Friday, 4 December 2009
Thursday, 3 December 2009
Wednesday, 2 December 2009
National Advocacy Group Condemns Efforts to Escalate “War on Christmas”
The national advocacy group In God We Trust today condemned efforts of national atheist organizations and left-wing legal groups aimed at terrorizing Americans into not celebrating Christmas.
“Americans have become accustomed to the whining and calls for censorship of anti-religion activists during the Christmas season,” says In God We Trust’s Chairman Bishop Council Nedd. “However, this year opponents of the holiday are escalating their ‘War on Christmas’ to a whole new level. Their goal is harass, mock and scare people into censoring themselves and hiding their Christmas celebrations.”
Nedd specifically points out that the national atheist group the American Humanist Association has launched an unprecedented national advertising campaign mocking the meaning of the Christmas holiday. In Washington, state officials have banned all holiday displays from the state Capitol. Additionally, in Loudoun County, Virginia, government officials have banned any type of Christmas or holiday displays including Christmas trees and menorahs from public property fearing attacks from anti-religion activists.
“Americans are being terrorized into banishing Christmas from public life,” Nedd warns. “The hate and venom spewing from some of these anti-religious groups is so great that some jurisdictions are tearing down even secular Christmas displays as fast as they can.”
In God We Trust is a national political advocacy organization with over 70,000 supporters of various faiths. Council Nedd is a traditional Episcopal priest and serves as the Bishop of the Chesapeake and Northeast for the Episcopal Missionary Church. In God We Trust can be found on the Internet at www.InGodWeTrustUSA.org.
“Americans have become accustomed to the whining and calls for censorship of anti-religion activists during the Christmas season,” says In God We Trust’s Chairman Bishop Council Nedd. “However, this year opponents of the holiday are escalating their ‘War on Christmas’ to a whole new level. Their goal is harass, mock and scare people into censoring themselves and hiding their Christmas celebrations.”
Nedd specifically points out that the national atheist group the American Humanist Association has launched an unprecedented national advertising campaign mocking the meaning of the Christmas holiday. In Washington, state officials have banned all holiday displays from the state Capitol. Additionally, in Loudoun County, Virginia, government officials have banned any type of Christmas or holiday displays including Christmas trees and menorahs from public property fearing attacks from anti-religion activists.
“Americans are being terrorized into banishing Christmas from public life,” Nedd warns. “The hate and venom spewing from some of these anti-religious groups is so great that some jurisdictions are tearing down even secular Christmas displays as fast as they can.”
In God We Trust is a national political advocacy organization with over 70,000 supporters of various faiths. Council Nedd is a traditional Episcopal priest and serves as the Bishop of the Chesapeake and Northeast for the Episcopal Missionary Church. In God We Trust can be found on the Internet at www.InGodWeTrustUSA.org.
Tuesday, 1 December 2009
'Tis the Season
by Bishop william Millsaps
If I were to ask twenty people to complete this line, my guess is that they would say, "to be jolly." But this would be limited to the English-speaking world. Trust me, if you were in Russia at the train station in St. Petersburg waiting to meet loved ones on November 28th you would not give that answer. What if I were to have asked the people of Mumbai at this time last year? Tragedy endured keeps human beings, for a time, from the trivial and the superficial, into which we slip so easily.
Last year, as we were gathering for celebrations of Thanksgiving, including Community Services of worship, terrorists were making their way to cause suffering and death in India. That they chose a Jewish Center along with luxury hotels and the lovely train station and a historical monument was no accident. They wanted to send another signal that Israel is a target and that those who trade with Israel are in the cross hairs. In Russia this year it appears that the terrorists were home grown, and that has happened here, on occasion, as well. Some group will probably announce the cause in the name of which this horror was brought about. For the most part we seem safe and secure in our towns and cities right now. I am not an alarmist. I just want us to be a people mindful of our blessings, and mindful to be vigilant as well.
I was honored to be asked to be the preacher at the First Baptist Church in Monteagle last year on Tuesday, November 25th. I mentioned that we had two men who were headed for India for preaching missions and asked for prayer for their safety. I also mentioned that among the things for which I am thankful that last year included a very special trip for my wife and me to Israel, and for my friendships with Jewish chaplains in our Armed Forces over the years. I told a story of how the transition in endorsers for one of the branches of Judaism took place in Washington, D. C., and how I was privileged to see the beauty of the love for the United States in the way in which these men were willing to serve. They were even eager to learn from me, an Anglican bishop, how to do the Last Rites for a Roman Catholic soldier if there was no Catholic chaplain available. Believe me, when I tell you the Catholic chaplains know how to help with Chanukah preparations if no Jewish chaplain is nearby. Of course, situations like this are unlikely, but it was also unlikely that a 29-year-old rabbi from Brooklyn and his wife would be tortured and murdered in Mumbai. Their Indian nanny, a Christian named Sandra Samuel, bravely rescued their blood-covered two-year-old child, risking her own life. I understand she is still helping care for the child and has stayed with the child's relatives in Israel. You do not have to be a prophet to know there will be more terrorist attacks in 2010, if not some more before this year's end.
In the Christian tradition of the historic churches we are now in the Advent Season. There is supposed to be a solemnity about it, as we reflect on what is sometimes called the Second Coming. This refers to the return of Christ who comes this time not as a little child but as our Judge. My own faith teaches me that I am accountable. It also teaches me that I am saved by Grace. Is this contradictory? No, but it is a reality held in tension. Do we use our freedom of speech wisely? We do if we choose to speak up against those who refuse to respect life and are eager to destroy what others have worked hard to build and to transmit to their children. Could Sandra Samuel have imagined what she would be faced with and would do? For her last year it was the season to be tested and to pass the test. It is unlikely you will face such a test, but it is likely you will have opportunities this December to do many kindnesses, to decide who and what you value. Tis' the Season to seize the opportunities to reflect on what you really believe and to learn more about the rich faith traditions that are our heritage. If I don't wish you a Merry Christmas until a little later in December, just chalk it up to my desire to keep a bit of Advent, as a separate and kind of fall-training season, so that later, when I do wish you a "Merry Christmas," it will for me be more than just a catch phrase. But one thing is sure, if you choose to wish me a "Merry Christmas" anytime, I will be grateful for your good thoughts and rejoice with you.
If I were to ask twenty people to complete this line, my guess is that they would say, "to be jolly." But this would be limited to the English-speaking world. Trust me, if you were in Russia at the train station in St. Petersburg waiting to meet loved ones on November 28th you would not give that answer. What if I were to have asked the people of Mumbai at this time last year? Tragedy endured keeps human beings, for a time, from the trivial and the superficial, into which we slip so easily.
Last year, as we were gathering for celebrations of Thanksgiving, including Community Services of worship, terrorists were making their way to cause suffering and death in India. That they chose a Jewish Center along with luxury hotels and the lovely train station and a historical monument was no accident. They wanted to send another signal that Israel is a target and that those who trade with Israel are in the cross hairs. In Russia this year it appears that the terrorists were home grown, and that has happened here, on occasion, as well. Some group will probably announce the cause in the name of which this horror was brought about. For the most part we seem safe and secure in our towns and cities right now. I am not an alarmist. I just want us to be a people mindful of our blessings, and mindful to be vigilant as well.
I was honored to be asked to be the preacher at the First Baptist Church in Monteagle last year on Tuesday, November 25th. I mentioned that we had two men who were headed for India for preaching missions and asked for prayer for their safety. I also mentioned that among the things for which I am thankful that last year included a very special trip for my wife and me to Israel, and for my friendships with Jewish chaplains in our Armed Forces over the years. I told a story of how the transition in endorsers for one of the branches of Judaism took place in Washington, D. C., and how I was privileged to see the beauty of the love for the United States in the way in which these men were willing to serve. They were even eager to learn from me, an Anglican bishop, how to do the Last Rites for a Roman Catholic soldier if there was no Catholic chaplain available. Believe me, when I tell you the Catholic chaplains know how to help with Chanukah preparations if no Jewish chaplain is nearby. Of course, situations like this are unlikely, but it was also unlikely that a 29-year-old rabbi from Brooklyn and his wife would be tortured and murdered in Mumbai. Their Indian nanny, a Christian named Sandra Samuel, bravely rescued their blood-covered two-year-old child, risking her own life. I understand she is still helping care for the child and has stayed with the child's relatives in Israel. You do not have to be a prophet to know there will be more terrorist attacks in 2010, if not some more before this year's end.
