Posts
An article from the Catholic News Agency posted by EWTN, "Lay Eucharistic Ministers Not Entitles To Position, Archbishop Burke Clarifies" describes a number of clarifications Archbishop Raymond Burke made in the preface of a commentary on Pope Benedict’s moto proprio, “Summorum Pontificum”.
The article writes, “…the archbishop explained in the preface that due to the motu proprio’s papal origins, it is not just an act of liturgical legislation brought about as a ‘favor’ to a specific group for the celebration of the extraordinary form of the Roman Rite, the Mass in Latin, but one that applies to the entire Church.” The article goes on to say, “[Archbishop Burke] wrote, among the ‘rights’ of the baptized, assistance by ‘persons of the feminine sex’ at the altar is not included. Additionally, serving as a lector or as an extraordinary distribution [sic] of communion is not a right of the laity, he noted.”
* * *
Archbishop Charles Chaput gave related comments about the active participation of the laity in the liturgy when he delivered the Hillenbrand Lecture at the University of Saint Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary. A portion of my own summary is reprinted below from my blog post of 1 July 2010, “Is modern man capable of the liturgical act?” A link to the full text of Archbishop Chaput’s lecture can be found at the end of that blog post.
“There is one final point which I was thrilled to hear clarified: the Second Vatican Council’s calls for “‘active participation’ of the laity in the liturgy”. This is one of the most misinterpreted phrases of the council. This is used as an excuse for “external activity, commotion and busy-ness” in the Mass when it actually “refers to the inner movement of our souls, our interior participation in Christ’s action of offering of his Body and Blood”. Sacred silence, pause for reflection, is crucial and is a very evident part of Papal Liturgies, even written in red in the Mass booklets. Active participation is not forcing the Congregation to sing against their will because some liturgist or musician has a narrow, selfish, and self-inflated view of their position in the parish. It is orienting our hearts to God in the Mystical and Sacramental Body of Christ.”
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Friday, August 13, 2010
A Call to Compassion
The events of September 11, 2001 remain raw nearly nine years later. For Americans and people around the world, those acts of terrorism and hate changed the global atmosphere in uncharted ways. Emotions and suspicion continue to run high.
Perhaps these horrific events are not as raw as they ought to be. Perhaps they are even dull and soft. The immediate days, weeks, and months following September 11th found Americans patriotic, unified, and praying. We joined with our neighbours and shared tears, sorrow, and a newfound hope for peace and love. Our country realized what faith, hope, and charity truly mean. We stumbled underneath the overwhelming compassion from around the world. Global allies flew the American flag in solidarity. At the changing of the guard outside Buckingham Palace, Queen Elizabeth II ordered The Star Spangled Banner played. The world unified against a common enemy: those who would do us harm for living freely, justly, and righteously.
Pure evil motivated the acts of September 11th. Evil cannot be tolerated and must not be accepted or excused. In the past nine years a new evil has crept around the world. From local parishes, to national politics, to global consideration, division separates us from our crusade for good and separates us from each other. We look suspiciously at our neighbour. We condemn them for what we know nothing about. We care only for our own point of view and never see through the eyes of another, much less the eyes of God.
One of the strongest examples of this division is the proposed mosque which might be built two blocks from Ground Zero in Lower Manhattan. We are presented with two options: accept the mosque as a first amendment right or reject the mosque as an attack on America and all the good for which she stands. I feel caught between a rock and a hard place. I believe in the rights of all Americans especially freedom of religion. (What would life be like if I weren’t permitted to attend Mass openly and receive Holy Communion regularly?) Yet, I cannot just ignore the serious allegations and suspicion against the organization pursuing the Lower Manhattan mosque, questions about funding, practical issues of proximity to the Muslim population in New York, and ties to radicalism.
Any forms of radical religion must be condemned. Radical Islam is in a jihad against everything good and virtuous about Western culture solely because it is not Islamic. Disliking something about a particular culture is one thing but violence and murder for the sake of your belief must end. If Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, the leader of the proposed mosque, is tied with radical Islam, he cannot be allowed to spread his dangerous and violent work.
That being said: We cannot let this division continue! Division is the work of Lucifier. He has striven to tear apart all the good and virtue that rose from the terror on 9/11. We can, however, easily heal this division with one thing: compassion. Atticus Finch, the Southern lawyer in Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird explained it well to his daughter, Scout, when he said “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view--until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it.”
