Sister Joan Chittister OSB on St. Francis of Assisi

I do not always agree with everything that Sister Joan has written, but I like this little essay

she wrote for the the National Catholic Reporter website; on St. Francis

9/11 - Religious Tolerance: My September Fraternity Newsletter Column

“Secular Franciscans are called to make their own contribution, inspired by the person and message of Saint Francis of Assisi, towards a civilization in which the dignity of the human person, shared responsibility, and love may be living realities.

They should deepen the true foundations of universal kinship and create a spirit of welcome and an atmosphere of fraternity everywhere. They should firmly commit themselves to oppose every form of exploitation, discrimination, and exclusion and against every attitude of indifference in relation to others.” (Article 18: 1-3; General Constitutions of the Secular Franciscan Order)

We are gathering as a fraternity on September 11, 2010. 9/11, not since December 7th, 1941, has a date had such an impact on the psyche of our nation. It has been 9 years since that tragic day, and we are now beginning to see more signs of what the media has been calling “Islamophobia.” The desire of some American Muslims to build an Islamic cultural center near what has been called “Ground Zero,” has touched a raw nerve, which has set ablaze a wave of anti-Islamic anger and attacks. Not only in New York City, but in other communities, people have been protesting even the legitimate building of Islamic centers or mosques.

We Catholics should remember that is not that long ago that anti-Catholic sentiment swept the nation. Catholics were restricted on where to build churches. Any Catholic was thought to owe their allegiance to a foreign leader (the Pope); and therefore not a true American. Even during the colonial days of Massachusetts, a Catholic, Baptist, a Quaker could be whipped, even hung for their beliefs. It was to defend religious minorities from the intolerance of the religious majority, expressed through the State, for which the First Amendment was made to the Constitution.

In Francis’s day, for a Christian knight to kill a Muslim was considered an honor, and vice versa. When Francis approached the Sultan’s camp, unarmed, with love in his heart, his goal was to end the killing by converting the Muslim army. He failed, but he earned the respect of the Sultan by his courteous approach. It is this example that we need to emulate, whenever we encounter our Muslim brothers and sisters. It is time that we stop this hate that is gripping our country. It is time for us to be true instruments of peace.

"What Happened at Vatican II" - A Review and Reflection

I recently finished an excellent book by Fr. John W. O’Malley, “What Happened at Vatican II.” It is a very readable account of the Second Vatican Council, which ran from1962 to 1965.

He begins by the outlining the condition of the Catholic Church in the decades leading up to Vatican II, the view of the Church, the hierarchy, the place of the laity within the Church at that time, the involvement of the Church in the world of the 19th and early 20th century.

He then describes the opening of the Council, and covers the main events of the four sessions; the documents, the debates, the behind the scenes, and the results. He writes a narrative that anyone can understand and appreciate.

Reading this book has given me a new appreciation of the accomplishments of Vatican II, what the Council Fathers were striving for, what the spirit of the Council was, and how endangered that spirit is.

For me, the main themes of the Council of importance are first of all that we are all called to holiness. That all the baptized have a share in the prophetic, priestly, and kingly ministries of Jesus Christ.

This means that the laity are no longer observers of the liturgy, but are called to be active participants in it. The laity, as did the clergy, received the command from Christ to proclaim the Good News, by word and life. The means that the laity has a voice concerning the life of the Church, letting their pastors know their needs, sharing their opinions on issues of importance for the Church.

I still sense distrust among some of the bishops about the laity; that the laity must be kept separated from the sanctuary; that the sacred acts must be hidden from their eyes; that they are unworthy to receive the Body of Christ in their hands. There are bishops who have forgotten that they are called to be servant leaders, not lords. That they must listen to the laity, as they share their experiences, and struggles of living the Gospel.

Many wonderful things came out of Vatican II. Their implementation has been a long, slow process, with mistakes being made, and sometimes a desire to turn back the clock. I can only hope and pray that the power of the Holy Spirit will overcome our human weakness, enflame our hearts once again, and keep the spirit of Vatican II alive.

Another Priest Scandal - Father Was A Terrorist

The past year had been designated by Pope Benedict XVI as the “Year of the Priest,” an opportunity to celebrate the service provided by the thousands of dedicated men to the global Church. Unfortunately, it has been the year that the clergy sexual abuse scandal was revealed to be happening in Ireland, and Europe. Now the British press, including the BBC, has been reporting that one of the suspected IRA planners of the 1972 Claudy bombing, one of the worst acts of terror during Northern Ireland’s Troubles; was a Catholic priest. Not only that, but a government investigation also revealed that the British officials of that time, with Catholic Church officials hushed the matter up, and transferred the priest, Father James Chesney, to the Republic of Ireland. He would die there in 1980.

Now there have been cases throughout history, where priests have been more warriors than shepherds of their churches, but that a priest could be involved in act of terror is mind boggling. And the story of Father Chesney is another scandal that the priesthood and the Church could have done without.

Boston Archdiocese Blocks A Blog

The local Boston media, including the Boston Globe, has been reporting about how the Archdiocese of Boston has been blocking computer access to a blog called The Boston Catholic Insider. No Archdiocesan employee can view the blog using an Archdiocesan computer. The blog has been attacking Archbishop Sean Cardinal O’Malley, OFM CAP for being a poor administrator; and other officials of cronyism, padding their salaries, and shady business deals. They seem to really pile the vitriol on Rev. J. Bryan Hehir, the Archdiocese Secretary of Social Services.

I will admit that I only did a cursory look at the site, but what I did see did not impress me; a lot of verbiage, a clanging cymbal, signifying nothing. The fact that no authors are willing to put their names to these accusations further lowers my respect for this blog.

Now whether it was a good idea for the Archdiocese to block this blog, I am not sure. However, as an employer, the Archdiocese does have the right to set conditions on how employees use Archdiocesan computers to access the Internet.

The New Missal is Coming Soon!

So the announcement is out, the new English translation of the Roman Missal will be implemented during the season of Advent in 2011. As I have written previously, I have had concerns about this translation and the process by which it came about. I will express one more, in that the work of translation was carried out with little or no consultation with the lay faithful. Since we are the majority of participants in the liturgy, some means of consultation should have been established. The translators, the officials who approved the translation, should have been open to feedback from the laity, open to hearing our reactions and concerns about these changes in the translation.

Now it is coming, and now it is important for the bishops, liturgists, and priests not to screw up this implementation; as happened when the vernacular was first introduced. It is not enough to school the laity on how to pray the new translation; we need to know why the changes were made, why the changes make liturgical and theological sense. And a means must be provided for some of us to be able vent our frustrations, our anger over the translation; and know we are being listened to, and our opinions respected.

Strap on your seatbelts, ladies and gentlemen, this could be a bumpy ride!

Update on Theft of Relic of the True Cross

Earlier I had commented on the theft of a relic of the Cross on which Jesus Christ was crucified. Yesterday, the New England news outlets, including the Boston Globe, were reporting on the relic’s recovery in Vermont. The Archdiocese of Boston issued the following public statement:

Archdiocese statement on return of the Relic of the True Cross

"Our prayers have been answered as the Relic of the True Cross has been recovered. We are grateful for the great work of the Boston Police Department in their search for the relic. Their professional and diligent work made this effort successful. We also extend our appreciation to the Vermont State Police who assisted in the recovery effort. God has blessed us with His love and capacity to forgive. We prayerfully carry on His call for forgiveness for those responsible."

At a time when many works of art, like the paintings from the Isabella Gardner museum, remain missing; it is wonderful that the relic was recovered in such a short amount of time. This story of its theft and recovery will probably go under the category of “Truth is Stranger than Fiction.”