The Catholic Jedi Academy

The HHS Mandate: Bishop Lori's Parable of the Kosher Deli

noreply@blogger.com (Reverend Father James J.M. Reynolds, STL) — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 12:33:06 PST

Academicians: This post IS BORROWED FROM

The Men Of Saint Joseph blog

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2012

Bishop Lori: The Parable of the Kosher Deli

Testimony of Most Reverend William E. Lori Bishop of Bridgeport

On behalf of the United States Conference Of Catholic Bishops before the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform United States House of Representatives

February 16, 2012

Thank you, Mr. Chairman and distinguished members of the Committee, for the opportunity to testify today.

For my testimony today, I would like to tell a story. Let’s call it, “The Parable of the Kosher Deli.”

Once upon a time, a new law is proposed, so that any business that serves food must serve pork. There is a narrow exception for kosher catering halls attached to synagogues, since they serve mostly members of that synagogue, but kosher delicatessens are still subject to the mandate.

The Orthodox Jewish community—whose members run kosher delis and many other restaurants and grocers besides—expresses its outrage at the new government mandate. And they are joined by others who have no problem eating pork—not just the many Jews who eat pork, but people of all faiths—because these others recognize the threat to the principle of religious liberty. They recognize as well the practical impact of the damage to that principle. They know that, if the mandate stands, they might be the next ones forced—under threat of severe government sanction—to violate their most deeply held beliefs, especially their unpopular beliefs.

Meanwhile, those who support the mandate respond, “But pork is good for you. It is, after all, the other white meat.” Other supporters add, “So many Jews eat pork, and those who don’t should just get with the times.” Still others say, “Those Orthodox are just trying to impose their beliefs on everyone else.”

But in our hypothetical, those arguments fail in the public debate, because people widely recognize the following.

First, although people may reasonably debate whether pork is good for you, that’s not the question posed by the nationwide pork mandate. Instead, the mandate generates the question whether people who believe—even if they believe in error—that pork is not good for you, should be forced by government to serve pork within their very own institutions. In a nation committed to religious liberty and diversity, the answer, of course, is no.

Second, the fact that some (or even most) Jews eat pork is simply irrelevant. The fact remains that some Jews do not—and they do not out of their most deeply held religious convictions. Does the fact that large majorities in society—even large majorities within the protesting religious community—reject a particular religious belief make it permissible for the government to weigh in on one side of that dispute? Does it allow government to punish that minority belief with its coercive power? In a nation committed to religious liberty and diversity, the answer, of course, is no.

Third, the charge that the Orthodox Jews are imposing their beliefs on others has it exactly backwards. Again, the question generated by a government mandate is whether the government will impose its belief that eating pork is good on objecting Orthodox Jews. Meanwhile, there is no imposition at all on the freedom of those who want to eat pork. That is, they are subject to no government interference at all in their choice to eat pork, and pork is ubiquitous and cheap, available at the overwhelming majority of restaurants and grocers. Indeed, some pork producers and retailers, and even the government itself, are so eager to promote the eating of pork, that they sometimes give pork away for free.

In this context, the question is this: can a customer come to a kosher deli, demand to be served a ham sandwich, and if refused, bring down severe government sanction on the deli. In a nation committed to religious liberty and diversity, the answer, of course, is no.

So in our hypothetical story, because the hypothetical nation is indeed committed to religious liberty and diversity, these arguments carry the day.

In response, those proposing the new law claim to hear and understand the concerns of kosher deli owners, and offer them a new “accommodation.” You are free to call yourself a kosher deli; you are free not to place ham sandwiches on your menu; you are free not to be the person to prepare the sandwich and hand it over the counter to the customer. But we will force your meat supplier to set up a kiosk on your premises, and to offer, prepare, and serve ham sandwiches to all of your customers, free of charge to them. And when you get your monthly bill from your meat supplier, it will include the cost of any of the “free” ham sandwiches that your customers may accept. And you will, of course, be required to pay that bill.

Some who supported the deli owners initially began to celebrate the fact that ham sandwiches didn’t need to be on the menu, and didn’t need to be prepared or served by the deli itself. But on closer examination, they noticed three troubling things. First, all kosher delis will still be forced to pay for the ham sandwiches. Second, many of the kosher delis’ meat suppliers, themselves, are forbidden in conscience from offering, preparing, or serving pork to anyone. Third, there are many kosher delis that are their own meat supplier, so the mandate to offer, prepare, and serve the ham sandwich still falls on them.

This story has a happy ending. The government recognized that it is absurd for someone to come into a kosher deli and demand a ham sandwich; that it is beyond absurd for that private demand to be backed with the coercive power of the state; that it is downright surreal to apply this coercive power when the customer can get the same sandwich cheaply, or even free, just a few doors down.

The question before the United States government—right now—is whether the story of our own Church institutions that serve the public, and that are threatened by the HHS mandate, will end happily too. Will our nation continue to be one committed to religious liberty and diversity? We urge, in the strongest possible terms, that the answer must be yes. We urge you, in the strongest possible terms, to answer the same way.

Thank you for your attention.

President's Day Message

noreply@blogger.com (Reverend Father James J.M. Reynolds, STL) — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 10:59:49 PST

It Has Begun...Priests for Life Associate Director Arrested Praying in Front of White House

noreply@blogger.com (Reverend Father James J.M. Reynolds, STL) — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 14:40:11 PST

Fr. Denis Wilde, OSA, the associate director of Priests for Life was arrested today for praying in front of the White House. Father Wilde joined other clergy and laypeople in protest against the Obama administration's HHS mandate for churches and other religious institutions to include sterilization, artificial birth control and abortifacients in their insurance coverage health.

