From harmony, from heav’nly harmony
This universal frame began:
When Nature underneath a heap
Of jarring atoms lay,
And could not heave her head,
The tuneful voice was heard from high:
‘Arise, ye more than dead.’
Then cold, and hot, and moist, and dry,
In order to their station leap,
And Music’s pow’r obey.
From harmony, from heav’ly harmony
This universal frame began:
From harmony to harmony
Thro’ all the compass of the notes it ran,
The diapason closing full in Man.
When passion cannot Music raise and quell!
When Jubal struck the corded shell,
His list’ning brethren stood around,
And, wond’ring, on their faces fell
To worship that celestial sound.
Less than a god they thought there could not dwell
Within the hollow of that shell
That spoke so sweetly and so well,
What a passion cannot Music raise and quell!
The Trumpet’s loud clangour
Excites us to arms,
With shrill notes of anger,
And mortal alarms.
The double double double beat
Of the thund’ring Drum
Cries: ‘Hark! The foes come;
Charge, charge, ‘t is too late to retreat.’
The soft complaining Flute
In dying notes discovers
The woes of hopeless lovers,
Whose dirge is whisper’d by the warbling Lute.
Sharp Violins proclaim
Their jealous pangs, and desperation,
Fury, frantic indignation,
Depth of pains, and height of passion,
For the fair, disdainful dame.
But O! what art can teach,
What human voice can reach,
The sacred Organ’s praise?
Notes inspiring holy love,
Notes that wing their heav’nly ways
To mend the choirs above.
Orpheus could lead the savage race;
And trees uprooted left their place,
Sequacious of the lyre;
But bright Cecilia rais’d the wonder high’r:
When to her Organ vocal breath was giv’n,
And angel heard, and straight appear’d,
Mistaking earth for heav’n.
As from the pow’r of sacred lays
The spheres began to move,
And sung the great Creator’s praise
To all the blest above;
So, when the last and dreadful hour
This crumbling pageant shall devour,
The Trumpet shall be heard on high,
The dead shall live, the living die,
And Music shall untune the sky.
Monday, November 22, 2010
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Prayer for the Last Week of the Year
Almighty and merciful God, you break the power of evil and make all things new in your Son Jesus Christ, the King of the universe. May all in heaven and earth acclaim your glory and never cease to praise you. Open our hearts, free all the world to rejoice in his peace, to glory in his justice, to live in his love. Bring humanity together in Jesus Christ your Son, whose kingdom is with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.
Poem: The Harrowing of Hell by Denise Levertov (1923-1997)
Down through the tomb's inward arch
He has shouldered out into Limbo
to gather them, dazed, from dreamless slumber:
the merciful dead, the prophets,
the innocents just His own age and those
unnumbered others waiting here
unaware, in an endless void He is ending
now, stooping to tug at their hands,
to pull them from their sarcophagi,
dazzled, almost unwilling. Dismas,
neighbor in death, Golgotha dust
still streaked on the dried sweat of his body
no one had washed and anointed, is here,
for sequence is not known in Limbo;
the promise, given from cross to cross
at noon, arches beyond sunset and dawn.
All these He will swiftly lead
to the Paradise road: they are safe.
That done, there must take place that struggle
no human presumes to picture:
living, dying, descending to rescue the just
from shadow, were lesser travails
than this: to break
through earth and stone of the faithless world
back to the cold sepulchre, tearstained
stifling shroud; to break from them
back into breath and heartbeat, and walk
the world again, closed into days and weeks again,
wounds of His anguish open, and Spirit
streaming through every cell of flesh
so that if mortal sight could bear
to perceive it, it would be seen
His mortal flesh was lit from within, now,
and aching for home. He must return,
first, in Divine patience, and know
hunger again, and give
to humble friends the joy
of giving Him food-fish and a honeycomb.
He has shouldered out into Limbo
to gather them, dazed, from dreamless slumber:
the merciful dead, the prophets,
the innocents just His own age and those
unnumbered others waiting here
unaware, in an endless void He is ending
now, stooping to tug at their hands,
to pull them from their sarcophagi,
dazzled, almost unwilling. Dismas,
neighbor in death, Golgotha dust
still streaked on the dried sweat of his body
no one had washed and anointed, is here,
for sequence is not known in Limbo;
the promise, given from cross to cross
at noon, arches beyond sunset and dawn.
All these He will swiftly lead
to the Paradise road: they are safe.
That done, there must take place that struggle
no human presumes to picture:
living, dying, descending to rescue the just
from shadow, were lesser travails
than this: to break
through earth and stone of the faithless world
back to the cold sepulchre, tearstained
stifling shroud; to break from them
back into breath and heartbeat, and walk
the world again, closed into days and weeks again,
wounds of His anguish open, and Spirit
streaming through every cell of flesh
so that if mortal sight could bear
to perceive it, it would be seen
His mortal flesh was lit from within, now,
and aching for home. He must return,
first, in Divine patience, and know
hunger again, and give
to humble friends the joy
of giving Him food-fish and a honeycomb.
