Heroes or slaves?

8th Week OT (W)

Fr. Philip Neri Powell, OP

St. Joseph Church, Ponchatula

In the ancient Greek epics, heroes usually fall from the grace of the gods because they suffer from some deadly character flaw, typically pride. When the hero falls, we say that he has suffered a great tragedy. What at first appears to be his primary strength, say, confidence or fortitude, turns out to be hubris that leads him to challenge the gods, or simple stubbornness that causes him to ignore wise counsel. The moral lesson from the epics is that there is a very fine line between virtue and vice, between that good habits that make a man a hero and the bad habits that turn him into a tragic figure. James and John, the sons of Zebedee, ask Jesus to be honored in his glory with places at his right and left. They make this request immediately after Jesus describes what will happen to him in Jerusalem—arrest, ridicule, torture, and death. Jesus warns them, “You do not know what you are asking.” In their ignorance, James and John make a request that others might see as virtuous, “Lord, we want to be with you in heaven.” However, they have yet to realize what asking to be honored in heaven—honored above the other disciples—really means. So that James and John may not fall b/c of their fatal flaw, Jesus tells them that they must follow him to Jerusalem and the cross. But even if they manage this, only the Father can assign places of honor in heaven. So that their lives in Christ might not end in tragedy—a defeat caused by a fatal character flaw—Jesus says to the disciples (and us), “. . .whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant.” To be heroes in heaven, we must first be slaves on earth.

When the Zebedee brothers ask Jesus for places of honor in heaven, he tests them with a question, “Can you drink the chalice that I drink or be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?” They answer, perhaps a little too quickly, “We can.” But we have to wonder if they really understand what this means. The chalice that Jesus drinks is the chalice of the Suffering Servant, the cup of sacrifice. His baptism is the baptism of repentance of sin. Jesus is asking the brothers if they willing to suffer as he will suffer; if they are willing to be perfect as he himself is perfect. They accept the challenge, and when the other disciples hear about the brothers' request for special treatment, they become indignant. Apparently, the other ten disciples don't really understand exactly what it is that the brothers have agreed to. Jesus seems to calm their indignation by saying, “. . .whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all.” And just in case he's not being clear enough, Jesus adds, “. . .the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.” If the disciples believe that being in the Inner Circle is a privilege or a mark of worldly status, this revelation should set them straight. They've not attached themselves to a powerful prince or a military leader. They are tied to a slave, a man who will die so that all others might live. His death will be a ransom, a sum paid to free prisoners. Therefore, the mark of leadership in the Body of Christ is never to be worldly glory or honor or prestige but sacrificial service. 

Never have we been promised a place of honor in heaven for following Christ. We have not been promised prosperity, health, recognition, or even holiness. If we drink his chalice and take his baptism, we have been promised nothing more than what he himself has already received: persecution, ridicule, torture, death, and resurrection and life in the world to come. Our Greek heroes have taught us that there is a fine line btw virtue and vice. Jesus teaches us that there is a fine line btw seeking the glory of this world and the glory of heaven. Will you follow Christ? Then give your life as a ransom for all those enslaved to sin.

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What is grace? Five Explanations

1.  from the Catechism (nos. 1997 & 1999)

Grace is a participation in the life of God. It introduces us into the intimacy of Trinitarian life: by Baptism the Christian participates in the grace of Christ, the Head of his Body. As an "adopted son" he can henceforth call God "Father," in union with the only Son. He receives the life of the Spirit who breathes charity into him and who forms the Church.

The grace of Christ is the gratuitous gift that God makes to us of his own life, infused by the Holy Spirit into our soul to heal it of sin and to sanctify it. It is the sanctifying or deifying grace received in Baptism. It is in us the source of the work of sanctification. . .

2. from The Catholic Encyclopedia ("sanctifying grace")

Grace, in general, is a supernatural gift of God to intellectual creatures (men, angels) for their eternal salvation, whether the latter be furthered and attained through salutary acts or a state of holiness. Eternal salvation itself consists in heavenly bliss resulting from the intuitive knowledge of the Triune God, who to the one not endowed with grace "inhabiteth light inaccessible" (1 Timothy 6:16). . .sanctifying grace imparts to the soul a participation in the Divine spirituality, which no rational creature can by its own unaided powers penetrate or comprehend. It is, therefore, the office of grace to impart to the soul, in a supernatural way, that degree of spirituality which is absolutely necessary to give us an idea of God and His spirit, either here below in the shadows of earthly existence, or there above in the unveiled splendour of Heaven. If we were asked to condense all that we have thus far been considering into a definition, we would formulate the following: Sanctifying grace is "a quality strictly supernatural, inherent in the soul as a habitus, by which we are made to participate in the divine nature."

