The bright future

For those who constantly complain about the state of the church, I have a refreshing blog - www.catholicreport.org. Pertinent newsworthy topics from the Catholic world are selected on a daily basis, but with a hopeful slant, always pointing out the new wave of orthodoxy. I especially enjoy the articles from the sixties crowd, the gray hairs that you find at Call to Action events. Their days have come and gone and their obvious regret contrasts widely with the zeal of the youth for orthodoxy - not rebellion. Oh for the day when the colleges can truly be called Catholic again and the chanceries return to timeless devotions instead of "trendy" enneagram seminars.

The Golden Bomb

Thankfully, the movie, the Golden Compass tanked at the box office. How fortunate for those who waited to see what the hullabaloo was about and decided to forego the waste of money. How sad, though, for the youth who were interested in this film, interested enough to buy the novels and receive the noxious brew cooked up by the English atheist Philip Pullman. It was especially disappointing how some in the Catholic school system were reluctant to remove the books for some perceived "discussion value." One wonders whether blatantly racist fare would have received the same treatment.

Secular Arrogance

It seems that the decision of England to knight Salman Rushdie, the infamous author of the Satanic Verses, has caused a conflagration of terror attacks in Great Britain. Columnists have remarked about the "backbone" of the government in awarding this honor despite the rise of Muslim fundamentalism in the country. One even trumpeted Rushdie as a first rate novelist.

While I regret the onset of violent attacks in Britain and elsewhere, is it so befuddling to secularists and their apologists as to the source of the Muslim anger? It is one thing for a society to protect free speech. It is another to champion the irreligious. For years England and the EU have drifted to the left on social issues, pressuring traditional Catholic countries to abandon their opposition to abortion and homosexual marriage. When confronted, they appeal to the God of secularism - toleration. Of course that merely means toleration on their terms. Toleration actually leads to moral relativism and hedonism. This is the sad legacy of the 1960's.

It was a tremendous slap in the face to Muslims to knight Rushdie. He is the epitome of secular atheistic decadence in the eyes of the Muslim world. While the fatwa imposing a death sentence on him for his book was appalling, no less is the continuing secular attack on people of all faiths.

Thankfully, Christians have the mind of Christ in enduring suffering for the sake of the kingdom. Muslim attacks in Iraq on Catholics and other Christians are no less offensive than the secular impositions of the Culture of Death.

Many credit Hillaire Belloc for his prescient comments on the resurgence of Islam. Let us not forget the popes of the 19th century who vigorously opposed the rise of liberal secularism and the dangers to the faith. Curiously, their legacy has been largely ignored.

His name is John

Today is the feast day of the birth of John the Baptist. All Christians should be familiar with his role in the gospels, but not many realize that the Jewish historian Josephus, in the late 1st century, attests to the role of John in first century Judaism. Although Josephus misunderstands John's preaching, he does relate Herod's responsibility in his death and the Jews' belief that the destruction of Herod's army was due to Divine vengeance. Herod had been married to the daughter of Aretas, king of Petra, but decided to marry Herodias, his brother's wife. Needless to say, Aretas was not pleased and settled scores with Herod on the battlefield.

Another interesting note on John is his appearance in the Koran. The Sunnis believe that the Koran is the uncreated word of God passed to Muhammed. In Sura 19 the Lord claims, "O Zachariah! Verily we announce to thee a son-his name John: That name We have given to none before him." That statement is very problematic for the Muslims. We have historical and archeological evidence (coins with inscriptions) proving that one of the high priests in Judea after the Maccabees (late 2nd century BC) was John Hyrcanus. I leave this obvious contradiction to the Muslim apologists to explain...

Latin Controversies

The Catholic internet chat rooms and blogs are buzzing about the daily status of the anticipated Motu Proprio regarding the Tridentine Mass. In order to recover the separated Traditionalist SSPX groups, the Pope is considering lifting the requirement for priests to receive episcopal approval prior to celebrating the pre-Vatican II rite.

Many Catholics are confused about Vatican II including the issue of Latin at Mass. Vatican II's document on the Liturgy actually encouraged the continued use of Latin in the Latin-rite while additionally promoting the vernacular for parts of the Mass. Unfortunately, the Latin was largely jettisoned in the progressive excesses following the council. The Novus Ordo can be celebrated with prayers in Latin and many young priests are reviving the use of Latin at Mass.

Regrettably, the use of Latin seems to be a flashpoint among Catholics, largely between progressives and traditionalists. Progressives see the language as representing a bygone era from which we have been "liberated," while traditionalists yearn for stability after the poor translations of the ICEL crowd.

Rumors abound that groups of bishops have fought implementation of the Motu Proprio on the grounds of ecclesial unity. It seems that the Traditionalists are an unruly crowd that will be emboldened by the concession and will stir up more trouble.

It is truly unfortunate that this age of the vernacular has led to more tension and not less. It is not uncommon for parishes in the United States to have separate Masses on Sundays for Hispanic or Vietnamese populations all in the name of diversity. At the same time, it is Latin that is divisive!?

