To Question a President’s Christian Identity

"To hold, therefore, that there is no difference in matters of religion between forms that are unlike each other, and even contrary to each other, most clearly leads in the end to the rejection of all religion in both theory and practice."

Pope Leo XIII, On the Constitution of States


The public, some politicians and some members of the media have questioned if President Barak Obama is really a Christian. Recently, the media- both Left and to an extent, the Right –sees to it that anyone who is bold enough to question Mr. Obama’s Christian identity is publicly disgraced. Thus far, Senator Rick Santorum has come close to making the charge that Obama is not a Christian by questioning his “phony theology.” However, because of the heat of media pressure, he has politely given the president the benefit of the doubt.

It should be noted, however, that at no time in history has the confusion of what a Christian really means been as prevalent as it is today. Not only do people not know what a follower of Christ is supposed to believe and how he is supposed to be behave, but it is deemed socially and politically inappropriate to give a fixed definition of what a Christian really is. And according to conventional wisdom, it is even more inappropriate to question a person’s Christian identity. Indeed, proponents of secular-liberalism have exploited the weakness of today’s Christianity by mounting public pressure on anyone who questions their religious fidelity or patriotism. And Christians, by and large, have acquiesced to this pressure. They have been silenced; not by edict but through the daily threat of ridicule.

But what exactly is the weakness of today’s Christianity? Well, for starters, Protestant Christianity has been splintering and multiplying into thousands of different denominations since the founding of this country. After the persecution and intolerance of certain churches in 18th century America, it became, over the years, a taboo to criticize others on matters of creed. In the name of tolerance there came a reluctance for any church to proclaim, “We’re right and you’re wrong.” With this arose a growing trend that favored religious relativism (and eventually moral relativism). Indeed, all churches and even Christians came to be deemed more or less good.

Secondly, the Catholic Church did a stellar job of avoiding this kind of relativism for about two hundred years in America. She did not shy away from declaring her God-given superiority as the Church that Christ had founded. But that posture changed in the late 1960’s.

Then it became popular among pastors of the Church to give obstinate, unrepentant sinners equal status to that of faithful and repentant Catholics. As such, there was little distinction between the wolves and the sheep. When I speak of the wolves, I here refer to those who refuse to repent from their advocacy of abortion rights and same-sex marriage, from the practice of contraception and cohabitation, and from many other serious sins which daily cause scandal in the Body of Christ.

The result of all of this is that no one seems to know what a Christian is. And with this kind of ambivalence, moral and spiritual relativism reigns supreme. This is why it is deemed socially and politically inappropriate to say whether or not a person like President Obama is a true Christian.

But we know where President Obama stands on moral and policy issues. He is on record for supporting the following:

• Abortion rights

• Infanticide

• Sex education at the age of 5 years

• Same-sex marriage

• The reinstatement of United States Department of Veterans Affairs manual, the version of which is highly suggestive of favoring euthanasia

• Healthcare rationing of the elderly: His comment about having grandma take a pill instead of opting for a costly surgery is indicative of where the president's priorities lie. And Cass Sunstein, Obama’s Regulatory Czar, said the following: “I urge that the government should indeed focus on life-years rather than lives. A program that saves young people produces more welfare than one that saves old people.”

What is equally disturbing about President Obama’s moral and spiritual philosophy is this: As most know, he was mentored for 20 years under Rev. Jeremiah Wright from Trinity United in Chicago. The reverend publically supported Black Liberation Theology and one of its prominent pioneers, James Cone. Few know that James Cone and Black Liberation Theology in general favors a heavy dose of Marxism. As the president himself maintains, his salvation depends on the collective salvation of the people. Without going into a lot of details, the belief that groups of people should be saved over that of individuals is based on socialistic or Marxist premise. Such a premise is contrary to the Gospel and it is spiritually, morally and politically dangerous to society. The dignity of the individual person has been and will continue to be seriously undermined under such an ideology. We can already see that President Obama and is entourage of Czars and Cabinet members do not hold preborn babies, infants and the elderly in high esteem. Neither do Catholics fare well under their governance.

To be sure, there are certain things we cannot judge. We cannot judge intentions, motives or whether or not a person will be saved in the end. But we can judge whether or not a person is believing and behaving as a follower of Christ should. As our Lord said, "You will know them by their fruits." (Matthew 7:16) In fact, it is the duty of Catholic bishops, pastors, teachers and the laity to make a clear distinction between real Christians and nominal Christians. In the early 20th century, for instance, Pope St. Pius X wrote the following to his priests: "Catholic 'Liberals' are wolves in lambs clothing; hence any priest worthy of the name must unmask for the faithful confided to his care their insidious plotting, their unholy design. You shall be called papists, clericals, retrogressives, intransigents. Be proud of it!" This pastoral wisdom of the saintly pope also applies to Christians in general.

If we cannot say that a “Christian” is not one who would aggressively advances abortion rights, the right to practice infanticide at hospitals and abortion clinics, same-sex rights and healthcare rationing- if we cannot say that this is not what a disciple of Christ does –we are in trouble. We have unnecessarily handicapped ourselves. As such, confusion about what a Christian really is will continue to fog the minds of Americans. The end result is that we will be powerless to resist counterfiet Christianity and those political ideologies which parade themselves in sheeps clothing.

The standard has already been set by Christ, the Apostles, the Church Fathers, the Saints and the Church herself. The legacy of drawing attention to Christians in "name-only" and separating from the flock is legion. There are too many examples to count here. But suffice it to say, this pastoral practice of our Church's watchmen of old secured the moral distinctions between good and evil and the religious distinction between authentic Christians and those who pretended to be Christian for political purposes. We should return to this ancient (and yet not so ancient) practice. The welfare of our country depends on it.

Where Persecution Reigns

An an article taken from Bishop Fulton Sheen's "Lenten & Easter Inspirations." 1967

We are living in a period of history like unto that of the Roman Empire when Julian the Apostate sat upon the throne of the Caesars. The persecution of Christ which he initiated was not like the earlier persecutions, which were prompted by the release of barbaric instinct, but rather was due to the perversion and the loss of faith in Christ. Like his successors in the modern world, Julian persecuted because he had lost his faith- and since his conscience would let him alone, he would not let the Church alone.

He made a tour of the Roman Empire to investigate the success of his persecutions. He came to the ancient city of Antioch where, disguising himself, he entered into the inns, taverns and the public markets better to learn the fruits of his hate. On one occasion, watching thousands of people crowd into a temple dedicated to Mithra, he was recognized by an old Christian friend whose name was Agathon. Pointing to the crowd and to the apparent success of the pagan cult, he sneered this question to his friend: “Agathon, what ever happened to that carpenter of Galilee- does he have any jobs these days?” Agathon answered: “He is building a coffin now for the Roman Empire, and for you.”

Six months later Julian thrust a dagger into his own heart. Throwing it toward the heavens against which he had rebelled, as his own unredemptive blood fell back upon him, he uttered his last and most famous line: “O Galilean, Thou hast conquered.” He always does!

No Shadow without Light

An an article taken from Bishop Fulton Sheen's "Lenten & Easter Inspirations." 1967

If nature were indifferent to infractions of its laws, if health did not decline with the refusal to eat, if blindness did not follow the plucking out of an eye, if one gathered figs of thistles, and water ran up a hill, it would be difficult to believe that Supreme Intelligence had imposed order and law on the visible universe in which we live.

If the moral order were indifferent to our fractions, if the breakdown of the nations did not follow the collapse of family life, if the affirmation that man is an animal did not make men act like animals, if the denial that God is the Author of Law did not produce a lawless and therefore a warring world, it would be difficult to believe that God made a moral universe in which men reaped what they sowed, and where the wages of sin are death.