Pictures from Priests for Life website

We Won't Back Down...

noreply@blogger.com (Reverend Father James J.M. Reynolds, STL) — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 14:33:02 PST

Be prepared. (via CatholicVote.org)

Pope Benedict On Jesus And The Leper: God's Love Is Stronger Than Any Evil

noreply@blogger.com (Reverend Father James J.M. Reynolds, STL) — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 19:01:39 PST

Vatican City, Sunday, 12 February 2012 (VIS)

At midday today the Holy Father, Pope Benedict, appeared at the window of his study in the Vatican Apostolic Palace to pray the Angelus with faithful gathered in Saint Peter's Square below. Benedict XVI introduced the Marian prayer by recalling how "Jesus, in His public life, healed many sick people, thus revealing that what God wants for man is life, life in abundance".

Today's Gospel reading shows us Jesus "in contact with a form of sickness considered at that time to be the most serious", leprosy, which made the sufferer "unclean" and excluded him from social life. While Jesus was preaching in Galilee a leper came up to Him asking to be healed. "Jesus did not seek to avoid contact with the man. Quite the contrary, moved by intimate concern for his condition, He stretched out His hand - breaking the legal proscription - and said: 'I do choose. Be made clean'. Christ's gesture and words encapsulate the entire history of salvation, they incarnate God's will to heal us, to purify us from the evil which disfigures us and blights our relationships.

"That contact between Jesus' hand and the leper broke down all barriers between God and human impurity; between the sacred and its opposite, certainly not in order to deny evil and its negative power but to demonstrate that the love of God is stronger than all evil, even the most contagious and terrible. Jesus took our infirmities upon Himself. He became a 'leper' that we might be purified. ... The victory of Christ is our profound healing and our resurrection to a new life".

In closing, Benedict XVI encouraged the faithful to pray to the Virgin Mary. "Through His Mother, it is always Jesus Who comes to us, to free us from all sickness of body and soul. Let us allow ourselves to be touched and purified by Him, and let us show mercy to our fellows".

An Excellent Video on HHS Mandate from CatholicTV

noreply@blogger.com (Reverend Father James J.M. Reynolds, STL) — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 09:30:41 PST

Here is Father Robert Reed of CatholicTV providing a succinct explanation of the issues on the HHS Mandate:

United States Catholic Bishops Fight for Conscience Protection

noreply@blogger.com (Reverend Father James J.M. Reynolds, STL) — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 09:03:25 PST

The United States Catholic bishops have a page dedicated to our fight for conscience protection. It is entitled "Bishops Vow to Fight Coercive HHS Mandate." Just to explain that title a little more fully... HHS is the Department of Health and Human Services. This is the government agency charged with implementing the "Affordable Health Care Act" passed by Congress. It is the law about which Nancy Pelosi famously remarked, "we'll have to pass the law so that we can know what's in it." Well, now we know what's in it. A requirement for Catholic institutions to violate their conscience by providing abortion inducing drugs, sterilization coverage and birth control in their health care plans.

A petition drive against the mandate has been started at www.stophhs.com. Please go there and sign on and object to this brazen attempt by the government to trample on religious liberty.

Also included at that site are the following quotes from three of our Catholic bishops:

"In effect, the president is telling us that we have a year to figure out how to violate our consciences."

- Cardinal-designate Timothy M. Dolan, Archbishop of New York

The Obama administration has just told the Catholics of the United States, ‘To Hell with you!’ There is no other way to put it.

- Bishop David Zubik of Pittsburgh

I am honestly horrified that the nation I have always loved has come to this hateful and radical step in religious intolerance.

- Bishop Daniel Jenky of Peoria

Here is a link to a short video put out by the bishops' conference on the fight for conscience protection. If you don't have enough time to view the longer video in the previous post, take a look at this shorter one (www.usccb.org) , but, please try to watch the longer CSpan video when you are able.

Educate Yourself on the Government Birth Control Mandate

noreply@blogger.com (Reverend Father James J.M. Reynolds, STL) — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 06:15:49 PST

Here is a link to one of the best discussions explaining what the Obama Administration's mandate for birth control coverage is all about. The panel includes attorneys from the United States Bishops' conference, the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty and the Ethics and Public Policy Center. It was hosted by the Catholic Information Center and moderated by Ryan Williams, a Catholic University student who did an exceptional job.

Please take the time to sit and watch this video through to the end. There is a lot of confusing information circulating and this panel does a thorough job of laying out the facts and the history of the appalling threat to religious liberty that confronts us.

Here's the link:
http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/304319-1

(thanks to Kathryn Lopez of National Review for initially reporting on this, and credit goes to CSpan for the filming)

"Why I Love Religion..."

noreply@blogger.com (Reverend Father James J.M. Reynolds, STL) — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 11:53:54 PST

Here is an excellent response to the rap video that went viral a few weeks ago. The original video picked up on a theme of "religion - bad....Jesus - good." This response shows why Catholics believe that religion is good because Jesus told us so and why the opposite view leads so many people to atheism or the religion of themselves.

h/t Brandon Vogt at the Thin Veil blog.

"We Cannot - We will Not - Comply With this Unjust Law"

noreply@blogger.com (Reverend Father James J.M. Reynolds, STL) — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 16:20:26 PST

So says Kansas City Kansas Archbishop Naumann who wrote these words in a letter to the Catholics of his diocese last Sunday. The archbishop is one of almost every single Catholic bishop in the United States who has spoken out publicly about the Obama administration's decree that the Catholic Church and other Catholic institutions must violate their conscience and provide abortifacient drugs, contraceptives and sterilization to its employees through their health care plans.

