Pope to Resign?

This is from Vatican Radio

http://en.radiovaticana.va/Articolo.asp?c=663815

Pope Benedict XVI on Monday said he plans on resigning the papal office on February 28th. Below please find his announcement.

Full text of Pope's declaration

Dear Brothers,

I have convoked you to this Consistory, not only for the three canonizations, but also to communicate to you a decision of great importance for the life of the Church. After having repeatedly examined my conscience before God, I have come to the certainty that my strengths, due to an advanced age, are no longer suited to an adequate exercise of the Petrine ministry. I am well aware that this ministry, due to its essential spiritual nature, must be carried out not only with words and deeds, but no less with prayer and suffering. However, in today’s world, subject to so many rapid changes and shaken by questions of deep relevance for the life of faith, in order to govern the bark of Saint Peter and proclaim the Gospel, both strength of mind and body are necessary, strength which in the last few months, has deteriorated in me to the extent that I have had to recognize my incapacity to adequately fulfill the ministry entrusted to me. For this reason, and well aware of the seriousness of this act, with full freedom I declare that I renounce the ministry of Bishop of Rome, Successor of Saint Peter, entrusted to me by the Cardinals on 19 April 2005, in such a way, that as from 28 February 2013, at 20:00 hours, the See of Rome, the See of Saint Peter, will be vacant and a Conclave to elect the new Supreme Pontiff will have to be convoked by those whose competence it is.

Dear Brothers, I thank you most sincerely for all the love and work with which you have supported me in my ministry and I ask pardon for all my defects. And now, let us entrust the Holy Church to the care of Our Supreme Pastor, Our Lord Jesus Christ, and implore his holy Mother Mary, so that she may assist the Cardinal Fathers with her maternal solicitude, in electing a new Supreme Pontiff. With regard to myself, I wish to also devotedly serve the Holy Church of God in the future through a life dedicated to prayer.

From the Vatican, 10 February 2013

BENEDICTUS PP XVI

The New Evangelization

It has been a while since I've had a blog post but thought I'd share from last Sunday's homily.

I'd like to repeat the Collect for today and ask that you continue to think about it a I proceed with my homily.

Grant us, we pray, O Lord our God

the constant gladness of being devoted to you,

for it is full and lasting happiness

to serve with constancy

the author of all that is good.

As many of you know I spent last week in Dallas. I enjoyed a show put on by Celtic Thunder, but more importantly, I was able to visit one of our seminarians who is studying at Holy Trinity Seminary connected with the University of Dallas. I also attended the mid-year meeting for State Chaplains and State Deputies of the Knights of Columbus.

A few weeks ago, a Synod of Bishops met in Rome to discuss the New Evangelization. This topic was addressed in various homilies, talks and discussions that took place this past week.

One might ask first of all the purpose of the New Evangelization. In order to do that we need to look back at the first evangelization that took place. After the death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus, the apostles went out to the ends of the earth to spread the "Good News". Much of the world was exposed to the Gospel and became Christian.

In our own time, we see a decline in the practice of Christianity. Much of our society has become very secular in its outlook. Religion has been set aside.

The purpose of the New Evangelization is to help us reconnect with Christ and with his Church.

This past week, Archbishop Lori, the Supreme Chaplain of the Knights of Columbus, and the Archbishop of Baltimore shared a story that went something like this.

It seems that after years of persecution and trying to exclude all forms of foreign influence from entering the country, Japan once again allowed missionaries to come ashore. These missionaries started in Nagasaki which had many years before been seen as a center of Catholicity in the Far East. As they worked their way out from the city they came to a small village. They were astounded to see that the faithful there were gathering on Sunday and recited the Apostle's Creed, the Lord's Prayer, the Hail Mary, the Ten Commandments and the Beatitudes. The missionaries asked them about these practices and were told that long ago these things were taught to them by the Fathers. The Fathers had told them that if anything happened to them (the Fathers) that they should continue these prayers and that someday new Fathers would come to their village.