At no time in modern history has it been easier to believe in God than now. It used to be that evil was a stumbling block to a belief in the Goodness of God, but today men are coming to a belief in the Goodness of God because of evil. They admit that evil today has taken on such proportions that it can be explained only by the infraction of a universal moral law that must have come from God. In a word, modern man is coming to God by way of the devil.

Such is the lesson of this Resurrection day: We come to the glory of Easter Sunday through the evil of Good Friday; to halo of dazzling light through the ignominy of a crown of thorns; to the dawn of a new day through the darkness of a high noon.

Calvary is only a momentary scandal. Goodness in the face of evil, must suffer, for when love meets sin it will be crucified. A God who bears His Sacred Heart upon His sleeve as Our Lord did in the Incarnation, must be prepared to have daws peck at it. But at the same time, Goodness can use that suffering as the condition of overcoming evil! It can take anger and wrath and hate and say “Forgive!” It can take life and offer it to another. Evil may have its hour, but God will have His day.

Et Cum Spiritu Tuo: And with your Spirit

We are about three months into the New Translation of the Liturgy. But you may not have been given an explanation as the meaning of the peoples response to the greeting of the priest; that response being, “And with your spirit.” Few of us know that this liturgical response goes back to the first century to the Liturgy of St. James. As we shall see, this expression particularly emphasizes the anointing a priest receives through the Sacrament of Holy Orders. And through his proclamation of the Gospel and the Eucharistic Sacrifice, we are made Christ-bearers to an unbelieving world.

But before we go out into the world to proclaim the Gospel, we look to our spiritual leaders to help us in this pursuit. The spiritual leader in each Catholic parish is the priest. He is not only an icon of Christ to the congregation; he also mediates on their behalf by offering spiritual sacrifices at the altar. With that said, the New Translation casts the priest in a new light. He greets the congregation of the faithful by saying, “The Lord be with you.” The faithful respond, “And also with you.” With this, we are to look at the priest from a more traditional vantage point. It recovers the Jewish and early Christian context in the following Semitic response: “And with your spirit.” “Spirit,” in this expression, does not only reference the human spirit of the priest but also, and most especially, the Holy Spirit who dwells in the priest.

At his ordination the Holy Spirit endows the priest with a unique spiritual leadership. His hands were consecrated to offer the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, to bless, to forgive and retain sins, and to cast out evil spirits. His hands and his voice becomes the voice of Christ; an extension of the Incarnate Word. Here the congregation acknowledges the priest as the leader under whose leadership they will approach almighty God.

As we said, the response, "And with your spirit" goes back to the first century. We find it in the liturgy of St. James. Several Church Fathers had made use of this ancient liturgy as well. For instance, St. John Chrysostom, Father and Doctor of the Church (400’s), said that this liturgical response is a profession of faith in the power of the Sacrament of Holy Orders. St. John adds the following:

"If the Holy Spirit were not in this your common father and teacher, you would not, just now, when he ascended this holy chair and wished you all peace, have cried out with one accord, ‘And with your spirit.’

By this cry, you are reminded that he who stands at the altar does nothing, and that the gifts that repose there are not the merits of a man; but that the grace of the Holy Spirit is present and, descending on all, accomplishes this mysterious sacrifice. We indeed see a man, but it is God who acts through him. Nothing human takes place at this holy altar.”

This is why the Catholic Church proclaims the solemn obligation to assist at Mass on the Lord’s Day. Contrary to Protestant worship, what happens in the sanctuary cannot be duplicated at home or anywhere else. St. Ignatius of Antioch, a disciple of St. Peter and St. John, attested to this truth in his Epistle to the Smyrnaeans, (110 A.D). He said, “Let that Eucharist be held valid which is offered by the bishop or by the one to whom the bishop has committed this charge. Wherever the bishop appears, there let the people be; as wherever Jesus Christ is, there is the Catholic Church.” Through the Spirit of the priest and through this Sacrifice at the altar, the power and unity of God is communicated to the assembly of believers so that they may become Christ-bearers to the world.

Below is an excerpt of the ancient liturgy of St. James. After one of the opening prayers below, you will see that the liturgical response, “And with your spirit,” was used just as we use it today.


The Liturgy of St. James:

The Priest says this prayer from the gates to the altar:

"God Almighty, Lord great in glory, who hast given to us an entrance into the Holy of Holies [note: the Holy of Holies was the innermost, holiest room in the Jewish temple. Only the High Priest was permitted to enter once a year for the feast of Yom Kippur], through the sojourning among men of Your only-begotten Son, our Lord, and God, and Saviour Jesus Christ, we supplicate and invoke Your goodness, since we are fearful and trembling when about to stand at Your holy altar; send forth upon us, O God, Your good grace, and sanctify our souls, and bodies, and spirits, and turn our thoughts to piety, in order that with a pure conscience we may bring unto You gifts, offerings, and fruits for the remission of our transgressions, and for the propitiation of all Your people, by the grace and mercies and loving-kindness of Your only-begotten Son, with whom You are blessed to all eternity. Amen..."


The Anaphora:

Then he says aloud:

"The love of the Lord and Father, the grace of the Lord and Son, and the fellowship and the gift of the Holy Spirit, be with us all."

The People.

"And with your spirit."

The Priest.

"Let us lift up our minds and our hearts."

The People.

"It is becoming and right."

Then the Priest prays:

"Verily it is becoming and right, proper and due to praise You, to sing of You, to bless You, to worship You, to glorify You, to give You thanks, Maker of every creature visible and invisible, the treasure of eternal good things, the fountain of life and immortality, God and Lord of all:

Whom the heavens of heavens praise, and all the host of them; the sun, and the moon, and all the choir of the stars; earth, sea, and all that is in them; Jerusalem, the heavenly assembly, and church of the first-born that are written in heaven; spirits of just men and of prophets; souls of martyrs and of apostles; angels, archangels, thrones, dominions, principalities, and authorities, and dread powers; and the many-eyed cherubim, and the six-winged seraphim, which cover their faces with two wings, their feet with two, and with two they fly, crying one to another with unresting lips, with unceasing praises..."

God's Chisel: Life is His Chosen Instrument of Perfection

Reposted for new Sky View readers: Excerpts from the book, “Spirituality of the Old Testament,” by Paul Marie de la Croix. A masterful piece of spiritual writing.


Preface:

How does God purify his servants? How does he chisel away our imperfections? Answer: Much like a sculptor chisels away the irregularities of his sculpture. Sometimes he uses the hard medal of a chisel so as to deliver the hard blows of adversity; sometimes he employs delicate measures with the soft brush of inconvenience. Whatever the instrument, whatever method, the Father’s purpose is always to conform his servants into the image of his Son.


Spirituality of the Old Testament:

God uses “the life imposed upon his servants to bring about their profound purification. The Bible proves this very clearly.

The usual instrument of purification that God holds in His hand is life itself. Life, that is, the whole combination of situations that must be faced day by day, with all the consequent obligations. Nothing purifies men as well as life itself, if they are able to accept it and live it as it occurs. By nature it is unforeseeable and cannot be covered by any formula. It is real and must really be lived. It is all-inclusive and takes the whole man, shaping him on every plane. No one can ever view it as a mere spectator, for sooner or later it involves even those who have refused to commit themselves.

Life uses and intermingles every rhythm; often a sudden event transforms it in an instant. This forces men to adopt a new pace and to overcome difficulties which show them their inner most selves and purify them to their very core. No man, however prudent and wise, can ever arrange his life just as he pleases. On the contrary, it is life which, day by day traversing strange regions, must ‘lead you where you would not go.’ And always, mysteriously, invisibly, God is the weaver of life’s fabric, the artist who places each tiny item in accord with His infinitely wise pattern. How then, can men venture to judge what is best for them or decide what they require? Only life brings the answer, moment by moment. How can we fail to see that it is a royal road, a safe road? It is the chief means God uses to purify His servants…

Life was likewise the chisel that sculptured the prophets’ souls, as it exposed them to scorn, hostility, hatred and vengeance. It led them to persecution and to martyrdom. Thus, we have seen that God uses life as the supreme instrument of purification…

May God help us never to belittle the often intolerable burden of suffering and illnesses, or the still heavier burden of trials that touch souls in their dearest affections, in their reputation or their honor. We should not be deaf to their cries, which are recorded in the bible and often show desperate anguish.”

