Today's Messages (off)
| Unanswered Messages (on)
| Forum: Current Books, Articles, Films, etc. |
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| Topic: Children, Chant and NCR |
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| | Topic: Who Was Mary Of Magdala? |
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| Who Was Mary Of Magdala? |
Fri, 22 July 2011 11:31 |
Anne
Messages: 3816
Registered: April 2004 |
Senior Member |
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on her feast day from America blog:
http://www.americamagazine.org/blog/entry.cfm?blog_id=2& entry_id=4420
"Perhaps it was convenient for the early church fathers to dismiss Mary Magdalene and even insult her as a prostitute, fearful of what her role would mean for the place of women in the early church. As Jane Schaberg, a professor of religious studies at the University of Detroit Mercy, writes in The Resurrection of Mary Magdalene, "The pattern is a common one: the powerful woman disempowered, remembered as a whore or whorish.""
[Updated on: Fri, 22 July 2011 11:33]
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| | Topic: And from NCR on leadership of the bishops |
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| | Topic: John Allen's interview with the new Prefect of the Congregation of Institutes of Consecrated Life |
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| | Topic: The homosexual agenda |
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| The homosexual agenda |
Mon, 04 July 2011 06:17 |
 PS4Ever
Messages: 1608
Registered: September 2007 |
Senior Member |
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http://www.charismamag.com/index.php/news/31427-minnesota-sc hool-district-bullied-to-adopt-pro-homosexual-curricula
Quote:"Accordingly, anti-bullying policies should broadly prohibit bullying against all students, regardless of the reason for the bullying, while at the same time carefully protecting the free speech rights of all students as well."
I wonder if these people would really stick up for "free speech" rights if someone were to write an essay about the truth of the homosexual agenda and the truth about the morality of homosexuality.
From the Catechism of the Catholic Church:
Quote:Sexual pleasure is morally disordered when sought for itself, isolated from its procreative and unitive purposes.
Quote:Basing itself on Sacred Scripture, which presents homosexual acts as acts of grave depravity, tradition has always declared that "homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered." They are contrary to the natural law. They close the sexual act to the gift of life. They do not proceed from a genuine affective and sexual complementarity. Under no circumstances can they be approved.
Would these people who stick up for "free speech" and "rights" really defend a student who wanted to talk about and write about the intrinsically disordered act of homosexual sex? Or do they only defend free speech when its about promoting the homosexual agenda?
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| | Topic: Speaking of Hildegard von Bingen |
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| | Topic: And from NPMLand |
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| And from NPMLand |
Sat, 11 June 2011 05:00 |
Augsburg Boy
Messages: 2061
Registered: May 2006
Location: Boston |
Senior Member |
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I found the following, a bit exaggerated but some points are well founded. I especially have issues with the "naming" of churchs, us Lutherans seem to suffer from this phenomena. There is a local Lutheran parish, i.e House of Prayer, unless you REALLY look hard, you would never guess it to be Lutheran.
The worst example is "Community of Joy" in Arizona, but they decided to leave the ELCA, as much as they bragged about inclusiveness, I guess it didn't extend to gays. 
FWIW
http://www.ncregister.com/blog/14-steps-to-a-more-self-cente red-church/#ixzz
Randy
"The Lord so loved the world that He did not send a committee."
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| | Topic: The Church "Protecting" Children |
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| | Topic: movie "Vision" |
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| | Topic: A voice of sanity in the Scandal |
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| | Topic: Oprah anyone? |
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| Oprah anyone? |
Tue, 15 March 2011 05:13 |
Augsburg Boy
Messages: 2061
Registered: May 2006
Location: Boston |
Senior Member |
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Good article and I would suppose a good show, about the nuns, not the killer behind prison bide to be segment!
Sometimes the news about the church is good. 
http://www.oprah.com/oprahshow/Becoming-a-Nun
Randy
"The Lord so loved the world that He did not send a committee."
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| | Topic: "How I Changed My Mind about the Pope" |
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| | Topic: On the "Bright Side"... |
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| | Topic: Uninformed Conscience |
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| Uninformed Conscience |
Thu, 17 June 2010 05:29 |
Anne
Messages: 3816
Registered: April 2004 |
Senior Member |
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from AMERICA
John F. Kavanaugh S.J.
Thirteen years ago, when I started writing this column for America, two of my early offerings dealt with the strategic function of conscience in our ethical lives. As the years have gone by, and especially during the past year with its increased polarization of moral positions in church and society, I am more convinced than ever that we need a clear understanding of just what conscience is and how it functions.
Although there is a range of opinions concerning what conscience is--from an inner voice, a feeling or a sense of shame to the internalized values of parents or culture--I propose that the most effective account is the one offered by St. Thomas Aquinas: Conscience is a particular kind of judgment, a moral judgment, by which we apply our knowledge of good and evil to practical action.
As a practical moral judgment, conscience takes the form: "I ought to do X." Aquinas points out that when I make such a judgment, I should follow it. But acting on my conscience is not enough. Like any other kind of judgment--business, artistic, scientific or athletic--we base our moral judgments not only on principles but on evidence, data and information. A judgment made without data, evidence or information is a foolish one indeed. Thus, Aquinas thought it is as important to inform one's conscience properly as it is to follow it. If I refuse to look at evidence or information in forming my moral judgment, I am actually refusing to act morally.
It is this second point that seems most neglected in ethical discourse today. There is little doubt that various religions, nation states and philosophies hold different ethical principles. But whether one's principles are based on duty, the will of God, submission to Allah, happiness, liberty or the common good, such principles are empty if they are not applied to the specifics of evidence, information and data.
