Divine Praises

Happy Advent

I am now well along in my recovery from bilateral hip replacement. It's only been seven weeks and I"m already beginning to walk without a cane.

Immediately after surgery, I experienced almost no pain. I was in awe. For the first two days, I couldn't get to my feet without starting to cry. After two years of what felt like labour pain, the relief was truly blessed.

My post op week was spent in a crowded three bed ward. The other women in the room were lovely, but the hospital was old and not designed for modern equipment. I think anyone with serious cluastrophobia would have had real trouble there!

The care was excellent, however, so I had few complaints...except for the food. Not much there to pique a flagging apetite!

One week after my surgery, I was transferred to the rehab facility of our local hospital. This was really welcome. It was much closer to home, so my family could visit more easily. It is also a lovely, new facility. As a bonus, I even had a private room for the first week.

Almost the first thing I discovered at the rehab unit was that the food was excellent. Such a relief. As I ended up spending three weeks in this unit, that quality became very important.

My first week was glorious. After one day of feeling a bit lonely, I realized that now that I was feeling a bit better (I had been very tired due, in part, to a very low post-op hemoglobin level) I could pursue my reading and have a bit of a private retreat. I plunged into reading some of the classics of Catherine Doherty, foundress of Madonna House. Bogoroditza, Urodivoi, and Molchany were the books I chose. I would recommend any of them.

At one point during this week, I so wanted to recite the Divine Praises. Among all the books I had brought with me, I did not have a copy anywhere. And I sure don't have them memorized.

At the beginning of my second week, my left leg, which had had more work done on it and which had been in far worse shape leading into surgery, started to hurt. This pain grew until it was considered a good idea to take x-rays to ensure there was no problem with my new hip. All appeared fine, so we just had to treat it symptomatically. Now, nearly two months post-op, the leg still hurts frequently, although I can work through it most times. It is going to take a lot more work to bring it up to where the right leg seems to be!

I have had so many praying for me. I am so thankful! Many people referred to my surgery and seemingly quick recovery as a miracle. I can only agree.

In Canada, it seems bilateral hip replacement is unusual. I felt a bit like a minor celebrity. I had people sticking their heads in my room saying "There's the lady who had both hips done!"
I am told this procedure is more common in the US.

I would not have done it any differently. I cannot imagine recovering from having one hip done, and needing to rely on the "not done" hip to support the new one. I am sure that in the case of having had my right leg done first, it would have immediately been in better shape than the non-operated left hip! As it was, with two new hips, I was on my feet within 24 hours. Had I not been so anemic, with the resultant nausea and dizzyness, I would have been doing a fair bit of walking...with a walker of course!

I am still receiving outpatient physiotherapy twice a week, plus exercises I do at home. This will have me, I am told, walking without a limp within another month or so.

Blessed be God!

Let Him be Anathema!

Well, it's happened.

I suppose it had to, given my propensity for speaking out against abuse in the Catholic Church. What is interesting is that this reaction was not due to something I said, but something my husband said.

Or rather, something he requested. This is something I have requested in the past myself.

My husband has been "suggested" to leave the church. The word 'church' was written with a small 'c', so I suppose this may have meant parish. For it to be otherwise is absolutely ludicrous!

I can say that we certainly have no plans to leave the church or the Church. Our quirky little chapel in our quirky diocese has been our spiritual home for nearly a dozen years. Our work in the diocese itself goes back much farther.

We have outlasted one bishop, several chancellors, and almost innumerable priests and PAs. The number of volunteer hours we have clocked is also innumerable. This is nothing in which to boast, but shows our commitment to doing our best to make the chapels work as well as we can.

We do not try to extend our own agenda. We both try hard to to make 'our' agenda that which the Church itself seeks. As we have learned things over the years, we have become more confident in expressing the Church's teaching, especially where we believe we see it being misstated.

So, what got us 'suggested' to leave? My husband merely pressed the point, with the appropriate official, that no documentation supporting a particular liturgical anomaly perpetrated by our diocese was forthcoming when we asked to see it. We have been told that permission has been given, but nothing in writing has followed. According to the document "Redemptionis Sacramentum" we have a right to ask for and receive such information.

Why we question the statement is that Rome has stated and restated that this practice is not licit. While it does not invalidate the Mass, it is a practice which is not to be done. By our estimation, Rome has covered all the loopholes.

We aren't sure right now if this latest brush fire will be taken to a higher 'court'. It could be interesting!

God Bless and Happy Advent.

Jaye

The Light at the End of the Tunnel

Hello

Well I am in the midst of final preparations for surgery. It is a venture into the great unknown for me.

Ultimately I hope to have relief from the pain I have been living with for more than two years, as well as a substantial increase in mobility.

But of course, this end is not an absolute certainty.

I am not really feeling anxious at this point. I slept well last night, for me.

I have received the Anointing of the Sick, one of the seven sacraments of the Catholic Church, and one I had not received before.

I have some good spiritual reading packed, as well as my Liturgy of the Hours, which I have to admit has been neglected this year. Between bouts of physical therapy, I'll have lots to keep me busy.

My friends have been asked to pray for my surgery and recovery. It will be a long haul. Bi-lateral hip replacements are rarely done, but will be attempted in my case. Let's just get this over with!

I will be praying for my family who will be on their own for a while. In truth, I haven't exactly been a lot of help the past while. They'll do well, I'm sure.

If there is one thing I've learned through this, it is that there is very little that cannot be done by someone other than myself!

Stepping down from things I enjoy doing because I have had to admit that either my condition stole my enjoyment, or that I could no longer do a particular thing, has been humbling, and a reality check!

Being on the sidelines has given me a different perspective on nearly everything.

What do I look forward to? Well, assuming no complications, I look forward to: being able to clip my own toenails, taking walks with my family, taking a shower without dreading the climb out of the tub. Funny the things you miss! Raking leaves, hanging clothes on the clothesline...

I want some of my life back! Yes, some. I have slowed down, and with my personality I will have to be wary of diving back in and forgetting the lessons I've learned.