Saturday, November 20, 2010
The Feast of Christ the King
Last Sunday in Ordinary Time
November 21, 2010
Power is attractive. We like to see our local sports teams come out on top. We love a smashing play when our opponent is squashed. We get energy from seeing strength win out - if we are on the side of the victors. Republicans are gloating from their mid-term election wins; Democrats are firm in their resolve to hold onto their power. He who speaks the loudest and most forcefully wins the votes. This is a world where force and strength are lauded. Might makes right.
Power is on display in the feast of Christ the King on this last Sunday of the year. It celebrates his all-embracing authority over heaven and earth. Pope Pius XI instituted this feast in 1925 in direct opposition to the rise of secular humanism and communism, which was spreading quickly throughout the world, including Christian nations. Many believers were wondering if Christ's kingdom had a place in the modern structure of world governments. Many doubted Christ's existence and his reign. For Pius XI, this feast allowed a believer to participate comfortably in his or her nation's system of government because a Christian at the same time participated in the reign of Christ. Christ's rule was supreme and his commands were ultimately the ones to be obeyed. No earthly ruler or type of government could match the strength and authority of the King of the Universe.
Our readings and psalm anticipate the heroic leader we will get in Jesus Christ. In 2 Samuel, we hear about Israel's mightiest king, David, who is to be the great shepherd and commander of the nation's great armies. In Colossians, Paul recites the great hymn to Christ as the image of the invisible God who has dominion over heaven and earth. We are ready for an ultimate triumph, but our readings dupe us.
The Gospel portrays a portrait of Jesus at his weakest moment - his death on the cross - where he can display not even the tiniest spark of power. He is condemned to die as a common criminal - hung between two thieves - and he cannot save himself. He has no power except that he believes in the kingdom his Father has established. This kingdom is not one to be found in Temple (or church buildings) because the reign of God is among the people. It is in the heart of every believer. God cannot be contained. The kingdom has no physical limits.
This broken, crucified man who is bound and stripped of any dignity unleashes the greatest power universally available to us - his forgiveness. He forgives the good thief and permits him to enter Paradise with him. If we recognize the real strength we have when we forgive others, we see that the most tenacious strength of the world's most powerful people pales in comparison to this gift from God to us. Forgiveness is not a weakness; it makes us strong. We can transform the world when we learn how to use this gift better. When we do, it reveals the gentleness of Christ, and nothing is ever so powerful as gentleness.
Quote for the Week
From Paul's Letter to the people of Colossae
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For in him were created all things in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers; all things were created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
He is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn of the dead, that in all things he himself might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile all things for him, making peace by the blood of his cross through him, whether those on earth or those in heaven.
Themes for this Week’s Masses
First Reading: In Revelation, John sees the Lamb on Mount Zion with 144,000 faithful ones who had the name of Jesus written on their foreheads. The son of man and his angels cried out, "use your sickle and reap the harvest, for the time to reap has come." Seven angels with the seven last plagues sang the song of Moses and the song of the Lamb. They all cry out, "Fallen is Babylon the great." John tells of the last events of this temporal world in which Satan is locked up in the abyss. Faithful witnesses come to life to reign with Christ while the scroll was opened and the dead are judged according to their deeds. Then a new heaven and a new earth comes into being - with a new Jerusalem coming down from heaven from God. The river of life feeds and heals the nations and nothing accursed will be found anymore. Night will be no more. Christ assures his people, "Behold, I am coming soon."
Gospel: As we conclude Luke's Gospel, Jesus looks joyfully upon a poor widow who donates two small coins to the temple treasury. As people were gazing wondrously at the majestic temple, Jesus says that there will come a day soon when all the stones will tumble upon another stone. The time has come for the beginning of the end times to occur. During these tumultuous times, friends and governments will persecute you and imprison you because of your faith in Jesus. Christ will give you a wisdom to speak to all your adversaries. You will be physically harmed and killed, but your place in heaven is assured. Even Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. Pay attention to the signs of the times. Heaven and earth will pass away, but the words of God will not pass away. Be vigilant. Await the arrival of the Son of Man.
Saints of the Week
Monday: Cecilia, martyr, is known as the patron of musicians because of the lovely song she sang to God at her wedding. She is remembered in the First Eucharistic prayer in the list of saints. She and her husband and brother-in-law were Roman citizens who were martyred when they refused to make sacrifice to the Roman gods.
Tuesday: Clement I, pope and martyr, is the third pope in succession to Peter. Like Cecilia, he is listed in the First Eucharistic prayer and was martyred while in exile. He is said to have been a slave in the imperial court. He had a formative influence in the early church and his letter to Corinth helped restore proper order of the faithful.
Columban, abbot, was an Irish monk who left for France in the late 6th century with twelve friends to establish additional monasteries. He took issue with the King's polygamous relationships and was banished from France though his communities were allowed to continue. Columban moved to Switzerland and Italy to set up new communities.
Miguel Pro, priest and martyr, was a Jesuit from Mexico who was martyred in 1927 because he presided at Mass at a time when public worship was forbidden. He would go undercover to provide sacramental services to the poor. Before he died by the firing squad, he forgave his assassins and shouted "Viva Cristo Rey" - Long live Christ the King.
