When will you restore the kingdom?

Did I mention how I love the Catholic Church and how the readings tie together the Old and New Testament as well as the Psalms. Last week was magnificent with the Peter and the keys of the Kingdom connected with Isaiah 22.

Thinking about this week’s readings reminds me of something I am slowly learning about the Church today. Jesus rebukes Peter (Matt 16) because he is still thinking Jesus came to establish an earthly kingdom. Simon Peter who just confessed that Jesus was the messiah, the Christ the Son of the living God still couldn’t grasp the truth that Jesus came to die for our sins. One the road to Emmaus, two disciples lament that they thought “this would be the one” to redeem Israel. And in Acts 1:6, even after the Jesus had risen was about to ascend into heaven, some of the disciples still ask if when He was going to restore the kingdom to Israel.

This is why Jesus always told those who recognized him as the Messiah to not tell anyone. It seems everyone was looking for that earthly kingdom. Power and earthly riches always seemed to come to mind when anyone spoke of the Messiah.

All this confusion and focus on worldly power took place while Jesus walked the earth. Surely we can see that Jesus came to defeat the one who could destroy our souls, not to free us from any persecution. He even tells us in today’s Gospel that we will have to “take up our crosses daily” to follow him.

So why is it so hard for us to accept the human faults of our Church? We wonder when Jesus will free us of these bishops who fail to preach the Gospel. When will the Pope condemn all the dissident theologians? When will Rome finally enforce the rubrics of the Mass and stop all inane experimentation? When will our local bishop halt the actions of the rouge priests? Why can’t so many bishops understand that hiding behind lawyers while protecting homosexual priest is a grave sin against the Church? When will the more priests give a hard hitting sermon on sin and repentance to bring more men back into our Church?

Of course these would seem to be good actions in the eyes of so many. But I am coming to understand that we should not look for Jesus to establish a perfect earthly kingdom. Are we any different than the disciples asking Jesus when He was going to put a serious whipping on the Roman’s and free the Jews of their oppressors? Ours is not to know the hour. The Church is our mother, our guide to salvation, but it is not solely the Church Triumphant, but also the Church Suffering and we are the Church Militant.

The Novelty has worn off

An article at NCR shows us why there should be a limit to playing priest. Rather than increase our faith in these scandalous times, it is obvious some see it as time to grab for more power. A Catholic Boston lawyer named Mary Beth Carmody explains it so clear what they hunger for.

“We keep telling the archdiocese that we are not dissident Catholics. We are the core and foundation, we are the parish council members, we are the parish finance council, we are the confirmation teachers, the religious education teachers, the lectors and the eucharistic ministers. We are the core of the Catholic church, ..."

As Diogenes over at CWNews states, it isn't positions, but adherence to the creed that makes one not a dissident.

But on another level, it IS about the positions. In other words, we have played priest; NOW we want to BE priests.

DissiDerm RC, quit heterodoxy now!

This is a classic along the lines of vitamin B 16. Now we have the patch to wean the dissent addicted fellow Roman Catholics. Great work Jeff.

Skylstad in Cologne

He was spotted by a pilgrim attending Mass.

"a number of the US bishops (many of whom are staying at the same hotel) were headed out for a midday mass, including Skylstad (Spokane), Sheridan (Colorado Springs), and Zurek (San Antonio auxiliary). We hiked down to a small church called St. Mary Major, which had a shocking display of photographs from during the war, when it had been bombed literally to the ground. The church is run by a community of nuns, the New Community of Jerusalem, apparently with its base in Paris. A wonderful community, very young and dynamic. We celebrated mass down in the crypt church, which was barren, carved out of rock and devoid of any ornamentation. Monastic in style, with a rock altar standing in the middle. Bishop Skylstad presided. For those who know him, he is rather shy and retiring, but he is also very open and transparent in all the best ways. He did take me a little off guard during the great Amen, when he led his unsuspecting congregation (all three of us) in a rousing chorus of the African-american spiritual version ('Aaaaaaaymen! Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaymen! . . .). "

Jab, Jab, Counter

My local counterpart has posted my response in regards to Canadian Cardinal Ouellet's remarks about gay parents and baptism . I give her this much, for as far left as she leans, she has an open mind and willingly posts my responses on her blog.

Monday morning quarterbacking from the confessional

Rom 11:32, For God has consigned all to disobedience, that he may have mercy on all.

In the confessional this weekend, part the advice was to be thankful for God's mercy AND for my need of his mercy. I was to recognize this need and be thankful.
Then on Sunday the Epistle was from Romans 11. This was the last verse. St. Paul is speaking to Jews, but this spoke to me in light of my confessor's advice. We are all sinners and need God's mercy.

Why did God hit me with a one-two punch? Other than for the simple fact of getting my attention, I would say it is for humility. Remember, Justice is God's, Mercy is ours. Rather than judge, I should recognize we are all disobedient and have need of his mercy.

One of the great saints, I think Theresa of Avila or St Terese', made some complaint or less than charitable comment on her deathbed and was rebuked by her superior. She then thanked God that even then she was still in need of his mercy.

Counter "sign"

Here is my response to a Catholic blog on our local newspaper's site. She links to a story in the "Advocate" and states they are challenging the hypocrisy of the Church...


I am sort of surprised that you would link to the Advocate, but such is our world. What is worse than the link though, is the use of the word hypocrisy. Perhaps a bit of journalism would reveal that the Church is not denying them baptism, but rather the gay couple would be.

If you read a bit less slanted article on CWN you can see the actual words of the bishop. He was testifying before a committee regarding the new same-sex union law in Canada and said the following "If I take the example of the ceremony of baptism, according to our canon law, we cannot accept the signatures of two fathers or two mothers as parents of an infant. "

And later when the newspapers had twisted the bishop's statement, Bariteau clarified. "Canon 868 says, "For an infant to be baptized lawfully it is required... that there be a well-founded hope that the child will be brought up in the Catholic religion. If such hope is truly lacking, the baptism is, in accordance with the provisions of particular law, to be deferred and the parents advised of the reason for this."
Ouelett's statement to the committee partially reflects the fact that there is little well-founded hope that a baby brought into a homosexual home, which homosexual "parents" have no intention of altering their lifestyle, will be brought up in the Catholic religion, since homosexuality is so fundamentally contrary to Catholic teaching. The couple is demonstrating a public, persistent contempt for fundamental Catholic teaching by their relationship. "
(emphasis is mine)

Seems like some have an axe to grind and look for any quote they can twist to paint the Church as hateful.

This says it well

I have heard the analogy, I think by Scott Hahn, but Philip Blosser expands it quite well.
He quotes Professor Janet Smith's ("Contraception: Why Not?"), here

"Doctor, you know, I want to get the girls. I want the girls," he says. "And the way to get the girls is to have big muscles. So, would you please give me some steroids." Any doctor worth his salt will say, "Son, get out of here. Join the wrestling team. Lift weights. Do push-ups. I'm not going to give you steroids. They're bad for you. They could ruin you. I'm not giving you steroids." But, a fifteen year old girl trots into a doctor's office and says, "Doctor, I want to have sexual intercourse with my boyfriend or boyfriends."

What do you think would be the doc's answer?

Well, it is a start

Just getting started here. Told I should write more, so here I am.