God has been good. I have managed, I think, to avoid self-pity. I suppose someone other than me might be a better judge of that. As St. Paul tells us, we can join our sufferings to those of Jesus on the Cross.

If you have to hurt, I think it is a blessing to be able to make the hurt work for someone!

Well, I should go and finish packing.

God Bless

Greetings in Christ

Last weekend, I was at a local vendor's show with my Catholic books. It was a washout and I barely covered my costs.

One of my first visitors, however, was a fellow from another booth. He seemed to know what he was looking at and we began to chat.

It turns out, he is the Anglican husband of a Lutheran minister. He was pleasant, but began to talk about the Catholic parish near his wife's church. He made some mildly disparaging remarks about the priest, recently retired, from the village.

What really got me irritated though, was his cavalier mention that the church did not collapse when he and his wife received (took?) Communion at the Mass celebrating the Catholic priest's retirement. He said that the sister who gave him Communion was not struck by lightening for doing so.

I decided I didn't like this fellow much, even if he was a bibliophile.

I do not tend to be quick with a reply to commentary such as this fellow provided. Later, it occurred to me that telling him that the gates of Hell would not prevail against the Church, so it is entirely reasonable that their illicit reception of Communion would not cause thunderbolts or earthquakes. It does not mean that their illicit reception was of no consequence.

As for the Sister who was a minister of Holy Communion...it is not her place to say who is or is not eligible to receive.

To me, this man's attitude, and I suppose that of his wife, is simply bad manners. Imposing his beliefs, which apparently are that intercommunion is right and good, on the Catholic Church which clearly teaches otherwise while he is present at Mass, is just not nice!

Maybe next time something like this happens, I will be faster off the mark to respond.

God Bless

Flow of consciousness

Hi Folks

Today I opened a fresh bottle of a new spice blend. I was transported back...about 17 years as I remember. Daughter #3 was a small baby.

One of the civilians my husband worked with was having a party and invited us. He was a pleasant fellow, and going out was a big treat for us, as a Private's salary was meager...and we had three children!

We arrived at the party to find that we knew no one. Well, I knew no one. My husband did know another guest, a young officer, who was there. Everyone else seemed to be college instructors or students.

To say that I felt like a fish out of water was putting it mildly. Because I had brought the baby, I was treated a bit like a leper. She was quiet, and even when she was awake, she was relatively immobile, so it was not going to pose a problem. Besides, I did not leave my babies at home! This was a group of people who did not have babies...or never did. I often felt like ALL I did was babies. Not exactly one of the 'beautiful people'.

After a while, one of the young students commented to me on how 'innocuous' the baby was. To this day I'm sure he meant "inconspicuous". I hope he did!

We found ourselves sitting more or less in a circle and people were telling their travel stories as magazines were being circulated. Now, we had absolutely nothing to say. We had been nowhere further than Portland, Oregon, and for a religious event at that!

I will forever ask blessings for the woman who sat beside me. I do not recall her name. She obviously picked up on my discomfort. She leaned into me and asked "If you could go anywhere, where would you go?" Can I tell you how much I learned from that question?

Making people at ease is a gift worth cultivating. That I still remember this incident after all that has happened in the intervening years shows what an impact it had! I pray that I may be so accomodating to 'fish' that I come across!

So, where does the spice fit in? It's really not a big deal. Later that evening, for reasons I do not recall, our host passed around a spice blend he particularly liked and asked opinions as to what was in it. This was an area where I had some competance, but ultimately, no one, including myself remembers what I thought about the spice.

But I will never forget the woman who sat beside me.

God bless

Day to day Catholicism

Good Morning

I have recently had cause to think about some of the "little" things Catholics do because they are Catholic.

Some of these appear to be regional beliefs. I would welcome additions or explanations anyone cares to send my way.

I was recently at a wedding. It was out of town and a group of us were driving there together. The weather was "iffy" and we knew the wedding was to take place outdoors. One of our friends, who grew up in the area, said that she should have put her beads on the clothesline.

My husband looked at me quizzically. I told him that this was a local (as far as I know, anyway) custom. To ensure good weather for a wedding, women hung their rosary beads on the clothesline. Uh-huh said dh.

Not too long ago, a friend was talking about selling her house. She said she'd buried a statue of St. Joseph in her garden and the house sold quickly. Uh-huh...said the priest. Actually, I've heard that the statue must be buried upside down, according to the protocol for this practice. I told the priest that there are actually house-selling kits which include a statue of poor St. Joe.

Last week, my daughter was talking to an adult friend. I am not sure where the friend grew up, but when my daughter spoke about swimming, her friend expressed surprise. When she was growing up, they did not go swimming outside until St. Jean Baptiste Day (St. John the Baptist) after the priest had blessed the lake.

I'm sure everyone has seen the "ads" run in newspapers thanking various saints for "favours receieved". These notes are usually run for several days.

Some of these practices may cross the line between devotion and superstition. I have no problem with someone publically announcing favours received through the intercession of a particular saint, but does it have to happen nine times? My personal preference, if I were selling a house, would be to ask St. Joseph to pray for us as we did this. If I had a statue of him, I would NOT bury it, but display it somewhere. In my book business, which is entirely Catholic, I do not sell the St. Joseph's house selling kits.

Some of these practices are charming, although I do fear for those who do not look deeper into their faith. As long as these practices do not comprise the bulk of ones faith, I do not think they can cause harm. Kinda like wearing a scapular...

God Bless

Truth

Hi Folks



Not long ago, we were out of town. Our hotel thoughtfully supplied us with a copy of the "National Post" which I do not often get the chance to read.

There was, I thought, an interesting convergence of articles.

One article, by Lawrence Solomon, was about Wikipedia, and a particular editor who is, it would seem, engaging in a form of thought-policing.

Another article, by Charles Lewis, was about Evangelical Christians and what they see as their role in converting Jews.

Yet another article was concerning history. Whom do we believe?

There was even an article on medical imaging and its believability.

Solomon wrote of his experience in trying to edit an incorrect Wikipedia article. The article, according to Solomon, misrepresents a scientist's work concerning global warming. The editor kept undoing Solomon's correction.

