Catholic Sensibility

In a development similar to charges filed against Philadelphia’s Msgr Lynn, a priest from the Maitland-Newcastle diocese has been charged with covering up the abuse of another priest. Some of the fourteen charges against Fr Tom Brennan relate to alleged abuse on his part. But others stem from covering up sex crimes of another priest while both served at a high school. These are thought to be the first such charges in Australia. The story has already spread to Vatican Insider. Do we take heart that stories of criminality race across the world these days, and that cover-up is becoming difficult in some quarters?

Salvation is more than not-sin, not-death, and not-evil. It has an affirmative dimension, that the human being experiences God in a profound, life-altering way:

9. As the kernel and center of His Good News, Christ proclaims salvation, this great gift of God which is liberation from everything that oppresses (humankind) but which is above all liberation from sin and the Evil One, in the joy of knowing God and being known by Him, of seeing Him, and of being given over to Him. All of this is begun during the life of Christ and definitively accomplished by His death and resurrection. But it must be patiently carried on during the course of history, in order to be realized fully on the day of the final coming of Christ, whose date is known to no one except the Father.[Cf. Mt. 24:36; Acts 1:7; 1 Thess 5:1-2]

Where I see the significance is simply this: the observer of a Christian considers sin. Is the Christian truly virtuous by the apparent lack of sin, or is this just another instance of masking the true inner person, who may in fact, be a creep, or worse. And we Christians, alas, have far too many examples of people wrapped in the mantle of virtue who are found to be anything but virtuous. A lack of sin and damnation is not visible to mortal eyes, but the grace of knowing God and the human reaction in joy to this: this is part of what colors us as participants in Christ’s salvation, and part of what attracts the non-believer, the seeker, or the returning believer.

Your thoughts on salvation: do you see it as part of the Kingdom of God, or as a separate quality?

Today, the Church does have more of an appreciation for applying the gifts of various cultures to worship. The rites, not as much as architecture and art:

§ 38 § The church building respects the culture of every time and place. The Roman rite respects cultural differences and fosters the genius and talents of the various races and peoples.(SC 37 and 119; CCC 1158) This cultural diversity can be expressed in architectural styles, in art forms, and in some instances in the celebration of liturgical rites with appropriate adaptations.

§ 39 § Just as each local community is different, styles and forms of churches will vary. The New Testament speaks of the upper room where Christ gathered the apostles for the Last Supper and appeared to them after the resurrection, and where the Holy Spirit descended on the Blessed Virgin and the Twelve at Pentecost. After the Lord’s ascension, believers gathered in homes for the celebration of the “breaking of the bread.”(Cf. Mk 14:15; Acts 2:42 and 17:16-34) Such homes evolved into “house churches” and became the Christian community’s earliest places for worship. The unique forms and architecture of the Roman and Byzantine world provided the Church with an architectural language in the form of the basilica. With its long nave and an apse for the bishop and clergy, the basilica quickly became a standard architectural form for churches of the West. The effect of these architectural forms is still reflected in the structure of our liturgical life today.

The biblical witness is the house church. Basilicas were a development of pagan Rome: a large building erected in a city or town in which to conduct business or politics. The first of them were built in the 2nd century BC, and were later coopted for Christian worship in the fourth century. The basic form was copied for the explicit purpose of Christian worship. I’m not sure the general form is optimal for the celebration of the sacraments, but the tradition is still with us.

All texts from Built of Living Stones are copyright © 2000, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission.

The National Catholic Register has pulled its controversial interview with Fr Benedict Groeschel from its web page. This story seems to be slower in gaining blogotraction than a western bishop’s DUI arrest. But if the NCReg has been shamed (or scared) by the fallout, consider that their editorial process gave the piece a clean bill before it was posted. That can mean one of two things:

• The editor didn’t see anything wrong with the viewpoints expressed by Fr Groeschel.
• The editor didn’t care about the viewpoints expressed.

That last one might include the possibility that the editor was asleep at the wheel. If I had an interview subject who embarrassed herself or himself I would talk it over with my editor, if I were a writer. Or with my writer, if I were the editor. I’m surprised that an outlet with such an ideological leaning would allow someone so favorably viewed by its readers to appear in such a bad light.