In the Christian tradition of the historic churches we are now in the Advent Season. There is supposed to be a solemnity about it, as we reflect on what is sometimes called the Second Coming. This refers to the return of Christ who comes this time not as a little child but as our Judge. My own faith teaches me that I am accountable. It also teaches me that I am saved by Grace. Is this contradictory? No, but it is a reality held in tension. Do we use our freedom of speech wisely? We do if we choose to speak up against those who refuse to respect life and are eager to destroy what others have worked hard to build and to transmit to their children. Could Sandra Samuel have imagined what she would be faced with and would do? For her last year it was the season to be tested and to pass the test. It is unlikely you will face such a test, but it is likely you will have opportunities this December to do many kindnesses, to decide who and what you value. Tis' the Season to seize the opportunities to reflect on what you really believe and to learn more about the rich faith traditions that are our heritage. If I don't wish you a Merry Christmas until a little later in December, just chalk it up to my desire to keep a bit of Advent, as a separate and kind of fall-training season, so that later, when I do wish you a "Merry Christmas," it will for me be more than just a catch phrase. But one thing is sure, if you choose to wish me a "Merry Christmas" anytime, I will be grateful for your good thoughts and rejoice with you.
The Lady Who Wrote "Mary Had a Little Lamb
By Bishop William Millsaps
This is a slightly revised column based on some others I have written previously for the Thanksgiving season. Before going on, however, I want to say that I hope my readers will remember those who mourn especially the families who lost loved ones at Ft. Hood in that traitorous massacre, and also remember all who mourn in a season when most of us are celebrating and having fun. I ask for special prayers for our chaplains many of whom will spend Thanksgiving Day going from room to room in a hospital or in other settings where they are doing ministry. USA Today did a fine job in an article published on November 16th recounting just few stories about this ministry.
But to go on with the subject of this column I will ask, “Have you ever heard of Sarah Hale?” She is not exactly a household name. But you have heard of “Mary Had a Little Lamb”? -- which she wrote! In addition, she was the editor of a well-known women’s magazine called Godey’s Lady’s Book. She was also known as “The Thanksgiving Lady.”
In 1828, Sarah decided that Thomas Jefferson had made a terrible mistake when he discontinued the practice of George Washington, who had proclaimed Days of Thanksgiving. James Madison, who followed Jefferson as president, had also issued a Proclamation of Thanksgiving for Peace after the War of 1812. Sarah Hale used these as precedents.
It should be noted that Jefferson was not opposed to giving thanks. He just associated Proclamations of Thanksgiving with kings, and he believed if they were to be made at all, it should be by the States. It is a fact that on many occasions Days of Thanksgiving were proclaimed in England when the king or a member of the royal family recovered from an illness. After such a long period of not having a National Day of Thanksgiving, and with such a distinguished citizen as Mr. Jefferson having been on record as opposed to the idea, it seemed that the subject was closed. But, as every happily married man knows, when a woman is determined a subject is never closed, unless it is closed by the lady herself. It is a good lesson, and it is a better world for it.
Jefferson died in 1826. Even so, Sarah Hale was one determined lady! She wrote letters and waited outside the offices of Senators, members of Congress and Presidents. She wrote stories of the first Thanksgiving and kept the idea alive until Abraham Lincoln listened seriously to her. In 1863, she presented a plea that the President ask that the armies in the field "lay aside enmities and strife" on a certain day. She even had a day in mind. It was to be the fourth Thursday in November. Her research and her determination can inspire us in this difficult time. She believed that Almighty God had watched over the founding of this Country and that a lack of gratitude had been one cause of the strife which led to the horrible war. She spoke not of something new, but of the restoration of something precious. She reprinted George Washington’s Proclamation time after time and mailed it to national leaders for over thirty years with personal hand written letters. Whenever you get discouraged, you may take some comfort from Sarah Hale’s story. Perhaps the most outstanding thing about Sarah Hale is that she didn’t care who got the credit. She cared deeply about the principle.
The better known story of the American Thanksgiving is traced to Pilgrims at Plymouth, Massachusetts. During the Winter of 1620-21, the first Winter in the new land, half of the Pilgrims had died. When Spring came, they cleared land and planted fields. Some of the Indians, especially Squanto, helped them both with farming and hunting. In the harvest season, they reaped an abundant harvest. Their Governor, William Bradford, proclaimed a Day of Thanksgiving to Almighty God. Great preparations were made and the Indians were invited to share in their feast. There were church services, and instead of one day, they spent three days in feasting. The Indians brought wild turkeys and venison as their contribution.
The first idea of a national Thanksgiving seems to have come from George Washington. As we have seen, his proclamation of Thanksgiving for the adoption of the Constitution in 1789 was remembered by James Madison who proclaimed a day of Thanksgiving for peace at the end of the War of 1812. Many of the individual states had their own annual Thanksgiving days. As stated above, it was Abraham Lincoln who named the last Thursday in November 1863 as a Day of national Thanksgiving. This custom continued until President Franklin Roosevelt named the next to last Thursday in 1939. In December 1941, an act of Congress declared the fourth Thursday in November as a national holiday.
This is a slightly revised column based on some others I have written previously for the Thanksgiving season. Before going on, however, I want to say that I hope my readers will remember those who mourn especially the families who lost loved ones at Ft. Hood in that traitorous massacre, and also remember all who mourn in a season when most of us are celebrating and having fun. I ask for special prayers for our chaplains many of whom will spend Thanksgiving Day going from room to room in a hospital or in other settings where they are doing ministry. USA Today did a fine job in an article published on November 16th recounting just few stories about this ministry.
But to go on with the subject of this column I will ask, “Have you ever heard of Sarah Hale?” She is not exactly a household name. But you have heard of “Mary Had a Little Lamb”? -- which she wrote! In addition, she was the editor of a well-known women’s magazine called Godey’s Lady’s Book. She was also known as “The Thanksgiving Lady.”
In 1828, Sarah decided that Thomas Jefferson had made a terrible mistake when he discontinued the practice of George Washington, who had proclaimed Days of Thanksgiving. James Madison, who followed Jefferson as president, had also issued a Proclamation of Thanksgiving for Peace after the War of 1812. Sarah Hale used these as precedents.
It should be noted that Jefferson was not opposed to giving thanks. He just associated Proclamations of Thanksgiving with kings, and he believed if they were to be made at all, it should be by the States. It is a fact that on many occasions Days of Thanksgiving were proclaimed in England when the king or a member of the royal family recovered from an illness. After such a long period of not having a National Day of Thanksgiving, and with such a distinguished citizen as Mr. Jefferson having been on record as opposed to the idea, it seemed that the subject was closed. But, as every happily married man knows, when a woman is determined a subject is never closed, unless it is closed by the lady herself. It is a good lesson, and it is a better world for it.
Jefferson died in 1826. Even so, Sarah Hale was one determined lady! She wrote letters and waited outside the offices of Senators, members of Congress and Presidents. She wrote stories of the first Thanksgiving and kept the idea alive until Abraham Lincoln listened seriously to her. In 1863, she presented a plea that the President ask that the armies in the field "lay aside enmities and strife" on a certain day. She even had a day in mind. It was to be the fourth Thursday in November. Her research and her determination can inspire us in this difficult time. She believed that Almighty God had watched over the founding of this Country and that a lack of gratitude had been one cause of the strife which led to the horrible war. She spoke not of something new, but of the restoration of something precious. She reprinted George Washington’s Proclamation time after time and mailed it to national leaders for over thirty years with personal hand written letters. Whenever you get discouraged, you may take some comfort from Sarah Hale’s story. Perhaps the most outstanding thing about Sarah Hale is that she didn’t care who got the credit. She cared deeply about the principle.
