Politically Correct Crap vs Nicene Creed

Council of Nicea Sistine Chapel

Okay, the short of it is this.
Went to Holy Mass today.
The priest shared a pretty good homily on the upcoming changes to the liturgy, focusing today on the Nicene Creed.

So far so good--he even described some of the heresies the Creed addressed.

Then came the kicker--He shared that the phrase  "For us men and for our salvation..." will be recited by himself as "For us and for our salvation..."
With an authoritative voice he urged the congregation to join him or not--but he leaves it up to 'our conscience'  Gee, thanks.

Okay--no problem I've been around enough of this liberal crap and I can turn a numb ear.  It would have been better if he never said anything--just preach the Creed.  The pulpit became a soap box.
Bad form.

Here's the deal--if the bishops said "let's take the word 'men' out"  (which they have in other parts of the liturgy)  no problem.  It is the teaching authority of the church that decided that--the inspired teaching authority.

But they didn't.  "Men" was left in.  If they take it out tomorrow--still no problem.  But until that day comes--stop it.

Stop confusing personal agenda's with pastoral authority.

So afterwards my wife approached this priest--
You can guess the response.  In the name of oppressed women--he became the standard bearer.  His was a weak argument--the very essence of his homily about the Creed was one of unity of expression of the faith and with one personal opinion he dissolved,
-----no he obliterated it.

So sit at the top of the slippery slope-- change the names, change the genders, meld the genders, --it's all relative right?  I've been around, excommunicated and back---i've seen what changing and omitting words in Creeds can do----DON'T DO IT--even if it is just one little word--just leave it alone until the Magisterium changes it.
Satan is banking on it--and he's cashing in a lot of chips as of late.

Pride and Money and Bishops and Priests

Looks like the demons are raising their ugly heads.
There is a story in the church about a pro life priest and a bishop.
The priest is being called back to the diocese by the bishop.  He isn't suspended or anything, just called back, plucked out of his pro-live apostolate.
I think the priest is ticked.  He played his hand to the media early and basically said that the old bishop understood, but this new guy...well it just isn't working out, so he's going to find some other place to 'be a priest'.

You can search the internet for all the takes on the story--from the financial concerns to the ministerial.  I won't plague you with all of that here.


But, from a praylium perspective--the whole entire thing just smells bad--the demonic has taken up residence.

Pride and ego and money are in the mix, actually ALOT of money.  Now don't jump to conclusions but between you and me...money....and who has it....are you surprised?  Really?

Money (or lack of it) and entitlement go hand in hand.
If a person has money and wants for nothing--they live in the world of entitlement.
And, the opposite is also true--I found as a therapist that many people who were 'playing the social system' felt entitled to do whatever, whenever, to whomever, because they had nothing and something was 'owed' to them.
And, if that isn't enough there's more to this web of entitlement--if a person is jealous or envious of another's money, they may begin to believe that that are somehow entitled to have a piece of it.
In all three scenarios the behavior of the 'entitled' is selfish, obnoxious, and maybe even abusive and violent.   Clericalism really is entitlement with robes.

So, money and entitlement, and power and authority--good mix for satan.
By the way, the priest is appealing to Rome.  He really really doesn't want to go back with this bishop.  Do you think he has any connections in Rome?

Who has the bigger 'connections' the bishop or the priest?

Three Conversations

Over the course of the past week and in the midst of travels, I spent some time with three very different priests.  First, was a young priest recently ordained who is learning the sometimes harsh reality of ministry and relationships.  Second was an older priest who is a pastor of a large parish and has had a variety of ministry and administrative experiences.  The third was a priest who has been inactive for many many years.
Here are some of my thoughts from our conversations.

Nobody wants to state the obvious but often times the soil where a newly ordained is planted is barren. In the world of 'vocation' shortage--wouldn't it behoove someone somewhere to institute a different way of formation for parish ministry? Why not 'homeschool' the formation of diocesan clergy?  Why not radically rethink and redo formation so men are not put in unhealthy situations?  Fact is, there are very few priests who could be the spiritual mentors needed for a newly ordained.  The much anticipated fruits of ministry are soon choked by the weeds of personal and ecclesial confusion and disillusionment.  The old clergy eat the young and the young react.
Some splinter and become progressive and (in their minds)--a prophet, cloaking themselves as a Jesus figure.  They begin to thrive on shock and reaction and use the priesthood as a platform for their drama, their gospel, their wants, their desires.  Come on we all know guys like this.
Eventually pride takes over and they implode.

For others they decide to cling to an identity of priesthood which is closed and ultra conservative --'hiding behind the collar'.  Here they cry out for a universal respect for the priesthood but don't want to be held accountable.  What they really want is everyone to stop challenging them, blindly obey their lead, and feed their wants and desires. The arrogance of this approach is often times perpetuated by the priest thinking he is above the people he serves--chaulk another one for pride.  And we all know guys like this.

