The title makes me look like an expert on the subject. Of course I'm not. However, it doesn't mean I can't at least try to sound intelligent.

I've been thinking of writing about this for some time. Then, sure enough, I saw another article on it titled: Why Don't People Like Mercy?. I would bet many people have been reflecting on this theme. Even the Eye of the Tiber had an article: "Well, that was a complete bust," Francis tells crowd moments before cancelling remainder of the year of mercy. It seems that things have not gone as planned. This great year of mercy has come off as a bust. Not for all, thankfully, but in general it has been shrouded with indifference. That is indeed too bad. I'm sure Pope Francis had great and noble expectations for this year.

Yet God, yes in His mercy, can bring some good out of it. For starters, we can do some soul searching, and thus learn how to improve. So why hasn't the year of mercy panned out? And how can we get it back?



1) Logo

Marketing fascinates me. Product. Brand. Name. Z-Form. Light usage. What is portrayed. Marketing is important. Now mercy is not about marketing. Yet, the "brand" associated with mercy can certainly impede the message. The official logo for the year of mercy is a disaster. There is nothing appealing about it from the colour-scheme to the design, and especially to the three-eyed Jesus/sinner. What is the message? It is lost somewhere between the late 1960's Catholicism and the straight up weirdness.


2) Disconnect with St. Faustina's Divine Mercy

Following on the official logo, many Catholics were very surprised that St. Faustina's Divine Mercy image was not the official logo. Why not? It is tried, tested, and true. It inspires devotion. What is more, and yes I speak of private revelation, it was commissioned by Our Lord Himself. Catholics immediately connect this image with mercy. Can you imagine if a country was going to host the Olympics and they already had a perfect stadium, one that has successfully held huge events in the past, all ready for use. But the country instead decides to build a new stadium, based on modern art design. The new stadium fails. The old one sits vacant. No one understands why. That sort of is the feel with St. Faustina's Divine Mercy image.

3) No Need (as believed by some)

We all need mercy. Yet there are some who still believe they do not. In my own parish there used to be a priest, years and years ago, who would tell everyone in confession that they hadn't actually sinned. "And I hit my brother..." "That's not a sin!" "Oh, well I lied to my teacher..." "That's not a sin!" And on and on it went like that. Years later very few people go to confession in this parish. Even with the current priest ALWAYS waiting in the confessional. The people have been numbed into believing they are generally good people, and thus do not need confession. A year of mercy, then, is for doing nice things for the poor. Nothing more. This severely cheapens what mercy really is. God came to call sinners.


4) Mercy = License

Of course, some have taken the message of mercy too far, to the point that God forgives all things we do, whether we truly repent or not. As I stated in my previous blog post, Fr. Rolheiser was insinuating this belief on facebook, and people were eating the message up. One person accused me, after I quoted the catechism, of putting my own interpretation on the catechism in such a way as to limit God's love. All I said was: 

"CCC1033 on Hell: 'We cannot be united with God unless we freely choose to love him. But we cannot love God if we sin gravely against him, against our neighbor or against ourselves.' It is certainly possible for heresy, sexual immorality, or even willfully abandoning the Church precepts, to constitute a grave sin."

Nope. To suggest dying in the state of mortal sin can put us in hell is to use the catechism against God's love. Or so I was told. 

Once mercy/love is used as a license for whatever goes, it actually does not become mercy anymore. It becomes a license for relativism.


5) Overplayed Message

For a while at Mass it seemed as if every statement made by the priest or commentator had to begin with: "In this year of mercy..." For instance: "In this year of mercy, let us begin in the name of the Father, and of the Son..." or, "In this year of mercy, let us offer our intentions to the Lord..." or, "In this year of mercy, there will be coffee and cake after Mass." It's been over done. Such that a zoning out has occurred. It's natural to zone out an overplayed message. Just like an overplayed song on the radio. People tune out.


6) A Touch of the Bizarre

By bizarre I mean not so much in concept as in appearance, especially to those less familiar to the Catholic Church. First there was confusion over the sin of abortion being forgiven only in the year of mercy, as if it wasn't forgiven before. This is nonsense. Then there is the deal with the priests of the Society of St. Pius X. Confessing to them during this year of mercy will actually forgive your sins (faculties). But confessing to them the day after this year of mercy will not. I hold out hope that Pope Francis is working at resolving this issue (!). Also we've learned about these Missionaries of Mercy, mercy priests?, who have special orders from the pope to deal with different situations. Finally, there's the whole deal concerning the doors of mercy. Pass through this door and obtain mercy. There is actually a pious tradition behind this, though I think it could have been better explained. For instance, I have not once heard mentioned the conditions required in order to obtain a plenary indulgence. People who walk through the holy doors and expect to go straight to heaven when they die may be saddened to hear there are other conditions attached.  All in all, to the non-Catholic, or even casual Catholic, there is a hint of oddness to this year.