The better known story of the American Thanksgiving is traced to Pilgrims at Plymouth, Massachusetts. During the Winter of 1620-21, the first Winter in the new land, half of the Pilgrims had died. When Spring came, they cleared land and planted fields. Some of the Indians, especially Squanto, helped them both with farming and hunting. In the harvest season, they reaped an abundant harvest. Their Governor, William Bradford, proclaimed a Day of Thanksgiving to Almighty God. Great preparations were made and the Indians were invited to share in their feast. There were church services, and instead of one day, they spent three days in feasting. The Indians brought wild turkeys and venison as their contribution.
The first idea of a national Thanksgiving seems to have come from George Washington. As we have seen, his proclamation of Thanksgiving for the adoption of the Constitution in 1789 was remembered by James Madison who proclaimed a day of Thanksgiving for peace at the end of the War of 1812. Many of the individual states had their own annual Thanksgiving days. As stated above, it was Abraham Lincoln who named the last Thursday in November 1863 as a Day of national Thanksgiving. This custom continued until President Franklin Roosevelt named the next to last Thursday in 1939. In December 1941, an act of Congress declared the fourth Thursday in November as a national holiday.
Monday, 30 November 2009
Latin Mass Appeal
by Kenneth J. Wolfe
WALKING into church 40 years ago on this first Sunday of Advent, many Roman Catholics might have wondered where they were. The priest not only spoke English rather than Latin, but he faced the congregation instead of the tabernacle; laymen took on duties previously reserved for priests; folk music filled the air. The great changes of Vatican II had hit home.
All this was a radical break from the traditional Latin Mass, codified in the 16th century at the Council of Trent. For centuries, that Mass served as a structured sacrifice with directives, called “rubrics,” that were not optional. This is how it is done, said the book. As recently as 1947, Pope Pius XII had issued an encyclical on liturgy that scoffed at modernization; he said that the idea of changes to the traditional Latin Mass “pained” him “grievously.”
Paradoxically, however, it was Pius himself who was largely responsible for the momentous changes of 1969. It was he who appointed the chief architect of the new Mass, Annibale Bugnini, to the Vatican’s liturgical commission in 1948.
Bugnini was born in 1912 and ordained a Vincentian priest in 1936. Though Bugnini had barely a decade of parish work, Pius XII made him secretary to the Commission for Liturgical Reform. In the 1950s, Bugnini led a major revision of the liturgies of Holy Week. As a result, on Good Friday of 1955, congregations for the first time joined the priest in reciting the Pater Noster, and the priest faced the congregation for some of the liturgy.
The next pope, John XXIII, named Bugnini secretary to the Preparatory Commission for the Liturgy of Vatican II, in which position he worked with Catholic clergymen and, surprisingly, some Protestant ministers on liturgical reforms. In 1962 he wrote what would eventually become the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, the document that gave the form of the new Mass.
Many of Bugnini’s reforms were aimed at appeasing non-Catholics, and changes emulating Protestant services were made, including placing altars to face the people instead of a sacrifice toward the liturgical east. As he put it, “We must strip from our ... Catholic liturgy everything which can be the shadow of a stumbling block for our separated brethren, that is, for the Protestants.” (Paradoxically, the Anglicans who will join the Catholic Church as a result of the current pope’s outreach will use a liturgy that often features the priest facing in the same direction as the congregation.)
How was Bugnini able to make such sweeping changes? In part because none of the popes he served were liturgists. Bugnini changed so many things that John’s successor, Paul VI, sometimes did not know the latest directives. The pope once questioned the vestments set out for him by his staff, saying they were the wrong color, only to be told he had eliminated the week-long celebration of Pentecost and could not wear the corresponding red garments for Mass. The pope’s master of ceremonies then witnessed Paul VI break down in tears.
Bugnini fell from grace in the 1970s. Rumors spread in the Italian press that he was a Freemason, which if true would have merited excommunication. The Vatican never denied the claims, and in 1976 Bugnini, by then an archbishop, was exiled to a ceremonial post in Iran. He died, largely forgotten, in 1982.
But his legacy lived on. Pope John Paul II continued the liberalizations of Mass, allowing females to serve in place of altar boys and to permit unordained men and women to distribute communion in the hands of standing recipients. Even conservative organizations like Opus Dei adopted the liberal liturgical reforms.
But Bugnini may have finally met his match in Benedict XVI, a noted liturgist himself who is no fan of the past 40 years of change. Chanting Latin, wearing antique vestments and distributing communion only on the tongues (rather than into the hands) of kneeling Catholics, Benedict has slowly reversed the innovations of his predecessors. And the Latin Mass is back, at least on a limited basis, in places like Arlington, Va., where one in five parishes offer the old liturgy.
Benedict understands that his younger priests and seminarians — most born after Vatican II — are helping lead a counterrevolution. They value the beauty of the solemn high Mass and its accompanying chant, incense and ceremony. Priests in cassocks and sisters in habits are again common; traditionalist societies like the Institute of Christ the King are expanding.
At the beginning of this decade, Benedict (then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger) wrote: “The turning of the priest toward the people has turned the community into a self-enclosed circle. In its outward form, it no longer opens out on what lies ahead and above, but is closed in on itself.” He was right: 40 years of the new Mass have brought chaos and banality into the most visible and outward sign of the church. Benedict XVI wants a return to order and meaning. So, it seems, does the next generation of Catholics.
Kenneth J. Wolfe writes frequently for traditionalist Roman Catholic publications.
WALKING into church 40 years ago on this first Sunday of Advent, many Roman Catholics might have wondered where they were. The priest not only spoke English rather than Latin, but he faced the congregation instead of the tabernacle; laymen took on duties previously reserved for priests; folk music filled the air. The great changes of Vatican II had hit home.
All this was a radical break from the traditional Latin Mass, codified in the 16th century at the Council of Trent. For centuries, that Mass served as a structured sacrifice with directives, called “rubrics,” that were not optional. This is how it is done, said the book. As recently as 1947, Pope Pius XII had issued an encyclical on liturgy that scoffed at modernization; he said that the idea of changes to the traditional Latin Mass “pained” him “grievously.”
Paradoxically, however, it was Pius himself who was largely responsible for the momentous changes of 1969. It was he who appointed the chief architect of the new Mass, Annibale Bugnini, to the Vatican’s liturgical commission in 1948.
Bugnini was born in 1912 and ordained a Vincentian priest in 1936. Though Bugnini had barely a decade of parish work, Pius XII made him secretary to the Commission for Liturgical Reform. In the 1950s, Bugnini led a major revision of the liturgies of Holy Week. As a result, on Good Friday of 1955, congregations for the first time joined the priest in reciting the Pater Noster, and the priest faced the congregation for some of the liturgy.
The next pope, John XXIII, named Bugnini secretary to the Preparatory Commission for the Liturgy of Vatican II, in which position he worked with Catholic clergymen and, surprisingly, some Protestant ministers on liturgical reforms. In 1962 he wrote what would eventually become the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, the document that gave the form of the new Mass.
Many of Bugnini’s reforms were aimed at appeasing non-Catholics, and changes emulating Protestant services were made, including placing altars to face the people instead of a sacrifice toward the liturgical east. As he put it, “We must strip from our ... Catholic liturgy everything which can be the shadow of a stumbling block for our separated brethren, that is, for the Protestants.” (Paradoxically, the Anglicans who will join the Catholic Church as a result of the current pope’s outreach will use a liturgy that often features the priest facing in the same direction as the congregation.)
How was Bugnini able to make such sweeping changes? In part because none of the popes he served were liturgists. Bugnini changed so many things that John’s successor, Paul VI, sometimes did not know the latest directives. The pope once questioned the vestments set out for him by his staff, saying they were the wrong color, only to be told he had eliminated the week-long celebration of Pentecost and could not wear the corresponding red garments for Mass. The pope’s master of ceremonies then witnessed Paul VI break down in tears.
Bugnini fell from grace in the 1970s. Rumors spread in the Italian press that he was a Freemason, which if true would have merited excommunication. The Vatican never denied the claims, and in 1976 Bugnini, by then an archbishop, was exiled to a ceremonial post in Iran. He died, largely forgotten, in 1982.
But his legacy lived on. Pope John Paul II continued the liberalizations of Mass, allowing females to serve in place of altar boys and to permit unordained men and women to distribute communion in the hands of standing recipients. Even conservative organizations like Opus Dei adopted the liberal liturgical reforms.
