Would it be a form of Martyrdom?

      It is said that the church is built on the blood of the martyrs. From ages past to the present day Catholics have been killed for thier faith. Murdered in terrible manners because they would not surrender their faith in Our Lord, Jesus Christ. To my mind, one of the most touching scenes in "For Greater Glory" is when the young martyr, Jose Sanchez del Rio looks to his mother and says, "I love you. Vivo Cristo Rey" and is brutally murdered. With his last breath and his own blood he carves a cross in the dirt next to his grave.

     And so it is with some wonder that I see people telling me that the church cannot take an actual stand because of their tax exempt status. I know, I know, the church does great work with it's charitable monies. Believe me I know. I have been both a receipient and a person who has seen some of the reports of what is done. Yet, because the bishops are not taking the stand they need to take and not performing the actions they need to perform people are dooming themselves to hell. And please, make no mistake about it. People will be going to hell after future elections. Not just the one upcoming, but the one after and the one after, etc. They will vote for an economic plan doomed to failure over the lives of children because they will be concentrating on the now instead of the forever because they have not been well instructed by their shepards.

     Three scriptures come to mind. Ezekiel 3:16-18, ¹⁶ At the end of seven days the word of the Lord came to me: ¹⁷ “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the people of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me. ¹⁸ When I say to a wicked person, ‘You will surely die,’ and you do not warn them or speak out to dissuade them from their evil ways in order to save their life, that wicked person will die for^[b] their sin, and I will hold you accountable for their blood.

     Mark 12: 13-17 ¹³ Later they sent some of the Pharisees and Herodians to Jesus to catch him in his words. ¹⁴ They came to him and said, “Teacher, we know that you are a man of integrity. You aren’t swayed by others, because you pay no attention to who they are; but you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. Is it right to pay the imperial tax^[b] to Caesar or not? ¹⁵ Should we pay or shouldn’t we?”
But Jesus knew their hypocrisy. “Why are you trying to trap me?” he asked. “Bring me a denarius and let me look at it.” ¹⁶ They brought the coin, and he asked them, “Whose image is this? And whose inscription?”
“Caesar’s,” they replied.
¹⁷ Then Jesus said to them, “Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.”
And they were amazed at him.

     Matthew 9:36 ³⁶ When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.

     My point is that now may be the time for a new martyrdom, a green martyrdom. Yes, I know that we can administer the money better than the government. By we I mean the church, through the Bishops. But is it worth the souls of those in jeopardy to save a few coins? We need clear, decisive teaching. We need public excommunications, not for the blood in the water, but for the example to shake up some of the sleeping laity. We need guidance and shepherding from our priests and bishops that is unequivocal We need priests and Bishops who are ready for the modern martyrdom, not guns and swords, but words and beliefs standing forward for Christ. If the Catholic vote goes the wrong way, if it supports murder of children in the womb over some economic plan, who is to blame? Is it the shepherd or the sheep? Probably a bit of both, but how much goes to the shepherd?

A much needed homily

Deacon Larry Hart of St. Catherine's parish in Orange Park, Fl delivered this homily on Sun, 24 June. I thought it was a great homily and he agreed to share.

Here is it:

Call me John the Baptist, herald of freedom. Picture John the Baptist, a rugged, black-haired man with cheeks hollowed by fasting, with feverish dark eyes, his complexion dark, tanned by the sun and weather beaten, St. John the Baptist, the herald of freedom! A voice crying out in the desert. He is calling people to prepare their hearts for the coming of the Messiah. And people from all walks of life listened. I think most of us are naturally attracted to people who are direct and honest. Humble John had no pretentions. He’s the one who said, “I am not worthy to unfasten His sandals.” He cared little about himself. All that mattered was preparing us to recognize Jesus.

Zechariah, John the Baptist’s Dad, was filled with the Holy Spirit after John was born and he prophesied about a savior, redemption, mercy, covenants. He prophesied how we can without fear worship Him all the days of our life, how a light will shine on those in darkness, and how we will be guided into the path of peace. This beautiful prophesy, is called the Canticle of Zechariah and his words, this canticle, are part of the universal prayers of the church that Priests and Deacons pray every morning. When I was ordained, I took a vow to pray the morning and evening prayers of the universal church each day. The part of the canticle that almost shouts to me, is the part that says, “…You, my child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare His way, to give his people knowledge of salvation by the forgiveness of their sins.” Call me John the Baptist, herald of freedom. That was John’s purpose for being. That is our purpose for being. It’s the job description we each received at our baptism. I’ll bet you didn’t know baptism came with a job description did ya?