Catholic Vote.org has been providing great coverage on this issue and the groundswell of opposition to the unjust law. Opposition that is coming from Catholics of every type. Please call your Senator and ask them to support Senate Bill 1467 which is an attempt to protect the religious liberty that our country was founded upon.

Check with your diocese to see what statement your bishop has published and what steps are being promoted in your particular area to stand up for our conscience rights.

And here in New York, Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio of Brooklyn has issued the following letter calling all Catholics to action:

"Being Catholic Means Paying a Price"

noreply@blogger.com (Reverend Father James J.M. Reynolds, STL) — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 15:26:35 PST

Those are the words of Archbishop Vigneron to EWTN News during his ad limina visit to Rome. In the midst of the Obama administration's breathtaking decision to strip the Catholic church of its conscience rights, the Archbishop reflected on the history of persecution of the Church and her members.

"If we are not willing to pay a price for the grace of the revelation then it is a sign that we don’t really treasure it, And maybe that is what God is asking us to do – to re-appropriate our own conviction about how precious the knowledge of Jesus is to us. When I see those tombs, I immediately think of Our Lord’s big recruitment speech to the apostles when he said ‘I am sending you out like lambs in the midst of wolves’ and I imagine them looking around at one another and saying ‘Is he talking to us. And yet, Christ's prediction that “if they rejected me they’ll reject you,” is present for Catholics in every age even if it differs in how it takes its shape."

Pope: In The Logic Of God, Authority Means Service, Not Power

noreply@blogger.com (Reverend Father James J.M. Reynolds, STL) — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 07:32:38 PST

VATICAN CITY, 29 JAN 2012 (VIS ANG/ VIS 20120130 (570) )
During his weekly Angelus Prayer with pilgrims in Saint Peter's Square on Sunday, January 29, 2012, the Holy Father, Benedict XVI, introduced the prayer with some brief remarks on today's Gospel reading in which St. Mark relates Jesus' teaching in the synagogue of Capernaum, and the healing of a man with an "unclean spirit" who recognizes the Messiah.

"Within a short time", the Pope explained, "Jesus' fame began to spread in the region, throughout which he travelled announcing the Kingdom of God and healing sick people of all kinds: word and action. ... The words Jesus addresses to mankind give direct access to the Father's will and to the truth about ourselves" while, moreover, "Jesus united the effectiveness of the Word with those signs of deliverance from evil. ... Divine authority ... is the power of God's love which created the universe and, becoming incarnate in the only-begotten Son, descended upon our humanity and healed the world corrupted by sin".

"For man", the Holy Father observed, "authority often means possession, power, dominion, success. For God, however, authority means service, humility, love. It means entering into the logic of Jesus Christ Who leans down to wash the feet of His disciples, Who seeks man's authentic good, Who heals wounds, Who is capable of a love so great as to give His life, because He is Love. ... Let us trustingly invoke Most Holy Mary that she may guide our hearts always to draw from the well of divine mercy, which liberates and heals our human condition, filling it with all grace and benevolence, with the power of love".

After praying the Angelus, the Holy Father then greeted pilgrims in various languages.

Benedict XVI: In Vast Areas Of The Earth The Faith Risks Being Extinguished, Like A Flame Without Fuel

noreply@blogger.com (Reverend Father James J.M. Reynolds, STL) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 11:11:35 PST

VATICAN CITY, 27 JAN 2012 (VIS AC/ VIS 20120127 (710))

On Friday morning, January 27, 2012, in the Vatican, the Pope Benedict XVI received participants in the plenary session of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, whom he thanked for their service to the Church, particularly in view of the forthcoming Year of Faith. "As we know", he said in his remarks to them, "in vast areas of the earth the faith risks being extinguished, like a flame without fuel. We are facing a profound crisis of faith, a loss of a religious sense which represents one of the greatest challenges for the Church today. The renewal of faith must, then, be a priority for the entire Church in our time. I hope that the 'Year of Faith' may contribute ... to restoring God's presence in this world, and to giving man access to the faith, enabling him to entrust himself to the God Who, in Jesus Christ, loved us to the end".

All this, Benedict XVI explained, is closely associated with the question of Christian unity, and he turned to consider certain doctrinal issues related to the Church's ecumenical journey. "Today", he said, "we see the many good fruits that have emerged from ecumenical dialogue. Yet we must also recognize that the risks of indifference and of false Irenicism [peaceful or conciliatory means in dealing with Church matters, particularly in the field of Christian unity, as distinct from polemics or controversy. It does not imply a dilution or diminution of the truth in order to secure a solution to thorny problems (New Catholic Encyclopedia)], completely alien to the mindset of Vatican Council II, require us to be vigilant. Such indifference is caused by the increasingly widespread opinion that truth is not accessible to man and that, therefore, we must limit ourselves to finding rules to improve this world. In this scenario, faith comes to be replaced by a shallow-rooted moralism. By contrast, the core of true ecumenism is faith, in which man encounters the truth revealed in the Word of God. Without faith the entire ecumenical movement would be reduced to a kind of 'social contract' to which we adhere out of shared interests. The logic of Vatican Council II was quite different", holding that "the sincere search for the full unity of all Christians is a dynamic process animated by the Word of God".

The Holy Father went on to highlight a "crucial problem running through all ecumenical dialogue: ... the question of the structure of revelation; that is, the relationship between Holy Scripture, the living tradition of Holy Church and the ministry of the successors of the Apostles as witness of the true faith. It is vital to discern between Tradition and traditions", he said. One important step in this direction has been the recent implementation of measures concerning groups of Anglican faithful who wish to enter into communion with the Catholic Church while maintaining their own traditions. "There exists, in fact, a spiritual richness in the carious Christian confessions, which is an expression of the one faith and a gift to be shared", the Pope said.

