RevRobJack.com

    Today is the anniversary of the birth of Cardinal Alfredo Ottaviani, who was Prefect for the Holy Office and a much maligned figure of Vatican II. When Xavier Rynne aka Fr. Francis X. Murphy wrote his notes on Vatican II, he stupidly used terms from American politics to explain the subtleties of Catholic theology. In his limited worldview, there had to be a good guy and a bad guy. Since he was definitely a fan of the progressives, he automatically labelled anyone in the Curia who did not get swept in the aggiornamento of the Council a Bad guy.

     Cardinal Ottaivani had a balanced view of the Council and the need for the renewal of the Church. He was definitely a man of the Letter of Vatican II rather than the Spirit of Vatican II. He saw the Council not as a break with Tradition, but a continuation of it. Those in the bologna school of history saw the Council as a radical break with the past. It is tragic that in the name of politics, the name of a Holy man of the Church was besmirched. I think in the long run, he will be vindicated by the historians. His path of fidelity to the Tradition and not bending the knee to the world will be vindicated in the end, but we may not live to see it. Maybe I can get fr. Benedict to give a comment. He is a HUGE devotee of Cardinal Ottaviani

Please pray for priests and seminarians and support Sacred Heart Radio

     Bishop Sheen, quoting Don Bosco many years ago, said that the path to renewal of the faith would occur by rediscovery of devotion to the Mother of God and devotion to the Holy Eucharist. I am pleased to report that both here at the Seminary are coming back strong!

     First, the Blessed Virgin Mary. When I came to the Seminary 20 years ago, there were three class periods on Mary, and of course, her perpetual virginity was so confused that some wondered if it was still a doctrine of the Church. Anyone who was bold enough to pray the Rosary in the Chapel was taken aside and told it was Pre-Vatican II and if he did it again, it would become a formation issue because of his “rigidity.” The only nod to the Blessed Mother was the annual Lessons and Carols concert, which was held the day before our Patronal Feast of the Immaculate Conception.

     Now, some twenty years later, we have a four credit hour course on Mariology tied in with Eschatology, every Monday in October we gather and publically recite the Rosary before the Blessed Sacrament. We sing the Salve Regina after Evening prayer on Tuesdays. In May, we honor Mary with a May crowning of one of her statues on the grounds. We still have the Lessons and Carols on the evening of the Feast of the Immaculate Conception.

   More good signs! In the month of August, I was privileged to be asked to give a morning of reflection to 44 members of the Lay Pastoral Ministry Program and some visitors on Marian spiritual discernment based on the title of Mary as our Lady of Good Counsel. It was well received by all. Yesterday I gave a morning of reflection to 50 members of the Bishop Fenwick Society, a group of benefactors. My first talk was on Why we need the Mother of God. In this talk I discussed the role of the Virgin Mary as Mother and Guardian of Christian culture. I connected the decrease of devotion to the Mother of God from the late 60′s to the early 80′s with the rise of the contraceptive mentality, the denigration of Motherhood, the exploitation of women through pornography and the culture of death. For a moment, I was afraid the roof might cave in, but it didn’t. The second talk was on “Marian devotion and the Rosary.” At Mass we celebrated the Vtovie Mass in honor of Mary, Mother of Fairest Love. Those in attendance seemed to be geniunely appreciative and were glad those in formation were getting strong Marian education.

     I am glad that Marian devotion and all devotions are making a strong resurgence. I recently ran into a priest who discarded these rosary rallies that were popping up as mere nostalgia, so I know there is still a long way to go to integrating Mary back into parish life and the lives of individual believers. May the Holy Spirit renew in us the true gift of piety, which gives us the grace to live our heritage with pride, flourish in it and then pass it on to those around us. We need to especially pray that young girls and young mothers come to a deeper love for the Mother of God as a way to preserve their true Christian strength and femininity.

With any luck, I will soon have these talks on the website once I learn how to do it.

Please pray for all priests and seminarians, and support Sacred Heart Radio.

     A few years ago, Sacred Heart Radio published a set of Rosary meditations I wrote for the year of the Rosary. We gave away almost 2000 copies of the booklet. Since SHR has not published a new edition, I am putting it online with some artwork. You can down load it from the presentations and lectures page. It is about 11 pages long.