3. from The Catholic Encyclopedia ("Teaching of St Augustine of Hippo")

. . .Augustine distinguishes very explicitly two orders of grace: the grace of natural virtues (the simple gift of Providence, which prepares efficacious motives for the will); and grace for salutary and supernatural acts, given with the first preludes of faith. The latter is the grace of the sons; the former is the grace of all men, a grace which even strangers and infidels can receive (De Patientiâ, xxvii, n. 28).

4.  from St Augustine ("On Rebuke and Grace")

For the grace of God through Jesus Christ our Lord must be apprehended—as that by which alone men are delivered from evil, and without which they do absolutely no good thing, whether in thought, or will and affection, or in action; not only in order that they may know, by the manifestation of that grace, what should be done, but moreover in order that, by its enabling, they may do with love what they know.

5.   from Pope Benedict XVI (Spe salvi, nos. 44 & 47)

God is justice and creates justice. This is our consolation and our hope. And in his justice there is also grace. This we know by turning our gaze to the crucified and risen Christ. Both these things—justice and grace—must be seen in their correct inner relationship. Grace does not cancel out justice. It does not make wrong into right. It is not a sponge which wipes everything away, so that whatever someone has done on earth ends up being of equal value. . .the judgement of God is hope, both because it is justice and because it is grace. If it were merely grace, making all earthly things cease to matter, God would still owe us an answer to the question about justice—the crucial question that we ask of history and of God. If it were merely justice, in the end it could bring only fear to us all. The incarnation of God in Christ has so closely linked the two together—judgement and grace—that justice is firmly established: we all work out our salvation “with fear and trembling” (Phil 2:12). Nevertheless grace allows us all to hope, and to go trustfully to meet the Judge whom we know as our “advocate”, or parakletos (cf. 1 Jn 2:1).

Nos. 1-4 were taken from New Advent.  No. 5 was taken from The Vatican.

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Sinner says what?

8th Week OT (M)

Fr. Philip Neri Powell, OP

St. Joseph, Ponchatula

After his disappointing lesson with the rich, young man, Jesus turns to the disciples and announces, “How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the Kingdom of God!” The disciples were amazed at his words. All this time with their Lord and they had heard him say many times that anyone who believed in him would be saved. Now it appears that he's saying that rich people will have a tough time getting into heaven. Can't rich people believe in him? What is it about being rich that prevents the rich from believing in Christ? Apparently, their shocked expressions prompt Jesus to continue, “It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for one who is rich to enter the Kingdom of God.” The disciples are exceedingly astonished at this revelation, so they ask the question we all want answered, “Aright then, who can be saved?” Jesus answers in his usual enigmatic fashion, leaving the question to rest in mystery, “For men it is impossible, but not for God. All things are possible for God.” In other words, men and women—rich or poor—do not save themselves by their actions. It is God who saves us. Though we cannot save ourselves, we can condemn ourselves. Wealth is just one of the many burdens that we refuse to put up down in order to take up the cross and follow Christ.

The gospel this morning highlights two essential elements of the Christian understanding of salvation. First, we are saved by God, and God alone—not our words, works, thoughts, or status in life. God alone. Second, anyone who surrenders to Christ, picks up his cross, and follows him, is saved. Though the reading focuses on the rich, young man and his attachment to wealth, there are any number of burdens that we might carry that prevent us from taking part in God's plan of salvation. Think in terms of your favorite sins. Think of these sins as your preferred ways of clinging to disobedience, your preferred means of staying away from God. The Lord invites you to His heavenly banquet, and you say, “No thanks, I'm busy accumulating wealth.” Or violating my marriage vows; or hating my neighbor; or seeking vengeance against an enemy; or wallowing in despair. If you find yourself eternally separated from God's love after death, then you were too busy separating yourself from His love while you lived. 

