Carl E. Olson's Blog, page 32

With Papal Visit Concluded, It's Full Synod Ahead

Pope Francis walks near an image of the Holy Family during the closing Mass of the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia Sept. 27. (CNS photo/Rick Musacchio, Tennessee Register)

With Papal Visit Concluded, It's Full Synod Ahead | Carl E. Olson | Editorial | CWR

As the Synod of Bishops approaches, Catholics are faced with contradictory perceptions and pressing questions about Francis' longterm goals

As I watched coverage of the papal visit to the U.S. and waded through the steady—if wildly uneven—stream of articles about the same, I began to wonder: "A month from now, after the Synod, how might perceptions of this visit and this pope be revisited and revised?" It is a question that goes beyond the level of a curious thought exercise. By the end of October we will, I think, have a far clearer understanding of exactly how radical this pontificate is—or is not. 

I purposely use the word "radical" since it is, by my entirely unscientific gauge, the most used adjective for this pope and his pontificate. To hear some pundits tell it, Francis is the first pope to walk, talk, hug babies, and chew gum at the same time. Nearly everything he does (or doesn't do) or says (or doesn't say) is construed as radical, unprecedented, unique, unusual, and new. It's an approach worth reflecting on for a moment because for it dominates how so many people view and interpret Francis' actions and words. 

A fine example of this breathless approach is found in the handsome coffee table book Pope Francis and the New Vatican, published a few weeks ago by National Geographic. Take note of the hyperbolic quality of this descriptive copy:

Since his ascent to the papacy in 2013, Pope Francis has electrified the world and infused the Vatican with unprecedented energy. ... The Vatican finds the pope to be a paradox. Known as the “available pope,” a contradiction in terms, he is hailed by the press as a reformer, a radical and a revolutionary. Those close to him in Rome say he is all of these things, and yet none of them. The answer to the question reverberating around the world remains a mystery: Will Pope Francis change the Vatican, or will the Vatican change him? ... Timely and poignant, POPE FRANCIS AND THE NEW VATICAN reveals this spiritual revolutionary through a new lens. 

Other words that regular appearances in the book are "change", "revolution", "contradictory" (as in Francis' "seemingly contradictory subtleties..."), "new", "remarkable", and—well, you get the picture. And if you want actual pictures, the book is loaded with them: beautiful, exceptional photos, as one expects to find in a National Geographic book. But what is also remarkable, besides the regular use of "remarkable", is a deep but unaware thread of incongruity and contradiction in the effusive essays, all written by Robert Draper. Writing about the early months of Francis' pontificate, Draper recounts how the Pope had said to a small group of visiting friends: "I really need to start making changes right now":

Continue reading at www.CatholicWorldReport.com.

New: "Elijah in Jerusalem: A Novel" by Michael O'Brien

Now available from Ignatius Press:

Elijah in Jerusalem: A Novel

by Michael O'Brien

Elijah in Jerusalem,the long-awaited sequel to the acclaimed, best-selling novel Father Elijah: An Apocalypse,is the continuing story of the Catholic priest called to confront a powerful politician who could be the Antichrist foretold in the Bible.

A convert from Judaism, a survivor of the Holocaust, and a participant in the founding of Israel, Father Elijah was for decades a monk on Mount Carmel, the mountain made famous by his Old Testament prophet-namesake. In the events of the preceding novel, the Pope commissioned Father Elijah to meet the President of the European Union, a man rising toward global control as President of the soon- to-be realized World Government. Recognizing in the President a resemblance to the anticipated Antichrist, the Pope asked Father Elijah to call the President to repentance, a mission that ended in failure.

In this sequel, now-Bishop Elijah, wanted for a murder he did not commit, tries again to meet the President. Accompanied by his fellow monk Brother Enoch, he enters Jerusalem just as the President arrives in the holy city to inaugurate a new stage of his rise to world power. This time Elijah hopes to unmask him as a spiritual danger to mankind. As the story unfolds, people of various backgrounds meet the fugitive priest, and in the encounter their souls are revealed and tested.

Elijah perseveres in his mission even when all seems lost. The dramatic climax is surprising, yet it underlines that God works all things to the good for those who love him. 