The methodology followed in the various forms of ecumenical dialogue must also reflect the priority of the faith. "Even controversial issues must be faced courageously, while always maintaining a spirit of fraternity and mutual respect. Moreover, it is important to offer a correct interpretation of that 'hierarchy of truths' in Catholic doctrine, as defined in the Decree 'Unitatis redintegratio'".

On the subject of the documents that have emerged from various ecumenical dialogues, the Pope explained that "they are the important, though provisional, fruits of shared reflections". But he also pointed out that "they must be given their correct status as contributions presented to the competent authorities of the Church, which alone is called to pass definitive judgement on them".

Benedict XVI also referred to the moral issue, saying: "In our dialogues we cannot overlook the great moral questions about human life, the family, sexuality, bioethics, freedom, justice and peace. It is important to speak on these issues with a single voice, drawing on the fundamentals contained in Scripture and in living tradition. ... By defending the fundamental values of the great tradition of the Church, we defend man and we defend the creation".

In conclusion, the Holy Father reaffirmed that unity is "a means towards, almost a precondition for, the increasingly credible announcement of the faith to people who do not yet know the Savior".

How The Mass Media Reported On The 2012 March For Life

noreply@blogger.com (Reverend Father James J.M. Reynolds, STL) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 02:31:03 PST

Hey, Academicians!
Here's a great article -- though a little cheeky -- on the Bad Catholic blog.
The article is about the mass media and their brainless, anti-Life and anti-Church operating principle in covering the 2012 March For Life.

There's also a great video of the entire Pro Life March using time-lapse photography!

Take a look!

Pope Benedict To Seminarians: Priests Should Promote Holiness In Their Own Lives

noreply@blogger.com (Reverend Father James J.M. Reynolds, STL) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 02:02:22 PST

VATICAN CITY, January 26 2012 (Vatican Information Service AC/VIS 20120126 (480)) -
This morning in the Vatican the Holy Father received superiors and seminarians from three Italian regional pontifical seminaries in Assisi, Catanzaro and Naples. All of these institutions, as the Pope remarked in his address to the group, are currently celebrating their first centenary having been founded as part of efforts towards the reformation of priestly education carried out under Popes Leo XIII and St. Pius X.

"Bringing diocesan seminaries together into regional seminaries, and the reform of theological studies, produced a notable improvement in quality", Pope Benedict noted. "In this, an important role was played by the Society of Jesus", the Jesuits, to whom the new regional seminaries were entrusted.

Even today regional seminaries remain important as they allow access to higher education and contribute to the communion of dioceses, "favoring knowledge, capacity for collaboration and the enrichment of ecclesial experience among future priests. The regional dimension is also an appropriate middle way between the needs of the universal Church and the requirements of local areas".

Referring to the seminarians' formation, Benedict XVI highlighted how today's cultural context calls for "solid education in philosophy and theology". Future priests must, he said, "understand and appreciate the internal structure of the faith as a whole, so that it can become a response to people's questions. ... And the study of theology must always have an intense bond to the life of prayer. ... It is, in fact, vital that the multiple activities of a priest's ministry be harmoniously integrated with his spiritual life.

"It is important", the Holy Father added, "for the priest, who is called to accompany others through the journey of life up to the threshold of death, to have the right balance of heart and mind, reason and feeling, body and soul, and to be humanly integrated". For this reason, the Pope said, great attention must be given to "the human dimension when forming candidates to the priesthood. It is, in fact, in our humanity that we present ourselves before God, in order to appear before our fellows as authentic men of God. Anyone who wishes to become a priest must be first and foremost a 'man of God'. ... It follows that the most important thing in our path towards priesthood and during the whole of our priestly lives is our personal relationship with God in Jesus Christ".

In conclusion, the Holy Father quoted a phrase of John XXII: "Even more than cultured, eloquent, up-to-date priests, what we need are saintly and sanctifying priests". These words, Benedict XVI explained, "are still valid today because the entire Church, and the regions from which you come, have more need than ever of workers of the Gospel, people who give credible witness and promote sanctity with their own lives".

The Lesson Of Saint Paul’s Conversion: We Must Stop Trying To Convert Christ

noreply@blogger.com (Reverend Father James J.M. Reynolds, STL) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 02:18:47 PST

The Conversion of Saint Paul by Bartolome Esteban Murillo

From The Acts of the Apostles 9:1-22

Saul, still breathing murderous threats against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, that, if he should find any men or women who belonged to the Way, he might bring them back to Jerusalem in chains.
On his journey, as he was nearing Damascus, a light from the sky suddenly flashed around him.
He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” He said, “Who are you, sir?” The reply came, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. Now get up and go into the city and you will be told what you must do.”
The men who were traveling with him stood speechless, for they heard the voice but could see no one. Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing; so they led him by the hand and brought him to Damascus. For three days he was unable to see, and he neither ate nor drank.
There was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias, and the Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.” He answered, “Here I am, Lord.” The Lord said to him, “Get up and go to the street called Straight and ask at the house of Judas for a man from Tarsus named Saul. He is there praying, and in a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him, that he may regain his sight.”
But Ananias replied, “Lord, I have heard from many sources about this man, what evil things he has done to your holy ones in Jerusalem. And here he has authority from the chief priests to imprison all who call upon your name.”
But the Lord said to him, “Go, for this man is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before Gentiles, kings, and children of Israel, and I will show him what he will have to suffer for my name.”
So Ananias went and entered the house; laying his hands on him, he said, “Saul, my brother, the Lord has sent me,
Jesus who appeared to you on the way by which you came, that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” Immediately things like scales fell from his eyes and he regained his sight. He got up and was baptized, and when he had eaten, he recovered his strength.
He stayed some days with the disciples in Damascus, and he began at once to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues,
that he is the Son of God. All who heard him were astounded and said, “Is not this the man who in Jerusalem ravaged those who call upon this name, and came here expressly to take them back in chains to the chief priests?”
But Saul grew all the stronger and confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus, proving that this is the Christ.