Let us remove ourselves from the Manhattan mosque controversy to a similar yet more distant situation. An interesting, yet anonymous and possibly amateur, article about The 1998 War of the Crosses explains argument and bitter fights over the placement of crosses and Jewish stars at the Auschwitz-Birkenau Concencration Camp. All each side wanted to do was honour their own dead and rightfully so. For one reason or another, they argued that the other side should not have that chance and took offence when they did. If only they reached out with compassion, they would realize they were fighting for the same thing. It is worthy to note Carmelite nuns were forced to leave a building they had turned into their convent on the site of the Concentration Camp because it was deemed inappropriate due to the number of Jews who died there. Even the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI could not escape scrutiny. The article explains that even though he attempted to make the necessary concessions while visiting the site, avoiding his native German language and speaking in Italian; avoiding disputed sites of "The War of the Crosses”; and paying due homage to all victims regardless of faith, one statement was interpreted to have an incorrect motivation and accidentally insulted a number of Jewish people: “In a place like this, words fail; in the end there can only be a dread silence, a silence which itself is a heartfelt cry to God: Why, Lord, did you remain silent? How could you tolerate all this?” A statement meant for solidarity was twisted into a statement that deflected blame from the millions of Catholics and Germans who remained silent. A fallible man is expected to be as infallible as his office. When did we begin to demand the impossible of each other?
Back in Manhattan, New Yorkers and all Americans must keep an open mind until their reasonable concerns are confirmed or denied. Muslims must be aware of the pain and suffering the radicals who claim Islam cause. For the love of all you believe in, help each other understand! Have compassion!
Perhaps these horrific events are not as raw as they ought to be. Perhaps they are even dull and soft. The immediate days, weeks, and months following September 11th found Americans patriotic, unified, and praying. We joined with our neighbours and shared tears, sorrow, and a newfound hope for peace and love. Our country realized what faith, hope, and charity truly mean. We stumbled underneath the overwhelming compassion from around the world. Global allies flew the American flag in solidarity. At the changing of the guard outside Buckingham Palace, Queen Elizabeth II ordered The Star Spangled Banner played. The world unified against a common enemy: those who would do us harm for living freely, justly, and righteously.
Pure evil motivated the acts of September 11th. Evil cannot be tolerated and must not be accepted or excused. In the past nine years a new evil has crept around the world. From local parishes, to national politics, to global consideration, division separates us from our crusade for good and separates us from each other. We look suspiciously at our neighbour. We condemn them for what we know nothing about. We care only for our own point of view and never see through the eyes of another, much less the eyes of God.
One of the strongest examples of this division is the proposed mosque which might be built two blocks from Ground Zero in Lower Manhattan. We are presented with two options: accept the mosque as a first amendment right or reject the mosque as an attack on America and all the good for which she stands. I feel caught between a rock and a hard place. I believe in the rights of all Americans especially freedom of religion. (What would life be like if I weren’t permitted to attend Mass openly and receive Holy Communion regularly?) Yet, I cannot just ignore the serious allegations and suspicion against the organization pursuing the Lower Manhattan mosque, questions about funding, practical issues of proximity to the Muslim population in New York, and ties to radicalism.
Any forms of radical religion must be condemned. Radical Islam is in a jihad against everything good and virtuous about Western culture solely because it is not Islamic. Disliking something about a particular culture is one thing but violence and murder for the sake of your belief must end. If Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, the leader of the proposed mosque, is tied with radical Islam, he cannot be allowed to spread his dangerous and violent work.
That being said: We cannot let this division continue! Division is the work of Lucifier. He has striven to tear apart all the good and virtue that rose from the terror on 9/11. We can, however, easily heal this division with one thing: compassion. Atticus Finch, the Southern lawyer in Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird explained it well to his daughter, Scout, when he said “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view--until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it.”
Let us remove ourselves from the Manhattan mosque controversy to a similar yet more distant situation. An interesting, yet anonymous and possibly amateur, article about The 1998 War of the Crosses explains argument and bitter fights over the placement of crosses and Jewish stars at the Auschwitz-Birkenau Concencration Camp. All each side wanted to do was honour their own dead and rightfully so. For one reason or another, they argued that the other side should not have that chance and took offence when they did. If only they reached out with compassion, they would realize they were fighting for the same thing. It is worthy to note Carmelite nuns were forced to leave a building they had turned into their convent on the site of the Concentration Camp because it was deemed inappropriate due to the number of Jews who died there. Even the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI could not escape scrutiny. The article explains that even though he attempted to make the necessary concessions while visiting the site, avoiding his native German language and speaking in Italian; avoiding disputed sites of "The War of the Crosses”; and paying due homage to all victims regardless of faith, one statement was interpreted to have an incorrect motivation and accidentally insulted a number of Jewish people: “In a place like this, words fail; in the end there can only be a dread silence, a silence which itself is a heartfelt cry to God: Why, Lord, did you remain silent? How could you tolerate all this?” A statement meant for solidarity was twisted into a statement that deflected blame from the millions of Catholics and Germans who remained silent. A fallible man is expected to be as infallible as his office. When did we begin to demand the impossible of each other?
