My friends,
The developments in the Irish Catholic Church child sex-abuse scandal over just the past few days have been nothing sort of astonishing.
While the dwindling band of "the faithful" have expressed their outrage in every form and through every medium imaginable, we now -- finally -- see government officials, judges, and even police commissioners on the attack against the sick clergymen, and women, who have desecrated the Church with their decades of attacks on helpless children -- and against those who even more disgracefully have covered up these crimes against humanity's most innocent.
It is an absolutely stunning spectacle in a nation where it was once an "honor" to kiss the rings of those atop the Church's hierarchy, men whose words were weighed with gold -- the kind they use to bejewel themselves as self-proclaimed "princes of the Church."
Even the "resignation" of high-ranking bishops in Rome has done almost nothing to promote any forgiveness of the guilty, or lessen the anger of the betrayed Catholics of Ireland.
Instead, the volume has grown louder, with a bishop's supposedly contrite resignation statement -- and his explanation that he is doing it to "heal the wounds he "may" have caused -- resulting in "too little, too late" scoffs by pew-sitters.
More than that, their anger over the evils that have gone unchecked for years have brought calls for trials, jail sentences and the payment of reparations to thousands of victims.
Pope Benedict XVI, as expected, has done as little as possible to provide any meaningful redress to the entire scocking outrages. He has accepted a few resignations, the moral equivalent of removing a dead light bulb from its socket -- without putting in a new one.
He has no plans -- and apparently, not the moral courage -- to travel to Ireland and make a personal appeal for forgiveness. Instead, he will write a "pastoral letter" to Irish Catholics. Big deal.
"As ye sew, so shall ye reap" is perhaps the Biblical lesson to the recent mind-boggling developments in the Irish Catholic Church scandal. The Church has nobody to blame except itself.
And now, there is nobody else who must emerge from the cloistered rectory and stand in the spotlight to face judgment by Irish society at every level, lay and religious alike.
Our Loving Father is all-forgiving of His Dear Children who come to Him with a sincere heart. Sadly, even as they drop from fame to infamy, the sincere are in short supply among the power-brokers of the Irish Catholic Church.
God bless you all!
-- Father Tim
Friday, December 18, 2009
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Susan Boyle 'Dreamed a Dream,' but said a prayer
Published Sunday, December 13, 2009, 12:19 AMMy friends,
I admit it. I may be the last Susan Boyle fan in the world to have just gotten a copy of her wonderful new album, "I Dreamed a Dream." It's a wonderful early Christmas present from an always-kind and considerate benefactor to our mission center.
Although her performance is beautiful throughout, I noticed something I had not caught before in my favorite — the CD's signature song from "Les Miserables."
Susan made the song even more her own with a subtle change in its lyrics.
The word "dream," or a variation of it, is used more than ten times in the original song by the tragic character Fantine after she is left alone, unemployed and destitute. But Susan has made a change that, perhaps, only a priest would notice: She sings "I prayed that God would be forgiving" instead of the original "I dreamed that God would be forgiving."
While it's not the only change Susan has made from the original score by French composer Claude-Michel Schonberg and librettist Alain Boublil, it is a decidedly "SuBo" stamp on this theatrical classic.
Deeply religious and a regular visitor to the Irish shrine to Our Lady of Knock in County Mayo, Susan's faith — as well as her extraordinary talent — has saved her, and given her a life and not simply an existence. As she told Simon Cowell before stunning the world on "Britain's Got Talent," she came to the competition to prove she could do something with her life, that she could be someone.
For Susan, as for all of us, a dream and a prayer seem to be one and the same.
But they are not.
A prayer is a dream shared with God, and it is only in that holy sharing that a dream can come true. As hers did.
Our Loving Father's Happiness is beyond measure when we open ourselves to Him and ask for His Blessings. We can be sure He hears them all, and through ways often mysterious and puzzling, grants them all as well. He would withhold nothing from His Own Dear Children, but His Perfect Mind knows what is best for those whom He loves without any condition.
His Answer to our prayers may not be the winning lottery ticket for which we light candles in churches, because He knows we can be, and often are, deeply mistaken in our desires — praying for things that will actually cause us great harm — and not bring us the "joy" we "know" will be ours with baskets of green paper strips.
God's Love is an endless and unstoppable force that relentlessly seeks to extend Itself, and when we see the prayers of someone like Susan's seemingly granted, we also see why. Susan is radiant with God's Love — His Gift to her, and to us all. And in turn, she extends His Love to millions of people who have found hope in her "story" and new faith in Our Loving Father.
Small wonder, then, that the self-described "wee wifey with the cat," whose life has been a great struggle, but who kept her dreams alive and her faith strong, would take some justifiable artistic license with "her" song — originally titled "J'avais Rêvé d'une Autre Vie" ("I Dreamed of Another Life").
No, God did not grant Susan "another life" — one beautiful and eternal life is enough for us all! But He Touched her willing heart with His Loving Heart, and gave a great Gift to her, and to millions of others. When the time came to record "I Dreamed a Dream," it was a "prayer," not a "dream," that was inside Susan.
God bless you all!
— Father Tim
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Published Saturday, November 21, 2009, 3:08 AMMy friends,
I ran into Sarah Palin a week or so ago.
Well, not the Sarah Palin — and not comedian Tina Fey, either. Temporarily away from my mission work and visiting old friends at an Irish parish, I was enjoying the (rare) sunshine after Mass, greeting parishioners as they left church, when I noticed a young mother pushing her daughter in a baby carriage. Her child — like all children — was radiant to me, with a shock of orange hair and a smile of beautiful wonderment at just about everything. Her head rolled back and forth as if taking in every bit of Creation around her.
But the young mother’s face was tired and careworn, and she looked many years older than the years she had lived so far.
Her lovely baby clearly had Down Syndrome. As does Sarah Palin’s son, Trig.
“Isn’t she a rose!” I exclaimed as I walked over to them. The mother, who said her name was Bridget, brightened a bit and introduced me to to her daughter, Mary. “She’s ‘special,’ you know, Father. I was late for Mass — could you give her a blessing?”
“She is as blessed as you are, Bridget,” I said, drawing the Sign of the Cross on Mary’s forehead, and then, on her mother’s. She thanked me with great kindness, then hurried away.
I remembered this moment after I made the long journey back to my work, and read about Sarah Palin’s new book, and, inevitably, of the darts thrown at her — sometimes with what seemed great cruelty.
Now, Sarah Palin is a politician, and she has given as good (or as badly) as she gets. Such is the sad reality of a life in the public eye — or is it the public lie? In truth, there is probably not a great deal about her politics and mine that match.
Or that matter.
Life and love do matter, though — more than anything. For they are gifts from Our Loving Father. Politics, while it occupies an important place in this strange world we have created as a poor substitute for God’s Perfect World, is built from human perception. God does not perceive anything; He knows.
This is why God does not see “defects” in His Own Perfect Creations. When we see as He does — or if we simply try to see as He does — our lives move closer to the peace and love that is our birthright from Him.
And it is quite clear that Sarah Palin — whatever one may think of her politics — has shared the Thoughts of God by letting Him bring Trig into the world when she might have done otherwise. And by loving him as God loves His Dear Children: without condition.
Sarah Palin and her husband knew Trig would have Down Syndrome when she was four months pregnant. When she gave birth, she said this:
"Trig is beautiful and already adored by us. We knew through early testing he would face special challenges, and we feel privileged that God would entrust us with this gift and allow us unspeakable joy as he entered our lives. We have faith that every baby is created for good purpose and has potential to make this world a better place. We are truly blessed."
But at first she did not tell anyone, other than her husband, that Trig had Down Syndrome. Of course, it was all very painful. It is indeed faith-challenging. But when he was told, husband Todd Palin quickly said, "We shouldn't be asking, 'Why us?' We should be saying, 'Well, why not us?'" Indeed!
“You know we will still love him,” Sarah Palin said then.
And she has been as good as her word.
Many laughed when theologians warned that the disrespect and contempt for the Life which God creates that is evident in abortion and “mercy killing” was a “slippery slope” that would soon escalate.
Of course, it has. I do not know whether her doctors made any suggestion to the Palins that the early diagnosis of Down Syndrome should make them consider an “alternative” — but I know that others do. The same conversations hover near the “terminally ill,” and the slippery slope gets ever more slippery.
But for Sarah Palin and her family, at least, there was no attempt to out-think God — truly a fool’s errand. Instead, they embraced His changeless and unchangeable Love.
They are worlds richer for it. And for that, Sarah Palin, you are a hero.
God bless you all!
— Father Tim
Virgin Mary was in Ireland, but Irish Catholic Church was missing in action
Published Saturday, October 31, 2009, 3:31 PM
My friends,
Somewhere in Ireland right now, there are some sadly misguided Irish Catholic priests who are probably just plain dee-lighted that thousands of the faithful went home in disappointment from the Knock Shrine without having seen the Blessed Virgin Mary appear.
"I told ya so!" they'll crow — hopefully to themselves — that they have the last laugh at all those dupes who flocked to the County Mayo shrine in hopes of seeing an apparition of Mary.
Doing his best to destroy faith before the "scheduled" event, Archbishop of Tuam Michael Neary said: "Such events are to be regretted rather than encouraged.
"It is not healthy, does not give glory to God and certainly is not good witness to the faith to be looking for extraordinary phenomena," he said.
Referring to the acknowledged apparition of 1879, Neary said that miraculous event "was neither sought nor expected by the humble, honest people who were its astonished witnesses. Their faith reveals the patience and humility that characterizes true belief. The Shrine of Knock is living witness to that faith
"Unfortunately, recent events at the shrine obscure this essential message — they risk misleading God's people and undermining faith."
What utter nonsense! And what a shocking — though these days, sadly typical — display of foolish arrogance by the Irish Catholic Church hierarchy. Practice does seem to make perfect for them in this regard, as their closing parishes and emptying pews can attest.
Telling the faithful that hope — including the hope of a miraculous event — is EVER inappropriate, "unhealthy" and "to be regretted" is as un-Christian a pronouncement as can be imagined. Neary may believe that the great hope that such an event triggered — if and when it did not happen — would cause a loss of faith, but this is idiotic. Should people stop praying lest their prayers are not instantly answered? Of course not!
Neary correctly recalls that the witnesses to the events of 1879 were "humble, honest people" who did not expect to see a miracle. But what does that make the people who flocked to Knock today — arrogant, dishonest people? That they believed — or wanted to believe — a self-styled "clairvoyant" whose prediction of an apparition drew throngs to the Basilica is no reason to impugn their faith and certainly not their humility and honesty.
The bishop's wild path away from the Life and Example of Jesus Christ was made worse by his puzzling remark about why it is now apparently wrong to "expect to see" a miracle. Did those who witnessed the many miracles done by Our Lord expect to see them? If they did, the New Testament contains a lot of errors; people seemed pretty surprised when Lazarus was raised from the dead.
I wonder if Neary might let us pray for just one miracle — that the Irish Catholic Church could be raised from the dead? He may be right about not investing too much hope in that one. That REALLY "risks misleading God's people and undermining faith."
God bless you all!
— Father Tim
Calling all angry Anglicans! Special deals on conversions to Catholicism!
Published Friday, October 23, 2009, 3:10 PM
My friends:
Do you remember the Tylenol scare a few years back? The makers of the world's favorite pain-reliever had to cope with some nut who had poisoned a few bottles and caused the company to recall every single pill and capsule from every store shelf and hospital. Masterful management and savvy public relations saved the day, as well as the pharmaceutical giant's reputation — and bank account.
But imagine if, say, the makers of Excedrin had decided to capitalize on the scare by urging worried Tylenol users to switch to their brand — for their own safety, of course. "Use SAFE Excedrin," they could have said in commercials. "Remember, nobody has died from using OUR brand."
It would have been cheap and unseemly, right? Even if their ads had not been as wild as my imaginary example, they would have been rightly called out for taking such an ugly, self-serving, low road.
Perhaps I thought of this analogy because religion and headaches seem to go together, but the Catholic Church has invited criticism of the same kind for its just-announced and stunning plan to "sign up" Anglicans who have grown angry, unhappy or disillusioned with what they perceive as their church's leftward leanings.
In the words of the Vatican's chief doctrinal officer, Cardinal William Levada, the plan will allow Anglicans “to enter full communion with the Catholic Church while preserving elements of the distinctive Anglican spiritual and liturgical patrimony." Although there is a heavy load of Vatican lingo like this in the announcement, it is indeed a way to fast-track angry Anglicans — most of them conservative — into conversion to Catholicism.
It is a move that could be felt very quickly and very broadly in England, where many Anglicans have grown disaffected with the Church of England's acceptance of gays and lesbians — including having openly gay bishops -- as well as its full enfranchisement of women as theological equals, which has seen the ordination of women as priests.
As The New York Times said, "If entire parishes or even dioceses leave the Church of England for the Catholic Church, it will probably set off battles over ownership of church buildings and land."
Small wonder that within an hour after posting its scoop, The Times story was packed with comments from readers from all sides of the spectrum.
Some of these voices were happy with the news. Many believe, as I do, that the Church should always be a home in which people of any faith can be welcomed, and feel welcome. It would be hard for those like me in a missionary role to think otherwise. This is of course a simple, from-the-heart sentiment — but this is not a simple Vatican initiative, and it has left many people, both Anglicans and Catholics, lay and clergy, left and right, in utter shock.