Indeed, life is God's chisel which reveals our innerself in times of crisis and, at the same time, is the very instrument he uses to bring about a better version of ourselves!

The First Installment: Christ's engagement ring

You may remember that in Sunday’s second reading on February 19th, St. Paul made reference to the Spirit being given to us as the first installment. In fact, he said, “But the one who gives us security with you in Christ and who anointed us is God; he has also put his seal upon us and given the Spirit in our hearts as a first installment.” (II Corinthians 1:21-22) It is a safe bet that the meaning of the first installment of the Spirit escapes many of us. But St. Paul mentions this installment, promise or pledge of the Spirit several times in the New Testament. As such, it must have some importance. It also begs the question: If there is a first installment, then is there a second installment or others to follow?

Quite often our relationship with Christ is characterized in marital terms (i.e. parable of the wedding banquet etc). But the suggestion throughout the New Testament is that we are only “engaged” to Christ on earth. The wedding day comes when we enter heaven.

Engagements can be dissolved, but marriages can never be. And this is where the “first” installment of the Holy Spirit comes in. It is kind of like an engagement ring. Through baptism and the Sacraments, we are given a pledge or a promise from God that he will always be faithful to us. And if we are faithful in return, a wedding is sure to follow. As St. Paul said in Ephesians, “In him you also, who have heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and have believed in him, were sealed with the promised holy Spirit, which is the first installment of our inheritance toward redemption as God's possession, to the praise of his glory.” (1:13-14)

However, before we had received the promise of the Spirit, we were married to another; that is, to the law of sin and that which it leads to, namely, death. But in order for this “marriage” to be dissolved, Jesus Christ had to give up his body in death. Interestingly enough, St. Paul uses an analogy of divorce and remarriage to drive the point home:

“Are you unaware, brothers (for I am speaking to people who know the law), that the law has jurisdiction over one as long as one lives? Thus a married woman is bound by law to her living husband; but if her husband dies, she is released from the law in respect to her husband. Consequently, while her husband is alive she will be called an adulteress if she consorts with another man. But if her husband dies she is free from that law, and she is not an adulteress if she consorts with another man. In the same way, my brothers, you also were put to death to the law through the body of Christ, so that you might belong to another, to the one who was raised from the dead in order that we might bear fruit for God.” (Romans 7:1-4)

Just as the death of a husband’s body releases his wife to marry another, so too does the bodily death of Christ release us from the law of sin and death. Notice that immediately after giving this illustration, St. Paul continued by using the words, “In the same way…” As if to say, that just as our bodies are the sacramental material or stuff that binds ( or releases) a married couple in their indissoluble union, so too does the body of Christ and our body bind us together as one. But first Christ had to die. That was the first step. Then he gave us his Spirit as if to propose to us. And if we are to accept his proposal, the Holy Spirit is given to us as the first installment, promise or pledge. Again, even after receiving the promise of the Holy Spirit- which initiates our engagement to Christ –we have the freedom to “call off the wedding.” That is, we can always walk away. It isn’t until our bodily death that our engagement with Christ (assuming that we have been a faithful fiancé) transforms into a marriage, never to be undone.

This is where penance, fasting and acts of self-denial take on a new importance. These spiritual exercises are a rehearsal for our wedding day. But they are also a reminder that we are no longer wedded to the flesh, the world and Satan. Indeed, whenever we accept physical suffering from the hand of God or whenever we initiate spiritual sacrifices such as fasting, we call to mind and prepare for that second and final installment of the Spirit when we will enjoy God’s fullness in heaven.

How Extreme Equality Prepares for Despotism

There has been a great deal of discussion on talk radio and in the public square about the radical version of equality being pushed by politicians and our public education system.

It began with the Christian doctrine that all men are created equal and then it ended up pushing equality to an extreme. Not only are all people equal under the law and equal under God (if they were to believe in him), but with this egalitarian-socialist ideology, it is believed that everything should be equal. Among their objectives today is the reduction of salary and economic status to one dead level. This is but a central tenet of socialism and communism.

Before this hard push for economic equality, however, there was a great leveling effect: Christianity with other religions, parents with children, academic results in outcome-based education and traditional marriage with same-sex marriage. Therefore, long before the radical equality of socialism was aggressively advanced in our free market economy, there was radical equality being advanced in the social order. In order to resist the push for political and economic equality, we cannot forget about the religious and moral equality that first prepared the way.

With an uncanny foresight, two Catholic men in the nineteenth century predicted the perilous effects of radical equality and how it would prepare the way for despotism: Their names are Alexis de Tocqueville and Pope Leo XIII. Both provide penetrating insights into what America is challenged with today. Below are just a few excerpts.


Alexis de Tocqueville, Democracy in America:

As in ages of equality no man is compelled to lend his assistance to his fellow-men, and none has any right to expect much support from them, everyone is at once independent and powerless…His independence fills him with self-reliance and pride among equals, his debility makes him feel from time to time to want of some outward assistance, which he cannot expect from any of them, because they are all impotent and unsympathizing. In his predicament he naturally turns his eyes to that imposing power [i.e. the State] which alone rises above universal depression…

Thus the vices which despotism engenders are precisely those which equality fosters. These two things mutually and perniciously complete and assist each other. Equality places men side by side, unconnected to any common tie; despotism raises barriers to keep them asunder; the former predisposes them not to consider their fellow creatures, the other makes general indifference a public virtue…

The evils which freedom sometimes brings with it are immediate; they are apparent to all, and all are more or less affected by them. The evils which extreme equality may produce are slowly discovered; they creep gradually into the social frame; they are only seen at intervals, and at the moment at which they become most violent, habit causes them to be no longer felt.


Pope Leo XIII, On Capital and Labor

The socialists, therefore, in setting aside the parent and setting up a State supervision, act against natural justice, and destroy the structure of the home. And in addition to injustice, it is only too evident what an upset and disturbance there would be in all classes, and to how intolerable and hateful a slavery citizens would be subjected. The door would be thrown open to envy, to mutual invective, and to discord; the sources of wealth themselves would run dry, for no one would have any interest in exerting his talents or his industry; and that ideal equality about which they entertain pleasant dreams would be in reality the leveling down of all to a like condition of misery and degradation.

There naturally exist among mankind manifold differences of the most important kind; people differ in capacity, skill, health, strength; and unequal fortune is a necessary result of unequal condition.

It is good to keep in mind that secular-liberalism, socialism and communism are Christian heresies, so to speak. At the very least, they begin with Christian half-truths. Their origin, as well as their success, depended, in part, on the appeal to the Christian doctrine of equality and the love of the poor. For this reason these ideologies- and the political systems based on such ideologies -are markedly inferior to the real thing; namely, Christianity. However, it is for the Christian and the Church to draw attention to the fact that these heresies of partial truths are imitations of what is truly original, life-giving and liberating. Without us separating the wheat from the chaff for all to see, I am afraid that onlookers will mistake secular-liberalism, socialism and even communism for the real thing.

The Church’s Non-partisan Policy: And the Democratic Party

The Catholic Church’s political policy throughout the centuries has been to refrain from endorsing particular forms of governments, political parties and candidates. And the reason for this is that she is in the business of saving souls. As much as humanly possible, the Church Universal does not want to be tied to or associated with fragile earthly powers. In certain countries, however, when the Catholic clergy did aligned themselves- or were perceived to align themselves –with certain political powers, they paid the price for it. Case and point: The French Revolution. On the other hand, she has reserved the right (and his exercised that right) to condemn ideologies and those rulers and political parties who hold to them.

