity are bound by these.

These are listed in the CCC. Here is a list of those from an earlier catechism. It is a convenient list of the same rules.

The chief commandments, or laws, of the Church are these six:

1. To assist at Mass on all Sundays and holy days of obligation.
2. To fast and to abstain on the days appointed.
3. To confess our sins at least once a year.
4. To receive Holy Communion during the Easter time.
5. To contribute to the support of the Church.
6. To observe the laws of the Church concerning marriage. (this includes raising the children and educating them as Catholics)
   

But, we have another duty to learn what is the Truth and hold to that as explained and defined not only in Scripture, but by Mother Church. We cannot be disobedient to the Creed, or to doctrines, for example. This includes Canon Law which applies to the laity (as some Canons apply only to priests, for example).

We do not owe obedience in actions of the Pope or cardinals or bishops or priests which are not in keeping with the teaching of the Church. For example, we do not have to agree with Assisi, 1986, nor go to like services. We can respectfully discuss such events as WYD.

As long as conversations are based on rational discourse and not feeling, people may make comments here on all topics. I expect adult-level comments. And, I demand respectful ones. Most commentators have been excellent.

As laity, we have a bit more freedom to discuss things than the clergy. But, all discussions are in keeping with the above knowledge.

To be continued....

Happy Easter from Tyburn

It is cold and dark in London, but the chapel at Tyburn is still ablaze with candles and decorated with yellow mums.

The nuns sang beautifully, and the Jesuit priest who has been saying the Triduum sang the Exultet in Latin. We also sang the Gloria, Sanctus and Agnus Dei in Latin, as well as the Regina Coeli at the end of Holy Mass.

A salve to my Latin starved soul...

God bless you all this Easter. I have one quotation from the Mother Foundress of the Tyburn nuns, the Congregation of the Adorers of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus of Montmarte.

"Upheld by humility and obedience, maintained in recollection by the law of silence, finally guided by the Church herself to those regions inaccessible to man alone, the soul simply and entirely faithful to the Rule of St. Benedict will arrive at those summits of the unitive life where w see the Saints established in peace."

In on long sentence, Mother Adele describes the journey to perfection.

The Resurrection

There is no new life without death of the old.

Happy Easter. May you rise with Christ in a new life.

As I am running off to Vespers, I encourage all to go to Confession

http://www.newsmax.com/Headline/north-korea-war/2013/03/29/id/497015

North Korea has declared itself in a "state of war". 15 post day...because I love my readers.

Europeans-Britains, remember to set your clocks ahead

Spring forward, fall back

We lose an hour here tonight.

Remember to change your clocks.

And, in a sad, sad week, we have snow predicted for April 4th here in London.

Sigh....the nuns in fifth grade told us we were going into an ice age. They were right!

Wake up time!

http://www.jihadwatch.org/2013/03/france-muslim-breaks-14th-century-clock-in-catholic-cathedral-because-it-was-preventing-him-from-con.html

Well, now, common sense in Russia

http://rt.com/politics/gay-couples-report-foreign-973/

I am sure some will be yelling "fascism" about this.

I guess I have to post this again--Ordinatio Sacerdotalis

http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/apost_letters/documents/hf_jp-ii_apl_22051994_ordinatio-sacerdotalis_en.html