Unfortunately, it is the resistance to evidence and information that marks so much of our present moral discourse. That is why the "marketplace" of ideas, or the "public square" has become so segmented and rigid.
In the world of politics and media, we find an increasing segmentation not only of markets but of convictions as well. Information is edited and selected to conform to the conviction of the viewer or the voter. Thus, information no longer informs or challenges one's moral judgement; it only confirms opinion, whether that opinion is warranted or not. Spend one evening comparing the programs offered by MSNBC and Fox News. Compare Chris Matthews and Ed Schultz with Glenn Beck and Sean Hannity. Whom do they ridicule? What is their presumed moral universe? What information do they never consider? If we listen to only one side of these polarities, we are not forming our judgment, we are propagandizing it.
No matter what the issue, competing ideologies offer plenty of moral judgments; but there is little willingness to address data or information offered by the opposition. Undocumented immigration, tax reform, the Free Gaza movement, the Gulf Coast oil disaster, the financial crisis, all generate fierce opinion. But it is almost impossible to find any polarized antagonist willing to examine carefully data or arguments that challenge ideology.
In the church, things are just as segmented. I regularly receive messages by e-mail from the right and left. Both sides seem totally certain, but they are also totally ignorant of the arguments and evidence on the other side. As Aquinas would say, a conscience may be certain; but that does not mean it is correct. So think of the issues: abortion, global warming, President Obama, the health care bill, immigration reform, the wars in the Persian Gulf. Do you find any true engagement of the issues? Or do you find only assertions?
As for those who aspire to form the consciences of Catholic believers, they too must do more than make pronouncements. They must engage the evidence and data offered by those who dissent from their opinion.
To refuse to inspect hostile data or listen to challenging information is to reveal a conscience that has capitulated to ideology.
If a nation or church forms its people to accept assertions blindly, without supporting evidence, it will form a community not of moral agents but of menaces. They may be sincere, but they will be sincerely dangerous.
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| | Topic: Muder of a bishop |
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| | Topic: Cardinal O'Malley to play "Clean Up" |
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| | Topic: Of Gods and Men |
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| Of Gods and Men |
Wed, 26 May 2010 07:11 |
Augsburg Boy
Messages: 2061
Registered: May 2006
Location: Boston |
Senior Member |
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Below is a trailer ( I hope ) of what sounds like a powerful statement of faith by a group of monks....something that maybe doesn't grab headlines like the pedophiles, but these men should be front page news!
http://cineuropa.org/trailer.aspx?lang=en&documentID=145 420
Synopsis below
Martyred Monks Film Nabs Second Prize At Cannes Festival
Cannes, France, May 25, 2010 (CNA).- At the end the prestigious 12-day
Cannes Film Festival on Sunday, a film on a group of French monks who were
martyred in Africa during the 1990s won the event's second highest honor.
"Of Gods and Men," a film by the French director Xavier Beauvois, centers
around the true story of seven Cistercian monks who were taken hostage and
murdered by Islamic fundamentalists in 1996. Though the monks were told to
return to their native France, the group refused and chose to remain in
the conflict-torn region of the Algerian mountains, knowing that they would
be martyred.
On Sunday, the movie was awarded the "Grand Prix" honor, which is the
festival's second highest prize.
Kate Muir, a film critic for the London-based Times Online, called the
film the "most intensely passionate" one of the Cannes event, and according
to her, during the movie's premier the "audience wept."
In her May 19 review, Muir discussed Beauvois' depiction of the monks, who
lived contemplative lives in the service of the poor in the Atlas
Mountains. In the film, the seven men build strong friendships with their
surrounding community and live in relative peace until conflict arises between the
local government and extremist groups. Though the monks are advised by
everyone involved to leave, each one decides to stay and is eventually held
hostage and murdered by the fundamentalists.
"The deep humanity of the monks, their respect for Islam and their
generosity towards their village neighbors make (up) the reason for our choice,"
stated the festival jury who issued the award. "This movie of great artistic
value benefits from a remarkable group of actors and follows the daily
rhythm of work and liturgy."
[Updated on: Wed, 26 May 2010 07:38]
Randy
"The Lord so loved the world that He did not send a committee."
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| | Topic: The Cistercian Hymnal |
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| The Cistercian Hymnal |
Thu, 26 February 2009 05:19 |
Augsburg Boy
Messages: 2061
Registered: May 2006
Location: Boston |
Senior Member |
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I received a notice from a friend a new publication called "Commentary of the Cistercian Hymnal", by John Michael Beers, so when I searched for the the Cistercian Hymnal, I found that it is referring to a 12 century hymnal.
My question is, anyone out there aware of this?????  Thanks.
Randy
"The Lord so loved the world that He did not send a committee."
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| | Topic: moved from Liturgical Renewal Board |
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| moved from Liturgical Renewal Board |
Thu, 31 July 2008 04:49 |
Anne
Messages: 3816
Registered: April 2004 |
Senior Member |
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From MAnon:
I won’t tattle on my gay priest if you’ll give me absolution for contraception&quo [
Quite an essay on the fortieth anniversary of Humanae Vitae
http://www.firstthings.com/article.php3?id_article=6262
That Humanae Vitae and related Catholic teachings about sexual morality are laughingstocks in all the best places is not exactly news. Even in the benighted precincts of believers, where information from the outside world is known to travel exceedingly slowly, everybody grasps that this is one doctrine the world loves to hate. During Benedict XVI’s April visit to the United States, hardly a story in the secular press failed to mention the teachings of Humanae Vitae, usually alongside adjectives like “divisive” and “controversial” and “outdated.” In fact, if there’s anything on earth that unites the Church’s adversaries—all of them except for the Muslims, anyway—the teaching against contraception is probably it. ...