But Bugnini may have finally met his match in Benedict XVI, a noted liturgist himself who is no fan of the past 40 years of change. Chanting Latin, wearing antique vestments and distributing communion only on the tongues (rather than into the hands) of kneeling Catholics, Benedict has slowly reversed the innovations of his predecessors. And the Latin Mass is back, at least on a limited basis, in places like Arlington, Va., where one in five parishes offer the old liturgy.
Benedict understands that his younger priests and seminarians — most born after Vatican II — are helping lead a counterrevolution. They value the beauty of the solemn high Mass and its accompanying chant, incense and ceremony. Priests in cassocks and sisters in habits are again common; traditionalist societies like the Institute of Christ the King are expanding.
At the beginning of this decade, Benedict (then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger) wrote: “The turning of the priest toward the people has turned the community into a self-enclosed circle. In its outward form, it no longer opens out on what lies ahead and above, but is closed in on itself.” He was right: 40 years of the new Mass have brought chaos and banality into the most visible and outward sign of the church. Benedict XVI wants a return to order and meaning. So, it seems, does the next generation of Catholics.
Kenneth J. Wolfe writes frequently for traditionalist Roman Catholic publications.
Trinity XXIII
By Bishop Council Nedd II
Lord, be gracious with the light of your countenance, for I live only to see your face, so shine on me. In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost. Amen.
I raise my hands and bow my head.
I’m finding more and more truth in the words written in red.
They tell me that there’s more to life than just what I can see,
Oh, I believe
Maybe you know this, and maybe you don’t but the country music singers Brooks and Dunn are on their farewell tour. They have a song out now, called Believe which is about faith in the afterlife, faith in the belief that there is something bigger out there.
Today’s epistle and the gospel condemn the shortsighted individuals who are content not to see beyond merely earthly things. In the last line of this morning epistle, St. Paul is writing to the church at Philippi, and he says,
“We however, are citizens of heaven, and we eagerly await for our Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ to come from Heaven. He will take our weak mortal bodies and make them like his own glorious body, using that power by which he is able to bring all things under his rule.”
His point is, that we should not allow ourselves to get tethered to this world, or dragged down, by our associations with people who think this world is all there is. Knowing that there is a life beyond this one is one of the things that sets us Christian saints apart from the rest of the world.
St. Paul says while we currently live on this earth, we are all truly destined to be in heaven. And we look to heaven for Jesus to come again. When he comes back he will raise us up from the dead and change our mortal bodies into immortal bodies like his own body. Why will that happen? It will happen because he has power over everything in the universe, and he can subject any and all of it to his will. So, it will happen because he wants it to.
This line from Philippians is quoted in one of the most significant places in the Prayer Book. That is the sentence of burial that is read over a body at the grave. Those lines go like this.
"Unto Almighty God we commend the soul of our brother departed, and we commit his body to the ground; earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust; in sure and certain hope of the resurrection unto eternal life, through our Lord Jesus Christ; at whose coming in glorious majesty to judge the world, the earth and the sea shall give up their dead; and the corruptible bodies of those who sleep in him shall be changed, and made like unto his own glorious body; according to the mighty working whereby he is able to subdue all things unto himself."
Listening to that sentence of committal when it is being read over a loved one is a major test of how much you really believe the primary Christian teachings about life, death and the afterlife. If you believe Jesus has the power over everything and that he can subject everything to himself, as St. Paul says, then you will indeed believe that Rascal Flats are wrong, and Here Comes Good-bye is only a temporary situation. Death doesn’t mean good-bye it means, I’ll see you later. You will also believe that we will all be raised from the dead together when he comes back and then go to heaven together to live forever.
Today’s epistle is about death and the gospel is about taxes, the two things we are constantly told we can’t escape. However, both the epistle and the gospel also condemn people who are content not to go beyond merely earthly things.
Jesus has three major groups of enemies. Each of them go to him during the last week of his earthly life with questions. Questions, they hope will make him look bad in front of his throngs of supporters. In typical fashion, Jesus, quite cleverly, finesses each of the three questions. He then he asks his opponents Bible questions of his own and leaves them speechless. The groups are so frustrated and mad at the sanctimonious, self-righteous, holier-than-thou, smug and pious backwoods hick from Nazareth that they decide the best way to outwit him is to not outwit him at all. They will just kill him. And they proceed to conspire to do so.
The Herodians sidle up to the Pharisees and piggy-back on the Pharisees attack on Jesus. The Herodians were political partisans of the Herod family who had ruled Israel for quite some time. The Herods' claim to the throne rested solely upon their alliance with the Romans, rather than upon any connection to the original, legitimate Hebrew monarchy.
They butter Jesus up for a few nauseating moments, then the Herodians ask him, "Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or is it not?" If Jesus answered, "Yes, it is lawful," he would be accused of treachery to his people and branded a collaborator with the Romans. If he said, "No, it is not lawful," then he would be branded a rebel and an insurrectionist by the Romans.
We know from St. Matthew that Jesus was not fooled, and said, "Why are you trying to trip me up, you hairsplitting legalists? We will easily clear this up if you show me one of the coins that are used to pay the taxes. Whose picture is on this coin – whose name is on this coin?"
The Herodians answer, correctly, "Caesar's name and picture are on it." Then Jesus says, "If Caesar’s name and picture are on the coin, then the coin must be his – so it must be proper to give it to him. But you also have to give to God what belongs to him."
Following the same logic used with the coin, what belongs to God has to be what has his name and picture on it. What has God's name and picture on it is you, me and all the rest of the saints, and we know from the last couple of weeks, that the saints are all the baptized Christians. As the book of Genesis tells us we, each of us, are made in God's image. We get God's name on us when we are baptized and he adopts us as his children and gives us his name.
There is never a conflict between meeting our legitimate earthly obligations and meeting our obligations to God, key word being legitimate. However, if there ever appears to be a conflict between our duty to Caesar and our duty to God, it is our obligation to let God win out, no matter what the consequences may be.
"For our citizenship is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ."
In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. Amen
Lord, be gracious with the light of your countenance, for I live only to see your face, so shine on me. In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost. Amen.
I raise my hands and bow my head.
I’m finding more and more truth in the words written in red.
They tell me that there’s more to life than just what I can see,
Oh, I believe
Maybe you know this, and maybe you don’t but the country music singers Brooks and Dunn are on their farewell tour. They have a song out now, called Believe which is about faith in the afterlife, faith in the belief that there is something bigger out there.
Today’s epistle and the gospel condemn the shortsighted individuals who are content not to see beyond merely earthly things. In the last line of this morning epistle, St. Paul is writing to the church at Philippi, and he says,
“We however, are citizens of heaven, and we eagerly await for our Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ to come from Heaven. He will take our weak mortal bodies and make them like his own glorious body, using that power by which he is able to bring all things under his rule.”
His point is, that we should not allow ourselves to get tethered to this world, or dragged down, by our associations with people who think this world is all there is. Knowing that there is a life beyond this one is one of the things that sets us Christian saints apart from the rest of the world.
St. Paul says while we currently live on this earth, we are all truly destined to be in heaven. And we look to heaven for Jesus to come again. When he comes back he will raise us up from the dead and change our mortal bodies into immortal bodies like his own body. Why will that happen? It will happen because he has power over everything in the universe, and he can subject any and all of it to his will. So, it will happen because he wants it to.
This line from Philippians is quoted in one of the most significant places in the Prayer Book. That is the sentence of burial that is read over a body at the grave. Those lines go like this.
"Unto Almighty God we commend the soul of our brother departed, and we commit his body to the ground; earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust; in sure and certain hope of the resurrection unto eternal life, through our Lord Jesus Christ; at whose coming in glorious majesty to judge the world, the earth and the sea shall give up their dead; and the corruptible bodies of those who sleep in him shall be changed, and made like unto his own glorious body; according to the mighty working whereby he is able to subdue all things unto himself."