Someone at dotCommonweal described Fr Groeschel’s thoughts as “unspeakably evil.” That strains perspective I think. What sex predators have done to the innocent is “unspeakably evil.” Ignorant opinions about these acts are gravely misinformed, but I think they fall short of being “unspeakably evil.” Unless a person were totally hard-hearted to victims, and resolutely unwilling to entertain the notion that brother priests and bishops have committed grave sins in abusing and covering up. I don’t see that here.

What do you make of NCReg’s behavior, especially any of you who enjoy and support that publication?

Note: The NCReg has updated the link to the interview.

Note the heavy citations of Matthew’s Gospel in today’s section. This should give a balance to all those Luke passages I pulled out on Tuesday. The kingdom of God is a concept rich in imagery, and also full of consequences for someone willing to align with it as a citizen and disciple. The bulleted format is my edit; the text is left intact:

8. As an evangelizer, Christ first of all proclaims a kingdom, the kingdom of God; and this is so important that, by comparison, everything else becomes “the rest,” which is “given in addition.”[Cf. Mt 6:33] Only the kingdom therefore is absolute and it makes everything else relative. The Lord will delight in describing in many ways …

• the happiness of belonging to this kingdom (a paradoxical happiness which is made up of things that the world rejects),[Cf. Mt 5:3-12]
• the demands of the kingdom and its Magna Charta,[Cf. Mt 5-7]
• the heralds of the kingdom,[Cf. Mt 10]
• its mysteries,[Cf. Mt 13]
• its children,[Cf. Mt 18]
• the vigilance and fidelity demanded of whoever awaits its definitive coming.[Cf. Mt 24-25]

Pondering each of those qualities is worth considerable time.

My comment is that an evangelical Catholic does well to consider herself or himself as a citizen of God’s reign, and to carefully note the ways in which this Way differs from the way of the world. In being conscious of that, we are prepared to offer explanation to others as to why we live in a different civic reality from the rest of the world.

Have you ever thought of the Sermon on the Mount as a Magna Carta of Christianity? I haven’t. How does that fit? Or not fit, in your view?

Your comments?

An example of when not to send a pajama journalist to do a liturgist’s job: Patheos’ Daily Catholic Readings.

Where does this go wrong? The archaic English translation–not even an attribution to the translation, though I’m guessing at a glance it’s Douay-Rheims. Leaving the verse numbers in a text that has been clearly just cut-and-paste into the post. No reference on the liturgical day: Saint Monica or the Monday of the 21st week in Ordinary Time? No refrain of the psalm–just the verses set prose-style. It’s probably an American effort–the Patheos people probably don’t even realize that other English-speaking countries and even religious orders may operate on a different liturgical calendar when it gets down to the level of memorials, and the occasional feast.

A lot of bloggers just link the daily readings in the sidebar and let someone else do the dirty work.

Another approach, though one that would take considerably more work, would be to assemble a team of people to do daily reflections on the readings. A little bit of Scripture commentary, a little bit of linking between the passages, a few homily suggestions. You’ll probably never see that on Catholic Sensibility–I just don’t have time for a daily effort like that. But it sure would beat the steady drumbeat of Catholic forays into blogopolitics.

When I read Fr Groeschel’s comment about ordained sex predators:

And I’m inclined to think, on their first offense, they should not go to jail because their intention was not committing a crime.

… I was thinking of other missed opportunities of mercy. Women ordained to the Catholic priesthood for the first time: maybe they shouldn’t be excommunicated.