How many people here have been baptized? All of us baptized have been baptized into the mission of Jesus and commissioned as His disciples. The mission has us. We are the church. In fact, that is why we exist as Church. We are to point to Jesus and His message of sacrificial love. Our purpose for being is to spread the word that Jesus is the Son of God, that He loves us so much that He died for us, and God’s love is so incredible that Heaven is now open to us! That’s what “salvation” means! We have been saved from our sins!!! What does John shout from the desert? Repent and believe in this good news! Zechariah’s Canticle also speaks about religious freedom. One part says, “…This was the oath He swore to our father Abraham: to set us free from the hands of our enemies, free to worship him without fear, holy and righteous in his sight all the days of our life.”

Today our religious freedom is increasingly under attack. Our Bishops have asked us to dedicate these days of June 21 ‘till July 4^th as a “Fortnight of Freedom”. 14 days to talk and pray about our first freedom. Amendment One of the U.S. Constitution states, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, OR prohibiting the free exercise thereof…” that’s called Freedom OF  Religion! Today we have a President who swore to uphold that Constitution, yet does not.

On July 4^th, 1776, we declared our independence and in that declaration, our founders said to the world; “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” Today, two out of three are under obvious and heavy attack by the current Administration. Decisions have been made and policies instituted that attack both, life and liberty. Our Bishops have taken a stand, and have asked us to take a stand.

How can we bring about the Kingdom of God here on earth, when our basic rights to do so are being taken away? First, the Right to Life, for without life, no other right exists.

Second, the right of Religious Freedom: Religions are where we are nurtured and grow in our understanding of God’s law and God’s love and compassion. Remember, God’s law is far above man’s law. All of us are called to fall in love more deeply with our faith, and also to defend that faith in the public square. We, the laity, possess a unique and important role in serving the Church and the evangelization of our world.

Most people don’t know this but the phrase, “separation of church and state”, we hear so much about, is from a letter written by Thomas Jefferson to the Danbury Baptist Association in 1802. The original text reads: "... I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should 'make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,' thus building a wall of separation between Church and State." (end quote) The theme of Jefferson’s letter was that the government is not to interfere with religion. The phrase "separation of church and state" itself does not appear in the United States Constitution.

We became a country in order to be free from unjust, arbitrary decisions made by a monarch. The one freedom that makes us unique among the nations of the world is the freedom OF religion. Our country is acting more like a country that thinks the Constitution says, freedom FROM religion. It does not.

We Catholics are passive people. We usually wait and allow things to happen around us. Only when we feel the impact personally do we react. If the Gov’t can tell us today what we can and cannot do concerning insurance that covers abortions, what’s to stop them from telling us our children are not to receive the Blood of Christ, because in their secular view, it is giving alcohol to a minor? There is a tension when the secular world imposes it’s view on religion. Where will the attacks stop?

I am here to challenge you. Studies show that 30% of you are not even registered to vote. There are more than 77 million of us U.S. Catholics in this country. It takes an estimated 50 million votes to be elected President. We have the power. We are to be people of action, people who make a difference. I am asking all of us to register AND to go to the polls and vote. Let us be united in this fight for religious liberty. And it is a fight. Our freedom is at stake. Do we have the fire in our bellies that this country was built on? Let’s protect our freedoms! There is a new movie out called, “For Greater Glory” and it is about a time in history when the Catholic Church was under attack in Mexico. They had the fire in their belly and they made a difference. It reminds me of the true cost of religious freedom.

But I think greater, longer lasting change happens through peaceful protest. I ask you to pray, pray not just for this Fortnight of 14 days, but until we bring security to our right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

I watched a movie over in Haut Hall this past Friday evening called, “Courageous”. One of the things that stood out to me was when a group of Dad’s courageously stood up and quoted Joshua verse 24 and said, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” May all of us say to ourselves right here and now, As for me and my house we will serve the Lord.

The HHS mandate is a huge mistake that threatens our Catholic schools, charities, and hospitals. It threatens our call as Christians to be able to serve ALL God’s people, regardless of faith. Today 1 out 5 people receive their medical care from a Catholic Hospital. Catholic Schools teach 3 million students/day. Everyday the Catholic church feeds, clothes, shelters, and educates more people than any other organization in the world. We should all feel proud to be Catholic as we continue to respond to the Gospel by serving the Lord, by loving our neighbors.

St. Augustine said, “An unjust law is no law at all.” Cardinal Dolan from N.Y. and the President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, said, “This country will see widespread civil disobedience like it hasn’t seen since the 60’s” when there were Civil Rights and War protests across the land. Our first freedom is at stake. President Reagan said, “If we ever forget that we are one nation under God, then we will be a nation gone under.” It’s time for us to be true to our consciences.