Listening to that sentence of committal when it is being read over a loved one is a major test of how much you really believe the primary Christian teachings about life, death and the afterlife. If you believe Jesus has the power over everything and that he can subject everything to himself, as St. Paul says, then you will indeed believe that Rascal Flats are wrong, and Here Comes Good-bye is only a temporary situation. Death doesn’t mean good-bye it means, I’ll see you later. You will also believe that we will all be raised from the dead together when he comes back and then go to heaven together to live forever.
Today’s epistle is about death and the gospel is about taxes, the two things we are constantly told we can’t escape. However, both the epistle and the gospel also condemn people who are content not to go beyond merely earthly things.
Jesus has three major groups of enemies. Each of them go to him during the last week of his earthly life with questions. Questions, they hope will make him look bad in front of his throngs of supporters. In typical fashion, Jesus, quite cleverly, finesses each of the three questions. He then he asks his opponents Bible questions of his own and leaves them speechless. The groups are so frustrated and mad at the sanctimonious, self-righteous, holier-than-thou, smug and pious backwoods hick from Nazareth that they decide the best way to outwit him is to not outwit him at all. They will just kill him. And they proceed to conspire to do so.
The Herodians sidle up to the Pharisees and piggy-back on the Pharisees attack on Jesus. The Herodians were political partisans of the Herod family who had ruled Israel for quite some time. The Herods' claim to the throne rested solely upon their alliance with the Romans, rather than upon any connection to the original, legitimate Hebrew monarchy.
They butter Jesus up for a few nauseating moments, then the Herodians ask him, "Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or is it not?" If Jesus answered, "Yes, it is lawful," he would be accused of treachery to his people and branded a collaborator with the Romans. If he said, "No, it is not lawful," then he would be branded a rebel and an insurrectionist by the Romans.
We know from St. Matthew that Jesus was not fooled, and said, "Why are you trying to trip me up, you hairsplitting legalists? We will easily clear this up if you show me one of the coins that are used to pay the taxes. Whose picture is on this coin – whose name is on this coin?"
The Herodians answer, correctly, "Caesar's name and picture are on it." Then Jesus says, "If Caesar’s name and picture are on the coin, then the coin must be his – so it must be proper to give it to him. But you also have to give to God what belongs to him."
Following the same logic used with the coin, what belongs to God has to be what has his name and picture on it. What has God's name and picture on it is you, me and all the rest of the saints, and we know from the last couple of weeks, that the saints are all the baptized Christians. As the book of Genesis tells us we, each of us, are made in God's image. We get God's name on us when we are baptized and he adopts us as his children and gives us his name.
There is never a conflict between meeting our legitimate earthly obligations and meeting our obligations to God, key word being legitimate. However, if there ever appears to be a conflict between our duty to Caesar and our duty to God, it is our obligation to let God win out, no matter what the consequences may be.
"For our citizenship is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ."
In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. Amen
Monday, 23 November 2009
Sunday Before Advent
by Bishop CouncilNedd II
Praise the Lord, O my soul. All my being, praise his holy name. In the Name of the Father the Son and the Holy Ghost, Amen
Welcome to the last Sunday of the Christian year. I have a close friend named Mike Scalzi, who is the presiding bishop of the American Catholic Church which is a very liberal denomination with an agenda. I was hanging out with my friend and one of his seminarians a few years ago on this very Sunday, when the seminarian announced that he loved Advent because it is the Christian festival of lights. Mike and I just looked at each other and laughed.
While there are Christmas lights around during Advent, the season of Advent is all about the coming of the Messiah of Israel, and today's lessons give us a glimpse of what the Messiah is going to do when he finally appears.
Jeremiah the prophet preached mostly during the seventh century before Christ. Israel split in two kingdoms after King Solomon’s death, about 350 years before Jeremiah. The northern kingdom, called Israel, was conquered by the Assyrians in 722 B.C. Jeremiah lived in the southern kingdom, which was called Judah.
Judah was more or less under the control of the Babylonians, The Babylonians empire succeeded Assyria as the major power in the Middle East. Jeremiah didn’t make any friends by saying that Judah was doomed to destruction because it kings refused to obey God, and they refused to conduct their foreign policy as God wanted them to.
Various rays of hope for the future were interspersed among Jeremiah's unpleasant predictions. Jeremiah suggested that even though Judah's bad behavior was going to bring God's wrath down upon them in the short term, the prospects for the long run were positive. This is because the people of Israel and Judah were still God's chosen people, and he still wanted what was best for them.
Today's lesson is a similar such ray of hope. God speaks through Jeremiah and says that someday be is going to send his people a good king. King Zedekiah of Judah, whose names means “God is Righteousness” was a puppet of Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon. So, understandably, King Zedekiah was a bit upset when Jeremiah promises a king whose name will be "The Lord our Righteousness," but this time the name will be accurate rather than ironic.
The coming king is going to be a descendant of King David and more specifically, he will be from a righteous branch of David's family tree. Jeremiah prophesies a successful reign for him, during which he will enforce judgment and justice, and both Israel and Judah will be safe. They will be safe, presumably, from the foreign aggressors who had caused both nations so much trouble.
Jeremiah then makes the jaw-dropping prediction that the righteous branch from David is going to do something so grand that he will make the chosen people revise their whole idea and understanding of who God is.
You see, until this point in history, if anyone in Israel were asked who their god was, they would have replied, "Our God is the one who brought us out of Egypt in the Exodus."
The Old Testament always describes God in terms of what he has done or what he is doing in Israel's history. Jewish Biblical thought does not conceive of God as an abstraction or a theoretical philosophical principle. God is not love, or justice, or even goodness. God is, not necessarily wrongly, the one who acts in history. The most significant thing God ever did in history was to get his people out of their slavery in Egypt, around 1400 B.C., which is why he was described as such.
Jeremiah says that what the Messiah is going to do will be so great that he will make people forget about the Exodus from Egypt or, probably more accurately relegate it to one of God's lesser feats. The Messiah is going to reunite all of God's chosen people. The Messiah is going to bring back together his people from all of the places where war and other turmoil in the holy land have driven them, and he is going to have all the people live together again in their own land.
As Christians, we know that Jeremiah was talking about is Jesus – a descendant of David from a righteous line who expands the membership of the chosen people to include Gentiles and the safe place where all God's people will live together is heaven, the ultimate promised land.
Israel knew that the Messiah was going to be a collector, one who gathers up, one who will put fragments together and bring scattered people back into one place.
St. John tells us at the end of the feeding of the five thousand, which is the miracle in today's gospel lesson, that Jesus told the disciples, "Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost." The disciples picked up twelve baskets of leftover bread. Twelve is the mystical number of the chosen people, because Israel had twelve tribes.
The people who saw today’s miracle did not only see the a magic trick, the remarkable feat of feeding lots of people with only a little food. They also saw in the cleanup an indication that Jesus, the miracle worker, was the one about which Jeremiah had spoken. They saw the one about whom the chosen people will say, "The Lord liveth, which brought up and which led the seed of the house of Israel out of the north country, and from all countries whither (God) had driven them, and they shall dwell in their own land."
Jeremiah is talking about Jesus and about what Jesus is going to do for us at the end of time when he takes us to heaven to be with him and the Father forever. And so we cry, "O come, o come, Emmanuel; come again, o Jesus, the righteous branch of David, the Lord our righteousness."
In the name of the Father the Son and the Holy Ghost. Amen
Praise the Lord, O my soul. All my being, praise his holy name. In the Name of the Father the Son and the Holy Ghost, Amen
Welcome to the last Sunday of the Christian year. I have a close friend named Mike Scalzi, who is the presiding bishop of the American Catholic Church which is a very liberal denomination with an agenda. I was hanging out with my friend and one of his seminarians a few years ago on this very Sunday, when the seminarian announced that he loved Advent because it is the Christian festival of lights. Mike and I just looked at each other and laughed.
While there are Christmas lights around during Advent, the season of Advent is all about the coming of the Messiah of Israel, and today's lessons give us a glimpse of what the Messiah is going to do when he finally appears.
Jeremiah the prophet preached mostly during the seventh century before Christ. Israel split in two kingdoms after King Solomon’s death, about 350 years before Jeremiah. The northern kingdom, called Israel, was conquered by the Assyrians in 722 B.C. Jeremiah lived in the southern kingdom, which was called Judah.