In the 20th century, for instance, the Bolsheviks and the Third Reich of Germany are just two examples in which the Catholic Church either criticized or condemned specific political affiliates.
In addition, the early Church is full of cases when the Fathers of the Church publicly took an emperor or ruler to task.

The policy of Sky View is a non-partisan one. Like the Church, it does not endorse any political party nor does it want to be perceived as such. Even the most traditional-value oriented or conservative of the political parties are riddled with positions contrary Catholic principles. For this reason, Democrats, Republicans, Libertarians and Independents need to hear the Gospel without any unnecessary political distraction. But not all political ideologies and parties are equally blameworthy in terms of supporting immoral policies. Some are worse than others. For instance, the Democrat Party- most especially in their national platform –harbors and lends support to politicians and judges who have proven to be prejudicial, if not hostile, to Christianity.

Although membership to the Democratic Party is not inherently wrong- this because some Democrats sincerely want to reclaim their party from the radicalized version of it –many of its policies and behaviors are intrinsically evil. It was enough that the Democrat Party be censored or condemned by the Church for the immoral policies it advances. But for years it has gone beyond this with many of its patrons seeking to obstruct her mission to save souls. Indeed, these Democrats have gone to great lengths to drive out Christianity from the public square. And symptomatic of this obstruction- that is, the latest and the most notorious version of it -is the Obama-Sebelius healthcare mandate. Indeed, the Democratic Party, by far, is most guilt of these obstructive efforts. Using the Catholic Church’s moral authority, this bad donkey (symbol of the Democratic Party) needs a good kick or it needs to be driven out the pasture.

At the USCCB Assembly in November of 2011, Bishop William Lori called upon his brother bishops to be “watchmen” (cf. Ezekiel 33:7) of the Church. The early Church Fathers drew upon this title quite frequently to describe the role of bishops. And as watchmen, bishops cannot just talk about the threat of wolves in general. No. When a wolf is seen entering the pasture, a good watchmen will draw attention to that specific wolf and then seek to drive it away from the flock. Anything less means that there will be fewer sheep. And no doubt, the flock will be a negligible force in our culture; this, because wolves dressed as donkeys were allowed to roam freely in the pasture. Maybe- just maybe -the reason why Christianity has been driven out of the public square for years now results from the failure of the watchmen of the Church (and we, the laity) to drive out the wolves from God’s green pasture. Think about!

Consider Hilaire Belloc’s words: “The modern attack will not tolerate us. It will attempt to destroy us. Nor can we tolerate it. We must attempt to destroy it as being the fully equipped and ardent enemy of the Truth by which men live. The duel is to the death.” (1938) Take your pick: Either we refuse to tolerate their ways or they will refuse to tolerate us! That's right! Our survival depends, in part, on calling a spade, a spade; or should I say, calling a wolf, a wolf.

Lent: A Rehearsal for Death

Repost: From Ash Wednesday of 2011

"To avoid the confrontation with death is a refusal to live life to the full.”

-Lorenzo Albacete


The great paradox of life is that death is the only sure thing; the only future event we can truly count on. The closer people get to the gates of death, the more sensible they become. Suddenly, a morally dissolute life or the missed family opportunities of a workaholic, in retrospect, is almost always regretted. Indeed, on your death bed, all the time you spent at the office doesn’t seem so important anymore.

For those who face imminent death, what immediately comes to mind as one of the most cherished of recollections is the time he or she spent with the family. During the 9/11 tragedy in 2001, there are countless phone messages left by victims whose highest priority was to say one last time, “I love you.”

Yet, what is more important than saying “I love you” to a spouse, relative or friend moments before death is the conversation we might have with God for one last time on earth. Hence, when America was in the midst of processing the loss of lives, the doors of local churches across the country were pushed open by the multitude so that they could take refuge in God within the sanctuary. To be sure, the nation’s mortality was felt for the first time in a long time. When death is a looming possibility, it awakens the soul to where it comes from and to where it is going. Petty interests and careless living quickly lose their appeal.

God is always relevant when death draws near; even to the most stubborn of atheists. After all, it is the only certain thing in life. As such, the contemplation of life’s end is the beginning of wisdom. When people assume they possess something indefinitely, they value it less. It is only by losing something that we can see it for what it is. “The Gospel confirms this; the only way for a man to gain his life is to lose it, to give it up, to sacrifice it.” This is the greatest paradox of life; yet, it is the least understood and perhaps the most ridiculed one. Nevertheless, it is the crux of the Gospel and the secret to happiness. As Jesus said, “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit.”

Herein lies the essence of Lent. This season of dying to self and meditating on death- especially that of our Lord's -is a rehearsal for the real thing. The more we practice it, the more we see life as it really is and the more we ensure our passage into heaven when death greets us; as we know it will.

A Man's Last Love Letter to His Wife: A Lenten Reflection

A love letter? Yes! Probably one of the most eloquent love letters I have ever read. Yet, it was deeply spiritual too. This man was prepared for death because he loved his country. But even more than his country, he loved his wife. It would seem he had a premonition of his imminent death on the battlefield. And for that reason, he wanted to assure his wife that their love would endure beyond the grave. Indeed, his letter to his wife, Sarah, serves as a wonderful Lenten reflection.

Preface:

Just before the Civil War broke out, a man by the name of Sullivan Ballou wrote a very moving letter to his wife, Sarah. He left what appeared to be a promising political career and volunteered for military service with the 2nd Rhode Island Infantry. In addition to his combat duties, he served as the Rhode Island militia's judge advocate. The war began one week later [after the letter was written] on the plains of Manassas, Virginia. Major Sullivan Ballou of the 2nd Rhode Island Infantry died there at the battle of Bull Run.


Sullivan Ballou
to: My very dear Sarah

[Excerpts]
14 July 1861
Camp Clark, Washington [D.C.]

My very dear Sarah:

The indications are very strong that we shall move in a few days -- perhaps tomorrow. Lest I should not be able to write again, I feel impelled to write a few lines that may fall under your eye when I shall be no more....

I have no misgivings about, or lack of confidence in the cause in which I am engaged, and my courage does not halt or falter. I know how strongly American civilization now leans on the triumph of the Government, and how great a debt we owe to those who went before us through the blood and sufferings of the Revolution. And I am willing -- perfectly willing -- to lay down all my joys in this life, to help maintain this Government, and to pay that debt....

Sarah my love for you is deathless, it seems to bind me with mighty cables that nothing but Omnipotence could break; and yet my love of Country comes over me like a strong wind and bears me unresistibly on with all these chains to the battle field.

The memories of the blissful moments I have spent with you come creeping over me, and I feel most gratified to God and to you that I have enjoyed them so long. And hard it is for me to give them up and burn to ashes the hopes of future years, when, God willing, we might still have lived and loved together, and seen our sons grown up to honorable manhood, around us. I have, I know, but few and small claims upon Divine Providence, but something whispers to me -- perhaps it is the wafted prayer of my litle Edgar, that I shall return to my loved ones unharmed. If I do not my dear Sarah, never forget how much I love you, and when my last breath escapes me on the battle field, it will whisper your name.

Forgive my many faults, and the many pains I have caused you. How thoughtless and foolish I have often times been! How gladly would I wash out with my tears every little spot upon your happiness....

But, O Sarah! if the dead can come back to this earth and flit unseen around those they loved, I shall always be near you; in the gladdest days and in the darkest nights . . . always, always, and if there be a soft breeze upon your cheek, it shall be my breath[;] as the cool air fans your throbbing temple, it shall be my spirit passing by. Sarah do not mourn me dead; think I am gone and wait for thee, for we shall meet again....