 So how can the people of St. Catherines make a difference? This may seem trite to some of you, but I ask you to PRAY for Religious Freedom. Join us in solidarity by praying for our government to protect our rights. Commit to praying for our religious freedom each day. Offer little sacrifices as leverage to your prayers. Fast, offer up a headache, turn it into a prayer for religious freedom. Our efforts may seem small and insignificant, but our faith tells us these efforts are not insignificant. There is no greater power than the power of prayer and when our prayers unite, for a common purpose, they make a difference! We may not see it, or hear it, but God does, and He will make the difference.

Second, I want everyone to be registered to vote and then to vote. I have already sent away for my absentee ballot, because I’m going to be out of the country. You can go to the library or a driver’s license office to get a form and mail it in. You can google “Voter registration florida” or to “clayelections.com”  and get a form. It has to be postmarked 29 days before the election in order to be able to vote. That means Oct. 9^th is “D-day for the Presidential general election. It’s easy to register.

NOW is the time for our voices, united to God in prayer, to be crying out. NOW is the time to feel the fire in our bellies and vote for what our consciences tells us is right and just. Our right to Religious freedom is founded on the dignity of the human person created in the image and likeness of God. God is the author of freedom. He has given us the freedom to choose between right and wrong since Adam and Eve. He will not take away our freedom. Neither should our government. I hope and pray that, Mr. President, you have awakened a sleeping giant. Call US St John the Baptist, heralds of freedom.   

Don't let him do anything stupid

Those of us who have gotten married know all about the planning that goes into a wedding. Some of us wing it a great deal, some of us go down to the smallest detail. I once knew a woman who wanted to taste the candy coated almonds in the party favors. I told her that nobody eats those, their left over from WWI or something, then at the wedding some kid was going around eating them out of every one's favors. I wanted to kick him. I refrained, I refrained.

We don't know much about the people who organized and participated in the wedding at Cana in John chapter 2. We know that a man and a woman got married and that somehow Jesus and Mary were invited. We also know that the disciples of Jesus were present, we can guess there are about four of them because in Chapter 1 John only points out the selection of those four. So, let us set a scene. It is a few days prior to the wedding:

"Mom? Mary sent a message. You know her son Jesus? He has four friends and they want to know if they can come." "Four friends?! Who are these people?" "I don't know. Friends." "Hmmm, ok, we'll move Mark and his wife and Joanne and her husband, what's his name, to another table. We can make it work. I heard something about Jesus the other day. What was it?"
"he went down to the river to see that guy...John? Anyway, I hear he got baptized and then took off into the desert for like a month and fasted. Something about turning his life over to God."
"Turing his life over to God? He has that carpentry business of his father's right?" "Yeah." "Went into the desert, huh? Now he thinks he's a prophet or something? Elijah come back to save us all. Just what we need." I'll tell your father and brothers not to let him do anything stupid. They'll keep an eye on him. Just what we need. Prophets and religious zealots."

Besides hopefully enjoying hiself at the wedding Jesus did one thing, he turned water into wine. Not just any wine, but the best wine.

It is so common for people who feel a desire to turn more to Jesus. They have seen people who are ......... a turn off and they don't want to be like that and they are afraid what will happen to them. Committing to God, turning to God goes against everything we are taught. Lean on God but stay in control. Even the old saying, "God is my co-pilot" That means I am flying the plane but God is there in case I mess up. I like the one I saw the orther day, "If God is your co-pilot your in the wrong seat." God is not going to make you do anything you don't want to do. He will not change you into something or someone you don't want to be. He won't do anything stupid with you. But the wine He gives you to drink at the end, and along the way, is the best, the very best there is. All you have to do is follow the advice of Mary, "Do, whatever He tells you to do."

