tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33216572557389550082024-03-19T06:18:42.054-04:00Father Norm's NotebookReflections on the Bible, Church, spirituality and other things....Fr Normhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08746221786980114114noreply@blogger.comBlogger241125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3321657255738955008.post-51786957587531800212023-07-10T10:33:00.004-04:002023-07-10T10:41:42.201-04:00THE ESSENCE OF HOLINESS<p> Pope Francis says that holiness doesn't mean doing extraordinary things, but doing ordinary things with love and faith."</p><p>He adds, "Having faith does not mean having no difficulties, but having the strength to face them, knowing we are not alone."</p>Fr Normhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08746221786980114114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3321657255738955008.post-51889270358467587832023-07-09T20:33:00.003-04:002023-07-09T20:33:57.473-04:00Faith Is A Lamp<p> Pope Francis has said, "Faith is not a light which scatters all our darkness, but a lamp which guides our steps in the night and suffices for the journey."</p><p><br /></p>Fr Normhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08746221786980114114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3321657255738955008.post-59210406851886609512023-07-05T16:44:00.004-04:002023-07-10T10:34:36.824-04:00Everyday Holiness<p> Pope Francis has said, "Holiness doesn't mean doing extraordinary things but doing ordinary things with love and faith."</p><p>That means that the everyday routines and demands of life are occasions for growth in the spiritual life.</p><p>I must remember that the next time I clean out the refrigerator!</p>Fr Normhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08746221786980114114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3321657255738955008.post-1228377245628229102023-03-03T18:20:00.003-05:002023-03-06T15:44:48.801-05:00AFRICAN CONFERENCE FOR SYNOD<p></p><p class="MsoNormal">I have a hunch that the Catholic Church in Africa is taking
Pope Francis’ initiative “A Synod on Synodality” more seriously and more
successfully than the Catholic Church’s representatives in the United States
and Canada.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">African Catholics are currently engaged in a conference to
discuss what synodality implies and to encourage some 200 participants
(including nine cardinals, 29 bishops and 41 priests as well as laity) “to
listen to each other about what the Holy Spirit is commanding the Church family
of God in Africa in order to start a new era of evangelization.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">We are currently in the “Continental Phase,” the process in
which seven continental meetings (Africa, Oceana, Asia, Middle east, Latin
America, Europe and North America) will produce seven Final Documents that will
serve as basis for the Assembly of the Synod of Bishops in October 2023.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The African Catholics’ continental meeting is lively, open,
prayerful, and attune to African mentality. The participants are intent on
making the meeting truly synodal, that is, an authentic process calling
people to listen to the Holy Spirit and share what they hear.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich of Luxembourg came to Africa
to address and to listen to the participants of this conference. He reminded
the assembly that “Synod is not about power. It is not about democracy. It is
about the Holy Spirit. It is about a Church which is open to the world. Its
mission is to all humanity. It is a Church which knows how to pray. It is a Church
in line with the Holy Spirit.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I have a hunch that some conferences of bishops <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>have paid only lip-service to Pope Francis’
call for synodality, and have reluctantly and half-heartedly engaged in the
process which was designed to listen to God’s people and offer recommendations
to the bishops who will be engaging in the Bishops Synodal meeting in October 2023.<o:p></o:p></p><br /><p></p>Fr Normhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08746221786980114114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3321657255738955008.post-10797712214163099622023-02-23T10:59:00.001-05:002023-02-23T10:59:29.692-05:00<p> A Lenten Insight from Pope Francis:</p><p> <i>There's something attractive about Lent beginning in the middle of an ordinary week, catching us in the middle of our daily occupations and asking us to take time out to find God there. </i></p><p><i> Lent doesn't take us away from our ordinary lives, but rather it invites us to bring a new and holy attention to those activities. This should be the way with all our spiritual practices.</i></p><p><i> We take time apart in order to return to our daily practices with new inspiration. God will always surprise us with possibilities when we least expect them. Let this Lent be one of those surprises.</i></p><p><i> -----</i></p><p><i><br /></i></p><p><i> </i></p><p> </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Fr Normhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08746221786980114114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3321657255738955008.post-51528760993057425612022-06-23T16:58:00.001-04:002022-06-23T16:58:50.364-04:00THE 2023 BISHOPS SYNOD<p> SYNOD ON SYNODALITY</p><p>Pope Francis has asked the entire Catholic world to give thought and input for the Sixteenth Bishops Synod scheduled for 2023. </p><p>According to the Roman Catholic Church's Code of Canon Law, <i>"The synod of bishops is a group of bishops who have been chosen from different regions of the world to meet together at fixed time to foster closer unity between the Roman Pontiff and bishops, to assist the Roman Pontiff with their counsel in the preservation and growth of faith and morals and in the observance and strengthening of ecclesiastical discipline, and to consider questions pertaining to the activity of the Church in the world"</i> (#342).</p><p>This Synod of Bishops was instituted in response to recommendations from bishops gathered at the Second Vatican Council which met from 1962-65. Pope Paul VI established the Synod Bishops on September 15, 1965.</p><p>Pope Francis has invited input from the entire Church for the 2023 Synod. Each diocese has been instructed to gather this input and publicize the results of this solicitation before sending the results to the Vatican. Here are the instructions to the dioceses:</p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i> "Each diocese can choose to prepare the synthesis either before or after the Diocesan Pre-synodal Meeting, as long as the fruits of that meeting are also incorporated into the diocesan synthesis. As much as possible, everyone should feel that his or her voice has been represented in the synthesis. As a model of transparency, the members of the drafting team as well as the process of synthesizing the feedback be made public once it has been drafted, as a touchstone for the journey of the diocese along the path of synodality. As much as possible, opportunities can be given to the People of God to review and respond to the content of the diocesan synthesis before it is officially sent to the episcopal conference."</i></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Bishops Synodal Committe cautioned that this consultation of the people does not imply the assumption within the Church of the dynamics of democracy based on the principle of majority. Suggestions and decisions are always put in the context of what the Holy Spirit asks of us.</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Pope Francis explained in his opening address for the 2018 synod that the purpose of a synod is not to develop documents but <i>"to plant dreams, draw forth prophecies and visions, allow hope to flourish, inspire trust, bind up wounds, weave together relationships, awaken a dawn of hope, learn from one another and create bright resourcefulness that will enlighten minds, warm hearts, give strength to our hands."</i></span></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><br /></i></span></p>Fr Normhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08746221786980114114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3321657255738955008.post-7873181794717894892022-05-29T20:51:00.000-04:002022-05-29T20:51:08.337-04:00A President Lincoln-inspired Memorial Day Address<p> <i>If President Abraham Lincoln were alive to give a Memorial Day Address in 2022, he might say something like this:</i></p><p><span style="color: grey; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Twelve score and six years ago (1776 ) our fathers brought forth on this
continent a new nation, conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition
that all </span><span style="color: grey; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="color: grey; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">human beings, male and female,
regardless of race, color or creed, are created equal.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: grey; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-themecolor: background1; mso-themeshade: 128;"> Now we are engaged in a national
holiday celebrating that nation. We are met across this continent on this day
to recall that portions of our land serve as a final-resting place for those
who gave their lives that that nation
might live. It is altogether fitting and
proper that we should do this.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: grey; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-themecolor: background1; mso-themeshade: 128;"> Brave men and women, living and
dead, have consecrated this continent far above our poor power to add or detract.
