Stay on Time by Keeping Pitch

Prior to the Second Vatican Council there was a common experience and emphasis on two major divisions in the liturgical or ecclesiastical year (at least this is what I am told and what I have read). These two divisions are the Temporal Cycle and the Sanctoral Cycle. The Church still retains these two "propers" within her sacramental life, but unless you frequent the Divine Office you might not even know, let alone realize, that this is still part of reality.

There is great wisdom in how the Church understands the order in which God has created all that is visible and invisible. To appreciate the temporal order proper to us still living on Earth and the sacred order for those living with God in Heaven is to see not just with eyes of faith but to experience the reality of all that is. These two orders are simultaneously present--for we live in a reality that is and that is becoming.

The problem today is that we have confused the two. All too often we think that this earthly world is the reality that is and that Heaven is something becoming of someone's imagination. The truth of God's order is that Heaven is what is and we are in world becoming. And the proper distinction between the Temporal Cycle, the experience of becoming, and the Sanctoral Cycle, the experience of being, can help us reclaim time according to God's cosmological symphony.

The Church used to frequently communicate about the time we spend with God in a language reflective of our understanding of music--particularly when she refers to worshiping God. This makes perfect sense, given that our experiences of God happen in time and we desire to sing praises to him when we experience an encounter with him.

The most basic miracle naturally found in music is called an octave, an interval between pitches according to the frequency. I am no music theorist or expert nor will I attempt to be one. Suffice to say, everything that is knowable is categorized and labeled so we can communicate about our reality. Music, time, and worship, which are intimately related, are no exception.

Some have said that the Church "simplified" her discussion of her liturgical life by reducing the structure and order of all things related to the liturgy. For example the Church for all practical purposes no longer refers to liturgical octaves. In doing so we seem to have lost time, specifically sacred time. Those intervals between solemnities and feasts seem to have been as important as those days which the octaves prepared us to celebrate and helped us to prolong the celebration. Like in music, if you loose an octave you're off pitch.

I pray that as the Church continues to revise the words of her liturgical rites, as done in the Roman Missal, that she will help us reclaim our lost octaves so we can all stay on time and keep pitch with the angels and saints in Heaven.

Mass: The Litmus Test

God does truly speaks to each of us, you and me. His Word is always being spoken. And many people hear his Word, but do not realize it. To know if you have heard God speak to you, there is one very important step that must be taken; that is the step or "leap" of faith. This step of faith cannot be done alone in solitude for God proclaimed that "It is not good for the man to be alone" even though Man knew God (Genesis 2:18).  God created us to be in relationship with one another in order to experience a sense of his divinity.

So for us to have faith in the Holy Trinity, we must have a personal faith that relates to a communal faith. In other words our individual faith depends upon the faith of the community to whom we belong. So faith requires us to be taken in by and accepting by our community.

There seems to be much focus these days on the necessity of being a village or rearing children in one. Who hasn't heard the common acclamation, "It takes a village." Yet I do not think we fully appreciate this reality of God's plan, especially in a country that professes in "individualism" despite being found as "We the People." Ironic isn't it.

So perhaps this village of ours has simply become disunited. A disunity that is of our own making because we have forgotten or neglected the source of our unity--not ourselves but God. We the people cannot find unity in some social contract, but only in the Covenant with God. Even our Founding Fathers understood this in declaring independence from the Royal Crown of England. Human rights must have a source beyond the human community. We can only be brothers and sisters to one another if we first recognize that we are adopted children of God the Father. In his Son by the gift of the Holy Spirit, we can live as one family of God, respecting and protecting inherent rights we received from our Creator.

Well the truth is there is only one global village, one family of God, one Church of all. The Catholic Church is that global village, that family formed by God. The Church is that one, holy, apostolic, and catholic village. And in this catholic family our faith is born, nurtures, and matures. Every week as the one family of God, we gather together to celebrate us being that one family. Even more importantly, we as Church gather in Christ, his Son, to worship, by the power of the Holy Spirit, God the Father Almighty, Creator of all that is visible and invisible. We cannot proclaim this faith, let alone worship God, unless we are one like God--a communion of persons.

So if you seek to know if you hear God, there is a way. For you to validate if what you heard is truly from God, you need the Church. More specifically you must test what you hear with God's Word in Catholic worship, the Divine Liturgy. The Mass is to be your litmus test. This is not the doings of humanity, but solely in accordance with God's plan. He has revealed in Christ Jesus the Way in which we know and understand his Word--the Church, especially during the Mass.

The Golden Rule Tarnished

"Do into others and you have them do to you" Matthew 7:12.
Even before Jesus spoke these words, this law of reciprocity had been held by other religions and philosophies. And through the centuries this "Golden Rule" so called in the 17th or 18th century has become a universal ethical norm. Yet taken out of context, this rule is quickly tarnished of its guiding light.