To some, it is a clear sign that the Church is digging into its conservative base. To these people, Pope Benedict XVI has ended the suspense (not that there really was any) over whether his Church will be open to liberalization — or even dialog — on many of the issues experienced in the Anglican Communion in recent years. They see the door opening to conservatives of another church — but see it closing to liberal members of their own Church. They may well believe that the Church should be a home to the theological homeless, but now see themselves as the homeless ones.
I can understand how they feel, and their sad belief is not unjustified. Through action as well as inaction, the Church has aged beyond its years in a world that keeps reinventing itself. It has become a "home" for a theology that fewer and fewer people believe in — or, more often, a theology that is now like a cafeteria from which the "faithful" pick and choose the rules they feel most comfortable with. When this process is truly done from the heart and with the Guidance of the Holy Spirit, it can produce wonderful and spiritually bountiful human beings who will be in the Heart of Their Loving Father, as all His Children are.
Of course, Christianity, Catholicism and religious dogma are not popularity contests. We cannot say "It's now OK to..." when we believe it's not OK. We have to stand firm in what we believe God's Message and Teachings to be. If we turn that into rubber, we are lost. And the world we imperfectly work to lead will be lost as well — which is to say, doomed. Not doomed to lightning bolts torn from God's Angry Hand, but lost on a sea without hope of finding a shore, our Loving God, or each other. THAT is truly what hell is.
But having said that, it is also a Biblical imperative that any church that calls itself Christian MUST listen as well as preach. The One Who was fully God and fully man, Our Lord Jesus, listened and learned during His short Ministry among us on Earth. Tellingly, in one parable, He even admitted He was wrong and changed His Mind (although this was likely meant as a lesson for His Apostles). When was the last time the Catholic Church managed that feat? Hundreds of thouands of Irish Catholics are waiitng for this to happen as the Church child- and sex-abuse scandal rages — a shocking and almost unbelieavble act of conspiracy and contempt that is not exactly filling the pews. At least, not the pews in Catholic parishes. Perhaps we should work out a trade with liberal Anglican parishes?
I certainly do not believe all the raving cynics who say Benedict "is after the Anglicans' money" or "The Pope has to do something to make up for all the Catholics who are fleeing the Church." Yes, the Vatican can be crude — and I have said that many times — but this is not a cynical "Excedrin" strategy. Its underpinnings are consistent with centuries-old Church beliefs in evangelism and in its soul as a pilgrim Church on Earth.
But its surprise announcement flat-footed rationale, implausible denials and entombment in Vatican doublespeak have turned a "welcome home" into yet another Roman Coliseum act. Minus the lions, at least, so far.
Should we be surprised that the cardinals don't play like the Yankees? Too late in the game for that lament. Anybody who has witnessed the Church-made and Church-prolonged sex abuse scandal in Ireland can truly see an institution that specializes in digging its own grave.
May God bless you all!
-- Father Tim
Give us this day our daily...sex?
Published Sunday, September 13, 2009, 9:44 PM
My friends:
This is how great Irish jokes, as well as great children, are born:
Roman Catholic couples should pray together before they have sex, says a new book published by a prominent Church group. It invites those setting out on married life to recite the specially-composed "Prayer Before Making Love."
The prayer, which appears in the "Prayer Book for Spouses," implores God "to place within us love that truly gives, tenderness that truly unites, self-offering that tells the truth and does not deceive, forgiveness that truly receives, loving physical union that welcomes."
It adds: "Open our hearts to You, to each other and to the Goodness of your Will. Cover our poverty in the richness of Your Mercy and Forgiveness. Clothe us in true dignity and take to Yourself our shared aspirations, for Your Glory, for ever and ever."
The 64-page book was published by the London-based Catholic Truth Society, which has close ties to the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales.
Well!
The book has already bestowed one of God's greatest Gifts — the Gift of humor and laughter — to many commentators, pub patrons, and those blessed with the wit of the Irish.
No one can doubt, after all, that God — the Author and Creator of Humanity — has a Sense of Humor. And this, like all that is His Perfection, is shared with His Children. Of course, this particular example may not be quite the way His Humor was intended, but I doubt He is readying any lightning bolts for the jesters whose hilarious parodies include: "Pray before sex? I just pray for it, period!" and "I always say, 'Oh, God!' during sex."
While the prayer may be new, the idea is not. I recall a dear friend from Fordham University who became engaged to his school sweetheart, and decided theirs would be a Church wedding. Although this requirement varies from parish to parish nowadays, they were required to attend a "Pre-Cana" class, in which an enthusiastic priest told them to place a Crucifix above their bed, "so Jesus can watch you making love."
Still happily married and with two beautiful grown children, it still makes a good story, and frankly, it's hard not to chuckle at their predicament in that parish.
I'm not sure, though, that they ever put up that Crucifix.
But really, I think that the prayer is quite lovely — for the most part — and I hope its message resonates with all Catholics and all Christians. What better time to think of the Maker of Love than before making love?
The prayer, unfortunately, includes that tried-and-untrue notion that we are guilty of something and need to be forgiven whether we are guilty of anything or not. That we are somehow automatically unworthy of God's Love. This is not the Message of Jesus Christ, but a man-made and religion-propagated guilt machine that has caused great harm to the Children for Whom His Love is changeless and unchangeable.
It is not humility, but the height of arrogance, to tell God that you, Whom He Created perfect and through His Perfect Love, are unworthy of His Love. Do you know something that God doesn't know — and disagree with the Words that His Holy Son and Our Savior said over and over?
God loves you with a Love so perfect that there is nothing in our power that could ever change it. Do not insult Him by telling Him otherwise. We do not worship idols to whom we must offer sacrifices for "forgiveness." We worship an Ever-Loving Father. Period.
Prayers to Our Father are a request already granted — even though the Form of His Answer may not match that which we pray for.
God's Mind is the Mind of the Great Creator of the Universe, and so His Answer to our prayers comes from a Mind Whose Thoughts are not always apparent to us at first.
But we are always answered. And always loved.
God bless you all!
-- Father Tim
My friends:
This is how great Irish jokes, as well as great children, are born:
Roman Catholic couples should pray together before they have sex, says a new book published by a prominent Church group. It invites those setting out on married life to recite the specially-composed "Prayer Before Making Love."
The prayer, which appears in the "Prayer Book for Spouses," implores God "to place within us love that truly gives, tenderness that truly unites, self-offering that tells the truth and does not deceive, forgiveness that truly receives, loving physical union that welcomes."
It adds: "Open our hearts to You, to each other and to the Goodness of your Will. Cover our poverty in the richness of Your Mercy and Forgiveness. Clothe us in true dignity and take to Yourself our shared aspirations, for Your Glory, for ever and ever."
The 64-page book was published by the London-based Catholic Truth Society, which has close ties to the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales.
Well!
The book has already bestowed one of God's greatest Gifts — the Gift of humor and laughter — to many commentators, pub patrons, and those blessed with the wit of the Irish.
No one can doubt, after all, that God — the Author and Creator of Humanity — has a Sense of Humor. And this, like all that is His Perfection, is shared with His Children. Of course, this particular example may not be quite the way His Humor was intended, but I doubt He is readying any lightning bolts for the jesters whose hilarious parodies include: "Pray before sex? I just pray for it, period!" and "I always say, 'Oh, God!' during sex."
While the prayer may be new, the idea is not. I recall a dear friend from Fordham University who became engaged to his school sweetheart, and decided theirs would be a Church wedding. Although this requirement varies from parish to parish nowadays, they were required to attend a "Pre-Cana" class, in which an enthusiastic priest told them to place a Crucifix above their bed, "so Jesus can watch you making love."
Still happily married and with two beautiful grown children, it still makes a good story, and frankly, it's hard not to chuckle at their predicament in that parish.
I'm not sure, though, that they ever put up that Crucifix.
But really, I think that the prayer is quite lovely — for the most part — and I hope its message resonates with all Catholics and all Christians. What better time to think of the Maker of Love than before making love?
The prayer, unfortunately, includes that tried-and-untrue notion that we are guilty of something and need to be forgiven whether we are guilty of anything or not. That we are somehow automatically unworthy of God's Love. This is not the Message of Jesus Christ, but a man-made and religion-propagated guilt machine that has caused great harm to the Children for Whom His Love is changeless and unchangeable.
It is not humility, but the height of arrogance, to tell God that you, Whom He Created perfect and through His Perfect Love, are unworthy of His Love. Do you know something that God doesn't know — and disagree with the Words that His Holy Son and Our Savior said over and over?
God loves you with a Love so perfect that there is nothing in our power that could ever change it. Do not insult Him by telling Him otherwise. We do not worship idols to whom we must offer sacrifices for "forgiveness." We worship an Ever-Loving Father. Period.
Prayers to Our Father are a request already granted — even though the Form of His Answer may not match that which we pray for.
God's Mind is the Mind of the Great Creator of the Universe, and so His Answer to our prayers comes from a Mind Whose Thoughts are not always apparent to us at first.
But we are always answered. And always loved.
God bless you all!
-- Father Tim
Dan Brown's 'Lost Symbol' puts Freemasons back in spotlight
Posted by FatherTim at 9/22/2009 11:26 AM EDT
They're back!
The Freemasons, the group that is at the center of more conspiracy theories than any other in history — perhaps even more than the Catholic Church — have made another comeback of sorts in Dan ("The Da Vinci Code") Brown's new book, "The Lost Symbol." And as if this wasn't enough, a lawsuit in Ireland is beginning to excite the world with the prospect that the secrets of the organization will finally be revealed.
I don't imagine that this disclosure would be looked upon kindly by Freemasons. It's not much fun being part of a secret organization with its own rituals and initiations and handshakes if it's suddenly not secret. But I think it would be wonderful to finally know what makes the Masonic clock tick. (It would be nice to know what makes the Vatican tick, too, but we'll leave that for another time. And an author besides me!)
I hasten to add that the best-selling "Lost Symbol," like all Brown's works, is a novel. It is a work of fiction, and one by a very talented, creative and successful writer. I have read them all, mostly enjoyed them, and I intend to read this one as soon as a copy makes its way to the mission center.
If you're Catholic, and especially if you're Irish Catholic, you know that Masons hate us, and always have. So, we hate them. You know that they are conspiring against us, and have some sort of plan for global domination they have been working on since they started all this in the 16th Century. So far, the plan hasn't worked out so well, but global domination takes time. You also know that almost all the rich and powerful men (women aren't allowed) in the world are Masons — all the better to dominate the world, of course.
In my family and my extended Irish clan, mentioning the Masons, or even walking on the same side of the street as one of their lodges that was on my way to elementary school, was a major no-no. Back then, it would have been easier to talk about sex in an Irish Catholic household than chat about the Masons.
I did the unthinkable when I came to New York to attend college and soon after, follow my vocation: I visited a Masonic lodge. I remember making a conscious decision not to wear my Roman collar for the visit; I'm not sure what I thought would happen, but Irish Catholic guilt has a long shelf life, and I thought I should play it safe lest I fall through a trapdoor or wind up in a hall of mirrors or in a room of doors with question-marks on them — one of which I would have to choose to open.
None of this happened, and I have lived to tell the tale.
The lodge I visited is a biggie, in the Chelsea section of Manhattan. On the outside, it is a very ordinary office building, impossible to distinguish from the old Depression-era brick buildings around it. But inside, my goodness! (If that's the right word...) Its huge public rooms (you can see a slideshow here) are spellblindingly beautiful and opulent, filled with the finest woods, stone and marble, all built with unassailable craftsmanship. It's not St. Peter's Basilica, but it's no cold-water flat, either.
In a way, the lodge building is a perfect metaphor for what we know — or really, what we don't know — of the Masons: The outside gives no hint of the inside. It keeps its secrets. It is a book that cannot be judged by its plain cover.
But the Masons certainly have been judged, and found guilty by just about everybody.
Most Christian churches, and especially the Roman Catholic Church, condemn them, believing that they are a religion with its own "God," or, in the words of the Church, the Masons have a "deistic" set of beliefs that are contrary to Christianity and are heresy. For a while, even the Society of Jesus, of which I am a member, was thought to be part of the worldwide Masonic cabal (We're in the clear, now. I think...). Today, if a Catholic becomes a Mason — the Masons have no issue with this, by the way — he could not receive the Sacraments. In fact, until 1983, he would have been excommunicated. While many thought Vatican II's reforms would mean a thaw in this cold war, anti-Masonic Church policy was clearly restated by, coincidentally, the man who is now Pope, Benedict XVI.
The Catholic Church usually takes the rap in the modern world for going its own judgmental way on issues like Freemasonry, accused of condemning what it doesn't understand — but in this case, we have, and have had, plenty of company. And not just our fellow religions! Many 20th and 21st Century regimes have been lined up against them, too. Adolf Hitler and the Nazis, Communists, Fascists, Saddam Hussein, and even the terrorist Hamas organization have all condemned or still condemn Freemasonry.
To say the least, these aren't the Church's usual bedfellows, and like it or not, "our side" has even more odd allies.