The missionaries assured the villagers that they were the new Fathers. The villagers responded that the Fathers had left four questions to be asked of anyone claiming to be one of the Fathers. The missionaries said, "Let's try to answer them." So they were asked the first question, "Who is the savior?" The missionaries answered, "Jesus Christ who died on the cross for our sins." The villagers smiled and presented the second question. "Who is his mother?" The missionaries answered, "Mary!" Both the villagers and the missionaries were started to get a bit excited. The villagers continued. "Where does the leader of your Church live?" The missionaries responded, "In Rome, of course." At this the villagers were visibly started to show some anticipation as they asked the last question. "Do you have wives?" and the missionaries answered, "No!" and with that the villagers took them to there hidden church so they could once again be reunited to their faith.

For these missionaries to Japan, the work associated with the new evangelization was was easy because faith still existed among the villagers. Parents had handed it on to their children for over 250 years.

It is much harder in our society today. Faith in one's self seems to have trumped faith in Christ and His Church. Many people are focusing on "What is good for me?" instead of "What is good for us?" We seek temporary happiness instead of eternal joy. We do not seek the common good.

It is important for us to realize that sometimes the common good requires sacrifice on our part. We need only look behind me to the crucifix on the wall to remind us of the sacrifice that God made because he loved us. When we truly start to focus on God's love, and make sacrifices in the spirit of that love, we grow in joy.

It is this joy that enables us to fulfill the mission put upon us to bring about the New Evangelization. AS I've said before in reference to the Second Vatican Council, it is the job of the laity to take Christ into the world. That includes our places of work, our places of socializing, our homes and schools.

While listening to the Catholic radio station this weekend I heard comments made about another issue that was brought out last week. We need to get out of the habit of compartmentalizing our lives. For some of us when we are at church it is ok to show our faith. When we go to work, our faith is the last thing we exhibit. In our homes and family life sometimes we get to busy to let our faith be evident.

We need to let the joy of our faith take over all that we do. Christ needs to be the center of how we do things. Our moral values should be reflected n how we do our jobs and the decisions we make. In our family life we should incorporate our prayer, not only with grace at meals, but at other times during the day. A family that prays together, stays together.

We should work to discover not only what the Church teaches, but why she teaches what she teaches. We need to realize that the "rules" of the Church are not meant to restrict us, but are meant to lead us to the joy that has been promised. If we take time to think about the ten commandments they are truly life giving, when we follow them. When we don't we start to draw ourselves away from God and his Church and start to become more self centered.

As disciples of Christ there is a lot that is expected of us. Let us joyfully follow our Lord. Out of that joy, may we share our faith with all of those we encounter and help with the New Evangelization.

I'd like you to listen one more time to today's collect.

Grant us, we pray, O Lord our God

the constant gladness of being devoted to you,

for it is full and lasting happiness

to serve with constancy

the author of all that is good.

Ad hominem

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

An ad hominem (Latin for "to the man" or "to the person"), short for argumentum ad hominem, is an attempt to negate the truth of a claim by pointing out a negative characteristic or belief of the person supporting it. Ad hominem reasoning is normally described as a logical fallacy.

On thing that bloggers tend to face is finding that not everyone agrees with their stated point of view. I understand as a blogger that there will be some who disagree with me about different topics. I'm not afraid to discuss something I've posted, that is why I post on some of the topics I present on this blog.

Unfortunately, it is so easy on the internet to hide behind the name Anonymous. A lot of the time those using that name are seeking clarification and a deeper understanding. They are even willing to point out fallacies in my arguments. Unfortunately, others use Anonymous to hide their real identity and make personal attacks concerning my posts.

I want to remind everyone that I moderate all comments on this blog. I have also made a change that will not allow Anonymous post comments. I ask that comments actually address the argument being presented in my blog post and not resort to ad hominem attacks against myself or other commentators. Ad hominem attacks will not be posted. I also ask that you have the strength of your conviction to use a real name and identity when you engage in discussions on the blog. Remember, one should never say something online that they would not say to someone's face.

Accidental Pregnancy?

I've always wondered how one accidentally becomes pregnant. I'm trying to imagine what that must look like. How is it that two are people walking down the street naked and happen to bump into each other in just the right way to make the connection necessary for conception to take place.

Anything other than that would have to be an act of choice. (Even in cases of rape and incest a choice is made on the part of the perpetrator) Every time one participates in the marital act, even those outside of marriage, they are making a choice that may lead to pregnancy. The act on their part is not an accident, it is a choice. Even with the best birth control, there is still a chance that conception may occur. The baby that is conceived is not an accident, it is a choice.

