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Recently, a New York Times article wrote about how upset various Catholic scholars were that they may have to teach Catholic doctrine and follow Catholic teaching in their schools.
WHAT A CONCEPT! Catholic education in a Catholic institution of learning!!!! Needless to say, a number of dissident theologians and educators are in an uproar about this. The Catholic Theological Society of America formed a committee to 'study' the Profession of Faith and Oath of Fidelity. They were gravely concerned that these would require Catholic theologians to actually teach Catholic theology.
Here is the Profession of Faith they hedge on: "I, N., with firm faith believe and profess everything that is contained in the symbol of faith: namely: I believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of Heaven and Earth, of all that is seen and unseen. I believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from True God, begotten, not made, one in being with the Father. Through Him all things were made. For us men and our salvation He came down from Heaven; by the power of the Holy Spirit, He was born of the Virgin Mary, and became man. For our sake He was crucified under Pontius Pilate; He suffered, died, and was buried. On the third day He rose again in fulfillment of the Scriptures; He ascended into Heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again to judge the living and the dead, and His kingdom will have no end. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son. With the Father and the Son He is worshiped and glorified. He has spoken through the prophets. I believe in one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church. I acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. I look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen"
Pretty reactionary isn't it? What's their argument with this? Well, first, " For us men and our salvation" Many want us to believe the Church means men only, not mankind. This is the 'inclusive language' tactic.
Another one is: "I believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of
Heaven and Earth, of all that is seen and unseen."
God the Father, to many, is 'patriarchal', yet;
"Not once in the Bible is God addressed as mother, said to be
mother, or referred to with feminine pronouns. On the contrary,
gender usage throughout clearly specifies that the root metaphor
is masculine father." (John W. Miller,
Another: " by the power of the Holy Spirit, He was born of the Virgin Mary,
and became man." Here's what Fr. McBrien of Notre Dame's theology department wrote in his new
book "Catholicism"; "Catholicism presents the virgin birth of Jesus as being
of uncertain and perhaps even doubtful historicity. (The book identifies two
factors that have brought to an end the "virtual unanimity of belief" in the
virgin birth and led many to deny the virginal conception of Jesus-"a newly
critical way of reading the New Testament, and a newly evolutionary way of
perceiving human existence and human history" (p. 543). Throughout the book,
both of these are presented as unambiguous advances of modern thought and
modern theology. Indeed, the book points out that the two factors that have
led many to deny the virgin birth are "two of the same factors which generated
a change in our understanding of Jesus Christ and of Christian faith itself"
(p. 543). The implication is that those who embrace the new theology
(supposedly vindicated at Vatican II) are those who deny or at least call into
question the virgin birth.) "the book continues to describe belief in the
virgin birth as 'nondoctrinal.' This belief, however, has been a constant part
of church teaching from the first century and has been reaffirmed by the Holy
See since Vatican II."
This is even found in the 'celebrated' New Jerome Biblical Commentary
"The JBC reduces the infancy narratives to imaginary stories based
on Old Testament incidents and prophecies, and having little
connection with what really happened. Let us first look at the
commentary on St. Matthew, written by Benedict T. Viviano, O.P.
The quotations are from page 636.
"The star that leads to Christ is probably a midrashic element
derived from Numbers 22 24." Note, I;m not sure what Viviano is referring to here because Numbers 22:24 reads; "Then the angel of the LORD stood in a narrow path between the vineyards, with a wall on either side."
Though I have to admit this doesn't really surprise me. I've had a number
of people speak of something, give a Scriptural reference, only to find it
doesn't relate in the least. They often don't expect anyone to actually
check. In other words, there probably wasn't any
star. Fr. Viviano continues: "If historical, it could be a supernova,
a comet . . . or a planetary conjunction." Note how the miraculous is
excluded: If there really was a star it is assumed to have been
natural.
On the gold, frankincense, and myrrh: "The list of gifts may be
inspired by Isaiah 60:6, 11, 13 . . . " That is, there may not have
been such gifts. Likewise, concerning the slaughter of the Innocents:
" . . the story may not be historical...."
