Today's Gospel

Matthew 13: 54-58

Jesus came to his native place and taught the people in their synagogue. They were astonished and said, “Where did this man get such wisdom and mighty deeds? Is he not the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother named Mary and his brothers James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas? Are not his sisters all with us? Where did this man get all this?” And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his native place and in his own house.” And he did not work many mighty deeds there because of their lack of faith.
Matthew 13: 54-58

One of the most unfulfilling tasks for anyone is to try to counsel the members of one’s family. There is too much history to deal with, and it causes resentment. Jesus understood this, and showed by his famous statement that he was not immune to being rejected by those who knew him fairly intimately. Leaving aside the question of who Jesus’ brothers and sisters were, we are left with the astonishment that the people of his home town exhibited at this local boy being such a wise and powerful prophet. How often do we encounter someone whom we know, who speaks in witness to something of God for us? It may not be often, but how often are we too quick to shut out their voice since we are astonished that they would know anything more than we do?

Gospel for 31 July, St. Ignatius Loyola, SJ, priest, religious founder.

Matthew 13: 36-43
Jesus dismissed the crowds and went into the house. His disciples approached him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.” He said in reply, “He who sows good seed is the Son of Man, the field is the world, the good seed the children of the Kingdom. The weeds are the children of the Evil One, and the enemy who sows them is the Devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels. Just as weeds are collected and burned up with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send his angels,and they will collect out of his Kingdom all who cause others to sin and all evildoers. They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the Kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears ought to hear.”

Scholars would say that today’s gospel is probably not an example of the ipsissima verba, i.e., the very words of Jesus, but rather a reflection on the part of the evangelist about the parable of the weeds and the wheat. The explanation of the parable reminds us that there was still the expectation that Jesus would return soon, but that it was giving way to an understanding that the return of Christ was going to take a little longer than originally expected. We also see that the Church has become the place where the Kingdom of God that Jesus preached is located. The original parable showed that good and evil coexist in the world. That coexistence will continue until God decides that time is up. It is more important for us to bear fruit of holiness than to uproot evil in everyone, everywhere.

Today is the feast of St. Ignatius Loyola, founder of the Society of Jesus, the Jesuits. Ignatius was a soldier who got religion when he was recuperating from battle wounds. He gathered followers into his order, and placed them at the service of the Church. They became the shock-troops of the Counter-Reformation, and probably did a lot of uprooting evil in everyone and everywhere. The collect for the day:

Father, you gave St. Ignatius of Loyola to your Church to bring greater glory to your name. May we follow his example on earth and share the crown of life in heaven. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

The Big Flap

I am quoting this recent document in its entirety from the Vatican web site. It's so funny to hear people going off about this without having read it. Also, I wonder what the response would be if you querried one of your local main line Protestant ministers about why he and his church doesn't share communion with, let's say, the Mormons, or the Jehovah's (nit-)Witnesses? He or she would be forced to say that it wouldn't happen because there are "defects" (something lacking) in those religious bodies. Get the picture here?

RESPONSES TO SOME QUESTIONS REGARDING CERTAIN ASPECTS OF THE DOCTRINE ON THE CHURCH

INTRODUCTION

The Second Vatican Council, with its Dogmatic Constitution Lumen gentium, and its Decrees on Ecumenism (Unitatis redintegratio) and the Oriental Churches (Orientalium Ecclesiarum), has contributed in a decisive way to the renewal of Catholic ecclesiology. The Supreme Pontiffs have also contributed to this renewal by offering their own insights and orientations for praxis: Paul VI in his Encyclical Letter Ecclesiam suam (1964) and John Paul II in his Encyclical Letter Ut unum sint (1995).
The consequent duty of theologians to expound with greater clarity the diverse aspects of ecclesiology has resulted in a flowering of writing in this field. In fact it has become evident that this theme is a most fruitful one which, however, has also at times required clarification by way of precise definition and correction, for instance in the declaration Mysterium Ecclesiae (1973), the Letter addressed to the Bishops of the Catholic Church Communionis notio (1992), and the declaration Dominus Iesus (2000), all published by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
The vastness of the subject matter and the novelty of many of the themes involved continue to provoke theological reflection. Among the many new contributions to the field, some are not immune from erroneous interpretation which in turn give rise to confusion and doubt. A number of these interpretations have been referred to the attention of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Given the universality of Catholic doctrine on the Church, the Congregation wishes to respond to these questions by clarifying the authentic meaning of some ecclesiological expressions used by the magisterium which are open to misunderstanding in the theological debate.