7) Synod

It cannot be understated how the recent Synod on the Family, and accompanying exhortation Amoris Laetitia, has dampened the joie de vivre of many Catholics (myself included). The obsession of many on Communion for those living in adultery has been promoted by some (Kasparites) as mercy. This should have been squelched a long time ago. Yet it continues to linger. Love without Truth is not Love at all. Promoting mortal sin is the opposite of mercy. The effects of the Synod have scarred the year of mercy.

What can be done?

WYD

The year of mercy is certainly salvageable, but action must be done quickly. There is a tremendous opportunity for a revival of this holy year. I speak of World Youth Day (WYD). Although I don't care for WYD, I do see a golden opportunity based on WYD's location: Poland. Poland is, of course, where the message of Divine Mercy was received by St. Faustina. Poland holds dear to this message. It is at WYD that Pope Francis should go all out in reconnecting the year of mercy to Divine Mercy. The pathetic year of mercy logo should be mysteriously dropped. In its place should appear the true image of Divine Mercy. World Youth Day must draw from the Diaries of St. Faustina. The youth of the world should be introduced to this spiritual treasure. Further, given that this is Poland, a special appeal to Pope John Paul II's love for Divine Mercy, as well as the story of St. Maximilian Kolbe, should be evident. From WYD a turning point in the year of mercy can occur.


Year of Mercy

Following WYD, the words "year of" should also mysteriously start vanishing. If God's mercy is so important, which it is, then we should prepare to hear about it beyond this year of mercy. Not in the annoying and over done "In this year of mercy..." sense. But instead an "Our Lord is dying to forgive you! Come to confession!" sense. Mercy will continue beyond this year. Hopefully more people will be going to confession, beyond this year. Think long term. This connects with my final point...


Clarification

There are many other things that could be said. Ultimately what is needed is for Pope Francis to step up and state the obvious: people living in an objective state of adultery must refrain from Holy Communion. He can hug them, cry tears with them, even kiss their babies, but ultimately the year of mercy needs an injection of clarity. Clarity on what is, and isn't, mercy. Clarity on what is sin, and how the Church can help. Without this clarification the year of mercy will continue to lack appeal for many faithful Catholics. It will continue to lack depth. It will continue to fail. In short, we need to know we are sinners! Only then will we understand our need for mercy. This year of mercy needs more sin! For, as St. Peter says:

"He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed." 1 Peter 2:24

What is modernism? Ask Father.

What is modernism? Does it still exist? What is an example of modernism? Let's ask Fr. Ron Rolheiser, OMI:

Ron Rolheiser, OMI

18 hrs · 

When Jesus describes the last judgment at the end of Matthew’s Gospel, he tells us that this judgment will not be, first of all, about right doctrine, good theology, church attendance, or even personal piety and sexual morality, but about how we treated the poor.

Yes, thank you. An excellent example. In 1907 Pope St. Pius X wrote an encyclical, Pascendi Dominici Gregis, against modernism. Modernism, to give a most basic answer, is the taking of partial truth and mixing in some personal sentiment in such a way that the actual original truth is, in effect, changed. It is extremely effective, and dangerous. St. Pius X writes: "Therefore the religious sentiment, which through the agency of vital immanence emerges from the lurking places of the subconsciousness, is the germ of all religion" (par. 10). 

Looking at our example provided by Fr. Rolheiser, he states that the end of Matthew's Gospel does not mention judgment (at least "first") in relation to right doctrine, good theology, church attendance, etc. Only how we treat the poor. I think he is referring to the story of "I was in prison and you did not visit me..." However, note, the end of the Gospel also does not directly condemn rape, abortion, throwing jello at old ladies, or even, take this liberals, building pipelines across country. In other words, so what if the end of Matthew's Gospel doesn't mention sexual morality in relation to judgment? But through this partial truth of what the end of Matthew's Gospel says, or doesn't say, Fr. Rolheiser insinuates, through sentiment, that we in fact will not be judged on such things as morality, heresy, and Church precepts. Just how we treat the poor. So how will the poor be judged, by the way?