Who then can be saved? Everyone. Everyone can be saved. There is no one who can't be saved. Whether or not everyone will be saved is a mystery to be solved only after Judgment Day. Today, right now, every person on the planet is eligible for salvation. Christ died once for all—no exceptions. Christ died for the rich, young man, but the man's possessions possessed him, so he was not free to follow Christ. He was free to surrender his wealth, but he chose to live as a wealthy slave to temporary riches rather than as a poor slave to the permanent wealth of heaven. As he watches the young man walk away, Jesus says, “How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the Kingdom of God!” What's “hard” is not the wealth itself but the decision whether or not to surrender wealth in favor of poverty, the kind of poverty necessary to travel along behind Jesus on his journey to the cross in Jerusalem.

What “wealth” possesses you? A wealth of anxiety or doubt? A wealth of infidelity or spiritual cowardice? Maybe a wealth of self-righteousness or a cold heart? Whatever it is, surrender it. With so much to carry, with so many attachments, you will never make it through the narrow gate. Put it all down, pick up the cross, and follow Christ.

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Coffee Cup Browsing

Say it ain't so!  My beloved Wal-Mart is knuckling under to lefty bullying.  Sigh.  Guess Dollar General will get my money from now on.

The Cardinal Mahony era is over.  Long live Archbishop Gomez!  He needs our prayers. . .

Which party gets the most money from the national teachers' unions?  Five of the top ten contributors to political parties were unions.  Guess which party rec'd the most money?

Ever heard of the Paleo Diet?  Basically, you eat nothing that our paleolithic ancestors couldn't eat (domesticated grains, processed foods, etc.).  If I weren't living in a religious community most of the year where I have almost no control over the food we eat, I'd try it! 

The current political meme coming from the Left is that the GOP/Tea Party is controlled by big corporate money.  Check out these charts for the 2008 election cycle.  Business interests split their contributions almost evenly btw the two parties.  Unions gives 98% of their money to just one party. 

Fr. John, pastor of St Joseph's, has put me in charge of introducing the new Missal translation to the parish.  We've rec'd several announcements from Catholic publishers asking us to consider buying their versions of the new Missal.  I've been deeply disappointed in the cover art of most.

One of the many dangers of public sector unions:  police in Madison threaten to disobey the law.

". . .public employment is an idealized socialist economy in miniature, including its political aspect: the grateful recipients of government largesse provide money and organizational support to re-elect the politicians who shower them with all of these benefits."  Exactly.

Amen!  Driving in Memphis, TN is like dodging really big bullets with wheels.  

"Never miss a good chance to shut up."  Good advice for me! 

Still of one my all time favorite pics. . .

Somebody peed on the carpet. . .

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The Perfect Priest

I lifted this from Fr. Z.,

The Perfect Priest

The results of a computerized survey indicate the perfect priest preaches exactly fifteen minutes. He condemns sins but never upsets anyone. He works from 8:00 AM until midnight and is also a janitor. He makes $50 a week, wears good clothes, buys good books, drives a good car, and gives about $50 weekly to the poor. He is 28 years old and has preached 30 years. He has a burning desire to work with teenagers and spends all of his time with senior citizens.

The perfect priest smiles all the time with a straight face because he has a sense of humor that keeps him seriously dedicated to his work. He makes 15 calls daily on parish families, shut-ins and the hospitalized, and is always in his office when needed.

If your priest does not measure up, simply send this letter to six other churches that are tired of their priest, too. Then bundle up your priest and send him to the church on the top of the list. In one week, you will receive 1,643 priests and one of them will be perfect. Have faith in this procedure.

One parish broke the chain and got its old priest back in less than three weeks.

HA!

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Mass Discombobulations (UPDATED)

For some reason, I had a hard time keeping things organized at Mass this morning.

First, the pages of my homily got mixed up. . .even though I had numbered them.  I had numbered them incorrectly.

Second, instead of reading the concluding prayer for the intercessions, I read one of the prayers we had just prayed.

Third, at the Offertory, I accidentally pulled out the ribbon in the Missal that marked the proper prayers for the 8th Sunday in OT.  Took me a while to find my place.

Fourth, I reversed the order of two of the prayers in the Offertory.

Finally, at the announcements, I informed the congregation that Ash Wednesday services would be on Friday, March 9th.  The director of the choir piped up and corrected me.  I re-read the announcement. . .making the same mistake again.  When I finally got it right, the congregation gave me a round of applause!