The Masons are a favorite of conspiracy theorists, who have said all U.S. Presidents were Masons (actually, just 14), that they orchestrated the assassination of President Kennedy, faked NASA missions, are behind the Ku Klux Klan and Yale University's Skull and Bones society (which President George H.W. Bush was a member of), and that Jack the Ripper was a Mason whose murders were Masonic rituals. Yes, even 9/11 makes it into the list. There's lots more, but you get the idea.
What to make of all this?
As I simply don't believe there is evidence that this strange, ancient organization represents a threat to humanity, religion, spirituality, or peace -- and certainly not Our Loving God — I am content to let them go their way, as we go ours. So far, that approach seems to have worked out just fine. I don't understand them, and I'm not sure that even the Vatican theologians who have studied them for centuries — and they are far more-schooled and studied than I in this kind of painstaking research — do, either. Yet, we condemn, as do many. Are we right to do so, when we know so little?
In the later part of his life as a speaker and lecturer, the great Mark Twain often told a satirical story about Satan's "predicament." It makes a point, and it's worth a replay:
"I have no special regard for Satan; but I can at least claim that I have no prejudice against him. It may even be that I lean a little his way, on account of his not having a fair show. All religions issue bibles against him, and say the most injurious things about him, but we never hear his side. We have only the evidence for the prosecution, and yet we have rendered the verdict! To my mind, this is irregular. It is un-English. It is un-American. IT IS FRENCH! Without this precedent, Dreyfus could not have been condemned. As soon as I can get at the facts I will undertake his rehabilitation myself... It is a thing we ought to be willing to do for anyone who is under a cloud. We may not pay him reverence, for that would be indiscreet, but we can at least respect his talents! A person who has for untold centuries maintained the imposing position of spiritual head of four-fifths of the human race — and political head of the whole of it — must have executive abilities of the loftiest order. I would like to meet him. And I probably will..."
God bless you all!
— Father Tim
They're back!
The Freemasons, the group that is at the center of more conspiracy theories than any other in history — perhaps even more than the Catholic Church — have made another comeback of sorts in Dan ("The Da Vinci Code") Brown's new book, "The Lost Symbol." And as if this wasn't enough, a lawsuit in Ireland is beginning to excite the world with the prospect that the secrets of the organization will finally be revealed.
I don't imagine that this disclosure would be looked upon kindly by Freemasons. It's not much fun being part of a secret organization with its own rituals and initiations and handshakes if it's suddenly not secret. But I think it would be wonderful to finally know what makes the Masonic clock tick. (It would be nice to know what makes the Vatican tick, too, but we'll leave that for another time. And an author besides me!)
I hasten to add that the best-selling "Lost Symbol," like all Brown's works, is a novel. It is a work of fiction, and one by a very talented, creative and successful writer. I have read them all, mostly enjoyed them, and I intend to read this one as soon as a copy makes its way to the mission center.
If you're Catholic, and especially if you're Irish Catholic, you know that Masons hate us, and always have. So, we hate them. You know that they are conspiring against us, and have some sort of plan for global domination they have been working on since they started all this in the 16th Century. So far, the plan hasn't worked out so well, but global domination takes time. You also know that almost all the rich and powerful men (women aren't allowed) in the world are Masons — all the better to dominate the world, of course.
In my family and my extended Irish clan, mentioning the Masons, or even walking on the same side of the street as one of their lodges that was on my way to elementary school, was a major no-no. Back then, it would have been easier to talk about sex in an Irish Catholic household than chat about the Masons.
I did the unthinkable when I came to New York to attend college and soon after, follow my vocation: I visited a Masonic lodge. I remember making a conscious decision not to wear my Roman collar for the visit; I'm not sure what I thought would happen, but Irish Catholic guilt has a long shelf life, and I thought I should play it safe lest I fall through a trapdoor or wind up in a hall of mirrors or in a room of doors with question-marks on them — one of which I would have to choose to open.
None of this happened, and I have lived to tell the tale.
The lodge I visited is a biggie, in the Chelsea section of Manhattan. On the outside, it is a very ordinary office building, impossible to distinguish from the old Depression-era brick buildings around it. But inside, my goodness! (If that's the right word...) Its huge public rooms (you can see a slideshow here) are spellblindingly beautiful and opulent, filled with the finest woods, stone and marble, all built with unassailable craftsmanship. It's not St. Peter's Basilica, but it's no cold-water flat, either.
In a way, the lodge building is a perfect metaphor for what we know — or really, what we don't know — of the Masons: The outside gives no hint of the inside. It keeps its secrets. It is a book that cannot be judged by its plain cover.
But the Masons certainly have been judged, and found guilty by just about everybody.
Most Christian churches, and especially the Roman Catholic Church, condemn them, believing that they are a religion with its own "God," or, in the words of the Church, the Masons have a "deistic" set of beliefs that are contrary to Christianity and are heresy. For a while, even the Society of Jesus, of which I am a member, was thought to be part of the worldwide Masonic cabal (We're in the clear, now. I think...). Today, if a Catholic becomes a Mason — the Masons have no issue with this, by the way — he could not receive the Sacraments. In fact, until 1983, he would have been excommunicated. While many thought Vatican II's reforms would mean a thaw in this cold war, anti-Masonic Church policy was clearly restated by, coincidentally, the man who is now Pope, Benedict XVI.
The Catholic Church usually takes the rap in the modern world for going its own judgmental way on issues like Freemasonry, accused of condemning what it doesn't understand — but in this case, we have, and have had, plenty of company. And not just our fellow religions! Many 20th and 21st Century regimes have been lined up against them, too. Adolf Hitler and the Nazis, Communists, Fascists, Saddam Hussein, and even the terrorist Hamas organization have all condemned or still condemn Freemasonry.
To say the least, these aren't the Church's usual bedfellows, and like it or not, "our side" has even more odd allies.
The Masons are a favorite of conspiracy theorists, who have said all U.S. Presidents were Masons (actually, just 14), that they orchestrated the assassination of President Kennedy, faked NASA missions, are behind the Ku Klux Klan and Yale University's Skull and Bones society (which President George H.W. Bush was a member of), and that Jack the Ripper was a Mason whose murders were Masonic rituals. Yes, even 9/11 makes it into the list. There's lots more, but you get the idea.
What to make of all this?
As I simply don't believe there is evidence that this strange, ancient organization represents a threat to humanity, religion, spirituality, or peace -- and certainly not Our Loving God — I am content to let them go their way, as we go ours. So far, that approach seems to have worked out just fine. I don't understand them, and I'm not sure that even the Vatican theologians who have studied them for centuries — and they are far more-schooled and studied than I in this kind of painstaking research — do, either. Yet, we condemn, as do many. Are we right to do so, when we know so little?
In the later part of his life as a speaker and lecturer, the great Mark Twain often told a satirical story about Satan's "predicament." It makes a point, and it's worth a replay:
"I have no special regard for Satan; but I can at least claim that I have no prejudice against him. It may even be that I lean a little his way, on account of his not having a fair show. All religions issue bibles against him, and say the most injurious things about him, but we never hear his side. We have only the evidence for the prosecution, and yet we have rendered the verdict! To my mind, this is irregular. It is un-English. It is un-American. IT IS FRENCH! Without this precedent, Dreyfus could not have been condemned. As soon as I can get at the facts I will undertake his rehabilitation myself... It is a thing we ought to be willing to do for anyone who is under a cloud. We may not pay him reverence, for that would be indiscreet, but we can at least respect his talents! A person who has for untold centuries maintained the imposing position of spiritual head of four-fifths of the human race — and political head of the whole of it — must have executive abilities of the loftiest order. I would like to meet him. And I probably will..."
God bless you all!
— Father Tim
A hero speaks, but a 'Nero' can't hear him
Posted by FatherTim at 8/24/2009 2:54 PM EDT
My friends,
One of my heroes in the Irish Catholic Church -- or he was, until he was "reassigned" to France in a rare example of how the Church can move very quickly when it suits its purposes, in this case, to silence a critic -- has popped up in the news again.
Fr. Adrian Troy, who became legendary in The Troubles as a parish priest at Holy Cross in north Belfast, and who famously walked with schoolkids in the bullet-riddled Ardoyne past a violent Protestant protest, has called on the Church to halt the recruitment of new priests until it addresses Ireland’s clerical child abuse scandal.
Accusing the Irish Church of “a wholly inadequate response to the horrendous abuse that has been uncovered, Fr. Troy said it must take "radical action rather than engage in window dressing,” and said it should ask the Pope to visit Ireland to publicly apologize for the destruction of children's lives.
Well said!
Of course, after penning my own deed of blood on this subject earlier, how could I disagree? Although perhaps it might be better to accelerate the recruitment of new priests as well as the retirements, or criminal trials if appropriate, of many of the older ones whose souls are tainted with this unholy scandal.
Since the release in May of the shocking Ryan report -- which revealed that thousands of Irish children had suffered extreme physical and sexual abuse over decades in institutions run by Catholic religious orders -- the Church has barely moved. I don't think there were many progressive Catholics -- or perhaps any Catholics -- who saw Benedict as much of a leader, but few imagined he would become the bejeweled paperweight he is now.
"Nero XVI" fiddles in Rome while his Church burns.
Please, join me in prayer that Our Loving Father and His Holy Spirit will swiftly intervene in this sad spectacle and rescue what was once such a cherished and integral part of Irish life!
God bless you all!
-- Father Tim
My friends,
One of my heroes in the Irish Catholic Church -- or he was, until he was "reassigned" to France in a rare example of how the Church can move very quickly when it suits its purposes, in this case, to silence a critic -- has popped up in the news again.
Fr. Adrian Troy, who became legendary in The Troubles as a parish priest at Holy Cross in north Belfast, and who famously walked with schoolkids in the bullet-riddled Ardoyne past a violent Protestant protest, has called on the Church to halt the recruitment of new priests until it addresses Ireland’s clerical child abuse scandal.
Accusing the Irish Church of “a wholly inadequate response to the horrendous abuse that has been uncovered, Fr. Troy said it must take "radical action rather than engage in window dressing,” and said it should ask the Pope to visit Ireland to publicly apologize for the destruction of children's lives.
Well said!
Of course, after penning my own deed of blood on this subject earlier, how could I disagree? Although perhaps it might be better to accelerate the recruitment of new priests as well as the retirements, or criminal trials if appropriate, of many of the older ones whose souls are tainted with this unholy scandal.
Since the release in May of the shocking Ryan report -- which revealed that thousands of Irish children had suffered extreme physical and sexual abuse over decades in institutions run by Catholic religious orders -- the Church has barely moved. I don't think there were many progressive Catholics -- or perhaps any Catholics -- who saw Benedict as much of a leader, but few imagined he would become the bejeweled paperweight he is now.
"Nero XVI" fiddles in Rome while his Church burns.
Please, join me in prayer that Our Loving Father and His Holy Spirit will swiftly intervene in this sad spectacle and rescue what was once such a cherished and integral part of Irish life!
God bless you all!
-- Father Tim
Eunice Kennedy Shriver's gift from God
Posted by FatherTim at 8/7/2009 8:37 PM EDT
My friends,
Today's confirmation by the U.S. Senate of Judge Sonia Sotomayor to be an Associate Justice of the nation's highest court is a day for the record books, or history books, or religious books -- or some sort of book. Or not.
For the first time in history, there are six Catholics on the nine-member Supreme Court -- not just a majority, but what some have called a "supermajority."
In case you're not keeping score, and I doubt anybody is, Sotomayor will join fellow Catholic Associate Justices Anthony Kennedy, Antonin Sclia, Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, and Chief Justice John Roberts. (Associate Justices Stephen Breyer, David Souter and John Paul Stevens are, respectively, Jewish, Episcopalian and Protestant.)
Once upon a time in America, this probably would have mattered, and mattered a great deal.
Both the campaign and tragically short Presidency of John F. Kennedy were rife with speculation about how "the Pope will be running the country," and this was not merely from the "lunatic fringe," but from educated and respected commentators.
To address fears that his Catholicism would impact his decision-making, he famously told a Texas group in 1960, "I am not the Catholic candidate for President. I am the Democratic Party's candidate for President who also happens to be a Catholic. I do not speak for my Church on public matters -- and the Church does not speak for me."
Exit-polling was not nearly as advanced then as it is today, but it certainly would have been interesting to know what role Kennedy's religion played in his narrow victory over Richard Nixon.
But 2009 is a long way from 1961, the year Kennedy took office, and the United States, Catholicism and especially the influence religion exerts in people's lives have all radically changed. This last point is the BIG one.
In the United States, as in the world, the "believers" outnumber the agnostics and atheists by a margin so large you couldn't reach it in the space shuttle. Belief in God -- and he goes by many names -- or some Higher Power is incredibly strong, as is the way most people believe Him to be: all-loving, all-knowing, merciful, just, and present in some significant way in our daily lives on earth. Indeed, God's "characteristics" are remarkable in their uniformity from remote tribes to major religions and from the distant past to the present. As "A Course in Miracles" states so well, "His Loving Memory is written in every mind and His Name is written in every heart."
We all know Him.
But while belief in "spirituality," a spiritual aspect to our lives, is strong -- it no longer has the direct connection to organized religion it once had, and this is particularly true of Catholicism. There are many people who consider themselves "good Catholics" who disagree with many of the Church's teachings. Sometimes called "cafeteria Catholics" because they seem to pick the teachings they agree with, many nonetheless are spiritually-minded people who live their lives by the Example set by Our Lord, Jesus Christ -- and who are indeed very good people. I have many dear friends and family members who fit this description quite well, and know of many more -- and I am sure that Our Heavenly Father loves them with the same changeless and unchangeable love that is the birthright of His entire Creation.