RESPONSES TO THE QUESTIONS

FIRST QUESTION

Did the Second Vatican Council change the Catholic doctrine on the Church?

RESPONSE

The Second Vatican Council neither changed nor intended to change this doctrine, rather it developed, deepened and more fully explained it.
This was exactly what John XXIII said at the beginning of the Council.

[1] Paul VI affirmed it[2] and commented in the act of promulgating the Constitution Lumen gentium: “There is no better comment to make than to say that this promulgation really changes nothing of the traditional doctrine. What Christ willed, we also will. What was, still is. What the Church has taught down through the centuries, we also teach. In simple terms that which was assumed, is now explicit; that which was uncertain, is now clarified; that which was meditated upon, discussed and sometimes argued over, is now put together in one clear formulation”.[3] The Bishops repeatedly expressed and fulfilled this intention.[4]

SECOND QUESTION

What is the meaning of the affirmation that the Church of Christ subsists in the Catholic Church?

RESPONSE

Christ “established here on earth” only one Church and instituted it as a “visible and spiritual community”

[5], that from its beginning and throughout the centuries has always existed and will always exist, and in which alone are found all the elements that Christ himself instituted.[6] “This one Church of Christ, which we confess in the Creed as one, holy, catholic and apostolic […]. This Church, constituted and organised in this world as a society, subsists in the Catholic Church, governed by the successor of Peter and the Bishops in communion with him”.[7]
In number 8 of the Dogmatic Constitution Lumen gentium ‘subsistence’ means this perduring, historical continuity and the permanence of all the elements instituted by Christ in the Catholic Church[8], in which the Church of Christ is concretely found on this earth.
It is possible, according to Catholic doctrine, to affirm correctly that the Church of Christ is present and operative in the churches and ecclesial Communities not yet fully in communion with the Catholic Church, on account of the elements of sanctification and truth that are present in them.[9] Nevertheless, the word “subsists” can only be attributed to the Catholic Church alone precisely because it refers to the mark of unity that we profess in the symbols of the faith (I believe... in the “one” Church); and this “one” Church subsists in the Catholic Church.[10]

THIRD QUESTION

Why was the expression “subsists in” adopted instead of the simple word “is”?
RESPONSE
The use of this expression, which indicates the full identity of the Church of Christ with the Catholic Church, does not change the doctrine on the Church. Rather, it comes from and brings out more clearly the fact that there are “numerous elements of sanctification and of truth” which are found outside her structure, but which “as gifts properly belonging to the Church of Christ, impel towards Catholic Unity”.

[11]
“It follows that these separated churches and Communities, though we believe they suffer from defects, are deprived neither of significance nor importance in the mystery of salvation. In fact the Spirit of Christ has not refrained from using them as instruments of salvation, whose value derives from that fullness of grace and of truth which has been entrusted to the Catholic Church”[12].

FOURTH QUESTION

Why does the Second Vatican Council use the term “Church” in reference to the oriental Churches separated from full communion with the Catholic Church?

RESPONSE

The Council wanted to adopt the traditional use of the term. “Because these Churches, although separated, have true sacraments and above all – because of the apostolic succession – the priesthood and the Eucharist, by means of which they remain linked to us by very close bonds”

[13], they merit the title of “particular or local Churches”[14], and are called sister Churches of the particular Catholic Churches.[15]
“It is through the celebration of the Eucharist of the Lord in each of these Churches that the Church of God is built up and grows in stature”.[16] However, since communion with the Catholic Church, the visible head of which is the Bishop of Rome and the Successor of Peter, is not some external complement to a particular Church but rather one of its internal constitutive principles, these venerable Christian communities lack something in their condition as particular churches.[17]
On the other hand, because of the division between Christians, the fullness of universality, which is proper to the Church governed by the Successor of Peter and the Bishops in communion with him, is not fully realised in history.[18]

FIFTH QUESTION

Why do the texts of the Council and those of the Magisterium since the Council not use the title of “Church” with regard to those Christian Communities born out of the Reformation of the sixteenth century?

RESPONSE

According to Catholic doctrine, these Communities do not enjoy apostolic succession in the sacrament of Orders, and are, therefore, deprived of a constitutive element of the Church. These ecclesial Communities which, specifically because of the absence of the sacramental priesthood, have not preserved the genuine and integral substance of the Eucharistic Mystery

[19] cannot, according to Catholic doctrine, be called “Churches” in the proper sense[20].
The Supreme Pontiff Benedict XVI, at the Audience granted to the undersigned Cardinal Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, ratified and confirmed these Responses, adopted in the Plenary Session of the Congregation, and ordered their publication.
Rome, from the Offices of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, June 29, 2007, the Solemnity of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul.