The article in question is about climate change and the purported concensus among scientists with the position on climate change taken by the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate change. http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/fpcomment/archive/2008/04/12/wikipedia-s-zealots-solomon.aspx

As Solomon was correcting the article, he was drawing from a personal knowledge of the work of one of the scientists named. His correction was repeatedly undone by the editor. There was no room for discussion. Wikipedia, through the work of this editor, refuses to acknowledge alternate views on climate change.

In Lewis's article on a New York Times ad placed by World Evangelical Alliance. The ad encourages Evangelicals to work for the conversion of Jews to Christianity.

A professor at York University, who is himself a convert from Christianity to Judaism, reads into this that the Evangelicals do not think that Judaism has a right to exist. Is this what is really said? http://www.worldevangelicals.org/news/view.htm?id=1732

It is difficult, in this time of duelling ideologies and the accompanying barrage of "information", (I put that it quotations because I am sure information is really only that when it is accurate. Given the constant contradictions, it cannot all be correct!) to know just who tells the truth.

(As I finish this entry, I have just finished reading yet another article bringing serious question to the global warming assumption).

Jesus Christ has told us that HE is the Way, the Truth, and the Light. I am certain that He was not referring to global warming, although Pope Benedict XVI has. Jesus calls us to look beyond our earthly concerns, at least part of the time, and get a view of eternity. THAT is the Truth to which He speaks. Our view of eternity can be potentially rosy, if we look to God for guidance. We can find very real, earthly guidance in Jesus' presence on earth in the Catholic Church.

We are blessed indeed to know, absolutely, where the truth of all that is important, lies.

God Bless

The Rubber Hits the Road

Hi Folks

My mum sent me an email which contained a link that ended up side-tracking me for quite a while.

I own a small Catholic book business. It's really small. I am owner, employee, CEO, cook and bottle-washer.

A couple of years ago, I started carrying some giftware along with the Catholic books. More recently, I began carrying hand-crafted rosaries, made by my mum.

Somewhere, I remember her commenting that people were often taken aback by the prices of hand-crafted goods. She said that she was in competition with cheap goods coming from China.

I didn't think much of it at the time, as I only carried rosaries made by her. But a few months back, I got a call from a local rosary and crucifix maker. He, too commented about cheap goods from China.

Well, the email my mother sent the other day had a link to some articles detailing just how some of the cheap (and not so cheap) Chinese goods are made. Now, it has my attention.

It seems to me to be ironic that devout people are getting their religious items from places where workers are being paid almost nothing. One factory is even in violation of China's own regulations, which are not what most people would call "employee friendly". What does it do to evangelization to have a worker, who is working his 19th hour that day, looking at the image of Jesus which he has just attached to a cross? I'm not sure I'd want to know any more about His Church when it would seem the members are exploiting me. Here is the link:
http://www.nlcnet.org/article.php?id=479

The Catholic Church has teachings on these matters, and has had for a long time! Leo XIII got the ball started with Rerum Novarum over 100 years ago. If you read Scripture, you can see that it does not support exploitive practices. It condemns them!

As a very small Catholic business, it should not be too hard to avoid Chinese made goods. I will certainly make that effort. I already have noticed that one of my suppliers labels where his goods originate...at least when those countries are European or American! Am I to assume that if items are not so labelled that they are Chinese? I guess I'll need to ask him.

Another of my suppliers acknowledges that some of their goods come from China. I'll be watching!

Of course this leads to a dilemma. By boycotting Chinese goods, one is actually attempting to remove what little sustenance sweatshop employees get. Is there a way to influence their conditions without totally removing the support of our retailers? I do not know.

The Chinese do not seem to listen to the West all that well. I guess we just do what we can and pray for insight!

God Bless

Let me join them!

Greetings.

An article for which I just read the intro said that bloggers are getting down to the task of commenting on the Pope's visit to the United States.

I am not an American, but as a close neighbour, I've been observing.

This is an exciting time to be a Catholic. We have a Pope who is willing to brave possible hostility in order to proclaim un-varnished Catholic teaching. People are noticing.

I have noticed an increase of cross-traffic. Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN) personalities such as Mother Angelica and Raymond Arroyo are showing up in Columbia Magazine (the monthly magazine of the Knights of Columbus, a Catholic men's organization), while Carl Anderson (the chief Knight...cannot recall his exact title) has been interviewed on EWTN. Dinesh D'Souza is showing up all over.

It's getting stranger. The mainstream press has been seen to be getting information about the Catholic Church correct! That so rarely happens.

Recently, on Catholic Answers Live, it was said that Protestant ministers are becoming Catholic in rather large numbers.

So what is going on?

I wonder if in these times of constant change, and constant confusion about what is or is not truth, the Church is being seen as one who does not change with the whims of public opinion. She is constant. Those honestly seeking truth will realize that truth cannot contradict itself. Is there a God, or isn't there? Did He become incarnate, or didn't He? Is life intrinsically valuable, or is it not?

When talking to dh about this, he also noted that at the same time that the Truth in Catholicism is increasingly recognized, we can be sure there will be a backlash.

Funny, just the day after we were talking about this, I read in New Advent that a Muslim leader has said that Islam will conquer Rome http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=12331

Whether or not the forementioned will be the backlash, it will come. It could come in the form of legislation which slowly chokes the ability of the Church to continue to proclaim Truth. I could come in the form of legislation limiting the power of parents to teach Truth to their children. It could be a combination of things.

When the scandal of misbehaving priests broke, many thought that the Church would suffer. I think the Church has gotten stronger. The evil that had been hidden so long was being brought to the light. It is now being dealt with.

People are making a conscious decision to enter the Church.

The gates of Hell will not prevail.

Yesterday I started reading something that captures a couple of my interests at the same time.

The book is the new "Island of the World" by Michael D. O'brien, possibly my favourite Catholic author. The book is set in the Balkans, starting around the time of WWII.

I admit to reading with a little scepticism. O'brien is known for his attention to detail. Several years ago, I loaned another O'brien book, "Father Elijah" to a priest friend who admired the book's description of the Vatican. The priest said that O'brien must have actually been there.

