I’ve put up a new post at Per Christum about why my Catholic and conservative principles have led me to reject the death penalty in most cases. I guess this puts me in the traditions of those two great Pauls: John and Ron.
Read: Catholic, Conservative, and Against Capital Punishment
My first contribution on Benedict XVI’s newest encyclical to the Per Christum blog Spe Salvi roundtable:
As I read through the Holy Father’s recent encyclical, my thoughts kept returning to the connection between hope and humility. Benedict consistently contrasts the philosophers, scientists, and activists who want to build the kingdom of God through technology and human progress with the humble saints of the Church who succeeded, in their lives and in their deaths, as a witness to the real meaning of hope. Outcasts know hopelessness so well that they are uniquely disposed to zealously embrace hope and just as eagerly share it with the world. Even those who are in positions of power and wealth and status need hope too, as Benedict points out, but it requires us to recognize that we are “living without hope and without God in the world.” Sometimes those of us who are rich or even “comfortable” have just the right number of toys, institutional affiliations, and reasons for optimism that we can put aside that nagging voice telling us that maybe something greater exists: the love of God and the coming of a life that is “truly” life. This is the great hope that we have as Christians, but are we humble enough to truly embrace it?
As of September 14th, the old mass is now available to all Catholics around the world, regardless (in theory anyway) of intransigent bishops, aghast DRE’s, and outraged professional liturgists. And for all those in the media and diocesan newspapers who insist on saying so, this is not about Latin. It’s about tradition, continuity, and a restoration of a “something” that was lost following Vatican II. I’ve never been one to advocate for the Latin mass. And, I think Vatican II, at least in the letter, was a necessary and important council. However, following its implementation, a reform of the reform is definitely needed. And I believe this motu proprio is a good step in preserving the Church’s wonderful heritage for future generations.
The Jesuit run Creighton University is creating headaches for the archdiocese of Nebraska. The school is promoting speakers with views that run very counter to Catholic morality and has theologians that contradict Church teaching. Universities have the job of teaching students and also allowing open academic debate. Catholic universities have this job in addition to promoting Catholic theology and spirituality. Other Catholic universities have found a balance between open debate and faithfulness to the Church, so I’m sure the many Jesuit run institutions can as well. The question remains: do they want to?
Two Australian Catholic bishops are making calls for a “new” Church. The first one, Geoffery Robinson, wants to change Church teaching on Papal authority and sexuality (in other words the Pope won’t let people “have any fun”). The other, Pat Powers, wants to have a discussion on ending celibacy and ordaining women. Bishop Powers claims the laity want these changes. I’m sure many do. It’s times like this that I’m grateful the Catholic Church is not a democracy and that there are higher authorities than chattering laity and also checks and balances against aging bishops. Mind you, I’m not against having an honest discussion on these issues. I’m convinced that sound Catholic theology based on Scripture and tradition would easily win the day. However, in all my years of theological training and practice, “having a discussion” usually means “keep listening until you see it my way.” The Church does not need that kind of discussion.
Most of you probably thought this was an Episcopalian, huh? The conservative Anglicans among us can breathe a little easier. This utterly mistaken man who believes we can achieve better relations with Muslims by calling God “Allah” is actually a Catholic bishop in the Netherlands. His goal of achieving peace between religions is laudable, but I disagree with this method. His argument that Catholic liturgies regularly use “Allah” for God is also not convincing since in those places he lists, referring to God as “Allah” is culturally and linguistically proper. Calling God “Allah” in a Western country is totally foreign and has very non-Christian connotations. If we want to have dialogue between Catholics and Muslims, we can start by better understanding and engaging each other, not by changing our traditions to suit ecumenical pipe dreams.
The Catechism notes that pride is a “capital” sin, meaning that it leads to other sin and vices (1866). I discovered this last week in the liturgy of the Word during the Sunday mass when I realized how lax I had become in listening to and focusing on the Scripture readings. I have a Masters degree in theology and have read the Bible and Bible commentaries numerous times; I even teach Scripture. Consequently, I’ve found myself drifting during the readings in the mass because I already “knew the stories” and with great pride, even if subconsciously, felt I had little more to learn. This approach may work if the Bible is simply great literature, but it is so much more. The Catechism notes:
In Sacred Scripture, the Church constantly finds her nourishment and her strength, for she welcomes it not as a human word, “but as what it really is, the word of God”. “In the sacred books, the Father who is in heaven comes lovingly to meet his children, and talks with them. (104)
and
And such is the force and power of the Word of God that it can serve the Church as her support and vigor, and the children of the Church as strength for their faith, food for the soul, and a pure and lasting fount of spiritual life. (131)
These amazing words from the Church certainly don’t describe my recent experiences during the mass. The Catechism describes the reading and hearing of Scripture as a conversation with God. I, on the other hand, felt that since I had studied the texts in depth, I had no need for further conversation. I had shut off the working of the Holy Spirit through the Scriptures in my life because I had a theology degree. Rather than becoming food for the soul and a source of my spiritual life, Scripture had become an academic exercise, something I knew of, but had little impact in my life. I certainly believe in the academic study of the Bible, but it must always be in concert with the truth that the Bible is the book of the Church and her members.