_________________________________________________________________

Sources: Sewanee.edu website: Excerpted and reprinted in Geoffrey C. Ward, et al., The Civil War: An Illustrated History (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1990), pages 82-83. And Wikipedia website.

Obama-Sebelius Mandate: And That Needed Ray of Light

The Catholic Church has always insisted on her rights and freedom to preach the Gospel unhindered. Throughout history, when governments recognized her God-given right to carry out her mission, it has always been considered a blessing. On the other hand, the Church founded by Christ, that great beacon of light to the nations, was never meant to get too comfortable with the world. Whenever Catholics were made to believe that the world was their friend, as in recent decades, the Church ended up paying a price. Indeed, her members were apt to become worldly.

The Federal government, courtesy of the Obama administration, has done the Catholic Church in America a spiritual favor. In forcing the Catholic Church to make a choice between paying for or providing healthcare services that are contrary to the teachings of Christ or shutting down her agencies, it has, at the same time, forced Catholics to decide where their loyalties lie. Indeed, the so-called contraceptive-abortifacient mandate has begun to administer a shock to our system. And with this shock- if it is to persist uncompromisingly –comes a separation between the wheat and the chaff. The question that will be asked of faithful and nominal Catholics alike is this: Where does alliance lie? Is it with the Democratic Party or is it with Christ’s Church?

If the Democratic Party’s hostility toward Catholicism continues (as it has in the past), many Catholic-Democrats will have to make a choice that they have put off for years. It should be an easy choice but for many Catholics it is not. You can bet that not a few are nervously biting their finger nails. And yet others- too many, in fact -are quite apathetic to this moral dilemma.

The Obama-Sebelius mandate and the moral dilemma it occasions speaks to a bigger picture. For too long many Catholics- both clergy and laity –have embraced the world (and here I mean worldliness of people) as a friend. But sometimes we forget that the New Testament depicts the spirit of the world as an enemy of Christ and the Church. As St. James said, “Do you not know that to be a lover of the world means enmity with God? Therefore, whoever wants to be a lover of the world makes himself an enemy of God.” (James 4:4)

And like or not, the most powerful expression of the world has often been the State, especially when it has refused to recognized Christ as Lord or claims to be neutral towards him. But Jesus said there is no neutrality as it regards to our fidelity to him; and if there is anything resembling neutrality, it does not last long. Yes, he really did mean it when he said, “Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.” (Matthew 12:30) Just as neutrality doesn’t exist in the afterlife- in the end there is either heaven or hell –it does not exist in this life as well. Therefore, in the absence of a positive affirmation of Christ as King, the State will inevitably become intolerant of the Church. And with intolerance comes persecution, even if it be ever so sophisticated and subtle.

Although the followers of Christ are called to pray that they are free to preach the Gospel and worship in peace, nevertheless, when the State interferes with this rightful missionary activity and assumes the role of an oppressor, they are given the opportunity to more fully walk in the footsteps of Christ. T. S. Eliot once said, “When the Christian is treated as an enemy of the State, his course is very much harder, but it is simpler. I am concerned with the dangers to the tolerated minority; and in the modern world, it may turn out that most intolerable thing for Christians is to be tolerated.” This certainly confirms what Pope St. Gregory the Great said centuries earlier: “Virtue acts quietly, but the reputation of virtue is stirred up by the whip.” And to be sure, the whip is a cause of sadness and yet it also a cause of joy. The fact is that when the Church is scourged or menaced, she comes alive with the love of Christ-crucified. Mediocrity and compromise is fleshed out her system. And when she thus resembles the simplicity and lowliness of her Savior, it is then that souls come running to her.

No Catholic bishop enjoyed the esteem of the American public more than Fulton Sheen. He was friends with U.S. presidents, U.S. senators, actors, comedians, and other celebrities because of his Emmy award winning Life is Worth Living television show. And no Catholic bishop in America brought as many souls to Christ as he did. Yet, he never fell under the delusion that the Church, the Bride of Christ, was to be or should be accepted by the world. In fact, in 1948 he wrote: “The value of a trial will be to set us apart. Evil must come to reject us, to despise us, to hate us, to persecute us, and then shall we define our loyalties, affirm our fidelities and state on whose side we stand. Our quantity will indeed decrease, but our quality will increase. Then shall be verified the words of our Master: ‘He that gathers not with me scatters.’”(Matthew 12:30) Mind you, he wrote this right in the middle of an incredible growth spurt the Catholic Church happened to be enjoying in America. I said before that from 1940 to 1960 she doubled in size. And by the 1960’s it had seemed that the Church was no longer an outsider in America. Indeed, America had embraced her. But this was the very decade she, the Catholic Church in America, began to soften up.

This confrontation with the Federal government may seem new and alarming to us, it is not new to the Catholic Church; not even in America. From the 1600’s to 1930’s and 1940’s, Catholics knew what it meant to be a persecuted and discriminated people. Ironically, this Cross that was laid on her back, as in the early centuries in ancient times, served to be a means of courage, martyr-like conviction, and purification. Viewing history from this standpoint, we Catholics should not be discouraged or despondent. In fact, it may be the kind of baptism the Church needs. It may be a new beginning. As the Catholic historian, Hilaire Belloc, once said, “But if I be asked what sign we may look for to show that the advance of the Faith is at hand, I would answer by a word the modern world has forgotten: Persecution. When that shall once more be at work it will be morning.”

___________________________________________________________________


Tertullian, Father of the Church. Letter to Roman magistrate:

"We are not a new philosophy but a divine revelation. That's why you can't just exterminate us; the more you kill the more we are. The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church. You praise those who endured pain and death - so long as they aren't Christians! Your cruelties merely prove our innocence of the crimes you charge against us. When you chose recently to hand a Christian girl over to a brothel-keeper rather than to the lions, you showed you knew we counted chastity dearer than life."


Christopher Dawson: Dynamics of World History, 1938

“The liberal optimism which has been so characteristic of Anglo-Saxon religious thought the last half century [second half of the nineteenth century] led men to believe that the days of persecution were over that all men of good will would agree to set aside their differences of opinion and unite to combat the evils that were universally condemned- vice, squalor and ignorance.

But from the standpoint of the Christian interpretation of history there is no ground for such hopes. Christ came not to bring peace but a sword and that the Kingdom of God comes not by the elimination of conflict but through an increasing opposition and tension between the church and the world. The conflict between the two cities is as old as humanity and must endure until the end of time. And though the church may meet with ages of prosperity, and her enemies may fail and the powers of the world may submit to her sway, these things are no criterion of success. She wins not by majorities but by martyrs and the cross is her victory.

She has been the guest and the exile, the mistress and the martyr, of nations and civilizations and has survived them all. Viewing history from this standpoint the Christian will not be confident in success or despondent in failure.”

Nighttime on the Mount: The Ascent of Prayer before the Descent of Tribulation

Reposting for Saturday's Gospel reading: February 18th, 2012: The Transfiguration

Tradition has it that the transfiguration of Christ on Mt. Tabor transpired forty days before his Passion. Evidently, the Lord wanted at least three of his Apostles- Peter, James and John –to experience his glory before they had to drink the chalice of his suffering. St. Peter would later recount his heavenly experience in his Second Letter when he wrote, “For he received honor and glory from God the Father when that unique declaration came to him from the majestic glory, 'This is my Son, my beloved, with whom I am well pleased.' We ourselves heard this voice come from heaven while we were with him on the holy mountain.”

Sometimes the Lord guarantees victory before he permits defeats. He might inspire us with an unshakable certitude to take on a mission for his sake and then allow circumstances to contradict that mission. On Mount Tabor, the divinity of Jesus was revealed before his humanity was crucified. Later, in the Upper Room, he would give his resurrected flesh to his Apostles in the form of the Eucharist the night before his death on the Cross and three days before he had actually risen from the dead.

