Why can't we be ourselves?

Why isn't our group more Catholic in our view of the Scriptures and the Church?

So often when I go to the local Young Adult Ministry, I see and hear so may other Catholics who seem to have become or perhaps always were assimilated into Protestant culture and ecclesiology. I had to restrain myself from laughing when I first went and the seminarian who was at the parish for the summer was announcing a workshop on "reclaiming our Catholic identity". We had after all just sang praise and worship all through Adoration (no Tantum Ergo, no litany, nothing Catholic about it except the Eucharist and monstrance) and had some banal talk on what the Bible passage meant to us (no reference to Sacred Tradition, Early Church Fathers, Doctors of the Church or any other saints, nothing more than what the words meant to everyone). As Catholics, we have tools and resources available to us to make both come more alive and delve deeper than the surface into each (i.e. lectio divina, other contemplative techniques and the liturgy).

I've talked to the people with the guitars and in fact to anyone else who would listen about more traditional music, possibly Tantum Ergo or a litany. I dare not go so far as to suggest that we have a priest (Btw, I found out while writing this that Adoration is no longer considered a devotion, but is a part of the Church's official liturgy.) who actually brings the Host (instead of a lay volunteer) or even that he should read from the Gospel during Adoration and preach or that maybe he could use (gasp!) incense. Did you know that in the Bible angels worship with incense or that the word incense is in the Bible 129 times? I've talked to multiple people also about incorporating more solid and substantial teachings of the Church into the Bible studies. The response has gone one of two ways: a) Create another group and do it another time. b) There's not enough time.
Would it kill the person leading the study to take 10 minutes to consult a commentary such as Catena Aurea? Or to look through what a Catholic Scripture study group such as Agape Bible Study has to say?
Another example of what I'm getting at is this week's topic, "Growing closer in a personal relationship to Jesus." That theme and the wording are pulled straight from  door-to-door Protestant proselytism. Meanwhile, to my knowledge, as long as I have been a part of this group we've never had a talk on "Covenant and Sacrament" or "Experience of God as the Mystical Body of Christ" or "Union with Christ in the Eucharist" or "Marriage and Eucharist as Sacraments of Covenant and Renewal".
I've tried to steer our conversations towards what Tradition teaches and what Church Fathers/Doctors of the Church have to say, but I get a mixed bag of blank stares, rolled eyes, sighing, and pushback. I just can't grasp why we as Catholics seem so reticent to worship and pray to our God in a way consistent with our identity as Catholics. Why can't we be ourselves? Why are we afraid to worship and draw nearer to our God in the Catholic way; in a way that goes beyond praise, that transcends and brings Heaven and Earth together? Why do we always go back for more ice cream (see #2) when we have a steak dinner so near to us?
To be fair, its a problem well beyond the confines of that group. The local St Joseph Parish might be mistaken for a mainline Protestant church. The sign out front and the discreet confessionals (although I'm told Anglicans have these too) in the back give it away. I've seen many other parishes like it. There isn't the traditional artwork and statuary that point to the glory and majesty held within the tabernacle of the parish. There is little in the way of artwork to teach the stories of the Bible and the Church or provide assistance in contemplation.

So I ask, why can't we be ourselves? 

Why have we become so assimilated into Protestant culture, theology and worldview?
I've heard Vatican II get the blame, but honestly if you read it you would no longer say that. There's as much ressourcement as there is aggiornamento. I personally think its the absence of catechesis from Catholic sources.

