John's prologue

This Sunday's reading of John 1:1-18 is the prologue of his gospel, and in it we see his major theme of light versus dark and a developed theology as to who Jesus is.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.

There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.

 He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God.

 And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth. (John testified to him and cried out, ‘This was he of whom I said, “He who comes after me ranks ahead of me because he was before me.” ’) From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son, who is close to the Father’s heart, who has made him known.

 

Christmas canticle selections

 I think we all need a musical interlude this Christmas, so I give you the Christmas canticles which I have sung in various choirs over the years. The haunting Benedictus by Karl Jenkins is a must listen.

Magnificat anima mea Dominum

The Benedictus 

Nunc Dimittis

Gloria

One good gift for Christmas from the CofE

 This new version of The First Nowell is about the only good thing to come out of the CofE this year. 

Pray for the remaining defenders of the Faith in the CofE.

Happy Christmas everyone!

Pope Francis Yields on Same-sex Blessings: German Bishops 1 - Roman Catholicism 0

Pope Francis has approved same-sex blessings. 

I am not shocked.

After all, the German Bishops who approved same-sex blessings earlier this year were never formally disciplined as I reported a few weeks ago. 

Will this cause schism in the Roman Catholic organization (previously known as a church)?

From Fox News,

Same-sex couples can now be blessed by Catholic priests, following formal approval from Pope Francis.

A new document explaining the change in Vatican policy was released Monday, saying that "people seeking God's love and mercy shouldn't be subject to ‘an exhaustive moral analysis’ to receive it," The Associated Press reported.

Francis sent a letter to two conservative cardinals in October, suggesting that such blessings could be offered under some circumstances if those receiving the blessing did not confuse the ritual with the sacrament of marriage. 

The church stands firm in its stance that marriage is a lifelong sacrament between a man and a woman, and that blessings should not be given at the same time as a civil union, using set rituals or even with other actions or clothing related to weddings.

The document from the Vatican’s doctrine office says requests for such blessings should not be denied.

"Ultimately, a blessing offers people a means to increase their trust in God," the document said. "The request for a blessing, thus, expresses and nurtures openness to the transcendence, mercy, and closeness to God in a thousand concrete circumstances of life, which is no small thing in the world in which we live."

"It is a seed of the Holy Spirit that must be nurtured, not hindered," the pope added.

In the new document, the Vatican said the church must shy away from "doctrinal or disciplinary schemes, especially when they lead to a narcissistic and authoritarian elitism whereby instead of evangelizing, one analyzes and classifies others, and instead of opening the door to grace, one exhausts his or her energies in inspecting and verifying."

It stressed that people in "irregular" unions — gay or straight — are in a state of sin. However, it said that should not deprive them of God’s love or mercy.

"Thus, when people ask for a blessing, an exhaustive moral analysis should not be placed as a precondition for conferring it," the document said.

Conservative R.C. bishops beware. This appears to be a mandate (no pun intended) from Francis.

Maybe we will go back to the time when there were two Popes.

Perhaps now is the time for such bishops and people to swim the Tiber in the opposite direction (hint, hint Gavin Ashenden and Michael Nazir Ali).

Swim over to ACNA people.

 

Thank you St. Paul for the reminder and the blessing

This Sunday's reading from 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24 is incredibly short with a lot of dos and don'ts,

"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise the words of prophets, but test everything; hold fast to what is good; abstain from every form of evil.

May the God of peace himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do this."

"Test everything" is great advice, but I suspect that it is routinely ignored. Part of this is due to our human brain which responds emotionally fractions of a second before our logic circuits kick in, A large part is also due to out laziness. 

Thank you St. Paul for the reminder and the blessing.  

 

Dr. Fauci really does need to go to church

I saw this over at RedState and thought that Dr. Tony Fauci's opinion of church attendance was emblematic of how many people feel about liturgical churches, 

“A number of complicated reasons,” he said. “First of all, I think my own personal ethics on life are I think enough to keep me going on the right path.”

“And I think there are enough negative aspects about the organizational Church,” he continued. He noted that Kay was “very well aware” of these things, without naming them.

“I’m not against it,” Fauci explained. “I identify myself as a Catholic. I was raised, I was baptized, I was confirmed, I was married in the Church. My children were baptized in the Church.”

“But as far as practicing it, it seems almost like a pro forma thing that I don’t really need to do.” 

For those who need the current definition of pro forma, 

pro forma adjective 

1: made or carried out in a perfunctory manner or as a formality (Merriam-Webster)

I can understand how regular church attendance at a liturgical church can bring about the feeling that one's attendance is a mere formality because of the repetitive recitation of the words of the liturgy week after week (for Sunday pewsitters) or daily (for those using the daily offices). Maybe this is why so many people are attracted to modern independent churches many of which offer services that seem more like entertainment than worship. 