As everyone also knows, it’s not only the Church’s self-declared adversaries who go in for this sort of sport. So, too, do many American and European Catholics—specifically, the ones often called dissenting or cafeteria Catholics, and who more accurately might be dubbed the “Catholic Otherwise Faithful.” I may be Catholic, but I’m not a maniac about it, runs their unofficial subtext—meaning: I’m happy to take credit for enlightened Catholic positions on the death penalty/social justice/civil rights, but of course I don’t believe in those archaic teachings about divorce/homosexuality/and above all birth control. ...
“He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh,” the Psalmist promises, specifically in a passage about enjoying vindication over one’s adversaries. If that is so, then the racket on this fortieth anniversary must be prodigious. Four decades later, not only have the document’s signature predictions been ratified in empirical force, but they have been ratified as few predictions ever are: in ways its authors could not possibly have foreseen, including by information that did not exist when the document was written, by scholars and others with no interest whatever in its teaching, and indeed even inadvertently, and in more ways than one, by many proud public adversaries of the Church.
Forty years later, there are more than enough ironies, both secular and religious, to make one swear there’s a humorist in heaven. ...
In sum, although a few apologists such as Stephanie Coontz still insist otherwise, just about everyone else in possession of the evidence acknowledges that the sexual revolution has weakened family ties, and that family ties (the presence of a biologically related mother and father in the home) have turned out to be important indicators of child well-being—and more, that the broken home is not just a problem for individuals but also for society. Some scholars, moreover, further link these problems to the contraceptive revolution itself.
Consider the work of maverick sociobiologist Lionel Tiger. Hardly a cat’s-paw of the pope—he describes religion as “a toxic issue”—Tiger has repeatedly emphasized the centrality of the sexual revolution to today’s unique problems. The Decline of Males, his 1999 book, was particularly controversial among feminists for its argument that female contraceptives had altered the balance between the sexes in disturbing new ways (especially by taking from men any say in whether they could have children). ...
“The onslaught of porn,” one social observer wrote, “is responsible for deadening male libido in relation to real women, and leading men to see fewer and fewer women as ‘porn-worthy.’” Further, “sexual appetite has become like the relationship between agribusiness, processed foods, supersize portions, and obesity. . . . If your appetite is stimulated and fed by poor-quality material, it takes more junk to fill you up. People are not closer because of porn but further apart; people are not more turned on in their daily lives but less so.” And perhaps most shocking of all, this—which with just a little tweaking could easily have appeared in Humanae Vitae itself: “The power and charge of sex are maintained when there is some sacredness to it, when it is not on tap all the time.”
This was not some religious antiquarian. It was Naomi Wolf—Third Wave feminist and author of such works as The Beauty Myth and Promiscuities, which are apparently dedicated to proving that women can tomcat, too. Yet she is now just one of many out there giving testimony, unconscious though it may be, to some of the funny things that happened after the Pill freed everybody from sexual slavery once and for all. ...
The adversaries of Humanae Vitae also could not have foreseen one important historical development that in retrospect would appear to undermine their demands that the Catholic Church change with the times: the widespread Protestant collapse, particularly the continuing implosion of the Episcopal Church and the other branches of Anglicanism. It is about as clear as any historical chain can get that this implosion is a direct consequence of the famous Lambeth Conference in 1930, at which the Anglicans abandoned the longstanding Christian position on contraception. If a church cannot tell its flock “what to do with my body,” as the saying goes, with regard to contraception, then other uses of that body will quickly prove to be similarly off-limits to ecclesiastical authority.
It makes perfect if unfortunate sense, then, that the Anglicans are today imploding over the issue of homosexuality. To quote Anscombe again:
If contraceptive intercourse is permissible, then what objection could there be after all to mutual masturbation, or copulation in vase indebito, sodomy, buggery (I should perhaps remark that I am using a legal term here—not indulging in bad language), when normal copulation is impossible or inadvisable (or in any case, according to taste)? It can’t be the mere pattern of bodily behavior in which the stimulation is procured that makes all the difference! But if such things are all right, it becomes perfectly impossible to see anything wrong with homosexual intercourse, for example. I am not saying: if you think contraception all right you will do these other things; not at all. The habit of respectability persists and old prejudices die hard. But I am saying: you will have no solid reason against these things. You will have no answer to someone who proclaims as many do that they are good too. You cannot point to the known fact that Christianity drew people out of the pagan world, always saying no to these things. Because, if you are defending contraception, you will have rejected Christian tradition.
By giving benediction in 1930 to its married heterosexual members purposely seeking sterile sex, the Anglican Church lost, bit by bit, any authority to tell her other members—married or unmarried, homosexual or heterosexual—not to do the same. To put the point another way, once heterosexuals start claiming the right to act as homosexuals, it would not be long before homosexuals start claiming the rights of heterosexuals.
Thus in a bizarre but real sense did Lambeth’s attempt to show compassion to married heterosexuals inadvertently give rise to the modern gay-rights movement—and consequently, to the issues that have divided their church ever since. It is hard to believe that anyone seeking a similar change in Catholic teaching on the subject would want the Catholic Church to follow suit into the moral and theological confusion at the center of today’s Anglican Church—yet such is the purposeful ignorance of so many who oppose Rome on birth control that they refuse to connect these cautionary historical dots.
The years since Humanae Vitae have seen something else that neither traditionalist nor dissenting Catholics could have seen coming, one other development shedding retrospective credit on the Church: a serious reappraisal of Christian sexuality from Protestants outside the liberal orbit.
