1-29-08
What is it about Catholics and our reputation for being "dour" or less then joyful about our faith? A friend of mine was recently told, "You're the first happy Catholic I've ever met." Another commented on how Catholics seem so reserved as opposed to many evangelicals in regard to their faith.
Why is this? I'm not completely sure. There is certainly an elevated sense of reverence, sacredness, and transcendence that is part and parcel to the Catholic Mass and liturgical worship in general. Many evangelical churches take a different tact—be it the focus on community or the type of music they choose.
I recently heard a short reflection by Archbishop Timothy Dolan of Milwaukee. He described how we seem to be comfortable with Jesus, perhaps too comfortable—that we no longer possess the happiness, joy, fire, or excitement that such a friendship should produce.
I also recall St. Therese' famous statement "Lord, spare us from sad/dour saints."
Perhaps this "joy" of being Catholic can best be seen/experienced at World Youth Days—the gathering of some million youths with the pope every 3 years. I daresay, you'll meet some "happy" Catholics there!
A few weeks ago, I visited our 3rd grade religious education class. I always encourage the kids to ask me any question they like. One little boy raises his hand and says, "I'm Catholic!" -to which I responded with a smile, "that's great." Then he looks at me, all serious and asks me, "Are you Catholic?" (Keep in mind I direct the whole religious education program). I simply smiled and said "yes." (By the way, the little boy was excited to hear my response). J
Perhaps it is something for all of us to consider, how do we come across—joyful to be Catholic or dour? And what kind of impression does that give to people?
The article on hymns recently mentioned here drew more responses from people then usual. A few additional comments I'd like to make: 1. What we're talking about is music that is worthy to be used at Mass. Recall that the Mass was given to us by Christ, and reflects the heavenly Liturgy (see the Book of Revelation). Hence, the choice of music and the words should be worthy of that Heavenly standard. Good liturgical music helps us transcend earthly realities and lifts us towards heavenly ones. 2. Some music/hymns may not be appropriate for the Mass, but may be fine in other settings. As the Steubenville Youth Conferences have spread their fruits "praise and worship" music nights have become more common occurrences with young people. This is both quite fruitful and very appropriate. Witness as well the explosion of "Christian music" that past 10-15 years. Indeed, many young people are finding in these songs an expression of their faith, as well as an alternative to the often vulgar, secular music that is out there.
Just some more thoughts---take them for what they're worth!
As it does every year, the Church recently released its list of those Catholics who died for the Gospel in the past year.
21 Died Violently for the Gospel in '07
Group Includes 15 Priests
ROME, JAN. 7, 2008 (Zenit.org).- Twenty-one people involved in ministry suffered violent deaths in 2007, including a priest and three deacons in Iraq.
The Fides news agency, of the Vatican Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, released the list of names of the dead today. The group includes mostly priests and deacons. One seminarian, one brother and one woman religious are also included.
"In recent years our list has included not only the names of missionaries 'ad gentes' in the strict sense, but all pastoral workers who died a violent death, sacrificing their lives, aware of the risk they were taking by preferring to remain at their posts, rather than give up their commitment to Christian witness and charity," the news agency clarified.
2007's statistics show three fewer deaths than in 2006 and four less than two years ago.
Last year's list of 21 pastoral workers includes 15 priests. Father Ragheed Ganni and the three deacons killed with him in Iraq in June are four of the eight pastoral workers who died in Asia.
The woman religious, Sister Anne Thole of the Franciscan Sisters of the Holy Family, perished when a hospital for AIDS patients caught fire in South Africa. The 35-year-old nun had already helped bring five patients to safety. She returned to the flames for three more, but the roof collapsed before she and the patients could escape.
The complete list and the circumstances of the ministers' deaths, as far as they are known, can be found at www.fides.org.