Even if I don't always see them at Mass!
The ongoing tragedy of clergy abuse of children that has been unfolding in Ireland is perhaps the widest schism between "spirituality" and "religion" that I can think of. By the thousands, many people of great faith have left the Church and feel utter contempt for it -- which I am sad to say is entirely of the Church's monstrous making. Yet, they guide their lives by many of the lessons they have learned and by the Inner Voice That always speaks to us -- the God inside us. Organized religion -- whether Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Muslim or any denomination -- never was His Home. We -- all of us -- are His Home. Religion is an expression of the God within us as a community of faithful, and can serve a noble and needed role. But God is not owned by any of them; they are the creations of man.
To be a Christian is to believe that all is as it should be, that God's Will is always done despite what we may see as darkness and tragedy. Jesus' Own Life -- as well as His "death" and Resurrection -- was and is a perfect example of God's Will. So, if some people are moving away from "organized religion" and toward a more-personal relationship with God or a unique understanding of Him and the Teachings of His Son, then this too must be God's Will. It does not mean that evil is good and that wrong is right. It only means His Will Be Done.
Which is all a (very) long way of saying that six Catholics on the Supreme Court is probably about as significant as six judges with brown eyes on the Court.
God's Final Judgment is the only judgment that matters, as is how well we love in our short time on earth -- as He does, with Perfection.
May God bless you all!
-- Father Tim
My friends,
Today's confirmation by the U.S. Senate of Judge Sonia Sotomayor to be an Associate Justice of the nation's highest court is a day for the record books, or history books, or religious books -- or some sort of book. Or not.
For the first time in history, there are six Catholics on the nine-member Supreme Court -- not just a majority, but what some have called a "supermajority."
In case you're not keeping score, and I doubt anybody is, Sotomayor will join fellow Catholic Associate Justices Anthony Kennedy, Antonin Sclia, Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, and Chief Justice John Roberts. (Associate Justices Stephen Breyer, David Souter and John Paul Stevens are, respectively, Jewish, Episcopalian and Protestant.)
Once upon a time in America, this probably would have mattered, and mattered a great deal.
Both the campaign and tragically short Presidency of John F. Kennedy were rife with speculation about how "the Pope will be running the country," and this was not merely from the "lunatic fringe," but from educated and respected commentators.
To address fears that his Catholicism would impact his decision-making, he famously told a Texas group in 1960, "I am not the Catholic candidate for President. I am the Democratic Party's candidate for President who also happens to be a Catholic. I do not speak for my Church on public matters -- and the Church does not speak for me."
Exit-polling was not nearly as advanced then as it is today, but it certainly would have been interesting to know what role Kennedy's religion played in his narrow victory over Richard Nixon.
But 2009 is a long way from 1961, the year Kennedy took office, and the United States, Catholicism and especially the influence religion exerts in people's lives have all radically changed. This last point is the BIG one.
In the United States, as in the world, the "believers" outnumber the agnostics and atheists by a margin so large you couldn't reach it in the space shuttle. Belief in God -- and he goes by many names -- or some Higher Power is incredibly strong, as is the way most people believe Him to be: all-loving, all-knowing, merciful, just, and present in some significant way in our daily lives on earth. Indeed, God's "characteristics" are remarkable in their uniformity from remote tribes to major religions and from the distant past to the present. As "A Course in Miracles" states so well, "His Loving Memory is written in every mind and His Name is written in every heart."
We all know Him.
But while belief in "spirituality," a spiritual aspect to our lives, is strong -- it no longer has the direct connection to organized religion it once had, and this is particularly true of Catholicism. There are many people who consider themselves "good Catholics" who disagree with many of the Church's teachings. Sometimes called "cafeteria Catholics" because they seem to pick the teachings they agree with, many nonetheless are spiritually-minded people who live their lives by the Example set by Our Lord, Jesus Christ -- and who are indeed very good people. I have many dear friends and family members who fit this description quite well, and know of many more -- and I am sure that Our Heavenly Father loves them with the same changeless and unchangeable love that is the birthright of His entire Creation.
Even if I don't always see them at Mass!
The ongoing tragedy of clergy abuse of children that has been unfolding in Ireland is perhaps the widest schism between "spirituality" and "religion" that I can think of. By the thousands, many people of great faith have left the Church and feel utter contempt for it -- which I am sad to say is entirely of the Church's monstrous making. Yet, they guide their lives by many of the lessons they have learned and by the Inner Voice That always speaks to us -- the God inside us. Organized religion -- whether Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Muslim or any denomination -- never was His Home. We -- all of us -- are His Home. Religion is an expression of the God within us as a community of faithful, and can serve a noble and needed role. But God is not owned by any of them; they are the creations of man.
To be a Christian is to believe that all is as it should be, that God's Will is always done despite what we may see as darkness and tragedy. Jesus' Own Life -- as well as His "death" and Resurrection -- was and is a perfect example of God's Will. So, if some people are moving away from "organized religion" and toward a more-personal relationship with God or a unique understanding of Him and the Teachings of His Son, then this too must be God's Will. It does not mean that evil is good and that wrong is right. It only means His Will Be Done.
Which is all a (very) long way of saying that six Catholics on the Supreme Court is probably about as significant as six judges with brown eyes on the Court.
God's Final Judgment is the only judgment that matters, as is how well we love in our short time on earth -- as He does, with Perfection.
May God bless you all!
-- Father Tim
A 'Supreme' moment for Catholics, but does it matter?
Posted by FatherTim at 8/7/2009 8:37 PM EDT
My friends,
Today's confirmation by the U.S. Senate of Judge Sonia Sotomayor to be an Associate Justice of the nation's highest court is a day for the record books, or history books, or religious books -- or some sort of book. Or not.
For the first time in history, there are six Catholics on the nine-member Supreme Court -- not just a majority, but what some have called a "supermajority."
In case you're not keeping score, and I doubt anybody is, Sotomayor will join fellow Catholic Associate Justices Anthony Kennedy, Antonin Sclia, Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, and Chief Justice John Roberts. (Associate Justices Stephen Breyer, David Souter and John Paul Stevens are, respectively, Jewish, Episcopalian and Protestant.)
Once upon a time in America, this probably would have mattered, and mattered a great deal.
Both the campaign and tragically short Presidency of John F. Kennedy were rife with speculation about how "the Pope will be running the country," and this was not merely from the "lunatic fringe," but from educated and respected commentators.
To address fears that his Catholicism would impact his decision-making, he famously told a Texas group in 1960, "I am not the Catholic candidate for President. I am the Democratic Party's candidate for President who also happens to be a Catholic. I do not speak for my Church on public matters -- and the Church does not speak for me."
Exit-polling was not nearly as advanced then as it is today, but it certainly would have been interesting to know what role Kennedy's religion played in his narrow victory over Richard Nixon.
But 2009 is a long way from 1961, the year Kennedy took office, and the United States, Catholicism and especially the influence religion exerts in people's lives have all radically changed. This last point is the BIG one.
In the United States, as in the world, the "believers" outnumber the agnostics and atheists by a margin so large you couldn't reach it in the space shuttle. Belief in God -- and he goes by many names -- or some Higher Power is incredibly strong, as is the way most people believe Him to be: all-loving, all-knowing, merciful, just, and present in some significant way in our daily lives on earth. Indeed, God's "characteristics" are remarkable in their uniformity from remote tribes to major religions and from the distant past to the present. As "A Course in Miracles" states so well, "His Loving Memory is written in every mind and His Name is written in every heart."
We all know Him.
But while belief in "spirituality," a spiritual aspect to our lives, is strong -- it no longer has the direct connection to organized religion it once had, and this is particularly true of Catholicism. There are many people who consider themselves "good Catholics" who disagree with many of the Church's teachings. Sometimes called "cafeteria Catholics" because they seem to pick the teachings they agree with, many nonetheless are spiritually-minded people who live their lives by the Example set by Our Lord, Jesus Christ -- and who are indeed very good people. I have many dear friends and family members who fit this description quite well, and know of many more -- and I am sure that Our Heavenly Father loves them with the same changeless and unchangeable love that is the birthright of His entire Creation.
Even if I don't always see them at Mass!
The ongoing tragedy of clergy abuse of children that has been unfolding in Ireland is perhaps the widest schism between "spirituality" and "religion" that I can think of. By the thousands, many people of great faith have left the Church and feel utter contempt for it -- which I am sad to say is entirely of the Church's monstrous making. Yet, they guide their lives by many of the lessons they have learned and by the Inner Voice That always speaks to us -- the God inside us. Organized religion -- whether Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Muslim or any denomination -- never was His Home. We -- all of us -- are His Home. Religion is an expression of the God within us as a community of faithful, and can serve a noble and needed role. But God is not owned by any of them; they are the creations of man.
To be a Christian is to believe that all is as it should be, that God's Will is always done despite what we may see as darkness and tragedy. Jesus' Own Life -- as well as His "death" and Resurrection -- was and is a perfect example of God's Will. So, if some people are moving away from "organized religion" and toward a more-personal relationship with God or a unique understanding of Him and the Teachings of His Son, then this too must be God's Will. It does not mean that evil is good and that wrong is right. It only means His Will Be Done.
Which is all a (very) long way of saying that six Catholics on the Supreme Court is probably about as significant as six judges with brown eyes on the Court.
God's Final Judgment is the only judgment that matters, as is how well we love in our short time on earth -- as He does, with Perfection.
May God bless you all!
-- Father Tim
My friends,
Today's confirmation by the U.S. Senate of Judge Sonia Sotomayor to be an Associate Justice of the nation's highest court is a day for the record books, or history books, or religious books -- or some sort of book. Or not.
For the first time in history, there are six Catholics on the nine-member Supreme Court -- not just a majority, but what some have called a "supermajority."
In case you're not keeping score, and I doubt anybody is, Sotomayor will join fellow Catholic Associate Justices Anthony Kennedy, Antonin Sclia, Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, and Chief Justice John Roberts. (Associate Justices Stephen Breyer, David Souter and John Paul Stevens are, respectively, Jewish, Episcopalian and Protestant.)
Once upon a time in America, this probably would have mattered, and mattered a great deal.
Both the campaign and tragically short Presidency of John F. Kennedy were rife with speculation about how "the Pope will be running the country," and this was not merely from the "lunatic fringe," but from educated and respected commentators.
To address fears that his Catholicism would impact his decision-making, he famously told a Texas group in 1960, "I am not the Catholic candidate for President. I am the Democratic Party's candidate for President who also happens to be a Catholic. I do not speak for my Church on public matters -- and the Church does not speak for me."
Exit-polling was not nearly as advanced then as it is today, but it certainly would have been interesting to know what role Kennedy's religion played in his narrow victory over Richard Nixon.
But 2009 is a long way from 1961, the year Kennedy took office, and the United States, Catholicism and especially the influence religion exerts in people's lives have all radically changed. This last point is the BIG one.
In the United States, as in the world, the "believers" outnumber the agnostics and atheists by a margin so large you couldn't reach it in the space shuttle. Belief in God -- and he goes by many names -- or some Higher Power is incredibly strong, as is the way most people believe Him to be: all-loving, all-knowing, merciful, just, and present in some significant way in our daily lives on earth. Indeed, God's "characteristics" are remarkable in their uniformity from remote tribes to major religions and from the distant past to the present. As "A Course in Miracles" states so well, "His Loving Memory is written in every mind and His Name is written in every heart."
We all know Him.
But while belief in "spirituality," a spiritual aspect to our lives, is strong -- it no longer has the direct connection to organized religion it once had, and this is particularly true of Catholicism. There are many people who consider themselves "good Catholics" who disagree with many of the Church's teachings. Sometimes called "cafeteria Catholics" because they seem to pick the teachings they agree with, many nonetheless are spiritually-minded people who live their lives by the Example set by Our Lord, Jesus Christ -- and who are indeed very good people. I have many dear friends and family members who fit this description quite well, and know of many more -- and I am sure that Our Heavenly Father loves them with the same changeless and unchangeable love that is the birthright of His entire Creation.
Even if I don't always see them at Mass!
The ongoing tragedy of clergy abuse of children that has been unfolding in Ireland is perhaps the widest schism between "spirituality" and "religion" that I can think of. By the thousands, many people of great faith have left the Church and feel utter contempt for it -- which I am sad to say is entirely of the Church's monstrous making. Yet, they guide their lives by many of the lessons they have learned and by the Inner Voice That always speaks to us -- the God inside us. Organized religion -- whether Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Muslim or any denomination -- never was His Home. We -- all of us -- are His Home. Religion is an expression of the God within us as a community of faithful, and can serve a noble and needed role. But God is not owned by any of them; they are the creations of man.
To be a Christian is to believe that all is as it should be, that God's Will is always done despite what we may see as darkness and tragedy. Jesus' Own Life -- as well as His "death" and Resurrection -- was and is a perfect example of God's Will. So, if some people are moving away from "organized religion" and toward a more-personal relationship with God or a unique understanding of Him and the Teachings of His Son, then this too must be God's Will. It does not mean that evil is good and that wrong is right. It only means His Will Be Done.