Since this is a matter of choice -- no one is told they must engage in the marital act -- why should others be expected to pay for this activity? There are sources out there that tell people they are being responsible if they use contraception and want to prevent a pregnancy. Being responsible means taking control of yourself. If one does not want does not want a pregnancy to result from the marital act, don't engage in the marital act. There is nothing accidental about becoming pregnant.

Homily for Mar 25, 2012

Today, we are having my farewell from the parish. I will be leaving after Easter and it was felt that we should not have a celebration over Holy Week. I hope this helps put the homily into context for those who do not know me and have stumbled upon this homily. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

First, I’d like to thank everyone who is here today. As I mentioned just before the beginning of Lent that I’d be leaving, our Lenten journey is taking a slightly different flavor this year as I prepare for my move. Today’s gospel passages tie in well with our additional activities today.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells us,

“Amen, amen, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit.”

In a way, my pending departure is a death experience for the community. Some of the concerns I’ve heard concerning my move:

“What about Mass at the Bluffs, or the hospital?” “What about daily Mass?” “Who will take pictures at our games?” “What about the projects we’ve been talking about doing?”

There will be something missing and also a sense of grieving over the loss. However, through this death like experience, new things can take fruit.

We already have prayer taking place at the Bluffs and the hospital. As for new life in these areas, we need additional volunteers who are willing to take part in these activities. While we have a group of people who take communion to the homebound after Mass on Sunday, we need some help take communion to the hospital on Thursdays. This could be the rising of new life not only for the people at the hospital, but also for the people who might step forward to help in this weekly ministry.

What about daily Mass? We can not have Mass without a priest, but a community can gather daily to pray the Liturgy of the Hours, the Rosary, the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, or other devotion in the life of the Church. I want to encourage our daily Mass goers to continue to gather on a regular basis to pray for the community and to pray for vocations. Don't forget to gather on Wednesdays for the devotion to Our Lady of Perpetual Help. With God’s help, you’ll have a permanent priest assigned here again soon and be able to return to the practice of having Mass each day.

Pictures at ball games – I hope someone realizes what a great thing this is for the kids who are playing. As a non-parent, I could focus on taking pictures of all of the kids at a game. Not only did this practice inspire the kids, but I had comments passed on from family members states away who appreciated the fact they could see their grandchildren, or nephews, or nieces, or even their children, taking part in their high school sporting events. Again, this is an opportunity for someone else to rise to a new life.

Then we have the other projects we’ve been working on. Some are more substantial, like saving the old church, or covering our exposed surfaces on the church in Geraldine. They still need proper coordination with the diocese and I’m willing to act as a resource person for this until a new priest is assigned, but it is good for others to learn how the permissions and such truly work. This is again a chance for new life, or at least a difference in the life of those involved.

In a way, my “death” should bring some new life to the parish.

But, while our immediate experience may give us an example for today’s Gospel, we need to remember what our Gospel is really about.

It is not about our life and death, but about Christ foretelling his own death and new life. Starting tomorrow we transition from the Eucharistic Prayer Prefaces for Lent to those of the Passion. Tomorrow we will hear:

For through the saving Passion of your Son, the whole world has received a heart to confess the infinite power of your majesty, since by the wondrous power of the Cross your judgement on the world is now revealed in the authority of Christ crucified.

We are preparing to celebrate the dying of a grain of wheat that did bear much fruit. When we celebrate Christ’s passion and death we are also ready to celebrate the new life we receive through him. It is Christ who is our hope. He reminds us,

“Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will preserve it for eternal life.”

Christ was not focused on this world, but on the world to come. He knew the joy of eternal life with the Father. We, too, need to learn to focus all of our actions so that they lead us to the life to come. It is not always easy. We need to be a people of hope realizing that we are called to carry crosses in every aspect of our lives.

What is the new life that will come to the parish as I leave? We can not answer that question today. We’ll have to see how it develops. Let’s remember what we heard at the end of this part of Jesus’ discourse:

Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there also will my servant be. The Father will honor whoever serves me.

In my service to the Christ and his Church, I've been called to serve in Livingston. The challenge for all is to find ways to follow Christ and serve the Father.