William Cardinal Levada, Prefect
Angelo Amato, S.D.B.Titular Archbishop of Sila, Secretary

NOTES

[1] John XXIII, Address of 11 October 1962: “…The Council…wishes to transmit Catholic doctrine, whole and entire, without alteration or deviation…But in the circumstances of our times it is necessary that Christian doctrine in its entirety, and with nothing taken away from it, is accepted with renewed enthusiasm, and serene and tranquil adherence… it is necessary that the very same doctrine be understood more widely and more profoundly as all those who sincerely adhere to the Christian, Catholic and Apostolic faith strongly desire …it is necessary that this certain and immutable doctrine, to which is owed the obedience of faith, be explored and expounded in the manner required by our times. The deposit of faith itself and the truths contained in our venerable doctrine are one thing, but the manner in which they are annunciated is another, provided that the same fundamental sense and meaning is maintained” : AAS 54 [1962] 791-792.
[2] Cf. Paul VI, Address of 29 September 1963: AAS 55 [1963] 847-852.
[3] Paul VI, Address of 21 November 1964: AAS 56 [1964] 1009-1010.
[4] The Council wished to express the identity of the Church of Christ with the Catholic Church. This is clear from the discussions on the decree Unitatis redintegratio. The Schema of the Decree was proposed on the floor of the Council on 23.9.1964 with a Relatio (Act Syn III/II 296-344). The Secretariat for the Unity of Christians responded on 10.11.1964 to the suggestions sent by Bishops in the months that followed (Act Syn III/VII 11-49). Herewith are quoted four texts from this Expensio modorum concerning this first response.
A) [In Nr. 1 (Prooemium) Schema Decreti: Act Syn III/II 296, 3-6]
“Pag. 5, lin. 3-6: Videtur etiam Ecclesiam catholicam inter illas Communiones comprehendi, quod falsum esset.R(espondetur): Hic tantum factum, prout ab omnibus conspicitur, describendum est. Postea clare affirmatur solam Ecclesiam catholicam esse veram Ecclesiam Christi” (Act Syn III/VII 12).
B) [In Caput I in genere: Act Syn III/II 297-301]
“4 - Expressius dicatur unam solam esse veram Ecclesiam Christi; hanc esse Catholicam Apostolicam Romanam; omnes debere inquirere, ut eam cognoscant et ingrediantur ad salutem obtinendam...R(espondetur): In toto textu sufficienter effertur, quod postulatur. Ex altera parte non est tacendum etiam in aliis communitatibus christianis inveniri veritates revelatas et elementa ecclesialia”(Act Syn III/VII 15). Cf. also ibid pt. 5.
C) [In Caput I in genere: Act Syn III/II 296s]
“5 - Clarius dicendum esset veram Ecclesiam esse solam Ecclesiam catholicam romanam...R(espondetur): Textus supponit doctrinam in constitutione ‘De Ecclesia’ expositam, ut pag. 5, lin. 24-25 affirmatur” (Act Syn III/VII 15). Thus the commission whose task it was to evaluate the responses to the Decree Unitatis redintegratio clearly expressed the identity of the Church of Christ with the Catholic Church and its unicity, and understood this doctrine to be founded in the Dogmatic Constitution Lumen gentium.
D) [In Nr. 2 Schema Decreti: Act Syn III/II 297s]
“Pag. 6, lin. 1- 24: Clarius exprimatur unicitas Ecclesiae. Non sufficit inculcare, ut in textu fit, unitatem Ecclesiae.R(espondetur): a) Ex toto textu clare apparet identificatio Ecclesiae Christi cum Ecclesia catholica, quamvis, ut oportet, efferantur elementa ecclesialia aliarum communitatum”.“Pag. 7, lin. 5: Ecclesia a successoribus Apostolorum cum Petri successore capite gubernata (cf. novum textum ad pag. 6, lin.33-34) explicite dicitur ‘unicus Dei grex’ et lin. 13 ‘una et unica Dei Ecclesia’ ” (Act Syn III/VII).The two expressions quoted are those of Unitatis redintegratio 2.5 e 3.1.
[5] Cf. Second Vatican Council, Dogmatic Constitution Lumen gentium, 8.1.
[6] Cf. Second Vatican Council, Decree Unitatis redintegratio, 3.2; 3.4; 3.5; 4.6.
[7] Second Vatican Council, Dogmatic Constitution, Lumen gentium, 8.2.
[8] Cf. Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Declaration Mysterium Ecclesiae, 1.1: AAS 65 [1973] 397; Declaration Dominus Iesus, 16.3: AAS 92 [2000-II] 757-758; Notification on the Book of Leonardo Boff, OFM, “Church: Charism and Power”: AAS 77 [1985] 758-759.
[9] Cf. John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Ut unum sint, 11.3: AAS 87 [1995-II] 928.
[10] Cf. Second Vatican Council, Dogmatic Constitution Lumen gentium, 8.2.
[11] Second Vatican Council, Dogmatic Constitution Lumen gentium, 8.2.
[12] Second Vatican Council, Decree Unitatis redintegratio, 3.4.
[13] Second Vatican Council, Decree Unitatis redintegratio, 15.3; cf. Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Letter Communionis notio, 17.2: AAS, 85 [1993-II] 848.
[14] Second Vatican Council, Decree Unitatis redintegratio, 14.1.
[15] Cf. Second Vatican Council, Decree Unitatis redintegratio, 14.1; John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Ut unum sint, 56 f: AAS 87 [1995-II] 954 ff.
[16] Second Vatican Council, Decree Unitatis redintegratio, 15.1.
[17] Cf. Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Letter Communionis notio, 17.3: AAS 85 [1993-II] 849.
[18] Ibid.
[19] Cf. Second Vatican Council, Decree Unitatis redintegratio, 22.3.
[20] Cf. Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Declaration Dominus Iesus

, 17.2: AAS 92 [2000-II] 758.

Today's Gospel

Matthew 13: 31-35
Jesus proposed a parable to the crowds. “The Kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that a person took and sowed in a field. It is the smallest of all the seeds,yet when full-grown it is the largest of plants. It becomes a large bush,and the birds of the sky come and dwell in its branches.” He spoke to them another parable. “The Kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed with three measures of wheat flour until the whole batch was leavened.” All these things Jesus spoke to the crowds in parables. He spoke to them only in parables, to fulfill what had been said through the prophet: I will open my mouth in parables, I will announce what has lain hidden from the foundation of the world.
Watching bread rise is more exciting than watching paint dry, but still not as exciting as just about anything else, yet for the baker it is a time of anxiety---will the yeast work---will the loaf rise? Anyone who has planted a seed in the garden knows that waiting for the first blade to rise, much less the first fruit to appear, is a time of anxiety---will the seed sprout---will it bare fruit?
As a teacher, Jesus didn’t just tell his students the answers. He taught in parables so that those who thirsted to know might ponder the message that was contained within them. Parables, like other forms of human utterance, need to be situated in a context that is graspable by the hearers, so Jesus spoke to the people with allusions that came from their own experiences. If we do not study Jesus’ parables, then the truths that have been hidden “since the foundation of the world” will remain hidden to us, and the harvest will be anxiety.

Today's Epistle

Brothers and sisters: You were buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the power of God,who raised him from the dead. And even when you were dead in transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, he brought you to life along with him, having forgiven us all our transgressions; obliterating the bond against us, with its legal claims, which was opposed to us, he also removed it from our midst, nailing it to the cross.

So ends the reading of the Epistle of St. Paul to the Colossians for this Sunday. I decided awhile back that for this 3-year cycle of the readings I would concentrate on the non-gospel NT readings. The late Aidan Kavanaugh, OSB, in his writings said that the homily is ALWAYS on the gospel. And generally I'd agree with him, but NEVER to preach on the epistles makes them irrelevant, and if we're going to take Aidan's approach, then there is no point in reading them at all. Why present readings, often obscure to the thought of contemporary Catholics, and then never unpack them for the people's understanding?

Therefore, pace Fr. Aidan, I've started this cycle of preachings on the epistles. The lectionary leaves out several verses preceding where the Apostle warns the Colossians to avoid "philosophy" and "traditions" because they will ensnare them. This is the only time in the NT where the word "philosophy" appears. Paul is not talking about Plato and Aristotle here. Rather this is reasoning "according to the flesh," i.e., outside of the salvific grace of Christ, and therefore in opposition to him. There is a "right mind" that people need to have if they are going to be with Christ. Human reason is a gift from God. It is not to be denigrated, but rejoiced in. Without it we would never be able to experience the truth about anything, whether of this world or of the next. At the same time, human reason is infallible only when it is right. When it's wrong, its conclusions can lead to disaster.

By baptism into Christ, we have the possibility to tap into the "mind of Christ." Therefore, if we are always guided by the mind of Christ, we will then have that right mind that is so necessary for the Catholic life. All of this is a gift, however, and we cannot achieve this state through human reason unassisted by grace. This gift to us is the result of the death of Christ on the holy rood.