Thus, for instance, Albert Mohler, president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, observed in First Things in 1998 that “in an ironic turn, American evangelicals are rethinking birth control even as a majority of the nation’s Roman Catholics indicate a rejection of their Church’s teaching.” Later, when interviewed in a 2006 article in the New York Times Sunday magazine about current religious thinking on artificial contraception, Mohler elaborated: “I cannot imagine any development in human history, after the Fall, that has had a greater impact on human beings than the Pill. . . . The entire horizon of the sexual act changes. I think there can be no question that the Pill gave incredible license to everything from adultery and affairs to premarital sex and within marriage to a separation of the sex act and procreation.” ...
As with the other ironies, it helps here to have a soft spot for absurdity. In their simultaneous desire to jettison the distasteful parts of Catholicism and keep the more palatable ones, American Catholics have done something novel and truly amusing: They have created a specific catalogue of complaints that resembles nothing so much as a Catholic version of the orphan with chutzpah.
Thus many Catholics complain about the dearth of priests, all the while ignoring their own responsibility for that outcome—the fact that few have children in numbers large enough to send one son to the priesthood while the others marry and carry on the family name. They mourn the closing of Catholic churches and schools—never mind that whole parishes, claiming the rights of individual conscience, have contracepted themselves out of existence. They point to the priest sex scandals as proof positive that chastity is too much to ask of people—completely ignoring that it was the randy absence of chastity that created the scandals in the first place.
In fact, the disgrace of contemporary American Catholicism—the many recent scandals involving priests and underage boys—is traceable to the collusion between a large Catholic laity that wanted a different birth-control doctrine, on the one hand, and a new generation of priests cutting themselves a different kind of slack, on the other. “I won’t tattle on my gay priest if you’ll give me absolution for contraception” seems to have been the unspoken deal in many parishes since Humanae Vitae. ....
[Updated on: Wed, 30 July 2008 20:27]
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| | Topic: New Book on Nature/Liturgy |
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| | Topic: of candles and papal preferences |
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| | Topic: Pew Forums |
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| | Topic: How to ruin a church ... |
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| | Topic: Fr Aidan Nichol's Call to Conversion |
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| Fr Aidan Nichol's Call to Conversion |
Mon, 04 February 2008 16:33 |
M Anon
Messages: 1251
Registered: April 2004 |
Senior Member |
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http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/news/news_1.html
Fr. Nichols is has great ambitions for his nation. (Good for him.)
| From the Catholic Herald |
One of Britain’s leading theologians has broken ranks with the ecumenical establishment by calling for Catholics to convert non-Catholics.
Fr Aidan Nichols, the English theologian most closely associated with the thinking of Benedict XVI, has appealed for England to be “re-made” as a Catholic country.
He set out his radical and comprehensive programme for Catholic renewal in a new book entitled The Realm: An Unfashionable Essay on the Conversion of England, published by Family Publications.
In his preface he says that Catholic Christianity should be put forward “not as an occupation for individuals in their solitude but as a form for the public life of society in its overall integrity”.
He admits that the conversion of England is “an absolutely colossal agenda”, adding: “It can only be brought into being, so far as it depends on us to do so, by a coordinated strategy for recreating a full-blooded catholicity with the power to... transform a culture in all its principal dimensions.
“That is what ‘the mission to convert’ and ‘the conversion of England’ mean to me.”
His comments will be seen as an implicit criticism of the direction of the Church in England and Wales. He points to “flagship” Catholic institutions which have “suffered shipwreck through secularisation”.
The Second Vatican Council, he argued, did not replace mission with dialogue. Instead it drew attention to respectful dialogue and an understanding of other faiths as a necessary condition of missionary work.
Fr Nichols, a Dominican friar, argues that the disappearance of other Christian and non-Christian religions would not necessarily be “a Bad Thing”, since the Catholic faith contains all the elements of truth, goodness and beauty that are present in other forms of Christianity and faith traditions.
He argues that Catholicism was crucial in the formation of England and suggests that the Church is well suited to remaking a “not terribly impressive culture” dominated by “supermarkets and sport”.
English Catholicism is fit for the challenge, he explains, because it is a “pot-pourri” of recusant families, Anglican converts and Irish, Polish and Filipino immigrants. He says the example of the original Anglo-Saxon conversion of England showed that only a mixture of “indigenous and exogenous elements” can successfully transform a whole society.
Fr Aidan Nichols's plan for renewal:
Firmer doctrine in our teaching and preaching
Re-enchant the liturgy
Recover the insights of metaphysics
Renew Christian political thought
Revive family life
Resacralise art and architecture
Put a new emphasis on monastic life
Strengthen pro-life rhetoric
Recover a Catholic reading of the Bible
Fr Nichols identifies a number of strategies he believes the Church ought to implement to draw England back to the faith.
He argues for the renewal of Christian political thought beyond merely a concern for the poor. Indeed, he suggests that religious apathy is partly a product of Christianity’s removal from the political sphere.
A “re-enchantment” of the liturgy is also needed, he says, since liturgy forms the imagination and is crucial in “getting others to grasp the inwardness of Catholic Christianity”. He cites Cardinal John Henry Newman’s prediction that belief fails where “the imagination is against us”.
Fr Nichols also stresses the need to “recover lost ground” in the intellectual argument for faith.
He argues there should be a “revival of doctrine” in catechetics and preaching, and a recovery of metaphysics to give people a “coherent and deep philosophy of the created order”.