Which is all a (very) long way of saying that six Catholics on the Supreme Court is probably about as significant as six judges with brown eyes on the Court.
God's Final Judgment is the only judgment that matters, as is how well we love in our short time on earth -- as He does, with Perfection.
May God bless you all!
-- Father Tim
Facebook: Satan of the Internet?
Posted by FatherTim at 8/2/2009 7:44 PM EDT
My friends,
Ironically, thanks to the power of the Internet in general and Facebook in particular, I have been able to read in my far-off mission of the remarks made by Britain's Archbishop of Westminster Vincent Nichols on Facebook and other social networks.
The press has (of course) gleefully taken his comments -- some very well-meaning and thoughtful, and some almost comedically old-fashioned -- to once again paint the Church into a corner as a finger-pointer and condemner of anything and everything that, well, people enjoy and that the Church did not either think of first or control.
Commenting on the tragic suicide of a young teenage girl, 15-year-old Megan Gillan, a student in Cheshire who took a fatal overdose of pain-killers after being bullied on social networking site Bebo, Nichols said: “I think there’s a worry that an excessive use or an almost exclusive use of text and emails means that as a society we’re losing some of the ability to build interpersonal communication that’s necessary for living together and building a community,” he said.
“Facebook and MySpace might contribute towards communities, but I’m wary about it.”
Nichols, who is the spiritual and administrative leader of the Church in England and Wales, said skills such as reading a person's mood and body language were in decline, and that exclusive use of electronic information had a "dehumanizing" effect on community life.
The Archbishop also warned of the danger of suicide among young people who threw themselves into a network of friendships that could easily collapse.
He said young people were being encouraged to build up collections of friends as commodities, and were left desolate when these transient relationships broke down. that a key factor in suicide among young people was the trauma caused the kind of transparent and loose relationships often formed on the Internet collapse.
"Friendship is not a commodity," he told the Sunday Telegraph newspaper. "Friendship is something that is hard work and enduring when it's right."
Well.
First of all, I hope all my online and offline friends will join me in prayer to Our Loving God for the repose of Megan's soul, and that He will use His Great Love to console her parents and friends, who must be heartsick over her loss. THAT is really the story here, which will be be conveniently forgotten so the press can sell more newspapers by writing about this surely daft little old man, who probably writes by candlelight with a quill pen on parchment.
But there is great wisdom and humanity in what the Archbishop has said, although he innocently errs with a "kill the messenger" approach, which seems to blame a thought-less and soul-less bunch of computers, servers, switches, routers, hubs and wires for a tragedy, as well as for being a nearly demonic presence in the world.
This is nonsense.
Websites, social networks, emails, texting -- and any of the trillion terms I'm forgetting -- are merely communication tools, like a telephone or a postage stamp. The hand the holds the tool belongs to a human mind who can use it for good or ill. I will not list a litany of headlines in which one of these minds has used these powerful tools for evil, or for good. There are plenty of examples, and only the foolish would grasp ahold of one and make it the piece of evidence that decided the case.
There is something wonderfully warm about the Archbishop's vision of how the truest of friendships are formed and prosper. I have been on the Internet as long as there has been an Internet, and I have made many friends by using it. Perhaps better, it has enabled me to reconnect with many far-flung friends scattered around the planet with whom I had not spoken in years and was delightfully surprised when I heard from. Facebook, in particular, has given me this gift, and it was probably a poor choice for the Archbishop's target.
But, at least from my own experience in life, there is little doubt that the best and closest friends I have are those with whom I have had true human interaction: neighbors, schoolmates, college roommates, priests with whom I have shared the Jesuit program of Preparation and Formation, and those who have been my brothers in various colleges and now, in the missions. And I would be remiss in not saying that the warmth of many an Irish pub has left me with many memories of wonderful times and wonderful friends.
I would not trade one of these friends for a thousand people who "friended" me or "followed" me or "dugg" me -- or any of the social network jargon. It means nothing to me to see a small army of rainbow-colored friendship icons on "my page." I would rather share a meal or an embrace with a flesh-and-blood true friend than wear these "badges" that signify nothing.
Young people, of course, do not always or often have the emotional "machinery" and experience to guide them through a social network world where "people" are not whom or what they say, and whose motives may be predatory. Parental guidance and involvement is the best way to teach them to fly, and schools should provide education about this new world of communication as well. I also believe law-enforcement officials are right in pursuing the predators who have used these modern tools as fishermen of immorality and hate.
Social networks have enabled friends to meet, have helped those who share common problems to communicate with those like them, and are used for a wide variety of moral support, friendship, education and support of worthy causes that hasten God's Work on earth.
Of course, it goes without saying that some social networks, in which a teenage girlr's 16-year-old "friend" is actually a 50-year-old man, have the potential for great harm. But again, it is the person -- not the social network -- who is responsible for this. The Church itself is a major presence on the Internet and, unfortunately, so are pedophiles and abhorrent hate groups.
Freedom of speech has always demanded the highest level of responsibility, and, where the young are concerned, caring adults must be their guides and teachers. The Internet is a town, mostly of strangers, that you are always just visiting -- it is not a home. Although his words can be tarred and feathered as out-of-step rants, Archbishop Nichols has used a real-life tragedy to remind us of the difference between the smile of a real friend, and an emoticon.
God bless you all!
-- Father Tim
My friends,
Ironically, thanks to the power of the Internet in general and Facebook in particular, I have been able to read in my far-off mission of the remarks made by Britain's Archbishop of Westminster Vincent Nichols on Facebook and other social networks.
The press has (of course) gleefully taken his comments -- some very well-meaning and thoughtful, and some almost comedically old-fashioned -- to once again paint the Church into a corner as a finger-pointer and condemner of anything and everything that, well, people enjoy and that the Church did not either think of first or control.
Commenting on the tragic suicide of a young teenage girl, 15-year-old Megan Gillan, a student in Cheshire who took a fatal overdose of pain-killers after being bullied on social networking site Bebo, Nichols said: “I think there’s a worry that an excessive use or an almost exclusive use of text and emails means that as a society we’re losing some of the ability to build interpersonal communication that’s necessary for living together and building a community,” he said.
“Facebook and MySpace might contribute towards communities, but I’m wary about it.”
Nichols, who is the spiritual and administrative leader of the Church in England and Wales, said skills such as reading a person's mood and body language were in decline, and that exclusive use of electronic information had a "dehumanizing" effect on community life.
The Archbishop also warned of the danger of suicide among young people who threw themselves into a network of friendships that could easily collapse.
He said young people were being encouraged to build up collections of friends as commodities, and were left desolate when these transient relationships broke down. that a key factor in suicide among young people was the trauma caused the kind of transparent and loose relationships often formed on the Internet collapse.
"Friendship is not a commodity," he told the Sunday Telegraph newspaper. "Friendship is something that is hard work and enduring when it's right."
Well.
First of all, I hope all my online and offline friends will join me in prayer to Our Loving God for the repose of Megan's soul, and that He will use His Great Love to console her parents and friends, who must be heartsick over her loss. THAT is really the story here, which will be be conveniently forgotten so the press can sell more newspapers by writing about this surely daft little old man, who probably writes by candlelight with a quill pen on parchment.
But there is great wisdom and humanity in what the Archbishop has said, although he innocently errs with a "kill the messenger" approach, which seems to blame a thought-less and soul-less bunch of computers, servers, switches, routers, hubs and wires for a tragedy, as well as for being a nearly demonic presence in the world.
This is nonsense.
Websites, social networks, emails, texting -- and any of the trillion terms I'm forgetting -- are merely communication tools, like a telephone or a postage stamp. The hand the holds the tool belongs to a human mind who can use it for good or ill. I will not list a litany of headlines in which one of these minds has used these powerful tools for evil, or for good. There are plenty of examples, and only the foolish would grasp ahold of one and make it the piece of evidence that decided the case.
There is something wonderfully warm about the Archbishop's vision of how the truest of friendships are formed and prosper. I have been on the Internet as long as there has been an Internet, and I have made many friends by using it. Perhaps better, it has enabled me to reconnect with many far-flung friends scattered around the planet with whom I had not spoken in years and was delightfully surprised when I heard from. Facebook, in particular, has given me this gift, and it was probably a poor choice for the Archbishop's target.
But, at least from my own experience in life, there is little doubt that the best and closest friends I have are those with whom I have had true human interaction: neighbors, schoolmates, college roommates, priests with whom I have shared the Jesuit program of Preparation and Formation, and those who have been my brothers in various colleges and now, in the missions. And I would be remiss in not saying that the warmth of many an Irish pub has left me with many memories of wonderful times and wonderful friends.
I would not trade one of these friends for a thousand people who "friended" me or "followed" me or "dugg" me -- or any of the social network jargon. It means nothing to me to see a small army of rainbow-colored friendship icons on "my page." I would rather share a meal or an embrace with a flesh-and-blood true friend than wear these "badges" that signify nothing.
Young people, of course, do not always or often have the emotional "machinery" and experience to guide them through a social network world where "people" are not whom or what they say, and whose motives may be predatory. Parental guidance and involvement is the best way to teach them to fly, and schools should provide education about this new world of communication as well. I also believe law-enforcement officials are right in pursuing the predators who have used these modern tools as fishermen of immorality and hate.
Social networks have enabled friends to meet, have helped those who share common problems to communicate with those like them, and are used for a wide variety of moral support, friendship, education and support of worthy causes that hasten God's Work on earth.
Of course, it goes without saying that some social networks, in which a teenage girlr's 16-year-old "friend" is actually a 50-year-old man, have the potential for great harm. But again, it is the person -- not the social network -- who is responsible for this. The Church itself is a major presence on the Internet and, unfortunately, so are pedophiles and abhorrent hate groups.
Freedom of speech has always demanded the highest level of responsibility, and, where the young are concerned, caring adults must be their guides and teachers. The Internet is a town, mostly of strangers, that you are always just visiting -- it is not a home. Although his words can be tarred and feathered as out-of-step rants, Archbishop Nichols has used a real-life tragedy to remind us of the difference between the smile of a real friend, and an emoticon.
God bless you all!
-- Father Tim
So many thoughts, so little time!
Meanwhile, in Dublin...
I have been in touch with many fellow priests and friends in Ireland, and their vision must be sharper than mine when it comes to the Catholic Church child abuse scandal, which will soon be in the spotlight again. Although the horrid and monstrous abuse and cover-up will soon sprout more headlines, which constantly occupies my mind, my friends tell me they see -- perhaps only at the personal level, not the "CHURCH" level -- signs of love and forgiveness, signs that many Irish people are able to separate the decent and loving PEOPLE of the Church from the Church itself, which still seems to be an ugly, malignant infection of conspiracy, false moralizing, and, even at this late date, a criminal's preoccupation with escape from justice.
If this is so, it is a sign that God's Love is at work -- which is never really in doubt! If Irish Catholics can see the grace and goodness in just one priest, friar or nun -- without seeing them all as tentacles of this hateful treacherousness -- then there is hope for a new understanding, and indeed, a new Catholic Church, in Ireland. As Jesus showed in his own Life, "death," and Resurrection, the path to redemption is stony and steep. Although the Church's criminals -- both the predators and especially those who made their predation and depravity possible -- must face civil justice and punishment, and the church must pay for what it is solely responsible for, let us pray that the glimmer of light my friends speak of will grow into a new and wondrous star over Ireland. I would love to hear what you think...
Susan Boyle, the triumph of faith and hope
That this lovely Scottish Catholic woman has triumphed over the ugly forces of greed and jealousy -- which were sicced on her like a vicious dog merely because she was a poor woman who dared to find a life by singing a beautiful song -- truly gladdens the heart! No doubt drawing on the strength she gained through annual visits to the shrine of Our Lady of Knock in Mayo, as well as the chorus of prayers from her friends near and far and he dear mother Bridget in Heaven, Susan has won her life back as surely as she won our hearts. How wonderful it was to see her on television, glowing with beauty, strength and humility!
Best of all, this supposedly "learning-disabled" woman has learned more in a few months than many do in a lifetime. When she was complimented on how stunning she looked, she replied with self-deprecating humor that "I brush up quite well" -- a moment I will not soon forget. Her humanity is back, and the Loving God Who never left her side is in her heart again. God bless her, and all who prayed for this moment, as I did!
The Vatican -- always on the job!
The pope and his legion of redcaps may be doing less than nothing about the scandal in the Irish Catholic Church, but thank God they have found the time to remove "Harry Potter" from the list of the devil's playthings! Buy your tickets, knowing they are not tickets to "hell."
"Our Lady of the Tree Stump"
Let the media have its laugh at the expense of the Irish -- it wouldn't be the first time.
When thousands of Catholics began visiting a Limerick tree stump in which they saw the Image of Our Blessed Mother the Virgin Mary, I could hear the press' guffaws even here in the mission. It's true that some people say they have seen Holy Images -- usually of Jesus or Mary -- in everything from pancakes to mountains, and it's as much a miracle for believers as it's a chuckle for others.
I have no idea whether the tree stump in Limerick is indeed the stuff of which shrines are made, and the Vatican's scholars -- if they work at top speed -- won't have the "answer" until the next millennium.
It's all beside the point.