As the Apostle says, all of this has been done for us while we were sinners. It is not a reward for our being good, or doing something nice. Grace is God's holy gift and totally beyond human power to gain. Christ nailed our sins to the cross, as it were to say that the indictment against us has been wiped away. The lectionary reading, for some unknown reason, leaves off a sentence that describes this as Christ's capturing all the evil powers of the universe and making them part of his triumphal procession, with them in tow as his prisoners. What a tremendous statement about the power of Christ that is available by the rood and resurrection to folks!

Gates of Vienna

For information re Christianity and Islam, I recommend the blog Gates of Vienna to you. See the links section of this blog to get to it.

Today's Gospel

Gospel Mt 13:24-30 Jesus proposed a parable to the crowds. “The Kingdom of heaven may be likened to a man who sowed good seed in his field. While everyone was asleep his enemy came and sowed weeds all through the wheat, and then went off. When the crop grew and bore fruit, the weeds appeared as well. The slaves of the householder came to him and said, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where have the weeds come from?’ He answered, ‘An enemy has done this.’ His slaves said to him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’ He replied, ‘No, if you pull up the weeds you might uproot the wheat along with them. Let them grow together until harvest; then at harvest time I will say to the harvesters, “First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles for burning; but gather the wheat into my barn.”’”

One of the first things that I notice is the excessive number of quotation marks that conclude this pericope. They're needed because of all the internal quotations in the body of the text. So much for English grammar.

People want to fix problems---or they want their problems fixed---and fast. The quick fix is so typically American, and few of us are immune to wanting it. Our technology has given us an edge in so many situations in life where health or comfort is desired. The wise person knows that, a) some things can never be fixed in this life; and b) sometimes the quick fix is not the best solution to the problem at hand. Christian history is replete with disgraceful examples of wanting to pull up the weeds before the harvest. Part of our faith is to remember that God is the husbandman, and he will decide from his infinite knowledge when the time for harvest has come. Faith says relax, let go our our attempts to get things all fixed up, and let God handle these situations.

Poor Pope Shenouda III of Alexandria

The patriarch of the Coptic Church, Pope Shenouda III, has added his voice to others in response to the recent Vatican answers to certain questions about the relationship between the Catholic Church and other Christian bodies. Saying to the effect that Pope Benedict doesn't know when to quit, he opines that first, in Benedict's Regensburg speech, he infuriated Muslims, he has now turned himself to other Christians and said that they were inferior. Of course, anyone who reads the document, plus Dominus Iesus or Unitatis Redintegratio will see that nothing has changed in the attitude of the Church toward other Christian churches. Whether or not we "needed" this recent clarification I don't know. That being said, one has to consider the position of Pope Shenouda. I don't mean his theological position, but rather his political position. See my blog for 9/18/06. The Alexandrian Patriarch is in Egypt, remember, surrounded by militant Muslims who are constantly harassing Coptic Christians, attacking their churches, raping and murdering their people. The Pope's political position makes it impossible for him to speak out against Muslim atrocities and almost makes him a catspaw in the hands of the Muslim ascendancy. (As an aside, think of the advantage of having the head of your church, and your whole church for that matter, independent from the state in its headquarters reside. Can you say "Vatican?")

How then should we take any comments by Pope Shenouda? With a grain of blessed salt, I think. We can never know what he really thinks when he has to keep his comments totally unoffensive to the Muslim overlords. Isn't it also funny that the Grand Mufti of Cairo has made a pledge with the Orthodox Archbishop of Cyprus to protect the Orthodox churches that are in the Turkish controlled part of Cyprus? Why can't he do the same for the Copts?

Let's anoint this with the prayer for the Unity of Christians from the Roman Missal:

Almighty and eternal God. You keep together those you have united. Look kindly on all who follow Jesus your Son. We are all consecrated to you by our common baptism; make us one in the fullness of faith and keep us one in the fellowship of love. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God for ever and ever. Amen.

Good News in Christian-Muslim Relations (for a change)

Grand Imam to Protect Church Buildings NICOSIA, Cyprus, JULY 27, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Egypt's most senior Muslim cleric has agreed to help protect Orthodox churches under Turkish occupation since 1974 in the island republic.Mohamed Sayed Tantawi, the grand imam of Egypt, told Chrysostomos II, Orthodox archbishop of New Justiniana and All Cyprus, that he would support the primate of the Greek Orthodox Church in Cyprus to help prevent further destruction of the religious sites, the Cyprus News Agency reported. The archbishop reported that more than 500 churches in occupied Cyprus need urgent restoration to avoid collapsing because of structural weaknesses. According to the archbishop's press spokesman, Andreas Demetriou, the pledge was given at a one-hour meeting between the two held in Cairo, during which the archbishop outlined the situation on the island. Archbishop Chrysostomos II also explained to Grand Imam Tantawi that the Church of Cyprus had always respected Muslim places of worship on the island. Grand Imam Tantawi said he would work for peace and love in Cyprus while promising support for the Orthodox Church.