Perhaps watching too many episodes of Criminal Minds has allowed me to over analyze the darker side of the human will, yet a clear understanding of the context of the Golden Rule is necessary in an ever increasing morally relativisitc society.

Case in point, what if the way I like to be treated is not good? What if a person tends to treat himself or herself in an abusive way, and doesn't realize it? What if a person has habitually formed a poor self-image? Would we really want that person to treat others in the same manner?

Taken in context, Jesus taught that the way we are to treat ourselves is to love ourselves as he has loved us. This is how we are to love our neighbors as ourselves. So before I am to do to others, I must love myself as God loves me.

How does God love? He loved us so much he sent his only Son for the salvation of the world. God's love is a self-abandonment of sacrificial giving. This kind of love is not difficult to find at any time, including today; however, this kind of love is not often celebrated publicly.  In fact what is often celebrated in the public eye today is quite the opposite.

When you are treating others, do you have the mind of Christ or that of a criminal? So beware of how the Golden Rule can be tarnished out of context. And remember the Jewish parable of long spoons--be sure your spoon is feeding your neighbor.

Teenager as Sacrament

There seems to be no other age group of humankind that better represents the authentic nature of a sacrament than that of a teenager. A sacrament is essentially an outward sign of an inward grace. Though at times sensationalized or overtly dramatic, the outward appearance of the typical teenager is a clear outward expression of what is "going on" in the innermost intimate aspect of the person, his or her identity. The sacramentality of the teenager has a critical relevance to informing us of the human condition. Even when the typical teenage angst rears its sublime roar, every witnessing adult is reminded that no one can truly conceal the inner turmoil that exists within. This turmoil is the sign of something beyond the sublime to a whole other intangible reality that is often a struggle to express in words. Thus the inner turmoil each of us has experienced. This common human experience points us directly to the spiritual, to the mystical, to the inexplainable. So the teenage expression is truly a beautiful wonderment because mystery becomes real. There is no denying the existence of that which is beyond the physical that is intimately connected to the physical. In other words, there is no denying the divine. So if you interact with a teenager, you cannot avoid encountering the Spirit of God.

Drive-Thru or Crock-Pot

Inspired by our society's two trends of cuisine habits, I see inherent or in-habitated a lifestyle trend. Are you or your family passing thru the drive-thru in life or simmering in a flavor-filled stew of life? Seeing either as a sign of one's habitual lifestyle is not difficult to discover. Yet one habit can yield a melting pot of lasting memories while the other leaves us consumed with disposable events and tasks.

For those of us furiously grabbing and going in the drive-thru lane, life is quickly passing us by. This is not a matter of one not stopping to smell the roses, but a result of one repeatedly choosing particular priorities in life. This is not about "you are what you eat," but how you eat. The drive-thru lifer values convenience over company. Convenience is helpful and on occasion necessary, however, when convenience habitually takes precedent over company then we are not living the good life, the life God intends for us (created us for). Driving thru the life of convenience is a sign of utilitarianism, a potentially dangerous philosophical view of reality. In other words, this "value meal" in life helps us make quick pragmatic decisions. We are able to short-hand decisions. We can tell someone a number instead of describing our desired entrée. For example, I'll take the Number 3. But what happens when this becomes our habit? What happens when communication is so abbreviated that we often overlook/ignore/dismiss the art of language? We loose sight that words do have meaning for life; words enable us to express beauty in life. This utilitarian habit of dining transforms not just how we interact in reality, but how we define reality. Sooner than later this drive-thru life is occupied by numbers. People are individuals only as assigned numbers, not by given name. You are who you are by ordered number. You are known by a social number to keep you secured. You are valued by the marketing impact of your annual income. Even every moment of your existence can be globally positioned or digitally recorded according to some world wide protocol address. Words have meaning, and reducing language to calculations leaves us mere exchangeable variables.

For those of us who value company in life, life is enjoyed in the moment even to the point of "losing time." In fact time is a necessary ingredient in helping stew the moments into memories. There is great wisdom behind the habitual use of the Crock-pot. The experience of preparing a meal using a slow cooker returns us back to the rhythm of life that God intends for us. A life in which we purposedly set aside time to lose, even for the sake of convenience. The Crock-pot lifer values the meal over time, instead of time over the meal. This is a great paradox. Putting priority on preparing the meal, which takes more time using a slow cooker, actually allows us to spend time gathering for the dining experience. The meal becomes the means by which we gather together to share in one another's company. This is a mysterious part of God's plan. Religious Jews experience this in rituals like the Passover, and devout Catholics celebrate this in Holy Communion. I don't mean to say that the Crock-pot is some domestic tabernacle, but the slow cooker can help us keep family gatherings sacred. At the mininum practically every family enjoys family meals as sacred during the holidays (ASIDE: Interesting to note that holiday was abbreviated or secularized over time from holy days). Before the microwave and when kitchens were actually used for cooking, houses were built around the hearth. The Crock-pot lifer is reclaiming that adage "home is where the hearth is." Perhaps the modern hearth is slowly becoming the Crock-pot. Perhaps convenience meets sanctity when a Crock-pot prepared meal brings a family back home to their kitchen who gather together as one around the dining table. These moments are worth savoring because they become memories of a life time.