I have no solution to the above dilemma but am struck with a thought from my final and third conversation--with the third fellow.  He's been on a life-long pilgrimage asking the question; 'What should I believe?" Not a bad question to ask every now and then.  But this has been unrelenting to his soul.  It has worn him down.
Instead of asking; "What should I believe?"  why not pray "Lord Jesus Christ--have mercy on me a sinner."

Whether ordained or not--it doesn't matter.  We react all the time to situations in our life and our work, some we can control, many we can't.  Instead of reacting and asking the same question again and a again--why not just pray for mercy?  All day--"Lord Jesus Christ--have mercy on me!"
Such a prayer brings perspective and humility--the opposite of pride.

And, didn't the church just beatify a man who instituted Divine Mercy Sunday?  Wasn't this priest's way one of mercy?  Wasn't this priest's way one bookmarked by suffering early in life and in his last years?  Wasn't John Paul's way one not of demanding trust and respect, but earning it?  Wasn't John Paul's way one of praying all the time; "Lord Jesus Christ...have mercy!"?


Last, a word from our Mother;

Dear children, God the Father is sending me to show you the way of salvation, because he, my children, desires to save you and not to condemn you. That is why I, as a mother, am gathering you around me, because with my motherly love I desire to help you to be free of the dirtiness of the past and to begin to live anew and differently. I am calling you to resurrect in my Son. Along with confession of sins, renounce everything that has distanced you from my Son and that has made your life empty and unsuccessful. Say “yes” to the Father with the heart and set out on the way of salvation to which he is calling you through the Holy Spirit. Thank you. I am especially praying for the shepherds, for God to help them to be alongside you with a fullness of heart.  May 2, 2011

ps--if you feel particularly called to share this post with someone who may need a spiritual nudge--feel free

Let's talk about Bishops

St Augustine of Hippo--Botticelli

My friend Mike Aquilina wrote a few weeks ago, "My friend Michael Ripple has begun blogging, look out--it's going to be provocative" 
Mike certainly knows me.  He also knows his church and the faith--take a trip to his website and check many of the works he has authored.

Now, on with being provocative.
Let's talk about bishops...

Years ago, my wife and I experienced a heartwrenching conversion while on a pilgrimage to Medugorje.  At the time I was an excommunicated Roman Catholic priest who was doing fine as an Episcopal priest (well at least I thought).
Weeks following our return home we were seated in the office of a Roman Catholic Bishop.
After listening to our story, he got up from his desk, walked around, embraced us both and said, "Welcome home."

I couldn't believe it.  No, really.   I was floored.  A bishop was pastoral!!??  He cared?  I mean we had turned our backs on the church.  Come on, he didn't need to even meet with us.

The rest is history.

Today I received a telephone call from that same bishop, simply expressing care and concern over my recent ministry changes and subsequently my family's life change.
He was being a shepherd--it's in his bishop DNA.
Yeh, the church needs more bishops like that.
Priests need more bishops like that.  Other bishops and priests could learn a thing or two from a bishop like that.
Unfortunately when men rise to a certain level of leadership in the church, like becoming pastors or bishops or even just being ordained--the sins of entitlement and clericalism can creep in and become rather insipid.
Not today.  Not in that phone call.  It was pure shepherd.

You weren't expecting that were you?

Say a prayer for your sheperds.

Not that it matters...

Not that it matters-- but I was impressed with an action of a young priest the other day.
We had arrived our usual fifteen minutes early for Mass (which is quite an accomplishment some days).  My son hurried into the sacristry to ready himself to serve.
Mass began two minutes later--great. 

The Mass times had been changed.  Yeh, we should have known better.
So there was my son, looking pretty torqued during the entrance procession.
No sooner had everyone reached their place in the sanctuary when my boy was pulled aside by a priest who corrected the posture of his hand folding technique.
"Oh boy...here we go."  I thought.
I knew what my son was thinking.  "Does it really matter how I fold my hands?" 
Throughout the rest of Mass I watched as he wrestled with not wanting to be part of a bunch of false piety.
As Mass continued he stood, sat, and knelt--and had absolutely no duties to perform.

But his hands were properly folded.

He was a liturgical flowerpot.

Earlier that day I had an article ready to go.  Ironically it was titled;  Entitlement, Clericalism and the Sin of Pride.
In it I was going to share some observations about how some clergy come to believe that certain rights, behaviors, and excuses are inherent with ordination and even priestly assignments.
 ***note I said SOME clergy***
 I was drawing on my experiences from my life behind the altar and in the rectory to outside the church to the present moment of just sitting in the pew. 

But I can't send out the article just yet. 
You see the young priest called the next day to check up on my son and to clarify what happened.  Of course I was defensive.  Of course I wouldn't have handled it the same way (arm chair priesting)--but in the end, the young priest called and that in itself is a worthy action.