The result of this post? Many people gushing over this sentiment. Treat the poor right! We all will be saved. If I may change St. Augustine's teaching: Love the poor, and do what you will.

And just out of curiosity, the last verse of Matthew's Gospel tells the apostles to "teach them to observe all the commands I gave you. And look, I am with you always; yes, to the end of time" (Mt. 28:20).

My sentiments exactly.

Leave Jesus Out of It

The past couple of days have been such that the world would be better off if no Catholic had touched the internet. Vile, bitterness, pointed sarcasm, and calumny have been the name of the game. I only hope non-Catholics have not read anything going on. We're really pathetic some times.

Even the often hilarious Eye of the Tiber website crossed the line. Their latest headline reads: Jesus Assumes New Role As Savior Emeritus After Catholic Blogger Takes Over Task Of Saving Church From Francis.

Some highlights include:

Catholic blogger Nicholas Robison, best known for his blog, More Catholic Than Jesus, announced today that he has officially assumed the role of Savior of the world, ending Jesus Christ’s illustrious and often controversial reign.

'We just feel like it’s gotten pretty obvious since the Council that He’s no longer up to the task,'

'He’s, frankly, been a big disappointment since Vatican II and, though we respect Jesus’ many contributions to Church history, we just think it’s time for him to be put out to pasture and let a more steady hand take the wheel.'

At press time, Robison has announced that Jesus will henceforth go by the title Jesus Emeritus Christ, and that he will remain in Paradise to live out an eternal life of contemplation.

I love the Eye of the Tiber. Obviously here they are taking a shot at bloggers who, in their vigour of defending the Church, come off as knowing more than, and even being superior to, the Church. I'm fine with the EOTT speaking up on that. And to the satire used to make this point, I think it's important to have a sense of humour. But what I didn't like was the dragging in of Jesus to make the point. While it should be quite evident that what is said of Jesus is meant to be the exact opposite of what is believed; yet, I found that even just saying such things about Jesus, though in jest, dishonoured His Holy Name. CCC 2148 explains:

"The prohibition of blasphemy extends to language against Christ's Church, the saints, and sacred things. It is also blasphemous to make use of God's name to cover up criminal practices, to reduce peoples to servitude, to torture persons or put them to death. The misuse of God's name to commit a crime can provoke others to repudiate religion."  

While CCC 2162 says: 

"The second commandment forbids every improper use of God's name. Blasphemy is the use of the name of God, of Jesus Christ, of the Virgin Mary, and of the saints in an offensive way."

I'm not saying Eye of the Tiber is run by blasphemous people who have no concern for Christ and have sinned gravely. But I do think they crossed a line, and through attempted satire have used the name of Christ to, in a sense "reduce peoples to servitude", and even make an "improper use of God's name." Less of what they did here. More of what they usually do: Pope Francis Accidentally Misplaces Keys to the Kingdom of Heaven. 

"Jesus Emeritus Christ." Haha! Um. How about we just leave Jesus out of this?

Snippets: May Goings-On

1. We did our own little crowning of Mary for May on the feast of Our Lady of Fatima. I need to make more of a conscious effort to make a few more liturgical year celebrations traditions, because the boys just love it! They picked out a rose at the florist and made a little crown with flower stickers. We prayed a decade of the Rosary, sang Immaculate Mary while Dan played organ, and had a pompous crowning after they proudly carried Mary's crown on a pillow. Oh, and they presented Mary with a container of some carefully picked weed flowers and leaves from the backyard! We finished off the ceremonies with leftover ice cream cake and called it a rousing success.






2. Our boys, they seem to be growing so quickly these days. Joseph is a combination of mature little 4-year-old and trouble-causing pre-schooler. He is eager to help dry dishes or make me put my feet up while serving me water, yet also gets a little kick out of making his brother scream.

Dan put training-wheels on Joseph's bike a few weeks ago (the ones in the picture didn't work and have since been replaced) and he's in heaven. "When can I ride on the road??" he asks everyday. While I'm not a huge fan of training-wheels, I'm grateful that I can sit and watch his trips around the yard because there's no way I could be doing the holding up and "peddle, peddle" routine. Joseph is outside practicing everyday and looking forward to just cruising along beside his two younger siblings when we bust out the double stroller again.