Wednesday: Andrew Dung Lac, priest, and companions, martyrs, were killed in Vietnam for their faith. French missionaries brought Christianity to Vietnam in the 16th century. Over 130,000 Christians were killed between the 17th and 19th centuries and most of these were native Vietnamese. Dung Lac was one of the native-born priests killed by his own government.
Thursday: Catherine of Alexandria was born to a noble family in Alexandria, Egypt and was educated in the finest schools. She became a convert at age 18 because of an insightful vision. She was killed because she refused to marry a man arranged by the emperor, who she criticized for his persecution of Christians. She was tortured before her death in 310.
This Week in Jesuit History
• Nov 21, 1759. At Livorno, the harbor officials refused to let the ship, S Bonaventura, with 120 exiled Portuguese Jesuits on board, cast anchor. Carvalho sent orders to the Governor of Rio de Janeiro to make a diligent search for the supposed wealth of the Jesuits.
• Nov 22, 1633. The first band of missionaries consisting of five priests and one brother, embarked from England for Maryland. They were sent at the request of Lord Baltimore. The best known among them was Fr. Andrew White.
• Nov 22, 1791: Georgetown Academy opened with one student, aged 12, who was the first student taught by the Jesuits in the United States.
• Nov 23, 1545: Jeronimo de Nadal, whom Ignatius had known as a student at Paris, entered the Society. Later Nadal was instrumental in getting Ignatius to narrate his autobiography.
• In 1927: the execution of Fr. Michael Augustine Pro, SJ, by leaders of the persecution of the Church in Mexico.
• Nov 24, 1963: The death of John LaFarge, pioneer advocate of racial justice in the United States.
• Nov 25, 1584: The Church of the Gesu, built in Rome for the Society by Cardinal Alessandro Farnese, was solemnly consecrated.
• Nov 26, 1678: In London the arrest and imprisonment of St Claude la Colombiere. He was released after five weeks and banished.
• Nov 27, 1680: In Rome the death of Fr. Athanasius Kircher, considered a universal genius, but especially knowledgeable in science and archeology.
Thanksgiving Day (U.S.A.)
In 1620, religious separatists from England set sail for the New World in the ship, the Mayflower, filled with one hundred and two people. They wanted to settle in a new land so they could enjoy religious freedom. Their faith held doctrinal beliefs different from the Church of England and they wanted to separate from it.
The first settlers landed at Plymouth Rock near Boston, Massachusetts in mid-November 1620 after a nine-week arduous journey. Many passengers fell ill and died. Their first winter was difficult. They had arrived too late to grow crops, and without fresh food, half the colony died from disease. The following spring, an Abenaki native visited the colonists and soon brought Squanto, from the Pawtuxet tribe, who was able to speak English because he was captured years earlier by another Englishman. The natives taught the malnourished colonists how to grow corn, a new food indigenous to America, and to hunt and fish.
With the help of the Wampanoag natives, bountiful crops of corn, barley, beans and pumpkins were harvested in the fall of 1621. Governor William Bradford planned a harvest feast to give thanks to God for their survival. They invited 90 of the local tribe members, along with Chief Massasoit and Squanto. The natives brought roasted deer, turkey, and other wild game. The colonists ate new fruits and vegetables like cranberries, squash, and different kinds of corn.
It became a custom to celebrate a harvest feast to praise God for his providence. Largely, Thanksgiving has become a day set aside for families to reunite and enjoy a traditional meal of turkey, cranberries, potatoes, squash, stuffing, and other specialties.
As an independent nation, the U.S. Congress recommended one yearly national day of celebration to give thanks. George Washington chose November 26th as a day of remembrance. After the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln chose the last Thursday in November, and in 1939, Franklin Roosevelt moved it up one week to the 4th Thursday in November. He chose this to boost business by lengthening the Christmas shopping season.
Thanksgiving Day Prayer
From the Book of Sirach
And now, bless the God of all, who has done wondrous things on earth; Who fosters people's growth from their mother's womb, and fashions them according to his will! May he grant you joy of heart and may peace abide among you; May his goodness toward us endure in Israel to deliver us in our days.
Prayer for the Last Week of the Year
Almighty and merciful God, you break the power of evil and make all things new in your Son Jesus Christ, the King of the universe. May all in heaven and earth acclaim your glory and never cease to praise you. Open our hearts, free all the world to rejoice in his peace, to glory in his justice, to live in his love. Bring humanity together in Jesus Christ your Son, whose kingdom is with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.
November 21, 2010
Power is attractive. We like to see our local sports teams come out on top. We love a smashing play when our opponent is squashed. We get energy from seeing strength win out - if we are on the side of the victors. Republicans are gloating from their mid-term election wins; Democrats are firm in their resolve to hold onto their power. He who speaks the loudest and most forcefully wins the votes. This is a world where force and strength are lauded. Might makes right.
