Dwight Longenecker's Blog, page 344

Ben at Belmont

I don't often post family personal stuff, but I sure am proud of Benedict, our oldest son. He is a freshman at Belmont Abbey College this semester.



Here he is with his mum on parent orientation evening on Friday. We're super lucky to have him at Belmont. He won a cross country scholarship (he was sixth fastest in South Carolina in high school) and he also was awarded the prestigious Hintemyer Christian leadership scholarship.



'Scuse me bragging! He's turned out to be a pretty spectacular kid and we're asking ourselves what we did right?



Pray for him and for us, and ask the good Lord where on earth I'm going to get the rest of the loot to pay for college for four kids!

Prime Minister Peter

The British monarchy helps explain the reading from Isaiah 22 at Mass today. The prophet says that the Lord will take the office of steward from Shebna and give it to Eliakim. The office of steward was like that of Prime Minister. In England the Prime Minister is asked to form a government by HM Queen Elizabeth II. He actually has no power until he takes a car to Buckingham Palace and meets the Queen in person and she personally and formally delegates her authority to him.



The steward of the King in the prophet Isaiah bears a similar office. He wears an official robe and sash conferring the dignity of his office and on the sash are the keys to the kingdom. The steward has the keys to the palace, the keys to the city gate, the keys to the treasury, the keys to the armory, the keys to the prison, the keys to the kingdom. Whatever he opens is open. Whatever he binds is bound. Jesus' disciples would have understood perfectly his reference back to Isaiah 22 and would have understood clearly that he was making Peter the Steward of his Kingdom, the Viceroy, Prime Minister Peter.



The steward holds the power and authority of the monarch and exercises that authority in his absence and by his specific delegation. The Old Testament passage also indicates that this is not simply a position of power and prestige, but the steward is to be known as "the Father of the inhabitants of Jerusalem." Jerusalem is the holy city, and as the Hebrew monarch was also the head of the religion, the steward would also have played a religious role and, if you like, could be called, "Holy Father."



The interesting thing in both passages is that this authority is divinely given. It is not a human invention. The prophet Isaiah says the Lord will put down Shebna and raise up Eliakim to bear the authority of the King. In the gospel, Prime Minister Peter's authority is based on his confession of Jesus Christ as the Anointed Son of God, and Jesus recognizes that this inspiration and insight was given to Peter by God. It was not just a good idea or a theory or a human invention.



Protestants say that churches are man made institutions. We have to agree with them. Their churches are man made. The Catholic Church, however, claims something far more stupendous and wonderful--that she is not a man made institution. The Catholic Church is not only established on the Rock of Peter by Jesus Christ himself, but it has divine origins in that the Holy Spirit inspired Peter to recognize the Christ. He was also inspired to pick up this role and be the key preacher at Pentecost and the first Prime Minister of the Kingdom of God.



Unfortunately too many Catholics forget the divine origin of the Catholic Church and fall into Protestant speak. So they say of the church's dogma or moral teachings, "Yeah, well, those are just man made rules." Are they? The church does distinguish between matters of church discipline which are man made rules. These can be dispensed by the proper authority. However, the dogmas of the church and the moral teaching of the church are not man made, and Catholics don't really have the liberty to pick and choose which they like.



Instead we remember that the church is founded on Prime Minister Peter. The role is a successive one, and his successor lives today just a few hundred yards from where Peter himself was martyred and buried, and you can see him there exercising his role as steward of the faith and steward of the mysteries of God.



His name isn't Peter this time. It is our Holy Father Benedict.

sisters of Life

Sisters of Life are blogging from World Youth Day. Go here.

More Romanesque

Of Cassocks and Demons

The call came in through our parish answering service: "Err, I don't know if you can help with this one, but the person calling says they have demons in their house."



"Thanks. I'll give them a call." The person calling said there were disturbances in their house, and her husband was brought up a Catholic but hardly ever went, and his mother and sisters are all Wiccans. Not good. So I arranged to visit on Sunday after Mass.



I always wear my cassock on Sundays, so I still had on the full cassock, collar and cincture with my Benedictine scapular on top. I made my way to a modest home on the edge of town and knocked on the door. The wife was taken aback. "Wow! I haven't seen a Catholic priest like this forever!"



I asked some questions about the problems, explained the complexity of the supernatural and paranormal phenomena and said that usually a house blessing was all that was required to clear things up. Then I asked where they go to church. "Well, when we do go we attend DaySpring". That's one of the Protestant mega churches in town.



"And I'm not trying to pick a fight or anything. I'm just curious..." I asked, "But why did you call me instead of one of your pastors fro DaySpring?"