The world will little note nor long remember
today’s memorial observance, but we can
never forget what they did here. Rather,
it is for us the living to be re-dedicated this day to the unfinished work
which those who have fought for this nation have so nobly advanced.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><span style="color: grey; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="color: grey; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">It is rather for us on this
memorial day to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us –that
from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they
gave the last full measure of devotion –that we here highly resolve that these
dead shall not have died in vain, that this nation under God shall have a new
birth of freedom, and that government of the people, by the people, for the
people shall not perish from the earth.</span>:</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /><br /></p>Fr Normhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08746221786980114114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3321657255738955008.post-12368672432672780462022-04-22T10:02:00.001-04:002022-04-22T10:23:57.551-04:00Pope Francis and the Rohingya<p> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Pope Francis and the Rohingya</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">In the book <i>Let Us Dream </i>(Simon & Schuster,
2020), based on interviews with Pope Francis, the pope says, “I think often of
persecuted peoples…I have a particular affection for the Rohingya people. The
Rohingya are the most persecuted group on earth right now; insofar as I can, I
try to be close to them” (p. 12).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">I was not aware of these people nor of the persecution
they face. Pope Francis made me aware and Wikepedia helped clarify the situation. They are a people without a country even though they are indigenous
to western Myanmar (Burma) but the government of Myanmar does not recognize
them and has in fact driven most of them into neighboring Bangladesh. By 2017
an estimated 625,000 of them from Rakhine State in Myanmar sought safety in
Bangladesh.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Pope Francis notes that he is especially moved by the
generosity of the Bangladesh people toward these exiles and refugees. He says, “It’s
a poor, densely populated nation; yet they opened their doors to 600,000 people
Their prime minister at the time told me how the Bangladeshis give up a meal
each day so the Rohingya can eat. When last year, in Abu Dhabi, I was given an
award –it was a significant sum—I had it sent straight to the Rohingya: a
recognition of Muslims by other Muslims” (ibid, p. 12).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">An assessment in 2015 <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>by the Yale Law School concluded that Myanmar’s
treatment of the Rohingya could be classified genocide under international law.
The United Nations High Commission for Refugees described the expulsion of the
Rohingya as “ethnic cleansing.” Some who have looked into the treatment
afforded the Rohingya have concluded that they are “one of the world’s least
wanted minorities.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">The US House of Representatives in 2014 passed a
resolution that called on the government of Myanmar to end the persecution and
discrimination against the Rohingya, but clearly that resolution had no effect.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Pope Francis urges us to go to the periphery, to come
to the aid of the poor and the persecuted. The Rohingya obviously qualify:
poor, persecuted, and people on the periphery. When we look for the poor, the
persecuted, the periphery we do not have to go far from home. Pope Francis is
asking us to develop a servant mentality, which most of us can exercise and refine
right here at home.<o:p></o:p></span></p>Fr Normhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08746221786980114114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3321657255738955008.post-57362817746483764692022-04-17T18:10:00.000-04:002022-04-17T18:10:06.282-04:00Synodality and the Holy Spirit<p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">SYNODALITY AND THE HOLY SPIRIT<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Pope Francis’ initiative <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“A Synod on Synodality”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>is a consequence of his conviction that the
Church is the People of God, and that the People share in the gifts and
guidance of the Holy Spirit. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He takes
seriously the insight of the Second Vatican Council that “All disciples of
Christ are obliged to spread the faith to the best of their ability” (<i>Lumen
Gentium</i>, 17).)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All the People of God are called to be
actively engaged in the saving mission of the Church. All the People by virtue
of the gifts of the Holy Spirit granted to them in baptism and confirmation<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>are “endowed with diverse gifts and charisms
for the renewal and building up of the Church, as members of the Body of
Christ” (<i>Vademecum For the Synod on Synodality</i>, Synod Bishops, 1.3).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The term <i>synod </i>comes from the Greek
word <i>odos</i>, which means path, way, road, and <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“indicates the path along which the People of
God walk together. Equally, it refers to the Lord Jesus, who presents himself
as ‘the way, the truth and the life’ (Jn 14:6), and to the fact that
Christians, His followers, were originally called ‘followers of the Way’ (cf.
Acts 9:2; 19:9, 23; 22:4;; 24:14,22.)” (<i>Vademecum</i>, 1.2).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is Pope Francis’ hope and intention that
the People of God worldwide would develop the mentality of walking together in
this world and toward the Kingdom by following the Way of the Lord. A synod is
not an occasion for griping and complaining about the Church or its hierarchy.