     There are many dangers that the Church faces every day. One is the anti-religious sentiment among some people. For others, Isalm may seem a bigger danger to Catholicism. While many Catholics are speaking about dialogue with Islam, the loudest voices in Islam are speaking of jihad and death to Christians. So much for mutual respect. As we Catholics offer respect, Islamic fundamentalists are offering to blow us up.   

       Jesus announces in the Gospel today that he has come to set the world on fire. I think that he is telling us that the most dangerous enemy that Catholics in particular and Christians in general are facing is APATHY. We are allowed to have strong feelings about sports teams, politics and TV shows, but let someone show zeal for their faith and they are immediately labeled a fanatic. It seems to me that we as Catholics have only so many cheeks to turn before we have to stand up and defend what we believe and how we live. The fire that the Lord wants to ignite in us is the Holy Spirit, who gives us courage to proclaim and defend our faith. the Lord did not call Christians to be doormats to walk all over, but door ways to lead people to the love and knowledge of God and of his Son Jesus Christ. May we muster up the courage to ask the Lord to help us do just that.

Please pray for Priests and Seminarians, and support Sacred Heart Radio.

      In his Wednesday audience on St. Ambrose, Pope Benedict quotes Ambrose on Catechesis: Whoever educates people in the faith cannot risk the role of playing the clown, trying to entertain his listeners. Who says that the Fathers of the Church are out of date? Ambrose hit this on the mark. There are many times that people leave Church remembering the joke the priest told in his homily, but not the message. If the key to good business is location, location, location, then the key to good catechesis is content, content, content. Too much wasted energy has been spent on catechetical “process” over the years, since some believe we have to make the faith “relevant.” It seems to me that if we present the faith as it is, and not some cheap watered down version, we don’t have to make it relevant. Jesus Christ, faith, Redemption, are always relevant.

     Forty five years ago today marked the beginning of the Cuban missle crisis in which the US and USSR almost blew each other up. Thank God the Lord sent the Holy Spirit to give the politicians a little bit of sense. By this time, the Second Vatican Council was two weeks old, so you know the Holy Spirit was already working overtime.

    Tomorrow is the Covocation of Archdiocesan priests at Incarnation in Centerville. TPTB (The powers that be) have only said generally what it is to be about. I guess they hope more will show up that way. We’ll see.

Please pray for the priests and seminarians, and support Sacred Heart Radio.

I would like to wish my favorite and only niece Kaelyn Olivia McAdams a very happy and Blessed 13th Birthday. She sure is getting old! I am very proud of her.

To say the Creed with faith is to enter into communion with God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and also with the whole Church, which transmits faith to us and in whose midst we believe. The Creed is the spiritual seal, our heart’s meditation and an ever present guardian; it is, unquestionably the treasure of our soul. (CCC #173)

The Nicene Creed that we profess at Mass every Sunday and solemn feast reminds us of three things: The first is that God loves us enough to show himself to us through revelation. The second is that it professes our belief that God is our constant companion throughout history who will never abandon us. The third is that it is our bond of unity with each other forged through constant reflection of Scripture and Apostolic Tradition on the mystery of God, which never changes, but deepens in meaning.

     Today is the Feast of Sts. Isaac Jogues and John De Brebeuf and their companions who were martyred by Huron and Iroquois Indians in what is now upstate New York. They gave their lives for Christ and the spread of the Gospel between 1642 and 1649. These are Jesuit priests we can be proud of.

     Father, you consecrated the first beginnings of the faith in North America by the preaching and martyrdom of Sts. John and Isaac and their companions. By the help of their prayers, may the Christian faith continue to grow throughout the world. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ your son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever.

Amen.

Today is the Feast of St. Luke the Evangelist. Known as the Holy Physician, he is the patron of doctors and nurses. Say a prayer today for all doctors and nurses and the sick and dying that they care for.    

Father, you chose Luke the Evangelist to reveal by preaching and writing the mystery of your love for the poor. Unite in Heart and Spirit all who glory in your name, and let all nations come to see your salvation. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ your SOn, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever.