During my three years at Nashotah House (a seminary of the Episcopal church in Wisconsin) I had the pleasure meeting a bishop from the Church of England: Bishop John Broadhurst, who is now a Monsignor in the Catholic Church and part of the English Ordinariate.

I cannot exactly recall why he was there (I think it was because the school was giving him an honorary doctorate) but I do recall one specific interaction. He was giving a talk, or maybe it was a homily, to the students (and this being an Episcopal seminary some of the students were women) in which he brought up the topic of the ordination of women to the priesthood. For those who do not know, Anglicans all over the world do allow for the ordination of women, but since the inception of this novelty in the 1970s it has always been a contentious subject. And Bishop Broadhurst was part of a group of bishops within the Church of England that refused to perform such an ordination. And during his talk that day the good bishop made it very clear that he was against such an innovation. Needless to say, there were some feathers ruffled by his saying so. He then posed a question to himself, which went something like this,

He answered his own question quite simply by saying, "Tell 'em NO!"

There are many times when we all need to have this same bold and frank attitude. Of course, when we speak we should do so in a loving manner that has true concern for the welfare of the other person. But consider this - what is more loving than to correct our brother when he is mistaken about something of vital importance? And I think everyone will agree that things pertaining to the salvation of another person's soul is of ultimate importance.

The Church is very clear: certain things are right and certain things are wrong. If we see our fellow man going down the path that could lead him to everlasting damnation then we have a duty to speak up and boldly "Tell 'em NO!"

The Gospel reading for today is from St. Luke 21:1-4. We all know the story: the rich giving their gifts and the poor widow who puts in only two copper coins into the treasury. After witnessing this Jesus says, "Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them; for they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all the living that she had."

Until recently, when I had one of those "Aha!" moments, I always assumed that part of the lesson in what Jesus is teaching us in this Gospel reading was that those who were rich were in some way doing something wrong: that they were bad for not giving more. I think I always assumed this because Jesus had many hard things to say against the rich and the ruling class of His day. But, if we take the story as it is, we see that He isn't saying anything of the sort. Instead of tearing down the rich He is actually commending the actions of the poor widow. The rich were doing what they were required to do by giving back to God from what He had first given to them. And this is a good thing. But, the widow went a step further and gave all she had. It may not amount to much in the eyes of man but to God it is of great value.

When we give everything that we have and everything we are back to God then we are emulating our Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus gave everything for us by becoming a man, teaching us the Truth, dying for our sins and conquering death for us by rising from the grave. We can do good by giving back to Him from what He has given us; like those who are rich in the Gospel story. But, we can do so much more for Him if we, like the poor widow, give Him everything. Therefore, the next time you are at Mass and about to receive Our Lord Jesus in the Most Holy Eucharist, remember that through that Sacrament Jesus is once again giving you all of Himself. And then ask yourself, shouldn't you do the same for Him?

The Most Reverend Daniel R. Jenky, CSC, the Bishop of Peoria, has issued a very strong letter to his flock and has also required that it be read at all Masses for this coming Sunday by each celebrating priest. The letter is very succinct and would not take very long to read the whole thing by clicking the link above. Nevertheless I include here in this blog the Bishop's strongest point.

Today, Catholic politicians, bureaucrats, and their electoral supporters who callously enable the destruction of innocent human life in the womb also thereby reject Jesus as their Lord. They are objectively guilty of grave sin. For those who hope for salvation, no political loyalty can ever take precedence over loyalty to the Lord Jesus Christ and to his Gospel of Life. God is not mocked, and as the Bible clearly teaches, after this passing instant of life on earth, God’s great mercy in time will give way to God’s perfect judgment in eternity.

So here we have yet another Bishop who is most certainly not namby-pamby. God willing, this courageousness will continue to spread like wildfire to all the Bishops of the United States and the world. May none of them fear death or the condemnation of this world for speaking the Truth, but only fear God and His judgment if they do not speak the Truth with boldness.

This last Friday I had to fill in for my pastor, Fr. Phillips, and give the final prayer and blessing at the Allied Women's Center Gala. It was a wonderful event and I was very honored to be able to be a part of it. The prayer below was what I offered. You are welcome to use it in your own prayers in the days leading up to the elections on November 6. Before I started the prayer at the event I asked our Blessed Mother to make this prayer her own and to place it at the feet of her Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. I ask that you do the same when saying this prayer.

Almighty God our Heavenly Father, you are the Author and Creator of all life and in your infinite Wisdom you created mankind in your own image. We pray for the President, for the members of Congress and for the leaders of all nations that you would open their minds and hearts to acknowledge and accept the Truth: that the life and soul of each person is created by you and is therefore sacred. We beseech you also Lord that if those who bear the authority of government are not willing to accept this Truth that you would remove them from their positions of power and replace them with those who are willing to do your will. And we especially pray for your faithful followers who have for years tirelessly worked to protect the lives of the unborn. May the work they are doing for you be blessed by your Almighty hand so that the schemes of the devil cannot overcome them. Lastly, we pray for the lives of the unborn and all the innocent babies that have been wrongfully taken out of your hand through the evil of abortion; may they and all the souls of the faithful departed rest in peace.