The Geithner Doctrine

By no means am I an economic or financial expert, so if my simplified understanding of the following is overly simplified, then so be it. My point here is to take the current Administration's economic strategies and policies and apply them to the current Catholic university scandals.

During our recent economic crises the banking, housing, automotive and airline industries were all struck severely. And because of the direct impact these particular industries have on the larger population, their poor judgments, bad investments, and corrupt practices have had long term consequences for the average citizen. So under the Obama Administration, the (what I'm calling) Geithner Doctrine was established. This is basically the government going into a particular company of a given industry and essentially taking direct control of the operational and financial decisions of that corporation, at least for a short period of time until "things have been corrected or cleaned up." Case in point, General Motors. How did the government do this? Well essentially, they didn't give the company really any choice. They said to the corporation, if you want to have any chance of continuing, then you must allow us to mandate how you operate, especially financially. Again please don't think GM really had a choice in the matter. Trying to be fair to the Geithner Doctrine, there was no complete control over every aspect of the corporation; just primarily over how the corporation used its money. For example with General Motors, the Government didn't tell GM how to design or make a care, but how to change the way they do business, particularly in how they spend their funds, including profits.

So let's apply the Geithner Doctrine to the current Catholic university scandals. Case in point, Georgetown University has made poor "operational" decisions by including content courses that directly contradict Church teaching. As a Catholic university, it has the duty and obligation to uphold and promote the truth of Church teachings. By offering a course in which certain content is promoted as something "good," but in truth is contrary to Church teaching, they have created a scandal. This is analogous to a business operating with unsound financial policies. Furthermore Georgetown has made "poor investments" by advocating or promoting individuals (e.g. Kathleen Sebelius) who represent certain policies that are counter productive to or in direct violation of the mission of the Church. And as a Catholic university, Georgetown has an obligation to its "shareholders" to invest in "stock" that is aligned with the values of its "investors." So in an analogous way, Georgetown is the Catholic General Motors.

Now what's the solution to the Georgetown scandal? How for example should Pope Benedict XVI respond? If the Pope was to respond like the President, he would implement the "Geithner Doctrine." This essentially would be the Church taking direct control of Georgetown in order to "bail it out" of spiritual and theological trouble. However that would violate a core social justice principle of the Church called subsidiarity. In fact the Church would reject such heretical teachings like the Geithner Doctrine because it violates the duty of the institution from essentially reforming itself, if the institution was to remain "viable." For example Georgetown could choose to go "bankrupt" and "insolvent" in terms of its Catholic identity. The Church does not wish for this to happen, and ought to make every effort possible to help Georgetown reform itself. But for the Church to seize control over any Catholic university would go against her own teachings. So what is the Church to do with institutions making destructive Catholic investments?  Well one thing is for sure, not to implement the Geithner Doctrine.

Ember Days vs. Earth Day

The Church needs to publicly reclaim her long held respect for God's gift of creation by replacing the secularized celebration of Earth Day with the long held sacred celebration of Ember Days.

Pope Benedict XVI is leading the way to something close to this with his focus on the Church's teaching regarding the environment as part of her social doctrine. As with all Church teachings, the pope is not presenting any new teaching but helping the faithful realize the treasure of her deposit of faith. And the teachings are lived out in the liturgical life of the Church.

From the earliest times of the Church, she has set aside certain days for the faithful to give thanks to God for the blessings of creation. These days are called Ember Days, days of fasting from vintage and days of moderation from bounty. In the context of Christian ecology, one might look at fasting and moderation as today's conserving and recycling. But unlike today's Earth Day, the Ember Days keep our proper focus on the source of our natural resources, namely God. Through prayerful and sacrificial acts, we are not only conserving what God has provided, but directing our actions toward the Creator. Instead of devoting the world's attention to how humans take from nature, the Church calls our attention to how we should prudently moderate our just use of natural resources. Perhaps focusing on the good that God has given and our just use of those natural gifts, we might courageously cherish and care for the environment. This is the beauty of Ember Days.

To reclaim the Ember Days over and against Earth Day is to reclaim our responsibility as God's stewards of creation. Instead of looking out for our "carbon footprint" maybe we first need to see God's handiwork. Maybe then today's green will be tomorrow's ember.