The last assertion implicitly questions the Church's veneration of
the Holy Innocents and assumes the Church may be in error by having
liturgical celebrations in honor of babies who never existed.
The flight into Egypt is similarly questioned: "Matthew has used
Moses traditions as reshaped in Josephus...."
Turning to the commentary on Luke's Gospel, by Robert J. Karris,
O.F.M., we find the same skepticism. Regarding the Visitation: "It
strains credulity to imagine a 14-year-old Jewish virgin making a
four-day journey by herself. Rather Luke's intent in the Visitation
is literary and theological." In plain English: Fr. Kerris thinks
Luke made it up. Notice how the point that "strains credulity" is a
mere assumption, for Luke does not say Mary traveled alone.
Fr. Kerris doesn't accept Bethlehem as Jesus' birthplace, and
suggests the census was another Lucan invention. "The census provides
Luke with a means of getting Mary and Joseph from Nazareth to
Bethlehem." (DESTROYING THE BIBLE by John Young)
If you feel that the New Jerome Biblical Commentary is okay because it has
three censors, consider that the censors are also the editors, and authors of
some of the commentaries.
If these Universities don't feel comfortable with holding to Catholic
teaching, why call themselves Catholic? (The same holds true for Catholic
publications) It's fine, and even laudatory to learn about other beliefs, but not that
they're just as good as Christianity. While attending a Jesuit University, I
studied Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, etc. The professor (not a Catholic) spoke
glowingly of these beliefs. When it came to Christianity, he exclaimed; "I
believe in the death and resurrection of Christ, but this walking on water is
hard to take." (Many of my friends lost their faith in this 'Catholic'
University)
These other beliefs may have 'elements' of the truth (hence making them
invisible, imperfect members of the Church), but the fullness of truth of
truth is found only in the Catholic Church. (Hence the meaning behind
"Outside the Church there is no salvation)
We do not have a 'grocery store' faith where we can go 'shopping' for more
'palatable' beliefs. Our faith is like a vestment with no seam, not a quilt.
But there are many who have been lead away from the fullness of truth. This
is understandable when many of these dissident theologians and scholars hold
the chairs of many Universities.
(Thomas) Sheehan (a self proclaimed member of the 'liberal consensus'),
wrote how Kung and other 'internationally recognized' Catholic theologians,
who hold the academic chairs, get the grants, publish the books, and define
the limits of science and theology. And that they "deny that Mary was a
virgin at Jesus' birth, deny that Jesus was or even claimed to be divine, deny
that He founded or meant to found a Church, nor established a priesthood or a
hierarchy, or even rose from the dead. Some of the names in Sheehan's
'concensus'? Such 'Catholic scholars' as Rudolf Schackenburg, Raymond E.
Brown (censor and editor of the NJBC), Roland Murphy (another NJBC
censor/editor), Pierre Benoit, John P. Meier, J.A. Fitzmeyer (also a
censor/editor of the NJBC), David M. Stanley, Rudolf Pesch, Walter Kasper,
David Tracy, Edward Schillebeeckx, Hans Kung, and others.
Two things to remember as I close. Recall the words of Sr. Maureen Fiedler
(Head of the We Are Church Referendum and member of Call To Action)
"we need people with chisels inside (the church) chiseling away at
that institution or it is never going to fall." (Women's Ordination
Conference; Washington D.C. November 10-12, 1995)
And the words of Christ which I thought of quoting the Douay-Rheims on regarding the "gates of hell," but stayed with the RSV due to it's reference to death. With the Pope speaking about the culture of death, and how many dissident theologians contribute to it, I felt it fit. Therefore,
"And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My Church, and
the powers of death shall not prevail against it." (Matthew 16:18).
They would like you to follow them, but it's our children they've
targeted. Why else would a Catholic University balk at teaching Catholic
truths?