Signs of Lent

We see the same thing happen in Catholic churches around the country. Ash Wednesday comes and the church is transformed. The green that was decorating the church is changed to violet. Things are introduced that give a sense of the desert to represent Christ's 40 days in the desert. Perhaps we see empty crosses or crowns of thorns used in the decorating. Unfortunately, some places even remove their holy water during this penitential season. We can see the "symbols" of the season.

These symbols let us know that we are now in a new season, but they really don't mean much, unless we are changing for the season. How many of you have noticed signs of the season of Lent? Are the churches fuller as people take their faith seriously and participate in the Lenten observances offered at the parish? Has the daily Mass attendance gone up? Are people coming to pray the Stations of the Cross? Are the lines for confession longer than they have been? Do we see Catholics and other Christians doing more during this time to feed the poor, visit the sick or those in prison, releasing those unjustly imprisoned, and clothing the naked?

We can have all of the symbols of the season that we want, but what God wants is for us to change ourselves. What are you doing this Lent to bring about a real transformation?

Too much to do, too little time to do it

As I mentioned in my homily last week, I am preparing to move to Livingston, MT. I thought I'd keep track of how much time I have to finish everything. Why am I on here instead of packing???????!!!!!!!!

Homily for Feb 19th, 2012 - Preparing for Lent

Here we are, once more getting ready for the season of Lent. Ash Wednesday is only a few days away.

Now is the time to prepare ourselves to be ready when Lent begins. We often look at Lent as a time in the desert. We are called to the disciplines of prayer, fasting and alms-giving. In many ways Lent is meant to be a time of retreat from what we normally experience. Our Lenten retreat should cause us to reflect upon our relationship to God and how God is working in our lives. We should be asking ourselves, "What can draw me closer to God during this holy season?"

Usually we set the parameters for how our Lenten experience will develop. Sometimes other events play a hand in what direction we focus our Lenten disciplines.

That is the case for me this Lent, and I suspect it will affect some of your Lenten experiences as well. Many of you have probably noticed that we've had one or more Masses each week said for my dad. In part that is because many of my family members and family friends requested a Mass be said after his death. There is another reason why I am saying those Mass requests so quickly. Three weeks ago I received an e-mail from bishop Warfel informing me that I would be moved right after Easter. The bishop had mentioned to me before Thanksgiving that he was considering moving me to plug a hole that would need to be filled when he placed a new pastor at St. Pius in Billings which became vacant with Father Steve Tokarski's death in October. The bishop was planning on appointing a permanent pastor at St. Pius on July 1st and thought I would be a good person to fill the new hole that would be created. Because of a need to move the timing up at St. Pius, the week after Easter I'll be replacing Father Wayne Pittard at St. Mary's in Livingston with responsibility for the parish elementary school and the communities of Big Timber, Gardiner and Clyde Park.

Needless to say, the sadness that I will experience as I start the process of saying good-bye here will have an impact on my Lent this year. This is not to say that I am not looking forward to a new challenge in my new parish assignment. As I've been known to say at funerals, there is a sadness as we say good-bye, but a sense of hope as we look to the future. They are not exclusive.

As we are thinking about the beginnings of Lent your Lenten observances might include additional prayer for our own communities and for yourselves. The last word I had from the bishop is that the Masses between Easter and July 1st will be covered by priests from Great Falls. I'm sure there will be some variety of priests coming for Mass depending upon who is available to say Masses on a given weekend. Maybe one or two will be said by the bishop himself. There may be the appointment of a full-time priest in July. Praying for more holy priests in our diocese during this Lenten season will surly be fruitful as we look to the future.

Fasting, foregoing some good for a greater good, can lead to a deeper spirituality. This past week, while attending the Symposium on the Charism of Priestly Celibacy, the value of fasting was made even more evident. When we are without a good thing because we are focused on a greater good thing, we appreciate all the more the good we have and the greater good as well. I would like to suggest that you consider extra fasting during this Lenten season and pray that the fruit of the fasting may somehow help a priest in his sacred duty to bring Christ to the people.

Alms-giving during Lent could take the form of additional giving to the parish. During the few months without a resident priest the expenses of the parish should go down since the parish will not be paying a salary for a full time priest. This would be an ideal time for the parish to replenish its checking account so that if another priest is assigned there will be money to pay for the related expenses of that priest.