3. It's official. We will not have John Paul reigned in or obedient (ha) before this baby comes out. (Wait, did I even remotely expect that?! No, but I've heard it's a good idea that your toddler knows you mean business before a new baby... Parenting fail? Oh well. Way too late now.) When he's called, he runs the opposite direction. When he's told he needs to get dressed, diaper changed, whatever - he screams. But somehow, he's a little angel when sitting quietly at the doctor's office or playing wordlessly with other little kids at Moms + Tots.




4. Time is slowly narrowing down the widow left between now and when our new baby will arrive. I have to keep reminding myself that it's still a long way off... so as not to start expecting a due-date baby. After all, we don't make those kinds of babies.

But, he/she will have to come out sometime in the next 5 weeks. Due date is 3.5 weeks away, fyi.

I have mixed feelings: it's getting pretty uncomfortable and I just want this baby out BUT it's going to be a lot harder, louder, and possibly more painful when the baby comes out and I really don't want to do what it takes to get the baby out. At some point, my discomfort will outweigh my lack of enthusiasm for labour and delivery... and if it doesn't, nature will run it's course and I will have no choice.

Meanwhile, the boys think our baby looks like a watermelon. They kindly retrieved a stick from a watermelon to adorn my belly this morning (not shown).

34 weeks

46 weeks

5. The other day, Joseph asked if it was okay for him to pee in the yard. Okay, sure, over behind that tree. I looked over to see that he'd cautiously pulled his shorts right down to the ankles, lifted his shirt way up, and was proudly letting forth a nice little stream. Boys take such pride in this art! Next time I look up, John Paul is standing in the pee zone, shirt lifted high, and proudly announcing, "I pee!"

"Oh, so he's picked his spot?" Dan questioned when I told him about the peeing. Yep, but they haven't figured out yet that your "spot" should be out of the way of sight and play... not next to the tree that's two steps from the sand box and in full view of both neighbours' windows.





6. John Paul slept through the night last night for the first time in his life. 10 hrs! There are some people who manage to sleep train their kids by 7 weeks or 7 months and (as far as I know) enjoy blissful full nights of sleep thereafter. We are obviously not those lucky parents. But we are ever so grateful when it does happen. Eventually. We are not, however, counting on this trend continuing beyond one night. We have learned a little in our years of parenting.

7. We went swimming in Melfort this weekend and had a blast. I brought the older, oft-broken camera because it's small and it failed me miserably. Joseph is a cautious "swimmer" not daring to put more than his little face in the water once and ride around on top of mats where he can still touch the floor. John Paul has no fear whatsoever (might come in a little handy) and will topple over, walk over his head, and jump off the wall anywhere. Both of them wear a perma-grin, though. (A few more pictures in lieu of swimming pics).

What it is like to teach

Imagine yourself in front of a class of eager young learners. You explain a lesson on, say, the respiratory system. The children are engaged. They ask good questions. They love the hands on demonstrations. The next day you give a review before going on to teach the circulatory system. They are quick to demonstrate their learning. You reinforce everything with another fun respiratory activity. Later a quiz shows that learning was accomplished. What an innately rewarding feeling!

Now wake up. Picture yourself in reality. At a real school. The way things really are.

Say you're in front of a class of 28 students. Check that, three kids are missing. One hasn't been at school all week. It's cramped. Tight. You start teaching on, say, how to use quotation marks properly. The focus will be on using them when writing narratives. The lesson begins with silly examples of how confusing it would be to not have quotation marks. Then, using an internet website designed for this, brief examples are given of how to use quotation marks properly. Cancel that.
The computer slows to a hault. No matter. You wing it. Soon you have students helping you with sentences on the board. Then you give difficult examples for groups to work on. Later you discuss. Afterwards individual exercises are given. The entire lesson take twenty-five minutes. Students who finish early can start planning for their narrative project. Well done.

Except...
During your lesson two of your students are bored to tears. They know this already. For crying out loud they entered kindergarten already knowing how to read! About five of your students caught on right away, and are already on their way to mastering quotation marks. Twelve of your students seemed to be doing alright, but are going to need quite a bit more practice. Four of your students seemed utterly lost. If you work with them, and I mean dedicate 95% of your time to them alone during your narrative writing project, they might, might, make slight progress. But it's difficult when you read at a level that is three classes below grade level. Then there are the final two students. They don't understand. They cannot read. One sort of wants to learn. The other simply hates being in school, and only shows a semblance of working when you're around. Things are not good.