When you look at St. Paul, and at his letters, and his life, and missions, do you ever feel like saying, "Christ tagged the perfect man for the job when he tagged Saul -- obedient, really grasping God's plan."

If you do feel that way, then you've got the wrong man! You're not talking about Saul. You're talking about the man who emerged from that incident on the road to Damascus, re-named Paul.

Saul had all of reality defined: God, the Jews and Gentiles, the world, and the heretics following the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. This man, Saul, was self-assured. Sallying forth, leading a holy crusade for God and the Law. Saul was sure about everything. Except for that memory haunting him: the look of peace and forgiveness on the face of Stephen the heretic, as he was stoned to death. That memory made Saul feel hungry inside. Saul saw Someone else in Stephen’s face, and heard Someone else speaking to him in Stephen’s voice. Saul was hungry -- for God. God was calling Saul’s name from eternity. But Saul kept feeding himself on empty definitions of God, instead of the true experience of God's love and mercy in Our Lord Jesus.

When Saul experienced that vision of the Risen Jesus, and fell to the ground, it wasn't merely a physical tumble. Saul’s concepts of God, of himself, of judging, of salvation -- of everything -- were shattered by encountering and finally experiencing the one, true God in Jesus the Christ. But the fall to the ground wasn't the signal that Saul had been converted to Paul. Not yet! It was only the beginning of a process that would continue to convert Saul until his death.

The Conversion of St Paul,
Ananias Restoring Sight
by Benjamin West

Saul-the-proud began that process of conversion by experiencing the humiliation of being led by the hand – like the humiliation of Christ being led to the cross. Saul stayed blind, with his reality shattered, for three days -- like Christ in the tomb -- until Ananias was sent by the Lord. Ananias led Saul out from his blind definitions, into the true light of Christ’s definitions of salvation and who will receive it. When "things like scales fell from his eyes," Saul’s personal scales of judgment also fell to the ground and shattered. Saul finally saw -- and accepted the reality-- that he was wrong about Jesus and about those who followed Jesus.

Saul’s conversion experience continued all his life. Somewhere along the line, Paul overtook Saul and remained. And then Paul, the new man in Christ, continued on that ongoing trip of conversion!

Just because we attend Mass on Sundays or every day does not mean that we are fully converted to Christ. We are all, very much, like Saul. All of us have many parts of ourselves that still stubbornly resist God's call and stubbornly refuse to be converted. We’re blinded by our own lights. We all have our "absolutely-right-and-can't-be-wrong" definitions about God, Jesus, ourselves, and others.

Have we fully experienced God -- or just our safe definitions of God and our calling ourselves by the demands we want to be called by?

Jesus Christ converts us, we don't convert Jesus Christ.
Jesus Christ defines us, we don't define Jesus Christ.
Jesus Christ defines us to be His people on his terms, not on ours.

So, it seems, you and I are like Saul in many ways. We still must be converted in so many ways.

Thank God we have God's Words in Scripture.
Thank God we have the Eucharist -- along with Saint Paul’s prayers to help us!
Thank God that we have the graced opportunity, every day, to be like Ananias to each other, helping each other recover our sight, by allowing ourselves to be filled with the Holy Spirit and be continually converted.

Ananias said, “Saul, my brother, regain your sight. ... Immediately things like scales fell from his eyes and he regained his sight. He got up and was baptized, and when he had eaten, he recovered his strength.” Ananias, in the Holy Spirit, led Saul to the truth about Our Lord Jesus and about the Jews and Gentiles following Our Lord Jesus.

May the Eucharist we receive convert the murderous Saul within us, into the loving Paul -- by helping us see and accept Christ’s definition of who we are, and not our own.

Three Wiseguys' Roadmap From Christmas To Easter

noreply@blogger.com (Reverend Father James J.M. Reynolds, STL) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 00:42:26 PST

Well, dear Academicians, the Christmas Season has come to its completion.
The next highlight of the Church's Liturgical Year will be Ash Wednesday (which will come earlier this year, on February 22, 2012).
The Three Magi's liturgical visit with the Infant Christ, the Holy Virgin Mother, and holy Saint Joseph has come to its completion. They are departing us to go home. So, we wave goodbye to the Balthasar, Caspar, and Melchior, watching them return to their liturgical homelands until next Epiphany.
But, what's this? I find that they have left you and me a "see you next year" gift! They are an exceptionally wise and generous triumvirate, those three Magi!
Their gift to us is a roadmap: a set of directions for journeying successfully toward Easter and through the rest of this Liturgical Year!

Click on the "Play" button below, and see what the Three wise Magi have gifted you with!

Epiphany: What stars are we following to chart the course of our lives?

noreply@blogger.com (Reverend Father James J.M. Reynolds, STL) — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 00:08:28 PST

When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, in the days of King Herod, behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, "Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star at its rising and have come to do him homage." When King Herod heard this, he was greatly troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. Assembling all the chief priests and the scribes of the people, He inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. They said to him, "In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it has been written through the prophet: And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; since from you shall come a ruler, who is to shepherd my people Israel." Then Herod called the magi secretly and ascertained from them the time of the star's appearance. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and search diligently for the child. When you have found him, bring me word, that I too may go and do him homage." After their audience with the king they set out. And behold, the star that they had seen at its rising preceded them, until it came and stopped over the place where the child was. They were overjoyed at seeing the star, and on entering the house they saw the child with Mary his mother. They prostrated themselves and did him homage. Then they opened their treasures and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed for their country by another way.

