Archive for the ‘catholic’ Category

That must be embarrassing…

Posted: December 26, 2009 by datechguy in catholic, oddities
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I was going to confession on day at St. Leo’s in Leominster when I noticed a poster next to the doors of the church with a complete list of the popes up to John Paul II. When you look at the popes one name jumped out at me. Pope Liberius, the 36th pope.

He was Pope from 352-366 and is unique compared to all the popes that preceded him. He was the first pope on that list who is NOT a Canonized saint.

Today that is not so odd. Of the popes who have lived in the last 500 years only two have been canonized St. Pius X (1903-14) and St. Pius V 1566-72. To find a saint before them you have to go all the way back to St. Gregory VII in the 11th century.

But Every pope before Liberius is canonized and quite a few after him, you have to go to Pope Anastasius II (#50) 130 years later before you find another that isn’t.

I don’t know about you but I’d be very embarrassed by that. The first one not to make the official cut? It’s like being Ronald Dionne only worse.

Now if you know your Catholic theology you know that may not matter, he certainly may be in heaven but the Church has no official position on that one way or the other.

But Come on! Maybe some ancient papal scholar can do some research and decide if it’s worth starting a cause for him.

A Christmas Memory by Fr. Robert Bruso

Posted: December 25, 2009 by datechguy in catholic
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This was the message on our Christmas bulletin distributed at mass today and tomorrow. It is reprinted with Fr. Bruso’s permission:

I remember the day I defeated the forces of darkness single handed. It was, as I recall, pretty easy.

I’m not one of those people who can remember everything that happened in my childhood. In fact, in my family I am notorious for getting the facts wrong when we gather to reminisce about the past, but this day I recall vividly, and everyone seems to agree that in this occasion, I got the facts right.

I was in the second grade at Sacred Heart School in Worcester. We were walking up to Vernon Hill from Cambridge Street, the whole gang of us who lived on “The Hill.” It was nearly Christmas and our sense of anticipation was at its height. Santa Claus would be coming soon to make his deliveries to every good little boy and girl, even Billy Spero, who wasn’t Catholic and went to public school. That was OK, my Nana told me, because even if Billy wasn’t Catholic, he went to the Albanian Church and they believed in Jesus, too.

You see we understood that there was an intimate connection between Santa Claus and Jesus. The real Santa Claus was Saint Nicholas, a bishop who loved Jesus and wanted everyone, even the littlest children, to know that Jesus was God’s greatest gift to the human race. If there was no Jesus, there would have been no Santa Claus.

Of course, St. Nicholas’ feast day was December 6 and in some countries in Europe, he brought presents to boys and girls on that day. In some countries, like (in) South America, he brought the presents on January 6. In the United States and in a lot of other countries , he came on Christmas Eve. That made perfect sense to us. He couldn’t be everywhere on the same night. We weren’t stupid.

Which leads me to Jackie Reidy, who thought maybe we were stupid. Jackie was older than I, perhaps in the fifth or sixth grade that year. He thought he knew everything.

We were on Fairfax Road, at the top of Diamond St. Hill. Almost home. A delivery truck was parked in front of a house. ON the side of the truck was a poster of Santa advertising cigarettes. That wasn’t a good thing to be advertising, I know, but it was over fifty years ago and we didn’t know any better then.

Jackie pointed at the picture on the truck and announced to us all:

“You know that there really is no Santa Claus, right?”

There was a stunned silence. I think Mary Lou Murphy, was only in Kindergarten, started to cry.

Someone had to defend the truth. someone had to stand up to this bully. I thought for a minute and then I stepped into the breach:

“Of course there is a Santa Claus,” I said in the full strength of my convictions. “My father doesn’t make that kind of money!”

A sigh of relief washed over the crowd. More than one voice joined in agreeing with me. All of us, from blue collar families, living in three decker tenements on Vernon Hill, knew that there was no extra money in our houses. Most of our fathers worked two jobs just to pay the bills. Yet every Christmas morning, our living room floors were covered with Santa’s bounty. There wasn’t even enough room under the tree for all that he left us. And there was more fudge than even I could eat.

No Santa Claus? What nonsense!

And that was the day I defeated the forces of darkness single handed.

Whenever we deny hope, whenever we shatter dreams, whenever we choose darkness over light, we deny the eternal Hope who is Jesus Christ. All of our traditions at Christmas should point us more clearly to Jesus Christ the Savior. It is His birth we celebrate. He is the greatest gift the world can ever know.

When Santa leaves us presents, he also leaves us hope: our hope in Jesus Christ, our hope for a better world, our hope which no one can take from us.

Merry Christmas! Buon Natale!

The Shepherds; Joseph’s best friends

Posted: December 24, 2009 by datechguy in catholic
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I was watching one of those little 30 minute films on Catholic TV this morning showing the Christmas story (I think it was El Salvador produced by Fr. Patrick Payton’s Family Theatre, he of “The Family that prays’ together stays together” fame.). The narration was Bing Crosby and Frankie Avalon appeared in studio after with Fr Payton talking about it.