The setting of the book is the Balkans, which is about as complicated as I imagine a setting to be!

Dh worked in the Balkans for a year. So did ds. I was over there for three months. It is a beautiful, fascinating area, with an amazingly complex history and culture.

When I told dh I was reading "Island" he commented that the book would have to mention slivovic (a homemade alcoholic substance which is ubiquitous in the Balkans). Less than 100 pages into the book, there is was!

Michael O'brien is an unapologetic Catholic. His books are full of Catholicism, both subtle and overt. One cannot read them without sensing how integral his faith is to his work.

I am curious to see how the history of the Balkans is managed in this novel. Before we went over, I was told that "there were no good guys". I had trouble believing that, but after my time there, I was beginning to think it was correct.

Lately, we have been looking at history from a Catholic perspective and seeing just how it can be manipulated without anyone actually lying! I have no reason to believe that what little I know of the Balkans has not been manipulated.

I will be some time reading this large book. I will report when I am done.

God Bless

Last things

Happy Tuesday.



Last night I had the pleasure of listening to, rather than leading, a class for soon-to-be Catholics.

The topic was "Last Things" which would be death, judgement, Purgatory, Heaven and Hell.

We are in a Military environment. It struck me, not long into the meeting, that our community has an intimacy with death that is probably a bit unusual.

I was surprised at how comfortable everyone seemed with the idea of death. I was surprised at how nonchalant the soldiers were about close calls they'd had. One fellow mentioned that he drove through a crater caused by an explosion that had only recently killed several soldiers.

Others talked of serious 'accidents' they'd been involved in where no one was killed, although it would appear that they should have been. It was not their time.

Most of us have had a close brush with the family of someone who has died.

A story was told about how some people (other soldiers) can just fall apart at the thought of death. One described the anti climax of being prepared to die, and then not having it happen.

Someone mentioned the knowledge that a kiss good-bye could be their last.

Purgatory is a doctrine that some find hard to accept. If one looks carefully, Scripture is actually quite liberal in texts that imply a place between earth and heaven. Maccabees tells us to pray for the dead. Why would we do that if they were in either heaven or hell? We are told that our works will be tested as if by fire.

Purgatory is not, as is sometimes said, a second chance, or a place where ones fate is decided. Those who find themselves in purgatory will, eventually, go to heaven.

Everyone in heaven is a saint. They may not be a canonized saint (one whose presence in heaven has been declared by the Church and whose name may be mentioned during the Mass) but if you are in heaven, you are a saint.

Heaven is a place of perfect happiness. Some people get the idea that heaven will be dull. We cannot imagine the glories and pleasures of heaven.

Hell? I've been told it will be a big party, as in the sense of unlimited sinning. Wrong again! Hell is a place of unending torment. It is eternally outside the view of God. We can't see Him, He can't see us. There will be no pleasure.

We can never judge that someone has gone to Hell. Only God knows that for sure, as much as we may speculate. We do not know if, perhaps, someone on his/her deathbed cried out to God for mercy. The Church does from time to time declare someone to be in heaven. "What you bind on earth will be bound in heaven".

Lent, the time preceding Easter, is a time where we look upon our lives and see if there are ways we may walk more closely with God. Take the time to take a look!

Comings and Goings

This is a response of sort to an American article.

http://blog.siena.org/2008/03/pew-again.html

One can tell from my name that I am Canadian, however I think much that is said in the article applies.

Evangelical churches are scooping up Catholics at an alarming rate. Just how alarming?

As one who once dabbled in evangelicism, and then discovered the Catholic Charismatic Renewal, I know what the attraction is (or was at the time). Warning...the peanut butter I ate for breakfast has stuck my tongue firmly to my cheek.

It is entertaining. There's some pretty girl standing up front wiggling and singing into a mic while a band of sorts plays behind her. She's singing choruses; short songs that are catchy and easy to remember. Emotions begin to run high. Oh yes, one can just FEEL the Holy Spirit moving in this place.

Once the music slows down, you know that it's time for Pastor X to come out and start expounding on his favourite bit of scripture. Or perhaps today it's expounding on his favourite shortcoming. Maybe (and many denominations seem to be founded on this one) he will give his views on the Catholic Church. He is anointed (if not always accurate).

The pastor's anointed status lasts until he hits a sore point with someone, who promptly leaves this gathering which he now feels has lost the Spirit, and finds another where he finds the Holy Spirit has taken up residence. Interestingly, the Holy Spirit will here condone whatever weakness or belief that causes M. Pewsitter to find himself at odds with his previous congregation. Perhaps M. Pewsitter decides HE has the spirit...and starts his own church.

The pattern is so predictable.

This year I have the privilege once again of helping people who wish to become Roman Catholic. Last week, someone made the comment that he thought he knew quite a bit about the Church when he started coming to meetings. He'd learned it from the other churches he'd attended. Now he knows that most of what he thought he knew was wrong.

Does that not sound like what Archbishop Fulton Sheen said?

There are not over a hundred people in the United States who hate the Catholic Church. There are millions, however, who hate what they wrongly believe to be the Catholic Church—

which is, of course, quite a different thing.

Radio Replies (1938)

Earlier in the evening, the same fellow made a comment that maybe the Church needed to do more work to get its actual teachings made public. I truly hope that someday this fellow will join the ranks of catechists, apologists, evangelists who do their best to teach the Catholic faith!

I think Pope Benedict XVI, who does not seem to be one to back away from genuine Church teaching...even that which does not sit well with society or certain members thereof, will inspire many to confidently proclaim the Church.

I hope that B XVI may actually inspire some dissenters within the Church to leave it in peace. They can go and start a denomination built upon their pet belief, weakness, desire, or sin, as so many have before them.

I suspect that if one really analyzed the demographics of ex-Catholics in evangelical ranks, one would find that many are there because of a sin that the Catholic Church does not accept: Divorce and re-marriage, the use of artificial birth control. Or perhaps this new church lays out in black and white a teaching that the RC church leaves to the informed consciences of its followers. M. Pewsitter may desire the support that a clearly defined teaching can give.