Michael D. O'Brien, iconographer, painter, and writer, is the popular author of many best-selling novels including Father Elijah, The Father's Tale, Eclipse of the Sun, Sophia House, Theophilos, and Island of the World. His novels have been translated into twelve languages and widely reviewed in both secular and religious media in North America and Europe.

“Rapid cultural decline makes the moving completion of Father Elijah's story particularly compelling. O'Brien's eloquent call for faith and courage needs to be heard throughout the world.”  

Marvin Olasky, Editor-in-chief, World

"A book you can’t put down. O'Brien is a master in narrating to us how the diabolic opposition to God might play itself out in our time."  

 Fr. James V. Schall, S.J.,Author, The Order of Things

“I have read all of O’Brien’s novels, but only while reading this one did I clearly notice the most significant power all of them have: something, or Someone, in these novels wakes me up, makes me wiser and holier.”

Peter Kreeft, Ph.D., Author, Because God Is Real

“Equal parts a thriller, a meditation on the life of faith, and a Canterbury Tales–like series of vivid snapshots of men and women struggling with good and evil, Elijah in Jerusalem offers a cinematic and thought-provoking reading experience.” 

Holly Ordway, Ph.D., Author, Not God’s Type

“It’s been twenty years since the dullness of contemporary literature was set ablaze by the brilliance of Michael O’Brien’s classic novel, Father Elijah. It is, therefore, a true joy that this long-awaited sequel has finally been published.”

Joseph Pearce, Author, Catholic Literary Giants

“O’Brien is a masterful storyteller and a gifted artist. This beautiful depiction of human struggle and good versus evil will move and inspire you.”

Danielle Bean, Editor, Catholic Digest

“Elijah in Jerusalem takes the reader on a journey through Christianity’s ancestral heartlands that is at times both moving and terrifying. Michael O’Brien’s spiritual epic holds up a mirror to the moral chaos of the contemporary world without depriving the reader of hope.”

Fiorella De Maria, Author, Poor Banished Children

"Elijah in Jerusalem is one of O'Brien's best-crafted books, a fast-moving, suspenseful page-turner adorned with lyrical graces and moments of joy which alternate with stark terror and evocations a powerful presence of evil so palpable that it will prompt sober reflection on our troubled times.” 

David Lyle Jeffrey, Ph.D.
Distinguished Professor of Literature and the Humanities, Baylor University

“The story of Father Elijah, who fights against the most misleading forms of evil with the weapons of Christ—courage, humility, charity—will appeal to anyone who is in search of heroism and truth. A thrilling novel full of deep intelligence and spirituality, tenderness and beauty.” 

 Astrid de Larminat, Le Figaro newspaper

Demons, Sin, Death, and Damnation

"The Abyss of Hell" (1480) by Sandro Botticelli [WikiArt.org]

A Scriptural Reflection on the Readings for September 27, 2015 | Carl E. Olson

Readings:
• Num 11:25-29
• Ps 19:8, 10, 12-13, 14
• Jas 5:1-6
• Mk 9:38-43, 45, 47-48

What do demons, sin, death, and damnation have in common? An obvious (and correct) answer is that all of them are, put bluntly, bad. They have a certain, even close, relationship to one another. Another answer is that each is a topic usually avoided in conversations around the water cooler and over morning coffee. In fact, they are sometimes given short shrift in homilies and sermons.

But today’s Gospel prominently mentions all four. Needless to say, it is a challenging and difficult reading. Yet it is the sort of passage too often ignored or downplayed, resulting in a skewed understanding of both the mission and message of Christ.

Jesus and his disciples took the existence of demons for granted; they also took them seriously. The discussion in Mark 9 about driving out demons is just one of about seventy references to demons in the New Testament. What is unusual, however, is the context: the disciples were complaining because someone who “does not follow us,” they told Jesus, was performing exorcisms. Jesus reminds them that such a deed can only be performed in his name, and such faith could not come from a foe. Since men can only be for or against him, the benefit of any doubt should go to those who exhibit love for and faith in Christ. In the words of St. Gregory of Nyssa, “None of those seeking to be saved will be lacking in this ability,” since salvation is a free gift from God.