Social Justice and the Error of Time and Place

It seems to me that many, and by far not all, Catholics in the Social justice Movement have forgotten the root mission they were sent to accomplish. Part of the key to this is that they were sent, they did not pick or choose this ministry, they were called, culled, chosen and sent, much like the Apostles. True, they always had the right to say no and they chose to say yes, but isn't that the same with any job or mission. "Your mission", the old TV show began, "should you choose to accept it...". Called, culled, chosen and sent; so goes the missionary. If someone is sent on a mission then while it is their mission they must be guided by the greater mission of whoever sent them. If a soldier is sent on a mission deep into enemy territory he or she must know not only the immediate goal but some part of the long term goal even if it is only "to win the war" It is conceivable that a person working in Social Justice for the Catholic church must also know the long term goal of the church as well as the short term goal of their mission. Suppose the soldier is sent to blow up the proverbial bridge. The greater mission is the protection of a nearby town from enemy incursion. Arriving at his target and without this knowledge the soldier might choose to lower personal risk and use a high explosive that damages or destroys the town very town he was sent to save. Not only must he know both goals, he must remember them and use them to achieve his success. So what is the long term goal of Catholic Social Justice? The ultimate goal of the catholic Church is enable its members to enter the gates of heaven. By its teaching, its example, its penances and traditions the faithful should be led to accept the truths of the Gospel and the teachings of the church and act on them to help them get to heaven. While we know that Jesus is all loving we also know that those found unprepared will be left outside like the foolish virgins while the bridegroom tells them, "I know you not" So the long term goal of Catholic Social Justice is the enable those being served to enter heaven. This does not mean they must become Catholic. Mother Teresa helped many who were not catholic and by the love she showed them they became better people and may find grace with God. Through the work and teaching of Catholics in Social Justice the person should be so uplifted that they may find grace and forgiveness with God and enter in despite their current circumstances. Suffering on this earth is transitory. Suffering in hell is permanent. If I relieve all of your earthly suffering and then condem both you and I to hell where is the gain? What is the goal? If the goal is charity in the name of Jesus then that charity should not allow woerldy views and pleasures to overshadow the true christian charity of helping that person into heaven. My goal in aleviating suffering in this world should become so primary as to lead to suffering in the next. Sounds simple, right? So where is the problem? Many Catholics seem to believe that in order to help poor young women we have to give them birth control pills and condoms regardless of catholic teaching on the subject thereby telling them that illicit and sinful sex is OK. By focusing solely on the current needs and forgetting the future need they are sending souls to hell instead of heaven even though they have the best of intentions. We live in two worlds, the Temporal and the Spiritual. The root of temporal is tempo or tempor, Latin for time. The temporal world is limited by time. The spiritual is not. Giving condoms to someone with Aids is not looking to the future need of avoiding hell but is simply looking to an avoidable, temporary, physical need that may also endanger countless other people. By only seeing this world they run the risk of Ezekiel 3 and having the blood of the people they serve held to account on them so that not only is the person lost through erroneous teaching but they themselves are also lost. We must remember, as Catholics that our primary and ultimate goal is to enter heaven. Anything else is trasnitory. While important it must be weighed in the balance of that ultimate goal. Heaven or hell, where does this piece of the puzzle lead us? "What doth it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his imortal soul?", Matt 16:26. We would do well to take on the oath of doctors, "Do no harm." Do no harm, how much harm is an eternity in hell?

In This Great Future

I guess I will be the lone cowboy on this one, or at least it might feel that way. So let me start right off. I am a Catholic, I am 55 years young, I grew up with the Old Latin mass, served it as an Alter Boy, and I like the New Vernacular mass. I like it a lot. I smile when Father leaves the ambo to speak to the congregation. I smile because I know that someone in the congregation is composing their letter to the bishop because of such an egregious abuse of the GIRM (General Instruction of the Roman Missal).



I have nothing against the Latin Mass and I agree that we need more reverence in the New Mass. I have no argument with the Holy See revising the missal and making it more attuned to the Latin. The language could be tightened up to be more precise. Precision in language is a dying thing, but what you say and how you say it important. Ambiguous statements about belief and principle can lead one to think that you believe nothing and have no principles. We could review the song books too. There are many, many, many songs we could do without. That is the subject of a whole 'nother blog. However, all things considered, I like the Novus Ordo mass.



Why? Good question. I like having more involvement of the laity. I like EME's. I like readers. I have been one of each and I received many graces from doing it and I would hate to see it go away. I am not a reader now. I don't feel called to it. Not that I don't want to, but that is ego and not service. Let's face it, for two minutes or so your the focus of people's attention. But when it gets to be about you and not the service to God, it's time to stop. I am an EME currently. I prayed about it and felt led toward this. There is no place in the Tridentine mass for this type of service. I think it is a gift to the church and to the people doing the service. For many it has led to a deepening of their spiritual life and a prayer life they never had before. Many churches and dioceses hold retreats just for these ministries and I am sure more than one deacon found his calling from this work.



I like having Father face me during the consecration. When I was a child I always wondered, "What is he DOING with his back toward me?" Given that the bread and wine are transubstantiated I am often surprised there is no flash of light or angels trumpet at the moment of consecration.