Power is on display in the feast of Christ the King on this last Sunday of the year. It celebrates his all-embracing authority over heaven and earth. Pope Pius XI instituted this feast in 1925 in direct opposition to the rise of secular humanism and communism, which was spreading quickly throughout the world, including Christian nations. Many believers were wondering if Christ's kingdom had a place in the modern structure of world governments. Many doubted Christ's existence and his reign. For Pius XI, this feast allowed a believer to participate comfortably in his or her nation's system of government because a Christian at the same time participated in the reign of Christ. Christ's rule was supreme and his commands were ultimately the ones to be obeyed. No earthly ruler or type of government could match the strength and authority of the King of the Universe.
Our readings and psalm anticipate the heroic leader we will get in Jesus Christ. In 2 Samuel, we hear about Israel's mightiest king, David, who is to be the great shepherd and commander of the nation's great armies. In Colossians, Paul recites the great hymn to Christ as the image of the invisible God who has dominion over heaven and earth. We are ready for an ultimate triumph, but our readings dupe us.
The Gospel portrays a portrait of Jesus at his weakest moment - his death on the cross - where he can display not even the tiniest spark of power. He is condemned to die as a common criminal - hung between two thieves - and he cannot save himself. He has no power except that he believes in the kingdom his Father has established. This kingdom is not one to be found in Temple (or church buildings) because the reign of God is among the people. It is in the heart of every believer. God cannot be contained. The kingdom has no physical limits.
This broken, crucified man who is bound and stripped of any dignity unleashes the greatest power universally available to us - his forgiveness. He forgives the good thief and permits him to enter Paradise with him. If we recognize the real strength we have when we forgive others, we see that the most tenacious strength of the world's most powerful people pales in comparison to this gift from God to us. Forgiveness is not a weakness; it makes us strong. We can transform the world when we learn how to use this gift better. When we do, it reveals the gentleness of Christ, and nothing is ever so powerful as gentleness.
Quote for the Week
From Paul's Letter to the people of Colossae
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For in him were created all things in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers; all things were created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
He is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn of the dead, that in all things he himself might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile all things for him, making peace by the blood of his cross through him, whether those on earth or those in heaven.
Themes for this Week’s Masses
First Reading: In Revelation, John sees the Lamb on Mount Zion with 144,000 faithful ones who had the name of Jesus written on their foreheads. The son of man and his angels cried out, "use your sickle and reap the harvest, for the time to reap has come." Seven angels with the seven last plagues sang the song of Moses and the song of the Lamb. They all cry out, "Fallen is Babylon the great." John tells of the last events of this temporal world in which Satan is locked up in the abyss. Faithful witnesses come to life to reign with Christ while the scroll was opened and the dead are judged according to their deeds. Then a new heaven and a new earth comes into being - with a new Jerusalem coming down from heaven from God. The river of life feeds and heals the nations and nothing accursed will be found anymore. Night will be no more. Christ assures his people, "Behold, I am coming soon."
Gospel: As we conclude Luke's Gospel, Jesus looks joyfully upon a poor widow who donates two small coins to the temple treasury. As people were gazing wondrously at the majestic temple, Jesus says that there will come a day soon when all the stones will tumble upon another stone. The time has come for the beginning of the end times to occur. During these tumultuous times, friends and governments will persecute you and imprison you because of your faith in Jesus. Christ will give you a wisdom to speak to all your adversaries. You will be physically harmed and killed, but your place in heaven is assured. Even Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. Pay attention to the signs of the times. Heaven and earth will pass away, but the words of God will not pass away. Be vigilant. Await the arrival of the Son of Man.
Saints of the Week
Monday: Cecilia, martyr, is known as the patron of musicians because of the lovely song she sang to God at her wedding. She is remembered in the First Eucharistic prayer in the list of saints. She and her husband and brother-in-law were Roman citizens who were martyred when they refused to make sacrifice to the Roman gods.
Tuesday: Clement I, pope and martyr, is the third pope in succession to Peter. Like Cecilia, he is listed in the First Eucharistic prayer and was martyred while in exile. He is said to have been a slave in the imperial court. He had a formative influence in the early church and his letter to Corinth helped restore proper order of the faithful.
Columban, abbot, was an Irish monk who left for France in the late 6th century with twelve friends to establish additional monasteries. He took issue with the King's polygamous relationships and was banished from France though his communities were allowed to continue. Columban moved to Switzerland and Italy to set up new communities.
Miguel Pro, priest and martyr, was a Jesuit from Mexico who was martyred in 1927 because he presided at Mass at a time when public worship was forbidden. He would go undercover to provide sacramental services to the poor. Before he died by the firing squad, he forgave his assassins and shouted "Viva Cristo Rey" - Long live Christ the King.
Wednesday: Andrew Dung Lac, priest, and companions, martyrs, were killed in Vietnam for their faith. French missionaries brought Christianity to Vietnam in the 16th century. Over 130,000 Christians were killed between the 17th and 19th centuries and most of these were native Vietnamese. Dung Lac was one of the native-born priests killed by his own government.