I wonder if we have statistics concerning the backgrounds of people entering the Church, or perhaps re-entering the Church. How many come back and bring friends and family with them?

We have been promised that the gates of Hell will not prevail against the church. Neither will public opinion.

Father knows best

So, how 'bout that Pope?

Pope Benedict XVI never ceases to amaze me. His selection from among the other Cardinals started it. He was so OLD!

He was already known, too, as something of a hard-liner as far as adherence to Catholic teaching went. I counted that as a good thing.

He has not disappointed. He may have a short pontificate, but his influence will resound for a long time. Of this I have little doubt. He predicted that his pontificate would see the reduction of the Catholic Church to a smaller institution, but one less swayed by the winds of public opinion. One can only hope that is prophetic.

As it is now, there are so many who call themselves Catholic, but who hold few of the tenets of the Church and seem hell-bent on changing the Church to suit their notions. Protestants may goad us about Sacred Tradition, in which they say they do not believe. It would seem a good many Catholics do not believe in it either.

Having a Church in which fewer of these dissenters are present could only be a good thing.

Pope Benedict, it seems to me, is making it more and more difficult to be a dissenting Catholic. His clarifications on our beliefs only reiterate Church teaching. His refusal to pander to public opinion will, I think, give confidence to loyal Catholics.

He has been accused of public relations mis-steps. I do not think these were mis-steps at all. I think he knew exactly what he was saying, why he was saying it, and what the reaction to it would be. He is proclaiming Truth. He is saying what the Church believes on his own terms and not the terms of those who do not agree with the Church anyway. Imagine that.

I remember the day I accidently walked in on a pow-wow (sorry. I guess the proper term might be an O-group) of chaplains, both RC and others. I could feel tremendous tension in the room, although I did not actually hear anything that was being said. This was after the Pope told the denominations that they were not churches, but "ecclesial communities". As I spoke to one of the RC chaplains later he said to me "The truth hurts". The truth is this: Jesus formed only one Church, and that one is the Catholic Church. To believe anything else is to revise or ignore history.

He upset the Muslims with his Regensberg address, in which he quoted an earlier scholar who said something to the effect that Mohammed's additions to the faith of Abraham (which is shared by Jews, Christians and Muslims) were evil and violent.

In his writing, Benedict has very clearly taken issue with trends in liturgy, which he sees as novelties, and trends in theology which seem to try to remove Christ's divinity.

What he says is very clear. It's hard to read anything into his writings...nothing is hidden.

This Catholic feels very comfortable with Benedict as Pope. Long may he live!

A Great Book

Hello again!

Dh and I were recently at the VV Boutique...also known as Value Village. It has not been in our community a long time, but we've already learned to scour the bookshelves.

On my last visit, I picked up, along with a copy of "Crossing the Threshold of Hope" and a book on understanding the St. Paul's Letter to the Romans, a copy of Matthew Lickona's "Swimming with Scapulars" (Loyola Press).

I liked the title, and I think I'd actually heard of it before.

It was definitely a book worth bringing home.

Matthew Lickona is a young man writing about his living out his Catholic faith in a country where society is not very encouraging to this process. Matthew would probably be referred to as "conservative" or maybe "orthodox" in his beliefs.

I found the book honest, humourous, somewhat educational, and quite accurate as he describes various aspects of his life and faith. Although he is ten years younger than I am, I could relate to much of what he writes.

I recommend it.

God Bless

Life, and all that

Here I am, too pooped today to attend Mass for All Saints Day. I think the fatigue is mental to a large degree.

I had my long awaited appointment with the reumatologist yesterday. I wasn't going to get too excited. A friend of mine who lives near a much larger centre than I do waited three months only to be disappointed severely.

I can't say I was disappointed. Non-plussed might do. That's the old non-plussed, meaning puzzled or confused or something like that.

He seemed like a thorough, serious man. The examination might have been a bit gentler, but I was pleased that he was willing to share his resources.

My bonescan was on whatever computer program they have at the hospital. The scan had not been analyzed, and this doctor was not capable of doing that, but we looked at the pictures.

He later suggested a prescription medication but his palm pilot program had no information on fetal risks. I am not pregnant, but he wanted to ensure that would not change.

I told him that if he was requiring me to consent to some form of artificial birth control, he was wasting his breath.

He stated that he was not Catholic, but he was Christian...

Half an hour later, through a poorly disguised anti-Catholic rant, I had been told that the Church teachings on birth control were completely non-scriptural. Did I want to follow a Church, or did I want to follow the Bible? He did not buy my suggestion that the two are not mutually exclusive. He went on about poor babies in the Philippines, Mary (The Blessed Virgin, and our over-blown teachings on her), righteousness (which is apparently incompatible with following rules), and his niece who converted to Catholicism and treats her mother, his sister, badly. Sigh. All this for a medication that MIGHT have helped.

I did some research. Well, no. I contacted a friend who is a Pharm D and asked him. Turns out, this same med has been given to pregnant women with Lupus. They had no higher a rate of fetal abnormality than average, although they were a small group.

My "terrier brain", as a good friend calls it, kicked in and I've been tearing this event to pieces all day.

The doctor tells me he was a pastor for 14 years. He also told me he could not see the difference between using fertility awareness to avoid pregnancy, and using contraception.

Several puzzling things have come to mind. I am fairly certain that if I asked this man if God was the creator of life, he would say yes. I am also certain that he would agree that God knows what is best for humanity.

Why then, can he not see that using birth control is deny God our permission to use His knowledge? We are telling God that we are willing to actively deny Him the opportunity to create a soul, but we are not willing to forgo the pleasure of the unitive act. Fertility awareness is simply choosing not to have sex at a given time. Christopher West says that Birth Control is to Natural Family Planning what "therapeutic" abortion is to a miscarriage.

As far as the doctor's understanding (or lack thereof) of the difference, I'm reminded of a speech by Peter Kreeft in which he asks if we would destroy a building we find, simply because we are not aware of its purpose. Would it not be better to find out before destroying it?