That expansive explanation of how good done in the name of Christ should be acknowledged is followed by some of the strongest language in the Gospels about avoiding sin. Two terms stand out: scandal and Gehenna. “If your hand causes you to sin”—literally, scandalizes you, “cut it off.” Scandal, the Catechism explains, “is an attitude or behavior which leads another to do evil.” Those who give scandal by words or actions can destroy spiritual life. “Scandal is a grave offense if by deed or omission another is deliberately led into a grave offense” (par. 2284). It is, G. K. Chesterton summarized nicely, “the tripping up of somebody else when he is trying to be good.”

Momentary physical pain cannot be compared to the eternal spiritual torment awaiting those who continue unrepentant in their sins. Gehenna symbolized such torment. It was a steep ravine southwest of Jerusalem where, many centuries before Christ, some Israelites had sacrificed “their sons and daughters to Molech” (Jer. 32:35), a pagan god long associated with such horrors. Gehenna was desecrated eventually by the righteous King Josiah (2 Kngs. 23:10), and became a smoldering garbage dump filled with trash and animal carcasses. Needless to say, it offered a powerful image of an eternal hell filled with undying worms and unquenchable fire.

Speaking of hell is never fashionable or enjoyable. St. John Chrysostom said of this passage: “Ordained as we have been to the ministry of the word, we must cause our hearers discomfort when it is necessary for them to hear. We do this not arbitrarily but under command.”

One of the great sins of our time is the deliberate and self-serving destruction of human life, especially what Pope John Paul II described as “the scandal of abortion.” Such a grave scandal exists because men—even those living in Western democracies—have “lost the ability to make decisions aimed at the common good” (Centesimus annus, 47). Pope Benedict XVI, in his encyclical on social doctrine, wrote, “To desire the common good and strive towards it is a requirement of justice and charity” (Caritas in veritate, 7).

Justice requires every man be held responsible for his sins; it rightly asks each pay for his moral deficits. Yet we are unable. As today’s reading from the Epistle of James makes clear, wealth cannot save us. Nor can power or fame. Salvation from demons, sin, death, and damnation is found only in the name of Jesus Christ, the author of life (Acts 3:15).

(This "Opening the Word" column originally appeared in the September 27, 2009, edition of Our Sunday Visitor newspaper.)

Cardinal Robert Sarah, keynote speaker at World Meeting of Families, shares his inspiring life story in new book "God or Nothing"

San Francisco, September 21, 2015 – This week in Philadelphia, Cardinal Robert Sarah will share the Church’s hopeful message about the importance of marriage and family at the World Meeting of Families during his keynote talk entitled, “The Light of the Family in a Dark World.” 

For those who want to learn more about the life and teachings of Cardinal Robert Sarah, known as one of the most prominent and outspoken Cardinals in the Catholic Church, a fascinating autobiographical interview has just been released from Ignatius Press: God or Nothing: A Conversation on Faith with Nicolas Diat.

In God or Nothing, Cardinal Sarah answers personal questions about his unique experience growing up in Guinea, West Africa. Inspired by the missionary priests who made great sacrifices to bring the Faith to their remote village, his parents became Catholics. Robert discerned a call to the priesthood and entered the seminary at a young age, but due to the oppression of the Church by the government of Guinea, he continued his education outside of his homeland.

At the age of thirty-four he became the youngest Bishop in the Catholic Church when John Paul II appointed him the Archbishop of Conakry, Guinea, in 1979. His predecessor had been imprisoned by the Communist government for several years, and when Archbishop Sarah was targeted for assassination, John Paul II called him to Rome to be Secretary of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples. In 2010 Pope Benedict XVI named him Cardinal and appointed him Prefect of the Pontifical Council Cor Unum. Pope Francis made him Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments in 2014.

Throughout this book, Cardinal Sarah also answers tough questions facing the Church and comments on many current controversial issues. The mission of the Church, the joy of the gospel, the “heresy of activism”, and the definition of marriage are among the topics he discusses with wisdom and eloquence. All of these topics will also be discussed at the upcoming Synod on the Family in October, and Cardinal Sarah provides a compelling defense of Church teaching in God or Nothing.