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| | Topic: CDF document on Evangelization |
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| CDF document on Evangelization |
Fri, 14 December 2007 10:23 |
M Anon
Messages: 1251
Registered: April 2004 |
Senior Member |
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Looking forward to reading the entire Doctrinal Note (and curious as to how this squares with Cdl Kaspar's recent remarks expressing his solicitude for unity within the Anglican communion.
http://212.77.1.245/news_services/bulletin/news/21315.php?in dex=21315&lang=en
DOCTRINAL NOTE ON SOME ASPECTS OF EVANGELIZATION
SUMMARY POINTS
I. Introduction
1. The Doctrinal Note is devoted principally to an exposition of the Catholic Church’s understanding of the Christian mission of evangelization, which is to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ; the word "Gospel" translates "evangelion" in the Greek New Testament. "Jesus Christ was sent by the Father to proclaim the Gospel, calling all people to conversion and faith. ‘Go out into the whole world and preach the Gospel to every creature’ (Mk 16,15)." [n. 1]
2. The Doctrinal Note cites Pope John Paul II’s Encyclical Letter "The Mission of the Redeemer" in recalling that "‘Every person has the right to hear the Good News [Gospel] of the God who reveals and gives himself in Christ, so that each one can live out in its fullness his or her proper calling.’ This right implies the corresponding duty to evangelize." [n. 2]
3. Today there is "a growing confusion" about the Church’s missionary mandate. Some think "that any attempt to convince others on religious matters is a limitation of their freedom," suggesting that it is enough to invite people "to act according to their consciences", or to "become more human or more faithful to their own religion", or "to build communities which strive for justice, freedom, peace and solidarity", without aiming at their conversion to Christ and to the Catholic faith.
Others have argued that conversion to Christ should not be promoted because it is possible for people to be saved without explicit faith in Christ or formal incorporation in the Church. Because "of these problems, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has judged it necessary to public the present Note." [n. 3]
II. Some Anthropological Implications
4. While some forms of agnosticism and relativism deny the human capacity for truth, in fact human freedom cannot be separated from its reference to truth. Human beings are given intellect and will by God that they might come to know and love what is true and good. The ultimate fulfillment of the vocation of the human person is found in accepting the revelation of God in Christ as proclaimed by the Church.
5. This search for truth cannot be accomplished entirely on one’s own, but inevitably involves help from others and trust in knowledge that one receives from others. Thus, teaching and entering into dialogue to lead someone in freedom to know and to love Christ is not inappropriate encroachment on human freedom, "but rather a legitimate endeavor and a service capable of making human relationships more fruitful." [n. 5]
6. The communication of truths so that they might be accepted by others is also in harmony with the natural human desire to have others share in one’s own goods, which for Catholics includes the gift of faith in Jesus Christ. Members of the Church naturally desire to share with others the faith that has been freely given to them.
7. Through evangelization, cultures are positively affected by the truth of the Gospel. Likewise, through evangelization, members of the Catholic Church open themselves to receiving the gifts of other traditions and cultures, for "Every encounter with another person or culture is capable of revealing potentialities of the Gospel which hitherto may not have been fully explicit and which will enrich the life of Christians and the Church." [n. 6]
8. Any approach to dialogue such as coercion or improper enticement that fails to respect the dignity and religious freedom of the partners in that dialogue has no place in Christian evangelization.
III. Some Ecclesiological Implications
9. "Since the day of Pentecost … the Gospel, in the power of the Holy Spirit, is proclaimed to all people so that they might believe and become disciples of Christ and members of his Church." "Conversion" is a "change in thinking and of acting," expressing our new life in Christ; it is an ongoing dimension of Christian life.
10. For Christian evangelization, "the incorporation of new members into the Church is not the expansion of a power-group, but rather entrance into the network of friendship with Christ which connects heaven and earth, different continents and ages." In this sense, then, "the Church is the bearer of the presence of God and thus the instrument of the true humanization of man and the world." (n. 9)
11. The Doctrinal Note cites the Second Vatican Council’s "Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World" (Gaudium et Spes) to say that respect for religious freedom and its promotion "must not in any way make us indifferent towards truth and goodness. Indeed, love impels the followers of Christ to proclaim to all the truth which saves." [n.10] This mission of love must be accomplished by both proclamation of the word and witness of life. "Above all, the witness of holiness is necessary, if the light of truth is to reach all human beings. If the word is contradicted by behavior, its acceptance will be difficult." On the other hand, citing Pope Paul VI’s Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii nuntiandi, the Note says that "even the finest witness will prove ineffective in the long run, if it is not explained, justified… and made explicit by a clear und unequivocal proclamation of the Lord Jesus." [n. 11]
IV. Some Ecumenical Implications
12. The CDF document points out the important role of ecumenism in the Church’s mission of evangelization. Christian divisions can seriously compromise the credibility of the Church’s evangelizing mission. The more ecumenism brings about greater unity among Christians, the more effective evangelization will be.
13. When Catholic evangelization takes place in a country where other Christians live, Catholics must take care to carry out their mission with "both true respect for the tradition and spiritual riches of such countries as well as a sincere spirit of cooperation." Evangelization proceeds by dialogue, not proselytism. With non-Catholic Christians, Catholics must enter into a respectful dialogue of charity and truth, a dialogue which is not only an exchange of ideals, but also of gifts, in order that the fullness of the means of salvation can be offered to one’s partners in dialogue. In this way, they are led to an ever deeper conversion to Christ.