It is rather the difficult exercise of listening for the inspiration and
guidance of the Holy Spirit and thereby determining the path that God wants us
to follow. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It may be that all the preparatory documents
and directions for a synod on synodality have not emphasized enough the need
for those who participate through their talking and listening that the guidance
of the Holy Spirit is a necessary, essential element in the process of
developing for the Church in our time the mentality implied in a truly synodal
Church.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For many Catholics their prayers of
adoration, praise, petition, and apology are directed to God the Father and God
the Son but God the Holy Spirit is neglected. The success of this synodal
endeavor requires a sensitivity on the part of the People to the inspiration of
that Spirit. That sensitivity is difficult to acquire because it means
listening; it means being quiet, silent; it means putting aside our own agenda
and being open to direction from the Divine One. Such a practice requires
patience, self-emptying, and openness to change and to something new .<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Synodality is not forcing our convictions,
theologies, and devotions on the People of God; on the contrary, forming a
synodal Church in its purest state is implementation of our daily prayer: “Thy
will be done!” Jesus’ invitation is “Come, follow <i>me</i>!” We must re-learn the
lesson from the old bromide “God created human beings in the divine image and
human beings have been returning the favor ever since.” <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Synod of Bishops reminds us that “In the
end, this Synodal Process seeks to move toward a Church that is more fruitfully
at the service of the kingdom of heaven.” And let me emphasize again that this process
requires paying attention to the voice of the Holy Spirit.<o:p></o:p></span></p><br /><p></p>Fr Normhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08746221786980114114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3321657255738955008.post-47216631941619214642022-02-16T21:13:00.003-05:002022-02-16T21:13:56.006-05:00Parishes As Beacons To Be Treasured<p> Apparently the name or title of the program which is forming parishes in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati into "parish-families" was taken from something Pope Benedict XVI said about parishes in December of 2006: He said, </p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #2f222a; font-family: Inter, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 18px;">“</span><i>The parish is a beacon that radiates the light of faith above all in our largely secularized world. Thus it meets the most profound and authentic desires of the human heart, giving meaning and hope to the lives of individuals and families."</i></span></p><p>Pope Benedict's remark reminds me of something esteemed theologian Father Karl Rahner wrote in the 1950's. He said, the parish is "the highest degree of actuality of the total Church." If I understand Father Rahner's observation, he is pointing out that the Church is truly active and present in the real world in the presence, community, and sacraments which characterize what a parish and parish life are supposed to be.</p><p>Developing this idea Rahner concluded that the local church is a function of the already existing one Church of Christ which, by all means, attains its greatest event-fulness in the local community and especially in the local community's celebration of the Eucharist."</p><p>Rahner's theology of the parish may be difficult to follow but he clearly sees a parish as an essential actualization of the Church Jesus founded. Pope Benedict, in consecrating a new parish church in Rome, acknowledged that a parish serves <i>the most profound and authentic desires of the human heart</i>, that it gives<i> meaning and hope to the lives of individuals and families.</i></p><p>The formation of "parish families" may threaten service to the profound desires of the human heart and obstruct the meaning and hope which parishioners cherish.</p><p>The importance of a parish in the lives of Catholics was underscored by Pope Benedict's closing remarks.</p><p> <i>"<span style="background-color: white; color: #2f222a; font-family: Inter, sans-serif;">I ask all faithful, and all citizens of good will to continue their generous commitment, so that neighborhoods that are still deprived may, as soon as possible, have a home for their parish,"</span></i></p><p>The parish may be a beacon of light but it is also a treasure to be preserved.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Fr Normhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08746221786980114114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3321657255738955008.post-68341814575576853222021-12-18T08:37:00.003-05:002021-12-18T08:49:48.609-05:00BRIGHT LIGHT IN A DARK FUTURE<p> If the past is simply prelude to the future, we may be reluctant to face a new year. The pandemic threatening the world, the politics dividing our nation, the reorganization of the parishes of our archdiocese all threaten our peace of mind and the comfort zones we once knew.</p><p>A poem written a century ago by Minnie Louise Haskins, a British poet and sociologist, was quoted by King George VI in his Christmas Address in 1939 to encourage his people as they faced the unknown consequences of war.</p><p>The comfort the poem offered the people of Britain may well provide comfort for us in our uncertain times. May its theme make your Christmas truly Merry, and your New Year surprisingly Happy!</p><p><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>THE GATE OF THE YEAR</b> (aka GOD KNOWS) by Minnie Louise
Haskins<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">And I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year:<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">“Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown.”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">And he replied:<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">“Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the Hand of
God.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">That shall be to you better than light and safer than a
known way.”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">So I went forth, and finding the Hand of God, trod gladly
into the night.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">And He led me towards the hills and the breaking of day in
the lone East.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i>So heart be still:<o:p></o:p></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i>What need our little life<o:p></o:p></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i>Our human life to know,<o:p></o:p></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i>If God hath comprehension?<o:p></o:p></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i>In all the dizzy strife<o:p></o:p></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i>Of things both high and low,<o:p></o:p></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i>God hideth His intention.<o:p></o:p></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i>God knows. His will<o:p></o:p></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i>Is best. The stretch of years<o:p></o:p></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i>Which wind ahead, so dim<o:p></o:p></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i>To our imperfect vision,<o:p></o:p></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i>Are clear to God. Our fears<o:p></o:p></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i>Are premature; in Him<o:p></o:p></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i>All time hath full provision.<o:p></o:p></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i>Then rest: until<o:p></o:p></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i>God moves to lift the veil<o:p></o:p></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i>From our impatient eyes,<o:p></o:p></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i>When, as the sweeter features<o:p></o:p></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i>Of Life’s stern face we hail,<o:p></o:p></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i>Fair beyond all surmise<o:p></o:p></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i>God’s thought around His creatures<o:p></o:p></i></p><p>