"We knew it was a Catholic priest who would know what to do about demons and all that stuff."



So I went and got the holy water and blessed them and their child and their home. The problems will probably clear up, and I'll follow it up with another visit and an invitation for them to join my Catholic basics class.



Who knows, but another lost sheep may come back to the fold, and maybe I should wear my cassock every day...(except it will be a bit of a nuisance on the motorcycle)

Trampling the Serpent

How are we to interpret the famous passage from Revelation 12 which is read at Mass for this Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary into heaven?



Then God's temple in heaven was opened, and within his temple was seen the ark of his covenant. And there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake and a severe hailstorm. A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head. She was pregnant and cried out in pain as she was about to give birth. Then another sign appeared in heaven: an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on its heads. Its tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth. The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that it might devour her child the moment he was born. She gave birth to a son, a male child, who "will rule all the nations with an iron scepter." And her child was snatched up to God and to his throne. The woman fled into the wilderness to a place prepared for her by God, where she might be taken care of for 1,260 days.



The language of the Book of Revelation is mystical. It's dream language. Therefore, as in our own dreams, the things we see are symbolic. Time is suspended. 'Real' things and people are conflated with deeper meanings and the 'real' things become symbolic and the symbols become 'real'. So does the passage mean?



God's temple in heaven is opened, and we are given a little glimpse of heaven itself. The dramatic stormy imagery evokes the scenes on Mount Horeb where Moses received the Ten Commandments and where Elijah heard the 'still, small voice'.  There, in the midst of the temple is the Ark of the Covenant. The Ark of the Covenant is the throne of God. It is the golden box that held the Tablets of the Law and the Manna in the  Wilderness. The Ark of the Covenant--according to the Fathers of the Church--is also the Blessed Virgin--the pure vessel that bore the Word of God and the Bread of Life.



The great sign that appears in heaven is a woman clothed in the sun. Just as it does in dream language, one symbol shifts into another. It fulfills the earlier symbol and opens up a new meaning. The ark of the covenant is a woman clothed in the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars. What is the sun? Later in Revelation, we're told that in heaven there is no sun or moon or stars for the Lamb is the Light in the City of God. The woman therefore is clothed in the Light of the Lamb. Standing on the Moon she is identified with the Moon itself--which reflects the light of the sun as she reflects the Light of the Lamb who is her Son. She wears a crown of twelve stars for she fulfills the promise of the nation of Israel with twelve tribes as well as the promise of the Apostolic Church--which with twelve apostles--is the new Israel. As such the woman holds in herself the People of God--both the nation of Israel and the Church. She is at once Sarah--the Mother of Israel and Mary the Mother of the Church.



The Mother is pregnant and about to give birth and cries out in pain. Some people have asked why Mary cries out in pain when the traditions about the Virgin Birth say that she gave birth without pain since pain in childbirth is a consequence of the Fall and she was free from original sin. This is to take the Revelation passage too literally. The woman is Mary, and the child is Jesus Christ, but as in all dream language, each thing carries more than one meaning. Now, caught up in the cosmic struggle, the great Mother also stands for all of creation which St Paul tells us "is groaning as in childbirth for it's redemption." These are the "birth pangs of the new age" They are also the birth pangs of the new age brought about by the passion of her son. His death and resurrection was a kind of death and re-birth and so her agony is a sign of her seven sorrows as a sword pierces her own heart and she identifies with the mystery of pain and suffering--the battle against Satan and the great birth that will be the consequence.



The great red dragon represents the earthly powers as well as Satan. From the beginning the woman was tempted by the serpent, and it was prophesied that she would trample his head. Here time is suspended and the battle in Eden and the last cosmic battle are one. The seven heads with seven crowns simply represent the perfection and completion of earthly power. Seven is the symbol of perfection and completion in the ancient world, and for the beast to have seven heads with seven crowns symbolized earthly power at it's zenith. The number ten represents the cosmos--the physical creation, and the red color symbolizes passion, fire, blood, violence and fury. So the red dragon is a pure symbol of earthly, cosmic power expressed in violence and rage. His tail sweeping the stars out of the sky to earth is a sign of the fall of the angels. The stars are symbols of heavenly spirits who were swept out of their place in heaven under the influence of the Prince of Darkness.



The Beast wishes to devour the child who is one who will rule with a scepter or iron. This is a direct reference to Christ the King in Psalm 2:9 who will rule the nations with an iron scepter. Again, time is conflated and now we are at the birth of Christ where earthly kings like Herod were eager to destroy the child from the time of his birth. The child is snatched up to heaven--referencing Christ's resurrection and ascension, while the woman flees to the wilderness.