While I was watching the show, something hit me right across the face.

If you take a look at Scripture there is a difference between the way Mary and Joseph communicate with the messengers of the Lord.

Gabriel appears to Mary directly, she sees and hears him and immediately obeys, the angel pays her homage and says the words that will become the Hail Mary. Mary being immaculate, obeys “behold I am the handmaiden of the Lord…” even knowing that the law could condemn her to death and at the very least she will be shamed. If you think people can be gossips now, consider how it must have been with no TV, Radio, books (scrolls) and literacy rare, what else was there to do BUT gossip? It must have been nasty.

Meanwhile we have Joseph. How does he he get his information? From Dreams and from what Mary tells her.

The Gospel is not explicit as to what he thought but put yourself in his place. Your betrothed has turned up pregnant and she tells you about the Angel of the Lord etc. If you don’t turn her in then your own sin is suspected. Then you have your dream.

The dream gives you the excuse you want to let things be but deep inside the question turns in your head. You KNOW you didn’t touch her, was it really a dream from God, or are you just fooling yourself. Is it a test of faith? I’m a carpenter not a prophet? Am I another Amos?

You take her to the house, you follow the rules of the census and you end up in a stable in Bethlehem all the while doing your best to be a good husband ignoring the elephant in the room.

The Baby is born, a torrent of emotions are going through your wife and yourself …

…and then the Shepherds appear…

…they come out of nowhere. They give homage, in that moment, they confirm that all you have done was right. Even better they tell their story to everyone (Luke 2: 8-18) what do the Gossips say now?

You are Joseph, how relieved are you at this point? Remember unlike Peter he didn’t have years of miracles in front of his face when he denied Christ, he only had the word of a teenage girl and a dream. There would have been little cost to him if he condemned Mary. Yet he didn’t and this moment was that ultimate reward. He passed the ultimate test of faith with flying colors.

A lot of times we consider St. Joseph an afterthought, he deserves better.

Update: I can’t believe I made that spelling mistake corrected, no wonder Tucker hasn’t called.

Jimmy Carter Apologizes to Israel!?!? Another Festivus Miracle!

Posted: December 23, 2009 by datechguy in catholic, internet/free speech, opinion/news
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Here is a story I never expected to be reading:

Former U.S. president Jimmy Carter has apologized to the American Jewish community for ‘stigmatizing Israel’ and asked for forgiveness for his actions, the JTA reported on Monday.

“We must recognize Israel’s achievements under difficult circumstances, even as we strive in a positive way to help Israel continue to improve its relations with its Arab populations, but we must not permit criticisms for improvement to stigmatize Israel,” Carter wrote in a letter to the JTA.

“As I would have noted at Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, but which is appropriate at any time of the year, I offer an Al Het for any words or deeds of mine that may have done so,” Carter wrote, referring to the prayer said on Yom Kippur in which Jews ask God for forgiveness for any sins.

As you know I’m a big fan of confession, but I’ve never expected this one.

Who says miracles can’t happen on this magic day of Festivus?

I guess he wanted to preempt the traditional airing of grievances but I as said last year, I have teenagers, every day is for the airing of grievances.

Happy Festivus to all who celebrate it and have a nice day to everyone else.

Update: I’m no expect of Jewish Theology but I know a bit about Christianity in general and Catholicism in particular. I’m a bit bothered by the reactions on this thread where I found the Carter story. Remember the rules:

I would remind all Christians of this little prayer that you likely pray every day:

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors; and do not subject us to the final test, but deliver us from the evil one. Matt 6:9-13 emphasis mine

The next two verses are even more blunt:

If you forgive others their transgressions, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your transgressions. Matt 6:14,15

Every time you say the Our Father (of you prefer the term The Lord’s Prayer) and you choose not to forgive you are condemning yourself. Christ was very explicit here. He meant to be. This is not an optional doctrine. These are the rules.

I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again, the presence of one’s enemies will not make hell any more bearable.

Update 2: Speaking of grievances…

Isn’t that nice. Oh, in a not-at-all related story, Jimmy Carter’s grandson is running for Congress {incorrect see update 3 DTG} in a Georgia district that has a significant (at least for Georgia) Jewish population.

“Hey, I am really sorry for all that anti-Israel stuff I have been doing for years and years. I am also really sorry that I left that Holocaust thing out of my book on Israel and all the other things. Yeah, really sorry about that. Have you met my Grandson Jason, he is running for Congress and he really likes Jews.”

That gives an interesting twist to the story.

Update 3: Jumping in Pools says he is running for state senate rather than congress, Creative Minority report’s point remains. My thanks for the heads up and the correction. He did however leave his comment informing me of this at this post on St. Joseph instead of here.

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