Are the souls of those babies in the Philippines less deserving of existence because they are poor? Is their existence the cause of the poverty?

As for my dilemma...well, there is no dilemma. Catholicism does not consider itself bound by the parameters of the Bible. We worship God, not the Bible. Besides, no where in the Bible does it say we must use only the Bible as our rule of faith. So the Catholic teaching on birth control does not, by that measure, qualify as "manmade" as the good doctor stated. God gave us his Church as the pillar and bulwark of faith.

No doctor. I will not deny my faith in order to increase my comfort. Life is short. Humanity is long.

God Bless

New Agey People

Good Afternoon

As I look at another season of assisting people to enter the Catholic Church, I begin to ponder many things.

One thing that will always come up is New Age teaching. Usually, the vehicles for starting such a discussion are the exclusivity of the Christian message, and Angels.

Once upon a time, I was falling quickly under spell of 'New Age' beliefs. Astrology, Eastern Religion, Tarot cards...

Of course, none of this is new at all. In fact Hinduism, one of the oft sited Eastern religions, may well be, with Judaism being the other contender, the oldest religion in the world. From Hinduism springs some meditation techniques and yoga. Astrology has been around for a very, very long time. Tarot Cards have been around for a fair while, gaining popularity, along with seances and channelling, in the Spiritist Movement of the early 20th century.

So what does all this mean for the Catholic Christian? Well, both Old Testament scripture and the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) speak against trying to predict future events. That is for God alone to know.

As I've grown in my own faith, I've wondered more and more why people find this attractive. We know that Christ died to give us the way to Heaven. If we continue along the path He paved for us, we can be reasonably sure of what the afterlife holds for us: Perfect happiness for eternity, gazing on the face of God.

If we desire some sort of contact with those who have died before us, we can call upon the Saints, and ask them to pray for us. Barring that, we know that we can ask them all the questions we want when we meet them in heaven.

Meditation and Contemplation are certainly well known in Catholic circles. A big difference between Christian meditation and other forms is that Christians should focus outside themselves...on Jesus, not inside themselves. We are to emulate Christ. We do not wish to become one with the Universe, but one with Christ.

As far as I've been able to discover, there is no uniquely Christian form of physical exercise. Many will use their exercise time as a time to pray the rosary, or the Jesus prayer. Catholicism certainly has no problem using prayer to sanctify something that is not intrinsically holy!

One thing about Christianity is that it can sanctify our daily existence. It does not need special formula. God created the world, and He saw that it was good. Why should we think otherwise?

God created humanity in His image and likeness. It does not get much better than that! Adam messed things up by being disobedient, but we know that we are to seek the perfection that Adam lost for us. The process of seeking God's perfection sanctifies us.

I think that while Adam was probably not familiar with the New Age movement, he used his God-given free will to become one of its first adherents, along with Eve. His pride and the serpent's temptation got him wanting to be like God...to have his eyes opened.

Is this so different than meditation to find enlightenment as we seek to become one with the universe or to know the future using cards or astrology? It's gnosticism; wanting to have inside knowledge of things that should not be ours.

There is nothing good to be found in any other religions, philosophies or any other modes of thought which is not present more fully in Christianity. This is shown best in the Church Jesus founded...the Catholic Church!

God Bless

Doom and Gloom

For some reason, of late I've been thinking a lot about the over kill of the media with regards to what they judge to be pending disasters.

Throughout my life, I have heard many. I suspect they will ring bells with many.

Remember the "Swine Flu" epidemic? I'm pretty sure I remember being told it would be as bad as the Spanish Flu pandemic of the 1918-1919. The Spanish Flu killed millions of people throughout the world.

Do you know anyone who even caught Swine Flu?

When AIDS was first detected, we were told it would be pandemic. It isn't. It does create many casualties in certain areas, but this does not match the dire warnings of the early years.

There's also Asian Flu, and Avian Flu, SARS, Purple Loosestrife...

While driving this summer, I noticed the loosestrife. It's rather pretty. But I was also seeing lots of tansy, mullein, bulrushes and other wild plants. It's been 12 years since we were warned that Purple Loosetrife would take over our wetland.

The list goes on. Global warming is the one that gets me now. Early predictions should have had us all resorting to air conditioning by now. Hasn't happened. More and more is being said by scientists who do not hold to the "party line" we've been fed. The brainwashing our kids have received at school is sickening. While in grade seven, one of my children was told, along with other blue eyed children, that she would contract skin cancer. Not may contract. Another child of ours was shown, at school by a substitute teacher, Al Gore's film "An Inconvenient Truth". Those on the other side of the issue (and there is another side!) do not get the air time. What fear mongering!

I think the real inconvenient truth is the fact that some predictions have proven accurate, and yet have been ignored. They have not come from a politically correct source.

Early in the 20th Century, GK Chesterton, notable convert to Catholicism predicted that we would see attacks on morality.

Pope Pius XI wrote an encyclical in 1937 called "Mit Brennender Sorge" (With Burning Sorrow). In a world where, even more than today, documents from Rome were nearly always in Latin, the fact that this one was in German indicates the urgency of the topic. The document was written in an attempt to warn the German people of the dangers of the rise of the Nazi party in Germany. We all know what happened after that!

Pope Paul VI wrote an encyclical called "Humanae Vitae" in 1968. This much scoffed at document reiterated the teaching of the Catholic Church with regards to human life and its creation. He reminded the world that there were dangers inherent in the adoption of artificial birth control. He warned that widespread use would lead to a culture where life was not highly valued, where women would be more likely to be disrespected and promiscuity would arise.

Well? Now, one night stands are not unusual at all. The news is just starting to surface that women in particular are not benefitting from "friends with benefits"-type arrangements. That women who are celibate can feel very good about themselves is just counterintuitive in this society. And men who are celibate? Utterly preposterous that they can be normal individuals! That couples who do not contracept do not necessarily have a dozen kids, is not believed. Sadly, what seems to be harder to believe is that couples who DO have a dozen kids wanted, or even planned, every single one of them!