Now the woman is the persecuted church. Remember that the Book of Revelation is written during a time of persecution, and the woman in the wilderness is the symbol of the church of God hiding from the persecuting powers--for now the Red Dragon is the Roman Empire--the earthly power persecuting the Church. The '1260 days' is not to be taken literally, nor should any attempt be made to do 'Biblical fortunetelling' with such numbers. The number 1260 symbolizes the fullness of time or 'when the time is right'. As such it is a sign that the church will remain in the wilderness of persecution protected from the beast by God until the fullness of time comes for her to be freed.



So should Revelation 12 be read as a 'proof text' for the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin into heaven? Yes and no. 'No' if by 'proof text' this provides a historical account of her assumption like the accounts we have of Christ's ascension. However, 'Yes' if we mean that Mary's place in the cosmic plan of redemption is completed, and her Assumption--a place of exaltation in the heavenly realm-- is pictured. Her role in the cosmic battle against Satan is shown as is her role as Mother of the Church. All of this is gathered up in the passage from Revelation and made explicit in the Dogma of the Assumption--which completes Marian doctrine as it fulfills the prophecy from Genesis that she would trample down the old serpent under her feet.

The Red Dragon or the Lady in Blue?

The Virgin battles with the Red Dragon in today's reading from Revelation, and it is a constant reminder of Mary's contradiction of the way of the world. The way of the Red Dragon is the way of the world--in which we assume that life is all about success, money, prosperity, power and domination. The Red Dragon is the sign of worldly pride--the sign of Satan--the one who bellows "Non Serviam--I will not serve!".



Mary, with her son quietly says, "I will serve." Today we see her Magnificat fulfilled for as she is assumed into heaven the Lord has exalted the humble and meek. As she tramples the serpent underfoot we see that humility triumphs. That which is low will be lifted up. That which was high and mighty will be put down.



How are we training our souls in this wisdom? How are we educating our children in this wisdom? How are we leading our lives and our schools and our parishes in this wisdom? Do we follow the Way of the Red Dragon or do we battle against this way of the world--which in American life--is often equated with patriotism?



In America the predominant assumption (scuse the pun) is that "We are the greatest nation in the world and part of the American Way is to be Supermen. We conquer all. We have the might. We have the power. We have the money. We have the military. We train our children to be 'winners' and too often this does not just mean personal excellence, but it means beating the other guy.



It's the Way of the Red Dragon, and as far as I'm concerned you can keep it.



Give me the Lady in Blue instead.

The Vicar on Tradition

Guest blogger, The Rev'd Humphrey Blytherington is Vicar of St Hilda's, Little Snoring with All Saints, Great Snoring. He is a graduate of Plymouth University. He completed his studies for the ministry at Latimer Hall, Durham. He is married to Daphne and enjoys home brewing, model railroading and is an avid member of the Great Snoring Morris Dancers.



Now that you mention it, I did read about the lady vicar in Essex who is having a bit of a kerfuffle with the folks in the village. Name's Lorna and at the clergy lunch the other day Lavinia said they were at theological college together. Lav she never did like her very much. Too Evangelical. I know what she means. These Evangelical types are all well and good in the suburbs where people can choose if they want smells and bells or tambourines and happy clappy music and all that, but you know village life is rather different. There's usually only one church (apart from the Methodists) and as St Paul says, we've really got to be all things to all people.



For my money you've got to be middle of the road if you know what I mean. The old Anglican middle way is the way for me. Broad Church is what I am and what I mean to stay. After all, it's right there in the gospels isn't it? Our Lord says, "Broad is the way?"



Problem with these Evangelicals is that they always feel they've got to be up to date with some sort of fad or other--always wearing clerical shirts of different colors and grinning at everyone all the time and saying "Praise the Lord!" Seems this woman Lorna up in Essex wanted to pull out the pews and replace them with plastic chairs, coffee machines and a new heating system. Not really what we want, now is it? I have to admit I rather like a bit of damp and chill in the church during the winter. Nothing wrong with pulling on a pair of long johns under your cassock. Reminds me of my school days at  St. Botolph's in North Wales. And what on earth what do we want with coffee machines? The electric kettle, a cracked mug and a PG tips tea bag is enough for me.



Problem is lads, I don't much like the liberals either. Lavinia and her crowd can be most tiresome. Funnily enough, they're always trying to make the church up to date in their own way too, but for them it's not plastic chairs and heating systems. They want to bring in all that politically correct fol di rol, and I heard that some of them don't even believe in God at all. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind anyone coming to church, but Lavinia and her crowd are always so preachy and, well, angry about something or other. As for vicars who don't believe in God, why that's not the done thing. Not at all. Just not cricket. Talk about 'Honest to God'! They ought to be honest and pack it in and get a job as a social worker or a bus driver or some such. I don't mean to be harsh, but good heavens! What's it all coming to?