Back in Manhattan, New Yorkers and all Americans must keep an open mind until their reasonable concerns are confirmed or denied. Muslims must be aware of the pain and suffering the radicals who claim Islam cause. For the love of all you believe in, help each other understand! Have compassion!
Friday, July 16, 2010
"Vatican Sets New Rules for Abuse Cases"
"Church Weighs Additional Guidelines on Reporting Allegations; Victims' Groups Say New Standards Don't Go Far Enough."
Please see The Wall Street Journal Website link for the full text of the article.
Title and Subtitle quoted from the article.
Please see The Wall Street Journal Website link for the full text of the article.
Title and Subtitle quoted from the article.
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Is modern man capable of the liturgical act?
During the week of Father’s Day, I had the pleasure of attending a Sacred Music Retreat put on by the Liturgical Institute at Mundelein Seminary. The week culminated in an Institute-wide celebration of the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist with an evening Mass celebrated by the Most Reverend Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap., Archbishop of Denver, Colorado. Later that evening, he delivered the Hillenbrand Distinguished Lecture titled: “Glorifying God by your life: evangelization and the renewal of the liturgy”.
Chaput’s lecture touched the heart of many post-Vatican II problems. Msgr. Guido Marini, the Master of Pontifical Liturgical Celebrations, (Papal Liturgist!) speaks of “the reform of the reform”, necessary because many misinterpreted the Second Vatican Council; much of Pope Benedict XVI’s pontificate has been focused on reorienting the Universal Church to a greater orthodoxy. The left attacks the Holy Father. The right attacks the Holy Father. This is, perhaps, the surest sign he is orthodox and right where he needs to be.
Chaput quoted a much neglected statement by Father Romano Guardini, author of Spirit of the Liturgy. (Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI, wrote a modern work by the same name and quoted Father Guardini throughout.) Chaput quotes: “Is not the liturgical act, and with it all that goes under the name ‘liturgy,’ so bound up with the historical background – antique or medieval or baroque – that it would be more honest to give it up altogether? Would it not be better to admit that man in this industrial and scientific age, with its new sociological structure, is no longer capable of the liturgical act?”
Chaput agrees that “modern man seem[s] incapable of real worship” and so do I. Chaput goes on to give four points that should help fix the problem. For fear of reworking his lecture, I will be brief:
1. “We need to recover the intrinsic and inseparable connection between liturgy and evangelization.” All moves toward or comes from the Eucharist. The liturgy is truly the best we have for our edification and sanctification. The Novus Ordo has opened up the Mass in new ways. Chaput welcomes the wider use of the Tridentine form utilizing all of the Church’s rich tradition but (perhaps to the chagrin of traditionalists) “find[s] the Novus Ordo, properly celebrated, a much richer expression of worship”.
2. “The liturgy is a participation in the liturgy of heaven, in which we worship in Spirit and truth with the worldwide Church and the communion of saints.” The liturgy goes beyond our own feelings and needs and moves into God’s plan, a reality which is key to how we choose to live our lives and mission of the Church.
3. “We need to strive to recover and live with the same vibrant liturgical and evangelical spirituality as the early Christians.” The early Mass was not merely “a meal shared among friends” as some might have you believe. Chaput reduces these liberal claims to dust in one sentence: “Nobody risks torture and death for a meal with their friends”.
4. “The liturgy is a school of sacrificial love.” The Eucharist, at the heart of the liturgy, is the perfect example of this sacrificial love, Christ’s total self-giving on the Cross. The Eucharist is the model for living the Christian life in service to Christ.