The Holy Gospel According To Saint Matthew (2:1-12)

What "stars" are we following to chart the course of our lives?

Once upon a time, there was a boy named "Johnny."
His family consisted of his mother and father and himself.
His father was a common laborer who could barely provide for his family.
His mother was chronically ill, constantly in need of medical care that the family could hardly afford.
Life was a succession of small apartments, meager meals, second and third-hand furniture, and hand-me-down clothes from friends and neighbors.
All the boy wanted to do was escape his poverty -- and he did.
He focused on school and work. With craftiness and luck, he rapidly worked his way up the corporate ladder, amassing an impressive fortune along the way.

Along that way, his mother’s illnesses brought about her death.
Because he was ashamed of his parents and their poverty, he deliberately kept away from his father -- only phoning him on rare occasions, never going to visit him.

By the age of forty, he had realized the American dream: a prestigious position with a New York investment firm, a beautiful home and family, and more than enough money to live securely and comfortably all his days. The poverty of his childhood was but a faded memory.

Then his father died. As far as he was concerned, his father died a failure.

Weeks after his father's death, he went to the small, rundown apartment where his father had lived alone. He was embarrassed by the old rickety furniture, the stained and faded walls, the few possessions that comprised his father's "estate."
In the bedroom closet, he found a box marked “Christmas Stuff.” Inside he found the papier-mâché angel that crowned their small Christmas tree every year; the construction paper ornaments he and his mother had crafted together; the glass bulbs and bells; the strings of lights; and, wrapped in faded newspaper, the pieces of the family's manger scene. For a few moments he was a boy again, reliving the joy of those Christmases -- when he was still too young to realize how poor his family was. As he returned each item to the box, an incredible sadness overcame him.
Then he discovered an envelope taped to the bottom of the manger. Inside was a letter written in his father's hand. It was dated "Christmas 1955." The letter began with his father's usually greeting: "Hi, Johnny."

I'm your daddy. I've waited so long to say that. How can I describe what it means to be your daddy? Words don't come easily to me, but here goes. Johnny, to be your daddy means picking you up when you fall and holding you when you are afraid. Being your daddy means loving you just because you are my son, the best part of who I am. There's so much in my heart, so many dreams for you. You have brought joy into our lives, a joy that your mom and I thought we'd never know.Johnny, a few weeks before your mom and I were married, the doctors gave us the sad news that, because of Mom's many physical problems, we could never have a child of our own. We were crushed. Every morning and every night, we prayed on our knees asking God for a miracle. Months turned into years and then, much to everyone's surprise, you were born at 12:01 A.M. on December 8th. Because of you, Christmas carries a special meaning for us.Son, I'll never be rich. But I believe that if God could help us find our way to you, God will carry us every step of the way. We'll always have each other and that's more than I ever hoped for, much more than I probably deserve. Some day, Johnny, you'll understand how I'm feeling. Just keep in mind who you are, where you've come from, and how much you are loved.Hold the blessings of Christmas close to your heart, because you are one of them. You are forever our miracle child.

Love, Daddy.

Johnny sat there in tears, clutching the most valuable piece of paper he had every held.
He realized how rich his parents were -- and how poor he had become.

What "stars" are we following to chart the course of our lives?
Like the three Magi's search for Our Lord Jesus, the newborn king of the Jews, our lives are a constant search for meaning, for purpose, for God – and – for the things of God.
The Epiphany Gospel of Saint Matthew asks us to consider the "stars" we are following to navigate our lives:

Do we navigate by the "stars" that lead us to wealth, to power, to prestige -- "stars" that change, move beyond us so we can’t keep up with them – "stars" which eventually flame out of the sky altogether?
Or do we navigate our lives on the stars of God: peace, compassion, mercy, justice, forgiveness?

It is never too late to discover, as "Johnny" discovered late in HIS life's journey, that the true treasures of life are only found in the things of God.

Pope Encountered Over Two Million People In 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Reverend Father James J.M. Reynolds, STL) — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 10:29:50 PST

VATICAN CITY, 3 JAN 2012 (VIS PD/ VIS 20120103 (180) )
The Prefecture of the Pontifical Household has published a communique announcing that, during the course of 2011, 2,553,800 faithful participated in various meetings with Benedict XVI including:

General audiences (400,000 people)
Private audiences (101,800 people)
Liturgical celebrations (846,000 people)
Angelus and Regina Coeli (1,206,000 people).

These statistics show an increase with respect to the last three years, and refer only to meetings that took place in the Vatican or at Castelgandolfo.

The statistics do not include the many thousands of faithful who came to see the Holy Father on his journeys in Italy or abroad.

The Prefecture of the Pontifical Household explains that the numbers are approximate, calculated on the basis of requests to participate in meetings with the Pope and on the tickets distributed, as well as on estimations of people present at events such as the Angelus or large celebrations in St. Peter's Square. The single event which brought together the largest number of faithful was the beatification of John Paul II on 1 May.

Choose A Patron Saint for 2012!

noreply@blogger.com (Reverend Father James J.M. Reynolds, STL) — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 06:26:49 PST

Every year Jen Fulwiler hosts a "choose your patron saint" event at her blog, Conversion Diary. In addition to being a stellar author, Jen also has a knack for the technical and has designed a "Saint's Name Generator." If you follow the link, you will be taken to a site where you press a button to choose your patron saint for 2012. You have to push the button twice, but the anticipation is worth it. Last year my patron saint was King St. Louis of France. This year it is St. Francis Xavier.