Here's to getting it right at the 5.00pm Mass. 

UPDATE:  except for almost drowning in my own sweat, the 5.00pm went off without a hitch.  

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Expelling the smaller gods of worry

OK. . .this homily was a BIG flop.  Don't know why.  It just was.

8th Sunday OT

Fr. Philip Neri Powell, OP

St. Joseph Church, Ponchatula

I was sitting on the floor, wedged into a corner with about fifteen of my friends and colleagues leaning in over me. The cards were laid out in the traditional pattern at my feet. I didn't know the question, but I knew the cards and the cards told me that the middle-aged woman sitting cross-legged in front me was considering marriage. Not so unusual until you consider that she was already married. As I always did, I interpreted the cards as they lay—without prejudice or favor—playing the role of fortune-teller as best I could. When I announced the verdict of the cards—death and marriage in her future—, the woman whose future I had just exposed got angry and told me to shut up. She stormed off, throwing a few select curses behind her. Before her spot on the floor got cold, another friend took her place, and I repeated the process. For a couple of months in grad school back in the 90's, I was the departmental Tarot Card reader. My job was to connect these otherwise well-educated people to their murky futures. They were never happy with what I saw and reported; basically, they never happy. Knowing what was coming did little to ease their anxiety, did nothing, really, to help them worry less or succeed more. After a while I stopped bringing my cards to parties. What did Jesus say about a prophet in his own country? Oh yea, he will likely get executed. Knowing your future might help you plan for the inevitable material difficulties that will come your way, but no amount of planning for these difficulties will help you grow closer to God.

What will help you grow closer to God? Jesus says to his disciples, “Your heavenly Father knows that you need [food, clothing, shelter]. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be given you besides.” Seek first the kingdom of God. Seek first His righteous. And then you will be provided with what you need. Not what you want. What you need. But why should be seek God first? Wouldn't it make more sense to get what we need and then we would have the time and leisure to seek after God? It would be much more practical to get settled into a job, a house, a family and then go out looking for the peace that only God can provide. This approach makes perfect sense if we served Mammon rather than God. If security and comfort are our goals, then by all means, let's get secure, let's get comfortable, and then see if there are any holes left to fill in our lives, any tiny, cramped, God-shaped holes that need filling. Of course, what we need more than food, clothing, shelter, and a new car is God. He is our fundamental need, our most basic necessity, the staple without which nothing else really matters. So, if we seek Him first, invite Him into our lives, and listen to all that He has to teach us, then everything else that might come along is a luxury. We serve God, or we serve Mammon. “No one can serve two masters.”

If I were to ask you to stand up and shout out your most difficult spiritual struggle, what do you think we'd hear? Pride. Lack of charity. Sexual temptation. Gossip. Envy. Hatred and anger. Do you think anyone would shout out, “Anxiety! Worry!” Would anyone confess to serving Worry as a god? Would anyone admit to sacrificing their lives on the altar of Anxiety? It could happen. But whether we confess it or not, worry and anxiety are likely among the smaller gods we worship in secret. Do you burn away a day like incense worrying about money? Do you regularly pray the Litany of Anxiety, wishing you had a better job, or that your kids will stay healthy? Maybe you or a loved one is already sick, so you sacrifice a large portion of each day allowing all the possible bad outcomes to roll around in your head? Has it ever occurred to you that worrying about a future you cannot control is a form of worship, a kind of prayer? It is; it's a form of idolatry. Think about this way: your heart, the center of your life, is a tabernacle. Who lives there? Your heart, the center of your being, is a throne. Who sits on that throne? In all likelihood, if you are like most of us, Christ resides in that tabernacle and sits on that throne. . .at least one day a week. The other six days rotate among other, smaller gods: revenge, disordered love, greed, jealousy, maybe joylessness. Since we become what we worship, before long, we are transformed into these sins, wholly given over to them. Then, it takes a massive amount of strength and determination to dislodge these usurpers, a great deal of patience and peace to kick them out of the tabernacle and off the throne. Seek God and His righteousness first and His Spirit will give you all the help you will ever need. 