Judah was more or less under the control of the Babylonians, The Babylonians empire succeeded Assyria as the major power in the Middle East. Jeremiah didn’t make any friends by saying that Judah was doomed to destruction because it kings refused to obey God, and they refused to conduct their foreign policy as God wanted them to.
Various rays of hope for the future were interspersed among Jeremiah's unpleasant predictions. Jeremiah suggested that even though Judah's bad behavior was going to bring God's wrath down upon them in the short term, the prospects for the long run were positive. This is because the people of Israel and Judah were still God's chosen people, and he still wanted what was best for them.
Today's lesson is a similar such ray of hope. God speaks through Jeremiah and says that someday be is going to send his people a good king. King Zedekiah of Judah, whose names means “God is Righteousness” was a puppet of Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon. So, understandably, King Zedekiah was a bit upset when Jeremiah promises a king whose name will be "The Lord our Righteousness," but this time the name will be accurate rather than ironic.
The coming king is going to be a descendant of King David and more specifically, he will be from a righteous branch of David's family tree. Jeremiah prophesies a successful reign for him, during which he will enforce judgment and justice, and both Israel and Judah will be safe. They will be safe, presumably, from the foreign aggressors who had caused both nations so much trouble.
Jeremiah then makes the jaw-dropping prediction that the righteous branch from David is going to do something so grand that he will make the chosen people revise their whole idea and understanding of who God is.
You see, until this point in history, if anyone in Israel were asked who their god was, they would have replied, "Our God is the one who brought us out of Egypt in the Exodus."
The Old Testament always describes God in terms of what he has done or what he is doing in Israel's history. Jewish Biblical thought does not conceive of God as an abstraction or a theoretical philosophical principle. God is not love, or justice, or even goodness. God is, not necessarily wrongly, the one who acts in history. The most significant thing God ever did in history was to get his people out of their slavery in Egypt, around 1400 B.C., which is why he was described as such.
Jeremiah says that what the Messiah is going to do will be so great that he will make people forget about the Exodus from Egypt or, probably more accurately relegate it to one of God's lesser feats. The Messiah is going to reunite all of God's chosen people. The Messiah is going to bring back together his people from all of the places where war and other turmoil in the holy land have driven them, and he is going to have all the people live together again in their own land.
As Christians, we know that Jeremiah was talking about is Jesus – a descendant of David from a righteous line who expands the membership of the chosen people to include Gentiles and the safe place where all God's people will live together is heaven, the ultimate promised land.
Israel knew that the Messiah was going to be a collector, one who gathers up, one who will put fragments together and bring scattered people back into one place.
St. John tells us at the end of the feeding of the five thousand, which is the miracle in today's gospel lesson, that Jesus told the disciples, "Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost." The disciples picked up twelve baskets of leftover bread. Twelve is the mystical number of the chosen people, because Israel had twelve tribes.
The people who saw today’s miracle did not only see the a magic trick, the remarkable feat of feeding lots of people with only a little food. They also saw in the cleanup an indication that Jesus, the miracle worker, was the one about which Jeremiah had spoken. They saw the one about whom the chosen people will say, "The Lord liveth, which brought up and which led the seed of the house of Israel out of the north country, and from all countries whither (God) had driven them, and they shall dwell in their own land."
Jeremiah is talking about Jesus and about what Jesus is going to do for us at the end of time when he takes us to heaven to be with him and the Father forever. And so we cry, "O come, o come, Emmanuel; come again, o Jesus, the righteous branch of David, the Lord our righteousness."
In the name of the Father the Son and the Holy Ghost. Amen
Friday, 13 November 2009
Denia Reese Awarded Cup of Wrath
By Bishop Council Nedd II
November's Cup of Wrath Award is presented to Catoosa County Florida School Superintendent Denia Reese for banning the Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe High School cheerleaders from running through a banner adorned with bible versus before school football games.
Despite the fact the cheerleaders had been unfolding the paper banners as part of their pregame ceremony since 2001, Reese quickly banned it after receiving a single complaint about practice claiming the cheerleaders signs were clearly illegal.
According to Reese, a staff attorney told her the cheerleaders were breaking the law and that the school system could be sued. Despite the fact that no lawsuit had, in fact, ever been filed and the fact that banning the signs could just as easily result in a lawsuit being brought against her school district by supporters of the cheerleaders, Reese seized the opportunity to stop the tradition.
To make matters worse, Reese then proclaimed in perfect Orwellian fashion that, “I regret that the cheerleaders cannot display their signs in the football stadium without violating the First Amendment. I rely on reading the Bible daily, and I would never deny our students the opportunity to express their religious beliefs.”
For decreeing that 16 year old girls who wear school cheerleader’s outfits have no right to express their religious beliefs, Superintendent Denia Reese has earned herself a full draught from the Cup of Wrath.
November's Cup of Wrath Award is presented to Catoosa County Florida School Superintendent Denia Reese for banning the Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe High School cheerleaders from running through a banner adorned with bible versus before school football games.
Despite the fact the cheerleaders had been unfolding the paper banners as part of their pregame ceremony since 2001, Reese quickly banned it after receiving a single complaint about practice claiming the cheerleaders signs were clearly illegal.
According to Reese, a staff attorney told her the cheerleaders were breaking the law and that the school system could be sued. Despite the fact that no lawsuit had, in fact, ever been filed and the fact that banning the signs could just as easily result in a lawsuit being brought against her school district by supporters of the cheerleaders, Reese seized the opportunity to stop the tradition.
To make matters worse, Reese then proclaimed in perfect Orwellian fashion that, “I regret that the cheerleaders cannot display their signs in the football stadium without violating the First Amendment. I rely on reading the Bible daily, and I would never deny our students the opportunity to express their religious beliefs.”
For decreeing that 16 year old girls who wear school cheerleader’s outfits have no right to express their religious beliefs, Superintendent Denia Reese has earned herself a full draught from the Cup of Wrath.
Sunday, 8 November 2009
Sermon for Trinity XXII
By Bishop Council Nedd II
Jesus Christ, Son of God, Have mercy on me a sinner. In the name of the Father the Son and the Holy Ghost. Amen.
It’s a good thing that God is not like me. I try to be Christ like. Actually, to be more accurate, I try to try to be Christ like.
In today’s parable Jesus addresses the issue of forgiveness. Forgiveness implies misbehavior or a mistake on the parts of others. We have all heard the clichés that have crept into our way of thinking about misbehavior.
"Mistakes were made."
"We want to put this behind us."
"He wants to get on with his life."
"Everybody does it."
Not long after creation was created, God put Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. He told them they could do anything they wanted – except eat the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Because if they ate from that tree they would die.
Adam and Eves response to God establishes the pattern of all human sin. First they convinced themselves that God didn't really mean what he said to them about dying. And despite the fact that Adam and Eve are the only two people in existence, they convinced themselves that if that death part were true, it didn’t apply to them.
Then comes the actual act of open rebellion and disobedience. However, to them, it didn't really feel like open rebellion, because they had already convinced themselves that what may be sinful if done by others was perfectly fine in their special set of circumstances.
Next comes the cover-up. They throw up a smokescreen hoping that God and anyone else who might be have been wronged wouldn't notice. In the book of Genesis, this scene is played out with Adam and Eve's wearing fig leaves and skulking about in the bushes when they heard God approaching.
Lastly, after the rationalization, the disobedience, and the cover-up comes the last inevitable act in the process of sin, which is shifting the blame. Adam and Eve did not want to admit they had done anything wrong, and they certainly did not want to accept responsibility. So, Adam blamed Eve and Eve blamed the snake.
The story of Adam and Eve poses an important question for each one of us. The question is, can we face the fact that the story of Adam and Eve is a story about me? You see, as it turns out, everybody does it. Everyone follows the same mind numbing and blatantly transparent pattern of rationalizing, disobeying, covering up, and shifting the blame.
We call that pattern original sin precisely because it is so basic to our nature. It provides and explanation as to why things are not the way they ought to be. Original sin is what separates us from God and from one another. The individual sins we commit every day are symptoms of the overall condition.
This is a realistic and honest view of human nature. Belief in original sin is fundamental to the Christian perspective on the world. If you don't believe in original sin and that it is not just everybody else who is infected with it -- you cannot possibly appreciate what Jesus has done for us.