Try it yourself and see who the Holy Spirit is assigning to you for guidance and inspiration in the new year. You may even want to make choosing an annual patron saint a family tradition on New Year's Day.

Have fun, and while you're at it, visit Jen's blog at Conversion Diary.com. She is a former atheist who, along with her husband, converted to the Catholic faith. She writes beautifully about her conversion, her faith and the joys and struggles of raising her growing young family.

A blessed new year to one and all!

"Father, Pray For Me, I Will Not Survive"

noreply@blogger.com (Reverend Father James J.M. Reynolds, STL) — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 11:14:02 PST

A Catholic church was bombed on Christmas day in the village of Madalla in Nigeria.
In the church parking lot after the attack, a mortally wounded man cradled his stomach, crying out to a priest, "Father, pray for me, I will not survive." Many others were taken to the municipal hospital where they sat on concrete floors in their own blood, crying for themselves and for their lost loved ones. What horror during this season when we pray for "peace on earth, goodwill toward men."

St. Teresa's Church, Madalla, Nigeria Photo: Afolabi Satuandi: Reuters

As the video in Fr. Reynolds' previous post contemplates, "I wonder as I wander, why Jesus our Savior did come forth to die." The beautiful nativity, the baby in the manger, the angels, the shepherds, all foreshadow the reason for the birth...to die for us "poor, lowly sinners." The rupture of the peace of the season by violence seems out of place. It is certainly a reminder that even in this holiest of seasons, Christians must carry the cross.

This week we aren't given much time to bask in the glow of the tree, the family celebration, the nativity, the carols. The very day after Christmas, Holy Mother Church plunges us into the reality of life as a Christian when we celebrate the death of St. Stephen, the proto martyr of the Church. And then, today, on December 28th we celebrate life and death of the Holy Innocents, those little children aged two and under who were murdered by King Herod, because of Herod's fear of losing his power to a savior and king who would come in quiet humility as a little baby.

In today's Office of Readings, St. Quodvultdeus is quoted:

Why are you afraid, Herod, when you hear of the birth of a king? He does not come to drive you out, but to conquer the devil. But because you do not understand this you are disturbed and in a rage, and to destroy one child whom you seek, you show your cruelty in the death of so many children.

You are not restrained by the love of weeping mothers or fathers mourning the deaths of their sons, nor by the cries and sobs of the children. You destroy those who are tiny in body because fear is destroying your heart. You imagine that if you accomplish your desire you can prolong your own life, though you are seeking to kill Life himself.

Yet your throne is threatened by the source of grace, so small, yet so great, who is lying in the manger. He is using you, all unaware of it, to work out his own purposes freeing souls from captivity to the devil. He has taken up the sons of the enemy into the ranks of God’s adopted children.

The children die for Christ, though they do not know it. The parents mourn for the death of martyrs. The child makes of those as yet unable to speak fit witnesses to himself. See the kind of kingdom that is his, coming as he did in order to be this kind of king. See how the deliverer is already working deliverance, the saviour already working salvation.

But you, Herod, do not know this and are disturbed and furious. While you vent your fury against the child, you are already paying him homage, and do not know it.

We pray for those who are lost in these terrible atrocities. But we live with the hope and the joy that comes from knowing we are pilgrims in this world traveling toward our true home in heaven.

The Incarnation: Wood Of The Manger, Wood Of The Cross

noreply@blogger.com (Reverend Father James J.M. Reynolds, STL) — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 00:51:11 PST

The Catholic Jedi Academy

offers this Christmastime reflection

on the irony that Our Lord Jesus Christ,

through the mystery of the Incarnation,

was born as a human and divine Child so He

would die as a human and divine Man

for all of us.

May we always, at all times,

gratefully remember the meaning

of His Birth and His Death.

A Blessed And Happy Christmas To All!

Pope Benedict Wishes Us "A Truly Christian Christmas"

noreply@blogger.com (Reverend Father James J.M. Reynolds, STL) — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 09:00:02 PST

VATICAN CITY. (VIS AG/ VIS 20111221 (690)) - "The greeting on everyone's lips during this period is 'Merry Christmas! Happy Christmas Holidays!'
Let us ensure that, also in our modern societies, this exchange of good wishes does not lose its profound religious significance, and the feast does not become over-shadowed by external factors," said Benedict XVI during his Wednesday, December 21, 2011 general audience, his last before the Feast of the Lord's Nativity.

"With the Christmas liturgy the Church introduces us into the great Mystery of the Incarnation", the Pope told faithful gathered in the Paul VI Hall.
"Christmas, in fact, is not simply the anniversary of the birth of Jesus, it is the celebration of a Mystery which has marked and continues to mark the history of man: God came to dwell amongst us, He became one of us. ...
During Midnight Mass on Christmas Night we will intone these words in the responsorial Psalm: 'Today the Savior is born for us'. ...
By indicating that Jesus is born 'today', the liturgy underlines that His birth touches and permeates all of history. ...
Of course, the redemption of humankind took place at a specific and identifiable moment of history: in the event of Jesus of Nazareth. But Jesus is the Son of God ... Who became flesh. Eternity entered into the confines of time and space, making it possible to meet Him 'today.'...
When, in liturgical celebrations, we hear or pronounce the phrase: 'Today the Savior is born for us', we are not using an empty conventional expression, what we mean is that 'today', now, God is giving us the possibility to recognize and accept Him, as did the shepherds of Bethlehem, so that He can also be born into and renew our lives."