Thursday: Catherine of Alexandria was born to a noble family in Alexandria, Egypt and was educated in the finest schools. She became a convert at age 18 because of an insightful vision. She was killed because she refused to marry a man arranged by the emperor, who she criticized for his persecution of Christians. She was tortured before her death in 310.
This Week in Jesuit History
• Nov 21, 1759. At Livorno, the harbor officials refused to let the ship, S Bonaventura, with 120 exiled Portuguese Jesuits on board, cast anchor. Carvalho sent orders to the Governor of Rio de Janeiro to make a diligent search for the supposed wealth of the Jesuits.
• Nov 22, 1633. The first band of missionaries consisting of five priests and one brother, embarked from England for Maryland. They were sent at the request of Lord Baltimore. The best known among them was Fr. Andrew White.
• Nov 22, 1791: Georgetown Academy opened with one student, aged 12, who was the first student taught by the Jesuits in the United States.
• Nov 23, 1545: Jeronimo de Nadal, whom Ignatius had known as a student at Paris, entered the Society. Later Nadal was instrumental in getting Ignatius to narrate his autobiography.
• In 1927: the execution of Fr. Michael Augustine Pro, SJ, by leaders of the persecution of the Church in Mexico.
• Nov 24, 1963: The death of John LaFarge, pioneer advocate of racial justice in the United States.
• Nov 25, 1584: The Church of the Gesu, built in Rome for the Society by Cardinal Alessandro Farnese, was solemnly consecrated.
• Nov 26, 1678: In London the arrest and imprisonment of St Claude la Colombiere. He was released after five weeks and banished.
• Nov 27, 1680: In Rome the death of Fr. Athanasius Kircher, considered a universal genius, but especially knowledgeable in science and archeology.
Thanksgiving Day (U.S.A.)
In 1620, religious separatists from England set sail for the New World in the ship, the Mayflower, filled with one hundred and two people. They wanted to settle in a new land so they could enjoy religious freedom. Their faith held doctrinal beliefs different from the Church of England and they wanted to separate from it.
The first settlers landed at Plymouth Rock near Boston, Massachusetts in mid-November 1620 after a nine-week arduous journey. Many passengers fell ill and died. Their first winter was difficult. They had arrived too late to grow crops, and without fresh food, half the colony died from disease. The following spring, an Abenaki native visited the colonists and soon brought Squanto, from the Pawtuxet tribe, who was able to speak English because he was captured years earlier by another Englishman. The natives taught the malnourished colonists how to grow corn, a new food indigenous to America, and to hunt and fish.
With the help of the Wampanoag natives, bountiful crops of corn, barley, beans and pumpkins were harvested in the fall of 1621. Governor William Bradford planned a harvest feast to give thanks to God for their survival. They invited 90 of the local tribe members, along with Chief Massasoit and Squanto. The natives brought roasted deer, turkey, and other wild game. The colonists ate new fruits and vegetables like cranberries, squash, and different kinds of corn.
It became a custom to celebrate a harvest feast to praise God for his providence. Largely, Thanksgiving has become a day set aside for families to reunite and enjoy a traditional meal of turkey, cranberries, potatoes, squash, stuffing, and other specialties.
As an independent nation, the U.S. Congress recommended one yearly national day of celebration to give thanks. George Washington chose November 26th as a day of remembrance. After the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln chose the last Thursday in November, and in 1939, Franklin Roosevelt moved it up one week to the 4th Thursday in November. He chose this to boost business by lengthening the Christmas shopping season.
Thanksgiving Day Prayer
From the Book of Sirach
And now, bless the God of all, who has done wondrous things on earth; Who fosters people's growth from their mother's womb, and fashions them according to his will! May he grant you joy of heart and may peace abide among you; May his goodness toward us endure in Israel to deliver us in our days.
Prayer for the Last Week of the Year
Almighty and merciful God, you break the power of evil and make all things new in your Son Jesus Christ, the King of the universe. May all in heaven and earth acclaim your glory and never cease to praise you. Open our hearts, free all the world to rejoice in his peace, to glory in his justice, to live in his love. Bring humanity together in Jesus Christ your Son, whose kingdom is with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.
Friday, November 19, 2010
Prayer: Anthony de Mello, S.J. - His Prayer after Communion
Don't change: Desire to change is the enemy of love.
Don't change yourselves: Love yourselves as you are.
Don't change others: Love all others as they are.
Don't change the world: It is in God's hands and he knows.
And if you do that change will occur
Marvellously in its own way and in its own time
Yield to the current of life unencumbered by baggage.
Don't change yourselves: Love yourselves as you are.
Don't change others: Love all others as they are.
Don't change the world: It is in God's hands and he knows.
And if you do that change will occur
Marvellously in its own way and in its own time
Yield to the current of life unencumbered by baggage.
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Spirituality: Trying Faith On
Stories based on make-believe continue to fascinate us because they replicate the way children make discoveries. Act as if something is ture and it may turn out to be so. Perhaps this is what Jesus meant by 'becoming like little children.' In any case, the wisdom about faith has it that you cannot know it till you try it. Try living as if you exclamations about life's comedies and tragedies carry a forwarding address, or as if you live before a Presence who is firmly on your side but more demanding than any friend or mentor. You may be disconcerted to find the evidence for your surmise accumulating, and your dialogue with the Divine developing.