"In this connection, it needs also to be recalled that if a non-Catholic Christian, for reasons of conscience and having been convinced of Catholic truth, asks to enter into the full communion of the Catholic Church, this is to be respected as the work of the Holy Spirit and as an expression of freedom of conscience and of religion. In such a case, it would not be question of proselytism in the negative sense that has been attributed to this term." [n. 12]
V. Conclusion
14. The Doctrinal Note recalls that the missionary mandate belongs to the very nature of the Church. In this regard it cites Pope Benedict XVI: "The proclamation of and witness to the Gospel are the first service that Christians can render to every person and the entire human race, called as they are to communicate to all God’s love, which was fully manifested in Jesus Christ, the one Redeemer of the world." Its concluding sentence contains a quotation from Pope Benedict’s first Encyclical Letter "Deus caritas est": "The love which comes from God unites us to him and ‘makes us a we which transcends our divisions and makes us one, until in the end God is all in all (1 Cor 15:28)’."
[01795-02.01] [Original text: English]
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| Megachurch study |
Sat, 04 August 2007 09:11 |
moconnor
Messages: 333
Registered: May 2006
Location: S. Florida |
Senior Member |
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Taking a break from packing...
From the Washington Post. Interesting, but remember the reporting on the Motu. Get out that grain of salt!
moconnor
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Stereotype Smackdown: Dispelling the Myths of Megachurches
By Adelle M. Banks
Religion News Service
Saturday, August 4, 2007; Page B09
They're big, nondenominational, homogenous churches that are all show with little spiritual depth.
That's what some might assume about the nation's megachurches, but scholar Scott Thumma is out to bash the stereotypes and explain the churches' appeal.
"Everybody takes those general characteristics and applies them to all megachurches," he said.
Yes, they're big, he says, but only 5 percent have 3,000 seats or more, and only two or three can seat 10,000 at one service.
He and Dave Travis have written "Beyond Megachurch Myths: What We Can Learn from America's Largest Churches" to reveal what research says about the 1,250 Protestant churches across the country that attract at least 2,000 worshipers each weekend.
Thumma's favorite myth is that the people sitting in megachurches tend to all be from the same racial, ethnic, political or economic group.
"One of the most fascinating things that I have always found about megachurches -- and it's probably due to size -- is that there's a tremendous amount of diversity in any congregation," said Thumma, who teaches at Hartford Seminary in Connecticut. "I think there's something about it being big that allows it to draw in all kinds of folks -- some Democrats, a lot of Republicans, some impoverished people, but also [some] quite wealthy."
Thumma and Travis based their book in part on a 2005 study that was conducted by the Hartford Institute for Religion Research, where Thumma is based, and the Leadership Network, a church-growth think tank in Dallas, where Travis is executive vice president. The book, out this month, is published by Jossey-Bass.
Megachurches are also more linked to denominations than some might think. The authors found that about 65 percent of megachurches are affiliated with a denomination, although some may downplay the link. Thumma estimates that about 10 percent of those churches are affiliated with mainline Protestant denominations, such as First Presbyterian Church of Orlando.
The authors compared their 2005 megachurch study to a larger 2005 random study of congregations to delve into the myths about the spiritual rigor of megachurches. They found that 51 percent of megachurches said their congregations greatly emphasized personal prayer, meditation or devotions, compared with 42 percent of congregations in general. Likewise, 54 percent of megachurches placed a significant emphasis on personal Scripture study, compared with 47 percent of congregations in general.
Congregations of all sizes were twice as likely as megachurches to greatly emphasize keeping the Sabbath holy.
Even as these large churches emphasize strong beliefs, they do so in innovative and unusual ways. A motorcycle may be ridden onto a stage, which happened at Fellowship Bible Church North in Plano, Tex. Or a video clip of a popular commercial may play on the large screens in a sanctuary.
"The megachurches . . . do push the envelope," Thumma said. "They want folks to say, 'Wow, this really fascinating thing happened at my church the other day,' so that people come and check it out."
The nonconventional approach to Sunday morning distinguishes these churches from more traditional ones, Thumma said.
"A traditional church says you go out and you save people," he said. "The megachurch says, 'We cast our net really wide and we bring in everyone, and then we evangelize the people that are sitting in the pews.' . . . They have, in some sense, antics and other intriguing things that draw people in."
Thumma and Travis say that much of what is working successfully in megachurches -- using sermons to address contemporary issues and fostering small groups to encourage community service, for example -- can help smaller congregations.
"We are absolutely convinced that these congregations are doing some things right, and it's not just related to their size," Thumma said. "What they're doing as big churches can also be translated to smaller congregations."
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| | Topic: A Muslim's Take On CDF Statement |
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| A Muslim's Take On CDF Statement |
Sat, 14 July 2007 18:04 |
M Anon
Messages: 1251
Registered: April 2004 |
Senior Member |
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I was not hitherto familiar with this organization.
http://www.theamericanmuslim.org/tam.php/features/articles/p ave_the_way_questions_the_current_hypocritical_outcry_agains t_pope_benedic/0014226
Pave the Way Foundation Questions the Current Hypocritical Outcry Against Pope Benedict’s Statements
NEW YORK, July 12, 2007—The Pave the Way Foundation (PTWF), a non-sectarian New-York-based foundation dedicated to enhancing relations between religions, calls for religious persons worldwide to recognize and embrace the similarities between religions rather than concentrate on the differences that separate us.
A recent statement by Pope Benedict XVI has stirred up international controversy among various Christian groups, according to the media. Yet the statement was simply an affirmation of longstanding church doctrine. The criticism is hypocritical because many religious institutions and individuals similarly hold the belief that their path is the only way to salvation. This is a doctrinal matter, important only to each individual belief and worship system.