225,000 Take Part in National March for Life in Washington
By John-Henry Westen
WASHINGTON, DC, January 23, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Hundreds of thousands of pro-life activists gathered on the national mall in the nation's capital yesterday standing in the cold on a cloudy day with a slight rain. The weather however did nothing to dampen the spirits of the vast crowd nor the political and spiritual leaders who addressed them prior to the march.
Following the phone-in address by President George W. Bush in which he said he was proud "to be standing with you" (full text published yesterday here: http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2008/jan/08012201.html ), dozens of politicians spoke of their pro-life convictions and thanked the massive crowd for their support and witness to those in power.
Powerful addresses were made by spiritual leaders and with a prayer and a rousing rendition of America, the march commenced. What would normally be a 15 minute walk took the line of marchers hours to complete.
Fifty across and thousands deep the march was an unbelievable sea of people. Some near the front who had completed the march went for lunch and returned to their hotel rooms only to see thousands of marchers still progressing toward the Supreme Court.
LifeSiteNews.com spoke with John Alger, the Convention Director of the March for Life about the attendance at this year's march. "The largest estimate to date was 225,000," said Alger. "But we think this was at least as big as the largest if not larger, it was just an overwhelming turnout."
Leading the March were a large group of women who had had abortions and regretted them. At one point the March stopped briefly as Alveda King, the niece of Martin Luther King invited the marchers to join her in singing "We will overcome".
At the conclusion of the March those women shared their testimonies in front of the Supreme Court. After the women were finishing their presentations, a rainbow appeared just over the Court building.
--Note this is the largest gathering in DC every year---and yet the newspapers and media utter hardly a peep. A friend of mine made reference to an old article entitled "The Averted Gaze"….in essence, people don't want to hear about these things, don't want to have to confront them—and so they just "avert" their eyes and pretend not to see it. Amazing.
Via the Curt Jester—a new take on "Why did the Chicken cross the road"?
- Karl Rahner - If the chicken has made a fundamental option to cross the road then he will indeed cross the road
- G.K. Chesterton - A chicken decided to go to a foreign country and to invent his own heresies. What the chicken found instead is that in fact he had never left his country and had crossed the road and discovered that his heresies were orthodoxy.
- Therese de Lisieux - If the chicken decides to make himself small, God will lift him up and place him on the other side of the road.
- Sister Joan D. Chittister - The chicken crossed the road as a sign of prophetic road crossing to get away from the male dominated hierarchy
- Saint Benedict - The chicken crossed the road to get away from me even though I assured him I was not the Benedict assocated with eggs.
- Saint Jerome - The chicken crossed the road since some fool left the vulgate open and he escaped.
- Saint Ignatius - The chicken crossed the road out of obedience to the Holy Father. The chicken should always be disposed to believe that that crossing the road is good, if the hierarchy of the Church so decides.
- Blessed Mother Teresa - The chicken crossed the road to help the poorest of the poor chickens.
- Saint John of the Cross - The chicken crossed the road because he realized he was attached to this side of the road. The chicken that is attached to one side of the road however much good there may be in it, will not arrive at the liberty of divine union.
- Saint Anthony the Great - Obviously the chicken crossed the road to get to the desert to purge himself because he suffered from boredom, laziness, and the phantoms of hens.
- Saint Domenic - I suspect that the chicken had Albigensian sympathies since he crossed the road when he saw me coming to preach.
- Saint Anthony of Padua - I have no idea why the chicken crossed the road, but fish I have experience preaching to.
- Saint Joseph - The chicken received a dream over the night warning him to cross the road.
And via the Ironic Catholic Blog:
Augustine: Late have I crossed the road, so ancient and so new. Late have I crossed you.
Francis of Assisi: It is no use walking anywhere to preach unless our walking is our preaching. Therefore, I crossed the road.
Flannery O'Connor: The chicken was struck by a truck while crossing the road, but experienced a flash of grace in the instant of its death. I prefer peacocks anyway.
God bless you! Phil Lawson For the latest info on St. Peter's, check out the parish website: www.saintpetercatholic.com (You can also find old editions of the Areopagus here)
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