Today, a nod to other ministries: deacon, installed, and others:

§ 36 § A variety of ministries serve the assembly at the liturgy. First among the ministers is the deacon.(GIRM 94) Some faithful have been installed in the ministries of lector or acolyte. Others serve as readers, altar servers, extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion, cantors, musicians, and sacristans.(SC 26, 28-29) As members of the Church, each person forms an essential and distinct part of the assembly that is gathered by God in an “organic and hierarchical” way.(GIRM 294; Cf. GIRM 5) Each minister, ordained or lay, is called upon to fulfill his or her role and only that role in the celebration of the liturgy.(SC 28)

§ 37 § By its design and its furnishings, the church reflects this diversity of roles. The one who presides, those who proclaim God’s word, the ministers of music, those who assist at the altar, and members of the congregation all play an integral part in the public prayer of the Church. The design of the church should reflect the unity of the entire assembly and at the same time insure that each person is able to exercise his or her ministry in a space that fully accommodates the ritual action called for by that ministry. Careful attention to the placement of the individuals and groups who comprise the liturgical assembly can manifest and enhance their relationship with one another and with the entire body.

One design factor that has gained some traction in the past generation or two is to permit lay ministers to emerge from the assembly, rather than sit in “ministerial seats” like the clergy. Even assigned seats within pews can suggest a minimalization of the role of the lay person at Mass in favor of a quasi-priestly function. Which lectors, communion ministers, servers, and others do not exemplify. At least in theory.

Altar servers are one last piece of resistance in many parishes. When I returned to one of my old parishes, I noticed that six chairs were arranged behind the presider’s chair. It used to be that altar servers sat against the wall at the edge of the raised platform near the ambo about twenty feet away from the priest. They had been moved very close. I don’t think that arrangement reflected a good relationship, as many young people attend Mass with their families, and this is a good value to enforce as far as possible: that the Domestic Church be recognized and honored in the Sunday assembly.

One example is enought. Anyone think of others?

All texts from Built of Living Stones are copyright © 2000, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission.

This is a common sight in our church these days: liturgical minister orientation. Occasionally, two sessions occur simultaneously. On the left, our new liturgy peer minister, Jessica, is working with three new Communion ministers. On the right, 10:30 choir director Donna is putting a new grad student through the paces on how the psalmist functions at Sunday Mass.

I couldn’t stay for the end; I had another meeting to attend in another part of the building.

This is a bridge section just before the Holy Father launches into some particulars. First, the centrality of Jesus himself in the evangelical effort:

7. During the Synod, the bishops very frequently referred to this truth: Jesus Himself, the Good News of God,[Cf. Mk 1:1; Rom 1:1-3] was the very first and the greatest evangelizer; He was so through and through: to perfection and to the point of the sacrifice of His earthly life.

To evangelize: what meaning did this imperative have for Christ? It is certainly not easy to express in a complete synthesis the meaning, the content and the modes of evangelization as Jesus conceived it and put it into practice. In any case the attempt to make such a synthesis will never end. Let it suffice for us to recall a few essential aspects.

These aspects include two very big things: the kingdom of God, and salvation in Christ. With tomorrow’s post, we’ll start looking at the qualities of the kingdom or reign of God. Meanwhile, let’s keep in mind that evangelization focuses on Christ as inspiration, as means, as content, and as presence in this whole effort.

I saw this NCReg interview discussed and linked at RNS, and with a bit of trepidation, I’d like to offer a few observations.

Fr Groeschel is an expert in a lot of spiritual matters. He is not an expert in psychology, addiction, sexual abuse, or victims of abuse. So I’m inclined not to take his musings with great seriousness:

A lot of the cases, the youngster — 14, 16, 18 — is the seducer.

…

Here’s this poor guy — [Penn State football coach Jerry] Sandusky — it went  on for years. Interesting: Why didn’t anyone say anything? Apparently, a number  of kids knew about it and didn’t break the ice. Well, you know, until recent  years, people did not register in their minds that it was a crime. It was a  moral failure, scandalous; but they didn’t think of it in terms of legal  things.

…

And I’m inclined to think, on their first offense, they should not go to jail because their intention was not committing a crime.

What constitutes “a lot of cases”? Do we look for them on tv? In scandal sheets? They get a lot of press, when a student seduces a teacher. But an adult in a position of responsibility does not send signals to potential “seducers,” and possesses boundaries adequate to deflect such attempts. If a college student or a high school student attempted to seduce me, it’s not going to get anywhere. I’m going to be careful about location. I’m going to be watchful about motivations. Even if every case of priest sexual abuse were initiated by a minor, the judgment still falls on the older person. And why? Because moral law and secular law presumes an adult can protect the innocent from harm. Attempted seduction? Be an adult.