But wait, the two highest students are bored. They ask for some help on their narrative project. They want to write at a level significantly above grade level. You rip yourself away from the lowest students to see what you can do. You look up, and you see no fewer than eight hands up, looking for help. Instead of helping them you send your two highest students out to go help the others. Later you discover these two students weren't helping properly. They were saying quotation marks are only used when more than one person is speaking in a paragraph. So you call everyone to attention to correct the mistake. The weaker students are fooling around. Once again some get the concept, others do not.

The next day you try to review quotation marks. Some are bored. Some don't have a clue. Two kids who weren't there yesterday are there today. One is not a strong reader, and looks up at you hopelessly. A new student also arrives. This students is upset about some family problems and defiantly does not respond to what you are saying. Lo and behold, the two smart students have already finished their narrative project and are asking what they can do now. Half the class has not even started the project yet. It will take some three weeks to complete. You tell the two students who are finished to help others for ten minutes, before they can play "educational games" on the computer for the rest of the class. You promise them that tomorrow you will have a new assignment for them. Once again you look up to see ten hands up. You go to the first student you see. He says he doesn't know what to do. Even though you've explained it four times already. You tell him you want to speak to him in the hallway immediately. On your way out no fewer than five different students shout your name desperately while you walk to discuss work ethic with the slacking student. This continues.

And that's a good day. No puking. No blowups from the anger-student. No tears to deal with. Hopefully this continues the next day.

Eventually you wonder why the school even bothers calling each grade by a specific number. No one fails. Each grade is realistically composed of 5-7 different grades. Just call it the 2006 Born Class, and so on. You wonder why you even bother teaching. This sucks.

And then one student comes up to you. She has been working diligently the entire time. You look over her work with her, the heck with all the other students. She has many mistakes. But, BUT, wow! she's improved so much! Her hard work pays off. She's proud of what she's done. So are you. With a smile you tell the students to get ready for recess.


*repeat every day* 


That's what it's like to teach.

A Trans Discussion of Another Kind

The devil is a successful strategist in this battle for souls. He knows what is important, and then attacks. Of course on the occasion it mattered the most, the devil was utterly destroyed. That is, the work put in to have Jesus crucified. It turns out Christ's death is what won our salvation. Christ always wins.

Nevertheless, on a less cosmic scale, the battle for souls rages on. What is evident to me is an attack on the transcendentals. Philosophers have discussed the transcendentals for millenniums. Aquinas, as he always does, sheds great light on them. He attests to five transcendentals: Being, Goodness, Truth, Oneness, and Beauty. However, Aquinas relates them to God. God is being. God is goodness, God is truth, etc. The transcendentals are, in a sense, the foundation of philosophy and theology.

So what does the devil do? He attacks. Quite ferociously.


Being - There is an axiom, that is a self-evident truth, that Being is better than non-Being. It is better to be than to not be. Sorry Shakespeare, there is no question. Yet in Canada we have the euthanasia law on the horizon. Society is buying up the lie that it is preferred to die than suffer. Death over life. The lie is tragic, for human being cannot be ended by suicide. Tragically one's eternal suffering can begin by such an act. Yet the lie spreads. Life comes off as worthless because life is detached from Life itself, God.


Truth - Perhaps the most evident. Boys are girls. Communion for adulterers. The government will protect you always. Ultimately: whatever you feel is right for you. What surprises me about Truth is how easily it has been supplanted. We are endowed with an intellect and will. Our minds seek to think logically. God is the Logos. God is Truth. Relativism is perhaps the greatest hubris possible. We create our own truth? It actually amazes me that this has caught on so much. On one hand, who wouldn't want to create their own truth?! On the other, it would leave our intellect feeling so dull, uninspired, and guilty. How could one live like that? To live a lie. Yet relativism is rampant.


Oneness/Unity - Dissension. Dissension everywhere. In the Church. In communities. In families. The irony of Unity being under attack is how liberals use unity as a rallying cry for destroying it. Unity for everyone. Sameness. Same bathrooms. Same incomes. Same "values". It's hard to have the same values when they seem to be changing by the minute. But I digress. Unity is found in God. God is One. To the degree our values separate us from God, they also lose any semblance of Unity. To the bishops who insist on holding our hands during the Our Father, but then cannot for the life of them speak up publicly in the defense of morality, there is no real Unity. Unity cannot be reduced to symbols alone. It must be substantial. It must be Divine.