Cardinal Robert Sarah explains, “The idea of putting Magisterial teaching in a beautiful display case while separating it from pastoral practice, which then could evolve along with circumstances, fashions, and passions, is a sort of heresy, a dangerous schizophrenic pathology.  I therefore solemnly state that the Church in Africa is staunchly opposed to any rebellion against the teaching of Jesus and of the Magisterium. . . .  The Church of Africa is committed in the name of the Lord Jesus to keeping unchanged the teaching of God and of the Church.”

 Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI says, “I have read God or Nothing with great spiritual profit, joy, and gratitude. . . .[Its] courageous answers to the problems of gender theory clear up in a nebulous world a fundamental anthropological question.”

“There’s an ‘African moment’ unfolding in Catholicism, and Cardinal Robert Sarah is among its most important voices. If you want to understand the forces shaping the Church’s future, you need to read this book,” says John L. Allen, Associate Editor of Crux/Boston Globe.

Raymond Cardinal Burke, Patron of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, calls this book, “A remarkable testimonial of the Catholic faith in the face of many serious contemporary challenges.”

“No one reading this magnificent book of Cardinal Robert Sarah, a true witness of a Church marked in its history by severe persecution, cannot but be fascinated by his profound faith in Jesus Christ. . . . [The] mission countries have themselves become an invaluable source of evangelization and inspiration for the lands from which its missionaries originally came,” says the Most Reverend Carlo Maria Viganò, Apostolic Nuncio to the United States.

Raymond Arroyo, EWTN Anchor of The World Over, affirms, “Cardinal Sarah’s voice carries the unmistakable ring of a prophet.”

About the Authors:

Robert Cardinal Sarah was born in Guinea, West Africa. Made an Archbishop by Pope John Paul II and a Cardinal by Pope Benedict XVI, he was named the Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments by Pope Francis in 2014. Nicolas Diat is a French journalist and author.

 
Fr. Joseph Fessio S.J., the Editor-in-Chief for Ignatius Press, is available for interviews about this book. To request a review copy or an interview with Fr. Joseph Fessio, please contact:

Rose Trabbic, Publicist, Ignatius Press at (239) 867-4180 or rose@ignatius.com

Product Facts:

Title: GOD OR NOTHING: A Conversation on Faith with Nicolas Diat
Author: Cardinal Robert Sarah, Nicolas Diat
Release Date: August 2015
Length: 284 pages
Price: $17.95
ISBN: 978-1-62164-050-9 • Softcover
Order: 1-800-651-1531 • www.ignatius.com

By embracing Christ's Passion, we overcome our passions

"Christ Carrying the Cross" by Giorgio Barbarelli da Castelfranco (c. 1478-1510) [WikiArt.org]

A Scriptural Reflection on the Readings for Sunday, September 20, 2015 | Carl E. Olson

Readings:
• Wis 2:12, 17-20

• Ps 54:3-4, 5, 6 and 8

• Jas 3:16-4:3

• Mk 9:30-37

Three of the greatest temptations known to man are lust for power, pursuit of illicit pleasure, and envious grasping for possessions. These three flow, in various ways, from the capital sins: pride, avarice, envy, wrath, lust, gluttony, and sloth or acedia (CCC 1866). All three, it is important to note, are perversions of authentic and good gifts from God: proper dominion and authority, the wholesome enjoyment of material things, and the joy of right relationships. 

These temptations are the subjects of the discourses proclaimed in the Gospel readings over the next four weeks (Mk. 9:30-10:31). The first part of today’s Gospel marks an important transition, which is both physical and pedagogical in nature. First, Jesus and the disciples began to journey through Galilee toward Jerusalem. Secondly, Jesus was not preaching to the crowds that had swarmed after him, but was giving private instructions to his disciples. 

Finally, once again, as he had done a bit earlier (Mk. 8:31), Jesus spoke of his approaching Passion: “The Son of Man is to be handed over to men and they will kill him…” He would return again to this prophetic message (Mk. 10:32-4), creating a sort of frame around the discourses in-between. This structure was not accidental, for there is a significant relationship—one of conflict and opposition—between the Passion and the temptations to power, pleasure, and possessions. 