“At a time when extremists with access to weapons of mass destruction that can destroy millions because of our differences, we need to recognize the message of religion,” said Gary Krupp, PTWF founder. “We need to concentrate on what we can agree on, rather than the differences that only serve to create discord and separation. I believe that all legitimate religions forbid murder in the name of religion. We must concentrate our energies on bringing the religions together to oppose the extremists who exist in every faith and who are literally causing almost every conflict on Earth.”
While the media concentrates on controversy, everyone seems to ignore the benevolent messages of religion, which include love, charity and the forbidding of violence and murder. This has led to the splintering of religions as well as acts of violence and murder in the name of religion. We must now come to realize that with the dangers that exist internationally today, we need to bring religions closer together in the mutual war against those who have abused and defiled religion to forward their own agendas.
About Pave the Way Foundation
PTWF is dedicated to achieving peace by bridging “the intellectual gap” in tolerance and understanding, by enhancing relations between religions through cultural, technological and intellectual gestures. The Foundation has a simple yet monumental vision: To enable all the world’s religions to mutually realize that extremism, politics and personal agendas must not be allowed to poison the true benevolent message common to all faiths. Bigotry and hatred must be abolished by the faithful embracing their similarities and savoring their differences.
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| | Topic: Another good article |
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| Another good article |
Fri, 13 July 2007 17:30 |
M Anon
Messages: 1251
Registered: April 2004 |
Senior Member |
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One of an interesting series of articles dedicated to those who kept alive the hopes for a freeing of the (now) Extraordinary Rite of the Mass, on the blog Rorate Caeli.
http://rorate-caeli.blogspot.com/2007/07/motu-proprio-notes- remembering-klaus.html
Motu proprio notes: Remembering Klaus Gamber
In this age of abysmally deficient party throwers who dare call themselves "liturgists", it is fitting to remember the work of a true Liturgical Scholar, a glory of Germany, Monsignor Klaus Gamber (1919-1989). Few scholars were as dedicated as Gamber to the search for Truth in liturgical history: not for the false truths of carefully crafted aberrations, as so many did in the late decades of the Liturgical Movement, with feverish application of their misguided concepts in the post-Conciliar turmoil.
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| | Topic: Rite Magazine |
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| Rite Magazine |
Thu, 03 May 2007 06:07 |
Augsburg Boy
Messages: 2061
Registered: May 2006
Location: Boston |
Senior Member |
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Volume 38, Number 3, May/June 2007, is devoted to the Eucharist, Especially good, IMO, is an article by Fr. Mark Wedig, OP, Reception of the Eucharist Under Two Species as it goes into both the history, and subsequent changing theology to accomodate the practice of reception under one kind ( sub una ). If you go to the site, I believe you can get a sample copy.
www.ritemagazine.org
Randy
"The Lord so loved the world that He did not send a committee."
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| | Topic: A Cardinal Podcast |
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| | Topic: Tightened Security Affecting Musicians |
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| | Topic: New "Rite" edition |
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| New "Rite" edition |
Thu, 06 July 2006 07:53 |
Augsburg Boy
Messages: 2061
Registered: May 2006
Location: Boston |
Senior Member |
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for July/August 2006, LTP, just came. A few great articles need to be noted:
1. John Becker discusses his "Litany of the Saints", which I know is a favorite of many on these boards.
2. Communion of and with the Saints, by Father Michael Fuller.
3. Saint Maximilian Mary Kolbe, one of my favorite saints, I was privilaged to be at St. Peters in 1971 at the Mass where he was beatified. An absolutely awesome experience, even for those of us across the Tiber!
Randy
"The Lord so loved the world that He did not send a committee."
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| | Topic: Mt. Soledad Cross in danger of being removed |
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| Mt. Soledad Cross in danger of being removed |
Fri, 02 June 2006 23:08 |
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I can't believe this might be happening - I've heard, ever since I remembered, that the Atheists have been wanting to get rid of a monument erected in the 1950s as a tribute to fallen Korean War veterans. It's a cross, erected atop Mount Soledad near La Jolla, CA. It was a favourite hang-out place when I was an undergrad - on days when visibility was good, you can see San Diego for miles on end. You can even see the other cross on top of the hill, Mt. Helix in La Mesa, from Mt. Soledad.
After I left San Diego, I heard some of the local atheists sued to have that cross removed. This has caused a stir - IMHO, if that cross, as well as the one atop Mt. Helix, is removed, it robs the people of San Diego of one of its characteristic landmarks. For me, it's as much a part of the San Diego landscape as is the Coronado Bridge, Sea World, the Zoo, Balboa Park, the Spreckles Organ, and the Downtown San Diego skyline.
I wish there was a way that I, as an exiled San Diegan, can express my outrage that the narrow-minded Atheists will get their way in this issue.
For more details, here's a story from the San Diego Union-Tribune:
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20060602-1454-bn02c ross.html
Regards,
Lyn F.
http://musical-chemist.blogspot.com/
No trees were killed in the sending of this message. However, a large number of electrons were terribly inconvenienced ...
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| | Topic: MOTHER ANGELICA by Raymond Arroyo |
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| MOTHER ANGELICA by Raymond Arroyo |
Tue, 23 May 2006 19:25 |
Yertle
Messages: 407
Registered: May 2006 |
Senior Member |
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I just finished this biography. Like Anne Rice's OUT OF EGYPT or a Dan Brown novel, the book is an easy read dealing with a subject that is sometimes incomprehensible in scope. Arroyo is a gifted writer for popular consumption and possessing wit and acumen that illustrates the thousands of dynamic events of the EWTN founder in crystal-clear ways. His should not be considered an unbiased recounting of some of Mother Angelica's most noted controversies, including her "imbroglios" with the Cardinal Archbishop of Los Angeles and her own bishop, of whom Arroyo quotes a "curial official" dubbing "that crazy bishop." His loyalty and affection creeps into the last chapters of the biography with subtle little adjectives that, in an effort to protect MA's integrity, nonetheless demean her adversaries almost to the point of demonization.