• There is no longer the artwork to subtly point out the Catholic viewpoint on stories from the Bible and the Saints. For instance, Byzantine Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches have the Hospitality of Abraham in almost all of their parishes. These Christians grow up knowing about this prefiguring of the Trinity. Older parishes often still have this Sacred Art. A good example from the Latin Rite is Pelican in her piety on the right. The Pelican is cutting itself in order to feed its chicks, like Christ offers His Precious Body and Blood in the Eucharist. Most new parishes lack much artwork at all it seems and we are that much poorer for it.
• CCD is bland. It lacks the sharpness and flavor of our ancient Apostolic patrimony. Confirmation is usually the first and only time that most Catholic parishes earnestly try to teach the richness and depth of the "fullness of Truth", the Catholic Church. Only the Eastern Orthodox can compare in the interwoveness, completeness and consistency of Catholic theology. That is because we both have teachings that can be directly traced back to Jesus Himself. Most of Protestant theology is similar to ours but there are crucial differences such as the Eucharist and most Protestants will only ever experience 2 out of the 7 Sacraments.
• In the absence of instruction from their parishes, Protestant churches, radio stations, tv stations, door to door evangelists and everyday people on the street who've been taught to bring Jesus into every conversation with a stranger have filled the void. I don't blame then for acting on the Great Commission and doing their best to bring the Gospel to every dark corner of their hometowns and the world. I do blame us for not stepping up.With EWTN, Ave Maria Radio and others there is a resurgence in catechism and I am glad of it.
• Christian music stations are just about everywhere. They play praise and worship and/or various other genres of Christian music anywhere from Christian Screamo to Amazing Grace. I've often heard these songs used at Adoration and Mass. Amazing Grace I especially think is nails on a chalkboard. None of us is a "wretch"; we are made in the image and likeness of God. We are not "dungheaps covered in snow". We cannot undo the inherent goodness of God's image and likeness that is fundamental to our very nature. Many accept the theology of these songs which may or may not run contrary to the Catholic theology. I don't understand why there are no Catholic music stations. There are Catholic musicians in every genre. We could do it too and have beautiful songs loaded with meaning, with ancient truth, with a love for the Triune God and the Sacraments.

In short, why can't we be ourselves? Why can't we worship and pray as our fathers and grandfathers did, in ways that had been handed down from the Apostles who received Jesus' teachings and revelation firsthand? Why do so many of us not want to worship in the way that Heavenly worship is described in Isaiah and Revelation?
I am off my soapbox for now.

source for the Adoration picture
May God bless all who read my ramblings,

Adopt A Catholic Blog

When the homily is blah

I was reading a post over at Restless Pilgrim about people leaving the Catholic Church because the priest's homilies are boring. What to do?
His five suggestions:

1. It’s not about entertainment. I know this is tough to hear, but the purpose of the homily is not to entertain, but to explain the Scriptures and to exhort you to holiness. One would hope that the priest would do this in an engaging manner, but this may not always be the case. If your priest is opening up the Scriptures and encouraging sanctity then you have a lot for which to be thankful.

2. Pray for your priest. If you want a better preacher, pray for the one you’ve got! When I returned full-time to the Catholic Church I was really disappointed with a lot of homilies I heard. In response to this, I got into the habit of praying for my priest during the week, as well as saying a short prayer for him just before the homily:

“Lord Jesus, please fill this man with Your Spirit. Increase in him the gift of speaking. May he speak Your Word with truth, love and boldness. Amen”

If the prayer of the righteous is powerful (James 5:16)….then hit your knees!

3. Listen. Out of love for Christ and respect for the priestly office, don’t switch off, but listen attentively. In addition to praying for the priest before the homily, how about praying for yourself too?

“Come Holy Spirit. Open my heart and mind to hear the words which are about to be spoken through Your minister. Help me to be receptive to what it is you want me to hear today.”

Matthew Kelly has this suggestion: just look for the one thing. As the priest is speaking, listen out for something which you can take to heart and apply to your life in the coming week. I can guarantee you that pretty much every homily will have something in it that you can take on board and which will help you live a more authentic Christian life.

4. Supplement your diet. If you want to get more out of the homily, put more into it! Spend some time with the Scriptures prior to Mass so that you become more familiar with them. You could read a commentary on the Readings to help you understand them more fully.

Since I started trying to get physically fit again, I’ve been taking food supplements. This means that, even if some of my meals are a bit substandard, I still get a good dose of vitamins every day. You can do the same thing with your Sunday homily. In the Catholic world there are some truly phenomenal teachers and preachers. So, in addition to hearing your priest preach each week, listen to some other homilies online. Here are a few suggestions

1. Dr. Scott Hahn
2. Fr. Robert Barron
3. Monsignor Charles Pope

5. Encourage your priest! Your priest is only human, so do what you can to encourage him!

And all men are ready to pass judgement on the priest as if he was not a being clothed with flesh, or one who inherited a human nature – St. John Chrysostom

Sometimes even shepherds need some affirmation! So, if one week your pastor says something in his sermon which you find helpful, tell him! Thank him and encourage him! Is his ordination anniversary coming up? Maybe consider purchasing him a gift such as the Catena Aurea or the Ignatius Study Bible.