Put another way, the Passion is the antidote to human passions. Jesus Christ, fully human, freely chose to be handed over to certain death. In doing so, he decisively rejected the pull and allure of power, pleasure, and possessions. Yet he also had to teach his disciples the same, which was no small task considering their frail natures and their imperfect understanding of his mission: “But they did not understand the saying”—that is, his foretelling of his and resurrection—“and they were afraid to question him.” As is so often the case, fear is the acid that eats away at the flesh of faith. 

The subject of the argument Jesus asked the disciples about at the home of Peter and Andrew in Capernaum (cf. Mk. 1:29) is the same subject that has sparked countless arguments, heresies, and schisms over two thousand years of Church history. Who is the greatest? Who will have the most power? Who is in charge? Jesus’ answer was not, of course, merely talk, for he would walk the talk when he willingly took up the Cross and accepted death. 

The tree he would be nailed upon was one rooted in perfect humility. “Observe a tree,” wrote Augustine, “how it first tends downward, that it may then shoot upwards. It fastens its root low in the ground that it may send forth its top toward heaven. Is it not from humility that it endeavors to rise? But without humility it will not attain to higher things.” Christ is the personification of the wisdom from above, described by James in today’s Epistle as pure, peaceable, and full of good fruits. He is the fulfillment of the son of God described in the Book of Wisdom, delivered to his foes and condemned to a shameful death. He had no need to attain heaven, which was his home, but planted roots on earth so we might attain heaven by the tree of his crucifixion. 

The Son of God, explained Paul in his great Christological hymn in Philippians 2, became a man—a servant—“and being found in human form he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross” (Phil. 2:8). When Jesus referred to the child in the midst of the disciples, he was making a clear connection (lost in the English translation) between “child” and “servant,” which come from the same root word in Aramaic and Greek.  

Divine sonship is rooted in humble servanthood. The divine irony is that becoming a child of God is the only means to becoming truly mature and fully human. And by embracing the Passion, we overcome our passions. 

(This "Opening the Word" column originally appeared in the September 20, 2009, issue of Our Sunday Visitor newspaper.)

"Conservative" Catholics, Pope Francis, and CNN Spin

Pope Francis talks with U.S. President Barack Obama during a private audience at the Vatican March 27, 2014. (CNS photo/Stefano Spaziani, pool)

"Conservative" Catholics, Pope Francis, and CNN Spin | Carl E. Olson | CWR Editorial

It's an unfortunate fact that secular media outlets so often resort to sensationalism, shallow reporting, and partisan rhetoric when addressing the complexities of Catholicism

As longtime readers know, I tend to have a rather dour view of the mainstream media in the United States. However, I will give credit where such credit is due: when they latch onto a particular hook or angle, they will latch onto it with a sort of zealous fervor and focus that is quite fascinating. And frustrating. For example:

• 5 new ways Pope Francis is sticking it to the Christian right (Salon)
• Pope Francis draws criticism from some conservative Catholics... (Newsday)
• Eight times Pope Francis riled conservatives in the Catholic Church (Washington Post)
• The Republican Party's war with Pope Francis has finally started (The Week Magazine)
• Pope drawing criticism from US conservatives (San Angelo Standard Times)
• 5 Ways Pope Francis Has Shocked Conservative Christians (EcoWatch)
• Pope Francis agitates conservative U.S. Catholics (USA Today)

There are numerous similar pieces, many of them inspired in large part by news this summer that Pope Francis' popularity in the U.S. had faltered, dropping to 59% from a high of 76% in 2014. Since then I've been interviewed by a number of non-Catholics news outlets (including NewsMaxTV, Al-Jazeera, and CNN) about this topic, and my July 16th post "The hyperbolic and exhausting papacy of Francis" has been quoted in various articles as an example of "conservative" insurrection, even dissent. Never mind that my post does not touch on matters of faith and morals but instead focuses on rhetoric and tone. Never mind—well, I'm getting ahead of myself. 