Fortunately, as Catholics, we are confronted with the Bible every single week. The Word of God is sharper than a two edged sword and it can cut through any level of pride or whatever else gets in the way of receiving the grace God wants to give us through the Bible. Each week God is talking to us through the Scriptures. What hinders us from listening?
Tom Hunt tells of his conversion to the Catholic Church. I always enjoy conversion stories because they give insight into the diverse reasons why people choose Catholicism. I especially liked Tom’s story because it’s very similar to mine: evangelical background, seeking in an academic context, discovery of the Church Fathers, admiration for JPII, defending Catholicism, and more.
Honestly, it made me a bit sentimental.
The article, titled Vatican Agrees to Reforestation Project, emphasizes the efforts the Holy See has made to be environmentally friendly. Pope Benedict noted that Christians should unite to take “care of creation without squandering its resources and (share) them in a convivial manner.” The article also notes that the Vatican is considering installing solar panels in some buildings. Good for the Pope and the Vatican! With the big media’s hammering of the Pope for supposed backwardness and lack of inclusivity, a person would expect them to talk about the Pope’s role in one of their pet issues: the environment. I’m not holding my breath.
What is my take on all of this? Good for the Pope and the Vatican. Conservatives and traditional Catholics need to develop an environmentalism (I dislike this word, however) that is sensible, emphasizes human freedom and the common good, and doesn’t necessarily involve the government at every turn. Caring for the earth and using its resources wisely should be a universal concern for all people of all faiths. Radicals cannot hijack such an important movement. The Vatican provides a good, sensible example of how we can move forward: Catholics making a big difference on the local level. The Vatican is going green; how perfect for ordinary time.
I’ll have more to say about a conservative and Catholic approach to conservation and caring for the earth at a later date. It’s an issue that needs to be explored.
Thanks to Dave Hartline at the Catholic Report for the article.
The Pope has released the much anticipated (by many traditionalists) and feared (by some liberals) motu proprio, which allows for greater use of the Latin Tridentine mass. I am pleased, even though I am not personally invested in the controversy. Let me explain. I have no desire to attend a Tridentine mass regularly or even frequently. Perhaps I’ll visit once just to see what the fuss is about. Maybe I’ll like it and return. Then again, maybe not. However, I do want to see the Novus Ordo celebrated with dignity and reverence according to the rubrics of the missal. I think that by allowing greater use of the old mass, the celebration of the Novus Ordo will greatly improve. It’s like capitalism. People will no longer have to endure Marty Haugen, liturgical dance, hippy priests, and other craziness without options; they will have a choice and many will choose to attend the more dignified Tridentine rite at the parish down the road. This could cause pastors to introduce more dignified masses into their schedule. Or, this could backfire if pastors decide that with the old mass available and the traditionalists gone, they can introduce more craziness into the Novus Ordo mass. Let’s hope the latter isn’t the case. Either way, with the motu proprio, the overall quality of Catholic masses around the world will improve greatly. Thanks be to God.
I want to comment on one more thing: the progressive anger about the motu proprio. This is nothing but hypocrisy. Liberal Catholics love to talk about inclusivity and the big tent of Catholicism except when it includes conservative theology, dignified language, Latin, or anything else not on their agenda. Then again, perhaps elitist priests and liturgists who advocate every flaky novelty should be very afraid: the plebs now have a choice.
The results are in from a recent survey of men about to be ordained in the Catholic Church in the USA. The results are interesting. First, the average age of the men is 35. This is out of the "baby boomer" range and is encouraging for the future of orthodox theology and solid liturgy. The group is also highly educated, which I think is important. Six percent of the men are converts from Protestantism and one was formerly a Buddhist. I think converts bring a nice perspective to the Church (as do cradle Catholics), so this statistic is hopeful as well. I was surprised by the education and military background of many of the future priests too. Things seem to be improving. Praise God!
Hat tip: Catholic Report
Pope Benedict, in recent speeches, has been emphasizing the importance of the Church Fathers. I think it’s safe to say that for many of the more academic minded converts to Catholicism, reading or studying the Church Fathers played an instrumental part in their conversion. It certainly was in mine (not that I consider myself terribly academic minded!). The mention by Benedict is timely since Dr. Francis Beckwith, president of the Evangelical Theological Society, has converted to Catholicism and one of his major reasons for doing so was the influence of the Church Fathers. Welcome to the Catholic Church, Dr. Beckwith!
A 114 year old woman was recently baptized in Taiwan. In a time of often bad news, this is a happy exception!
A Catholic Life Blog has posted a list of those in the blog world who entered the Catholic Church this Easter. Have a look and drop them a line of congratulations.
Fr. William Hahn, the priest who performed our wedding and is the pastor at my home parish, has posted our marriage homily on his blog. I found it incredibly inspiring then and now. It is jammed packed with Catholic theology and practice. I often have moments when I’m extremely conscious of my pride in being Catholic and the wedding, especially during the homily, was an example of this. Check it out!