Bury Him No Longer

Saint Joseph, husband of Mary, is being buried by too many Catholics (and other superstitious people). And I confess that I too am guilty. By all means I do believe the angels and saints protect and intervene on our behalves, but perhaps our faith has been misplaced. Catholic men in particular need to resurface their trust in Saint Joseph beyond the benefits of real estate success. Joseph's patronage is securing the home, not selling the house. And this may speak to the current state of authentic masculinity, and in particular what it means to be the husband of woman.

Catholic men who are married or engaged, I write this to you for our sake. The husband of Mary, my closest patron saint, is our role model of what it means to be a loving husband. Before we concern ourselves with the blessing of fatherhood, we must understand our responsibility of being husbands to our wives. For too long we think our spousal role has been about the house, but we must first be responsible for the home. We must restore the home if we are to truly fix the house. Our collection of tools is first a warehouse of spiritual mechanics. We must realize our call to serve our wives if we are to honestly complete the "to do list". Joseph understood this and thus he was a righteous man in the eyes of God.

So Catholic men, let us unearth the authentic man, stand upright facing the world, and look to St. Joseph as the role model for how to be a loving husband.

Never To Be Torn Apart

In the wake of recent news involving abortion (Planned Parenthood vs. Susan G. Komen Foundation) and contraception (Obama Administration vs. the Catholic Church in the U.S.), music has become my sanctuary and muse for the increasingly disturbing trends in this modern warfare of American History. My mind could not help but ask, “What are the angels singing about us now ?”
Through the song, The Last Beat of My Heart, by Siouxsie and the Banshees, the angels spoke to me, and hopefully to you. Because of the gravity of immoral decisions by the people of the United States, via our governments, these lyrics with the images below will haunt you, and some images are very graphic. Perhaps that is why the angels are singing not of praise but out of horror.
If you are prepared to handle this “garland of shame” we have in our country, then I suggest that you play the song in the background via Music Video of The Last Beat of My Heart (You Tube), scrolling through this table below imagining everyone’s guardian angels singing on behalf of the unborn. May your hearts be stirred to defend life.

LYRICS	IMAGES	NOTE
In the sharp gust of love My memory stirred When time wreathed a rose A garland of shame		The U.S. Supreme Court decided on January 22, 1973 in the case Roe v. Wade that a right to privacy extends to a woman’s decision to have a direct abortion until “viability” of the unborn baby, which at the time of the ruling was consider around 24 weeks.
Its thorn my only delight War torn, afraid to speak We dare to breathe		In 2009 President Obama honored Nancy Brinker the Presidential Medal of Freedom. On February 7, 2012 Karen Handel, the VP of Public Policy for Komen, resigned due to the caving of Komen, via Nancy Brinker, because of the vicious attacks by Planned Parenthood.
Majestic Imperial A bridge of sighs		President Barack Obama and Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius, are staunchly pro-abortion. advocate for federal funding of abortion, mandate free abortifacient drugs, and consider pregnancy as some form of disease that needs to be prevented.
Solitude sails In a wave of forgiveness On angels' wings		Ministries like Project Rachel help mothers who suffer from the aftermath of an abortion find healing, forgiveness and hope.
Reach out your hands Don't turn your back Don't walk away		Photo taken by Michael Clancy of Samuel Adams when he was 21 weeks-old during a fetal surgery performed by Dr. Joseph Bruner. Dr. Bruner confirmed the photo is real, but denies the baby reached out. Clancy who owns the copyright of this photo claims that the baby reached out to grasp the doctor’s hand.
How in the world Can I wish for this? Never to be torn apart		11 Week Abortion (The Center for Bio-Ethical Reform)
Close to you 'Til the last beat Of my heart		Model of an embryo at 8 weeks Photograph by David Barlow (National Geographic)
At the close of day The sunset cloaks These words in shadowplay		On February 10, 2012 President Barack Obama with Secretary of HHS Kathleen Sebelius announced the so-called HHS Mandate “compromise” aimed to appease religious organization.
Here and now, long and loud My heart cries out And the naked bone of an echo says Don't walk away		11 Week Abortion (The Center for Bio-Ethical Reform)
Reach out your hands I'm just a step away		Planned Parenthood opposes the right of conscience. Gloria Feldt, former Planned Parenthood president, called conscience clauses “interference” (Speech at the Commonwealth Club of California, San Francisco, October 9, 1999).
How in the world Can I wish for this? Never to be torn apart		11 Week Abortion (The Center for Bio-Ethical Reform)
Close to you 'Til the last beat Of my heart		Model of a fetus at twelve weeks. Photograph by David Barlow (National Geographic)
How in the world Can I wish for this? Never to be torn apart		11 Week Abortion (The Center for Bio-Ethical Reform)
'Til the last beat 'Til the last fleeting beat Of my heart		All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing." -Edmund Burke

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