This past Tuesday, CNN.com published a feature titled "The 'Obamification' of Pope Francis", which contained some comments from my July post. The reporter, John Blake, had contacted me by e-mail at the end of August, asking me if I would talk to him about "conservative reaction to Pope Francis’ economic message – and how some even see similarities between his message and President Obama’s worldview." I agreed, and a few days later we spoke for a half hour or so. Mr. Blake began by asking me I had any questions; I responded that I had two questions. 

First, I asked if he knew if any pieces had been written back in 2008 about "liberal reaction to Pope Benedict's message" on this or that topic. Put another way, while there was plenty of liberal (and conservative) commentary on Benedict, where there any pieces that delved into real or possible liberal criticisms of Benedict? I noted that I had done various searches and found nothing of the sort. Hmmm. 

Secondly, I asked what he meant by "conservatives" since there are at least three large but fairly distinct groups that might be described as "conservative":

Continue reading at www.CatholicWorldReport.com.

New: "Behold the Man: A Catholic Vision of Male Spirituality" by Dn. Harold Burke-Sivers

Now available from Ignatius Press:

Behold the Man: A Catholic Vision of Male Spirituality

by Deacon Harold Burke-Sivers

Lucid and inspiring, Behold the Man is a unique exploration of Catholic spirituality for men. Much of the literature written for Catholic men focuses on topical issues such as fatherhood and sexuality. While this book does not exclude these subjects, it is the first to present a comprehensive picture of Catholic male spirituality.

What is authentic male Catholic spirituality? What distinguishes it from Protestant male spirituality? How does masculine spirituality complement feminine spirituality? These questions and many more are answered in this book.

Drawing from Scripture and Church teaching, the author roots Catholic male spirituality in a covenant relationship with God and the cross of Jesus Christ. He demonstrates that when a man embraces the cross he is truly able to be himself—the man that God created and calls him to be. Behold the Man can deepen a man’s experience of Christ and help him to know the Lord more intimately.

Deacon Harold Burke-Sivers, known worldwide as the Dynamic Deacon, is one of the most sought-after speakers in the Church today. He holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Notre Dame and a master of theological studies from the University of Dallas. He hosts his own weekly broadcast, From the Rooftops, on Radio Maria, and is the host of several popular series on EWTN television, including Behold the Man: Spirituality for Men. He is married with four children.

"This is a theological and anthropological tour de force that champions authentic male spirituality for the men of our times."
— Father Donald Calloway, M.I.C, Author, No Turning Back: A Witness to Mercy

"I know of no better presentation of masculine spirituality that balances authentic theology with practical application for the lives of real Catholic men."
— Tim Staples, Catholic Answers

"A highly readable book. A marvelous work for any man striving to live an authentic spirituality, which also addresses the major hot button issues of today."
— Father Brian Mullady, O.P., Author, Preacher, EWTN Host

"The biggest crisis facing the Church today is the crisis of authentic manhood. This book addresses virtually every issue that a Catholic man will face, especially the interior life."
— Jesse Romero, Catholic Evangelist and Radio Host

By the numbers: Most Catholics are being run by the culture

(Photos: Screenshot from PewResarch.org and CNS)

By the numbers: Most Catholics are being run by the culture | Dale Ahlquist | "The Dispatch" at CWR

The recent Pew poll about Catholics and family reveals that Chesterton was right when he said, “The next great heresy will be an attack on morality, especially sexual morality.”

In 1905, G.K. Chesterton wrote:

It is an error to suppose that statistics are merely untrue. They are also wicked. As used today, they serve the purpose of making masses of men feel helpless and cowardly . . . But I have another quarrel with statistics. I believe that even if they are technically correct they can be entirely misleading. When we hear what we are told are real scientific statistics, it is psychologically impossible not to think that they mean something. Generally they mean nothing. Sometimes they mean something that isn't true.

Apparently in anticipation of the Catholic World Meeting of Families this month and the Bishops Synod on the Family next month, the Pew Research Center has published the results of a survey of Catholics regarding their views on the family. The survey is interesting both for what it reveals and does not reveal.