Progressive Catholics who whine about the difficulty of learning Latin have no problem analyzing their stock portfolios or earning additional academic degrees. At the same time, they insist that their children learn a foreign language in school in order to be competitive in the world of international business. But memorize a few Latin prayers...

I welcome this Motu Proprio and challenge the progressives to follow their own advice. Modern liberals love the word, "choice." Well then, let's have this alternative. I may not attend a Tridentine Mass on a regular basis, but surely contend that there will probably be more reverence than is present at a typical Life Teen Mass. Let the people vote with their feet and enough of the elitist talk denigrating the rite.

The Lost Tomb of Jesus

The media was buzzing with news of the "discovery" of the Lost Tomb of Jesus at the end of February. The director of the movie Titanic, James Cameron, was present at a news conference along with an archeologist to promote a new Discovery TV special about the "find". According to the men, the accidental uncovering of the tomb in 1980 during a construction project for a new apartment building was proof that Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene and that the stone ossuaries uncovered contained the remains of Christ's extended family including his son, Judah. Naturally, Christians were appalled by this latest Lenten attempt to attack Jesus and Christianity. Some points to ponder:

1) The Israeli archeologist who directed the 1980 excavation, Mr. Kloner, dismissed the claim while asserting that the cave containing the ossuaries was an ordinary middle class burial chamber. Surely someone of Jesus' stature would have a more elaborate ossuary.

2) Mr. Kloner also correctly asserted that Jesus' parents (Joseph is his foster father) were from Nazareth. Any family burial chamber should be located there.

3) Most notably, the names on the ossuaries were extremely common in the first century. The discovery would be similar to a 41st century archeologist discovering the late 21st century tomb of famed baseball star Ichiro Suzuki in Tokyo. A Japanese fan could readily attest to the fact that Ichiro's first and last name are as common as John Smith. However, as Americans, we lack the cultural knowledge to appreciate this fact. Additionally, Ichiro's hometown is in Aichi prefecture, not Tokyo.

4) Mary Magdalene's remains have been traditionally asserted to reside in France. She is said to have travelled there with Lazarus. The Greek Church says that some of her relics were in Constantinople in 886. There is no tradition of her internment in Jerusalem.

5) Any "tomb" theory necessarily involves claiming that the apostles were duplicitous. Since all but John were martyred for the faith one wonders why these men would give their life for a lie.

6) Christians were harassed for abandoning orthodox Judaism prior to the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD. It was well known that Jesus provided specific signs that would indicate that his followers should "head to the hills" prior to the Romans surrounding the city. Would the Jews tolerate a burial chamber of a blasphemer that would attract the adulation of heretics and traitors?

It is important for apologists to have these points at their disposal when confronted with this latest challenge to the faith.

Skeletons in the Closet

The recent scandal in Warsaw, Poland regarding the resignation of a newly appointed Archbishop should give pause to all of us. Apparently, as a young priest, this bishop signed on with the old Communist secret police to spy on his fellow priests although there is question whether or not he actually "squealed" on anyone.

Needless to say the Vatican is being criticized and there is ongoing investigations as to how many other priests may have capitulated in those sad days of communism.

In a way, this reminds me of the early centuries of persecution where some heroically held out against the Romans and were martyred while others capitulated. Those who acquiesced, the Lapsi, were castigated in some circles. The Donatists of North Africa actually considered the sacraments performed by Lapsi priests as invalid.

At what point do past transgressions disqualify one from future possibilities? If one has been absolved in the sacrament of Confession and has had all excommunications removed, is it too late to start out again or are some positions forever outside one's reach? Regardless of one's opinion, I must say I am glad that God does not work that way. I am constantly reminded of the beam in my eye.

Call to Action - R.I.P.

The recent pronouncement from Rome backing Bishop Bruskewitz's decision to excommunicate members of Nebraska's Call to Action is welcome news. These folks will not listen to authority and advocate for causes long since decided by the Magisterium. For the most part, it's a white-haired crowd whose days are numbered.

Unfortunately, many of the members have secured positions in dioceses, Catholic colleges and parishes. A recent scandal at a Catholic Church in South King County where a female Catholic "bishop's" talks and liturgy were promoted by CTA in the bulletin and on parish boards indicates the problem will not go away soon. Faithful Catholics should boldly proclaim the complete gospel and not be intimidated by degrees or tenure.

It is time to get beyond the 1960's, stop whining and start evangelizing.

Top Catholic News of 2006

Here's my top 5 Catholic news items of 2006:

#5 - Archbishop Milingo (of Moonie fame) reappears, ordains married priests and is excommunicated.
#4 - The Gospel of Judas, a Gnostic forgery, causes a brief flap when published by National Geographic.
#3 - The Davinci Code becomes a movie, causing a strong backlash in Catholic circles. After a strong opening(and sadly, many teenagers attending)the movie faded at the box office.
#2 - Pope Benedict's visit to Germany and his famous speech which causes some consternation in Islamic circles.
#1 - Pope Benedict's brave visit to Turkey where he visited a mosque and received an extremely favorable reception from the Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch.

Would your list be different?