Adrian Lyons from Imagine Believing.
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Prayer: Felix Adler
Heroes are those who kindle a great light in the world, who set up blazing torches in the dark streets of life for people to see by. Saints are those who walk through the dark paths of the world, themselves a light.
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
"Catholic Bishops Tilt Right" by Thomas Reese, S.J.
At their meeting this week in Baltimore, the U.S. bishops signaled that they are going to continue their conservative tilt in both the church and American politics.
This rightward tilt became evident six years ago when Cardinal Francis George of Chicago was elected vice president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The election of vice president is important because the bishops traditionally elect the vice president as president at the next election in three years.
Prior to his election as vice president, George had executed the coup d’état at ICEL (International Commission on English in the Liturgy) that got rid of those who opposed a literal word-for-word translation of the Latin Mass. He, more than any other bishop, will be responsible for the new English translation that goes into effect in Advent of 2011. This year, as president of the bishops’ conference, he led the attack on President Obama’s healthcare bill, which he claims will fund abortions even though the Catholic Health Association disagrees.
Moderates were fooled into thinking that the bishops had returned to the center three years ago when they elected Bishop Gerald Kicanas of Tucson as vice president at the same time that Cardinal George was elevated to president. They expected Kicanas to be elected president this year, even though he had only defeated Archbishop Timothy Dolan, then of Milwaukee, by one vote.
Dolan’s victory over Kicanas at this week’s meeting is unprecedented. The bishops have always elected the vice president when he was on the ballot for president.
On paper, there is little difference between the two bishops. Both would claim to support orthodox doctrine and the full range of Catholic social teaching. As one bishop told me, “Kicanas is a liberal moderate, and Dolan is a conservative moderate.” The substantive differences are not that great.
The difference is in style and emphasis.
Kicanas is a quiet conciliator who prefers to resolve conflict through dialogue & conversation. He once taught a course in conflict resolution. Dolan is more extroverted and willing to be aggressive and confrontational when he thinks it is necessary. He has an ongoing fight with the New York Times. The bishops obviously want a strong, vigorous voice in the public square.
At the press conference after the election, Archbishop Dolan praised Cardinal George’s stance on the healthcare bill. He also said that the late Cardinal John O’Connor was his model on how to be a bishop. Kicanas would undoubtedly point to his mentor Cardinal Joseph Bernardin. That says it all.
Bernardin and O’Connor were frequently at odds while they were alive, with Bernardin wanting to emphasize the whole range of Catholic social teaching and O’Connor wanting to stress abortion as the preeminent issue. If Cardinal Bernardin were alive today, he could not be elected president of this conference, nor could previous presidents like John Quinn, James Malone or John Roach. The bishops’ conference has been radically changed by the bishops appointed by Pope John Paul II. This is not going to change in the foreseeable future.
The conservative tilt of the bishops’ conference was shown even more clearly by the election for vice president. After two votes, the final runoff was between the two most conservative candidates of the eight bishops on the ballot: Denver Archbishop Charles Chaput, who wants to ban pro-choice politicians from Communion, and Louisville Archbishop Joseph Kurtz, chair of the bishops' committee on the defense of marriage—the committee assigned to fight gay marriage.
That the leading voices on these two issues were in the runoff is telling. This is a clear signal that the bishops want to be active participants in the culture wars.
All of the bishops would claim to be committed to the full range of Catholic social teaching, so you have to focus on what they say, what they emphasize and what they do.
What is most remarkable about this meeting is that it took place in the middle of the most devastating economic downturn since the Great Depression, and the bishops said nothing about it. It was as if they did not know that almost 10 percent of their parishioners are unemployed, that the new Congress is going to take aim at programs helping the poor and that now is the time to speak out for social justice. Their silence was deafening.
Thomas J. Reese, S.J., a Senior Fellow, Woodstock Theological Center, Georgetown University, writes a column, This Catholic’s View, for newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith.
This rightward tilt became evident six years ago when Cardinal Francis George of Chicago was elected vice president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The election of vice president is important because the bishops traditionally elect the vice president as president at the next election in three years.
Prior to his election as vice president, George had executed the coup d’état at ICEL (International Commission on English in the Liturgy) that got rid of those who opposed a literal word-for-word translation of the Latin Mass. He, more than any other bishop, will be responsible for the new English translation that goes into effect in Advent of 2011. This year, as president of the bishops’ conference, he led the attack on President Obama’s healthcare bill, which he claims will fund abortions even though the Catholic Health Association disagrees.
Moderates were fooled into thinking that the bishops had returned to the center three years ago when they elected Bishop Gerald Kicanas of Tucson as vice president at the same time that Cardinal George was elevated to president. They expected Kicanas to be elected president this year, even though he had only defeated Archbishop Timothy Dolan, then of Milwaukee, by one vote.
Dolan’s victory over Kicanas at this week’s meeting is unprecedented. The bishops have always elected the vice president when he was on the ballot for president.