Beauty - We've all read, at least second hand, Dostoevksy's: "Beauty will save the world." How can God be Beauty itself? You know, those pagan philosophers such as Aristotle understood Beauty much better than we do. Aristotle discussed at great length what makes things appear beautiful to us. Symmetry. Truth. Order. Definiteness. Objectivity. Place that against modern art. Now I teach grade 5 arts ed, where we are forced to delve into the world of pop art. We see soup can paintings selling for millions. Same with the word "Pop!" written with benday dots becoming popular. The Warhols and Lichtensteins of the world admitted to painting whatever was popular. Whatever sells. Meanwhile the Kurelek's of the art world have been harshly attacked by critics for offering true art. My students by and large are unimpressed with pop art (it helps having a teacher who is negative towards it). Yet what is not Beauty remains popular. This has even made its way into the Church. I'm not just talking about the 1960s and 1970s. I'm talking about the very recent. Remember the new Saskatoon cathedral?

There is no sursum corda. No relation to theological truth. It is a barren stadium. With stained glass reminding me of the despair of the abstract. There is nothing! It shouts. Only disorder. Chaos. In a new Catholic Church. The devil attacks. Even the physical structure of a church building. A priest once told me that he felt an evil demonic presence at the doors of his seminary chapel. It was almost terrifying to go pray there. You might think: "how is it possible that the devil would be at the doors of a chapel?" He boldly attacks at the most strategically advantageous place. Even a chapel. Even a cathedral. Beauty is under attack.


Goodness - The last transcendental to discuss. Goodness. You know the phrase: "Goodness knows I tried." Goodness is a substitute for God. Perhaps it's been under attack the longest. We think of wars and violence. The things humans do to hurt others. All offenses against Goodness. But Goodness is more than that. Evil is simply the privation of Goodness. There can be no absolute evil. What matters is to the degree an act corresponds to its proper end. Aquinas explains: "Evil implies privation, not absolute, but affecting some potentiality. For an action is said to be evil in its species, not because it has no object at all; but because it has an object in disaccord with reason" (I-II, Q. 18, Art. 5). This is the greatest trick of the devil in the modern world. To take something and present a bit of good with it. "Those three people love each other... love is good... they should be able to get married to each other." It's a slippery slope. Partial Goodness is actual a deprivation of Goodness. An act not done in accord with right reason. Done apart from God. Yet most people cannot seem to distinguish. What an attack by the devil. What is needed?...


To summarize, the transcendentals are significant. They refer to God Himself. The attacks on the transcendentals are severe. What is needed is a sharpening of our minds. To understand the ontology behind our actions and beliefs. To know why Being is always good, why moral Truth cannot be relative, why Unity is only found in God, why Beauty is not in the abstract, and finally how to identify depravity in Goodness. A renewal of the mind will renew the heart.

"And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect." Romans 12:2

Babel! Babel! Look at me now

Before Mass yesterday, a Mass in which the Millette choir made its first appearance since January 1st, my brother and I were jokingly creating little gimmicks we could add to the Mass. For instance, turning the fan on high on during the first reading (been done before), turning the lights out and having a bonfire, or releasing a dove into the church. It doesn't take a genius to create gimmicks for Mass, but it does take a fool to implement them. BenedictXVI/Ratzinger famously said: “The greatness of the liturgy depends – we shall have to repeat this frequently – on its unspontaneity” (Spirit of the Liturgy, 166).

So Mass was going along nicely. Lots of Latin, chant, polyphony, and squirmy liberals. Then the priest stated he wanted everyone to speak the Our Father in a different language. What followed was the most awkward Our Father ever prayed at a non-clown Mass. Everyone, in hushed voices, "babbling" whatever language they knew. In unity with the Universal Church I did mine in Latin, but was cut off near the end. Apparently Latin takes longer to say.

The theology behind it all is astounding. Man, in his pride, wanted to build a tower to the heavens. God confounded the self-seeking plan at salvation, and confused the people with many languages. At Pentecost the Holy Spirit came and, by the birth of the Church, all people were able to understand the voice of the apostles. The apostles did speak with diverse tongues, but their voice was understood by all. A complete undoing of Babel. Two thousand years later we have priests wanting to still undo Pentecost. Never mind the GIRM: "It is desirable that they know how to sing together at least some parts of the Ordinary of the Mass in Latin, especially the Profession of Faith and the Lord’s Prayer, according to the simpler settings" (par. 41). Never mind Canon Law “In celebrating the sacraments the liturgical books approved by competent authority are to be observed faithfully; accordingly, no one is to add, omit, or alter anything in them on one’s own authority" (846 §1). 

Do your own thing. Just don't criticize.