To which I add:

6. Learn more about the Divine Liturgy/Mass

If you realize that it is the sweet foretaste of Heaven, that it is the union of Heaven and Earth in that time and place, that you are privileged to experience something so otherworldly and awesome, then Father's bland homilies are less of a big deal. Think about Jesus riding in on a donkey to His New Jerusalem every time we pray "Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord." When we sing "Holy, Holy, Holy" realize that you are not only praying the same prayer as the angels, but we are praying it with the angels. Think about this: Angels don't have the privilege of receiving the Eucharist!

 

May God bless all who read my ramblings,

Adopt A Catholic Blog

Seven Quick Takes Pope stuff

I've always just thrown stuff in here to fill the seven, so this week I'm trying a theme. I already don't like it, but its done. Back to chaos and disorder next week.

1. I found a game where the object is to name (for me after the few 5 or 6 I guessed) all 40 countries that John Paul II visited more than once.
2. Random trivia on Papal Travels: Pope Paul VI was the only Pope to visit Iran.
3. I looked around on the site from #1 and found a game where you guess the most common papal names.
4. If you're looking for more of a challenge you can try to guess all the names used by Popes. Not each number, just the 80 different names before those numbers.
5. Pope Constantine traveled to Constantinople. He's also the only one of the Byzantine Popes who chose a distinctively Greek name.
6. A lot of people don't realize that the Popes at one time were the rulers of the Papal States across central Italy.
7. When Italy was united under Garibaldi, the Popes found themselves without any temporal power until Mussolini granted sovereignty over Vatican City to the Pope.

May God bless all who read my ramblings,

Adopt A Catholic Blog

Pope going to Lebanon

"The pope will come to support Christians so that they are united," said Gregory III Laham, the head of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church, adding that the visit would take place September 14-16, the I.Media religious news agency reported... read more
UPDATE: Here is an interview with the Maronite Patriarch by Vatican Radio on the upcoming visit to Lebanon
May God bless all who read my ramblings,

Adopt A Catholic Blog

Catholic Planking

h/t to Alive and Young

May God bless all who read my ramblings,

Adopt A Catholic Blog

Hail Mary

Hail Mary
Greetings to you, given to us as a mother by Christ at His Crucifixion. "Behold your mother."
Full of Grace
The angel's words imply the holiness of the woman conceived without sin, the Ark of the New Covenant. She was born without sin to become the Theotokos, the mother of our Savior.
The Lord is with Thee
Both in a physical and spiritual sense the Lord is with her. Her soul magnifies the Lord and she gave flesh to the Savior who taught us, forgave us, died for our sins, and sustains us with the Eucharist.
Blessed art Thou Amongst Women
A woman so united to the Lord's will that she was able to accept the enormous responsibility of uniting God and man in the person of Jesus Christ. She is Jacob's ladder that unites Earth and Heaven. She was chosen from conception from among all other women to become the Theotokos.
And Blessed is the Fruit of Thy Womb, Jesus
 Praised be Jesus, true God and true Man, the source of all blessings, who condescended to become like us in all things but sin. In the Eucharist His Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity sustains us and renews our covenant with our God. We unite ourselves with the Lord of Heaven in the Heavenly Worship of the Mass/Divine Liturgy.
Holy Mary, Mother of God
Mother of our Savior you played an important role in our salvation.
Pray for us Sinners
We have been sinners since the womb and we need prayer to achieve holiness. Pray for us, Queen Mother, to your Son, Jesus.
Now and the Hour of our Death
Pray for us always that your prayers may aid in our salvation.

Its Official!

Anglican Ordinariates are no longer a subject of the future, at least for England and Wales. The first ordinariate was established today: the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham.
H/T to Anglo-Catholic where I first read about this

Ut omnes unum sint

May God bless all who read my ramblings,

Adopt A Catholic Blog

Christians formerly hidden by Buddhist monks

I saw an article on UCAnews about Christians hiding inside a Buddhist temple in Japan. I found it really interesting, since you almost never hear about persecution outside of Europe or Communist countries. The Church has a different history everywhere you go.