Jerry Sandusky is a “poor guy,” and to be pitied. But let’s make sure we have a sense of proportion. Dozens of victims were impoverished by the predator. Suppose a football team is conferencing under portable bleachers and the coach leans on a support, thus collapsing the bleachers and injuring many of the team. We wouldn’t focus on the “poor coach.” We might recognize that the coach feels horrible for causing an accident, if he truly felt remorse. But we would be concerned for the victims and their recovery. Take it a step away and the coach, for whatever reason, decided to crush the players under the bleachers. Then we’re a little closer to the Penn State situation.

If one’s intention is not to sin, but one is blind to both sin and moral responsibility, then there is no grave sin, certainly. But in law, there is the principle of negligence. There is a presumption that a person who has been formed for the priesthood is aware of moral boundaries. How can a priest be a confessor if he is ignorant of crime, sin, fault, and responsibility? Who’s responsible? The bishop. The seminary. The religious community.

Bad things happen to good people and are caused by others who have little or no moral anchor. This isn’t Wall Street. There is accountability. That is why, in part, the bishops remain on the hot seat of scandal ten years after the Charter. Their moral formation and that of many clergy is deeply flawed. In this situation, they need to listen to lay people who are well-formed, who do understand their responsibilities to their children, and who have a deeper perception and insight on this matter. These clergy need to set an example, take their dressing-down, absorb the lesson. Then we can all move on and focus on protecting the innocent–living the Gospel–as a unified effort. Not as concerned parents, distant hierarchs, and passive observers.

Canon law and the GIRM give us the word for all priests. Then BLS elaborates on the special tasks of a pastor: 

§ 35 § Priests are consecrated to “celebrate divine worship and sanctify the people.”(canon law 835 § 2) The priest “stands at the head of the faithful people gathered together, presides over its prayer, proclaims the message of salvation, joins the people to himself in offering the sacrifice to God the Father through Christ in the Spirit, gives his brothers and sisters the bread of eternal life, and shares in it with them.”(GIRM 93) As the one who presides, he always prays in the name of the Church and of the community gathered together. As the leader and representative of the local parish, the pastor takes the lead in the building process, keeps the local parish in communication with the bishop and other diocesan officials, and helps to draw the parishioners together in the decision-making process.

We read in the RDCA of the importance of using the time of building a church to form parishioners not only in knowledge of the particulars, but to ensure the building up of a faith community that is enriched and enlivened in the process.

All texts from Built of Living Stones are copyright © 2000, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission.

Many in the Catholic blogosphere have followed Rod Dreher in his career and personal shifts to his Louisiana home and away from Roman Catholicism. I haven’t checked his blogging in awhile, but I was pleased to see this good piece up as one of the headlines at BBC this morning.

Now, as you read this, the hurricane is upon us. Forecasters say it will rain hard for three days; there will be terrible flooding in places. We will have tropical storm winds for 24 hours and the threat of tornadoes. We may lose power for weeks.

But come what may, we will all be in it together. The storm will give us opportunities to sacrifice for each other, and even for strangers who show up on our doorsteps.

There can be blessing in brokenness, if you know how to look for it.

And if we families, friends, and neighbours find ourselves in the days to come sitting together around the fire cooking meat and telling stories to ward off the weariness, the drear, and the black of night, well, what could be more ancient and human than that?

Jesus gave a powerful example of evangelization in his public ministry: 

6. The witness that the Lord gives of Himself and that Saint Luke gathered together in his Gospel – “I must proclaim the Good News of the kingdom of God”[ Lk 4:43] – without doubt has enormous consequences, for it sums up the whole mission of Jesus: “That is what I was sent to do.”[Lk 4:43] These words take on their full significance if one links them with the previous verses, in which Christ has just applied to Himself the words of the prophet Isaiah: “The Spirit of the Lord has been given to me, for he has anointed me. He has sent me to bring the good news to the poor.”[Lk 4:18; cf. Is 61:1]

Going from town to town, preaching to the poorest – and frequently the most receptive – the joyful news of the fulfillment of the promises and of the Covenant offered by God is the mission for which Jesus declares that He is sent by the Father. And all the aspects of His mystery – the Incarnation itself, His miracles, His teaching, the gathering together of the disciples, the sending out of the Twelve, the cross and the resurrection, the permanence of His presence in the midst of His own – were components of His evangelizing activity.