Pax Christi, Pat
THE THEOLOGICAL VIRTUE OF LOVE
part three
Love, DIVINE LOVE, is the answer. We are called to live as one in the Divine Will, allowing ourselves to be so filled with the Holy Spirit that we shall cause the moment to come when the words of Our Lordīs Own prayer to His Father will be fulfilleld, "Thy Will be done on earth as it is in Heaven." We must meditate upon this entire prayer, and contemplate in our hearts this phrase, which is the culmination of the Sanctifying Fiat of the Spirit.
This very special age is about to come. However, before it can dawn, we must pass through the chastisement period, the persecutions of the faithful remnant, and we must see, painful as it will be, the True Church shaken to its foundations, but always with the trust and faith that it shall survive, be purified, and with the advent of the Triumph of the Immaculate Heart, witness the glorious coming of the Reign of the Sacred Heart - the Age of the Divine Will!
No greater Love was ever given to mankind than the Father giving us His Only Begotten Son, Who suffered, died, and rose that we might believe, trust, and, above all, love, as He loved. Impossible? Not with God for He never asks the impossible. Nor does He ask what is easy. It becomes possible when we unite our will to the Divine Will with an act of complete surrender to God - when we do not think, breathe, speak, act, move, etc., without first asking God if it is His Will. We do it day by day, one step at a time, giving Him our daily "Yes" when we awaken, and another "Yes" even when we're asleep. We leave the rest to Him, Who takes our nothingness, and, uniting it to His Infinite Goodness, magnifies all of our obedience beyond our comprehension, to accomplish the Redemptive Act and to bring to earth sooner the Age of the Divine Will - the Age of Divine Love.
This is the Age that is coming! This is the grace that, in Godīs time, will be offered to all His children. And when it is offered, we must be prepared by our prayers, sacrifices, mortifications and our loving obedience to say "Yes!" to Him. If we begin today to do this, imperfect as our effort might be, God will look down with great tenderness and compassion, and so fill our souls with His Spirit, that we shall be given infused knowledge and wisdom, and we will understand that which now seems ridiculous, impossible, even outrageous is truly possible and a reality if we but give Him our Fiat.
What we must do to acquire this wonderful Theological Virtue of Charity - Love, is to place ourselves before Our Lord truly present in the Blessed Sacrament and be still, totally empty. That allows Him to come and give each one of us all that we need, for He will do it! It is the Divine Will. It is Divine Love. It is all that counts and all that matters now. The rest has already been fulfilled in the eyes of Almighty God.
Mary has come to gather the Fiats of her little ones, and these she places before the Throne of Almighty God. With each fiat the moment of the Reign of her Sonīs Sacred Heart draws closer. The chastisement and purification will be shortened. This in itself is Mercy!
To share in this Mercy we must be united in mind and heart through the grace of the Holy Spirit, and work untiringly for this moment by surrendering ourselves in perfect obedience to God. When we do this, we are living as Jesus lived, as Mary lived - in Divine Love. Truly, "Greater Love than this no one has..."
Next Installment: The Forty-third Clarion: SACRIFICE
Behold, on the eve of the Feast of my Assumption into Heaven I beseech all of my children to fall to their knees, praising the Triune Divinity for bestowing upon His lowly handmaid such honor.
Know, my little ones, that when you give to me your hearts by justly honoring me as Mother of God, the Immaculate Conception, you give such praise and glory to God that His Mercy showers forth as gentle dew, a gentle breeze that refreshes and nourishes the soul.
Beloved little children, God looks upon the sufferings of the world. He alone sees the full scheme of the evil one. He has sent me, His Holy Mother, to bring to you renewed faith, fervent hope and love enflamed by the Holy Spirit.
Dear children, please heed my words. The spiritual darkness of the world pierces my Immaculate Heart. Hear the voice of my beloved son Pope John Paul II. His words are of the Holy Spirit. Obey him and do not abandon the true faith for any reason. Already my beloved Pope John Paul suffers cruel martyrdom, for he sees, he knows his betrayers. He shall give his life in witness to the Truth. Therefore, pray very much for him, for all consecrated souls. Give me your hearts every day that I may tend them in my Divine Son's garden.