Jesus says to the disciples, “Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds in the sky; they do not sow or reap. . .yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are not you more important than they? Can any of you by worrying add a single moment to your life-span?” The answer is no, we can't. But we might want to ask Jesus if he means that he should lay back and let God do for us all that we could do for ourselves. Tell us, Lord, are you commanding us to kick back and wait for our Father to pour goodies into our laps? Obviously not. Remember: Jesus chose working men to serve as his disciples. And the women who followed Jesus were hard-working housewives and mothers. All perfectly ordinary folks with ordinary lives. Even if Jesus had told them that God would magically conjure food, clothing, and shelter, they would have kept on working as they always had. Jesus' point here is not “Stop providing for yourselves b/c God will give you a handout.” His point is that worrying corrupts our relationship with God; anxiety corrodes our trust in the promises that the Father has made over and over again to care for us. God's people complain that He has forgotten them. The Lord replies through Isiah, “Can a mother forget her infant, be without tenderness for the child of her womb? Even should she forget, I will never forget you.” Nor will He abandon us. And we cannot abandon Him for the smaller gods of anxiety and worry. When we serve God, truly put ourselves in His service for His greater glory, and we make His righteousness the only well from which we draw our faith, then not only will He provide for our needs, but He will transform us as well. What we “need” changes. How we experience the world changes. Who we are as His children changes. . .it all changes. 

Seek God and His righteousness first. What comes second, third, fourth, etc. follow from this first quest. Knowing your future might help you plan for the inevitable material difficulties that will come your way, but no amount of planning for these difficulties will help you grow closer to God. Whether you seek to know the future in Tarot cards, or Ouija boards, or stock market reports, or strategic growth forecasts, all your plans—if they become your gods—will inevitably drive Christ from his tabernacle and throne and leave you more anxious than ever. When these smaller gods start to harass you for attention and sacrifice, remember the psalmist singing, “Only in God is my soul at rest. . . Only He is my rock and my salvation, my stronghold. . .Be at rest only in God, my soul, for from him comes my hope. . .Trust in him at all times, O my people! Pour out your hearts before him!”

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Wonder at the gift that we are

7th Week OT (S)

Fr. Philip Neri Powell, OP

St. Joseph Church, Ponchatula

In his Book of Wisdom, Sirach writes, “[God's] majestic glory [our] eyes beheld, His glorious voice [our] ears heard. He says to [us], “Avoid all evil.” To help us avoid evil, God breathed into the dust from which He made us His own likeness and image. Each of us, therefore, is gifted with a wise and inventive heart; a conscience to distinguish good from evil; the discipline of understanding; knowledge of the Spirit; each of us is gifted with a sense of wonder and awe of the Lord so that we might glory in God's deeds and praise His holy name. He gives us a law of life, our inheritance, and a covenant that reveals His justice. All of these gifts, each one of these gifts, He breathes into our flesh and bones, bodies with “limited days of life,” and “all [our] actions are clear as the sun to him, his eyes are ever upon [our] ways.” And yet, despite these endowments and our grateful acceptance of them, and despite His vigilance over us, we still seek out evil and bargain with the Enemy. Jesus says to the disciples, “. . .whoever does not accept the Kingdom of God like a child will not enter it.” Do we accept, as a child would, God's gifts of life, conscience, knowledge, wonder, and wisdom? If not, then we choose to bargain with the Enemy, an enemy who can sell us anything we desire. We can receive from God all we need for free, or we can buy all we want from the Enemy. . .at a price.

Children are brought to Jesus for his blessing. The disciples are offended by the presumption of the parents, so they rebuke the parents. Jesus hears the disciples' rebuke and becomes indignant. He, in turn, rebukes the disciples, “Let the children come to me; do not prevent them, for the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these.” We can take this to mean that Jesus recognizes that children are the future of the Kingdom. They will grow to adulthood with the knowledge and wisdom of God's coming reign. We can also take Jesus to mean that the Kingdom belongs to the children because only the child-like are able to enter the Kingdom, only those who accept God's gifts with child-like wonder and gratitude are properly suited for living under His rule. What is it about being child-like that eases one into the coming Kingdom? Is it innocence? A willingness to be obedient? Maybe it's the fact that a child is dependent on her parents for survival—humility. Being child-like includes all of these and more.