First of all is the shocking statistic that 45% of the population is “either Catholic or connected to Catholicism.” What? If that's true, we should be running the country, winning every election, and orchestrating all cultural currents according to the wishes of the Pope. There is not another interest group that can even touch such numbers as ours. And yet the results of the survey suggest the opposite trend: most Catholics are being run by the culture. In fact, the headline of the study itself trumpets “Catholics Open to Non-traditional Families.” So, the first number to be dealt with is that 45% figure. It turns out that “connected to Catholicism” means people who have either left the Church, have a Catholic spouse or a Catholic parent, consider themselves “culturally Catholic” but do not attend church or practice the faith, or they attend Catholic churches but are not members. Take that group out and only 20% of the population actually identify themselves as Catholic. A dramatic difference. But the drama continues. If one out of five people is Catholic that is still a significant number.

But, of those who identify themselves as Catholic, 39% do not view homosexual behavior as sinful, 49% do not think that remarriage without an annulment is a sin, 54% do not regard cohabitation as a sin, and 66% do not believe that contraception is a sin. So, a large number of people who call themselves Catholic do not subscribe to Catholic teaching.

The obvious danger of these numbers, and the way they are presented, is that there are some who may try to use them to argue that Church teaching needs to be changed, in this case the teaching regarding divorce and remarriage, cohabitation and even same-sex unions. Since it appears that many if not most Catholics already seem to approve of these “non-traditional” arrangements, shouldn't the Church approve them, too?

But a closer look at the numbers reveals that while a significant portion of those who call themselves Catholics do not adhere to the Church's teaching on marriage and family, roughly the same group does not attend Mass regularly or go to confession regularly.

Continue reading at www.CatholicWorldReport.com.

A Spiritual Triptych: Jesus the Christ, Son of Man, Suffering Servant

"Calvary Triptych" (1465-68) by Hugo van der Goes [WikiArt.org]

A Spiritual Triptych: Jesus the Christ, Son of Man, Suffering Servant | Carl E. Olson

A Scriptural Reflection on the Readings for September 13, 2015, the Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time 

Readings:
Is 50:5-9a

Ps 116:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 8-9

Jas 2:14-18

Mk 8:27-35

A triptych—from the Greek word meaning “three-fold”—was a form of artwork that emerged in the early centuries of Christianity and became popular during the Middle Ages. It consisted of three panels, which folded together and were often used as altar paintings, usually depicting the Crucifixion, with artwork of Christ on the Cross featured on the middle panel.

Today’s Gospel reading is a sort of spiritual triptych, for it naturally divides into three small sections, each of which features or alludes to a name or descriptive of Jesus. Each tells us something about his person and mission; each is oriented toward his Passion and his salvific death on the Cross.

The first name or title is Christ, or Messiah. In a well-known scene (described in more detail in Matthew 16), Jesus asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” After hearing the various answers, he asked them directly: “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answers for the disciples succinctly: “You are the Christ.” While his answer may have been verbally short, it was long on meaning.

This name appears some five hundred and thirty times in the Old Testament. The Hebrew word has a complex history; it refers to an “anointed one,” as well as to a royal figure, often associated in some way with King David, who will come at the end of time to establish God’s reign. In the Old Testament, anointing with oil had a deep religious significance, representing God’s divine election of a man to a specific office or task.

From the time the prophet Samuel had anointed Saul as king, each king of Israel had been an “anointed one.” But there hadn’t been an Israelite king for nearly six centuries prior to the time of Christ; the Israelites had instead been ruled by foreign rulers, often cruel and unjust.  As Dr. Mary Healy notes in her commentary on the Gospel of Mark, “For Peter to acknowledge Jesus as Messiah means, ‘You are the one through whom God will accomplish all that he promised!’” (Baker Academic, 2008).

Jesus then began to teach them about his approaching arrest, Passion, death, and Resurrection, using the second name of our triptych: the Son of Man. This title was one used most often by Jesus about himself (it appears ninety times in the New Testament), especially when foretelling his Passion. On one hand, it emphasizes the humanity of Christ. But it also refers to the prophet Daniel’s vision of final judgment, when the clouds of heaven open and “came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him” (Dan. 7:13). This mysterious figure is also royal, a king who suffers for the sake of the people and who is then vindicated by God at the end of time and history, a dramatic event described by Jesus (Matt. 25:31-34) and John the Revelator (Rev. 1:12-18). Paradoxically, “Son of Man” refers to both lowly humanity and dazzling power. 