Japanese Buddhist monks hid persecuted Christians in a secret room in their monastery. They then chanted sutras outside to drown out any incriminating noise, Catholics learnt during a Church program.

Sixty people, led by Father Makoto Onchi of Hagi Catholic Church in Yamaguchi Prefecture, visited the Houonji Buddhist monastery on July 4. The program was part of the church’s annual visit to sites associated with Christian persecution which occurred at various times from the early 1600s.

The monastery had discovered a secret room attached to its main hall, with a tunnel leading out to the fields behind the temple, chief Buddhist monk Venerable Toshiaki Namba told Father Onchi during an interreligious gathering.

read more...

May God bless all who read my ramblings,

500th POST!!

So this is my 500th post on this blog. It took me a little over 5 years but I don't post as often as a lot of others and I had gaps in posting while I was deployed. What do I want to talk about in my 500th post... I don't know I am making this up as I go.
OK, here's something: 2 days ago Pope Benedict XVI established a Syro-Malankar exarchate in the US. I wonder how many people before reading this had heard of the Syro-Malankar rite. I found this article on Zenit. The commentary in green is obviously mine.

New Apostolic Exarchate for Syro-Malankara Church

1st Bishop Will Also Be Visitor to Community in Canada, Europe

NEW YORK, JULY 14, 2010 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI erected an apostolic exarchate (I wonder what is the difference between eparchy and exarchate?) for the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church in the United States, and appointed Father Thomas Naickamparampil (appropriate for a priest to St Thomas Christians) of the Major Archieparchy of Trivandrum as its first bishop.

The bishop-elect, 49, was also appointed apostolic visitor for the Syro-Malank

ara Catholics in Canada and Europe.

Thomas Naickamparampil was born on June 6, 1961 at Mylapra in Pathanamthitta District of the Eparchy of Pathanamthitta.

After completing high school, he joined St. Aloysious Minor Seminary, Pattom, Trivandrum, and then later completed his priestly formation at the Papal Seminary in Pune. He was ordained on Dec. 29, 1986.

He has a doctorate degree in philosophy from the Pontifical University Gregorian in Rome.

The Syro-Malankara Catholic Church traces its roots back to St. Thomas the Apostle (That's right "Doubting Thomas" evangelized India long before the Age of Discovery brought European powers there. I am personally a big fan of his and I think he got a bum rap. He's no worse for his disbelief than Peter for his denials). The Church split from the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church in 1930, and then entered into communion with Rome. In 2005, the Eastern Church was elevat

ed to a major archiepiscopal Church. It is currently led by Major Archbishop Baselios Cleemis, and currently has eight eparchies and some 500,000 faithful.

The community of Syro-Malankara Catholic Church began to organize in 1984 in New York. Today there are an estimated 10,000 members, 16 parishes and 15 mission stations (The nearest one of these to me is Miami. I am

curious to see their liturgy, but there is a Syro-Malabar parish in Atlanta that I could go to. I would think the liturgy is similiar since they are both St Thomas Christians) of the Church in the United States and Canada. It also counts with 30 priests, and 34 religious.

The new exarchate will have its headquarters in New York City, and the main parish will be the Malankara Catholic Church in Long Island.

Malankara Major Archbishop Isaac Mar Cleemis(above)

On another note remotely related note, the Syro-Malankar and Syro-Malabar rites are based out of Kerala State in India which is home to Vailankanni, which is a major site of pilgrimage because of the shrine to Mary that is there. I first heard about it right after the tsunami and I have wanted to visit there ever since. Maybe some day I will finally get to go.

May God bless everyone who reads my ramblings,

Syrian Catholic posted an amazing video on Ecce Agnus Dei. Check it out.

I was reading Rachel's post about how the Devil used fear in Thomas Merton's life and I remember another great passage from Seven Storey Mountain appropriate for the 4th of July.

The eloquence of this liturgy was even more tremendous: and what it said was one, simple, cogent, tremendous truth: this church, the court of the Queen of Heaven, is the real capital of the country in which we are living. This is the center of all the vitality that is in America. This is the cause and reason why the nation is holding together. These men, hidden in the anonymity of their choir and their white cowls, are doing for their land what no army, no congress, no president could ever do as such: they are winning for it the grace and the protection and the friendship of God.