We might be tempted to romanticize childhood and then take that romantic vision and apply it to Jesus' teaching. Anyone with children can tell you that kids are hardly angels all the time. They have their moments of angel-like behavior, but they are capable of being little devils when they set their minds to it. We all have a story or two from our childhood that would likely frighten our parents to hear it told! Jesus is not romanticizing children. He's not telling us to imitate some sort of nostalgic vision of children as “perfect little angels.” The child-like quality that Jesus is lifting up is one that even we hardened adults can rediscover: wonder. Wonder at our creation. Wonder at growing in knowledge and wisdom. Wonder at coming to understand and be thankful for the gift of life itself. Children accept the wonder of the world without judgment or a need to explain. They accept their very existence as a freely given gift of just being here and being here b/c a loving Father willed it. Though they will likely not say so, they accept that their being here has a purpose, a cause and an end. If we will be child-like, we will accept and be thankful for the gifts that we ourselves are—we are gifts composed of gifts. We will set aside the desire to bargain for what we do not need and accept all that God wants for us. We are free to make deals with the Enemy. But we are freer when we simply say, “Thank you, Lord, for all You have given us!” This is the prayer that seals our inheritance as children of the Most High.

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Coffee Bowl Browsing

CBO says that B.O.'s Porkulus ran up a $821,000,000,000 tab.  Allegedly 3.6m jobs were "saved or created."  Do the math:  that's $228,055 per job.  Gubmint efficiency at its finest! 

Violent, right-wing Tea Partier--inflamed by rhetoric from the Rush/Beck/Coulter crowd--attacks a defenseless reporter.  Oh. . .wait.

Four more examples of extremist right-wing violence against oppressed minorities. 

B.O.'s DoJ will not defend DOMA in court.  This is a good thing.  So far, the DoJ has offered only token defenses of the law.  The DoJ's move will allow other individuals and groups with standing to offer more robust arguments in the law's defense. 

The White House's off-the-books meetings with lobbyists.  N.B.  Politico is a lefty site.

Pray hard for these sisters!  Young nuns combat human trafficking in the Philippines.

Remember:  where the Light shines, there will always a Shadow.  The reality of human failure is part and parcel of our faith.  Jesus came to heal the sick.

So, who's getting all that Evil Corporate Money in Wisconsin?  The take-away line:  ". . .public employee unions are a mechanism by which every taxpayer is forced to fund the Democratic Party."

Spending more money per student does not equal higher test scores.  For that matter, higher test scores have little to do with learning.

Another "green" boondoggle" fails miserably.  A $60,000 North London eco-friendly classroom that's unusable for most of the year.  Seriously, solar panels in London?!  Really?

Yup, I did.  TV is evil.

Strong, like Bear... Smart, like Tractor.  More polite ways of saying, "He's not that bright." 

I hate meetings with a white-hot passion most reserve for Nazi concentration guards.  I also hate jargon, especially self-help jargon and business jargon.  Here's a game you can play if caught in a jargon-infested business meeting.

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Don't lose an eye

N.B.  I'd been struggling since early, early this morning to write today's homily for the 5.30pm Mass.  Tossed two drafts.  Finally, just decided to type out my thoughts w/o any polish and let the Holy Spirit take it from there. 

7th Week OT (R)

Fr. Philip Neri Powell, OP

St Joseph Church, Ponchatula

When we make moral choices we can usually depend on two ways of doing so. There's the Law  and Order method and the Virtue method. The Law and Order method is simple: obey the law in everything you do, or suffer the consequences. The Virtue method is much, much more difficult b/c rather than focusing you on your behavior, this method demands that you look at yourself as a whole person—behavior and intention—and it demands that you ask a question few of us have the time to consider: what sort of person do I want to be? The L/O method says, “Don't lie. Don't steal. Don't kill.” Easy. The Virtue method wants you to contemplate your motivations, your circumstances. It wants you to spend precious time thinking hard about whether or not you want to be a liar, a thief, or a killer.

Jesus tells us that it is better to mutilate ourselves than it is to sin. Is this part of the LO or the Virtue method? Maybe a little of both? No doubt sin is something to avoid. Not only b/c it violates God law but also b/c sin makes us sinners. Jesus seems to be saying here that it is better to suffer bodily pain now than it is to suffer eternal pain later. That's true. He also seems to be saying that what we choose to do, to say, to think here and now has eternal consequences. That's true too. But we have to remember that we are called to a life of holiness. This doesn't exclude a life of legalistic purity, but holiness is far more difficult, far more substantial than simply being obedient to the law.