Like the city that nurtured my greed and my pride,

I stretched my arms into the sky

I cry Babel! Babel! Look at me now

Then the walls of my town, they come crumbling down

                                      - Mumford and Sons

Points to Ponder: Census Bear

1 - Census Bear

We were greeted over the weekend with a long census form hanging on our front door knob, along with two whole entire days to complete it. Joseph was very curious as to how it got at our door, so I told him the census bear brings it. You see, five years ago while on a fishing trip (and during the time of the last census) a big huge bear kept poking its head into the window of our trailer we were staying at. We surmised it was taking the census. One thing led to another, and soon we had visions of a bear with glasses, a tie, and a clip board, knocking on doors and taking the census. Um, yeah.

Needless to say, five years later the story lives on. Joseph, and now John Paul, keep asking when the census bear, the one who dropped off the census, is coming to pick it up. We tried telling him that we dropped the census off already, so it won't come. But they are convinced it's coming. They stare out the window frequently while waiting for it. So if anyone nearby has a bear costume and would like to make some little boys' dreams...


2 - "Summer is Over"

Last week we were struggling through 32 degree weather. The a/c was running, and all of us were having difficulty surviving the heat. Yet somehow we resisted the urge to plant the garden.

This morning we woke up to snow. There is a high of 2 today and tomorrow, with more snow expected. Joseph stared outside in disbelief, so I told him the only consoling words I knew: "Summer is over." He blinked a few times, then said: "Wait!!! But the baby was supposed to come in summer!" I told him the baby missed summer. Again he blinked a few times, then said: "I guess the baby is still too small."

Later John Paul came out. He looked at the snow. I told him summer was over. His response? He said: "I go back to bed." And away he went, back to bed to lay down with mommy.


3 - Fire

Sadly the snow and rain did not reach Ft. McMurray. No problem though. Trudeau ("umm... umm... umm...")is on his way there Friday. It will make everything better. Between Trudeau and Notley, Alberta must be having a fun time dealing with the tragic fires.

4 - "Latin Mass"

We made what was likely our last visit to Saskatoon before the baby was born. On Saturday we shopped 'til we dropped. Becca took care of household items and clothing, I took care of purchases for our kitchen update (Coming Summer 2016). We spent a night at the Rogal's and then TLM'ed it up Sunday morning. The boys are such huge fans of the "Latin Mass". They frequently ask when they can go to another one. The TLM is somewhat of an acquired taste. You actually have to put effort into it when attending. Sort of like baseball. For those showing up at a baseball game expecting to be buzzed with entertainment, well, it's not going to happen. But for those who show up and invest the time and effort to follow the intricacies of the game, and even every pitch thrown, it turns into a beautiful masterpiece. Given that the average person nowadays has an attention span of less than a goldfish (8 seconds), you can see how most Catholics don't even think twice about a TLM. However, what a rich treasure it is. That our little boys appreciate it so much, I think, is telling of the appeal of true beauty and goodness.


5 - More Mass

Speaking of Mass, and back to our own little parish, once again last night I was holding John Paul in a headlock in the basement of the Church during Mass. Not a real headlock, for all you social services types. He puts on his best "I will push all your buttons" during these evening Masses. Will it ever get better? And, of course, after Mass Joseph is helping me put liturgical items away in the sacristy for Father. As we're leaving John Paul stays in the sacristy, staring wide eyed at Father. He's smiling and just hanging out with the priest. A regular St. Dominic Savio. I try to explain to Father that John Paul is actually a very disobedient child who must not have been validly baptized. But he stares up at Father and smiles sweetly. John Paul -1. Daddy - 0.


6 - Gaga over Celebrities

There has been much talk lately in Catholic circles about celebrities who are Catholic, or at least Christian. Steph Curry is a devout Christian? Cool! But I watch him for his basketball skills. Not his beliefs. Kobe Bryant a Catholic? Um, ok. Sure. Nice. The latest has been Lady Gaga defending the Eucharist. Never mind her past actions such as eating animal hearts, dressing in meat dresses, writing the anthem for the homosexual movement, and views on her aunt's reincarnation, she came out in defense of the Eucharist. I think St. Thomas More's line from A Man For All Seasons sums it up best: "We must just pray that when your head's finished turning, your face is to the front again." Until then, can we just ignore her?


7 - Um.

Then there's this boy:

Protesting the "Amazing" Parish

I came across this dandy little article on newadvent.org this morning. It's dated April 28th, and titled: Unleashing the parishes. Amazing Parish Conference offers ideas, resources for creating vibrant centers of faith. Now the article could be heavily tainted by its writer, Daniel Meloy, or it could be an accurate representation of the Amazing Parish Conference, either way it is what I read.