There is one final point which I was thrilled to hear clarified: the Second Vatican Council’s calls for “‘active participation’ of the laity in the liturgy”. This is one of the most misinterpreted phrases of the council. This is used as an excuse for “external activity, commotion and busy-ness” in the Mass when it actually “refers to the inner movement of our souls, our interior participation in Christ’s action of offering of his Body and Blood”. Sacred silence, pause for reflection, is crucial and is a very evident part of Papal Liturgies, even written in red in the Mass booklets. Active participation is not forcing the Congregation to sing against their will because some liturgist or musician has a narrow, selfish, and self-inflated view of their position in the parish. It is orienting our hearts to God in the Mystical and Sacramental Body of Christ.
So what is to be done so that the liturgical act may be possible for modern man? Chaput places the burden on us. We must live our lives liturgically. We must evangelize and pray, stand for truth and find our source and summit in that truth, Eucharistically in the Mass. “Each of us must make our own unique contribution to God’s loving plan”, Chaput writes, “that all creation become adoration and sacrifice in praise of him.”
Chaput ended his talk with a new dismissal from the new Roman Missal translation. As he spoke it, I felt contentment and hope for the reform of the reform, the orthodox direction of the Church: “Go in peace, glorifying the Lord by your life.”
* * *
The entire text of Archbishop Chaput’s talk can be found at the Denver Archdiocesan website.
Chaput’s lecture touched the heart of many post-Vatican II problems. Msgr. Guido Marini, the Master of Pontifical Liturgical Celebrations, (Papal Liturgist!) speaks of “the reform of the reform”, necessary because many misinterpreted the Second Vatican Council; much of Pope Benedict XVI’s pontificate has been focused on reorienting the Universal Church to a greater orthodoxy. The left attacks the Holy Father. The right attacks the Holy Father. This is, perhaps, the surest sign he is orthodox and right where he needs to be.
Chaput quoted a much neglected statement by Father Romano Guardini, author of Spirit of the Liturgy. (Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI, wrote a modern work by the same name and quoted Father Guardini throughout.) Chaput quotes: “Is not the liturgical act, and with it all that goes under the name ‘liturgy,’ so bound up with the historical background – antique or medieval or baroque – that it would be more honest to give it up altogether? Would it not be better to admit that man in this industrial and scientific age, with its new sociological structure, is no longer capable of the liturgical act?”
Chaput agrees that “modern man seem[s] incapable of real worship” and so do I. Chaput goes on to give four points that should help fix the problem. For fear of reworking his lecture, I will be brief:
1. “We need to recover the intrinsic and inseparable connection between liturgy and evangelization.” All moves toward or comes from the Eucharist. The liturgy is truly the best we have for our edification and sanctification. The Novus Ordo has opened up the Mass in new ways. Chaput welcomes the wider use of the Tridentine form utilizing all of the Church’s rich tradition but (perhaps to the chagrin of traditionalists) “find[s] the Novus Ordo, properly celebrated, a much richer expression of worship”.
2. “The liturgy is a participation in the liturgy of heaven, in which we worship in Spirit and truth with the worldwide Church and the communion of saints.” The liturgy goes beyond our own feelings and needs and moves into God’s plan, a reality which is key to how we choose to live our lives and mission of the Church.
3. “We need to strive to recover and live with the same vibrant liturgical and evangelical spirituality as the early Christians.” The early Mass was not merely “a meal shared among friends” as some might have you believe. Chaput reduces these liberal claims to dust in one sentence: “Nobody risks torture and death for a meal with their friends”.
4. “The liturgy is a school of sacrificial love.” The Eucharist, at the heart of the liturgy, is the perfect example of this sacrificial love, Christ’s total self-giving on the Cross. The Eucharist is the model for living the Christian life in service to Christ.
There is one final point which I was thrilled to hear clarified: the Second Vatican Council’s calls for “‘active participation’ of the laity in the liturgy”. This is one of the most misinterpreted phrases of the council. This is used as an excuse for “external activity, commotion and busy-ness” in the Mass when it actually “refers to the inner movement of our souls, our interior participation in Christ’s action of offering of his Body and Blood”. Sacred silence, pause for reflection, is crucial and is a very evident part of Papal Liturgies, even written in red in the Mass booklets. Active participation is not forcing the Congregation to sing against their will because some liturgist or musician has a narrow, selfish, and self-inflated view of their position in the parish. It is orienting our hearts to God in the Mystical and Sacramental Body of Christ.
So what is to be done so that the liturgical act may be possible for modern man? Chaput places the burden on us. We must live our lives liturgically. We must evangelize and pray, stand for truth and find our source and summit in that truth, Eucharistically in the Mass. “Each of us must make our own unique contribution to God’s loving plan”, Chaput writes, “that all creation become adoration and sacrifice in praise of him.”