</p><p class="MsoNormal"><i>Our mind shall fill.<o:p></o:p></i></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Fr Normhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08746221786980114114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3321657255738955008.post-51167074983222296912021-11-28T16:37:00.001-05:002021-11-29T14:39:09.139-05:00Public Opinion Inside The Church<p> <span style="font-size: medium;">Decades ago Pope Pius XII in an address to the international congress of Catholic Press meeting in Rome (see <i>Osservatore Romano</i>, French edition, 2/18/1950) spoke about the need for the free expression of opinion both inside and outside the Church. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">This papal statement and recognition that repressing the expression of opinion is an attack on human rights is to be remembered and honored in the light of Pope Francis' call for a world-wide synod on synodality,. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">For Pope Francis, synodality is an expression of what the Church is called to be. Synod means "walking together" The term "synod" may be foreign to many but it has a time-honored place in the history of the Church. The Greek word <i>synodos </i>is often translated into Latin as<i> concilium, </i>or in English as "council."</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">It is the gathering of people who are commissioned to reflect upon and discuss what the Lord is asking of us as the People of God, the Church. A synod is an occasion to focus on what the Holy Spirit is saying to the Church. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">This effort to bring to consideration what God wants the Church to be requires reflection and listening as well as expression of opinion. It is not a time for griping or complaining, but it is an occasion for the People of God to gather and exercise discernment, letting go of prejudices and stereotypes, but accepting the reality that some things in our concept of Church may be open to change for the good of the Church's mission.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">In his address more than 70 years ago, Pope Pius XII said:</span></p><p><i><span style="font-size: medium;">"The free expression of one's opinion is the prerogative of every human society where people, responsible for their personal and social conduct, are intimately committed to the community to which they belong. . .In the eyes of Christians, repressing the expression of opinion or forcing it into silence is an attack upon the natural rights of persons, a violation of the world order that God has established. . .</span></i></p><p><i><span style="font-size: medium;">"We want to add another word concerning public opinion inside the Church itself (naturally with respect to matters open to discussion). This may astonish those who do not really know the church or who only think they know it. The church is a living body, and it would lack an element of its life if the free expression of opinion was lacking --a lack for which both pastors and faithful would be blamed."</span></i></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The first phase of the synod's free expression of opinion is to be conducted on the diocesan level and in Bishops' Conferences worldwide between October 2021 and April 2022. (The Ordinary Council of the Synod of Bishops has extended the deadline to August 15, 2022.) The results of these synodal sessions are then to be considered by the Assembly of Bishops in Synod in October of 2023.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">This Synod of Bishops has prepared an official handbook for listening and discernment in dioceses. It is expected that the bishops of dioceses will hold synodal consultation meetings., Parish pastors are encouraged to promote synodal experiences in their parishes. Individuals can also contribute their consultation feedback directly to the diocese. </span></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Fr Normhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08746221786980114114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3321657255738955008.post-33294473009685262272021-10-29T17:37:00.002-04:002021-10-29T17:37:43.314-04:00<p> ANNOUNCEMENT ABOUT SYNOD PROCESS<br />FROM THE ARCHDIOCESE OF CINCINNATI</p><p>The Holy See has initiated Synod 2021-2023, a two-year process of “reflection and sharing of the whole
Church.” Archbishop Schnurr has appointed Deacon John Homoelle to lead and coordinate the
Archdiocese of Cincinnati’s contributions to this initiative.</p><p> From Deacon John:</p><p> <i><b>“Synodality? What’s that, you may ask. Synodality is synonymous with collegiality. The Holy Father is
asking to have a Synod on how the Church can be more collegial in its approach to addressing its
mission – to evangelize the world. That Synod is entitled: ‘For a Synodal Church: Communion,
Participation, and Mission.’</b></i></p><p><i><b> Consequently, the Holy Father seeks input from all the People of God. That
journey began this month with an opening Mass at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Peter in Chains at
11:00 AM on Sunday, Oct. 17, and will culminate in the Synod Meeting in Rome in 2023. Pope Francis
wants to hear from the young, the elderly, those in religious orders, young adults, those who have
drifted away from the faith, migrants and immigrants, those who live in poverty, lay organizations, the
lay faithful, our Christian brothers and sisters, women, etc. In other words, everyone! </b></i></p><p><i><b>To accomplish
this, over the next six months, each diocese throughout the world will convene local meetings to
address the questions on how we can be a more synodal – in other words, collegial – Church. For each
diocese, the contact person will submit a ten page summary report to the local Ordinary who will in
turn forward it to the USCCB for submission to the Synod. </b></i></p><p><i><b>By virtue of our baptism, as a people of
God coming together, we know that the Holy Spirit will lead us in this endeavor. Stay tuned for further
details over the next month. If you would like to participate in any way, we welcome you! Please feel
free to email Deacon John Homoelle at jhomoelle@catholicaoc.org. God Bless!”</b></i></p><p> Contributing to the Synod will be an intensive process in our archdiocese over the next six months.
Here are the key milestones:</p><p> • The Deans will each appoint two deanery coordinators (one male, one female) by Fri., Nov. 5.</p><p> • Before Thanksgiving, a web presence for the Synod process will be established on the
Archdiocese of Cincinnati website.</p><p> • In November and December, these coordinators will: (1) go through orientation with Deacon
John; (2) establish “Town Hall” meeting dates and venues in each deanery; and (3) work to
encourage the broad representation of the baptized from whom Pope Francis wants to hear.</p><p> (Go to communications@catholicaoc.org November 2021
5
to participate in these meetings. The archdiocese Communications staff will also promote
participation, and will provide promotional materials to each parish to do so as well.)</p><p> • In January and February, the Town Hall meetings will be held.
• In March, the coordinators will submit their summaries to Deacon John.
• In April, Deacon John will submit his consolidated report to Archbishop Schnurr and the
USCCB.</p><p> Please pray for a fruitful outcome to this important worldwide endeavor</p>Fr Normhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08746221786980114114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3321657255738955008.post-9975097136065149822021-10-28T11:01:00.000-04:002021-10-28T11:01:16.791-04:00<p> THE CALL FOR SYNODS</p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Pope Francis’ call for a Church-wide synod is likely
to put fear, even dread, into the hearts and minds of some members of the
hierarchy<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>because it opens the door to
raising possible <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>changes and challenges
which have previously been “settled.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Issues on the local as well as world-wide level
(parish, diocese, episcopal conference, bureaus in the Vatican, Canon Law) <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>are likely to be raised and promoted when the
opinions of the faithful at large are invited.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Segments of God’s people will call for the
re-instatement of the ordained diaconate for women; some will question and
reject Pope John Paul’s 1994 declaration that “the Church has no authority
whatsoever to confer priestly ordination on women and that this judgment is to
be definitively held by all the Church’s faithful”; still others will humbly
suggest that parish congregations should have some input in which priest is
assigned as their pastor.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">To many a Church-wide synod is opening a can of worms.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Pope Francis, however, in a 2015 speech at the 50<sup>th</sup>
anniversary commemoration of the Institution of the Synod of Bishops, said “It
is precisely this path of synodality which God expects of the Church of the
third millennium,” and his praise for the synodal process was not confined to
the hierarchy.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">As the International Theological Commissions study of
synodality in the life and mission of the Church has announced with papal
approval, “The entire People of God is challenged by its fundamentally synodal
calling” (#72 in the Commission’s document).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The Commission met between 2014 and 2017, and
concluded by means of a written vote their approval of the text of their study.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">A synod can be described as a Church assembly convoked
“to discern, by the light of the Word of God and listening to the Holy Spirit,