The Pope then turned his attention to another aspect, reflecting on the birth in Bethlehem in the light of the Paschal Mystery because, he said, "both Christmas and Easter are feasts of redemption. Easter celebrates redemption as a victory over sin and death. It marks the culminating moment when the glory of the Man-God shines like the light of day. Christmas celebrates redemption as the entry of God into history, when He became man in order to bring man to God. It marks, so to speak, the starting point when the first light of dawn begins to appear."

"Even the seasons of the year in which these two great feasts fall, at least in some areas of the world, can help us understand this aspect. Easter coincides with the beginning of spring when the sun triumphs over the cold and the fog and renews the face of the earth. Christmas comes at the very beginning of winter when the light and heat of the sun are unable to awaken nature, covered in a shroud of cold under which, nonetheless, life is pulsating".

"At Christmas we encounter the tenderness and love of God Who is attentive to our weakness and sin, and lowers Himself to our level. ...
Let us live this Christmastime with joy. ...
Above all, let us contemplate and experience this Mystery in the celebration of the Eucharist, which is the heart of Christmas. There Jesus is truly present, the true Bread descended from heaven, the true Lamb sacrificed for our salvation. I wish all of you and your families a truly Christian Christmas. May the exchange of greetings on that day be an expression of our joy in knowing that God is near us, and that He wishes to follow the journey of life with us", the Pope concluded.

Kateri Tekakwitha Will Be The First Native North American Saint

noreply@blogger.com (Reverend Father James J.M. Reynolds, STL) — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 00:36:30 PST

VATICAN CITY, 20 DEC 201
(Vatican Information Service OP/ VIS 20111220 (320)
The Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, on Tuesday, December 20, 2011, signed decrees acknowledging miracles attributed to the intervention of seven "blesseds" (four women and three men) who will shortly be canonized. One of the new "blesseds" is Kateri Tekakwitha, the first native North American to be raised to the glory of the altars.
Kateri Tekakwitha (Mohawk: ɡaderi deɡaɡwitha), known as The Lily Of The Mohawks, was born in 1656 in Ossernenon (present-day Auriesville, New York, USA). Her father was a Mohawk chief and her mother a Roman Catholic Algonquian who had been educated by French missionaries.At the age of four she lost her family in a smallpox epidemic which also left her disfigured and with poor eyesight. Adopted by a relative, the chief of neighboring clan, she continued to nurture an interest in Christianity and was baptized at the age of 20.The members of her tribe did not understand her new religious affiliation and she was marginalized, practicing physical mortification as a path of sanctity and praying for the conversion of her relatives.Having suffered persecutions which put her life at risk, she was forced to flee to a native American Christian community in Kahnawake, Quebec where she made a vow of chastity and lived a life dedicated to prayer, penance, and care for the sick and elderly. She died in 1680 at the age of 24. Her last words were: "Jesus, I love you."
According to tradition, Kateri's scars disappeared after her death to reveal a woman of great beauty, and numerous sick people who participated in her funeral were miraculously healed.The process of canonisation began in 1884. She was declared venerable by Pius XII in 1943 and beatified by John Paul II in 1980. As the first native North American to be beatified she occupies a special place in the devotion of her people. Her feast day falls on 14 July.

Finding Faith at Lord and Taylor

noreply@blogger.com (Reverend Father James J.M. Reynolds, STL) — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 11:42:47 PST

Today started out a little inauspiciously. A trip to the dentist to fix a chipped tooth (chipped on a candy cane, of all things). Happily the repair job was quick and neat, and to top it all off, the dentist's office just happened to be located a short ride from a nice little shopping area.

Although my shopping had been pretty much completed, I still had a nagging thought that there may be that one sweater out there that would complete my Christmas outfit. (For all of you men reading this, a special occasion just doesn't feel right to women without the appropriate holiday attire. And we are often not sure if we have the right outfit until we have tried several variations). So, from the dentist I hightailed it over to Lord and Taylor.

For those of you who have never been to a Lord and Taylor, it is one of those lovely stores that still caters to shoppers (for a price) and exudes good taste. It is a store in which you will find a lot of men shopping during the last days leading up to Christmas, because they know that they can't go wrong with a gift in a box bearing this store's logo... And they are willing to pay dearly for that result. I, on the other hand, troll around the sales racks and use every coupon that comes my way, hoping to find a good buy that has somehow been overlooked by other thrifty consumers.

Anyway, I did find a sweater (or two...you can never be sure which one will work) and took my purchase, and my coupons to the counter. A lovely young woman with a funky hairdo and stoic demeanor began to check out my items. She stopped for a moment and leaned forward to look at the pin on my jacket. "Oh", she said, "Keep Christ in Christmas." I said, "Yes. Sometimes we forget." She replied, "Oh, I never forget. He is the reason we celebrate Christmas." We both smiled and I felt profoundly grateful to the Knights of Columbus for their pin and the opportunity to take a moment out of a purely commercial activity to pause and remember the true meaning of this holy season. We wished each other a blessed Christmas and I went on my way.

Sometimes I think that I shouldn't wear a pin with a message, or have a magnet on my car, or that I'm being obnoxious by broadcasting my point of view. But, a couple of weeks ago I attended a talk given by Dr. Peter Kreeft, the great philosophy professor and author. He said that being a fanatic was not always a good thing, but that being a fanatic for God and for truth was always good. That stuck in my mind and I thought that he's right, let them think I'm a religious fanatic. And, then, something like my little encounter with the sales clerk at Lord and Taylor happens. If I wasn't wearing the pin, I may have thought that she was one more person for whom Christmas meant commerce and little else. And I would have been wrong.

So, here's wishing all of you a blessed Christmas. And also a heartfelt thank you to the Knights of Columbus and the Catholic Daughters of America and the Catholic League and to all those who keep the true meaning of the season in the public square. May God bless all of you abundantly.