Relief from a Roman Sarcophagus

When I was in Rome in November, I took this picture of an old Roman sarcophagus in the cloister of St. Paul's "outside the walls." It reminded me of that wonderful line by Robert Benchley, when he was doing a humorous piece about visiting a museum. He said that he came on a sculpture that was labeled: Relief from a Roman Sarcaphogus. His comment was (wait for it!) "When I think of Roman sarcophogi, anything would be a relief from them." Now who can argue with that?

Today's Gospel

Gospel Mt 13: 18-23

Jesus said to his disciples:“Hear the parable of the sower.The seed sown on the path is the one who hears the word of the Kingdom without understanding it,and the Evil One comes and steals away what was sown in his heart.The seed sown on rocky ground is the one who hears the word and receives it at once with joy. But he has no root and lasts only for a time.When some tribulation or persecution comes because of the word,he immediately falls away. The seed sown among thorns is the one who hears the word,but then worldly anxiety and the lure of riches choke the word and it bears no fruit.But the seed sown on rich soil is the one who hears the word and understands it,who indeed bears fruit and yields a hundred or sixty or thirty fold.”

This explanation of the parable of the sower was probably not part of the original parable, but rather a reflection by the early Church on Jesus' words.
The privilege of being a disciple is to be able to understand, through faith, what the message of God is: firstly, Jesus himself, the Incarnate Logos, and then, his teachings. The application of the seed that fell on the path, on rocky soil, and among thorns, would mirror the early Church's experience with some converts at divers times: they started out well, but other things intervened, and they fell away. Kind of like it is today, isn't it?

The explanation teaches us that rich soil is the only environment in which the Word can flourish.

How could we be that rich soil? We can't make ourselves into fertile seedbeds for the Word, unless God blesses us and gives us the capacity. One a human level, I'm not very rich soil. There's plenty of inhospitable ground in me; but what a grace God has given us!

Get rid of the cross, or we will burn your churches

(This is taken from the Asia News site: http://www.asianews.it/index.php?l=en&page=9:)

Islamic group in Baghdad: “Get rid of the cross or we will burn your Churches”.In the Dora quarter threats continue to be made against Christians. In the last two months Christian parishes have been forced to give in to extremist pressure, only the Church of Sts Peter and Paul has withstood so far. A fatwa forbids the practice of Christian ritual gestures. The US army occupies Babel College, property of the Chaldean Patriarchate.
Baghdad (AsiaNews) – “Get rid of the cross or we will burn your Churches”. This is the threat aimed at the Chaldean Church of Sts Peter and Paul, located in the ancient Christian quarter of Baghdad, Dora. Local sources say an unknown armed Islamic group is behind the threats which are inseminating terror in the capital. The Arab website Ankawa.com and Aina news agency speak of a campaign of persecution in act in the area. Even Mosul, a Sunni stronghold, the Christian presence is being gravely threatened.

Msgr. Shlemon Warduni, Chaldean auxiliary bishop of Baghdad, tells AsiaNews “in the last 2 months many Churches have been forced to remove their crosses from their domes”. In the case of the Church of St. George, assira, Muslim extremists took the situation into their own hands: they climbed onto the roof and ripped out the cross. In the Chaldean Church of St John, in Dora, which has been without a pastor for months now, the parishioners themselves decided to move the cross to a safer place following repeated threats.

The same threats which have arrived at the Church of Sts Peter and Paul, which has so far however withstood intimidation: the cross hasn’t been removed but the threats continue. “The Iraqi people are tired – says Warduni – we have been suffering for far too long the situation has become unsustainable; we ask God to give us peace. The Christians, just like the Muslims, want to rebuild Iraq, we don’t want to be forced to flee, because this is where we were born, this is where we have lived our lives”.

The Islamic group active in Dora seems to have delivered an ultimatum to the Christian community there: convert to Islam or die; moreover reports say that they have delivered a Fatwa forbidding Christians to wear the cross or make any religious gesture. It also permits the confiscation of goods and properties belonging to the Christian families who find themselves forced to flee their homes for safety at short notice.