Over and over again, you choose to obey the law and you never sin b/c you follow all the moral rules. You keep both your hands, both your feet, and both eyes. Excellent. But do you love God? Neighbor? Self? Why are you following the rules? Are you obedient b/c you fear punishment? Or are you obedient b/c you hope never to disappoint the Father who loves you? Are you obedient b/c you get anxious even thinking about breaking a rule? Or b/c there's no room in your heart for disobedience? No room of even thinking about anything that isn't of God?

Jesus tells the disciples, “Everyone will be salted with fire. Salt is good, but if salt becomes insipid, with what will you restore its flavor?” Salt was thrown on a temple sacrifice as it burned on the altar. He's reminding his friends that salt purifies and preserves. Salt seasons, adds character. All to the good. But we will be salted—purified, preserved, seasoned—with fire. We will be tested. B/c of our professed love for Christ, we will be tested. When the test finds you, will you rely on your own ability to follow the rules? Or will you throw yourself on God's love and mercy? Will you call on the strength you have gained as a follower of the law? Or will you cry out for God to use His strength to rescue you?

Make a habit of calling on God's love and strength. Make a habit of falling back on His promise to never abandon you. Make a habit of not sinning b/c you know that Christ died for your sins, and that you are forgiven. Virtue is just a good habit. And faith is the good habit of depending on God's infinite mercy every time that test comes around.

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Prayers from the New Translation of the Missal

The USCCB has posted the first prayers we will hear prayed from the new translation of the Missal:

First Sunday in Advent 2011

+ Collect +

Grant your faithful, we pray, almighty God,
the resolve to run forth to meet your Christ
with righteous deeds at his coming,
so that, gathered at his right hand,
they may be worthy to possess the heavenly kingdom.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.

+ Prayer over the Offerings +

Accept, we pray, O Lord, these offerings we make,
gathered from among your gifts to us,
and may what you grant us to celebrate devoutly here below,
gain for us the prize of eternal redemption.
Through Christ our Lord.

+ Prayer after Communion +

May these mysteries, O Lord,
in which we have participated,
profit us, we pray,
for even now, as we walk amid passing things,
you teach us by them
to love the things of heaven
and hold fast to what endures.
Through Christ our Lord.

These are much better theologically than the 1973 translations. . .but they are a little clumsy.   The first three lines of the Collect are pretty bad, actually.

Better:

Grant your faithful, we pray, almighty God,
the resolve to run forth with righteous deeds
to meet your Christ at his coming. . .

The bishops needed a poet on their translation staff!  :-)


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Female "deacon" renounces her "ordination"

Fr. Z. brings our attention to something I have NEVER seen in my 30yrs of dealing with feminists:  a feminist openly, publicly admitting that she was wrong!  

Dr. Norma Jean Coon participated in a fake ordination presided over by a fake bishop (who claimed that she had been "ordained" by three real R.C. bishops in Germany. . .sorry boys, it didn't take).  

Dr. Coon is now renouncing her "ordination" and giving her obedience to the Holy Father.  She also renounces her affiliation with Roman Catholic Women Priests (is that like the Orthodox Jewish Bacon Association?). 

It looks as though Dr. Coon is renouncing her "ordination" b/c she didn't have the proper permissions from the Church.  N.B.  even if (by some strange accident) she had received the proper permissions and the Pope himself had laid hands on her in St Peter's Basilica, she still wouldn't be ordained.

Remember:  the Church doesn't ordain women because it chooses not to. . .the Church CANNOT ordain women.   

Good for her.  I just hope this doesn't turn out to be some kind of sick hoax. 

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On being seduced by New Age occultism

Archbishop Thomas Winski on "New Age spirituality":

Despite the secularism of our age — or perhaps, because of it — many people are rediscovering an interest in spirituality. One can go to almost any commercial bookstore and discover whole sections devoted to the theme.

Unfortunately, most of what sells as “spiritual reading,” usually classified under the heading of “New Age,” does not demand any more faith or belief than going to the movies. Not all that is marketed under the rubric “spirituality” is “chicken soup” for the Christian soul. Indeed, much of it, if consumed indiscriminately or unwarily, could prove poisonous to the life of faith. While New Age writings may seductively appeal to the legitimate longing of human nature, they are fundamentally opposed to Christian revelation. . .

Read the whole thing.