At least those churches give people a church family(we hope).

A good liturgy (unlike what the Episcopal church seems to be creating) should offer protection against heresy, especially the type of heresy that denies the need for congregational worship. Such denial takes one down the pathway of setting oneself up as the creator of their own personal religion. This inevitably leads to any of a number of heresies. 

The sin that grows out of a self created religion is the sin of Pride. With congregational worship, especially with a good liturgy, should come a sense of humility as we prepare ourselves to receive the Body and Blood of Jesus in the form of the bread and wine of the Eucharist. It is Pride that keeps us from repentance and it is Pride that holds us back from getting down on our knees before God to accept His free gift of salvation.

No, Tony, swallow your pride. Swallow the bread and the wine. You really need to "do" church. We all do.

The end of the Earth

 Scientists think that all life on Earth will end in 600,000,000 years. In today's reading from Peter 3:8-15, that is 1,644 God years if my calculations are correct. 

 But do not ignore this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like one day. The Lord is not slow about his promise, as some think of slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, and the elements will be dissolved with fire, and the earth and everything that is done on it will be disclosed.

 Since all these things are to be dissolved in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in leading lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set ablaze and dissolved, and the elements will melt with fire? But, in accordance with his promise, we wait for new heavens and a new earth, where righteousness is at home.

 Therefore, beloved, while you are waiting for these things, strive to be found by him at peace, without spot or blemish; and regard the patience of our Lord as salvation. So also our beloved brother Paul wrote to you according to the wisdom given to him,

We shall all be toast before that time, but don't rely on my calculations if you think you can wait before you reconcile yourself with the Lord.

 

Oh Canada!

 As previously discussed here, Canada has been pushing physician assisted suicide to new extremes. They call it Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD), but that is just a soft sell for what is really going on. Surprisingly, the Canadian government is launching a new suicide prevention hotline as announced by Justin Trudeau. Just like a big government to on the one hand promote suicide while creating a department to prevent it.

I wonder what kind of advice they will be providing. Maybe they will be sending out instructions on how to obtain MAid as an option.

 

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Justin Trudeau

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As of today, Canada’s new suicide crisis and emotional distress helpline is available across the country. If you need help or know someone who does, you can reach out to 9-8-8 by phone and text, in English and French, at any time of day and any day of the week.

10:49 AM · Nov 30, 2023

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Face the Master

 This Sunday our parish had Bishop Bryan for a couple of confirmations for which we give thanks.

The Bishop preached on Mark 13:24-37,

 “But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, 25 and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. 26 And then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. 27 And then he will send out the angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.

28 “From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. 29 So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates. 30 Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. 31 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

32 “But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33 Be on guard, keep awake.[a] For you do not know when the time will come. 34 It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his servants in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to stay awake. 35 Therefore stay awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows,[c] or in the morning— 36 lest he come suddenly and find you asleep. 37 And what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake.”

 Much like the parable of the virgins and their lamps, we are called to always be ready. I think this applies not just to the end of the Earth's days, but for our own end. Every one of us will face the "master of the house" some day.

After the service a feast was had in the Parish Hall, and we quickly forgot about the day of reckoning. 

So, this is just a little reminder.

German Roman Catholic Bishops Get Slapped With a Wet Noodle

 After their bold attempt to approve blessing same sex relationships (as I posted two weeks ago), the Vatican responded with a letter. Not a personal visit, but a letter suggesting a face to face meeting. The letter spends most of its ink on rejecting the ordination of women, but adds this short note to what is considered "a proposal of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith." 

From Rorate Caeli and Die Tagespost

b) Another issue on which a local Church has no possibility of taking a different view concerns homosexual acts. For even if one recognizes that from a subjective point of view there may be various factors that call us not to judge people, this in no way changes the evaluation of the objective morality of these acts.

The constant teaching of the Church emphasizes that "the objective moral evaluation of sexual relations between persons of the same sex is precisely and certainly established. Another question, which is not under discussion here, is the degree of subjective moral imputability of such relationships in each individual case." *

* Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Notification concerning certain writings of Fr. Marciano Vidal, C.Ss.R. (February 22, 2001).

Note that this letter is not a denunciation, but more of a "Let's talk about it" message to an intimate friend, and it does not come from Pope Francis, but instead was sent by Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin. 

Not exactly as harsh as the being removed from office which is what happened to the conservative Archbishop Joseph Strickland in Texas a few weeks ago. 