I began by saying that God is not like me. Some time ago, I was wronged by a very dear friend. Someone for whom I cared deeply. I was madder than I have ever been in all my forty-one years. While I was still bishop and more importantly a Christian, I was still human – at that time. I knew that I had an obligation to forgive her. But as a human, I was not interested in forgiveness – I wanted justice. I went about trying to inflict that justice in the swiftest and cruelest ways I could think of and I did this knowing full well the consequences of my Judge Dredd impersonation. The consequences were that my zeal for justice would consume me and destroy the fiber of the better parts of my humanity.
One of the most moving passages in the New Testament appears in St. Paul’s Epistle to the Romans. Paul is as committed and informed a believer as anyone could possibly hope to be. Paul gave his new life for the cause of Jesus the Christ. Despite this, when he looks honestly at himself he sees this same ugly pattern of original sin still working and this was despite his constant efforts to combat it with the help of the Holy Ghost or comforter.
Paul cries out, "O wretched man that I am, who will deliver me from this self destruction?" Paul then answers his own question, saying, "I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord." Paul knows that Jesus is the cure for original sin and the medicine of Jesus’ cure is forgiveness.
It should be obvious that there is no forgiveness without judgment. Judgment is how we know we have sinned. Judgment is how we know that we have done something for which we need to be forgiven. God gives us the standard that we should follow or emulate. He also gives us the inclination and the ability to measure our lives by that standard.
You will hear me say this a lot. You heard me say it last week, and you may even hear it again next. If you believe that Jesus Christ is the son of God and that he died for our sins and that he is going to come again, you are going to heaven. However, if you believe that Jesus Christ is the son of God and that he died for our sins and that he is going to come again, you will work that much harder to do what is pleasing in his sight.
The death of Jesus on the cross guarantees that God forgives us for whatever we have done that defies his standards. The crucifix reminds us that God doesn't hold anything against us. We can easily get ourselves back into a proper relationship with God any time we are willing to face up to our disobedience and then turn away from it and face him.
What goes along with that remarkable guarantee is an obligation to forgive other people and to be channels of God's forgiveness. That alone is the point of the parable in today's gospel. God, our Heavenly Father and creator has forgiven each of us an enormous amount. He has forgiven us so much more than the accumulation of evil any single person on earth can possibly have done to us. Truly accepting God's forgiveness means that we must forgive other people. "Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us."
If you won't forgive, you remain in prison, just like the servant in today’s parable. You remain imprisoned by your own resentment and imprisoned by your obvious inability to accept the fact that God has forgiven you.
When I was seeking justice, I too was following the pattern of original sin. I rationalized it, I was disobedient, I tried to cover it up, and I shifted the blame back to her.
So if you want to put the past behind you and get on with your life, you first have to admit that mistakes were made, and that you were the one who made them and you made them on purpose, but that you are sorry for them now. Everybody does it, and that is precisely why Jesus had to die on the cross for each and every one of us.
In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost. Amen.
Jesus Christ, Son of God, Have mercy on me a sinner. In the name of the Father the Son and the Holy Ghost. Amen.
It’s a good thing that God is not like me. I try to be Christ like. Actually, to be more accurate, I try to try to be Christ like.
In today’s parable Jesus addresses the issue of forgiveness. Forgiveness implies misbehavior or a mistake on the parts of others. We have all heard the clichés that have crept into our way of thinking about misbehavior.
"Mistakes were made."
"We want to put this behind us."
"He wants to get on with his life."
"Everybody does it."
Not long after creation was created, God put Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. He told them they could do anything they wanted – except eat the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Because if they ate from that tree they would die.
Adam and Eves response to God establishes the pattern of all human sin. First they convinced themselves that God didn't really mean what he said to them about dying. And despite the fact that Adam and Eve are the only two people in existence, they convinced themselves that if that death part were true, it didn’t apply to them.
Then comes the actual act of open rebellion and disobedience. However, to them, it didn't really feel like open rebellion, because they had already convinced themselves that what may be sinful if done by others was perfectly fine in their special set of circumstances.
Next comes the cover-up. They throw up a smokescreen hoping that God and anyone else who might be have been wronged wouldn't notice. In the book of Genesis, this scene is played out with Adam and Eve's wearing fig leaves and skulking about in the bushes when they heard God approaching.
Lastly, after the rationalization, the disobedience, and the cover-up comes the last inevitable act in the process of sin, which is shifting the blame. Adam and Eve did not want to admit they had done anything wrong, and they certainly did not want to accept responsibility. So, Adam blamed Eve and Eve blamed the snake.
The story of Adam and Eve poses an important question for each one of us. The question is, can we face the fact that the story of Adam and Eve is a story about me? You see, as it turns out, everybody does it. Everyone follows the same mind numbing and blatantly transparent pattern of rationalizing, disobeying, covering up, and shifting the blame.
We call that pattern original sin precisely because it is so basic to our nature. It provides and explanation as to why things are not the way they ought to be. Original sin is what separates us from God and from one another. The individual sins we commit every day are symptoms of the overall condition.
This is a realistic and honest view of human nature. Belief in original sin is fundamental to the Christian perspective on the world. If you don't believe in original sin and that it is not just everybody else who is infected with it -- you cannot possibly appreciate what Jesus has done for us.
I began by saying that God is not like me. Some time ago, I was wronged by a very dear friend. Someone for whom I cared deeply. I was madder than I have ever been in all my forty-one years. While I was still bishop and more importantly a Christian, I was still human – at that time. I knew that I had an obligation to forgive her. But as a human, I was not interested in forgiveness – I wanted justice. I went about trying to inflict that justice in the swiftest and cruelest ways I could think of and I did this knowing full well the consequences of my Judge Dredd impersonation. The consequences were that my zeal for justice would consume me and destroy the fiber of the better parts of my humanity.
One of the most moving passages in the New Testament appears in St. Paul’s Epistle to the Romans. Paul is as committed and informed a believer as anyone could possibly hope to be. Paul gave his new life for the cause of Jesus the Christ. Despite this, when he looks honestly at himself he sees this same ugly pattern of original sin still working and this was despite his constant efforts to combat it with the help of the Holy Ghost or comforter.
Paul cries out, "O wretched man that I am, who will deliver me from this self destruction?" Paul then answers his own question, saying, "I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord." Paul knows that Jesus is the cure for original sin and the medicine of Jesus’ cure is forgiveness.
It should be obvious that there is no forgiveness without judgment. Judgment is how we know we have sinned. Judgment is how we know that we have done something for which we need to be forgiven. God gives us the standard that we should follow or emulate. He also gives us the inclination and the ability to measure our lives by that standard.
You will hear me say this a lot. You heard me say it last week, and you may even hear it again next. If you believe that Jesus Christ is the son of God and that he died for our sins and that he is going to come again, you are going to heaven. However, if you believe that Jesus Christ is the son of God and that he died for our sins and that he is going to come again, you will work that much harder to do what is pleasing in his sight.
The death of Jesus on the cross guarantees that God forgives us for whatever we have done that defies his standards. The crucifix reminds us that God doesn't hold anything against us. We can easily get ourselves back into a proper relationship with God any time we are willing to face up to our disobedience and then turn away from it and face him.
What goes along with that remarkable guarantee is an obligation to forgive other people and to be channels of God's forgiveness. That alone is the point of the parable in today's gospel. God, our Heavenly Father and creator has forgiven each of us an enormous amount. He has forgiven us so much more than the accumulation of evil any single person on earth can possibly have done to us. Truly accepting God's forgiveness means that we must forgive other people. "Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us."
If you won't forgive, you remain in prison, just like the servant in today’s parable. You remain imprisoned by your own resentment and imprisoned by your obvious inability to accept the fact that God has forgiven you.
When I was seeking justice, I too was following the pattern of original sin. I rationalized it, I was disobedient, I tried to cover it up, and I shifted the blame back to her.
So if you want to put the past behind you and get on with your life, you first have to admit that mistakes were made, and that you were the one who made them and you made them on purpose, but that you are sorry for them now. Everybody does it, and that is precisely why Jesus had to die on the cross for each and every one of us.