As the wondrous and holy book "A Course in Miracles" points out so well, "projection makes perception." In other words, what we "see" is already in our minds before we actually behold it. If we "see" a bad day ahead even though it hasn't happened yet, chances are excellent that we'll perceive a bad day, too.
And so it is with thoughts of God. When we allow Him -- though the free will He gave us -- to enter our hearts and minds, there are amazing things to be seen. TRULY seen. God does not see the world we created -- a world of sin and suffering, loss and death, evil and punishment. He sees only the TRUE world which is His Own Creation -- one so radiant with love, beauty and wonder that every second spent there will enchant us beyond any dream.
Is there a tree stump that looks like Mother Mary in this world? Well, Mother Mary is there -- so why not the tree stump?
God bless you all!
-- Father Tim
I have been in touch with many fellow priests and friends in Ireland, and their vision must be sharper than mine when it comes to the Catholic Church child abuse scandal, which will soon be in the spotlight again. Although the horrid and monstrous abuse and cover-up will soon sprout more headlines, which constantly occupies my mind, my friends tell me they see -- perhaps only at the personal level, not the "CHURCH" level -- signs of love and forgiveness, signs that many Irish people are able to separate the decent and loving PEOPLE of the Church from the Church itself, which still seems to be an ugly, malignant infection of conspiracy, false moralizing, and, even at this late date, a criminal's preoccupation with escape from justice.
If this is so, it is a sign that God's Love is at work -- which is never really in doubt! If Irish Catholics can see the grace and goodness in just one priest, friar or nun -- without seeing them all as tentacles of this hateful treacherousness -- then there is hope for a new understanding, and indeed, a new Catholic Church, in Ireland. As Jesus showed in his own Life, "death," and Resurrection, the path to redemption is stony and steep. Although the Church's criminals -- both the predators and especially those who made their predation and depravity possible -- must face civil justice and punishment, and the church must pay for what it is solely responsible for, let us pray that the glimmer of light my friends speak of will grow into a new and wondrous star over Ireland. I would love to hear what you think...
Susan Boyle, the triumph of faith and hope
That this lovely Scottish Catholic woman has triumphed over the ugly forces of greed and jealousy -- which were sicced on her like a vicious dog merely because she was a poor woman who dared to find a life by singing a beautiful song -- truly gladdens the heart! No doubt drawing on the strength she gained through annual visits to the shrine of Our Lady of Knock in Mayo, as well as the chorus of prayers from her friends near and far and he dear mother Bridget in Heaven, Susan has won her life back as surely as she won our hearts. How wonderful it was to see her on television, glowing with beauty, strength and humility!
Best of all, this supposedly "learning-disabled" woman has learned more in a few months than many do in a lifetime. When she was complimented on how stunning she looked, she replied with self-deprecating humor that "I brush up quite well" -- a moment I will not soon forget. Her humanity is back, and the Loving God Who never left her side is in her heart again. God bless her, and all who prayed for this moment, as I did!
The Vatican -- always on the job!
The pope and his legion of redcaps may be doing less than nothing about the scandal in the Irish Catholic Church, but thank God they have found the time to remove "Harry Potter" from the list of the devil's playthings! Buy your tickets, knowing they are not tickets to "hell."
"Our Lady of the Tree Stump"
Let the media have its laugh at the expense of the Irish -- it wouldn't be the first time.
When thousands of Catholics began visiting a Limerick tree stump in which they saw the Image of Our Blessed Mother the Virgin Mary, I could hear the press' guffaws even here in the mission. It's true that some people say they have seen Holy Images -- usually of Jesus or Mary -- in everything from pancakes to mountains, and it's as much a miracle for believers as it's a chuckle for others.
I have no idea whether the tree stump in Limerick is indeed the stuff of which shrines are made, and the Vatican's scholars -- if they work at top speed -- won't have the "answer" until the next millennium.
It's all beside the point.
As the wondrous and holy book "A Course in Miracles" points out so well, "projection makes perception." In other words, what we "see" is already in our minds before we actually behold it. If we "see" a bad day ahead even though it hasn't happened yet, chances are excellent that we'll perceive a bad day, too.
And so it is with thoughts of God. When we allow Him -- though the free will He gave us -- to enter our hearts and minds, there are amazing things to be seen. TRULY seen. God does not see the world we created -- a world of sin and suffering, loss and death, evil and punishment. He sees only the TRUE world which is His Own Creation -- one so radiant with love, beauty and wonder that every second spent there will enchant us beyond any dream.
Is there a tree stump that looks like Mother Mary in this world? Well, Mother Mary is there -- so why not the tree stump?
God bless you all!
-- Father Tim
Memo to Irish Catholic Church: Your services are no longer needed
Posted by FatherTim at 7/4/2009 11:19 PM EDT
My friends,For the Catholic Church In Ireland, the game is over.
The Irish people, and I am convinced it is the majority, no longer wish to have the Catholic Church in their country, or in their lives, and possibly not in their faith.
I cannot blame them.
The Church is solely to blame for this, from front to back, start to finish. It is reaping what it sewed. Although running away from a fire rather than toward it is not the example many of us in the Church believe should be our service to God and His Children, it may be best for all that we settle up our debts, hand over our criminals, and catch the next plane out of Dublin. I am sure that, after a transition period, many of the services the Church provides in Ireland can be contracted to others, and I would hope whatever damage settlements we must and should pay will smoothe that changeover.
Ireland is strong, and it will live on, and heal. Yes, it can and will do this without us. And, assuming it has learned anything, the threads that were once the garment of the Irish Church will heal too, and not repeat the horrible mistakes and misdeeds that have doomed its work in "the land of scholars and saints." Perhaps, in some tomorrow, the Church and Ireland will again be together. That is a prayer worth saying and a dream worth having -- but not a reality worth expecting, not now or anytime soon.
There is simply no way that an institution so horriby tainted and so utterly mistrusted can or should speak in the name of Jesus Christ in Ireland, nor attempt to project spiritual and moral leadership. So many of my dear online friends have written me with the same question, which I cannot answer: "How can we ever trust the Church again?" While the Church can and must surrender its criminals and the highly placed conspirators who made the crimes possible and policy, it will never be enough in Ireland. The rage is too strong, a dam has burst. No matter what it does or says, the Church cannot and will not be believed anymore. Without that, its ministry is finished, at least for now.
There never was much reason to expect that Benedict XVI or his legion of Roman red hats would rise to this or any occasion requiring Divinely-inspired leadership. They are better examples of the problem than the solution. Of course, the sorrow from Rome IS genuine, the contrition IS real. But it doesn't really matter. Many readers have rightly said that, if the Church was a corporation (and it is), all those responsible would have been locked up in prisons or hospitals by now, and the company would have been driven out of Ireland on a rail. The best the Irish Church can do now is to buy its one-way tickets. All the Faithful, or what's left of them, can only pray that Our Loving Father will find a way to restore a pure Church to Ireland, and that Ireland will want it back.
In a way, the dramatic scenario I have described is already well under way, albeit in a quieter way. In an ominous aticle titled "Irish priests will disappear," a prominent clergyman in the West of Ireland revealed that Irish priests are literally dying off, and that the Catholic faith in Ireland will soon be ministered by a small bunch of old men. Irish priests are becoming an endangered species, and very few men are joining the seminary in Ireland these days. "There is little interest among Irish men to ... be part of an institution that is responsible for some of the most-sickening abuse the country has ever seen."
And so, the end of the game. Perhaps quickly, perhaps slowly -- but certainly.
As they take one last look at their parishes, I know many Irish priests -- many of good heart and who abhor what has happened -- will wonder why, after all the sincere apologies, all the jail sentences that no doubt will soon be served, all the millions of dollars in damages that will soon be paid, and all ther shakeups atthe upper echelons, why the Irish still cannot forgive them?
Unfortunately, the answer is a boomerang that will come right back to strike.
History shows us that few churches ever exerted such domineering social power as the Irish Catholic Church. It specialized almost exclusively in sin, shame, Satan and hell; or why God should be feared(?!), and what terrible vengeance and judgment awaited us all. We were not worthy of His Love, or so they taught for centuries -- an arrogant slap in the face to the very God they "quoted," who spoke ONLY of His Love for His Children Whom He made in His Own Image of Perfection and Purity. Like guards at a prison camp, they separated God's Children into the clean and the unclean, the good and the bad -- their sole judgment, or whim, was all that was necessary. They looked down on other religions and taught their parishioners to do the same -- even if this meant decades of civil war that civilians and soldiers, not men of God, brought to a close. Although many "held the center" and managed to both support the victims and preach for peace, others (and on both sides) presided over funerals for the war's fallen that were little more than pep rallies for death squads.
Small wonder that so many of those who could never teach love, never understand forgiveness, never accept the Unity of All God's Children, and embraced judgment like a blunt instrument of punishment, would wind up lost at sea themselves -- degenerating into abusers of innocent children, and even worse, into protectors and guardians of the abusers.
They helped teach Ireland to hate, to never forgive, to fear, to be suspicious.
Now, they are the hated, and the ones who can never be forgiven, not even by their own people and not even in spite of many, many, many good and Godly works they have done for them.
It is the life they made for Ireland, and ultimately, for themselves.
God bless you all.
-- Father Tim
Mother Mary, speaking words of wisdom
My friends,
Scores of Church officials, from the Pope on down, have condemned the terrible sexual and child abuse scandal in Ireland, and its systematic cover-up, for which the Church is responsible.
They may as well have been whispering Latin into a dead microphone.
Until yesterday it seems, no victim of this horrendous episode has heard an apology or a kind word that meant anything to them.
But then came "Mother Mary" -- Irish President Mary McAleese. She asked almost 300 people who had suffered abuse -- many of whom are now in their 70s or 80s -- to her residence in the Phoenix Park, where they would hear her apologize to them on behalf of the people of Ireland.
But her words were far more eloquent and touching than anything anybody has managed, or even imagined:
The invitation to Aras an Uachtaráin today is an expression of the massive public wish to let you know how deeply your stories have struck a chord. For so long your suffering seemed to make strangers of you in your own land. Today, we simply seek to be family to each other, to assert our common care for one another and to acknowledge that what was done to those of you who are survivors of abuse in institutional care, not only damaged your precious lives but diminished our society.Many, if not most, in the audience, wept tears of relief and even joy. One said he finally felt proud to be Irish again.
Your experiences are monuments to our failure to cherish our children. Our most precious monument to you has to be our determination to be that Republic where children are cherished equally not just in lofty words but in everyday deeds.
The people of Ireland are desperately sorry for the many ways in which you were not cherished, in the abuse itself, in the silence, in the failure to act, in the failure to listen, hear and believe in time.
In their name, I offer every one here and all those whose little lives were robbed of the joys of childhood our heartfelt sorrow.
There is an old Irish phrase, giorrian beirt bothar – two shorten the road. As you leave here this afternoon, I hope you will feel that the road ahead, while still daunting, has been shortened for each of you in a special way and that where once you were on your own, you now have company that cares.
Mary McAleese presided over one of the largest true mass healings I have ever heard of.
But it was not her power or position as President of the Republic that worked this wonder. It was, simply, her. A woman. A mother. This is the power Mary McAleese called upon, and it did not fail.
Who else does a hurt child cry out for? Who else can make the pain go away? Who else can "make it all better?"
Only a mother. It is rightly said that there is no greater love on Earth than a mother's for her children; only God's perfect, changeless, and unchangeable Love for All His Children can be greater.
The male domination of the Church -- partly historical, partly theological, partly Biblical -- is part of the problem in both the crime and the conspiracy of the child abuse scandal. This is why in this case, its words, even those with pure and genuine love and humility, seem so hollow. Especially when compared with the God-given special compassion and empathy of a woman and a mother. I have never seen it so clearly as I have from reading the stories of President McAleese's speech and the overwhelming reaction to it -- both by the attending victims, and by people around the world.
It is perhaps not ironic at all that President McAleese bears the name of the Mother of Humanity, the Mother of Our Lord, the Queen of Heaven: the Blessed Virgin Mary.I still remember the first time I celebrated a Mass which included the Stations of the Cross. For a priest, it is a deeply moving experience to be part of the Passion of Our Lord.
My own dear mother, may she rest in peace -- also named Mary -- was of course there for the occasion. When I came to the Thirteenth Station, which recalls how Jesus was taken down from The Cross and lain in His heartbroken Mother's Arms, I was overcome with emotion as I thought of such unbearable sadness, and had to stop for a few moments to regain my composure.
After the Mass -- which I had wanted to be "perfect" -- I was explaining (perhaps apologizing) to some parishioners why I had faltered.
My mother brushed my hurt away, as only a mother can.
"That's all right, Timmy. You were just fine."
God bless Mary McAleese for the healing she has done, and may God bless all of you!
-- Father Tim
News story: Tears as Irish President apologizes to abuse victims
Photo gallery of Presidential reception for abuse victims
Is it time for Susan Boyle to return to where the journey began?
An excellent article by Irish journalist Niall O'Dowd: Simon wins, Susan loses, and that's entertainment for him
My friends,
Many of us felt great joy when the "ordinary" Susan Boyle turned into someone quite extraordinary, singing the aptly named "I Dreamed a Dream" with such passion and beauty it could have brought tears to the eyes of a statue. There was indeed something dreamlike about seeing this Scottish daughter of Irish immigrant parents prove, as she said after her stunning solo, "that I could do something with my life."