I know the argument. When father faces away, Ad Orientum is the Latin, he is leading us in the open faced worship of God instead of a circle where we are all staring at each other. I also know that the church is supposed to face east because that is where Christ shall come again. Sorry. It doesn't sell me. As for where Christ shall come He is right there on the altar and we can all see Him. I don't have to face east or west to where He may or may not come when He comes, He is right there in front of us and we are all still facing Him, from the moment of consecration until he is replaced in the tabernacle. It makes more sense to me. When you have dinner at home, when you have a party with a guest of honor, when there is any event the guest of honor sits where everyone can see him, except at a Tridentine mass. Sorry, it doesn't make sense to me.



The last time I went to a Tridentine mass was about six years ago in New Orleans. I went twice on two separate Sundays to give myself the best experience. The first was to refresh my memory, the second for the actual mass. Yes, in many ways it was beautiful. But I still prefer a Novus Ordo.



Christ is still present in the Eucharist, The Gospel is still preached. The people are still edified. As for reverence I put it down to two things. One is that parents didn't raise their children reverent and two is that the church as a whole did not encourage reverence. So yes, as a parent I am largely to blame for the lack of reverence. I will say this though. I applied for the diaconate in New Orleans a few years ago. They wisely decided it was not my call at the time and I agree. One of the classes was held in the sanctuary of a church. Possible a hundred to a hundred and fifty deacons, candidates and their wives entered the sanctuary and very few genuflected. If our clergy does not show proper respect, why should the pew sitting Catholic? No matter which mass people attend they have to re-learn reverence. It needs to be demonstrated by us and taught by the catechists and clergy. Bulletin notices and pulpit announcements would go a long way toward this education. When one enters a church if one does not feel the presence of God I have to ask why? If the tabernacle is present in the church, preferably in the sanctuary I agree, then Christ is present in the church. If He is there and you don't feel Him I have to ask you, why?



I am not opposed to the Latin mass. I think our church is grand enough and strong enough to offer both. Clergy abuse during mass used to bother me until I realized that I was missing out on the mass while paying attention to where Father stood or how. Greater minds than mine can work on that aspect. We have bishops to enforce and to teach their clergy.

I CANNOT attend an SSPX church under any circumstance to fulfill my Sunday obligation. It may be a valid mass, but how can I enter a church where the overseeing bishop has been excommunicated and is not in full communion with Rome? How can I fly int he face of church teaching? Either be Catholic or not. Either be in union with Rome, or not.



Bob Marley said in his song "No Woman, No Cry", "In this great future you can't forget your past." I agree. The past of the church is the building blocks used to build on the foundation of Christ. The church has a great future. It has survived persecution, even in the modern world. It has survived heresy, scandal, bad Popes, schisms. As it is guided by the Holy Spirit the church will not only survive the current times but thrive on it as a candle destroys the deepest darkness. Our candle of faith will shine forth into the world and dispel whatever darkness is placed against it. Our church will do it in Latin, English, Spanish, Vietnamese, Indian and a hundred other languages because our God has told us so.

Where were you when we needed you?

I didn’t go to Viet Nam, I was too young to fight.
Truth is I wasn’t sure in 73 I wanted to go.
In ’76 when I joined I was spit on anyway,
Called a killer and burner, I just wanted to serve.

Now people come and say
Thank you for your service.
Sometimes I want to shout
Where were you when we needed you?
Where were the thanks and applause?

Men still died and mothers still cried
Women still bled in green and blue
They were the brave, the proud, the few.

We’re still free cause of what was done
On Asian soil and foreign land
Even the VFW turned them away.

Are you proud of us now?
Where were you when we needed you?

My Father died and they gave us a flag.
On behalf of a grateful nation they said.
I thought, this nation doesn’t care.

Now our leaders waste time thinking
While young folk are bleeding
Will they be asking 30 years from now
Where were you when we need you?
What did you do beside stick a magnet on your car?

A ribbon is nice when I come home tonight
But it won’t stop a bullet in the air.
Where were you when we needed you?

Thirty years all told I did.
I’m proud of every day.
If you send them now send them to win
Not stop short and die.
Don’t waste their blood for some
Political gain, it’s to precious and in short Supply.

If you want to support a soldier, grab a gun and serve
There is room on the line tonight.

Who died today? Will you remember tomorrow?
Whose son is without a dad or mom will you waste
The sacrifice?

Support your soldiers with the things they need
And send them love. It’s you their fighting for.

We forgot that day in 2001 when the towers came down
It’s been too long to think about.
But it will happen again without that soldier on the ground.

So if you want to thank me send them what they need.
Or join them and be free.
Service to our country is where you ought to be.

Don’t make them ask in years to come,
Where were you when we needed you?