You might also like my posts:

How Catholics Can Avoid New Age & Occult Practices

Just Say No to the Ouija

My Occult Past (such as it was. . .)

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Coffee Cup Browsing

Dem Senators and public unions in WI are losing their allies. . .fast.

This won't help the unions:  the average salary + benefits for WI public school teachers is $100,005. Practically slave labor.  "Workers" Unite!

Tolerance is not indifference. . .the Church teaches respect for religious liberty.

Spiritual starvation. . .do yourself a BIG favor and take the time to read this.  Excellent.

More on the diseased PC-culture at the Pentagon that allowed a Muslim extremist to murder 14 of his fellow American soldiers.

Eucharistic Adoration transforms a dying parish.

Prayer for the people of Christchurch, NZ. . .major earthquake strikes.

Happy Easter. . .from my hair.

No, this isn't a pic of me. . .but does a good job of representing how I feel some days.

Dominican kitty (in full habit) has a message for HancAquam


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The real drama: belief/unbelief

Confession:  I got a late start this morning, so part of this homily has been cannibalized from one I preached back in 2007.  Mea culpa!

7th Week OT (M)

Fr. Philip Neri Powell, OP

St. Joseph Church, Ponchatula

Great teachers are often great actors. Pitch the voice just right. The dramatic gesture. The well-placed pause for effect. Props help and so does audience participation. Engage the students in a mini-drama and never let them know that they are learning. Great preachers are both great actors and teachers. They use all the same techniques, plus they pull from a long tradition of biblical images and bring them alive for a contemporary congregation. Engage the congregation in the drama of the living Word and let them see and hear Jesus himself proclaiming the gospel. There's only one small problem with this familiar picture of the Christian preacher. You're not going to find Jesus on stage acting a part, or playing to an audience for effect. Take this morning's gospel for example. Jesus performs an exorcism. Always good for a little drama. When the possessed boy sees Jesus, he starts thrashing around, foaming at the mouth, etc. Jesus asks few questions about the boy's history. Listens to the answers and seems just a little put out by the whole situation. He issues the demon a simple command, and it's over. There's no swiveling heads, no nails or bugs puked up, no mysterious messages pressed against the flesh from inside the boy’s body. No levitating. Just a little shouting and a couple of convulsions and the demon is gone. So, where's the spiritual drama? Where's the tension and conflict in this story? Look to the boy's father. Jesus addresses the father's doubt, “Everything is possible to one who has faith.” The father cries out, “I do believe, help my unbelief!” 

You can almost see the distress on the father’s face. There’s torment there and love and a dreadful hope, the kind of hope that one needs to feel in order to keep going, but at the same time the kind that is often broken by what seems impossible. Barely above a whisper, the father, reluctantly, expectantly, says to Jesus, “If you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” There's a long moment between putting his hope into words, trusting in the power of a stranger, and the stranger’s answer, “’If you can!’ Everything is possible to one who has faith.” Is the father relieved? Or joyous? Or just more desperate? He cries out, “I do believe, help my unbelief!” He is showing great wisdom here. He understands that his unbelief is at the root of his yet to be fulfilled hopes for his son. And he understands that it is his belief, his faith that will give his hope healing power. The father's dramatic confession of belief; then his plea for help; and then his admission of unbelief is a sign of his wisdom. He cries out in true humility, confessing to crippling doubts and then total trust. Up until the moment Jesus speaks, doubt strangled all of the father's hope. At his confession of faith, he brings peace to himself and his son. 

The boy’s father makes a humble and wise admission: “I trust you, heal my distrust.” And Jesus works with this prayer to cast out the demon. Like this father’s faith, our faith is never about quantity, about having “enough faith.” We don’t “have faith” in the way that we “have money.” Faith is the habit of trusting God to do what He says He will do. Our faith, our habit of trust in God, can be measured in depth, strength, endurance, or sincerity, but never quantity. Nor will we often find our faith on stage, at the center of a drama, and so publicly tested. But there is in us a virtue, a habit of being, that makes it possible for us to reach out to God and say without fear, “I believe, Lord!” and confess without fear, “Help my unbelief!” When we throw ourselves so completely on the mercy of God, we give witness to an eternal truth, “All wisdom comes from the Lord and with him it remains forever, and is before all time.” Indeed, upon His friends, our Lord lavishes His wisdom.

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