Baghdad’s Christian community’s worries have been added to by the US military’s decision to forcibly occupy Babel College, property of the Chaldean Church. The Babel, the only faculty of theology in the country, houses on of the most ancient religious libraries in the region, full of priceless manuscripts. Because of the increased insecurity in the city and continual abductions of religious the faculty had transferred to Ankawa, in Kurdistan January last, leaving the building empty. The US military are now using it as an observation outpost. The building is located at a strategic crossroads: within a Sunni enclave, in front of a Shiite district. Leaders from the local Church are discussing the issue with military representatives. Apparently they have promised to abandon the structure in the coming weeks. (End of article)
Even our own presence there is causing problems for the Christian minority. Our soldiers dare not be seen as defending the Christian minority, or else they would confirm their designation as "crusaders" in the minds of the Iraqi Muslims. And since our soldiers not defending the Christians, it won't make any difference for the Christians when we pull out of Iraq, will it? You can be sure the persecution of the Church in Iraq will continue unabated as it always is under Muslim rule.

Terraforming

Local Boy Scout, Will Wilson, prepares a strip of land on the north side of our church property to receive St. Augustine grass. This work is Will's Eagle Scout project. He is being assisted by other scouts and his father. This will beautify and make mowable this area below the retaining wall that we have not been able to do much with until now. Good work, Will!

Sts. Joachim and Anne, Parents of the BVM

Today the Church celebrates the feast of Sts. Joachim and Anne, parents of St. Mary the Virgin. Devotion to them goes back to the second century, but only became common in the sixth. The gospel reading from today's feast is Matthew 13:16-17, two short verses.
The words of Jesus in today’s gospel follow a quotation from the prophet Isaiah: Listen and listen, but never understand! Look and look, but never perceive! This people’s heart has grown coarse, their ears dulled, they have shut their eyes tight to avoid using their eyes to see, their ears to hear, their heart to understand, changing their ways and being healed by me.
Here Jesus is approving those disciples who listen through his parables to their inner meaning, and allow them to change their lives. Many have longed to see what you see.
Think of the advantages any baptized Christian has over Abraham or Moses. What we receive from Christ is so far beyond what they received that there is no comparison.
Even if we had been present at the Burning Bush, it would not be a greater encounter with God that is that sacramental union with him that we receive in Holy Communion.

Collect for the day: God of our fathers, you gave Saints Joachim and Ann the privilege of being the parents of Mary, the mother of your incarnate Son. May their prayers help us to attain the salvation you have promised to your people. Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spriit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Back in the Saddle

I have decided to come back to blogging, and this is my first installment in months. Michael Odom, our organist-choirmaster and I spent a week in Indianapolis at the national convention of the National Association of Pastoral Musicians. Many good experiences and much music we\re had by both of us. It will take time for us to separate the gold from the dross.

Summer is half over, and today we celebrate the feast of St. James, Apostle of Christ and patron of Spain where his aid was invoked during the reconquista, and was apparently effective since it earned him the sobriquet: Matamoros, or Moor-Slayer. The great shrine at Compostella was a major pilgrimage goal in the middle ages, and is still so today.

One noteworthy thing on this feast as it is celebrated at Compostella is the botafumeiro, a gigantic thurifer that is hung from the ceiling. Once it gets going, it is swung by men like a large pendulum from the ceiling of the church. Such a wonderful thing would make a great addition to our church here in El Dorado.

Along with St. John, he, with the help of his mother, was trying to get to sit on either side of Jesus when our Lord had come into his kingdom. He was beheaded by Herod Agrippa around the year 44, and was the first of the apostles to die a martyr. Saint James, pray for us, and for the Church in Spain!

Relatives of beheaded Iraqi priest say kidnappers demanded apology for pope's muslim comments

The Associated PressTHURSDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2006

Published: October 12, 2006
MOSUL, Iraq Relatives of an Orthodox priest who was kidnapped and found beheaded three days later said Thursday that his captors had demanded his church condemn the pope's recent comments about Islam and pay a US$350,000 (€280,000) ransom.
More than 500 people attended a memorial service Thursday for father Amer Iskender in the northern city of Mosul after his decapitated body was found Wednesday evening in an industrial area of the city.
Iskender was a priest at the St. Ephrem Orthodox church in Mosul.
Click on title to read the complete article.

As I have said and will continue to say: It's the religion of Islam that is the fault. There is no other excuse.

Where have I been?