I want to tie in a little with the readings today about forgiveness of sin. Bishop Warfel has asked that we adopt a program that came from Boston -- "The Light is on for You". In an effort to help people make it to confession during this season on Lent, churches around the diocese will be open several evenings during the Lenten season for people to stop and go to confession. For our parishes we'll be open on Tuesdays in Geraldine on the weeks we have Mass there. I'll start confessions after Mass and then stay in the confessional until 8 pm. In Fort Benton, we'll have confession on Thursday evenings except for March 1st and March 15, from 6 pm until 8 pm. You are all invited to come and experience God's healing presence.

This Lent we will truly experience a time in the desert and Easter will bring something new. It is up to us to determine if we will let this season help us grow spiritually to be ready for the new beginning or not. As Lent is about to begin, I ask for your prayers and I'll remember you in mine.

Perspective

Coming back from the Symposium on the Charism of Priestly Celibacy tonight I found myself on the plane sitting next to Senator Jon Tester of Montana. He really did not want to start much of a conversation. I'm sure he knew what I had to say about certain legislation before the Senate and that I had the better argument. Besides that, I have found it is better not to argue after 9 pm when I am already lacking in sleep.

Perhaps, though, my mind was not completely trashed from three days of travel, meetings and more travel for I had a thought that might help put a few things into perspective. I can't remember if Senator Tester has any cattle with his wheat farm or not, but here is a thought I had.

What would happen if someone came and treated all of the cows carrying calves this time of year to stop the disease that was afflicting them? Do you think the ranchers would appreciate that? I mean, after all, why should cows be afflicted with such a horrible thing as motherhood? You'd think the ranchers would know by now the secret it to always keep the bulls in a pasture that is separate from the cows so there would be no worries.

If pregnancy is the disease, why are we putting so much effort into keeping the buffalo with brucellosis from having contact with our livestock? Since brucellosis causes cows to abort their calves, would this not be a cure for their disease of pregnancy?

It would be interesting to ask our current Governor, Senators and Representative from the House to give us some thoughts on this issue. Why is it that a baby cow (calf) is more worthy than a baby human?

What do people believe, anyway?

As a parish priest, I have had the opportunity to observe the practices of various ministers and of the faithful at Mass, Benediction, Funeral Vigil services and other liturgical events in the life of the parish, or Catholic school.

There are times when I wonder if those participating even know what it is that they are doing, or why they are doing it. I've also asked myself if they know what the priest is doing, or why the priest is doing things at different points of the celebration?

I have a feeling that many of those in the pews, or surrounding the altar (some priests included) lack belief in many of the basics truths we hold as Catholics.

I've noticed ministers who look like they are tolerating the Eucharistic Prayer. I've noticed sacristans, EMHC's and altar servers who treat the corporal more like a table cloth, scattering crumbs around the altar. I've noticed when I've tried to mention some of these issues in homilies, the ones most likely to be the offenders appear to be ignoring what is being said.

While the liturgical elements are sometimes more obvious, the signs of unbelief are not limited to strictly liturgical issues. Where are the majority of Catholics when we have our "40 Days for Life" each year? Are they praying for an end to abortion at the abortion clinic or at home, or are they not praying for the end to abortion? Where are Catholics when we are talking about a push to recognize gay relationships as marriages? Are they standing strong for the true meaning of marriage as a covenant relationship between one man and one woman? Have a lot of Catholics fallen away from a true understanding of marriage as a sacramental covenant? What about the whole issue of contraception that seems to be in the news today? I keep hearing that 98% of all Catholic women are using contraception. That statistic is not accurate as can be seen in this article, but it raises another question. Are Catholics striving to understand what the Church teaches and are they willing to stand up for those teachings? Are they willing to live out those teachings?

Will there come a day when all those who claim to be Catholic will actually practice what the faith of the Church professes? I think Francis Cardinal George makes a good point as it relates to what is happening on the political stage today.

"This is the first time in the history of the United States that a presidential administration has purposely tried to interfere in the internal working of the Catholic Church, playing one group off against another for political gain. What isn’t always understood is that the Bishops of the Church make no attempt to speak for all Catholics; they never have. The Bishops speak for the Catholic and apostolic faith, and those who hold that faith gather around them. Others disperse."-Francis Cardinal George, Archdiocese of Chicago

I guess a question I have is really this, when it comes to the end, will we be believers in the Church established by Christ, or in ourselves and our favorite cause? If we are not believers in the teachings of the Church, why do we stay?