Melkites

I started going to a local Melkite Catholic parish and when I saw this on Byzantine, Texas I knew that I had to post it.

H/T to The Crescat by way of Byzantine, Texas.

Archbishop Broglio's Statement on Proposed Legislation

Archbishop Broglio, as the Archbishop for the Military Services has published a statement on homosexuals in the military asking Congress not to allow open service:

In a response to a request from the Chiefs of Chaplains of the Armed Forces I communicated some considerations and concerns regarding the proposal to change the existing legislation regarding persons with a homosexual orientation in the military. In fulfilling my role as the chief shepherd of Catholics in the United States Armed Forces, I have had the opportunity of visiting many installations in the recent past. A number of chaplains and commanding officers have expressed concerns about the effects of a change. There is a request for guidance.
The teaching of the Catholic Church is clearly expressed in the Catechism of the Catholic Church:

2357 Homosexuality refers to relations between men or between women who experience an exclusive or predominant sexual attraction toward persons of the same sex. It has taken a great variety of forms through the centuries and in different cultures. Its psychological genesis remains largely unexplained. Basing itself on Sacred Scripture, which presents homosexual acts as acts of grave depravity,140 tradition has always declared that "homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered."141 They are contrary to the natural law. They close the sexual act to the gift of life. They do not proceed from a genuine affective and sexual complementarity. Under no circumstances can they be approved.

2358 The number of men and women who have deep-seated homosexual tendencies is not negligible. This inclination, which is objectively disordered, constitutes for most of them a trial. They must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity. Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided. These persons are called to fulfill God's will in their lives and, if they are Christians, to unite to the sacrifice of the Lord's Cross the difficulties they may encounter from their condition.

2359 Homosexual persons are called to chastity. By the virtues of self-mastery that teach them inner freedom, at times by the support of disinterested friendship, by prayer and sacramental grace, they can and should gradually and resolutely approach Christian perfection.

Consequently, those with a homosexual orientation can expect respect and treatment worthy of their human dignity. The prohibitions regarding sexual harassment and intimidation refer just as much to homosexuals as to anyone else. However, unions between individuals of the same gender resembling marriage will not be accepted or blessed by Catholic chaplains. Furthermore no restrictions or limitations on the teaching of Catholic morality can be accepted. First Amendment rights regarding the free exercise of religion must be respected.
This means that Catholic chaplains must show compassion for persons with a homosexual orientation, but can never condone—even silently—homosexual behavior. A change might have a negative effect on the role of the chaplain not only in the pulpit, but also in the classroom, in the barracks, and in the office

more.

Personally, I hope his words have some effect.

Random Catholic Trivia

Can anyone name the one country that does not have a Latin Rite diocese? Every nation on Earth has a Catholic diocese or eparchy, but this nation does not have a Latin rite diocese.

So true

Catholic Cartoon Blog hits back in the culture war with more witty satire.

priceles

Cost for a soda at the PX... $0.65
Cost of a haircut at the FOB barbershop... $3.50
300 minute calling card from AT&T... $27.00
Having a Catholic Chaplain on the FOB... priceless

September 11, 1683 Christian forces under the protection of Our Lady of Czestochowa defeated Muslim forces besieging Vienna.

What the...?

H/t to Ken88

Married Baptist Minister Converts and Becomes Priest

H/T to Steve Ray

The first known married Baptist minister turned married Catholic priest is about to be ordained (September 6).
David Harris is the only man to be ordained as a priest in the Archdiocese of Louisville this year and only the second Protestant convert ordained as yet in that Archdiocese.
The article is here.
One part I found very interesting about the article:

His wife and sons remain Baptist, but support him, as do other relatives.

"I'm real happy for him," said his brother, Mike, of Louisa. "My brother has always had a fantastic heart for people."

David Harris said his mother had the most difficulty with his conversion.

"We talk about it, we pray about it," he said. "At this point she's real supportive."

It has to be an awkward family life. Dad/Husband is a Catholic priest while everyone else is still Baptist.

Cardinal Levada's Letter to Traditional Anglican Communion

I found this letter on the for the Traditional Anglican Communion. Its only a few paragraphs so I will not quote it here.