It's been a busy time for me the last two weeks. I haven't been able to blog at all. On October 1 I was invested as a Knight of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem at the annual meeting of the Southwestern USA Lieutenantcy in Austin, TX. Forty folks from Arkansas were there and eight hundred all together. Fifty couples were invested as Knights and Ladies, and five clergy. It was an altogether interesting and enjoyable weekend. Next year will be in Oklahoma City, and then, in 2008, in Little Rock.

I am trying to work my way onto the pilgrimage to Jerusalem that is set for November. If I am able to go, I will receive the pilgrim's shell from the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, along with the other members of the Order making the pilgrimage.

Our organist-choirmaster up an quit a few weeks ago, without giving notice. We now have services a capella as the Orthodox do, or the Churches of Christ (so-called). I am now the choirmaster.

Some are piously trying to resurrect the local ministerial alliance here in El Dorado. With all the protestant churches in town, the liturgical churches like the Catholic and Episcopal are surrounded in a sea of fundamentalism. It is really problematic, because they have no real conception (except for a precious few of the downtown ministers) of what our Church us like, or how we worship. We'll see how things go.

The church's new parking lot was inaugurated on the first weekend of October. It gets right filled up before the Sunday Mass. It is a much appreciated addition. Now, if they'd just get finished with my driveway.

Spread of race ghettos fuels gang warfare

Spread of race ghettos fuels gang warfare

Shiv Malik

AN east London teenager who became a drug dealer and a knife-wielding member of a street gang lays the blame on the transformation of his neighbourhood into an ethnic minority “ghetto” where turf warfare flourishes.

Click on the title to read the rest of the article.

Sunday Afternoon in the rectory

It is nice to be able to take some time to relax after the vigorous workout that Sunday always seems to be. It is good, though, to be tired for working for the Lord. This is something that everyone who follows Christ should feel often. It today's gospel, the announcement of the death and resurrection that Jesus gives the disciples leads, instead of humble acceptance and fortitude, to an argument among the apostles about who would be the greatest. Jesus sets a child in their midst and suggests that those who would be greatest in the Kingdom of God would be those who serve and seek the lowest place. They should become as lowly and unassuming as a child.

The apostle James suggests that the divisions and malice that dwell among men is the result of our own sinful attitude. We desire, but we cannot have. We ask but not rightly.

St. Thomas Aquinas once addressed the question of whether the prayers of the saints in heaven were always answered. His response was that when in heaven, the saints' will is totally fixed upon and in union with God's will. Therefore, since God's will will be done, the prayers of the saints are always answered. The sed contra was, I believe, that if that were so, it would mean that the saints in heaven had lost or given up their free will. This would mean that the saints had suffered a privation as a result of their salvation, which of course would be absurd. Aquinas then posited that they did in fact retain their free will (a gift from God that was part of the wholeness of man), but since the goal of their will on earth was there before them, i.e., God, that having obtained what their wills had always sought, they would never turn away from but were fixed upon the object of their wills. They were totally in conformity with the will of God, thus their prayers are always answered, because they only will what God wills, and, whether we here below like it or not, God's will is always accomplished. If we asked, rightly, as the apostle James suggests, then our prayers would be always answered, too. For they would always be in union with the will of God.

The above picture of a medieval fresco is one that I took when I was in France on a pilgrimage to Lourdes in 2000. It was taken at the church of the Jacobins or Dominicans in Toulouse. St. Thomas Aquinas is buried in this church which is famous architecturally for only having two aisles rather then the regulation 3 or 5, so the columns run down the center of the church. The capitals of the pillars and the vaulting are made to look like palm trees, which I would show you if the blog would accept the picture, which for some reason it is not.

All Virtue ought to be prudent.

Omnis virtus moralis debet esse prudens: all virtue is necessarily prudent. Only someone who is silent is listening. And only the invisible is transparent. To be sure, a deeper silence than mere abstention from speech and utterance is required. There is also interior speech which must also become mute, so things might find their proper utterance.

Since reason is nothing else than the power to understand reality, then all reasonable, sensible, sound, clear, and heart-stirring talk stems from listening silence. Thus all discourse requires a foundation in the motherly depth of silence. Otherwise speech is sourceless: it turns into chatter, noise, and deception.

We lose our speech not only when we are forced down below the threshold of our being but also when we are raised up above our capacities. (Josef Pieper)

Where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every foul practice. But the wisdom from above is first of all pure, then peaceable, gentle, compliant, full of mercy and good fruits, without inconstancy or insincerity. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace for those who cultivate peace.

Where do the wars and where do the conflicts among you come from? Is it not from your passions that make war within your members? You kill and envy but you cannot obtain; you fight and wage war. (St. James, Apostle)