the doctrinal, liturgical, canonical and pastoral questions that arise as time
goes by” (4).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Now it is the admittedly daunting task of diocesan
bishops to convoke such assemblies <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>as “an
essential dimension of the Church” (42, 70). <o:p></o:p></span></p><br /><p></p>Fr Normhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08746221786980114114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3321657255738955008.post-90387993938488429812021-09-18T10:01:00.002-04:002021-09-18T10:01:47.759-04:00What would you do?<p> If your car ran out of gas would you get rid of your car?</p><p>If you want to brighten your neighborhood at night would you begin by eliminating street lights?</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Fr Normhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08746221786980114114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3321657255738955008.post-19844582416441534342021-08-23T12:54:00.006-04:002021-08-23T12:56:49.954-04:00Priest Shortage <p> Many dioceses across the country are facing priest shortages. Diocesan bishops have been told there are programs to deal with the problem.</p><p>These programs tend to be based on a business model., even though the Church is a great deal more than a business. Francis of Assisi finally figured out what God meant by "Repair my Church."</p><p>The Church exists to build the kingdom of God on earth. The criteria for judging the building of the kingdom differs from the criteria for building business. </p><p>Without denying the need to deal with the problem, we have to ask, "What is the problem?"</p><p>The problem is not "We have too many parishes" The problem is "We don't have enough priests." It's the priest shortage that needs attention.</p><p>Walmart (if you will allow a comparison to business) does not close stores because it doesn't have enough managers. It gets more managers. </p><p>As<i> </i>Pope Benedict XVI said on December 10, 2006,<i> "The parish is a beacon that radiates the light of the faith and thus responds to the deepest and truest desires of the human heart, giving meaning and hope to the lives of individuals and families."</i></p><p>Closing<span style="font-style: italic;"> </span>parishes extinguishes beacons that radiate the light of faith. Isn't that counter-productive? </p>Fr Normhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08746221786980114114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3321657255738955008.post-91252810532958230542020-10-28T13:24:00.007-04:002020-10-28T13:28:22.747-04:00The Pontius Pilate Syndrome<p> Lies, lies, lies --from political ads to scam phone calls about compromised social security numbers..</p><p>Truth has become the victim. </p><p>Among many people the end justifies the means.</p><p>"It's All About Me:" has become the theme song of a disappointingly large segment of the population.</p><p>Rioting in the streets, looting, destruction of property are justified by selfishness and the demise of reason.</p><p>Opinions are no longer conclusions drawn from a search for what is true and moral. The assumption "I'm entitled to my own opinion" is used to justify prejudice, greed, self-indulgence, hatred.</p><p>It is disheartening to be bombarded by mendacious, manipulating, and misleading reports and rumors.</p><p>It must have been more than frustrating for Jesus when he explained to the Roman procurator that he had come into the world "to testify to the truth" only to hear Pontius Pilate respond, "What is truth?"</p><p>Covid-19 has been a threat for all humanity, but I have come to believe that a culture of lying is an even greater danger.</p><p>Whom do you trust?</p><p>Jesus' affirmed, "I am the way, the truth and the life."</p><p>It is to him that we must turn.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Fr Normhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08746221786980114114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3321657255738955008.post-74166574869271120172020-07-03T20:30:00.001-04:002020-07-03T20:30:28.778-04:00Damnatio Memoriae
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I suspect many in the cohorts of iconoclasts destroying
the statues, memorials and icons of our country’s history are bent on their
destruction because they have no vested interest in modern America.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Past generations struggled to form this “one nation
under God.” People from across the Atlantic and the Pacific came to the shores
of the new world, enticed by the hope of living under a government that was
dedicated to “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” And they paid a
price for that dream.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Wars, economic depression, social philosophies that
would undermine freedom were frequent threats to the hopes, dreams and promises
which made up the American spirit. And the cost of protection and preservation was
high.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Perhaps because the current generation of iconoclasts <u>received
rather than earned</u> the peace and prosperity that the United States
preserves, they can easily find fault with and eagerly dismantle the gift they
have been given.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">No thinking American can deny the nation’s many faults
and failings. Slavery, racial discrimination, and unjust legislation have
pockmarked the face of the nation. Many of the historical memorials and statues
have reflected both America’s failures and defeats, but each is preserved to
record a stage in the development of what many of us nonetheless consider “the
world’s best hope.”</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I suspect that part of the effort to blot out our history
(<i>damnatio memoriae</i>) by destruction of icons is the result of a loss of
historical perspective and personal investment in the home of the free and the
brave. Education is failing us.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is so much
easier to destroy than to build. </span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">And two other corollaries may also come into play: 1)
Those filled with hate can’t think straight; and 2) as historian Arthur
Schlesinger, Jr., once opined, “We suffer today from too much <i>pluribus </i>and
not enough <i>unum.</i>”</span><br />
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike>Fr Normhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08746221786980114114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3321657255738955008.post-24291430779005979062020-06-07T16:33:00.001-04:002020-06-07T16:51:58.590-04:00Archbishop Vignao's Analysis of the Times and Situation Facing the U.S.<span style="font-size: large;"><i>The following is the June 7, 2020, letter to President Donald Trump from Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, former Apostolic Nuncio to the United States</i>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14.0pt;">J</span><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14.0pt;">une 7, 2020</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
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<span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">Holy Trinity Sunday</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">Mr.
President,</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">
In recent months we have been witnessing the
formation of two opposing sides that I would call <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Biblical</em>:
the children of light and the children of darkness. The children of light
constitute the most conspicuous part of humanity, while the children of
darkness represent an absolute minority. And yet the former are the object of a
sort of discrimination which places them in a situation of moral inferiority
with respect to their adversaries, who often hold strategic positions in
government, in politics, in the economy and in the media. In an apparently
inexplicable way, the good are held hostage by the wicked and by those who help
them either out of self-interest or fearfulness.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">
These two sides, which have a <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Biblical </em>nature,
follow the clear separation between the offspring of the Woman and the
offspring of the Serpent. On the one hand there are those who, although they
have a thousand defects and weaknesses, are motivated by the desire to do good,
to be honest, to raise a family, to engage in work, to give prosperity to their
homeland, to help the needy, and, in obedience to the Law of God, to merit the
Kingdom of Heaven. On the other hand, there are those who serve themselves, who
do not hold any moral principles, who want to demolish the family and the
nation, exploit workers to make themselves unduly wealthy, foment internal
divisions and wars, and accumulate power and money: for them the fallacious
illusion of temporal well-being will one day – if they do not repent – yield to
the terrible fate that awaits them, far from God, in eternal damnation.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">In society, Mr.