How does the believer find sustenance for the effort of evangelization? I would say one source is reflection on the Gospel witness of the Lord himself. One can take Luke’s Gospel and pray carefully over the following passages:

• The Incarnation: 1.46-55; 1.68-79; 2.8-14; 2.25-32; 9.28-36
• Miracles: 4.33-44; 5.17-26; 7.1-10; 7.11-17; 8.26-39; 17.11-19
• Teaching: 4.14-21; 6.20-26; 6.43-49; 8.4-15; 11.5-13; 12.22-31; 12.35-53; 13.22-30; 15.1-10
• Gathering disciples: 5.1-11; 5.27-32; 6.12-16; 9.57-62; 18.15-25; 19.1-10
• Sending disciples: 9.1-6; 10.1-20
• Cross and resurrection: 9.18-27; 12.1-12; 22.39-23.56, 24.1-12
• Aiding presence: 22.14-20; 24.13-35; 24:36-53

Not an exhaustive list, by any means. But it shows there are ample evangelism passages in just one Gospel. We need that urging by the Lord, as we encounter him in the Scriptures, to provide inspiration for our own efforts.

The third edition of the Roman Missal includes a host of “Masses for Various Needs and Occasions.” Forty-nine in all. In doing research on the Roman Antiphonary and on our running topic of evangelization, I uncovered an interesting fact. Four of these Masses are permitted on Sunday. The anniversaries of a pope (election) or bishop (ordination), Christian unity, and evangelization.

Even in ordinary time, I’m deeply reticent about switching out Masses and their readings, even when the minimal option of reading number two is presented. That said, it’s rather heartening to see Christian unity and evangelization so well regarded that they are functionally on the level of a solemnity.

Also those anniversaries of a bishop and pope. Has any reader ever celebrated these on a Sunday? Or even on a weekday? Cathedral parish when the bishop is present, or even when he is not?

And Christian unity may be celebrated on a Sunday. Christian unity week falls predictably every January. It would seem a strong recommendation to observe it on a weekday–there I would be far less squeamish about substituting out an ordinary time weekday or even a memorial.

The rubrics are as follows:

2. FOR THE POPE, Especially on the Anniversary of Election

This Mass is said on the anniversary of the election of the Pope in places wherever special celebrations are held, provided they do not occur on a Sunday of Advent, Lent or Easter, on a Solemnity, on Ash Wednesday, or on a weekday of Holy Week.

3. FOR THE BISHOP, Especially on the Anniversary of Ordination

This Mass is said on the anniversary of the Ordination of the Bishop wherever special celebrations are held, provided they do not occur on a Sunday of Advent, Lent or Easter, on a Solemnity, on Ash Wednesday, or on a weekday of Holy Week.

17. FOR THE UNITY OF CHRISTIANS

This Mass may be used whenever there are special celebrations for the unity of Christians, provided it does not occur on a Sunday of Advent, Lent or Easter, or on any Solemnity.

18. FOR THE EVANGELIZATION OF PEOPLES

This Mass may be used even on Sundays of Ordinary Time, whenever there are special celebrations for the work of the missions, provided it does not occur on a Sunday of Advent, Lent or Easter, or on any Solemnity.

Only evangelization includes that clause, “This Mass may be used even on Sundays of Ordinary Time.” That inclusion is especially striking to me. The rubrics for Masses numbers 2, 3, and 17 say pretty much the same thing, but aren’t as explicit about the substitution. Why is that so? Evangelization is clearly a “need” that seems to recommend even more strongly a special occasion, a special Mass. When do you suppose this option should be utilized for a Sunday? The annual missionary speaker? This fall’s occasion of the synod on new evangelization? Some dedicated parish observance?