This business with the pews being ripped out and plastic chairs and atheist vicars has got me thinking you know. Daphne is always rabbeting on about 'tradition' and how the Roman Catholics don't worry quite so much about being up to date all the time. She was chortling on the other day saying that "We Catholics like to be out of date not up to date." Said something about marrying the spirit of the age and ending up a widow. Couldn't quite understand what she meant, but I got to wondering if the Pope had written anything about pews and plastic chairs and so forth. When I mentioned it, Daff just did that snort of hers from behind the Daily Telegraph.



Still, it does make a fellow think. We Anglicans do get ourselves rather worked up over things, and it seems none of us can agree about much of anything these days. Not a bad idea to look over your shoulder from time to time and see what the Christian chaps thought in times past. I mean to say, most of the the problems we have must have been faced by somebody or other in the past. I mean it might not be exactly a question of plastic chairs and coffee machines, but you get my drift. Then there's the matter of who makes the decision in the long run. The Parochial Church Council and Diocesan Synod are all well and good, but lately I've been wondering if Major Wildebeest and Mrs. Throckmorton-Gusset are really the folks to be making decisions about important matters like Holy Communion and funeral fees and so forth.



What's that? How am I getting on with that statue of St Bernadette that the fellow in Lourdes gave me? Oh not too bad really. In fact, it's sort of growing on me. Never thought I'd like that sort of thing, but it's there on the mantelpiece next to a photograph of my old labrador Trixie, and Daphne puts the odd vase of roses up there from the vicarage garden. Rather nice in it's own way. Mrs. Doyle put a candle up there with it, but I thought that wasn't quite what we want and put it in a cupboard.



The little figurine is alright I suppose. It helps to keep the peace with Mrs Doyle and She Who Must be Obeyed. Not that I go for all the kit and kaboodle associated with the poor girl. Can't be doing with all that vision of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Immaculate Conception and so forth. At college old Jim Bracket used to call it the Immaculate Deception...har har. Lot of nonsense if you ask me.



By the way, I found out something most extraordinary from Mrs. Doyle. Did you know they claim that the wax dummy they have in a glass casket in that convent in France is actually the body of Bernadette and that it hasn't rotted after all these years? They say it smells of roses when they open it up. My word! These Romans will believe most anything if their priest tells them it's true. Levitating saints, miraculous bones, and stigmata and saints bi-locating! What poppycock! Next thing you know they'll be telling us there are leprechauns at the bottom of the garden.



But never mind. Mrs Doyle's a good soul, and she means well. At least she and Father Hawkins down at  Our Lady of Lourdes aren't having plastic chairs and coffee machines and atheist vicars.



Another half of lager shandy? Why thank you Ian, and could you manage a bag of roasted peanuts? Thank you so much.

Saved By the Biretta?

Readers of this blog will remember why I wear the biretta. I wear the biretta for Luigi. If you don't know the story go here.



Here's another biretta story: A couple of weeks ago I got an email from a parishioner, and I paraphrase and have changed the names to protect the guilty...



Dear Father Longenecker, I really have to come and see you. I havent' been coming to Mass for over a year. My husband tries to go and take the children, but I stopped going to Mass. Then I went last week and your homily and the way you dress with that hat and all, made me realize how much we are grateful for the changes you've made in the parish. To tell the truth, my life is messed up. I've made some really bad mistakes and I need to talk to you and probably make my confession....





She did come to see me and she did get her life right with God and she did return to Mass and she did resolve to put her marriage right.



You've heard of saved by the bell. Maybe this one was saved by the biretta.

Saved By the Biretta

Readers of this blog will remember why I wear the biretta. I wear the biretta for Luigi. If you don't know the story go here.



Here's another biretta story: A couple of weeks ago I got an email from a parishioner, and I paraphrase and have changed the names to protect the guilty...



Dear Father Longenecker, I really have to come and see you. I havent' been coming to Mass for over a year. My husband tries to go and take the children, but I stopped going to Mass. Then I went last week and your homily and the way you dress with that hat and all, made me realize how much we are grateful for the changes you've made in the parish. To tell the truth, my life is messed up. I've made some really bad mistakes and I need to talk to you and probably make my confession....





She did come to see me and she did get her life right with God and she did return to Mass and she did resolve to put her marriage right.



You've heard of saved by the bell. Maybe this one was saved by the biretta.