And this does not even touch on the abortion issue.

The Catholic Church, and even notable members thereof foresaw all of this. And more. Popes have foreseen the errors of modern life. Pope Benedict recently reminded us to be good stewards of the gifts God has given us. Funny, this is far from being a new teaching for the Church.

Who needs ecologists?

God Bless

Where did the Summer go?

Well, here we are. It's September already and evenings are becoming cool. Apples and tomatoes are ripening, and we are discovering that our attempt at growing carrots in our new garden was a failure. Such is soil in this area.

It's been an eventful Summer. Dh, the kids, and I went West for the first time in twelve years. It was nice to see friends and family after so long, but it was really nice to be home.

The Holy Father finally released the long awaited (by some of us, anyway) motu proprio freeing up priests to celebrate the extraordinary form of the Mass. This would be known by many as the Tridentine Mass. This came into effect on the fourteenth of September. It will be very interesting to see what happens. Already, a good friend of mine has arranged to be trained in the "old" style Mass. I expect he is not alone.

It will be VERY interesting to see what new priests bring from the seminaries.

I was able to read some good books this season, too. In July, I read a novel called "The Kiterunner". It is a novel about two young boys growing up in war-torn Afghanistan. It was heart-wrenching in spots, but a very interesting read.

A real surprise was a book called "A Song for Nagasaki" by Father Paul Glynn. This book is the true story of Takashi Nagai, a man who came to Catholicism from Shintoism through atheism. The book ties together Catholic history, Japanese history and culture, and a touching (can you imagine?) account of the bombing of Nagasaki. It is a pity this book is out of print. I will be spending some time finding a copy for us, as dad made it clear he wanted his copy back!

I was given a copy of a book called "Plain Reasons Against Joining the Church of Rome" by a man named Littledale. It was published in the 1880s and did not escape the notice of John Henry Cardinal Newman, who accused the book of falsehood.

Alas, attacks against the Church have not changed much. So many of the arguments in this book are still lobbed in our direction. They show ignorance of our doctrine, misunderstanding, sometimes I'm sure, malice. Some are not untrue, but show that the Catholic Church is being held to a different standard than the denominations.

I have to admit it was a bit breathtaking to read a paragraph on priests and Bishops who have committed some impropriety being moved around, rather than being dealt with. Sadly, this has been said far more recently. Fortunately, it now seems that we have finally learned our lesson and face up to the problems rather than masking them.

Now it is time for us to think about our callings for the coming year. Music, catechetics, organization...the choices are many. And as has become usual the past couple of years, the labourers are few. As usual there is a balancing act. Family commitments should have priority, or course. Ministry is also a way of sharing ones gifts with others. It allows for the development of a particular spirituality characteristic of the ministry itself, or to the person called to that ministry.

An example of this would be the ministry of lector (or reader). Such a person is tasked with proclaiming scripture to the assembled congregation. Ideally such a person would be particularly called to develop their love and knowledge of scripture. A person in music ministry would logically see the prayer in the music they produce, as well as striving to deliver it in the best way that they are able.

It looks like Dh and I will be coordinating RCIA, which is the group which helps those who wish to join the Church. It has proven very exciting in the past, and this group looks every bit as interesting.

God Bless!

The One-Two Punch

Hi Folks

Well, this past week, the Vatican has given us what I promptly dubbed a one-two punch. (I know Fr. Eutenauer also used this, but I used it before I read his letter...honestly!).

First, last Saturday, the long-awaited motu proprio, Summorum Pontificum was issued by the Pope. The motu proprio is essentially a memo from the Pope's office. In this case we were informed that the Tridentine Latin Mass (TLM) as it is called by some, may be celebrated by any priest, with or without permission of the local Bishop.

This Mass is now to be referred to as the Extraordinary form of the Mass, with the New, or Novus Ordo, or Mass of Paul VI, being the Ordinary form.

While I am not on the front lines of liturgical comings and goings, I know how I, and many of my friends, felt about this announcement.

I was pleased, and I know many of my friends were, too, although a couple wondered what all the fuss was about!

Do I hanker for an extraordinary form of the Mass in my neighbourhood? It would probably surprise many of my friends to hear me say "not particularly". If a priest in this vicinity cares to celebrate such once in a while, I will likely come and see what it's like. If it becomes a regular weekday Mass, I would attend whenever possible.

I am too young to have any real experience with what I will call, for expediency, the TLM . I've been to one and it disappointed me. That said, I can find my way around the TLM reasonably well, due to my study of liturgical music and its historical forms. And I was fortunate enough to have taken two years of Latin in High School.

What I am hoping for is a greater exposure to Latin and to more classic forms of liturgical music. It is news to many that even we of the post-Vatican II, 'new Mass', era are supposed to (according to the SC, Sacrosanctum Concilium, a Vatican II document) be able to recite the prayers of the Mass in Latin. I can do a little. Most people I know can do less.

And don't get me started on liturgical music. THAT is for another day.

Another thing I hope for is that those who ache for the Mass they grew up with will once again have the comfort of the unchanging Church. And for the young folk who are willing to take the step of familiarizing themselves with the TLM, go for it! It was a sad thing that Vatican II was seen to create such a breach in Church history. The TLM leaves little room for liturgical abuse, as it has few, if any, options. THAT alone is a reason for many to hanker for it.

The fallacy that congregations of the TLM didn't know what was going on during Mass continues to be perpetrated by those against the use of Latin. First, missals with both Latin and the vernacular (local language) have been available for a long time. Secondly, many people in the time of the TLM were taught about liturgy in school! Thirdly, if we think exclusive use of the vernacular for the celebration of Mass has automatically boosted people's understanding of what is happening during Mass, we would be mistaken. I've been in catechetics too long to believe Latin was the only obstacle for understanding Mass. And finally, is understanding Mass a requirement for anything? There are many aspects to our faith the are and will remain a mystery, regardless of the language of presentation.

The other 'punch' was delivered a few days later from the offices of the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith (CDF). Pope Benedict, as Cardinal Ratzinger, was head of this congregation before his election to Pope.