Addendum: Cardinal Raymond Burke also may get unequal treatment (From Fox News),

"During a meeting last week with the heads of Vatican offices, Francis said he was taking action against Burke because of his disunity, one of the Nov. 20 meeting participants told the Associated Press. The participant spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not in a position to reveal the details of the meeting."

"The second participant who spoke out on condition of anonymity said the pontiff was revoking Burke’s salary as a retired cardinal, as well as his privilege of having a subsidized Vatican apartment because he used the resources against the Catholic church." 

Was Parolin's letter just a wrist slap with a wet noodle?

Time will tell.

If belief in the devil is good enough for Jesus, then it is good enough for me

In this Sunday's reading from Matthew 25:31-46, Jesus does not shy away from preaching about hellfire and damnation,

‘When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. Then the king will say to those at his right hand, “Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.” Then the righteous will answer him, “Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?” And the king will answer them, “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.” Then he will say to those at his left hand, “You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.” Then they also will answer, “Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?” Then he will answer them, “Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.” And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.’

I was once a member of an Episcopal parish in which the priest said in a sermon that "Episcopalians don't believe in a literal devil." One man objected, stood up, and walked out. 

I have one thing to say to that priest, "If belief in the devil is good enough for Jesus, then it is good enough for me." 

Giving Thanks

 

A post by Br. Jacob Gerber at Dominicana points to Jesus as the center of our Thanksgiving. In it he writes,

"This week leading up to Thanksgiving provides a great opportunity to take some time to remember those singular moments of grace in your life. Write them down and carry them with you throughout the week. Let them culminate on Thanksgiving Day by taking all these moments of grace to the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, the truest and greatest act of thanksgiving. There is no greater gift than receiving the very body, blood, soul, and divinity of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist. Prepare a thankful heart for him to dwell in. And never let that spirit of thanksgiving leave your heart."

Amen to that Brother! 

Would of, Should of, Could of

 This Sunday's reading from from Matthew 25:14-30 tells the parable of the talents, and it reminds me of something a famous football coach once said about his team after a disappointing loss,

‘For it is as if a man, going on a journey, summoned his slaves and entrusted his property to them; to one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. The one who had received the five talents went off at once and traded with them, and made five more talents. In the same way, the one who had the two talents made two more talents. But the one who had received the one talent went off and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money. After a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them. Then the one who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five more talents, saying, “Master, you handed over to me five talents; see, I have made five more talents.” His master said to him, “Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.” And the one with the two talents also came forward, saying, “Master, you handed over to me two talents; see, I have made two more talents.”His master said to him, “Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.” Then the one who had received the one talent also came forward, saying, “Master, I knew that you were a harsh man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter seed; so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.” But his master replied, “You wicked and lazy slave! You knew, did you, that I reap where I did not sow, and gather where I did not scatter? Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have received what was my own with interest. So take the talent from him, and give it to the one with the ten talents. For to all those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away. As for this worthless slave, throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

The slave that buried his talent is reminded me of the New Orleans Saints that fateful day that they lost to the 49ers. Coach Jim Mora gave his "Would of, could of, should of" post game press conference. 

The slave who did not invest the talent given him would of avoided God's wrath if he had done what he should of and could of done with the treasure entrusted to him. 

Aren't we all guilty in one way or another of not being fruitful from the talents God has given to us? 

As Jim Mora would say, "We ain't good enough yet!"

Won't we all have to answer to the coach for that?

Thank God we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. 

That should be enough encouragement for us to buckle up our chin straps and go out there and get some wins for His team. 

 

Selective Disciple: Pope Francis the Softie shows that he can come down hard... on conservatives

Point one: Archbishop Joseph Strickland in Texas was recently removed from his office by Pope Francis. Strickland has been critical of what appears to be a more lenient Vatican unwritten policy towards the LGBT+ movement. He also was critical of the lack of discipline of our American President, 

"Last year, when the Vatican defrocked ultra-conservative U.S. anti-abortion priest Frank Pavone for 'blasphemous' social media posts and disobedience to bishops, Strickland was one of the few American bishops to defend him publicly.

'The blasphemy is that this holy priest is cancelled while an evil president promotes the denial of truth and the murder of the unborn at every turn, Vatican officials promote immorality and denial of the deposit of faith and priests promote gender confusion devastating lives...evil,' Strickland wrote on the platform then known as Twitter." - Reuters.

There had to be more,  

"Strickland indicated in an interview with the ultra-conservative website LifeSiteNews that one reason (for being in trouble) was his refusal to implement Vatican directives to restrict the use of the old-style Latin Mass favoured by some conservatives."