The third title is one drawn from the prophet Isaiah and from Jesus’ teachings about self-denial and taking up the Cross: the Suffering Servant. He is described in today’s reading from the prophet Isaiah as the man willing to endure torment and mockery for the sake of the Lord. The most famous and full description is found in Isaiah 52-53, which is read on Good Friday. 

Jesus again made the connection to Isaiah’s prophecy later in Mark’s Gospel, “For the Son of man also came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mk. 10:45). Reflecting on the Cross, St. Augustine wrote, “There is no other way for you to follow the Lord except by carrying it, for how can you follow him if you are not his?”

The Christ. The Son of Man. The Suffering Servant. Each name is a work of theological art, revealing Jesus and his love to us. 

(This "Opening the Word" column originally appeared in the September 13, 2009, edition of Our Sunday Visitor newspaper.)

The Story Behind the Synod’s Final Document

Cardinal Peter Erdo of Esztergom-Budapest, Hungary, relator for the extraordinary Synod of Bishops on the family, left, talks with Italian Archbishop Bruno Forte of Chiet-Vasto, special secretary of the synod, before the morning session of the synod at the Vatican Oct. 18, 2014. (CNS photo/Paul Haring)

The Story Behind the Synod’s Final Document | Edward Pentin | Catholic World Report

Much of what went on in the creation of the synod’s interim report has been well documented—less well-known is what happened in the drafting of the synod’s final report.

[Editor’s note: The following is an exclusive excerpt from Edward Pentin’s new book The Rigging of a Vatican Synod? An Investigation of Alleged Manipulation at the Extraordinary Synod on the Family, available now from Ignatius Press as an e-book. To find out what really went on before, during, and after last year’s controversial Synod of Bishops, Pentin spent months speaking to many of those who were there and piecing together what happened behind the closed doors of the Vatican’s Synod Hall.

In this excerpt, Pentin reports on the back-room discussions and politicking that took place during the drafting of the synod’s final document.]

Attempts to Manipulate the Final Document

Although much of the process regarding the creation—some would say manipulation—of the interim report is well documented, less well known is what happened in the drawing up of the final report.

In the afternoon of Tuesday, October 14, Cardinal [Wilfred] Napier was asked to call at the office of the secretary general, who informed him that Pope Francis was concerned that the Churches in Oceania and Africa were not represented on the drafting committee for the final report and that consequently he had invited Napier to represent Africa.

The South African cardinal accepted the invitation out of obedience to the Holy Father and went to the committee meeting. The first part, working on the propositions, went smoothly—it was a matter of grouping them in the right places and was a straightforward procedure. However, when the actual drafting of the final document began, the trouble started. As an outline for the final report, the committee used the interim report, making changes that reflected the comments that had come from the discussion groups.

Cardinal Napier noted with concern that the paragraph on same-sex unions was still in the section on marriage, even though the Church does not recognize same-sex unions to be marriage at all. He tried to raise this concern, but the committee “just carried on discussing how the proposition should be phrased in Italian”, he said.

“I tried to intervene a second time”, Napier recalled. “This time they said, ‘Ah, yes, all right, okay, we’ll try and change it.’ But continued working on the wording, ‘but only as it would be in Italian.’”

It was then that an American cardinal on the committee “got really angry”, Napier remembered. He protested that, as a member of the committee, Cardinal Napier had as much right to be heard and listened to, and “you’re just ignoring him.” He demanded that the secretary general stop saying he was going to change only the Italian and insisted the document was for the whole Church, not just for Italy. “Oh, he was angry”, Napier said. “He really ripped into them. He said: ‘What’s going on here? You’re not listening to this guy? He’s on the council, on the committee, and you’re just ignoring what he’s saying.’ Thereafter they took a little bit of a breather and changed things around a bit.”

According to an inside source, the American cardinal in question was Donald Cardinal Wuerl, archbishop of Washington, D.C.

Continue reading on the CWR site.