In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost. Amen.
Tuesday, 3 November 2009
Mrs. Griffin Says
My friend Brice sent this out and I am posting this with her permission
Friends,
Whether you are Catholic or not, please take a moment to read this and make your voice heard in this crucial issue.
As you know, the debate on healthcare is quite serious. Currently included is the mandate to use federal funds to pay for abortions (which is contrary to our current federal law), and force health care workers and Catholic medical institutions to perform medical procedures in violation of their religious conscience. The Bishops have spoken clearly in opposition and the faithful are being called to voice our opposition as well.
Please click on the below link to the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops' website which explains the Church's teaching. You will have an opportunity to EASILY contact your House Representative and Senators (simply click on the "Email Congress Now" link) to voice your opposition to government funded abortion currently included in the House bill. If you are in North Carolina, Senator Kay Hagan's prompt will ask your phone number. Please forward to others.
http://www.usccb.org/healthcare/
God Bless,
Brice
Friends,
Whether you are Catholic or not, please take a moment to read this and make your voice heard in this crucial issue.
As you know, the debate on healthcare is quite serious. Currently included is the mandate to use federal funds to pay for abortions (which is contrary to our current federal law), and force health care workers and Catholic medical institutions to perform medical procedures in violation of their religious conscience. The Bishops have spoken clearly in opposition and the faithful are being called to voice our opposition as well.
Please click on the below link to the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops' website which explains the Church's teaching. You will have an opportunity to EASILY contact your House Representative and Senators (simply click on the "Email Congress Now" link) to voice your opposition to government funded abortion currently included in the House bill. If you are in North Carolina, Senator Kay Hagan's prompt will ask your phone number. Please forward to others.
http://www.usccb.org/healthcare/
God Bless,
Brice
Orthodox head brings 'green' views to D.C.
Julia Duin
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, the spiritual head of the world's 250 million to 300 million Orthodox Christians, arrived in Washington on Sunday night bearing the standard as the world's foremost religious leader on environmental issues.
But one of his first tasks in the areawill be a visit to a Greek Orthodox parish in Annapolis on Monday, where he will celebrate the 18th anniversary of his enthronement to his Istanbul-based See.
"It's like the pope coming to our church," says the Rev. Kosmas Karavellas, protopresbyter (pastor) of Sts. Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church on Riva Road, who will also host a dinner for 500 guests. "This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for our church."
The 69-year-old patriarch, who has been touring the United States since Oct. 20, spent the first five days of his 18-day visit leading a "Religion, Science and the Environment" symposium in New Orleans. It is the most recent of many efforts that have earned him the sobriquet of the "green patriarch." During a 1997 trip to the United States, he hosted an environmental summit in Santa Barbara, Calif., where he called the destruction of the environment "a sin" and offered "a vision of repentance" for those who have acted as "materialistic tyrants" toward God's creation.
The six days he will spend in Washington, including a Tuesday lecture at Georgetown University and a Wednesday speech at the Brookings Institution, will also deal with the topic. His web site, www.patriarchate.org, has a link to a Facebook discussion on Orthodoxy's contribution to the environmental movement and links to several YouTube videos of the patriarch, including Bartholomew's recent speech at the New Orleans aquarium.
On Oct. 25, the Wall Street Journal printed his guest editorial that called for believers and nonbelievers in God alike to work together to save the earth.
"The natural environment unites us in ways that transcend doctrinal differences," he wrote.
He will visit President Obama at the White House on Tuesday afternoon. On Wednesday, after the Brookings speech, he will attend a lunch in his honor on Capitol Hill, meet privately with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and attend a dinner in his honor hosted by Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. at the vice president's residence.
Interspersed with his many official activities will be private visits with some of the 1.5 million Greek Orthodox believers in the United States.
"He wants to be with the people," said the Rev. Mark Arey, general secretary for the Standing Conference of Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas. "He is extremely vigorous. I dare anyone to walk down the street with him and keep up.
"His visit will highlight environmental responsibility, include meetings with religious leaders and greeting his own faithful," he said.
The patriarch spent last week in New York - with a quick side trip to Atlanta - including a visit to the United Nations, a meeting with Jewish leaders at Park East Synagogue in Manhattan, a chat with former President Bill Clinton and the acceptance of an honorary degree at Fordham University.
Bartholomew does not accept all honorary doctorates offered him, but he did want to accept Fordham's offer as an outreach to Catholics, Father Arey said.
"He wanted to set the tone for Roman Catholic-Orthodox relations," he added. "We are trying to heal the breach to be one indivisible church again."
The Annapolis event will be one huge exhibition of Orthodoxy with 50 to 60other hierarchs and priests in attendance. The 65-year-old Sts. Constantine and Helen is Maryland's second-oldest Greek Orthodox church and one of nine Greek Orthodox congregations in the state.
The patriarch will preside at a prayer service before coming to the dinner, which will also include several state elected officials.
"For five hours, we will be the center of the Orthodox world," Father Karavellas said. "This is the first time a religious dignitary of that stature has entered Annapolis."
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, the spiritual head of the world's 250 million to 300 million Orthodox Christians, arrived in Washington on Sunday night bearing the standard as the world's foremost religious leader on environmental issues.
But one of his first tasks in the areawill be a visit to a Greek Orthodox parish in Annapolis on Monday, where he will celebrate the 18th anniversary of his enthronement to his Istanbul-based See.
"It's like the pope coming to our church," says the Rev. Kosmas Karavellas, protopresbyter (pastor) of Sts. Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church on Riva Road, who will also host a dinner for 500 guests. "This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for our church."
The 69-year-old patriarch, who has been touring the United States since Oct. 20, spent the first five days of his 18-day visit leading a "Religion, Science and the Environment" symposium in New Orleans. It is the most recent of many efforts that have earned him the sobriquet of the "green patriarch." During a 1997 trip to the United States, he hosted an environmental summit in Santa Barbara, Calif., where he called the destruction of the environment "a sin" and offered "a vision of repentance" for those who have acted as "materialistic tyrants" toward God's creation.
The six days he will spend in Washington, including a Tuesday lecture at Georgetown University and a Wednesday speech at the Brookings Institution, will also deal with the topic. His web site, www.patriarchate.org, has a link to a Facebook discussion on Orthodoxy's contribution to the environmental movement and links to several YouTube videos of the patriarch, including Bartholomew's recent speech at the New Orleans aquarium.
On Oct. 25, the Wall Street Journal printed his guest editorial that called for believers and nonbelievers in God alike to work together to save the earth.
"The natural environment unites us in ways that transcend doctrinal differences," he wrote.
He will visit President Obama at the White House on Tuesday afternoon. On Wednesday, after the Brookings speech, he will attend a lunch in his honor on Capitol Hill, meet privately with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and attend a dinner in his honor hosted by Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. at the vice president's residence.
Interspersed with his many official activities will be private visits with some of the 1.5 million Greek Orthodox believers in the United States.
"He wants to be with the people," said the Rev. Mark Arey, general secretary for the Standing Conference of Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas. "He is extremely vigorous. I dare anyone to walk down the street with him and keep up.
"His visit will highlight environmental responsibility, include meetings with religious leaders and greeting his own faithful," he said.
The patriarch spent last week in New York - with a quick side trip to Atlanta - including a visit to the United Nations, a meeting with Jewish leaders at Park East Synagogue in Manhattan, a chat with former President Bill Clinton and the acceptance of an honorary degree at Fordham University.
Bartholomew does not accept all honorary doctorates offered him, but he did want to accept Fordham's offer as an outreach to Catholics, Father Arey said.
"He wanted to set the tone for Roman Catholic-Orthodox relations," he added. "We are trying to heal the breach to be one indivisible church again."
The Annapolis event will be one huge exhibition of Orthodoxy with 50 to 60other hierarchs and priests in attendance. The 65-year-old Sts. Constantine and Helen is Maryland's second-oldest Greek Orthodox church and one of nine Greek Orthodox congregations in the state.
The patriarch will preside at a prayer service before coming to the dinner, which will also include several state elected officials.
"For five hours, we will be the center of the Orthodox world," Father Karavellas said. "This is the first time a religious dignitary of that stature has entered Annapolis."
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