"Detroit — If Synod ’16 is the spark that sets the Archdiocese of Detroit ablaze, the Amazing Parish Conference will be regarded as the flint and kindling." And so it begins. A rah rah conference that speaks of "New Pentecost", "discipleship", "leadership teams", and "Sunday experience", So what is an amazing parish? From "renowned business speaker and Oakland, Calif., native Pat Lencioni, an amazing parish is: "A parish with a reliance on prayer and sacraments, focused on evangelizing people and being disciples for Jesus Christ, fulfilling our call to be outposts for His mission.” So far so good.

The article then proceeds to step around the "prayer and sacraments" aspect and dive deep down into the miscellaneous. For instance, a section titled: "The Sunday 'Experience'" is given. In it we are told all about the homily. The homily must be so amazing that people are talking about it the rest of the week. Failing that: "Other panelists suggested ways for the parish staff to communicate the homily message and to be more receptive, including having parish offices open on Sundays, information events after Mass and people to serve in 'jack-of-all-trades' roles." In other words, it quickly puts everything back on "us". Quality ushers are discussed, along with greeting others, and again, "having great homilies that welcome others." It is summarized best with: "When you make it a Sunday opportunity, not a Sunday obligation, people want to come back."

The article ends with a reflection by an attendee of the conference: "'I really liked all this talk about people taking more ownership of everything in parish life,' said Patrice Abona, a parishioner of Mother of God Chaldean Church in Southfield. 'Priests tend to do a lot, because they don’t have the comfort that it will all get done if they aren’t involved in everything. 'This gives parishes confidence to go outside the pews. If you create a good Sunday experience, it makes it easy to tell others about the experience,' Abona said. 'You wouldn’t even be able to hide it.'"

- - -

You know, it is amazing to me that God had me spend two and a half years at the protestant Redeemer University College in order to earn my undergraduate degrees. I was forced to study and grapple with the writings of the likes of Luther, Calvin, Dewey, and Kuyper. Though these men still bear the name Christian, I  considered it a "know thine enemy" task. And I did learn about them. For instance, Martin Luther. He despised all reference to the Eucharistic sacrifice. The word sacrifice was to be stricken from any form of worship. Yet for Catholics the sacrifice of the Mass is the very source and summit of our faith (LG 11). All graces flow through the sacrifice. No sacrifice, no life.

When I read about this Amazing Parish Conference I quickly am reminded of my studies at Redeemer. Attention on the people. Us. Sermons/homilies. Words. Friendly actions. What we can do. Though many of these things are good and important, they must never, ever, be the primary focus for Catholics. For Catholics it must be the sacrifice. Not just the Eucharist, but all Sacraments are made possible through it. This is a reason why I shake my head at the infamous, sacrifice-diminished, Eucharistic Prayer II. To be honest, what I read from this article is concerning. Had there not been an opening reference to "prayer and sacraments" I could have sworn it was a protestant conference. It just goes to show that many diocese simply do not know what to do, and thus are looking to protestant ways for enlightenment. How to make a homily resound for an entire week? The Church supplies our needs, each and every day. The Catholic Church offers new Mass readings every day, not to mention the liturgy of the hours.  Great homilies? What about great intellectual formation from priests to thus limit the grade 2 level homilies we currently endure? Sunday opportunity over Sunday obligation? There is no ontological depth to that. A mere form of modern conceptualism. There is no real theological meat to what is being said.

But perhaps I should spare you my commentary and simply present, by way of juxtaposition, another article featured on newadent.org recently: "Why aren't other diocese' looking to Lincoln?" It speaks of a boom in vocations, tremendous success with catechesis, and vibrancy. Oh yeah, it also mentions headings such as "Male Only Sanctuary", "Tradition Friendly", and "Liturgical Continuity". It is a diocese that understands the source of life, and growth... Christ. The sacrifice of the Mass. Doing what the Church says. What an amazing idea.

Nevertheless, this is not what will be learned. There will be thousands of Amazing Parish Conference attendees returning to their parishes and pushing the tried and failed agenda of the 1970s. The only sacrifice to be mentioned will be by those stuck in these parishes, forced to sacrifice their Catholic dignity while lay "leaders" explain to them what a Sunday experience is. Another cycle of failure. A powerful force of the Church inspired, or doomed, to repeat the same mistakes.

Amazing indeed.