The stench of evil fills the universe. It saturates many sanctuaries. Behold, little children, you must prepare now by asking daily for a deeper faith, complete detachment from the world and absolute trust in God. Pray for my Immaculate Heart to triumph. God shall answer you and many souls shall be saved.
I love you. I bless you. Fear nothing. Hope in God and surrender your will to Him. Pray! Thank you for responding to my Call!
Will you not lift your voices in praise to God on High, Who assumed my body as well as my soul into Heaven, where reunited to my Divine Son, I might never be parted from Him again!
O! Little children, I wish to bestow upon you great graces to awaken your sleeping hearts to the Love of my Divine Son. Come, little children. Ask humbly for these graces. How eagerly I long to give them, for they come from my Divine Son.
On this the Feast of my Assumption, I desire for all to become little children, humble and obedient to all God commands, to all my Divine Son taught. Be of great faith and do not waver. I, the Mother of God, the Immaculate Conception, do solemnly tell you that many who were once awakened, converted have been lulled back to sleep. Yet, even now, the angels' trumpets prepare to blare, calling down God's Justice.
Therefore, do not wait for signs, many of which have already been given. Believe and trust, even unto folly. Let your hearts bloom with Love, for this is the sure path to holiness.
I love you. I bless you. I give to you my Divine Son's Peace. Join all of Heaven and pray, pray, pray! Thank you for responding to my Call!
350 A.D.
Death of Saint Lucius, Bishop of Adrianople who, despite persecution, stood fast against the Arian bishops even though he was condemned at Sardica. But he remained loyal to Our Lord and His Vicar on earth Pope Saint Julius I. He was executed along with his companions by the Arian emperor Constantius.
507 A.D.
Death of Saint Severinus, a renowned abbot from Burgundy who traveled from his abbey of Saint Maurice in Agaunum in Switzerland to pray over the monarch of the Franks, King Clovis and heal him of the fever caused by a plague.
670 A.D.
Death of Saint Caedmon, who, though he could not sing, converted the Scriptures and Psalms from Latin and Greek into beautiful melodies in the English language as a lay-brother in the Whitby Abbey of Ireland. He is considered the "Father of English Sacred Poetry."
731 A.D.
Death of Pope Saint Gregory II, 89th successor of Peter, whose pontificate lasted 16 years in which , in answer to the edict of Constantinople at forbade the cult of images and the destruction of sacred objects, he rallied the Italian provinces against the army of Leo III and the iconoclastic sect was rejected by all of Italy and strengthened Rome's stance against iconoclasm.
821 A.D.
Death of Saint Benedict of Ariane, a soldier who had served as cup-bearer to Charlemagne and Pipin, forsook his military career for a life as a Benedictine monk. A very learned man, he wrote and promoted many of the monastic regulations that still exist today and is considered the "Father of the Restoration of Western Monasticism." Some even call him the "Second Benedict."
867 A.D.
Death of Saint Theodora, Empress of Constantinople and wife of Theophilus the uncompromising emperor who pushed iconoclasm. She could see the error of his ways and, after the death of her husband, did all in her power to convince her son Michael to disavow iconoclasm and restore the sacred icons. With the help of Saint John Damascene Theodora declared the feast of Orthodoxy in 842, thus ending iconoclasm. She died on this date as a religious in a convent, making amends for the wrongs the royal court had made over the years.
1535 A.D.
Birth of Cardinal Niccolo Sfondrati in Somma, outside Milan, Italy. He would go on to become a priest and lawyer and play a significant role in enforcing the reform decrees of Trent. He would not only form a close friendship with Saint Charles Borromeo but also be elected on December 5, 1590 as the 229th successor of Peter, becoming Pope Gregory XIV.
1858 A.D.
The Mother of God first appears to Saint Bernadette of Soubirous on this date at the Grotto in Lourdes on the River Gave. For more, see DAILY LITURGY
1906 A.D.
Pope Saint Pius X issues his sixth encyclical Vehementer Nos on the French Law of Separation.