I would think this book to be required reading for those who want to understand why there is such an atmosphere of "reactionary politics" that clouds the culture of American Catholicism.
The Turtle's critical voice
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| | Topic: For those that read Sojourner's Magazine |
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| For those that read Sojourner's Magazine |
Thu, 23 February 2006 07:26 |
Randy (the heretic)
Messages: 121
Registered: April 2004
Location: Boston |
Senior Member |
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Intersting article in this most recent issue, among others. March 2006. In Culture Watch: Bridging the Church Music Gap, by Steve Thorngate. Fairly well balanced, if brief analysis of the situation.
Also, if anyone is interested, Sojourner's has a good sermon resource subscription, which I find helpful in liturgy planning, bringing the liturgy in line to what is happening in the world.
When I stand before God at the end of my life I would hope that I have not a single bit of talent left and could say, "I used everything You gave me." attributed to Erma Bombeck
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| | Topic: Boston Archdiocese Again hits the News |
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| Boston Archdiocese Again hits the News |
Sat, 19 November 2005 05:33 |
Randy (the heretic)
Messages: 121
Registered: April 2004
Location: Boston |
Senior Member |
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This link below connects to the Boston Globe on an agreement reached which will prevent civil or criminal prosecution of the Archdiocese or its leaders. And in case you're wondering AG Reilly is considering a run for governor and is equal in the polls to Romney, our "Mormon" governor. Who says religiopn doesn't play a role in our government! Sorry, but it continues to really fry me that those responsible for this mess get off scot free!
http://www.boston.com/news/globe/email_headlines
When I stand before God at the end of my life I would hope that I have not a single bit of talent left and could say, "I used everything You gave me." attributed to Erma Bombeck
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| | Topic: Appointment of Archbishop Levada |
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| Appointment of Archbishop Levada |
Sat, 14 May 2005 14:15 |
sueandboris
Messages: 107
Registered: April 2005
Location: Colorado |
Senior Member |
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This is from the website of the Archdiocese of San Francisco. Thought everyone might enjoy reading it.
Interestingly Dennis - Archbishop Levada is a very good friend of the current provincial of the Indiana province CSC - Fr. David Tyson. Just a little bit of news I picked up today while hanging up red banners!
Sue
STATEMENT OF ARCHBISHOP WILLIAM J. LEVADA
May 13, 2005
On the occasion of the announcement of my appointment as the new Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith I want to express first of all my profound gratitude to our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, for the trust he has placed in me to ask me to take the position that he himself filled so effectively for the past 24 years. I can only say that I will do my best to live up to that expression of trust, with the help of God.
I have known Pope Benedict since 1981, when he came to the Vatican as the then-new Prefect of the same Congregation, where I was working at the time, on loan from the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. My return to California in 1982 had already been scheduled by his predecessor, Cardinal Franjo Seper, before the latter’s retirement and Cardinal Ratzinger’s appointment had been announced.
In 1987 I was appointed by Cardinal Ratzinger, whom Pope John Paul II asked to develop the project for a new catechism for the universal Church, to serve on its Editorial Committee, a group of 7 bishops whose task it was to prepare a draft of the catechism, conduct a consultation among the bishops of the world and many scholars, and develop a final text under the direction of the Commission of 12 Cardinals of which Cardinal Ratzinger was President. I remember many occasions when he would unexpectedly join our discussions, roll up his sleeves, review the proposed changes and amendments, ask our opinions and discuss them with us – we felt blessed by his insights and his encouragement, and by his real spirit of collegial work.
Since 2000 I have been a Member of the same Congregation, participating in many meetings under his guidance as Prefect. No doubt his choice of me is in part due to my familiarity with the work of the Congregation over the years. This choice is also a tribute to the Church in the United States, and a recognition of our important contribution to the work of the universal Church. I hope my 22 years of experience as a bishop in the United States will help to represent the Church here well at the Holy See, and to make the bonds between the See of Peter and the American Bishops ever stronger.
The work of the Congregation seeks principally to promote a sound understanding of the content of the Christian faith, as that has been handed on through the Church since the time of Christ, and to assist the Pope and the bishops of the Church throughout the world in the delicate task of clarifying erroneous doctrinal positions when that is judged necessary.
I look forward to undertaking this work as a service to the Petrine ministry of Pope Benedict, who has been called by Christ to serve the People of God – and especially their bishops – throughout the world. At the same time I will be sorry to have to leave San Francisco, where I have served almost ten years, and developed close ties with many priests and people. But it is comforting to know that my ties with San Francisco will not be broken, since in my new position I will retain my link with this local church by having the official title Archbishop of San Francisco emeritus, a title also enjoyed by my immediate predecessor, Archbishop John Quinn.
I plan to visit the Congregation to meet the staff and get an overview of the tasks ahead during the first week of June. I expect to relocate permanently to Rome during August, with my official date of resignation as Archbishop of San Francisco to be set for August 17, the 10th anniversary of the announcement of my appointment as Archbishop here. I ask for God’s grace and blessing on this new ministry to which He has called me, and I earnestly ask for the prayers of all who hear or read this statement. May Our Lady of Fatima, whose feast the Church celebrates today, intercede for me and guide me.
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