The devout Catholic also paid tribute to her late mother, Bridget, whom she misses terribly. "I knew it was something I had to do," she said. "I had to get on with it. That's where the courage came from, my mother."
But, as IrishCentral's staff first reported, Susan's courage came from another "mother," too: She has long made an annual pilgrimage to the County Mayo shrine of Our Lady of Knock, often called the "Mother of Ireland." In fact, it was at Knock that Fr. Basil Clark, dean of West Lothian, the district that covers Boyle's home village of Blackburn, first heard her sing.
Lately, however, Susan's life has become a very hard road to walk. Considered learning-disabled as a child; solitary, jobless, devoted only to God, her church, her sick mother, and her beloved cat as an adult, she was ill-prepared for the bright lights of fame. The toxic invasion of the British press, obsessed with calling her "the 48-year-old virgin" in almost every story, made her hellish new life even harder.
Although he made his comments more than two months ago, just after Susan's original performance, it is haunting to hear Fr. Clark's premonitions:
"I am quite worried for her," he said. "I think it's great at one level. It might just be the thing that will make her, but she is a very vulnerable person and it could be quite difficult.
"It is a great opportunity for her and as far as I am concerned she should make the best of it, and if it lasts, it lasts, and if it doesn't, then it's still more than almost any one of us will ever achieve," he added. But while reminding us that she was "a woman of great faith" who was "very gentle and very caring," the good pastor clearly saw dark clouds on the horizon.
There is an old and cynical saying: "Be careful what you pray for, because you just might get it." But Susan did not pray at the Knock shrine in Ireland to be a star, or for fame, or for riches. She prayed to the Blessed Mother of Jesus and Our Lady of Knock for courage, for her life to have meaning.
Isn't that a prayer we all have in our hearts?
Like all prayers, Susan's was answered by her Loving God, Who could not and cannot deny His Beloved Children a prayer so deep and yearning.
Susan found her courage, singing the deeply moving solo from "Les Miserables" with such strength that all her "mothers" would have cried tears of joy: The Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of Jesus; Our Lady of Knock, Mother of Ireland; and finally, a mother named Bridget Boyle, who had come to Heaven in 2007.
But in the past few weeks, the ugly meat-grinder that is the entertainment industry has chewed its way through this beautiful soul. She is no longer Susan Boyle to them, just a commodity to sell. They will sell her concerts, sell her voice, sell her likeness, sell her story, and probably even sell Susan Boyle bobble-head dolls in time for Christmas.
She cries constantly and is beset with anxiety. She misses her beloved companion, her cat Pebbles. Singing -- which is "the dream she dreamed" -- has become a burden she cannot manage, and she has been given a demanding schedule of performances that would make even Bono check into a rest home. To no great surprise, some of these shows have been canceled because the star could not shine for her Hollywood masters.
Susan, my sister in Christ, I speak to you now in the confidence that Our Loving Father will find a way for you to hear these words:
You must return to Our Lady of Knock, and give this nightmarish problem to the Mothers in Heaven Who love you, and who will hear and answer you. They will lift this terrible weight from you as if it was a feather. The tears in your eyes will dry, your beautiful smile will return, and you can use your beautiful voice where it truly belongs: in your own parish choir at Our Lady of Lourdes in Scotland.
God longs to give you His Love and Peace, but He cannot do for you what He cannot do through you. You must open your heart to Him -- He only needs a tiny space, and He will rush in to heal you, His Beloved Child.
You are being held in bondage now by the "money-changers" whom Jesus, with righteous anger, threw out from the temple. Your new friends are indeed high and mighty, but who do you think is stronger, and will triumph and save you: the money-changers, or The Great Creator of the Universe?
Ask, and you shall receive, Susan!
God bless you all!
-- Father Tim
An excellent article by Irish journalist Niall O'Dowd: Simon wins, Susan loses, and that's entertainment for him
'I am not a pedophile priest'
Posted by FatherTim at 6/9/2009 3:45 PM EDT
My friends,Last night, I received a long email from a very old friend, a wonderful man and exemplary priest. He had been Monsignor of his parish just outside New York City for more than 30 years until a stroke slowed him down considerably. But he's not the retiring type, and stays involved with all the activities and needs of his parish, its school and other charitable programs.
Although the population of the parish's community has changed over the years and is now much poorer, he has remained a beloved figure who is truly a friend to all. Or, so he thought.
On Sunday night, he was told that the Sister who normally runs the parish's daycare center had taken ill, and her assistant was not available. Typically, and happily, he stepped in and said he'd manage the center and take care of the 25 children who are dropped off every day, mostly by their working moms. In fact, he hobbled right over the kitchen and began putting together the breakfast trays the children would be given the next morning.
I have seen him in action, and to say that he welcomed the kids and their mothers with open arms would be an understatement. He would have had hugs, kisses and blessings for all, even those faces who were new to him, or whose memory his stroke might have taken away.
Many of the moms of course knew their old friend very well, and were delighted to see him, with his twinkling blue eyes and eternal Irish smile.
But there were some who were newer to the parish, and only recognized him as the old man with a slightly stroke-contorted face who walks through the neighborhood and couldn't always speak without slurring some words. They held tight to their kids, huddled with some of the other mothers, and soon, there were only 15 children left.
A longtime parishioner who had come by to help with the program came up to my old friend with tears streaming down her face, and explained what had happened.
"I tried to tell them," she told my friend, "that you're okay with kids."
"Okay with kids?" he asked, puzzled. "Of course I am!" he exclaimed with a laugh. "I'm not that old!"
He soon realized that being old wasn't the problem. Being a priest was. "It's just the way things are right now," the kindly woman said. "It's not you."
Now, I understand that it is a dangerous world, and mothers have an unstoppable, God-given instinct and duty to protect their children from all harm, real or imagined. I cannot bring myself to blame them.
I simply feel very sad.
For them, for my dear friend, and for "the way things are right now."
Because of the vicious power of fear, they all lost. The mothers missed a chance to entrust their blessed children's care to a true man of God, and to come to know him and see him for the kind, gentle and wonderful man he is. The kids missed a chance to have a wonderful day and experience the specialness that can only come from those who have lived many years and seen many things.
And unknowingly, they missed the chance to make an old man very happy.
My dear friends, as I give you God's Blessing, I implore you: Do not let hatred enter your hearts. It will make its home there.
God bless you all!
-- Father Tim
For Benedict, this is the moment, and Ireland is the place
Posted by FatherTIm at 6/5/2009 11:05 AM EDT
My friends,
While it's welcome news that Pope Benedict XVI will meet today with Ireland's top churchmen in the wake of a horrific report detailing decades of rapes and beatings at Church-run schools in Ireland -- This is Rome, not Hollywood, and Benedict isn't Charlton Heston.
Don't expect any partings-of-seas.
Benedict's private meeting with Cardinal Sean Brady of Armagh and Dublin Archbishop Diarmuid Martin isn't likely to mean a lot more than a visit to the principal's office. After all, it's not a visit to the principal's office at one of the Church's own living hells in Ireland.
Incredibly, the Vatican has yet to comment on the 2,600-page report, which took nine years to compile due mostly to the intransigence, obfuscation and blatant coverup by most of the Irish Catholic Church's hierarchy in their conspiratorial efforts to shield pedophile priests from arrest.
To be sure, Benedict is not in coverup mode. Then again, no one in their right mind could be, least of all the Church's spiritual leader -- and its leading politician. But neither is he going to make the walls shake with the kind of fury and rage that rebounds across Ireland.
The Holy Father has spoken out many times, and forcefully, about the sordid issue of clergy abuse. He has met with many victims, who describe him as being moved by the deepest emotions at hearing of the torture inflicted on them by his own brothers in the Church. He has asked the Faithful to forgive, and he has made clear that abusers and others should be held accountable in a criminal-justice system for their crimes. And that is significant. He has been clear, and sincere, and those who think otherwise have been watching a different program.
But...
While it is almost as certain as a sunrise that Benedict will again apologize for the stain that now, rightly or wrongly, covers his entire Church -- it's far from clear whether there's a second act. A visit to Ireland is certainly being discussed, and I think many would consider it a healing gesture by Benedict. To be sure, it would be as scripted as any political convention, but that is standard operating procedure, and doesn't imply insincerity. Perhaps because of my Calling to missionary work, I believe the place for firemen is at the fire -- and so I think Benedict's place is in Ireland.
The Church is a very old and very large institution, and it moves slowly and deliberately. This is often frustrating. But really, it is to be expected, even though it is often mis-atrributed to ominous motives. It certainly does not move with the blinding speed of a politician who senses an open microphone or whirring camera. So, yes, the scandal has gotten a good lead on the Vatican, and it will take quite an effort to restore some balance.
But this is Benedict's moment. Like the Popes who have led the Church during plagues and world wars and despotic tyrannies, he must take a horrible reality -- and worse, one which his own Church has dropped at his feet -- and do what Christ would do. And he must explain why it is what Christ would do.
He cannot lead by being sad, or sorry -- we've already been there. So the question is well put to him by all in his Church:
Benedict, what will you DO?
God bless you all!
-- Father Tim
My friends,
While it's welcome news that Pope Benedict XVI will meet today with Ireland's top churchmen in the wake of a horrific report detailing decades of rapes and beatings at Church-run schools in Ireland -- This is Rome, not Hollywood, and Benedict isn't Charlton Heston.
Don't expect any partings-of-seas.
Benedict's private meeting with Cardinal Sean Brady of Armagh and Dublin Archbishop Diarmuid Martin isn't likely to mean a lot more than a visit to the principal's office. After all, it's not a visit to the principal's office at one of the Church's own living hells in Ireland.Incredibly, the Vatican has yet to comment on the 2,600-page report, which took nine years to compile due mostly to the intransigence, obfuscation and blatant coverup by most of the Irish Catholic Church's hierarchy in their conspiratorial efforts to shield pedophile priests from arrest.
To be sure, Benedict is not in coverup mode. Then again, no one in their right mind could be, least of all the Church's spiritual leader -- and its leading politician. But neither is he going to make the walls shake with the kind of fury and rage that rebounds across Ireland.
The Holy Father has spoken out many times, and forcefully, about the sordid issue of clergy abuse. He has met with many victims, who describe him as being moved by the deepest emotions at hearing of the torture inflicted on them by his own brothers in the Church. He has asked the Faithful to forgive, and he has made clear that abusers and others should be held accountable in a criminal-justice system for their crimes. And that is significant. He has been clear, and sincere, and those who think otherwise have been watching a different program.
But...
While it is almost as certain as a sunrise that Benedict will again apologize for the stain that now, rightly or wrongly, covers his entire Church -- it's far from clear whether there's a second act. A visit to Ireland is certainly being discussed, and I think many would consider it a healing gesture by Benedict. To be sure, it would be as scripted as any political convention, but that is standard operating procedure, and doesn't imply insincerity. Perhaps because of my Calling to missionary work, I believe the place for firemen is at the fire -- and so I think Benedict's place is in Ireland.
The Church is a very old and very large institution, and it moves slowly and deliberately. This is often frustrating. But really, it is to be expected, even though it is often mis-atrributed to ominous motives. It certainly does not move with the blinding speed of a politician who senses an open microphone or whirring camera. So, yes, the scandal has gotten a good lead on the Vatican, and it will take quite an effort to restore some balance.
But this is Benedict's moment. Like the Popes who have led the Church during plagues and world wars and despotic tyrannies, he must take a horrible reality -- and worse, one which his own Church has dropped at his feet -- and do what Christ would do. And he must explain why it is what Christ would do.
He cannot lead by being sad, or sorry -- we've already been there. So the question is well put to him by all in his Church:
Benedict, what will you DO?
God bless you all!
-- Father Tim
Pray for us, and for those in Ireland who have forgotten God
Posted by FatherTim at 6/4/2009 3:59 PM EDT
My friends,First, I must tell you that your response to my "Pray For Us" blog post, in which I invited one and all to join our online community to make known their special prayers and needs, has been a great success. I hope you will continue to contribute, and to make others in need aware of this very special, though humble, resource. How Our Father loves to Hear from His Own, no matter the occasion or purpose!
And I thank you so much for inviting me into your lives, so that I may serve you and Our Lord better, and bring your intercessions to Him in my daily Masses -- and, I am sure -- for inviting others to join you in prayer and in the certainty that God hears and answers all the prayers of His Own Children, Whom He loves with a changeless and unchangeable Love.
Today, even as an anger so great against the perpretators and perpetuators of the Irish Catholic Church child abuse scandal well up from every corner, we must pray even for those whose perversions, sickness and conspiracy are at the center of this arena of ruined lives.
Even in what many say is a crime so black and soulless that it cannot be forgiven, they are truly the "lost sheep," and have strayed so far from Their Loving Creator that only His Outstretched Hand offers hope they can ever be guided back. That God can forgive those whose Souls come to Him goes without saying. Can Man? Perhaps not -- such is the depth of their depravity that no man's hand can pluck them from their living hell, nor do many want to. Our deepest thoughts and prayers are of course for the hundreds or thousands of victims, not their accused torturers.
We are not to judge, Jesus has warned again and again in His Teachings. But we are also reminded that, "As ye sew, so shall ye reap."