Chaput ended his talk with a new dismissal from the new Roman Missal translation. As he spoke it, I felt contentment and hope for the reform of the reform, the orthodox direction of the Church: “Go in peace, glorifying the Lord by your life.”
* * *
The entire text of Archbishop Chaput’s talk can be found at the Denver Archdiocesan website.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
“Freethinkers argue that beliefs should be based on rationality….”
WGN Radio reports on their website a new phenomenon beginning in Chicago. (Click here). Secular organizations around the country are organizing the promotion of “freethinkers” who “argue that beliefs should be based on rationality, not on religious tradition or dogma.” The co-president of the Freedom From Religion Foundation, Annie Laurie Gaylor, comments in an article quote, “We have to reach them [atheists], provide an alternative to religion and let them know we're here. Many of us reject the idea of blind faith.” They accomplish this through ads with slogans like “Sleep in on Sundays” or “In the beginning, man created God” and other multimedia ads, programs, and organized movements.
The article and those in the movement anticipate strong religious right outcry. My outcry comes from different reasons than they foresaw. I am more sad than angry that they are promoting and rallying the atheist secular cause. What really makes me angry is their complete lack of engagement with the religious right. If they wanted to engage productively in the public sphere, I would have expected them to do their homework which includes delving into 2,000 years of Christian (specifically Catholic) scholarship. Reason has always been at the forefront of Catholicism enlightened by Faith. Until they are ready and willing to engage on an equal playing field, there is no debate and no possible way to engage with them in their emotional and moral relativistic arguments. Until they engage with religious reason instead of rejecting it outright because of faith they are as close minded and as bigoted as they claim their opponents to be. The Church is ready and willing to engage in dialogue. Join in the relentless pursuit of Truth. “You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” (John 8:32)
Pope Benedict XVI spoke on faith and reason in his General Wednesday Audience on 16 June 2010:
The article and those in the movement anticipate strong religious right outcry. My outcry comes from different reasons than they foresaw. I am more sad than angry that they are promoting and rallying the atheist secular cause. What really makes me angry is their complete lack of engagement with the religious right. If they wanted to engage productively in the public sphere, I would have expected them to do their homework which includes delving into 2,000 years of Christian (specifically Catholic) scholarship. Reason has always been at the forefront of Catholicism enlightened by Faith. Until they are ready and willing to engage on an equal playing field, there is no debate and no possible way to engage with them in their emotional and moral relativistic arguments. Until they engage with religious reason instead of rejecting it outright because of faith they are as close minded and as bigoted as they claim their opponents to be. The Church is ready and willing to engage in dialogue. Join in the relentless pursuit of Truth. “You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” (John 8:32)
Pope Benedict XVI spoke on faith and reason in his General Wednesday Audience on 16 June 2010:
Friday, June 11, 2010
FIFA WORLD CUP 2010 - SOUTH AFRICA
Perhaps I'm making up for the fact that I barely saw any of the Winter Olympics 2010 in Vancouver. Could be. I filled out a bracket online with less care than when I did the NCAA Tournament bracket and picked PORTUGAL. Let's see how this turns out.
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Each Chapter Affects Another
Suddenly, I find myself stateside.
My four months in Rome have drawn to a close. They were the fastest four months of my life. I am continually praising God for each blessing and grace I received while abroad and I look forward to how God plans to use these graces.
Thank you for reading my writings over the course of the semester. I didn't have time to fit all I wanted to say, and I probably never will, but I intend to continue posting throughout the summer not only recollections from Rome but whatever tickles my fancy while the summer rolls along.
The end was very bittersweet. I knew it was time to come home but the whole experience was something very special...nothing like it will happen again, even at Bernardi. Thank you to the chaplaincy; my teachers, mentors, and professors; the students of Bernardi and the Angelicum and all my new and old friends; and anyone who worked and contributed to the semester from the States or Italy. In one of my graces of the semester, I saw how everything we learned fit together; from art to social justice, theology to everyday concerns, everything fits together through the Catholic Church. I couldn't study one subject without referencing another. This grace also extended to my own life as I piece together my goals for sacred music within the Church and how God is calling me to serve Him. As one chapter comes to a close the rollercoaster peaks at another apex ready to turn and fly careening down another mountain. Let's go, Lord. What do you have in store this time?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)