President, these two opposing realities co-exist as eternal enemies, just as
God and Satan are eternal enemies. And it appears that the children of darkness
– whom we may easily identify with the </span><em style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">deep state</em><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"> which you
wisely oppose and which is fiercely waging war against you in these days – have
decided to show their cards, so to speak, by now revealing their plans. They
seem to be so certain of already having everything under control that they have
laid aside that circumspection that until now had at least partially concealed
their true intentions. The investigations already under way will reveal the
true responsibility of those who managed the Covid emergency not only in the
area of health care but also in politics, the economy, and the media. We will
probably find that in this colossal operation of social engineering there are
people who have decided the fate of humanity, arrogating to themselves the
right to act against the will of citizens and their representatives in the
governments of nations.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">We will also
discover that the riots in these days were provoked by those who, seeing that
the virus is inevitably fading and that the social alarm of the pandemic is
waning, necessarily have had to provoke civil disturbances, because they would
be followed by repression which, although legitimate, could be condemned as an
unjustified aggression against the population. The same thing is also happening
in Europe, in perfect synchrony. It is quite clear that the use of street
protests is instrumental to the purposes of those who would like to see someone
elected in the upcoming presidential elections who embodies the goals of the <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">deep state</em> and who expresses those
goals faithfully and with conviction. It will not be surprising if, in a few
months, we learn once again that hidden behind these acts of vandalism and
violence there are those who hope to profit from the dissolution of the social
order so as to build a world without freedom: <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Solve
et Coagula</em>, as the Masonic adage teaches.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: 15.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">
Although it may seem disconcerting, the opposing alignments I have described
are also found in religious circles. There are faithful Shepherds who care for
the flock of Christ, but there are also mercenary infidels who seek to scatter
the flock and hand the sheep over to be devoured by ravenous wolves. It is not
surprising that these mercenaries are allies of the children of darkness and
hate the children of light: just as there is a <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">deep
state</em>, there is also a <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">deep church</em> that
betrays its duties and forswears its proper commitments before God. Thus the <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Invisible Enemy</em>, whom good rulers fight
against in public affairs, is also fought against by good shepherds in the
ecclesiastical sphere. It is a spiritual battle, which I spoke about in my
recent <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Appeal </em>which was
published on May 8.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> For the first
time, the United States has in you a President who courageously defends the
right to life, who is not ashamed to denounce the persecution of Christians
throughout the world, who speaks of Jesus Christ and the right of citizens to
freedom of worship. Your participation in the </span><em style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">March for Life</em><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">, and more recently
your proclamation of the month of April as </span><em style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">National Child Abuse Prevention
Month</em><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">, are actions that confirm which side you wish to fight on.
And I dare to believe that both of us are on the same side in this battle,
albeit with different weapons.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: 15.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">For this
reason, I believe that the attack to which you were subjected after your visit
to the National Shrine of Saint John Paul II is part of the orchestrated media <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">narrative</em> which seeks not to fight
racism and bring social order, but to aggravate dispositions; not to bring
justice, but to legitimize violence and crime; not to serve the truth, but to
favor one political faction. And it is disconcerting that there are Bishops –
such as those whom I recently denounced – who, by their words, prove that they
are aligned on the opposing side. They are subservient to the <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">deep state</em>, to globalism, to aligned
thought, to the New World Order which they invoke ever more frequently in the
name of a <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">universal brotherhood</em> which
has nothing Christian about it, but which evokes the Masonic ideals of those
want to dominate the world by driving God out of the courts, out of schools,
out of families, and perhaps even out of churches.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: 15.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">
The American people are mature and have now understood how much the mainstream
media does not want to spread the truth but seeks to silence and distort it,
spreading the lie that is useful for the purposes of their masters. However, it
is important that the good – who are the majority – wake up from their
sluggishness and do not accept being deceived by a minority of dishonest people
with unavowable purposes. It is necessary that the good, the children of light,
come together and make their voices heard. What more effective way is there to
do this, Mr. President, than by prayer, asking the Lord to protect you, the
United States, and all of humanity from this enormous attack of the Enemy?
Before the power of prayer, the deceptions of the children of darkness will
collapse, their plots will be revealed, their betrayal will be shown, their
frightening power will end in nothing, brought to light and exposed for what it
is: an infernal deception.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: 15.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"> Mr.
President, my prayer is constantly turned to the beloved American nation, where
I had the privilege and honor of being sent by Pope Benedict XVI as Apostolic
Nuncio. In this dramatic and decisive hour for all of humanity, I am praying
for you and also for all those who are at your side in the government of the
United States. I trust that the American people are united with me and you in
prayer to Almighty God.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: 15.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14.0pt;">
United against the <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Invisible
Enemy </em>of all humanity, I bless you and the First Lady, the beloved
American nation, and all men and women of good will.</span><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14.0pt;"> </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: 15.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">+ Carlo Maria Viganò<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><em>Titular Archbishop of Ulpiana, <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Former Apostolic Nuncio to the United States
of America</em></span></span></div>
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike></div>
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike>Fr Normhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08746221786980114114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3321657255738955008.post-56975448101089155942020-05-09T13:24:00.002-04:002020-05-09T13:27:06.140-04:00Personal Sacrifice During Pandemic<br />
It’s encouraging to hear of the many, many examples of
people reaching out to others during the pandemic lockdown.<br />
<br />
Today's pandemic and subsequent lockdown provide ample arena for practicing the Corporal Works of Mercy, the criteria by which we will be judged worthy or unworthy of entry into the Kingdom of Heaven (cf Mt 25:31-46).<br />
<br />
<br />
Instead of expecting the government to respond to every
need, our fellow citizens are finding ways of providing food, offering support,
and mitigating loneliness and isolation for family, neighbors and even
strangers.<br />
<br />
<br />
The stories of taking on personal responsibility to assist
others remind me of one of Peter Maurin’s “easy essays.”<br />
<br />
<br />
Maurin was the French peasant with social action concerns
who teamed up with Dorothy Day to begin the Catholic Worker movement.<br />
<br />
<br />
Maurin wrote brief essays, in a poetic form, for <i>The Catholic
Worker</i> newspaper. Though he died in 1949 his vision, critique and advice
are still <i>au currant</i> for our day.<br />
<br />
<br />
The essay which strikes an obvious chord today was titled “At
A Sacrifice.”<br />
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal;">
In the first centuries</div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal;">
of Christianity</div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal;">
the hungry were fed</div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal;">
at a personal sacrifice,</div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal;">
the naked were clothed</div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal;">
at a personal sacrifice,</div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal;">