APOSTOLIC LETTER
ORDINATIO SACERDOTALIS
OF JOHN PAUL II
TO THE BISHOPS
OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH
ON RESERVING PRIESTLY ORDINATION
TO MEN ALONE Venerable Brothers in the Episcopate,
1. Priestly ordination, which hands on the office entrusted by Christ to his Apostles of teaching, sanctifying and governing the faithful, has in the Catholic Church from the beginning always been reserved to men alone. This tradition has also been faithfully maintained by the Oriental Churches.
When the question of the ordination of women arose in the Anglican Communion, Pope Paul VI, out of fidelity to his office of safeguarding the Apostolic Tradition, and also with a view to removing a new obstacle placed in the way of Christian unity, reminded Anglicans of the position of the Catholic Church: "She holds that it is not admissible to ordain women to the priesthood, for very fundamental reasons. These reasons include: the example recorded in the Sacred Scriptures of Christ choosing his Apostles only from among men; the constant practice of the Church, which has imitated Christ in choosing only men; and her living teaching authority which has consistently held that the exclusion of women from the priesthood is in accordance with God's plan for his Church."(1)
But since the question had also become the subject of debate among theologians and in certain Catholic circles, Paul VI directed the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith to set forth and expound the teaching of the Church on this matter. This was done through the Declaration Inter Insigniores, which the Supreme Pontiff approved and ordered to be published.(2)
2. The Declaration recalls and explains the fundamental reasons for this teaching, reasons expounded by Paul VI, and concludes that the Church "does not consider herself authorized to admit women to priestly ordination."(3) To these fundamental reasons the document adds other theological reasons which illustrate the appropriateness of the divine provision, and it also shows clearly that Christ's way of acting did not proceed from sociological or cultural motives peculiar to his time. As Paul VI later explained: "The real reason is that, in giving the Church her fundamental constitution, her theological anthropology-thereafter always followed by the Church's Tradition- Christ established things in this way."(4)
In the Apostolic Letter Mulieris Dignitatem, I myself wrote in this regard: "In calling only men as his Apostles, Christ acted in a completely free and sovereign manner. In doing so, he exercised the same freedom with which, in all his behavior, he emphasized the dignity and the vocation of women, without conforming to the prevailing customs and to the traditions sanctioned by the legislation of the time."(5)
In fact the Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles attest that this call was made in accordance with God's eternal plan; Christ chose those whom he willed (cf. Mk 3:13-14; Jn 6:70), and he did so in union with the Father, "through the Holy Spirit" (Acts 1:2), after having spent the night in prayer (cf. Lk 6:12). Therefore, in granting admission to the ministerial priesthood,(6) the Church has always acknowledged as a perennial norm her Lord's way of acting in choosing the twelve men whom he made the foundation of his Church (cf. Rv 21:14). These men did not in fact receive only a function which could thereafter be exercised by any member of the Church; rather they were specifically and intimately associated in the mission of the Incarnate Word himself (cf. Mt 10:1, 7-8; 28:16-20; Mk 3:13-16; 16:14-15). The Apostles did the same when they chose fellow workers(7) who would succeed them in their ministry.(8) Also included in this choice were those who, throughout the time of the Church, would carry on the Apostles' mission of representing Christ the Lord and Redeemer.(9)
3. Furthermore, the fact that the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God and Mother of the Church, received neither the mission proper to the Apostles nor the ministerial priesthood clearly shows that the non-admission of women to priestly ordination cannot mean that women are of lesser dignity, nor can it be construed as discrimination against them. Rather, it is to be seen as the faithful observance of a plan to be ascribed to the wisdom of the Lord of the universe.
The presence and the role of women in the life and mission of the Church, although not linked to the ministerial priesthood, remain absolutely necessary and irreplaceable. As the Declaration Inter Insigniores points out, "the Church desires that Christian women should become fully aware of the greatness of their mission: today their role is of capital importance both for the renewal and humanization of society and for the rediscovery by believers of the true face of the Church."(10)
The New Testament and the whole history of the Church give ample evidence of the presence in the Church of women, true disciples, witnesses to Christ in the family and in society, as well as in total consecration to the service of God and of the Gospel. "By defending the dignity of women and their vocation, the Church has shown honor and gratitude for those women who-faithful to the Gospel-have shared in every age in the apostolic mission of the whole People of God. They are the holy martyrs, virgins and mothers of families, who bravely bore witness to their faith and passed on the Church's faith and tradition by bringing up their children in the spirit of the Gospel."(11)
Moreover, it is to the holiness of the faithful that the hierarchical structure of the Church is totally ordered. For this reason, the Declaration Inter Insigniores recalls: "the only better gift, which can and must be desired, is love (cf. 1 Cor 12 and 13). The greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven are not the ministers but the saints."(12)
4. Although the teaching that priestly ordination is to be reserved to men alone has been preserved by the constant and universal Tradition of the Church and firmly taught by the Magisterium in its more recent documents, at the present time in some places it is nonetheless considered still open to debate, or the Church's judgment that women are not to be admitted to ordination is considered to have a merely disciplinary force.
Wherefore, in order that all doubt may be removed regarding a matter of great importance, a matter which pertains to the Church's divine constitution itself, in virtue of my ministry of confirming the brethren (cf. Lk 22:32) I declare that the Church has no authority whatsoever to confer priestly ordination on women and that this judgment is to be definitively held by all the Church's faithful.
Invoking an abundance of divine assistance upon you, venerable brothers, and upon all the faithful, I impart my apostolic blessing.
From the Vatican, on May 22, the Solemnity of Pentecost, in the year 1994, the sixteenth of my Pontificate.