When we read of Christ's Passion, or share in The Stations of The Cross, we unite our minds with God's Mind, Whose Song of Love for all His Children is ceaseless. We remember Our Lord's suffering at the hands of His accusers, and we remember His Forgiveness of them, even unto the moment of His Own earthly death as his assassins gloated. This, the farthest, largest act of forgiveness that can even be imagined, brought Our Lord full-circle as the One Who was both Fully God and Fully Man.
It is this singular example of His Love and Forgiveness, however impossible it can seem for us in our current circumstances, that called us to Him as Christians
Ther are no exceptions to His Love. Nor to His Forgiveness. We can find His Peace -- which we all dearly crave -- only when we "let go, and let God." Let go of hatreds, however "just." Do you think your hatreds will lead you to His Peace? Or yours? They will lead you, but not to God.
To these sorry thieves of hearts in the Church, these lost, arrogant conspirators who kept their evil alive -- justice belongs to God. His Will be done.
As for the rest, let us pray! There is not one person, victim or victimizer, in this whole vile scandal who is undeserving of our prayers.
-- Father Tim
The Irish Catholic Church cannot be prophets of hypocrisy
5/25/2009 11:05 PM
My friends,
There are many, many times I miss the places I have called home: South Buffalo, New York City, Jersey City, Boston, Washington D.C., Dublin, and my parents' hometown of Derry in Northern Ireland.
Here in the missions, it is easy to imagine myself as a small dot on a very big globe -- far away from many friends, family, teachers, patients, classmates and students who make up the "scrapbook" of my life, so far, on Earth. But My Father has sent me here to do His Work, and I feel His Love with every breath. I would love to be so ironclad and perfect in my faith that I could say I had no regrets -- but I am only human. Sometimes, there is a small "sigh" after those breaths of gratitude to Him! But only small ones. I have freely and gladly given my life to Him.
His Will be done.
But because of what has happened this past week, I am tempted to say I am grateful to be this faraway little dot.
Here, we live in the shadow of a smoldering volcano that (hopefully) God will restrain from any rigorous exercise, but the volcano that was and is the Catholic Church's child-abuse scandal erupted with full force last week. I wondered what I would have said had I faced a congregation in Ireland, and confess I felt relieved that my Masses here had their usual friendly audience, most quite unaware of what was unfolding in the rectories and offices of the Church in Europe and North America. Dressed in their "Sunday best," which is sometimes very emotional to witness, they listened attentively to the Holy Gospel and sang many hymns beautifully. They left church with smiles, returning to a world where hunger, dengue fever and other illnesses long-cured in the Western world, and exterme poverty are a way of life.
Ignorance, it seems, was bliss for them -- though the hearts and minds of the religious who staff the mission were heavy with worry, sadness and anger.
The Catholic Church is one, and therefore, we all share in this terrible meltdown of values, this unholy, un-Christian and almost unbelievable episode. We do not have to be a deviant and sick priest who abused children in our care, nor one of the conspiratorial Pastors, Monsignors, Bishops and Cardinals who covered up these repugnant acts and even let them continue, to feel the shame and responsibility that is ours to bear.
"How could they even look at us?" wondered a fellow missionary of a "regular" congregation. "How could we look at them?"
Well, we must look at one another.
For those of us -- and please believe me when I say it is the great, vast majority -- who have been called by God to both follow His Path and guide His Church, we can only stop long enough to immerse ourselves in supplication and prayer that the Mind that knows all and the Heart that loves all will continue to be with us as we continue in His service. We must make a rigorous moral examination of our own consciences, and, where we find we have been less than Our Loving Father would have us be, make every amend that is possible on this Earth to atone for what we have done in word, thought and deed. And -- for what we have not done.
Judgment is not mine to make, but I believe the refusal of many in the Irish Church to repudiate the dark moment when they conspired with Dublin politicians to insulate themselves from monetary damages must be reversed. That the suffering people of Ireland would have to shoulder one penny of the burden for the demented acts of the Church and the terrible harm it caused is morally indefensible -- and utterly reprehensible. As Jesus once shouted in righteous anger, "You hypocrites!"
No, the Church cannot truly make amends via checkbook for what it has done. In misguided error and deaf to the Loving Teaching of God and His Holy Spirit, Man can do many things for which no earthly amends exist. Little slips of paper currency, already bloodied enough by others' greed and hatred in the world, cannot make up for any abuse of God's Own Children. But if it is the very best, the most-sincere and most-giving thing we can do -- no matter what it may mean for the fiscal future of the Church, then it is God's Will that it be done.
His Will be done.
The Church must also realize that is is a part of society -- not apart from society. If the Church itself, or its religious, have broken the laws of Man, then they must face the punishment demanded of all citizens of that society. We can only pray that the Judge of All -- the only One Who can judge truly -- will let His Holy Spirit guide the courts and judges in this sad but necessary atonement.
And what about you? Should you walk away from the Church in disgust, or worse, stop believing in a God "who could let this happen?" I pray that you do neither, yet understand that some of you will. No matter, you are all and always in my prayers.
I too have been angry at the Church, and yes, I have been angry at God. There is no person, no matter the strength of his belief, who could say otherwise. On the Cross, even Our Lord cried out to His Father, "Why have You forsaken Me?"
But Our Risen Lord has shown that God does not ever forsake His Children, who He loves with a changeless and unchangeable love. Nor can they ever really forsake Him -- for His Holy Name is written in every mind, and His Loving Memory lives in every heart. Sooner or later, the unceasing Call that all His Own cannot but hear, will be heard and answered.
Volcanoes can erupt and seemingly cause great suffering and pain, but like the deeds or misdeeds of Man, they are stilled by the Love and Will of the Great Creator of the Universe.
His Will be done.
God bless you all!
-- Father Tim
My friends,
There are many, many times I miss the places I have called home: South Buffalo, New York City, Jersey City, Boston, Washington D.C., Dublin, and my parents' hometown of Derry in Northern Ireland.
Here in the missions, it is easy to imagine myself as a small dot on a very big globe -- far away from many friends, family, teachers, patients, classmates and students who make up the "scrapbook" of my life, so far, on Earth. But My Father has sent me here to do His Work, and I feel His Love with every breath. I would love to be so ironclad and perfect in my faith that I could say I had no regrets -- but I am only human. Sometimes, there is a small "sigh" after those breaths of gratitude to Him! But only small ones. I have freely and gladly given my life to Him.
His Will be done.
But because of what has happened this past week, I am tempted to say I am grateful to be this faraway little dot.
Here, we live in the shadow of a smoldering volcano that (hopefully) God will restrain from any rigorous exercise, but the volcano that was and is the Catholic Church's child-abuse scandal erupted with full force last week. I wondered what I would have said had I faced a congregation in Ireland, and confess I felt relieved that my Masses here had their usual friendly audience, most quite unaware of what was unfolding in the rectories and offices of the Church in Europe and North America. Dressed in their "Sunday best," which is sometimes very emotional to witness, they listened attentively to the Holy Gospel and sang many hymns beautifully. They left church with smiles, returning to a world where hunger, dengue fever and other illnesses long-cured in the Western world, and exterme poverty are a way of life.
Ignorance, it seems, was bliss for them -- though the hearts and minds of the religious who staff the mission were heavy with worry, sadness and anger.
The Catholic Church is one, and therefore, we all share in this terrible meltdown of values, this unholy, un-Christian and almost unbelievable episode. We do not have to be a deviant and sick priest who abused children in our care, nor one of the conspiratorial Pastors, Monsignors, Bishops and Cardinals who covered up these repugnant acts and even let them continue, to feel the shame and responsibility that is ours to bear.
"How could they even look at us?" wondered a fellow missionary of a "regular" congregation. "How could we look at them?"
Well, we must look at one another.
For those of us -- and please believe me when I say it is the great, vast majority -- who have been called by God to both follow His Path and guide His Church, we can only stop long enough to immerse ourselves in supplication and prayer that the Mind that knows all and the Heart that loves all will continue to be with us as we continue in His service. We must make a rigorous moral examination of our own consciences, and, where we find we have been less than Our Loving Father would have us be, make every amend that is possible on this Earth to atone for what we have done in word, thought and deed. And -- for what we have not done.
Judgment is not mine to make, but I believe the refusal of many in the Irish Church to repudiate the dark moment when they conspired with Dublin politicians to insulate themselves from monetary damages must be reversed. That the suffering people of Ireland would have to shoulder one penny of the burden for the demented acts of the Church and the terrible harm it caused is morally indefensible -- and utterly reprehensible. As Jesus once shouted in righteous anger, "You hypocrites!"
No, the Church cannot truly make amends via checkbook for what it has done. In misguided error and deaf to the Loving Teaching of God and His Holy Spirit, Man can do many things for which no earthly amends exist. Little slips of paper currency, already bloodied enough by others' greed and hatred in the world, cannot make up for any abuse of God's Own Children. But if it is the very best, the most-sincere and most-giving thing we can do -- no matter what it may mean for the fiscal future of the Church, then it is God's Will that it be done.
His Will be done.
The Church must also realize that is is a part of society -- not apart from society. If the Church itself, or its religious, have broken the laws of Man, then they must face the punishment demanded of all citizens of that society. We can only pray that the Judge of All -- the only One Who can judge truly -- will let His Holy Spirit guide the courts and judges in this sad but necessary atonement.
And what about you? Should you walk away from the Church in disgust, or worse, stop believing in a God "who could let this happen?" I pray that you do neither, yet understand that some of you will. No matter, you are all and always in my prayers.
I too have been angry at the Church, and yes, I have been angry at God. There is no person, no matter the strength of his belief, who could say otherwise. On the Cross, even Our Lord cried out to His Father, "Why have You forsaken Me?"
But Our Risen Lord has shown that God does not ever forsake His Children, who He loves with a changeless and unchangeable love. Nor can they ever really forsake Him -- for His Holy Name is written in every mind, and His Loving Memory lives in every heart. Sooner or later, the unceasing Call that all His Own cannot but hear, will be heard and answered.
Volcanoes can erupt and seemingly cause great suffering and pain, but like the deeds or misdeeds of Man, they are stilled by the Love and Will of the Great Creator of the Universe.
His Will be done.
God bless you all!
-- Father Tim
Pray for us!
Posted by FatherTim at 5/19/2009 11:37 AM EDT
My friends,
It occurred to me that I could put my humble blog to a greater use than simply chronicling my own thoughts and (occasionally...) criticisms. It can be a place where we all can come together to ask for God's Blessing and Love for all those who are sick, and indeed, for any special intentions that you, my friends and readers, may have.
You may ask for -- and you will receive -- my prayers and the prayers of all who read this journal simply by "commenting" (use the button below). You may give any amount of detail you wish, or none. A simple "Pray for my Mother" or even "Pray for my special intention" is sufficient.
In Matthew 6:6, Jesus told us how we are to pray:
"When you pray, go into your inner room, close your door, and pray to your Father Who is in secret, and Your Father who Sees what is done in secret will reward you."
This is, in fact, one of the few times Jesus ever actually "instructs" us on anything in the Bible, as most of His Teaching comes in parables and by the example of His Own Life. How fitting that His Teaching on prayer is so simple that it does not require a visit to our church, or to a shrine, or the lighting of a candle, or a donation of money, or anything but to open our minds in quiet so that we may touch His Own Mind.
In many ways, the only prayer that is ever needed is that God's Will be done, because His Will for all His Children is perfect peace and happiness, and union with Him.
His Will be done.
Nonethless, the Catholic Church (and all religions) recognizes the use of specific prayers -- as well as the taking of the Sacraments, the saying of The Rosary -- as other ways of living our faith and touching the Mind of God. They are useful not because God is more apt to answer us if we say a hundred prayers rather than one, but because they can orient our hearts and minds closer to His, and bring us the quietness and peace that is our birthright from Him.
May God bless you all!
-- Father Tim
My friends,
It occurred to me that I could put my humble blog to a greater use than simply chronicling my own thoughts and (occasionally...) criticisms. It can be a place where we all can come together to ask for God's Blessing and Love for all those who are sick, and indeed, for any special intentions that you, my friends and readers, may have.
You may ask for -- and you will receive -- my prayers and the prayers of all who read this journal simply by "commenting" (use the button below). You may give any amount of detail you wish, or none. A simple "Pray for my Mother" or even "Pray for my special intention" is sufficient.
In Matthew 6:6, Jesus told us how we are to pray:
"When you pray, go into your inner room, close your door, and pray to your Father Who is in secret, and Your Father who Sees what is done in secret will reward you."
This is, in fact, one of the few times Jesus ever actually "instructs" us on anything in the Bible, as most of His Teaching comes in parables and by the example of His Own Life. How fitting that His Teaching on prayer is so simple that it does not require a visit to our church, or to a shrine, or the lighting of a candle, or a donation of money, or anything but to open our minds in quiet so that we may touch His Own Mind.
In many ways, the only prayer that is ever needed is that God's Will be done, because His Will for all His Children is perfect peace and happiness, and union with Him.
His Will be done.
Nonethless, the Catholic Church (and all religions) recognizes the use of specific prayers -- as well as the taking of the Sacraments, the saying of The Rosary -- as other ways of living our faith and touching the Mind of God. They are useful not because God is more apt to answer us if we say a hundred prayers rather than one, but because they can orient our hearts and minds closer to His, and bring us the quietness and peace that is our birthright from Him.
May God bless you all!
-- Father Tim
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