In tasting the goodness of the Lord at the altar, strength is given to us for the trials that are inevitably associated with doing his will. In the Imitation of Christ our Lord speaks to his disciple. He says, “My son, that good and delightful affection, which you sometimes perceive, is the effect of present grace and a certain foretaste of your heavenly country, but you must not rely too much upon it, because it comes and goes.” And this delightful affection and the foretaste of our heavenly country is chiefly to be found in prayer and in meditation. It is, in a real sense, food for the journey and strength for adversity.

To be sure, it was only after an arduous climb up Mt. Tabor and only after the world had fallen asleep that our Lord would give three of his Apostles a glimpse of his glory. But in doing so, Jesus would not stand alone. Moses and Elijah, two prophets who represented the Old Testament and who also experienced the presence of God on Mt. Sinai, stood beside our Lord to give their testimony of support. The Gospels of Matthew and Luke makes reference to these two men as speaking to Jesus about his “exodus,” that is, his death, resurrection and ascension into heaven. And who is better qualified to talk about such an exodus than Moses, who led the Israelites out of Egypt to the Promised Land and Elijah who was assumed into heaven on a chariot?

After our Lord’s face had shone like the sun and his clothes became white as light, a bright cloud appeared and the voice of God was heard. It was as if God the Father had bequeathed his authority for the second time (the first time at the river Jordan) to Jesus by saying, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” This, it would seem, is reminiscent of Psalm 2 when God said in even greater detail, “You are my son; today I am your father. Only ask it of me, and I will make your inheritance the nations, your possession the ends of the earth.”
However, conferring the inheritance of the nations and the power to teach with divine authority did not only issue from the Father to the Son, but it also passed from Moses and Elijah- two of the greatest Old Testament prophets –to St. Peter and the Apostles. Indeed, by "making disciples of all the nations" through the preaching ministry of his Church, Jesus Christ would take back what once belonged to his Father, namely, the world! As the prophet Isaiah said, "In days to come, the mountain of the LORD'S house shall be established as the highest mountain and raised above the hills. All nations shall stream toward it..."

Every apostle must be equal to his mission. Hence, the work of being God’s mouthpiece to the nations would require spiritual transformation; especially for these frail fishermen. And the symbolic value of the transfiguration of Christ on Mt. Tabor suggests that real transformation can only take place on a mountain of prayer and meditation. When speaking of the soul in contemplation, Cornelius A Lapide, a sixteenth century priest and professor of Scripture, wrote:

“She [the soul] is raised above herself, and is lifted up to God in heaven, where she learns and sees that all the things of earth are fragile and worthless, so that from her lofty height she looks down upon them as fit only for children. She perceives that the true riches, honors and pleasures are nowhere but in heaven.”

Without the foretaste of heaven in prayer and meditation and without eagerly anticipating eternal happiness with God, we will inevitably wince from sacrifice and the price we must pay in bringing souls to Christ. The meditation of heaven inspires a farsightedness that is needed not only for living out the life of Christ on a day to day basis, but also for the challenging work God has called us to do.

No doubt, while St. Peter was crucified upside down in Rome- while St. James was dragged to his death in Jerusalem -and while St. John was in exile on the island of Patmos, recalling this heavenly vision of our Lord on Mt. Tabor was probably of great consolation to them. And although we may not enjoy the vision of the Transfiguration in the way the Apostles did, God will certainly not fail to give us a taste of that heavenly sweetness in prayer and meditation in proportion to our faith. This is God's way of giving us a sneakpeak of eternity so that we might be encouraged to hold nothing back!

Bill O’Reilly’s Observation: The Popularity of Free Stuff

This week on the O’Reilly Factor, anchor Bill O’Reilly noted a peculiar poll trend that shows President Barak Obama’s job approval rating is on the increase. Some polls have him close to 50 percent. This is peculiar and surprising considering our economic and religious liberty challenges. Although the so-called contraceptive (and abortifacients) mandate is predicted to hurt President Obama’s chances for re-election, he has not yet taken a hit on his job approval rating.

From these observations Bill O’Reilly concluded that it appears that the perks of a welfare and nanny State is beginning to sell with the American people. More and more, Americans like to get free stuff from the government. In fact, on other Fox News programs, statistics have been presented to illustrate that the takers in society are becoming just as numerous as the givers. Call it what you will, but this is but the result of the increasing popularity of “socialism” in the land of the free. As for where this might lead, we do not have to guess. All we have to do is look at Greece and the predicament Europe is currently in. Daniel Hannen, British journalist and member of parliament, said as much at C-PAC on February 13th, 2012. He issued the following warning to Americans:

“If you repeat our mistakes, if you shift power from the 50 states to Washington, from the elected representative to the federal czar, from the citizen to the state, we know exactly what lies in store for you. I've been a member of the European parliament for 12 years. I am living in your future, or at least the future towards which your present leaders seem intent on taking you. And believe me, my friends, you are not going to enjoy it.”

But long before Daniel Hannen gave his eloquent speech at C-PAC, long before conservatives began to oppose Socialism, Communism and Secular-liberalism, the Fathers of the Catholic Church in modern times have sounded alarm well over hundred years ago. For instance, in 1891 we have Pope Leo XIII issuing this warning approximately 120 years before redistribution policies of socialism were accelerated in the United States through the President Obama:

“Hence, it is clear that the main tenet of socialism, community of goods, must be utterly rejected, since it only injures those whom it would seem meant to benefit, is directly contrary to the natural rights of mankind, and would introduce confusion and disorder into the commonweal…The door would be thrown open to envy, to mutual invective, and to discord; the sources of wealth themselves would run dry, for no one would have any interest in exerting his talents or his industry; and that ideal equality about which they entertain pleasant dreams would be in reality the leveling down of all to a like condition of misery and degradation.” (On Capital and Labor, art. 15)

This takes us back to Bill O’Reilly’s observation about more American’s wanting free stuff from the government. Don’t they know where this will lead? And can we really expect them to know?

The answer to the latter question is- not really. First, Catholics have not helped matters by not taking full advantage of those public venues to teach and illustrate the connection between faith and freedom. Even from the pulpit, diocesan pastoral letters and the classroom, there is not much said in this regard! In fact, I would argue that several influential members of the Catholic clergy have promoted big government programs in name of Christian charity. Indeed, the Catholic Church in America used to say (long ago), “If there is a person in need, in the name of Christ, I will help that person.” Today when she finds a person is in need she says, “Wait here, I’ll get the government.”

Secondly, and this where the dereliction of conservatives and Americans who hold to traditional values comes in, one thing has got to change and that is the monopoly of State-run education. Without this change Americans will continue to favor Big Government or the Entitlement State and they will continue to be won over by the illusion that they are getting free stuff without consequence. Being that education is second to the family in terms of shaping how we perceive the world, our public schools are simply making society- and even government –into its own image. Just about everything the way public schools operate and teach favors a secular all-powerful State. Until this changes, until the monopoly of the State on what our children learn is broken and cast away, any political advance at the ballot box which favors America’s heritage of freedom and individual self-sufficiency will be temporary.

You see, the State, as the primary educator our children, has preempted the authority of parents; not only of parents, but of God Himself. As it stands today, God is deemed a rival to the State. When the State wants full control of education, it does not want God to interfere. Before prayer, bible reading and the mention of God was prohibited in public schools beginning in the 1960’s, Etienne Gilson said this,

"To the full extent that it educates, the State educates in view of itself…The only conceivable end of a State-owned education is the State itself. States themselves may not know it. They may sincerely believe that nothing is more foreign to their honest intentions; yet, to put it bluntly, the only reason why a State may not want children to be educated in view of God is that it wants them to be educated in view of itself. Totalitarian education does nothing more than go the whole way along the same line. The result is what we know: political, economic, intellectual and spiritual slavery." (1951)

The last sentence of Gilson’s bears repeating: “The result is what we know: political, economic, intellectual and spiritual slavery.” What people used to know about the hazards of State-run education, we have forgotten. We will continue to be ignorant of why there is political, economic, intellectual and spiritual slavery as long as the agent who is causing that slavery is educating our children!! Indeed, that carrot on the stick- that is, the growing popularity of free stuff held out by the all-powerful State -will continue to allure citizens to surrender their liberty for security. After all, for years the desire to be hand fed by the State has been instilled into the souls of the American people by our State-run education system. This is our Berlin Wall! And to be sure, it must come down if America is to remain free, prosperous and loyal to God!