 The NYT also recently published a story about Strickland (subscription required) which probably tipped the scales against him.

 Point two: Same sex blessings will be allowed in a Roman Catholic diocese in Germany. Recall that I reported two years ago that 100 Catholic churches across Germany offered blessings to same-sex couples on March 10, 2021 according to the NYT, Now,  Anglican Ink reports that one Bishop is making it official, 

The Roman Catholic Bishop of Speyer in southwestern Germany has given permission to his clergy to bless same-sex marriages and the marriages of divorced and remarried.

In a 2 Nov 2023 letter to clergy and lay pastoral workers Bishop Karl-Heinz Wiesemann said the ceremony would not be a sacrament and must “differ from a church wedding ceremony in terms of words and signs and should explicitly reinforce the love, commitment, and mutual responsibility in the couple’s relationship as an act of blessing.”

The bishop called for the creation of a pastoral rite that would provide for the blessings “for various couple situations (remarried couples, same-sex couples, couples after civil marriage).”

The bishop stated: “Both with regard to believers whose marriages have broken down and who have remarried, and especially with regard to same-sex oriented people, it is urgently time — especially against the background of a long history of deep hurt — for a different perspective to find a pastoral attitude inspired by the Gospel, as many of you have been practicing for a long time.”

“That’s why I campaigned for a reassessment of homosexuality in Church teaching in the synodal way and also voted for the possibility of blessing ceremonies for same-sex couples. I stand by that. I hope that on the path of the global synod this pressing question of our time can also experience positive development.”

While the recently concluded synod on synodality in Rome did not address the issue of same-sex blessings, Pope Francis responded to a dubia, a question, from five conservative cardinals asking for a statement on the licitness of same-sex blessings.

The pope said it was a matter of pastoral prudence to “properly discern whether there are forms of blessing, requested by one or more people, that do not convey a misconception of marriage.”

“Decisions that may be part of pastoral prudence in certain circumstances need not be transformed into a norm,” Francis wrote. “In other words, it is not appropriate for a diocese, a conference of bishops, or any other ecclesial structure to authorize constantly and officially procedures or rules for every type of affair.”

There was no discipline of the mass disobedience of March 2021 in Germany. I am betting that there will be no investigation into the actions of the German Bishop, and he will not be forced to resign by his Archbishop or by Pope Francis. 

This should serve as a warning to those thinking about swimming the Tiber that the virus has already spread to Rome and that resistance will be put down even by a softie like Pope Francis.

Sleepers Wake

 This Sunday's reading is from Matthew 25:1-13, and once again, Jesus is advising his followers to be prepared.

‘Then the kingdom of heaven will be like this. Ten virgins took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. When the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them; but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. As the bridegroom was delayed, all of them became drowsy and slept. But at midnight there was a shout, “Look! Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.” Then all those virgins got up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish said to the wise, “Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.” But the wise replied, “No! there will not be enough for you and for us; you had better go to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.” And while they went to buy it, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went with him into the wedding banquet; and the door was shut. Later the other virgins came also, saying, “Lord, lord, open to us.” But he replied, “Truly I tell you, I do not know you.” Keep awake therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.

 

Antinatalism: Stop having babies and watch humanity and its problems go away

The Age of Reason is believed by some to be still ongoing, but the following report should alert them to the fact that it appears to have drawn to a close.

Two Finnish bioethicists wrote an editorial about “antinatalism” in Bioethics, one of the world’s leading bioethics journals. 

From MercatorNet,

“By adopting antinatalism through voluntary human extinction, all of humanity’s problems could be solved,” they say. Joona Räsänen and Matti Häyry believe that it is arguably “morally wrong to have children”. 

If there were no children, suffering would disappear in a few generations. Severe problems such as climate change would find a resolution if humans ceased to exist, thus eliminating environmental destruction. 

It appears clear that numerous problems plaguing humanity—such as wars, famine, crime, discrimination, and cruel treatment of animals, to name a few—would vanish if humans would not exist. The adoption of antinatalism would, therefore, truly solve “everything.” Humans are causing planetary destruction so great that it would be better if they ceased to exist, the two bioethicists contend. They quote a character from the popular TV show “Real Detective”: “The honorable thing for our species to do is deny our programming. Stop reproducing. Walk hand in hand into extinction, one last midnight. Brothers and sisters opting out of a raw deal.”

No doubt Räsänen and Häyry are a barrel of laughs at the pub...

The two Finns have reached a logical conclusion that even this poor chess player could have figured out: Do away with humanity and the problems of humanity will disappear.  

Genius!

A mind is a terrible thing to waste.

Two wasted minds are an accident waiting to happen.