---

NOTES
1. Paul VI, Response to the Letter of His Grace the Most Reverend Dr. F.D. Coggan, Archbishop of Canterbury, concerning the Ordination of Women to the Priesthood (November 30, 1975); AAS 68 (1976), 599.
2. Cf. Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Declaration Inter Insigniores on the question of the Admission of Women to the Ministerial Priesthood (October 15, 1976): AAS 69 (1977), 98-116.
3. Ibid., 100.
4. Paul VI, Address on the Role of Women in the Plan of Salvation (January 30, 1977): Insegnamenti, XV (1977), 111. Cf. Also John Paul II Apostolic Exhortation Christifideles laici (December 30, 1988), n. 51: AAS 81 (1989), 393-521; Catechism of the Catholic Church, n. 1577.
5. Apsotolic Letter Mulieris Dignnitatem (August 15, 1988), n. 26: AAS 80 (1988), 1715.
6. Cf. Dogmatic Constitution Lumen Gentium, n. 28 Decree Presbyterorum Ordinis, n. 2b.
7. Cf. 1 Tm 3:1-13; 2 Tm 1:6; Ti 1:5-9.
8. Cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, n. 1577.
9. Cf. Dogmatic Constitution on the Church Lumen Gentium, nn. 20,21.
10. Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Declaration Inter Insigniores, n. 6: AAS 69 (1977), 115-116.
11. Apostolic Letter Mulieris Dignitatem, n. 27: AAS 80 (1988), 1719.
12. Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Declaration Inter Insigniores n. 6: AAS 69 (1977), 115.

I had this in my office when I worked in the government...

I left it there. Too bad, as it had a really nice frame and Dogbert was wearing a red cloak as well. Things have not changed since 1996...

A little tiny note for Holy Saturday

One of my spiritual directors said, "Remember, confusion is always from the devil."

Link from 2008

http://www.dnaindia.com/world/report_pope-francis-a-boy-of-few-words-now-speaks-for-all-catholics_1811595

Reuters will not let bloggers post photos, so if you are interested, go to this link.

Yet, another reminder on infallibility and Quo Vadis, Petrus?

Not everything the Pope says or does is infallible  folks. I know even highly educated people who are confused on this one. Remember Assisi 1986?

He, the Pope, can make mistakes. Big ones. He cannot teach false doctrine from the Chair of Peter. But, he can do symbolic actions which cause confusion. Not all popes are saints when elected, but hopefully, become one in the process of being pope......


http://supertradmum-etheldredasplace.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/on-papal-infallibility.html

http://supertradmum-etheldredasplace.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/continuing-discussion-on-infallibility.html

http://supertradmum-etheldredasplace.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/infallibility-three.html

http://supertradmum-etheldredasplace.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/the-promised-infallibility-posts.html

http://supertradmum-etheldredasplace.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/on-infallibility-in-catholic-church.html

A brief thought for Holy Saturday

St. Bernard of Clairvaux reminds us on this sad day when we await the Resurrection, that the devil cannot read our minds but only our actions. However, the very intelligent and clever demons, out to catch us and bring us to hell watch us very carefully.

They watch our physical habits, which is why abstemious behavior is good. They watch our spiritual habits, which is why prayer silently is best. They watch and listen to our speech, which is why silence and less talk rather than more is good.

They cannot, according to Thomas Aquinas, move our will. Only God and ourselves can move our will.

None of this, "The devil made me do it", stuff.

We control our wills, but these wills are weakened by a lack of temperance, prudence, justice and courage. If we show fear, they rush in to terrify us. If we exhibit piggishness in eating, a lack of temperance in food or talk or drink, they encourage our bad habits.

If we lack justice, which is connected to holiness which we owe to God through His creatures, they jump in and make us selfish.

If we do not pray and act with impetuosity, they encourage us to more imprudence.

If we let our emotions dictate our lives, we shall never be holy.

I am thinking of Mary, the Sorrowful Mother today.

She was in shock, I am sure, after watching the brutality inflicted on her Son.

She was grieving, like all loving mothers, but more so, in Perfect Love.

Yet, she trusted in God.

This is what we must do-trust in all things, at all times.

Trust in God and His ways, putting on the Mind of Christ.

Peaceful Pasch...to you all.

My comment on a famous blog this morning...

I am grieved by the divisions all this is causing (in reference to the washing of the feet of a woman). I live in Great Britain where heresies are so common that one is hard put to find an orthodox layperson.

So many of the priests are so overworked they cannot contain the rot. Symbolic actions are so important, more than articles, which the vast majority of people do not read.

I meet Gnostics daily here. They have not read the CCC; they have not conformed their minds to the mind of the Church. And, actions which contradict previous ones add fuel to their rebellious brains.

What has happened to lex orandi lex credendi?

I really am grieved. I have heard and seen more division in the Church in the past month, as every liberal has her bit between the teeth.