the homeless were sheltered</div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal;">
at personal sacrifice.</div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal;">
And because the poor </div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal;">
were fed, clothes and sheltered</div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal;">
at a personal sacrifice,</div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal;">
the pagans used to say</div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal;">
about the Christians</div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal;">
“See how they love each other.”</div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal;">
In our own day</div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal;">
the poor are no longer</div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal;">
fed, clothed and sheltered</div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal;">
at a personal sacrifice,</div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal;">
but at the expense</div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal;">
of the taxpayers.</div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal;">
And because the poor</div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal;">
are no longer fed, clothed and
sheltered</div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal;">
at a personal sacrifice</div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal;">
the pagans say about the Christians</div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal;">
“See how they pass the buck.”</div>
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike>Fr Normhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08746221786980114114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3321657255738955008.post-36265096322042749542020-04-26T19:12:00.000-04:002020-04-26T19:12:31.364-04:00Coronavirus Lessons
<br />
Things Learned (Or Confirmed) During The Cornavirus Quarantine:<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
It is impossible to watch one hour of TV without being told
to stay home, go out for drive-through, wash your hands.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
There are times when I wish I were as candid and witty as
the Downton Abbey Dowager Countess Violet Crawley <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Dame Maggie Smith); for example: “I never
argue. I explain.”<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
No cowboy movie is worthy of the name if it lacks
six-shooters that can fire 15 bullets without reloading; if there isn’t at
least one chase on horses; if the hero can’t have a fist fight without losing
his hat.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
I cannot go into a store with masked patrons without the William
Tell Overture playing in the back of my mind and hearing a voice asking, “Who
was that masked man?”<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Nurses, doctors, firemen, policemen, first responders,
mailmen, deliverymen do worry about taking illness home to their loved ones; that
social distancing rule must be doubly burdensome.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Everybody checks everybody else’s shopping cart to see how
many rolls of toilet paper the shopper has in it.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
There are many kind people around the world eagerly phoning to offer me reduced interest on my credit card, extended warranty for my car,
and a reduction on my utility bill. God bless ‘em!<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Being too busy is not the real reason I do not find enough
time to pray.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
A law in physics I learned years ago is true beyond doubt: “A
body at rest tends to stay at rest.”<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
What passes as news usually isn’t.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
The world is full of experts --who have many opinions.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Every “could” implies a “could not.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“There could be a second wave.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“This thing could last for years.” “This
could be the end of life as we know it.” <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Every could implies a could not.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
It’s one thing to decide whether your glass is half full or
half empty. It’s something else to consider how big your glass is.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
It’s true: “There’s No Place Like Home.”<br />
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike>Fr Normhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08746221786980114114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3321657255738955008.post-6774500641613926102020-04-19T10:39:00.000-04:002020-04-19T10:39:00.027-04:00Fighting With God During Lockdown<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I’ve come to think of the Coronavirus lockdown as an
opportunity to enter the desert like the early Christian hermits. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">They thought their withdrawal from society was a way
of getting closer to Christ.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I thought I would find peace of mind and spiritual comfort
from “time away.” <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Instead I’ve been
fighting </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> with God.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Fighting with God is part of my religious heritage;
our ancestors were known as Israelites, which can be translated “God-fighters.”
And certainly Abraham, Moses, St Peter and a litany of saints had disagreements with the Lord.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Fighting may be an exaggeration. Maybe questioning, arguing,
or expressing disappointment may be closer to the reality. Whatever the appropriate
description the experience is a challenge and a struggle.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">In the middle of one of my encounters with God, as I
broached the subject of why Church leaders are hesitant to ordain women as
deacons or married men as priests, I read a warning from the late, great theologian
Yves Congar.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">He explained that change and reform in the Church are
good and necessary, but he cautioned, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">In order that reform be realized in the
Church, it is necessary that it be accompanied by patience… I mean a certain
disposition of soul and spirit mindful of necessary delays, a certain humility
and pliancy of spirit, the awareness of imperfections, even of inevitable ones.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I know what he means; I just didn’t like hearing it.
He went on,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The reformer is always tempted not only to
begin development, but to hurry it; not only to clear the field but want it
free from all weeds. But the Gospel parable teaches us to respect the delays in
the growth of the seed and the harvest, and not to encroach upon this by an
impatient search for purity, “for fear that with the weeds one also will tear
out the wheat” (Matt. 13:29).<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Congar (and God) hit a nerve. I want it and I want it
now! But Congar noted,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The whole work of life, at least here on
earth, presupposes delays… If certain decisions or changes are to be taken, it
is essential that time reveal what meaning certain events concealed, what was
to become of certain possibilities, whose mysterious character –often very
disturbing—it may have been impossible to guess.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I heard it said in my youth, “Patience is a virtue/ Possess
it if you can / Seldom found in a woman / Never found in a man.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">This pandemic could be God’s way of saying, “Slow
down! There’s more to life than you think. If you’re too busy to pray you’re
too busy. Learn a lesson from the way the wild flowers grow; they do not work
or spin, but I tell you not even Solomon in all his splendor was clothed like
one of them. Come aside and rest awhile.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I know he’s right; I just don’t want to hear it! I lack patience.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The fight then is not with God; it’s with me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />Fr Normhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08746221786980114114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3321657255738955008.post-24625890448490090272020-03-20T11:41:00.002-04:002020-03-20T11:45:00.382-04:00On Stage Now: "Coronavirus 2020"I've come to believe that crises, like this Coronavirus experience, make good people better and bad people worse.<br />
<br />
It is encouraging to hear stories about people sacrificing their routines, coming to the aid of a neighbor in need, or continuing to do jobs that carry a risk of contracting the disease,<br />
<br />
Good people go out of their way to bring peace to the anxious, food to the hungry, money to the no- longer employed! The intervention of the many Good Samaritans out there makes tolerable the loneliness, anxiety, and fears that inevitably steal into the hearts of all who suffer through these trying times.<br />
<br />
Bad people double their efforts to be self-centered and manipulative, hoarding foods or paper products, or scamming people with deceptive phone calls claiming to be from Medicare or from a medical service providing coronavirus testing.<br />
<br />