On paper, there is little difference between the two bishops. Both would claim to support orthodox doctrine and the full range of Catholic social teaching. As one bishop told me, “Kicanas is a liberal moderate, and Dolan is a conservative moderate.” The substantive differences are not that great.
The difference is in style and emphasis.
Kicanas is a quiet conciliator who prefers to resolve conflict through dialogue & conversation. He once taught a course in conflict resolution. Dolan is more extroverted and willing to be aggressive and confrontational when he thinks it is necessary. He has an ongoing fight with the New York Times. The bishops obviously want a strong, vigorous voice in the public square.
At the press conference after the election, Archbishop Dolan praised Cardinal George’s stance on the healthcare bill. He also said that the late Cardinal John O’Connor was his model on how to be a bishop. Kicanas would undoubtedly point to his mentor Cardinal Joseph Bernardin. That says it all.
Bernardin and O’Connor were frequently at odds while they were alive, with Bernardin wanting to emphasize the whole range of Catholic social teaching and O’Connor wanting to stress abortion as the preeminent issue. If Cardinal Bernardin were alive today, he could not be elected president of this conference, nor could previous presidents like John Quinn, James Malone or John Roach. The bishops’ conference has been radically changed by the bishops appointed by Pope John Paul II. This is not going to change in the foreseeable future.
The conservative tilt of the bishops’ conference was shown even more clearly by the election for vice president. After two votes, the final runoff was between the two most conservative candidates of the eight bishops on the ballot: Denver Archbishop Charles Chaput, who wants to ban pro-choice politicians from Communion, and Louisville Archbishop Joseph Kurtz, chair of the bishops' committee on the defense of marriage—the committee assigned to fight gay marriage.
That the leading voices on these two issues were in the runoff is telling. This is a clear signal that the bishops want to be active participants in the culture wars.
All of the bishops would claim to be committed to the full range of Catholic social teaching, so you have to focus on what they say, what they emphasize and what they do.
What is most remarkable about this meeting is that it took place in the middle of the most devastating economic downturn since the Great Depression, and the bishops said nothing about it. It was as if they did not know that almost 10 percent of their parishioners are unemployed, that the new Congress is going to take aim at programs helping the poor and that now is the time to speak out for social justice. Their silence was deafening.
Thomas J. Reese, S.J., a Senior Fellow, Woodstock Theological Center, Georgetown University, writes a column, This Catholic’s View, for newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith.
Prayer: Oscar Romero (Murdered March 24, 1980)
A gospel that does not unsettle, a word of God that does not get under anyone’s skin, a word of God that does not touch the real sin of the society in which it is being proclaimed, what gospel is that?
Monday, November 15, 2010
New Leader for American Catholics
By Thomas J. Reese, S.J.
While most Catholic eyes are directed toward Rome where new cardinals will be created on November 20, an important leadership transition is taking place in the United States where a new president will be chosen for the U. S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. While people in red hats tend to get noticed, the president of the bishops' conference is the closest thing the American church has to a real national leader.
At the end of their meeting in Baltimore on November 18, the USCCB presidency will transfer from Cardinal Francis E. George of Chicago, one of the largest archdioceses in the U.S., to Bishop Gerald F. Kicanas of Tucson, one of the smaller dioceses.
Bishop Kicanas, currently vice president, will need to be elected as president during the meeting, but the bishops traditionally promote their vice president to president at the end of his three-year term. The only time their failed to do this was when the vice president (Cardinal John Carberry of St. Louis) was too old and would have had to retire while president. Not to elect Kicanas would be an ecclesial earthquake of monumental proportions. As a result, all eyes will be on the election of the new vice president, who everyone knows will become the president in three years. Will he be a moderate or a culture warrior?
Electing as president a man who is not even an archbishop and is from such a small diocese shows that the Catholic bishops are not as deferential to hierarchy or even to Rome as one would think. After all, Rome appoints its favorites to large and important archdioceses. For the bishops to reach this deep into the bench shows that they do not judge each other with the same criteria as Rome does.
What kind of president will Kicanas be?
Kicanas will not try to impose his agenda on the bishops; rather he will support the priorities of the bishops themselves. He will spend lots of time listening and trying to build consensus. His style will be similar to that of Cardinal Joseph Bernardin, who was his mentor. This is why the bishops elected him.
On substance, Kicanas will not stray from the middle of the bishops' conference. He is opposed to abortion, but he does not support banning pro-choice politicians from Communion. During the controversy over President Obama's visit to Notre Dame University, he called for the bishops and university presidents "to sit down and talk this through to come to some better understanding."
And while he supported an Arizona ballot initiative banning gay marriage, he instituted a conversation in his diocese on how to minister to gays when he was criticized by gay rights supporters. Although he would not step back from church teaching on homosexuality, he did affirm that "we must challenge any attitudes, language or actions in the church and in society that demean people of same-sex orientation."