In his Apostolic Letter Porta Fidei Pope Benedict wrote,

It often happens that Christians are more concerned for the social, cultural and political consequences of their commitment, continuing to think of the faith as a self-evident presupposition for life in society. In reality, not only can this presupposition no longer be taken for granted, but it is often openly denied. (Porta Fidei, §2)

To me it seems the Pope is telling us that we can no longer assume that people in the world understand anything at all of the Christian Faith. And with the many Catholics that have been affected by a worldly and secular mentality I think we could say the same about many people within the Church.

But there also seems to be a second meaning in regards to his reference to people who "are more concerned for the social, cultural and political consequences of their commitment." What I think this means is that some people put more emphasis on these consequences he has listed than on proclaiming the saving work of Christ. But these consequences are secondary and dependent upon a belief in Jesus Christ as the Savior of mankind. Therefore, the most important thing that any Catholic has to do is to first proclaim the Truth of the Gospel: that the Son of God became Man through the Blessed Virgin Mary, that He has revealed to all mankind who God is and that God wants all mankind to be saved from sin and eternal death, and that the death and Resurrection of Jesus was the only possible sacrifice that could save us from sin and eternal death. But because so many people of the world, and even within the Church, no longer understand this we need more than anything else at this time a Year of Faith. And during this year each member of the Catholic Church needs to learn his faith in a more perfect manner and proclaim it to the world.

Earlier today I read Pope Benedict's Apostolic Letter Porta Fidei. The release of this letter marks the beginning of the Year of Faith inaugurated by Pope Benedict. This letter is absolutely wonderful and I recommend that all Catholics read it. Doing so will help ensure that everyone is on the same page, so to speak, with what this Year of Faith is all about.

I know my posts have been sporadic lately. Due to that fact I am going to start posting various parts of this great document on my blog. I will try to comment on every post but some may not need any comment like the one for today. Today's post is from section 9 and I believe that it gives us the main purpose for both the letter and the Year of Faith.

We want this Year to arouse in every believer the aspiration to profess the faith in fullness and with renewed conviction, with confidence and hope. It will also be a good opportunity to intensify the celebration of the faith in the liturgy, especially in the Eucharist, which is "the summit towards which the activity of the Church is directed; ...and also the source from which all its power flows." At the same time, we make it our prayer that believers'  witness of life may grow in credibility. To rediscover the content of the faith that is professed, celebrated, lived and prayed, and to reflect on the act of faith, is a task that every believer must make his own, especially in the course of this Year.

I don't think this really needs any further comment. May we all grow deeper in our own faith during this Year of Faith, but let us realize that won't happen unless we put our own effort into it.

If you are Catholic and have one of these on your car -

- then you are a bad Catholic. And here is why: you cannot in good conscience vote for the person that this sticker represents because of his stance on abortion and homosexuality. That being said I am sure there would be many Catholics  that would complain about this by saying, "But Fr. Namby Pamby down at St. Karl Marx Catholic Church said that I could vote for him as long as I don't support his position on abortion. I know abortion is bad but this man is going to bring change to our country through works of social justice. And the Church supports social justice, right? And even if I believe that homosexuality is wrong, Fr. Namby Pamby says I can't support the legislation of morality through governmental laws. After all, it wouldn't be fair to limit someone else's freedom just because I don't approve of their behavior."

In response to Catholics who would answer in such a way let me start with the last statement first. So, you're worried about limiting people's ability to do anything they want in the name of freedom. Does that mean you would want to do away with all the laws against murder? After all, someone might not like the way you look and want to shoot you in the face. Do you want to allow him the freedom to do that? No, I don't think you do. But in response to that another Catholic might say to me, "But you're talking about someone doing harm. Homosexuals don't do any harm to anyone so why should there be laws against them?" My response - actually they have done a great deal of harm to our country by promoting the breakdown of the family and the severe weakening of sexual morals. But that is just in addition to the fact that the Catholic Church, of which you claim to be a part, says that homosexuality is wrong! Therefore, if you are truly in communion with the Church, then you also must stand against such moral perversions as homosexuality, which includes being in agreement with laws that condemn it.

Now for abortion. You claim to be in favor of all the so-called acts of social justice that the person in question (see bumper sticker above) says he wants to do. If so then please answer this: how can there be any true justice for mankind if we don't even have the right to be born? How is it just to deny that basic right to anyone? As another bumper sticker states:

 "A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master; it is enough for the disciple to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Be-el'zebul, how much more will they malign those of his household. So have no fear of them; for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. What I tell you in the dark, utter in the light; and what you hear whispered, proclaim upon the housetops. And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell...So every one who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven; but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven."

Sobering words from our Lord don't you think? These words of our Lord are exactly what I was trying to get at in yesterday's post about my brother priests. Of course all Catholics have a responsibility to bear witness to our Faith but the clergy have even more responsibility to do so because we will be held to a higher standard when we are judged by our Lord. A priest who knowingly does not bear witness to the fulness of the Truth is in some way denying our Lord and could very well be condemning himself to eternal separation from God. Therefore, pray for your priest, especially if you know him to be theologically weak. But, if he is outright heretical and unwilling to change then by all means pray for him but go to another parish in order to protect yourself and your family.