Assessing this pandemic from my religious perspective I have to ask, "What is God trying to tell us?<br />
What questions should we be asking ourselves? What lesson am I to learn?"<br />
<br />
The answers may be applicable to the behaviors of the world at large, or to any given nation or political party. Above all, the answers must be personal to each individual human being! Each of us has the opportunity (responsibility) to pause, to think, to listen to conscience and the insights of ethics and morality.<br />
<br />
Over the years I have developed for myself a fundamental principle from study of the Bible, from reading biographies, from personal experience: "God often directs us in indirect ways."<br />
<br />
I think of God as a movie director watching the unfolding of each scene of our lives. He seldom tells us how we are to act, but more often subtly coaches from us a performance based on our own unique combination of talents.<br />
<br />
I am not fond of this script, this "Coronavirus 2020," but I suspect the Director is watching carefully how each of us plays the role he or she has been given, trusting we will use our talents to bring this production to a happy ending.<br />
<br />
And as is always true, God waits to see whether the bad people, the villains, will have that epiphany moment which brings about conversion. Bad people can become good. That possibility adds to the drama, and may be the<i> raison d'etre</i> for the entire production.<br />
<br />
The plays the thing wherein the Divine One catches his actors. He has given the general description of the story, but allows the actors to contribute in their own way. <br />
<br />
And still He directs in indirect ways.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
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<br />Fr Normhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08746221786980114114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3321657255738955008.post-91398737477127427062020-03-01T08:05:00.001-05:002020-03-01T08:05:31.022-05:00The Burden of Human FreedomI have a hunch it is harder for a human being to be a human being than it is for an angel to be an angel.<br />
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Human beings have an ongoing wrestling match between their intellect/will and their emotions.<br />
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Although the intellect seems to be naturally oriented toward truth, and the will toward good, the freedom we have allows us to thwart that natural orientation.<br />
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Emotions can either help or hinder our efforts to be <i>homo sapiens</i>.<br />
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Our intellects, the spiritual power that enables us to know, can be mistaken in its effort to opine, to think things through. (I think we are not entitled to our opinion until we have made an honest effort to seek the truth.) Emotions such as anger or hate can interfere in the process of thinking. (A person filled with hate usually doesn't think straight.)<br />
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And we can choose to do wrong in spite of our natural orientation toward good. Even our sinful acts are choices for good, that is, we see some good in the act, and even though the search for truth reveals that evil outweighs the good, we choose to act because of the "good" we see in it.<br />
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I realize I am on shaky ground when I question whether angels have emotional interference in the choices they make. Some have proposed that satan's fall from grace was because of jealousy. It is said that Lucifer was upset when God announced his plan to make creatures that could share in his creative power, creatures blessed with the power of pro-creation, of bringing new life into existence.<br />
(It's a theory; any substantial evidence to back it up?)<br />
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The human burden of free-will may be among the reasons God forgives so readily. God understands.<br />
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Fyodor Dostoyevsky's <i>The Brothers Karamazov </i>contains a parable called<i> "The Grand Inquisitor,"</i><br />
an argument proposed by Ivan, the unbeliever, that Jesus could have relieved human beings of the wrestling match between intellect/will and emotions but failed to do so. He sees the three temptations Jesus faced in Matthew 4:1-11 as the occasion when Jesus could have acted but failed to do so. As a consequence, the parable proposes, the Church has had to step in and make decisions for people, relieving them of the need to "think things through."<br />
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There is risk in having to think. There is uncertainty. Thomas Merton wrestled with such freedom as the so-called "Merton Prayer" makes plain: <i>"My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me... Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think that I am following Your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please does in fact please you."</i><br />
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I suppose that if we had all the answers and complete surety we would easily conclude we don't need God's help. It is the uncertainty that can lead us to allowing Jesus the Christ to have entrance into our life.<br />
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Among the many crosses humanity must bear I suspect freedom, the ability to choose, is one of the heaviest. It is comforting to know that in Jesus we have someone who will accompany us all along the way, even if we stumble and fall.<br />
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<br />Fr Normhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08746221786980114114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3321657255738955008.post-11460460668286696092020-01-30T14:04:00.001-05:002020-01-30T14:14:53.718-05:00Is Happiness A Matter Of Choice?I've come to wrestle with what the former secretary general of the United Nations Dag Hammarskjold wrote in his posthumously published and translated memoir known as <i>Markings</i>: "The chooser's happiness lies in his congruence with the chosen."<br />
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I had to think about that, and translate that statement into simpler terms I could understand, namely,<br />
"A person's degree of happiness can be correlated with what he or she has chosen."<br />
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That insight flows from our being made in the image of God, from being blessed with an intellect and a will - the spiritual powers which enable us to know and to choose.<br />
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The intellect (a gift from God) is by its nature geared toward truth. The will (the ability which accompanies the intellect and therefore is also a gift from the Creator) is by its nature oriented toward what is good.<br />
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The will is that power by which we choose, the power that allows us to enjoy (or be burdened by) freedom.<br />
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By God's design human beings are blessed with the ability to make choices, to choose among the variety of good things in creation, such as choices in colors, sounds, foods, companions, etc., etc.<br />
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It is also possible, however, to choose evil things: to lie or be honest, to love or to hate, to conserve or waste, etc., etc.<br />
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That natural orientation in the will toward good is so strong that even when we choose to do evil we choose to do it not because it is evil but because we see some good in it. The robber robs the bank not because it is evil but because that's where the money is, and money is the good he seeks.<br />
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When the object of a potential choice is judged by the intellect to be evil, it is the cooperation of conscience (intellect and will working together) that is supposed to lead us to withdraw the choice from evil to good, from robbing to respecting other peoples' right to property.<br />
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To violate the principle of good over evil is to thwart the blessing (or burden) of bring human, a rational animal.<br />
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Granted the weaknesses within us (excessive pride, jealousy, greed, haltered, etc., etc.) can challenge the goodness of choice, and maybe even the judgment of intellect about what is good, we still carry some degree of responsibility. The two powers remain intact.<br />
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But, at least in theory, happiness is the natural by-product of the choices we make. Choose evil, and we work against the natural orientation of the will. We work against our very selves.<br />
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Happiness (peace of mind, restful harmony) can be challenged by the outward forces of evil (e.g., being betrayed, loss of a loved one, failure to achieve or to be what we should), but happiness regains its place within one's mind, heart and soul when we think it through and assess what is true and good.<br />
(God's forgiveness and patience give us pause, and the reason to work it through.)<br />
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Th next time I determine I am unhappy I need to ask myself, "What choices have I made?" Maybe the very choice to be happy is all its takes to overcome my unhappiness. I must wrestle with Hammarskjold's theory and my experience.<br />
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<br />Fr Normhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08746221786980114114noreply@blogger.com0