Like Bernardin, Kicanas is committed to the full range of Catholic social teaching on justice and peace. On economic issues, like the pope, he would be to the left of the Obama administration. Unlike the Tea Party, he has no problem with a robust role for the government in supporting the common good. He supports comprehensive immigration reform and strongly condemned the Arizona law instructing police to go after undocumented immigrants. He has visited the Holy Land seven times and spoken in support of Christians there as well as for an end to violence.
Bishop Kicanas will not just listen to the bishops; he also takes seriously input from the laity. He has been involved with the National Leadership Roundtable on Church Management, an organization of business executives founded in response to the sex abuse crisis to help the church with their expertise. He also believes that the church has a lot to learn from the social sciences and has supported research on the life of the church by CARA (Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate).
Kicanas should also prove to be a good communicator. He is less abstract and rambling in his speeches than Cardinal George. He understands the church has a communication challenge to "keep the interest of people who have so many places to turn." He is a blogger and suggested that the pope try it. He does not appear to be afraid of the press like most bishops. He said that one of the lessons he learned from leading his diocese through bankruptcy in 2004-2005 was the need for transparency and openness. Although not everyone was happy with the process, he was pleased that most, including victims, felt they were treated fairly and respectfully.
Kicanas will face many challenges as president of the bishops' conference: a political atmosphere that appears willing to sacrifice the poor to deficit reduction; a controversial translation of the Mass that may go down poorly with the people in the pews; an exodus of young people out of the church and declining church attendance; a graying and smaller presbyterate. And then there will be the surprises that will test his mettle.
While most Catholic eyes are directed toward Rome where new cardinals will be created on November 20, an important leadership transition is taking place in the United States where a new president will be chosen for the U. S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. While people in red hats tend to get noticed, the president of the bishops' conference is the closest thing the American church has to a real national leader.
At the end of their meeting in Baltimore on November 18, the USCCB presidency will transfer from Cardinal Francis E. George of Chicago, one of the largest archdioceses in the U.S., to Bishop Gerald F. Kicanas of Tucson, one of the smaller dioceses.
Bishop Kicanas, currently vice president, will need to be elected as president during the meeting, but the bishops traditionally promote their vice president to president at the end of his three-year term. The only time their failed to do this was when the vice president (Cardinal John Carberry of St. Louis) was too old and would have had to retire while president. Not to elect Kicanas would be an ecclesial earthquake of monumental proportions. As a result, all eyes will be on the election of the new vice president, who everyone knows will become the president in three years. Will he be a moderate or a culture warrior?
Electing as president a man who is not even an archbishop and is from such a small diocese shows that the Catholic bishops are not as deferential to hierarchy or even to Rome as one would think. After all, Rome appoints its favorites to large and important archdioceses. For the bishops to reach this deep into the bench shows that they do not judge each other with the same criteria as Rome does.
What kind of president will Kicanas be?
Kicanas will not try to impose his agenda on the bishops; rather he will support the priorities of the bishops themselves. He will spend lots of time listening and trying to build consensus. His style will be similar to that of Cardinal Joseph Bernardin, who was his mentor. This is why the bishops elected him.
On substance, Kicanas will not stray from the middle of the bishops' conference. He is opposed to abortion, but he does not support banning pro-choice politicians from Communion. During the controversy over President Obama's visit to Notre Dame University, he called for the bishops and university presidents "to sit down and talk this through to come to some better understanding."
And while he supported an Arizona ballot initiative banning gay marriage, he instituted a conversation in his diocese on how to minister to gays when he was criticized by gay rights supporters. Although he would not step back from church teaching on homosexuality, he did affirm that "we must challenge any attitudes, language or actions in the church and in society that demean people of same-sex orientation."
Like Bernardin, Kicanas is committed to the full range of Catholic social teaching on justice and peace. On economic issues, like the pope, he would be to the left of the Obama administration. Unlike the Tea Party, he has no problem with a robust role for the government in supporting the common good. He supports comprehensive immigration reform and strongly condemned the Arizona law instructing police to go after undocumented immigrants. He has visited the Holy Land seven times and spoken in support of Christians there as well as for an end to violence.
Bishop Kicanas will not just listen to the bishops; he also takes seriously input from the laity. He has been involved with the National Leadership Roundtable on Church Management, an organization of business executives founded in response to the sex abuse crisis to help the church with their expertise. He also believes that the church has a lot to learn from the social sciences and has supported research on the life of the church by CARA (Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate).
Kicanas should also prove to be a good communicator. He is less abstract and rambling in his speeches than Cardinal George. He understands the church has a communication challenge to "keep the interest of people who have so many places to turn." He is a blogger and suggested that the pope try it. He does not appear to be afraid of the press like most bishops. He said that one of the lessons he learned from leading his diocese through bankruptcy in 2004-2005 was the need for transparency and openness. Although not everyone was happy with the process, he was pleased that most, including victims, felt they were treated fairly and respectfully.
Kicanas will face many challenges as president of the bishops' conference: a political atmosphere that appears willing to sacrifice the poor to deficit reduction; a controversial translation of the Mass that may go down poorly with the people in the pews; an exodus of young people out of the church and declining church attendance; a graying and smaller presbyterate. And then there will be the surprises that will test his mettle.
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