Christ and National Life: Binding the two together

ON JESUS CHRIST THE REDEEMER
TAMETSI FUTURA PROSPICIENTIBUS
EXERPTS: ENCYCLICAL OF POPE LEO XIII
NOVEMBER 1, 1900


“As with individuals, so with nations…All elements of the national life must be made to drink in the Life which proceeds from Him- legislation, political institutions, education, marriage and family life, capital and labors.”

-Pope Leo XIII


Foreseeing Alarm and Consolation:

The outlook on the future is by no means free from anxiety; on the contrary, there are many serious reasons for alarm, on account of numerous and long-standing causes of evil, of both a public and a private nature. Nevertheless, the close of the century really seems in God's mercy to afford us some degree of consolation and hope. For no one will deny that renewed interest in spiritual matters and a revival of Christian faith and piety are influences of great moment for the common good…


What Christ Means to Us:

The greatest of all misfortunes is never to have known Jesus Christ: yet such a state is free from the sin of obstinacy and ingratitude. But first to have known Him, and afterwards to deny or forget Him, is a crime so foul and so insane that it seems impossible for any man to be guilty of it. For Christ is the fountain-head of all good. Mankind can no more be saved without His power, than it could be redeemed without His mercy…

When Jesus Christ had blotted out the handwriting of the decree that was against us, fastening it to the cross, at once God's wrath was appeased, the primeval fetters of slavery were struck off from unhappy and erring man, God's favor was won back, grace restored, the gates of Heaven opened, the right to enter them revived, and the means afforded of doing so. Then man, as though awakening from a long-continued and deadly lethargy, beheld at length the light of the truth, for long ages desired, yet sought in vain. First of all, he realized that he was born to much higher and more glorious things than the frail and inconstant objects of sense which had hitherto formed the end of his thoughts and cares. He learnt that the meaning of human life, the supreme law, the end of all things was this: that we come from God and must return to Him. From this first principle the consciousness of human dignity was revived: men's hearts realized the universal brotherhood: as a consequence, human rights and duties were either perfected or even newly created, whilst on all sides were evoked virtues undreamt of in pagan philosophy. Thus men's aims, life, habits and customs received a new direction. As the knowledge of the Redeemer spread far and wide and His power, which destroyed ignorance and former vices, penetrated into the very life-blood of the nations, such a change came about that the face of the world was entirely altered by the creation of a Christian civilization. The remembrance of these events, Venerable Brethren, is full of infinite joy, but it also teaches us the lesson that we must both feel and render with our whole hearts gratitude to our Divine Savior.


Individuals and Nations:

As with individuals, so with nations. These, too, must necessarily tend to ruin if they go astray from "The Way." The Son of God, the Creator and Redeemer of mankind, is King and Lord of the earth, and holds supreme dominion over men, both individually and collectively…Therefore the law of Christ ought to prevail in human society and be the guide and teacher of public as well as of private life. Since this is so by divine decree, and no man may with impunity contravene it, it is an evil thing for the common weal wherever Christianity does not hold the place that belongs to it. When Jesus Christ is absent, human reason fails, being bereft of its chief protection and light, and the very end is lost sight of, for which, under God's providence, human society has been built up.


All Things Subject to Christians:

Our intellect must bow humbly and reverently "unto the obedience of Christ," so that it be held captive by His divinity and authority...He does not suffer himself to be forced by the theories of any human teacher, but by the eternal and unchangeable truth. Hence he attains at one and the same time the natural good of the intellect and his own liberty. For the truth which proceeds from the teaching of Christ clearly demonstrates the real nature and value of every being; and man, being endowed with this knowledge, if he but obey the truth as perceived, will make all things subject to himself, not himself to them; his appetites to his reason, not his reason to his appetites. Thus the slavery of sin and falsehood will be shaken off, and the most perfect liberty attained: "You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" john viii., 32)…


Intellectual Pride:

Having shaken off God's authority, they are by no means freer, for they will fall beneath some human sway. They are sure to choose someone whom they will listen to, obey, and follow as their guide. Moreover, they withdraw their intellect from the communication of divine truths, and thus limit it within a narrower circle of knowledge, so that they are less fitted to succeed in the pursuit even of natural science. For there are in nature very many things whose apprehension or explanation is greatly aided by the light of divine truth. Not infrequently, too, God, in order to chastise their pride, does not permit men to see the truth, and thus they are punished in the things wherein they sin. This is why we often see men of great intellectual power and erudition making the grossest blunders even in natural science…

Once the idea of the authority of God as the Judge of right and wrong is forgotten, law must necessarily lose its primary authority and justice must perish: and these are the two most powerful and most necessary bonds of society. Similarly, once the hope and expectation of eternal happiness is taken away, temporal goods will be greedily sought after…


Happy Results: Only Without Hinderance

Wherever Christianity rules over all without let or hindrance there the order established by Divine Providence is preserved, and both security and prosperity are the happy result. The common welfare, then, urgently demands a return to Him from whom we should never have gone astray; to Him who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life,-and this on the part not only of individuals but of society as a whole. We must restore Christ to this His own rightful possession. All elements of the national life must be made to drink in the Life which proceeds from Him- legislation, political institutions, education, marriage and family life, capital and labors.

The Great Divide: Between the Pulpit and the World

"Then every scribe who has been instructed in the kingdom of heaven is like the head of a household who brings from his storeroom both the new and the old."

-Matthew 13:52


Third Party Advice:

Experience can work to our advantage. Most people see it as such. However, what people miss sometimes is that experience can be a liability; a handicap of sorts. For instance, when a couple experiences troubles within their own marriage, it is often the case that they are the least qualified to see the troubles as they really are. Quite often, the culpability of the husband escapes the husband and the culpability of the wife escapes the wife. Hence, a third party is invoked; usually a friend or a marriage counselor who can make an evaluation and then offer guidance with some degree of objectivity about the problems at hand.

This is why two celibate bishops like Fulton Sheen, author of “Three to Get Married” and Pope John Paul II, author of “Love and Responsibility,” were able to provide deep and practical insights into love and marriage. Their contribution to the topic derived from the countless couples they counseled. And having been the "third party," these two bishops were able to arrive at helpful solutions to the common problems of romance, sexuality and marriage; this, precisely because they were free from certain blind spots which naturally sprang from these problems.


A Clerical Blind Spot:

It is to be expected, therefore, that the clergy has their own blind spots as well. Like any married couple, they can become too close to their own problems. Chief among them are the sermons they deliver to their parishioners. A lay perspective, a third party, if you will, can be of great service to the priesthood. After all, lay Catholics are the "customers" or the intended beneficiaries of sermons delivered during the Liturgy of the Word. As with any service people receive, Catholics have formed opinions about the sermons they have had heard over the last fifty years or so. Dissatisfaction among parishioners with sermons is rarely communicated to the parish priest for obvious reasons.

With that said, it is universally acknowledged among lay Catholics- with some exceptions of course -that the preaching from the pulpit in recent decades has struggled to inspire and educate the faithful. Here, I include those sermons given by orthodox, Christ-centered priests. Sermons have also struggled to be relevant in that they make few references to everyday problems and current events. For instance, I remember attending Mass the Sunday after 9/11. However, not a word was spoken about it during the sermon although America was still feeling the traumatic effects of the terrorist attacks. Although this may have not been the case in every parish that Sunday, my experience on the Sunday after 9/11 seems to be emblematic of what regularly occurs at Mass.