We Catholics have been told, on no uncertain terms, what our relationship with Protestants is. We have been told that their denominations are "defective". Ouch! That is a harsh word. But really, we have been told repeatedly in encyclicals, in the Catechism of the Catholic Church and in other places and times that the Catholic Church is the only Church founded by Christ, and the only Church that contains the fullness of Truth. Perhaps the strong language was used because all the kinder, gentler more politically correct words had been used up...and we weren't getting the message being extended.

Does this change the drive for Ecumenism? Not at all. It just reminds us of what we should have known all along. In the "ecumania", as an email friend of mine labelled it, started after Vatican II, most have lost sight of the goal, which is leading all to the complete Truth. What we had instead was a seeking of the lowest common denominator. Sure, we all know Jesus is Lord, and the God Loves Us. Most of us can recite the Lord's Prayer together. Some of us can recite the Liturgy of the Hours together. A very few of us can pray the Rosary together.

Many believe that 'real' ecumenism (and I believed this myself at one time) included ALL faiths, even those outside the umbrella of Christianity.

At the same time as all are gushing about ecumenism, many denominations (and by this I mean only Reformation churches and other Protestant groups. Catholicism is not a denomination) are gleefully scooping poorly formed Catholics into their folds, to feed on their ignorance and grow fat on their need to feel good.

There are many poorly formed Catholics. Changing Mass to vernacular languages didn't help that at all. Since Vatican II, few Catholics have been well formed in the basic tenets and requirements of the Faith. This has made us sitting ducks for congregations and denominations that make us feel good, and tell us what we want to hear. This happens within both Catholic and Protestant circles.

My personal feeling is that there is a very cozy place in Hell for Catholic teachers, be they priests, catechists, liturgists, parents or anyone else, who deliberately misrepresents Catholicism to make something relevant or to simply make someone feel good. How is endangering someone's immortal soul by lying to them a loving thing to do? Short term comfort could lead to long term, nay eternal, agony.

So, is pretending that ecumenism extends no farther than shared bowling matches and potlucks and singing Kumbaya a loving thing to do? Is telling members of the denominations that as long as they love Jesus and are good people they'll go to heaven, love? I do not see how it could be. We could be hanging a millstone around our own necks while we manage to tickle each others' ears with words of comfort alone, when what is needed is words of Truth.

I will add a word about our Jewish brethren. There has been a fear that increased use of the 'old' Mass, with its prayer for the conversion of the Jews will set back Jewish/Christian relations. Much of what I've said about applies to this situation as well.

A few years back, a group of American Bishops issued a document stating that the conversion of the Jews is not necessary for their salvation. This group rejected any further efforts on behalf of Christians to work toward this conversion.

This document was criticized from some high places. It is not considered representative of Church teaching.

So why are Jews surprised that prayers for their conversion should re-appear in the Mass?

It will be interesting to see the result of these two documents. There are already Catholics apologizing for the Church. They'd be the poorly formed ones who thought that the Church ever said anything different than what has been strongly stated this week.

I pray that wisdom and charity and God's will prevail.

God Bless

Reply to Coren/Blizzard Debate

Happy Pentecost

Recently, my attention was brought to a debate in the Ottawa Sun between Christina Blizzard and Michael Coren, both columnists with the Sun. Christina is Anglican and Michael, Roman Catholic.

The debate was over the treatment of "gay unions" by the Catholic Church and by the Anglican denomination. The debate itself I have not figured out how to import to this blog, but I would like to share my husband's response to the article. Thus:

Interesting debate... only so much as it epitomizes the complete lack of clarity within the Anglican position.

As M Coren says, the Anglican Church is a church that is in complete decline. God tends to excuse himself from institutions that become completely "man-centric" - and without God, religions tend towards despondancy and irrelevance.

And that tends to illuminate precisely the problem with this debate on a global scale. The Catholic Church (others as well, but really the Catholic Church's position is the most clear) continuously precepts this debate from the perspective of a sovereign God, and illuminates the debate with its understanding of God's dominion over all of creation (man proposes - God disposes). The Anglican Church presents the argument from a man centric position... Man being, unfortunately, the only thing it believes in any more.

Wouldn't it be nice if we could just forget about the Word of God and just reinvent ourselves in our own image? Pretend that God does not exist and recreate the world as we see fit. But, and I say this as someone who has known and quite liked several gay people, we are not God. God does exist and God does, in fact, consider homosexuality a sin. God will not tolerate sin to be condoned and the Church as God's witness to the world must therefore not condone it.

And so they rejoinder with those very tired attacks on the "Church"... "blah blah blah, pedophile priests..blah blah blah". M. Coren's response was very precise here as well. As an institution (a corporate entity) the Church did not respond very well to individual cases. But as he said, neither did any of the other institutions of man when confronted with the same problem (school boards were just as bad at simply reassigning the "problem").

To be fair, maybe one should have expected better from churches but we weren't. So what!?! That a thousand sins might be committed or one sin committed a thousand times does not make the sin any less a sin. In fact, the fact that even priests can succumb to sin only emphasizes why the Church must stand so firmly in its resolve to "admonish the sinner" with love but "flee from sin" itself.

Anglicans (and others in this frame of mind) love to quote Jesus from John 15:17. They forget, however, that this is the culmination of a discourse that starts back in John 13:34 where Jesus clarifies the statement "a new commandment that I give you, that you love one another, EVEN AS I HAVE LOVED YOU...". So how did Jesus love them? Did he "just accept them as they were"? Did he leave them where he found them? Jesus Christ, the very Word of God himself... let people continue in their sin because he loved them? No!! His words to the prostitute in the temple resound down through the centuries... "neither do I condemn you (exclude you, hate you etc.), GO AND SIN NO MORE". Why "go and sin no more"? Because in our sin we condemn ourselves!!! The message of love in its proper context is "stop doing that which condemns you to an eternity separated from God". And that is the love that Jesus commanded his followers to pursue. And it is that love that the Church (the one, holy and apostolic Church) voices even today.

Faith liberates reason from its blind spots - Pope Benedict XVI