Sermons and Current Events:

Lay people read and hear about pressing issues during the work week all the time but yet very few words, if any, are spoken about it by pastors. It is no exaggeration to say that what is talked about at the kitchen table, or what is discussed around the water cooler outside the office, or even what issues make the front page of the newspaper, are rarely given a Catholic interpretation from the pulpit on Sunday morning.

Americans are consumers of event-driven news. They take interest, not so much in topics, but in what is happening today. The Second Vatican Council- as if prompted by the Holy Spirit -gave an exhortation that the preaching of the Gospel should illuminate and interpret the circumstances of daily life and the current events which surround it:

"To carry out such a task, the Church has always had the duty of scrutinizing the signs of the times and of interpreting them in the light of the Gospel. Thus, in language intelligible to each generation, she can respond to the perennial questions which men ask about this present life and the life to come, and about the relationship of the one to the other. We must therefore recognize and understand the world in which we live, its explanations, its longings, and its often dramatic characteristics."(Guadiem et Spes, article 4)

Still, the clergy (and even some in Catholic media) are primarily topic-driven. As for speakers, evangelists or teachers in Catholic forums, it is not practical nor is it desirable to get away from topics altogether. After all, the Catholic Catechism is topically arranged and for good reason. However, what the Holy Spirit seemed to have been saying through the Second Vatican Council is that in an event-driven, media-driven society the preaching of the Gospel must involve explaining people's experiences and interpreting events that are meaningful to them. This is the "new from the storeroom" that I believe Christ referred to. It needs to be brought to the fore.


An Old Two Story Building:

There are times, it seems, as if the Catholic Church was a two-story building; the laity being on the first floor and the clergy on the second. Each story has its distinct subculture; the differences of which are profound at times. This bi-level Church we belong to- each level having its own language, interests and ways of looking at the world -is nothing new. As a matter of fact, it is about five hundred years old. Arguably, the trends which divided the clergy and the laity into separate subcultures emerged in the Middle Ages; and it never went completely away. Catholic historian, Christopher Dawson, wrote the following:

"[T]he rise of a new lay educated class brought with it an independent ideal of lay culture. The consequent division of culture into two halves corresponded to the social division between clergy and laity." He continues: "While the clergy studied the Bible and the Fathers, the laity studied the classics; while the clergy studied the history of the Church, the laity studied the history of the State; while the clergy studied the traditional Christian philosophy, the laity studied the philosophers of pagan antiquity and the natural sciences."


Church Documents: Long and Elevated

Today, this dichotomy between the laity and the clergy expresses itself along similar lines. Lay people are consumers of internet news, cable news, and talk radio. They get their information with imagery, in quick sound bites, or in well crafted advertisements which speak directly to desires and needs. In any given message, relevance is critical. On the other hand, papal encyclicals and Church documents are usually long and academic. To decode some of the theological jargon, one needs a B.A. or an M.A. in theology at the very least. Moreover, these instruments of passing on information within the Church are, as I said previously, more topic-driven and abstract. The average person, however, has been groomed by the media to want current event-driven information. For this reason, Catholic documents and books penned by Church officials are not frequented by many people. It simply takes too much time to read and the language is too elevated for the average person to appreciate.

We need to remember the words of St. Paul who became disillusioned with the elevated and sophisticated language of the Greek philosophers of his day. In his second letter to Corinthians, he wrote: "For we write you nothing but what you can read and understand." (1:13) Brevity, simplicity and charisma are not only the marks of the New Testament epistles, but they are also the marks of modern communication. But as it appears, some, if not many, in the clergy have not yet adapted to the twenty-first century consumer mentality and the way people are accustomed to receiving information. This is why sermons are all the more important! Yet, the time allotted for sermons during the liturgy are too often missed opportunities.



Unmentioned Sins:

Western Civilization, as with most civilizations in world history, is currently on the decline from moral decay. The moral causes are easy to identify:

1. Contraception
2. Sex outside of marriage
3. Divorce
4. Cohabitation
5. Homosexuality
6. Abortion
7. Euthanasia
8. Adultery
9. Drunkeness
10. Lust

These are words rarely spoken from the pulpit, just to name a few. North America and Europe are literally dying because of these sins. However, due to the silence of the clergy, the world has been given the opportunity to shape our attitudes and beliefs about the most important issues of life. It is not enough that we hear or read the truth about morality from the heights of Vatican Hill from time to time in a lengthy dissertation (I, as a student of theology, love to read them. But I have come to realize that the average person cannot relate to them). We need to hear it from our priests and bishops; speaking the truth and using common language. In the forty plus years of my life on earth, I can count on one hand the number of times I heard words like "birth control" or "cohabitation" mentioned during a sermon. Yet, the Catholic Church is the most qualified agent to shed light on these issues and thus stop the social hemorrhaging. But she must begin by preaching about these issues specifically and concretely; not guised in general references. By doing this, the Church- the oracle of God -will bring the Light of Christ to these dark crevasses of society.


A Price and the Void:

There is, no doubt, a price to pay for speaking the truth. This is why Christ exhorted his followers to rejoice when they are persecuted for His sake. Perhaps a disgruntled Catholic will reproach a priest after Mass; or maybe friendships and alliances will be compromised in the parish. These possibilities quite often serve as a pretext for saying little to nothing about such sins from the pulpit. Nonetheless, it is important that everyone, not just the priest, know that for every person we offend with the truth, we are apt to attract three or more souls to Christ. Yet, the offended person is much more likely to be vocal about his opposition than the person who has been won over by it. Because of this recurring dynamic, Catholics- both clergy and laity -perceiving that the offended person represents the majority, retreats and says no more about the truth. But when the clergy does not speak the truth about the above mentioned sins, then the laity and the Church at large will have to pay a much greater price.

Therefore, the reluctance of the Catholic clergy to address the specifics of the moral law, especially with regard to sexual sin, has left a void in our culture. Let there be no doubt, the silence and timidity of priests who stand behind the pulpit every week has only made room for sin, false ideologies, and destructive behaviors to flourish all the more. Sadly, these things take place in their own parishes. But as our Lord said, "A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden." A lamp is placed on a "lamp stand, where it gives light to all in the house." But when the lamp is put under a bushel basket, darkness ensues. Indeed, it has never been so unclear as to what a Christian really is or what the nature of marriage really is.


Setting the Pace:

The priesthood, that is, the spiritual fatherhood of society, really does set the pace for the people. The supernatural order is the cause; the natural order, the effect. When priests do not speak to the truth about specific moral behaviors which determine the quality of life and the longevity of civilizations, then the powerful and those most vocal in society will define how we shall live and how we shall die.

Jesus said that "every scribe who has been instructed in the kingdom of heaven is like the head of a household who brings from his storeroom both the new and the old." As we have seen, the "new" is necessary for the relevance of the sermon, to bring the light of the Gospel to bear on the questions people are asking and the events they read and hear about on a daily basis. Although the Church is the custodian of God's revelation and its timeless truths- althought she is the vestibule to Eternal Life -and although at every Mass heaven and earth meet -the world contintues to turn without much interaction between the pulpit and the world. Life as we know it and world history are passing by. They have become more misunderstood over time. And one critical factor underlying this unfortunate development is that the world, as it being discussed and read about during the work week, is not given a Catholic interpretation. Indeed, the great divide between the pulpit and the world must be bridged.

The lay faithful's perspective can shed some light on this pastoral need. After all, are they not the "consumer" or the intended recipient of Sunday sermons? And are their needs being met? Pastors, priests and even seminaries should ask them. Because for forty-plus years they have hungered for more substance. They need to be taught how to think with Christ during the week.